First impression of "Echo Buds" launched in Japan (ASCII) --Yahoo! News

Echo Buds finally debuted in Japan. When I used it, the sound was pretty good, the noise canceling performance was good, and the hands-free operation was convenient, which made a good impression. [See more photos]

Photo: ASCII

Offering a relatively low price while having a high level of ANC function Amazon's completely wireless earphone "Echo Buds" became the second generation and finally released in Japan. Echo Buds first appeared in the United States in 2019. This second-generation machine has also been on sale in the United States since May last year. There are two types depending on the charging case, but the price is in the low 10,000 yen range. The standard model with a USB Type-C charging case is 12,980 yen. With a wireless charging case, it costs 14,980 yen and can be charged via a Qi compatible device such as Anker's PowerWave 5W wireless charging pad made for Echo Buds (plus a 7.5W or higher USB charger is also required). .. Completely wireless earphones are becoming cheaper and not so strong impact, but they are reasonably priced because they have an active noise canceling (ANC) function at this price. In addition, the ANC function is a hybrid type that uses both inside (feedback) / outside (feedforward) microphones to improve accuracy. It also has the ability to use the Alexa app to select the right eartips and measure their tightness. This ANC function was customized by Amazon, and the statement in the press release says, "Estimate the sound pressure in the eardrum according to the surrounding sound." "Adaptive ANC" provided by Qualcomm has a function to dynamically change the effectiveness of ANC according to the wearing condition (sealing) of earphones and ambient noise (in a quiet environment, the strength of ANC is lowered and there is a lot of noise. In the market, the number of products equipped with these functions is increasing. However, as far as I heard from the person in charge of the product at the briefing session held separately, it seems that Echo Buds does not have such a function. For those who want to wear earphones for a long time and want to use them hands-free, I started with a little detail, but I think the appeal of this Echo Buds is that it incorporates voice control and can use various functions. In addition to playing music, you can enjoy a wide range of ways such as collecting information and entertainment using sound such as news and Audible, as well as BGM and home appliance operation during workouts. By linking with the Alexa app installed on your smartphone, you can play music for 30 minutes for jogging, turn on the air conditioner shortly before returning home, and bring it to a comfortable room temperature when you arrive at the room. It can be applied. Also, if you live a smartphone-centric life, you often wear earphones almost all day. The voices you listen to on your smartphone are not limited to music, but also videos and games, talks like internet radio and podcasts, web conference calls, notifications from your smartphone, and information such as weather / news. It has become. Since voice does not catch your eye, you can use it while you are on the move or while checking SNS / email, so it seems that many people are spending more time listening to sound with earphones regardless of whether they are aware of it or not. Is it? Combining this with voice commands adds hands-free comfort. If you talk to "Alexa" while it is taken out of the Echo Buds case, you will hear a popping sound and it will be ready to accept voice commands, and you can use various functions in cooperation with the Alexa app on your smartphone. For example, it may be a timer to measure a little boiled time while cooking, a voice memo in a situation where you can not take notes immediately, or depending on the person, turn off the light while in the futon before going to bed. unknown. Of course, these can be done with a smartphone, but it is surprisingly troublesome to pick them up from the charging stand and pick them up, or take them out of your pocket and look at the screen. I think there are surprisingly many situations where it is more convenient to just use the voice. Echo Buds can be said to be a gadget that suits the newly increasing scenes in such a daily life. You can also turn on / off the external sound capture (ambient sound) and select songs by voice, which you normally operate with the buttons and apps on the main unit, so you can comfortably operate while doing something. The number of Alexa-compatible earphones is increasing, but since Amazon is developing it by itself, the cooperation with the Alexa app is naturally high, and it can be used more smoothly. Let's briefly touch on the features and sound quality that should not be underestimated as gadget earphones with fairly high sound quality. When you put it on, you can see that the feeling of sealing is very high and the sound insulation of the earphone itself is high. This alone gives the impression that you can isolate the ambient noise and concentrate on the music. The effect of ANC is added to this, noise in the mid-low range is cut, and the feeling of silence increases. According to Amazon's explanation, it is possible to reduce noise by an average of 6 dB in the band of 100 to 1000 kHz compared to the first generation aircraft. I tried using it in a place with a lot of driving noise such as a car along the main road, but I felt that the ANC performance was sufficient. On the other hand, external sound capture is switched to ANC (both cannot be turned off). By default, press and hold the main unit to switch. You can also control your voice. It is said to capture external sound in a nutshell, but depending on the model, residual noise may be high, or fine sounds may be picked up too much, making it difficult to hear. Meanwhile, Echo Buds (2nd generation) is tuned so that important information for detecting danger etc. is easy to understand, centering on the midrange. I understand that there was a conversation with the person in front of me, something suddenly moved around me, or a loud noise, but other unnecessary sounds are not noticeable. When I used it outside, I was a little worried about the wind noise, but the overall result was a good feeling. The high degree of airtightness has a positive effect on sound quality. Even if you are outdoors with noise, you can get a good grasp of detailed sound information. Also, I don't care about the surrounding sounds, so I think it's good if you want to concentrate on your studies at a cafe. The low range is solid and has a sense of density. On the other hand, the vocals are clear and the outline of the sound is clear. It can be said that the high frequencies are well extended and there is a sense of transparency. Depending on the source, if you listen nervously, the consonants and hi-hats will have a slight roughness and distortion, but there is an unavoidable aspect in compressed Bluetooth transmission. The tone balance is moderate and there is no big habit. I think it's especially good for people who like a crisp and clear tone. You can handle any genre such as pop, rock and classical music. If you start listening with the feeling of a gadget instead of audio, many people will be surprised at the higher sound quality than expected. It seems that there is a sense of leeway in driving the driver, perhaps because the performance of the amplifier is particularly good. By the way, the Bluetooth SoC (Realtek RTL8763C) used by Echo Buds (2nd generation) seems to be compatible with AAC, but Amazon itself has not announced a Bluetooth compatible codec. I can't check which codec is playing on the iPhone, but the tap sound of the soft keyboard responds relatively quickly, so I don't feel any stress. Like other Bluetooth earphones, games and musical instrument apps are difficult, but I think they can be used without much noticeable delay. The battery lasts for 5 hours and about 15 hours when the case is charged. This is the number when Alexa is used (always waiting for the wake word). If you are holding a charge on the way, it seems that you can use it without feeling so much trouble even if you wear it all day long. The operation with voice is unexpectedly comfortable. As for the impression of using Echo Buds for a while, the operation with voice felt very comfortable. In my case, I often use Echo speakers at home, but one of the most frequently used speakers is a timer. It's also used as an alarm clock, but I often use it to tell me how long it takes to boil pasta and how long to bake dumplings, and to sound an alarm a little before when I plan to go out. If you have an Echo speaker, you have to keep it in the room, but if you wear it with an Echo Buds, you can set and check these alarms on the spot without making a loud noise. In addition, it is quite convenient to be able to play music at a specified time and to specify a genre or artist name by voice, reducing the trouble of selecting music to listen to during housework or work. The only problem is that there are too many Alexa-enabled devices at home, and the tightness is so tight that you don't even notice that devices other than the Echo Buds are reacting at the same time in a separate room. (Although not many people may be in trouble with this). Another frequently used use is to check news / current time / weather. In the case of the author, in addition to NHK and Nikkei, economics, audio, games / animation, etc. are picked up and set as flash news, but you can listen to this outside when you are waiting for the train at the station. I'm very happy. Also, in addition to radiko, there are skills like Super A & G +, so it is convenient for radio lovers. Also, recently, the clock is decreasing from the city, but you can know the time by voice while traveling (unexpectedly convenient when walking or jogging), and you can use NAVITIME's transfer / operation information skills to take advantage of the train's transfer / operation information skills. It is also possible to know the delay information. Again, this is possible with your smartphone. However, there are many situations in daily life where both hands are occupied or you cannot see with your eyes, so I think it is great that you can get information only by your ears. Not only can this be done "while", but it may also be useful for people who are tired of using their eyes too much lately. Voice operation is a little embarrassing in a crowded downtown area, but when doing household chores at home or while traveling on a bicycle that blocks your hands (this is an ambient sound, no music is played, etc.) (I think it's better to consider safety) But it's convenient to get information easily. The sound quality of Echo Buds is also good enough. I think it is an attractive device that has both convenience and high sound quality. Sentence ● ASCII