Amazon Echo Buds (2021) - Review

(Image: © Apple)

 

Wireless earphones are a stepping-stone, with many types of solid options available for $ 50 to $ 300, each with its own unique features and benefits. The new Amazon Echo Buds is trying to offer the least of it all, and it is very successful. These true wireless headphones with Alexa hand-operated voice control, Bose's active audio reduction, and an amazingly comfortable fit, all cost just $ 129.99. Sound performance is not as powerful as other models in this price range, but if you want wireless earbuds that thoroughly inspect all the boxes in the feature department, Echo Buds is an amazing deal.

Design

Echo Buds are simple, non-abrasive strips with dark plastic shells and have no Amazon mark. Three pairs of silicone eartips and three pairs of earplugs can fit in or around each ear. After discovering the right combination of tips and wings, I found Echo Buds to offer the best balance I’ve ever seen in this category, sitting comfortably and standing upright in my ear canal without irritation or stiffness.

Without a good fit, be careful when wearing Echo Buds in the gym; they only have an IPX4 rating, which means they are resistant to sweat, but you can't wash them off. In fact, Bose SoundSport Free has the same rating, although Jaybird Vista and JBL UA True Wireless Flash are both completely waterproof (IPX7).

The back panel of each ear piece is sensitive to touch, and four input touches are available: double tap any panel, or tap and hold any panel. You can adjust the dynamics of this Alexa app, including switching on volume reduction and transition modes, activating Alexa or Google Assistant / Siri (depending on your phone), play / pause, skip track, go back to track , or mute the microphone. There are no volume controls for the Buds, or you can ask Alexa to adjust the volume, which we will explain in the next section.

According to Amazon, Echo Buds can stay up to five hours on charge, which is an excellent measure for wireless ears. The included charging case adds three more complete cases, and provides storage space for the earphones when not in use. A small black plastic box the size of an Altoids tin can, which holds the only real Amazon in this product: a smiling black arrow mark on the top. The right side of the case has a small USB charging port, and at the bottom is a battery level indicator button, which looks like a multicolor LED on the front. Be careful when using earplugs; making charging contacts fit well against the pins in this case would be a small thing if they were turned on.

Hands-Free Alexa

The biggest deal with Echo Buds is Alexa hands-free access. Once you've set things up in the Alexa app, you can execute voice commands without having to touch an object. Just say, "Alexa," and wait for the chime, then ask a question or say a command as if you're talking to any other Amazon device.

As long as Echo Buds is connected to your phone and your phone has an internet connection, Alexa will provide almost all of the functions it offers on Echo smart speakers. That includes answering general information questions such as weather and traffic, checking calendars and to-do lists, managing smart home appliances, and using a variety of third-party skills, calling a cab or ordering pizza. Alexa will also play audiobooks from Audible and music from Amazon Music, HeartRadio, Pandora, TuneIn, and Tidal. Some audio applications can play on earphones via Bluetooth, but you must use your phone. You can also use Alexa to dial phone numbers or send texts after syncing your contacts with Amazon.

Echo Buds offers a unique hands-free benefit to Echo Speakers: Navigation. You can ask Alexa to check the location, and it will provide turn-by-turn directions (because you should not wear earphones while driving).

Noise Reducing Noise

Another outstanding feature of Echo Buds is the installation of an effective Bose noise reduction. Amazon is quick to point out that this is not the same as active audio cancellation (ANC), as you get at $ 400 Bose Noise Canceling Headphones 700, so you should not expect the elimination of external noise here as you can in the company's products.

Functional noise reduction in Echo Buds actually reduces noise, but does not produce peace. Echo Buds will not make office conversations sound like long rumors, but they slow down a bit, as well as the loud roar of trains and other vehicles. In testing, I found that it was almost the same size as Sony's $ 230 WF-1000XM3 earphones, which was impressive. This is in part due to the positive, secure reputation of the Echo Buds; Sony's rotation of the ANC may be, but I have not been able to find a free WF-1000XM3 free-to-measure to secure enough to ensure consistent audio separation.

Music Performance

Playing our bass test track, The Knife's "Silent Shout," at high volume levels (and unprotected border), bass synth notes and drum beats don't interfere at all with Echo Buds. The kick drum can feel amazingly thriving, with a deep, round sound that doesn’t reach sub-bass levels, but is getting closer.

See how we test headphones

This depth, surprisingly, seems to apply only to deep sub-bass, as the most modest bass levels sound unprotected by Echo Buds. In The Crystal Method's "Born Too Slow," the bass drum drum sounds slower, but it doesn't get much power in low waves to make it beat. The vocals are in front of the mix, which is unusual on a fast, electronic track like this. It's not a bad sound at all, but the low and high waves are a little missing.