Why is it that most tech companies focus on silicone-tip earphones these days? Yes, they offer noise-cancelling properties and great audio potential, but that does not make them all the best.
I am one of the rare few who do poorly with in-ear silliconeheadphones/earbuds. They are either too big that they kept falling out, or they hurt my ears 30 minutes in. And, I have many piercings.
With all of that said, I was ready to give up and just go with tradition Apple-style earpods or wired earphones. Although they don't seal in all music goodness, they leak music, and I can hear our LRT's mechanism during my daily commute to work, they are comfortable (I can wear them all day) and that the good brand ones have good audio quality.
That is until Xiaomi asked us if we'd love to try out their "first open-ear design" earphones. Of course I said yes.
Editor
Jodee Tan chevron_right
Table of Contents
Why Get This?
- Comfortable; does not hurt the ears at all (especially for someone with a lot of piercings or small ear anatomy)
- Despite its design and loose-feel, the earphones are useable for most high-impact exercises (ex. tested with jump rope)
- For an over-ear earphones, these ones look cool and elegant (instead of an ear-aid)
- Best for daily commute and regular exercises at a gym with low and medium volume background noise
To continue from what we mentioned in our pointers, we were pleasantly surprised at how the Xiaomi Openwear Stereo Earphones stayed put throughout our tests. Although the earphones were not tested for very high-intensity sports (such as the likes of HIIT/High Interval Intensity Training or gymnastics), we are confident that they are great for runs and most gym activities.
Moreover, the AI features it has to reduce noise for calls, as well as correcting and emphasising the intended louder instrument (or voice) helped the earphones to deliver a clear audio profile, making it particularly great for instrumental, classic or ballad song/music. Pop songs do okay, but it shines best when your environment is not too loud.
One thing to note; the earphones come with a mid-range price tag of RM599. That can be steep for many users especially those who find no problem with silicone-tip earbuds. So the biggest reason for you to pursue the Xiaomi Openwear Stereo Earphones is if you find that silicone earbuds hurt your ears.
What To Know About
From head to toe, the Xiaomi Openwear Stereo Earphones are designed with an emphasis on comfort and quality. Its over-the-ear shape meant that it is designed for all-day wearing and secure fit, diminishing the pain and ache one might get from silicone-tip earbuds.
With its simplictic design, this also grants the Openwear Stereo Earphones with extra-long battery life (38.5 hours with the case).
What's also pleasant, for such a budget-friendly price, is that the earphones are equipped with Hi-Res Audio. While it does not contain natural noise-cancelling properties, the earphones do offer AI-assisted noise reduction especially for calls.
Key info
- Frequency response: 20Hz-40kHz
- Battery life: 7.5 hours (earbuds single charge), up to 38.5 hours (with charging case)
- Wireless connection: Bluetooth® 5.3
- Hi-Res Audio with 17x12mm dynamic driver and optimized bass performance, LHDC
- 10mm sound leakage reduction driver to keep audio personal beyond 25cm
- Dual-mic with AI noise reduction for clear calls
- Made of Flexible nickel-titanium memory alloy; anti-slip
Sound & Use
Upon seeing them, I thought they'd deliver bone-induction-esque sound quality. But these ones are capable of being louder, thanks to its Hi-Res Audio technology as well as optimized bass performance. Additionally, with Low Latency High-Definition Audio Codec (LHDC), controlling music is seamless.
Although it does not have any noise cancelling features, I appreciate the smart AI features it carries. For instance, I noticed that the AI will accurately emphasise the main detailing of songs, making them great for audio books or even classical music.
This means upbeat pop songs are just average on this pair, which is slightly unfortunate given that many of us like to do our sports in intense upbeat songs. Still, any song that focuses on intrumental play and ballad profiles will do great (or at least decent) on this pair. That means if you're at a fairly quiet gym, the earphones are still great.
With all of that said, I recomment this pair for daily commute, work or gym activities, especially if you don't want to use your more expensive earphones outdoors.
Design & Comfort
With a mid-range price tag, at least the Xiaomi Openwear Stereo case looks premium. They resemble a leather look, but feels like a strong plastic material instead.
Because of their design, you shouldn't expect much "music-to-background noise" reduction. But we can confidently say that these ones are truly comfortable for all day wear. The fact that they stay on despite feeling "loose" even when I was doing my intense jump-rope activity means their weightless design is coming to fruition.
Plus, it's also great that they come with intuitive controls on them, which allows you to skip or pause music, take calls and the likes easily.
Moreover, while they don't look the cutest when held in the palm of my hands, but they still look cool and sleek when worn.
[End of review.]
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