27 Nov
Blog

2021 Hyundai Elantra Hybrid Review: Efficient and Stylish

Angled front view of the 2021 Hyundai Elantra Hybrid Platinum in a meadow (passenger side).

2021 Hyundai Elantra Hybrid

RRP $ 23,550.00

"A lot of technology and a breathtaking design make the Elantra Hybrid a market leader."

advantages

  • Surprisingly spacious

  • Lots of technology

  • Stylistic look

  • 54 mpg combined

  • Refined driving dynamics

disadvantage

  • Tire noise

  • Expensive upgrade over non-hybrid

At one point, the Toyota Prius was the only hybrid you could get if you were looking for really good fuel economy. That is no longer the case, of course, because fuel-efficient hybrids come in all shapes and sizes these days. If you look at the EPA's charts, you'll find that the Prius is no longer the king of hybrids as it once was. No, the crown is now on the hood of the Hyundai Ioniq Blue. Hyundai uses its electrified knowledge and brings it into the 2021 Elantra Hybrid.

Sure, the Elantra Hybrid isn't as efficient as the Ioniq or the Prius, but it makes up for it with styling that you won't mind feeling, some impressive tech features, and an interior that makes you actually want to spend your time sometimes Have cake and eat it too. Just like any halfway decent cake from a reputable bakery, you're going to be spending a decent amount of money getting something this sweet.

To get on a 2021 Elantra Hybrid, you'll need to spend $ 24,575 with a mandatory target fee of $ 1,025. That's a hefty upgrade over the regular Elantra, which costs $ 20,675. Our test vehicle was a Limited model that retailed at $ 29,125.

Design and interior

Mainstream automakers can't strike a happy medium with hybrids. Some, like the Toyota Prius and Hyundai Ioniq, have weird designs in the name of aerodynamics, while others like the Honda Insight and Toyota Corolla Hybrid are focused on safety. Bucking the trend of needing a slippery design, the Elantra Hybrid says no too boring for something that feels upscale and distinctive.

A black 2021 Hyundai Elantra Hybrid in a meadow with trees in the background. Joel Patel / Digital Trends

As with many other Hyundais, the wow factor of the Elantra Hybrid starts at the very beginning. The edgy sound of the compact sedan features a unique grille with an intricate design that looks like it was completed by Spider-Man, and headlights protruding far back. The doors have angular lines that blend together to look like a modern work of art. However, none of these traits are as noteworthy as the stern. It's as angular as the triangular head of a venomous snake with taillights that are just as menacing as the reptile's eyes.

The Elantra Hybrid goes against the trend of needing a slippery design and being boring for something that feels upscale.

The interior is just as attractive as high-tech. The digital instrument cluster and the central touchscreen are connected around the driver. The dashboard and center console layout follows a similar curve, making the controls easier for the driver to reach.

While the overall design of the Elantra Hybrid is upscale and most of the materials are comfortable, there is one important thing that will make you pause. The instrument cluster and touchscreen look fine, but there's a large blank space to the left of the driver with a random design. It's an odd item in a package that looks as good as the Elantra Hybrid.

As we all expect from Hyundai, the Elantra Hybrid is packed with features. Leather upholstery, heated and ventilated front seats, a sunroof, ambient interior lighting and a lumbar support for the driver's seat are standard in the limited equipment we tested. There's no denying that these are nice features, but Hyundai should have spent a little more time cushioning the underside of the front seats. On a long ride, your bum will go numb and you will start wiggling around to find extra padding. Fortunately, the cabin is spacious with plenty of space for the rear passengers and a useful 14.2 cubic feet of cargo space in the trunk.

Technology, infotainment and driver assistance

The main reason for an upgrade to the Limited equipment compared to the entry-level blue model is the additional technology. Hyundai has an 8-inch touchscreen with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto functionality with the blue equipment. When you upgrade to the Limited, you get a 10.25 "touchscreen and 10.25" digital instrument, but you need to connect your smartphone to the larger touchscreen with a cable. The Limited also adds a Bose audio system with eight speakers, a wireless charger, navigation and Hyundai's nifty digital key. We find it strange that Hyundai should combine its upscale features with wired smartphone connectivity, but switching to limited trim is worth it despite the hassle.

It's thoroughly modern in every way, but luckily not in any other way.

Infotainment system in the Hyundai Elantra Hybrid 2021.Joel Patel / Digital Trends

Hyundai's infotainment system is now considered to be one of the most intuitive on the market. The layout is simple, the menus are logical, and the graphics are precise, if not the nicest ever to be found in a car. The digital instrument cluster is a nice touch and displays information in an appealing way, but offers little customization options. Choosing a different drive mode results in cool animation, but with this type of digital real estate it would be nice to see a little more.

Thankfully, Hyundai's physical buttons and dials have been retained in the Elantra Hybrid. Aside from losing compatibility with wireless smartphones, the larger touchscreen also loses a physical vote button, but that omission is barely noticeable. Forget odd circular gear levers, this hybrid sedan has a traditional gear lever that is much easier to use. It's thoroughly modern in every way, but luckily not in any other way.

Every Elantra Hybrid is equipped with all important safety features as standard. The blue equipment is standard with front collision warning, automatic emergency braking, lane departure warning, lane departure warning, blind spot monitoring, rear cross traffic warning, pedestrian detection, safe exit warning and a driver attention monitor. The limited equipment offers adaptive cruise control, rear parking sensors, Highway Driving Assist as well as cyclist and intersection detection. All functions work smoothly and without any problems.

Experience at the wheel

Close-up of the 2021 grille of the Hyundai Elantra from above. Joel Patel / Digital Trends

The power for the Elantra Hybrid comes from a 1.6-liter four-cylinder engine that alone has an output of 104 hp. The engine is complemented by a 43 hp electric motor for a combined output of 139 hp. That's a little less than the regular Elantra horsepower of 147 hp, but the electric motor helps make the Elantra Hybrid feel appropriate, but not exactly bubbly. The Toyota Corolla Hybrid has a 1.8-liter four-cylinder and two electric motors with a total of 121 hp, while the Honda Insight, thanks to its 1.5-liter four-cylinder engine and the electric motor, is the most powerful of the group with 151 hp.

Compared to options like the Toyota Corolla Hybrid and the Honda Insight, the Elantra Hybrid has a unique feature: a six-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission. The transmission accelerates the sedan in a similar way to a non-hybrid and reacts better to gear changes than transmissions without fixed gears. Additionally, the Elantra Hybrid doesn't have the same powered drone that plague other hybrids.

With polished driving characteristics and a dampened cabin, the Elantra Hybrid gives a sophisticated feeling.

With 200 pounds of extra weight compared to the regular Elantra and less horsepower, the Elantra Hybrid isn't built for sportiness. Compared to the non-hybrid model, the Elantra hybrid has a rear multi-link suspension that is supposed to compensate for the ride. Without testing the two sedans one after the other, it's hard to see how the rides differ. The Elantra Hybrid's handling is a bit stiff in normal use, but nowhere near uncomfortable.There isn't much body tilt, but with easy steering and highly efficient tires that don't inspire much confidence, it's not what you're going to be looking for winding roads for pleasure. What you get is a fairly comfortable ride and easy-to-drive dynamic for your commute to work.

Rear of the Hyundai Elantra Hybrid 2021 with forest in the background. Joel Patel / Digital Trends

One of the main advantages of a hybrid powertrain is how quiet the cabin is. Apart from the tires, which can be loud depending on the road surface, the Elantra Hybrid remains quiet. Combine that with the sedan's refined driveability and the result is a grown-up hybrid that feels more refined than other options in the segment.

Gas mileage and safety

Side profile of the 2021 Hyundai Elantra Hybrid in a meadow with a forest in the background.Joel Patel / Digital Trends

The hybrid segment is divided into two options: ultra-efficient options and more mainstream options. The former includes options like the Toyota Prius and Hyunida Ioniq, while the latter includes the Honda Insight, Toyota Corolla, Toyota Camry, Hyundai Sonata, and Honda Accord. Since the vehicles in the first group do not go quite so well with the Elantra Hybrid, the vehicles in the second group are its competitors. And the Elantra Hybrid has the best consumption values ​​in this segment.

The blue base has combined fuel economy numbers of up to 54 mpg (53 mpg city, 56 mpg highway) while the Limited carries a combined rating of 50 mpg (49 mpg city, 52 mpg highway). These numbers top the mainstream hybrid options. The Insight, Corolla Hybrid, Camry Hybrid, and Sonata Hybrid Blue get up to 52 mpg combined. The Accord Hybrid is the least efficient with a combined rating of 48 mpg.

A note on the fuel consumption figures for the Elantra Hybrid. While incredibly impressive, they'll be really hard to replicate in the real world. In our week in the car we averaged around 43 mpg together. That's still a great number, but in real-life driving conditions, most of the Elantra Hybrid's competitors will come closer to their official EPA numbers.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) has not yet subjected the Elantra Hybrid to a crash test in 2021. Without any major differences to the regular Elantra, we assume that the evaluation will be carried over to the electrified model. The Elantra 2021 was named the “Top Safety Pick” and received the grade “Good” in all six crash tests carried out by the institute. The headlight ratings should also be adopted, which means that the values ​​range from “Acceptable” to “Good”. In testing by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), the Elantra Hybrid received an overall safety rating of five stars in 2021.

Close up of 2021 Hyundai Elantra Hybrid driver's side taillight. Joel Patel / Digital Trends

Hyundai backs the Elantra Hybrid with a five-year 60,000-mile base warranty and a 10-year / 100,000-mile powertrain warranty. The hybrid components have the same 10-year, 100,000-mile warranty as the powertrain. The regular warranty is above average for the class, while the hybrid drive is average. The Corolla Hybrid comes with an 8-year guarantee of 100,000 miles for the hybrid components and a 10-year guarantee of 150,000 miles for the hybrid battery. The Insight comes with an eight-year guarantee of 100,000 miles on the hybrid components.

How DT would configure this car

Since the Elantra Hybrid is an expensive upgrade over the regular Elantra and the blue trim is the most efficient option, we think the blue trim is the best choice. It might not come with the big screens or the fancy features, but it is packed full of goodies. Heated front seats, six audio speakers, two-zone climate control, keyless entry, wireless smartphone compatibility and Hyundai's SmartSense security package come as standard.

Our opinion

If you like the design of the Prius or Ioniq, these options give you better fuel economy and the added versatility of a hatchback. Of the other main competitors, the Elantra Hybrid has a sharper design, better EPA numbers, and loads of tech. If a compact hybrid sedan is on your radar, the Elantra Hybrid is one of the best choices.

The Toyota Corolla Hybrid has a better hybrid battery guarantee and is cheaper than the Elantra Hybrid, but does not have the same technical features, spacious cabin or load space. The Corolla Hybrid doesn't feel as upscale as the Elantra Hybrid, nor does it have the same high-end design.

The Honda Insight has a 151-horsepower drivetrain and feels peppier than the Elantra Hybrid, but has a continuously variable automatic transmission (CVT) that roars at higher speeds. With up to 15 cubic meters of cargo space, the Insight has a larger trunk than the Elantra Hybrid. Honda's compact hybrid doesn't offer nearly the same amount of tech features and a far safer design.

Should you get one?

Yes sir. The Hyundai Elantra Hybrid may not compete with the Toyota Prius or the Hyundai Ioniq, but it is the best of the rest.

Editor's recommendations



08 Sep
Blog

Klipsch T5 II ANC Review: Stylish Buds Now Quieter, Smarter

Klipsch T5 II ANC true wireless earbuds.

Klipsch T5 II ANC test: super-stylish buds are now quieter and smarter

RRP $ 299.00

"Smarts, great sound and a stylish design have put the T5 II ANC on our wish list."

advantages

  • Chic design and materials

  • Smart and helpful features

  • good sound

  • Excellent controls

  • Wireless charging

disadvantage

  • Mediocre ANC

  • Bad battery life

  • Inconsistent call quality

Klipsch's T5 true wireless earbuds have been our favorites since their introduction in 2019. The $ 199 T5 II from 2020 added transparency mode and better water resistance. Now, in 2021, the iconic American speaker brand is back with a new T5 – the T5 II ANC for $ 299 – the company's first set of active noise cancellation (ANC) earbuds. But instead of just adding ANC to the existing design, Klipsch went all out by incorporating advanced software-driven features like head gestures for control, the ability to automatically block loud noises, and some algorithmic magic that the company claims does Sound can greatly improve quality.

These improvements have to be more than just gimmicks: At $ 299, the T5 II ANC is in direct competition with four of the best true wireless earbuds on the market, namely the Sony WF-1000XM4 for $ 280, the Master & Dynamic MW08 for $ 299, the Bose QuietComfort earbuds for $ 279, and the Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 2 for $ 300.

Can Klipsch prevail? Let's take a look.

What's in the box?

Scope of delivery Klipsch T5 II ANC.Simon Cohen / Digital Trends

Klipsch's boxes are as stylish as their earplugs, but in this case – with a lot of glued and coated cardboard and a large piece of protective foam inside – it's not exactly a good thing when it comes to disposal. Inside you will find the earbuds, their charging case, silicone earbuds in six sizes, a braided USB-C to USB-C charging cable, a USB-C to USB-A adapter and some paper documentation including a quick start manual .

draft

Klipsch T5 II ANC true wireless earbuds.Simon Cohen / Digital Trends

The T5 II ANC is in a dead heat with the Master & Dynamic MW08 for the nicest earbuds you can buy.

The original T5, with its hinged charging case made of brushed metal, offered comparisons with the iconic Zippo lighter – and that is clearly a formula for success. The T5 II ANC takes the same classic shape and adds a touch of luxury with three highly polished metal options: gunmetal, silver and copper. The earbuds and cases are color matched, and the combination puts the T5 II ANC with the Master & Dynamic MW08 in a dead heat for the nicest earbuds you can buy.

The case is compact but heavy: at just over a tenth of a pound, it could do serious damage if you hurled it, but you're more likely to damage the case itself by simply dropping it. Still, that weight and nicely contoured corners make the case a joy to hold in your hand.

Klipsch is also selling a McLaren edition of the T5 II ANC for $ 50 more. It comes with its own wireless charging mat and the charging case is made of significantly lighter materials, but in every other way the two versions are identical.

Despite the metal cladding, the rubberized bottom of the charging case offers a firm stand when placed on a surface and at the same time enables wireless charging – another first for Klipsch. The lid of the case is easy to open and close (although this takes some practice with one Zippo-style hand) and the earbuds are very easy to insert and remove. The magnets of the charging socket are quite weak, but not a problem given the tightness of the lid when closed.

A row of three tiny LEDs peek through the seam between the lid and the case to inform you of the case's battery and charging status, while individual color-coded LEDs on the earbuds perform the same function. When buying the McLaren edition, be aware that the case's LEDs are much harder to see if you don't look at them closely.

The only downside to this beautifully polished metal case is that it is both a fingerprint and a scratch magnet. Trying to take smudge-free photos of our test unit made of gunmetal turned out to be difficult, and tiny scratches appeared in the first few hours after plugging in and using it.

The earbuds use physical buttons I much prefer to touch, and their location in the center of the earbuds oval body means you'll have to try really hard to accidentally press one. Unfortunately, Klipsch was unable to maintain the T5 II's excellent IP67 water and dust protection. The T5 II ANC still have an IPX4 rating, which is good enough to protect them from heavy sweat or rain, but you should definitely be careful when cleaning – avoid running water. To be fair, most true wireless earbuds don't offer much better protection at this price point.

Comfort, controls and connections

Klipsch T5 II ANC true wireless earbuds.Simon Cohen / Digital Trends

With the oval earplugs from Klipsch in six sizes, you should have a good chance of a good fit. I found the pre-installed medium tips pleasant, but not particularly secure. Switching to the big ones helped a lot, and they also improved the bass response (this is why it is worth trying every size of earbuds – there may be many comfortable sizes, but the goal is to get the best possible seal and at the same time To maintain your comfort).

Go from immersive music to fully conscious conversations with one click. More true wireless earbuds should have this feature.

Many true wireless earbuds now come with a leak test built into the mobile app, but this is one of the few technical tricks Klipsch left out, so use your best judgment. The earbuds stayed tight during a trip to the gym, but I'm not that into high-impact activities like running. They may not be able to withstand strong bumps, as well as models with earhooks or stabilizer fins.

When properly seated, I found the T5 II ANC very comfortable, but I can see that some people don't like it. The small stem that connects the main body of the earphone to the earplug is shaped like a tube, with a surprisingly sharp edge at its tip where it meets the body. When you twist the earbuds to secure them in place, this edge may come into contact with the inner part of the clamshell. If it stays there it can hurt. For me, of course, the earphones are in a comfortable position.

Head gestures work well; I had no problem getting all three of them to respond to my head movements.

The controls are excellent. A single multi-function button on each earbud gives you precise control over every function imaginable, including volume, playback, ANC, calling and access to voice assistants. Aside from the tactile click, there is also a tiny audio chirp to confirm that you pressed the button correctly. In the Klipsch app, you can control what the left button does for single, double, and triple presses, but the right button always follows the factory defaults. The app has an impressive array of settings to play with, but it tends to be a bit delayed as it routinely polls the earbuds for their status, which can take a second or two.

But this is where things get interesting. Using software from Bragi – one of the first companies to develop and sell true wireless earbuds – the T5 II ANC can respond to head gestures like nodding and shaking and performing up to three functions: answer a call, reject a call, and jump to the next lane. They work fine; I had no problem getting all three of them to respond to my head movements. How useful they are depends on how often you find both hands busy when a call comes in. They're also handy when a Spotify playlist is trying to ruin your groove with an awkward track.

Oddly enough, the head shake to skip feature only works within the first 10 seconds of a song and may not work if the earbuds are used with computers.

Bragi software also introduces "sidekicks" – a series of intelligent, automated activities. At the moment there are only two sidekicks: turn on ANC automatically when playing music (and switch to transparency mode when you pause) and automatically turn on transparency mode when you are on the phone. These can be toggled on or off from within the app, but I recommend leaving both on. Since Klipsch did not provide the T5 II ANC with any in-ear sensors, your music tracks are not automatically paused when you remove an earphone. But the automatic ANC / Transparency sidekick is probably better anyway. There's no need to remove an earbud to hear what's going on, as it takes you from fully immersive music to fully conscious conversation with one click. More true wireless earbuds should have this feature.

They add shine to vocal performances and instruments like trumpets while avoiding harshness and sibilance.

You can use each earbud individually if you want, and the app lets you decide if you want the left earbud to take over the commands of the right earbud when used alone.

The T5 II ANC pairs and connects quickly. They're missing Google's fast pair option, but since most of us only have to pair once, I think that's fine. Bluetooth range is good, around 25 to 30 feet indoors and about twice as much as outdoors. As long as you keep these distances, the connection remains very stable. Klipsch leaves me saying I want bluetooth multipoint to connect two devices at the same time, but since Jabra seems to be the only company doing this, it's hard to beat the T5s for that.

Sound quality

Close up of a man wearing Klipsch T5 II ANC true wireless earbuds.Simon Cohen / Digital Trends

Klipsch proudly states that the T5 II ANC are the first true wireless earbuds with integrated Dirac HD sound. According to the marketing materials, it is "a state-of-the-art digital audio performance enhancement technology," which is designed to optimize the sound signature of the earbuds, resulting in improved staging, clarity, vocal sharpness and bass fidelity.

The reality is very different. Turning on Dirac HD definitely changes the T5's sound signature, but I don't see it as an improvement. It actually narrows the soundstage and causes really nasty compression on parts of the midrange so it sounds like some of the music is being pushed through a cardboard tube. Yes, the vocals become more pronounced, almost as if the singers are at the top of a triangle pointing towards you, while the rest of the instrumentation sits further back.

Rather than beating your eardrum with bass, Klipsch's sound signature takes a far more neutral approach.

But here's the good news: Not only can you just disable Dirac HD if you're like me, but you can also use it to hear the factory tuning of the T5, which in my opinion doesn't need any additional digital signal processing help at all.

As with previous generations of the T5, Klipsch delivers impressive clarity across the entire frequency range, but is particularly lively in the upper mids and highs. This adds shine to vocal performances and instruments like trumpets while avoiding harshness and sibilance. There's a ton of bass response too, but instead of beating your eardrums relentlessly, Klipsch's sound signature takes a far more neutral approach that keeps that low-end boom from coloring tracks it should never convey.

Depending on your taste, this balance can come across a bit brighter, especially if you are used to headphones with stronger bass emphasis. But if that's the case, the app offers an adjustable six-band EQ with multiple presets and custom options, giving you plenty of leeway to tweak the frequencies to your liking.

I tested the T5 against our current king of music quality, the M&D MW08, and was pleasantly surprised. I still prefer the wider soundstage and warmer tonality of the MW08, but the T5 offers an undeniable energy that makes it really enjoyable. Up and down the volume control there is no trace of distortion.

There is a small caveat, however. If you like it loud, the T5 can disappoint. I usually find that I cannot exceed 75% of the volume on an earbud without serious discomfort. But I was able to push the Klipsch to its maximum setting without flinching. On the plus side, this should save you from the worst of the effects of noise-induced hearing loss. However, there are times when these earbuds just don't get as loud as you'd like.

Noise cancellation and transparency

Klipsch T5 II ANC charging with a wireless charger.Simon Cohen / Digital Trends

This is the company's first attempt at ANC, and Klipsch gets it right most of the time. An adjustable slider in the app lets you choose how much noise you want to block. When set to the maximum, the earbuds attenuate both low and high frequency sounds well, but as with almost all ANC systems, it is the low frequency rejection that you notice the most. However, you need to keep your expectations modest. For better or for worse, the T5 II ANC does an excellent job of passive noise isolation. This means that if you don't use ANC or transparency, very little external noise will get into your ear. So when you activate ANC, you won't fully experience that magical moment of instant silence. It's more subtle than that.

The big aha moment happens when you step into transparency mode. Like ANC, you can control how much sound to let in, and when set to the max, the earbuds actually amplify the outside world a bit. The first time I did it, I was surprised to hear the crunch of my shoes on gravel – I didn't even know I was making that sound while walking.

When amplifying outside noises, there is a risk that loud noises will become significantly – perhaps even dangerously – louder. But Klipsch has a solution: Noise Shield monitors these noises in transparency mode and when it detects particularly loud noises (like the Harley that raced past me on the street), it temporarily switches to ANC. There doesn't seem to be a way to turn this off in the app, but it's so effective that I would be inclined to leave it on anyway.

Switching between modes is quick and easy – just click on the left earbud. On the other hand, Klipsch didn't give us the option to skip the in-between-transparency-off mode so we can go straight from ANC to transparency. I was told this was by design because the Auto ANC / Transparency sidekick does essentially the same thing, but I'm not sold. Often times I am not listening to music and want to quickly switch between transparency and ANC. Hopefully Klipsch will take this feedback and consider giving users the option to customize this feature.

Call quality

Man wearing Klipsch T5 II ANC true wireless earbuds.Simon Cohen / Digital Trends

Despite the packing of six microphones, the T5 II ANC is only suitable for phone calls to a limited extent. Your callers can hear you even if there is significant background noise such as traffic noise. But despite all these microphones, your voice will still sound a little thin. It lacks some of the resonances that make a human voice sound full and natural.

You can manually switch to transparency mode during a call or use the Bragi sidekick to do it automatically. Either way, you will have no problem hearing yourself clearly during a call.

Battery life

Klipsch claims the T5 II ANC gets five hours per charge in the earbuds and an additional 15 hours in the charging case when you use ANC. This increases to seven or 21 hours if you turn off ANC (and transparency mode). As far as I can tell, these numbers are overly optimistic. After just four hours of listening with the ANC on and at 50% volume, the earbuds were completely empty.

What's unfortunate is that while the non-ANC numbers are good (a total of 28 hours is more than enough for a full day of use), the ANC numbers are behind most high-end earbuds with the exception of the Bose QuietComfort. Earbuds are left behind.

Our opinion

Through the use of software, Klipsch's T5 II ANC expands the possibilities of using a set of true wireless earbuds with some really smart features like head gestures, sidekicks and noise shield. Add in Klipsch's signature sound quality and wireless charging and you have a worthy successor to previous T5 models. But their high price, mediocre noise cancellation, lackluster call quality, and short ANC battery life keep them from receiving our highest rating.

Is there a better alternative?

It is stylistically T5 II ANC are in a class of their own – they look as good as they sound. And we've never seen the kind of intelligence Klipsch built into other buds. However, since they can't quite keep up with their closest competitors in areas like ANC, call quality, and battery life, there may be better options:

The $ 280 Sony WF-1000XM4 have better ANC and battery life, and some will prefer their sound, especially given the LDAC codec support on Android devices (the T5 only offers SBC and AAC).

The $ 299 Bose QuietComfort earbuds have the best ANC and transparency you can get, but they're pretty bulky – the buds and their charging case are huge compared to the T5 – and their battery life is the shortest of any similarly priced models.

Master & Dynamics $ 299 MW08 have great battery life, great controls, and warmer, richer sound, but lack wireless charging. If that's what you want, you'll have to spend $ 50 more on the MW08 Sport.

How long will they last?

In terms of build quality, the T5 II should hold up really well as long as you keep an eye on the IPX4 rating and don't expose it to too much water. Battery life is more of a problem. As batteries age, they lose capacity, and since the T5 appears to give up after four hours with the ANC on, this could shrink to three or even two hours after two years of use. On the other hand, Klipsch offers an excellent two year warranty on these earphones. So, if you find that the battery life has dropped significantly during this time, you may be able to get a replacement kit.

Should you buy it?

Yes sir. While Klipsch is expensive, Klipsch put some pretty awesome features on the T5 II ANC that, when combined with its great sound quality and overall design, make it a good, if not perfect, alternative to the best true wireless earbuds you can buy.

Editor's recommendations



28 Apr
Blog

Marshall Monitor II ANC Review: Stylish, Comfy Cans

Marshall Monitor II ANC

"These headphones offer high-energy sound and tremendous battery life, Marshall-style."

  • Signature Marshall style

  • Very convenient

  • Good ANC and transparency

  • Very intuitive controls

  • Excellent battery life

  • Expensive for what you get

  • No wear sensor or multiple device pairing

  • Narrow sound stage

Are you thinking of buying active noise canceling (ANC) headphones? In addition to the many great models you'll find on our list of the best noise-canceling headphones, we now also recommend the Marshall Monitor II ANC for $ 320.

These ANC cans capture the iconic Marshall design language and add some cool features to create a stylish alternative to the headphones made by Sony, Bose, Apple, and others.

But the competition is tough – does the Marshall Monitor II ANC have what it takes to justify its high price? Let's take a look.

What's in the box?

Marshall Monitor II ANCSimon Cohen / Digital Trends

Props go to Marshall to make packaging that at least tries to be sustainable. Most of it is recyclable cardboard, with the exception of a few pieces of foam that may need to be disposed of in a landfill. Inside, you'll find the Monitor II ANC, a USB-C charging cable, a 3.5mm coil-style analog cable, a quick start guide, and a soft fabric carrying case.

design

Marshall Monitor II ANCSimon Cohen / Digital Trends

Whether you love Marshall's guitar amp-inspired design language or not (I think it looks awesome), you have to admit, the Monitor II is ANC Peak Marshall.

From the textured black plastic on the ear cups to the coil of the supplied analog cable and of course the distinctive Marshall logo, these headphones exude a rock music atmosphere that you won't find in any other can.

And Marshall's dedication to this look didn't detract from some extremely practical features. By combining the three sets of hinge and pivot pins, the Monitor II ANC can deform into an incredibly compact shape. I find it hard to think of full size headphones that are more travel-friendly.

While most headphones at this price point (and many that are considerably cheaper) come with a zippered hard shell, the way the Monitor II articulates them makes them beg to be thrown in a pocket. Speaking of the included tote bag, it's hard not to notice how Marshall channeled the Herschel backpack look for his black denim bag. Very cool.

The ear cups are super flat, even with the generous padding of the ear pads, which gives the Monitor II a clean, head-hugging look. And when you peel them off your head and hang around your neck, they fold slightly flat against your collarbones.

The construction is mostly plastic, but Marshall used metal for the auricle forks and headband sliders, which helps make these cans feel sturdy and durable.

Convenience, control and connections

Marshall Monitor II ANCSimon Cohen / Digital Trends

Marshall Monitor II ANCSimon Cohen / Digital Trends

Marshall Monitor II ANCSimon Cohen / Digital Trends

Marshall Monitor II ANCSimon Cohen / Digital Trends

At 11.29 ounces, the Monitor II ANC can't be considered light when compared to other over-ear headphones, especially the feather-light Sony WH-1000XM4 (8.8 ounces), but they don't feel particularly heavy to wear . I appreciate the combination of clamping force, ear pad fit, and balance for how well they fit.

I'm a huge fan of the Monitor II controls. They're simple and effective.

Given my Dumbo-like ears, I'd prefer slightly deeper cavities in the ear cups, but overall these headphones are more than comfortable enough for hours of continuous use.

I'm a huge fan of the Monitor II controls. They're simple and effective. The gold colored button protruding from the bottom of the right ear cup is actually a tiny joystick that you can click to activate power, bluetooth pairing, answer / end calls, and play / pause. You move it up, down, front, or back to perform actions like volume and track controls.

There are two other controls that you would totally miss if you didn't look carefully. Each is inserted into the hinge point of the auricle forks where they blend seamlessly with the design and are easy to access. The left button is used to switch between ANC and transparency mode, which happens very quickly. The right "M" button, which is user configurable and allows you to choose between EQ mode, activates Siri (iPhone only) or Google Assistant.

You make these and other selections in the Marshall Bluetooth app.

Instead of spreading out and creating a warm thrum that you can feel, the bass stays a little two-dimensional.

The Monitor II's Bluetooth range is approximately 20 to 30 feet, which should be sufficient for most situations.

Unfortunately, unlike many Bluetooth headphones, you can't pair these sockets with more than one device at a time, making them less suitable for people who want to switch between their phones and laptops on a regular basis.

There's also no wear sensor, so removing the headphones from your ears won't automatically pause your music.

Sound quality

Marshall Monitor II ANCSimon Cohen / Digital Trends

Overall, the Monitor II ANC sounds very good. In the factory EQ setting (known as a “Marshall” sound), the sound shifts to higher frequencies. However, the Marshall app lets you choose from six more EQ presets and create your own custom balance.

These adjustments help the Monitor II deliver more bass when you want it, and I've been able to find settings that work with a variety of genres from rock to classical.

Throw in a track like Jay-Z and Swizz Beatz 'On To The Next One, and the intensity hits you like an electric shock.

The soundstage isn't as wide or as detailed as the Sony WH-1000XM4, but what the Monitor II lacks in openness it makes up for in energy.

The acoustics are precise, bright and powerful, with a sharp focus on snare drums, cymbals, vocals and higher-frequency woodwinds such as the clarinet.

Throw in a track like Jay-Z and Swizz Beatz 'On To The Next One, and the intensity hits you like an electric shock.

Deeper, more resonant sounds like jazz bass that rely on the mid-to-low frequencies don't do quite as well. Instead of spreading out and creating a warm thrum that you can feel, they stay a little two-dimensional.

All of this results in headphones that are clearly tuned for energetic rock, pop, and hip-hop music.

Noise cancellation and transparency

Marshall Monitor II ANCSimon Cohen / Digital Trends

Some headphones with active noise cancellation try to block out as much background noise as possible. The Bose Noise Canceling Headphones 700 are the flagship for this approach. Marshall's Monitor II ANC isn't as aggressive – you don't quite get that silent cone effect – but they do reduce the low to mid frequencies significantly when ANC is on.

I found it worked best when listening to podcasts, which were very effective in muting sounds that would otherwise make it difficult to hear spoken words. As an aid to silencing a noisy environment, they were not that helpful due to a small noticeable hiss that I found annoying after a while.

The transparency mode, on the other hand, is excellent. One press of the special ANC button and the world was suddenly very audible.

You can tweak both ANC and transparency modes in the Marshall app, but I found that the 100% levels are best in both modes.

Battery life

The Monitor II ANC's battery life is among the best for premium ANC headphones. Marshall claims 30 hours with bluetooth and ANC on and up to 45 hours with bluetooth only. That beats the $ 400 Bose Noise Canceling Headphones 700 (up to 20 hours), Apple's $ 549 AirPods Max (up to 20 hours), and even the $ 280 Sony WH-1000XM4 ( 30 hours with the ANC switched on, 38 hours with the device switched off).

They also have a respectable quick charge feature that gives you five hours of playtime after 15 minutes of charging.

As far as I can tell, these numbers are correct. Unlike some wireless sockets, you can also use the Monitor II ANC while charging with the analog cable, so you can never go without music.

Call quality

Marshall Monitor II ANCSimon Cohen / Digital Trends

Calls on Monitor II ANC are generally good. You can block out most of the background noise when talking on the phone outdoors while keeping your voice reasonably clear. It's not the high fidelity you get from the Bose Noise Canceling Headphones 700, but it's perfectly fine for most calls and they work very well indoors.

For some reason, you can't choose how much sidetone you get during a call (this is equivalent to calling transparency mode). The headphones switch to about 50% transparency – enough to hear your own voice a little more clearly, but not quite as clearly as if the transparency were at 100%.

Our opinion

As with most Marshall products, the Monitor II ANC offers a price premium that is difficult to justify based on performance alone. But if you like the retro-cool guitar amp style only Marshall can offer, then these cans make a fun set of full-featured wireless companions.

Is there a better alternative?

If you don't mind the relatively conservative appearance, that's $ 280 Sony WH-1000XM4 are an excellent alternative. They're cheaper (around $ 40), lighter, more comfortable, have better sound quality and ANC, and have more features like wear sensors and Bluetooth multipoint.

But there's no denying that the Marshalls really are in a class of their own when it comes to style.

How long will they last?

The Marshall Monitor II ANC appears to be very well built from high quality materials. The ear pads are easy to remove and replace when worn. Marshall grants a one-year guarantee on these headphones. I suspect that if properly cared for, they will last for many years, although the lack of a hard case means you should be careful about how they are packaged.

Should you buy it?

Yes. If you want a set of high quality ANC wireless headphones with a unique style and sound signature that favors high energy music, this is the Monitor II ANC will make you very happy.

Editor's recommendations




11 Sep
Blog

Marshall Emberton Review: Tiny, Stylish Stereo Powerhouse

Marshall Emberton

"Iconic design meets superior sound in a highly portable Bluetooth speaker."

  • 20 hour battery

  • Warm and rich stereo sound

  • Iconic design

  • 360 degree sound pattern

  • IPX7 waterproof

  • Expensive

  • No aux line-in

  • No speakerphone

  • Stereo or multi-speaker pair not possible

There are so many Bluetooth speakers out there now that one speaker can hardly be distinguished from another. Digital Trends had to take a step back to review each new model. There is simply not enough time to complete this gigantic task.

However, we always keep our eyes peeled for Bluetooth speakers that manage to stand out from the crowd.

Marshall's new $ 150 Emberton is certainly apt, if perhaps not a good one: It's much more expensive than similarly featured portable speakers.

Can Marshall Justify the Price of the Emberton? Let's take a look.

What's in the box?

Marshall EmbertonSimon Cohen / Digital Trends

The Marshall Emberton comes in a simple cardboard box. With the exception of a tiny piece of polyethylene film to protect the speaker, the packaging (and the paper documentation included) can be easily recycled.

Inside is the speaker and a four-foot USB-C charging cable – which is longer than most.

design

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Marshall Emberton "class =" m-Karussell - Bild dt-lazy-no "src =" https://icdn3.digitaltrends.com/image/digitaltrends/marshall-emberton-00004-640x640.jpg "srcset =" https: / /www.digitaltrends.com/data:image/gif;base64,https://www.digitaltrends.com/R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7Simon Cohen / Digital Trends

Marshall Emberton "class =" m-Karussell - Bild dt-lazy-no "src =" https://icdn4.digitaltrends.com/image/digitaltrends/marshall-emberton-00007-640x640.jpg "srcset =" https: / /www.digitaltrends.com/data:image/gif;base64,https://www.digitaltrends.com/R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7Simon Cohen / Digital Trends

Marshall designs all Bluetooth speakers to look like miniature versions of the famous British guitar amplifiers that bear the distinctive Marshall logo, and the Emberton is no exception.

Despite the fact that the Emberton Marshalls is the smallest speaker to date, the company managed his proportions perfectly.

Whether on a dormitory bookshelf, a kitchen counter, or a patio table, this speaker offers miles of authentic rock & # 39; n & # 39; roll style.

With its silver diamond grille speaker grille and heavy, black rubberized housing, the Emberton looks like it has a guitar input jack somewhere (unfortunately not).

What it has is a single gold colored control panel, an LED power meter, and a bluetooth pairing button. A USB-C charging port on the right is the only input. It is used exclusively for power supply and not for playback.

The back isn't a cladding at all – it's another speaker grille. This is your first clue that the Emberton doesn't quite match most of the other bluetooth speakers you can find on Amazon.

At 24.6 ounces, it has quite a bit of weight despite its small size. That's probably a result of the battery Marshall used, but it also gives the Emberton a feel of real substance.

I like this, although you can comfortably carry it in one hand, it doesn't look or feel like a toy either.

The Emberton focuses effortlessly on its mission and is effortless to set up and use.

One small criticism: like many other ultraportable speakers, the Emberton could have benefited from a carry handle or strap. I realize this would have taken some of the amp-inspired look away from it, but sometimes function has to take shape.

Controls, connections and ease of use

Marshall Emberton "class =" m-Karussell - Bild dt-lazy-no "src =" https://icdn5.digitaltrends.com/image/digitaltrends/marshall-emberton-00009-640x640.jpg "srcset =" https: / /www.digitaltrends.com/data:image/gif;base64,https://www.digitaltrends.com/R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7Simon Cohen / Digital Trends

Marshall Emberton "class =" m-Karussell - Bild dt-lazy-no "src =" https://icdn6.digitaltrends.com/image/digitaltrends/marshall-emberton-00011-640x640.jpg "srcset =" https: / /www.digitaltrends.com/data:image/gif;base64,https://www.digitaltrends.com/R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7Simon Cohen / Digital Trends

The Emberton, much like its massive big brother, the Tufton, does one thing and only one thing: you can connect a single Bluetooth source like a phone or tablet and play your favorite music.

Your other devices won't charge, it won't work as a speakerphone, you can't talk to Siri or Google Assistant, and you can't connect a non-Bluetooth device like an older iPod through an AUX input.

Yes, these would all be useful things, but once you focus on your mission, the Emberton is effortless to set up and use.

A long press on the large control panel turns on the speaker. If the bluetooth pairing mode doesn't go into immediately (which you can tell by the flashing red light above the bluetooth button), a long press on the bluetooth button will get you there.

Simply select the Emberton from the available Bluetooth devices on the control panel of your phone and off you go.

From there, open the music app of your choice (or a video app) and start playing.

The Emberton control panel takes on all important functions: play / pause, skip tracks forwards / backwards and increase / decrease volume. Like a well-designed game controller, the pad's action is smooth, effortless, and tactile, with a quiet but noticeable click for each command.

I wish it had two functions: multi-speaker pairing for stereo through two speakers … and bluetooth multipoint.

The 10-segment LED power meter gives a quick and yet very precise overview of how much juice is left. This is very important to me over other systems that use voice feedback or force you to consult your phone.

As much as I don't mind that Emberton focuses on just being a great bluetooth speaker, I wish it had two functions: multi-speaker pairing for stereo through two speakers (or just multiple speakers) and bluetooth Multipoint You can pair two Bluetooth sources at the same time.

JBL has been offering its products with multiple speakers for some time. This is a great way to upgrade the capabilities of such a portable speaker at low cost.

robustness

The Marshall Emberton is IPX7 rated, which means you can do pretty much anything you want to do with water exposure, including full immersion, as long as you don't push it too deep below the surface.

But the X in IPX7 means it's not designed for dust and dirt. As much as the Emberton may be an ideal poolside buddy, I don't recommend it for the beach or anywhere else where it could be exposed to a lot of small particles.

Marshall doesn't claim the Emberton's ability to survive a drop, but judging by its thick rubber skin and protected corners, I appreciate that it can handle minor mishaps with ease – and maybe even some major ones.

Battery life

Marshall EmbertonJBL Flip 5 (above) and Marshall Emberton Simon Cohen / Digital Trends

Most portable Bluetooth speakers have a battery life of between 10 and 12 hours. To achieve significantly more, you'll need to spend at least $ 150 – which is no coincidence that the Emberton is paid for.

How can I suggest that the tiny, battery-powered Marshall Emberton deliver room-filling sound? Because it is so.

It can run for 20 hours on a full charge, and get another five hours on a 20 minute quick charge.

To put that in perspective, the popular $ 120 JBL Flip 5, which is similar in size, shape and features to the Emberton, can only last 12 hours – also with The $ 100 SRS-XB23 from Sony and the $ 150 Ultimate Ears Boom 3.

Sound quality

Marshall EmbertonSimon Cohen / Digital Trends

We use the term “room-filling sound” fairly liberally when we talk about speakers. When it comes to a product like the Sonos One, the Bose Smart Speaker 500 or the Pantheone I, this term applies in spades. So how can I suggest that the relatively small, battery-operated Marshall Emberton should provide room-filling sound?

Because it is so.

Thanks to its stereo drivers, each driven by a special 10 watt amplifier for a total of 20 watts of power, the Emberton can produce a really surprising amount of sound.

But it's not just loud – it's big. Place the Emberton in the front of your listening room and it creates an admirable balance between lows, mids and highs. This is something that other portable bluetooth speakers struggle with, especially at higher volume levels.

The JBL Flip 5 can get louder than the Emberton, but when it approaches its maximum setting, bass and treble march away from each other, leaving the midrange in a barren desert.

In contrast, the Emberton can maintain sound quality much better without distorting or becoming painfully sharp. At the same time, this little black box gets a real feeling of warmth – another area where portable speakers usually fall short.

The stereo separation isn't perfect – there's about four inches or less between the drivers, after all – but it's pretty decent. Much more notable is the ability to distribute sound evenly in a room.

The best way to appreciate this is to sit the Emberton in the middle of a room, or better yet, in the middle of a patio. With its double grille openings, it delivers almost a 360-degree sound field and practically guarantees that there isn't a bad seat in the room (or in the backyard).

Our opinion

While $ 150 is the most expensive for a highly compact Bluetooth speaker like the Emberton, it delivers the goods when it comes to sound quality and battery life, and it's difficult to evaluate Marshall's iconic guitar amp style.

Is there a better alternative?

I haven't found a $ 150 portable speaker that matches the Emberton's unique combination of style and sound, but for the same price Ultimate Ears Boom 3 is definitely worth a look. It doesn't work in stereo and its battery only lasts 15 hours, but its 360 speaker design sounds great, it's beach-grade with dust resistance, and it can be put into party mode to play with the other Ultimate Ears Bluetooth speakers synchronize.

How long it will take?

Zounds Industries – the company that licenses the Marshall name for consumer audio products – gives the Emberton a one-year warranty, which is standard on this type of device. Given the good construction of the Emberton, you will likely benefit from it for many years, even if the built-in battery gradually loses its full 20 hour life.

Should you buy it?

Yes. Despite some limitations, the Marshall Emberton is a great sounding and good looking portable bluetooth speaker with exceptional battery life.

Editor's recommendations




02 Jul
Blog

Bose Home Speaker 500 Review: Smart, Stylish, Surround Sound

Bose Home Speaker 500

"Rich, expansive sound helps this intelligent speaker deliver a virtuoso performance."

  • Expansive stereo sound

  • Slim, attractive design

  • Choice of Alexa or Google Assistant

  • Easy to use controls

  • Bluetooth, Wi-Fi and line-in options

  • AirPlay 2

  • Expensive

  • Some music services are not supported

  • A little cumbersome multiroom control

  • No Chromecast option for Android

In the early days of the smart speaker revolution, finding a speaker that sounded both smart and great was a challenge. Fortunately, those days are long gone. With products from Sonos, Marshall, Apple and Amazon, you can now have and eat your cake. However, before deciding on a new wireless smart speaker from one of these companies, you should consider the $ 300 Bose Home Speaker 500.

With a fascinating mix of sleek design, expansive sound and a choice of digital assistants, it could be just the smart audio device that your home was missing.

But is it right for you? Let's take a look.

design

Bose Home Speaker 500Simon Cohen / Digital Trends

The Bose Home Speaker 500 is available in triple black or a sophisticated two-tone silver and white tone and is deceptively large. With an elliptical shape that is much wider than it is deep, its base is small enough to easily find a seat on a countertop, bookcase, or coat. At just 4.75 pounds, it's also surprisingly light for its size.

Nothing breaks the smooth aluminum and plastic contours of the speaker – even the included AUX input is barely noticeable and is located on the back near the floor. My triple black test device looked great no matter where I placed it.

There are people who are tempted to hide their speakers (even the good looking ones) where they can be heard but not seen. However, this would be a mistake with the Home Speaker 500. Not only would this make using the thoughtful design more difficult touch controls that adorn the top, but also prevent you from seeing the front-facing color screen.

Not that you have to see or touch it (it's not a touchscreen), but it just looks so damn cool that it would be a shame not to place it where it can be appreciated.

But I can't help thinking that Bose missed an opportunity here. When you are listening to music, the 3-inch screen shows the album art for the currently playing track, along with the artist and the track name. If the speaker is inactive, you can choose a dial or nothing at all, but that's all it does. I can think of several ways to use this screen: weather forecasts, news feeds, or just a selection of softly animated screensavers.

Given that the home speaker 500 can also be used as a smart speaker, it would be super cool to see the screen as a secondary display for voice commands, e.g. If you said, "Alexa, what's the weather like?" and the screen showed you the current weather along with Alexa’s spoken response.

But I digress. Those who want to hear the same artists, playlists, or radio stations regularly will appreciate the six special preset buttons on the Home Speaker 500. You assign them in the Bose Music app and they can be assigned to almost any music source supported by the app.

configuration

Sonos has always been my benchmark for quick and easy setups, but Bose is under a second. With the Bose Music app, I configured the Home Speaker 500 for my home WiFi, connected it to my Google account for access to the Google Assistant, and streamed music in less than five minutes.

The Bose Music app is simple and mostly very intuitive to use, with great instructions and feedback at every step.

links

Bose Home Speaker 500Simon Cohen / Digital Trends

Some wireless home speakers like Sonos only offer Wi-Fi, but the Bose Home Speaker 500 lets you make three connections: Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and the aforementioned line-in input. With the exception of a USB port for accessing disk-based files, you can't ask for more.

However, Bose has chosen not to include an Ethernet jack, which you may miss if your Wi-Fi network is stained in some places. Sonos contains them except for one of its speakers, but I suspect that very few of its customers use them – I certainly never needed that.

Wi-Fi with its higher bandwidth than Bluetooth should be your preferred connection method, but it gets a little difficult here.

With Wi-Fi, you can set up and control the Home Speaker 500 through the Bose Music app. This also includes streaming music from Spotify Premium and Free, Apple Music, TuneIn, Pandora, SiriusXM, Amazon Music, Deezer and iHeartRadio. It's a good selection, but not nearly as extensive as Sonos'. For example, tide and YouTube music are not included. There is also no way to stream from a personal music collection on your home network.

If you're an Apple device owner, AirPlay 2 can make up for this shortcoming, so you can stream virtually any audio source from your iPhone, iPad, or Mac to the Home Speaker 500. If you're an Android user who lacks the music app, Bluetooth is your only replacement option.

Chromecast for audio may be a future Wi-Fi path for Android owners, but the Home Speaker 500 does not yet support it. When it appears, it appears as a subset of the Google Assistant, so for those who prefer Alexa – or no assistant at all – it still gets stuck with Bluetooth.

Sound quality

Bose Home Speaker 500Simon Cohen / Digital Trends

Bose makes a pretty big claim for the Home Speaker 500: "The widest sound of all intelligent speakers." I put it side by side with the $ 200 Amazon Echo Studio, which has a very similar internal driver layout and both products are designed to deliver impressive sound. The Home Speaker 500 performed admirably and delivered a slightly wider sound stage than the Echo Studio despite the weaker bass response.

How expansive the sound becomes depends in part on the placement. In an ideal world, you would give her plenty of room to breathe, away from the walls and preferably not stowed in a bookcase.

Broadest or not, I think you'll love how this speaker sounds. Bose has positioned the internal drivers so that sound waves are distributed in a kind of crooked 360-degree field. By that I mean the best seat in the house is right in front of the speaker, but you can still enjoy about 80% of its full quality from almost anywhere else.

I learned to appreciate this effect when I reviewed Bose's excellent portable home speaker, which produces an almost perfectly circular sound field.

What is impressive is that you not only get real room-filling audio, but also a fairly decent stereo separation – not an easy task for such a small speaker.

You can set both bass and treble in the app. However, if your taste isn't really going in either direction, the factory EQ offers a nice balance between the two.

If there's a weakness, it's in the midrange definition – a challenging area for even the best little speakers. This is particularly noticeable when playing genres such as classical or jazz – instruments that live in the middle frequencies, such as cellos and some woodwinds, can be flattened somewhat. Overall, the Home Speaker 500 is a pleasure to hear, regardless of whether it provides the setting for an intimate dinner or a rough get-together.

The Home Speaker 500 also offers impressive volume levels. Max get this thing out and be ready for many knocks on the door of irritated neighbors.

Multiroom audio

Bose Home Speaker 500Simon Cohen / Digital Trends

One of the advantages of buying a wireless speaker at home is that different music can be played in each room, or the same music (or a combination thereof) can be played in all rooms. The Home Speaker 500 can be easily grouped with other Bose home speakers such as the Home Speaker 300 or the Bose Soundbar 500 using the Bose Music app.

However, using multiroom requires a bit of planning. Since you can also create speaker groups with AirPlay 2, you need to decide whether you want to stream from a music service in the Bose Music app – in which case you would manage your speaker groups there – or from another app on your phone or tablet – in in this case you would manage the groups using the AirPlay 2 interface.

The two systems don't play well together. Groups created in the Bose Music app don't like trying to change them with AirPlay 2, or vice versa.

There's also no way to create stereo pairs with two Bose speakers. If multiroom audio is top priority, you're probably more satisfied with Sonos.

However, Bose has a trick up its sleeve that I haven't found in any wireless speaker system, including Sonos. Bose calls it Simplesync and allows you to group any Bluetooth audio device, from a portable speaker to a wireless headphone, with the Home Speaker 500. In this sense, according to Bose, this function works best with the company's own Bluetooth speakers and headphones. This audio is more precisely synchronized.

It's true. I tried Simplesync with a JBL Flip 5 speaker that I had on hand, and while setup was a breeze, there was a fraction of a second latency between the two speakers. I wouldn't rely on doing multiroom audio, but it's a pretty handy option.

Voice assistants

Bose has followed Sonos' role model in its smart speaker strategy, and that's an excellent decision. As with Sonos, with Bose you can choose between Alexa and Google Assistant for the Home Speaker 500 instead of selling two different versions of the speaker as with other home audio companies.

I chose Google Assistant for this review because I have more compatible products at home. However, setting up Home Speaker 500 with Alexa is just as easy. Bose really nailed the smart speaker experience. Voice commands are easily recognized, even in fairly noisy environments and up to 15 feet away, without you having to actually raise your voice. If privacy is an issue, a special microphone mute button guarantees an A.I.-free environment.

The response times are also very good. I have found no difference between the Home Speaker 500 and my Google Nest mini in terms of response times.

I particularly liked that the bright white LED strip over the color screen immediately gave visual feedback that my commands had been heard. Most smart speakers have a similar visual cue. However, if they are only visible from the top (e.g. Sonos smart speakers or Google's Home and Nest minis), you won't be able to see them that easily from a room.

There is one limitation when you choose the Bose Home Speaker 500 as your smart speaker, and that is compatibility with music services. Although Google Assistant and Alexa can take control of a variety of music services, you cannot use these voice assistants if the Home Speaker 500 does not support a particular service (see Connections above). Google Play Music (now mainly switched to YouTube Music), Apple Music and Tidal are examples of services that none of the Home Speaker 500 wizards can control.

Our opinion

At its new lower price of $ 300, the Bose Home Speaker 500 costs the same as the Apple HomePod and Google Home Max, two very good smart speakers. But with Bluetooth, line-in, a full color display and a choice of voice assistants, it offers more value than these two products and also sounds amazing.

Is there a better alternative?

For $ 200, the Sonos One delivers great sound and supports almost every streaming service on the planet. It doesn't have the ultra-wide stereo sound stage, Bluetooth, AUX input, or chic color screen of the Home Speaker 500, but it has the best multiroom audio system we've ever used. It's still our top rated smart speaker for a reason.

If you're on board with Bose and want to take over the smart speaker experience but prefer to pay a little less, the $ 200 Bose Home Speaker 300 loses the color screen and wide stereo sound, but retains all other functions.

How long it will take?

Bose builds great products that usually last a long time. It only applies to the Home Speaker 500 with a one-year warranty, although this is standard for similar products from other companies.

Should you buy it

Yes. The Bose Home Speaker 500 combines beautiful design with flexibility of the voice assistant and an expansive stereo sound, which is characterized by its slim body. The color screen is also a nice touch. Android users should be aware of the lack of Chromecast as a Wi-Fi streaming option, but Apple users should be more than happy with AirPlay 2 as a Bluetooth alternative.

Editor's recommendations




18 Mar
Blog

1More Stylish Review: Affordable Apple AirPods Killers

1More stylish real wireless earbuds

1 MORE stylish real wireless in-ear headphones

"The perfect real wireless headphones for the masses."

  • Basic water resistance

  • Great battery life

  • Clear, aptX-capable sound

  • Compact charging case

  • Very convenient

  • No ability to introduce ambient noise

At just $ 100, 1More's stylish real wireless earbuds outperform Apple's industry-leading AirPods with longer battery life, more ergonomic design, and better overall sound. When we reviewed them in 2019, they were awarded the Editor & # 39; s Choice Award for their combination of price and performance. One of our only criticisms at that time was a lack of volume control.

As of March 2020, an app-based software update has resolved this problem: You can now also control the volume. Although we have not changed our rating, we can safely say that we are now more excited about the 1More Stylish.

Out of the box

With round rubber ear fins on the outside of the slim, oval earbuds, the second-generation Stylish model looks identical to the company's original real wireless offering, the Stylish TWS – a pair that ended last year mainly due to its low fanfare debuted deep battery life of 2.5 hours per charge.

1More stylish review

1More stylish review

1More stylish review

1More stylish review
Dan Baker / Digital Trends

The simple, ergonomic design was one of the few things the original Stylish TWS model had to offer. So it's really nice to see that it stays that way. The new buds are shockingly light and comfortable, and the ear fins (which are referred to as "o-hooks") mean they never feel like they're falling out of your ears. With four sets of earplugs and three different ear fin sizes, you are sure to get an excellent fit.

Another thing the headphones have for them is the variety of colors. The new model is available in four different colors – pink, gold, mint green and black (the color of our test device). So you can customize your earphones to your personal style.

No matter where I went – from long runs to long bike trails and beyond – the headphones stayed true to my Oneplus 6 middle-aged.

Speaking of appearance: The new Stylish is located in a slim, egg-shaped charging case that matches the color of the headphones and is charged with the included micro USB charging cable. One thing I particularly like about this model is that the company also includes a small drawstring bag made of thick plastic to keep the charging case and the cable between the inserts inside. This ensures that the headphones and their case always stay dry in wet sports bags or on rainy days, and means that you never need a micro USB cable in the USB-C era.

characteristics

These little earphones contain a lot of juice. The 1More Stylish offers six and a half hours of listening time on a single charge (at 50 percent volume). That's less than the expensive new Powerbeats Pro (which is one of our leading vendors), but it's about an hour and a half longer than Apple's AirPods and half an hour more than the original Samsung Galaxy Buds. although the new Galaxy Buds + are undoubtedly in a class of their own with an amazing 11 hours.

The charging case is very light, but it also offers three charging processes for a total of 26 hours of listening time on the move, which corresponds to or exceeds almost every large player. There's also a quick charge feature that gives you three hours of listening time with just 15 minutes of plug time.

1More stylish reviewDan Baker / Digital Trends

Getting started with the new 1More Stylish is easy. Simply open the case to put it into pairing mode, then pair it with your device's headphones. As with AirPods or the new Powerbeats Pro, you can pair each headphone individually if you want to use one at a time. Contrary to what we found with the Powerbeats Pro, I had no problems with the Bluetooth 5.0 of the 1More Stylish connection when testing. No matter where I went – from long runs to long bike trails and beyond – the headphones stayed true to my Oneplus 6 middle-aged.

In terms of connectivity, 1More is still committed to providing the best possible wireless listening experience for the money, so it has added aptX and AAC capabilities to the new Stylish so you can hear all your music in high quality.

1More Grammy winner Luca Bignardi hired to make sure these headphones reproduce the studio sound accurately.

Now that you can update the Stylish with volume controls via the 1More app – something you still can't do with AirPods – we are fully satisfied with the Stylish controls that let you play and pause music, and change tracks can (two forwards, one for back), answer calls or access Siri or Google Assistant.

The only thing missing is the ability to bring in the sounds of the outside world. With more expensive options like the Samsung Galaxy Buds and the Jabra Elite series, you can hear what's going on around you via external microphones on the headphones. This makes the Stylish less ideal for training environments where you may need to hear pedestrians or car horns, although I will say that I used them personally while commuting by bike because my music is so quiet that I have the world around me can hear around anyway through the thin rubber earplugs. As with the Powerbeats Pro, another solution is to connect only one earphone for heavy traffic.

Speaking of training: the headphones don't have an official IP rating for water or dust resistance, but 1More assured us that they are sweat and waterproof, and I didn't have any problems with the headphones even during my long – and very sweaty – runs.

1More stylish reviewDan Baker / Digital Trends

Audio performance

The sound is relatively clean and dynamic, with the added benefit that aptX gives a certain clarity that many real wireless headphones lack regardless of price – although iPhone users don't get this benefit.

Compared to the Jabra Elite Active 65t and Apple AirPods, the Stylish had a greater sense of musical energy and space in my ears, making it more fun to hear overall.

I've been a huge fan of 1Mores Tuning since I got to know the company's outstanding triple driver model, and although the individual 7mm titanium composite drivers in style don't offer the same clarity or vibrancy across the frequency spectrum still say 1More cares a lot about how they sound.

1More stylish review

In fact, the company commissioned Grammy-winning engineer Luca Bignardi to ensure that these headphones accurately reproduce the studio sound – a feat that I can personally say because I've checked some of my own home mixes for headphone accuracy.

With powerful bass and balanced mid and high frequency frequencies, the headphones sounded all the genres I listened to, from dynamic live jazz and country music to pop hits made in the studio, exactly as I expected. Sure, they don't have the same musicality as Sennheiser's $ 300 momentum radio model, but they sound more than decent at a third of the price (and they also offer better battery life and overall performance).

Warranty information

1More Stylish is guaranteed for one year from the date of the original retail purchase against defects in materials and workmanship.

Our opinion

With a sleek design, great battery life, and incredibly low price, the 1More Stylish are the best wireless earbuds you can buy right now.

Is there a better alternative?

The closest competitor in price is the Samsung Galaxy Buds with a battery life of six hours, an IPX2 rating, and a wireless charging case for $ 129. For $ 29 cheaper, we would still take the 1More model, whose charging case contains significantly more juice than the 7-hour case you get with the Galaxy buds, up to 30 minutes more battery life per charge, and with the same convenience Offer. For more options, check out our list of the best real wireless headphones.

How long it will take?

1More makes extremely solid products and we expect them to be no different. With regular use, they should last several years until the battery life deteriorates – as is the case with all real radio models.

Should you buy it

Yes. If you need a pair of wireless earbuds, be sure to add them to your shortlist. There are currently no products that come close to the 1More Stylish for $ 100, and very few that compete at higher prices themselves.

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