Sales champions for the past two years, True Wireless (or 100% wireless) headphones are coming out at a rapid pace.
Launched in the heart of summer, Honor's Earbuds 2 Lite, Sennheiser's CX True Wireless and Beats Audio's Studio Buds are priced from 99 euros to 149 euros.
The "20 Minutes" tests reveal their strengths and weaknesses, the Sennheiser model offering the best performance / price ratio at 129 euros.
Which True Wireless headphones to turn up the volume this summer?
20 Minutes
was able to test three new products (Honor's Earbuds 2 Lite, Sennheiser's CX True Wireless and Beats Audio's Studio Buds), sold from 99 euros to 149 euros.
Long hours of listening reveal the strengths and weaknesses of each model.
For monster autonomy: Earbuds 2 Lite from Honor
We had lost sight of Honor, the “cousin” brand of Huawei.
Now free from the problems of its illustrious parent company which sold it to a consortium, Honor launches these Earbuds 2 Lite (in white and black).
Like others, the Chinese manufacturer was largely inspired by Apple's AirPods Pro.
The aesthetics of the two small appendages and their charging case are quite similar.
Housed in their case and perfectly maintained thanks to a well-thought-out magnetic system, the Earbuds 2 Lite are easily extracted, unlike Huawei's recent Freebuds 4i which slip between the fingers.
In-ear (they sink slightly into the ears), Bluetooth 5.2, the earphones with small white rods broadcast a very correct sound, with bass and treble (dominant) whose dosage offers a pleasant relief to the songs listened to.
It is possible to increase the volume without suffering from real distortion.
For its part, the active noise reduction system is quite good, but far from equaling that of Sony's WF-1000WM3 headphones, for example.
And the battery life is perfect: almost 10 hours per charge and up to 32 hours in total depending on the use of noise reduction.
Some regrets, however: lack of equalizer, lack of waterproofing and touch controls limited to the strict minimum.
And paradox: while Honor claims to have cut ties with Huawei, these Earbuds 2 Lite can take advantage of additional functions with the Huawei AI application which remains useless on iPhone, however, the headphones are not recognized (they can be used independently) .
Battery life: up to 32 hours. 99 euros. Available August 7.
For Versatility: Sennheiser CX True Wireless
Rather accustomed to quite expensive products such as with its Momentum True Wireless 2 headphones sold for 259 euros, the German brand Sennheiser is democratizing its know-how with its CX True Wireless sold for 129 euros, which is half the price.
Was it necessary to fear for the quality of these models of the in-ear type?
Answer: no.
In Bluetooth 5.2 (hence immediate pairing), these admittedly somewhat bulky headphones broadcast a very pleasant signature sound. We appreciate the beautiful balance offered by the manufacturer. Adapted to all musical registers, the CX True Wireless reveals no real weakness.
During our test,
Billie Eilish's
very loud
Therefore I Am
bass
sounded
like a letter in the mail. The chiseled treble
Drive
REM avoided the phenomenon of wheezing (whistling the effects) often encountered.
Norah Jones'
Don't Kwow Why
mediums
expressed all their warmth. And we even let ourselves be surprised by the very airy rendering of some audio titles spatialized in Dolby Atmos on Apple Music:
Senõrita
by Shawn Mendes and Camilla Cabelo, or
Bad Habits
by Ed Sheeran.
If they do not have active noise reduction, the CX True Wireless remains protected against rain and sweat (standard: IPX4).
Their touch controls are easily tamed.
And we appreciate the Sennheiser Smart Control application with its equalizer that allows you to really personalize your listening.
Battery life: up to 27 hours. 129 euros.
For the very big sound: Studio Buds, by Beats Audio
Sometimes disappointed, sometimes conquered by Beats Audio products, we are here rather seduced by the new Studio Buds headphones.
The firm (owned by Apple since 2014) succeeds with these in-ear headphones the bet of big sound.
With singular ergonomics, the Studio Buds look like two buttons that you slip into your ears.
The apparent letter "b" will remain for some a sign of identity ...
Each earpiece is equipped with a physical button. This is what we prefer. Touch controls are often sources of hazardous manipulations that hamper the experience. On the other hand, if it is possible to Play / Pause, answer / hang up a call, activate noise reduction and go to the next song, it is impossible to modulate the sound volume. A note: a Convincing Transparency mode (which allows you to listen to around you).
From the
Monday Dreamin '
album
, the
electronic
beats
of
Wishing Well
by Margaret Dygas or
Reveire
by Sama'Abdulhadi have beaten our eardrums.
We also wonder what the noise reduction system that equips headphones that really send a very powerful sound, with marked but not inflated bass can be used here.
In more sensitive registers, however, Studio Buds stumble on highs that are sometimes metallic and roughly cut.
Don't rely too much on these headphones to fully enjoy sharp musical registers.
Resistant to water and perspiration (IPX4 standard), with the Locate function to be found in case of loss, available in black, white or red, the Studio Buds will initially appeal to
aficionados
of punchy rhythms, games muscular videos and series or action films that will blow your mind.
If finesse is not their strong point, their sound signature is indisputable and well assumed.
Autonomy: up to 24 hours. 149 euros.
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