March Madness is here, so it must be time for our
annual Headphone Shootout. With basketball teams about to duke it out, we like
to have our own shootout with headphones.
As usual, we have some excellent products from some great manufacturers.
We will be doing the IEM’s first, followed by the over the ear models next
month. This year’s IEM’s comprise of 1More ComfoBuds Z True-Wireless $99 MSRP, Jabra
Elite 4 Active $120 MSRP, Shokz OpenRun Pro $180 MSRP, Klipsch
T5 II ANC McLaren Edition $350 MSRP, and Master & Dynamic MW08 Sport
$350 MSRP. So without any further delay, let's get the Headphone Shootout
started!
We’ll start with the 1More ComfoBuds Z, which is a
True Wireless pair of IEM’s. Not only do they feature a quality design
using a balanced armature for the driver, they are also designed to help you go
to sleep using an extra slim design.
They even include built-in sounds to help you go to sleep. And with an MSRP of only $99, they provide a
huge bang for your buck!
Features and Specs:
Single Earbud Weight: 2.7 g
Charging Case Weight: 34 g
Gross Weight: 39.4 g
Earbud Dimensions: 24 x 9.2
x 14.2 mm
Case Dimensions: 60 x 30 x
38.5 mm
Single Earbud Battery Capacity:
30 mAh
Case Battery Capacity: 410
mAh
Earbuds Charging Time: 75
Minutes
Case Charging Time: 65
Minutes
Working Temperature: 0 ℃ ~ 45 ℃
Frequency Range: 2.400 GHz
~ 2.4835 GHz
Playtime: Earbuds Fully
Charged
BLE Playtime: approx. 3.5
Hours*
Bluetooth Playtime: approx.
2.5 Hours*
BLE Playtime: 14 Hours*
Bluetooth Playtime: approx.
10 Hours
Speaker Impedance: 22 Ω
Bluetooth Range: 10 m (Open
Space)
Bluetooth Version: Bluetooth
® 5.0
Bluetooth Protocols: A2DP /
AVRCP / BLE
Input: 5V 1A
The 1More ComfoBuds Z came in a great looking color
printed box, with photos and specs of the IEM’s. Opening the box I saw a well-protected
product, held in place in their charging case.
Materials used in the construction was mostly plastic. The quality of the materials, as well as the
fit and finish, were very good. Also included
was the charging case, charging cord, additional sized ear tips, and
instructions manual.
I was impressed with the design of the 1More ComfoBuds
Z. For this cheap price point, they
still managed to be able to feature a balanced armature design for great sound
quality. And these are also designed to
help you go to sleep. To do that they
designed the IEM to be extra thin, that was it would be able to fit completely
inside your ear. By doing this, no
matter what position you sleep in, they will not stick out past your ear
cavity. So any tossing and turning in
the middle of the night should not be a problem. They
also have soothing sounds built-in, as well as several auto off timers to pick
from. There are many nature sounds for
you to pick from, such as camp fire, a stream, or ocean waves, to name a
few. So if you would rather listen to a
nature sound to go to sleep to rather than your music, you have many options to
pick from. And with the auto off timers
that range from 30 to 150 minutes before they turn off, you should have plenty of
time to get to sleep. All of this as well as customized sound controls, are
controlled thru the app. It’s a great
design. Now let’s see how they sound.
Manheim Steamroller:
Going to Another Place – strings were crisp and clean, same for the
cymbals. Piano sounded very natural. Flute was very smooth with very good air.
Drums had nice dynamics and impact with good low end extension. New Order: Blue Monday – Bass was nice and
tight with very good depth and played with very good authority. Vocals had very
good texture of the timbre, with very good harmonics. Snaps were very dynamic. Pink Floyd: Money – The beginning with the
coins and adding machine and ripping the tape from the adding machine were
crisp and clean, and revealed a wide soundstage. Sax was nice and raw with good
pitch definition. The drums were dynamic with good impact and depth and played
with authority. Vocals were smooth with nice harmonics.
Next up is the Jabra Elite 4 Active. With an MSRP of only $120, Jabra has set the
bar high for bang for your buck. Not only do you get the wireless with 4 mics
and an app, but you also get Active Noise Cancellation & adjustable hear
through. It’s sweat proof with IP57 rating, and has Alexa built-in. And don’t
forget the Jabra name, so you know it’s a quality product.
Features & Specs:
Audio
Active Noise Cancellation (ANC):
Yes
Adjustable HearThrough: Yes
Noise isolating fit: Yes
In-ear pressure relief: Yes
Speaker size: 6mm / 0.236in
Speaker bandwidth (music mode):
20Hz - 20000Hz
Speaker bandwidth (speak mode):
100Hz - 8000Hz
Audio codecs supported: Qualcomm®
aptX™, SBC
Calls
Microphone type: MEMS
Number of microphones: 4
Microphone bandwidth: 100Hz
- 8000Hz
Noise reduction on calls: Yes
Software
& Apps:
Compatible
software and/or apps: Jabra Sound+
Google
Fast Pair (Android only): Yes
Spotify
Tap playback (Android only): Yes
Alexa
Built-in: Yes
Voice
assistant enabled: Alexa Built-in
(Android 6.0 or higher), Siri®, Google Assistant™
Fit
& Comfort
Form
factor: In-ear true wireless earbuds
EarGels™: Large, medium, small
EarGels
material: Silicone
Mono
mode: Yes
Battery
Music
time (earbuds): Up to 7 hours
Music
time total (earbuds and charging case): Up
to 28 hours
Sleep
mode: Yes
Corded
charging: USB-C
Charging
time: Up to 180 minutes
Fast
charge: Up to 1 hour use, when charging
earbuds for 10 minutes in charging case
Standby
time: Up to 275 Days
Battery
type: Rechargeable lithium-ion battery
Connectivity
Connectivity: Bluetooth 5.2
Bluetooth
profiles: A2DP v1.3, AVRCP v1.6, HFP
v1.7, HSP v1.2
Operating
range: Up to 10m / 33ft
Paired
devices: Up to 6 devices
Auto
on/off: Yes
General
Main
unit dimensions (WxHxD): 20.85mm x
20.49mm x 27.3mm / 0.82in x 0.81in x 1.07in
Charging
case dimensions (WxHxD): 28.4mm x 38.9mm
x 64mm / 1.12in x 1.53in x 2.52in
Earbud
weight (each earbud): 5g / 0.176oz
Weight
(charging case): 37.5g / 1.322oz
USB
cable length: 0.2m / 0.65ft
IP
rating: IP57
LED
features and functions: Battery status,
Bluetooth pairing
Certifications
and compliance: FCC, ISED, CE, RoHS,
REACH, Proposition 65, Google Fast Pair
Operating
temperature: -10°C to 55°C / 14°F to
131°F
Storage
temperature: -20°C to 60°C | -4°F to
140°F
The design of the Jabra Elite 4 Active is very efficient. There are multiple sized ear tips so you get the right fit. You control it through the Jabra app, where you can set the ANC and Hear Through setting, as well as customize the sound to your liking. The use of four microphones is meant to give you a great experience with handsfree calling. It even incorporates Spotify functionality and Alexa. And with an IP57 rating, it will also handle all of your exercise routines. Now let’s see how it performs.
Next up is a more unique headphone based on their design.
It’s the Shokz OpenRun Pro. They use a Bone Conduction Open-Ear design. Bone
Conduction is completely different from the traditional dynamic driver or
balanced armature designs. There is no speaker used, so it doesn’t need to go
in your ear. This leaves your ears completely open to be able to hear the
environment around you.
Features & Specs:
Back-a-track: Yes
Battery life: 10 Hours
Battery type: Li-Polymer
Battery
Charge time: 1 Hour
Charger: Magnetic Induction
Cable
Command controls: Yes
Compatible codecs: SBC
Compatible profiles: A2DP,
AVRCP, HSP, HFP
Frequency response: 20Hz~20KHz
Microphone: Dual
Noise-Canceling Mic
Microphone sensitivity: -38dB
± 3dB
Moisture detector: Yes
Multipoint pairing: Yes
Sensitivity: 105 ± 3dB
Standby time: Up to 10 Days
Titanium band: Full-Wraparound
Titanium frame: Full-Wraparound
Type: Bluetooth 5.1
Warranty: 2 Years
Water resistance: IP55
(Water-resistant)
Weight: 29 g
Wireless range: 33 feet
The Shokz OpenRun Pro came in a great looking color
printed box, with photos and specs of the headphones. Opening the box showed a
well-protected headphone, held in place by the hard zipper case. Materials used
in the construction was mostly plastic, with some metal with the titanium
frame. Quality of materials used was very good, as was the fit and finish. Also
included was the charging cable, hard zipper case, and instructions.
Mannheim Steamroller: Going to Another Place – strings were crisp and clean, with the cymbals also crisp. Piano sounded natural. Flute had good air and was pleasantly smooth. Drums had good dynamics, and I could feel the beats in my bone. It was tight, but lacked some depth. New Order: Blue Monday – Bass had nice tight beats that I could feel in my upper cheekbone. It lacked some depth and some output. Vocals were pleasantly smooth with good resolution of the texture from the timbre. Pink Floyd: Money – the beginning with the coins and the adding machine and ripping the tape off the adding machine, was nice and clean. And it also revealed a wide soundstage. Vocals were smooth with nice harmonics. The sax was nice and raw, with good resolution and texture of the reed. The drums had good dynamics with sufficient depth and decent output.
Now it’s time for the Klipsch T5 II True Wireless ANC
McLaren Edition. With Klipsch, you get decades upon decades of experience in
designing audio products, so you know it’ll sound good. With the McLaren
Edition, you not only get the McLaren styling, but it also comes with a
wireless charging pad! With an MSRP of only $350, bang for the buck is huge!
Features & Specs:
DRIVER DESIGN Dynamic Moving Coil Micro Speaker
DRIVER DIAMETER 5.8 mm
MIC/REMOTE Six-mic Beamforming
FREQUENCY RESPONSE 10Hz-19kHz
NOISE ISOLATION -22dB
INPUT CONNECTIONS Bluetooth
BATTERY (CHARGING CASE) 360 mAh
BLUETOOTH® SPECIFICATIONS Version: Bluetooth 5.0
Profiles: A2DP 1.3, AVRCP 1.6, HSP 1.2, HFP 1.7A2DP
Codecs: SBC, AAC® Range: Up to 10m (33ft.)
Battery Status: iOS & Android
WEIGHT Buds: 5.5g (.012 lbs)
Case: 76.9g (.169 lbs)
Buds and Case: 82.4g (.181 lbs)
COLORS Gunmetal, Silver, Copper
The Klipsch T5 II TWS ANC McLaren Edition came in a
great looking color printed box with photos and specs of IEM’s. Opening the box
showed a well-protected IEM held in place in the charging case. Materials used
in the construction was mostly plastic. Quality of materials used, as was the
fit and finish, were excellent. These are Klipsch’s top-of-the-line IEM, and it
shows! Also included was the charging case, charging cable and adapter,
additional sizes of ear tips, wireless charging pad, and owner’s manual.
I’m extremely impressed with the design end feature set of the Klipsch T5 II TWS ANC. These IEM’s are absolutely loaded! You get the Klipsch patented oval ear tips, to get a better seal for the best sound. There’s IPX4 water resistance rating, so they can handle your exercise routine. There is the Klipsch app so you can control the ANC settings and customize the sound. There is even Dirac built-in for improved clarity and soundstage. If that wasn’t enough, they are even Bragi enabled, this gives you much control with just a nod or movement of your head. For hands free use, there’s dual mics for your calls. I also loved the wireless charging pad! As I said before, just like a McLaren, these are loaded! Now let’s see how they sound.
Mannheim Steamroller: Going to Another Place – strings were extremely crisp and clean. The cymbals were just as crisp, with great resolution to hear both the impact and the decay. Piano sounded very smooth and natural. Flute also had excellent resolution, being able to hear the tonguing technique, was smooth like honey with excellent air. Drums had great dynamics, with a tight deep bass with good authority. New Order: Blue Monday – Bass was very tight and punchy with excellent low end extension, playing very deep with a ton of authority. Snaps were extremely dynamic. Vocals had excellent texture of the timbre. Pink Floyd: Money – At the beginning, the coins, adding machine and tape ripping from the adding machine was extremely crisp and clean, showing a very wide soundstage. Vocals were smooth like honey with excellent resolution and texture of the reed that even revealed some tonguing. Drums were very dynamic, deep and played with very good authority.
Last but not least is the Master & Dynamic MW08
Sport. They are a fairly recent newcomer, being around for almost a decade now.
But they have done it right, using premium materials and designs. This helped
them quickly made a name for themselves. And at an MSRP of $350 the Master
& Dynamic MW08 Sport are fairly priced.
Features & Specs:
MODEL: MW08 Sport True
Wireless Earphones
DIMENSIONS: Case: 64.8mm x
48.1mm x 26.8mm
Earphone: 21.19mm x 20.22mm x 25.08mm
DRIVERS: 11mm Beryllium
WEIGHT: Sport Earphones:
8.6g each, Charging Case: 56g
MATERIALS: Sapphire glass
sport earbuds /Kevlar® fiber case
EARPHONE BATTERY LIFE: Up
to 12 hours playtime / 10 hours with ANC or Ambient Listening
EARPHONE CHARGE TIME: 50%
charge in 15 minutes, 100% charge in 45 minutes
MICROPHONE TYPE: 6-microphone
talk solution - 3 microphones in each sport earphone
ACTIVE NOISE-CANCELLING: Hybrid
ANC sport earbuds with All Day ANC and ANC Max modes
AMBIENT LISTENING MODES: Awareness
Mode, Voice Mode
CHARGING CASE BATTERY LIFE:
30 additional hours of charge, Up to 42 hours total playtime
CHARGING CASE TIME (CABLE):
50% charge in 15 minutes, 100% charge in 60 minutes
CHARGING CASE TIME (WIRELESS):
50% charge in 30 minutes, 100% charge in 100 minutes
CONNECTIVITY BETWEEN SPORT EARPHONES: Bluetooth 5.2
BLUETOOTH PROFILE: Bluetooth
5.2 with AAC, SBC, Qualcomm® aptX™ Adaptive, and Qualcomm’s state of the art
True Wireless Mirroring technology
CONNECTIVITY DISTANCE: 100ft/30
The Master & Dynamic MW08 Sport came in a great looking
color printed box, with photos and specs of the IEM. Opening the box revealed a
well-protected IEM, held in place in its charging case. Materials used are
mostly metal. The IEMs are made of machined aluminum with shatter resistant
sapphire glass. The charging case is made of Kevlar. Quality of materials used,
as well as the fit and finish, are excellent! This is their top-of-the-line
model and it shows! Also included is the charging case, charging cord and adapter,
multiple sets of different sized ear tips, and owner’s manual.
I really liked the design of the Master & Dynamic MW08 Sport. They take the features you find in an IEM, and bring them up a level. The mics for hands free calls, you don’t just get two or four, there are six. The ANC gives you two ambient listening modes, for the drivers, they use beryllium in a large 11mm size. The antennas for wireless connectivity are external, for better reception. And then there’s the aluminum and glass for premium build quality. The IPXS water resistance rating, also ensures you are covered for your exercise routine. You can even use each IEM individually, rather than together. This gives you even more battery life. Now let’s see how they sound.
Mannheim Steamroller: Going to Another Place – strings were so crisp and clean they were life-like, as was the cymbals, with excellent resolution to hear the decay. Piano sounded extremely natural. Flute was silky smooth, with such good resolution you could hear the tonguing technique and revealed excellent air. Drums had excellent dynamic, were nice and tight with excellent low-end extension that played with very good authority. New Order: Blue Monday – Bass was not only tight and clean, it hit like a sledgehammer! It played very deep with excellent authority. Snaps were also very dynamic. Vocals were smooth like honey, with excellent harmonics and texture of the timbre. Pink Floyd: Money – The beginning with the coins and the ripping of the tape and adding machine were extremely crisp and clean, and revealed a very wide soundstage. Vocals were silky smooth with excellent harmonics and resolution. The sax sounded nice and raw, with excellent resolution of the reed and the tonguing technique. Drums were extremely dynamic with excellent low-end extension and authority.
For Bluetooth performance, our reference test is really quite unfair really, as most don’t fully pass it. It’s designed to test just how far you can push the Bluetooth reception. Most manufacturers rate the Bluetooth performance pretty conservatively, usually to 30ft of open space, some will rate it up to 100ft. Our test is designed to take the headphones past their limits, to see at what point they will lose signal. We start with them paired to our LG V40 ThinQ smartphone in one corner of our basement. We then walk around the basement to test for any drop in signal. This is followed up with walking from the basement up to the main floor, and then up to the 2nd floor. Lastly, we take it outside and walk out to 250 feet to see at what point the signal is dropped.
For the 1More ComfoBuds Z, they did great in basement, didn’t like 2nd floor, and 3rd floor not really usable. Out to 175 ft no problems, stopped at 200 ft. The Jabra Elite 4 did great in basement, didn’t like 2nd floor and not really usable on 3rd floor. Got out to around 210 ft and then lost signal. Slightly better than 1More ComfoBuds Z in performance. Shokz OpenRun Pro had similar performance to the Jabra. They did great in the basement, didn’t like the 2nd floor, and 3rd floor not usable. Didn’t get glitchy until around 250 ft outside. Klipsch’s T5 II ANC McLaren Edition performed perfectly in the basement, and was a little glitchy on the main floor but still usable. It beat out the others just a bit on the 2nd floor, but still wasn’t usable. They also lasted out to 210ft without any hiccups, and usable out to 225ft. The Master & Dynamic MW08 Sport performed excellent in the basement, no hiccups on the main floor. They only sputtered a few times on the 2nd floor, and went out to 250 ft no problems.
For Active Noise Cancelling performance, they performed fairly similar thru the app. The Jabra Elite 4 Active, Klipsch T5 II ANC McLaren Edition, and the Master & Dynamic MW08 Sport have an app that not only allows you to tailor the sound to your liking, it also lets you toggle thru the Hear Thru option and ANC option. They all performed very well with the Hear Thru feature really pulling in all the sounds that are going on around you. With the Hear Thru and ANC turned off, you also hear the high amount of attenuation they all similarly provide. When it came to the ANC, the Jabra Elite 4 Active eliminated about 80%, while the Klipsch T5 II ANC McLaren took out closer to 90%. The Master & Dynamic performed just a hair better at just over 90%.
As with March Madness, sometimes a low seed surprises a higher seed and performs better than expected. Sometimes that also happens with our annual Headphone Shootout. This year’s Headphone Shootout turned out to not have any surprises. The higher the price, the better the performance. 1More has become known for a good bang for the buck, and the ComfoBuds Z proved to fit the mold with an MSRP of only $99, and the provided balanced armatures were tuned well, with an overall neutral sound that was just a bit on the warm side. The Jabra Elite 4 Active raised the stakes a bit more with an amazing tuning job, with the most neutral sound of the mix. Highs were also crisp and clean with good low-end extension, and output. The Shokz OpenRun Pro had a pretty neutral sound overall, and being a bit on the warm side. They lacked a little of the resolution from the highs and mids and lacked the bass depth and output, due to its bone conduction design. But for the design, I was shocked at their quality of sound and musicality! For the convenience of the design, you still get great tunes! Klipsch’s T5 II ANC McLaren Edition – sound was overall neutral, being just a hair on the bright side. Soundstage was exceptionally wide with exceptional resolution. Bass played very deep and with very good output. Master & Dynamic – the beryllium drivers proved to be real performers, and were tuned extremely well! They had an overall neutral sound that was maybe just a hair on the warm side. Resolution was excellent, and they had the best bass response, playing with a full deep base with a ton of authority.
These were some great headphones this year. Some of them had unique features, like the
1More ComfoBuds Z being extra slim to help you go to sleep, and the Shokz OpenRun
Pro having the bone conduction open design.
The Jabra Elite 4 Active bringing ANC to only $120 price point is a jaw
dropper. The Klipsch
T5 II ANC McLaren Edition continued with the sound Klipsch is known for
with some top of the line previously unheard-of features for an IEM, and the
included wireless charging pad was just icing on the cake! And the Master &
Dynamic MW08 Sport showcased their luxurious aluminum with sapphire glass,
keeping true to the company’s name. No
matter your budget, any of these IEM’s should be on your short list. Based on their design, features, quality, and
performance, the 1More ComfoBuds Z has earned our Value Award, the Jabra Elite
Active 4 and the Shokz OpenRun Pro have earned our Highly Recommended Award,
and the Klipsch T5 II ANC McLaren Edition and Master & Dynamic MW08 Sport
have earned our Editor’s Choice Award. For
more info and complete specs, check out their website at www.1more.com, www.jabra.com,
www.shokz.com, www.klipsch.com, www.masterdynamic.com.
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