At MWC 2020, Sony showcased the new, completely wireless Sony Xperia Ear Duo headphones with open sound technology that allows you to listen to music without interfering with the sounds of the world around you.
The Xperia Ear Duo headphones are quite smart - they will keep you up to date with the latest events, as well as provide detailed information about your location. I tried them in practice and want to share my impressions.
Fit and shape of Sony Xperia Ear Duo
The design of the Sony Xperia Ear Duo is truly unusual; the wireless headphones do not look like most other gadgets from competitors. Instead of the usual tendency to place components inside a small earphone, Sony placed them in an elongated housing with a fixed curved tube at the end of which the earphone itself. This makes the Ear Duo similar to a hearing aid.
The device feels comfortable and secure in the ears. They are unlikely to fall out even during the most intense exercise. Ear Duo also does not interfere with wearing glasses or earrings. This is another advantage of Sony's unusual, complex and at the same time thoughtful design.
Verdict
The cost in Russia is 19,990 rubles; let me remind you that AirPods can now be found even for 10,000 rubles. I didn’t say useful suffering for nothing; the Sony Xperia Ear Duo is a product for Sony fans who want to find harmony in nature or in the office - for example, it’s very cool to listen to music and colleagues. Minor bugs have been cleaned up with the update, do not forget to strictly follow the instructions in the application. The disadvantages are clear: it’s difficult to place on the ear, it’s a big deal, in Russia the product turned out to be expensive, it takes too long to explain to a person why all this is needed. For Japan, the thing is ideal, but for most of us, AirPods will do.
I hope that Sony will also make regular miniature high-quality wireless headphones without any miracles - well, in general, now we’re waiting for the IFA and we’ll try again to collect a scattering of Bluetooth little ones in one video.
If you are interested in specifics, an exact answer, whether to take the Sony Xperia Ear Duo or not, I will answer unequivocally - the product was wonderful at exhibitions as a concept, it works great in real life, but for purchase I suggest you choose something more practical and understandable. For example, Sony WF-1000X - small, with noise reduction, cost 14,990 rubles.
Well, if you need to hear what is happening around you, just take out one earphone.
Usage and Control Gestures
The inserts in the Sony Xperia Ear Duo are made of rubber and have a rounded shape, in the center of which there is a tube that directs sound into the ear. At a normal volume level, we can clearly hear what is happening around us, including people talking. But, as soon as the volume is increased, the voices become muffled.
However, in order to hear from the outside what is being played in the user’s ears, you need to get very close. This makes the Ear Duo a great gadget for privacy or communication.
Xperia Ear Duo can be controlled by both gestures and touches. Moving your finger up or down on the sensor adjusts volume, while pressing it pauses/plays.
These headphones also respond to head movements. For example, by nodding you can accept an incoming call, and by turning your head left or right you can switch tracks. Both functions work very well, however, touch controls take longer.
What do they sound like?
My hands-on review was short and primarily focused on the Sony Xperia Ear Duo's smart features, like the conversations surrounding me while playing music. At medium volumes, the Xperia Ear Duo headphones sounded good, although I found the bass to be a bit lacking. But even when the volume was increased, the sound remained clear and without distortion.
I listened to Sony's test track rather than my own music, so it's hard to compare sound quality to other wireless headphones. I don't think they are intended for audiophiles. Unlike open-form factor headsets, the Ear Duo's surround sound was more of a hindrance than an improvement.
Music isn't the only thing you can listen to on Xperia Ear Duo. The headphones are controlled via a smartphone app, where you can set alerts and information based on your location. For example, you can listen to upcoming calendar events and weather alerts before you leave the house. In addition, the gadget is compatible with smart assistants Google Assistant and Siri, which can read messages and notifications received on the phone while driving.
Sony Xperia Ear Duo has fast charging
According to the manufacturer, the battery life of the Sony Xperia Ear Duo is about 4 hours, which is the standard for most other wireless headphones today. But this is an hour less than Apple's cheaper AirPod and the new Jabra 65t.
The case that the Xperia Ear Duo comes in is also rechargeable and provides a total of 16 additional hours of use.
The 7-minute quick charge feature gives you an extra hour of use when plugged into a wall outlet—ideal for a quick charge if the battery suddenly runs out.
Sony Xperia Ear review: a small voice assistant
We have all known for a long time those same headsets that everyone inserted into their ears 5-10 years ago in order to talk on the phone while driving. They exist even now, although not all of them can do anything other than voice transmission and, possibly, voice typing. But everything changes, and such devices are evolving greatly.
As you may have guessed from the title of the article, today we are reviewing the Sony Xperia Ear headset. It was presented by Sony at the Mobile World Congress 2020 in Barcelona. In addition to this headset, the exhibition featured smartphones from the Xperia X line, as well as portable devices Xperia Eye, Xperia Projector and Xperia Agent. But this particular device is of greatest interest, since the others are still more concepts than finished devices.
Before using the accessory, you will need to install the application from the Play Store. The application is free and is called, as you might guess, Xperia Ear. After installation, you will need to go through a simple procedure of connecting your phone to the headset and setting basic settings. By the way, it is worth noting that if Google's voice assistant is not installed on your phone, the built-in assistant will not fulfill your requests.
The headset is comfortably housed in a compact box, which is not only a way to store and transport, but also serves as a charging station. At the bottom of the box there is a microUSB connector for charging, and the headset itself is charged when it is packed inside the box. The headset's battery capacity is 65 mAh, and its charge, as the manufacturer claims, is enough for 4 hours of talk time, or 80 hours of standby time. The box is equipped with a built-in 300 mAh battery, which will allow you to fully charge the headset three more times, providing a total of 16 hours of talk time. Not a bad indicator.
For more comfortable use, the package includes three additional ear pads and three tips for a tighter fit in the ear. Although personally, I still could not find a combination in which the earphone would sit comfortably for a long time. But nevertheless, the earphone practically does not fall out of the ear, even if you actively shake your head.
By the way, let’s talk about convenience! Boxing, which I already mentioned, is made very strangely. To open it, you need to slide the lid, and only after that it will rise due to the built-in spring. It's hard to say that this is not in the spirit of Sony, but the strength of the design raises some questions. But getting the earphone out of it is easier and more comfortable than the sensational AirPods from Apple.
The earphone has a built-in proximity sensor that detects whether it is in your ear or not, and you can set greeting options in the settings. For example, when you insert an earphone, a female computer voice will say: “Hello! Today in your city there is snow and near zero. You have one missed call from your brother. Today is Aunt Valya’s birthday.” At the same time, the voice can hardly be called pleasant. He is too computer-generated and distorts the words a little. In general, everything this computer girl says is very drawn out and too measured, I would like it to be more to the point. For example, when you press a button on the headset to give a command, the assistant slowly says: “Please speak.” The phrase is not very long, but nevertheless, from the moment you raise your hand to press the button until the sound is heard, after which you can speak, 5 seconds pass. Not for long, but sometimes it’s easier to pick up the phone and see if you have missed calls than to wait those five seconds, then say what you need, and wait a couple more seconds for an answer.
But for people who don't want to take their phone out of their bag or simply can't do it, this headset will be quite convenient. It allows you to expand the capabilities of your smartphone. You can ask the assistant to set a timer or alarm clock, ask you to dial a number from your address book, play a song by a specific artist, ask for directions to a cafe, ask you to read an SMS message or dictate the answer to be sent to it.
The assistant recognizes questions asked to him quite well. There are very rarely situations when he misunderstands the question asked. It happens that he cannot understand a command, but he recognizes all the words correctly. Also, to simplify the process of communicating with a computer girl, the headset is controlled by gestures. When the assistant clarifies whether he understood the command correctly, you can nod or shake your head to say yes or no.
The device has an IPX2 water ingress protection rating. That is, based on the standard, vertically dripping water should not disrupt the operation of the device if it is tilted from its operating position by an angle of up to 15 degrees. Simply put, we only have splash protection. So don't drop your Xperia Ear into a puddle or get caught in the pouring rain.
The delights of the Xperia Ear include a fairly large list of supported smartphones. All phones running Android 4.4 (KitKat) and higher will work. And this is a very large number of devices, so almost no one will be offended.
As a result, we received a very promising device, but so far it is quite crude and not very interesting. The functionality is not fully disclosed, and commands are not always recognized if they differ even slightly from what is “hardwired” into the program. There are also problems with connecting to the phone, which is not always restored after you take the headset out of the box.
Perhaps over time, Sony will be able to improve the performance of its application and the device itself. Then it really has every chance of becoming popular and in demand. But even then, the main factor discouraging the purchase will remain the price of the Xperia Ear, which today is 13,000 rubles. It’s a bit expensive for a simple assistant, and even more so for a headset with which you will only make and receive calls. For these purposes, it’s easier to take something like the Samsung IconX, which costs the same, but will be full-fledged headphones with a headset function and built-in memory. So we are waiting for the development of this idea from Sony and other interesting gadgets.
Bottom line
Opinions about the design of the Sony Xperia Ear Duo are divided. While ambient-sound technology is nothing new, there's no denying how useful (and sometimes safe) it is to hear the world around you while listening to music. This feature will be appreciated by both cyclists and travelers.
However, I haven't tried these new wireless headphones from Sony in noisy places yet, so I don't know how they'll perform on the subway or on a busy street.
The new product will go on sale this spring at a price of $280 (RUB 16,000).
Benefits of Sony Xperia Ear Duo
- Availability of Dual Listening technology.
- Comfortable fit.
- Smart and useful features.
- Fast charging.
- The gesture function works well.
Disadvantages of Xperia Ear Duo
- Complex design.
- Inconvenient to put on.
- Overpriced.
The Sony Xperia Ear Duo smart stereo headset will go to Russian retail at a price of 19,990 rubles
A presentation of the Sony Xperia Ear Duo wireless stereo headset took place in Moscow. The device was first presented at the MWC exhibition in February this year.
Let us remind you that the Xperia Ear Duo are completely wireless headphones (that is, both headphones are not connected to each other by wire). Their main feature is open sound technology. As Mikhail Chernov, external communications manager for Sony Mobile in Russia and the CIS countries explained, the sound wave originates inside the main body (the speaker is installed there), and then travels through an aluminum curved tube to the ear. The ear pads are made in such a way that the output of this tube occupies only about half of the space, which means that a person can easily hear all surrounding sounds.
Based on the results of listening during the event, it is worth noting that this technology also has a downside - the headphones should not be considered as music lovers or audiophiles: the sound quality is low, there is little bass by modern standards, the maximum power is also low, and complete openness will not allow you to listen to music in subway or other noisy space. However, the solution also has advantages - the ability to listen to music or podcasts/audiobooks in the background during active activities, for example, riding a bike or even in a car (alas, we won’t tell you how to prove to the inspector that this is safe).
Actually, the new product is positioned more as a smart assistant than traditional headphones. Thus, the headset is equipped with four microphones (two on each earphone) - the system will make the sound of your voice clear and easily distinguishable, even if there is noise in the background, which is useful not only for conversation, but also for voice control using smartphone assistants (currently currently supported by Siri and Google Assistant). The built-in CXD5602 chipset, in addition to sound, also processes information from other sensors: touch panel, proximity sensor, accelerometer, gyroscope, barometer, compass and GPS (there is no sensor, the data is taken from the smartphone). You can switch tracks, for example, by turning your head, and nodding to accept a call. In addition, Xperia Ear Duo will remind you of an event from the calendar or read the news. To implement this functionality, the XperiaEar Duo application is used for Android and iOS, with the latter currently offering a limited set of capabilities.
The headphones come with a case with a built-in battery for three full charges. In just 7 minutes, it charges the headphones for about an hour of use. When fully charged, the new product lasts about 4 hours of active use.
Sony Xperia Ear Duo stereo headsets will go into Russian retail on June 1 at a price of 19,990 rubles. The first customers will receive a 12-month subscription to the Yandex.Music streaming service as a gift. New items are already available for pre-order in Sony Centre, M.Video and Svyaznoy stores.
