Yamaha TW-E7B Review

It seems that the executives at Yamaha have injected their poor engineers with steroids because they’ve been producing headphones left and right recently. The company has long been synonymous with great audio equipment, but how do their earbuds sound? Let’s take a look at Yamaha’s latest true wireless model, the TW-E7B.

What’s in the Box

• Yamaha TW-E7B Earbuds
• Charging case
• USB-C to USB power cable
• Ear tips (XS, S, M, L, XL)
• Documentation and Quick Guide

Look and Feel

The TW-E7B earbuds look a little chunky, and may not be the most sleekest on the market. But the exterior is stylish, sporting a speckled circular shell with a metallic circular tip. (Other colors available) And on the flip side, the TW-E7B is probably one of the best fitting pair of true wireless I’ve worn. They’re feel super secure, yet comfortable even throughout long listening stretches. And I would feel confident doing jumping jacks or even a cartwheel with these buds in my ears. The natural sound isolation is also excellent. So, if fit is a priority, the TW-E7B is a good bet.

Design and Functionality

Controls

For its controls, Yamaha has employed buttons instead of the more popular touch sensors. Personally, I usually prefer buttons to touch controls, which can be a little sensitive and sometimes unreliable. The buttons on these earbuds do look a little archaic, but if you’re planning to use them for workouts, buttons might be easier for the heavy sweaters out there.

Waterproofness

With an IPX5 rating, the TW-E7B can withstand a ton of sweat, rain or even a quick rinse. So, again, they’re perfect for workouts and the great outdoors.

ANC

The active noise cancellation on these earbuds isn’t bad. That is, I did notice a difference between the ANC mode and the off mode. But don’t expect the ANC to do anything more than kill the hum of a heater or airplane. You’ll also be able to switch to ambient mode, which amplifies the sound of your surrounding environment, allowing you to converse with people while still wearing the earbuds.

Battery

The battery life on the TW-E7B is decent, but not as spectacular as higher priced models such as the Sony WF-1000XM4. You can expect about 6 hours of continuous, with an extra 16 hours of charge in the case. And you’ll be able to get about an hour of play after a 10 minute charge.

Bluetooth

The TW-E7B uses the latest, Bluetooth 5.2 and supports aptX and aptX Adaptive codecs. Apart from some trouble with the accompanying app, it quickly and easily paired to my phone right out of the case.

Accompanying App

Although these earbuds come with a dedicated app, I had trouble pairing them with the program. They just didn’t seem to find the TW-E7B, even once they were paired to my phone’s Bluetooth. If you guys find a solution, let us know. It may just need to wait till the next update.

Sounds Impressions

Soundstage

Perhaps the soundstage doesn’t reach a vastness in scale, but you will get a good sense of height and accurate placement along the vertical axis overall. And though it may not pop out at you, there’s also a sense depth, with instruments slightly reaching in front and behind the ears (even if it blends into the stereo field at times). So, nothing wild here, but the soundscape is as about as multidimensional as you can expect for true wireless earbud in this price range.

Low-End

You’ll hear a generous, yet not overly indulgent low-end. The bass is tight and fast, giving ample punch and speed to pop tracks. It’s also a clean low-end that stays in its lane, never creeping into the higher frequencies. The sub-bass frequencies are great, giving gravitas to mixes with a subby presence. And acoustic instruments fair well here too. Double basses and cellos sound rich, yet natural, providing a nice balance between texture and smoothness.

Mids

An easy and colorful balance in this range. Though not particularly forward in the lower mids, vocals and snares in the higher mids to mid treble radiate little. So, there’s some dynamism to the sound. Modern tracks have a fun, lively feel, and guitars have a touch of added shine in the high-mids. There’s good separation here too, even in the lower mids. And in general, layering is tidy, giving a comprehensive sound to even heavy mixes.

Highs

Again, you’ll hear a little pop in this range. But the highs are still smooth, bringing an enjoyable fluidity to vocals and violins. And pop and funk tracks that scatter around the highs give a light burst to the mix. The highest treble frequencies can get a touch peaky at times. But this only caused discomfort when listening to jazz tracks with trumpets and other high pitched brass.

Summary

With high quality sound and a fantastic fit, the TW-E7B is a solid bang for your buck, at around 200 bucks. It may not have the crazy battery life and ANC effectiveness of some of the more famous and higher priced true wireless models, but if you’re the active type and enjoy modern music, the TW-E7B is an appropriate choice.

You can buy the Yamaha TW-E7B at Audio 46.

Specifications