Bower Innovations True Wireless

Wireless technology used to be something in a far away dream, or a mediocre sci-fi film from the 80s. But, in today’s brave new world truly wireless in-ear headphones are a rapidly emerging technology with various models coming out later this year, and a couple of crowd-funded models that are in production.

Bower Innovations True Wireless Review

Bower_Innovations_Wireless_Earbuds2

This product comes from a surprising source, Bower, historically an optics and camera accessory focused company. The earbuds come equipped with Bluetooth 4.1, which provides a high quality connection with your Bluetooth device. They boast a 8mm driver running at an incredibly low impedance of 16 ohms which makes them run very efficiently and gives them plenty of room for volume control.

The earbuds come suspended in a clear display case which is highlighting the truly wireless design. The earphones also come with a wireless charging station that can support up to 4 complete charging cycles for your earphones that doubles as a case. Which you will be needing as the battery life of these headphones is on the lower side at around a two and a half hour playback time. I have noticed that most truly wireless earbuds are running a lower battery life than their ‘wireless’ Bluetooth counterparts.

Specs

Type: In-Ear Style
Noise-isolation: Passive
Impedance: 16 Ohm
Driver Size: 8 mm
Frequency Response: 20Hz – 20kHz
Playback Time: 2.5 Hours
Standby Time: Up to 30 Hours
Bluetooth: 4.1
Operational Range: Up to ~30 ft.

One thing to mention about these is that the Bluetooth pairing is different than your traditional wireless earphones. You have to first sync the two earbuds together, and once that step is done you can sync the pair to your phone. It’s not the easiest thing to accomplish your first go around with the instructions falling a bit short.

Low End

The earbuds feature a very robust low end, especially in the deeper end of the range. Even with the coloration the bass still retains a bit of detail to outweigh the extended response. Their low end response is quite similar to many consumer aimed models of earphones that aim to deliver a more bassy listening experience.

Mid Range

The mid range seems a little soft because of the colored low end, but it still holds up in many different recordings. There is some dampening in the mid range that can affect some vocal detail and make some recordings seem a little flat.

High End

While handling the low and mid range in a good manner, the high end could be considered the sonic weak point of these earphones. While having a decent extension and some brilliance to the high end, it can become fragile and sound brittle in some recordings when at a higher listening level.

Soundstage

The soundstage in the earbuds isn’t anything outstanding, but it does well considering it is an in-ear wireless headphone. You get a sense of most things being ‘in your head’ but some details escape into a wider soundfield.

Overall Impressions

Wearing these earbuds for a while has given me a freeing experience from the shackles of musical oppression, cables. It is a completely different experience for listening to music in a casual setting. Perfect for running around town or sitting uncomfortably crammed in a subway car. Is the technology perfect yet? No, but that does not discredit the performance and capabilities of these earphones. While there are always drawbacks in being an early adopter in fledgling technology these earbuds offer a relatively safe and enjoyable listening experience for those wanting to try out new wireless headphone technology.

Recommendations

If you’re in the market for a new wireless earphone that isn’t marketed around being a workout model, then I’d take a chance and try out a new field of technology. And, if you appreciate a more bass filled listening experience then these earphones will work well for your needs.

While they are very stable and personally haven’t had any issues with them falling out of my ears I would advise against them if you are looking for an active-ware sport model.

There are some issues with the current battery life running a bit short, the portable carrying case/charging station is designed to address these issues.

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An Audio Visual Technician based in live music and corporate events. When not mixing your band or awards show he can be found trying to find the best iced coffee or craft beers around town. Contact: morgan@majorhifi.com