HAKII Time Pro Review

I’ve never tried anything from HAKII before, and I’ve been seeing them pop up here and there. True wireless for under a hundred dollars has been easier to come by in recent years, and the subject of this review happens to be one of those items. The Time Pro is a pair of true wireless earbuds that cost $77.08 at the time of writing this review. Are they anything special?

What You Get

• Time Pro Earbuds
• Charging Case
• S/M/L ear tips
• Type C charging cable
• User Guide

Look and Feel

I wouldn’t call the Time Pro your bog standard stemmed earbud, but the design here is still pretty plain. I am reviewing the white version of the Time Pro, and you can get a black version as well. The structure of the Time Pro is similar to a lot of budget true wireless earbuds. This means it is also as ergonomic as those models too, and the Time Pro is very comfortable. Its fit feels natural and sits in your ear with ease, never causing any added pressure or discomfort.

Design and Functionality

Inside the Time Pro is a 10mm dynamic driver, and unlike a lot of true wireless earbuds, these actually get pretty loud. There’s more headroom here than there is in a lot of wireless earbuds, even ones that are much more expensive than the Time Pro. Its power is highlighted even more when noise-canceling is activated. This might be one of the strongest implementations of ANC for any set of earbuds under a hundred dollars that I have heard. A ton of environmental noise is almost completely eliminated, leaving only upper high-frequency noise barely audible. The only other feature offered by the Time Pro is “game mode” which improves latency while playing games. There is no companion app for the Time Pro, and I thought one really could have been used here, especially one with an EQ.

Bluetooth

The Time Pro supports Bluetooth version 5.2, keeping up with the latest wireless technology. While the connection is mostly stable, there were some weird channel imbalances that happened often enough to make a note of.

Battery Life

While in ANC mode, you’ll be able to get six hours of playtime with 18 hours of extra charge from the case. With ANC turned off, the battery life is increased to 7 hours, with 23 hours included with the case.

Soundstage

For what they are, the Time Pro is more impressive with its imaging than its soundstage. It’s a small headspace, but it never feels congested in any way. From the left channel to the right channel, the Time Pro seems more like what you usually get from budget true wireless earbuds. However, it’s the Time Pro’s sense of depth that goes beyond what you might think it’s capable of. The way in which the Time Pro stacks performances on top of each other, from back to forward was a welcome surprise. It gives each position in the mix plenty of room to showcase clear instrumentals and vocals.

Low End

In the lows, the Time Pro offers a solid punch. Mid-bass frequencies protrude forward to give the bass an immediately energetic tone. It does a good job not overcrowding the mix, resonating mostly around your jaw with a relatively smooth timbre. The sub-bass has just enough presence to make the slightest difference in texture but isn’t as impactful as the mid-bass. In spurts, you get some subtle vibrations and rumble, but it isn’t a consistent response.

 Mids

I don’t expect many true wireless earbuds in this price range to have a strong midrange presence, and the Time Pro fits that notion. I found the response here to be mostly v-shaped, and it leads to some fun coloration in some areas. The low mids are hefty and take prominence over a considerable portion of the region, but never appear cloudy or hollow. Instruments won’t display any significant detail that will add some extra exciting flavor to the timbre, but nothing is subtracted either. They never feel too thin, but there isn’t any real meat to the tone either. However, vocals have an easy time sticking out, especially female vocals in the upper midrange. Good clarity underlines many performances with great precision.

Highs

With the treble, you get some great clarity that feels crisp and well-controlled. High frequencies have a fast response, and they dissipate in the mix with a blissful airiness. Their extension never feels that heightened, but the content that’s there brings some shine to the region. There is some noticeable sibilance here, and some will not be a fan, especially since there is no EQ. I happen to gravitate toward this style of sound signature, so I found the emphasis here enjoyable.

Summary

As a simple pair of budget ANC earbuds, the Time Pro from HAKII is highly enjoyable. The ANC is strong and the sound is clear and colorful, with slightly above-average depth and a nice bass boost. There are some issues with the Bluetooth connection becoming unstable at times, and there is no companion app, which are two aspects that could have been vastly improved. For its price though, the positives are even more significant here, and it makes the Time Pro a worthwhile true wireless earbud.

The HAKII Time Pro is available from their website here.