Amazon Echo Buds (2nd Gen)

Design and features:

This Bluetooth wireless noise canceling portable ear-insert model provides good sound and excellent active noise reduction. Its ear plug-like design and electronic noise canceling feature reduce both outside noise and sound leaking out into your environment. The headphones work with or without the noise canceling feature being turned on. You can use the noise-canceling feature without listening to music. Additional features include Either earpiece can be used alone for one ear monitoring of Bluetooth streamed audio and telephone communications. Charging/carrying case has built-in rechargeable battery that the manufacturer claims can be used to recharge the earphone batteries for an additional 10 hrs. of playtime for a total of 15 hrs. with ANC on OR for an additional 13 hrs. of playtime for a total of 19.5 hrs. with ANC off. Wireless charging case compatible with Qi-certified wireless charging pads. Manufacturer claims seat and water resistance (IPX4). The headphone noise cancellation control default setting switches between ANC and ambient sound monitor (Pass-through) modes by touch control on either earbud; the default settings can be customized using the app to enable or disable this touch control feature. Has touch control for music player transport, call connect/disconnect, noise cancellation on/off, digital voice assistant activation which can be customized in the Alexa app. Pauses music when at least one earphone is taken out of ear and resumes when at least on is put back in. Alexa voice control can be voice activated using the "Alexa" wakeup phrase; is only available when the mobile device has an Alexa app download and is WiFi or cellular data connected to the Internet. Supports Google Assistant or Siri digital voice assistants when used with Bluetooth connected devices that have those features. Amazon Alexa app shows earphone battery level. Has quick charge feature: 15 min of charging will provide up to 2 hrs. of playtime. Works with all Bluetooth audio devices, but some features (Alexa voice control, changing the touch control options - monitor sound level, tonal balance equalizer adjustment, and Ear Tip Fit Test) are not available unless used with a mobile device with operating systems Android 6.0 or iOS 12 or later with the Amazon Alexa app installed. This model comes with Four pairs of ear pieces in various sizes, two pairs of earbowl supports (wing tips) in various sizes, USB-C charging cable, charging cradle/recharger battery/carrying case, Quick Start Guide.

Sound quality:

We found the Echo Buds (2nd Gen) delivers sound quality that falls in the good range - it reproduces music and voice reasonably well despite the obvious shortcomings in its sound and excellent active noise reduction. With the noise cancelling mode engaged and the Amazon Alexa app eq tone controls set to flat bass (as in bass drums, bass guitars, stand-up bass, etc.) has good impact and goes deep, but the mid and upper bass is a bit subdued while the lower bass is boomy and somewhat prominent. The midrange (voices, guitars, horns, etc.) is a bit thin, somewhat grainy, hazy and congested, and a bit etched (a bit more sharply outlined then it should be). The treble (cymbals, the upper range of violins, etc.) is fairly extended, but is somewhat smeared and a bit prominent. The sound also has a good sense of liveliness and is somewhat open--sound-wise it almost seems like you don't have anything plugging up your ears and does a decent job of recovering room ambience. Mixed character - warmish bass with neutral midrange and treble. The overall sound can be summarized as somewhat bassy, grainy, hazy, and a bit thin. The Alexa app eq controls had a noticeable effect on the sound. Noise Canceling: Excellent noise reduction across the entire frequency range with the low frequencies reduced the most. Orientation changes the noise reduction characteristic - when the noise is coming from the front a bit more high-frequency noise can be heard. A faint rushing sound can be heard in quiet environments when there is no audio program to drown it out.

Comfort and Fit:
As typical of in-ear models they produce a sense of pressure in the ear canal opening might be uncomfortable for some. Users with small earbowls might find that the earphone body feels a bit bulky in their earbowl and that they stick out too far and feel like they may lever out of place, but that they will stay in place during casual use and that using any of the earbowl supports makes them feel uncomfortably large. Users with medium and larger sized ear bowls will probably find that with or without the earbowl supports this model stays in place with no problems for casual use and with the earbowl supports they are very stable even during vigorous head movement. Incidental contact with the touch controls can cause unintentional playing and pausing.

The Amazon Echo Buds (2nd Gen) portable Bluetooth wireless noise canceling sports earphones have a isolating ear-insert design. These iPod/cellphone-centric earphones can be used with the noise canceling feature turned on or off, and are intended for use with iPods, iPads, some other cell phones, as well as standard audio devices, and have a claimed reception range of around 33 feet and are intended for use with Bluetooth enabled audio devices including cell phones, as well as standard audio devices. The earphones have an inline microphone and inline remote with xxmusic player function, and call connect/disconnect controls. Additional features include a Either earpiece can be used alone for one ear monitoring of Bluetooth streamed audio and telephone communications. Charging/carrying case has built-in rechargeable battery that the manufacturer claims can be used to recharge the earphone batteries for an additional 10 hrs. of playtime for a total of 15 hrs. with ANC on OR for an additional 13 hrs. of playtime for a total of 19.5 hrs. with ANC off. Wireless charging case compatible with Qi-certified wireless charging pads. Manufacturer claims seat and water resistance (IPX4). Free Alexa app download for Apple and Android devices adds additional features. The headphone noise cancellation control default setting switches between ANC and ambient sound monitor (Pass-through) modes by touch control on either earbud; the default settings can be customized using the app to enable or disable this touch control feature. Has touch control for music player transport, call connect/disconnect, noise cancellation on/off , digital voice assistant activation which can be customized in the Alexa app. Pauses music when at least one earphone is taken out of ear and resumes when at least on is put back in. Alexa voice control can be voice activated using the "Alexa" wakeup phrase; is only available when the mobile device has an Alexa app download and is WiFi or cellular data connected to the Internet. Supports Google Assistant or Siri digital voice assistants when used with Bluetooth connected devices that have those features. Amazon Alexa app shows earphone battery level. Has quick charge feature: 15 min of charging will provide up to 2 hrs. of playtime. Works with all Bluetooth audio devices, but some features (Alexa voice control, changing the touch control options - monitor sound level, tonal balance equalizer adjustment, and Ear Tip Fit Test) are not available unless used with a mobile device with operating systems Android 6.0 or iOS 12 or later with the Amazon Alexa app installed. The Echo Buds (2nd Gen) comes with 4 pairs of ear pieces in various sizes, two pairs of earbowl supports (wing tips) in various sizes, USB-C charging cable, charging cradle/recharger battery/carrying case, Quick Start Guide and is covered by a 12-month parts/12-month labor warranty.