HiFiMAN TWS 600 review: the best pair of truly wireless earbuds out there?
Chinese audio manufacturer HiFiMAN may not be very popular in the Indian market, but its latest offering is worth your attention. The TWS 600 earbuds are great for audio calling and music playing.
Until now, you may not have heard of HiFiMAN Electronics - a Chinese designer and manufacturer of audio products. Not many people on Indian streets are seen carrying their products.
But, HiFiMAN’s latest pair of “truly wireless earbuds” (TWS 600) gives you reason to not ignore it anymore. Even though the pair is priced at a steep Rs 12,999, its unique design and sound quality will appeal to real audiophiles.
The HiFiMAN TWS 600 comes with a great Bluetooth range, a strong battery life, and a crystal-clear listening experience. Even though it is a product placed at the higher end of the market, it will make competition sit up and take notice.
Let’s take a closer look at it.
Design: Flawed, will take some getting used to
The TWS 600 earbuds are fairly odd-looking. They come in a metallic, egg-shaped case. The earbuds do not feel premium. Instead, they appear plastic. There is also a small sectional cutout for the LED lights. We are not really sure what purpose the LEDs serve.
The in-ear fit, however, is super secure and it never feels that the buds will fall out. It takes some time getting used to the TWS 600, mostly because the product isn’t as sleek as Apple’s AirPods or Samsung’s Galaxy Buds.
But, HiFiMAN comes in 10 pairs of silicone eartips, across shapes and sizes. So, you will eventually find a perfect fit for your ears.
The on-ear controls are a bit of a problem. The button is absolutely tiny and very hard to press. Whenever you press it, the earpiece seems to go deeper into your ear, and that’s not something you would want.
You also need to use multiple fingers to press the button properly. Most competition offer capacitive touch controls on the buttons that work a lot better. HiFiMAN could take a leaf out of that.
A single tap on the earpiece can pause or start a song. A double tap on the left earpiece lowers the volume, while a double tapping on the right increases it. Three taps on the left earpiece lets you move to the next track, and three on the right takes you back to the previous one. You can also hold the right earpiece down to give a voice command to perform these actions.
The egg-shaped case isn’t designed well either. It’s clunky and hard to open. There’s an LED indicator on the inside, and a USB-C port for charging.
Once you can get past all the design flaws, the sound department will pose on some pleasant surprises.
Audio quality: One of the best for music and calls
The TWS 600 provides one of the best calling experiences for any wireless earphones in the market. And, we aren’t saying this lightly. There is no loss of audio, and the sound is crisp and clear on both sides.
Listening to music on the TWS 600 is a great experience. The voices and the background instruments are distinctive. The sound is rich and vibrant. There is a good emphasis on all octaves across folk, jazz, and rock music.
However, the product lacks in the bass department, which is a tad bit disappointing for an earphone at this price. You don’t get the boosted bass one is accustomed to in a lot of modern earphones and headphones. The TWS 600 lacks the ‘oomph’ factor here.
Another minor issue was the soundstage (which allows you to hear the location of instruments in a music piece). It felt narrow and not well spread out. Maybe with the next software update, the sound will loosen up a bit.
Battery life: Way ahead of competition
HiFiMAN claims about 5.5 hours of battery life per charge and an extra 33 hours with the charging case on the TWS 600.
These numbers are way better than most competition. During our testing period, we had to charge the earbuds just once, and that’s saying a lot.
We had them on for a 10-hour YouTube playback, and the battery went pretty strong. On a higher volume-level though, you get a little less out of the battery.
But, the TWS 600 still ranks high on the earphone radar compared to other devices in the market.
Verdict: Design aside, this among the best earbuds
At a retail price of Rs 12,999, the HiFiMAN TWS 600 sets itself apart from the competition in this segment.
If you can ignore the flaws in product design, these are some of the best earphones in business, especially for those who love bumping to pop or classical tunes.
There are other products such as Klipsch T5 True Wireless, RHA TrueConnect, Jabra Elite 65t, Samsung Galaxy Buds, and 1More’s Stylish True that compete in the same market segment.
However, if you get comfortable with the TWS 600’s design, you may not want to switch! Not unless noise cancellation is your biggest requirement. Then, get the Sony WF-100XM3 earphones.
(Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect those of YourStory.)
(Edited by Evelyn Ratnakumar)
