Amazon Echo Buds Review
Fraser Fleming
The Echo buds are a new Bluetooth in ear buds that have been released by Amazon. The Echo buds connect to your smart phone and allow you to wirelessly listen to audio from your smart phone through them. They also have the additional benefit of being able to access the Alexa Digital Assistant by simply saying “ALEXA”. Then giving it a vocal command just like you would with one of Amazons ECHO devices. You can also pair them to other Bluetooth enabled devices by pairing them the usual way you do for that device. The ECHO BUDS cost £119 from Amazon
When you first get your new BUDS delivered through your door by the friendly but very busy Amazon Delivery Driver. You unwrap them then and smell that new device smell. The first thing you will want to do to is to pair them to your smart phone, this is done by using the ALEXA app and selecting add new device then selecting ECHO BUDS. Once this is done the ALEXA app will guide you step by step through the process. If you would like to pair them to another device such as computer or stereo you simply hold down the button located on the back of the charging case, then select ECHO BUDS from the Bluetooth menu. To use the ALEXA function, you need to have them connected to a device that has the ALEXA app installed.
Now its time to use the BUDS. I use the ECHO BUDS on my iPhone xsMax and find them just like most other Bluetooth headphones. They will connect automatically to the phone when I put them in my ears. I can access the Siri Digital Assistant by holding one finger on the ECHO BUD for a few seconds and I can use Siri to access most of the stuff on my phone from making calls to sending texts to getting directions. There is also not a great deal of lag when using them with voiceover on and I have found them to be one of the better headphones for this. If I want to access anything on my amazon account using ALEXA I simply say “Alexa, read me my book.” And they will start playing my audio book from Audible. I find this useful as it lets you access the two different digital assistants through one device. Now with all headphones the sound quality is important, and the ECHO BUDS have a decent sound quality. They are nowhere near as good as Apple Air Pods but still decent. The sound seams to change depending on the volume of the music you listen too. At quiet to medium volume it is quite crisp and you can clearly hear the high frequencies however the low and mid seam to clash and depending on the type of music can be a little distorted. When you start to listen to them at higher volume then the low and mid frequency step up a gear and can clearly be heard and the high frequencies blend in nicely with the lower.
The ECHO BUDS also come with two different listening experiences. The first is called pass through and this uses the mics that are on the headphones to allow outside noise to pass through and lets you hear what is going on around you. This is great if you are using them when you are out and about as you can hear the traffic or your friend chatting to you when you are listening to your favourite funky tune. The other is Active Noise Reduction. This is provided by BOSE who make high end Speakers and Headphones with noise reduction technology built in. To have this feature on a set of ECHO BUDS at this price is fantastic value for money and kudos to Amazon for adding this to the ECHO BUDS. The active noise reduction basically removes external noise and allows you to clearly listen to the audio that you are playing. This is great if you are on a noisy bus or train and don’t want to be listening to the person sat next to you conversation on there phone about that annoying person at their work. The ECHO BUDS come with Different size gummy tips to allow you to choose the best fit. You can quickly skip between the two listening mods by double tapping the side of the ECHO BUDS and it will announce what mode you have on.
I have been using my ECHO BUDS since they first came out. I use mine a lot for listening to Audio Books when my wife is watching TV and find that the Active Noise Reduction works a treat here. I have tried using the pass through mode when out traveling but I found it to still be a bit disorientating as their seams to be a slight delay in when a noise is made and when it is heard. I still think that for outdoor use the Aftershookz Treks’ Titanium are the best. I can enjoy listening to music through them however I have spoiled my ears with the Apple Air Pods which have a far greater sound quality but are more expensive. I love the fact that you can use them as a mobile ECHO device and have used them to turn on my lights when outside in the garden. I don’t like that it must use the ALEXA app to access Amazons services and would like them to access Wi-Fi so you can simply pick them up and use them through out your house. I also dislike the sound quality and how the sound alters depending on what you are listening to and the volume in which you listen to it. All in all I feel that they are worth the money you pay for them and you probably wont find a set of headphones with the range of functions and Noise Reduction built in for this price so this kind of makes up or the sound which is by no way terrible just not as good as I am used to. I would recommend these for people who are invested in the Amazon Eco System and have no higher end headphones. They would also make a fantastic gift. I will give the Amazon ECHO BUDS 3 out of 5 Top Tech Ticks.
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