FAJI Wireless Sports Earbuds
Opening
You can put earbuds in to several groupings. Among them are expensive and inexpensive, wired and Bluetooth and individual and connected.
You can find wired earbuds for just a couple of bucks and individual Bluetooth earbuds can go into the hundreds of dollars. In this video we’re going to take a look at a Bluetooth earbud set where the earbuds are wired together but are connected to your device via Bluetooth. And at under $10 you won’t be afraid to take them along on some of your more strenuous activities.
Earbud Review
The FAJI earbud set is a pretty simple device. A wire links its two earbuds together and it has a small plastic case enclosing a circuit board and battery near one end. Which is pretty typical of this style earbud.
This control nodule provides a micro USB port for battery charging and a multi function button and a pair of volume control buttons. You turn the earbuds on by pressing and holding the multifunction button until some small LED lights illuminate. Reverse the process to turn the earbuds off.
As with all Bluetooth devices, the earbuds need to be paired with the primary device. In most cases, that will be your smartphone or tablet. Now if you are like me you likely have several devices paired to you phone already.
To get the earbuds paired, you need to turn them on and then go to the Bluetooth settings of your phone. Look for the Bluetooth earbuds on the list or select the scan button on your phone to initiate a search for in-range Bluetooth signals. The signal from this set will be labeled “Bluetooth Music.”
Once identified, highlight the earbuds and initiate pairing. Depending on how many of your paired Bluetooth devices are on and in range, you may have to select the earbuds each time. If no other paired devices are identified, your earbuds will connect automatically after being paired the first time. If your phone requires a Bluetooth password, use 0000.
Earbud Operation
The multi-function button controls the interactions with your phone. The instructions describe the specifics, but in general pressing the MFB will allow you to answer and reject calls, redial the last number and fast forward through music. Obviously, the volume buttons vary the volume in the earbuds.
The product page says these earbuds make use of cVc or clear voice capture noise cancelling. This type of noise cancelling is designed to make your voice more clear to the person you are calling. It is not designed to reduce ambient sound to your ear.
Your primary way to reduce ambient noise with any inexpensive set of earbuds is to use the right size silicon ear tips to ensure a snug fit in your ear. My sense is you don’t want to reduce ambient sound too much as traffic and other sounds are important safety cues if you’re out and about.
What’s in the box
The kit includes a warranty card, instructions the earbuds, a charging cable and two additional sizes of ear tips. The extra ear tips assist in getting a snug fit that not only helps keep the earbuds in place but also helps reduce ambient noise.
Earbud Test Results
I found I was able to get a comfortable fit with these earbuds. Their water resistance rating was enough for sweat, and raindrops when fitted in your ear. The removable ear tips allow you to select the size that best fits your ear and the removable soft silicon ear hooks allow a firm fit for when you’re running or engaging in some other active event.
I ran the earbuds continuously with a streaming music service and got about four hours and 5 minutes before the low battery warning voice sounded. I have a pair of even less expensive earbuds similar to these where a similar test produced 2 hours and 25 minutes of continuous use.
Throughout the test period, the earbuds proved quite comfortable.
Sound quality in the earbuds is good. I was able to enjoy the music with an expectation that these aren’t studio headphones for a dedicated audiophile.
Call quality was typical of Bluetooth devices. Voice quality was clear and understandable but obviously from a mobile phone. One of the things I liked about the programming in these earbuds is that you can use either the earbuds controls to answer or end calls or the phone’s controls. That way you really don’t have to remember the multifunction button presses to control the phone.
On balance, I’m pretty pleases with this little Bluetooth earbud set. They’re lightweight, unobtrusive, sound good and are comfortable. For $10 US they’re definitely worth it.
Note: the earbud kit was provided by the vendor for this review.
