Hello!
My main Erato Apollo 7S headset, despite its outstanding sound quality, lacks one very useful feature for me – the ability to broadcast ambient sounds to my ear.
That is why I could not ignore the TWS headset Samsung IconX 2018 (SM-R140N), which I got not so long ago for use in the gym and for upcoming cycling trips (the heat is already close!), When it is very important to hear everything that is happening around.
And as an inveterate gadget lover and lover of portable sound, it was interesting for me to try this gadget on myself.
But I don't want to talk about the device itself and its characteristics. No, today I want to consider the nuances of use that a future owner may face, and whether it is worth paying attention to, and even how to take advantage of a feature that at first approximation looks like a serious flaw.
By the way, Eldar Murtazin did a detailed review of this headset at one time, I recommend:
Review of wireless sports headset Samsung Gear IconX 2018 (SM-R140)
So let's go.
One of the complaints about this headset from buyers who value club and dance music is, in their opinion, insufficiently saturated and powerful bass, which, despite the very clean and high-quality sound otherwise, can create a first negative impression.
Is it possible to fix this if you really want rich bass? Maybe. It's all about what tips you use and how tightly they fix the sound guide of the headphones in the ear canal.
In order for the bass to become rich and resilient, you need to choose the appropriate attachments. Looking ahead, I will say that it will not be possible to achieve an impressive result with complete attachments – they are too soft and thin.
What to do? You can use classic third-party attachments that can be purchased separately, and this will have an effect. However, the best way is to find foam tips. It is with foam tips that low frequencies become voluminous, powerful and energetic.
Buying the right size Comply foam tips is a great option. However, this refinement is not affordable for everyone – after all, the original Comply nozzles cost $ 19.99, and you still have to pay for shipping.
You can also limit yourself to 'Chinese' foam, which will be devoid of frills in the form of an additional membrane that plays the role of a sulfur filter, but will allow you to save a lot.
Personally, I use a slightly polished Chinese 'foam', the inner opening of which in the first half is enlarged so that it fits almost the entire length of the sound guide, which provides a confident and comfortable fit in the ear.
Thanks to this design, the sound has become richer, and the low frequencies – strong and energetic. But this is with regards to sound, namely low frequencies.
Considering that the headset is equipped with proximity sensors that turn on and off the sound when putting on and taking off the headset, an important parameter for the selection of attachments is the outer diameter – it should be such that it does not overlap the sensor, otherwise there will be false alarms.
A small nuance on management
With regard to the experience of controlling the headset, the touch surface turned out to be an extremely convenient thing, which, of course, takes some getting used to, but it happens quickly. And for a device in the ear, the absence of the need to press buttons on the usability has only a positive effect.
For myself, I realized that it is convenient to tap on the sensor with two fingers to avoid possible misses, that's all.
Now let's move on to the next nuance, which was actively discussed on the network and which many buyers were quick to write down as the disadvantages of this headset.
Lost sound
The bottom line is that after buying and starting to use the headset, customers complain about a decrease in the volume of one of the headphones, up to a complete loss of sound.
Let's take a look at why this is happening and how to deal with it.
Like most other headphones and headsets, the IconX 2018 has sulfur filters at the ends of the sound guides, which are designed to keep the earwax out and ruin the speakers.
However, someone at Samsung who was responsible for these very sulfur filters decided that they needed to be made in two layers and one of the layers should be made of a material very similar to cellulose.
No sooner said than done. If we look at this very filter, which, by the way, is quite easily removable, we will see that the same additional white layer is glued to the metal mesh.
And, it would seem, this is great – the manufacturer took care of additional protection, but it was this additional protection that caused the main problem with the sound.
The fact is that when wet or damp, this white layer loses sound permeability and becomes, in fact, a cork that does not let sound out of the earphone.
For this reason, for some users, the sound in one or both headphones has become quieter over time. Moreover, there is a direct relationship – the more actively the user sweats while using the headset, the faster the volume falls, which is absolutely logical – the more moisture the body emits, the faster the filter damp.
The solution to the problem suggests itself – replacing the filters. And it is better if, in the process of this replacement, you peel off the white layer from the metal mesh and put a simple cotton ball inside the sound guide instead. So that this 'tuning' does not affect the sound, the cotton ball must be made very loose and soft – in fact, airy and translucent.
It is unclear whether Samsung is aware of this problem, but if we consider that in new batches of Samsung they began to put as many as 12 replaceable filters and a special brush for cleaning these filters in the kit, then they know.
Then the question arises – why did you not change the filter design by replacing or removing the additional white layer? Perhaps this very layer contains an impregnation, which, on the one hand, protects against moisture, on the other hand, being a coagulant of this very moisture, eventually clogs the sound guide.
Almost a year ago, while looking closely at this headset on my favorite eBay, I paid attention to the found cheap lots, in the description of which it was stated that one earphone plays quieter or does not play at all.
As a person engaged in the repair of electronics and knowing firsthand how gadgets are arranged inside, I could not understand what this situation is connected with, because there were no objective reasons in favor of a marriage on the side of electronics.
Then I did not dare to order such an inexpensive lot, since I got an Apollo 7S and forgot about it for a while. And now, having decided to buy an IconX for certain tasks, before buying, I took care to check the information about this nuance and came across several reviews where the problem went away after replacing the filters.
Having decided to take a risk, I found an advertisement for the sale of such a 'practically new' headset for a pittance, just because the left earpiece is much quieter than the right one.
I made an appointment and bought at my own peril and risk. Arriving home, the first thing I did was to replace the filter with one of the spare ones that came with the kit, and the sound returned to normal. Renovation has never been easier.
Thus, this 'disadvantage' allowed me to save a significant amount of money and get the device for a penny – the headset is in a 'like new' condition and with a guarantee of 11 months cost me a ridiculous 2,500 rubles.
After the purchase, the headset was disinfected, and the ear pads were replaced with our own, so from the point of view of hygiene, I see no reason not to buy such devices from hands.
Conclusion
When creating new devices, each manufacturer has its own mistakes, which happen both due to design errors and due to insufficiently thorough testing of new models before launching them into mass production.
Sometimes this is a critical flaw, which has an extremely negative effect on the user experience and painfully hits the reputation of the manufacturer, remember at least Apple from their iPhone 4, which lost the network when 'wrong', in the opinion Steve Jobs, grip – one that turns out to be natural for the vast majority of users.
In another situation, a seemingly serious problem turns out to be a trifling nuisance, which is very easy to eliminate if you think with your head and try to experiment, and which you can use to your advantage and save a lot.
In the case of IconX 2018, all the experiments and tuning came down to the selection of foam tips of the right size and replacement of the sulfur filter, which, I think, everyone can do.
And also, in order not to 'farm' with cotton wool, you can simply order replacement filters on Aliexpress (filters with a diameter of 4 mm are suitable for IconX 2018).
Apparently, many Americans (and not only Americans, but also our compatriots) do not bother looking for a solution to the problem of loss of sound and simply sell these headsets for a pittance, which can be used to get an excellent headset with wide functionality and good sound quality.
My expectations from IconX 2018 were fully met, and for ridiculous money I got an excellent device that 100% fulfills the tasks assigned to it. At the same time, despite my passion for high-quality sound and high requirements for this very sound, today I am no longer ready to give up the convenience of using fully wireless headphones and return to wires.