Japanese true-wireless headphones claim to be 'premium' …
Inspired by the sports model from Bose, I became interested in other solutions similar in implementation and was very happy with the opportunity to test completely wireless headphones from Onkyo, which I had already heard about from reviews on the Runet.
Did my expectations come true? I'll try to tell you in this article. Forward.
Onkyo W800BT Specifications
- Form Factor: Wireless Headphones
- Type: dynamic
- Closed acoustic design
- Dimensions: 26 x 28 x 28mm
- Weight: 15g
- Frequency range: 6 Hz to 22 kHz
- Resistance: 16 ohm
- Sensitivity: 107 dB / mW
- Driver size: 8.6mm
- Protocol: Bluetooth 4.1, HSP, A2DP, FHSS, SBC codec
- Digital noise and echo reduction
- Signal range: 10 m
- Battery: Li-Ion, 55 mAh
- Average cost: from 28,500 to 30,000 rubles
- Working hours:
– in music playback mode – 3 hours
– in standby mode – 40 hours
Equipment
The meeting 'on clothes' left a more favorable impression of the W800BT than of the H500BT that I had before. A box made of relatively thicker cardboard opens in two directions, you just have to pull on the conveniently located fabric inserts. On the left 'page' individual characteristics are listed, behind the transparent right 'page' there is a niche in which there is a plastic casing with all the elements of interest to us. The headphones are conveniently recessed into the corresponding grooves in the package: I took it out, put it in my ears in the same position – it's beautiful.
Contents of delivery:
• the headphones themselves
• case (aka charging station)
• ear caps of different sizes
• warranty card, user manual (in pictures), certificate of customs compliance
Appearance
The design of the W800BT is minimalistic and austere: black plastic, textured metal inserts, a red ring on the right earpiece. This brevity is diluted by the name of the brand, applied to both earphones, to someone it will seem superfluous, my attitude towards him is absolutely neutral. The temples for attaching in the ear are somewhat knocked out of the round lines, but here the ergonomics already come into force.
The headphone housing is perceived as rather large in size, but it does not cause discomfort, except if you wear headphones under a hat (I do not recommend it). The W800BT sticks out slightly from the ear, giving anyone a good look at them.
Autonomy
For its class of devices and price segment, the autonomy of this solution from Onkyo is slightly below average. Of course, the case helps by providing up to 5 full charging cycles for the headphones, which gives an additional 15 hours of listening time and up to 40 hours of standby time, but a full charge from scratch takes about an hour and a half. Not suitable for long listening, but it will do for scenarios like 'drove to work, put the headphones in a case, drove home after work'.
Ergonomics
Thanks to the already mentioned temples, the earbuds sit in the ear securely, do not fly out or slip. The case has a built-in USB charging cable, convenient, no need to worry if you took the USB cable for the portable battery. The cover itself is easy to carry in size and is made of durable plastic, rubberized from below, which prevents sliding on the surface on which it stands. Perhaps this is where the positive aspects in terms of ergonomics end.
The way to connect headphones to the docking station is to install the latter on thin rails, after which the charging process begins. Every time I was worried, as if with an awkward movement not to break these guides, they are very fragile in appearance. I would be glad to be wrong, but not a very pleasant experience.
Control keys. There is only one button on each of the headphones, which is responsible for turning on / off and for receiving (left) and ending a call (right earphone). Works flawlessly. As for the calls, the interlocutors did not note any shortcomings, it was heard well and clearly. But for me it is still not very convenient to hear the interlocutor in only one ear, I do not want to get used to it.
But where are the playback controls? A rhetorical question, apparently, Onkyo was striving for a cool and stylish appearance so much that they decided to sacrifice convenience for beauty and question the need for a completely wireless implementation. I will come back to this point.
Sound
You can't find fault with the sound quality. The headphones sound clean and voluminous, in my opinion, practically without embellishing the sound 'picture'. The frequency range in general allows you to hear both bass and 'high', but I did not hear a pronounced accent at specific frequencies. Harmonious and clear, honest sound, quite in the style of Onkyo. Passive noise cancellation is sufficient for the street, in noisy environments (construction work, public transport, etc.) it will be more difficult to use this solution. Has listened to a variety of genres, both streamed via Spotify and directly from the device via Onkyo's own HF Player app.
I will only note the rather frequent 'dumps' of the left earpiece, I could not understand the reason, most of the time I was sitting still, the phone was lying nearby and did not move, but, nevertheless, for a second, the right earpiece was disconnected and reconnected, this happened repeatedly . Well, the sound delay in games has not gone anywhere and during video playback, alas, all the 'true wireless' headphones I tested are 'sick' with this.
Positioning
Here I had a lot of questions, which, unfortunately, for the most part remained unanswered. So, we have before us completely wireless headphones for almost 30,000 rubles, with a stylish design, a comfortable case, good sound, slightly lame autonomy and ergonomics that sometimes cause questions.
Case charge indication
Who are these headphones for? Athletes will appreciate the light weight (7.5g each), but will be discouraged by the inability to even adjust the sound without having to reach for the phone. Why create 'true wireless' headphones that further tie the user to the smartphone?
Audiophiles (and just demanding users) will be upset not to see in the list of HiRes support features, AptX / AptX HD codecs, and will most likely look at other models in the same price range or cheaper. Why not include support for popular codecs and file formats in the model?
Regular users will undoubtedly like the design and freedom from wires, but the price will scare off, and not everyone is familiar with the brand. The probability of a positive decision is not so great.
Conclusion
After thinking it over, I came to the conclusion that the W800BT is a purely fashion model with a laconic and austere design, cool and clean sound, a useful accessory in the form of a cover, it is not a shame to present it to your boss, business partner, good friend or colleague. Of course, these are just my thoughts, it is quite possible that someone will think differently.
If you look at the Onkyo W800BT as a fashion solution, then everything seems to fall into place and seems logical and reasonable. But if you look from the position of a pragmatic user or even a geek, then a bunch of questions and incomprehensible moments immediately pop up, which, most likely, will not be resolved in favor of Japanese headphones. Yes, they sound great, but on one sound in such a price segment it will be very difficult to 'leave'. Moreover, more and more competitors from large manufacturers and new players appear on the market.
Despite all my quibbles, which, of course, cannot be ignored, I would recommend such headphones for purchase. As I often say, only if there is a suitable scenario, the need to please yourself or someone with a beautiful and high-quality accessory in terms of design and sound. Again, the Onkyo W800BT has a lot of competitors, although not all of them are “playing” in the premium audio segment, but they still offer slightly more advanced features and more versatile use cases.