Talking of crucial listening, the XC1 work with Sony’s hi-res succesful LDAC Bluetooth codec, do you have to occur to personal a appropriate Android cellphone (sorry, iPhone customers). Utilizing LDAC can reveal extra element, particularly when listening to a supply of lossless audio, however for these earbuds, I don’t suppose the juice is well worth the squeeze. Utilizing LDAC disables your EQ settings and Bluetooth Multipoint, and the XC1 wrestle to take care of a gentle Bluetooth connection when LDAC is about to its highest-quality setting.
Baseus additionally contains two Dolby Audio modes (Music and Cinema), which are supposed to create a extra immersive, spatial expertise. For me, it’s the other. I discover they wash out the sound, with Cinema being downright muddy. At 60 p.c quantity, there was greater than sufficient energy for an attractive listening expertise indoors. Exterior, I wanted a bit extra oomph.
Past Music
{Photograph}: Simon Cohen
Calling on the Encourage XC1 is nice. Whether or not indoors or outdoor, your callers will discover it simple to know you, and nearly all background sounds are saved at bay. Nonetheless, as with most clip-style open-ear earbuds, your voice received’t be crystal clear—some distortion does handle to creep in, notably when outdoors.
Baseus charges battery life on the XC1 at eight hours per cost, with 40 hours of whole use if you embody the case’s battery, numbers which are solely eclipsed by the OpenDots One’s 10/40 combo. Baseus assumes 50 p.c quantity and doesn’t embody the usage of both Dolby Audio or LDAC. LDAC may be very energy hungry, typically lowering battery life by as much as 30 p.c, which is another reason to keep away from it.
Open-ear earbuds aren’t for everybody, however with nice sound high quality, a snug, clip-style design, and easy-to-use controls, the Baseus Encourage XC1 are a wonderful alternative. They verify loads of packing containers for a worth that’s significantly lower than their nearest opponents, together with sturdy water and mud resistance, elective LDAC mode, and Bluetooth Multipoint. The one factor that’s lacking is assist for Auracast. Sadly, that characteristic has but to see widespread adoption. In the event you’re after an reasonably priced pair of open buds that compete with the very best, these are among the many greatest we have tried.
