Buying the right earbuds is a deeply personal experience, like buying the perfect pair of underwear; it has to fit and feel good, all while speaking of the wearer’s personality. Invest in the wrong pair and it looks, feels and sounds just oh-so-wrong.
Now earbuds, too, have branched out in terms of various sensitivites, builds, lifestyle choices and design elements. That said, when Blaupunkt’s BTW01 True Wireless HD Sound earbuds arrived at my doorstep, I wasn’t sure what to expect... but leave it to the Germans to engineer something special at a pocket-friendly price tag of ₹7,999 (₹4,999 on Amazon India).
The unboxing experience is simple, without too much paper waste, which is such a conscientious win. The only accessories are the switchable ear-cups for comfort and a short micro-USB cable. I haven’t touched that or removed the twist-ties seeing as a single household would definitely have those lying around already.
The ABS (Acrylonitrile butadiene styrene) plastic build material is a practical choice for its low weight and scratch-resistant durability, perfect for people like myself who have a haphazardly-filled handbag. Each earbud weighs 5.5 grams with a 6-millimetre speaker, but that won’t affect sound quality.
- Inline Remote: Yes
- Connectivity: Bluetooth
- Magnet Type: Neodymium
- Headphone Driver Units: 6
- Voice Assistants: Siri, Google Assistant
- Battery: Each earbud with 75mAh battery lasting 6 hours
- Charging dock: 590mAh, 24hrs extra talktime
Little powerhouses
Each earbud is equipped with a 75mAh battery lasting up to six hours, which is superior for something this affordable. I’ve used the BTW01s everyday for a month now and setting them back in the charging dock has kept them up and running. But here’s the real whipper-snapper: not once, have I found the need to recharge the 590mAh charging dock. The auto-off timer is a saviour, too for the moments you get too comfortable and forget you’re wearing them at all... yes, I did that on a couple of occasions.
Audio on the BTW01s is a rainbow ride, purely because there is no compromise on sound. BTW01’s pairing is wickedly intuitive, compared to some other brand names and models which often bring up ‘pairing unsuccessful’ or ‘out of range’ error messages which do mar the whole she-bang. The noise-cancellation isn’t dizzying either — a thoughtful move on Blaupunkt’s part — allowing for only the slightest environmental noise, which means yoga and meditation sessions are a breeze. No resonance in these earbuds, thanks to the slightly-angled acoustic tunnels. Adjusting volume by the increments is simple, with the touch-pads on the enclosed backs of the earbuds. The bass isn’t overtly punchy or thick, and the treble doesn’t sound scratchy.
Audiophiles, don’t expect these earbuds to come with a companion app though, so that knocks out the prospect of customising sound profiles or adjusting presets. Taking and making calls on the BTW01s is uncomplicated, but the volume jump between, say, watching a YouTube video to taking call is a little jarring, so be prepared to start lowering the volume as a call comes in or switch to your handset.
The BTW01s’ purpose goes beyond casual listening; Blaupunkt’s made a good break into the Indian market when overpriced and under-performing earbuds are overhyped... they are proof that you don’t need to break the bank to make a set of high-performance earbuds.
