Superior sound quality from not so comfortable earbuds.
I spend a lot of time listening to music through headphones. It helps me to concentrate when I’m working — especially on design work. My favorite style of headphones are actually on-ear or over-the-ear headphones, but they aren’t always the easiest to use when I’m at work. I have a hard time hearing what’s going on around me and even if I’m trying to isolate myself from lots of outside noise, I have to still be aware of what’s going on around me. So, for that reason, in-ear headphones tend to work better for me. I like to try out lots of different styles of in-ear headphones because of the shape of my ears. The only in-ear headphones that have really ‘fit’ my ears well have been the Apple AirPods. Since they are a bit non-traditional style-wise, sometimes it’s hard for other earbuds to fit me the same way. That’s why I always like to try new earbuds when they are released. This set — the Helm Audio True Wireless headphones — have proven themselves to provide high-quality audio but need a better fit for me.
DETAILS
Helm Audio strives to provide an unparalleled listening experience for its customers. They believe that “nothing should come between you and your music.” The True Wireless Headphones are designed to provide commanding bass, captivating miss, and crystal clear highs through its proprietary high-powered rare polymer and alloy enhanced drivers. They feature an ergonomic design that should provide a comfortable, secure fit. According to their website, they are ideal for “travel days, heavy workouts, or the latest dance craze”. The earpieces have oblique angles that match the ear canal so that they rest perfectly in your ear while in use.
SPECS
- Rain, sweat, and mud resistant – IPX4 rating
- 15-hour extended battery life with charging case
- 80-foot Bluetooth range (Bluetooth 4.1)
- Built-in mic and smart button for making phone calls and activating voice assistants
- Frequency response: 20Hz-20kHz
- Sensitivity: 88 +/- 3dB
- Resistance: 16 ohms
- Playtime: 3-3.5 hours
- Charging time: 1.5 hours
USER EXPERIENCE
When I first encountered the Helm Audio True Wireless headphones, they were in a small black box with “Helm Audio” stamped on the outside in white. I appreciate the minimalist design but think that the headphones would benefit from having a more visual retail package. When you open the box, you will find the headphones stored inside their charging case with the accessories housed below the case. The headphones come with a Micro USB charging cable as well as different sizes of ear gels.
When I started testing the earbuds out, I slipped them into my ears and paired them to my phone. I found that I had to pair one earbud to the phone and then pair the other earbud to the primary one. I am not really a fan of having to use this process to pair wireless earbuds in this fashion. I did notice that once they were paired, I didn’t experience any issues with disconnection. Another function that I discovered as I used the headphones was that they didn’t automatically pause a track when I pulled one earbud out. That’s a feature that I’ve come to appreciate with the AirPods and when a True Wireless earbud doesn’t have that function, I miss it horribly. I was actually surprised that these headphones didn’t have that feature, but I also saw it as a little bit of a positive discovery because it meant I could take one earbud out while still using the other. I don’t do that often but it’s a nice option for when you need it.
One issue I tend to have with earbuds is that the sound quality ends up being subpar because they don’t fit me well. I will always note this issue is ultimately due to how a particular earbud fits in my ears, but with the Helm Audio True Wireless headphones I was pleasantly surprised to find that not only was I able to place the earbuds correctly into my ear canal, but the sound quality was far superior to any other earbuds that I’ve used in recent days. Even though the sound quality was rich and pure no matter what I was listening to, I did find that the earbuds would both slide out of my ears the longer I wore them and cause extreme pain where the ear wing was resting. I really like the style of the earbuds, but after I removed them from my ears and discovered the pain caused by the ear wing, I couldn’t use them again.
CONCLUSION
The Helm Audio True Wireless Headphones have a lot of nice features but just won’t work for me. I was really excited the sound quality I was getting from them but when I removed them and found out how much they were irritating my ear, I quickly decided that they weren’t for me. If standard earbuds work for you, then these may be a nice fit for you. The preinstalled ear wings just didn’t sit well in my outer ear and because of that, I didn’t have a ‘good’ listening experience. But because everyone’s ears are shaped differently, I believe that some others might really enjoy these headphones because of the high-quality sound they produce.
For more information, visit helmaudio.com
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