Apple AirPods 2 Review

I have been fortunate to have my ears fit the earphones that come with iPods and iPhones. Actually, if the environment I am in is not that noisy, then, my default earphone of choice is actually the EarPods. I like the sound, I like the balance between the lows, highs and mids, and the fit in both my ears are perfect.

So, when the AirPods came out, I was greatly interested.

However, for one reason or another, I wasn’t able to get the first generation ones. But with a trip to the US, I made it a point to visit an Apple Store and get the second generation ones.

As to be expected, the AirPods fit my ears nicely, I love the sound, and I love the battery life. I love that my music, from the built-in music app, or from Spotify, and even videos from YouTube, automatically pauses when I pull out one, or both, of the buds. The buds are so comfortable in my ears that I barely notice that they are there - I don’t feel any pain nor any discomfort even if I wear the buds for an extended time. And with a battery life of up to five hours, the AirPods stay in my ears for a long time.

But, yes, the AirPods are not noise-isolating buds so, if the environment gets loud, like on the streets (where I don’t usually wear earphones nor headphones) or in cafes, the noise can leak into your ear and you would have to pump out the volume of the sound you are listening to. That is the only way to overcome outside noise.

But, all-in-all, the AirPods sound way better than the EarPods!

To pair the earphones to your iPhone, just open up the lid and, after some time, a display on your iPhone (or any Apple devices) appears and asks you to pair the earphones. It is that easy! If you are on an android phone, then you pair the AirPods the same way you pair any other pair of bluetooth headsets.

So, I am sold to the AirPods. I love them, and, now that I have them, I can’t live without them.

However, when I bought the AirPods from the Apple Store, the Apple employee actually gave me a case that charges solely via a lightning cable without me noticing. I would have wanted to get the one with the wireless case. So, when we came back home to the Philippines, I gave my not-so-old pair to the wife and I bought a pair with the wireless case.

The wife, also is comfortable with wearing EarPods so the AirPods fit her ear like a glove also! She was blown away by the AirPods and now she also considers it one of her most favorite accessory! For listening to music, for web calls and online meetings, she uses the AirPods solely now!. She loves the AirPods and she can’t live without it now also.

Just like me!

But what can I say about the wireless case? It is a love-hate relationship, to put it mildly…

I have an iPhone XS Max and I rarely charge it via the lightning port now. I use a wireless charger and I just leave it on the charger overnight. So, I was expecting the same kind of convenience when it comes to the AirPods with a wireless charging case. Well…

First of all, the light that tells you that the case is charging turns off after a few seconds. So, you really don’t know if your case is charging or not. I would have wished that Apple designed it so that the amber light is switched on the whole time while the case is charging! The only way for you to know if the case, and AirPods themselves, are fully charged is if you check on your iOS device or on any device the AirPods are paired with. (Unfortunately, I can’t check how it is done on an android device.)

Secondly, I feel that the induction coil in the AirPods case is so small that a slight misalignment from the coil in the charger can cause the charging process to stop. This happened to me a lot of times already - I thought that I have placed the case on my charger properly and, after some time, when I got back, the charger is blinking, signifying that the case was improperly placed. This also meant that, instead of charging the case, it actually had less charge than when I put it on the charger.

Oh, the blinking light can also mean that the metallic hinge of the case has interfered with the induction coil in the charger.

So, when you place you wireless charging case on your wireless charger, make sure that you observe the set up first before you leave. You don’t want to have a depleted case when you go out of the door. You can also use a lightning cable exclusively. This is a more reliable way of charging the case anyway.

So, if you want to save on some cash, just get the case that is charged via a lightning cable. It is more reliable and it charges the case faster. But, if you just want to plunk the case down on a wireless charger that you already have, like myself, then I suggest you get the one with the wireless charging case. Just make sure that the case is properly set first before you leave it for an extended time.

Overall, the wife and I are happy with our AirPods. If you are happy with the way the EarPods fit your ears, then you will be happy with the AirPods.

The Apple AirPods are Highly Recommended!

Get your AirPods accessories from Amazon here!!!

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Jaybird X2 Bluetooth Headset Review

The first time I owned a pair of bluetooth earphones, the device was big, battery life was nothing to shout about (I think it was 3 hours at best), and connection to my device kept disconnecting. My device back then was an iPod 5.5Gen, the first one that can play video, and the bluetooth earphone came with a dongle that you can plug into the stereo port of the iPod.

I think that was a 1.1 version of bluetooth...

But times have changed. So much miniaturization has happened and people can put more and more electronics into smaller and smaller devices.

The Jaybird X2 is the third pair of bluetooth earphones I have owned. (I still have to write about the second one...) This is an in-ear style that has great noise isolation and is designed for sporty activities. Though this wireless earphone will be primarily used for day-to-day listening and not when I'm in the gym, I decided to get this pair anyway for several reasons.

First, the original Jaybird, the Bluebuds X Sports, got really great reviews and people said that the X2 is a great improvement to the first one. Some even suggested that, since the X2 is now out, the original X Sports will be a great, great bargain!

Second, I like that this pair has great noise isolation. Again, I will not be using this for athletic activities, but the noise isolation is a great boon for those times when I want to mute the sounds of my surroundings.

I love the construction of this pair of wireless earphones. The wires are flat, so they will surely not tangle, the control buttons are on the small side but this isn't a big issue for me since I don't wear winter gloves anymore, and the earphones come fully-packed with everything you will need:

• the earphones
• silicone tips (small, medium and large)
• foam tips (small, medium and large; I haven't tried these yet though)
• earfins
• cord management clips
• charging cable (which is on the short end; as in it's just about 8 inches long)
• the silicone case (oh man! this is a great-looking case!)

Jaybird rate the battery life at 8 hours and I get more or less that long. The battery charges quickly and charging the unit for 2 and a half hours will get you back in the game. So to speak.

Jaybird says that you can pair the unit to up to 8 Bluetooth-enabled devices. However, changing from one bluetooth source to another can be a pain - the source doesn't change automatically, say, when you pause your music from your iPad then start playing music on your iPhone... You have to go to the "Settings menu" in your iPhone and select the X2 manually as the output.

Speaking of controls, you can use the in-line control buttons to answer and end calls, play/pause music, increase and decrease volume, and go to the previous or next track. You also use the Play/Pause button to switch the earphones on and off.

Listening to the X2 is a very comfortable experience. Once you have determined the size of the tips you will be using, plus attach the right-sized earfins, you can go on listening with the earphones for as long as the battery lasts and you won't feel any discomfort. And since X2 is built like a tank, you can take it to any activity that you like and expect that the earphones will be able to survive them.

I am not an audiophile and I don't aspire to be, but what I can say is that I love how this pair of earphone sounds. Base is deep, vocals are clearly heard, though the lows are on the, ahem, low side... This is not designed for listening to classical music.

And voice calls sound really, really good also!

People might say that wired earphones are still best, and I won't argue with that. But Bluetooth has come a long way and the X2 earphone has proven that great music can be heard over a wireless connection.

And as long as Nina Simone's Sinnerman sounds good, the earphone is good in my book.

The Jaybird X2 Wireless is Highly Recommended.

Photos shot with a Canon G-series Powershot.