Sound One X80 neckband bluetooth earphones review: Lightweight, good audio profile

These days you no longer need to spend more than Rs 2,000 to buy a good pair of wireless headphones and the credit for that should go to new brands entering the market with their products that offer impressive features at an affordable price. One such brand is the Sound One, which has been making audio products ranging from wired earphones and wireless earphones/headphones to compact speakers.

Sound One X80 Wireless Earphones review

As the smartphone manufacturers are getting rid of the 3.5mm headphone jack, it is now crucial to have Bluetooth-enabled earphones. The Sound One X80 wireless earphones come with a magnetic neckband design which was quite popular before the truly wireless earphones made their way into the affordable price range.

The neckband of the Sound One X80 is quite flexible and lightweight. I spend the whole day at my desk in the office wearing these and I never felt the urge to take them off my neck.

The left arm of the band sports the indicator light, Play/Pause button, Volume controllers, and the power button. There is also a microSD card slot present at the edge of the left arm that supports up to 64GB memory to play MP3 and WAV audio formats but I did not find the chance to use it. Frankly, the age of stored music seems to be over.

The other side of the same arm also carries a micro-USB charging port. While the design of the neckband is practical, the material used for the neckband and the wires connecting the earpiece gives it a slightly tacky look.

As someone who sweats a lot in the Delhi summer, I was relieved that the Sound One X80 comes with an IPX5 rating and is sweat proof. Also, it does not stick to the skin when it comes in contact with the sweat.

Magnets attach the two earbuds to make sure the wire connecting the earbuds to the neckband does not entangle with the shoulder strap of the backpack. However, the paint used on the earbuds has come off where the two earbuds magnetically attach. Also, the wires are a bit stiff and do not go around as you please. At times, the wires pull down the earbuds from the ear.

The earbuds on the Sound One X80 are quite simple and not really ergonomically shaped to offer comfort. During my usage I found myself adjusting the earbuds quite frequently. Coming to the calling, the in-built microphone does a commendable job at cancelling out the noise for a clear voice at the receiver’s end.

I liked the audio profile of the Sound One X80. The levels of bass are neither too low nor too high, giving it a balanced music listening experience. The volume levels are great and I never had trouble listening to podcasts on the go. Also, the audio output never sounds like noise no matter what kind of song or music you are listening to.

The Sound One X80 comes with Bluetooth 4.2 connectivity and I only had to pair it with my phone and laptop once. It gets connected to the paired devices automatically, but sometimes it keeps reconnecting to the paired device even when disconnected manually. The only way to stop it from doing so is to either unpair the device or turn off the headphones.

The battery on the Sound One X80 is impressive. The stand-by time is quite long and it keeps on running for a full day of podcast listening and music experience with frequent breaks in between. On a consistent run, it manages to deliver almost seven hours of battery backup on an average.

To sum it up, Sound One X80 offers nice sound, good battery backup, and a lightweight body. However, the device could have used ergonomic earbuds and a softer wire connecting the neckband to the earbuds. With a price point of Rs 1,810, Sound One X80 may not be the perfect Bluetooth headset but it is also not a bad choice.