The Sony SRS-NB10 is like a collar that you wear around our next. (Image credit: Nandagopal Rajan/Indian Express) However good an earphone or headphone is, after a point our ears do get tired of them. But the way we are working, and unwinding, these days, we might have something on our ears, connected or otherwise, for hours on end. Sony might have a solution to this problem: its new SRS-NB10 wireless neckband speaker.
Sony SRS-NB10
The Sony SRS-NB10 is like a collar that you wear around our next. It’s a band, but thicker and wider than neckband earphones that have been in vogue for a few years now. But this is actually a Bluetooth speaker and that explains the size. So the two sides that come around our neck to the sides of our cheeks hold the left and right speakers. This means the audio is actually next to your ears and not in your ears as we are used to.
There is a power and mute button on the right side and volume controls on the right flanking a pause/play button. The band is not that heavy and this ensures it does not become a pain on the next, literally.
The music plays around your head and you even get a decent stereo effect. (Image credit: Anuj Bhatia/Indian Express) How do you use this?
Well, the set-up is like any wireless earphone. The music plays around your head and you even get a decent stereo effect. I used these on long calls for work and even the weekly calls to my parents. On calls, I got the sense that the volume tends to be a bit lower when the NB10 is playing music. This is good as calls need more privacy and you don’t need everyone at home hearing everything. Remember, this is like putting your call on speakerphone.
Yes, even when you are playing music others can hear it. At full volume, my son who was in another room could make out I was playing Closer, one of his favourite numbers, and came to sit along with me to listen in. He could even speak to his grandma during some of the calls back home. So do keep this in mind while taking important calls on the NB10.
But if you are in your room alone then this is a great way to stay connected on your rather long Zoom calls for work, from either the laptop or your phone. And for a week or so this is what I did and those on the other side never complained about not being able to hear me nor did I have any trouble hearing them.
In fact, this has an advantage when compared to earphones on Zoom or Google Meet calls. You don’t hear a lot of stuff you really don’t want to hear, like someone on the call munching on lunch without muting. You hear the voices clearly and this is about it, you don’t really get to listen in on the online classes of colleagues’ kids during office meetings.
I found another use for the SRS-NB10. Having recently purchased a large screen television for home, I am always worried about waking up my son or even the neighbours during a late-night binge-watching session. But with the NB10 connected to the TV, you can enjoy Netflix shows is a great deal of audio clarity and surround sound but with people in the other room hardly realising.
With the NB10 connected to the TV, you can enjoy Netflix shows is a great deal of audio clarity and surround sound but with people in the other room hardly realising. (Image credit: Nandagopal Rajan/Indian Express) Is this good for music too?
Well, you can listen to music using the NB10. But somehow that will not be a good reason for me to buy this, unless I have some issue that prevents me from using headphones. Something on the ear to listen to music is a feeling I am used to since childhood and it will be hard to adjust to having music emanating from my ears. That does not mean the audio quality is bad or anything, it just feels a bit unnatural for me. On the other hand, this is a more natural experience when listening to podcasts for instance.
The battery lasts about 20 hours on a full charge, or let’s say two full working days if you are connected all the time. There is a quick charge here to juice back up in about 10 minutes to complete the last hour of that important zoom call.
Should you buy the Sony SRS-NB10?
Yes, if you are constantly on calls and what to get rid of that constant pain on your ears. But remember this is a new experience and it does take some getting used to, especially with the aspect of privacy. But this is something you can get used to, especially for your working hours. At Rs 13,990, the Sony SRS-NB10 is a good accessory to have for work from home. Just consider the music as an add-on.
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