Regardless of my expertise with devices, reviewing equipment, particularly audio merchandise, isn’t that simple. You actually don’t know what to anticipate till you have got used a product totally.
So when England-based startup Xertz backed by homegrown agency Shree Samiri Applied sciences despatched its good audio sun shades for evaluate, I truthfully had no expectations. The Xertz Carbon XZ01 are primarily “good sun shades” with a pair of hidden audio system which beam music on to your ears. Though it was the Bose Frames that actually popularised the idea of audio sun shades, it’s good to see different corporations increasing the class of hearables by introducing extra reasonably priced merchandise.
The query is will you purchase a wi-fi pair of linked sun shades from Xertz, or do you select a pair of sun shades and earbuds individually?
Listed here are the principle takeaways from my one week with the Xertz Carbon XZ01.
Xertz Carbon XZ01 value in India: Rs 9,999
Xertz Carbon XZ01: How they feel and look
Xertz has achieved an incredible job with the design of the Carbon XZ01. They feel and look identical to a premium pair of sun shades. The glasses are available angular fashion and are unisex. Sure, the arms are a bit thicker and wider close to the ears, however I by no means felt insecure sporting them. In reality, after a couple of minutes into the Carbon XZ01, I didn’t even discover they had been some form of high-tech good sun shades. Temples are manufactured from PC materials whereas the body is made utilizing acetate materials. Lenses are UVA/UVB resistant, not polarised. Not solely do they appear fairly cool, however additionally they have an IP67 score for splash and water resistance.
The Carbon XZ01 are comfy to put on for prolonged intervals of time. (Picture credit score: Anuj Bhatia/Indian Categorical)
The Carbon XZ01 are comfy to put on for prolonged intervals of time, they usually simply fold up like an everyday pair of sun shades. They arrive in a complicated carrying case that protects the sun shades from put on and tear.
So far as customization is worried, Xertz is promoting its audio sun shades in two kinds: the Carbon and the Elite fashion. Each provide the identical expertise and options, whereas the design is totally different. The Elite fashion comes with an anti-blue mild lens. Notably, the Carbon XZ01 will also be bought in an anti-blue mild lens. Sadly, for the time being Xertz doesn’t provide an choice to go for prescription lenses, one thing I personally would need to strive myself. However the firm informed me that lenses are replaceable, and customers can get them changed from any optician retailer.
Xertz Carbon XZ01: Controls and connectivity
As I mentioned, the Carbon XZ01 are designed to appear to be a pair of sun shades. The arms are thick and durable for a cause — they home the batteries on each side. For charging, they use a customized magnetic pogo-pin. The battery is rated at 5 hours at max however I obtained roughly 4 hours. The battery life is simply okay, fortunately you possibly can cost the earbuds fairly shortly.
Turning on the Carbon XZ01 is simple. You’ll discover a small gold button on the best and left temple that permits you to flip/off and pair the sun shades, skip or pause songs, management the quantity, take a name, or activate a digital assistant.
You’ll discover a small gold button on the best and left temple that permits you to flip/off and pair the sun shades, skip or pause songs, take a name, or activate a digital assistant. (Picture credit score: Anuj Bhatia/Indian Categorical)
The microphone was good and labored nicely throughout calls. On condition that these good audio sun shades don’t minimize you off from the world, I might hear the opposite facet nicely in noisy environments. They use commonplace Bluetooth audio, and had good connectivity with each the Google Pixel 4a and iPhone 12.
What I actually didn’t like about these linked sun shades is the shortage of built-in companion app assist. With out app assist, there’s no method I can management the EQ of the headphones in addition to native settings.
Xertz Carbon XZ01: How they sound
The Carbon XZ01 good sun shades, in contrast to a regular pair of earbuds, allow you to hearken to music in addition to invoke a voice assistant whereas your ears stay open to the world round you. Confused? Alright. The thought is to incorporate high-quality stereo audio system within the sun shades that truly don’t go inside your ears. As an alternative, the glasses embody two audio system set into the frames which can be centered on the wearer’s ears. So you’ll hear the music straight into your ears by means of speaker grills. It’s mainly invisible audio and that’s why I agreed to evaluate these linked sun shades within the first place.
However does that open ear expertise work? The reply is Sure and No. Let me clarify.
In my testing, these good audio glasses sounded high-quality. Sound high quality is after all subjective, and what style of music you actually get pleasure from pre-determine your possibility about headphones. Whether or not it was classical, pop, or podcasts, every little thing sounded balanced on this one. I might say they work finest with nation music or listening to previous Bollywood music. Nevertheless, most customers could be upset with these audio sun shades, particularly if they’ve used AirPods earlier than. In addition they lack bass and at increased quantity, the audio leaks. So you must follow mid-age quantity more often than not.
The open-ear design does have its flaws. For example, the design guidelines out any sort of noise cancellation and you’ll hear close by conversations when listening to music on the Carbon XZ01. What it does efficiently creates a private audio area and it is a good design idea.
In addition they lack bass and at increased quantity, the audio leaks. So you must follow mid-age quantity more often than not. (Picture credit score: Anuj Bhatia/Indian Categorical)
Xertz Carbon XZ01: Must you purchase them?
Truthfully, the idea of audio sun shades are nonetheless within the early phases. Whereas I recognize this open ear audio design, the glasses will not be sensible for on a regular basis use but. Folks prefer to put on sun shades when they’re out within the solar for a quick time frame. They most definitely attend a couple of calls or hearken to a quick music session whereas driving or jogging. I believe the rationale behind having built-in audio capabilities is sensible however the audio high quality will go away most customers wanting. However the extra I take into consideration these audio sun shades, the extra I get enthusiastic about the way forward for hearables.
