14th September 2022 – Written by Nick Rowe @ Technuovo.com
Edifier is back with a new pair of earbuds, the W240TN (I wished they gave their products easier names) and they sent a pair over to us to take a look. With a retail price of £79.99 here in the UK, I’m classing these as mid-tier buds, there are cheaper, from Edifier and other brands, and then there are some that are double the price. With that in mind, let’s have a look.
It’s been a while since I last tried out some buds from Edifier but straight away, I get the feeling they have improved the packaging, and the unboxing experience feels more premium. There is a cardboard cover, then a hinged box that opens up and shows the case for the buds. Within the top section of the box, is a thin box housing a USB C cable for charging, some instructions and different-sized rubber tips, that you need to pop out like pills, which is a first for me.
The charging carry case is about average in size when I’m comparing to Airpods 3 or Marshall Motif cases I also have on my desk. It’s lightweight, it’s got a single linear indicator light to the front and will illuminate when the lid is open. To the rear is a single push button for pairing and the USB C port for charging. This case comes in a matte black finish, as do the buds but there is also a white option available too.
As for the buds themselves, the base and rubber tip are comparable to others but they have this extra section to the front, that includes a single push button and the Edifier logo. Glossy black base, satin grey outer section and overall, I think they look pretty good. Subtle, practical and not too in your face. The initial worry for me, is the shape and size of the bud, without any further support from any rubber wings or ergonomic casing, how secure and comfortable will these be? Will I be able to use these while exercising?
Spec & Features
- Dual dynamic drivers, 10mm and 6mm
- Bluetooth 5.3
- Active noise cancellation (a bonus at this price)
- Ambient mode
- Total playtime upto 25hours with multiple charges from the case. Up to 7hrs with ANC on from the buds when fully charged.
- Fast charge, 10 minutes equals 2 hours of playback. No wireless charging!
- IP55 dust and water resistant.
- Pair with the Edifier app to open up EQ options.
Set up was straightforward, just any other pair of buds and remember you can pair this with the official Edifier app too but more on that in a bit.
The first time using the buds, I instantly heard quality. Performance out the box is very good with ANC on. By chance, some classic Usher came on and it had that 90’s punchy bass, and RnB sound and my initial thought were, yeah these sound good.
Default EQ with ANC on, it is a slightly bass-heavy sound profile and it’s not overpowering in any way but would be better suited for rap, RnB or similar bass-heavy genres. Switching it up and putting on some new You Me At Six, I now feel the bass is too much, it’s muddying the guitars and vocals. Now, this is where the EQ and app come into play.
Default EQ is classic, which is what I had selected when listening to those couple of albums. However, there is another option, dynamic which actually solved the drop in performance while listening to You Me At Six. It’s made the music brighter, there is more clarity, and although there is still a nice amount of bass, there is an emphasis on vocals and the other instruments. There are just those two default EQ options but there is a customisation option too, where you can create your own. It’s a matter of moving sliders up and down on your app to adjust the EQ. The changes happen in real-time, so it’s easy to adjust on the fly and get the buds sounding how you want. Then you can save it and switch between EQs as and when. There is also a game mode if you want to do some mobile gaming with low latency.
The noise cancellation works well, although it’s hard to tell how much the active part offers. Due to a snug fit, there is ample passive noise cancellation. Switching between ANC on and off, I think there is a difference but I wouldn’t say it was obvious or a drastic improvement. However, the active and passive combined provide a good amount of cancellation for me. Typing was near on silent, I couldn’t hear the kids unless they were shouting and the sound of cars was dampened when walking along the road.
Remember earlier I mentioned support and comfort for the buds? Well, I’m pleasantly surprised and they appear to be a near on perfect, snug fit for my ears and I’d even go as far as saying they’re ok for fitness too. I used them for a spin class and yes, I did have to adjust and check they were in my ears a couple of times but overall, the support was good and far better than some other buds I’ve tried. I tried a class with my Airpods 3 before and they were constantly falling out, utterly terrible for fitness.
Controls work well, there are push buttons so you can find them easily and you know when you’ve pressed them or not. Controls are detailed in the instructions, there are various commands you can use. If you’re one of those that like to have just one bud in, you can do that, you can put one back in the case and have just one in your ear. However, this means the audio doesn’t automatically pause when you remove a bud, which I know some people do like. Battery life appears to be there or there about what Edifier are stating, which is fine for me. However I would have really liked to have had wireless charging, I’m so used to having that now, it annoys me that I have to plug these in.
Lastly, the microphone quality is good, I took a handful of calls using the buds and had no complaints, the people on the other end of the line could hear me loud and clear.
So there we have it, they were the Edifier W240TN and all things considered, I’m really impressed. At less than £80, they offer alot of value for money and the quality equals or exceeds that price tag. I also think in time, that price will come down, making them even more of a bargain.
For more info and to purchase, head over to the official Edifier website.
