Talking of crucial listening, the XC1 work with Sony’s hi-res succesful LDAC Bluetooth codec, do you have to occur to personal a suitable Android telephone (sorry, iPhone customers). Utilizing LDAC can reveal extra element, particularly when listening to a supply of lossless audio, however for these earbuds, I don’t suppose the juice is well worth the squeeze. Utilizing LDAC disables your EQ settings and Bluetooth Multipoint, and the XC1 battle to take care of a gentle Bluetooth connection when LDAC is ready to its highest-quality setting.
Baseus additionally consists of two Dolby Audio modes (Music and Cinema), which are supposed to create a extra immersive, spatial expertise. For me, it’s the alternative. I discover they wash out the sound, with Cinema being downright muddy. At 60 p.c quantity, there was greater than sufficient energy for an enticing listening expertise indoors. Exterior, I wanted a bit extra oomph.
Past Music
{Photograph}: Simon Cohen
Calling on the Encourage XC1 is nice. Whether or not indoors or outdoor, your callers will discover it straightforward to grasp you, and nearly all background sounds are saved at bay. Nevertheless, as with most clip-style open-ear earbuds, your voice gained’t be crystal clear—some distortion does handle to creep in, significantly when exterior.
Baseus charges battery life on the XC1 at eight hours per cost, with 40 hours of whole use whenever you embrace the case’s battery, numbers which can be solely eclipsed by the OpenDots One’s 10/40 combo. Baseus assumes 50 p.c quantity and doesn’t embrace the usage of both Dolby Audio or LDAC. LDAC could be very energy hungry, typically decreasing battery life by as much as 30 p.c, which is another reason to keep away from it.
Open-ear earbuds aren’t for everybody, however with nice sound high quality, a cushty, clip-style design, and easy-to-use controls, the Baseus Encourage XC1 are a wonderful selection. They test plenty of bins for a worth that’s significantly lower than their nearest opponents, together with sturdy water and dirt resistance, non-compulsory LDAC mode, and Bluetooth Multipoint. The one factor that’s lacking is help for Auracast. Sadly, that function has but to see widespread adoption. When you’re after an inexpensive pair of open buds that compete with the perfect, these are among the many finest we have tried.
