Missing more than that. Amazon throw on his headphones True Wireless, the Echo Buds. With them, the web giant is also continuing to implement its personal assistant Alexa in our daily lives. Thus, the Echo Buds allow them to summon it at any time, which makes them unique. Can we trust Amazon, rather than Sony, JBL, Jabra, Bose or other major mobile audio brands to set our releases to music? 20 Minutes tested these headphones sold 119 euros.
The Alexa ecosystem is getting stronger
In fact, the Echo Buds are nothing new. A first generation of these True Wireless headphones in in-ear format was launched in the United States in 2021. So here we are facing a “V2”. Available in black or white, Amazon headphones do not necessarily shine with the originality of their design. Supplied in a classic storage/charging case, they assert themselves with a certain opulence and roundness of great classicism. Pairing them in Bluetooth 5.0 means going through the Alexa app and adding them as the first or new product in your “Echo” system of Amazon devices.
Touch and voice commands
Through the application, it is possible to test the different tips supplied with the headphones (four sizes offered), to modify the assignment of the touch controls, to take advantage of a fairly minimalist equalizer (bass, medium, treble), or start noise reduction or switch to Surround Mode. These last two functions can also be activated by a long press on the touch surface of the headphones. Alternative (this is the opportunity to try!): ask Alexa to take care of it. And it works pretty well! “Alexa, turn on noise reduction!” »
Anyone accustomed to cohabitation with Amazon’s assistant will find a real optimization of the functions of their favorite roommate through the Echo Buds. With it, playing music, creating a reminder, accessing your calendar (Android or iOS), controlling connected objects, making calls with other people equipped with an Echo device are child’s play. Without forgetting the eternal questions that we can ask her… and to which she does not always have the answer. Like: “Alexa, who will be the next President of the Republic?” “. Pronouncing “Alexa…” in the middle of the street seemed a little incongruous to us at first before, finally, becoming almost natural, with spontaneous interactions.
Minimum service for noise reduction
For its part, the listening offered by the Echo Buds is quite unique. Amazon headphones can be criticized for a predominance of highs and high mids. However, their reinforced presence does not obscure fairly solid bass. Overall, the sound is therefore clear, as airy, but structured and well structured. Fans of ringing and stumbling bass will however go their way.
On the other hand, the quality of the noise reduction remains very relative here. Thus, the Echo Buds just manage to muzzle some surrounding sounds. A minimum service, in a way… Naturally high-pitched, the noise of our fingers hammering the keyboard of our computer has not even been reduced… For its part, the Surrounding mode which allows us to remain aware of the sounds which surround us while the listening to music (practice in the middle of the street!) is quite effective. Be careful though: in windy weather, its effects are terrible. The noise of the wind being amplified, any attempt to listen becomes calamitous.
Sport and health attuned
Note that Amazon offers a “Workout” function with its Echo Buds. If you take care to enter your age and weight in the settings of the Alexa application, the headphones take care of counting steps, calories, average pace, distance traveled… with a rather disconcerting reliability compared to that of our Apple Watch activated in parallel: the results observed were similar. Being waterproof (IPX4 standard), the Echo Buds therefore seem quite suitable for sports use, but with an ultimately tight autonomy: 5 hours with noise reduction activated, 6 hours without.
Sold for 119 euros (with a wired charging box) and 139 euros (wired and induction), Amazon’s Echo Buds offer an honest service, but with some necessary improvements. A better tonal balance, but above all a noise reduction to be reworked remain debatable points. The assistant Alexa finds here a real raison d’être, a new opportunity for her parent to get even closer to us.