Page 3 - Subjective Audio Analysis, Usage
As with all the audio products we review here at APH Networks, it takes quite a bit of experience and training of the ears before we can begin making a fair judgment. Even for the best of audiophiles, it can be hard to produce an exact and accurate evaluation of a product, without a thoroughly familiar product to use as simultaneous reference. While I will not claim to be the reviewer of all reviewers for audio devices, I can say quite a few other computer review sites have editors lacking in training for reviewing anything audio related. Give them anything and all you will get is some vague description of “decent bass, average midrange, awesome treble, clean sound, 10/10”. Do not get me wrong though; there are knowledgeable audio reviewers out there on respected online media outlets, but they are far and few.
As with the EMTEC Stay Earbuds Wireless, I put it through a series of subjective tests, and came up with the most objective rating as possible (As ironic as it sounds). The tests were conducted over Bluetooth 4.0 on my computer, running Windows 10 Pro. I also used these earbuds with Bluetooth 4.0 on an HTC One X+ running Android 4.1.1 Jelly Bean, with all audio equalizers disabled, as well as with Bluetooth 3.0 on a Google Nexus 7 (2012) running Android 5.1.1 Lollipop. Since this is a digital transmission, the source itself does not affect sound quality, and so their results have been combined together. However, transmission quality may vary with devices, depending on the version of Bluetooth and the device.
After sufficient break-in time, we put the EMTEC Stay Earbuds Wireless to the test. All tracks are FLAC, or LAME encoded MP3s at 192 kbps or higher. Before I begin though, I should remind you Bluetooth for a headset of this size is actually quite difficult to engineer, as there not only needs to be room for the audio drivers, but also for the wireless components, some sort of power source (In this case, an internal battery), as well as a digital to analog converter. Putting it all together in a compact size and weight, while keeping costs as low as possible, mean choices will have to be made. In addition, due to the nature of Bluetooth, there will be some loss in quality in comparison to wired headsets. This is not specific to the device itself, but rather a limitation of wireless transmission of audio.
As always, starting at the bottom the EMTEC Stay Earbuds Wireless provided some good bass, considering its size and physical limitations. The bass was deep, but it could use a bit more rounding out. In some ways it lacked the natural aspects of a round and plushy characteristic. Bass drums came through with a surprising depth and push, but again they were not as rounded out as I would have liked. The lowest of the bass range seemed to be a tad reduced too. However, the mid-to-upper bass range did not exhibit these drawbacks as much, as instruments like the bass guitar or even tubas sounded natural. I am happy to say the bass did not sound amplified in any way, but it provided a good foundation for the higher two frequency ranges.
As for the midrange, the EMTEC Stay Earbuds Wireless produced some good sounds here too. Midrange regions were ever so slightly boosted, and this is understandable considering these headphones are used for both music and phone calls. Voices sounded moist, and did not sound like the person was dehydrated. Wooden instruments like pianos and guitars felt mostly natural, but lacked full resonance, making the output sound lukewarm at best.
Finally with the treble, the higher frequencies were decent. For the most part, this frequency range was moist. There is a noticeable drop off near the higher end of the treble, which is disappointing, but unsurprising. Treble was still relatively sharp for what was audible. Higher instruments like violins, and high hat clashes from drum kits were generally tight and natural, but they sounded recessed. Otherwise, the characteristics of the treble were as I would want, with my only wish to reduce the attenuation.
All together, the balance of the three ranges was there, with a wide enough bass, and a supporting midrange for the treble. I still I would have preferred a reduction in the middle of the frequencies for a more acoustically pleasant output. However, the imbalance was not hard on the ears, and is passable considering the dual nature of devices like this.
As physical limitations are concerned, the EMTEC Stay Earbuds Wireless were capable in producing a wide enough image. Again, the musical balancing issues made the output feel more artificial. Soundstaging is going to be difficult for earbuds like these, but the Stay Earbuds Wireless were not bad. Do not get me wrong, it is lacking here in comparison to other headsets we have tried, and we definitely have seen better performance from in ear monitors. I would rate the EMTEC Stay Earbuds Wireless at 2.3D, with the fact it has some depth and good direction, but it just is not deep enough.
Together, all three layers produced a mostly detailed sound. All of the ranges were clean and transparent, but a slight hiss could be heard throughout. This is something I have noticed in past Bluetooth devices reviewed here, and is probably another limitation of Bluetooth. Otherwise, each of the ranges were separated and defined, but almost to a point where they were too separated. Noticeable dips between the frequencies made the EMTEC Stay Earbuds Wireless a tad disappointing. The sound still felt cohesive in general, like it was coming from a single set of earbuds. I still wish there was a better transition between the three ranges.
Overall for sound I would wish for better balance between the three frequencies, and to flatten out the drop off observed in the higher treble frequencies. Soundstaging capabilities can also be improved upon, but the left-right imaging was actually pretty good. Transitions between ranges can be flattened out for a more natural output. Normally with results like this, I would not be too impressed. However, when you remember this is a pair of Bluetooth earbuds, the EMTEC Stay Earbud Wireless was not so shabby. EMTEC was able to get respectable sound output in such a small package, while keeping the experience wireless.
Using the EMTEC Stay Earbuds Wireless was pretty easy for the most part. Setting up the device is similar between all kinds of operating systems, whether desktop or mobile. It would be nice if we could see some near field communication, or NFC, syncing, which makes pairing faster. However, all of the devices I tested were quick enough to connect to the Stay. Afterwards, pairing will not be necessary, unless you swap devices often, as the EMTEC Stay Earbuds Wireless will re-pair with the last configured device. As aforementioned, EMTEC states this headset lasts up to five hours for calling. In my own tests, I was able to get around six to seven hours of music listening before needing a recharge. This was pretty good for Bluetooth earbuds, especially with the compact size of the headset. I would still like to see a longer battery life, but I know it will compromise on the weight.
Using the buttons and dials was also a generally good experience. Everything worked as usual, with the few exceptions being a limitation of Google Play Music, rather than the headset itself. For some reason, I could never get the Play/Pause feature to work with any of my Bluetooth devices, but Previous and Next work just fine. In addition, this works fine in desktop music players like Spotify and Windows Media Player. One thing I should say is improved from all my past reviewed Bluetooth speakers is the volume control. In the past, if you ever turn the volume to its maximum or minimum, the headset emits a loud beep. This shocks users because they do not realize they have hit the limit of the volume. However with the EMTEC Stay Earbuds Wireless, the volume just stays at the minimum or maximum, which is not a bad solution. Even though it does not notify the users explicitly, it at least does not break the music or beep loudly.
I can easily say the EMTEC Stay Earbuds Wireless exhibit the least Bluetooth related problems I have seen in the past. Problems of random disconnections and stuttering during audio streaming were relatively low. Lag however is still present, and accentuated when playing games that rely on audio. I put on my DDR-equivalent game called Cytus, which is a rhythm based game, and played a few songs. The difference between what I heard and what I tapped was still obvious. I cannot dock the Stay Earbuds Wireless for this, as this stems from Bluetooth limitations and not solely the device. Overall range between the headset and the audio device should be around 20m, but it will vary with the environment.
Page Index
1. Introduction, Packaging, Specifications
2. Physical Look - Hardware
3. Subjective Audio Analysis, Usage
4. Conclusion
