Headphones — Yamaha TW-E3B

Yamaha launched the TW-E3B true wireless earbuds as the company's smallest earbuds at the time. Yamaha states that the housing is 25 percent smaller than before and ergonomically shaped, with a non-slip coating to improve hold. The US list price is USD 99.95, the lowest among the TW-E7B, TW-E5B, TW-ES5A and TW-E3B group in the maker's comparison.

Key specs that matter

Inside each earbud sits a 6.0 mm dynamic driver, and the quoted frequency response is 20 Hz to 20 kHz. A single earpiece weighs 0.18 oz, about 5 g. Wireless transmission runs on Bluetooth 5.0, supporting profiles A2DP, AVRCP, HFP and HSP plus SBC, AAC and Qualcomm aptX codecs, over a maximum range of 10 m without interference. Battery life reaches up to 24 hours in total - about 6 hours from fully charged earbuds plus 18 hours more when the case refills them three times. Charging takes about 2 hours. Yamaha rates the earbuds IPX5, so sweat and rain do not harm them during exercise.

Engineering and use context

Yamaha includes its Listening Care function, which adjusts equalization so that the full range remains audible at lower listening volumes, the maker's stated aim being to protect hearing. The TW-E3B has no active noise cancelling, ambient sound mode, gaming mode or wireless charging. Built-in controls handle play, pause, track skip and volume, as well as calls. A button press activates Siri or Google Assistant, and a microphone supports hands-free phone calls. The charging case has easy-read battery indicators. Unlike the TW-E5B, TW-E7B and TW-ES5A in the same comparison, the TW-E3B has no Qualcomm cVc voice capture. The TW-E3B comes in several colour choices. The Yamaha Headphones Controller app gives access to key settings and checks for firmware updates. Four eartip sizes (XS to L) are packed along with the charging case and a 30 cm USB cable with type A to type C plugs.

Pairing

Support for SBC and AAC covers most phones, tablets and computers, while aptX becomes available with sources that implement Qualcomm's codec, typically many Android phones. The HFP and HSP profiles provide calling from a paired phone, and AVRCP passes remote control commands back to the source.

Alternatives

Yamaha also lists the TW-E5B true wireless earbuds, with 7 mm drivers, an IPX5 rating and up to 30 hours of total playback.