Headphones — Yamaha TW-E3C

Yamaha's TW-E3C true wireless earbuds add clear voice calling, a gaming mode and an ambient sound mode to the Listening Care feature of the company's entry models. The compact housing has a specially designed indentation on the side that Yamaha says keeps the earbuds secure, and touch sensors handle operation.

Key specs that matter

A 6.0 mm dynamic driver sits in either earbud with a stated frequency response of 20 Hz to 20 kHz, and each earbud weighs 6.0 g. Bluetooth 5.2 carries the A2DP, AVRCP, HFP and HSP profiles, and codec support covers SBC, AAC and Qualcomm aptX Adaptive. Total battery life is up to 24 hours, made up of roughly 9 hours per earbud charge and another 15 hours supplied by the case over three refills. Talk time is up to 5 hours, a 10 minute charge gives about 1 hour of playback, and both earbuds and case take about 2 hours to charge. The rating against water and sweat is IPX5.

Engineering and use context

Two microphones on each earbud work with Qualcomm cVc (Clear Voice Capture) to pick up the user's voice and isolate it from the surroundings on calls, and calls can be taken with either earbud or both. Qualcomm TrueWireless Mirroring with role swapping is used to keep the Bluetooth link stable and save power. Multipoint pairing keeps a smartphone and a PC connected simultaneously, and an incoming call on either can be answered without switching. A gaming mode cuts lag between video and sound during games or films, and ambient sound lets outside noise through while music plays. Listening Care adjusts the equalization at low volume to keep the full frequency range audible. Active noise cancelling, in-ear detection and Listening Optimizer are absent. The Headphone Control app offers five EQ presets plus manual EQ adjustment, and lets the user reassign the touch controls. Siri or Google Assistant can be started from the touch sensor.

Pairing

AAC suits Apple phones and tablets, while aptX Adaptive requires a source with Qualcomm support, common among Android phones. The package holds XS, S, M and L eartips together with a 30 cm USB power lead running from a type A plug to a type C plug. The TW-E3C is sold in several colour options.

Alternatives

Yamaha also offers the TW-ES5A, true wireless sports earbuds rated IPX7 with ambient sound and up to 34 hours of total playback.