INTRODUCTION

   Even though i always prefer wired over wireless connectivity for all the known quality and security reasons i simply can't deny that the latter is far more convenient than the former and especially significant when you're on the road. This is one of the reasons as to why i really enjoy testing wireless headsets of all types and sizes and even though audio quality, signal strength and battery life many times remind me of the fact that i happen to prefer wired models there's simply no other way than to go with the flow of things (even if it's just for convenience). Silicon Power may not be among the brand names to come up when talking about TWS (true wireless stereo) earphones but they've recently entered that market with their Blast Plug line and the first addition in it called the BP81 has been accompanying me mostly whenever I’m not at home or at the office for almost 3 weeks now.

   Founded in 2003 by a group of enthusiastic data storage industry experts, Silicon Power is committed to delivering outstanding product and service quality. Headquartered and with our own state-of-the-art production site in Taipei, we have become a leading manufacturer of flash memory cards, USB flash drives, portable hard drives, solid state drives, DRAM modules and industrial-grade products. As an international player with four branch offices around the globe, we continuously strive to offer the perfect data storage solution for all requirements of modern digitalized life. With a strong focus on combining innovative technology and award-winning design, we live up to our brand promise to reliably preserve and protect your most valuable data. Because memory is personal.

   The Blast Plug BP81 by Silicon Power is currently available in two colors (black/brown and white/gray) and consists by two wireless earphones/earbuds and a cylinder-shaped sliding magnetic charging/storage base. The wireless earbuds feature Bluetooth v5.0 connectivity (10 meters range/2 simultaneously connected devices/up to 8 paired devices in total) complete with all the necessary profiles (A2DP/AVRCP/HFP/HSP), IPX5 certification (can resist low-pressure water jets from all directions for up to 3 minutes), exterior controls and tiny lithium-ion rechargeable battery packs (around 55mAh each) which provide them with up to 4 hours of talk time and 3 hours of music playback (unfortunately Silicon Power doesn't reveal the size of the drivers used, still they do reveal that they have an sensitivity of 102dB with 16Ohm impedance). As for the cylinder-shaped charging/storage case it comes with a build-in 580mAh lithium-ion battery pack which can be used to recharge both earbuds for a total of 5 times thus adding up to 15 hours of music playback (20 hours of talk time).

SPECIFICATIONS AND FEATURES

PACKAGING AND CONTENTS

The Blast Plug BP81 arrived inside a small box the front of which features a clear-plastic cover from where you can see both earbuds and the charging/storage case.

On both sides of the box Silicon Power promotes the battery life of the BP81.

The product specifications are printed at the rear of the box right over contact information for Silicon Power.

Along with the two wireless earbuds and the charging/storage case you'll also receive two pairs of silicone ear tips, USB charging cable and the user manual.

THE BLAST PLUG BP81

Along with the already fitted silicone ear tips Silicon Power packs a total of 3 pairs (small/medium/large).

The BP81 earbuds weight just 7.9g each, are medium sized and are made out of plastic (as with most TWS models the right earbud is the master one).

To have a better idea about their size we placed the BP81 next to the X11 by Trelab, the E1026BT-I by 1MORE and the Q29 by SoundPEATS.

Each earbud has two buttons at the front (the one with the round marking at the center can be used to play/pause/answer/end and turn the earbud on/off while the other button on the right earbud can be used to increase volume and jump on the next track and on the left earbud to decrease volume and go to the previous track) and an activity LED right in between.

Left and right markings are placed on the interior between the two metal battery contacts.

As we've mentioned earlier, we don't know what size drivers Silicon Power has equipped the BP81 but they should be 5-6mm ones.

The cylinder-shaped charging/storage case stands 106.8mm tall with a diameter of 31.2mm and weighs just 52.7g.

At the top of the case we find 4 charging LEDs, charging state button and the micro USB charging port.

To access the interior, you just need to pull the top upwards as seen above.

Silicon Power has also placed left and right markings on the interior to make it easier for you to place the earbuds.

CONCLUSION

   After using the Blast Plug BP81 for almost 3 weeks i really feel that Silicon Power started off well in this particular segment of the market. Audio quality is surprisingly clear for the size (and cost as you will see later on) of the Blast Plug BP81 and that also includes a good amount of bass. Now of course comparing the BP81 to the likes of the 65t by Jabra or the E1026BT-I by 1MORE would be just a tad much but with that out of the way they do sound better compared to their more immediate competition like for example the X11 or the Q29. Battery life may not be their strongest selling point but we did manage to surpass 2 and 1/2 hours of continuous music playback and honestly this is a number that will in all likelihood cover most consumers. The IPX5 certification is also valid and so even while walking in heavy rain with the hood down they didn't even flinch while listening to all along the watchtower and back in black. Still not all is perfect and so on one hand the microphones used are not as clear on the other end as we’d like and on the other the build quality of the enclosure used for the earbuds feels way too "basic/plain" and may not please some potential buyers.

   At the end of the day the how much is what makes or breaks any product and with a current price tag set at around USD39/39Euros the Blast Plug BP81 represents good value for your money. Yes, you do need to make some compromises (enclosure quality/feeling – lack of support for HD audio codecs – good but far from great battery life) but if these are not of any concern to you then we strongly recommend checking the Blast Plug BP81 by Silicon Power out.

PROS

- Good Audio Quality / Amount of Bass
- Signal Strength
- IPX5 Certified
- Bluetooth V5.0
- Bundled Charging Case (Up To 15 Hours of Music Playback)
- Available In Black & White

CONS

- Microphone Audio Quality
- Enclosure Material
- Lacks Support for HD Audio Codecs