INTRODUCTION

   If you enjoy listening to music while on the road or even while working out by using your smartphone chances are you've seen numerous "true" wireless earbuds recently some released by well-established manufacturers like Jabra and Onkyo and far more by many rather unknown ones. Now if you've been following our reviews then you should know that although we feel that wired headphones/earphones can't be surpassed by wireless models (at least not in terms of audio clarity/accuracy) at the same time we are well aware that the lack of cables is too important for some people and so we're always doing our best to test as many of these wireless earbuds as we can. The xS2 Wireless Earbuds by xFyro is among the latest models to hit the market and we just finished our 3 week testing.

   Our founders came together to serve a common need for all music lovers: offering a top quality audio product at reasonable prices - no gimmicks, no huge marketing budget, just great technology and sound. Our team of engineers and musicians serves one mission: combining cutting-edge audio technology with style and quality. We have offices in New York, Los Angeles and Hong Kong and our team is made up of engineers, designers, and musicians spread across North America and Asia!

   For the xS2 wireless earbuds xFyro has followed a slightly different path than what we've seen recently with similar models so instead of pairing them with a flip on carrying case for both protection and extra battery life these come with a cigar like aluminum charging case. Now this case may not provide the level of protection we've seen with other wireless earbuds but thanks to a full sized USB port it can also be used to recharge your smartphone (although with a capacity of just 850mAh it should only be used for emergencies). As for the wireless earbuds themselves we don't really know much other than that they feature Bluetooth v4.2 + EDR connectivity (HFP V1.6, HSP V1.2, A2DP V1.3, AVRCP V1.6, DI V1.3), have 45mAh lithium-ion batteries that give them up to 5 hours of playback time and that they are also IP67 certified (dust and water proof up to 1 meter) thus ideal for use while working out and even while at the beach (it's summer after all). The xS2 also feature built-in microphones with CVC 6.0 noise cancellation (improves call quality for the person on the other end).

SPECIFICATIONS AND FEATURES

PACKAGING AND CONTENTS

We received the xS2 inside a white box that has a large product picture at the front and of course the main product features and company logo.

Several product drawings are placed at the rear of the box right over the specifications table.

The product is placed inside a formed piece of black foam (and if i didn't know better I’d say that this was indeed a cigar case).

Along with the xS2 xFyro packs a USB to micro USB charging port, two sets of silicon ear tips (3 if we include the already mounted ones), user guide and a warranty information paper.

THE XS2

XFyro ships the xS2 with three pairs of silicon ear tips small, medium and large (the medium one is already mounted on the earbuds).

In terms of size the 70g heavy charging case with both earbuds mounted measures 105.5mm in length, 27.1mm in width and 22mm in height.

The start charging button (ON) and the full sized USB charging port (output) are both placed at the front of the case while at the rear we find the micro USB charging port (input).

A small charging LED is placed at the top of the brushed aluminum case.

Both earbuds also feature charging LEDs which turn on once you mount them on the case.

The black and gold color combination looks really nice and extends to the interior of both charging areas.

Although the earbuds are not what we'd call large they are not as good looking as some of the others we've seen recently.

Since we have numerous wireless earbuds in the lab right now in order to showcase their size and design we placed the xS2 next to the wireless earbuds by Sandberg, SoundPEATS, ERL, Jabra and TRELAB.

Left and right markings are present on the exterior of both earbuds while the center button on either earbud can be used to answer/end calls, play/pause music (single click) and jump onto the next track/song (double click).

The two metal charging plates also help attach the earbuds onto the case magnetically.

We don't really know the type of drivers used in the xS2 but they are 6mm ones.

CONCLUSION

   To most of you out there (including us) xFyro should be unknown so when they reached out to us and asked if we'd be interested in testing our their xS2 Wireless Earbuds we had no reason to say no. To our surprise the sample arrived just 2 weeks after that and we've been using the xS2 ever since (almost a month while on the go or working out - personally I’ve used them on the treadmill quite a lot). Now the good news is that quality is better than expected especially when it comes to the aluminum case which looks and feels far more elegant than any of the cases we've seen to date bundled with similar models (it's also available in red and blue). The earbuds are indeed IP67 certified (didn't submerge them into water but they are still fine even after numerous runs on the treadmill - sweat tends to destroy most earbuds) and fit really well in the ear but when it comes to design they don't come near to what we've seen recently (our size comparison picture clearly shows that). The same applies for audio quality and although the xS2 offer clear and accurate mids and highs with a sufficient amount of bass (volume level is also good with no distortion even at full) they still fall short to the Elite 65t by Jabra and the ERL ones. We did like the fact that the charging case can also be used to charge your portable devices but with a lithium-ion battery pack of just 850mAh it's a very limited feature (hopefully xFyro will improve on that). As for battery life since we like using all earbuds that get here at full volume (helps to check for distortion) we never did hit the advertised 5 hours but we did almost hit 4 which is not a bad number at all (plus the charging case did extend that to slightly over 16 hours).

   Price is what makes or breaks products like the xS2 wireless earbuds by xFyro and there’s really is no way we can ignore its current price tag of USD125 (Directly from xFyro) which honestly is just too much for what you're getting. Sure the IP67 certification is nice to have and can certainly come in handy (especially if you like working out while listening to music) and the aluminum charging case looks and feels quite luxurious but when the ERL earbuds produce better audio accuracy, are water resistant and cost almost 45% less we are very skeptical. Of course if you'd like a pair of wireless earbuds which you can even use while swimming (build quality is overall higher compared to that of the ERL) or if you'd like a pair that stands out (mainly due to their charging case) the xS2 are ideal. At the end of the day we certainly do recommend checking the xS2 Wireless Earbuds by xFyro out not only because of their features but also because they do stand out.

PROS

- Build Quality (Brushed Aluminum Charging Case)
- Good Audio Quality / Amount Of Bass (For The Size)
- Very Good Stability
- IPX67 Certified (Dust And Water Proof)
- Luxurious Charging Case (Up To 20-30 Extra Hours)
- Regular Size USB Charging Port
- Available In 3 Colors (Black / Red / Blue)

CONS

- General Availability
- Price (Compared To Similar Models)
- Charging Case (Limited Earbud Protection)