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Rated 3 out of 5 stars
Functional Earbuds with modest sound quality
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This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
The Yamaha TW-E3A True Wireless Earbuds are yet another option in the ever-filling market for truly wireless earphones.
Pros:
- Very comfortable
- USB C connection with ultra fast charging!
- Fit is tight enough so earbuds do not fall out of ears but not so tight that it's uncomfortable (Didn't fall out a single time during a four mile run)
- Ability to pair up to three devices is very handy for having nearly instantaneous connections amongst various devices. I tested these on my home computer, work computer, and one of my iPhones.
- Sturdy and sleek case*
Cons:
- The sound is what I would describe as hollow. There is not a sufficient amount of bass; that being said, these are fantastic for voice audio (Podcasts, etc.)
- The case* lacks light(s) to let you know how fully charged the buds are; you have to either look in the app or connect them to a device to know. I've attached a picture to this review to show what I'm referring to - Yamaha on right, a different brand on right - both charging.
- The app leaves a lot to be desired. There are two basic functions in the app; I would have loved having more control of the sound quality (increasing/decreasing bass/treble, etc.)
The Verdict:
Comparing these to other earbuds I own, I would rank them pretty far down the list mainly due to the hollow sound quality. They are very comfortable and feel more secure in my ears than earbuds made by my phone's manufacturer. However, I don't think I'd trade the modestly more comfortable attribute for poorer sound quality.
I would recommend these earbuds for someone who is mostly looking for comfort over great sound.
This review is from Yamaha - TW-E3A True Wireless Earbuds - Black
I would recommend this to a friend
Rated 2 out of 5 stars
Good sound, everything else is meh.
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This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
So I have a few true wireless earbuds. I mainly use them for the gym and on occasion to do yardwork around the house. My current set is the Jabra elite 75t. I also had the 65t and the galaxy buds plus, also a few cheaper amazon ones as well. I didn't like the samsung nor the amazon ones because they were all touch control. In the gym, I'm constantly adjusting the earbuds and would touch the controls by mistake. It was driving me nuts. So I don't care for anything with touch controls. These have a push button control which is good, but not much else.
The pros, and there is only a few. The sound is good, not great. Most genres of music is nice and clear. The bass is adequate but not great. If you like it when bass drop on a song in an edm or hip hop, you wont find it here. Passive noise cancellation is good because it does go deep into the ear canal. Bluetooth connection is good. I can walk to most areas of the gym without losing connection. Battery life is advertised. Call quality is ok. Not as clear as my 75t or buds plus, but good. The earbuds are light considering the size. The case will fit in your jeans without too much bulk.
The cons. As i said earlier, the passive nose cancelling is good because it goes deep into your ears, that also is bad because it gets real uncomfortable real fast. They come with wings that you can attach to the earbuds for a firmer fit but when I put them on, first, I didn't notice that it was firmer or more comfortable. Also, if you put it on, it wont fit in the charging case. That means to charge you have to take the tip off and then the fins then put the tips back on to charge the earbuds. No way, that's too much hassle. The earbuds don't have auto pause when the buds are removed. In a real noisy area, which the gym usually is, you have to turn the volume to max. The push button control which I love on my earbuds works here, but, you have to press firmly which hurts your ears. Especially if you have to long press. Never an issue with the 75t. The volume also is not loud enough, but I think that's relative to the person listening. There is also an app. The app is absolutely useless. It doesn't do anything, nothing. I think it might just be meant for updates. Why do you have an app that does NOTHING? haha. I'm still wondering about this. The msrp on these are the same as the galaxy buds plus, but truly is half the earbuds. And my 75t runs circle around the yamaha's. Maybe at a much lower price point, it might be worth it. They do sound pretty decent.
This review is from Yamaha - TW-E3A True Wireless Earbuds - Black
No, I would not recommend this to a friend
Rated 3 out of 5 stars
They're ok
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This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
I have several different brands of truely wireless ear buds. I love them for working out and even when doing things around the house. But I seem to have issues with them. I have a hard time getting them to connect and use the controls. I have small ears and my ears usually start to hurt after wearing them for a little while. And one of my biggest pet peeves is not not enough bass.
Out if the box, these Yamaha TW-E3A ear buds seemed pretty intuitive. That's a big plus for me. I suppose if I was an every day wearer, I'd get used to using various pairs but I'm not. I managed to get these paired to my phone with little effort.
When I put the ear buds in my ears, I struggled with getting them to stay in my ears. I had to fiddle with the different size tips to get them to stay in. Even then, they felt like they were going to fall out while I was sitting still. They don't have the loop that goes around the outline of your ear that helps to hold them in. They do have a "shell" device which is supposed to help hold them in better but they didn't fit well in my ear. I don't think these ear buds would stay in while I worked out or while I did housework.
The sound was ok. It was similar to what I get when I listen to music or podcasts on my mobile devices. There isn't a way adjust the tone of them.
There is one function key that controls the volume and different functions, such as calls. I found operating the button to be cumbersome. It is flat and recessed into the body of the ear bud with a cover over it. I found that I had to hold the ear bud with two fingers of one had while I tried to depress the button with the other hand. When I tried to press it with just one hand, it mashed the ear buds into my ear.
Overall, these are ok to decent ear buds. But for the price, I expect better design and function. I have true wireless ear buds that cost $35 that have comparable sound to these Yamaha's. I also have a pair that cost about 1/3 again more money that are probably the best I've had, except for the size.
These aren't terrible ear buds. They just aren't what I would choose, especially at this price point.
This review is from Yamaha - TW-E3A True Wireless Earbuds - Black
No, I would not recommend this to a friend
Rated 3 out of 5 stars
Frustrating Pairing Process
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This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
I've been using these earbuds for the past three days, and I really wanted to love them. The carry case is small and very pocketable.The buds are just the right size and sit comfortable in my ears. They have an elegant subtle matte black design and finish but oh man, I have had a lot of trouble keeping these paired to my iPhone. I read through the manual about 5 times, googled and searched through a couple of online manuals but I can't figure out the easiest way to pair these and keep them connected. I've owned many sets of wireless headphones so I would like to assume that it isn't user error on my behalf. I have to turn them off and on, put them back into the case and take them out multiple times before my phone finally connects to them. It's been frustrating trying to use these. They show up as a R and a L bud in your bluetooth settings which is strange. I guess you can pair one at a time if you only want to use one? When I finally manage to get them to connect to my phone, they sound just alright. The silicon tips create a nice seal and keep outside noises from leaking in well, Bass, Mids and Highs are all very balanced, they almost sound flat to my ears. It's not a bad thing, they allow for a pleasant listening experience. After I put them away back into their case for the evening and try to use them the next day... for some wild reason I have to go through the same frustrating process of reconnecting them to my iPhone again. I don't know if I ended up with a defective set, or if its a software issue / pairing bug with iPhones specifically. But I have never had this much trouble keeping a set of headphones connected to any smartphone. Yamaha usually makes excellent products, so I'm a bit disappointed with these earbuds. Would I recommend these to a friend? No, not at all.Three stars for the decent sound quality but it isn't good enough to make me recommend these to anyone. If others are having the same connection issues I have experienced then I recommend you save your money and stay away from these.
Pros: Elegant yet subtle matte design
Flat / Balanced EQ
Comfortable in the ears
Great battery life
Cons: Very Frustrating to Pair and Keep Connected for daily use
This review is from Yamaha - TW-E3A True Wireless Earbuds - Black
No, I would not recommend this to a friend
Rated 4 out of 5 stars
Nice earbuds
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This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
Pairing was easy both will show up just select one of them. You can use either one. Controls are unique . Volume up is for right ear. Double tap. Volume down is left ear double tap. Single press is play on both. Hold button for left is back track and hold button on right is forward track . Audio is very good. The listening care does as it says you hear everything when volume is low. They are comfortable and people tell me that you barely notice them in my ear. Calls are clear sounds good, but they hear everything around you. So you better be in a quiet area otherwise any other noises will be heard on your end.
Charging is not reliable you have to make sure the LED lights are red and not blue when inside the case. magnetic lid and tips so they stay in place. The app is very basic. No EQ settings. The case is nice and small and its usb C
This review is from Yamaha - TW-E3A True Wireless Earbuds - Black
I would recommend this to a friend
Rated 3 out of 5 stars
Likely to be too large for most
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This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
coming from someone with large ears, this is bulky. the inside of my ear is too shallow for these, they kept falling out. When i put the smallest ear bud tips in, i was able to wedge that in tight enough to hold, but i didn't have confidence walking around. So if you've got small ears or even ears similar to what is attached, you'll want to look elsewhere.
fitment aside, if these do fit for you, you'll enjoy them.. Battery is typical and audio sounds really good. They do a fairly good job at cancelling noise and audio calls work out well.
i would recommend if you've got larger ears.
This review is from Yamaha - TW-E3A True Wireless Earbuds - Black
I would recommend this to a friend
Rated 4 out of 5 stars
Great sound...with some shortcomings
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This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
Yamaha is a name well known in the music arena and their first set of wireless earbuds (at least the first that I know of) deliver on the sound front. Though the sound is good, unfortunately Yamaha doesn’t give you a way to adjust it, as the app has no sound/eq modes. The biggest feature for me and the reason I can recommend them, even with shortcomings, is the fact you can use left without the right for calls and music. This feature is often overlooked and even buds costing much more sometimes don’t have it. They have Bluetooth 5.0 and charge via USB-C. The odd thing to me is when you’re charging the earbuds in the case, there’s no charge light that lets you know the status! If you charge the case without the earbuds in it, the light blinks while charging letting you know the status. This is a real head scratcher for me, and can’t figure out why they would do this! The biggest let down to me though is the app, there’s really nothing you can do in it. These earbuds deliver on the sound front and can be used independent of each other for calls (a huge feature for me), but it’s a crowded field!
This review is from Yamaha - TW-E3A True Wireless Earbuds - Black
I would recommend this to a friend
Rated 3 out of 5 stars
Good sound, bad buttons
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This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
I was excited to try out some ear buds from Yamaha but once I got them, the excitement faded. They just seem to protrude out of my ears more than leading brands. The sound is really good actually once you get the proper wings and ear tips installed. But then you run into ear fatigue and you want to just not use them. Also the buttons on each earbud is hard to press and it seems each button press pushed them further into your ear canal which become uncomfortable. I know these are Yamaha's entry level true wireless earbuds so I didn't expect to much. They may work well for you but they are not for me. The buttons, the pure size, and the fit turned me off of these. YMMV.
This review is from Yamaha - TW-E3A True Wireless Earbuds - Black
No, I would not recommend this to a friend
Rated 4 out of 5 stars
Slightly better than middle of the (crowded) road
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This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
When it comes to earbuds the market is more crowded than ever, with everyone offering what they bill as the best bang for the buck, the best sound quality, or any other number of things. This is both good and bad, plenty to choose from but plenty to be let down by, too.
The TW-E3A's offer what you'd expect from a name like Yamaha and at this particular price point. You get the standard items; multiple ear pieces to adjust sizing, a type-c charging cable (a welcome update), some rubberized covers that enclose the entire bud for a more snug fit and help with fit during activities, and of course the charging pod. That final piece of kit (the charging pod) is of nice quality, with a good action on the lid and solid click from the magnetized charging areas. My gripe here, though, is that the charging light/notification system is really lacking. Any earbugs I've used in the last year or two has a multiple light system that uses a bank of lights or multiple color system to notify you the status of the battery level and/or earbug battery level. From what I can tell, this isn't the case here. You have a single orange light. Maybe I'll see something else down the road, and while it isn't a huge deal, I figure I'll mention it all the same because it is something that's a little odd/different from what just about every single other option out there offers.
Pairing has been instant each time I've used them. The connection via BT 5.0 has been great, and the click features on each ear bud have been a welcome change up to some competitors who rely on a more sensitive touch to interact method for pause/play/volume so on and so forth. I prefer the click method as you can adjust the buds and not mistakenly cause an action to take place. Some of my other ear bugs use the touch system and more often than not while doing nothing more than adjusting the bud I end up pausing my music or changing the track, very annoying. So it's nice Yamaha went with the full-on click method here.
Sound quality is right inline with this price-point. Meaning; very balanced. They aren't bass heavy (thankfully) and the highs/mids aren't ear piecing, just a nice smooth soundscape. I listen to a lot of audiobooks while working and straight out of the box the sound profile a perfect for this medium.
It will take a messing around with the aforementioned sizes to really dial in the comfort and fit, but that's to be expected with any non-earclip style bud. If you don't take the time to do this these will slowly wiggle their way out of your ear even while doing an easy walk, much less a jog/run.
Recommended if you are into name brands or prefer some of the subtle differences Yamaha brings to the table over the (many) competitors. If you already have perfectly good working buds these aren't going to bring much to your life, but if you need a replacement they'll definitely fit the bill.
This review is from Yamaha - TW-E3A True Wireless Earbuds - Black
I would recommend this to a friend
Rated 4 out of 5 stars
Good sound but proper fit and seal are essential
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This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
As a long time user of many of Yamaha’s outstanding audio products spanning numerous decades, I had high expectations for these Yamaha buds. The buds ship in a small pill shaped charging case and include a USB-C charging cable, extra tips and an extra sleeve. They paired easily and quickly with my iPhone. Like most buds, they automatically enter pairing mode on first use. Initially, these buds sounded very disappointing out of the box. Sound was completely flat and hollow. The mids and highs were thin and tinny sounding and the bass was completely absent. I knew something had to be wrong because they sounded worse than a set of $20 no-name generic buds. I experimented with the differently sized sleeve and tips. Once I found the right combination of both, the difference in sound quality was night and day. The design of the buds and tips do a great job of keeping the buds well balanced and securely positioned in my ears. I can move freely about performing chores or working out without fear of the buds flying out or falling from my ears.
With the proper tips and sleeve installed, the mid and high end notes became clearer, louder and more crisp sounding. The previously absent bass suddenly emerged as quick, tight thumping bass notes. Although it still sounds somewhat subdued compared to my other buds, it sounds much better than the completely missing bass I initially encountered. Loudness reaches a decent volume but doesn’t get overly loud on my phone. It really depends on the playback device. The listening care feature actually works and music sounds fuller and more complete at lower volumes. It’s nice to hear all notes without being forced to crank the volume to max like some of my other buds or headphones require. The only missing notes at any volume are deep low frequency bass. In fairness, only my subwoofers and bass enhanced headphones can usually play those notes. Like most of my other devices, the notes are either missing altogether or represented by flat, warbly, distorted sounding notes on these buds. The bass generally sounds okay but likely won’t satisfy listeners who prefer deep resonating bass. It’s more of a tight punchy bass suitable for jazz, pop, rock and other less bass demanding genres. These buds can play hip hop, EDM and other bass heavy music but can’t handle the deeper notes.
The charging case is meh. It has a USB-C charging port and charging light indicator on the rear but feels cheaply made. The charging indicator lights for both the case and buds are pretty basic. Both have a small orange light that illuminates while charging and goes dark off once charging is complete. Like most true wireless cases, the buds attach magnetically and charge inside the case. Aside from the extra tips and sleeve, there aren’t any extras included with these buds. There doesn’t even appear to be any companion app(s) available. I searched high and low but couldn’t find one. There are no app names or links provided in the bundled literature and all of the scannable QR codes in the user guide lead to the user manual. I tried downloading the Yamaha remote app but it isn’t compatible with these buds. Lack of an app not only prevents reliably fine tuning the sound but also makes me concerned about how Yamaha plans to handle firmware updates and other maintenance. There are no active noise canceling nor ambient sound passthrough features on these buds. Stepping up to one or both features requires upgrading to the higher-end E5A or E7A models.
The Yamaha TW-E3A are a decent set of buds. I initially thought they sounded disappointing but proper fitting tips and a proper seal are absolutely essential for these buds to perform best. Sound quality is very nice but also light on bass. I’m a little disappointed Yamaha doesn’t offer a companion app to fine tune sound and handle maintenance. The buds fit and stay in my ears well. Battery life is okay but not spectacular and charging is quick although not very intuitive due to the way the indicator lights work.
This review is from Yamaha - TW-E3A True Wireless Earbuds - Black
I would recommend this to a friend
Rated 4 out of 5 stars
Good option among a crowded field
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This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
Overall construction of the Yamaha TW-E3 earbuds and case seem nice. The earbuds are a matte black hard plastic. They are very light weight and have swappable ear tips (sizes Super Small, Small, Medium, and Large) and swappable soft-touch sleeves (sizes Small and Medium) that sock over the inner part of the bud. The case is also matte black hard plastic with a hinged lid and magnetic latch with a USB-C charging port and single status LED.
Before going any further, I have to admit that these are my first experience with truly wireless earbuds. I have held out, long preferring something that is tethered in some manner; to me it just feels more secure for potentially costly hardware. With that said, with the correct eartips and sleeves installed (included in the box), the Yamaha’s fit well in my ear, feeling fairly secure yet comfortable, and provide a good seal in the ear canal. These could change my aversion to the truly wireless trend.
Once charged, the pairing process was quick and painless. Reconnects between charges has been fast and automatic. Sound quality has been good across many genres of music with crisp highs and acceptable bass, even at high volumes (not recommended...just say’n). Battery life has matched the advertised specification.
Control options for Play, Pause, Skip, Next, and Volume are pretty straightforward. That said, control is achieved not by touch but by depressing the face of the earbud to achieve a physical click. This may help to avoid unintended interactions, but the pressure required seems just a bit high, flirting with the point of actually being uncomfortable in my ear.
There are no EQ options and no noise-cancelation. This may or may not matter to you. And the Yamaha Headphones Controller app proved pretty useless for me: It only provided options to Enable/Disable the ‘Listening Care’ and ‘Auto Power-Off’ options. Updating the firmware would never work for me.
At the end of the day, the Yamaha TW-E3 earbuds have performed as advertised and seem a good option among a very crowded field of competitors.
This review is from Yamaha - TW-E3A True Wireless Earbuds - Black
I would recommend this to a friend
Rated 4 out of 5 stars
Solid Earbuds with Minor Drawbacks
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This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
As earbuds go, these are a solid pair. They were delivered within about a week and a half, set up was easy, charging a breeze, and the sound quality is good. However, these are not perfect, and I personally have a couple minor critiques.
The earbuds come with a charging cable and the charging case. You use the case to store and carry the earbuds as well. These don’t come with a wall plug for charging, but most people these days have at least one lying around they can use like I did. The case is a good size and small enough to fit in your pocket.
The earbuds themselves are very easy to use. I haven’t had a problem connecting them to my phone, iPod, or laptop, all of which are different operating systems (Android, Apple, and Microsoft). The sound is high quality too, which I’ve come to expect from Yamaha. I do wish there was a bit more base from them, but that certainly doesn’t take away from the sounds quality these emit.
The fit was one of the drawbacks for me. I’m a petite person with small ears. While these earbuds fit, they didn’t feel as natural as some other ones I’ve tried. The right bud fit snuggly into my ear while the left one would feel like it was about to fall out sometimes (although it never did). I’ve worn these for anywhere from a few minutes to up to 3 hours at a time. To their credit, they haven’t fallen out while wearing them and my ears never felt tired or irritated. It’d be nice of these came with different size buds you could switch out depending on whether you have bigger or smaller ears. You can use the buds to pause, skip or rewind what you’re listening to. You do this by pushing on the buds themselves. It was easy to do, but didn’t always feel comfortable to do so. I’d rather just use the device they’re linked to if within reach.
Overall, these earbuds have good sound quality and will stay in your ears, but aren’t the most comfortable pair out there. I’d still recommend them to anyone looking for a solid pair of earbuds of quality.
This review is from Yamaha - TW-E3A True Wireless Earbuds - Black
I would recommend this to a friend
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
Yamaha's entry level earbuds
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This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
This is Yamaha's foray into earbuds market. The sound quality is amazing and the design is similar to the other earbuds in the market. It comes with 4 sets of eartips and 2 sets of silicone sleeves. The earbuds are IPX5 rated, so it can be used in all weather conditions. It is easy to pair and supports Bluetooth 5 with aptX connection. The earbuds lasts around 6 hours, but you can extend the battery upto 24 hours using the case. The case itself is charged via USB C and doesn't take more than 2 hours to charge it completely.
These earbuds do not offer ANC although it does feature Yamaha True Sound, for clear and realistic sound, as well as, Listening Care, which maintains the full sound even at low volumes. The earbuds can be used independently and comes with simple buttons to control music as well as answer phone calls. You can also use it to activate the voice assistants on your phone. Download the Yamaha Headphones Controller app to customize some of the settings of the earbuds. Definitely good earbuds with lots of room for additional features and improvements.
This review is from Yamaha - TW-E3A True Wireless Earbuds - Black
I would recommend this to a friend
Rated 4 out of 5 stars
Great Sound, Missing some features
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This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
First of all, these earbuds have a really great sound. This should be expected from Yamaha, and they do not dissapoint. They are not bass heavy, but provide a balanced sound where highs and lows are really clear.
Bluetooth pairing was simple and no loss of connection between the buds (this has been an issue with some other buds I have).
The things I’m not liking:
- Lack of auto pause. I really wish they had the ability to pause when you take them out. You can tap to pause, which is nice, but it would be great to have this built in (of course that would impact the pricing).
- The case. It does not feel very premium, and I’ve had issues with placing the buds in it. I think the magnets are not as strong as they need to be. Also, the magnet that keeps the case closed could be stronger.
- The app works well, but it would be nice to have more options for eq or other sound settings.
These also do not have active noise cancelling or any sort of ambient sound features (reflective in the price). Yamaha does offer other buds that do offer those features, though.
This is becoming a crowded market and there are so many wireless buds to look at. I’m not sure these provide the best match of features and price, though. But, they do sound great. If sound quality is most important, I would give these a try.
This review is from Yamaha - TW-E3A True Wireless Earbuds - Black
I would recommend this to a friend
Rated 4 out of 5 stars
Basic Buds with Great Sound
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This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
The sound out of these is fantastic. Some of the nicest audio I've heard out of bluetooth in ear buds. The case looks a little cheap at first glance but upon handling it feels nice in hand, is decently robust, and the fit and finish is nice. The base sound signature of this set is V-shaped and fun with a roll off in the sub-bass region. When the Listening Care feature is enabled there is a slight boost in the vocal region and it really does make listening easier at lower volumes. The only downsides are do to price vs features and the super crowded market segment these sit in. I personally don't mind not having ANC, Environmental Passthrough or Auto-pause, but many earbuds in this price range do offer some or all of those features. The big upside here is the audio quality and for me that is the deciding factor for ear buds. They stay in my ear well and with their fun sound signature these are great workout and chore activity buds. The are good for watching the occasional YouTube video as well as they do not suffer from audio sync issues.
This review is from Yamaha - TW-E3A True Wireless Earbuds - Black
I would recommend this to a friend
Rated 3 out of 5 stars
An unexceptional offering from Yamaha
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This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
If you’re a musician or a sound fanatic, you may be aware that Yamaha is known not for it’s motorcycles and ATVs, they are a famous maker of musical instruments. And when I saw they are offering “true wireless” earbuds, I got really interested and couldn’t wait to try them out.
Now in this pandemic era when everyone’s stuck at home for prolonged periods, having decent earphones is a must have, especially if you’re sharing your living space with a room-mate or your significant other, and that’s where I found myself. Spotify is telling me I have listened to double the number of songs in 2020 compared to 2019. Thus, I’m always on the lookout for headphones that provide very good sound quality, very comfortable and have decent battery life. In this quest, I have got hold of more than 15 pairs of headsets/earphones/earbuds of all shapes and sizes. Thus I can say I am in a position to make some comparison.
Going back to the Yamaha TW-3A (which is a really weird naming for a consumer pair): the earbuds adhere to the standard design of the “true wireless” stuff that’s flooding the market. The form-factor is small, but not the tiniest of the bunch. Instead of just a silicone eartip, there’s a silicone sleeve too that covers the earbud and comes in 2 sizes (ear-tips come in 4 sizes). Thus it’s very easy to find a good fit, and the silicon sleeve actually helps a bit to keep the earbuds from moving about while wearing. The charging case is a bit bigger than I expected, but a good thing is it uses a USB-C port, so it’s convenient for Android folks.
Pairing is straight-forward and was painless with my Android-based OnePlus 6T smartphone. Yamaha says it uses the Qualcomm True Wireless Plus technology, so each earbud connects to the source separately i.e. are independent. Also aptX support makes Bluetooth streaming better quality (AAC is also supported for Apple products). Each side has a touch surface represented by the Yamaha logo. The learning curve of figuring out which side controls what is a pain, but I got used to it fairly quickly. A companion app is available, but I found the app pretty limited at the moment - there’s to EQ or other relevant settings to change the sound characteristics which was a big let down. Hopefully it’ll get updated.
Now comes the big question: how is the sound. Being a non-pro audio enthusiast, I found them to be pretty decent, performing higher than the average true wireless earbuds. Sound was clear, and a bit on the warmer side, and bass/sub-bass was noticeable without being overwhelming. The soundstage was pretty tight. However, the overall sonics performance was not exceptional which is the major fault of these earbuds. For the list price, I was expecting it to do something different, but found that compared to units that are half the price, the sound quality is not a very big improvement. In this saturated market, TW-3A fails to stand out in any manner.
This review is from Yamaha - TW-E3A True Wireless Earbuds - Black
No, I would not recommend this to a friend
Rated 4 out of 5 stars
Yamaha True Wireless
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This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
Yamaha true wireless earbuds are a good product for starting out in the wireless earbud game. The packaging and setup was failry simple with lots of extra accessories in ear tips and silicone sleeve. I had to go with the smallest of ear tips but it did not make much difference since the earbud was a little too large for my ears and sore after keeping them in for awhile. After charging and getting Bluetooth connection pairing with the right earbud it was music to my ears. The sound listening to Spotiy on Laptop is quite good but noticed it lacked the usual big bang of the bass. You can raise the volume by pressing right earbud twice and lower by pressing left earbud twice which takes some effort not to pause by mistake. Making phone calls with right ear bud with clear reception not a problem. Overall Yamaha True Wireless Earbuds performance was good enough to rival its competitors.
This review is from Yamaha - TW-E3A True Wireless Earbuds - Black
I would recommend this to a friend
Rated 3 out of 5 stars
Average at best
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This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
Full disclosure, I’m comparing these earbuds to the Sony WF1000 XM3 earbuds which I got over a year ago in hopes that newer technology will bring even better listening. These earbuds are smaller and lighter than the Sony’s, and changing out the ear tips to a larger size resulted in a really solid fit in my ear. That’s about it for the Pro’s as far as I’m concerned, now let’s talk about the Con’s. First, I was quite underwhelmed with the sound coming from these earbuds. When listening to music the sound was tinny, very little bass, and they do not get loud enough (at least not for me) even at full volume listening to Spotify on my Iphone 11. I did some research and found out there is a Yamaha app called Headphones Controller (the included instructions manual did have a QR code that seemed to refer to the app but I couldn’t get my phone to read it). So I downloaded the Yamaha app from the App Store hoping there would be some cool app features similar to the Sony app. For example, the Sony app has different sound modes and an equalizer to dial in the sound the way you like it. Once I downloaded the Yamaha app I found that it had only two settings: 1) Listening Care, on or off, and 2) Auto Power-off Timer. That’s it! No ability whatsoever to change the sound settings, enhance the bass, etc., like the Sony app has so that was a big disappointment.
I think these earbuds will be fine for using on Zoom computer meetings for my job so that’s what I will plan on using these for, but I will definitely stick with the Sony’s for music listening. Granted, the Sony earbuds are a more expensive model so a better comparison would likely be with the Yamaha TW-E7A’s which, according to Yamaha’s website, are high performance with noise-canceling like the Sony’s. But as far as these earbuds are concerned I guess they prove the old adage “you get what you pay for”.
This review is from Yamaha - TW-E3A True Wireless Earbuds - Black
No, I would not recommend this to a friend
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
Does exactly what you want, and nothing you don’t.
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This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
I really like these earbuds! For being truly wireless, they’re pretty basic and do everything you really need them to, but nothing extra. For example, you can use just the left or right earbud by itself and it will operate just fine without the other. You can control volume and skip ahead by using the button on the earbuds, though it is difficult to press. Sound quality is good, volume levels are good. I do think the app is worthless. You can’t adjust the EQ or levels in it, but I’m not going to knock a star off for that as I really don’t use any other of my headphones apps that I’ve had. I find myself reaching for these over my other Bluetooth earbuds because I often use only one. They stay on my ear with no issues at all and I was actually surprised by this because they’re is really nothing holding them in your ear. They just fit in perfect with the adjustable earpiece. Very comfortable in the ear as well.
This review is from Yamaha - TW-E3A True Wireless Earbuds - Black
I would recommend this to a friend
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
I Like These Earbuds!
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This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
Although these Yamaha - TW-E3A True Wireless Earbuds aren't the highest priced earbuds out there, for my use they work great. I have absolutely no problem pairing to my Iphone, the charge holds for a good long while and as I am mainly using for phone calls (but tested all features before this review) they out perform earbuds costing twice as much. Like another reviewer said you need to get them properly placed in your ears to get good music quality and to seat them so they don't fall out. I would not feel comfortable running with these but as far as normal use they are fine. I did notice a big difference in the bass quality when they were pushed a little further into my ears. Couldn't believe how much better they sounded. Build quality is right on par for the price you are paying. Overall I have no complaints and would recommend these without hesitation. I like them!
This review is from Yamaha - TW-E3A True Wireless Earbuds - Black