Naenka LITE Pro TWS Earphones Review – AirPods for the Budget-Impaired
$40 TWS from Naenka, whose products were wholly unknown to me but who seem to be quite the ambitious upstart.
The Naenka LITE Pro arrived in a fancy box, which seemed comically oversized for its sparse contents (buds, petite charging case, USB cable and semi-literate user manual). The buds themselves (which are very difficult to remove from the charging case) utilize the same tip-less, stemmed design as the original AirPods. I do not like this design—although lightweight and comfortable, it does not provide for any seal or isolation, and outside noise is intrusive, which mitigates the advantages of the buds’ compatibility with AptX and AAC. As with the AirPods, the Naenka LITE Pro will shift and fall out with regularity, which limits their utility for outdoor/gym use.
Pairing is easy and connectivity very good; battery life of 5 hours or so is about average.
However, if you’re sitting still in a quiet room, the Naenka LITE Pro are surprisingly good-sounding, with a very natural, neutral-ish timbre and estimable imaging and instrument placement. Soundstage isn’t expansive, but well-rounded, with good air between instruments. Bass is very reminiscent of the Galaxy Buds–quick and very well-sculpted; it has limited depth but good impact and is wholly free of bloom or bleed. Mids are slightly recessed, with good clarity. Treble is smooth and grain-free, but lacks detail and extension; there’s a sense of listening to a more compressed MP3 file as opposed to higher resolution fare, though there’s no rough edges and these will appeal to the treble-adverse.
Both because of the open-air design and the lack of high-end extension the Naenka LITE Pro are not optimal for audiophiles. There is, however, a big swath of users who are not critical listener and/or who want more awareness of their surroundings. For them, the Naenka LITE Pro are pleasant, non-fatiguing and sound better than AirPods at a fraction of the price.
Disclaimer: freebie review sample from www.naenka.com, who advise that they are selling these on Amazon.
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