Who would have thought that one of the most trusted and value-for-money brands in the home networking and wiring market would jump headfirst into the highly competitive world of True Wireless Stereo headphones? This is the question we asked ourselves when we were first introduced to the AUKEY EP-N5, a spartan product on an aesthetic level, but which has given us more than one pleasant surprise after starting to use it.
It is true that AUKEY was introduced into the section of sound bars a few years ago and which, today, offers us a fairly wide and varied range. These are products that, although They do not yet compete against major manufacturers like JBL or Ultimate Ears, are able to keep the low-end ranges at bay, with a respectably superior quality. And, to a certain extent, something similar is expected with these headphones from the moment we start to open the box.
Who do we recommend these headphones for?
They have a intermediate price between what we could consider that mainstream mid-high range (such as the one presented to us by the Apple AirPods or the Powerbeats pro) and the lowest range, less than 30 euros, which we have already tried with models such as the Haylou GT1 or the Xiaomi AirDots. Therefore, the EP-N5 turn out to be a Safe shopping for tight pockets.
If we don't have a big budget, but we have tried the lower models and they don't convince us, it is possible that these AUKEY EP-N5 could be the solution we are looking for. We won't have to invest too much and we will get all those mid-range features, although they are scarce in some points that may not be of special relevance to us.
Design and comfort
Many would think that such simple packaging can only result in a cheap and low-quality product, more typical of a Chinese white label than a strong competitor in the TWS segment that concerns us here. The truth is that, far from this reality, The AUKEY brand has always been characterized by investing little on the outside and a lot on the inside..
As soon as we have the charging station in our hands, we can realize that this is not a common low-end headset at an inflated price, but It also does not stand out with a particularly striking design.. To some extent, it reminds us of AirPods with certain details such as the charging leds that light up to indicate the battery status, as well as its USB-C connector, which is quite surprising for the price we find in this product.
The black plastic construction It is surprising that it is a step above in quality and robustness compared to other lower-range headphones. It is important to keep in mind that technically these headphones belong to the low-end range, although with a slightly higher price. Therefore, any element that exceeds the range is worth highlighting.
The quality of the material demonstrates the ability to achieve the IPX5 certification, which guarantees that the product can be wet (works under the shower without problems), but not submerged, something that would have been very appreciable.
Sound
It must be stressed that when we put on the headphones, our expectations were very low, similar to those we would have with models of such size. But First impressions were quite pleasant. The sound range turned out Very clear from bass to treble, through clean vocal notes, and a volume range more than appropriate for TWS of this category.
But, as expected, Nor can the volume be adjusted from the headset Nor do we have a custom application to equalize these headphones at will. This means that, in terms of overall sound quality, they are a few points below other versions that do have it.
Microphone
If everything seemed positive until now, here comes the real bombshell of these headphones, which may have made them become bestsellers: active noise cancellation. Indeed, this is a feature that we only find in mid-high or even high-end headphones.
Although we must be cautious: We are not going to witness a perfect cancellation, since the range narrows below 30 dB. However, in most cases it will be sufficient to enjoy clean sound in not excessively noisy environments, such as an office.
As for call quality, the microphone has the MEMS technology, which is present in many other Chinese headphones, such as in the Xiaomi headphones. That is, it allows reduce certain annoying noises, but presenting the lag typical of inferior technology.
Autonomy and battery life
The autonomy of the headphones also turns out to be another strong point. The brand does not promise more than it delivers: a range of 7 hours, something above the classic 4 hours that we find in mediocre headphones. To this we must add other 3 additional charges through the base (with 500 mAh of charge available). This way, we can enjoy using this product for a whole day straight.
Connections and controls
Not everything could be perfect. The controls section is, possibly, where they are a little weak and remind us of the low range completely. They have the Typical tap-based controls that we give in each of the respective headphones, which allows: stop or restart music, answer or hang up calls, and activate both the virtual assistant and active noise cancellation.
Having USB-C connection, we find a faster charge than the classic headphones with micro USB that abound in the low range. Perhaps it would have been nice if they incorporated wireless charging, but surely that would have forced them to increase the price.