I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: Whether you’re an audiophile or a casual listener, you need a solid pair of earbuds. Either for the gym or for when you need a compact and portable setup, wireless earbuds are an essential piece of equipment! xFyro are mixing up the multitude of options, by throwing the xS2 into the mix; a “truly wireless” pair of in-ear earbuds with a premium price tag and premium sound quality to match.
Table of Contents
Features
- IP67 Certified Dust-proof And Waterproof Technology
- Bluetooth 4.2 + EDR
- 10m connection range
- CVC 6.0 Noise Cancellation
- Built-In Microphone
- Answer, Reject, and Redial Calls as well as pause and play music
- Music / Talk Time: 5 Hours
- Charging Time: 2 Hours
- Standby Time: 300 Hours
- Rechargeable 850 MAh Capacity Power Bank
- Earbud and charging case body constructed out of Aluminum
- Compact charging case
- (L x W x H): 6.25″ x 1.00″ x 0.75″ (15.88cm x 2.54cm x 1.91cm)
- 1-year warranty
Build Quality
The xFyro xS2, for me at least, has a fairly unique appearance. At first glance, I thought someone had sent me a lipstick style power bank, due to the fact that the xS2 is a 6-inch long tube and has a full-sized USB cover on one side (charge out), with a micro-USB cover on the other side (charge in). Upon closer inspection, the earbuds themselves are seated within either end of this tube (aka the carry case), magnetically held in place to enable quick and simple charging whilst retaining some degree of portability.
xFyro have utilized a mix of materials for various aspects of the xS2. This includes aluminium for the carry case with a coloured plastic trim around each end and a matte rubberised plastic for the earbuds themselves. Included in the box is a micro-USB cable, 3 differently sized silicone ear tips and the instruction manual.
The earbuds themselves are actually IP67 certified, meaning they’re pretty rugged when it comes to dust and water. They can technically withstand being under 1m of water for up to 30 minutes. So if you’re considering these things for the gym, you can be 100% confident that they’re sweat resistant! In theory, you can swim with these things in!
Furthermore, the earbuds are relatively comfortable when paired with some foam tips. Whilst the included tips are likely more than satisfactory for most users, I found that I simply couldn’t get a good seal when using the standard set of tips. No matter what I tried or how I shoved the earbuds into my ears, they just wouldn’t stay in place. In fact, it was so bad initially (extremely tinny and quiet audio) that I thought my right earbud was faulty!! Once I realised it was the in-ear fit, I ordered up a set of the INΛIRS AIR1, fitted them and was immediately pleased by the sound that was pumping through my ears.
Overall, the build quality is actually quite nice. I’ve not been concerned about breakage and have quite comfortably thrown the xS2’s into the bottom of my bag. The charging case is incredibly slim, so popping it in my pocket alongside my phone adds no extra bulk. The earbuds themselves are relatively simple to use, due to the fact that they each have a single multi-function button, however, that does restrict the ability to perform certain tasks (such as changing volume) without having to reach for your phone. All of that being said, I’m personally not a fan of the lipstick style design and would much prefer a more “compact” AirPods style case.
Battery life
Over the 4 or 5 weeks that I have been using the xFyro xS2’s, one of my main concerns has been the battery life. As with any “truly wireless” earbuds, battery life is pretty much the be all and end all when it comes to usability. You can have a great sounding pair of earbuds, but if you can only listen to music for half an hour is it worth it?
xFyro claims the xS2’s can provide 5 hours of music playback, with only a 1 hour earbud recharge time and a 2-hour charging case + earbud recharge time. During the time that I’ve had and used the xS2’s, I’ve found these figures to be extremely accurate – and I’ve used these things daily!
For the first couple of weeks, I was seeing around 6 hours of non-stop mixed usage (calls + music @ 60% volume). I turned the earbuds on at around 09:00 and wouldn’t have to charge them again until around 15:00.
After a couple of weeks of usage, I found that the charge retention time in the same scenario as above had dropped by around an hour. This isn’t so much of a problem for me though, as the earbuds only take an hour to fully charge (from 0%), so now I just pop the earbuds back into the charging case and leave them to fully recharge in just over half an hour!
If I manage to use all 5 full recharges (of both earbuds simultaneously) that the charging case can provide via its 850mAh battery, it only takes around 1 hour and 45 minutes to fully charge both the charging case and the earbuds via a 1A wall charger.
Setup
Pairing the xFyro xS2 to your device of choice is a fairly simple affair. So much so, you can successfully pair the earbuds to your phone in under 30 seconds! xFyro have included fairly clear instructions, but if you find it easier to follow step-by-step video instructions, they have those too:
Usually fully wireless earbuds are a pain to get paired, however, I had absolutely no issues getting these paired to my iPhone X first time!
Sound quality
xFyro have done a pretty decent job when it comes to squeezing high-quality audio out of a relatively small form-factor. When you compare the sound quality of the xS2’s to other, more “budget-friendly” truly wireless earbuds, you do notice a fair bit of difference in terms of the overall sound quality. That being said, as with any earbuds, the xFyro xS2 earbuds need to be properly seated in your ear – if there’s any wiggle or gap at all, the sound quality really takes the hit. As I noted above, when I first tried out the xS2’s with the supplied ear tips, I couldn’t get a decent fit which resulted in an absolutely atrocious listening experience. Switching out to memory foam ear tips resolved this issue for me.
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Turn the volume up to the max and there’s no drop off in sound quality while listening to an array of music genres. From modern hip-hop to some blues; charts music to alternative/indie tracks; acoustic tracks to spoken word – the xS2’s do a good job of handling any type of music you could throw at them. They’re a little lacking on bass, however, vocals are clear and crisp and mids/highs are rich.
While you’re dependent on a good in-ear fit for decent sound quality, the earbuds also utilize CVC 6.0 to further optimize the listening experience. Using the built-in mics, the xS2’s filter out a little external noise to provide a distraction-free listening experience. I’m unsure as to how much of a difference this makes though, as there’s no way to enable/disable this on the fly, however CVC noise cancelling is a fairly common item on the spec. sheet of many an earbud these days.
Summary
In all honesty, prior to the guys at xFyro reaching out to me I had never heard of them or their devices (upon researching, they don’t seem to sell a huge amount of products here in the UK). The guys gave me a bit of insight into the company background and offered to send out a sample of the xS2’s – which arrived incredibly quickly, all the way from Los Angeles!
Overall, I’m genuinely pleased with the sound performance that the xFyro xS2 offers to the table. As noted above, the xS2’s have handled a wide range of music genre’s for me. Vocals are crisp, mids and highs are clear and the bass is clean (although a bit lacking for my taste). However… All of that being said, when the product is priced towards the premium end of the market, I’m a bit disappointed that the only included ear tips are your bog standard silicone variety.
Built quality is also pretty darn good. I’ve dropped, thrown, sat on and dunked the earbuds and they’re still working as if they were brand new! I’m a little annoyed at the lack of the control options on the unit, however fully appreciate that you have to make some sacrifices when going compact and fully wireless.
Pairing these earbuds is an absolute breeze and had no pairing pains, like the more budget-friendly SoundPEATS Q29’s I reviewed a little while back. Once connected, I’ve not really had any issues with disconnection – then again, I don’t usually venture too far from my phone when listening to music!
If you’re a UK buyer, the xFyro xS2’s are going to set you back around £100 – which is no small amount of money! That being said, xFyro have a pretty decent warranty offering which basically gives you a 30 day no questions return window! For those of you in the states, you’re looking at around $125 and those paying with Euro’s can expect to fork out around €109.
Useful links
xFyro website: https://www.xfyro.com/
xS2 product page: https://www.xfyro.com/products/xs2
Disclaimer
Please note: I was sent an xFyro xS2 unit in exchange for an honest and unbiased review. This review is 100% honest and the fact that the product was sent to me has not influenced or swayed any of my opinions or findings.
I have worked with many companies previously (both large and small) and the first thing I mention to any company requesting a review is that anything I find will be noted in my review, whether it be positive and negative.
