Apart from true wireless earphones, VGP multi-award winner AVIOT also sells normal wireless earphones. Here on review is the WE-D01c, available in Singapore at an affordable retail price of S$109.
Design and Function
The WE-D01c is made of machined aluminium body to minimise resonance within the speaker case, and the cables are very thin. Both earbuds are magnetised and can be clipped together, but the magnet is not strong enough to keep them locked together. These earphones are also IPX7 rated to repel water, and the battery can hold 7 hours usage and takes less than 2 hours to charge. It supports SBC, AAC, and aptX audio codec over Bluetooth 4.1. The voice prompt is in Japanese language which cannot be changed, and when asked, the distributor commented that this product is designed for Japan market, and local owners will get to experience products as intended in Japan.
Operating the earphones is via the 3-button in-line control. The middle button controls play-pause, and double tap activates the voice assistant (Google, Siri, etc.). The other 2 button controls volume (tap) and track changes (press and hold).
The long earhooks keep the earphones from falling out from the ears, but due to the long housing and the flimsy earhooks, there is a tendency for the eartips to lose the seal under heavy activities.
Audio Quality
While AVIOT carries the design philosophy of “Japan Sound” that is natural, rounded, not exaggerated, the sound signature of the WE-D01c is not identical to TE-D01b. Due to the relatively weak eartip seal and noise isolation, the low frequencies are not exactly impactful, but I would consider them to be neutral. The high frequencies are sparkling with details and space, but the sibilance can get a little too sizzling if the musical energy gets too high. Stereo imaging is also wide, panning towards the left and right with close centre. As I listen longer, they offer me good musical details without the bass clouding. I enjoy listening to instrumental genres, providing light refreshing tones. Heavy genres would not work for me as the treble would turn out too harsh while the bass is lacking in balancing the weight, unless that type of tuning is in your favour.
Verdict
The AVIOT WE-D01c is tuned towards bright sounding, while the bass is subtly supportive, depending on how deep you push the earbuds into your ears. With thin cables and IPX7, they are good companions for joggers and runners in wet conditions. The 7-hour battery life is pretty impressive for its size.
AVIOT is distributed in Singapore by GrandTech Systems Pte Ltd, a public listed company in Taiwan with offices in China, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Indonesia, and Singapore.