Just when I thought the PaMu Quiet is already quite a good value earbuds with ANC at under S$180, here comes yet another challenger in this massively crowded TWS market. thecoopidea is a Hong-Kong lifestyle company since 2012, offering interesting collaboration products like the recent project with Sanrio. Giveaway alert: join the Hello Kitty Treasure Hunt happening from now till 25 Dec, with weekly draws to win Sanrio-themed power banks, wireless earbuds, and wireless chargers. Details at the McBay Facebook Page.
The second-generate BEANS PRO 2 is a true wireless earbuds now with added active noise cancelling (ANC) and Ambient Sound modes. It offers impressive specs like the following:
- 10mm Titanium dynamic driver
- Bluetooth 5.1
- Auto Pairing (when no devices are connected)
- 4-mic DSP uplink noise-reduction technology
- Independent L-R earbuds operation
- Touch control
- IPX5 water rating
- 4 hours per earbud, 25 hours with charging case
- 1 hour fast charge for the case
- AAC and SBC codecs
- Eartips with bass tuning and balanced tuning
Operations
Before you charge, please remove the adhesive covering the earbuds. They are so small that I did not notice and I thought there is something wrong with the charging circuit.
The plastic charging case is compact though thick, reminding me of the Sudio Ett. The Beans Pro 2 is smaller and opens from the loner side instead of the shorter side. With the leather strap, we can see where the design inspiration comes from.
Operating the Beans Pro 2 is by touch gestures. To change volume, double tap the left (lower) or right (increase). Changing tracks is to tap-hold – left to go previous track and right is next track. To play-pause, tap the right earbud, and to toggle ANC and Ambient Sound, tap the left button. The sensors are responsive and I never experienced issues with getting the gestures correct at first go.
Sound Quality
There are 3 sizes of eartips with balanced tuning and bass tuning. The balanced tuning ear tips are thicker with narrower tube and straight flange, while the bass tuning uses thinner flaps with larger opening and cone flange. I find that the default balanced tuning ear tips do not seal my ear canals, resulting in a loss of intensity and noise cancelling. The bass tuning ear tips are more comfortable albeit heavier bass and slow decay. Swapping the ear tips with third party ones should allow you to balance the sound somewhat, but the Beans Pro 2 are considered bass-heavy earbuds.
While the PaMu Quiet is also bass-heavy, the upper bass is less bloomy, and its treble is more transparent and bright. With the Beans Pro 2, the bass intensity extends up the frequency and tend to overpower the treble, but treble is still sufficient and I would not label it as veiled. Switching to the balanced tuning earbuds with a less firm seal, you can bring up the treble brightness.
As I test the earbuds with my usual reference tracks, I find the Beans Pro 2 comfortable to listen to even on chart-topping tracks with a propensity of sharp treble mix. I have sensitive ears so I usually prefer my treble to be less harsh, though I still enjoy bright open highs as long as they are not fatigue. With the right ear tip fitting, I am getting full boomy bass while the midrange and treble remains clear enough to pick up the instrument layers. Classical and jazz genres can still sound good as long as the bass is not too overwhelming, and like most earbuds with a tamer treble, I can listen at higher volumes without feeling fatigue.
ANC Quality
The ANC is sufficient to reduce general sounds to offer some noise reduction. Engine noises are reduced to mid-pitch airy noises, while upper frequencies are also dulled down. With Ambient Sound mode, the environment noise is not very amplified but enough to hear loud noises like vehicle horns. In a way, it might be good as you can enable it to hear the louder noises while not getting overwhelmed with other ambient sounds.
When toggling various ANC modes with the left earbud tap, the voice prompt will read the mode and the music will break.
Call Quality
The Beans Pro 2 provides average call quality, but when taking calls in the living room, the speaking voice is distracted by the distant high-pitched TV sounds. The mic seems to favour higher frequency, so perhaps a lady owner might have less of a problem. Under strong winds, the voice struggles to get picked up. During calls, whichever ANC mode you are at will be retained without the ability to change during the call. When the main earbud is docked, the other earbud takes over the mic seamlessly without disruption.
Compared To…
Between this and the PaMu Quiet, I find that the PaMu Quiet is slightly better in audio tuning and balance due to its elevated treble clarity. The ANC is more premium while it also supports aptX codec. The Beans Pro 2 looks more attractive, comes with a smaller package, and much cheaper.
Compared to Creative Outlier Air V2, the Beans Pro 2 is a warmer sounding earbuds with a fatter, more fun bass fill. The Air V2 offers a much more brighter treble.
Compared to Sudio Ett, the Beans Pro 2 offers more bass impact, slightly clearer treble, and more effective ANC.
Verdict
thecoopidea Beans Pro 2 should be in your shopping list if you love bass response, while still wanting to enjoy some treble balance. At a competitive promotion price of S$129.90, owning a pair of true-wireless earbuds with active noise cancelling and ambient sound have becoming more affordable. The pastel colour options and compact charging case should be crowd pleasers.
Purchase thecoopidea Beans Pro 2 for S$129.90 (original retail price S$199.90) at the official Shopee Mall page.