There are many types of headphones to let everyone enjoy personal audio, from the usual headphones to the in-ear monitors. The size varies and so is the audio quality. No doubt the over-ear headphones deliver the most acoustically-accurate sounds, but they are bulky. In-ear headphones are tiny and compact, but the buds get stuffed into ear canals and isolate noise from the surroundings, which not everyone enjoys. For a while, bone conduction headphones is marketed as a viable alternative, but they cause some discomfort to some people due to the vibration, and have limited frequency range.
Previously, I enjoyed reviewing the Bose Frames sunglasses with built-in speakers in the temples of the frames. They deliver personal audio to my ears as and when needed, without having to stuff anything in my ears whole day. The problem is that I already have my own prescriptive eye glasses, so I could not fully benefit from this product.
The Mu6 Ring turns out to be the next best thing for all-day wearable audio gear. They are IP55 water resistant, runs for over 10 hours at 70% volume per charge. If you are used to wearing a face mask whole day, you could get used to wearing this the entire day as well. Use it for running, cycling, gym, driving, working, doing housework, and even napping. Use it to enjoy music while maintaining awareness of things around you. The Mu6 Ring is not designed for ultimate audiophile experience, but it lets you enjoy music within your personal space without blasting your smartphone speakers and disturbing the peace.
Looking at the design of the speaker vents, the engineering is similar to the Bose Frames, with one opening facing towards the ears and the other away. Covering either one obstructs the air flow and affects sound projection.
I like that the speakers can be adjusted freely within the 120-degree pivot. This provides a lot of flexibility in wearing them. For instance, I can swing the speakers away from my ears if I needed more attention to things around me. If I needed to hear more of the audio, I move the speakers closer to my ears.
People wearing eye glasses like myself have an added feature: the Mu6 Ring rests on the temples to keep the specs secure, so it reduces the chances of the specs slipping off during strenuous workouts.
The speakers deliver balanced open sound to your ears. There is no bass feel at all, the upper bass to midrange are sufficiently detailed and clean, no boominess or muddiness in the tone. Upper frequencies are adequately present without excessively sparkling. The stereo imaging is wide and close to the ears, lacking the front holographic projection which the Bose Frames offers.
Verdict
If there is one headphones for every occasion, then the Mu6 Ring is my go-to headphones when I needed to listen to personal audio while remain connected to things happening around me. Other than for urban jogging, I use them frequently at home. The product is distributed in Singapore by weareready.sg with 1-year warranty. Official retail price is S$119, with a launch offer price at S$99. Further to that, use the promo code “sgrunners8” to enjoy another S$8 off. Total checkout price: S$91, with free shipping for orders over S$75.
