Friday, March 29, 2024

Treblab E3 Noise Canceling Headphones review

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When it comes to mobile technology, there are a few companies that consistently make well-made accessories for consumers on a limited budget. One such manufacturer is Treblab and its recently launched E3 headphones are worth a look.

Design

While the Treblab E3 headphones aren’t visually all that different from most other over-ear options, they are well made and exceptionally comfortable. The large can coverings have plenty of padding and the lightweight materials of the headphones made for long listening sessions not adding much ear fatigue.

Generally speaking, the materials are mostly plastic. While this doesn’t make for the premium feel of more premium headphones with their aluminum and leather, I never thought the E3s were cheaply made. From the swivel action of the cups to button feedback, all were pleasant to use.

Let’s drill down on those button controls for a moment. On the right can of the E3 headphones is where you find the play/pause, volume up/down, and the power button. Volume controls will also skip and reverse tracks on a long-press of one second on each.

Hold that power button for three seconds and you’ll get greeted by your favorite voice assistant. Treblab has built-in support for all the big players: Google Assistant, Siri, Alexa, and even Bixby.

The right side of the headphones is also where you’ll be doing your charging when needed. We’ll circle back to battery life later, but for now, it’s glad to see a USB Type-C charging port and quick charge on board.

If you move to the left can on the Treblab E3 headphones you find one, lone button. It’s simply marked with “NC” for noise-canceling. The E3 headphones offer active noise-canceling and pressing this button cycles through the options to toggle whether you can discern ambient, exterior audio.

Audio

The Treblab E3 headphones offer Feedforward Active Noise-Cancellation. This means there’s a dedicated mic on the outside of the headphones to filter and suppress environmental sounds before they ever enter the ear of the listener.

I am not an audio expert and honestly couldn’t tell much difference with the feature on while working around the house. The cups are so padded that it makes for a natural barrier from the outside world. However, I did take them to my local coffee shop where I could tell a real difference with interfering sounds.

Music playback was really good as well. The E3s doing a decent job of balancing bass, mids, and highs while listening to your favorite jams. Volumes are great, too. You can really ramp up the audio if you want to head bang to some harder stuff.

Phone Calls

Similar to what you might find in many wireless headphones, you can answer phone calls on the Treblab E3 headphones — provided you still partake in the archaic ritual. Pressing the play/pause button once will answer your incoming call and hang up when you’re done. Long-press while the call is incoming and you’ll reject the call and avoid the conversation.

Audio on calls is acceptable; no one had real issues hearing or talking to me, but I did have a couple of times the other caller said I sounded like I was “in a gym locker room.” Take that for what you want, but overall you can use the E3s to take calls.

Battery Life and Charging

Treblab promises up to 50 hours of playback with no noise-cancellation at medium volume. I found this to be pretty accurate.

I’ve used it over multiple weekends now as my primary listening device and I’d say 48 hours is more than obtainable. For what it’s worth, the company claims 27 hours of consistent usage with the volume cranked to 100% and NC activated.

The final positive on the E3 headphones would be quick charge. When you do need to, you can pick up an estimated 7 hours in just three minutes. A complete recharge will take around an hour without quick charging.

Final Thoughts

Treblab has built a compelling option with the E3 headphones. The design and comfort of these devices are great and audio is at least above average. For $70, these headphones with real active noise cancellation, are in a much better position for consumers when compared to the more recognized brands.

You can pick up a pair of E3 headphones directly through Treblab’s website, or if you’re like me, you can have them on your doorstep in a few days through Amazon.

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