Once upon a time, Bluetooth headphones were expensive niche accessories. But time passes, technologies do not stand still, and today, even in the budget segment, there are enough balanced wireless models from different manufacturers. Microlab has also picked up the trend, releasing the inexpensive T969BT headset, which is also not devoid of sophistication in design. Will the novelty help you forget about wires? We listen and tell.
The headset comes in a cardboard box and a transparent plastic box. On the front side there are pictograms informing about the main features of the model.
The kit, in addition to the device itself, includes micro-USB and AUX cables, as well as technical documentation.
The design of the headphones can be called universal - the restrained color scheme, a competent combination of elements and textures make it possible to wear them both with a suit and with something less formal.
There are no other color solutions besides silver, but even in this range, T969BT does not seem boring. The bowls are made of matte plastic, whose rigor is diluted with chrome bevels around the Microlab logos. The mounts smoothly flow into the aluminum temples, and the picture is complemented by puffy ear pads and a headband in soft black leatherette.
The left ear cup has a 3.5mm input for the AUX cable.
Power and volume buttons, as well as micro-USB input, microphone and LED indicator are located on the right ear cup.
Microlab T969BT are made in an overhead form factor - their cups lie on the auricles, and do not cover them entirely. However, thanks to the soft and voluminous ear cushions, the headphones do not exert strong pressure on the ears. The wide headband and low weight are also beneficial for long-term use.
Noise isolation for the on-ear headset is excellent, allowing you to hear tunes over the street noise. It is necessary to turn the volume down only in the subway, but in such conditions, only devices with active noise cancellation and individual in-channel models will not help.
The controls are conveniently located and can be easily groped blindly. Paired with some Android smartphones (for example, HTC One E8), the volume buttons switch and rewind tracks.
For wireless pairing with audio sources, the Microlab T969BT supports the energy efficient Bluetooth 4.1 LE standard. The stable reception range is about 10 meters. When gadgets are connected, the headphones emit a sound signal, and the LED indicator on the right ear cup also notifies the operating mode. The headset remembers the devices with which pairing happened, and automatically connects with them when turned on.
In addition to wireless mode, headphones can be connected via a 3.5mm jack using an audio cable. It is curious that in parallel with this, you can establish a Bluetooth pairing, and the device will simultaneously play music from two sources, without giving priority to anyone. In order to avoid such incidents when wired connection, it is worth turning off the power.
The headphones have a microphone for hands-free operation.
To evaluate the sound, we used the HTC One E8 smartphone with Bluetooth 4.0 and the xDuoo X10 player. It turned out that the headphones sound approximately the same both with a Bluetooth connection and when paired with an audio cable with a Hi-Fi source. Therefore, everything said below is true in both cases.
From the first seconds of listening to Microlab T969BT, it becomes clear that this model is tailored to modern music, in which bass plays an important role. The low-frequency range of the headphones is highlighted, and the basis is created by the middle and upper bass. The sub-bass is not very pronounced, however, even without it, low frequencies create a deep and powerful foundation in the compositions. Sometimes they even become too intrusive, and instruments such as bass guitar and drum sound too "fat". In electronic music, such a presentation emphasizes the rhythm section, giving the music a club character.
The middle is slightly distorted relative to the bass, but still readable well. Due to the V-shaped delivery, the sound acquires additional volume, since the vocals and a number of instruments are relegated to the background. At the same time, they remain legible and do not get lost behind the dominant low, in which they are helped by the accented upper mids. By the way, a clear transmission of voice and volume allows you to enjoy watching movies and TV shows in a headset or playing video games - the effect of being at your best.
The high frequencies are smoothed out and relegated to the background, the headphones effectively crush sibilance and other recording flaws. In places