Blaupunkt BTW300 Bass Buds review: Motley mix of good audio, bad experience- QHN

Known for its wide range of audio devices and accessories, the German electronics brand Blaupunkt added the BTW300 Bass Buds to its truly wireless earphones portfolio earlier this month. While the ninety-nine-year-old company succeeded in delivering its promised high-quality sound experience, it stepped down significantly in terms of experience-related features. Let us deconstruct the product details to find out if it makes for a good deal or not at Rs 1,499.

Designed to fit in the ear as perfectly as it fits in the charging case, the BTW300 Bass Buds pack a good in-ear grip and what Blaupunkt refer to as the “German style statement”. Boasting an easy-to-hold stem with a metallic finish, the earbuds are bound to catch attention at first glance. Owing to their fine grip, the earbuds play well at disconnecting users from the outside world, making them a great choice for gamers, and music lovers.

However, the design has its cons. Even though the earphones are lightweight, they are not suitable for prolonged use in a single stretch. This is because the buds create an almost airless packing in their attempt to accommodate the environment noise-cancellation (ENC) technology. Unlike some of its competitors, the product lacks the ‘feather-light’ in-ear feel due to its slightly broader build.

Moving on to the audio quality of BTW300 Bass Buds, the experience can be assessed in two major areas. First is the device’s ‘Bass Demon Tech’, which brings a noticeable difference in the bass levels, especially while streaming electronic and metallic music. The earbuds are a good option for users looking for an immersive audio output.

For voice calls, the earphones support an active environment noise-cancellation (ENC) feature to filter out the background noise. It is, however, to be noted that while the earbuds will isolate you from the surroundings, they will intrude the space of those around you. The sound leaks from the earphones to an extent that one can listen to the tracks from a hand’s distance from them when on full volume. Even on a 40-50 per cent volume scale, the audio leaks out.

As for the voice calls, the earbuds work well for the user by cancelling all the surrounding noises but to no avail as the in-built microphone often delivers a low and distorted voice to the other end. As there is no option to adjust the distance with the microphone in truly wireless earphones, the users may be left with no choice but to remove them while on calls. Nonetheless, there is absolutely no lagging in the audio during any activity; videos, voice calls and music run in sync with the connected device.

Next in line is the earbuds’ performance where two areas including the battery life and touch responsiveness take the lead. Starting from the battery backup and charging, BTW300 Bass Buds hold the ground in being hands down the powerhouse of playback time. Backing Blaupunkt’s claim that the earbuds can last for up to 40 hours of usage on a full charge, the device may even last longer than that, depending on the volume levels that could be easily maintained at around 60-70 per cent on a scale of 100.

Besides, the ‘TurboVolt’ fast charging technology boots about 60 minutes of power on a 15-minute charge. Moreover, as a power-saving feature, the earbuds automatically shut down after three minutes in case they are not paired with any device. As it is a non-customisable feature, the need to pull out the charging case to restart the buds (due to the unresponsive touch controls) every time they get turned off hinders streaming.

The final and undoubtedly the most problematic aspect of the earphones is their touch controls that include the functionality of their multi-function button and the response time. To begin, the earbuds will require you to put them back in the case to restart as the touch sensors rarely respond to the commands. While trying to change the tracks, the earphones would enable the voice assistant. Similarly, when one tries to raise the volume levels by following the said three-click command on the left earbud, it reduces the volume, while on the other hand, the right earbud, which is meant to reduce the volume, either ends up changing the track or giving no response at all. Only the play and pause function works fine.

Further, while on one hand, the earbuds do not respond to the in-built actions, they sometimes get turned off or give mixed responses when you accidentally touch them. There is no coherence between what the instruction booklet claims and how the earbuds function in terms of their touch controls. At times, the key is too sensitive, and at times, you will end up fidgeting with the multi-function button that fails to serve its purpose.

Verdict

Considering that the sole purpose of a truly wireless earphone is to simplify the users’ audio streaming experience, Blaupunkt’s BTW300 Bass Buds do not meet expectations. Whatever little the device offers in terms of audio quality and noise cancellation get negated by its inability to support the basic features. It seems like a product, which focuses on the number of features while compromising on their quality and efficacy. Apart from its long-lasting battery life and enhanced sound output, there is nothing that BTW300 Bass Buds offer to make itself a compelling deal at Rs 1,499.