Edifier W240TN

The Edifier W240TN, which are available in black and white, come with ear tips in four different sizes, which allows for customisation of the fitting characteristics. The rather striking industrial-style design stands out but limits the combinability with wearing caps; otherwise, it does not affect wearing comfort. Since these in-ears are manufactured to be dust-, water- and sweat-resistant in accordance with IP55, the system is also suitable for sporting activities.

Battery life

With noise cancelling activated and the volume turned up, the Edifier W240TN achieve a runtime of just under six and a half hours, which increases to eight hours in basic mode. In addition, these earphones can be fully charged twice in the case and once more with a remaining capacity of three hours, resulting in a total runtime of a good 22 hours in ANC mode and 27 hours in standard mode. These in-ears are fully charged after about 60 minutes, and a ten-minute quick charge offers an extra listening time of two hours. The case’s battery reserve is replenished after 80 minutes, for which a USB-C to USB-A charging cable is included.

Operation

When setting up the Edifier W240TN, the first pairing can be done directly by opening the case, which turns the system on and automatically puts it into pairing mode. If other devices, such as a tablet, are to be paired instead of a smartphone, the case button must be held down while the headphones are in the charger with the case open. Alternatively, the pairing mode can also be activated via the app. Then, the in-ears support single-sided use in single mode. It is not possible to switch the Edifier W240TN on and off manually via the pleasantly smooth, large push-buttons, which means that the charging case is always required.

Once a wireless connection is established, a single press controls playback and is used to answer as well as end phone calls. This setting is fixed, while the other button assignments can be adapted to your personal needs via the app. There are numerous options to choose from, such as volume control and track navigation or activating and deactivating the gaming mode. It is a pity, however, that the buttons cannot be configured separately for the left and right sides. In this respect, a maximum of four functions can be controlled, which seems like it has the potential for expansion and would be a desirable update. As a factory setting, a double press advances to the next track, while a triple press activates a voice assistant. A press-and-hold switches between ANC, ambient and basic modes.

App connectivity

In addition to the button configuration, the Edifier Connect app (Android and iOS) provides two pre-configured sound modes to choose from, “Classic” and “Dynamic”. Using the “Customised” setting, you can make your own settings, which can be saved as a pre-set and shared with friends. It is also possible to switch between standard mode, noise cancelling and transparency mode via the app; here, the amplification of external noise is available in seven intensity levels. Furthermore, the gaming mode can be switched on or off, and a timer is available. Firmware updates can also be performed.

Speech intelligibility during phone calls

In a quieter environment, the Edifier W240TN make it easy to make intelligible phone calls. However, ambient noise is only slightly attenuated, so louder street or construction noise has a negative effect on the intelligibility of one’s own voice. Similarly, stronger wind noises worsen the voice quality.

Gaming mode

The earpieces do not support high-quality audio codecs, so you have to make do with Bluetooth standard SBC, which can be noticeable in films and mobile phone or computer games through an offset between picture and sound. However, the gaming mode reduces this latency, which noticeably improves synchronicity. Another positive aspect is that latency optimisation does not affect the stability of the wireless connection indoors, where the range is about ten metres. Only outdoors does the distance shorten from 18 metres in standard mode to 12 metres in gaming mode.

Noise cancellation and transparency mode

The Edifier W240TN’s hybrid noise cancelling effectively attenuated low-frequency external noise in particular. Even more distant background noises, such as a lawnmower, were effectively filtered out, while louder voices in the immediate vicinity were only slightly filtered out. High-frequency noises, such as ringing tones, were also barely reduced. In transparency mode, there was a background noise that increased from level to level. Apart from that, however, the headphones impressed us with very clean and intense amplification, making it easy to understand other people and announcements. The surroundings can also be perceived over a fairly large area, which increases the user’s safety.

Sound

The Edifier W240TN have two dynamic drivers with a diameter of ten and six millimetres per side, which are seamlessly coordinated and offer an appealingly spacious, uncluttered sound image. Even complex arrangements didn’t seem cramped and were reproduced with great detail. All in all, it was fascinating how much sound potential the dual drivers teased out of the SBC codec. The Classic mode focused on spatial representation, which conveyed a more indirect and balanced sound impression than the more fun-oriented Dynamic mode. Nevertheless, the bass reproduction was already powerful and had a certain fullness but did not reach as deep. This was accompanied by a present midrange that was clear and very lively but also soft and pleasing without the contours fading. Voices had a high intelligibility, which means the tuning is recommended for movies and spoken content, which is a good feature. The upper registers did flatten slightly but otherwise appeared neither too timid nor too loud.

In Dynamic mode, the sound reproduction was more direct, it harmonised well with modern music styles and had assertiveness in mobile use. Unlike in Classic mode, the bass foundation reached far down and had a full-bodied low end, sounding rich but not too bulky. More energy was also present in the higher registers, which sounded fresher and livelier. Sibilants were presented more concisely than in the Classic mode, but this did not seem obtrusive. The midrange was somewhat more restrained in comparison but by no means seemed powerless and had a more pronounced basic warmth.