Aukey EP-B33

The features

Flexible cables and velvety rubberised earpieces – which can be adapted to individual ear needs by three pairs of silicone ear tips in S, M and L – look extremely high-class and robust. Thanks to their protection class (IPX6), the technology also tolerates sweat when exercising indoors or rain when strolling outside. Bluetooth 5.0 allows you to quickly connect up to two devices at the same time and, thanks to the aptX low-latency codec, you can also watch Youtube videos lipsync. A2DP, AVRCP, aptX, AAC, SBC are also available.

And the sound?

The EP-B33’s 10-millimetre dynamic graph drivers are inherently balanced and melodious. No excessive rumbling in the bass to disturb your listening and from the middle to high, a full-to-clear path is followed, where even more complex music is beautifully reproduced on a wide stereo stage. It has good sound; but if I had to criticise, I’d say it lacks adequate brilliance and volume for my tastes. If you’re looking for something to match to your listening habits, the EP-B33 offers three EQ modes that can be switched through via a dedicated button on the neckband-embedded remote: bass, mid-range or balanced sound. The bass preset does provide more bass in the ears, the middle one doesn’t bring any sound benefit to me personally, and the balanced preset is the default setting of the Aukeys, which – as already mentioned – is not bad at all.

The operation

The neckband ends are nicely finished with metal sleeves. On the righthand side, there is the remote, which offers all usual control options such as volume, skip, play/stop/call in addition to the already mentioned EQ button. The buttons are easily palpable and have a clear pressure point so that the Aukeys can be controlled and operated smoothly even with medium concentration. Especially frequent callers appreciate neckband headphones, not least because the short cable prevents the earphones from slipping, pulling or pulling. So it’s a shame that the quality of the built-in microphone isn’t quite as good as the rest of the technology, which results in a muffled, noisy and cheap sound. You always expect to swallow some disappointment at this price point; in this instance, it’s the microphone.

A particularly nice feature is the magnetic earphones, which pause the music when snapping together in front of your chest and only resume it when you release it from each other and put it back into your ears.

Battery and power

There’s always plenty of power in the neckband. Indeed, the fully charged lithium polymer battery provides a decent battery life of eight hours. With 10 minutes charging time, undertaken via USB-C (a USB-A to USB-C cable is included) you can then use the Aukey EP-B33 for another two hours.