Aukey EP-N5

A low weight of five grams per side favours a comfortable fit without pressure discomfort, especially as the wireless earpieces embed themselves well in the ear, providing stability suitable for sports. Although these in-ears should not necessarily be exposed to extreme shocks, there is sufficient support when jogging or doing similar activities. In addition, because the robust design protrudes only slightly, these in-ears are compatible with wearing a cap while outdoors, they are protected against wet weather in accordance with IPX5.

If used at a higher volume, the EP-N5 offer a running time of just under six hours. Noise suppression has a fairly low effect on the running time so that these headphones can be used for a good five hours in ANC mode. If the batteries are empty, a full charge of the in-ears in the transport case, which serves as a charging station, takes about 70 minutes; this can be done three times in total until the reserve is exhausted. With active noise suppression, the total running time of this compact duo is therefore more than 20 hours, while in standard operation it is around 23 hours. The case can be recharged in 125 minutes using the USB-C connection provided, for which a USB-C to USB-A charging cable is supplied.

Device control

Coupling the headphones, which in combination with various Android and iOS devices offered a range of seven to eight metres within an urban environment, can be done directly with their removal from the case. This turns the system on and automatically puts it into pairing mode, while returning them to the charging case turns them off. In addition, the right-hand side, which acts as master, can also be used individually in single mode. However, it is not possible to switch the headphones on and off manually, which might be seen as a shortcoming.

When a wireless connection is established, tapping the left or right side controls playback and also is used to answer calls, while holding it down ends the call. However, you can select a title by double-tapping on the left-hand side of the headphones, and move backwards and forwards over on the right-hand side. Voice assistants can also be activated by triple tapping. Volume control is not supported, however, and it must be performed on the device itself or by voice control. While the remote reacts without delay, multiple tapping requires some attention as misinterpretations can occur if the tapping sequence is not fast enough or is too slow. A positive feature of the remote control is that it is easy to understand speech on both sides of a phone call, even if your own voice is slightly distorted in the high frequencies.

Sound

The modern, universal tuning of these in-ears has a clear sound image that appears bright rather than dark. The full, powerful bass reproduction extends into the low bass range and provides powerful listening pleasure, but is by no means dominant. While voices are portrayed in a lively and easily understandable way, the present high-frequency range can be perceived as a little exaggerated. However, there is no unpleasant harshness and the trebles sound appealingly fresh, especially since no drop-off is noticeable. In this respect, a wide range of applications is covered and those who like to listen loudly during exercise can fall back on considerable reserves.

In view of the price category, the noise suppression, which can be activated and deactivated by holding a headphone surface, is surprising in several ways. Firstly, there is no audible background noise, as is often the case even with significantly higher priced models. In addition, not only low frequency outside noise but also complex sources such as street noise or a radio in the background is noticeably attenuated. Although the reduction is not immensely high, in combination with the good passive shielding of these in-ears, it had convincing results on public transport. Another good feature is that in ANC mode there is only a subtle boost of the lower frequency range, which gives the sound a little more richness without affecting the listening experience.