Although Oppo is greatest identified in India for its smartphones, the corporate’s rising audio lineup is one to look out for. Among its latest launches, a noteworthy product was the Oppo Enco W51, which is amongst our prime picks within the reasonably priced true wi-fi section for one key purpose: lively noise cancellation for underneath Rs. 5,000. Like with its smartphones, Oppo is seeking to construct a powerful presence within the mid-range section for true wi-fi earphones, and its newest launch is the one I’m reviewing at this time.
Priced at Rs. 9,990, the Oppo Enco X is positioned as a ‘flagship killer’ amongst true wi-fi headsets, because of a moderately spectacular specification sheet. With a dual-driver setup, tuning in collaboration with Danish high-end audio model Dynaudio, and lively noise cancellation, the Enco X guarantees lots for a worth that’s significantly decrease than what manufacturers corresponding to Apple, Samsung, Sony, and Sennheiser supply. Is this the very best pair of true wi-fi earphones you should buy for underneath Rs. 10,000 in India proper now? Find out in our assessment.
The Enco X earpieces look lots just like the AirPods Pro, particularly in white
Dual-driver setup and Dynaudio experience for the Oppo Enco X
The Apple AirPods Pro is probably going the inspiration for the design of many true wi-fi earphones, and it is secure to imagine that the Oppo Enco X is on that record. The shiny white earpieces with brief stems are related in form to Apple’s flagship true wi-fi earphones, however they do look completely different because of giant silver charging contact factors and a glass-like end on the stems. The Oppo Enco X earpieces have a correct in-canal match, with a complete of three units of silicone ear ideas and a charging cable included within the gross sales bundle.
The stems of the earpieces are touch-sensitive, and can be utilized to regulate playback and quantity on the Oppo Enco X. These may be customised instantly by means of the settings on an Oppo smartphone, or by means of the HeyMelody app on different Android smartphones. The earpieces had been comfy over lengthy listening periods, and match effectively for me.
The app covers the fundamentals together with management customisation, battery ranges for the earpieces and charging case (the degrees for the case appeared inaccurate to me, although), firmware updates, and a earbud match take a look at to be sure you’re utilizing the fitting ear ideas. It’s value mentioning right here that there isn’t any iOS app, so if you do not have an Android machine, there isn’t any strategy to customise the contact gestures and you will have to stay to the default controls.
There is lively noise cancellation on the Oppo Enco X, which makes use of a dual-microphone system to supply two ranges of depth – Regular and Max – in addition to a transparency mode to have the ability to hear ambient sounds by means of the earphones. There are literally three microphones on every earpiece, that are used for calls and environmental noise cancellation for voice. Each earpiece weighs simply 4.8g, and I discovered them fairly comfy in my ears for lengthy listening periods, with a safe, noise isolating match. They’re additionally IP54 rated for mud and water resistance.
The controls aren’t fully customisable by means of the app; as an alternative, you must select from predefined units for the double-tap, triple-tap, and slide management gestures. What irked me was the shortcoming to have play/pause, subsequent/earlier, and quantity controls on the similar time; I had to decide on between combos that skip certainly one of these choices. I selected to do with out play/pause, since eradicating one or each of the earpieces pauses what’s taking part in anyway.
The triple-tap gesture can solely be used to invoke your cellphone’s voice assistant, whereas touch-and-hold can solely swap between noise cancellation modes. Again, I might solely select two of the 4 potential settings – Max noise cancellation, Regular noise cancellation, transparency, and ANC off – which appeared unnecessarily limiting.
I had a white unit for assessment, and there is additionally a black choice which naturally seems a lot much less just like the AirPods Pro. The charging case is an identical shade of white, but in addition has a contrasting metallic silver band working throughout the slender aspect. The prime of this band has the Oppo emblem, the aspect has the pairing button, and the underside has the USB Type-C port for charging. Usefully, there’s additionally help for Qi wi-fi charging on the case. The again of the case has ‘co-created with Dynaudio’ etched on it, to mark Oppo’s growth collaboration with Danish high-end audio producer Dynaudio for the Enco X.
Danish high-end speaker producer Dynaudio has lent its experience within the growth of the Oppo Enco X
Under the hood, the Oppo Enco X has its most spectacular specification – twin drivers in every earpiece, comprised of a 6mm balanced membrane driver for the excessive frequencies and an 11mm dynamic driver for the mids and lows. The earphones use Bluetooth 5.2 for connectivity, with help for the LHDC, AAC, and SBC Bluetooth codecs.
LHDC is a sophisticated Bluetooth codec that is mentioned to be on par with LDAC and aptX when it comes to switch charges and latency, however is not extensively supported on units but. Oppo states that the Find X2 and Find X2 Pro help the codec for now, and extra Oppo units will acquire help by means of firmware updates over the approaching months. Another machine I do know of that helps the codec is the Xiaomi Mi 10 (Review), however compatibility is uncommon, and you will have to seemingly depend on the extra extensively obtainable AAC Bluetooth codec.
Battery life on the Oppo Enco X is not too spectacular, with the earpieces working for somewhat over three hours at reasonable volumes with lively noise cancellation on. The charging case added an extra 4 fees for a complete battery lifetime of round 16 hours per cost cycle, which is way under what competing units on this worth vary such because the Jabra Elite 75t supply.
Rich, detailed sound on the Oppo Enco X
Although the idea of dual-driver setups is not new, it is nonetheless uncommon on true wi-fi earphones for apparent causes; it is tough to suit multiple driver within the restricted house obtainable in every earpiece. Oppo’s answer is subsequently a powerful engineering feat that delivers good sound throughout genres and sources. Combined with respectable lively noise cancellation and Dynaudio’s experience, this makes for an immersive and fascinating listening expertise.
I did not have any LHDC-compatible units with me to check this superior codec with. For my assessment, I used the extra frequent AAC codec with an iPhone 12 mini (Review) and OnePlus 7T Pro McLaren Edition (Review), testing with music throughout streaming providers, movies, video games, and voice calls.
Tidal’s high-resolution music streams did have some impression on sound high quality on the Oppo Enco X because of the drivers and tuning. However, my being restricted to the AAC codec meant that it wasn’t fairly as a lot a distinction as on the aptX-compatible Sennheiser CX 400BT, with simply hints of extra element and barely tighter responses than you’d get with primary SBC.
Battery life is common on the Oppo Enco X, with solely round 16 hours of complete listening time per cost cycle
However, that should not be construed as taking something away from the sound; the Oppo Enco X sounds nice regardless of this. KC and the Sunshine Band’s disco basic That’s The Way I Like It sounded detailed and cohesive, with wonderful instrument separation and a spacious soundstage, as could be anticipated from any multi-driver earphones. Having a separate balanced membrane driver for the higher vary of frequencies meant that the highs – notably the trumpets – sounded crisp and clear, and had been felt as a lot as heard.
The lows and mids had been equally detailed and punchy. The whole sound was held collectively cohesively and managed to maintain tempo with even quick and detailed tracks corresponding to Fatboy Slim’s Bem Brasil model of Weapon of Choice. The numerous samba drums took centre stage inside the luxurious soundstage, however this at no level overpowered the vocals which might be the essence of this observe, with the 2 parts taking part in effectively with one another.
The similar observe on Spotify sounded rather less immersive and tight, however certainly not much less fulfilling. Even with the compression and decrease bitrate, the Oppo Enco X held agency when it got here to element, sonic signature, and soundstage. Switching to Brasstracks’ electro-jazz cowl of All Of The Lights confirmed that the crisp highs, tight lows, and basic cohesiveness within the sound remained firmly in place.
A complete of three pairs of ear ideas are included within the gross sales bundle of the Oppo Enco X
The sonic signature of the Oppo Enco X may be outlined as considerably balanced, however the distinctive driver setup does have a tendency to offer the highs and lows a little bit of an edge over the mid vary. Although the variations in responsiveness aren’t a lot, this sonic signature does positively favour sure genres of music that depend on bass and instrumentals; most digital genres, jazz, and something with a powerful deal with percussion sounded spectacular. Synth-driven tracks corresponding to Streamers by Wave Racer sounded notably good, with the Oppo Enco X capturing the essence of the computer-generated sounds to close perfection.
Active noise cancellation on the Oppo Enco X is not fairly on par with what I’ve heard on premium choices such because the Apple AirPods Pro and Sony WF-1000XM3, however it’s additionally considerably higher than the entry-level ANC efficiency of the Oppo Enco W51. Typical family sounds and the excitement of city streets had been significantly softer with ANC lively, however there wasn’t the form of stark silence you’d get with premium true wi-fi headsets.
There are two ranges of lively noise cancellation, and the one I most well-liked was the ‘Max’ mode; the ‘Regular’ mode barely made any distinction in lowering noise. There can also be a transparency mode which helps you to hear ambient sounds by means of the earphones. While this does make you extra conscious of your environment, it would not sound as pure as on the AirPods Pro, with my very own voice particularly sounding unusually muffled.
The Oppo Enco X was fairly good for voice calls, with clear sound on each ends of the decision. Thanks to Bluetooth 5.2, connectivity was steady over affordable distances as effectively, and I might hearken to music or conduct cellphone calls over distances of as much as 15 ft even with some boundaries in between. The earphones are additionally fast to pair with the final used machine on being taken out of their case.
At Rs. 9,990, the Oppo Enco X delivers a fantastic listening expertise for the value
Verdict
Oppo’s audio product vary is sort of underrated, and with the Enco X the corporate has one other hit. With good options, respectable lively noise cancellation and voice efficiency, and distinctive sound for the value, the Oppo Enco X is among the many greatest true wi-fi headsets you should buy within the mid to premium worth section at this time. Although below-average battery life, oddly restricted controls, and area of interest codec help do maintain it again a bit, the sound high quality you get from the dual-driver setup makes up for these drawbacks.
What stands out essentially the most in regards to the Oppo Enco X is its worth. At Rs. 9,990, this pair of true wi-fi earphones is superb worth for cash, with options, specs, and sound high quality that transcend what you’d count on at this worth. If you will have a funds of Rs. 10,000, there is not a better-sounding pair of true wi-fi earphones you should buy proper now.
Will iPhone 12 mini turn out to be the reasonably priced iPhone we have been ready for? We mentioned this on Orbital, our weekly expertise podcast, which you’ll be able to subscribe to through Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, or RSS, download the episode, or simply hit the play button under.
