Anyone currently stuck on the Apple ecosystem maybe keen to find out that the grass is, indeed, greener on the other side of the walled garden! If you're not too keen on the new AirPods Pro, now is a good time to jump ship to a non-apple product alternative like theKSOUND EP-K06, which also features active noise canceling.
TheKSOUND EP-K06 have a stealth black colorway, which is polar opposite to Apple's whiteout look. The EP-K06 charging case has minimal branding with a discreet KSOUND etching on top of the charging case. On the base of the charging case, there is also a very subtle (hardly visible) etching of the charging case technical specification.
The KSOUND EP-K06 charging case has a compact pebble design with a flat base so, the charging case can stand upright. The USB-C charging port is located on the rear of the charging case. The charging case features a 500 mAhlithium polymer battery that recharges via 5V/1A USB-C charging input. Total charging time of the EP-K06 case is 2 hours.
There four tiny battery leds on the front centre of the charging case. The battery leds sit inside a recessed groove, which helps flip open the lid. The charging case has a rubbery finish, while the docking area inside the charging case is magnetic and split into a raised section and recessed top section where the body of the earbuds sit snugly.
TheKSOUND EP-K06 earbuds have a stocky stem design with a tiny a microphone pinhole at the tip of the stems. Call quality is clear with good amplification, even in a noise environment. The EP-K06 earbuds take 1.5 hours to recharge and can provide 1 hour worth of playtime from a 15-minute recharge, thanks to quick charge support.
The EP-K06 stem is wide but thin and contains a circular glossy section on the top front of the stem and a K logo etching on the bottom front of the stem. In the middle of the stem, there is a tiny bump which happens to actually be the touch control area. The KSOUND EP-K06 earphones have a similar smooth matt rubbery coating as the charging case, although the finish does not seem the same because the earphones mark more easily with oily smudges than the charging case does. The earphones weigh 5 grams weight each.
The circular glossy section on the top of the stem integrates a status led and a feedforward ANC microphone (right above the status led), which does a good job of picking up ambient sound and actively blocking constant type noise (i.e. air conditioner, car noise) but not variable noise. Then again, theKSOUND EP-K06 don't have the Sony or Bose high price tag. The EP-K06 are some of the most affordable active noise cancelling true wireless earbudswith pass through ambient mode that are available on the market right now.
Touch control is responsive, requiring light taps to operate the functions including calls (answer/hang up/ reject calls), ANC, Ambient Sound More and audio playback, including skipping forward, skipping back and play/pause.
TheKSOUND EP-K06 earphones do not support volume control like theAUKEY T16Sdo, which allow you to control volume via long touches. Ambient Sound mode and ANC can be activated when audio is paused. Long pressing the touch area toggles between ANC on, Ambient mode, and then ANC off. You will hear a voice prompt when toggling.
The Bluetooth 5.0 chip inside the earbuds supports SBC and AAC but the KSOUND EP-K06do not support aptX, which minimizes audio/video lag when streaming videos via the YouTube app on an Android device. The AAC codec is also supported on Android but it consumes too much power. The wireless range is stable within a 10 meter range.
Speaking of power, the KSOUND EP-K06 integrate a 45 mAh lithium-polymer battery in each earbud that can power each earbud for 2.5 hours via SBC codec (at 50% volume). You can get up to 3 hours playtime when streaming via standard bluetooth. The charging case provides an additional 20 hours of playtime and measures 6cm long, 4.5cm wide and 3cm tall. Total weight (without earbuds) is 32 grams.
TheKSOUND EP-K06 earphones look deceptively small. They are actually larger than they look but in a good way since the EP-K06 earphones do not look bulky on the ears. Much of the large size of the EP-K06 earphones is contained within the body, which has large acoustic chambers and a short nozzle neck with metal mesh tip. The EP-K06 earphones have superb dynamics with punchy bass, which is balanced with the midrange and treble.
The KSOUND EP-K06 earbuds power on and power off automatically when taken in and out of the charging case. You can also power them on and power them off manually. Once powered on, the EP-K06 earbuds pair automatically to each other; hence you only have to make one connection, which is much more convenient. Most newer true wireless earbuds are being made with single-bluetooth connection, although some true wireless earbuds (especially older models) still require pairing each earbud, which is not as convenient like the pairing process of other true wireless earbuds.
IPX5 rating
The single-pairing process with theEP-K06 is straightforward, although there is a 2-3 second re-connection delay when switching back from mono to stereo listening. Some true wireless earphones have virtually no re-connection delay when switching from mono to stereo listening. The KSOUND EP-K06 earbuds can be used independently too so, each earbud can be paired with a different dievice..
If you have never heard of KSOUND before, that is because it is a relatively new company branched off of AUKEY, which is a established brand name behind the T10 true wireless earbuds with Qi charging case. You can buy the KSOUND EP-K06 onamazon. Check out the review of theAukey EP-N5 ANC earbuds
