Pros
- Balanced, natural, confident sound
- All-business specification
- Comfortable despite hefty dimensions
Cons
- Expensive and then some
- Not the punchiest listen
- Wireless connectivity is rather inelegant
The Audeze Euclid is our pick for the category you’ve likely never heard of – best hybrid true wireless earbuds. That is to say that you can use them in both wired and wireless form – though this comes at a literal cost.
Of course, the high-end price tag isn’t just due to the hybrid functionality on offer (that’d be ridiculous), in fact it’s the rest of the innards – including 18mm planar magnetic transducers – that bring the price tag right up.
In terms of design, each earbud connects to a braided cable using click-on/click-off MMCX connectors, allowing you to switch between a standard 3.5mm or 4.4mm connection, along with a much shorter cable with a Bluetooth receiver that sits behind your head. It’s not the most elegant wireless solution, and the wired connection will obviously deliver better audio quality, but it’s nice to have the option to go somewhat wireless – complete with a 24-bit resolution DAC – when you need to.
The earbuds are a little on the chunky side, and that’s down to the amount of audio tech found within them. That includes 18mm planar magnetic transducers that require a bit of space to operate, along with the combination of ultra-thin Uniforce transducers and Aueze’s patented Fazor wave guides to negate phasing and distortion, as well as Fluxor magnets to reduce distortion even further.
With that all being said, it should come as no surprise that the reviewer was very impressed by the audio experience on offer, delivering naturalistic and precise tones all the way down to 10Hz. The buds deliver deep, rapid and extensively detailed low frequencies, with a similarly controlled top-end boasting crisp treble sounds with just enough bite to make the high frequencies shine.
The mid-range also delivers. It’s spacious enough to pick up the most fleeting or minor details while being robust enough to give true substance to voices and instruments. Combined, the entire frequency range is well balanced with plenty of dynamic headroom to make the most of crescendos and other big changes in attack.
What you don’t get, however, is very much in the smarts department, with nothing in the way of ANC or transparency modes or even built-in microphones to take calls. The Bluetooth battery life is also rather limited at just eight hours of use, so they’re not the perfect all-rounders despite that high-end price tag. It has approached end of life status, so if you’re looking to get this pair, snap them up while it’s still available.
Reviewer: Simon Lucas
Full Review: Audeze Euclid
