Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

AirMod Wireless Bluetooth Adapter for Bose QuietComfort 25 Headphones (QC25) << 9TH MAR UPDATE: For prospective buyers, please be cautious of 4/5 star short reviews that simply write along the lines of "works as exprected", "great wireless addition to QC25" without any depth of analysis. In less than 3 weeks of owning mine, the volume down button has malfunctioned. I have no choice but to drop the rating from 3 to 1. The tactile response, button travel and click sound is different from the volume up and play/pause. The adapter now is practically stuck at max volume. Pressing the volume down will result in either; (a) nothing happens, (b) it registers as a play/pause button or (c) registers as a volume up button - which then plays a very loud beep because it's already at max volume *rustration intensifies* I had already pointed out the cheap quality of the buttons in my original review below - but I did not expect it to fail so quickly. There are shortcomings and serious QC issues with this product, please beware of it >> The Good: * Weight - or rather the lack thereof * Pairing – no issues with my 3 year old Dell laptop & Huawei P9 Lite * Design - aesthetically pleasing to the eye versus competing BTunes adapter * Sound - no discernible difference in sound quality between Bluetooth and wired * LED indicator – even more discreet than the already discreet indicator on the headphone The Mediocre: * Pricing I - raised by $10 after exposure on Youtube * Availability - Would've been nice if Encased offered international shipping * Pricing II - Ridiculous outside of Amazon US * Range - Audio clipping approx 3.5 - 5 metres away from phone The Underwhelming: * [UPDATED 9 Mar, moved from The Mediocre] Plastics - OK quality but way inferior to Bose's plastics, volume down button failed within 3 weeks * Battery - achieving only 5.5 - 6.5 hours real world usage * Random wireless performance - out of the blue stuttering/clipping * Proprietary cable & charging method * Lack of battery level indicator Do I like these? Certainly yes, there's nothing on the market that's comparable right now. Removing the stock wires (which tends to stick to backpacks, clothing) is an immensely pleasant experience. And while I appreciate Encased/Bolle & Raven for producing such a product, it is not without its criticisms. Design is good. It looks as though it was an accompanying part for the QC25 if not for the stand out Airmod logo (note: if you have the White or Triple Black QC25, it wouldn’t be as matching). Nothing to shout about the build quality. You can definitely feel the difference in plastics quality when you handling the left earcup. The adapter fits nicely, although not snug. This means that when pressing the buttons, you can feel movement of the adapter and hear some creaking. Not great though not hugely detrimental either. Buttons are tactile but when pressed, they have the feel of a Happy Meal toy. IMO, they aren’t as satisfying to press versus the in-line buttons on the stock cable. It sounds okay from out the outside, but when pressed while listening, the creaky hollow plastic clicking sound is cringe worthy. More grumbles: I wish there was some sort of LED colour scheme to indicate battery level. I wish there was a microUSB charging inlet so I don’t need the 6” flimsy cable, which costs $10 if I lose it. Haven’t had any disconnection issues. However, I have experienced occasional unexplained audio clipping/stuttering. It just seems to randomly happen. Happened when phone was moving about, happened when phone was stationary. Happened at home, happened whilst commuting on the metro. Would be a return for some, but I could live with it for now. The original reason I bought the QC25s over QC35s was because the battery isn’t built-in. As with most consumer battery products (phones, power banks), it’s about a year or so before the battery begins to degrade. With the QC25, I use Eneloop rechargeables – which lasts approx. 24 hours. Disappointingly, the Airmod’s life is only a quarter of that. Unless you have 2 of these for a whole day of usage, you'll need to stop listening for an hour to charge it. Even more painful that it'll never reach anywhere near the claimed 8 hours. Perhaps only achievable with 1% volume. Still, with QC25s, you at least have the option to CHANGE the battery unlike the QC35s. I suppose you can say the same about the Airmod as well, just that an Eneloop battery costs $2 while an Airmod costs whatever amount Encased desires. Which brings me to the next point, pricing. You may point out “hey, MSRP is $119.99 and can’t you see they’re charging much less than that?” In my world, it’s a regular move to make consumers feel they’re getting a good deal. When I learnt the existence of the Airmods via JimsReviewRoom video, Encased was selling it at $69.99. No immediate purchase was made as I was waiting to compare QC35 trade-in pricing from my local Bose. When the hefty trade-in cost was announced (SGD466 | USD329), it only made sense to buy the Airmod – only then to find out it is now $79.99. Check out the pricing history on Camelcamelcamel. $70 since Day 1 on Amazon, suddenly jacked to $80 just 4 days after JimsReviewRoom published his review on Youtube. Coincidence? I think not. Oh, and about regional pricing; > Amazon US: USD79.99 | approx. GBP65 > Amazon UK: GBP99.99 | approx. USD124 > Amazon DE: EUR140.71 | approx. USD149 I discovered these atrocious price differences when looking at Amazon Europe since shipping to my country from Europe is faster than from the US. Final words. The jump from stock wired to wireless with these Airmods is great. The surrounding functions around it aren’t so great. I hope that Encased will come out with a Mk II improved version of some sort because a QC25 with a phenomenal adapter will simply destroy any appeal of getting the QC35. Make it last longer, have a microUSB charging inlet, include a battery indicator. Yet given its letdowns, I may just make another (albeit unhappy) purchase just so I have an Airmod at the ready when the other one runs out of juice. *sigh*