Allway OpenEar OE10 TWS Bluetooth Earbuds – Freedom Sparks
Allway OpenEar OE10 is a $ 99 USD pair of open-ear TWS True Wireless Earbuds, with no silicone tip, and a very on-ear clip design, that will be the star of today’s review. They have many unique pieces of tech, and are designed for the best comfort possible, so I will try to compare them to other earbuds and IEMs, including Tronsmart Onyx Ace PRO (35 USD), SIVGA M200 (49 USD), and Smabat M2S PRO (64 USD)
Introduction
Allway is a new company creating OpenEar Earbuds, which is a new concept, different from both bone conduction and IEMs, the idea is to have an earbud that clips to your ear to eliminate the discomfort that typically comes with earbuds, the wearing fatigue that comes from IEMs with silicone tips, but to have the convenience with TWS Bluetooth IEMs.
It should be noted that I have absolutely no affiliation with Allway, I am not receiving any incentive for this review or to sweeten things out. I’d like to thank Allway for providing the sample for this review. Every opinion expressed is mine and I stand by it. The purpose of this review is to help those interested in the Allway OpenEar OE10 find their next music companion.
Product Link
You can grab one from www.amazon.com here: https://amzn.to/43oZFv1
If you’re in the UK, you can grab one from www.amazon.co.uk here: https://amzn.to/3BNyVZk
And if you’re from Europe, you can grab one from www.amazon.de here: https://amzn.to/3MOZcNa
Build Quality/Aesthetics/Fit/Comfort
We have a unique construction and design for OE10, they are earbuds, but rely on the clips that go around your ears to stay on your ears. I find this to be pretty cool, because they can’t fall off even if you’re wearing them while doing physical activities such as running or jogging, or even weight lifting. The fact that there’s nothing going inside of your ears means that they are going to be far less irritating than IEMs if you have sensitive ears.
They connect to each other via TWS, and to your smartphone via Bluetooth. AAC is the best codec available, with no LDAC or aptX codecs detected by my smartphone. The TWS Earbuds are lightweight, at 13.8 grams, and they rotate a bit around your ears being rather comfortable in practice, with the only part that may cause discomfort being the ear guides that go around your ears, which are rather large, but ergonomic, rounded with no sharp edges.
The battery life is super good, they offer around 6 hours of battery, and the case has about 2 extra charges. They have 16.2mm drivers, and have Bluetooth 5.3, with a type-C charging port, and can connect to two devices. The microphone quality is very good, and it takes about one hour and a half to charge the TWS IEMs, and also one hour and a half to charge the cradle case.
In actual practice, they offer very little passive noise isolation, they are comfy, and you can barely feel them. Fit quality is important for the sound, but they adjust well to my ears. The design is superb and they look super high end. Sadly, the maximum volume is extremely limited, and they feel like they were designed to protect the hearing of the wearer. The connection quality is excellent, and my smartphone has no problems holding a stable connection at all times, even if very far away from OE10.
Sound Quality
Since most Bluetooth sources will sound the same, I’ve mainly used my smartphone, Motorola Edge 40 PRO, and Huawei P30 PRO to drive the OpenEar OE10 from Allway. The general sound is thick, warm in the midrange, with poor extension in the bass, and a bass roll off around 70 Hz, with not much information below 50Hz, and with a treble extension that goes as high as about 7-9kHz, after which there’s not much information either. This means that most of the music they reproduce will be in the midrange, where they sound sweet, musical, thick and casual.
The bass doesn’t have a lot of energy, there’s good warmth and the sound can be called thick and warm, but that’s on the midrange, and at most the upper bass, as there is a complete roll off around 50Hz. The upper bass has some extra warmth and thickness, but with most music the bass will not be evident, or audible. There is audible distortion at maximum volume, which is already rather low for my preferences, it is around 75-80dB, but that distortion happens in the mids and not the bass.
The midrange is thick, warm, and sweet, and reproduces voices nicely, with guitars sounding rather nice, but the instrument separation is poor, the soundstage is wide, but scattered, and the dynamic range is good. The maximum volume is really low, so they are great if you want something that will not affect your hearing. I personally can enjoy old rock nicely with them, but most commercial, new music will sound rather dull, due to the lack of bass. Both male and female voices are super pleasing, and the mid centric sound is not bad in any way, but it is not exceptional in any way either, the detail level is fair for the price.
The treble rolls off super early, and just like the bass, if you’re okay with the limitation of them having a strong roll off, the treble is the kind that has some sparkle without being fatiguing or harsh / metallic. The whole presentation is kept back by the fit, there is bass in the driver, but it doesn’t transfer it well to the ear, and the treble is also not absent, but it doesn’t transfer well to my ears, because the fit is so open and most information is actually lost in the air. The sound is similar to what I get with most earbuds though, and comparing the OE10 to them, the fit is much more stable, and the comfort much better, although the maximum volume is somewhat lower.
Comparisons
Allway OpenEar OE10 vs Tronsmart Onyx Ace PRO (99 USD vs 35 USD) – The design is similar, both are Bluetooth earbuds, I prefer OE10 for the sonic quality, they sound much better than Onyx Ace PRO, and I get better comfort with OE10 asd well. OE10 is pricier than Onyx Ace PRO, and it feels like all those companies are competing for who can offer a decent TWS Earbud, so whoever does that effectively will probably be able to sell it for a bonus.
Allway OpenEar OE10 vs Smabat M2S PRO (99 USD vs 64 USD) – Smabat M2S PRO actually has a much worse comfort than OE10, which is much more comfortable. The maximum volume is higher on M2S PRO, but the sonic performance is similar, with the OE10 not sounding worse than M2S PRO in detail and resolution, especially since M2S PRO barely sits in my ears. I would recommend the OE10 here if you want the Bluetooth and an earbud with better comfort.
Allway OpenEar OE10 vs SIVGA M200 (99 USD vs 49 USD) – The comfort is better for OE10, and they have a really nice build quality, plus more components inside since they are Bluetooth, and the Bluetooth works really well, but the sound of M200 can get louder, has better bass and treble extension, with better detail and instrument separation. OE10 is more open and allows you to hear what’s happening on the outside, being a good option if you’re into quiet sounding Bluetooth earbuds, but M200 is better if you just want earbuds with a good sonic quality.
Value and Conclusion
At the end of the day, the price is for a novel product, as most companies shy away from making something new, in fear of missing the point with them. Allway has been courageous, and created a product with a fair sound quality, good comfort, and something that at the moment does not exist on the market. While not perfect, the OE10 is interesting, although pricey for an experiment.
If you’re looking for something that’s Bluetooth and TWS, but an earbud that can clip to your ear, if you want to feel safe and hear what’s happening outside, if you want to have a good build quality, a snazzy carrying / charging case, and good battery life, and if you don’t listen loud usually, Allway OpenEar OE10 is an interesting unique option at the moment of me writing today’s review.
Product Link
You can grab one from www.amazon.com here: https://amzn.to/43oZFv1
If you’re in the UK, you can grab one from www.amazon.co.uk here: https://amzn.to/3BNyVZk
And if you’re from Europe, you can grab one from www.amazon.de here: https://amzn.to/3MOZcNa
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Full Playlist used for this review
We listened to more songs than those named in this playlist, but those are excellent for identifying a sonic signature. I recommend trying most of the songs from this playlist, especially if you’re searching for new music! The playlists are different for Spotify, Tidal and Youtube, and based on the songs I enjoy and are available on each!
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL_cjBXGmwSHSdGcwuc_bKbBDGHL4QvYBu
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5J3oloz8Riy9LxEGenOjQ0?si=979ba4f082414be7
https://tidal.com/browse/playlist/330fd544-8e5b-4839-bd35-676b2edbb3d5
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