Chinese companies are really coming up with interesting takes on tried and true technology. A true wireless pair of Bluetooth earbuds with replaceable batteries? Who woulda thunk?
Syllable D9x Review
I’ve been following the Bluetooth earbud market very closely and while many companies are busy refining their true wireless Bluetooth technologies (like Jaybird with their new Runs), Syllable is busy innovating. As such, they’ve come up with a rather ingenious yet simple way to overcome the battery life dilemma, replaceable batteries. That being said, Syllable’s innovation comes at the cost of refinement which does show in a couple of rough spots, nevertheless not enough to mar an excellent and truly innovative product.
True Innovation
Syllable D9x Specifications
Bluetooth | HFP, HSP, A2DP, AVRCP |
Audio | 8mm Driver |
Battery Pack | 80mAh |
Cigarette Charger | 400mAh |
Bluetooth Range | 20 feet (6 meters) |
Product Dimensions | 5.50 x 1.50 x 2.50 cm |
Package Dimensions | 13.50 x 9.00 x 5.50 cm |
Big thanks to Gearbest for providing this review unit.
Syllable D9x Hardware
Although I praised Syllable quite highly in the introduction, the first thing I see already irks me a little. The earbuds come in a carrying pouch that contains the earbuds, some accessories, and a cigarette lighter case with four batteries inside. I would have much preferred a single cigarette lighter case that was able to hold the batteries as well as the earbuds themselves. Nonetheless, the pouch and case are of decent quality and don’t disappoint.
Tolerances aren’t as tight as I would like them to be, you can see that the battery pack doesn’t slot perfectly into the magnetic holder, nonetheless it still works well.
Strong Magnets
Syllable D9x Battery Life
Because there are four magnetic batteries in total, its easy to get all day battery life with these earbuds. Yank the dead one out and put a new one in. Place the dead one in the case and it will charge, taking about 30-40 minutes to fully charge. You can charge the battery chips and charge the case at the same time (which takes about 2 hours to fully charge), so you could listen to music forever if you so desired. The battery case can charge each chip about three times before needing a charge.
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Syllable D9x Connectivity
Connecting the earbuds to your phone is supremely easy, just snap a battery in to turn the earbud on, and look for the Syllable D9x in your bluetooth menu. If you want to pair these to a second device, you need to press and hold the single button on both earbuds to enter connection mode.
Bluetooth range is about 20 feet (6m) with no obstacles in the way, and about 10 feet (3m) if you have lots of walls and doors inbetween.
Syllable D9x Audio Quality
Audio quality here is average. Its slightly better than my previous Syllable D900 Mini true wireless earbuds, but they weren’t anything to write home about either. I would say that these earbuds match regular $25 earbuds in terms of treble output, beat them in terms of clarity, but fall behind with bass. They are definitely worse quality than the Airpods, Jaybird Runs, and the Bragi Dash also.
That being said, the audio here is good enough for the regular person looking to make the transition to true wireless earbuds, as they won’t find exceptional sound, merely acceptable sound.
Syllable D9x Verdict
Syllable has made an excellent true wireless earbud. It has somewhat solved the battery issue that plagues many wireless earbuds, giving what is essentially around 8 hours of battery life with one caveat, swapping the batteries will require a few seconds of powering off and back on. Plugging the case into a USB outlet will provide you with essentially infinite battery life, something truly awesome. However, for true wireless earbuds, these things are not cheap. Starting at $80USD, you could buy lower end earbuds without replaceable batteries for as low as $15USD, a positive steal. The older versions of Syllable’s wireless earbuds such as the D900, D900s, and D900 Mini range from $30-$50, significantly cheaper than this while providing similar audio quality but poorer battery life.
However, if you compare these to expensive options such as the Bragi Dash Pro, Jaybird Runs, and Apple Airpods, $80 is a small price to pay for a good pair of true wireless earbuds.
Update, these earbuds are on sale for $60, and at that price I do truly recommend them. Link down below.
Infinite battery life