Hifiman TWS600 is a true wireless earphone with IPX4 rating, very good battery life and neutral-bright sound. It is priced at 199$ but it’s regularly going on sale.
Sound quality for the price
Build quality
Value (if on sale)
To be honest, I’m not the biggest fan of TWS earphones. I prefer the DAP and wired earphones combination, but this time Hifiman offers an excellent replacement for the more prominent mobile set.
Packaging
HifiMan TWS600 comes in a box with a black front and red sides. I would say that it’s a typical box for TWS earphones. Of course, it’s not bad; they’re easier to notice for regular users, not true audiophiles.
Inside the box, you can find the TWS600 itself, a short USB-C cable, and eight pairs of eartips. Three pairs of regular, two bi-flange, one tri-flange, and one with more extended flange. Tips are of very good quality. They apply smoothly and shouldn’t spread with time.
Build quality
The case is made of grey plastic outside and a black one on the inside.
I really like the rubber on the bottom, it’s useful in trains, on the plane and in other means of transport. It holds the case easily in place and doesn’t distract when I try to take the case out of the pocket. On the top, you can see the HifiMan logo made of brushed metal with a black background.
The earphone is also made of plastic, but it is very light, much lighter than Mpow M9, Noble Audio Falcon, or Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless. It can feel a little cheap for some, but that’s the cost of its light, which makes it more comfortable.
On the top of each earphone are placed LED indicators, which show the earphone status of Bluetooth connection or charging when in case. In the middle is set a small button used to control the music and phone calls.
Comfort
As I said before, this is a very comfortable TWS earphone with a well-set center of gravity. They never fell out of my ear, even when I was playing with my dog. The only thing I can be rid of is that it’s hard to open the case with one hand.
Buttons on the earphones aren’t hard to press; you don’t have to impact the earphone deep into the ear as I had to when I was using RHA TrueConnect.
Functionality, connection, and battery life
Buttons on each earphone allow you to stop, skip, and undo the track.
You can also change the volume with a double click, right turns up, second lower volume.
The microphone is accurate, but it collects the sound of the wind.
The Bluetooth range is fantastic. I can leave my phone wherever and walk around the house.
Battery life is also great, it holds easily for 5 hours without keeping them in the case, which allows them to charge them six times. The battery status is visible in Android. It’s accurate. Inside the box are placed 5 LED indicators that show up the level of the case accumulator.
Sound
At first, I wasn’t positive about TWS600 at the beginning, but I got the point after some time of listening. Hifiman TWS600 is a great option for music without sharp treble and high mids. Most of the fun comes from everything above the midrange, but still, it isn’t the most fun-to-listen TWS earphone I’ve heard, don’t expect something like Noble Falcon at this part. TWS600 is more bright, with an excellent detail retrieval in this price range.
Personally, I use them for LoFi or calm classical music.
The bass is the weakest point overall. I’m missing the subbass a lot, but mid and higher parts are way better. They don’t show up at the front, but they nicely play in the background. Kickbass beats the beat greatly. It’s similar to the Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless, smooth and neutral.
The midrange is neutral bright overall. It states as the most essential part of a sound, but it’s brightened. Lower male vocals like Dave Gahans can sound empty for some. They aren’t such powerful as they can be. On the other hand, all wind instruments sound incredibly meaningful. They are really exact and gently smoothed. This allows the jazz music to sound full breast.
The treble is weird, it is everywhere and nowhere at the same moment. It is sharp with electronics but recessed when drum plates are playing. Sometimes it can be even painful. If it will be annoying for you, use equalizer at 8-9KHz, helps a lot. Also, a piano sounds wonderful, listening to “The Pianist” movie soundtrack is hardly enjoyable, but after EQ.
The soundstage is shockingly good for a TWS earphone. It is cone-shaped, with great imaging and holography. Width and height are on the same level. In upper mid, there is a lot of air, but lower mid is compressed into one point.
It is also great for movies and gaming unless the delay won’t be problematic. Using AAC the delay is way lower and doesn’t bother me personally.
Summary
I can’t evaluate TWS600 with a few words. It is better in some aspects than other competitors in this price range, but it loses the fight in other elements. Overall, Hifiman TWS600 sounds neutral-bright with great holography, a very high level of comfort and great Bluetooth range. It’s a brave move for such an influential brand to go into the TWS market, but i think they did a pretty good job with these.
Gear used during this review for the sake of comparison and as an accompanying equipment:
- Earphones – Sennheiser Momentum TWS, Noble Falcon, Mpow M9, Mpow M30
- Sources– Xiaomi Mi9, iBasso DX160, iPhone 7+
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