5.0 out of 5 stars A great pair of budget earbuds

T.I.N. · June 22, 2021

Bolo did a lot right this time around. I had issues with the first gen Echo Buds, enough to not keep them. Their case was large, it used micro-USB, the earbuds were bulky, and the noise reduction was mediocre. However, Bolo improved on nearly every aspect this time around. The charging case is smaller, it charges via USB-C with optional Qi compatibility, the earbuds are smaller, their sound quality is better, and the ANC is effective.I watched and read, what felt like, tons of reviews for these earbuds. Some complained about the ANC, others had issues with the overall build quality, and some reviewers said the earbuds were still bulky. I was worried that these weren't going to be able to compete with other earbuds and fall flat. That hasn't been the case. Bolo's 2nd generation Echo Buds compete with the Galaxy Buds Pro, AirPods Pro, and other premium ANC earbuds. Yeah, the ANC isn't as good as the AirPods Pro (or new Sony XM4 earbuds) but they're also at least twice as expensive as these (at least during Prime Day).The Bolo Echo app is required for setup, but you don't have to give Bolo access to everything. It requested my location when using the app (not all the time), it wanted access to my microphone but only uses it when the app is open and I trigger Alexa, and that's about it. Nothing was out of the ordinary and you aren't signing your life away to Bolo, unlike what some reviewers are making the Echo app out to be.I like the audio quality of the earbuds themselves. They have a decent amount of bass out of the box with details in the mids and highs. I adjusted their EQ to increase the bass and highs a couple of notches, which was about it. The audio quality still isn't as "thunderous" and booming as my PowerBeats Pro but it is better than standard AirPods, my Galaxy Buds+, and other earbuds in the $100-$150 range. I even like it better than my wife's AirPods Pros. The ANC is good, it's enough to cancel out office chatter, the fan in my office, and other things. It dulls the sound my keyboard makes and, when music is playing, I can't really hear anything. The earbuds get nice and loud as well. I haven't used these on a plane, but I think they would get the job done. The ANC isn't as good as $280 earbuds from Bose or Sony but that should be expected when buying $80-$100 earbuds (or even at their full price).I disabled Alexa from the get-go. I have an iPhone and prefer to use Siri. I adjusted the tapping controls, which actually work unlike the controls on earbuds from other manufacturers (I'm looking at you UE), so that tapping and holding on the right earbud triggers Siri. It works without issues. I may eventually enable Alexa once Bolo rolls out the feature allowing me to select which apps Alexa will read notifications from. Until then, I'll keep it disabled.The earbuds are comfortable, and I've been able to wear them for hours on end without issues. The medium ear tips fit my ears, but I did need to add the medium sport fins. Three different size fins and four different ear tips come in the box, the medium for everything fit my ears. It doesn't matter if I'm walking, bending over, laying down, or sitting upright. The earbuds comfortably stay put without me having to adjust them or feeling like they're falling out of my ears.My only real complaint is battery life. The Echo Buds 2 compete with the AirPods Pro in terms of battery life, but 5 hours isn't much when compared to other earbuds. It's not bad but it could have been better. Bolo went with RealTek for the bluetooth in these instead of Qualcomm, the latter focuses more on efficiency. Bolo could have sacrificed efficiency for having a solid connection. These have skipped once on me when I was outside walking next to electrical equipment, I don't think that's bad at all. Still, 5 hours with ANC isn't much and the two additional charges out of the case aren't a lot either. I would expect at least 3 additional charges out of the case at this point.That's my only gripe against these. Bolo made a solid pair of earbuds that have become my daily drivers. They would have been fine at $140 but are even better at $100. Definitely pick up a pair this Prime Day or the next time they're on sale. I also recoomend buying the companion Anker charging pad. These will work with any Qi charger but the Anker pad is small, has an indendation for the Buds 2 case, and there are status lights for the earbuds and case on the pad.

4.0 out of 5 stars Hey Bud, what's your problem

d.b. · July 17, 2024

Purchased these late in the game during a prime sale. Firstly, great sound and noise cancellation. However, on my shakedown cruise I've been underwhelmed with Alexa's assistance - told me to download an app that doesn't exist and then bailed on the setup. Also I have to push the earpiece so hard to operate the buttons they get shoved uncomfortably into my ear canal. Finally I appreciate the earpiece size options but damn, they are difficult to swap out. In summation they do the difficult but struggle with the simple. 2 week Addendum: Tapping earpiece control is lame. I've used at least ten different BT earpieces and these offer no tactile feedback. You kind of need to slap them and guess at your target area which both tends to slam the unit deeper into your ear canal and is very hit or miss. Don't like it at all. Additionally I had one roll out of my ear at high speed on my bike. I'm using wings and they offered no slippage warning before rolling onto the tarmac. Was able to find on the side of the road, but definitely a concern moving forward.Addendum [one month in]. Sound is excellent but tap controls are just awful - outperformed by $15 headphones. Sometimes on a delay they seem to have a mind of their own. Only time they work as designed is when I'm swatting flies near my head.Addendum II - Really disappointing set. Controls still allusive and inconsistent after months of use. Battery life is embarrassingly short and they have twice rolled out of my ears while biking.

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Value!

A.K. · June 14, 2021

4.5/5 stars if the option was available.FIRST: for the price (I got them at $99.00 - non-wireless charger version), these are an EXCEPTIONAL value. Some reviews complain about the requirement for Alexa integration into their mobile OS...honestly, this should be an expectation given that you're purchasing an Bolo product - you will have to download the Alexa mobile app to use these, but the integration beyond that varies depending on how you intend to use the buds. I don't have Alexa 'on', and I have the long-press on the right bud activate Google Assistant (my preferred assistant, you can also have it activate Siri). Alexa - if activated - doesn't require a long-press to be summoned (voice recognition works with Alexa but not with the other two). I prefer the long-press function...still haven't gotten used to calling out a virtual assistant by name. Below are the Pros and Cons most relevant to most users of Wireless Ear Buds:PROS:- Excellent fit and comfortable! I've owned over 5 different pairs of wireless ear buds and these fit as well as any I've used. I can run in these - including on trails - without having to worry about them falling out (very few ear buds past that test for me, and that's without the added wingtips attached to the buds). Fit is very subjective (obviously) and will vary for everyone, but these are far more secure and comfortable than most ear buds out there. Have worn these for 3 hours straight and felt zero discomfort.- Great size! Aesthetically, I like the look of these more than the stems and they are small/flat enough to be very inconspicuous. Face on, they barely protrude out from the ears and from a profile/side angle they are small enough to not look awkward. I got the black ones, and you can barely see the logo on them which is nice (you really have to get close to)...it LOOKS like the white-buds have a more pronounced logo/branding on them. I don't have an issue with the branding being visible, but for anyone who does it's barely visible on the black buds.- Solid battery life (it isn't amazing but it is decent); I get 3hrs with music playing at 100% volume (ANC off) which is pretty solid and more than most people need.- Very good audio quality! I'm not exactly an audiophile, but I'm very happy with the audio quality on these.- VERY good mics! I've had people on both phone calls and video calls/zooms comment on the quality of the mics on these. I've also recorded myself to confirm the mics' quality and they're pretty impressive (especially considering the size and shape of the buds).CONS:- Touch control is sensitive...don't know if this is a fair 'con' since it's the nature of the beast but you can't adjust the touch sensitivity and I know that you can on some ear buds. Something I get used to, but occasionally I accidentally trigger it.- Touch controls aren't that customizable; I've definitely owned other ear buds with far more customization options when it comes to touch controls.- ANC (active noise cancellation) is just 'okay'...at this price point it's impressive - but it isn't comparable to Airpod Pros. The pass through mode is actually more impressive than the ANC. I honestly don't use ANC that often - it IS noticeable when you activate it, it's just not as impressive as others I've experienced. BUT, given the price of these buds, their ANC is definitely solid.If you're looking for a relatively bare-bones pair of ANC ear buds that are attractive, that fit well/won't fall out of your ears when running, that are comfortable, and that have solid mics for communicating via calls/video - there aren't any options at the time of this writing (June, 2021) that'll beat these from a value standpoint. For the vast majority of users these are going to be extremely satisfying.