Earlier we wrote about the invention of the company Creative – sound processing technology Super x-fi and even did a review on the headphones Creative outlier air. And today we’ll look at their improved version – fully wireless headphones Creative outlier gold.
These are wireless moisture-proof in-ear headphones of light golden color that gives off to copper, with software support Super x-fi, Bluetooth 5.0, aptX, Aac and 5.6 mm graphene diaphragm. In fact, we have before us the version of Creative Outlier Air pumped mainly in terms of battery. In Russia, the device is priced at about 7,500 rubles (RRC), but in some stores it can be found for 5990 rubles.
Outlier Gold are delivered in a small box where they are in special plastic protection. The kit includes: the headset itself, an aluminum case with plastic elements around the edges and a built-in battery for recharging the earbuds during storage, a small USB cable for charging the case (Type-A – Type-C), four pairs of mini-tips for medium and large ears and user manual.
Outwardly, the case resembles a flattened cylinder and fits into a pocket without any problems. On the side are four light indicators that signal the state of charge of each insert and the case itself. Here is the entrance USB Type-C.
To open the case, you need to press on the side of the plastic cover, like a box of matches. Inside there are special niches with magnets for reliable attachment of the liners. They attract headphones, and they do not fall out, even if you start to shake the open case upside down.
The manufacturer says about 14 (!) Hours of continuous operation at an average sound volume and a few more recharges from the case. The total operating time is 39 hours.
During the day of use, I could not even discharge the device by half. Creative Outlier Gold can withstand even continuous 10-hour ASMR podcasts at 70% volume without recharging.
For three months of use, I have never encountered a disconnection of ears. There was always enough charge. You can even forget about the device in the bag, and then come back in a month and find out that it is full of energy. In this regard, the gadget is very reliable.
From zero to 100% of the earbuds are charged in the case for 1 hour 25 minutes.
The headphone charge level is displayed as a percentage in the Bluetooth menu of the smartphone. You can also understand that the liner is discharged by the quick red blinking of the ring indicator light.
As for the case, it’s more difficult with this – it remains only to look at the charge indicator light for an approximate understanding. If it is red, then the case has less than 30% energy left. If blue, then more than 30%. And if it does not burn, then it is fully charged.
Another inconvenient moment – it is too difficult to press a button in the center of each headphone. To do something on the device itself, you have to pull out the earbuds from your ears and press on them with force. Either firmly squeeze with two fingers right in your ears. In my opinion, in order to switch the track, change the volume, pause the song or answer the call, it is easier to use a smartphone. It is unfortunate that in this version there is no touch control.
Tight buttons, on the other hand, prevent you from accidentally pressing something. In addition, the headphones sit perfectly in the ear and do not interfere, even if you are lying on a pillow on your side, trying to fall asleep under an ASMR podcast, or listening to music in a hat. They also do not fall to the floor during active training.
Convenience is the trump card of these ears after a bottomless battery. Creative Outlier Gold is protected against moisture and sweat according to the IPX5 standard, which allows you to play sports and be sure that nothing will happen to the device.
Gadget supports Siri and Google Assistant, as well as stereo calls, giving out the interlocutor’s voice in two ears at once, but has a regular built-in microphone. It is located in the left liner, so it transmits mono.
The sound quality that is transmitted through the microphone is standard. And, as in other in-ear headsets, in noisy rooms, in crowded public places and near the highway, the interlocutors will not hear you well. In this regard, nothing better than headsets with an external microphone on a flexible mount, have not been invented.
It is also worth noting that the Outlier Gold microphone does not have a noise reduction system. The interlocutors hear the sounds from the keyboard buttons, a dog walking on the parquet and people from the next room if they are arguing loudly about something.
At the same time, the sound that the headphones give out is good and loud. Outlier Gold sounds about the same as Outlier Air. Here is a great booming bass, which is always in the compositions where it should be. But there is a slight overabundance of medium frequencies, and high places can whistle in places.
Sound transparency is average – almost all instruments are audible, but they are not felt as naturally as they should. Some instruments sound louder than necessary.
In general, the sound quality level is lower than that of more expensive musical ears, such as the Sony WF-1000XM3, but it is more than enough for listening to ASMR podcasts and convenient use during active training – especially taking into account protection from sweat and water.
As I wrote at the beginning of the review, Creative Outlier Gold supports proprietary Super X-Fi technology. Her idea is to create an extra volume of music that simulates concert sound, thus immersing the user in three-dimensional space. As if the sound is around you, and not directed from the speakers, which are located close to the ears.
The effect is quite interesting and can stretch some tracks pretty well – the volume is really added there. The technology will also be useful for old mono songs or files recorded in poor quality.
But sometimes it’s better to turn off Super X-Fi. For example, in tracks with especially rich sound. And for a binaural sound, it is not at all suitable, since the effect of close presence disappears.
Gadgets support technology through a dedicated application SXFI App, which activates the adjustment of sound to the structure of the user’s ears and the size of his head. The format is open, and the manufacturer itself is testing Super X-Fi on different devices, complementing the compatibility list. Some headphones are officially certified and include support automatically. Others must be selected manually from the list in the application.
In any case, for the first time before starting full use, you need to turn on the SXFI App on your smartphone and make scans of the face, left and right ear. And here the help of another person will obviously be required.
The main problem with implementing Super X-Fi in Creative Outlier Gold is that the sound changes only if you enable the track through the SXFI App. That is, you need to download the track to the internal memory of the device, which is not always convenient or even impossible (for example, YouTube or games). Moreover, for some reason my application doesn’t see all the songs downloaded from the cloud through Play Music.
The disadvantages can also be added a small lag of sound, which can be noticeable when watching a video.
Unfortunately, due to self-isolation, I could not test the device for interference within the city center with a huge amount of electronics, but the connection with the smartphone at home was never lost – even if I left my Samsung Galaxy Note 10 Plus to the other end of the apartment through two rooms.
A slight delay in sound relative to the video, tight buttons and a traditional weak microphone for such devices spoil the impression a little, but the rest of Outlier Gold is great and very convenient wireless headphones for long-term audio podcasts and active sports. The speakers produce adequate sound with good bass and volume, huge built-in batteries provide more than 10 hours of continuous operation, and with automatic recharging from the case you can not remember the battery for more than a week. If you need a reliable survivable device, then pay attention to Creative outlier gold its close attention.
Posted by Mikhail Shaginyan (ACE),
Editing: Denis Korolev (Skyerist) and Azamat Tegaev (Azzy)
Photo: Alexey Olkin.
Read also: Creative Technology Introduces Sound BlasterX AE-5 Plus Pure Edition Sound Card
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