The Creative Outlier Go headphones don’t go in your ears, they hang on them like glasses with formable arches, so they just touch your ears. The acoustic transducers of the headphones are opposite the ear canal, similar to classic headphones. This made it possible to increase the diameter of the converter diaphragms to 14.2 mm. While the bass reproduction of classic earbuds is based on the fact that they are more or less sealed in the ear canal, with the open design of these headphones, the bass is enhanced with the help of a signal processor in order to achieve a balanced reproduction of the entire audible frequency spectrum.
The dimensions of the headphones and, secondarily, the oval charging case are determined by the diameter of the acoustic transducers and the design of the ear mounting. They are therefore larger than in-ear headphones. The batteries in the headphones last for around 6 hours and when stored in the case they charge from its battery for a total of 26 hours of listening time. The case charges via USB-C. The charge level is indicated by four miniature LEDs on the front of the case.
The arch is connected to the body of the earphone by a swivel joint with four locking positions, so the earphones adapt to any ear size. I was very pleasantly surprised by the sound quality, especially with regard to the bass, which due to the design is richer than I expected. What I appreciate most is that the listener stays in touch with the surroundings probably the most out of all the headphones I’ve tested so far. This feature is crucial for many users, including myself. Apparently, the designers also realized this and did not even try to implement a noise reduction system. Acoustic contact with the surroundings is also important from the point of view of safety when you have your headphones on while walking in the city. It is so comfortable to wear that many times when I finished listening to the show, I forgot to take off the headphones. I thought it might be a bit more complicated for those who wear glasses. They won’t. I tried the headphones with the sunglasses and it was fine.
Pairing with two devices at the same time is very practical, for example, when you are watching a movie on your laptop or tablet and someone calls you. In such a situation, the headphones will switch to mobile and you can receive and make calls through them. Thanks to high-quality microphones, the communication partner can hear you well, even if you are in a noisy environment. It goes without saying that the voice assistants Siri and Google Assistant are supported.
Another useful feature is customization for video playback and gaming. When playing music, a small delay in the interest of the highest possible sound quality does not interfere at all. When watching videos or playing games, the synchronization of sound with the image is key, so in this mode you sacrifice a little quality for the sake of the lowest possible latency. The headphones use bluetooth 5.4 interface with low latency mode. If your older smartphone, tablet or laptop does not support this interface, the latency will be noticeable, around 300 ms. This is not a problem with movies, most players allow you to compensate for the sound delay.
You can set the equalizer in the Creative application. You can select any of the preconfigured options for individual music styles. Gesture functions can also be assigned in the application. The headphones are controlled by tapping, or by tapping and holding on the outside.
I liked the Jazz EQ profile the most, which is suitable for most music genres, including musicals and classical music. I listened to several albums by Led Zeppelin, The Police, Dire Straits and also a Hans Zimmer film music concert and was very satisfied. I tried all the presets for each album, but each time I came back to the Jazz preset. Of course, sound quality is relative, I have different criteria when reviewing headphones for audiophiles, intended for listening in the living room, and different criteria for headphones for vehicles and outdoor activities.
PROS, CONS:
+ Ergonomics, battery life, good sound
– Nothing important
PARAMETERS:
Acoustic transducers 14.2 mm; frequency range 20 Hz – 20 kHz; microphone sensitivity: -38 dBV @ 1 kHz/Pa; bluetooth 5.4 AAC, SBC; battery: 60 mAh (handset), 600 mAh (case); weight 11 g (handset), 56 g (case)
Cena: 59,90 EUR
Source: www.nextech.sk
