132 MACWORLD DECEMBER 2019
PLAYLIST REVIEW: ALTEC LANSING TRUE EVOpocket, that’s likely all there’s going to be
room for. You will never have to worry
about losing it in the depths of your purse
of backpack.
Much of this is due to the fact that the
case comes with Qi wireless charging
capabilities. As many folks don’t own a
wireless charging base to take advantage
of this, Altec Lansing includes a wireless
charging base to get you started. The
charging system works as advertised, but
the Qi hardware inside of it adds unwanted
bulk to something that’s meant to be
portable. That the case can also be
charged via microUSB makes the addition
of wireless charging feel that much more
unfortunate. In its advertising, Altec Lansing
states that charging base is worth $25. If
the company opted to sell the True Evo at
$75 instead of $100, sans charging base, I
feel that these earbuds would be
much easier to recommend.
You know, if they weren’t
falling apart and everything.
SOUND
Despite the fact that both sets
of earphones I was shipped
literally came apart in my hands,
I was able to gingerly
reassemble the second pair and
give them a listen.
The True Evo provided me
with ample bass tones,
weathering the tsunami low-frequency
madness that Lustmord’s Dark Matter album
threw at them like a champ. High and
mid-frequency sound didn’t fair so well,
however. The hi-hat work in Louis Prima’s
“Lazy River” were shrill, walking all over the
sound of Prima’s horn section. I came across
these same issues while listening to my
dedicated playlist and tunes I know
intimately, such as The Pogues’ “Sick Bed of
Cuchulainn” and Gord Downies’s “Pascal
Submarine.” At this time last year, I’d have
told you that sound quality of this sort was
what you could expect from a pair of true
wireless earphones available for $100. In
2019, this isn’t the case: over the past few
months, we’ve run across a number of true
wireless earbuds that sound just as good,
and in some cases better, for as little as $50.BOTTOM LINE
For many people, $100 is a lot of
money, especially for what one
could consider to be a luxury
item, such as a set of true
wireless earbuds. When
spending so much, it’s not
reasonable to expect to get so
little. As they are plagued by
quality control issues, poor
design decisions, and lackluster
audio quality, I can’t recommend
Altec Lansing’s True Evo to
anyoner. ■h
Altec Lansing True
Evo Wireless
Earphones
PROS- They didn’t catch on fire
while in my ears.
CONS - Terrible build quality
- Medicore audio quality
- Large, poorly designed
battery case.
PRICE
$499
COMPANY
Altec Lansing