Bud from
a stone
The round charging
case features a rotating
top that moves to reveal
the buds – they’re a
tiny bit tricky to
extract.TESTED SOUNDMAGIC TWS50SoundMagic’s first true wireless in-ears
sound, well, magic – and for all the rivals
they’re undercutting, that’s got to hurt
QWe were wondering when
SoundMagic might get around
to crashing the true wireless party.
If anyone knows about combining
‘great-sounding’ with ‘affordable’,
it’s these chaps, and we’ve never
met a pair of theirs we didn’t like.
So while other brands try to make
£100 the true wireless norm,
SoundMagic has removed the
rug from beneath them.QWhoever sketched the TWS50s
was kept on a tight leash: these
earbuds are compact, light and
consequently easy to position
comfortably. The selection of
silicone tips also helps.QA rudimentary digital display
indicates how much juice is left
in the charging case. The buds
hold six hours, while the case is
good for another 24; charging is
via microUSB. There’s no denying
these earphones feel built down to
a price, but they’re in no way badly
made – it’s just that the plastics
feel hard, shiny and thin.QOnce snugly placed, wirelessly
paired and playing a Tidal Masters
stream, they reminds us how
SoundMagic built its reputation.
They’re not the loudest buds ever,
nor the most dynamic, but this is
£79 extremely well spent.QThese are the kind of buds you’ll
probably be pairing with nothing
more fancy than a smartphone;
and while some phones sound
better than others, any will gladly
have its rough edges smoothed by
the TWS50s’ overall attitude.The TWS50s aren’t short of competition, but that’s only because SoundMagic was
uncharacteristically late to this particular party. But it’s here now and, thanks to a
combination of expertly judged performance, a slightly weird charging case and
a very eye-catching price, it could well become the life and soul of it. Your shortlist
of realistically priced true wireless buds is suddenly a little bit longer.If you’re out for
bud, these could
well be your new
prime target
Simon LucasBuddy murder
STUFF SAYS Not for the first time, the SoundMagic cat is among the pigeons +++++
Connectivity Bluetooth 5.0,
microUSB, touch and voice control
Water-resistance IPX7 Battery
life 6hrs, 30 with charging case
Weight 4g each, case 45gQ Bud on your hands
The touch-controls handle the
most basic skip and play/pause
commands. They’re also handy
for handling calls or summoning
a voice assistant. A light in each
bud, glowing either red or blue,
tells you what they’re up to.Q Bud diamonds
Nothing in the feature set of these
buds suggests cost-cutting: they
use Bluetooth 5.0 and can handle
hi-res audio files. And despite
the modest dimensions, there’s
space in there for 6mm full-range
neodymium drivers.£79 / stuff.tv/TWS50Tech specs