AUGUST 2019 MACWORLD 111But not Sony.
Instead of throwing their
considerable resources into
creating more dependable,
less expensive and,
therefore, more
accessible high-quality
truly wireless
earphones, they
decided that innovative
industrial design and a
premium price tag was the way to go. The
$280 Xperia Ear Duo (go.macworld.com/
xduo) are the result of their efforts. While
the Ear Duo’s unusual looks could make
these earphones a hit with fashion
conscious individuals, their lackluster
sound quality, connectivity issues and high
price won’t be popular with anyone.
DESIGN
Sized at 0.7 x 2.3 x 0.4 inches and
weighing 0.4 ounces a piece, the Ear Duo
are reasonably light, despite their solid
feel. No matter what else can be said
about them, the Ear Duo are among the
best-made true wireless earphones that
I’ve tested. With their IPX2 rating, they’re
resilient to sweat and rain. After taking a
long, leisurely shower while wearing them,
I was unable to detect any change in
audio quality or functionality.
The design of the Ear Duo is unique in
the world of truly wireless earphones.
Instead of
hanging off
of the ear’s auricle,
like a set of AirPods (go.
macworld.com/apar), or nestling into the
ear canal, like a pair of B&O E8 (go.
macworld.com/bpe8), the Ear Duo wrap
around the underside of the ear. The
capacitive control pad, battery and the
Bluetooth radio in each of the earbuds are
located in a pod, which rests against the
side of the neck. A tube protruding from
each of the pods is tipped with an ear
piece that funnels audio into your ears.
I found that this design made the Ear
Duo difficult to manhandle into place.
After seven days, I found them no less
awkward to put on. That said, once the
Ear Duo are in place, they’re reasonably
comfortable and won’t fall off. No amount
of jogging in place or head banging
along to Flogging Molly could shake
them out of my skull. The design of the Ear