72 T3 FEBRUARY 2022Te s te d
Audio-Technica ATH-SQ1TW£ 79.9 9
audio-technica.comf sound, style and comfort are
essential prerequisites in a new set of
headphones – and why wouldn’t
they be – then these wireless earbuds
from Audio-Technica should go on your wishlist.
They say first impressions count and these
earbuds are far from boring. They come in loads
of colours including caramel, blueberry blue,
cupcake pink, popcorn white and not so exciting
standard black. Something to suit every style.
Design-wise they’re a little different; square on
the outside with a thin Audio-Technica logo. And
there’s a second square poking out the top with
small left and right indicators backlit by LEDs.
A matching charging case is smooth and
compact, although not the smallest case you can
get. But the buds magnetically snap into it so
they’re quick to put away when you’re in a hurry.
You get three sizes of silicone ear tips included
to help you find a really secure and comfortable
fit. They’re ideal for your commute or even for
workouts – plus they’re IPX4 splashproof so can
survive being hit by a raindrop or two.
To control the music, there are touch controls
on each bud. Tapping on the left bud adjusts the
volume while tapping on the right pauses the
song and lets you skip forwards or backwards
through the tracks. To prevent any accidental
touches, the buds automatically lock the
controls when you take them out of the case. It’s
easy enough to unlock them, you just need to
press down on the earbud and you should hear a
tone that lets you know they’re ready to use.I
Get your hands on a set of wireless
earbuds that come with bundles of style
and loads of classy colours
Audio-
Te c h n i c a
AT H - S Q1T W
SOUND PURCHASE
WE’RE IMPRESSED Stylish,
unique design; decent sound
quality; low latency mode for
mobile gamers.
WE’D IMPROVE No noise
cancelling; difficult to fit the ear
tips; average battery life.
THE LAST WORD The sound is
good enough and they’re super
comfortable, but there aren’t
loads of features. Still, they look
a bit different and come in some
funky colours.VERDICT
Find the best deals on the ATH-
SQ1TW at: bit.ly/t3atsq1twThe buds themselves have about 6.5 hours of
listening time, with an extra 13 hours provided
by the charging case. That’s a total battery life of
just under 20 hours, which is okay, although
plenty of other headphones have a lot more to
offer than that. When you do run out, the
earbuds will take about 1.5 hours to recharge
fully while the case should take about two
hours. Sadly, no wireless charging here.
But when it comes to sound the Audio-
Technica ATH-SQ1TW step up a gear. The
5.8mm drivers make sure that audio is loud and
clear, with plenty of oomph. You can hear every
word in songs, podcasts and videos, while
instruments are well-defined. The upper
mid-range and treble tilts upwards slightly,
which means the bass frequency suffers
somewhat, but it won’t be a big issue for most.
On the plus side, the low-latency mode delivers
minimal sound delay and boosts the clarity of
the audio even more.
Unfortunately, there’s no noise-cancelling,
but the snug fit means the earbuds do quite a
good job at isolating the sound. And when you
want to be more aware of what’s going on there
is a hear-through mode. This activates the
microphones to let through certain ambient
sounds. Features are kept to a minimum here.
There’s no manual equaliser settings, no
smartphone app and there’s no ear detection
that pauses the music when one falls out.
But these are a great stylish set of earbuds
that do what you expect for a good price.