We recently reviewed the Boat Airdopes 441 and now we have another such entrant in the same price category, but this time from Boult Audio. We have been using the Boult Airbass Livebuds for the past two weeks or so and we are going to tell you if they are a good option for their selling price of Rs. 2,499 and whether you should get them or not. Here’s our Boult AirBass LiveBuds review.
Design and Build Quality
The first thing we noticed about the Boult Airbass Livebuds (apart from the needlessly long moniker) is how tiny the case feels when held in hand. The footprint of the case, especially its width has been minimized to a large extent and it feels like a small capsule. Not just the size, but even the materials used in the construction of the case impressed us for the price. The case has a rubberized plastic coating that feels good when held in the hand. There are a series of textured lines on the top of the case accompanied by the Boult Audio branding. The textured lines add to the overall look and provide a satisfying feeling when you run your fingers through them. The hinge mechanism of the lid also feels sturdy and the magnets are strong. The case of the Boult Airbass Livebuds are lightweight, can be carried around easily in your pocket and what stands out when compared to TWS earphones from other brands is how slim the case is when you consider the width. Opening the lid, we find the earbuds themselves but before we move onto them, the case itself has four LEDs that indicate the battery percentage and also look cool when the lid is opened. The earbuds also follow a similar design language as the case. They are elongated instead of being circular which makes them look and feel less bulky. The material on the top of the earbuds is similar to the plastic used on the case, meaning it’s rubberized. The earbuds fit comfortably in the ear and have an in-ear design with replaceable ear tips. While they’re comfortable, we wished that there were additional ear hooks or wings that would help the earbuds stay inside the ears while exercising or running. Speaking about exercising, the Boult Airbass Livebuds are IPX5 rated so they’re sweat resistant. The top surface of the earbuds acts like a push button that can perform multiple functions.
Sound Quality
The Boult Airbass Livebuds are of the very few TWS earphones in this price range to come with Qualcomm AptX codec support and it actually translates to real-world usage too. The sound output from the Boult Airbass Livebuds are very balanced with good emphasis on the lows, mids, and highs. The bass is adequate, not overpowering at all and the vocals sound clear. The soundstage and instrument separation could have been slightly better, but the overall audio experience is very good for the price. Generally, we have observed TWS earphones in this price range boost the bass levels which messes up the higher frequencies but thankfully, that’s not the case with the Boult Airbass Livebuds, despite having “bass” in the name. That does not mean the bass is lacking though. If you listen to a lot of hip-hop or bass-heavy songs, you’re still going to like the sound output. They’re also well-suited for songs that have more vocals and ones that are slow or soothing. They also get really loud so that’s another positive. Boult has done a very good job in tuning the audio of the Airbass Livebuds and we would go as far as saying that they’re one of the most balanced sounding pair of TWS earphones under the price tag of Rs. 3,000. However, they are slightly disappointing when it comes to calls. Since there’s no type of ambient noise cancellation that’s happening, the call quality is average and the other party can hear background noise. Since the earbuds have an in-ear design, you do get some sort of passive isolation while listening to music.
Battery Life
While the sound quality is very good for the price, the biggest USP of the Boult Airbass Livebuds is its battery life. On a single charge, the earbuds in our experience lasted for up to five hours which is remarkable for a pair of TWS earphones, let alone at this price. The case can top-up the earbuds 3-4 times so you can get an overall playback time of about 20 hours. The case charges through micro-USB and while it may seem like nitpicking at this price, Boult should have gone with a Type-C port.
Boult Airbase Livebuds Review: Verdict
When we checked the price of the Boult Airbass Livebuds at the time of receiving the product for review, it was Rs. 2,499 but at the time of writing, the price has been changed to Rs. 2,999. We are not sure if this is a temporary price hike and if the price will come back to Rs. 2,499. Either way, the Boult Airbass Livebuds are a solid pair of TWS earphones that have support for aptX and come with a balanced sound output, both of which are rare to see under Rs. 3,000. We would recommend them over the Realme Buds Air Neo if you have a budget of Rs. 3,000. If you are strictly looking for a pair of TWS earphones under Rs. 2,500 and if the price of these Boult ones doesn’t come down, the Realme Buds Q are a better buy.
