Clearly you know what this is... but let's unbox it anyway!
The box that the headphones came in is a really sturdy little box, I give it to them. It might be able to take a rough journey to your doorstep... though I wouldn't desire such a thing.
In the box:
In-Ear Headphones
Charging Case
USB cable
3 Extra Sets of Silicon Ear Tips (L, S, XS)
HELM Audio's True Wireless 5 headphones contain bluetooth 5, with TRUE 24-bit aptX... but how do they sound? Lets find out!
I jumped right in, looking for the smallest eartips... although for some reason they didn't really help keep the headphones in. So I went the next size up with slight pressure, placed them in, and prepared for lift off with a few music tracks, game trailers (of course), and some shows + movies.
The lows really stand out with these headphones. I was watching a film... where there was noise going on in the courtroom, but I clearly heard an actor drink water from a glass. The bass is cool, but I really like being able to hear those cool little additions clearly.
Just in case you're wondering what 24-bit aptX is exactly, it basically allows HD quality sound over a Bluetooth connection. Basic aptX allows supports 16bit, so with 24-bit... you go from CD quality to... better-than-CD quality (according to aptX's website). I don't have basic aptX bluetooth headphones laying around to test this out, but... I've had some in the past that had a bit more white noise than I was comfortable with.
Speaking of white noise... I notice it a bit more with these while listening to select ASMR recordings. These headphones are likely just amplifying the sound in the recordings, but... I wish they didn't as much. I turned other headphones down to about 30 to 40 and was able to eliminate that sound, but it didn't really work with these (at least at a volume that allowed me to enjoy the recording). I had to skip around until I found some that were good enough to fly under the headphones white noise radar. Sounds like a pain, but... when I found a higher quality ASMR recording... it's was like music to my ears (or should I say... whispers & taps to my ears?).
I can't forget about games... I love playing games with these headphones. I didn't play any PC games this time around... didn't have any time, but I was able to log some time on mobile games like... Wordament, Fire Emblem Heroes, Teppen, and... Hitman Go (I loved the way this game sounds which allowed me to enjoy plenty of crisp highs and... warm mids).
The HELM Audio True Wireless 5.0 Headphones feel like they're some good sturdy headphones, and able to take drops. They don't have that plastic exterior covering the entire headphones that you may see on the back... for the most part they have this thick water resistant silicon padding (IPX4 to be exact).The headphones have a range of 60+ Feet using a Helix antenna (standard school buses are about 30 to 40 feet long), and they've paired for me in less than 3 or 4 seconds... so you can pull them right out of the case and expect them to be ready for audio action by the time they hit your ears.
I was able to use these headphones almost half the day before placing them back in the case. I sleep for about 6 hours... and they were still playing ASMR recordings when I woke up (whether they were still in my ears or not). I was able to use the headphones and the case for more than a day before reaching for the USB. I don't know what the battery mAh is for the case, but HELM confirmed that I can get 30 to 40 hours of play time out of the headphones before charging the case. My test confirmed that I was able to go over a day easily.
The headphones take about 1.5 hours to charge and have 100 hours of standby time (according to HELM... but I haven't tested this out myself). The charge time is longer than others I've tried out, but the play time is double... so there is a plus on the flip side of that coin.
The quality of the phone calls is also good. To be honest I wasn't listening for the best quality, but no one said "could you repeat that?"... it was clear.
The comfort of these is... okay, but they don't stay in my ears that well. I found myself pushing them in more often than i'd like to admit or catching them on their way out of my ear. They have this little nub extending from the top part of the headphones... but it doesn't really do me any good (see above). I think its also because the ear tips are a slightly bigger than my ear canal, so they come out based on the pressure of the squeeze pushing them out.
My ear canals are not the happiest, but perhaps yours will be. I would mention tolerance level as far as how long I wore them, but they don't stay in my ears for a long period of time and will come out on their own. While sleeping I really didn't notice, but they weren't all the way in my ears when I awake in those rare cases they remain in.
I hopped back and forth between the smallest ear tips and the ones I used primarily, but... I don't know, maybe they will have a better fit for someone else. I think in a revised version, they can keep the stylish textured exterior, just form the body of the headphones to be more in the shape of what the ear's interior is shaped like (it helps that they sit on the auricle but the comfort level isn't a 10 for me).
The MSRP of the HELM True Wireless 5.0 Headphones is... $129.99, which is okay, but I think a price range between $99.99 & a max of $114.99 works better. My personal experience was okay, but... in order to enjoy the audio and the life of the batteries... I kinda need them to remain in my ears for a longer duration.
Overall, the HELM True Wireless 5.0 Headphones deliver a nice sound... great range (which works well when making your way around a home or even a decent sized gym). The headphones are also durable, and able to take on some sweat, mud, and... even a little rain. The price could use some work because there are options that fit a bit better in my ears, and... I'd look forward to a revision based on how awesome the battery life is.
Sound 5
Quality 5
Comfort 2
Price 4
4 out of 5 Cool Points
