Have wireless earbuds become a commodity like a lot of consumer products? Have we reached the point where there are so many that it almost doesn’t matter what you select? You’re likely to lose one or move on to something else in 6 months? If you don’t want to spend a lot of money or are looking for something as a gift for a teenager, the SuperEQ Q2 Pro Wireless Earbuds might present an acceptable option.
If “SuperEQ” doesn’t jump out at you as a brand you have seen on store shelves — you’re not alone. The company behind it, OneOdio, has become a force in the budget headphones segment and we have already taken a look at some of their other models including the Monitor 60 and Fusion A70. SuperEQ is a recent sub-branding with a more youthful design and a wider range of colors. The new lineup includes on-ear headphones and earbuds.
Technology
Right out of the box, I wondered if somebody had made a bad mistake as the driver appears to face the rear of the unit, which while possible, is certainly not the usual arrangement.
I confirmed with the OneOdio representative that the orientation was indeed correct and that the driver is encapsulated with a sound bore run to the nozzle.
Needless to say I was intrigued as this design is certainly not something that anyone else is doing. But does it work?
Aside from the driver orientation, the SuperEQ Q2 Pro True Wireless Earbuds utilize a 12mm dynamic driver, touch control system, support for Bluetooth 5.2, a charging case with USB Type-C connector, and offer both ANC and “Transparency” modes which are almost mandatory at this point.
The earpieces and charging case are both plastic which has also become the standard with $49 USD wireless earbuds. The 12mm driver and earpieces are on the larger side and sit as much on the ear as inside of it with the nozzles and inner face sitting in the ear and the driver portion and touch faceplate sitting outside the ear.
Features:
- Hybrid ANC True Wireless Earbuds
- Bluetooth 5.2
- 12mm dynamic drivers
- 4 mics for better calling experience; Transparency mode
- 30 Hrs long playtime; IPX5 waterproof
Note: SuperEQ Q2 Pro is not designed for swimming, showering, or exposure to pool or ocean water. Do not use it in a sauna or steam room. The charging case is not waterproof.
Specifications:
- Impedance: 28 ohms; Speaker (Full Range): 2 x 12mm
- Frequency Response: 20Hz-20kHz
Connectivity
Pairing was straight forward with the Q2 Pro supporting SBC and AAC protocols and there is no control app available.
Once paired (we used AAC nearly exclusively), the Q2 Pro demonstrated that it could maintain reliable connectivity as long as it was kept within 25 feet of the source device.
Interior walls proved to be a problem and we lost the signal more than a few times; our best advice would be to have your source with you.
The touch controls worked smoothly and are fairly simplistic so the learning curve is kept to a minimum. With no application option, you’ll need to learn the tap and touch and hold functions to turn on the ANC, Transparency modes, answer calls, and switch tracks.
Volume control is notably absent from the touch controls and relies on the source device to adjust the playback volume.
We started our normal listening tests at around 72 dB and found that without ANC or transparency mode in use, we were able to get a full 12 hours out of the Q2 Pro before needing to recharge them in the case, and once in the case it took roughly 3 hours to completely recharge the earpieces from fully drained.
The case provided 2 full charges and a partial before needing to be recharged itself. Use of ANC or transparency mode reduced the useful life to roughly 7 hours which is still quite respectable.
Sound
The SuperEQ Q2 Pro are aimed at a very specific type of listener, and whilst the 12mm dynamic driver has solid low end impact, there is a noticeable absence of definition. This design emphasizes the extreme low end and treble range delivering an almost textbook “V” tuning.
There is a reasonable amount of low end information but we noticed that there is some added emphasis in the mid bass which will work for those who enjoy hip-hop, EDM, and electronic music.
Well defined bass notes are not a strength of these wireless earbuds.
The midrange comes across as slightly recessed and we noticed that strings are slightly muted as a result. Turning on the ANC actually made this worse.
Vocals cut through the instrumentation rather well with the upper midrange and lower treble emphasis helping female vocals stand out. Clarity and detail in this specific range is superior to the upper bass and lower midrange where there is some bleed.
Treble has solid detail and good energy before rolling off above 10kHz so while the top end lacks some extension, it does have enough energy to keep from feeling closed in.
There is a spike between 8kHz and 10kHz that some may find fatiguing and it raised a rather interesting point about these wireless earbuds.
Why brand a product “SuperEQ,” if there is no way to apply any equalization at all?
Turning on the ANC revealed that these wireless earbuds are actually very effective at blocking out external noise; certainly better than a number of other options in the $50 range.
The downside is that the ANC actually degrades the sound quality somewhat; there is a loss of clarity and detail that made want to turn the ANC back off. We’ve heard worse at the price point but it’s certainly not going to please listeners who don’t want to experience a change in the sonic presentation.
Transparency mode proved to be very effective when exercising or commuting; one can easily hear conversations or traffic noise when listening and that’s very important if you are going to buy these for kids. ANC can be a great tool, but not if you become oblivious to other people or vehicles.
Conclusion
Do they SuperEQ Q2 Pro make sense at its price point? If you’re looking for something between $30 and $75 USD in the wireless earbud category, it offers good battery performance, surprising levels of comfort, a somewhat bass heavy “V” tuning, IPX5 waterproof rating, and decent build quality.
The “SuperEQ” branding feels somewhat misleading but these are easy to use with very less fuss.
Where to buy: $29.99 at Amazon
