Kinivo BTE40 Bluetooth earphones review

Disclaimer

These earphones have been supplied for review by Kinivo. No money has exchanged hands for the review and it is all of my own opinion.

Design

The earphones design is quite simple. There is a silver metallic disk on the back of the earphones, which then leads to a nice deep black portion which features your left and right indicator.

The earphones colour then changes to a nice silver, capped off with white ear tips. All works really nicely. The right side bud features a longer cable so that you can place it behind your neck to take some for the strain of the Bluetooth module. The module is all black and finished off if a smooth to the touch matte finish. The Bluetooth modules controls are also finished in black, which makes them a little bit difficult to see. The buttons however are very nicely configured and easy to press. The module also features the Kinivo logo and the model number. All in all they are very nicely designed and look good too.

Features

The earphones feature Bluetooth 4.0 with A2DP connectivity. You can connect the module to two separate devices, which makes it handy if you have more than one phone, or if you pair them to a Bluetooth enabled laptop. The Bluetooth module features your volume control, play/pause, skip track, answer calls/pairing button, a microphone and a power switch.

And because it’s Bluetooth it works with Android, Windows, Apple and Blackberry. So whatever device you have it will more than likely work. The remote also has another neat trick in the fact that the earphones are removable so that you can use it with other headphones too. The earphones also feature a very long standby time of up to 120 hours and a quoted music/call time of up to 6 hours. My test however revealed that the music play time was 6 hours 17 minutes at 65%. The charge time stated via USB is 2-3 hours on PC or Laptop. My test was 1 hour 35 minutes via USB 3.0 on PC, so much quicker than I anticipated. The charge input is 5V @ 350mA via Micro USB.

When charging the module via USB you get a solid red light, when done the light changes to a solid blue. During connectivity you get a subtle blue pulse from the light, this lets you know the module is still connected. When the battery life gets low you get a red flashing warning light (don’t worry it’s not bright), then you hear the message “Battery Low” via the earphones. After the message you get approximately 10 minutes before the battery dies. All very handy features to have. The only thing I wish is that instead of the flashing light, is to have a life indicator. A simple RGB LED would allow you to know exactly how much battery is left. This means you wouldn’t need the flashing light as it would change colour depending on life remaining. Also included is a noise cancelling mic for voice calls. The call quality is very good, its nice and clear as is the mic. The handy call button means you can answer calls on the go, so you don't need to remove your phone from your bag or pocket. So really, the Kinivo have some really great futures.

Build

Is good, the materials fell very nice, the earphones are made from quite solid feeling metal, which is not too common on earphones at this price point. They are very well put together and the module feels very robust.

Cable quality is good too, its fairly thick and the outer protection is well integrated into the earphones and 3.5mm jack. All the connections are very nicely integrated and the buttons have quite a nice tactile feel to them. The silicone tips are very nice and soft, and feel very smooth too. The clip on the module feels solid, which is reassuring as you are likely to be using it a lot. 
The final fit and finish is impressive and if I didn’t know how much they were I would that they feel more expensive than they actually are. 

So all in all, I am quite impressed with the quality.

Comfort

Like most earphones, I don’t really find them all that comfortable. These are no exception. The tips are nice and soft but for me personally they just don’t quite properly. But don’t let that put you off as everyone is different, so they may be very comfortable for you.

You would think the module would make them very uncomfortable, but that isn’t the case. The module features a clip so you can attach it to a shirt pocket or most other clothes for that matter. The weight is also nicely distributed by the extra cable length of the right side, which rests on the back of your neck, this just helps take the weight of the module. Which isn’t really heavy anyway.

Connectivity

Like mentioned the Kinivo features Bluetooth 4.0 and it worked without any issues what so ever. Pairing was simple. All you have to do is hold the phone icon down for two seconds until the indicator flashes, then simply use the Bluetooth on your phone to find them, then make the connection. The range is quoted up to 30ft, my test revealed a range of 72ft if you have a clear line of sight with no obstructions. It started to go a bit crackly at about 65ft, so anything up to that is ok. Obviously if you start to but doors/walls in the way the signal range will reduce, as it does with most other Bluetooth products.
 

Isolation/Leak

Like most earphones (for me) they don’t seal properly so this is an area where I can’t give too much insight. I tested these on a few trips to town on the bus and for the most part they were ok (but if you suit earphones they would be better) and do actually block out a decent amount of noise. Even though they didn’t seal fully at 55% volume I couldn’t hear the bus or any passengers what so ever.

As for leak, they obviously leaked a little as they didn’t seal properly but it wasn’t loud enough to cause anyone any issues. So if you’re a regular commuter and you listen to them at about 50% to 70% (which is quite loud) then they won’t cause too much disturbance.

Sound

During my test phase, I noticed there was a very slight hiss in the earphones. I believe this to be from the Bluetooth connection. The hiss however can’t be heard when playing music, apart from track changes and in very quiet parts.

The sound though is quite good. It’s a little bass heavy for my personal taste, but then again you may enjoy that. The bass however is surprisingly deep, not too overpowering (yes I know I said its bass heavy) but it isn’t too intrusive into the rest of the sound. Although the bass is deep, it isn’t overly detailed and lacks refinement. However you have to bear in mind that these are….

1.      Bluetooth, which isn’t the best way to get audio quality

2.      They are very affordable

3.      Not audiophile grade

So maybe I am being a little harsh, but I have to honest. So taking that into account it’s actually better than a lot of other affordable earphones that are connected with cable. The mid-range is actually good, they are nice and clean, they are well presented and not overpowering. This means that you get good detail from instrumental music and a decent vocal performance. The vocals are quite good, they are a tiny bit muffled but still not too bad. The higher range is not too great, it’s a little bit tinny and sharp. But you have to remember these are affordable and Bluetooth, so I would say they aren’t bad, but they aren't great either.

Summary

I am impressed, but a little let down by the sound quality. I love the Bluetooth module and its brilliant functionality. Being an Android user, you don’t get many earphones that work, but these do and it’s a refreshing feeling. The design is nice, the build is good, they aren’t too comfortable (for me), the isolate well, don’t leak too much and have decent quality sound. I would give these 4.5 out of 5. If the sound quality was better it would have been higher.