Sweden's Earin were the first to release a pair of true wireless earphones back in 2015, small bullet-shaped buds that stood out from the wireless crowd at the time due to the lack of a cable between the earpieces. Touch control was added in 2017, and now the company has opted for an open audio design for the A-3.
The result of a successful Kickstarter campaign launched mid-2014, the first generation Earin earphones were billed as the world's smallest wireless earbuds. That boast continued to the M-2 units two years later, and now to the A-3s, which have been designed for comfort, and to provide "the best audio experience."
Other than the striking knob-like shape, the most obvious omission over previous designs is the lack of ear tips. Many mobile music lovers find earbuds uncomfortable, so will doubtless welcome the open audio design where the earphones aren't pushed down into the ear canal, they rest inside the concha – with Earin promising that they'll stay put "for any activity or venture."
The A-3s boast custom 14.3-mm dynamic drivers that are said to move 20 percent more air than other wireless earphones. In fact, the makers describe the A-3s as "kind of the biggest air pump in the smallest body you can find on the market." And since the passive noise isolation afforded by buds no longer applies, algorithms have been cooked in for passive- and wind-noise reduction.
Where you'll likely find right and left placement indicators on the housing of most other earphones, each new Earin can be popped in any ear and patented automatic placement wizardry will sort out which is which. And you can offer an earpiece to a friend to share your music in mono mode.
Elsewhere, the new true wireless earphones feature touch control, are IP52 sweat- and dust-resistant so they should be good for workouts at the gym and survive sudden downpours when out and about, and they pair with source devices over Bluetooth 5.0, with support for aptX and AAC audio codecs. Two Knowles mics and two voice pickup units cater for call-taking.
Users can look forward to up to five hours of playback per charge, or a total of 30 hours when using the aluminum charging case. Wireless and USB-C recharging are supported.
The Earn A-3 true wireless earphones are up for pre-order in either black or silver for US$199. The video below has more.
Product page: Earin A-3