NANK OE Mix Open Earbuds - TDS REVIEW
NANK OE Mix True Wireless Earbuds That Don't Block Your Ears - TDS Reviews
TDS REVIEW and TDS Whisper are based on the TDS Studio scoring criteria and the content description V202402.
The model covered in this article in the context of the market at the time of the KT MARK:
NANK OE Mix: IV (Recommend)
This is the fourth product of the South Carolina brand to officially appear in TDS Hearroom.
Not long ago, we introduced Nanka's new Neo 2 bone conduction headphones, which mentioned the rapid development of the OE series, and soon we got our hands on the OE Mix, a model that is relatively positioned in the mid-range of the OE series. OE series as South Carolina's open wireless earphone series, Chinese name "00 pressure", currently has flagship OE Pro, entry OE CC series, basic OE GT and other models, OE no suffix model is even rare integration of ear clip and traditional sports earhook products, and the OE Mix introduced in this article is a mid-range positioning in this series, focusing on lightweight wear products. At the beginning of the article, such a conclusion can be given, among the open true wireless earbuds of about 500 yuan, OE Mix has indeed done a great job on the road of lightweight.
包装与配件 | Package & Accessories
The packaging design of the OE Mix is a bit simpler than the Runner Pro series and Neo 2 that we have introduced. With a white base, it doesn't focus on athletic style like the bone conduction product line. The accessories included in the package are relatively simple, with only a short USB-C to USB-A charging cable. After all, it's OWS, and it doesn't need to be configured with other accessories such as ear tips.
设计、佩戴表现与声学结构 | Design, Fit & Acoustic Structure
The OE Mix is currently available in two colorways, khaki and black, the protagonist of this article. The appearance of khaki is low and light, and the plated panel also shows an extension similar to champagne gold. The black version of the plated panel, on the other hand, is glossy black with a certain gloss.
The volume of the charging case is a decent size in similar products, the workmanship details are relatively good, and the magnetic attraction is not very large, but the cushion is designed in the box to block the earbuds from moving in the box. The surface of the charging case is covered with skin-like coating, which feels quite good to the touch. However, if there is oil on your hands, it will be easy to get fingerprints and need to be cleaned in time.
The headset body is a regular form of over-ear OWS, which is also covered with a large area of skin-like coated silicone. The front and back of the ears are quite small, so that the weight of the whole machine is controlled at 7g, and there is basically no pressure after wearing. The pre-ear module, or the outer surface of the cavity, as well as the post-ear module, are designed with an electroplated coating. The material of the ear hook is relatively soft, and it has a high degree of fit to the skin behind the ear. Nanka calls the optimized structure "EAA Hovering Comfort Technology," and the wire is thin enough that it won't get into a fight with the glasses.
When worn, the OE Mix has a lower presence behind the ears and is noticeably less noticeable than the OE CC series. Although this behind-the-ear module still exists compared to some products that are completely integrated with earhooks, it is relatively well controlled in products with behind-the-ear modules. According to Nanka's introduction, the weight ratio of the front and rear modules is 56:44, and there is no problem with the balance of the front and rear wearing after the actual experience. The volume of the cavity part is small, and it is relatively parallel to the auricle, except for the very small pinna, which basically does not reach the earnail cavity. Compared to products such as OpenFit, the cavity will be more levitated, and the distance between the sound outlet and the ear canal will be slightly farther away.
The OE Mix also supports IPX5 spill resistance, so you can cope with light rain or sweat during regular exercise.
Two sets of speaker openings can be seen on the surface of the cavity, one at the corresponding part of the ear canal and one at the top of the cavity. The aperture at the top is mainly responsible for conduction in the low frequency band.
操作与通话 | Control & Call
The actions are based on touch recognition of the area on the outer surface of the cavity, and the definition of single-click, double-tap, triple-tap, quadruple-tap, long-press, and four-second long-press is supported by default. Click the corresponding volume subtraction/increase, double click the corresponding playback and call control, triple click to invoke the voice assistant, four tap to switch the game mode, press and hold for 1.5s to cut the song, and press and hold for 4s to turn on and off. OE Mix's feedback on operation recognition is relatively fast, and the recognition accuracy of single-click, double-click and long-press operations is not bad, while it takes some time to get used to three-click and four-click. It should be pointed out that due to the high suspension height of the cavity relative to the earnail cavity, it is inevitable that the cavity will be pushed into the auricle during operation. It is hoped that on the basis of continuing the current lightweight structure, it will be optimized, and the hardness of the front end of the earhook will be controlled to make the operation feel more stable.
The indicator light on the surface of the panel also has a fixed display logic, and the brightness is moderate, so it will not be too dazzling in the dark.
OE Mix supports dual-microphone ENC call noise reduction, and the actual performance is based on the operator's network for voice calls, and there is basically no problem with the smoothness. The size of the radio is decent, and it will be slightly smaller compared to the Neo 2. The performance of call noise reduction is perceived, and in some extremely complex environments, call noise cancellation will have a slight impact on the intelligibility of the voice subject, and the performance is generally expected.
信号与续航 | Connection & Battery
The new version of Bluetooth 5.4 combines the basic codec, and the signal stability of the OE Mix is not an issue. Tested with the AAC codec, the results of the Xperia 5 III and iPhone 14 were stable enough to keep the signal smooth at a considerable distance, regardless of whether Wi-Fi was turned on or not. Packet loss and stuttering are rare.
In terms of latency, the OE Mix has an independent low-latency game mode, which is officially claimed to be able to achieve a low latency of 0.06s. In terms of actual performance, after turning on the low-latency game mode, the Xperia 5 III, a standard test device, is connected to the AAC codec to play streaming video, and the subjective perception of the delay is controlled at about half a word of the normal speaking rate.
In terms of battery life, it is officially claimed that the OE Mix can achieve a single battery life of 8 hours, combined with the charging case for a total of 24 hours. After the standard process test, the user turned off the game mode, preferentially connected to the Sony Xperia 5 III with AAC codec signal, and continuously played streaming music (Apple Music Lossless) and podcast programs (Small Universe) at 50% volume, with a battery life of 7 hours and 39 minutes on the earbuds only, which basically meets the nominal value of the official description.
扬声器、漏音控制与编解码器 | Driver, Leak Control & Codec
The OE Mix is equipped with a runway-shaped dynamic driver of unknown size, and is equipped with an LCP cast titanium composite diaphragm to increase the rigidity of the diaphragm, while the relatively lightweight diaphragm also contributes to the transient performance. As a Nanka earphone, the three-piece set of dynamic bass, ear canal compensation and personalized listening is also not missing.
As an open-back wireless earphone, I have to talk about the sound leakage control performance. First of all, the OE Mix has a reasonable reflective structure, but the cavity is slightly higher in the air, which affects the playback volume. When playing a modern pop track with regular sound pressure, the volume displayed on the phone is around 60%, which is enough for a noisy café environment, and it reaches a fuller state of around 70%. In quiet rooms, 40~50% is sufficient.
In quiet environments such as libraries and living rooms without TVs, listening to audio files at the default level of -3dB at 50% volume is basically difficult to hear from a distance of about 15cm, and at a distance of about 25cm, the interference of sound leakage is greatly reduced, and it is basically difficult to perceive. It can be said that despite the high overhang, the OE Mix's sound leakage control is also in the first echelon of performance among OWS headphones in a similar price range.
The codec supported by OE Mix is SBC / AAC, which is a common operation in the mid-price OWS field, and the basic codec is also convenient to control stability.
The sound descriptions below will be based on the AAC connection, performance in music mode.
声音主观描述 | Sound Description
The low-frequency volume is moderate and slightly less, the thickness and fullness are not very prominent, the elasticity is acceptable, and the extension ability is a little better than the original OE CC in my impression. The retraction speed is moderate, and the residual sound is not much. The atmosphere is slightly smudged and does not feel rich. The OE Mix's low frequencies sound relatively clean, there will be no scene-stealing situations, and the presence will not be sufficient, and more energy will be concentrated in the mid and high frequencies. When you press the cavity inward appropriately, you will find that the quality of the low frequency is relatively good when the cavity is close to the ear canal opening, and the reason why the sense of volume is not very sufficient is more due to the fact that the cavity is suspended after the ear hook is thinner for lightweight. Instruments with a base tone in the lower middle disc do not have a forward leaning problem.
In the midrange, the distance of the vocals is closer, and the lip size is slightly larger than the standard. OE Mix's vocals sound like they pay more attention to line depiction, the texture will be slightly thinner, and the degree of refinement will be higher. The tendency between male and female voices is not obvious, but the adaptability of the voice is generally more inclined to the already clear vocal type, and the thick vocals will appear too clean, the smoothness is decent, and there is a certain graininess. Timbre rendering is present, and the presence of partial coloration can be heard in the treble. The position of the laryngeal sound is slightly higher, the proportion of air sounds will be more, and the dental sounds will also have a slight prominence, not to the point of annoyance.
In terms of musical instruments, the OE Mix also follows a style with a thin texture and prominent lines. Among the stringed instruments, the violin and guitar have a high degree of ear grabbing, and the plucked strings are more detailed. Violas, cellos and pianos are more capable and do not occupy much space. The imposing sense of brass pipes is decent, and the trumpets that need a sense of brightness have more outstanding brightness. The solidity of the woodwinds is slightly lacking, and the air feeling is sufficient. The volume of the instrument is not very large, but it is much easier to perceive than the many OWS headphones at this price point. Among percussion instruments, the presence of the Kick is not high, the Snare is faster, and the cymbals are slightly more exciting.
The high-frequency brightness is moderately slightly brighter, with some prominent high-frequency peaks, and the energy is relatively concentrated. The very high frequency extension performance is good at the same price point, rolling off a little earlier but not too quickly.
The soundstage is natural, with some distance between the horizontal and vertical sides, but because many of the tall instruments and vocals have a sense of front pressure, you won't feel the boundaries of the soundstage when listening to many modern recordings of pop. The separation between the vocals and the instrument is acceptable, and there are no noticeable problems with the overall feeling. The analysis ability is in the upper middle of the same price range, and there is a more obvious "sense of analysis" prominent. The dynamics are decent, and the transients are not bad.
总结评价与玩法建议 | Summary & Recommendation
OE Mix is suitable for people who have high requirements for the wearing comfort and non-induction of OWS headphones, and it has done a relatively good job in lightweight and structural optimization. Sound leakage control is good, and basic signal stability and sound status are above average. I would think that OE Mix could be appropriately turned up in future updates, so that it can be expanded to more use cases. At present, I recommend OE Mix as a choice for indoor listening, online classes, meetings and other scenarios, or for quiet outdoor walking, etc., OE Mix can be used in these scenarios with relative ease, and it is also a model with good performance at the same price.
KingTsui, TDS Studio.
August 2024
It's a TDS production.
All content is created independently, please do not plagiarize the content, copy the structure of the text, etc., all rights reserved.
TDS REVIEW is now available on Zhihu, Toutiao, Weibo, WeChat, SMZDM and Bilibili.