Indian brand Noise has managed to make a name for itself in the wearables and audio space, and recently, has forayed outside the country’s borders and expanded its global presence by entering the Middle East, UK and EU regions. The brand made headlines when it announced that it had secured an investment from iconic audio brand Bose and entered into a strategic partnership. And the first fruit of that partnership comes in the form of the Noise Master Buds. These TWS buds, carrying a tag of Rs 7,999, mark Noise’s entry into the premium league, while promising Bose-tuned audio at a relatively affordable price. Here’s more.
Table of Contents
Design
For the Buds, Noise has come up with a design that’s distinctive and helps it stand out in a crowded segment. U-shaped, with a flat top and a curved bottom, the case of the Master Buds comes in three colours, and the silver one I have with me for review looks nice.
The most prominent design element on the front is a circular vinyl disc-inspired fascia that looks quite stylish, especially with the angular LED bar that’s placed on the 2 o’clock position. The ‘disc’ doesn’t rotate or otherwise perform any action, though — bummer. The top of the case has a flat lid, while a USB Type-C port sits at the curved portion on the bottom.
The flat top carries Noise branding, and proudly says “sound by Bose”. A pairing button is located on the back. Now, while the design does look good aesthetically, the plastic build of the case does leave a little something to be desired. The lightweight build does work in favour of the buds though. The buds feature a standard stem design and offer a stable, comfortable fit. Differently-sized tips are provided in the box to ensure optimum fit.
Specs, features and app
The features on offer include Adaptive ANC up to 49dB, Bluetooth 5.3, Google Fast Pair, dual connectivity, Spatial Audio (without head tracking), in-ear detection, a Low Latency game mode, Find My Device, tap controls and support for LHDC 5.0. The buds are IPX5-rated to protect them against sweat and water.
The Noise Audio app, available on both Android and iOS, helps with firmware updates, also lets the user control ANC modes and customise the tap controls. The app is nicely designed, providing a straightforward and intuitive gateway into the buds’ settings. Upfront, it shows the battery levels of the two buds and the case separately, along with big buttons to access the equaliser (with presets and custom options), noise control, touch gestures, and device settings.
Under Noise Control, you can turn ANC on or off, and activate the transparency mode. The ANC itself has three different levels. Coming to touch gestures, one can customise single tap, double tap, triple tap and long press actions for the left and right buds individually. It’s all neatly laid out, and easy enough for even first-time users to understand. However, the touch gestures, which are actually tap-based and not touch-driven, can be a bit finicky. That’s mainly because the buds are quite sensitive to touch, and you can inadvertently end up activating some touch controls while adjusting the fit in your ears.
Audio quality, ANC and battery life
The sound quality impresses from the get-go and does justice to the Bose name. It’s a well-balanced audio profile, with ample depth and richness. It doesn’t favour any specific genre, and instead works well across different types of genres. While most TWS contenders, at least in the sub Rs 10k segment, focus on bass, the Master Buds’ sound signature is quite clean unless you play with the EQ. The latter includes presets for genres for jazz, club, and rock, and in addition, allows you to customise the sound as per your taste too.
The Spatial Audio feature, however, doesn’t seem to impact the sound much. Coming to the ANC modes, the transparency mode works well, but the ANC does need a bit more I think. Even at the highest ANC setting, there’s some ambient noise that one can hear, and I’ve experienced better noise cancellation with TWC buds priced lower.
The battery life, on the other hand, is quite good. Rated for up to 44 hours of use (34 hours with ANC), the Master Buds can last for days with intermittent usage. And thanks to fast charging, a quick 10-minute charge can give enough juice for the buds to give you 6 hours more. No complaints with the call quality either.
Verdict
Priced at Rs 7,999, the Noise Master Buds are placed in a segment which has extremely strong competition. As I mentioned earlier, many options in this arena offer sound tuned towards bass, and promise good noise cancellation too. While the latter is not the Noise Master Buds’ strong suit, it shines with its clean sound and good battery life. And while it makes for a worthy buy because of those reasons, it should also appeal to those coveting the legendary Bose sound.
Editor’s rating: 7.5 / 10
Pros:
- Standout design
- Balanced sound
- Good battery life
- Nicely-designed app
Cons:
- Spatial audio could be better
- ANC needs improvement
- Finicky tap controls
- Build quality seems iffy
