Defunc true earbud true wireless review

Defunc TRUE (wireless) offers you a comfortable earbud with great sound quality, sleek Scandinavian minimalistic design which give you 60 h of playtime (3h x 20 re-charge). However it is so much battery power that we actually decided that it could be shared with your device, so we put a USB port so it could function as a Power bank - 2,100 mAh. If you don`t have power in your device = no music!

Defunc is a Swedish, Stockholm-based brand selling affordable lifestyle audio earbuds, headphones and speakers since 2015. To simplify people’s choices, they focus their product lines into four in-ear models and functions: MUSIC, TALK, HYBRID and SPORT. Their products are divided in three price points: PLUS, GO and BASIC, and are available as wired, wireless Bluetooth and true wireless.

Defunc TRUE PLUS is their top-line true wireless earbuds and retails in Singapore for S$129.90. It comes in 6 colours – white, black, red, blue, green, and pink. With the ongoing sales going on, you could get a unit below S$100 depending on the promotion.

The TRUE PLUS uniquely differentiates from other brands with its adjustable stem that improves mic pick-up. It also feature the in-house developed MultiTip design. The package comes with various sport wing sizes that achieves more secure fit during workouts. TRUE PLUS is rated IPX4 which protects against sweat and moisture.

Once you open the case, the earbuds will power up with a startup audio sequence and connect to the device promptly before you even lift them up from the charging case. The benefit is that you can keep the earbuds charged but remains connected to pick up your next call. The earbuds last 6 hours continuously in one charge and 35 hours with charging case.

The earbuds operate by touch sensor: tap once on the right to increase volume, left to decrease volume. Tap-hold on the right to skip next track, while the left goes to previous track. To play-pause, double-tap any earbud. To activate smart assistant, triple-tap the earbud.

The position of the sensor caused me to keep touching it accidentally when trying to adjust the earbud fit. I have to make sure I rest my fingers higher up near where the “+” vent is. Adjusting volume is a slow process, as I have to adjust one tap at a time and wait for the laggy response before tapping again.

Being an open-fit earbuds, there is no seal to keep the ambient noise out nor the bass intensity impactful. Such is the characteristic of such earbuds, and personally I am not a fan. Open-fit earbuds are difficult to enjoy at noisy places, and turning the volume up does not help much without an in-canal seal. The benefit is that they can be left on your ears even when no music is played.

Listening to TRUE PLUS in quiet environments reaps rather good audio enjoyment. The ear tip pouts towards the ear canals to focus more sound waves, which achieves better open bass response, but to retain the bass intensity, the ear tips need to be as close to the ear canals. Treble is airy while not too thin, providing good audio details. Sound staging is quite wide and deep. Overall, the earbuds do not sound too harsh. I enjoy listening piano music on them, which actually offers good balance of warmth, clarity and depth. Being open-fit, the sound is more open and not tight.

While the earbuds are designed to be open-fit, I find that they do not seem to sit snugly and stay seated on my outer ears like other similarly-fashioned earbuds do when you are on the move. I think the reason is that the TRUE PLUS earbuds heads are too lightweight compared to the thick stem, which would have the tendency to swing thus moving the earbud head slightly out of place.

On call quality, I find that the earbuds mic aren’t highly sensitive, so the voice is not bright-sounding, hence you have to speak up normally during conversations. Under windy conditions, you need to fight with the wind noise to get the mic to pick up your voice. Using with laptops for voice calls, I encounter some lag, which is a common issue with true wireless earbuds.

Verdict

The Defunc TRUE PLUS earbuds audio quality is open and immersive with slightly elevated bass response, though intensity would be lost in noisy places due to lack of seal. The adjustable stem is an interesting feature but it probably does not have any significant effect. I enjoy using them at home for general purpose, like social media video feeds, and would leave them on for extended periods even without audio.

Get these if you like open-fit earbuds with more bass feel. Retailing at S$129.90, it should not be difficult to find a unit below S$100 given numerous online offers to boost the economy during this pandemic.

Why won't my Defunc earbuds work?

Make sure the earbuds are turned on. Make sure Bluetooth is turned on on your device. Make sure that the earbuds aren't connected to another device. Make sure the earbuds have battery life.

What is the difference between true wireless and wireless earbuds?

The important distinction is that “true wireless” headphones completely lack a cable or connector between the earpieces. “Wireless” headphones are still connected in some way (over-head like Bose, or around the back of the neck (like many sports sets), but no longer need access to a phone jack.

Who is the owner of Defunc?

Even then we had these follow-up products on the drawing board and, gratifyingly, we have managed to develop all of these in parallel to be able to show them at IFA in Berlin," says Johan Wahlback, CEO of Defunc and one of the founders of MONDO by Defunc.

How do I increase the volume on my Defunc earbuds?

Volume increase: Click once on the right earbud. Wait 1 second between each touch if you want to increase the volume. want to decrease the volume. Answer/end phone call: Double-click either the left or right earbud to answer or end the phone call.