Optoma NuForce BE Free8 True Wireless Earphones Review

The NuForce BE Free8 are not just true wireless earphones but reliable true wireless earphones 

With what is clearly an industry move away from a wired lifestyle, choosing the right set of Bluetooth-enabled earphones is of paramount importance, and especially as not all Bluetooth earphones are created equal. One of the biggest issues facing buyers is whether to go all-in and opt for a pair of true wireless earphones or not. Although this sort of wire-free option is great in terms of the freedom, they are not without their compromises and one of the most common is the quality of the connection between the two sides. This is specifically one of the areas Optoma has looked to address with its NuForce BE Free8 earphones while still providing a heightened listening experience. The NuForce BE Free8 earphones are now available to buy and come with a retail price of $149 in the US – although they can currently be picked up for $129.

Specs

The NuForce BE Free8 earphones feature 6mm drivers which the company state come equipped with a NuForce sonic coating. Frequency response is listed at 20Hz – 20,000Hz while sensitivity is 92db +/-3db. These are Bluetooth-enabled headphones (v4.1) and do come with an operating range of 33 feet. In terms of battery life each earbud is listed as capable of running for four hours while the included carry case can provide an additional 12 hours of battery power when needed – resulting in a combined (earbud + case) maximum of 16 hours. Each earbud weighs in at 1.6 ounces.

In the box

There is nothing too much to note about the unboxing process. The general packaging, while good, is not ultra premium. Inside, buyers will find a charging case, two sets of ‘SpinFit Tips’ (one in addition to the already attached pair), a microUSB charging cable, the usual selection of paperwork, and of course, the NuForce BE Free8 earphones.

Hardware & Design

Generally speaking, true wireless headphones are much of the same. After all, there is very little manufacturers can do with a surface space the size of this and so variation in form is always going to be tricky. On that note, the NuForce BE Free8 earphones do not try to do anything revolutionary as their look and overall appearance is fairly generic. Simply put, they are just two black earbuds with contacts on one side and a bulkier back to accommodate all the included ‘smarts.’ If anything, they do look a little less premium than competing options and especially when comparing them to the more high-profile products in the true wireless market. This is in part due to their reliance on what is largely a plastic build quality. Adding to that, the sheen produced is a little much resulting in a highly-reflective and mirror-like appearance when the light hits them. Granted, some people might actually prefer this look, but from a more independent viewpoint, it does not result in what many might consider a ‘premium’ level of presentation. The only discernible aspect with the design is the use of grooves on the back plate and these are actual grooves meaning they do have a tactile property to them with users able to to feel the indentations when touched. Although it was not clear what, if anything, is the benefit of this design cue, as the NuForce BE Free8 earphones are fairly minimalist when it comes to on-board controls. In fact, the only control that can be found on each earbud is a single button – also used to differentiate left and right – positioned on the top of the bud. Therefore the grooves do not particularly add anything in terms of navigating the earbud when it is in-ear and out of sight.

This minimal design also applies to the carry case, which once again is plastic in material and featuring a glossy finish. The case is also a little on the large side considering only a small portion of the case is reserved for physically housing the earbuds. This is one of those cases which does come with its own battery for on-the-go charging although it seems unlikely the battery capacity is great enough to justify the size of the case. One positive on the size is it is likely to prove beneficial in protecting the earbuds when the case encounters an accidental drop. Though it is less clear how many times the case can be dropped and survive without cracking – based on the design and materials used.

While these headphones do adopt a fairly generic look overall this is not necessarily a bad thing. As when it comes to true wireless headphones, it is likely that most people are looking for a more discrete solution, and on that basis, the NuForce BE Free8 earphones live up to the job. They are physically a little bigger than would be ideal so they are a little more noticeable. Although when in-ear, their generic look and style is certainly less attention-grabbing than other similarly-priced options. Likewise, in spite of their plastic build quality they are designed to be durable, as in addition to appearing rugged enough to survive drops (not tested) they do boast an IPX5 rating. Suggesting they are protected from lighter water encounters. In the context of headphones, this is probably best understood as protection against rain and sweat, but not suitable for use when swimming. The IPX5 rating does not provide any information on the dust resistance of these earbuds although Optoma has confirmed that all of its products are dust-resistant.

Coming back to the single button on each earbud, as this is the only control provided with the NuForce BE Free8 earphones resulting in what can be considered a multi-function button. Therefore how the user interacts with the button will determine its function. Briefly holding down the button (not quite tapping) results in simple play/pause actions, while holding down the button a little longer (two seconds, roughly) results in track skipping. Generally speaking, there were no major issues with the performance of the button although the build quality in general means the tactile properties of the button are not the best. The button is only very superficially raised compared to the rest of the unit and pressing down on the button when it is in the ear proved a little harder to do than it probably should be. When contact was made, the actual functionality worked just fine.

Sound Quality & Extra Features

Besides the wire-free aspect, the sound quality is one of the key areas Optoma promotes with these earphones and one of the reasons for this is the coupling of a dynamic driver with the company’s ‘sonic coating’ solution. The company explains this as a “razor thin” coating made up of “several refractory metals.” The idea being this coating offers a more natural response as well as a lower level of distortion. The latter of which is of even more important when considering the size of the driver. In terms of the actual sound, the NuForce BE Free8 earphones perform very well and do offer a fairly rounded out sound overall. “Fairly” is not the same as fully though and this is best noted in the mid-range area which is a little less pronounced compared to the bass and the tops. So depending on where the buyer’s preference lies will likely determine how suitable the sound quality is for them at an individual level. If bass is more of a concern, for example, then the response on offer with the NuForce BE Free8 earphones is good enough. Obviously, it is not great due to the form factor in general (small drivers are never a good building block for bass response), but compared to similar-sized offerings, these earphones perform well enough in the bass department. The same is evident with the tops which are sufficiently piercing enough.

The one area where criticism can be leveled at the sound quality of the NuForce BE Free8 earphones is the volume as these are not particularly loud earphones. At the top volume level they do offer a comfortable listening experience but for those who want to push the volume, that is not really possible. A problem which is further compounded by the lack of any on-board volume controls – you cannot control the volume via the earbuds and must use the streaming device to set and change the volume. Of course, one of the benefits of a lower topped-out volume is distortion is automatically going to be less of an issue. Which does argue the case these headphones are very good in terms of low distortion levels. While that is never a bad thing – even if that lower level is enforced through volume capping – for those looking for a louder listening experience, there are louder headphones available. Those more concerned with a distortion-free listening experience compared to a super loud experience will find the NuForce Be Free8 earphones to be a good option.

One of the added-value features offered with these earphones is Google Assistant (and Siri) support. Therefore, when coupled with a Google Assistant-enabled device users will be able to hold down the single multi-function button and open a channel with the Google Assistant, ask questions, and have the responses fed back to the user. In testing, this worked very well and consistently without any major issues noted. Other than the volume of the Google Assistant being a bit lower than what would be ideal – an effect of the already-mentioned lower volume in general.

Connectivity

The NuForce BE Free8 earphones make use of Bluetooth 4.1 to establish a connection with a smartphone and up to a distance of 33 feet away. While not the newest Bluetooth technology, it is the most common at the moment and as a result the establishing and maintenance of a connection with a smartphone is excellent with these earphones. What should be of more importance is the good quality of the connection between the two earbuds as this is a very common problem with the majority of true wireless headphones. For background – one of the issues with going wire-free is that for every wire that is removed, there is a chance of a connection being spotty, resulting in a lesser product, and in some cases, an unusable product. At present this issue is most persistent when it comes to the two earbuds as these need to work in tandem to provide the level and quality of sound output many will expect. Traditionally speaking, manufacturers have opted for a ‘dominant’ earbud design where one earbud acts as the primary go-between for the earphones and a smartphone. From here, a signal is then usually piggybacked off the primary earbud to the secondary earbud, and this is where an issue can become most problematic with delays in sound, spotty connections, and a general unequal experience between the two earbuds. Some manufacturers have looked to offset against this by having both earbuds independently connect to the smartphone via Bluetooth, although with two signals trying to establish a connection independent of each other, this method can also cause its own problems. Another route — the one Optoma has taken — is to opt for the use of Near-Field Magnetic Induction (NFMI).

Technically speaking, NFMI still uses a piggyback approach (the left earbud is the primary bud) but the difference with this technology is that it draws on a magnetic field (loop) to communicate the data from one earbud to the other and this means the signal is far stronger than it would be if it was connecting via Bluetooth. In addition, this method also typically requires less power to transmit the data, although in the case of headphones this is not particularly of benefit. The stronger and more solid signal is, however, and this means the NuForce BE Free8 earphones prove to be very effective when it comes to the reliability of the connection between the two earbuds with no drop-outs or drop-offs noted during testing. However, this does need to be qualified a little as not understanding the technology in use could trick buyers into thinking the connection is weaker or more inconsistent than it really is. The reason for this is NFMI is a near-field technology meaning it works at a very local level compared to far-field technology, like Bluetooth. As a result, and in a similar vein to NFC (near-field communication) — hence the name — when making mobile payments, the sending component needs to be in close proximity to the receiving component at all times. In earphone land this means the two earbuds near to be very close to each other for that signal to remain active and worthwhile. Most of time this is unlikely to be an issue (as the earbuds are in the listener’s ears) but it does mean if the dominant earbud is removed from the ear, the dependent earbud will always instantly cut out. Likewise, even movements of the dominant earbud can result in a stuttering and jittery signal received by the dependent earbud. With this in mind it could easily be the case where a buyer thinks the signal is inconsistent when in fact this is the nature of the technology. While NFMI is stronger and more reliable than Bluetooth when the two aspects are very close to each other, the strength of that signal diminishes rapidly when any distance between the two is encountered. This will be the case with any set of Bluetooth earphones that utilize NFMI.

This also means that for some people there might be a slight learning curve involved when moving from a standard set of Bluetooth earbuds to a pair like the NuForce BE Free8 earphones. A prime example of this when a user takes one earbud out to better hear someone who is nearby (but wants to retain audio in the other ear), the user will always have to remove the right (dependent) earbud. This is irrespective of whether the environmental sound the user is trying to tune-in to is within earshot of the left or right ear. When investing in a product like this it is important to understand how the connectivity technology differs to Bluetooth as this will ensure the user is able to maximize the listening experience. In either case, when it comes to the NuForce BE Free8 earphones, the signal between the earbuds is incredibly reliable and the listener will be provided with a consistent listening experience every time.

Battery Life

In theory, the NuForce BE Free8 earphones are rated to offer 16 hours of usage before needing to be wall-charged again although this is based on various caveats and is a figure mostly bolstered by the carry case. As that itself is able to hold a charge equivalent to 12 of those 16 hours. Though, again, this is a number that is more for informative (and comparative) purposes than anything else, as whenever the earphones are not in use, and stored in the case, they are effectively being charged. This is reminiscence of a ‘trickle’ style of charging with the general premise being each time they are taken out of their case they will always be at full battery capacity. If used for only ten minutes, they will get a 10 minutes’ worth of power charge. The same goes for an hour, and so on. Therefore, the user is never likely to actually see the 12-hours of power on offer in the form of 12-hours with the case battery slowly depleting each time the earphones are not in use. Likewise the case will likely naturally continue to deplete even when the earphones are charged, or not stowed in the case.

Irrespective of how much additional battery a user can get, the the NuForce BE Free8 earphones are designed to last longer than what the average gym-visit or typical listening experience might be as the earphones are rated to offer up to four hours in any single sitting. In testing, the four-hour single-setting usage seemed to be exactly in line with what was encountered. When the earphones were continuously used for streaming music, over Bluetooth from a smartphone, and with the volume set to maximum, the NuForce BE Free8 earphones were able to provide enough power for almost four hours each time. While this might be expected considering the claims from the company, it is worth keeping in mind company claims like this are usually related to a lower pre-set volume – often 50-percent. Therefore, companies usually pad out their claims by stating battery life will vary depending on volume. In other words, turn the volume any higher than 50-percent and the expected battery life will diminish accordingly. That is not quite the case here as the testing suggests Optoma is actually stating the maximum expectation of battery life is based on the highest volume setting. Therefore, four hours is likely to be the minimal battery life buyers should expect with the option of extended the battery life further by setting the volume to a lower level.

When the earbuds do need to be charged Optoma suggests a two-hour connection will result in a full charge once again. In testing this proved to be the longest anyone should expect to have to wait as the earphones were typically capable of obtaining a full charge (from the carry case) in well under two hours and on some occasions, as little as ninety minutes.

Wrap Up

The NuForce BE Free8 earphones are an interesting proposition. At their current price point, they are positioned to directly take on some of the big-hitters in this department, including in-house solutions from Apple, Google and Samsung. Likewise, on the feature-front they are directly comparable to those big-name options with a heightened sound quality, a reliable connection and voice assistant compatibility. While their design is a little more lacking than those other options they do offer a very effective product without any of the unnecessary selling points or over-the-top design cues. Very simply put, they are well-performing, good-sounding, and most importantly, reliable, true wireless earphones. Even more simply put – less gimmicks and more substance.