Review: pTron Basspods 992 ANC

Are these earbuds worth Rs 1,699? Ashish Narsale/Rediff.com finds out.

The pTron, a subsidiary of Indian tech company Palred Technologies Ltd, has launched yet another True Wireless Stereo earbuds, the pTron Basspods 992, with active noise cancellation (ANC eliminates the surrounding noise using a dedicated set of microphones. It produces negative sound waves to negate external noise. As this feature uses power, the battery may drain faster than normal).

The ANC cannot be counted as a premium feature since these earbuds are priced at Rs 1,699.

Do they perform as promised? Ashish Narsale/Rediff.com shares his verdict.

Build, Design and Fit

The earbuds come in a plastic rectangular charging case with rounded edges. Both have a glossy piano finish that gives them a premium look.

Available in white and black, the earbuds magnetically cling on in the space provide for charging. The lid too shuts with magnet support.

The bottom of the case houses a USB Type-C charging port and an LED indicator that blinks white while charging and red when the battery is low.

The earbuds have an in-ear design and come with replaceable silicon ear-cups. The earcups come in three sizes that are soft, comfortable and fit well, creating good passive noise cancellation.

For a better sound experience, I would suggest that you try the extra silicon cups and find your best fit.

The earbuds weigh just 4.6 grams -- once worn, you hardly feel any weight -- and fit well.

Each bud has an LED indicator for battery and paring that glows red and blue.

The buds support touch control for music, voice assistant, power, ANC and are IPX4 certified for water and sweat protection.

Control

The touch controls on the buds are minimalistic and simple to use.

Once the buds are pulled out of the case, provided they are charged, they automatically turn on and connect to the paired device or go into pairing mode.

If they are not on, you can long-press the touch-sensitive area on the top side of each bud to switch it on.

A long-press on left earbud for 2 seconds activates voice assistants (it supports Goolge and Siri).

And a long-press on right earbud for 2 seconds allows you to cycle between ANC modes and the transparency mode, which amplifies the surrounding sound without your having to removing the earbuds.

The ANC reduces the external noise by about 70-80 per cent.

When it was switched on, I could hear faint voices of people speaking; the sound of my room's fan was suppressed to a certain extent.

While listening to music, you can play/pause music with single tap on either bud. To return to the previous, or move to the next, track, you can double tap the left and right touch-sensitive area respectively.

You can also use either of the touch areas to receive/reject calls.

Sadly, there is no volume control option in the buds; you have to control it through the device.

The touch is quite responsive.

Range and Connectivity

The earbuds use 5.0 Bluetooth radio, a good upgrade from its previous generations of earbuds which cost almost same.

The signal range is quite good and works upto 10 metres, unless you enter another room or are behind a wall.

There is no visible delay in the audio-video synchronisation while watching videos in the wireless mode. For gaming, however, I would advise using wired earphones.

Sound

The 10 mm drivers are tuned to deliver good sound quality.

It also supports AAC codec for HD audio if your phone/device supports it.

The earbuds have a balanced sound signature.

I tested it by listening to songs like Rehnuma from Rocky Handsome, Ok Jaanu from Ok Jaanu, Taal se taal mila from Taal and Piya Basanti Re, a music album by Ustad Sultan Khan.

The bass (lows) is well tuned and does not boom so, if you are looking for extra bass, these earbuds are not for you.

The vocals (mids) and treble (highs) are crisp and clear.

The sound stage demonstrates depth with both wide and narrow sound.

The dynamic range is pretty good; it can differentiate between the softest and loudest sounds.

The directional accuracy shows convincing output and gives a good 3D effect when listening to 3D/binaural audio. Simply put, this means most of the musical instruments can be distinctively heard; the vocals are clear and the bass is soothing.

While I like the volume at 50 per cent, there is no distortion even when the sound is raised to 100 per cent.

These earbuds are made for music lovers who like to listen to all kind of genres -- pop, jazz, classical, rock, orchestra and even Bollywood.

Watching streaming movies was a good experience.

It's also a good option for those who work from home.

The ANC helps reduce the background noise but you will be aware of your surroundings unless you are deeply engrossed.

Call Quality

The microphones work well during both indoor and outdoor calls.

The person I was speaking to and I had no trouble hearing each other.

Battery

The battery is a great performer.

The casing hosts a 500 mAh battery and each bud is embedded with 40 mAh battery.

A fully charged casing lets you charge the earbuds approximately four times.

After a single charge of 1 hour 30 minutes, the earbuds last upto four hours if it is used at a moderate volume with the ANC switched off.

With 10 minutes of charge, it gave me approximately 60 minutes of playtime with the ANC on.

It uses the USB Type-C and supports fast charging.

Verdict

These are the best earbuds from pTron I have tried; it has good features, good performance and is good value for money.

I would certainly recommend them to those who are looking for good sound, good battery performance and ANC at a budget price.

Watch! The unboxing and preview