Wednesday, October 25, 2023

Audio Glasses Are Now Affordable But Not Great Sound Quality

There have been many attempts at smart glasses for consumers. Google tried and failed with Google Glass there are Ray-Ban | Meta Smart Glasses, and were Bose Frames. Google's were equipped with small screen for Augmented Reality, the Ray-Bans have small cameras for live social media, and the Bose have a movement detector for AR sound. None of these have been a great success. However, there are glasses which simply provide two way sound for phone calls, and listening to music. These are now down to $20. But are they any good? For phone calls, perhaps just, but not for HiFi.

One recent example I found widely offered online are the Lenovo Lecoo C8 Smart Sunglasses (mine were under AU$20 including postage). They arrived sooner than promised from Singapore. The box was a bit crushed, but the glasses were undamaged in the translucent plastic case they are supplied with.

Describing these are "Sport HiFi" is an exaggeration. They are robust enough for everyday wear, but not for sport. The sound quality from the inbuilt speakers is adequate for talking books, and phone conversations, but not music. The sound quality from the built in microphones is poor. The lenses are "Anti Blue", that is blue light blocking, but so are any dark sunglasses. The glasses have the advantage of using a standard micro-USB charging cable, rather than a bespoke one. They are lighter than Bose glasses, but with much poorer sound. The touch control on the side for volume works well. If you are uncomfortable with in, and over, earphones, then for occasional use, the Lenovo Lecoo C8 are adequate. There are alternatives, but not at such an affordable price.

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