Coming out of the New York City Status audio founded by James Bertuzzi (who personally oversees product development and manufacturing) has made a name for their wireless earphones. They don’t sell fancy stuff with chrome or fancy metal on their product. Neither their products are endorsed by fancy artists. They make simple and functional products without any fuzz, keeping this tidy and interesting. They don’t make dazzling products but their designs are simple yet intriguing.
In their words:-
“Less is best”
“We believe in simplicity. Headphones should enable a great listening experience — no matter who is listening, or what is being listened to. Understated design, high quality materials, and a relentless focus on sound — no complications or gimmicks.”
One of their best sellers is the BT transfer. Priced at just $69 it houses a dual driver system and comes in two colours, midnight and gunmetal.
Get one for yourself from here:-
ACCESSORIES AND PACKAGING:-
Unboxing the BT transfer is fairly simple and straight forward. Opening the outer cover reveals the earphones with the remote module stuffed in foam. All the accessories are placed under the paper cover. Removing the paper cover unveils the carry case and both sets of tips and fit-wings are placed in a paper box under it. There are 4 sizes of tips and fit-wings to choose from. The cable manager is already on the cable and cable clip stuck to the cable. The micro USB cable and some documentation complete the list of accessories.
What is really impressive with the set of tips and fit-wings is that they are not made out of rubber but good quality silicone material. Unlike rubber, silicone is softer on the ear and is more comfortable for longer period of time.
HOW IS THE BUILD, FIT and CABLE:-
Build quality of the BT Transfer is a bit of a mixed bag. Where the ear pieces are build like a tank the cable is slightly on the weaker side. The ear pieces are built with metal shells, and feel very solid and strong in the hand. The slight heft to the earpieces can be a bit bothersome but the fit-wings are perfectly capable of handling the weight of it. The nozzle is slightly on the shorter side but with the right pair of tip it blocks good amount of ambient noise. There is one small vent just below the nozzle.
The BT transfer’s build is incomplete without the fit-wings. These fit wings complete the earphone while providing exceptional stability inside the ear. There is little to no movement even when walking. Without these wings the earpieces feels less ergonomically. The size of earpieces can be a bit uncomfortable if intended to be used while sleeping.
The cable of the BT transfer is slightly on the leaner side. The quality of the cable used is very good but I am not sure how much stress or force it can take. It will withstand some yanking but might not survive brute force. There isn’t much stress reliever on the cable but it is good enough to last long still I would have liked a bit more protection at the 3 button remote. The remote is made out of good quality plastic with rubber buttons and feels premium.
OPERATION AND CONNECTIVITY:-
Operating the BT Transfer isn’t different from other BT earphones. Pressing the middle button for a couple of seconds turns the BT earphones on, keeping the button pressed for a few more seconds turns on the pairing mode. The volume up and down buttons does what they are supposed to do and the centre button is used to pick and end calls. The battery low notification can be slightly annoying.
Equipped with BT5.0 the BT Transfer uses the latest codec and connectivity options available in the market. Just pair it with a BT5.0 compatible device and enjoy the full potential of it. You can connect it with two devices at a time but once you receive a call from a device you will not be able to receive a call from the other device. The thing is easier with music and calls, calls get the priority. Connection quality of the BT Transfer is as good as it gets, I have barely seen earphones or devices with better connectivity. It doesn’t drop any frames even with a wall in between but things get bad if the distance increases from 8-10m. Straight line range is fantastic at more than 10m.
BATTERY LIFE:-
The BT Transfer is said to have a battery life of around 8hours and I don’t find it doing lower than 8hrs and around 10 hours at times. It lasted me half an hour less than with a 10hours train journey. Taking into consideration that I barely use it with more than 60-70% volume and don’t use it with two devices simultaneously the battery life is decent. If you intend to use it with full volume and multiple devices you might see a battery life of around 7hrs at least. I never had to charge it twice a day but that’s just me with occasional calls and some music while on the move.
If you listen to music all the time.. You should carry a small powerbank with you.
