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Open-fit earbuds usually have a volume problem, but not the Edifier Lolliclips. These are loud enough for me at the 50% level. It also supports the Hi-Res codec LDAC, and it’s orientation blind, so if you want to use just one earbud, you can take out either side and pop them on whichever ear, left or right doesn’t matter.

As for health tracking, it can do heart rate and oxygen level, but I am already using the Apple Watch or Galaxy Ring which provides deeper tracking and more functions. And they can track automatically whereas with the LolliClips, you have to initiate tracking on the Edifier Connex app. So it’s not exactly a replacement for those products, unless I forget to wear them, which does happen sometimes.

Active Noise Cancelling

As for its noise canceling, it’s good that it has it, but it’s very weak. I do get a bit of that ANC sensation, but as you can see from this graph, it’s not actually canceling anything substantial, just a shave off the lower mids with much of the canceling happening in the treble.

👉 Have a listen to the ANC samples

Not surprised at all, because it doesn’t have that earplug seal in the first place, so it’s relying on the drivers alone for anti-noise. Goes to show that what Apple did with the AirPods 4 is pure sorcery in terms of noise canceling power. I bet you also want to know how the LolliClips perform in terms of sound quality and microphone pickup, and whether I have become a true Lollicon.

Sound Quality

In terms of its sound quality, by and large, it hits the right spots for me. It sounds crisp, smooth and non-fatiguing, a bit bright for me in the treble but not a problem, still within my tolerance. But like with most open-fit earbuds, sub bass is a challenge. Here you can see that there’s quite a bit of roll off under 100hz, below the Harman preference curve. But thankfully it still retains that fullness in the upper bass and mids. It’s also able to project a nice and wide soundstage so I’ve got objects phasing in the sides like it should be.

👉 Have a listen to the sound quality samples

EQ Settings

Now do note that if you need more bass, you can turn on the bass boost setting in the app. It adds more fullness in the upper bass, even bloating up the mids a little, but it’s not going to improve sub-bass performance. Apart from that, you also have vocal mode and treble boost, which does what it describes, but to me it sounds best on Classic or Bass Boost. It doesn’t have any other EQ settings, nor a graphic EQ, but it does have spatial sound mode which expands the soundstage.

While it sounds more recessed and thin, I would classify its spatial audio as ‘not bad’ because it keeps the objects focused and doesn’t add much reverb.If you want to, you can activate head tracking to pin the audio in place, but every time you turn on head tracking, you have to calibrate first while keeping your head still, whereas other earbuds either jump into head tracking immediately, or perform a one time calibration which is more seamless.

Microphone Quality

Its mic pickup for phone calls is decent in quiet conditions. Voice is well amplified, and even in noisy conditions the noise reduction does work, but it also noise gates too aggressively, which results in my own voice getting chopped out.

👉 Have a listen to the mic quality samples

My Experiences

I’ve said many times I personally am not a fan of open fit earbuds because I need silence. And I’m even less of a fan of anything that hooks around the ears because those tend to be uncomfortable after a while. These ones, after wearing them for 3 hours plus, didn’t feel too sore, so it’s not bad.

The manual says to tap on the bridge to control playback and calls, but actually you can tap anywhere because there isn’t an actual tap sensor. Instead, the LolliClips are using the mics to pick up the peaks when you tap so you can even tap in front and behind, as long as it’s on the earbuds.

Controls are very limited. you only have double tap and triple tap gestures, so you really have to prioritize which controls you want to assign. Ideally, I want music pause play, skip tracks, toggle noise canceling modes and volume up/down, but it’s simply not possible to have everything here.

Multipoint pairing works well, but it doesn’t take over, so you have to pause on one to play on the other device. In ear detection is snappy, and there’s even a drain earbud function in case it gets soaked briefly.

Battery life so far is pretty good. I’m getting 2 hours of use from 20% battery from the buds playing at 50% volume with all features turned on. So I think in terms of features it’s got almost everything except no graphic EQ and very limited controls.

Verdict

Overall it’s still too early to say if I’m a Lollicon, because like I said, I do prefer the silence and bass response from earplug designs, but if I were looking at something open-fit, but don’t want to spend a pretty penny, the LolliClips look very compelling to me in terms of sound quality and features. (I know real meaning of Lollicon and about that, I prefer more mature manga characters. Those that go ‘Ara Ara’ instead of ‘Onichan!’)

(Amazon Links TBA)