Noise Master Buds were introduced in India in February. With these TWS earphones, the company ventures out of its budget segment and into a slightly more premium category. At a reasonably handsome price of Rs. 7,999, these headsets offer Bose-tuned audio and a total battery life of up to 44 hours to interested buyers. Having spent the past couple of weeks with the Master Buds, I can tell you a thing or two about what to expect from them.
Noise Master Buds Design and Features: Virtues of Vinyl
Weight – 4.2g (Each bud); 40g (Case)
Colours – Onyx, Silver, Titanium
The Noise Master Buds’ individual earphones sport a familiar design, similar to most other in-ear TWS headsets on the market. The touch sensors are located towards the upper part of the stem and marked by small metallic discs. The earphones are placed vertically within the case, and the charging connectors are placed towards the bottom. This helps avoid any unwanted metal-to-skin contact.
The TWS earphones can be used for a long time with no fatigue
They ship with three ear tip options: small, medium, and large. The medium one was the most comfortable for me and was good to use for a few hours at a stretch at my desk or while travelling without fatigue. However, I would advise against using these in the gym or for your regular runs. They tend to stray from their place with much movement.
The front of the Noise Master Buds storage and charging case features a larger metallic disc resembling an old vinyl record, complete with grooves and ridges. This adds a distinct look to the case and serves as a brilliant fidget toy. While a charging case doubling as a fidget toy is not the sole hallmark of good design, I would be lying if I said it wasn’t one of the biggest reasons the design won me over. If you’ve ever had a pop-it or a spinner at your desk, you’ll understand. The case easily fits in your palm, and you can flick it open and close it easily with just your thumb.
We also find a pill-shaped light bar on the disc at the two o’clock position, inspired by a vinyl needle. A breathing effect indicates the pairing/connectivity and battery status of the earphones. The pairing button is placed on the back of the case. The Noise logo is marked on the bottom of this disc and top of the case. The latter is accompanied by an imprint of the “Sound by Bose” tagline. The USB Type-C charging port is placed towards the bottom of the case.
Noise Master Buds App and Specifications: Effective Essentials
Driver – 12.4mm
Companion App – Noise Audio
Gesture controls – Yes
The Noise Master Buds are compatible with the Noise Audio app. In fact, currently, these are the only TWS headphones by the company that are compatible with the app. You are required to log in to the app using your email ID and phone number. On the home page, you see the battery level of the earphones and the case. It has a monochromatic and easy-to-navigate layout. No frills, just the essentials. There are three major categories that the app allows us to customise, starting with noise control, touch gestures and equaliser.
The Noise Audio app has an easily accessible layout
Among the different noise control modes are “noise control off” and “transparency” modes. The “ANC on” mode includes noise cancellation levels: low, medium, and high. The touch gesture customization section is quite straightforward as well. For both left and right earbuds, you can personalize actions for gestures like one, two, or three taps and a tap and hold. You can also toggle the in-ear detection feature on and off from this section.
I opted not to assign any task to the single tap gesture to minimize the chance of mistakenly prompting an action while adjusting the earphones. I assigned the double tap on the right and left earbuds for volume up and down, respectively. Tapping the right bud three times would take me to the next track when I am playing music while tapping thrice on the left activates the voice assistant feature. Lastly, the tap-and-hold action on the right earphone would activate or deactivate the spatial audio feature, and doing the same on the left would help me switch between the different ANC modes. These are the settings I used to best manage my controls. You are, of course, welcome to enjoy customisation as per your preferences.
The Noise Audio app allows us to customise a three-band equaliser where we can adjust the level of bass, mid and treble ranges on vertical slider scales. It also has three preset modes, including jazz, club and rock, aside from a default “equal” mix.
The audio performance of the headsets leaves very little room for complaints
The earphones are equipped with 12.4mm titanium drivers and support up to 49dB ANC alongside Bose-tuned audio. They support LHDC 5.0 audio codec, dual-device connectivity and spatial audio without head tracking. The headsets are claimed to offer a total battery life of up to 44 hours, including up to six hours, with just the earphones on a single charge.
Noise Master Buds Performance and Battery Life: Middling Maestro
ANC – 49dB
Battery Life (ANC off) – six hours (Bud), 44 hours (Case)
Fast Charging – Yes (claimed 10 minutes for up to six hours)
Bluetooth – v5.4
Let us now talk about the USP and the audio performance of the Noise Master Buds. They come with ‘Sound by Bose.’ The possibility of that tagline being another marketing gimmick was slim but not nil. However, with the audio tuning that these TWS earphones offer, we can safely say that the impressions of Bose, or rather the sound quality we relate with Bose, is noticeable. The balance between the high and low-frequency audios, without getting muddy on either extreme, is proof of that.
Despite the jazz, club, and rock presets, I mostly enjoyed using the Noise Master Buds in the default music mode. This offers playback with equally balanced bass, treble, and mid tones. Customising the EQ, while simpler with three bands, also left me wanting more granular control at times. But I am no Shirley Walker, so I can’t say this factor greatly weighed in on my overall experience.
The grooves and ridges of the vinyl design double as a fidget tool
The audio performance of the Noise Master Buds truly leaves very little room for complaints. Is it something you would expect from studio-level headsets? No. Is it remarkably better than most budget to mid-range offerings in the market? Yes. Starting from the crisp high notes in Joan Baez’s rendition of “House of the Rising Sun” to the heavy but clear baritone of Leonard Cohen in the “You Want It Darker” track, the experience was delightful. Even a punchier, bass-heavy track like “Haegum” by Agust D was thoroughly enjoyable. I was expecting disappointment in certain corners, but there was no muddying with ANC or any cracks in audio at a higher volume.
Disappointment, however, shows up in terms of connectivity. The Noise Master Buds support Bluetooth 5.4 and the LHDC 5.0 audio codec. The Google Fast Pair feature works fine. The lossless audio transmission and even the Bluetooth range are okay. With my phone on my desk at home, I could walk around, making coffee, feeding my cats, or watering my plants out on the balcony without any snag in the connection.
The trouble begins with dual-device pairing. While you would expect to switch between, say, your PC and smartphone audio to be seamless, it is anything but! The track you were playing on the initial device is not immediately audible and requires a few restarts or resets. There is also some considerable audio-visual lag while streaming. It is disconcerting, especially while trying to watch a movie or a show. Multiple restarts would sometimes solve the issue, but there have been instances where I have kept the Master Buds aside out of sheer frustration. And this pulls a lot away from the total experience.
The earphones offer a decent ANC/ENC performance
The Noise Master Buds’ spatial audio feature without head tracking is not noteworthy. The ANC performance is good and works well on busy streets or crowded shops. The call noise reduction feature does work well and offers a decent call experience.
Another virtue of the Noise Master Buds is their battery life. The true offered usage is close to the claimed playback time. Without ANC, just the earphones can last for up to five hours and 53 minutes on a single charge, while with ANC, this usage time drops to about three hours and 56 minutes. A quick charge of 10 minutes can help the earphones last for around five hours and 35 minutes, without ANC, at 50 percent volume.
Noise Master Buds: Verdict
For a pair of TWS earphones with good, balanced audio tuning and decent battery life, we rarely need to think twice about whether they are worth buying. The Noise Master Buds hit the bumps on a couple of levels that are seemingly secondary at a glance but become vital while considering the overall experience. As someone who connects with multiple devices throughout the day, seamless multi-device pairing is almost a non-negotiable. It may have been better if the dual-pairing feature were not supported. With this drawback and a non-gym-worthy fit, despite the audio performance and the battery life, these headsets align as Chaotic Good at best.
Considering that you are getting Bose-tuned audio and a total battery life of up to 44 hours for under Rs. 10,000, should you get them? Priced at Rs. 7,999, you can opt for the Noise Master Buds if you most often connect them to a single electronic device. Also, if you do not mind riding the high latency wave and own earphones with a cool case design, these are for you.
At the same price range, you can also consider the Nothing Ear (a) Review, which was launched in India in April 2024 and is claimed to offer a total playback time of up to 42.5 hours. They support ChatGPT integration, up to 45dB ANC and IP54 dust and splash resistance rating for the earphones.