Preface
Having reviewed Sudio’s wireless Tre Black & Vasa Blå models previously, we were excited to try out Sudio’s true wireless earphones – the Sudio Nivå.
Note:
- The model used in this review is the Sudio Nivå Black.
- The earphone was tested on the Huawei P20 Pro, Samsung S9+, Apple iPad Pro 9.7, Apple iPhone 6s and Ulephone S7 Plus.
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Packaging & First Impressions
This is what the earphone will come with as shown below.
- Packaging looks attractive and has a premium feel to it.
- The earphone case (doubles up as its charging case) is fairly sturdy with just a little flex when pressed and should withstand day-to-day abuse without issue.
- The attached (waxed lace- style) lanyard is able to support the full weight of the case and should hold up to the test of time.
- The magnetic closure of the case ensures that the case remains closed during transport.
- The earphone feels lightweight and does not protrude much when worn.
- The Left & Right earphone is clearly marked.
Front:
Back:
Sides:
Top:
Bottom:
Box Contents:
Quick Overview (Manufacturer Specifications)
- Earbuds Weight: 10g
- Battery
- Usage Time per charge: 3.5h
- Earbuds Charging Duration
- Quick Charge: 10min
- Full Charge: 1h
- Charging Case
- Provides 3 Full Charge for Earbuds
- Full Charge: Not Specified
- Microphone: Yes, Built-in mic on RIGHT Earbud
- Bluetooth: 4.2
- Bluetooth Range: 10m
- Driver: 6.2mm (Dynamic)
- Sensitivity: 105 dB SPL/mW
- Impedance: 32 Ohm/mW
- Frequency Response: 18 Hz – 22 kHz
- Accessories Included:
- 3*Ear Tips (Different Size)
- 1*Micro-USB Cable
- 1*Carry Charging Case with Lanyard
- MSRP: $109 (S$169) – Click HERE to see our exclusive 15% discount code (price includes express shipping)
- Comes with 1 year International Warranty
- Colors Available
- Black
- White
- Pastel Blue (currently exclusive to Asia)
- Pastel Pink (currently exclusive to Asia)
UI (User Interface)
Both LEFT and RIGHT earbuds for the Sudio Nivå has a button that makes the operation process rather straightforward.
First Connection/Pairing
The following instruction would guide you through the simple process to connect the Sudio Nivå to a Bluetooth-compatible device for the first time.
- Switch ON Bluetooth on Bluetooth-compatible device (phone, tablet, computer or etc.).
- From OFF, HOLD both the LEFT & RIGHT earbuds’ buttons for ~3secs till the RED indicator flashes.
- Select the name of the earphone (Sudio Nivå) on the Bluetooth-compatible device to connect.
- The earphone is now connected to the Bluetooth-compatible device & all audio/phone call will now play on the earphone directly.
- Switch OFF Earphone:
- HOLD either LEFT or RIGHT earbud’s button till the RED indicator blinks. If you are still wearing the earphone when switching OFF, a chime will be heard followed by “Power Off”.
- Alternatively, place both LEFT and RIGHT earbuds back into the carry charging case and the earphones will automatically switch OFF.
Subsequent Connection/Pairing
The following instruction would guide you through the simple process to connect the Sudio Nivå to the Bluetooth-compatible device after the first pairing.
- Switch ON Bluetooth on Bluetooth-compatible device.
- Switch ON Both LEFT & RIGHT Earbuds: HOLD both the LEFT & RIGHT earbuds’ buttons till the BLUE indicator blinks. If you are wearing the earphone, a chime will be heard followed by “Power On”, “Pairing”, “Device Connected”, “Left Channel” and “Right Channel”.
- The earphone should connect with the Bluetooth-compatible device almost immediately. If you are wearing the earphone, a chime will be heard followed by “Second Device Connected”.
- If Step 3 does not occur, manually tap to connect on the device’s Bluetooth menu.
- The earphone is now connected to the Bluetooth-compatible device & all audio/phone call will now play on the earphone directly.
- Switch OFF Earphone:
- HOLD either LEFT or RIGHT earbud’s button till the RED indicator blinks. If you are still wearing the earphone when switching OFF, a chime will be heard followed by “Power Off”.
- Alternatively, place both LEFT and RIGHT earbuds back into the carry charging case and the earphones will automatically switch OFF.
Normal Operation
The following instruction would guide you through the simple process of operating the Sudio Nivå after being paired to the Bluetooth-compatible device.
Play/Pause OR Accept/End Calls
- Play: Press the LEFT or RIGHT earbud’s button once.
- Pause: Press the LEFT or RIGHT earbud’s button once.
- Accept Calls: Press the RIGHT earbud’s button once.
- End Calls: Press the RIGHT earbud’s button once.
Volume Up/Down
- No option available to increase Volume Up or Down (use Bluetooth-compatible device to adjust manually).
Previous/Next Track
- Next Track: Press 2 times the LEFT or RIGHT earbud’s button.
- Previous Track: No option available (use Bluetooth-compatible device to adjust manually).
Connectivity
The Sudio Nivå uses the Bluetooth 4.2 version. Interestingly, Sudio did not bring over the aptX codex they had in their Tre Black & Vasa Blå models.
After the first pairing/connection, the earphone would connect to the Bluetooth-compatible device almost instantly through our tests.
No disconnection occurred when placing the Bluetooth-compatible device in the pocket or bag. However, there was 2 separate instances that a split second drop out occurred but it has never occurred again despite our extended tests (probably some fluke interference with nearby Wi-Fi radio signals).
The claimed Bluetooth range is 10m and the earphone is still connected to the Bluetooth-compatible devices even slightly beyond the 10m mark. The earphones will still remain connected even in an adjourning room (separated by a concrete wall), although this decreases the Bluetooth range to about half.
Wearing Comfort/Form Factor
The design of the Nivå is great for those looking for a true wireless earphone option.
When worn, the Nivå does protrude from the ears slightly. With the correct-sized ear tips fitted, the earbuds held sturdily even when doing more vigorous activity (eg jogging/running); at no time did the earbuds feel like it was about to fall off.
Comfort-wise, the earphone felt comfortable in almost every position when worn. We had no issues wearing the earbuds for ~3 hours on one sitting and experienced no discomfort throughout.
Since there is a battery pack on both the LEFT and RIGHT earbuds respectively, the earbuds feel well balanced when worn.
The following pictures shows one of our team members wearing the Sudio Nivå model.
Pictures of the Sudio Nivå and the carry charging case can be seen below:
Battery Runtime
There are a lot of factors that affect an earphone’s battery runtime – distance of earphone from Bluetooth-compatible device, Bluetooth-compatible device’s Bluetooth version, volume of audio, genre of music and more. Hence, we try to make as much as the above variables, as constants instead.
Here are the parameters for our unofficial runtime test:
- Bluetooth-compatible device used: Apple iPhone 6S, Airplane Mode activated, all background applications closed
- Distance of Earphone from Bluetooth-compatible device: Placed next to each other
- Bluetooth Version: 4.2
- Music Player used: Apple Music (no Equalizer activated)
- Audio used: Royals by Lorde (in Repeat mode)
- Volume of Audio: ~50%
With the above parameters in place, the earphone lasted a full ~10 minutes longer than the 3.5 hours claimed by Sudio.
The battery indicator for the earphones changes in relatively odd increments (I.e. 10%, 30%, 40%, 50%, 60%, 80% and 100%). We highly recommend charging the earphones once it hits 40%. While the 40% battery percentage might last rather long, the drop from 40% to 30% to 10% to 0% will occur under a span of 10 minutes – leaving the user without any audio.
Sound Quality
There are many components to evaluate an earphone’s sound quality. We do not pretend to be true hardcore audiophiles but we will look into 4 of the more common characteristics that most audiophiles tend to look for. The following unofficial tests are made without an equalizer.
There is a split second audio delay with videos on both earphones – it is not exactly noticeable till you actually look for it. Hence, video editing is definitely not possible with these earphones.
- Soundstage: The soundstage is fairly narrow and is probably due to the adjusted bass.
- Treble: The treble is mildly boosted.
- Mids: The mids is slightly recessed.
- Bass: The bass is noticeably boosted and sounds slightly muddy at times.
Overall, the sound quality is fairly good with a focus more on bass, for Sudio’s first true wireless earphone – especially when factoring the cost of the earphone.
Microphone Sound Quality
Only the RIGHT earbud has the in-built microphone and when taking a call, the RIGHT earbud is used. The LEFT earbud is not used during calls.
The parties on the other side of the line were able to hear our voices fairly clearly, despite being in a noisier environment.
Charging Process
With the provided Micro-USB Cables, the carry charging case was charging at 0.24A.
The blinking BLUE indicator depicts charging in progress and 4 solid BLUE indicator depicts charging has completed.
For charging the earbuds, the blinking BLUE indicator depicts charging in progress and no indicator lit depicts charging has completed.
Waterproofness
As there is no official IP rating for the earphones, they were subjected to being sprinkled with room temperature water (to best mimic light showers and sweat) whilst switched ON.
No signs of water intrusion in the earbuds was seen. Nonetheless, the ear tips have to be removed to dry out the water (the basic post-water maintenance procedures are still required).
Scale Comparison (Ruler)
Summary
To sum up, we believe that the most important part of any review is if given the chance to purchase the same earphone for our own usage or to gift to our loved ones out from one’s pocket (wallet), would we still do it?
For this true wireless earphones, it is a definite YES if the sound quality/signature is what you are looking for.
The fairly decent battery lifespan per charge, sweatproof, lightweight, ear comfort when wearing them and great-looking carry charging case – are all positive points for this earphone.
However, it would be nice if a slightly faster charging rate for the carry case was used instead (or even USB-C charging). As of now, the workaround solution would be to top-up charge the carry case after every usage.
As with all gears, two is one and one is none.
Stay safe,
The Lite Review
Disclaimer: Earphones and coasters were provided for by Sudio (manufacturer) for this review. No other compensation was provided.
Where to Buy Links
Sudio Sweden has very kindly provided us with an exclusive 15% discount code! Simply enter the discount code “THELITEREVIEW15” to enjoy this special promotion.
**This discount code should work worldwide and applies for all models in Sudio Sweden range – Contact Us if there is any issues with the discount code.**
Sudio Sweden is currently having a special promotion till 31st October 2018 – a FREE 4 piece special edition coaster set will be included with every purchase from their website.
Sudio Sweden
Sudio Nivå: Click Here
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