XROUND AERO Earbuds Review
When it comes to a solid pair of earbuds, there is an overwhelming number of options these days. You don’t want to waste your time with a cheap pair featuring the sound fidelity of mud. On the other hand, you may not want to spend a small fortune on earbuds that only go to the gym.
The XROUND AERO Earbuds are a great middle-ground for all users. The features and controls emulate expensive earbuds at a more affordable $89.99. Bluetooth 5.0 plus their ultra-low latency makes them suitable for gaming.
We’ve tested them out to see how they perform in action.
Pros and Cons of XRound Aero Earbuds
Before we get into the details, here’s a quick roundup of why we like the XRound Aero True Wireless Earbuds:
| Pros | Cons |
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Unboxing and Setup – First Impressions of the Xround Wireless Earbuds
These earbuds come packaged in a streamlined box promising “The Freedom Of Sound.” Its box mentions the following features:
- XROUND Lite™ surround sound
- Ultra-low latency
- A gaming/music mode
- Dual-mic noise reduction
- A downloadable app allowing you to adjust the EQ settings
It’s abundantly clear that AERO has gamers in mind with this pair of earbuds. Nevertheless, XRound markets these as an all-around pair of earbuds.
Like AirPods and other high-end earbuds, the XROUND comes with a charging case. The earbuds have sharp, angular lines that give them a fierce-looking design.
You pair these earbuds by holding the button for a few seconds on the case until the LEDs alternate between orange and blue. Once they connect, no further setup is required.
As far as initial impressions go, the Aeros look nice and are easy to set up.
XRound Aero Sound Quality
Before downloading the optional app, we opened up Spotify and got some tunes going.
Right away, percussive notes jump forth emphatically. The sounds of snares and cymbals are incredibly crisp.
Bass notes are accurate and precise without being overdone. The default settings provided an enthralling audio experience.
If you desire, you can adjust the settings in the app to get the bass, mid-tones, and treble how you want them.
Surround sound pops out as an exciting feature but didn’t meet the hype on the box. AERO allows you to adjust it between “off,” “level 1,” and “level 2.” However, the sound enhancement seemed to act primarily as a reverb boost.
Despite the disappointing surround sound algorithm, the audio quality exceeded expectations. AERO didn’t neglect treble with these earbuds like many.
Additionally, the app’s easily adjustable settings allowed us to extract excellent sound quality from all frequencies. If you want solid sound quality for less than 100 bucks, we heartily recommend this pair.
Gaming with the XRound Aero
Wireless earbuds have technological restrictions that make them less-than-ideal for gaming. Nevertheless, their portable form makes them a good candidate for a pair of do-it-all earbuds.
The XRound Aero offers a latency of 50 milliseconds, which is exceptional performance for Bluetooth earbuds. While it doesn’t compare to the 5 – 10 milliseconds of wired gaming headphones, the delay with these earbuds is surprisingly imperceptible.
With gaming, we’d be remiss not to mention the mic. XRound states that their dual-mics work in tandem to reduce noise, which we’re happy to say works well.
Microphone quality is above that of many fellow gamers on online chat platforms. You won’t frustrate your teammates with headache-inducing static or background noise.
Unfortunately, there are a couple of significant issues if you’re using Windows 10.
If you’re using the microphones, you need to switch the audio from “Headphones” to “Headset,” which results in severely degraded audio unless you disable them. Additionally, the signal can cut in and out during a gaming session. However, this issue lies within the OS and Bluetooth rather than the earbuds.
XRound makes a USB-C adapter for the Aero, a feature that allows you to use them with Nintendo Switch and PS4. It’s possible that using this adapter will overcome some of the limitations of Bluetooth.
Xround Aero Key Features
Battery and Charging Case
The earbuds come in a charging case like Apple’s AirPods and Samsung’s Galaxy Buds. An LED indicator lets you know how much charge is remaining. Fully charged, these earbuds last about 24 hours with continuous usage.
Of course, few people use their headphones 24/7. With real-world usage, we haven’t needed to charge the earbuds for four days after unboxing. And this is with the charge already present when XRound shipped the buds. In other words, battery life is more than adequate.
Gesture Controls
You can operate the earbuds by swiping gestures. You can modify what these gestures do in the app.
Default settings involve swiping up and down on the right bud to increase and decrease volume. Holding your finger for 2 seconds switches the profile between “music mode” and “gaming mode.”
On the left bud, tapping twice pauses songs while swiping up and down triggers the previous and next song. You can also hold for 2 seconds to turn the surround sound on and off.
While we appreciate the inventiveness of using gestures for operation, they aren’t as intuitive as we’d hoped. Adjusting or removing an earbud can cause songs to skip, pause, or replay. If you eagerly start using them like many (raises hand), it can present some initial confusion.
Thankfully, you can modify or disable gesture controls in the app. The exceptions are tapping twice to pause and switch between gaming and music mode.
“My Tune” App
With earbuds, apps can either be a pleasant plus or an inescapable annoyance. Fortunately, XROUND’s “My Tune” app is user-friendly and easy to set up. Once you’ve downloaded the app, the headphones should appear as the first result once you’ve connected to Bluetooth.
It’s fun to play around with the settings. There are presets for music and gaming, with profiles that boost the bass, enhance vocals, and enhance footsteps. You can mess with the equalizer yourself for custom settings.
You can also modify gesture controls and turn on simulated surround sound. However, there isn’t much to the app beyond this.
Music Mode and Gaming Mode
There are two ways to switch between “music mode” and “gaming mode:” by holding your finger on the right bud for two seconds or through the app.
In our experience, the app is the most streamlined way to do this. In addition to switching modes, we could easily adjust other settings in the smartphone app while the AEROs were connected to a PC for gaming.
How do the modes affect audio? We’ve noticed a few differences.
Using Music Mode
In music mode, there is an emphasis on percussion and treble. Sounds are clear and accurate. There are several profiles emphasizing bass, vocals, and other components of music.
A basic EQ slider allows you to modify the frequencies so they best compliment any genre. Latency is higher, but this isn’t a big deal unless you’re producing music — maybe try gaming mode?
Using Gaming Mode
In gaming mode, there are characteristics designed to make you a more competitive player. There is a profile specifically for enhancing footsteps, making it easier to notice stealth attacks.
Consequently, we’ve found it easy to visualize where opponents are based on the built-in surround sound. This enhances the gaming experience, so you don’t have to rely on confusing indicators or minimaps to figure out what direction attacks are coming.
Fit – Are the XRound Aero True Wireless Earbuds Comfortable?
It’s hard to make a blanket statement about comfort. With the default earpieces, you may find they fit perfectly. You may also find that they irritate the ears or fall out from time to time, requiring you to search for the missing bud frantically.
Fortunately, the Aero comes packaged in a couple of different sizes if the ones attached don’t fit well.
How do the Xround Aero Compare to Other Earbuds
Thinking of splurging on AirPods, Beats Studio Buds, or Samsung Galaxy Buds+? Take a look at how the Aero compare to these popular contenders first.
| Apple AirPods | Samsung Galaxy Buds Plus | Beats Studio Buds | Xround Aero |
| Latency: 178 ms
Cost: $119.00 Battery Life: More than 24 hours Noise Cancellation: No |
Latency: 332 ms
Cost: $99.99 Battery Life: 22 hours Noise Cancellation: No |
Latency: 283 ms
Cost: $129.95 Battery Life: 24 hours Noise Cancellation: Yes |
Latency: 54 ms
Cost: $89.99 Battery Life: 24 hours Noise Cancellation: No |
All the above options offer comparable sound quality and battery life. For listening to music, all four earbuds are more than capable devices.
However, the Xround Aero blow Apple, Samsung, and Beats out of the water with their ultra-low latency. According to Xround, the human ear can’t detect any delay below 70 milliseconds, meaning you won’t be able to perceive any latency issues with the Aero. There’s a reason the others don’t mention gaming with their earbuds.
Conclusion – Are the Aero Wireless Earbuds Worth It?
The Xround Aero is a fantastic pair of general-purpose earbuds. Treble is crisp and clear, percussion is bold, and bass is powerful without being overdone.
If you’re upgrading from an entry-level pair of earbuds, you’ll find that you discover a new degree of musical enjoyment. If you’re looking for an alternative to big names like Apple and Beats without spending big-name bucks, the Aero will satisfy that itch.
Are they going to replace a traditional gaming headset? Probably not, but it doesn’t seem that any earbud is worthy of that yet. Are they going to serve you well as day-to-day music earbuds with the occasional gaming break? Absolutely!
