Tranya Rimor Wireless Headphones review

Tranya Rimor Wireless Headphones offer a very respectable price-to-performance ratio, with AirPod quality at a fraction of the cost. But bargain hunters can find comparable devices for even cheaper.

Apple products are great, but there’s almost always a Faustian deal. iPads are undoubtedly some of the best slates around, nearly rivaling the power and versality of laptop computers. But the company’s ‘walled garden’ approach with their App Store means you can’t run emulators without jailbreaking your device. Similarly, AirPods have their own weakness. They offer a well-designed way to listen to music and take calls, all while flaunting a distinctive look. But the $159 price (or $249 for the AirPods) leave a lot of room for competitors to come and undercut Apple.

If cost is more important than conformity, there are a lot of worthwhile competitors. The Anker Soundcore Life P2s have been my daily music listening device for the last few months. After taking advantage of the occasional discount (these retail for $59.99 but sporadically drop to $49.99) the P2s have been my earbuds of choice for walking the dogs and when I used to travel to work every day. Sure, the sound doesn’t match the output by those $300+ headsets, but they offer about the same aural quality while beating the battery life of AirPods, all at less than one-third of the cost. If I ever lose one, I’ll certainly be distressed but I won’t be completely undone. Since the battery life of lithium-ion fueled-devices decrease with usage and the power source isn’t easily replaced, most Bluetooth headphones are disposable. So, why pay more than you should?

Ready to Pair?

When I first started using a pair of Tranya Rimors, I didn’t think the earbuds would threaten my fondness for the P2s. Undoubtedly, they didn’t make a great impression out the box. While most Bluetooth devices arrive with at least a partial charge, the Rimors were delivered in a peculiar state. Pulling the earphone from the plastic case which also doubles as a charger, the left unit immediately paired. The right one seemed to pair but repeatedly shut off, making it seem defective. Even though the twenty-page English and German user manual doesn’t state it, charging any lithium-ion device to capacity should be the first step in the troubleshooting process. Once this was accomplished, both earbuds easily paired, and I was ready for dog walking.

Sound output is subjective, and my personal preference is a device that doesn’t skimp on either end of the audio spectrum. If a bass line doesn’t seem rich or a hi-hat hit isn’t crisp, I’ll move to another headset. While the Rimors aren’t quite as bassy as other more expensive and less convenient, closed-ear headphones, they deliver a bit of punch for their diminutive size. That said, if you’re accustomed to the low-end favoritism of Beats, these might not be a good choice. The Rimor’s provide solid reproduction of the entire spectrum, with quite competent trebles, a healthy midrange, and acceptable lows. The 10mm drivers sound a just a bit better than my P2s, but not nearly enough to cover the $20-$30 difference. While they advertise environmental noise cancelation, don’t expect Bose-performance on a budget. At best, you might expect then to block out 10-15 dB when a bud is snugly placed in the ear canal. Unfortunately, this can be uncomfortable concession for many people.

Functionality

The Rimors ship with a plastic charging case, an 18-inch USB-C cable, and two additional silicon tips for users with different ear canal sizes. Looking at Tranya’s previous earbuds, a few small quality-of-life improvements were made. Whereas the top of their cases used to be scratch prone, translucent plastic, now the company offers a black matte finish that hides scuffing better. I also prefer the use of USB-C, since I don’t have to sorry about accidently trying to jam into a micro-USB connector the wrong way.

For some, I feel the case might be a bit too small. I have no problem getting my P2s from their housing. But between the potent magnetic grips and the tiny gaps to place fingers, getting the Rimors from the case wasn’t quite as easy. Since the front of each unit has a rather large surface for touch control, it’s easy to accidently change tracks or power them off when removing them from the charger. But the peripheral’s language of taps and holds isn’t easy to become fluent in. Expect volume fluctuations instead of track changes until you’ve mastered the timing. Or just rely on your phone for interactions.

But touch control has its advantages. When you want to pause the P2s, you have to press a physical button that can push the buds into your ear canal. The Rimor are a bit more like AirPods, with a press pausing the music, answering a call. A double-tap controls volume, while a press and hold can advance or go back to previously played tracks. Using the Bluetooth 5.0 standard, there’s very little latency when viewing movies. Although sporadically happen, even when your phone is in your pocket, the Rimors perform on par with Apple’s premium-priced product. In urban areas, there’s just no getting around wireless signal interference.

Battery Life

Manufacturer claims about battery life are habitually overstated. Tranya asserts the 50 mAh Rimors have a five-hour battery life per single charge and a 25-hour playtime when used with the 500 mAh charging case. Naturally, there are a lot of variables than can affect those figures, from volume level to the distance from your broadcasting device. But largely, the peripherals come close to the claims with an average single-charge duration of 4 hours and 38 minutes across five tests. The process of charging is fairly swift, with power-depleted earbuds rejuvenating after 58 minutes while the case took 1 hour and 50 minutes for a complete recharge. If you’re in a real hurry, ten minutes of USB-C charging can supply at least 70 minutes of music.

Tech-Specs:
Dimensions: 1 x 0.6 x 0.6 inches
Weight: 0.16 ounces
Bluetooth Range: 10 m maximum
Voice Assist: Siri/Google
Compatibility: iOS, Android, HarmonyOS