Pros:
One thing I noticed with the charging case is that the magnets that hold the earphones in place are a bit weak. The earphones does not fall off if you hold it upside down, but when putting the earphones back, sometimes you have to manually adjust them so that they are properly settled.
- Compact design
- Long battery life
- Supports aptX, aptX Adaptive, wireless charging and gaming mode
Cons:
- Below average resolution
- Charging case has weak magnets
- Slightly weak maximum volume
Introduction:
Whizzer is a company from China that produces portable audio products. The company was founded in 2015 and launched their first IEM, the A15, in the same year. The C3 II is the upgraded version of the C3 which was released last year. The C3 II currently retails for 60 USD, and was provided to me for free by Whizzer in exchange for this review.
Specifications:
Driver unit: 6 mm dynamic, aluminum alloy composite diaphragm
Frequency response range: 20 Hz - 20 kHz
Bluetooth version: 5.2
SOC: Qualcomm 3040
Battery capacity: 50 + 400 mAh
Source:
Poco X3, Redmi Note 7 Pro
Test tracks:
Africano - Earth Wind and Fire
Dark Necessities - Red Hot Chili Peppers
Gurenge - Lisa
The Chain - Fleetwood Mac
Monsters - All Time Low
Ours - Taylor Swift
Stay - Mayday Parade
Snuff - Slipknot
Yesterday Once More - Carpenters
So Slow - Freestyle
Aurora Sunrise - Franco
Attention - Pentatonix
Blue Bird - Ikimono-gakari
You're Still The One - Shania Twain
Anyone Who Knows What Love Is(Will Understand) - Irma Thomas
Salamin - Slapshock
AOV - Slipknot
Hey Jude - The Beatles
The Way You Make Me Feel - Michael Jackson
...and a lot more.
Unboxing and Accessories:
The C3 II comes in a pretty basic square black box. Removing the lid reveals the charging case with the earphones already inside and underneath it are the accessories which includes the small and large eartips, with the medium already attached to the earphones, a short USB C charging cable, an instruction manual, and a guarantee card.
Whizzer also sent me a sample of their wireless charging pad.
Build:
The C3 II's charging case is made of plastic and oval in shape, and has that common flip top hinge design. At the top, there is the Whizzer branding, although it is faint and you need to take a closer look to see it. At the rear side of the case, there is the USB C port for charging. Upon opening the case, you will see the C3 II earphones with side indicators below them, and 2 indicator lights for the battery.
The earphones are, again, made of plastic and oval in shape. At the faceplate, there is the Whizzer logo which is also barely noticeable. At the side, there is a single indicator light and a hole for the microphone. At the back, there are the charging contacts and side indicators.
Now let's get to the sound.
Lows:
The lows are the most prominent part of the C3 II's sound. Subbass and midbass are both forward, with the subbass having very strong rumble. The depth of the subbass is slightly above average that goes with an ample amount of decay. The midbass is thick and carries a powerful slam. More often than not, there is an audible bleed of the lows to the mids.
Overall, the lows of the C3 II are more than enough to satisfy most bassheads. And while it very much satisfies the basshead in me, it definitely affects the other frequencies in a way that is a bit unwanted.
Mids:
The mids are presented in a recessed manner, but sits slightly closer to the center. The authoritative lows carries through here, with the thickness of the vocals being above average and loses a significant amount of clarity due to the lows, while the definition of the instruments are below average.
Overall, the resolution of the mids is absolutely afflicted by the overpowering lows. And while I understand that the C3 II is transmitting music wirelessly and that some degradation in quality is expected, I know that this can still be improved through proper tuning of the driver.
Highs:
The highs are recessed just like the mids. Treble doesn't have much reach and rolls off early. The sparkle in here feels really inadequate and obscure, with instruments like cymbals getting engulfed by the lows sometimes, and lead guitars sound lacking in its attack.
Overall, although the highs are quite audible, it doesn't have that much presence and contribution to the general sound presentation of the C3 II.
Soundstage and Imaging:
The stage has an average expansion. The width has substantially more focus than the height, which actually feels small. Imaging is cloudy due to the impact of the lows and absence of the highs. Layering and instrument separation are below average and there is a significant amount of congestion with most tracks.
Conclusion:
If we are going to look at the spec sheet, the C3 II has all the desirable stuff for a true wireless IEM, especially in this price range. It has a long battery life, high resolution codecs, waterproof certification, wireless charging, gaming mode and everything else. With these, you can tell that Whizzer is in the right path, but the sound, which is the most important thing in an audiophile perspective, needs some improvements to make the C3 II really standout in the crowd of the TWS domain.
Tags:
True Wireless Stereo