The Nothing Ear (2) Black earbuds feature a sleek design and premium audio quality, but does it provide a delightful listening experience? Find out in our review.
When it launched earlier this year, I had said the Nothing Ear (2) was a clear improvement on the earlier version. The company had worked on the physical as well as the audio design and made some discernible changes. Now, there is a black version of the Ear (2). Normally, I would have dismissed it as insignificant to warrant a separate story, but Nothing has used this opportunity to update the Nothing X app to fine-tune its offering evening further.
On the design front I am happier with the black version because of my personal preference for the colour as well the conviction that darker colours work better with the grime and dust of India. The design is comfortable to use over long periods thanks to the perfectly fitting silicone tips and light weight of the buds.
With the Ear (2), Nothing is also launching a new version of its Nothing X app that lets you control the earbuds. The new version helps you toggle the noise cancellation to transparency mode if needed and to switch it off too. Plus there is a simple preset equaliser that switches between balanced, more bass, more treble and voice. There is a custom mode here that lets you do a bit more tweaking.
The new feature is an advanced equaliser which lets you fine tune the setting just the way you like listening to your music. Using this I could move the high and lows exactly where I wanted it to go. Yes, this is not something everyone wants to do, or knows how to do. But for those who care about it, getting their treble levels to the exact comfort zone is as important as dismissing that extra bass to the attic.
Listening to the haunting Lagoon Chill by Sushin Shyam from Kumbalangi Nights, you know how much of a difference a good equaliser makes. This is the kind of song that can be destroyed if you don’t get the bass right, as the boom that is the soul of this song can also kill it by being overpowering. And with Norah Jones’ ‘Don’t you know why’, you don’t want anything that will come in the way of her vocals.
The eight-channel equaliser lets you explore songs you are familiar with and hear them in a whole new light. Plus you can adjust the Q factor and sharpen the audio signature a little bit more.
