Just launched on the market a few days ago, the Yamaha TW-ES5A has quickly risen to the top and become one of the best quality true wireless headphones in the $120 segment. Besides the novel design and naturally tuned sound quality with low sound interference, the ES5A is equipped with a series of extremely advanced features such as Bluetooth v5.2 connection, IPX5 water resistance, … and most especially, Hearing Care hearing protection technology.
Packaging and accessories
Yamaha TW-ES5A and accessories are packaged very neatly in a cardboard box with the main color tones being dynamic and youthful white and purple. To have the most realistic view of the product, Yamaha has printed the image of the ES5A on the front of the cover box. Accompanied by the logo, brand name, product name, and some outstanding features.
Yamaha TW-ES5A True Wireless Sport Earbuds with Bluetooth 5.2, IPX7 Waterproof, Secure Fit, Premium Sound, Qualcomm CVC Clear Voice Capture, Listening Care and Ambient Sound (Black): Buy it now
Accessories included with the headset will include:
- 5 pairs of silicone ear tips in sizes XS/S/M/L/XL
- 4 pairs of silicone fins in sizes XS/S/M/L
- 1 USB Type-A to USB Type-C charging cable
- Detailed user manual
Yamaha ES5A has eye-catching packaging thanks to its youthful color scheme. The accessory set is diverse in quantity with ear tips and fins of many sizes allowing the ES5A to easily create a good ear fit.
Design and wearing experience
Up to now, Yamaha has always been famous for true wireless headphones with unique and strange designs. TW-ES5A is no exception. As a specialized headset for users who love listening to music while exercising, the ES5A is designed to provide the most secure and comfortable wearing experience.
With a special shape and the help of silicone fins, the ES5A easily sticks tightly to the listener’s ear and does not fall out even when the user exercises vigorously. Practical experience shows that the ES5A feels very comfortable and comfortable to wear. Yamaha has been very skillful in curving the edges of the housing. These curves will help the ES5A fit the ear more easily and limit ear strain when users wear the headset for a long time.
The housing of the Yamaha TW-ES5A is made from plastic so it is quite light in weight, only about 7.9g. Because it is a sports headset, the ES5A is extremely water resistant. With the IPX7 water resistance standard, the headphones work well even when exposed to rain or sweat. Even accidentally falling into water (at a depth of 1m and for about 30 minutes) will not greatly affect the durability of the headphones.
On the faceplate of the ES5A will be arranged the Yamaha logo and LED lights to notify the operating status of the headset. On the side of each ear, there will be integrated physical function buttons that allow users to control the ES5A flexibly. On the right ear, there will be 2 buttons – and +, while on the right ear, there will be a multi-function button. Control operations will include:
Press + once to increase the volume
Press + twice to move the song forward
Press + and hold for 1 second to turn on/off the virtual assistant
Press – once to decrease the volume
Press – twice to listen to the previous track or return to the beginning of the track (if the track has been playing for ½ time)
Press the multi-function button once to pause/play music
Press the multi-function button once to hear the call when a call comes in
Press and hold the multi-function button for 1 second to ignore the incoming call
While on a call, press and hold the multi-function button for 1 second to end the call
Press the multi-function button twice to turn on/off the Ambient Sound feature
Most notably, the Ear-Detection feature allows the Yamaha TW-ES5A to automatically stop playing music when the user removes the headphones from their ears. When you put the headphones back on, the music will automatically play.
The charging box that comes with the headset has a very aggressive design and uses a clamshell opening and closing mechanism. Despite its large size, the ES5A’s charging box still fits easily in the user’s hand. An LED light strip integrated on the front accurately displays the battery life of the charging box. As usual, the Type-C charging port is arranged on the back.
In addition to a sturdy and comfortable wearing experience, the ES5A also possesses very good passive noise cancellation. The headset has a total of 5 color options: black, white, pink, green, and blue.
Features and technology
One of the most unique technologies on the tws ES5A model is the exclusive Listening Care technology researched and developed by Yamaha’s engineering team over the past 2 years. This technology is simulated and inspired by YPAO listening room acoustic optimization technology, which is already very famous on Yamaha AV Receiver models. As soon as Listening Care technology is activated, the audio signals transmitted from the driver position to the listening position will be acoustically optimized. The volume in the sound ranges is balanced to the best fit. Thanks to that, the sound becomes realistic, clear, and sharp at all volume levels. This means users don’t have to turn up the volume to hear cymbal crashes or low-level bass.
Due to its good passive soundproofing ability, Yamaha has equipped the ES5A with the Ambient Sound feature. Enabling this feature allows users to hear sounds in the surrounding environment even while listening to music. Practical experience shows that this feature is very useful when users practice sports. You can enjoy music and communicate with friends around you.
Another plus point for the Yamaha TW-ES5A is its connectivity. With Bluetooth 5.2 standard with the support of TrueWireless Mirroring technology and aptX/SBC/AAC codec series, ES5A provides a very fast, stable, and seamless wireless connection. To meet gaming needs, the headset is equipped with the Game Mode feature. The Game Mode feature reduces sound latency very effectively. Good sound and image synchronization makes the gaming experience smoother, especially with FPS games like FreeFire or PUBG Mobile.
Regarding conversation capabilities, using a microphone cluster equipped with cVc noise cancellation technology helps the ES5A eliminate interference and noise very effectively. The voice part is loud, clear, and highly detailed.
The battery life of the Yamaha TW-ES5A is also very impressive when the headset can play music continuously for 9 hours. The included charging box will help increase the total battery life by up to 34 hours. This is indeed a very impressive number.
Sound quality
To maintain Yamaha’s signature sound, the ES5A is equipped with a 6mm dynamic driver cluster and True Sound audio technology. While Listening Care technology helps optimize acoustic ranges, True Sound technology balances the imaging, timbre, and dynamics of the sound.
With this series of equipment, it is not difficult to realize that the sound quality that Yamaha TW-ES5A aims for is honesty, naturalness, and clarity. The difference between the ES5A and other competitors in the same segment is that the bass is firm, clear, deep, and not boomy. Impressive dynamics and tight control help the ES5A perfectly handle fast-paced and complex music.
The harmonious combination between the mid-range and treble makes the vocals on the ES5A appear impressively. In addition to high definition and accuracy in every detail, the ES5A’s vocal part has very good decay in the low mid part. The deep soundstage and detailed layer separation allow the headset to create separation between the singer’s voice and the sound of each instrument. To customize the ES5A’s sound quality to suit their listening preferences, users can download the Yamaha Headphone Control application on their smartphone and use the EQ feature to fine-tune the sound quality. Overall, the ES5A’s sound quality is suitable for many audiences, from active young people to middle-aged audiophiles.
With many outstanding points from design, and features to sound quality, Yamaha TW-ES5A is the true wireless headset you have been looking for for a long time.