I recently acquired a pair of Bluetooth headphones from dodocool.
This is my first venture into the world of bandless small Bluetooth earphones and I tried them with some trepidation and a little doubt but was pleasantly surprised.
Packaging / What’s In The Box
The headphones arrived in a nice compact, brown ‘no nonsense’ box (what Amazon call hassle free packaging).
Inside you get the following:
- Rigid Carry Case
- A pair of Bluetooth Headphones
- A split USB charging cable
- A User guide
- A selection of spare ear-buds
- Instruction Manual
Sound Quality
I’ve jumped right in with sound quality simply because for me, if this is lacking then the rest of the features don’t matter.
I tested the headphones from multiple sources/devices playing multiple types of media and frankly was blown away.
Typically I use Sennheiser wired headphones which have great quality but with a very high price tag.
The sound quality of the dodocool units was clean and clear with plenty of bass. Unlike many headphones, the decent bass sound didn’t come at the expense of poor mid-range.In terms of music, electronic, rock, classical and
In terms of music, I tried Electronica, Rock, Classical and Motown – all sounded good.
Next, I tested the sound on some movies played via my tablet, as with music the sound quality didn’t disappoint with clear speech and again, good music quality.
Comfort
Next on my list is the comfort. In terms of fit, I found the DA144s to be very comfortable using the default buds (there are other sizes I could have tried) and the arm that goes over the ear can be bent to keep a good fit and has a pleasant dull silicone feel to it.
Once wearing them, I really didn’t notice I was wearing them aside from the reduction in background noise (a good thing).
Once wearing them, I really didn’t notice I was wearing them aside from the reduction in background noise (a good thing).
Once wearing headphones, I really didn’t notice I was wearing them aside from the reduction in background noise (a good thing).
I’ve worn them driving, at work and at home and found no discomfort and no slippage (a common problem for me with standard in-ear headphones).
The only improvement I can recommend here is that for users with smaller ears, the arm might want to bend all the way down to touch the unit (not a problem for me – just thinking of kids).
Features and Usability
Controls
Each of the earpieces has 3 buttons on the top with each performing multiple functions:
Volume Up – this doubles as a ‘next track’ button with a long press
Play/Pause – this doubles as a power on/off button and also for Bluetooth pairing
Volume Down – this doubles as a ‘previous track’ button with a long press
Some thought has gone into the layout of the buttons as they are easy to find and press and also intuitive in that the next track (skip forward) button is at the front when you wear them (so it’s in its ‘forward’ direction) and the same but reversed for the previous track button.
Pairing
Pairing the headphones with my devices was incredibly easy – I wasn’t sure how it would work given that there are two separate earphones but you simply either of them and the other links to the paired one.
For testing purposes, I tried pairing the headphones with a Lenovo Laptop running Ubuntu, a Samsung Galaxy S6, a Samsung Galaxy Tab and a Dell laptop running Windows 10 Pro (x64) and all connected with no problem at all.
I also like the fact I can just use one of the earpieces if I wish and this can be either of them (as both can pair as the master with your devices and/or be the ‘guest’ earpiece).
Build Quality
While time will tell how long they last, the DA144s seem solidly build and the rigid case is a nice touch to keep them protected in my bag (my Sennheisers typically come with a bag which means they can still get crushed).
Charging
The headphones are charged via micro USB ports on the earpieces covered with a small tethered plastic cover.
They come with a nice compact charging cable with one standard USB connector at one end and two micro USB at the other to allow you to charge both from a single USB port.
The estimated charging time for a full charge is 2 hours but I found they charged quicker than that in my USB wall socket (although it is 4 capable of delivery 4 amp)
The estimated charging time for a full charge is 2 hours but I found they charged quicker than that in my USB wall socket (although it is 4 capable of delivery 4 amp).
Summary
Would I recommend them? Without hesitation even if the price was higher but given the price of ($32.99 USD/£26.99 GBP) its a no brainer.
I’ll update the review again in a few months but have no doubt I’ll still be using these and they’ll be my go to when I want to listen to music while moving around (or at work).
For those interested, click here to find them on Amazon
