Buzz
DESIGN, COMFORT, AND BATTERY LIFE
Mid-year, a new pair of wireless noise-canceling earbuds from Tronsmart – seems to be the way to go nowadays. The Onyx Apex is cheaper than the older Apollo Bold and more dated Apollo Air/Air+, and it looks a part. It comes with a common black plastic charging case, with four LED lights indicating the remaining battery level and a USB-C port at the back. Wireless charging is not supported, and the lid of the case may be a bit flimsy. Nonetheless, the case is quite slim and rounded, making it easy to slip into a jeans pocket.
These earbuds themselves resemble those of the Apollo Air, but they have a slightly nicer design. With short stems, you'll find the Tronsmart logo on the touch control panel, and inside, the Onyx Apex has a familiar AirPods Pro-like tip that you can insert diagonally into your ear. However, due to its proximity to the stem, achieving a comfortable fit might be challenging. You may feel these earbuds a bit when you're wearing them.
Tronsmart doesn't provide an IP rating for the Apex, but it has endured a few raindrops during the testing period. Battery life is average for ANC earbuds in this price range: you'll get around 4.5 hours from a single charge. The case can recharge the buds fully four times before needing a new power source.
CONTROL AND CONNECTION
Similar to other models from the brand, all the controls you need are on the headphones:
- Double-tap L or R to play/pause music
- Press R to increase volume
- Press L to decrease volume
- Hold R to skip to the next track
- Hold L to go back to the previous track
- Triple-tap L or R to switch between Transparency mode, ANC on, and ANC off
Perhaps the touch panels are a bit too sensitive. You might change the volume instead of pausing/playing music or even both simultaneously. Luckily, you can touch the headphones by the stem to avoid activating the control buttons.
The connection is solid. The headphones will pair and connect quickly once you take them out, with a strong Bluetooth connection up to 8-10 meters away from your device, and you can switch between listening to the left, right, or both at any time – if you want to charge one earbud while using the other.
ANC NOISE CANCELLATION TESTING OF THE APOLLO AIR (+)
Here's the highlight of Tronsmart Onyx Apex. ANC Active Noise Cancelling isn't all that robust. However, the transparency mode is still usable.
Quality of ANC mode: With ANC on, the Onyx Apex barely removes more surrounding sounds than passive noise isolation already does. You could use wireless earbuds without ANC, plug your ears, and they'd have a similar effect. All frequencies are slightly attenuated at the output volume, but both quieter and louder sounds are still audible – from distant traffic noise to your nearby keyboard clatter. Voices also pass through.
Quality of transparency mode: The Environment/Transparency mode, designed to feed surrounding sounds to you when needed, works well on the Onyx Apex. It accentuates brighter sounds and helps you hear car noises when you're playing music at a moderate volume. Conversations are harder to hear; you might still want to take out the headphones.
Wind noise reduction: ANC and Transparency modes generate some wind noise when you use these modes, so it's convenient that you can also turn ANC off from the headphones. This helps you easily enjoy music while running or cycling.
AUDIO QUALITY OF TRONSMART ONYX APEX
As the cheapest noise-canceling siblings in the Tronsmarts lineup, you wouldn't expect the Onyx Apex to have the best sound – but it does.
It features the familiar Tronsmart sound adjustment. That means you can expect warm, smooth sound with enhanced bass. The mid-bass is always there to provide gentle thumps, whether it's in dance or hip-hop tracks or a mellower singer-songwriter tune. It's not fast or tight bass, but it's just a bit bloated – someone described it as blooming, which feels quite accurate – that makes the bass engaging. The sub-bass doesn't dive too deep, but it's hardly necessary, as the emphasized mid-bass and midrange add plenty of fullness to the sound.
This time, it doesn't stop there. The higher frequencies are a bit more prominent compared to the Apollo Air/Air+ and much more pronounced than on the Apollo Bold – and that's what makes the difference.
The midrange and treble are slightly expanded to push vocals forward. Now they're more prominent and still maintain smoothness, especially higher-pitched female and male vocals sound clearer and more nuanced than before. The increased upper output may sound a bit thin, but the added transition adds more energy to the vocals and even the whole music.
The slight lift in treble also adds some airiness, some deliberate floatiness to the sound. Don't expect clear separation or positioning of instruments, but the music will sound enjoyable around you. Vocals are placed in the center as they should be; instruments – most notably drums – appear more to your left and right.
Is it a deep sound? Completely balanced? Too detailed? No, it's not. But it's uniquely deep, warm, smooth, and intriguing to listen to.
CONCLUSION
Tronsmart Onyx Apex might not boast an impressively strong active noise cancellation; with the Transparency mode usable, excellent call quality, and appealing sound, these are versatile in-ear headphones great for daily use.
