ROAM Archive

ROAM Ropes Wireless Earphones & Amp

by Audiophile Audition | Sep 20, 2016 | Component Reviews

Beautifully designed and packaged, but ear buds cannot equal good over-the-ear headphones. ROAM Ropes Wireless Earphones & Amp List: $199; $150 at Amazon Ropes are an attempt to equal the impact on the audio world of the Beats headphones in 2008. They are high-style earbuds with a built-in DAC (50 MIPS with 24-bit stereo), Bluetooth unit and a free companion EQ App that allows setting the EQ exactly as you want.  True, you can now buy Bluetooth earbuds (and the Ropes uses the latest advanced version of Bluetooth: 4.1) with no cable or separate amp at all, so a set with a big “pendent” (they call it the Audio Engine) seems a bit going backwards. In a way, they have “cut the cord” but only some of the cord – they are not wireless. The components are powered by an inbuilt lithium-polymer battery, which charges in about 15 minutes for an hour of playback. You won’t be able to listen to the earbuds while charging at your computer, because the cable is very short. The unit is beautifully packaged and designed, and with the red cables that came with my black unit could be quite a fashion statement. They seem […]