3 days ago. I keep some cash around for small businesses so they don’t have to pay high credit card fees because they can’t get a deal as good as giant retailers.
While I was lovingly quoted in the description, which makes my heart go a-flutter, I don’t use these because they kept falling out of my ears. Also I could never really get the case to close with them inside. These do sound great and, if you have the right size ears, they are a great deal.
I’m happy with the MW07’s I recently got from that other deal site.
@bmajazz if you couldn’t close the case you probably put them in backwards. One of my only gripes with these is that, counterintuitively, the right pod goes on the left side of the case and vice versa. It confuses me almost every time I charge them.
If you liked most of the other things about them, you can always change the eartip to a better fitting one.
@bmajazz I can’t keep them in my ears either, and I’ve tried all combos of cones and ear “pillows”. Using the biggest pillow things does make closing the case a challenge, they do not like to sit into the formed space as intended.
Every time I try to reseat them in my ears the music pauses, and the delay between tap and confirmation beep means I have to tap them 4 or 5 times to get the music going again
@phobiac I find if I put it on the desk with the door opening toward me, then left and right are not switched. But the logo on the earbuds are upside down
@bmajazz Maybe I should try these, because I have the opposite problem and have never found any earbuds small enough to fit into my ear without causing bleeding.
One thing I think about is my pair of JBL Dive earbuds - those are also really chunky but they have a hook that goes over top of the ear. I think that Kenwood just got too ambitious in the desire to have assistant integration and made these a little too heavy. They probably rushed it to market without actually trying them out on people - I contrast this with many pairs of JBLs I’ve used and they always form a great seal and don’t fall out.
@bmajazz@phobiac I also got the sides mixed up, despite squinting at the markings. They kind of fit, but I kept getting horrible feedback from the noise canceling until I got them in the right ears. I guess some of the mics really don’t like being blocked.
@Helot@phobiac Oh I forgot about the feedback issue when trying to stuff these into my ears! (I did have them in the correct ears)
I’d go for a tight fit which required exceptional stuffing/twisting/etc, then I’d get this squeal of feedback. And then the earbuds (especially the L one for me) would fall out. I had this happen at the airport and it was really annoying.
I bought the Google Assistant version of these the last time they were offered. They sound great, but don’t stay in my ears. (I tried all the included tips)
The counterintuitive case design, where the buds go in opposite sides of the case, is just stupid.
Anybody know how these compare to apple buds sound wise? I got the airpod pro 1st generation and the ANC was great but the actual sound quality was kind of tinny- might these be a better Ali song alternative?
if tiny, cheap, lightweight buds are painful and won’t stay in my ears, I have a funny feeling that the regret about buying these would be much greater. YMMV. My nonpurchase will leave one more set for the rest of you to buy, and save me $50 + tax…
@mexicantacos@ZPB Don’t get down on yourself about your wide ear canal. No judgement or ear canal girth shaming allowed here. We are all ear canal positive. This is a safe place.
Picked these up last go round. As others have said they fall out a lot. I also get frequent disconnects. Worst aspect is that only the left bud can be used by itself, right bud doesn’t function unless the left bud is in use. Sound is decent but they frankly don’t feel like the $300 they are regularly priced at.
Thanks for quoting me, gotta remember you might do that and maybe be a littler nicer. Maybe. Ha! Update on foam tip size - I found a solution. Takes a minute but worth it because the sound on these is decent. Go to Amazon and purchase both Comply tips for the Powerbeats Pro ($19 for 3 sets) and the TW200A ($18). With a small scalpel cut out the rubber adapter on both tips. Takes 2-3 minutes each to get it out and cleaned up a little. Take a drill bit and core out the pair for the Powerbeats Pro to take the rubber piece off the TW200A then use any good rubber/foam glue (I like B680) and put the rubber adapters into the longer comply tips and let it cure for a few hours. This lets the foam go deep enough into your ear to give decent grip and not fall out. While not as secure as other earbuds it’s workable.
@sglewis I don’t necessarily disagree, but I can buy one pack of 3 tips each and 4 of these Kenwoods and keep 3 as backups for years to come and change the buds over. My earbuds typically last about 2 years before they glitch and die. I use them almost every day. With these I have earbuds for about a decade. By then I’m sure there will be something much much better but they make a good “I don’t care if they get lost, broken, or stolen” earbud at this price.
“These things cost $330 on Amazon.” Oh really? Source please.
Multiple searches found not a SINGLE Kenwood earbud currently for sale on Amazon. I did find an old listing for a model “WSA1/ G”, but it’s no longer for sale and only had a couple of 2-star reviews. Both said they fall out of your ears.
Troy… are you kidding me? How disingenuous. Are you guys hiring?
Everyone knows these are NOT 300 dollar headphones. I could go grab my chainsaw, cut a piece of wood, burn through all my wood blades on my oscillating saw, and carve a meh. MSRP: IRKs for life.
So, does that sound cool? (I honestly have a neighbor with some really nice 2+ft diameter pieces of wood.)
Or, does: “MSRP” mean as much as a tinder picture?
I really do not know what meh is doing here. I own the google version, but have never used the assistant. I will continue to say, to me, these things sound great for the price i paid and the noise cancelling is solid! I paid $39 and had a $5 IRK coupon. So my praise is, percentage wise, vastly different review of what it is being sold for today.
The negatives are true. These things are fickle with fit. They either work or they don’t. The case is stupid, but holds a really decent charge and does recharge. They weigh way too much for workout. These are great hammock, chair, relaxing sets.
I don’t know why they increased the price?!? They aren’t that amazing.
I’m on the opposite side of the highlighted discussion, little tiny ear canals. Even with the smallest ear tips, can’t really jam these in effectively. Can kind of make them work, but, yeah, fall out a lot.
So, uh, maybe check if you’ve got average size ear holes?
Okay, I got mine today and they’re too big to fit in my ears. I’m a earbud novice. I used the smallest earplug thingy. Can I get smaller ones? Are there any tips for using them more comfortably?
Anyone else’s order still say processing and the estimated delivery date was yesterday? Apparently I need to know if these are going to fit my earholes or not before I go on vacation (that starts in a week.) I paid for the expedited shipping to get them here before then and they haven’t even shipped yet? Ugh
Specs
Product: Kenwood WS-A1 True Wireless Stereo Active Noise Canceling Earbuds
Model: WS-A1
Condition: New
What’s Included?
Price Comparison
$79.95 at B&H Photo Video
Warranty
1 Year Manufacturer Warranty
Estimated Delivery
Standard: Tuesday, Dec 26.
Enhanced: Friday, Dec 22 - Tuesday, Dec 26.
New guy must be working the servers tonight. I was expecting another Mehrathon since it was borked before midnight.
@yakkoTDI Ditto
@yakkoTDI Oh hey, welcome back. Turns out, when DST ends there are 25 hours in the day so yeah…that 25th hour was just kinda “missing.”
/giphy who knew?
@heartny And no poll question yet so we can get targeted e-mails from the Mehthership.
@yakkoTDI I noticed that too. Very sad indeed
Oh, puleeeze!
@Kyeh This - Saying $49.99 is under $50 takes a bit of hubris.
@Kyeh @mehcuda67 Meh is “technically” right, which is the best sort of right.
@bbf @Kyeh @mehcuda67 but “emotionally” wrong…
@bbf
It’s also the worst sort of wrong in this case.
@bbf @werehatrack When’s the last time you touched a penny? I can’t remember.
@bbf @blaineg @werehatrack
3 days ago. I keep some cash around for small businesses so they don’t have to pay high credit card fees because they can’t get a deal as good as giant retailers.
How much wood can a Kenwood Ken if a Kenwood can Ken wood? Or something like that.
@awk Or maybe “How much wood would a Kenwood Ken…”
(ken: {transitive, chiefly Scotland} To know, perceive or understand)
@awk Somebody said wood!
@Kyeh The lot, ye ken.
While I was lovingly quoted in the description, which makes my heart go a-flutter, I don’t use these because they kept falling out of my ears. Also I could never really get the case to close with them inside. These do sound great and, if you have the right size ears, they are a great deal.
I’m happy with the MW07’s I recently got from that other deal site.
@bmajazz if you couldn’t close the case you probably put them in backwards. One of my only gripes with these is that, counterintuitively, the right pod goes on the left side of the case and vice versa. It confuses me almost every time I charge them.
If you liked most of the other things about them, you can always change the eartip to a better fitting one.
@bmajazz I can’t keep them in my ears either, and I’ve tried all combos of cones and ear “pillows”. Using the biggest pillow things does make closing the case a challenge, they do not like to sit into the formed space as intended.
Every time I try to reseat them in my ears the music pauses, and the delay between tap and confirmation beep means I have to tap them 4 or 5 times to get the music going again
@phobiac I find if I put it on the desk with the door opening toward me, then left and right are not switched. But the logo on the earbuds are upside down
@bmajazz Maybe I should try these, because I have the opposite problem and have never found any earbuds small enough to fit into my ear without causing bleeding.
@phobiac I had them in the counterintuitive “R” on the left, “L” on the right.
I guess I just gave up because I don’t want to spend any more time fiddling with a pair of earbuds!
@brennlyn It’s worth a shot?
One thing I think about is my pair of JBL Dive earbuds - those are also really chunky but they have a hook that goes over top of the ear. I think that Kenwood just got too ambitious in the desire to have assistant integration and made these a little too heavy. They probably rushed it to market without actually trying them out on people - I contrast this with many pairs of JBLs I’ve used and they always form a great seal and don’t fall out.
@bmajazz @phobiac I also got the sides mixed up, despite squinting at the markings. They kind of fit, but I kept getting horrible feedback from the noise canceling until I got them in the right ears. I guess some of the mics really don’t like being blocked.
@Helot @phobiac Oh I forgot about the feedback issue when trying to stuff these into my ears! (I did have them in the correct ears)
I’d go for a tight fit which required exceptional stuffing/twisting/etc, then I’d get this squeal of feedback. And then the earbuds (especially the L one for me) would fall out. I had this happen at the airport and it was really annoying.
I bought the Google Assistant version of these the last time they were offered. They sound great, but don’t stay in my ears. (I tried all the included tips)
The counterintuitive case design, where the buds go in opposite sides of the case, is just stupid.
@OutbackJon I feel the same way with my pair.
@OutbackJon I agree with you that the sound is great and the case design is rather stupid. Fortunately mine stay in my ears.
@OutbackJon @actionPacked @mattsal23 I posted this trick that helped at least one person in the last sale https://meh.com/forum/topics/kenwood-ws-a1-active-noise-canceling-smart-true-wireless-earbuds#63379313ce1e1b45da4b188d
Only works with the small wings for me
@Odi Twist Lock?
@blaineg The picture is from the Anker Liberty 2 Pro manual but I found they work for me on these Kenwood to make it more secure.
Anyone who own these check out audio lag with the aptx codec being used? Do voices match lips? Is gaming lag very noticeable?
Anybody know how these compare to apple buds sound wise? I got the airpod pro 1st generation and the ANC was great but the actual sound quality was kind of tinny- might these be a better Ali song alternative?
I have these, great sound, but they are too big and fall out of my ears
They were previously $39 here. And while good they are not great. Yes heavy and fall out.
@screechowl
Yup, your story checks out. I used mehstalker to do a search.
@cengland0 @screechowl You mean they have been sold for under $50?
I’m sure they are great, but I will lose my earbuds if they don’t have tracking.
@aprocon Just glue a Tile to it. It’ll work great, I promise.
if tiny, cheap, lightweight buds are painful and won’t stay in my ears, I have a funny feeling that the regret about buying these would be much greater. YMMV. My nonpurchase will leave one more set for the rest of you to buy, and save me $50 + tax…
The design of these looks absolutely terrible, there’s nowhere near enough protrusion to actually fit inside the earhole.
@ZPB sometimes some girth is more important, if you got a wide ear canal like me
@mexicantacos @ZPB Don’t get down on yourself about your wide ear canal. No judgement or ear canal girth shaming allowed here. We are all ear canal positive. This is a safe place.
Picked these up last go round. As others have said they fall out a lot. I also get frequent disconnects. Worst aspect is that only the left bud can be used by itself, right bud doesn’t function unless the left bud is in use. Sound is decent but they frankly don’t feel like the $300 they are regularly priced at.
@TJLazer Thank you, I was on the fence but you’ve helped me decide
Virtual high-five
Thanks for quoting me, gotta remember you might do that and maybe be a littler nicer. Maybe. Ha! Update on foam tip size - I found a solution. Takes a minute but worth it because the sound on these is decent. Go to Amazon and purchase both Comply tips for the Powerbeats Pro ($19 for 3 sets) and the TW200A ($18). With a small scalpel cut out the rubber adapter on both tips. Takes 2-3 minutes each to get it out and cleaned up a little. Take a drill bit and core out the pair for the Powerbeats Pro to take the rubber piece off the TW200A then use any good rubber/foam glue (I like B680) and put the rubber adapters into the longer comply tips and let it cure for a few hours. This lets the foam go deep enough into your ear to give decent grip and not fall out. While not as secure as other earbuds it’s workable.
@Lear70 Maybe pool noodles?
@blaineg hey don’t be talking smack about my big ole dumbo ears.
@Lear70 At $50… (sorry $49.99) + 19 + 18 you’re at $87 (sorry $86.99).
Beats Studio Buds are $99.95 at Amazon right now (limited time deal it says). I’d probably just cough up the extra $12.95 (sorry $12.94).
Sorry for all the maths errors… I just somehow keep forgetting that these aren’t $50 but rather are sold for under $50.
@sglewis I don’t necessarily disagree, but I can buy one pack of 3 tips each and 4 of these Kenwoods and keep 3 as backups for years to come and change the buds over. My earbuds typically last about 2 years before they glitch and die. I use them almost every day. With these I have earbuds for about a decade. By then I’m sure there will be something much much better but they make a good “I don’t care if they get lost, broken, or stolen” earbud at this price.
For the record: Kenwoodn’t.
Or Kenwon’t.
Whatever.
@blaineg That could explain Barbie’s look of frustration.
@blaineg @macromeh
/showme Kenwoodn’t
/showme Kenwoodn’t earbuds
Something went terribly wrong. Please try again.
@mediocrebot Yes bot, I will comply.
/showme Kenwoodn’t earbuds
Something went terribly wrong. Please try again.
@mediocrebot How to break the bot.
/showme earbuds
/showme Kenwood earbuds
/showme Kenwoodn’t earbuds
Something went terribly wrong. Please try again.
@mediocrebot Third time is not the charm. Wonder why that breaks it, when each word is ok by itself?
@blaineg @mediocrebot Apostrophe? Fake word? Mediocrebot is a jerk?
@blaineg @mediocrebot See below.
“These things cost $330 on Amazon.” Oh really? Source please.
Multiple searches found not a SINGLE Kenwood earbud currently for sale on Amazon. I did find an old listing for a model “WSA1/ G”, but it’s no longer for sale and only had a couple of 2-star reviews. Both said they fall out of your ears.
@aciarlotta
Here’s walmart
Here’s an Amazon screenshot – they’re out of stock now but were $330
@aciarlotta @troy
Troy… are you kidding me? How disingenuous. Are you guys hiring?
Everyone knows these are NOT 300 dollar headphones. I could go grab my chainsaw, cut a piece of wood, burn through all my wood blades on my oscillating saw, and carve a meh. MSRP: IRKs for life.
So, does that sound cool? (I honestly have a neighbor with some really nice 2+ft diameter pieces of wood.)
Or, does: “MSRP” mean as much as a tinder picture?
I really do not know what meh is doing here. I own the google version, but have never used the assistant. I will continue to say, to me, these things sound great for the price i paid and the noise cancelling is solid! I paid $39 and had a $5 IRK coupon. So my praise is, percentage wise, vastly different review of what it is being sold for today.
The negatives are true. These things are fickle with fit. They either work or they don’t. The case is stupid, but holds a really decent charge and does recharge. They weigh way too much for workout. These are great hammock, chair, relaxing sets.
I don’t know why they increased the price?!? They aren’t that amazing.
/showme can’t break
@mediocrebot Not the apostrophe’s fault.
/showme Kenwoodn’t
Something went terribly wrong. Please try again.
@blaineg The fake word is the problem apparently.
@yakkoTDI But it worked on my first try. See the mangled chrome BMW above.
Maybe I used up the last apostrophe?
@blaineg @yakkoTDI apostrophes broke it for me in the past. I thought input might not be getting properly sanitized but did not play with it further.
/showme Kenwoodn’t
Something went terribly wrong. Please try again.
@mediocrebot Stupid bot.
Did I use up all the Kenwoodn’t’s?
@blaineg @mediocrebot This is so strange. I want an Oh Shit! report on this issue.
I’m on the opposite side of the highlighted discussion, little tiny ear canals. Even with the smallest ear tips, can’t really jam these in effectively. Can kind of make them work, but, yeah, fall out a lot.
So, uh, maybe check if you’ve got average size ear holes?
/showme mehfails
@mediocrebot Weird!
/buy
@relm256 It worked! Your order number is: scared-plausible-downtown
/image scared plausible downtown
The 5 pair of monoprice earbuds I bought for $10 arrived today. They are surprisingly decent. Sure, wired. I finally ordered a dongle for my phone.
Meh tracking on this shows it reached my town yesterday, but says “mis-shipped”.
Okay, I got mine today and they’re too big to fit in my ears. I’m a earbud novice. I used the smallest earplug thingy. Can I get smaller ones? Are there any tips for using them more comfortably?
Anyone else’s order still say processing and the estimated delivery date was yesterday? Apparently I need to know if these are going to fit my earholes or not before I go on vacation (that starts in a week.) I paid for the expedited shipping to get them here before then and they haven’t even shipped yet? Ugh
Did not fit my ears, weren’t comfortable