
Earlier this year, tech company Human Things – which is behind the growing 'Genki' series of gaming-focused products – successfully raised $879,063 for the Genki Waveform wireless headphones. This might not seem like big news for gamers, but the Waveform headphones have a secret weapon: you can stream two audio sources simultaneously – something that naturally came as very welcome news to those who play a lot of online games, judging from the massive success of the crowdfunding campaign.
We've been sent a pair of Waveform headphones by Human Things, and have been putting them through their paces over the past week or so. We're generally impressed, but there are some caveats which prevent these headphones from being the all-out success they perhaps could have been.
A quick glance at the Waveform headphones isn't likely to give you any shocks; they look like a pair of typical wireless earbuds. They're fashioned from plastic and are relatively lightweight, and they come inside a carry case which boasts wireless charging tech, so you can avoid using the USB-C port on the back if you so wish. The case has its own built-in microphone, which you can use instead of the mic in the headphones themselves.
Sound quality on the Waveform headphones is generally decent, if a little lacking in bass. The built-in mic on the headphones is quite poor, which might cause concern for those of you who are planning to do a lot of talking during your online play. The aforementioned mic on the case is a little better, provided you can place it in the optimal position in the room.
As we've just discussed, Waveform's big selling point is the 'Dualstream' audio system, which allows you to listen to two audio sources at the same time. So you can feed in the audio from your Switch but also connect to Discord, for example – or listen to music while you're playing your game via Spotify running on your smartphone. It has other, non-gaming applications, too; you could take part in a video call and listen to music at the same time, for example.
The instructions don't do a brilliant job of explaining exactly how you get all of this set up, but thankfully the Genki Waveform app (available on iOS and Android) does, so we'd recommend downloading that rather than relying solely on the printed manual in the box. You basically have three main ways of connecting the Waveform earbuds; you can use the traditional Bluetooth connection, or you can connect the Waveform's case to your source device to take advantage of the low-latency aptX-Adaptive connection. The Dualsteam feature requires a combination of the two; you have to connect your case to one device (there's a 3.5mm cable in the box if you need it) and then connect the other via Bluetooth. That means one connection will potentially have more latency than the other, which is something to keep in mind.
However, while it's a little daunting to get it all up and running, it does work – and it works well. However, as much as we like the Dualstream functionality, there are elements of the Waveform that we're less pleased with. We found that sometimes the Waveform buds would forget that they've been paired to a particular device when returned to the charging case; one would assume a future firmware update will fix that issue, but it's annoying all the same.
We're also not entirely sure the design is as comfortable as it could be; it requires a little bit of fiddling to get the earbuds in exactly the right position, and even then, they don't feel as comfortable as our trusty PowerBeats Pro wireless headphones. Still, we do like the fact that Human Things has included a wide selection of different wing, memory foam and silicone tips in the box, so you can find the one that suits your ear the best.
With a cost of $250, the Genki Waveform wireless earphones aren't cheap, but they offer something reasonably unique for a product of this kind – the ability to mix audio streams – and for some gamers, that will be enough to overlook the lack of bass and the slightly buggy performance. As ever, Human Things has found a gap in the market and gone for it – with reasonably successful results.
Thanks to Human Things for supplying the Genki Waveform headphones used in this review.
Comments 17
If a second cheaper version comes out I might be interested but for now my JCL wireless headphones are doing the job just fine.
Pointless just get the turtle beach 700 gen 2 PlayStation/ switch headset it's awesome
While BT on Switch is poor (you can hear audio delay even in a VN).
There are many cheaper solutions if you really want to go the wireless route.
I'm very impressed with their supported codecs.. even some premium TWS only support SBC and AAC. Amazing specs (esp for Android).. well done Genki.
If I buy Genki Waveform Earphone, my ideal setup for dual connection will be connecting 3.5mm jack on Switch to Genki case (to take advantage of aptX Adaptive) and then connecting my Android phone with aptX Adaptive codec as well.
At that price, I'm still waiting for Asus ROG Cetra True Wireless Pro (can change from TWS mode to wired USB-C connection). This Genki TWS is quite revolutionary for me.. lovely article thank you NL.
Aren't all these wireless earbuds full with radiation?
https://youtu.be/Ub0FdIkQniI
I use Samsung Buds+ (3 years old). For both the music on my phone and the Switch. With the latest Switch updates, they function well enough. The delay is hardly noticeable. Bass is ok-ish, but not bad at all. Pretty neutral, let's say. Depends on the type of music/sound you listen to. What I like especially is the the mid- and high range. Really clear. The fit is perfect fit for my ears. But that's obviously very personal.
I already use a different pair. I kind of wish I didn't need to but my left speaker is blown on my Switch.
@RamenNumerals Because this isn't a software review.
I prefer my Sony Pulse3D when it comes to head phones and they work everywhere.
@Rayquaza2510 Really? Sounds like I might be better off with my ol' USB headset for now.
Got mine a couple months ago, would not recommend. The low latency is nice, but comfort and sound quality are very lacking IMO.
@Rayquaza2510 you'll hear the same Bluetooth audio delay regardless of the content being used on your Switch.
This is very nice but I'll stick to: Bluetooth earbuds connected to the switch and headphones over the top connected to Spotify.
Just balance the volumes and you're sweet. For games like mario kart it's a beauty.
Ill stick to my jabra's whos seem to be the only other company that does simultaneous sync
if anyone in the UK wants one of this at £159, ebay it's an option atm.
@EriXz what exactly you mean by "simultaneous sync" ? because there are normally 2 features.
Multipoint or multipair: allows you to sync multiple devices and switch between them without the need to pair again. this is a very standard feature now and is offered by hundreds of earbuds at the moment.
dualstream: allows you to listen 2 different audio sources at the same time mixed together so you can literally listen music from your phone while playing a game in your console. this is pretty rare and I havent seen any other earbuds able to do this (there are some few big over ear headphones) .
both of this features are offered by this Genki Waveform.
@angus_luissen they can pair to more than one device at the same time
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