These Sporty Speaker Glasses Have One Factor Meta Wants

There are numerous high-tech “sensible” glasses these days, and never all of them are created equal. Some of them have screens, some of them have AI, others… effectively, they don’t have a lot to supply in any respect. But when there’s one factor that you simply may need out of a pair of glasses with wires in them, it’s audio.

I’ve maintained that glasses are excellent conduits for open-ear audio, and as somebody who’s worn the Ray-Ban Meta AI glasses extensively over the previous two years, I can communicate from expertise. Having audio system in your glasses enables you to take hands-free calls, hearken to music whereas nonetheless listening to your environment, and theoretically, you don’t want to achieve for a separate system like wireless earbuds or headphones to do all that, since your glasses are ready patiently in your face.

However what when you don’t need all of the potentially problematic stuff that comes with sensible glasses, like AI, or discreet cameras, or screens? What when you simply wish to hearken to stuff? For that, you may have choices, and one in all them (when you’re a sure kind of individual) is Chamelo’s Music Shield.

Wrap your head round this one

The $260 Music Defend are a… distinct pair of wraparound audio glasses. They’re made by Chamelo, an eyewear firm backed by an unlikely star: former New York Knicks level guard Stephon Marbury, who’s formally listed as Chamelo’s Chief Model Officer. Whereas Marbury and firm name Chamelo glasses “sensible,” the phrase is out on that one.

In contrast to different pairs of sensible glasses like Ray-Ban Meta AI glasses and the Meta Ray-Ban Display, the Music Defend lack most of what makes different frames sensible. There’s no voice assistant, there’s no digicam, there’s no pc imaginative and prescient, and there’s no display screen. There may be, nevertheless, a set of audio system, which you could have already gathered from the title. With these audio system, you are able to do a couple of issues, like (duh) hearken to music. On that entrance, Chamelo does a reasonably first rate job.

In my testing, I discovered that the Music Defend sound… fairly okay. The amount is sweet sufficient, which is a serious element of audio in glasses like this, because you’ll be contending with ambient noise when you pay attention. I wore the Music Defend on the streets of New York, and whereas they principally held up towards environmental noise, I positively needed to crank the quantity to a minimum of 80%. I’ve to do the identical more often than not on Meta’s Ray-Ban glasses, so that is no shock.

Most certainly, when you’re excited about Chamelo glasses, you’ll wish to use them in some sort of sports activities surroundings, although. Wraparound shades are perfect for issues like snowboarding, snowboarding, or biking as a result of they shield your eyes from the wind and aid you see the place you’re going with out getting blinded by air or snow. I didn’t get an opportunity to check the Music Defend on the slopes, sadly, however primarily based on the louder environments I did take a look at them in, I’d wager they may nonetheless be heard in fast-paced, wind-heavy motion. Although having tried the Oakley Meta Vanguard smart glasses, I’m much less assured they’re the perfect in that division.

The Oakley Meta Vanguard have large sound that’s in contrast to any I’ve heard in sensible glasses, and evaluating one-to-one, I don’t suppose Chamelo fairly reaches the identical quantity. It additionally doesn’t fairly have the identical constancy. I had some points whereas calling, the place the decision audio was a lot quieter than music playback regardless of cranking my telephone quantity up. I’ve reached out to Chamelo to make clear that difficulty and can replace this assessment if/when that difficulty is resolved. On the intense aspect, a minimum of the individual I referred to as may hear me loud and clear.

Like I discussed, the Music Defend sound excellent, however there’s nonetheless a slight tinniness in comparison with beefier sensible glasses just like the Oakley Meta Vanguard. The low finish is missing, and the mids and highs come off as slightly stiff. The Music Defend nonetheless sound significantly better than different glasses I’ve tried, just like the Solos AirGo A5, however they’re not dethroning Meta. To check the Music Defend, I attempted to place myself in a sports activities mindset by listening to energetic music like jazz/fusion guitarist Masayoshi Takanaka and Daft Punk. I wasn’t under- or overwhelmed. Let’s simply name it whelmed.

From an audio high quality perspective, I wouldn’t be upset with the constancy of the Music Defend if I purchased them with my very own hard-earned cash, however having tried a direct competitor just like the Oakley Meta Vanguard, I won’t be as impressed. Meta’s model does price an ideal deal extra at $500, however you additionally get numerous additional options there as effectively, together with sure well being integrations with Garmin smartwatches, cameras, a voice assistant, and extra contact controls.

There may be one factor that the Music Defend have that Meta’s choices positively don’t, although.

Music Defend have a magic trick

If you happen to’ve seen Chamelo’s audio glasses in your analysis on-line, the electrochromic dimming most likely caught your eye. By tapping or sliding your finger on the proper arm of the glasses, you may robotically modify the tint of the wraparound lens on the fly. This function, I’m glad to report, works effectively. The response time when tapping or sliding is fast, and the vary of tint ranges is pretty extensive.

As a little bit of background, electrochromic glass is a factor present in numerous devices now, together with some rearview mirrors in cars. The know-how works by making use of an electrical present to a particular movie or gel that’s adhered to a chunk of glass. That jolt truly modifications the tint in response, creating an robotically dimmable panel of glass. I’m not going to lie… it’s enjoyable.

As useful as transition lenses are in sensible glasses, electrochromic lenses and their capability to regulate tint immediately and to a degree you’ve specified are a superior expertise to their photochromic counterparts. Possibly that’s only a private gripe, however my expertise is that transition lenses by no means get practically as darkish or as vibrant as you need them to, and positively not as shortly as I’d like. Chamelo’s Music Defend doesn’t have that downside.

Electrochromic lenses probably haven’t been adopted broadly as a result of their extra price and the pressure they add to batteries, but it surely appears to me that if Chamelo can do it, different makers of sensible glasses must look into the likelihood, too. Sorry, Meta, transition lenses simply aren’t it.

Gentle in weight but additionally mild on options

If there’s one other level I can provide the Music Defend, it’s that they’re pretty light-weight for his or her measurement. Chamelo’s glasses weigh 49g, which is effectively beneath the Oakley Meta Vanguard, at 66g. That’s not shocking for the reason that Vanguard have much more occurring inside, but it surely’s nonetheless notable when you’re available in the market for a pair of light-weight glasses and don’t care about cameras and AI.

The lightness additionally makes the Music Defend pretty comfy to put on over longer durations. I wore the glasses in hour increments, and whereas they did get slightly irksome towards the tip of the hour, I might say not more than most glasses (sensible and dumb) that I personal. The nostril pads, whereas I nonetheless suppose Oakley’s are extra comfy, do a reasonably good job of holding up the burden on my nostril in a method that’s not aggravating.

Fortunately, since these are sports activities glasses, they match snugly, which is nice when you’re like me and have a narrower head. It’ll additionally assist guarantee they don’t fly off if you’re bombing a hill on a motorbike or snowboard. The look of the Music Defend is, uh… one thing. I’m not a wraparound shades man. Possibly you might be, and if that’s your factor, then go for it, however on a scale of 1 yeehaw out of 10, I’m giving them 8 yeehaws. The glasses are additionally IPX4 rated, which makes them proof against water splashes (mild rain) and sweat, however not totally waterproof. Don’t put on these within the pool. There isn’t a prescription lens compatibility.

Whereas Chamelo purposely focuses totally on audio, I do discover the Music Defend to be slightly missing by way of options. There isn’t a companion app for one, although Chamelo’s web site confusingly mentions “app-enabled controls” for some purpose; there isn’t any voice assistant; there isn’t any contact bar on the arm for controlling quantity. For $260, these are issues that I’d anticipate, however possibly including electrochromic lenses comes at a price each actually and figuratively. These aren’t dealbreakers, but it surely does make doing issues like checking the battery attention-grabbing. One of the simplest ways I’ve recognized to watch the battery degree is natively by means of iOS, which is able to let you know (prefer it does with different Bluetooth units) how a lot juice you may have.

Talking of battery life, I discovered that the Music Defend stay as much as their declare of getting 6.5 hours of music playback/calling. After two hours of music playback at 80% quantity, the glasses dropped from 90% to 50% battery. It’s not fairly nearly as good as Meta and its Ray-Ban Meta Gen 2 AI glasses, which declare 8 hours on a single cost, but it surely’s strong. I do just like the inclusion of an simply accessible on/off button, although there are not any sensors that detect when the glasses are folded, so that you’ll have to make use of it every time you wish to flip the glasses off. To cost the Music Defend, there’s an included magnetic cable. In contrast to the Oakley Meta glasses, there isn’t any charging case, only a pretty nondescript (considerably chonky) carrying case.

Do you have to seize a sword and music protect up?

Not everybody will discover audio glasses helpful, however some may. If you happen to’re in search of a tool that gives first rate open-ear audio and wind safety, and you’re keen on the wraparound look, they need to be in your radar. If you’d like extra options that different really sensible glasses have to supply, although, these usually are not the specs for you.

The Music Defend are a little bit of a contradiction; they’re obnoxious (the look), but additionally barebones (the options). I personally would have favored to see a bit extra out of the glasses with a $260 price ticket—contact controls for quantity, app help, possibly a voice assistant. But when none of that bothers you, then possibly you’ll really feel high-quality wrapping your arms and your head round these glasses. Personally, I nonetheless suppose the Oakley Meta Vanguard take the cake, however then once more, this assessment is about the one time you’ll catch me carrying the identical glasses as somebody who’s into bass fishing, so who am I to say?