MUZEN Trickle Clip-On Earbuds Review
Just Okay for Audio
Earphones have always been tricky for me - as much as I love large earphones that fully cover my ears, it’s unrealistic for me to use them everyday when I need to hear the environment around me. I’m also very particular about earbuds, as many of them aren’t comfortable enough for all-day wear. But the MUZEN Trickle Clip-On Earbuds caught my eye because of its space-like design and clip-on style shape. Let’s take a closer look to see if this quirky pair could be my daily driver.
Disclaimer: Muzen sent us a unit free of charge to review, but all thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are our own and were not discussed with the company prior to publishing.
Retail Price: $74.99
Modern and Comfort-Driven Design
The Trickle Clip-On Earbuds come in an oval-shaped charging case that’s a convenient size for sitting in a pant pocket or travel bag. The MUZEN logo is stylishly subtle and stamped across the front of the case right above the charging indicator light. The charging case connects via the provided USB-C cable. I’m a fan of the silver color and how lightweight the charging case is.
The earbuds are equally modern and sleek looking with a premium feel in the hands. They’re incredibly lightweight, at only 4 grams and feature a ball shaped portion that sits in the earlobe. The bean-shaped touch control portion of the earbud hugs the other side of the ear. Without doubt, the design of these earbuds are incredibly comfortable. MUZEN advertises them as zero pressure and I think that’s pretty accurate. If you have never worn U-shaped earbuds before, they are an adjustment from traditional earbuds and earphones, but the benefit to them is that users are able to hear more external sound and don’t need to fight with finicky earbud tips. What I also like about this design is that it’s fairly easy to discern which side of the earbud goes into the ear versus what sits outside of it. Some other brands have a more confusing design in this aspect making it hard to put them on without looking.
Touch Control That’s a Little Too Touchy
The Trickle Clip-On Earbuds feature quite a few touch controls. Double tapping allows users to play or pause audio. You can also skip tracks, control the volume, respond to calls or reset Bluetooth through a series of other taps too. All these functions are pretty straightforward despite taking a few days to learn the combinations. However, what I noticed in my day to day was that the touch sensitivity was a little too sensitive. If I were to adjust the earbuds slightly or even turn my head too far in a certain direction, I would activate some kind of touch control functionality. For this reason, it was frustrating for me at times to be making some kind of movement and accidentally hanging up a phone call or pausing my music. These earbuds can be used for very casual and minimal movement, but are not meant to be worn for working out or with vigorous movements.
Generous Battery Life & Connectivity
The MUZEN Trickle Clip-On Earbuds have been one of my longest-lasting earbuds when it comes to battery life. Each earbud lasts up to 6 hours on a single charge and the charging case itself can extend it to 38 hours. MUZEN also advertises 20 minute fast charging can get users two hours of playtime. I’m absolutely impressed with how long these earbuds last and the charge they can hold. When the unit does need charge, simply plug into the USB-C cable. The charging indicator light will flash when charging. As for device connection, the Clip-On Earbuds connect seamlessly via Bluetooth 5.4. I’ve been able to change connectivity quickly and without issue from my Apple iPhone 16 Pro to my MacBook Air to my Dell laptop.
Decent Sound Quality but Poor Microphone
When it comes to audio, I think it’s important to have realistic expectations due to the clip-on design of the earbuds. I love the benefit of having truly comfortable earbuds that don’t feel as though they’re tight in the ear. That being said, the design allows users to hear more external noise than other types of earbuds and earphones. This is perfect for me as I wear these to walk my baby and need to be able to hear the environment around me.
Unfortunately, this also means that there’s a sacrifice in sound quality. And while I still think the sound quality is immersive enough for casual use, the bass is by no means fantastic in my opinion and in general, audio tends to sound more flat. This isn’t exclusive to the Trickle Clip-On Earbuds though but I hope these open audio type earbuds get improved audio quality in the future.
What was most disappointing about the Trickle Clip-On Earbuds though was the microphone. I tried these out on a few Zoom calls and also while recording voice messages to friends. Without doubt, the consensus feedback I received was that my audio was choppy and mediocre at best. Not only would people tell me I sounded distant but that it was just hard to hear me in general when using them. This was unfortunate and given the $80 price point, I would have definitely hoped for a better quality microphone.
Final Thoughts
MUZEN did a great job with the design and comfort of these earbuds but there is certainly room for improvement. Audio quality and microphone quality are both mediocre at best. At this price point, I would have expected better for both these categories. I would still wear these while out and about or on casual strolls, but there are very particular settings meant for these earbuds that don’t involve heavy activity because of how sensitive they are. I also can’t rely on these for work to use as my everyday earbuds due to the poor microphone quality. It’s a shame because I really do like the concept of this clip-on style earbud, but maybe one in a future iteration that can balance comfort with sound better will be a more enticing total package.
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