Groov-e Neo Buds Review

Introduction

The world of cheap earbuds can be a bit of a gimmick-filled one, although when I saw this set of earbuds with a screen in the case – the Groov-e Neo – I just had to take a look. Okay, I’m a sucker.

Apple had been rumoured to make a set of AirPods with a screen in the case for Apple Music once upon a time, and JBL had a go a few years ago with the JBL Tour Pro 2 and JBL Tour Pro 3 models.

I think this marks the first time I’ve seen a screen in any guise on a set of earbuds that are this affordable, though. The Neo Buds are just £39.99, although you can pick them up closer to £30. That’s very inexpensive for a set of noise-cancelling buds, too, with close rivals such as the Final Audio ZE300 providing a similar feature set, sans screen, for a similar price tag.

Whether these screentastic Groov-e buds can do enough to earn a place in our ranking of the best cheap earbuds remains to be seen – I’ve been putting them through their paces to find out.

Design

• There’s a large screen on the front
• Reasonable build quality
• Comfortable, if slightly unsecure fit

In spite of the novelty screen on the front, the Neo doesn’t differ too much in design from a lot of modern earbuds. We’ve got a rounded case that’s a little squatter and wider than JBL’s screen-based buds, and as with a lot of more affordable choices, it’s giving some major AirPods energy.

As you might expect, the build quality isn’t the last word in premium, but it’s more than fine for the asking price. The case and the earbuds themselves have a lightweight feel in hand, although I am impressed with the heavier weight of the case’s hinge and soft-close action.

Colour choices for the Neo are either black or a sand-type beige. My sample came in the latter, which I think looks better, and make these different in look to some of their rivals. The case here even comes with an integrated wrist strap if you want to sling the buds around your wrist.

The earbuds themselves weigh in at just six grams each, making them especially light, and they take the AirPods-style form factor with a fit that means the end piece dangles out of your ears, rather than the twist-and-push fit of others. 

With the default tips on, they’re reasonably comfortable and non-fatiguing for a couple of hours, although I don’t think the fitment is as secure as it could be, nor is the seal provided that brilliant.

There isn’t an IP rating for the Neo Buds listed, so I wouldn’t necessarily use them for any workouts or anywhere you might be near water.

Features

• Screen feels like a novelty
• Noise cancellation is just okay
• Reasonable battery life for the price

The big thing with the Neo Buds (let’s face it, it’s hard to ignore) is the screen that adorns the front of the case. As with the dearer alternative from JBL, it provides a means of controlling music and even the earbuds’ functions without needing to dig out your phone.

It’s a touchscreen display that’s okay in terms of responsiveness, that provides access to features such as music playback, EQ settings, Bluetooth pairing, ANC control, a ‘find’ mode and even more novelty elements such as use as a ‘flashlight’ (it turns the screen white), a Calendar and a stopwatch. There’s even a fake Flappy Bird game you can play if you want to.

Barring the music controls and such, I’m not entirely convinced of its utility. It’s quite a dim screen, and some of the functions didn’t work as intended.

For instance, the camera control turned my volume down, and the screen itself has a black triangle in the bottom left corner that makes some text difficult to read. For some reason, the Neo Buds also started randomly whistling or making noises when I took them out of the case, and the loud noise when swiping on the screen can get annoying very quickly.

For a cheap set of buds, the active noise cancellation is a bonus, although that’s about as good as I can describe it. It isn’t enabled by default, so you’ll need to swipe your way through the screen to enable it. When you do, it dampens more than envelopes me in silence, and things such as my mechanical keyboard and nearby chatter on a train into London were still audible, even if I had my music turned up a smidgen louder than I should.

Connectivity is handled by Bluetooth 6.0, although I didn’t find they supported any form of multipoint Bluetooth if you wanted to listen on more than one device at the same time. Pairing them with my Honor Magic V3 was at least reasonably easy – flip open the case and hold down on the pairing button on the case until they hook up to your device.

Battery life is rated up to 22 hours total from the buds and case, which is perfectly cromulent for a set of affordable buds. It’s in and around the same as Final’s choice, and means you’ll get a couple of full days of listening before needing to recharge. For reference, it’s six hours from the buds and a further 16 from the charging case.

Sound Quality

• Very heavy-handed with the bass by default
• Lacking in detail and width
• EQ presets make things somewhat better

If the likes of the Final Audio ZE300 are more reference-style earbuds at this price, then the Neos are the musical equivalent of somebody hitting you over the head with a sledgehammer. By default, I found them to be very bass-heavy to the point that it encroached too much on the rest of any tracks I listened to.

For instance, even in spinning up mellower, acoustic-driven tracks such as Down The Road from Mac McAnally, there seemed quite the imbalance between the pounding low-end frequencies and his lighter vocal, and the track’s inflexions of acoustic guitar.

Granted, it works better for my rotation of heavier rock tracks, such as Rush’s YYZ, although the song’s bass runs still overtook most of the other substance that was here. With a narrower soundstage, I also found that a lot of the sound to meld together into one, making it a less enjoyable listen.

To boot, vocals from the likes of James Taylor’s October Road felt very much pushed back in the mix against the bass, leaving a fair amount of clarity, depth and detail on the table. The song’s top-end percussion elements also lacked a certain sparkle and attack, feeling too smoothed over; it was a similar story with Steely Dan’s Do It Again.

You’ll get better mileage out of the Neos if you enable the ‘Popular’ EQ setting from the screen. This seems to even things out a smidgen, bringing vocals and the associated mid-range a little more into play, and lessening the looming threat of the low end. If you decide to use the Neo Buds, make changing the EQ preset a matter of urgency.

Should you buy it?

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