Loading cart contents...
KLH Fusion True Wireless Earbuds Review 2021 By Trail and Kale – Editor’s Choice Award
KLH FUSION TRUE WIRELESS EARBUDS REVIEW 2021 By Trail and Kale
Writen by Alastair
23rd February 2021
I’m always on the lookout for exciting new gear that makes the experience of running EVEN MORE enjoyable, so, when World Wide Stereo sent over the KLH Fusion True Wireless Noise-Cancelling Earbuds with Bluetooth for review, I was fairly excited, to say the least.
So, why was I so enthusiastic to test and review the KLH Fusion for running? Well, without giving too much away too soon in this review, here are some key features that stood out to me: the KLH Fusion true wireless earbuds have environmental noise-canceling technology, AAC/aptX High-Definition Sound, 4 Knowles® MEMS/Smart Microphones (I’ll go into what makes these microphones so special, later in this review), Bone Voiceprint which is smart enough to only recognizes the wearer’s voice, IPX5 Water-Resistant Rating, and 28 hours of playtime from one case charge (enough for many ultramarathons).
Those are just a few features that gave me reason to believe that these wireless earbuds would be a great companion to take with me on long trail runs and ultramarathon races, and ultimately why I have awarded these true wireless earbuds a Trail & Kale Editor’s Choice Award. This KLH Fusion True Wireless Earbuds review covers the key features, pros, cons, and my experience/thoughts on wearing them while running.
Okay, let’s get into the finer details of why I have awarded the KLH Fusion True Wireless Earbuds an Editor’s Choice Award and as such added them to our best wireless headphones for running, and ultrarunning buyer’s guide.
This KLH Fusion True Wireless Earbuds review should answer any questions that you may have about these earbuds for running but if not, please feel free to ask me anything in the comments at the bottom of this review – I will respond within a few hours.
KLH Fusion True Wireless Earbuds Review: Table of Contents
World Wide Stereo Review & Introduction: Try Them Out!
A quick thank you to World Wide Stereo for sending me these earbuds to make this KLH Fusion True Wireless Earbuds review possible. If you’re not familiar with World Wide Stereo, they are one of the nation’s leading providers of emerging technologies in audio and video. The company was established over 40 years ago so they’ve had plenty of experience in ensuring that customer service is of the highest quality, In fact, World Wide Stereo is ranked #2 in the country for Top Companies for Customer Service by USA Today in 2015 (Amazon took the number 1 spot).
Although I haven’t needed to use World Wide Stereo’s customer service, they have many positive ratings to suggest that they are among the best, should you ever need to get a problem resolved with your purchase. The products on the World Wide Stereo website are very competitively priced, and the website itself is very user-friendly, easy to navigate, find products and the shipping of these earbuds was very fast. The next time you need to buy some audio/visual gear, give World Wide Stereo a try!
What’s the sound quality like?
Let’s kick things off by talking about probably the most important feature of wireless earbuds, sound quality! If the sound quality isn’t there, then I tend to not bother reviewing headphones but in this case, the sound quality was immediately impressive.
The richness and clarity in the bass and treble are very noticeable, and as I run with these earbuds, I’m comparing the KLH Fusion to the Jaybird VISTA, an alternative favorite of mine, that are also premium wireless earbuds robust enough for mountain running, ultrarunning, and working out in the gym.
I had to do some research into the technology behind the audio of the KLH Fusion wireless earbuds because it definitely sounds superior to most other wireless earbuds I have used, and quite possibly, even better than the Jaybird VISTA which is what I have been running with prior to the KLH Fusion. My research had me diving deep into audio tech terminology and jargon, so let me try to explain in layman’s terms what’s going on inside these earbuds.
So, the KLH Fusion wireless earbuds use Qualcomm’s aptX High-Definition wireless sound codec which basically means they can support 48kHz/24-bit music quality over Bluetooth, and therefore listeners can hear even the smallest details in their music. What makes the codec extra special is how similar 48kHz/24-bit audio sounds to high-fidelity 96kHz/24bit audio. There was even a study by Salford University that ran a study to determine if the majority of people could tell the difference between the two – they couldn’t.
The KLH Fusion also has noise-canceling technology which works really well at eliminating environmental noise. Please be careful while running in busy areas like in the city or in areas where you need to be aware of dangers like cars and bicycles because the noise canceling is so good that you may feel like you’re in your own bubble and pay less attention to your surroundings as a result. If you are concerned about not being able to hear traffic in busy areas, these earbuds can also be used one at a time, so you can store the other earbud in your pocket or charging case, to preserve its battery life. Wearing one earbud gives you the potential to hear your surroundings in one ear when you feel your safety could be compromised, like running at night for example.
The KLH Fusion True Wireless earbuds use 4 microphones in total to listen for ambient noise around you and then apply some clever processing to cancel that noise out. This ambient noise reduction in conjunction with Qualcomm’s aptX High-Definition wireless sound codec really does make the sound quality sound superb.
Audio and connection quality for phone calls with the KLH Fusion is clear and very responsive with no lag, which also applies to when you are watching Netflix and YouTube videos on your laptop or mobile phone. This is another thing that I have been impressed with, as I did notice lag occasionally on the Jaybird VISTA. I have experienced no lag at all while using these earbuds for phone calls and watching videos on my devices.
What’s the KLH Fusion like for running?
The KLH Fusion is not specifically marketed as being for running per se, instead, they are probably more tailored to the people who want headphones capable of delivering high-quality sound for every situation in their daily routine but in my opinion that includes running and working out at the gym.
Truthfully, if I’m paying $200 for some wireless earbuds I sure as heck want to be able to run and workout with them too, and not just use them for commuting to work, phone calls, or sitting at my desk while working. In my experience using them while running, they are extremely good, and here are 5 reasons why the KLH Fusion headphones are great for running:
1. Lightweight and secure fit
The combined weight of both earbuds combined is only 0.35oz and the shape of the earbuds gives a really secure in-ear fit. A secure fit means you’ll never worry about an earbud dropping out while running, which is of course important. This has been a problem for me while running with other true wireless buds in the past.
I have been using the default ear tips that come attached to each earbud but should you need to change them to fit a smaller or larger ear, then try one of the 7 alternative-sized tip sets that are included in the box.
2. They’re Comfortable For A Long Time
Because the KLH Fusion Earbuds are very lightweight and fit so well, they are really comfortable to wear for long periods of time, and with a battery life of 28 hours (with the portable charging case) you may well want to use these earbuds for endurance sports like ultrarunning or road cycling. This extended battery life is a feature that marathon runners, ultrarunners, fastpackers, and endurance cyclists are going to love about these earbuds.
3. KLH Fusion Earbuds Can Be Controlled Without Ever Needing to Touch Them
I mentioned the 4 Knowles® MEMS/Smart Microphones earlier but what makes these microphones so impressive is that they are constantly listening for your unique voice commands, and also for the purpose of canceling out environmental noise.
Not only are they constantly listening but they’re listening while using very little battery power, and because these earbuds can recognize 9 different spoken commands, you don’t have to tap an earbud before speaking a command, neither do you need to say “Hey Siri” or “Hey Google” to get them to change track, pause or change the volume.
We all know how sluggish those virtual assistants can be sometimes… KLH Fusion responds super quickly and they are reliably consistent in understanding your command and obeying it.The system is especially accurate because it’s listening for the wearer’s specific voice, combined with their unique jaw movement via its built-in Bone Voiceprint technology – Very clever! If you prefer you can also physically tap the ear-buds with your finger to initiate a command.
The 9 Native Voice Commands Are:
“Play music”, “Pause music”, “Previous song”, “Next song”, “Accept call”, “Reject call”, “Volume Up”, “Volume Down”, and “Hey SIRI”.
4. IPX5 water protection
This means that they can resist a sustained, low-pressure water jet spray which effectively means you shouldn’t have to worry about them getting water damaged while running in the rain.
5. KLH Fusion uses Bluetooth V5.0 connectivity
A fast, stable connection means that your music won’t drop out even while running. It also means that you shouldn’t experience lag while watching movies/videos on Netflix or YouTube via your laptop or smartphone.
KLH Fusion Noise-Canceling Wireless Earbuds Battery Life
For true wireless earbuds with noise-canceling, being able to get 28 hours of use is pretty awesome. To get the full 28 hours you’ll need to have a fully charged charging case before you head out. You can get 7 hours of continuous usage without the charging case when your earbuds are fully charged.
The case is easily charged using the included USB-C cable, and KLH kindly includes a USB-C to USB-A Adapter which means you can charge them with the more commonly recognized (older) USB connection. The full charge time for the earbuds takes 90 minutes.
Are the KLH Fusion Earbuds Waterproof?
Yes, KLH Fusion has an IPX5 waterproof rating, so they should survive even while using them in the rain, and they’re also sweat-proof. This is a pretty essential feature for trail runners because mountain weather can be so unpredictable.
Price, and Where to Buy?
KLH Fusion True Wireless Earbuds are $199.98 from worldwidestereo.com and in my opinion, are great value for money for premium wireless earbuds with noise-canceling, and long-lasting durability.
What’s in the Box
- Fusion True Wireless Earbuds
- USB-C to USB-A Adapter (Thank you so much KLH for not cheaping out and supplying this super important adapter!)
- Carrying/Charging Case
- USB-C to USB-C Charging Cord
- Seven pairs of ear tips: One set of medium ear tips are pre-installed on Fusion earbuds
KLH Fusion Specs
You can also download the full KLH Specifications PDF HERE.
KLH Fusion True Wireless Earbuds FAQ
Here are some very useful frequently asked questions, sourced from the KLH website:
I can only get one earbud to connect to my device?
Placing the earbuds back in the case for 30 seconds should reset the earbuds. If that doesn’t work, you can force a hard reset as follows: With the earbuds inserted into your ears but not connected to a device, tap the right earbud touch sensor 7 times. You should hear “…factory reset…battery full…peer pairing”. Follow the same procedure for the left earbud. Remove the right earbud and hold it next to the left earbud. You should hear “pairing” from the left earbud. Now try to connect to your device.
Why does a “KLH fusion L” and “KLH fusion R” both show up in my devices on my phone?
The left & right earbud can each be connected to your devices Bluetooth, and both will show up in the Bluetooth device list. However, during the pairing procedure, your device will give priority to one earbud and ask permission to connect to the other. Once you give it permission to connect to the other earbud, it is only necessary to re-connect to one device in the future. The earbud with priority will be the first one listed in the device list.
Why am I having trouble getting my earbuds to connect to a second device?
The mostly likely cause for this issue is because the fusion is automatically connecting to the first/previous device. If available, the fusion will automatically connect to the last device it was connected to when the earbuds are first removed from the case. In order to connect to a second device, please be sure to disconnect, or turn Bluetooth “OFF”, on the first device.,
Why do voice commands not respond while I’m on a call?
Due to the microphone requirements for phone calls, the voice commands are not available during phone calls.
Why am I having trouble getting the earbud touch commands to respond?
The fusion touch commands do require a little practice, but it’s not difficult once you become familiar with it. The problem is usually the accuracy of your fore-finger consistently contacting the touch sensor. The touch sensor is the oval recessed area at the top of each earbud. It’s a relatively small target to press consistently. We’ve found the best way to ensure consistent operation of the touch sensor is by placing the palm of your hand flat against the side of the face with the fore-finger positioned above the touch sensor. The palm placed against the side of the face will allow better control of the fore-finger and will improve your ability to consistently activate the touch sensor.
KLH Fusion True Wireless Earbuds User Guide/Manual
You can download the full KLH Fusion True Wireless Earbuds User Guide/Manual HERE.
I really hope you enjoyed reading this KLH Fusion Wireless Earbuds review, If you have a question regarding them, drop it in the comments down below and I’ll usually reply within a few hours.
