Votomy Solopods S1 Earbuds (Hardware)
Official GBAtemp Review
Product Information:
- Official Store: https://www.votomy.com/portal/article/index/id/174/cid/13
Votomy is not a name I hear bandied around very frequently; however, this review could seriously put them on the map in my world. The provided Solopods S1 earbuds were sent to me for review but they are currently retailing at just $39.99 on Amazon, with sales and offers that dip them down to under the $30 mark. Honestly, at that price, these are definitely not to be sniffed at!
I've reviewed plenty of headphones, earbuds and audio devices but I honestly, rarely say "Whoooooooh" when I open a package. I instantly got fangirl level excited to see dual battery levels on the LED display, followed by running my finger across the front to find the rubber flap that conceals the USB sockets for power-banking-it-up. The SoloPods themselves are made from a combination of textured plastic and stylised rubber that feel tactile and purposeful in your hand. Each bud has a built-in button for multiple functions such as play/pause, next/previous, accept or reject call and activation of your voice assistant. On the inside of each are three metal contact points that are used to magnetically connect and charge them when you pop them back into the charging case. The Votomy SoloPods S1 is a voyage of discovery from the get-go, and I was more than eager to plug them directly into my body for several days of gratuitous testing.
To say that these deliver deep bass is an understatement. The way these buds push into your ear creates an airlock between your ear canal and the outside world and the supplied rubber ear tips also means you have 5 styles of grommet to guarantee you find the right fit for your exacting orifices. The S1's also have rubber earfins around the top edge to facilitate the correct orientation of the bud and to disperse pressure within your ear to ensure the best fit and therefore the best quality sound. The 6mm driver is incredibly well-tuned for bass delivery directly down into your skull. The vocal tones aren't entirely pushed forward but that comes from the bass-heavy profiling. The fact that my favourite genres include Drumstep, Drum and Bass and Dubstep, I was pleasantly surprised at the sheer audacity of these to funnel such competent sound into me with such clarity. These are hands down absolute bangers of earbuds.
It's obvious that 180 minutes charge time isn't the fastest, though the case itself can be used as a 2000mAh power bank as well as a charging case for your S1s. The case comprises of a large clamshell design, with a full smart LED display to show the case's battery level and individual 4 segment battery icons per earbud for complete battery monitoring. With these 3 lengthy hours of charging out the way, you are treated to up to 100 hours of playback at around 50-60% volume, which I cannot argue with. Each charge of the buds gives you 5 hours of continuous usage, and storing them away just ensures they're juiced up and ready to rock the next time around. If you're in a bind though 10 minutes of charge can give you 1.5hrs of playtime.
With a handy USB socket on the front, you can quite literally plug any rechargeable device you want onto this and its will deliver a steady 5V 1A charge to your tech and if that item only draws100 mAh, you could potentially get 20 hours of charge out of it, though typically an iPhone, for example, will require 3000mAh for one complete charge. Regardless, it's assuredly a nifty feature to have in your pocket and alleviates any battery anxiety you may have when travelling around a lot or you are unable to get to a mains socket any time soon.
IPX8 waterproofing means you don't even have to think about them in inclement weather, just bang them in and get going regardless of rain or storms. The earbuds were pretty comfortable across long periods of playback thanks to their lightweight and sturdy build quality. The unique earfins guide them into the ear and ensure their orientation and at first, you feel a little like you're underwater, you can't hear much of anything except for perhaps muffled ambience and the sound of your own heartbeat (though they do not block out 100% of the sound, nor do they offer noise cancelling), but you quickly adapt to having them inserted. The fit they give you means that you really can't hear anything outside once your music is playing, but once you turn off the music you definitely can hear external sounds, which is useful when you begrudgingly absolutely have to interact with the outside world. I was very surprised by the level of outside noise suppressed with the general fit of these earbuds, and that's not to mention the fact that people outside also cannot hear anything you're listening to, so there is a level of privacy that comes with the S1 SoloPods that makes you feel encapsulated in sound.
Overall these earbuds are quite an impressive purchase thanks to stellar battery life, the dual featured power bank/charging case and the fantastic sound quality for a more than reasonable $39.99. If you love your electronic music and you want powerful bass injected directly into your head, these are an absolute no brainer to pick up and enjoy with ease. It's a shame there is no way you can physically pair them with a PS4 or PS5 though as that would have been pretty neat, but using them on a Nintendo Switch is easy enough and works superbly too!
Discount Coupon
Interested in getting the Votomy SoloPods S1 earbuds? Use the following coupon for a discount!
Product link
Coupon: 10% OFF
Discount Code: BIPMQ6FA, 20% OFF
Total Discount: 30% OFF
Validity period: December 13, 1:00am PST to December 31
Verdict
- Mega deep bass
- Rich sound quality
- Solid fit in-ear
- 100hrs battery life
- Large carry case, though it does double as a powerbank!
- No on-ear volume control
