There is a never-ending list of headphone choices out there. The latest ones to land in my test kitchen are these from Audio-Technica; the Audio-Technica ATH-CK3TW truly wireless in-ear earbuds. I had a chance to try out a pair of these for a week and I’ll tell you about my experience.
The ATH-CK3TW truly wireless in-ear headphones have Bluetooth 5.0 technology for stronger connections between the buds and your smartphone, tablet or computer. The headphones have an IPX2 water-resistance rating, which means they are protected from dripping water, such as rain and sweat, so these would be good for athletic activities or walking in bad weather. These headphones do not have any noise cancellation technology.
Charging case & battery life: Audio-Technica ATH-CK3TW
They come with a charging case that stores extra battery power and keeps them safe. The ATH-CK3TW earbuds offer six hours of continuous use on a full charge, with 24 hours of additional power available from the charging case. Both the earbuds and the charging case have LED indicators to display the charging status, and the charging case is equipped with a USB-C battery jack when you need your power up.
The headphones have 5.8 mm drivers that Audio-Technica says reproduce powerful, detailed audio from an ultra-compact design.
These low profile earbuds should fit most ears with four sizes of thin, flexible silicone eartips so you can customize the fit. A snug fit will also help with noise isolation and overall listening quality.
The compact earbud housings have a built-in mic and touch controls that are pretty easy to find with your fingertips.
Using Audio-Technica ATH-CK3TW truly wireless in-ear earbuds
Using the headphones is straightforward. The auto power function turns the earbuds on when they’re removed from the charging case and turns them off and begins charging when they’re returned to the case. This did work for me, and the buds connected on their own to the last device I used them with.
In-ear detection feature
The package boasts automatic in-ear detection that is supposed to play/pause your music if you take them out of your ears. I couldn’t get this to work for me, whether I removed one or both earbuds. The music just kept going and I needed to pause it on my phone.
Sound quality: Audio-Technica ATH-CK3TWÂ
I loaded my Spotify test playlist to take these headphones through their paces. I was immediately impressed by the bass. These headphones seem quite well balanced and even sounding. The vocals stand out properly, and there’s no lean to the high end, no buzziness or tinniness. Overall, these headphones sound very good, and I was impressed.
Audio-Technica says the call quality should be great, thanks to Qualcomm Clear Voice Capture technology. Call audio also plays in both headphones, making conversations even clearer. In my phone call testing my callers said I sounded good and they sounded fine to me too.
Fit and feel: Audio-Technica ATH-CK3TW
I felt like I couldn’t get a really great comfortable fit with these. They have an oval shape that didn’t seem to sit into my ear concha very well. I felt like they were top heavy and leaned out of my ears, but despite this fact, I was able to get a good seal with the proper eartips.
Touch controls: Audio-Technica ATH-CK3TW earbuds
The touch controls on these headphones work quite well and let you play/pause and skip tracks easily. With some headphones I find you need to tap the touch controls in exactly the right place or no dice. But with these, I could be less precise and it still worked fine.
Overall review: Audio-Technica ATH-CK3TW truly wireless earbuds
Overall, I’m pretty happy with these headphones. They’re compact, and they sound great. The fit is pretty good once you finesse it. There’s lots of battery life and the touch controls are responsive. I couldn’t get the auto pause feature to work so that was a downside for me, but not a deal killer. I can definitely recommend the Audio-Technica ATH-CK3TW as your next truly wireless headphones. Find them at Best Buy.
