These Sporty Speaker Glasses Have One Factor Meta Wants

There are a number of high-tech “sensible” glasses these days, and never all of them are created equal. Some of them have screens, some of them have AI, others… effectively, they don’t have a lot to supply in any respect. But when there’s one factor that you just would possibly need out of a pair of glasses with wires in them, it’s audio.

I’ve maintained that glasses are excellent conduits for open-ear audio, and as somebody who’s worn the Ray-Ban Meta AI glasses extensively over the previous two years, I can converse from expertise. Having audio system in your glasses helps you to take hands-free calls, take heed to music whereas nonetheless listening to your environment, and theoretically, you don’t want to succeed in for a separate gadget like wireless earbuds or headphones to do all that, since your glasses are ready patiently in your face.

However what if you happen to don’t need all of the potentially problematic stuff that comes with sensible glasses, like AI, or discreet cameras, or screens? What if you happen to simply wish to take heed to stuff? For that, you have got choices, and certainly one of them (if you happen to’re a sure kind of particular person) is Chamelo’s Music Shield.

Wrap your head round this one

The $260 Music Protect are a… distinct pair of wraparound audio glasses. They’re made by Chamelo, an eyewear firm backed by an unlikely star: former New York Knicks level guard Stephon Marbury, who’s formally listed as Chamelo’s Chief Model Officer. Whereas Marbury and firm name Chamelo glasses “sensible,” the phrase is out on that one.

Not like different pairs of sensible glasses like Ray-Ban Meta AI glasses and the Meta Ray-Ban Display, the Music Protect lack most of what makes different frames sensible. There’s no voice assistant, there’s no digicam, there’s no pc imaginative and prescient, and there’s no display. There’s, nevertheless, a set of audio system, which you might have already gathered from the identify. With these audio system, you are able to do a couple of issues, like (duh) take heed to music. On that entrance, Chamelo does a fairly respectable job.

In my testing, I discovered that the Music Protect sound… fairly okay. The quantity is sweet sufficient, which is a significant part of audio in glasses like this, because you’ll be contending with ambient noise whilst you pay attention. I wore the Music Protect on the streets of New York, and whereas they principally held up in opposition to environmental noise, I undoubtedly needed to crank the amount to at the very least 80%. I’ve to do the identical more often than not on Meta’s Ray-Ban glasses, so that is no shock.

Almost certainly, if you happen to’re focused on Chamelo glasses, you’ll wish to use them in some sort of sports activities setting, although. Wraparound shades are perfect for issues like snowboarding, snowboarding, or biking as a result of they shield your eyes from the wind and allow you to see the place you’re going with out getting blinded by air or snow. I didn’t get an opportunity to check the Music Protect on the slopes, sadly, however based mostly on the louder environments I did check them in, I’d wager they might nonetheless be heard in fast-paced, wind-heavy motion. Although having tried the Oakley Meta Vanguard smart glasses, I’m much less assured they’re the very best in that division.

The Oakley Meta Vanguard have large sound that’s in contrast to any I’ve heard in sensible glasses, and evaluating one-to-one, I don’t assume Chamelo fairly reaches the identical quantity. It additionally doesn’t fairly have the identical constancy. I had some points whereas calling, the place the decision audio was a lot quieter than music playback regardless of cranking my cellphone quantity up. I’ve reached out to Chamelo to make clear that concern and can replace this evaluation if/when that concern is resolved. On the intense facet, at the very least the particular person I known as might hear me loud and clear.

Like I discussed, the Music Protect sound superb, however there’s nonetheless a slight tinniness in comparison with beefier sensible glasses just like the Oakley Meta Vanguard. The low finish is missing, and the mids and highs come off as just a little stiff. The Music Protect nonetheless sound significantly better than different glasses I’ve tried, just like the Solos AirGo A5, however they’re not dethroning Meta. To check the Music Protect, I attempted to place myself in a sports activities mindset by listening to energetic music like jazz/fusion guitarist Masayoshi Takanaka and Daft Punk. I wasn’t under- or overwhelmed. Let’s simply name it whelmed.

From an audio high quality perspective, I wouldn’t be upset with the constancy of the Music Protect if I purchased them with my very own hard-earned cash, however having tried a direct competitor just like the Oakley Meta Vanguard, I won’t be as impressed. Meta’s model does price an amazing deal extra at $500, however you additionally get a number of additional options there as effectively, together with sure well being integrations with Garmin smartwatches, cameras, a voice assistant, and extra contact controls.

There’s one factor that the Music Protect have that Meta’s choices undoubtedly don’t, although.

Music Protect have a magic trick

Should you’ve seen Chamelo’s audio glasses in your analysis on-line, the electrochromic dimming most likely caught your eye. By tapping or sliding your finger on the fitting arm of the glasses, you may routinely regulate the tint of the wraparound lens on the fly. This characteristic, I’m blissful to report, works effectively. The response time when tapping or sliding is fast, and the vary of tint ranges is pretty extensive.

As a little bit of background, electrochromic glass is a factor present in varied devices now, together with some rearview mirrors in cars. The expertise works by making use of an electrical present to a particular movie or gel that’s adhered to a bit of glass. That jolt truly adjustments the tint in response, creating an routinely dimmable panel of glass. I’m not going to lie… it’s enjoyable.

As useful as transition lenses are in sensible glasses, electrochromic lenses and their skill to regulate tint immediately and to a degree you’ve specified are a superior expertise to their photochromic counterparts. Perhaps that’s only a private gripe, however my expertise is that transition lenses by no means get almost as darkish or as vibrant as you need them to, and definitely not as shortly as I’d like. Chamelo’s Music Protect doesn’t have that downside.

Electrochromic lenses probably haven’t been adopted broadly resulting from their further price and the pressure they add to batteries, but it surely appears to me that if Chamelo can do it, different makers of sensible glasses should look into the chance, too. Sorry, Meta, transition lenses simply aren’t it.

Gentle in weight but additionally mild on options

If there’s one other level I may give the Music Protect, it’s that they’re pretty light-weight for his or her measurement. Chamelo’s glasses weigh 49g, which is effectively below the Oakley Meta Vanguard, at 66g. That’s not stunning because the Vanguard have much more occurring inside, but it surely’s nonetheless notable if you happen to’re out there for a pair of light-weight glasses and don’t care about cameras and AI.

The lightness additionally makes the Music Protect pretty snug to put on over longer durations. I wore the glasses in hour increments, and whereas they did get just a little irksome towards the top of the hour, I might say not more than most glasses (sensible and dumb) that I personal. The nostril pads, whereas I nonetheless assume Oakley’s are extra snug, do a fairly good job of holding up the burden on my nostril in a manner that’s not aggravating.

Fortunately, since these are sports activities glasses, they match snugly, which is nice if you happen to’re like me and have a narrower head. It’ll additionally assist guarantee they don’t fly off if you’re bombing a hill on a motorbike or snowboard. The look of the Music Protect is, uh… one thing. I’m not a wraparound shades man. Perhaps you might be, and if that’s your factor, then go for it, however on a scale of 1 yeehaw out of 10, I’m giving them 8 yeehaws. The glasses are additionally IPX4 rated, which makes them immune to water splashes (mild rain) and sweat, however not totally waterproof. Don’t put on these within the pool. There isn’t a prescription lens compatibility.

Whereas Chamelo purposely focuses totally on audio, I do discover the Music Protect to be just a little missing when it comes to options. There isn’t a companion app for one, although Chamelo’s web site confusingly mentions “app-enabled controls” for some cause; there isn’t any voice assistant; there isn’t any contact bar on the arm for controlling quantity. For $260, these are issues that I’d anticipate, however possibly including electrochromic lenses comes at a price each actually and figuratively. These aren’t dealbreakers, but it surely does make doing issues like checking the battery fascinating. The easiest way I’ve recognized to watch the battery degree is natively by means of iOS, which is able to let you know (prefer it does with different Bluetooth units) how a lot juice you have got.

Talking of battery life, I discovered that the Music Protect reside as much as their declare of getting 6.5 hours of music playback/calling. After two hours of music playback at 80% quantity, the glasses dropped from 90% to 50% battery. It’s not fairly nearly as good as Meta and its Ray-Ban Meta Gen 2 AI glasses, which declare 8 hours on a single cost, but it surely’s strong. I do just like the inclusion of an simply accessible on/off button, although there aren’t any sensors that detect when the glasses are folded, so that you’ll have to make use of it every time you wish to flip the glasses off. To cost the Music Protect, there’s an included magnetic cable. Not like the Oakley Meta glasses, there isn’t any charging case, only a pretty nondescript (considerably chonky) carrying case.

Do you have to seize a sword and music defend up?

Not everybody will discover audio glasses helpful, however some would possibly. Should you’re in search of a tool that gives respectable open-ear audio and wind safety, and you’re keen on the wraparound look, they need to be in your radar. If you would like extra options that different actually sensible glasses have to supply, although, these aren’t the specs for you.

The Music Protect are a little bit of a contradiction; they’re obnoxious (the look), but additionally barebones (the options). I personally would have preferred to see a bit extra out of the glasses with a $260 price ticket—contact controls for quantity, app help, possibly a voice assistant. But when none of that bothers you, then possibly you’ll really feel high-quality wrapping your arms and your head round these glasses. Personally, I nonetheless assume the Oakley Meta Vanguard take the cake, however then once more, this evaluation is about the one time you’ll catch me carrying the identical glasses as somebody who’s into bass fishing, so who am I to say?