Hama Spirit Touch Review
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Charging Case & Controls
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Sound Quality
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Active Noise Cancellation (ANC)
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Microphone Quality (ENC)
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Comfort & Ergonomics
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Value for Money
Innovative Features and Strong Value
The Hama Spirit Touch excels with its unique touchscreen charging case, offering intuitive controls and features beyond typical headphones. It provides impressive sound and call quality for its price, making it a compelling option for everyday use with effective ANC for consistent low-frequency noise.
Advantages
- Innovative touchscreen charging case for comprehensive controls (music, ANC, flashlight, etc.).
- Impressive sound quality for the price point with 13mm drivers.
- Excellent microphone quality with Environmental Noise Cancellation (ENC) for clear calls.
- Effective Active Noise Cancellation (ANC) for continuous low-frequency sounds.
- Comfortable and secure fit for everyday use.
- Strong value, especially at discounted prices.
Disadvantages
- No official water or sweat resistance rating; caution advised for intense workouts.
- ANC not effective against all types of noise (e.g., voices, sudden loud sounds).
- Charging case screen does not offer full smartphone functionality like streaming apps or notifications.
- No wall adapter or wireless charging.
Contents
Hama Spirit Touch: A Deep Dive into Innovation and Value
The Hama Spirit Touch offers a compelling entry into the True Wireless Stereo (TWS) in-ear headphone market. While their core design might appear conventional when compared to many budget and mid-range competitors, it’s a surprising innovation that truly sets them apart: their charging case. This isn’t just any case; it boasts a vibrant, colorful touchscreen on its exterior, transforming it into a miniature control panel. Initially, I was skeptical about how much this feature could genuinely enhance the user experience, dismissing it as a potential gimmick. However, my preconceived notions were quickly overturned as this unique interface significantly improved my interaction with these audio devices.
What Makes the Hama Spirit Touch Headphones Unique?
Beyond the headphones and charging case, the package includes two pairs of silicone ear tips (sizes S and M). Choosing the correct ear tip size is crucial for both comfort and sound quality, ensuring an optimal listening experience. The headphones themselves come in a sleek black finish, complemented by gray ear tips. Their shape is quite standard, featuring an elongated stem that houses a touch panel for basic controls. The charging case is a rounded rectangular design, with its standout feature being the small, colorful, touch-sensitive screen. Overall, the aesthetic is more elegant than many typical models in this category. The entire set weighs approximately 46 grams (about 1.6 ounces), making it comfortably lightweight and easy to carry in a pocket or small bag without adding excessive bulk.
The Charging Case: A Game-Changer
In today’s competitive market, wireless headphones often strive to differentiate themselves beyond just sound quality. Hama has masterfully addressed this challenge with the Spirit Touch. These affordable headphones, equipped with active noise cancellation (ANC), feature what might just be the most innovative charging case on the market. It’s the colorful touchscreen that elevates the experience, allowing users to control music playback, adjust volume, switch ANC modes, activate a flashlight, and much more.
Initially, I harbored doubts about the practicality of such a solution. It seemed like a typical novelty gadget – something I’d try a few times and then forget about. However, the reality was entirely different; I found myself frequently utilizing this added functionality.
The display provides intuitive access to essential player functions: play/pause music, skip to the next or previous track, and control volume. This eliminates the need to constantly retrieve your phone from your pocket. This convenience proved particularly valuable when my phone was tucked away in a backpack or when I simply didn’t want to reach for it.
Furthermore, conventional touch controls on TWS earbuds can often be imprecise. Accidental touches might unintentionally pause music or change tracks. With the Hama Spirit Touch, these actions can be performed reliably from the charging case held securely in your hand, offering a more deliberate and frustration-free control experience.
Innovative Features Beyond Music Control
This innovative solution is quite uncommon in this price bracket, but it’s important to view it realistically. The screen doesn’t transform the headphones into a standalone music player. It doesn’t replace your phone, grant access to streaming apps, or enable notification browsing. Its role is far simpler yet highly effective: to provide quick access to several frequently used functions. And this concept proves to be remarkably practical.
The screen’s capabilities extend beyond just music control. Hama has also integrated features like a camera trigger, an alarm, a ‘find my earbuds’ function, and even a built-in flashlight. Moreover, the display conveniently shows the battery levels for both the left and right earbuds, the charging case’s battery status, the current time, the active noise cancellation mode, the selected equalizer preset, and Bluetooth connection information, providing a comprehensive overview at a glance.
Comfort and Ergonomics
The in-ear design of the Spirit Touch headphones has two primary implications. On one hand, the silicone ear tips enhance passive noise isolation, creating a better seal from ambient sounds, and help secure the earbuds in your ears. On the other hand, not everyone enjoys the feeling of a sealed ear canal. Therefore, comfort will largely depend on individual preferences and selecting the correct ear tip size. From my experience, I have no complaints regarding their ergonomics and comfort – the earbuds remained securely in place, didn’t cause any pressure discomfort, and didn’t interfere with wearing glasses or hats.
The Spirit Touch could be an excellent choice for activities such as walking, commuting, working, and everyday calls. However, I would exercise caution during intense workouts, as the manufacturer does not specify any sweat or water resistance rating. If you plan on running or exercising outdoors, especially in wet conditions, it’s advisable to be mindful of this limitation.
Ease of control is another significant factor. The earbuds feature standard touch sensors for quick call answering/ending and basic playback management. However, the charging case, which is the model’s key differentiating feature, greatly simplifies this process. It eliminates the need to tap directly on the earbud housing to achieve the desired action, offering a more comfortable and intuitive control method.
The headphones support A2DP, AVRCP, and HFP profiles, which are standard for music playback, remote control, and voice calls, respectively. They can be seamlessly paired with smartphones, tablets, laptops, and computers. Compatibility extends to both Android devices and Apple hardware.
Sound Quality
The Hama Spirit Touch headphones are equipped with 13mm drivers. This is a notably large size for compact in-ear headphones, though driver diameter alone doesn’t guarantee superior sound quality. It’s important to remember that this set typically retails for around 150 Polish złoty (approximately $35-40 USD), so audiophile-grade experiences shouldn’t be the expectation. For this price point, however, the sound performance is impressive. The audio is full and clear, featuring a distinct bass presence and intelligible vocals. While the tuning is not strictly neutral, it’s deliberately set for an engaging and enjoyable listening experience.
A notable feature is the inclusion of five equalizer presets. These allow users to tailor the sound to specific uses: you can opt for more pronounced bass for music, a more balanced setting for podcasts, or a profile that enhances vocal clarity. In my opinion, however, the default ‘Normal’ equalizer setting offers the most balanced and pleasing sound profile.
Active Noise Cancellation (ANC) Performance
The ANC effectively handles continuous, low-frequency sounds such as the hum of a bus, tram, or general street noise. This is precisely the type of ambient sound where active noise reduction typically provides the most significant benefit. However, users should not expect complete isolation from loud environments. The ANC implemented here will not effectively silence all conversations, sudden honks, abrupt noises, or high-pitched sounds.
Microphone Quality and Environmental Noise Cancellation (ENC)
The Spirit Touch features a built-in, omnidirectional microphone complemented by Environmental Noise Cancellation (ENC) technology. Unlike ANC, which primarily benefits the listener, ENC is designed to improve the clarity of the voice transmitted to the person on the other end of the call. In this regard, the headphones performed exceptionally well, consistently receiving positive feedback from my interlocutors regarding call quality.
Battery Life
Without ANC enabled, the headphones are rated to provide up to 5 hours of playback on a single charge. When active noise reduction is activated, this figure drops to approximately 4 hours. The charging case offers an additional three full recharges, extending the total music playback time to a maximum of 20 hours with ANC off, or up to 16 hours with ANC on.
A significant advantage is the universally compatible USB-C charging port for the case. A USB-C cable is included in the package, though a wall adapter is not – which is understandable at this price point (as is the absence of wireless charging). The manufacturer specifies that a power source of at least 2W is required for charging.
Hama Spirit Touch Specifications and Pricing
Here’s a detailed look at the specifications of the Hama Spirit Touch headphones:
- Headphone Type: In-ear, True Wireless Stereo (TWS)
- Design: Closed-back
- Connectivity: Bluetooth 5.0
- Operating Range: Up to 10 meters (approximately 33 feet)
- Sensitivity: 98 dB
- Impedance: 35 Ω (headphones), 300 Ω (microphone)
- Supported Bluetooth Profiles: A2DP, AVRCP, HFP, HSP
- Controls: Touch control on headphone housing
- Microphone: Built-in (with call handling function)
- Battery Life (Single Charge): Approx. 4 hours (music/calls)
- Total Battery Life (with Case): Up to 16 hours
- Charging Time: Approx. 2 hours (for both headphones and case)
- Case Charging Port: USB-C
- Weight: Approx. 40g (1.4 ounces) (headphones with case)
- Voice Assistant Support: Yes (Siri, Google Assistant)
- Package Contents: Hama Spirit Touch headphones, charging case, silicone ear tips (sizes S/M), USB-C charging cable, user manual.
Currently, these headphones can be purchased for around 150 Polish złoty, which is approximately $35-$40 USD, depending on current exchange rates and retailer. They are widely available at major electronics retailers and e-commerce platforms.
It’s worth keeping an eye out for special offers – in recent weeks, the Hama Spirit Touch has been available for as low as 129, 69, or even 39 Polish złoty (roughly $10-$18 USD). At such an exceptional price, it would be challenging to find better headphones offering this feature set.
Conclusion
The Hama Spirit Touch stands out as one of the most intriguing TWS headphone options for individuals seeking more than just basic music playback. This set is ideal for users who prioritize functionality, active noise cancellation, convenient controls, and a distinctive charging case, all within a budget of approximately 150 Polish złoty (about $35-40 USD). It’s a well-equipped, compelling everyday model that doesn’t aim to compete with premium audiophile headphones but instead delivers a very strong set of features and capabilities for its price point.
For those interested in exploring alternatives or comparing features, consider our comprehensive guide to the best wireless earbuds of 2022. If you’re looking for advanced noise-cancelling options, you might also want to read about the Sony WF-1000XM6 noise-cancelling earbuds for their upcoming features and pricing.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
The Hama Spirit Touch charging case features a vibrant, colorful touchscreen on its exterior. This screen acts as a miniature control panel, allowing users to manage music playback, adjust volume, switch ANC modes, activate a flashlight, trigger a camera, find earbuds, and view essential information like battery levels without needing to access their phone.
Equipped with 13mm drivers, the Hama Spirit Touch delivers a full and clear sound with distinct bass and intelligible vocals. While not aiming for audiophile-grade performance, for its price point (around $35-40 USD), the sound quality is considered impressive and engaging, offering a satisfying listening experience with customizable equalizer presets.
The ANC on the Hama Spirit Touch is effective against constant, low-frequency ambient sounds such as bus hums, tram noise, or general street noise. However, it’s not designed to completely silence all conversations, sudden loud noises, or high-pitched sounds, providing a good level of noise reduction for its category.
The Hama Spirit Touch can be comfortable for light activities like walking or commuting. However, the manufacturer does not specify any official sweat or water resistance rating. Therefore, caution is advised for intense workouts or outdoor activities, especially in wet conditions, to avoid potential damage.
Yes, the Hama Spirit Touch headphones support standard Bluetooth profiles (A2DP, AVRCP, HFP, HSP) and are compatible with a wide range of devices, including smartphones, tablets, laptops, and computers running both Android and Apple operating systems.
Source: Hama, original review.
Opening photo: Jolanta Szczepaniak.
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