Stuff recently got to play with Noise’s Master Buds Max over-ear headphones. The Indian brand has several pieces of audio kit, with a brand-new one on the way. This one, the Master Buds Open, includes a partnership with Bose. That’s not unique to these clip-on buds — the others in the lineup have a similar “sound by Bose” claim.
The company had its new (and only) clip-on earbuds as a demo at this year’s IFA conference in Berlin. By most accounts, the Master Buds Open are impressive enough in their own right. We’ll be stuck waiting until they make their way here, sometime after Noise’s international debut in September this year.
Noise maker
Exact specifications for the Master Buds Open aren’t known, but hands-on experiences with the clip-on buds show that Noise has stuck to the build principles we’ve seen previously. The casing looks impressively premium, with similar care paid to the construction of the buds themselves. The fit and audio quality are also similarly detailed, but there’s a caveat to be aware of: open earbuds don’t usually provide as much detail as in- or over-ears.
Still, Noise is looking to leverage its ‘Sound by Bose’ partnership into more sales for itself, so we wouldn’t be surprised to see it handle audio better than expected. We were hesitant when confronted with the Master Buds Max, at first, but that turned out better than expected.
Though the company has the look and, by the sound of things, the feel of things correct, we’re reserving judgement until a pair lands on a desk at Stuff. That won’t be too far away, according to Noise. The clip-on buds go on sale towards the end of September. When they do, they should prove relatively affordable. The £100 price tag works out to a little over R2,100. International pricing for the Master Buds Max (£170) isn’t too far off the local retail price of R4,000, so it could be we’re in for an audio bargain.
