The Zeb Sound Bomb SI has one of the better-looking charging cases I have seen in recent times and is quite compact too. It has a strip of LED lights on top to show the charging level of the case. Open the flap, and you have the two wireless earphones nestled inside. There is a small USB-C port at the back for charging.
It is easy to pair the earphones with your phone. The two pair as one, though on my MacBook they showed up as two Bluetooth earphones. But there too, connecting one was enough. The sides of the earphones have the multi function buttons which you can use to pair, power on/off, summon the voice assistant and take or cut calls. But like other earphones of this kind, this is touch sensitive and stop music or cut calls even if you touch the sides unknowingly.
https://images.indianexpress.com/2020/08/1x1.png The earphones of the Zeb Sound Bomb SI fit well and stay in place whatever you do (Express photo: Nandagoapal Rajan)The earphones of the Zeb Sound Bomb SI fit well and stay in place whatever you do. The silicone tips are comfortable and I didn’t need to charge the pair that came pre-attached.
The audio quality of the earphones left me surprised, especially given the fact that these are not an expensive pair. I can’t say the audio profile is neutral as it has a bit of balmy bass, akin to a singer with a husky voice. That offers a kind of cosy warmth to the entire experience. I tried my regular playlist and the experience was quite good, and the earphones worked for the entire spectrum of compositions I had on the list. At higher volumes, the audio does get a bit shrill, but then you are not supposed to listen to such volumes.
I listened to author Amit Chaudhuri’s This is Not Fusion album on Apple Music and loved every bit of it — the vocals really stood out and you feel the hands on the strings. My present favourite, Cherathukal from Kumbalangi Night, lacked a bit of sharpness, but the audio profile did take me back to the sultry Kerala summer night. When the music is complex you do realise this is not a high-end audio device.
The Zeb Sound Bomb SI has one of the better-looking charging cases I have seen in recent times (Express photo: Nandagopal Rajan)However, there is one thing I did not like about the Zeb Sound Bomb SI. The earphones, in the middle of a song or a podcast, go mono for a second for no reason whatsoever. You hear Zebronics being announced in one of the earphones so that you can prepare for a few seconds of mono. Also, at times I got the feeling the two earphones had a bit of a lag in one of the earphones, but so tiny that I am not sure of it.
The company claims about 18 hours of battery life and you should be able to get about four hours from the earphones each time. The call quality is good too and you will have no reason to complain.
At Rs 2,849, the Zeb Sound Bomb SI is maybe the most affordable truly wireless earphones you can buy at the moment. For the affordability, you have to pay with some lack of stability, but the decent audio profile makes up for this. This is not a bad option to consider.