Wireless Bluetooth headphones and earbuds have quickly become the norm, but there is still the issue of cables and headbands. PKparis has developed a pair of truly wireless earbuds and our PK K’asq review takes a look at these wireless Bluetooth headphones.
Specifications
The PK K’asq wireless earbuds have the following specifications and features:
- Bluetooth 4.1
- Kit handsfree with sensible microphone
- Speaker 8mm- Sensibility 95dB- Impedance 32 ohm
- Noise reduction -40%
- Rainproof IP55 Certified
- Anti fall system with in-ear rubber wing (3 sizes)
- Battery life: 2x 145 mAh batteries give 5h music-call mode/100h standby mode turns off after 90 seconds with no connection
- Display headset battery level on compatible iOS and Android smartphones
- Voice prompt feedback inside headset
- 2 versions: WHITE/blue/red & GREY/white/orange
- Size: 31.5 x 28.5 x 19.2 mm/0.1 x 0.09 x 0.02 in
- Weight: 2 x 9 grams
- Warranty: 2 years
What’s in the Box
- 1 pair of K’asq earbuds
- 1x charge box (integrated charge cable)
- 2x additional rubber rings with different colors
- 3x earplug sizes (S, M, L)
- 1x fabric bag
Design
The PK K’asq wireless headphones consist of two separate earbuds, no wire connecting them at all for a truly wireless experience. Each earphone is a roughly 1″ x 3/4″ rectangle about a 1/2″ deep, which obviously houses the 145 mAh batteries and other electronics. The outer surface is silver with the PK logo centered in white. Towards the front of the inside of the main units you’ll find an L or R to indicate which ear they go in, as well as two metal contacts for charging (more on that later).
Attached to this is the actual earbud with the eartip and flange on it for “anti-fall protection.” The nice thing about the way PK has engineered the eartips is that they are in two components: the eartip with flange, and the actual earbud. This means that you can use a small earbud with the medium or large eartip (or any other combination) to get the proper fit. This is pretty important given that there is no wire attaching the two and you definitely don’t want these falling out while using them. When changing them, make sure to align the earplugs with the arrows on the earphones.
The portion of the earphone that’s 1/2″ deep is a removable band, and can be swapped out for different colours. The back of the band is where you’ll find the play/pause/call answer button, while the volume up/next track and volume down/previous track buttons with the LED indicator in between. When swapping the removable bands, make sure you check the insides for the L/R indicator to make sure it goes on the right one.
Our review sample consisted of the K’asq City colour variation which sports white as the main colour with white, red, and blue swappable bands. The K’asq Sport on the other hand utilizes black as the main colour with an orange PK logo centered on the silver outer surface, as well as orange eartips and white, orange, and black swappable bands.
The other main component of the PK K’asq is the charging box with integrated USB charging cable. The charging box is about 2 1/2″ square and 1 1/2″ deep. The main outer shell is a brushed silver metal casing with the orange PK logo on the top. The inside is a white plastic drawer with a handle on one end with the USB charging cable underneath, and 3 holes for LED lights on the other end. Pulling out the inner drawer exposes three molded holes — two with metal contacts and marked L or R — which is where you store/charge your earphones. The charging/storage case is solid enough that you won’t have to worry about damaging your earphones while they’re in a bag or coat pocket.
Overall, given the fact these are completely wireless, the design is pretty decent. They do stick out from your ears a bit more than other wireless earbuds, but each earphone needs its separate battery so that is understandable. My only real issue about the design is the shortness and orientation of the USB charging cable. While it works fine it does put the charging box in odd positions while recharging it from your computer or a wall adapter.
Ease of Use
The individual earphones are very light, weighing just 9 grams (0.31 ounces) each, and are very comfortable to wear — in fact you can barely feel them due to their light weight. As mentioned above, you can mix and match the S/M/L eartips with the S/M/L earbuds and it’s important that you experiment with the right fit to make sure they fit snug when wearing. The best way to make sure they’re secure is to insert the eartip into your ear, twist forward or back (see recommended usage modes below), then use your finger to make sure the flange is securely snugged inside your ear.
To turn on the PK K’asq earphones, press and hold the play button on each earphone for about 6 seconds until the blue LED light starts flashing. The LED on the right earphone will then switch between red and blue to indicate it needs to be paired. Once paired the blue light will simply blink blue to indicate it’s properly paired.
Controls are easy enough. Pressing the play button will play/pause the current track or answer/hang up a phone call. Likewise, pressing the volume up or down buttons will adjust the volume, and pressing for 2 seconds will skip to the next or previous track. You can also change the language of the voice prompt (connected/disconnected/battery low) between English and French by holding the + and – button for about 8 seconds. Additionally, when in a call, you can press the play button to hang up and answer another incoming call, or you can press and hold it for 2 seconds to switch between the calls.
PK also suggests two different usage modes: City or Sport. City is meant for more every day use and the earphones are angled forward with the flange snug towards the front of your ears. This allows better placement of the microphone for calls. Sport mod offers a more secure mode and has the user angling the PK K’asq earphones upwards so the flare slips snug towards the back of your ear. Both modes seemed pretty secure to me during testing, and no amount of head shaking could dislodge them from my ears. If you do find that they feel loose or fall out easily, try a different eartip/earbud combination.
You’d think that it’d be easy to misplace one of these, and given their size, it’s entirely possible. PKparis has provided an extremely loud MP3 that you can download to your smartphone or smartwatch and play in case you misplace one or both of them. Of course, this functionality only works if the earphone is on and paired to your device, but at least it’s something in case one should fall out during use (which I have yet to have had happen).
Sound
Bluetooth headphones can be hit and miss when it comes to sound. The sound that the PK K’asq earphones puts out is very impressive — from highs to mids and lows. At first they seemed lacking in bass. If you find that’s the case then you need to find the proper eartip/earbud size and insert them properly. If the earbuds are even a little bit unseated from your ear, the bass drop off is very noticeable. When adjusting the volume on either earphone, it adjusts the sound on your smartphone or tablet and adjusts the other earphone volume accordingly.
Everything I listened to from rock to hip hop and EDM sounded crisp and clear, and with minor adjustments to the equalizer on the Nexus 6P in Google Play Music, these are definitely a fantastic sounding pair of wireless Bluetooth earphones. When paired to my laptop, they sounded equally as good.
In addition, the PK K’asq earphones come with noise cancelling which claim a 40% reduction in noise pollution. I might be going slightly deaf as I age but when both earphones were being used, I was hard pressed to hear any outside environment noise.
Reception/Call Quality
The earphones had a decent enough range when paired to either my Nexus 6P or laptop, and call quality was decent. I found that while I could hear the other party fine in a call, I’d have to speak a little louder than usual for them to be able to hear me clearly.
Battery Life
PKparis claims a 5 hours battery life on the K’asq earphones and sure enough I was able to consistently get just over the 5 hour mark. Once the battery is low, the LED will blink red every 10 seconds on the earphones. Recharging is simple: open the drawer on the charging/storage case, insert the earphones, and close the drawer. The earbuds only fit one way, and once you place them in the proper tray and slide the drawer shut, you should see the LED light on them turn red just before the drawer is completely shut which indicates that the charging contacts in the charging box are touching those on the earphones. When closing the box, the earphones will squish down a bit into the drawer and create a tight fit.
On the back of the charging box are 3 white LED lights. As the earphones are recharging, the LED lights will light up in sequence one at a time in to indicate charging. Once charged, all three lights will remain on for about 10 seconds before going off. When you connect the charging box to your computer or a wall adapter, the box will first charge up the earphones before charging itself.
The box itself holds an additional 8 hours of charging life for the earphones, and it took about an hour and a half to an hour and 45 minutes to fully recharge the earphones. During testing, the first charge from the box did indeed provide a full 5 hour charge, while on the second I managed to get just under 3 more hours out of them. When depleted, the box takes about 2 hours and 15 minutes to fully charge back up.
For truly wireless earphones, this is a decent battery life. It’ll be interesting to see if future versions can even extend that further.
Price/Value
Priced at 129.99€ — which works out to about $142.96USD/$188.52CAD (using the currency dropdown on the PKparis website), these aren’t the cheapest wireless earbuds on the market. However, they offer decent battery life and great sound along with a truly 100% wireless experience. The charging system which doubles as a storage box is definitely something unique and adds more value as well.
Wrap-up
If you’re looking for a pair of wireless Bluetooth earphones that are truly 100% wireless, the PK K’asq earphones offer great sound and decent battery life.
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Last Updated on February 21, 2020.
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