Sanag S6S Open-Back Clip-On Earbuds Review – Rum, Sodomy And The Lash
Somewhere in the bowels of Reddit I read that these $40-on-Al Sanag S6S buds were an exact clone of the very well-reviewed, $200 Huawei FreeClip. Since acquiring the similar-looking Tozo Open Earring (review here), I’ve been enamored with this earring style, which is lighter, more stable and easier to optimally position than the more common over-the-ear design, so I took a flyer on the S6S.
Packaging and build quality of the S6S are much nicer than the price would indicate (they feel like some metal alloy); even compared to the Tozos the buds are diminutive and almost weightless. There’s a sketchy app which serves no useful purpose– the stock tuning is far better than the other sad preset EQs.
Touch controls have no delay or latency, but for the life of me I couldn’t get the two-click volume control to work reliably. Battery life is good and volume adequate; they do need to be dialed up to >80% for best effect, but sound okay at lower levels and don’t distort at the max. Phone calls (both on the receiving and sending end) are very uncompressed and clear-sounding.
Sanag touts the S6S’s “360 ACS panoramic algorithm sound effect”, which I infer intends to convey that the buds project an enveloping, 3D stage, which in fact they do—I noticed that the aperture for the driver is larger than typical, which may make it disperse sound more openly and sound less directional.
Tonality is chiseled and bright and note texture is lean—these have a detailed, treble-forward presentation which reminds me vaguely of the cheaper Etymotics or some of the Japanese-tuned IEMs like Ocharaku—resolving, bass-shy and somewhat clinical. Attack transients like drum heads are remarkably fast—little snare clicks and cymbal hits sound crisp and lifelike.
Instrument placement is quite accurate on the S6S; performers are clearly located across a wide stage. Lowend, as noted, is mostly absent—you get enough midbass to convey the idea, but there’s little thump or throb (Note that you can coax more bass by positioning the buds closer to your ear canal, and that your ear anatomy will definitively affect how you perceive these). Folk, classical and other less bottom-heavy genres are presented very cleanly, and there’s an overall sense of openness and considerable extension at the upper frequency.
I would still rate these a notch behind the Tozo Open Earring, which play louder, have more low end impact and a more dynamic sound; the S6S, however, have the more natural timbre and show more fine detail. Both are considerably better than the much pricier mainstream over-ear models I’ve heard from 1More and Shokz.
For all that, the main selling point of this type of design is its extreme unobtrusiveness and comfort; there are inherent limitations in bass impact and isolation it won’t displace good in-ears for sound quality or range. However, as with the Tozo these Sanag are a more engaging listen than you’d expect; consider the fact that they cost a fraction of their less obscure peers and they’re a worthy pickup if you want to go the open ear route.
Specifications Sanag S6S
