Nu Republic Cyberstud X4 Firefly TWS Review: Does the sound match the aesthetics?

6 days ago 3

If you’re not familiar with Nu Republic, we highly recommend checking out their product catalogue. Primarily dealing in audio accessories, the tech outfit has been gaining steady traction among younger audiences in India. This is largely due to their eye-grabbing, experimental gadgets and a keen eye on aesthetics. We’re no strangers to hybrid products, having reviewed several fusion devices in the past. Earlier this month, we reviewed the Nu Republic Cyberstud X2 TWS which also doubles up as a fashion accessory. Now, we turn our attention to the gaming-focused Cyberstud X2. While this isn’t a ‘hybrid’ TWS, its design language separates it from other gaming earbuds out there. We used the Nu Republic Cyberstud X4 Firefly for a week, here is our in-depth review of the TWS.

Read Also: DoT India announced Direct-to-device satellite services for remote areas, exclusive to BSNL

Nu Republic Cyberstud X4 Firefly TWS Review: Design

Here’s what you get inside Nu Republic Cyberstud X2’s retail box:

Charging case with earbuds inside
USB Type-A to Type-C cable
S & L eartips
Stickers
QR code to the user manual

The Cyberstud X4’s design is in line with its ‘Firefly’ aesthetic. The two frosted plastic flaps on the charging case pop open like wings with the press of a button. The glossy plastic button is placed in the middle of a textured panel. Underlining this panel is an RGB bar. The colours on this bar spring into action as soon as the flaps are pressed open. A couple of stickers adorn the two flaps. The USB Type-C port is placed at the back of the case.

Design

The charging case is made entirely out of plastic. The build quality is a tad flimsy, which is something we’ve never seen on a Nu Republic TWS before. The lid mechanism of the case is designed to be fidgeted with, but it feels a little janky. After a week of use, the right flap required a couple of extra presses to lock firmly into position. However, we did not face any functional issues with the case.

design

The Cyberstud X4 earbuds flaunt an edgy design that contributes to its gaming aesthetic. Each earbud has a long LED strip and 2 integrated mics. The LEDs start blinking as soon as the earbuds are pulled out of the case. You can turn off the blinking lights by tapping either earbud 8 times. The in-ear design of the earbuds is certainly preferable but their large size may create some issues on smaller ears. We found the fit to be okay, but the seal could have been secure and tight had the earbuds been more compact.

design

The upper section of the stems is touch-sensitive. They are tuned well, but accidental touches are quite common while adjusting the position of the earbuds. Luckily, a single touch alters the volume and a prolonged touch toggles between the transparency and ANC modes. Even if you accidentally trigger either of these controls, it won’t pause or change the song.

Design

Nu Republic has not mentioned the IP rating for the Cyberstud X4 Firefly earbuds, but it claims that they are resistant to sweat and water splashes. We wore the earbuds while working out and did not encounter any performance issues when things got sweaty.

Nu Republic Cyberstud X4 Firefly TWS Review: Performance

The Cyberstud X4 Firefly employs 13mm Neodymium drivers with X-Bass technology to deliver the audio output. There’s Bluetooth 5.3 onboard for easy pairing. The Hall Sensor function aids in seamless pairing as well. Once paired, these earbuds offer a 10m functional range. There are 2 audio codecs on offer – SBC and AAC.

Performance

The soundstage presented by the Nu Republic Cyberstud X4 Firefly TWS is rich and warm. The warmth is largely due to the boosted low-range frequencies. Having said that, the bass doesn’t blanket over the overall mix. The mid and high frequencies are well represented on the soundstage but they’re missing the ‘pop’. Unlike the Cyberstud X2, which uses the same driver as the X4, the output here isn’t boxy. However, it isn’t as vast as we would have liked.

We listened to a range of artists spanning diverse genres on the Cyberstud X4. The earbuds offered a delightful listening experience while playing pop artists like Sabrina Carpenter and Chappell Roan. The thumpy bass is delightful and makes the output more ‘fun’ compared to a neutral-sounding TWS. The synth melodies are relayed quite well. However, the vocal and guitar sounds fall a little flat at times and do not do justice to the mix.

performance

Apart from providing a good listening experience, the Cyberstud X4 can also nullify surrounding noise. The ANC function can be triggered by pressing and holding either earbud. In an indoor setting, these earbuds can filter a lot of the ambient sounds. This includes the humming noise from the ceiling fan and distant chatter. However, it does not completely nullify all surrounding sounds. While typing on a keyboard, the sound of the keys clanking filters through the earbuds with ease. The transparent mode does a decent job of increasing the intensity of the background sounds so you’re more aware of your surroundings.

Tapping the right earbud 4 times enables the Gaming Mode. In this mode, the audio latency of the earbuds drops down to 40ms. We played Call of Duty Mobile while wearing these earbuds and were pleased with how the audio perfectly matched the gaming visuals. The audio quality was very detailed and crisp. Even the noise of faint footsteps was relayed perfectly by the earbuds. As a gaming TWS, the Cyberstud X4 most definitely justifies its price tag.

Performance

The Quad Mic ENC tech makes for a smooth calling experience. In an indoor setting, these earbuds flawlessly pick up the voice of the speaker, suppress the background noise, and relay it without any drop in quality. However, in an outdoor setting with considerably louder background noise, the call quality drops significantly.

During the week-long review period, we used the Nu Republic Cyberstud X4 Firefly TWS for music streaming, gaming, and calling. Our daily usage averaged around 3-4 hours. By the end of the week, we weren’t able to deplete the charging case. This is because the Cyberstud X4 offers a staggering 72-hour battery life. It takes almost 2 hours to fully charge the case. Since Nu Republic does not have a companion app for its TWS devices yet, there is no way of knowing the charge left in the case. The native interface on Android smartphones lets you know the battery status of the earbuds.

Read Also: Top 3 Ways to Create or Remove Passwords in Windows 11/10/8

Verdict

The Nu Republic Cyberstud X4 Firefly is a fine TWS that is worth its Rs 1,799 price tag. The aesthetics of this TWS are on point. The ‘Firefly’ design with flashy RGBs and pop-out flaps is well thought out. The flaps may be a little flimsy, but that doesn’t take away from how cool the TWS looks. The audio output offered by the earbuds is quite decent, albeit a little bass-oriented. This doesn’t surprise us since most TWS in the sub-Rs 2,000 price bracket have a bass-heavy output.

The ANC performance of these earbuds is not the best we’ve seen, but certainly passable for the segment. It is nice to see an audio tech outfit offer this feature in an affordable TWS. If the aesthetics didn’t give it away, the gaming performance is the bread and butter of the Cyberstud X4 Firefly. Its 40ms low latency mode does a great job of relaying the audio while playing mobile games in high-graphics settings. Our only complaint with this TWS is that it doesn’t have a companion app yet. We hope that Nu Republic is working on one as features like customisable controls and multiple equaliser profiles can take the user experience to another level.