Today we’re talking about an ultra-budget model from Hifiman: the TWS450 earbuds, sold in Italy for around €45. This is clearly a product aimed at the mass market, and it’s quite interesting to observe the move made by the Chinese-American company, a major presence in the head-fi market with entry-level, mid-range, high-end, and hi-end headphones and earphones, which with the TWS450 opens up not just to a wide audience, but to a very wide one. We could say that the target users of this model are all those who, intending to buy a pair of very low-end earbuds, are struck by the idea of spending ten euros more to get a quality product instead of one of the many €29 IEM models with terrible playback performance.
Ultimately, the point is exactly this: why not spend €40–45 on a pair of good-sounding earbuds with a charging case instead of about €30 on a poorly built model? It’s a fair question, and with the TWS450 Hifiman tries to answer it.
Prodotti consigliati
Presentation and features of the TWS450
Let’s start by introducing the product. These IEMs come in a small box containing the charging case, the earbuds, ear tips, and a mini USB charging cable. The build quality and quality of materials used are definitely one of the model’s strengths. The case is very compact to ensure portability even in small pockets, and the overall construction is very good considering the affordable price; the device is rated IPX4, so it is water-resistant, an important factor for durability. Each earbud weighs around 3.5 grams, making them extremely lightweight.
Since these are “everyday use” earbuds, the battery life is also important: up to 5 hours of continuous listening, for a total of 20 hours after a full recharge (figures we can confirm as reliable). A full recharge of the earbuds takes about one and a half hours; a full recharge of the case takes two hours, and the fully charged case can provide the equivalent of three full charges to the earbuds (for those interested in technical details: the IEM batteries are 35mAh, the case is 330mAh).
The ENC (Environmental Noise Cancellation) system is well tuned and extremely useful not only while listening to music but also when receiving calls, cleaning up audio from external noise and making calls much more comfortable on the go. As expected, the device uses an up-to-date Bluetooth version (5.3), and the connection stability is excellent, with a declared range of about ten meters, which can be even more if there are no obstacles between source and device. As usual, there are also the standard touch controls found on most devices in this category. Here is the control scheme:
- Double tap on either earbud to rewind the track
- Triple tap on either earbud to skip to the next track
- Single tap on either earbud to pause/play
- Double tap on either earbud to answer or end a call
- Press for two seconds on both earbuds to reject a call
- Press both to activate the voice assistant (when available).
Supported codecs are SBC and AAC. Anyone familiar with devices in this price range will know that in terms of features these are roughly average for the current market, while clearly above average in terms of design and build quality. But where is the real turning point? What makes these IEMs better than other ultra-budget models? As you might expect, the key lies in sound quality.
How the TWS450 sound
Wearing the TWS450 for the first time, knowing their very low price, inevitably leads to surprise. One expects a cramped soundstage, unbalanced bass, and lack of detail, but instead you get a soundstage that is moderately sized yet well “shaped,” surprisingly extended and slightly deep (with many tracks giving the impression of listening in a room—contained but not small). One of the major differences between the TWS450 and other ultra-budget earbuds is the handling of the bass: present and slightly emphasized compared to other frequencies, but in a controlled way, designed to make the sound punchy without overwhelming everything else. This indicates, we could say, the presence of experienced engineers behind the product, which is not just designed to be as cheap as possible, but to ensure excellent playback despite the price.
The overall tone leans slightly toward warmth, with good dynamics and a level of detail that would have been unthinkable at this price just a few years ago, along with decent instrument separation and the ability to perceive subtle nuances in vocals. The handling of the highs is also noteworthy: slightly softened due to the strong presence of bass and mids, yet still balanced and free from unpleasant spikes.
Naturally, performance improves when paired with quality headphone amps/DACs, but listening is still enjoyable when connected directly to a smartphone or other modest source. After all, these are “everyday” IEMs designed to accompany users on public transport, walks, or sports activities.
Considering that these IEMs may especially appeal to hi-fi newcomers, it’s worth emphasizing that this evaluation is always relative to the price: you can’t compare the TWS450 with Sony WF-1000XM5, Bose QuietComfort Ultra, or even within Hifiman’s lineup, the Svanar LE or RE2000 Pro Silver. Keeping in mind the excellent value for money of the TWS450, we still recommend that enthusiasts seeking higher performance look at least in the €100 range, because spending €60–80 on earbuds does not guarantee better sound—in fact, the risk of ending up with worse performance is quite high.
Conclusions
The care in the design and construction of the Hifiman TWS450 is above average for the ultra-budget segment in which these earbuds are placed. They include all the basic features for calls and touch interaction, but above all they sound significantly better than the vast number of €30 devices flooding the market.
We recommend that those who want to spend as little as possible aim for the €40–45 range of the TWS450: for just €10–20 more, you can get a product built by a company that has been a reference point in the headphone world for years. While they can’t match the performance of higher-end earbuds, they offer a sound signature of surprising quality, enjoyable and intelligently tuned, making the value for money of the TWS450 truly outstanding.
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