Ptron Bassbuds Pro Review – Fishing For Fool’s Gold!

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    Well, hello world, it’s Siddharth here and if you’ve read my other earphone/headphone reviews you’d most probably know the premise to this review – Siddharth hates “bass-heavy”/ “bass-emphasis”/ “skull-vibrating” or whatever creative monicker you can come up with for your average bass-heavy pair of buds. So coming back to the bull in the China shop. The Ptron Bassbuds Pro. So, what’s in a name? Well, hopefully not what I think it symbolizes.

    Ptron Bassbuds Box
    We tested the Ptron Bassbuds Pro in depth!

    Comfort

    Pros

    • Minuscule size
    • They nestle comfortably against your anti-tragus
    • No pain on prolonged use

    Cons

    • Overtly zealous seal makes for 0 breathability
    • Sweat glands work overtime due to lack of ventilation through the body of earphone
    Ptron Bassbuds ear fit
    The earbuds fit in quite comfortably against the anti-tragus.

    The Ptron Bassbuds are built with comfortable matte black plastic cladding. They fit with copious comfort into your ears and stay there no matter what (even during a headstand mind you). Perhaps their biggest caveat is the fact that these don’t have slats for in-ear ventilation. What this essentially means is that your ear canal ends up feeling “clogged up” akin to what you’d feel whilst descending too fast into the deep end of a swimming pool. In the end I think it’s up to the end-users to decide if this is a shortcoming they can live with.

    Build And I/O

    Ptron Bassbuds case
    The Ptron Bassbuds Pro’s rather svelte charging case.

    Considering that the buds themselves are quite well built with high quality ABS plastic, what can you expect from the charging case? Well, if you’re one of the more perceptive ones you’d probably guess that they skimped out on the same level of attention with the charging case. And you’re quite right. The case by itself is quite uninspiring with a hinge that rattled even on the first open and a virtually non-existent opening groove that I couldn’t quite stick my nail into. I found myself having to apply some torque on the upper lid to lift it open – so much effort just to open it up? Guess what forms my initial impression while using a product? Opening it up to use it, no doy! Boy, oh boy have they muddled up their priorities.

    Ptron Bassbuds groove
    Good luck trying to pry these open ????

    But, credit where its due, the case is quite svelte and easily pocketable. Open it up (if you manage to that is) and you’re greeted with the earbuds that are nestled in tight through their magnetic clasp. One of the quirky additions that I did like was the battery percentage display that gives you a very accurate estimate of how much juice the case has in reserve. You’re definitely not going to find this feature on any other totally wireless earbud no matter what the price. However, it does make you wonder whether they could have skimped out on this feature and rather used the gains in making a more durable case? Perhaps I’m being a little too persnickety with the Ptron Bassbuds Pro considering they only cost 1300 INR, but that doesn’t mean you skimp out on the basics!

    The charging indicator is a nice touch!

    Let’s maybe end this category with some cheer after that heavy battering? The Ptron Bassbuds Pro offer a USB-C port with fast-charging support and I couldn’t be happier. Seeing a budget pair of earphones adopt this standard should drive some sense into other manufacturers to follow suit. Good job Ptron!

    Ptron Bassbuds USB-C
    Embracing the USB-C standard! Good job Ptron!

    Pros

    • USB-C support
    • Dedicated battery level indicator

    Cons

    • Rickety case hinge
    • Opening the case is quite hard

    Sound Quality and Calls

    Pathetic. That’s rarely a word I use to describe a product I’ve received to test. But, when even the price doesn’t justify some glaring omission/shortcoming in a product, what can you expect me to do. I’m not even going to dive into the specifics here – the sound quality is just too drivel for me to dissect separate aspects of sound reproduction. These get plenty loud and have exaggerated muddy bass (couple that with zero in-ear ventilation and you have a torture device). With no depth, no instrument separation, and a laughable soundstage, I’m at a literal loss for words to describe the sound. It’s loud? Maybe I’ll just stick to that for now!

    Ptron Bassbuds one ear
    The buds despite being quite comfortable in your ear miss out on basic functionality.

    Sweet Jesus, I was really hoping for a hail Mary when it came to call quality and well I wasn’t fortunate enough to be blessed with one. Callers complained that they weren’t able to hear me very well with some going as far as to describe it as an indistinguishable mumble of random noise. Just to see if I could cut the Ptron Bassbuds Pro some slack, I tried recording my voice with my phone’s in-built recording app. Ummmm if I HAVE to say something I’d probably say my callers were just a little too nice.

    Pros

    • They’re loud?

    Cons

    • Let’s just say sound quality and calls isn’t its cup of tea ????

    Connectivity And Touch Controls

    Bluetooth 5.0 makes for some great range on these. The Ptron Bassbuds Pro is capable of holding a stable connection even 18 feet away from my phone which by itself is a major win. The touch controls however are irritating at best. Even a minor brush of the shoulder against these while working out triggers the pause function. They’re advertised to have a shortcut to trigger Google Assistant and never once have I been successful in triggering it correctly. I’d much rather just pull the phone out of my pocket and that’s saying something.

    The Ptron Bassbuds Pro offer some decent battery life!

    Here’s another mildly infuriating addition – the on board alert system. Every time I turn these on or pair them, this is what I hear – “Ptronbassbudsareconnected! Ptronbassbudsproareon! Ptronbassbudsproareconnecting!” If you think reading that is annoying imagine listening to it again and again while trying to set these up. I honestly don’t see the point of advertising your product’s name to a person that has already purchased it? Wouldn’t a simple “connected” or “powered on” alert suffice to let me know the status? Again, I’m left asking more questions than answering them which seems to be a trend with the Ptron Bassbuds Pro.

    Pros

    • Great range and instant connection

    Cons

    • Poorly implemented touch controls
    • On board alert system is annoying
    • Triggering Google Assistant is a puzzle I’m yet to solve

    So, should you buy them?

    Well if you’ve read everything and you’re still here for the verdict, you must be pretty persistent about being proved wrong not to buy these. That’s my answer – please do not for the life of god buy these just because they look cool or seem to be a good deal. There’s a reason why I don’t recommend TW earbuds under 5000 INR and the Ptron Bassbuds Pro is yet another compelling argument in my favor.

    PS: If you’re set on buying Bluetooth earphones under 2000 INR, check out my recent buying guide here!

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