Here's the review I posted on Amazon after picking these up here, on Massdrop.
These buds have some very important strengths, but also a couple of critical flaws.
UPDATE: after a month, the weak connection between buds (dropping the right bud) is a constant irritant. The mic isn't as bad as I thought (see below) but it's still terrible outdoors or where there's ambient noise: you need a quiet room or the caller will hear everything at almost equal volume. The battery duration is tolerable but the buds' charge rate in the cradle is definitely too slow -- once you run the battery low, you're done for a while. Sound quality remains the high point. Still three stars.
ORIGINAL REVIEW:
Strengths:
The sound quality, especially in music, is a high point. Playing Justin Timberlake's "Say Something" produces distortion-free low-frequency that rivals my Shure E5C buds. The Verse buds are not as neutral as the Shures, but the very-low frequencies in that tune come through more clearly and with greater impact on the Verse buds (the Shures are better on high frequencies, but not by a huge margin). I'm genuinely surprised about this performance. Absolutely did not expect it.
Pairing is easy and the units are generally easy to use (they turn on and connect without hassle).
They fit snugly (no bouncing or wiggling out) without causing uncomfortable pressure. I've worn them for four hours straight at work, without discomfort.
Neutral:
Battery life is adequate. The buds run for three or four hours playing music. The problem of course is they then must be recharged, so you're stuck switching to wired buds or waiting. Charge rate is too slow. The buds themselves -- especially the left one, which does all the communicating with the phone -- take too long to recharge. The case holds enough power to recharge them a couple of times before you need to plug the case back in. I can't tell whether it charges the buds and case simultaneously (good) or sequentially (bad). I'll update if I figure this out.
Balancing size and battery life is tough. I want another hour and faster charging. But keeping them small is also valuable. So this is a wash.
Weaknesses:
The right bud briefly loses connection with the left (primary) bud frequently. This results in a two-second cut where the right bud cuts for a split second and then fades back in. Very distracting when listening to music. If it was a rare problem, that would be one thing. But, while intermittent, it happens an average of several times an hour. My momma always said I had a thick skull, but Erato really needed to nail down the pairing between buds to avoid this problem. This problem alone is almost enough to warrant returning them.
The mic for talking performs inconsistently. Some people report that I sound muffled and that they can hear sounds like someone is tapping on the mic. Testing at home, the mic worked fine, and in other situations it was okay as well. The buds are not good at eliminating noise: if you're outside, everyone will know it. That's fairly mature technology, generally, so I expected better performance in noise reduction. I need the mic to perform well and consistently for business, so I'm frustrated about the mic on this product.
The back (base? bottom? rear?) of the bud, which faces out of your ear and is where the charging contacts are, has a sharp edge all around, which is the only thing about these buds that's uncomfortable. It can cut into your ear where the bud rests. It might also contribute to keeping the bud seated in the ear, but I'd prefer the rim a bit more rounded off.
Summary:
+ Great sound quality for music
+ Easy pairing
+ Acceptable battery life
+ Slow charging
+ Unreliable microphone
I bought them on Massdrop, so returning them isn't easy. If I bought them on Amazon, I'm not sure whether I'd return and try another pair. I suspect the music sound quality is unusually good for wireless buds.
I'll probably keep them and use them until Bluetooth 5 buds are common, and then I might try another pair.
These buds have some very important strengths, but also a couple of critical flaws. UPDATE: after a month, the weak connection between buds (dropping the right bud) is a constant irritant. The mic isn't as bad as I thought (see below) but it's still terrible outdoors or where there's ambient noise: you need a quiet room or the caller will hear everything at almost equal volume. The battery duration is tolerable but the buds' charge rate in the cradle is definitely too slow -- once you run the battery low, you're done for a while. Sound quality remains the high point. Still three stars. ORIGINAL REVIEW: Strengths: The sound quality, especially in music, is a high point. Playing Justin Timberlake's "Say Something" produces distortion-free low-frequency that rivals my Shure E5C buds. The Verse buds are not as neutral as the Shures, but the very-low frequencies in that tune come through more clearly and with greater impact on the Verse buds (the Shures are better on high frequencies, but not by a huge margin). I'm genuinely surprised about this performance. Absolutely did not expect it. Pairing is easy and the units are generally easy to use (they turn on and connect without hassle). They fit snugly (no bouncing or wiggling out) without causing uncomfortable pressure. I've worn them for four hours straight at work, without discomfort. Neutral: Battery life is adequate. The buds run for three or four hours playing music. The problem of course is they then must be recharged, so you're stuck switching to wired buds or waiting. Charge rate is too slow. The buds themselves -- especially the left one, which does all the communicating with the phone -- take too long to recharge. The case holds enough power to recharge them a couple of times before you need to plug the case back in. I can't tell whether it charges the buds and case simultaneously (good) or sequentially (bad). I'll update if I figure this out. Balancing size and battery life is tough. I want another hour and faster charging. But keeping them small is also valuable. So this is a wash. Weaknesses: The right bud briefly loses connection with the left (primary) bud frequently. This results in a two-second cut where the right bud cuts for a split second and then fades back in. Very distracting when listening to music. If it was a rare problem, that would be one thing. But, while intermittent, it happens an average of several times an hour. My momma always said I had a thick skull, but Erato really needed to nail down the pairing between buds to avoid this problem. This problem alone is almost enough to warrant returning them. The mic for talking performs inconsistently. Some people report that I sound muffled and that they can hear sounds like someone is tapping on the mic. Testing at home, the mic worked fine, and in other situations it was okay as well. The buds are not good at eliminating noise: if you're outside, everyone will know it. That's fairly mature technology, generally, so I expected better performance in noise reduction. I need the mic to perform well and consistently for business, so I'm frustrated about the mic on this product. The back (base? bottom? rear?) of the bud, which faces out of your ear and is where the charging contacts are, has a sharp edge all around, which is the only thing about these buds that's uncomfortable. It can cut into your ear where the bud rests. It might also contribute to keeping the bud seated in the ear, but I'd prefer the rim a bit more rounded off. Summary: + Great sound quality for music + Easy pairing + Acceptable battery life + Slow charging + Unreliable microphone I bought them on Massdrop, so returning them isn't easy. If I bought them on Amazon, I'm not sure whether I'd return and try another pair. I suspect the music sound quality is unusually good for wireless buds. I'll probably keep them and use them until Bluetooth 5 buds are common, and then I might try another pair.