Rose Technics Ceramics X

A perfect travelling companion

For my evaluation of the Ceramics X, I brought it and 2 other more expense TWS sets with me on a recent ‘Camino’ walking holiday across France and Spain. I thought this was a great way to evaluating every aspect of these TWS sets as it involved a few flights evaluating how good ANC was on each, then some long days when I needed something both with good comfort and long battery life.

I also had few long work calls where I could test the microphone quality while walking and this long usage gave me an appreciation of how easy or not it was to use the various controls on each set. And most importantly of all I got some very long listening sessions where I could really evaluate what makes a great ANC.

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Slight spoiler for this review, even though the Ceramics X was the cheapest TWS that I brought with me, it was the one that I consistently reached for during this trip due to its excellent tuning, good microphone and overall comfort.

It is also represents a significant update in sound and features over the previous TWS I reviewed from Rose Technics, the EarFree i3. So my experience with the Ceramics X has been very good but there are still things I would have hoped would be better so read on to see if it is the perfect TWS for you.

Unboxing and Accessories

The Ceramics X comes in simple straight-forward box:

Opening the box you get:

Removing the case you see the rest of the box contains sections for the eartips and the usb-c cable:

The charging case itself has a lovely round shape with good quality coating to protect it from your keys when it is in your pocket:

Opening the case you see the earbuds securely stored:

The blue plastic makes sure the battery is only activated when you first open the box:

and multiple pairs of ear tips:

Note: The case is actually big enough that I actually did a bit of tip rolling and bought some much larger ear tips with my for optimal seal and comfort. The cavity within the case is big enough to accommodate much larger eartips than the stock tips provided.

Here is a picture of one the alternative eartips I used with the Ceramics X compared to one of the stock eartips:

Here are 2 of the alternative XL tips I tried on the Ceramics X:

The nozzle on the Ceramics is not particular large, so it should be easy for you to find alternative eartips for your preference:

Features

Next, Let’s get into some of the hardware and software features:

Bluetooth Codec support

Supporting both LDAC (for superior Audio on Android) and AAC for Apple Devices the Ceramics X is well-equipped. It does lack the new AptX ’lossless’ codecs, but I would not have expected that codec to be licenced at this price, for me, while it’s always nice to have the ‘best’ codecs, I believe until we get truly lossless wireless audio (it might ultimately involve some alternative to bluetooth) I am mostly happy with AAC on apple devices and anything better than SBC on Android (so LDAC is great).

Hybrid ANC Technology

Utilizing a Hybrid ANC Technology, the Rose Technics claim to get a deep 55dB noise reduction at an ultra-wide frequency range of 4000Hz. In my testing and comparisons, the Ceramics X did an excellent job on my Airplane trip and a good job while walking near some noisy roads but with the stock eartips I did not get as good a seal as I did have to use my custom eartips to get that Seal and therefore get optimal ANC, I would suggest try the various stock tips but try third party eartips.

Anti-Wind Noise and IPX5 Water Resistance

The Ceramics X features an independent anti-wind design, which significantly reduces wind noise interference. When out walking as I was for more than a week, wind can cause some horrible interference when the ANC is enabled but the Ceramics X worked well for me. This is one of those features you almost forgot about unless you haven’t got it and one of the other TWS I bought with me did not have an Anti-Wind feature, and it was very noticeable.

The IPX5 water resistance rating is great, some of the hotter days ( it reached 36C one of the days ), so my ears where soaking from sweat, so the IPX5 seemed to work well.

Long Battery Life

With a rated charge of 10 hours of playtime, and the charging case extends this to 50 hours. My longest day with 7 hours walking, but with ANC enabled, the Ceramics X started to warm me at roughly 6 hours into that particular days walk which is still pretty great. I imagine without ANC it would have lasted the full 10 hours. In fact, I think I only charge the Ceramics X case, once during the whole trip so the rated battery life is mostly pretty accurate.

Dual-Device Connectivity

Ceramics X supports dual-device connectivity, on my trip I didn’t have need for this dual connectivity though I did test it with my iPhone and Macbook Pro before I left on the trip and it worked well. In fact, this feature is amazing for those of who like to measure the difference ANC and EQ settings available as the Macbook can stay connected to the TWS while the Mobile App can be used from your Smartphone at the same time to accurately change the ANC modes and other EQ.

Superior Call Quality

I was very impressed with the microphone quality (as was the people on the conference calls I had to join while on this trip) especially considering the earbuds do not have ‘stalks’ which typically hold microphones away from your ears.

Roselink ‘Companion’ Application

One of the most important features of the Ceramics is that it has a pretty good (though not perfect) mobile companion application.

So lets dig into the features of the companion application.

Firstly, when you launch you get a list of teh RoseTechnics devices you have:

Note: If you have one connected you can click ‘connect’ and it will bring you to that device to view its ‘home screen’:

This screen gives you the battery status, you can switch ANC modes and can switch to one of the 3 pre-defined EQ modes. There are few other key screens within the App.

For example, the configuration of the clicks on each ear tip:

And the check firmware version screen: Note: My Ceramics X immediately updated its firmware when I first connected it to the companion Application.

There are also some help screens and some language configuration options within the App.

Some Application limitations:

The App is not perfect, it has some annoying popup notifications, e.g. when I stop using Ceramics X, there is often a popup notification that I really do not need as I know I have stopped using the TWS set.

I would also like more EQ capabilities, while it’s nice to have 3 different options I feel it is lacking a 10 band EQ or ideally a PEQ. This was definitely an area where the Ceramics falls behind the other 2 TWS sets I brought with me.

Overall it is a good but fairly basic ‘companion app’.

Sound Impressions

Here are sound impressions for the Ceramics X TWS using the HiFi profile:

Bass

The Ceramics X offers excellent sub-bass extension with a slightly warm mid-bass. This provides a solid foundation for tracks like Massive Attack’s “Angel,” where the deep baselines are full and resonant without overpowering the rest of the spectrum.

Midrange

The midrange is where the Ceramics X shines, with vocals, particularly female vocals, brought slightly forward. This is evident in tracks like Norah Jones’ “Don’t Know Why,” where her voice is clear and prominent, adding an intimate feel to the performance.

Treble

The treble is tuned a little dark, ensuring that there’s no sibilance or harshness, even in tracks with brighter instruments. A track like Steely Dan’s “Aja” showcases this smooth treble response, providing a relaxed listening experience.

Soundstage/Imaging

The soundstage is a bit narrow, but the imaging was excellent allowing instruments to be placed accurately within the mix. Pink Floyd’s “Money” benefits from this, as the distinct placement of the cash register sounds and guitar riffs creates an immersive listening environment.

Overall it’s a great sounding TWS.

Specifications and Measurements

Measurements

Note: All these measurements are available on my measurement DB here

First lets check the Frequency response - I found the Rock and Hifi profiles were very similar with the Hifi having slightly more treble:

The Pop profile on the other hand is oddly tuned, I would have thought that would be more V-Shaped but in my unit it was lacking in the treble:

There was very little difference between ANC on and ANC off - just a subtle difference in the sub-bass and the mid-range:

Finally, the distortion was pretty well controlled (so you can easily use your own EQ without causing):

As a percentage it was always less than 1%:

I would love Rose Technics to add EQ and ideally PEQ capabilities to their App but given how good the Rock and Hifi tuning where I can’t really complain that it needs EQ.

Rating

I have given the Ceramics X a pragmatic 5-stars, at its price of $48.99 it offers a quality TWS set with good audio quality and nice features. I hope Rose Technics continue to improve the ‘companion’ mobile app as I do feel it lacks some features and ‘polish’ compared to other similar companion apps though those TWS are typically much more expensive than the Ceramics X.

Conclusion

The Rose Technics Ceramics X gets a lot of things right especially for the price. I do like the case and the long battery life, the voice quality is good on calls and while it is a pity we do not yet have customised EQ within the Companion App the default tuning for the Ceramics X are excellent out of the box.

Overall, I think at the sub $50 price range this is the best TWS you can get.