Reviews

Review: Teufel Supreme In: Bluetooth-Earbud In ear headphones

Review: Teufel Supreme In is a Dynamic, powerful in the bass, with a slightly warm tending balance in the mids and a long-term. Recommended.
3/5 - (2 votes)

In the review of the Teufel Supreme On (150 euros), I announced my basic preference for on- and over-ear headphones – for the simple reason that I can wear them comfortably longer than in-ears. As if Teufel had taken this statement to heart, the Berliners are now pushing the in-ear headphones that have what it takes to largely revise my statement: the Teufel Supreme In (price: 119.99 euros).

Unlike the vast majority of in-ear headphones, the new Teufel earmolds do not press uncomfortably even when they are worn for a long time, and this is mainly due to their shape. Instead of sitting behind an eartip, isthe housing is also the ergonomically shaped earpiece – this is why Teufel also speaks of “earbuds”. Since this chamber with its dynamic 10.7 millimeter linear HD driver does not naturally fit into the ear canal, it sits in front of it, embedded in the auricle, and only allows its funnel-shaped sound outlet opening to protrude slightly towards the eardrum. In order to place the earbuds perfectly in the ear, this opening should first point slightly upwards and then, when the part is in the auricle, be turned down a little. This works quite intuitively the third time at the latest.

The housing is made of hard plastic, so it does not have a soft surface. There are two pairs of silicone covers – Teufel calls them “adapters” – with different material thicknesses. The Berliners promise a “pleasantly loose, but secure” fit that can be further optimized with the silicone adapters and adjustable loops. “Pleasantly relaxed” is definitely correct. This may even be a bit irritating at first, because you actually don’t feel any pressure in your ear. That should last …? Yes, absolutely. How secure the fit is in reality also depends on the individual shape of the auricle of the wearer. The Teufel Supreme In sit in my ear without the covers too loose. It works better with the thinner silicone cap, but only with the thickest version do I dare to jog easily.

Permeable

The shape of the housing should allow the wearer to perceive outside noises quite well. In road traffic in particular, this would be a safety advantage that should not be underestimated – in contrast, it is less useful on trains or airplanes. Active noise canceling is consequently left out. In reality, of course, you can only hear the ambient noise really well if you enjoy your music with a rather low listening level. Otherwise the powerful drivers drown out everything that could come from the outside.

Inner values

The housing for the electronics and the lithium-ion battery is piggybacked on the chamber in which the drivers go about their work. With it, up to 16 hours of music enjoyment should be possible, promises Teufel. And with the quick charge function, there is enough juice in the batteries within an hour to be able to listen to music for eight hours.

In the neckband of the Teufel Supreme In there is a cable remote control with plus and minus buttons to control the volume and to select tracks as well as a multifunction button to activate the pairing mode and to switch on the Bluetooth visibility. That works flawlessly so far. The Teufel Supreme In about one second after switching on, the Teufel Supreme connects to known sources.

acquittal

Of course, the Teufel Supreme In also have a microphone that allows voice control via Google Assistant or Apple Siri. The integrated hands-free function uses Qualcomm cVc technology, which reduces disruptive background noises when making calls and voice chatting by up to 30 decibels and is intended to optimize the voice quality by means of active equalization and echo suppression.

The connection between the in-ears and the transmission device is a Bluetooth 5.0 radio that can transmit music in the AAC or aptX codec. The fact that Teufel has not integrated the high-res codec aptX HD in the Supreme In can certainly be tolerated in this price range. Much more important are nice features like “ShareMe” (with Apple “Audio Sharing”, with Samsung “Dual Audio”) for the targeted clientele. Two Teufel Supreme In (or Airy Sports and / or Supreme On) can be combined into a group using the Teufel Headphone app so that both earphones or headphones reproduce the signals from a single source in parallel. This is particularly useful when watching videos together on the laptop or tablet on the train or plane. Teufel also takes the latencies into account and promises lip-synchronicity for video playback via YouTube & Co.,

An equalizer can also be set via the headphone app. In addition to the factory settings, it offers seven other sound presets that should be optimized for music genres and sound preferences. In addition, the sound can also be adjusted manually via a graphical surface – a reduced designed coordinate system with the frequencies on the X axis and the level on the Y axis – by moving a “focus point” within certain limits. More on that later.

Practical and colorful

Another smart trick is the Teufel Supreme In’s auto-off function – and not just after a time that can be defined using the app. The earbuds have magnetic housings that attract each other when the earphones dangle around your neck. And when both earbuds have found each other, they not only make it virtually impossible to drop them, they also automatically go into standby mode. In addition, they are sweat-resistant and protected against splash water – but only according to the IPX4 standard and not IPX7 like the tough Teufel Airy Sports. And because the target group should certainly not be averse to a fashion statement, Teufel offers the Supreme In in six different versions.

When the Supreme In is not in use on the go, Teufel includes a small pouch that is just big enough to hold the in-ears and the rather short charging cable. But it shouldn’t be bigger either, because otherwise the contents would slip out because the bag cannot be closed. The plus side: This is how you can get your earphones quickly and without much fiddling.

Teufel Supreme In: Sound impression & comparisons

The EQ function of the Teufel headphone app with its focus point operation – when the central point is shifted, the entire frequency curve changes automatically – is cleverly done. Sure, on the one hand, in contrast to a multiband EQ, it deprives the user of a certain degree of freedom in adjustment, on the other hand, by intelligently influencing the frequencies from a single reference point, it effectively prevents gross setting nonsense, for example extreme level differences in neighboring bands.

My sound evaluation is of course based on the unchanged “neutral” sound setting of the Teufel Supreme In. It turns out to be somewhat high-fidelity, but does not quite follow the path of tonal neutrality in the audiophile sense. In view of the device type and the moderate pricing, I would have expected an even more bass-heavy sound, to be honest.

The predefined genre presets, on the other hand, intervene quite violently in the sound. “Rock” has a very strong bass and is almost muffled in the treble, while “Classic” sounds weak in bass and fundamental as well as high-pitched. I found my very personal preference in a manual setting with a focus point just above the middle and only slightly offset towards the level plus. This results in a very moderately reduced bass range and a slightly more raised mid / high range, which is good for the overall sound balance.

Peppered pressure, balanced mids, lively in the highs

After a lot of practice, however, it becomes clear that the uninfluenced interpretation of the tonal balance was chosen with a sense of proportion and an eye on (mobile) practice. The Teufel Supreme In perform very powerfully and with a slight emphasis on the middle and upper bass, but behave appropriately taut, controlled and, above all, undistorted and clean. You can listen to the rough dynamics, level and an astonishingly precise, energetic kick (for example the bass drum in “Fnktrp” by The Floozies ; album: Do Your Thing) that evokes the association with physical intensity. When a loudspeaker sounds like this, you can usually feel the thud in the pit of your stomach, or at least in your armchair. Real definition in the bass is less important – but that’s also more for the in-ear upper class like my true wireless WF-1000XM3 from Sony (formerly around 300 euros). The devil can’t send them to hell in terms of depth either – but the gap to the Sony is astonishingly small, in terms of pressure and taste, the devil even easily overtakes the Japanese.

The design is relatively sensitive to “correct” or “incorrect” fit in the ear. Sure, even “normal” in-ears that you put in your ear canal react to the seat. The deeper it is, the stronger the bass it usually sounds. The Teufel earbuds are in principle in front of the ear canal – that’s why they are so comfortable to wear – and are therefore a little more sensitive when it comes to the position in the auricle, even in the middle and upper frequency ranges .

In connection with this, it strikes me time and again what a generous impression of space the Teufel Supreme In can convey. In fact, it can easily surpass that of the Sony WF-1000XM3 in terms of size, even if not in terms of definition. The earbud trade-off: the looser the Supremes sit in the ear, the more spacious, but also the slimmer it sounds in the bass. Of course they have a sweetspot (depending on your taste) – and when you’ve found it, the Teufel Supreme In provide impressive pressure and space.

As a consequence of the strong upper bass range, the mids also tend to be slightly warmed up, which is particularly beneficial for the perceived temperature, the melodious sound of voices and nicely balances the very minimally bold sibilant range. Not that Tom Waits would suddenly become Leonard Cohen , but the Teufel Supreme In focus less on the openness of the voice than on its sonority – in a subtle way. If the earbuds sit too deep in the ear, the bass becomes a little too dominant in relation to the mids.

What I called the “minimally perky sibilant area” in voices also contributes to the fact that the Supreme In impulses and transients fire quickly and precisely from their 10.7 millimeter drivers. With the small restriction that pulses in the lower mids show a slight tendency towards softness. With very hard plucked electric bass like in “Uh Uh” by Thundercat (album: Drunk ) I would like a little more “pizazz” when striking the strings. But just above this in the frequency curve reconciles the clear, clean, transient-rich guitar work in RM Hubbert , Aidan Moffat & Alex Kapranos’ “Car Song” or the Kora in Dawda Jobarthes “Dalua” again soon.

Above the middle it is calm and yet lively enough. Sparkling high-frequency fireworks do not like to burn off the Supreme In, they are not analytical sound magnifiers. Here, too, they prefer to integrate the thoroughly informative and always neat events into a homogeneous, pleasantly stress-free context, and present themselves pragmatically with a more silky than crystalline character in the treble. Sharpening or hardening are alien to the devil Supreme In.

Conclusion: Teufel Supreme In

Dynamic, powerful in the bass, with a slightly warm tending balance in the mids and a long-term, homogeneously integrated high range – this is what the Teufel Supreme In sound like in its basic state, i.e. without influencing the EQ via the Teufel headphone app. Depending on the position in the ear, the sound character can be further influenced.

Teufel Supreme In - Earbuds

The Teufel Supreme In are less recommended for analytically hearing users than for fans of dynamic music that benefits from clean pressure and kick in the bass. Another tonal strength is the generous space that results, especially with a loose fit, which not many in-ears can manage – sometimes even significantly more expensive models. And even if Teufel did not reinvent the wheel with it, the ShareMe function of the headphone app is a very practical feature: The possibility to operate two Supremes in parallel should be given in view of the convincing all-rounder qualities including equalizer and the very good price -Performance ratio of the little devils are often noticed by many users.

Facts: Teufel Supreme In

  • Product: Teufel Supreme In
  • Concept: Bluetooth in-ear / earbud
  • Price: 119.99 euros
  • Weight: 18 grams
  • Finishes: Night Black, Moon Gray, Sand White, Ivy Green, Space Blue, Pale Gold
  • Scope of delivery: USB-A / Micro-USB charging cable, two pairs of silicone adapters for earmolds, firmly connected neckband with cable remote control and microphone
  • Other: Bluetooth 5.0 with aptX and AAC, battery life up to 16 hours, magnetic earbuds with switch-off function, cable remote control, Teufel headphone app with equalizer function and “ShareMe” (interconnection of two Supreme-On / In or Airy Sports via app to control the same source heard)
  • Guarantee: 2 years