Creative Outlier Air V3 true wireless earphones test: versatile, enduring, but not very efficient – Les Numériques

For its Outlier Air V3s, Creative has kept its transport case which opens and closes like a drawer. The counterpart of such a design is the consequent size of the case which is approximately three times larger than that of the Apple AirPods. It consists of a green brushed aluminum body, a drawer and a matt black plastic base that is too easily scratched and has many traces of assembly. Even if the drawer has mechanical play, the whole appears robust and the drawer will undoubtedly be able to withstand many open / close cycles.

Solidly magnetized inside the drawer, we find the two earphones entirely made of rather “cheap” plastic and taking up the color code of the case. They are each flanked by a tactile surface surrounded by an indicator light making it possible to view the pairing status. IPX5 certified, the Outlier Air V3 can be used in rainy weather or during sports activities since they are resistant to water splashes and perspiration, subject to maintenance after each exposure.

The Outlier Air V3 are very easy to use on a daily basis. Each headset has an easily accessible and fairly responsive touch surface to perform a very complete range of commands such as managing reading, calls and volume or changing the listening mode. Most of these actions are also accompanied by voice prompts and beeps to make it easier to get hold of the headphones. Pairing is carried out directly out of the box or after pressing for three seconds on one of the touch surfaces.

The Creative app, available on Android and iOS, is also particularly easy to use, in addition to being comprehensive. It contains various information such as the remaining battery level, but also an equalizer and noise reduction management parameters. It is also within this application that it is possible to modify the allocation of orders.

The headphones are compatible with Creative’s surround virtualization algorithm, Super X-Fi. You will find on this link a complete test of this algorithm by us. Note, however, that the implementation is far from simple since it is necessary to download a third-party application (SXFI App) and that the algorithm only applies to audio files stored on the smartphone. It is therefore impossible to make it work with streaming platforms.

The Outlier Air V3 may be relatively complete, some more advanced features are not integrated, in particular the multipoint connection – which is still very rare on headphones. true wireless – or the automatic pause / resume of the reading.

The Outlier Air V3 could have created a surprise by offering a good listening experience, but the result is unfortunately not up to the mark. The sound reproduction offered by these headphones is sorely lacking in control, softness and naturalness to properly appreciate your music.

The main criticism that we can make with these Outlier Air V3 is at the level of reproduction of the treble. Their emphasis too pronounced, too localized, and their lack of finesse gives them a narrow, piercing and sparkling appearance. The phenomena of sibilance (aggressive reproduction of sounds [s], [f] and [ʃ]) are omnipresent on the vocals, the cymbal strokes are extremely pronounced and sometimes even aggressive.

The behavior of the Outlier Air V3 is quite similar in the upper mids and contributes to this observation. They are flattered in a way too important, too localized and their restitution is not very precise. The timbre of many instruments (vocals, guitars, brass …) is therefore altered and takes on an certainly energetic aspect, but also garish, which is more on the pieces particularly rich in harmonics (with guitars, saturated voices for example). The snare hits also seem very slamming, very “dry”. This frequency zone corresponding to the peak of sensitivity of human hearing; these headphones can therefore quickly become taxing to use over long sessions, even at a reasonable listening level. The equalizer present in the app allows you to calm down a little the protuberances in the treble and high-mids, without doing miracles.

The excess energy in the second part of the spectrum also has a consequence in the perception of the stereophonic scene: it extends quite generously in terms of width, but sorely lacks depth. The more subtle elements (reverberation, very discrete sources), usually positioned on more distant planes, are overwritten in the foreground, which can also sometimes cause confusion problems on titles very loaded with sources.

Regarding the reproduction of the first part of the spectrum, the Outlier Air V3 are much wiser, but not faultless. The bass is warm, fairly well defined and the attacks are correctly transcribed. However, the speakers suffer from a slight lack of handling after each impact, which can give bass drum hits and some basslines a tad “runny”, “sluggish” side. What’s more, the a little too much emphasis in the bass / lower midrange and in the upper midrange / treble forms a kind of dichotomy, a lack of consistency between bass and midrange.

The active noise reduction is really not the strong point of these Outlier Air V3s, because the algorithm only attenuates the low frequencies by ten decibels. This is enough to calm background noises, such as the sound of motors or subway bearings, but not as much as what you find in the competition. The noise reduction then becomes almost ineffective once the lower-midrange is passed and leaves room for a passive isolation that is barely honest for intras, especially for such an intrusive model. Proximity conversations or the clicking of a keyboard are still perceptible, it is not possible to cut yourself off adequately from the surrounding noise, unless you mask it with music and by pushing on the listening volume.

The mode of listening to the surrounding sounds shows itself rather effective. The proposed rendering is relatively natural, which allows you to properly perceive the sounds and discussions around you, and possibly to have a conversation if necessary. The effect of the headphones’ passive sound insulation in the treble is still felt significantly, which makes it impossible to locate in a perfectly instinctive way the position of certain sources (and potential dangers).