True wireless earbuds are my constant companions; I carry them with me at all times, and I’m likely to have at least one in my ears at any given time. Whether I’m listening to Green Day’s new album “Saviors,” listening to a sci-fi audiobook, or catching up on the latest tech news on YouTube, I find that true wireless earbuds banish boredom, no matter how daunting the task at hand. The Speck Gemtones Pro offer an affordable and attractive option for your own true wireless earbuds, but are they as good in your ears as they are on paper?
Speck Pro Gemstones
The Speck Gemtones Pro offer a great, if basic, wireless listening experience at a reasonable price. Comfort, sound quality, and battery life are all good enough to make these headphones a complete must-have, though the lack of active noise cancellation significantly diminishes their appeal.
- Good sound quality
- Comfortable and secure fit
- Small and lightweight charging case
- Functional touch controls
- Good battery life
- The materials look cheap.
- Relatively weak bluetooth connection
- There is no African National Congress.
Price and availability
Reasonably priced, but availability is limited.
The Speck Gemtones Pro Collection is priced at $80 and is currently available directly from Speck only. It is available exclusively in a black and white color scheme.
Design, Hardware, What’s in the Box
Cheap, deceptive feel that hides decent quality.
When you first buy the Gemtones Pro, you’ll immediately notice that they’re made of cheap plastic. The design of the case and earbuds doesn’t look high-quality on the outside, but after using them for a few weeks, it becomes clear that you can’t judge a book by its cover. The cheap feel is largely due to the light weight and feel of the materials used, but the truth is that earbuds should be as light as possible, and they feel good in your ears. Once you get past the initial aesthetic impression, the Gemtones Pro are great.
These earbuds feature Bluetooth 5.3, and the connection is acceptable, though range and strength through walls are a bit lacking. Don’t expect to be able to leave your phone charging in one room and walk very far across the house and still maintain a stable connection.
The box includes the earbuds, charging case, a set of replacement ear tips (four sizes), and a USB-C charging cable. They are IPX5 water-resistant, which means they can work without issue in the wet and rainy weather of a Western Washington winter. Keep in mind that the earbuds’ charging case is not waterproof.
In terms of battery life, the Gemtones Pro claim up to 30 hours of playback time, with 7.5 hours of playback time in the earbuds themselves. This should equate to around 4 days of intensive listening, and I found that with normal earbud use, this isn’t too much. In addition to charging the case via USB-C cable, it’s also possible to charge it on a wireless pad, and both methods fill the case up very quickly.
My voice
Powerful, good sound quality overall.
I listened to several hours of audiobooks while testing the Gemtones Pro and had absolutely no complaints about the sound quality in how they presented spoken voice throughout one of Peter F. Hamilton’s long and laborious sci-fi novels. Likewise, listening to YouTube and Netflix videos was perfectly enjoyable through these headphones, but their presentation of music is a bit more complicated.
2Cellos’ cover of Thunderstruck is a great test for any audiophile, and the Gemtones Pro didn’t disappoint, though the high end sounded a bit weak. Green Day’s “Fancy Sauce” was well balanced on the Gemtones Pro, with plenty of depth. The earphones did a good job of reproducing Billie Joe Armstrong’s vocals.
The Gemtones Pro headphones do not include active noise cancellation.
Pearl Jam’s new song from their upcoming album “Dark Matter” provided a good example of how the Gemtones Pro really pumps up the bass, while providing decent definition in the highs and mids. Eddie Vedder’s voice was clear and crisp, cutting through the pulsating drum beat.
The louder, distortion-heavy instruments on Bayside’s “Castaway” were similarly well-defined, without any of the distortion one might expect from budget earphones. However, the bass was a bit overwhelming here, and it’s clear that a particular penchant for a pronounced low-end is necessary to truly fall in love with the Gemtones Pro. This conclusion was further confirmed by another Bayside track, “How to Ruin Everything (Patience)” featuring Ice Nine Kills. While the bass was quite heavy in the first two-thirds of the song, the guitar solo was really lifted by the deep rumbling in the low end.
It is also interesting to note that on Beartooth’s “Look The Other Way”, the mixing of the song helped to highlight the voice of lead singer Caleb Shomo.
Unfortunately, the Gemtones Pro headphones do not include active noise cancellation, which could be their main weakness. However, the passive noise cancellation is good enough that it is not a major hindrance.
When it comes to call quality, the microphones on the Gemtones Pro are functional, but they certainly give away the low price point of these earphones with somewhat average performance in this regard.
Application and features
Decent functionality with no active noise cancellation
The Gemtones app was a bit tricky at first, despite the earbuds being turned on and connected to the phone. I had to put them back in the case and take them out again, after which the Bluetooth reconnected and the app found them immediately.
Perhaps the most useful feature in the app is the equalizer, which definitely helps to tone down the emphasis on bass where it might not be needed. Bayside in particular sounded much better through Gemtones Pro with the equalizer switched to “Vocal range.” However, the “Balanced” setting sounded terrible, and “Dynamic Bass” wasn’t very enjoyable. It would be nice to see a greater range of equalizer customization.
There’s also a volume limit in the app, which is great, since I’ve probably suffered at least a little bit of permanent hearing loss over the years due to a few times I’ve accidentally pressed the volume button on my phone. It sets the maximum volume to 85 decibels. As for loud noises, there’s also a “find your earbuds” feature in the app that makes a loud beeping sound to help if you lose your earbuds.
The touch controls work surprisingly well on the Gemtones Pro, and are highly customizable on a per-ear basis. In fact, they’re reliably more touch-sensitive than the Samsung Galaxy Buds Pro.21
Comfort and convenience
Suitable for long term use
The aforementioned touch controls and the range of ear tips to switch are the extent of the customization options for these earphones. Fortunately, that’s all that’s necessary here, as the included ear tips should fit most ears. I found the default ear tips, as fitted, to be very comfortable indeed, and I was able to wear the Gemtones Pro for hours at a time without any discomfort.
a race
A field crowded with attractive options.
I had a chance to test two other earbuds from Speck: the Gemtones Sport and the Gemtones Play. The Sport has hooks that sit over your ears to help keep the earbuds in place during high-intensity activities, while the Play has a distinct appeal, thanks to its very low price of $40. They all offer IPX5 water resistance and similar sound quality, with the Sport offering up to 40 hours of battery life and the Play maxing out at 28 hours.
I found the Pro headphones to be noticeably more comfortable than other Gemtones. However, since the Gemtones Play headphones are so good despite their low price, they are more appealing from a value perspective.
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Best Cheap Wireless Earbuds in 2024
These exceptional headphones won’t cost you a fortune.
The Gemtones Pro wireless earbuds are the Samsung Galaxy Buds 2, which are available for $100, just $20 more than the Gemtones Pro. They offer active noise cancellation, better sound quality, stronger Bluetooth connectivity, and a better-quality charging case. As good as the Gemtones Pro are, this comparison affects their value for the money.
Should you buy them?
Good but not remarkable
I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend the Speck Gemtones Pro if it weren’t for the sheer level of competition in the true wireless earbud market. There’s a good reason to pay a little more for higher-quality earbuds. At the same time, Speck’s Gemtones Play earbuds are half the price, making them more appealing to those on a budget.
Still, the Gemtones Pro are a good buy for the price, and you probably won’t regret it. They’re versatile and offer a similar listening experience to similarly priced earbuds, though the lack of active noise cancellation puts them at a disadvantage compared to more ambitious budget earbuds.
Speck Pro Gemstones
The Speck Gemtones Pro headphones offer a great wireless listening experience at a reasonable price. Comfort, sound quality, and battery life are all good enough to make these headphones a complete must-have, though the lack of active noise cancellation significantly reduces their appeal.
