The Niceboy brand has gained a fair amount of popularity among users over the past few years. It already has a considerable number of products on the market, which are characterized above all by a good price/performance ratio. I have most often encountered this brand when reviewing headphones or speakers, and it has never disappointed me. I now got my hands on the Niceboy HIVE pods 2 headphones, which bring several improvements compared to the first generation. So is it worth upgrading to the second generation? Let's look at that together now.
Package contents and appearance
But first about the contents of the package. This is very stylishly done as usual. After removing it from the package, we find the headphones hidden in a pleasant foam. There is also a manual, 2 sets of spare plugs and a charging micro-USB cable. Here I would like to criticize its length, which is around 25 centimeters. It's also perhaps a bit of a shame that we don't find USB-C here. But this is a detail. The box is a pleasant surprise for me. I was somewhat disappointed with the plastic design of the first generation, as I was worried about what would happen to the box after it fell to the ground. In the case of the second generation, the box is smaller, prettier and is made of a combination of plastic and rubber. The magnet has also been improved. Now there is really no need to worry about the headphones falling out of the box. A pleasant change is the presence of three LED battery status indicators. You activate it by inserting the headphones into the box.
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The headphones themselves have an almost identical design to the first generation. These are relatively large earbuds, on which we find an LED diode and a multi-function touch button. The first generation had a manual button, which could sometimes cause problems. Even now it allows several classic functions. By pressing the buttons, you can do this without having to take out your smartphone.one able to play/pause a song, answer/reject/end a call, lower/raise the volume and select the next/previous song.
Pairing
It is very easy to start up and pair the headphones for the first time. You take them out of the box, long press the multifunction button on both headphones and wait until the red and green colors start to flash alternately on the LED diode. Then just select "Niceboy HIVE pods 2" in the Bluetooth menu. Pairing will be confirmed by an acoustic call and a green flashing LED. The headphones are then automatically connected to the smartphone after removing them from the box. On the other hand, you can disconnect the HIVE pods 2 by putting them in the box. Correct storage is confirmed by the lighting of the red diode on the headphones. As soon as the diode goes out, the headphones are fully charged.
Technical parameters
There have also been improvements inside the headphones. The Niceboy HIVE pods 2 use Bluetooth 5.0 and support the HFP, HSP, A2DP, AVRCP profiles. A big plus is water resistance, which is the attribute that wireless headphone users are currently calling for the most. Thanks to the guaranteed IPX5 certification, they can even handle splashing water, so you don't have to worry about taking these headphones out in the rain. The manufacturer states that the range of the headphones is approximately 10 meters. In an open area, however, you can easily reach a distance of 20 meters. The speakers are 6mm, the sensitivity is approximately 94 dB (with a deviation of 3 dB) and the frequency is 20 Hz to 15 kHz. The battery has also been significantly improved. The headphones have a capacity of 70 mAh and the box has a capacity of 500 mAh. The Niceboy HIVE pods 2 can last up to a great 6,5 hours on a single charge. You can then carry another 35 hours of music in the box, which will certainly please you. The weight of the headphones, including the box, is a very comfortable 43 g.
Sound and personal experience
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Whatever the specifications, the sound is always the main thing with headphones. It is not overblown in any way and is very pleasant. Present technology MaxxBass already suggests that these will be headphones with great sound and decent bass, which is indeed true. The headphones are particularly suited to rock and harder music, but that doesn't mean you won't enjoy more relaxed music here. The headphones handle bass and treble with ease, so you won't encounter sound distortion or other audio problems. Keep the volume on maximu is really on point in the case of this device. Thanks to the earplugs, it is also perfect for sports and during activities I probably did not encounter a situation where I had to adjust them in my ear. And that is not even when I was switching songs via the multifunction button. The headphones simply stay in my ear, and that is very good. With the previous generation, I also had the signal drop out from time to time. But you do not have to deal with this problem here. Stable and high-quality connection with smartphonesonem is unique to this model. But I got used to the box the most, because the second generation has come a long way and you can hardly feel it in your pocket. The previous generation was really much bigger and here it is appropriate to give Niceboy praise for the pleasant evolution. There is no problem with the microphone either.oneYour other party will hear you without any problems, even in a busy environment.
Summary
What to say in conclusion? Niceboy HIVE pods 2 headphones are great for everyday use. They offer high-quality sound, water resistance, perfect endurance on a single charge and a great design. If you didn't like the first generation too much, this is the way to go. For the price of 1690 crowns, for which they can be found now on Alza, these are very high-quality accessories from the Niceboy brand, which once again honor the famous price/performance ratio.
The previous generation is 1000 CZK cheaper and they play solidly. The only thing that bothers me is that they constantly contradict and connect if they are not playing sound (iPadPro)
They are perfect, I just keep disconnecting. :D
I didn't write perfect and they only contradict when it doesn't transmit any sound. Which is fine, it just makes me nervous. They will rejoin themselves. So I'm kidding if you don't know what it's about.
I would like some comparison between these headphones and the new ones Airpods pro since both are plug type. Will there be something too?
Absolutely incomparable. Air Pods pro are a lot more expensive, but now they are availableoneThe sound is also worth something, in other respects they are several classes ahead, but they are also much more expensive. Nice Boy is definitely not a brand that cares about the sound, it will not amaze or offend at that price.
Beny, thanks for the review! This makes Slavek sit on his ass. So we see that they are really more expensive.
It is interesting that the first NBs are in all the reviews for the sound at times and have a high rating and for the money...
Hello, my wife is here. AirPods and since I felt sorry to spend that much money, I bought NCB Pods 2, see the review.
As for the comparison (I'm not a sound master, but a regular user), I can say that I don't see that much of a difference in sound, control, etc.
The biggest difference is in the price, a big difference. On the other hand, I understand that you are paying for the brand, so it depends more on how much you need to "feed" your ego.
So much for me :)
konesomeone who could tell the truth – kudos to you
Wow, great review, short, to the point, based on my own experience and not trying to give the impression that it is objective and the only correct one. Thanks!
Hello, I wanted to ask when, compared to the previous generation, the upper limit of the sound frequency was reduced from 20000 hz to 15000 hz, or if they also have a worse sound, because as a layman it is not entirely clear to me the reason for this downward change and what to attribute it to. I'm deciding between these headphones and the La headphonesmax dots 1 so the advice would really help me. Thank you in advance for your reply
Hello Peter.
you don't have to worry about the reproduction quality. The new generation of headphones has an even better sound than the previous one. You will definitely be satisfied :)
Nice day,
niceboy
Well, this seems more like a PR article than a review to me. ProHFP, HSP, A2DP, AVRCP files are supported by practically all wireless headphones. But what I'm interested in is whether HFP is at least in version HFP 1.4 and can thus transmit HD Voice when used as a handsfree. Without it, it is pretty useless for making calls.
Then I would expect to find out which codec they support. Whether AAC (essential for Apple) and aptX (for Android), or it can only do very low-quality SBC. This is probably the most important thing for quality reproduction.
Hello, Peter.
Below we send the info you want to know about our Hive Pods 2 headphones:
HFP 1.7, HSP 1.2, A2DP 1.3, AVRCP 1.6, SPP 1.2, PBAP 1.0, AAC support
Thank you, have fun :)
They are better noisemakers, the volume is quite tragic, the sound quality is also not a hit, touch buttons instead of mechanical ones are not exactly a user-friendly thing. They definitely cannot be compared in terms of listening quality to, for example, even the much cheaper classic wireless headphones from Sony. But probably good as a handsfree...
I'm happy with them, in my opinion the price is proportional to the quality and sound. There will always be better and worse on the market, it's all about what suits someone. Pro It is important to me that they match the price.
I'm interested in them and I'd like to ask what the response is like with the headphones? I don't just want them for music, I also want them for watching videos, movies, and series. ProI can't let that affect a good response, I don't want the sound to lag behind the image.
Hello,
there will be a slight delay due to the absence of the aptX codec.
Thank you and have fun :)
Hello, I would like to ask what is the size of the converter, I have not seen it mentioned anywhere.
Hello,
the size of the converter is 6mm.
Thank you, have fun :)
Hello, I also bought the headphones, everything works without problems, only when someone calls me, I can hear him, but he can't hear me anymore, and I don't know why
Good day. I unpacked the headphones, did everything according to the manual (I took them out of the box, removed the stickers, suddenly turned them on until they flashed green-red), but in the bluetooth section it appears as two devices (one headphone each) and only one plays. I let them charge so hopefully that will help :/
The sound isn't bad, but it's tragic for the user. The fact that they disconnect is written here, demented pairing left right and then the phone is also pretty stupid. Before I left, getting both to play must be a nightmare for a non-techie. Mainly!!! With larger rubber bands, the box does not fit and, in my opinion, the headphones do not disconnect, that is, they do not charge.
So for that money I have 3x QCY-TCI.
Good day. I bought them and I am not satisfied with the sound quality when making phone calls. ProSo, when you're on the phone, the other party can hear you as if you were in a vacuum. Compared to Airpods, the sound is much worse. At that moment, when airThe pods have a beautiful, clear sound, and they are audible just as if you had the phone to your ear, and not on handsfree. Unfortunately, for this reason I am going to return them.
Hello, I have a problem with the fact that after a week they started to play much weaker, about half as quiet, and I have no idea what to do with it, since I got them for Christmas and I don't have any documents from him... please advise if you have experience with this :) thanks in advance
Hello Jacob,
unfortunately, nothing can be done about it without proof of claim.
Thanks, have fun.
I have a problem that I play either one or the other or both at once. Can you give me some advice?
Hello Martin,
try a factory reset according to the manual. If the problem persists, file a complaint.
Thank you. Bye :)
I have a big problem with my headphones and I don't think this has been solved here yet. As for the sound and connecting to the phone, I have no reservations. However, one major thing bothers me. I use headphones exclusively for running. And since I sweat a lot, I can't run without a headband and of course now in the winter without a hat. However, when the headband or cap gets soaked with sweat, it turns off the headphones, because the moisture acts like a long press. I tried to stick an electrician's non-conductive insulating tape on the headphones, but unfortunately it is also conductive, I don't understand on what basis it works, but I can control the headphones normally even through the tape. So now I'm completely trapped. The headphones are useless to me and I can't return them, because the store where I bought them has a contract stating that they cannot be returned for hygiene reasons. If someone from HIVE development would read this and advise me if it is possible to deactivate the shutdown somehow, I would be very happy. Thank you
Hello,
Unfortunately, the touch buttons cannot be deactivated.
They are more suitable for running, and we would rather recommend buying the Hive sport 2, or Hive podsie that have mechanical buttons.
Thank you and have fun :)
Does anyone know if if I replace one of the lost headphones with a piece from another set, if they will pair? Thanks!
Hello,
This is possible with our headphones :)
It is necessary to perform a factory reset, delete the paired Hive pods 2 from the BT memory on the phone and then pair again.
Thank you and have fun.
Hello,
can i ask if the headphones are compatible with Apple watch series 3?
Thank you.
Hello, Stephen.
We haven't actually tested it with these headphones, but the HIVE Pods 2 are compatible with all devices supporting Bluetooth version 5.0. So we see no reason why it shouldn't work :)
Thanks and have a nice day,
niceboy