Fauna may have an impressive reputation in the audio gear world, but is its latest model equally as impressive? Keep reading to find out our tech content writer Isabel Martins' review on the audio glasses, after extensive testing.
When it comes to sunglasses or eyewear, Fauna is steadily building a reputation for producing sleek and beautiful designs. Recently, it launched the Levia Black and Fabula Crystal Brown models. Although audio glasses are a fairly recent trend in tech, with Bose previously throwing its hat in the ring too, Fauna already has four different pairs of audio glasses. It was one of the first brands to enter this market and has consistently stayed as one of the few key players in it.
wearfauna.com
| Specifications | |
|---|---|
| Connection | Bluetooth 5.0 |
| Features | IP52 rated, fitted with Carl Zeiss Vision lenses |
| Battery | 100mAh, 5 hours play time |
| Weight | 50g |
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| • Impressive build | • Sound leakage with loud music |
| • Sleek design | • Average battery life |
| • Great audio quality for calls |
Verdict: An aesthetically pleasing, and excellently built pair of sunglasses with decent audio for calls. However, when it comes to music, the bass is slightly tinny.
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I've broken down my analysis of these audio glasses in five sections - build, usability, performance, price and verdict.
Build
• Super sleek design
• Very lightweight
• IP52 rated - water and dust resistant
An awesome perk of these audio glasses is their design. The fact that they're classed as designer glasses should give you an idea of how they look and feel, but from my testing, the Fabula Crystal Brown glasses are super sleek and lightweight. You're not compromising your comfort for style; something that can often happen with designer items.
Another benefit is that they are water and dust-resistant; IP52 rated. This makes them ideal for any light adventures, such as a beach holiday or a hiking day trip. In addition to this, the glasses come with a two-year warranty, so you can rest assured you're covered if they stop working.
The Fabula Crystal Brown glasses come with a charging case and a charging cable. The charging case has an integrated power bank, with four different LED lights that all light up green when it is fully charged.
I also really enjoy that you're getting a two-for-one deal with these, as obviously, they are sunglasses, too. The lenses are Carl Zeiss Vision lenses, which are some of the top eyeglass lenses on the market.
In relation to how the audio glasses work, they have very small lightweight micro speakers and microphones built into each of the frames, and these sit right above your temples.
It's also worth mentioning that if you need prescription lenses, the standard lenses that come with the audio glasses can be swapped for your specific prescription lenses by an optician.
As someone who has myopia and understands the struggle of having to wear contacts underneath sunglasses, this is a very handy bonus!
Usability
• Easy to set-up
• Controls and buttons are responsive, but not intuitive at first
• Effectively protects your eyes from UVA and UVB rays
On a whole, they were super easy to get started with. As you open the charging case, you will see a code to scan that links you to a video, where you get a step by step on how to set up and start using your new glasses.
However, the controls were a little difficult to get used to at first, as I personally found them to be not that intuitive. Here are the controls as follows:
• On the left temple, you double-tap to end or start a call, and play or pause music.
• On the left temple, slide your finger back and forth on the temple to adjust the volume.
• On the left temple, tap and hold four four seconds to reject a call or skip to the next track.
• On the right temple, you double-tap to engage with your voice assistant.
Once I'd learnt to use the controls, I found them pretty straightforward to use, especially as the buttons are all pretty responsive.
In relation to the connectivity, I found that it has a pretty impressive range. I could leave my phone (which it was paired up with) for up to 10 metres before the connection started to falter. And all throughout this time, the Bluetooth 5.0 connection remained strong and clear.
The battery is charged via the charging case, and the case itself can be charged via a USB-C connection, all of which is provided.
In terms of the sunglass function, Fauna promises that these pair of audio glasses will securely protect your eyes against UVA and UVB rays. When I wore them outside, they significantly darkened my bright surroundings. I felt that my eyes were adequately protected.
Performance
• Clear audio
• Especially great for making calls or listening to podcasts
• Bass is quite weak
As these are audio sunglasses and the micro speakers sit above the temples, there will always be some sound leakage. However, I found that this was quite minimal, especially if the music volume wasn't loud. As they don't actually go into your earbuds or cover them, they will never replace your noise-cancelling headphones.
A perk of this is that you will be much more aware of your surroundings, which is pretty useful when it comes to crossing busy roads, or if you're out on a walk with cyclists around.
In terms of music audio, the bass is quite weak and tinny. Nonetheless, the audio produced was still crystal clear, they're just not ideal for any bass-heavy music.
Personally, I found that they were best used for listening to podcasts or taking phone calls. If you're looking to have an immersive audio experience, this won't be it, we'd recommend looking at a pair of wireless earbuds instead.
The five-hour playtime battery isn't that long, however, this will suffice for a short day trip, a picnic or even if you're using it to sunbathe in the park or at the beach. I found it plenty enough for any walks I went on or errands I ran, but if you're looking for something to last your whole day, including commuting, these won't do it.
Price
The full retail price of the Fabula Crystal Brown audio glasses is £249. This is pretty average in terms of the market price, especially in comparison to Bose's new models such as the Bose Frames Soprano which is currently the main competitor.
Verdict
wearfauna.com
All in all, these audio glasses are a pretty impressive piece of tech. Aside from successfully shielding your eyes against UVA and UVB rays, they deliver clear and crisp audio with little audio leakage.
Ideal for taking calls or listening to podcasts, these audio glasses can be a great fit for a short day trip or any walks you take, and as they're IP52 rated, you don't need to be scared of dust or getting them slightly wet.
They won't however, be great for listening to any loud music, in which you'll want an immersive experience. If you're a heavy metal or a drum and bass fan, then these are not the ones for you.
Score: 4/5
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| • Impressive build | • Sound leakage with loud music |
| • Sleek design | • Average battery life |
| • Great audio quality for calls |
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Isabel Martins is a Commercial Content Writer for What's The Best, specialising in technology.
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