Acefast T8 Crystal (2) True Wireless Earbuds

Acefast’s T8 Crystal (2) true wireless earbuds are nothing if not eye-catching. With their completely see-through crystalline design, they’re immediately reminiscent of the Nothing Ear (1) and Ear (2) true wireless earbuds. But with a price tag of only $65.99, they make an affordable entry point to this stylish design — but they’re not all about looks. These buds feature a dual dynamic driver system for a powerful, bass-rich sonic signature. Their warmth won’t be everyone’s cup of tea, and they’re missing active noise canceling, but for modern mainstream tunes and gaming with their built-in low latency gaming mode, these buds are still a good value.

Specifications

Current Price: $65.99 (Amazon) -- 20% OFF WITH CODE ACEFAST83. 

• With 20% off coupon code above and current (as of this writing) additional %15 off promotion, the total cost is $42.89.

Acefast T8 Crystal (2) True Wireless Earbuds - What Is It?

The Acefast T8 Crystal (2) earbuds are the current flagship true wireless set from Acefast, a relatively new brand whose parent company Shenzhen Houshuxia Technology Co., Ltd., was founded in 2020. Its mission is to “continuously improv[e] the status of Chinese consumer electronics brands in the global market” by releasing high-quality products that are “full of technological charm.” Looking at the T8 Crystal (2), I’d say they are well on their way. 

If Acefast is after technological charm, the T8 Crystal hits the mark. While truly wireless earbuds tend to blend together, this is the rare set that stands out from the pack and looks genuinely cool. It accomplishes this with a translucent design that lets you peek in and see the internals of both the charging case and the earbuds. The circuit board is lit up with an LED and is available in six different colors (white, black, purple, blue, pink, and green) so you can find the set that resonates with you the most. 

The case is unique in other ways too. It features a front-facing screen that tells you the current battery level of each earbud and the case itself. When it’s charging, the LED will breathe to let you know that it’s at work and stop when it’s done. It also doesn’t open. Instead, the buds slot into the side of the case and are help in place by magnets. And don’t worry, they’re strong enough to hold the buds in place in case, so you don’t need to worry about them popping loose in your pocket or bag. 

I’m not usually a fan of screens on the front of charging cases. Honestly, they seem kind of gimmicky. Here, it’s a simple digital read-out and Acefast isn’t trying to be fancy. It tells you the current charge levels, stays illuminated long enough to read them, and then turns off again until you remove one of the earbuds. It’s practical and adds a bit of visual charm.

The buds use a dual dynamic driver design, something that’s rather uncommon in the true wireless world. A large 10mm aluminum-magnesium driver covers the mids and lows. A smaller, 6mm titanium dome tweeter covers the highs. This split allows each driver to focus on a more narrow spectrum so neither is stretched to the limits of distortion. The metallic coatings also work to increase sound quality by adding rigidity and responsiveness, increasing their speed. This is most audible with the quality of the bass, which is really the star of the show. 

The T8 Crystal connects via Bluetooth 5.3 for reliable, energy-efficient performance. What’s even more noteworthy is that it is, according to Acefast, the world’s first TWS set to use an LDS antenna. While antenna tech may not be the sexiest thing in the world to converse on, it matters here because it’s the same type of antenna used in smartphones for a number of years (and was also recently used in the AngryMiao AM Compact Touch custom keyboard) and offers an exceptionally reliable connection.

That reliability is also important for gaming. These buds sport a low latency gaming mode, effectively dropping latency to unnoticeable levels. I found that I still felt a very slight delay in first-person shooters, but that they were perfectly playable, which isn’t something most Bluetooth earbuds can claim. Enabling gaming mode does decrease the effective range of the earbuds such that you’ll want to stay in the same room to avoid audio breaking up, but it’s a fair trade-off for being able to use a pair of TWS earbuds for gaming. 

Battery life is also pretty good at seven hours of playback, and earbuds can be used independently. If, like me, you tend to keep one earbud in for podcasts or audiobooks throughout the day, you can swap out as soon as one runs low. The case is good for about three recharges and brings total battery life of up to 30 hours. 

At $65 and considering the unique features it offers, it’s still what I would consider a budget-oriented pair of earbuds. It’s a good example of how sound quality has been improving at cheaper price points, but there are some trade-offs here to keep that price low. There’s no active noise cancellation, for example (though there is environmental noise cancellation to make sure you’re heard clearly on phone calls). Even basic ANC would have been nice to see here, as competition from SoundPeats, Earfun, and more have begun making it a standard feature in this price range. With that in mind, I did find the passive isolation to be exceptionally good, so you’re still able to block out the world fairly well just by putting them in.

There’s also no support for high-res Bluetooth codecs like aptX or LDAC. You’re limited to SBC and AAC here, which is fine in general, but seems like a missed opportunity to when aptX is also becoming much more common (LDAC is still mainly the purview of expensive Bluetooth earbuds). There’s also no app for different EQ presets or custom settings, which is also fairly common among the competition.

Returning to the positive, I applaud Acefast for allowing you to fully control these earbuds with touch controls. With single, double, and triple taps, you can control volume, play/pause, skip tracks, and answer, end, and reject phone calls. They operate on touch, and once you learn where to tap, are quite reliable. 

Overall, I think the Acefast T8 Crystal (2) have a lot going for them. They have some missing features, but what it lacks against the competition in that department, it makes up for with a unique look, comfortable, fit, and bassy sound.

Acefast T8 Crystal (2) True Wireless Earbuds -  Daily Use and Listening Impressions Performance

This tuning, I suspect will be slightly divisive. Most listeners should find a lot to enjoy here, especially if you plan to dual-purpose these headphones for music and movies too. The bass looms large, reaching very low and delivering substantial punch and rumble. Listening to hip hop and pop, these earphones sound tailored to the style, offering a very full tone that can even sound sub-woofer like. I would have liked to hear more detail and speed — bass notes are a bit hazy around the edges, which surprised me given the metallic coatings applied to the dual dynamics. The T8 Crystal (2)s avoid sharpness pretty much across the board, even in the bass notes.

The mids are recessed slightly behind the lows but come through clear. Vocals sound very nice on these, though the bit of bass bleed gives a smoothing effect, where you lose a little bit of the grit and rasp you might here on a brighter tuning. Warmth permeates. They aren’t muddy though and I honestly enjoyed listening to some of my favorite songs on them. 

The highs are stepped back, which reduces detail in higher-pitched instruments and audio cues. Listening to Polyphia’s guitar-driven instrumentals, I struggled to hear some notes in faster leads. This tuning wards off listening fatigue like nothing else, but if you’re a fan of detail-driven music, you may want to look elsewhere. These sound a bit veiled for my music library.

For gaming, however, they’re genuinely not bad at all. With the game mode enabled, latency is mostly a non-issue. The bass-rich tuning is perfect for action games, allowing them to sound full and cinematic during intense moments. The mids are loud enough that I was able to clearly hear dialogue and teammate callouts, as well as friends on Discord. The lower highs make playing in multi-hour stretches easy, though I did find that positionality wasn’t good as I hoped it would be (which I suspect is related to the information lost in the highs). For competitive games, I’d stick with a headset, but in situations where pinpoint positioning doesn’t matter, these can still be a good option.

As it stands, the tuning is going to be great for certain types of music and listening and not very good for others. I didn’t mind it, but it left me wishing for some kind of customization on a daily basis. An app with preset EQ options or custom equalizer settings would have gone a long way toward making the T8 Crystal a better fit for all listeners. 

Battery life is good. At seven hours rated, they can see you through most of a work day, and unlike some of its competitors, that battery rating is pretty accurate. The earbuds get very loud, so I rarely had to turn them up past 60% (battery ratings are often based on 50% listening volume). 

The passive isolation is very good. Surprisingly good, in fact. But even so, I miss not having active noise cancellation. It’s become such a staple feature in this price range that its absence makes its $65 asking price feel a bit expensive.

Final Thoughts

Despite that, I still really like the Acefast T8 Crystal (2). They have a clear goal for what they’re trying to accomplish with their sound and execute on that well. If you want that warm, bassy sound these are some of the best earbuds in their class. If you don’t, there’s no way to modify it and that’s a shame. Likewise, the lack of ANC reduces their value somewhat. Overall, it’s a bit of a mixed bag, but if you enjoy their tuning and unique approach to aesthetics, I suspect you’ll find a lot to like here. 

At $65.99, they feel a bit expensive, but it's worth revisiting the specifications section above if you'd like to give them a try for a little less. There is currently (as of this writing) a 15% off coupon on Amazon. Use code ACEFAST83 for an additional 20% off, dropping the price more than $20. Should that code and the discount continue, the lack of ANC is less of an issue and would make this a very good value.