Optoma NuForce BE6i Review: Simple and light with superior sound quality

Last updated: Feb 27, 2020

Optoma's NuForce BE6i headphones deliver balanced sound for a fair price, although we do wish the inline remote was a little better built.

The good

Balanced sound
Sweat resistance
Decent battery life
Relatively low cost

The bad

Very cheap inline remote
Only uses beep tones for pairing
Low bass

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Bluetooth headphones aren't a new category by any stretch of the imagination, but they're a segment that has enjoyed renewed popularity recently, largely due to Apple's decision to ditch the 3.5mm headphone socket on its very popular iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus handsets.

That's led to many consumers opting for wireless headphones for a variety of tasks, whether it's sports-centric headsets or simply those used for listening to music and taking private calls without having to take your phone out of your pocket.

Design

Simple and sleek style
In-line remote feels a little cheap next to the buds
Magnetic buds help avoid tangled cables when not in use

Optoma's NuForce BE6i very solidly sits in the latter category. Optoma pitches the NuForce BE6i as its style play in the Bluetooth headphone market space, with a simple silver design of two protruding earbuds connected by a functional but simple grey cable. There's an inline remote for play/pause/call and volume control near the right ear bud, and that's your lot.
Style is a totally personal choice matter, but there's something slightly incongruous about the inline remote next to the buds. The buds themselves have something of a 70s-retro-sci-fi vibe to them, but the remote itself is rather more utilitarian plastic that looks and feels rather cheap. They do work, but for the asking price I could have wished for something that didn't look like it belonged on a cheaper set of headphones.
The NuForce BE6i headphones are magnetic at each end so that they can clip together quickly if you favour wearing around your neck while not in use, or simply to limit the amount of tangling possible when not in use. Optoma also bundle in a small carrying case for the NuForce BE6i headphones which includes multiple ear tips for maximised comfort.

Performance

Included foam tips offer solid noise isolation
Reasonable audio quality with slightly less bass than typical buds

One great aspect of the NuForce BE6i headphones is the inclusion of multiple earphone tips, including some serious isolating foam tips in the included carrying case. Many bud-style headsets will include a few different size pairs, but the NuForce BE6i headphones give you a total of seven different fits, including the foam pair.
The NuForce BE6i headphones pair via Bluetooth with a very standard pairing profile that involves a long press on the power button in order to initiate the pairing process. There's no spoken pairing prompts to follow, so you do need to check with your paired device to ensure that you've actually connected.
The real test of any set of headphones comes in terms of audio quality, and here the story is somewhat mixed for a set of headphones at this price point. Sound quality was generally good throughout, with standard equalisation focusing more on subtle treble tones rather than the heavy bass equalisation favoured by many popular headsets, Bluetooth or not.
Hitting the NuForce BE6i with the shredding guitar riff of Prince's "Bambi" didn't totally overwhelm it, but it handled the more subtle tones of "Purple Rain" with more aplomb. If you favour thumping bass, you might find the NuForce BE6i a little on the softer side, but that's very much a personal taste issue that can somewhat be mitigated by the use of on-device equalisation as well.

Features

Up to 8 hours of battery life is decent
Pairing confirmation beeps aren't as intuitive as the voice lines other headphones use

I tested using the Samsung Galaxy S8, and one quirk emerged that may be a fault of theNuForce BE6i, or possibly the phone. Specifically, there was a tendency when pairing with the phone to simply assume the role of call audio but not media audio, which intermittently led to me blasting music from the phone itself rather than privately through the headphones. It's not an issue I hit with other Bluetooth headphones on the same phone, although sorting out what level of the handshake process was falling over is a difficult affair.
The NuForce BE6i use simple digital tones to indicate pairing or when the battery is running low, and this is again a play that sits more in the functional than friendly space. Admittedly the digital voices that many headsets use do tend towards the robotic, but it's much easier to pick when pairing has worked (or failed) with a voice talking you through it than a set of beeps to remember each time.
Battery life as stated by Optoma is 8 hours, and that's a fair summation and a decent level of performance for headphones of this size. I managed a week's worth of trips to and from work using the NuForce BE6i headphones without particular worry, although again the use of simple beep tones to indicate battery death isn't ideal.

Pricing and availability

At $174.99, the NuForce BE6i are a fair priced set of headphones that sell mostly on the quality of their audio output. There are numerous Bluetooth choices that sell at a higher price point, like Apple's AirPods or i.am+ BUTTONS that offer slightly better style and audio output, or cheaper options such as the Plantronics BackBeat 505 to consider.

Click to order Optoma NuForce BE6i Wireless Bluetooth In-ear Headphones from Amazon

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View details

Specifications

Where to buy

Build

Category

In-ear Headphones

Colours

Grey, Bronze, Blue, Black

Driver Diameter

10mm

Frequency Response

20Hz - 20kHz

Sensitivity

104dB

Impedance

20 ohms

Connectivity

Wired/Wireless

Wireless

Bluetooth

Yes

Bluetooth Version

Bluetooth 4.1

Bluetooth Profiles

A2DP AVRCP HSP HFP

Features

Rechargeable Battery

Yes

Water Resistant

Yes

Battery Life

Up to 8 hours

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Alex Kidman

A multi-award winning journalist, Alex has written about consumer technology for over 20 years. He has written and edited for virtually every Australian tech publication including Gizmodo, CNET, PC Magazine, Kotaku and more. He has also been the Editor of Gizmodo Australia, PC Mag Australia, CNET.com.au and the Tech and Telco section at Finder. Alex has a Bachelor of Arts from the University of New England and a serious passion for retro gaming.

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Headphone Reviews

Optoma NuForce BE6i Review: Simple and light with superior sound quality

Optoma's NuForce BE6i headphones deliver balanced sound for a fair price, although we do wish the inline remote was a little better built.

The good

The bad

What's in this review?

Design

Performance

Features

Pricing and availability

Click to order Optoma NuForce BE6i Wireless Bluetooth In-ear Headphones from Amazon

Specifications

Build

Connectivity

Features

Latest Headphone reviews

Apple AirPods (2019) review: Small improvements to good headphones

3SIXT Studio True Wireless Earbuds review: Affordable price but thin sound

Fitbit Flyer review: Will headphones send Fitbit flying to new heights?

Jabra Elite Sport Earbuds 2017 Update

Bose SoundSport Wireless Headphones Review

Plantronics BackBeat Fit 505 review

Alex Kidman

Ask an expert

Optoma NuForce BE6i Review: Simple and light with superior sound quality

Optoma's NuForce BE6i headphones deliver balanced sound for a fair price, although we do wish the inline remote was a little better built.

The good

The bad

What's in this review?

Design

Read our full review of the NuForce BE6i's design

Performance

Read our full review of the NuForce BE6i's performance

Features

Read our full review of the NuForce BE6i's features

Pricing and availability

Click to order Optoma NuForce BE6i Wireless Bluetooth In-ear Headphones from Amazon

Specifications

Build

Connectivity

Features

Latest Headphone reviews

Alex Kidman

Ask an expert

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