​I go to the gym several times a week, and in order to help me focus at my workouts, I believe in investing in a good pair of earphones. Nothing helps better with focus than a good dance track playlist and a good pair of earphones! While I have several Bluetooth earphones which I could cycle, Vasa BLÅ has emerged as a natural choice, mainly due to its ease of use, and sound quality. 

Hence, when I received the opportunity to try our Sudio's latest Tre Bluetooth earphones, I jumped at the chance. Having had great experiences with Vasa BLÅ, how would Tre compare? 

The earphones arrived in a lovely white packaging, which made it easy as a gift option. The Scandinavian minimalist design was evident. The earphones, the leather pouch (which is really practical as a storage case) and the sports-centric earbuds were in matt white, while the buttons, tips and clip were in accentuates of copper, which made the overall feel rather classy. 

​Having been an owner of Vasa BLÅ, I checked immediately on the key differences between Vasa BLÅ and Tre. First of all, I noticed the earbuds, which are now of a wingtip design, whcih gives them a firm fit in the ears which makes them ideal for active lifestyles. In fact, I have been using Tre for a few gym sessions, and there was never once that the earphones dropped out of my ears (as compared to Vasa BLÅ). The earbuds stayed firmly in place no matter how much movement I did. Another interesting feature of Tre is that it is designed to let the surrounding sound into the ear. This is especially useful for cyclists or runners who might need to be aware of surrounding sounds, such as a car honk or a shout of warning. However, this turned out to be detrimental to me at the gym for a unique reason. At my gym (and most gyms actually), there are speakers blasting loud music. Because of the fact that Tre allows ambient sounds to be heard, I was basically listening to both the music which I streamed from my smartphone, and also the music from the gym. Not the most ideal situation. 
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I decided to test Tre at a quieter venue. The sound was warm and welcoming, with the right bass and treble. This worked well not only for dance tracks with a high BPM, but also for the usual pop and indie music. I was also acutely aware of surrounding sounds. Again, as mentioned earlier, this could work for you or against you - depending on what you are looking for in a set of headphones. 
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Having stressed-tested the earphones, I would say that Tre can certainly last you a couple of hours. Sudio has stated that Tre would last up to nine hours of play, and up to ten days on standby. The ability to quick charge the earphone in just 10 minutes is a very useful feature especially when I do sometimes forget to charge them and will need a quick charge in order to use them quickly. 
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All in all, Sudio Tre excelled as a Bluetooth Sports Earphones, with a tight fit, great sound and fantastic battery life. I would add a few more points for easy pairing and reliable Bluetooth connection. However, as I personally prefer to have a more engaging music experience and to block out the sounds of the world, I would personally still prefer Vasa BLÅ. Perhaps, in the future there could be yet another version that would have the fit of Tre and the block-the-sounds-of-the-world Vasa BLÅ? I look forward to that. 

Read more reviews at http://bit.ly/2v1NTuA. Also, Use code sudioxsample to enjoy 15% off for your purchase on https://www.sudiosweden.com/sg/ (Note that the discount is valid from 28 November onwards). ​

​I have been wanting to change my hairstyle for quite a while now, but because of my perennial short crop, it was difficult to find an appropriate hair stylist to advise me on how to go about getting that desired haircut, and whether it would be suit my face shape, etc. Hence, when I was invited by the kind folks of Salon Infinity (@saloninfinitysg) at Suntec City Mall Tower 2 for a haircut, I jumped at the chance. 

Let me describe this in a little more detail. I have been having the conventional Armani haircut for over a decade already. Even though i wanted to change my haircut, my hair was way too short -- I was easily affected by my sides thickening, and within the span of two weeks, I would queue up for a new haircut. 

However, a couple of weeks back, in May, I decided that it was about time to effect change. I read up on the Internet on some of the trending haircuts, and reckoned that I would still stick to a short crop (which was more ideal for my slightly curly hair anyway), but one that would allow me to sweep my hair to the side. In addition, I would like to have a more distinctive side parting, for a fresh and distinct look. 

After being introduced to the creative director Raymond, I summarised quickly to him on what I desired, but I relayed to him that I was comfortable for him to try out his version of what would work for me. Without much hesitation, he went on with his clipper. Within thirty minutes, his deft hands got me this haircut. 

The issue with this hairstyle was that it was not easy to see it from the camera. I then went nearby and took a side view which gave a better depiction of the hair parting line. In short, I was pretty impressed with Raymond, as well as the Aveda treatment when he washed my hair. 

I had a good liaison with the Salon Infinity team, and we struck a pact to detail my hair journey for the next six months. I also requested for a promo and a giveaway offer, which goes below: 

Promo: Get 15% off all ala carte services, including haircut (UP: $69.55) via promo code WILLIE15. Valid till 30 Sep 2017. T&C applies. 
 
Giveaway: Haircut Giveaway to 1 lucky winner via Instagram! Follow @saloninfinitysg and comment why you should win a haircut worth up to $69.55. Contest ends 30 June 2017. T&C applies.

When I was approached by Sudio to test their top-of-the-range Vasa Bla wireless earphones, I said, "why not?". Ever since I subscribed to Spotify Premium, I have been listening to music while doing my work in the office, working out at the gym, and also while driving. Hence a good pair of earphones always helps, especially if I am able to switch between them - I could charge one while using the other, hence use them alternately.

Over the last year I have also acquired several earphones, namely: 

1. B&O BeoPlay H5 (wireless) 
2. Sony Sports Wireless NWZ-W262  (wireless)
3. Sony On-Ear Sound Isolating Headphones (MDRXB450APB) (wired)
4. Shure SE215 (blue version) (wired)
5. MiniSou Wireless earphones

I decided to give myself a week or so to test the Vasa Bla, and here are my findings.

Design 
My first impressions of Sudio Vasa Bla was a very good one. The package arrived in a nice gift box, which made it ideal as a lovely birthday present. I chose the rose gold black version, and I was delighted to find that the rose gold trim on the earphones was actually metal (and not plastic that was made to look like metal, i.e. faux metal). Nice touch! 

Also included was a leather case which was pretty useful to keeping the earphones, as well as a clip which is again godsend which means I can use this at the gym. I like the battery power of B&O's H5, but it kept dropping from my ears when I workout so that was a big problem for me. 

Sound 
The sound range for Vasa Bla was generally decent, and was ideal for casual listening. I did a comparison test with my other earphones, and while it did not offer any sound isolation or noise cancelling, it provided good mid-range. I would have hoped for more bass. Of course, it was not able to compete with Shure's SE215 which really blew the competition away by how well it could define the music/sound, but unless you want to select a wired option, then perhaps Vasa Bla could be more portable. I certainly couldn't use SE215 for my gym workouts since I move around at the gym a lot and prefer not to have my phone on my body. 

Comfort and Convenience
I found the Vasa Bla earphones very comfortable. Perhaps it's my personal experience with it, but I like the cool touch/feel of the metal around the earphone which gives it a very premium feel. At no time did the earphone drop off my ear during my workouts (fortunately!) and this gives the Vasa Bla an edge over the H5, which over time got too tiresome to use... imagine doing bench presses halfway only to realise one side of your earphones has dropped out of the ear... it can be rather irritating! 

I had some issues with pairing the Vasa Bla as well..... make sure you read the instructions (provided in the booklet) on how to pair it via Bluetooth! The battery life for these earphones is about 8 hours of playback, but for me it lasted around 4 hours to 5 hours, which was more than good enough for my usual daily usage. 

Summary
In short, if you are looking for a premium wireless earphones with a really premium feel, or if you are looking to buy a nice gift for a friend who enjoys good music on the go, Vasa Bla could be a really good option. 

If you are keen to find out more, please visit Sudio Sweden via this link: http://www.sudiosweden.com/sg/earphones-collection

Lastly, I will be doing a Vasa Bla giveaway on my Instagram, so if you keen to get a free one, please check it out!