I’ve tested so many of the best open earbuds recently that they’ve almost started to blur into one, but I’ve never forgotten two of the first open-ears I tested for how unique they were. One of these was the OneOdio OpenRock S – and it has finally seen a successor in the OneOdio OpenRock S2. But the thing is, it’s quite a different proposition.
The OpenRock Pro and OpenRock S were pretty big and bulky open-ears compared to what we’re seeing in 2025 but they were perfect for outdoor adventures or running thanks to their absolutely huge battery life, rugged design and solid, robust, inflexible design.
For better or worse the OpenRock S2 aren’t like the first-gen model but keep closer to current market trends in terms of design and feature set. I can’t say I’m not disappointed, but these new buds could be more appealing to a wider audience so I can understand the change.
These are slightly more affordable alternatives to most of the other major open earbuds we’ve seen this year, the majority of which sit just north of the $100 / £100 / AU$200 price line. I’d recommend them to people who want decent open-ears but don’t need the very best audio, fully-rounded feature set or long-lasting batteries.
The S2 are lightweight buds with a more flexible design and much smaller carry case, so won’t take up so much space in your bag or on your head than the last-gen model. I did find that this design presented a few issues with fit though, as the buds would sometimes move position on my head or get stuck on my ear’s antitragus, and I found myself missing the older buds’ design.
Another downgrade is a battery life in that it's roughly half that of the predecessors, but other areas compensate: OpenRock finally has a phone app for its earbuds, which wasn’t the case upon the release of the previous-gen buds.
The sound profile is warm with a clear focus on bass, with tech from the company emphasizing bass not to give it extra oomph, but to ensure you can even hear it in this form factor (which often loses it). They’re good options if you’re looking for something to work out with.
If you were put off by the original OpenRock’s rugged, chunky look and huge carry case, thinking it a bit too much of a fringe option for you, you’ll definitely think the S2 an interesting new pair of earbuds. But if those traits were the entire selling point of the originals for you (as they were for me), the S2 just don’t have that uniqueness.
OneOdio OpenRock S2 review: Specifications
Component
Value
Water resistant
IPX5
Battery life
8 hours (earbuds), 32 hours (total)
Bluetooth type
Bluetooth 6.0
Weight
7g / Charging case: 58g
Driver
12mm
OneOdio OpenRock S2 review: Price and availability
(Image credit: Future)
Released in June 2025
Costs $98.99 / £79.99 / AU$154
The OneOdio OpenRock S2 went on sale in June 2025, officially marking the second generation of OpenRock’s sports-specific open-ear headphones.
You can pick up the buds for $98.99 / £79.99 / AU$154 , so they’re cheaper than their predecessors, which released in October 2023 for $99 / £89 (roughly AU$150) although price cuts have seen the OpenRock S go for half that.
That also puts the OpenRock S2 as some of the most affordable open earbuds to come out this year, a good option for cost-cutters. You can find some competitors below, but let me speak plain: the options worth buying are all about $130 / £100 / AU$200.
OneOdio OpenRock S2 review: Design
(Image credit: Future)
Small and lightweight case
Lightweight buds, slightly wobbly design
Hard-to-press physical buttons
Having tested previous OpenRocks, I was expecting a similarly huge carry case (relatively – earbuds cases can be like boxes of dental floss now) for the S2, but I was pleasantly surprised. It’s a much smaller pebble-shaped holder which weighs just 58g and easily fits in a hand.
While it’s made from a fairly brittle plastic that doesn’t feel like it’d survive much of a battering (I didn't try any drop tests), the speckled pattern on it makes it more distinctive-looking than the vast number of its rivals I've used.
The earbuds themselves are also smaller and more svelte than previous offerings from the company. They weigh just 7g each and are made up of a small bud, a thin rubbery sports loop and a larger counterweight/battery pack that sits behind your ear.
Evidence of how easily-bendable the hook is. (Image credit: Future)
As stated, I’ve tested loads of open-ears and these have got to be some of the most comfortable, thanks to how small and lightweight they are. Often I’d completely forget I was even wearing them.
Despite being comfortable, the fit isn’t reliable, likely due to just how thin, flexible and wobbly the sports loop is. When running, working out or sometimes even walking, the driver housing near my ear would wobble or change position a little, which can have a big knock-on effect on audio quality.
Another thing to criticize on the design front is the touch controls. On-ear controls, be they touch capacitive sensors or physical clicking buttons, are a hard thing for companies to get right, but the S2 is possibly the worst example yet on an open earbuds design.
The button is on the bottom of the counterweight, so if you want to pause your music, you have to press upwards — which shoves the thing straight out of your ear. Now that’ll stop your music! The solution is to hold the bud in place with your other fingers or hand to keep it in place, but this is a much more convoluted process than, say, picking up your phone and pressing ‘pause’.
Design score: 3.5/5
OneOdio OpenRock S2 review: Features
(Image credit: Future)
8-hour battery, 32 hours from case
New app with extra features
Reliable connection via Bluetooth 6.0
OpenRock has seriously cut the S2’s battery life from its predecessor, which is a big shame. You’re now looking at a lasting power of 8 hours per bud, or 32 hours when you factor in the case, which is about average for open-ears but far short of the 19/60-hour life of the OpenRock S. It’s a shame to see a downgrade like this from one of the S’ best selling points.
As with most open earbuds, there’s no noise cancellation here; in fact, the form factor makes it easy to hear surrounding sounds. In truth, the buds’ relatively low max volume means that often, you might not even hear your music over the surrounding din in built-up cities, say.
The OpenRock S2 work alongside the OpenRock phone app which brings a few extra features. The most important one of these is the equalizer, which has three presets (Rock Mode, Relax Mode and Boom Mode, a graphic of the equalizer curve being the only way you’ll know what any of them do) and a seven-band custom mode.
(Image credit: Future)
This was a little infuriating to use as every time you change profile, music quickly flickers off and back on, so repeatedly tweaking the sound creates a strobe-like effect.
The app offers a few premium features like Spatial Sound, a way to adjust the left-right balance of music, a Hi-Res Mode and Multi-Point Connection. Some expected features appear like the ability to customize touch controls and there are two rarer ones: the ability to set an alarm to let you know you’ve been listening for a set amount of time, and a maximum volume limiter (ironic, given what I said about the volume).
Throughout testing, I found the OpenRock S2 quick and easy to connect to my phone, and reliable at maintaining a connection.
Features score: 4/5
OneOdio OpenRock S2 review: Sound performance
(Image credit: Future)
14.2mm driver
Bass tech returns for warm sound profile
Low max volume, can be hard to hear
Each bud of the OpenRock S2 has a 12mm driver. It supports LDAC, AAC and SBC codecs, the former once you enable it via the app. The buds sound decent for their cost, though they’re not the best open-ears for audiophiles.
A selling point of OpenRock’s first-gen open-ears is back here: TubeBass, which boosts low-end sounds to fix a common complaint of the form factor, that thumping rhythms can be lost in the gap between earbud and ear canal.
(Image credit: Future)
TubeBass works well in ensuring the S2 is one of the better open-ears for bass fans, ensuring that you hear the bump of a bass guitar, synth or double bass in your chosen song. It makes the buds useful for people who listen to lots of workout songs, though obviously they don’t compare to any over-ear or in-ears which will deliver far more bass.
The bass isn’t overwhelming though, so it doesn’t drown out the treble in sounds. The overall sound profile of the buds is undeniably warm though, so guitars are crunchy and brass can be punchy but vocal lines lack some sparkle and sharpness through the upper mids and trebles. Mids can also be lost in songs, even rockier ones that enjoy extra ‘oomph’ from their rhythm guitars.
The soundstage is fairly limited, combining instruments into a bit of a thick lump at times, but this isn’t as damning as it sounds because the kind of nuance that a detailed soundstage can offer can also be quickly lost in open-ears when surrounding sounds get in the way.
Sound performance score: 3.5/5
OneOdio OpenRock S2 review: Value
(Image credit: Future)
OpenRock’s decision to price these as more affordable than most other open-ears from major brands was a smart one. It makes them tempting as an alternative to top options from brands like Nothing, Huawei and Honor, for people who want to save money.
The S2 isn’t so fantastic value for money that it’s an instant must-buy, but they still provide lots of bang for your buck. That’d be doubly true if a discount ever comes to them to reduce the price a little further, especially for US buyers.
Value score: 4/5
OneOdio OpenRock S2 review: scorecard
Category
Comment
Score
Value
It's an affordable option that doesn't have the feature set of rivals (or predecessors) but isn't that much of a downgrade.
4/5
Design
Much more lightweight and svelte than before, perhaps too much so.
3.5/5
Features
Most of the features you need are present, even if some have seen a downgrade from past models.
4/5
Sound
A warm sound profile that'll appeal to people working out, though it has its limitations.
3.5/5
OneOdio OpenRock S2: Should you buy them?
(Image credit: Future)
Buy them if...
You want something lightweight Both the buds and the case of the OpenRock S2 are easy to wear or carry due to their light nature.
You're on a budget One of the most affordable options around right now, the OpenRock S2 will appeal to people looking to save.
You like your bassy, fiery sound The OpenRock S2 won't offer you sonic perfection but instead a sound profile that lists to the warm, bassy and fuzzy.
Don't buy them if...
You'll listen in busy areas The low max volume of the OpenRock S2 makes them unsuitable for use in busy and noisy areas, where they'll compete with other surrounding sounds.
You need rugged earbuds The unique appeal of past OpenRock buds is lost here with a shorter battery life, looser design and less-protected carry case.
Also consider
Component
OpenRock S2
Earfun OpenJump
JLab Epic Open Sport
OpenRock S
Water resistant
IPX5
IPX7
IP55
IPX5
Battery life
8 hours (earbuds) 32 hours (total)
11 hours (earbuds) 42 hours (total)
7 hours (earbuds), 30 hours (total)
19 hours (earbuds), 60 hours (total)
Bluetooth type
Bluetooth 6.0
Bluetooth 5.3
Bluetooth 5.4
Bluetooth 5.3
Weight
7g / Charging case: 58g
8g / Charging case: 67g
16.8g / Charging case: 49.6g
12g / Charging case: 132g
Driver
12mm
14.2mm
14mm
16.2mm
Earfun OpenJump One of the other affordable open earbuds you might want to consider comes from Earfun, and they're cheaper in the US but pricier in most other places. These buds don't sound as good but their equalizer has plenty more customization and they last longer. Read our full Earfun OpenJump review
JLab Epic Open Sport These contemporary open-ears sound a little better than the OpenRock, however their features don't quite match especially in the battery life. Read our full JLab Epic Open Sport review
How I tested
The OpenRock S2 underwent roughly two weeks of testing in order to write this review, and as the introduction implies they're just the latest in a long chain of open-ears I've been testing.
During the review period the buds were connected to an Android smartphone and I generally used them for music on Spotify but also occasionally for calls, games, TV show streaming and listening to voice notes. This took place on runs, at the gym, on walks around my neighborhood and at home.
I've been reviewing gadgets for TechRadar since early 2019 and have used a huge range of tech. This includes other open-ear buds as well as past earbuds from OpenRock and other headphones from parent company OneOdio.
It’s easy to dismiss earbuds made by smartphone companies as a cheap add-on made to sell alongside a handset, a job made easier by the fact that many are. But the OnePlus Buds 4 shows that this isn’t always the case.
Let me speak plain: these earbuds are really good for ANC. Some of the best noise-cancelling earbuds around, then? Absolutely, but that's not the end of the story – if it were, you'd be right to utter 'So, why the four-star review, not five?' and I'll get to that, I promise.
The OnePlus Buds 4 are the successors to last year’s OnePlus Buds 3, but with a little of the DNA of the OnePlus Buds Pro 3. And these new fourth-gen buds are independent from OnePlus phones to such a degree that they weren’t actually released alongside any flagship handset from the company (though their launch did coincide with some new cheaper Nord 5 phones from the brand).
I appreciate it when companies do what OnePlus has done here: create buds that focus on offering a few key superb selling points that beat the competition. It ensures it’s easy to compare them positively to other buds, and makes my job of writing an intro that much easier!
One such department on the OnePlus Buds 4 is the Active Noise Cancellation, or ANC. Once the most important arms-race of any headphone maker, though now slightly forgotten in the reverse arms-race of open earbuds, ANC is still an important feature for many buyers… and the Buds 4 have easily the best noise cancelling performance in any earbuds or headphones I’ve tested at this price. It absolutely eradicates background sound, no matter how noisy, and you’d have to buy buds for double the price to get something competitive.
The design of the buds also needs to be commended. You might not be able to tell from photos, but these earbuds themselves are perhaps the lightest I’ve ever tested at under 5g (I haven’t gone through every review I’ve written to check, but quite a few!) and they’re really comfortable as a result. The case is also really small, and equally lightweight (see above, about me having written too many reviews to check these against every one). Sometimes, fantastic design isn’t a funky look or weird features or LEDs, but the meat-and-potatoes of a light, comfortable wear.
You’re getting a (mostly) fantastic feature set from the OnePlus Buds 4 too, again one of the best selections of extras in any buds I’ve tested at this price. I won’t go through them all, as I’ve already exceeded my word count in the Features section talking about them, but goodies like a listening test, Spatial Audio and high-res listening are all working well.
But wait! I haven’t mentioned how the things sound yet! That isn’t because it’s bad, just that the features and design are so great I got distracted. Like the Buds 3, there's a strong focus on bassy booming sound, but it’s much better balanced this time around. Music is punchy and exciting, with plenty of customization options to take it further.
The main issue I had with the OnePlus Buds 4? It's a big one I'm afraid: the app had a ton of connectivity problems, which really affected my experience with the buds. I need to preface this statement by saying that I used the buds before their official release and it’s very possible that by the time they are in your ears, these software kinks will be ironed out, but it's also important for me to be honest in my write ups – and this was my experience. I have tested myriad sets of earbuds, and if it was challenging to me, it will surely be for any owner.
Some buyers will also find the price increase over the OnePlus Buds 3 hard to swallow, but the significant uptick in ANC efficacy justifies it.
OnePlus Buds 4 review: Price and release date
(Image credit: Future)
Unveiled in June 2025, officially launched July 8, 2025
Costs $129.99 / £119 (roughly AU$200)
Price hike over predecessor
The OnePlus Buds 4 became available on July 8 2025, alongside a Nord-y line-up of phones from the company’s affordable line of Androids.
TechRadar was provided with the buds’ UK price prior to launch: £119, and they've been released in the US for $129.99, which means in Australia they'll set you back around AU$200 or just above.
Many buyers will probably get these buds for free, though, as OnePlus likes to offer gadgets like this for free if you buy its mobiles.
It’s worth pointing out that this price is a noticeable hike from the $99 / £89 / AU$179 price point of the previous-gen buds, but is still far south of the $179 / £199 (roughly AU$400) price of the Buds 3 Pro.
At that price, I could hear arguments for these counting as cheap earbuds, and other points in favor of these being mid-rangers. Either way, there are lots of rivals at this price point, and you can find them described in the Competition section below.
OnePlus Buds 4 review: Specs
Drivers
11mm woofer + 6mm tweeter
Active noise cancellation
Yes
Battery life (ANC off)
11 hours (buds) 45 hours (case)
Weight
4.73g (buds) 40g (case)
Connectivity
Bluetooth 5.4
Waterproofing
IP55
OnePlus Buds 4 review: Features
(Image credit: Future)
Amazing noise cancellation
…but we need to talk about the app
6/24 hour battery life (ANC on)
When I first turned on the OnePlus Buds 4’s Active Noise Cancellation (ANC), I was in a busy gym – it’s a great test case due to all the noises going on (and the music they play at my local is absolutely awful). I was absolutely floored by how much background sound the buds removed, which I’ll aptly summarize simply as ‘basically all of it’.
This is on the buds’ High ANC mode, which uses an algorithm to automatically adapt for wherever you are. There’s also a moderate and low, and also an Auto which… also chooses between those three automatically. You’ve also also got a Transparency mode to block out ambient noise but allow loud nearby ones, and yet another adaptive mode which selects between Transparency and standard noise cancellation. If you’ve been keeping count, that’s three different auto modes.
Using the HeyMelody app was a pain. It never remembered the buds between listening sessions so I kept having to re-add them, which was hard when it could only detect them about 50% of the time. And when it could and I pressed ‘Connect’, I wouldn’t get taken through the the app pages where I could control the buds. Oh no.
Instead a pop-up would appear telling me that I can find more settings for the earbuds by going to my phone’s Bluetooth settings. Okay, good to know. But pressing ‘Cancel’ just hides the pop-up so I need to press ‘Connect’ again, and pressing ‘Go’ just takes me to my phone’s Bluetooth settings. It took me ages to figure out I’d need to go to this menu (not a page in HeyMelody, I should add), and then select the headphones, and then press ‘Earbud functions’ which would take me back to HeyMelody. It’s an absolutely infuriating and long-winded process and I can’t imagine that this is actually how it’s meant to function.
(Image credit: Future)
It’s a shame because you really do need to use the HeyMelody app as most of the Buds 4's features are within it – and because those features are some of these earbuds' biggest draws.
You’ve got OnePlus 3D Audio, the company’s version of Spatial Audio. You’ve got an equalizer, which offers a 6-band custom mode or three presets along with a separate bass booster called BassWave. You’ve got the ability to set up ways to control your phone camera with the buds, toggles for High-Res mode, a find-my-earbuds function and, most importantly Golden Sound.
Golden Sound combines two tests we infrequently see in earbuds: an ear canal scan and a listening test, which together create a custom sound profile to enhance your music. I was impressed to see results which back ups hat I’ve independent learnt about my ears (one being better than the other) and the created sound profile did mark an improvement on the buds’ sound (albeit a smaller improvement than on some other buds which also have this test).
Some other features of the Buds 4, like a live translation feature, are exclusive to owners of a OnePlus phone.
Throughout testing, the connection between my phone and the buds was flawless, with the Bluetooth never dropping once. That wasn’t the case with the app itself, as I’ve already said, and every time I plugged the buds in it defaulted to their Transparency ANC mode, so I’d have to open up the app and change it.
With all these features, and more to list in the Sound Quality section, there’s a knock-on effect. The OnePlus Buds 4 battery life is fine, but nothing to write home about, and it can suffer if you’re using all the features.
The buds have a battery life of 11 hours… with ANC switched off. Turn it on and that drops by nearly half to 6 hours, and using LHDC codec drops it even further by about an hour. The case itself has quite a bit of gas in the tank as it starts at 45 hours of listening time, dropping to 24 with ANC and 22 with LHDC.
Those are all OnePlus’ figures but my own testing backed them up. With ANC but without LHDC, I’d get just over 6 hours of listening time on one charge.
Features score: 3.5/5
OnePlus Buds 4 review: Design
(Image credit: Future)
Incredibly light case and buds
Fiddly touch controls
Black or green color options
Banish the thought of the square-cased OnePlus Buds 3; in the Buds 4, the company has borrowed the case design of the Buds Pro 3. That means it’s a pebble-shaped container that opens horizontally to reveal the top of the buds.
The case weighs 40g, so it’s very lightweight, and it’s certainly one of the smallest I’ve seen recently, clocking in at 65.4 x 52.4 x 25.3mm according to the very-specific figures OnePlus provided TechRadar.
I did find it a bit fiddly to get the buds back into the case at times, frequently putting the wrong one in the gaps. It’s probably only a concern to people who identify as klutzes, so I can’t list it as a ‘Con’, but it’s worth pointing out.
(Image credit: Future)
Like the buds themselves, the case comes in green or black. As someone who’s tested loads of OnePlus tech over the years, I’ve got to say the colors are very… ‘OnePlus-y’.
The buds weigh 4.73g so they’re incredibly lightweight. They use a stem design like previous buds from the company, so they consist of a body which stays wedged in your ear with a rubber tip, and a small stem that dangles down
Both buds have a stem that you can stroke up or down to change the volume. I found these really hard to use, as a light touch wouldn’t be triggered, and a hard one would invariably dislodge the buds in my ears. I quickly figured that it was better to stick to using my phone for volume controls. The actual double-tap controls worked a lot better though.
The buds are IP55 rated which means they’re protected against dust ingress, and can survive against low-pressure water jets. Yes, that includes sweat and rain, but I wouldn’t wear them during a water fight or while you swim.
Design score: 4/5
OnePlus Buds 4 review: Sound quality
11mm+6mm drivers, dual DAC
Emphasis on bassy sound
Supports Hi-Res Audio, LHDC
(Image credit: Future)
OnePlus has absolutely stuffed the Buds 4 full of audio-specific features.
Take, for example the drivers: each has two, an 11mm woofer for bass and 6mm tweeter for the higher stuff. There’s also a dual DAC solution, offering a separate one for each driver, so let each specialise. Buds 3 Pro users might be getting some Deja vu right now.
If you’re picking up what I’m putting down, you will have noticed that I’ve referenced plenty of bass features. Like the previous-gen buds, these models offer absolutely loads of bass – they’re punchy and exciting, but crucially it’s not as lopsidedly-balanced as the last-gen buds.
Vocal lines, guitar rhythms, piano harmonies are all crystal clear and defined, with the buds’ new focus on dynamic balance ensuring other parts of music can cut through the bass surprisingly well.
Listeners who like finely-balanced audio may still find the Buds 4’s heavy bass off-putting (even though you can strip lots of the excess away using the app’s EQ), but if you don’t mind a bit of oomph, the buds are fantastic.
The buds also support streaming High-Res audio via the Hi-Res Audio Wireless standard, the LHDC 5.0 Bluetooth codec and offer a sampling rate of 192Hz.
Sound quality: 4/5
OnePlus Buds 4 review: Value
(Image credit: Future)
Good value at full price
Great value on sale
Incredible value as bundle gift
I mentioned before that you may be receiving these as a pre-order or buying bonus with a phone, and if that’s the case… yep, a 100% discount is pretty good value for money!
In a hypothetical situation in which you’re buying these at full price, they’re still really good value for money due to the stand-out features. You’d be hard-pressed to get buds for cheaper with ANC, a feature set or a design like this.
However, if you don’t mind compromising in a few areas, you can definitely get buds for under $100/£100/AU$200 which equal the Buds 4 in most departments – if not the ANC.
Value: 4/5
Should I buy the OnePlus Buds 4?
(Image credit: Future)
OnePlus Buds 4 score card
Attributes
Notes
Rating
Features
A fantastic feature set and top-notch ANC are a little hard to use thanks to the app experience.
3.5/5
Design
Incredibly lightweight buds that you'll forget are in your ear.
4/5
Sound quality
Heavy bass that doesn't obscure the rest of your music and is energetic and punchy.
4/5
Value
They're not too expensive and the entire package could cost twice as much without it being a rip-off.
3.5/5
Buy them if…
You need top-of-the-line ANC I can't stress just how impressive the OnePlus Buds 4 noise cancellation is. If you hate background sound, buy it.
You have a OnePlus phone A few features of the Buds 4 are exclusive to OnePlus users, so if you have such a phone, you're getting a little extra out of the purchase.
You want lightweight buds Some earbuds are a pretty noticeable presence in your ear, for better or worse. The OnePlus buds certainly aren't that.View Deal
Don’t buy them if…
You're not a bass fan While not as overwhelming as on last year's model, the Buds 4 certainly offer lots of bass which isn't for everyone.
You want earbuds for long journeys When you switch on all of its features, the OnePlus Buds 4 don't really last all that long.
OnePlus Buds 4 review: Also consider
OnePlus Buds 4
Nothing Ear
Earfun Free Pro 3
OnePlus Buds 3
Drivers
11mm + 6mm
11mm
7mm
10.4mm + 6mm
Active noise cancellation
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Battery life
11 hours (buds) 45 hours (case)
5.2 hours (buds); 24 hours (case)
7.5 hours (buds) 25.5 hours total (with case)
10 hours (buds) 44 hours (case)
Weight
4.73g (buds) 40g (case)
4.62g (buds); 51.9g (case)
41.5g total
4.8g (buds) 40.8g (case)
Connectivity
Bluetooth 5.4
Bluetooth 5.3
Bluetooth 5.3
Bluetooth 5.3
Waterproofing
IP55
IP54
IPX5
IP55
Nothing Ear These similar-priced earbuds also offer loads of bass and a top-end feature set that's comparable. The battery life is even worse but a few unique features may clinch the deal.
Sony WF-C710N You could save a little money and buy these Sony buds, which have a stem-less design. They too have great ANC and some useful features, including from Sony's impressive suite, and their battery life is also much better/
The testing and writing period of the OnePlus Buds 4 took roughly two weeks, most of which were testing and a few of which were writing.
I used the buds alongside my Realme Android phone and the apps I used included Spotify, Tidal, YouTube, Netflix and various games. I tested at home, around my neighborhood, at the gym and on public transport.
For TechRadar I've tested plenty of other earbuds including the previous-gen OnePlus Buds 3, and have other reviewed other gadgets from the company including the buds' contemporary smartphones.
And you thought Focal's first wireless over-ear noise-cancelling headphones were expensive…
The French company has had a good long think about things, developed an all-new magnesium driver, one with an ‘M’-shaped dome, and built it in-house. The company has then added a lovely new ‘chestnut’ finish and badged the resulting model ‘Bathys MG’. Oh, and then slapped an uber-premium price ticket on it.
Remarkably, the Bathys MG go quite a long way to justifying that asking price. They’re beautifully built and finished, and really look the part. They have potent battery life, and will remain comfortable even if you drain that battery in one sitting. They will function as a USB DAC if you want to use them for desktop or office listening. And they have way more positives than negatives when it comes to the sound those fancy-pants drivers can serve up.
Some of the best headphones money can buy then? Well, nothing's perfect, and the Focal lack the wireless codec compatibility that could absolutely maximise their Bluetooth performance – it only takes a moment’s comparison of their sound when running via USB-C to the wireless equivalent to realise this. And while their active noise-cancellation is pretty good, ‘pretty good’ doesn’t approach ‘class-leading’ at this sort of money.
As with sound quality, though, the overall positives outweigh the negatives to a considerable degree. If you’ve the headroom in your bank account, the Focal Bathys MG have plenty to recommend them.
(Image credit: Future)
Focal Bathys MG review: Price & release date
Released March 26th, 2025
$1299 / £999 / AU$2299
The Focal Bathys MG were announced on March 26, 2025 and went on sale the following month.
Eyebrows were raised at the revelation of the asking price, and it seems fair to say they haven’t really been lowered since – Focal has pitched these headphones at the very outer edge of the wireless over-ear market, where only rarefied alternatives from the likes of Audio Technica, Bang & Olufsen and Mark Levinson serve as competition…
(Image credit: Future)
Focal Bathys MG review: Specs
Type
Over-ear, closed-back, noise-cancelling
Drivers
40mm magnesium ‘M’-dome
Weight
350g
Battery life
30h (wireless); 35h (hard-wired); 42h (DAC mode)
Connectivity
5.2 with aptX Adaptive codec compatibility, 3.5mm, USB-C DAC connectivity
(Image credit: Future)
Focal Bathys MG review: Features
40mm magnesium ‘M’-dome dynamic drivers
Bluetooth: 5.2 with aptX Adaptive codec compatibility
Will function as a 24bit/192kHz USB-DAC
When you’re asking absolutely top dollar for a pair of wireless over-ear noise-cancelling headphones, there are a lot of ‘features’ boxes that need a thorough ticking. With the Bathys MG, it seems fair to say Focal has dealt with most, but not all, of them.
The headline, the thing Focal seems most proud of, and the feature that goes furthest in separating the Bathys MG from their more affordable Bathys sibling, is the 40mm magnesium ‘M’-dome dynamic driver that produces the sound. These drivers are made in Focal’s workshops in France and, according to the company, deliver a frequency response of 10Hz - 22kHz. The measurable distortion is vanishingly low, and Focal is bullish about the sonic power and clarity this design is capable of serving up.
Getting information on board the headphones in order for those drivers to do their thing can be achieved in a few different ways. Obviously the Bathys MG are wireless headphones, and use Bluetooth 5.2 with aptX Adaptive codec compatibility for wireless connectivity - which is fine as far as it goes, but it could be argued that it doesn’t go far enough. Bluetooth 5.4 represents the cutting edge right now, and codecs like LDAC and, especially, aptX Lossless offer optimum sound quality. LC3 and Auracast are also increasingly common in wireless designs that sell for significantly less than this, but the Focal go without. At least the Bathys MG feature multi-point connectivity.
There’s a 3.5mm analogue input on the edge of the right earcup, so the Bathys MG can be hard-wired to a source of music – an in-flight entertainment system, for instance – when wireless transmission is not available. And the USB-C slot that’s nearby not only allows for battery charging but also turns the headphones into a USB DAC – make a digital connection to a source of music and the Bathys MG can deal with 24bit/192kHz hi-res content like the best of the standalone headphone DACs we've tested. Just select the correct position on the little ‘off/DAC/on’ slider on the right ear cup and you’re in business.
On the subject of the battery, it’s worth noting the Focal cannot be used passively – no power, no sound. But given that battery life is around 30 hours when using Bluetooth, 35 hours via the analogue connection or an epic 42 hours when operating as a USB DAC, you’d have to be pretty negligent to run dry. And should the worst happen, the fast-charging function means that 15 minutes of mains power should equate to five hours of playback.
Features score: 4/5
(Image credit: Focal)
Focal Bathys MG review: Sound quality
Spacious, insightful and energetic sound
Punchy and dynamic presentation
Treble response can be goaded
Conext, of course, is everything. The Focal Bathys MG get almost everything right when it comes to the way they sound – but when you’re asking four figures for a pair of headphones, ‘almost’ means you’ve come up slightly short.
The stuff that’s enjoyable is a much longer list than the stuff that isn’t, though, so I might as well start here. The Bathys MG are a beautifully open, organised and detailed listen – the stage they create is spacious and properly defined, and there isn’t an event that happens on it that’s too fleeting, too minor or too transient to be overlooked. The Focal are absolutely hawk-like in their attention to detail, and their ability to identify and contextualise every single incident in a recording makes them one of the most out-and-out revealing headphones I’ve heard in a good long while.
No matter it it’s Talk Talk’s timeless Spirit of Eden as a DSD64 file being delivered via aptX Bluetooth or a 24bit/192kHz FLAC file of I Never Loved a Man the Way I Love You by Aretha Franklin served up by the Bathy MG functioning as a USB DAC, they communicate in the most relentless and articulate fashion. Low frequencies are textured and endlessly varied, and so carefully controlled that rhythmic expression is never an issue. The word ‘revealing’ is almost too weak a way to describe the way the Focal handle the midrange – Aretha’s peerless technique and exquisite tone is translated in the most eloquent manner imaginable.
Switch to a 24bit/48kHz FLAC file of James Holden’s Imagine This is a High Dimensional Space of All Possibilities and the dynamic headroom the Bathy MG demonstrate, as well as the straightforward punch and attack, is deeply impressive. There’s real momentum to this recording, and the Focal describe it in full and with complete confidence.
The whole frequency range hangs together well, and frequency response is smooth and even too. Really, it’s only at the top end that any shortcomings are apparent – and for most of the time, they’re latent rather than overt. Treble sounds are slightly distinct in their tonality from the rest of the frequency range – there’s an edginess, a willingness to bite, that puts them at odds somewhat with everything else that’s going on. Very big volumes and/or sharp-edged recordings are no friends of the treble response of these headphones.
Otherwise, it’s only the active noise-cancellation that sounds the mildest of bum notes. There’s no shame in having to play second fiddle to Bose when it comes to ANC – everyone else is too, after all. But the job the Bathys MG do on external sounds is not complete. They damp down ambient noise, of course, and do so without altering their sonic characteristics in any way or leaving a sensation of counter-signal – but if it’s complete negation of external noise you’re after, you won’t get it here.
Sound quality score: 4.5/5
(Image credit: Future)
Focal Bathys MG review: Design
Excellent standard of build and finish
Premium materials look and feel good
Rigid carry-case with a selection of cables
Within the inevitable constraints of over-headphone design, Focal has done good work with the Bathys MG. Whether or not a pair of headphones can ever look or feel like they cost four figures is debatable, but there’s no arguing with the standard of construction, the industrial design or the quality of the materials involved here.
At 350g the Focal are of manageable weight, and their clamping force and hanger arrangement allow them to stay comfortable for hours on end. This is helped in a fairly big way by the use of leather and padded microfibre for the headband, and similarly padded pleather for the (replaceable) ear pads. The bulk of the frame is of aluminium or hard-wearing plastic, and the design on the ear cups (first seen on the original Focal Bathys) helps these headphones look distinctive and up-market. The ‘chestnut’ colour, which shifts subtly as the light changes, is very agreeable – and the in-app ability to adjust the intensity of the lighting of the stylised company logo on each ear cup is a nice touch too.
The app itself is on the brief side, but those few functions it does include are useful and well-implemented. A five-band EQ has some presets and the ability to save custom settings, noise-cancellation can be toggled between ‘transparent’, ‘soft’ and ‘silent’, and there’s a ‘Mimi’ test to help the headphones set themselves up to suit your specific hearing profile.
Voice-control is available via your player’s native assistant – there are four mics in each earcup taking care of these interactions as well as telephony and ANC. And there are some physical controls, almost all on the right earcup – the classic three-button strip takes care of volume up/down, play/pause, skip forwards/backwards and Bluetooth pairing, and there’s a button to wake your voice assistant. There’s that on/off/DAC slider too, of course. And on the left ear cup, there’s a button that lets you cycle through your ANC options.
The Bathys MG arrive in a rigid travel case (which is not as big as it might be, given that they don’t fold beyond some articulation in the ear cup yokes). It includes a couple of 1.2m cables of very acceptable quality – one is a 3.5mm analogue number, the other a USB-C.
Design score: 4.5/5
(Image credit: Future)
Focal Bathys MG review: Value
Great standard of build, from premium materials
Good battery life, extremely enjoyable sound
Not the last word in wireless technology
Obviously these are expensive headphones – so it’s mildly surprising that the Focal Bathys MG go so far towards offering value for money. They’re nicely made, look good, use upmarket materials and have quite a few technical highlights – not least their driver technology.
The uptick in performance when used as a USB DAC compared to the wireless equivalent does make me wish for LDAC or, better still, aptX Lossless compatibility though – then we’d be talking about value for money that would be very difficult indeed to argue with.
Value score: 4/5
Should I buy the Focal Bathys MG?
Section
Notes
Score
Features
No power, no sound when wired, and no Auracast or LC3 in an otherwise beautiful setup
4/5
Sound quality
Practically perfect… just a shade off excellent for ANC and treble response
4.5/5
Design
Lovely colorway and classy build, but LDAC wireless support would've been ideal
4.5/5
Value
A touch surprising, given the asking fee, but they're not bad value at all…
4/5
Buy them if...
You value exclusivity The Focal look and feel like a premium product - which is just as well, given the asking price
You like expansive and informative sound Even music you’re very familiar with can sound fresh when heard through these headphones
You indulge in long listening sessions Tha Bathys MG have the battery-life to indulge you and are as comfortable as they come
Don't buy them if...
You’re expecting a fully featured control app The Focal app is sort of the anti-Sony - its functionality is very restricted
You want cutting-edge wireless technologies Where Bluetooth specification is concerned, the Bathys MG are not exactly at the forefront
You’re especially sensitive to high-frequency sound The Focal live right on the edge when it comes to treble response
Focal Bathys MG: Also consider
Bang & Olufsen Beoplay H95 The OG of premium audio will, of course, sell you an extremely pricey and very good-looking pair of wireless over-ear headphones – and happily the H95 have the performance to justify the price. Read all about them in our Bang & Olufsen Beoplay H95 review
Focal Bathys Their driver technology may not be as attention-grabbing as that of the Bathys MG, but then neither is the asking price – and the Bathys remain a very compelling option in their part of the market. Learn more in our full Focal Bathys review
Mark Levinson No. 5909 Safe to say Mark Levinson has concentrated on performance with the No. 5909 – they’re no one’s idea of a great-looking pair of headphones. If you prioritise sound, though, they are very hard to argue with. See them up close in our in-depth Mark Levinson No. 5909 review
How I tested the Focal Bathys MG
Wirelessly connected to an iPhone 14 Pro and a FiiO M15S
Hard-wired via USB-C to a MacBook Pro
For quite a long time
An Apple iPhone 14 Pro tops out with the AAC codec, of course – but a FiiO M15S can offer aptX to the Bathys MG, and doesn’t have the distraction of a native voice-assistant either.
For home listening, I listened to the Focal as a USB DAC via a USB-C connection to my MacBook Pro – the laptop is running Colibri software in order to get access to 24bit/192kHz content.
I listened for longer than I needed to, quite honestly, because it was no kind of hardship – and I listened to lots of different types of music, and lots of different file types and sizes.
The Nothing Headphone (1) are the first-ever over-ear headphones from the still-fairly-new tech company, joining its smartphones and a range of earbuds – including one model we rated as a five-star smash hit: the Nothing Ear (a).
While Nothing's earbuds are all mid-range or cheaper, however, the Nothing Headphone (1) are in competition with the best noise-cancelling headphones at a premium level, due to their $299 / £299 price (about AU$630). That's what you pay for a pair of Sony WH-1000XM5 today – so do they stand up to one of the biggest names in wireless headphones?
Well, the Nothing Headphone (1) are a product of two halves. When it comes to the technical side of things, they absolutely won me over. They're crammed with features, ranging from tweakable active noise cancellation, to useful audio customization, to USB-C lossless sound support, to spatial audio.
With the exception of the limp spatial audio, these all work excellently, and when you pair them with fantastic on-ear controls – including a 'Roller' button that changes the volume (plus other functions) and is maybe my favorite button on a pair of headphones ever – and superb build quality, they feel well worth their price.
Sadly, the sound quality isn't at the same level. The audio is tuned by the great hi-fi brand KEF, and is reasonably refined, well-balanced, and broadly enjoyable. But it also feels compressed, and lacks the openness and expansive sound I'm used to from testing the competition at this price.
I tested them directly against the Sony WH-1000XM5, and far preferred the extra breadth and detail the Sony cans offer. I also compared them to the Sennheiser Accentum Plus headphones, which can be bought for about half the price, and preferred the sound of those too.
That's the key divide in the Nothing Headphone (1): premium price, premium features, but mid-range sound. But is why you buy headphones, and it needs to match the rest.
There is another divide of sorts: the aesthetics, which some people like a lot, and some people detest. You'll have to make your own mind up. The headphones are comfortable and extremely well-made, though, there's no question about that.
If (well, when) they get a price drop, these could be great headphones. As it stands, I'd suggest you go for the Sony WH-1000XM5 at this price, or another option among our round-up of the best headphones.
(Image credit: Future)
Nothing Headphone (1) review: Price and release date
$299 / £299 / AU$TBC
Released on July 15, 2025
Nothing's previous earbuds releases have all played in the budget-to-mid-range pool, but the Nothing Headphone (1) are going in at the premium deep end.
Their price of $299 / £299 matches the current street price of the Sony WH-1000MX5, and in the US is about the same price as the Bose QuietComfort Headphones. In the UK, you can get the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones for only a little more at the time of writing, and they often drop to a similarly competitive price in the US too.
That's pretty hardcore company, but the Nothing Headphone (1) are still significantly less expensive than the newest Sony WH-1000XM6, which come in at $449 / £399; and when it comes to features, the Nothing are closest to the XM6 and the Bose Ultra.
I'd also expect them to be available for less than their full price before too long. This is fairly standard with Nothing's earbuds, and the Nothing Ear (a) are now available at an effectively standard price that's far less than their launch price, which puts them top of our list of the best budget earbuds. Perhaps the Headphone (1) will drop before long; for now, though, I'm reviewing them based on their full price.
Nothing Headphone (1) review: Specs
Drivers
40mm dynamic
Active noise cancellation
Yes
Quoted battery life
ANC on: up to 35 hours. ANC off: up to 80 hours
Weight
329g
Connectivity
Bluetooth 5.3
Frequency range
20Hz-40kHz
Waterproofing
IP52
(Image credit: Future)
Nothing Headphone (1) review: Features
Multiple noise-cancellation modes and spatial audio options
Lots of other customization options in the excellent app
You might need to turn on some basic-seeming features
The Nothing Headphone (1) certainly justify their price when it comes to the list of features. You've got adaptive active noise cancellation with Transparency mode, head-tracked spatial audio, equalizer customization options, LDAC higher-res wireless audio, USB-C lossless Hi-Res Audio connectivity, a 3.5mm jack, multi-point Bluetooth to two devices, wear detection, Google Fast Pair, a customizable control button, and up to 35 hours of battery life with active noise cancellation turned on.
If you use them with the new Nothing Phone (3) you also get extra options, such as the option to use the customizable button to switch between your favorite audio apps, or active AI-based voice-note taking, in which your notes are automatically sorted into a relevant collection of notes on your phone.
Let's start with the noise cancellation, since it's the feature most people will use pretty much every time they turn on the headphones. You have three strength settings, plus 'Adaptive' – I was happiest sticking with 'High', but you might choose 'Low' for an office setting, say.
On High, the Nothing Headphone (1)'s noise-blocking power was essentially on a par with Sony WH-1000XM5 in my direct comparison. The noise cancellation does a great job of reducing sounds across the whole frequency range, and does it without interfering with the audio quality. I'd maybe give the Sony cans a 10% higher rating on higher-frequency noise reduction when listening to a podcast, but when listening to music, any difference between these two headphones was academic.
The Transparency mode works perfectly well, though it really emphasizes higher-frequency noises, such as crinkling a wrapper. This isn't uncommon, but the Sony XM5 cans maintained a more natural transparency sound when I compared them.
I also noted that when using Transparency mode and talking to someone, my own voice felt really boomy in my ears, far more so than with most of the premium headphones I've used for a while now, which is a bit distracting.
(Image credit: Future)
You can switch noise cancellation levels in the app, and you can switch between ANC or Transparency mode using the Roller button on the headphones. The sound that the headphones make to indicate when you've switched modes are my favorite I've ever heard on a pair of headphones – a small thing, but I genuinely loved it.
You hear the sound of a big intake of breath when you switch to Transparency mode, like a sound spirit has been freed from the captivity of ANC. Then, when you turn ANC back on, there's a sucking and shutting sound, denoting the noise being trapped – like the lid slamming back down on the Ark of the Covenant. There's zero confusion as to which mode you've switched to, unlike with some headphones.
When you've finished choosing your noise cancellation mode in the app you can also customize the sound, using two different EQ options and a separate Bass Enhancer tool. I'll get into the latter in the Sound Quality section next, but the EQ options initially give you the option of some named presets (such as 'Vocal'), or you can go into a truly custom mode with an eight-band EQ.
By default, the only way to activate the spatial audio mode, or the separate head-tracked spatial audio mode, is from the app. However, one of the other options you can customize in the app is a physical button near the top of the headphones, which you can use to trigger basically anything from within the app (plus the Nothing Phone (3)-specific options, such as the AI Assistant or switching audio apps). I decided to set this to switch spatial audio modes for my review period, which worked nicely.
I'll talk about the quality of spatial audio in the next section, but the short version is that I don't think it adds anything here, and actively harms the quality of watching videos or movies, sadly.
One slightly odd thing about these headphones is that the wear-detection (to auto-pause what's playing when you take them off) and multi-point Bluetooth (to connect to two devices at once) are both turned off by default, and these settings are hidden in the Device Settings screen rather than being somewhere obvious.
I kind of get it with multi-point Bluetooth – it's not uncommon for this to be turned off by default, and it could be confusing for people not used to the idea. But auto-pause should definitely be turned on by default! The good news is that both work perfectly.
When it comes to battery life we're promised 35 hours with active noise cancellation turned on, and 80 hours with it turned off. I didn't have time to test the latter claim during my review period, but I got just over 38 hours of real-world use from the cans with ANC on, and that was with spatial audio turned on at times as well, which uses even more power.
When it comes to microphone quality, these headphones are a little tinny and robotic, as many over-ear headphones are, but largely clear. Not bad, not impressive. I again broke out the Sony XM5 for comparison, and the two performed incredibly similarly – however, once again I heard my own voice booming far more in the Nothing in the Sony, which is a little unpleasant.
Features score: 4.5 / 5
(Image credit: Future)
Nothing Headphone (1) review: Sound quality
Well balanced with energetic low-end, especially with Bass Enhancer
Limited dynamism and expansiveness
Movie audio quality is weak, and spatial audio doesn't add anything
A quirk of timing meant that I received my Nothing Headphone (1) and starting testing them out before I knew their price. This meant that during my initial testing I had no preconceptions of how they should sound relative to their price; I just listened in isolation.
My instant reaction was "Oh, these must be much more mid-range than I expected from the design." I grabbed the Sennheiser Accentum Plus to do some comparison testing, since those are a top mid-range pick for us. And then I received the pricing information, and realized that these are not mid-range at all – but disappointingly the sound is.
The audio quality of the Nothing Headphone (1) is good, to be clear. But for their price, 'good' isn't good enough.
They're well-balanced across the frequencies, so the different elements of songs feel well represented, and no part seems to particularly overwhelm the others – as you'd hope, given the promise that the sound has been tuned by KEF.
The bass is muscular and impactful, but it still leaves space for the mid-range to feel solid. The treble is prominent without sticking out awkwardly, and delivers a reasonable amount of detail.
The problem is that it all feels bizarrely small and compressed. There's a surprising lack of expansiveness, and while the treble, mid and bass are all very well balanced they also feel shackled to each other, stuck dancing in a small group when then should be moving and spreading around the dance floor.
The sound never feels bigger than the earcups, and for this price, it should. I did direct listening comparisons, using the same music source, with the Sony WH-1000XM5, and you can feel that the music has more room to breathe in the latter.
Instruments separate better, voices sound more natural, the bass is more nimble and nuanced, the transient details are more defined in a way that gives the sound more solidity and realism, and there's a more expansive feeling to the mix.
The Nothing cans feel like they're lacking the fifth gear that other premium headphones have – when a song is supposed to open up into a climax of energy, the Nothing don't have any more headroom to offer.
If the Sony XM5's sound feels like it's coming from a pair of bookshelf speakers, the Nothing Headphone (1)'s sound feels like it's coming from a really good Bluetooth speaker; enjoyable enough given the limitations of the source, but simply lacking the scale and clarity you'd want.
I said that I was initially inclined to compare them to the Sennheiser Accentum Plus, and I'd put these two headphones roughly on a par. I prefer the Sennheiser's more open sound and extra touch of dynamism with small details, but the Nothing's energy and full bass will have their fans.
That's especially true if you activate the Bass Enhancer feature. I really like this! It adds more resonance and viciousness to low frequencies, in a good way. It won't be everyone's cup of tea, but it reaches deeper while maintaining total control over the sound. I would use this day-to-day with the headphones personally, for sure.
Bass Enhancer also gives you some fun extra flexibility choices when using the equalizer – for example, the Vocal preset on its own wasn't to my taste, but the Vocal preset with Bass Enhancer on was actually a tempting new option to listen with for a while.
The Sony XM5 are boomier in the bass than the Nothing, and with Bass Enhancer on I would say Nothing have the edge for low-end control and thrill, but it doesn't change the fact that I prefer the overall audio advantages of the Sony.
The spatial audio options ranged from middling to disappointing, in my opinion. They don't make music sound worse, but they don't really add to it. I felt no sense of anything new in the tracks with the basic non-head-tracking spatial mode enabled, I think mainly because it can't overcome the headphones' aforementioned overall problem of feeling like the sound is stuck right in the drivers next to your ears.
Switching to head tracking threw up an odd wrinkle, in that it always started with the 'centering' of the track being directly to my right, for whatever reason. If I kept my head looking forward it corrected itself after a few seconds.
The head tracking is good, but the lack of meaningful spatial upscaling means you don’t feel like you’re immersed in a performance in the way you can with Dolby Atmos head-tracking on the AirPods Max. It feels like sitting in front of a set of speakers; but, you know, not a very expansive set of speakers, because the headphones can't do that.
I'll also note here that spatial audio is no good with podcasts, since it throws a load of reverb into the mix, which just muddies things.
I tried movies as well as music, and the headphones' dynamic limitations really show themselves here. Epic movies feel smaller than they should, with dialogue trapped within the overall crush of the mix.
And spatial audio is even weaker here than it is with music – there was actually less directionality from the source soundtrack than when just listening in normal mode, I found. To go back to the Sony XM5, they delivered way more exciting movie audio, at a bigger scale, with harder impacts, and offering far clearer speech at the same time.
This has been quite a negative sound quality write-up, but I want to emphasize what I said at the top – they sound good. There's detail and good balance across the range, but you can get arguably better sound for half the price from Sennheiser, and definitely, in my opinion, better sound for the same price from Sony.
Sound quality score: 3.5 / 5
(Image credit: Future)
Nothing Headphone (1) review: Design
Weighty, but comfortable to wear
Headband adjusts further up than most headphones
On-ear controls are excellent
Before we get into the practical side of the Nothing Headphone (1)'s design, we need to talk about the aesthetic side.
This is one of the most divisive pairs of headphones we've had in TR Towers for a while, and conform strongly to Nothing's penchant for clear cases and the feeling that the tech inside is showing – but mixed with Apple-esque clean, milled aluminum.
The gamut of responses in the office has run from "I love the look of them" to "I really like what they're doing, but I don't think I'd wear them" to "I think they're straight retro cool" to "If they were round I think I'd like them more" to "These are the ugliest headphones I've ever seen".
I'm not going to dwell on the aesthetics here because it's so personal – I think they're charming, but they're not really my style.
They feel high-quality, though – there's basically no give in the construction where there shouldn't be, and the finish on the aluminum and plastic elements is really premium.
(Image credit: Future)
The earpads and headband cushion are leather, with no vegan option, so take note if you'd rather avoid that. The black leather really picks up skin oil, whether that's from your fingers while holding them or your head while wearing them. It wipes off instantly, but just know that it'll really show.
In terms of fit and comfort, the wireless headphones they most remind me of are AirPods Max. At 329g, they weigh a little less than 384g AirPods Max – but notably more than the 250g of the Sony WH-1000XM6 – and like the Max they use a fairly strong clamping force to stay on.
This fit will also be a little divisive – some people really prefer just a lighter-weight headphone that doesn't need to grip so much – but I found them more comfortable than the AirPods Max, and fine to wear for a good stretch of time. The well-padded earcups help with this, holding firmly but softly, and they didn't struggle to fit around my glasses. Still, I was certainly aware of the weight more than when wearing my trusty Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones.
I could see this kind of firm, clamping fit being popular with gym-goers, as is the case with the AirPods Max – and also just as with the AirPods Max I'm not sure it's a great idea, for sweat-related reasons.
(Image credit: Future)
Having an IP52 rating for dust and water is better than having no rating at all, but it means they're rated only for very limited water ingress protection; I'd suggest that IPX4 is what you want to protect against sweat properly. But it's better than nothing, which is what most rivals offer.
There is one physical design I element I really dislike here, though, and it's the positioning of the adjustable portion of the headband near the top of the head, rather than down by the earcups. My usual method of adjusting headphones for a tighter fit is to to grip the earcups with my palm, hold the armband with my fingers and pull them a little higher when needed.
Here, you have to reach for the top of the headband, which feels much less precise, and my brain had a lot of trouble adjusting. I'm counting this as an "If it wasn't broken, why fix it?" design change.
On the other hand, I absolutely love the physical controls on the Headphone (1). On the back of the right-hand earcup is a 'Roller' control, which you can rotate to change volume, press once to play/pause, and press and hold to change between noise cancellation and Transparency mode.
It moves really smoothly, the finger grips it just the right amount, and I never accidentally rolled it when I meant to press it, or vice versa. It's a wonderful bit of design, and might be my favorite piece of physical control design on any headphones ever. I should note that my colleague Becky Scarrot found that the Roller made a noise that irritated her when she used it – I didn't have any issue, though.
(Image credit: Future)
Below this is a rocker control, which you can push forward or back quickly to skip tracks, or hold in either direction to fast-forward and rewind – perhaps not a necessary control for many people, but as a podcast fan who's used to skipping through ads or being able to go back if I became distracted, I liked having the option.
Another button near the top on the outside of the rear earcup is totally customizable – used with a Nothing Phone handset, it can be used to change which music service you're listening to; on other phones it'll activate a voice assistant as one option. I ended up setting it to change spatial audio modes.
On the bottom of the right earcup are a physical on/off switch, the USB-C port, and the 3.5mm jack.
Design-wise, then, the Nothing Headphone (1) are an odd mix of things I love, things I dislike, and things that really got the TR office talking. The controls and build quality lead me to conclude that they're well-designed on balance, but how you feel about the look will probably be the deciding factor, and I can't make that call for you.
Design score: 4 / 5
(Image credit: Future)
Nothing Headphone (1) review: Value
Excellent, well-implemented set of features
High price sits well with feature list and build quality
The sound drags the value way down, though
As I've said elsewhere in this review, the Nothing Headphone (1) not only justify their premium price when it comes to their features, they actually manage to feel like something of a bargain. Only the lack of Bluetooth LE Audio and Auracast prevents them from feeling truly future-proof, and those aren't widely used yet, so I can't really knock the value score on account of their absence.
They feel expensive too – whatever you think of the look, the quality under your fingers (and on your head) is clear, and elements as simple as the excellent roller control give you a little shot of satisfaction every time you use it, and reassure you that these are a well-made piece of tech, and that your money was well spent.
Alas, the sound is an anchor dragging all of that down. I think they sound arguably on par with, or perhaps slightly weaker than, the Sennheiser Accentum Plus headphones, which can be regularly found for a street price that's less than half of what Nothing is asking for the Nothing Headphone (1).
Balance it all out and they just about convince me that they're not actively bad value, but they're not good value either.
Value score: 3 / 5
(Image credit: Future)
Should I buy the Nothing Headphone (1)?
Buy them if...
You want a unique look They're the most striking pair of mainstream headphones in years, and are extremely well-built.
You want tons of control and customizability Useful sound options, and the fully customizable button to add unique functionality are all really nice to have, and they have lots of connection options.
You'll use a Nothing Phone They offer even more interesting options for Nothing Phone owners, including AI skills and instant switching between audio apps.
Don't buy them if...
Audio quality is your top priority While they don't sound bad, they also don't sound good enough for the price – a lack of openness will frustrate both music and movie lovers.
You make a lot of calls The call quality is average, but hearing your own boomy voice is frustrating, and other premium headphones generally avoid this.
You don't like heavy headphones The Nothing headphones are comfortable, but you can feel their weight compared to far lighter options from Sony and Bose. That's the trade-off for the high-quality metal build.
Nothing Headphone (1) review: Also consider
Nothing Headphone (1)
Sony WH-1000XM5
Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones
Price
$299 / £299
About $299 / £279
About $349 / £349
Drivers
40mm dynamic
30mm dynamic
35mm dynamic
Connectivity (wireless)
Bluetooth 5.3, LDAC
Bluetooth 5.3, LDAC
Bluetooth 5.3, Snapdragon Sound
Weight
329g
250g
Connectivity (wired)
USB-C lossless audio, 3.5mm jack
USB-C (power only), 3.5mm jack
USB-C (power only), 3.5mm jack
Sony WH-1000XM5 The newer Sony WH-1000XM6 are out, but they cost way more than the Nothing Headphone (1). The older Sony XM5, however, can now be found for the same price, if not cheaper, than the Nothing – and they sound better, and feel far lighter, if that's your preference. Read our full Sony WH-1000XM5 review for more on the intricacies of these headphones.View Deal
Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones Another pair of headphones that are much lighter than the Nothing, and these also have a folding design, so are great for travel. They have better noise cancellation than the Nothing or Sony, and better sound too. Like the Nothing cans, they have a spatial audio mode that works by upscaling sound. They have around half the battery life of the Nothing headphones, though – although that was my only real complaint in my Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones review.View Deal
(Image credit: Future)
How I tested the Nothing Headphone (1)
Tested for two weeks using pre-release Nothing app
Tested at home, in the office, and while travelling
I've been reviewing audio tech for 14 years
I had two weeks to test the Nothing Headphone (1) before their official launch as part of my regular routine, using a pre-release version of the official Nothing app to control their features.
I primarily used them with my iPhone 16 Pro over Bluetooth, and also connected them to my iPad Pro to test the multi-point Bluetooth. I also listening to USB-C lossless audio from these devices, and from my MacBook Air. I used a Fiio M23 music player for LDAC playback.
I tested the active noise cancellation on public transport, walking around city streets, in the TechRadar office, and at home. I listened to the TechRadar audio testing playlist, as well as many hours of whatever music I was in the mood for.
I compared them directly to the Sony WH-1000XM5 and Sennheiser Accentum Wireless headphones in listening tests.
To test the actual battery life I charged the headphones up to maximum, and then left them playing at 50% volume, with active noise cancellation turned on, for long periods, until I ran them down.
I've been testing audio products, including headphones, for around 14 years, ranging from early consumer Bluetooth options through to today's best wireless headphones of all kinds.
The hottest earbuds craze of 2025 is open earbuds. These are usually hook-like headphones (no headband or neckband) that don't invade your ear canals and as such, let in surrounding sound so you can be safe and aware outdoors.
That said, not all makers have figured out to solve the fit and sound quality problems that come with the design territory. Key player JLab isn’t going to be left out of the tournament, but its most premium offering – the Epic Open Sport and the subject of this review – in the space doesn’t do enough to compete with what I've seen in the first half of the year.
The JLab Epic Open Sport were released over six months after JLab’s last offering in the area, the JBuds Open Sport, and our list of the best open earbuds has been changing near-constantly during that time. Back when those older buds were released, I hadn’t tested any that I thought provided decent sound quality, and was constantly facing buds which fit poorly and without a tip to anchor the buds in the ear.
That’s no longer the case though and while the Epic Open Sport match some of their top contemporaries in terms of price, the buds lack refinement in a few key areas and they simply don’t have that one unique selling point or draw that’ll cause you to consider them over their rivals.
When I say ‘lack of refinement’, I’m primarily looking at design. The case is bulky and cheap-feeling, with a poking-out-logo that catches dust. The grooves for the buds within said case don’t hold them very well. The buds too are bigger than many rivals (although I never had any comfort problems when wearing them).
The earbuds don’t have too many features either, beyond the relative must-haves in 2025 (an equalizer; the ability to customize what touch controls do) with a battery life that’s decidedly average too. And in terms of sound, the JLabs are nothing to write home about, although the sound profile does feel custom-picked to appeal to sports users so I’ll give kudos for that.
You can probably guess, given that my main issue with the JLab Epic Open Sport is that I don’t think they offer value for money or a competitive hook in a crowded marked, that there’s not anything particularly wrong with them either. They work well and rarely in my testing did I find something to grumble about. Purchase them and you won't be disappointed – you just won't be wowed either.
But if you’re on the market for open-ear buds, you’ve got plenty of superior options to consider for the money (more on those later), so it’s hard to make a case for the JLabs over those, in this busy market.
JLab Epic Open Sport review: Specifications
Component
Value
Water resistant
IP55
Battery life
7 hours (earbuds), 30 hours (total)
Bluetooth type
Bluetooth 5.4
Weight
16.8g / Charging case: 49.9g
Driver
14mm
JLab Epic Open Sport review: Price and availability
(Image credit: Future)
Released in April 2025
Cost $114.99 / £99.99 / AU$199.99
JLab's priciest sports or open-ear buds
The JLab Epic Open Sport were announced in April 2025 and put on sale near the end of that month.
The buds cost $114.99 / £99.99 / AU$199.99, which makes them JLab’s priciest open-ears, $55 / £40 / AU$50 more than last year’s JBuds Open Sport. It also makes them JLab’s most premium sports-hook earbuds too.
In the open-ear market, you can also find the likes of the excellent Huawei FreeArc, Honor Earbuds Open and (less fantastic, but still) Acefast Acefit Pro for roughly the same asking fee – it’s a really competitive price area.
JLab Epic Open Sport review: Design
(Image credit: Future)
Case has a few minor issues...
... but supports wireless charging
Buds feel bulky, but fit well
Both the case and the buds for the JLab Epic Open Sport feel a little on the big side – in the former case at least it’s far from the chunkiest I’ve seen though.
Let’s start with that case. It weighs 49.6g (discounting, I presume, the buds themselves), measures 26 x 76 x 67mm and comes adorned with a large and slighty-jutting-out JLab logo (you can actually push it in a tiny bit if you want, which seems like an unintentional design decision). It opens in a clamshell style and there’s a USB-C charging port at the back.
The case’s plastic material feels a little cheap in the hand, and the looks of the thing make it seem unrefined. The buds also don’t sit in the case properly if you lightly drop them in, and I had to push down on them to make sure they were charging properly. However, points awarded for one premium feature: the case supports wireless charging.
Onto the buds themselves, these weigh 16.8g each so are some of the heavier open-ear buds I’ve tested, but it’s a negligible difference of a few grams. They consist of a bulky bud, a sport loop and a counterweight, all of which you can see in the images.
If you look, you can see that the loop isn't quite sitting in the groove, and I'd have to push it down myself to close the case. (Image credit: Future)
What you may not see is all the touch controls: the button atop the bud is obvious but you can also tap the JLab logo for a different function. I found the latter pretty unreliable in picking up my touch but the use of a physical button for the former made these buds much easier to use than some touch capacitive solutions I've tested.
Despite being a little heavier than the norm, I found the JLabs comfortable to wear. I could use them for long periods of time without feeling them weigh me down or rub my ears, and they stayed in place solidly without moving around too much above my ear.
There’s only one color option: black, for both the buds and case – so if you want snazzier colors you're out of luck here. The buds do have an IP55 rating which offers limited protection against dust ingress and also protection from low-pressure water jets (including rain), but they can't be immersed in water – so no swimming, OK?
Design score: 3.5/5
JLab Epic Open Sport review: Features
(Image credit: Future)
7-hour battery life (30 for case)
Useful 10-band EQ
Small ambient sounds library within the app
JLab has put the Epic Open Sport battery life at 7 hours, a figure I’d roughly back from my testing time, with the charging case bumping that up to 30 hours.
Those figures are both basically standard for earbuds, although some open-ears beat that figure by a considerable margin. Like most (though not all) same-form rivals, there’s no noise cancellation at play here – you may laugh, but the aforementioned Honor Earbuds Open do have ANC, and very good it is too.
To get the most of your Epic Open Sports, you can download the smartphone app, simply called ‘JLab’.
(Image credit: Future)
This lets you adjust both the touch and button controls of the buds, set a volume limit and toggle between Music Mode and Movie Mode (nowhere on JLab’s site or app can I find information on what this does but, judging by rival devices’ equivalents, the latter likely reduces latency at the expense of detailed audio quality). The app also has a limited library of ambient sounds you can listen to, which is a fairly unusual – though hardly unheard-of – inclusion.
Its equalizer is perhaps the main reason you’d download the JLab app. There are two presets, simply called EQ1 and EQ2, but a 10-band custom mode lets audiophiles design their bespoke mix.
All things considered, that’s a pretty light feature set, with no unique selling point or range of extras to win over buyers. At least the Bluetooth connection was reliable, not dropping at all during testing, and pairing was quick and easy.
Features score: 3.5/5
JLab Epic Open Sport review: Sound performance
(Image credit: Future)
14mm driver
V-shaped audio profile helps sports users
Max volume could be higher
The JLab Epic Open Sport aren’t going to top my list of the best-sounding open ear buds I’ve ever tested, but they’re definitely nearer the top of the list than the bottom.
JLab has given the buds 14mm drivers and they connect via Bluetooth 5.4. They support the SBC, AAC, MPEC-2 and LDAC codecs which could appease some audiophiles but, as you can tell from the name, these are mainly for sports users.
The buds have a V-shaped sound, emphasising bass and treble and leaving mids by the wayside. As someone who likes balanced sound, initial impressions weren’t in the JLab’s favor, but when I started using them for sports (specifically, for Epic Open Sport, the only type I know), it all fell into place.
This kind of profile benefits exercisers: heavy scooping bass to keep the rhythm, piercing treble to cut through the noise at the gym. A little bit of peaking, some tinny sibilance, a limited sound stage can be overlooked. It’s not for audiophiles, but I think people who want tunes as they work out or run will appreciate how these sound more than some better-sounding rivals.
What isn’t as handy is the max volume, which isn’t quite as high as I would’ve liked. When I was running past busy intersections my tunes would fight against the sound of traffic — and lose, lots of the time.
Sound performance score: 3.5/5
JLab Epic Open Sport review: Value
(Image credit: Future)
The JLab Epic Open Sport aren’t cheap, and their price roughly matches some competitive rivals (read more in the next section of this review).
However the specs don’t quite match up — the JLabs are good, but you can get greatness for the same price and in light of these competitors, it’s hard to view the Epic Open Sport as offering that good value for money.
If you find these things reduced below the $100 / £100 / AU$200 mark, that’ll definitely change. But for now, their lack of refinement or a unique selling point makes them hard to recommend from a value perspective.
Value score: 3/5
JLab Epic Open Sport review: scorecard
Category
Comment
Score
Value
At recommended retail price, the Epic Open Sport don't offer much to draw your attention away from other options that cost the same.
3/5
Design
The earbuds fit well and sit on the ear reliably, with a useful button for controls. But they're a bit big and the case isn't one of the better ones I've seen.
3.5/5
Features
The feature set is quite limited, although what the JLab does have works well.
3.5/5
Sound
Sports users will enjoy the V-shaped sound which offers ample bass and treble, though audiophiles will find the sound lacking.
3.5/5
JLab Epic Open Sport review: Should you buy them?
Buy them if...
You're buying sound for sports The sound profile of the buds will appeal most to people who need thumping bass and clear treble as they run or work out.
You rely on an equalizer An equalizer is no sure thing when you buy headphones, but the JLabs' 10-band one gives you customization over your sound.
You want an option with wireless charging Wireless charging isn't a common feature in earbuds, let alone open-ear ones, so if you really want such a product, the JLab might be one to consider.
Don't buy them if...
You like a lightweight case Sure, open earbuds cases tend to be pretty big, but you can find smaller and better-designed ones on other buds.
You want a full suite of features If you look elsewhere on the open-ear market you can find noise cancellation, listening tests, 'find-my-bud' features and a lot more.
You want a budget option JLab sells lots of cheap earbuds, including sports and open-ear options, but the Epic Open Sport aren't them. These are more premium offerings.View Deal
Also consider
Component
JLab Epic Open Sport
Huawei FreeArc
Honor Earbuds Open
AceFast AceFit Pro
Water resistant
IP55
IP57
IP54
IP54
Battery life
7 hours (earbuds) 30 hours (total)
7 hours (earbuds), 28 hours (total)
6 hours (earbuds), 40 hours (total)
6 hours (earbuds) 25 hours (total)
Bluetooth type
Bluetooth 5.4
Bluetooth 5.2
Bluetooth 5.2
Bluetooth 5.4
Weight
16.8g / Charging case: 49.6g
8.9g / Charging case: 67g
7.9g / Charging case: 52.5g
7.8g / Charging case: 80g
Driver
14mm
17x12mm
16mm
20x8mm
Huawei FreeArc
The best-sounding open earbuds on the market right now come from Huawei, which match the JLab in price (though aren't available everywhere). They're also much lighter than the Epic Sport.
If it's the feature set you care about, then the same-price Honor Earbuds Open are worth considering. These offer noise cancellation, the ability to hunt down missing earbuds and even a translator. The case is also lovely and small.
I used the JLab Epic Open Sport for over three weeks before I started writing this review, and I continued to test them during the writing process.
I wore them to the gym and on runs, but also in non-sports situations like walking to the shops or working at home. They were paired the whole time with my Android smartphone.
I've been reviewing gadgets for TechRadar for over six years and that's included plenty of open-ear buds, especially through the first half of 2025.
Until now, Cambridge Audio’s TWS earbuds efforts have been ‘pretty good’ – but this is a market in which ‘pretty good’ tends not to be good enough. And so the company is back with what is quite obviously a very concerted effort, in the shape of the new Melomania A100.
Here, $149 / £119 or its regional equivalent buys a pair of true wireless in-ears that travel in a very neat charging case, that follow the ‘stem’ style of design and that can be had in black or white finishes. It also buys high specification (Bluetooth 5.4 wireless connectivity with LDAC and aptX Lossless codec compatibility, Class AB amplification, nearly 40 hours of battery life, 10mm Neodymium dynamic drivers) that you’d be glad to see on a product costing twice as much. And by way of an encore, it buys a raft of control options that include an endlessly entertaining appearance by Matt Berry. Some of the best noise-cancelling earbuds around? And perhaps even some of the best earbuds irrespective of noise-nixing, then? For sure.
Most of all, though, money put Cambridge Audio's way for these particular buds buys insightful, controlled and thoroughly entertaining sound. The A100 manage to combine levels of insight that are the best around in this market with an energetic and engaging attitude that makes the description ‘musical’ entirely valid.
As far as value for money is concerned, not to mention a thoroughly enjoyable audio experience, the Melomania A100 are currently there to be shot at.
(Image credit: Future)
Cambridge Audio Melomania A100 review: Price and release date
Release date: June 26, 2025
Price: $149 / £119 / AU$TBC (but around AU$249)
At the time of writing this review, the Cambridge Audio Melomania A100 wireless in-ear headphones are on sale from today (June 26, 2025) and in the United Kingdom they cost £119. The price in the United States is $149, and while no Australian pricing is confirmed as yet, it seems something around AU$249 is likely.
It’s an aggressive price from a company that’s most recently been making waves with equipment a fair bit further up the food chain, but that’s not the same as saying the A100 are without serious competition. Sony (another brand that can hold its own at the high end) will sell you a pair of its very accomplished Sony WF-C710N buds for pennies less than £100, just as a ‘for instance’. So these earbuds have to do a bit more than show up wearing an attractive price to get a seat at the top table…
(Image credit: Future)
Cambridge Audio Melomania A100 review: Specs
Weight:
4.7g per earbud
Drivers:
10mm Neodymium dynamic
Battery life:
11 hours per charge; up to 39 hours with the case
Bluetooth:
5.4 with LDAC and aptX Lossless
(Image credit: Future)
Cambridge Audio Melomania A100 review: Features
Bluetooth 5.4 with aptX Adaptive, aptX Lossless and LDAC
Six-mic array for ANC and call-handling
Class AB amplification; 10mm Neodymium dynamic drivers
In the context of the asking price, the Melomania A100 are very impressively specified indeed. There are true wireless earbuds costing plenty more than this that don’t look as good on the page.
For example, the Cambridge Audio use top-of-the-shop Bluetooth 5.4 for wireless connectivity, and are compatible with aptX Adaptive, aptX Lossless and LDAC codecs. Multipoint connectivity is available too, and the array of six mics that handle noise-cancellation, telephony and voice-assistant interaction are bolstered by Clear Voice Capture echo-cancelling and noise suppression.
There’s Class AB amplification on board, an unarguable step up from the Class D alternative that’s way more common in products like this. A dual-core Qualcomm Kalimba DSP minimises distortion and maximises clarity, and a pair of 10mm Neodymium drivers serve up the sound.
(Image credit: Cambridge Audio)
In the most advantageous circumstances (volume down, ANC off and so on) the earbuds will run for a healthy 11 hours between charges, and you can eke out as much as 39 hours when the power in the charging case is taken into account too. Charging from ‘flat’ to ‘full’ takes around 70 minutes, and just 10 minutes on the mains power (there’s a USB-C slot on the case) should hold you for over three hours of playback (provided you keep that ANC switched off).
And because portable products like this need a degree of hardiness, of course, the A100 are IPX5-rated. Which means they should be absolutely fine in any realistic environment.
The temptation that’s been succumbed to by any number of true wireless in-ear headphones of similar price to the Melomania A100 is to ramp up low frequencies in the name of ‘excitement’ and let the idea of ‘balance’ go out of the window. This Cambridge Audio product, though, is a bit more sensible than that – and as a consequence, it’s ultimately a far more accomplished listen.
Leave the EQ settings in the app well alone and the A100 are quite neutral where tonality is concerned and have an almost ideal frequency response. High frequencies have bite and shine during a listen to Daniel Avery’s Diminuendo, but have sufficient substance and variation to prevent any suggestion of hardness or edginess. And at the opposite end of the frequency range there are similarly high levels of detail, and control that’s sufficient to allow very decent rhythmic expression. Bass sounds punch with determination, but their speed and variation means they never drag at the momentum of a recording.
Switch to a file of Last Night by Arooj Aftab and the midrange is revealed to be open and eloquent – the A100 can communicate a voice’s character and attitude in the most direct manner. Detail levels are, as elsewhere, impressively high, and there’s real positivity to the way the A100 ties the frequency range together. In absolute terms it could be argued that the lowest frequencies sound just slightly remote from the lower midrange and everything above that, but the commonality of their tone mitigates this quite significantly.
The soundstage the Cambridge Audio can generate is large, well-defined and carefully controlled – so even an element-heavy recording like Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue as performed by the New York Philharmonic under Leonard Bernstein sounds open and carefully laid out. There’s elbow-room for every performer and a fairly explicit description of relative on-stage positions.
There’s plenty of dynamic headroom available for when the orchestra really ramps up the intensity, and the dynamics of harmonic variation are carefully attended to during the solo piano passages too. Transient response is good, and the result is an overall presentation that sounds very much like the complete picture.
All of the above might serve to make the Melomania A100 seem rather analytical – and there’s no denying they can peer into a recording and return with all sorts of pertinent observations. But primarily they’re an engaging and entertaining listen, and a pair of earbuds that give the strong impression that they’re just as keen on your favourite music as you are. It’s by no means easy to combine ‘analysis’ with ‘entertainment’ so that each discipline is properly attended to – and that’s the case no matter how much you’re charging – so Cambridge Audio is deserving of both congratulations and admiration.
And where active noise-cancellation is concerned, the Melomania A100 can go toe-to-toe with the best of their price-comparable rivals. The system doesn’t alter the sound of the earbuds in any way, it doesn’t betray itself with counter-signal or any sort of audible disruption – and it does a very agreeable job on all but the loudest and/or deepest of external noises. There’s a second tier of ANC that sits below the uncanny silence that’s available from a pair of Bose noise-cancellers – and these Cambridge Audio earbuds are now a part of it.
Sound quality score: 5 / 5
(Image credit: Future)
Cambridge Audio Melomania A100 review: Design
45 x 61 x 25mm, HxWxD (charging case)
4.7g (earbud)
Choice of black or white finishes
Unlike previous Cambridge Audio true wireless models, the Melomania A100 are from the Apple-inspired ‘dangly stem’ school of design. The earbuds are notably neat and tidy and, thanks to a selection of eartip sizes and a trifling 4.7g weight, fit comfortably even for the longest listens. ‘Neat and tidy’ covers the charging case too, which is 45 x 61 x 25mm (HxWxD) – this slender design does mean the earbuds are slightly trickier to get out of the case than they otherwise would be, but it’s not much of a price to pay for such pocket-friendly dimensions. The standard of build and finish is impressive in every respect, and the look is good no matter if you choose the black or white finish.
I might as well go with the word ‘impressive’ to deal with operability here, too. The A100 have a capacitive touch surface at the top of the stem of each–- a combination of presses and holds gives control of most playback controls, and lets you cycle between your ANC options or summon your voice assistant too. Interactions are swift and reliable, and the ‘Melomania’ control app gives the chance to customise the effect each sequence of presses or holds has.
The control app also has decent extended functionality. Six EQ presets are joined by a seven-band equaliser that allows you to store quite a few custom settings, while a defeatable ‘dynamEQ’ setting does its best to maintain full-range response at lower volumes. You can select between ‘transparency’, ‘normal’ and ‘noise-cancelling’ for ANC, and within this last option you can choose between ‘low’, ‘medium’ or ‘high’. Switching for ‘gaming mode’, ‘wear detection’ and ‘sleep mode’ are all available too – and within ‘audible feedback’ there’s the greatest Easter egg in any app anywhere ever. ‘Off’ and ‘tones’ are both options, and there are eight different languages to choose from too… but the eleventh option (‘Southwark’) lets your audible feedback be delivered by Matt Berry in highly fruity fashion.
Even without this delightful touch, though, ‘Melomania’ is a useful, stable and easy-to-navigate control app that’s only missing the ability to integrate music streaming services to be completely ideal.
Design score: 5 / 5
(Image credit: Future)
Cambridge Audio Melomania A100 review: Value
Great specification
Secure ergonomics
Excellent sound quality for the money
With the Melomania A100, Cambridge Audio has hit it so far out of the park it’s basically lost forever.
These true wireless earbuds are specified well beyond what any price-comparable alternative can offer, they’re comfortable, have battery stamina on their side, and each of their control options is well-implemented and effective. Oh, and they sound as good as anything else you can buy at anything like this money. Currently they offer the best value for money of any wireless earbuds you can buy for $149 / £119 – and by a wide margin.
Value score: 5 / 5
(Image credit: Future)
Should I buy the Cambridge Audio Melomania A100?
Section
Notes
Score
Features
Excellent codec support; geat mic array
5 / 5
Sound quality
Stunning clarity for the money – best at the level by some degree
5 / 5
Design
Solid, ergonomic, thoughtfully made
5 / 5
Value
The best sound-per-pound wireless design on the market
5 / 5
(Image credit: Future)
Buy them if…
You have a good source player Top-end codec compatibility and exemplary sound quality make the A100 the perfect partner
You favour well-tailored clothes The charging case is about as slim and easy to carry as these things ever get. So you won’t need to compromise your outfit
You enjoy added value If you know who Matt Berry is, then you know his appearance as an ‘audible feedback’ option will prove endlessly satisfying
Don't buy them if…
You like properly extended functionality If you want your heart-rate monitored, your steps counted and what-have-you, there are alternative designs that have you covered
You’re not a monochrome type of person Lots of price-comparable rivals are available in many more finishes than just ‘black’ or ‘white'
(Image credit: Future)
Cambridge Audio Melomania A100 review: Also consider
Sony WF-C710N Until the start of this review, Sony’s still-excellent WF-C710N were your default £100-ish TWS choice, and they still have plenty going for them where sound quality is concerned. They’re made to look a bit limited by the A100’s spec-sheet, though… Read our full Sony WF-C710N review
Technics EAH-AZ80 …And Technics’ slightly older flagship AZ80 might come down a bit closer to this pricing now too (owing to the arrival of their newer AZ100 siblings), but they're nowhere near it yet. The feature set and fit is fantastic, but you're still paying a lot more… See our full Technics EAH-AZ80 review
How I tested the Cambridge Audio Melomania A100
Connected to an iOS smartphone and an Android DAP
Using a variety of digital file types and sizes
In a number of environments
Naturally, iOS devices don’t acknowledge wireless sound quality beyond the AAC codec – but happily my FiiO DAP does, and so I was able to let the Melomania A100 show what they’re capable of when it comes to optimum sound quality.
The DAP also features lots of genuinely high-resolution content on its local memory, as well as duplicating the music streaming service apps loaded onto the Apple smartphone, so I was able to listen to different digital audio file types and sizes.
I did this indoors and outdoors, in very quiet environments and in places where even the best active noise-cancellation struggles – and I did so for well over a week, because listening to these Cambridge Audio earbuds is really no kind of hardship.
To misquote Futurama’s robotic delinquent Bender, you’re in for “Earfun on a bun” if you take the plunge on the Chinese brand’s latest budget cans. Assuming I still have a job to take this review any further [only just – Ed.], I’ve been taken aback by the quality of the Earfun Wave Life. Seeing as they only cost around $50 / £50, these over-ear headphones are far better than I was expecting.
The Earfun Wave Life pack in enough features and sufficiently robust audio performance to make them absolutely worth considering if you’re on the hunt for a new pair of cheap over-ear cans. Sturdily built, extremely easy on the ears thanks to their lush foam cups and sporting an app that’s both intuitive and comprehensive with its EQ options, there’s a lot to like about these competitively priced noise cancelling headphones.
It’s a pity the Wave Life’s ANC features don’t fully convince. For the price Earfun are selling them, I was never expecting these over-ears to rival the best noise-cancelling headphones out there. Still, when it comes to snuffing out distracting ambient noise, ANC performance with these cheap cans is almost aggressively average.
On the flipside, if you’re lucky enough not to have to endure regular noisy commutes, the Earfun Wave Life have more than enough plus points to make them worth recommending if you’re on a tight budget.
Bolstered by stellar software, a dedicated game mode and 40mm drivers that hand in convincingly deep bass levels, Earfun’s affordable headphones are thoroughly enjoyable. They might be cheap, but they certainly don’t feel it.
Not only are the Wave Life some of the most comfortable cheap cans I’ve ever worn, they’re also great for hands-free voice calls. During one of my least glamorous chats in recent memory – one that involved asking a plumber pal of mine about a broken toilet seat – I was reassured my voice was clear during the entire abode-centric chinwag despite me being in a different room than my phone during the call. Thank you very much, Bluetooth 5.4.
Will these cans' soundscape blow you away (even after you tweak frequency settings with Earfun’s fantastic EQ software)? Probably not. Yet for the price, these supremely comfortable headphones, which also boast staying power of up to 60 hours if you switch ANC off, deliver more than they disappoint even they may not quite make it into the best over-ear headphones available.
If you want a pair of budget over-ears that will be comfortable on your cranium while (mostly) delivering satisfying sounds, you could do a whole lot worse than the Earfun Wave Life.
(Image credit: Future / Dave Meikleham)
Earfun Wave Life review: Price and release date
Release date: February, 2025
Price: $59.99 / £49.99 / AU$105 (approx.)
The Earfun Wave Life are priced super-aggressively at just $59.99 / £49.99 / AU$105 (approx.). They can often be found even cheaper than their official retail price courtesy of Amazon sales, too.
Though they’re obviously not as premium as the $79.99 / £79.99 / AU$167 (where sold) Earfun Wave Pro that impressed us big style early last year, they still deliver a satisfying sonic experience.
Sure, they’re not going to make audiophiles’ socks roll up and down. Yet considering their budget price point, I reckon most folks will be pleasantly surprised by these over-ear headphones’ pleasingly deep bass and relatively convincing trebles. The Earfun Wave Life are also far more comfy than I was expecting from such an affordable pair of cans.
In terms of alternative options, if you’re looking for some of the best cheap headphones for under $/£100, you’ll struggle to do better than the superb 1More Sonoflow Pro HQ51 (catchy moniker, right?). The Sony WH-CH520 are another great option if you’re in the market for a budget pair of noise-cancelling cans.
Earfun Wave Life review: Specs
Weight:
264g
Drivers:
40mm Composite
Battery life:
37 hours (ANC on); up to 60 hours (ANC off)
Control:
app; physical/touch; voice
Connectivity:
Bluetooth 5.4; USB-C
(Image credit: Future / Dave Meikleham)
Earfun Wave Life review: Features
Up to 60 hours' battery life
Intuitive app improves sound quality
Two devices can be paired simultaneously
Aside from their stellar battery life – more on which shortly – the Earfun Wave Life feature that impresses me most is their excellent software. The Earfun Audio app is available on both Android and iOS, and I’d consider it an essential download if you want to squeeze the best sound out of these cheap over-ear cans.
Easy to use, sporting an uncluttered design and with intuitive custom EQ calibration tools, the Earfun app can significantly improve the Wave Life’s already decent out-of-the-box audio.
I’m a big fan of the software’s custom equalizer that allows you to adjust the headphones’ soundscape across a variety of frequencies via a set of sliders. It’s a doddle to use, as you simply tweak each frequency until the app’s repeating ‘drip’ sound fades away.
After a couple of minutes of adjustments, I found the customized results to be significantly more satisfying than any of the 30 preset EQ profiles Earfun’s software offers. These span various musical genres, while various bass and treble boost presets are also provided.
The wide variety of profiles the firm serves up may be impressive, but I found the majority to be a little too quiet. And not to be overly nitpicking, but flicking between these presets on both my iPhone 14 Pro and iPad Pro (2024) is painfully sloooooow.
Earfun’s app also lets you switch between the Wave Life’s four ANC modes. First up, there’s ‘normal’, which somewhat confusingly turns noise cancelling off. There’s then ‘ambient sound’, ‘wind noise cancellation’ and ‘noise cancelling’; with the latter two options snuffing out sounds most effectively.
(Image credit: Future / Dave Meikleham)
Sadly, Earfun hasn’t really cracked the ANC code with its cheap cans and I could still easily make out passing traffic when going out for strolls. Next to my Apple AirPods Max, noise cancelling on the Wave Life isn’t up to scratch. That said, comparing $60 headphones to Crew Cupertino’s $500 over-ear cans is like pitting a Morris Minor against a Lamborghini Aventador in a drag race.
Another selling point of the Earfun Wave Life that thankfully proves more effective is their multi-phone connectivity that lets you pair two devices simultaneously. During my testing it proved largely reliable, with the headphones syncing to my tablet and smartphone with little hassle. The only slight hitch I’ve encountered is when I enter the app on my duo of Apple devices, which often requires me to unpair one gizmo before I can tweak software settings on the other.
The Earfun Wave Life are battery beasts. On a full charge, they’ll last for 60 hours, with that number dropping to a still-impressive 37 hours with ANC enabled. During my fortnight of testing these cans, I only had to charge them twice, which is super-commendable considering how kind these headphones are on your change purse.
However, there’s no getting around the fact the bundled-in USB-C charging cable is comically short. I’m talking Smurf short. Still, I’m not going to grumble too much when I can get the Wafe Life to 100% juice in less than 30 minutes on my GaN charger.
As mentioned in the two-minute review, the four-mic, AI-assisted algorithm also makes hands-free calling a breeze. With a 49ft range, you don’t have to worry about being cut off when wandering around your apartment/house, either.
Features score: 4 / 5
(Image credit: Future / Dave Meikleham)
Earfun Wave Life review: Design
Incredibly comfy to wear
Easy-to-reach on-cup controls
Materials feel premium for budget cans
No-frills is the name of the ultra-plain game when it comes to the Earfun Wave Life. With an inoffensive yet entirely forgettable design, these cans won't keep you from hitting the hay and dreaming about how alluring they look.
Crucially, though, they don’t feel cheap. The quality of the plastics used in the construction of these over-ears feels far more premium than I’d expect from $60 headphones. I also appreciate the brushed metal that appears when you extend the Wave Life’s headband.
In terms of comfort, Earfun has absolutely nailed it with its latest budget cans. I wore them on a three-hour walk with my husky on an uncommonly warm Scottish afternoon recently and never once did they cause me any discomfort. That’s mainly due to their super-comfy foam cups which rotate 90 degrees, making them both easy to fold up and an absolute pleasure to wear.
The Earfun Wave Life weigh a relatively breezy 264g, which also means you don’t have to worry about neck strain or earache. Every time I put these cans on, it feels like giving my lobes a big fuzzy hug. I’ll take comfort over style all the livelong day.
The on-cup controls are also enjoyable to interact with. A soft plastic power button is wedged between equally squishy and easy-to-locate volume up/down controls, while I also had no problems switching between noise-cancelling controls thanks to the dedicated ANC button. My only slight beef? You have to hold down the power button a little too long for my liking.
There’s also a USB-C slot for both wired play and charging. As I stated previously, the cable that comes in the box is way too short, so you’d be better off investing in a longer third-party one if you want to go down the wired listening route.
As for colors, you’re limited to a single shade of black. If you like your headphones to be unfussy and not make you stand out on, say, a crowded train or bus, the Wave Life’s bog-standard noir won’t bother you. Personally, I like both white and colored cans, so I would have appreciated more than one hue.
Design score: 4 / 5
(Image credit: Future / Dave Meikleham)
Earfun Wave Life review: Sound quality
A touch quiet without app tweaks
Software EQ adjustments save the day
Well-judged bass levels
Considering how affordable the Wave Life are, I don’t want to overly dunk on their sound shortcomings, and there are few glaring weaknesses with these cheap cans’ audio quality. There are, though, some that warrant mentioning.
My biggest bugbear is the default sound profile when you first unbox these over-ears. This is subjective, but the Wave Life were a tad too quiet when I first clamped them around my skull. Although initially underwhelmed by their audio, I calibrated a custom EQ via the Earfun Audio app to produce a listening experience that felt far more well-balanced and punchy.
Without software tweaks, vocals during my favorite tunes and dialogue on some of the best Netflix movies on my iPad felt muted and flat, so I definitely recommend downloading Earfun’s app. Considering the firm’s software is both robust yet never feels daunting to interact with, it would be uncharitable to slam the Wave Life’s default soundscape when it’s so simple and quick to make it appreciably better through minor app adjustments.
Within minutes of fiddling about with its frequency sliders, I landed on a custom profile that delivered a soundscape with decently weighty bass that dovetailed well with the treble levels I settled on. Yes, mids on the Wave Life get lost in the sonic shuffle somewhat, but overall, I’ve had far more enjoyable audio sessions with these cans than disappointing ones.
When testing headphones for the first time, I’ve got a small clutch of go-to bangers I always fire up. The almost hymn-like electronic stylings of Death in Vegas’ Girls sounds way more impactful than I was expecting from sub-$100 cans, while the pulsating trance beats of F*ck Buttons nine-minute The Lisbon Maru delivered all the bass my eardrums craved – thank you, Wave Life.
(Image credit: Future / Dave Meikleham)
I was less taken with my favorite live performance ever when listening to The Verve’s astonishing rendition of Sonnet from their spellbinding 1998 home concert from Wigan’s Haigh Hall, though. This classic Cool Britannia tune sounds amazing on my Sony Inzone H9 – surprising, considering it’s a gaming headset first and foremost. But on the Wave Life, Richard Ashcroft’s normally haunting vocals lack the audio oomph my Inzone cans drum up.
Speaking of which, Earfun’s budget over-ears come with a low-latency Game Mode that automatically kicks in if you fire up a title on either your Android or iOS device. Not that I actually noticed much difference when I disabled the feature when playing some of the best iPad games.
That’s not to say the Wave Life don’t do a more than passable job at being a decent gaming headset. Even though gamers aren’t Earfun’s target market, their latest over-ears' ability to pick out subtle sounds during gameplay is admirable. I was particularly impressed (and oh so flustered) by how effectively they conveyed the constant nearby Xenomorph screeches in the nerve-shredding Alien Isolation. The Resident Evil 4 remake’s undead-slaughtering gun battles also popped in an impactful way I wasn’t expecting from such cheap cans.
It’s best to go in with low expectations regarding the Wave Life’s noise cancelling, though. Even the most effective of its modes isn’t great at kiboshing ambient sounds, so if quality ANC is important to you, look elsewhere.
Sound quality score: 3.5 / 5
(Image credit: Future / Dave Meikleham)
Earfun Wave Life review: Value
Great value for money, given the features
Sound quality expectations met for the price
No carry case
Considering the amount of features and general build quality, there’s zero doubt the Earfun Wave Life represent fantastic value for money.
Overall sound quality also surpasses the expectations I’d generally go in with when it comes to reviewing such a cheap set of headphones. Unless you’re a real elitist audiophile, you’ll be pretty smitten with what your $60 / £50 / AU$105 (approx.) outlay serves up sound-wise.
While a carry case would have been appreciated, that’s a bit too much to ask for such affordable cans. Earfun deserves a lot of credit for selling its Wave Life over-ears at such an attractive price point.
Value score: 4.5 / 5
(Image credit: Future / Dave Meikleham)
Should I buy the Earfun Wave Life?
Section
Notes
Score
Features
Bluetooth 5.4; excellent 60-hour battery life; simultaneous device pairing
4 / 5
Design
Incredibly comfy; easy-to-reach on-cup controls; another color would be nice
4 / 5
Sound quality
Optional app essential to overcome limited EQ presets; a touch quiet; ANC could be far better
3.5 / 5
Value
Fantastic value for money; sound quality to be expected at the price point
4.5 / 5
Buy them if…
You want strong sound on a budget For $60 / £50 / AU$105 (approx.), you’re going to struggle to find a better all-round, feature-packed set of cans than the Earfun Wave Life. They’re awesome value for money.
You value comfort Reasonably lightweight and with lovely foam earcups, these budget headphones are so comfortable, it’s often easy to forget you’re wearing them.
Don't buy them if…
You need strong ANC The Wave Life’s noise-cancelling features are merely adequate at best. If you regularly deal with noisy environments, there are far better options out there.
You don’t want to tweak settings Straight out of the box, these headphones’ audio performance underwhelms. To get the most out of them, tinkering with Earfun’s app settings is essential.
Earfun Wave Life review: Also consider
Earfun Wave Life
1More Sonoflow Pro HQ51
Sony WH-CH520
Drivers:
40mm composite
40mm dynamic
30mm
Active noise cancellation:
Yes
Yes
No
Battery life:
60 hours (37 hours ANC on)
100 hours (65 hours ANC on)
50 hours
Weight:
264g
246g
137g
Connectivity:
Bluetooth 5.4; USB-C
Bluetooth 5.2; 3.5mm
Bluetooth 5.2
Waterproofing:
N/A
N/A
N/A
1More Sonoflow Pro HQ51 The current king of cheap headphones offer granite-strong battery life, effective ANC and a super-sleek design. See our full 1More Sonoflow Pro HQ51 review
Sony WH-CH520 If noise cancelling isn’t a deal-breaker for you, consider these well-balanced Sony cans that boast a great app. See our full Sony WH-CH520 review
How I tested Earfun Wave Life
Tested for nearly three weeks
Tested at home, on long walks and in ride shares
I tested the Earfun Wave Pro in a variety of conditions spanning songs, streaming content and video games over roughly a three-week period. This gave me the chance to get to know how versatile these over-ears can be.
Most of my time with these budget headphones was spent listening to music and podcasts on my iPhone 14 Pro. Away from revisiting my favourite tunes, I also used the Earfun Wave Life for Netflix and Disney Plus streaming, plus playing several games on my iPad Pro.
While most of my background centres around covering the best TVs and almost 20 years writing about video games, I’ve owned an absurd amount of headphones and earbuds in my life – from $500 Apple Airpods Max to budget buds from brands you’ve probably never heard of.
Currently, I have more sets of cans in my apartment than I do meals in my fridge. I should perhaps adjust my priorities in life, but hey, what can I say? I really love the best headphones.
The Meze Audio Poet are a posh pair of ‘phones. At this price point, you deserve nothing less than ‘posh’, and the Poet deliver in spades – from an impressive quality of build to a lagoons-deep listening experience. Smart touches like magnetically attached earpads and a nifty adjustment mechanism exemplify the thoughtfulness with which the Poet were designed, like many of the best wired headphone available.
A narrow soundstage and an eventually fatiguing listening experience serve to slightly dull these premium cans' shine to sit easily among the best over-ear headphones on the market – but only because of the increased scrutiny such premium prices invite. For those with the budget and inclination, the Poet are a hard set to turn down.
(Image credit: Future / James Grimshaw)
Meze Audio Poet review: Price and release date
Released February 20, 2025
$2,000 / £1,899 / AU$3,550
Meze Audio is a relatively young headphone company – at least, young against the years held by the generational heavyweights that tend to claim column inches such as these. Yet in a relatively short period of time, this underdog has curried a not-so-relatively high level of consumer trust and goodwill, thanks to an ever-expanding range of headphones both accessible and incomparable.
These are the Meze Audio Poet, a recent entrant into their range of upper-crust audiophile headphones. They continue the tradition of posh Meze units past, coupling forward-thinking driver design with rarefied aesthetic design to make something as fun to look at as they are to listen through.
The Poet aren't the most expensive pair on Meze’s audiophile-range docket, but at $2,000 / £1,899 / AU$3,550, nor are they 'cheap". How, then, do they fare?
(Image credit: Future / James Grimshaw)
Meze Audio Poet review: Features
State-of-the-art planar drivers
Smart, musical acoustic design
Earpads easy to detach
The Meze Audio Poet are a serious piece of audiophile-listening kit. This fact is borne out, in part, by the abject lack of anything that conventionally constitutes a ‘device feature’. If you, as someone new to this echelon of listening device, are looking for consumer-grade bells and whistles, such as wireless connectivity, active noise cancelling or aggressive digital EQ sculpting/bass-boosting, you’ll come up mercifully short.
The features that stand the Poet apart are those that make their listening experience worth the outlay – starting with its drivers.
The Poet have planar magnetic drivers, designed and manufactured exclusively for Meze by Rinaro. This is a partnership that goes back a way, and which has produced special fruit – both in the form of a unique diaphragm design (found here, and in other audiophile Meze-mezze like the Elite and Meze Empyrean), and in a new MZ6 driver design, which combines incomparable fidelity with incomparable compactitude. Planar drivers have their own USPs, including (among many other attributes) extensive upper-range detail and smoothness. Here, you’re getting the cream of the crop.
Meze Audio has also licensed proprietary Acoustic Metamaterial Tuning System (AMTS) tech from Dan Clark Audio – a clever system of physical frequency-damping that serves to tame fatigue-inducing high-end. Since these babies have a fidelity of up to 96kHz, you can see the appeal of such high-end control.
On the practical side of the equation, a somewhat-novel feature presents in the complete removability and replaceability of the ear pads with incontestable ease. They’re held in place magnetically, and can be plucked off for cleaning or replacement without the demented and destructive picking and tugging that the same events can often require in other headphones.
This kind of modularity is a vote of confidence in the headphones, too. Meze expects you to go the distance with the Poet, so much so that it wants you to be able to take the best possible care of them, thereby maintaining the best possible listening experience. It may be a bare-minimum expectation for something so priced as the Poet, but in the world we live in, and with the unscrupulous design decisions undertaken by other consumer brands, a win is very much a win.
Features score: 5 / 5
(Image credit: Future / James Grimshaw)
Meze Audio Poet review: Sound quality
Excellent depth of sound
Voices, woodwinds and transients are glorious
Soundstage a little narrow
Though the Poet are open-back headphones, they still have some interesting closed-back-y isolation created by the ear cups – with partial thanks to the snug fit they create around your ears. The ear cup cushioning is plush and deep, and docking into them feels like closing an airlock around your face. It’s pleasantly uncanny, hearing a quieter, still-clear outside world while your ears feel like they’re in a different space altogether.
Listening to my digital copy of Pile’s luminary album All Fiction is disarming for the impressive attack these cans possess; this is one of the more convincing translations of the album I’ve heard, insofar as feeling like Rick Maguire is frustratedly plucking those guitar strings in real space, close by my ears.
The soundstage isn’t the most three-dimensional I’ve heard – more on which shortly – but the depth and separation between instruments is highly commendable. For instance, in Pile’s Blood, auxiliary strings thrum through its emotional climax. I usually perceive them as a searing block; a unit. Through the Poet, though, they’re the multitudes they were recorded as – strands, vibrating apart, and catching one another’s air.
Alabaster DePlume’s work was a particular high point for me with these headphones. Not Even Sobbing, from Come With Fierce Grace, is a sparse elegy that fills in from the outside, its endless swells and dwells between saxophone, voices, violins and bass that seem to gain volume by mitosis, crowding in close around your ears like you’re the fire they’re singing round. The Poet hear them beautifully.
(Image credit: Future / James Grimshaw)
This is the Poet’s strength. They can readily resolve disparate instruments within an arrangement, in a way that highlights the figurative space between performances, musicians, and takes. Lesser headphones have a tendency to glue, smear, and otherwise daub, often imperceptibly – which can render the background more as an oil painting than a relief.
Hearing a creak in the piano at the start of Andy Shauf’s I’m Not Falling Asleep, from The Bearer Of Bad News,sealed the deal with this line of enquiry. The rendering of a space and time with open clarity and tangibility gives you new angles from which to feel close to something special.
The Poet are dynamite with transients, too. Everything’s whip-crack sharp and responsive. This is a particularly cathartic demeanor when it comes to the dead drums and plucky electric piano of Demon Fuzz’s Afreaka!, or the delicate, tentative textures of The Books’ collage-folk The Lemon of Pink.
All this said, the Poet do tend to prefer vocals – simultaneously a strength in one sense, and a weakness in others. The prominence of that upper-mid range over the lower-mids can make for an occasionally imbalanced experience, but also gave another high point in listening to Dirty Projectors and Bjork’s When The World Comes to an End, from the phenomenal, voice-led EP Mount Wittenberg Orca.
The open-back design doesn’t bring as much width as other headphones, and many of the albums I listened to across multiple devices and formats felt ‘closer’ than I felt they ought to. That said, they do seem to do the trick with respect to low end, which feels quite bloomy, but in a plush and rich way (as opposed to the boomy, indistinct way many closed-backs ultimately provide).
I thought this, plus the tighter soundstage and V-shaped frequency response, would make heavier tracks like those of Queens of the Stone Age’s Songs For The Deaf a little lacklustre. Boy, was I wrong. The vocals are a little floaty, but that grinding muffled-guitar core is everything you’d hope for and more – and the bass a silky undercurrent enjoying newfound fidelity and focus. Ultimately, these headphones are an indulgent listen.
Sound quality score: 4.5 / 5
(Image credit: Future / James Grimshaw)
Meze Audio Poet review: Design
Impeccably put-together
Satisfying practical design flourishes
Robust enough to assuage your worry
The Meze Audio Poet are premium kit, so it should come as no surprise that there’s some pristine design in and around them. It’s hard not to start with the case – a foam-lined ABS hard-case with an unnecessarily neat pleather-clad hinge. It’s not the most opulent outer shell in the world, but opening it does feel like unwrapping a gift every time (particularly with a well-chosen, pleasant-to-use clasp at the front).
The headphones themselves, more importantly, are a veritable work of art. Precision-milled backplates catch the light in intoxicating ways via their contemporary art-deco-ish patterning, and feel hugely solid against my hands' light compressive force.
On the connectivity front, the cables are thankfully discrete from the ear cups. Each ear cup jack receives its respective TS connector with a stiff and reassuring click. I’m confident that, in the unlikely event you comedically wrap your Poet cable around a nearby hatstand while in transit, the hatstand would follow you for the ride.
(Image credit: Future / James Grimshaw)
Something I absolutely love about the Poet’s design is their complete embracement of simple solutions over flashy tech. Ear cup adjustment isn’t some encapsulated, easy-to-break ratcheting system, but rather a simple friction-based push-fit system – it moves slowly and surely up and down, but freely in rotation. Exceedingly simple, and exceedingly well executed.
That lean to simplicity does create a fun potential pitfall or two in places, though. For instance, the titanium bars that host the earcups are resonant, and all too eager to transmit their gong-like overtures through to your ears with the slightest bang or brush. Meanwhile, the headband is a single length of suede leather, which promotes ease of fit to your bonce but doesn’t play as nice with headphone stands.
Minuscule gripe aside, these headphones are self-evidently designed with careful thought – and with something of a reverence for those people that’ll be spending their hard-earned on grabbing a pair. I’m a fan!
Design score: 5 / 5
(Image credit: Future / James Grimshaw)
Meze Audio Poet review: Value
Price not to be sniffed at, even if cheaper than other audiophile headphones
Justify their price point well...
… but minor shortcomings stand out more
With a pair of headphones as, frankly, luxuriant as these, two key issues present.
For one, they will handily reveal the shortcomings of practically any sound source you put before them. For another, they will wear their own shortcomings all the more prominently, if only for the increased scrutiny that such a high asking price places on them.
It’s an easy trap to fall into with something as good, and as expensive, as the Meze Audio Poet. And bear in mind, too, that this is still the ‘budget’ end of the audiophile spectrum, one which, at the other extremity, straight-facedly asks you to spend tens of thousands. I love these things, but the threshold for unequivocal endorsement gets exponentially higher against cost, just as returns tend to diminish.
It is with this line of thinking, and these resulting caveats, that I say the Meze Audio Poet do a great job of justifying their expense, but that certain behaviors – from a narrower-than-expected soundstage to the unexpected fatigue of longer listening sessions – stand out more for that expense. Your money is paying for cutting-edge planar drivers, meticulously designed and stunningly beautiful earcups, effortless ergonomics and quality materials; it also needs to buy you an experience greater than the sum of its parts, which the Poet readily do. With some small asterisks.
Value score: 4 / 5
(Image credit: Future / James Grimshaw)
Meze Audio Poet review: Should you buy them?
Attributes
Notes
Rating
Features
Free from the tyranny of consumer-grade bells-and-whistles; cutting-edge drivers and acoustic design are triumphs.
5 / 5
Sound quality
Bright, clear, deep, reedy – the Poet are a rich set, friendly to vocals but incredibly adept with transients.
4.5 / 5
Design
Beautifully made, with some well-executed minimal mechanisms; a joy to behold and to wear.
5 / 5
Value
The research, design and commitment to quality justify the price, but the little things, stand out against that price all the more.
4 / 5
Buy them if...
You value your hi-fi Audiophile headphones are the haunt of the discerning listener. The Poet are here to render your records and audio files in the clearest, deepest light – and will perform all the better when placed after quality sources.
You’re an active listener These headphones dock over your ears like visiting spaceships. Though open-back, they create a remarkable distance between you and the world around. This, coupled with the three-dimensional rendering the Poet are capable of, make scrutinizing your faves for new discoveries all the more thrilling.
Don't buy them if...
You’re risking your credit score to do so Impeccable as the Poet sound, they're only worth investing in if you’ve the money spare. You’ll find more bang-for-buck, and near-equivalent enjoyability, in cheaper Meze Audio cans!
You’re choosing open-backs for the soundstage Despite their open-back nature, the Poet do not quite ‘breathe’ the same as other open-backs this writer has tried and enjoyed. I’m reminded more of closed-back headphones by the fit and feel, as well as the dimensionality of sound.
(Image credit: Future / James Grimshaw)
Meze Audio Poet review: Also consider
Meze Audio Poet
FiiO FT5
Edifier Stax Spirit S5
Type:
Over-ear
Over-ear
Over-ear
Open-back or closed-back:
Open-back
Open-back
Open-back
Driver:
Planar magnetic
Planar magnetic
Planar magnetic
Frequency range:
4Hz to 96kHz
7Hz to 40kHz
10Hz to 40kHz
Impedance:
55 ohms
36 ohms
18 ohms
Connector:
Dual mono TS 3.5mm to 6.3mm TRS
Dual mono TS 3.5mm to 3.5mm TRRRS
Wireless (Bluetooth, LDAC/aptX Lossless)
Weight:
405g
465g
347g
Extras:
ABS hard case, dual TS to 6.3mm stereo cable, dual TS to 3.5mm stereo cable
FiiO FT5 FiiO’s FT5 over-ear headphones are, if anything, disruptive. FiiO has done some incredible things with its position in the hi-fi market, including bringing stunning leaps in planar magnetic driver tech to the mid-range much quicker than anyone else has dared. Do they sound better than the Poet? No. Are they four times cheaper and still Actually Very Good? Yes. Read the full FiiO FT5 review here
Edifier Stax Spirit S5 If you actually want those high-tech gubbins I was so gleefully celebrating the absence of before, try the Edifier Stax Spirit S5 on for size. Wireless tech and app connectivity collide with planar magnetic driver design in this Actually Quite Affordable pair of quality listening ‘phones. Read our full Edifier Stax Spirit S5 review here
Meze Audio Poet review: How I tested
Tested for five weeks
Used as listening headphones at home
Mainly tested with digital music sources, via my computer and a Universal Audio interface
Also listened to vinyl on a Victrola Stream Sapphire, via the headphone out of a Cambridge Audio amplifier
Headphones are a daily fixture for me. As a freelance writer often in need of ‘locking in’, as a music lover with an ever-expanding library of too-cool-for-school records, and as a freelance musician reliant on headphones for recording, monitoring and mixing.
My experience with headphones of all types, purposes and budgets puts me in a fun position to evaluate the Meze Audio Poet – a pair of audiophile cans which became my resident listening headphones at home, spending time between my living room and attic studio space.
In the attic, the Poet were used to listen to digital copies of records from my collection and via streaming, through a Universal Audio Volt 4 audio interface. In the living room, the headphones were plugged into my Cambridge Audio Azur 540r receiver, which received the sound of my record collection via a Victrola Stream Sapphire turntable (outfitted with an Ortofon 2M Blue cartridge).
Budget audio brand Earfun has continued its foray into the over-ear headphone game with the Earfun Tune Pro, an affordable pair of over-ears which unfortunately don’t live up to Earfun’s usually-impressive track record. Some of the best cheap headphones I've tested, they are not.
Earfun’s first over-ears, the Wave Pro, were some of our top-rated affordable headphones, easily earning (for a while, at least) a place on our list of the best headphones you can buy. And they were always going to be a tough act to follow. The fact that they’re still available to buy now also makes them a big (and honestly, more viable) rival to the Tune Pro.
I won’t beat around the bush: the big problem with the headphones is that they just don’t sound good. Earfun’s typical ability to punch well above its weight somehow didn’t grace the new and rather ironically-named Tune Pro. The cans lack serious bass, endure frequent peaking that ruins percussion, and don’t offer much in the way of an organised, layered soundstage to let you appreciate the separation and detail of instruments.
You can’t expect Bose- or Sony-tier audio in cans that cost under $/£100 but there are plenty of budget headphones for the same price that outstrip the Tune Pro. So as you'll see as we get into the meat of this review, it's hard to recommend the cans.
I also found the Earfuns pretty uncomfortable to wear for long periods of time. The pressure they exerted on my head grew noticeable after only a few hours of use. It’s not great and neither of these are concerns was something I experienced with the Wave Pro.
Why not go lower than 3 stars? Well, the Earfun magic is present in a few other areas. Take, for example, the battery life: these headphones will last a monumental 120 hours (with ANC turned off) before you’ll need to charge them. That’s five straight days of music before they need powering up and I don’t need to tell you how important a long battery life can be for certain subsets of users. There are very few headphones on the market that come even close to this score.
Earfun has also included its usual range of features on its app: multiple ANC modes (perhaps too many – more on this later), an in-depth equalizer and a feature that’s all too uncommon on headphones: a listening test to automatically create your own sound mix. This latter is a lovely little extra that lots of rivals don’t have.
While the audio quality lets things down big-time, I can see the admirable battery life and listening test drawing in some users who prefer functionality over sound quality. It’s just that those are more caveats than I usually have to add in an Earfun review – a brand I usually champion in the ‘cheap and cheerful’ stakes.
Earfun Tune Pro review: Specifications
Component
Value
Water resistant
N/A
Battery life (quoted)
120 hours (ANC off) 80 hours (ANC on)
Bluetooth type
Bluetooth 5.4
Weight
289g
Driver
40mm + 10mm
Earfun Tune Pro review: Price and availability
(Image credit: Future)
Released in May 2025
RRP of $89.99 / £79.99 (roughly AU$160)
Already available at $69.99 / £59.99 (no AU sales)
The Earfun Tune Pro were announced in May 2025 for a retail price of $89.99 / £79.99 (roughly AU$160 though they're not on sale in Australia at the time of writing, unlike many other products from the company).
Don’t tell Amazon that though, because the retailer lists in multiple regions that the cans were released in September 2024. It offers them for the discounted price of $69.99 / £59.99 (at the time of writing) despite them being new.
However much you pay for them, the Earfun Tune Pro are clearly budget headphones. They’re the middle of Earfun’s three over-ear options, sitting equally between the more expensive Wave Pro and cheaper Wave Life.
Earfun Tune Pro review: Design
(Image credit: Future)
Chunky cans with 3.5mm jack and physical buttons
Uncomfortable for long play sessions
No IP rating for waterproofing
As you can see from pictures, Earfun has kept things simple with the Tune Pro, playing close to the formula for over-ear headphones.
The cans weigh 289g and are made from plastic, so they don’t feel too heavy when you’re wearing them. That doesn’t mean they’re exactly comfortable though, and I could only listen for a few hours before needing to give my head a break.
The ear cups are quite thick, sticking from your head about 50% more than your average pair of over-ears (judging by the few pairs I had on hand). I don’t imagine this is to blame for the comfort issues but it does make the cans look imposing when you wear them.
Evidence of how easily-bendable the hook is. (Image credit: Future)
Earfun has ensured that the Tune Pro have some versatility in size as the band can be extended or retracted quite a distance (if you do have a larger head, check out our roundup feature of headphones with longer extendable arms) while the cups can be rotated around 100 degrees – and they also fold up if you want to put them in a bag.
Onto the buttons. On the right cup you’ve got a volume rocker, power button and 3.5mm headphone jack – yes, the Tune Pro supports wired audio – while the left earpiece has an ANC button and the USB-C charging port.
The buttons don’t stick out that far from the casework and so, despite little knobs to make them a bit more prominent, I still found them pretty hard to locate just with my fingers. Instead, I generally relied on my phone to change volume and ANC.
Earfun’s website makes no mention of any kind of IP rating for the Tune Pro so I’d recommend keeping them high and dry.
Design score: 3.5/5
Earfun Tune Pro review: Features
(Image credit: Future)
Incredbly battery life
Range of ANC modes, all fine
Equalizer with listening test
Earfun headphones always out-rep the competition in the features department and things are no different for the Tune Pro. The real highlight of these cans is the battery life, which according to Earfun stretches to an incredible 120 hours with ANC turned off and a still-admirable 80 hours with it turned on.
I can count on one hand the number of sets of headphones that beat or match that battery life, and it’s a vital figure for people who rarely get time to charge up their headphones for one reason or another. I would’ve loved cans like these when I last went travelling.
Next up, ANC is… present, I’ll say that much. It’s fine, but far from best-in-class and about what you’d expect for the price. It’s useful for covering up certain annoying background noises like a dishwasher in another room or distant traffic going past your house, but it won’t make your commute near-silent or ensure you can hear your music when vacuuming at home.
A few different ANC presets are available in the Earfun app. Default, which I take to be ‘off’, is Normal but there’s Ambient Sound to allow nearby noises through, Wind noise cancellation which is just designed for the infuriating sound of wind that always baffles headphone ANC, and lastly Comfort ANC and Strong ANC. I take these latter to be ‘medium’ and ‘high’ strengths to Normal’s ‘off’, but this is based purely on the icons in the app and nothing else.
(Image credit: Future)
I’ve complained in past reviews about Earfun’s array of ANC modes being a bit overwhelming. Why? Because it’s hard to know which mode you should be using at any one time, and it’s also a chore to open up the Earfun app to switch if you decide you want to (the ANC button on the cans only cycles through the first three options, not the two full-blooded ANC ones).
A few more features available through the the Earfun app include the ability to toggle low-latency modes for gaming or a wide-soundstage mode for movies and TV, and a way to change what the buttons on the ear cups do. However, the major one to note is an equalizer.
As with past Earfuns, the Tune Pro offers a wide range of EQ modes based on different genres of music or increasing or decreasing bass or treble. There are plenty of options and it’s worth playing around to find your perfect preset, though a 10-band custom EQ mode lets you create your own mix too. A brief test also creates a bespoke equalizer mix for you and I was pretty happy with the mix it created for me.
For call handling, the Earfun Tune Pro feature five mics (presumably per earpiece, although Earfun doesn't express this as such. But anything else would be odd) as well as an algorithm to clear up your voice when others hear you.
Features score: 4/5
Earfun Tune Pro review: Sound performance
(Image credit: Future)
40mm + 10mm drivers
Distorting sound, lacking bass
Limited sound stage
Given the price you’re paying for the Tune Pro, you’re probably not expecting the most ear-pleasing audio in the world, and it’s a good thing to set your expectations low because these Earfun headphones don’t sound great, even for the money.
Specs-wise, the headphones pack both a 40mm and 10mm driver in each can which should ostensibly provide extra oomph in the bass department, but theory is a far cry from fact.
Perhaps the biggest issue, noticeable constantly, is the audio peaking through the treble, which crushes hi-hats into mere hisses and devolves powerful guitar lines into crunchy oblivion. At the other end of the frequency scale, the tuning here boosts the bass drum so much that it frequently overrides vocals. It’s hard to enjoy songs without percussion and detail through the mids to provide rhythm, and the Tune Pro don’t offer much of that.
You’re not getting much expansion or detail through the soundstage here either, with music presented as a somewhat homogenous mush instead of a collection of separate, distinct and layered instruments given enough room to be impactful. The confusing mix here also masks the detail and dynamic nuance in my music, while also sapping some of the charm and emotion from vocals. If you care about the musicality within your favorite songs, these sadly aren’t the cans for you.
If there’s anything to be said for the Earfun Tune Pro's audio quality, it’s that the max volume goes pretty loud, so you’re never going to struggle to hear songs even if you turn ANC off.
Sound performance score: 2.5/5
Earfun Tune Pro: Value
(Image credit: Future)
Usually when qualifying the value of cheap headphones, I simply point to the price and say “yes”, but it’s not quite as easy as that for the Tune Pro.
While the headphones are admittedly very affordable, they’re not the only cheap headphones in existence, and others will get you more bang for your buck. That’s literal, with many other low-cost options getting you better audio quality.
The only other important factor is the feature set, which admittedly is pretty competitive on the Earfun Tune Pro. So if you aren’t that bothered about the sound and care more about longevity and the presence of an equalizer, these claw back some value points.
Value score: 3.5/5
Earfun Tune Pro review: scorecard
Category
Comment
Score
Value
You get what you pay for, but you're not too far out of pocket for the Earfuns.
3.5/5
Design
The Tune Pro is a bit too big and bulky to be fully comfortable to wear, but it has 3.5mm.
3.5/5
Features
For budget cans, the feature set is solid. The battery life is laudable and the EQ (and its test) are too.
4/5
Sound
A range of issues with the audio quality makes it hard to award many points in this department.
2.5/5
Earfun Tune Pro: Should I buy?
(Image credit: Future)
Buy them if...
You need lots of battery power
With 120 hours in the tank, the Earfun Tune Pro are great headphones for people who can't find themselves to a charging point every day, or simply forget to do so regularly.
The EQ tuner sounds useful
A listening test is a mode we don't often see in budget headphones, so if you want a digital way of improving your music, this may be enough to sway you.
You need headphones that fold down
Not every pair of headphones on the market folds down to be easily transportable, and some are really hard to fit in a bag. Not these Earfuns!
Don't buy them if...
You care about audio quality
It's unfair to say that audio quality is the only important factor of a pair of headphones... but if you prioritise sound-per-pound value, skip these particular Earfuns.
You have a large noggin
People with small heads may not have the uncomfortable wear problem that I did, but if your cranium is medium or large sized, you'll struggle to listen to the Earfuns for a few hours.
Also consider
Component
Earfun Tune Pro
1More Sonoflow Pro HQ51
Earfun Wave Pro
Water resistant
NA
NA
NA
Battery life
120 hours (ANC off) 80 hours (ANC on)
100 hours (ANC off) 65 hours (ANC on)
80 hours (ANC off) 55 hours (ANC on)
Bluetooth type
Bluetooth 5.4
Bluetooth 5.4
Bluetooth 5.3
Weight
289g
246g
268g
Driver
40mm + 10mm
40mm
40mm
Earfun Wave Pro
Everything we wanted the Tune to be: these cheap headphones cost pretty good, feel more comfortable to wear and mostly match the Tune's feature set. The battery life isn't as good though.
The cans that displaced the Wave Pro as our top-rated budget headphones. The 1More have good sound and great ANC, with a battery life that's not much shorter than the Earfun. However there are a few build concerns.
I used the Earfun Tune Pro for three weeks in order to write this review, and some extra time during the writing process itself.
During testing I used the Earfun alongside a few devices, most frequently my Android smartphone via Bluetooth but sometimes an iPod Classic via 3.5mm. Listening was generally music but I also listened to some some spoken-word, games and TV shows too. Testing was done at home and around my neighborhood.
I've been testing audio products for TechRadar for over 6 years and currently test several headphones or earbuds each month. This has included many past Earfun products – including the slightly older Wave Pro.
The Anker Soundcore Liberty 5 are a modestly priced pair of stem-equipped wireless earbuds, aiming to offer “detail-rich” sound and silencing ANC. With a list price of $129 / £99 / AU$169, these buds are hardly short on competition. But they do a decent amount to stand out in what is a congested market.
One of the ways they do that is by offering a broad, rich suite of features. Whether it’s a preference EQ test, low-latency gaming mode, customizable touch controls or environment-specific ANC, there’s plenty to sink your teeth into. Of course, the adaptive ANC is a standout feature here. It’s not groundbreaking and I’ve experienced better noise-nixing capabilities from wireless earbuds, but external sounds are dulled effectively overall and there are lots of customization options.
That said, to compete with the best earbuds on the market, you need to sound good – in fact, the audio needs to be very good. And thankfully, the Liberty 5 do sound pretty solid overall. You can uncover substantial sonic detail – especially with LDAC deployed – plus booming bass and even a fair amount of breadth and separation when using Dolby Audio. Out of the box, the Liberty 5 do lack a modicum of neutrality, showing a clear preference for bass and treble (read: 'excitement' or 'zeal' over a more natural, faithful and integrated balance across the frequencies). The detail in musical passages and layering of instruments are unlikely to impress audiophiles either. However, it's all relative and for the price you pay, these buds meet the mark.
Something that’s not so impressive, though, is the Liberty 5’s design. I’m just not digging the plasticky housing and stem design. Touch controls, which are accessed via the stems, are fiddly and inconsistent too. You do, however, get a pretty cool sliding case and IP55 dust and waterproofing.
Other aspects that could be better include call quality, which is not exactly bad but not quite as “crystal-clear” as advertised. I also experienced a notable amount of sound leakage – though that’s pretty common for earbuds at this level.
Still, there’s a lot to like about the Liberty 5. My testing suggested battery life may not be as long as quoted, but you still get a decent amount of playtime. There’s a fit check option to get the best seal, a range of additional ear tips in the box and multi-point connectivity too.
All in all, I’d argue that the Anker Soundcore Liberty 5 make for a decent pair of wireless earbuds, though their design flaws in particular hold them back from greatness. If you want an even cheaper option, I’d go for the similarly stemmed Earfun Air 2 NC which impressed me in the audio and noise cancelling department.
At a similar price you could instead get the Nothing Ear (a) – more on those later. And finally, if you’re willing to step it up a little bit, I absolutely love the Dolby Atmos-enabled LG Tone Free T90S, which you can grab on-sale close to the $180 / £150 mark. If the Liberty 5 see a significant price-slash at any of the upcoming sales events, I’m sure they’d be worth adding to your online shopping cart. But right now, you can do better for the money.
(Image credit: Future)
Anker Soundcore Liberty 5 review: price and availability
$129 / £99 / AU$169
Launched in May 2025
The Anker Soundcore Liberty 5 launched in May 2025, just over two-and-a-half years after their predecessor, the Liberty 4. They have a list price of $129 / £99 / AU$169, but I wouldn’t be surprised if they were on sale in the not too distant future. Notably, you can grab the Liberty 5 in four different color options: Black; White; Blue; or Apricot. The color you select should have no bearing on price.
Anker Soundcore Liberty 5 review: specs
Drivers
9.2mm dynamic
Active noise cancellation
Yes
Battery life
Buds: 12 hours (8 hours with ANC on); Total with case: 48 hours (32 hours with ANC on)
Weight
4.6g
Connectivity
Bluetooth 5.4
Frequency range
20Hz-20kHz
Waterproofing
IP55
(Image credit: Future)
Anker Soundcore Liberty 5 review: features
Customizable noise cancellation options…
...but actual ANC performance isn’t top-class
Top-tier companion app
I want to start off with a big plus-point: I really love the Soundcore companion app – and as someone who has countless similar audio apps on my phone, it’s rare that I really love something priced at this level. Said app is laid out in a clean, user-friendly manner, with all of the crucial settings listed on a hub page and smaller nuggets up in a separate menu. I find some companion apps to be a bit slow or buggy – not this one.
So, let’s run through all of the key features you can find on the Soundcore app. There’s the classic inclusions like multi-point connectivity, a Find Device option if a pesky bud goes amiss, and customizable touch controls – something I’ll discuss more in the Design section.
But one of the key areas I want to focus on is EQ adjustment. Soundcore has really knocked it out of the park here; there are just so many ways to tailor the Liberty 5’s sound to your tastes. Firstly, there’s all the usual suspects – think Bass Booster and Bass Reducer, as well as genre-specific choices such as Classical and Dance. There’s also a Dolby Audio option (not Atmos) with music, podcast, or movie sub-options. Mobile gamers are in luck too: there’s a low-latency Gaming Mode that enhances the sounds of footsteps and voices – though you won’t be able to use this alongside the ‘hi-res’ Bluetooth codec, LDAC, which is a great inclusion.
And there’s more! You can even take a preference test, as seen on the Anker Soundcore Space One Pro, which presents a series of sound ‘A’ and ‘B’ options, and forges a bespoke sound for you based on the selections you make. Honestly, I think Soundcore is doing this better than all of its rivals – I even like this more than the preference-based EQ function on the Sony WH-1000XM6.
Of course, the main event here is active noise cancellation, but despite the Liberty 5’s admirable report card so far, this is where things take a slight dip. Is ANC bad on the Liberty 5? No, that would be harsh. But is it the best around? Also no: it’s acceptable, but no better.
When walking near a busy road, I could still hear vehicles going by, even in the 60-70% volume range. Sure, sounds were significantly dulled, but there was a touch more extraneous noise filtering in than I would’ve liked. Similarly, while working away in the office, chatter in an adjacent room was easily phased out, but low-level discussions from my colleagues would creep in. If you don’t need silence or near-silence at all times, the Liberty 5 will do just fine. But if you’re looking for S-tier noise-crushing capabilities, you’re gonna have to look some more.
Interestingly, you can adapt noise cancelling between one – the weakest, and five – the strongest, if you want to take a more balanced approach to listening. There’s a transparency calibration too, as well as a wind noise reducer and ANC modes for traveling via plane or car. If you’d like, you can even use Fit Test, to ensure you’re getting the perfect seal for shutting out the world around you.
Finally, Soundcore says that the Liberty 5 can manage eight hours of playtime with ANC on – that is if you listen at moderate volume with basically every extra option switched off. That’s a pretty solid amount, though I did realize that the battery depleted by 20% after one hour of testing. That suggests you may not quite get that full eight hours after all. Still, the case packs plenty of charge, so unless you want to lock in for a super-long session, there should be enough battery life here.
Features score: 4/5
(Image credit: Future)
Anker Soundcore Liberty 5 review: sound quality
Impressive bass output
Lack a bit of balance out of the box
…but there are extensive EQ options and Dolby Audio to fix it
For $129 / £99 / AU$169, it’s rare that you’ll find top-of-the-range sound quality. And the Liberty 5 aren’t going to plate up the kind of perfectly nuanced, beautifully separated sound that audiophiles are hunting down – if the Liberty 5 could do that for this money and without wires, we could all pack up and go home.
All the same, I’m pleased to report that they do sound good overall. When listening to It’s Possible by Piero Piccioni and Catherine Howe, vocals had a pleasing degree of detail, with tongue clicks on the palate and subtle breaths sounding three-dimensional and largely authentic. Audio was particularly revealing with the higher-resolution Bluetooth codec, LDAC, switched on, but even then, the vocals weren’t quite lifted out of the mix for the most expressive, layered listen.
Similarly, when tuning into Black Eye by Allie X, the vocal performance was clear, but felt as if it could be more prominent in the mix. This track did reveal, however, that the Liberty 5 pack some serious low-end punch. The pumping drum machine – though perhaps not as agile as you’d hear on more premium buds like the Technics EAH-AZ100 – offered impressive depth. And again with Breather by Christ Stussy & S. A. M., the Liberty 5 had the talents to replicate the thumping bass at the heart of this track’s energetic, almost hypnotic bounce.
When listening to Breather, I did feel that percussion in the treble range could sound overemphasized, especially at higher volume levels. That may well cause some fatigue during longer listening sessions, so if you’d like to tone things down, it’s going to be worth taking a trip to the Soundcore app. After making use of the custom eight-band equalizer, I was able to largely quash this issue, which really is a testament to the highly tunable sound of the Liberty 5.
Yes, you really can make these earbuds sound your own. There’s a Dolby Audio option, if you want slightly wider, more immersive sound. For reference, you’re not getting Dolby Atmos – something you’ll find on models like the LG xboom Buds, as an example. How does this particular Dolby side-sauce sound? Well, it does what it says on the tin. Bass in particular sounds broader… more encapsulating. But you may find that a touch of detail is lost compared to listening with Dolby Audio off.
One more performance-related element I should discuss is mic quality. Soundcore proudly states that the Liberty 5 are capable of “crystal-clear” call quality, thanks to six mics, a wind-resistant algorithm and a helping hand from AI. But I wasn’t all too impressed in this department. My voice was decently clear, but my surroundings would often get in the way. Similarly on a voice note, I could certainly hear myself, but my voice wasn’t particularly forward and external noises crept in easily.
Sound quality score: 4/5
(Image credit: Future)
Anker Soundcore Liberty 5 review: design
Stem design won’t be for everyone
Neat sliding case
The touch controls just aren’t it
I think it’s only fair that I put my cards on the table here and say that I’m not a mega-fan of the Soundcore Liberty 5’s design. Part of that comes down to personal preference – I like the smaller, more discreet look of stemless rivals like the Sony WF-C710N.
Still, I can put that aside to a degree. But I couldn’t help feeling that the Liberty 5 look like a more plasticky and less sleek pair of AirPods. I would argue that their slightly slanted look is a plus though, that does give them a sharper, more angular edge. And unlike AirPods, you can grab these in multiple color options: Black; White; Blue; or Apricot.
Looks aside, there is one major impracticality about the Liberty 5’s design: their touch controls. Soundcore’s gone for a kind of ‘pinch’ control scheme, which frankly, I found a little awkward. The buds wouldn’t feel very secure when I was pinching at the stems to skip or go to previous tracks. And the effectiveness of my attempts varied. Sometimes I had to make multiple attempts to pause or play a song – it’s just not a massively consistent way to control playback.
So, yes, not a lot of good stuff to say so far. But one thing I do like about the Liberty 5 is their charging case. Simply, slide it open and there you are. Your earbuds, right before you! I prefer this motion to the flip-top motion cases opt for and would like to see a few more manufacturers consider it.
The buds are also fairly comfortable in-ear, so it’s unlikely you’ll feel exhausted after mere minutes of use. You can find multiple sized eartips in the box too, helping you find the most secure fit possible. Despite getting a nice seal, though, a colleague did hear some sound leakage at around 65-70% volume. There’s an adaptive sound leakage compensation toggle in the Soundcore app’s advanced settings but, still, you’re not going to get the perfect isolation that the best over-ear headphones supply.
Waterproofing is also pretty solid. The Liberty 5 are IP55 dust and waterproof rated, which means that they can withstand low pressure water jets from multiple directions. That’s better than a lot of competitors, but you can do even better. The Samsung Galaxy Buds 3 Pro, for instance, are IP57-rated, so they can even survive being immersed under a meter of water for a while.
Design score: 3/5
(Image credit: Future)
Anker Soundcore Liberty 5 review: value
Fairly moderate list price
But still, you can do better for the money
Outperformed by a number of rivals
The Soundcore Liberty 5 are playing in a pretty competitive field, coming in at $129 / £99 / AU$169. It’s a decently modest price tag, sure, but a lot of manufacturers are producing pretty great earbuds for even less.
Now, there are a lot of rivals I could name here. I own the Sony WF-C700N and they sound great while also offering a more low-profile look than the Liberty 5. We also rate the Nothing Ear (a) highly, but I’ll discuss those a little more below. But if you want the ultimate guide to the leading cheap models, then I’d recommend checking out our guide to the best budget earbuds.
Ultimately, $100 / £100 / AU$150 is still a significant spend. And I’m not convinced these are particularly standout – aside from their excellent companion app and decently broad feature-set. In terms of sonic prowess, ANC abilities and design, it’s a more mixed picture. If these are on sale, I wouldn’t count them out, of course. But at the moment, I’d rather grab a pair of buds from Sony or Nothing.
Value score: 3.5/5
(Image credit: Future)
Should I buy the Anker Soundcore Liberty 5?
Attributes
Notes
Rating
Features
Awesome companion app, customizable but fairly average ANC, OK battery.
4/5
Sound quality
Good overall sound for the cost with impressive bass, calling could be better.
4/5
Design
Impractical touch controls, divisive stem design, IP55 waterproofing and case.
3/5
Value
Decent price but outperformed by rivals on sound and design.
3.5/5
Buy them if...
You’re looking for a cheaper alternative to AirPods AirPods are expensive, there’s no getting around it. And there’s no doubt that the Soundcore Liberty 5 are attempting to be a more budget-friendly alternative. With a stem design and a spatial sound option, via Dolby Audio, you can expect a lot of the AirPods’ niceties on the Liberty 5.
You want highly customizable sound I love the Soundcore app, and one of the reasons for that is its incredibly rich set of EQ options. There’s a preference test that helps you create a truly bespoke sound profile, genre-based presets and even an eight-band custom equalizer. If you want a more balanced listen, it’s definitely worth exploring the options at hand here.
Don't buy them if...
You want class-leading ANC ANC isn’t all too bad on the Soundcore Liberty 5. External sounds will be dulled fairly effectively and there’s a tasty selection of customization options too. But even at the highest intensity, I wasn’t blown away by the Liberty 5’s noise-crushing skills. I didn’t quite get near-silence in more built up areas and a whisper of noise crept through when I was working in the office, even when blasting music at around 70%.
You’re an audiophile And finally, these earbuds may not satiate your needs if you’re a true audiophile. Even with LDAC turned on, you won’t get the best instrument separation or perfect control right across the frequencies. With some tuning, they do sound good for the money, but yes, maybe not for the most analytical listeners out there. If that's you, I'd suggest instead checking out our list of the best noise cancelling earbuds.
Anker Soundcore Liberty 5 review: also consider
Anker Soundcore Liberty 5
Nothing Ear (a)
Apple AirPods 4
Price
$129 / £99 / AU$169
$99 / £99 (about AU$150)
$129 / £129 / AU$219
Drivers
9.2mm dynamic
11mm custom
Custom
Active noise cancellation
Yes
Yes
No
Battery life
Buds: 8 hours (12 hours without ANC on); Total with case: 32 hours (48 hours without ANC on)
Buds: 5.5hrs (9.5hrs without ANC) Total with case: 24.5hrs (42.5hrs without ANC)
Buds: 5 hours (official), 7 hours (measured); Total with case: 30 hours
Weight
4.6g (per bud)
4.8g (per bud)
4.3g (per bud)
Connectivity
Bluetooth 5.4
Bluetooth 5.3
Bluetooth 5.3
Frequency range
20Hz-40kHz
Not stated
Not stated
Waterproofing
IP55
IP54
IP54
Nothing Ear (a) The Nothing Ear (a) are an excellent pair of budget-friendly earbuds that we’ve talked up no end here at TechRadar. And for good reason. They serve up zealous, expansive audio, surprisingly strong ANC and a compact design. Sure, their battery life is nothing special by today’s standards, but all in all, they’re an awesome pair of buds. Read our full Nothing Ear (a) review.
Apple AirPods 4 In design alone, it does feel like the Soundcore Liberty 5 are a direct competitor to the Apple AirPods 4. And I’m comparing Soundcore’s effort here against the ANC-less version of the AirPods 4, simply due to their closeness in cost. Anyway, Apple’s earbuds are, well… OK. They offer decently fun and dynamic spatial sound as well as that classic design. But no ANC at this price-point, combined with middling levels of detail and lackluster cross-platform features, is disappointing. Read our full Apple AirPods 4 review.
How I tested the Anker Soundcore Liberty 5
Tested for two weeks
Used in the office and while out in public
Predominantly tested using Tidal
I tested the Soundcore Liberty 5 over a fortnight, listening to songs and watching videos for hours on end. I used them out at the office, while at home and when on walks to assess the fortitude of ANC across multiple environments.
Typically, I tested these buds using Tidal, but I also tried using them with both Spotify and YouTube. When listening to music, I ran through the TechRadar testing playlist, which features tracks from a wide variety of genres. Of course, I also tuned in to tons of tunes from my personal library.
Where appropriate, I compared these to the LG xboom Buds on metrics such as comfort, audio quality, ANC capabilities and features. And for reference, I’ve tested tons of audio products here at TechRadar. I’ve reviewed flagship over-ear headphones like the Sony WH-1000XM6, wired earbuds like the Sennheiser IE 600 and, of course, other wireless earbuds like the LG Tone Free T90S.
