Prices for Active Noise Reduction headphones are falling and this new set from Linkwitz currently priced at less than £80 would cost three times that a year or so ago. I was not necessarily expecting too much considering the price but in fact they are rather good.
The headset was supplied packaged in an attractive but simple mid market product box inside of which was the headset, carry case, audio cable, USB charging cable, and User Guide. The headset is quite compact, sits over the ears and looks rather upmarket and sophisticated. The two cables are both well made if rather lightweight. The User Guide is short but well printed and easy to read and I include a scan of it on the end of mu unboxing video.
The headset feels quite lightweight and comfortable to wear but this is by no means a headset to go jogging in. It is nicely padded, although not to excess, on both the earcups and headband and I find it no strain to wear even for extended periods. The build quality seems fine and although for nearly £80 I did not expect a cheap feel nevertheless they exceed my expectations. The cup supports and headband are extendable and do so do so with a smooth and secure feel coming perhaps from the metal construction. On one ear-cup are the Active Noise Reduction (ANR) Off/On switch and status LED, as well as the usual track and volume buttons, Multi-function button, audio in and micro-USB charging ports. All the buttons are of a decent size, well marked and easy to find and identify by touch and by sight. I get heartily fed up with recessed and unmarked buttons but no such problems here. It is a pity however that there is no separate power On/Off switch. The carry case is a of the semi rigid type, robust enough for day to day protection – but don’t sit on it – and large enough to easily secure the headphones cables and other bits and pieces and with an internal mesh pocket.
The most important feature of any headset, the audio quality, and bearing in mind that this is priced as a low to mid range device in fact I was impressed by the sound. The bass is full and detailed but not overpoweringly so. Mid tones are clear and detailed and the sound is very warm and comfortable. This is a distinctly above average headset for the price as regards sound quality even leaving aside the ANR features. The headset can also be used with a cable as a normal headset and there is little difference in audio quality between the two modes of use.
What about the noise reduction? Well as with every ANR headset the emphasis should be on the word reduction. No headset can fully cancel outside sounds but this one does a decent job and when I tried it in several situations it worked very well indeed. Like with all of them it coped better with low constant noise, the roar of a jet, car engines, traffic rather better than with sudden bangs or high pitched screeches. The light construction and over ear form factor (as opposed to the smaller on ear type) means that this headset benefits from passive noise reduction – akin to putting your fingers in your ears – as well as the on board ANR system which generates noise to cancel out external sounds. Unlike with many rivals when switching on ANR there was no major degradation in audio quality, there was a difference in the bass response and mid tones were slightly muffled but not enough to be annoying.
Not everything is good. It only uses rechargeable batteries. Rechargeables are cheaper to use but for travel use I like the reassurance of having back up batteries in my pocket. However as Linkwitz claim up to 14 hours of use between charges maybe that is not an issue here. It is a pity that no airline adaptor was included to allow the headset when in cable mode to be used with a two prong airline socket.
This is a excellent sounding headset which looks great too. The low price coupled with the sound quality and presentation makes it a five star buy for me bearing in mind the issues listed above. A few corners have been cut to achieve this price but nothing that impinges on the key functions of the headset or in their build quality. I doubt you will find a better ANR headset for this price.
The Good
Great price
Attractive design
Good sound quality
Comfortable to wear
Bluetooth 4.1
Good ANR function
Carry Case
Easy use controls
Apt-X Codec
The Bad
No separate Power On/Off switch.
Lightweight audio cable
No spare battery option
No Travel Kit
More info and purchase: https://goo.gl/ERXfz1
Post time: Sep-25-2017