Testing Methodology

 
We first connected the headphones to a phone in order to listen to some music with the 3.5 mm jack, and after some effort managed to pair it via Bluetooth as well. We played different styles of music and tested the range, as well as making handsfree phone calls while it was paired. We were looking primarily at the headphones’ sound quality and ease of use. Additionally, we wanted to know whether there was a difference in quality or usability between wired and wireless operation.

Testing Results

 
The headphones produced a bass-heavy rendition of whatever music we played. While on some tracks this added to the immersion, on others it really was not desirable and we had to manipulate the equaliser to get songs to an enjoyable state. The difference in terms of quality between wired and wireless music playback was not readily apparent.

Just as well really, since engaging the pairing mode with the headphones was a bit of a chore. You have to hold the multifunction button down for seven seconds while the headphones are initially off. During that time, if the switch unlatches on the multifunction button, you have to start the whole process again. If you mistakenly try to induce pairing while the headset is on, you’ll just succeed in turning it off and nothing more.

The headphones were very comfortable to wear and the semi-over-the-ear construction means that a lot of external noise was blocked out. I would happily say that they would be comfortable to wear for long periods of time.

It’s such a shame then that they broke neatly above the hinges within about 48 hours of opening the box. This was hilariously disappointing, but not surprising given that several other reviews had mentioned the same characteristic.