Edifier WH950NB Headphone Assessment | you puzzled

Over-ear headphones aren’t as widespread as they as soon as have been, with these tiny true wi-fi earbuds turning into so good and so low-cost. And but, large headphones nonetheless have their place, with nice sound, lengthy battery life, and that immersive really feel that is onerous to beat.

THE WH950NB (sure, that is a mouthful) wi-fi Bluetooth headphones from the audio specialist Builder it’d provide help to renew your love for over-ear pairs: the sound high quality is superb, clear and heat (though the bass is moderately weak), the battery life is nice, there’s respectable energetic noise cancellation and they’re surprisingly gentle.

In fact, it isn’t all good: audio ranges require some EQ tweaking, the controls are a little bit complicated and sophisticated, they usually aren’t precisely low-cost.

Nonetheless, there’s lots to love concerning the newest pair of Edifiers — they usually look nice, too. So let’s dig deeper…

Who’re the Edifier WH950NB headphones for?

Edifier is a Chinese language firm specializing in audio merchandise, from studio audio system to soundbars and earphones. I am a fan of a lot of their merchandise (such because the NeoBud Professional true wi-fi earbuds and them S2000MKIII loudspeakers), so I used to be wanting to attempt their premium headphones – the WH950NB.

At 179 (as of this writing), these headphones aren’t precisely low-cost, however while you take a look at the competitors, this pair delivers very comparable outcomes at its pay grade.

Perhaps I am old-fashioned, however once I’m out and about I have a tendency to make use of tiny in-ear headphones on a regular basis – and once I’m at house, particularly in entrance of my laptop (or TV) – I want large over-the-ear headphones for a terrific really feel and an intimate and head-wrapping sound.

The issue? As headphones get an increasing number of subtle, with superior codecs, energetic noise cancellation, and many different bells and whistles, they’re additionally getting heavier.

The WH950NB headphones buck that pattern: they’ve a lot of the options you’d anticipate from high-end headphones as of late, however they’re so gentle that I can put on them for hours at a second’s discover.

Nonetheless – the audio is nice (particularly if you happen to tweak it a bit), the ANC – whereas not on par with a number of the costlier fashions – is not dangerous, and the battery life is critically spectacular.

Utilizing the WH950NB Editor

Measurement and luxury

So sure, as talked about, these headphones are among the many finest I’ve examined when it comes to lightness and luxury.

The earcups are tremendous smooth, there’s sufficient padding on the highest band, and because of their gentle weight, they do not squeeze your head and ears.

They’re additionally fairly good – my evaluate unit was ivory, and I say – go for it. No extra boring black headphones… ivory on this case is sort of white, so if you happen to stroll round in these, individuals will see your sensible white headphones from a mile away.

Within the field, you will discover a onerous case, a 3.5mm cable for wired connectivity, an in-flight adapter (for these pesky two-pin earphone jacks some planes have), and a USB-C charging adapter.

The headphones are additionally foldable, so it is easy sufficient to slip them into your case or bag.

Pairing and checking

The WH950NBs assist Bluetooth 5.3, so pairing along with your telephone or laptop computer is simple sufficient. In addition they assist “On the spot Pair” on Android, which might make issues much more instantaneous.

Because of Bluetooth 5.3, you additionally get Twin-System assist, that means you may pair the headphones with as much as two gadgets on the identical time (so, say, your telephone and your laptop). You possibly can then hearken to one in every of these gadgets with out having to unpair the headphones and restore them.

Establishing two gadgets was a bit tough – it’s a must to flip the headphones off, then put them again into pairing mode and all in all it took just a few tries earlier than it labored, however when it did, this characteristic turned out to be fairly helpful .

You possibly can’t hearken to each gadgets on the identical time – it’s a must to pause the audio on one earlier than beginning to play on the opposite – but it surely’s nonetheless lots simpler than having separate headphones for every machine (or that pairing and unpairing recreation).

The WH950NBs haven’t got contact controls, as a substitute there are 4 small buttons on the fitting earcup. The controls are considerably complicated, as it’s a must to bear in mind too many capabilities for simply 4 buttons (quantity, skipping songs, switching between modes, and many others.) – but it surely’s no deal breaker.

Edifier additionally has a smartphone app that permits you to management totally different facets of the headphones: change ANC modes, select or change EQ presets, and alter SOME of the button performance.

Audio high quality and ANC

Going from fairly colours to intricate buttons – sound high quality is clearly crucial side of any headphone – and the WH950NBs do not disappoint on that entrance.

However there is a caveat: out of the field, the sound is a bit… uninteresting, not less than for a bass-heavy lover like me. The sound is obvious and brilliant sufficient and every little thing is leveled properly, however if you happen to like a little bit extra oomph you will undoubtedly head to the EQ a part of Edifier’s app (the Dynamic preset within the app can be a fast repair for a lot of – though , once more, may have used extra bass).

I began by testing particular songs By Justin Bieber Peaches. This easy R&B monitor has a relaxed beat and catchy melody, and sounds nice on headphones.

The minimalist manufacturing, with sparse instrumentation and a deal with Bieber’s vocals, made for an intimate listening expertise.

The bassline was nice, offering a easy and steady basis for the monitor. The delicate synths and atmospheric pads added a dreamy, ethereal high quality that the headphones delivered properly, particularly after just a few EQ tweaks to spice up the treble.

Bieber’s vocals are entrance and middle all through the tune and his soulful vocals sounded easy and clear.

Transferring on to a traditional – of ABBA Voulez Vous – The fast-paced, danceable disco hit sounded a little bit weak on the default EQ settings, so we extremely advocate downloading the app for additional customization.

After just a few tweaks, the intense, clear sound showcased the person devices and vocals, with the long-lasting opening synth riff and beefy bass complementing one another completely.

General, the WH950NBs ship a first-rate listening expertise—it is only a disgrace that some individuals do not totally get pleasure from themselves until they tweak the settings first.

The WH950NB additionally helps the LDAC superior high-resolution audio codec (however there isn’t any assist for Apple’s AAC or Qualcomm’s aptX).

Nonetheless, to make use of LDAC, it’s essential activate it utilizing the app, and while you do, you lose twin machine performance.

LDAC helps make clear the sound additional. Is that a large distinction? Not in my e book, however if you happen to do not want twin machine assist, it is one thing you need to undoubtedly activate.

The energetic noise cancellation (together with the passive NC that comes with being over-ear headphones) will get the job executed, but it surely’s much like what you get on cheaper in-ear headphones. That’s: It should assist masks engine noises from trains and planes, but it surely does not do a lot to cancel out individuals speaking round you or noisy site visitors.

There’s additionally an Ambient mode, which does the reverse by amplifying outdoors sounds, so that you’re extra conscious of your environment. It is helpful while you’re biking, operating open air, or simply usually must know what is going on on round you, and you should utilize the app to regulate the degrees of each Ambient Mode and Noise Canceling Mode.

I additionally have a tendency to make use of over-ear headphones for watching motion pictures, both in entrance of the pc or in entrance of the TV late at night time, and these do not disappoint on that entrance both.

I examined them with Star Wars: The Final Jedi, and the sound was clear and sensible: I may hear each sound impact, which blended completely with the music, and the speech was extremely clear. That mentioned, my foremost gripe stays: I want the bass was stronger.

Lastly, you may as well use the headset for telephone calls (or video calls) and whereas voices have been a bit muffled at instances, the opposite facet all the time heard me completely.

Battery life

Since they’re so gentle, lots of people will certainly be utilizing them open air (or on a protracted flight), so having such wonderful battery life is a giant plus.

With Lively Noise Canceling on, you may rise up to 34 hours of listening time, and with ANC off, you may rise up to 55 hours, which is an unbelievable quantity for such light-weight headphones.

Charging the headphones totally (with the USB-C port) can take as much as 1.5 hours, however they’ve a quick-charge characteristic that permits you to rise up to a full seven hours of listening from only a ten-minute fast cost.

In fact, your mileage could range, as battery life will depend on the amount ranges you are utilizing, connection power, and different elements. However all in all, I used to be in a position to make use of them for hours on finish with out having to recharge (and with out having to rub my head or ears).

Conclusion: Is the Edifier WH950NB value it?

Though the WH950NB headphones are so gentle, they’re within the heavyweight class. That’s: they offer the costlier headphones from the likes of Sony an actual struggle.

The audio is superb (with my foremost concern being the weak bass, however you may enhance that with just a few EQ tweaks), the ANC is fairly good at this value stage, the battery instances are great, they usually’re comfy to put on .

That mentioned, 179 is not precisely low-cost as of late, however if you happen to’re within the over-the-ear headphone market and need to get as a lot bang to your buck, with out paying greater than 200, then this can be a nice one. pair of Edifiers.

Notice: Headphones have been offered by the producer for this evaluate. As all the time, this has not affected my unbiased opinion of the product.