This is me, on a Philly train during rush hour, enjoying blissful solitude. How is this possible? I’m rocking the MPOW H5 Active Noise Cancelling Bluetooth Headphones. Spoiler alert: the active noise canceling feature is the real deal. Let’s have a look!

What is it?

They are Bluetooth enabled headphones with a noise canceling mode that reduces low-frequency background sound.

Hardware specs

• Bluetooth 4.1
• Active noise canceling mode
• Aux-in port for wired use
• 20-hour battery life
• CVC 6.0 noise-canceling microphone
• Inner ear cup size: 1.65- 2.95 in
• Foldable & rotatable design

What’s in the box?

The package comes with a hard case, auxiliary cable, and USB to micro-USB charging cable.

Design and features

The MPOW H5 Active Noise Cancelling Bluetooth headphones are of the over-ear style, completely covering your ears to focus the sound. For a $50 pair of headphones, I was pleasantly surprised by the build quality. All the hardware and components are nice and burly, and the housings are all capped to protect the delicate bits. There’s nice thick padding on both the cups and the frame for comfort. It’s built to take the hard knocks associated with commuting or traveling.

I’ve found these headphones to be very comfortable to wear for extended periods of time. The ear cups swivel 90 degrees and include length adjustments to tweak the fit to your head shape. With a total weight of about 8 ounces, they also don’t feel like they are dragging you down.

All of your controls and ports are built into the ear pods. You’ll find the volume controls, power/Bluetooth button, and charging port on the left ear pod. The active noise control switch and aux cable port are on the right ear pod. Placement of the controls is on the rear of the cups so that can manage all your functions with your thumbs while the headphones are on. I have found that I occasionally hit the power/Bluetooth button when I go to adjust volume since it is set between those two controls. It’s not a huge problem, but it would be nice if MPOW tweaked the layout here.

The combo Bluetooth/power button is where you get started. Press and hold for two seconds, and voice indicator tells you that you’re powered up, pairing, and connected to your device. Bluetooth pairing is pretty straightforward. The headphones will go into discovery mode if no device is connected. By pressing and holding the button on power up, the device will go back into pairing mode if you want to connect a new device. Press and hold that same power button for 2 seconds to power down again. It’s all straightforward & easy to use.

Sound quality is great to begin with, but the active noise canceling (ANC) is the big feature here. It’s a slider switch that, when enabled, focuses the sound and reduces low-frequency noise. The MPOW Amazon page spends quite a bit of time qualifying how well this works, which gave me some doubts… until I used the headphones on a recent train trip and a cross-country flight. Boy, what a difference. Low level background noises like train rumblings and cabin just vanish. You’ll still hear higher-frequency and louder noises (think human voices, machinery), but even those are muted. I’ve also used it at the office, where it significantly reduces background noise on a busy office floor. It does a lovely job of focusing you in on your music, audiobooks, or podcasts. You’ll really notice the difference when you switch ANC mode off, and that background noise creeps back in again. I’m a believer.

MPOW does a nice job providing a complete package for travelers. The 20 hour battery life is great, and you can switch to wired mode to further extend your battery. The headset folds up nicely into an included hardshell case, which also includes an aux cable and a charger. There’s even a nice little web pocket in the case to corral your chords. Everything you need for long trips.

Two warnings about charging. When you flip it to ANC mode, it will continually drain the battery even if you are not connected to a device. There’s a green indicator light that lets you know when it’s on, but it’s kind of a bummer if you forget to hit the switch. The headphones are also not to be used with 12W chargers, or you risk overheating. Standard USB charging from your laptop is fine, as are most smartphone power blocks. I haven’t seen any issues with this, but they put a big warning sticker in the package. Forewarned is forearmed.

The MPOW H5 also sports an integrated microphone for making/receiving calls. Incoming sound is good, but outgoing audio is just OK. the microphone just sits too far away from your mouth, so I received reports of very muted sound when I used it. It’s a nice extra option, but I don’t know that I would rely on it for extended calls (like conference calls) on the road. You’ll need to speak very loudly to be heard.

Finally, it is important to note that the MPOW H5 is a bulkier headset at 5″ by 3 1/2″ in the case. It’s going to take up some room in your bag, and won’t fit in slim briefcases or backpacks if you already have your laptop and gear loaded up. There’s also no external attachment point to clip it to the outside of your bag. You’ll want to check the dimensions of your usual carry and packing needs.

What I like

• Great sound quality with an active noise cancellation feature that really works
• Very comfortable
• 20-hour battery life
• Aux-in cable option
• Durable
• Hard case included with purchase

What needs to be improved

• Using ANC will drain the battery, even if you’re not connected
• Rated for charging on 5W USB only
• Bulky dimensions may not work for you if you’re traveling lean and mean
• Phone microphone isn’t very useful

Final thoughts

If you’re a frequent commuter looking for a headset for listening to your tunes & podcasts, the MPOW H5 Active Noise Canceling Bluetooth Headphones are a good option. The noise reduction feature actually works, sound quality is great overall, and the unit is built with far more rugged durability than I see in most headphones at this price point. I would not recommend them if you’re on the phone a lot. Also keep in mind that while they are lightweight, you’re adding a chunky addition to your daily carry.

Price: $49.99
Where to buy: Amazon
Source: The sample of this product was provided by MPOW.

The post MPOW H5 Active Noise Canceling Bluetooth Headphones review appeared first on The Gadgeteer.

Filed in categories: Reviews

Tagged: Bluetooth headphones

MPOW H5 Active Noise Canceling Bluetooth Headphones review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on May 9, 2018 at 10:26 am.

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When it comes to headphones, there seems to be a sliding scale of form and function. Looks, comfort, sound quality and price are all factors that fluctuate wildly. Do the Fanstereo Studio43 Bluetooth Headphones deliver on all categories?

What is it?

The Fanstereo Studio43 Headphones are premium wireless Bluetooth headphones with clean aesthetics and comfortable, sound-insulating design.

Hardware specs

• Bluetooth V4.1 (Operation range up tp 35 feet)
• Sensitivity 102 + 3db, Frequency Response: 20-20 kHz
• Drivers: 40 mm
• Impedance: 32 Ω OHM
• Charge connector Micro USB
• Charging time 1-2 hrs max
• Standby time 300 hrs max
• Playing time 13 hrs max
• Weight: 162g
• Battery capacity 250 MAH

What’s in the box?

• Fanstereo premium aluminum headphones
• Owners manual
• Micro-USB cable

Design and Features

I like the overall aesthetic of the Studio43. They’re nice and simple and look great on my desk next to my iMac and other black and stainless steel office supplies. They also look expensive. They feel like premium headphones. The ear cushions are as soft and plush as they appear, perhaps even more so, and do a great job in forming a seal to insulate noise. They don’t leak much sound to the outside.

Fit and Feel

As mentioned, the Studio43 headphones are high quality. The headphone band is very flexible and exerts a very small amount of pressure on your ears. The band doesn’t feel like it would break very easily.

Most of the force keeping the headphones on your head comes from them resting on top of your head. I’ve never really been a fan of over the head headphones because of my thick hair… they tend to irritate my scalp after an hour or so. These were no different for me, however, that seems like it would be limited to me in particular.

My ears didn’t get sweaty or hot, which is another issue I run into with these type of headphones, because they rested so lightly on them and the earphones have an excellent amount of cushion. Overall, they were comfortable. I think I’d have a much better go if my hair was much shorter.

Sound Quality

I’d rate the sound quality of these headphones somewhere in between Fair and Good. The mids and treble seemed quite good, but they were a bit lacking in the bass. Some minor adjusting so as to create a better seal around my ears did help the quality a bit. I was able to coax them into a fuller sound through some equalizer in the music apps I tested them with, but out of the gate, I’d rate them as Adequate.

Functionality

On the back of the right headphone, there are three buttons that serve multiple functions. The large button serves as the power button as well as start/pause. Holding it for about 5 seconds powers the headphones on or off.

The two smaller buttons are the volume up and volume down. Double clicking those buttons work as forward or reverse track skip.

There is a neat “AI” function when your phone receives a call, a voice prompt simply asks “Yes or No?” and awaits your answer. It doesn’t read the name or number of the caller, so you’d have to check your phone screen to see if you want to talk to that person or not. But the response mechanic works well. I answered “No” and the mic picked up my voice and started the music again.

Battery life seems to be close to advertised. The manufacturer claims the headphones have a 13-hour life, and I was seeing numbers closer to 12, which is pretty great.

One thing that drove me crazy about these headphones was the confirmation beep for every action. It’s fairly typical to hear a feedback tone when adjusting the volume or maybe even skipping a music track when you’re pressing a button on the headphone itself. But the Studio43’s gave the same feedback beep when adjusting things on the actual device. So when I hit the volume button on my iPhone? Beep. I dragged the volume slider on my Mac. Beep beep beep beep forever increment. I selected a new playlist. Beep. It even beeped when one track ended and went to the next song, without pressing any buttons on any device. It was just like, “BEEP just thought you’d like to know that you’re listening to a different song now!”

There was no way to disable this as far as I can tell. I noticed that it didn’t do this in Spotify, but did so in the Apple Music and Amazon Music apps, on my iPhone and my iMac. Your mileage may vary.

It also features a small personal peeve, the Intermittent Blinking LED. It’s one of those external indicators that let you know that the headphones are on, which is unnecessary. LED on when it’s charging? Sure. That’s a good method of letting you know that it’s actively charging. I usually work in a dimly lit room, and I can’t deal with a blue strobe light illuminating any close surface every 6 seconds. The light isn’t that bright, but it’s just one of those design choices that irks me.

What I like

• Good sound isolation
• Looks great
• Comfortable

What needs to be improved

• Just okay sound
• Beeping feedback with *literally* every action

Final thoughts

With a product like headphones whose entire purpose is to deliver sound, if they sound awesome but are uncomfortable, that’s almost as bad as comfortable headphones that sound terrible. The Fanstereo Studio43 headphones offer a good mix of high comfort, great looks, and just-good sound.

Price: $139.00
Where to buy: You can buy the Studio43 Headphones in silver or camel brown from their website or Amazon.
Source: The sample of this product was provided by Fanstereo.

The post Fanstereo Studio43 Bluetooth Headphones review appeared first on The Gadgeteer.

Filed in categories: Reviews

Tagged: Bluetooth headphones

Fanstereo Studio43 Bluetooth Headphones review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on May 5, 2018 at 11:00 am.

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