I use headphones a lot, I mean a lot!  I listen to music in my office, use them for long phone calls and travel often for work so I am in airports all the time so my headphones serve to both connect me with the outside world and also to create my own little world when I want to shut everything else out.  The Avanti Air headphones from Moshi are the first on-ear headphones I have owned in quite some time.  I should clarify, what I have been using prior to these are wired, in-ear, noise-canceling headphones (Bose QC-35 Gen 1), which I have used for the past few years.  I had moved away from wired on-ear and over-ear headphones simply due to the size of the carrying case and extra room they took while traveling.  Now that I have been using the Avanti Air, I have started to rethink my strategy of going with size versus the rich, deep sounds that the larger headphones provide.

What is it?

The Moshi Avanti Air are Bluetooth on-ear headphones that offer superior depth of sound, wireless listening, long battery life with rapid charge time, a very attractive retro design and comfort that won’t be outdone.

Hardware Specs

• 520 mAh battery good for up to 27 hours of listening (at 50% volume)
• Bluetooth 4.2
• 2.5 hours charge time from empty but a 15 minute rapid charge allows for 4 hours of playback time
• 30 ft Bluetooth range
• 8.81 ounces
• 7.78 x 7.09 x 2.17 in

What’s in the box?

First, let me comment on the box itself.  I think I have been conditioned by Apple to love the packaging and unboxing of a new electronic device.  The thought that the packaging and unboxing is the first impression you have with a new device was not lost on Moshi.  I don’t mean to make too big of an issue here, but maybe its already too late for that but when I was opening the box, I just knew that something special was inside.

Inside the box you will find:

• The Avanti Air headphones
• Hard sided, molded, clam shell style carrying case with high quality grey fabric exterior with a zipper closure
• USB-C to USB charging cable
• User’s manual

Design and features

Let’s start with the design.  These are BY FAR the most attractively designed set of headphones I have ever owned.  The retro style reminds me of using my father’s vintage headphones when I was young and just starting to get into music.  They are elegant not only in the quality and material selection but also in their simplicity.  The Avanti Air have multiple pivot and adjustment points to make the fit fully customizable for any user.  Unlike many other headphones in this space where you can only extend or retract each arm of the headphones, you can really make these fit you perfectly.  This is a key feature for me since I wear glasses and often on-ear or over-ear headphones can be uncomfortable with my glasses stems being pressed against the back of my ears.  I can quickly adjust the fit for a perfectly comfortable experience, allowing me to wear them for hours when needed.

The headband and arms that hold each earcup are made from high-quality stainless steel and the earcups are covered with very soft leatherette.  With multiple pivot and adjustment points, you will be able to find the perfect fit.  Whether I’m walking through an airport, watching a movie on the airplane, talking on the phone or any other situation, these always feel very comfortable and secure on my head.

One feature that I didn’t discover until a few days after using these was the Moshi Bluetooth Audio app.  This unlocked so many more features than I have ever had in a set of headphone.  With the app you can set EQ settings, see battery life, set battery low prompt levels, set an auto power off timer for when the headphones are not in use so you don’t run out of battery power if you accidentally leave them on, and connect other Moshi headphones so someone else can be listening to the same thing as you are.  This is such a great feature I really want another set for my wife for when we travel and are watching a movie together.  If we get a second set I will be sure to update you all on the functionality of this feature.  I cannot currently test this function but I can only imagine that it is as easy to operate as everything else the Avanti Air offers.  These headphones allow you to interact with Siri or Google Assistant in addition to the standard volume and track control functions on the unit.

It is important to note that there is no Bluetooth lag when watching a movie using these, which has been an issue with some wireless headphones and speakers that I own or have owned in the past.

What I like

I can say I really like everything about these headphones.  The design is the most attractive I have seen on any headphones and being in airports so much, I see a lot of them.  I have been asked a few times in the short time I have owned these what kind of headphones they are and been told by the person asking how much they like the look.  The depth, range and overall quality of sound is truly impressive.  From rich bass notes to crisp high notes, the fidelity of these headphones gives you the full experience of the music or movie you are listening to.  On phone calls, I have asked the person on the other end how my voice sounds and they said it sounded like I was calling from a landline.

The functionality of the app opens up additional control features that I have never had with a set of headphones.  I have played with different EQ settings and set my battery alert timer and auto shut off timer to fit my needs.  I can’t tell you how many times I have forgotten to turn off my headphones only to find them dead the next time I went to use them.  Problem solved!

The carrying case is stylish and made from high-quality feeling materials and is molded to be just big enough to hold the headphones so no space is wasted if you are packing these in a briefcase or bag.  The zipper also has a loop on it should you want to attach it externally to your bag to save space.

What needs to be improved

I actually paused when writing this review when I got to this section so I could really go through everything to find something I wish was different.  Noise cancellation would be a feature that I would like to see in these in future models and the only real thing I wished these had.  It very well may be the case that adding that functionality would change the aesthetics of this design or maybe some other reason that was left out and for me, it hasn’t been an issue despite being used to noise canceling earphones for so long.  I didn’t have an issue with background noise on the airplane with the full coverage of the on-ear design and when I tested these with my in-ear noise cancelling headphones, I could hear a tiny bit more of the background noise with the Avanti Air but the sound that the Avanti Air produced was far beyond what my in-ear set could provide.  Unless you are going to be using these someplace very noisy or use your headphones just for the noise cancellation to create a quiet place for yourself, don’t be too concerned with this.

Final Thoughts

I returned from a recent trip to find these had been delivered on my front porch.  I turned around the next day to leave on a work trip so I was able to put them to use immediately.  Not being sure about going back to on-ear headphones, I still packed my in-ear headphones that have been with me for years.  I didn’t use those once (other than testing the noise canceling feature) and instead had the Avanti Air on my head every time I was watching a movie or listening to music.  As a music nut who wants to be drenched with great quality sound whenever using headphones, I can 100% recommend these headphones to any audiophile, frequent traveler or any other demographic of people who appreciate high-quality electronics, a keen attention to beautiful design and incredibly rich sound.  Great job, Moshi!

Price: $299.95
Where to buy: Amazon
Source: The sample of this product was provided by Moshi.

The post Moshi Avanti Air wireless on-ear headphones review appeared first on The Gadgeteer.

Filed in categories: Reviews

Tagged: Bluetooth headphones

Moshi Avanti Air wireless on-ear headphones review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on March 13, 2018 at 10:00 am.

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I generally put headphones I review into three categories: Too bassy, too accurate or a balance between the two extremes. Headphones that are too bassy make music sound muffled and oppressive. Overly accurate headphones will accentuate everything that is good in music if the music you are listening to is taken from high-resolution files. But they also expose the bad because they can’t tell the difference. It’s the middle ground—mama bear if you will—where many headphones belong. Among these are the V-Moda Crossfade 2 Wireless headphones.

V-Moda entered the headphone market by wisely crowd-sourcing—among headphone enthusiasts—the sound signature for their original Crossfade headphone. V-Moda’s plan worked. The Crossfade sold well and spawned other models culminating in the Crossfade 2. Now, V-Moda has made a wireless version of the Crossfade 2 and why not? Bluetooth quality has improved dramatically over the last few years and keeps getting better. Plus, everyone seems to be jumping on the Bluetooth bandwagon.

V-Moda’s Crossfade 2 Wireless has managed to keep its unique and wonderful folding engineering called “CliqFold”. It has to be seen to be appreciated. These are full-sized headphones that fold into something quite small and can be put into their equally small form-fitted hard case. So you get the best of many worlds. The Wireless Crossfade 2 headphones are truly portable.

The case will hold both the charging and wired-mode cables, although it does get a bit cramped when closing the case. The case also has two clever, removable vent port covers. When removed, air can circulate inside the case during storage. This is a bigger deal than it seems at first. I’ve actually found a fine mold on ear pads inside cases that were sealed a bit too well.

Speaking of ear pads, the Crossfade 2’s pads are really comfortable. I have experienced no discomfort after hours of wearing. Surprisingly, this is not the norm. The Crossfade 2 headphone is called over-ear, but on my head, the ear cups are on the small side (for over-ear). That’s not a big deal for me, but it’s something to consider if you have larger ears.

The headband is made of vegan leather (I prefer real leather—apologies to cows everywhere). More headband padding would be better, but that’s a minor complaint since comfort is not compromised.

V-Moda has used materials judicially—the Crossfade 2’s metal frame is thin, yet quite strong. There isn’t any wasted space. Each piece serves a purpose and still, the Crossfade 2 Wireless is one of the better-looking headphones on the market in its price range. However, they are not conservatively designed, so you may disagree.

The Crossfade 2 Wireless headphones come in three color combinations: Matte Black/black metal; matte white/silver metal and black/rose gold metal. I received the white model with a silver steel frame. Even though I prefer black, I have to photograph what I review and white shows details that are difficult to highlight when everything is black. So, white it is.

It doesn’t stop there. V-Moda wants to promote an interesting aspect to the Crossfade headphones: The metal plates on each ear cup are customizable. You can either choose one of V-Moda’s designs or send V-Moda one of your own. If you’re not creative, V-Moda offers many (almost too many) choices and colors in either 3D printed precious metal, 3D printed steel, 3D printed fibre or laser etched metal, which is what I chose. I sent V-Moda my logo to be printed white on black. They are quite unusual looking on the white model I received. This makes for great photos, but I’ve also grown to like the look. Putting your name on some headphones makes them yours. I like that! Note that the custom plates are an extra-cost option.

Obviously, these are Bluetooth wireless headphones. With many headphones, pairing with your smartphone or other Bluetooth enabled device can be a pain, but not with the Crossfade 2. Just slide the On/off button and hold for 3 seconds. That’s it. Weird radar sound prompts tell you when you’re connected. I prefer voices that actually say “Connected” as some headphones do, but it’s no big deal. What is a big deal is that you have to remember to turn the headphone off when you’re done. Despite the generous 14+ hours of battery life, I have drained the battery by forgetting. For forgetful people like me, it would be nice if the headphones could automatically shut down after a few minutes of not being worn.

The right ear cup houses basic music controls: Volume up/down; pause/play and track skip forward/backward. The buttons have embossed controls that are easy to feel without distraction.

The Crossfade 2 Wireless headphones have a built-in mic for calls. In testing, persons I was talking to could hear me fine, but the quality was not as good as speaking directly into the phone itself. V-Moda makes an optional boom mic that makes calls sound great and they are perfect for gamers. In my testing, the mic had to be used in wired mode because plugging them in shut off Bluetooth.

As I said earlier in this review, the sound signature of the CrossFade 2 Wireless headphones is what I call “mama bear”. This middle ground makes them slightly warm sounding and accurate at the same time. What does this mean? As long as you are not listening to heavily compressed MP3 files, these headphones will accurately portray your music with all its nuances giving you a pleasing reproduction. However, they are not so accurate that they reveal every glitch in a music file. Minor irritants that are brought out with super accurate phones are masked over, so what’s left is the fun factor of listening to your favorite song. That’s what “warm” sound means. That is not an easy thing to do when making headphones, but V-Moda did it with these.

While testing the Crossfade 2 Wireless headphones, I primarily used my iPhone 7+ as the music source. Whether using Bluetooth or hardwired or listening to Apple Music or CDs I’ve stored on the device itself, I’m not disappointed. Having said that, the Crossfade 2s do sound better hard wired than wireless. The volume is louder, plus there is more clarity and punch to the music. That’s normal. Hard-wired always sounds better. Bluetooth has vastly improved, but it still can’t compete with wires—at least not yet. I’m convinced that one day soon, it will sound just as good as wired. Despite that, I used Bluetooth almost all the time. It’s just too convenient and the audio is still great.

Rachmaninov’s choral masterpiece “Bless the Lord, O my Soul” is music that is so beautiful that it will give you goosebumps. The Moscow Chamber Choir is pitch perfect and haunting at the same time. The recording is sublime and the Crossfade 2 wireless headphones add just the right amount of warmth. When you’re as big a fan of Russian Choral music as I am, listening with these headphone is a major treat.

Speaking of goosebumps, Enya’s “Water Shows the Hidden Heart” from the album “Amaratine” is a speaker tester halfway through the song when Enya’s voice reaches into the stratosphere. It’s at this point in the song where distortion can happen. The Crossfade 2 Wireless headphones breezed right through the passage with no problems. Her singing retained all its beauty, sans distortion.

That’s not to say that the Crossfade 2 Wireless headphones can’t rock. Siouxsie and the Banshees thumper, “Peek-A-Boo” packs a bass wallop that can cause people to rip headphones off heads in bass distortion frustration. However, these headphones provide a bottom kick that can be felt in your head as well as heard. And I even cranked up the volume. My ears gave out before any distortion showed up. Fun.

V-Moda offers what they call Six-Star service, which is a one-year warranty plus a 50% replacement cost for life.

\V-Moda clearly has a winner with the Crossfade 2 Wireless headphones. They’re not cheap, but if you want a pair of headphones that fit that middle spot where they sound good with all kinds of music, are built like a tank and are wireless, then the Crossfade 2 Wireless headphones will start to look like a bargain.

Source: The sample for this review was provided by V-Moda. The Crossfade 2 Wireless headphones sell for $330 US. Please visit their site for more info and Amazon to order.

Filed in categories: Reviews

Tagged: Bluetooth headphones

V-Moda Crossfade 2 Wireless headphones review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on November 27, 2017 at 11:00 am.

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Now that smartphones like the latest iPhones and my new Pixel 2 XL have abandoned 3.5mm headphone jacks, the quest to find the perfect pair of Bluetooth earbuds has been high on my tech wish list. The latest test buds to show up on the Gadgeteer testing bench are the Freedom 2 wireless sport headphones from Jaybird.

What is it?

The Freedom 2 wireless sport headphones are earbuds that connect to a smartphone, tablet, or computer using Bluetooth.

What’s in the box?

Freedom 2 buds
Charge clip/Battery pack
USB charging cable
4 pairs of silicone tip/fin combos
Shirt clip
Carry pouch
Quick start guide

Design and features

The Jaybird Freedom 2 wireless sport headphones are available in black and in white/gold like you see above.

These are in-ear style headphones which come with 4 sets of ear tips with built-in fins that really help keep the earbuds in your ears even when you’re working out or running. Speaking of which, the Freedom 2 headphones are water and sweat resistant, so you can get as icky as you like and the headphones won’t skip a beat.

I found these headphones to be comfortable even for extended wear. I like the fin design of the ear tips because they never feel like they are about to fall out of my ears. They easily stayed put when I was sitting at my desk and when I was working out. I’m not a runner, so I didn’t test how well they stay in your ears while pounding the pavement, but I am pretty confident that that won’t fall out.

The headphones are small and compact and feature an inline controller and speedfit cord clips that allow you to customize the length of the cable for the perfect fit.

The inline controller has three buttons on one side that control volume and functions like power, pairing, play, pause, call answer, call end, and next track.

On the other side of the controller are electrical contacts that mate with contacts on the snap-on backup battery/charger.

To charge the Freedom 2’s battery, you snap on the charger and then connect it to a USB port or AC adapter.

Yes, that means that you’ll always need to carry the snap-on charger with you so you’ll be able to charge the headphones where ever you are.

If that sounds like a hassle, I agree with you. But, the good news is that the snap-on charger is pretty small and easily fits in the included pouch. Even better news is that it doubles as a battery extender that will provide up to 4 hours of extra play time for the headphones. As you charge the headphones, the backup battery also charges.

Without the backup battery snapped to the controller, the Freedom 2 headphones will play for about 4 hours on their own. Snap on the charger/backup battery and they will play for an additional 4 hours, for a total of 8 hours of play time. Note, that when you connect the battery clip it will power off the headphones and you’ll have to power them back on which is a little annoying.

I rarely listen to music for more than a couple of hours at a time, so 4 hour battery life isn’t a problem for me.

Pairing the headphones

I had no problems pairing the Jaybird Freedom 2 headphones with my Pixel 2 XL Android smartphone and so far I’ve had no problems with the phone and headphones reconnecting after cycling power on both devices.

The headphones have a female voice that will tell you that the headphones are powering on, battery level, when they are connected, and when they are powering down.

These are multi-point headphones which means that you can pair them with two devices at the same time. You can have the headphones connected to your phone for calls and your computer for media. The headphones will also remember up to 8 devices.

How do the Jaybird Freedom 2 headphones sound for music?

I wasn’t initially that impressed with the audio quality while listening to my favorite tunes through Spotify and Amazon Prime Music apps. But then I installed the Jaybird app on my Pixel 2 XL and customized the sound settings and was MUCH happier.

The app offers pre-configured sound settings or you can start from scratch to create your own. The app also offers music playlists that might help you find some new favorite tunes.

Depending on the sound setting that you choose (my current favorite is called Perfect Quality) through the Jaybird app, you should be happy with lows, mids, and highs.

I don’t listen to just one type of music, I like almost all genres and so far the Jaybird Freedom 2 headphones have not disappointed me. If I don’t think a particular type of music sounds as good as it can, I choose another setting in the app and am happy again. But honestly, the Perfect Quality sound customization pick has been the one I settle on about 95% of the time.

How do the Jaybird Freedom 2 headphones sound for calls?

I don’t like taking calls with in-ear headphones because I feel like I’m talking in my head with the way my voice sounds. That said, using the Freedom 2 headphones to take calls is fine. I could clearly hear the person on the other end of the call and they said that they could hear me. Only one time did someone tell me that I sounded a little quiet.

Final thoughts

Right now the Jaybird Freedom 2 wireless sport headphones are my favorite Bluetooth headphones because they are comfortable to wear, sound great, and have the ability to play for up to 8hrs with the clip on battery. They get two thumbs up from me.

Source: The sample for this review was provided by Jaybird. Please visit their site for more info and Amazon to order.

Filed in categories: Reviews

Tagged: Bluetooth headphones

Jaybird Freedom 2 wireless sport headphones review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on November 22, 2017 at 2:25 pm.

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