Inside the compact little buds are 5.8mm drivers with diaphragms made from graphene, a material used for its "outstanding strength and flexibility,'' according to Cambridge Audio, which says that these qualities give these headphones the "dynamism and response to deliver music with a clarity and presence that belies their tiny size and near-imperceptible weight". NY 10036. On the l… There’s no point in having such epic battery life if the sound of the in-ears falls short, however. Tell us what you think - send your emails to the Editor. They’re also available in black, for those that prefer the black build. In fact, it rivals some of the best over-ear headphones, which is all but unheard of for buds of this size. Cambridge Audio even provides a credit card-sized cheat sheet, listing all the button-pressing choreography – so you can always keep it to hand until you’ve nailed your moves. These earbuds are pretty long compared to similar models like the Samsung Galaxy Buds, which means they do stick out of your ears a little bit when you wear them. Find the size that suits you best – like all in-ear headphones, the 1s’ sound relies greatly on the quality of the fit into your ear – and away you go. And Qualcomm’s Clear Voice Capture technology ensures reasonably crisp call quality – which is by no means a given where wireless headphones are concerned. The Cambridge Audio Melomania 1 true wireless earbuds are a great alternative for listeners who stylish earbuds with solid battery life. They certainly outperform the Apple AirPods, in all respects apart from the lack of wireless charging case. Pairing the Cambridge Audio Melomania 1 true wireless earbuds is super easy; simply remove the buds from their charging case and make sure Bluetooth connectivity is enabled on your device. That makes the headphones easily pocketable. Similarly, when the music stops, it stops resolutely and with more precision than you'd expect. We find the claimed 30m Bluetooth 5.0 connection and pairing between the two monitors extremely reliable, even when we left our iPhone XS Max streaming tunes on the table and walked outside wearing them. All the above leaves the Cambridge Audio Melomania 1s in a remarkably strong position. These buttons also allow you skip back and forth through your tracks, answer and reject calls, and summon your smartphone’s voice assistant, where you use Google Assistant or Siri. The Cambridge Audio Melomania 1s look very sleek indeed, with a compact, bullet-like shape and slim charging case that fits easily into your pocket – or ever the waistband of your running shorts, if you’re that way inclined. At the top end, there’s grip and shine to the massed percussion of Art Blakey’s “Moanin’”, but it never threatens to get splashy or wearing. We feel immersed in sound too – even the background noise of the Underground train we’re on fails to intrude on the experience. Bigger isn’t automatically better, and sometimes good things come in small packages. The Melomania 1 charging case carries an extra 36 hours of battery. Dirac’s spatial audio is coming to wireless headphones from Klipsch, RHA and more, New Pixel 5 images leaked by noted tipster Jon Prosser. Every area of the frequency range is well judged: the droning low frequencies during Four Tet’s “My Angel Rocks Back and Forth”, for example, have weight and solidity – but they don’t overstay their welcome and don’t impact on the information above them. The Melomania 1s are so honest they can’t lie. © As the track progressed and dreamy string flourishes started to sweep about the mix, that wide soundstage seemed to extend even further, resulting in a stunning, open sound. Bjork’s Venus as a Boy was similarly impressive; these earbuds had no problem navigating the sultry bass riffs and jangling percussion, and they snapped and crashed around Bjork’s enigmatic vocal. New York, But again, they’re more expensive than the Cambridge’s Melomania 1s, don’t run for as long without charging – and the AirPods sound stressed at volume in a way that these in-ears simply don’t. That's over double the playback time offered by the Apple AirPods – despite the latter costing a much higher $159 / £159 / AU$249 with the standard charging case, and $199 / £199 / AU$319 with the new Wireless Charging Case bundled in. Happily, though, there’s a fair bit more to talk about when it comes to the Melomania 1’s features. Receive mail from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors? 1 displayed a level of precision that we haven’t heard from true wireless earbuds before. Although, when you consider the fight Cambridge Audio is picking with these headphones – which includes everyone from Apple and Samsung to Sony and Sennheiser – then perhaps it’s a good idea to have a name that stands out…, Related: Cambridge Audio enters the true wireless market with the Melomania 1. Weighing just 4.6g each, these earbuds are incredibly comfortable to wear, even for long periods of time – and feel secure enough to run with. There’s also no dedicated app for the Melomania 1s and while this makes everything refreshingly simple when pairing, there is no scope for EQ alteration. Reasonably priced.
The Melomanias have a slightly odd look, but they produce an entertaining and detailed sound. That end of each bud is comprised almost entirely of control button, to be used to issue instructions (Cambridge thoughtfully provides a little bank-card sized crib sheet in case the sequences take some time to learn). Very little about the Melomania design stands out. We never, ever accept money to review a product. He spent five years as editor of What Hi-Fi? Related: What is Bluetooth 5? They offer a similar Bluetooth specification, voice control and a nicely judged sound. Not only that, but Black Friday is coming up on November 27 too, giving you another chance to save money on your next true wireless earbuds. I’m not the first person to say it and I won’t be the last: size isn’t everything. Cambridge Audio Melomania 1 with the cover open. Yes, they make you look a bit daft when you’re wearing them, but their wireless solidity is unrivalled and they’re better balanced, in tonal terms, than before. The charging case is a similar size to Apple’s AirPod charging case. Unlike other sites, we thoroughly test every product we review. Water-resistant design. UPDATE: If you're on the hunt for true wireless earbuds that you can workout with, then the E7/1000 True Wireless Waterproof Earbuds from Kygo are ones to watch. Receive mail from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors? They’re noise-cancelling, too, which puts them ahead of the Cambridge in-ears – but they need charging long before the Melomania 1s and they’re a lot more expensive. But they’re twice the price of the Melomania 1s and their battery life is less impressive. It looks like the most sensible alternative to the Melomania 1s is Sony’s latest true wireless in-ears, the WF-1000XM3. Featuring an incredible 9 hours battery life between charges, the latest generation of True Wireless technology and 50 years of Great British Sound in every pair, Melomania 1 deliver the stunning audio quality you’ve come to expect from Cambridge Audio and they won’t let … Everything you need to know. Integration of the frequency range is good – as it should be when you’ve only one speaker driver per channel – and the Cambridges have no problem unpicking a dense and complex recording any more than they’re troubled by big dynamic shifts. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, but it does mean they sometimes feel insecure, particularly if you’re wearing them on the move – initially, we were worried that they would fall out if we moved our head too suddenly.