Audeara A-01 Noise Cancelling Wireless Headphones Review

A Closer Look and Performance

First impressions of the headset are very promising. The headset has a stylish yet very understated look to it, that’s unlikely to draw much attention. I like this, as I’d rather have a matte black stealthy looking set of headphones, rather than a chrome and gold set of blinged up head cans; maybe you like something you can show off in, but not me.

Despite looking understated, there’s certainly attention to detail here. The headset has a premium quality look and feel to it, and well-refined design choices. The ear cup mounting, for example, is mounted on a pivot that allows you to turn the ear cups inwards, as well as some vertical angle adjustment too. Despite this, they’ve managed to keep everything shaped so that the headband stays closer to your head and ears. Some headsets look like they’re sticking way out to the side, but it all looks nice and tight here.

Comfortable Fit

The angle adjustments are great for tweaking the fit on your head. Of course, this will allow you to ensure the drivers have a clean fit around your ears, which will improve their passive noise cancelling ability as well as the long-term comfort of the headphones. Furthermore, the ear cups pivot all the way in, which allows you to comfortably wear the headset around your neck while they’re not in use.

There’s a slider adjustment too, with a metal internal band reinforcing the headset. Even at full extension, the whole thing feels pretty firm and will stay confidently pressed around your ears; albeit not uncomfortably so.

Despite its massive battery life and an around-the-ear design, the headphones are surprisingly lightweight. Not super light, but a little lighter than you would expect from any wireless headphones on the market. The padding on the headband doesn’t look sufficient, but it’s surprisingly comfortable, and again, with the lightweight, a thicker layer just seems unnecessary.

Built-in Controls

Regarding functionality, everything you need is built into the headphones themselves. Once you pair your mobile device via Bluetooth, or even just connect via a 3.5mm audio cable, you’re good to go. Through Bluetooth, you can control basic things like volume, skip and play pause from the side buttons. They’re quite small, but the buttons are well defined and easy to operate without looking. While the device will sleep after a while to save battery, you can also toggle the switch on the side to turn them on/off as you see fit. However, with one of the biggest batteries of headphones in this class, you’ll be able to make around the world flights on a single charge with ease. My Philips headphones are good for 20 hours, but these are good for 35. On the Philips, I’ve been from Taiwan to Hong Kong, through to London, then on the train from London to Leeds on a single charge with no issues. With these headphones, I can do that twice over and still not be reaching for the charging cable. That’s pretty damn impressive considering how powerful they are and the noise cancelling tech they offer.

ANC

My Philips (review) are my go-to for noise cancellation. However, I think these new headphones beat even those stunning headphones! The ANC can be turned on with a switch on the side, and it learns the sound very quickly. Sitting on a train, it’s almost immediate how fast it filters out consistent noise sources. If someone shouts your name, you’ll still hear it. However, the track and engine noises fade away entirely. Crying baby on board? Not a problem, while the ANC will filter some of it with no music playing, things step up a few gears once you start listening to audio. It cocoons you in sound, and since they use an around the ear design, their passive noise cancellation is excellent too. You won’t hear anything but your music.

The soft leather padding is very comfortable to wear, even on longer journeys. However, these are just nice headphones to wear in general. Sitting at your desk, laying back on your sofa with a beer and a few classic albums, or when you’re out walking the dog. They feel firmly planted on your head without feeling encombering, as any good set of headphones should. Even with the ANC turned off, they sound superb. However, they can sound much better than that too. Let’s see how!

Great Sound!

Equipped with powerful 40mm drivers, the headphones are hardly lacking in power right out of the box. They produce fantastic deep bass frequencies without sounding overpowering. Throwing through some thrash metal right up to some cheesy pop, the response time of the drivers is very tight. Furious drums or wailing high vocals right as true as most sets of studio headphones. There’s certainly nothing to complain about here for all you audiophiles. At least, I didn’t think they could sound better.

Hearing Test!

Once you pair them with your mobile device. You can download the hearing test app for the headphones. Listen through the required tests and everything seems pretty normal. Then, pure witchcraft happens. Listen to the stock profile then listen to your profile, and the difference is night and day. Off, the stereo imaging is superb, seriously as good as anyone is used to from quality headphones. Turn the profile on and the drivers sound much less direct, it’s like being in a listening room with finely tuned tower speakers in front of you and you’re sat in the perfect seat to enjoy them. It’s hard to describe and its personal too. My profile won’t sound quite right for my partner, or anyone else in the office, generally at least. If someone else wants to use them, they can do their own test, and again, they’ll say the same. It’s like having the freaking band in the room, it’s sound quality that’s quite simply profound!