Melo(dy )mania 1 - Airpods Killer?

[Fnige]

Techradar News

Techradar Review

 

 

From News source

Quote

Quote

The Cambridge Audio Melomania 1 offer a staggering 45 hours of battery life in total: nine hours from the buds themselves, with a further 36 hours of juice contained within their charging case. That's over double the playback time offered by the Apple AirPods – and at a far lower price, as the Melomania 1 cost just $129.99 / £119.95 (around AU$185).

Quote

For a pair of true wireless earbuds, the sound quality offered by the Cambridge Audio Melomania 1 are sensational. In fact, they rival some of the best over-ear headphones, including the Bose Noise Cancelling Headphones 700, which is all but unheard of for buds of this size.

Quote

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 the brand. Cambridge Audio 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".

 

From the Review

Quote

Quote

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. 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. ... Despite our reservations, they didn’t fall out once

Quote

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. They also come with an IPX5 water-resistance rating, which means they should be able to withstand a little sweat if you do want to use them for working out. 

Quote

As audiophile earbuds, it’s no surprise that the Melomania 1s support Bluetooth 5.0 for a stable signal, as well as AAC and aptX codecs, which means you can listen to lossless Hi-Res Audio over a wireless connection.

Quote

The outer housing of both these wireless earbuds double up as control buttons; to turn the volume of your music up, press and hold the right button, and do the same with the left button to turn it down. 

Quote

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. 

Quote

Battery life is simply outstanding; you get nine hours from the buds themselves, with a further 36 hours of juice contained within their charging case. 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

Quote

Clarity and presence are the keywords there, qualities the Melomania 1s deliver in spades. Listening to Debussy’s Arabesque No. 1 displayed a level of precision that we haven’t heard from true wireless earbuds before. Complex descending piano arpeggios were conveyed with dexterity and nimbleness, while deep bass notes loomed warmly in the background

 

 

 

OPINION:

Holy... The wireless earphone space is actually moving. I may get one of these if i ever get enough money.

[DrMacintosh]

Don't really know if this belongs in Tech News, seems like it belongs in reviews tbh. Also these only seem to be $30 cheaper than AirPods, if you had an iOS device, it would still make sense to get AirPods. 

[Fnige]

3 minutes ago, DrMacintosh said:

Don't really know if this belongs in Tech News, seems like it belongs in reviews tbh. Also these only seem to be $30 cheaper than AirPods, if you had an iOS device, it would still make sense to get AirPods. 

had some from news source, decided to bring the review in there so maybe a mix of both

 

Gonna see what the mods do to it

[Froody129]

So when it says lossless AAC, does that mean it's the same as plugging a cable in? 

[Kisai]

7 minutes ago, Froody129 said:

So when it says lossless AAC, does that mean it's the same as plugging a cable in? 

Nope. I'm pretty sure that all wireless (Bluetooth or proprietary) have to compress further than they would with a wired connection, though it may not be that much. Consider how awful BT A2DP is already, and that this is just the same idea except the codec is in the earbuds.

[Origami Cactus]

29 minutes ago, SlimyPython said:

In fact, they rival some of the best over-ear headphones

30 minutes ago, SlimyPython said:

dynamism and response to deliver music with a clarity and presence that belies their tiny size and near-imperceptible weight

What does that sentence even mean?

 

In fact that whole thing is an ad / paid article, so i don't think it belongs in here, it is in no way an actual review. They just copy pasted the reviewers guide.

This is like the LTT "product showcase", NOT "product review".

[kokakolia]

IMHO, a regular person would still buy AirPods over this. And that's only because the earbud design is darn appealing. It doesn't cause weird irritation/sweat like earplugs. And you can hear the outside world perfectly well. And you don't have to worry about getting a good seal and keeping it. And the fourth reason is purely aesthetic. The white earbuds are so iconic, the fact that they're wireless adds a futuristic element. 

 

Regular people don't care all that much about performance, but rather convenience. The AirPods offer convenience in spades. Just think about the Keurig machine. It makes average coffee and the pods are expensive. And yet it's so popular. 

[Blademaster91]

49 minutes ago, SlimyPython said:

had some from news source, decided to bring the review in there so maybe a mix of both

 

Gonna see what the mods do to it

It's not Apple so not news. /s

The short battery life most wireless earbuds have is why I wouldn't buy them,but up to 9hrs is really nice.

[Derangel]

There have been "Airpod killer" bluetooth earphones for a while. My Bose Soundsports kick the shit out of Airpods in terms of audio quality. Airpods haven't been the over-all best wireless earphones for a long time. They're still good, especially for their price and the ease of connecting with iPhones, but its a bit silly to call anything an "Airpod killer" these days as if its something special.

[dizmo]

Very interesting, such a good price. Definitely considering these, though I'm not a fan of how they stick out. Also physical buttons are the stupidest idea on things like this! You shouldn't be applying force to something in your ear canal. 

 

I love Cambridge Audio though, their stereo units are very nice. 

 

On 8/9/2019 at 11:54 PM, DrMacintosh said:

Don't really know if this belongs in Tech News, seems like it belongs in reviews tbh. Also these only seem to be $30 cheaper than AirPods, if you had an iOS device, it would still make sense to get AirPods. 

It's not a user review. It's a product launch, so it belongs just as much as any other product launch. 

On 8/10/2019 at 12:23 AM, kokakolia said:

IMHO, a regular person would still buy AirPods over this. And that's only because the earbud design is darn appealing. It doesn't cause weird irritation/sweat like earplugs. And you can hear the outside world perfectly well. And you don't have to worry about getting a good seal and keeping it. And the fourth reason is purely aesthetic. The white earbuds are so iconic, the fact that they're wireless adds a futuristic element. 

 

Regular people don't care all that much about performance, but rather convenience. The AirPods offer convenience in spades. Just think about the Keurig machine. It makes average coffee and the pods are expensive. And yet it's so popular. 

Uhhh I know tons of people that would rather have good sound at a slight "inconvenience". Also, earbuds are horrid. I don't really know anyome who prefers them over IEMs. Not everyone sweats enough to cause irritation

[kokakolia]

8 hours ago, dizmo said:

Uhhh I know tons of people that would rather have good sound at a slight "inconvenience". Also, earbuds are horrid. I don't really know anyome who prefers them over IEMs. Not everyone sweats enough to cause irritation

I see Earpods all over Paris. Otherwise, very few people wear earphones/headphones for safety reasons. I personally can't stand IEMS (skin irritation and maintaining a seal for more than 20 seconds) or earbuds (all treble and no bass, makes me feel tired). A lot of people do like earbuds, but they're not the tech-savvy type of people. They're the kind of people who would use a pair of earbuds because they were packaged with their phone. 

[Orangeator]

Yeah bu the design looks much worse compared to Airpods. That will be a major factor when it comes to a consumer purchasing a pair of wireless earbuds... Especially if they plan to wear it out in public. 

[BuckGup]

Nothing can replace airpods because of what they are

[Rain7]

Oh man I thought they were a real airpods killer and got exited for a second. The reason I bought airpods was due to its shape (I love earbuds, IEMs irritate my ear so much that I can't wear them for more than an hour) and battery life, I would've went with any other brand as long as they gave me the a similar shape with almost the same battery life, I couldn't care less about the ease of connectivity with other apple products since it's pretty easy to connect to other devices as well.

 

What my main gripe with my airpods is their lack of touch controls, I could only play/pause (instructions say to tap twice but you actually have to tap thrice for it to work 100% of the time) and skip tracks. I couldn't even turn the volume up/down without having a 5+ second discussion with siri, I thought I could just say "Hey Siri, volume up 60%" and have it adjust instantly but NO, it pauses whatever it is you're playing, tries to understand what you said, tells you what it did and then resumes which totally breaks the flow of whatever it is you're listening to. 

 

All I want is a wireless earbud (and not an IEM) with decent battery and better touch controls. Unfortunately, Airpods is the only thing that comes close to that but if something else comes up, I'm more than willing to spend even 200-300. 

[dizmo]

3 hours ago, kokakolia said:

I see Earpods all over Paris. Otherwise, very few people wear earphones/headphones for safety reasons. I personally can't stand IEMS (skin irritation and maintaining a seal for more than 20 seconds) or earbuds (all treble and no bass, makes me feel tired). A lot of people do like earbuds, but they're not the tech-savvy type of people. They're the kind of people who would use a pair of earbuds because they were packaged with their phone. 

Depends where you are I guess. I see tons of people out and about with headphones.

[Video Beagle]

Just throwing another comment of wanting to see more airpod types rather then the plunger (IEMs?) ones...hate the feel of those.

[suicidalfranco]

17 hours ago, Rain7 said:

Oh man I thought they were a real airpods killer and got exited for a second. The reason I bought airpods was due to its shape (I love earbuds, IEMs irritate my ear so much that I can't wear them for more than an hour) and battery life, I would've went with any other brand as long as they gave me the a similar shape with almost the same battery life, I couldn't care less about the ease of connectivity with other apple products since it's pretty easy to connect to other devices as well.

 

What my main gripe with my airpods is their lack of touch controls, I could only play/pause (instructions say to tap twice but you actually have to tap thrice for it to work 100% of the time) and skip tracks. I couldn't even turn the volume up/down without having a 5+ second discussion with siri, I thought I could just say "Hey Siri, volume up 60%" and have it adjust instantly but NO, it pauses whatever it is you're playing, tries to understand what you said, tells you what it did and then resumes which totally breaks the flow of whatever it is you're listening to. 

 

All I want is a wireless earbud (and not an IEM) with decent battery and better touch controls. Unfortunately, Airpods is the only thing that comes close to that but if something else comes up, I'm more than willing to spend even 200-300. 

https://www.jlabaudio.com/collections/earbuds/products/epic-air-sport-true-wireless-earbuds

 

[Rain7]

Spoiler

20 hours ago, suicidalfranco said:

https://www.jlabaudio.com/collections/earbuds/products/epic-air-sport-true-wireless-earbuds

 

 

Thanks for the suggestion, unfortunately due to my glasses, I have trouble wearing earbuds/iems with ear hooks. I've tried applying them before my glasses but it proved tedious as I would remove them every 15 minutes or so and I would have to remove my glasses as well. I've tried applying it after my glasses as well but it barely clings on my ear and it feels weird. This would've been a keeper for my specific use-case if it was designed similar to airpods. Huawei's freebuds look almost the same but the design is an IEM, I don't like putting the silicone inside my canal since gets itchy, sweaty or uncomfortable after a while. I like just resting the earbuds on my ear. Still, thanks for the suggestion 

[suicidalfranco]

1 hour ago, Rain7 said:

  Reveal hidden contents

 

Thanks for the suggestion, unfortunately due to my glasses, I have trouble wearing earbuds/iems with ear hooks. I've tried applying them before my glasses but it proved tedious as I would remove them every 15 minutes or so and I would have to remove my glasses as well. I've tried applying it after my glasses as well but it barely clings on my ear and it feels weird. This would've been a keeper for my specific use-case if it was designed similar to airpods. Huawei's freebuds look almost the same but the design is an IEM, I don't like putting the silicone inside my canal since gets itchy, sweaty or uncomfortable after a while. I like just resting the earbuds on my ear. Still, thanks for the suggestion 

https://www.jlabaudio.com/collections/earbuds/products/jbuds-air-executive-true-wireless-earbuds

 

https://www.amazon.com/Comply-Soundbuds-SoundPEATS-Symphonized-Replacement/dp/B00AQU2VKQ/ref=sr_1_17?crid=3I0HGGP4S6VQC&keywords=foam+tips+for+earbuds&qid=1566031834&s=gateway&sprefix=foam+tips+%2Caps%2C255&sr=8-17

[Rain7]

33 minutes ago, suicidalfranco said:

https://www.jlabaudio.com/collections/earbuds/products/jbuds-air-executive-true-wireless-earbuds

 

https://www.amazon.com/Comply-Soundbuds-SoundPEATS-Symphonized-Replacement/dp/B00AQU2VKQ/ref=sr_1_17?crid=3I0HGGP4S6VQC&keywords=foam+tips+for+earbuds&qid=1566031834&s=gateway&sprefix=foam+tips+%2Caps%2C255&sr=8-17

Thanks but unfortunately it still looks like an IEM. An IEM (In-ear monitor) is anything where you put a silicone/foam/etc inside your ear canal. An earbud on the other hand is meant to be placed/hanged outside your ear canal (More on this here: https://www.earbudsaddict.com/iem-vs-earbuds/). Unfortunately, manufacturers tend to use them interchangeably as if they were the same thing, causing confusion. My discomfort stems from having anything inside my ear canal, be it a silicone/foam, it starts with some discomfort, followed by sweating and itching.

[Curious Pineapple]

I have these headphones with wire coming out of them. I don't need to worry about battery life, charging them, loosing them, or the price tag that takes the absolute piss. Also they look like some kind of parasite climbing into your ear.

 

I do have a wireless set, but they are not tiny things, and they have a wire connecting the 2 sides for use in my helmet. They cost me £5 from Lidl and have a damn good battery life for what they cost, probably because they have a decent size cell in there.