Itā€™s not everyday that we get to review a special little headset ā€“ this time by Edifier. This headset offers something special for those who wants to immerse themselves into their own world while walking around the noisy streetsĀ  ā€“ and thatā€™s active noise-canceling, also known as ANC. Itā€™s a feature mostly found in expensive headphones, but Edifier is pricing the new W860NB that has ANC competitively ā€“ so letā€™s find out if itā€™s any good.

Thanks to Edifier Malaysia for providing us a unit of the W860NB so that we can test everything yay and nay about the Edifier W860NB wireless headset that has ANC.

Specifications

Frequency response20Hz ~ 20kHz
BluetoothBluetooth v4.0
Impedance32Ī©
Sensitivity100dB
Supporting protocolHSP HFP A2DP AVRCP
Connecting distance10m
Battery capacity1,400mAh rechargeable battery
Working time35 hours
Standby timeAbout 800 hours
Charging timeAbout 3 hours
Charging inputDC 5.0V=500mA

Unboxing

Edifier W860NB

Here we have the Edifier W860NB in the box. Itā€™s actually a very simple packaging design here. The front of the box shows the headset itself, and thereā€™s a list of specs at the back with some feature highlights. Quite surprising that Edifier didnā€™t put any feature highlight at the front of the box.

Edifier W860NB

Opening the box we can see a hard shell case with foam flanking the top and bottom. These foam pieces can protect the product from getting any damage during shipment.

Edifier W860NB

Digging everything out from the box we can only see the hard shell case and some documentation only.

Review - Edifier W860NB Wireless Headset With ANC 1

Upon opening the hard shell case, thatā€™s where we find theĀ Edifier W860NB alongside with the accessories.

Edifier W860NB

In terms of the accessories, Edifier has included a 3.5mm audio jack, a micro USB cable for charging, and also a converter for airplanes.

Edifier W860NB

Taking a look at the Edifier W860NB itself, there really isnā€™t much to say about its design. Itā€™s a minimalist headset design with fairy good build quality and a headband cushion with adequate thickness. The earcupsā€™ foam however, is a little too thin.

Edifier W860NB

Speaking of the earcups, Edifier uses high quality PU leather this time and it creates a good seal around the ears. The clamping force of the Edifier W860NB is relatively comfortable as well ā€“ albeit it does scratch against the ear pinna since the foam is thin.

Edifier W860NB

On the left side of the earcup we can find the micro USB charging port covered with a rubber flap, the status indicator LED, the 3.5mm audio jack, and the NFC transmitter. Yes ā€“ if you have an NFC-enabled device, then you can easily pair with the Edifier W860NB via NFC.

On the right side of the earcup thereā€™s a power button and also the ANC switch. The right earcup is also touch-sensitive where it responds to your gestures. Swiping sideways will seek the next or previous track, whereas swiping up and down adjusts the volume.

Testing

Firstly, letā€™s talk about comfort. Itā€™s quite lightweight and has a reasonable clamping force, making it rather comfortable to wear for hours. However, there are two things to take note. For those who have ear pinnas that protrude out like Dumbo (also like me) then itā€™s not going to be comfortable. The earcup cushions are thin. Secondly, the earcup cushions are wrapped around PU leather which will isolate noise better, but also made me sweat easily.

Then comes the ANC. The ANC switch is actually independent from the main power button ā€“ which means ANC can still be turned on even though the headphone itself is turned off. Keep this in mind so that you wonā€™t waste battery while not using the Edifier W860NB.

Edifier W860NB

The ANC quality of theĀ Edifier W860NB is ā€“ frankly speaking ā€“ not that good. Though it can cancel quite a lot of surrounding noise, it emits quite a noticeable high-pitch hum that is annoying and caused a headache after some time.

In terms of sound quality, the Edifier W860NB is quite strong in producing bass but falls short when it comes to mids. The vocals and bass are mixed together, making it sound especially muddy. The highs are okay though it doesnā€™t go as high as other headsets can achieve.

The microphone on the Edifier W860NB has one caveat ā€“ it only works when theĀ Edifier W860NB is connected via Bluetooth. The included 3.5mm audio jack is only a 2-line jack, and theĀ Edifier W860NB does not support 3-line audio jacks.

As for the battery, we used theĀ Edifier W860NB for days and the battery is still running fine. As stated in the specs list, it does take hours to charge.

Conclusion

TheĀ Edifier W860NB is priced competitively at RM499 at Edifier Malaysiaā€™s official LazMall page ā€“ and it is actually one of the cheapest headset with ANC in the market right now.

In terms of sound quality, itā€™s not my cup of tea. I also prefer to turn off ANC on theĀ Edifier W860NB since it makes a high-pitched hum. ANC on theĀ Edifier W860NB is just sloppy and it seems like Edifier just simply designed a headset with ANC just for marketing purpose.

Pros

  • Comes with hard-shell case
  • Comfortable and lightweight
  • Long lasting battery life

Cons

  • Sloppy ANC
  • Muddy audio quality
  • Earcup cushions too thin
  • Microphone doesnā€™t work with 3.5mm audio jack

Tech Critter Bronze

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