Over-head, Bluetooth, noise-cancelling wonder! Damn, I wasn’t sure how well I would get on with the Edifier W860NB headset. I’m an ear-bud guy and despite having a good experience with Edifier in the past, I wasn’t sure how well they would deliver an over-ear experience.
Boy was I wrong! I’ve worn this headset in excess of 40 hours now, and I still get as kick out of how well they let me hear my favourite songs.
Spoiler alert: I’m going to be gushing about the Edifier W860NB a lot in the coming paragraphs…….
Look/Comfort
From the outside, the W860NB look like your standard over-ear headphones. Albeit with the Edifier branding on them.
That’s not to say they look bad, they just look unassuming, non-distracting even. And that’s why I love them. Nobody can tell from the outside what you’re hearing and internalising. These aren’t some flash, bold “look at me” headphones. The W860NB don’t need that.
Presented in a lovely soft shell case (also really nicely and subtly branded), you’re given this sleek high-end impression. When you see them nicely nestled inside the case, you know that Edifier wanted the W860NB to be handled with care. And that’s how you know these are a premium headset.
In terms of comfort, the cushioning around the ears is soft and light. This is always a point of contention for me. Extended wear over my ears can often become uncomfortable. Not here. These are comfortable, even over extended periods of time. Add to that, the softly cushioned headband, and adjustable sides. Edifier wants you to get comfy so the W860NB can take you for a ride.
The longest single session I had with them on was just over 4 hours, whilst I did the gardening one afternoon. Otherwise, it’s been stints of 2-2.5 hours here and there, plus a few phone calls.
Audio
Full disclosure here. I’ve played mostly albums that I know inside out. The logic being, that I know where to expect every crash and hi-hat, every bassline, every melody and backing vocal.
That way, I look for what’s missing, not just what’s there. Varying genres, with focus on different elements like lead guitar lines, bass, drum fills and everything in between. What was missing? Nothing!
This is the first headset I’ve been sent to review, that doesn’t focus on the low-end and top-end, ignoring the middle and getting things a bit messy in the background. Everything in your ears, coming from the W860NB is everything you want to hear.
Sure, the bass and treble kick ass. But if you’re listening to something more subtle, you pick it all up, too. Some of the old midi final fantasy soundtracks, sound sweet, despite being built for the original PlayStation.
Features
If you take the excellent audio quality away, and the lovely comfort and build, the W860NB is still packed with features!
Bluetooth is a given, right? Well, you also get the option to plug in with a 3.5mm cable. Plus, they come with a two-pin adapter for individual audio/microphone ports that you’d find on a PC. So you’re all covered!
The W860NB features active noise cancellation, too. And I made sure to test it out the best way I could think of. I mowed and strimmed the lawn. If these headphones can block that noise out and let me listen to podcasts and music without disruption, then that’s a winner.
Shock…..they did the trick really well! Normal conversation being blocked out was no problem at all. I found with the lawnmower that they took all of the lower register away, and just left a touch of the higher elements of those sounds. Not an issue at all, it removed the bulk of the noise without fail.
Because it’s active noise cancellation, they use external microphones to essentially listen, and then use the Qualcomm chip inside them to process those sounds out. It’s really cool stuff, and it just works at the flick of a switch.
On top of that, the right ear has touch-sensitive controls on the outer-shell. I can raise the volume, skip tracks and pause with a slight touch and I found it really effective. Working out exactly where my hand was, was a test on occasion, but it came with practice. Edifier has implemented this feature pretty well.
Finally, the W860NB has a built-in microphone for phone calls, too. I don’t know why, but I wasn’t expecting that. I was expecting a straight-up audio-only experience. I made a few calls and found that people could hear me clearly and had no issues there, either.
Edifier W860NB overall thoughts
Edifier are sure to be a bigger name in the audio peripherals industry before we know it. And it’s headsets like the W860NB that will get them there. Comfortable, packed with features, outstanding audio quality and nicely presented, to boot!
It’s hard to find something to complain about here. This is a premium headset that feels and looks premium, too. Active noise cancellation to block out that everyday noise, and help you focus (working from home means I definitely benefit from that right now!).
I can’t justifiably rate the W860NB any lower than a 10 out of 10 because there’s nothing missing, and everything delivers. Fantastic work, Edifier.
Want to take a closer look yourself? Head to the official website HERE to check out some of the specs. And if you’re won over by those specs or our review, click HERE to find them on Amazon, currently just £89.99 for the gold version and £99.99 for the black version in the pictures (prices correct as of 23/06/2020).
This review was written by Ben from NinjaRefinery.com. He has plenty more reviews on our site and you can go and find them on our review feed HERE.
1 comment
Great review ben!