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Tom's Guide
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Tom's Guide
Forget the AirPods Pro 2, these are the best audiophile earbuds under $200
I like AirPods. They might not be my favorite earbuds on the planet, but I still like them. I have, however, set myself a mission — if I can find earbuds that provide an AirPods Pro 2-like experience at a lower price, I'll highlight them over the alternatives. I've recently been testing the Cambridge Audio Melomania A100, and I think I've just found the ultimate AirPods Pro 2 alternative. The best bit? They're $100 less than Apple's premium pair of best noise canceling earbuds, despite getting close in feature set, beating them out in battery life, and stomping their sound. It helps that Matt Berry of What We Do In The Shadows fame has voiced the alerts. Here are the key areas where the new Melomania A100 beat out the AirPods Pro 2 — and the one area they struggle with. Cambridge Audio's latest buds look more like the AirPods Pro 2 than the brand's previous models, but that only serves to make them more comfortable. 6.5 hours of battery isn't quite as good as the M100, and AirPods fans might miss Spatial Audio, but they're perhaps the best-sounding pair of earbuds you can buy for $149. You'd have thought that after decades of development, we'd have nailed down excellent fits for in-ear buds. Yet, somehow, companies still struggle — however, the Melomania are a comfortable fit for hours on end. They share a shape with the AirPods Pro 2 in some ways, although their stems are slightly longer. You'll want to try the different earbud tips in the box, because those that come pre-attached are a little on the small side. But once they're dialed in, you get that 'barely there' feel which makes the AirPods Pro 2 so eminently wearable. I've been able to wear the Melomania over the course of a full day as a result, only taking them out for lunch. They don't press in any of the key discomfort points of my ears and, unlike some options, they don't have some mad-cap shape that only fits a certain type of ear. Get instant access to breaking news, the hottest reviews, great deals and helpful tips. AirPods Pro 2 comfort for $100 less? Not bad, Melomania A100, not bad at all. Cambridge Audio is a hi-fi company, so I'd expect good sound and a well-judged frequency curve — but I'll get to that later. What I wasn't expecting was ANC that got very, very close to the AirPods Pro 2, managing to block out some of the most annoying noises in my office, even without music playing. I say 'even without music playing', because ANC headphones have to use some of the inaudible frequencies in your music to cancel out the sounds of the world around you. As you might imagine, getting some music playing drowns out everything the inaudible white noise misses. My fan disappears, for example, and the noise of engines and tires is a distant memory. The AirPods Pro 2, with their $100 price premium, do a slightly better job of music-less noise canceling, but the Melomania get so close you'd be hard pressed to complain. The Melomania A100 don't rock the boat, but that's almost the point. They've opted for a similar look to the AirPods Pro 2 this time around, with the familiar stems and teardrop earbud section. They're not an unhandsome pair of buds, albeit one that might blend in more easily amongst the crop of similar-looking earbud options. But that's not a bad thing. No one is going to see you and think, 'there's an AirPods case in that person's pocket, time to make a quick buck.' The black and beigey-gray colorways don't do much to stand out either, and while to some that may be a drawback, I think there's something to be said about a device that puts its internals over the way it looks. The case is nice and small, and it's slim enough to fit in most jeans pockets fairly easily. Cambridge Audio's new logo adorns the top, and the front is dominated by the battery and pairing status lights. It's much better than some of the alternatives, like the Sony Linkbuds Fit, which feature a much larger, fatter cases. The A100 continue the audio legacy, while improving the rest of the feature set to match. I'd be disappointed with Cambridge Audio if it made something that didn't sound good, given the brand's excellent track record and sonic heritage. After all, previous buds might not have wowed across the board for features, but they've always set themselves apart with some of the best sound around. The A100 continue the audio legacy, while improving the rest of the feature set to match. Cambridge Audio has brought the full might of its house sound to bear with the A100. That means a slightly warmer, more welcoming sound, which retains very solid detail levels. As with the over-ear Melomania P100, the A100 in-ears outperform their price point with some of the best sound you'll get before you reach at least $300. They sound better than the AirPods Pro 2, with more purpose to their sound. The technical guitars and exacting cymbal line of Obscura's Silver Linings show just what kind of detail the A100 can extract from tracks, while still letting the fretless bass dance in the background. The kick-drum is loaded with impact, and instrument separation enables you to pick everything apart. As a result, they're a more holistic and interesting listen than the relatively flat and un-noteworthy sound of the AirPods Pro 2. The A100 are packed full of little details that show Cambridge Audio has thought about how you're going to use the buds, as well as why you're going to keep using them. The Melomania app is easy to use, and gives you a whole load of features you won't find in the AirPods Pro 2. For example, sound is more customizable than the Apple buds, with a strong 7-band EQ. That really lets you dial things in to your musical tastes, and it's something that Apple won't let you do beyond its own pre-judged sound profiles. There's more in there as well: Mono mode enables a stereo mix to play out of one earbud for those moments you can only have a bud socketed in one ear. Customizable controls, and a mode called 'DynamEQ' which keeps trebles and the bass at consistent levels despite low volume. There's even a Gaming mode, Sleep mode, and even a simpler version of Find My so that you can find your buds when they're nearby. My favorite thing? The 'Southwark' alert voice. That's Matt Berry, who you might recognize from the Fallout TV show, or Vampire comedy What We Do In The Shadows. That's attention to detail, and lends a whole lot more personality to the buds. Now, if only he'd lend his talents to an entire voice assistant… For $100 less than the AirPods, you can't expect to get everything that Apple offers. With the A100 you won't get Spatial Audio, or the magic AirPods pairing. You won't get the new hearing aid features either, although the AirPods Pro 2 are about the only thing out there that offers that currently. But again, you're paying $149 for a sonic experience that beats out the AirPods Pro 2, and battery life that takes them to school (43 hours in the case, as opposed to Apple's 24). I know what I'll be recommending to people if they ask me what earbuds they should be buying from now on, that's for sure. Follow Tom's Guide on Google News to get our up-to-date news, how-tos, and reviews in your feeds. Make sure to click the Follow button.
Hypebeast
06-07-2025
- Hypebeast
Cambridge Audio Launches 'Melomania A100' High-Fidelity Earbuds
Cambridge Audiohas launched the Melomania A100, its most feature-packed set ofearbudsyet. The brand – a favorite among audiophiles that has made hi-fi speakers and other audio separates since 1968 – has poured over five decades of experience into its latest product, claiming the new buds deliver its 'award-winning signature sound in a compact, ultra-comfortable form.' The Melomania A100 feature a stemless design – unlike their predecessor, the Melomania M100 – with Cambridge Audio opting for an AirPods-like stemmed style instead. The new earbuds are built with custom-tuned 10mm drivers and featureClass ABamplification, whichthe brand says help to deliver the 'signature Cambridge Sound.' They have a seven-bandadjustable EQ that comes with six pre-sets, and users have the option of saving their own with fully customizable sound profiles that can be saved based on different genres of listening modes. Cambridge Audio has also included itsproprietary 'DynamEQ' technology, one that it says keeps music 'perfectly balanced, even at low volumes.' The Melomania A100 uses touch controls and users can customize these to their liking. They have are six microphones per earbud, which are used both for calls and for the active noise cancelling (ANC) and transparency modes. And`in terms of connectivity, the earbuds useBluetooth 5.4, with the ability to be connected to two devices at the same time. When it comes to battery life, the Melomania A100 features 'up to 39 hours of playback' with 11 hours of use 'on a single charge' when ANC is switched off, according to the brand, or around 6.5 hours with it on. Cambridge Audio also says that just 10 minutes of charging can provide users with 'up to 3 hours of playback,' while the charging case holds 'up to 28 more hours of use.' The Melomania A100 supports a wide range of codecs includingLDAC, aptX Lossless, aptX Adaptive, AAC and SBC – codecs that allow the playback of uncompressed audio wirelessly – letting users take full advantage of high-resolution streaming services like Tidal. Lastly, the Melomania A100 have an IPX5 water resistance rating, making them sweat- and dust-proof, and capable of being used in light drizzle. Cambridge Audio has also released an 'updated and redesigned' version of its 'Melomania Connect' app for iOS and Android. Cambridge Audio's latest earbuds, Melomania A100, are available now in two colors, white or black, across Europe and Asia through itswebsitepriced at £119 GBP / €139 EUR. They are launching later this year in the US and will cost $149 USD.
Forbes
26-06-2025
- Forbes
Cambridge Audio's Melomania A100 Wireless Earbuds With Hi-Fi Sound Quality
The new Cambridge Audio Melomania A100 wireless earbuds are available now. One of the most popular British audio brands, Cambridge Audio, has been making waves on the British hi-fi scene for more than half a century. Today, the London-based brand celebrates its next 50 years with the launch of a new pair of true wireless earbuds: the all-new Melomania A100. These new wireless earbuds have been designed to deliver Cambridge Audio's award-winning signature sound in a compact and comfortable form factor. The A100 have been tuned and acoustically optimized by the brand's London-based engineers and they use the same Class AB amplification found in Cambridge Audio's award-winning CX and EX Series of amplifiers. The Melomania A100 uses 10mm diameter, precision-tuned, dynamic Neodymium drivers. Cambridge Audio says these latest drivers have been tuned to produce a deeper bass with richer mids and clear highs that meld together to deliver a high-fidelity listening experience. The Melomania A100 support the hi-res LDAC and aptX Lossless audio codecs over Bluetooth. They are also are the first to use Cambridge Audio's proprietary DynamEQ technology which ensures details remain intact and balanced even when the user is listening to music at low volume levels. The new A100 wireless earbuds from Cambridge Audio feature Class AB amplification and custom tuned ... More Neodymium drivers. A full charge of the A100 earbuds provides up to 11 hours of continuous listening time. The designers say that comfort is at the center of the physical design of the earbuds and the company claims it's made a lot of effort to ensure the shape of the earbuds makes them comfortable to wear, even after a lengthy listening session. Thanks to the use of lightweight and premium materials as well as a wide choice of silicone tip sizes, these earbuds are designed for long-lasting wearability and an ergonomic fit. The Melomania A100 stow away in their charging case when not in use and it holds extra power for topping up the earbud batteries. The case sports three white LEDs on its front panel giving instant feedback of battery level. To squeeze the Cambridge Audio signature soundscape into such as small pair of wireless earbuds, the company's engineers used hi-fi grade Class AB amplification to power the 10mm Neodymium drivers. The result is increased warmth and more musicality than would be available from off-the-shelf drivers using regular Class D amplification. To provide high-quality processing of the digital signals, Cambridge Audio chose Qualcomm's dual-core 240MHz Kalimba digital signal processor. This offers more refined sound processing and lower distortion levels as well as more clarity than most chipsets. There is support for LDAC, aptX Lossless and aptX Adaptive Bluetooth audio codecs, as well as the more usual AAC and SBC. The Cambridge Audio A100 are available in white or black and come with a range of high-quality ear ... More tips for maximum acoustic isolation. The A100 are the fourth pair of Melomania earbuds from Cambridge Audio. The Melomania range is something of a personal quest adn challenge for the company's chairman, James Johnson Flint, who has been pursuing the Holy Grail of a perfect-sounding pair earbuds for half a decade now. The development of the A100 is the culmination of Johnson-Flint's efforts and the use DynamEQ technology to keep the music perfectly balanced, even at lower volume levels, is something he is particularly pleased with. By subtly adjusting bass and treble through the volume curve, the A100 ensure that every track can sound its best with a full and natural tone, no matter what the listening level. Like any good pair of wireless earbuds, the Melomania A100 have Active Noise Cancellation which uses a hybrid combination of Feed-Back and Feed-Forward ANC. There are external microphones for monitoring outside ambient sounds, plus interior microphones monitoring the ear canal to sweep up any noise making it through the acoustic seal of the ear tips. The result is more unwanted sound blocked out. Out of the box, the A100 earbuds are tuned to provide the classic Cambridge Audio sound signature. The A100's transparent and natural presentation is how Cambridge Audio believes music should be heard. However, people have personal preferences and hear music in different ways. For this reason, the A100 earbuds also offer a range of options for customizing the sound. A full charge of the A100's storage case and earbuds can provide up to 40 hours of continuous ... More playtime. Users can shape the sound signature of the A100 to suit their preferences using the new Melomania Connect smartphone app. It's possible to fine-tune the tone using a 7-band adjustable EQ. There are also six EQ presets tailored for different genres of music. Users can create their own EQ profiles and then save them for total control over the listening experience. To customize the A100 further, the Melomania Connect app includes a feature that can remap the touch controls on each earpiece to suit the user. When wireless earbuds first launched more than 10 years ago, they would often play for between and hour or two before they needed to be recharged. Today we expect much better and a full charge of the A100 provides up to 11 hours of continuous playback with the ANC turned off. That figure drops to 6.5 hours with ANC turned on, which is still long enough for a flight from London to New York. It's also sufficient juice for a 9-to-5 work shift and something spare for the commute home. The ultra-compact charging case can hold enough power for up to 28 hours of listening time. Incidentally, a fast-charging function means a quick 10-minute charge of the A100 can provide another three hours of playback time. This is a handy feature if you've not used the earbuds for a while and are just about to go out for a run. The new A100 earbuds are one of the first products to bear the new Cambridge Audio branding. The Melomania A100 are built around Bluetooth Version 5.4 and support Multipoint Connectivity so two devices can connect at the same time. Why would you want to do that? Well, you could be listening to music or watching a movie on your personal smartphone but need to take a phone call on your business phone. With Multipoint Connectivity you can instantly switch between devices without any interruption. For phone calls or video meetings, the A100 uses no fewer than six microphones for picking up the user's voice loud and clear. Advanced cVc noise isolation technology filters out unwanted and noisy background sounds to boost call clarity. The Melomania A100 earbuds mark a new era for Cambridge Audio because they bear the company's new branding and work with the redesigned Melomania Connect app. The A100 are also launching alongside the Cambridge Audio's new Evo 150 SE streamer amp which is also controlled by the refreshed StreamMagic app. Cambridge Audio's Melomania A100 earbuds are available from and Amazon across Europe and Asia. The price is $149.99 / £119 / €139 but the A100 won't be available in the U.S. until later in the year.
