My first port of call with earphones and headphones is always how they feel, because they could have the best sound in the world and that wouldn’t matter a jot if they were uncomfortable.
Over the years I’ve had some really nasty headphones that been too tight on the head, or earphones that were downright painful in your ear.
The Focus A5 headphones are quick to address that with nice, bold cushions that cocoon the ears and feel really comfortable, and a padded band that never feels to obtrusive or noticeable. The memory foam cushions are great, and the headphones are relatively light for their size. They are foldable too, for me that’s a necessity with headphones like this, and they do fold up pretty neatly.
A big tick. So what about the noise? Well the first thing I experienced and noticed was a definite leaning towards a really bass driven sound. It’s impressive, one that does sometimes take over the overall sound experience.
The lack of an accompanying app and graphic equaliser is a big omission, that would have helped to eradicate some of the bass issues. There’s no doubting the oomph that these carry, the sound can crank up really loud, they certainly have the power factor.
These are a budget pair of headphones, something that feels like an odd thing to say given they aren’t cheap, especially in the current financial climate. The cost of headphones can be extremely high, so these do sit at the lower end of the scale, and for the money that you are paying they are good value.
The audio experience reflects the old saying that you get what you pay for and with these you are getting a decent pair of headphones at a decent price.
I found the noise cancelling to be much better than expected, not perfect, but they did the job effectively and with purpose. They are great on the train and certainly drowned out the other passengers, I did get the odd look when I went high with them, so the sound does creep out a bit.
The Bluetooth worked well and I didn’t once have any latency issues, again, that’s a big plus point for me. One of the biggest selling points of the headphones is the whopping 75hr battery life, I can’t recall any headphones I’ve seen with that lifespan, I may be wrong through. Either way, it’s an impressive stat and one that will appeal to many.
The controls are nice and easy to use on the one cup of the headphones, certainly no issues there.
The OneOdio Focus A5 headphones are available via Amazon from £59.99.
In a nutshell: For the price point, they are a decent set of headphones, albeit slightly flawed in some key areas that you probably wouldn’t get issues with in a more expensive set. The battery life, amiable design and comfort, and reasonable sound experience means they are well worth a look. That bass is a biit much for me though.
Reviews
Giki writes: These headphones are a little bulky in size but nice and light. They are easy to set up, easy to charge with standard connectors and comfortable to wear for extended periods. Sound quality is ok. The tuning is definitely toward the bass end of the spectrum so these sound better for more dance oriented music. The mid is good and the hf is a little understated
It has an ambient mode and a noise cancelling mode. There was very little perceived difference in the modes These are ok as a commuting set of cans, they are not very hifi but a definite step up from inexpensive buds. They are not hugely expensive, but there are much better sounding headphones available at this price point.
Jordan writes: The headphones have been tested with an iPhone and an Android, iPhone gives you AAC and with the android phone I got LDAC and good quality bitrate which sounded crisp. The only downside is I couldn’t see an app so I think this is one of the things OneOdio could add to their headphone range.
I found the ANC is okay but I wouldn’t say it was good as I could still hear external noises and when comparing them to other headphones / earphones with ANC they do fall behind. Its also been recently windy in the UK and I could hear the wind noise which distracted from the listening experience.
Alternatives
Skullcandy Hesh ANC Over-Ear Noise Cancelling Wireless Headphones
Edifier W830NB Wireless Over Ear Headphones