Bluedio are perhaps not the most recognisable brand name when it comes to the headphone market, but they’re making moves to change that perception. How does their HT wireless Bluetooth offering measure up?
Build Quality & Design
The first thing you’ll notice when removing these headphones from the box, is that they look ever so slightly different to how they appear in their marketing and promotional images.
They look a lot duller and more plastic than they do online. This has been a bit of a sticking point with some people who claim that they’ve been “duped” somewhat. I’m not sure I agree entirely with that line of thinking, but I do agree that the online images add a certain shine to the headphones that they simply don’t have in reality. If looks are something you consider really important, then this is something you’ll want to consider before spending your money on them.
The headphones are surprisingly light and the soft faux leather ear cushions are comfortable to wear, even for long periods of time.
The headband is fashioned from plastic, with a padded cushion underneath that makes them comfortable to wear.
Aesthetically, these headphones are never going to be mistaken for Beats or Bose. They don’t look like $200 headphones, but, they don’t look terrible either. The main selling point here isn’t the look, but the features that are incorporated into these headphones, which I’ll go into in detail later.
Perhaps the biggest issue I’ve seen regarding the build quality is the longevity of the product. I have heard reports from various sources of these headphones cracking and breaking after a few months use.
Again, these aren’t $200 headphones and when you decide to invest in a pair of headphones at the lower end of the market you run the risk of issues such as this.
Another nice touch is a selection of colors to choose from, with options of black, white, blue & red.
Sound Quality
The real make or break factor for any Bluetooth headphones. Do they provide a quality of sound comparable to their wired counterparts?
The answer in this case would be yes.
Bluetooth headphones have, for the most part, managed to build a slightly dubious reputation over the years, with complaints of less than average sound quality, signal dropping and other issues.
This offering from Bluedio bucks that trend and then some.
Boasting “Bluedio’s inconic powerful base resonance” and “unexpected ultra-large dynamic drivers, turbine style housing, with iconic Bluedio surging low-frequency shock”, it’s pretty clear that they have put a fair amount of thought and design into making these headphones.
I’ve heard it said that the sound quality can be described in two words.
Heavy bass.
The problem there is that heavy bass works for some kinds of music, but not others, so be prepared to experiment with the sound settings.
Overall though, the general consensus is that the sound quality is very good, and that considering the price-tag, these headphones punch above their weight.
Features
This offering from Bluedio certainly doesn’t fall short in the features department.
Bluetooth and wired options are available, with both offering a reasonably high quality of sound. The cable is a standard sized 3.5 jack, so if you ever find yourself looking for a spare or replacement, it won’t be hard to find. When it comes to pairing the headphones with a device there isn’t much to it. Simply press and hold the power button until the blue indicator light stops flashing, pair with your device and you’re pretty much good to go. There’s no requirement for passwords, and the connection is good for up to 10 metres.
It doesn’t appear that there is a noticeable difference between either set-up when it comes to sound quality, which is a massive plus point for these headphones.
Another feature that is on offer here is the ability to make calls.
There is a built-in microphone that allows you to switch from listening to your music wirelessly via your smartphone to taking a call. The quality of the microphone is reasonably high, and the person on the other end of your call won’t be able to tell the difference between you answering them with your handset or with these headphones.
Possibly the most intriguing feature offered by these headphones is the ability to share the music being broadcast wirelessly with another set of headphones, using the wired set-up. I’m not entirely sure how much use people will get out of this feature, and think it may be a gimmick of sorts, but it’s a feature that is available nonetheless.
Verdict
In the Bluetooth headphone market you will be hard-pressed to find a quality pair of headphones for less than $40.
Most of the industry leaders come in at around the $75-$140 range, so I’d say straight off the bat that if you’re not willing to pay that kind of money you simply won’t get a pair that performs in every area.
This model from Bluedio falls into that category. You can pick a pair of these up for anywhere around $30-$40, and whilst they do perform well in certain areas you really are getting what you pay for.
The build quality isn’t the greatest, and a lot of people have seen their headphones snap or crack after as little as a few months (or even weeks in some cases) of use. They are constructed from plastic, and it shows.
On the other hand, the sound quality is surprisingly high considering the price-tag, and the Bluetooth facility works very well with the minimum of signal drop or any real noticeable deterioration in sound quality. It’s also easy to pair them up with most devices.
Again, it really comes down to your personal budget. Another thirty or forty dollars could see you pick up a higher quality pair of headphones, but if you absolutely have to have a set at this price, then you could do a lot worse.
| Drivers | 57mm speaker X 2 |
| Transducer type | dynamic |
| Bluetooth version | V4.1 |
| Frequency range | 2.4GHz-2.48GHz |
| Operating distance | up to 10m (free space) |
| Bluetooth profiles | A2DP、AVRCP、HSP、HFP |
| Impedance | 16Ω |
| Frequency response | 20Hz-20kHz |
| Sensitivity | 110dB |
| Distortion | <0.1%(THD) |
| Music playtime | up to 40 hours |
| Talk time | up to 45 hours |
| Standby time | up to 1625 hours |
| Charging time | about 2 hours |
| Operational temperature: | -10 to 50°C |
Mike Nikko is a blogger with over 15 years of experience. I will bring you the best product reviews and other useful life experiences, tips to increase height, tips to improve health… If you have any questions, feel free to ask Mike Nikko!