If you follow our reviews you will know we have covered a number of products from the brand Edifier from speakers to studio monitors and true wireless earbuds and even overhead headphones. In this review, we have been sent the latest pair of overhead headphones the Edifier WH950NB which are the latest affordable ANC headphones that really can compete with the likes of Sony in the battle at the top of the headphone market. 

 

First Impressions

 

The Edifier WH950NB currently cost £179 via Amazon and my honest option they are worth every penny. These headphones are well built and the ANC is next level making them perform for long-distance travel, and the daily commute to work, and you could even use them when it’s time to hit the gym.

 

The key benefits of these headphones are: 

• Hybrid Active Noise Cancelling
• 40mm dynamic drivers
• Bluetooth 5.3
• Compatible with Edifier App
• Supports Hi-Res Audio with LDAC Certification
• Personalized EQ Setting
• Google Fast Pairing
• 55H Playback time
• Fast Charging
• Hard Shell Zipped case  

  

Unboxing

 

When these arrived the packaging screams premium product it just looks expensive which but with a price tag of £179 this is not the case. Open the packaging which is fully recyclable you will find a grey hardshell case which will protect your headphones in times you are not using them. The case also has some handy pockets which it houses the USB-C charging cable, Airplane adaptor and an AUX cable for that wired connection. 

 

Design

 

In terms of the design of these headphones, the Edifier WH950NB come with everything you expect for maximum comfort with the headband padded and the earcups using a stuffed leatherette material that is very comfortable for long periods of use.  Style-wise Edifier keeps these very simple looking with just the Edifier logo in a copper-coloured material on the headphones apart from that there is no clear branding that makes you look like a walking advert like some brands. 

The headphones are foldable which makes fitting them into the carry case even easier but surely headphones are designed to be used so mine will not be in the case folded much. 

In terms of controls they have kept with the standard design of keeping all the controls together and this is seen on the right earcup. There is a group of 3 buttons close together which allow you to play/pause, control the volume and track control and when you’re having a call come in the controls allow you to accept or reject that call. 

You will also find a separate button just under that 3 button set up and this is where the magic happens this button allows you to cycle through the three modes for ANC – Ambient mode, High ANC mode and you can also switch ANC off. 

 

Now I travel to London Liverpool station 3 times a week and when am walking towards the station from the office the ambient mode is useful for still listening to your music or podcast but also being aware of your surroundings. Once being at the station and can see what platform I need to get I turned on the High ANC mode and it was like someone pressed the mute button on everyone at the station these headphones blocked out everything! It was glorious not hearing randoms having conversations it was just me and my music.  

 

Battery life

 

I found the Edifier WH950NB lasted a long time I have been using these every day for a few hours and it’s only now after 2 weeks have I needed to give these a chance to recharge. The total battery life is 55 hours without ANC and switch on ANC the battery life drops to 34 hours which is expected and I still feel the battery life is a big plus when it comes to these headphones. 

When it’s time to recharge a full charge will take 1.5 hours with the provided USB-C cable. You also benefit from fast charging so if you are in a rush a quick 10 min charge will provide the user with 7 hours of battery life. Completely out of battery life and still want to listen? Well the provided AUX cable can be plugged into the left cup and the other end into your phone and you can continue to use them  

 

Features

 

The Edifier WH950NB although have fantastic ANC that aside that is a little lacking in the features they do come with Bluetooth 5.3 but there is a lack of AAC codec so if you are an iPhone user you will be on the default SBC codec which will still provide you with a good level of performance but if your looking for that Hi-res audio quality this won’t be much help. 

 

There is an LDAC codec but it’s not massively supported. The lack of AAC or aptX HD codecs really does make these headphones drop points in our review.  What it does come with is Google Fast pairing so if you are an android user pairing is a walk in the park. 

 

The Edifier App

 

Edifier has had this app for a little while now and when it first landed it was very basic since then it’s had a makeover and is well worth downloading. The app allows you to adjust the EQ and also allows you to turn on the LDAC codec for that Hi-Quality audio playback. The fact it allows you to customise your listening experience is well worth the free download.

 

The app is easy to use and the home page has the following options: 

• High Noise cancellation
• Low noise cancellation
• Wind reduction
• Ambient mode 
• Noise Cancellation off

 

The home screen also shows you the battery level and can also play/pause the song you are listening to.

 

Swipe the screen and you have the 3 main sound effects- Classic, Dynamic and even a customized mode:

 

Swipe again and you have the 3 main sound modes- Music Mode, Game Mode & Theatre Mode.

 

The app also has a link to the edifier shop to purchase other fantastic products from the brand. 

 

Sound Quality

 

The Edifier WH950NB come with 40mm dynamic drivers in each earcup we have been testing these for about 2 weeks now and you will notice you get plenty of bass but the midrange needs a little work and the treble is also lacking a bit of focus when the SBC codec is used now this can be solved by using the LDAC codec. 

The Edifier App allows us to control the dynamic EQ mode and this can shape the sound to give a spatial soundstage. There is also a low latency mode which would be perfect for gaming and there is also a classic EQ mode as well so plenty to pick from. I also found the navigation of the app to be very easy to use. 

 

Let’s take a deeper dive into the sound signature: 

 

When listening to the standard classic mode with ANC expect a U-shaped sound signature. When you switch to something like dynamic mode the sound signature is more V-shaped with the lows and highs being lifted more than in the classic mode. When you select theatre mode you get more of a narrow range and amplified resonance in the midrange to emphasize a three-dimensional effect.

 

Low Frequency/Bass

 

The low frequencies in the classic mode which is the default mode are quite deep when listening to something like “Kate Bush Running up that hill” the drum kicks are impactful and add to the sound and make it sound really rich. When listening to songs with electric bass this also performed very well providing a deep and expansive bass.  Overall the lows perform really well and will tick to boxes of deep bass fans. 

Mid Frequency 

 

The midrange emphasizes a sense of depth regardless of the mode you select. When listening to Kat Bush the vocals are spotlighted and brightly rendered and offer a strong sense of vocal focus. The Mids sound gentle but do lack a sense of construction and therefore the structure of the mids can be buried and hard to pick up this has caused sound separation to be fairly poor. 

It won’t impact the overall listening too much and could listen to them for long periods we just found the mids lack some crispness.  

 High Frequencies

 

The highs do lack energy but the sense of localization is not bad and the sense of detail is adequate. You will just find the extension to be a little lacking. I found the highs to be a little mild and easy in the ear. Ideal if you are sensitive to high frequencies. 

Overall, I found the audio quality really good they provide a clear sound without any distortion even at the higher volume level. If you love your bass you will love these and when ANC has been enabled the overall soundstage is just a little bit better. The mid-range is also great it allows the vocals to be crisp and allow you to identify each element of the track. The highs are the area that needs a little improvement but the average listener will still be happy with the results.  

 

Active Noise Cancellation 

 

The Edifier WH950NB comes with the most enhanced ANC this brand has produced to date it’s truly fantastic. These headphones come with high noise cancellation and low noise cancellation. As mentioned at the start of this review the high ANC mode is truly magical all background noise is removed when I turned these on at Liverpool St station it’s like someone pressed the mute button all outside noise was removed.  

The lower ANC mode is more of an ambient mode where it filters out most outside noise but at the same time keeps you aware of your surroundings when listening to music at the same time. We found both modes to be really useful and allowed me to concentrate in fact am wearing them as I write this review. 

Is the ANC mode the best on the market?  It’s very close Sony still holds the top spot but the Edifier WH950NB is a close 2nd. 

Verdict  

The Edifier WH950NB are a comfortable pair of headphones that are understated in design they look really good. The sound quality is fantastic but the lack of SBC codec means they have limited appeal as not all smartphones are compatible with LDAC codec. Unfortunately, there is also a lack of AAC & aptX codecs. That aside the star of the show is the ANC and it performs very well indeed so if cancelling out the outside world these are a big tick. 

However, the lack of codecs is a real impact and this prevents me from giving these full marks. They sound great with excellent ANC but still room for improvement.   

Product Rating

Design: 5.0 out of 5.0 stars5.0

Battery Life: 4.0 out of 5.0 stars4.0.

Features: 3.0 out of 5.0 stars3.0.

Edifier app: 5.0 out of 5.0 stars5.0

Sound Quality: 4.0 out of 5.0 stars4.0.

ANC: 5.0 out of 5.0 stars5.0

Value for Money: 4.0 out of 5.0 stars4.0.    

  

Overall ranking: 4.2 out of 5.0 stars4.2. – 4.2-star rating

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