Mr Viral
Review OneOdio has released a set of over-ear noise-cancelling headphones for an apparent bargain price of £59 ($69). However, they are also a prime example of the axiom “you get what you pay for,” or perhaps even a bit less.
The Focus A5 headphones boast some premium features, including noise-cancelling technology and LDAC support. LDAC (Lossless Digital Audio Codec) permits high-resolution audio to be streamed over Bluetooth.
The wireless headphones offer an impressive claimed 75 hours of battery life, although this drops to 45 hours with Adaptive Noise Cancellation. According to OneOdio, a user can expect ten hours of playtime from a ten-minute charge.
We certainly had no problems when it came to battery life. The wheels, however, started to come off around sound quality and noise cancellation.
This reviewer’s daily drivers are a pair of Bose QuietComfort headphones, which feature excellent noise cancellation, crisp audio, and deep bass. The Focus A5 does none of these well. The Active Noise Cancellation blocked some background sound – OneOdio claims up to 45 dB – but not as much as the Bose units. The audio was a little muddy, with the treble seeming to suffer in favor of the bass, which itself lacked punch.
However, since the Focus A5 headphones are a quarter of the price of the Bose and have a considerably longer battery life, we can cut them a little slack here as they are perfectly acceptable for the vast majority of users. For £59 ($69), the price tag should guide the buyer’s expectations.
The headline feature – LDAC support – will, however, be lost on most. Considering the compression used by many streaming services, there isn’t much benefit to be gleaned from the technology in most use cases.
So, the sound quality is just about OK, but audiophiles should look elsewhere. What about the hardware?
OneOdio Focus A5 headphone controls – click to enlarge
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The padding on the A5 headphones is comfortable, although, as with many over-ear units, it got a bit hot after extended use. There are also controls for volume, noise cancelling, and power. The fit is adjustable, and the headphones can be folded, although there is no carry case or pouch included.
The build quality is fine, though the plastics used have a somewhat brittle feel, which may affect long-term durability. Still, at least the logo on the sides is discreetly applied.
Finally, there is also an omnidirectional mic, which was perfectly acceptable for calls in quiet places or Zoom meetings but struggled when there was too much background noise.
So, who are these headphones for? The price is certainly appealing, but there are compromises on sound quality, and audiophiles would be advised to steer clear.
Users not so bothered about the fidelity of their music will, on the other hand, find a lot to like. The headphones look smart – they can be picked up in black or light blue as well as the off-white we reviewed – and have OK, if not class-leading, noise cancellation and epic battery life.
At £59, it’s difficult to complain too much. While the Bose units we typically use sound far better, they also cost significantly more, making the comparison unfair. The Focus A5 looks more expensive than it is but ultimately follows the tried and tested rule of you get what you pay for. ®
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