Srhythm NC75 Pro Active Noise Cancelling Headphones Bluetooth 5.0,Over-Ear Headset with Build-in Microphone,Hi-Fi,40 Hours Playtime for all Bluetooth Devices

I bought these after I was forced to return a faulty pair of Lindy BNX60 headphones which cost me 90 compared to 54.99 for these(actually 49.99 with a voucher code in my case)

I have left a separate review for those. I will be referring to them throughout this review for comparison purposes before drawing a conclusion about which is best.

PROS:

– Similar to BNX60s, they substantially eliminate background noise(e.g. train engine, car hum). Equally very impressed with this on both. These significantly reduced the noise from a loud vacuum cleaner so I could focus on a podcast while doing the Hoovering. I would normally have struggled to hear over the whirring and humming unless I turned the podcast volume up to damaging levels. No need with these. This is where these ANC headphones really come into their own

– Similar to the BNX60s, they don’t eliminate sudden unpredictable noises or nearby conversations. But also similar to the BNX60s, they do significantly take edge off most of those noises and make them sound more dull/distant. So I was equally impressed with these for that. And it’s hard to say which does it better. With both of them though, this improves the lower the voices involved. Higher voices still noticeably get through, albeit slightly dulled.

– Very comfortable to wear – not too tight like the BNX60s

– Less of an aeroplane pressure when you switch the ANC on than with the BNX60s

– They fit a larger head than the BNX60s. The ears extend past the point I need them at and this helps when wearing them around my neck as otherwise they would pinch my neck a bit(like the BNX60s did!).

– Similarly to the BNX60s, when the ANC is activated the treble increases and bass drops. BUT this happens much less intrusively with these Srhythm headphones than with the BNX60s. So a good all round ANC sound quality I think.

– Similar swivelling earphones to the BNX60s – this is a PRO for storage and maybe wearability too, but again, I worry it poses a potential weak point where they might break.

– No big glaring LEDs like the BNX60s had. The lights on this are more subtle

CONS:

– Similar button confirguation to the BNX60s, and likewise I think they could use more buttons instead of overloading certain buttons with functionality. A big downside to these for me is that the buttons for increasing/decreasing volume on the headset, double up as track changers. BUT to change tracks, you have to hold them down for a substantial amount of time. This means that if Napalm Death suddenly comes on unexpectedly in the middle of the quiet library and you want to get rid of it ASAP, you cannot but have to wait until the sustained press of the button actually registers.. And maybe this is only 2 seconds or less but it feels like forever in that scenario. They shouldve done this the other way around or had a separate volume control. The BNX60s win on this one with a dedicated daisy wheel volume control.

– There seems to be an occasional flaw in the ANC – like a pulsating as if the digital transform it’s applying over the original sound is slightly out of phase so you get peaks and troughs in the resulting waveform where they shouldn’t be. I didn’t experience anything like that with the BNX60s. But I have to say it’s only occasional

– I’ve had a few pairing problems with these which I didn’t have with the BNX60s. All resolved in the end but still, I’d rather not have them at all.

– I’m concerned the earphone covers are so soft they will end up getting damaged relatively early in the life of these headphones. Maybe I’m wrong about that but they feel like a possible weak spot on these.

– This is petty but I feel a bit like a 3 year old with a big “L” and “R” label on each earphone for all to see.

– I found the pairing range disappointing when using with a laptop in a kitchen to watch a movie. Beyond 6 feet away they started to freeze and stutter. Now I did not test this with the BNX60s so cannot compare.

– Similar to the above, I noticed a few lags between people talking in the movie and the sound I was getting on the headphones. Alas, I did not test this on the BNX60s so I cannot compare. But it spoiled the watching experience for sure.

General Notes:

There are a lot of swings and roundabouts in play here, and I find it really hard to say with any confidence which performs better at the primary function of active noise cancelling.
So that leaves all the other stuff.

For starters the ANC on the BNX60s has a very noticeable tinny sound with the bass ramped down and the treble accentuated. The same happens with this but to a lesser degree and for me, it results in a better overall listening experience.

I mostly prefer the design of these Srhythm headphones over the BNX60s which felt uncomfortably tight and choked me when I put them around my neck.

So while the buffeting/pairing glitches on the Srhythm headphones are annoying when they happen, still, they are more comfortable to wear, give a better all round balance between ANC and the listening experience, and cost 35 quid less. So I have to say I would go with the Srhythm headphones every time.

(Update: 07/02/19: returning these after left headphone broke – I wouldn’t even say this is a particular criticism of these headphones – I think all the headphones in this price bracket are about the same build quality to be honest. This being the case, if using them for a commute/work, inevitably, you’re going to be lucky if these things last 6 months without something breaking through wear and tear. For me this calls into question the whole pricing regime of these headphones. Let’s face it, this is now well established technology and the old “development costs” chestnut doesn’t wash. Furthermore they’re mass produced in China, so the outrageous profit margins are completely unjustified. Given the lifespan/cost, I’ve had to go for a cheaper pair this time, and it’s a shame because I really liked these headphones and would’ve happily bought them again, but not for 65 quid. I just cant afford to spend that every few months to keep replacing these things)
(UPDATE 01/11/19: I bought another pair of these by a different manufacturer. Unsurprisingly they broke in the same place – where the swivelling earphone meets the headband. However, I found a pretty cheap and effective fix: (1) Buy some plastic cable ties ~ at least 15 cm long. (2) take one cable tie and stick it through the loop on the earphone, then through the loop on the headband, (3) Loop the cable tie through itself and pull it as tight as you can reasonably get it. (4) Trim the end off the cable tie so the leasst possible protrudes.
The downside is all the world can see you’ve done a DIY job on your headphones and the swivel of the earphones is more limited than normal. But I don’t personally give a toss how it looks, and the swivel is still enough to work 100% fine. I now have this fix on both earphones as they’ve both snapped. Works perfectly well. If they break, I’ll just use another cable tie! But been going strong a couple of months at least now. Just thought I’d share in case it saves people a few bucks on these overpriced monstrosities)