Edifier W820NB Plus: Affordable headphones with good sound and ANC

Usually when we hear about Edifier it is about some of their premium audio products, so it is totally understandable that we overlook that this company also has good devices to offer in the opposite segment of the market, and for example we have The Edifier W820NB Plus, wireless headband headphones for less than 100 euros, which bring to the table balanced sound, a comfortable design, active noise cancellation, adjustable transparency mode and long autonomy. As is customary, today we will scrutinize your bet and weigh its advantages and disadvantages.

On the other hand, if you prefer something more powerful and up to Edifier’s reputation, allow us to recommend the Edifier STAX SPIRIT S3, comfortable, high-end planar-magnetic headphones.

Design

Like many other headphones from this brand, the Edifier W820NB Plus have that elegant design that is also minimalist. These are budget headphones, so don’t expect anything out of the ordinary; Most of the parts are plastic and they honestly don’t look like the sturdiest headphones in the world, but that’s to be expected.

Be that as it may, the substantial padding on the headband and earcups makes the fit very comfortable while achieving good passive noise isolation while exerting the least amount of pressure possible. Thanks to its pivoting and tilting cups, it is easy to find a fit that adapts to the shape of our head and allows us to use them for outdoor activities.

When it comes to controls, there are 3 buttons on the right earcup to control music playback, adjust volume and answer/hang up calls.

Sound

In terms of sound, the Edifier W820NB Plus have 40mm dynamic drivers capable of maintaining a solid output for music. At its default EQ setting, the audio exhibits present, clearly structured mids with good localization of individual signals, which does not create a tight feeling even in more complex mixes.

These headphones don’t show much bass thickness, but they have a more dynamic response than you would expect from headphones in this price range. prices. They have punch, but the tone is not as full and lacks the body that some listeners might be looking for in this range. However, the sub-bass can reach quite far, offering a satisfying rumble in places.

Although the bass lacks some elements to stand out, all that is compensated in the midrange. These headphones deliver some pretty solid tone body hereand their frequency response remains consistently clean. Both voices and instruments sound as they should, nothing is relegated to the background, putting the majority of the sound elements on an even field.

The tall ones enjoy an enjoyable response, but nothing to brag about. Brightness takes a backseat here, but so does texture and any other immersive element that high frequencies can provide, so that’s fine and nothing more.

Changing the subject a little, there is not much to say about the microphone to merit its own section, it does its job without pain or glory, although we must recognize that it filters ambient noise and wind very well, so it will be enough for answer calls and send voice notes.

Active noise cancellation

With hybrid ANC technology and sealed ear wrap design, Edifier W820NB Plus can automatically identify noise and transmit corrected signals. The depth of noise cancellation is up to -43 dB, which is not bad at all for the price of these headphones. It should be noted that the cancellation is quite effective against low-frequency noises and voices, but obviously it is not proof against everything, high-pitched sounds such as doorbells and birdsong are still perceptible.

That said, we have to give credit to the manufacturer for the fact that the ANC has almost no negative effect on the equalization of the audio source, maybe the bass response is reduced a little, but nothing particularly harmful.

Likewise, these headphones consist of transparency mode for when we need to listen to what is happening around us or want to talk to someone. We must warn that in transparency mode there is a basic noise that increases from one level to another, so the experience offered by this mode is not perfect.

Connectivity and application

At the wireless connectivity level, the Edifier W820NB Plus supports Bluetooth 5.2 along with the LDAC and SBC audio codecs, so we can squeeze out high-resolution sound to the fullest. However, not everything is rosy, and these headphones fail to support AAC, which is particularly inconvenient for iPhone/iPad users. Notably, there is a low latency mode that promises to reduce the delay to just 0.08s, so it is entirely possible to enjoy casual games without synchronization problems.

Interestingly, these headphones can also be used via USB connection (type C), which compensates for the absence of a 3.5mm Jack.

And to get the most out of these headphones, we have the Edifier Connect application available for Android and iOS. From there we can choose a sound equalization preset (there are only 4 available), change the intensity of the ambient mode (7 levels), activate the game mode (low latency), control music playback and access a wide selection of “relaxing sounds” that can be used to relax or meditate.

Autonomy

According to official data, the Edifier W820NB Plus can give us up to 49 hours of use, but that estimate does not take into account the use of noise cancellation. On the other hand, if we use this function (ANC) and maintain a high volume, then we can expect a maximum of 33 hours of duration or only 30 on average, which is still very good for headphones under 100 euros.

Finally, the charging time is an hour and a half, but with only 10 minutes of refueling you get enough juice for 7 hours of use, so we can add fast charging to its list of virtues.

PROS:

• Balanced sound
• Effective ANC
• Transparency modes
• Long autonomy
• Comfortable to use
• Good value for money

CONS:

• Few equalization options
• They do not support the AAC codec

 

Edifier W820NB Plus specifications: