Cambridge Audio Melomania 1 Review: Best True Wireless Earphone

Cambridge Audio Melomania 1 earbud boasts outstanding 45 hours of battery life, top-notch money, and great audio quality.

Of course, this is no surprise considering that Cambridge Audio is known for its high-end audio equipment. But until now, the brand has not been able to enter the world of truly wireless earbuds.

As great as these new earbuds from Cambridge Audio are, the big question is: are they better than Apple AirPods (2019) or our current favorite, the Sony WF-1000XM3 Wireless Earbuds? We spent some time looking for compact wireless earbuds.

Cambridge Audio Melomania 1 Review

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Bluetooth Connection

Melomania 1 features class-leading Bluetooth 5.0 technology. It is the latest Bluetooth version with the latest QCC3026 Qualcomm chip technology that provides optimal connectivity in extreme areas with wireless connectivity up to 30 meters / 100 feet and advanced battery efficiency.

The chip was announced last year, but there are very few devices in it as far as I can tell. Like true wireless headphones, one of the headphones is a slave, and the other is a master; Unlike most original wireless headphones.

However, it can switch on the fly to balance the battery usage between the two headphones. The phone only shows up as a one-time connection, but it can switch over time. Most durable Bluetooth earbuds.

Sound

I would write to someone else to take their word because I am not prepared to give more than a curse review. Truth be told, I listen to podcasts/audiobooks about 85% of the time, and they are good enough for this.

I compared them to a pair of Joybird X3 Bluetooth headphones, the Atomic HF3 wired headphones, and the Apple AirPods. The bunch sounds the best of the HF3, but nothing to be surprised about.

Their clarity is fantastic, and it’s not comparable. Their only weakness is that they are balanced, which means love buses don’t get much. But the bus they built is clean and tidy. Melomania 1 compares very closely with Jaybird X3.

They are quite good in both bass and middle tones. They are not as good as higher. They have some backwards. I think it’s perfectly acceptable for them to go. I would say they provide somewhat better sound quality than the AirPods, but not so fast.

But one of the side benefits of the sealed nature of how they fit into your ears is that you turn off some external noise and usually hear less than AirPods. This is a big plus.

After a week of use, I’ve opened them nicely, and they look less slippery than before and look more detailed. Honestly, they look great.

I’ve seen some reviewers complain about the bass, and I have no idea what they are saying. These have a great bus response. There was a comparison with the new Sony, and it probably has more bases.

But I’m not sure why you would want it, they have so much frankness and some more will be swollen and unbalanced. Feel free to do something different if you want it because they are nicely balanced and have a nice, full sound.

Case

Although the AirPods are not a clone of the case, it is quite close. I’ve attached a few more pictures than the two, but no worries about the case being bigger than the pocket. These are about the same size.

So, little size in almost every dimension of the Cambridge Audio Melomania 1 case, but the corners are round, and the elements will slide easily into the pocket. Really ridiculous compare to some big cases that sometimes come with real wireless headphones.

I’m looking at Sony towards you, as well as the Powerbeats Pro – it’s a relief. The angled top of the case when the opening is a clever way to make Melomania 1 easier to pull than AirPods.

I think the case here is the undisputed hero. Like AirPods, it is minimal and easy to pocket. I take them almost everywhere, just in case. I haven’t had the same experience with other headphones with other heavy cases, and I love them.

The case is not attached to the phone in any way, so you rely on the front battery display that illuminates when you open the case. I could not confirm the battery life of the case.

I fully charged it two days ago when I got them last afternoon, and I haven’t plugged it in since. I will say that I have been using Cambridge Audio Melomania 1 for about 8 hours since then and charged their case overnight.

The case now shows 4 out of 5 lights in the charge display. I won’t plug it in again and update until it’s dead to see how long I can go.

Build Quality

Everything here feels strong and well-organized. The headphone body and case are made of smooth matte plastic. It’s not sticky at all, so the case doesn’t slide into your pocket and in the case of AirPods.

It’s tough but not smooth. The buttons on each headphone are easy enough to click without touching the rest of the headphones but I like to hold the headphone between two fingers and then press the button.

If I want to do something to hold the button down. It’s so nice that you don’t have to search for buttons, they’re a whole bunch of headphones. Can’t comment on waterproofing because I’m not planning on getting this wet.

Controls

The controls are pretty easy to figure out, and it’s nice to adjust the volume on the headphones. The buttons work a little differently than other wireless headphones I’ve had, but they include a nice little card the size of a business card in the box to carry around in your wallet until you’re familiar. Nothing particularly difficult, just a slight learning curve.

Fit

This is a hugely subjective category but has been my biggest issue shopping for truly wireless headphones. I have pretty large ear canals, and besides the AirPods, I haven’t been able to get a good fit with any of the others.

I’ve tried except for the Sony WF-SP700N. I have also tried the Jabra Elite 65t, the Anker Soundcore Liberty Air, and the JLabs Jbuds Air. Nothing fits right. I think Cambridge Audio Melomania 1 is going to work for me.

I will say that the three included ear tip sizes are surprisingly small. Again, I have large ears, but I also have an assortment of large ear tips that I use on other earphones, and the ones supplied here are smaller than average.

While it’s not an issue for wearing them, I have run up against other earphones using third-party ear tips with the charging cases. The fit in the case is a little tighter than I would prefer, and they don’t slide in quite as nicely as with the supplied tips, but this is something I can live with.

After a couple of days, I’m finding they slide into place easier than on day one, so I don’t think it will be a problem. They’re still not as comfortable as earphones with a very narrow body that doesn’t touch the sides of my ears, but I think they’ll be okay.

Battery Life

I only had these two days, so it’s hard to say if they live up to their desired battery life. As I mentioned elsewhere, iOS displays the battery percentage for both earphones. The case displays battery life with 5 small lights on the front.

9 hours is quite impressive, providing a full working day of sound on a single charge. You can also get four more charges from the case for about 44 hours. Honestly, it blows away almost every other wireless headphone.

Looking forward to seeing how effective it is in use, but based on my general use, I’m looking for at least a week of normal use according to the case charge, which is great.

I got these and charged them fully. It’s been over a week now. I haven’t been able to charge the case since then, and I have two of the five lights (the case shows about 40% battery life and I have my headphones now fully charged; I am usually using them).

I have several hours of music playback a day when I work, Occasional phone calls, audiobooks, and podcasts when I take care of things around the house, etc. I should make it clear that I use two headphones at the same time.

One can be used at a time that prolongs the life of the battery. It’s hard to explain the way I’m fascinated. I’ve been using them since before they died. I guess around the two-week mark. We’re entering Kindle battery life with these things.

So, I’m getting about two weeks of the normal use of the case/headphones according to the charge. I took them on a 3-week long road trip where I used them more than usual, sometimes for 7 or 8 hours a day, and I only had to charge them once.

Quite impressive. I can’t imagine myself or anyone having any complaints about battery life with the case headphones.

Charging

At the bottom of the case is a single pogo pin that communicates with the metal guard over the driver, and the silver band around each headphone connects to the metal band around the inside of the case.

I guess they are two contact points for charging purposes. A strong magnet pulls each earphone into place and holds it while charging, equal to the AirPods. And, of course, there’s a micro-USB charging port on the side of the case.

You can have to plug in the micro-USB charger. Many people will probably complain that it’s not USB-C. Still, really, the total battery time between the case and the earphones you can carry around, you are unlikely to carry any charging cable unless you go out some days cit.

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Overall

Cambridge Audio Melomania 1 is a groundbreaking brand and is well-known in audiophile circles. These aren’t their first truly wireless headphones, considering they’ve done an amazing job, these are the first headphones they’ve ever made.

They nailed many things that other companies that have been making headphones for years still have problems with. I’ve been waiting a long time for real wireless headphones to survive. I think Cambridge Audio Melomania 1 is what I was looking for.