Hello everyone, I am finally back again and this time with some wireless headphones. EKSA have introduced themselves this year, providing mainly gaming headsets aimed at the budget market.
Today being tested by my ears is the simply named the E5, these are wireless bluetooth headphones with active noise cancelling, lets see how they do.
EKSA E5 Wireless Noise Cancelling Headphones Specifications & Features
- Product Name: E5
- Battery Capacity: 920mAH
- Input: 5V 470mA
- Charging Time: Approx 3-5 hours
- Usage Time 1: 40 hours (ANC & BT)
- Usage Time 2: 60 hours (BT only)
- Usage Time 3: 154 hours (ANC only)
- Bluetooth Range: 10m/33ft
- Noise Reduction Depth: -20-25dB
- Net Weight: 250g
- Impedance: 32ohm
- Driver Diameter: 40mm
- Frequency Response: 20Hz-20KHz
EKSA E5 Wireless Noise Cancelling Headphones Closer Look
The E5 is delivered in a stylish box, which does give the impression of a quality product. We get an outline of the headphones with some description about Noise Cancelling and an extended 24 Months Warranty sticker which requires registration on their website.
The back of the box features technical specifications, some easy to find Indicator Light instructions and box contents, there is also another reminder about the Extended Warranty and Customer Service details. First impressions are good.
Opening the box reveals a very pleasant surprise, all of the box contents are contained within a solid carry case covered with a soft material and a subtle EKSA logo on the top. Big thumbs up to EKSA for packaging here, normally a carry case is an extra purchase with many headphones in the marketplace which include at most a cloth bag.
Within the carry case we find the headphones, cables along with some leaflets, including a manual and warranty guide. Only three small plastic bags are used in the packaging, next to no waste from this product.
The cable bag has just three items, a USB to USB-C charging cable, a 3.5mm Jack to USB-C audio cable and an Airline Seat Adaptor, which I think is a great inclusion.
Moving onto the headphones themselves, we are presented with what seems to be a high quality product, EKSA have used some great feeling materials. Finished almost completely in black and without any excessive branding the headphones appear to be a premium design. Inside the headband we have a smooth rubbery texture just enough traction to not slide around without being too grippy. The earcups on the outside are hard plastic with metal discs finishing the centre. You can see tiny holes in the lower end for the Active Noise Cancelling pickups. As we can see the earcups swivel flat for easy storage in the included case, so it is a great travelling product.
Flipping the headphones over reveals the insides of the earcups with very useful L and R indicator lettering so you easily know which way round to put the headphones on. The earpads are extremely soft P-Leather the foam underneath is very soft so these should be comfortable over prolonged usage. The headphones are quite lightweight adding to the comfort capabilities.
The top of the headband is the only place we find branding on the headphones and the logo is quite tasteful. The headband flexes easily to accommodate different head widths and extends for size, the only sign of any risk of early wear would be if the headband was stretched quite far over prolonged periods, the inside padding could start to separate from the top of the headband.
Headphones couldn’t be wireless without some controls, on the left we have the ANC (Active Noise Cancelling) button with an LED indicator next to it. On the right we have a Power button, LED indicator, Volume Up and Down buttons and a little further down the USB-C port that does both charging and audio.
The EKSA E5 Wireless Noise Cancelling Headphones Review: The Verdict
Well it took me a good while to test these headphones, the stated 40 hour capability with noise cancelling and bluetooth use has proven itself over a few weeks. I decided to give these headphones the commuter test, trying them for an hour or two each day to replicate travelling to and from work. The materials feel well thought out and the build quality is very good. Comfort from the headphones was no problem for me at all, I could wear them on a long flight without needing to give my ears and head a break. Sound quality is excellent with my only concern is the maximum volume not going as high as I would personally like, especially since I have some old mixtape music files that don’t have the best input volume.
The Active Noise Cancelling is interesting, it works quite well, taking out many frequencies but not completely blockout out external interference, it does improve focus on the music being played but instead of silence from outside interference you will only get a reduction in noise.
Despite the lower top volume, audio playback is excellent, with a great noticeable range, bass, midrange and treble all well represented in a balanced way allowing you to tweak audio using your device audio controls.
Bluetooth connection is very easy and pairing had no issues at all with my phone, it is probably my phone’s bluetooth but I got some interference when going over 5m away with little dropouts. So care needs to be taken if pairing with a static device.
Using the headphone jack bypasses the onboard amplifier allowing for higher volumes, but we are of course not wireless at that point. The sound quality when wired shows off the driver capabilities well.
What’s hot:
- Excellent Build and Materials
- Great Sound Quality and Comfort
- Can be used with or without power
- Included Carry Case
- Incredible value
What’s not:
- Max Volume a little low
- Noise Cancelling still leaves some sounds audible
At the time of writing these headphones are available for just £42.48 on Amazon this is an incredible price for headphones of this quality. I would expect these to easily compete with anything up to the £100 mark. Battery life is great, sound quality is excellent aside from the volume issue, build and materials are beyond the price tag.
This is not the first EKSA review to highlight good materials at a low price, they are well worth a try and I am happy to award the EKSA E5 Active Noise Cancelling headphones our Gold Award.
Thanks to EKSA for sending a sample of the E5 Wireless Noise Cancelling Headphones in for review.
