Physical Characteristics

Puro very kindly sent me a pair of their excellent BT-5200 Bluetooth Headphones for review. The headphones came supplied in really smart retail packaging which looks far more attractive than the ‘minimal’ packaging used by many known brands. The headphones come supplied with an excellent zippered hard case with a net pocket for storage of additional cables, etc. That’s a really nice touch and enhances the overall package considerably. They also come supplied with a standard USB power cable and a short but nicely made headphone cable for when you want to use the headphones with non-bluetooth devices.




The headphones are lightweight but give a definite impression of quality. They are made from high quality aluminium with chamfered edges (reminiscent of the new iPhones) and a powdered finish which looks like it could take a few knocks without problems. The buttons and switches are very high quality and the padding is also high quality and quite comfortable. The headband also has some padding and, when worn, you really can’t feel the headband much at all. My wife was instantly impressed with them the moment I unboxed them and I ran a serious risk of losing them before I even got the chance to listen to them.




Comfort:

The style of these headphones remind me of the Sony ZX310 although the Sony’s are not as well made. They are small and rest fairly tightly on your ears rather than fully encapsulating your ears. There is a fair amount of clamping pressure with these headphones and for your first few listening sessions you might want to take them off for a few seconds after a few tracks just to give your ears a break. I do find them more comfortable now than I did when I first tried them on. This pressure does help with sound isolation - both from external noise and leakage and also enhances the bass response. The Puro’s are secure enough for you to use them for running and other exercise - they’re unlikely to fall off your head from doing normal movements. I have used them when walking the dog and they really do stay put.




Bluetooth vs Wired

One really nice touch with these headphones is that you can use them with a cable for devices which don’t have bluetooth or if your batteries are low. This is a welcome feature and the good news is the sound quality is the same in both modes. They are nicely efficient and easy to drive with portable players. Note that the buttons don’t do anything when used in wired mode - all control is done from the player.

The supplied flat style cable is somewhat short but the good news is that they are a completely standard stereo mini plug connection so you shouldn't have any problems using a third-party longer cable if you need to. The plugs appear to be gold plated and the strain relief looks like it would be effective.

Bluetooth Operation

The controls on the Puro’s are minimal - Volume Up/Down/Track Forward/Backwards are on two buttons, a simply switch for instant power on/off and a Play/Pause/Pairing/Answer/Hang Up button. The headphones connect to your paired device very quickly - far quicker than any other bluetooth headphones I have used and the connection is far more stable and offers a greater range than you would get from bluetooth ‘earbud’ style headphones. The headphones go into auto-pair as soon as you switch them on so you can quickly switch between devices. I used the headphones for a very brief phone call to test the feature and I could hear and be heard by the caller without any problems. I’m Billy No-Mates anyway so not many people ring me (except the wife to nag remotely) so I don’t think I shall be using them much for phone calls. One really nice touch is that the bluetooth used on the Puro’s is the latest version which supports very fast connect and low latency. This means that you can use these headphones when watching YouTube videos without any issues around lip-synching. Nice one!




Another thing I really like are the controls. The Volume Up/Down/Track Forward/Backward buttons for example have been well thought out by Puro. Single tapping the controls whilst playing music will gently increase or decrease the volume one step. Holding the buttons will ramp the volume up and down and double tapping the buttons will engage track skip. The only downside to this is that quite often you will increase the volume one step each time you change track.

The range on the Puro is very impressive - in fact better than any other bluetooth headphones in my collection. I can easily go to any room in my house (or to the bottom of the garden) without any problems and the sound stays solid throughout. Don't let the aluminium construction fool you into thinking the radios would be compromised in some way because this definitely appears to not be the case. Again kudos to Puro.

Sound Quality

Wow! Just wow!. I love the sound of these headphones. I own both the Audio Technica ATH-M50x and the remarkable Ultimate Ears Triple-Fi Pro 10 in ear monitors along with an external DAC/AMP for most of my wired listening so I do know what good sound quality sounds like. Puro have absolutely nailed it with this one. Firstly, although these headphones are sold as ‘safe’ headphones thanks to their subtle output monitoring, they can go loud and rock out with the best of them. I like my music loud and I didn’t use maximum volume on these things - kudos. The wired and wireless connections sound pretty much the same to me so there’s no compromises either way - another really good thing.

OK - let’s break it down a bit.

Bass:
Deep but controlled. Not flabby and you can easily pick out bass notes with these. Perhaps slightly soft when compared to in ear monitors but certainly not in an unpleasant way. One thing I did notice is that there’s a considerable amount of detail with the bass - if you know how to read music you would be able to write out what the bassist is playing without having to concentrate too hard. In other words surprisingly analytical. The sound stage on the bass does sound slightly ‘boxed in’ but has some punch. One thing I have noticed with many bluetooth headphones - both full sized and in ear is that the bass is usually ‘enhanced’ - sometimes to the point where they become absolute BASS MONSTERS. With the Puro’s that’s not the case - whilst there’s definitely a little bass enhancement going on, the combination of their isolation and mild boosting does offer a richness which is perhaps not 100% accurate.

Mids:
Slightly recessed. This definitely helps stop the headphones from becoming ‘shouty’ at louder volumes which is something I definitely welcome. Again, like with the bass, there’s a surprising amount of detail in there as well. One thing I noticed straight away when I started listening to the Ultimate Ears Triple Fi 10’s (very accurate balanced armature ear monitors) was the stability of the soundstage. Whilst narrow, the location of instruments in your ‘headspace’ doesn’t shift around - the performers stand still and this helps you focus on specific parts of the recording if you wish. The Puro’s also offer this level of stability. These are definitely not $10 headphones repackaged and inflated - they are the real deal and can play with the big boys.

Highs:
Slightly recessed but nicely detailed. Other reviewers of the Puro’s have reported hearing details in their recordings which they never noticed before and I can confirm that the 5200’s really do a great job in this respect. Cymbals have a nice metallic sheen to them without any brightness. This helps reduce listening fatigue. There’s no way I would describe these headphones as ‘bright’ but they do have detail and you can certainly listen to them for long periods of time.

The Puro’s seem to have pulled back slightly on the dynamic range from what I can hear. Crescendos tend to have slightly less impact when compared to the Audio Technica’s - not by much but it’s noticeable. I am wondering if they will become a little more dynamic after some use and the drivers have had a chance to ‘flex’ a bit. I do believe there can be subtle changes to the sound after headphones have been used for a while. Time will tell.

One thing I decided to do whilst slightly drunk the other night was have a wallow around in nostalgia and listen to some music I am very familiar with but haven’t heard for quite some time. Cue up Rick Wakeman’s Journey to the Centre of the Earth and Queen I (their first album). Sure enough I could hear details I never noticed before on both albums. Queen I is quite ‘hissy’ being an analogue recording from the early 70’s but was very easy to ignore once the music started. The electronic noise floor on these headphones is no higher than from my other electronics so any hiss you hear will almost certainly be embedded in the original recording. The amplification provided by the headphones in bluetooth mode is impressively loud without appearing to run out of steam. I’m not sure what Puro did with the 40mm driver in these headphones but I like it.

Their sound characteristics are a combination of the ATH M50x and Triple Fi’s. They have a decent bass punch like the M50’s and some of the detail that can be found with the Ultimate Ears. The larger housing means better wireless range and less drop-outs that can be experienced with earbud-style bluetooth headphones which results in a rock-solid soundstage image which in turn allows you to become more engrossed in your music.

One interesting aspect of these headphones is that I actually found myself listening to music at lower volumes than I normally would. The Puro’s feature an LED which changes colour to show you how loud your music is. The three colours, Green for safe - Yellow for loud (they recommend you only listen for a couple of hours a day at this volume) and red for potentially too loud (they recommend only 10 minutes exposure per day at this setting). Note that the LED’s colour can change during peaks in the music and this function only works when the headphones are used in bluetooth mode.




Conclusion:

These headphones are utterly brilliant. I have been looking for a pair of wireless headphones which offer this type of form factor with excellent sound quality and battery life and feel that I have found them with the Puro’s. Whilst they look a little strange on me (fat head syndrome) I basically don’t give a monkey’s - they sound superb and that’s really all I’m interested in. The nice thing about these is that they are not ‘impressive’ sounding but rather ‘natural’ sounding. They don’t exhibit excessive bass or treble (even though both have been slightly enhanced I feel) and it’s this non-fatiguing sound quality which makes them stand out from other bluetooth headphones which offer an initially impressive ‘boom’ and ‘tizz’ to the sound but can soon wear thin.

I love the fact that these can be used in wired mode. I also love the fact that I don’t feel that there’s a compromise regarding sound quality when using these in wireless mode - I really can’t tell any difference in sound quality between the two. I can see these rapidly becoming my “go to” headphones for a quick casual listening session as they are far more accessible than Earbuds.

Likes:
Sound quality. Form Factor. Battery Life. Volume. Build Quality. Passive Wired Mode. Wireless range. Supplied Case. Headphone Colour (I have the copper/gold coloured ones). Very good quality controls and switches.

Dislikes:
A little too tight on my head - hopefully will loosen up a little in time. On ear rather than over ear. Slightly ‘boxy’ bass (although still nicely detailed). Too nice for me to wear at work - I need another pair for rough and tumble.

Equipment Used:

Samsung Galaxy Note 2:
My primary listening source when portable. Whilst this is a fairly old phone it does have some excellent music playback capabilities thanks to the use of the Wolfson chipset and the excellent Neutron audio player. Sometimes the bluetooth performance can leave a little to be desired but works well most of the time.

Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.5:
This device is completely stock and un-rooted. When using bluetooth headphones there’s really no difference in sound between this and the Galaxy Note. In wired mode it still sounds good - again a Wolfson chipset and reasonably nice digital amp.

AGPTEK Imp MP3/Lossless Player:
No bluetooth with this one but does feature excellent sound quality and a more powerful amplifier. Great for testing the wired capabilities of headphones and walking the dog.

Sony Smartwatch 3:
Used to test the overall compatibility of bluetooth headphones but actually sounds as good as the other players regarding overall sound quality. Slightly geeky but what the hell.

Topping NX2 DAC/AMP:
No bluetooth but capable of higher cleaner output than most devices on their own. Great for generating a consistent sound when using wired headphones. Offers finer volume control.

Puro BT-5200 Bluetooth Headphones Amazon Page
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Labs-BT5200-Bluetooth-Wireless-Headphones/dp/B019GEG2ZM/ref=sr_1_9?ie=UTF8&qid=1470077376&sr=8-9&keywords=puro

Puro Soundlabs Amazon Storefront Page
https://www.amazon.co.uk/PuroSound-Labs/b/ref=bl_dp_s_web_7069635031?ie=UTF8&node=7069635031&field-lbr_brands_browse-bin=PuroSound+Labs

 
 
Bluedio make some really excellent devices which offer the same features and facilities that you would find on the more expensive branded products. Perhaps more importantly they also produce since excellent sounding equipment as well. Bluedio sent the Bluedio AS-BT Bluetooth speaker for review free of charge for an honest review. The speaker is quite small - not small enough to for in your pocket but certainly small enough to for in a bag or backpack without any problems. It's not too heavy but does have a nice skid feeling to it and doesn't rattle when you shake it.
 
The device is rechargeable and I have yet to drain the battery so i cannot comment yet on battery life. Charging takes a couple of hours normally. The controls are all on the top and have a nice positive click to them. One thing I noticed is that it takes a little longer to power the unit up than conventional Bluetooth headphones - although this isn't a bad thing because you don't want the thing powering up accidentally whilst it's in your bag. There's a conventional micro USB power port on the back along with a standard jack for using wired devices for music playback. The only thing that's missing is an NFC connection spot although I personally think that's little more than a gimmick for most of the time.
 

 

 
The speaker features two really cool looking solid grilles front and back. The rear grille covers the two passive radiators which help provide a degree of additional bass. The front grille covers two small speakers which you can see quite clearly when you get the light just right on it. There's some weird patterning style around all the outside of the speaker which I personally don't particularly like but it doesn't have any effect whatsoever on the sound quality or functionality of the unit so i really don't give a monkey's about it. The packaging is absolutely first class - in think it's fair to say that Sony and other top manufacturers on these type of devices could definitely take a leaf out of Bluedio's book when it comes to presentation of product. The speaker comes supplied with a really nice soft carrying sleeve which features a neat Velcro pocket for carrying a USB lead and connection cable. Nice touch there and a genuinely useful accessory.
 

 
 
The device uses the latest incarnation on Bluetooth and also offers aptx for compatible devices which is a really nice touch but perhaps overkill on a device like this. The Bluetooth range is very impressive and I didn't experience any dropouts during my listening tests with the unit. All in all a really nice solid wireless performance. Voice prompts tell you power status along with pairing and other relevant information. The voice is a little bit louder than I would have liked but it's not really a problem. Sound Quality With a speaker this size, it’s fair to say that it’s not going to be a bass monster - and it’s not. In fact I was rather impressed with the bass detail. You can hear the notes clearly but it’s not overblown. The passive radiators on the back may benefit from close placement to a wall but the unit is designed to be free-standing. The unit has a reasonable amount of volume and can go quite loud without distortion. The treble can be somewhat ‘tizzy’ when driven loud but this does help make the speaker sound more detailed as well. The volume control only has a limited number of ‘steps’ so you may want to make fine adjustments using your playback device instead. Although the unit can be used to make hands-free calls, I didn’t get the chance to try this feature out (I’m Billy No-Mates and no-one ever calls me). Powering the unit on requires a long press on the PLAY/PAUSE button. Once active and connected the controls respond quickly and positively but note that it seems to take a very long press on the PLAY/PAUSE key to switch off the unit. Theoretically I could keep the unit on standby all the time but I don’t shower so often that I could justify the power drain. With this in mind I can’t yet comment on battery life except to say that I have had the unit for a couple of weeks now and I’ve only charged it up once.
 
The 3D function does make a profound change to the sound - when activated you get the impression that you’re listening to a larger speaker system so in this respect it’s doing its job but the sound does lose some detail in this mode. The 3D mode does help to tame the bright treble though so that’s not a bad thing but there’s also a slight ‘hollowness’ to the music which is not present when the 3D function is not active. Truth be told, I rarely get the chance to listen to music through speakers these days - especially loud music. I tend to use headphones for most of my listening because I can listen loud and I like the sound signature that headphones provide. At the moment I’m using the AS-BT speaker in the bathroom for listening to music whilst showering. Although Bluedio make no mention of any water resistance with this product, I don’t think that this will be a problem. In a way, this is a terrible waste of resource because this speaker deserves more than that.
 

 
 
Conclusion
 
It’s a really nice product. Definitely worth the money and can compete comfortably with the big boys like Bose and Sony but at a fraction of the price. The sound quality is very good and the build quality is first class. The speaker offers a good solid bluetooth connection (I wish some of the bluetooth earbuds I have offered the same solid connection) and the battery appears to last forever. I’m personally not keen on the ‘wordy map of the world’ styling but apart from that I think the unit looks and feels AND SOUNDS like a quality unit. I feel I can confidently recommend this Bluetooth speaker to anyone looking for one in this price range. Apart from the rather gaudy graphics which I personality don't really like, it's a first class product which delivers a talky nice sound quality and excellent portability. Well done Bluedio - keep up the good work.
 
Bluedio AS-BT Amazon Product Page
 
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Bluedio-AS-BT-Wireless-Bluetooth-Speakers/dp/B01G70HXW4/ref=sr_1_51?ie=UTF8&qid=1471085118&sr=8-51&keywords=bluedio
 
Bluedio Amazon Storefront
 
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Bluedio/b/ref=bl_dp_s_web_3969834031?ie=UTF8&node=3969834031&field-lbr_brands_browse-bin=Bluedio

I have been an enthusiastic headphone user for many years now. I used to have a really nice British based hi fi system but unfortunately that had to go once the kids started happening. Ever since then I have used headphones for most of my listening as I feel it’s the only way I can get the resolution and scale I used to achieve with my original system.
Over the years I have had an impressive range of headphones and portable media players - starting with Discman players, moving through Mini Disc and now MP3 players and mobile phones.
At the moment I use the following items on a regular basis:-
Playback
Samsung Galaxy Note 2 (custom ROM running Google Play Music and the excellent Neutron).
Samsung Galaxy Tab S 10.5 (standard ROM running the same as above).
Vintage Apple iMac - running iTunes of course
IMP MP3 Player - excellent for driving headphones to a higher level than most phones can achieve.
Topping NX-2 Headphone Amp/DAC
Headphones
Ultimate Ears Triple Fi 10 - it doesn’t get any better than these - you should consider these narcotics for the ears.
Audio Technica ATH-M50X - excellent full sized headphones that offer a non-fatiguing and yet lively sound. Not easy to drive with a mobile phone though.
Packaging
 

 
 

 
Even though these are inexpensive headphones when compared to others in my collection, I have to say that the packaging they come supplied with is absolutely first class. This quality of packaging puts companies like Sony and JVC to shame. The outer box clearly shows the features, facilities and specifications of the headphones and, on opening, shows the phones behind a clear plastic hard covering. The additional accessories (USB cable and headphone cable for passive non-wireless listening) come in a separate back cardboard box along with the instruction manual (which no-one ever reads - me included).  This product would certainly not be out of place being displayed in a high street consumer electronics shop and the packaging would certainly help sell the product.
Build Quality and Comfort 
 

 
 
The Bluedio T3 is surprisingly heavy for such an inexpensive headphone. The frame is all metal and appears to be really tough. They remind me of products like Beats or perhaps some of the more rugged headphones sold in the seventies. Unfortunately the earcups are made of plastic and they rattle against the metal parts and sound like really cheap plastic. All in all though you get a real sense of rugged build quality with them and I definitely feel they would last a long time and survive some serious abuse. 
The pads are quite soft and comfortable although the phones do clamp fairly tightly to your head but I have worn them for quite some time whilst playing games on my xbox but occasionally you have to take them off for a couple of minutes to give your ears a bit of a breather. 
The hardware buttons are very clunky and this is perhaps the only real giveaway that they are not a premium set of phones (apart from the sound the plastic makes when rattling against the metal frames). One good point though is that you would rarely accidentally press the controls whilst adjusting them - I suspect you can't say the same for those premium headphones which feature touch controls like the Parrot Zik and Samsung. 
One thing I did notice is that when you're pressing the buttons there is so much positive pressure that the drivers flex and you actually cut out the sound on one side for a second whilst the pressure is applied. Hopefully this won't cause damage to the drivers in the long term. 
Features and Facilities
The headset features all the controls on the right hand earcup and, like most bluetooth headsets, the controls offer different functions depending on short pressing or long pressing. The middle button is used to power on the unit, activate Google Now or Siri and enter pairing mode. The bottom button is used for Play/Pause and the left and right buttons are used for track skipping and volume.  There is a microphone fitted which works OK but it’s fair to say that a proper dedicated bluetooth phone headset will beat it hands down.
 
Pairing up your phone happens nice and quickly and, again like many inexpensive headsets on the market now, can be actively paired to more than one device at a time. A Chinese sounding female voice through the headphones tells you when you’re connected, pairing and powering off - actually useful function. Like all other bluetooth headphones on the market there is a bright flashing blue light to tell you that they are powered on, in pairing mode and playing music. Given the amount of sound that leaks from these phones, it’s not going to disturb your sleeping partner any more than they’re already being disturbed anyway.
Sound Quality 
Unfortunately out of the box with no eq applied, these headphones are absolute bass monsters. So much bass that all the other frequencies are repressed and they actually start to rattle. They do go loud. Far louder than anyone would be comfortable with which is nice because I'm betting fed up with consumer electronics not having enough volume - I'm a child of the 60’s and need to rock out LOUD sometimes. They are extremely efficient and can be driven easily by any media player when used in wired mode. The drivers are 57mm - definitely larger than those found on most other headphones. Whilst this does perhaps contribute to the bass, I personally would have liked a more balanced sound without having to resort to using eq.
As mentioned earlier the seal on these phones is tight enough to actually press the drivers in when you first put them on due to positive air pressure. This tight seal and pressure helps with passive noise cancellation but strangely the sound does leak out of them quite a lot so they are not ideal for wearing in bed if your partner wants to get some sleep. I would stick with something like the Apple EarPods for sleeping in.
 

 
 
 
Using the phones with my trusty Samsung Galaxy Note 2 running Neutron and Viper for Android I can use the eq to greatly reduce the bass and boost up some of the higher frequencies to get a more balanced sound and to an extent they start to shine. Although Neutron has the better eq controls, the effects only apply when using Neutron to play music. By using Viper the eq settings are automatically applied whenever the bluetooth headset is connected and its effects are applied to all music software on the device. One of the reasons why I don’t like to use eq though is because you have to remember to switch the effects off when using conventional headphones like the Ultimate Ears Triple Fi 10’s which definitely don’t require eq.
I think it's important to remember that these are inexpensive  headphones and it's perhaps a little unfair to compare them to something like the Audio Technica ATH M50x headphones. Even with eq applied the bass can still dominate the sound - especially when listening at higher volumes. At lower volumes though the phones really sound surprisingly nice - taking into account the price. Certain frequencies in the vocal range appear to have some edgy distortion which I’m hoping will go when they are burnt in properly. 
I have briefly tried the headphones in wired mode using my Galaxy Tab S 10.5 (with aggressive eq applied of course) and they sound really nice. Basically with the eq set to reduce the bass frequencies almost off and the treble frequencies boosted almost to the max, the sound is quite full, not distorted and very listenable. Strangely though I am listening to a Dido album with the volume set almost to full - perhaps there’s an impedance differential with the tablet which limits the output somewhat but the sound is nice and mellow and enjoyable. Also, so far, I haven’t experienced the distortion in the female vocal range in this configuration.
All in all I actually like these headphones. When their price is taken into account they have the potential to be really nice - with a considerable amount of eq applied. Their excessive bass works quite nicely when using them with my xbox but for music it’s a different matter. Their build quality is really remarkable for the price. They do have a somewhat retro look which does look a little strange when wearing them to walk the dog but then again I really don't give a monkey’s.   I would cautiously recommend them to anyone looking for inexpensive headphones who have a player with eq controls to tame the bass.
I was kindly sent a sample of the T3’s free of charge for an unbiased review. I advised them that my reviews tend to focus on sound quality as the primary reason for purchase.
Bluedio Amazon Shop 
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Bluedio-Fashionable-Bluetooth-Headphones-Microphone-Black/dp/B012TH48VS/ref=pd_ybh_a_18?ie=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=CXZZ7SKF828RK9Y27P8J
Bluedio T3 Product Page
http://www.amazon.co.uk/s?marketplaceID=A1F83G8C2ARO7P&me=A1VFP8YF5XT3U8&merchant=A1VFP8YF5XT3U8&redirect=true

Bluedio kindly sent me a pair of their Air ‘A’ Series bluetooth headphones for review free of charge.  Here’s what I think to them.
 
Packaging
The packaging supplied with these headphones is simply superb. You really get the impression you are purchasing a high quality item with these. After removing the outer sleeve you’re presented with a very stiff box (with a magnetic closure) containing the headphones and related peripherals. This makes a nice change to the sometimes minimal packaging that you seem to find these days with some of the better known brands such as Sony and the like.
 
The headphones come supplied with a USB cable for charging and a cable for connecting directly to your smartphone should you wish to use them in non-powered mode. The cable comes with a basic remote which allows you to play and pause your music and there’s a microphone fitted so you can still use them to make calls when in non-wireless mode.  There’s also an additional cable for connecting to computer systems which feature separate microphone and headphone sockets. I tried this on my Mac and it didn’t appear to work properly so I suspect it’s for tablet pc’s. Not a problem for me because I won’t be using them on the Mac.  All in all though a really nice unboxing experience and these would definitely make an excellent gift for someone.
 

 
 
Physical Properties
The headphones have a stylish look to them which I personally don’t like but to be honest I’m only really interested in their sound quality (and perhaps comfort) rather than looks. They are lightweight and have a fair amount of padding around the earcups and headband. Speaking of the headband, it’s extremely flexible and can be twisted and bent pretty much to your heart’s content without fear of it snapping. Even though I have a fairly large head, I had no problems in getting these headphones to fully encapsulate my ears which makes them far more comfortable than basic on-ear headphones. Construction is plastic and metal where it matters. Whilst they may not be quite as solid feeling as their T3’s (they really are built like a tank) I’m fairly confident that the ‘A’s will last a good long time and stand up to the kind of abuse that teenagers tend to put everything through. There’s a standard ‘headphone’ socket for wired listening and a standard micro USB port for charging - this is always welcome and definitely preferable to some of the proprietary charging interfaces some manufacturers use (cough …. Sony).
 
The padding doesn’t appear to be memory foam but is comfortable nonetheless. There is sufficient depth for my ears to fit inside them comfortably. They are not too tight on the head which aids in their comfort but does perhaps limit their use to walking/jogging rather than running/sky diving/full contact origami. They remind me of some of the Sennheiser headphones in their feel (and sound quality) which is high praise indeed because comfort it definitely one of Sennheiser’s strong points. The earcups are gimballed so they have a limited amount of swivel in all directions - well done Bluedio - this was something definitely missing from the T2 and T3 models.
 
The headphones feature a 57mm driver. Wow - that’s some size and the same size as used in their T2 and T3 models. You should note though that their sound characteristics are absolutely nothing like those models. More to follow in the Sound Quality heading.  Whilst I suspect that most of the electronics are contained in the right earcup, they both appear to have a similar weight - so the headphones sit nicely balanced on your head.
 

 
 
Controls and Bluetooth Performance
The ‘A’s have minimal controls. Three buttons control volume, track skipping, pairing, play, pause, call answer, call hangup and power on/off. They have definitely thought it through though - simply tap the top and bottom buttons for volume up/down and hold for a second or so for track skip forward/backwards. Tap middle button to pause/play and hold to power on/off and pair. Easy peasy lemon squeezy. The buttons don’t particularly feel ‘premium’ but are nicely positive in their action and very easy to find by feel. I personally prefer this over fancy touch interfaces because you have to be so careful when adjusting the fit around your head that you don’t accidentally activate a control. There’s no danger of doing that with these.
 

 
 
I briefly tried the telephone function out and the call came through clearly and the caller reported that they could hear me ok. That’s about all I can really say about that because I’m Billy No-Mates and not many people ring me (they probably do but I’ve always got my headphones on and I can’t hear the phone ringing). Music performance via bluetooth is excellent. The noise floor generated by these headphones is not really much more than you would get from your electronics and certainly once music is playing it’s really not an issue. Range is excellent and the headphone’s don’t appear to suffer from drop-outs at all - nicely done Bluedio! I personally couldn’t hear any differences between wired and bluetooth mode so, if there are any, they should be pretty subtle.
 
Sound Quality
This is what it’s all about as far as I’m concerned. Comfort is also important - the good news is that Bluedio meets both criteria with flying colours. The sound to me is very reminiscent of some of the Sennheiser models. There is a degree of width to the stereo soundfield (this is with their 3D effect switched off - I’m a bit of a purist) and the sound is nicely neutral - all the way through the frequencies. That is something I didn’t expect and is most welcome.
 
Bass:
The bass is there but it’s not overblown - in fact I would go as far to say that it’s fairly lean compared to other headphones out there - and definitely when compared to their T2 and T3 models. The bass is detailed and deep but perhaps a little softer than some. Again, this is definitely not a bad thing - far from it. The bass is where is should be in the soundscape and doesn’t bleed into the other frequencies at all. Brilliantly done.
 
Midrange:
Balanced. Not even slightly ‘shouty’. Has detail and some sense of directionality. Non-fatiguing and, again, doesn’t favour any particular genre of music.
 
Treble:
Pretty sweet. Perhaps slightly recessed but still has detail. I’m very sensitive to harsh treble - no problems with these. Definitely a ‘Sennheiser’ sound - allows for long listening sessions.
 
In case you haven’t noticed, I really like these. I feel that they have the potential to sound even better after some break-in. I suspect drivers this large might benefit from a little exercise. They sound ‘airy’ like your music has some room to breathe. The amplifier in the ‘A’s is doing it’s job nicely and they can go loud enough to hurt. It’s fair to say they are considerably louder when used in bluetooth mode than your portable player would be able to generate in wired mode. The sound remains clean and clear at higher volumes with no noticeable distortion - they just go bloody loud. Be aware that they do leak sound out - especially when listening at high volumes and they also let some sound in - perhaps a little more than most ‘closed’ headphones do.
 

 
 
One very welcome thing I noticed about these is that they are low-latency which means that your YouTube videos will play in-sync - works great with a bluetooth transmitter connected to my TV and Xbox games sound really nice through them. Their comfort definitely helps here when playing long sessions of Elite Dangerous.
 
I can’t comment of battery life because I’ve yet to run them down. They did charge pretty quickly (took about an hour and a half out of the box).
 
With the exception of their bizarre artwork (which I truly don’t really care about) I wholeheartedly endorse these. Had I have purchased them I wouldn’t have been disappointed at all. Top marks Bluedio - make a pair using premium materials and do away with the garish artwork and use the same drivers and sound character and you could compete with the top end headphone manufacturers - no problem.  A definite 5 Stars although I knocked half a point off for long term comfort and the style.
 
Bluedio Air A Amazon Page
 
 
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B012TH416A
 
Bluedio Amazon Storefront Page
 
https://www.amazon.co.uk/s?marketplaceID=A1F83G8C2ARO7P&me=A1VFP8YF5XT3U8&merchant=A1VFP8YF5XT3U8&redirect=true