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Model: Avantree Aria Pro
Price: £89.99
Manufacturer Site: Avantree
Review Reference: RC008
Manufacturer Specification:
- Brand: Avantree
- Model: Aria Pro
- Driver: 40mm
- Chipset: Qualcomm
- Impedence: 32Ω
- Frequency Response Range: 20-20000Hz
- Mic: Boom Mic included
- Multipoint: Yes
- ANC: Yes, 22dB
- Codecs: aptX-HD, aptX-LL, aptX, SBC, FastStream
- Earbud Weight: 3.96g
- Headphone Dimensions: 19 cm x 17.5 cm x 8 cm
- Weight: 230g
- Earpad Dimensions: 5.6 x 3.6cm / 3.5cm (extra deeper)
- Case Charge Capacity: 220mAh
- Full Charge Time: 120 minutes
- Quick Charge: No
- Wireless Charging: No
- Input: 5V 1A
- Single Use Playtime: Up to 15 hours
- Playtime with ANC: Up to 24 hours
- App Support: Allegedly
- Bluetooth Range: 10m advertised
- Bluetooth: Bluetooth® 5.0
- Bluetooth Protocols: HSP v1.2, HFP v1.7, AVRCP v1.6, A2DP v1.3.1
- Water Resistance: IPX5
Includes:
Avantree Aria Pro
Detachable Boom Mic
3.5mm Audio Cable
Charging Cable
Carrying Case
User Manual
Real Life Experience
Welcome to the Regancipher review of the Avantree Aria Pro Multipoint ANC headphones.
The Unboxing - 7/10
Nothing spectacular. As advertised they feature an enclosed charger cable (micro-USB - although the new model is USB-C), a compact case, and boom mic.
The hard shell case is compact and well designed, with suitable space as pictured in the first section and a thin velcro pocket to hold the boom mic, charging cable and 3.5mm jack cable.
Ergonomics - 8/10, Build Quality - 8/10
The headband is well padded, and the Aria take the padding right across the band. On this model, like the Bose Quiet comfort II, it is necessary, as the measurements are slimmer than most of the chunky over ear headphones I've reviewed - 190x175x180.
Pleasingly, the band is reinforced with metal, adding to the longevity of the product, and the positioning and presence of this extra metal does not detract from the weight - at 230g they are still one of the lighter headsets around and they feel great to wear for long periods. Despite the slightly tight fit the clamping force is not too tight, with good passive isolation and little leakage, but overall very respectable ergonomics.
Aesthetically, a cursory initial look is a little uninspiring. Headphones of this ilk are unlikely to offer anything new, and the limited colour scheme means you're stuck with grey and black. There is a heavy scent of the QC II about them, but closer scrutiny reveals a decent, albeit flimsier build quality.
My first thought was that the hinges felt too wobbly to stand the test of time. And yet 3 months of continual usage (and now almost a year of owning them) has had no impact on the hinges or any other aspect that may become loose. They are deliberately a little maleable to allow for extra maneuverability, and the materials are strong enough to facilitate this. In fact, if anything the creakiness has worn in, and they wear much better now. The use of screws to reinforce them is testament to the quality.
The headband has lost a little of its bounce over time, but is nothing to complain about. Sure, they don't feel as substantial as my WH-1000XM3, but they're not meant to, and it works for the design.
Adjustments are pleasant, although the cups have a limited movement range compared to the Tronsmart Apollo Q10, but comfort is good, you can wear these all day with no problem at all. They are reasonably flexible, strong and very comfortable.
The soft protein padding on the cups is a little weak, as I find is often the case with 'faux leather' designs. Like the Soundcore Q30 it spreads easily. This can leave you feeling a little hollow on the ears if you're used to thicker padding, but you get used to it quickly.
The inside of the cup is relatively narrow - 45mm high, 31mm wide - just about spacious enough for my big ears, but less than the Tronsmart Q10 and Soundcore Q30.
The buttons are dispersed across both cups, something I don't usually like, but they are for the most part intuitive. Like most I've tested, power and volume are kept on one side, but the volume buttons have a different feel to them, so you can avoid accidental shut downs. There are no controls for advancing tracks.
The power/bluetooth button is a bit odd, you kinda 'flick' it on into the middle to turn it on, and hold it further to pair. This sits on the right cup, with play, pause and volume up/down.
The left cup has the ANC button, which lights up green when on, the 3.5mm jack port and the voice assistant button which doubles as answer call. In the middle of the ANC and voice assistant buttons is a 'cancel call' button. This seems in a strange place and is the one real oddity of the arrangement. Sadly they are charged with micro-USB.
The jack port can also be used to attach the boom mic (see calls), but without the boom mic, the other mics are also pretty good. As you can see, microphones exist on both cups, and as with many they have also allowed for microphones within the roof of the cup, in order to facilitate better call quality. This is now a tried and trusted feature that is effective and commonplace across most over ear cans.
Note - the boom mic when inserted, but switched off, kills all microphone capability from the headset. Likewise, in wired mode there is no mic usability at all! Slightly strange, but the button does give you the 'mute' option which, until we all started living 'on teams' was actually very handy!
ANC - 7/10
I've seen a fair few poor reviews of the ANC on this model and as usual, it is down to expectation. ANC works
fairly well on low frequencies albeit less well on high frequencies, therefore - whilst rumbling underground trains and wind are dealt with for the most part well, some close chatter and keyboard taps are still plainly audible.
Those expecting Sony quality ANC need to remember the price tag. The ANC is comfortable - no jawache will precipitate, no vertigo, etc, but it is nowhere near the level of Sony or Bose. It doesn't cut conversation out altogether at close range - at less than £100, this is hardly surprising - the 22dB value on the datasheet is fairly accurate in this respect.
The design does not clamp too hard against your face, so some sound leakage but acceptable passive isolation ensures a good balance of comfort, ANC and sound. These work perfectly for me. Sadly there is no ambient mode, which is disappointing, but it's unlikely you would ever need it in an environment where these are best suited anyway.
Sound Quality - 7/10
Sound quality is, well....a bit mediocre. I often find at this price point (below £200) releases are rather v shaped, but that's not the case with the Aria. Frequency response is fairly accurate and sound profile is pretty flat. Detail is good, low mids are uncharacteristically not excessively muddy, but at the same time, listening to music is pretty dull. The treble is rolled off and the soundstage is pretty narrow, something I've started to become accustomed to with over-ears.
Those conditioned to bass monsters will be disappointed. Trebles don't jump out either, and yet nothing becomes congested when you EQ via Wavelet, so it's a tuning issue if anything.
It improves on Windows 10 compared with iPhone, probably down to the absence of AAC - the codecs present on this device are AptX, AptX-LL, Aptx-HD, Faststream and SBC.
The soundstage is clearly not designed with the consumer in mind - it gets worse with ANC on, but is completely inoffensive and designed with practicality in mind. These really are the Volvo of headphones. You can listen to music, watch TV, use them for home office, youtube videos...everything sounds, well, pretty good. But don't expect to start dancing on your commute.
Latency is pretty good. I measured 156 ms on a FLAC on Windows 10 - not bad at all at this price point, but without an AptX receiver, expect to see some delay.
Call Quality - Indoors - 8.5/10, Outdoors - 7/10
Without the boom mic these are pretty average, but with they become extremely clear in all environments, but for home office in particular they are winners. I have seen some reviews saying the boom mic clips - I didn't have this problem at all, maybe it's the way I wear the headphones I'm not sure.
Connectivity, Controls and Other Features - 8/10
The Aria have some good features at this price point. Connectivity is excellent. Multipoint is flawless. This is a big thing for home office use. Controls as per the previous section are quite good, and the presence of Aptx-LL and Aptx-HD, whilst geared up towards using Avantree's other audio transceiver equipment, are handy. These supposedly support NFC but I've never tested it.
As of late 2020 Avantree released an updated version, the only difference seems to be USB Type C charging. Avantree do have an app, but it does not appear to support the Aria.
Battery Life - 6.5/10
I originally gave these a pretty high score but have retracted it over time because firstly the battery has degenerated a fair bit - 15 hours is a good result - and secondly it is dwarfed by newer releases such as the Q10 and Q30. At the time, it was pretty decent, but Avantree haven't improved it with future upgrades.
Summary
These headphones are one of the more underrated sets on the market. No big noise about them, no huge advertising, barely anything on social media...totally understated.
Yet they are one of the best kept secrets around. At the price point they perform all tasks well - they are marathon runners that keep pace with the big boys without ever threatening them, but at this price, they are a respectable for the home office.
The cups are a little tight but the build quality has stood the test of time. They don't track your head as nicely as the Tronsmart Q10 but don't stick out like the Soundcore Q30. The boom mic is essential for calls, but wear it outside and you may get shouts of 'Yupeee'. Still, with codecs galore - these were supporting the whole qualcomm suite long before it was popular-they work great on Android and PC, although you're stuck with SBC on IOS.
The addition of an app, which only works on other models (I couldn't get it working on the Aria Pro) and changing the charge to USB-C (which I understand is now present) would be welcome additions. Otherwise these are great all-rounders for those who aren't expecting studio quality sound.
Price Weighted Score: 81%
Raw Score: 78%
2022 Score: 75% (updated with USB-C charge and improved sound)
