Bluedio kindly sent me their 8-driver UFO bluetooth headphones in red for review - and boy I’m glad they did.
Packaging
Like all of their higher priced bluetooth models, the UFO’s come supplied in some excellent packaging - the outer sleeve has illustrations and information on four sides showing the specifications and a blow-up dissection of the headphones showing the different drivers.
Opening up the impressively stiff magnetically held cardboard box reveals a rigid zippered headphone case and the instruction manuals are contained in a sleeve inside the lid. This is a really nice touch and something that other headphone manufacturers should consider offering by default.
Opening up the case reveals the headphones. Bluedio supplied me with the red versions and I think they look stunning. Bluedio also supplies a conventional headphone cable for wired use and a USB charging cable. These are held in a net bag inside the headphone case.
Build
The red version looks stunning. Easily as well made as Sony or Sennheiser in my opinion - and at a fraction of the price. They are constructed mostly of a titanium alloy which gives them significant solidity and weight. The earcups and headband have a nice amount of padding to them and the fit isn’t too tight. On the metal parts of the headphones the red has a glossy metallic look like you might find on a car - the vinyl/pleather parts have a more matte-like finish. I haven’t tried scratching them to see what would happen but no-doubt time will tell.
The earpads are removable and you can see how the multiple drivers have been configured. I don’t think they have used memory foam for the padding but it’s quite soft and you can wear the headphones for several hours without fatigue. One earpad features the Micro USB connector whilst the other side has the 3.5mm socket for wired use. Five way controls are on the right and are push button rather than touch button. I personally prefer this because there is less chance of accidentally activating the controls when simply adjusting the headphones or picking them up. Luckily the buttons don’t rattle when moving around.
For many headphones the weak points are the hinges where the headphones fold. Good news here is that they have used all metal and I’m confident that they will survive a lot of abuse. I shall be wearing these at work so time will tell on this as well.
These are an extremely solid looking and great feeling pair of headphones and should last for a very long time, even under demanding conditions. I shall be wearing these at work.
Sound Quality
This is what it’s all about as far as I’m concerned. I can tolerate a slight level of discomfort if the sound quality is up to scratch but I really cannot tolerate poor sound quality - even if the headphones are the most comfortable in the world. The good news is that these sound pretty good - very very good in fact. I’ve been reviewing several bluetooth headphones over the past few weeks - both in ear monitor types and on/over ear models. One thing they appear to have in common is that they are all orientated towards bass. The bass on these headphones is also solid and punchy but not to the point of overpowering the other frequencies.
The 50mm driver pushes the bass out hard and deep. At first listening there’s a bit of culture shock with these. I tend to listen to music at high-ish volumes and, without some EQ being applied. With many of the bluetooth headphones I have tried I have had to apply some EQ in order to tame the bass down somewhat, but with these the sound balance is just about right. The bass is still dominant but that’s kinda nice in moderation. The mids offer detail and the upper frequencies are not intense at all - no worries about listening fatigue with these.
One thing I did notice was details in recordings I thought I was familiar with - especially some of the older rock recordings from the likes of Yes, Supertramp, Pink Floyd and Queen. In fact, using these headphones to listen to the older stuff is an absolute joy. It’s almost like hearing them for the first time. I’ve just listened to ‘Time’ by Pink Floyd - when all the bells go off I didn’t feel I needed to pull the headphones off my head like I do with some of the others in my collection.
The bluetooth and amplification side of things is also superb. There’s no significant noise floor - it’s fair to say that any hiss you hear in your music will have been on the original recording. Bluetooth pairs well and offers a pretty good range (far better than what you typically experience when using bluetooth earbuds anyway) and the connection remains solid and skip-free right up to the point where you go out of range.
The wired connection works well and these headphones are nice and efficient. Even connected to my iPod Nano I could get very loud, quite satisfying volume levels. I couldn’t particularly hear any differences in quality between wired and wireless connections and it’s a nice touch to have this feature for use on non-bluetooth electronics or when your battery runs down.
Conclusion
In case you haven’t guessed it, I absolutely love these headphones. Had I have purchased them I wouldn’t have been disappointed at all. They are comfortable, extremely well made and look good to boot. I think they represent excellent value for money and give the big boys like Sony, Sennheiser and Bose a definite run for their money. Whilst they don’t feature active noise cancelling, NFC or touch controls, they do definitely have what matters - good quality sound, good build quality and excellent value for money. A clear and definite 5 stars.
I would like to thank Bluedio - especially Jasmine for their customer service. They are the perfect example of a company who puts the needs of their customers first.
Additional Observations after a few days solid usage.
Firstly the headphones appear to respond well to 'burn in'. I've noticed the bass has become slightly less dominant and the top end coming through a little clearer. These are not 'audiophile' headphones but rather designed for portable convenience but I have to say that I suspect that many 'audiophiles' would actually enjoy the experience of using these - especially will a little subtle eq changes here and there. They are fun but definitely show some details in the music. They are definitely not a bright headphone but I personally like a slightly 'darker' tone to my music.
In the past when I have tended to focus on just one headphone for a while, I've noticed that when I go back to my Triple Fi's the shift in tone takes a little getting used to again. Strangely whilst the Bluedio's sound absolutely nothing like the Triple Fi's in tone, changing from one to the other isn't as much of a shock to my ears as it should be. I can't particularly explain it but one thing for sure, these headphones really do have a quality to them and shine with the right settings.
One last observation. I've always found that 'portable' full sized headphones normally have a somewhat 'fragile' feel to them a I tend to not push them as hard as ones used for home listening but with these I'm happy to 'turn the wick up' and rock out with them. They can push a refreshing amount of volume out. Far more than you would normally get using a wired connection to a portable player.
Normally when I'm sent a free pair of headphones I tend to offer a favourable review - or at least try to highlight their positives out of a sense of duty but with these I am totally comfortable in recommending them to experienced headphone freaks like myself - can't really say fairer than that.
I only knocked half a star off because it would have been nice to have slightly larger earpads.
Bluedio Amazon Page
http://www.amazon.co.uk/shops/A1VFP8YF5XT3U8
Bluedio UFO Amazon Page
http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00UZ3LGHS
Packaging
Like all of their higher priced bluetooth models, the UFO’s come supplied in some excellent packaging - the outer sleeve has illustrations and information on four sides showing the specifications and a blow-up dissection of the headphones showing the different drivers.
Opening up the impressively stiff magnetically held cardboard box reveals a rigid zippered headphone case and the instruction manuals are contained in a sleeve inside the lid. This is a really nice touch and something that other headphone manufacturers should consider offering by default.
Opening up the case reveals the headphones. Bluedio supplied me with the red versions and I think they look stunning. Bluedio also supplies a conventional headphone cable for wired use and a USB charging cable. These are held in a net bag inside the headphone case.
Build
The red version looks stunning. Easily as well made as Sony or Sennheiser in my opinion - and at a fraction of the price. They are constructed mostly of a titanium alloy which gives them significant solidity and weight. The earcups and headband have a nice amount of padding to them and the fit isn’t too tight. On the metal parts of the headphones the red has a glossy metallic look like you might find on a car - the vinyl/pleather parts have a more matte-like finish. I haven’t tried scratching them to see what would happen but no-doubt time will tell.
The earpads are removable and you can see how the multiple drivers have been configured. I don’t think they have used memory foam for the padding but it’s quite soft and you can wear the headphones for several hours without fatigue. One earpad features the Micro USB connector whilst the other side has the 3.5mm socket for wired use. Five way controls are on the right and are push button rather than touch button. I personally prefer this because there is less chance of accidentally activating the controls when simply adjusting the headphones or picking them up. Luckily the buttons don’t rattle when moving around.
For many headphones the weak points are the hinges where the headphones fold. Good news here is that they have used all metal and I’m confident that they will survive a lot of abuse. I shall be wearing these at work so time will tell on this as well.
These are an extremely solid looking and great feeling pair of headphones and should last for a very long time, even under demanding conditions. I shall be wearing these at work.
Sound Quality
This is what it’s all about as far as I’m concerned. I can tolerate a slight level of discomfort if the sound quality is up to scratch but I really cannot tolerate poor sound quality - even if the headphones are the most comfortable in the world. The good news is that these sound pretty good - very very good in fact. I’ve been reviewing several bluetooth headphones over the past few weeks - both in ear monitor types and on/over ear models. One thing they appear to have in common is that they are all orientated towards bass. The bass on these headphones is also solid and punchy but not to the point of overpowering the other frequencies.
The 50mm driver pushes the bass out hard and deep. At first listening there’s a bit of culture shock with these. I tend to listen to music at high-ish volumes and, without some EQ being applied. With many of the bluetooth headphones I have tried I have had to apply some EQ in order to tame the bass down somewhat, but with these the sound balance is just about right. The bass is still dominant but that’s kinda nice in moderation. The mids offer detail and the upper frequencies are not intense at all - no worries about listening fatigue with these.
One thing I did notice was details in recordings I thought I was familiar with - especially some of the older rock recordings from the likes of Yes, Supertramp, Pink Floyd and Queen. In fact, using these headphones to listen to the older stuff is an absolute joy. It’s almost like hearing them for the first time. I’ve just listened to ‘Time’ by Pink Floyd - when all the bells go off I didn’t feel I needed to pull the headphones off my head like I do with some of the others in my collection.
The bluetooth and amplification side of things is also superb. There’s no significant noise floor - it’s fair to say that any hiss you hear in your music will have been on the original recording. Bluetooth pairs well and offers a pretty good range (far better than what you typically experience when using bluetooth earbuds anyway) and the connection remains solid and skip-free right up to the point where you go out of range.
The wired connection works well and these headphones are nice and efficient. Even connected to my iPod Nano I could get very loud, quite satisfying volume levels. I couldn’t particularly hear any differences in quality between wired and wireless connections and it’s a nice touch to have this feature for use on non-bluetooth electronics or when your battery runs down.
Conclusion
In case you haven’t guessed it, I absolutely love these headphones. Had I have purchased them I wouldn’t have been disappointed at all. They are comfortable, extremely well made and look good to boot. I think they represent excellent value for money and give the big boys like Sony, Sennheiser and Bose a definite run for their money. Whilst they don’t feature active noise cancelling, NFC or touch controls, they do definitely have what matters - good quality sound, good build quality and excellent value for money. A clear and definite 5 stars.
I would like to thank Bluedio - especially Jasmine for their customer service. They are the perfect example of a company who puts the needs of their customers first.
Additional Observations after a few days solid usage.
Firstly the headphones appear to respond well to 'burn in'. I've noticed the bass has become slightly less dominant and the top end coming through a little clearer. These are not 'audiophile' headphones but rather designed for portable convenience but I have to say that I suspect that many 'audiophiles' would actually enjoy the experience of using these - especially will a little subtle eq changes here and there. They are fun but definitely show some details in the music. They are definitely not a bright headphone but I personally like a slightly 'darker' tone to my music.
In the past when I have tended to focus on just one headphone for a while, I've noticed that when I go back to my Triple Fi's the shift in tone takes a little getting used to again. Strangely whilst the Bluedio's sound absolutely nothing like the Triple Fi's in tone, changing from one to the other isn't as much of a shock to my ears as it should be. I can't particularly explain it but one thing for sure, these headphones really do have a quality to them and shine with the right settings.
One last observation. I've always found that 'portable' full sized headphones normally have a somewhat 'fragile' feel to them a I tend to not push them as hard as ones used for home listening but with these I'm happy to 'turn the wick up' and rock out with them. They can push a refreshing amount of volume out. Far more than you would normally get using a wired connection to a portable player.
Normally when I'm sent a free pair of headphones I tend to offer a favourable review - or at least try to highlight their positives out of a sense of duty but with these I am totally comfortable in recommending them to experienced headphone freaks like myself - can't really say fairer than that.
I only knocked half a star off because it would have been nice to have slightly larger earpads.
Bluedio Amazon Page
http://www.amazon.co.uk/shops/A1VFP8YF5XT3U8
Bluedio UFO Amazon Page
http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00UZ3LGHS