I would like to thank Solitude for the opportunity to review the XCS2 Dual Driver Automatic Noise Canceling (ANC) over ear headphones. I saw their original thread on Head-Fi requesting reviewers which didn’t garner any responses. I emailed them and they were gracious enough to send me a free review set (in retail packaging). I am not affiliated with Solitude in any way and this review is simply my honest opinion.
The info below was taken from:
https://positivevibesinc.com/products/solitude-xcs2-noise-cancelling-headphones
Specs:
Build Quality and General Usage Observations:
The headphones came in a sturdy cardboard box with an outer thin cardboard slip cover. When you first open the box you are greeted with a VERY NICE hard shell case. I’ll say at the outset that the case impresses me more than anything else including the headphones. Inside the case are the aforementioned accessories.
The included cables are on the thin/cheap side be are acceptable. I use the flat one with mic 100% of the time because it is designed for portable use. The cable described as a “microphone” cable puzzled me at first. It’s approximately 4 to 5 feet long which is too long for portable and too short for a home stereo. It dawned on me later that this length would probably be just right for sitting at a desk in an office.
The headphones are very light and have good padding on the band and on the ear cups. Comfort is very important to me and these win in that department. I’ve worn them on flights for up to 2 hours with very little discomfort. Please note that although these are described as over ear, part of the ear actually touches the padding. The padding is very, very soft though so it doesn’t cause discomfort.
The construction seems to be all plastic on the ear cups and ear cup brackets. The inner head band is metal. I think the plastic saves on weight but it could lead to longevity issues. The volume and ANC control switches seem very cheaply made. Almost like some plastic toys you get these days for under $20. IMHO the build quality of the headphones doesn’t match the case.
I would also like to note that the volume control is a nice feature that I didn’t fully appreciate when I first got these. It is nice to be able to adjust the volume on the headset instead of fishing out the PAP or phone out of a pocket. I have used this feature several times.
Sound Quality:
With ANC turned on:
Now here was a surprise. I was expecting a consumer, bass heavy (can you say Beats) sound with these. Not even close. I would consider these to be mid-centric meaning vocals are forward with bass and treble offering more of a supporting role rather than dominating. I would go so far as to call them bass light on some tracks. However, on some EDM tracks, the bass does come out to play somewhat. Clarity and details are very good for an ANC headphone. Vocals are clear and smooth. Sound stage isn’t particularly wide or deep. Everything seems close to and in your head rather than outside.
With ANC turned off:
Talk about night and day. These go from sounding like more expensive headphones to sounding like $10 flea market sets when the ANC switch is turned off. It’s like going from FM stereo to AM radio. I suppose it is a good thing though because you could still use the HPs with a phone (or if you’re desperate for music) if the batteries die. Definitely not recommended for music in this mode.
ANC Functionality:
Regarding the last paragraph, one doesn’t buy ANC headphones to listen to them with ANC turned off. The ANC capability of the XCS2s is quite good. I compared them to Audio Technica’s flagship noise cancelers the ATH-ANC9s and the XCS2s did well. I would rate them 85 to 90 percent of the ANC9s. I’ve never had a Bose ANC headphone but the ANC9 is supposed to be close to Bose level of ANC. I’ve used the XCS2 for both movies and music on flights with no issues. Like most other ANCs, all the sound isn’t blocked out. However, when music (or movie volume) is turned up to a moderate level, you don’t notice outside noise.
The XCS2 did well with phone calls. No complaints from others or static.
Conclusion:
There’s definitely a lot to like here for under $100. If you are frequent flyer on a budget, these should be on your short list. Bassheads need not apply.
Thanks for reading!
Notes: music testing was done using an Xduoo X3 with 320 Kbps MP3 files or FLAC files at moderate volumes.
The info below was taken from:
https://positivevibesinc.com/products/solitude-xcs2-noise-cancelling-headphones
Specs:
- Active Noise Cancellation - Up to 25dB between 125-250Hz
- Total Noise Cancellation > 94%
- Driver Units: Low Frequency: 40mm Neodymium Rare Earth (2)
- Driver Units High Frequency: 30mm Neodymium Rare Earth (2)
- Normal Impedance - 32OHMS +/- 15% at 1000Hz
- Frequency Response - 15-23,000Hz
- Distortion: 1% Maximum at 1 KHz/1mW
- Right/Left Output Difference: <3dB at 1KHZ/1mW
- Outpout Sound Pressure Level: 108 +/- 3dB at 1KHz
- Noise Cancelling On Output SPL: 105 +/- 3dB at 1 KHz
- Power Rating: Normal 10mW
- Maximum Input Power - 30mW (24 hours)
- Cord Length Approx 1.5m
- Adapter Plug: 3.5mm - 6.3mm
- Battery 1.5v x 2 (Alkaline)
- Weight Approx 227g
- Included Accessories:
- Headphone
- Carrying case
- Microphone cord
- Standard cord
- Dual pin adapter
- Stereo Adapter
- Two (2) AAA batteries.
- One year limited warranty
Build Quality and General Usage Observations:
The headphones came in a sturdy cardboard box with an outer thin cardboard slip cover. When you first open the box you are greeted with a VERY NICE hard shell case. I’ll say at the outset that the case impresses me more than anything else including the headphones. Inside the case are the aforementioned accessories.
The included cables are on the thin/cheap side be are acceptable. I use the flat one with mic 100% of the time because it is designed for portable use. The cable described as a “microphone” cable puzzled me at first. It’s approximately 4 to 5 feet long which is too long for portable and too short for a home stereo. It dawned on me later that this length would probably be just right for sitting at a desk in an office.
The headphones are very light and have good padding on the band and on the ear cups. Comfort is very important to me and these win in that department. I’ve worn them on flights for up to 2 hours with very little discomfort. Please note that although these are described as over ear, part of the ear actually touches the padding. The padding is very, very soft though so it doesn’t cause discomfort.
The construction seems to be all plastic on the ear cups and ear cup brackets. The inner head band is metal. I think the plastic saves on weight but it could lead to longevity issues. The volume and ANC control switches seem very cheaply made. Almost like some plastic toys you get these days for under $20. IMHO the build quality of the headphones doesn’t match the case.
I would also like to note that the volume control is a nice feature that I didn’t fully appreciate when I first got these. It is nice to be able to adjust the volume on the headset instead of fishing out the PAP or phone out of a pocket. I have used this feature several times.
Sound Quality:
With ANC turned on:
Now here was a surprise. I was expecting a consumer, bass heavy (can you say Beats) sound with these. Not even close. I would consider these to be mid-centric meaning vocals are forward with bass and treble offering more of a supporting role rather than dominating. I would go so far as to call them bass light on some tracks. However, on some EDM tracks, the bass does come out to play somewhat. Clarity and details are very good for an ANC headphone. Vocals are clear and smooth. Sound stage isn’t particularly wide or deep. Everything seems close to and in your head rather than outside.
With ANC turned off:
Talk about night and day. These go from sounding like more expensive headphones to sounding like $10 flea market sets when the ANC switch is turned off. It’s like going from FM stereo to AM radio. I suppose it is a good thing though because you could still use the HPs with a phone (or if you’re desperate for music) if the batteries die. Definitely not recommended for music in this mode.
ANC Functionality:
Regarding the last paragraph, one doesn’t buy ANC headphones to listen to them with ANC turned off. The ANC capability of the XCS2s is quite good. I compared them to Audio Technica’s flagship noise cancelers the ATH-ANC9s and the XCS2s did well. I would rate them 85 to 90 percent of the ANC9s. I’ve never had a Bose ANC headphone but the ANC9 is supposed to be close to Bose level of ANC. I’ve used the XCS2 for both movies and music on flights with no issues. Like most other ANCs, all the sound isn’t blocked out. However, when music (or movie volume) is turned up to a moderate level, you don’t notice outside noise.
The XCS2 did well with phone calls. No complaints from others or static.
Conclusion:
There’s definitely a lot to like here for under $100. If you are frequent flyer on a budget, these should be on your short list. Bassheads need not apply.
Thanks for reading!
Notes: music testing was done using an Xduoo X3 with 320 Kbps MP3 files or FLAC files at moderate volumes.
