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Cambridge Audio Melomania Touch Review Rating
advantage
- Out-of-the-box performance
- EQ can significantly change the sound profile according to your preferences
- Good battery + IP rating makes these good for fitness
- Good price
shortcoming
- Ultra-sensitive touch
this Cambridge Audio Melomania 1 It is actually legendary and has received widespread praise from most critics and consumer reviews on Amazon and more reputable websites such as Richer Sounds.
Melomania Touch was released last year with a more traditional design and a fitness-focused form, but can they replicate Melomania’s success?
Specification
- Bluetooth 5.0
- Qualcomm QCC3020
- aptX, AAC, SBC low latency
- 7mm dynamic, graphene enhanced diaphragm
- 20Hz – 20kHz frequency response
- Earbud battery life up to 9 hours (continuous A2DP playback) *In low power consumption mode
- Up to 50 hours, including case (9 + 41) *In low power mode
- IPX4 (waterproof splash (earplugs and shell))
- 5.9 grams each (11.8 grams for both earplugs); charging case: 56g; total: 68g
Design/fitting
The original Melomania had some strange designs. It was a large bullet-shaped flower bud that seemed to fall out of your ears easily. They are ultimately more comfortable than expected, but I would not say that this is an ideal design for fitness enthusiasts.
Melomania Touch takes a more sensible approach, using ergonomically designed earplugs that fit the ears in the outer ear better. They also have small wings that can be fixed to the spirals of the ears.
These do not come with foam earplugs, but the mounting points of the earplugs are standard sizes, so you can buy them as needed. However, I doubt you will put them back in the box with the foam tip.
The overall comfort is very good, I have used these outdoor running and weightlifting without any problems, they will fall or feel like they will fall. A small negative effect is that their IP rating is lower than Melomania 1+ with IPX4 and IPX5. This seems to be a strange decision, because their design definitely pays more attention to fitness. I haven’t had a pair of TWS earplugs that died due to sweat/water ingress. Wired earplugs used to die every few months, so IP rating is not a big issue for me.
Sound quality/in use
Unsurprisingly, the sound quality of Cambridge Audio is excellent. It’s hard to say whether these are better or worse than the Cambridge Melomania 1+ I reviewed in the past. I tried my best to switch between earbuds using two phones playing the same track. The sound contours are different but not significant, so I can accurately describe the difference in words.
If anything, I would say that the 7mm drivers used in these produce better bass than Melomania 1’s 5.8mm drivers. Both earbuds are not too bass, and I find that they are much more balanced than most competing brands.
Just like Melomania 1+, you can use the app to adjust the EQ to your liking.
I have noticed in past reviews that people have criticized these for missing Bluetooth and overly sensitive touch controls.
I personally have not experienced any dropouts. The aptX HD on some headphones may have intermittent problems, but the aptX on these headphones is perfect for me.
However, I can confirm that the touch controls are very sensitive. However, this is not bad, you can configure the touch controls in the application, or disable them all or disable certain functions. For me, disabling pause/play eliminates most annoying touch-sensitive quirks.
Battery Life
They have the same claimed 9-hour battery as Melomania 1+, and both are much longer than competing brands. The shell of Melomania Touch can extend battery life by 41 hours, compared with 36 hours for 1+.
The 9-hour battery life requires you to switch the earbuds to low-power mode, and I suspect that many people will do this. In the default mode, you can get 7 hours + additional 33 hours with the charging box. This is still great, and much more than I need in a meeting.
These do not have wireless charging, it is not a deal breaker, but its suggested retail price is £120, which is what I expected. At the current price, this is forgivable.
Prices and alternatives
Checking these around Black Friday will make price comparisons more difficult.These have a suggested retail price of £119.99, but at the time of writing, their suggested retail price is £79.99
Cambridge Audio Melomania 1+ has the same suggested retail price, but the price is £89.99, which is £10 higher.
At this price, this is a highly competitive market, and I have reviewed many amazing earplugs for around £100
I think No ears 1 It is worth mentioning that they can’t compete with Melomania acoustically, but they have good active noise reduction and wireless charging functions, and I find that they are more comfortable than any Melomania headset.
Have Anker Soundcore Liberty 3 Pro (With active noise reduction) or Liberty 2 Pro (without active noise reduction), respectively, £139.99 and £89.99. These are definitely not as balanced as Melomania, but the EQ settings allow you to dial in the sound to your liking. The sound profile of the bass forward leaning has a good mainstream appeal.
overall
Melomania Touch is very similar to the excellent Melomania 1+ one in many ways. I think many people prefer the overall design/comfort of these, but the sensitive touch controls can be a bit annoying.
Both earplugs are excellent and reasonably priced, especially with current sales of less than £100. They may lack some of the features of cheap Chinese brands, but the excellent sound quality makes up for this.
Since the RRP is the same, the current price difference between the two is only £10, so it is difficult to say which is the best. I may prefer touches myself, purely because they are more suitable for exercise.
Last updated on 2021-11-28 / Affiliate link / Image from Amazon Product Advertising API
