It’s incredibly difficult these days to enter the consumer audio market; big name brands like Sennheiser, Beats by Dr Dre and Bose tend to flood any conversation regarding the best headphones available on the market, whether deservedly or otherwise. As a consumer community then, we have become very brand-centric, often shunning smaller or lesser known brands in favour of the bigger names. Which is a shame, because I think I’ve found my favourite wireless Bluetooth headphones so far and they’re from a brand you’ve probably never heard of. That brand is VOXOA, and those headphones are the VOXOA HD Wireless Stereo Headphones; let’s get on and see what’s what.
What’s in the box
In the box, you’ll get everything you’ll need to get started with your VOXOA headphones and includes a velvet-like drawstring bag for transporting your headphones; as I’ve always said, I’m a big sucker for headphones that come with a carry bag. The full contents of the box includes:
- VOXOA HD Wireless Stereo Headphones
- Carry bag
- Micro-USB charging cable
- 1m audio cable
It’s the bare essentials of what you’ll need for your headphones. The only downside I can see out of all the contents of the box is the 1m audio cable; 1m is a bit too short, particularly for those who want to hook the headphones up to their desktop computer or stereo system.
The headphones
The VOXOA HD Wireless Stereo Headphones are not a visually conspicuous pair of headphones, at least, not at first. While its black (also available in white), sleek profile is definitely reserved and unsuspecting, on closer inspection, the VOXOA headphones have a lot in the way of subtle visual allure like the fact that the sides of the earcups each have a patch of brushed metal. They’re probably not going to be turning any heads, but they look great to just admire. Despite being made mostly from plastic, the VOXOA headphones manage to feel solidly constructed, and its thick headband and hinges further add to this feeling.
As a set of on-ear, Bluetooth headphones, some controls are required on the headphones themselves, but thankfully they’re all in relatively inconspicuous locations. All located on the right side, you will find a multifunction button for answering calls and turning the headphones on and off, volume up and down buttons, a play/pause button as well as track skip forward/back buttons. Rather than opt for large buttons, VOXOA has elected to put very small buttons that are the same colour as the headphone to blend in with the overall decor, and it works quite nicely.
On the underside of the right side, there are still yet more hidden goodies including the micro-USB charging port as well as the 3.5mm audio input and a microphone tucked in for good measure. Probably the best thing about this layout is that despite the amount of functionality and number of buttons available on one side of the headphones, the blending buttons and button placement works with the overall simplistic look of the headphones. You can use the VOXOA headphones using either a Bluetooth connection or with the physical audio cable, but more on that later.
As I mentioned earlier, the VOXOA headphones do come with a drawstring carry bag which is made from a velvet-like, thick material. Naturally, the VOXOA headphones are also collapsible, allowing it to be folded into a nice compact package should you need to put them away during travel and has more than enough space to store everything that was provided to you in the box.
While it might look very simple, the VOXOA headphones actually has at least one trick up its sleeve. As the little on the headband might suggest, the VOXOA headphones can be easily paired with NFC-enabled devices; simply turn on Bluetooth and NFC, place the headphones against your device, and voila, one paired audio device. NFC is probably a little under-utilized in the audio product space so it’s nice to see this feature included in such a subtle way.
It’s impossible to tell from the photos, but the VOXOA headphones are actually quite weighty. Compared to the MEElectronics Atlas headphones we reviewed last week, these VOXOA headphones might even be considered heavy and despite the fact that it feels like a good weight, that weight does have some ramifications which we’ll take a look at later in the review.
The audio
There is a DJ audio equipment manufacturer who goes by the name VOXOA Pro, and while I’m not sure if the VOXOA that makes these HD Stereo Headphones is related, the audio quality of their headphones sure makes a good case for them.
The sound in general from the VOXOA headphones is very clear and full. The treble and bass ranges are very well represented, though I would say that the treble range is definitely more heavily emphasized; I had a ball listening to classical music on them as all the little nuances and sharpness of orchestral pieces came through. That’s not to say that they aren’t good with other genres of music; I had an equally good time listening to pop, rock, and dance music, however they definitely don’t have the meatiest bass on the market.
Overall, I would say that for on-ear headphones, I prefer the sound from the MEElectronics Atlas headphones as they manage to give their audio a lot of depth, much like the sound you would expect from over-the-ear headphones; the VOXOA headphones, by contrast, sound slightly muffled, however I am most definitely nitpicking at this point as the sound experience was great regardless. Call quality with the VOXOA headphones is as good as you can expect, with mic performance good and audio quality average, though I wouldn’t expect terribly clear audio if using them in a crowded area; there’s no noise cancelling and the mic is free to the world’s sounds.
The comfort
For me, the highlight of the VOXOA headphones is its comfort. Those of you familiar with my headphone reviews will know I’m not entirely at ease with on-ear headphones simply because more often than not they are difficult to wear comfortably. Not so with the VOXOA headphones which is probably the most comfortable on-ear headphones I have ever worn. The earcups are made from memory foam on the inside with a sheet of perforated leather covering them. In this configuration, the leather sheet acts as a secondary cushion, allowing your ear to rest inside the rectangular ear cup however it wants. There is also more than ample extension on the headphone arms which should please people with taller heads.
The headband is also made from leather and memory foam, and despite the headphones’ overall extra weight doesn’t actually affect the comfort. However, I will mention at this point the downside of having that extra weight which is that when you tilt your head forward or back, the headband will succumb to gravity fairly quickly, sliding off your head. This also makes the headphones less applicable for exercise purposes as they will definitely fall off your head during movement.
The practicality
The VOXOA headphones are a supremely portable set of headphones, and the addition of a carry bag is a huge plus for carting it around. The fact that they are solidly constructed and collapsible also gives you confidence that nothing is likely going to break if you throw it into your bag with everything else.
One thing that peeves me not only about the VOXOA headphones, but wireless Bluetooth headphones in general is that the audio cable jack is on the right earcup, not the left. As usual, this is necessitated by the fact all the controls are on the right side and not having separate chips in each earcup is a time saver, but it somehow still feels unusual (and occasionally inconvenient) to have the cable coming out of the right side. Having said that though, with the use of the physical audio cable, the VOXOA headphones can be used as a standard mobile headset without even powering the headphones on, which is a huge plus for those big on travelling.
The verdict
Rating: 5/5
The VOXOA HD Wireless Stereo Headphones are definitely one of the top Bluetooth headphones I have ever had the honour of using; for all its minor flaws, it feels fantastic to wear, looks sleek and stylish, and sounds fantastic. It’s definitely part of my daily arsenal of audio products and holds the honour of first on-ear headphones that I have no complaints wearing, plus they’re a mobile headset to boot. With a MSRP of $149.95, they are right in the ballpark for most Bluetooth headphones and definitely worth it. If you’re looking for a new pair of wireless headphones, stop looking for the big brands and take a look at the VOXOA HD Wireless Stereo Headphones.
To make this review even sweeter, the VOXOA headphones are currently on sale on Amazon. They are $50, which brings them down to $99.95, which is a fantastic price considering everything it can do; Amazon links are below. For more about VOXOA, you can visit their website here.
