Spending $ 250 on a pair of headphones is a bridge too far for me, even with an Apple logo and cool features. If I can get 80% of the goodness for 20% of the price, I am in my happy place. When it comes to gadgets for pleasure, I’m about to satisfy, rather than optimize.
I like to listen to music when I work. I got tired of untangling the cables, so I started looking for wireless headphones.
Too: Apple’s AirPods Pro are the best headphones you can buy, but for all the wrong reasons
Exploring Bluetooth headphones
With a new product space, I start the research, reviewing review sites for features, price ranges, and category leaders. Then I will review the shopping sites and their comments.
I focus on negative reviews and why they hate them: is it a delivery problem? Didn’t read the specs? Was your sample defective? Or does the product really suck?
Then I will buy what appears to be the minimum viable product for my imagined requirements. Unfortunately, most of the time, that first purchase is not feasible for me. But I have learned
Headphone failure
The first set of Bluetooth headsets, Blitzwolf, had good to good reviews. I got them for sale for $ 25.
But the battery life was not adequate. They died after 3 to 4 hours of use, and the recharge case died after a week. The poor Bluetooth pairing meant it was not worth it.
Back to the drawing board
Then I looked for headphones with a long battery life. The Enacfire F1 claimed eight hours, had good reviews, IPX8 waterproofing, and an 18-month warranty. At $ 50 they were more than I wanted to spend, but what battery life!
After fully charging them, I changed the headphones, paired them with my iPad Pro, and headed to my favorite pre-COVID coffee shop. They worked! The music sounded good, the phone calls weren’t a problem, the pairing was almost perfect, and I still haven’t run out of battery. In fact, the charging case lasts for months without running out of juice. Hurrah!
Over the years, I’ve tried expensive noise-canceling headphones. They were never satisfied, and I came to prefer noise isolation over cancellation.
Shocking customer service
I liked them until they stopped working. He wasn’t expecting much customer support for $ 50, and he prepared to return them. Boy was I wrong! With very little discomfort they fixed me. Congratulations to the Enacfire support troops!
Must read:
Enacfire F1 headphones have earned a permanent place in my mobile kit. I’m sure there are other quality headsets out there, but with all the features I need and great support, why look further?
I am sure Apple AirPods Pro is wonderful. For $ 250 better they are! But I am very happy with my $ 50 shoots, and that is my most important metric.
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Comments welcome What are your favorite audio products at reasonable prices?
