Tag Archives: best under 100

Lindy BNX-60 Review – Noise Cancelling Wirelessness for under £90!

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Lindy BNX-60 Wireless Noise Cancelling Headphone Review

Lindy’s talent for providing low-cost alternatives for items which sometimes run into hundreds of pounds is perhaps a well kept secret, given that they don’t advertise as prominently. Maybe they’re hoping to capitalise on the Lindy Hop phenomenon, but there’s no sign of any ‘jitter bug’ here.

Lindy BNX-60

Pros:

  • Low price for all these features
  • Rugged and sensible design
  • Good all-round sound
  • Comfortable

Cons:

  • Hard to drive (quiet) in passive mode
  • Volume control wheel placement

Design and Appearance

The Lindy BNX-60 has a utilitarian look; there’s no fashion statement to be made with these other than ‘I’m pragmatic’. They don’t have a premium feel such as more expensive models have, but the coating is of a grippy type of rubber which is better than bare plastic.

Volume is controlled in two ways; there is a button control on the left earcup for interacting with the volume controls within a smartphone, and a wheel on the right earcup for operating the BNX-60’s internal amp. It’s sensible to have this latter control at close to maximum, as there’s a small chance of touching the wheel when it comes to removing the headphones and inadvertently increasing the volume to maximum.

There are also some call handling features built in; so as well as the obvious call answer and hang up functions here, the BNX-60 supports voice dialling and last number redial among other features.

Durability and Build Quality

These headphones are well constructed and don’t feel cheap like budget headphones might; a little care is required of course, but the headband is quite twisty and forgiving should any passing lummox wish to try them out.

The cable is optional of course, but should you wish to eschew the wireless feature and go wired, the included cable is sturdy and quite adequate with good strain reliefs and a 90 degree jack.

The price also includes a semi-rigid carry case for when you’re on the move and don’t feel the need to have the Lindy BNX-60 on your head, the ubiquitous 6.35mm and flight adapters, and of course a USB cable for recharging the internal battery.

Comfort

The earpads and headband padding are dense but springy, giving comfort which is quite good considering the BNX-60’s low weight of 200 grams (or just over 7 ounces). If you’re a glasses wearer, the earpads give decent enough comfort for short sessions but this may get to be a problem if worn for hours on end. However the smallish earpads will allow most to just rest the arms of the glasses on them without altering the angle of the lenses too much.

The internal dimensions of the earcups are large enough for most ears at 6cm (from top to bottom) but as with any closed-backed design with leatherette earpads, it might get a bit sweaty in there if worn for long periods.

Suitability for intended application

The noise-cancelling feature is reasonably good; the all-pervading rumble of the lithographic printers next door is a feature of life here and the BNX-60 does a fair job of cutting it out. With no music on it can still be heard, but one needn’t turn up the music volume very much for it to be blotted out completely.

Sound Characteristics

There are four different ways the BNX-60 can sound, depending on whether it is fully wireless or wired/with ANC enabled, or off. With ANC off, the sound seems comparatively indistinct and foggy whether the cable is used or not. with the ANC enabled, the midrange is more present and the overall volume rises significantly so watch out if you’re listening at a high volume and wish to turn on the ANC feature.

For this review, we’re sticking to the intended method of the design which is using both the bluetooth and ANC features.

  • Bass

Bass extension gives a fairly good hint of that sub bass, but if you like a lot of sub bass then look elsewhere. Mid bass and upper bass is fully present and provides a good bit of warmth here but is a bit flabby with some tracks.

  • Mids

The midrange is not affected by the bass very much, and provides a decent amount of detail. It’s quite a hard-sounding and dry midrange with some good detail there; decays give a nice idea of space in the recording and vocals are well textured and convincing. Those who have a sensitivity to midrange frequencies needn’t fear; the BNX-60 is a comfortable listen.

  • Treble

Up at the top, treble gives a little bit of glitter but not too much; it serves as an even extension to the midrange and doesn’t draw much attention to itself. In terms of detail it could be bettered; but given that we’re reviewing a wireless, noise-cancelling set of headphones at this price, we won’t expect the moon on a stick!

  • Soundstage and Separation

Depending on the recording, the Lindy BNX-60 gives some nice surprises in terms of the width of a presentation. Sounds can appear to be emanating from outside of the closed-back earcups, giving a feeling of being enclosed by the music rather than the headphones themselves. Separation is decent; individual instruments can easily be picked out, yet they tend to meld together if the listener wants to just enjoy a presentation as a whole.

Music genres good for and why

This reviewer has caught himself enjoying a good range of tracks on the Lindy BNX-60; dance music and similar commercial genres such as pop and rock come across with a good amount of power, and live or acoustic recordings benefit from the midrange presence.

Summary

Lindy’s BNX-60 is pretty top-notch for under £100. If you want better, you’ll be looking at spending a lot more for such a fully featured noise cancelling headphone.

FiiO X1 II Digital Audio Player Review

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FiiO X1 II DAP Review

The X1 II is a fine little DAP, with an inherently smooth sound, perfect for those wanting a player that is powerful and easy to use.

Pros:

  • Easy to use
  • Powerful headphone output
  • Form factor

Cons:

  • Lacking in detail
  • Slight hiss with sensitive IEM’s

Aesthetics and User Interface

The little X1 II is styled like the iPods of old, with a small screen and scroll wheel, where it differs is the scroll wheel is surrounded by 4 buttons (menu, back, FF, RW). The edges of the player are rounded, making it comfortable to hold, and you will find the volume and power buttons on the side of the player. On the bottom you will find the MicroSD card slot, along with the USB port and the headphone jack.

This DAP feels solid in your hand, the buttons all feel solid and the headphone jack is tight. I have no issues with the build or the look of this player.

The FiiO X1 II is quite a simple DAP to get set up, once you put your MicroSD card with music in the player you will need to go to the system settings and scan the media on the card. This takes a little while, but once done the music should all be easy to find by the normal tags (artist, album, genre etc…).

The main now playing screen shows the album art, along with the band and track playing, if you press on the top left button you will get options to add the track to a playlist, or add it as a favourite. Also in this small menu are options to change the playback mode from shuffle to repeat to normal.

Going back to the main menu you have a folder view along with a category view, now playing, play settings and regular settings.

In the sound settings, you can toggle gapless playback on/off, change the playing order, resume mode, max volume, default volume, EQ, line-out and L/R balance.

In the system settings you have the update library option, Bluetooth, key-lock settings, screen timeout, brightness, idle standby (and timer), sleep, sleep timer, output select (headphones or line-out), USB mode (storage / in-vehicle), USB charge, font size and more.

Getting used to the X1 II won’t take long, it isn’t the snappiest player out there, but for the price it is perfectly functional. The battery life is around 10hrs of continuous playback, perfect for long commutes.

Sound Quality

The FiiO X1 II leans towards Fiios house sound, erring on the side of warmth and smoothness over absolute detail and clarity. This means it is quite an easy listen and you can click play and forget. There is a small amount of hiss in the background when using it with very sensitive IEM’s. The sound has an underlying warmth to it, with a little added body and weight to the low end, but without masking the midrange. The treble is well extended, but it is never bright, there is good detail retrieval but sometimes the smoothness makes the X1 II come across a little too safe.

What Fiio have created with the X1 II is a player for those not wanting the last word in detail, a player for the masses who want good sound at a low price, and in this respect it delivers. It still sounds a fair bit better than your average smartphone, with a full, impactful, but inherently smooth sound that is just easy to listen to. There is nothing missing from the core sound of the X1 II, it has excellent extension on both ends, with a wide soundstage and good layering, all delivered in smooth, harsh free listening experience.

The X1 II is powerful, it can drive IEM’s and portable headphones with ease, it even drives a lot of full-size headphones with authority.

Conclusion

For the price, and size the FiiO X1 II is a great little DAP, it will serve you well on your daily commute or when out and about. It has a smooth, easy to listen to sound that is about enjoyment over ultimate detail.