Tag Archives: Lindy

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.

Lindy WHF-45 Wireless TV Headphones – Review

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Lindy WHF-45 Wireless TV Headphones – Review

Pros

  • Lightweight
  • Sounds extraordinary for the price
  • Simple operation
  • Includes DAC (decodes digital audio)

Cons

No included batteries

Quick verdict

A perfect and low cost introduction to the world of wireless audio; now there’s no need to miss any of your favourite show’s dialogue if the cat needs to be put out, or if you need that cup of tea. For the asking price, the Lindy WHF-45 is second to none.

 

Intro

Wireless headphones have been around for a while, but are often to be found at the £100 mark or higher. Step forward Lindy, who have introduced some amazing specimens for almost half that – £54.98! Older transmission methods such as Radio Frequency/FM (used by the Sennheiser RS120-II for instance) have been around for some years and are still popular, but the 2.4GHz digital transmission method employed by the Lindy WHF-45 is less susceptible to interference, even when used near Wi-Fi routers and other similar devices.

 

Key Features

Features are basic with a volume control and ‘connect’ button on the headphones, for helping with connection to the transmitter. The transmitter itself outdoes many higher-priced equivalents in that it doubles as a DAC (digital to analogue converter) for direct connection to a computer for online TV services, or for music. It can also be powered via the same USB connection, or with the supplied mains adapter if an analogue signal is fed into it via the 3.5mm socket.

 

First Impressions

The headphones are very light; they’re obviously designed with comfort in mind, for relaxing in front of a favourite TV show for instance. Pairing is a doddle, transmitter and headphones were able to spot each other straight away when switched on, and music began to play with very little work.

Sound Quality

The headphones perform far above expectations, given the asking price. These are being tested with high quality and well produced music such as Michael Jackson’s ‘Thriller’ and with thrilling results! Soundstage is very wide and immersive, bass is deep. Mid-range and treble are also very good for any headphone at this price, never mind a wireless model.

Some people may be aware that digital wireless headphones can introduce a slight delay while the sound is converted to wireless and back again; with the Lindy WHF-45 this is minimal; certainly when watching somebody speaking, there is no noticeable delay between the video and audio from the headphones.


Summary

It’s great to see digital wireless headphones at this price; and especially with this audio quality. Now there can be no excuse for noisy night time excursions to Hollywood and beyond – for under £60 any long-suffering hubby or housemate can be guaranteed a good night’s sleep with the Lindy WHF-45!
Score 8.5/10

LINDY HF-100 Headphones Review – Low Cost, High Value.

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 LINDY HF-100 Hi-Fi Headphones Review – Low Cost – High Value.

Verdict

In return for money spent, the sound quality that the Lindy HF-100 Premium Hi-Fi Headphone puts out is no less than stunning. When guessing what these headphones cost, we overshot like England penalty-takers; we never guessed that this sound would be available for well under £100. If you want to keep someone convivial, buy them these headphones and you will have a friend for life; albeit a very preoccupied one. Perfect for use at home or on the move, but an amp or dedicated music player is required. At 60ohms impedance/100dB sensitivity these will not be sufficiently powered by a phone alone for example.

Pros

  • Ridiculously Good Value
  • Comfortable
  • Travel Case
  • Alternative earpads
  • Removeable cable
  • A taste of audiophilia for under £100!

Cons

  • Not suitable for use straight from a phone
  • Cable runs to both left and right earcups

Intro

Headphones for £100 and under have been a mixed bag generally; at this price point, designs have been compromised in some way in order to keep down costs and the more substanial the headphones looked, the more substandard they sounded. So with all this baggage the Lindy HF-100 had its work cut out and impressed us despite it all.

Key Features

Being a full size headphone, the Lindy HF-100 includes the expected accessories such as jack adaptor and storage case but with a nice pair of alternative earpads too – these are a little firmer than the earpads which are fitted to the headphones when new and will change the sound signature, try these if the original pads do not suit you.

First Impressions

The Lindy HF-100 is a low-cost full size headphone from the Lindy brand, a name perhaps linked with a plethora of gadgets, connectors and peripherals. Our surprise at how good these headphones sound may have been partly due to them being new on the headphone scene, but now that they have come out again for this review I have only the cost in mind, and we’re still delighted.

Sound Quality

The Lindy HF-100 Premium Hi-Fi Headphone has a fun sound; very engaging, and with a decent bass. Not woolly and voluminous, but well controlled and balanced. They respond very well to EQ, the bass boost on my FiiO E12 not being lost on them. Midrange is clear and spacious, with a good amount of detail. Higher up in the midrange the sound is a little uncompromising in terms of stiffness – there is no peak here to cause the listener discomfort but the HF-100 can seem a little starchy and unyielding where a more expensive headphone would be smooth, for example the SoundMAGIC HP-150. With good quality recordings this is a minor detail, but low bitrates and poor recordings may get fatiguing to listen to after a while.

Summary

As with everything you get what you pay for. Although I should make that ‘most things’ as there are exceptions to this rule; not least the Lindy HF-100. A while ago, I would have expected to achieve a sound like this if I were to spend £150 or over. But not any more.

Score 8.5