The wireless earbud market has gotten extremely crowded in the past five years – with options available all the way from the high end to the dirt cheap.
Generally speaking, you get what you pay for – but that isn’t the case with Onesonic’s entry.
The MXS-HD1s offer five hours of play time, and up to four times that through its charging case.
The buds are extremely light and comfortable, with changeable tips to help ensure the fit and sound are as good as possible. In practice, that means that they can be worn for extended periods of time with minimal discomfort.
They’re also IPX4 rated – meaning they will easily withstand a fair helping of sweat or rain. That makes them a good candidate for exercise.
And in terms of audio quality, the MXS-HD1s are hard to beat – offering well-rounded sound with plenty of depth.
Set-up is fairly easy – with the pairing process working like any other Bluetooth device. Once linked, the headphones will also automatically switch on and reconnect when taken out of their case – and power down when they’re put back.
And all of this comes at a price point of €130 – putting the buds €100 below Apple’s AirPod Pro, and about half the price of similar offerings from the likes of Bose and Sennheiser.
But there are some trade-offs that come with that saving.
For a start, the buds don’t really achieve their promise of being noise cancelling. The snug fit does go a long way to blocking out unwanted sounds, but the digital 'active noise cancelling’ feature makes little to no difference when switched on.
(The truth is that buds, by their nature, generally struggle to be truly noise cancelling – so Onesonic’s attempt is not the only one to fall short.)
Another shortcoming is the vague battery life indicator – both on the buds themselves and the accompanying case.
There is an LED indicator on the case that turns red when the battery is low, while the earbuds give an audible ‘battery level low’ warning, but both only happen when they are on the verge of losing power.
(Your device may show a small battery level for the buds when they’re connected, but this only really gives a rough – and unreliable - indication of their status.)
Another minor quibble is the fact that the headphones don’t automatically pause audio when taken out of a user’s ear, meaning they will continue playing – and burning through their batteries – unless returned to their case.
But despite those flaws, the Onesonic MXS-HD1s still offer a comfortable fit and solid audio at an extremely competitive price point. That makes them worthy of serious consideration by anyone looking to invest in a new pair of earbuds.
