Review In-Ear Buds Cambridge Audio Melomania 1: Great price for excellent Battery Life and Sound Quality

My first contact with Cambridge Audio was in around 20 years ago when I bought one of their excellent CD Players. I was not only impressed about Sound and Quality, also about their special style. So it was a no brainer for me to ask them for a sample of their new Ear Buds called \”Melomania 1\” (Amazon Affiliate) to write an unpaid review.

As usual I am going to start my review by sharing my first impression: \”Boy, these are indeed small and offering a charging case which fits into every pocket\”. I also could choose between a few case sleeves and I picked orange, my employer \’s corporate color

Easy setup

Configuration and setup was pretty straight forward, just connect to your device with Bluetooth Pairing. Worked immediately. There is no mobile App available for advanced configuration or tuning an equalizer. Firmware can be upgraded with a dedicated App which I found on support pages and is recommended to install to increase volume. Melomania arrived pre-charged, so I could kick off my experience right now. In my phone I have now a connection for a left and right earbud which is a bit unusual but pairing works very reliable and easy. Bluetooth 5.0 is supported as well as latest modern Audio codecs like aptX and AAC. Cambridge Audio decided not to opt for aptX HD (relevant for high resolution music), it uses a lot more  power and that would have negative affect to battery life of the Melomanias.

Melomania Ear Buds can be controlled with their touch buttons: Volumen up/down, skip tracks, accept and stop phone call, pause and activate Voice Assistants like Siri, Alexa or Google Home.

Battery life is Best-in-Class

If you don\’t care about fancy mobile Apps which can tweak your ear buds and your only interest is to get Ear Buds with great price value and Best in Class in Battery Life, then you need to listen now: Melomania is offering 45 hours of battery which included in the charging case. Every charge is providing 9 hours of listening experience. That is truly an USP, please reply in the comments section if you are aware of better ones. New Qualcomm’s advanced QCC3026 Bluetooth 5.0 consumes only 9mA instead of previous Chips (20 mA) – according to Forbes interview mit Melomania\’s Chief Developer

Microphone Quality

Qualcomms „Clear Voice Capture“ (cVc) including reduction of background noise is used – according to Cambridge Audio. I was not too impressed with Microphone Quality and reduced background noise. I did a few phone and conference calls and the person on the other line said it was fine and clear but I would doubt that Melomania 1 is leading here.

Audio Sound Quality

First make sure to test all 3 different adapters and foams which are part of the package to find perfect seal. I am currently using the black foams and they can close the ear better. I am considering purchasing Comply T600 (Size L) which are quite expensive or the low budget Foamer F5.5. Seriously, take your time and experiment, you won\’t regret it. Differences are very significant, I was surprised. One downside: it\’s possible that Melomanias with your favorite 3rd party memory foam won\’t fit into the charging case anymore.

Sound is very clear, transparent and bright with very well balanced trebles. Bass can`t be described as fat and heavy but I didn`t expect a very special bass from Cambridge Audio, that`s not part of their signature sound profile. Cambridge Audio is using Graphene membranes to improve dynamics and responsive performance.

Comfort and usability: Outdoor Factor

4,6 grams. That`s their weight. I am wearing them since 8 weeks and also 6 hours without interruption today here in South Carolina and I still don`t feel any sign of pressure. I can move my head in any direction, they are not falling out. IPX5 Factor is making sure that they can also be used for running or inside the gym, they are not afraid of sweat or rain. 5 ***** for comfort.

Summary

If you are searching for Ear Buds with a fancy and advanced mobile App which offers Equalizer and many configurations, then you might be dissapointed. They are also not using a USB-C charging slot, only Micro-USB, but Battery Life with 45 hours is just extraordinary great. They are lightweight, very comfortable and Cambridge Audio doesn`t dissapoint with audiophile Sound quality – as expected. Microphone Quality is average but not my main recommendation for people who need EarBuds in noisy environments with Best-in-Class Microphones. Active Noise Cancelling is also not part of their capabilities. But if you are focused on long battery life, excellent sound for a small price (now reduced to 99 EUR!), then you need consider to look for Melomania 1.