If you’ve been paying attention, there’s a battle being played out in the audio space for control over your ears. Stalwart companies like Sony and Bose continue to create the technological heavy hitters, but while they’ve been winning here for years, there’s been a steady improvement in their competition, and particularly in the value category. Manufacturers like SoundMagic and OneOdio are bringing the fight to them, shrinking the differences between the established firms’ output, while maximising the price difference. It’s a hell of a war, and with the OneOdio A5, they’re firing off another salvo.
The OneOdio A5 are ‘reminiscent’ of Sony’s category-defining XM5s. That is to say, to the casual observer you might mistake one for the other. Ostensibly the shape of the earcups, the headband, and the metal connection between the two, are closely modelled on Sony’s headset, and when the XM5s are arguably the best headphones of this generation, it’s a smart move, if thoroughly unimaginative. I’d have preferred them to offer something truly their own, but I understand the decision.
Where they differ is in the controls, with the A5’s opting for physical buttons rather than the touch and gesture controls of its inspiration. The right earpiece plays host to a volume rocker, power button, Active Noise Cancellation toggle and the USB-C socket for charging. Unlike other options in this category, there’s no 3.5mm connection for wired use, and that’s something of a disappointment, though clearly it’s been done as a marginal cost-saving exercise.
Our review unit came in the powder blue colourway, though it’s also available in a subdued black or off-white option. They definitely look more expensive than their £58 price tag would suggest, and they feel solid and well built in your hands, helped somewhat by the metal joints and smooth plastic on the outside of the sturdy headband. The OneOdio logo sits proudly at the centre of each earpiece, surrounded, in keeping with their design language, by a series of closely packed circular grooves. The downside is that dirt and fluff can build up in them, but a wipe with a cloth soon sets things right again.
You might be surprised by the way the headband extends though, and rather than stretching from the metal joints at the end of the headband, they extend out from a third of the way up each side of the headband, creating an ugly gap on each side if you need to extend them to fit your head. It’s the first true sign of the A5’s cheaper build and design, and it’s a shame when it looks so good elsewhere.
The passive noise cancellation of the OneOdio A5 is very good, reducing external sounds from around the house without having any additional help – a good start for the Hybrid Active Noise Cancellation which is rated for 45db, and can use AI to automatically adjust to your surroundings. In use, I didn’t discern whether the headphones were altering the level of reduction dynamically, but with ANC enabled the A5 does a decent enough job of cutting you off from the world around you, even if a long way away from what you’ll find in Sony’s or Bose’s top-tier offerings.
The audio response itself is very bass heavy. So bass heavy that my graphic equalizer needs a giant peak in the higher frequencies to correct it. Depending on the types of music that you listen to, it might not be quite such a big deal, and it’s certainly enveloping and powerful. Without EQ tweaking, it’s muddy and overpowering, with none of the detail you’d hope or expect from a headset that’s rated for Hi-Res Audio and supports and LDAC connection. That’s amplified if you’re connected to an Apple product, where the best codec you’re getting is AAC, or the Nintendo Switch which has no extra audio controls.
Listening to Mastodon’s Steambreather, the chugging guitars rumbled with enjoyable intent, but the vocals became lost in the mix, an issue that was only slightly remedied by further tweaks of the EQ. Things were dealt with better when listening to the soundtrack for Arcane’s Season 2, and tracks like Marcus King’s Sucker and Raja Kumari and Stefflon Don’s Renegade seemed perfectly designed for the extra bass, thumping along with plenty of energy. They feel perfect for the gym, or cutting out some serious external noise, but if you’re looking for nuance you’re better off looking elsewhere.
You find that the budget pricing seeps into the A5’s features the more time you spend with them, from the lack of auto-off when you take them off your head, to finding the controls for moving tracks backwards or forwards and Play/Pause mean that the power button and volume rocker are drawing double duty. From there, you’ll notice that the ambient mode is distinctly lacking, barely allowing the outside world in, and ultimately meaning that you’ll be better served by taking them off your head if you’re wanting to talk or listen for instructions.
What isn’t cheap is the A5’s battery, and there’s some serious longevity here, with a 45 hour life span with ANC on, and 75 hours without. That has definitely played out during my time with them, and I’ve barely had to charge them in the past month of use. When you do need to charge them in a rush, 10 minutes will get you 10 whole hours of use, and if you’re looking for a headset that’s going to last you days at a time, the A5 is a great pick.
The major competitor here is the Monoprice BT-600ANC. While that is styled after Sony’s older XM4, you get a hard case and the audio they offer is far more balanced than the OneOdio A5s, albeit without the more modern looks. If you’re after comfort though, it’s worth considering the Final UX2000 as well, which again, looks similar to the XM4 while also boasting plenty of low-end depth.
