Good news: British audio specialist Cambridge Audio has unveiled the Melomania Touch, the next evolution of its two-time What Hi-Fi? Award-winning Melomania 1 wireless earbuds.
The new Melomania Touch true wireless earbuds aim to build on the success of the Melomania 1 by offering a new design with touch controls, app support, extra-long battery life and a new High Performance mode.
There's no noise-cancelling for the Melomania Touch, though. Cambridge Audio has chosen instead to focus on upping the quality of the actual sound you can get from a true wireless design – don't forget, Melomania literally means 'crazy about music'.
Featuring a new, innovative High Performance Audio Mode that uses the firm's own hi-fi grade amplification technology, the company says its Melomania Touch headphones deliver a genuine step forward in sonic performance.
Cambridge Audio claims the default High Performance Audio Mode uses the same method of amplification found in the company’s award-winning CX range of hi-fi amplifiers. And the promise? An improved soundstage, lower noise levels and a higher dynamic range.
The custom 7mm drivers within the buds are enhanced with graphene, a lightweight material selected by Cambridge Audio’s in-house engineers for its strength and rigidity.
The true wireless earbuds incorporate Bluetooth 5.0 plus the latest AAC and aptX codecs – meaning all smartphone users should be able to stream high-quality wireless audio without signal drops even in busy areas.
Additionally, the inclusion of two high-quality microphones and Qualcomm’s Clear Voice Capture (cVc) noise-cancelling technology should ensure crisp, clear voice calls free from background noise.
The Melomania Touch, as the name suggests, feature an all-new design with touch controls. The housings have been crafted to ensure the perfect combination of long-lasting comfort, noise-isolation and immersive sound quality. They're a lightweight design – each earbud weighs just under 6g – and are supplied with multiple silicone ear tips and selectable fins that should allow you to find the perfect, snug fit.
Simply tap on the earbuds to play and pause music, skip tracks, change volume, take hands-free calls, switch on Transparency Mode to take in more of your surroundings and summon Siri or Google Assistant.
Thanks to their IPX4 certification, the Melomania Touch in-ears are also protected against water and sweat, so the headphones can withstand a sudden spell of rain or your daily exercise routine. The buds also come with a new compact charging case finished in premium microfibre leather with a fast-charging USB-C port.
Now on to that battery life which, on paper, looks outstanding. 50 hours is the claim, thus upping the 45-hour life of the inaugural model.
In Low Power Mode, the Melomania Touch true wireless earbuds boast 9 hours of battery life on a single charge. And you can recharge the headphones more than four times over using the supplied charging case – resulting in a further 41 hours of truly wireless listening.
Even in High Performance Audio Mode, Cambridge Audio’s engineers have allegedly achieved up to 7 hours of battery life on the earbuds, and up to a further 33 hours via the charging case, which is still comfortably ahead of most competitors.
Oh, and there's a new Melomania app too (pictured, above), compatible with iOS and Android devices. With it, you'll be able to customise EQ settings and tailor music playback to your individual sonic style, locate misplaced earbuds using your phone’s map location, and check each earbud’s battery life.
Another new feature is Transparency Mode, which feeds in outside ambient noise so you can be aware of your surroundings while still enjoying music at the same time. You can turn the Transparency Mode on or off using touch controls on the earbuds, and adjust the transparency levels within the Melomania app.
The app also allows you to upgrade Melomania Touch’s firmware, which means the product is future-proofed, too.
So, how much will all of these extra features cost? Not a lot. Melomania Touch will be available to purchase from Cambridge Audio and Amazon from 1st January 2021, priced at £129.95 ($149.95, €139.95, about AU$250). We look forward to hearing them.
MORE:
Cambridge Audio Melomania 1 review
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