The Cambridge Audio Melomania 1 Truly Wireless are decent headphones with a unique earplug-like design. Their sound profile is decent for fans of bass-heavy music genres, but they lack detail on vocals and lead instruments. They also have a deep in-ear fit, and some people may even have trouble getting them to fit at all, but if their fit works for you, they have outstanding passive isolation. Commuters can appreciate how well they reduce noise without leaking, and athletes will like their stable fit and IPX5 rating for water resistance, though we don't currently test for this. Unfortunately, their battery life measured lower than advertised, which is a bit disappointing. That said, their physical controls are easy to use, and they feel well-built.
Our Verdict
The Cambridge Audio Melomania 1 are decent for mixed usage. Their sound quality isn’t great but should satisfy fans of bass-heavy genres. Their earplug-like design isolates an impressive amount of noise, making them very good for commuting, but their fit won’t be comfortable for everyone, meaning that they might be best for shorter trips. If you can achieve a stable fit, though, they’re great for sports. However, they’re a poor choice for watching TV and gaming due to their poor latency, which means you’re likely to notice a delay between what you see and what you hear.
- Very good passive noise isolation.
- Easy-to-use physical controls.
- Well-built and durable design.
- Earplug-like fit won’t be comfortable for everyone.
- Battery life lower than advertised.
- Treble lacking detail.
The Cambridge Audio Melomania 1 are alright for neutral sound. They have deep, powerful bass and a fairly even mid-range, but their treble can sound dark. Their bass and mid-range are also slightly boomy and cluttered, which can muddy or thicken up the mix. Also, their deep in-ear fit won’t be comfortable for long listening sessions, and they don’t have a companion app with an EQ that would let you modify their sound profile.
The Cambridge Audio Melomania 1 are great for commuting. These truly wireless in-ears enter the ear canal quite deeply, so they block out a very good amount of noise passively. They also barely leak any sound at all, so you can raise your listening volume without having to worry about bothering your fellow commuters. Unfortunately, their earplug-like fit can be uncomfortable to wear for some and isn’t ideal for long periods of use, so they’re best for shorter bus or train rides.
The Cambridge Audio Melomania 1 are great for sports. They are very portable and, like most truly wireless headphones, don’t trap heat inside or around your ear, meaning that you won’t sweat more than usual if you wear them while working out. If they fit you well, they’re very secure once in your ears, but if you find it hard to put earplugs in, you’ll likely find they fall out easily. That said, they’re rated IPX5 for water resistance, but we don't test this internally.
The Cambridge Audio Melomania 1 are decent for office use. While their in-ear fit might not be ideal for long listening sessions, they're great for blocking out common office sounds, like the noises of an A/C unit. They’re also quite effective at blocking out speech. Unfortunately, they don’t support multi-device pairing and their battery only provides 6 hours of continuous playback, but they should last you all day if you take small breaks to charge them quickly in their case now and then.
The Cambridge Audio Melomania 1 are disappointing microphone performance is inadequate for online multiplayer games. They don’t come with customizable support software, and they’re likely to be too uncomfortable to wear for long gaming sessions.
Changelog
- Updated Jun 01, 2021: We've updated 'Case' volume and dimensions.
- Updated Feb 11, 2020: Converted to Test Bench 1.4.
- Updated Nov 21, 2019: Converted to Test Bench 1.3.1.
- Updated Nov 21, 2019: Converted to Test Bench 1.3.
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Popular Headphones Comparisons
The Cambridge Audio Melomania 1 are decent truly wireless headphones with a unique earplug-like design. While they perform fairly well overall, they can be difficult to put in and won’t be comfortable for everyone. On the upside, they have outstanding passive isolation, have a fairly premium look, feel well-made, and are decently easy to use thanks to their physical buttons.
See our recommendations for the best true wireless headphones, the best wireless earbuds for working out, and the best earbuds and in-ears.
The Jabra Elite 65t Truly Wireless and the Cambridge Audio Melomania 1 Truly Wireless are two very similar performing truly wireless headphones. The Jabra have a more bulky design, but they have a graphic EQ in their app and have a better microphone for calls than the Cambridge headphones. They can also connect to two devices simultaneously and have less latency. On the other hand, the Cambridge have better wireless range, they offer a longer battery life on a single charge, and their fit isolates more ambient noise, especially in the treble range.
The Cambridge Audio Melomania 1 Truly Wireless are more versatile truly wireless headphones than the Apple AirPods (2nd generation). The Cambridge closed-back design isolates against more ambient noise, making them a suitable option for commuting. It also means that they pack a bit more punch in the bass range than the Apple. On the other hand, the Apple are better built, and their one-size-fits-all design is very comfortable if you can find the right fit. The Apple have a shorter continuous battery life than the Melomania, but they charge more quickly and also have less latency when watching video content, especially if you can take advantage of the H1 chip. A certain variant of the Apple also supports wireless charging for the case, which the Cambridge can't do.
The Samsung Galaxy Buds are slightly better truly wireless headphones than the Cambridge Audio Melomania 1 Truly Wireless if comfort and sound quality are the most important criteria for you. They don’t lack detail in the treble range as the Cambridge do, and their small bud design fits nicely into the ear and is very comfortable. They don’t have volume control by default, but you can easily set the commands in their app on the Android app. They also offer a bit more battery life than the Cambridge. On the other hand, the Cambridge have better noise isolation performance thanks to their fit and support the aptX codec.
The Sennheiser MOMENTUM True Wireless and the Cambridge Audio Melomania 1 Truly Wireless are two fairly similarly performing true wireless headphones. The Cambridge Audio provide a better-balanced sound profile; it is, however, still on the dark side. The Cambridge Audio also have a very good passive noise isolation and are great for blocking out higher-frequency noises. They also have about twice the battery life of the Sennheiser on a single charge, which is great, and you can also use one earbud while the other is charging. On the other hand, the Sennheiser feel better made and their touch-sensitive control scheme is responsive and easy-to-use. They also support the aptX-LL codec and app that lets you EQ them, which Cambridge Audio is lacking.
Our How We Test Headphones article takes you behind the scenes in our lab. You'll learn how we choose and purchase products and dive into the details of our review philosophy, from testing and scoring to writing and editing.
You can also discover how we produce recommendations like this one so that you can find the best headphones (or earbuds!) for your needs.
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