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We've recently released our Test Bench 1.6 update for Headphones! Read the Latency R&D Article to learn more.

Cambridge Audio Melomania 1 Truly Wireless Headphones Review

Tested using Methodology v1.4
Review updated Aug 14, 2019 at 10:12 am
Latest change: Writing modified Sep 16, 2021 at 04:06 pm
Cambridge Audio Melomania 1 Truly Wireless Picture
7.2
Mixed Usage
6.7
Neutral Sound
8.0
Commute/Travel
8.1
Sports/Fitness
7.0
Office
5.2
Wireless Gaming
5.0
Wired Gaming
6.4
Phone Calls
These headphones were replaced by the Cambridge Audio Melomania 1+ True Wireless

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

7.2 Mixed Usage

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.

Pros
  • Very good passive noise isolation.
  • Easy-to-use physical controls.
  • Well-built and durable design.
Cons
  • Earplug-like fit won’t be comfortable for everyone.
  • Battery life lower than advertised.
  • Treble lacking detail.
6.7 Neutral Sound

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.

8.0 Commute/Travel

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.

8.1 Sports/Fitness

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.

7.0 Office

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.

5.2 Wireless Gaming

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.

5.0 Wired Gaming
6.4 Phone Calls
  • 7.2 Mixed Usage
  • 6.7 Neutral Sound
  • 8.0 Commute/Travel
  • 8.1 Sports/Fitness
  • 7.0 Office
  • 5.2 Wireless Gaming
  • 5.0 Wired Gaming
  • 6.4 Phone Calls
  1. Updated Jun 01, 2021: We've updated 'Case' volume and dimensions.
  2. Updated Feb 11, 2020: Converted to Test Bench 1.4.
  3. Updated Nov 21, 2019: Converted to Test Bench 1.3.1.
  4. Updated Nov 21, 2019: Converted to Test Bench 1.3.
  5. Updated Aug 14, 2019: Review published.
  6. Updated Aug 12, 2019: Our testers have started testing this product.
  7. Updated Aug 12, 2019: Early access published.
  8. Updated Aug 10, 2019: The product has arrived in our lab, and our testers will start evaluating it soon.
  9. Updated Jul 26, 2019: We've purchased the product and are waiting for it to arrive in our lab.

Compared To Other Headphones

Comparison picture

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.

Jabra Elite 65t Truly Wireless

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.

Apple AirPods (2nd generation) Truly Wireless

The Cambridge Audio Melomania 1 Truly Wireless are more versatile truly wireless headphones than the Apple AirPods (2nd generation) Truly Wireless. 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.

Samsung Galaxy Buds Truly Wireless

The Samsung Galaxy Buds Truly Wireless 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.

Sennheiser MOMENTUM True Wireless

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.

Test Results

perceptual testing image
Design
Design
Style
Type In-ear
Enclosure Closed-Back
Wireless Truly Wireless
Transducer Dynamic

The Cambridge Audio Melomania 1 are truly wireless in-ears with an earplug-like design that protrudes quite a bit out of your ear. They’re still quite stylish, though, especially next to their case, thanks to their polished semi-matte finish and metal accents. Each earbud has a circular LED light which gives their battery status and shows when they’re in pairing mode. They come in either an all-black or stone, which is off-white, design.

6.5
Design
Comfort
Weight 0.02 lbs
Clamping Force
0 lbs

The Cambridge Audio Melomania wireless earbuds are okay in terms of comfort. They enter exceptionally deeply into the ear canal, which can be uncomfortable for some people, especially those who struggle with wearing earplugs. The earbuds aren’t too bulky, though, so once you position them correctly, they don’t put very much pressure on the inside of the ear. If you have small ears, though, you’re likely to find them fatiguing. On the upside, they come with one pair of foam tips that you can try if the silicone tips don’t feel right, and their controls are easy to press, so you don’t need to push them further into your ears when pausing or skipping tracks.

6.6
Design
Controls
OS Compatibility
Not OS specific
Ease Of Use Decent
Feedback Good
Call/Music Control Yes
Volume Control Yes
Microphone Control No
Channel Mixing
No
Noise Cancelling Control No
Talk-Through
No
Additional Controls Voice Assistant

The Cambridge Audio Melomania 1 have okay controls. They have a physical button on each earbud that you can press to register standard call/music commands as well as volume controls. The buttons are clicky and provide good tactile feedback, but since they cover the top of each earbud, it’s possible to press them accidentally when putting the earbuds in/pulling them out of their case or your ears.

Note: We had initial difficulties pairing the earbuds with our test devices. It took three factory resets before we could pair them successfully. This issue may not affect all units and could be due to factors unrelated to the earbuds themselves.

9.2
Design
Breathability
Avg.Temp.Difference 0.8 °C

Like most truly wireless in-ears, the Cambridge Audio Melomania True Wireless are very breathable headphones. They hardly trap any heat inside your ears, which makes them great for use while working out since they’re very unlikely to make you sweat more than usual.

9.6
Design
Portability
L 1"
W 1"
H 0.5"
Volume 1 in³
Transmitter Required No

The Cambridge Audio Melomania 1 are very portable, truly wireless earbuds. Their earplug-like design takes up very little space, and their case is also compact, so they’re easy to stash inside your pockets when you’re on the go. The earbuds are so small that it can be hard to get a good grip on them when pulling them out of their case or putting them in your ears, but this won’t be an issue for everybody.

8.0
Design
Case
Type Hard case
L 2.3"
W 2"
H 0.9"
Volume 3.9 in³

The Cambridge Audio Melomania True Wireless have a great hard charging case. It’s very compact and resembles the Anker SoundCore Liberty Air Truly Wireless' case. It also has a magnetic lid and LED indicator that shows the battery status. The lid shuts more securely than that of the Anker but is still easy to open. The case feels fairly durable and has an IPX5 rating for water spray resistance like the earbuds. Although we don’t yet test water resistance internally, the case can still help protect the earbuds while in your pockets or bag from scratches and light damage from daily use.

7.5
Design
Build Quality

The Cambridge Audio Melomania 1 feel well-built. They’re rated IPX5 for water spray resistance, but we don’t yet test for this internally. They have a fairly premium look thanks to their semi-matte finish, but they still feel a bit plasticky. The plastic used in the earbuds feels quite dense, though, and they feel solid and robust, but the case feels a bit weaker.

7.5
Design
Stability

The Cambridge Audio Melomania 1 have good stability. Once you achieve a proper fit, their earplug-like design stays firmly in place even during more vigorous movements. However, if you struggle with getting them to fit right, they can fall out of your ears quite easily. That said, their wireless design gets rid of a cable, which could have yanked the headphones out of your ears.

Design
Headshots 1
Design
Headshots 2
Design
Top
Design
In The Box

  • Cambridge Audio Melomania 1 headphones
  • Hard charging case
  • 3x silicone tip options
  • 1x foam tip option
  • Micro-USB charging cable
  • Cambridge Audio stickers
  • Manuals

Sound
Sound
Sound Profile
Bass Amount
0.28 dB
Treble Amount
-3.03 dB
9.8
Sound
Frequency Response Consistency
Avg. Std. Deviation
0.05 dB

As with most in-ears, the frequency response consistency on the Cambridge Audio Melomania 1 is excellent, provided you can achieve a proper fit. If you can get an air-tight seal using the assortment of tips that come with the headphones, then you should be able to get consistent bass and treble delivery every time.

Sound
Raw Frequency Response
8.1
Sound
Bass Accuracy
Std. Err.
2.73 dB
Low-Frequency Extension
10 Hz
Low-Bass
-1.31 dB
Mid-Bass
1.71 dB
High-Bass
4.53 dB

The Cambridge Audio Melomania 1 have great bass. Their low-frequency extension (LFE) is down to 10Hz, which is great and indicates that they can produce very deep bass. Their low and mid-bass performance follows our target curve accurately which means they produce an appropriate amount of thump and rumble, but they have a bit of overemphasis in high bass, which makes them also sound slightly boomy and muddy.

8.3
Sound
Mid Accuracy
Std. Err.
2.23 dB
Low-Mid
3.53 dB
Mid-Mid
-0.45 dB
High-Mid
-0.03 dB

The Cambridge Audio Melomania 1's mid-range performance is great, but there's a slight tilt favoring lower frequencies. It'll result in slightly thick and cluttered-sounding vocals and lead instruments. However, they should still sound present and detailed.

5.8
Sound
Treble Accuracy
Std. Err.
5.62 dB
Low-Treble
-3.62 dB
Mid-Treble
-3.12 dB
High-Treble
-2.3 dB

The Cambridge Audio Melomania 1's treble accuracy is sub-par. There’s underemphasis across the low and mid-treble, which negatively affects the presence and articulation of vocals and lead instruments. Sibilants like S and T sounds are also dull and lispy.

7.3
Sound
Peaks/Dips
Peaks
1.52 dB
Dips
1.99 dB
9.0
Sound
Imaging
Weighted Group Delay
0.09
Weighted Amplitude Mismatch
0.58
Weighted Frequency Mismatch
1.1
Weighted Phase Mismatch
5.03

The Cambridge Audio Melomania 1's imaging is outstanding. Their weighted group delay is at 0.09, which is excellent since it’s very low. The group delay graph shows that the entire response is well below the audibility threshold, ensuring a tight bass and transparent treble. The left and right drivers of our test unit were also very well-matched in frequency, amplitude, and phase response. This is important for the accurate placement and localization of objects (voices, instruments, video game effects) in the stereo image. However, these results are only valid for our unit, and yours may perform differently.

0.3
Sound
Passive Soundstage
PRTF Accuracy (Std. Dev.)
N/A
PRTF Size (Avg.)
N/A
PRTF Distance
N/A
Openness
1.4
Acoustic Space Excitation
0.1

Like all closed-back in-ear headphones, the Cambridge Audio Melomania 1 have a poor soundstage. This is because creating an out-of-head and speaker-like soundstage is largely dependent on activating the resonances of the pinna (outer ear). The design of in-ears and earbuds is in such a way that fully bypasses the pinna and doesn't interact with it. If you prefer a more spacious sound, consider open-back earbuds like the Apple AirPods (2nd generation) Truly Wireless or the Bose SoundSport Free Truly Wireless.

0
Sound
Virtual Soundstage
Head Modeling
No
Speaker Modeling
No
Room Ambience
No
Head Tracking
No
Virtual Surround
No App
7.6
Sound
Weighted Harmonic Distortion
WHD @ 90
0.302
WHD @ 100
0.143
Sound
Test Settings
Firmware
Unknown
Power
On
Connection
Bluetooth 4.0
Codec
aptX, 16-bit, 48kHz
EQ
No EQ
ANC
No ANC
Tip/Pad
Silicone (small)
Microphone
Integrated
Isolation
8.6
Isolation
Noise Isolation
Isolation Audio
Overall Attenuation
-30.3 dB
Noise Cancelling No
Bass
-14.2 dB
Mid
-22.77 dB
Treble
-54.4 dB

The Cambridge Audio Melomania 1 have an excellent noise isolation performance. Even though they don’t have active noise cancelling, they passively block a good amount of ambient noise. They isolate noises in the bass range, like the low rumble of bus or plane engines, by about 14 dB, which is quite good, but like most passively isolating in-ears, they have a weak spot around the 200Hz mark. They isolate in the mid-range, which includes ambient chatter, by about 23dB, which is very good. Lastly, they isolate sounds produced by A/C systems or sibilants like S and T sounds in the treble range by over 54dB, rendering them nearly inaudible, which is excellent.

10
Isolation
Leakage
Leakage Audio
Overall Leakage @ 1ft
21.28 dB

The Cambridge Audio Melomania 1 have superb leakage performance. They hardly leak any sound at all, so there's no need to worry about disturbing people around with your music, even if you listen at very loud volumes. With the music at 100dB SPL, the leakage at 1 foot away averages at 21dB SPL and peaks at 32dB SPL, roughly as loud as a very calm room and well under the noise floor of an average office.

Microphone
Microphone
Microphone Style
Integrated
Yes
In-Line
No
Boom
No
Detachable Boom
No
Mic Yes
5.9
Microphone
Recording Quality
Recorded Speech
LFE
364.41 Hz
FR Std. Dev.
3.74 dB
HFE
2,347.53 Hz
Weighted THD
0.761
Gain
18.22 dB

The Cambridge Audio Melomania 1’s microphone has a sub-par recording quality. The LFE (low-frequency extension) of 364Hz means speech recorded or transmitted sounds noticeably thin. The HFE (high-frequency extension) of 2.3kHz is poor and results in speech that sounds muffled and lacking in detail. However, your voice should still be decently understandable in very quiet environments.

6.0
Microphone
Noise Handling
Speech + Pink Noise
Speech + Subway Noise
SpNR
11.06 dB

The Cambridge Audio Melomania 1's integrated microphone has mediocre noise handling, even though it has a noise gate. In our SpNR test, it achieved a speech-to-noise ratio of 11dB, which is okay, but indicates that it’s best-suited for quiet environments since it struggles to separate speech from ambient noise in moderate and loud environments.

Active Features
7.2
Active Features
Battery
Battery Type
Rechargable
Continuous Battery Life
6.2 hrs
Additional Charges
4.0
Total Battery Life
31 hrs
Charge Time
1.5 hrs
Power-Saving Feature
Auto-Off Timer
Audio While Charging
Yes
Passive Playback
No
Charging Port micro-USB

The Cambridge Audio Melomania 1 measured just over six hours of battery life on a single charge, which is decent, especially for truly wireless in-ears. However, this is quite a bit less than the advertised nine hours. Since the case is supposed to offer four additional charges, they’re more likely to provide around 24 extra hours of battery life instead of the advertised 36 hours, which is quite disappointing. That said, you can use one earbud independently leaving the other to charge, which can be helpful if you don’t mind listening to music in only one ear.

0
Active Features
App Support
App Name No App
iOS No
Android No
macOS No
Windows No
Equalizer
No
ANC Control
No
Mic Control No
Room Effects
No
Playback Control
No
Button Mapping No
Surround Support
No

The Cambridge Audio Melomania 1 aren’t compatible with a companion app. However, if you're looking for similar headphones with an app, consider the Cambridge Audio Melomania 1+ True Wireless.

Connectivity
6.6
Connectivity
Bluetooth
Bluetooth Version
5.0
Multi-Device Pairing
No
NFC Pairing
No
Line Of Sight Range
154 ft
PC Latency (SBC)
344 ms
PC Latency (aptX)
319 ms
PC Latency (aptX HD)
N/A
PC Latency (aptX-LL)
N/A
iOS Latency
143 ms
Android Latency
114 ms

These truly wireless in-ears are Bluetooth compatible. Although they don’t support NFC or multi-device pairing, if your audio source supports Bluetooth 5.0, you may notice improved wireless range or latency results than what we measured here.

Unfortunately, the Cambridge Audio Melomania 1 have very poor latency. Most Bluetooth headphones measure between 200-220 ms of delay, so 344 ms is quite above average. Even with aptX enabled, 319 ms is still very poor performance. You’re likely to notice a significant amount of audio delay if you watch videos or play mobile games with these earbuds. That said, some devices and apps seem to offer some latency compensation, so it may not be as noticeable to you, especially if your audio source supports Bluetooth 5.0.

0
Connectivity
Non-Bluetooth Wireless
Non-BT Line Of Sight Range
N/A
Non-BT Latency
N/A
0
Connectivity
Wired
Analog Audio
No
USB Audio
No
Detachable No
Length N/A
Connection No Wired Option
Analog/USB Audio Latency
N/A

The Cambridge Audio Melomania 1 in-ears can’t be used wired.

Connectivity
PC / PS4 Compatibility
PC/PS4 Analog
No
PC/PS4 Wired USB
No
PC/PS4 Non-BT Wireless
No
Connectivity
Xbox One Compatibility
Xbox One Analog
No
Xbox One Wired USB
No
Xbox One Non-BT Wireless
No
2.2
Connectivity
Base/Dock
Type
Charging Case
USB Input
No
Line In
No
Line Out
No
Optical Input
No
RCA Input
No
Dock Charging
Yes
Power Supply
USB

The Cambridge Audio Melomania 1 come with a hard case that doubles as a charging dock for the earbuds and is advertised to provide four full complete recharges. The case recharges via micro-USB and doesn’t have any other inputs.