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Cambridge Audio Melomania A100: two-minute assessment
Till now, Cambridge Audio’s TWS earbuds efforts have been ‘fairly good’ – however this can be a market during which ‘fairly good’ tends to not be adequate. And so the corporate is again with what is sort of clearly a really concerted effort, within the form of the brand new Melomania A100.
Right here, $149 / £119 or its regional equal buys a pair of true wi-fi in-ears that journey in a really neat charging case, that comply with the ‘stem’ model of design and that may be had in black or white finishes. It additionally buys excessive specification (Bluetooth 5.4 wi-fi connectivity with LDAC and aptX Lossless codec compatibility, Class AB amplification, almost 40 hours of battery life, 10mm Neodymium dynamic drivers) that you just’d be glad to see on a product costing twice as a lot. And by the use of an encore, it buys a raft of management choices that embrace an endlessly entertaining look by Matt Berry. A number of the best noise-cancelling earbuds round? And even perhaps a few of the best earbuds regardless of noise-nixing, then? For certain.
Most of all, although, cash put Cambridge Audio’s means for these specific buds buys insightful, managed and completely entertaining sound. The A100 handle to mix ranges of perception which can be one of the best round on this market with an lively and interesting angle that makes the outline ‘musical’ totally legitimate.
So far as worth for cash is anxious, to not point out a completely pleasant audio expertise, the Melomania A100 are at the moment there to be shot at.
Cambridge Audio Melomania A100 assessment: Value and launch date
- Launch date: June 26, 2025
- Value: $149 / £119 / AU$TBC (however round AU$249)
On the time of penning this assessment, the Cambridge Audio Melomania A100 wi-fi in-ear headphones are on sale from as we speak (June 26, 2025) and in the UK they value £119. The worth in the USA is $149, and whereas no Australian pricing is confirmed as but, it appears one thing round AU$249 is probably going.
It’s an aggressive value from an organization that’s most not too long ago been making waves with gear a good bit additional up the meals chain, however that’s not the identical as saying the A100 are with out severe competitors. Sony (one other model that may maintain its personal on the excessive finish) will promote you a pair of its very achieved Sony WF-C710N buds for pennies lower than £100, simply as a ‘for example’. So these earbuds must do a bit greater than present up sporting a beautiful value to get a seat on the prime desk…
Cambridge Audio Melomania A100 assessment: Specs
|
Weight: |
4.7g per earbud |
|
Drivers: |
10mm Neodymium dynamic |
|
Battery life: |
11 hours per cost; as much as 39 hours with the case |
|
Bluetooth: |
5.4 with LDAC and aptX Lossless |
Cambridge Audio Melomania A100 assessment: Options
- Bluetooth 5.4 with aptX Adaptive, aptX Lossless and LDAC
- Six-mic array for ANC and call-handling
- Class AB amplification; 10mm Neodymium dynamic drivers
Within the context of the asking value, the Melomania A100 are very impressively specified certainly. There are true wi-fi earbuds costing lots greater than this that don’t look nearly as good on the web page.
For instance, the Cambridge Audio use top-of-the-shop Bluetooth 5.4 for wi-fi connectivity, and are appropriate with aptX Adaptive, aptX Lossless and LDAC codecs. Multipoint connectivity is out there too, and the array of six mics that deal with noise-cancellation, telephony and voice-assistant interplay are bolstered by Clear Voice Seize echo-cancelling and noise suppression.
There’s Class AB amplification on board, an unarguable step up from the Class D various that’s far more frequent in merchandise like this. A dual-core Qualcomm Kalimba DSP minimises distortion and maximises readability, and a pair of 10mm Neodymium drivers serve up the sound.
In probably the most advantageous circumstances (quantity down, ANC off and so forth) the earbuds will run for a wholesome 11 hours between prices, and you may eke out as a lot as 39 hours when the ability within the charging case is taken into consideration too. Charging from ‘flat’ to ‘full’ takes round 70 minutes, and simply 10 minutes on the mains energy (there’s a USB-C slot on the case) ought to maintain you for over three hours of playback (offered you retain that ANC switched off).
And since transportable merchandise like this want a level of hardiness, after all, the A100 are IPX5-rated. Which implies they need to be completely nice in any sensible surroundings.
Cambridge Audio Melomania A100 assessment: Sound high quality
- Energetic and entertaining sound
- Detailed and dynamic in equal measure
- Some trifling low-end integration points
The temptation that’s been succumbed to by any variety of true wi-fi in-ear headphones of comparable value to the Melomania A100 is to ramp up low frequencies within the identify of ‘pleasure’ and let the thought of ‘stability’ exit of the window. This Cambridge Audio product, although, is a little more smart than that – and as a consequence, it’s in the end a much more achieved pay attention.
Go away the EQ settings within the app properly alone and the A100 are fairly impartial the place tonality is anxious and have an nearly superb frequency response. Excessive frequencies have chunk and shine throughout a hearken to Daniel Avery’s Diminuendo, however have adequate substance and variation to forestall any suggestion of hardness or edginess. And on the reverse finish of the frequency vary there are equally excessive ranges of element, and management that’s adequate to permit very respectable rhythmic expression. Bass sounds punch with willpower, however their pace and variation means they by no means drag on the momentum of a recording.
Swap to a file of Final Evening by Arooj Aftab and the midrange is revealed to be open and eloquent – the A100 can talk a voice’s character and angle in probably the most direct method. Element ranges are, as elsewhere, impressively excessive, and there’s actual positivity to the best way the A100 ties the frequency vary collectively. In absolute phrases it could possibly be argued that the bottom frequencies sound simply barely distant from the decrease midrange and all the pieces above that, however the commonality of their tone mitigates this fairly considerably.
The soundstage the Cambridge Audio can generate is massive, well-defined and punctiliously managed – so even an element-heavy recording like Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue as carried out by the New York Philharmonic beneath Leonard Bernstein sounds open and punctiliously laid out. There’s elbow-room for each performer and a reasonably express description of relative on-stage positions.
There’s loads of dynamic headroom obtainable for when the orchestra actually ramps up the depth, and the dynamics of harmonic variation are rigorously attended to in the course of the solo piano passages too. Transient response is sweet, and the result’s an total presentation that sounds very very similar to the whole image.
The entire above may serve to make the Melomania A100 appear somewhat analytical – and there’s no denying they’ll peer right into a recording and return with all types of pertinent observations. However primarily they’re a fascinating and entertaining pay attention, and a pair of earbuds that give the robust impression that they’re simply as eager in your favorite music as you might be. It’s under no circumstances straightforward to mix ‘evaluation’ with ‘leisure’ so that every self-discipline is correctly attended to – and that’s the case regardless of how a lot you’re charging – so Cambridge Audio is deserving of each congratulations and admiration.
And the place lively noise-cancellation is anxious, the Melomania A100 can go toe-to-toe with one of the best of their price-comparable rivals. The system doesn’t alter the sound of the earbuds in any means, it doesn’t betray itself with counter-signal or any kind of audible disruption – and it does a really agreeable job on all however the loudest and/or deepest of exterior noises. There’s a second tier of ANC that sits beneath the uncanny silence that’s obtainable from a pair of Bose noise-cancellers – and these Cambridge Audio earbuds are actually part of it.
- Sound high quality rating: 5 / 5
Cambridge Audio Melomania A100 assessment: Design
- 45 x 61 x 25mm, HxWxD (charging case)
- 4.7g (earbud)
- Selection of black or white finishes
Not like earlier Cambridge Audio true wi-fi fashions, the Melomania A100 are from the Apple-inspired ‘dangly stem’ college of design. The earbuds are notably neat and tidy and, because of a collection of eartip sizes and an insignificant 4.7g weight, match comfortably even for the longest listens. ‘Neat and tidy’ covers the charging case too, which is 45 x 61 x 25mm (HxWxD) – this slender design does imply the earbuds are barely trickier to get out of the case than they in any other case can be, however it’s not a lot of a value to pay for such pocket-friendly dimensions. The usual of construct and end is spectacular in each respect, and the look is sweet regardless of when you select the black or white end.
I’d as properly go together with the phrase ‘spectacular’ to cope with operability right here, too. The A100 have a capacitive contact floor on the prime of the stem of every–- a mix of presses and holds offers management of most playback controls, and allows you to cycle between your ANC choices or summon your voice assistant too. Interactions are swift and dependable, and the ‘Melomania’ management app offers the prospect to customize the impact every sequence of presses or holds has.
The management app additionally has respectable prolonged performance. Six EQ presets are joined by a seven-band equaliser that means that you can retailer fairly a number of customized settings, whereas a defeatable ‘dynamEQ’ setting does its finest to take care of full-range response at decrease volumes. You may choose between ‘transparency’, ‘regular’ and ‘noise-cancelling’ for ANC, and inside this final possibility you may select between ‘low’, ‘medium’ or ‘excessive’. Switching for ‘gaming mode’, ‘put on detection’ and ‘sleep mode’ are all obtainable too – and inside ‘audible suggestions’ there’s the best Easter egg in any app wherever ever. ‘Off’ and ‘tones’ are each choices, and there are eight completely different languages to select from too… however the eleventh possibility (‘Southwark’) lets your audible suggestions be delivered by Matt Berry in extremely fruity style.
Even with out this pleasant contact, although, ‘Melomania’ is a helpful, secure and easy-to-navigate management app that’s solely lacking the power to combine music streaming companies to be utterly superb.
Cambridge Audio Melomania A100 assessment: Worth
- Nice specification
- Safe ergonomics
- Wonderful sound high quality for the cash
With the Melomania A100, Cambridge Audio has hit it up to now out of the park it’s principally misplaced endlessly.
These true wi-fi earbuds are specified properly past what any price-comparable various can supply, they’re snug, have battery stamina on their aspect, and every of their management choices is well-implemented and efficient. Oh, and so they sound nearly as good as the rest you should buy at something like this cash. At the moment they provide one of the best worth for cash of any wi-fi earbuds you should buy for $149 / £119 – and by a large margin.
Ought to I purchase the Cambridge Audio Melomania A100?
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Part |
Notes |
Rating |
|---|---|---|
|
Options |
Wonderful codec assist; geat mic array |
5 / 5 |
|
Sound high quality |
Gorgeous readability for the cash – finest on the stage by some extent |
5 / 5 |
|
Design |
Stable, ergonomic, thoughtfully made |
5 / 5 |
|
Worth |
The very best sound-per-pound wi-fi design in the marketplace |
5 / 5 |
Purchase them if…
Do not buy them if…
Cambridge Audio Melomania A100 assessment: Additionally think about
How I examined the Cambridge Audio Melomania A100
- Linked to an iOS smartphone and an Android DAP
- Utilizing quite a lot of digital file varieties and sizes
- In plenty of environments
Naturally, iOS gadgets don’t acknowledge wi-fi sound high quality past the AAC codec – however fortunately my FiiO DAP does, and so I used to be in a position to let the Melomania A100 present what they’re able to with regards to optimum sound high quality.
The DAP additionally options plenty of genuinely high-resolution content material on its native reminiscence, in addition to duplicating the music streaming service apps loaded onto the Apple smartphone, so I used to be in a position to hearken to completely different digital audio file varieties and sizes.
I did this indoors and outdoor, in very quiet environments and in locations the place even one of the best lively noise-cancellation struggles – and I did so for properly over every week, as a result of listening to those Cambridge Audio earbuds is admittedly no type of hardship.
First reviewed: June 2025