The Cambridge Audio Melomania 1 are a real treat for the ears, and they look polished and professional too: these buds might be small in size and low in price, but they pack enough audio oomph for you to forget about wearing any other earbuds, or indeed over-ear cans – yet they're not ultra-premium like so many of the best true wireless earbuds. In fact, priced in the double digits, they're so good that they've earned their place as our Best Gadget Under £100 at the T3 Awards 2020.
Cambridge Audio has been in the gadget-making business a long time now, across speakers, home cinema hardware, hi-fi equipment and more besides, and all that history and expertise comes to bear on the Melomania 1, which have a level of sound quality that needs to be heard to be believed.
• Best noise cancelling headphones
Each earbud weighs just 4.6 grams, so you're barely going to notice they're there, except for the tunes you've got pumping through them. That's not to say that these earbuds are likely to pop out with any great frequency, because they also bring with them a snug fit – you get a choice of rubber tips in the box. As well as the stylish design we've already mentioned, they're robust too: they'll hold up against both rain and sweat.
You can get a very healthy nine hours between charges using the Cambridge Audio Melomania 1, and with the charging case that goes up to 45 hours of constant audio playback that you're carrying around with you. In other words, don't worry if you need to take them on a weekend away. They charge quickly too, from empty to full in just 30 minutes.
Handy on-board touch controls let you stop and start music playback, skip tracks, adjust the volume and answer calls, all without pulling your phone out of your pocket (or picking it up off a table). You can even summon Siri or Google Assistant from the earbuds, giving you voice access to a wealth of commands and features (you could even ask if the weather's going to stay dry for the rest of your run home).
More than anything else though, it's the sound quality that stands out here – thanks to the careful Cambridge Audio craftsmanship, the graphene-enhanced 5.8mm drivers, and the support for Bluetooth 5.0, these earbuds give you a listening experience that's second to none. From the deepest bass to the highest treble, every note and vocal leaves an impression, while AAC and aptX standards are supported for the best-quality audio as well.
Add in the very competitive and close to unbelievable price, and you'd need a very good reason to pick another pair of true wireless earbuds. If you want to do your ears a favour – "melomania" means an abnormal love of music, by the way – then these are the ones to go for.
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