Delivering great sound quality at a reasonable price, the Edifier WH950NB headphones are real contenders for the best headphones in the affordable market right now. In addition to an attractive price point, their active noise cancellation capabilities challenge big players in this field like Sony and Beats, while high-resolution audio compatibility and the option to fully customize your listening experience make these a real winner for any music control freaks. And the cherry on top is they are super comfortable too.
However, to aid a minimalistic look, Edifier has crammed all of the modes, functions and volume control into four buttons which is massively annoying to fumble around with. For the price point perfection can’t be expected, but hey, they’re pretty close.
Find out more in my full Edifier WH950NB review.
Edifier WH950NB review: Price & availability
The Edifier WH950NB headphones are priced at $119.99 / £149.99 putting them at the lower end of the price ladder compared to the best noise cancelling headphones around.
For $199.95 / £159.99 you could grab a set of JBL Live 770NC headphones but the WH950NBs have Hi-Res Bluetooth codecs that the 770NC don’t have. With the Edifiers you also get a pretty sturdy case to keep the headphones scratch-free in your bag, where the JBLs only have a flimsy bag — that being said, the JBLs are known for their bass performance which the Edifiers struggle with.
For around the same price you can pick up a set of the Soundcore Space One Pro headphones for $199.99 / £149.99 which offer 60-hours of battery life (more than the WH950NBs), strong bass and an excellent companion app to tailor your sound.
Edifier WH950NB review: Design & controls
With a sleek design, these headphones aren’t going to be ruining any outfits. The matte black finish with rose gold accents makes for an understated, premium look. They’re also available in a white finish with gold accents if that’s more your style, although I personally think the white colorway looks a little cheap.
The headphones are compact and fully collapsable, plus they come with a carry case that’s slim enough to fit comfortably in my bag and leaves enough room for my laptop, book and notepads, making them super easy to live with.
This was an appreciated feature after coming from my Beats Studio 3 headphones which have a pretty bulbous case that I normally end up hooking outside my bag instead.
The adjustable headband has a brushed metal effect that exposes the adjustment slider, which looks slightly awkward but remains coherent with the rest of the design, unlike the thin metal extender exposed when adjusting my Studio 3s (and indeed many other Beats headphones).
The cushioned earpads and headband make wearing the Edifiers for extended periods of time comfortable, and I had no issues using them while working, nor were they distracting or unstable when I was out on a run.
But where these headphones lose marks is in the controls department. While the software does everything you could possibly need (more on that later), the onboard functions leave a lot to be desired.
The device only has four buttons which makes for a minimalistic look, but forces the buttons to double up their functions — this makes changing modes and skipping songs frustrating and confusing. And while changing functions is actually super easy with the Edifier app, if you’re away from your device or on a walk and don’t want to get your phone out, you’re left to hold down and double-tap buttons in the hope of skipping a song, which is just plain annoying.
Additional buttons on the ear units wouldn’t take away from the sleek look, and would compliment the wide array of features these headphones are capable of. It feels like a missed opportunity to not have all of the functions easily accessible.
Edifier WH950NB review: Connectivity
The Edifier WH950NBs come equipped with multi-point connection technology so you can hook up to two devices at the same time without the need to reconnect, which is very useful. I was able to switch between a phone call and listening to Spotify on my laptop with ease.
The headphones use Bluetooth 5.3 and have Lossless Digital Audio Codec (LDAC) to enable high-resolution audio streaming wirelessly, but only from Android devices as this is not supported by iOS. They also come with a 3.5mm cable for wired playback.
The 50m Bluetooth range is also a bonus, meaning I didn’t have to quickly fumble around for my phone to take with me to the kitchen to make a cup of tea, and could continue to listen to my music.
Edifier WH950NB review: Active Noise Cancellation
The Edifier WH950NB headphones give you two active noise cancelation modes to choose from depending on your activity or environment — High Noise Cancelation and Low Noise Cancelation. They also come with two Environmental Noise Cancelation (ENC) modes which use the four integrated microphones to reduce background noise and suppress wind noise to give full control over the environment — Ambient Sound Mode and Wind Reduction Mode.
The WH950NB ANC modes are generally extremely solid and up there with the similarly priced JBL Live 770NC headphones. I’d even go so far as to say the ANC rivals that of premium headphones like the Beats Studio 3 headphones, which experience wind buffeting when walking.
To test the High Noise Cancelation mode, I ran on a treadmill using the High Noise Cancelation mode, where the ANC competently drowned out the incessant drum of my own feet and the treadmill deck whooshing underneath me. There is also a Low Noise Cancelation mode which does what it says on the tin and gives a happy medium between ANC and no noise cancelation, so I could still have conversations and enjoy the comfort ANC gives.
If you need to be more aware of your surroundings, Ambient Sound Mode will let in some sound without you needing to take your headphones off. This lets more of the real world reach you through the ultra-padded headphones — great for staying alert when walking near busy roads. I switched to this mode when I walked near busier roads and it gave me an added sense of security, so it’s great to have this option quickly at hand.
To put the Wind Reduction mode to the test, I took the headphones out on a walk in windy conditions at the tail end of a storm here in the U.K., and the audio quality held up nicely with minimal buffeting or interference.
Edifier WH950NB review: Sound quality
Given the Edifier WH950NB’s modest price point, the sound quality is excellent. I was hearing individual instruments in songs with complete clarity, as a result of the dynamic sound playback option which makes each guitar lick and drum beat sound crisp.
To kick off my testing, I listened to Taylor Swift’s ‘I Can Do It With a Broken Heart’, which has an intricately layered production full of bass and futuristic sound effects. As a self-proclaimed Swiftie, I would say I know the songs inside out, but these headphones gave me a whole new listening experience as I picked up on details in the production usually hidden beneath the vocals. I could hear every individual instrument and each layer of sound that makes this song so addictive.
I then tested Paramore’s ‘Crave’, which is heavily reliant on the mids of the forceful drums, which can all too easily be lost and become muddy — the WH950NBs delivered every last bit of detail from those drum beats. They also allowed the ethereal tone of the electric guitar layers shine through with echoing reverb, doing the song justice.
However, these headphones do struggle on songs with heavy bass. To test out the bass I listened to ‘Jumpsuit’ by Twenty One Pilots, a song with heavy distorted bass riffs, and there is a clear difference in how well the Edifiers perform here compared to my usual Beats Studio 3s.
The WH950NBs have a crackling sound when the bass kicks up, which isn’t so noticeable at lower volumes (so it’s actually fine at Edifier’s recommended safe volume — 85db) but when listening louder it is irritating.
Edifier WH950NB review: Equalization
With the Edifier app you have the option to further customize your listening with ‘Classic’ and ‘Dynamic’ EQ presets, as well as a custom EQ. Classic mode is your standard streaming experience with no bells and whistles enhancing the music, while dynamic mode enhances the treble and bass.
The difference between the two modes is evident for songs with impressive baselines like ‘Supermassive Black Hole’ by Muse. The extra drive given to the song by dynamic mode just makes the listening experience so much more enjoyable.
The option to customize the EQ is also great if you know exactly how you want to hear your favorite music. I’ve been listening to ‘Favourite’ by Fontaines D.C. a lot recently and noticed the rhythm guitar is sometimes lost in the production of the song.
The focus is on the lead guitar riff and drums that carry the song, but I wanted to hear more of that rhythm guitar to mellow it out. I decreased the gain on the mids pretty drastically, increasing on the bass and highs. The rhythm guitar was far less muddy and it finally let me hear what I’ve wanted from this track.
It’s also fun to play around with. I used the custom EQ on ‘Pumped Up Kicks’ by Foster The People to pull down the mid frequencies to give that muffled, nostalgic party feel — as if the song were being played through the wall at a house party.
Edifier WH950NB review: Microphone performance
Equipped with 4-mics, the Edifier WH950NB headphones utilize Environmental Noise Cancelation (ENC) technology to make your voice clearer on calls or recordings by blocking out environmental sounds.
To put this to the test I called my mom to see what she thought of the audio quality. To add some context here, when I call her using my Apple Airpods (3rd Gen) I usually get some cycle of “I can’t hear, you need to speak up”, “Is someone wheeling a suitcase behind you?”, “Call me back when you’re home”.
But with the WH9500NBs the conversation went on without a hitch — she did say the odd bit of ambient noise slipped through, although nothing to warrant a callback.
Edifier WH950NB review: App
The Edifier Connect app makes for a fun listening experience, letting you customize playback to suit your activity and preferences. You can control all of the functions and modes of the headphones from within the app, plus access to Custom EQ.
So we’ve covered the music side of things, but the Edifier WH950NBs are capable of so much more than that. There are two additional listening modes to choose from, theater mode and game mode which can enhance your listening experience depending on what you are using the headphones for.
Theater mode, as the name suggests, is best used for watching TV shows or films to get a surround sound experience with a perfectly tuned EQ. I watched Netflix’s The Witcher to put this to the test — a show with combat, monsters, and an epic soundtrack, this was surely a worthy test, and boy did the WH950NBs do Cavill and co. justice.
I am certainly glad I had these headphones on when watching the battle between the Witchers and the Basilisk. It made me feel like I was watching on the big screen with a Dolby Atmos sound system.
I am certainly glad I had these headphones on when watching the battle between the Witchers and the Basilisk. It made me feel like I was watching on the big screen with a Dolby Atmos sound system, but it was just me, my headphones, and my iPad.
Edifier says their Game Mode allows for smoother and faster gameplay and streams, but I didn’t notice a difference between using Theater Mode and Game Mode when using it for YouTube streams and games on my phone.
You can choose to further protect your hearing by setting sound limits in the Edifier app. And if you are someone who listens to music when falling asleep you can also set a shutdown timer in the app.
Edifier WH950NB review: Battery life
When fully charged, these headphones give 55 hours of listening time when ANC is turned off and 34 hours with it on, which is more than you get with the Beats Studio 3 headphones at only 22 hours. After using these headphones in work and playing music constantly for six hours with ANC on I was left with 89% battery.
The JBL Live 770NC headphones have 50 hours of listening time with ANC, five less than the Edifier WH950NBs. Just 10 minutes of charging the Edifiers gets you 7 hours of playback time, so if you’re in a rush and only have time for a quick charge you will still be set for the day.
Edifier WH950NB review: Verdict
If you are looking for a quality pair of headphones that aren’t going to break the bank like their premium counterparts, then don’t snub the Edifier WH950NBs.
While they might not deliver booming bass, their ANC capabilities more than make up for it. And the respectable sound quality that will have you hearing each layer of sound — these cans will have you hearing your favorite songs in a whole new way.
The finicky controls are annoying, but as long as you don’t mind reaching for an app for complete control, the WH950NBs are definitely worth your time.
