They did it again!!! – HAYLOU S30 ANC are the cheapest and best headphones ever
Isolating yourself from the various daily contexts is often fundamental to finding the calm and serenity to face the days, but simply we don't want distractions while we are intent on listening to our favorite musical artist or TV series. ANC technology was also created for this purpose and finding it on cheap devices is now quite simple but very often the result obtained from cheap headphones does not live up to expectations. But as we know, there is always the exception to the rule and the Haylou S30 ANC over ear headphones are proof of this, promising ambitious performance thanks to a noise reduction of up to -43 dB and autonomy that goes up to 80 continuous hours. I don't want to spoil anything else and therefore I invite you to dedicate 5/10 minutes to reading this review, after which you will be ready to treat yourself to the best low-cost ANC headphones on the market.
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unboxing
To reduce the final costs of the product, the company had to make careful choices, excluding the superficial from the sales package, but still guaranteeing a unique gem. In fact, in the box, made of cardboard (probably recycled), we only find the headphones, the instruction manual (in English, Russian and Chinese), Type-C charging cable and 3,5 mm jack/jack cable, but also a microphone add-on designed for gaming or e-sports. However, a rigid or bag-type case is absent, which would have preserved the headphones during transport in backpacks or bags. Overall, however, I don't find this shortcoming so serious, considering the price at which the Haylou S30 ANC are offered.
DESIGN AND MATERIALS
Haylou's proposal is expressed through two colors, namely: Dark Blue, Off White, differing in turn in the equipment, with or without additional microphone. The headphones are minimal and elegant but above all they enjoy excellent construction quality and the materials used, although they are mostly polycarbonate. In fact, inside the upper arch there is a metal slider which allows the headphones to be lengthened to adapt to the different dimensions of the end user's head, thanks also to a good flexibility, while both the earmuffs and the upper arch are covered with protein leather padded with soft material, contributing to the excellent comfort that the Haylou S30 ANC offer, even after several hours of use without creating discomfort or redness in the area in contact with the earcups.
Good overall appearance, the matte finish of the plastics contributes to that premium feeling at a glance, as dirt and fingerprints do not seem to take root on the Haylou S30 ANC and the absence of logos, or rather not conspicuous logos, is also appreciable , as the company limited itself to inserting a sort of silk-screen printing on the drivers. We can then recognize the direction of wearability, as inside the retina that separates the ear from the driver, we find the letters L and R, but in any case they should fade over time, just remember that all the controls are arranged on the driver right. Furthermore, to save space once unused, the headphones can be closed on themselves.
In this regard we find the ANC button, which allows you to switch between the Transparency function, off mode and indeed the ANC. We then find the volume control button (one click to increase, long press to decrease) and then the multifunction button which allows you to turn the device on and off, pairing but also skip forwards or backwards of the music/video tracks. Finally, there is a small status LED, the USB Type-C input for charging, the 3,5 mm jack input for using the headphones in wired mode, without consuming precious mAh but above all effectively eliminating any type of latency , naturally losing the smart functions of the headphones, and finally an additional mini jack input for the gaming microphone mentioned a few lines above and included in the packaging of the PRO variant. We can then glimpse the two microphones with ENC function, being able to also manage calls with the Haylou S30 ANC.
The wearability is excellent and the stability in use is perfect, without however feeling pressure or discomfort, even during training sessions. A particular IPXX certification is not mentioned, but in my tests the Haylou S30 ANC resisted sweat and small splashes of water, although in sporting contexts I recommend the use of TWS headphones. Complete by saying that the right pavilion has a touch-sensitive area, being able to enable game mode (triple touch), bass enhancement (double touch) or obtain a "fourth" audio mode. In fact, by holding down the touch surface with two fingers, you enable a total transparency mode, which accentuates the noise of the environment we are in and suddenly lowers the volume of the multimedia content. A real convenience for many situations, perhaps while you are listening to some good metal and your wife interrupts you by telling you what you want for dinner.
HARDWARE AND CONNECTION
The Haylou S30 ANC use 40 mm titanium dynamic drivers and as already mentioned, the design is over ear, meaning the pavilions will completely cover your ears, basically providing good insulation. As for the Bluetooth version, we rely on a latest generation 5.4 module, which reduces latency to just 60ms, as well as offering an ultra-fast connection to the device and support for AAC and SBC codecs, with a range of over 10 ms. meters.
The aptX codec, typical of headphones with Qualcomm chips, is therefore not present, but I can safely say that the performance of these headphones is amazing and it's not just me who says it, but the experts, certifying the S30s with the HI-Res Audio tag. However, we have the Bluetooth Multipoint protocol available, a real rarity even on more expensive brands, but above all it works very well. In practice we can pair the headphones with two devices at the same time, for example a PC for watching videos and a smartphone for answering any incoming calls. You must first associate the Haylou S30 ANC with a source, then deactivate the Bluetooth from this first source and proceed with the pairing to the second device to conclude by turning on the Bluetooth on the first source.
Naturally it is not possible to play music from both sources at the same time, which will alternate based on the assigned priority. Switching between one device or the other is immediate and in my tests the connection has always been perfect, no failures.
ANC PERFORMANCE AND SOUND
To better understand the goodness of the product covered by this review, I have to make comparisons and in my case the comparison I have to do it with the Sony WH-1000XM3 headphones, much more expensive than the Haylou S30 ANC. We could define Sony headphones as professional and their price is repaid by the unquestionable quality, in terms of audio but also in the ANC function. What if I told you that with a tenth of the price the Haylou S30 ANC are very close to the performance offered by Sony?
Noise is deeply filtered, leaving only nearby high-frequency sounds audible. The typical sounds of car engines, fans, chatter, animals etc. are completely cancelled. With the ANC function active, which reduces up to -43dB, the manufacturer has eliminated the classic "white noise" or hum typical of cheap products, without therefore compromising the musical performance, which is therefore clean. The ANC technology used is hybrid, in fact a certain level of ANC will automatically be applied based on the context we find ourselves in, such as closed environments, traveling on buses, planes or outdoors.
I could define the audio performance of these headphones as "intimate". With certain pieces of music it seems like we are sitting in front of the singer, especially if we use the Haylou without ANC or in wired mode, gaining definition and sound detail. Let's be clear, ANC does not have a negative impact on sound quality, but I found particular musical enjoyment without the mentioned function. Naturally, I also tried the Transparency mode and while listening to music some external noise is reproduced, but without exaggeration and without compromising the performance of the song being listened to. All musical genres are well reproduced with clear and detailed sounds, appreciating the various nuances of the song, with body of bass and fullness of the same. In particular, the sound is 360° spatial.
As mentioned before, we can also manage calls, although the Haylou S30 ANC (but generally all similar products) are not created with this purpose, but the call quality is surprising. The microphones coupled with ENC technology meant that my interlocutor reported hearing my voice clearly, even in harsh conditions. poco optimal, for example in the center with heavy traffic. The capture of our voice is also managed well, isolating it for example from BAR chatter. A separate mention then goes to the additional microphone, indicated in the use of e-sports, to be used to converse with teammates or enemies. You might ask yourself why have an additional microphone? Well in gaming you will probably use wired headphones, losing the smart functions and therefore deactivating the built-in microphone, so having a dedicated, quality microphone is a smart thing.
COMPANION APP AVAILABLE
The Haylou Sound companion app is also included, although it is not full of features. However, from here we can update the firmware and see the battery charge status, change the listening mode (ANC activated/deactivated, Transparency mode) and take advantage of some audio presets, as well as enable the low latency mode (game mode). Unfortunately, an equalizer is missing.
AUTONOMY
The manufacturer claims that the Haylou S30 ANC are capable of offering up to 80 hours of continuous music playback by means of a 600 mAh battery, which in turn recharges in approximately 2,5 hours. The autonomy value refers without enabling the ANC function, which would bring the autonomy value to 50 hours. I have tried these headphones for a long time and I can confirm that the values quoted are real, deviating by only 1 hour from the declared, so no problem managing an entire working week. In any case, be aware that if you run out of energy, 10 minutes of charge will be enough to get up to 5 hours of additional music listening.
PROJECTED IMPACT
I was very skeptical about the quality of the ANC function considering the really cheap price of these Haylou S30 ANC. However, let's not forget that the Haylou brand belongs to the Xiaomi "gadget" ecosystem, generally a guarantee of quality in relation to the selling price. The S30s are proof of how you can push yourself to top levels without making the end user pay for everything. The brand's proposal is comparable to headphones with at least double/triple the price with ANC function to rival the best headphones around. The call performance and audio quality in general should also be highlighted, also boasting the Hi-Res AUDIO certification and then the autonomy, which is practically infinite. Premium design and extra functions, such as the pavilion with touch surface complete the picture of this product, a true work of art. What are you waiting for? Hurry and buy them using the discount code that allows you to purchase the Haylou S30 at a discount price of around 20 euros at the current exchange rate using the discount code EMANUELEIAFULLA20.
