Cambridge Audio’s new Melomania M100 wireless earbuds are the U.K. company’s first model to offer active noise cancellation (ANC), a key feature of virtually every flagship model from competitors, including Apple’s AirPods Pro. The Melomania M100 are priced at $219 and are available starting on March 27 at Amazon and other retailers.
While ANC is a big addition, Cambridge Audio appears to have caught up with the market in a number of other areas, too. The M100 has a case that supports wireless charging, and thanks to Qualcomm’s Snapdragon Sound platform, the earbuds can receive lossless CD-quality audio from compatible smartphones, as well as lossy, hi-res audio at up to 24-bit/96kHz.
The M100 are also set to get a firmware upgrade to Bluetooth LE Audio, including support for Auracast, which will let users tune into public Bluetooth broadcasts as this technology gets rolled out.
Supporting that enhanced Bluetooth audio is a set of 10mm drivers — 30% larger than the ones used on the company’s previous model, the Melomania Touch. These are powered by class AB amplification, a technology normally found on full-sized hi-fi gear like Cambridge Audio’s amplifiers.
The company says that out of the box, the M100 are “tuned to deliver the acclaimed Cambridge sound – transparent and natural,” but there’s also a newly developed Melomania Connect app for iOS and Android that gives you a seven-band equalizer with six presets to provide greater control over the sound.
Battery life is another highlight. Cambridge Audio claims the new earbuds will get 10 hours of playtime on a single charge, but this increases to an astonishing 16 hours if you disable ANC. With the case’s capacity included, this yields a total stamina of up to 52 hours before needing to recharge the case and earbuds.
The M100 sport IPX4 protection from water, which is enough for workouts or the occasional rainy day run, and there are three sizes of silicone tips and two sizes of memory foam tips in the box to help you get a secure and comfortable fit.
Finally, Android and Windows users can take advantage of Google Fast Pair and Microsoft Swift Pair to get the M100 quickly and easily connected to devices that use these two operating systems, and support for Bluetooth Multipoint means you can stay connected to two devices simultaneously.
