Edifier W820NB Plus Noise Cancelling Headphones Review: The Verdict
If you’re on a tight budget, you could do worse than the Edifier W820NB Plus headphones but you'll need to be ok making a few compromises.
What we love
- Under $100
- Bright colourful design
- Great noise cancelling
What could be improved
- Good sound quality for the price, but not great overall
- Small fit
- Battery life
- Clunky
70/100
Considering the sub-$100 price tag, I expected the Edifier W820NB Plus headphones to be much worse. They don’t have amazing audio quality, but it is better than anticipated for the price. If you’re looking for a truly budget set of headphones these will fit the ticket, as long as you don’t have a big head.
What we like about the Edifier W820NB Plus headphones
The price. At $89 for the full recommended retail price, the W820NB Plus headphones are an absolute bargain. Most ‘budget’ options tend to start closer to $200 which is not an inconsequential amount of money for a lot of people. It is nice to see some truly affordable options on the market from suppliers other than Shein and Temu.
Cute and colourful. There is something about the headphone market and basic black styles. Available in green, blue, ivory, grey, and (of course) black, the Edifier range is practically technicolour comparatively. While there is nothing wrong with another set of black headphones, the hues from the Edifier range is a welcome change.
Great noise cancelling. I’m a bit surprised as to how well the noise-cancelling works. With ANC on I can’t even hear my partner taking phone calls next to me, and with transparency I still get a sense of what is happening around me. Toggling ANC on and off can be done either on the headphones direct controls or through the Edifier Connect App, but the later is the less finnicky.
What we don't like about the Edifier W820NB Plus headphones
Audio can sound flat and one dimensional. Sub-$100 headphones are never going to be enough for audiophiles, but even for less detail-orientated listeners the Edifier W820NB Plus headphones may not cut it. While the bass performs better than anticipated, the mid-tones and treble aren’t great. Mid-tones tend to get lost in the bass and feel distant, while treble-heavy songs can fatigue the ear within a few minutes.
Moreover, there is no discernible sound stage effect which makes the music feel flat, like it is all coming from one spot right in between your eyes.
My expectations were low for such cheap headphones, and even though the overall listening experience is still better than I anticipated – it is quite a compromise.
Tight squeeze. All up the headphones are a bit of a small fit. The band pulls tight, and the muffs are just a touch small. My ears fit snuggly into the cans, but only just - I can see them being uncomfortable for people with bigger ears.
Despite the snug fit they tend to slide a little bit while in use. Everyday use is fine, but if you’re planning on using these for exercise the slipping and sliding may be a bit frustrating.
Battery life. Edifier claims that the W820NB Plus last up to 33 hours with ANC on, and 49 with it off – but I need to put a heavy emphasis on the “up to”. In my testing the headphones burned through 6% per hour with ANC on, at a moderate volume. That puts the use-time with ANC on closer to 17 hours – approximately half of that claim.
17-hour battery life is dismal for over-ear headphones, but the fast charge does stand up for the redemption arc. A 10-minute charge all but juices the cans up again so even if you do need to whack them on the charger more often, it’s not going to set you behind on your day.
Clunky. Due to the cheap build, you can hear the sound of the actual headphone parts interacting amongst each other while you wear them. When you’re sitting still it isn’t a problem but take the Edifiers out for a walk (or worse yet, a run) and you’ll hear the plastic clunking against itself.
The more you move, the more you’ll hear the crunching and grinding which somehow manages to penetrate the noise-cancelling.
Edifier W820NB Plus Headphones - Final Thoughts
For the price, the Edifier W820NB Plus headphones are a great option but you do need to be aware that this price point comes with big compromises. The audio quality is flat overall, but good for the cost, and you’ll be acutely aware of the build in both size, and unexpected sound. In saying that, you get what you pay for. For a cheap set of aesthetic, knock-around headphones, you could do a lot worse than the W820NB Plus.
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