HEADPHONES
80 APRIL2020|COMPUTER SHOPPER|ISSUE386
SOFARWE’VEmainly looked at over-ear
headphones that cost well over £200, but
don’t fret if you’re hoping formoreofa
bargain: the BNX-100 are acapable pair of
ANC-enabled cans fornot apenny over £100.
The older BNX-60 headphones have
proven hugely popular,and forgoodreason:
£75 or so foraset of great-sounding, active
noise-cancelling, Bluetooth over-ears is a
tremendous deal. That’s still true today,
several years after release,and so the newer
BNX-100 aren’t areplacement so much as a
more fashionable,more feature-rich spin-off.
ALITTLE EXTRA
This means ahigher price as well, but only
modestly,and it buys you acleaner,more
elegant design than that of the BNX-60. The
textured leatheretteonthe exterior of the
drivers’ housing calls to mind the premium
look of Sony’s headphones, but here it’s even
tougher and much less prone to scratching.
There are plenty of other upmarket
touches, too. Themetal headband is sturdy,
the inner red lining is elegant, and both the
tough plastic casing and driver construction
feel as if they’re built to last. Even the
included carrying case has atouch of class,
with asoft,spandex-like material underneath
and aleatherettefinish on top.
There are afew missteps, however.While
the circular cups look stylish, theydidn’tfit
over our ears as snugly as the oval-shaped
pads of the BNX-60. They’ve also got astrong
clamp force,which we foundmade them
rather uncomfortable to wear forextended
periods, especially while wearing glasses.
And, while the drivers still swivel, it’s
disappointing that the headphones don’t
fold; many cheaper alternatives are easier
to tuck awayinarucksack.
Three discreet buttons on the right cup
provide media controls, with the centraaal
powerbutton also serving as ameansttto
answer calls. There’s also a3.5mm auxiliary
input, and using awired connection
automatically disables Bluetooth, thouggghtfully
conserving your battery.
On the leftcup,meanwhile,resides a
Micro USB charging port, aswitch for
turning ANC on and off,and an audio
passthrough button. This instantly
reduces the volume of your music to
10%, so you can quickly tune intoyourrr
surroundings. Notethat this works only
when ANC is switched on, however.
The final clever feature is one youcccan’t
actually see: aset of internal sensors enable
the BNX-100 to automatically pause plaaayback
LINDYBNX-100
★★★★★
£100•Fromwww.amazon.co.uk
VERDICT
MultipleimprovementsovertheprecedingBNX-60
make these our favouritelow-cost ANC headphones
when theyyy’retakenoffyour
head,andinstantaneously
resume it when they’re back
on. This onnnlyworksover
Bluetooth,butasitisonother
headphoneswiththesameutility,
it’ssupremmmelyconvenient.If
anythingittt’s even better to see
here,consssideringhowcheap
theBNX-100are.
LIGHTSANDSOUNDS
Battery lifeee,naturally,depends
on whichfffeaturesyou’re
using.Ifyooou’relisteningovera
wiredconnnnection with ANC
enabled,yyyoucanexpectaround
30 hoursooofusebetweencharges,
while usingggANCoverBluetoothwill
give youcccloser to 12 hours. Four blue
LEDsonthe exterior part of the leftcup
give an indddicationofremainingbatterylife,
meaning you can see at aglance when a
top-up is in order.It’s just apity that the
illumination can’t be disabled, and that goes
forthe power LED on the right cup,too.
Once it’s time to recharge,the BNX-100
headphones take around two hours to fully
refuel. There’s no fast-charging option, and
it’s slightly annoying that theycan’t be used
while they’re on charge.
When paired with acompatible sound
source,the BNX-100 support aptX, a
compression system that delivers higher-
quality audio over Bluetooth than the more
common AACand SBC codecs. This helps
them shine throughout the entire frequency
range,and gives them afun sound signature,
which is reminiscent of the BNX-60 but with
amoreaggressive approach and clearer
mids. Lindy has also tweaked the highs,
with the BNX-100 extending slightly further
than their cheaper counterparts.
The difference between the two is
noticeable.Onthe BNX-60, vocals sound
more restrained and atouch crowded by the
instrumentation.The BNX-100sound atad
airier and give apunchier,faster-paced
delivery overall.
Instrument separation is good, too, and
the BNX-100 manage to deliver awider
sound, creating an engaging listening
experience.The only cause forconcern is
an inherited weakness from the BNX-60:
slightly uncontrolled mid-bass performance,
and sub-bass that doesn’t extend quiteas
fully as we’d like.
In addition to asouped-up sound, the
BNX-100 also feature improved ANC. Even
though the cups don’t form as tight aseal as
those on thhheBNX-60, we foundthe newer
headphoneeesdid aslightly better job of
cancellinnnghighfrequencies. Neither model
will silence all external sound –certainly
not to the extent that Sony’s or Bose’s
flagggship models manage –but overall
theeeydid an impressive jobofblocking
ouuutambient noise without noticeably
inttterfering with the music. Youwon’t
dooobetter at this price point.
THRIFT GIFT
Ultimaaately,the BNX-100improve on the
BNX-60 in almost every way. Youmight
expect nottthing less, given the higher price,
but a£25pppremium isn’t that hard to swallow.
Besides, yooou’re getting afar more stylish
design, ammmore refined sound, better ANC
and that haaandy auto-pause feature.
