Disclaimer: This product was provided for the purpose of an honest review. The opinions I will share with you today are my own based on my experience with the product.
Recently, the people at OneOdio were nice enough to send us a pair of their A11 Bluetooth headphones to review. So today, we’re going to take a quick look at what’s in the box, how well they work, and if the A11s are worth your money.
Box & Content
The box itself doesn’t have a lot going on. It’s black and white, with silver panels on the sides. Reasonably modern, but nothing that’s going to make it stand out on shelves or on your desk.
It does a good job giving you a rundown of all the specs, so you could make a reasonably informed decision off the shelf. Of course, the specs aren’t the only thing involved in making a decision so we’ll cover those, but go into some other important factors as well.
Along with the headphones and user manual, you get a line-in audio cord, a micro-USB charging cord, and a carry pouch. The pouch is surprisingly premium for how much these headphones go for, and I was happy with how little thought I had to put into storage with these.
Specifications
The A11 rock a 40mm speaker, with a 32 Ohm resistance and a 105dB sensitivity. Without getting too much into the technicalities, these are solid numbers for casual listening, though purists and professionals have probably already written them off. Anyone not used to spending several hundred dollars on audio equipment should keep reading.
One specification I couldn’t find, either on the box or on OneOdio’s website, was the frequency response, which kind of surprised me since this stat gives you really important information about the bass and treble and is fairly easy to get within acceptable ranges.
Any time a product doesn’t disclose super basic information like this, it’s a red flag for me, so I did some digging. Some more audio-tech platforms note that the frequency response is really uneven and not well implemented, which is probably why OneOdio doesn’t want to talk about it.
Bluetooth the V.5 Bluetooth connection is advertised with a range of up to 10 meters (33 feet), and my use of these headphones never gave me any reason to doubt that.
The onboard battery is 450mAH, which translates to roughly 24 hours of use, but since it uses a micro-USB charger it can take a while to get back up to full charge.
Audio Quality
I really wanted to enjoy the sound quality of the OneOdio A11 headphones, so let’s start with the positives. They’re loud, and the bass on them is fantastic.
I don’t usually listen to anything at full blast, but I like knowing that if I find myself in noisy situations, or trying to catch a quiet part of a show I’m watching that I have some power in my back pocket to make it work.
The A11s really pack a punch and still sound pretty good at higher volumes. However, the mixing on these isn’t great, and at the lowest volumes, everything you listen to takes on a distant, vaguely muffled sound.
This is in part because of a constant hissing noise that persists even after you’ve paused whatever you’re listening to. It sounds better when you turn it up, with the treble coming into better balance as it gets louder, and the hissing sound gets drowned out. These headphones sound good at high levels, but might not be great for relaxed atmospheric listening.
A lot of these issues are down to how much OneOdio focused on the bass. You will notice the bass in everything you listen to, including some things that aren’t really meant to be bass-heavy. I actually kind of enjoyed that for the most part.
Trying to blast music to stay awake or just get pumped up? These headphones will make you feel it in your chest. Explosions and gunshots in games and movies feel a lot more real and exciting than on a lot of other headphones.
On the other hand, that bass-heavy sound can make a conversational speaking sound deep and watery, definitely a point against them for podcasts, watching twitch streams, or educational viewing.
Comfort & Quality
Comfort is a big concern for anyone when it comes to headphones, but as someone who can count on one hand all the hats that ever fit me correctly, I’ve got a bit more to think about. I’m sad to report that here the A11’s let me down.
At the largest setting, they still don’t fit comfortably over my ears, and I had to tuck my earlobes under the earpieces to get them to fit snugly. For me, they were just barely too tight, and even the ample padding on the bar of the headphones didn’t completely save them for me. I also found them getting uncomfortably warm when I tried to wear them for too long.
The overall construction also wasn’t a super high point for me. They don’t feel very sturdy, and the cord the connects the earpieces together is clearly exposed, as you can see in the pictures I took. It doesn’t affect the performance at all, but it doesn’t give a very premium feel.
The hinges to collapse the headphones for storage feel sturdy, but when you collapse them, the extenders jut out. Speaking of the extenders, the size of the headphones are selected by a nob that slides along plastic ridges, and after only a few weeks of use, the left ear is no longer held in position, which could make it hard to use for people who aren’t using the largest or smallest size setting.
All that said though, there’s nothing that I felt let down on for the price.
- YOU MAY ALSO LIKE: OneOdio A30 Noise Cancelling Wireless Headphones Review
Features
The A11 can be used in an alternate wired mode, and both wired and Bluetooth modes are available while charging, though the charging cord is on the shorter side, even if you’re sitting directly in front of a laptop.
The controls are easy to access and intuitive to use while you’re controlling them. Each button has at least two functions, depending on the duration of your press.
I did feel like I was holding the buttons down for a long time to activate the secondary functions, but it is ultimately logical to make sure you can’t turn off the headphones or skip a track by accident.
Price & Value
Price ends up being what saves the A11 Bluetooth headphones in my book. There are some drawbacks, but there’s nothing that was a letdown for the price.
You can find these from most retailers for 30-35 dollars; however, on OneOdio’s site, you can get them for the whole month of November for 25 USD. Technically you’re paying 50 USD for one and getting one free, which can be a great way to get a new pair of headphones for your friend or family member.
If you have no use for the second pair, these can also be found on Amazon, usually for a very solid price as well–just like the OneOdio A30 we reviewed earlier.
So I’d ask you to go back and add a mental “… but they’re 25 bucks” to all my criticism. The audio is bass-heavy and could be mixed better, but they’re 25 bucks. The construction feels flimsy and they might not fit perfectly, but they’re 25 bucks. I have spent a lot more on headphones that I’ve liked a lot less.
I’m not going to deny that the jump to 40-50 USD will get you something that’s an improvement across the board, but there have been times in my life where a pair of headphones like this was all I could afford, and these are the best cheap headphones I’ve come across in quite a while.
Final Verdict
You absolutely have to take price into consideration when it comes to the OneOdio A11 Bluetooth headphones.
If they were 50 USD as OneOdio’s site (sort of) claims, they’d be a letdown. For 25 USD, I’m actually kind of impressed. Going into it blind, I’d only give these 3 stars, but I’m going to bump my review up to four stars because of the price alone.
If you’re not picky about your audio and just want something that will be fun to use for music and games, these headphones are definitely a great option for the money.
OneOdio A11
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Pros
- Very Budget-Friendly
- Wireless Connection
- Attractive Aesthetics
- Can Get Very Loud
- Powerful Bass
Cons
- Don't Feel Very Sturdy
- Constant Hissing Noise
- Average Audio Quality
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