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The wonderful editor at PCMecca sent me a message the other day asking if I would be interested in reviewing a pair of headphones. I play the role of a tech analyst in my day job, but I figured, why not? I’m good at analyzing things. That’s what I do for a living.
So, here’s my review. The OneOdio Focus A10 BlueTooth headphones are a great product for an excellent price. If that’s all you need to know, skip to the price section for a discount. Otherwise, keep reading for more details.
Preface
Before we go any further, we must preface my biases for this review. This part is essential. All reviews contain inherent biases. These are mine.
First and foremost, I’m a middle-aged man that has worked in construction early in my life. My hearing isn’t bad, but my ears aren’t young spring chickens anymore, either.
My daily drivers are 1st gen Apple AirPod Pros. I don’t use them for sound quality. They are simply convenient for my typical use case.
I did receive a free pair of the OneOdio Focus A10 from the manufacturer for this review. Though the manufacturer is not paying me to write a review for the Focus A10 headset, PCMecca is. The thoughts and opinions in this piece are my own, and neither the vendor nor PCMecca has imposed any restrictions on it.
Further, I did not read any other reviews or information about OneOdio or the Focus A10 headphones until after writing this piece. I specifically avoided any influential material to the best of my ability.
OneOdio Focus A10 Features
The OneOdio Focus A10 packs a bunch of handy features for a pair of budget Bluetooth headphones. Those features include:
- Hybrid active noise cancellation (both transparency mode and active noise cancellation mode)
- Bluetooth 5.0
- Built-in mic for calls and recording
- Quick charging
- 50-hour playtime without noise cancelation, 40 hours with ANC turned on, and 62 hours only ANC
- Carrying case
- Wired audio pass-through
- USB-C charging
Read the OneOdio Focus A10 product page for more information.
OneOdio Focus A10 Build Quality
I had no idea what to expect when I received the Focus A10 headset. I didn’t even know which manufacturer was sending me the headphones. I only knew they were coming from overseas and I only knew that fact because of needing to check tracking information due to customs delays.
Box and Packaging
To my surprise, the packaging and box for the Focus A10 were of decent quality. I assumed I was getting a pair of headphones from a generic or budget brand, so my expectations were low.
The box itself is somewhere between a good GPU and an Apple product. It’s thicker cardboard, but not as rigid as an iPad box. The Focus A10 comes in packaging that fits nicely on display in any brick-and-mortar store.
I’ve received far worse packaging from reputable brands like Beats and Sennheiser. The last Sennheiser lavalier microphone I bought came in a thick paper envelope.
Case Quality
The Focus A10 headphones come with a carrying case and a handful of cables. I’m not a carrying case person, but it’s a semi-shiny black rigid case for those of you that are. It’s about the same quality as the carrying case that Jabra includes with their Evolve 75 headsets – a business class headset weighing in at $240 USD.
The Focus A10 carrying case includes a loose elastic strap to keep the bluetooth headset in place during travel. It’s flexible enough that it won’t be a pain getting the A10 headset in and out of the carrying case, but that elastic strap isn’t tight enough to keep the A10s inside the case if it falls to the ground while unzipped.
Focus A10 Build Quality
The OneOdio Focus A10 is all plastic in a darker gun-metal tone. They don’t ‘feel’ cheap, but at the same time, the plastic isn’t very hard. Nonetheless, they held up great.
While testing, I used the Focus A10s while cleaning, driving, and doing some light yard work. They’ve fallen multiple times, have been kicked by accident on occasion, and I deliberately tried to stretch and break the headband. I should mention at this point that I am a clumsy person.
The OneOdio walked away unscathed.
I expected the plastic to hold up well, albeit with scratches. That wasn’t the case. I couldn’t find any blemishes in the plastic while examining them immediately before writing this review. Even more impressive, the padding around the headphones withstood my torture. That’s an abnormality for me.
At the end of the day, despite the Focus A10 headset not being constructed out of metal, the plastic casing has a good feel that should withstand day-to-day punishment easily.
OneOdio Focus A10 Audio Quality
For the skimmers, the OneOdio Focus A10 sound quality is on par with Apple’s AirPod Pro 1st gen in-ear headphones. However, both sets of headphones lack and shine in different places.
I’m going to spend the most time in this section. After all, audio quality is the essential feature of a headset.
It’s all about that bass!
The Focus A10 headset has good bass. That’s to be expected since it has larger drivers. The bass isn’t nearly as blown out as a pair of Beats Audio headsets, but at the same time, the bass isn’t as crisp as the Apple AirPod pros.
That’s not a bad thing. I like crisp bass, but only when it’s meant to be crisp. The AirPods and Beats headsets tend to over-filter low frequencies. The heavy bass in the Focus A10 headset can be a tad warm and flat, but the drivers in the A10 never distorted audio whatsoever.
My biggest complaint with the punchier bass in the Focus A10 was when listening to podcasts. Some male hosts with deep voices drowned out guest speakers. Music was very delightful, however.
Mid and High Frequencies Are Great
I tested the audio quality for the Focus A10 with my standard library of audio tracks. I always try podcasts first since that’s what I listen to the most, but I mentioned my biggest complaint above already. Otherwise, the frequency range of the human voice agrees rather nicely with the A10 audio drivers.
After a few podcast episodes, I ran through my Apple Music Library on shuffle, played some classical music, a bunch of Eminem, a bit of the Beetles, some Powerman 5000, my nostalgic 90’s R&B, a handful of Disney songs, and a Today’s Hits playlist in Apple Music.
The 1st gen AirPods Pro had slightly more crisp high frequencies, but otherwise, I enjoyed the audio quality of the Focus A10 headset much more. The rollover between low, medium, and high frequencies felt perfect. I didn’t hear any distortion in audio quality that wasn’t introduced by a poor Bluetooth signal from walking too far from my phone.
Listening to audio in the Focus A10 headset was a great experience despite being connected via Bluetooth. I didn’t have a chance to test wired audio quality, but given how good the A10’s drivers sounded while using a Bluetooth connection, I only expect a wired audio signal to be even better.
Microphone Quality Is Lacking
However, the Focus A10 microphone quality isn’t great. I used the editor at PCMecca as my first test victim without them knowing it – at least until the end of our conversation. They stated I sounded like I was speaking in a large, padded room. My voice sounded distant and flat.
Everyone else I tested the Focus A10s with expressed the same sentiment. I can attest to their reports as I experienced the same flat and distant audio quality with the microphone. Both in-call and recording audio quality (via Bluetooth connection to a MacBook Pro using Audacity) weren’t great.
This is understandable because the Focus A10’s microphone isn’t attached to a boom. This is also one place the Apple AirPod Pros shined. The built-in microphone in the A10 is a convenience feature only.
The mic is not good enough for podcast recording, nor would I recommend the Focus A10 for a business use case where its primary function will be communicating with coworkers and customers. However, they’re good enough for gaming and phone calls with friends and family.
OneOdio Focus A10 Fit And Comfort
I mentioned in the build-quality section that I tested the OneOdio Focus A10 headset while doing chores, driving, and some outdoor work. I started this review having little faith that the Focus A10 headset would stay on my head. The headband is a bit loose; I am rather clumsy, as I mentioned.
They proved me wrong, however. While jostling about the house, the Focus A10 headset shifted slightly on occasion, but it never fell off my head or needed adjusting.
Likewise, the cushion material around the headset didn’t drive me nuts. After a few hours, I forgot I was even wearing a headset. They are that light and comfortable.
I need to stress how big of a statement that prior sentence is. For reference, I have ADHD with some sensory issues. Socks drive me nuts. I hate jeans with a passion. The AirPod Pros can only live in my ears for a couple of hours before I need a break. My wife’s Beats Audio over-the-ear headset and my old Del Sols apply too much pressure to my ears. My Sennheiser cans are great, but they are heavy enough to only come out of the closet for special occasions.
In comparison, I only stopped wearing the OneOdio Focus A10 headset when I was required to remove them when switching to different tasks. My longest run wearing the Focus A10s was about 4 hours straight.
OneOdio Focus A10 Noise Cancellation Quality
The OneOdio Focus A10 includes active noise cancelation features. Given that I thought these were a budget class, generic brand headset at first, I expected the noise cancelation to suck, frankly.
Once again, I was pleasantly surprised, but let’s talk about the bad news first.
In a quiet room with active noise cancelation engaged, the Focus A10 have that bad ‘cabin pressure’ feeling to them. That drove me nuts. Interestingly, though, I had no issues with transparency mode.
That’s the bad news. Here’s the good news.
As soon as I turned up the music, that ‘cabin pressure’ feeling disappeared instantly. I’ve had plenty of experience with other noise cancelation headphones where this wasn’t the case. I’m not sure what the difference is, but I’m not arguing with it.
Active noise cancelation in the Focus A10 headset is far better than my 1st gen Apple AirPod Pros, too. ANC is always engaged when I vacuum or make noise around the house. My AirPod Pros let some loud ambient noise through to my ear canals, even with the volume up. With ANC turned on and the music set to loud, I couldn’t hear the vacuum at all in the Focus A10 headset. With the volume down, the vacuum was only a faint whisper.
It was a pleasant surprise to see that the Focus A10 included transparency mode. If you’re unfamiliar with transparency mode, it pipes outside noise into the headset while adjusting how loud or soft the external audio is. For instance, if you’re smacking wood with a hammer, you’ll still hear that thud in transparency mode, but it won’t be nearly as sharp or painful. This feature is typically only included with more expensive headsets.
I won’t lie. Transparency mode for the Apple AirPod Pros is better. It should be, considering the AirPod Pros are three times more expensive than the OneOdio Focus A10. Apple includes EQ features that almost make the AirPod Pros function as cheap OTC hearing aids.
The Focus A10 transparency mode wasn’t as robust, but it works well enough. I could still speak with people, watch TV, and listen to my surroundings while walking the neighborhood without much of a problem.
Occasionally, I needed to remove the Focus A10s from my ears for important conversations. Human voices sound a bit flat and muddled. It was distracting enough that my ADHD kicked in while trying to pay attention to what people were saying. The AirPods did better in this specific scenario, but only because I’ve tuned them for this use case.
OneOdio Focus A10 Price
Given how well I’ve spoken of the Focus A10s, you would be forgiven for thinking these headphones might be more expensive. I only looked up OneOdio’s MSRP for the Focus A10 literally right before writing this review. I was amazed to find out they were only $69.99. These headphones are punching above their weight class.
What’s more impressive is that OneOdio is offering the readers at PCMecca 20% off that price–All you have to do is to use code ”ONE20%SP” on their official website!
Should You Buy the OneOdio Focus A10 Wireless Headphones?
If you landed on this review wondering whether the OneOdio Focus A10 is worth buying, go for it. You’ll be happy.
So, here’s the real question: will I give up my 1st gen Apple AirPod Pro earphones for the OneOdio Focus A10? No, I will not. But that decision has nothing to do with the Focus A10 headset.
I live in the Apple ecosystem. I purchased the AirPod Pros precisely because of how easily they connect to other Apple products. I bought the AirPod Pros, knowing they had mediocre audio quality. I need that instant Bluetooth pairing above anything else in my daily routine.
That’s my biggest complaint with the Focus A10. I forgot how obnoxious it is to connect a standard pair of Bluetooth headphones to different devices. My ADHD isn’t compatible with fiddling with things.
With that said, the ANC in the Focus A10 headset works amazingly well for how cheap they are. I routinely use my AirPods to drown out real life when I need to focus on work. The Focus A10 headset will be assigned that job in the future. I have to wonder if the marketing arm at OneOdio also has ADHD because this product was aptly named.
The sound quality the Focus A10 produces is on par with headphones from vendors that cost twice as much. Expect audio quality performance on par with a good pair of entry-level (IE., Not budget, but entry-level) headphones from vendors like Sennheiser or Audio Technica.
Finally, these over-the-ear headphones are comfortable. This surprised me the most. Wearing the Focus A10 headset all day won’t be an issue.
Until I’m introduced to a better product, the OneOdio Focus A10 headset will be my recommended pair of over-the-ear budget headphones for gamers, people that casually listen to music, anyone that watches TV while their family sleeps, or enslaved people in an open-office setting that needs respite from the buffoonery happening on around them.
I mentioned this already in the price section, but OneOdio is offering PCMecca readers 20% off. If you buy a pair of Focus A10s, don’t forget to use that code–ONE20%SP (only on their official website).
They are also available on Amazon, though keep in mind you won’t get the 20% off.
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