Cambridge Audio Melomania 1 Plus Review
The Cambridge Melomania 1+ True Wireless In-Ear Headphones are a major upgrade from their predecessors. It’s not a minor improvement; the difference is night and day.
Introduction
Ok, so I’m supposed to follow suit with all the reviews online about the wonderful new Cambridge 1+ True Wireless In-Ear Headphones. I’m supposed to tell you that this refresh features some significant build upgrades that enhance the user experience but it’s overall the same great product and same great sound.
But I can’t do that.
My experience with the Melomania 1+ versus the original Melomania One’s is night and day. To me, it’s not even close to being a minor upgrade. It’s a huge one.
The original Melomania 1 touted clarity and a true-to-life, ‘Great British Sound’ and while they sounded good, they took a bit of getting used to. To my ears, they erred on the side of neutral and favored a more articulate sound profile. They dug up a decent amount of detail and had a weighty soundstage. The bass was good, but it wasn’t as deep as I would have liked, and so when it came to listening on my daily commute—holy crap, remember commutes? I found that keeping the maximum volume at 60-70% was the comfort zone for my ears.
Everything is different now. For one, I no longer commute. Which means I no longer ride the subway. I no longer have to wait in a packed subway station and watch packed trains go by until one not-so-packed train arrives so I can stuff myself in. I no longer have to spend the next hour or so trying to ignore whatever that smell is. I no longer have to try my best to not hold the gross handlebars, or try to not step on somebody’s toes, or accidentally bodycheck an old lady, while trying to block out everything with my favorite playlist of the day. Thanks, COVID-19!
We’ve moved out of the city and I work from home. My lack of a commute does have a downside of sorts. As it relates to this review, I’m not commuting for two hours a day, so I rarely wear headphones anymore. And because everybody avoids crowds these days, I’m not able to check whether the connection from the Melomania 1+ Earbuds to my phone holds up in a crowded situation.
There are other instances where one would wear headphones, like at the gym, but those are all closed. Or for morning runs but, I’m not much of a runner—I should start running though, I’m getting so fat! So, I would have to use the Melomania 1+ when I wouldn’t normally use earbuds; like cooking, or Zoom calls, or making beats in my studio. But because of this, I kept forgetting to give them a go and days turned to weeks, and soon I was overdue to finish this review.
