The successor to the Cambridge Audio Melomania 1 Really Wireless is the Cambridge Audio Melomania 1+ True Wireless. These in-ears are an improvement over its forerunner in that they come with a companion app that has a graphic EQ and presets if you want to change their bass-heavy default sound profile. To help you obtain the optimum fit, they also provide a lot more silicone and foam ear tips, and its charging case now has a USB-C port rather than a micro-USB port. On the down side, its mic has poor recording quality and their battery performance falls short of their promised capabilities.
Compared To Other Headphones
The successor to the Cambridge Audio Melomania 1 Really Wireless is the Cambridge Audio Melomania 1 Plus. They differ from their predecessor in that they come with a lot more ear tips, their carrying case charges through USB-C rather than micro-USB, and they include a companion app with a graphic EQ and presets. They don’t stand out from the crowd due to their average performance and lackluster battery life compared to in-ear headphones like the Jabra Elite 75t Truly Wireless.
Test Results
DESIGN
Comfort
The Cambridge Audio Melomania 1 Plus headphones are very cozy. Despite being lightweight, they are nonetheless somewhat hefty and can put strain on tiny ear canals, which with time may become painful. The buds can be inserted further into your ears using their settings. Fortunately, they include a number of pairs of foam and silicone ear tips in various sizes to help you find the right fit.
Controls
The controls of the Cambridge Audio Melomania 1 Plus are adequate. The controls have clicky buttons and some are divided between the left and right ear buds. Although the same command on the right earbud skips the music forward, pressing twice on the left earpiece skips to the previous track. Moreover, you can raise the volume by pressing and holding the right earbud while lowering it by pressing and holding the left earbud. When you have reached the maximum loudness, a chime will sound. To play, pause, and pick up calls or play and pause audio, push either bud once. While a double press stops calls or triggers voice help if your audio source is paused, a long press rejects calls. These are rather simple to pair, and you may push and hold for three seconds to activate pairing mode, unlike the Cambridge Audio Melomania 1 Really Wireless.
The drawback is that it’s simple to accidentally record a command while inserting the earbuds. You may apply pressure and force them deeper into your ears by using the controls.
Build Quality
The build quality of the Cambridge Audio Melomania 1 Plus is good. They have an identical quality of construction to the Cambridge Audio Melomania 1 Really Wireless. Apart for the foam and silicone ear tips, which are all constructed of hard plastic, they appear to be able to withstand a few accidental drops without suffering too much harm. Whilst we don’t currently test for it, they are also rated IPX5 for water resistance.
Passive Soundstage
These headphones have a poor passive soundstage. Resonances that stimulate the outer ear are essential for achieving an out-of-head and speaker-like soundscape. Sound appears to come from inside your brain rather than from speakers set up around you because in-ears entirely bypass the outer ear and do not interact with it. Also, because of its closed-back design, the soundstage appears to be more enclosed than with open-back headphones.
Noise Isolation
We misrepresented these headphones’ active noise cancellation. However, we have altered “Noise Cancelling” to “No” because they lack this feature. We have also retested “Noise Isolation,” but neither the performance nor the results have changed.
The Cambridge Audio Melomania 1 Plus does a good job of noise isolation. They rely on their passive talents to help filter out sounds since they lack active noise cancelling (ANC). They therefore struggle to quiet the low rumble of bus and airplane engines. The high-pitched hum of an air conditioner and office chitchat, however, are much better muffled by them.
Leakage
The Cambridge Audio Melomania 1 Plus has excellent leakage performance. Even if you play your audio at high volumes, their leakage is relatively minimal, so even in a somewhat noisy setting like an office, other people shouldn’t be able to hear you.
Battery
The battery performance of the Cambridge Audio Melomania 1 Plus is middling. They have two different battery settings that you can access via their companion app: ‘High Performance’, which is advertised to give you the best quality sound experience, and ‘Low Power’. Using the High Performance mode, which is advertised to last seven hours continuously, we measured less than five hours of continuous battery life, which is a bit disappointing. We also tested the headphones using the Low Power mode, which is advertised to last nine hours continuously. We measured eight hours with this mode. That said, battery life varies depending on usage, and your real-life experience may vary.
We don’t consider the Low Power mode to be a Power-Saving feature as it’s meant to extend their battery life while you’re using them. If you’re looking to conserve battery life, you can use one bud while the other one charges.
Our Verdict
It is not advised to use the Cambridge Audio Melomania 1 Plus for wireless gaming. While you can connect them to a Bluetooth-enabled PC, the latency is likely to be too high for gaming. Moreover, they are incompatible with PlayStation and Xbox gaming systems.
