Bluedio may not be the best-known headphone maker out there, but a quick look at its website will tell you that the company has quite a few products under its belt. For example, the company recently launched the Bluedio U UFO headphones, aimed at delivering high-quality audio at a generally low price.
Just because the headphones look like quality, however, doesn’t mean that they actually are quality. We recently put them to the test to see if they were worth the $179 price tag.
Design
When you take the Bluedio U UFO headphones out of the box, you’ll be struck by how high quality they seem — not to mention well-built. Some of the build materials and design choices did seem slightly flimsy, but overall the headphones seem as though they can withstand more than a drop or two.
The headphones are available in a range of different colors — black, black and red, white, silver, red, purple, and titanium. We’re reviewing the black and red pair, which look very sleek. Judging by the photos on the website, if sleek is really what you’re after, then perhaps the all-black headphones are the way to go, but the red certainly helps give them a slightly more unique sheen.
On the left ear cup, you’ll find the aux port, while the right houses the volume and playback controls, as well as a microUSB port. Weirdly enough, Bluedio has opted to put the microUSB port in a spot that could be hidden depending on how the ear cup is swiveled — which could be an issue if you’re trying to wear them while they’re charging. It’s a bit of an oversight in the design department, and one that shouldn’t exist.
In the box, you’ll find the headphones themselves, a microUSB cable, an aux cable, and a nice, strong case. We were really happy to see the case included, and it helps mitigate any of the issues surrounding built quality, as most damage will be done when you’re transporting the headphones anyway. Well done to Bluedio on including an accessory that unfortunately many headphone-makers overlook.
In general, the Bluedio U UFO headphones seem well-designed, however they’re not perfect — for example, they suffer from a few build quality issues, and bad placement of the microUSB port.
Comfort
The Bluedio U UFO headphones are overall very comfortable, but as was the case in the design department, they’re not perfect. For starters, they get really warm, quite quickly — which is a little frustrating on an already warm day.
Still, there is plenty of padding to help do away with most comfort issues. The headphones are over-ear, meaning they shouldn’t put any pressure on your actual ears. The padding included could perhaps be of a slightly higher quality — which in turn might help keep the headphones a little cooler. We could also have used a little more padding on the head band, which will be the main point of discomfort for most users.
In general, the Bluedio U UFO headphones are comfortable — but they do get a little warm, and better padding would be welcome.
Sound
The design and comfort of the Bluedio U UFO headphones is generally not bad, but does the sound deliver? It’s a bit of a mixed bag.
Let’s start with bass, which really sounds quite nice. Kick drums offer quite a nice thump, while bass guitars are deep and powerful. If you’re a bass fan, you’ll be quite happy with the selection of bass on these headphones.
The mid-range is where things start to falter a little. The low-mids, for example, are very pronounced, going beyond the realm of a warm sound and making the headphones sound slightly muddy. They generally dwarf the higher frequencies, which does away with clarity. The high-mids, by comparison, are quite lacking — and things like vocals, guitars, and synths suffer because of it.
Then there’s the high-end, which is even more lacking. Vocals and cymbals aren’t able to cut through the mix the way they should, which is a real shame.
Of course, the frequency tuning has its uses. For example, we found they sounded pretty good for things like movie watching or listening to podcasts. That, however, may not be enough to convince people to buy them.
Apart from frequency range, the soundstage of the headphones is fine, and they don’t distort too easily, even in the lower frequencies.
Performance
Despite the somewhat lackluster sound quality, the headphones aren’t bad at all in the performance department. They’ll offer 25 hours of battery life, which is quite good. No, it’s not amazing — but it does help the headphone redeem points lost in the sound category.
The Bluedio U UFO headphones connect to your device via Bluetooth 4.1, and they’ll deliver a standard connection of around 10m or 33ft, depending on obstacles and other different factor. While when we first connected the headphones we had some issues with connectivity, we didn’t experience those issues again after that.
Conclusions
The Bluedio U UFO headphones aren’t bad, by any means, but they have some issues — and unfortunately those issues are too problematic to recommend buying the headphones. The sound quality isn’t up to par, the headphones get a little warm, and some design aspects need revision.
It’s not all bad. While they get warm, the headphones are generally comfortable, and they look quite nice. Not to mention the fact that the bass is thick and juicy.
If you have $179 to spend on a pair of wireless headphones, however, there are better options. We recommend going for JLab Audio Flex ANC headphones, or the newly released JBL E55BT headphones. Even at $100, which is how much they’re going for on Amazon, they can be beat by the JLab Audio Omni headphones or the MEE Audio Matrix3 headphones, which come in at a slightly higher $120.
| Store | Price |
|---|---|
 |
$99.99 |
| Bluedio | $179 |
| Frequency response | 5Hz – 25kHz | Active noise cancellation |
No |
| Driver size | 50mm | Noise attenuation | Unknown |
| Driver type |
Dynamic | On-ear controls | Yes |
| Design |
Closed | Microphone | Yes |
| Sensitivity | 120dB | Earpad material | Foam |
| Rated impedance |
32Ω | Magnet material | Unknown |
| Total harmonic distortion |
0.3%-3% | Water resistance | No |
| Rated input power |
Unknown | Battery life | 25 Hours playback |
| Maximum input power |
Unknown | Wireless distance | 10m (33ft) |
| Wireless connection |
Bluetooth 4.1 | Cable length | 1.2m (4ft) |
| Wired connection |
3.5mm | Case type | Hard case |
| Detachable cable |
Yes | In-the-box |
|
| Weight | No | Colors | Black, black and red, white, silver, red, purple, and titanium |