The BuddyPhones Wave from Onanoff have extra to supply than your typical pair of youngsters’ headphones. Designed for ages three and up, the BuddyPhones are waterproof, get 24 hours of battery life, and have 4 quantity modes that restrict audio to completely different ranges relying on the state of affairs. In all, they’re merely extra feature-rich than most pairs, and thus their excessive $89.99 worth is sensible. They additionally ship respectable audio, albeit with much less bass than another pairs we have examined. The promoting level right here just isn’t a lot the audio efficiency, nevertheless, however the versatility of a sturdy wi-fi/wired pair that has a number of quantity modes. For general worth and efficiency, the JBL JR300BT presently stand as our Editors’ Choice.
Design
Available in colours motifs that additionally function characters (blue for robotic, inexperienced for monkey, pink for pony, and yellow for bee), the BuddyPhones are on-ear headphones. They function plush cushioning within the earpads and underside of the headscarf, and the outer supplies are hypoallergenic. They can be utilized wirelessly by way of Bluetooth, or wired with the included audio cable. The proper earcup homes connections for the audio cable, the included micro USB charging cable, a pinhole microphone, and standing LEDs. They fold down at hinges and match into the included drawstring pouch, which is canvas and emblazoned with the identical character that seems on the headphones.
In Bluetooth mode, the headphones are managed by a three-button panel, additionally positioned on the aspect of the appropriate earcup. A central button controls playback, answering or ending calls, and when held for 3 seconds, powers the headphones down (a fast faucet will energy them up). There are quantity up/down buttons, as properly, which double as monitor navigation buttons when held for a second. We aren’t followers of this mix, as it is too straightforward for teenagers (and adults) to skip tracks after they solely imply to regulate the amount.
To change quantity modes, you press each the amount up and down buttons concurrently to cycle via the color-coded modes. The LEDs flip mild inexperienced for Toddler mode (maxing out at 75dB), darkish inexperienced is Kids mode (85 dB, the utmost stage allowed by JLab’s JBuddies Studio, for comparability), and blue is Travel mode (94dB). And when the colours sequence via purple, yellow, and pink, the headphones are in Study mode, which is 94dB however is meant for listening to vocals in instructional movies, or to be used with language apps—there’s an emphasis on this mode on crisp, clear audio that enhances vocal intelligibility.
The audio cable options an inline distant management and microphone. The distant has a single button, which permits for play/pause and name management. The 3.5mm connection is exclusive—it provides a secondary jack in order that one other pair of headphones could be plugged into it for 2 individuals to take heed to the identical sound supply on the identical time.
The headphones have an IP67 ranking, which implies they will stand up to being submerged in as much as a meter in water for roughly 30 minutes, and might undoubtedly deal with rain, splashes, and being rinsed off. They’re additionally protected towards mud, so that you undoubtedly will not have any points with sand on the seaside.
The built-in mic provides so-so intelligibility. Using the Voice Memos app on an iPhone 6s, we may perceive each phrase we recorded, however the audio was fuzzy and sounded far-off—pretty typical for Bluetooth headphone mics, however not very best if you happen to’re hoping to have numerous clear telephone communication together with your baby.
24-hour battery life is an estimate, not a given. It will rely largely on what listening mode is used. Generally talking, the much less quantity, the longer the battery life.
Performance
On tracks with intense sub-bass content material, like The Knife’s “Silent Shout,” the BuddyPhones Wave ship a reasonably thin-sounding bass response. Listening in Kids mode, there may be occasional distortion on this monitor at high volumes. That’s not very best, clearly, and in Travel mode, the distortion is worse. It appears that Onanoff is not using a lot DSP (digital sign processing), which preserves dynamics, however can problem drivers on tracks like this. Regardless, few headphone pairs we take a look at (for adults) on this worth vary distort, so this isn’t a constructive.
On the flip aspect of the equation, the Puro Sound Labs BT2200 headphones do not distort, however they use a lot DSP to forestall distortion and restrict the amount stage that audio sounds prefer it’s continually dipping. In different phrases, when the aim of the product is to restrict quantity, you are taking a look at a trade-off of some type—it is solely prone to be a problem in case your baby is already an audiophile and sonic purist.
Bill Callahan’s “Drover,” a monitor with far much less deep bass within the combine, offers us a greater sense of the general sonic capabilities. The drums on this monitor sound fairly skinny it doesn’t matter what mode you hear in—these aren’t bass-forward headphones. Perhaps that is what you are hoping for as a dad or mum, however it might be onerous to characterize the audio efficiency right here as sounding full. There could be very little deep bass response, however via the mids and highs, there’s strong steadiness.
On Jay-Z and Kanye West’s “No Church in the Wild,” the kick drum loop receives loads of high-mid presence, retaining its assault punchy. The sub-bass synth hits are extra implied than delivered, however the monitor itself will get some respectable general low-mid presence—the lows are there, simply not closely boosted. The place and strain of the earpads actually issues—if they don’t seem to be firmly urgent towards the ear, the bass presence is drastically diminished, and it seems like a vocals-only, treble-heavy affair.
The identical could be mentioned for orchestral tracks, just like the opening scene from John Adams’ The Gospel According to the Other Mary. The decrease register instrumentation will get a reasonably wealthy illustration via the BuddyPhones Wave, however the highlight belongs to the upper register brass, strings, and vocals—and if the earpads lack adequate strain, the monitor will sound skinny and brittle. In appropriate place and with very best strain, nevertheless, the general sound signature is mids- and highs-focused and balanced, with some delicate low-end.
Conclusions
If your baby listens to a number of bass-heavy music, the Puro Sound Labs BT2200 supply way more bass depth, however the sacrifice is DSP quantity dips. Here, the trade-off attributable to far much less DSP is occasional distortion on tracks with significantly deep bass within the combine. So the BuddyPhones Wave sound respectable, however not nice. That might not matter as a lot to you as the amount being restricted, and the power to decide on between 4 listening modes, to not point out the waterproof design, which is a rarity on this class. If the worth is greater than you wish to pay for teenagers’ headphones, JLab has you coated—the aforementioned JBuddies Studio are lower than half the price of the BuddyPhones Wave. The JBL JR300BT supply the most effective mixture of worth and efficiency, in the meantime, even when they are not fairly as versatile in options.