Cambridge Audio's new earbuds offer premium performance without denting your pocket

Seekers of pocketable sonic perfection are spoilt for choice these days. Earbuds have evolved with impressive rapidity, and it’s no longer the premium brands – and big prices – that have a stranglehold on sound quality and usability.

I’ve been exploring the new Melomania A100 wireless ANC earbuds form Cambridge Audio, a classic case in point. In days gone by these would be considered a premium product, but the evolution of the genre means that the mix of high-end features and low price point comes as a pleasant surprise.

Cambridge Audio have crammed a lot of tech into the A100s, as is the way with this marvel of modern miniaturisation. There are three microphones in each earbud for phone calls, chatting with Siri or Google Assistant (soon to be replaced with Gemini, according to rumours), as well as for driving the noise cancellation system, plus there’s a transparency mode for when you want the outside world to creep back in.

They sound good as well, although only the golden of ear will be able to discern the presence of precision-tuned 10mm Neodymium drivers. You’re more likely to sculpt the sound to your taste with the 7-and adjustable EQ available via the updated Melomania Connect app, which combines pre-tuned presets with user profiles.

The most important metric for earbud users is battery life. The A100s don’t disappoint, with a total rated play time (i.e. using a fully charged case to top up the earbuds) of around 39 hours. That’s with noise cancelling off – using ANC reduces that headline figure down to 21 hours. Total charge time is just over an hour, but ten minutes in the case should give you 3.2 hours of ANC-free playback.

Cambridge have chosen the A100 to be the first product with their new branding. The company itself can trace its history back to a group of students at the eponymous university in the late 60s, an era of swift technological changes in hi-fi. From Cambridge Audio Laboratories’ garage-built bespoke systems to mass-produced amps, Cambridge Audio was set apart from the pack by its engaging industrial design.

These days, the company is owned by the Audio Partnership group, which owns a clutch of classic British brands but manufactures the majority of its output in China, Cambridge Audio included. Engineering and R&D remain in the UK, but the bulk of the company’s products, from earbuds to CD players, are assembled in China, not the large factory in St Ives, Cambridge, that used to build the products.

That’s a clue as to how the A100 earbuds can be so competitive; you’d be hard pressed to find a single pair of mass-market earbuds or headphones that aren’t made somewhere in the far east. Unless you’re in the business of truly bespoke audio systems with six-figure pricetags, volume hi-fi will never be a cottage industry.

With that said, Cambridge Audio retains much of its original character in a market shaped by naked clones, knock-offs and uninspiring design. It’s a sector where branding and visibility mean a great deal - current Cambridge partners include Delorean, the on-again, off-again car maker, as well as artists and record labels. Ultimately, however, the proof is in the product and the A100 earbuds are very much worthy of the name and your time.

Cambridge Audio Melomania A100, available in black or white, £119, CambridgeAudio.com, Amazon.co.uk, @CambridgeAudio