Buzz
Cambridge has a long-standing reputation for its hifi speaker lines, and the wireless Bluetooth earbuds Melomania Touch represent the latest innovation from Cambridge. Unlike its predecessor, the Melomania One, which was more compact and competitive, the latest Touch model is relatively larger, featuring enhanced noise cancellation and some sports-oriented features.
Design of the Cambridge Melomania Touch
The earbud case comes in black and white, with 5 small LED lights indicating the remaining battery life. The materials have been upgraded from first-generation plastic to a more textured leather. The device also fits more snugly in the ear. Accessories include replaceable ear tips and a Type-C charging cable. Instruction manuals, promotional materials, and warranty cards are carefully packaged.
The earbud's shape has been improved compared to the bullet-shaped design of the first generation. It provides a relatively comfortable, secure, and lightweight fit, preventing them from falling out. With the same graphene driver, it has increased by 1.2mm from the 5.8mm of the first-generation Melomania One, now measuring at 7mm. This size is 1mm larger than the widely acclaimed Sony WF-1000XM3.
The specifications indicate a decrease in water resistance from IPX5 to IPX4. After checking the information, IPX5 is splash-resistant while IPX4 is water-resistant. I don't think any users would shower with their earbuds, and most sweat heavily while running. Therefore, IPX4 is sufficient.
Features – Companion App
The biggest improvement of this generation is the Melomania app by Cambridge Audio, which now includes noise cancellation and EQ adjustments.
Upon opening the app, the first step is to locate a paired earbud. The app will display the earbud's battery level. If you're using it outdoors, especially in busy urban areas, consider turning off noise cancellation and enabling ambient sound mode, as its noise cancellation capability is truly robust.
The app offers several EQ profiles for customization, or you can manually adjust the sound to your preference with the presence of 5 frequency bands, providing relatively detailed control.
Other settings include selecting high-quality audio mode and low power consumption mode. It's worth noting that switching between high-quality audio and low power consumption mode is somewhat cumbersome; you need to wait for a certain period, and this process must be done within the app interface.
And the reason why this headphone is named 'Touch', in my opinion, the most important reason is its support for touch controls. Common operations such as skipping tracks, answering calls, and adjusting volume can all be done with touch gestures, very convenient. Of course, you can also disable touch gestures.
Sound Quality
I think the biggest issue with the previous generation of Melomenia One was slightly weaker low frequencies. This generation has been significantly improved, and being a new headphone, I believe that after some power-on time, it will continue to enhance the low-frequency experience.
After using it, I found its sound quality to be good, better than in-ear Bluetooth headphones, with relatively balanced high, mid, and bass frequencies. You can also use the APP to control and adjust the EQ curve. The noise reduction function is also very powerful and can completely eliminate external noise.
The trouble is the more sensitive touch operations, which are prone to accidental touches. Another concern is that the battery life is somewhat weaker than the previous generation, with a rated battery life of 50 hours aimed at low power consumption mode. You know, I've been using Melomania One for a year, even when traveling for work, but the number of charges is only a few.
