The Edifier WH950NB, priced at under $200, are a compelling option for those seeking a balance between style, comfort, build quality, and impressive battery life, even with its excellent ANC (Active Noise Cancelation) enabled. Coming in at roughly half the price of my everyday Sony WH1000XM4, I was especially curious to see how well the WH950NB could hold up and if they could even fully replace them.
Putting them to the test over two weeks, I wore these on several short and longer haul flights, toured the beautiful downtown Berlin with them, and exclusively used them for listening to music, watching movies, and editing videos on my trip. What shocked me most? I only had to charge these three times in that period. Although the listening experience was excellent, and I surprisingly didn’t really find myself missing my more expensive WH1000XM4s much, it became clear that achieving this lower price point (while still not cheap) does come with its fair share of quirks and omissions, especially for iPhone users like myself.
Edifier WH950NB
The Edifier WH950NB offer impressive battery life, lasting for up to 55 hours of audio playback without Active Noise Cancellation (ANC) and 34 hours with ANC enabled, making them a great option for travelers. While the WH950NB lack support for codecs like AAC or AptX and premium features such as on-ear detection, the major drawback is the absence of physical track controls. Despite this, for under $200, the headphones provide excellent comfort, style, and sound quality.
Specifications
The WH950NB are powered by 40mm drivers with a frequency response of 20Hz to 40kHz, offering a mostly neutral sound profile with a decent bass out of the box which can be tweaked within its companion app. The WH950NB use Bluetooth 5.3, which lets you connect to a primary source for playback and a secondary for audio calls simultaneously.
It has a USB-C port for fast charging and a 3.5mm connection for wired, latency-free playback. Edifier claims that you can achieve up to 34 hours of playback with Active Noise Cancelation (ANC) enabled and a whopping 55 hours without ANC. As I never noticed any change to the audio signature with it enabled, I almost exclusively used the WH950NB with its ANC left on.
For calls, the headset has four microphones with different levels of noise cancelation. Audio from my callers sounded excellent on my end, while my voice quality was reported to be good, though they could still tell I was using a headset. Wind noise was less pronounced, though my voice came off as noticeably more washed out. Indoors, the difference became less apparent, though users still preferred the quality of my iPhone 14 Pro Max speakerphone when we did a side-by-side comparison.
Build Quality and Feel
Design was clearly a priority, as Edifier has managed to find a good balance between aesthetics and comfort. The Edifier WH950NB headphones are available in two classic color options: black or white, complemented by elegant gold accents, the latter of which is the model we’re reviewing.
The outer earcups are made of a textured plastic surface which does give it a somewhat more premium look, though it’s only really noticeable in white. Complementing the light gold metal arms found on the cups, we find the Edifier logo on the bottom sides of the headband, too. This is slightly more subtle on the white color, whereas they contrast greatly against the black.
More importantly, wearing these headphones doesn’t disappoint, as the earcups and headband are generously padded to offer all-day comfort. The memory foam earpads are slightly wider than my Sony WH-1000XM4s, which in turn allows larger ear sizes to fit without touching the siding. Even though its headband doesn’t use memory foam, it still offers plenty of padding and has just the right amount of tension to stay in place and rest on your head.
That said, I did notice that these tend to slide off my head a little bit more easily from accidental bumps while I was adjusting my hat or glasses, whereas the Sony’s seem to have a more robust clamp design.
Covering the memory foam, we find faux leather. I’d argue that these are slightly more breathable than the WH-1000XM4s, though you still won’t want to run or exercise in these.
During a day of hectic travel, whether I was sprinting to my gate to catch my flight with the WH950NB hanging around my neck, wearing these for 8+ hours straight on my flight (mostly for their ANC to block out the sound crying babies and the hum of the engine to my side), or finally crashing asleep in my hotel room, I could easily forget that I was even wearing these. Sure, my ears could at times get warm, especially while I was exerting energy, but for the most part, these were surprisingly comfortable to use while traveling.
The Edifier WH950NB has a similar folding design to the 1000XM4 and a similarly shaped and sized carrying case.
Aside from its slightly speckled case color, the two cases are nearly identical. One of the benefits of the Sony’s is that it has an elastic net pouch on the outside, though I don’t think I’ve ever used it.
On the inside the Edifier’s case has a Velcro pocket for your wires and adapters, whereas Sony has opted for a small cutout in its foam divider. Interestingly, Edifier could have installed a similar snug divider in their case but instead used a simple rectangle piece to prevent the earcups from hitting each other. Aside from not securing the headphones as snugly as the Sonys, it also feels very much like an afterthought or suggests that this case is being re-purposed from another model. It’s a minor detail, though it’s an easy way to make the rest of the user experience feel a little more premium.
Sound Quality and Performance
These headphones have an overall flat sound signature, which may appeal to those wanting a more “authentic” listening experience, not unlike the reliableRØDE NTH-100studio monitoring headphones we reviewed last year.
In comparison, my Sony WH-1000XM4s were noticeably more bass-heavy and would need to reduce their levels by quite a bit to match the WH950NB default sound. As such, out of the box, the WH950NB may not be as exciting for many users, especially those who crave that deep bass, though you may switch between its different sound profiles within the Edifier Connect app or customize the EQ further.
Its 40mm drivers offer clear mid-range tones, well-defined vocals, and enough low-end. Inching its way into the $200 price point, these may not be the most accurate sounding, nor do they have the widest sound stage, but I enjoyed everything I listened to with these.
Although most pop or rock tracks benefit from its other EQ modes and come more alive, I actually rather liked how the WH950NB sounds in its “classic” mode without any tweaks, as everything felt well-balanced without the fatigue you often experience over time with bass-heavy headsets.
You can choose between high, low, wind reduction, and ambient noise for noise cancelation. These modes can all be cycled through with the button on the headphones, or you can remove unwanted modes from the app so you can more quickly select from the ones you do want.
Even though the ANC performance wasn’t as strong as Sony’s, I felt it was still good, and it was certainly powerful enough to help me fall asleep on my long flights, significantly reducing the sharp shrieks of crying babies and the low drone of the engines.
Switching to its ambient sound mode, I could more easily hear my surroundings. Whether I was trying to listen to the flight captain’s PA announcement, cross a busy intersection, or feel less tuned out, its ambient mode worked very well.
Lastly, if you want to use these wireless headphones for gaming, an 80ms low-latency gaming mode is available in the Edifier Connect app. I personally couldn’t notice any difference when using its gaming mode, though its Bluetooth delay wasn’t ever an issue, even with competitive online games like Overwatch 2. Given their all-day comfort, I could see this being a decent choice for more casual gaming sessions, but diehard gamers will undoubtedly prefer faster 2.4ghz or wired solutions with better built-in mics.
Battery Life
Battery life is where the WH950NB truly shines. According to Edifier, you’re able to expect about 55 hours of battery life on a full charge, or an additional 7 hours from a quick 10-minute charge, which is incredible. Interestingly, these lack an automatic inactivity shutoff feature, meaning they’ll continue to run if you fall asleep or forget to turn them off before you pack them up.
I soon discovered this after I’d been asleep for a good four hours on one of my flights, but realized that my phone was still connected and the headphones were still on despite having stopped my media playback before leaving consciousness. Obviously, this can be problematic when you’ve unexpectedly drained your remaining hours of charge and can’t use your headphones the next time you pull them out.
A silver lining, however, is that I could take advantage of the noise-canceling power of these headphones throughout my entire flight without putting on a white noise or low-volume track to keep the headphones running as you usually would.
Oddly, there doesn’t seem to be a way to change this power setting, though Edifier does offer a Shutdown Timer within the Connect App, which you can set to 5 minutes, 15 minutes, 30 minutes, 1 hour, or 3 hours. This is great if you’re falling asleep to a long ebook or podcast and know you’ll be asleep within a few hours, though it doesn’t fully excuse this simple omission.
As hinted at earlier, this isn’t its only quirk.
Limited Feature Set
Understandably, the WH950NB lacks some premium features that you’d find on more expensive headphones. The WH950NB headphones support the LDAC and SBC codec, which are solid choices, but the absence of AAC or AptX support could potentially leave some users yearning for a more comprehensive audio experience, especially if using an iPhone. But I wouldn’t consider myself an audiophile and in truth, I would not have known it was missing had I not looked at the spec sheet afterward.
Instead, coming from the Sonys, I quickly noticed that these did not offer ear detection, meaning that they can’t automatically pause or resume playback when taking them off or putting them on. Depending on how you use your headphones, this might be one of those features that you’ve come to expect with every pair. I certainly missed the convenience, but even this wasn’t the most notable omission.
Although the Edifier WH950NB uses a relatively conventional three-button layout for media playback, adjusting volume, toggling between different functions, and turning the headphones on or off, there’s a major oversight in that you can’t skip tracks. I tried every combination or single presses, double, triple, and long presses, before I realized that this wasn’t possible. With its otherwise excellent user experience, this inconvenience was especially annoying when I was roaming around without my phone on my person, or when I was half asleep and wanted to use quick on-headphone track navigation instead of pulling my phone out.
While some of the other quirks I mentioned are forgivable at the WH950NB’s lower price point, the lack of such a basic feature might be a deal breaker.
A Well-Rounded Pair of Headphones
The Edifier WH950NB headphones check several boxes when it comes to audio quality, comfort, and style. They hold their own remarkably well, even when compared to pricier competitors like my Sony WH-1000XM4s. I’d venture to say that for most non-audiophiles, the differences in audio playback might not be easily discernible. For those who want a less flat sound signature, these headphones offer simple flexibility with their EQ profiles, allowing you to dial in thumpier bass or a more pronounced attack.
While not quite on par with some high-end models, the noise cancelation performs admirably, even in more challenging environments like planes or busy streets. While the absence of features like on-ear detection and the limited sound codec support might be notable to those who have come to expect it, it’s the lack of physical track controls that could be the biggest deal breaker for some.
Nevertheless, if your priority is comfort, style, and great sound out of the box, the WH950NB headphones offer excellent value. It’s safe to say that the missing physical controls are primarily preventing them from being an even stronger recommendation in the sub-$200 Bluetooth headset category.
