The true wireless market has a wide range of brands all offering something different and Cambridge Audio are no different they have been producing personal audio offerings that are paired with great value for money.
In this review, we have been lucky to receive the Cambridge Audio Melomania M100 which is currently available for £149 but what makes these so different?
Well, it’s the fact these buds now have ANC plus the fact they have incredible battery life. There is also a unique feature the voice that announces the bud has connected and which mode they are on is Matt Berry known for his iconic roles in the IT Crowd or The Mighty Boosh.
Build & Design
The M100 come with a teardrop design, and you will notice they do not protrude out of the ears too much. They come with a black matt finish and subtle silver accents that add to the overall design and make these look premium.
The charging case is a standard pillbox shape made of plastic and with three LED lights on the front to indicate battery levels and a USB-C charging port on the rear and the case is finished off with a subtle bit of branding on the top of the case.
Finally, the packaging that the M100 come with is eco-friendly but also premium at the same time. It provides the buyer with a nice unboxing experience.
When it comes to wearing the M100 the buds are light and comfortable to wear and offer a secure fit straight away but the benefit of the additional ear tips – three pairs of silicone & two pairs of foam ear tips in various sizes to offer the best fit.
Unfortunately, there is no ear tip fit test within the app that some brands offer. It would have a nice feature to have but it’s hardly a dealbreaker. Take a deeper look inside the earbuds are 10mm divers tuned by Cambridge Audio and powered by Class A/B amplification that matches the brand’s Hi-Fi stereo amplifiers. The buds also offer an IPX4 splashproof rating which can handle the unpredictable British weather, but I would advise against taking them to the gym.
Moving to the controls everything is done via touch controls. You can control playback, ambient noise control, voice assistant and call controls. Cambridge Audio provide you with this useful little card which allows you to learn the controls. Generally, all actions are either a single or double tap.
The touch controls respond well but there are times when you need to make a firmer tap, but this prevents any accidental brushes. You can also toggle all these touch control options on or off via the Melomania Connect app. You can reassign controls if you wish.
Battery Life
The Cambridge Audio Melomania M100 offers 10 hours of battery life when ANC is switched on which is quite impressive and this increases to 16 hours if ANC is switched off which will last most of the day. If you do need more battery life the charging case offers two full charges.
When it’s time to charge these buds, charging is done via USB-C or wirelessly and a 10-minute wired charge offers fast charging, and this will give you 2 hours of playtime with ANC on or 4 hours with ANC off.
Features
The standout feature when it comes to the M100 is they have included ANC (Active Noise Cancellation) and they have also included transparency mode (Ambient Mode).
When testing the hybrid ANC, it works quite well and adapts according to your surrounding noise levels. For example, when walking down London Liverpool Street, the Full ANC mode dampens down the outside noise considerably and smooths out any harsh noises. When I took the train the sound of the engine was also reduced to a smoothness making my journey more enjoyable.
Using the Melomania Connect app you can also adjust the ANC from High to Medium and low options depending on how much of the outside world you want to welcome into your ears.
Transparency mode (Ambient Mode) was less successful when I tried to use this mode at the station to pick up what platform my train was coming in at I struggled to hear the Tannoy. A solution is switching on voice focus mode in the app as this makes voices heard more clearly but it’s still not the best in the market for offering transparency mode.
Cambridge Audio have also made sure these buds at future-proof when it comes to Bluetooth 5.3 with LE Audio on board and they also support aptX lossless CD-quality streams. They are also granted AAC & SBC codecs which offer Hi-Res Audio for example when listening to music on the likes of Tidal & Apple Music.
The M100 are also compatible with the Melomania Connect app and this adds to the whole experience. The app itself is well presented and appointed with features from audio presets (six EQ Presets) to devising your own custom EQ using a seven-band graphic EQ to customise the sound to your test.
Examples of some of the available EQ presets are Blues, Electronic & Rock.
The buds come with a wear detection that when removed pauses the music when the bud is taken out of the ear. This feature is something that is becoming more and more standard as I have this in my Beats Fit Pro have this feature and I think it’s a fantastic feature to have.
Other features in the M100 include multipoint connection, mono mode (For sharing a bud with a friend), and gaming mode which offers a reduced latency for better audio when gaming. There is also a sleep mode which deactivates all touch controls and voice prompts when wearing buds in bed.
Audio Quality
Cambridge Audio has always been known for audio quality and the Melomania M100 offers a wide, expansive soundstage offering plenty of energy. Regardless of what I listen to, there is a smoothness that gives the midrange a richness. You will also notice the clarity as far as the treble performs very well.
When listening to tracks huge area of space in which instruments and vocals play. The M100 are impressively detailed and clear with every drum snap and breathy vocal coming through with crisp detail, allowing you to turn the volume up without getting too fatigued.
When listening to a classic like Phil Colins’ “Easy Lover” the high notes sound controlled and composed. They are comfortable to listen to. When listening to something at the lower end such as Eminem’s “Forget About Dre” are sharp and taut and there is enough solidity for piano notes to sound substantial while we’ve heard more nimble presentations, the M100 are not slothful when it comes to timing.
Last by not least the M100 dynamics are rather constrained, we would like to hear more variations in the dynamic ebb and flow of a song, and a wider scope of dynamic contrast that would liven up the M100’s presentation. Compared to the Airpods Pro 2 the M100 could benefit from an energy shot to better relay the momentum and rhythmic drive of songs.
Verdict
The Cambridge Audio Melomania M100 pretty much delivers on its brief of offering a high-quality performance. They are well-designed wireless earbuds with fun and flagship features that are worth considering the price tag.
The sound quality is energetic and enjoyable and what you come to expect with a brand like Cambridge Audio. I found the ANC to be quite effective, but the transparency mode is what lets these buds down a tad. I was also pleased with the battery life and call quality also ticked the boxes for me. If you also enjoy the tones of Matt Berry in your ears these are a great pair of buds.
So, if you’re looking for a detailed, balanced sound, effective ANC and useful app then I can be more than happy to recommend these buds.
Product Rating
Design: 4.0 out of 5.0 stars
Comfort: 5.0 out of 5.0 stars5.0
Features: 4.0 out of 5.0 stars
Audio Quality: 4.0 out of 5.0 stars
Value for Money: 5.0 out of 5.0 stars5.0
Overall ranking: 4.4 out of 5.0 stars – 4.4 stars
Cambridge Audio Melomania M100 are available via Amazon for £149
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