OneOdio A30 ANC in test: A lot of headphones for little money?

You want to buy new headphones? The view then usually leads very quickly to the Internet. Once online, however, you will find a huge flood of different models. In addition to well-known manufacturers like Sony and Bose, the number of companies from the Far East that are unknown in this country has also increased significantly. This has not only been the case for conventional wired headphones for quite some time. Even wireless devices, whose purchase a few years ago was still necessarily tied to horrendous costs, are becoming more affordable through products from China and Co.

In terms of performance, these do not necessarily have to hide behind established producers. One reason for this is certainly the sharp increase in demand for wireless audio products. After all, Apple’s AirPods not only caused a rethink in the in-ear sector, but also shook up the market for on- and over-ears to boot. It wasn’t long before nearly every audio manufacturer was marketing their own pair of wireless headphones. The resulting competition has led to many options, but just as much confusion.

Today we want to take a look at the rather unknown OneOdio A30 ANC Bluetooth headphones. These are large over-ear headphones that are intended more for music than for video conferencing. In addition to ergonomics and design, we want to take a close look at battery life, controls, and Bluetooth stability. Let’s see what there is to know about these affordable and equally stylish headphones from the Far East.

Technical details

Scope of delivery

Inside the compact package is everything you need to use the over-ears. In addition to the pair of headphones themselves, the box contains the matching charging cable (USB-C to USB-A), an AUX cable, and even a handy carrying case for the OneOdio A30. The scope of delivery is rounded off by an airplane plug.

Design and finish

The OneOdio A30 ANC Bluetooth headphones are big, black and eye-catching. In a sense, this is a serious fashion statement, as they are virtually impossible to miss. The ear pads are designed to cover not only the entire ear, but the area around it as well.

The inevitable result is wide, flat ear cups. To prevent a visually unsightly discrepancy, OneOdio also makes the headband wider and flatter than is typical. This uniform look makes for a cool, fashionable design.

But what’s the reason for the wide design of the earcups? The simple answer is comfort.
When you first put the A30 on, it’s clear that this one can hold its own with far more expensive models. By distributing the weight and contact pressure over a large surface area, the A30s score points for a smooth fit without being loose.

The padding is not as thick as in other headphones. However, that doesn’t bother. Here again the good distribution of the weight comes into play. Even after a few hours of wearing, the over-ears still sat comfortably. It did get a bit warm, though. However, this is typical for synthetic leather covers.

It’s not just the ear pads that stand out for their comfort. The light padding on the headband of the A30 can also be seen and felt. The soft foam with leatherette cover rests softly on the head. The heart of the headphones is an inner frame made of flat steel. This is characterized not only by robustness, but also flexibility.

You can comfortably tilt the earcups of the A30, see them 360 degrees and bend them 180 degrees. This makes the over-ears quite comfortable to fit pretty much any head size and shape.

We particularly like the compact form factor that the headphones can take with appropriate folding. Combined with the included carrying case, the headphones are pleasingly portable.

The Controls

The controls are split between the left and right ear cups. On the left side are the power button as well as the volume buttons. If you make calls with the A30, other functions are assigned to the buttons as well. Besides the buttons, there is also a 3.5 mm jack on the left side. The right ear cup houses the USB-C charging port as well as a slider with which Active Noise Cancelling (ANC) can be turned on and off.

Somewhat untypical, but quite practical, is the fact that you can activate ANC separately from the actual power button. This can definitely pay off during an occasional nap. However, this can also be a secret battery guzzler. Thus, you should always make sure that you really turn both functions off again when Bluetooth is turned on and ANC is activated.

Battery

As with most ANC headphones, the battery life of the A30 depends on how you use the over-ears. If you have noise cancellation permanently enabled, you obviously can’t expect maximum battery life. This is because the ANC chipset and the microphones themselves draw a lot of juice. When used purely as headphones, you can expect up to 25 hours of playtime at medium volume. Even when enjoying loud music, the A30s still score with well over 20 hours of battery life.

If you want to use the active noise cancellation during your music enjoyment, the battery life drops to just under 15 to 18 hours. This is still a good value. If you only use the headphones with active ANC to suppress background noise, they last up to 45 hours. All in all, OneOdio really shows an amazing stamina here. The expensive competition does not perform much better in this discipline.

Once the battery is empty, it can be conveniently recharged via USB-C port. The battery is full again after just under two hours and the A30 is ready for use again. If you need to charge quickly, the over-ears also offer a convenient quick-charge function. After just five minutes, you’ll already have enough juice for two more hours of listening pleasure.

Connectivity

The A30’s wireless connection is established via Bluetooth 5.0. This means that OneOdio uses a current wireless standard, which ensures a stable connection, high sound quality and low latency. Holding down the power button for a few seconds puts the A30 into pairing mode. You can then connect the smartphone or another Bluetooth source. I did not have to deal with any disconnections in my 80 m² apartment. When streaming series on Netflix, the picture and sound also matched without any delays.

If you don’t feel like a wireless connection or don’t have a suitable Bluetooth device at hand, you can also easily connect the A30 via cable. The included 3.5 mm jack cable is used for this. The big advantage of the cable connection is that no battery power is required. So, if you don’t have a chance to charge the A30’s battery, you can simply connect it via cable. A good emergency solution! However, the situation is different with ANC. To be able to use the noise cancellation, the headphones need namely electricity.

Sound Quality

The sound base of the A30 is created by the two 40 mm drivers. Due to the spacious earcups, large volumes of air can be set in motion between the ear and the ear cushions. The air masses ensure that the over-ears from OneOdio can score especially in the bass range. Drivers with a smaller diameter cannot keep up.

But unlike many headphones with strong bass, the sound here is more rounded. This means that the A30s can also offer detailed highs and mids. From booming bass drums to melodic guitar solos to fine vocals, the A30s surprised me positively in pretty much every discipline. On top of that, there’s a wide soundstage, which is especially fun at live concerts.

Of course, you don’t get perfect audio here. Instead, the A30s clearly have to admit defeat to more expensive models. They sound good, but the details in particular are in completely different spheres with headphones like the Sony WH-1000XM3 or the Bose QuietComfort 35. However, such a comparison is inappropriate anyway, since these headphones cost many times more than the A30. If you take a look at competitors in the same price range, you have to search for a long time to find comparable performance.

One of the best features of the OneOdio A30 is its ANC function, which is rarely available at this price. This system uses external microphones to detect ambient noise. Internal circuitry and speakers then eliminate that noise, so all you hear is your music. The ANC mode is only partially effective, though. It does eliminate traffic, engines, crowds, and other background noise, but it’s still perceptible.

Sometimes you don’t necessarily want to listen to music to be able to use ANC. That’s where it’s a big advantage that the noise cancellation can also be used separately from the classic headphone performance. The mode is just as effective when your music is turned off. If you want to take a nap on an airplane, for example, you can lower the loud turbine noises even without music. But they will still be noticeable, at least partially.

However, I personally noticed the ANC a bit negatively during music playback. Thus, the sound quality decreased significantly with active noise cancellation. The detailed trebles and mids seemed duller and lost their positive overall impression. Accordingly, it is advisable to use the A30 for pure music listening on the one hand and as pure sound protection on the other. However, this is a subjective feeling. Sound is always a matter of taste.

Handsfree

With the A30s, you can also make convenient phone calls. The so-called CVC 8.0 voice isolation is used for the hands-free function. The basis of this feature is comparable to noise cancellation. The microphones that are also used for ANC are used here. The CVC focuses on your voice and eliminates background noise. The purpose is that the person on the other end can understand you as well and clearly as possible. However, it becomes clear here that these are comparatively cheap headphones. The voice seems rather tinny, which suggests a rather average recording quality.

Conclusion

With the A30 ANC, OneOdio delivers a real price-performance hit. The ANC feature isn’t perfect, but it works reasonably well. The sound quality is particularly impressive. I have yet to experience comparable performance in this price range. The battery life is also excellent. With up to 25 hours in normal use, there is hardly anything to complain about here. And thanks to the quick-charge function, you can quickly recharge the over-ears when needed. Last but not least, the manufacturer scores with a chic design that strikes an excellent balance between comfort and mobility. If you’re looking for a lot of headphones for little money, you might find what you’re looking for with the OneOdio A30.