Nakamichi Elite Bluetooth Wireless Headphone Review

 

Promotion

Walked past an AV shop inside Changi Airport and stopped to try one. Bought one! It was on promotion for S$129 (about 70 squid).

Very unlike me but it's happened before. But after wearing my E80S IEM (In-Ear Monitor) for almost the entire flight from London to Singapore and doing various comparison already in weeks prior, I was confident of my spot assessment. Ahem....

• On-ear headphone.
• Works with Bluetooth or wired (EQ only for Bluetooth).
• Has unnoticeable noise cancellation (or so I thought - more later*)
• Has a build-in mic
• And supplied with one micro-USB charging and two audio cables (one with mic and button).

First Impression

It was love at first sight, or whatever it's called for auditory.

I tested only via Bluetooth and amazed by the bass and vocal clarity.

What had prevented me from wearing over-ear cans in public is the monstrosity (size) and the prohibitive price. This costs about a quarter of the Sennheiser Momentum 2.0 Wireless.

Initial Use

The bass is just right. Not boomy but has that sub vib (sound pressure) that my E80S iem couldn't muster. Wireless is more bassy; tightens up and open up spatially when wired.

Noticed some clipping sound when bass is low and strong with Bluetooth as in Arrival to Earth. I'm told by an engineer working and testing at CSR-Qualcomm that it's par for Bluetooth 4.0. You'll find plenty of complaints if you Google the web for "Bluetooth popping/cracking/crackling" with various random advice on how to resolve them. This applies to speakers as well as headphones and I am only surprised that I wasn't aware of this when researching and almost buying a JBL Charge 2/3 speaker.

Plugging in the wire improves the sound - detail, separation and no more clipping noise. Reducing the bass output using the EQ setting also removes the cracklings.

Secondly the ear gets a bit hot after medium long session. I haven't worn a on-ear headphone for many years. After a few days, I got more used to it. The sound is so seductive though.

Sound isolation isn't very good but the sound leakage is minimal (very slightly audible 2 meters away when played medium loud in the office). I can't tell what the noise cancellation actually do.

"6th generation CVC Noise Reduction" is mentioned in CSR-Qualcomm brochure. My understanding now is that it is for the mic (input path) and not enhancing output/in-ear noise cancellation.

Bass

Any more and it'd be uncomfortable for extended use. The thump/feel of drums and bass lines is simply no comparison with IEMs or even the Sennheiser HD380 (let alone HD280). It feels like listening to my floorstanding bone-shaking speakers at home but with even clearer treble.

If not for the Bluetooth clipping noise it'd be almost perfect. But when wired, bass quantity is slightly reduced but quality is better and the it's perfect!

Maybe the soundstage of the HD380 and air is slightly better. Comparing immediately after the Elite will sound a bit distant. Elite is also more sensitive, which is a big plus for smartphones.

Actually I recently auditioned the Beats Solo 3 (on-ear) and Studio 3 (over-ear) at Apple Store and it reaffirms my believe that on-ear has a more immediate presence and stronger bass. Maybe it's the shorter distant to the ear. The same difference was also found with B&W's P5 vs P7. On-ear is definitely better suited to limited power of mobiles. The downside is makers don't put ANC on their on-ear offerings.

Back to bass. One pro reviewer put it way better that I could, calling it: "providing meaty thuds without major boominess, Limited dynamics and a lack of spatial detail.".

Bluetooth Problem

I'm sad to report that the £200 Beats Solo 3 does not show the same Bluetooth clicks that this £70 Nakamichi.

Comparison

Compared again to Studio3 and Solo3 and Momentum2 – all in Bluetooth wireless mode.

Without the crackle, this Nakamichi has the best sound. Overall, Momentum2 wins for over-ear comfort, lightweight, lack of Bluetooth crackle, good ANC and closest sound to the Nakamichi. I think the Studio3 has a better ANC and the sound is very clean in noisy environment.

Need to test again. 

Conclusion

Overall very impressed with the sound. For wired, it's got an almost perfect balance of sound I'm after. The Bluetooth clipping problem is one of those things that if it bothers you, it's a zero star return item or if you can overlook it, it's a still five star product. I really hope they make the same headphones with upgraded Bluetooth or LDAC wireless should they become universal. It's almost two headphones, two very good headphones in my opinion, in one. Personally I'd give it 4 stars, losing half each for clicks and pad overheating.

Technical Specification:

Headphone Type: Over the head
Driver: 40mm
Frequency Response: 20-20KHz
Impedance: 32 ohm
Sensitivity: 106+/-5db/mW
Bluetooth / Wireless range: 10m
Connection: Bluetooth 4.1
Weight: 200g