SuperEQ is a new sub-brand of the well-known OneOdio headphone manufacturer and is the most popular budget audio brand on Amazon, is back with a new Headphones Series under the name SuperEQ S1. So after our review of Q2 Pro and seeing the quality of the company’s products, I am more optimistic this time.
These new Headphones have a stylish appearance, good specifications, and most importantly it is cheap. It’s equipped with wireless operation and Hybrid Active Noice Cancelling helps reduce outside noise, making it much easier to focus on your work and a 40mm dynamic driver for High-Quality Sound with the help of Bluetooth 5.0 Chip to transmit a flawless connection, the wireless earphone gives you a 40h battery life, all this in one place. So I’ll take a look at them to see if they live up to the best budget wireless headphones under $60 by inviting you to discover our opinion in this article.
Disclaimer: Thanks to SuperEQ for sending to us SuperEQ S1 in exchange for an honest review, and all observations and opinions are my own based on my experience with the product.
SuperEQ S1 Features
- Hybrid Active Noise Cancellation
- Bluetooth 5.0 Chip
- 40mm Drivers For Hi-Res Audio & Deep Bass
- Built-in 5 Mics; Ambient Sound Mode
- 45h Long Playtime
- One-Step Pairing & Wireless & Wired
- Multi-Point Connection (Two Devices)
- Foldable And Convenient
Video Unboxing
Design And Build Quality
The SuperEQ S1 portable headphone follows a lively look with its foldable interior for easy storage with earcups and a beautiful matte black and white version. On both versions, the wireless headphone uses a red design inside the headband. The build is well made and looks sturdy enough despite the hard plastic but it’s light on the head for its size and weighs 282g so it doesn’t create much pressure on the top of the head.
The headband, it’s nice that it’s made of metal so you can take it off constantly without worrying about it breaking and it adds stability to stay on your head, luckily it doesn’t add a lot of weight and can be adjusted with just a few steps. And as an aesthetic touch, there is a poster that expresses the slogan adopted by the company and the target audience “Be Young” and “Be Free”.
The protein leather ear pads with just the right amount of padding are very soft and comfortable to wear, the synthetic leather covered with a durable and soft lining was comfortable for me wearing them for a long period of time and could just cover my ears without putting too much pressure on them and it might be different if you have bigger ears . The inner ear cups are also marked L and R for left and right. The exterior has a distinctive gray SuperEQ logo. Each ear cup also has microphones that help cancel out more background noise or phone calls when paired with a smartphone.
Ports
As for the plugs, the S1 is a hybrid so it can be powered with a cable via the 3.5mm headphone jack or wirelessly via Bluetooth. Wireless connectivity proves easy and hassle-free. Unfortunately, its attached Micro USB charging port that I found is still a bit restricted to just 20cm in length instead of the more common Type-C port.
Buttons And Controls
Finally, there are no touch-sensitive controls but it is compensated by four buttons for controls all placed on the right ear piece.
The three buttons next to each other are for power on and off, bluetooth pairing, and volume and track skip. Next to these three buttons, we have the LED indicator. A fourth button is located a little further from the rest of the buttons, it allows changing modes, turning on/off ambient sound and canceling noise by pressing it once.
With that, you need to memorize the different functions of pressing the short and long buttons, plus it’s good that the buttons have dimples to help you feel what you’re doing, the button in the middle is used to turn the headphones on, and off with the pairing function. By pressing the right button (two points) and the right button (one point) to increase and decrease the volume respectively and to switch the track (press and hold for two seconds). The headphones also allow you to answer, hang up, or switch calls. In short, the controls are adequate but they are small and will take some time to get used to.
The good thing is that while changing between modes, a voice assistant tells you which mode you have enabled so that you can realize which mode you are in and which function is being performed after pressing a button.
SuperEQ S1 – Connectivity & Pairing
The SuperEQ S1 can be wired or wireless. Wireless is a better choice for those who want to move as it offers strong compatibility with both IOS and Android devices and adopts Bluetooth 5.0 technology for stable and powerful transmission, lower delay, and smoother connection for high sound quality. In terms of codecs, the most popular SBC and AAC audio decoding are supported and aptX is not.
Pairing is easy and simple All you have to do is press the middle pairing button for five seconds, and wait for the red and blue light to flash. Then turn on Bluetooth on your device, and connect to the SuperEQ S1. A flashing red and white light indicates that the headphones and device are paired, and timeouts when the lights go out after five minutes.
And you can enjoy music up to 10 meters long even with thin walls between you and your device and if you are not within the effective range, the connection will be disconnected. For wired, it is the best option for those who want to focus on work so that using the headphone jack gives you unlimited usage while showing off the good sound quality and driver capabilities.
Multipoint Connection
One of the unique and odd features of the S1 headphones is the multi-point connection. So that you can connect headphones at the same time to only two devices (music sources). Perhaps this will not be a feature that everyone will benefit from, but it is definitely a nice plus feature that you may need in some cases such as playing a video game on your laptop and at the same time playing music from your smartphone while gaming.
The pairing process is not complicated and easy, all you have to do is follow these steps:
- Make sure the headphones are connected to the first Bluetooth device successfully.
- Turn off the Bluetooth of the first device.
- Turn on the second device’s Bluetooth, search for “SuperEQ S1” and select it to pair with your device.
- And on the Bluetooth of the first device and select “SuperEQ S1” to pair it again.
Performance Overview
SuperEQ makes sure the headphones can deliver a good audio experience with 40mm dynamic drivers, and the ANC mode is able to reduce background noise up to 33dB. and Ambient Sound (Transparency) Mode, amplifying ambient sound, so you can listen to people talking without having to pause your song. There is also a built-in microphone that can be used for phone calls.
SuperEQ S1 Audio Quality
Knowing that the SuperEQ S1 is a budget-friendly option, however, it is equipped with a 40mm dynamic driver that is fully capable of producing high-quality sound, so it doesn’t give you any distortion even at high volume levels or unfavorable tones, which is great, because in many Of the cases budget headphones can become a problem at high volume levels with an unwanted stream of distortion. However, the S1 pays special attention to the heavy bass, as it is balanced and tuned to the right level. It’s not overly strong and seems well suited to giving a nice balance, so they mostly excelled with rich bass tunes such as dance, electronic styles, and hip-hop – that’s the kind of music this type of headphone produces so well.
When listening to pop music, we’ve found the vocals are relatively low, the high frequencies aren’t quite as bright with many layers struggling for clarity and bleed through in a lot of frequency response. The mid-range sounds are pushed into the background by excessive bass, while the treble in particular is completely lost.
However, for the price, the bass is enough to be acceptable, the bass elements receive some coloration, and the smooth resonance, especially when listening to rock music with more percussion instruments is more enjoyable. The bass is really full and powerful. So listening through these headphones was a somewhat satisfying experience that you don’t usually get with headphones under $100.
Regardless of the type of music or audio style, the convenience of Bluetooth is undeniable, though the loss of sound quality was evident in the wireless mode compared to the wired mode. And as a side note in wired mode with ANC turned off you get good bass, but with ANC turned on in wired mode the sound is thinner and doesn’t have any bass. In wireless mode, you get good bass whether the ANC is off or on. In addition, the wired mode does not work when the headphones lose power.
Overall, the SuperEQ S1 Hybrid Wireless Headphones is a stylish and good bass headphone targeting the youth market, it represents good value for money and provides a great experience for music lovers.
SuperEQ S1 – Hybrid Active Noise Canceling
In addition to the sound quality, one of the outstanding features of the SuperEQ S1 headphones is the Hybrid ANC technology and advanced noise reduction algorithm that is able to create a really great mix because it reduces ambient noise up to 33dB, which means that it can filter out up to 90% of external noise. The downside is that there’s only a dedicated microphone for this feature, so it’s best to think of it as noise reduction rather than full cancellation. That’s why you can hear some minor noises and unnecessary low frequency, and activating and disabling ANC will not give you that dazzling impression with a fair impact on sound quality by providing you a clean acoustic environment, which is acceptable in this category.
To keep it simple, the high end of the background noise will still be audible, which helps with directional identification, and it can’t be compared to expensive headphones from established brands, but it’s pretty cool in the lower price range.
Amient/Transparency Modes
Modes are one of the features of the SuperEQ S1 headphones. When Transparency Mode is activated, you can still hear traffic, someone talking, and footsteps without having to take off your headphones. The effect is not strong and somewhat muffled, but it is audible.
Call Quality
In addition to the audio modes, the call quality of the SuperEQ S1 is interesting. It sounded better and was above average because the headphones were under $100, though I wouldn’t say it’s not perfect, it’s a lot better than some other headphones in the same price range and a bit higher.
So the call quality is excellent and this is due to having a good quality built-in microphone that picks up your voice very clearly without picking up all the sounds around you from echoing or anything else to distort and the other party didn’t have any problem with our voice. And since the sound quality is also good on these headphones, the caller was heard with excellent clarity as well. So there are no complaints regarding phone calls, which makes this headset ideal for random phone calls throughout the day or online conferences or classes.
Low-Latency – Delay In Headphones
After that, the latency of the SuperEQ S1 is not bad and just needs some optimization, so that you can watch videos or play online games on both iPhone and Android without noticeable audio delay.
When it comes to gaming, Bluetooth 5.0 works well with minimal latency, and FPS gaming is a viable option with these headphones. You won’t notice a problem when listening to an audio file on headphones, but when watching a movie and video in the YouTube or Netflix app, there is a slight lag, about half a second or less, between when actions are performed in the movie playback and when the feedback reaches your ear. This also applies to gaming, which is almost normal, and you can find it on most wireless headphones in this price range. However, there is always the option to use it wired.
SuperEQ S1 Battery And Charging Time
In terms of battery, the SuperEQ S1 is equipped with a built-in 380mAh Li-Polymer battery that provides the user with 40-50h of uninterrupted playback which equates to 10 days for two weeks of moderate use before they need to be charged again, of course, varies Battery life depending on whether ambient noise or noise cancellation is turned on.
With the ANC turned off we should get up to 50h and with the ANC turned on we get about 40h though it still lasts a long time compared to most wireless headphones in this price range. And there is always the option to use them via the headphone jack cable. So if you’re more concerned about battery life, the SuperEQ S1 might be a really good choice.
Recharging the S1 from 0 to 100% takes no more than two hours but what some may find upsetting is the lack of a USB-C port that is most convenient to use due to its being reversible and has been replaced by micro USB. Despite this, in terms of performance in charging speed, there will not be a huge difference, and there is also no fast charging support.
When the battery red light flashes once every 5s, it means the battery level is low. A continuous red light indicates charging, while a white light indicates that it is fully charged. The headphones turn off automatically if they are not in use after 10m. By the way, If the power is out, you cannot use the S1 headphones while charging either via Bluetooth or wired.
Verdict
Overall, for those on a tight budget, the SuperEQ S1 Hybrid ANC headphones are a great true wireless option that offers a lot for the money where the perfect sound is with the presence of ANC.
SuperEQ managed to create a well-balanced device. And be sure that you will get more than you pay for with good build quality, foldable design, stylish, comfortable and more youth-focused, as well as impressive battery life and a disappointment with Micro USB, the sound quality is very good and balanced and the bass is free from distortion For its price with some lacking, ANC works fairly well with a volume contrast between on and off ANC when connected via cable, call quality is excellent. So, the S1 headphones definitely stand out from the crowd and are worth giving it a shot.
SuperEQ Q2 Pro Price And Where To Buy
The SuperEQ S1 Headphone is currently available on the Official SuperEQ Website for a very good price and you can use the code ” MORE20/SAVE20 “ to save 60% off, which the price become just $44.8. so don’t miss out on this great deal.
What’s in the Box?
- SuperEQ S1 ANC Headphones
- Storage bag
- User Guides
- 3.5mm Jack Cable
- USB Charging Cable
- Airplane Adapter
SuperEQ S1 Specifications
- Speaker Diameters 40mm
- Connection Bluetooth/Wire
- Noise Control Hybrid Active Noise Cancelling (ANC)
- Noise Reduction Depth 28-33dB
- Frequency Response 20Hz-20KHz
- Bluetooth 5.0
- Bluetooth Range 10m/33ft
- Battery Life 40 Hours (ANC & BT), 45 Hours (BT), 50 (ANC)
- Charging Time 3 Hours
- Impedance 32 Ohms +/- 10%
- Sensitivity 98dB +/- 3dB
- Impedance: 32 Ohms +/- 10%
- Use time 1: 40 hours (ANC+BT)
- Use time 2: 45 hours (BT only)
- — time 3: 50 hours (ANC only)
- Net weight: 280g
