Aukey EP-B36

The mix of plastic, metal and soft faux-leather upholstery of these lightweight 151 gram on-ear headphones looks both robust and well produced. The extendable rail that allows for headband adjustment is made of sturdy metal, while the folding mechanism is constructed from plastic. The headphones cups, discreet in size, have soft padding that adapts to the shape of the head thanks to swivelling suspension. This ensures a good fit with extremely pleasant levels of comfort. Due to their high adaptability and comfortable features, these headphones can be worn over long periods of time without any worry whatsoever.

The power of these on-ear headphones is supplied by a 420 mAh lithium polymer battery, which provides a total of 18 hours of operation. This is a respectable length for a product of this size and weight. The remaining battery capacity can be read in conjunction with iOS devices thanks to a battery indicator in the upper right corner, just next to the Bluetooth headset icon. When the battery is flat, charging can take up to three hours using the supplied cable. As an alternative to Bluetooth operation, wired use is also possible thanks to a 3.5mm audio input. A mini jack cable for this purpose comes with the accessories included with the headphones themselves.

Bluetooth connection

The Bluetooth Standard 4.1 with a range of 10 metres is supported by these headphones. However, this specification could not be confirmed in practical tests with various Android and iOS devices. That being said, there was stable and error-free operation over distances of seven to eight metres, which is still a very respectable result. The pairing of the EP-B36 to desired devices is user-friendly and can be done easily by holding down the multi-purpose button on the right headphone earpiece. This switches the system on and automatically to pairing mode, which is indicated by a sound.

Device control

The right side of these headphones houses two buttons and an integrated microphone to control your device functions, including volume control, start or stop, track selection and several other hands-free functions. The arrow button is used for volume control, but is also utilised for track navigation by holding it down. The multi-function button located on the other side of the headphones controls the play/stop function and allows you to answer and end calls.

The model also supports pairing with two devices via a convenient multipoint connection function, along with commonly used hands-free functions. These include the rejection of, forwarding or muting of a call, as well as the ability to redial, all the while a very acceptable voice quality is had on both ends.

Sound

These Bluetooth headphones have a high output with a high volume potential, allowing for listening pleasure, even at lower levels. Tonal tuning has clearly prioritised bass, while the admittedly delicate looking on-ear cans deliver very dynamic results. Sound is very lively and far from one-dimensional. Despite a drop in quality at the higher frequency levels, the price point of these headphones represents quality sound performance for the money and universally appealing.