Hi all.
For a long time, active noise reduction and spatial sound technologies were a closely guarded secret, owned by select companies. But the headphone category is somewhat similar to the smartphone market. There, too, previously you had to buy exclusively flagships if you wanted comfort. Today, on the contrary, you need to look for a good reason to buy a flagship, since models in the mid-price segment offer the best price-features ratio. The cost of Baseus Bowie H1i is about 6 thousand rubles, and in terms of sound quality and noise reduction, these headphones can easily compete with models that were sold for 15-17 thousand rubles a couple of years ago.
In this article we’ll see how the Baseus Bowie H1i turned out. And let’s immediately analyze the headphones into their pros and cons.
Why you should buy Baseus Bowie H1i
- Spatial sound. The spatial audio feature is well implemented. The headphones are great for both music and movies. The Bowie H1i has a 40mm biotech diaphragm and a neodymium driver.
- Certification for wireless Hi-Res Audio (LHDC codec).
- Advanced active noise cancellation + headphones have good passive noise isolation.
- 70 hours on a single charge with noise reduction turned on and 100 hours in basic mode. Charging via Type-C in 2 hours.
- Bluetooth 5.3 (simultaneous connection to 2 devices) + wired connection.
- Controlled through an app that has a good equalizer.
- Works well in headset mode.
- Comfortable fit.
- The controls are conveniently located.
What I didn’t like about the Baseus Bowie H1i:
- Glossy elements on the cups. Looks nice, but needs to be wiped down.
- Headphones are not intended for sports activities. Jump rope, horizontal bar, running – headphones can fall off (especially if you wear them over a hat).
- No transparency mode.
- The kit does not include a case or a carrying pouch (although I’m not sure that at this price you can be outraged by this fact).
Appearance and Controls
The Baseus Bowie H1i has a distinctive design that combines matte and glossy elements. The headphones are attached to the headband with a metal rod. It looks beautiful. The headband itself is made of plastic, inside of which there is a metal arc.
The headphones fit well on the head and completely cover the ear. The Baseus Bowie H1i fit snugly, but are still not designed for sports. After about an hour indoors, the ears begin to sweat, which is, in principle, typical for all devices of this type. But don’t think that headphones will keep you warm outside, so we recommend wearing them over a hat.
There are no comments about the build quality: the headphones are assembled reliably. The glossy area on the cups is a concern. Over the course of a couple of weeks of testing, I wore the headphones several times in my backpack, and no scratches appeared. Perhaps this is the same plastic as is used in smartphones. Then everything will be fine. However, we still recommend purchasing a carrying bag.
Sound and application
Baseus took the issue of sound quality seriously. The headphones have received Hi-Res audio certifications for both wired and wireless connections. We recommend paying attention to this point. Manufacturers often use a trick when Hi-Res refers only to a wired connection. Still, now a wired connection is more of a backup option in case the charge runs out.
The headphones support the LHDC (Low Latency High-Definition Audio Codec) codec. This codec has a bit depth of 24 and a maximum bitrate of 900 Kbps. There is also Spatial Audio 3D surround sound technology. Spatial Audio is a wonderful thing that transforms the sound of music, giving the listener a sense of space.
The technology will be especially appreciated by film buffs and gamers. In movies, headphones create the illusion of a personal cinema. I recommend watching movies and videos with Spatial Audio on YouTube. And in games, it allows you to clearly understand where the sound is coming from. This is important, for example, in competitive shooters: you play and hear that, for example, the enemy is on the right behind the wall or on the second floor of the building.
Spatial Audio is a separate mode in which the equalizer is not available. If you want to be able to customize the sound, then spatial sound will have to be turned off. Baseus offers several ready-made settings in the application, but you can always play with the equalizer yourself. The default mode is “Classic”, which gives a balanced sound with a slight emphasis on vocals.
The headphones do an excellent job with any composition. They create a sense of stage (you can clearly distinguish individual instruments), and the sound is clear even at maximum volume.
There is a “Deep Bass” mode in the equalizer settings, but in general the headphones don’t have much bass. On the other hand, we are talking about sound quality, and not about history, when any track turns into a layering of drums.
The headphones have a good volume reserve. And if you turn on the noise reduction mode, the sound will seem deafening.
As a headset, the Baseus Bowie H1i performed quite well. The interlocutors said that it was heard loudly and clearly, there was no effect as if you were sitting in a metal can.
Finally, it is worth mentioning that the headphones support Bluetooth 5.3 technology, which allows you to simultaneously connect to two devices (for example, a smartphone and a laptop) and quickly switch between sound sources.
Active Noise Cancellation
I won’t lie, the noise reduction level of the Baseus Bowie H1i is not the same as that of the three main masters of the industry, who sell headphones for 40–70 thousand rubles. However, very close.
Plus, the “noise reduction” is balanced: it doesn’t make your ears pop, it blocks out both monotonous low noise and people’s voices well. And if you turn on the music, you completely isolate yourself from the world.
Active noise cancellation makes the Baseus Bowie H1i an ideal travel companion for trains and planes.
Battery life
Baseus promises up to 100 hours in normal mode and up to 70 hours with active noise cancellation. There is no doubt about this. The practice of testing headphones shows that at the start of the model they play even more than the declared indicators.
100 hours is more than 4 days of sound. If you listen to the headphones for 2 hours a day, the charge will last for almost 2 months. For example, during the 2-week test, the headphones worked for a total of about 20 hours with noise cancellation turned on, and the application displayed that there was still 70% charge left. I listened to music at medium volume, since thanks to active noise cancellation, I don’t need to turn the volume up to maximum so that it blocks out the surrounding noise.
An additional advantage of such a gigantic battery life is that even if after several years of use the battery capacity decreases by 50%, the headphones will still be able to produce 30 hours on a single charge.
Conclusion
Baseus Bowie H1i captivates with its price. If you evaluate the headphones blindly, then based on the sound quality and noise reduction, you can assume that they cost 15–17 thousand rubles. If we evaluate only the design and materials, then the price in the region of 10–11 thousand rubles looks adequate. A Baseus Bowie H1i is sold at M.Video for 5,999 rubles. And at this price it’s impossible to find fault with the headphones. This turns out to be the best option for headphones for every day, which are comfortable to watch movies and play shooters.
Advertising. Jiangxi Beichen Technology Co., Ltd
INN: 769275664510
Source: mobile-review.com
