Today we’ll be looking at the Air Joy Plus by EKSA, an ultra-light headset with 7.1 surround sound support. It comes in a small box (pictured above) for protection of the headset during shipping.
Headset | EKSA® E5 Active Noise Cancelling Wireless Headphones |
Price | $109.99 MSRP, but frequently on sale. Code EKSAVIP will provide a 15% discount when it isn’t on sale via EKSA’s website. |
Driver Diameter | 40mm |
Impedance | 32Ω |
Noise Reduction | 20-25dB |
Battery | 920mAH, rated for 60 hours of use. 2.5hrs charging time, 10 minute “quick charge” |
Bluetooth | 5.0, via Qualcomm QCC3003 Chipset |
Weight | 250g |
Cable Lengths | 1m for USB-C to Analog Audio, 0.5m for USB-A to USB-C charging cable |
What comes in the box
Included with EKSA’s E5 are:
- EKSA E5 Bluetooth Headphones
- Carrying Case
- In-flight plug adapter
- USB-C to Analog Audio Cord
- USB-A to USB-C Charging Cord
- Manuals
What I would change
While testing EKSA’s E5, I couldn’t find many things to complain about. These are a great pair of headphones – but there are two things I would have done differently.
The first thing I would have changed has to deal with USB – while it charges via USB, it does not support USB Audio. This is a bit confusing, as it does support a corded connection through the included USB-C to Analog audio cord.
The other thing I would change is the earmuffs. The EKSA E5 includes premium protein memory foam earmuffs. These are very comfortable to use, however as this material is not very “breathable” the earmuffs will warm up a bit while using them.
What I liked
I could summarize this section by saying “literally everything“.
Battery Life
EKSA advertises 60 hours of playtime on a fully charged battery. While I didn’t test it thoroughly enough to test these claims, I used the headphones heavily over the course of two weeks, charging it once a week. During this time, I never once ran low on battery power.
Active Noise Cancellation
EKSA’s E5 also includes an Active Noise Cancellation feature to subdue outside noises. I tested this feature in a variety of environments, and found the feature to be very effective – even the loudest environments were largely muted. However, the E5’s audio balance is affected when this feature is enabled – bass is reduced, while mid-ranged & trebles are slightly louder.
Audio Quality
I was expecting the audio quality to be alright, but nothing amazing.
I was wrong…. simply put, the audio quality of EKSA’s E5 headset absolutely blew my ears away. These headphones pack amazing quality.
The audio quality for movies is great, providing an experience similar (but better!) to movie theaters – but without the distortion typically observed at public cinemas.
Listening to bass-heavy music on these headphones, like Infected Mushroom, was an absolute delight, with almost perfectly balanced quality. No distortion or muffling was noticed at any time – unless the audio source was of poor quality. Bass is not only crisp and undistorted, but it’s bass you can deeply *feel* and not just hear.
These headphones aren’t just good for bass heavy music! I also tested EKSA’s E5 by listening to other types of music such as Nickel Creek (Bluegrass), Lindsey Stirling (Instrumental), and Rise Against (Rock). No matter what type of music I was listening to, the quality was crisp and I often found myself noticing details I had missed when listening to the same songs with cheaper headphones.
Conclusion
I was genuinely impressed with the audio quality provided by EKSA’s E5 headphones – the perfectly crisp, undistorted bass absolutely blew my ears away when listening to music. Listening to movies provided a “theater-like” experience, but with crisper audio quality. I can’t quite put into words how much I enjoyed testing these headphones.
EKSA’s E5 has a MSRP of $109.99, but it is frequently on sale for a cheaper price. Currently, they are available direct from EKSA for $60.99. At this price, EKSA’s value is absolutely unbeatable – you’d be a fool not to buy them when they’re available for a discounted price.