Introduction

Edifier is an audio brand with over 25 years of experience catering to a variety of use cases including personal home sound, professional audio, automobile audio, as well as headphones and microphones for both personal entertainment and professional use. Based out of China, the Edifier presence globally is a small subset of what it offers in the domestic market where it has become large enough to be listed on the stock market too. Indeed, Edifier is most well known for its range of good value speakers, Bluetooth headphones, and TWS earphones in the west, with the STAX SPIRIT S3 we recently saw being a new addition that was highly impressive, to say the least. That particular set costs $400 and even uses planar magnetic drivers, so perhaps it's not as good a representation of Edifier's wireless headphones as the subject of today's review.


The Edifier WH950NB may not be a catchy name but all you need to know is all of Edifier's headphones sold internationally start with W, except for the S3 that is part of the new STAX SPIRIT product line, and WH indicates it is part of the Wireless Headphones series. The larger number relates to its product positioning and targeted market—the higher it is, the more advanced and expensive it tends to be—whereas NB in the name also confirms noise cancelling support. The WH950NB comes in two colors—black and ivory—with the black version more easily found online to buy as of the date of this article. This is an over-ear, closed-back set of wireless headphones that Edifier says makes for a portable, good quality set which is also customizable via its first-party mobile app. As such, there is a lot to go over today in this review which begins with a look at the product specifications in the table below. Thanks to Edifier for providing a review sample to TechPowerUp!

Specifications

Packaging and Accessories

The Edifier WH950NB ships in a product box is well designed with a lot of relevant information adorning the sides should you come across it in a retail store. On the front is the Edifier logo and the product name in addition to a render of the headphones from the sides along with salient marketing features and other logos/certifications. This continues on the back with another render and more specific information about the product as well as an illustrated list of contents to expect inside. A cutout on the side confirms this was more a thick outer sleeve, with the inner box sliding out as seen above. There isn't much to see here aside from two side flaps and another seal keeping the contents in place during transit. Open the box to reveal a single carry case with seemingly everything neatly packed inside, allowing you to recycle the cardboard boxes at this stage.


The carry case which comes with the Edifier WH950NB is on the smaller side of average, hinting towards the more portable nature of the headphones themselves. It is a hard case with a fabric lining similar to most such implementations and feels durable enough for daily use. On the front is the Edifier logo and checking the side shows the use of rounded corners that won't snag on anything in a bag either. A carry strap helps if you use it with a carabiner and the sealed zipper further adds dust and spill resistance. The zipper tag could be sturdier and opening/closing the case also wasn't necessarily the smoothest either. Inside the case we do find the headphones folded in for easier transportation in this smaller case, with a foam piece between the ear cups to avoid any scratches or bumping when packed this way. The accessories are placed in the lining compartment in the other side which has a hook-and-loop strap to keep it closed.


Edifier includes some paperwork in the form of a multi-language user manual (online copy here) which goes over the initial set up and use of the headphones with the various onboard controls. It reminds you about the Edifier Connect app which we will cover in more detail later on. There's also some safety and disposal information for those interested and then we get to cables in the form of a 3.5 mm to 3.5 mm (right-angled to straight) single-ended cable for when you may want to use these headphones wired in a passive mode. It's not as fancy as the one we saw on the STAX SPIRIT S3 but will do the job plenty fine. Edifier also throws in a short USB Type-A to Type-C charging cable as well as an airline adapter to complete the unboxing experience.