Edifier ES850NB Review: ANC Headphones with Long Battery Life

STEREO GUIDE verdict

87%

87%

The Edifier ES850NB impresses with its natural, long-lasting sound, effective noise cancellation, and high level of comfort. LDAC, USB audio, and a fully parametric equalizer offer great value for the price. Its compact, foldable design makes it ideal for travel; however, the slim tuning lacks a bit of bass punch when on the go. Further limitations include the compact soundstage and the less-than-convincing transparency mode.

Pros

1. A smooth, transparent sound
2. Deep, dry bass
3. Effective, natural ANC
4. Long battery life
5. Comfortable fit

Cons

1. Sound is somewhat thin, with little warmth
2. The bass doesn't come through clearly during outdoor use, even with ANC

• Naturalness / transparency

  8.5
• Bass / Dynamics

  8
• Usability / Connectivity

  9.1
• Price / Performance

  9

Until now, we’ve known the manufacturer Edifier primarily for its surprisingly affordable—and in some cases, surprisingly good—desktop monitors. However, a range of earbuds and headphones has been part of its lineup for quite some time. With the ES850NB, the Chinese manufacturer is now attempting to take on the established competition: With a suggested retail price of 150 euros, it remains in the entry-level segment, but the manufacturer touts a maximum battery life of 92 hours (53 hours with ANC), full Hi-Res support, and particularly effective noise cancellation with up to -45 dB noise reduction.

But the ES850NB also makes a fashion statement: Not only is the slim carrying case truly stylish, but the headphones also fold up quite compactly. The manufacturer offers these ANC over-ear headphones not only in classic black but also in a white/matte gold combination, as well as in blue and pink. All of this is paired with a metal headband connecting to the driver housing and a leather-look cover.

Bluetooth and Technology

Bluetooth 5.4 is absolutely state-of-the-art, and the connection proved to be just as stable during testing. In addition to the basic SBC standard, the LDAC and AAC codecs are available. This guarantees maximum sound quality for owners of compatible smartphones, particularly Sony and Apple devices. However, there is no chip capable of processing any AptX codecs. We were eventually able to activate the 96K Hires connection with modern Android phones; however, older models and iPhones limited to AAC do not allow control over the actual quality delivered, even though it is likely to be acceptable in most cases.

You can easily connect multiple devices at the same time using Multipoint. The option to play music via a wired USB-C connection is buried deep in the manual and is usually not mentioned in the technical specifications. A dynamic 40-mm driver is designed to deliver powerful bass.

The ES850NB’s control logic is pleasantly simple: There’s a three-button control on the right ear cup for music and call control. You’ll need to memorize the dual functions associated with multiple signals and longer presses at first, but once you do, it works relatively smoothly.

There’s a separate button for sound and ANC controls, plus a touch panel for pausing music—that’s it, but that’s all you need.

App Highlight: Parametric Equalizer

For Android and iOS devices, the manufacturer offers a dedicated app called Edifier ConneX. Unlike many of its competitors, its home screen is surprisingly uncluttered. There’s a status indicator showing the battery level, along with the three main functions: Noise Control, sound settings/effects, and sound modes. The latter category includes a gaming mode with reduced latency, as well as a surround sound simulation called “Spatial Sound”—which we immediately turned off, however, due to its emphasis on the midrange and the diffuse soundstage. “Music Mode” is likely to be the top choice for most uses.

The highlight of the app is the sound settings. Unlike many apps from other manufacturers, which offer a graphic equalizer—that is, sound control with fixed frequency bands and bandwidths—Edifier has equipped the ES850NB with a fully parametric 4-band EQ. Aspiring sound engineers will be thrilled to be able to precisely set the center frequency of each band and the filter bandwidth—the so-called Q-factor. For the average listener without much experience in tuning headphones, however, this almost requires a degree in sound engineering and is therefore likely to lead to occasional frustration. Especially since the bands are all limited to a control range of ±3 dB, which—particularly with narrow parametric filters—allows only for very subtle adjustments to the sound.

The less frequently used features have been moved to a settings menu, which is a good thing. Here, you can customize the multifunction button and touch controls, enable codecs like LDAC and multipoint connections, or update the firmware.

We found the product finder to be truly innovative—it makes the headphones emit a loud beep so you can find them more easily.

One More Thing: The Issue with the Other Edifier App

Edifier also offers the TempoHub desktop app for Windows and macOS, which is supposed to be used to perform firmware updates on the ES850NB. However, the Mac version we initially tested required the additional installation of Apple’s Rosetta software on our current MacBook Pro with an M5 processor. We therefore decided not to test this version’s functionality. The screenshots in the Mac App Store show a Chinese-language interface; we were unable to verify which other languages this version supports.

Edifier also offers a separate version for Apple Silicon Macs on its own download page. In addition to Chinese, several languages are available here, though German is not among them. The English translation also turned out to be incomplete: some buttons were still labeled with Chinese characters. We therefore decided not to conduct a detailed test of this version, especially since the smartphone apps for Android and iOS appear very polished and performed well in our testing.

Real-World Test and Noise Cancellation

When I took the Edifier out of the soft case and put it back on, it immediately revealed both its strengths and weaknesses: The case itself is nice and flat and ergonomically compact; the ear cups can be rotated, and one of them can even be folded down to save space. Although the build quality doesn’t quite live up to the expectations set by the high-end photos, the Edifier ES850NB is solidly built and impresses with its sturdiness.

A completely unnecessary problem arises when putting them on: Which side is left, and which is right? We’ve never seen markings this small and hard to read. If you keep in mind that the controls are only on the right ear cup, you’ll have an advantage later on.

Once they’re on, we could only give the ES850NB high marks: Although larger ears may brush against the foam seals on the outside, the fit feels comfortable and suitable for long-distance travel. It also stays secure even when you move your head—which is extremely important for noise cancellation—and doesn’t exert excessive pressure on the ears or get subjectively too hot underneath.

We were also impressed by the ANC. It may not seal as well as the best models from the competition, but it provides natural noise reduction and effectively blocks out annoying background noise in the mid-to-high frequency range, such as street and construction noise. Three levels (Wind, Medium, and Strong) offer good flexibility in real-world use. The transparency mode and the ANC turned off fell significantly short in this regard; the former delivers a rather echoey, clanging representation of the surroundings, while the latter produces a strange low-frequency hum, as if you were holding a seashell to your ear.

Audio Review: Here’s What the Edifier ES850NB Sounds Like

Over-ear headphones with ANC have a reputation for boosting the bass to further mask any penetrating traffic or airplane noise. In our listening test, the Edifier took the exact opposite approach: with almost every genre of music, the dry, unobtrusive, and restrained bass stands out. Especially when used on the go amid traffic noise or on an airplane, the ES850NB sounds downright lean—it lacks punch and groove in the bass. This is particularly noticeable with rock, soul, and jazz, where the bass drums tend to sound a bit drier.

Combined with a slightly thinner fundamental tone—which is noticeable in older pop/rock recordings as well as in classical recordings in general—the sound feels a bit thin when used on the go. Tweaking the superbly designed—though complicated to adjust—parametric EQ helps, but it doesn’t really deliver substantial bass when the ANC still lets low-frequency ambient noise through…

The Living Room Rocker

When you listen to electronic music at home in a quiet setting, you realize for the first time that it actually has decent bass depth and that the low frequencies aren’t cut off at all. Here, the ES850NB sounds full-bodied and punchy.

Acoustically recorded music sounds surprisingly natural and balanced. If you can live with the somewhat dry bass and lean fundamental tone, the Edifier definitely has monitor-quality sound and delivers a healthy dose of high-frequency punch and vitality without becoming annoying. However, overly complex recordings—as are often found in classical and jazz music—also reveal its audiophile limitations. This is especially true since the soundstage comes across as somewhat very compact. If both of these issues are too pronounced, you should check the codec being used—if your smart device is streaming via SBC, you’re hearing the limitations of the codec rather than the headphones!

Overall, though, the Edifier ES850NB is a surprisingly good all-around option for anyone looking for travel headphones with no real drawbacks and a balanced sound—ones that don’t overwhelm you with bass but are committed to a neutral hi-fi sound signature.

Conclusion and Alternatives: Edifier ES850NB

The natural rival and toughest competitor to the affordable Edifier is likely the Sony WH-CH730N, which we haven’t tested yet, however. The more affordable predecessor, the WH-CH720N, sets itself apart from the Edifier with its rich bass and wide range of features and has a more punchy sound, while the ES850NB offers a more balanced sound and is better suited for long-term use; it’s also better built and more compact for travel.

Edifier ES850NB: Technical Specifications

• Price (MSRP): 150  euros
• Type: Over-ear, closed-back, wireless
• Transducer principle: Dynamic
• Weight: 265 g
• Battery life: Up to 53 hours (with ANC), up to 92 hours (without ANC)
• Colors: Black, White, Pink, Brown
• What’s Included: Headphones, Case, USB-C Adapter Cable
• Special Features: ANC, Bluetooth 5.4, app with 4-band fully parametric equalizer, USB-C, touch panel, hands-free calling with AI voice recognition
• More information: www.edifier.com

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