The premium headphone market is crowded.
Well, one of the latest companies to enter the ring is Moshi.
Its hoping that its Avanti Air on-ear, wireless headphones will earn it a foothold in the space.
Sorry, Moshi?
The company made its name with phone cases and battery packs.
Moshis Avanti Air headphones which retail for $300 are aiming a bit higher.
What do they look like?
They also wona Red Dot Design Award, which isnt too shabby of an accolade.
Moshi also did a good job in designing the buttons on the headphones.
Theyre subtle, easy to press while wearing the headphones, and, more importantly, just worked.
How comfortable are the Avanti Air?
First off, Im not a fan of on-ear headphones.
I find over-ear models both more comfortable and better at delivering sound.
Still, youve got to judge whats in front of you and the Avanti Air were… okay.
To be fair though, this might be because I have a big head.
Another element of the Avanti Air I found irritating was the adjustable slide on the headband.
Getting them to stay on my skull was tough and there was no consistency in their hold.
One side was slippery, while the other was almost frozen shut.
After a bit of tinkering and fiddling, it was fine when I was sat down.
This isnt an issue with this key in of slide either.
You said they were wireless, how does that work?
The Moshi headphones use the aptX bluetooth codec,arguably the best of the bunch.
There were problems though.
When connected, the headphones hissed quietly.
Sometimes this sound would disappear, but often it was there in the background.
I also took issue with the bluetooth connectivity.
I ended up having to power the Avanti Air on and off regularly to connect to my desired unit.
Theres also no headphone jack on the Avanti Air.
No, not really.
I do always appreciate it when a company gives me an option to use a cable though.
Still, this is hardly a deal breaker.
So, most importantly, whats the sound like?
This isnt to say they suck, far from it.
you could get some good sound from the Avanti Air.
Lets take a look at Roy Orbisons classic Love Hurts.
Its a beautiful, intricate song and the Avanti Air handle it well.
The tinkling hi-hats sound clear, the strings ring true, and Orbisons voice soars.
In my experience, the headphones handled this sort of soft and fiddly music best.
Folk and acoustic tracks in particular clear and precise.
The Avanti Air didnt hold up so well for their price outside of this jot down of genre.
Take Lil Peeps Cry Alone as an example.
The late-singers track has a nursery-rhyme style simplicity, but elevates itself from a dirge with its dynamic changes.
The loud parts of the track should be a punch in the gut.
The quieter parts vulnerable.
Theres a lack of meatiness and power to the way they handle music.
Theres bass, but it lacks kick.
Drums dont have the guts that other headphones deliver.
Its all a bit flat and lacking in precision.
But in all honesty, they just dont compete with other $300 range headphones sound-wise.
Anything else?
On a positive note, I was impressed with the battery life.
The company states the Avanti Air last for 27 hours of listening and this was pretty accurate.
Theres nothing more annoying than wireless headphones you have to charge constantly, so shout out Moshi.
So who are these for?
Still, Moshi is definitely a company to keep an eye on.
In their current iteration though, they dont quite live up to the price, which is a shame.
We like some products.
We dont like others.
