Orange Music Electronic Company has just released its new Crest Edition Wireless Headphones, the company’s next foray into the wearables market, this time with a fresh look and feel and wireless Bluetooth connectivity.

You might recall our review of Orange’s O Edition Headphones in 2017, where I mentioned some slight discomfort with their on/over-ear design, but the roomy earpieces on the Crest Edition headphones are a massive improvement.

These are hands down, THE most comfortable cans I’ve ever worn. PERIOD.

The Review

The packaging was exceptional, as is always the case with Orange products. However, this time the package was also much more compact.

The clamshell carrying case seems a lot smaller compared to the older model because of the headphones’ snap-and-fold design. There’s also a braided 3.5mm audio cable if you want to listen to music the old fashioned way.

Orange Crest Edition Headphones are actually my first Bluetooth device, so it took a little while to figure out Bluetooth device pairing, but it’s simple enough. However, I think a bit more documentation would’ve been helpful, even though there’s a brief guide printed on the inside of the box explaining all the basic features.

I think these sound very similar to the O Edition headphones. The bass response might not be as “tight,” but I haven’t done a proper shootout, so I can’t be certain.

There’s also the same low/mid boost that I noticed with the O Edition, plus a very subtle high-end roll-off that makes them perhaps a bit darker too. Regardless, I’m delighted with the overall sound quality.

Perhaps the Orange Crest Edition Headphones are not as transparent as I prefer since I’m more focused on professional mixing and sound design, but they sound great for entertainment purposes. I did notice a tiny bit of latency when using them wirelessly, but that’s par for the course with any wireless device.

And now for my least favorite aspect of these almost perfect wireless headphones: a built-in touchpad on the left earpiece with playback controls allowing you to swipe left & right to skip a track, up & down for volume control, or simply touch once to pause. I don’t think this is a bad design. Still, it’s something that I personally find a little annoying since I have to readjust the headphones a little more often than usual due to their heaviness. The slightest brush of my hand across any part of the touch sensor interrupts playback.

I’m sure many people might appreciate the hands-free concept, but I think it’s more of a nuisance than a useful feature, and the touch controls don’t really track very well either.

The Verdict

Regardless of my personal issues with the touch sensor, I still really enjoy using these headphones. I think they’re a bit too heavy to go jogging with, but I’m looking forward to wearing them on a long walk.

As far as comfort is concerned, Orange absolutely NAILED IT. The same goes for overall build quality. The sound quality is also very good, though not as transparent as studio headphones intended for mix engineering and sound design.

That said, if you can learn to get used to the sensitive touchpad, these are a surprisingly comfortable, excellent sounding pair of wireless headphones at an affordable price.

More info: Orange Crest Edition Headphones (£95)

More articles: