Avantree Aria Pro Review: Functional, Affordable Headphones
"The Aria Pro has hit a sweet spot in terms of features and price, and is doing well as work-oriented headphones."
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Flexible design
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Decent active noise cancellation
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Good codec support
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Average battery life
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Niche best use case
Avantree sails in uncharted waters with its Aria Pro wireless headphones. There just aren't a lot of headphone manufacturers willing to hover between budget models from brands like JLab Audio and more highly regarded cans from Sony and others.
By that definition, the $ 100 Aria Pro could be considered an ambitious headphone, with active noise cancellation and great codec support, aimed at stealing fans of products above and below them. Of course, it's how well Avantree's new cans – which the company doesn't specifically say are office lifestyle-focused but certainly based on the features they offer – live up to that definition that determines how they do cut off . I am here to find out.
Out of the box
The Aria Pro are delivered in simple packaging: a white box with headphones in the carrying case. The headphones and case come with a couple of accessories, including a detachable boom microphone, 3.5mm audio cable, micro-USB charging cable, and the usual documentation. The most notable part here is the boom microphone which gives these headphones an immediate advantage in workplace situations. I'll get back to that in a moment.
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Turning on the headphones is as easy as flipping the power switch on the bottom of the right ear cup, which will automatically put the Aria Pro into Bluetooth pairing mode. The rest of the connection process is standard and after testing these headphones, the Aria Pro reconnected seamlessly every time it was turned on.
With modern headphones and earbuds, I expect to be able to move around my house or backyard for some quick chores while also having a strong connection to my phone which is on the charger. The Aria Pro and its Bluetooth 5 technology passed this test with flying colors, as do most newer hearing aids.
design
Especially for $ 100 headphones, I found the Aria Pro to be reliably built cans. They lack the elegance of more expensive models like the Razer Opus, but they are comfortable, flexible headphones. Even after considering a few nuances, if you can get these two design feats at this price, it's a win in my book.
Nick Woodard / Digital Trends
The Aria Pro are equipped with what Avantree calls “protein leather” ear pads, and I admittedly had cups with a better feel over my ears. However, these offer good wearing comfort for longer periods of time. They swivel 90 degrees so the headphones lie flat on your collarbone and have a reasonable range of motion for tilting back and forth. The headband is a little sharper than you might want in some areas, but they feel durable to the touch, despite being fully adjustable. That's all to say that these headphones should fit most people and be reasonably comfortable using them.
These headphones should work well and feel reasonably comfortable for most people.
At the bottom of each Aria Pro mug is a small army of buttons, inputs, and switches. You have your power switch, volume control and track control, plus the USB port on the right cup and your ANC switch, call control, microphone control and the auxiliary port on the left. There are quite a few buttons available to you, but after a day or two I got used to the Aria Pro's complex control panel. I had some problems with phone calls that first day because I hadn't read the part of the setup guide on how to unmute the boom microphone when plugged in. Take this as a warning as it is a little embarrassing to leave your local dog daycare hanging out because they can't hear you frantically fiddling with your headphones trying to get your audio to work on the other end.
properties
The Aria Pro seems to land in an odd middle ground when it comes to features. On the one hand, they have some features that are more advanced than more expensive alternatives. On the other hand, cheaper headphones outperform them in a few other categories. In the end, of course, it comes down to what's most important to you, but it's worth figuring out where these cans position themselves in the competition.
Nick Woodard / Digital Trends
According to Avantree, the Aria Pro can play for up to 15 hours with active noise cancellation and up to 24 hours without activation. That's a good range until you find that the JLab Audio Studio ANC offers 28 hours of playback with ANC and 34 hours without. The JLab was $ 40 less than the Aria Pro, so its battery life is comparatively well below its value.
The Aria Pro has an impressive list of supported audio codecs for its price range, including aptX, aptX HD and SBC. That probably gives them a head start over products like the Sony WH-CH710N, which support SBC and AAC codecs, but have no aptX functions. Once again, it depends on your specific situation and which codecs are a better fit for you, but having that $ 100 support is without a doubt a solid selling point for the Aria Pro.
The Aria Pro has an impressive list of supported audio codecs for its price range, including aptX, aptX HD and SBC.
Finally, the Aria Pro supports Bluetooth with multipoint connectivity, so you can pair your headphones with your phone and a work laptop at the same time. It might not sound like the most groundbreaking feature, but the ability to place a call and then seamlessly go back to the content you've been watching on your laptop is a helpful feature that you should have in two office-oriented doses. In comparison, it took Sony until the newly released WH-1000XM4 to add this feature to its flagship headphones. You can get the same in the Aria Pro for $ 250 less. They just miss everything else that makes the XM4 amazing.
Audio quality
Once again, the Aria Pro lands between competitions. Before I wrap it up, here's a quick summary: The Aria Pro sounds better than budget cans like the JLab Audio Studio ANC, but it doesn't offer options like the Razer Opus and Sony WH-CH710N.
Nick Woodard / Digital Trends
That's not necessarily a bad thing for the Aria Pro, as they are half the price of Sony and Opus. It's forgivable that they lack the clarity of these high-end headphones, and it's understandable that they don't perform quite as well at either end of the frequency range. It's not a disappointment that you don't get remarkable fidelity for $ 100, but these headphones sound good, and they should sound just as good given their focus.
Call quality is now a somewhat capricious sub-category. With the boom microphone attached, the conversation was clear on both ends. When I took off the boom mic and leaned on the smaller mic on the headset itself and then went for a walk, conversations with the same people were easily infiltrated by my surroundings. They could still hear me, but they could also hear everything else, including the steps I was taking. I understand these headphones were more geared towards an office or professional setting, and I think they will serve that purpose well with the boom mic attached, but be careful as you step into the busy sounds of the world, submit your calls to the exact same sounds.
Active noise cancellation
I've described the JLab Audio Studio ANC's active noise cancellation as a "no-frills feature" and would probably use a similar description for the Aria Pro – with one caveat. Just like with these JLab headphones, the ANC in the Aria Pro is an on or off option without the ability to adjust the noise cancellation. The Aria Pro, however, do a significantly better job.
Nick Woodard / Digital Trends
I wouldn't call this a surprise, as more expensive headphones should traditionally be able to better implement a feature like ANC. The Aria Pro has a much more pronounced effect on attenuating ambient noise and removing the harsher outside noise that would otherwise enter a quiet work area. They have a slight white noise effect and neither do they when bumped into noisy situations like walking on a busy street. But for use in an office, in my opinion, these headphones are excellent, especially at their low price.
For better ANC capabilities, you'll have to expect something more essential like the Razer Opus or the top of the line Sony WH-1000XM4. The Aria Pro is pale in comparison to any of them. But as you can imagine, you will be paying a lot more to achieve this level of quality.
Our opinion
Avantree made a pair of work-conscious headphones in the Aria Pro that have the features needed to succeed in that role and just enough features to make them a suitable set of commuter cans – whenever the commuting back to an actual one Becomes part of society. However, their functions are best used in a work environment that puts them in that niche position. You can venture outside of this space, but your results may vary.
Are there any better alternatives?
Save money with the JLab Studio ANC for $ 60. It offers better battery life, but poorer audio quality and active noise cancellation. Or you can double up and get something like the $ 199 Razer Opus, which for $ 100 upgrades the Aria Pro in most regions – you'll only spend twice as much on the privilege.
How long will they last?
The Aria Pro is backed by a one year warranty with the option to use an additional 12 months when you register your headphones. In addition to the durable build quality, this should give you the confidence to wear these every day without fear of them stalling.
Should you buy it?
Yes. The Avantree Aria Pro are only average in some areas. But when you look at the bigger picture, they pretty much offer a lot for a pretty affordable price. If I had to spend $ 100 on headphones both to increase productivity and enjoy a podcast after work, this would be my shortlist.
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