These shockingly good $55 headphones are my top Black Friday pick

• My first impression
• How do the OneOdio A6 Focus sound?
• What the OneOdio Focus A6 could do better
• Should you buy the OneOdio Focus A6

A pair of high-quality over-ear headphones is pretty easy to find nowadays — from AirPods Max to Sony’s premium WH1000XM5, audiophiles and casual listeners alike are swimming in options. What isn’t easy to swim in, though, is the hefty price tags attached to them. But even casual listeners don’t want sound quality that’s noticeably bad. If an untrained ear winces at tinny sound and deep-fried bass, it becomes harder and harder to even justify the buy in the first place.

Is there a world where ‘budget’ and ‘good sound’ land in the same sentence, especially when it comes to over-ear headphones? I wasn’t so sure, until I donned the OneOdio Focus A6 headset. With the holidays coming up, I’ve had plenty of people ask me for nice tech gift recommendations on a budget, and I’ve been hesitant to ever name-drop a pair of headphones in that category. However, these headphones are a strong contender for a spot under the Christmas tree this year — especially at their lowest price ever for Black Friday.

I spent a couple of weeks (and airport trips) with the OneOdio Focus A6 headphones, and here’s what I thought.

My first impression

Specs, feel, and all that jazz

Right out of the box, I thought these headphones had a high-quality look (and feel). I opted for the clean Ivory Blush set, but they also come in a sleek Midnight Black with gold detailing. The plastic build is silky smooth and feels very premium, but I was taken aback by how light they were in my hands (240 grams). There’s detailed metal plating on the side of the ear cups that shows off a little personality, as long as you don’t mind the lack of a recognizable logo, and an adjustable metal headband. Width-wise, they’re very flexible — believe me, I stretched them pretty far to make sure.

The ear cup cushions are the same material that buffers the headband from your head. It’s a soft, squishy material that has a fair amount of give and reasonable bounce-back, and after wearing them for a full workday (and then some), I can confidently say they pass the long-wear test. The ear cups twist flat or fold in for easier storage, though I wish they came with a carrying case (or even a storage bag). For this reason, I opted to wear them around my neck through the airport instead of stuffing them in my carry-on.

The headphones charge via USB-C, and a cable comes with the headphones. OneOdio promises an impressive 75 hours of battery life with ANC off and 40 hours with ANC on after a full charge (1.5 hours). During my testing, I found this to be spot-on.

The right ear cup features three buttons for power, ANC mode, and volume. There’s also the USB-C port for charging that you can also use to physically connect with your phone if you don’t want to go wireless. I like listening to lossless audio and tend to ditch wireless a lot, so I really liked this option. The headphones also sport Transparency mode, Wind Noise Reduction, and Wind-resistant Transparency mode that you can access with the OneOdio companion app. The app includes a Find My Headphones feature that plays a quiet beep to help you locate them.

How do the OneOdio A6 Focus sound?

They may be budget, but they don’t sound like it

They’re comfortable enough for all-day wear. Now, do they sound good enough for all-day wear?

Starting down low, the A6 have a strong foundation. Daft Punk’s underlying bass in Lose Yourself to Dance is tight and controlled, and punchier than I’d expect from a pair of sub-$100 headphones, though not enough to rock my world. When I started swaying to Bon Iver’s Skinny Love, the vocals felt forward, but as soon as the tempo ramped up, they moved to sit slightly behind the mix. I found the same result with Taylor Swift’s Exile (another Bon Iver feature, since they’re my favorite band to test the mids with).

Running it back a few years, I needed to get my hands on some cymbals to test the treble. I summoned Stevie Nicks (and Fleetwood Mac) to hear Dreams, and the cymbals were shimmery, crispy, and defined. I stopped writing here for a moment because the Fleetwood Mac rabbit hole gets me every time.

Back for my favorite song test, soundstage, I hit play on Innerbloom (What So Not Remix) by RÜFÜS DU SOL. I always choose this song for its layers, and especially because I’ve heard it from an actual stage so many times. The sound spreads wide out to the sides, but the depth was limited until the bass drop. Then, the solid bass picked up a bit of the slack from the mids department. However, the bass drops weren’t powerful enough in the headphones to crack that ethereal, RÜFÜS DU SOL smile across my face.

Would I listen to my favorite DJ’s Sunset Set on YouTube for fun with these? Probably not. Would I wear them all day at work and keep them on for a quick grocery store run? Yes, absolutely.

In the ANC department, the cancellation felt slightly more cosmetic than functional. ANC mode cut out the sound of my dishwasher, but not the high-pitched squeak of my dryer. In a crowded airport terminal, it did a mediocre job of canceling out ambient sound — though I could still hear the conversations around me. But for the price, I wasn’t expecting too much more, and was impressed with the level I received.

What the OneOdio Focus A6 could do better

Little, for the price

For a $70 pair of headphones, the sound and comfort you’re getting are more than worth it. But, the ANC could be much better. In addition, the microphone might be okay in silence, but it’s way below par if I’m trying to take a call from a crowded sidewalk or coffee shop. I’ve had several friends and family tell me they couldn’t hear me very well at all any time I took a call with these headphones on. Now, if I get an incoming call, I immediately disconnect the headphones and take it like normal — somewhat inconvenient.

I also wish that the headphones came with a carrying case, or even just a cloth bag to protect them from scuffs and scratches. Now, for how cheap they are, I’m not too concerned about that issue. However, I want to protect the cute Ivory Blush headset as long as I can. I also wish that I could collapse both ear cups in a little better. One typically has to sit higher up instead of them folding up symmetrically.

Finally, I do have one thing I hate: the controls. The three buttons on the right ear cup (ANC, Power, and Volume) have a control capablities, but it isn’t the intuitive tap once to pause, twice to skip, and three times to go back situation. Instead, clicking the power button pauses and plays, holding volume up skips to the next track, and holding volume down goes to the last track. Not to be frank, but I hate it.

Should you buy the OneOdio Focus A6

Yes, especially right now

You’re getting more than what you pay for with these headphones. The sound is excellent for a $70 pair of headphones, and basically highway robbery during Amazon’s Black Friday sale. They’ve been marked down to $55, and now is a better time than ever to buy them for yourself or a friend. I’m already getting them for someone in my family this Christmas, and as a tech editor who likes balling on a budget (not at the expense of quality), I’m feeling very confident with my choice.

These headphones are a great deal on or off sale, but they’re currently at their lowest price ever for Black Friday at $55.

These headphones were provided to Pocket-lint by OneOdio.