Cambridge Audio brings hi-fi credentials to its first noise-cancelling earbuds, the Melomania M100

Cambridge Audio has taken the proverbial lid off its latest wireless earbuds, which are the first from the British hi-fi brand to feature active noise cancellation (ANC).

Called the Cambridge Audio Melomania M100, the new ANC earbuds are complete redesigns of the brand’s previous wireless earbuds efforts, the Melomania 1+ and Melomania Touch models, and pack plenty of competitive features.

While the M100 sport a new look and come with five different eartip sizes in the box, their biggest feature is hybrid noise-cancelling and accompanying Transparency Mode. It’s about time Cambridge included the technology, considering it is now expected of most wireless earbuds bar the most budget models, and we are intrigued to see how it fares next to established rivals.

Inside each earbud is a “meticulously tuned” 10mm driver powered by “hi-fi grade” Class A/B amplification. The company says they deliver “the acclaimed Cambridge sound transparent and natural, taking you closer to the music without distorting it.” A seven-band EQ and six presets are available in the new Melomania Connect app to let listeners tailor the sound to their own tastes.

Specs-wise, the M100 offer plenty of goods thanks to Qualcomm’s Snapdragon Sound technology. They support the next-gen aptX Lossless codec that allows for lossless CD-quality streams over Bluetooth (provided you have a compatible source), along with the aptX Adaptive and standard AAC and SBC Bluetooth codecs. They have Bluetooth 5.3 with LE Audio onboard, too, allowing for an element of futureproofing when Auracast and the more efficient LC3 audio codec become more widely available down the track.

The M100 earbuds also boast “world-class” battery life, with a claimed 10 hours of earbud juice with ANC activated, expanding to 16 hours with it off. There are over two full charge cycles available from the charging case, too, offering a maximum of 52 hours of playback per case charge. That beats the battery life figures offered by their Apple, Bose and Sony rivals. The buds also support wireless and wired charging methods, and you can get two to four hours of playback time (depending on ANC mode) from just a 10-minute fast charge.

The buds feature customisable touch controls, a gaming mode that supposedly has a low latency of 80ms with “near-perfect” audio syncing, and an IPX4 water- and dust-resistance rating. In the app’s settings, you can even pick between various voice prompt options, one of which is a special celebrity guest voice: comedian and actor Matt Berry. Now that’s worth the price of admission alone…

Available now from cambridgeaudio.com and Amazon in a black finish, the Cambridge Audio Melomania M100 earbuds cost £169 / $219 / €199. We’re putting the earbuds through the testing process as we write, so stay tuned for the full review very soon.

M100 How High Edition earbuds in collaboration with Tim Burgess

Also launching at the same time are the Melomania M100 How High Edition earbuds – a limited-edition run of 300 pairs in a special yellow and black finish, designed in partnership with Hikerdelic and The Charlatans’ Tim Burgess to support the musical community. Ten per cent of each pair’s sale will be donated to the Help Us Help Bands charity, a bursary scheme project co-founded by Burgess to provide grassroots musicians with financial support, including paying for studio time, replacing stolen equipment, funding merchandise, and more. 

With their design inspired by the aesthetic of the iconic jacket worn in 1996’s hit How High music video, the M100 How High Editions feature a branded logo stamped in the charging case and yellow eartips. They are identical in specs, performance and price to the standard M100 buds, and are available to buy exclusively from cambridgeaudio.com in the UK.

Check out the gallery above to see more images of these very fetching M100 How High Edition earbuds.

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Kashfia is the Hi-Fi and Audio Editor of What Hi-Fi? and first joined the brand over 10 years ago. During her time in the consumer tech industry, she has reviewed hundreds of products (including speakers, amplifiers and headphones), been to countless trade shows across the world and fallen in love with hi-fi kit much bigger than her. In her spare time, Kash can be found tending to an ever-growing houseplant collection and hanging out with her cat Jolene.