Fender Mix Headphones Review: A Promising yet Imperfect Audio Experience

Fender, a legendary guitar company since 1946, has ventured into the world of consumer audio products through a licensing agreement with Fender Audio, owned by the Fender Corporation. The company's first products, the Mix headphones and the Elie speaker, were unveiled in January and showcased at CES. The Mix headphones, priced at $299, aim to offer a premium over-ear, noise-canceling experience at a lower price point than established brands like Sony, Bose, and Sennheiser. With features like marathon battery life, smart design touches, and a lossless Bluetooth transmitter, the Mix headphones seem like a compelling option, but do they live up to expectations?

How Fender Audio's Design Choices Impact the Listening Experience

The Mix headphones boast several smart design decisions, including swappable ear pads, ear cups, and headbands, allowing users to customize their look and feel. The ear cups attach to the headband via USB-C ports, making it easy to swap them out. Additionally, the headphones feature a storage slot for the lossless dongle and access to the removable battery, providing users with a convenient and high-quality listening experience.

Onboard Controls and Lossless Bluetooth

The onboard controls are physical buttons, with a five-way joystick that allows users to play/pause, adjust volume, and skip tracks. The lossless Bluetooth dongle, hidden inside the ear cup, enables a more balanced and nuanced sound, with restrained bass and finer details. When listening to music, the lossless mode provides a more immersive experience, with a sense of being surrounded by the sound rather than just hearing it from the left and right channels.

The Pros and Cons of the Fender Mix Headphones

• Well-designed headphones with smart features like swappable parts and lossless Bluetooth
• Long battery life, with up to 52 hours of playback with ANC on and 100 hours with it off
• Respectable ANC performance, although not on par with Bose
• Crisp and detailed sound, particularly in lossless mode
• Lack of advanced features like automatic EQ tweaks and adaptive ANC

Despite the many positives, the Fender Mix headphones have some drawbacks. The tuning is too bass-heavy, which can overpower the sound and make it less enjoyable for certain genres of music. The headphones also lack many smart features, such as automatic EQ tweaks and adaptive ANC, which are present in premium headphones from other brands. Additionally, the call quality is not impressive, with only two microphones and limited background noise blocking capabilities.

Key Takeaways and Recommendations

• The Fender Mix headphones offer a unique combination of features and design choices, but may not be the best option for those seeking a premium audio experience
• The lossless Bluetooth mode provides a more immersive and nuanced sound, but the bass-heavy tuning may not be suitable for all genres of music
• The headphones are priced at $299, which may be a bit steep considering the lack of advanced features and imperfect sound quality

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