My first port of call with earphones and headphones is always how they feel, because they could have the best sound in the world and that wouldn't matter a jot if they were uncomfortable. Over the years I've had some really nasty headphones that been too tight on the head, or earphones that were downright painful in your ear. The Focus A5 headphones are quick to address that with nice, bold cushions that cocoon the ears and feel really comfortable, and a padded band that never feels to obtrusive or noticeable.
The memory foam cushions are great, and the headphones are relatively light for their size. They are foldable too, for me that's a necessity with headphones like this, and they do fold up pretty neatly. A big tick. So what about the noise? Well the first thing I experienced and noticed was a definite leaning towards a really bass driven sound. It's impressive, one that does sometimes take over the overall sound experience.
The lack of an accompanying app and graphic equaliser is a big omission, that would have helped to eradicate some of the bass issues. There's no doubting the oomph that these carry, the sound can crank up really loud, they certainly have the power factor.
These are a budget pair of headphones, something that feels like an odd thing to say given they aren't cheap, especially in the current financial climate.
The cost of headphones can be extremely high, so these do sit at the lower end of the scale, and for the money that you are paying they are good value. The audio experience reflects the old saying that you get what you pay for and with these you are getting a decent pair of headphones at a decent price. I found the noise cancelling to be much better than expected, not perfect, but they did the job effectively and with purpose. They are great on the train and certainly drowned out the other passengers, I did get the odd look when I went high with them, so the sound does creep out a bit.
