Boult Boost Hybrid ANC Headphones Review: They Perform Better Than They Look
Priced at Rs 3,799, the headphones offer almost 60 hours of run time, metallic body, active noise cancellation, Bluetooth v5.4 and good bass
The Boult Boost Hybrid ANC headphones are great to look at! That’s what I said to myself when I first held the pair in my hands. Despite the plastic build, the headphones manage to offer decent enough audio quality. As for the question of how did the Boult Boost headphones performed in real everyday life, you’ll have to read the review. Let’s go.
The headphones are light in weight and look classy. I received the silver colourway that looks extremely slick. The headphones are ergonomic as they sit well on the ears and can be worn for prolonged hours. The memory foam on the couplets is nice and comfortable. There are only two control buttons on the headphones. A power button and a button to switch ANC on. The metallic finish can be misunderstood as plastic, especially in the silver colourway. I did the same. I mistook the headphones’ finish as plastic but later realised my error in judgement. The bridge has cushioning too so that headphones sit comfortably on the head. There is ‘Boult’ badging on both the couplets as well as the bridge, which by the way, has a metal base with cushioning under it.
The headphones are quick to connect thanks to Bluetooth v5.4. They can also connect to two devices at once and work seamlessly. These headphones have been a staple in everyday workflow on my laptop and on my smartphone. In case of calls, they quickly switch over to the phone while the music playing on my laptop pauses. All of this happens smoothly enough to not leave you wanting more out of them.
The audio signature of the Boult Audio Boost headphones is better than I had anticipated. The bass, by default, is good and thumpy. I tried to stick to the fundamentals and just go through some of my favourite tracks to see how these headphones perform.
In the End (Linkin Park), Above (Yuki Hayashi), You Say Run (Yuki Hayashi), I’m Not Afraid (Eminem), 21 Questions (50 Cent), In Da Club (50 Cent), Drop It Like It’s Hot (Snoop Dogg), Like A Stone (Audio Slave), Basket Case, (Green Day) and a few more.
The audio quality of the Boost Hybrid ANC did not disappoint. Instead, it was quite impressive in its delivery. It certainly exceeded expectations when it comes to providing a holistic audio experience. Boult claims that the Boost Hybrid ANC is designed for professionals and audiophiles but I won’t go that far. The sound output, although, better than what I had expected, could have been made better. An app, for instance, would have made these headphones so much better. A dedicated app would have meant more control and customisation options.
The active noise cancellation (ANC) is capable of cancelling out up to 33dB of noise but in reality, it isn’t all that effective. I could still hear ample buzz around me, be it traffic, men arguing, babies crying or dogs barking. That being said, it was expected of the Boult Boost given the price category it is competing in. For calling, Boult has opted for quad Zen ENC mics that are supposed to give a good calling experience. Long story short, the audio on the other end should ideally sound perfect which is actually the case here. I make calls wearing these headphones all the time and so far I’ve been told only once that my audio wasn’t clear enough.
The 40mm neodymium drivers, once again, do a fabulous job at delivering good audio. This attribute alone puts this product on the must-have list for people who want a pair of headphones under the Rs 5,000 price bracket.
The battery life of the Boult Boost is also something that catches your attention. On a full charge, these headphones can go up to 60 hours until they run out of juice which is good considering how tedious it is to remember to charge headphones.
There are two things you should consider before you decide to buy any pair of headphones. Performance and delivery. Some things in life really are that simple. The headphones you choose should be able to deliver respectable audio and they should be comfortable to wear. These are two things that cannot be compromised on, no matter what the reason. The Boult Audio Boost headphones check these two boxes without any issues.
The headphones have a strong audio signature and good bass. At almost Rs 3,800, the headphones promise commendable performance and at the same time, cross off other things on the list such as portability, ergonomics and battery life.
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