ENACFIRE is no stranger to the budget and affordable headphones market. A quick search on Amazon will return pages of products, ranging from anywhere between £20 and £50. It’s within this higher echelon that the all-new ENACFIRE A9 sit. With three listening modes, 32-hour playtime and Bluetooth 5.0 connectivity, they have the potential to impress. What’s The Best’s William Lobley puts them to the test.
Build and quality
The first thing to note is that as a whole package, the ENACFIRE A9s are compact. Give or take, the charging case is one inch deep and two inches tall and wide. The size and smooth matte finish are nice in hand and perfect for comfortably skipping into a jacket and trouser pocket. Above the logo on the front side, there’s a white LED that flashes during charging, and the USB-C charging port is on the bottom of the case. One small detail I appreciate is the locking hinge, which helps to keep the lid open. This isn’t always present on such designs - it really helps make getting at the earphones a far less fiddly affair.
From the top of the earbud to the tip of the stem, the A9 earphones measure in at roughly 1.25-inches. This is an ideal size: the earphones stay well out of the way of scarves and collars. Smooth contouring and matte finish are comfortable in the ear, and the position they hold is sturdy.
The earphones are waterproof (IPX7) and though light, feels well constructed. While I wouldn’t feel confident putting the Encafire A9 through some crush testing, the quality of the A9s is more than acceptable for daily use.
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Usability
As with all earphones of this ilk, the ENACFIRE A9s connect to a device via Bluetooth - in this case, Bluetooth 5.0. Opening the lid of the charging case makes the A9s discoverable. Once selected on a device, the connection establishes quickly.
After a week of testing the earphones across Android, iOS and macOS devices, the signal is consistent and interference-free, and reconnecting the A9s across multiple devices was never a hardship. So, top marks there then.
The touch controls on the A9s are well implemented, with the internal sensor and accelerometer picking up commands without issue. Tapping the left earphone once will cycle through the listening modes - normal, noise-cancelling, ambient. One tap also answers incoming calls, while a two-second hold rejects them. Three taps on either side will activate a device’s voice assistant. If you leave the earphones laying around they will eventually auto-off. Touching the earphones for two seconds will power them back on and swiftly reconnect with a device.
During audio playback, a single tap on the right earphone operates play/pause commands. A double-tap on the left or right earphone will skip forward or back a track. Continuously holding the left or right earphone will decrease or increase the playback volume.
The Encafire A9s doesn’t bring anything new to user functionality, but all that’s here is without fault.
Performance
The ENACFIRE A9s do fans of bass-led music a great service and are certainly a step up from the ENACFIRE E90s tested previously. Listening to Jamie xx’s remix of On Hold, I’m struck immediately by the A9s’ ability to deliver an oh-so-satisfying bouncy thud. Over on the Tycho remix of Bodies, the sampled bass line is thick and atmospheric, without ever straying into the overpowering or distorted - the hazy panning synths are also a treat here. This bass performance on the A9s coupled with the wide stereo gives tracks a bop that’s pretty darn infectious.
The mids, too, are represented well across hip-hop, electronic and pop tracks. Case in point, The Weekend’s vocals on Blinding Lights are delivered with clarity, sitting comfortably above a prominent bass backing and 4/4 kick. But how do the A9s perform away from these genres?
Well, the bass bias is an issue on raucous tracks. Six Days a Week from LA punkers, The Bronx, is far more bloated around the bass and mid-section than you’ll hear elsewhere, leading to the vocals falling back into the mix. It’s not unpleasant, but a flatness in the A9s high-frequency performance does mean there’s a loss of detail in rock and related genres. Struggling on such genres isn’t a real surprise - in my experience, many ANC earphones under £100 bias heavily towards bass at the detriment of more instrumentally dense racks. But, if you’ve got a broad taste, the A9s have a versatility that will do the trick.
The three listening modes all meet expectations, with the active noise cancellation being a particular highlight, working to knock down surrounding noises well. While the A9s can never compete with the world-silencing of the £300-odd Jabra 85h, the performance is more than acceptable for a sub-£50 earphone.
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Price
At the time of this review, the ENACFIRE A9s retail for £49.99, a heavily occupied price bracket for earphones. Though competition here is tough, with brands like EarPro and Skullcandy putting out some compelling options, the ENACFIRE A9s can rank amongst them.
The performance blows the recently tested JLAB Epic Air ANC Earbuds out of the water - and with a £20 saving - and is worth the extra investment over something like the ENACFIRE A90s. ENACFIRE's biggest competition is the EarFun Air Pros - though they are slightly more expensive, they do offer a better high-frequency performance.
Verdict
In a competitive marketplace, the ENACFIRE A9s are a new release offering solid functionality and an enjoyable audio experience. Both the case and earphones are compact and free from superfluous detail, carrying only what is needed - a long battery life, reliable connectivity and intuitive touch controls.
Chart fans and dance junkies are going to get a lot from the A9s well-delivered, thumping and bouncy bass performance. Likewise, those whose tastes straddle dozens of genres are going to get plenty of enjoyment from the earphones - albeit with a slight flatness in the highs to does damage the details in rock and indie tracks. For some, this audio sacrifice will be worth making for the well-executed feature set and low price point.
Pros: Great features and design, long battery life and bouncy bass
Cons: Flat high frequencies