Libratone Q Adapt Wireless Headphones
£219/$249
Key features
Bluetooth or AUX • Citymix Adjustable ANC • 20+ hours of battery Learn more libratone.com Available from amazon.co.uk
Libratone’s Q Adapt on-ear headphones are the cleverest cans that we have experienced for some time. Touch-sensitive controls on the outside of the right case allow you to play and pause your music, activate Siri (if you are connected via Bluetooth and you hold anywhere for two seconds), adjust the volume (by sliding your finger around the outside) and instantly mute them to let in outside noise (by holding your hand over the controls). They will also automatically pause your music when you remove them from your ears.
They’re clever bastards alright, but the responsiveness of the controls resulted in a few issues when we instinctively kept reaching up to adjust them only to keep pausing the music. Certainly, as a result, the first few hours were very stop/start until we got used to the control system. These headphones also utilise something called Citymix. By pressing the function button on the underside of the right casing (which is also used for Bluetooth pairing), you can control the noise control level, choosing how much of the outside world you wish to let in or block out. There are two intensities of active noise cancellation (ANC) and the more intense setting did a good job of blocking out engine noises and the rattling of rails, but in quieter conditions we did detect an unwanted bit of hum.
With a very good battery life of up to 20 hours (depending on the mode), the Q Adapt headphones are pretty good for long commutes and the freedom that you’re given to finetune them certainly provides plenty of initial entertainment. The sound isn’t brilliant though.