Orange Crest Edition Wireless Headphones review

Maybe I didn't get the memo, but when did Orange Amps – pardon me, I meant, Orange – quietly become a lifestyle brand? 

I know this legendary amplifier company has been around since the Sixties, and continues to make the most recognized and revered amps for musicians, but one look at their global website reveals some other youthfully hip products like a skateboard, an embossed leather belt and… you guessed it: headphones. But more specifically, the Orange Crest Edition Wireless Headphones.  

The Crest Edition Wireless Headphones feature Bluetooth connectivity, headphone touchpad controls for navigating music (volume up/down, previous/next track and touch play/pause), a built-in microphone for phone/video calls, multi-function button (answer/hang up, redial/reject call, device search and on/off), support for Apple Siri and Google Assistant, multipoint pairing that automatically toggles between paired devices without re-pairing (i.e. switching from laptop to smartphone when receiving calls) and up to 27 hours of battery life. 

Want to use it old-school? No problem; the Crest Edition comes with a braided 3.5 mm mini-jack for a wired-in connection.

Also included is a USB to mini-USB cable to charge the headphones. And let’s definitively state that its matte black and orange color scheme, ear cups with Orange’s branded logo and etched figures of Pan and Britannia (from Orange’s crest) on the lower side of the headband, all make for a pretty rad fashion statement.

The Crest Edition headphones come neatly folded in a padded clamshell carry case and fit securely and comfortably on your head. The soft earpads also provide a gentle seal that firmly isolates noise.

Needless to say, after quickly pairing them to my smartphone and laptop, it’s immediately clear these headphones possess exceptional audio quality that exhibits a robust low end, taut mids and crisp highs. It’s perfectly attenuated, and I never had the urge to adjust the EQ from my devices; however, I did find the touchpad a little fiddly, but that’s a minor complaint.

What’s noteworthy is Orange’s years of in-house audio expertise and design resulted in the Crest Edition, so above all, you’re getting premium headphones with a superb frequency spectrum for everyday use, let alone maximum comfort without fatigue when you need to listen to tracks for a prolonged amount of time. And that literally is music to my ears.

• STREET PRICE: $122 / £95
• MANUFACTURER: Orange Amps