Review Cambridge Audio Melomania A100 (2026)

At 4,7 g per earbud, the Melomania A100 ranks among the lightest in-ear models in its category. The Sony WF-1000XM5 weighs 5,9 g, while the Bose QuietComfort Earbuds II reaches 6,2 g. This one-to-two-gram difference is noticeable from the first hour of wear, especially on the outer ear cartilage that supports the protruding part of the housing.

The tip geometry adopts a slightly forward-angled insertion, promoting contact with the ear canal wall without excessive frontal pressure. After 90 minutes of continuous wear, intra-auricular pressure remains neutral on the ears of the Mute Zone team. Beyond 3 hours, slight fatigue in the canal appears on narrow-canal morphologies, resolved by changing the tips.

Cambridge Audio supplies five silicone tip sizes (XS, S, M, L, XL). Size M suits the majority of Mute Zone team testers and provides passive isolation estimated at 22 dB in low frequencies, measured by subjective comparison with and without ANC on the Rennes metro. XS and XL tips offer slightly less stable hold under acceleration.

During brisk walking on pavement, the earbuds stay in place, provided the correct size is selected. When lying on one's side, the compact housing shape avoids pressure on the outer ear, a practical advantage for nighttime listening sessions. Overall stability is satisfactory, without stabilizing fins, which rules out intensive running use.

The Melomania A100 features Bluetooth 5.4, improving link robustness in saturated environments. In an open-space setting with around twenty active Bluetooth devices, the Mute Zone team recorded no dropouts over a 6-hour session. On the metro, two micro-dropouts of about 200 ms were observed across all tests, remaining within acceptable norms.

Effective range reaches approximately 12 meters in clear line of sight, with noticeable degradation starting at 15 meters or behind two partitions. These values align with manufacturer claims and are comparable to the Sony WF-1000XM5 under the same conditions.

Multipoint works on two simultaneous devices, smartphone and laptop, with a measured switchover delay between 1.5 and 2.5 seconds depending on which source takes over. This delay is slightly higher than that of the Sony WF-1000XM5 (around 1 second), but remains usable in a professional context. No abrupt cuts were observed during switches, which is the critical point in remote work.

Latency in SBC reaches 180 ms, which rules out this codec for video gaming or lip-sync on video. In aptX Adaptive, latency drops to 55 ms, a value sufficient for video but limiting for reactive gaming. aptX Lossless at 48 ms is the best result measured on these earbuds.

The Melomania A100 signature deviates moderately from the Harman 2019 IEM target. The low end of the spectrum shows a slight boost around 80-100 Hz, on the order of 3 dB above the target, without excess in the sub-bass (progressive roll-off below 40 Hz). The lower mids (200-500 Hz) are slightly recessed, which gives space to the bass line without masking voices. Presence (2-4 kHz) is well balanced, without an aggressive peak.

The highs show a slight peak around 8-9 kHz, perceptible on cymbals and female sibilants. This peak remains controlled and does not generate listening fatigue over 2-hour sessions. The soundstage is wide for an in-ear monitor at this price, with clear separation of planes between drums and strings on well-mixed orchestral recordings.

On electronic music (minimal techno, 120-130 BPM), the boost at 80-100 Hz adds punch without crushing mid-range elements. Separation between the kick and the synth bass remains legible, which is not systematic in this price range. On a cappella vocals, the slightly recessed mids give a slightly distant rendering but never artificial.

The LDAC versus aptX Lossless comparison on the same Qualcomm source reveals a perceptible difference on transients in aptX Lossless: acoustic guitar attacks are more defined, the noise floor of the recording is better rendered. The gap with AAC is more marked, especially on overall dynamics. The app's equalizer allows correction of the slight dip at 400 Hz and attenuation of the peak at 8 kHz, with persistence of the settings confirmed after disconnection.

We evaluated the ANC of the Melomania A100 in three distinct environments. In a metro car (continuous noise centered around 80-200 Hz), the additional attenuation compared to passive isolation alone is estimated at approximately 18 dB in this frequency range. This result is solid for an earbud at 119 €, even if it falls short of the 25-28 dB measured on the Sony WF-1000XM5 under the same conditions.

In an open-plan office (voices, keyboards, air conditioning), the ANC effectively reduces the continuous background noise but lets through nearby voices less than 1.5 meters away. This behavior is common to most ANC systems in this range: rejection of impulsive voices is structurally more difficult than that of stationary noises.

Compared to the Melomania M100, its direct predecessor, the A100 gains approximately 4 to 5 dB of additional attenuation in low frequencies according to community feedback and available comparative measurements. The adaptive mode reacts in 1.5 to 2 seconds during a sudden environmental change (moving from a quiet corridor to a busy street), which is noticeable but not bothersome.

In an airplane simulation (white noise centered on 250 Hz broadcast at 85 dB SPL via loudspeaker), the ANC reduces the background noise convincingly, comparable to what the Soundcore Liberty 4 Pro offers in the same test. The intra-aural pressure generated by the ANC is low, lower than that felt on the Bose QC Earbuds II.

The transparency mode of the Melomania A100 reproduces the sound environment with a slight coloration in the upper midrange (1-3 kHz), noticeable on deep male voices that sound slightly nasal. This flaw is common to digitally processed transparency modes in this range, and the A100 performs better than the Melomania M100, whose residual occlusion was more pronounced.

In short conversations on the street, understanding is good provided the interlocutor is within 2 meters. The processing delay is estimated at 10-15 ms, imperceptible in most situations. At the supermarket checkout, transparency is sufficient to follow a transaction without removing the earbuds.

In a standing meeting, transparency shows its limits: distant voices (beyond 3 meters) are reproduced with a slight perceptible delay and a slight nasal coloration. For occasional mobility use, the mode is functional. For a prolonged meeting, removing the earbuds remains preferable.

The residual occlusion, reported by several users, is present but moderate: one's own voice resonates slightly in the skull during a loud conversation. This phenomenon disappears as soon as transparency mode is activated, confirming that the passive isolation of the ear tips is the main cause.

The editorial team evaluated call quality in three contexts, with recording of the captured voice and critical listening from the simulated interlocutor side. The results are as follows:

• Quiet interior: voice reproduced with good intelligibility, slight compression perceptible on plosive consonants, background level at -55 dBFS.
• Street with moderate wind (15-20 km/h): beamforming reduces wind noise acceptably, but processing artifacts appear on sibilants. The interlocutor perceives intermittent noisy background.
• Public transport (metro car): background noise rejection is correct on continuous background, but the car's audio announcements partially pass into the captured signal.

Microphone beamforming is functional indoors and in low wind conditions, but does not compete with three-microphone solutions such as the Sony WF-1000XM5 or the Bose QC Earbuds II. For primarily indoor or transport use, quality is sufficient. For frequent professional calls outdoors, the limitations are real and documented.

The Mute Zone test protocol applied: volume set to 75 dB SPL measured on a sound level meter, LDAC codec, ambient temperature 20°C, ANC enabled or disabled according to the scenario. The measured results are as follows:

• ANC enabled: automatic shutdown at 19 h 40 min (case included), i.e. a difference of 6.6 % below the manufacturer claim of 21 h.
• ANC disabled: shutdown at 36 h 15 min, i.e. a difference of 6.9 % below the 39 h announced.

These differences are within the acceptable norm for this type of manufacturer measurement, which generally uses a lower volume (50-60 % of maximum) and a less power-hungry codec than LDAC.

Fast charging is effective: 10 minutes in the case restore approximately 2 h 30 min of battery life with ANC enabled. After 30 minutes of charging, the earbuds recover approximately 7 h of battery life. The case itself recharges via USB-C. Wireless charging is not available on this model, which is a notable shortcoming compared to the Sony WF-1000XM5 which offers Qi.

The LED indicator on the case signals three charge levels (green, orange, red), without numerical display. The Cambridge Audio app provides a precise percentage for the earbuds and the case, which compensates for the lack of physical display.

The Cambridge Audio app is available on Android and iOS. Stability is good on both tested platforms (Android 15, iOS 18.3): no crashes observed over four weeks of use, Bluetooth connection to the app established in less than 5 seconds at each launch.

The equalizer offers 10 parametric bands with an adjustment range of ±12 dB per band, which is generous for this price range. Five presets are available (Flat, Bass Boost, Vocal, Treble Boost, Custom). Custom settings persist after Bluetooth disconnection, which confirms that the parameters are stored in the earbuds' internal memory.

Touch controls are customizable from the app: each gesture (single tap, double tap, triple tap, long press) can be assigned to a function from a list of eight options (play/pause, next track, volume, ANC, transparency, voice assistant, call, none). This granularity is superior to what the Soundcore app offers on the Liberty 4 Pro.

Two limitations are worth noting:

• The app does not offer an equalization profile by musical genre with automatic learning, unlike the Sony Headphones Connect app.
• The ANC intensity setting (slider between 0 and 10) is present, but the perceptible impact between levels 7 and 10 is low, which suggests a useful range concentrated on levels 5 to 8.

The Melomania A100 outperforms its direct competitors on three objective measured criteria: real-world battery life with ANC on (nearly 20 hours versus 7 to 11 hours for the competitors), the codec chain (aptX Lossless is absent from Sony and Soundcore at this price), and unit weight (4,7 g versus 5,3 to 5,4 g). These advantages are concrete and not merely cosmetic.

However, the Melomania A100 does not offer wireless charging, its ANC is inferior to that of the Sony WF-1000XM5 (which costs twice as much but remains the category benchmark), and its microphone quality in windy outdoor conditions is improvable. The Melomania M100, its internal predecessor, is now available at a reduced price and remains relevant if aptX Lossless and extended battery life are not priorities.