The market for fully wireless headphones is almost insatiable. And new brands are still coming. One of these is the Danish Wavell, founded in 2019 by three high school students.
Wavell PRO is a recently launched flagship model and the first Wavell earphones with ANC (automatic noise reduction).
Wavell PRO are medium sized earplugs with a glossy black or glossy white plastic housing. Like all other fully wireless earbuds, they come in a pocket-sized case with a built-in battery for charging. The plugs themselves have a battery life of 7.5 hours. And the case has power for two charges. For a total battery life of 20 hours with ANC activated. The case itself can be charged with USB-C or wirelessly.
Wavell PRO drivers are made of graphene, or carbon, arranged in a super-thin nanostructure. Also, Bluetooth 5.2 and aptX are supported.
Great manual
Comes with ear pads in four sizes and a cable. In the package there is also a nice manual, which perfectly explains the use. Although it’s only two by five pages in Danish and English respectively, many established manufacturers could really learn something here.
In my ears not particularly suited to earplugs, the fit was good. But this is an individual matter. If he can’t get the plugs and ears to match, Wavell promises a 30-day right of withdrawal.
No apps and no equalizers
They are easy to use and consist only of Bluetooth pairing with the mobile phone. There is no management app. Which is also not absolutely necessary. In practice I would prefer earphones without an app rather than earphones or headphones which can only be paired and used via the manufacturer’s app, but the lack of an app also means that there is no equalizer function to adjust the frequency response. We will come back to this.
The sound of Wavell PRO
Let’s start with what Wavell PRO does well. ANC works perfectly satisfactorily. And regardless of whether in terms of efficiency it doesn’t stand out on the side of the best noise reduction plugs, that Sony WF-1000XM4, you get all the freedom from your surroundings you might want in practice. Wavell PRO also has – of course – a “Transparency Mode”, in which the sound of the surrounding environment is passed through the microphones.
Good at talking
But earplugs are made for sound, not just silence. And the Wavell Pros are pleasant to listen to. Voices are reproduced quite well and without sharpness in the mid-range. And a pleasing fullness makes it comfortable to listen to podcasts and audiobooks on the go.
But then we come to the music.
Almost regardless of the songs and genres I put in, I think “it was a powerful bass!”
Hollow and sonorous bass
Bass is fat, but all in moderation! And if you want to drown yourself in the bass to double the rhythms, the quality should preferably be good. And so it’s not here. There aren’t a lot of deep bass. Understandable when it comes to earplugs with tiny microcapsule drivers.
The low mid and high range from around 80Hz and up gets a real boost in return. It can make it easier to follow the pace of intense circuit training. But in all other situations it sounds too violent.
The hollow sonic sound somewhat resembles the sound of Soundbooks go – without it being a recommendation of any of the products.
The highs shine in exchange for his absence. There’s enough of the treble range that the Wavell PRO doesn’t have to sound completely obscure. But the shades of light that give air to the sound image have disappeared.
Competitors
Wavell offers itself as an alternative to large producers. And the idea that three high school mates can compete with established names is also sympathetic. However, both in terms of price and sound, the Wavell PRO faces stiff competition. For the same price, you can find plenty of fully wireless earbuds with ANC. For instance Sennheiser CX Plus True Wireless And Jabra Elite 5both recently received our highly recommended icon.
Conclusion
Wavell PRO is a great example of global collaboration. The three Danish founders have neither their own development laboratory nor their own factory. But thanks to the Internet and global trade, it is possible for the common man to partner with OEM manufacturers in China and become the manufacturer of their own mail order brand. The design of the new earphones is flawless and the noise reduction works well. But in terms of sound, you simply get too little for your money. Especially when there is no app with an EQ function to correct errors in frequency response.
