With the Haylou S35 ANC headphones, after the discontinuation of various Amazon brands, there is finally an exciting over-ear model in the price range of around €50 with ANC. We already know Haylou from various cheap in-ears. Is there finally more competition for our Soundcore Q30 recommendation?
Haylou S35 ANC Review, Specs & Price
- Haylou S35 ANC
- at Haylou for €39.99 voucher: The Boat Yacht| Geekbuying for €46.73 | AliExpress for €51.76 | Banggood for €63.28
- Specifications compared to the Soundcore Life Q30
| Surname | Haylou S35 ANC | Soundcore Life Q30 |
| driver | 40mm dynamic driver | 40mm dynamic driver |
| connectivity | Bluetooth 5.2 | Bluetooth 5.0 |
| battery capacity | 600mAh | 40 hours running time | 720mAh | ~40 hours run time |
| Weight | not specified | 260g |
| audio codec | SBC, AAC | SBC, AAC |
| Miscellaneous | multipointsmartphone app | multipointsmartphone app |
Packaging & scope of delivery
At the moment, the Haylou S35 is only available as an import from China, at least it is not currently listed in the Haylou Store on Amazon. Nevertheless, the headphones are equipped with the necessary CE and other certifications, so you won’t have any problems here, or it would be possible that an EU release is still imminent.
The headphones come in a black box with a printed cover. Inside you will find the headphones in a long plastic tube. There is also a user manual in English, a 3.5 mm jack cable and a USB-C charging cable. A transport box is unfortunately not included, which I think is a shame. Thanks to other manufacturers, I’ve actually gotten used to always getting one of these with me.
The plastic tube in which the headphones are packed also reminds me a little of the packaging of the additional ear pads for in-ears. It somehow doesn’t seem to me as if I’d bought a high-quality headphone, the way the headphone is packaged in it – then I’d rather not have it.
Design & Processing
Once the headphones have been freed from the plastic waste, they make a good impression. The design is based a little on the design of the Sony WH1000XM4. The manufacturer offers three color variants. While the white and a (very) dark blue variant are quite common, the red and purple version is more of a daring color combination. At first glance, the dark blue version looks almost black, but the “H” on the back of the handset shows that it is actually a darker shade of blue. Otherwise there is a small golden color accent, at the level of the external ANC microphones.
Otherwise, the headphones are relatively ordinary for a model in this price range. The headband can be pulled out about 2.5 cm on each side and is reinforced with a metal rail. Ear and head pads are neatly glued or sewn and do not crease. It is questionable how durable the plastic folding hinge is. This gave way faster than it should in the Soundcore Q30, for example. Only a long-term test will show how the Haylou S35 ANC behaves.
Overall, the design is simple, classic and I have nothing to complain about in terms of workmanship . For a €50 headphone, the materials used feel good and there are no processing or material weaknesses.
Sound of the Haylou S35 ANC
The Haylou S35 ANC are equipped with a dynamic driver with a diaphragm diameter of 40 mm, which is Hi-Res Audio certified . However, this only applies in combination with the 3.5 mm headphone jack , because the headphones do not have Hi-Res Audio Wireless certification. In the test , the Haylou S35 ANC deliver a solid, balanced sound. Compared to the Soundcore Q30, they are more subdued in the bass, but the midrange is a bit more present.
In the highs, the performance is very similar. The Haylou S35 ANC are of course not the highest-resolution headphones for €50 and spatial listening is also only possible to a limited extent, but I still like the round vote. With its rich sub-bass, the Soundcore headphones are more the choice for electronic music and fat hip-hop beats, while I see the advantages of the Haylou S35 ANC more in pop or rock . At least for the price you ca n’t complain!
In the test, I liked the “acoustically improved” sound profile that can be activated via the app better than the standard configuration. In my opinion, downloading the app is also worthwhile from a sound perspective.
Active noise cancellation
The 42 db hybrid active noise cancellation should ensure a quiet environment. Experience has shown that these manufacturer specifications are pretty useless, since everyone here measures differently or simply makes something up. There are several modes you can choose from. These are Noise Canceling, Standard, and Transparent modes. In standard mode, the ANC is switched off, while the transparent mode amplifies your environment so that you can perceive it even if you have the headphones on.
The ANC mode of the Haylou S35 ANC does a surprisingly good job in the test, for the price range up to €50. In the comparison test with the Soundcore Q30 and Q35 I could not find a big difference in strength. The over-ear makes ambient noise noticeably quieter, so that a lower music volume is necessary in order to no longer be able to hear it. You can’t expect much more from headphones in this price range.
Operation & App
The earphones are equipped with a total of three operating heads and a touch surface on the right earphone. In addition, Haylou also provides a mobile phone app that comes with additional functions.
- Functions of the buttons:
| Button | press once | press twice | press 3x | hold |
| Power button | play/pause | next title | previous title | On off |
| +/- button | increase volume | – | – | Decrease volume |
| ANC button | Cycle through ANC modes | – | – | – |
The touch surface on the right back of the handset must be touched with two fingers to trigger a function. Double- tap to toggle low-latency mode on or off, triple-tap to activate voice assistant. Thus, the Haylou S35 ANC support all common functions directly on the headphones – very good!
The Haylou Sound App ( Android | iOS ) gives you a damper after installing it. There is an account requirement, without which the app cannot be used, such a hassle! After all, you can simply use a trash, disposable email here to create an account. In the app you can:
- ANC modes switched through
- battery status checked
- Different equalizers selected
- Low latency mode enabled/disabled
- Firmware updates installed
The range of functions is not particularly large and it is really annoying that you have to create an account here. But for the price range up to €50, it’s okay, you can’t expect much more in this price range.
Connectivity &Battery Life
Although the headphones have Bluetooth 5.2, they only support SBC and AAC. So you don’t have an LDAC or similar codec, which would be necessary for Hi-Res Audio Wireless, because the slightly more expensive 1MORE SonoFlow offers more.
Multipoint is also on board, which means you can connect two devices to the headphones at the same time. As already mentioned, there is also the option of using the headphones via a 3.5 mm jack cable.
A 600 mAh battery is installed in the Haylou S35 ANC. According to the manufacturer, this should be sufficient for a runtime of up to 40 hours. The test shows that this value probably refers to a runtime without ANC. With the ANC switched on, around 30 hours are still a good value to work with. The over-ears are charged via USB-C.
Conclusion
With the Haylou S35 ANC there is a new, solid alternative in the over-ear headphone range in the price range of around 50€. It convinces with full operation with an app, which annoyingly has an account requirement.
Pros
- Balanced sound
- Full service
- mobile app
- Price-performance
Cons
- App account forced
- no Hi-Res wireless
- no high-resolution audio codec
In terms of sound, it is balanced, more balanced than the Soundcore Q30 and Q35. Which is definitely an advantage for some genres of music. You can’t complain about the ANC in this price range either, it offers the usual strength and ensures that you can listen to music quietly without noticing background noise.
In the test, it is a well-rounded product with good workmanship, so that at a price of €50, in my opinion, you don’t do much wrong.
