The presence of an active noise cancellation system in modern headphones has long been the prerogative of extremely expensive models. But now some manufacturers have decided to bring this technology to the masses. A striking example of this is the affordable full-size Harper HB-715 (MC Air) headset. Other features include a foldable design, comfortable fit, wired and wireless connectivity, eco-leather trim and decent sound quality. Let’s look at the model in detail.

Specifications

• Form Factor: Full-size on-ear wireless
• Materials: plastic, metal, eco-leather
• Drivers: closed dynamic, 40 mm, 32 ohms, 90 dB, 20 Hz – 20 kHz
• Total number of microphones: 1
• Management: mechanical
• Interfaces: Bluetooth 5.0, microUSB, mini jack
• Codecs: SBC
• Latency: 150ms
• Application: no
• Waterproof: no
• Noise Isolation: ANC
• Battery life: 48 hours (42 hours with ANC)
• Weight: 246 g
• Price: Check current

Equipment

MC Air comes in a relatively compact white box. On the front side, there is an image of a headset, and on the back, there are technical specifications and advertising text for several paragraphs. Not a bad marketing decision: after reading the latter, it may well be a desire to make a purchase. The headphones are neatly stacked on a plastic cradle, and they are accompanied by a USB-microUSB charging cable (65 cm), a mini jack to mini jack audio cable (130 cm), a warranty card and instructions. It is a pity that the manufacturer did not provide even the simplest carrying case.

Design

Harper HB-715 is made in the form factor of an overhead headset that completely covers the ears. The ear cushions, outer panels of the cups, as well as the entire headband are covered with delicate eco-leather. Although it is not very practical, it gives a premium look. The basis of the headphone frame is durable plastic. All elements are made in black. There are logos on the sides of the temple on the outside and R / L markings on the inside. The manufacturer does not claim to have any moisture protection.

The length of the headband is regulated by a smoothly retractable element with several fixation points. It also has two hinges: one allows you to fold the headphones, the second allows you to rotate the cups 90 degrees. This design adds convenience during transportation. The mechanisms are made of metal and do not feel flimsy.

The removable oval ear cushions and the entire interior of the headband are filled with soft memory foam. The speakers themselves are covered with a thin cloth. All functional elements are placed on the rim of the left bowl: a block of four small keys on the back, an LED, a microUSB connector, which clearly has no place in 2022, and a mini jack connector for a wired connection from below, as well as a microphone hole in the front.

The indicator turned out to be quite indicative: it blinks blue when the headphones are connected wirelessly, alternates with yellow when pairing, adds green when the ANC function is active. It will blink yellow when the battery is low, and it will light up in this color during charging. Unfortunately, information about the level of the remaining charge with its help can not be found.

MC Air has a comfortable fit: due to the movable joints, the headphones adapt to the features of the head, and the voluminous soft ear cushions and a large headband cushion evenly distribute their weight (246 g). The head is squeezed slightly, but the headset does not fall off when running. Of course, it will not be very easy to pass a day in these headphones, but after a few hours, the ears do not hurt and practically do not sweat.

Unfortunately, the build quality here is not ideal: there are small gaps at the junction of the metal element with the headband, rattling of the keys, as well as a gap between the cups and external panels where the wind likes to fly. On the other hand, the stitching is done neatly, all the seams are hidden, the mechanisms are fixed clearly, and it’s still not worth making too high demands on headphones for 3000 rubles.

Control

The engineers acted rather rashly by grouping all four control keys together: over time, you stop getting confused, but you still have to think, and they are poorly defined by touch. The buttons are plastic, have a small stroke with a click. Management is quite traditional, and all the necessary functions are present.

Holding the top key turns the headphones on/off, a short press pauses playback, and a double press calls the voice assistant. It also allows you to accept, reject, and end calls. The bottom button activates ANC, and holding puts the headset into pairing mode. The remaining two with a quick touch allow you to adjust the volume, and with a long touch you can switch tracks. Some commands are accompanied by voice comments in Russian, but for some reason the activation of noise reduction does not apply to them. There are no autopause sensors, as expected.

Connection

For wireless connection, the headphones use the Bluetooth 5.0 interface. For the first time, you need to put the headset into pairing mode, and then use the standard tools on your smartphone. Subsequently, the connection will happen by itself in a couple of seconds. Stuttering and interruptions within a radius of up to 7 meters does not occur. Unfortunately, it will not be possible to establish a connection with two devices at the same time. Only the base SBC codec is supported. 150ms signal latency: You shouldn’t have any problems watching videos, but in active games the lag will be noticeable.

Alternatively, you can use a wired connection. In this case, the battery will not be consumed, and the out of sync disappears, but ANC will not work, as well as the microphone and control buttons, since the connector is three-pin. The length of the cable (1.3 m) is enough to connect to a smartphone, but it is most likely not enough for a PC. The difference in playback quality between wired and wireless connection is not felt. There is no separate application for setting up the Harper HB-715, which means that it will not be possible to see the exact charge or adjust the sound.

Sound and ANC

Harper HB-715 are equipped with dynamic drivers with a diameter of 40 mm, 32 ohm impedance and 90 dB sensitivity, their operating range is from 20 to 20,000 Hz. The emphasis is on the bottoms and lower mids. The bass is powerful and dynamic, allowing you to feel the full depth. Although they partially overlap the middle, the vocals remain clean and clear, and the work of the instruments does not turn into a complete mess. The upper frequencies turned out to be rather muffled.

Headphones can please the owner with a wide acoustic stage, and the speakers do not choke even when playing rich compositions. In general, MC Air behave quite decently when playing music of any genre, and also do not beat their faces in movies and games. However, they, of course, are not capable of competing on equal terms with really good acoustics from Sony or Sennheiser. The volume reserve is good: it is required to increase it above half only in extreme cases.

Volumetric soft ear cushions cut off external sounds well and do not release the played music outside. Against this background, the effect of active noise cancellation is not so significant, and only by listening, you can catch the difference: street noise, engine hum and background office sounds are significantly reduced. For my taste, it’s not worth it to spoil the sound with hissing in the cups, but at least the autonomy practically does not suffer. Although, someone will certainly appreciate this option. By the way, after turning on the headphones, the ANC mode is automatically activated. There is no transparency mode. The microphone here is mediocre: in the room you can more or less conduct a dialogue, but if you go outside, the interlocutor will constantly ask again.

autonomy

The manufacturer claims 24 hours of headset operation at 50% volume. I don’t know if this is a bug or a feature, but my headphones showed the result twice as much, working 42 hours with active ANC and 48 hours without it. With an average intensity of use, they will have to be charged once every three weeks. To save power, the headset turns off after 5 minutes. The built-in 400 mAh battery takes 2 hours and 20 minutes to fully recover, and support for fast charging technology allows 10 minutes at the outlet to provide a full 4 hours of operation.

Conclusion

Harper HB-715 are very good headphones for their price. The headset looks great and is comfortable to use, and thanks to its foldable design, it won’t take up much room in your backpack. The sound will delight with drive and powerful bass. Active noise cancellation is not the most advanced here, but there is excellent passive isolation, and excellent autonomy is combined with fast charging and the ability to use a wired connection when the battery is low. Of course, there are quite enough compromises here: the lack of a case, not the most convenient location of the keys, a mediocre microphone and an outdated connector, but all of them can be forgiven by looking at the price of MC Air.