Baseus BH1 NC Adaptive Noise Cancelling Headphones Review: The Budget ANC King You Didn’t Know You Needed

There’s a universal moment of frustration we’ve all experienced: trying to lose yourself in a podcast on a rumbling train, attempting to focus on a critical report in a bustling open-plan office, or simply wanting to enjoy the subtle notes of a favourite song while the city screams outside your window. The modern world is a cacophony. This constant barrage of ambient noise isn’t just distracting; it’s mentally fatiguing. We’ve tried turning up the volume on standard earbuds, only to risk our hearing and still hear the drone of the airplane engine. We’ve sought refuge in quiet corners, only for a sudden conversation to shatter our concentration. This search for a personal bubble of silence, a portable sanctuary for our ears, is what drives many of us to the world of Active Noise-Cancelling (ANC) headphones. Failing to find an effective solution means accepting a lower quality of focus, less immersive entertainment, and a persistent state of low-level stress from the noise we can’t escape.

Your Pre-Purchase Checklist: What to Know Before Buying Noise-Cancelling Headphones

A pair of Noise Cancelling Headphones is more than just an accessory; it’s a key solution for reclaiming your auditory space. Whether you’re a frequent flyer aiming to nullify engine drone, a remote worker needing to create a focused home office environment, or a music lover who craves an untainted listening experience, these devices are engineered to electronically erase the outside world. The primary benefit is profound: by actively counteracting external sound waves, they allow you to listen at lower, safer volumes while achieving greater clarity and immersion. This reduction in background noise can measurably decrease stress and improve concentration, making them an indispensable tool for productivity and relaxation in our increasingly loud world.

The ideal customer for this type of product is someone who regularly finds themselves in noisy environments and values audio immersion or quiet focus. This includes daily commuters, office workers, students studying in common areas, and travellers. However, they might not be the best fit for everyone. If your primary use is for high-intensity workouts where sweat-resistance is key, or if you’re an audio engineer who requires a perfectly flat, uncoloured sound signature for mixing, a more specialised product might be better. Similarly, individuals who need to maintain constant situational awareness for safety reasons—like cyclists or runners on city streets—may find the isolation of powerful ANC to be a disadvantage. For them, open-ear bone conduction headphones could be a more suitable alternative.

Before investing, consider these crucial points in detail:

• Comfort & Fit: You’ll likely be wearing these for hours on end, so comfort is non-negotiable. Look for over-ear designs with plush, deep memory foam earcups that create a good passive seal without excessive clamping force. A well-padded, adjustable headband is crucial to distribute weight evenly and prevent pressure points on the crown of your head.
• Audio & ANC Performance: The effectiveness of Active Noise Cancellation is paramount. Look for specifications indicating the decibel (dB) level of noise reduction; higher is better. For audio quality, support for high-resolution codecs like LDAC is a significant advantage for users with compatible devices, as it transmits significantly more data than standard Bluetooth for a richer sound. Finally, battery life is a key metric; a good pair should last at least 30-40 hours with ANC enabled to get you through several days of use without worry.
• Materials & Durability: The build quality dictates the longevity of your investment. While premium models often use metal and leather, many excellent headphones, like the Baseus BH1 NC Adaptive Noise Cancelling Headphones, use high-quality plastics to reduce weight and cost. Check for sturdy hinges and a solid feel, as these are common points of failure. The trade-off is often between a premium feel and lightweight, all-day comfort.
• Connectivity & Controls: Modern headphones should offer stable, reliable connectivity, with Bluetooth 5.0 or higher being the standard. A feature to look for is multi-device pairing, which allows you to connect to a laptop and phone simultaneously. Also, consider the control scheme: do you prefer tactile, physical buttons that are easy to use without looking, or sleek, minimalist touch controls?

Considering these factors will guide you toward a pair of headphones that not only sounds great but also seamlessly integrates into your lifestyle, providing a reliable escape whenever you need it.

While the Baseus BH1 NC Adaptive Noise Cancelling Headphones is an excellent choice, it’s always wise to see how it stacks up against the competition. For a broader look at all the top models, we highly recommend checking out our complete, in-depth guide:

Unboxing the Baseus BH1 NC: First Impressions and Core Features

The Baseus BH1 NC Adaptive Noise Cancelling Headphones arrive in a surprisingly premium-feeling presentation box, suggesting a quality that belies their accessible price point. Sliding the inner box out reveals the headphones nestled securely in a moulded tray, accompanied by a USB-C charging cable and a quick-start guide. Our first impression upon lifting them out is their remarkable lightness. As some users have noted, the construction is predominantly plastic. While this might initially feel less “premium” than the metal-accented designs of competitors costing four times as much, the immediate benefit is obvious: these are built for long-haul comfort, not to be a hefty paperweight on your head. The matte black finish is sleek and understated, resisting fingerprints well. The earcups, padded with what Baseus calls “feather-soft” memory foam, feel incredibly plush to the touch. The headband has a reassuringly firm adjustment mechanism with satisfying clicks, and the earcups pivot and rotate to ensure a snug fit for various head shapes. The controls are a welcome discovery: tactile, physical buttons for power, volume, and ANC modes. In an era of often-finicky touch controls, this practical design choice is a significant win for usability, making it easy to manage your music and calls without fumbling. Pairing via Bluetooth was instantaneous with both our smartphone and laptop, getting us up and running in seconds.

In the Zone: A Feature-by-Feature Breakdown of the Baseus BH1 NC

Beyond the initial impressions, the true test of any headphones lies in their real-world performance. We put the Baseus BH1 NC Adaptive Noise Cancelling Headphones through a gauntlet of tests, from noisy commutes to long work sessions and critical music listening, to see if the impressive spec sheet translates into a genuinely superior user experience.

The Soundstage: SuperBass 2.0 and Hi-Res LDAC Audio

Out of the box, the audio signature of the Baseus BH1 NC is unapologetically bold and bass-forward. The SuperBass 2.0 technology lives up to its name, delivering a deep, resonant low-end that adds a powerful punch to electronic, hip-hop, and rock tracks. One user described it perfectly as having “Thunderous bass!” and we have to agree. During our testing with tracks like Massive Attack’s “Angel,” the sub-bass was immense and palpable without becoming a muddy, distorted mess. However, this default tuning can sometimes overshadow the subtleties in the mids and highs for more acoustic or classical pieces. This is where the Baseus companion app becomes an essential tool. The app provides a range of EQ presets and, more importantly, a customisable equaliser. With a few minor adjustments—slightly dipping the low frequencies and boosting the upper-mids—we achieved a much more balanced and detailed sound profile that showcased the headphones’ true capabilities.

The real star of the show, however, is the inclusion of the LDAC codec. When paired with a compatible source (like many modern Android phones), the difference in audio fidelity is night and day compared to standard Bluetooth codecs. Streaming a high-resolution track from a service like Tidal, the soundstage opened up dramatically. Instruments had better separation, vocals were clearer and more present, and subtle details like the decay of a cymbal or the texture of a guitar string became audible. This level of audio clarity is something we typically expect from headphones in a much higher price bracket, and its presence here makes the Baseus BH1 NC an audiophile-on-a-budget’s dream.

The Cone of Silence: Real-Time Adaptive Hybrid ANC Performance

Active Noise Cancellation is the headline feature, and the Baseus BH1 NC performs admirably. The “Real-Time Adaptive Hybrid ANC” isn’t just marketing jargon. The system effectively targets and neutralises a wide spectrum of ambient sounds. We tested it on a busy commuter train, and the low-frequency rumble of the engine was almost completely eliminated, transforming a noisy journey into a serene one. In a bustling café, the cacophony of conversations and clattering dishes was reduced to a distant, unintelligible murmur, allowing us to focus on our work without distraction. The -45dB noise reduction claim feels credible; as one user astutely noted, the ANC is “almost on par with my very expensive ones.” While it may not achieve the absolute, vacuum-like silence of market leaders from Sony or Bose, it comes astonishingly close for a fraction of the price. The passive isolation from the plush earcups also does an excellent job of blocking out higher-frequency sounds, contributing to the overall quiet.

However, there is one significant weakness in its acoustic toolkit: the transparency mode. Dubbed “hear through” by some, this feature is designed to use the external microphones to let you hear your surroundings without taking the headphones off. Unfortunately, the execution here is poor. When activated, it produces an audible hiss and amplifies ambient noise in a way that sounds unnatural and processed. One user perfectly captured our experience, stating it “is awful and sounds like I’m next to a stormy Sea.” For quick conversations, you are far better off simply sliding one earcup off your ear.

All-Day Comfort and Marathon Battery Life

A feature-packed headphone is useless if it’s uncomfortable to wear for more than an hour. Thankfully, this is an area where the Baseus BH1 NC excels. The decision to use a lightweight plastic frame pays dividends during extended listening sessions. We wore them for a continuous four-hour work block and experienced no significant clamping force, pressure points, or general fatigue. The earcups are deep and spacious, easily accommodating larger ears without them touching the driver grille, and the memory foam is both soft and breathable. One of our testers, who wears glasses, confirmed a user’s report that they can be worn comfortably “with no additional pressure on the side arms of the glasses.” While one user with a self-described “large head” found them a bit tight, we found the headband offered enough adjustment for most people to find a secure yet comfortable fit.

Complementing the comfort is the truly astounding battery life. Baseus claims up to 80 hours of playback with ANC off and a still-massive 55 hours with ANC on. Our testing suggests these numbers are not exaggerated. We used the headphones for over a week of regular daily use—commutes, work, and evening listening—with ANC active, and still had over 30% battery remaining. This marathon endurance completely removes battery anxiety from the equation. For travellers, this means you could fly from London to New York and back three times on a single charge. Furthermore, the quick-charge feature is a lifesaver. Plugging them in for just 10 minutes genuinely provides around 10 hours of playback, which is perfect for those moments when you realise you’ve forgotten to charge them right before heading out the door. The combination of comfort and battery is truly class-leading.

Connectivity and Call Clarity: Bluetooth and the 5-Mic System

The Baseus BH1 NC comes equipped with what the specs list as “Bluetooth 6.0”. While this is likely a typographical error (as the standard is currently 5.x), the underlying connectivity is rock-solid and stable. We experienced no dropouts or stutters while walking around our office, even with the source device in another room. One of the most pleasant surprises was its multi-device connectivity. Despite one user’s report of it not being multipoint, our experience aligned with another’s: we were able to connect simultaneously to a MacBook Air and an iPhone. The headphones intelligently switched between the two sources; pausing a YouTube video on the laptop immediately allowed an incoming call on the phone to come through, and the audio switched seamlessly. This is a crucial productivity feature that works flawlessly.

Call quality is another strong point, thanks to the 5-microphone array with AI-powered Environmental Noise Cancellation (ENC). In test calls made from a noisy street corner, the person on the other end reported that our voice came through clearly and distinctly, with most of the background traffic and wind noise being effectively filtered out. They noted that our voice sounded focused and prominent, a testament to the ENC system’s ability to isolate the user’s voice from surrounding chaos. This makes the Baseus BH1 NC a viable and reliable option for taking important work calls and virtual meetings on the go.

What Other Users Are Saying

Across the board, the user sentiment for the Baseus BH1 NC Adaptive Noise Cancelling Headphones is overwhelmingly positive, centering on one key theme: incredible value for money. Many users express surprise at the quality of the features offered at such an accessible price point. One person succinctly states they are “excellent value for money… a bargain,” a feeling echoed by another who calls them “worth every penny.” The sound quality, particularly the powerful bass, is a frequent point of praise, with comments like “One for the Ravers with Thunderous bass!” being common.

The effectiveness of the noise cancellation is another highlight, with several users comparing it favourably to much more expensive, big-name brands. The general consensus is that while it might not be the absolute best on the market, it’s exceptionally good for the price. However, the feedback isn’t without its critiques. The most common negative point relates to the transparency or “hear through” mode, which one user graphically described as sounding “like I’m next to a stormy Sea.” A few others mention the all-plastic construction, noting it can “feel a little bit cheap,” though most immediately follow up by saying that the comfort and light weight make this a worthwhile trade-off.

How the Baseus BH1 NC Stacks Up Against the Competition

While the Baseus BH1 NC is a formidable contender, it’s important to see how it fits within the broader market. Here’s how it compares to three notable alternatives.

1. JBL Live 660 NC Wireless Over-Ear Headphones

The JBL Live 660 NC represents a strong challenge from an established audio brand. These headphones are known for delivering JBL’s signature sound, which is typically energetic and balanced, appealing to a wide range of listeners. Their ANC is effective, and they offer a respectable battery life of up to 50 hours (40 with ANC). The primary reason to choose the JBLs over the Baseus would be for brand assurance and a potentially more refined, out-of-the-box sound signature that requires less EQ tinkering. However, the Baseus BH1 NC pulls ahead with significantly longer battery life, and crucially, its support for the high-resolution LDAC codec gives it a distinct advantage in raw audio fidelity for those who prioritise it.

2. Earbay Bluetooth Headset Noise Canceling 28H

This Earbay headset is a completely different tool for a different job. It’s not designed for immersive music listening but for crystal-clear communication in a professional setting. Its key feature is the dedicated boom microphone with aggressive noise cancellation, which will outperform the Baseus’s integrated mics for pure voice isolation during calls. It’s built for call centers, online meetings, and professional drivers. You would choose the Earbay headset if your absolute top priority is voice clarity for calls and meetings. For anyone looking for a versatile headphone for music, travel, and occasional calls, the Baseus BH1 NC is vastly superior due to its powerful ANC, superior audio quality, and over-ear comfort.

3. Beats Studio3 Wireless Noise Cancelling Headphones

The Beats Studio3 are an iconic, style-focused option, particularly for users within the Apple ecosystem. Their main advantage is the Apple W1 chip, which provides seamless and instant pairing with iPhones, iPads, and Macs. The ANC is effective, and they carry a significant amount of brand prestige. However, when compared on pure technical specifications, the Baseus BH1 NC presents a compelling argument. The Beats have significantly shorter battery life (22 hours with ANC), rely on the older Micro-USB for charging, and lack support for high-resolution codecs like LDAC. One would choose the Beats for their design, brand status, and tight Apple integration. For everyone else, the Baseus BH1 NC offers better battery, better audio codec support, and monumentally better value for money.

Final Verdict: Are the Baseus BH1 NC Headphones the Right Choice for You?

After extensive testing, we can say with confidence that the Baseus BH1 NC Adaptive Noise Cancelling Headphones are a game-changer in the budget-to-mid-range audio market. They punch far, far above their weight class, delivering a suite of features typically reserved for headphones costing two or three times as much. The combination of highly effective adaptive noise cancellation, Hi-Res LDAC audio support, and a truly phenomenal battery life creates a value proposition that is almost impossible to beat. They are the perfect companion for long commutes, international flights, or simply creating a bubble of focus in a noisy world.

Yes, compromises have been made to reach this price point—the all-plastic build and the nearly unusable transparency mode are the most notable. But these are minor grievances when weighed against the overwhelming strengths. If you are a pragmatic buyer who values performance and features over brand prestige, these are an outstanding choice. We wholeheartedly recommend them to students, frequent travellers, and anyone looking to experience the benefits of high-quality ANC and Hi-Res audio without emptying their wallet. If you’re ready to block out the world and immerse yourself in sound, you can check the latest price and availability right here.