Huawei FreeBuds Studio is a full-size wireless active noise-canceling headphones. The first model in this segment is from Huawei. Claimed: high-quality (intelligent) noise reduction, excellent sound, and good voice transmission—technological and stylish model. In the comparision, we’ll see if it can compete with the leaders in the ANC headphone segment. For the price – a competitor. Let’s see if it is justified.Â
The AKG K245 are dynamic headphones, circumaural and open, with two moving coil drivers with 50-millimeter diaphragms. It is foldable but does not do without the headband system for a comfortable fit and automatic size adjustment, for which AKG continues to earn a lot of praise.
Pros and Cons
| Huawei FreeBuds Studio | AKG K245 |
| High quality sound | Detailed sound |
| Comfortable fit | High wearing comfort |
| Solid battery life | Controlled bass |
| Decent ANC | Inhibited high mids / highs |
| No wired connection option | Earcups may be small for larger ears |
| Non-folding design | Sound stage restricted for open-back |
Specification
| Huawei FreeBuds Studio | AKG K245 | |
| $ | CHECK PRICE | CHECK PRICE |
| Model | FreeBuds Studio | K245 |
| Brand | Huawei | AKG |
| Released | January 11, 2021 | Jul 16, 2019 |
| Dimension | 194 x 152 x 81.5 mm | 220 x 109 x 234.95 mm |
| Weight | 260 g | 295 g |
| Earpiece Connection | Wireless | Wired |
| Type | Over-Ear | Over-Ear |
| Foldable | No | Yes |
| Detachable | No | Yes |
| Frequency Response | 4 Hz to 48 kHz | 15 Hz to 25 kHz |
| Sensitivity | – | 109 DB @ 1 kHz |
| Colours | Gold, Black | Black |
| Driver | 40 mm | 50 mm |
| ANC | No | No |
| Impedance | 32 Ohms | 32 Ohms |
| Controls | Yes | No |
| Audio Connector | Wireless | 3.5 mm |
| Cable Length | 1.2 m | 3 m |
| Codecs | SBC,AAC | – |
| Battery Life | 24 hrs | – |
Design
HUAWEI FreeBuds Studio looks not only beautiful but stylish and, most importantly, original. They will be recognizable. The body is made of plastic, supplemented with artificial leather, and only the hinges are made of metal. On the other hand, it lightens the weight of the headphones. Plastic is not cheap; it looks sophisticated and is very pleasant to the touch. And the build quality is also pleasing since there are no squeaks; the case is durable and does not lend itself to deformation when pressed. You can choose from two color options – black and gold. Both versions look decent. HUAWEI FreeBuds Studio Black – a more restrained version, classic. Gold is soft and sophisticated. The headband around the entire perimeter is softened with leatherette; since it is huge, the headphones look solid. The bowls themselves have a minimum of decor. These are just two-stage bowls, each with a logo on them.
The buttons are made in the same color as the entire body. The absence of other colors and intricate details makes the model even more attractive. The hinges also fit into the overall concept as they are made to match the body color. They turn easily. The ear cushions are super soft, making the HUAWEI FreeBuds Studio headphones comfortable. Material – artificial leather.Â
The cups are hardly noticeable on the ears. As much as possible in principle. Thanks to the ability to adjust the position of the cups (the hinges can be pulled out by about 4 cm on each side), the headphones are suitable for people with different head sizes.
AKG K245 are closed-back headphones ideal for recording, mixing, and listening. AKG K245 is equipped with two powerful 50mm diaphragms, which provide clear sound with a special low-frequency response and wide stereo panorama.
A recognition feature of AKG studio headphones for years: the elastic, self-adjusting headband automatically adapts to the anatomy of the head. A manual fork extension is unnecessary. The slim, striking and contemporary and timeless design.
These headphones can play music at high volume on mobile players (smartphones) and USB audio interfaces due to the low impedance of 32 ohms. Soft, comfortable ear cushions ensure comfortable use and excellent sound insulation. All other AKG K245 components are made of metal, making them durable and reliable, and they can be folded.
The shape of these earbuds creates an ideal position for all types of heads, thanks to the automatic headband adjustment.
Comfort
Huawei FreeBuds Studio is a comfortable headphone. The ear cushions are soft, large, and deep: fit any ears; the downforce is comfortable: it doesn’t press anything, doesn’t rub; the lining of the headband is also soft: it does not bother at all. You can spend several hours wearing headphones without discomfort.Â
Of course, it’s frustrating that the headphones don’t fold. You can only turn the bowls. It can be carried around the neck. But in a backpack or bag, they take up a lot of space, moreover, in a case. But on the head, they look neat and do not “chew” the owner.
The AKG K245 is very comfortable to wear. At first, at 284 grams (excluding cables), it is below the average for over-ear headphones. Heat build-up is not an issue with open headphones due to the design. The contact pressure is light to moderate.
The AKG-typical headband with self-adjustment distributes the pressure over a large area over my skull. So it can do without a thick layer of padding, and after a few minutes of listening to music, it has completely disappeared from my perception. Great.
There is just enough space in the interior of the ear pads for my medium-sized ears. They adapt well and are covered with comfortable synthetic leather. All in all, the best comfort is offered.
Audio
The frequency response is very good, from 4 to 48,000 Hz. But it is not entirely clear why such “latitude” is. After all, it is believed that a person hears from 20 Hz to 20,000 Hz, and that is not all. In addition, over a wireless connection, it is from 20 to 20,000 Hz that is transmitted as standard. But still, what about the sound? The sound is really good.
Headphones Huawei FreeBuds Studio is equipped with active noise canceling system. The noise reduction is good, but it falls short of the leaders (Sony and Bose). At the maximum level, both low-frequency sounds and part of the mid-frequency noise are well choked. At the same time, there is no particularly unpleasant pressure on the ears. There is background noise, though. But only in the “ultra” mode. There is little or no influence of noise reduction on sound quality.
The headphones sound convincing when listening to different genres of music. In general, the music reaches the ears in the form the creators wanted to convey it. Therefore, what genre the owner prefers does not matter – everything will sound bright, dynamic, and pleasant. Therefore, the HUAWEI FreeBuds Studio headphones are suitable for mixing different tracks and listening to rock after classics and pop.
The sound is detailed; the high frequencies are well developed, the bass is soft and elastic. The bass is not too punchy, so lovers of low frequencies will need to play with the settings. There is additional processing to the sound, but it is delicate and precise to feel natural. By quality HUAWEI FreeBuds Studio can be compared with the Sony WH-1000XM4; this model is inferior to the sensational headphones from Sony. The HUAWEI FreeBuds Studio headphones support the SBC, AAC, and L2HC codecs. The model’s review made it possible to find out since there is no such information.
The AKG K245 sounds pleasantly deeply padded, and the bass is accurate for the price range. The large, 50mm diameter drivers do a great job.
In the field of sibilants, the AKG K245 is extremely mild; sharpness is completely alien to it. On the one hand, this enables long studio sessions without symptoms of fatigue but also carries the risk of mixing up with excessive sibilants, prominent cymbals, etc.
The last foothills of the middle and the lower highs seem inhibited. Only the top, finely chiseled heights are visible again. Studio headphones declared as mix monitoring could be more balanced.
The spatial separation of individual instruments and sounds in the stereo panorama is not very differentiated. Compared to the now cheaper classics like the Beyerdynamic DT 990 PRO, the AKG K245 leaves springs. After all: the middle of the phantom is visible, something I miss with so many other mid-range studio headphones.
In terms of dynamics, the AKG K245 shows a very decent performance; transients are clearly defined. However, this is sometimes counteracted by the overall too powerful bass range.
Conclusion
HUAWEI FreeBuds Studio headphones have good sound and noise cancellation. They are suitable for listening to different music, and for watching video content and games too. Noise cancellation, thanks to 6 microphones, is very high quality. If you want to isolate yourself from the whole world to enjoy your favorite tracks, then HUAWEI FreeBuds Studio is the right choice. Add to this good battery life and ergonomics the presence of nice features – transparent sound, reaction to the removal of the headphones, and we get almost perfect headphones.Â
The main problem of Bluetooth HUAWEI FreeBuds Studio is the unexpected price. It’s just that we are not used to Huawei headphones costing so much. But if you evaluate the model in terms of price and quality, it certainly deserves a high cost.Â
The AKG K245 is a thoroughly successful headphone. The open, dynamic player plays tonally balanced, with minimally emphasized bass, considerate presences, and a slightly more cautious super high frequency. It does very well for the price range in terms of dynamics and plasticity/stage, even if these are not its proven parade disciplines.
It is particularly well suited for continuous listening to music – and that means the long day: Both the sound and the comfortable wearing properties make it a veritable marathon listener. If you also consider that it is very mobile thanks to its folding mechanism and does not leave any nasty scars in the wallet, it is worth a recommendation.
