I tested this pair of $40 headphones and refuse to believe they sound this good

1 day ago 6

ZDNET's key takeaways

Haylou's S40 headphones are available on Amazon for just over $50.
With outstanding battery life and comfort, they're a great pair of budget headphones.
Their sound isn't likely to impress discerning audiophiles.

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Ten years ago, if you told me I could buy a pair of headphones for around $50 that sounded good, I would have laughed you out of the recording studio. Back then, I'd have had to pay over twice that much to get something that even remotely lived up to my standards.

Granted, I have high standards when it comes to sound, so even now I have my doubts when a company sends me a pair of sub-$50 cans.

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When I unboxed the Haylou S40 headphones, my first thought was that they'd probably wind up somewhere in the lower- to mid-range of things. After connecting to my Pixel 9 Pro, I found my assumption to be correct.

However, that's not necessarily where this story ends. Let me explain.

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My experience

As I've come to expect, connecting the S40 headphones via Bluetooth was as simple as it gets. In all of 15 seconds, they were ready to go. I fired up my usual playlist and sat back to listen.

The first thing that struck me was that the headphones' EQ was fairly flat. There's nothing wrong with that because it means you're not hearing overly processed sound. It felt like these headphones delivered music closer to how the artists and engineers intended it to be heard. Sadly, many will assume this means it lacks bass and will turn their noses up.

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It's a fair take, however, especially in a day and age when most earbud and headphone sound is over-produced. With that in mind, I installed the Haylou Sound app on my Pixel 9 Pro.

Ugh… once again, an app demands I create an account. This is getting old. I shouldn't need an account to set up a pair of headphones.

Anyway, after connecting the S40 headphones to the app, I jumped into the Sound tab to set an EQ that's more suited to my hearing. It took me a bit to realize that the custom EQ option is found by tapping the + button in the upper right corner of the Sound tab.

After adding my curve, I found the S40 headphones were capable of rocking with any pair at a $50-$100 price point. They now had plenty of bass, decent treble, and the mids were a bit calmer.

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I ran through the usual course of tunes I test headphones with:

"Tom Sawyer" (Rush): This song is a banger, no matter how you're listening. After I applied my custom EQ, the usual Rush-induced smile appeared. The bass was perfectly placed, and the soundstage was nice and wide.
"Sun Killer" (Spiritbox): Courtney LaPlante's voice was crystal clear, while the guitars and drums were driving and dynamic.
"Oh, Sheila" (Ready For The World): Those 80s electronic drums slapped and I could hear every instrument and voice with a dynamic clarity.
"Thunder Underground" (Ozzy): It was thunderous, that's for sure, and Zakk Wylde was front and center. The depth and force of that sound didn't cause any problems with the S40 drivers.
"My Name Is Mud" (Primus): The S40 headphones were perfectly able to keep up with Les Claypool (and that's saying something).
"Silently Walking Alone" (Leprous): This song puts me in a special place, and the S40 headphones didn't detract.

A nice trick up its sleeve

After unboxing the headphones, I saw the usual white plastic bags containing cables. What I didn't realize was that one of those bags contained a removable mic.

Nice.

Of course, the mic places the S40 headphones in the gaming category, but it also makes for some pretty good clarity on voice calls (exponentially better than using earbuds). The mic can be moved and bent to perfectly suit your face and needs.

My one nit to pick

This isn't exactly unique to the Haylou S40 headphones, but the buttons are placed such that when I either put the headphones on or take them off, I inadvertently either change the ANC settings or raise/lower the volume. Anyone who designs headphones, let me give you a suggestion: find a better place for those buttons. I don't want to have to get creative when removing my headphones.

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It's not a deal-breaker, but it's certainly something to keep in mind.

ZDNET's buying advice

The Haylou S40 headphones took me by surprise. Whether you like your EQ flat or customized, the Halyou app can help elevate the sound until they punch above their weight. At just over $50, they're a bargain. The ANC is good, the fit is comfortable, and the flexible, removable mic is a bonus.