Miccus SR-71 Stealth Bluetooth Headphones

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Miccus has been selling high-quality Bluetooth transmitters and receivers since 2008. Along the way they’ve also dabbled with some water resistant Bluetooth speakers, but the premium headphones game is new ground for them. I did not expect such a competitive first-time product. The Miccus SR-71 Stealth Headphones are comfortable, feature-packed, sound great and have a price that’s hard to beat. If you’re looking for a solid pair of low-latency wireless headphones to use in your home theater, man cave or on the go, look no further. It’s hard to find a better pair of Bluetooth headphones without paying close to $100.

PRODUCT AND PACKAGING

As with most high-end (and more expensive) headphones, the Miccus SR-71’s are very portable and surprisingly compact when folded into the convenient travel case. The case even has a thoughtful mesh zipper-pouch that clings to the inside of the case for hiding a 3.5mm cable. The cable is included as a back up in the event the battery dies or if your audio source doesn’t support Bluetooth. Thanks Miccus! The pouch is perfectly sized to fit between the headband, and it could hold some cash, a USB charging cable or your kid’s favorite candy for an emergency bribe. I would prefer that the headphones and the travel case both had a little more personality. I’m not looking for in-your-face Beats-style flare, but a splash of color or a supergraphic would go a long way. The travel case isn’t branded at all, probably to save money on production. But, of course, those are just cosmetic complaints. All in all, the headphones look very good and the all-black matte finish is very appropriate for the SR-71’s “Stealth” brand.

Aesthetics aside, the product itself is top notch. The plastic, cushioning and moving parts all have a high-quality feel. With minimal adjustment to the headband, it quickly feels like you’re not wearing headphones at all. Head and ear comfort is outstanding. (Last night, I had no issues Swiffering my floors while wearing the SR-71 headphones.) In terms of ambient noise, “Stealth” might be an overstatement (they’re not noise-cancelling), but the headset does a good job of keeping nearby distractions to a minimum. Buttons and ports are thoughtfully placed. At times, it takes me a second to feel around for the volume controls, but once located, operating them feels intuitive.

WIRELESS PERFORMANCE

As with all Miccus products, Bluetooth pairing is easy, just hold the multi-function button. Mate the SR-71 headphones with the Home RTX Mini, then connect it with an optical audio cable, and you’ve got a low-latency 3-way made in audiophile heaven. The APT-X Low Latency audio codec gives you the best signal for synchronized audio and video. There is no weak link in a setup like that. (Another good setup would be using a BT-W2 plugged into the USB port of your computer or gaming device.) Speaking of weak links, I’ve had more than one set of headphones fail at the 3.5mm input jack. Including, most recently, my Skull Candy earbuds. So, add that to the list of wireless benefits, along with 15 hours of music playback time.

The Miccus SR-71 headphones also make it easy to take phone calls while you’re watching a movie or listening to music. Whether you’re linked to a smartphone alone, or taking advantage of the SR-71’s sweet dual-pairing, just tap the multi-function button to pick up an incoming call. During my tests, incoming voice quality was very good. While my begrudging assistant (AKA “wife”) did say my voice “sounded a little funny,” she also said my voice was loud and clear without any ambient noise coming through the built-in mic.

SOUND QUALITY

When my SR-71 Stealth Headphones arrived, I was in the middle of binge watching Voltron. Granted, Voltron isn’t exactly what you would associate with high fidelity sound, but it is animated by the pros at Dreamworks, a collaboration with Netflix. This fact remains: Using the aforementioned wireless setup upgraded my viewing experience from moderately engaging to completely immersive. I discovered sound effects and parts of the soundtrack that I had never recognized before. I was inspired to try more media!

Next, I used my Plex Media Server to watch a classic movie, Gladiator. Sound effects were sharp and impactful. The orchestrated soundtrack came through, rich and immersive. As with Voltron, the Miccus headphones made for a better viewing experience. Finally, I flipped through some of my favorite jams. All of my music (various genres) sounded very good, but a few tracks seemed to come up short in the higher frequency range. A shortcoming I hadn’t noticed with any on-screen media. A minor complaint about an otherwise great product.

If you’re looking for comfortable, high-quality, feature-packed headphones at an attractive price, click through our Amazon link and treat yourself with the sneaky-good Miccus SR-71 Stealth Headphones.

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