Just in time for Christmas, I have received a pair of Lindy BNX-100XT wireless, active noise-cancelling headphones.  They are circumaural (around the ear) with a good headband and a really decent fit. In this weather, they’re ear muffs too, though slightly more stylish

Design

I had the Lindy BNX-60s and still do, they are my goto gardening headphones because they fit nicely and they do the noise cancelling thing when I’m cutting the grass/using a strimmer etc.  I seem to rarely charge them and I like them a lot.  I also received a pair of BNX 100s, not XT, I liked them too, there’s plenty of headphone for the money.  The 100s are a little more refined than the 60s so are generally reserved for cold winter walks with the dog, rather than grass cutting or leaf blowing!

So what is in the BNX-100XT that’s not in the straight 100s?  Most importantly, the auto-pause technology, when you take off the headphones and your podcast or music pauses, is still there, it is stupendous, and I still can’t believe how good it is!  The BNX-100XT builds on the 100s with a battery life of up to 15 hours.  There are 40mm dynamic drive units made with neodymium magnets in the headphones.  The key development in the XTs is apparently an improvement in the overall sound quality.  As it happens, I still have an old pair of 100s, so we’ll see.

Another improvement, for me especially, is that the XTs have USB C charging, so I can really just use my Pixel charger, this is great for me.

The headphones are wireless but can be wired, there’s a cable included, should that be preferred.

Hybrid Noise Cancelling

The BNX-100XTs incorporate Hybrid Noise Cancellation technology. This system incorporates noise detection microphones placed externally on the earpieces (Feedforward) and inside the speaker driver assembly (Feedback). The BNX-100XTs use this combined microphone system to provide superior noise suppression over a wider range of frequencies regardless of the direction of the sound to provide up to 95% ambient noise cancellation.

As well as this the headphones have an ambient noise pass-through system so you can hear external sounds, such as an announcement or a quick chat in the office?!  This is just a touch of one of the buttons on the ear cups.

Another great feature is the twin pairing. The BNX-100XT can be paired with two devices simultaneously for uninterrupted audio switching. This allows you to listen to music on one device (e.g. a laptop) and then switch to take calls on another.

Quality

100XT v 100

The headphones overall are very understated and I like them quite a bit

The headphones are a good solid fit, if you shake your head, they stay there, which is great.     They’re not too tight and the leather feel headband is plush and satisfying, as are the cups themselves around the ear.  I note the metal cup arm is black on the XT versus the straight 100, giving it a stealth look that I prefer.  The headphones overall are very understated and I like them quite a bit.

The BNX-100XT headphones come with a hard carry case for portability in a rucksack, etc, along with a mesh pouch containing a USB-C charging cable, 3.5mm audio cable for wired connections, a ¼” stereo plug adapter and dual-plug flight adapter for in-flight entertainment compatibility.  It all adds up to an excellent travel/commuting package.

The Lindy BNX-100XT headphones are available in the UK now priced at £99.99 and can be purchased from www.lindy.co.uk and Amazon.co.uk, or from www.lindy.ie for customers in Eire.  I believe the 100s have been discontinued.

Performance

Telephone calls

I’ve had the headphones on in my office paired to not just my phone but the laptop too, I’m listening to Qobuz.  Phone calls are perfectly clear to me as the listener and I’m told perfectly good at the other end.  A call on the phone interrupts the music nicely and resumes after the call ends, brilliant.

Auto Pause & Noise Cancellation

Easily one of the best features from Lindy is the auto-pause so when I’m walking the dog I can just pull the headphones aside and not fear missing a word whilst I’m chatting with fellow dog walkers who always have a little too much to say!  This was my favourite feature of the straight 100s.  I think the noise cancellation is excellent, I live near a busy a motorway and my walk takes over a motorway bridge.  I can still hear the motorway in the background, however, I can keep going with my podcast or music in comfort and without interference.

Bluetooth 5.0

Listening to Qobuz on my laptop, the sounds are wide and very clear, not at all flat, that you sometimes get from Bluetooth.  Double Fantasy, Lennon’s last album has some quirky bells on the start and these are wonderfully clear as the guitar comes along.  The soundstage is very attractive, the snare short and snappy on (Just Like) Starting Over.   Lennon was killed 40 years ago today (8/12/20), what a loss, I wonder what he would have made of us all walking around with every song ever recorded at our disposal?

Tidal on Pixel 4XL

…..a little more detail, I think so

Similarly, this is a decent sound and I’m quite impressed with the overall sound quality with these headphones.  Strangely, I’m now listening to George Harrison’s guitars on All Things Must Pass now and I’m very happy listening to the strings and detail in the guitar.  Is the XT better than the previous model?  Well, side by side, swapping them about a bit, maybe yes.  A little more detail, I think so.  It is pretty hard to tell but I would be very happy to receive a pair of these at Christmas, particularly if I was seeking a more understated and discerning commute/travel experience.

Overall

This is a lot of headphone tech at this price, and there is little if anything to find fault with them.  If you want a decent sound and all the latest tricks, from a large electronics company, these will do it.  They are Highly Recommended by us at Hifiandmusicsource.com and we like them so much we’d give them away as part of our relaunch over the Christmas period.  Keep yourself up to date on our new social media channels to hear about the competition to win these brilliant headphones.

Specifications 

• Design: Over-Ear
• Driver: 40mm Neodymium
• Active Noise Cancellation: 95% reduction of low frequency noise
• Bluetooth Standard: 5.0
• Bluetooth Chipset: CSR8670
• Battery Type: Internal Lithium Polymer
• Battery Life : 30Hr ANC Only 15Hr Wireless Only 12Hr ANC & Wireless
• Impedance: 32Ω passive mode / 100Ω ANC mode
• Sensitivity: (1mW@1kHz ±3dB): Passive 93dB ANC 95dB
• Frequency Response: 20Hz – 20kHz
• Nominal THD: Passive <0.5%@ 1kHz / Active <0.5% @ 1kHz
• Special Features
  External Audio Pass-through
• Auto-Pause Technology
• aptX & aptX Low Latency Support
• Twin Pairing Connectivity
• Hands Free Calling

Connectors 

• Input: 3.5mm Audio (Female)
• Power: USB Type C (Female)

Physical Properties 

• Dimensions (approx.) WxDxH: 200x210x50mm (7.87×8.27×1.97in)
• Housing Material: Plastic
• Net Weight: 0.541kg (1.19lb)
• Operating Temperature: -25°C – 50°C (-13°F – 122°F)
• Storage Temperature: -25°C – 50°C (-13°F – 122°F)
• Humidity: 35% – 80% RH (non-condensing)
• Colour: Black

Miscellaneous 

• Packaging Type: Carton Box
• Packaging Dimensions: 230x230x65mm (9.06×9.06×2.56in)
• Gross Weight: 0.914kg (2.02lb)
• Warranty (Years): 2
• Certificated: CE, FCC, RoHS and REACH

Package Contents 

• BNX-100XT Wireless Noise Cancelling Headphones
• 3.5mm audio cable, 1.5m
• USB Type A to C Charging Cable, 0.8m
• 6.3mm Adapter
• Dual-plug flight adapter
• Hard Shell Carry EVA Case with Mesh Pouch
• Lindy Manual

About Lindy Electronics

Lindy is a global supplier of combined AV and IT connectivity solutions and has been a partner to these industries for many years. New digital technologies are changing how our society communicates. Our vision is to identify people’s needs and provide the right environment for meeting them. We make this happen with leading-edge solutions that seamlessly connect, share, convert and extend a wide range of digital and analogue signals, allowing for versatile and powerful signal distribution which is essential in today’s increasingly connected world. Lindy combines outstanding expertise with the latest technology to provide our customers with efficient, high performing products and proven solutions to operate reliably in a variety of environments – We create technology for the connected world. Discover Lindy lindy.com

Lindy Group commenced business in 1932 in Mannheim, Germany. Today, we operate in nearly 90 countries with 15 sales and service offices supporting customers globally across a broad range of industries.