With waves of people working from home during the epidemic, no more active noise cancellations were sought. Audio companies around the world are working tirelessly to bring this Nifty feature to different price points in their products. Although we’ve already seen the implementation of this feature in entry-level True Wireless earbuds, the feature is making its way into entry-level Bluetooth cans as well. To this end, PlayGo’s latest offering, the PlayGo BH47 is an Active Noise Canceling Pair of Over-Ear Bluetooth Headphones priced at Rs 6,999. The headphones were launched at 7K price points but can now be bought on paper at least as low as 4K on e-commerce websites like Amazon, which is a stealing deal. Let’s learn more about PlayGo BH47 headphones and if they make a splash in the entry-level wireless headphones market.

Construction and comfort

The PlayGo BH47 finds the right balance between minimalism and flair. The cans come in an all-plastic build with a matte texture and silver highlights around the earpiece. The “Play” logo boasts a silver gloss that differs from the minimalist black body. The headphones weigh about 260 grams and look quite light when worn Ear cushions contain soft, padded foam with a faux-leather material.

The generous foam padding ensures a comfortable fit and wearing these cans for a long time with minimal fatigue was a great experience. Now, ear cups become hot around the ears some time after listening and can be a little uncomfortable if your ears are sweating. These headphones are round or over-ear headphones that sit around your ears.

The cups swing 90-degrees, allowing you to rotate them flat when resting on your chest when not in use. Although the cups do not pivot inwards, the cups can dig a little into your collarbone when worn around your neck. The headphones have metal-powered extended arms to fit with different sized heads. Expanded arms can be adjusted a lot but the process of extending them feels a bit uncomfortable and cheap.

You can fold the headphones neatly and insert them into the soft cloth bag provided in the box. So, these headphones are quite portable and can be easily carried inside a backpack or medium-sized handbag. Inside the headphone’s retail box, you’ll find a micro-USB charging cable, an AUX cable with an L-shaped edge, and some documentation.

For control, you can get a multi-function button to pause / play music, answer calls and wake up the voice assistant. There are volume up and down buttons that can change tracks by long-pressing. In addition to these buttons, the right earcap has a micro-USB charging port. We hope the headphones have Type-C charging because Micro-USB is terribly dated to 2021.

On the left, you have a toggle-enabled active noise cancellation switch and a 3.5mm audio port for inactive listening via an AUX cable. The blue light comes on when the ANC switch is turned on but the blue LED light doesn’t turn off even when you turn off the headphones, which is weird and unnecessary wasting the battery. The can buttons work as expected but they feel plastic and cheap. Overall though, the PlayGo BH47 offers decent build quality and good comfort for the price.

Features

Due to the cheap price of the cans, the PlayGo BH47 is not a feature-rich wireless headphone. It doesn’t come with app support, touch control, ambient sound, USB Type-C charging or IP rating. However, it does have a feature that is probably the most sought-after feature in audio products right now – active noise cancellation. Priced below 7K, the PlayGo BH47 lets price-conscious people get a taste of ANC without breaking the bank.

The active noise cancellation functionality in these headphones is strictly moderate. The PlayGo BH47 suppresses low-end, constant noise to some extent. In an AC-enabled room, turning on the ANC in these headphones can make a significant difference. It does a good job of reducing AC drones. However, other words such as high-speed fans, typing on mechanical keyboards, and human voices rarely see any repression and sound as clear as day. However, the standard is acceptable for the price.

The earphones are powered by Bluetooth v5.0 and have AUX support for wired listening. Wireless connection is stable and wireless transmission distance is also quite decent. However, you may experience slight delays when viewing content on the OTT platform or playing games on your phone. One of the best features of these headphones is the multipoint connectivity that allows users to simultaneously connect to two separate source devices. This is a great addition and something we didn’t expect to get at this price, but hey, we’re not complaining at all.

Performance

PlayGo BH47 Pack 40mm EBEL (Enhanced Bus, Extra Loud) driver that provides a fairly balanced sound signature. Earphones only support the SBC codec. In this range, we are accustomed to the sound signature being very bay-biased, so it was refreshing to see that the plague did not go that route, as it is usually the result of muddy and dark sound, which we are not fond of. Get a sound signature that gives it some energy and thump but does not blur things.

Therefore, tracks with the presence of such a prominent alloy Trembling By Ed Sheeran, Bass beat piercing and dynamic but does not make the clarity of the voice irresistible. Even rock songs like that Sky is a Neighborhood By Fu Fighters, Drums give them a nice kick without lead musical and vocal performance. The mid-range is also clear and detailed for the most part, however, the heights suddenly drop-off and can sometimes sound a bit vague. Also, note that at high volumes (last 80-90 percent) the bus response may be distorted which can make the experience worse, so we recommend that you keep the volume level at 60-70 percent. This shouldn’t be a problem, since the cans are loud enough even at that volume level.

For device separation, the PlayGo BH47 does a decent job of keeping the devices separate and clean, however, the sound stage is a bit off which may cost you some immersion. Additionally, PlayGo Bh47’s audio is experiencing some bleeding, so people around you may be able to hear what you’re hearing. Overall, we are fans of the fairly balanced sound profile that the PlayGo BH47 offers at affordable points.

For microphones, performance is a bit disappointing. When using headphones to make calls, our voices often sound too distant and fragmented. In an indoor setting, the BH47 works somewhat better, but there is certainly room for improvement.

Battery life

PlayGo BH47’s wireless play time is 30 hours (excluding ANC) and 23 hours (including ANC) rated by the company. These are pretty good numbers and you should have no problem using these cans for a few days on a single charge, provided you use your headphones for about 5-6 hours every day. In our experiment, the PlayGo BH47 ANC lasted 21 hours and 20 minutes on a single charge with the launch and the volume level was set at 60 percent.

The only thing that disappoints us in the battery section is charging the device using a dated micro-USB charger. It’s a good thing that the PlayGo provides a charger in the box, since we’ve dropped those cumbersome micro USB cables well because most of the devices have switched to USB Type-C charging.

Judgment

The PlayGo BH47 is a great entry-level on-year wireless headphone for those who want to experience some ANC goodies without breaking the bank. The headphones offer a fairly balanced sound profile with dynamic bus response and detailed mid. However, the functionality of the microphone leaves something desirable and we are not fans of dated micro-USB charging. Battery life, however, is a fantastic star, giving most users a few days to a week’s worth of usage without having to reach for a charging cable. Overall, there’s more to choosing from these headphones than just complaining. For most people looking to buy headphones below 7K, these are a good option for money. However, if you are going to use these headphones for most calls, we recommend looking elsewhere.