We have yet to review a high-quality pair of active noise-cancelling (ANC) headphones that cost less than $100. The kid-friendly PuroQuiet headphones from Puro Sound Labs ($119) come in slightly above that threshold, but exhibit many of the same problems as other affordable ANC pairs, including audible hiss and an impact on sound quality. Noise cancellation aside, however, the headphones deliver a powerful bass-forward sound with a strict 85dB volume limit for young ears. But without ANC in the mix, you’re better off saving some money on Puro’s $79 JuniorJams, our Editors’ Choice winner for kid-friendly headphones.
A Classy Design and Long Battery Life
Available in blue, pink, red, or teal, the PuroQuiet headphones resemble a pair of full-sized on-ear pair for adults in terms of style and size. That said, they will likely fit a young child more like an over-ear pair. Both the earpads and headband feature generous cushioning, so the headphones should be comfortable enough for long listening sessions.
Internally, 40mm dynamic drivers deliver a frequency range of 20Hz to 20kHz. Parents who are concerned about hearing damage will like that the headphones won’t exceed 85dB in volume and that, unlike some other models we’ve tested, kids can’t get around that limit.
Metallic controls sit on the side of the left earcup, including a Bluetooth pairing button, a power switch, and plus and minus buttons for volume. The right earcup houses a switch for turning the ANC on or off.
The headphones ship with a flat protective zip-up case, two cables that connect to the left earcup (one is a micro USB cable for daisy-chain audio sharing and the other is a micro USB-to-USB-A charging cable), and a 3.5mm audio cable that connects to the right earcup for passive listening.
Puro Sound Labs estimates that the headphones will last roughly 23 hours with ANC on or 35 hours with ANC off, but your battery results will vary based on your volume levels.
Middling Noise Cancellation
The headphones cancel out some noise, but don’t avoid the pitfalls of other low-cost ANC models. On one hand, they dial back deep lows (like the rumble you might hear on a plane) to a degree, as well as lows and mids from a busy restaurant recording that we played at high volumes.
However, activating the ANC creates an audible hiss that’s particularly noticeable in quiet rooms. Unfortunately, the ANC also affects the audio performance—switching it on thins out the low-mids noticeably. Many other affordable ANC pairs have these tendencies, as well.
Balanced, Volume-Limited Sound
The songs we discuss below may not be on your child’s playlist, but they’re part of the testing suite we use to evaluate headphones and speakers. We used them to determine the basic sonic characteristics of the PuroQuiet headphones. For testing, we turned the ANC off.
On tracks with intense sub-bass content, like The Knife’s “Silent Shout,” the headphones deliver a notable bass thump that kids will likely enjoy. Bass frequencies are rarely a concern from a hearing loss perspective, but, nonetheless, the volume does seem limited here. At maximum volume, the headphones output only a modest amount of sound, but they are still loud enough that most children won’t complain.
Bill Callahan’s “Drover,” a track with far less deep bass in the mix, better reveals the pair’s sound signature. The drums on this track sound natural and receive extra bass depth. We did notice when the digital signal processing (DSP) kicked in, however. You can hear when the limiter retreats after a peak in volume and the audio slowly fades back up. When you limit peaks, you can raise the perceived volume of the track—a common trick in the mastering process—and the DSP appears to do the same here. This approach might be more problematic if the top volume wasn’t so modest, but here it helps lend a slightly richer, bass-forward presence to the audio. Callahan’s baritone vocals benefit from a pleasing blend of low-mid richness and higher-frequency crispness, while the lows and highs balance each other well.
On Jay-Z and Kanye West’s “No Church in the Wild,” the kick drum loop receives enough high-mid presence for its attack to retain its punchiness, while the sub-bass synth hits that punctuate the beat come across with some serious depth. The headphones produce full and robust bass without ever getting overly loud—the DSP works overtime here.
Orchestral tracks, like the opening scene from John Adams’ The Gospel According to the Other Mary, have a solid balance between lows and highs, as well. Unfortunately, these tracks tend to sound a little quieter because they’re recorded and mixed with far less dynamic compression. This characteristic also allows background noises to seep into the drivers a bit; in testing, we noticed a digital hum in the background whenever we pressed play that would cease a few seconds after we paused the song. This hum is more noticeable on quieter tracks, in particular.
The mic offers average intelligibility. We tested it using the Voice Memos app on an iPhone and could understand every word we recorded. That said, the mic’s signal seems a little weak, and Bluetooth audio artifacts affect the clarity slightly. Regardless, you won’t have any trouble hearing your child on the other end of a call with a decent cell signal.
Better for Bass Than Banishing Noise
While the PuroQuiet headphones deliver substantial thump for budding bass heads, their noise cancellation is only averagely effective and adds a distinct hiss to the audio. If you like the look, you’re better off buying the more affordable JuniorJams from Puro Sound Labs, our Editors’ Choice winner for kids’ headphones. The $79.99 Happy Plugs Play over-ears are another stylish pair with solid sound quality for the same price, while the $49 LilGadgets Untangled Pro headphones are a good alternative if you’re looking to spend less.
