COUMI Mardi Gras Wireless Headphones

When Apple introduced the first iPad on October 21, 2001, it started a music revolution, including the use of earbuds. That eventually led to the introduction of wireless earbuds in 2015 and the introduction of AirPods on September 7, 2016

We have reviewed many wireless earbuds, including the COUMI TWS-817K Wireless Earbuds (read our review here.) Despite the earbud’s popularity, many people still prefer over the ear headphone. If that includes you, check out the COUMI Mardi Gras Wireless Headphones.

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COUMI Mardi Gras Headphones – Unboxing

The COUMI Mardi Gras Wireless Headphones (Model #: ANC-551L) are Bluetooth enabled headphones that have active noise cancellation with over-the-ear fully padded cups for ultimate comfort. There is also padding on the top of the headband.

The headphone measure 7.9” x 7.1” x 3” (200mm x 180mm x 77mm) and weighs 8.6 ounces (245g).

The outer surface of the earcups are covered in a real wire mesh, reminiscent of the speaker grills we remember from large stereo speakers. The silver mesh is a nice contrast to the otherwise all black design.

In the box are the COUMI Mardi Gras Headphones, with a formed storage case, a USB-A to USB-C charging cable, an audio cable with a 3.5mm stereo plug on each end to connect the headphones to a non-Bluetooth device and a Quick Start Guide. We also found a “Thank You” coupon good for a 40% discount on our next order but it indicates it is given out at random so you may or may not find one in your package.

The storage case also has some netting on the inside for easy storage of the cables and user Guide. It would also be a good place to store an extra external power supply for on-the-go charging.

COUMI Mardi Gras Headphones – Specifications

The COUMI Mardi Gras Headphones contain 40mm large dynamic drivers precisely tuned by COUMI engineers to provide wide range audio.

The built-in Active Noise Cancellation (“ANC”) is managed by the placement of a microphone on the inside and outside of the earcup. This allows the COUMI Mardi Gras Headphones to reduce ambient noise by up to 20dB.

The controls for all functions of the headphones are located on the bottom of the left earcup.

Started at what would be the rear edge of the earcup is the Volume Up/Next Track button, followed by the Volume Down/Previous Track button. Next to that is the 3.5mm input jack to connect to a non-Bluetooth device, followed by the USB-C input jack for charging the internal 520mAh battery. Finally, there is a single multi-color LED to indicate power, charging status and Bluetooth indicator, the ANC On/Off button and an external microphone.

With the ANC on, you can get up to 17 hours of music play time. Turning the ANC off adds another hour to the play time. It takes about 2.5 hours to fully charge the headphones.

To charge the headphones, you can connect the included cable to any USB-A port on a computer or external power supply. Of course, if you have a later model MacBook or MacBook Pro, you will need a USB-A to USB-C adapter, or your own charging cable. The LED will light red while the headphones are charging and the LED will turn off when the headphones are fully charged.

The headband is adjustable on both sides, allowing the earcups to slide down to ensure a comfortable fit and the earcups swivel a full 90 degrees to allow for easy storage in the included case.

COUMI Mardi Gras Headphones – Test Results

While our COUMI Mardi Gras Headphones still had power when we unboxed it, we decided to fully charge it before starting to use it. It took only slightly more than 1 hour to fully charge them.

Pairing the COUMI Mardi Gras Headphones was effortless. To pair them, you press the Power button for 5 – 7 seconds to bring the headphones into pairing Mode. This is indicated by the LED flashing blue and red rapidly. We opened the Bluetooth panel on our iPhone and almost immediately the ANC-551L appeared in the device list. We selected it, and the pairing was complete.

Once paired, the connection was rock solid. Even walking away from our phone did not interrupt the connection and the music continued to play.

Overall, we found the sound quality to be very good. There was plenty of volume with the ANC both on and off. There was a good mix of lows, mid-range and highs and vocals were crisp and easy to understand.

Like color, sound is a very personal thing and it’s hard to say that any device provides the perfect output. In our case, we would have preferred slightly less bass, and we were disappointed to find out that the COUMI Mardi Gras Wireless Headphones did not support the COUMI EQ App that we used with the TWS-817K Wireless Earbuds. Perhaps COUMI will address that in the future.

That said, we do not want to imply that there is anything wrong with the sound quality. Even without the ability to reduce the base, we were very happy with the listening experience.

The headphones are extremely comfortable and with the fully padded earcups and extra padding on the headband, we had no issues wearing them for an extended period of time. We can truthfully say these are more comfortable than any earbuds we have tested. While COUMI classifies these as over-the-ear, we did think the earcups were on the smaller side. As such, you may find that they fit more like an on-the-ear style. In any case, they fit well

The ANC worked well and while it didn’t block out all of the ambient noise, it did greatly reduce it to a comfortable level.

We found the controls very easy to use and with a little practice, you should have no trouble remembering what to press when.

In addition to music, the headphones fully integrate with your iPhone and you can answer, end, and redial phone calls using the buttons.

Perhaps the biggest feature of the COUMI Mardi Gras Wireless Headphones is the price. We have seen similar headphone with similar features and ANC costing hundreds of dollars. With an MSRP of well under $100.00, there is little reason not to give these headphones a try.

The Bottom Line

Like the sound it outputs, the way you listen to music is very personal. While earbuds remain popular, some people find them uncomfortable or prefer the full headphone experience.

With their full range, crisp lyrics and extremely comfortable fit, the COUMI Mardi Gras Wireless Headphones are a great choice for you.

The COUMI Mardi Gras Wireless Headphones are available from Amazon.

We would like to thank the folks at COUMI for providing the Mardi Gras Wireless Headphones for our testing and review.

How do you like to listed to music? Are you a fan of headphones or earbuds? Why not join the conversation and leave a comment below.

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