The AKG Y100 Bluetooth earphones & intras – Neckband go under €50 at Amazon, a drop of around 22% on the price usually seen. It is currently one of the best products in our comparison.
The meteoric rise of true-wireless has put a serious damper on the market for Bluetooth headphones, especially neckbands. This format nevertheless conceals some good surprises, such as the Y100, an entry-level model from AKG.
AKG Y100
Mission accomplished for the AKG Y100. These Bluetooth headphones in neckband format master their subject by offering comfort, ease of use and great sound performance with a rich and well-balanced rendering. Despite a disappointing hands-free kit and perfectible reproduction of the stereo scene, the Y100s offer very good value for money. Feature-hungry music lovers should take a look at Plantronics’ BackBeat Go 410, which is more complete, but also more expensive.
Strong points
- Rich and overall well-balanced sound reproduction.
- Very good distortion management.
- Ease of use, comprehensive controls and multipoint connection.
- Nice feelings of comfort, good support.
Weak points
- Deep crushed soundstage.
- Hands-free kit unusable in a noisy environment.
- Bluetooth communication latency a bit too high.
Alternatively
Beats Flex
Introductory price €49.95
- Ergonomics
- Autonomy
- Handsfree
- Latency
- Audio
Comfortable, easy to use and offering very pleasant audio performances, the Beats Flex simply do exactly what is expected of them. The integration with iOS and macOS enabled by the W1 chip is obviously a plus for owners of Apple devices, but Android aficionados can rest assured that they remain perfectly compatible with any Bluetooth source.