Ask me what I thought of MIXX some six months ago and I’d have given a blank stare. This is a company and brand that popped up out of nowhere, fast landing on the audio and gaming scene with a plethora of products.
Some of those have been great too, and we’ve mostly enjoyed our time with the MIXX StreamBuds Solo 1 (a little too small), the StreamBuds Ultra Mini (a little muddy at top volume) and the StreamBuds Sports Charge 2 (a little too tinny for everyday use).
But now we have the MIXX StreamQ C4 over-ear headphones. Whilst they may be pretty basic in what they do, they do that job reasonably well. For around £50 though, they need to be considered.
Pure plasticky headphones, a wireless (or wired if you prefer) offering that will be suitable for music listening, film viewing and Game Pass play on your mobile or laptop, these are a neat option in a mid-range audio market. It’s the latter which we’ve mostly used the C4’s for, combined with the GameSir G8+ and the power of Cloud gaming. For that, we’ve been suitably impressed.
All black in design, with very little in terms of branding (a small MIXX logo sits on the side of the headband), you’ll not be wowed by how these look visually. But they do feel light enough in hand and fit nicely on the head to ensure you can wear these for a good few hours at a time. We’ve done just that in fact, and have only felt a tinge of discomfort from the underside of the headband as those sessions have come to a close. There’a a tad of padding on that headband, one that picks up considerable fluff and lint, but we’d personally like to see and feel more.
There’s no doubt the earcups are extremely well padded, complete with memory foam. These fully incase your ears, smothering them in a pleather material that mostly keeps any audio in, with very little in terms of sound leakage. That’s great if you’re looking to turn the volume up to 11 whilst sitting in the same room as others, locked away in your own little world. Consider the active noise cancellation properties of the StreamQ C4 headphones and it’s really, really, easy to become immersed in the audio powered to your ears.
As you’d suspect, they are nicely adjustable too. The headband expands on a slider, whilst the cups themselves twist some 45 degrees, ensuring you can hang these around your neck with no fuss. Perhaps they do sit a little tight around the throat if you look to do this, but it’s fine for the most part.
We’d go as far to say that heading out into the open is where the MIXX StreamQ C4 excels, mostly as it’s about as far from a ‘gaming’ headset as you would imagine. Buttons are kept to a minimum, with power and volume/track skip sitting very incognito on the right cup, complemented by an ANC button that you wouldn’t know is there unless you head into the instructions booklet. With just a couple of speaker/mic grills, a USB-C charging port and 3.5mm audio port present (cables for each included in the box), these are a very understated set of headphones. Many will like that, others won’t. It all depends if you want your headphones to push out visual flourishes with every step…
It’s all good soundwise too. Very bass-centric, we’ve found ourselves impressed by every type of audio pushed through the C4’s. Except for when the ANC mode is switched on as everything then becomes pretty muffled. The rest of the time the C4 audio is rich, full-bodied and can get very loud; much louder than you probably need. Include Music, Bass Boost and Voice settings, and MIXX are covering some bases.
They are doing similar with the charge and power that the C4 allows too, with 40 hours promised from one single whack of that USB-C cable and 8 hours from a 15-min blast. We’ve not counted the hours, but from use would expect something very close to that range to be doable. And again, remember, £50, that’s all these cost.
Should you be looking for some over-ear cans to help power you through Game Pass play on your mobile, or some music listening as you wander the streets, and you’re running a £50 budget, get the MIXX StreamQ C4 Headphones on your shopping list. You’ll need to look past the plastic vibes and a lack of proper bells and whistles, but otherwise the MIXX StreamQ C4 Headphones are about as good as you’re going to get for your money.
Huge thanks go out to MIXX for providing us with the StreamQ C4 Headphones for review. Grab a set for yourself from MIXX direct – they come in both Black and Sand colourways.
