PlayGo – Local companies dominate the Indian headphone industry, which may not be recognised for their audio quality but provide extremely low pricing. However, PlayGo, an Indian manufacturer, has been concentrating on giving high audio quality and functionality in addition to pricing. Last year, its BH70 ANC headphones received mostly excellent feedback, albeit some people thought they were a touch pricey at Rs 14,999. PlayGo has returned to the ANC headphone zone with the BH47 headphones, albeit at a considerably reduced price. The BH47 was initially priced at Rs 6,499, but several retailers are selling it for less.
The BH47 is more securely made, and even a bit more elegant, than the BH70, which had a little mixed appearance of shiny and plastic. They’re largely constructed of plastic, although they do contain some interesting design elements. Our item was jet black in colour, with thin metal accents around the cups that glistened in the light. The cups are huge (they completely covered my ears) and well-padded, which is rare for this price range. Even the headband is padded, making these headphones one of the most pleasant to use in their class. They are not too heavy and the cups can swivel ninety degrees, allowing you to lay them flat against your chest while wearing them, and can also fold inwards, making them fold into a more compact form factor.
Extending the headband by pulling the cups outwards also reveals a metallic-looking band with a set of measurements on it. We’re not sure what the numbers mean, but the extension is useful. The right earcup has a 3.5 mm jack, which you can use to connect the headphones in wired mode (a cable is included) when they run out of charge, and a rocker to turn ANC on and off, while the left cup has a 3.5 mm jack, which you can use to connect the headphones in wired mode (a cable is included) when they run out of charge, and a USB Type C port. The buttons are large and easy to locate after you’ve gotten the hang of the headphones. A neat touch – very Skullcandy – is that the “+” and “-” signs are engraved into their buttons, so you can identify them by just touching them.
They are neither dust or water resistant, and they come with a fairly basic cotton bag instead of a suitable carrying case, which is to be anticipated at this price range. They appear to be strong enough to throw into a bag. Overall, the BH47 are a really smart-looking pair of headphones with a very sophisticated design, large and clearly defined buttons (which cannot be overstated), and a very comfortable fit owing to all of the cushioning around them. The band does not push too hard on your ears; the pressure holds the headphones on your head, but not overly so.
Slightly bass-y, decent sound, and useful ANC
They also sound delicious. While the 40 mm drivers in the BH47 are calibrated to emphasise bass, other frequencies are not too impacted, albeit the bass may occasionally dominate vocalists and crisper sounds. Tina Turner’s voice, for example, seemed to be buried in the massive GoldenEye soundtrack. Still, these headphones do an excellent job of letting you hear instruments and vocalists well, despite the fact that the rhythms have a little additional rumble to them. We think they’re great for mass listening; if you like games and programmes with a lot of loud explosions, you’ll enjoy them.The volume levels are impressive too, and there is no distortion at higher levels. The sound stage is not the widest, but then that is generally the case in budget closed-back headphones.
Active noise cancellation (ANC) is there and functional, albeit it is not as effective as it is on many other inexpensive headphones. While the ANC on the BH47 will reduce road noise and maybe eliminate the sound of the air conditioner and ceiling fan in a small room, it will not provide the same level of enveloping silence as more expensive headphones. We believe that the excellent cushioning surrounding the ear cups contributes just as much to keep noise outside as the ANC does. Thankfully, unlike some inexpensive ANC earbuds, turning the ANC on and off has no effect on the sound quality.
The BH47’s well-marked controls make it simple to operate after you’ve figured out where the buttons are. The headphones’ battery life is very outstanding, lasting close to twenty hours with ANC and over 25 hours without it. They’ll also work with most new Android phone chargers because they charge via USB Type C.
Good at launch, much better at a bargain!
As a result, the PlayGo BH47 is an excellent choice for anybody searching for well-designed Bluetooth headphones on a budget. Despite the fact that they were initially priced at Rs 6,499, they are currently available for about Rs 5,000 on several e-commerce sites. We believe they are excellent value for money at the latter pricing. The closer they come to the JBL Tune 750 BTNC, which in our opinion are the finest ANC headphones under Rs 6,000 in terms of overall performance, the more they go north of Rs 5,000. We recommend keeping an eye on the PlayGo BH47 pricing and grabbing one when it falls below Rs 5,000. They’re fantastic for the price.