Review Samsung Level on Wireless - The pseudo-premium headphones

Samsung. Now there’s a company I have a love/hate relationship with. On one hand, they shamelessly copy hardware designs from other manufacturers, customise Android with their own horrible TouchWiz surface, and have an update policy for their smartphones and tablets that can best be described as Kafkaesque. On the other hand, they know their stuff, they’re pioneers in the field of OLED and AMOLED displays, and, the occasional exploding battery aside, they produce great hardware. In fact, my new TV is a Samsung. Still, as a former Apple employee, there’s always a bit of discomfort involved when it comes to Samsung.

So when Samsung started promoting their Level On Wireless headphones back in 2015, I was less than impressed. They seemed like a cheap Beats copy to me, which is saying something considering the quality issues that Beats has. So, it seemed like another desperate attempt to copy Apple, which was of course compounded by some quality issues with the original Level On Wireless design. All that didn’t matter to me. I was happy with my Beats Solo 2 at the time, and would move on to the B&O Beoplay H8 via the Sony MDR-ZX110A. My own involvement with the Samsung headphones wouldn’t start until this Christmas, when my dad ordered a pair of Level On Wireless Pro, the improved version of the original Samsung design. Of course, I got ample time to test them myself as well.

I'm not sure what to make of it. Sure, they don't look bad per se, but I'm just not comfortable with  the design choices here.

The packaging was a mixed bag (no pun intended?). On one hand, the box looked good, on the other hand, just shoving these headphones into a cheap plastic holder is not enough for something that is supposed to be a premium product. The content itself is par for the course, in addition to the headphones, you get a 3.5mm audio cable, without any in-line remote unfortunately, a USB charging cable, and a carrying pouch. That’s pretty much the same amount of accessories I got with my Beoplay H8. Unfortunately, the carrying pouch is nowhere near the B&O product quality-wise. It feels stiff, plasticky, and quite frankly, cheap. Plus, it is quite a bit smaller than the Bang & Olufsen offering, almost too small for the sizeable headphones.

There's not much in the bag, and the bag itself is certainly nothing to write home about.

As far as the Level On Wireless itself is concerned, well, it’s big. It certainly feels bigger than my H8, and follows a completely different design philosophy. They certainly consist of a lot of plastic, although the headband appears to have a metal frame running through it. The ear cups are made of memory foam covered with some synthetic leather that feels very comfortable when wearing the headphones. The headband is padded as well, which makes wearing the headphones over longer periods much more comfortable. To be honest, I wouldn'nt have expected anything less from such a premium branded headset.

The Level On Wireless in all it's "glory".

I've seen more subtle and stylish branding. Still it could be worse, like the latest Beats designs.

I'm not sure if spreading the ports over both ear cups was the smartest move.

At least the switches are all on one ear cup. And Samsung at least gives you the option of switching ANC and Bluetooth on and off separately. Are you taking notes, Bang & Olufsen?

As for the sound, that is pretty damn good, although it can't quite hold a candle to the Beoplay H8. During my test, I found it to be quite balanced, although in my opinion, the mid ranges were a bit "muddled" and not quite as clear and accentuated as with the H8. To put that in context, the difference is quite minimal, and amounts to the difference between a Porsche 911 and a Dodge Viper, both still provide good quality sound. Importantly, the highs, while very clear and precise, aren't over the top. No banshee wails here. As for the lower end of the spectrum, the base definitely makes its presence known, providing a nice kick, without overpowering the other notes. Both classical pieces, I used the 4th Movement of Beethoven's 9th, as well as Johann Sebastian Bach's 3rd Brandenburg Concerto as reference pieces, as well as funk and rock songs, here I used "Why am I so funky" by german solo artist Kiddo Kat, and "Move along" by All American Rejects, sound very good, if not quite on par with the H8.

And never the twain shall meet... So Samsung and Apple CAN work together. I would have thought that this would trigger some kind of matter-antimatter reaction.

Now, just like the H8, the Level On Wireless are equipped with Active Noise Cancellation, a nice way to get the world to shut the f*ck up when you need it. I've described the technical principle behind it before, so I won't focus on that here. As for it's effectiveness, well it can certainly keep up with the Beoplay H8 and similar top-of-the-line models. In fairness, I haven't tested the Level On Wireless on the road, and certainly haven't taken any long-distance flights with them, so I can't give any definitive advice on its performance in those situations, but what little I could test is quite remarkable. You can pretty much drown out the world, including pesky relatives. On the other hand, you won't be bothering anyone around you with your music too much. There is a bit of sound leakage, but nothing too dramatic, and certainly nothing that should cause issues in everyday situations.

Another closeup of the switch configuration, which Samsung absolutely nailed.

One big issue is the gesture control, which both my dad and I found to be counter-intuitive and finicky. Granted, by H8 sometimes have their own thoughts about control gestures, however, the Level On Wireless is about as stubborn as a bad-tempered mule, and the gestures themselves aren't always logical. On the positive side, Bluetooth and Active Noise Cancellation can be activated by separate switches, which is a clear plus when compared to the H8, which has a combined switch, were it is quite easy to accidentally switch on Bluetooth when you're just trying to turn on ANC. On the other hand, just like the H8, there is no cable based remote control, which I find quite poor and indeed miserly, considering the price tag of the Level On Wireless. I truly expect something different from any self-declared premium brand.

Direct comparison to the Beoplay H8. I think it is obvious which of the two is a full blown premium product.

What is equally unacceptable is the Samsung Level App. I get it that Samsung wants to push sales of their own devices, but if you produce headphones with a universal standard such as Bluetooth, it is quite simply unacceptable to restrict app availability to only a number of Samsung phones! This is pretty much a deal breaker for me personally, no matter how good the audio quality is. I can understand that providers may not want to support niche systems like Windows Phone, although that does a terrible disservice to what I consider a good mobile OS, however, leaving pretty much the entire Android ecosystem out in the cold, not to mention iOS, is poor, and pathetic. 

Whilst there is a lot of positive things to say about the Level On Wireless, my father ultimately chose to replace them with the Bang & Olufsen Beoplay H8. The crucial factor in this regard was the fact that it turned out to be pretty much impossible to accept inbound phone calls, or indeed make calls. This is due to the aforementioned questionable gesture controls and due to poor audio quality. Make no mistake, the Level On Wireless are still good headphones, but unless you own a top-of-the-line Samsung smartphone, I’d advise against buying this.