Supsoo B131 Review – Is This The Perfect Bluetooth Headphone?

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Big thank you to Supsoo for sending the B131 to review!

Full disclosure: This is a paid review but I made it clear to them that I do not guarantee positive reviews or recommendations – I make in-depth, honest evaluations based on my impressions and the ultimate value that the product may or may not provide. 

Greetings mate and welcome aboard! Stuart Charles here, HomeStudioBasics.com helping YOU make sound decisions leading to a beautiful audio experience that will make you fall in love with music (NOT gear), all over again, so…

At A Glance

Table could not be displayed.

In The Box

Supsoo B131

Price: Check Supsoo!

Headset x1

3.5mm (3-pole) Audio Cable x1

USB-C Charging Cable x1

User Manual x1

Introduction

As many of you know, I’m still on the hunt for new Bluetooth ANC gym headphones.

In fact,

I’m looking for the perfect ones and won’t settle for anything less.

I suppose my Skull Candy Uproar Wireless from 6 years ago still works fine, but I’m a bit tired of looking like a doofus lol.

So when Supsoo reached out asking me if I would be interested in demoing their model B131, I jumped at the chance.

From the pictures,

they look really elegant/fancy pants, and I wanted to know if the sound quality ultimately made them worth a purchase.

Are they?

Let’s dive in and find out.

By the end of this article, you should 100% know if the B131 is right for you based on build, comfort, sound, and more.

Build & Design

It took me a while to figure out what these reminded me of until I remembered I’ve demoed most of Sony’s WH1000 series line.

The B131 mimics that general design and they feel pretty incredible in your hands.

Coming in at around 9.7 Oz. (280-285g), they’re light, but they don’t feel cheap at all.

They’re nimble, compact, and highly portable.

I have no qualms about throwing these in my bag and heading off to the pool as they are a perfect size – not too small but not too bulky.

Likewise,

the numbered headband adjustments feel solid and contain metal housed inside what looks to be a rugged plastic material.

By no means do these feel like they’re going to break down though.

You may or may not like the Bronze/dark brown aesthetic, but I personally really enjoy it as a deviation from the norm.

Most headphones that come through here are some variation of black or silver, but the B131 really stands out.

Supsoo dons their logo and branding on the cups as well as the top of the headband – though the latter looks to be engraved within the pad and is a lot more subtle.

You’ll also appreciate the R and L indicators on the inside of each cup as it makes it super fast and easy to listen to music.

This is a nice added benefit and something many companies are taking note of.

I’m not wasting time looking for tiny letters around the headphones and this is something I’ve unfortunately dealt with in the past quite a bit.

The headphones fold up nicely and come with a hard shell case as well, so you can pretty much take them anywhere.

The case is rather large, but I’m not going to complain too much here as I would only use it on long road trips.

For trips to the pool,

I’ll just throw them in a small bag with a towel inside and not be too worried about it.

The cups aren’t huge, but they do envelop my ears perfectly and I have rather large auricles.

Cheers, big ears!

Both the headband padding and cups are made of what feels like soft protein/faux leather, but I will caution you that I’ve had a lot of bad experiences with this variety over the years.

In other words,

I can easily see this material cracking and peeling over time, so do be advised.

The other small issue I had is something I didn’t notice until snapping photos at night.

Unfortunately, the craftsmanship on one side of the cup is lacking slightly.

In the picture below you can see the edge of the cup wasn’t completely finished and isn’t smooth like the other side.

I’m not sure if this is the paint job or what, but one side is pristine while the other isn’t.

That said, the padding is very supple and feels nice to the touch.

While we’re dancing around the subject, how’s comfort?

Comfort

In a word, mesmerizing.

The B131 is definitely at or near the top of any Bluetooth headphones I’ve tried – right up there with HIFIMAN’s DEVA and a dream to wear.

In short,

these fit like a glove and can be worn for extended listening sessions with hardly an adjustment to be made.

This is partly due to the easy rotation of the cups.

You’ll be able to get a good fit no matter your head size because they do a nice job conforming to the shape of the user and feel marvelous once they’ve achieved the proper seat.

The clamping force is just about perfect for stationary listening, but I’ll caution you that at the gym they may slide around (and even fall off!) when you lay down to do dumbbell or barbell bench presses.

I’ve noticed this to be a trend in many Bluetooth models, and unfortunately, the B131 suffers from the same issue.

That said,

the headband doesn’t dig and overall the headphones deserve very high marks in the comfort department.

Before delving into the most important aspect of sound, let’s take a look at its functionality.

Functionality & Ease of Use

As much as I really enjoy the build and comfort, the control scheme is even better.

With some headphones, the button layout is kind of annoying and confusing – not so with the B131.

Buttons are placed very nicely and even though I can’t see what I’m doing while they’re on my head, I intuitively know what’s what.

The buttons also have pretty good click feedback and feel good to press as well.

On the back left (top) you’ve got the power button.

Just press and hold to turn it on.

You’ll be greeted by a nice Asian lady who says “Power On.”

When turning it off, she’ll say “Power Off.”

During this stage,

the colors above the power button will cycle blue/red.

To pair, just go into your phone’s Bluetooth settings, hit Search, and wait. The unit should appear as SUPSOO B131.

Press it and the same lady’s voice will say “Connected” and the color will turn blue.

Now you’re ready for la música.

On the back left (bottom) is the mic button. This acts as a mute/unmute button.

Below that, there’s a 3.5mm jack so you can use these wired as well.

The back right side contains your ANC button and the volume buttons.

The ANC cycles between Noise Cancelling On, Noise Cancelling Off, and Transparency mode which I’ve yet to see a use for.

I have enough barking dogs and crappy neighbors to last me a lifetime of misery so transparency mode is a no-go for me. xD

I find ANC mode is pretty decent although it’s not going to completely block everything out.

For instance,

I used these at the pool yesterday with it on and I could still hear people talking semi loudly although it was pretty faint.

It does really well blocking out my dishwasher running, as well as the dog above me who cries all day because he’s trapped in a cage and can’t move a muscle.

So there’s that.

All in all,

I’d rate ANC above average but not perfect.

Below ANC, you’ll find the volume controls which are very well placed.

Upon reaching back there, I immediately know where they are and the location is excellent.

Rounding out the back is a USB-C jack that you’ll use to charge the headphones once the battery dies.

Speaking of, how’s the battery life?

Battery life/charge time

For everything I’ve praised thus far, I was a bit disappointed in this regard.

Even despite the headphones turning off by themselves if they’re not in use and/or not paired, I was still only able to get exactly 1 week of life out of them and to be perfectly honest, I didn’t have them on my head for long sessions.

An hour here, 30 minutes there, etc.

Some of the worst-sounding Bluetooth sets I’ve tried had an incredibly long life, so I think Supsoo can really improve in this regard.

The rated play time on Amazon is 80 hours and I got around 4.

Yeah, that’s not even close even when taking into account a bunch of idle time.

Charge time wasn’t too bad and probably around the time advertised at 2 hours.

Range

The advertised range is around 32 ft. but I tested it out in my apt. parking lot (a long strip of cement with no obstructions) and I get around 53-55 feet before it starts cutting out.

Very impressed here as some companies tend to overexaggerate this number.

I will test this out more at the gym, but I’m fairly certain you’re not going to have any issues wherever you may be.

Sound

• Playlist: Here!

Now the moment you’ve been waiting for. How do they sound?

Well, it’s a bit hard to explain this so bear with me.

Bass

I hate to say it, but it’s still much too boosted in the mid frequencies around 100-200 Hz.

Of course,

this will always work on some tracks but for the most part, it bleeds into the mid-range and sounds a bit hazy/fuzzy.

In other words,

there’s this layer of hum over top of everything and it tends to get in the way more than it helps – drawing unnecessary attention to places in the frequency response that should be left alone to breathe.

You’ll especially notice this in Jazz tracks like “Lonnie’s Lament” from John Coltrane.

The bass booms a lot more than it should and this is easily distinguished since Jazz bass typically sounds and feels lighter when you’re listening to it.

So if you read that these have balanced sound, that’s absolutely objectively not true.

These aren’t neutral or balanced, at all.

On Common’s “Invocation”, a song I’ve heard hundreds of times, his voice sounds pushed back and you can tell it’s underneath something – the bass.

It doesn’t sound bad per se, but the resolution here is definitely not on par with an audiophile headphone and few would argue with you on that.

The other issue I noticed is that they give off a tinny/metallic, and slightly artificial character.

Is it really bad? No, but for a discerning ear, you’ll know immediately.

I have the luxury of being able to listen to very good headphones and I also have a lot of experience and a good ear, so I’m in no way trying to trash these.

I’m just saying that if you’re paying attention you’ll notice the subtle discrepancies between a product like this vs. something made for audiophiles.

This is to say that sound-wise, these aren’t $230 headphones.

Not by a long shot.

I’d price them around $150 as a whole package, and about $75-100 in terms of strictly sound.

Treble

I do appreciate the fact that the treble is mostly in line and I still haven’t experienced any bite or sibilance, but if I’m being honest, the bass just tends to overshadow everything.

This is especially apparent on UGK’s “Int’l Players Anthem”, a song that has some incredible vocal samples and lyrics – all of which take a back seat to the bass bleed which also ruins the really great hi-hat section for me as well.

That is to say that oftentimes the treble is simply going to sound flat – it lacks sparkle and zest.

Again, much of this is due to the overpowering bass response and I’m still at a loss for why companies can’t just tone it back. I honestly don’t get it at all.

Perhaps they’re simply catering to a specific demographic of people who don’t know any better, but I personally feel like crafting a more neutral headphone may end up working out better in the long run.

I think the biggest issue with the sound is the bass but also the slightly metallic flavor these give off.

It really is a shame when you consider how well most everything else was handled.

Amplification

Being that these are Bluetooth headphones I wouldn’t bother investing in anything, but I suppose they could work wired out of something like a FiiO E10K or K3.

Even so,

it’s not really necessary especially given those have a bass boost and gain switch which isn’t needed for obvious reasons.

In other words, these are highly efficient with a low impedance so a DAC is really just a waste of money at the end of the day.

Before we wrap this up, let’s take a look at what I liked and didn’t like.

What I liked:

Almost impeccable comfort levels.

These can be worn for hours with nary a single adjustment and fit incredibly well on 99% of heads. Marvelous job, Supsoo!

The build is excellent (for the most part).

Though lightweight, they don’t feel cheap and the construction here seems fantastic aside from the cup thing we discussed.

Do keep in mind what I mentioned earlier about the pads in that they may flake and peel over time.

On the go.

Portability is similarly great as they come with a nice hard shell case and a 3.5mm cable.

They also fold up really well and the small, compact package is much appreciated.

The functionality/button layout is tremendous.

This may not seem like a big deal, but I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been annoyed by other Bluetooth headphones that placed buttons awkwardly and were a pain to use.

The B131 is a wonderful breath of fresh air in this regard.

What they can improve on:

Price/Sound.

I think these are priced too high for the sound quality you’re receiving.

Again, companies need to stop overemphasizing the mid-bass at the expense of basically everything else.

What is overall a decent enough sound signature gets ruined by a bloated, obnoxious low-end bloat and boom.

Slide issue.

A snug fit is pretty important for me in the gym and the B131 could have used a tighter clamp.

They don’t seem to want to stay put when engaging in lifts or core exercises that require you to lay down, bend over, get on your knees, etc.

Battery Life.

This was perhaps the biggest letdown for me as the headphones only lasted a week before dying.

With earbuds like HIFIMAN’s TWS600, I’m able to get at least a month or so without having to charge.

When you consider that the B131 turns off when not in use, it makes this issue all the more alarming.

Instruction booklet.

This is kind of a minor nit but for the price, I would have liked to see something a little more premium.

You’ve got this great hard shell case but then they throw in a really flimsy, cheap paper fold-out that makes me feel like I’m opening a road map.

Again, not going to dock too many points here but it’s something to keep in mind for the future.

An actual book with a better layout of the features and instructions would be much appreciated moving forward.

Video Discussion

Final Word

The Supsoo B131 is an almost impeccably built, perfectly comfortable headphone held back by a subpar sound in my estimation.

I think there’s a whole heap of promise here, and in the future, I’d like to see Supsoo either utilize better drivers or improve tuning on the existing ones.

To illustrate my thoughts on these in a nutshell, I’ll attempt to use an analogy.

Headphones are a lot like women in that women can look great on the outside, but if there’s nothing of substance inside, then what’s the point?

I look at the B131 in this way.

It’s a fantastic-looking headphone and feels very comfortable on my head, but the inside (the sound) isn’t quite up to snuff.

It’s lacking a bit.

It doesn’t sound bad per se, but to me, it’s like a girl who doesn’t have much to talk about other than the weather, or what she had for breakfast.

There’s nothing there. I may as well be conversing with a brick wall.

That said,

I would love to pay full retail for these if Supsoo decides on a revision.

As it stands now, they are worth around $150 tops.

I went into this fully expecting to make a glowing recommendation and I simply cannot.

By this point you may be wondering “You said so many great things about them in the open, can’t you just give them a pass?”

At $100, yeah I could. But not at $229.

If I were newer to this hobby, I probably would gloss over some of these issues. But the reality is that I’m not.

I’ve demoed over 120 headphones and have always had a deep passion for sound as well as 8+ years of experience with gear in general.

The difference is that I have much higher standards nowadays than I did back when I started this blog.

In any event,

I will definitely be following this company closely because I feel as though they’ve hit on so many of the right marks.

With a few changes here and there, a future iteration could be a slam dunk!

Well, that’s about it for today folks! I hope you’ve enjoyed this Supsoo B131 review and came away with some valuable insight.

Questions? Comments? Requests? Did I miss the mark on something? Please let me know down below or Contact me!!

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Do YOU think these are worth the asking price? Do you have any experience with Bluetooth headphones? I’d love to hear from you. Until next time…

All the best and God bless,

 

 

-Stu

[Xtr@Ba$eHitZ]

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