Sonic Lamb Headphones review: My favourite headphones for watching movies

While the TWS earbuds category has changed significantly over the years — giving way to cool designs and functionalities, headphones have more or less been the same. Sure, they have received groundbreaking features such as adaptive active noise cancellation, high-quality music support, and bone conduction. But you will not find many options with such features. Sonic Lamb Headphones want to change that. Launched by a homegrown startup called Rapture Innovation Labs, Sonic Lamb Headphones are presently available for Rs 16,999, although their launch price was Rs 19,999. They are not cheap, yet among the most affordable options for the experience they deliver.

I have been using Sonic Lamb Headphones for the past few months, and they quickly became my favourite, especially while watching movies. Here is why.

Sonic Lamb Headphones design

The Sonic Lamb Headphones are, by no means, budget headphones and that is reflected in their design. Two large ear pads, called Wooferpads at the end of the head arc give the headphones their distinct design. While they do not stand out particularly, these Wooferpads have crevasses where you will find details mentioned in a contrasting gold colour. The headphones come in Ember Gray, Obsidian Black, and Moonstone White colour options. I love the black colourway that I have been using.

The ear pads offer good cushioning and can swivel to adjust to the case the company bundles with the headphones. I found their flexibility helpful when carrying the headphones even without the case as they occupy less space in, say a backpack. While I did not find durability issues in the ear pads, they are user-replaceable should they begin looking worn off. I could also adjust the length of each ear pad to match my head’s size. But I have a gripe with the comfort these headphones offer as their clamping force was slightly high, leading to a tighter fit than expected. I am nitpicking only because these headphones do not come cheap.

The headphones’ case contains a boom mic and a USB-C cable for charging. There is no power adapter, but you can use any power adapter with a USB-A port or a device such as a laptop or power bank to charge these headphones. These are also lightweight compared with other options on the market, so I never had to think twice before carrying the Sonic Lamb Headphones. The right Wooferpad has buttons to turn the headphones on and change the volume, but a dedicated rotating switch stands out. It changes the bass levels with just a swipe — one of the easiest ways to tailor the output to one’s liking. More on this later.

Sonic Lamb Headphones performance

As I said, the Sonic Lamb Headphones became my favourite headphones for watching movies all by myself. They use air and bone conduction technologies to offer a good music and movie experience. At the core of their performance is the human body science where we are likely to feel low frequencies instead of hearing them. Bone conduction is the process where such frequencies are translated into vibrations that travel along the bones around our ears to the cochlea, an inner ear organ, to create physical sensations, and give a better audio experience. In other words, our skull becomes the device’s speaker, sending clearer audio signals to the brain.

The Sonic Lamb Headphones pack 27mm impulse drivers, responsible for frequencies between 20Hz and 120Hz, and 40mm dynamic drivers that handle frequencies above 120Hz. The former setup carries out bone conduction, especially when you want to listen to bass-heavy music or immerse yourself in a movie with loud thuds. The latter is more basic but essential for an overall experience.

I enjoyed listening to music on the Sonic Lamb Headphones, especially when I could always change the sound’s bass levels with a swipe of a button. There are four preset levels: Hear, Feel, Immerse, and Beast. Depending on the kind of bass you want, you can toggle between them.

The Hear is mostly suitable for calls, meetings, podcasts, and classical music based on stringed instruments. It lacks bass and is good for listening to vocals. The Feel is probably the common ground between treble-heavy and bass-heavy sounds. It cranks up the bass to give thump to sounds, often suitable for music genres such as Bollywood, pop, and reggae. Toggle the switch to Immerse and you will begin to feel the onset of bone conduction, with increased bass in music. However, this is the perfect mode to watch action movies with sudden thumps. The Beast mode offers maximum bass, assisted with bone-conducted vibrations. I have had the best immersive experience watching movies with action sequences and music build-ups in the Beast mode.

Depending on the kind of content you are listening to or watching, each mode is crafted well to offer a respectable experience. The buttons are convenient and reachable, but I would have loved a companion app. That is because these buttons do not let you do anything other than change the bass levels. I would have loved a full-fledged equaliser to gain more control of the sound frequencies. Maybe the company will build an app in the future, but for now, the buttons are good.

Another gripe I have is the lack of active noise cancellation. I wanted to watch movies with these headphones on while travelling but had to deal with the noises. I will not recommend these headphones if you travel a lot. But they are good for gaming, especially with boom mic support. You can also take calls conveniently on these headphones. A full charge lasted about a day and some more easily considering my usage maxed out at three to four hours daily.

Sonic Lamb Headphones verdict

For an audio startup, the Sonic Lamb Headphones are the best way to foray into the market. They bring some top-notch features for the price. Bone conduction offers a great experience, no matter if I am listening to music or watching Aquaman: The Lost Kingdom on JioCinema. Sound retains crispness and the natural soundstage, while the dedicated impulse driver belts out subwoofer-like bass — exactly how most Indian customers like their personal audio devices. The ability to control bass levels is unique and requires little effort. Although travellers may not find these headphones appealing, they are good for most customers who want a new way to listen to music for under Rs 20,000.