Lindy BNXe Headphones Review
Noise-cancelling headphones have rapidly shifted from a luxury to everyday essential, but not everyone wants to spend flagship money for the privilege. That’s where the Lindy BNXe step in. They’re a budget-friendly pair promising serious ANC, long battery life and sustainable materials, all packaged in a familiar over-ear formula. We’ve been using them daily to find out whether they can genuinely punch above their price point, or if the gap to the premium competition still looms large.
Design
There are a lot of details here we’ve seen before, but that’s not to say they’re bad details. Far from it. The Lindy BNXe feel reassuringly familiar in their construction, like a blend of proven design decisions that have mostly worked. The metal-reinforced adjustable headband, for instance, gives them a sturdy backbone, while still allowing for just the right amount of flexibility.
The padding isn’t overly thick, yet it feels surprisingly sumptuous against the face and head. It’s soft without being spongy, and the headband cushion itself has a springier quality that adds to the overall comfort. The result is that the Lindy BNXe headphones are a pair you can wear for hours of continuous listening without feeling weighed down or sore.
Sustainability also plays a strong role here. The outer body of the BNXe is crafted entirely from recycled plastic, complemented by vegan-friendly leather earpads. Yet, despite these eco-minded materials, there’s no sense of compromise; the build feels just as solid as pricier competitors we’ve tested this year, with no creakiness or weak points to speak of. Each earcup swivels to fold flat for convenient storage in the supplied carry case, and while portability is clearly considered, this isn’t a delicate pair. The hinges feel reassuringly strong, snapping into place with confidence, and the headband has enough flex to take everyday use in its stride. One flaw we found is the slightly lighter-shaded material that joins the hinge to the body does mark when left, for instance, on a stone wall or when it comes into contact with any similarly rough material.
Controls are simple; well-spaced buttons on the right earcup. With volume, playback and power. It’s not quite as nice as having touch-sensitive gestures (when they work), but these absolutely do the job.
Battery Life
Battery life is excellent for the price. We consistently achieved around 40 hours of playback at roughly 60% volume, making them an easy companion for multi-day listening without reaching for the charger. Though this is a little less than the claimed 55 hrs.
Audio Performance
Lindy’s twin-mode ANC technology is far more effective than expected at this price. We even missed people calling our names from inside the same building, which speaks volumes — or rather, brilliantly silences them. Out in the real world, city hum, passing traffic and the rustling bustle of supermarket aisles melt into a private bubble of your own audio should you want that retreat.
The 40mm drivers certainly bring the volume, but straight out of the box there's a sense that the tuning is holding something back; everything feels just a touch tight across the range. The Lindy app quickly becomes a must-download as switching EQ profiles immediately wakes the BNXe up. Curiously, every preset sounds better than the default, which remains a head-scratch moment. We found ourselves returning to the Country and Jazz modes most often, where the BNXe reveal a more soulful temperament and a sound image that’s impressively large and expressive.
Take ‘Pool Hopping’ by Illuminati Hotties: a fast-paced track with punchy, menacing percussion and vocals that dart across the mix. Here, everything stays locked in. The instruments come through with real strength, vocals remain planted and clear, and even at higher volumes there's no reverb smear or collapse of clarity. Bass lands firmly without overshadowing, the mids and highs keep definition, and overall it’s a very confident performance at this price tier.
Where the BNXe show their more budget-conscious side is in soundstage width. It’s a strong stereo presentation, placing elements forward with intention and space, but it doesn’t quite wrap around you in that panoramic way pricier competitors do. That said, there's a gulf of hundreds of pounds between these and the heavyweight ANC flagships, and the BNXe hold their ground admirably.
Do note one quirk: activating noise cancellation disables your chosen EQ profile. However, ANC mode still manages to sound a lot better than listening with the default EQ and ANC off, so it's not quite the compromise it appears, but isn’t as good as the EQ modes we mentioned. Transparency mode is here too, for piping the outside world back in when needed without taking the headphones off, so having conversations with people in the same space is no hardship.
Verdict
The Lindy BNXe headphones prove that strong ANC, solid build quality and genuinely enjoyable sound don’t have to come with a premium price tag. They ask for a little patience, as the default tuning undersells what the drivers can really do, and it's only once you dive into the app and swap EQ profiles that they truly shine. But when they do, you’re rewarded with a surprisingly expressive and confident listening experience, backed by excellent comfort, thoughtful sustainability touches and battery life that comfortably stretches across multiple days.
They don’t quite offer the sprawling, cinematic soundstage of higher-end models, and the EQ/ANC quirk is a small compromise, but for everyday listening, travel and shutting out the world on the commute, the BNXe punch well above their weight. If you're hunting for capable ANC headphones on a sensible budget, these deserve a very close look.
