What’s going on everyone, my name is Myxo. Today we’re going to look at the Airfrex AF25 Bluetooth adapter for the Bose QuietComfort 25 headphones. Last year I purchased the QC25 headphones on Amazon Primeday for half price, but the trade off for the awesome deal was they lack any wireless functionality. This got me looking into Bluetooth adapters for wired headphones, which lead me to the Airfrex adapter. While this review will be focused on the AF25 Bluetooth adapter for the Bose QC 25s, Airfrex does make a number of different adapters for a variety of headphones.
What sold me on the Airfrex adapter is that it would add Bluetooth connectivity to my wired headphones for only $30 which in my opinion is well worth the price. The second biggest selling feature is that it uses a micro USB connector to charge the device and not its own propriety method like some other adapters on the market.
The build quality of the AF25 is very solid. The adapter is made of hard plastic and feels very durable all while being very light weight. Connecting the adapter to the QC25 headphones works like any plug and play device, just plug in the Airfrex into the wire port on the headphones and your good to go. While the styling of the Airfrex isn’t completely seamless when plugged into the QC25’s, it’s not distracting at all.
Pairing the AF25 to a smart phone is fairly straight forward. Enable Bluetooth on your phone and hold the power button of the Airfrex for 3 seconds and the adapter will auto pair to your phone. I’m using my Samsung Galaxy S9+ smartphone, and it auto pairs without any glitches. The sound quality of the Airfrex is surprisingly good. While it does not support AptX, the sound quality is still clean and clear. If you’re an audiophile, you probably wouldn’t be looking at a $30 adapter to transmit audio, but for everyday use, I feel this adapter is fantastic. I’ve been using the AF25 daily for about 6 months now, and have not encountered any problems and it’s still preforming like new. The battery lasts between 4 – 5 hours on a full charge which is reasonable. The range of this adapter is roughly 25ft, after that my unit begins to drop its connection. The AF25 does have a built-in microphone for taking and placing phone calls. In testing the mic, no one could tell I was using a Bluetooth adapter.
The only downside with the Airfrex is that it doesn’t provide any media controls on the device. By pushing the power button while listening to music, you can only play and pause music. By double pressing the power button, you enable a bass boost feature. Another downside is there is no low battery indicator. When the battery dies, an audible warning is given, then the music comes to an abrupt end. An audible warning at 10% battery life would be a nice feature to add in a future model.
If you’re looking for a DIY Bluetooth solution for your headphones, you can do what I originally did and MacGyver together a Mpow Bluetooth receiver with some Velcro and a short cable. The benefit of using the Mpow adapter is you get full media control of your music including forward and back functions, as well as volume up and down. While it doesn’t look as clean as the Airfrex, or other specifically designed Bluetooth adapter's, it gets the job done.
If you’re in the market for a Bluetooth solution of your wired headphones, Airfrex adaptors is definitely worth checking out. While it’s not the sleekest looking adaptor while connected to your headphones, in my experience it has worked flawlessly and is a fantastic value priced at $30.