When used as a hearing aid, the Melodia has two modes: all-around and “listen in noise,” which is designed for noisier environments. Both were reasonably effective, but I got the best results with the headphones in quieter environments, as the noise-cancelling feature — adjustable to three different levels — tended to block out more essential sounds, such as voices, when the volume was turned up. With noise-cancelling at its lowest setting, I was met with a constant, barely perceptible background hum and a noticeable hint of echo.
The biggest issue I had with the Melodia hearing aids, though, was that I had to crank the volume all the way up to get any meaningful impact—something I rarely experience with other hearing aids. The Kingwell app has an in-app system for asking for help if your hearing experience isn’t perfect. A support agent quickly suggested resetting my audiogram settings with numbers 10 points higher across the board, among other fixes. This helped with overall volume, but the echo effect got worse, as the audio seemed to flow in and out, up and down in level—a problem that can make you feel a little crazy over time.
As streaming headphones, the Melodia sounded great, at least with music: plenty of instrumental depth, solid but not boomy bass, and generally clear vocals. Oddly, I ran into a new problem when watching a dialogue-heavy movie with the headphones on: the voices didn’t seem to be in sync between both ears, creating more echo. Further testing after resetting the headphones by placing them back in the case and switching modes to headphone mode and back again seemed to alleviate the problem to some extent.
Photography: Christopher Null
Sadly, Kingwell’s noise-cancelling mode only works in headphone mode. In fact, you can’t even control the volume of the headphones in the Kingwell app when you’re in streaming mode – though, oddly, you can still interact with the volume sliders for each ear which don’t actually work. You’ll have to use your phone’s volume controls instead.
The promised battery life seems ambitious, and live streaming really takes a toll on the charge level: an hour of continuous streaming had reduced the reported battery life by a third. Kingwell says the nine-hour duration is valid only for earbud mode, and that it will get closer to six hours in streaming mode. But even that seems optimistic.
While the Melodia headphones are a bit clunky, they are moderately effective and surprisingly comfortable for long-term use. I was able to wear them for hours without feeling even a sting, something I can’t say about many other headphones. At under $500, they’re not my favorite headphones, but they’re at least worth listening to.