We know Baseus has been a well-known brand in chargers, power banks, and some other accessories, but their audio products were kind of in the middle shelf of the market. Now they have refreshed their audio category with the Inspire line, which includes a pair of In-ear, Open-ear, and over-ear headphones. The most appealing thing is that, they are fine-tuned by Bose. Let’s see if they bring any surprises.
Design
XH1 ANC headphones
Let’s start with the headphones. Looking at the packaging, it is definitely premium. There is a customized case to protect the headphones. The case has a slope-like design, which is meant to hug the headphones entirely, to make sure they don’t wobble inside. And I think it takes less space in your backpack, if you mean to use them while travelling. Now the headphones are also foldable, but they can’t fit in the case anymore. The headband is soft,and I did not feel any pressure after several hours of wearing it. And the rackets are angled inwards, while the connecting points with the speakers are flexible, it makes the ear cups hug my ears tighter but comfortably. The headphones weigh 272g, very light. The sound unit has a very 35mm driver inside, and the damping tube for better acoustics, and of course tuned by Bose.
XC1 Open-ear Earbuds
These open-ear earbuds carry the same design philosophy, and there are some other details. The structure is still sleek but flexible, it is very easy to put them on. The weight distribution is also very good, and it is only 5.8g each bud. One thing that proves the design is intentional is that, there is a tiny specially shaped silicone piece there, to make sure the earbud won’t slide or fall when doing sports or anything. For the speaker unit, there is a hybrid two-way driver system, with a Knowles BA tweeter that supports up to 40KHz frequency, and a Resilient LCP Dynamic Woofer. This kind of combo makes sure it can provide the best sound quality compared to most open-ear earbuds out there.
XP1 Earbuds
For this pair of in-ear products, they are shaped not quite differently from other earbuds. The case is designed like a pebble, the gray and black colors do make it look premium. The earbuds themselves are also well designed, the stems are slightly chunky, I would say it is better for the grip and controls. They also fit snugly in the ears, with no discomfort when wearing for a prolonged time. For the sound unit, there is a powerful driver inside, for better bass. And there is an ergonomic ear-shaped contour, to not only make them fit better in your ears, but also block noise better. There are also 6 mics around the unit, to make phone calls clearer.
Sound Quality
These three products are not just another ordinary pair, they are tuned with Sound by Bose, also powered by Dolby Audio, and certified for Hi-Res Audio.
XH1
The XH1 provides a truly immersive 360°sound profile, and it can pair up with LDAC, for much fuller detail. There is also the SuperBass 3.0, which reproduces deep sub-base frequencies, it really drives the energy to your ears. I found the bass very powerful, yet it does not overpower the mids. The high-end response is also impressive for products priced at this range. The details they bring out are decent, and crisp enough for you to enjoy the many kinds of music. Overall, some of my favorite songs just become very interesting and enjoyable with these. And if you don’t like the factory settings, you can also personalize the sound for yourself, with the SoundFit personalization.
XC1
As open-ear earbuds, the performance in low frequencies is really good. The dynamic woofer reproduces the bass that is firm and resonant without messing up the mix. So it is very good for pop, rock, and rap, young people would love this kind of performance. The balanced armature tweeter, which is from Knowles, but first shows up on these Baseus products, offers excellent clarity in the upper range, and vocals or the sound of the instruments are also quite enjoyable. Now usually for open-ear earbuds, the volume has to be quite big, to bring the bass out, but for these earbuds, it can also produce the bass at a low volume, which is a surprise.
XP1
As another pair in the Inspire lineup, they also have the same embrace from Bose. The listening experience is very good, especially for earbuds at this price. They can deliver deep and powerful bass, along with very good clarity for many music types. They can bring out the ultra-low sub-bass quite well. They are fairly good at producing crisp details, to make music enjoyable. The contoured earbud design certainly helps a lot, it not only blocks the noise outside, but also makes sure the music plays directly to your ears, which is also part of the music experience.
ANC and Transparency Mode
Now we all know that noise cancellation is the strong suit of Bose products, and it carries over to the XH1 and XP1 here. There are two types of settings, either it can be adaptive, or you choose a specific mode for the environment you are in. There are slight differences in the levels of noise cancellation, which is sensible actually. If you want to choose a specific level you want, there are also five to choose from, in case you prefer to have light noise cancellation or just a much sealed type.
The XH1 provides 48dB of noise cancellation, while it provides 50dB on the XP1. The direct comparison would be to the AirPods Pro 2, and I can say that they are even slightly better. The intensity is high enough to filter almost all of the noise, but does not stuff your ears entirely, even at the highest level. So I can very much say the noise cancellation is very reliable.
When it comes to the Transparency Mode, it is again as impressive as the AirPods Pro 2. When I was working on the script of this review, my colleagues were talking next to me, and I could hear the voices quite clearly and crisply, without any stutter. Even with the XH1, not much detail was lost in the transparency mode.
Other Features
Battery Life
At the age of headphones having about 40-50 hours of battery life, the XH1 has 100 hours without ANC on, and 65 hours with ANC off. This kind of performance is going to help a lot for a long flight, an uninterrupted sleep is guaranteed. And for the XP1 and XC1, they have 45 hours and 40 hours of battery life per charge, which is also impressive. And of course, there is a Type-C port and fast charging.
App
In the App, other than the usual mode change, you can also customize your own EQ, enable Dolby Audio, and some other settings. The XH1 has one more feature, which is the Sleep Mode. If you like to play some sounds to help you sleep, there are many types of sounds to choose from.
Connectivity
They all support Bluetooth 6.1 and multiple-point connecting. And there is an AUX cable for the XH1, in case you want to use the headphones with the computer.
Controls
They all only have button controls, but not touch controls. This is totally a call for you, if you like buttons better, then it’s not an issue.
Summary
As the products co-engineered with Bose, these three really exceeded my expectations. The wearing comfort is all excellent, the XH1 is a very good pair to be used in the office, as I am sitting on a chair doing all kinds of stuff editor-related, while enjoying video and music. Plus they have very good noise cancellation. When I am going out, the XP1 can provide a good listening experience and reliable ANC, and all-day comfort in your ears. And for several times, I have been doing night runs, the XC1 has supported me very well. So overall, these products are a combination of good build quality and excellent sound tuning. The prices of them are in the $100-200 range, they are very strong contenders, and I am sure you will find some surprises.
Baseus Inspire XH1 ($149.99/€169.99) is available starting September 4, 2025, through the Baseus US official website, Baseus DE official website, Amazon U.S., Amazon DE and Amazon UK. The XC1 ($129.99/€149.99) and XP1 ($129.99/€149.99) could be available through the above channels in the coming weeks.
