There are two massive brands you are likely to see at any rock concert. The first is Marshall. The white script logo has been on guitar amplifiers for 60 years. However, the other brand puts Marshall into the shade in terms of how long it’s been in business. The Avedis Zildjian Company has been in business since 1623.
Founded in what was then called Constantinople, in the Ottoman Empire, by Armenian Avedis Zildjian, the company is now headquartered in Massachusetts. The company is the oldest manufacturer of musical instruments in the world. It’s also one of the oldest continuously operating companies in the world and sells cymbals, drumsticks, and other drum accessories. Now we can add wireless headphones to that list of products.
The fact that Zildjian is now entering the audio market should come as no surprise. Marshall first licensed its brand to Zound Industries almost a decade ago and has garnered a healthy market share, enough to prompt a merger between Zound and Marshall two years ago.
The Zildjian ALCHEM-E Perfect Tune are a super-stylish pair of wireless headphones with two levels of active noise cancelation, making the headphones ideal for listening to music streamed over Bluetooth in noisy environments. ALCHEM-E Perfect Tune also have another trick up their sleeve in the form of customized hearing profiles that tailor the tone and the volume levels of each ear cup to fit the listener like a sonic glove.
The Zildjian app is available for both iOS and Android devices and can create a truly personalized listening experience. Zildjian says the ALCHEM-E headphones are ideal for active usage, with a comfortable fit that will stay put when drumming or running. These are the headphones for practising your beats along with a backing track.
Zildjian has used Bluetooth 5.3 wireless technology on the ALCHEM-E Perfect Tune but they can also be used as analog headphones with the included AUX cable that comes with the headphones. To keep the headphones safe when touring or flying, there’s even a custom-molded soft silicone carry case that keeps the headphones safe from scuffs and scratches without adding bulk.
The ALCHEM-E headphones have a superbly attractive design and are available in three colorways: Black, Midnight and Sandstorm. All three finishes look great and the build quality is exemplary. I particularly love the luxurious earpads and the generously upholstered headband.
The ALCHEM-E have a great fit and considering they weigh a substantial 356g, they feel relatively light to wear. The clamping pressure isn’t too strong and, if anything, a little too light when lying down and listening to music. Both the headband pad and earpads can be replaced so the headphones should stay looking great for many years.
The other unusual feature of the ALCHEM-E is a brass volume knob on the left earcup. Once you use it, you’ll wonder why every other maker of wireless headphones doesn’t use one. It’s just so convenient and analog compared to a couple of clickable volume buttons. The knob also functions as a general music control for playing and pausing music as well as skipping or replaying tracks. The only other buttons on the headphones are a power switch and the ANC mode button.
A full charge of the ALCHEM-E can provide up to 45 hours of listening time before they need recharging. That battery figure is with the ANC function turned on and is, if anything, slightly conservative. It’s certainly long enough for several transatlantic trips and more. Longer battery life also means less charging which should extend the life of the lithium battery built into the headphones.
Once the ALCHEM-E are paired and recognized by the Zildjian app, you can start to personalize the headphones using the Perfect Tune technology. This maps the unique nuances of an individual’s hearing separately in each ear so the headphones deliver a sound that’s unique to that listener.
Zildjian says every note, every beat and every detail is finely tuned to the user’s ears. They’re not wrong. I tried the Perfect Tune calibration and although the effect is subtle, it’s astonishing how better balanced the sound is with Perfect Tune. You can easily turn the calibration off if you don’t want it but you probably want to keep it on as it’s genuinely useful especially if your hearing has been blunted by a lifetime of gigging.
Along with Perfect Tune, the Zildjian ALCHEM-E also offer two levels of ANC. The first is Full Noise Cancellation which offers complete isolation so you can concentrate on the music or movie you are watching. The second is Play-Along Mode which features 50% drum dampening, enabling you to hear your drum kit while playing along to a backing track. It’s a clever feature that ties the headphones into Zildjian’s core audience with a genuinely useful adaptation. The Full Noise Cancellation works well and will block out most unwanted sounds like aircraft engines or traffic noise.
Like most wireless headphones, the ALCHEM-E have microphones for ANC and picking up the user’s voice when making phone calls or joining in with a Zoom conference. The onboard mics deliver natural voice pickup and do a fair job of canceling background sounds that might otherwise spoil a call.
The sound quality of the Zildjian ALCHEM-E is big and superbly bold. If you like a lot of bass and power in your headphone listening, these will keep you happy thanks to an impressive frequency response of 8Hz – 40kHz. And although the sound is big and bold, it’s not mushy or overbearing. These headphones are nimble-footed when it comes to laying out the soundstage. It’s probably fair to say they are more suited to the rocky end of the music spectrum, but the overall sound of the ALCHEM-E will be spot-on for most people.
To put the ALCHEM-E headphones through their paces, I started with an old favorite: Jolie Holland’s “Old Fashioned Morphine” from her 2004 album Enscondida. The ALCHEM-E bring that smoky New Orleans vibe of the song to life. The kick drum sounds as if it’s in the room and the vocals are superbly articulated. For anyone who thinks a pair of headphones aimed at drummers might be a bit unsophisticated and possibly a little brutal, nothing could be further from the truth. The ALCHEM-E have a big sound and broad soundstage but they can still articulate music with delicacy and bring nuance to any performance.
Finally, I want to say a bit about Zildjian’s decision to only support SBC and AAC audio codecs on the ALCHEM-E. There is a trend nowadays to demand aptX Lossless or LDAC for Hi-Res streaming via Bluetooth. Does it matter? Personally, I have always thought AAC was a great codec and in my listening tests I can’t tell as lot of difference but I know that for some people it will be a dealbreaker. But considering how good these headphones sound, why not trust your ears instead of worrying what’s not on the spec sheet.
Verdict: The Zildjian ALCHEM-E headphones are a superb debut for Zildjian’s entry into what is a crowded market. They have a unique design that captures the spirit of Zildjian with a positively infectious energy. The ANC function works well and the Perfect Tune technology will tailor these headphones to your hearing as if they were made for you. The fit and build quality of the ALCHEM-E is second to none. They may not be the cheapest headphones on the market but the Zildjian ALCHEM-E have a rich pedigree and are well worth an audition.
Pricing & Availability: The Zildjian ALCHEM-E Wireless Headphones With ANC are available now from Amazon or via the Zildjian website priced at $399 / £329 / €398.
Tech Specs:
- Driver: 40mm dynamic.
- Frequency response: 8Hz – 40kHz
- Impedance: 4.7kΩ.
- Sensitivity: 94dB SPL/350mV.
- Max power: 12.91mW.
- Harmonic distortion: <3%.
- Normal rated power: 4.57mW.
- Microphones High AOP MEMS.
- Battery capacity: 680mAh/3.7V.
- Battery life: 45 hours (ANC on).
- Bluetooth version: 5.3.
- Latency values: AUX: 7.979ms / Bluetooth: 181.8ms.
- Supported audio codecs:
- Mobile application: iOS and Android.
- Weight: 356.8g.
- Accessories: Carry case, 6-foot audio cable, 1/4″ adapter, 3-foot USB-C charging cable.
- Warranty: 1 year against manufacturing defects.
