Versatile for jumping between meetings and devices during the day, the Belkin SoundForm Adapt is a jack-of-all-trades headset that won’t break the bank.
Like all audiovisual gear, you can spend pocket change or invest thousands when it comes to buying the best headphones. How much you’re comfortable spending depends on why you need them, how you’ll use them and how much you care about sound quality.
The Belkin SoundForm Adapt wireless over-ear headset isn’t looking to win over audiophiles hoping to do justice to their favourite tunes. Instead, they’re pitched as PC accessories for remote workers looking to jump between video calls.
As the same suggests, their strong point is their ability to adapt on the fly, supporting both wireless and wired connections to ensure they never let you down.
Belkin SoundForm Adapt review
Belkin SoundForm Adapt first impressions
The Belkin SoundForm Adapt wireless over-ear headset has a lightweight design that folds down for compact storage. You could slip them in your bag but they don’t come with a proper carry case, as they’re primarily intended to be deskbound rather than a travel companion.
They rely on an “over-ear” design, made to fit fully around your ears, rather than smaller “on-ear” headphones. This helps block out the world around you, while the “closed-back” design limits noise bleed so as not to disturb people around you.
Keep in mind there is no active noise-cancelling, and the foam ear padding doesn’t do much in the way of passive sound muffling.
Thankfully, the foam cups are reasonably soft to ensure they sit comfortably on your ears, but they’re not the plush memory foam ear cups found on more expensive headsets.
Extendable arms help you get a good fit on your head, which doesn’t clamp too tight if you wear glasses, although the padding in the headband could be a bit firmer and it can get a bit uncomfortable on the top of your head.
The closed-back design also means that they can get warm after a while, so you might not want to wear them for hours at a time.
A basic stylish design and black colour scheme ensure they don’t look too ostentatious, so you won’t look out of place on a work call, or too daggy when talking to your friends.Â
Belkin SoundForm Adapt specifications
| Design | Over-ear |
| Drivers | 40mm |
| Connectivity | Bluetooth 5.2 (Multipoint) USB-C 3.5mm audio jack |
| Charging | USB-C |
| Battery life | Up to 65 hours |
| Microphone | Flip-down boom Flip-to-mute Environmental Noise Cancellation |
| Dimensions | 17.02 x 13.21 x 7.62 cm |
| Weight | 215g |
| Price (RRP) | $79.95 |
| Warranty | 2 years |
| Official website | Belkin Australia |
Features
On the right ear of the Belkin SoundForm Adapt headset, you’ll find easy-to-reach power and volume buttons, with the power button doubling as a Bluetooth pairing button.
On the left ear, you’ll find a small microphone arm that nicely folds up out of the way when you don’t need it. It’s quite handy and intuitive, soon becoming second nature.
When using an app like Zoom or Teams that uses the microphone, you’ll hear a handy beep when you put the mic arm up and down – thankfully different sounds for mute and unmute, so you know whether the mic is active.
A boom arm helps capture your voice more clearly than headsets which have a microphone built into the ear cups. Plus, the microphone uses Environmental Noise Cancellation to reduce the background noise that comes through from the world around you.Â
Support for multipoint 2-device connection makes it easy to jump between a Bluetooth connection to your computer and smartphone without too much mucking around.
What’s particularly interesting is that the left ear also features both USB-C and 3.5mm audio jacks, with cables for both included in the box.
You can connect to a device via USB-C or 3.5mm audio cable to work as wired headphones. This is handy if you’re running low on juice, or if you’re connecting to a device that doesn’t feature Bluetooth.
The internal battery also charges via USB-C and is good for up to 65 hours.
Quality
As the price tag and suggested use cases make clear, the Belkin SoundForm Adapt headset is aimed at people making online calls, not music lovers looking to rock out to their favourite tracks all day as they work.
The sound quality is fine for meetings, but lacks the depth and low-end that you’d look for in decent music headphones.
Likewise, the sound quality from the mic is a little hollow and thin for people listening on the other end. It’s acceptable for online meetings, but not great if you’re recording audio – such as for a presentation or podcast.
As for comfort, they’re okay for meetings but you wouldn’t want to wear them all day long.
Who is the Belkin SoundForm Adapt for?
Anyone who needs a compact and affordable headset for online meetings, doesn’t need all-day comfort and isn’t too fussed about high-end sound quality for enjoying music.
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