Cambridge Audio Melomania A100 vs Soundcore P42i

What Melomania A100 does better (1) and where P42i wins (4) — every spec side by side.

Cambridge Audio · 2026Melomania A100

7.8Score

1 advantage

Soundcore · 2026P42i

9.4Score

4 advantages≈ $55

Higher score

4.9Noise control & calls5.8

8.7Battery9.2

Why is Melomania A100 better than P42i?

Specifications

Only differences	Cambridge Audio Melomania A1007.8	Soundcore P42i≈ $559.4
Sound
Fit	In-ear	In-ear
Ear cup design	Closed-back	Closed-back
Driver type	Dynamic	Dynamic
Driver size	10 mm	11 mm
Lowest frequency	—	20 Hz
Highest frequency	—	40,000 Hz
Impedance	—	14 Ω
Hi-Res Audio	Yes	Yes
Adjustable equaliser	Yes	Yes
Noise control
Active noise cancelling	No	Yes
Adaptive ANC	—	Yes
Transparency / ambient mode	Yes	Yes
Microphones	6	6
Noise reduction for calls	Yes	Yes
Battery & charging
Battery life	12 h	12 h
Battery life with ANC	—	8.5 h
Total with charging case	39 h	56 h
Charging time	—	1 h
Quick charge (claimed)	—	10 min → 3.5 h
Fast charging support	Yes	Yes
Wireless charging (case)	—	Yes
Connectivity
Wireless	Yes	Yes
Bluetooth version	5.4	6.1
Bluetooth codecs	LDAC, aptX Lossless, aptX Adaptive, AAC, SBC	LDAC, AAC, SBC
Hi-res codec (LDAC / aptX HD / LHDC)	Yes	Yes
aptX	Yes	No
LDAC	Yes	Yes
Multipoint (two devices)	Yes	Yes
USB-C	—	Yes
Smart & streaming
Voice assistant	Google Assistant, Siri	—
Design & build
Earbud weight (each)	—	4.4 g
Protection rating	—	IP55
Water resistance (IPx)	—	IPx5
Dust protection (IP)	—	5
Colours	Black	Black, Oat White, Navy Blue, Purple
Features
Touch controls	—	Yes
Hands-free calls	—	Yes