Review: Sudio Regent Bluetooth headphones

By Gadjo Cardenas Sevilla

Swedish headphone makers Sudio may not be the first brand to come to mind when considering over-the-ear headphones but their Regent line offers great sound and clarity as well as smart Bluetooth 4.1 connectivity and 24 hours of playback on a charge.

I'm very particular about headphones, specially over the-ear-models where fit is a huge factor for me. I travel a lot, I need a compact set that's durable and easy to pack and which can isolate me from cabin noise, other passengers and also serve to provide music and video audio. Other features that will appeal to travellers, the Sudio Regents can be quick charged in 10 minutes which will yield at least four hours of use. Full charge takes two hours.

The Sudio Regent headphones ($219) are surprisingly light and compact, yet offer a great fit and full-sized sound. They're not ostentatious, (my review unit was matte black on black with slight yellow gold accents, and beautiful marble inserts that give it a bit of customization).

Pairing to an iPhone 7 as well as my Surface Book proved to be easy and sound was generally good for most of the content I listened to. Sudio prides itself for providing, "impeccable balance of instrumental tones and noise clarity, the musical elements seamlessly knit together to create an unmatched listening experience."

I found this to be accurate as I prefer headphones that focus on fidelity and play back music as close to how it was recorded. Plugging in the Sudio Regents into my ancient Sony Discman to play a variety of CD's proved to be delightful as the loudness, clarity and separation this set provided matched the sound I enjoyed from sets costing three to four times as much and which weigh more.

When I'm out and about, I tend to wear in-ear headphones and most recently these have been Apple AirPods.

I have been using the Sudio Regents though and found them to provide far better connectivity than any other in-ear or sport Bluetooth headset I have used. They are also super-light and you forget they are there even when wearing them over a toque (beanie). There are easy to miss buttons on the headset for stop/play and volume up/down, this is convenient for when you don't want to reach for your phone.

Sudio Regents will appeal to a wide range of users. The design is functional and understated but elegant. I'd have no problems wearing these to work and I like the flexibility of being able to change the look with the Caps which easily twist into the headsets.

As a frequent traveller, usually taking many short one or two night trips for work, I've become obsessed with travelling light and carefully choose the technology I carry. Before the Sudio Regents, I never considered taking a full-size over the ear headphone with me. That's changed. Even if this isn't a noise isolation set, it is compact enough yet performs well as a wireless set or as a wired set.

It's easy to recommend Sudio Regents for anyone looking for a solid, light (in weight) and well-designed pair that sounds good, has tremendous battery life and offers quick-charging capabilities.

Rating: 4.5 out of 5

NOTE:  Sudio is offering a 15% off discount code for Canadian Reviewer readers: The code is CANADIAN15 

It has no expiry date and it's valid for 15% off their entire purchase at sudiosweden.com.