The Budi EP55B suits people who cannot afford to shut the world out completely. Security guards manning gates in Kilimani and Lavington, salon and barbershop operators working a long chair, night-shift warehouse staff on Mombasa Road, long-haul drivers on the Nairobi-Eldoret run, and gym users at Westlands fitness centres all face the same trade-off. Ordinary sealed headphones muffle the shouted greeting, the ringing gate bell, the reversing lorry. Cheap earbuds solve nothing because one side always goes missing. The transparency button on the Budi EP55B lets outside sound back in without removing anything from your head.

Mascom International stocks the Budi EP55B as a catalogued model from an accessory maker trading since 2009, rather than the unmarked headsets that fill many Nairobi stalls with no model code and no return route. At Mascom International, we're seeing shoppers weigh this set against the P47, the Oraimo BoomPop 2, and entry Anker Soundcore models priced between KSh 2,500 and KSh 7,000. Buyers throughout Kenya tell us the mode button is the feature they end up using daily. Walk into our Kimathi Street showroom to try a pair, or call +254 708 852 521.

Transparency mode feeds outside sound through the earcups so you can hear a customer, a colleague, or traffic without lifting the headphones off. One press of the mode button on the right earcup switches between normal music playback and this pass-through setting. Security staff, receptionists, and salon operators use it to stay reachable while music keeps playing quietly underneath. Drivers use it at junctions. Switching back takes another single press, with no phone app or menu involved.

No. The Budi EP55B uses passive isolation only, meaning the cushioned earcups physically block sound rather than cancelling it electronically. That suits the mode button design, which is about letting sound in rather than shutting it out. If you want electronic cancellation of engine drone and generator hum, the Budi EP51B at KSh 4,300 carries active noise cancelling instead. Both sit on the same shelf at our Kimathi Street counter, so compare them side by side before choosing.

All controls sit on the right earcup: a power button that also handles play and pause, a two-way toggle, and the mode button. A quick press of the toggle skips tracks forward or back. Holding the toggle changes volume. That order takes a day or two to learn, since most people expect the reverse. Once learned, it means you never reach for your phone mid-shift. The same power button answers and ends calls.

Budi rates its over-head range at roughly 15 hours of playback and about 100 hours of standby, with a full recharge taking near two hours. In practice that covers three or four full working shifts before the cable comes out. Volume level matters more than anything else, since loud listening drains any Bluetooth headphone faster. 

The earcups are padded and the headband adjusts on both sides, spreading weight across the top of the head instead of pressing into the ear canal. Most wearers manage three to four hours before wanting a short break. Along the coast in Mombasa, Malindi, and Lamu, humidity makes padded cups warm faster, so night-shift staff there tend to lift one cup periodically. Anyone doing heavy cardio should pick an in-ear model instead.

Yes. The Budi EP55B connects to anything carrying standard Bluetooth, including iPhone, Samsung, Tecno, Infinix, Xiaomi, and Oppo handsets, Windows laptops, MacBooks, tablets, and most Bluetooth televisions. Hold the power button until the indicator light blinks, then pick the headphones from your device's Bluetooth list. No account, app, or registration is needed. The pairing is stored, so the set reconnects on its own the next time you switch it on nearby.

The built-in microphone handles WhatsApp calls, Zoom, Google Meet, and normal voice calls hands-free, answered from the earcup rather than the phone. On a quiet gate post or in a salon it holds up well. Beside heavy traffic on Jogoo Road or Ngong Road, expect the caller to hear some background. That is normal for any headset in this price band. Test it on your own line at our counter before buying if calls dominate your use.

The earcups fold inward against the headband, dropping the set into roughly the footprint of a lunch box. It fits a laptop bag side pocket, a matatu backpack, or a glove compartment without a hard case. That folding hinge is the part most likely to wear on any headphone, so open and close it gently rather than yanking the cups apart. Storing it folded also keeps the headband from stretching out of shape over months.

At KSh 4,000 you are paying about KSh 11 per day across a single year of daily use. That price band in Nairobi is crowded with unbranded P47-style sets that carry no model code and no warranty route. The Budi EP55B comes from a catalogued accessory line, ships sealed, and carries a 12-month Mascom International warranty. The transparency button is uncommon below KSh 5,000. Buyers wanting electronic noise cancellation should budget slightly higher instead.

Three ways to order:

The Budi EP55B comes with the 12-month warranty stated above.

Mascom International has built its name on accurate specifications, current Kenyan pricing, and after-sales support handled face to face from our Nairobi CBD store.