- Grab a pair of the high-end Sennheiser MOMENTUM True Wireless 3 earbuds for 38% OFF their price while you can PhoneArena
- Amazon shoppers rush to buy ‘real value’ $72 gadget scanning for $19 and say they ‘can’t get enough’… The US Sun
- Amazon’s All-new Echo Buds with 20-hr. battery and Alexa now down at $40 shipped 9to5Toys
- Get the Beats Flex with Apple’s W1 chip for just under $40! PhoneArena
- Amazon shoppers rush to buy ‘fantastic’ $50 must-have gadget for $19.99 as customer praises ‘exceptional pe… The US Sun
- View Full Coverage on Google News
Tag Archives: earbuds
These noise-masking Anker Soundcore earbuds will help you sleep like a log at an unbeatable price – PhoneArena
- These noise-masking Anker Soundcore earbuds will help you sleep like a log at an unbeatable price PhoneArena
- Amazon shoppers rush to buy $50 must-have gadget selling for $19.99 as happy customer says ‘I may just buy… The US Sun
- Get Sennheiser earbuds 46% off — Daily earbuds deal Mashable
- Apple’s brand-new Beats Studio Buds+ deliver top-notch noise cancelling on the cheap in hot new deal PhoneArena
- The Google Pixel Buds Pro just got a huge deal in time for the new school year PC Guide – For The Latest PC Hardware & Tech News
- View Full Coverage on Google News
Acefast Crystal (2) Earbuds T8 review
Introduction
Acefast isn’t a name you hear often in the wireless earbuds market but its latest TWS earbuds bring a flashy transparent design, an LED display on the case and six bold color options which piqued our attention. The Acefast Crystal (2) Earbuds T8 are in for review and we’ll be taking a detailed look into what they offer.
Acefast T8 certainly stand out in terms of design and they offer some neat bundled accessories. They feature Bluetooth 5.3 connectivity, 10mm drivers and support the SBS and AAC audio codecs. The battery life is rated at up to 30 hours of use with the charging case and the whole package is IPX4 splash resistant. Let’s see how these earbuds stack up against the competition and if they deserve a place in your pockets and ears.
Design
Purple, pink, blue, green, black and white – these are the six colors offered for the Acefast T8 and all of them come with transparent bits that expose the insides of the buds and their charging case. The charging case also gets a seven-segment LED display which shows you the remaining battery percentage on the case and each earbud.
There’s a definite inspiration from the Nothing Ear (1) which brought the transparent earbud design last year though you actually get to see more of the mainboard on Acefast T8’s charging case. The buds attach via magnets to the sides of the case, which is also seen on past Acefast earbuds and is certainly one way to stand out from the crowd.
There are no buttons on the case itself and all the controls are on the buds instead. The earbuds stay put when docked in the case and I have not experienced any problems with them falling out. The in-ear fit is good provided you select the appropriate silicone tip size.
The unboxing experience and provided accessories here are a step up from your ordinary wireless earbuds. The box features a transparent bit of plastic that lifts up to reveal three compartments containing a silicone gel case for the charging case color matched to your earbuds, a lanyard strap, USB-C cable for charging and three pairs of extra silicone ear tips housed in a plastic container.
Each bud weighs 5.5 grams while the case comes out to 47 grams. The earbuds are not the lightest we’ve tested though they feel good in your ears even after hours of use. The case is not that compact and barely fits into your jeans’ coin pockets but it easily slides in other larger pockets even with the bundled silicone sleeve.
Features
Going past their translucent design, Acefast T8 bring a fairly limited feature set. There’s no Hi-Res Audio support on here and you’re left with the legacy SBC and AAC audio codecs. The buds do support the very latest Bluetooth 5.3 connectivity standard with Enhanced Data Rate (EDR) transmission via way of the BES 2600 IHC Bluetooth chip. Sadly, there’s no active noise cancelation (ANC) with the dual microphones on each earbud only offering ENC call noise reduction.
Multi-point pairing is another big absence on the Acefast T8 and there’s no smartphone app for fine-tuning the audio profiles or receiving firmware updates. The buds also omit wear detection for pausing and resuming media playback which is a standard feature even on budget earbuds today.
Acefast T8 feature 10mm drivers with an aluminum moving coil and 6mm dome tweeters. The earbuds use a Laser Direct Structuring (LDS) antenna design which molds the antenna transmitter onto a plastic strip near the bottom of the earbuds stem. LDS is advertised to bring stable signal transmission and improved anti-interference.
The LED display on the case is a nice touch and it is certainly one of the most appealing features that the T8s have going for them. The display turns on for a few seconds when you remove the buds from the case and again when you dock them. This is really useful since you have immediate access to your buds and case battery status without having to dig up Bluetooth settings on your paired device. The LED display has a white color for the battery status while the underside has a yellow hue that lights up the bits around the exposed part of the mainboard.
We love the design approach though we feel Acefast could have added a physical button that allows you to turn on the display and check your battery levels without inserting on extracting the earbuds from the case each time.
The buds offer touch controls for play/pause, volume controls, call management and summoning your device’s digital assistant. The touch controls are all done on the top part of the buds and they work reasonably well though the volume controls did not always work on the first try. There’s no way to remap the touch controls, which is a bummer.
Performance and Sound quality
Once you play some audio content you notice bass output is pronounced while the lows and mids are slightly off. High midrange sounds like vocals sound good. Acefast T8 can get plenty loud which is an added bonus. The audio profile is flat and an equalizer tuning option could potentially improve their sound output though there’s no such feature at the time of this review.
I noticed a subtle static noise on the Acefast T8 after pairing them to my devices though this is mainly while listening to podcasts and audiobooks in a quiet environment. Granted this issue was not replicated with some of my colleagues who tried the buds on at the office and will probably not bother you on your daily commute or at the gym.
Connectivity performance was on point with no dropouts when testing on an iPhone, Android tablet and laptop. Switching to calls, voice pickup is below average with people on the other line reporting my voice sounding muffled during calls. Latency is on par with other wireless earbuds we’ve reviewed with no noticeable lag between video and audio.
Battery life
Acefast T8 are advertised to last up to 7 hours with continuous music playback at 70% volume and 4 hours on calls while the charging case extends the total listening time to 30 hours – that’s ample endurance for a pair of wireless earbuds and more than most competitors. Each earbud packs a 45mAh battery, while the case holds a 480 mAh charge.
I found the earphones to last me between 6-7 hours on a single charge during my test period, which is in line with the claimed values from Acefast. A full 0-100% charge takes about 90 minutes while a 10-minute fast top-up gets you 2 hours of usage. There’s no wireless charging so you’ll have to find a power outlet and plug in a USB-C cable for top-ups.
Verdict
Acefast T8 earbuds bring a unique transparent design with clever features like magnetic storage inside the case and a large LED battery indicator screen. Battery endurance is stellar and delivers up to 30 hours with the charging case. Audio quality is average and there’s no ANC or support for any of the high-bitrate codecs. That wouldn’t be a problem for a pair of entry-level earbuds but the Acefast T8 currently retail for $100, which positions them in a tough space considering the fierce competition in the TWS market.
The T8s are exclusive to the Acefast online store for now though if the T6 series is any indication they should appear on Amazon soon enough. Still, we’d wait for a hefty discount before pulling the buy trigger.
We have to give credit to the design team at Acefast for creating one of the best-looking earbuds on the market. The six color options offered on the Acefast T8 all look great and we’re excited to see what future iterations in the range will bring to the table. We can only hope for a richer feature set with Hi-Res Audio support and more control over the audio equalizer.
Sennheiser CX True Wireless earbuds are more than 50% off
Cheap earbuds are a dime a dozen on Amazon, but they don’t all deliver the best audio quality. If you just need something for phone calls, that’s fine — but if you want audiophile-worthy sound, you want a company like Sennheiser. This brand has a long-standing reputation for mind-blowing audio quality across a wide range of products, from earbuds to headphones. Right now, the Sennheiser CX True Wireless earbuds are a whopping 54% off — down to $60 from $130. If these aren’t quite what you’re looking for, don’t worry: there are a load of other Sennheiser products on sale, too.
“These headphones are seriously great. I’ve owned a pair of Bose Quiet Comfort earbuds, a few Beats earbuds, a set of Ankers, and some Apple Airpods — Seinheisser beats all of them by a mile in sound quality, comfort, and aesthetic. 10/10 would recommend these earbuds,” one user said.
These headphones come with four different ear tip sizes to help ensure the best possible fit, while the Smart Control app — available for both iPhone and Android devices — lets you customize the headphones to suit your personal tastes. The app also assists in Bluetooth pairing for easy setup. Want even better audio quality? The Bass Boost feature can be activated at any time to enhance the bass and provide deeper lows to any song.
One user said you can’t go wrong with these. “As soon as I tried them the sound was amazing. The app is easy to use and connected easily to my phone. They aren’t the newest model but are well worth it because Sennheiser is known for quality.”
If earbuds aren’t your jam and you want something a bit more comfortable for wearing for longer periods, consider the Sennheiser 450BT headphones instead.
“Exactly what I wanted as a mom of 2 young kids – excellent quality but at the same time can hear when one of them screams. Always a fan of Sennheiser for the clarity!” said one mom that just wanted some quiet. “As a hobbyist singer, I’m planning to start recording after a baby break and this is the perfect start to listen to high-quality, crystal clear audio! Battery lasts almost 2 days with my almost constant use (I’m obsessed). I don’t currently travel but this one folds and looks easy to pack and carry if you do!”
The Sennheiser HD 450BT headphones fit over the ears and include tremendous battery life, as well as on-device controls for easily activating smart assistants (Siri and Google Assistant!) There are also different modes to pick from depending on the type of content. One is a Podcast Mode for better dialogue clarity, and there are also numerous equalization settings to customize the sound to your own tastes.
What sets Sennheiser apart? As we mentioned before, this brand is built with high-fidelity audio in mind. These are primarily for music, rather than phone calls or working out. Sure, you can use Sennheiser products for that with ease — but just be prepared to hear your tunes in a way that might have you singing along in the gym.
If you have Amazon Prime, you’ll get free shipping, of course. Not yet a member? No problem. You can sign up for your free 30-day trial here. (And by the way, those without Prime still get free shipping on orders of $25 or more.)
The reviews quoted above reflect the most recent versions at the time of publication.
Looking for more great Amazon tech deals? Check these out:
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Originally published
Here Are the Top Five Noise Cancelling Headphones and Truly Wireless Earbuds Deals for Black Friday
Black Friday is here! It’s undoubtedly the best time of year to score a great deal on a pair of quality noise cancelling headphones or earbuds. In honour of the big day arriving, we’ve picked out the five best headphones and earbuds you should consider. Whether you decide on the Sony WH-1000XM4, Bose QuietComfort 45, or Apple AirPods Pro, you’re bound to come away satisfied with whatever you choose this Black Friday.
The Sony WH-1000XM4 Noise Cancelling Wireless Headphones Is Still One of the Best Noise Cancelling Headphones Around
10% Cashback with Amazon Prime Card (Must Be Logged In)
Sony WH-1000XM4 Noise Cancelling Wireless Headphones
The Sony WH1000XM4 might have a generic name, but the quality of these headphones is anything but. In recent years, Sony’s WH1000XM series of headphones have shaken Bose’s longstanding reputation for having the best noise cancelling headphones on the market. Bose still has the edge in terms of better noise cancellation, but many reviewers tip their hats toward the Sony WH1000 for slightly better audio quality and more comfortable ergonomics. The WH1000XM4 also boasts up to 30 hours of battery life on a single charge. If you run out, charging for just 10 minutes will give you another 5 hours of playback. It charges via USB Type-C, which is a welcome upgrade over legacy Micro USB.
The Newer Sony WH-1000XM5 Somehow Finds Ways to Improve
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Sony WH-1000XM5 Noise Cancelling Wireless Headphones
The previous generation Sony WH-1000XM4 was widely lauded as one of the best, if not the best, noise cancelling headphones under $500. Even so, the Sony WH-1000XM5 is able to noticeably improve upon one very important feature, and that is noise cancellation.
On the digital noise supression side, the XM5 is upgraded with double the processors and microphones dedicated to filtering out ambient noise. The result is a better reduction of higher end frequencies that the XM4 was previously unable to block. On the passive noise isolation side, Sony did a much better job of having the earcups more effectively seal out sound on the XM5; they’re shaped larger and wider to fully enclose your ear, and the foam material, despite being just as comfortable, does a better job of creating a proper seal. The difference in noise suppression is quite apparent.
The New Bose QuietComfort 45 Is a Worthy Competitor
Bose QuietComfort 45 Noise Cancelling Wireless Headphones
Bose needs no introduction. No one can dispute the fact that the Bose QuietComfort headphones have set the bar for noise cancellation and sound quality for years and years. They’ve been the industry standard up until the upstart Sony WH1000XM series came along. Unlike the WH1000XM4 (there’s a WH1000XM5 currently released), the QuietComfort 45 is the newest model in the lineup. This is the first of the QuietComfort headphones to finally eschew the legacy Micro USB connector in favor of USB Type-C. The QC45 boasts up to 24 hours of battery life on a single charge, and charging for 15 minutes will give you another 3 hours of playback. It most other respects it feels and looks almost identical to the QC3. If it ain’t broke, why fix it?
Check Out the Apple AirPods Pro for a Noise Cancelling Earbud Option
Apple AirPods Pro (2nd Generation) Active Noise Cancelling Truly Wireless Earbuds
It has been almost three years since the first gen Apple AirPods Pro was released, so there are plenty of upgrades under the hood, even if the new AirPods Pro looks cosmetically identical. The biggest upgrade is the new Apple H2 chip, which promises better audio quality and improved active noice cancellation. That, combined passively noise isolating nature of in-ear earbuds means that the AirPods Pro will provide better noise isolation than over-ear headphones like the Bose QuietComfort or the Sony WH1000XM5.There’s also a new feature called “Adaptive Transparency Mode”. This mode actually amplifies the ambient sound so that you can hear your surroundings better. In-ear earbuds traditionally have very good noise suppression even without active noise cancellation enabled, so this is a great way for people to listen in on the outside world without having to remove the earbuds.
The Sony WF-1000XM4 Are a Cheaper Alternative to the AirPods Pro
The Sony SF-1000XM4 is marked down to $178 for Black Friday, making it $50 cheaper than the AirPods Pro. There aren’t any significant drawbacks either. The WF-1000XM4 offers excellent sound quality and very effective noise cancellation thanks to its sealed passive noise isolation design much like the AirPods Pro. It’s also one of the longest lasting truly wireless earbuds around at up to 8 hours of playtime on a single charge. You get three different sizes of tips to conform to your ear size as well as a wireless charging case.
Runner Up: Samsung Galaxy Live Buds
Samsung Galaxy Buds Live Truly Wireless Earbuds with Active Noise Cancellation
Truly wireless active noise cancelling earbuds from a reputable brand for under $100?? Yes, you heard that right. That’s a great deal, especially when you compare the price to the AirPods earbuds. The Samsung Galaxy Buds Live costs $120 less than the currently running Black Friday Apple AirPods Pro deal and $60 less than the 3rd gen Apple AirPods, which doesn’t even have the noise cancelling feature.
At such a low price, there’s got to be a catch, right? Well, yes, there is. Although the Galaxy Buds Live have active noise cancellation, they are not passively noise isolating. That is, the design of the earbuds doesn’t create a proper seal. What this means is that the active noise cancellation helps mute ambient sounds, but doesn’t entirely eliminate them. That’s generally a big no-no in terms of noise cancelling performance, but for the Galaxy Buds’ use case scenario, it actually works well. The Galaxy Buds eliminates enough of the background noise for you to enjoy your music or hands-free calls, but at the same time you’ll be fully aware to the environment around you. Noise cancelling AND noise isolating earbuds usually have a mode that lets you listen in on the outside world, but then you’d turn off the noise cancellation entirely. That means you can do either or, but not both at the same time. With the Galaxy Buds Live, you can.
Is Noise Cancellation Worth It?
Unless you live in an anechoic chamber, then absolutely! Being able to drown out the background noise while listening to your music is an absolute game changer. Those of you who have already experienced it will probably agree, and those of you who haven’t will be in for an eye opening experience.
Looking for more discounts? Take a look at our best Black Friday deals of 2022.
JBL Live Pro 2: the cheap noise-cancelling earbuds you’ve been waiting for
JBL Live Pro 2: two-minute review
JBL is famous for its mid-range audio products that sometimes give competing options at double the price a run for their money. And the good news is that the JBL Live Pro 2 buds are no exception.
The JBL Live Pro 2 are the likeable brand’s latest true wireless earbuds and successors to the JBL Live Pro+ buds. There are some noticeable upgrades here, including adaptive noise cancelling, multi-device pairing and more customization options now within the app.
These earbuds are great all-rounders and can certainly lay claim to a spot in our best true wireless earbuds guide – and we’ll be adding them to it shortly. Thanks to 11mm dynamic drivers, the sound here is powerful, clear and bassy. But you can also tweak how these buds sound with an EQ in the app and a bunch of presets. The accompanying app is generally a treat to use, with a nice layout and plenty of customization options. It’s surprising how many companies get this wrong, but thankfully JBL does not.
The buds look good too, with a minimal design and stems that have a mirrored finish and a capacitive panel for gesture control. We found them very comfortable, with a choice of small, medium and large silicone tips that create a seal for the ANC to really shine. This keeps the buds firmly in place and makes them a solid option for all-day wear and even working out.
Who aren’t these for? Those with a higher budget might want to go for a pair that offers improved sonic performance alongside the noise cancellation, but you’d need to pay a lot more for noticeable improvements. We also weren’t as impressed with call quality at times, and there were a couple of cases of connection loss.
But to be honest, we’d have to really nitpick to find much fault here because there’s a lot to love about these earbuds. Ultimately, JBL’s Live Pro 2 prove you don’t need to spend a small fortune for great sound and excellent ANC these days. Well done, JBL.
JBL Live Pro 2: price and release date
- Released in June 2022
- Cost £129.99 / $149.95 / AU$199.95
The JBL Live Pro 2 launched in June 2022 and cost £129.99 / $149.95 / AU$199.95. We tested the dark blue buds – although they look closer to black in certain lights – but there’s also silver, rose (pink) and black to choose from.
At the time of writing, the black earbuds are a whole lot cheaper in the UK and the US at £99.99/$99.95 – great news if you can’t justify spending more than £100/$100 on a new pair.
This price is great for a pair of true wireless earbuds with good noise cancellation. However, it is a competitive space in the £100/$100-ish mid-range price bracket, as you can see from our best budget earbuds guide. There are the Cambridge Audio Melomania 1 Plus, Beats Studio Buds and Lypertek PurePlay Z3 2.0 to choose from; all similarly-priced rivals and all among our highest rated mid-range options.
At this price, the JBL Live Pro 2 are also significantly cheaper than some of the best true wireless earbuds you can buy today, such as the Sony WF-1000XM4 Wireless Earbuds, which are double the price at £250 / $279.99 / AU$449.95. Then again, these are considered high-end buds and only for those with a much bigger budget anyway.
JBL Live Pro 2: design
- Very comfortable
- IPX5 rating makes them good for fitness
- Shine finish on the stem is a nice touch, but not for everyone
The JBL Live Pro 2 have a stem-like design, mirroring the look of several other true wireless earbuds on the market, like the Apple AirPods range, the Huawei Freebuds Pro 2 and Nothing Ear (1) buds.
That’s not to say they don’t look distinctive though. JBL brings its own, more angular take on the design. The body of the buds is made from matte plastic and there’s a high shine finish on the externally-facing side of the stem. We like this shiny touch and think it adds a high-end feel to the buds, but it won’t appeal to everyone.
These buds have an IPX5 rating, which means they’re water resistant and will handle some sweat, but they’re not fully waterproof and you shouldn’t throw them in the bath and expect it to end well. This level of waterproofing is still very good compared to some buds that don’t have a water resistance rating at all (and even the AirPods Pro 2 only boast a ‘splash-proof’ IPX4, remember) but it’s not as impressive as rivals like the Jabra Elite 7 Active with IP57 rated water resistance.
You’ll find a choice of S, M and L eartips in the box and we were happy with the smallest size. They were incredibly comfortable to wear – in part due to the fact that they weigh only 4.8g each – and stayed put for hours.
To get the fit just right, there’s a feature in the app called ‘Check My Best Fit’. This plays a short clip of music to ensure you’ve got a good seal in each ear to get the most from ANC. Other buds have a similar fit testing feature, but the one on offer here had us up-and-running straight away.
Although the JBL Live Pro 2 aren’t marketed for fitness specifically, given that they’re secure and have an IPX5 rating, we decided to test them in a few different scenarios. They stayed in place during a yoga class and a light, 30 minute jog. They might not be ideal for intense workouts (the seal they create in your ear canal could be affected if you sweat a lot) but fared well during our testing.
The JBL Live Pro 2 charging case is small enough to fit in a pocket and weighs 48.4g. It has a rounded, pillbox-style design with a clamshell lid which, again, is pretty standard for true wireless earbuds these days. Magnets hold the buds in place as they’re charging, and little LEDs at the front give you a rough indication of how much battery you’ve got left.
- Design and features score: 4/5
JBL Live Pro 2: features
- Good 40 hour total battery life
- Fantastic app
- Multi-point pairing
There’s 10 hours of battery life in the buds and an additional 30 in the Live Pro 2’s case, giving you 40 hours in total. This might not be the very best battery life we’ve seen so far from true wireless earbuds, but it’s certainly up there at this level.
For comparison, the higher-end Sony XM4s have 8 hours in each bud, but only 16 in the case; the Bose QuietComfort have only 6 hours in the buds and 12 hours in the case and the latest Apple AirPods Pro 2 offer 6 hours in the buds and a further 30 hours in the case.
But some mid-range stars do offer similar specs to the JBL Live Pro 2, like the Cambridge Audio Melomania 1 Plus with 9 hours in the buds and 41 hours in the case and the outstanding battery of the Lypertek PurePlay Z3 2.0, which boasts 10 hours from the buds and a further 70 from the powerful case.
One of the most user-friendly features of the JBL Live Pro 2 is the accompanying app. It’s surprising how many audio tech brands create good buds, then let them down with an app that’s unable showcase them at their best. There’s none of that here.
Pairing with your phone is incredibly simple. Bluetooth synced up in seconds and the app was connected less than a minute later. Within the app, you see the buds at the top with levels showing you the exact battery levels. There’s then a section dedicated to ANC, another with the Equalizer, a Gesture section to learn them and change them and a VoiceAware slider, controlling how much of your voice you hear in calls.
Other settings live here too, like a fit test, find my buds feature, power saving mode and voice assistant and voice prompts settings. It’s great to have so many features packed in here and they’re displayed in a way that doesn’t feel overwhelming.
On the buds themselves, there’s a capacitive touch panel in the stem and this is how you control them with gestures. For example, you can switch noise cancelling on and off with a tap on the left stem and tap and hold to trigger Siri. All of these are customizable – at least to a point. You can’t decide which gestures do what, but you can select which gets priority on each bud.
As always, these gestures took a little getting used to and although they were mostly responsive, there were times when we noticed a slight delay – albeit only for a few seconds. This wasn’t a big deal when controlling music, but we did miss a call when the buds wouldn’t answer right away.
JBL Live Pro 2: sound quality
- Very impressive noise cancellation
- Lots of customization options
- Not the best sound performance on the market
Noise cancellation is the true star of the show here. In fact, we’d say there are some of the best noise cancelling earbuds around, especially for under £150/$150. To get a significantly better ANC experience, you’d have to be paying the big bucks – and by that we mean well over £200/$200.
Noise cancelling was capable in a range of environments. On a tube journey with loud passengers and loud shrieks of the train, noises were deadened. Not completely, but very noticeably. In an office environment with some voices and ambient noises there was almost an eerie silence. If you work in an office, commute regularly or just like the deep immersion and peaceful silence of great ANC, these buds are a fantastic choice.
The good news is there are some ANC settings you can tweak here. So, you can turn ANC on in the app, but then you can also customize it. You can toggle Adaptive ANC on and off, which means the ANC level adjusts based on what your surrounding noise level is. Walking from a busy tube station into a quieter street, we found this worked remarkably well. You’ll also find Leakage Compensation, Ear Canal Compensation and an Ear Canal Test here too, which all add to the wonderful noise cancelling experience.
Ambient Aware is another setting, which essentially switches ANC off, still providing a clear sound but you can hear most sounds around you. There’s also TalkThru, specially designed for if you need to have a conversation with the buds still in your ears, this is like Ambient Aware but bumps the volume of sound back down – again, ideal for office workers.
The sound quality on offer from these buds is impressive for the price. There’s a good balance across the whole range and a fairly broad soundstage right out of the box too – especially when the volume is pumped up high. They handle bass remarkably well and vocals are, for the most part, clear. There was some richness of detail here, but not on par with the best-in-class buds, like the Apple AirPods Pro 2.
Within the Equalizer, there are presets you can toggle through, including Jazz, Vocal and Bass, and you can see how the curve changes as you select each. We couldn’t tell the difference between some of these, but Bass was our favourite; playing Where is My Mind by Pixies and moving from Vocal to Bass gave us a delightful punch of power.
For most people the presets should give you enough control. But you can also customize your own settings here across 10 bands that range from 32Hz to 16kHz by simply dragging and dropping points and saving the results to create your own preset. There’s room for loads of these, we played around with six and didn’t hit a limit.
As much as we loved the sound on offer here, we think audiophiles might want more – specifically, more clarity and detail, plus a broader soundstage and a richer sound. But most people will be happy with these buds, especially when you can tweak the sound and define your own presets.
Call quality was good but not great. The microphone didn’t separate our voice from the ambient sound around us as much as we’d have liked. We were still heard fairly well, but you’ll find clearer calls from the best buds out there, particularly the Sony XM4s. There were also a couple of connectivity issues with calls dropping in and out, but not frequently.
JBL Live Pro 2: value
- Excellent ANC for mid-range money
- You’ll struggle to find a better all-rounder at this price
- You’d have to pay double for a noticeable improvement
The JBL Live Pro 2 true wireless earbuds punch above their weight in almost every way. Noise cancellation is particularly good and it’s adaptive, too, which makes it perfect for busy, noisy environments and commuting. Sound is good, EQ customization is great and although call quality could be better, most people won’t notice it unless they make a lot of them regularly.
There are plenty of rival buds in this price range that offer some key features, such as a marginally better battery life and a more minimalist design. But to get better buds with noise cancellation that’s a considerable improvement on these JBLs, you’d have to pay almost double the price.
JBL Live Pro 2: should you buy them?
Swipe to scroll horizontally
| Attributes | Notes | Rating |
|---|---|---|
| Design | They’re comfortable and water-resistant, although the mirror finish may not be to all tastes | 4/5 |
| Features | A very good companion app and solid battery life | 4/5 |
| Sound quality | ANC is king here, but the sound quality is no slouch either | 4/5 |
| Value | You can do better sonically – but not for anything less than double the money | 5/5 |
Buy them if…
Don’t buy them if…
Also consider
If our JBL Live Pro 2 review has you considering other true wireless earbuds, then take a look at these three alternatives.
Nothing Ear (stick) Wireless Earbuds Are Great
Although the company’s specialty seems to be manufacturing hype, after the Ear (1) and Phone (1), Nothing is back with its third product: another set of wireless earbuds that deliver solid performance (with a side of gimmick) at a very compelling price that makes them hard to ignore, even for iPhone users.
Although they didn’t deliver industry-leading sound quality, noise-canceling performance, or even the smallest charging case, Nothing’s original Ear (1) wireless earbuds were still a fantastic overall package when you factored in their $99 price tag, which was $150 cheaper than the Apple AirPods Pro (the first generation) they were being positioned against. Just over a year later, we’ve finally got all the details on the new Nothing Ear (stick) wireless earbuds after a few months of well-hyped teases, which appear to be coming after Apple’s third-generation AirPods instead. They can’t compete with how seamlessly the third-gen AirPods play nicely with all the hardware in the Apple eco-system, but that could be a minor sacrifice, even for iPhone users, when you’re saving $80 by opting for Nothing’s latest instead.
Thinking Outside the Boxy Charging Case
By now we know that Nothing’s playbook for new products includes lots and lots of hype paired with a hardware design that makes it stand out from its competitor’s products. For the Ear (1), that design featured a gratuitous use of clear plastic revealing the electronics inside each earbud, and for the Phone (1), it was all about flashy illumination on the back panel, called Glyph lights, that provided visual cues about notifications or the smartphone’s charging status. These design choices can certainly be viewed as gimmicks, but you can’t fault Nothing for wanting to stand out in two already crowded markets.
For the Ear (stick), Nothing has packed the wireless earbuds in a cylindrical charging case that feels like a super-sized tube of Chapstick, particularly when slipped into a pocket.
The Ear (stick)’s case is quite a bit larger than the charging case for the third-gen AirPods, and it’s not like Nothing justifies the added size with a significant step-up in battery life over the third-gen AirPods. The Ear (stick) will run for about 29 hours when paired with their case, while the third-gen AirPods promise 30 hours in total.
If you’re a skinny jeans devotee, the Ear (stick) might not be a fit for you, both literally and figuratively.
The case is charged through a USB-C port on one end, but the cylindrical design means that adding a wireless charging coil wasn’t an option. Next to the charging port, you’ll also find a single button that’s really only ever used to put the earbuds into pairing mode for connecting them to a new device. The red plastic portion? It’s red for no other reason than to add some color contrast.
A simple twist of the cap rotates the charging case’s outer shell until an opening provides access to the earbuds inside. It’s simple, satisfying, and is currently competing against the AirPods’ charging case’s magnetic lid that I snap open and closed hundreds of times a day as my favorite fidget toy.
Nothing likes to point out that the rotating case’s design means it won’t pop open on its own after an accidental fall, ejecting the wireless earbuds inside. What it doesn’t acknowledge is that the perfectly cylindrical case isn’t asymmetrically weighted which means that it’s prone to rolling off a desk, and will continue rolling when it hits the ground, which I’ve already discovered several times during my testing.
A Familiar Bud Design
You wouldn’t be wrong to point out that the overall shape and size of the Ear (stick) were reminiscent of the third-gen Apple AirPods, but Nothing takes a more brutalist approach to the bud’s design with sharper angles and less contouring.
The Ear (stick) earbuds are only slightly heavier than the third-gen AirPods—4.4 grams compared to 4.28 grams, respectively—and are extremely comfortable to wear, even for longer periods.
The large bulb that sits just inside the ear is more or less the same size as the one atop the third-gen AirPods, however, I found that Nothing’s design sat more securely in my ear. That’s the big challenge with open or half in-ear designs like this, unlike earbuds that use a squishy silicon tip you securely jam into your ear canal, these buds have to securely nestle themselves into the folds of your ear. Compared to the third-gen AirPods, it required a far more vigorous head shake to dislodge the Ear (stick) buds from my ears. But the size and shape of everyone’s ears differ, and I know people who can’t get the third-gen AirPods to stay in no matter what they try.
Nothing doesn’t use the same touch-sensitive stem strip with gesture controls you’ll find on the Ear (1) for the Ear (stick). You’ll instead find a metal button on the stem that doesn’t physically move but detects presses (or more specifically, careful two-finger squeezes, assuming you don’t want to dislodge them out of your ears) for playback control and other shortcuts.
I’m not entirely sure what Nothing is doing differently, but I found squeezing the Ear (stick)’s stem to be far more responsive and reliable than with the third-gen Apple AirPods. I think it has something to do with the boxy design of the stems, making it easier to feel when you’re squeezing the right area. I also like Nothing’s implementation of volume control with the stems: you squeeze and hold the right stem to increase volume in stepped increments, or squeeze and hold the left stem to decrease the volume in the same manner.
An Ever-Improving App
With the arrival of the second set of earbuds comes a big update to the Nothing Ear (1) mobile app, which has been renamed to be more generic: Nothing X.
It’s available for iOS and Android, but not necessary for those with the Nothing Phone (1) which makes all these settings available through the phone’s Quick Settings while the buds are connected. (We weren’t able to test the Ear (stick) with the Nothing (1) phone, but performance isn’t affected by which smartphone you’re paired to.) The customizability isn’t expansive, but Nothing does provide the option to choose from four different EQ presets, as well as a custom setting allowing the balance of the bass, treble, and mid-range frequencies to be manually adjusted. You can also change what squeezing each of the bud’s stems does, including prioritizing quick access to a smart assistant.
Surprisingly Solid Sound
They may not be as comfortable for all users, but wireless earbuds with silicone or foam ear tips that direct sound directly into your ear canals are going to sound better than an open or half in-ear design like the Ear (stick) uses. There are fewer outside sounds getting into the ear to interfere with what you’re listening to, and less sound leakage from the buds themselves.
Nothing takes a brute force approach to sound quality with the Ear (stick) through the use of 12.6-millimeter drivers that more than over-compensate for sound leakage while providing decent bass performance. They don’t deliver as satisfying a thump as in-ear options like the original Ear (1) earbuds, but I was genuinely impressed with how lower frequencies still make themselves heard in tracks like Martin Solveig and Dragonette’s Hello. Highs are satisfyingly snappy, although I occasionally experienced a bit of distortion during particularly emphatic parts of certain tracks with the volume cranked, like Loren Allred belting out Never Enough.
Do they sound better than the third-gen AirPods? No, but they come very close. Apple’s tuning gives the AirPods a slightly more balanced sound with a bit more presence on lower frequencies. It’s easier to pick out the strum of a bass guitar, for example, with the third-gen AirPods, but you really have to be listening for the differences, and I did my comparisons in a dead quiet house without the ambient noises of the outside world or even a busy office. Could I tell the two apart while listening to music on a noisy bus or subway car? Definitely not.
Call quality was also good, although, with a little more emphasis on higher and lower frequencies than the mid-range, I found. One person I called complained that higher frequencies, including sibilant consonants, were over-pronounced and uncomfortably high-pitched, although most couldn’t tell I was using wireless earbuds instead of my iPhone’s mic.
Good Performance, Great Value
With the new Ear (stick), Nothing once again demonstrates that very good wireless earbuds don’t need to cost a small fortune. The Ear (stick) have taken over the original Ear (1)’s $99 price point (the latter has increased in price to $149) which makes a very compelling case for choosing Nothing’s latest over the limited number of half in-ear buds options out there, including Apple’s.
The third-gen AirPods do offer tighter integration with other Apple devices, wireless charging, and the ability to call on Siri without having to press any buttons, but I’m not entirely convinced that those features justify spending an extra $80 over the Ear (stick). I know I’m not going to sway Apple die-hards from sticking with AirPods, but everyone else looking for an extremely comfortable pair of wireless earbuds will in no way be disappointed if they opt for the Nothing Ear (stick) instead.
Sony’s WH-1000XM4 headphones and WF-1000XM4 earbuds are up to $100 off
After a week of solid deals, we’ve got some bangers to cap off your weekend. Starting off, Woot has excellent prices for some of Sony’s top-of-the-line headphones — both for those who prefer over-ear cans and true wireless earbuds.
You may be no stranger to the Sony WH-1000XM4 headphones, and for good reason, as they were our top pick for the best headphones you can buy for quite a while. Their title has been usurped by the newer and pricier WH-1000XM5, but the XM4 remains an excellent option with great sound quality, noise cancellation, and the ability to fold down for easier storage (a glaring omission of the new model’s revised design).
Woot is offering the WH-1000XM4 headphones for a one-day deal price of $269.99 (about $80 off), but if you’re an Amazon Prime subscriber and you order through the Woot app on iOS or Android you get an added $20 discount. This drops the price to $249.99 with free shipping, which matches the low price on these that we last saw around the holidays. Read our review.
If earbuds are more your jam, the Sony WF-1000XM4 earbuds are also on an excellent offer from Woot — though there are further stipulations you need to know. Woot is selling an imported, international model of the Sony WF-1000XM4 Bluetooth noise-canceling earbuds for $199.99 ($80 off) on its site. There’s nothing physically different about these earbuds, which are in new condition, but since they’re imported, the only warranty is a 90-day one provided by Woot. If you’re unsure, there’s also a 30-day return window for a little peace of mind. The extra-special deal is for Amazon Prime subscribers who order via Woot’s app today, and can get an extra $20 off, dropping the price of the buds to $179.99 ($100 off).
The WF-1000XM4 (we know, Sony names are convoluted and terrible) still hold the crown of the best earbuds to buy in our buying guide, thanks to their superior noise cancellation, detailed sound quality, and awesome battery life. Read our review.
Now there’s just one more deal worth mentioning in Woot’s obsessive attempts to get you to download and use its app. The Animal Crossing Edition of the Nintendo Switch console is down to $269.99 ($30 off) for Amazon Prime subscribers via the Woot app — others get it for just $10 off. Yes, this is the same Switch launched back in 2017, not the fancier OLED version, but it’s hard to deny this cute colorway and design. I can speak from a little experience here, as this edition is one of the three Switches I own (I may have a problem), and it’s by far the most charming.
Tragically, you don’t get a pack-in copy of Animal Crossing: New Horizons with this Switch, but the Joy-Cons and embossed design on the rear are quite the treat. Plus, the $40 saved on this one-day deal offsets most or all of the cost of New Horizons, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, or Super Mario Odyssey — which are all on sale right now.
Alright, now for a great deal that’s available to anyone: Samsung’s original Galaxy Buds Pro in white are on sale at Amazon and Best Buy for $129.99 ($70 off). That’s nearly matching their all-time low from Black Friday 2021. The new Galaxy Buds 2 Pro are coming out very soon, and in our review, they are looking and sounding very good, but they also cost $30 more than the prior model. If you don’t feel the need to be on the cutting-edge with the latest model, this deal on the older Galaxy Buds Pro is an exceptional value — especially if you favor Samsung phones, as some extra features are exclusively within the Galaxy line.
The original Galaxy Buds Pro sound great, offer good active noise cancellation, and IPX7 sweat and water resistance. Their microphones may not be up to snuff compared to newer earbuds, but the money saved may help you to forgive. Read our review.
Some more sweet Saturday deals:
- If you love a game that mixes a brutal challenge with beautiful visuals, the digital version of Cuphead is $13.99 ($6 off) on the Nintendo eShop, Microsoft Store (Xbox), and Steam (PC). That small sale nearly offsets the cost of its excellent DLC that just launched recently.
- The remaster of the classic 1997 shooter Doom 64 is available for free right now on PC via the Epic Games Store. You have until August 25th at 11AM ET to claim it.
- Costco has Apple’s base-model Mac Mini with M1 CPU, 8GB of RAM, and 256GB of storage for an all-time low price of $569.99 (about $119 off) through Sunday, August 21st. If you’re not a Costco member you can pay a 5 percent surcharge which adds $33.50 — still a very fair price for this bang-for-the-buck desktop computer. Though don’t forget you need a monitor, keyboard, and mouse to go with it. Read our review.
- The Turtle Beach Recon controller for Xbox and PC is $44.95 ($15 off) in either black or white at Amazon. This wired USB-C controller is excellent for playing online shooters thanks to its programmable rear buttons and audio features to allow you to better hear enemy footsteps. The cheaper Turtle Beach React-R model just recently launched in the USA at $39.99, but for just $5 more the Recon is a better buy. Read our review.
- A prepaid digital voucher for a one-year PlayStation Plus Essential subscription is $39.16 at Eneba with discount code PSP. The exact price may fluctuate a bit, but it should remain around $20 off for the duration of the deal. If you have the higher tiers of PlayStation Plus Extra or Premium you can redeem this deal and get a prorated extension.
We tested which earbuds are best for phone calls, on a boat
A couple of months ago on The Vergecast, we wanted to answer a question: which wireless earbuds should you buy to use for phone calls, Zoom meetings, or chatting with your voice assistant? So The Verge’s Chris Welch went to a noisy coffee shop in Brooklyn and hopped on a call with Vergecast co-host David Pierce to test out a bunch of wireless earbuds in a tough noise environment.
The pretty clear winners of that test were the Apple AirPods Pro and the Sony LinkBuds, which had the clearest detail in the voice and took out a fair amount of background noise.
But since that test, two new pairs of flagship earbuds have launched: the Samsung Galaxy Buds 2 Pro and the Google Pixel Buds Pro. So, obviously, we had to put them to the test, along with the winners of the last round.
This time, we wanted to up the ante, so we put Chris on a boat. The New York City Ferry, to be exact — a very noisy environment, with engines, waves, chatter, helicopters, and wind. It’s not a fun place to take a phone call.
You can listen to that full segment around 24 minutes into this Wednesday’s Vergecast, but I wanted to share some of the results we found here.
The first part of the test was at the dock waiting for the ferry, with bustling city noise paired with nearby boat engines, a helicopter pad, PA speaker announcements, and all the unpredictable sounds of downtown Manhattan. Here is an unedited audio sample of the dock, recorded with a stereo microphone:
Here’s how the Apple AirPods Pro handled the dock:
Here’s how the Sony LinkBuds handled the dock:
Here’s how the Samsung Galaxy Buds 2 Pro handled the dock:
Photo by JEWEL SAMAD / AFP via Getty Images
We then had to board the ferry. We sat down at a table inside the boat, pretty close to the engine, which is quite loud if you’re not wearing noise-canceling earbuds. Here’s an audio sample of inside the ferry, recorded with a stereo microphone:
Here’s how the Samsung Galaxy Buds 2 Pro handled inside the ferry:
Here’s how the Google Pixel Buds Pro handled inside the ferry:
Here’s how the Apple AirPods Pro handled inside the ferry:
Here’s how the Sony LinkBuds handled inside the ferry:
After that test, we eliminated the Sony LinkBuds and the Samsung Galaxy Buds 2 Pro, as they did not pass David’s stress test. Chris then went to an even worse location — the top of the ferry, in the open air — to compare the call quality of the AirPods Pro and the Pixel Buds Pro.
There was heavy wind on top of the boat — not an ideal situation for chatting on the phone with earbuds, though a blustery day phone call is sure to be a scenario you may come across while wearing these. Here’s an audio sample of the top of the ferry, recorded with a stereo microphone:
We heard a big difference between the two models. Here’s how the Apple AirPods Pro handled the top of the ferry:
And here’s how the Google Pixel Buds Pro handled the top of the ferry:
Let’s be clear: neither sound great, and nobody on the other end of your call will be psyched to talk to you in this situation. But you can hear how the AirPods cut out a lot of the speech and struggled with the wind and other elements on top of the boat. The Pixel Buds Pro held onto Chris’ voice surprisingly well and would actually be able to take a phone call without much problem.
Sure, the New York City Ferry is not a common place a majority of the population would be using their earbuds to make calls or join a Zoom meeting. But this scenario groups together multiple elements you might face while out in the world communicating: windy days, an active city, public transportation, and all sorts of machines surrounding you. So if microphone quality and isolating noise are what you factor in your purchase, the Pixel Buds Pro seem to be a cut above the rest.
We’ll be sure to test out more earbuds, headphones, and other microphones in future episodes of The Vergecast, so let us know what you want to hear!
Sennheiser’s Momentum True Wireless 3 earbuds have a fresh design and better ANC
Ever since the original pair’s debut back in 2018, Sennheiser’s Momentum True Wireless earbuds have received heaps of praise for their sound quality. After releasing a sequel in 2020, Sennheiser is announcing the third product in the series today — and this time, they’ve been given a substantial redesign. They’ll be available starting May 10th in black, graphite, and white for $249.95.
The Momentum True Wireless 3 buds look closer to the CX and CX Plus True Wireless than they do their direct predecessors. Clearly, Sennheiser has settled on a universal design language of sorts for its earbud lineup, and that’s reflected here. The Momentums do give off a sleeker and more premium impression than the company’s cheaper buds.
The fabric-covered case is similar in shape and size to previous versions, though Sennheiser has moved the USB-C charging port to the front. This is becoming increasingly common, with companies like Jabra recently having made the same change. It looks a bit strange at first but can be more convenient in some charging scenarios. This new case also supports wireless charging, a feature that was absent from previous models — and hard to accept given the asking price.
Aside from the refreshed style, Sennheiser says its latest earbuds offer improvements to comfort, active noise cancellation, and call quality. But, in two key areas — audio quality and battery life — they are no major upgrades. The Momentum True Wireless 3s continue to use the company’s made-in-Germany, 7-millimeter drivers. Sennheiser’s mobile app now lets you take a listening test to better personalize the bass, mids, and treble, but at least judging from the press release, I’d expect the overall sound profile to be similar. The True Wireless 3s support AAC, SBC, and aptX Adaptive Bluetooth codecs. The latter should reduce any perceptible latency when using the buds with devices that also make use of aptX Adaptive, while also reaching higher bitrates than AAC.
Sennheiser has implemented adaptive noise cancellation, which allows the Momentum True Wireless 3s to automatically adjust how much noise cancellation is applied based on your changing surroundings. The company says its “system continuously observes ambient noise to suppress it in real time,” though users still have the option of manually adjusting it to their preference.
Each of the two earbuds now contains three microphones, which Sennheiser says has led to noticeable improvements and “crystal clear quality” for both voice and video calls. Battery life remains at seven hours of continuous playback with the charging case holding an additional 21 hours. The Momentum True Wireless 3s are IPX4 certified for water resistance, making them suitable for workouts and light rain.
Aside from revamped looks, Sennheiser isn’t making any radical changes with the Momentum True Wireless 3s. They still lack Bluetooth multipoint, for example. It seems the company is confident that these will appeal to the same market as prior models in the series: people who prioritize sound quality above all else.
Sennheiser recently also introduced the $199.95 Sport True Wireless earbuds to compete against the likes of the Beats Fit Pros. The unique aspect of the Sport buds is that Sennheiser includes both open and closed ear tips, letting owners switch between the two depending on the activity and how aware of their surroundings they need to be. The open adapters will lessen the intensity of body noise like breathing and footsteps, whereas the closed tips will give you more isolation. The Sport True Wireless also add dust resistance to the equation, with an IP54 rating.