My galaxy buds pro arriving today!
A free here have said they sound great but that the treble can be harsh. Will be curious to see if I have the same opinion.
Crinacle gave these his best rating for a TWS. The buds+ are reported to have significantly harsher highs and those were still not too bad for me.
My use case may be different but I want 4 things from a pair of truly wireless earbuds.
1. Comfort and fit. If the buds can't stay in my ears securely or comfortably during the activities I am using them for, there is no point for them.
2. Sound quality. They need to sound above a certain baseline. I want my music to sound good with clear highs good mids and sufficient bass that has energy in the music.
3. Connectivity. If they keep breaking up or getting static or losing connection then they aren't for me.
4. Feature set. At the very least I want an ambient mode, volume and track control on the buds. I prefer to have ANC even if not class leading so that my listening enchantment won't have distracting noise.
5. Usability in many different settings. Thus an IP rating that would allow use for working out or in places that they might get wet as in the rain, sweat....This also means they need to get loud enough to use
where there might be a lot of noise that even ANC can't block.
6. Battery life and case size. Since the goal of these are to be a mobile form. If battery too short or case too big then advantages of wirefree design are not beneficial.
So with that being said I am still trying to find that perfect TWS bud.
Sony XM3- Case size,no IP rating,insecure fit means despite great sound they aren't for me. Might as well use on or over ear headphones.
Liberty 2 Pro- Close once EQ'd
but no ambient mode or ANC.
Technics AZ70W- Too bulky case with some battery drain issies,and slightly with buds. Not secure enough while working out. Volume not loud enough and bass is a bit lacking. So close but a bit weak in a few caregories.
Galaxy buds +- Close. Great size comfort case and controls. No ANC.
Bass ok but not best and highs a bit harsh. If sounded a bit better would be the one especially if had ANC.
Jabra Active 75t- case, comfort volume so good. ANC sufficient. Sound is good but bass need to be EQ'd down and mids up to sound acceptable. Best in class up rating for supports and water activity.
Also close. If sound was a bit better and Qi charging, would be the winner.
Jabra Elite 85t- So far my top content all around. Very musical sound! One EQ'd in app, great lows without hitting mids. Treble is detailed and not thin like 75t. Only sound complaints is the treble is a bit soft compared to say the XM3 which has a bit more bite. This is a personal thing and maybe those of you finding the new buds pro might prefer the Jabra 85t.
Otherwise has great ANC and ambient modes. Controls everything from the buds. Multi pairing which is unique among most earbuds. Great case and size. Ipx4 so can use with working out without worry.
First workout with it was good but not great. Never fell out but due to how they fit they were more noticeable and distracting in my ears than the 75t,buds+ or L2P. Think if I could find a better tip this would be solved.
Galaxy buds Pro- TBD. But if they improve the bass and treble of the+which according to Crinacle they do, these could be the one for sound. They added ANC and improved the mics and ambient from an already good buds+. Battery especially with ANC off is great and 2nd only to buds+but with more charges in the case. Hopefully comfort want sacrificed in the redesign. One negative from reviews for me was the removal of the land feature to ten the scene of the bud for volume control as in the buds+that allows me to get every possible control on the buds like Jabra. Hopefully that can be added as an update if these win it for the other features but certainly not a deal breaker since it has voice activated bixby which can perform the tasks of turning on ambient mode or ANC without pulling the phone out. It also has an intriguing feature where if ANC is on and you start to talk to someone it automatically recognizes you and lowers music and puts you into ambient mode without having to press any buttons. Only other headphone I know of with this is the Sony XM3 headphones.
Also if you are a Samsung phone user you get the following address benefits: Samsung scalable codec which can sale up to 24 bit 96k sound which is much improved over standard AAC. Once phone software updated it will have Dolby 360 sound. It can read it you emails and other notifications and messages to you if you want....
Will update you guys with my sound impressions
When they arrive.
Buds I haven't decided to test yet:
Bose- at that size, case, and price would just go for over ear....
MTW2- Most expensive by 100$ over the Jabra or Samsung here in Canada. Case seems a bit big and fabric? Really? Seems to have to reports sound and does not all the other points except maybe a bit bulky like the Technics. Might be last resort.
Cambridge MT- not readily available in Canada and won't consider before a firmware update as there seem to be alot of issues and unknown if fixable.
Devialet Gemini- same as the MT. Except also pricy.
Liberty Air 2 pro- interesting as great price and apparently sound quality not far off from the L2P. Disappointing controls as can't control volume from the buds. And the stem design in these seem long and awkward. Might be worth a try.
JBL club pro+- might be an option too. Finally available in Canada. Price right around the Jabras and marginally cheaper than the buds pro. Very tunable with apparently very good sound has good case etc. ANC not the best apparently and have heard they aren't most comfortable after a while but everyone ears are different. Interestingly they are also owned by Samsung who own Harman which makes AKG and JBL.
If anyone has any other buds they think are worth trying that might meet all my goals let me know.
