The three sets of earbuds I reach for
I listen to a lot of earbuds, but these three I actually use all the time. | Photo: John Higgins / The Verge I have
I listen to a lot of earbuds, but these three I actually use all the time. | Photo: John Higgins / The Verge I have been an audio reviewer for 20 years. My time as a freelance headphones panelist at Wirecutter, and the multitude of reviews I’ve written for sites like Reviewed, Digital Trends, IGN, and now The Verge, have given me the chance to listen to hundreds of earbuds. Some were truly excellent, and some were pretty hideous. Honestly, they tend to blur together as I move from new earbud to new earbud. But when something worthwhile comes around, it gets and holds my attention. These are the three sets that I reach for most often right now. Soundcore Liberty 5 Pro Score: 8 Pros Cons Incredible call quality Great ANC Useful case screen Default sound profile needs tweaking Where to Buy $169.99 at Amazon $169.99 at Anker $169.99 at B&H Photo For ages I relied on the Apple AirPods Pro — first the Pro 2 and then the Pro 3. But the new $170 Soundcore Liberty 5 Pro have been my go-to earbuds for the past month. I’m using them to listen to Lofi Girl as I write this. Their sound quality is really good after you use the Soundcore app to fine-tune the frequency response (out of the box the bass is too high, which causes vocals to get muddy and snare hits to be muffled). They fit my ears securely, and since they have an IP55 rating, I could see myself using them on a run in a pinch — though I prefer running with my Powerbeats Fit buds (see below). And they also support the LDAC high-res audio codec with supported devices (sorry, iPhone users). Noise cancellation is also top-notch and comparable to more expensive earbuds like the Apple AirPods Pro 3 (which we’ll get to in a few paragraphs). The Soundcore buds let in a little more midrange, but handle low-end drone with no problem. But call quality is the Liberty 5 Pro’s greatest strength.
I’ve never heard earbuds that block out as much ambient noise, allowing me to sound clear on my calls and in meetings. Whether it’s a squawk from the family parrot that’s a couple feet to the left of my desk or the Los Angeles traffic as I walk around my neighborhood, nothing distracts my conversation partners from what I’m saying. And many don’t even believe it when I tell them the amount of noise around me. The Liberty 5 Pro have some nice extra features, including voice controls, AI translation (with the Soundcore app), and a case with a 0.96-inch TFT touchscreen and wireless charging. For $60 more, the Liberty 5 Pro Max ’s case adds recording with an AI transcription and summary, but they cost $230 and the earbuds are exactly the same as the 5 Pro. I wouldn’t bother with the upgrade unless you really need to record and transcribe things regularly. Battery life with ANC on is below average, listed as only 6.5 hours (or a total of 28 hours with the case), and that number goes down if you’re using features like hi-res audio. I find myself needing to charge the case every couple days. It also takes some finagling to switch the earbuds between paired devices. I regularly use my work MacBook, my iPhone, and my iPad during the day, and the earbuds can only be connected to two at a time. So I find myself regularly needing to disconnect from one to allow them to work on another. AirPods Pro 3 Score: 9 Pros Cons Improved ANC and sound Longer battery Standalone workout tracking Live translation Same price IP57 Better fit Camera remote control is handy! If you’re hoping for traditional foam ear tips, this isn’t that Where to Buy $249 $199 at Amazon $249 $199 at Walmart $249.99 at Best Buy In those cases I fall back to my Apple AirPods Pro 3. When I’m using Apple products, I don’t have to think about them. I just take them out of their case and they work.
The BriefWire