I recently reviewed a bunch of truly wireless headphones, and today I returned my AirPods Pro's after using the Liberty Air 2's. If you are in the market for a truly wireless set, I highly suggest you check out the Liberty's.
I'll just say from the start that there are specific things offered by the AirPods Pro's that you will not get with the Air's.
1. No ANC and Transparency. IMO, ANC is nothing special on the APP. A set of earbuds with a proper seal will come very close to the ANC experience on the APP. I think Transparency is a bigger reason to opt for the APP, if that is something you really want or need.
2. You can't connect to more than one device at a time with the Air's. If you want to switch easily between Apple devices, get the APP.
And that's it really. The following are the things that I prefer or find just as good as the APP.
1. Sound quality. I honestly prefer the SQ of the Air's. Pretty shocking considering how much cheaper they are. But I did a lot of comparisons with different genres of music and they were clearly better to my ears. I was using the default EQ found in their app.
2. Controls. On one hand, squeezing the force sensors on the APP is easier than tapping on the Air's. But I found that if I grabbed the stem first, tapping wasn't that bad. And with the Soundcore app, you have the option for volume controls, and it actually works pretty well! You just have to hold the bud for 2 seconds. Left is volume up. Right is volume down. But you can only change one level of volume at a time. Meaning you will need to tap again to keep going in a specific direction.
3. Microphones are a wash. Both are excellent. Great calls on both.
4. Fit-wise it's a wash. You have 5 tips to choose from (instead of 3 from the APP). So far the default size (medium?) seems to be just fine for my ears, creating a great seal to block out outside noise.
5. Case is more or less identical to the APP. A hair thicker but less wide. I actually prefer the Air's case because it is matte plastic, making it easier to grip versus the APP white gloss.
6. Battery life, Air's win. 7 hours on a single charge, 28 hours total, versus the APP 4.5/24.
7. Bluetooth connection has been rock solid. A wash.
8. Looks-wise, I prefer the Air's because I got the black model. The stems are longer than the APP, but they simply look much better IMO because of the combination of black and dark grey.
9. Value. $250 vs. $100. My biggest issue in addition to the lacking SQ on the APP was value. Personally I didn't feel the APP warranted their price. Whereas I feel the Air's are a steal honestly at $100.
In conclusion, I highly suggest you try out the Liberty Air 2's before buying the APP.
I'll just say from the start that there are specific things offered by the AirPods Pro's that you will not get with the Air's.
1. No ANC and Transparency. IMO, ANC is nothing special on the APP. A set of earbuds with a proper seal will come very close to the ANC experience on the APP. I think Transparency is a bigger reason to opt for the APP, if that is something you really want or need.
2. You can't connect to more than one device at a time with the Air's. If you want to switch easily between Apple devices, get the APP.
And that's it really. The following are the things that I prefer or find just as good as the APP.
1. Sound quality. I honestly prefer the SQ of the Air's. Pretty shocking considering how much cheaper they are. But I did a lot of comparisons with different genres of music and they were clearly better to my ears. I was using the default EQ found in their app.
2. Controls. On one hand, squeezing the force sensors on the APP is easier than tapping on the Air's. But I found that if I grabbed the stem first, tapping wasn't that bad. And with the Soundcore app, you have the option for volume controls, and it actually works pretty well! You just have to hold the bud for 2 seconds. Left is volume up. Right is volume down. But you can only change one level of volume at a time. Meaning you will need to tap again to keep going in a specific direction.
3. Microphones are a wash. Both are excellent. Great calls on both.
4. Fit-wise it's a wash. You have 5 tips to choose from (instead of 3 from the APP). So far the default size (medium?) seems to be just fine for my ears, creating a great seal to block out outside noise.
5. Case is more or less identical to the APP. A hair thicker but less wide. I actually prefer the Air's case because it is matte plastic, making it easier to grip versus the APP white gloss.
6. Battery life, Air's win. 7 hours on a single charge, 28 hours total, versus the APP 4.5/24.
7. Bluetooth connection has been rock solid. A wash.
8. Looks-wise, I prefer the Air's because I got the black model. The stems are longer than the APP, but they simply look much better IMO because of the combination of black and dark grey.
9. Value. $250 vs. $100. My biggest issue in addition to the lacking SQ on the APP was value. Personally I didn't feel the APP warranted their price. Whereas I feel the Air's are a steal honestly at $100.
In conclusion, I highly suggest you try out the Liberty Air 2's before buying the APP.
Last edited:
