How many pairs of wireless earphones do I really need? How many pairs do I take with me when I travel?
My first pair of wireless earphones were a pair of Sony Ericsson HBH-IS800 from 2009. They had a chunky round carrying case and had a a tiny charging port that was the same as the charging port on Sony Ericsson phones from the time - NOT USB. They were joined with a cable that had a clip to attach it to the back of your shirt. This was quite a few years before the first “True Wireless” earphones existed, and was the style of bluetooth earphones I used for years.
Sony Ericsson HBH-IS800 Case
I don’t remember anything specific about the audio quality of these, but I am sure I was happy they were stereo. I do remember that the bluetooth connection was flakey at best, and if my phone was in my jean’s pocket it would almost certainly lost the connection.
Libratone TRACK Air+
Fast forward many many years of neck-band style earphones, and a brief experiment with some Xiaomi Mi True Wireless Earbuds (that cost around $40) I lashed out on a pair of Libratone TRACK Air+.
- Active Noise Cancelling
- Bluetooth 5 and AptX Codec
- Wireless charging case
Libratone TRACK Air+
Sound
These sounds fantastic. The ANC works well, and is more than enough for a commute on a bus, or just trying to ignore people in an office. I have used them on a plane and they don’t keep as much noise out as my pair of Sony WH-1000XM4 headphones, but they weren’t bad. The AptX does make a difference on devices that support it - any modern Android phone and Sony Walkman devices, ie. nothing Apple.
Fit
These are probably the most comfortable earphones I have. The shape and weight distribution mean they sit nicely on my ear. They do rely on friction on the silicon tip to keep them in my ear. I haven’t had them make too many bids from freedom but it is possible to knock them out taking off a jumper, and I wouldn’t want to wear them cycling or doing aggressive exercise. Their design means they lie very flat and I can comfortably wear them in bed.
Interface
They have touch sensitive “buttons” on each earphone and I have them set up to skip forward on my right ear and skip back on my left ear. They need at least a double tap to do anything, and this means it is really hard to accidentally trigger them. The upside of touch sensitive buttons is I can wear these in bed and not accidentally pause if I lie on my side. What they do lack is any support for Siri on Apple devices (I don’t know why Apple needs a special chip to announce notifications, but they do … ).
Overall these earphones are fantastic and I regularly use them, even since switching to an iPhone (which doesn’t support AptX, and Siri won’t read notifications to me).
Samsung Galaxy Buds+
For the first time since my Galaxy S2 I bought a Samsung phone, a Galaxy S20, which came with a free pair of Galaxy Buds+ via redemption. I never would have purchased these as a replacement for the Libratones, but these are actually surprisingly good, and I ended up using them more than I thought I would.
Samsung Galaxy Buds+
Sound
Good, but not great. They don’t have ANC, but they make a pretty good seal with my ear and keep out a lot of noise. They wouldn’t keep the background noise out on a flight, but are great in an office or outside while walking.
Fit
This is what I am most surprised about. The fit is basically perfect. The seal is comfortable and they have tiny wingtips that help hold them securely without excess pressure. I can wear them while exercising and I’ll know they won’t fall out.
They do sit a little more proud from my ear than the Libratones and it is possible to catch them and knock them out, and they aren’t as comfortable to wear in bed.
Interface
They have a similar touch sensitive “button” to the Libratones, but they respond to a single tap and it is really easy to accidentally “tap” on them when just adjusting them in your ears, pausing music or hanging up on a phone call. You are supposed to be able to skip forward or back, but tapping repeatedly but it is never consistent.
I still have these, and they are paired with a tablet I use to watch videos, but I haven’t paired them with my iPhone when I replace the Galaxy S20.
Apple AirPods Gen 2
I bought these to go with my iPad and iMac with the main use case being video conferencing for work. This is before I had an iPhone, and while could pair them with an Android device, they were only paired with my iPad and iMac. I didn’t expect too much from them, I hadn’t bought them to enjoy FLAC music, and I was more worried about the quality of the microphones.
Apple AirPods
Sound
They sound fine, and are great for podcasts and YouTube. They lack any noise cancelling, and let through a fair amount of ambient sound. This is great if I just want to watch YouTube and want to be able to listen out for someone calling my name - either mum telling my dinner is ready, or waiting in a queue for something.
Fit
They are very comfortable for me. Resting in my ears without any pressure hot spots. They are just plastic, with no soft tips. I can easily wear them in bed without any issues.
Interface
Hot garbage.
The only saving grace is they support Siri (so they read notifications to me when using them). You are supposed to be able to tap on them to skip forward or back, but I think it works like 15% of the time, maybe, when assisted by the wind during a full moon.
These do fullfil a use case - casual listening when I don’t want to block out everything. I take these when I travel, or when I know I am going to be waiting in a queue, and also use then for video calls when I can’t just talk to my computer without earphones.
Beats Studio Buds
After buying (my first ever) iPhone I started looking for some new earphones. I wanted something with Active Noise Cancellation, would be easy to switch between my iPad, iMac, and my iPhone. A step up from the AirPods. The Beats Studio Buds seemed to fullfil the requirements.
Beats Studio Buds
Sound
They are pretty good, they have tip that seals in my ear and blocks out a bunch of the outside world, and they have ANC as well. They do seemed tuned for slightly heavier bass (compared with the Libratones). This is not a complaint, just an observation.
Fit
Ehhh. These aren’t great for me. They rely on friction only to hold on and I could not get any of included tips to sit right. Too big, too small. I would find myself forever needing to adjust them as they just slowly move around. I tried getting some aftermarket foam tips, and they were a slight improvement, but then they don’t sit quite as well in their case and still try and jump out of my ears. I think it is how far they stick out that almost pulls them down. They aren’t uncomfortable, they just aren’t stable.
Interface
They have a nice big physical button which is clicky and responsive. But, given how far they stick out, and how often I need to adjust them in my ears it is easy to accidentally click them. They also can’t be worn in bed. They also lack support for Siri to read my notifications. They got a firmware update to improve how they connect to iOS devices, but still no support for reading notifications.
These are probably my least favourite I have, and I don’t take them when I travel. They don’t offer anything above the Libratones and aren’t as comfortable to wear.
Beats Fit Pro
I have no idea what makes these Pro, but these are currently my go to earphones for most things. Active Noise Cancellation, Siri support to read notifications, and a design that stays put in my ears.
Beats Fit Pro
Sound
These do sound like Beats earphones. I’ve been really impressed with the noise cancelling. The microphones on them are pretty good too, and they support “voice isolation”. If I don’t manage to organise myself too well in the morning I have managed to make my coffee while dialed into a morning stand up and no one has mentioned the noise of me grinding coffee beans while talking.
Fit
The addition of wingtips mean that these are a lot more secure in my ears than the Beats Studio Buds. They are comfortable, but what keeps them firmly in my ears can cause small pressure hot spots if I wear them for hours at a time. The do stick a little way out from my ears, so aren’t the best to wear in bed.
Interface
These fix the shortcomings of the Beats Studio Buds - Siri support to read notifications to me. They have tactile buttons that are responsive, and I have them configured to skip forward on the right, and skip back on the left. Only issue I do sometimes have is if I am too quick with multiple “double clicks” to skip forward it just thinks I meant to triple click, or just just get confused and doesn’t do anything.
The combination of ANC, and support for reading notifications means these are my most used earphones. For the price I feel like the case could have more premium feel - the lid is flimsy and if you do drop the case they will fly out. I also would have liked wireless charging.
Sony WF-1000XM3
I bought these before any of the Beats, and they were primarily to be paired with my work laptop for video calls and I keep them in my laptop bag. It is a good thing they are paired with my laptop, because switching devices with them is an absolutely horrid experience. Actually needing to disconnect from one thing first before connecting to the second. This is not something you can do from the earphones, and unlike everything else that if it was connected to something and then I hit connect on my phone they would switch to my phone. Just WTF.
Sony WF-1000XM3
Sound
These sound really nice. The ANC is really good. Really good. I have never had an issue with their sound or performance. I am a bit surprised they don’t support AptX, given Sony’s focus on audio quality, but I think they made that trade for better battery life, while still supporting really good ANC.
Fit
These seem to suffer the same issue as the Beats Studio Buds, they rely on friction only to keep them in my ears and their weight distribution almost pulls them down and out. They are light enough, but quite bulky. I also tried aftermarket foam tips, but it didn’t help too much and like the Beats Studio Buds made the fit in the case a bit tight. The bulk means they aren’t great to wear in bed.
Interface
Sony have a bespoke app to do firmware upgrades and adjust settings, and I don’t hate it. The Beats / Apple approach is settings are in the settings app on an iPhone (and then some settings aren’t available on other devices), and firmware will be updated magically in the background when you are looking the other way. They have a touch-sensitive pad on them which is less responsive than they tactile buttons on the Beats.
Did I mention how terrible it is trying to switch devices with these? Just the worst.
Sony WH-1000XM4
Bonus Headphones. These sit in a different category, and I don’t wear these when going for a walk, or doing the shopping. But for any flight these are essential. The ANC is amazing. There is something subtle about it that means I forget it is on and how amazing a job it is doing and then you take them off and EVERYTHING IS SO LOUD.
Sony WH-1000XM4
Sound
They sound great. I’ll often just use them as headphones with an MP3 player and a cable. Yes, you can just plug a cable in and use them without any battery and they sound great. Did I mention how well the ANC works?
Fit
Well, they are larger than anything else I have, but they are very comfortable. They aren’t too heavy, but feel solid.
Interface
Like the Sony earbuds they use an app to support firmware updates and manage settings. They have a large “touch pad” they supports swipe gestures. They sometimes work some of the time. Depending on what I am doing I will probably pull out my phone to change tracks, or skip forward.
These couldn’t be replaced by any of the earbuds. They are fantastic for travel, but they are obviously bigger, and I don’t take them to work or use them when walking or out shopping.
What earphones do I use?
When traveling I end up taking my AirPods, Libratone TRACK Air+, and the Beats Fit Pro with me. I mean. it isn’t like they take up a lot of room. Leaving the house for anything I’ll just take my Beats Fit Pro, unless I know I am going to be sitting in queue or waiting for my name to be called somewhere and I’ll take the AirPods.
What about transparency mode?
No. Just no.
It sounds terrible and horrible and I just hate it. I would much rather just use the AirPods when I want to be able to comfortably hear around me.