Hello, everyone. I’ve been thinking about getting the WF-1000XM5, but I’m not sure if it’s a good investment. I’ve heard that the WF-1000XM4 had a major battery drainage problem. Is this still the case with the WF-1000XM5?
Right now, I am using the WH-CH710N. They’ve been great, but recently they started to break. They still work, but the ANC doesn’t isolate the same way on the right ear as in the left ear, and they aren’t really compact. So I’m looking for an upgrade. I know that over-ear headphones are superior when talking ANC, but they aren’t as compact as in-ear. I’ve also heard that the AirPods Pro are a good option. But as an Android user, I usually tend to avoid Apple products.
Do you guys have any recommendations?
True wireless in-ears have gotten a LOT better at ANC in the last few generations. Currently, I carry the Pixel Buds Pro as my dailies, but I also have a pair of the Soundcore Liberty 3 Pros. Both are pretty great, I tend to prefer the Pixel Buds because they play nicely with my Pixel. I’ve been through I-couldn’t-tell-you-how-many pairs of true wireless buds, and so far those two are the only ones I haven’t hated wearing for extended periods. I’d give an honorable mention to the Samsung Galaxy Buds 2 Pro as well (with the caveat that some of their functionality, including factory reset, requires a Samsung device).
NB: I tend not to like the silicone ear tips, so most of the time when I buy a new pair of buds I’ll buy Comply memory foam eartips. I’ve found they create a MUCH better seal and more confident fit. Evidently my ear canals are weirdly shaped, because no matter what brand, I seem to have trouble keeping anything in my ears and those helped.
I have the Liberty 2 pro+ and I can vouch for them, they’re good earbuds. I’ve never tried their over-ear headphones though, can anyone vouch for them?
I got the Life Q30 (or 35? I don’t know offhand, but they’re pretty similar) as a gift a couple Christmases ago. The sound is…alright out of the box. The stock EQ isn’t the best; I found it to be too bass heavy, but the app lets you set a custom preset. Battery life is really solid, and they come with both a USB-C cable and 3.5mm out of the box. The 3.5 works even if the battery is flat (you just don’t get ANC, obviously). ANC is definitely not as good as my old Bose QCs, but then again I haven’t found much that is. It’s good enough to make flying a lot quieter, though, and they’re loud enough without leaking to make up for the weaknesses in noise cancellation.
How are they for phone calls in noisy environments (for the person on the other side of the call)?
Bone conduction headphones are great for that situation
They’re great for the person on the other end of the call?
Yes because a lot of sounds around you are not picked up by bone conduction, so are not sent out to the person you are talking too.
Sometimes I talk while in the street and the other person thinks I’m in a quiet room.
The noise has to vibrate your skull before it gets sent, so outside your own voice, it has to be extremely loud to be picked up. That’s perfect for me.
Thanks, I’ll look into them.
Lately I’ve been carrying around my Logitech Zone 750 headset because it’s the only thing I’ve found so far that actually lets other people hear me clearly. I wish there were more Bluetooth headsets available with a real mic (i.e. one that actually extends out to your mouth).
The Shokz Openrun Pro doesn’t have a visible microphone, your jawbone is the microphone. However they have other models with a regular microphone that wraps around to your mouth. Those microphones pick up more ambient noises though. That’s why I prefer bone conduction.