Earbuds & Airpods - Organizer

After a year of searching, I’ve finally found a rival for my favorite earbuds

12:30 am | September 21, 2025

Skullcandy Method 360: One minute review

As my editor at TechRadar well knows, I’ve spent the last year enamored with the Nothing Ear (a) as the best earbuds you can buy for a relatively affordable price, and nothing has come close to toppling these svelte and low-cost buds.

That’s all changed now though, because the Skullcandy Method 360 give their year-and-change older rivals a run for their money. And I see them being the new big buds that, going forward, I shall compare all contemporaries too.

These buds from American audio company Skullcandy are dead ringers for the brand’s cheap Dime Evo buds, coming in the same novel carry case, but I’ve already got to correct myself: these aren’t just from Skullcandy, but from another key player too.

In a big partnership, top audio dog Bose contributed to the sound of the Method 360, and it shows. These have the energy of Skullcandy buds but the audio precision of Bose ones, and the fantastic audio quality shows that the Method 360 benefits from the best of both worlds.

While Skullcandy boasts that the Method 360 have ‘Sound by Bose’, the design of the new buds also bears more than a passing resemblance to recent Bose earpieces too, especially with a gel fin around the buds to help them stick in your ear. Whether this was another case of the Bose helping hand or just a total coincidence, it’s welcome, with the Method 360 staying in the ear reliably even during workouts. They’re comfortable too, letting you listen for long bouts without your ears getting achy.

Design of the buds may be great, but the carry case itself provides problems: namely, that it’s absolutely huge. It’s a massive long tube which hides an inner shell that you slide out to retrieve the earbuds, and it’s far too big to easily fit in trouser pockets. According to promotional images Skullcandy sees you using the O-ring to strap the case to your bag, or perhaps your trousers, but the sheer size would make that about as unwieldy as walking about with a scabbard.

A few rough edges show their face in the feature set too: the app often failed to connect to the earbuds, even when they readily connected to my phone without issues, which was irritating when I wanted to change ANC mode. Plus, the voice announcer on the buds is both terrifyingly loud and surprisingly low-res, making me wonder if I’d accidentally been sent a pair of Method 360 which had been cursed by the Babadook.

Are these flaws enough to ruin the Skullcandy? Not by any means, they’re just minor gripes, and ones that give me something to write about to seem even-handed too. But they do little to counteract the real strengths of the Method 360: its reliable fit, its fantastic sound and its affordable nature.

Skullcandy Method 360 review: Specifications

Component	Value
Water resistant	IPX4
Battery life (quoted)	11 hours (earbuds), 29 hours (total)
Bluetooth type	Bluetooth 5.3
Weight	11g / Charging case: 77g
Driver	12mm

Skullcandy Method 360 review: Price and availability

The Skullcandy Method 360 on a shelf. — (Image credit: Future)

Announced in April '25
RRP $119 / £99 / AU$189
Priced against mid-range rivals

Skullcandy announced the Method 360 in April 2025 and put them on sale straight away afterwards.

The official price of the buds is $119 / £99 / AU$189, although they were cheaper for their first few weeks of existence thanks to introductory pricing. When considering their value, though, we’ll consider this official price.

At that price these can be considered mid-range buds, with the aforementioned Nothing Ear (a) costing more or less (depending on region) at $99 / £99 / AU$192. Their other big rival at that price is the WF-C710N which has an RRP exactly the same as the Skullcandy and we’ll get more into the differences in our comparison section below.

Skullcandy Method 360 review: Design

Huge case that's fiddly to insert buds into
Buds are comfortable and fit reliably
Range of color options

The worst part of the Skullcandy Method 360 is its case. It’s absolutely huge – you’ve got no chance of fitting this thing in your trouser pocket and it was even a squeeze fitting it into the folds of my jacket. It’s significantly bigger than the case of any other earbud I’ve tested recently, making it a pain for portability.

That’s a shame because it’s a bit more interesting-looking than your generic clamshell earbud case. It uses what Skullcandy calls ‘Clip It and Rip It’; this means that there’s an internal column holding the earbuds which you reveal by sliding it out of a protective tube. There’s an O-ring which lets you clip the case to a bag or, according to Skullcandy, trouser belt loop, which also makes it easy to do this sliding action.

It’s an interesting design which Skullcandy has used before, but two extra things beyond the size damn the case. Firstly, the charging port is on the bottom of the internal column so if you slide this column up, the charging port is hidden by the external case – it’s quite a procedure to keep charging while you remove the buds. Secondly, the buds only fit in their respective slots if you insert them at just the right angle, and it’s hard enough to tell which bud goes in which slot, let alone which angle to put them in at (there are a faint ‘L’ and ‘R’ to solve the first problem but it could be made more clear). These are the single most frustrating earbuds I’ve ever tested in terms of returning them to the case after use, and I constantly wasted time trying to rotate the buds to work out how to get them into their gap.

It’s not just me on this latter point: Skullcandy’s listing for the Method ANC has an FAQ question and one query is “How do I put my Method 360 ANC earbuds back in the case?” complete with a surprisingly in-depth 5-point answer. Skullcandy: if earbud users need to go through five steps to put an earbud in the case, perhaps there’s a better way of doing things. I also presented my much-smarter girlfriend with the buds and the case and she too found it akin to solving a Rubix cube.

At least Skullcandy has done something I love in earbuds: offered multiple color options. As well as the standards of black and white there’s bright red, a sandy hue which Skullcandy calls ‘Primer’ and your grandma’s favorite option: leopard print.

Now onto the buds themselves: they seem to work as a medley of the two core types of in-ear buds with large bodies which stay in your ears with a silicon ridge, but they also have a slight, dumpy stem. Whatever color of case you fit, affects the buds too, though in the case of leopard print it’s just on one surface.

The buds weigh 11g so they’re among the heaviest earbuds I’ve tested, but in the grand scheme of things a couple of grams doesn’t make much difference on the ears. And that tells – not once in my testing did the buds fall out of my ears, even though I went on runs with them and took them to the gym. I’m going to point towards their fin as the reason for this, with the material of the tip also making them stay in my ear snug. In the box you get an array of sizes for both too.

Both buds have touch controls, activated if you tap the right spot on the body of the bud (if you look at the picture, it’s just below the slight ridge, around where the LED light is). This worked fine in picking up fingertips but I found it quite hard to reliably tap the correct spot when I wanted to pause music.

The buds both have an IPX4 rating making them protected against splashes of water, which essentially means they’re safe against sweat or a light drizzle of rain but nothing stronger (or wetter).

Design score: 3.5/5

Skullcandy Method 360 review: Features

Good on-bud battery life
ANC is strong, but not competition-beating
Skull-IQ app for extra features

With a case of its size, you’d expect the Skullcandy Method 360 to have a battery life longer than creation. And it’s definitely good, though set your expectations a little lower than ‘forever’.

According to Skullcandy, the bud battery life reaches 11 hours with ANC off or 9 hours with it turned on, with the case providing an extra 23 or 29 respectively. From my testing I’d say Skullcandy’s figures are, if anything, a touch conservative – either way those are respectable figures

You’re offered the two standard noise cancellation modes we often see: standard ANC and ‘Stay-Aware’, both with a slider letting you change intensity mode (before you ask the same question I did: higher intensity affects the strength of ANC, not of background noise allowed through).

Regardless of which option you pick, the ANC is strong and capable, and you’ll struggle to find better at this price point. It’s so effective, however, that Stay-Aware often failed to let through the kinds of loud nearby sounds that these ambient modes are designed to do. In fact I didn’t notice a huge difference between ANC and Stay-Aware most of the time.

You can download the Skull-IQ app on your phone or tablet to get extra features for the earbuds. Some of these are ability to toggle ANC and change what tapping the buds does, but there are a few more.

One of these is nigh-on mandatory at this point: an equalizer. You get several presets here but there’s also a five-band custom option. While that’s not as complex as we normally see in equalizers, I honestly don’t mind, as it’s a lot more simple for the average earbud user to get their head around.

Beyond that we’ve got features for low latency audio (useful for gaming), multipoint pairing to connect to multiple devices at once, the ability to use your earbud as a remote trigger for your smartphone camera and Spotify Tap, which lets you press and hold an earbud to instantly play from a certain Spotify playlist.

A few features I like to see are absent like Find My Earbuds, listening tests or earbud fit tests, but the features you do get work well… unlike the way you control them.

One thing that I’d love to see Skullcandy fix with the app is its reliability. A fair few times I’d boot it up while listening to music only to be told that the earbuds weren’t in use – one time this incorrect message was ironically covered up by my phone system’s own notification telling me the buds’ battery life. I’d have to either refresh the app, or give up on plans to change the EQ or noise cancellation.

On the topic of annoying features: the voice announcer, which tells you when the buds are connected when you put them in as well as when you change ANC modes, is both incredibly low-res and incredibly loud. Calm down please, announcer!

Features score: 4/5

Skullcandy Method 360 review: Sound performance

12mm drivers
Bose tuning pays off
Energetic sound with meaty bass

As I said in the introduction, Bose helped with the tuning of the Skullcandy Method 360 (though possibly not in lending the 12mm drivers, which are actually bigger than the ones we normally see Bose use in its earbuds).

This helping hand shows because the Method 360 are some of the best-sounding earbuds I’ve ever tested for their price. And, more obviously, they faintly resemble the tone of the Bose QuietComfort Buds from last year, in that music sounds rich, meaty and full (which I doubled down on by activating the bass booster EQ repeatedly through testing, though it’s far from necessary).

That’s not to say that the buds are just for bass-heads, as mids were just as energetic and electric as lower-frequency sounds. I found the audio profile perfect for punchy and fast-paced rock music which fits well with the Skullcandy branding. Treble could have been a little more glistening though and, while not audibly falling behind in the mix, it did lack a little zest when other parts of a song were going full-force.

If you like listening to high-velocity music, you’ll be glad to know that the Method 360 gets very loud, and I didn’t even test it at its top volume.

The Skullcandy also has a fairly pronounced sound stage, perhaps not as dramatic as the aforementioned Bose buds, but still great compared to many same-priced rivals. Instruments aren’t just panned left or right but to varying degrees around you, and audio was clear enough that I could hear the sound of fingers on guitar glissando or the type of drumstick a drummer would use.

Here’s where I’d discuss audio codecs or connection types but neither Skullcandy’s website nor the Skull-IQ app make any mention of them, so I’ve got to presume that high-res music isn’t supported.

Sound performance score: 4/5

Skullcandy Method 360 review: Value

The Skullcandy Method 360 are great value for money because in two big ways, they rival alternatives which you'd be spending twice the price on.

Both the sound quality and precision-designed fit feel like features you'd normally have to pay way more for. Yet here you go, finding them at a mid-range price. Good job!

Value score: 4/5

Skullcandy Method 360 review: scorecard

Category	Comment	Score
Value	They hold a candle to some pricier rivals with aplomb.	4/5
Design	Some of the best-designed earbuds you can find, marred by one of the most annoying charging cases out there.	3.5/5
Features	The Method 360 has a range of features, and most of them work pretty well.	4/5
Sound	An energetic sound which stands apart from other similar-priced rivals.	4/5

Skullcandy Method 360: Should I buy?

Buy them if...

Ear fit is important

The Skullcandy fit the bill if you find that other earbuds keep falling out, or you need something reliable for running.

You like fast-paced rocking music

The Method 360's audio balance lends itself well to energetic music that gets the blood pumping (although it's great for other genres too).

You need to listen for long periods of time

It's not a headline feature but the Method 360 battery life is quite a step above average, for the buds at least, making them solid options for long-term listening.

Don't buy them if...

You need a svelte carry case

If you want a carry case you can easily slip in a trouser pocket, the Skullcandy will disappoint.

You want a detailed equalizer

If you like tinkering with the minutiae of your audio, the Skull-IQ 5-band equalizer might not give you enough control over how music sounds.

Also consider

Component	Skullcandy Method 360	Nothing Ear (a)	WF-C710N
Water resistant	IPX4	IP54	IP54
Battery life (ANC off)	11 hours (earbuds), 29 hours (total)	9.5 hours (earbuds), 42.5 hours (total)	12 hours (buds); 30 hours (case)
Bluetooth type	Bluetooth 5.3	Bluetooth 5.3	Bluetooth 5.3
Weight	11g (buds) 77g (case)	4.8g (buds) 39.6g (case)	5.2g (buds) 38g (case)
Driver	12mm	11mm	5mm

Nothing Ear (a)

These ever-so-slightly-cheaper alternatives to the Skullcandy have equally powerful bass and a lovely slender carry case. The fit isn't as solid as the Method 360's though, nor is the battery life as good.

Read our full Nothing Ear (a) review

Sony WF-C710N

These newer mid-rangers from Sony cost the exact same as the Skullcandy with a similar feature set too. The design is the main difference.

Read our full Sony WF-C710N review

How I tested

I used the Skullcandy Method 360 for about two weeks before writing this review.

For the most part of the review, the headphones were paired with my Android phone for Spotify streaming as well as the occasional gaming and Netflix. I listened to music at home and in quiet environments, but also took the buds for a spin at the gym and on runs.

I've been reviewing products for TechRadar since the beginning of 2019 and have tested countless headphones amongst other gadgets. I've also used past Skullcandy options not for review purposes, but simply through having bought them myself.

Read more about how we test

First reviewed: September 2025

One handy feature means these AKG headphones just became my go-to for gaming and movies, not just music

11:30 pm | September 17, 2025

Author: admin | Category: Audio Computers Earbuds & Airpods Gadgets Headphones | Tags: AKG, IP | Comments: Off

AKG N9: Two minute review

As someone who tests headphones for an income, I've got a roster of "X headphones" for specific tasks. I've got my best headphones for music, my running headphones, a gaming headset, a pair of the best earbuds when it's too hot for headphones, and a set-up for movies and TV shows too.

The new AKG N9 from Samsung's sub-brand's sub-brand, AKG, didn't slot into this line-up as much as they replaced half of them, and it's largely down to one handy feature which we also saw in their contemporary earbuds equivalent, the AKG N5.

I'm not going to do that clickbait headline thing of alluding to a feature and then dancing around the topic, only specifying it 20 paragraphs in: this feature is a dongle which comes build into the AKG N9, and if you plug it into any USB-C slot, it overrides that device's audio output into the N9.

Borrowing a partner's laptop for a quick video call? Dongle it. Don't want to play games out loud for fear of annoying a flatmate? Dongle it. Really can't be bothered to set up Bluetooth on every device you own? Dongle it. That's not to mention that this dongle has a higher quality connection than Bluetooth, affording higher-quality music and entertainment.

Within days of me realising the potential of this dongle, I'd begun using the N9 for a range of tasks that I usually afford to bespoke speakers or headphones; I was watching movies from my iPad, playing video games on my PC and taking calls on my girlfriend's tablet. And now you can take a break from reading the word 'dongle' for a bit.

A handy way to instantly and temporarily connect to any device is a killer feature, but it's not the only one the AKG N9 offer. The AKG Headphones app is full of extras like dynamic EQ, spatial audio, L-R panning and a hearing test to create you a bespoke audio profile.

There's also a battery life that stretches up to a staggering 100 hours if you listen on Bluetooth with noise cancellation off, but lasts for over a day even if you turn on all its power-hungry features.

Of course, I wouldn't be commending headphones like these if they sounded bad; they don't, with AKG's staple neutral audio mix delivering detailed music and an expansive sound stage.

I'm not used to writing so many positives in an introduction, so it feels weird to keep going, but one more thing: the AKG N9 are some of the best-designed headphones I've ever tested. Not only do they look premium but lots of the features are smartly incorporated into the design, with the dongle nestled in a little nook in one cup and volume being controlled by easily twisting one side of the cans. AKG clearly treats design as an important part of the headphone-making process, instead of an afterthought to hold a few drivers and buttons together, and it's appreciated.

Unless you're Sir Mix-a-Lot, you probably don't like big "but..."s, and unfortunately the AKG N9 have a major one: the price. There's no two ways about it: these are premium headphones and many buyers' budgets won't come close to reaching them. That said, they're expensive, but they're not four-figure-cost expensive like many of the true best headphones are, so perhaps sales will bring them within reach if you're interested.

Since I have to list three 'cons': I also feel like the Active Noise Cancellation (ANC) could have been a little bit more robust, as it doesn't compare with top dogs on the market right now. Plus, you can't fold up the headphones for increased portability, which made transporting them in my bag a risky proposition.AK

AKG N9 review: Specifications

Component	Value
Water resistant	NA
Battery life (quoted)	100 hours (ANC off) 55 hours (ANC on)
Bluetooth type	Bluetooth 5.3
Weight	281g
Driver	40mm

AKG N9 review: Price and availability

The AKG N9 on a wooden floor. — (Image credit: Future)

Announced in October 2024
Priced at $399 / £299 / AU$499
Expensive... but competitive to rivals

After making their debut in October 2024, the AKG N9 went on sale that same month. They’ve been on sale for roughly a year, by the time of this review.

The AKG N9 don’t come cheap. They’ll set you back $399 / £299 / AU$499, which firmly cements them as premium cans that you need to consider carefully before you buy.

They cost more than some of our favorite rivals including the iconic Sony WH-1000XM4 and Cambridge Audio Melomania P100, but then again, they undercut (to a decent extent) the B&W Px8, Dali IO-8, the Sony WH-1000XM6 and Bose QuietComfort Ultra.

I should point out that a year on shelves seemingly hasn’t affected the headphones’ usual price (outside of sales)... except in Australia, where they were easy to find for as little as AU$309 which is an absolute steal.

AKG N9 review: Design

Premium-looking sleek cans
Features incorporated into design
Doesn't fold down and no IP rating

On the surface, the AKG N9 might look like any old pair of headphones, but there are a few refinements and polishes that go a long way in making these look both premium and feel ultra-functional.

I’m talking about the soft fabric of the headband (either leather or a close imitator), the comfortable earpads, the sparkling sheen of the speaker covers, svelte fashion of the headband connectors. It all comes together to make it obvious to onlookers just how much you paid for these cans. They come in either white or black.

The headphones weigh 281g so despite some option extras that we’ll get to, they’re on the lighter side of things, and I found them comfortable to wear for long music bouts and entire movies. There’s no IP rating, as far as I can tell, but they felt sturdy enough that I wasn’t worried wearing them out and about.

I also had no qualms in wearing them for long periods of time, as they're comfortable and lightweight.

The headband connectors are extendable by about two inches each, letting you change your headphones’ size. One thing to note is that the headband can’t be folded, so you can’t reduce the size of the N9 to fit in a bag. Instead they can be transported in a rather large carry case that comes included in the price.

As with all the best headphones, each cup provides some useful controls. On the right side we’ve got a slider which lets you turn on the headphones as well as put them into Bluetooth pairing mode, as well as a pause/play button and USB-C charging port – and, in one of my favorite implementations of a volume rocker, the entire headphone cover can be rotated clockwise or anticlockwise to change the volume. This was incredibly easy to use, to save me fiddling with small buttons on the headphone.

The left cup has a 3.5mm headphone jack and a toggle for Ambient Aware noise cancellation, and I thought that was it at the beginning of my testing… until I realized that you can partially slide the headphone cover off to reveal a USB-C dongle underneath. Some may be annoyed that they’re carrying the extra weight of this dongle on the head but it’s only a few grams, and these are still nice and lightweight headphones.

Design score: 4.5/5

AKG N9 review: Features

The AKG N9 on a man's head. — (Image credit: Future)

Hugely long battery life
App brings loads of features
Useful dongle connector

The dongle is one of my favorite features of the AKG N9; you can plug it into any device with a USB-C port to instantly (and, vitally, temporarily) connect to said device without having to go through the laborious pairing method.

I used this to connect to my iPad, my laptop and my PC at various times in order to quickly watch a video, take a call or do some work, and it’s incredibly convenient – in fact, for a while during testing the N9 became my go-to gaming headset. One thing to note is that once during testing the connected device still played music out of its speakers instead of using the N9, and I never really worked out why – like the N5, it worked 90% of the time, but there were a few teething problems.

Another thing I absolutely love is the battery life of the AKG N9, which if you play your cards right lasts for an entire 100 hours. ‘Playing your cards right’ involves listening via Bluetooth with ANC turned off and if you want ANC on, that figure drops by 45 hours; likewise using the dongle cuts about 15% of your listening time over Bluetooth.

However AKG’s lowest battery expectation, specifically talk time over the dongle, is still 30 hours, which beats quite a few competitors. So the battery life is great whatever you do, and it’s fantastic that people who need a lot of listening time on one charge have the option of dialling down the features to get that fantastic figure.

Let’s touch on that active noise cancellation, which so dramatically affects the battery life. AKG has given the N9 a range of ANC modes: Ambient Aware which cuts out ambient background sound but allows in important nearby ones, TalkThru which does the same but just for voices, and a standard ANC mode which has extra modes for Adaptive ANC which changes the noise cancellation strength depending on your surroundings and Auto Compensation which does the same based on how you’re wearing the N9.

It’s a pretty overwhelming array of options for non-audiophiles but it does let you get into the nitty-gritty of what you can and can’t hear. However even at its strongest tier the ANC is only good, never great, and quite a few rivals are better for removing background sound.

Those aren’t the only overwhelming options in the feature set, because the AKG Headphones App has an absolutely huge roster of perks, including the ability to balance your sound to the left or right, change how voices sound on calls and play with a 10-band equalizer.

As in the AKG N5, the app lets you choose between listening to high-res audio, or enabling a few other features including spatial audio, dynamic EQ for low volumes and Personi-Fi. This latter is a hearing test that provides you with a custom audio mix.

Features score: 5/5

AKG N9 review: Sound performance

40mm drivers
Balanced sound profile
Textured audio in high-res mode

The AKG N9 pack 40mm dynamic drivers with what the company calls “liquid crystal polymer diaphragms” which are designed to improve the detail and clarity across the board.

It works because the N9 have a beautifully balanced sound profile, which doesn’t dominate your mix with too much treble or overblown bass (though it also gives you a nice springboard to use the equalizer to change this if you like a wonky sound mix).

Instead you’re getting a detailed glimpse across the bow of an entire orchestra or band, full of texture and detail. You can hear the scoop of a bass guitar string, the strike of fingers on piano keys – I almost felt like I could tell which guitar strings were being strummed during chords.

There’s an audible sound spread too, and I noticed mids in several songs holding a distinct space that many rival cans lose. It’s an effect that makes these just as great for movies and gaming as for music, and I went so far as to use these headphones instead of my gaming headset during the testing period.

At times I did feel like songs lacked a an extra ounce of energy, with the bass in particular missing a touch of momentum, but these aren’t huge issues – I’m only nit-picking here to justify the score below not being a full 5 out of 5.

Sound performance score: 4/5

AKG N9: Value

If you’ve read the price section already, you’ll know that the AKG N9 have an uphill battle in proving themselves in the value department (and if you didn’t read that section, they cost $399 / £299 / AU$499).

Basically no headphones costing that much present a real value proposition, not when you can get great alternatives for a third of the price, but for what it’s worth the AKG N9s come closer than most.

The inclusion of the dongle, the useful cup controls, the range of features and high-quality audio all come together to make it clear that AKG is giving you some value for money… just not as much as if you’d paid a lot less money.

I will say, though, that these are primed for deals in Black Friday and Amazon Prime Days. So if you don't think you can afford them, it could be waiting to see how low the price goes.

Value score: 4/5

AKG N9 review: scorecard

Category	Comment	Score
Value	AKG goes some way in justifing the price of the N9, but they're easily beaten in this department.	4/5
Design	Not only do the cans look great, but the design neatly incorporates many of the headphone's features.	4.5/5
Features	From the Bluetooth dongle to the range of app features to the long-lasting battery, everything's working here.	5/5
Sound	The N9 has a nice balanced sound profile that will please most listeners, if not owners of the real top dogs.	4/5

AKG N9: Should I buy?

Buy them if...

You own mulitple smart devices

The AKG N9 are primed for people who want to connect their headphones to multiple devices like laptops, phones, computers (even games consoles or PCs).

You don't get to charge frequently

The 100-hour battery life is really impressive. Even though most users will turn on ANC or use the dongle and not see that figure, it's great to know that it's an option for travellers or forgetful chargers.

You need a carry case

Certainly not all headphones come with a carry case, but the AKG N9 does, which is great for transporting it. Not only that but the case has sections for various cables and an extra adaptor to connect the N9 to airline entertainment systems.

Don't buy them if...

You can't justify the price

There's no shame in admitting that these headphones are too expensive for everyone to consider buying. Even if you can reach for them, if you don't need the feature set, cheaper models are tempting rivals.

You want foldable or waterproof cans

No IP rating and no way of folding the AKG N9 down does hamper their portability and protection somewhat.

Also consider

Component	AKG N9	Cambridge Audio Melomania P100	Sony WH-1000XM6
Water resistant	NA	NA	NA
Battery life	100 hours (ANC off) 55 hours (ANC on)	100 hours (ANC off) 60 hours (ANC on)	40 hours (ANC off) 30 hours (ANC on)
Bluetooth type	Bluetooth 5.3	Bluetooth 5.3	Bluetooth 5.3
Weight	281g	330g	254g
Driver	40mm	40mm	30mm dynamic

Cambridge Audio Melomania P100

We gave the P100 five stars in our review due to just how amazing they sound and how premium they feel. They also have an N9-matching battery life and Matt Berry voice controls. What's more, they undercut the N9 in price.

Read our full Cambridge Audio Melomania P100 review

Sony WH-1000XM4

Sure, they're a little older in the tooth now, but if you like the iconic looks and slightly retro style of the AKGs, you'll love the look (and the audio chops) of the XM4 too. Add to this the fact that they're often available for quite a bit less than the AKG and as long as you're prepared to omit a few features (and Bluetooth 5.0, so no scope for Auracast), these might have you covered.

Read our full Sony WH-1000XM4 reviewView Deal

How I tested

I tested the AKG N9 for two weeks, doing so alongside their contemporary siblings the AKG N5 (which are earbuds).

As you'll know from reading this review I tested them on loads of devices: Bluetooth from my smartphone, 3.5mm on an iPod Classic and 2.4Ghz dongle on a Windows PC, Windows laptop, iPad and Android tablet.

This was done for a range of functions; mainly listening to music and streaming audio but also gaming, movies and video calls. I tested at home, in the office and around my neighborhood, including on a several-hour-long trip.

Read more about how we test

First reviewed: September 2025

I tested these affordable IEMs and they’re the ultimate entry-level option for audiophiles – here’s why

12:30 pm | September 14, 2025

Author: admin | Category: Audio Computers Earbuds & Airpods Gadgets Headphones | Comments: Off

Meze Audio Alba review

In Romanian, the word ‘Alba’ translates to ‘first light’. Instantly, this makes me think of new beginnings; of fresh experiences. And so, in come the Meze Audio Alba – an affordable pair of in-ear monitors aiming to be the first light for entry-level audiophiles, everywhere.

And I’m not going to beat around the bush here, Meze Audio absolutely nailed it with this model. These IEMs have a list price of $159 / £139 / AU$239, meaning they’re easily on the budget side of things. But very little about these in-ears feels or sounds budget to me.

First of all, these deliver fantastic sound quality – the most important quality needed to compete with the best wired earbuds around. If you’re new to the world of audiophile sound, you’ll be wowed with awesome attention to detail right across the frequency range, as well as clear, surprisingly expansive audio output.

Meze itself describes the Alba as having “a neutral sound profile with an added touch of warmth” – and that’s a largely accurate description in my view. Mids never sound recessed, treble is expressive, and bass is impressively weighty given these IEMs' small size. I certainly sensed that slight preference towards low-frequency sounds when listening to Overflow by Kolter, where the meaty, spacey bass hit with serious impact.

When tuning into Where Do We Go From Here by Jamiroquai, lead vocals were pleasingly clear in the overall mix, while rhythm guitar was effortlessly separated and afforded plenty of room to breathe. Groovy bass and percussion was also excellently defined, helping the track’s funk-infused character to flow, without compromise.

You’ll get a dynamic, detailed listen from the Alba too. I tried playing Rains again by Solji, and every breath came through clearly, while delicate vocals remained controlled and emotive throughout.

In fact, my only slight issue with these IEMs sonically speaking, is that higher-pitched treble sounds can get a little harsh at higher volumes. For instance, I listened to Straight From The Underground by Riordan, and snappy percussion sounded a little edgy as I ventured into the upper echelons of loudness. Again, though, these offer a great listen overall.

Right bud of Meze Audio Alba — (Image credit: Future)

Beyond sound, these IEMs continue to plate up serious quality. They’re made up of zinc alloy and anodized aluminium parts, and the outer casing is intended to represent the appearance of a pearl. In hand, the Alba feel far more luxurious than their price would suggest. As much as I love the Sennheiser IE 200, their plastic casing doesn’t come close to the Alba’s more durable, flashy design.

In addition, the braided cable is elegant and even felt nice to run through my fingers. It is a little prone to tangling, especially after taking out of the satisfyingly compact carry case (included in the box). And if you want a volume controller for on-the-go use, you’re out of luck here – you’ll need to consider a third-party option.

Back to the good stuff: there are a couple of connectivity options here. You can either use the standard 3.5mm connector, or make use of the included custom-made USB-C adapter. This has a built-in DAC and AMP, ensuring you can access hi-res audio on the go, even with your smartphone. It also has an LED light that shines if you’re connected up properly – nice touch! It's worth noting, though, that there’s no 4.4mm adapter in the box.

I was also very pleased with the comfort and fit of the Meze Audio Alba. I typically use the Sony WH-1000XM6 to listen to my music, as I can often find in-ear options to feel a little tiresome after an hour or two. But not these. They fit snugly for me, and are lightweight enough to feel non-invasive. There are a range of different-sized eartips in the box, too, so you can find the perfect seal.

Of course, you don’t get the benefits of active noise cancellation with wired IEMs – something you’d expect from the best wireless earbuds. But that firm seal was all I needed to unearth the full benefits of the Alba’s passive noise isolation abilities. Even when listening at middling volumes, chatter around the office and passing by vehicles were dulled significantly, helping me to remain immersed in my music.

So, all in all, I think it’s clear. The Meze Audio Alba are a brilliant option for anyone looking to enter the audiophile world, with a low price, stunning looks, and detailed sound. They’ll help you see your favorite songs in a new light. And for that alone, they’re well deserving of my recommendation.

Meze Alba IEMs on a table against a pink background — (Image credit: Future)

Meze Audio Alba review: price and release date

$159 / £139 / AU$239
Launched in June 2024

The Meze Audio Alba are a highly affordable pair of IEMs, coming in with a list price of $159 / £139 / AU$239. Interestingly, they appear to be regularly priced a little higher than this in both the UK and Australia, but only by a small margin. They were released in June 2024, and are available in a single colorway.

Meze Audio Alba review: specs

Drivers	10.8mm dynamic
Weight	14g
Frequency range	15Hz-25kHz
Connectivity	3.5mm; USB-C

Meze Alba wire detached from buds against pink surface — (Image credit: Future)

Should I buy the Meze Audio Alba?

Attributes	Notes	Rating
Features	Brilliant USB-C adapter, great passive noise isolation, detachable cable, no in-line controller or mic.	4.5/5
Sound quality	Well separated, defined sound with impressive bass and attention to detail.	4.5/5
Design	Gorgeous outer casing, beautiful braided cable, a little prone to tangling.	4.5/5
Value	Phenomenally priced for the luxurious sound and looks on offer.	5/5

Buy them if...

You want audiophile-grade audio on a budget
The Meze Audio Alba plate up high-standard audio at a pretty low price, making them an incredible option for anyone looking for an entry point into the audiophile world.

You want to stand out from the crowd
One of the things I like most about these IEMs is their gorgeous looks. Their zinc alloy and anodized aluminium parts make for a premium look, while the neatly braided cable and silver details top off a gorgeous set of in-ears.

Don't buy them if...

You want in-line controls or a mic for casual listening
If you’re buying these purely for casual listening, the lack of an in-line controller could be frustrating, particularly when you’re on the go. Having said that, these do feature a detachable cable, so you may be able to identify a suitable third-party replacement if you want a controller and a mic.

You want the best tangle-resistant cable
I had a great time with the Alba, but I did find that its cable was a touch prone to tangling. The tangle resistant nature of the Sennheiser IE 200 cable may be preferable if you don’t want to spend time unfurling your buds on almost every use.

Meze Audio Alba: also consider

	Meze Audio Alba	Sennheiser IE 200	Activo Volcano
Price	$159 / £139 / AU$239	$149.95 / £129.99 / AU$239.95	$80 / £99 (about AU$120)
Drivers	10.8mm dynamic	7mm dynamic	1x 8mm, 2x 6mm dynamic triple-driver
Weight	14g	4g (per bud)	5g (per bud)
Frequency range	15Hz-25kHz	6Hz-20kHz	20Hz-20kHz
Connectivity	3.5mm; USB-C	3.5mm	3.5mm; 4.4mm; USB-C

Sennheiser IE 200
I love the Sennheiser IE 200 and they really do feel like the natural competitor to the Meze Alba. With an entry-level price-point, attractive braided cable, and small-sized outer casing, the likeness is there for all to see. The IE 200 offer pleasing low-end weight, fantastic instrument separation, and a beautifully lightweight feel. They aren’t as premium-looking as the Alba, but they’re still a top-tier pair of affordable IEMs. Read our full Sennheiser IE 200 review.

Activo Volcano
The Activo Volcano are an exceptionally low-priced set of IEMs for anyone interested in entering the audiophile world. They supply prominent bass, multiple connectivity options, a secure fit, and a detachable cable. They are a little large for my liking, and they won’t offer the most neutral sound on the market, but they’re still a solid budget option. Read our full Activo Volcano review.

How I tested the Meze Audio Alba

Meze Audio Alba's USB-C adapter on circular surface against a pink background — (Image credit: Future)

Tested for two weeks
Used in the office and while out and about
Predominantly tested using Tidal

I tested the Meze Audio Alba in-ear monitors across the course of two weeks, after a thorough run-in. I predominantly used their 3.5mm connectivity option, while hooked up to my laptop – but I also tried the USB-C dongle with my phone when listening on the go.

Most of the time, I used the Alba while playing tracks via Tidal, in order to access higher-res music files. On Tidal, I ran through the TechRadar testing playlist, which features tracks from a wide range of genres. However, I also played a number of tracks from my own personal library, including some go-to tunes I use for testing audio gear.

Where appropriate, I compared the Meze Audio Alba side-by-side with the Sennheiser IE 200 on aspects such as sound quality, design, and features.

More generally, I’ve tested tons of products here at TechRadar, where I largely focus on the audio-visual segment. I’ve reviewed everything from all-action party speakers, such as the LG xboom Stage 301, through to premium IEMs, like the Sennheiser IE 600. As a result, I have a strong understanding of what is required for audio gear to stand out in a highly competitive market, and what makes a product great, rather than good.

First reviewed: September 2025
Read more about how we test

I tested Sony’s latest open earbuds and they had plenty of bass – but still didn’t hit all the right notes

12:00 am | September 10, 2025

Author: admin | Category: Audio Computers Earbuds & Airpods Gadgets Headphones | Comments: Off

Sony LinkBuds Open: two-minute review

The Sony LinkBuds Open are yet another contender in the trendy and ever-expanding world of open earbuds – but they still stand out from the crowd.

This model succeeds Sony’s first attempt at open earbuds, which launched three years ago now, and combines a slightly unorthodox design with a broad feature-set, tuneable audio, and modern controls. With a price of $199 / £149 / AU$249.95, though, there’s a lot of expectation on Sony’s latest open buds – so, can they hit all of the right notes?

Well, I’ll start by talking about my first impressions out of the box. As soon as I unboxed the Sony LinkBuds Open, I was struck by their unusual yet enticing looks. Unlike a lot of the best open earbuds, these adopt neither the clip-on nor the hooked designs that most of their competitors adopt. Instead, each bud has a ring-shaped driver, which lets ambient sound in easily. The batteries are housed in an orb-shaped casing, and wings are attached to these for a more secure in-ear fit.

I’m a fan of the ring-shaped in-ear components – these fit nicely and let in ambient noises without a hitch. Admittedly though, the spherical exterior looks a bit clunky, and although the wings ensure a pretty secure fit, they felt a little peculiar in my ear, which took comfort levels down a bit for me personally. Overall, these should still feel fine in-ear for a few hours, but there are comfier alternatives out there, like the Apple AirPods 4 with ANC, for instance.

Something I loved was the charging case. The white color variant has a glossy, marble-like appearance and I appreciate the attention to detail here. It’s worth noting that you can also grab these buds in Black or Violet – the latter being a special edition produced in collaboration with singer Olivia Rodrigo.

Another thing that really impresses me about these buds is their feature-set, which is bursting at the seams with user-friendly goodness. There’s multi-point connectivity, 360 Reality Audio support, voice assistant integration, and services such as Spotify Tap – all accessible via Sony’s Sound Connect app.

But there’s more! There’s customizable, and surprisingly effective touch controls, DSEE upscaling for lower-quality music files (still looking at you, Spotify), and depth-filled EQ options. There’s Find Your Equalizer – a gamified way to uncover the best tuning for you – as well as presets and a five-band custom option. Combine that with Scene-based listening, head gesture controls, and a wearing condition check-up, and you’re looking at a highly talented pair of buds.

Still, it’s worth flagging that some competitors offer features that have been omitted here. There’s no active noise cancellation – something you’ll spot on a model like the Edifier LolliClip or Honor Earbuds Open – though you probably want to hear your surroundings clearly if you’re buying open-style earbuds. There’s also no LDAC, Sony’s ‘hi-res’ Bluetooth audio codec, but again, the open design here does limit audio capabilities.

Finally, there aren’t any health monitoring options – think a heart rate or blood oxygen tracker (you'd need to look to the Beats Powerbeats Pro 2 for that). But still, you have plenty to play with on the LinkBuds Open, and the companion app is super easy to use.

Sony LinkBuds Open on circular surface — (Image credit: Future)

A quick note

When I started testing the Sony LinkBuds Open, I encountered some issues, such as a rattling noise in one bud and connectivity issues. Thankfully, we were swiftly presented with a fresh, fully functional unit, but for transparency's sake, I wanted to flag such quirks. These issues have not influenced my final scoring of the model.

By now, then, you must be wondering how the LinkBuds Open sound. Well, I have mixed feelings about this model. Firstly, it’s worth pre-empting this by emphasizing that an open design means a likely hit to audio fidelity, and typically weaker bass response than you’d expect from earbuds with a seal or over-ear headphones, for example.

Still, I was relatively impressed with the low-end performance of the LinkBuds Open. I tried listening to AAAAA by Kiefer with EQ set to ‘Off’ (flat), and found that the bass rippling through the track was meatier than what the impressive SoundCore AeroClip could offer with default tuning. Was it the cleanest low-end replication I’ve heard? Well no.

In Stepping Out (feat. $Ha Hef) by Jay Worthy and LNDN DRGS, the funky bassline clashed slightly with vocals, which didn’t have quite enough space to breathe. Meanwhile, the palpable sub-bass is pretty understated in The Boys Are Back In Town by Yung Gravy – though that’s almost to be expected from a pair of open-ears given their technical limitations.

Elsewhere, highs sounded pretty prominent out of the box – but perhaps a little too prominent at times. On occasion, sounds in the treble-frequency edged towards the harsh side of things – though this can be remedied with EQ adjustment in the Sound Connect app.

It’s in tracks more focused around vocal performances, then, where the LinkBuds Open truly shine. For instance, when tuning into Déchire la Toile by Lorien Testard and Alice Duport-Percier, gliding keys and emotive vocals sounded clear and controlled, with a pleasing openness to the sound creating a decently immersive listen. Even at higher volumes, there was a solid level of detail on display, though my colleague did note significant sound leakage – not ideal if you’re in the office or on public transport.

All in all, you won’t get that perfectly balanced, beautifully layered audio – and you might want to tinker with that out-of-the-box sound profile. But for a pair of open earbuds, the LinkBuds Open are certainly solid in the audio department, with generally clear, weighty sound.

A few final notes on this open-ear option from Sony. Firstly, you get a pretty standard serving of playtime. You should get around 8 hours from the buds alone, plus an additional 14 with the charging case. During my testing, I found this to be about right – putting them about on-par with modes like the aforementioned Soundcore AeroClip.

And one more thing: there are optional fittings that you can purchase to customize the LinkBuds Open to your liking. These include multi-colored covers for both the buds themselves and the charging case, if you really wanna jazz things up. This level of customizability is admirable, but you’ll have to spend extra to access it.

In the end, then, can we say that the LinkBuds open hit all of the right notes? Not quite – but they still put on a good show. I’m not totally sold on their design and sonically, they’re not as strong as some wireless buds in the same price-range. But still, commendable mid-range performance, fairly meaty bass given the design and lots of EQ options kept me satisfied overall.

Unfortunately, there's one area where these buds fall down for me: their cost. They're very pricey for open ears, which already come with some compromises in terms of audio. So, even though they have a deep feature-set and secure in-ear fit, this model's not quite a slam dunk. If you've got a good amount of cash to splash on some open earbuds, these may well be worth checking out, but otherwise, I'd suggest taking a peek at my other recommendations in the ‘Also consider’ section.

Sony LinkBuds Open review: specs

Waterproof rating	“IPX4 equivalent”
Battery life	8 hours (earbuds); 22 hours (with charging case)
Bluetooth type	Bluetooth 5.3
Weight	5.1g (per bud); 30g (charging case)
Frequency range	20Hz-20kHz

Sony LinkBuds Open review: price and release date

$199 / £149 / AU$249.95
Launched in October 2024

The Sony LinkBuds Open – or Sony LinkBuds Open WF-L910 as they’re sometimes listed – released at the end of 2024. They have a list price of $199 / £149 / AU$249, which is by no means cheap for a pair of open-ears, though nowhere near as steep as the Bose Ultra Open Earbuds, which launched at $299 / £299 / AU$449.95.

On top of that, I’ve already spotted these on sale in some territories. For instance, they’ve dropped to under £130 / AU$250 on Amazon at the time of writing. You can pick the LinkBuds Open up in a variety of colors, including Black, White, or Violet. The latter is a collaboration with singer Olivia Rodrigo, and includes custom EQ options which were tuned by the artist and her producer.

USB-C port on the reverse side of the Sony LinkBuds Open — (Image credit: Future)

Should you buy the Sony LinkBuds Open?

Attributes	Notes	Rating
Features	Wide suite of features and awesome in-app experience.	4.5/5
Sound quality	Generally solid for open ear sound, imperfect yet fairly meaty bass, clear mids.	3.5/5
Design	Not the most elegant looking, just OK comfort, but secure fit and appealing case.	3.5/5
Value	Despite good overall performance, these are expensive against similar quality rivals.	3/5

Buy them if...

You want access to excellent features
As is usually the case with Sony products, the LinkBuds Open are brimming with features. Bluetooth audio upscaling, EQ options, multi-point, and Scene-based listening are all here. And there’s a whole lot more too – just download the Sound Connect app to discover what’s on offer.

You want a secure open ear fit
Although I wasn't totally bowled over by their looks, I can’t deny that the LinkBuds offer a pleasingly secure fit. If you’re out on a run or at the gym, you won’t have to worry about them slipping out easily – and with their open design, you’ll be able to hear your surroundings easily too.

Don't buy them if...

You’re an audiophile
If you want a beautifully detailed, elegantly balanced, and effortlessly separated sound, the Sony LinkBuds Open probably aren’t for you. A lot of that is a result of their open design – aspects like bass response and detail levels won’t compare to that of the best wireless earbuds.

You’re on a budget
At $199 / £149 / AU$249.95, the Sony LinkBuds Open are hardly cheap. If you’re set on an open design, the Huawei FreeArc down below are our pick for the best budget option – more on those below.

Sony LinkBuds Open: also consider

	Sony LinkBuds Open	Anker Soundcore AeroClip	Huawei FreeArc
Price	$199 / £149 / AU$249.95	$129.99 / £129.99 (about AU$210)	£99.99 (about $130 / AU$210)
Waterproof rating	“IPX4 equivalent”	IPX4	IP57
Battery life	8 hours (earbuds); 22 hours (with charging case)	8 hours (earbuds); 24 hours (with charging case)	7 hours (earbuds); 23 hours (with charging case)
Bluetooth type	Bluetooth 5.3	Bluetooth 5.4	Bluetooth 5.2
Weight	5.1g (per bud); 30g (charging case)	6g (per bud); 42g (charging case)	8.9g (per bud); 67g (charging case)
Frequency range	20Hz-20kHz	20Hz-20kHz	20Hz-20kHz

Anker Soundcore AeroClip
I’m a big fan of the Anker Soundcore AeroClip, and they remain some of the best open earbuds I’ve tested. Out of the box, they’re not as bass-heavy as the LinkBuds Open, but a quick EQ tweak can give you a sound closer to your preference. With solid battery life, a comfortable clip-on design, and reasonable asking price, there’s a lot to like here. Read our full Anker Soundcore AeroClip review.

Huawei FreeArc
For a more "traditional" open-ear build, the Huawei FreeArc are a top-tier choice – and they’re pretty cheap too. With surprisingly good sound quality, excellent protection against the elements, and a comfortable fit, they’re well-worth checking out. Read our full Huawei FreeArc review.

How I tested the Sony LinkBuds Open

Sony LinkBuds Open inside charging case — (Image credit: Future)

Tested across the course of multiple weeks
Used in the office and while out and about
Predominantly tested using Tidal

I tested the Sony LinkBuds Open over the course of multiple weeks while in the office, at home, and out on walks.

For the most part, I listened to music with the buds via Tidal, though I occasionally dipped into a few tracks on Spotify. During testing, I made sure to run through the TechRadar testing playlist, which features tracks from a range of genres. I also listened to songs from my personal library.

Where appropriate, I compared the LinkBuds Open against rival models, such as the Anker Soundcore AeroClip, which helped me to assess aspects like audio performance and comfort.

First reviewed: September 2025
Read more about how we test

I tested this cheaper rival to Bose and Shokz’ cuff-style open earbuds and other brands could learn a lot from it

11:30 pm | September 8, 2025

Author: admin | Category: Audio Computers Earbuds & Airpods Gadgets Headphones | Tags: EQ | Comments: Off

Baseus Inspire XC1: Two minute review

In every headphone niche there are going to be the big-name players, and there are going to be the little-known challengers offering a more affordable or even more novel take on the form factor, and it’s no different with clip-on, cuff-style sets, which still count among the best open earbuds we've tested.

Open earbuds are a type of headphone which intentionally doesn’t block out surrounding sound, letting you hear what’s going on when you’re working out, going on a run outdoors or are on your commute, and clip-ons are one style which clips onto your ear, in a kind of cuff style, rather than a hook style that snakes behind the curve of your ear.

While this form factor is dominated by names like the Bose Ultra Open Earbuds and, more recently, the Shokz OpenDots One, a few other brands offer something different, and Baseus is now one of them.

The Baseus Inspire XC1 are the third 'clipping' headphone from Baseus, so you’d hope the brand has some expertise it can bring. Their pitch is that they fix open-ears’ common sound quality problems by bringing Bose-tuned audio, support for Hi-Res Audio and LDAC availability, all for a relatively modest price.

To that end it was claimed at launch that the XC1 were the first open earbuds with two drivers per bud, an assertion which the aforementioned Shokz OpenDots One might take issue with, but that certainly shows a focus on sound quality.

It’s ironic, then, that the sound quality was a weaker point for these open earbuds. The sonic profile is warm yet ill-defined, so bass lacks punch and trebles and mids are missing something themselves. While some fitness users might enjoy this kind of indistinct wall of noise (something to tune out with, while focusing on your workout), audiophiles aren’t going to be impressed.

I also found that the buds’ bridge could pinch over long listening periods, which isn’t ideal, but I do mean long – I could listen for several hours before noticing the issue, so it won’t be a problem everyone faces. And the fit is reliable beyond that.

I’m starting this synopsis with two negatives, but there’s a lot to like about the Inspire XC1 beyond these pitfalls. The battery life is longer than on many rivals, for one thing, and the equalizer is advanced with several presets and plenty of customization. Also, the touch controls are easy-to-use and convenient.

That last point in particular is something I want to emphasize. The vast majority of headphones and earbuds do touch controls terribly but Baseus' solution was simple and easy – other brands could learn a thing or two here.

As mentioned above, the Baseus also undercuts both Bose's and Shokz’ alternatives, and offers good value for money when you compare their feature sets and audio qualities. If you don’t want to stretch your budget to reach for those pricier options, the Baseus Inspire XC1 option could be a good compromise.

Baseus Inspire XC1 review: Specifications

Component	Value
Water resistant	IP66
Battery life	8 hours (earbuds), 40 hours (total)
Bluetooth type	Bluetooth 5.4
Weight	5.5g / Charging case: 55g
Driver	1x 10.8mm, 1x tweeter

Baseus Inspire XC1 review: Price and availability

The Baseus Inspire XC1 above a green blanket. — (Image credit: Future)

Announced in September 2025
Priced at $129 (roughly £100, AU$200)
Undercuts many rivals

The Baseus Inspire XC1 were released at the annual tech conference IFA in September 2025, alongside the XH1 over-ear headphones and XP1 in-ear buds.

At retail price, the Inspire XC1 cost $129 (roughly £100 or AU$200 but TechRadar wasn’t provided international release information prior to launch).

That price is in the ballpark of rivals, confirming that the Baseus product undercuts lots of its competition to a greater or lesser degree; the Huawei FreeClip, Shokz OpenDots and Bose Ultra Open earbuds all cost increasingly more.

But there are some well-respected options for cheaper still, including the JLab Flex Open and Anker Soundcore C40i. And let's not forget, Baseus itself has two other alternatives that undercut this, in the MC1 and BC1.

Baseus Inspire XC1 review: Design

Bud and counterweight connected by small hook
Lightweight but can pinch after extended use
Easy-to-use touch controls

For those of you who skipped the intro, the Baseus Inspire XC1 is a clip-style (or cuff-style, if you prefer) open-ear earbud. The latter hyphenation indicates that these are earbuds which don’t block your ear, so you can hear your surroundings, and the former signifies that instead of using a sports loop to hover over your ear, they clip onto your auricle, using a small earbud which nestles into your ear and a counterweight behind the ear which are linked by a plastic bridge.

Clipping earbuds always look frightfully unreliable but that’s rarely the case, and it’s not true for the XC1 either: the buds’ hold is reliable and I went on many hours of runs without any slipping or falling. However, it does pinch a little which, although only noticeable after sustained use, means they can stop being comfortable if you’re listening for long amounts of time. I also found myself knocking the behind-the-ear counterweight with my shoulder on occasion when I was stretching or rolling my head, but those were rare cases.

Each bud weighs roughly 5.5g, so they tip the scales to a similar degree as rivals, and they have an IP66 rating which certifies them against any kind of solid particles like dust, as well as high-pressure water jets… I think. Elsewhere in the information Baseus provided to TechRadar, it referred to the buds as having an IPX7 rating, which offers no proofing against dust but increased water resistance.

The counterweight has a small physical button, and you can customize what this does using the app – but by default, it pauses music. I found it pretty easy to pinch this to control my music once I got used to the position, and I’m glad Baseus isn’t trying to do anything more complex with its controls like some other brands.

The case weighs 54g and it’s fairly small, although that’s not saying much given that most clip-on earbuds have tiny cases. It opens horizontally and accepts either earbud in either hole, saving a lot of faff when you want to put the buds away.

Design score: 4/5

Baseus Inspire XC1 review: Features

Not as many features as rivals
Battery life is 8 hours, 40 hours with case
EQ with lots of useful presets

The Baseus Inspire XC1 will offer you 8 hours of listening time in one go, according to the brand’s figures – my own testing didn’t raise any reasons to doubt this. That just a hair on the long side compared to lots of other rivals using this form factor.

Using the case, you can get an extra 32 hours of listening time, for 40 hours in total, and again lots of the Baseus’ rivals fall a little short.

Due to the form factor, there’s no noise cancellation – it’s not unheard of in open-ears, but it’s incredibly rare and so we don’t expect it.

Baseus offers an app with a few extra features including an equalizer, a low latency mode, the ability to customize touch controls, toggles to high-res audio and a feature I haven’t seen much of on headphones: a battery-saver mode. As someone who gets battery anxiety on long trips, this is certainly a welcome feature.

The equalizer comes with seven presets, including a Bose-designed one, but you can create your own sound mix using an eight-band EQ mode too.

I’ve never written this sentence about an earbud tie-in app before, but the Baseus app felt very slow to use on my powerful Android phone. This shouldn’t dictate your purchase decision but it’s just to say ‘no, your phone isn’t breaking down’.

Features score: 4/5

Baseus Inspire XC1 review: Sound performance

Two drivers per bud
Muddied sound profile
Support for several standards

Each bud of the Baseus Inspire XC1 gets two drivers: a 10.8mm woofer for low-end sounds and a balanced armature tweeter for high-end ones that we weren’t told the size of.

It’s rare to see a dual-driver open-ear, with most manufacturers opting not to kit out earbuds that will be competing with so many background sounds, but that’s not all. The buds also support higher-resolution audio and the LDAC codec if you switch them on in the app.

Listening to music, it’s clear that the sound is good quality, and that’s especially true if you do opt to make the most of the standards offered. And so you’re probably wondering why I criticized the audio before. Well, that comes down to the tuning.

The Inspire XC1 have a warm sound profile, with the woofer coming up clutch to support lots of bass. However it’s an ill-defined kind of bass, muddy and indistinct, a that’s an issue that plagues music as a whole: treble isn’t sharp, mids are mushy.

The result is that music seems to lack a lot of energy and spark. I don’t know about you, but lifeless tunes are the last thing I want with earbuds designed for exercise.

You’re probably wondering why I didn’t just jump into the equalizer to fix the problem; I tried, and it didn’t really work. Other presets beyond the default (the Bose-tuned one, I must add) maintain the issue to a lesser or greater degree. If you’ve got the buds, I’d recommend opting for the Jazz Rock preset, which was the most energetic to my ears.

Sound performance score: 3.5/5

Baseus Inspire XC1 review: Value

The Baseus XC1 undercut a decent amount of the competition, including options which don’t offer substantially more for your money, although you can get alternatives that are a lot cheaper if you shop around.

Bearing in mind the cost and what you’re actually getting for your money, they offer a reasonable value set, letting you get all of the features of pricier rivals with a few downgrades to justify the cost.

Value score: 4/5

Baseus Inspire XC1 review: scorecard

Category	Comment	Score
Value	While they don't match premium options in terms of feature set, they don't in price either.	4/5
Design	They're not the most comfortable open-ears I've ever used, but they're lightweight and don't fall out.	4/5
Features	The equalizer is handy but beyond that there aren't any unique features and the battery life is about average/	4/5
Sound	I wasn't wowed by the Inspire XC1's audio chops, despite the hardware, but non-fussy workers-out will find them fine.	3.5/5

Baseus Inspire XC1: Should I buy?

Buy them if...

You want something protected
I don't often see earbuds with an IP66 rating, with most opting for less protection against dust ingress and sometimes just sweat resistance, instead of the ability to survive jets of water.

You know your way around an equalizer
I appreciate how much customization Baseus offers over your music. You've got plenty of presets for people who don't want to fuss over their tuning, and a 10-band EQ for people who do.

You don't want to stretch for a name brand
Clip-on earbuds from well-known brands cost more, but Baseus offers most of those features for a lower price, even though it's not an out-and-out budget option.

Don't buy them if...

You're an audiophile
Despite the specs, I wasn't won over by the Baseus' sound quality, as it didn't offer energy in tunes. If you need perfectly-optimized music in order to enjoy your workout, you might not enjoy these buds.

You plan to wear for long periods
I could feel the Baseus on my ear after working out for an hour or longer, so if you're about to do an ultramarthon and want something comfortable, this isn't it.

Also consider

Component	Baseus Inspire XC1	Shokz OpenDots One	Huawei FreeClip
Water resistant	IP66	IP54	IP54
Battery life	8 hours (earbuds), 40 hours (total)	10 hours (earbuds), 40 hours (total)	8 hours (earbuds), 36 hours (total)
Bluetooth type	Bluetooth 5.4	Bluetooth 5.4	Bluetooth 5.3
Weight	5.5g / Charging case: 54g	5.6g / Charging case: 52g	5.6g / Charging case: 44.5g
Driver	10.8mm, tweeter	2x 11.8mm	10.8mm

Shokz OpenDots One

For a little bit more money you can get these Shokz options, which are more comfortable to wear, sound better and come with a longer-lasting battery.

Read our full Shokz OpenDots One review

Huawei FreeClip

For roughly the same price as the Baseus, this option from well-known Chinese brand Huawei comes with similar specs in most areas. However its age means that you might be able to find it greatly discounted.

How I tested

I wore the Baseus Inspire XC1 for two weeks in order to write this review, which is TechRadar's standard testing time for headphones.

The buds were connected to my Android smartphone through the test. I used them on runs, on cycle rides, at the gym, on public transport, at home and on walks around my neighborhoor, mostly for music streaming but for some spoken word too.

I've been testing products for TechRadar since 2019 and this has included plenty of other workout headphones, as well as loads of open earbuds.

Read more about how we test

First reviewed: September 2025

I tested this cheaper rival to Bose and Shokz’ cuff-style open earbuds and other brands could learn a lot from it

11:30 pm |

Author: admin | Category: Audio Computers Earbuds & Airpods Gadgets Headphones | Tags: EQ | Comments: Off

Baseus Inspire XC1: Two minute review

While this form factor is dominated by names like the Bose Ultra Open Earbuds and, more recently, the Shokz OpenDots One, a few other brands offer something different, and Baseus is now one of them.

Baseus Inspire XC1 review: Specifications

Component	Value
Water resistant	IP66
Battery life	8 hours (earbuds), 40 hours (total)
Bluetooth type	Bluetooth 5.4
Weight	5.5g / Charging case: 55g
Driver	1x 10.8mm, 1x tweeter

Baseus Inspire XC1 review: Price and availability

Announced in September 2025
Priced at $129 (roughly £100, AU$200)
Undercuts many rivals

The Baseus Inspire XC1 were released at the annual tech conference IFA in September 2025, alongside the XH1 over-ear headphones and XP1 in-ear buds.

At retail price, the Inspire XC1 cost $129 (roughly £100 or AU$200 but TechRadar wasn’t provided international release information prior to launch).

Baseus Inspire XC1 review: Design

Bud and counterweight connected by small hook
Lightweight but can pinch after extended use
Easy-to-use touch controls

Design score: 4/5

Baseus Inspire XC1 review: Features

Not as many features as rivals
Battery life is 8 hours, 40 hours with case
EQ with lots of useful presets

Using the case, you can get an extra 32 hours of listening time, for 40 hours in total, and again lots of the Baseus’ rivals fall a little short.

Due to the form factor, there’s no noise cancellation – it’s not unheard of in open-ears, but it’s incredibly rare and so we don’t expect it.

The equalizer comes with seven presets, including a Bose-designed one, but you can create your own sound mix using an eight-band EQ mode too.

Features score: 4/5

Baseus Inspire XC1 review: Sound performance

Two drivers per bud
Muddied sound profile
Support for several standards

Each bud of the Baseus Inspire XC1 gets two drivers: a 10.8mm woofer for low-end sounds and a balanced armature tweeter for high-end ones that we weren’t told the size of.

The result is that music seems to lack a lot of energy and spark. I don’t know about you, but lifeless tunes are the last thing I want with earbuds designed for exercise.

Sound performance score: 3.5/5

Baseus Inspire XC1 review: Value

Value score: 4/5

Baseus Inspire XC1 review: scorecard

Category	Comment	Score
Value	While they don't match premium options in terms of feature set, they don't in price either.	4/5
Design	They're not the most comfortable open-ears I've ever used, but they're lightweight and don't fall out.	4/5
Features	The equalizer is handy but beyond that there aren't any unique features and the battery life is about average/	4/5
Sound	I wasn't wowed by the Inspire XC1's audio chops, despite the hardware, but non-fussy workers-out will find them fine.	3.5/5

Baseus Inspire XC1: Should I buy?

Buy them if...

Don't buy them if...

Also consider

Component	Baseus Inspire XC1	Shokz OpenDots One	Huawei FreeClip
Water resistant	IP66	IP54	IP54
Battery life	8 hours (earbuds), 40 hours (total)	10 hours (earbuds), 40 hours (total)	8 hours (earbuds), 36 hours (total)
Bluetooth type	Bluetooth 5.4	Bluetooth 5.4	Bluetooth 5.3
Weight	5.5g / Charging case: 54g	5.6g / Charging case: 52g	5.6g / Charging case: 44.5g
Driver	10.8mm, tweeter	2x 11.8mm	10.8mm

Shokz OpenDots One

For a little bit more money you can get these Shokz options, which are more comfortable to wear, sound better and come with a longer-lasting battery.

Read our full Shokz OpenDots One review

Huawei FreeClip

How I tested

I wore the Baseus Inspire XC1 for two weeks in order to write this review, which is TechRadar's standard testing time for headphones.

I've been testing products for TechRadar since 2019 and this has included plenty of other workout headphones, as well as loads of open earbuds.

Read more about how we test

First reviewed: September 2025

I tested Beyerdynamic’s wired earbuds for vocalists/guitarists and the midrange clarity is palpable – I wish I’d had the money during my career

12:30 pm | August 30, 2025

Author: admin | Category: Audio Computers Earbuds & Airpods Gadgets Headphones | Comments: Off

Beyerdynamic DT 72 IE: Two-minute review

Here's a thing very few of the best wired earbuds offer, at least in the mass-produced consumer space: specialized tuning for each member of your band – yes, even the bass player. But that's what Beyerdynamic did at the very start of the year, releasing not one but four sets of IEMs tuned just slightly differently, in a bid to give each of your musician friends what they need.

The set I have under review here is the DT 72 IE, "for guitarists and singers". These IEMs boast a "subtly tuned bass" so as not to overwhelm during performance. The optimized frequency response here is also listed as between 200-500 Hz to compensate for the occlusion effect. This is a known issue wherein the perception one's own voice is too loud, hollow, or even boomy due to the ear canal's obstruction (with said IEMs, funnily enough) and the trapping of sonic vibrations within.

What of the rest of the range? DT 70 IE is billed as the set "for mixing and critical listening". DT 71 IE is "for drummers and bassists" with a sound signature that Beyerdynamic says "enhances low frequencies while ensuring detailed reproduction of cymbals, percussion and bass guitar overtones". DT 73 IE is the pair for the orchestral musician, pianist or keyboard player, with extra care taken on treble overtones (there's a subtle boost from 5kHz upwards).

I think it's fair to say that given the asking fee of whichever set you pick (which is $499, or anywhere from £431 to £479 in the UK, so around AU$900) these are IEMs for the successful musician – something emphasized by acclaimed jazz pianist, gospel artist and producer Cory Henry and Gina Miles (winner of The Voice Season 23) who both agreed to help showcase the new products in January of this year.

Beyerdynamic's DT 72 IE earbuds for vocals and guitar on brown background, showcasing the accessories — (Image credit: Future)

Am I qualified to give these singer-specific buds a thorough appraisal? I'd say so. It's been a while, granted, but I've performed in several big musicals, films, and a fair few gigs over the years, often with a trusty pair of cheap and cheerful Shure SE215 in (or hanging out of) my ears. Hey, I sang solo and covered leads, y'know…

The Beyerdynamic DT 72 IE are not like my old Shure workhorses, though, reader. This is what I would have bought myself if I'd been making something other than a lowly performer's wage, and/or had the promise of work engagements lasting for more than six months at a time. The latter is something not even the best of us regularly gets… and I was far from the best.

But let's put the delicate topics of coin and talent to one side. The DT 72 IE are very well made. The case is fabric but pocketable and holds its shape – the 1.4m cable will not tangle, is near-silent and comes with a 3.5mm termination and 6.35 mm adapter. The headshells are beautifully small. Your accessories are also resoundingly high-end: alongside the five pairs of silicone ear tips, you also get three in Comply memory foam (which I'll always go for, if they're offered). You even get a spare set of earwax guards and detailed instructions on how to switch them out, if and when the need arises.

You'll need to shape the ear hooks yourself, but once you take a moment to get it right, I found them very comfortable and also hardly noticeable (from a visual perspective) once in my ear. So far, so successful.

What about for sound? I fired up my FiiO M23 and a few of my old audition standards. Now, I had no access to the pro mixer, mic or gain stages I used to enjoy, back in the day – so full disclosure: I couldn't set any of that up. What follows is my analysis of the DT 72 IE as listening devices to analyze my own recorded vocals and also to record a quick demo – en route to a last-minute audition, say.

And, good grief, did I hear extra detail and even a bit of vib to be proud of in my own rendition of The Show Must Go On from 2018, sung as an aerialist/singer in a German Queen tribute show called We Are the Champions. All true, I promise.

It's as if guitar riffs and my voice has been plucked from the soundstage and held above the mix in a surgical layering system, like items to be admired (or admonished) aside from all else. It's exactly what your lead vocalist of axe man needs, to hone their craft and I wish I'd had them when performing every day. If I'd had the DT 72 IE, I might've realized I was just a touch flat when trying to reach "for waiting up there is the Heaviside layer" on that cruise ship gig…

Any drawbacks to the DT 72 IE sonically? This is an analytical listen, rather than an exciting one. From a listener's perspective, things can feel just a little flat on occasion. This is because the bass injection has been pulled back and so, dynamically, tracks can feel just a touch uneventful. Beyerdynamic has expressed as much and offers another model for critical listening and/or mixing, but it's still worth stating for those who want something to lay down tracks with and to listen purely for the pleasure of doing so.

Personally, I love them. If your favorite aspect of recorded music is the lead singer and/or the guitar solos, you may have found the set of IEMs for you. No, they're not neutral – that's the whole point.

Beyerdynamic DT 72 IE review: Price and release date

Released on January 23, 2025
Priced $499 / from £431 (around AU$900)

It's important to state that the Beyerdynamic DT 72 IE are not unique – IEMs pitched squarely at vocalists exist (from companies such as Moondrop, 64 Audio and even Sennheiser) and the 64 Audio U12t, for example, costs four times as much as the Beyer product you're reading about.

The Sennheiser IE 100 Pro, however, (a popular choice among the musicians I know) cost around a fifth of the DT 72 IE's asking fee. So it really is a mixed bag…

Beyerdynamic DT 72 IE review: Specs

Drivers	Dynamic (closed)
Weight	3g per earpiece (without ear tip)
Frequency range	5Hz - 40kHz
Waterproof rating	None
Other features	No in-line mic, plenty of accessories

Should you buy the Beyerdynamic DT 72 IE review?

Attributes	Notes	Rating
Features	What these earbuds are designed for has been beautifully achieved – no more, no less	5/5
Sound quality	If picking out the vocal or guitar is what you need, they deliver. If you want to listen casually, too, they may not be for you – but that's hardly fair	4.5/5
Design	Beautifully svelte earpieces and cable, only let down by the need to bend (and re-bend) the ear hooks yourself	4.5/5
Value	To call them 'mid-range' feels unfathomable, but the prices you can pay in this niche sector of the market are variable, to say the least	4/5

Buy them if...

You're a pro singer or guitarist – and you're good
Done OK for gigs recently and want to level up your art? I think these are a great professional product.

You have a smaller ear
I may well put these into our best earbuds for small ears guide, because they slip so happily into my smaller tragus and present no issues to my bijou ear canal.

Don't buy them if...

You want an all-round listen
These are not that product, despite their considerably gifted performance when it comes to vocals and midrange instruments.

Gigs haven't been plentiful lately
These are either a treat for the end of a lucrative run of shows or something for the muso not short of work in general. Those of us who don't know where (or from whom) the next paycheck is coming may sadly have to look elsewhere.

Beyerdynamic DT 72 IE review: Also consider

This particular product is a tad niche for TechRadar (we're not a dedicated musician or performer site, as you'll know) but personal experience has taught me that Shure's 215 SE are often the entry-level option here, as are the Sennheiser IE 100 Pro – both of which are a lot cheaper than the model listed above.

Are they as good? No, that wouldn't be fair given the dearth in price – and that's the point I want make here: if you have the money, the Beyerdynamic DT 72 IE are very, very good for singers and guitarists.

Beyerdynamic DT 72 IE review: How I tested

Tested across two weeks
Used at home, listening to my vocal recordings and regular testing tracks
Predominantly tested using my iPhone (and hi-res Flac files on my laptop)

I had to go back to 2018 (the last time I sang professionally, and the year before I became a full-time audio journalist) in the name of testing the Beyerdynamic DT 72 IE.

I revisited a time when money was tight but professional fulfilment was plentiful. I had work! Lots of it – and I also had a post-grad degree to pay for. I listened to both my own vocals (even the ones recorded quickly as voice memos on my iPhone, to learn a tricksy harmony line in rehearsal) and then to everything from Melissa Etheridge to Ginuwine – both of whom I love for what they've given to music.

And know this: the Beyerdynamic DT 72 IE were never uncomfortable and always enlightening during my testing.

Read more about how we test

First reviewed: August 2025

I tested Beyerdynamic’s wired earbuds for vocalists/guitarists and the midrange clarity is palpable – I wish I’d had the money during my career

12:30 pm |

Author: admin | Category: Audio Computers Earbuds & Airpods Gadgets Headphones | Comments: Off

Beyerdynamic DT 72 IE: Two-minute review

Beyerdynamic DT 72 IE review: Price and release date

Released on January 23, 2025
Priced $499 / from £431 (around AU$900)

The Sennheiser IE 100 Pro, however, (a popular choice among the musicians I know) cost around a fifth of the DT 72 IE's asking fee. So it really is a mixed bag…

Beyerdynamic DT 72 IE review: Specs

Drivers	Dynamic (closed)
Weight	3g per earpiece (without ear tip)
Frequency range	5Hz - 40kHz
Waterproof rating	None
Other features	No in-line mic, plenty of accessories

Should you buy the Beyerdynamic DT 72 IE review?

Attributes	Notes	Rating
Features	What these earbuds are designed for has been beautifully achieved – no more, no less	5/5
Sound quality	If picking out the vocal or guitar is what you need, they deliver. If you want to listen casually, too, they may not be for you – but that's hardly fair	4.5/5
Design	Beautifully svelte earpieces and cable, only let down by the need to bend (and re-bend) the ear hooks yourself	4.5/5
Value	To call them 'mid-range' feels unfathomable, but the prices you can pay in this niche sector of the market are variable, to say the least	4/5

Buy them if...

You're a pro singer or guitarist – and you're good
Done OK for gigs recently and want to level up your art? I think these are a great professional product.

You have a smaller ear
I may well put these into our best earbuds for small ears guide, because they slip so happily into my smaller tragus and present no issues to my bijou ear canal.

Don't buy them if...

You want an all-round listen
These are not that product, despite their considerably gifted performance when it comes to vocals and midrange instruments.

Beyerdynamic DT 72 IE review: Also consider

Beyerdynamic DT 72 IE review: How I tested

Tested across two weeks
Used at home, listening to my vocal recordings and regular testing tracks
Predominantly tested using my iPhone (and hi-res Flac files on my laptop)

I had to go back to 2018 (the last time I sang professionally, and the year before I became a full-time audio journalist) in the name of testing the Beyerdynamic DT 72 IE.

And know this: the Beyerdynamic DT 72 IE were never uncomfortable and always enlightening during my testing.

Read more about how we test

First reviewed: August 2025

I tested Beyerdynamic’s wired earbuds for vocalists/guitarists and the midrange clarity is palpable – I wish I’d had the money during my career

12:30 pm |

Author: admin | Category: Audio Computers Earbuds & Airpods Gadgets Headphones | Comments: Off

Beyerdynamic DT 72 IE: Two-minute review

Beyerdynamic DT 72 IE review: Price and release date

Released on January 23, 2025
Priced $499 / from £431 (around AU$900)

The Sennheiser IE 100 Pro, however, (a popular choice among the musicians I know) cost around a fifth of the DT 72 IE's asking fee. So it really is a mixed bag…

Beyerdynamic DT 72 IE review: Specs

Drivers	Dynamic (closed)
Weight	3g per earpiece (without ear tip)
Frequency range	5Hz - 40kHz
Waterproof rating	None
Other features	No in-line mic, plenty of accessories

Should you buy the Beyerdynamic DT 72 IE review?

Attributes	Notes	Rating
Features	What these earbuds are designed for has been beautifully achieved – no more, no less	5/5
Sound quality	If picking out the vocal or guitar is what you need, they deliver. If you want to listen casually, too, they may not be for you – but that's hardly fair	4.5/5
Design	Beautifully svelte earpieces and cable, only let down by the need to bend (and re-bend) the ear hooks yourself	4.5/5
Value	To call them 'mid-range' feels unfathomable, but the prices you can pay in this niche sector of the market are variable, to say the least	4/5

Buy them if...

You're a pro singer or guitarist – and you're good
Done OK for gigs recently and want to level up your art? I think these are a great professional product.

You have a smaller ear
I may well put these into our best earbuds for small ears guide, because they slip so happily into my smaller tragus and present no issues to my bijou ear canal.

Don't buy them if...

You want an all-round listen
These are not that product, despite their considerably gifted performance when it comes to vocals and midrange instruments.

Beyerdynamic DT 72 IE review: Also consider

Beyerdynamic DT 72 IE review: How I tested

Tested across two weeks
Used at home, listening to my vocal recordings and regular testing tracks
Predominantly tested using my iPhone (and hi-res Flac files on my laptop)

I had to go back to 2018 (the last time I sang professionally, and the year before I became a full-time audio journalist) in the name of testing the Beyerdynamic DT 72 IE.

And know this: the Beyerdynamic DT 72 IE were never uncomfortable and always enlightening during my testing.

Read more about how we test

First reviewed: August 2025

I tested some of the cheapest noise cancelling earbuds and now I’ll never spend more than $40

11:30 pm | August 27, 2025

Author: admin | Category: Audio Computers Earbuds & Airpods Gadgets Headphones | Tags: ANC | Comments: Off

JLab Go Pods ANC: Two-minute review

I’ll admit that it was with reticence that I agreed to test earbuds clearly angling for the title of ‘cheapest ANC buds’ but let me dispel any similar cynicism you may have: the JLab Go Pods ANC are, for their price, excellent.

Perhaps I shouldn’t be surprised, because these new cheap earbuds come from esteemed affordable audio brand JLab, which has a lot of experience with affordable audio options. But anyone who’s tried to save a buck by buying lower-cost tech knows that you can’t take anything for granted, even with legacy brands.

Let’s first address the selling point in the headline: are these the best noise-cancelling earbuds on the market? No, but if you add 'cheap' to that question, quite possibly. They are cheap, they do have noise cancellation, and they certainly are earbuds. Plus, they’re really good at what they do, and so I can give them a tick there. But are they the cheapest buds with ANC?

I was expecting to be able to find plenty of cheap Amazon rivals with ANC, but I was wrong; one or two ANC-toting options from unnamed brands sit at the same price as the JLabs here, but there’s not much on offer for less that also has ANC. So from the right angle, the Go Pods ANC tick that box too.

What same-price rivals probably don’t offer is decent audio quality. For budget earbuds these sound really good, with (depending on how you set up the equalizer) crystal-clear treble, hearty mids or scooping bass, and a broad soundstage that you don’t often get in buds twice the price.

The ANC itself also works well, plastering over background sounds with little tact but with heart. That said, the transparency mode is a nightmare which will cause you to hear every little thing going on around you with frightening accuracy.

Like all good earbuds, the JLabs are also nice and lightweight, so you can wear them for ages without getting earache. Similar can be said of the tiny plastic carry case, which completely disappears into a trouser pocket.

I can’t pretend that these earbuds are perfect, and they do have a few things which annoyed me during testing. For one, JLab has replaced a charging port with a charging cable, so you plug the case into something, rather than plugging something into the case, to power it up. Good in theory, but functionally I found it less useful than the standard option which every other company uses, of simply letting you plug a cable into the case.

The in-box ear tips also didn’t offer much in the way of grip, so when I walked or ran in the buds they had a habit of falling out pretty quickly. This is a problem you can solve with the added expense of third-party eartips (or using ones you have left over from your last earbuds).

But even as earbud shortcomings go those aren’t the biggest I’ve ever faced, or even a huge issue at all in the case of the first one. Know this: these are fantastic-value earbuds.

JLab Go Pods ANC review: Price and release date

The JLab Go Pods ANC on a window sill. — (Image credit: Future)

Released in summer 2025
Costs $36.99 / £29.99 (roughly AU$60)

The JLab Go Pods ANC were announced in May 2025 and put on sale in the months after. It took them barely any time to go on offer, but more on that in a moment.

The default retail price for these buds is $36.99 / £29.99 (roughly AU$60), so they’re some of the most affordable noise cancelling earbuds you can find, and the few alternatives I can find at this price tag almost all come from unknown brands on Amazon.

I say ‘default price’ because only a few months after release, the Go Pods ANC can easily be found for a discount. In the US I found them for $29.99 and in the UK they’re at £24.99, making these super-cheap buds even cheaper. And that’s before Black Friday.

JLab Go Pods ANC review: Specs

Drivers	10mm
Active noise cancellation	Yes
Battery life (ANC off)	7.5 hours (buds) 26 hours (case)
Weight	4.2g (buds) 27.6g (case)
Connectivity	Bluetooth 5.4
Waterproofing	IP55

JLab Go Pods ANC review: Features

Battery life of just 5 hours with ANC on
Good ANC but iffy transparency
JLab app brings a few useful extras

During my testing time, I didn’t once have any kind of connection issue with the JLab Go Pods ANC, so you don’t need to worry about them having an unreliable Bluetooth link.

The buds have some extra features via the JLab app, though it’s mostly just some customization and tweaks rather than anything truly novel.

It took my while to get my head around the Noise Control Modes tool, which lists ANC on, off and Be Aware mode, but with toggles by all of them, so it’s easy to turn two or all three of them on at the same time… right? That’s what I thought, until I realized that toggling these selects whether you can switch to them via the buds via touch controls. The real way to switch ANC modes is to physically select the mode you want, not toggle its slider.

Another option via the app is an equalizer, which comes with three unnamed presets and a custom mode. It’s a 10-band equalizer so it’s pretty advanced, and audiophiles will be able to get a lot of depth in how they customize their tunes.

Three screenshots from the JLab Go Pods ANC app. — (Image credit: Future)

Running down its list, the app also lets you set a max volume limit for safety, change what touch controls do, switch between a Music Mode and Movie Mode (which seems to increase the sound spread but decrease quality) and… set up a workout interval timer? That’s not exactly a standard headphone feature but it might prove useful to a few people.

The battery life of the Go Pods sits at 7.5 hours, according to JLab – that’s with ANC turned off and, from my testing, you’re looking at about 7.5 hours with it turned off which isn’t exactly a competitive figure. The company puts the extended play time offered by the charging case at 26 hours.

One final thing we probably need to touch on is the ANC itself – is it any good in these cheap buds? Surprisingly, it really is. It hushes your surroundings pretty substantially, and while it obviously doesn’t reach the heights of rivals in the market – a light background hum always got through, and sharper noises weren’t dimmed as much – it’s a lot better than JLab could have got away with for the money.

I wasn’t as impressed, though, with Be Aware mode (JLab’s take on Transparency). While using it I was too aware – not only did it not cancel noise, it seemed to amplify every little thing that occurred around me in a jarring experience overall.

Features score: 4/5

JLab Go Pods ANC review: Design

Both buds and case are super lightweight
Case has a built-in charging cable
Ear tips don't offer much grip

The JLab Go Pods ANC have one small design difference that sets them apart from the vast majority of other samey wireless earbuds, and it’s built into the case.

The buds’ charging case is a 4.52 x 6 x 2.61cm pebble which opens lengthwise along the side; it’s made of plastic so it only weighs 27.6g (for context, most buds I test have cases double that weight). This is all to say that it’s quite small and very light.

While most charging cases are nondescript save for perhaps a logo and a USB-C charging port, JLab does away with the latter and replaces it with its own USB-C cable; you can plug this into a port to easily power up the buds.

In theory I get why JLab would use this instead of a simple port: it means you can power it up via your phone or laptop without needing an extra cable. In practice though I found it annoying, as it meant I couldn’t use the standard USB-C charger I bring for my other gadgets. I couldn’t power up the case from my phone if I was also charging said phone, and I couldn’t plug it into wall outlets on public transport or adaptors at my home (all of which use standard USB).

Onto the buds: these weigh 4.2g each so they continue the Go Pods style of being lighter than the competition. They’re stem-style buds, consisting of a large body, tips angled slightly downwards and a flat stem bearing JLab’s logo.

There are touch controls on each of said logos, which worked reasonably well although there were a few mis-touches when I was readjusting the buds or times when one press would be picked up as two. Also the default controls are a little odd so I’d recommend jumping into the app to customize them yourself.

I really appreciate low-weight buds like the Go Pods as they were easy to use for long periods of time without feeling any ache or wear. That was only the case if I was sitting still though.

The in-box eartips seem to offer so little friction that they may as well be made out of WD40: as soon as I went for a walk, or heaven forbid a run, the earbuds began slipping from my ears (yes, I tried all three options included in the box). Even putting in or removing the buds normally, you can feel how little they’re inclined to stay in the ear – not great for active people.

While the case doesn’t have any official protection, the buds have an IP55. This means they’re mostly protected against dust ingress and can withstand low-press jets of water (including rain and sweat) but aren’t suitable for swimming.

The JLab Go Pods ANC come in three color versions: black, lilac and green, and as you can tell I tested the former.

Design score: 3.5/5

JLab Go Pods ANC review: Sound quality

Single 10mm driver
Can handle regimented bass and clear treble
High max volume

I’m going to wager that your expectations for the JLab Go Pods ANC’s audio chops probably match what mine were going into the testing: you see the price and shudder at the thought of those cheap buds you bought on Amazon once and know what to expect. But banish the thought.

The JLab Go Pods ANC actually sound pretty good; I’m not sure I’d pick them over something like the Samsung Galaxy Buds 3 Pro but for the price, they’re surprisingly capable.

By default (that is, with the JLab Signature equalizer mode), music sounds bright with defined treble and mids, and a laudable breadth of soundstage so you can hear different passages and harmonies in the music surrounding you.

There’s clearly a little distortion crackling away when too many different instruments are playing at once, or when the hi-hat gets going, but only in mixes that can trouble much pricer buds too.

I’ll admit that I largely listened with some heavy equalizer tweaks, but I was surprised by how much bass the Go Pods were capable of when asked. There’s scope for hearty, scooping bass with the right song and right EQ set-up. But even without this set-up, lower-register lines felt well-defined.

The buds’ max volume is really high – higher than you’d ever normally need, unless you accidentally held down the ‘volume up’ button on your phone like me – and doesn’t distort as much at louder settings as many other buds do.

Sound quality: 4/5

JLab Go Pods ANC review: Value

The JLab Go Pods ANC are basically the cheapest noise-cancelling earbuds that are actually worth buying.

Because of their feature set and audio quality, these aren’t just ‘good for the price’; they’re good full stop. JLab didn’t need to offer them for such a low price but in doing so, it’s made them a fearsome value proposition.

Value: 4.5/5

Should I buy the JLab Go Pods ANC?

JLab Go Pods ANC score card
Attributes	Notes	Rating
Features	The ANC is good, as is the general feature set, though the battery life is poor.	4/5
Design	The buds are lovely and lightweight, but the eartips don't stick well and I'd have preferred a charging port.	3.5/5
Sound quality	For the price, the JLabs sound really good: cheap and cheerful.	4/5
Value	These offer fantastic value for money given how cheap they are.	4.5/5

Buy them if…

You're on a (low) budget
If you've set yourself a budget for earbuds and it isn't a big one, then there are going to be very few alternatives to the Go Pods ANC.

You want noise cancellation
Noise cancellation is a feature which is common on expensive earbuds but not so much on cheap ones. That's not the case with the JLabs though.

You want to charge from your phone
The charging case's cable attachment lets you power up your buds from your phone, great if you rarely have access to a power point.View Deal

Don’t buy them if…

You're not willing to provide your own eartips
I didn't rate the in-box ear tips, so I'd recommend the buds mostly to people who would be willing to buy their own (or, more likely, have leftovers from your last buds).

You need a long-lasting battery
If you're listening with noise cancellation, you're only getting five hours of listening time, which isn't a competitive figure.

JLab Go Pods ANC review: Also consider

	JLab Go Pods ANC	JLab Go Pop ANC	Earfun Air 2	JBL Wave Beam
Drivers	10mm	10mm	10mm	8mm
Active noise cancellation	Yes	Yes	No	No
Battery life	7.5 hours (buds); 26 hours (case)	7 hours (buds); 24 hours (case)	9 hours (earbuds), 40 hours (total)	8 hours (buds) 24 hours (case)
Weight	4.2g (buds) 27.6g (case)	4.1g (buds); 22g (case)	4.5g (buds) 45g (case)	8.8g (buds) 39.5g (case)
Connectivity	Bluetooth 5.4	Bluetooth 5.4	Bluetooth 5.3	Bluetooth 5.2
Waterproofing	IP55	IP55	IPX7	IP54

JLab Go Pop ANC

Forgive the incredibly similar name. These buds cost just less than, or the same as, the Pods depending on where you live, and have a similar feature set with the design being the biggest difference.

See our full JLab Go Pop ANC review

Earfun Air 2

These buds have a similar design to the JBLs but miss noise cancellation. They're cheap, but not quite as affordable as the Go Pods.

See our full Earfun Air 2 review

JBL Wave Beam

Another low-cost option that has a similar stem-toting design is the JBL Wave Beam. This has a smaller driver and no noise cancellation but it won't break the bank and has a fairly good battery life.View Deal

How I tested the JLab Go Pods ANC

Tested for four weeks
Tested at home, in the office, working out and on walks

I tested the JLab Go Pods ANC for about four weeks, which is longer than the standard TechRadar testing process, but is a testament to their audio chops.

I used the buds while they were connected to my Android phone, mainly for Spotify but also for streaming movies, games and listening to voice notes. I used them while at home, at the gym, on runs and on walks around my neighborhood.

I've been testing gadgets for TechRadar for over five years now and in that time have used other JLab products as well as some of their biggest competitions.

First reviewed in August 2025

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