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Why you should trust me
To be honest, I'm not an audiophile or professional of any sort. Just someone who has some thoughts on these earbuds. I will be comparing them to my Galaxy Buds and AirPods Pros. I also have another pair of regular AirPods, but I won't be talking about them much. Even though they are similarly priced to the Beans, they aren't really comparable.
Comfort
I'll start out with my ranking in this category:
- Buds/Buds
- Buds Live
- AirPods Pro
Honestly, it's difficult to compete with the Buds/Buds in this category simply because of all the silicone attachments those have. They make the earbuds so comfortable, and their circular design means there are no "sharp" edges or seams that bother you. The same goes for the AirPods, but their design relies completely on the silicone tip having a good grip on your ear. Anything rubbing up against them will take them out. That's why they are last on this list.
At first, it's pretty difficult to get comfortable with the Buds Live since their unconventional design means your ear has to have a certain shape and size. The documentation included in the box doesn't tell you how to wear them, and the app only says to "face the speakers inward". In order to feel comfortable, you really have to jam them deep into your ear.
AirPods Pros come with three ear tip sizes in the box, as do the Buds/Buds (which also come with three sizes of wings). The Beans only come with two, and I found them most comfortable without the silicone wings at all.
The wings go around the bump with the charging connectors
They do fit snugly in the ear, and I don't worry about them falling out when I'm lying down.
An issue with most earbuds (Buds/Buds and AirPods Pro included) is when you lie down on your side and the buds are pressed into your ear, you can't hear anything through it since the silicone creates such a strong seal. Because of the location of the speakers, this doesn't happen with the Buds Live.
Sound Quality
Ranked:
- AirPods Pro
- Buds Live
- Buds
I tested this by connecting the Beans to one phone and the other pair to another phone. I put the different buds in each of my ears and played the same playlist at the same time. It was pretty clear that they are an improvement over the Buds (I can't speak for the Buds ). I could tell that as soon as I put them in for the first time.
The AirPods Pros were distinctly better, but not by much. Mostly, they sounded a lot more clear and fuller than the Beans. With the price difference, that is expected. I still think the Buds Live sound great, and without a side by side comparison there wouldn't be much of a difference (like with camera tests).
The Buds Live sound almost like a lower-end pair of headphones (or at least headphones in the same price range). The sound feels like it's coming from all directions, like you would experience with those headphones. With the open ear design, you can hear everything around you at the same time. It's a weird sensation.
Features
Something I was surprised to find out is that there is no ambient noise feature - where it feeds in sounds from the microphones. The other buds I tested do, but I realized that even without that feature I can hear just as much, if not more of the world.
And of course, Noise Cancellation. Reading about it, my expectations were low. Apparently, not low enough. In most cases, I could not hear any difference at all. The only time there was a difference was when it was windy, and the ANC only made the wind noise worse. If ANC is high on your wishlist, these are not for you. If you are buying these buds, don't expect to ever use this feature.
I didn't have any issues connecting to the app on my S20 , and there weren't any standout features. As with every new bud, they've updated the look of a few elements - take a look:
https://reddit.com/link/i80p6y/video/5x8ukv46xfg51/player
When I tried to connect the Buds Live to my iPhone XS, I was not able to do it through the app. They never showed up in the app. It could be because my phone is on the iOS 14 Beta, but that's something that will be fixed later on. I connected them via bluetooth and they worked very nicely. Since I had set the touch and hold as Bixby, it woke up Siri. Very nice.
The touchpad is a little too sensitive, often single taps will be registered as double taps. The touch area is large enough that missing it isn't much of an issue.
I still like the AirPods' sound when clicked over the buds, they make a click sound as you squeeze the stem. Galaxy Buds beep after you tap, which is a little annoying. The Buds made a harsh beep when tapped, and the Beans make a much nicer sound (still a beep).
The case
From the pictures, it looked like it would be a similar size to the PowerBeats Pro. In reality, the case is a similar footprint to the Buds, just a square shape.
The plastic finish is glossy, even glossier than that of the AirPods. It looks a lot cheaper than the other two, and will definitely get scratched very quickly.
It also has a different hinge, where you can leave it open at any angle over about 30 degrees.
The hinge still feels luxurious (more so than the Buds and AirPods). The bottom of the case is also attracted to magnets, so you could probably stick it to things.
I'll update this with anything new, and feel free to ask questions in the comments!
Edit: I got it to work with the iPhone app, and there's nothing new to report there, except the only different thing I could find is the "gaming mode" is missing from labs.
Subreddit
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