MacLife - UK (2020-04)

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HOOSING A GOOD pair of wireless

earbuds is a tricky process. There

are so many options across so many

price points, it’s often easy to get lost

when trying to make a decision. Luckily,

we’ve got you covered. This test pits

some of the most popular in–ear wireless

headphones against each other, with

prices ranging from $249 to $346.

Crucially, each pair of earbuds is

equipped with noise cancellation tech. This

helps cut out background sounds, enabling

you to focus on what you’re listening to —

perfect for when you’re on a train or trying

to focus on that email in a noisy cafe.

There’s no set of buds that plays as well

with your iPhone as Apple’s AirPods.

Thanks to their built–in H1 chip, the AirPods

(and new AirPods Pro — on test here) offer

handy features such as a battery status

widget, hands –free Hey Siri and audio

sharing that make them super–easy to use.

Other earbuds offer different features,

functions and input methods, and we’ll

explore these too.

With great features comes even greater

battery demand. Due to their small size,

wireless earphones tend to have limited

battery life, which is why each of the pairs

on test also comes with a charging case.

This enables you to pop the earbuds back

into the case at the end of a listening

session to boost their power. We’ve tested

for active listening time and how much

extra time you get from the charging cases.

Note that we’ve listed the maximum times

we got from the earbuds; activating noise

cancellation does impact battery life.

We’ll also look at how robust each of the

earbuds on test are and how likely they are

to cope with a sweaty gym session or even

a soaking in a downpour. An IPX4 rating

means they’re splash–resistant, an IPX5

rating means they’re hardier still.

Things to consider...

Everything you need to know before getting started

1

SOUND QUALITY

Whether you’re into rock or

classical, pop or podcasts, your earbuds

should suit the kind of sounds you’re into.

Expect crisp, clean highs, reasonably deep

but tuneful bass and realistic mid–range

vocals. If cymbals sound splashy, bass is

woolly or distorted and vocals are overly

sibilant, you might want to make a different

choice. Ideally, the earbuds should offer

acoustically transparent, balanced sound.

2

COMFORT

Ears come in a variety of different

shapes and sizes and that means finding

the best–fitting, most comfortable earbuds

is key. The earbuds in this test come with

different–sized silicone tip options so you

can try them out and find which ones work

best. Long–term comfort is also important.

3

BATTERY LIFE

Good earbuds should offer around

five to six hours of listening per charge

(without noise cancellation), and ideally

around 20–24 hours with the accompanying

charging case. This will get you through

the week for most uses, unless you wear

your headphones all day.

4

USABILITY

Input methods are important. Some

earbuds offer tapping as an input method,

others offer buttons. It’s vital to know

which system works best for you. All of the

buds on test work with Siri voice control.

How we

tested

We connected each

of these buds to an

iPhone 11, and ran a

series of music and call

tests both indoors and

outdoors. We tested

the earphones with

a variety of music,

with and without

noise cancellation.

HIGHER...

B&O BEOPLAY E8 3.0

TRUE WIRELESS

bang-olufsen.com

$350

These luxury in–ear

buds, which come with

a Qi–enabled case, offer

35 hours of playtime

and exceptional sound.

...OR LOWER?

CAMBRIDGE AUDIO

MELOMANIA 1

amazon.com

$99.95

If price is critical then

Cambridge Audio’s

Melomania 1 offer nine

hours of listening on

a single charge. Sound

quality is good too.

Image rights clockwise from top to bottom: Libratone, NousCommunications (Bang & Olufsen), Cambridge Audio. maclife.com APR 2020 57

Tough testing, trusted ratings

Not all earphones follow the same form. Some like

the Libratone Track Air+ have a very different look.