Reviews

21 Best Sounding True Wireless Earbuds (2020)

Soundcore Liberty Neo (Upgraded)

This sounds almost like the counterpart to the Samsung Galaxy Buds+. It’s much richer, less detailed, and has more bass. The tonality is also quite dark. Closer to that of the 1More Stylish and Powerbeats Pro. The sound is dense and tangible and the atmosphere is heavier.

Not a lot of stringy shine or gritty underlying details. Not a lot of reverb tails or clarity either. It definitely has a super bass boost from the original. The sound is forward and there’s no shine off cymbals – at all. Aside from separation, you lose the essence of the music (timbre).

Overall a very intimate and dark sounding true wireless earbud that will please those looking for a more forward and seductive sound. Don’t expect a lot of clarity, air, or brilliant treble. You do miss out on a lot of the micro-dynamics, details, and textures. It’s a grounded, smooth, and easy listening experience. Personally I feel the color is too gray and the detail loss is very noticeable. BUT it’s still a fun TWS earphone.

Comparisons

  • Soundcore Liberty Neo (Original): The original has much better timbre and better clarity. The upgraded version sound very different with a crazy, powerful bass, and a darker signature. It’s also much fuller, especially in the midrange. Which results in a more tangible sound. From a fidelity perspective, I actually prefer the original.
  • 1More Stylish True Wireless: The 1More has tighter and much heavier hitting bass. It’s thicker sounding and prioritizes a forward and darker tone overall. The Soundcore is thinner and more laid back but more open, refined, and detailed. From a fidelity perspective, the Soundcore provides more insight and has more tonal variations. I have to admit the 1More sounds really good with mainstream music, but the Soundcore has more “HiFi” qualities.
  • Jaybird Vista: The Jaybird sounds much flatter but is crisper and has more treble presence. Timbre still isn’t golden and more of a gray haze (neutral). It still sounds more open than the Soundcore but the Soundcore is far more bombastic and densely shaped. Especially in the bass department. The Soundcore is more sculpted. And although slightly less accurate, the Soundcore simply sounds more engaging with more depth, image, focus, and dynamic strength.
  • Beats Powerbeats Pro: In comparison, the Soundcore is heavily tilted towards bass – it’s an IDGAF party animal. The Beats are far more balanced, more articulate, and more accurately dense. Everything sounds fat and thick with the Soundcore. The Beats have this ease and composure about its sound that is consistently impressive. Although both don’t have much shine up top, Beats has more of it and sounds more open and insightful.

Side Notes

  • Still micro-usb in 2020? tsk tsk. Comes in cool colors though!

Who should buy this?

If you’re a bass-head on a budget, the Soundcore Liberty Neo (Upgraded) is made for you!

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Jay Luong

Mr. Audio Bacon himself. An open-minded electrical engineer and software developer by trade. I have an obsession with the enjoyment of all things media - specifically in the realm of music and film. So much heart and soul (and money) go into the creation of this artistry. My aim is to find out which products get me closer to what the musicians and directors intended.

View Comments

  • Very nice article and I tend to agree with most if not all your assessments. I own most of these headphones and am a headphone addict. Clearly sound and headphones reviews are very subjective. I appreciate all your efforts here! Well done!

  • I think this is probably the best audio review comparison for a buyer that I've ever read. No. Not probably. Actually it is the best. That's because you've written the good AND the bad about every product. Never said one item is better absolutely. Explained what you liked and why, which is VERY important as I might like something that you don't. Though most importantly, you compared the items at the end with both the good and bad points in a comparative way. This grouping of descriptions and comparisons actually makes your ranking list not very useful and confusing, BUT! makes the whole review useful and informative and can help a person decide which product THEY would like. I still like my old Wf-1000x buds but was looking for something, probably by now, better. By reading your reviews I might actually rank the new Sony buds as number one (though I'd have to hear them of course). The beauty of your reviews is that I can actually get some idea of what I WOULD actually like and what to try first. Awesome writing and well thought out.

    • Thank you, Mark. It's interesting because some days, I don't mind having something further down the ranking list for the "unique" qualities it presents. It's sometimes about the mood or about the appreciation of a certain type of sound. Although I prefer a more natural sound, I sometimes still enjoy the "fantasy" that some of these headphones provide. It amazes me how much information is capture by the microphone - which I don't think even the performers or engineers knew about. I did perform this experiment for my own record keeping. Figured it'll give me a good reference point for things I hear in the future. Everyone enjoys music differently and I'm glad I was able to help.

  • Great review. I have settled on 3 sets of earbuds for my everyday use.

    1. Soundcore Liberty 2 Pro - For home use. I agree wholeheartedly about your remarks regarding these earbuds, and now Soundcore has added a 7 band EQ allowing you to custom eq them, so that's fantastic. Their relatively weak IPX rating and substandard call performance keeps them from being my "go to" phones, but when I am at home, these are the ones I pick up.

    2. Sony WF-1000XM3 - Although not as good sounding as the L2P, The sublime ANC of these buds makes these my default travel gear, edging out my Bose QC35ii over the ear cans. The sound isolation on these is actually better than my Bose. And the portability of them is self evident. No IPX rating makes them strictly for plane trips and similar use cases. Definitely a niche product, but once you travel with ANC, there's no going back.

    3. Soundcre Liberty Air 2 - These are my default "out and about" phones. The slight trade off in sound quality is more than offset by the smaller case, stronger water resistance and call quality. The soundcore app allows you to EQ them quite a bit, so I can get good sound even in environments that are not conducive to it.

    • I've bought a pair before. I don't think it's worth comparing to the ones up here. Not super great in my opinion

  • I have been looking for exactly such an analysis. I have been looking for a TWS for exactly the same purpose as yours except that call quality is a semi-important factor. I mostly use iFi xDSD for Bluetooth receiver with JVC FD0X or Sony MD855. Anyway, it would be interesting if you could rate Galaxy bud live that has an open design with a bass duct and 12mm driver. My interest in it for its call quality and I heard it is better than galaxy bud+. Thank you.

  • Thank you so much for your review man!!!! I tried many earbuds and the M&D MW07 GO is a clear win on sound quality in my opinion! So detailed, precise, layered, immersive and just beautiful sound in all genres. I can hear many new sounds in the same old songs and music that I listen over and over again. I have been a Bose fan for so long but M&D will be my new faith on sound quality. Thank you for such a professional and honest review!!! Appreciate it!!!

  • This is has become my go to reference source - the care and attention to detail that went into this is amazing; so, Thank You! I have always struggled with pure ranking lists and have been skeptical of kickback bias. I have been on a quest to find the highest call/mic quality without sacrificing my music preferences. This has served as a good cross-reference. I was generally happy with the Momentum TW's call-wise; however, was never a big fan of how music sounded through them (although I really wanted them to be good). That combined with the flaws ("volume min / volume min / volume min") drove me away. I am on the phone all day for work and like to listen to music in between. I'm currently using Jabra 75t's and they seem pretty good for both purposes - the extra bass doesn't bother me too much but heavier music tends to sound a little muddled to my liking.

    Has anyone else had good experiences with TWS with the right call quality / musicality balance? Always open to opinions and suggestions.

    Thanks!

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