Tag Archives: Substance

Soundcore Liberty 3 Pro

RRP $ 170.00

"Soundcore's flagship earphones just got better, with ANC and Hi-Res audio."

advantages

• Excellent sound quality

• Good noise cancellation

• Very good transparency

• Very good call quality

• Wireless charging

• LDAC Hi-Res audio

disadvantage

• A bit bulky

• Somewhat awkward charging case

Ankers Soundcore audio brand has consistently wowed us with wireless headphones and true wireless earbuds that are impressive value for money. We thought Liberty 2 Pro was an excellent choice last year for $ 150 because it offers great and detailed sound quality. With its newest model, the $ 170 Soundcore Liberty 3 Pro, the brand is taking a giant leap forward with the addition of Active Noise Cancellation (ANC), transparency mode, wear sensors, and high-resolution audio via Sony's LDAC Bluetooth codec – all features that the Liberty 2 Pro was missing. That's not bad for the $ 20 price tag. Do these additions make the Liberty 3 Pro a breeze for fans of high quality audio? Let's check them out.

Smaller and slimmer

Soundcore Liberty 2 Pro (left) and Soundcore Liberty 3 Pro. Simon Cohen / Digital Trends

As much as we enjoyed the sound of the Liberty 2 Pro, we didn't really love its shape or style. Our reviewer noted that they protruded quite a bit from his head and that “everyone around you is acutely aware of the buds; they are impossible to ignore. ”The Liberty 3 Pro are significantly slimmer. They're still hard to ignore, but this time around, it's in a good way. The highly polished exterior of our Fog Gray tester looks like jewelry rather than a plastic audio accessory.

Soundcore has replaced the tiny, difficult-to-use physical buttons on the Liberty 2 Pro with touch controls that also help keep the earbuds in place. Instead of squeezing it between your thumb and forefinger, you can just type.

The silicone ear wings or wingtips have also been improved. With the Liberty 2 Pro, I found it too soft to really offer additional security. But the 3 Pro's wingtips are sturdier and wedge deeper into the folds of my ears. Soundcore also offers an excellent selection of wingtips and earplugs – each in four sizes.

A case for better ergonomics

Simon Cohen / Digital Trends

One of the coolest features of the Liberty 2 Pro – the sliding lid of the wireless charging case – returns to the Liberty 3 Pro and is just as satisfying to use. The mechanism lets you slide the lid open and closed with one hand and I guarantee you will play with it like a fidget toy even when you don't need the earbuds.

What has unfortunately also returned is the awkward orientation of the earbuds inside the case. There's just no way you can pull it out and put it in your ear in one continuous motion – god knows I've tried. It's just as awkward to put back when you're done. Something about the alignment they need to be in when carrying them compared to the way they need to be placed in the bag goes against every instinct in your brain as to how it should work.

But what the case lacks in ergonomics it makes up for in style. Although it's bigger than many charging cases, its perfectly smooth, rounded contours sit comfortably in the hand, and when you slide the lid open, you'll be treated to a light show of the embedded LEDs – the Liberty 3 Pro looks like it's from an imaginary one Science fiction future.

Sublime sound

Simon Cohen / Digital Trends

I had the opportunity to try several Soundcore products: The Life Q30 ANC headphones, Liberty 2 Pro, Liberty Air 2 Pro and Life P3. Each one far exceeded my expectations considering the other products that you can buy at similar prices. The Liberty 3 Pro are no exception and deliver beautiful, powerful sound that will suit whatever genre of music you want them to offer. Its dual driver architecture, which combines a dynamic driver for the low frequencies with a balanced armature driver for the mids and highs, works like a charm.

The bass response is excellent. The Liberty 2 Pro also offered powerful bass, but the 3 Pro makes this more controlled. If you listen to The Doors' Dolby Atmos Music version of Riders On The Storm, you can feel the deep roar of the bass line at the start of the track, but at no point does it interfere with the jingling notes of Ray Manzarek's Rhodes piano that seem to fly completely weightless through the air. In the very highest registers there is a slight tendency to hiss, but thanks to the huge number of EQ presets and manual adjustments of the Soundcore app, it is possible to switch this back down if it bothers you.

The HearID feature, which was designed to match the earbuds to your specific hearing profile, actually worked for me – a surprise as I haven't had much luck with digital enhancements like this in the past. Turning it on gave me a much needed boost in certain frequencies and I enjoyed the way it changed the sound. Your mileage may vary.

Simon Cohen / Digital Trends

Soundcore contains a simulated 3D surround setting in its app. While this improves the feeling of space, it also undermines the sound and cannot compete with a real Dolby Atmos track.

The hardest part of the Liberty 3 Pro to judge is its hi-res wireless audio made possible by the inclusion of Sony's LDAC Bluetooth codec. In doing so, Soundcore chose to ditch the Liberty 2 Pro's aptX, but I think it's an acceptable compromise.

If you listen to a very high quality recording in a quiet room, you can notice an extra level of smoothness and depth.

By the way, if you want to use this function, it must first be activated in the Soundcore app, otherwise it will not be recognized by Android devices as LDAC-enabled headphones. It's also worth noting that iPhones don't support LDAC.

My experience with LDAC is that it can bring about improvements in audio quality. But the difference is incredibly subtle, even with very high quality headphones and when streaming 24-bit lossless tracks from a service like Amazon Music. This is the case with the Liberty 3 Pro. In a perfectly quiet room, while listening to a very high quality recording, you can notice an extra level of smoothness and depth – as if someone had carefully trimmed the sharp points, giving you a more natural sounding signature. Or, you may not even notice the difference.

Given that turning on LDAC significantly affects battery life (4.5 hours when turned on versus 8 hours when turned off) and prevents the Liberty 3 Pro from connecting to a second Bluetooth device (more on that later), maybe it's just not worth it to you

Not very calm

Simon Cohen / Digital Trends

ANC makes a good addition to any set of true wireless earbuds, but not all ANC systems are created equal. In the case of soundcore, it has yet to master the art of complete silence. I found the same situation with the Liberty 3 Pro as the company's Liberty Air 2 Pro: ANC definitely reduces external noise, but when you're not playing music you will hear a slight hiss. Is it a deal breaker? No, but if you're buying a set of ANC earbuds to silence the world so you can think or sleep, you should probably look into other options like the Bose QuietComfort earbuds, Jabra Elite 7 Pro, or the Technics EAH-AZ60.

Transparency mode, on the other hand, can be very effective, especially if you turn on the Singing Mode option, which is great for hearing voices, including your own.

Thanks to the HearID feature of the Soundcore app, there are some interesting tweaks to both settings, but I didn't find a huge difference.

Good call

Simon Cohen / Digital Trends

The Liberty 3 Pro's multiple microphones do a really good job of recording your voice for calls. It's a full, natural, and resonant sound that – under optimal circumstances – is as good or better than what your phone's microphone can do.

That changes a bit when things get loud around you. Interestingly, your callers may never even hear these other sounds because the ambient noise cancellation is great. But since the software is working overtime to mask these noises, it also goes a little overboard and creates a noticeable warble in your voice. This compression can be extreme at times. Still, find a relatively quiet place and you should be able to hear your callers loud and clear without any problems.

Go the distance

Simon Cohen / Digital Trends

The battery life of six hours on a single charge (24 hours with charging case) is more than sufficient if you leave ANC switched on. This jumps to 8/32 when switched off. Those are numbers that put the Liberty 3 Pro on par with some of the best ANC earbuds, and give them a healthy edge over the AirPods Pro.

If you run out of juice, a 15-minute quick charge in the case gives you three hours more time, which is great: Most competitors only get an additional hour on a 10-minute charge.

Extras

Soundcore doesn't skimp on bells and whistles. You can customize the touch controls with full freedom to select every function and gesture on both earbuds – even the volume that the Liberty 2 Pro lacked. There's a fit test to help you determine the correct size earbuds, and you can decide whether or not you want the wearing sensors to automatically pause your music when you remove an earbud.

Each earbud can be used independently for both calls and music, and as previously mentioned, you can pair the Liberty 3 Pro with two devices at the same time – a great convenience for people who and don't routinely have to switch between their computer and phone do want to dive into their settings every time.

After all, an IPX4 rating for water resistance means that you should withstand a very sweaty workout or a rainy run without any problems.

Our opinion

While the Liberty 3 Pro are still more powerful than many other true wireless earbuds, they are easy to recommend, with great sound quality, capable ANC, and tons of useful and practical features.

Is there a better alternative?

At $ 170, Soundcore has an interesting niche for that Liberty 3 Pro. If you spend a little more – let's say $ 200 – you can get that Jabra Elite 7 Prowhich, in this reviewer's opinion, are a perfect set of earbuds. They're smaller, more comfortable, and have better ANC performance, but I'm not sure they sound quite as dynamic as the Libertys. And ironically, they currently lack Bluetooth multipoint, a signature Jabra feature, while the Liberty 3 Pro does.

Spend a little less – let's say $ 150 – and you can get it Technology EAH-AZ40, with fantastic sound quality, but very few frills. There's no wireless charging, no ANC, and no advanced bluetooth codecs.

How long will they last?

Hard to say about true wireless earbuds, but the Liberty 3 Pro have a few things that should help with their longevity: A good starting battery life of 8 hours (this tends to decline as the earbuds age), 18 Months warranty and an IPX4 rating for water protection. If you care for them, they should last for many years.

Should you buy it?

Yes sir. They are great value for money in a range of true wireless noise canceling earbuds.

Editor's recommendations