--- That has been already planned to happen: It was mentioned in one the "WAN-Show"-sessions that they'd need to first get the automation done for the report creation and publishling. ---
Glad to see the graphs from labs. Wondering if there can be testing at lower than 74 db. Maybe that will come by once their good Test chamber is setup (To help with signal to noise ratio with lower volumes)
That noise cancellation comparison histogram is awesome. I want to see a bunch of headphones compared. It would also be smart to compare the areas under each curve and then you could give relative performance percentages
Awesome to see the noise cancellation data from the labs! One suggestion no review site has yet tested to my knowledge: Test the noise isolation for single sharp or blunt noises (doors slamming, cutlery clinking, etc.). I have noticed big differences in my (many) ANC products there. Cheers!
Some i had tended to overcompensate which sounds like a heavy bass. Bunch of cutlery hitting a drawer insert is a great test - at least a great test at home^^
These are an improvement over the 1st gen buds. ru-vid.comUgkxK5mc3yw4xA7Mf2j6k6n1Uqv_KUgrKdeM Pros: The fit is fantastic. This is the biggest plus. They stay in my ears when running and become unnoticeable. They are tight but comfortable. The sound quality is about the same as the 1st gen buds. They pair more easily with my LG G8 ThinQ and immediately reconnect when removed from the case. The sound balance is excellent, good but not overpowering base and clean mid tones and highs.Cons: The noise cancellation is good but perhaps a little less effective than the Bose ANC on the 1st gen buds. Passthrough mode as not as good as the 1st gen buds making it a little more difficult to hear conversations when in passthrough.
James trying to explain a lot of this, and make it sensible to us laymen, was taking every muscle in his body + pure skill, and I appreciate him putting in the work! 😂 ❤
Surprised that you didn't mention the lack of wireless charging and multipoint pairing, which is a big deal on $300 earbuds. I like the Labs graphs for some objectivity in the review, but I like when you spend more time talking about features and your impressions (comfort, usability of touch controls, ...)
I don't care about that; I have them. My three biggest area of concerns are: one sound quality, secure fit, during workouts, and noise cancellation, because I use them in a noisy gym environment. Bose covers everything hands down. Hands down the best for me.
I don't dish out 599 bucks for wireless charging that can be had on cheapo walmart earphones. It's the ANC that people pay for and in that category the Bose QC Earbuds 2 are the new King for both human voice and plane cabin noise cancellation. ShortCircuit got it wrong with their frequency interpretations. Now, multipoint is indeed a feature it should have, but it's still not a deal breaker. The ANC, Comfort and well-rounded sound stage are just too good.
Multipoint is handy jumping from mobile to tablet to laptop. Qc earbuds v. 1 have the Multipoint, switching from the single button on the case and it is really handy. Also the ability of each bud to work independently would be nice.
WF1000 XM4 from Sony. Went original airpods to galaxy buds to Sony. They are very very good. I get this channel content but it'd be nice to not focus on only an apple product. Hoping labs changes this across channels. EDIT: Are they better than my Sony earbuds? That's my problem
check out crinacle's videos. based on objective measurements the xm3s are actually "better" than the xm4s with the galaxy buds pro 2nd gen performing the best in terms of sound out of all the popular twses
@@damushroomlord he talks about tuning but the xm4 whoops xm3 ass for detail ...a smidge of eq and it's way better...different signature fe the xm3 ofc...
Sony wf 1000mx with Final Audio Type E eartips are amazing if anyone is looking for a great alternative. ANC to Ambient mode is all you need of ambient mode is good enough imo. I toggled between the three on my Sony's and ended up just removing the off mode in the settings.
@@iicalcipheriim the battery life is great on the wf1000 mx4 and I found for my ears that the foam would fatigue my ears. The tips I recommended, for many ears will likely be less fatiguing. Also I was unable to notice a loss in audio quality or seal. It's possible the foam tips would be fine in your ears, but for me I had to find something else. The one I mentioned are comfortable and comes in a kit with a lot of sizes so you out can find a great fit.
There's no Harman Kardon target, it's just the Harman target. Also it's not what "artist intended" it's just what most people prefer (theoretically). Many people find this target too bass heavy (in-ear target)
Just a clarification, you can change the Apple decibel limit. The decibel limit is linked to your phone not the AirPods themselves. So the Apple wired headphones also adhere to the limit. You can change the limit in steps of 5db from 70db to 100db in Settings > Sounds & Haptics > Headphone Safety. Personally I have mine set to 80db so that I can “blast” the audio at max volume. However due to the limit, the loud sounds are brought down while the soft sounds are left alone at a higher volume. Thus, it is great when listening to videos at 2x speed where speech can fluctuate in intensity.
I have these. I had issues using them with my Pixel 4a. During a work meeting on Meet, it'd work fine, but if my phone received a call during the work meeting, the earbuds would get kicked off as an audio device and after I finished rejecting the call, the work meeting audio would come out the phone speaker instead of the Bluetooth like when I started the meeting.
I'm a little worried over the fact that ANC is basically always on with these buds. ANC has to utilize the microphones on the buds, which means there's always a risk that it'll start picking up wind. My current buds (sony wf sp800n) are AWFUL with ANC. If I use them to go running or biking outside with ANC on, I will constantly be hearing wind noises. Having the ability to turn it off and be 100% sure it won't be picking up any wind is very important.
Love that you guys finally explained what all these new graphes mean! All the ones from the last time were just "nice lines" without much explanation what they actually mean.
I think that the options to "relax" and "focus" are just there to show the users that they can make custom profiles. Given the pencil icon I think thats where they want to steer you
I work construction and can confirm that the 5k point in the noose cancellation mode does cut thru some what. It’s a high pitched noise but it’s dulled down so it’s not harmful.
That volume "pumping" behavior is something that small gigging bands with cheap/poor quality PA systems, specifically ones without separate subwoofers and crossover filters, can often struggle with. You have a so-so PA setup, you mic up the kick drum, and whenever the drummer stomps on that all other sound is lost for a moment. To my understanding that's both because you just need a lot more power to create bass sounds (need to move a lot more air for the same perceived loudness as mid and high tones, which means larger speaker movements, since you can't move it more often (frequency and all that), which takes more power) and it's easy to overpower the cheaper gear, and also because when the woofer element is going nuts trying to produce the bass thumps it can't physically react as well to the mid and higher frequencies. As a bass player I also notice this "bass needs power" issue with amplifiers, a 25W guitar combo (amplifier with a built in speaker(s)) is usually entirely capable of going louder than my 300W bass amplifier with a 4x10" speaker cab...
probably bc a 25 watt combo might be a tube amp whereas your bass amp is not. tube wattage and solid state is very different. 25 watt tube is very loud
@@jakewilliams6128 I know, but I've also played with tube amps and 100W tube bass amp doesn't go anywhere near as far as even a 50W guitar combo will (300W Ampeg got pretty loud, to be fair). That's why there are so many 200 and 300W tube bass amps, let alone the 500-1000W solid state ones, while guitarists make do with 25, 50 or at the high end 100W amps. There are some with more power, but for example checking Thomann right now there are like 10 tube heads with over 100W, and like 50 100W heads.
Like all other earbuds, the Airpods wouldn't stay in my ear and they really hurt. Bose was a clear winner just for being able to even stay put. They also happen to be comfy, although a little less than the last generation, and they have amazing sound quality. I am so happy with the smaller case and noise cancellation. I tested the sound blockage out today while at a completely holiday packed grocery store and it was like I was the only person there with Pandora playing. Without music, it was like being in a crowd with a few people whispering.
@@girlsdrinkfeck the bose buds save the EQ settings on the buds, when done with the App - so when you connect them to anything, that does not have an EQ (Nintendo Switch, your TV, etc.) the buds still sound like configured in the app.
I love seeing objective data on things that most times are up to a reviewers preferences. These graphs are super helpful and well made. The explanation along with them was perfect as well. Good job labs!
One of the most important things to know for me is. What about phone conversations? can they filter out the noise around me, so it only focuses on my voice? or will the person on the other end hear everything around me aswell ?
Idk man, I got my pixel buds pro and I've been very happy with them. Great sound, easy to use, consistent, good battery life, good case, and good noise cancelling.
I disagree with "tap on volume slider should set to that level" as my phone registers phantom touches here and there and I like the small protection from bleeding ear drums.
I actually prefer the noise canceling to focus on the lows and highs rather than mids as it makes it is more likely to cancel the machinery, which is what my goal is 90% of the time. I also work on a dock with a lot of machinery though so that noise is all around me. I am also not sure how I feel about the inability to actually turn off the ANC.
You won't be disappointed by the Bose QC Earbuds 2 in that department for cancelling out machinery noise. In the graph you can see that it's exactly these frequency ranges on the left and right side that the Bose are better than the Airpods, while the Airpods are only better in the mids which is neither human voice nor machinery noise.
Bose has always fit a lot better for me. AirPods have hand a loose hanging fit and most other have the plung style. Bose sits somewhere in between with the wings. But they need to bring back the multi device supposed. It’s annoying to find the case and keep manually switching between my pc and phone
i use air pod pros on my android device and honestly im not missing out on much from when i had an iphone, i can still access noise cancelling and transparent mode which is all i care about.
I’ve had problem with my unit. When running I felt a pop in my ears, kind of similar to pushing and releasing them while they are in ears. That is not that annoying as similar thing while driving in public transport on uneven road, the same happens but way more often, which becomes painful. I had to give them back to service, so they can check if this is my unit problem, but I think it’s software. It’s trying to cancel all of the vibrations from uneven road which it can’t do. Although when you’re not moving sound quality is great and anc too. Case is annoyingly big tho, switching from Apple. And there is a problem of switching source and connection on iPhone. Had somebody have this problem?
I have the QC Gen 1 and the shark fin ear tips are amazingly secure. I can run while wearing them without any fear of them falling out. The complete opposite of the Sony XM4, B&W Pi7 and AirPods. The QC Gen 1 also sound better than AirPods Pro Gen 1. I hate that Bose chose this new design to make them have a slimmer profile to match Apple.
Graphs in Short Circuit feel a little antithetical, at least in terms of why the channel originally (as stated) was started: quick looks at products that didn't really meet the main LTT channel format. Not really opposed though, it's a fun deeper look without needing to be a review, and it give the Labs folks something to do now that they can't pretend to work on the screwdriver for another year or two (just kidding, I love the driver).
I think these are very similar to the Sony XM4's, which can be had these days for $100 off. IMO that makes the Sonys an easy choice. Weird that you didn't mention them at all.
Coming from Bose qc20, I got the xm4's after reading so many great things about them, I'm quite disappointed.. ANC isn't to the level I've been used to with Bose, and the foam rounded ear tips feel very uncomfortable in my ears. I thought I would get used to it, but I don't.. I'm seriously considering these ones for comfort only.. At the end of the day, it comes down to personal preference, but I wish I'd seen reviews that were a bit less one-sided and in awe of the xm4
I am literally reading your comment as I am listening from my own Quiet Comfort 20. After 4 years, the case is coming apart and the battery only lasts a few hours, but after peaking inside, it looks easy enough to replace. The main issues I read from this procedure is that the indicator lights no longer work and you need a specific charger for the battery's computer to accept. A small price to pay to keep this otherwise great piece of kit going for years to come.
@@gautambharadwaj noise cancelling on these is way better than the XM4s imo, i've owned both of them and I even gave the edge to the XM4s by putting spinfits on. XM4s also don't take EQ well unlike the QC Buds 2. While the QC Buds 2 sound terrible out of the box imo, you can EQ them very easily. Not so the case with the XM4. QC Buds 2 are waaaay more comfortable than the XM4s too imo, they don't go deep into your ear like the XM4s and most other TWS buds for that matter. I can easily wear these hours, while I need to take a breather every hour or so with the XM4s in order to relieve some of the pressure on my ear canal. My XM4s have also had a battery drain issue where the batteries have prematurely failed, there have also been other reports of this. In the end, it's your preference and money, so you buy what you want. But don't go around saying anything is the best. NOTHING IS THE BEST. STOP STATING YOUR OPINION LIKE IT'S A FACT.
Mixed feelings about this video. I love the Labs data, I hate the complete lack of comparison to Sony's wf1000 xm4. I know it's not exactly the point of this channel but I'm in this moment trying to figure out what I want and it would be super helpful
What kind of noise do you use for the ANC graph? Because as I understand these don’t cancel the noise in real time, they have to predict what the noise will be like in the next few milliseconds, and getting that right is both difficult and affects the real world performance a lot.
I for one am fine with the channel being more so of a review/unboxing one specifically moving forward. LTT is great in its own right, but I think ShortCircuit being those two would help keep focus and give the LTT audience more options as to what kind of content they'd rather subscribe to (or just both, of course). Either way, I'm enjoying both!
Great to see FR graphs, however.. the explanation around why the response wasn’t flat doesn’t make sense. A human can pickup on volume differences across the range. Mid range is no different and having a FR that dips in the middle isn’t to address some shortcoming with the human hears, it’s just how HK have produced the headphones.
I already thought about buying the QC buds 2 but I didn't bc you can't only use one stand alone If you put the other one in the case it automatically stops playing Would be nice if you said that in the video
These are my dailies and they are excellent. My only complaint is the case. The lid and case overall seems cheap and not a as solid as others. And the leaving off wireless charging in 2022 is head-scratching.
I used both for a week, I found the Bose cancel way more daily sound than the AirPods. In an office and while eating in a crowded cafe I was more immersed while using the Bose. Interesting to see that the graph looks to contradict my experience. Cool video. Also, my AirPods Pro 1st gen had been replaced several times due to apple's quality program, I was hesitant to go down that same road with the 2nd gens.
Just get Soundcore, the Life air 3i or whatever is what I use and they are fantastic for $50. 1/6 the price. $150 for wireless charging and touch controls, if that matters to you.
I’d have the first ones, I would get the second ones still over air pods, I can’t put stuff directly in my ear hole, they are literally just to small Bose are the best on the market that doesn’t bury themselves in my ears
I tested the Apple airpod pro (gen 1) vs the quiet comfort gen 2 and honestly the Bose were 100x better. I can’t imagine the AirPods Pro 2 competing with them IMO.
@@bobb4403ye pretty sure they don’t have single bud functionality. I’m using the gen 1 rn and the way I have to do it is to open up the case or use just the left bud
Sorry, but you got it wrong. Human speech is typically between 80Hz to 255Hz, which means the AirPods don't cancel out human speech better than the Bose QC Earbuds 2. You referred to the mid-range which would be in the 300Hz to 1kHz range in your graph. Aliens from another galaxy may speak in that frequency but John Doe and Susy Smith from planet earth don't. The graph also shows that the Bose are better at cancelling out plane cabin noise which in your graph is roughly between the 1kHz and 10kHz range.
Ok I guess I’m the only one that is overwhelmed with the graphs. I mainly want to know the user experience, sound quality, design and features. Just how it feels to daily. I mean we mainly stream compressed music over Bluetooth while doing some kind of activity…
Hmm. I get the idea of the Harman-Kardon target line, but weren't the artists, producers and mixers also listening to the result with their ears? If they were mixing it with flat equipment to sound like they wanted it to, wouldn't headphones following HKTL throw off the intended result?
Harman isn't really supposed to sound neutral, a flat line doesn't necessarily mean neutral either, but good to see the lab stuff starting to show here
As an owner of the Bose 700 and the first gen QC Earbuds I can say that the biggest letdown is the software. It's pretty bad in general with pairing between multiple devices. It often won't find the buds in the app even though it's connected. It's much buggier on Android than iOS.
Great overview. I bought the AAP2 and don't have an iPhone. Works well for what I want. The Bose I heard were a little noisy in the passthru but..... My wife may take these AP and I may just get the Bose if I'm looking to burn 300 bucks.. hmm...
Its not completely accurate that we are less sensitive to the frequencies where the bumps are in the harman target. Its true that we are less sensitive to low bass, and highs above about 6 kHz. But we are most sensitive to sounds in the mid highs between 2-5 kHz. Where we see a bump. A lot of consumer products likely feel the need to bring this region up a bit to make the music sound more exciting.
I LOVE this video! is there a video that compares more models together at once with the ANC graphs? those are awesome, always in search of the best anc to block out voices and crying babies on flights
As someone who suffers from red-green colourblindness, you should probably have more contrast to the colours you use to plot your graph. Yes, you explain it, but just analyzing the data by myself is not that convenient.
Do these still have the same master/slave functionality where there is only one piece with mic and the other one can’t be used with a call if the other one runs out of battery?
I like the rubber band which isn’t on the airpods, if you find it hard for the airpods to stay in your ears then the rubber bands may help with that because they hold on to the exterior part of the ear and you can adjust the size
For in ear devices it has always been about the fit. At this time I have found something that works for me. Even with using other Bose devices when I would in a professional sound recording studio out of college, I would not roll the dice and purchase these now. Apple EarPods, and AirPods have never stayed in my ears without a third party device (earhook). This is why I moved to the Ultimate Ears Fit. If I did not own these I might now purchase the Ultimate Ears Drops for even better fit. Thing is down the road might give the Apple AirPods 2, or maybe the Bose a try.
One major thing I want to know is if I can use both earbuds independently. That way I can use my left earbud till it dies then switch to the right earbud. The previous model did not allow for that and was the reason why I bought the sony XM4 (which I love)
super dope to see the lab data starting to do its thing! one aspect im particularly interested in is comparing sections of the noise cancellation graphs for different headphones/iems as it translates to the perceived volume of different sounds - i.e headphone A measurably has better cancellation in the low end than headphone B, making it better for travel and eliminating the sound of bus/plane engines, but headphone B is greater for the mids and makes the chatter of a crowd more muted, so it'd be the better buy for people who study in cafes or things like that. there was a hint of it here, and i think if given more attention in future videos it would be really useful for people to know what anc gear is better for their use case
Just flew for 12 hours and the Airpods Pro 2s were completely useless at dealing with baby noise. Would love to try these. Wish they’d be more aesthetically pleasing.
I am admittedly a big bose fan, always have been, and their headphones/earphones have never disappointed me. Not only that, but their customer service has always been nothing short of phenomenal. I currently have the 700's and they're exceptional in sound quality and the noise cancelation is among, if not the best I've ever used.
The noise canceling doesn't update while sound is playing. For example, while listening to an audiobook through Audible, the noise cancellation will only adjust while paused.
Fyi, if you get any Bose headphones and you want to use their app, make sure to go into the settings and disable marketing/tracking. They collect A LOT.
I'm pretty sure the noise cancelling modes are not doing anything different from each other, they're just presets of how much ANC to apply based on the slider. So Relax by default might be in the middle of the ANC scale and you can edit to let's say make it the lowest level of ANC, but then it's not really relax mode anymore, even though that's the name of the setting
The only in-ear buds that would remain in my ear were Bose QC 1st Gen. I had AirPods and then AirPods Pro, but they wouldn’t stay in my ear so I had to change to something else.
