Pixel Buds A-series

 

Pixel Buds - the expensive ones, especially the first gen but also the second - have had their share of teething troubles, and then some. Actually, it seems that all those woes have never been completely straightened out. On top of that, the lack of ANC has been almost a deal breaker for me. However, the Google buds do have a 'feature' that very few among the competition can match: they fit pretty much flush in the ears so nothing sticks out. This last thing is something that I do like a lot, for several reasons, and one of them is that - on my home turf - being outdoors wintertime equals wearing a warm ski hat of sorts!

Then the Pixel Buds A-series came along: almost exactly the same design as the earlier ones, not all the bells and whistles but more budget friendly price for sure. Then the most important thing: these cheaper buds didn't seem to have connection problems, either. I made up my mind - time to purchase the A-series and hope for the best. Perhaps, perhaps I'd be able to cope without ANC.

At the time of this writing I have been using the cheap(?) Google buds for almost a month and I do have slightly mixed feelings about these A-buds.

The Cool Stuff

• These tiny BT buds are super light and very comfortable in my ears (default tips). The tiny stabilizer arc does not bother me at all and apparently does its job since the buds stay put - even though I hardly notice wearing them. 
• Did I mention that the A-Buds fit darn close to completely flush in the ear conch? Superb. Further, apart from the practical aspects, I would not like to walk around advertising that I'm wearing (a certain brand of) ear buds. That is something that, say, Apple Airpods users invariably do.
• Audio quality is fine - considering the price - now that Google added the possibility to boost the low end. A couple of notches results in a balanced audio without any 'boom bass' at all. Works extremely well for voice as well - my listening using in-ear buds is perhaps 90% podcasts. However, I feel that the audio does not quite match that of Sony WF-1000XM3 that I tried earlier but the Sony buds were never an option for me (see my review).
• IPx4 'water and sweat resistance' is a good thing for sure but does not mean you should shower or go swimming wearing these! Workouts and a bit of rain should be fine though.
• The BT connection is solid, I haven't had any dropouts at all. Nil, zero, none, regardless where I carry my Pixel 4a. The reach of the signal is also very decent, even through a couple of apartment walls. Good job, at last!
• It's great to be able to take out one of the buds and keep listening through the other one.
• The Google assistant is available in all its glory, providing your phone is connected to the Internet of course, and that can be very handy. However, I sure do not use the assistant when other folks are around - I would feel pretty stupid doing that.

Not Very Cool

• There were many reports about exceptionally low volume on A-buds when they were first introduced. The firmware updates seem to have fixed this; however, I still get a feeling that I need to raise the volume more than when using other earphones.
• There is no volume control on the touch surfaces - however, what you do get functions better than I expected. After some practice, I get the tap right (almost) every time. No need to push the buds hard, either, and my warm winter hat doesn't cause any trouble so kudos for that.
• The Adaptive sound thingy increases the listening volume automagically when the noise level around you goes up. It's a bit weird and when, say, a loud car approaches you and the listening volume typically goes up after that car is already gone. Nah, I'm not a fan. Especially when listening to music, I find that the setting completely wrecks the listening experience.
• There is no multi-pairing - switching from the Android phone to the pc takes some strenuous manual labor, each and every time.
• No wireless charging; luckily, that doesn't matter to me.

Miscellaneous

• The case is small, smooth and 'pebble rounded' in a way that feels great when holding it - and you can use it as a fridge magnet, if you really feel the need. The lid seems okay, snaps shut reassuringly and the buds stay in their magnetic slots the way you'd expect them to. So, what about if you drop the case? I'd guess that depends on the circumstances but I sure try not to do a crash test! Most probably the buds would go flying, to start with..
• Battery life is definitely not stellar - most of the competition does better - but it's still ok with me; frequent intercontinental flights have never been a part of my routine. Using one bud only (I often do) obviously doubles the listening time available and the bud that goes back into the 'den' charges reasonably fast.

Verdict

From past experience with (wired) Bose QC20, way back in time (see my review), my view is that well functioning ANC is a real blessing. I was well aware that the A-series buds lack this but I still decided to get a pair - partly because I was curious, partly because I had tried some other pricy ANC earbuds that just didn't make the cut.

The A-series are, in a way, the opposite to ANC-buds: A-series are designed to make the person wearing them aware of the surroundings. During a bus commute this is not a great thing to me so I end up using over-the-ear hearing protection! Yup, makes me look like a bozo but it does work. Taking a walk, it really is a good thing to be able to hear what's going on around you so I have, in a way, (almost) made my peace with not having ANC. Would just love to have it in these earbuds though!

So, I do like my A-series buds; they tick most of the other important boxes for me and the physical design feels just right. Extremely comfy, solid BT connection and good audio. They are kinda Cool alright but do not leave the case behind when you put the buds in your ears - forgetting the case equals trouble :)

Jabra Elite 75t: A Total In-ear Disaster

They are small and lightweight, the Jabra Elite 75t, and that's Cool. Unfortunately, there wasn't much more to add into that department - the rest was mainly very, very uncool.

After sending back the Sony WF-1000XM3 - my writing here - I was trying to make up my mind if I should give Jabra a try. The pro reviewers were mostly giving both thumbs up to the 75t and also the latest 85t; the latter seemed crazy expensive so I decided to see if the 75t would fit the bill. Not that the 75t are cheap though - on the contrary! However, at least they were smaller than the really bulky Sony buds and the latest firmware apparently also made some kind of ANC magic happen.

The first impression, when unpacking the 75t, was that the small (charging) case felt cheap, made of extremely slippery plastic. The buds are very light but have the same super slippery finish so it's really easy to accidentally drop them. Shaking the empty case a little, I could hear the lid rattling; not a good sign. Flimsy! Dropping the case on a hard surface would most probably break it.

After unpacking, the next move is obviously to fully charge the buds and the built-in battery of the case. While the USB charger was doing its thing, I checked the instruction manual with a microscope (yes, the font size is that small) and downloaded the Jabra Sound+ app in order to update the buds' firmware to the latest version. Not bad, what I had read, getting ANC through a firmware update!

Soon enough the charging was done. I fired up the Jabra app and connected the buds.. No, I take that back! The app did not find the buds at all. What the heck! I read the instructions again, tried again, then checked the Reddit thread about folks having the same problem, tried again, did everything suggested by Jabra to remedy the situation, reset the buds, tried again.. Nope. No luck - and I was feeling slightly tired of the whole thing by now.

For a while, I just set aside my Jabra app woes and tried the buds with default settings and the old firmware. They felt comfortable in my ears even though I'm a bit wary of jamming any small pieces of equipment deep into my ear canal (came to think of the TWiT AllAboutAndroid co-host, Ron Richards, who had the in-ear tips of his buds get stuck in his ears while on a plane - yes, a very bad experience). The audio was okay and so was the BT connection; however, if the right side one - the 'master' bud - quits, all you have is a pair of pricey so-so functioning ear plugs. This master-slave arrangement in expensive in-ear buds like these sucks big time!

The Jabra 75t buds do block out some of the ambient noise but the talk of 'passive noise cancellation' bugs me big time; it's all about the good old ear plug effect and has nothing to do with any kind of noise cancellation! Are these extremely good ear plugs, then? Nope, the old cheap standard issue that expands in the ear is way better. Then, what about the size of the buds and them protruding from the ears? Well, Jabra sure is way better in this respect than the Sony I tried; the buds are small and don't stick out of the ears very much (but more than I'd like, anyway).

The battery life of the Jabra buds is a mystery to me. After a couple of days, the left earbud - the slave - would occasionally run out of juice even though the phone reported almost full battery level for Jabra. Then it became clear to me that the 'slave' bud wasn't charging at all, since I got the power off voice prompt right away after inserting the buds in my ears. The 'master' bud kept soldiering on, even though it started frequently dropping the BT connection. Is this an issue that has been addressed by new firmware? Who knows.

Okay, back to the stubborn Jabra Sound+ app then. I decided to test one last time, now using my wife's still fairly new Sony phone. I unpaired the Jabra from my Pixel 2, paired with the Sony - no problem there - and then tried the app again: you guessed it, no connection with the buds. Sigh. It seems there is something badly wrong here and whatever it is, it's on the Jabra side.

Using the Jabra Elite 75t without the companion app is not an alternative. Not only would you miss the 'software ANC' through the firmware update but also all future fixes. There are also tons of other settings that can only be accessed through the app. The 'slave' bud not charging is, of course, a disaster and so is the buds dropping the BT connection. To sum up: these earbuds I bought are total garbage. Was I unlucky to get defective gear? I have no idea but I have already returned the buds and will steer clear of Jabra products in the future. 

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Coming up: Jabra Elite 75t

Reading reviews about Bluetooth in-ear 'buds' I almost get the impression that there are tons of pretty darn good options available; this makes me wonder a bit. To me, the in-ear category definitely is the only one to consider - I would never be walking around wearing big cans! - but the ANC really needs to work. Last but not least, in-ear buds that stick out of the ears 'like a sore thumb' (I'm looking at you, Sony WF-1000XM3 - see my writing here) are just ridiculous. So, all of a sudden there are not that many alternatives around, even if you're willing to pay the premium price. It's a shame that the Google Pixel Buds 2 have so many connection issues and no ANC; otherwise they would be the obvious #1 choice for me.

After returning my Sony in-ears I have been using some old, wired earphones that came in the box with an ancient Samsung phone; the audio quality is truly horrible and so is the (non existing) comfort. No way I could continue like that so now I have ordered a pair of Jabra Elite 75t buds. What do I expect? Well, it seems they offer (I hope) decent connectivity and don't stick out of the ears like crazy. The audio quality should be okay, at least after dialing down some of the built-in mega bass.

Stay tuned for my Jabra thoughts - looking forward to trying them out!

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Sony in-ear WF-1000XM3: A Different Take

Some background 

I have been using the (old and wired) in-ear Bose QC20 ANC headphones for many years during my commute & travel and the active noise cancelling in that old design still works amazingly well - especially for low frequencies; see my full review). However, the QC20 has some other very serious flaws so it was definitely time to move on. Big cans are a no-no so there was basically just one way to go: wireless BT in-ear with ANC. After some research it was obvious that these things do not come cheap so I got my priorities set:

• Good in-ear ANC is expensive and I'm fine with that - if it really works well. Top priority!
• A bit of a breeze should not mess up the ANC completely
• The earbuds should be discreet and comfortable to use, even when wearing a warm beanie or a ski hat (we still have real winters on my home turf)
• BT connection must be solid
• Goes without saying - almost - but the audio quality should be good
• Phone calls is not top priority for me; functional would do
• Decent battery life is nice

Reviews, reviews 

After reading a bunch of reviews I zoomed in on Sony WF-1000XM3, even though they seemed anything but very discreet. The ANC function got super high marks almost everywhere so I was curious and decided to check out the Sony earbuds - after making sure that I would be able to return the buds in case they wouldn't cut it for me.

January 2021 

At the time of this writing, I've been using the Sony XM3 buds for roughly a month and here's my take:

Sony ANC is a disappointment to me. I know that the passive seal in the ear must be good in order for the Sony ANC to work well but the 'default' tips were comfy and the others just didn't fit well. Anyway, my old QC20 - that doesn't go deep into the ear canal at all - still beats the XM3! Really surprising and also a bit depressing. Sure, the electronics of the QC20 are not within the earbuds themselves but heavens: it's been five years..!

Using the XM3 outdoors is not much fun when the wind picks up a bit (or if it's rainy; no protection against the elements at all). Wind messes up the ANC function big time, just the way it does for the QC20 by the way. No improvement here during the years that have passed, apparently.

The Sony XM3 sticks out of the ear 'like a sore thumb' - a quote from one of the reviews I read and that really nails it. With other words: pretty much the opposite of discreet. The buds are reasonably comfortable though, providing you are not wearing a warm beanie or a ski hat! Taking that ski hat off, you need to be very careful not to send the earbuds flying and then (in case you'll ever find them) you've probably got a pair of very expensive ear plugs.

BT connection is solid - independent connection for each bud - and so is the audio quality which is top notch. The buds have touch controls that enable you to pause the audio, skip tracks, adjust the ANC mode and deal with phone calls. The controls work okay for the most part but taking out one of the earbuds did not reliably pause the audio; it was hit and miss. Battery life is average in this category and the charger case - USB C, yay! - is fine even though it sure is pretty big.

Summing things up: the Sony XM3 have good build quality and audio but they are not for me. Wearing them makes me look (even more) weird, they are almost useless outdoors on a breezy day, I can't wear them comfortably under a warm beanie, they don't cope with rain and the ANC should be better considering the price tag. Thumbs mainly down.

Now, then? 

Pixel Buds 2 might be ideal for me, the way they seem to fit almost flush in the ear, but unfortunately there's no ANC - and you do apparently still get connection issues. So, the hunt goes on; guess I'll try the Jabra Elite 75T next. Stay tuned!

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Bose in-ear QC20: Good, bad and the ugly

This post sure is a (very) old one - yes, from 2017 - but I think it's still interesting today when ANC in wireless earbuds is all the rage 

 Noise cancelling tech is extremely cool – especially for folks like me who have major trouble coping with noisy surroundings. As to consumer earphones with NC, #Bose is probably the most widely known brand on the planet. I hardly ever listen to anything else than ‘spoken word’ using headphones when I’m commuting or sitting in a plane; this also means that I definitely need to have functioning NC. Further, big cans are out of the question – I hate that kind of bulky gear when I’m on the move – so in-ear phones is the only alternative that works for me and Bose Quiet Comfort 20 has been around for several years. Presently, I have my second set but I sure am not going to get a third one; more about that further on.

If you read QC20 reviews – http://bit.ly/BoseQC20Reviews – you’ll notice that pretty much all of them are very positive and many give these earphones solid and even extreme top scores. Basically, there is just one thing you’ll mostly see noted as a downside: the high price. The way I see it, all things considered, is that the price is actually so high that it is completely out of whack – and in my book the final verdict is definitely not as positive as that of those reviews.

Okay, the good stuff to get started: I find the QC20 very comfortable to wear, several hours even – this is probably due to the fact that they don’t go deep in the ear channel at all but yes, they do stick out a bit. However, most of the sales pitch is about the noise cancelling feature and it sure works but there are caveats. The low rumble of, say, a jet engine way too close to my airline seat doesn’t bother me at all when I switch on the electronics (and yes, you can use the set even if the battery is flat but don’t expect much audio fidelity) but you sure still hear the baby crying behind you, loud and clear. With other words: midrange and high pitch noise does cut through, in spite of the NC magic. So do also conversations close to you, providing you’re not blasting rock music full volume of course. The very slim battery that charges through standard micro-USB has plenty of stamina and might actually outlast that of your phone.

Then the bad part : the very design of the set, the way it is intended to be used – the cord clip fastened to the front of your shirt and the earbud cords hanging from the ears – also means that the second an earpiece is not properly stuck to your ear, there is a fair chance of it falling down just far enough to splash into your coffee and that earbud sure takes the other one with it in the fall. Don’t drink coffee? Well, even if there’s no drink involved it’s a real pain having the earpieces dangling from the shirt clip and yes, the buds do sometimes come tumbling down when you least expect it (yup, a comfy loose fit also has a downside). Sure, you can have the cord behind your neck; I did that quite often but it turned out to be a bad move in the long run due to the lousy quality of the cables. Read on.. Some additional not-so-great findings: the plastic cords are loud when touched, the whole set – including the battery/electronics part – is welded together and can’t be repaired and even slight breeze causes wind noise that the electronics can’t defeat.

Here comes the ugly , then. The build quality of a very expensive piece of kit like the (original) QC20 should be top notch – but it’s definitely not. The cables are made of cheap, kinda stiff plastic that after a couple of years just starts disintegrating and there’s quite simply nothing you can do about it: http://bit.ly/BoseQC20cable

There is a newer version of the set apparently equipped with better quality cables – those have a blue-greenish streak along the length of the earphone cables: http://bit.ly/BoseQC20New That’s the main visible difference I know of. See to it, you get those in case you decide to purchase the QC20!

About the audio : what you get is okay – the tailored Bose sound but far from anything that could be described as reference audio though. Your pile of cash buys you functional, compact in-ear noise cancelling and the Bose brand, not top notch audio. There is a very faint hiss from the electronics, too, but it really doesn’t bother me at all.

So, I mentioned in the beginning I have my second QC20 set now. Yup, got a ‘special deal’ through Bose customer service to get ‘a brand new set’ to replace my broken one and expected to get the latest version – but didn’t. Basically, I ended up paying what anyone would have done, after checking the online offerings a bit. Bummer.

Bottom line for me is that when you get used to in-ear noise cancelling phones, there’s no going back to the bare bones gear. I sure hope the cables of my present QC20 set won’t give up completely until well built units from other manufacturers are widely available. Compact, in-ear phones featuring powerful noise cancellation that can be precisely fine tuned by the user should be just around the corner.

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