--- 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^^
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
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.
These are an improvement over the 1st gen buds. ua-cam.com/users/postUgkxK5mc3yw4xA7Mf2j6k6n1Uqv_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.
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.
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.
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.
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!
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 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.
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! 😂 ❤
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...
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.
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 ?
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 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.
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)
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.
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 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.
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.
@@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.
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…
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.
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 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
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)
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.
JFYI it is possible to customise the levels of output on the AirPods Pro (1st and 2nd Gen) but its super deep in the menus and not convinient to setup.
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 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.
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.
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.
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’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’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 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
Had these for a month and a half now and while the noise cancellation is great, the aware mode is awful if you're in a remotely noisy environment. In a quiet area, fantastic. But I operate cranes and with just the engine noise, if any non constant sound happens, like someone talking, the earphones just don't know what to do and muffle the heck out of everything
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!
Graphs are illegible (on my phone with meh resolution). Really cool that you are including these but some editing is appreciated, like thicker lines and bigger fonts
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
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've owned the bose for about a month, easily the best noise canceling around but the transparency is shit right now. I replaced it because of mono mode issues and the second pair sounded the same and i found out the bose rep lied mono mode is broken and not fully supported right now. I wore them the whole week for vacation and struggled to keep up with conversation because it would randomly start to noise cancel. However i wore them to the shooting range and i couldn't tell people were shooting, it picked up the shot and silenced it easily in transparency. My pairs had no hissing at all. Also, my pair had independent volume, the buds and phone were not sync'd and i had to max out phone and control with buds.
Black background and colors like red can be difficult to see, especially for thin lines like in these graphs. I'd suggest to either use brighter colors for the lines or another color as background.
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.
i've heard both linus, james and many others say that you're not supposed to hear sub bass but feel it...return your ears fellas, they're broken. i crank the left side of my eq on my soundblaster up and drop the crossover frequency down between 40-70 ish hz (song/whatever dependant) so i can literally HEAR the sub bass. i do not care if my face shakes off or not and i've no clue what people with your opinion are talking about. perhaps i'm a dolphin idk.
a lab page with an interactive graph where users can chose which devices are compared would be really really nice!
should follow crinacle if you love the nerds stuff about headphone or earphones
at this point it's really hard to compete with crinacle's database
---
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.
---
I like seeing more graphs to show the capabilities of these earbuds. I'm already seeing LTT labs taking shape!
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
I wanna see the WF-xm4
not a histogram...
not a histogram...
@@IzzatZaki Then correct them, people.
At least the difference between two curves would be easier to interpret when comparing.
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^^
Would have liked to see some more ANC comparisons like to the Pixel Buds Pro or the Sony XM4 earbuds
The Bose QC2s have superior noise cancellation compared to the WF-1000XM4s in my opinion.
@@kodylagreca agreed!
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
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.
wireless charging sadly probably won't be available anytime soon, but multipoint will likely be added with a later firmware update.
I've heard rumors that multipoint is to be added in a new update, as is lossless audio capabilities
These are an improvement over the 1st gen buds. ua-cam.com/users/postUgkxK5mc3yw4xA7Mf2j6k6n1Uqv_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.
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.
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.
So these are silicone eartips? I'm fed up with all my foam eartips falling apart on me
Why are those tips better than the stock ones?
@@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.
@@corey7219 yeah silicon for me is far more comfortable for extended listening periods.
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.
Nice to see labs info at last.
You forgot the Sony WF-1000XM4! Seriously, how could you forget the best noise cancelling buds around.
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!
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 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.
That's no good. Hopefully that's fixed in a software update. Sucks when the buds are expensive.
That sounds like a problem with the phone.
That's an issue with the phone. Probably something Google "doesn't want" to fix because it's an older phone.
That's a phone / BT handoff issue, since if call comes in the phone will treat the buds as a call device.
You actually can change the transparency mode to normal or to adaptive transparency in your settings of your Airpods Pro.
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! 😂 ❤
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
This is what I actually wanted to know.
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...
I'm currently using Galaxy Buds Pro and was thinking of getting some xm4s
But I don't know if the upgrade is worth the money.
@WhiteWolf496 maybe in terms of anc but in not in terms of sound. Get yourself some comply tips instead
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.
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 ?
You actually do can turn off the adaptive transparency on the airpods
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.
What app do you use on android to enable/change these features?
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.
Agreed it's nice to have the choice to have everything off for better battery life
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.
Can we get someone other than James doing audio reviews
Not having fully/mostly customizable ambidextrous gestures feels about as useful as Bixby.
Who has the the best ambidextrous headset?
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)
I love all these graphs on SC. I believe this is the first video where we directly see the contribution of Labs and it's A-MA-ZING. Keep it up guys!
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.
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 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.
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.
As someone who loves looking at audio curves for fun, I am beyond happy with all the data! Please please do this for every audio review.
i dont get the point of a EQ app for earphones when every phone has a EQ anyway
@@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.
@@ntm_aka_badluck cool but... No one ever changes eq settings for a kids console lmao
@@girlsdrinkfeck True but you can also let others have the option and don't use it yourself
@@girlsdrinkfeck Pixels don't have an eq, and windows 10 doesn't either.
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…
So are we gonna get that database for all the earbuds headphones LTT Labs tested with that model head?
Just got sony MX5 headphones, best ANC for sure.
6:22 you can delete for example the "Relax" mode, the delete button can be seen at 5:05
You can disable adaptive transparency on AP2, Apple have actually added a lot of customisation post launch of the AP2
I'd love to see those graphs for QC 35s and sony's noise canceling headphones
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.
Liked the showcase, LOVED the Labs lesson from James! Very interesting!
If you're on Android go with the XM4s, these things are funky working with Android.
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.
Just got these coming for 1st gen AirPods and they’re amazing. I have also tried the first gen air pod pros and these blow them out of the water
You can adjust the AirPod pros in the sound and haptics under headphone safety. You can max it out at 100db if ya want👍🏼
You can turn adaptive transparency off and on in settings for the AirPods
I know this is a couple months late to the show but honestly James killed it on this video. His explanations and breakdowns were bang on for this one.
I would to see a comparison between those and the Sony WR's
What about the repairability of the Bose ear buds? Can one change the batteries without destroying them?
you can tune the auto noise cancelling on the airpods you can turn the auto decible thing on or off
With AirPods you can turn off the high decibel ANC affect when in transparency mode
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
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)
This is late but it’s really nice to see James again on the short circuit
How are the bose wf1000xm4 compared to these?
Just got the Sony WF-1000XM4 last week for only 180. Seems like a way better deal to me.
The graphs and explanations are much appreciated you guys 🙏. Great work!
Those graphs are incredible. Really neat to see the fruit from Labs
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.
Can you use just one at a time? Like only the left/right? I saw someone say you couldn’t
@@bobb4403 Yes, absolutely. I heard that too and that is very false.
@@JasonLefevers thanks!
I will be getting those upgrading from my AirPod pro 1s. Will use the pros as back up, and for calling.
James did a really soothing presentation pleasant to hear
JFYI it is possible to customise the levels of output on the AirPods Pro (1st and 2nd Gen) but its super deep in the menus and not convinient to setup.
6:20 You can delete the Relax and Focus profiles. Inside their configuration is a button.
who was the maniac that used a similar sound to the facebook messenger alert tone? got me wanting to check my phone every 10 sec
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.
The Soundcores have a really great sound for the price. But the $150+ earbuds all sound better.
@@woooshbait9696 then I'll never listen to one and never have FOMO. Easy solution. :)
I'm really looking forward to more of these types of reviews in the future. This is so in depth, and I love it.
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.
XM4s are THE best TWS earbuds but nope apparently it’s either AirPods or Bose.
It's just James picking up the shilling from Linus
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.
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.
The graph explanations were great! I’m guessing this was a product of the lab, which has me really excited!!
I love this but I wish there was an audio test for the microphones, for phone calls.
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.
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’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
6:20 you can, there is a "delete mode" or something like that button.
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?
Love the graphs! Keep up the great work!
Some feedback - I am watching this on a 32 inch TV - half of the graph lines are too thin to see on this black background.
I came half expecting a Tool shoutout. No worries, I can wait 13 years, 3 months and 29 days. I've done it before.
I really like the graphs keep doing it super informative.
You can actually turn off the adaptive transparency on the new airpods as well.
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
All I want from earbuds is a mode to normalise the audio level of spotify ads, so they aren't twice the volume of your music.
Would love to see a WF-1000XM4 comparison
Had these for a month and a half now and while the noise cancellation is great, the aware mode is awful if you're in a remotely noisy environment. In a quiet area, fantastic. But I operate cranes and with just the engine noise, if any non constant sound happens, like someone talking, the earphones just don't know what to do and muffle the heck out of everything
Ooo I love the noise canceling graph. Please make a few Techquickie episodes so that these explanations are easier to find and share with people
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!
to me the modes are just noise cancelling levels for quick selecting, not any other differences
Graphs are illegible (on my phone with meh resolution). Really cool that you are including these but some editing is appreciated, like thicker lines and bigger fonts
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
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).
Very nice job describing the graphs! Totally understood how they were explained.
I've owned the bose for about a month, easily the best noise canceling around but the transparency is shit right now. I replaced it because of mono mode issues and the second pair sounded the same and i found out the bose rep lied mono mode is broken and not fully supported right now. I wore them the whole week for vacation and struggled to keep up with conversation because it would randomly start to noise cancel. However i wore them to the shooting range and i couldn't tell people were shooting, it picked up the shot and silenced it easily in transparency. My pairs had no hissing at all. Also, my pair had independent volume, the buds and phone were not sync'd and i had to max out phone and control with buds.
Black background and colors like red can be difficult to see, especially for thin lines like in these graphs. I'd suggest to either use brighter colors for the lines or another color as background.
XM4 buds are fantastic.
Awesome review and a fantastic explanation of the tests and graphs! Well done team!
BTW, Harman Kardon is just a subsidiary brand of Harman International. The former develops products, the latter developed the Harman target curve.
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.
nice to see labs is finally setup and provide graphs for objective review
i've heard both linus, james and many others say that you're not supposed to hear sub bass but feel it...return your ears fellas, they're broken. i crank the left side of my eq on my soundblaster up and drop the crossover frequency down between 40-70 ish hz (song/whatever dependant) so i can literally HEAR the sub bass. i do not care if my face shakes off or not and i've no clue what people with your opinion are talking about. perhaps i'm a dolphin idk.