The ANC in these earphones is great, but the sound signature may be too sculpted for some people. The updated version of the Anker SoundCore Liberty Air 2 is the Anker SoundCore Liberty Air 2 Pro, which has a more natural sound.
Anker has updated their products with a customizable active noise cancelling (ANC) technology that can significantly reduce background noise. Other than that, these headphones are built and styled similarly to their base model. They have a snug fit and a bass-heavy sound profile that can be adjusted using the graphic EQ or presets in their companion app. Their overall battery life, though, is less than the playtime they advertise.
Design
The ANC feature of the Soundcore Liberty Air Pro 2 is excellent. It is a great way to improve your listening experience and can be very helpful in improving your overall sound quality. The design of the product is also very stylish, making it a great choice for those who want to look good while listening to music.
The earbuds have a stem-like appearance, and the upper side of the stem contrasts the matte black color of the earphones with a silver tone. The touch panel for controls is likewise incorporated into the stem. Three microphones are located inside each earphone for voice calls and active noise cancellation. The earbuds’ nozzles are angled to fit snugly and in-canal inside the ear.
The Liberty Air Pro 2 ear tips come in three sizes, from XXXS to XL. The reviewer found that the ear tips were a little too large for his ears, and they weren’t really comfortable. The ear tips come with a bulb at the end of the ear tip that helps fit the ears, but it can be a little challenging to get an ideal fit. If you have smaller or unusually shaped ears, then you may not find these ear tips as comfortable as you would like.
The earphones come with a carrying case, which doubles as a stand for the earphones. The case has a magnetic closure and can be attached to a metal surface using the included magnets. The earphones fit securely in the case and do not fall out when jostled or when you move your head. The earphones have touch panels on each earbud that allow you to control music playback, ambient sound mode, and noise cancellation. You can also customize the controls on the Soundcore app. ..
Anker Soundcore Liberty Air 2 Pro review: Comfort
The Soundcore Liberty Air 2 Pro earbuds come with a nine sets of silicone tips, which is to Anker’s credit. There are two other sets that are slightly deeper variants of the medium and big circumferences, and seven of these range in size from XXXS to huge. Because the AirPods Pro only come with three pairs of tips, you have a far higher chance of finding the ideal fit.
These earbuds are comfortable and fit well, but they can become a little tiring after extended listening sessions.
Connectivity
The Soundcore Liberty Air 2 Pro earbuds offer excellent connectivity, with a stable Bluetooth signal and a strong connection up to ten metres away. Additionally, you can listen to one bud while it charges in the case, remove the charged bud, and then resume listening in stereo. And when you remove an earbud, the music automatically stops. Thankfully, you can disable this from the app. ..
Anker Soundcore Liberty Air 2 Pro review: Noise Cancelling
These earphones have Active Noise Cancellation, but it’s not very spectacular. It doesn’t even come close to the industry heavyweights like the Sony WF-1000XM3, but given the price gap, we didn’t anticipate them to. However, the similarly priced Oppo Enco X performs a better job of effectively blocking out background noise. While the Enco X did an excellent job of muffle ring sounds like low-speed fans, the Soundcore Liberty Air Pro 2 falls short in this regard. In all ANC modes, when no music is playing, you can also hear a fairly audible hiss.
The ANC performance on the Transport Mode is the most efficient of all modes, and there are three modes to choose from- Fully Transparent, Vocal, and Normal. The Soundcore app also features a useful widget that enables users to switch between modes without ever opening it. ..
Audio Performance
The Soundcore Liberty Air 2 Pro’s bass-heavy sound is what stands out the most right away. It’s not always to the point where the bottom end is completely out of control, and for some songs it kind of works: bass-drum kicks gave me the impression that they were banging my head against my skull, but much more satisfyingly and happily than that sounds. However, this bass preference frequently deprives the mids and highs of their sparkle and impact. Hearing Marmaduke Duke’s “Kid Gloves,” which features beautiful plucked violins, become dulled by the abundance of low end was almost a little depressing.
Although this is the default sound, there are other options, which is good news. The Soundcore app offers customization in a few different ways, but its “HearID” feature is the most intriguing. It uses the results of a series of beep tests to create a personalized sound profile for you that measures how well you can hear various frequencies at various volumes. Amazingly, the loud bass was completely rectified by our customized profile. Although it was generally more evenly balanced with the mids and treble, it was still sufficiently present to deliver the punch we desired. Now that the violins had their shine back, upbeat songs like “Bella Belle” by The Electric Swing Circus found it easier to walk the line between fun and boomy. ..
The Sennheiser CX 400BT’s meticulously defined characteristic and large soundstage are great, but the HearID sound still falls short. Additionally, the Soundcore Liberty Air 2 Pro sounds fantastic for $130 with pure vocalization and perfectly defined instrument separation. You can still adjust the EQ using the Custom profile in the app to get these earbuds sounding however you want them to sound, even if you don’t find the results as pleasing as we did.
Call Performance
The Soundcore Liberty Air 2 Pro is a phone that makes and receives phone calls without any problems. Although your speech could have been a little clearer, it is still audible at a volume that is sufficient because outside disturbances and even slight wind noise are substantially diminished. The most difficult sounds are transmitted as slight crackles under your voice, yet calling while they are present is enjoyable. Unfortunately, the Liberty Air 2 Pro struggles with video conversations because your voice output is compressed and has an unacceptably low loudness.
Anker Soundcore Liberty Air 2 Pro review: Battery and Charging
Anker’s 7 hours of playback time is likely with ANC turned off. We were able to listen to music nonstop for 4 hours and 42 minutes using these earbuds at 50% volume and with the Indoor noise-cancelling mode activated. Even though that might be a disappointing outcome for non-ANC buds, it’s still a respectable performance when you take into account the additional battery drain of continuous noise-cancelling. Though Sony’s WF-1000XM3 appear to be the overall ANC earbud winners on longevity, they even just barely outlasted the AirPods Pro, which lasted 4 and a half hours in our testing.
The Soundcore Liberty Air 2 Pro is advertised as providing an additional 19 hours of playback time, although our tests suggest that this may only include ANC. The speed of recharge also impressed us. The Soundcore Liberty Air 2 Pro recovered 2 hours and 34 minutes from a brief 15-minute rest in the case, which is more than half of their maximum capacity.
Price and Availability
Conclusion
Anker Soundcore has quickly become a manufacturer of excellent-sounding wireless headphones, Bluetooth speakers, and true wireless earbuds. Despite some reservations about the overall style of the headphones, these products have received high accolades for their expansive soundstage and overall sound quality.
The Anker Soundcore Liberty Air 2 Pro are an excellent choice for commuting and travelling. They have a great active noise cancelling feature that you can adjust to better match the noise in your environment, and they are also fairly comfortable and portable. However, the battery life is quite low, making it difficult to travel long distances with them.
