Author: Today we will review the Soundcore Liberty Air 2 ($ 140) - new wireless headphones from Anker. By 2020, the manufacturer Anker has demonstrated the unique, 100% True Wireless earbuds (True Wireless) Soundcore Liberty Air 2. The main feature of the headset is the dynamic diamond-coated drivers.
According to the company, the innovation made it possible to increase the frequency range by 20%! And thanks to the polyurethane from thermoplastic, it was possible to get deep bass.
Liberty Air 2 at a glance
These headphones have support for the aptX codec, which is required to transmit Hi-Res audio through Bluetooth headsets and phones. To customize the sound, Anker has created a target application for the Soundcore Liberty Air 2 HearID. It analyzes the sound in the ear and makes it possible to customize the sound for a specific listener.
Both Liberty Air 2 earbuds received two microphones each, which received Qualcomm's noise canceling function. There is also mono mode if you need handsfree headphones.
Of the chips, it can be distinguished that the case has support for both fast wired charging and wireless charging.
At the moment, Anker Soundcore Liberty Air 2 headphones cost $ 125 or about 8,000 rubles.
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Equipment and characteristics
The headset comes in a nice box made of thick cardboard. It details how the HearID program works.
The case contains headphones and a case for charging and storage. At the bottom of the box, the manufacturer put instructions that detail how to connect and how the headphones work. There is also a USB-C cable, as well as additional ear pads (4 pairs).
| Characteristics | A type |
|---|---|
| Wireless headphone type | True wireless |
| Headphone type | Closed |
| Noise isolation | Partially soundproofed |
| Sound emitter type | Dynamic |
| Colour | The black |
| Folding | not |
| Appointment | Portable |
| Ear cushions material | Silicone |
| frequency range | 20 - 20,000 Hz |
| Battery Type | Li-On |
| Wireless charger | Yes |
| Technologies used | Bluetooth |
| Wire presence | Wireless |
Case design
In the modern world, it is difficult to create unique design gadgets. Companies either copy competitors, or delve into the archives of developments. The Soundcore Liberty Air 2 was designed by copying, so you won't see uniqueness and innovation here.
The case is very small and light: 55x48x25 mm and 43 grams, respectively. It is plastic and has a soft velvet coating on top, so it does not slip out of your hands. The Soundcore logo flaunts on top, and in the center there are 3 LEDs that indicate the battery level. At the bottom there is a dedicated button for demonstrating battery operation and a USB-C connector for wired charging of the case.
It is worth recalling that the Anker Soundcore Liberty Air 2 has the ability to wirelessly charge - this gives the headphones an undeniable advantage over the competition!
The lid of the case simply folds back. There is a magnetic lock, and the headphones do not fall out of the case.
Thanks to a special coating, fingerprints do not remain, but you cannot call it comfortable: the quality of the material seems to be excellent, but scratches and chips will become a real problem. But this is certainly better than glossy cases, which can be easily erased after the first use.
Soundcore Liberty Air 2 headphone design
This Liberty Air 2 model received several colors: black and white. But only the headphones themselves have black, and the charging case is dark gray.
By the way! Soundcore Liberty Air 2 is very similar in appearance to the Huawei FreeBuds Lite model.
Each earphone has a small gray plastic insert on which the Soundcore logo is traced. Below is an artificial insert in red.
Also, each of the headphones has 2 microphones at the top and bottom. In order to be able to find out about the activity of the device, there is an LED indicator at the top. As a plus, the Liberty Air 2 received a sensor that responds when you insert or remove the earpiece from your ear.
Soundcore Liberty Air 2 is controlled by sensors:
| Act | the effect |
|---|---|
| Double tap of the right earphone (R) | play / pause music or answer / reject a phone call |
| Left ear double tap (L) | change track |
| Press and hold one of the headphones for a few seconds | getting started with Siri or another voice service |
More precisely, you can find out in the instructions for Liberty Air 2.
In terms of fit, the earpiece fits perfectly. Of course, it is necessary to select ear pads before that, but the shape of the gadget is almost perfect: universality and balance are observed.
When running, there are no problems with the Liberty Air 2 earbuds falling out, so morning jogging is just a joy :)
I note that when looking for information for the Soundcore Liberty Air 2 review, we could not find data on water resistance and dust protection. The gym test passed 100%, but would advise against testing the headset in rain or bad weather.
Soundproofing Soundcore Liberty Air 2
Alas, the model did not receive active noise cancellation, but passive sound isolation is good enough. I would like to note that such headphones will not appeal to those who are uncomfortable with the “plugs” - a slight pressure is created on the membrane.
Sound Anker Soundcore Liberty Air 2
The sound volume is high, and if you bring it to the maximum level, then there are no noise and no changes in sound. The connection is standard via Bluetooth, nothing complicated.
Frequency range
The frequency range when reviewing the headphones seemed to me quite wide. The low ones at the level of 30 Hz and the high ones around 15-20 kHz are well perceived. The mids are balanced, there is nothing to complain about - the sound is clear.
In Soundcore Liberty Air 2, the low frequencies do not have a characteristic hum and monotony (unlike their cheaper counterparts), that is, the headphones will also appeal to people who are not fond of hard bass.
Sound setting
You probably won't need to adjust the equalizer in most cases, since the sound is universal and will suit most genres. But all for an amateur! It is worth noting that when reviewing the Liberty Air 2, I observed a slight overload somewhere around 13 kHz. In the normal rhythm of life, you will not pay attention to this, rather it is even nit-picking on my part.
The only drawback is that there is a delay in the sound when watching a video from the phone. Surprisingly, I have not seen this from YouTube.
What was the Anker Soundcore Air 2 tested on?
The entire review of Soundcore Air 2 took place on Xiaomi Redmi Note 8. The smartphone has LTE support, so the call is made thanks to this technology.
The voice transmission is of high quality, I would even say almost ideal: the interlocutor is heard loudly, speech and voice are legible. However, I get the feeling that the microphone is too sensitive (there is overload).
HearID app
This is a dedicated app for tuning your Soundcore Liberty Air 2 headphones, adjusting the equalizer and keeping track of the headset's battery level.
In the app, you can adjust the sound based on the analysis of the data that was obtained by testing your hearing. It creates frequencies with different volumes, while your task is to tell the device whether you can hear or not. These operations will take a few minutes for each ear.
The result is ambiguous. The differences are insignificant, and if it is possible to understand the difference, then it will not be fundamental.
HearID for Liberty Air 2 received presets and an eight-band equalizer. However, it is not clear why it is not possible to adjust settings from 3.2 kHz and above. The sliders move, and the effect is 0! So it's much easier to tweak pre-built installations than trying to create something yourself. Fortunately, there are plenty of ready-made solutions.
Battery life
As mentioned earlier, you can monitor the battery level in the app. If you connect headphones to the phone, then the charge is also shown.
The official manufacturer claims that the Anker Soundcore Liberty Air 2 works up to 7 hours. This figure is quite realistic, since during the review the headphones worked for 5 hours at half the volume.
How long will the charge last?
The case itself will allow you to fully recharge the charge about 3 times (or even 4). In general, your gadgets will have enough power for about two weeks with moderate use.
How long do the headphones charge?
As for the charging time, you can charge the headphones and case 100% for:
| Charging method | Time |
|---|---|
| "Ears" | 1 hour |
| Case by wire | 2 hours |
| Case without wire | 3 hours |
Soundcore Liberty Air 2 review summary
First, I'll tell you what I think about the cost. As for me, the price is overpriced and the most adequate would be up to $ 100. I believe that there are more successful and popular models: Huawei FreeBuds 3, Apple AirPods 2 or Samsung Galaxy Buds. At +/- the same cost, they have a lot more features and functions.
Advantages and disadvantages
- Comfortable and high quality case;
- Wireless charger;
- Sits comfortably in the ears;
- AptX support;
- Battery autonomy time;
- HearID application, thanks to which the functionality can be slightly expanded.
- Sound quality. It seems to me that Air 2 plays well. And somehow you can't say more;
- No Active Noise Canceling (ANC) function.
