Soundcore Liberty 4 NC Review vs Earfun Air Pro 3 vs AirPods Pro 2 | Did not expect this! 😲
Previously we talked about how the Soundcore Liberty 4 NC compares to the Liberty 4 and Space A40. But this time we’re going to benchmark them against some competitors like the Earfun Air Pro 3, which is currently one of the most popular earbuds out there under $100. And in the premium range we have the AirPods Pro 2.
What’s going to happen is first we’re going to have a series of side by side comparisons in terms of ANC, Sound and Call quality. Following that, I will lay out the pros and cons of the Liberty 4 NC versus the others. So now let’s cut to the chase, and quickly compare their active noise canceling.
Active Noise Canceling
In terms of ANC, the Liberty 4 NC actually managed to get pretty close to the AirPods Pro 2 which is surprising, given the huge price difference.
The Air Pro 3 performed pretty well but compared to the other two in this video it wasn’t able to cut as much noise in general.
Listen to the samples here.
(The comparison was done under simulated noisy cafe conditions.)
Call Quality
In quiet conditions the Liberty 4 NC sounded great although it did sound more boomy than the others. (Some of you commented that it sounds too boomy, affecting clarity of voice, and I do agree.) But, in noisy conditions with wind noise, it seems that my voice on the Liberty 4 NC sounded more intelligible than the Air Pro 3. The Air Pro 3 was applying overly-aggressive noise gating in the mid range which fades my voice out at time.
That being said, both the Liberty 4 NC and the Air Pro 3 don’t sound as clean, or as complete as the AirPods Pro 2, whether in quiet or noisy conditions.
Hence, in terms of mic pickup, I will rate these at
1st Place - AirPods Pro 2
2nd place - Liberty 4 NC
3rd place - Air Pro 3
Listen to the samples here.
(I compared their call quality using the same background noise used in the noise canceling test, and some wind noise coming from a fan.)
Transparency Mode
What about Transparency mode? Well, the AirPods Pro 2 has the best transparency, not just among these. It has the best transparency, period. The Earfun Air Pro 3 takes second place to the AirPods, and the Liberty 4 NC takes 3rd place. It’s quite usable in a pinch, but, in my opinion, it’s just not as transparent or as clean as the others.
And now, the sound quality.
Sound quality
Compared to the Earfun, the Liberty 4 NC is a bit more relaxed in the bass region, and the Earfun has bigger curves and spikes in specific parts of the treble range that gives it a brighter tone compared to the Liberty 4 NC.
Some of you may prefer that, but I don’t. I feel that it sounds too sibilant for anything from listening to music or podcasts. I do prefer the more relaxed tonality of the 4 NC, which makes for a less fatiguing listen.
On the other hand the AirPods Pro 2 is a bit softer in the bass, but it has cleaner track separation, broader soundstage, and a fuller sound overall. This makes the AirPods Pro 2 the best sounding to me, followed by the Liberty 4 NC, then the Air Pro 3. Listen to the following sound samples and tell me in the comments what you think.
So what are the pros and cons of the Liberty 4 NC vs the Earfun Air Pro 3?
Liberty 4 NC vs Air Pro 3 - Pros and Cons
Some arguments for the Liberty 4 NC is
its superior noise canceling and mic pickup;
the fact that it’s Hi-Res certified and supports LDAC streaming as opposed to aptX Adaptive;
the Soundcore app is superior to the Earfun app, allowing you to customize its ANC, Transparency and sound in far more ways, with EQ presets, graphic EQ, or HearID sound calibration, which is a feature that auto tunes the buds to the sensitivity of your ears.
By comparison the Earfun app is functional but not as sophisticated. The most I could do about the Earfun’s sibilance is to minimize the 1khz and 8khz band, and it still sounds a bit sibilant.
Earfun Air Pro 2 App Sound Settings
What I do prefer about the Air Pro 3 though, is, number 1, the fit. It just sits in my ears far better. Maybe it’s the size of the buds, but they just feel more snug. Multipoint pairing is also more stable on the Air Pro 3, with no problems switching audio. The 4 NC does have a bit of trouble with multipoint pairing. Sometimes, the audio doesn’t come through when switching devices.
Also the Air Pro 3 supports the latest LC3 codec. To put it simply, with compatible phones it streams audio as good as what we’re getting now but, over lower latency with lower power consumption. And it could potentially support Auracast in future if Earfun decides to bring that to the Air Pro 3. It’s revolutionary, and if you want to know what Auracast does, watch this video below.
Liberty 4 NC vs AirPods Pro 2 - Pros and Cons
The first advantage the 4 NC has over the AirPods Pro 2 (aside from the much lower price), is that Soundcore gives you much more flexibility whether you’re on iOS or Android with the Soundcore App, and the sheer number of ways you can customize its sound.
The AirPods Pro 2 is the weakest here in terms of sound customization. Because of Apple’s big emphasis on “ease of use” it will automatically adapt the sound to your ears. But if you want to customize it in any other way, you only have very limited options on iOS, and no options at all on Android - unless your phone happens to have global EQ settings like the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra.
AirPods Pro 2 Sound Settings on iOS
But, there is a reason why the AirPods Pro 2 are still regarded as top tier earbuds. Its performance is still quite hard to beat in terms of ANC, mic pickup and sound, and especially its transparency.
It still has one of the smallest cases around which makes it extremely portable. And if you want the ability to share your iPhone’s audio with another person, you both need to be using AirPods. It’s one of the main reasons I still keep it in my rotation.
But back to the Liberty 4 NC. Overall the main reason I will choose the Soundcore is its ANC. I can’t think of another pair of buds in the budget range with similar ANC performance, great app, and have decent mic quality. So if those factors are the important to you, you should definitely look at the Liberty 4 NC.
✅ To check the latest prices on Amazon, click on the links below.
Soundcore Liberty 4 NC - https://amzn.to/3rbozQI
Soundcore Liberty 4 - https://amzn.to/3VRyTZg
Soundcore Space A40 - https://amzn.to/3CLFZ9n
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