Soundcore Liberty 4 NC vs Liberty 3 Pro Review - Better ANC For Real?😲
Today we’re going to compare the Soundcore Liberty 4 NC to the Liberty 3 Pro.
I used to daily drive the 3 Pro because at that time, it was a great value proposition. It has powerful noise canceling with great sound, and it was one of the only few earbuds that had multipoint pairing with hi-res wireless certification. This was rare in 2021.
If, right now, you can’t decide whether to get the newer 4 NC or the 3 Pro (which still looks attractive because it’s still available on Amazon, usually at a discount) or perhaps you have the 3 Pro already and are wondering if the 4 NC is a good replacement, read on because we’re going to compare their call quality, noise canceling and sound. And after that I’m going to talk about the pros and cons of each compared to the other.
(I’ve also got links to them below should you want to check their latest prices.)
First, let’s compare their...
Active Noise Canceling
Testing them under simulated noisy cafe conditions, the Liberty 4 NC does cancel more noise especially in the midrange, which affects the canceling of peoples voices. But of course, you do have use the right size of tips to prevent leakage. Listen to the samples here.
Call Quality
Comparing their call quality in both quiet and noisy conditions, using the same cafe noise and some wind noise from a fan, I think the 4 NC sounds much better in quiet conditions, my voice sounded fuller. In quiet conditions though, it’s quite comparable to the Liberty 3 Pro. The 3 Pro cuts more background noise, but my voice sounded louder and fuller on the 4 NC. Listen to the samples here.
Transparency Mode
For transparency mode, the Liberty 4 NC’s quite similar to the 3 Pro in terms of the volume of passthrough and how much detail is being amplified. Usable, but not as transparent compared to the Space A40 or Liberty 4.
Sound Quality
It’s important to note that the Liberty 3 Pro is, by design, a very different pair of earbuds. These are earplug style, so it locks in and provides much better sealing than AirPods style buds like the 4 NC. This does have an impact on sound quality.
So which of them sounds better?
If you like more texture, extension and punch in your bass, the Liberty 3 Pro is better for that. Although the frequency sweeps show that the Liberty 4 NC’s bass is louder, due to the way the 3 Pro plugs into your ears, this sort of compensates, and you do get more gravity and thump as a result. You’re also going to get more airiness in the soundstage compared to the 4 NC since the 4 NC rolls off the treble above 15 khz.
But what I don’t quite like about the 3 Pro’s sound is its brightness in the 4 khz range. It seems to give hi-hats and cymbals too much sibilance, such that I have to correct it in settings to make it sound smoother, whereas by default, the 4 NC sounds less sizzly, more non-fatiguing. Listen to the following sound samples with earbuds to hear the difference better.
Why choose Liberty 3 Pro?
So why should you choose the Liberty 3 Pro over the 4 NC? First we need to note that the Liberty 3 Pro was Soundcore’s main flagship, so it has the more premium packaging and build quality. And it also has special coaxial drivers as opposed to the Liberty 4 NC’s single driver setup.
So being offered at the current price (just a bit more than the 4 NC) makes the Liberty 3 Pro seem like much better value. For me the biggest reasons to choose the Liberty 3 Pro over the 4 NC is the fit and sound. It locks in more bass, and with the provided rubber sleeves it stays in better for more vigorous activities.
Why choose Liberty 4 NC?
Reasons to get the Liberty 4 NC over the 3 Pro?
Its active noise canceling is more powerful once you get the right fit, its battery life is much better**, and It’s got game mode which reduces latency for smoother gaming, something that’s absent from the 3 Pro.
** Battery life
Liberty 4 NC - Up to 10 Hours in buds, up to 50 with case
Liberty 3 Pro - Up to 8 Hours in buds, up to 32 with case
And there is one more thing. Previously I brought up that the 4 NC’s multipoint connectivity is spotty, that they’ve got some problems switching audio playback between devices. That problem has been rectified through a series of updates, and now it connects and plays audio from both sources seamlessly, whether it be from iOS, Android or PC. This makes it easier to recommend the 4 NC on top of all the reasons that I mentioned before.
Overall, both the Liberty 4 NC and 3 Pro are very compelling options. It really depends on what matters more to you. Sound, fit, ANC or battery life. What do you think? Leave your comments below.
✅ To check the latest prices on Amazon, click on the links below.
Soundcore Liberty 4 NC - https://amzn.to/3UG0vlx
Soundcore Liberty 3 Pro - https://amzn.to/3Wmnq6H
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