Design and features:This model has customizable touch controls with play/pause/call answer/end, next track, previous track, noise cancellation on/ambient sound on default settings. Either earpiece can be used alone for one ear monitoring of Bluetooth streamed audio and telephone communications. It has an automatic pause feature - the audio pauses when either earphone is taken out of an ear and restarts when the earphone is placed back in the ear. Supports Apple Siri voice commands when used with mobile devices that has that feature. The noise cancelling level can be adjusted manually or can be set to automatically adjust based on ambient noise. The ambient sound monitoring feature can be switched between full audio range monitoring or vocal range only. The charging/carrying case has a built-in rechargeable battery that the manufacturer claims can be used to recharge the earphone batteries for an additional 40 hrs. of listening time for a total of 50 hrs. (noise cancelling off) or an additional 32 hrs. of listening time for a total of 40 hrs. (noise cancelling on). It can be recharged via USB cable or with optional wireless charging accessories. The free soundcore app download for Apple and Android mobile devices adds additional features and software updates.
Sound quality:We found the Liberty 4 NC delivers excellent active noise reduction and sound quality that falls in the middling range - it reproduces music and voice reasonably well despite the obvious shortcomings in its sound. The overall sound can be summarized as very bassy, somewhat grainy and sizzly. With the noise cancelling mode engaged and the soundcore app equalizer set to soundcore Signature (default) the bass (as in bass drums, bass guitars, stand-up bass, etc.) goes deep but has excessive impact and is very prominent and boomy. The midrange (voices, guitars, horns, etc.) is fairly even but is somewhat grainy, a bit hazy, etched (a bit more sharply outlined then it should be), and sibilant, and depending on the program material can be overwhelmed by the bass. The treble (cymbals, the upper range of violins, etc.) is extended, but depending on the program material can be prominent and sizzly (sounds that should have a delicate shimmer have a sound reminiscent of bacon frying) and a bit smeared. While the sound has a good sense of liveliness and does a decent job of recovering the room ambience of recordings, it is somewhat closed (sound-wise it's fairly obvious you have something plugging your ears). The soundcore App tonal presets and EQ adjustments have a noticeable effect on the sound. These earphones provide excellent noise reduction across the entire frequency range with the low frequencies reduced the most. A faint rushing sound can be heard in quiet environments when there is no audio program to drown it out.
Comfort and Fit:As typical of in-ear models they produce a sense of pressure in the ear canal opening that might be uncomfortable for some.
Small
Users with small ear bowls might find that the earphone body feels a touch bulky in their ear bowl and that they stick out too far and feel like they may lever out of place, but that they will stay in place during casual use and are stable during fairly vigorous head movement.
Medium
Users with medium sized ear bowls will probably find that this model stays in place with no problems for casual use and that they are stable during vigorous head movement.
Large
Users with large sized ear bowls will probably find that this model stays in place with no problems for casual use and that they are stable even during fairly vigorous head movement.
Incidental contact with the touch controls can cause unintentional playing and pausing, and hitting the stem that hangs out of the ear can knock an earphone loose and cause it to fall out of the ear.
