Soundcore Liberty 4

Design and features:

This Bluetooth wireless noise canceling portable ear insert model provides good sound and excellent active noise reduction. Its ear plug-like design and electronic noise canceling feature reduce both outside noise and sound leaking out into your environment. The Liberty 4 has a volume control plus an integrated microphone and player function controls. Additional features include - either earpiece can be used alone for one ear monitoring of Bluetooth streamed audio and telephone communications. Charging/carrying case has built-in rechargeable battery that the manufacturer claims can be used to recharge the earphone batteries for an additional 19 hrs. of listening time for a total of 28 hrs. (ANC off) or 17 hrs. of listening time for a total of 24 hrs. (ANC on). Can be recharged via USB cable or with optional wireless charging accessories. soundcore app download for Apple and Android mobile devices adds additional features and software updates. Heart rate sensor in ear bud can be read in app. Mfr. claims HearID feature can be used to adapt the noise canceling feature to fit the user's unique ears and hearing. Ambient monitoring mode can be set for full ambient monitoring or for ambient monitoring focusing on the vocal frequency region. Has touch controls; default settings are play/pause/call answer/end, next track, previous track, noise cancellation on/ambient sound on. Has automatic pause feature - pauses audio when either earphone is taken out of an ear; audio automatically restarts when the earphone is placed back in the ear. Supports Apple Siri voice commands when used with mobile devices that has that feature. Has quick charge feature: 15 min of charging will provide 3 hrs. of playtime. Bluetooth connected Apple mobile devices using iOS Version 5 and above will show the battery level. The soundcore app download for Apple and Android mobile devices can be used to adjust the tonal balance of the earphones using tonal presets, custom EQ, switch between noise canceling on/off and ambient monitoring, customize the headphone touch control functions, enable/disable automatic pause feature, check battery levels, and update firmware. The Liberty 4 comes with 4 pairs of ear pieces in various sizes, USB-A to USB-C connector charging cable, charging cradle/recharger battery/carrying case, Simple Owners Manual/Warranty Booklet.

Sound quality:

We found the Liberty 4 delivers sound quality that falls in the good range - it reproduces music and voice reasonably well despite the obvious shortcomings in its sound and excellent active noise reduction. With the noise cancelling mode engaged and the soundcore app equalizer set to soundcore Signature (default) the bass goes deep but has excessive impact and is very prominent and boomy, and with some program material can sound a bit "warbly". The midrange (voices, guitars, horns, etc.) is fairly even but the upper midrange is a bit prominent; overall it is somewhat grainy, hazy, and overwhelmed by the bass. The treble (cymbals, the upper range of violins, etc.) is extended but is 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, it is closed (sound-wise it's obvious you have something plugging your ears) and it does a decent job of recovering room ambience. Mixed character - warm bass with neutral midrange and cool treble. The overall sound can be summarized as somewhat grainy, sizzly, and very bassy. The soundcore App tonal presets and EQ adjustments have a noticeable effect on the sound. Noise Canceling: Excellent noise reduction across the entire frequency range with the low frequencies reduced the most. Orientation changes the noise reduction characteristic - when the noise is coming from the front a bit more high-frequency noise can be heard relative to when it's coming from the side or rear. A very 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. Users with small ear bowls might find that the earphone body feels a bit 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. Users with medium and larger sized ear bowls will probably find that this model stays in place with no problems for casual use and that they are very stable even during vigorous head movement. Incidental contact with the touch controls can cause unintentional playing or pausing unless the single tap touch control mode has been disengaged using the soundcore app. Hitting the stem that hangs out of the ear can knock an earphone loose and cause it to fall out of the ear.

The soundcore by Anker Liberty 4 portable Bluetooth wireless noise canceling earphones have a isolating ear insert design. These iPod/cellphone-centric earphones can be used with the noise canceling feature turned on or off, and are intended for use with iPods, iPads, some other cell phones, as well as standard audio devices. The earphones have an inline microphone and inline remote with and integrated volume, music player function, and call connect/disconnect controls. Additional features include either earpiece can be used alone for one ear monitoring of Bluetooth streamed audio and telephone communications. Charging/carrying case has built-in rechargeable battery that the manufacturer claims can be used to recharge the earphone batteries for an additional 19 hrs. of listening time for a total of 28 hrs. (ANC off) or 17 hrs. of listening time for a total of 24 hrs. (ANC on). Can be recharged via USB cable or with optional wireless charging accessories. soundcore app download for Apple and Android mobile devices adds additional features and software updates. Heart rate sensor in ear bud can be read in app. Mfr. claims HearID feature can be used to adapt the noise canceling feature to fit the user's unique ears and hearing. Ambient monitoring mode can be set for full ambient monitoring or for ambient monitoring focusing on the vocal frequency region. Has touch controls; default settings are play/pause/call answer/end, next track, previous track, noise cancellation on/ambient sound on. Has automatic pause feature - pauses audio when either earphone is taken out of an ear; audio automatically restarts when the earphone is placed back in the ear. Supports Apple Siri voice commands when used with mobile devices that has that feature. Has quick charge feature: 15 min of charging will provide 3 hrs. of playtime. Bluetooth connected Apple mobile devices using iOS Version 5 and above will show the battery level. soundcore app download for Apple and Android mobile devices can be used to adjust the tonal balance of the earphones using tonal presets, custom EQ, switch between noise canceling on/off and ambient monitoring, customize the headphone touch control functions , enable/disable automatic pause feature, check battery levels, and update firmware. The Liberty 4 comes with 4 pairs of ear pieces in various sizes, USB-A to USB-C connector charging cable, charging cradle/recharger battery/carrying case, Simple Owners Manual/Warranty Booklet and is covered by a 18-month parts/18-month labor warranty.