Edifier NeoBuds Pro

amazon Edifier NeoBuds Pro reviews

About two months ago, I accidentally saw an advertisement on Facebook about a new product from Edifier audio company called NeoBuds Pro, with the introduction line “World’s First True Wireless headphones with Hi-res standard” along with active noise cancellation for only about 130 USD.

The fundraising program of this pair of headphones was also quite successful; at the time of the end, there were 4641 participants and collected HK$4.2 million, equivalent to about US$548,600. Some technology sites that received this product early also praised it, even calling it a “flagship-killer” for Samsung, Apple, and Sony.

Fortunately, recently some stores in the country announced that they had received this product. Of course, I can’t miss the opportunity to contact me to be used in practice, to see how such a popularly advertised pair of headphones is.

Despite being a compact pair of True Wireless headphones, NeoBuds Pro is placed in a large box like a full-size headset.

Catching the most visibility on the box is the “gold stamp” Hi-res, one of the features that the company advertises the most on NeoBuds Pro.

The inner box has its logo printed with the number 25. Edifier was established in 1996; the launch of headphones is also to mark 25 years of its presence in the market.

In the box, a thick layer of foam that looks like a sound sink in the studio. In this case, probably to keep the headphones from getting scratched during transportation.

Opening the box, we first see the charging box of the headset and a set of colorful rubber cushions.

Other accessories in the box include a short USB Type-C charging cord and a cloth bag for carrying headphones and other accessories.

Most pairs of True Wireless headphones on the market, including the high-end segment, usually only come with three rubber pads; NeoBuds Pro is “better” with seven sets of different sizes and colors.

These earpads remind me of the MDR-EX1000, a pair of Sony wired headphones that also come with colorful pads like these. The product page also says that they are made of antibacterial rubber; I probably have to believe it because there is no way to test the effectiveness of this feature.

The charging box of this pair of headphones has a pretty good finish, with the plastic part being slightly lumpy to not stick to fingerprints. On the top is stylized with a piece of scratched aluminum with the company’s logo.

I prefer smaller boxes that can fit in any pocket, but the NeoBuds Pro box can’t be said to be too big. Perhaps making the box smaller will also “waste” the battery and affect the usage time. Talking about the battery, this pair of headphones can listen to music continuously for 6 hours, up to 24 with the charging case, down to 5 / 20 hours when active noise cancellation is on.

The USB Type-C port is pushed back a bit inward, presumably so that the cord fits snugly into the box when plugged in.

Another aesthetic element in the box is that the lid is integrated with an LED strip, signaling each time the headset is opened and inserted.

The design language of the box is also continued in the earpiece. The outside of the ear has a gray strip with the company’s logo, which seems to be made of plastic instead of metal like the shell to avoid reducing wave transmission quality.

The outside has a fairly large microphone to serve the external recording of the active noise cancellation feature ANC. Despite such a large microphone hole, the ear still has IP54 water and dust resistance standard, so we can rest assured when using it to exercise.

The interior design of the NeoBuds Pro has similarities with the AirPods Pro pair, except that the sound pipe is made a bit longer.

That isn’t the most comfortable True Wireless pair I’ve ever used; the title goes to the Samsung Galaxy Buds 2. But when you’ve chosen the right cushion and worn it in the right direction, the ear still feels tight and comfortable. Comfortable at a good level, I have no complaints in this regard.

To learn the features of NeoBuds Pro, we will download the Edifier Connect application on smartphones. That is a fully developed application, allowing to turn on and off active noise cancellation mode quickly, switch listening to the environment, adjust Equalizer, turn on Game Mode (reduce delay), adjust touch operations, turn on and off. Hi-res, update the headset software, and provide quick control widgets right on the home screen.

Here I found a feature drawback of NeoBuds Pro: the touch panel on the outside has only two operations on each side (to control a total of 4 functions), which is double-tap and triple-tap, no press once hold.

That may avoid when we put our hands up to adjust the ears; they will mistakenly receive a click, which I have also encountered in other headsets with touch controls. The amount of manipulation will be reduced, we will have to choose a number to use on the ear, and some will be controlled through the widget on the device. Depending on the usage of each person, this will be a small or a big disadvantage.

There is a feature in the software during use: CODEC Bluetooth high-quality LDAC (usually found on Sony products), but it cannot be used. After about two days, I received the software update notification and officially used it.

We will discuss the two certifications in the audio transmission of NeoBuds Pro, LDAC, and Hi-res. According to the options inside the application, these two standards allow playing 24-bit/96kHz music with the highest bitrate of 900Kbps.

These numbers will not actually “automatically” make any song better, but also have to see the quality of the music source. If you play MP3 or stream online via Spotify, Apple Music (the normal type is not Lossless), turning on these features is zero. Therefore, only when you use a music source that achieves these parameters, LDAC and Hi-res will take effect.

The final music quality still depends a lot on the quality of the speaker drivers of the headphones and whether you have enough “hearing” to see the difference. But with the above standards, what NeoBuds Pro brings is the guarantee that the quality of music from the source to the headphones is the highest, those who are careful about this will no longer have to worry.

Another feature that Edifier talks about a lot is active noise cancellation. It is not unusual for a pair of headphones in the price range of less than $140 to own ANC so far. However, each company has a different approach; Edifier gives users the option of noise reduction intensity in 2 steps and medium and high.

On average, NeoBuds Pro has a moderate quality of blocking outside noise, making everything “quiet,” When the music is turned on, it is almost completely gone. But at a high level of noise cancellation, the intensity is significantly increased; without turning on music, it is difficult to hear outside sounds; in return, the pressure on the ears will also be higher. That is a good way to apply; we can customize ANC to suit different cases instead of “switching” at a single level.

There are quite a few technologies for auxiliary features. Even the NeoBuds Pro sound reproduction is quite “modern” when using a hybrid driver system (Hybrid), with a traditional Dynamic for the bass range and a Balanced Armature from Knowles for mids and highs. The Hybrid membrane system is currently quite popular in True Wireless pairs but is often found on more expensive pairs of headphones like the Noble Falcon Pro we learned last time.

In terms of sound quality, NeoBuds Pro is not surprised to still follow the V-shape sound direction of many True Wireless headphones today, a sound style that is said to be loved by most users. But with this pair of headphones, the “V-shape” nature is more pronounced than the Samsung Galaxy Buds 2 pair, the bass and high ranges are boosted and are more inclined to play exciting music than sound direction listens to junk.

This type of sound, when choosing suitable songs like Through Money by Raccy, will create a very vibrant and energetic atmosphere. The bass has a very thick volume; it can catch the listener’s attention immediately each time. NeoBuds Pro’s ability to control the bass range stops at an average level, so this band will not break immediately but last a bit.

Similar to that is the high sound range, which is pushed up quite strongly to perfect a dynamic, “electronic” sound quality. NeoBuds Pro’s highs are close to sibilance, but only with poorly recorded music; it reaches bright and sharp levels in most of the songs I listen to, not reaching the jarring threshold, uncomfortable.

As usual, V-shape headphones will have a weak point in the mid-range. NeoBuds Pro shows that this band is not “bad,” but it has not come yet to say that it stands out and shines between the other two quite strong sound bands. The singer’s position in the song also depends on whether the bass (drums, cello) is strong or not because the bass range of NeoBuds Pro also has a slight bleed phenomenon.

We can still improve the midrange with EQ right inside the application that the company provides. Still, with the default sound quality, I will use NeoBuds Pro with Pop, Electronic music, and Vocal songs with the vocalist must be Pushing higher will not be the strength of this pair of headphones.

Is it worthy to stand in the way of the big guys?

It is a fact that no matter how good the True Wireless headsets appear in the market, the products of major technology companies still have 2 “secret weapons” that make them invulnerable. First is the brand issue, Edifier is a company that has been on the market since 1996 and is famous for its speaker products, but it isn’t easy to compare with Apple, Sony or Samsung when it comes to brand identity.

The second is the close compatibility with the ecosystem of each company. AirPods Pro can quickly connect and then switch “smoothly” between iPhones, iPads, and MacBooks; the same goes for the Galaxy Buds 2 for Samsung Galaxy products. Therefore, Edifier NeoBuds Pro can hardly become a “Flagship-killer,” completely replacing these products as technology sites evaluate.

On the contrary, when evaluated objectively, this must be said to be a pair of headphones that offer a high-end experience compared to its price range thanks to “what features are needed to have that feature,” good finishing and quality, high dynamic sound. Edifier NeoBuds Pro and EarFun Air Pro 2 are pairs of headphones that make the audio market in general and True Wireless, in particular, more exciting than ever.

where can you get a Edifier NeoBuds Pro online

Edifier NeoBuds Pro Hi-Res Earbuds – Hybrid Active Noise Cancelling – with LDAC: Buy it now