We are entering a new era where headphones from a major manufacturer work best when paired with other devices from the same company. She started a long time ago. AirPods work best with other Apple gadgets, Pixel Buds with Google devices, and so on. We’ve already seen how this close connection unlocked exclusive features: one-touch setup, automatic device switching, head-mounted spatial audio tracking, and more. All of them encourage users to buy headphones within the same ecosystem, so that in the future it will be increasingly difficult to leave it.
But with the Galaxy Buds 2 Pro, things are different. They are amazing no matter what smartphone you have. After more than a week of testing, I came to the conclusion that these are the best-sounding Samsung headphones.
The new model is 15% smaller than the original Galaxy Buds Pro, and both the earbuds and case now feature a matte soft-touch finish. I prefer it over glossy plastic: there are no stains on the case, and the headphones themselves are easier to hold in your hand thanks to a more tenacious coating. In addition, the novelty is lighter (each earbud now weighs 5.5 grams) and has a larger vent on the outside to improve airflow and reduce the unpleasant feeling of stuffy ears. In the days that I have used them, they have proven to be very comfortable and hold securely in my ears. Battery life is completely unchanged from the previous model, with the manufacturer promising five hours of listening with ANC on and eight with it off – plus another 18 or 28 hours through the charging case. This is sufficient autonomy for most situations, but nothing special for 2022. The Buds 2 Pro have the same IPX7 water resistance rating as their predecessors.
It doesn’t take long to conclude that these headphones sound fantastic. With a dual-speaker design and AKG tuning, they outperform the AirPods Pro by two heads – not surprising considering Apple’s headphones are three years old. But they also outperform the excellent Pixel Buds Pro, being closer to my favorite headphones Sennheiser’s Momentum True Wireless 3 and Sony’s WF-1000XM4. They perfectly reproduce sound with such depth and detail that their contemporaries from eminent IT giants cannot match.
Heavy Covenant by The Hold Steady showcases their separation and clarity, giving Craig Finn’s guitars, horns and recognizable vocals plenty of room to breathe. As a diehard 90s music fan, I went back to Counting Crows’ Omaha and the Buds 2 Pro captured the warmth of the accordion and mandolin, giving the drums a natural sound. Returning to modern life with Orville Peck’s The Curse of the Blackened Eye, I was impressed with the wide sound field these headphones provide.
But is this true Hi-Fi sound? More than a week later, I’m still trying to figure this out. Samsung claims that its new Seamless codec (which only works on branded devices) allows the Buds 2 Pro to stream 24-bit/48kHz audio over Bluetooth. But bitrate information is less transparent. By comparison, Sony’s LDAC codec tops out at 990Kbps, which still falls short of lossless CD quality. However, a Samsung representative told us via email that the Samsung Seamless Codec can reach bitrates of up to 2304 kbps, which is indeed high-definition lossless audio quality.
This figure makes me skeptical. It would be a monumental leap over existing headphones, and there’s nothing in the Android developer settings menu to confirm the bitrate details – just the 24bit/48kHz info. High quality streaming works with any Galaxy smartphone running Android 8.0 and One UI 4.0 or later (1.5GB RAM or higher). This is a large number of smartphones, which only adds to the confusion about the bitrate and how Samsung can achieve 2304 kbps. Hopefully this will be cleared up later, but let’s not get lost in the numbers: these headphones really do sound great, as long as you fit them well in your ears. Going forward, they will also support Bluetooth LE Audio, although Samsung hasn’t specified what benefits this will bring.
Active noise cancellation can be described as satisfactory. For example, if you’re not playing music, you’ll hear ambient sounds in a coffee shop – that’s the price you pay for larger vents and increased comfort. But as soon as you turn on any tune, the background disappears convincingly, and you’re unlikely to hear distractions – even at around 30 percent volume. Transparency mode works well, but still doesn’t sound as natural as it does on the AirPods Pro. I don’t know why it’s so hard for companies other than Apple to keep up with this technology even now.
Samsung’s head-tracking spatial audio works exactly as you’d expect it to, changing the soundscape as you turn from side to side. I’m more and more convinced that people either love or hate this feature. Personally, I still enjoy taking advantage of 360-degree audio when watching videos, but I’m still not convinced that this is something worthwhile for music. Samsung’s Galaxy Wearable app (only available for Android) lets you adjust the audio equalizer, but you can’t adjust the noise cancellation—it’s either on or off.
Samsung is still lagging behind in some categories. For example, Google added multi-streaming Bluetooth connectivity and the ability to pair with two devices at the same time to the Pixel Buds Pro, all of which are huge benefits. The best thing that the hero of the review can do is automatically switch between Samsung devices, whether they are laptops, smartphones, tablets, smart watches or even TVs. This might be handy if you’re head over heels in the Samsung ecosystem, but I don’t know anyone who does, and it clearly doesn’t provide the same multitasking convenience as proper multithreading.
Other technologies are openly copied. The Samsung Voice Detect function works the same way as in Sony headphones: when the headphones detect what you are saying, they automatically go into transparency mode and lower the volume for a set time – from 5 to 15 seconds. There are weird features too, like the non-default “neck stretch reminders” that use the headphones to detect if you’ve been hunched over with bad posture for 10 minutes. When this happens, the voice announces: “It’s time to stretch your neck.” However, I left this feature enabled, because I will soon be 38 years old – you know, stooping is unacceptable.
The touch controls can sometimes be too sensitive, so you might want to pause a track while adjusting your headphones. Surprisingly, there’s no auto-pause here, which means tunes or podcasts will continue to play if you take one of the Buds 2 Pro out of your ears. This is a strange omission for headphones at this price, but in practice I was not too disappointed.
Moving on to microphones, the Buds 2 Pro wouldn’t be my top choice for voice calls on board a noisy ferry. But in more traditional, everyday use cases, they do the job. However, Sony’s LinkBuds and Google’s Pixel Buds Pro surpass Samsung’s latest flagship headphones in this metric.
The Galaxy Buds 2 Pro are Samsung’s best wireless earphones: the company has achieved a winning formula for sound quality, noise cancellation and comfort. They work best in the Samsung ecosystem, but work well with other Android devices too. Some will find it disappointing that Hi-Fi audio is limited to Samsung’s own phones. But that’s a preview of where the tech industry is likely headed: Apple’s next AirPods Pro are rumored to support Apple Lossless wireless playback, but only on the iPhone. The walls between the biggest players in the tech industry are getting higher and higher despite the fact that there are still amazing platform independent headphones from Sony, Sennheiser, Jabra and others. Google’s Pixel Buds Pro deserve a close look if you’re a big fan of multi-stream connectivity, but the Buds 2 Pro are Samsung’s best headphones right now.
pros
- Smaller, lighter and more comfortable than the original Galaxy Buds.
- Excellent sound.
- Good noise cancellation.
Minuses
- There is no multithreaded connection.
- 24-bit audio is limited to Samsung smartphones only.
- Microphones could be better.
This is a translation of The Verge review.
Source: Trash Box
Donald-43Westbrook, a distinguished contributor at worldstockmarket, is celebrated for his exceptional prowess in article writing. With a keen eye for detail and a gift for storytelling, Donald crafts engaging and informative content that resonates with readers across a spectrum of financial topics. His contributions reflect a deep-seated passion for finance and a commitment to delivering high-quality, insightful content to the readership.
