Meet Soundcore, a young brand that claims premium sound for down to earth money. Introductory promising, for a flagship novelty Liberty 3 Pro with two drivers, adaptive noise reduction and LDAC codec they want 15 thousand rubles. Tempting, but let’s get into the details.
Design and ergonomics
The shape of the case reminded me of sea pebbles cut with water. One sharpened edge with a silver accent is still there, it is needed to open the lid. The case is entirely made of semi-matte plastic and feels very light for its size. The material is wear-resistant, for two weeks of constant wearing in the pocket, scratches did not appear even on the chrome logo. I got the gray version, which is actually closer to a very delicate blue. Also in the presence of black and white classics and no less unusual purple.
The case has something to surprise: the lid does not open, but moves on a spring-loaded slider. A pleasant door closer facilitates movement in both directions. There are no extraneous backlashes, the mechanism feels no less reliable in comparison with a conventional lid. Opening is possible with one hand, you just need to get the hang of it.
Headphones are not easy to take out of the case. The only possibility is to gently pinch the silicone calipers or ear pads. With the return of the plugs back, everything is much easier, it is enough to “throw” them in the bath with the right side – the magnets will do the rest of the work.
The interior is glossy, which makes the charging LEDs look even more impressive.
Before using the headphones, you must select the appropriate ear pads, they are not included out of the box. A total of 4 sizes to choose from, from very small to very gigantic. Silicone earpieces of a standard shape, although in the kit you would like to see silicone Christmas trees and foam ear pads. The fit can be additionally adjusted with silicone calipers, which are also available in 4 sizes.
The plugs themselves are large enough and protrude noticeably from the ears. Despite this, the weight of each does not exceed 5.9 grams. The fit is secure also thanks to the additional calipers. The only caveat: the cap presses and lubricates the fit. Visually, the dimensions are played up with a changing shape so that, in general, the headphones look harmonious. Technically, the dimensions are justified by the large acoustic chamber with two speakers and the need to move the antennas out of the ears for stable reception.
Connection and management
The high-performance LDAC codec is not often found in fully wireless headphones, this is one of the Liberty 3 Pro chips. The app has a choice of priority for sound quality (LDAC codec) or connection stability (AAC codec), in both cases day-to-day use is bypassed.
The Soundcore app is available for Android and iOS. Its installation is mandatory, as the Liberty 3 Pro has many useful settings and personal adaptations to improve the sound quality. They are all stored in the headset memory. The main screen is a convenient showcase without unnecessary submenus. The translation is inaccurate in places, but these are uncritical trifles. An obvious inconvenience is the need to create a meaningless Soundcore account, since the application does not store statistics.
Each earbud has a touchpad with full customization of all actions. Tap once, double, triple, and hold are individually configurable for each side. Perhaps this is the most successful scheme in which you can cover all possible actions, including adjusting the volume. Optical presence sensors work flawlessly: pulling out the earphone pauses, returning it continues playback.
Sound and microphone
The Liberty 3 Pro uses a dual-speaker hybrid design. The dynamic driver covers the mid and low frequencies, while the armature driver is responsible for the high. The hybrid circuit is familiar to audiophile plugs, but only Soundcore has achieved a coaxial position for correct sound transmission without displacement. It is the gorgeous detailing and layering that sets the new product apart from the competitors. Paired with good codecs, the headphones, one might say, reveal long-familiar compositions in a new way.
Another advantage of the hybrid design is flexibility. The app has 3D effects, profiles for every taste and the ability to customize the 8-band equalizer – the changes noticeably affect the sound. What I liked the most is the individual HearID profile. Its creation takes no more than 5 minutes and consists in checking the audibility of the left and right ears of different frequencies. The result is a very balanced sound with no excess of high or low frequencies. You don’t want to switch back to the standard equalizer at all.
During a call on the phone through the Liberty 3 Pro, the interlocutors noted the rich sound. The voice is not flat, there are no compression artifacts inherent in Bluetooth headphones. If we talk about conversations on the street, the noise from the wind and cars gets on the recording, but does not dominate the voice – the speech remains the same rich. In a very noisy environment, for example, in an old subway car, extraneous sounds are compared in volume to the voice, but do not interfere with intelligibility.
Noise reduction and permeability
The Liberty 3 Pro features adaptive noise cancellation that can be personalized to suit your hearing. The intensity changes automatically based on ambient noise or manually, there is a noticeable difference between the three modes. The system does an excellent job, including in the subway – almost imperceptible high-frequency hiss remains from the noise of the carriage. In slightly less difficult conditions, noise cancellation works out even cleaner. Tears, cracks and other unpleasant interference were not noted.
The permeability mode seemed to me not effective enough. Despite the presence of a profile with a focus on the voice, in stores every now and then you have to ask the seller again or even pull out one of the plugs. By the way, both noise reduction and transparency work only in stereo.
Autonomy
The manufacturer claims 8 hours of music playback without specifying details. In fact, the Liberty 3 Pro worked exactly 5 hours and 55 minutes at medium volume with LDAC codec and noise cancellation in a moderately quiet room. Both earbuds turned off almost simultaneously at intervals of no more than 10 seconds, although low battery was reported at different times. The first message appeared 45 minutes before the left one was turned off, there were 4 notifications for each. This is a plus, detente did not come as a surprise. The only caveat, in the application, the charge level is displayed with uninformative sticks. A slightly detailed charge is indicated in the Bluetooth settings – in 10 percent increments.
The case’s battery can be replenished via USB-C and comes with a nice long cable. The presence of wireless charging was a pleasant surprise.
Review after a month of use
I will repeat my own question from the beginning of the review. Is a young and ambitious company capable of achieving better sound and noise reduction than the old-timers of the market? Yes, Soundcore has managed to deliver great sound and effective noise cancellation that rivals established brands. No serious flaws were found during testing. You should only quarrel about the permeability regime and large dimensions. However, these little things are covered by the benefits. As a result, Soundcore Liberty 3 Pro can be recommended for purchase with full confidence.
In my personal rating, the new product bypasses similar Sony WF-1000XM4 plugs for several reasons. First, they have a more interesting sound with very flexible settings and useful adaptations. Second, the touchpads are fully customizable. And the cherry on the cake is a lower price, 15 thousand rubles is a great offer.
Pros:
- unusual format with a slider cover;
- Beautiful colors;
- two-driver architecture;
- personal HearID sound profile;
- full touch control;
- stable operation of the LDAC codec;
- effective noise reduction
- convenient application with a lot of settings.
Minuses:
- poor audibility in permeability mode.
May not like:
- large plugs protrude strongly behind the ears;
- lack of foam tips included;
- the need to create a Soundcore account.
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.
