Anker B0948VB4MY Soundcore by Anker Liberty 2 Pro Upgrade (Open Box)

I think these earbuds do themselves a disservice with the marketing. Every panel of the box and the leaflets inside specifically mention the audio performance, but by presenting these as sound quality focused, borderline audiophile headphones, the manufacturer is writing a check that the drivers can't cash. I compared them primarily to my to AirPods Pro, Beats Fit Pro, and JBL Live 300, all three of which sound very different from each other and yet are all significantly less artificial-sounding and muddy compared to these. Clarity is really where the Soundcore falls flat compared to pretty much all of the semi-decent earbuds/headphones I own. It's like every frequency besides the bass has a veil covering it. The veil can seem thinner or thicker depending on the type of audio you are listening to - for example electronic music without lyrics doesn't sound half bad. On the opposite end of the spectrum, pretty much any punk rock song becomes a jumbled, muddy mess. Regardless, the veil is always there and is quite noticable when comparing them back and forth with any of the good-sounding wireless earbuds mentioned above. I know the Beats and AirPods are in a different price category, but they also have active noise canceling and other features, and I honestly stuck to only comparing them to the Anker Soundcore in sound quality. It's in the name - Soundcore - so if they aren't even comparable to slightly higher-end models in sound, then what's the point. Of the three, the AirPods are balanced with a relatively neutral sound, the Beats Fit Pro are much more exciting and energetic, like a V-shaped Rock EQ setting, and the JBLs are classically smooth and pleasant. The AirPods were my favorite, though I acknowledge that for some listeners their profile may be boring, lacking in bass, or too smooth. But overall I feel they will be inoffensive to the vast majority of listeners, and solid for a wide range of audio applications. The Beats Fit Pro we're my second favorite, with lots more bass (especially deep bass) and treble. They are not as natural sounding as the AirPods, but they are more exciting and arguably more suitable for gym use, their stated purpose. The Beats pull off their big bass with a much much smaller sacrifice in clarity compared to the Anker, so they score points with me there. The JBLs were honestly not far behind the Beats in terms of sound quality despite being a fraction of the price. Like AirPods Pro, I feel they have a sound that most listenets will really enjoy. Their deep bass is not as powerful as the Beats and the clarity is not quite at the level of the AirPods, but overall they sounded great for the price. Unfortunately the earpieces are too large to be comfortable in my ears so they had to go back, but that's an unrelated flaw. So, in conclusion, unless you just needs lots of bass and hate clarity, I don't see a reason to pick the Soundcore. I appreciate that the Anker app allows sound to be adjusted somewhat, but I would rather start with a decent balanced-sounding headphone and apply EQ from there, rather than the opposite. Besides the audio, they are generally well designed and work well, with a couple of things I particularly like and dislike. Likes: 1. Transparency mode. This is rare on earbuds that don't have active noise cancelation, so it's nice to see here 2. Physical button controls 3. The fit is quite secure despite the large earbud size 4. We'll above average battery life Dislikes: 1. Earpieces are on the larger side compared to the average truly wireless headphones. May not work for everyone, especially those with smaller ears 2. The case is also on the larger side and putting the earpieces back correctly takes some getting used to 3. No volume control and the overall control scheme is in my opinion a little less logical than even a cheap JLAB model. However, I appreciate that there's more controls available than with Apple or Beats earbuds If they had significantly better audio performance, or just made less promises on the that front, these could have been a real winner.