Noise Cancelling Earbuds,Soundcore by Anker Life A2 NC Wireless Earbuds Cancelling, ANC Bluetooth with 6-Mic Clear Calls, 35 Hr Playtime, Deep Bass, Fast Charging, Transparency, and App

So starting with the most important category sound..The life A2's default 'Soundcore signature' equalisation is V shaped with recessed mids so vocals are less clear than they should be. Happily the buds work with the Soundcore app that allows customisation of EQ, ANC modes and controls, more about which later and I chose a custom flat EQ for the recordings on my Amazon profile YouTube channel over the EQ preset that is labelled flat but actually boosts mids. For listening I also liked the Acoustic preset.The sound then after EQ is clear with a strong extended and impactful bass, natural mids and an energetic and detailed but not sibilant or harsh treble. Vocals are not quite as clear and detailed as the very best but still very pleasing. At 2:41 of Peter Gabriel's version of Heroes his vocals do not stand proud of the synth and string sounds so much as I would like but are still moving.Moving on to comfort and security of fit the Life's entire body sits inside your outer ear. The physical earbud design is a slug style like the Sony WF-1000XM3 and Anker Liberty 2 Pro though significantly less bulky and heavy with a smaller body and rubber pinna stabiliser and hence has better fit and stability than either of those two.They weigh around 6g per side so not too noticeable and the life a2 has security of fit which is confidence inspiring.The life a2 might make you look like an uber driver but has a much more premium look and feel that innovates its own style rather than doing a bad job trying to imitate something else.The Anker's controls are limited to a 2s hold and double tap. There's no single tap which I would like to have had so only 4 controls in total from play/pause, skip, volume and ANC mode cycling, though one can configure what they do through the app and they work reliability. I changed my hold to control volume up and down and double tap to control skip forward and back, foregoing a touch play/pause and ANC control, which are then available just from the connected device or Soundcore app.With the Life A2 NC there is a reassuring IPX5 sweat and rain proof rating. I'm not a fan of the life a2 clamshell case however which allows you to put the right bud into the left pocket when fumbling to put them away in bed at night for example, which you'll only realise when they don't charge and a low battery warning on your phone wakes you up. When in the right way round discrete white lights appear on the buds themselves and the case also has lights to indicate the remaining charge on both it and the buds.Now the Anker's charging case is big but it's also slim so more pocket friendly though I'm not a fan of the cover over the usb port which for me is just extra hassle removing it when charging.Connectivity was quick and reliable with both with dropouts only starting through a wall and single bud mode working with either left or right earbud and latency not noticeable on YouTube.Battery life is good with 7h from a charge, 35 hours total and quick charge via a sealed USB C socket on the Life. Neither have wireless charging.The mic is also very good on both with both isolating your voice well in a noisy environment.Moving on to Features there is ANC and ambient or transparency mode so you can hear your surroundings with the earbuds in plus their own app for customising controls. The Anker benefits from Anker's Soundcore app which allows you to bake in a frequency equalisation that remains whichever device you then connect to.ANC is good for earphones on both, particularly with low frequencies and on a similar par to the leading ANC earphones and much more effective than some like the EarFun Free Pro. Happily unlike the more expensive Liberty Air 2 Pro ANC does not affect frequency response.In a nutshell then with the Life A2 NC a good clear bass driven sound, once equalised, and good low frequency ANC in a fairly practical and well featured package.Now if you really do want AirPods Pro then another option is to buy refurbished from around £80 however even at that price the £60 Anker Life A2 NC looks like a good alternative especially for Android users and thise who like a fuller bass in their music.If you appreciated this review please mark it as helpful - and if not please click unhelpful twice :-)

Bought this to replace Jaybird 4, which I carelessly lost. My main purpose of the buds was to cut out / reduce the crap and too loud gym music. The Jaybird ear wings are far better at holding the buds in place. Also, Jaybird include silicone as well as rubber ear buds and the silicone gives better grip. The price you pay for noise cancelling,… is volume….or the lack of it and the Soundcore suffers from this. Jaybird app has better manual control and settings of the EQ, but the Soundcore (SC) presets are more than adequate for most genres of music. I had difficulty getting the R unit to stay in my ear at the gym, ( I’m on weights, not aerobics ie. running, cycling etc). Do the units stay in during workouts? You may have seen YouTube reviewers sharing their heads and saying, “yes, they stay in place” However, if you are on the weights, it’s the movement of the jaw line when straining that ejects the ear buds and I had this issue with the right SC earbud. Fortunately, I had some silicone buds left over from the JB’s and that cured the problem. The noise cancelling does work and cuts out the gym crap by about 80%, so not always necessary to turn on the music. My only crib is the lack of volume. On full, it’s just about ok and I’ve tried all the NC options. You may not have this problem. The only drawback with the JB’s was the interconnecting cable, otherwise I would have stayed with them, primarily because of the better earwings. Overall, I’m happy with the SC. No cable, neat case that charges and isn’t too intrusive in the pocket and the NC works in the gym. Though I don’t think it would cut it on an aircraft, ( Bose, over the ears for that). The ‘tapping’ control system ie. volume, skipping and pause works well. More volume would have resulted in 5 stars, but it’s not a deal breaker.£60, U.K. Jan 2022, was a good value price.1.3.22 Review update.The ultimate test of NC isn’t at the gym, it’s ‘In Flight’. Aircraft noise is always difficult to eliminate.Having now done two 4 hrs flights I can confirm the following:First of all, it is essential to ensure a good fit/ seal in the ear.I found that the NC ( without music on) reduced the aircraft noise by about 80% / 90%. That’s probably as good as my Bose NC over the ears set. This makes having a Kip on the plane a lot easier and more comfortable than over the ears. Add a little low volume music and the aircraft noise disappears. So, I have to say I’m impressed with this performance.A previous reviewer stated that he returned his due to one bud failing to generate music. This happened to me. I replaced both buds to the case and closed it,…pressed the Reset button on the underside of the case and all was reinstated. I’m not saying his was the same issue, but it’s worth trying first.Also, like the Jaybird, I found that the quality of music has improved since purchase.These can be improved by,…silicone buds and slightly larger ear wings. Otherwise a good buy.