iHeart Radio

iHeart Radio is one of the most popular streaming radio services in the world, with over 250 million monthly listeners. It offers a wide range of music genres, podcasts, and live radio stations, including free Halloween music.

• Halloween Radio
• Haunted House
• Pumpkin Spicy
• Autumn Leaves

Pandora

Pandora is another popular streaming radio service that lets you create personalized stations based on your favorite artists, songs, or genres. It has over 70 million monthly active users.

• Halloween Party
• Family Halloween

LiveXLive

LiveXLive is a streaming radio service that focuses on live music and events. It has over 42 million monthly active users. It offers hundreds of stations across various genres and moods.

• Halloween Party
• Halloween: The Count-Up

Need a Speaker to Play Your Halloween Music?

These speakers have LED lights to create the perfect eerie atmosphere!

Photo by Javier Molina on Unsplash

The post Best Free Streaming Radio for Halloween 2023 appeared first on Technically Well.

These cute, little Ugreen Nexode RG chargers blur the lines between “chargers” and “toys.” Squeezing a 65 watt and even 30 watt charger into a compact cube this small is almost a feat itself, but then “dressing them up” as little robots makes them even more visually appealing and adds more fun to the otherwise mundane task of charging your devices.

Each charger features a black display that dimly lights and reveals the face of the robot while it is in use and charging your devices. The “face” is dim enough to use this on your nightstand without disturbing your sleep, and may actually be difficult to see if you have natural sunlight coming into the room.

The display is limited: only showing a subtle difference (no nose) when charging is completed. Hopefully future iterations will feature more facial designs on even a technical readout of the charging voltage and amperage.

The feet, er, prongs are protected by removable “shoes” that can help protect your bag or luggage from tears that can occur if the prongs were to be exposed. However, these little shoes are also easy to lose, so you may need to pay extra attention to where you sit them.

• The dimensions of the 65 watt version are: 1.8 inches x 1.7 inches x 2.7 inches
• The dimensions of the 30 watt version are: 1.6 inches x 1.4 inches x 2.2 inches

The 65 watt version of the chargers features 2 USB-C ports and 1 USB-A port. When charging, the power gets divvied up as summarized in this graphic from UGREEN:

The 30 watt version only has 1 USB-C port and therefore can only charge one device at a time.

Performance of Ugreen Nexode RG 65 Watt Charger

I tested these chargers against several of my USB-C port-equipped devices and found that it was able to charge all of them at their normal charging wattage.

Apple MacBook Air M1

The Ugreen Nexode RG 65 Watt Charger was able to charge my MacBook Air with 20V.

Nintendo Switch

The Ugreen Nexode RG 65 Watt Charger successfully charged my Nintendo Switch at 15V.

Lenovo 14W Laptop

My Lenovo 14W Laptop (running Ubuntu, if you couldn’t tell :-D) was able to charge with its normal 20V profile with this Ugreen Nexode RG 65 Watt Charger.

Dell Chromebook

The Ugreen Nexode RG 65 Watt Charger supports the Dell Chromebook’s 20V charging profile, allowing it to charge at full speed.

Performance of Ugreen Nexode RG 30 Watt Charger

The 30 watt version of the Ugreen Nexode RG charger was able to support the correct charging voltages, but as is to be expected, it charges a little slower than it’s bigger 65 watt counterpart.

Apple MacBook Air M1

The Ugreen Nexode RG 30 Watt Charger was able to charge my MacBook Air with 20V.

Nintendo Switch

The Ugreen Nexode RG 30 Watt Charger successfully charged my Nintendo Switch at 15V.

Lenovo 14W Laptop

My Lenovo 14W Laptop (running Ubuntu!) was able to charge with its normal 20V profile with this Ugreen Nexode RG 30 Watt Charger.

Dell Chromebook

The Ugreen Nexode RG 30 Watt Charger supports the Dell Chromebook’s 12V charging profile, which isn’t the fastest, but it still gets the job done.

Which Ugreen Nexode RG Charger Should You Buy?

The 30 watt charger is ideal for charging smaller devices like phones, tablets, and slim laptops like the MacBook Air. Also, please note that you can only charge one device at a time with the 30 watt charger’s single port. You’ll want to check the specs of your device (or the original charger) to determine how much wattage it needs.

The 65 watt charger is ideal for larger devices or for charging multiple devices at the same time. For example, the 65 watt charger will charge a MacBook faster than the 30 watt charger. Or you can charge your iPhone, iPad and MacBook at the same time (although, the MacBook will be receiving less than 65 watts when multiple devices are being charged and therefore charge more slowly).

If you’re not sure, you might want to go for the 65 watt charger, as it can handle all the devices that the 30 watt charger can and gives you 3 ports total.

Features

• Thermal Guard: Ugreen has built-in some safety checks, as is common with most modern chargers. This includes prevention measures for overheating, overcharging, and drawing too much current. The chargers are also made with a flame-retardant material.
• Facial expression status display: The robot’s LED face will show eyes and a nose while your devices are charging. The nose goes away when charging is complete.

Tech Specs

30 watt charger

Input: 100-240V ~ 50/60Hz 800mA Max
USB-C Output: 5.0V3.0A/9.0V3.0A/12.0V2.5A/15.0V2.0A/20.0V1.5A/3.3-11.0V2.7A
30 watts max

65 watt charger

Input: 100-240V ~ 50/60Hz 1.8A Max
USB-Cl port (only) output: 5V/3/ 9V/3A, 12V/3A, 15V/3A, :20V/3.25A, 65W Max Output
USB C1 + USB C2 output: PD45W + PD20W (65W)
USB C1 + USB A output: PD45W + QC18W (65W)
USB C2 + USB A output: 5V1.7A + 5V1.7A
USB C1 + USB C2 + USB-A output: PD45W + 5V1.7A + 5V1.7A

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The Soundcore Motion X600 speaker gives off some retro “boombox” vibes from the 80s and 90s with it rectangular shape and built-in (albeit non-foldable) handle. We’re testing the “Lunar Blue” color, which is a pleasing shade of light blue on the metallic finish.

The controls are located across the top and tilted towards you slightly at a convenient 15° angle. The power button is indented, which makes it easier to locate by feel. The rest of the buttons are flat and include these functions:

• Bluetooth: This button places the speaker back into pairing mode, so you can connect a different phone
• Spatial Audio: This toggles the Spatial Audio feature, but you’ll likely want to leave it enabled.
• Bass Up: Another toggle that you will want to likely leave enabled for enhanced bass.
• Volume controls: The – and + buttons decrease and increase the volume.
• Play/Pause button: This button can also skip forward with a double-press and rewind with a triple press

Performance

Soundcore Motion X600 vs Bose Revolve+ II

The Soundcore Motion X600 has excellent sound and gives my Bose Revolve+ II a run for its money. The bass is strong without being overly powerful, but if you find it to be too much, you can turn off the Bass Up feature. The bass isn’t quite as strong as the Bose Revolve+ II, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing: the Bose Revolve+ II almost sounds a little “muddy” with the bass compared to the Motion X600’s Spatial Audio feature.

Soundcore Motion X600 Spatial Audio

The Spatial Audio feature further enhances the higher frequencies, providing some separation for the percussion and vocals for an impressive sound stage. In fact, after listening for a while with the Spatial Audio feature on, turning off will suddenly make your music sound almost anemic, even though this speaker still sounds great with the Spatial Audio feature off. However, please note that this speaker doesn’t specifically support spatial audio formats such as Dolby Atmos Music, but instead provides a sort-of spatial audio “enhancement” for all music.

If you have an Android device compatible with LDAC, you’ll be happy to know that this speaker also supports LDAC for Hi-Res Audio, but I found the “regular” Bluetooth audio streaming from my iPhone to still sound impressive on this speaker.

If you want to tweak the sound some more, the Soundcore app allows you to pick from a handful of pre-built equalizer settings and also gives you the ability to create your own.

The Motion X600 doesn’t have any LED lightning effects (other than the backlit buttons) like the Soundcore Flare 2, but the X600 does get louder with its 50 watts of power (compared to 10 watts on the Flare 2).

Features

• Spatial Audio: Enabling the Spatial Audio feature provides additional separation in your music, making it sound as if the music is surrounding you. You don’t need to use a special audio format; just play your music as normal.
• IPX7 water resistance: This speaker can actually be submerged in water briefly and survive, but just make sure the rubber cover on the back is in place and protecting the charging port. Looking for free music for listening poolside? Check out our list of best free summer stations.
• Built-in mic: The X600 has a built-in microphone, so you can use it to accept a quick phone call.
• Aux input: If you don’t want to use Bluetooth, you can connect an Aux cable (not included) to the Aux port on the back.
• Soundcore app support: The Soundcore app gives you some additional functions, such as customizing equalizer, disabling the voice prompts, and upgrading the firmware.

Battery Life

The Soundcore Motion X600 can last up to 12 hours with the volume around 25% and the Bass Up feature turned off. It takes up to 6 hours to recharge the speaker with a 5V 3A USB-C wall charger (not included).

Video Review

Soundcore Motion X600 Portable Bluetooth Speaker with Wireless Hi-Res Spatial Audio,50W Sound,...

Soundcore Motion X600 Portable Bluetooth Speaker with Wireless Hi-Res Spatial Audio,50W Sound,...

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Pandora

• Study Radio
• Lo-Fi Chill Radio
• Chill Out Radio
• Ambient Radio

iHeart Radio

• Relaxing Sounds
• Starstreams

LiveXLive (formerly Slacker Radio)

• Ambient Dreams
• Chillwave

Spotify

Even if you don’t have a Spotify subscription, you can still shuffle these playlists for free.

• Deep Focus
• Chill Lofi Study Beats

Need some speakers or noise cancelling headphones?

Check out these great products from Soundcore.

The post Best Free Radio for Studying in 2023 appeared first on Technically Well.

The Soundcore Space One features a new “floating-axis” design, allowing the ear cups to rotate in either direction, allowing for a more comfortable fit. I also found the ear cushions to be very soft and comfortable as well. The headphones themselves feel very light and almost too “plastic-y,” which may bring their long-term durability into question. However, the all-plastic design also means that they are very lightweight and very comfortable to wear for extended periods. Our review headphones feature Soundcore’s new Sky Blue color, but the headphones are also available in Jet Black and Latte Cream.

Performance

Soundcore has implemented 40mm dynamic drivers into the Soundcore Space One as well as LDAC for high-res audio. Even without LDAC, the sound quality from the Soundcore Space One is great, with rich bass and strong mids and highs. If you initially don’t like the sound, there are several equalizer options available within the Soundcore app, as well as the ability to perform a “Hear ID” hearing test to create a personalized hearing profile.

Noise Cancellation

Many Active Noise Cancelling headphones focus on cancelling out lower frequencies, like the hum of an airplane. Soundcore designed the Space One headphones, so they cancel out the higher frequencies of human speech. Soundcore claims that this results in 2 times the reduction of voices when compared to Soundcore Life Q30. In their testing, they also found that the Space One performed better in overall noise reduction compared to the Sony WH-CH720 headphones.

I tested these headphones with a news broadcast playing in the background, but found that the Soundcore Space One was not quite as good as the Sony WH-1000XM4 when it comes to people speaking. I also tested them with a white noise machine and found that, like most ANC headphones, they also reduced the sound of it very well.

In addition to voice cancellation, the headphones also include Adaptive Noise Cancellation, as many of Soundcore’s newer headphones do. With this, Soundcore only turns up its Active Noise Cancellation powers when needed by using an outward facing microphone to determine the amount of sound around you. If it isn’t that noisy around you, the Active Noise Cancellation effect is reduced, so you don’t get that underwater effect when you don’t need it.

They also support Transparency Mode, which is an important feature found on many new headphones and earbuds with active noise cancellation. It allows you to hear the sounds around you while listening to music or other audio. This can be useful for situations where you need to be aware of your surroundings, such as walking in a busy street.

Features

• Active and Adaptive Noise Cancellation: As noted earlier, the Soundcore Space One headphones feature effective noise cancellation focused on voices specifically. The amount of Active Noise Cancellation used is also adjusted automatically based on the ambient sound around you.
• Auto-Pause: The headphones will automatically stop playing your music when you remove the headphones. You need to activate this feature first by using the Soundcore app, as it does need a calibration process to be completed.
• Hi-Res Audio: The Space One headphones support LDAC (if your phone supports it) for higher quality sound than standard Bluetooth.
• Hear ID: Like many of Soundcore’s other headphones, the Space One include Hear ID, which can be calibrated to your individual hearing using the Soundcore app. You’ll then have a personalized hearing profile tuned to your ears.

Soundcore Space One vs Sony WH-1000XM4

When comparing the Soundcore Space One to the popular Sony WH-1000XM4, you can find that you get most of the features and longer battery life. The Space One may have fewer microphones for phone calls, but calls still sound fine.

I tested out the Space One’s voice cancellation while watching a news program and found that the noise cancellation wasn’t quite on the same level as the Sony WH-1000XM4. Still, the Space One will get you about 80-90% of the way there for a much smaller price tag.

Battery Life

The Soundcore Space One headphones last up to 40 hours with ANC on (55 hours with ANC off), making them great for charging and long trips. The headphones can be recharged with a USB-C cable, and a quick 5-minute charge can yield up to 4 hours of listening time.

Video Review

Soundcore by Anker, Space One, Active Noise Cancelling Headphones, 2X Stronger Voice Reduction,...

Soundcore by Anker, Space One, Active Noise Cancelling Headphones, 2X Stronger Voice Reduction,...

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The SoundPEATS Air 4 have a similar design to the Apple AirPods 3rd generation, with a larger “oval” that tests directly outside your ear canal. I prefer this style of earbud to those that have a rubber tip that must “seal” inside your ear canal, as the more open design allows you to hear what is going on around you.

The earbuds (and case) have a matte black exterior with bronze highlights for the SoundPEATS logo.

Features

• ANC support: I was surprised to find that these earbuds have Active Noise Cancellation support, given their open design. While these earbuds won’t cancel outside noises like those that completely cover your ears, it does help reduce low frequency “hums” and filter out some light background sounds. However, if you’re going on a prolonged flight or in a noisy environment, you’ll probably want ANC headphones that “seal” into your ear canal or cover your entire ear.
• Multipoint connections: One major upgrade from the SoundPEATS Air 3 earbuds is that the Air 4 support multipoint connections, allowing you to pair the earbuds with both your phone and your computer, for example, at the same time. Here are the steps to accomplish this:
  1. First, pair the earbuds to your phone as normal.
  2. With the earbuds still out of the case, turn off the Bluetooth feature of your phone. The earbuds will automatically go back into pairing mode.
  3. On the second device, go to the Bluetooth settings and pair with the Air 4 earbuds.
  4. Once they are paired to the second device, turn the Bluetooth feature on again on the first device. Both devices will now be connected. In this case, if you’re listening to music on your phone and then a call comes in on your laptop, the earbuds will automatically switch over to the laptop.
• aptX support: If your phone supports the aptX protocol (which is certain Android phones but no iPhones at the time of this review), you can enjoy the enhanced sound quality that aptX provides.
• Single earbud use: You can use just one Air 4 earbud at a time if you want to keep one ear open, or if you’re on an extended conference call and need to charge one earbud while using the other.
• Game mode: The Air 4 earbuds support “game mode” which reduces Bluetooth latency while playing games.

Performance

Like the Air 3, the SoundPEATS Air 4 have great sound quality with strong bass and clear mids and highs. Sound might have been slightly tweaked for the better on the Air 4, but not enough of a difference to recommend ditching your Air 3 if you’re happy with them. The AirPods 3rd generation might have a slight advantage over the SoundPEATS Air 4, but it’s so small that most people probably won’t notice.

The SoundPEATS Air 4 also performed very well for phone calls, picking up my voice clearly. I tested this with my white noise machine playing loudly in the background, and the earbuds successfully filtered out the white noise while letting my voice come through.

SoundPEATS Air 4 vs Air 3

While sound quality has been improved slightly in the Air 4 earbuds over the Air 3, the major new feature in the Air 4 is the multipoint connection support. This allows the earbuds to be connected to both your phone and your laptop at the same time, so if you get a call on either device, the earbuds will automatically switch to that device.

SoundPEATS Air 4 vs AirPods 3

The SoundPEATS Air 4 give you many of the features of the AirPods 3rd generation, and even add Game Mode and light Active Noise Cancellation. Still, the AirPods 3 offer tighter integration with the Apple ecosystem with automatic iCloud Switching and slightly longer batter life. Sound quality between the two is nearly indistinguishable, but I would say the AirPods 3 have a slight advantage.

Battery Life

When listening at about 60% volume, the SoundPEATS Air 4 can last up to 6.5 hours on a single charge. The charging case provides an additional 3 charges, providing over a full 24 hours of listening.

Video Review

SoundPEATS Air4 Wireless Earbuds with Snapdragon Sound AptX Adaptive Lossless, Qualcomm QCC3071...

SoundPEATS Air4 Wireless Earbuds with Snapdragon Sound AptX Adaptive Lossless, Qualcomm QCC3071...

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As our devices have become larger and more powerful, so have their power requirements. Remember those small “lipstick” power banks? They’re difficult to find now!

The UGREEN 145W 25,000mAh power bank is built for those powerful devices with its large 25000mAh capacity and its ability to output a total of 145 watts. It has some weight to it at just over 1 pound, which is something to keep in mind if you plan to carry this around frequently. It could potentially add some extra heft to your laptop bag! Its dimensions are ‎6.3″ x 3.2″ x 1.1″. It looks sleek with its matte, silver-colored finish with an LED display on the side to show you the remaining capacity, which is a lot easier to interpret than the 4 blink LEDs many other power banks use.

Performance

Sure, this can charge your smartphone, but where this power bank really shines is its ability to charge your laptop! It can handle MacBooks with a USB-C port including the MacBook Pro and MacBook Air, and other modern USB-C devices such as the Dell XPS 15 and 13, Nintendo Switch, Steam Deck, and more.

This really comes in handy for both students attending class or professionals attending a conference, for example, where you may be moving from class to class (or session to session) and need a portable method to keep your laptop charged. Therefore, you don’t need to try and be the first person in the room to secure a desk by an outlet. And, thankfully, this power bank has 2 USB-C ports and 1 USB-A port, so you can share it with a friend.

It can also charge smaller devices such as iPhones, iPads, and Android phones. It also supports “trickle charging” (by holding down the power button for 3 seconds) to charge even smaller items like AirPods, Apple Watches, and Bluetooth earbuds which would normally draw so little current that most power banks would think they are done and would shut off.

If you have another USB-C device, you’ll want to refer to the “Technical Specifications” below to verify that the power bank is capable of the voltage and amperage that your device needs to charge, just to be safe. However, the UGREEN 145w power bank seems to conform to all modern charging standards, so I have yet to find a device that does not charge with it. Below are some of the devices I tested.

Apple MacBook Air M1

The UGREEN 145W power bank was able to charge my MacBook Air with 20V.

Nintendo Switch

The UGREEN power bank successfully charged my Nintendo Switch at 15V.

Lenovo 14W Laptop

My Lenovo 14W Laptop (running Ubuntu!) was able to charge with its normal 20V profile with this UGREEN power bank.

Dell Chromebook

The UGREEN 145w power bank supports the Dell Chromebook’s 20V charging profile, allowing it to charge at full speed.

Features

• Two USB-C ports: This power bank allows you to charge two USB-C devices at the same time, although, when you’re charging multiple devices at the same time, the maximum wattage gets split up among the available ports. Please refer to the image below to see how the number of ports in use affects each port’s maximum output.
• “Regular” USB-A port: If you have a charging cord with a rectangular USB connector, you can still make use of this power bank as it has a USB-A port in addition to the two USB-C ports.
• Trickle charge mode: By holding down the power button for 3 seconds, you can activate “trickle charge” mode, which allows device that draw very little current (such as AirPods, Apple Watches, and Bluetooth earbuds) to continue to charge even when most power banks would assume they’re done.
• LED Display: The unit displays a numeric readout of the remaining charge capacity.

Recharging the UGREEN 145W power bank

You can recharge the UGREEN 145W power bank by using the either USB-C port, but USB-C port #1 can accept up to a 65W charge for the fastest recharge (USB-C port #2 accepts up to 45W, but only one can be used at a time). For example, you could use UGREEN’s 65W USB-C charger to recharge the power bank in as little as 2 hours.

Additionally, lower-wattage USB-C chargers will work as well, just at a longer recharge time. For example, if you used a tablet charging brick (generally around 18W), it could take 12.5 hours or more to recharge.

Technical Specifications

USB-C port #1 (marked “100 watts”)

Input: 5V-3A 9V-3A 12V-3A 15V-3A 20-V3.25A 65W Max

Output: 5V-3A 9V-3A 12V-3A 15V-3A 20V-5A 100W Max

Supported input protocols: PD3.0/PD2.0/FCP/AFC/BC1.2/5V Adaptive

Supported output protocols: PD3.0/PD2.0/QC3.0/QC2.0/FCP/AFC/APPLE 5V2.4A/BC1.2/5V Adaptive

USB-C port #2

Input: 5V-3A 9V-3A 12V-3A 15V-3A 20V-2.25A 45W Max

Output: 5V-3A 9V-3A 12V-3A 15V-3A 20V-2.25A 45W Max

Supported input protocols: PD3.0/PD2.0/FCP/AFC/BC1.2/5V Adaptive

Support output protocols: PD3.0/PD2.0/QC3.0/QC2.0/FCP/AFC/APPLE 5V2.4A/BC1.2/5V Adaptive

USB-A port (the regular, rectangular USB port)

Output: 5V-3A 9V-2A 12V-1.5A 18W Max

Supported output protocols: QC3.0/QC2.0/FCP/AFC/APPLE 5V2.4A/BC1.2/5V Adaptive

UGREEN 145W Power Bank 25000mAh Portable Charger USB C 3-Port PD3.0 Battery Pack Digital Display,...

UGREEN 145W Power Bank 25000mAh Portable Charger USB C 3-Port PD3.0 Battery Pack Digital Display,...

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The new Shokz OpenFit headphones continue Shokz’s tradition of letting you enjoy your music while still being aware of your surroundings, but now you can get that with stronger bass.

Design

The Shokz OpenFit headphones somewhat resemble Beats’ PowerBeats headphones in that they are two separate earpieces that “wrap” around your ear. These are similar in style to the OpenRock Pro earbuds we recently reviewed.

Each earpiece is very lightweight (only 8.3 grams), soft, and flexible, so they are comfortable to wear for long runs and walks. However, my ears do get “tired” of them after a few hours, so I don’t know if I could wear these for a whole work day.

Performance

The Shokz Open Fit headphones don’t actually use bone conduction. The earpieces have tiny speakers on them that are directed towards your ear canal.

By doing so, the sound is more well-rounded and bass is greatly enhanced compared to traditional bone conduction headphones, while still keeping your ears open to the outside world. I’m still able to easily hear cars approaching or dogs barking while enjoying my music during runs. They also work great for podcasts, but are less useful in noisy environments such as public transportation or airplanes, where you actually do need to block outside sounds.

Since the speakers are outside your ear, someone else could potentially hear your music or phone calls if you were in a totally quiet room and someone was sitting uncomfortably close to you. But since the tiny speakers are aimed towards your ear, in most environments, it is not possible for someone else to hear what you hear.

The OpenFit earbuds are also great for phone calls as they feature AI Call Noise Cancellation technology, which aids the microphones in eliminating background sounds, so your callers can more easily hear you. I did some test recordings with white noise playing in the background, and the microphones effectively filtered them out. However, it would still sometimes pick up sounds directly in front of me, such as typing on a keyboard.

Features

• IP54 water resistance: While the Shokz OpenFit can resist splashes and sweat, they cannot be submerged in water. Workouts are ok, but taking them in the pool is a no-no.
• Single earbud use: You can use either earbud independently while keeping the other in the charging case.
• AI Noise Cancellation for mics: Since these are open-ear headphones, there is no noise cancellation for listening to music. However, if you make phone calls with the earbuds, the mics will help filter out background noise, so your caller can hear you better.
• Controls: A double-tap on either earbud will play and pause your music. To skip to the next track, hold the touch sensor on the right earbud for 3 seconds. To rewind a track, hold the left earbud for 3 seconds. Unfortunately, you cannot adjust the volume directly on the earbuds; you would need to use your phone for that.
• App connectivity: You can download the Shokz app to adjust the sound equalizer and install firmware updates.

Battery Life

The OpenFit earpieces can last up to 7 hours on a single charge, with the charging case providing up to 28 hours of listening time total. Shokz also notes that a quick 5 minute charge can last up to 1 hour.

Shokz OpenFit Headphones, Black - Black

$179.99

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Last update was on: October 10, 2023 7:18 am

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The Soundcore Liberty 4 NC earbuds themselves look very similar to the original Liberty 4 earbuds, however the case opens differently and is a little bit larger. Instead of a slide cover, it now has a button that automatically open the case. The earbuds are also slightly larger themselves, the most noticeable difference is the longer stem.

The Liberty 4 NC earbuds come in a variety of colors: black, light blue, dark blue, light pink, and white.

Performance

The Soundcore Liberty 4 NC headphones give you the great sound quality of the “regular” Soundcore Liberty 4, but with souped-up Noise Cancellation powers. This is something I’ve definitely noticed while using these earbuds while mowing the lawn: the definitely drowned out the sound of the mower more than my other Active Noise Cancellation earbuds or even some of my over-the-ear headphones.

With the Soundcore app, you can enable Adaptive Noise Cancellation on the earbuds, which automatically adjust the noise cancellation mode based on the noise level around you. You can also chose from the 5 levels of noise cancellation manually, or manually selecting a noise cancellation setting for traveling such as airplane, train, bus or car.

There are two Transparency Modes to select from (”fully transparent” and “vocal”), however, the Liberty 4 NC earbuds do not feature Adaptive Transparency Mode like the Apple AirPods Pro 2.

Soundcore notes that the Liberty 4 NC earbuds are SGS certified and can reduce noise by up to 98.5% compared to other earbuds. It can be difficult to compare how effective noise cancellation because different headphones can be effective at cancelling noise at different frequencies, but here’s a chart of the frequencies that each earbud is best at cancelling.

Besides the noise cancellation features, you still get the great sound quality of the original Liberty 4 earbuds: strong bass, and clear mids and highs. You can adjust the sound with the Soundcore app by selecting one of the pre-built settings (like Bass Booster or Dance), or create your own equalizer settings. The earbuds also feature HearID which performs a hearing test of sorts and creates a custom listening profile for you.

Features

• Adaptive Noise Cancellation: As noted above, the Active Noise Cancellation adapts to the environment and helps offset the sounds around you.
• Auto Play/Pause: The earbuds can automatically pause your music when one is removed from your ear. This can be disabled in the app if you don’t like this.
• Gaming Mode: If you game on your phone, you can enable this feature in the Soundcore app to reduce Bluetooth latency.
• Sound Leak Compensation: When enabled in the Soundcore app, this setting detects if audio is leaking (due to a poor fit) and adjusts the sound output accordingly.
• Dual Connection (multi-point connect): The earbuds can connect to two devices simultaneously (like your phone and your laptop) and automatically switch between the two.
• “Find My” feature: This feature simply plays a chirping tone on the earbuds, but during the beta period, the chirp sound was very low, which is going to make it difficult to find an earbud anywhere but a completely quiet room. Hopefully this gets fixed in a future update.

Liberty 4 vs Liberty 4 NC

So what’s the difference between the Soundcore Liberty 4 compared to the Liberty 4 NC? There are a some features missing from these new earbuds that were present in the original Liberty 4:

• No heart rate tracking
• No head tracking or movie mode for the spatial audio feature
• No CloudComfort ear tips

What’s new on the Liberty 4 NC from the original Liberty 4?

• Mainly, the enhanced environmental adaptive noise cancellation feature is the biggest improvement you’ll see (er, hear?) on the Liberty 4 NC.
• These new earbuds have a “Sound Leak Compensation” setting that helps boost the sound if the earbud detects sound leakage (seal is not tight to your ear)
• There is an additional “Long Press” control on these earbuds that you can customize (to turn Noise Cancellation on/off, for example).
• There is a “Safe Volume” setting on these Soundcore earbuds to limit the maximize volume.

Liberty 4 NC vs AirPods Pro 2

How do the Liberty 4 NC compare to the AirPods Pro 2? You get many of the features of the AirPods Pro 2 for less than half the MSRP price, but there are some important differences. The AirPods Pro 2 have adaptive Transparency Mode (where it will reduce loud sounds when allowing sound to come through), which these Soundcore earbuds do not have this feature.

The AirPods Pro 2 also have head tracking when using spatial audio, so it sounds like the music is coming from your phone even as you move around; the Liberty 4 NC do not have this although the original Liberty 4 did.

Finally, the AirPods Pro 2 is more tightly integrated with the iPhone operating system, allowing you to more easily access the battery life and settings. With the Liberty 4 NC, you’ll need to use the Soundcore app to access the battery information and settings.

Battery Life on the Liberty 4 NC

These earbuds can achieve up to 8 hours on a single charge, and up to 50 hours total when you factor in the recharges from the case.

Video Review of the Soundcore Liberty 4 NC

soundcore by Anker Liberty 4 NC Wireless Noise Cancelling Earbuds, 98.5% Noise Reduction,...

soundcore by Anker Liberty 4 NC Wireless Noise Cancelling Earbuds, 98.5% Noise Reduction,...

$79.99

$99.99

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The post Soundcore Liberty 4 NC Review appeared first on Technically Well.

The SoundPEATS Engine 4 earbuds are designed to fit comfortably and securely in your ears, thanks to the ergonomic shape and three sizes of ear tips. The earbuds have dark gray and silver accents. The charging case follows the same design with a shiny exterior that slides easily in and out of my pockets.

The earbuds sat comfortably in my ears, but did start to become uncomfortable after an hour or so of use, which is common for me with in-ear earbuds. Everybody’s ears are different, so your mileage may vary. There are multiple ear tips included, so you can find the fit that works for you.

Performance

The SoundPEATS Engine 4 continue SoundPEATS’ journey into high quality sound, with support for Hi-Res Audio through LDAC. Just a reminder that LDAC is only compatible with newer Android phones at the time of this video. These earbuds will still work with iPhones, just without hi-res audio. The earbuds also feature coaxial dual dynamic drivers for enhanced sound, and support for Bluetooth version 5.3.

The sound quality on the Engine 4 is very good even without LDAC, with rich bass and clear mids and highs. Music sounds well-balanced regardless of whether you’re listening to pop, rock, or even a podcast.

The earbuds also have a built-in mic that performed well for picking up my voice, but I heard some background noise (presumably wireless interference) in an otherwise quiet room.

SoundPEATS Engine4 vs Opera 05

You may be thinking that that the SoundPEATS Engine4 earbuds look similar to the SoundPEATS Opera 05 earbuds, but the main difference between the Engine4 and Opera 05 earbuds is that the Engine4 do not have Active Noise Cancellation (and, therefore, no transparency mode). They do block some noise given their ear-in design, but not as much as the Opera 05 would on an airplane, for example.

Battery Life

The batteries can last up to 12 hours on a single charge, with the charging case providing another 2.5 charges.

The SoundPEATS Engine 4 are equipped with Bluetooth 5.3 technology that helps save power and ensures stable and seamless connectivity with your devices. They also have an auto-turn off function that saves battery life by turning off the earbuds after 3 minutes of disconnection.

Video Review for SoundPEATS Engine4

SoundPEATS Engine4 Wireless Earbuds, Hi-Res Earbuds with LDAC, Dual Dynamic Drivers for Stereo...

SoundPEATS Engine4 Wireless Earbuds, Hi-Res Earbuds with LDAC, Dual Dynamic Drivers for Stereo...

$59.99

$69.99

in stock

1 used from $57.59

as of September 27, 2023 8:00 pm

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Last updated on September 27, 2023 8:00 pm

The post SoundPEATS Engine4 Review appeared first on Technically Well.