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Samsung Galaxy Buds Live vs Samsung Galaxy Buds Plus vs Apple AirPods Pro

Bluetooth headphones, noise cancelling headphones, wireless earbuds

Samsung Galaxy Buds Live vs Samsung Galaxy Buds Plus vs Apple AirPods ProIt took Samsung only 6 months to update and upgrade the Samsung Galaxy Buds Plus (Galaxy Buds +) with the totally new Samsung Galaxy Buds Live.

The added active nosing cancelling (ANC) makes Samsung Galaxy Buds Live a direct and serious competitor to Apple AirPods Pro and Sony WF-1000XM3.

This headphone guide explains the new features and improvements of Galaxy Buds Live (vs Galaxy Buds Plus), and how Galaxy Buds Live stands against Apple AirPods Pro to help you choose a pair of proper wireless earbuds.

Samsung now also offers $200 (MSRP) Galaxy Buds Pro with similar or improved features of Galaxy Buds Live. You may check this guide on the new features of Galaxy Buds Pro (vs Galaxy Buds Live).

Galaxy Buds Live vs Galaxy Buds Plus: the new features of improvements

Galaxy Buds Live share many similar features and controls with Galaxy Buds Plus (Galaxy Buds +).  For example, both buds share the 2-way dynamic speaker system tuned by AKG, 3-microphone array, touch panel control, Spotify integration, Qi wireless charging and wireless PowerShare charging.   The plugins for these two buds in Galaxy Wearables are very similar as well.

But Galaxy Buds Live comes with some improvements and new features that cannot be found in Galaxy Buds Plus.

In this post, we will focus on these differences.

ANC

The No.1 new feature of Galaxy Buds Live is the active noise cancelling (ANC).

Samsung claimed that Galaxy Buds Live received UL Verification for reducing background noise by up to 97% in low-frequency bands.

It is an overstatement, although ANC on the buds is comparable to other wireless earbuds.

In the real world, the top-tier consumer ANC over-ear headphones (e.g., Sony WH-1000XM4, Bose QuietComfort 35)  can reduce about 70-90% background low-frequency noise. Wireless earbuds with ANC normally can only reduce about 40-70% noise.

Galaxy Buds Live adopts the open-type design. The buds do not try to create a sealed environment in the ear canal.  Instead, there are air vents on the buds so that you will feel quite comfortable even if you wear the buds for extended periods.

Most other wireless earbuds with ANC need silicon (or foam) tips to create a sealed space. For example, both Apple AirPod Pro and Sony WF-1000XM3 use silicon tips to help noise cancelling. But for most people, the seal will cause pain and is uncomfortable … Read the rest

What is active noise canceling (ANC)? How active noise-cancelling headphone works?

Bluetooth headphones, Headphone 101, noise cancelling headphones, wireless earbuds

What is active noise cancelling (ANC)? How active noise cancelling headphone works?You need an active noise cancelling (ANC) headphone if you want to block the ambient low-frequency noise, like engine noise in the aeroplane. For example, Sony WH-1000XM (XM1-XM4) series, Bose Quietcomfort series (e.g., 15, 25, 35, earbuds), Apple AirPods Pro, and Samsung Galaxy Buds Live all have ANC.

Active noise cancelling (ANC) is different from noise blocking/isolating, which passively blocks both high and low-frequency noises.

This headphone guide explains what the active noise cancelling (ANC) is and how the active noise cancelling headphone works. It will not only help you understand ANC but also help you choose proper active noise-cancelling headphones.

What is active noise cancelling (ANC)?

Active noise cancelling (ANC, aka active noise control) is a set of audio technologies that actively cancel the ambient noise.

Both the annoying noise and music reach your ear as sound waves transmitted through the air.

So, one simple way to reduce noise is to physically and passively block it. For example, there are many soundproofing materials and technologies.

In the airport, you may notice ground staff are wearing earmuffs to block the engine and other noises. In the shooting clubs, it is also common that earmuffs are used.

Active noise cancelling (ANC),  on the contrary, uses negative sound waves to actively cancel the noise.

This means ANC requires at least three components:

  • Power source.  Active noise cancelling (ANC) always requires a power source to detect and analysis noise and then generate a negative wave.
  • Noise detection. Normally, one or more microphones are used to sample the ambient sound.
  • Anti-noise sound wave generator. Once the ambient noise is sampled, an active noise cancelling (ANC) system must generate an inverted (negative) sound wave (with similar amplitude) to cancel the low-frequency noise.

When the ambient noise is cancelled, you will get a quieter environment for your music.

Active noise cancelling (ANC) is still evolving, especially on how to sample ambient sound, how to analyze the sampled ambient sound, and eventually how to effectively cancel the low-frequency ambient noise in real-time.

Please note,  active noise cancelling (ANC) currently is most effective for low-frequency noise only.

Active noise cancelling (ANC) vs passive noise blocking

As discussed earlier, noise can be “blocked” (passive)  and/or  “cancelled” (active).

Most headphones, in-ear or on-ear or over-ear, can block certain ambient sounds. For example, some in-ear headphones are designed to seal the ambient sound (e.g., Sony … Read the rest