Edifier NeoBuds Pro 2 Multi-Channel Active Noise Cancellation Earbuds with Spatial Audio, Hi-Res Sound, LDAC & LHDC, AAC, 8 Mics for Clear Calls, Bluetooth 5.3, Fast Charging, App Customization, Ivory

Before purchasing the Edifier NeoBuds Pro 2 earbuds, I read quite a few online reviews from professional resources. A few of the reviews indicated that these particular offerings from Edifier were a bit bright, with the balanced armature providing overpowering high end notes that needed tamed using the EQ adjustment within the Edifier Connect app. In fact, one reviewer used the words "physically painful," which was concerning indeed. Having read this a few times across a few different reviews, admittedly I was concerned, but chose to purchase them anyway. As an audiophile with many years of experience researching and auditioning audio gear, I've learned that audio preferences is such a personal choice.Bottom line here based on my audition of these hi res earbuds is that they are in fact (nearly) perfect, or as nearly perfect as a set of hi res bluetooth earbuds can be. Unlike the reviews I read, I found the musicality of the Neobuds Pro 2s to be quite faithful to the original artist's intent. I listened to four different albums across a spectrum of music genres, all streaming from Tidal in that service's "Max" mode (192kHz, 24 bit FLAC). After listening to a selected track or album, I then listened to the same track/album on my media equipment (Emotiva Preamp/Processor, Emotiva 5 channel amplifier, Aerial Acoustics speakers, and connected with a balanced audio interconnect to a HiBy hi res DAP/DAC). Don't get me wrong here, I'm not at all suggesting that these earbuds can compete with the likes of a full-scale audio setup, but what I am saying is that I found the earbuds reproduction of the highs, mids, and lows to be very sonically accurate, well balanced with excellent sound stage, and not at all bright as some reviewers suggested they would be.Additional positive elements I've noted about these earbuds in the short time that I've owned them is they come with some great features, one in particular that is quite novel and appreciated, but do lack a feature that's become increasingly common place. On the positive side of things, the great features include outstanding noise cancelling capability, streaming in LDAC and Spatial Audio, battery life that is second to none (again I've listened to four complete albums streaming in hi res, and have the earbuds set to their LDAC mode, and I'm still in the mid to low-90 percent battery life range on both buds), and although some may not care for it, a great feature within the app that allows the user to change the LED color on the case. I really appreciated the personalization offered by something as simply as changing the LED color, and have never owned a set of bluetooth earbuds that offered a similar feature.On the not-so-positive side of things - Edifier, no wireless charging, really? At the $130 price point the lack of this feature is a bit unforgivable. Additionally, similar to the Samsung Galaxy Buds Pro 2, and even the SoundCore Liberty 4 Pros, the inclusion of fixed Spatial Audio would've been appreciated. I enjoy Spatial Audio, but I prefer a fixed listened experience, vice dynamic head tracking, which is the only listening mode available on the Neobuds Pro 2s. Luckily, the outstanding sound quality, the first and foremost job of any set of headphones, wired or wireless, coupled with LDAC and Spatial Audio streaming, outstanding noise cancellation, excellent battery life, integrated Edifier Connect app, and the novel LED feature, help me get over my disappointment of the lack of wireless charging. And I was able to snag the buds while they were on sale, putting my spend at just above $100, which at that price point softens the blow from the lack of wireless charging considerably.The Edifier NeoBuds Pro 2s are a great choice for those looking for a new set of Bluetooth earbuds capable of streaming in hi res (Android only - Apple users, sorry, take it up with them on why they don't want to pay royalty fees to the likes of Sony and Qualcomm). You get a lot of bang for your buck in a set of outstanding sounding earbuds that simply don't disappoint. Like me, read the online reviews for these sure, but be open-minded about what you read until you have an opportunity to audition them yourself. From a sound quality perspective I think you'll find these earbuds to be among the very best offerings in the hi res Bluetooth earbuds market to date. As for things like the lack of fixed vs. dynamic head tracking for Spatial Audio streaming, hopefully that's just a firmware update away from being offered in future.

I have had these for a few months - however, my first pair ended up failing on me (the left earbud went muddy and dropped the highs, which probably was due to the balanced armature driver malfunctioning), and since it was under warranty Edifier replaced it. The replacement process was fairly painless, after some slight back and forth (they wanted me to make a video of the earbud sound to understand the issue, which would not show on a video of course - as it was only a sound quality issue, not a complete dropoff). Regardless, after that they replaced it without any concerns, and the new pair is working well.I will say, in general I love Edifier - I have had the TWS Pro (which are a bit boomy, but at their price point were great at the time), and the NB2 Pro (basically a similar version to this one, but weaker ANC), plus some open ear buds. The Neobuds Pro 2 are the best of the lot by far, and there's quite a bit to like about both their sound and the ANC. The ANC is really one of the best at this price point, up there with the Earfun Air Pro 4. The sound is rich and full, and the volume is great (I rarely run these above the volume midpoint, especially when ANC is engaged).I did notice that they do get a bit bright in the sound, and yes the treble out of the box is out of whack. The EQ does allow you to mostly solve for this (and I say mostly because it only goes to 10K Hz, and looking at the curve on some reviews where they graphed them in comparison with the Harman curve there are some peaks above 10K which you will not be able to solve for); and I find that the settings that I pictured above really help them sound a lot more chill while not losing resolution.Battery life I think is the only real downside - especially if you engage both ANC and LDAC together, they really underperfom against competitors like the Earfun Air Pro 4 by about 50% or so (we are talking 3-4 hrs vs. 6-7 hrs, which makes a difference during long flights, for example). But I still use them a bit for short stints.Overall a good product, definitely tweak the EQ and you will enjoy them better.