Soundcore Liberty 5 Pro Max vs the REST 👑 (Sony, AirPods, Bose, JBL, Samsung) | Review
Today we’re going to compare the Soundcore Liberty 5 Pro Max to five of the most popular earbuds, the AirPods Pro 3, Bose QC Ultra Gen 2, JBL Tour Pro 3, Samsung Buds4 Pro and the Sony WF-1000XM6. We’re going to focus on how their performance compares, especially their mic pickup, noise canceling sound quality and transparency. And after that, I’m going to compare them individually, so buckle up!
Microphone Quality
In terms of their microphone pickup, the Liberty 5 Pro Max is definitely one of the best in this group. And by that, I mean, even in extremely noisy conditions, background noise reduction was excellent, voice was filtered well and amplified loudly. It was also crisper than the Sony’s voice pickup.
Now, most of the others did quite well also, and the Bose was quite comparable to the Soundcores, but the AirPods Pro 3 on iOS didn’t fare too well. Voice filtering on voice isolation mode was too aggressive, so it was cutting into my voice. But of course, the AirPods with its super wideband capture on iOS, did have the clearest mic pickup in quiet conditions.
👉🏻 Have a listen to the mic quality samples
Active Noise Cancelling
The Liberty 5 Pro Max ‘s noise canceling is pretty impressive. In fact, it’s very close to the silence I got from the AirPods Pro 3, and very comparable to other premium earbuds. Frequency sweeps show that it’s quieter in the midrange and higher frequencies than the Bose, Samsung, and Sony, which covers human chatter and everyday noises, and quite comparable to the JBL Tour Pro 3 and AirPods Pro 3.
Where they don’t cancel as much is the sub-70hz region, covering the ultra low noises that you feel, like the rumble of the train, and the engine noise of the plane when you’re travelling. Also, there is a slight hiss in its noise canceling, so there’s a bit of white noise masking being applied here.
👉🏻 Have a listen to the ANC quality samples
Transparency Mode
The Liberty 5 Pro Max’s transparency sounds pretty clear, great for general awareness of your surrounding and face to face conversations. But as you can see from these frequency sweeps, compared to the rest, they aren’t amplifying ambient sounds as closely to the base noise level represented by the white line, so it feels a bit occluded in the lower frequencies.
Most of the others do have transparency that sounds a bit clearer than the Soundcores, except for the Bose which feels a bit more occluded than the Soundcores.
Soundcore Liberty 5 Pro Max VS AirPods Pro 3
The Liberty 5 Pro Max sounds a lot more V-shaped than the AirPods Pro 3 on their default settings, with heavier emphasis on bass loudness and extension, and in that sense, I do enjoy the Soundcore’s more. But the AirPods Pro 3 on the other hand, sounds more clinical, so the emphasis is more on separation and crispness, rather than heavy bass. 👉🏻 Have a listen to the sound quality samples
Sound quality aside, the reasons I like the AirPods are its seamless integration with Apple devices, so it transitions easily between my iPad and iPhone. It also supports super wideband voice capture through the mics for crisper voice capture, its noise canceling is a little quieter, and what I like most of all is its case, it’s thinner and smaller, so it’s less obtrusive in the pocket.
The soundcores on the other hand, is the flexible choice, because whether on iOS or Android, it’s fully supported with the Soundcore app, whereas the AirPods limit most features and firmware updates to Apple devices only. And the Soundcore offers more value in terms of features, like the screen on the case which makes it easy to operate the buds without using your phone, and 3-way multipoint pairing.
It’s far more customizable than the AirPods in terms of sound customization, and in terms of performance, its mic pickup in noisy conditions is better, whether on iOS or Android.
Check latest price on Amazon:
soundcore Liberty 5 Pro Max - https://amzn.to/4uAXzpS
AirPods Pro 3 - https://amzn.to/4oB4xHL
Soundcore Liberty 5 Pro Max VS Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds Gen 2
The Liberty 5 Pro Max sounds very similar to the Bose QC Ultra Gen 2. From my A-B testing, the only real differences are that the Soundcores are a little more tame in the upper mids so vocals are a smidge more mellow, and its sub-bass tapers off a bit more than the Bose, which, to be fair, I can’t really tell just from listening. 👉🏻 Have a listen to the sound quality samples
That aside, the Soundcores have some real advantages over the Bose, like its seamless 3-way multipoint pairing, and the screen on the case which lets you operate the buds without your phone. Where you might want to consider the Bose instead is better noise canceling against rumbling noises, better controls because having both tap and swipe controls mean that you can access all the controls even with just one earbud.
Also, and this might be subjective, I find that the Bose fits better. Although they have a similar stability structure as the Soundcores, the Bose sits more snugly in my ears, which can be better for workouts.
Check latest price on Amazon:
soundcore Liberty 5 Pro Max - https://amzn.to/4uAXzpS
Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds Gen 2 - https://amzn.to/46N1zsL
Soundcore Liberty 5 Pro Max VS JBL Tour Pro 3
The Liberty 5 Pro Max’s bass is a bit heavier than the JBL Tour Pro 3’s, and it has a fuller signature overall. On the other hand, the JBL’s vocal separation is cleaner, it also sounds a bit crisper, and soundstaging is more laid back than the Soundcore. It’s a bit more ‘Harman’ in its tuning, but of course, the Soundcores will appeal to people who prefer more gravitas in their sound. 👉🏻 Have a listen to the sound quality samples
Obviously, both have cases that have a screen which lets you operate the earbuds without your phone. But I like the Soundcore’s screen better, it’s bigger with faster framerates, so using it feels more fluid.
Whereas the JBL’s screen is smaller and more janky. The Soundcore also has 3-way multipoint, and its mic pickup is better. Those are compelling reasons to get the Soundcore, but the Tour Pro 3 is also compelling in certain ways. For example, it supports wired audio connection to sources whether it’s 3.5mm analog or USB-C audio, and I find that to be super useful because I do have some non-Bluetooth sources like my camera monitor, but if I wanted to, I could also connect it to an old CD player, amplifier or TV.
Check latest price on Amazon:
soundcore Liberty 5 Pro Max - https://amzn.to/4uAXzpS
JBL Tour Pro 3 - https://amzn.to/4kUF4Ih
Soundcore Liberty 5 Pro Max VS Samsung Galaxy Buds4 Pro
Comparing the Liberty 5 Pro Max to the Samsung Buds4 Pro, the Soundcores lean a bit brighter in the upper mids and highs, bass is also heavier, while the Samsungs sound a bit more mellow and fuller in the mids. Even the timbre of vocals sound a bit different. Also, the Samsung seems to have a bit of shimmer in the soundstage which makes it feel a bit more airy. 👉🏻 Have a listen to the sound quality samples
So that’s the difference in sound, but as a product, the reason I like the Samsungs more is that the case is smaller so it doesn’t take up as much space in the pocket. And if you like using one earbud at a time just for calls and for some audio, since the Samsung has both tap and swipe controls, you can access all the controls on just one earbud.
But in the end, it is still a Samsung optimized experience, so you need a Samsung device, or an Android device with the Samsung Wearable app to access its settings and features. With the Soundcore, you can get all of that whether on iOS or Android, since the Soundcore app is available on both platforms. You also get 3-way multipoint pairing, and having that screen on the case also lets you operate the buds features without using the app, so there’s a lot more flexibility if you go for the Soundcores.
Check latest price on Amazon:
soundcore Liberty 5 Pro Max - https://amzn.to/4uAXzpS
Samsung Galaxy Buds4 Pro - https://amzn.to/4aH06Y1
Soundcore Liberty 5 Pro Max VS Sony WF-1000XM6
The Liberty 5 Pro Max definitely sounds more V-shaped than the Sony WF-1000XM6, emphasizing the bass and upper mids and highs, while mids are a bit more recessed, so it’s a more thumpy, groovy signature. The Sonys are more boosted in the mids so it’s a flatter signature that sounds good for vocals, male or female, but less heavy or groovy. 👉🏻 Have a listen to the sound quality samples
Honestly, if we were to look at their features, the Sony is at a disadvantage because whatever the Sony could do, the Soundcore can as well. Even Sony’s DSEE Extreme, which upscales compressed audio to make them sound more Hi-Res? Yup, the Liberty 5 Pro Max has something similar! The Soundcores also have Dolby Spatial audio with head tracking that works with any device, 3-way multipoint pairing, the screen on the case which lets you control the buds, so it’s got pretty much everything.
Adding to that, its mic quality in noisy conditions is also. That being said, the Sony does have better noise canceling in the very low rumbling frequencies, and in the higher mids to treble, it attenuates better because of its foam tips with the longer nozzles that plug into your ears. Very useful if you’re on a flight with screaming babies. Just saying.
Check latest price on Amazon:
soundcore Liberty 5 Pro Max - https://amzn.to/4uAXzpS
Sony WF-1000XM6 - https://amzn.to/4bgWGeA
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