ausounds AU-Flex ANC Noise Cancelling LDAC Bluetooth Wireless Planar Magnetic Neckband Earphones

The negative reviews I read are apparently from people who are either completely tech-incapable (Too low volume = the headband and phone have separate volume settings. This is common in wireless products) or didn't pick right ear tips (the person calling them "tinny"? Only if you're holding them a half inch away from your head, these have deep, thumpy bass and a moderate V shape tune, they are not lacking in bass unless your bare-minimum is "skullcandy crushers") or have no idea what you want out of audio - these are legitimately hifi audio with pretty solid build quality and acceptable, older-generation ANC.I don't think these would be competitive anymore at the original MSRP, but for the ~50 they cost now, they're absolutely on par with any top tier IEM in the $50 range, with wireless and ANC to boot.The ANC is acceptable. It does work VERY well at knocking out traffic noise and low pulsating rumbles like the ferry I ride every day (which modern ANC devices like the Anker L4's can't handle, they start freaking out and out-of-phase pulse loud murder tones) but you obviously can't expect modern apple or sony ANC. I'd say it's perfectly usable. The passthrough is bad, but for a short "sorry, could you repeat that?" kinda situation, no problem. I don't get people who use headphones with that on all the time anyways, but Apple's got you covered there.The pairing was easy and works with modern android. I have noticed with some older bluetooth devices that after an update to android 11, they suddenly stopped seeing new bluetooth devices that used 5.0. I was able to fix that by resetting the bluetooth on my phone, so try that if you notice difficulty pairing. And the assistant voice used for "ANC mode, transparency mode, etc." is hilariously bad. She has robot vibrato.I did notice that mine has a little difficulty auto-connecting when turned on, it seems to only connect for calls and I have to just tap the bluetooth icon on my phone and tap the device twice to get it to reconnect for audio. After that, it never seems to drop signal - Also, no multi-device, but this is an older 5.0 device. temper your expectations a little, the sound quality is worth it.The fit and finish are excellent. Everything is nice silicone or metal and the part of the IEM that touches your ear is a nice plastic to keep it warm. The fit in the ear is exceptionally good. My ears are very normal sized and shaped, and the medium tips worked well, and my wife has tiny weird ears that fit nothing and she remarked that with the smallest tips, they're the first IEM that has ever fit her. Since they have no in-ear detection, just clicking the magnetic backs together pauses/unpauses the music. I would have liked the buds to "lock" to the neckband for storage somehow, but it's okay. If you have a really thick neck, the neckband might be a little small. I'm a big dude at 6'3, 190lbs and I found the neckband to be perfect.You can throw any standard sized IEM tip on them. They don't have freakishly big or small nozzles, so everything from dekoni bullets to KZ tips to every standard spinfit, to moondrop springtips, sednafit xelastec or my personal favorite, TRN t-tips. The supplied tips are very good, but I find that with IEM's, the fit is everything, and annoyingly TWS buds always have cases with no space and force you to use the stock tips (1more TWS buds would be phenomenal if they fixed that, as nice as their stock tips are)Sound quality is truly outstanding. Airpod 2's got nothing on these. The tuning is a grown-up, laid back "fun" tune, with a little more bass extension, slightly elevated but rolled off on the high end treble for a warm vibe, and a nice balance of soundstage, imaging, and detail. It's fun, but smart to tune like this, since when you're out doing stuff, bass tends to get drowned out by ambient noise and treble gets piercing, and that's where these are intended to be used, so the outdoor effect is more neutral.Bass is deepy and thumpy and hits hard, with a little bleed into the mids, but for some reason they used the dynamic driver for bass and not the planar. The planar is used for mids and treble, which it is very good at, though there is some articulation in the treble that might sound weird at first, that's common in planar magnetic headphones.I don't listen to stuff with a lot of vocals, but male and female vocals both sounded just fine, not muted or recessed, which can happen when you bring up the bass and treble.A little detail and imaging is lost by smoothing out the treble, but it's still plenty clear enough and doesn't get congested when a lot is going on like with orchestral music.Don't forget to turn on LDAC, tap the cog icon next to the headphones on the bluetooth menu in your phone and turn on high-quality audio. It makes a colossal difference.They can get VERY loud, easily to hearing damage levels, so be careful. You only get one set of ears, take care of 'em.Overall, the sound quality is about what I'd call on-par with the very best of the $50-70 IEM market in 2023 - which is an absurdly ridiculously competitive market with stuff like the KZ PR1, TRN rosefinch, truthear zero, etc. And you also get wireless and some decent ANC. Stellar deal while these are still in stock for under $50.I'd love to see what ausounds could do with a planar-only ANC product, or a planar + BA or planar + EST, using the planar for the bass and mids, or a planar bass + small DD for mids and treble. A v2 of this with modern bluetooth, better ANC, maybe an app, we'd be in the real ultra-premium market.Scoop these up while they last!

When working, its a great headset. Battery life, sound quality, and noise cancellation were all great especially considering the price.I noticed an occasional issue of the headset failing to turn on, but plugging it on a charger briefly seemed to reset them and they would work fine for a few weeks. Today, after about 5 months, they've totally failed. No amount of time on the charger or attempted power cycles can get them working. Turns on briefly, won't connect, and then simply dead to all input. Can't tell if its the battery or what, but extremely disappointed. Will reach out to manufacturer and update if warranty support is worth anything other than a headache

I want to love these but they are SO finicky to use.If I power them on, they'll auto connect to my phone. But if I play any sort of music or sound, they won't play, and then disconnect and reconnect. The workaround? Manually disconnect the headphones, then reconnect.Occasionally will stop using noise cancelling when below 40% battery, with no warning. Will work fine if you cycle back through the noise cancelling options.Sometimes will refuse to power on, even with a charged battery. Have to connect to power for a little while, then it'll be okay again.The actual sound quality is very nice. LDAC codec. Good soundstage, and voices come through very clearly. The noise cancelling, when it does work, is very good at removing any sort of repetitive noises from your environment. Charge time is also quite good; it's not actual Quick Charge by Qualcomm, but it's still quite fast given the size of the battery.Also does have a monitor mode, if you want to hear things around you better while still listening to music.

Rarely do I take the time to write reviews, but when I stumble upon a superior product from a lesser-known brand, I feel compelled to give credit where it's due. After relying on the Bose QC 30 for nearly a decade, I was frustrated by their abysmal build quality, forcing me to go through multiple sets over the years. When Bose discontinued the QC 30, I reluctantly turned to the refurbished market. However, after two years of this temporary fix, I was determined to find a genuine replacement.My quest for a substitute led me to the Jabra 75e, which excelled in Zoom calls but fell short in almost every other aspect. Its clumsy fit, complex buttons, and laughable active noise cancellation (ANC) left much to be desired. The outdated USB charger design and subpar sound quality did not justify its price, comparable to the Bose QC 30.Driven by my determination, I discovered the Sony WI-1000XM2, headphones that showed promise in competing with the QC 30. By adapting my Bose earbuds to the Sony headphones, I achieved a familiar and comfortable fit. The inclusion of a USB-C port proved to be convenient, and although the sound quality didn't match the QC 30, it surpassed the Jabra 75e by a significant margin. While the ANC still couldn't match the Bose headphones, it outperformed the feeble attempts of the Jabra. The battery life was commendable, despite minor pairing issues. Considering the price, the Sony headphones offered a solid package with excellent build quality and design.However, my frustration with the Sony's pairing issues led me to explore alternatives. During my search, I stumbled upon the Ausounds AU-Flex ANC on Amazon. Though I typically shy away from lower-priced models due to previous disappointments, my desperation and determination pushed me to give these a chance. And boy, am I glad I did.To start, I managed to fit my Bose earbud tips onto the Ausounds AU-Flex ANC, instantly blown away by their sound quality. The full range they offer is unparalleled by any other earphones or earbuds of this size. Ausounds has truly mastered the sound profile, delivering a sonic experience that puts pricier brands to shame.The ANC, while not reaching the level of the Bose QC 30, stands as the second-best I've experienced, easily surpassing the Sony headphones. But what truly sets the Ausounds AU-Flex ANC apart is its exceptional battery life and power management. The power consumption logic behind these headphones is a stroke of brilliance, as they sip power and last twice as long as any other neckband headset I've tried, exceeding 12 hours of continuous usage. I expect the battery life to stabilize around the typical 7-9 hours mark over time.The microphone quality surpasses that of Bose and Sony, although it falls just short of the Jabra 75e. The build quality matches that of the Sony headphones, and the over-the-ear design keeps them securely in place, outperforming any other set I've tried, including the Bose QC 30.If you're weary of the earbud craze and seek an exceptionally good-sounding pair with remarkable ANC and jaw-dropping battery life, the Ausounds AU-Flex ANC is the answer. They deliver such excellence that it almost feels like a manufacturing accident. Considering the value they offer, you could even purchase three pairs for the price of the next best alternative. Personally, the magic lies in pairing them with Bose ear tips, creating an audio experience that is nothing short of extraordinary.