Edifier launches hi-res wireless earbuds with noise cancellation to rival the Sony WF-1000XM4
Impressive specs
Edifier may be best known for its bookshelf speakers, but the Chinese company has recently branched out into the world of true wireless earbuds – and its latest earbuds look very impressive indeed.
The Edifier NeoBuds Pro come with active noise cancellation and hi-res audio support, but they're far cheaper than many other noise-cancelling earbuds on the market.
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The new wireless earbuds are available to preorder on crowdfunding site IndieGoGo for $99 (about £70 / AU$130), with shipping expected to commence in August.
By comparison, the Sony WF-1000XM4 – our pick for the best wireless earbuds you can buy today – are nearly three times as expensive, costing $279.99 / £250 / AU$449.95.
Two drivers working together
According to Edifier, the NeoBuds Pro will deliver the audio quality "traditionally found in speakers and over-ear headphones", thanks to a dynamic and armature driver working together inside the buds.
For audiophiles, LHDC and AAC codec support means the earbuds come with a Hi-Res certification, with the ability to transmit 96kHz / 24Bit audio over Bluetooth. There's also a low latency gaming mode, which should prevent any lag when you're using the buds to play games.
Edifier says that the NeoBuds Pro outperform their predecessors, the TWS NB2, in terms of active noise cancellation, thanks to a "smarter and more upgraded algorithm". Meanwhile, three internal microphones are designed to make your calls sound clear, allowing for noise cancellation to be applied to your voice.
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In terms of design, they look fairly similar to the Edifier TWS NB2 Pro, with angular stems and a slick charging case. Battery life comes in at five hours from the buds themselves and 15 from the charging case with ANC on – this rises to six hours in the buds and 18 in the case with this feature switched off.
Hopefully the new earbuds are better than the last Edifier buds we tested. While we felt the Edifier TWS1 were good value for money, we weren't convinced by their audio performance or their limited touch controls.
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Olivia was previously TechRadar's Senior Editor - Home Entertainment, covering everything from headphones to TVs. Based in London, she's a popular music graduate who worked in the music industry before finding her calling in journalism. She's previously been interviewed on BBC Radio 5 Live on the subject of multi-room audio, chaired panel discussions on diversity in music festival lineups, and her bylines include T3, Stereoboard, What to Watch, Top Ten Reviews, Creative Bloq, and Croco Magazine. Olivia now has a career in PR.