Soundcore Aerofit 2 Pro review: Want open earbuds with ANC?

They look good in the open position. When the Aerofit 2 Pro aren’t covering your ear canals, they rank among the best open-ear headphones in their price class, with an airy sound signature that naturally focuses on the upper registers. Although no open-ear headphones tried to bring out the bass as well as regular headphones, the Aerofit 2 Pro had more low-end resonance than most, accompanied by patches of fine motor detail and clear stereo separation.

Wandering noise

Photography: Ryan Wanyata

The biggest issue I have with these “best of both worlds” earbuds is noise cancellation, which is not only limited, but also unstable and inconsistent. This is almost certainly due to the lack of ear pads, which prevents a proper seal. There is a reason for everything we have My favorite noise canceling buds Comes in multiple ear tip sizes to conform to your ear canals; A good seal is crucial for effective noise cancellation.

High-register noises and mid-range sounds are some of the worst offenders, especially voices. During one of my wife’s video calls, her voice seemed to constantly move from one ear to the other as the noise-canceling system struggled to adjust to my head’s natural movements. It was a disorienting experience, as I listened as onboard microphones quieted the noise like sailors salvaging a leaky ship.

Low-frequency drones like bathroom fans or refrigerator noise sounded better, but I continued to have problems in key use cases like fetching my trash cans, where the roar of the wheels kept fading in and out.

Soundcore’s PR team was quick to point out the Aerofit 2 Pro’s limitations, saying that the experience is “heavily dependent on fit” and “is not intended to replace fully closed ANC earbuds in extreme noise environments.” That’s good, but it begs the question: What are we doing here?

The Aerofit 2 Pro are a good pair of open-ear headphones, but their bulky design works too hard for a feature that can’t compete with even average noise-cancelling gear. It’s hard not to think of noise-cancelling open-ear headphones as a solution looking for a problem, especially when you can get a solid pair of regular open-ear headphones like Acefit Air for up to $30. The Aerofit 2 Pro, on the other hand, comes frustratingly close to working. Can earbuds solve the issue? Honestly, I hope we get a second generation to discover that.

If you can only buy one pair of earbuds, it shouldn’t be the Aerofit 2 Pro. that it AirPods Pro, Bose QuietComfort Ultraor any of dozens of affordable ANC headphones that effectively block environmental sounds and offer powerful transparency modes to hear the world around you when you want to. Better yet, you can just get… Good cheap pair From both of them. Open-ear headphones have many benefits, and the idea of ​​giving them noise cancellation is a good idea in theory, but the Aerofit Pro 2 has too many compromises to be your only pair.