Rankings
About the rankings...
You may not agree with any of them, and that's fine.
My preference is for not for boring neutrality or hyper-transparency - but a sound with proper timbre. So I tend to prefer a darker sound over a brighter sound. And the only way to evaluate timbre is by listening to real voices, instruments, and acoustic spaces in the REAL WORLD. Otherwise, your reference point (and opinion) will be unreliable. And unless you're a feral child, you'll have an idea of what "natural" sounds like.
The beauty of listening to all this gear (at the same time) is that you start to hear where everything falls. The value of an opinion is only relative to what one has heard. By indulging in mass comparisons, you'll get a better idea of tradeoffs and limitations. Once you've heard familiar recordings in its different flavors - you start to get an intuition on what was intended. The drawback, of course, is that it takes a lot of time (and a little bit of insanity).
Higher rank doesn't mean it's better - for YOU
Again, this is just a list of my personal best. None of these headphones were perfect. The top five do certain things exceptionally well and so depends on what qualities you value. I'm keeping those are a reference for various qualities. The bottom five are either ones that problematic, require a lot of EQ, or are "novel." These are the ones I've found to stray away from intent - but may appeal to some.
Also, if the earphones or ranked next to each other, they probably perform similarly. Please read the impressions to get an idea of which is a better fit for you.
Sound Profiles
For those looking for a specific type of sound, here's a rough guide. I'll refine and organize when I find the time. In no particular order:
Bass
- Soundcore Liberty Neo (Upgraded)
- Jabra Elite 75t
- Soundcore Liberty 2 Pro
- Bose Soundsport Free Wireless
- Beats Powerbeats Pro
- 1More Stylish True Wireless
- Edifier TWS NB
Neutral
- Master & Dynamic MW07 GO
- Bose Soundsport Free Wireless
- Sony WF-1000XM3
- Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless
Resolution & Transparency
- Soundcore Liberty 2 Pro
- Soundcore Liberty 2 Air
- Jabra Elite 75t
- Galaxy Buds+
- Master & Dynamic MW07 GO
- 1More ANC True Wireless (normal mode)
Warmth & Timbre
- Soundcore Liberty 2 Pro
- Beats Powerbeats Pro
- 1More Stylish True Wireless
- Soundcore Liberty Neo (Original)
- Soundcore Liberty Neo (Upgraded)
- Aukey Key Series T10
Easy Listening - For those who are more sensitive to brightness.
- Sony WF-1000XM3
- Master & Dynamic MW03 GO
- Beats Powerbeats Pro
- Bose Soundsport Free True Wireless
- Soundcore Liberty Neo (original)
- Soundcore Liberty Neo (upgraded)
- Jabra Elite 75t
- Galaxy Buds+
- 1More Stylish True Wireless
- Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless
- Aukey Key Series T10
| Rank | Brand | Model | IPX | Battery (buds/total) | Codec | # of Drivers | Driver Type | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Soundcore | Liberty 2 Pro | IPX4 | 8 & 28 hours | aptX | 2 | 11 mm Dynamic, Custom Knowles BA, | $110.99 |
| 2 | Sennheiser | Momentum True Wireless 2 | IPX4 | 7 & 28 hours | aptX | 1 | 7mm Dynamic | $249.00 |
| 3 | Master & Dynamic | MW07 GO | IPX6 | 10 & 22 hours | aptX | 1 | 10 mm Beryllium | $199.00 |
| 4 | Beats | Powerbeats Pro | N/A | 9 & 24 hours | AAC | 1 | 12 mm rigid aluminum linear piston driver | $249.95 |
| 5 | Jabra | 75t | IP55 | 7.5 & 28 hours | AAC | 1 | 6 mm Dynamic | $179.99 |
| 6 | Soundcore | Liberty 2 Air | IPX5 | 7 & 28 hours | aptX | 2 | 6 mm Diamond-coated Drivers | $99.99 |
| 7 | Soundcore | Liberty Neo (Original) | IPX7 | 5 & 15 hours | AAC | 1 | 6 mm Graphene | $35.99 |
| 8 | Soundcore | Liberty Neo (Upgraded) | IPX7 | 5 & 15 hours | AAC | 1 | 6 mm Graphene | $39.99 |
| 9 | Jaybird | Vista | IPX7 | 6 & 16 hours | SBC | 1 | 6 mm Dynamic | $179.99 |
| 10 | Sony | WF-1000XM3 | N/A | 6 & 24 hours | AAC | 1 | 6 mm Dynamic | $229.99 |
| 11 | Bose | SoundSport Free | IPX4 | 5 & 15 hours | AAC | ? | ? | $199.00 |
| 12 | 1More | True Wireless ANC | IPX5 | 6 & 22 hours | aptX | 2 | 10 mm Dynamic, BA | $199.99 |
| 13 | Jabra | 65t | IP55 | 5 & 15 hours | aptX | 1 | 6 mm Dynamic | $149.99 |
| 14 | 1More | Stylish True Wireless | N/A | 6.5 & 24 hours | aptX | 1 | 7 mm Dynamic | $99.99 |
| 15 | Samsung | Galaxy Buds | N/A | 6 & 13 hours | AAC | 1 | 5.8 mm Dynamic | $114.00 |
| 16 | Samsung | Galaxy Buds+ | IPX2 | 11 & 22 hours | AAC | 2 | ? | $149.99 |
| 17 | Sennheiser | Momentum True Wireless | IPX4 | 4 & 12 hours | aptX | 1 | 7 mm Dynamic | $299.95 |
| 18 | Edifier | TWS NB | IPX4 | 11 & 22 hours | aptX | 1 | 13 mm Graphene | $119.99 |
| 19 | HiFiMAN | TWS600 | IPX4 | 5 & 35 hours | AAC | 1 | 8.5 mm Dynamic | $99.00 |
| 20 | Aukey | Key Series T10 | IPX5 | 7 & 24 hours | AAC | 1 | ? Graphene | $109.99 |
| 21 | Apple | Airpods Pro | IPX4 | 4.5 & & 24 hours | AAC | 1 | ? | $249.00 |
| 22 | Enacfire | E20 | IPX5 | 4 & 88 hours | SBC | 1 | ? | $49.99 |