Beyerdynamic Free Byrd earbuds review: soaring sound and long battery life

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Those who prioritize sound quality over everything else are the target of the new Free Byrd earbuds. I have been pleasantly surprised by how well these earbuds stand out in other respects, including their long battery life, active noise cancellation, and design that breaks from the norm.

A great sound quality is just the beginning. It is obvious that the name is a nod to the Skynyrd classic and a very cliche concert request. The Free Byrds are brought down by unintuitive controls and a physical design that may prove troublesome for smaller ears.

The Free Byrds are large and well-known. They weigh less than Sony's 1000XM4 earbuds but are a lot more heavy than the other earbuds that provide an airy feel and long-term comfort. The Free Byrds might be uncomfortable in small ears because of the large middle area of the ear bud design. I didn't fit that description and didn't experience any ear fatigue.

I should have expected more from the audio brand, but they include a collection of ear tips. Three pairs of foam-style tips and five sets of Silicone tips are available. There is something about the light gray finish of the earbuds combined with the orange foam ear tips that makes them look good. The kind of vibe these project is, is if you tell me you are an audio engineer without telling me you are an Audio Engineer. Black is the color of the Free Byrds. The case is well made and tall. I haven't had any instances of these earbuds remaining connected while in the case, which is something I've encountered more and more from the Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 3s post review.

The sound quality is crisp and detailed. There is no muddiness or harshness in the frequencies. The vocals and strings floating between the left and right channels in Muna's "Loose Garment" is a nice demo track for the sound stage, and the drums and cymbals are still perfectly distinct with their own spot in the mix. The Free Byrds feel refined. With the mobile app, you can take a hearing test to personalize the sound profile, but there isn't a way to fully personalize the sound. The fidelity of the latest pair from Sennheiser is better than the ones from these.

These earbuds are compatible with aptX, which allows for higher-bitrate wireless play-back on Apple devices. Handoff between devices is very quick and doesn't require you to switch from one source to another before you can use another device. You can use either bud in mono if you choose, and the Free Byrds have support for Fast Pair. The Free Byrds are rated IPX4 for water resistance, making them suitable for exercise.

Every smart device has a set of terms and conditions that you have to agree to before you can use it. It is not possible for us to read and analyze all of them. We started counting the number of times you have to agree to use devices when we review them since these are agreements most people can't negotiate.

You don't have to agree to anything in software in order to use the free earbuds. You are agreeing to this by using the company's app for both mobile devices.

• Beyerdynamic data privacy policy

One option is the final tally.

If not quite on the level of Sony, Bose, or Apple, active noise cancellation is still above average. It is possible to pick up on faint hiss in completely quiet environments. I never noticed that some people were more sensitive to this than others. If you need a quick check in with the outside world, transparency mode is the way to go. The call quality is satisfactory, but not mind-blowing, as Beyerdynamic favors letting more of your voice through without aggressively gating it to cut down on background noise It works well at home but is not ideal outside.

Some revising is possible with the touch controls. I prefer physical buttons where possible, but can only use tap gestures if they work consistently. You can play or pause once, twice to switch between ANC and transparency mode, and three times to skip tracks. Two taps and a hold are required to adjust volume. It works okay once you get the sequence down, but it is not an intuitive gesture, and I would sometimes pause the music when I didn't nail it. It would be great to be able to modify each gesture to your liking, but that is not possible at the moment.

The Free Byrds can play for up to eight hours with ANC on and up to 11 with it off. You can potentially reach a total of 30 hours in scenarios where you don't need the noise cancellation if you have the charging case.

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For the company's first swing, the Free Byrd earbuds deliver fantastic sound with detail and depth, top tier battery life, and good noise cancellation. I like the large amount of ear tips that come with the item, they fit well and stay comfortable over time. I can see where the earbuds will be too stout for some people. This is a strong debut for an established audio brand. As long as your ears are the right match, the Free Byrds are a good choice. With some refinements to the onboard controls and a smaller form factor, Beyerdynamic will be right up there with the very best players in the game. It is assumed that this Byrd can change, like in the song.

Chris Welch is a photographer.