The Soundcore Liberty 3 Pro are one of our favorites and they are currently available in black on Amazon for €89.99. If you prefer them in violet or grey, then you should order them for the same price from MediaMarkt for €89.99!
Here’s why we love the Soundcore Liberty 3 Pro:
- Great sound
- Multipoint connection with two devices
- Quiet environment thanks to active noise cancellation
The new Soundcore Liberty 3 Pro come with a unique hybrid driver module and active noise cancellation. The manufacturer catapulted itself to the top of the in-ear headphone manufacturers and also left Sony’s WF-1000XM4 out in the rain in terms of sound.
Soundcore Liberty 3 Pro Reviews, Specs & Price
Soundcore Liberty 3 Pro Reviews, Specs & Price list below:
- Soundcore Liberty 3 Pro
- Technical specifications
Surname | Anker Soundcore Liberty 2 Pro | Anker Soundcore Liberty 3 Pro |
driver | 11mm Dynamic Driver + BA Driver | 10.6mm Dynamic Driver + BA Driver |
frequency range | 20-20,000Hz | 20-40,000Hz |
impedance | 16Ω | 16Ω |
connectivity | bluetooth 5 | – |
battery capacity | 500 mAh in charging box; 65 mAh per earpiece | – |
Weight | 7.4 g per earpiece; 52.8g battery box | 6g per earpiece |
Dimensions | 78.5 × 57 × 5.4mm; 29.5×18.15 22.3mm | – |
IP protection class | IPX4 | IPX4 |
sensitivity | 100±3dB ( 1kHz@1mW ) | 105±3dB ( 1kHz@1mW ) |
bluetooth profile | AVRCP1.6, A2DP1.3, HFP1.7 | AVRCP1.6, A2DP1.3, HFP1.7 |
audio codec | SBC, AAC, aptX | SBC, AAC, LDAC |
The rapidly growing audio brand from power bank manufacturer ANKER
Soundcore Liberty 3 Pro: The ANKER brand has been with us and me for many years. Cheap but good power banks from ANKER were already a huge topic in 2015. The advantage over Xiaomi Powerbanks: ANKER products have always been available from Amazon, with simple warranty processing, no “stress” with customs and no long delivery times from China. It was completely different with Xiaomi back then!
While it was still clear with the first models that a product from Chinese large-scale production was simply being bought and provided with its own logo, ANKER quickly became innovative in the area of batteries and charging electronics thanks to the capital it generated.
With the expertise gained, it was quickly considered which product groups could still be realized for the still young company thanks to its competence in the area of chargers, cables and power banks. The first ANKER Soundcore Bluetooth speaker came onto the market relatively early on, which was a huge success and is still being sold today!
Release of the first Soundcore Liberty Air
Soundcore Liberty 3 Pro: In 2018, ANKER launched the first wireless in-ear headphones, the Anker Soundcore Liberty Air, developed in-house series. To date, the first headphones that we have tested here at China Gadgets, whose battery life of (at that time incredibly good) 5 hours could keep up with Apple AirPods and also brought with it a stable (at that time above average stable) Bluetooth connection.
From this point Soundcore has consistently developed its main series “Soundcore Liberty Air” and “Soundcore Liberty Pro”. The Soundcore app was launched with the second generation of the “Air series” and is still reliably maintained and further developed for new products.
Personally, I find it very interesting to follow the development from a small Amazon shop to an innovative technology manufacturer at ANKER Soundcore. Last but not least, by listing your own products in the Apple Online Store as official charging accessories, you have earned yourself something of an accolade. I find it all the more exciting how Soundcore is now getting to the bottom of Sony’s area of expertise with the Liberty 3 Pro!
Packaging & scope of delivery
Soundcore Liberty 3 Pro: The manufacturer has come up with a completely new packaging for the new top model. I know the topic is actually super unexciting, but I really liked the packaging and presentation of the product and among all the packages that we open every day, there was something special and unexpected again.
If you open the packaging, which is held closed by a magnetic closure, the first thing that catches your eye are the headphones. The charging cradle is located in a separate recess underneath.
What is striking here is that no ear pads are attached to the Soundcore Liberty 3 Pro headphones. These are located in the middle, in the folded edge. Beautifully draped and without plastic bags, you are presented with a selection of ear pads and ear hooks in four different sizes, with a pair of ear hooks already attached to the headphones.
To the left of this, small instructions are printed in the box, which explain with pictures how ear pads and ear hooks are attached to the headphones. In the compartment behind it you will find the quick start guide, warranty card and of course a USB-C charging cable.
Soundcore has put a lot of effort into this, I think. In any case, the “experience” during unpacking was new compared to other/older Soundcore models.
Design – more compact, more filigree, lighter
Soundcore Liberty 3 Pro: Compared to its predecessor, the Soundcore Liberty 3 Pro is more compact and therefore more suitable for the masses. Because with the Liberty 2 Pro you had to love the sound very much in order to walk around with these headphones in everyday life. I don’t think that’s a big factor here anymore.
According to our vernier caliper, the headphones of the Soundcore Liberty 3 Pro are only 24.7 mm wide, compared to a proud 29.3 mm in the previous generation . The earphones are still not small and significantly larger than, for example, the Redmi AirDots, but the dimensions are now more like those of an ordinary “Bud earphone” and no longer “mega-giant-lump-in-the-ear”. Due to the saved width, the shape of the headphones is now more oval and no longer elongated.
If you consider that the Liberty 2 Pro also got by without ANC technology, proximity sensors and touch sensors and that these are now also slumbering in the headphones, it is remarkable that Soundcore was even able to make the headphones smaller. In terms of weight, however, not much is happening, while the Soundcore Liberty 2 Pro shows 7.4 g per receiver on the precision scale, it is 6.8 g for the new generation.
The charging cradle has also become more compact and filigree compared to its predecessor. It has shrunk by 8 mm in width and the new charging cradle is also almost 4 mm flatter. It sounds insignificant at first, but in the trouser pocket the bulge caused by the shell is noticeably less.
Soundcore also offers more color options with the new Liberty 3 Pro than with the Soundcore Liberty 2 Pro. While the previous model was only available in black and white, the new in-ear comes in four colors. White, black, light blue and purple. somehow remember the colors me of iPhone colors. Coincidence? One does not know.
Material & workmanship at the highest level
When it comes to materials, Soundcore has upped the ante. While the old wireless in-ear is made entirely of plastic , the Soundcore Liberty 3 Pro also uses CNC-milled metal/aluminium . Especially at the driver output, Soundcore creates a more valuable look here and refines it with no engraved inscriptions.
At the same time, the headphones are immaculately finished, and they have to be, even with their steep price. Soundcore even manages to create an unconscious feeling of value for the untrained eye. I’m sure that no one would guess the price of the headphones to be less than €100 on the spur of the moment.
Assessment of design & processing
Soundcore Liberty 3 Pro: Design is of course a matter of taste, I personally like the more compact design and the resulting look of the headphones, especially compared to the predecessor.
Soundcore uses high-quality plastic and delicately processed metal, so that in my opinion the Soundcore Liberty 3 Pro fully lives up to its standing as a top model and flagship for ANKER’s audio division.
Sound of the Soundcore Liberty 3 Pro
- ACAA 2.0 hybrid driver module
Soundcore developed the ACAA (Astria Coaxial Acoustic Architecture) for the Liberty 2 Pro. This is a dynamic driver for the bass and midrange and a BA driver from the manufacturer Knowles for the upper midrange and treble in one driver module.
While many hybrid drivers have the dynamic and balanced armature drivers installed separately next to each other, Soundcore has combined two sound sources into one here. In addition to the space saved, Soundcore also promises better, more uniform sound “from a single source” through this module, which sounds sensible to my understanding.
This module has been optimized and slightly reduced in size for the new Soundcore Liberty 3 Pro. The dynamic driver of the ACAA 2.0 module has become marginally smaller at 10.6 mm instead of the previous 11 mm.
I’m surprised that Xiaomi hasn’t launched any wireless hybrid driver in-ear headphones on the market yet. In times when jack cable headphones were still the norm, the Xiaomi Piston series with hybrid drivers was particularly successful.
Soundcore Liberty 3 Pro Sound in review
My expectations of the Soundcore Liberty 3 Pro are pretty high, as I’ve been using its predecessor as a daily driver for almost two years now.
The most positive things first: Contrary to the Soundcore Liberty 2 Pro, there is no noise or static, as with the upgraded version Soundcore Liberty 2 Pro+ . This is really an unnecessary shortcoming with the Liberty 2 Pro at low volume, luckily not anymore!
A comparison test with other ANC in-ear headphones that we have already tested makes little sense. With its hybrid drivers, the Soundcore Liberty 3 Pro is superior to all of the competition with dynamic single drivers , from the Apple AirPods Pro to all Xiaomi TWS and the Soundcore Liberty Air 2 Pro.
In my opinion, the Soundcore Liberty 3 Pro is a touch better than its predecessor, not least because of the fact that it doesn’t hiss. In the test, the headphones offer an incredibly large stage with a very deep sub-bass to an extremely detailed treble.
For me personally, the Soundcore Liberty 3 Pro delivers a completely different music listening experience, especially in the classical area or film music, as well as live recordings. Suddenly the limit of the sound quality with TIDAL is no longer the headphones or the audio file, but the quality of the recording itself comes into focus.
Classical & live music
Soundcore Liberty 3 Pro: During my tests, I often listened to the live album “Live in Prague” by Hans Zimmer, among other things. The album convinces with outstanding recording quality and mastering. In the test, I noticed a few nuances that I didn’t notice so much with the Soundcore Liberty 2 Pro, which speaks for an even larger frequency spectrum.
Overall, it’s just amazing how much happens at the same time while listening. Due to the fact that the audio quality is so high, it is possible to hear individual instruments that are lost in the “mud” with other headphones or with lower streaming quality.
In addition, the precision of the sound is pretty crazy. For example, you don’t just hear the sound of a violin, it sounds so realistic that you can practically hear the bow vibrating the strings. Wind instruments also sound so real and “snotty” in the highs, which I have never noticed before with any headphones.
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Hip Hop, RnB & Pop
With pop, hip-hop and RnB, the details are usually less noticeable. This is probably simply due to the way fast-moving music is produced, which today is often created on the computer and therefore does not always offer less depth and space than, for example, an orchestral recording.
With hip hop and RnB, where a rich bass also plays a role, the 10.6 mm dynamic driver shows what it can do and thanks to the BA driver, the Soundcore Liberty 3 Pro conjures up the right crystal-clear voices in your ears. Here it is noticeable that the voices do not separate unnaturally bassy compared to many other headphones, but voices and beat are better separated from each other.
With pop, it depends a lot on how the music is produced. If it was mainly composed on the computer, the strength of the Soundcore Liberty 3 Pro does not come into play that much, with live recordings or with live instruments, it does!
Electronic music
Soundcore Liberty 3 Pro: Since electronic music is also mostly created on the computer, it often feels like the limit of the production is reached rather than the limit of the headphones. In my opinion, the difference in sound between the hybrid driver headphones and a good single driver headphone is the smallest.
But if you have very good audio files here too, a difference in the details is already audible, but not that decisive. I would describe it here as if you could hear the individual sound tracks separated from each other in a little more detail and clearer than with a single driver or with Spotify audio quality.
Rock & Metal
Admittedly, these are genres of music that I don’t deal with that often. For the test of the Soundcore Liberty 3 Pro, I asked Julian, who edits our YouTube videos and was also part of a metalcore band, for a couple of good tracks.
In the test, the Soundcore Liberty 3 Pro also performed particularly well in the live music area, in my opinion. Guitars and basses sound “hot” and you can hear the vibrating of the strings in great detail , similar to what was described for the violins – I like it very much. Also the drums are super precise and the “punch” can scare you a bit here.
Depending on the production, sharp S-sounds in the treble
With the “Soundcore Signature” equalizer mode activated by default, Fabian, who tried the headphones in our second color, noticed some unpleasantly sharp S, CH or SCH sounds during the tests with a wide variety of genres, bands and artists.
These usually stand out somewhat unpleasantly during vocals. Personally, it didn’t bother me as much as Fabian, but since tastes are different, it should be mentioned at this point. This “problem” can also be easily eliminated by slightly modifying the equalizer in the Soundcore app .
Sound comparison with Sony WF-1000XM4
Soundcore Liberty 3 Pro: With a steep price of just under €300 and a reputation that precedes them, the Sony WF-1000XM4 are the top dog when it comes to ANC in-ear headphones and, for me, the benchmark in this headphone category.
However, like Apple’s AirPods Pro & Co., they are also only equipped with a dynamic driver. That’s why I was very curious in advance about the comparison and whether Sony would manage to tickle similar performance from a dynamic single driver as Soundcore from the hybrid driver module.
After a few hours of listening to music I have come to the following conclusion. Both headphones sound similar in tuning, but you can hear into the room with the Soundcore headphones and that is not possible with Sony’s headphones.
This is particularly noticeable with live music, or in general with music that was not recorded in the studio. It also makes sense: with studio music that was created in a soundproof chamber, there is hardly any space that you can hear.
With live music, on the other hand, the sound of the instruments and the audience can be heard much more clearly with the Soundcore Liberty 3 Pro. In my opinion , the Soundcore Liberty 3 Pro transmits a much more emotional sound and also a more emotional experience compared to the Sony WF-1000XM4.
Sound conclusion – for whom is the Soundcore Liberty 3 Pro worthwhile
The comparison with the Sony WF-1000XM4 basically only confirms what Fabian said. The Soundcore Liberty 3 Pro is a razor -sharp headphone that can not only reproduce the sound, but also the room reverberation with damn precision.
Especially with well-recorded live music in master quality, the headphones give you the feeling of really being there and convey the spatial sound, the distance between the instrument and the microphone, the emotions and energy on a completely different level than any other headphones in this price range – Soundcore: well done!
But do you really need a Soundcore Liberty 3 Pro? No. If you don’t have high-resolution audio files or have a subscription to a hi-fi streaming service like TIDAL, you won’t be able to exploit the full potential of the headphones. With Spotify, MP3 files & Co., the headphones only sound slightly better in my opinion than the premium range with dynamic single drivers, such as the Soundcore Liberty Air 2 Pro, Apple AirPods or Huawei Freebuds Pro.
On the other hand, headphones are all about the sound and if you can get a potentially better sound for a cheaper price, then I would say: Better to have than to need.
Now with active noise cancellation
Finally! Not only could the sound core of the Liberty 3 Pro be reduced compared to its predecessor, but the manufacturer has now also installed hybrid ANC. Means that a total of three microphones per earphone, which are built into the inside and outside of the earphone, perceive ambient noise and generate a corresponding anti-noise that reduces background noise.
In the test, the ANC of the Soundcore Liberty 3 Pro is roughly comparable to that of the Soundcore Liberty Air 2 Pro or AirPods Pro. The headphones reliably suppress background noise, so that a music volume of 30%-40% is sufficient to completely block out ambient noise.
In addition, the ANC does not distort the sound of the headphones, as is the case with some budget models . Overall, the ANC does a solid job and can also be customized and optimized in the Soundcore app. There is now also a HearID ANC test, which I will go into more detail under “Soundcore App”.
ANC comparison with Sony WF-1000XM4
Anyone who has ever actively dealt with headphones with active noise cancellation will hardly have been able to avoid Sony’s flagship models. Both Sony’s over-ear and in-ear lead various leaderboards in the ANC in-ear headphones category.
Sony not only relies on its ANC technology, but, as already mentioned, only supplies so-called foam tips for the Sony WF-1000XM4. These foam ear pads are made from a similar material to Ohropax Soft, and roll down between your fingers to shrink and then expand back into your ear.
The Sony WF-1000XM4 achieves a fairly good shielding from the outside world even without ANC. With the ANC switched on, the effect is even stronger, so that you can no longer hear anything at low to medium music volumes.
In the comparison test, I tried the ANC from Sony and Soundcore without music to be able to better perceive the differences. It is noticeable that the Sony WF-1000XM4 is able to isolate particularly high background noise a little better than the Soundcore Liberty 3 Pro. However, the differences really aren’t that big, and they’re even smaller when the music is on.
Therefore: yes, the Sony WF-1000XM4 has the marginally better ANC and is therefore probably the best ANC in-ear on the market. But: it is also €100 more expensive than the Soundcore Liberty 3 Pro and, at least in my opinion, delivers a spongy sound and sound is actually the decisive factor in headphones.
Headset
The predecessor’s headset was quite modest to say the least. There was a lot of room for improvement for the new Soundcore Liberty 3 Pro. With the Soundcore Liberty Air 2 Pro, which was released a little later, it was already shown that good headsets are capable of being installed.
This now also applies to the Soundcore Liberty 3 Pro. While its predecessor passed on background noise too unfiltered, the Soundcore Liberty 3 Pro can reliably suppress it thanks to AI algorithms.
Traffic noise or, in the test, a lawnmower are no obstacle to a good conversation. After various test calls, I can also recommend the headphones for longer calls or telephone conferences at work.
Wearing Comfort
The headphones come with a total of four pairs of ear pads and four pairs of ear hooks. Compared to its predecessor, the selection of ear pads has been reduced somewhat, because the Soundcore Liberty 2 Pro came with a total of seven pairs of ear pads. Here you save yourself a few intermediate sizes.
In the test, I like the wearing comfort of the Soundcore Liberty 3 Pro. Compared to the larger Liberty 2 Pro, the more compact Liberty 3 Pro holds up significantly better, which is due to the lower leverage.
The scope of delivery of the Sony WF-1000XM4, on the other hand, only comes with foam tips (foam pads), with the Soundcore headphones there are still ordinary rubber pads. I would have liked the choice between one and the other even better.
Operation – finally touch sensors here too
While the Soundcore Liberty 2 Pro still got by with push buttons, Soundcore’s high-end product now also has touch sensors. As with the Soundcore Liberty Air 2 Pro, these can be customized – very good!
The Soundcore Liberty 3 Pro supported a total of four different touch gestures:
- Touch once
- Touch twice
- Touch 3 times
- Touch for 2 seconds
These gestures can be assigned individually to the left and right handset. There are six functions to choose from:
- volume +
- Volume –
- next title
- previous title
- Play/Pause
- Start voice assistant
- Ambient noise (always two out of three selectable for a gesture)
- ANC on
- transparent mode on
- Normal
In the test, the assignment in the app, as well as the execution, worked perfectly. In addition, the Soundcore Liberty 3 Pro are also equipped with proximity sensors that automatically pause the music when you take the headphones out of your ears and resume them as soon as you put them back in.
Soundcore app
While major audio manufacturers like Sony or JBL have made faux pas with their apps in the past, Soundcore’s app runs without any problems. This is also reflected in the app reviews.
This is how the Soundcore app is currently available in the Google PlayStore It even has 4.2 stars in 15,721 reviews and in Apple’s App Store 4.7 stars in 4,734 reviews. The app is of course free of charge and first shows you an overview of headphones and speakers that are compatible with the Soundcore app.
The functions of the app for the individual audio products are individual and can only be viewed when the corresponding headphones or loudspeakers are connected to the mobile phone via Bluetooth.
The following functions are available in the app for the Soundcore Liberty 3 Pro:
- ambient noise
- HearID ANC
- High level mode
- comfort mode
- Three levels of ANC strength adjustability
- HearID ANC customization
- Normal (ANC off)
- Transparent mode
- Complete transparency
- voice mode
- Voice Boost (still beta here)
- Wind noise reduction
- HearID ANC
- HearID test
- Sound effects (equalizer)
- Sound mode (Android only)
- Enable LDAC
- steering
- Individualization and activation/deactivation of touch gestures
- More settings
- Turn on/off carry detection
- Device List
- Dual device connection
- voice output
- Turn feedback tones on/off
- Ear pad test
- (Do the upholstery fit well? – is carried out in the app the first time it is paired)
- automatic shutdown
- Options when or if headphones should turn off automatically
- Firmware update
HearID now also for ANC
Soundcore introduced the HearID function with the release of the Soundcore Liberty 2 Pro and later integrated it into the Soundcore Liberty Air 2 Pro.
This is a hearing test, similar to what you might know from an ear doctor. In the app, tones are played to you in different frequency ranges and volumes , and you then indicate whether the tone is audible to you or not.
After the test, an individual equalizer mode is generated on this basis , which takes individual hearing ability into account. In my case, nothing changes here, as I am (fortunately) able to hear all sounds at all volumes. During our test of the Soundcore Liberty 2 Pro, however, there was positive feedback in the comments.
HearID ANC works less complicated. However, the test must take place in a noisy environment where active noise cancellation is also required. As a user, you only see a loading circle in the app , which confirms that the test or fine-tuning of the ANC is being carried out.
Whether the active noise suppression really works better afterwards, I ca n’t say for sure in the test based on my own perception. In my case, the same applies to Sony’s ANC Optimizer.
Main features of the app & conclusion
For me, the most important function in the Soundcore app, at least on Android, is the activation of the LDAC codec for a significantly higher bandwidth in data transmission between the cell phone and headphones.
The dual device connection or multipoint connection must first be activated in the Soundcore app. The Soundcore Liberty 3 Pro can then be used with two devices at the same time. In the test, I connected the headphones to my laptop and cell phone at the same time and was able to use them on the one hand for Skype, Zoom etc. and on the other hand listen to music and take calls via my cell phone. A small drawback: Dual Device Connection cannot be used in LDAC mode.
Another important benefit of the Soundcore app is the ability to install firmware updates on the Soundcore Liberty 3 Pro via the app. With the Soundcore Liberty Air 2 Pro, it has already been shown in the past that Soundcore plays out really useful updates here. For example, the LDAC codec, volume adjustment and another touch gesture were added to these headphones. Speaking of touch gestures, the customization of these is also a useful feature.
Our closed beta version of the Soundcore app for the Soundcore Liberty 3 Pro has not yet been properly translated, but this will be fixed by the official release, but the functions are already doing what they should. In my opinion, it is also well structured, by no means overloaded and intuitive to use.
For me, the Soundcore app is a useful added value for the headphones and not just pointless bells and whistles, others can learn a lesson from it.
Bluetooth chip with LDAC instead of aptX
While the Soundcore Liberty 2 Pro is equipped with an aptX codec or a Qualcomm Bluetooth chip, its upgraded version and the new Soundcore Liberty 3 Pro come with a different module that supports Sony’s LDAC codec . Compared to aptX Adaptive, this allows a significantly higher bandwidth with 990 k/bits.
It is a bit cumbersome that you first have to activate the LDAC codec, which is relevant for you if you use an Android cell phone, in the Soundcore app . If you don’t do this, the headphones automatically select the AAC or SBC codec first. These offer a significantly lower bandwidth under Android and deliver a correspondingly poorer sound experience.
Bluetooth range
In the test, the Soundcore Liberty 3 Pro delivered an extraordinarily good range. The connection remains stable over a distance of more than 20 meters in an open area.
In closed rooms it is correspondingly less, here the nature of the obstacles is particularly decisive. In our office, there are almost only plasterboard walls that the Bluetooth signal can even bridge across several rooms in the test. With reinforced concrete it would probably look different.
Overall, I am very satisfied with the connection stability, even jogging or environments with a lot of interference signals are no problem for the headphones.
Streaming Video
Thanks to LDAC and AAC codec support for the iPhone, I did not notice any noticeable delay between image and sound in the test with the iPhone 11 and the Redmi Note 10 Pro. The headphones are also suitable for watching YouTube, Netflix and other streaming platforms – very good!
Top runtime, despite smaller handset & batteries (?)
As far as some technical data are concerned, Soundcore has been doing the “Apple Move” more and more recently and is simply silent about things such as battery capacity. I can understand it to some extent, since the battery capacity only says something about the runtime to a limited extent.
Since other components, such as the Bluetooth module, are becoming more and more energy-efficient , smaller batteries are sufficient from generation to generation to achieve the same or a similar runtime overall. Nevertheless, the average Otto consumer sees a potential deterioration in the smaller number, why I can understand Soundcore’s handling here to a certain extent.
Battery life in the test
As with the predecessor, Soundcore advertises a runtime of up to 8 hours. Soundcore measured this value in normal mode (without ANC) at a volume of 50%.
In the test with ANC switched on and a mixed volume of 50%-70%, I was still able to achieve a runtime of almost 6 hours , a good and completely sufficient value in my opinion.
In addition, the headphones can be recharged about three times using the charging case, resulting in a total running time of 32 hours under Soundcore’s test conditions and about 24 hours in my experience.
Of course, Soundcore has also implemented a quick charge function here, which means that the headphones are ready for use for three hours (according to Soundcore) after about 15 minutes of charging. In the test with ANC and a slightly higher volume, this value is roughly halved, but in my experience it is still good.
The charging cradle of the ANC in-ears can be charged via USB-C charging cable, but also via QI charging pad . The latter takes longer in comparison, which is why I would recommend charging by cable if you need to be quick.
Conclusion
With the Soundcore Liberty 3 Pro, ANKER’s audio division has brought its best headphones to date onto the market , making a decent announcement to the competition. The headphones are of absolutely high quality and in terms of material they are in no way inferior to the competition.
In my opinion, the Soundcore headphones with their hybrid driver module deliver a better sound than practically all common wireless ANC in-ear headphones. It doesn’t matter whether it ‘s Apple’s AirPods Pro, Huawei’s Freebuds Pro, Xiaomi’s Air 2 Pro or even Sony’s WF-1000XM4, you can listen to music with all of these headphones, but only with the Soundcore Liberty 3 Pro is it possible to listen into the room.
Which is because the Soundcore Liberty 3 Pro has such a sharp and precise sound that I not only hear instruments, but also its room reverb and partly the positioning of microphones. The headphones sound even more realistic, as if you were there yourself, and in my opinion more emotional than the competition. However, this also requires an extremely good recording quality, which is not achieved with Spotify.
Another plus point is the Soundcore app, which contains many (useful) functions and, based on experience, will also offer updates for the Soundcore Liberty 3 Pro in the future.
In addition, there is an above-average battery life, low latency for video streaming and a headset with which one likes to make calls.
- Best sound for less than 300€
- Price/performance winner
- Materials & Processing
- features of the app
- headset microphones
- LDAC codec
- Dual Device (Multipoint) Connection
- Full touch operation
- Slightly worse ANC than Sony WF-1000XM4
- S, CH or SCH sounds sometimes very sharp
Buy Soundcore Liberty 3 Pro?
In order to be able to fully exploit the potential of the Soundcore Liberty 3 Pro wireless in-ear headphones, certain requirements must be met. On Android it is the LDAC codec, which is implemented by default on phones with Android 8 or higher.
To do this, you need high-resolution audio files that are as uncompressed as possible on both iOS devices and Android devices. If you do not have these, there are now also streaming services such as TIDAL, Deezer HiFi or Apple Music, which provide a significantly higher bandwidth than the most common streaming service Spotify.
If these requirements are not met, the headphones cannot really demonstrate their abilities and they sound washed out, undifferentiated and less precise. In this case, cheaper headphones in the price range of €50-100 could be sufficient, such as the Redmi Buds 3 ANC In-Ear for around €50 or the Soundcore Liberty Air 2 Pro, which is often available for a good €100.
Since the Soundcore Liberty 3 Pro is usually cheaper than AirPods Pro and other “flagship headphones” from various cell phone manufacturers, it would still be worth the money to me personally. When in doubt, my personal motto here is: have better than need. Soundcore Liberty 3 Pro Reviews, Specs & Price..