Edifiers NeoBuds Planar buds have a wide, expansive soundscape, but one that majorly sacrifices depth.
I was left longing for bass that doesnt exist.
But, on a positive note, they are darn comfy.
There are very few things I look forward to like unboxing a new pair of earbuds or headphones.
So when I started testing the Edifier NeoBuds Planar earbuds, I was extremely excited.
However, with a treble-and-mids heavy soundscape, I was left missing bass more than I thought I would.
Even so, could the Edifier NeoBuds Planar be some of thebest earbudsout there?
Well, maybe if you prefer detail over bass.
I do not think they are worth this price at all.
In the U.K. and Europe, the Amazon U.K. original price of 199 remains unchanged.
These are some comfortable earbuds.
I switched out the default medium-sized ear tips for the small and they fit perfectly in my ear.
The sizes range from XS-XL.
No, these earbuds arent the most beautiful options on the market, but dang, they are comfy.
The silver plastic casing looks a little cheap, and certainly not worth the $299 asking price.
The buds themselves are also quite unattractive, with an inch-long stem made of the same silvery cheap-looking plastic.
Sometimes, wear detection doesnt work at all.
This is majorly disappointing, especially for a pair of earbuds costing $299.
However, I still do see a lot of Bluetooth 5.3 gear (including on Boses 2024 QuietComfort earbuds!
), so I appreciate that Edifier has loaded Bluetooth 5.4 on the NeoBuds Planar.
Id say thats a win.
Another win is the dual equipment connection.
However, that wasnt the case with the NeoBuds Planar.
I was able to switch seamlessly between both devices after connecting to the earbuds manually.
While connectivity is pretty good, the actual audio features are quite lacking.
Yes, theres wear detection, but as I discussed earlier, its quite laggy.
Yes, theres EQ customization, but its really anti-user.
Even so, the EQ is still pretty poor, so perhaps that was why.
I was actually really impressed with the ANC.
In testing, it felt as adept as my AirPods Pro 2.
These are for detail listeners only.
Id consider myself a semi-bass/semi-detail listener, but even I thought these were too lacking in the low frequencies.
If the drivers arent built for bass, theres very little an EQ can do.
Its like painting an unplastered wall; itll recolor the texture, but it wont smooth it.
As with all my earbud testing, I listened usingQobuz, ourbest music streaming servicefor audiophiles.
However, the reason behind this width became apparent there was nodepth.
I dont consider myself a huge basshead I enjoy listening to a balanced track with detailandbass.
However, the lack of complexity was definitely noticeable on almost every song.
Wet Dream by Wet Leg sounded great in the verses, which are built over breathy vocals and percussion.
The answer was no.
I was curious about one of Edifiers EQ presets titled Electrostatic.
The app told me that this EQ is intended for classical music, so I thought,why not?
I gave it a whirl by listening to some Mozart, and it actually sounded great.
Best earbuds for classical music lovers?
For classical music lovers, I think the Edifier NeoBuds Planar are some great detailed earbuds.
For those who arent huge fans of bass, again, these Edifier buds are pretty good.
However, I would not say these are good earbuds for people who love bass-heavy tracks.
To test the call quality, I called my boyfriend.
They were about the same as my AirPods, so audible, but not massively impressive.
Edifier says there are three mics on each bud with AI noise reduction.
To test this noise reduction, I went outside and recorded myself talking.
Despite this unappealing appearance, the app is still usable.
The NeoBuds Planar will last for 20 hours with ANC, and 30 hours without ANC.
All is not lost, though!
However, most listeners need some oomph, some groove, some power.
Unfortunately, for anyone who likes a little bass or depth, the NeoBuds Planar are a skip.
Maybe if they were at their original price of $199, I could recommend them more.
But for $299?
Its just too much.
Id get theAirPods Pro 2and save the extra $50 for a little treat yo self moment.
