New York City is, to quote Lin-Manuel Miranda, “the greatest city in the world.”
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City → quote → world
It’s also pretty loud here.
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It → ’ → ?
Whether it’s screeching subways or honking car horns, sometimes you need a good pair of headphones to quiet that noise.
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you → ’ → noise
A group of NY Post staffers spent all summer testing headphones alongside me.
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group → spend → me
As The Post’s go-to headphones gal, I’ve been reviewing headphones for more than three years and I was a natural choice to oversee this category’s testing, devising the criteria and testing each model alongside my colleagues.
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I → go → colleagues
In our quest to find the best pair of headphones that was completely NYC-proof — that means solid noise cancellation and awareness mode, a stylish design that is comfortable enough to wear all day — one pair rose to the top.
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pair → find → top
The Soundcore Liberty 5 Pro stood up to subway noise, put through crystal clear phone calls even when we were walking through Times Square and helped us stay aware of our surroundings as we navigated the city.
Soundcore Liberty 5 Pro has five levels of noise cancellation that can be adjusted to your preferences, with one being a step above nothing at all and five being extreme active noise cancellation.
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five → stand → nothing
On a five, you’re getting extremely effective noise cancellation.
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you → get → cancellation
In terms of sound, these are equipped with Dolby Spatial Audio and optimized for Dolby Atmos.
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these → equip → Atmos
Case included: Yes
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Case → include → ?
| Weight: 2.4 ounces | Special features: Touchscreen case, customizable fit | Warranty: Yes, up to two years depending on region and retailer purchased from
The perfect headphones for NYC should be comfortable and durable, while allowing you to hear your music and your surroundings when necessary with active noise cancellation and a transparency mode to filter sounds in.
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you → depend → sounds
This is the pair that stood up to the test.
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that → stand → test
Set up
The Soundcore Liberty 5 Pro is incredibly easy to set up thanks to some very handy diagrams printed right on the packaging.
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Pro → set → packaging
Without having to even open an instruction booklet, you can begin pairing your headphones by following the few easy steps on the packaging.
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you → have → packaging
None of the testers reported any issues with pairing their headphones to their device for the first time, and our testing pool consisted of both iPhone and Android users.
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pool → report → users
Within minutes, I was up and running, already listening to my favorite music.
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I → run → music
Soundcore does have an app for pairing, but it’s user-friendly and you may find yourself not really needing it thanks to one specific design feature that we’ll get to soon.
uncertain
we → have → that
At first glance, it’s obvious these earbuds aren’t like a lot of other pairs, specifically because of the “bean-like” shape, as Commerce Partnerships Manager Frank Massaro put it.
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Massaro → ’ → it
While he initially thought the design may be an issue, by the end of our testing period, he said that the shape “may actually be [his] preference going forward.”
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shape → think → period
Entertainment reporter Eric Todisco also liked the shape, noting that they fit him comfortably and he’d often forget he was wearing them.
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he → like → them
In addition to the ear-and-wing-tips that come on the headphones, the box includes four additional sizes of ear-tips and two wing-tip sizes.
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box → come → tips
The app has an ear fit test that can help determine if the tips you have on are actually the best size for you.
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you → have → you
1 of 2
“Typically brands just have small and large as supplemental offerings in my experience,” Massaro said.
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Massaro → have → experience
“It was nice to see that there was an XS and XXS option.”
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It → see → ?
The Soundcore Liberty 5 Pro’s sleek design extends to its charging case.
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design → extend → case
The unique case has a sliding closure that locks the buds in, rather than utilizing a case that opens from the top.
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that → have → top
All of the testers noticed that this style of case does keep the earbuds secure if the case happens to be dropped.
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case → notice → earbuds
Drop-testing from a few different heights all proved the same results: these headphones aren’t going anywhere.
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headphones → prove → results
The case has another unique aspect to it: the touchscreen.
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case → have → it
Directly on the case, you’re able to check the battery levels, control the noise cancellation levels, the audio modes and Dolby audio.
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you → ’re → levels
The biggest one, and probably the one most consumers consider the highest priority, is noise cancellation.
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consumers → consider → ?
The Soundcore Liberty 5 Pro has four different modes: Active Noise Cancellation, Transparency, Adaptive and Normal.
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Pro → have → modes
Normal is exactly what it sounds like: no ANC, no transparency, just normal.
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it → sound → what
The Active Noise Cancellation has five levels, with one being a minimal amount of noise cancellation and five being the most.
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five → have → cancellation
Entertainment reporter Jolie Zenna said that the Soundcore blocked “the extra loud noise like screeching brakes” in the subway more efficiently than other pairs she’s tried.
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she → say → pairs
The other testers also praised the effectiveness of the active noise cancellation.
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testers → praise → cancellation
Using ANC, Massaro said, “I was able to tell an announcement [on the subway] was made, but I could not make out what was being said.”
uncertain
what → use → subway
Todisco agreed that Soundcore’s noise cancellation is effective, but he “mostly only wore one” so he was aware of his surroundings due to how much noise they actually blocked out.
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they → agree → noise
Massaro tried all of the levels of noise cancellation and noted that level one “was barely discernible from transparency,” but still, “much more comes through on transparency mode.”
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more → try → mode
Adaptive is a unique feature that uses the microphones placed inside the headphones to read the environment, creating a custom blend of transparency and noise cancellation that changes intensity on the fly.
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that → use → fly
…and 47 more, not listed.
The Aporia
