Samsung’s Buds Live Offer Unrivaled Ear Comfort

October 3, 2021 Off By Naveen Victor

Samsung has made it a habit of unveiling new wireless earbuds each year. In 2021 we were graced by the presence of the Galaxy Buds2 and Buds Pro. It’s a schedule that the Korean maker has kept to, almost religiously over the past several years. Each new iteration brings with it improved ‘fit and feel’ as well as more advanced audio features.

Their appearance, though ever evolving, keeps the same arrangement of the bud attached to a miniature stalk. However, the Buds Live launched last year, represented the most unconventional design change of any pair of earbuds. It has a kidney bean look that negates the need for a conical earbud mounted to its body.

What Makes Them Different?

Instead, it is designed to rest along the contours of the ear cartilage. Once you’ve placed them on the concha, they should be twisted counter-clockwise, then pushed into the opening of the ear canal. It’s an ingenious approach to creating earbuds that are far less intrusive in terms of fitment, compared to its competitors.

Despite what you might think, the Buds Live fit snugly on the ears, provided that you’ve fitted the proper silicon anchor points. There are two microphones mounted on the outer shell and one on the inner shell. They work together to block ambient sound and interference and ensure that your voice is picked and delivered to the caller on the other end with maximum clarity.

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The Buds Live earbuds have 12mm speaker drivers that offer decent audio quality. They aren’t a match for high-end audiophile earbuds, but are good enough for those of us who want a pair of earphones that offer a good music listening experience and decent call quality.

Read our review on the Samsung Galaxy Buds Live here: Samsung Galaxy Buds Live: Great Choice For Casual Music Listeners

They have active noise cancelling functionality too. Performance is acceptable considering that they’re earbuds and not over the ear headphones. You’re kept insulated from most ambient noises but the more intrusive ones manage to seep through. The effect can be minimised if both buds are inserted correctly and slotted perfectly into the opening of the ear canal.

The outer surface of the Buds Live is touch sensitive. Tap once on to answer or and a call or pause your music . Tap twice on the right earbud to skip to the next song or do the same on the left one to return to the previous one. But you need to be deliberate with your touch input. Light taps aren’t registered probably to prevent unintended interruptions while reseating the earbuds.

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Setting adjustments such as noise cancelling, touch input behaviour and sound quality can be done via the Wearable app. Here you can change almost anything about the earbuds’ characteristics, check on battery charge and locate misplaced earbuds. It’s an absolute joy to use because it’s a dedicated app for all paired wearable devices.

In my opinion the Buds Live happen to be the least intrusive pair of earbuds I’ve ever used. I represent a substantially large subset of users who do not like the intrusive feeling that silicone tip earbuds exhibit. They induce irritation at the mounting point, which prevents me from using a pair of them for extended periods of time.

This is why I love the Buds Live, the design allows for a more natural fitment in ones ears. Instead of having silicone ear tips shoved down your ear canals, they rest against it, to form a comfortable fit. Vigorous head movements aren’t a problem either due to the nature of how the Buds Live rests on each ear.

Besides this, since the Buds Live do not protrude much into the ear canal, they are less likely to disrupt the movement of earwax from your inner ear. Doctors and audiologists advise against using earphones for extended periods of time due to said problem. The silicone tip earbuds intrude further into the ear canal, effectively pushing earwax back.

The Buds Live are a far better option for people who care about ear hygiene and health. Having used them consistently over the course of several months, I can attest to how comfortable they are to use throughout the day. They are the only pair of earbuds I would use to substitute my over-the-ear headphones.

Sadly my sentiment wasn’t shared by general consumers. Which is probably why Samsung reverted to the tried and tested silicone tip earbuds with the introduction of the buds Pro. They form a better seal around the ear canal, which improves sound quality and improves noise isolation. In addition to this, the ear tips can be changed to fit varying ear sizes.

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I hope that kidney bean form factor wireless earbuds like the Buds Live make a comeback in the near future. The advantages that they bring to the table far outweigh the drawbacks. One day I hope this fact dawns on general consumers.

Galaxy Buds Live, Jewelry & Gadget