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Soundcore iterates. A lot. I’ve reviewed quite a few of their products, and while there’s something for everyone, that doesn’t necessarily justify the volume of products they release. Know what is a justification? Quality improvements.
With that said, meet the Soundcore Liberty 5. How do these earbuds stack up against the Liberty 4 NC and Liberty 4 Pro? Apart from that, how good are they on their own? Let’s get into all of that!
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Categories |
Soundcore Liberty 5 |
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Connectivity |
Bluetooth 5.4, Google Fast Pair |
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Speakers |
9.2mm Wool-Paper Diaphragm Drivers |
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Codec support |
SBC, AAC, LDAC |
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Battery life |
12H/48H ANC off, 8H/32H ANC on; 10 minute charge for 5 hours playback |
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Charging |
USB-C, Qi |
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App support |
Android, iOS |
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Durability |
IP55 |
Soundcore is hardcore with customization
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When it comes to features, Anker’s Soundcore brand stands out for the amount of functionality it packs into its app. This is in addition to the long list of hardware features commonly found in its earbuds and headphones. They give you a lot for $129. Let’s talk about the hardware first! I’ll address the app in a bit.
The Liberty 5 are the successor to the Liberty 4 NC, but they do contain elements of the Liberty 4 Pro. Aesthetically, the first thing you’ll notice is that the case looks and slides like the Liberty 4 Pro, minus the in-case display and touch bar. Slide the lid up, and you get a pairing button inside.
Below that, on the lip of the bottom half, you’ll find a light bar that indicates battery and connection status but is difficult to see outdoors, even in overcast sunlight. The case charges via USB-C and Qi wireless connections and has a matte finish that resists fingerprints very well, in contrast to the fingerprint magnet that is the Liberty 4 Pro.
Pop the earbuds out of the case, and you’ll find the same stem-style buds found in the previous generation, along with the clicky stem-based controls. In my couple of weeks with the earbuds, those controls took a bit of getting used to, but once I did, they were reliable and didn’t give me any false triggering issues when adjusting or readjusting them during exercise.
With the Liberty 5 earbuds, you’ll have five additional ear tips to choose from (shown in the gallery above). I used the default ear tips (mediums), which worked fine. Adjusting the seal of the right ear with the small gave me a better fit, so I stuck with that configuration for the remainder of my review period.
I appreciate that the white ear tips have a barely visible marking on them, indicating the size, so if you want to switch, you immediately know what you had in and which option you may want to try next.
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The app is highly customizable, featuring an 8-band EQ and 22 preset options, as well as the ability to create custom presets tailored to your hearing preferences.
There’s a gaming mode, the ability to switch between AAC and LDAC playback, and the option to adjust the strength of the ANC. There’s a lot going on, and it’s worth taking the time to get to know the Soundcore app.
Great sound. Eventually.
Having reviewed the Liberty 4 Pro, the Liberty 5 proved to be an interesting initial listen. The 4 Pro presented a relatively balanced stereo image out of the box. The Liberty 5, on the other hand, are bass-heavy throughout most of the default sound profiles offered. If you’re a bass lover, this may not be bad, but it isn’t optimal and doesn’t present the full sonic image that the Liberty 5 can produce.
Overall, I’d characterize the default sound as having a very warm bottom in the upper bass with a lighter sub-bass punch. Mids are scooped, and highs are bright but compete with the amped lows.
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Once you’ve connected your Liberty 5 and you dive into the app, you’ll find two different sound options that allow you to better tailor the output: Preference Test and HearID Sound Test. Preference tailors sound based on perception, while HearID tailors sound based on your level of hearing loss, if any.
I prefer HearID over the Preference Test because it compensates for hearing loss across the audible frequency spectrum, so your EQ will be “true.” Once I updated my HearID test, something I hadn’t done in 12 months, and made a couple of small tweaks to the Preference Test settings, the sound quality was much more balanced and nuanced.
With my sonic profile preferences sorted, I hit my DSF files and played one of my “go-tos” for testing nuance: Michael Jackson’s “Wanna Be Startin’ Something.” The intro has backing vocals that get lost with less capably tuned earbuds and headphones, but the Liberty 5 reproduced those vocals and the nuance in that track with aplomb.
The same can be said for the high-bitrate PCM Marvin Gaye files I listened to. Looking at the Developer Options menu on my Google Pixel 9, confirming that I was streaming “Trouble Man” and “Ain’t Nothing Like The Real Thing,” using LDAC at 32bits/96kHz, the experience was very satisfying.
Gaye’s arrangements are orchestral and expertly mastered, imparting a beautiful sense of space and nuanced instrumentation that is robust in its basslines and highs. His vocals and falsetto are top-tier, so much of that can get lost with a lesser pair of earbuds. Not the case with these. His vocals are bright and full of texture, as are Tammi Terrell’s, and the combination of their voices on that duet, presented through these earbuds, is immersive and highly entertaining.
Every other genre I threw at the Liberty 5 was well represented. The Liberty 5 proves to be a capable pair of relatively inexpensive Bluetooth earbuds that are sonically proficient with everything from speed metal to hip-hop to film scores and soundtracks.
Mic quality is clear, but on some calls, it sounded like I was in a closet. In one of my Discord chats, I left a nearly three-minute voice message for the group and listened to it back. It was crystal clear, with no closet sound, and it adeptly cancelled background noise.
Regarding battery life, Soundcore rates the Liberty 5 for eight hours of playback with Active Noise Cancellation (ANC) enabled. In my testing, I achieved roughly seven hours of playback with LDAC and ANC activated, at a volume level of around 70% of maximum.
One more note on the ANC. It’s ok. Better than the Liberty 4 NC, but this isn’t top-tier ANC like you’ll get on some pricier competition, but it is comparable to some of its competition around this price point.
Should you buy the Soundcore Liberty 5?
You really can’t go wrong with Anker’s Soundcore Liberty 5. They offer nuanced, balanced sound at a very affordable price. They improve upon the previous generation Liberty 4 NC in every way, only bowing to the Liberty 4 Pro in the area of out-of-the-box sound quality.
Soundcore’s products regularly go on sale, so while these are very good at their suggested retail price of $129.99, on sale, they’d be pretty hard to beat.
Quick tweaks = great sound!
Out-of-the-box, the Soundcore Liberty 5 features some bass-heavy beginnings but a couple simple tweaks liberate the Liberty 5, giving you sweet, nuanced sound.
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