Edifier NeoBuds True Wireless Planar Magnetic Noise Canceling Earbuds review

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REVIEW – When tech goes tiny, the impossible becomes possible—and it’s true with audio, as well. Take the Edifier NeoBuds True Wireless Planar Magnetic Noise Canceling Earbuds as an example. This mouthful of an in-ear monitor (IEM) uses a speaker design more common in headphones than earphones. The result is a pair of earbuds (what Edifier calls them) that sound—well, like an expensive pair of planar headphones. Translation: You’ll love them.

⬇︎ Jump to summary (pros/cons)
Price: $299.99
Where to buy: Amazon

What is it?

The Edifier NeoBuds True Wireless Planar Magnetic Noise Canceling Earbuds are just that. The NeoBuds line is comprised of different models of earbuds in different price ranges. The NeoBuds Planar earbuds are a successor to the STAX Spirit S10 earbuds. Note that STAX was a legendary Japanese audio brand that Edifier acquired in 2012.

According to Edifier, the NeoBud Planar earbuds feature a 2nd Gen. EqualMass Patented Wiring Technology. When paired with a micron-scale diaphragm, it ensures exceptional transient response and low distortion. You don’t need to understand the jargon.

The earbuds use Qualcomm Snapdragon Sound Technology. Qualcomm is responsible for improved audio for music and gaming. Multiple wireless codecs are supported: LHDC 5, LDAC, and AAC. The earbuds carry the HiRes Audio seal from the Japan Audio Society.

Adaptive noise canceling is included—great for blocking out the world while listening to music. 3 built-in (per earbud) mics are for calls. More on that later.

Charging can be either wired or wireless. Multipoint connection allows automatic switching between various Bluetooth devices. Multipoint is one of those features not appreciated until it’s not available.

What’s included?

Earbuds
USB-C to USB-A charging cable
Pouch
Ear tips

Tech specs

Planar Magnetic diaphragm driver
Bluetooth: 5.4
Range: 32 ft.
Audio Codecs: aptX, aptX Adaptive, aptX Lossless, Snapdragon Sound, LHDC 5.0, LDAC, AAC, SBC
Playback Time: ANC OFF:7.5 (earbuds) 22.5hrs (case); ANC ON:5 (earbuds) 15hrs (case)

Design and features

As with most of Edifier’s other NeoBuds earbuds, the NeoBuds True Wireless earbuds are comfortable out of the box and resemble the Edifier NeoBuds Pro earbuds. However, that’s where any similarity ends. These NeoBuds are a few steps above the other NeoBuds in audio quality.

They have a stem-like, but futuristic design—soft and round in the ear, but angular on the exterior. Only black is offered. The case is a bulbous design with a dark-gray matte finish. This finish helps prevent fingerprints, keeping the case looking new. Both earbuds magnetically snap securely into the case.

A haptic button is placed on either stem to control the function based on single, double, or triple clicks or even clicking and holding. Pressing the button can be both felt and heard, so you know if it was clicked or not.

Charging the NeoBuds Planar earbuds is via either a supplied USB-C to USB-A cable or wirelessly. I’m not a fan of wireless charging, but I understand the convenience. Charging time is appx. 1.5-2 hours. Play time is 7.5 hours (ANC off) or 5 hours (ANC on). The case holds 22 hours of charge. Moisture and dust resistance is rated at a respectable IP55, meaning some protection against sweat/rain and dust but not waterproof.

Accessories include the charging cable, 5 sizes of silicone ear tips (XS, S, M, L, XL), and a soft carrying pouch with drawstring.

It’s good to see that Edifier didn’t skimp on its use of active noise canceling (ANC) with the NeoBuds Planar earbuds. It’s adaptive ANC, meaning that it automatically adjusts to the surroundings, determining how much noise canceling to use. Note that ANC can also be turned off or set to Ambient mode, which lets in all outside noise when desired. ANC is quite effective without compromising audio quality.

As with most newer Edifier earbuds, their excellent ConneX app (iOS and Android) can be used to perform many functions. Equalizer settings can be either pre-programmed or custom—your choice. Although I usually create my own EQ, this time I relied on “Dynamic”. It just sounded right to my ears. Other ConneX settings are ANC controls, battery life, haptic stem button functions, and others.

Edifier touts Multipoint as a feature that allows seamless switching between different Bluetooth devices. Unfortunately, swapping devices too often resulted in me having to manually do the switching.

So the NeoBuds Planar earbuds are comfortable and well made, but none of that matters if they don’t sound good. Fortunately, these planar earbuds sound really, really good.

What exactly are planar speakers? Most earphones are made of either dynamic or armature speakers, or a combination of both. Dynamic speakers look—and work—like tiny versions of regular speakers. Armature speakers come from the hearing aid industry and look nothing like “normal” speakers. Both approaches have pros and cons. Planar speakers are a different animal. Here’s the geeky explanation: They use 12mm modularized planar magnetic drivers, equipped with dual-layer magnet arrays and a micron-scale ultra-thin diaphragm utilizing 2nd generation EqualMass wiring technology. This wiring is evenly distributed, resulting in a uniformly spaced push-pull of the diaphragm with near-perfect pistonic motion. In other words, sound waves that vibrate the diaphragm start and stop quickly, allowing music to be more accurate with less distortion—almost to a fault.

While accuracy is important in music listening, you may not want total accuracy (I included). Why is that? Simple—the more accurately music is reproduced, the more flaws become apparent. Accuracy brings out both the good and bad. Fortunately, the NeoBud Planar earbuds aren’t so accurate as to be unlistenable. They are accurate enough to bring out the power, but retain the emotion in music—not an easy thing to do.

Even though Glen Campbell’s song, “Wichita Lineman,” was recorded back in 1968, care was taken in the recording. It sounds perfect with its soaring string arrangement and Carol Kaye’s flawless bass playing. The NeoBuds planar earbuds allow her bass to be upfront. You can hear—and almost feel—the plucking of her bass.

“Europa Endlos” from Kraftwerk’s German version of the album “Trans Europa Express” begins with sparkling synth keyboards fading in followed by a faux angelic choir and finally bass-heavy electronic percussion that balances out the song. There’s a punch to the song that is goes missing from many other earphones. Not these.

As good as music can sound on the NeoBuds Planar earbuds, all is not rosy. As I said earlier, accuracy is a two-edged sword. The Yardbirds’ iconic—but poorly recorded—1966 psychedelic song, “Over Under Sideways Down,” is a fun listen on other earphones. However, an almost unforgiving harshness permeates this song when heard through these planar earbuds.

Edifier also touts the clarity of phone calls from the earbuds’ 6 mics. Calls do sound clear and are easily understood by who I am talking with. However, they aren’t any better than Apple’s AirPods Pro earphones, which are considered by many as the gold standard for calls. But it’s the music that matters with the NeoBuds Planar Magnetic Earbuds.

Final thoughts

Despite the occasional (badly recorded) song not sounding great on the Edifier NeoBuds True Wireless Planar Magnetic Noise Canceling Earbuds, this is a great pair of earbuds. Yes, they’re expensive, yet when the emotional power of music combined with the convenience of going wireless can be enjoyed this much, maybe the price can be justified.

What I like about Edifier NeoBuds

They sound great
Well-made
Nice design
Comfortable
ANC works well
ConneX app

What needs to be improved?

Expensive
Can be a bit too accurate for badly recorded music

Price: $299.99
Where to buy: Amazon
Source: The sample of this product was provided for free by Edifier. Edifier did not have a final say on the review and did not preview the review before it was published.