My Earbuds

Here’s one of those extra newsletters I publish every so often. They won’t be in the newspaper - the only way you’ll see this is if you subscribe to my newsletter or go to my site. If this was forwarded to you, sign up for my newsletter at https://TonysTakeOnTech.beehiiv.com. I promise, I won’t sell or give your email address to anyone and I won’t spam you, either.

A few if you have asked why, in my last newsletter, I didn’t list which earbuds I like to use. My newsletter typically also goes to the Hillsboro Times Gazette and appears there as a column in their online and print newspaper. They have asked me to try not to exceed 1,000 words and my last column was over 1,200 which didn’t leave me any room for my list. Since this edition of my newsletter is just going to my newsletter subscribers, I am free of that requirement.

So, here are the earbuds I use pretty regularly along with a link to their Amazon listing. I just want to reiterate that I don’t get any kickbacks from Amazon.

First, I have a preference for phone calls - it’s the Plantronics Voyager 5200. It’s a single-ear bud meaning that there’s only one and you can use it on your left or right ear. It has a boom microphone which does an excellent job of capturing just your voice and none of the surrounding noise and it has a dedicated mute button so, if necessary I can carry on a conversation with someone in the room without going back to my phone or computer to mute my microphone. Plus it will announce over the earbud that your microphone is muted. It has a decent battery life of about 6 hours which is announced when you turn it on. And it has an app which you can use to change some of the behaviors of the earbud. It's kind of expensive but it goes on sale every so often. The charging case adds to the price but you can purchase it separately.. Amazon link: https://a.co/d/fRIDtZ9

For regular listening I alternate between several in no particular order. They all have good sound

• SoundPEATS GoFree 2. They have an app and the earbuds do a decent job of screening out noise for phone calls. They can connect to two devices at once and have a stated battery life of 9 hours. They come with a charging case that brings the total battery life to a reported 35 hours. They have a low latency “game” mode if you like to game on your devices. They don’t have physical buttons but you can customize what the touchpads do through their app as well as control game mode, enable or disable connecting to two devices and update the firmware in the earbuds. They use the Bluetooth 5.3 standard (the latest as of this writing) which helps extend their battery life and generally provides a more stable connection. Amazon: https://a.co/d/eRY0WIh

• TrueFree O1. A stated 10 hour battery life which is extended to 45 hours with the included charging case. They do a decent job on phone calls, they have a low latency “game” mode, and they can connect with two devices at once. They have an app as well. It's not a very good app but it does let you customize the equalization and update the firmware in the earbuds as well as control game mode and enable or disable connecting with two devices. It does an OK job on phone calls. Amazon: https://a.co/d/bZfC5Eg

• Lavales Open Ear. A stated 25 hours of play time plus they come with a charging case that reportedly extends that to a total of 45 hours. They use the Bluetooth 5.2 standard - not the latest but certainly acceptable. They have physical buttons! And they have a low latency game mode which I can use to watch TV. They don’t have an app but, honestly, I’m happy with what they can do without the app. They can’t connect to two devices at once which is unfortunate but not a deal breaker for me. They fit a little differently in that the earbud itself ratchets with the hook that goes over your ear. I find it to be a great way to get them to fit comfortably yet tightly. Amazon: https://a.co/d/gFs6kzw

• Sainellor Open Ear Amazon: https://a.co/d/4HaS8IT (least expensive). A stated 12 hour playtime and an included case that adds another 44 hours. Bluetooth 5.2 and touchpads on the earbuds, not physical buttons. No app so no way to customize any of the controls but they are the least expensive and do a good job with sound. I wouldn’t use them for calls.

That's all for this extra newsletter. Don't hesitate to write to me if you have questions, comments, suggestions, requests for future columns, to sign up for my newsletter, or whatever at [email protected] or just drop me a quick note and say HI!