This broad bean makes a sound! "Galaxy Buds Live" long-term use review

　I have been using the Galaxy Buds Live for a long time, which was announced on August 5, 2020 and was released for Japan on September 4, 2020, so I will review it.

　I own the original Galaxy Buds, but it was my first time using open-type earphones, so I was very excited.

Index

• 1 Now, unboxing!
• 2 Pairing immediately!
• 3 Fit
• 4 sound quality
• 5 Connectivity
• 6The power of active noise canceling
• 7 batteries
• 8 Ambient sound capture function
• 9 points that caught my attention
  • 9.1 Touch operation is the worst
  • 9.2 Recognition of wearing earphones is the worst
  • 9.3 Fewer Cases
• 10 general comments

Now open!

　There are three body colors sold in Japan: Mystic Bronze, Mystic White, and Mystic Black.　The outer box of Galaxy Buds Live has a very simple design. The box had an image of Buds Live in the center and the words "Galaxy Buds Live" on the side.

　Open the outer box and finally face the Galaxy Buds Live itself. The body case has a smooth matte finish. In contrast to the previous Galaxy Buds+, which was characterized by a glossy case, it has a very nice touch that is resistant to fingerprints. By the way, the body case of Galaxy Buds Live in Mystic White and Mystic Black seems to be a glossy case. (I lost the photo when I bought it, so I quickly replaced it with the current one. It's been used a lot, so the scratches are terrible.) After all, it is "broad beans". The main body is a beautiful bronze color, the main body is shining, and the presence is amazing.　In addition to this, the contents include a quick start guide, a USB-C cable for charging, and a wing tip.

Pairing now!

　After I received it and took a series of photos, I couldn't wait to pair it with my smartphone. Galaxy Buds Live can be managed from the genuine Galaxy Wearable app, and can be connected not only from Galaxy devices but also from other Android smartphones, iPhones and iPads. This time, I used the Samsung SC-02L that I own for pairing.

　Pairing is super easy. For Android, launch the Galaxy Wearable app and you will see various product names, select "Galaxy Buds Live". Then, the search for surrounding devices will start automatically. Then follow the on-screen instructions to complete the pairing.

A feeling of wearing

　After pairing, I tried wearing the Buds Live, but I was very confused when I put it on. I was confused because I didn't know which direction to put it on, but the official installation method video was uploaded.　I couldn't wear them as shown in the video, probably because the shape of my ears doesn't fit well, but I can wear them normally even in this state.

　When you actually put it on, you will be surprised at the fit. Since the earphones go into the back of the ear, the earphones did not fall off even with light exercise. However, I think that depending on the person, it may or may not suit their ears . You will gradually get used to it, but for the first week after I started using it, my ears immediately hurt even if I used it for about 15 minutes. Therefore, we recommend that you try it out at Galaxy Harajuku or a consumer electronics store before purchasing.

sound quality

　Galaxy Buds Live has been tuned by AKG, a long-established audio maker, following the previous work. When you hear the sound for the first time, the first impression that comes to your mind is "It's so powerful." First of all, a thick and heavy bass is coming. Especially when connected to a Galaxy device, the compatibility is perfect, and in addition to being able to finely adjust the equalizer in the main unit settings, depending on the model, it also supports Dolby Atmos, so you can enjoy a more three-dimensional sound. can.

　Also, with a major design change from the Galaxy Buds/Buds+, the earphones are designed to slip into your ears. As a result, the driver part has become closer (?) to the eardrum, and the power has doubled.

Connectivity

　Galaxy Buds Live continues to support Galaxy Buds + with "SBC", "AAC" and Samsung's own "Scable Codec", and when connected to a Galaxy device, it will automatically connect with "Scable Code". I've had no problems with connectivity so far, and I haven't experienced any interruptions, delays, or noise in the sound.

The power of active noise canceling

　I haven't used the noise canceling function of other earphones myself, so I can't make a comparison, but I feel that the sound of daily life is cut considerably. Galaxy's homepage explains that about 97% of noise is cut when using active noise canceling. However, I don't really feel that the noise has disappeared that much, and as I continue to use it and get used to it, I often hear external noise so much that I wonder, "Oh, is noise canceling on?"

　Therefore, I honestly do not recommend buying this product expecting noise cancellation .

with battery

　As for battery life, it's really fine. More than enough. This is because the battery capacity of the charging case has been significantly upgraded.

　The old Galaxy Buds+ is 85mAh body/280mAh case. On the other hand, Galaxy Buds Live is 60mAh body / 472 mAh case. Although the battery capacity of the main unit has decreased, the capacity of the case has increased by about 1.5 times .　By the way, you can check the remaining battery level, and there is also a widget that allows you to quickly set the noise canceling and touch pad, which is convenient.

　The previous generation Galaxy Buds+ has been reviewed by Gizmoshuttle!! writer truth. From the article, it's easy to see that even the Galaxy Buds+ have ultra-long-life batteries, but with significant upgrades, they can last even longer.

Ambient sound capture function

　In the previous Galaxy Buds series, there was an "ambient sound" mode that uses the microphone on the main unit to capture external sounds. However, the function does not exist in the settings of Galaxy Buds Live. Instead, a function called " Reduce ear congestion and pressure with ambient sounds " has been added. This feature reduces the feeling of blockage in your ears when you are not using active noise canceling. When I actually turn it on, I feel that some outside sounds are being taken in. Is this function a substitute for the external sound capture function?

 　As I mentioned earlier, I have only used my friend's AirPods a few times, and this was my first time using open-type earphones. When I actually used it, I had the first impression that "I can hear the outside sounds so much". The original Galaxy Buds that I used so far were in-ear type, so outside noise was almost completely shut out when worn, but with Buds Live, you can talk without problems while wearing the outside noise. is heard.

Points that caught my attention

Worst touch operation

　The most dissatisfying thing about using the Galaxy Buds Live is the touch operation.　Galaxy Buds Live has a touch pad on both main bodies, and you can operate shortcuts such as 'tap to play', 'double tap to skip', and 'long press to cancel noise' with the earphone alone. However, this sensitivity is too good and it is not good. First, my finger hits the touchpad every time I try to put the earbuds back on, causing an unintended operation . In the case of the Galaxy Buds (unmarked), the location of the touch bud was clear, so there were almost no misoperations, but with the Galaxy Buds Live, it is not clear where the touch bud is and where the touch bud is, so misoperations occur frequently.

　As mentioned above, you can tap the touchpad once to "play", tap twice to "next song", and tap three times to "previous song". Taps rarely go unresponsive, but it's really frustrating when you tap twice and it responds three times (and when you try to skip to the next song, it goes back to the previous song).

　Also, this may be a problem with the Galaxy itself, but even if you try to go back to the previous song, you will not be able to return to the previous song unless you perform the "back" operation (tap three times) several times. After all, it is faster to take out the smartphone and operate it, so I do not use it.

Recognition of wearing earphones is the worst

　The main body of Galaxy Buds Live is equipped with a sensor that recognizes whether the earphone is attached to the ear, and normally when it is attached, it makes a "phone" sound and recognizes that it has been attached. However, recently, even if you put on earphones, the recognition sound does not sound, and it is often recognized suddenly after a while. This is quite annoying, as the noise canceling function cannot be used unless it is recognized that both ears are worn.

few cases

　This is the number one cause of my Galaxy Buds Live getting worn out and scratched. There are not many cases on the market. AirPods are the strongest in Japan, so I think it can't be helped, but even if you go to a 100-yen shop or a consumer electronics store, you'll only find cases for AirPods Pro. It was troublesome to order it online, and as a result of leaving it unattended, it was full of scratches. Even though the matte finish does not scratch the surface, there is a limit, so it would be nice if there were a few more cases in circulation.

　By the way, at the world's largest Galaxy showcase "Galaxy Harajuku", you can create your own one-of-a-kind case by using a service called " My Galaxy ". You can design it however you like, and on top of that, it's very cheap, starting at 300 yen, and you can order it online , so if you're interested, why not give it a try? In addition to cases such as Galaxy Buds, Galaxy Buds Live/Pro, there are also plenty of cases for smartphones such as the Galaxy S21 series.

Overall review

　Galaxy Buds Live is a unique earphone with a unique shape, but it features a deep sound that you can experience because of its shape. Samsung's latest earphones are the Galaxy Buds Pro, but there are advantages to both the inner-ear type and the open-ear type, so I think it's still worth buying even if it's an earphone from a generation ago.

　However, if your focus is solely on noise cancellation, the Galaxy Buds Pro are definitely the way to go. In fact, there was a person near me who switched from Galaxy Buds Live to Galaxy Buds Pro, but he said that it was "markably different." Both are still on sale, so if you are considering purchasing one, I strongly recommend that you try them out.