>>I am brazilian and I speak portuguese, so forgive my english, I’ll use translator tools to help<<
INTRO:
Samsung Galaxy Buds 2! The timeline of these TWSs from Samsung is quite complicated to understand, they could simply have put: Buds 1, Buds 2, Buds 3, etc. I confess that I have given up trying to understand, maybe if I had evaluated from the first earphone to the most recent ones, I think it would be easier. Anyway, let’s review this earphone that until then left the question in the air: Is it good or bad?
The Buds 2 was tested in conjunction with a Galaxy S22 Ultra, a Motorola Z3 Play, and a DAP FiiO M11S.
Price: $99 USD
Colors: Olive, Lavender, White, Graphite, Onyx
Model used: Onyx
Samsung Link:
SPECIFICATIONS:
– (1) 11mm Dynamic Driver + (1) 6.5mm Tweeter per side
– Chipset: BES2500ZP
– Touch Control
– Bluetooth 5.2
– Codecs: AAC, SBC, SSC (Samsung Codec)
– Bluetooth Profile: HFP, A2DP, AVRCP
– ANC – Active noise cancellation
– Ambient sound – 3 levels
– 360 Audio/Dolby Atmos
– Signal range: 10 meters
– Bixby – intelligent voice assistant
– Galaxy Wearable App – customization
– Battery life: 20 hours (15+5) [5 hours of playback with ANC]
– Compatible OS: Android 7 or higher and with 1.5GB of RAM or more.
– 3 Microphones + VPU (Voice Pickup Unit)
– Sensors: Accelerometer, Gyroscope, Proximity, Touch, Hall, VPU
– IPX2 certification (earbuds)
– 40min playback = 3min charging (cable/wireless/D2D)
– 60min playback = 5min charging (cable/wireless/D2D)
– 150min playback = 10min charging (cable/wireless)
– Earbuds battery: 61mAh
– Case battery: 472mAh
– Charging via cable (USB-C) or Wireless (Qi wireless)
– USB-C power supply: 5V 500mA input
– Earbuds size: 21.1mm [H] × 17mm [W] × 20.9mm [D]
– Case size: 5cm [H] × 5cm [W] × 2.8cm [D]
– Weight: 5.1g (one side)(without tips)
– Case weight: 40g (without earbuds)
– Total weight (box, earbuds, etc): 138.3g
– Packaging size: 9.5cm [H] x 8.5cm [W] x 4.5cm [D]
UNBOXING:
PHYSICAL ASPECTS:
Let’s start with the eartips. Samsung included only one type of silicone eartip, in sizes S/M/L. If you noticed in the unboxing video, the eartips have a kind of grid in the center, so they – in part – are “proprietary” eartips. The ‘In part’ is because they aren’t very different from other eartips we have on the market, so they are easy to replace in case you lose them. In any case, the eartips that came with the earphone I found very good, and I think there is no need to change the eartips (of course, this is very subjective).
If you don’t like the eartips that came with it, a good indication is the SpinFit CP1025. Originally they were produced for the Apple AirPods Pro, but they also serve for a vast amount of TWS earphones, including the Buds 2. I tested the CP1025 on the Buds 2 and the earphone was even better accommodated in my ears. The CP1025 I would recommend for those with small or medium ears, for those with larger ears, maybe a little more insertion would be interesting, then the CP360 goes better. Both models of SpinFit mentioned in this paragraph fit in the earphone and in the charging case.
Construction. Strong point of Samsung products. The case is excellent, impeccable quality. The earphones are made of a less premium plastic, but they manage to have a great quality as well. Until then, the Buds 2, is – or was – the lightest earphone that Samsung has ever made (I don’t know if the new ones have already managed to surpass in this aspect). The design of the case is great for transporting the product, especially if in the pocket of a shorts, the corners are rounded, this facilitates the removal from the pocket, and also don’t make volume (in this sense the case of the FIIL Key was one of the best I tested).
Another positive point I found in the Buds 2 case was that, when opening the lid of the case, it stays in a rigid position, and this is very good because it doesn’t fall on the fingers when removing the earphone from inside. Another thing, if the lid is open, the earphones don’t fall, as they are fixed by magnetism. I did a test applying force to see if the earphones would fall from the case, but they didn’t fall. Only when I applied a disproportionate force, then they fell. In daily use it’s safe, you can turn the case upside down and the earphones won’t fall.
Bluetooth signal connectivity. The Buds 2, along with the FIIL CC Pro2, were the best TWS I tested in terms of stability and range of the signal. With the Buds 2 I was able to easily reach more than 10 meters (indicated by the manufacturer). I left the S22U in the room and went outside the house, reaching the sidewalk of the neighbor’s house, and the signal managed to get there – music playing great. The stability is also very good, I was able to walk through the rooms of the residence and I had no signal break.
Latency test (delay). I did a test watching a video on YouTube and the result was as expected: no delay between the speaker’s speech and the sound in the earphones, perfect sync. This without the “Labs” – game mode – activated, with the mode activated I simply didn’t notice a difference, as fast as without being activated.
The Buds 2 has several sensors, and among them, the proximity sensor. This sensor is responsible for Auto-Pause, which makes the music stop playing when you remove the earphone from your ear. I did a test here and noticed that it only has Auto-Pause, the music doesn’t return if you put the earphone back in your ear. The earphone also has the feature of locating the product, by Geopositioning or by bluetooth (the latter if it’s nearby).
Galaxy Wearable App. On the S22 Ultra the app is already installed, and being a smartphone from the same company, the whole ecosystem is already ready. Below, follow the screenshots of the App (on the S22U):
If you don’t have a Samsung smartphone, you can download the “Galaxy Wearable” app from the Google Play Store. I installed the App on my Motorola and it worked perfectly. You will need another app to be installed as well, the “Galaxy Buds 2 Manager”, which will automatically appear for installation when you open the “Galaxy Wearable” app, so just confirm the installation.
PS: Unfortunately, smartphones from other brands that aren’t Samsung, end up not getting all the features available in the “Galaxy Wearable” app, such as the 360 Audio or the Labs. The “Labs” has the “game mode” feature, which in practice would be something like a low latency mode, to reduce the signal sending time to the earphone.
Wireless PowerShare Charging. If you have a smartphone with this feature, as in the case of the S22 Ultra here, it’s possible to charge the Buds 2 by transferring energy from the smartphone to the earphone case. After enabling the feature in the device settings, you place the case in the middle of the back of the smartphone and it will start charging automatically.
Microphones. I tested the Mic of the Buds 2 both on the S22U and on the Z3Play. First the Z3Play: The quality of the recording I found very good, one of the best Mics I’ve tested to date. I tested in a quiet environment and also with a fan directed at my face, the result was very satisfactory, there was no increase in noise or wind hissing. S22U: follows the same as I said for the Z3Play, although the only difference was that on the S22U the recording was lower, when I went to listen to the recording I had to increase all the volume and still thought it was low (it can be the recording App). It is worth remembering that I think these TWS microphones are for “non-professional” conversations, if the person is going to use it for work, I think it’s better to invest in a suitable microphone for that.
Fit & comfort. We know that this is a very subjective part, so, for my use, I found the Buds 2 a very good earphone, both in fit and comfort. In terms of comfort, it was very good, very light and small earphone, great for those with small ears, and also for long auditions. At first I thought that these Samsung earphones would be falling out of the ear, but isn’t it that they have a good fit?! Obviously my use was only in everyday life, I wouldn’t recommend for use in high intensity physical activities (and also because of the IP certification of the earphone). For office or home use, it’s perfect. I found the insertion from shallow to medium, and the isolation good/ok.
Interesting is that Samsung provides a fit test through the “Galaxy Weareble” app (prints along with the App). In my opinion, it is just an aid, because the final fit has to be evaluated by the user. I put the left side in the right ear, and the right in the left ear, the app said I had “a good fit” (!).
Here I leave the product manual, clicking on this link.
SOUND ASPECTS:
The sound of the Galaxy Buds 2 I understood as being V-Shape. The earphone was evaluated with the “normal” EQ mode. Translating the V-Shape sound, we have: Well highlighted bass, recessed mids, and present treble. After Samsung acquired the Harman conglomerate (Harman, AKG, JBL, etc), some of the company’s earphones receive the tuning (compensation curve) of the Harman Target, which is a compensation curve so that the sound is more accessible to a larger number of people… in other words, it is a sound with commercial appeal, to play well the most popular musical genres. The proposal of the sound is fun and relaxation, so, I’m already warning not to expect a great technical and analytical performance.
Bass:
Quantitative: This is the most highlighted region in this earphone. Bass is very present. Look, I would say that this would be a TWS indicated for Bassheads, the quantity here is from moderate to high. These bass remind me a lot of the bass of the EarFun Free Pro (I still have the earphone here but one side died). What do they have to be similar? The factor: bass for watching movies. Storms, explosions, airplanes, etc, the Buds 2 will deliver a lot of energy. The earphone has a lot of sub-bass, and a lot of mid-bass as well. The extension is good. I didn’t feel decay (roll-off).
Qualitative: The bass has physicality, weight, mass, texture, they are full-bodied, full, voluminous, have good definition. The impact is strong, and it is the kind that expands, creates volume within the presentation, and fortunately, doesn’t invade the mids. In some situations the bass will sound boomy yes, but I’ve heard TWS with stronger bass than this one here, to mention, the Jaybird Vista. I think that for listening to music this characteristic doesn’t appear so much, but as I said before, for movies and soundtracks, then it’s easier to appear. The Buds 2 is really an earphone for those who listen to the genres that have more emphasis on the bass.
Mids:
Quantitative and Qualitative: The mids of the Buds 2 are recessed, although not to the point of sounding very dark or distant, but yes, they have a recess that leaves the sound without frontality, without attack, everything is softer here in this region. I think they are mids that even have a good clarity and transparency, but what really catches is the low level of detail, and the definition is just ok, takes note 7 to pass the year.
Voices: Male/low voices are light-years ahead of female/high voices. A lot of texture for the voices of lower timbre, this is one of the earphones with more emphasis on baritone and low voices that I have ever heard, extracts all potential of this type of voice. Voices of the type soprano or mezzo-soprano, unfortunately are just ok, you can hear normal, but without much beauty and energy. An Adele, for example, doesn’t extract all the potential that the singer can deliver. Of course there is also the subjective here, there will be people who will want to hear exactly the way it is the Buds 2.
Treble:
Quantitative: So, the treble of the Buds 2 in terms of quantity, I would say they are moderate. I personally didn’t feel peaks here in this earphone. I even think that the treble lean towards the side of less than more (in quantity). For people who do not like a lot of treble, I believe that the Buds 2 can be a good indication, the earphone certainly doesn’t generate auditory fatigue (in my opinion). The extension is good/ok. I didn’t feel roll-off.
Qualitative: They are discreet treble, polished, soft, have little sparkle and an ok definition. I thought it lacked detail, and lacked airy. I didn’t heard sibilance, coloring, stridency, or piercing. In some situations the cymbals sound grainy, they are not harsh, but it seems that it lacks “quality”, as if you were listening to a low resolution music file, like a 96kbps mp3… and look that I tested with the Samsung codec (SSC) and also with the SBC to take the doubt. As you can see, the treble aren’t the strong point of this earphone, and this directly influences the technical part of the earphone, the lack of more detail creates the sensation of low resolution in this region. For people who don’t care much about the treble, I believe that the Buds 2 will be Ok.
Soundstage. The soundstage – or spatiality – I found good/ok. Because the earphone has more recessed mids, the sound feels more far from the ears (eardrums), so this generates a characteristic of more amplitude in the sound. Now, it is not such a spatial sound, I think it is within the satisfactory for the presentation not to sound tight.
Instrumental separation. The instrumental separation is from medium to low. Unfortunately this part I found a heel of Achilles of the earphone. The low detail directly influences here in this point, the sounds are kind of hard to nail where they are coming from and the distance between them (remembering that the separation can also vary according to the recording and other processes during the musical production).
ANC. I still keep thinking the same thing about ANC technology – Active Noise Cancellation. For me, obviously it’s better to have the feature than not to have it, but the efficiency is still not as we would like, which would be: not hearing any sound around. Well, it’s not quite like that, what happens here is a smoothing of some frequencies, and from my tests here, of the lower frequencies. So, we will hear some sounds around us, but with less intensity.
Ambient Sound. The Ambient Sound feature consists of opening the microphones so that we can hear the sounds around us, that is, the “opposite” of ANC. The feature has 3 levels of intensity: low, medium, and high. In practice, at the highest level you can hear more sounds around, and at the lowest level the sounds are less noticeable. This feature really works very well.
360 Audio. This feature has the proposal to increase the spatiality of the music/soundtrack, to make there is an expansion of the space in which the sounds are being reproduced, thus creating a greater immersion of the listener within the proposal of the sound (movie, music, etc). In my tests, I noticed that yes, the sound gains a greater sense of spatiality, but nothing too startling. This will also depend a lot on the recording, if you have a bad recording, all compacted, or without much channel division, the feature will not do miracle. In music, I found that the feature is more discreet, already in movies I found that the feature has a better performance.
Driver Flex Test. The conclusion is that during all the time I spent evaluating the earphone, it didn’t present the noise of driver flex.
Amplification. We know that bluetooth earphones don’t need analysis about this amplification part, so here I always comment about the volume of the earphone. I found that the Buds 2 has a very good volume capacity, the sound is loud and clear, I could go up to volume 12 of the 15 levels available by Android and it was loud enough for me. The only observation I make is that on the DAP FiiO M11S I found that the sound was low, and even I increased all the volume available on the device.
Music is subjective, so below is the list of some musical genres that I personally think that was better with this IEM. Remember that were only few genres and few artists tested. If I describe that one genre was better and the other don’t, it doesn’t mean that you can’t listen to your favorite music genre with this IEM and love it. So, here goes:
Better:
Hip Hop
Reggae
EDM
POP
Rock
Blues
Metal
Samba*
*Brazilian musical genres.
Not so much:
Classical
Jazz
MPB*
Bossa Nova*
Link da Playlist:
Graphs by KAZI:
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