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The next generation of Amazon Echo Buds Truly Wireless are the Amazon Echo Buds Gen 2 Wireless. Compared to their predecessor, they fit better and have a smaller carrying case. Additionally, they switch from Bose’s active noise reduction (ANR) technology to Amazon’s active noise cancellation (ANC) technology. Although they still do a good job of suppressing background conversations and other office-related sounds, their overall noise isolation effectiveness is unfortunately inferior.
Compared to the previous generation, their case also contains fewer additional charges. Before these headphones may pair with a device, according to the manufacturer, they must be registered in the Amazon Echo app. The graphic EQ in their companion app gives them a configurable sound profile, which is an advantage. They are also well-built.
No matter what your budget is, there are a variety of truly wireless headphones available. The second generation of Echo Buds doesn’t have the same issue as the first, which meant that their performance wasn’t nearly good enough to support their price. They have acceptable noise cancellation rather than industry-leading levels, and they unquestionably sound better. also you will learn our article on Amazon Echo Buds (2nd Gen) review.
Design
The big Amazon “smile” on each wireless earbud turned off many people, including myself, when Amazon first unveiled its second-generation Echo Buds last month. Fortunately, the logo doesn’t look too flashy in person; rather, it resembles a strange grey smudge rather than a distinctive pattern. The bud’s outer shell is substantial, but the matte black plastic has a pleasing appearance and feel. The glossy black plastic that lines the interior of the Buds looks quite cheap and is destined to accumulate scratches, dust, and ear wax over time.
It’s a material we wish Amazon had persisted with across the rest of the product line. Thank goodness, the case’s outside is made of the same matte black plastic as the earbuds’ housing. The actual shape of each Echo Bud is what causes the most problems with the design. Instead of a sloped or inclined frame, Amazon chose a cylindrical one. Simply put, it isn’t a natural shape.
The majority of contemporary TWEs, whether they are made by Samsung, Jabra, or Apple, have some form of moulded design that fits the shape of the human ear. The only way to keep the Echo Buds in your ears is to either force the full plastic body into your ear or to let them hang and cross your fingers that neither falls out next to a drain. Although your ear’s shape will always determine how comfortable your earbuds are, it’s difficult to conceive whose ears these are genuinely designed to fit.
Amazon Echo Buds (2nd Gen) review: Comfort
The new Amazon Echo Buds (2nd Gen) stand out for their smaller size. According to Amazon, the buds themselves are 20% smaller than before, while the case is 40% smaller and has a completely different appearance. They are lighter overall due to the size reduction, making them a little more comfortable to wear for extended periods of time.
The new laser-drilled vent located inside the earbuds themselves, which releases pressure buildup, is another significant enhancement. A few years back, the Powerbeats Pro introduced this design element, and today it can be found on almost every major brand of true wireless earbuds.
The Echo Buds do protrude somewhat out of your ears despite being smaller and unquestionably more comfortable to wear; not enough to make them look odd, but enough to cause them to rub against a hood if you’re wearing one or up against the pillow when you’re lying down. While neither of those is a deal-breaker in and of itself, it may be crucial to consider them when choosing a set of earphones.
Connectivity
With a sufficient range (35 feet) for wireless listening and fast connectivity, Bluetooth 5.0 proved generally dependable. The Bluetooth button on the case sped up the pairing procedure, which was a breeze. The first time we streamed Spotify playlists, there was some stuttering, but that is no longer an issue; we assume the earbuds needed to warm up. If Amazon had included multipoint technology to allow the buds to connect to two devices at once, that would have been fantastic. you can read our article on Amazon Echo Buds (2nd Gen) review.
Amazon Echo Buds (2nd Gen) review: Noise cancelling
With the new active noise cancelling device, it is clear that these earphones are designed for commuting. The Amazon Echo Buds (2nd Gen) adequately muffle everyday sounds like subway trains, aeroplane engines, and car engines thanks to increased ANC performance over the previous generation.
With ANC turned on, loud droning noises should only be perceived as half to one-eighth as loud. The isolation is quite good because the earbuds do a wonderful job of assuring a comfortable fit. This is advantageous since the Amazon Echo Buds (2nd Gen) simply provide a physical barrier to prevent noise from entering the ear canal in the first place, as opposed to depending on an intricate mechanism to remove noise that is already present there.
It is considerably easier to eliminate incidental noise, such as people chatting, workplace noise, and street noise, with a good seal because it acts against all sounds. Although ANC processing has improved over time, nothing will ever be as effective as physically obstructing the noise from the start, and the Amazon Echo Buds (2nd Gen) score well in this regard.
Audio performance
Straight audio reproduction appears to have much improved in terms of sound quality. The Amazon Echo Buds’ bass was described as being heavy-handed and muddy, while their mids lacked definition throughout the frequency range in our initial evaluation. This time around, these problems feel a lot better, and we can now hear some important subtleties in some of our favorite songs.
In The Weeknd’s Save Your Tears (Remix), for instance, Ariana Grande’s voice has a tremendous richness that was previously impossible to detect. We Feel It Coming with Daft Punk has a good left-right audio separation for a pair of true wireless earbuds, which is rather impressive. No song had a soundstage as expansive as what you might anticipate from a pair of open-back over-ear headphones, but there is unquestionably more clarity than previously.
However, they have the drawbacks of not being by any means high-res and not supporting any 3D spatial audio formats. The latter can be found on the Apple AirPods Pro or the Sony WF-SP800N, both of which support Apple’s proprietary spatial audio codec. None are supported by the Amazon Echo Buds (2nd Generation).
Call performance
The Echo Buds 2’s call quality is on par with that of the original. But keep in mind that you must have ANC turned on because performance changes significantly when the feature is off. The microphones reduced ambient noise and increased clarity for discussions that sounded natural. On both ends, loud noises were still heard, but at least my ears didn’t feel as jarred.
Although Amazon states that ANC turns on automatically when receiving calls, we had turned to regular mode to save electricity. What a terrible error. This led to significant cutoff and muffling. In addition, everything seemed so transparent around me that a member of our family commented that it was difficult to hear us speak.
Amazon Echo Buds (2nd Gen) review: Battery and charging
The battery life appears to be adequate but nothing spectacular. With ANC on and speech detection activated, Amazon believes that the Echo Buds should last roughly five hours per charge, and the case should have enough power for an additional 10 hours. Based on our usage, we believe that figure to be realistic; we listened to them for more than a dozen hours, and the case still had roughly 5% of its charge.
Although we would have preferred a little longer battery life, active noise-cancelling earphones now seem to have a five-hour battery life per charge. The battery life of the Echo Buds isn’t nearly as good as class leaders like the Samsung Galaxy Buds Plus, which offer 11 hours of playback per charge and an additional 11 inside the charging case. If you need the extra juice, you can do a little better if you disable the ANC and always-listening assistant features (you’ll get about 6.5 hours that way).
Price and availability
You may buy the Amazon Echo Buds 2 straight from Amazon or from other well-known online merchants like Best Buy and Target. There are two hues available: Black and Glacier White. The normal version of these earbuds costs $99, while the wireless charging case version costs $119. An additional option that costs $137 on Amazon includes the purchase of an Anker Wireless Charging Pad. also you can check our article on Amazon Echo Buds (2nd Gen) review.
Whichever option you select, all three are less expensive than top models in their respective categories like the AirPods Pro ($249), Bose QuietComfort Earbuds ($279), and Samsung Galaxy Buds Pro ($199). If for some reason your budget is less than what Amazon is asking, take a look at the less costly Edifier TWS NBQ ($59).
Conclusion
The Gen 2 Amazon Echo Buds work well for commuting and travelling. They are portable, comfy, and come with a durable plastic casing that fits easily in your pocket. Unfortunately, the sound of rumbling bus and aeroplane engines may still be heard despite their ANC. Even while its continuous battery life of just under five hours isn’t the finest, the case can store a few additional charges so you may top it off during lengthy flights.