by Avi Greengart
Anker has steadily built its Soundcore brand on two key values: sound quality and low -- but not bargain basement -- pricing. The multi-driver Liberty Pro 3 are one of my favorite sounding earbuds at any price, but they is apparently priced too close to more traditional brands (read: Apple) and the company has been slow to upgrade them with competitive noise cancellation. Instead, it has focused on its more affordable non-Pro Liberty, first launching the $129 Liberty 4 last year (they were fine) and now the $99 Liberty 4 NC.
Despite the lower price and similar product name, the new Liberty 4 NC headphones are actually a significant upgrade with slightly better sonics and greatly improved adaptive noise cancellation. Rather than applying what seems like a blanket anti-noise filter, the Liberty 4 NC take a few seconds to sample the acoustic environment and then adjust further, similar to the Bose Quiet Comfort II. Where that comparison falls down is that the Soundcore gets quiet, but the Bose magically makes the outside world simply disappear. That's where the Liberty 4 NC presses its price advantage; even on sale the Bose cost over $250, placing it in a completely different price tier.
I enjoyed the Liberty 4 NC's performance on phone calls; callers sounded clear and there is just the right amount of microphone sidetone so you can hear yourself speak and not shout into the mic.
What about sound quality on music? The Liberty 4 NC is nicely balanced: bass is pronounced but not overwhelming or boomy. Treble is clear in the mix but not harsh. That said, these are not the last word in transparency, image separation, or tone. Soundcore's own Liberty Pro 3's have a better overall soundstage, and nothing beats the incredibly low noise floor of Apple's AirPods Pro 2. That said, the Liberty 4 NC does nothing wrong; it's quite a pleasing listening experience, it can be customized further in the app, and it's a tremendous value.
Anker gave me Soundcore Liberty 4 for review at a launch event but HomeTheaterView has no financial relationship with Anker and does not accept affiliate payments.