Liberty Air 2 Pro vs. AirPods Pro vs. Liberty 2 Pro vs. Jaybird Vista
The Soundcore Liberty Air 2 Pro are currently my favorite earbuds for every day use. Let’s find out why. In this review and comparison I’ll review the Soundcore Liberty Air 2 Pro, and compare it to the AirPods Pro, Liberty 2 Pro, and Jaybird Vista. I’ll cover features, sound, call quality, battery life, and more.
Why Liberty Air 2 Pro?
The Soundcore Liberty Air 2 Pro are a strong competitor to the AirPods Pro. They have a similar design and features, but they come in 5 different colors if you’re not a fan of white. Don’t stop at looks. Like the AirPods Pro, the Air 2 Pro have active noise cancellation, transparency, and a wireless charging case. However, unlike the AirPods Pro, they work equally great with both iPhones (iOS) and Android.
What's the difference between the Soundcore Liberty Air 2 Pro and the AirPods Pro?
Similarities
- Both are true wireless premium earbuds.
- Both have Active Noise Cancellation (ANC).
- Both have a transparency mode.
- Both have touch controls.
- Both have ear detection.
- Both store and charge in their wireless charging case.
- Both have a small case that easily fits in your pocket.
- Both can be used with any Bluetooth device – phone, tablet, computer, etc.
- Both provide a stable connection with good range, utilizing Bluetooth 5.
- Both place the microphone in the stem, providing better call quality.
Differences
- The Vista are made for sport and fitness use; the Airpods are not.
- The Vista are IPX7 waterproof and sweatproof; the Airpods are not.
- The Vista are dust, shock, and crush resistant (i.e. “earthproof”); the Airpods are not.
- The Vista has 75-150 ft. range on both iPhone and Android; Airpod range is 30-50 ft. for Android.
- The Vista uses “eargels” that lock them in place. The Airpods just sit loosely in your ears.
- The Vista “eargels” provide passive noise isolation; the Airpods have virtually no isolation.
- The Vista has a dedicated app (MySound); available for both iPhone (IOS) and Android.
- The Vista provides battery status, control customization, and “find my buds” for both iPhone and Android.
- The Vista sound profile can be easily changed (with presets) and customized; the Airpods have no EQ feature.
- The Vista works with Siri and Google Assistant; Airpods only work with Siri.
Jaybird Vista
Rugged “earthproof” headphones to compliment your active and ever changing world
Weather the Storm
Waterproof, sweatproof, dustproof, shock and drop resistant. Built to military MIL-STD810G standards, and IPX7 rated.
Compact Charging Case
The attractive charging case can easily fit in your pocket. The Vista's provide 6 hours of playback, an additional 10 hours with the case, and a 5 minute quick charge provides 1 hour of listening.
Secure Fit
Includes 3 sets of "eargels," allowing you to get the perfect fit, providing great security and passive noise isolation.
Compatible and Customizable
The Vista's Work equally great with iPhone & Android. The MySound app provides battery status, EQ, bud tracking, and more.
JAYBIRD VISTA
Conclusion
The Jaybird Vista have a secure fit, great sound, and an awesome app. They are perfect for the gym, but also great for casual use.
AIRPODS 2
Conclusion
Airpods are a great option for Apple users, but they are not fitness oriented, and lack in customization and sound quality.
The Breakdown
You might be wondering why I gave some of the ratings above. While you may have different opinions and needs, I’ll do my best to provide an explanation. Let’s break it down.
iPhone & Android Compatibility and Range
Sound & Customization
This is a pretty easy one; even if you love Apple products, you have to admit that the Airpods sound … just ok. Not everyone cares that much. However, if you do care about sound, you’d be a lot better served by the Jaybird Vista. The Vista have significantly better bass, get louder, have a wider sound stage, and much better customization. The bass is assisted by the passive isolation; what I mean by that, is that they seal off your ear canal better. This amplifies the sound, and prevents contamination from outside noises. Describing sound can be challenging, but I would say that the Airpods just sound flat. Think of that feeling you get when you’re at a really great concert or movie; you feel immersed in the environment. The Vista’s do a much better job at reproducing this feeling.
The Airpods also don’t get nearly as loud. When combined with the lack of isolation, this can be a real problem, especially in the gym or during calls. The Jaybird Vista have their own app. In this app you can customize the lows, mids, and highs as easily as dragging your finger across your phone screen. There are also tons of sound profiles, including those posted by people just like you. There are also profiles from professional athletes such as Rory Bosio, and James Lawrence (the Iron Cowboy). If that doesn’t work you can choose from one of the genre’s (rock, pop, country, etc), or even create your own profile in about 2 minutes using their “personal EQ” setup.
Sport / Fitness Use
If there’s one area where the Jaybird Vista really shine, this is it. There aren’t many premium earbuds that are also built for athletic use. The Vista are ultra secure, low profile, lightweight, and sweat and waterproof. I’ve seen many, many people sporting Airpods at the gym. While the lack of wires is great, they really are pretty poor fitness headphones. That’s not really Apple’s fault though; that’s not what they’re made for. The Airpods have hard and slippery plastic, have nothing to keep them in your ear, virtually no isolation from outside noise, and they don’t get that loud.
Sweatproof / Waterproof
Prices
The Apple Airpods 2 retail for $159, or $199 with the wireless charging case. If you want to buy the wireless charging case alone retails for $79. The Jaybird Vista’s retail for $180. Neither are cheap, but the prices are pretty standard for premium true wireless headphones. You can check updated prices by clicking any of the links in this review, or by checking the “deals” page regularly to see if they are on sale there.
Sound Isolation
Neither of these headphones have active noise cancellation (ANC). The average consumer probably doesn’t even know what ANC is; though the Airpods Pro may be changing that a bit. ANC reduces outside noises by actually capturing those noises, and then producing sounds that are the opposite. This effectively cancels out unwanted sounds. Passive noise cancellation is the simple act of blocking out sound by physical means. The Vista have better passive noise cancellation because the ear tips sit in to the ear canal. The silicone ear tip, and it’s attached “eargel” physically block out sound. The Airpods have virtually no isolation since they are just hard plastic. This could be an advantage if you want to hear outside sound, such as when running, or if you want to talk to people around you. It would be a disadvantage when you are in noisy environments, and don’t want to be bothered, such as when studying, during a hard workout, or when you are taking the train or flying.
Security / Fit
Battery Life
Case / Charging
The Airpods case is pretty legendary. They made a very small, durable, and functional case. It does look like dental floss, but it has a great capacity in a very portable form factor. The Airpods case also has strong magnets to make sure they stay where they belong. The charging light is on the inside, which makes it harder to see, and the pairing button is on the outside. Since the Airpods use a lightning cable to charge, you will need to carry that cable if you are using the Airpods with an Android phone. The one exception would be if you buy the Airpods with the wireless charging case. You would then be able to charge them with a phone that has reverse wireless charging, such as the Samsung Galaxy S10, or any Qi charging pad of course.
You may have noticed that the case of the Vista’s is tiny. When it comes to practicality this makes a huge difference. Like the Airpods, the Vista’s can easily fit into your pocket, and like the Airpods, the Vista’s charge in their case. This means that you are much more likely to have them with you, and they are much more likely to be charged. The Vista case is a true winner. It has a soft and durable finish that doesn’t show fingerprints easily. It also has strong magnets that hold the earbuds in place; they don’t fall out, even when shaking them with the case open. It’s attractive and feels durable. The pairing button is easily accessible, yet hidden on the interior. An indicator light makes it easy to see charging status, and lets you know if the battery is low. Lastly, the case charges with USB-C; this is the present and future of charging. Unfortunately, iPhone’s don’t have USB type-C yet, however. This means that you will need to carry an extra cable if you are using them with an iPhone.
Convenience
This is something I recommend you pay close attention to, and something that the Airpods and Vista both excel at. The Airpods and the Vista are small enough to always keep with you; this has huge implications when you are using them on a daily basis. Either case can fit easily in your pocket, whether your heading to work, going on a run, or just walking around town. The Vista also includes a removable loop; this can be used to attach the case to backpacks, keys, and more.
Controls (iPhone)
- Use Siri
- Play and pause your audio content
- Skip to the next track
- Go back to the previous track
- Turn off your audio content
Here are the choices:
Controls (Android)
Here are the choices:
Single press
– Play/pause or accept/end call
– Activate Google Assistant
– Custom. Custom is a specific function that integrates with Spotify, such as “play my crossfit playlist.” This uses the “in-app player” and requires a Spotify premium subscription.
Double Press
– Next song
– Activate Google Assistant
– Next track – Right bud / Previous track – Left bud
Long Press
– Turn off or on the earbuds. Taking them out of the case also turns them on automatically, and the Vista’s will “announce” to your the battery percentage when you first take them out of the case.
– Volume up – Right bud / Volume down – Left bud
I don’t see the link. Nice site though.
Like!! Really appreciate you sharing this blog post.Really thank you! Keep writing.
Will do. Thanks.