Review of Google Pixel Buds Pro. The Google Pixel Buds are a very positive experience for me. I did not wear the first TWS of the company, and then the simplified Pixel Buds A-Series, for a very long time, because they did not have active noise reduction, and the sound was approximately similar to Huawei FreeBuds Pro, which I used constantly for about two years. Despite this, I really love both Pixel Buds models.
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The Pixel Buds, despite their shape, have proven to be great iPhone headphones when you need sound without any frills. But I couldn’t use them with Android – there was too much “mind” in these headphones. They kept trying to read all the notifications to me, and I was too lazy to set it all up. And at that moment I didn’t have an Android smartphone, which I used all the time, although I owned a small and pleasant Pixel 3.
The Pixel Buds A-Series, which came out in the summer of 2021, turned out to be great running headphones. Noise canceling in the forest where I ran was not needed, there were no “plugs” in my ears. At the same time, these headphones showed themselves perfectly in conversations – the interlocutors did not complain that they could not hear me, although it would seem that the shape is not very suitable for these purposes. And the “fin” that holds the headphones in the ear was soft and did not cause discomfort, which you could get from a similar thing in the first Pixel Buds.
And here comes the Pixel Buds Pro. The first Google headphones with active noise cancellation. I will say right away: outwardly, the headphones themselves did not like me at all even on renders. Some strange beans, far from neat models without noise reduction.
Design and equipment
The box has changed. She became thinner, but longer. The design style is plus or minus the same:
Of the innovations – a tiny tube for ear pads. If earlier it was a small box that you risked tearing at the first opening, now the case for storing them looks very neat and reliable.
By default, the headphones, as always, are equipped with medium ear cushions. In the tube, small and large are separated on the sides. They do not mix with each other, because they are separated from each other. Very comfortably.
The case has become slightly larger, but still pleasant to the touch, and carrying it in a jeans pocket is no problem – the case practically does not stick out due to its compact design.
Hinges keep the open case from slamming shut. Why this is necessary is a mystery, since now the headphones are able to be updated even in a closed case.
But the headphones themselves have become scarier. Adding to this effect is the fact that I have a dark gray version. In my experience, white Pixel Buds look much richer. Immediately it seems that I am holding “gags” in my hands for three rubles, although they cost $199 in the US before state taxes.
Wear comfort and noise reduction
If you wear vacuum headphones, then you will not have any problems with these headphones. They’re comfortable, but the lack of a fin I’m used to on other Pixel Buds will cause you to occasionally fiddle around with these headphones to find the perfect fit in your ear.
As soon as you insert both earbuds into your ear, active noise canceling turns on. It’s not bad – it’s definitely better than in the first generation Huawei FreeBuds Pro, and even many times cooler than the second generation and Samsung Galaxy Buds Pro2, where there seems to be no active noise reduction at all (probably already corrected with the firmware).
But only in terms of its strength, the active noise reduction of Pixel Buds Pro loses to its main competitors. For example, AirPods Pro is a leader not only in sales, but also in the work of this very noise reduction. It’s a pity the sound is far from perfect, and I can’t wear these headphones – they don’t suit me, no matter what ear pads I install.
What is extremely bad about the Pixel Buds Pro is the “transparency” mode. He’s wildly unnatural. I am writing this text in the “Swallow” Tula – Moscow, turned on this mode. The sound of the train can be heard perfectly, some individual sounds from the neighbors’ gadgets are also well audible. But only the voices do not stand out at all. A neighbor just asked me to let him through – I’m sitting on the edge. And, in fact, I only guessed what he wanted. I randomly got up and let him pass. Phew. Guessed. It would be awkward, of course.
At the same time, I heard the heels of a train employee passing by, it seems, when she was almost in the next car. I exaggerate a little, but only a little.
Control
The surfaces of the headphones are touch sensitive. Here you can stop or turn on the music with a quick tap, long press to change the noise reduction modes (by default, either it or the transparency mode is turned on, you can’t turn off the microphones).
You can also change the volume of the music and the interlocutor with quick swipes. And here’s the thing: I only learned how to make the sound quieter after three weeks, because it’s not at all obvious.
Volume is increased by sliding your finger up, sideways, down – anywhere. It decreases with only one movement – from the edge next to the tragus down diagonally:
Connection
Both Google Pixel Buds models without active noise reduction were scolded for the stability of the connection. I emphasize that I did not experience any problems. Probably, the fact is that I used these headphones for other purposes, that is, with iOS, and not with Android.
The main problem I encountered was the sudden pause in music playback. Headphones automatically pause it. This happened about once a day, hardly more often. It is incomprehensible and unpleasant, but you can live with such constancy.
While writing, I noticed one interesting feature: when watching a video on YouTube, there are no visible sound delays. But when viewing rails and stories on a social network that cannot be named, there is a delay. Why? Unclear.
Talk
It seems that the shape of the headphones does not allow them to be used for a conversation. However, it is not. The interlocutor hears you, and you sound very good, no need to strain.
But not always. I don’t know what the quality depends on – the position of Mercury or some other external factors, but in some telephone and messenger conversations you sound too quiet. And this, of course, is not customizable.
For example, I was talking to my mother in the “cart”, walking along the same route with a difference of several days. There were not many cars around. For the first time, I was heard very well (only the disgustingly creaking brakes of a KamAZ passing by were better heard). The second time everything went wrong. Mom always said inquiringly, “Huh?” and asked me to repeat everything I said.
In general, there is no stability in conversations under seemingly identical conditions. How to win it is not clear.
Battery
Google promises 7 hours of battery life with active noise cancellation enabled and 11 hours without it. Unfortunately, in the weeks of using these headphones, I did not have the opportunity to check this indicator. I’ve been on the train for an hour and a half already, the noise reduction is turned on, and the headphones have sat down only by 10%. It seems to me a very worthy indicator.
The company also promises that the case will last for about 31 hours of the headphones. Here we are talking about the operation of headphones with noise reduction turned off. But this is only possible with Android smartphones. If you turn on the noise reduction, then the case will last for 20 hours of operation. There is wireless charging, if this fact is important to someone.
Sound
So, the most important thing. 11mm drivers are responsible for the sound. Apparently, the same ones that were installed in the Pixel Buds and Pixel Buds A-Series.
When playing music, I liked these headphones. They are definitely not for bassheads, where the lows outweigh everything. Here the sound is quite even, which is called “without embellishment.” I’m just a fan of that.
It is impossible to single out specific frequencies: basses, mids, sibilances and everything in between is in place. Voices are clearly audible. The keys are clearly audible. Bass synth is heard. The included bass drum does not interfere with the sound. Is that a small Side-Chain is heard – the technique of “squeezing” the sound under the “kick” so that the sound seems to pulsate when it beats the rhythm. But the producer did it when mixing the track, and not the headphones are trying to invent something that is not there. This is me, by the way, describing the track by Olivia Rodrigo drivers license:
The track Johnny Cash by Lenny Kravitz has no audible side chain. It’s pretty classic-sounding pop-rock, with the slide guitar playing nicely on the sides, emphasizing the headphone stage.
Alas, the scene here is small. But this is physics, which, unfortunately, cannot be deceived: if you want a volume of space, wear large full-size headphones with 40 mm drivers, or pay attention to planar magnetic headphones. “Gags” with the stage will not help you.
It was in the Pixel Buds Pro that I heard that Taking Back Sunday’s We Were Younger Then intro had backing vocals that whispered some of the lines. And I’m on the train, by the way!
But there is one problem with this track: unpleasant sibilants suddenly break through, or drum crashes, or strong hits on cymbals – in general, one of the cymbals in the chorus. Headphones win back this moment very hard for the ears, there is a small but unpleasant overload. But it is worth emphasizing that the matter is probably in the source file itself, which Yandex Music has, and the headphones are not to blame at all:
There’s a problem with good-sounding headphones: you hear track problems with them. And the song Out of My Head by John Newman was no exception. The sound engineer recompressed the vocals, which began to sound too compressed, and even cut off at the top. I guess it was hard work with the limiter and the dia-esser cutting out the hiss and hiss. But because of what the voice sounds cut off in frequencies, when the track itself does not seem like that – the question is.
Now the last track. And then I went in cycles in all sorts of alternatives. I wanted to tell you about Barton Hollow by The Civil Wars, but there’s nothing special to say here, except that the sound engineer overloaded the male vocals too much when mixing. But the song sounds very dynamic and lively. Generally top.
So. Last track. Tesla Boy – 1991. Great dance wave that combines 1980s vibes with more modern electronics. With Pixel Buds Pro, I have the same complaint about the song as with other good headphones: Anton Sviridov made his voice too quiet. I understand that you will not hear anything particularly deep in the text, here it rather emphasizes the song itself, its melody. But still, good mixing is not where your brain is irritated by some of the factors. For example, the volume of the vocals is too low against the background of a very powerful synth bass and a loud vocal sample. But that’s just not a problem with headphones.
Outcome
Google Pixel Buds Pro are good headphones. Right like this. They have many drawbacks, such as non-obvious touch controls, the ability to update only using an Android smartphone, unpredictable volume during a conversation, a lousy transparency mode, and a sudden pause that the headphones themselves set about once a day. Oh yes. It’s also wildly scary headphones.
But in terms of sound quality, the power of active noise reduction and the convenience of a compact case that fits easily into a pocket, I will forgive them these, in fact, small shortcomings.
There is, however, the disadvantage of being much larger. Price in Russia, where no “Pixels” were officially delivered. This is about 18-20 thousand rubles for Avito, where the price depends on the color of the headphones and the impudence of the dealer. At a US price of $199 before tax, that doesn’t sound like much. For the American price, I would love to buy these headphones. But for 18 thousand rubles – I would have thought for a long time. Still, soon I will have new Beyerdynamic Free Byrd. And I have high hopes for these even more terrible headphones. It remains to wait for them.