Huawei FreeBuds Pro 2: Grandiose music enjoyment through technology that spares no effort
Tuesday, 08/02/2022, 09:08
Can you make something very good even better? When our colleagues from CHIP 2020 tested the FreeBuds Pro from Huawei, they landed directly in first place on the list of the best. Now Huawei has followed up with the FreeBuds Pro 2. A look under the design outer shell of the in-ears shows: There is no evolution here but a revolution – but read for yourself:
Covers in most in-ear headphones driver (that’s what the actual speaker units are called) cover the entire playback frequency range. In fact, most drivers are a bit overwhelmed here: On the one hand, the frequency range should be as wide as possible in order to ideally deliver the deepest basses as well as the highest trebles. At the same time, the driver itself should behave as neutrally as possible, i.e. not emphasize any frequency range or weaken in another area. Huawei sets the bar high and not only wants a neutral frequency response, but also significantly expands the frequency range up and down. The solution: Two drivers in each FreeBud Pro 2. However, accommodating them in a small, stylish design case is one engineering feat.g
The result: A perfect frequency response that ranges from the lowest 14 Hz to an almost inaudible 48 kHz. The bass is crisp and the highs are super sharp. The FreeBuds Pro 2 are the first true wireless earbuds that a planar membrane installed, which is otherwise only used in high-end earphones. So that the two drivers only get the audio signals that they are then supposed to play back, the digital information is separated according to frequency before it is converted into analog signals and then separately in two DACs (digital-to-analog converter) processed in parallel.
Earphones slipped? The sound of the Huawei Buds is spot on
Anyone who has ever worn in-ear earphones knows the phenomenon: If one of the in-ears slips – for example because you have made a face – the sound escapes from the ear canal. The bass is gone, background noise disturbs the audio experience. The FreeBuds Pro 2 detect the wearing status in real time, an in-ear microphone records the change in the sound signals in the auditory canal and immediately calculates the compensation difference. Basses are boosted seamlessly and background noise is actively suppressed.
Huawei Buds – High-end transmission
True wireless earphones are connected to your playback device via Bluetooth. However, such a Bluetooth connection can spoil audiophile enjoyment in the long term if the “wrong” codecs are used.
Such a codec compresses the audio data so that the Bluetooth connection does not have to transport as much. Basically, there are lossy and lossless codecs. A very widespread codec is about SBC. Normal listeners are well served here. However, if you value nuances and subtleties, you should make sure that your wireless earphones can handle the Mercedes among the codecs, namely LDAC. This codec effectively reduces latencies and achieves a maximum audio transmission rate of 990 kBit/s with a sampling rate of 96 kHz and a bit depth of 24 bits. That counts as audiophile quasi-standard.
Since playback and transmission technology is not everything, Huawei works closely with the French high-end acoustic brand Devialet. With the fine tuning done here, the FreeBuds Pro 2 achieve a Perfection in reproduction various music genres that are second to none.
Intelligent Noise Cancellation (ANC 2.0)
Huawei’s FreeBuds Pro 2 intelligently adapt to the wearer’s ambient noise/situation and automatically switch between different noise-cancelling modes if desired, so that the user experience is optimal at all times.
- Ultra – When you ride the subway, for example, the noise-cancelling effect increases, effectively reducing strong low-frequency noise.
- General – If you are maybe in a coffee shop, you can stay away from the noise and immerse yourself in a wonderful world.
- Cozy – If you are in a quiet environment, such as a library, it reduces noise from machines such as air conditioners and computers, allowing for natural noise cancellation.
- awareness mode – In certain public places, you may need to be aware of the sounds around you. For example, you might want to hear the surrounding sounds while jogging in a park or be informed by the announcements on a bus. At this point, a long press on the earbuds’ grip is enough to switch from noise-cancelling to awareness mode without detaching the devices, so you can enjoy an interrupted audio experience.
- Voice Mode: – This mode reduces the surrounding sound so that you can hear other people’s voices clearly.
Clear voice quality for voice and video chats thanks to innovative technologies
Each FreeBud Pro 2 is equipped with three conventional microphones, two facing outwards and one facing inwards. In addition, a special bone conduction microphone enables the ambient noise clearly distinguishable from the user’s voice. All the microphone data is analyzed in real time and compared to more than 500 learned situations. Appropriate algorithms specifically filter out background noise and always guarantee crystal-clear call quality. This is particularly impressive in strong winds: A clean sound quality is delivered even in wind speeds of up to 5 m/s.
Features that will make your FreeBuds Pro 2 grow on you
the Dual device connection lets you use any two Blutooth devices at the same time and even overcomes the boundaries between Android, iOS and Windows Smart systems: Annoying decoupling and repeated pairing are therefore a thing of the past. More than 10,000 users gave their ear canal data to enable Huawei to model the perfectly formed FreeBud Pro 2. It almost goes without saying that the devices are dustproof and waterproof. Don’t think what the Devialet specialists have composed suits your listening taste? No problem: a 10-band equalizer helps you to find your personal favorite setting.
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