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These have better ANC than AirPods – and they cost less
22 hours ago
If you’re looking for wireless earbuds in 2025, you’re going to expect them to have active noise canceling (ANC) to block out ambient noise. Apple (finally) added ANC technology to the default AirPods in the AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation. On the other hand, the new Anker Soundcore Liberty 5 cost less ($129.99 at Amazon) while still promising good noise canceling. So, who wins?
Fit is key
In order for earbuds to block out external noise, they need to form a tight seal in your ear canal. The problem with AirPods is that they don’t come with multiple sizes of ear tips, and so they don’t form a tight seal in your ears. If the shape of the AirPods doesn’t match the unique shape of your ears, you might find them falling out of your ears entirely.
On the other hand, earbuds like the Anker Soundcore Liberty 5 have silicone ear tips to form a tight seal in your ears. This significantly helps with blocking out noise, thanks to passive isolation. So while the AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation do have the right technology to block out ambient sound, they don’t have the right design. We’ve seen similar issues with other unsealed earbuds, such as the Samsung Galaxy Buds3.
What the data shows
We put both the Apple AirPods 4 with ANC and the Soundcore Liberty 5 through our SoundGuys testing lab to measure the amount of ambient noise reduction. In the chart below, you can see how much noise each earbud blocks out, both with ANC on and when ANC is turned off. The higher the line on the chart, the more decibels of noise reduction.
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As you can see, the Liberty 5 block out significantly more noise than the AirPods 4, including when ANC is off and when ANC is on. Our measurements show that the Liberty 5 reduce outside noise by an average of 76%, whereas the AirPods 4 with ANC only reduce outside noise by an average of 53%. That is a very noticeable difference.
If you frequently listen to music at home in quiet environments, then you won’t care about noise canceling. But for those of us who commute to work in loud cities, blocking out noise is a critical feature of wireless earbuds.
Considering how much the AirPods 4 with ANC cost ($179.99 at Amazon), would you still buy them, even when budget earbuds outperform them in our testing? Let us know in the comments.