Samsung Buds Live Black (Old Version)

I have had my Buds for about 6 months now and have grown to love them, there we're a few teething issues but nothing major:- At first I struggled with getting them to fit in my ears because I wasn't putting them in right but once I got my head around them I can put them in with the perfect fit each time.- the two supplied wingtips didn't fit my ears very well, there are plenty of third party wingtips on the market that come in a multitude of differing sizes and I made some that are perfect for me so problem solved.So with that out of the way here's my review:- The price is good for what you're getting, if you can get them on a deal even better but they're generally avaliable for around £70, yes you can get cheaper alternatives but they won't be as good and they're easily as good alternatives in their RRP (around £120?).- The noise cancelling isn't great, I question why you would buy open earphone if you're looking for noise cancelling, seems like you're not helping yourself in that situation. This was one of the seeling points for me, I can still hear the world around me while also listening to music that nobody else can hear.- The sound quality is actually very good, that said you have to get the fit right to hear these earphone perform at their true potential. If you own a pair and the sound isn't great it's because you haven't got them in right: wiggle them a bit, take them out and reinsert them, try the other size wingtips and if that fails look for more wingtips that fit your ears properly.- they're a comfort set of earphones, I wear mine all day at work and don't feel any discomfort. This, again, is based on the wingtips, if you have a set in that are too large you will feel pain after an hour or so, you really do have to get the right sized wingtips to fully appreciate these earphones.- They're pretty attractive looking earphones, I really like the bean design. They've got a nice shine to them, the case is nice and compact, the beans aren't massive so they almost disappear into you ear, overall a really cool bit of design by Samsung.- The battery life is good, as I said I wear mine all day at work, pop them back in their case at night and they're good to go for a other day. I generally charge the case once a week, on exceptional weeks twice but I charge them at night when I charge my phone so it's not something that has ever been an inconvenience.- They fit very securely once you've got the right sized wingtips: if the wingtips are too small they will fall out your ear as you move around, if they're too large the beans might just spontaneously pop out of your ears. I honestly can't overstate how important it is get the right sized wingtips, they're the lynch pin of the whole package so if you're having any fit, comfort or sound issues get some new wingtips.- The supplied accessories are pretty good, the materials the wingtips are made out of is stiff enough to hold it's shape but not so stiff that there isn't a little give in it. Evidently the two different sized wingtips are fine for most people, but if you're like me and have funny sized ears then you will need to find some alternatives, take heart though, there are plenty out there, there are also anti-slip sleeves and wingtips with the sleeves built in so you should be able to find some that fit and feel right for you.If you've bought every variation of wingtip including the ones with the built-in anti slip sleeves and if you still can't get the fit and feel right here's what I did:Step 1: buy an aftermarket pair that I knew beforehand would be too large.Step 2: push some blue tack into the part of the ear that the wingtips go in to making an exact replica of the shape then carefully remove from the ear.Step 3: gently stick the wingtips to the bottom of the bluetack making sure not to deform it.Step 4: carefully cut around the bluetack with a modeling scalpel to replicate the shape (go bigger with the cuts rather than smaller as you can fine tune later if they're sightly oversized).Step 5: use a super fine grit disposable nail file to round off the edges, clean up the cut areas and fine tune the fit.Step 6: enjoy the comfort, listen to some music and pat yourself on the back for a job well done.Hey presto you got yourself a pair of wingtips that are a perfect fit for your ears only, from start to finish this whole process took me about 20 minutes to do both sides, it required minimal tools and effort, any one could do it, all you need is:- wingtips to cut down (I suggest buying a pair made out of good quality silicone rather than cutting up the rubber ones that come included with your buds, to be fair this is more to do with fact i would rather have all the original accessories fully intact but if that's not an issue for you then don't worry about buying aftermarket ones)- modelling scalpel with a fresh blade (if you have a Stanley knife or super sharp knife you could try using that but I would personally go with modelling scalpel for more precise cutting and ease of use)- bluetack/white tack/modelling clay/moldable ear plugs, really anything you can comfortably press into the part of your ear the wingtips go in and will retain it's shape when you remove it.- fine grit disposable nail file/super fine grit sanding pad/wet and dry paper, make sure you go with 1000 plus grit, you don't want to tear the living daylights out of your wingtips or sand off too much too quickly so the higher grit the better really, remember you can't sand the material back on.Final thoughts: I fell in love with my little ear beans, it took a couple of months but once I understood them and made the right sized wingtips I couldn't be happier. If you're looking for open earphones these are a strong contender, if you have small ear canals and struggle with in ear earphone these are well worth consideration.

I'll get the bad stuff out the way first.The ANC (active noise cancellation) is okay at best. It cuts out bass frequencies pretty darn well, but higher frequencies still get in due to the unintrusive fit of these buds. I mainly wear these while walking, so this is actually a major benefit for me, as I can still hear car tyre noise without hearing the rumble of engines, allowing me to stay safe. If you want absolute silence, these aren't for you, but if you need a decent amount of awareness these are perfect.The battery life is also okay at best. I only wear these for up to a couple of hours at a time, so I can't comment on their endurance without the case, but you will find yourself charging these more often than the more up-market earbuds according to reviews I have seen. The active noise cancellation does drain them down pretty significantly faster (just based on me randomly checking the battery percentage, this is by no means scientific) so if you're not bothered about it, just switch it off.The touch controls can be hit and miss. These are my first true-wireless headphones, so I'm not well practised in these kinds of controls, but I do seem to fail regularly on the more complex gestures (mainly double-tap to skip, and usually I end up rewinding the track instead). Maybe I'm the problem, not the headphones, but this might be worth bearing in mind.Okay, now onto the good bits.I'm not one of those hardcore audio nerds, but these sound nice to me. My preferred sound profile is a lot more bass-heavy than most, and these definitely deliver in that respect, but unlike a lot of other headphones, the mids and highs still sound clear. They get pretty loud and also pretty quiet without compromising quality at either end, so they are super versatile.Obviously, the key selling point of these is their design, and I really buy it. Ear fatigue isn't a problem with these at all because of the very respectful design. Plus, they look different in a world of companies desperately trying and failing to compete with AirPods. I'm not gonna be a cringey Samsung fanboy and say these are better than AirPods because I'd be lying, but at least they look good doing it. Everyone's ears are different so the fit will vary a lot, but there are two pairs "wing tips" included to adjust how tightly they fit in your ear.My final positive probably won't even apply to you, but I got these at a huge discount. Honestly, I wouldn't buy these at full price because a little extra saving could get you a lot more headphones for your money. But, if like me you see these on sale for as little as £59 brand new, just go for it. I have friends who have bought headphones in this price range without discounts from less reputable brands, and they have been sorely disappointed. Samsung sells these for a high price because they are high-end earbuds, and you won't replicate the effect with cheap nasty things. Just be wary of what you do pay for them.