Reviews for Echo Buds (2nd Gen) | Wireless earbuds with active noise cancellation and Alexa | Black
People say Amazon is really similar to Apple.
5.0
Stands tall against other name brands, at half the price.
I do not normally write reviews but the reviews here aggravate me as they have not done their due diligence, have flat out no idea, just regurgitated their first emotional impulse, or have absolutely nothing to do with the product. I also feel because they don’t carry a big name as Apple or Samsung does on the audio scene, they automatically get cut short because of branding. I experienced this firsthand when I told my brother I picked up a pair of these buds and he immediately responded with “don’t Amazon devices suck with their sound?” Listen, maybe at one point they did, but with every new product, improvements can be made. Just because you had a bad experience once doesn’t mean you always will. Just a few reviews on here that I want to clarify. Someone said you need to download the Alexa app to use the buds. No, you don’t. If you want an express setup, fine-tune it with the ANC, and the EQ to get the best experience, it would better serve you to download the app. I don’t see why that’s a problem considering every other bud out there asks the same thing. You can use the buds but in order to tune anything, you need to download their corresponding app. I had to do the very same thing with every other bud I tested. I hear people were baited with the free audible subscription. I didn’t buy these for free audible, if you did, you bought them for the wrong reason. If you already redeemed a free code, why that would be a shock that you can’t keep buying Alexa devices to redeem ... Read More
5.0
I Love My Echo Buds!
This is the first pair of ear buds I have purchased, I didn't want to spend so much money on Apple AirPods, and I didn't like the way they fit my ears (or rather, didn't fit). I liked the price point on these, so I pre-ordered for $99. I'm so glad I did, because now I'm addicted, and I walk all over the streets of New York blocking out the world around me listening to music with the excellent noise cancellation feature. Phone calls are crisp and clear, and friends tell me that they can hear me very well when I'm talking. They fit my ear perfectly with the large size ear insert. They ship with the medium size attached, it was very easy to switch to the large. There's even an X-large, plus two smaller sizes. Sound quality is great, sometimes in the high registers there is a little bit of a raspy sound, but all around, this is a great purchase, even at the post-sale $119 price. Some reviewers have stated that in order to set these up, you have to give Alexa access to your location at all times, and give it access to your contacts. This is absolutely NOT true. During the very simple setup process Alexa suggests that you give it access to your location at all times and your contacts, but you don't always have to do what Alexa asks you to do! Remember, she works for you, not the other way around! I gave Alexa access to my location only while using the app, so I'd be able to ask for directions, but it works perfectly fine for most things if you turn location off all the time. Likewi... Read More
5.0
Amazing sound field and noise canceling
Bluetooth earbuds were needed for a new iPhone 12. I was never a fan of Apples ear pods. They never fit well and the sound they generated was always meh, in my opinion. Ear Pod pros were excessively priced and people I knew complained their noise canceling feature was poor to fair at best. Took a chance with these new echo buds. First impressions say I made a good choice. Out of the box they fit well (extra tips and wings are included to adjust fit). They paired instantly with my iPhone. The charger case seems durable and packs a lot of battery life into a small package. The true test is: How do they sound? I’ve owned Bose quiet comfort headphones. Always impressed with the sound field and noise canceling feature. They were clunky to carry and certainly looked dumb on people just walking around. These echo buds easily match, may exceed, the noise canceling of a Bose headphone. The ability to turn noise canceling on/off is helpful depending on where you are. Sitting on the beach with the noise canceling turned on, I could not hear the sound of the surf or the guy next to me chatting with his friends. The sound out of these tiny devices is outstanding. I’ve heard details on the music I’ve listened to that I’ve never heard before. Highs were clear and crisp. I was doubly impressed with the lows these things generated (you can do some basic sound adjustments to treble, mid, and bass). Battery life seems to be as advertised. I’ve not recharged them since first using and still have... Read More
5.0
Ok - I am impressed
So first off - yes I am impressed. I bought these on sale. I want to address the Alexa integration. Yes to set it up you have to enable your microphone, but you can later turn it off in the app (or in your permissions and it still works. I am blown away at the performance of the ANC (noise cancelling). My last set cost slightly less and had issues immediately and was not as good ANC. I mostly care about ANC. Sound quality - this is mediocre. It is not super, but you can adjust the equalizer in the app to make it better. Not great, but good enough. These are not Bose or apple ear buds. I would say wait for them to be on sale. I am not sure they are a great deal at their "regular price". I will update after some heavy use, like sweating and using them in high noise environment.
5.0
Surprised actually. Great buds!!!
(Updated my review below to correct a wrong statement about the “echo buds not having a setting to turn off ANC and pass through altogether”. It turns out there is actually an option in Alexa called power save which turns them both off) AirPod Pro user here so my take on the echo buds is a direct comparison to the apple airpod pro earbuds. Loved the AirPod pros since I bought it a year ago or so with nice ANC and Siri integration. With An iphone it is the best option out there for me ….. up until the echo buds. Why you ask? Well first of all I think the sound is fuller than AirPod pros - especially after playing with the equalizer in Alexa app. Alexa voice integration is as good as (if not better) than the Siri especially if you are invested in amazon eco system which probably you are. I personally love the fact that Alexa is always listening so that I can ask Alexa to do things without pressing a button 9comes very handy when holding other things in your hand). If you don’t want this you can disable it. All in all it is same as Siri on the AirPods Pro which is always listening as well. I have set the Alexa settings (on all my echo devices) so that it never keeps my conversations and deletes them immediately after — something you need to set manually otherwise it keeps voice recordings for sometime in the cloud. The amazon music with these buds is great as it lets you to listen ANYTHING and ANYTIME a lot cheaper than what Apple offers. Interestingly the microphones are sup... Read More
5.0
Great headphones
I previously owned a set of Apple airpod pros which didn’t last past a year. When it came to repacking my headsets I read a lot of reviews. The Amazon EarPods were compared with other brands favorably. So when I finally got mine I tested them out. Compared to my previously owned Apple ones, these sound and work just as well. I also think they fit better and have more bass sound. As far as pairing them to my devices, I have used the my my iPhone and iPad without any issues. Noise canceling works well and the Alexa integration is a bonus. The only downside I can really speak of is the easy of pairing between Apple devices. Apple has this corner beat since they bake it into their iOS. However, pairing and using them is fast and haven’t had any issue. Given this, the significant lower price for the Amazon and the near identical performance of the Apple airpod pros, this purchase was a fantastic buy.
5.0
Great Earbuds!!!!
So these buds surprised me. Basically, I’m hardcore Apple lover so I felt like I was cheating buying these. I got them- and so far am loving them. I already had the Alexa app and they connected immediately. Simple. Yes, you have to turn on tracking and all that. I know some people are bothered by that. But. I don’t care. I’m not that interesting. Track me. Whoever is tracking me would be incredibly bored. lol. As far as the sound and the quality of calls. I have to say they are overall better than AirPods Pro and so much cheaper. I’m very happy with them so far and amazed.
5.0
Great earbuds, perfect price point
I really like these ear buds. I bought these after my Apple AirPods started to give me issues. I couldn't stand the thought of paying $250 for the AirPod Pros so I gave these a try. They are very comfortable in my ear. While the noise cancellation isn't 100%, it blocks out more than enough for my comfort. The biggest thing for me was how it sounded when I was mowing the yard. I can still hear the mower, but it's more of a hum in the background. I hear my music clearly over the lawn mower but can still hear enough that I am not completely oblivious to my surroundings. I use them daily to some degree and so far they have not given me issues. At first I felt like I could never get my music loud enough, even at the highest volume. But it turned out there was a setting on my phone I could adjust and now there are no sound issues. Call quality is great, I have had no issues hearing anyone and no one has ever said they can't hear me. My mom mentioned a few times I sounded quieter (vs talking to me on my AirPods) on phone calls, but it wasn't bad enough that it was an issue. Even then she said she only noticed after I specifically asked if she could hear me okay the first few times I used them for phone calls. Overall, I think these are great and am glad I purchased them. I would recommend these to others for sure.
4.0
Excellent but had to return. Here’s why ... with an Apple EarPods comparison.
I had to return my 2nd Gen echo buds. I sleep with my earbuds. If you do too, these are not for you. Because the battery does not last through the night, a verbal low battery warning will wake you up - at least twice. According to Amazon support, this otherwise useful feature cannot be disabled or silenced for nighttime use. I hate to say it, but this is exactly the type of detail Apple gets right. That said, these best the Apple EarPods on every other metric. They fit way better even without the included “wings.” The Echo Buds did not fall out of my ears. The EarPods Pro have a widespread problem of falling out easily. The noise canceling is excellent, no better or worse than EarPods. The price of the Echo Buds is better. The case is better. The instructions are easy and the setup worked like a charm. The sound quality was about the same as my EarPods, maybe better. The Echo buds have a lower profile. This means I can lay on a pillow without hurting my ear. If only they would not wake me up five hours later. Battery life is not great but understandable due to the small size. Even with my audio set to go off an hour after I start to go to sleep, the Buds’ noise canceling function drains the battery down in about five hours. Alexa works great on these. Tap-to-control functions are easy and customizable. Overall, I would recommend these over the Apple EarPods so long as you don’t regularly sleep with them. If you like to sleep with your earbuds, these will wake you every five h... Read More
4.0
Ticks every box well, but not quite the best.
Having owned my current pair of Echo buds for nearly a year now, I feel I can give a sufficiently detailed review on them. Case/Chassis: The case itself has a nice sleek design with a slight indent on the side that the lid opens from, allowing you to easily pull the lid open. It's small enough to fit into my jeans pocket alongside my keys and wallet, without falling or sliding out. It can fit into the vestigial pocketwatch pocket, but only barely and peeks out to a degree. The hinge feels a little weak, as if a strong enough force applied to the lid could bend its connection out of snap it entirely, and it feels a touch loose, the main body of the case has a sort of raised section that fits into an indented section of the lid. This gives the lid strength when held closed by its magnets and redirects any forces applied to the lid into the main body of the case. Sound Quality: Better than my car speakers; with the listening modes such as ANC and passthrough turned off, the sound quality is actually rather pleasant. I have unpaired my phone from my 2019 car and use my Echo Buds exclusively in the car when driving, for music and calls since it sounds so much better. Mind, it is recommended that you use the in-app EQ to turn down mids and treble by one or two ticks to even out the sound profile, especially if you listen to bass-heavy music. Fit: Good enough, there are a few pressure points where the body of the earbuds press against my ears and to achieve the recommended fit... Read More