I’ve had the Beyerdynamic Free Byrd earbuds for a few weeks, and it’s been hard to put them down. From the design to the sound, these earbuds push through. Read on to see if the quality is representative of the brand and if it’s worth the price.
DESIGN
The Beyerdynamic Free Byrd earbuds are your push-pin type of earbuds. They don’t have stems to hang out of your ear. They are a tad on the hefty side in both weight and design. It’s crucial to pick the right ear tips to keep the earbuds in place. The Free Byrd earbuds come with lots of ear tips. There are five sizes ranging from extra small (xs) to extra large (xl), and three sizes of foam tips.
SOUND AND EXPERIENCE
I make good use of ANC and noise isolation when needed. Living in the city, sometimes you want to be aware, and other times you want to block out as much outside noise as possible. You can toggle between ANC and transparency mode via the app or by tapping the earbuds. The Active noise canceling is okay. Nothing too crazy, but it does do a decent job. You have your basic gestures when controlling the audio on the earbuds. With one tap, you play or pause the music. With a double tap, you can go from ANC to transparency mode.
As we know, with Bluetooth, we lose quality when streaming, The Free Byrd earbuds connect via Bluetooth 5.2 and have Qualcomm’s aptX Adaptive codec. I am not the most technical, but I do know it’s favorable to have aptX, and it helps the sound. I love the bassy sound of the Free Byrd earbuds. It’s great to have so much power come from these tiny headphones!
I’m not a fan of taking phone calls with both earbuds in. I am never aware if I am yelling or speaking too low. With the Free Byrd earbuds, there is Qualcomm cVc Echo Cancelling and Noise Suppression technology. All that to say that the microphones on the earbuds help capture clear voice, reduce echoing, and keep consistent voice quality. The other party heard me perfectly fine most of the time. More on Qualcomm cVc technology here:
https://www.qualcomm.com/products/features/cvc-noise-cancellation-technology
MIY APP
The MIY app was interesting to use. It is supposed to help set up the best sound by giving you a hearing test. You can choose different preset EQs. You can’t customize your own, though. You can also control the ANC mode and sound profile settings in the app. When I paired the headphones to the app, there was an update.
https://global.beyerdynamic.com/mosayc
BATTERY
The Free Byrd case charges via usb-c. It has a 10-minute fast-charging time that gives you 70 minutes of listening time. I don’t use earbuds for more than a few hours. Usually, that’s not a problem for earbuds for use and charge time. I left these playing for as long as possible, even when not in my ear, and they lasted a little over 7 hours. That’s a pretty long time. If you’re one of those zone-out people who puts on headphones and gets to work, the Free Byrd may last all day with you.
VERDICT
The Beyerdynamic brand is known for its quality build and pricing, which is true of the Free Byrd earbuds. At $250, many will see these as a bit steep for earbuds. They are in the company of the Sony WF-1000XM4 and Apple AirPods Pro 2. If you enjoy bass-heavy music and stemless earbuds, the Free Byrds may be fitting.
Beyerdynamic Free Byrd True Wireless Earbuds
$250
Pros
- Great build
- Long battery life
- Good noise cancelation
Cons
- A little bulky
- No custom EQ in MIY app
