Amazon.com: Customer reviews: Echo Buds with Active Noise Cancellation (2021 release, 2nd gen) | Wired charging case

Sooner1906

I don't like these ear buds.....I love them

Reviewed in the United States on October 24, 2022

Color: BlackStyle: Wireless Charging CaseConfiguration: Echo BudsVerified Purchase

Let me start by saying I am not an audiophile but I am a music lover I go everywhere with earbuds and NEED music always. I was a Galaxy bud pro user for the longest and before I bought the Echo Buds 2 I was in the market for galaxy buds pro2. I really wanted to compare because the Echobuds 2 were on sale and it was an amazing price. I am so glad that I got these earbuds they are hands down my favorite ear buds overall. I hope a Echo Buds 3 is on the market one day I will definitely get them

Pros:
• Sound: They sound amazing, in comparison with the GBpro they sound just as good and that is high praise. I prefer the bass profile on the Echo buds pro 2
• Wireless charging: This should be the standard I will not buy earbuds without wireless charging
• Passthrough audio: Works really well on these earbuds. The Echo buds have a feature that I love, you can use passthrough with only one ear bud in. I play picklball and listen to music at the same time, the passthrough with one earbud is a great feature
• ANC: The ANC on this device is not as good as the galaxy bud pro but it is really good
• Fit: I prefer the in ear feel of the galaxy bud pro2 but the fit for the Echo buds 2 is great, they feel great and come with wings. I live the fit test which helped me choose my ear tips. I ran a 5k this week with them on and had no issues did not have to adjust and did not have any issues with wind noise. I have noticed that you may want to turn off the ANC and passthrouh when running, because having them on might cause you to hear more of your stride (hope that make sense) I am not a heavy runner but when I had the pass through on I noticed it a little more. BTW I have had these buds for 4 weeks and I wear them a lot, I have never had ear fatigue wearing them
• Alexa built in: What can I say this works well I like how I can turn the volume up and down. One of the things that I did not realize before I got these is the Alexa integration works for all of my enabled devices. I use this all the time, and somehow Alexa knows which device I am talking to.
• Case: I first though that I would not like the case because of its profile but I have gotten use to it, it is bigger than the GBpro but it is not very big and does not cause a problem in my pockets. I use the wings and once they got caught in the door because they did not seat correctly but I do not think that is a big deal.
Cons:
• The only problem with Alexa is I noticed that if I ask her to pause the music and then un pause she might not get that correct. I have to start the play list over or reshuffle
• Fit: The fit for these ear buds are not a real con and this is being really nitpicky, but the fit for the galaxy buds pro is a little better the ear bud fits inside of your ear and it is super snug and feels very natural. The Echo Buds 2 fit really well and I do not have any problems with fit, but they do sit outside of the ear, which is not bad it is just not as cool as being inside of the ear. The positive thing about the profile of the EB2 is it is much easier to use the tap functions. I have noticed that the taps are more accurate on these ear buds.
• I often play pickleball with one bud in and every once in a while when making a strong move there is a small distortion in the sound, it last less than a second but it is a slight imperfection. the last time I played it maybe happened twice, so not a huge concern.
• 3D audio: why no 3d audio? Not a big deal but it would have been cool feature to have
• Regular mode: small issue but I wish you could turn on normal mode (no ANC or Pass through) without having to use the app. This is a very small issue and 98% of the time I use ANC or passthrough (and I assume most people do also) so maybe that is why they do not add it

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Brian

Excellent earbuds for running

Reviewed in the United States on May 19, 2021

Color: Glacier WhiteStyle: Wired Charging CaseConfiguration: Echo BudsVerified Purchase

Pros:
Earbuds stay in ear during running even with heavy sweat
Very good sound quality, especially for earbuds
Tap controls work well (except in rain)
App works well for device setup and settings management

Cons:
Not reliable to use in rain
Active Noise Cancellation (ANC) inconsistent
Poor sound isolation in the device itself
300MB app that can use over 500MB of memory, may slow down some phones
Potential privacy issues (app wants access to lots of data)

Neutral (pro/con depends on your perspective):
Many extra features in app that may be useful to some people
Alexa Hands-Free support

FYI: I am using the Echo earbuds on a Samsung Galaxy S9 Android phone.

General impression:

My primary use for earbuds is to listen to a wide range of content while exercising, and especially when running. Every earbud I have tried previously - wired or wireless - tends to fall out of my right ear when I get sweaty. No combination of inserts and eartips has solved this issue for me.

Fortunately, the Echo earbuds are a strong improvement. I have exercised a half-dozen times using these earbuds. The earbuds stayed firmly in my ear even when sweating heavily thanks to the eartip design along with the helpful setup & testing walkthrough. The earbuds are not the most comfortable I have used, but it is more important to me to keep the device in my ear. An earbud did fall out once when running in moderate rain – I will discuss problems with rain below.

Audio quality for music is very good with excellent frequency range for earbuds. I listen to rock, pop, and classical music and am happy with the music quality. I am especially happy with the range of voices I can hear in classical music. I have not adjusted the equalizer in the app.

Audio quality for audiobooks/podcasts is good, but not great. Spoken audio is not as clear and crisp as I would like. I have not adjusted the equalizer in the app, but I do not expect them to help because almost all spoken audio will be controlled by a single equalizer slider. Active Noise Cancellation (ANC) can help when it works well, but is inconsistent as described below.

Battery life is long enough that I do not notice. I can listen to music & talk on the phone for hours and the earbuds still have over 50% battery. I could use these 4-5 hours a day and make it through a work week. However, I have all advanced features disabled, so this is best-case battery life.

Using Echo earbuds for phone calls and work meetings:

These earbuds generally work well for calls. The audio I hear is good - perhaps slightly better than the audiobook/podcast audio I mentioned above. The other people on the phone call can hear me well. There are a couple of caveats:

1. The beamforming microphones are not exceptional - the people on the phone call can hear some of the noises around me.
2. If you have passthrough enabled, the other person on the call will hear all of the passthrough content.

A couple times I have had issues where it sounds like I drop out of the call briefly, or where the audio is clearly delayed. I have not verified that the issues are caused by the Echo earbuds, but it happened in locations where I have not had problems with other bluetooth devices.

Using Echo earbuds in the rain:

I was caught in moderate rain during one of my runs with the Echo earbuds. This caused two problems:

1. The right earbud fell out once
2. The water triggered the "tap" actions

I went into the app and disabled all of the "tap" actions to work around the 2nd issue.

Amazon Alexa and Setup:

The Amazon Alexa android app is very large, nearly 300MB, has used over 500MB of memory, and has far more functionality than is needed to manage earbud settings. I generally view this as a negative. There are some interesting features that may take the place of other apps you use and provide niche benefits when with the Echo earbuds. However, most of them seem to be designed to provide more of your personal data to Amazon. I have dismissed/disabled all of those extra features.

As other reviewers have mentioned, you must enable location sharing when you activate the Echo earbuds. Fortunately, I was able to revoke that permission after earbud activation and have seen no negative impact on functionality. I have also disabled Alexa Hands-Free and have not seen any evidence that the device is listening for verbal commands.

I like how the app walked through device pairing, device setup, and testing for fit except for location sharing being required. For me, the eartips are a pain to pull onto each earbud. It took me a minute or two per eartip per earbud, and I chose the wrong eartip initially. The tight fit is probably good in the long-term but is annoying in the short-term.

The app used a lot of battery power during the initial setup. Power usage has been negligble since then.

There is an Amazon Alexa notification bar item whenever the Echo earbuds are connected. This entry is a waste for most users. It duplicates the bluetooth OS notification, and selecting it does nothing. It would be useful if selecting it took you to the earbuds setting screen. Amazon probably includes this notification item to prevent the OS from auto-closing the app in the background, which may be needed for some of the app features. However, I don't use those features, so I would prefer not to have the notification bar clutter.

Another frustration is the app takes about five seconds to recognize that the Echo earbuds are connected before the earbud settings become accessible within the app. This happens every time the app is opened, even if the app was opened ten seconds earlier and the earbuds were connected the entire time. The notification bar item telling me the earbuds are connected is present - why are the earbud settings not immediately available in the app?

I like how Active Noise Cancellation (ANC) and Passthrough are managed in the settings. Unfortunately, I do not get much value from either one.

- Passthrough works quite well, but these earbuds do not provide enough sound isolation to need passthrough at the listening volumes that I use. There is so much sound leakage through the earbuds that I can hear what is happening around me while running outdoors without using passthrough. On occasion, passthrough also adds noise on the higher settings.

- ANC is inconsistent. In some situations it works well - that is, I hear less background noise and I don't notice it. In other situations I can "hear" the ANC, including shifts in the compensation, and it seems like the devices are applying maximum ANC even when it is not needed. Hopefully a software update can improve the consistency of ANC. As a workaround, an option to manually control the amount of ANC would help.

Conclusion:

Overall I like these earbuds. They are the best earbuds I have tested for running, and I will keep using them for running and exercising except when I am in rain. I am hopeful that future updates will make Active Noise Cancellation (ANC) more consistent and enjoyable.

76 people found this helpful

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Michael S.

Stands tall against other name brands, at half the price.

Reviewed in the United States on May 16, 2021

Color: BlackStyle: Wired Charging CaseConfiguration: Echo BudsVerified Purchase

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 your months of free (insert subscription offer) only to be able to return the product and basically do that indefinitely baffles me. And why not receiving audible for free has actual anything to do with the product, I will never know. I understand that if you were promised a free gift and didn’t get it, that would be a bummer. But take that up with Amazon, not on the review of the buds that have no bearing on the status of your Audible subscription.

These buds are great. I tested them side by side against the Airpods Pro, Samsung Buds Pro, and the Huawei Freebuds Pro. In sound fidelity, soundstage, and overall roundness of sound, the Echo buds win. For context, I have a studio for voice-over work. I use JBL reference monitors. For headphones, I use the Beyerdynamic DT 1990 PRO. I tested all buds against studio-quality reference speakers and sound engineering software. Of course, none of the buds stood a chance, however one was clearly better than the rest. The one that most clearly represented the music and sounded most closely to the reference monitors were the echo buds by a mile.

Bass:
8.5/10 Echo buds: The bass was very thumpy and rumbly, hit nice and hard when it was supposed to, and did it with a high level of clarity.
9/10 Huawei: Just as good as the Echo Buds, maybe even touch better overall, slightly more precise.
4/10 Samsung: There was bass when there wasn’t supposed to be. Seemed like it was on all the time and was very muddy with no clarity at all.
5/10 Apple: Decently responsive but didn’t have the power to hit hard when the track called for it.

Mids:
9/10 Echo buds: Captured every note of voice and captured the whole orchestral range without anyone instrument dominating due to a lack of quality equalization. The good thing with these I can easily change the equalization if need be.
7/10 Huawei: Good but very bland, clarity wasn’t all there. Still, not bad at all.
5/10 Samsung: That bass is muddying this up something terrible, I even had it on the “clear’ setting in the EQ. The lack of a proper EQ makes it impossible to make these buds work. The presets are garbage.
8/10 Apple: I cannot deny these are very good and capture everything well with a great soundstage for a bud.

Treble:
9/10 Echo buds: Very round, not tinny. Clear and concise.
7/10 Huawei: Gets there but a few notes start to hurt your ears, too much.
4/10 Samsung: I’m starting to hate these now. Once again these are muddied by that awful bass that doesn’t even hit hard. The EQ makes it sound tinny and very high to break past the overblown bass. Didn’t realize they were Beats by Dre. But name sells so…
10/10 Apple: This is where these really shine, the higher notes are perfectly represented on their own. The lack of punchy bass leaves them feeling flat and not rounded out.

The echo buds may not be the best in a particular area. But in my testing, they are without question the overall winner. And for the price, that’s just a bonus.

ANC: Tested with vacuum, exhaust fan, central air AC unit, on a crowded street, and inside an airplane during flight. (ANC hiss and distortion is present on all buds but some more so than others, be objective, not dramatic)
4/10 Echo buds: Yikes, these did not do well. Some reviews say it doesn’t work, it does, stop being dramatic. However, they do not nearly stop incoming noise the way the others do. It stops a lot of the bass but high notes seem to come right through. When you turn the ANC on and off it's clearing stopping all the bass and some mids from coming in. Little bits of hiss and distortion.
8/10 Huawei: Very impressed.
7/10 Samsung: Good job
9/10 Apple: This one easily did the best with the smallest amount of hiss and music distortion.

Passthrough:
7/10 Echo buds: Very present and loud hiss, but realistic, not electronic sounding.
6/10 Huawei: Not a lot of hiss but sounded electronic or robotic.
6/10 Samsung: Hiss is there but not robotic, rather a bit muffled if anything.
8/10 Apple: Does a very good job but a slight electronic sound can be heard.

Some people said the Echo buds are always recording you. Ok, no it isn’t, but you can also turn the microphone off at any time. It even says it in the description. “including the ability to mute the mics with the Alexa app.”

Everything else like customizability preferences, fit and feel, call quality, assistant responsiveness, etc., are all subjective due to the nature of different people and different circumstances and environments.

Closing thoughts:
I understand the music and sound people enjoy is subjective and that’s not how this is rated. This is rated objectively, using the onboard EQ of the buds to get them the closest to reference as possible. I prefer to listen to my music as the artist intended. The echo buds objectively got the closest to reference while maintaining their roundness and soundstage overall. However, if ANC is the biggest factor in your decision, might I suggest the Sony WH-1000XM4. I do not mean to sound dismissive but we are talking about buds and they have limitations. If you are looking for buds and the intended purpose of them therein, the Echo Buds deliver. They also include the most ear and wingtips to cater to almost every ear type. They are the best overall package and at half the price, win-win.

1,811 people found this helpful

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Carlos

Disappointed - lower quality and functioning than the previous generation

Reviewed in the United States on February 10, 2024

Color: BlackStyle: Wired Charging CaseConfiguration: Echo BudsVerified Purchase

------ UPDATE ------
I carefully followed the Audio Personalisation a couple of times and changed the silicone rubber tips for a larger size and most audio weirdness and problems with noise cancellation went away.
I found a way through the Audio Personalisation feature to increase volume.
I also have to say, I have not had the issue of one earbud connecting and other not as it was common with the 1st generation.
I am now mustly pleased with the product.
My review remains at 3 stars though.
--------------------------------------------------------------

This is probably my first negative review ever as I usually research my products a lot before purchasing.

But I had the first generation echo buds and was highly satisfied and pleased with them. I used them to listen to music podcasts and audiobooks when traveling, when biking, when running and was happy with them for about 2 years. You could just ask Alexa to play stuff, to skip, to rewind, etc. And the noise cancellation feature was awesome. Then after 2 years, one of them started to simply disconnect while I was jogging. This was quite annoying and could only fix it by disconnecting, putting them back in the case and reconnecting. Which disrupted my jogging pace.

So it was a no brainer to get the new generation. I saw the 2023 version at a low price, but it did not have noise cancellation and had the air pods design which I don't like.

Then I found the 2021 2nd generation with noise cancellation and the original echo buds chunky design and went for them. It would take them a little longer to arrive, so in the meantime I also ordered a cheap set of chinese wireless headphones (those that come connected together) so I could get back to running with music and books in the meantime.

So disappointed with the new echo buds.

The "active" in active noise cancellation seems to be a disaster in many ways:

When I tried using them for running, it simply tries to adjust or readjust with every step and you listen kind of a click or chop with every step. Very annoying.

When walking or biking, the noise cancellation also tries to adjust frequently, resulting in sudden changes in volume and sound quality. Also annoying, although less than the constant chop when running.

And when riding a motorcycle, the wind somehow also makes the noise cancellation to constantly change the sound quality.

None of these things happened with the old first generation echo buds.

And then came the screeching echo noise. It first happened when you hold one in your hand and the other is in your ear. Then it started to happen when I was using them while walking the dog. High pitch screeching sound. But I won't insist on these, since I just googled about it and followed the recommendation to clean the ear pieces and the screeching has gone away since.

That's it. The rest works fine: They connect properly and quickly with the Alexa app. Battery life is fine. And I can start and listen to books, podcasts and music on Audible, Spotify and Amazon Music. Just not at peace while running, biking, exercising or on a motorcycle. The accidental tapping other mentions does happen, but I'm clunky anyways, so I assume that's on me.

For using them on an airplane, they work fine and also at home, the office and when driving. Which is what I have finally resigned to use them.

For running, biking and exercising I use the cheap Chinese ones I bought which turned out to be more reliable and deliver a better experience and sound quality while doing those activities. (For reference, I paid US$15.98 for those at 52% discount, which I just checked and seems to be a perennial deal :-p).

So, to sum it up, if you plan to use the wireless buds for exercising, I advise you stay away from this.

If it will be just gardening, driving or indoor use, they will do the job.

Ps: I've had these for only 2 months.

Ps #2: I wish volume was louder, at least for Audiobooks, and I couldn't find an easy way to amp it.

Ps #3: I had not done the Audio Personalisation option. I just did and it allowed me to increase volume. My Audible audiobook sounds much better now.

------ UPDATE ------
I carefully followed the Audio Personalisation a couple of times and changed the silicone rubber tips for a larger size and most audio weirdness and problems with noise cancellation went away.
I found a way through the Audio Personalisation feature to increase volume.
I also have to say, I have not had the issue of one earbud connecting and other not as it was common with the 1st generation.
I am now mustly pleased with the product.
My review remains at 3 stars though.
--------------------------------------------------------------

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bubeez

Don't do it! These have been an absolute nightmare.

Reviewed in the United States on March 30, 2022

Color: BlackStyle: Wired Charging CaseConfiguration: Echo BudsVerified Purchase

What is there to like about these buds? Not much. Please, if you're reading this review, reconsider. This isn't "pissed off customer didn't get refund" review, this is a real, 1-star review of this product that I tried to like.

First issue: For starters, my left one was broken out of the box, never charged and when it hit 0%, it stayed at 0%. That means I got to try them for a single day before the left one died, never charged, and I had to start processing my return. Usually I would give these things a second chance by requesting an exchange for the exact same item... if not for the other issues.

Second issue: Constant disconnection. Somehow, these buds are capable of connecting and disconnecting at separate times. It's almost like they aren't connected to each other. I'd hear "Bluetooth disconnected" in my right ear and then the same message 2 seconds later in my left ear.

Third issue: Poor build quality. I paid $50 (HALF OFF even!) for these and everything about their build screams $20. They feel poorly made, especially the case. The hinge on the case seems flimsy at best, you could tear it off if you tried even a little bit. The buds don't sit in the case very well. They can jiggle slightly. The wing tips that came with the buds ripped when I tried to put them on. I just cannot imagine not breaking these through regular wear and tear within a year.

Fourth issue: Comfort. Let me preface this by saying that they aren't the least comfortable buds ever, but they aren't great. It's nice that the buds come with different inserts and wing tips, but that doesn't help with the bulk and awkward shape of these things. If you need any more convincing, one of the Troubleshooting videos is how to put them on correctly! If they were designed well, it would be obvious! Have you ever heard of an Airpod requiring instructions?! No! Because the Airpod design is clear enough that the only correct way to put them on is the natural way! Put them in your ear and that's it! That is NOT the case with these Echo Buds.

Fifth issue: Alexa integration. The app and how it integrates with the bud is awful, like these were just an afterthought in the app, even though they are key to using these. It's annoying to get to the menu for the Echo Buds, and the battery check only worked half of the time. As for calling Alexa through the buds, I guess it's neat, but it's not for everyone. It's not necessary. I'm not as "connected" as some people are to the Alexa network, I will admit. It feels invasive. Even then, needing the Alexa app to do setup is annoying at best and awful at worst. Not just that, it doesn't even work that well. I called out Alexa a few times and I had to repeat myself at least once or twice.

Sixth issue: Sound quality. It's not bad, but it certainly has no strengths either. These have nothing on the Airpod sound quality. And i'm sure that'll be the same across the huge spectrum of buds you can get. You can probably find better sounding buds for less.

Seventh issue: Sub-par features. The Passthrough option is a joke. If I wanted to hear something through the buds, I would take one off, not turn on a microphone on the outside of my ear to annoyingly hiss at me or pass the sounds of wind into my ear. As for the ANC, I've had better experiences, but at least the ANC mode was far better at its job than the Passthrough. There really isn't much difference between the two modes, and for being "main features" of these buds, there certainly isn't anything special about them.

Final issue: Just a little ugly. I know this doesn't matter to some people. But these don't look good. They almost jut out of your ear in the weirdest way. Just... not slick.

89 people found this helpful

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Mike

Pretty awesome! ***Update*** "2nd Update and yelling ALEXA!"

Reviewed in the United States on May 13, 2021

Color: BlackStyle: Wired Charging CaseConfiguration: Echo BudsVerified Purchase

I just wanted to be one of the first reviews (I don't write many reviews at all)...but I actually got these a day early and played around with them for a bit. Great craftsmanship, solid design and feel...and I'm very impressed with the sound. I normally am not the biggest fan of headphones that go in the ear, as they tend to somehow make my ears very warm...but these didn't do that at all for the test run I gave them (about 45 minutes). Good noise cancellation, deep bass, high trebles and the best part of all: Alexa at the ready. Pretty cool to just be able to say what song to play and there it goes...even knowing the distance/space from other Echo/Alexa devices and picking the closest ones to the voice saying Alexa (something I had been worried about). I do wonder what would happen if someone near you said "Alexa" while using these...will have to try that out in the future. Though this might be common sense to some, when setting up the Echo Buds with your phone, you need to turn the bluetooth on in your phone. I know that shouldn't be a thing, but a lot of people don't know that and for some reason the directions never mention turning the bluetooth on. Again, these seem awesome, I'm very impressed with them and extremely happy to have them...but it's only been half a day or so. But from the initial outlook, I would definitely recommend these to anyone as they seem like a great set of buds and a vast improvement over the first generation. I will update this review if things get worse or somehow get better...but as of now: A+.

***Update*** Though it says I just bought the "charging case" version in my heading (I don't know why/tried to correct it 3 times), I actually bought the wireless charging case and the optional pad that it sits in that has the built in indentation just for the case. The whole time it was supposed to be here the day after the release, Friday, May 14. I am now getting a notice from Amazon that it won't be here until July 21...and that pretty much ticks me off. I did check the case against a wireless charger that I have but don't trust, because I saw a review of someone getting a normal case by accident...and it does work as a wireless charger. One other little inconvenience, if you are buying new wall plugs (because these buds as well as the 2 month backlogged charging pad do not come with them) it should be noted that the cables are USB-C to USB-A. I purchased 2 Anker wall plugs with the C plugs thinking that the cables coming with these items would be "C to C"...now I need to buy extra adapters, new cables or new plugs. Just something to think about before you buy any extras and end up with mismatched pieces such as myself.

"2nd Update and yelling ALEXA" I used the Echo buds today (Friday, May 14) while cutting the grass for about an hour. No problems with power, as the battery life was great. I decided to use the ANC to drown out the mower's noise, and it effectively did that...so much so that I actually stalled my mower because I didn't realize how thick/high the grass was and how the mower was struggling with it. I normally base those things on the sound of the mower, as that is what I listen for...but I really couldn't hear those nuances at all. Don't get me wrong, it didn't get rid of all the mower's sound entirely by itself, but with the music playing loudly I really didn't hear it until it wasn't running.
HOWEVER...I really have no desire to pull out my phone to change channels, songs or the volume...so this is why I wanted these buds, so I could just tell Alexa to do that (maybe not on a plane, but you get my point). The problem is that maybe the ANC works too well, as I was yelling "ALEXA" and she just couldn't hear me most of the time. As good as these were at canceling out the mower sound, they were canceling out my voice as well. It was truly pretty bad and annoying, so much so that I shut it off and went with the pass through sound option, and then Alexa was able to hear me ask to play a song or change the channel...all without yelling. But then the mower's sound was there again...so I don't have an answer or a solution to this little predicament. Maybe there is an easy way to fix this, but nothing that I could figure out as of yet. I still would highly recommend these, no "warm ear feeling", Alexa ready to help and great overall sound.

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This Is Not

A great pair of budget earbuds

Reviewed in the United States on June 22, 2021

Color: BlackStyle: Wireless Charging CaseConfiguration: Echo BudsVerified Purchase

Amazon did a lot right this time around. I had issues with the first gen Echo Buds, enough to not keep them. Their case was large, it used micro-USB, the earbuds were bulky, and the noise reduction was mediocre. However, Amazon improved on nearly every aspect this time around. The charging case is smaller, it charges via USB-C with optional Qi compatibility, the earbuds are smaller, their sound quality is better, and the ANC is effective.

I watched and read, what felt like, tons of reviews for these earbuds. Some complained about the ANC, others had issues with the overall build quality, and some reviewers said the earbuds were still bulky. I was worried that these weren't going to be able to compete with other earbuds and fall flat. That hasn't been the case. Amazon's 2nd generation Echo Buds compete with the Galaxy Buds Pro, AirPods Pro, and other premium ANC earbuds. Yeah, the ANC isn't as good as the AirPods Pro (or new Sony XM4 earbuds) but they're also at least twice as expensive as these (at least during Prime Day).

The Amazon Echo app is required for setup, but you don't have to give Amazon access to everything. It requested my location when using the app (not all the time), it wanted access to my microphone but only uses it when the app is open and I trigger Alexa, and that's about it. Nothing was out of the ordinary and you aren't signing your life away to Amazon, unlike what some reviewers are making the Echo app out to be.

I like the audio quality of the earbuds themselves. They have a decent amount of bass out of the box with details in the mids and highs. I adjusted their EQ to increase the bass and highs a couple of notches, which was about it. The audio quality still isn't as "thunderous" and booming as my PowerBeats Pro but it is better than standard AirPods, my Galaxy Buds+, and other earbuds in the $100-$150 range. I even like it better than my wife's AirPods Pros. The ANC is good, it's enough to cancel out office chatter, the fan in my office, and other things. It dulls the sound my keyboard makes and, when music is playing, I can't really hear anything. The earbuds get nice and loud as well. I haven't used these on a plane, but I think they would get the job done. The ANC isn't as good as $280 earbuds from Bose or Sony but that should be expected when buying $80-$100 earbuds (or even at their full price).

I disabled Alexa from the get-go. I have an iPhone and prefer to use Siri. I adjusted the tapping controls, which actually work unlike the controls on earbuds from other manufacturers (I'm looking at you UE), so that tapping and holding on the right earbud triggers Siri. It works without issues. I may eventually enable Alexa once Amazon rolls out the feature allowing me to select which apps Alexa will read notifications from. Until then, I'll keep it disabled.

The earbuds are comfortable, and I've been able to wear them for hours on end without issues. The medium ear tips fit my ears, but I did need to add the medium sport fins. Three different size fins and four different ear tips come in the box, the medium for everything fit my ears. It doesn't matter if I'm walking, bending over, laying down, or sitting upright. The earbuds comfortably stay put without me having to adjust them or feeling like they're falling out of my ears.

My only real complaint is battery life. The Echo Buds 2 compete with the AirPods Pro in terms of battery life, but 5 hours isn't much when compared to other earbuds. It's not bad but it could have been better. Amazon went with RealTek for the bluetooth in these instead of Qualcomm, the latter focuses more on efficiency. Amazon could have sacrificed efficiency for having a solid connection. These have skipped once on me when I was outside walking next to electrical equipment, I don't think that's bad at all. Still, 5 hours with ANC isn't much and the two additional charges out of the case aren't a lot either. I would expect at least 3 additional charges out of the case at this point.

That's my only gripe against these. Amazon made a solid pair of earbuds that have become my daily drivers. They would have been fine at $140 but are even better at $100. Definitely pick up a pair this Prime Day or the next time they're on sale. I also recoomend buying the companion Anker charging pad. These will work with any Qi charger but the Anker pad is small, has an indendation for the Buds 2 case, and there are status lights for the earbuds and case on the pad.

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Luis M.

Decent sound, terrible fit (painful), additional features meh

Reviewed in the United States on May 14, 2021

Color: BlackStyle: Wireless Charging CaseConfiguration: Echo BudsVerified Purchase

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2 Stars because the the sound is actually good, but I can’t really tell if noise cancelation works or not. There wasn’t much of a difference between on or off. Also, the sound (wave/swoosh) it makes when you switch from ANR to Passthrough is the exact same sound. So you can’t tell whether you’ve activated or disabled, you either guess it’s activated or you have to check the app to confirm.

The fit is just awful [for me]. I’ve never been able to use Apple’s earbuds or AirPods, these fit worse.
- The wing tips (both S and L sizes) are basically useless, caused irritation and pain due to the poor fit. They don’t go in my ear easily (not inside the canal, but the cartilage where it should secure) and when it does go in the wing tip slips out after a few seconds to a minute later.
- I tried doing without the wing tips, but the earbuds fall out easily with any sudden movement. I tried tying my shoelaces and they fell out, so definitely can’t use them for exercise or any outdoor activities.
- The earpiece is too short, the whole thing is too big [round], not ergonomic. They won't stay in.

The "Find my" feature, one of the features that sold me, only works if the buds are out of the case or if the case is open (both within bluetooth range). IF the case is open! I'm most likely to need this feature when I’ve misplaced them and they’re IN the case, closed in a bag or a drawer.
- The chime/alert only sounds from the actual earbuds, not the case, and you can also do it by individual bud if you’ve only misplaced one or both earbuds. This is handy, but for me, I would prefer for the case to chime and also to be able to locate them when the case is closed.
- It’ll work when the case is charging, but if it's charging you’ll probably be able to see them or know where they are so that’s whatever.
- It shows you the last approximate location from the last time they were connected to your phone or device, but you must grant the Alexa app access to always track your location. Also, once they disconnect from Bluetooth or out of range this feature is useless, the “Find my” option disappears from the Alexa app (included screenshot). Even if you grant full location tracking, you won’t even be able to see their last location. How am I going to find these if the option disappears? I expect an update to the app to at least see the last location.

Customize Tap Controls aren’t that customizable, with limited options.

The case is a matte black, looks nice and compact, but the lid feels cheap. They should’ve added some tension on the hinge or something that grabs it when opened, it would annoyingly flap closed whenever I opened them or could see it opening in a bag.

Wireless charging worked on both Anker Pad and Apple MagSafe wireless chargers.

I included pictures of the Echo Buds (v2) and Anker’s Soundcore Liberty Neo, these are my current earbuds which I was hoping to replace. The wing tips actually work, they fit better even when exercising and outdoor activities, the have decent sound for the price. No app or “noise cancelation” but you’re also not wasting $100 on something that hurts and you’ll lose because they fall out and the extra features sucks anyway (ANR, Find my).

Those are my issues, maybe my ear just hurts from repeatedly trying to get them to stay, will give them a week or so. But I will most likely be returning them. $120-140 for earbuds that aren’t very comfortable and only good when I’m sitting still with no sudden movements, otherwise they fall out, isn’t a good buy.

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Update after using for 3 days (I received them early):

The Alexa app now shows a "Find My - last known location" option (included screenshot), mine only showed the last location when I gave the app full "Always" and precise location tracking. I guess if you want this feature you just have to be ok with Amazon always tracking your location.

I gave my ears a rest and tried them again. Used them all morning, and they were just ok, but they did hurt after about 2hrs. Still don't think they'd stay in out on a run or a walk. I took one out for a bit and then I couldn't get it to stay after that, even after wiping ears to remove any sweat or oils. It was a struggle and then trying over and over irritated my ear. I hope Amazon will review the design and hopefully come up with something more ergonomic for their Echo Buds v3.

After using them all morning I'd say battery is as described, coming on to about 4.5hrs and buds show L:23% R:18%.

I really wanted to like these, even after the initial discomfort I thought maybe it's something to get used to, but I've decided to return them.

80 people found this helpful

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Sportutegirl

Ticks every box well, but not quite the best. - improving.

Reviewed in the United States on May 23, 2022

Color: BlackStyle: Wireless Charging CaseConfiguration: Echo BudsVerified Purchase

EDIT/UPDATE: I cannot say this was a result of my own review, but I have raised my review rating by a star to account for this - it seems Amazon through a software update was able to add support for multipoint bluetooth connectivity. As my millennial friends would say, this is an absolute flex on Google, for they only months ago released their Pixel Buds Pro, with multipoint BT connectivity as a flagship feature, but leaving their a-series, gen 1 and gen 2 Pixel Buds users without the feature.

Coming from a technical background, I know this can be difficult for other bluetooth device manufacturers to do, most of the time they're using off-the-shelf BT adapters which they cannot update the firmware on themselves (they have to talk with whoever manufactured the bluetooth adapter), and in other cases, its impossible to update it without ripping it out of the device first.

Amazon is showing Google up by using their control over the hardware and software of the buds to add features never even dreamed of by the team who designed and released these buds (as evidenced by the lack of mention on the product page), and the fact that I received this in a free software update makes my day.

For those curious, my buds are on software version 603267242 and the case is on 602808458. You can enable multipoint by going to the settings page for your Echo Buds and using the "connected devices" section to put them in pairing mode. Using the normal pairing mode method (buds in case, lid open, pressing and holding button until blue light flashes), might not cause them to pair in multipoint mode.

ORIGINAL REVIEW: 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 I have to use tips that are slightly larger than preferred. I could improve comfort by under-sizing the tips and using the wings to keep them stable, but the wing design would worsen the pressure points between my earlobe and the main body, making that the pain-point. I love the color-matched mesh inside the tips, making it easy to tell which size each tip is, and if I am using asymmetric tips (because some people have asymmetric ears), it can help keep track of which bud goes in which ear. In short, I have a listening time of 1-3 hours before the pain gets to me and I have to give my ears a rest... This isn't too bad since the battery is supposed to last 4-5 hours (depending on ANC being enabled, and if I reduce the depth of discharge then it can improve battery lifespan (ex: discharging a battery from 100% to 75% twice is better than going from 100% to 50% once).

Battery:

Truly wireless earbuds have some of the smallest batteries found in electronics, and manufacturers will push them to the limit to hit lovely marketing figures. Google's new pixel buds pro advertise a listening time with ANC of 7 hours. After a year of use, I can confirm that my Echo Buds are still hitting at least 3-4 hours of listening time with ANC enabled. The case holds about 2 spare charges in it, and I find the combined 9-15 hours of listening to be more than enough for most purposes, especially considering I have to take breaks every 3 hours anyhow.

Charging:

This is the only failure of the Echo Buds. I like the use of a USB-C charging port, and the optional upgrade for a wireless charging case. After losing multiple phones to charging port failure, I resolve to only purchase devices with wireless charging from now on, and that resolution is why I held off on getting the first-generation Echo Buds. Since the case is more vertical than it's predecessor, that limits the size of the internal wireless charging coil, and resultingly, the buds have issues trying to charge on a charging pad with too large an internal coil. It will handshake, and initiate the charge, giving the user a pleasant blinking green light, and then fail minutes later - this is an issue I saw even with the official Anker charging pad. Worse yet, for some reason the buds seem to always be warm after wirelessly charging for any length of time longer than 5 minutes. I have deducted one star from my review as a result of this.

Connectivity / Smarts:

The buds are actually fairly nice when it comes to connecting via bluetooth and integration with the Alexa app, Alexa is a pleasant enough assistant and it is nice to be able to turn on and off lights, heaters, AC units, etc as I'm driving away from or towards my home. I have found no issue with the bluetooth connectivity, even in densely crowded areas such as an airplane. Triggering an assistant via a voice command requires their wake-algorithm be running on the receiving device, and since Google and Apple are not going to give Amazon the algorithm required to trigger their assistants via a wake word, this means you're limited to Alexa for truly hands-free operation. That being said, you can setup the Alexa app to trigger your phone's native assistant by pressing and holding one of the buds for 2-3 seconds.

***THIS POINT IS MOOT, SEE ABOVE***
Despite this, there is room for improvement in regards to bluetooth... They need multi-point bluetooth to be really useful. Amazon should want me to be able to swap between my cell phone, and a Fire Tablet, or a Fire TV at will, and ideally even my PC or steamdeck when mine finally ships. Currently, the best option is to pair and unpair it with multiple devices at a time, which is annoying since to pair (without resetting), you must hold the lid open whilst pressing the button until the light flashes blue. This isn't enough to deduct a star, but Amazon should take it into consideration with the third-gen buds, or in the form of a software update if at all possible.
***THIS POINT IS MOOT, SEE ABOVE***

Touch controls:

At launch, the touch controls were laughably limited in scope, you could only customize what the long touch+hold did. After a few updates, the other touch patterns (single, double, triple) can be customized to an extent, and they're acceptable if barely. Unfortunately, they're capacitive sensors, so they can be triggered by anything touching the buds. The Alexa app also provided limited guidance on how best to trigger them, which caused some frustration at first. For those with these buds: you will want to gently but assertively (eg: the minimum amount of force needed for your finger pad to flatten against the surface) press your finger against it for about a half second per press/tap. Do not angrily tap it like you're hitting a key on your keyboard, it'll only miss the touch.

Microphones:

They work, but they're not the best. They do a good job of filtering out external noise, when talking to someone, but the quality isn't as good as a wired boom mic, or a wired in-line mic from a wired set of earbuds. Unfortunately, I don't think this is Amazon's fault as much as it is just the limitations of the bluetooth protocols and the location of the mics. Apple and their copycats with stems on their earbuds may get a better sound if only because there is a dumb-looking stem bringing the microphones closer to your mouth.

Passthrough/ANC:

I'll rate these together since they're basically inverses of eachother; ANC does a decent job of bringing down some of the perceived sound in your environment... it can make me forget my in-window AC or fan is running. It makes my car and airplane rides quieter, which is always pleasant. Passthrough, is sort of like a budget hearing aid: I can customize how powerful it is, and I set it to be more sensitive than my ears normally would be so I can use them to help hear people far away, or who are wearing a mask. It's a surprisingly useful tool to have. My only gripe is that there is a soft, but audible level of white noise than can be heard at all times if either mode is on. This disappears if you disable both listening modes, so I feel it is just a result of the processing the buds are doing, and they're getting confused.

Conclusion:

Honestly, unless multi-point bluetooth is something you need or want, get these. I'd say get them now, but since it's Amazon, they'll go on sale when prime day comes around in July, or whenever else they feel like having a sale. It ticks all the boxes I had for a pair of earbuds when purchasing them, and (with the exception of multi-point bluetooth), it still does after I have experienced them for a year.

465 people found this helpful

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HJeffK

Solid high value ANC buds compared to the competition.*Update* *Update re: Privacy Concerns*

Reviewed in the United States on May 13, 2021

Color: BlackStyle: Wired Charging CaseConfiguration: Echo BudsVerified Purchase

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Back in 2019, I didn’t buy the first gen Amazon Echo Buds as they just, frankly, didn’t offer a particularly compelling package to me other than the price tag. For $129, Amazon was offering you ear buds that sounded okay, had some “sound reduction tech”, charged via micro-USB (no wireless option), had just average waterproofing, and just average 5 plus hour battery life for buds with no ANC. Fast forward to 2021 and Amazon is back with the Gen 2 Echo Buds. To me, the package Amazon is offering is far more compelling. At the current price of $99 you are getting the same type of battery life, a smaller / lighter bud, true Active Noise Cancelling (ANC), upgraded USBC / available wireless charging ($119.99), a slightly upgraded chipset, and more. With these upgrades, I really wanted to try these to see how they were and how well they are integrated into the world of Alexa. Here are my initial thoughts after spending some time with them:

*Update on Privacy* I want to squeeze this in here early in the review as there is a lot of negativity surrounding location and microphone permissions and general privacy with these. This just isn't really an issue. Simply accept the privacy requests to set up your buds and then go back to change them in your settings. I don't get all that caught up in Amazon and Google listening to me honestly. If you find my conversations compelling, you have bigger issues. However, if given the choice, I would prefer they didn't. So far, I have seen no change in performance. The one that surprises me is that Alexa pulls up with voice commands just like it is supposed to. I figured Alexa needed access to the mic to pull that off but it doesn't. Listen, if you are an Amazon Alexa / Google Home / Siri user, you have to know that these devices are inherently invasive. Privacy is a good point to consider when you are buying any of these devices. That said, these are no more prying than any other device. Just make sure to tweak your settings after the initial install. Now, back to the review!

-Sound Quality: I have been using the new $400 Bowers and Wilkins PI7 buds heading into receiving these which is probably the wrong thing to be listening to heading into a review of a $100 set of buds. I have to say, however, that I am pleasantly surprised by what Amazon has done here. You get solid lows, decent present mids, and pretty darn crisp highs. It all sounds darn good to me. There isn’t a lot of separation in the music. It is a bit flat when comparing them to more expensive buds. There is an EQ in the app that allows you to tweak the sound a bit as well which I am glad to see. Amazon includes the AAC codec here but does not support AptX. Apple owners should be happy but no advanced codec support is here for Android which may help explain the more flat sound I am hearing on my S21 Ultra. Also, when watching video there is no noticeable latency. The screen matches up to what you are hearing. This is often an issue at lower price points. I was really expecting lackluster sound here and I just am not getting it. Is it really five star sound? No but, at $100, it is punching well above its price tag. Well done!

-Active Noise Cancellation: This is Amazon’s first go with ANC in house (the first Gen used Bose Active Noise Reduction tech) and it is pretty darn good. Not close to the class leading Bose QuietComfort Buds but really good. Closing in with what buds from Jabra, Apple, and Samsung give you. There are a lot of complaints here about "barely present" ANC. My recommendation is to really play with the tips. Probably do not install the wings. You need to get a fairly tight seal into your ear in order to have any kind of ANC with a bud. Make sure the tip is small enough to be comfortable and then give these a slight twist up to torque them in a bit. Again, I am certainly not getting world class ANC here but I didn't expect that at this price and what I am getting is good at isolating me from my surroundings. I need to play around a bit more here but, so far, call me reasonably impressed. The Ambient Pass through that Amazon is providing here is also good and adjustable in the app.

-Form Factor / Controls: Tap and controls are precise and accurate. They are a touch sensitive so I often register taps when adjusting or removing the buds but I find that to be typical in this space. Further, the Echo Buds are super light and small in the ear. A real pleasure to wear. I have read about some fit issues and, frankly, I just don't get it. I guess ear fit is pretty subjective but, when compared to my other ANC buds from Bose, M&D, B&W, Jabra, and Samsung, these are easily the most comfortable. There are a number of tips and wings that come in the box. I would really try to go without the wings as much as I like them. The buds don't fit in the case as well with them on which has caused me to need to fiddle with them a bit when returning them to the case. Also, I find that, while the wings make the buds fit more tightly in your ear, they actually break the seal you need to get effective ANC in your ear canal. These buds are so light I think that most folks, with the right tips installed, should be able to get by without the wings. The IPX4 rating is a little on the light side but should handle most workouts which is good because, given the lightweight comfortable fit, you will want to use these in the gym. The battery gives roughly 5 hours on bud and there is another 2 in the case. This is about average for ANC capable buds. You can use either bud independently and they auto-pause your content when a bud is removed. All the high end features you really need without the price tag!

-The Case: So many companies either ignore case design or decide that is a good place to save money. To me, the case can almost make or break a set of ear buds as the case is what we interact with all day even more than the buds themselves. In maybe a first for me, I think Amazon split the gap with this case. They did not ignore the importance of the case but I think they did use it as a place to save money. It is a good size and weight but the plastic feels light and inexpensive to me. The hinge is unsatisfying in the way it closes. I like a lid to snap shut like the Apple cases or the case from Master and Dynamic. This just doesn't have that. There are reasonably strong magnets that keep the buds secured and charging properly. Further, I love the three LED lights that show the battery on both buds and the case. Great addition! The case is not a strong point on the Echo Buds but it is not a glaring weakness.

-The App / Alexa: So, candidly, I am still learning to use Alexa as an assistant and the App you use to control these is the Alexa App. As mentioned, you can control the strength of the ambient pass through and get an EQ that allows you to customize your sound. You can control your music and keep your buds updated. Of course, you have all of the Alexa stuff in there as well for all of the other settings, options, and devices. I wish Amazon made a stand alone Echo Buds app that was less convoluted, but I get the decision. Overall, the set up works.

There is a lot more to unpack with these so I will continue to edit and add to this review as I go. I own a lot of ear buds and, while these aren’t as good all around as many of them, none of them offer such a tremendous value proposition. If you are in the Alexa Assistant world, these are a must own if you need some buds. If you want a solid set of buds at a very reasonable price, Amazon has created a very compelling package here. I want to be clear here that I am rating these a five star based on a value curve. These aren't truly five star buds. It is just that Amazon has managed to give you an awful lot for your hard earned money. You get good sound, decent ANC, really comfortable buds, ambient pass through, auto-pause, single bud usage, Alexa Voice on-board, USBC / available wireless charging, and more. If you need audiophile sound or complete world disrupting ANC, these aren't it. Amazon has just managed to create a good all around package and do so at a price far more reasonable than most. Great job to the design team at Amazon! More to come!

*Update* Worked in the yard all day today including lawn mowing. With music playing rather loudly, the ANC completely blocked the noise of the mower. I could hear it in between songs but it was clearly muffled sounding. The ANC here is good especially for a first effort. Also, range on these is very good. I left my phone on my back porch and took the yard waste to the street. Easily 80-90 feet. Only when I got to the very end of my drive did the buds start cutting out but they never disconnected. Solid!

*Update* Finally got good codec information. AAC is here making these a solid less expensive Airpod Pro alternative. No AptX so us Android folks lose out. Still having a good experience with these. More to come.