The quest for the perfect earbud often feels like a pursuit of the impossible. Manufacturers constantly push boundaries, striving for a device that offers pristine audio, all-day comfort, and seamless integration into our lives. Soundcore, a brand known for its ambitious audio solutions, steps into this arena with the Aerofit 2 Pro, an intriguing proposition that aims to achieve what many consider an oxymoron: effective active noise cancellation (ANC) in an open-ear design.
Priced at $150 (down from $180), the Aerofit 2 Pro attempts to bridge the gap between situational awareness and immersive quiet. It’s a bold, even quixotic, endeavor that seeks to redefine versatility. But does this innovative hybrid truly deliver on its promise, or does its ambition ultimately overshadow its execution? Our in-depth review uncovers the strengths and significant weaknesses of Soundcore’s latest experiment.
A Vision of Versatility: The Aerofit 2 Pro’s Ambitious Design
The Case: A Blast from the Past?
The first impression of the Aerofit 2 Pro is undeniably striking, largely due to its charging case. Prepare for a substantial piece of kit – it’s easily two to three times the size of most contemporary earbud cases. Our journalist couldn’t help but liken it to an early 2000s Nokia cell phone, a comparison that holds surprisingly true. Despite its heft, the case isn’t without its merits. It boasts wireless charging and a futuristic front-side LED beam that elegantly displays battery life. This generous size also accommodates a robust backup battery, extending the earbuds’ 7 hours of playback to an impressive 34 hours total, or 5 hours and 25 hours respectively with ANC engaged.
The Buds: Form and Function
In contrast to their colossal charging vault, the Aerofit 2 Pro earbuds themselves are less cumbersome than one might expect, drawing parallels to Beats’ Powerbeats Pro 2. Each earhook features a battery bulb at the rear, while a pill-shaped housing at the front cradles a tip reminiscent of Apple’s semi-open AirPods. Soundcore itself refers to their “semi-in-ear” noise cancellation, and indeed, like basic AirPods, there are no traditional eartips. However, the most ingenious, yet initially perplexing, aspect of the design lies in its transformative fit.
The Transformative Fit
Soundcore’s innovation centers around the Aerofit 2 Pro’s five distinct fit positions, which are adjusted by twisting the buds along their ear hooks with a satisfying tactile click. Positions 1-2 are designated for “open” listening, allowing for environmental awareness, while pushing the buds forward to levels 4 or 5 is required to activate noise cancellation. This physical transformation is a novel approach, allowing the earbuds to sense their position and adjust their mode and sound signature accordingly. However, even in their most “open” state, these buds tend to plug the ears more than many other open-ear designs, occasionally hindering full situational awareness, particularly during conversations or with light music playing. Navigating these positions effectively often requires consulting the manual, even for seasoned earbud reviewers.
User Experience: Comfort, Controls, and Connectivity
Daily Wearability and Controls
Over two weeks of testing, the Aerofit 2 Pro proved reasonably comfortable for extended periods. However, their headset-like design and a weight exceeding 10 grams per side do become noticeable after several hours. While not a deal-breaker on paper, this detracts from one of the key appeals of the best open earbuds: their ability to “disappear” for all-day wearability. You can wear the Aerofit 2 Pro all day, but you’ll certainly feel them.
Controls are managed via stiff physical buttons on the housings, a welcome departure from often-finicky touch sensors. This design choice effectively prevents accidental taps during adjustments. However, pressing these buttons while in noise-cancelling mode can feel slightly uncomfortable. The default layout covers volume and play/pause with single and double taps, but advanced functions like song skipping require a triple tap, configurable only through the Soundcore app.
The Indispensable App
The Soundcore app is an essential companion for the Aerofit 2 Pro. It provides easy access to battery status, EQ adjustments, multipoint connection settings, and a low-lag gaming mode. There’s even a spatial audio feature with head tracking, designed to create a more speaker-like experience, though our reviewer found its execution to be overly synthetic. A notable inclusion is “Intelligent Noise Cancellation,” a switch that promises to automatically engage ANC when the buds are moved into their noise-cancelling position.
The ANC Conundrum: An Awkward Transition
While switching between open-ear and ANC modes eventually becomes second nature, the sonic adjustment process remains a significant point of contention. Moving from open-ear positions (1 or 2) to ANC-enabled positions (4 or 5) triggers a loud default tone (which can thankfully be disabled) and introduces a noticeable amount of white noise. More critically, the sound signature changes at a frustratingly slow pace, contributing to an overall awkward and inconsistent transition experience. This instability and inconsistency in noise canceling, coupled with the cumbersome mode changes, ultimately undermine the Aerofit 2 Pro’s core promise.
The Verdict: Innovation with Caveats
Soundcore’s Aerofit 2 Pro represents a valiant, albeit flawed, attempt to redefine the open-ear earbud category. Its innovative transforming design and robust feature set are commendable, offering a relatively full sound for open buds and impressive battery life. However, the sheer bulk of the case, the noticeable weight of the earbuds during extended wear, and critically, the unstable and awkward implementation of its noise-cancelling capabilities prevent it from earning a wholehearted recommendation. While open earbuds offer undeniable versatility, traditional wireless earbuds still excel at delivering immersive sound and effective noise isolation. For all its novel engineering, the Aerofit 2 Pro, sadly, proves no exception to this rule, leaving us with an ambitious concept that hasn’t quite found its perfect form.
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