Stuck in the Middle

You know what’s nice? Something that’s perfectly mid-tier. Not the most exciting or most advanced, but not the bare-bones option, either. Also: not too pricey, yet not disturbingly cheap. That kind of stuff is sorta comforting, right?

You know what’s especially nice? Some perfectly mid-tier wireless earbuds. Because, boy, are they hard to find. Seriously, you usually have two options: you can get some really good ones that cost a mortgage payment, or you can get a 3-pack for $19 and you’ll need all 3 pairs because they’ve each got a lifespan of about a week and a half. (Forget we said this next time we sell some super cheap buds, okay?)

Where’s the pair for the normal person? We’re talking someone who doesn’t want to spend a small fortune but also wants to, you know, actually hear the music they’re listening to. Do they even make earbuds for them?

Yes. They’re right here. These ones.

Are they on par with AirPods? Probably not. But they sound good, they deliver actual volume, they fit comfortably, they look pretty cool, and they’ve got solid battery life (8 hours on a charge).

And I say this all from experience, by the way. I don’t have these earbuds, but I do have the other Anker Liberty buds we sold before, and they’re totally solid. Especially now that I put some tips from my old earbuds on them. (That’s what those super cheap pairs are really good for: the tips. Seriously, how come the worst earbuds always seem to have the most comfortable tips? It doesn’t make sense!)

Of course, if you want to hear from someone who has used these actual buds, that’s understandable. Luckily, there are 1,787 global reviews over on Amazon, where they have an average rating of 4.3 stars out of 5. I especially appreciate this one from Eric where he’s given two updates to let folks know that they still sound good and still fit well during runs, which is great to know, as every runner has had a pair of ill-fitting buds that totally ruin the vibes. He also talks about some trouble using them on calls, so that’s good to know too if you’re looking for something that you can use to talk to the office while working from home.

In conclusion: they are very good. Not top of the line, not bottom of the barrel, just very good earbuds for a very good price. So maybe buy a pair. Even if you’ve got some you like, you never know when they’re going to short out.