Liberty+ Wireless Earphones
Liberty+ is a wireless earphones by Zolo Audio. I would still prefer to call it earbuds since there is no wires connecting both sides of the earphones.
Liberty+ was born out of a Kickstarter project where it raised a total of US$2,804,475 from 25,412 backers. Their initial goal was only US$50,000.
The project was a huge success partly because Anker is the mentor.
It was launched on 21st June 2017, and it was successfully funded on 24th July 2017.
I backed the Kickstarter Special reward level for US$99 (S$134). Shipping is free to Singapore.
The rewards include:
- Liberty+ Total-Wireless Earphones
- Liberty+ Charging Case
- 3x EarTips
- 4x GripFit Jackets
- Micro USB Cable
Liberty+ is powered by Bluetooth 5.0, and the battery life is about 3.5 hours. It also comes with a charging case to charge your Liberty+, and that should add about 48 hours of extra battery life. The charging case can be charged via Micro USB.
There is an external microphone in the Liberty+ to relay exterior sound to your ears if needed since it is designed to block off the exterior noise. Zolo called it the transparency technology.
If you are using iOS devices, double tapping on the Liberty+ will launch Siri. On the Kickstarter project page, it was mentioned that Amazon’s Alexa is supported as well, but apparently, it is not yet ready.
Liberty+ is IPX5 rated because of its waterproof casing and a specialized hydrophobic nano-coating for water resistant. So you can use it while exercising or running in the rain.
Specifications
- Dyamic Driver: Graphene, 6mm
- Audio Signal: Stereo
- Frequency Response: 20Hz – 20kHz
- Magnet Type: Neodymium
- Audio Codec: AAC, SBC
- Transparency: Sound Isolation
- Bluetooth Version: 5.0
- Bluetooth Range: 10m
- Bluetooth Profile: Headset (HSP 1.2), Handsfree (HFP 1.6), A2DP 1.3, AVRCP 1.5
- Wireless Antenna: LDS
- Charging Case Port: Micro USB
- Microphone: MEMS with EC/NR technology
- Battery Earbuds: up to 3.5 hours audio playback
- Battery Charge Case: 48 hours of additional audio playback
- Water Resistant: IPX5
The targetted ship date was supposed to be in October 2017. However, the communication between Zolo and their delivery company is extremely bad.
They posted an update saying everyone should get a tracking number the latest by 15th December 2017. But apparently, a lot of people in Singapore (including me) still did not get it at that time.
In the end, I did not even get the tracking number, but I received the package. Doing a check on the Airway bill (it was shipped via DHL from Hong Kong), it got shipped out on 24th December 2017 and was delivered to my office on 26th December 2017.
The sound quality of the Liberty+ is acceptable given its portability. Personally, I think it sounded a little better than the Apple AirPods. The bass is slightly stronger and the sound is not as flat.
One of the features I hope to see is when you remove one earbud from your ears, the music will pause. This is the behavior of the AirPods.
Many people experience frequent drops in audio connection. But luckily, I have not yet encountered it yet.
Hopefully, through future firmware upgrades, the sound quality will continue to improve, and the audio connection will be more stable.
