Edifier NeoBuds S review: A new upgrade in sound quality with Snapdragon Sound

Edifier NeoBuds S still maintains the “flagship” level. With the high evaluation and sales of Edifier NeoBuds Pro, NeoBuds S has further improved in terms of noise cancelling ability and sound quality performance. Edifier has not stopped the pace of the NeoBuds series, and the performance of the Edifier NeoBuds S this time again confirms this.

Edifier NeoBuds S specs and features:

• Bluetooth V5.2 with aptX/aptX-Adaptive codec
• -42dB depth noise cancelling
• 5-6 hour playback of earbuds (ANC ON/OFF)
• Charging case can charge earbuds fully 4 times
• Knowles armature+ dynamic driver
• IP54 dustproof and waterproof rating
• $179 – Check latest price on AliExpress, Amazon US, Amazon UK or other Amazon countries

Inheriting the Appearance Design of the Flagship

Edifier NeoBuds S are available in two colors, white and black. In terms of appearance, NeoBuds S and NeoBuds Pro are like two twin brothers, and the appearance design of NeoBuds Pro is almost continued. The big difference is the metal decorative piece on the charging case, which is changed from the bright silver of NeoBuds Pro to black. The metal decorative sheet is sandblasted, which is more low-key than NeoBuds Pro. The charging case still uses a large area of ​​matte skin-like material, which feels comfortable and is not easy to be contaminated with fingerprints.

The iconic light bar on the Edifier NeoBuds Pro has also been upgraded. On the NeoBuds Pro, the color of the light bar is only red by default, while on the Edifier NeoBuds S, the color of the light bar is increased to 7. The color of the light bar can be selected in the APP corresponding to earbuds, which is very user-friendly.

-42dB Depth Noise Cancelling

Edifier NeoBuds S is one of the few earphones that has obtained the “Wireless Headphone Noise Cancelling Ability Test Grade A Certificate” issued by the China Electronic Audio Industry Association, which is enough to demonstrate Edifier’s strength in the noise cancellingheadphones industry. In terms of noise cancelling performance, NeoBuds S inherits the excellent performance of NeoBuds Pro. This earbuds uses hybrid ANC technology, this noise cancelling technology can effectively filter out ambient noise. Edifier NeoBuds S can get the noise cancelling depth of -42dB for the human ear, and the perception of ear pressure is not obvious.

The noise cancelling effect is enabled by default when earphones are worn, and the noise cancelling mode can be freely switched according to different usage requirements. Edifier NeoBuds S has 5 noise cancelling modes, namely standard, deep noise cancelling, comfortable noise cancelling, ambient sound and wind-proof noise. In the deep noise cancelling mode, the wind noise in the subway is completely blocked, and the roar in the carriage is also significantly reduced. As for the station’s voice can still be heard. At work, I switch to ambient sound mode or comfort noise cancelling mode. Overall, I am satisfied with the noise cancelling effect of the Edifier NeoBuds S, especially the sense of silence when switching from ambient sound to deep noise cancelling.

Newly Upgraded Sound Quality

Sound quality has always been the Edifier’s strength. The dynamic+armature dual-unit acoustic system was used on the previous Edifier NeoBuds Pro. Similarly, Edifier NeoBuds S also have built-in Knowles armature driver and composite diaphragm dynamic driver. And through the patented active electronic frequency division technology, the two drivers can fully cooperate and perform their respective duties to obtain the effect of 1+1>2 in sound quality.

There is a big difference in sound quality this time, that is, NeoBuds S uses Snapdragon Sound audio technology. This technology can give earphones Hi-Res (24bit/96kHz) specifications, can retain more music details. And this technology can dynamically adjust the audio transmission rate, so as to achieve super anti-interference ability and strong connection stability. In addition, Edifier NeoBuds S also supports aptX, aptX Adaptive, AAC and SBC audio encoding.

In terms of listening, the Edifier NeoBuds S restores very rich musical details. The earbuds have balanced performance in the low, middle and high frequencies, the sound field is very broad, and the lines of the music are clearly discernible. On the performance of “Hotel California”, the very faint sand hammer and low-frequency bass in the intro are not drowned out in the melody. The vocal effects of the refrain part are good, and they are well separated from the background music. The performance of vocals and instruments is in line with the sense of hearing logic and will not be all drowned together.

Clear Voice Calls & Latency Performance

In terms of calls, the Edifier NeoBuds S are equipped with Qualcomm aptX Voice technology. The aptX Voice technology can significantly improve the problem of vocal distortion and poor reproduction during calls. Combined with Edifier’s multi-mic call technology, NeoBuds S has stronger anti-interference ability during calls, and the sound quality is very good.

The latency problem of true wireless earphones is limited by the current industry technology, and it is difficult to achieve the same level as wired headphones. But in fact, as long as it is less than 200ms, it is difficult for the human ear to perceive the existence of latency. The official data of the latency performance of the Edifier NeoBuds S is 142ms. I wear it to listen to music and watch videos without feeling the phenomenon of audio and video out of sync.

However, when playing games, especially competitive and shooting games, lower latency is required. In the game mode of NeoBuds S, the latency of the earphones can reach 89ms, which is shortened by nearly 45%. When I played “Game For Peace” in the game mode of the Edifier NeoBuds S, the sound feedback when firing a gun was very timely, and the sound effects when opening and closing doors obviously felt more suitable for the operation.

Edifier Connect APP expands more ways to play

After several upgrades of Edifier Connect APP, the system UI is better than before, and the stability is also improved a lot. Through this APP, the Edifier NeoBuds S can make more customization settings and unlock more ways to play. After entering the APP, on the first page of the earphone page, you can view the earphones status and switch between different noise cancelling modes. The second page can customize earphones sound effects. The third page can switch the game mode. The fourth page can set the lighting effect of the charging case.

In addition, the control options of the left and right earphones can also be adjusted according to their own usage habits, which reduces the threshold for using earphones. And the sensitivity of the tapping can also be adjusted, and here I have to admire the Edifier’s control of the details. As a small surprise, Edifier Connect supports the iPhone’s widget feature. After enabling this function, you can control the noise cancelling effect on the negative screen of the iPhone.

IP54 Dustproof & Waterproof & Battery Life & Control

In terms of protection, the Edifier NeoBuds S achieves the same IP54 dust and water resistance as the NeoBuds Pro, which can withstand daily sweat and rain.

The Edifier NeoBuds S has improved battery life this time. When the noise cancelling mode is turned on, the single use time of earbuds is increased from 5 hours of NeoBuds Pro to 5.5 hours. The comprehensive battery life of NeoBuds S with the charging case has also increased by 1 hour, reaching 25 hours. If you use it for 3.5 hours a week, you can charge it once a week. In addition, the Edifier NeoBuds S also has a fast charging function, and you can listen to songs for 1 hour after charging for 10 minutes.

Control of Edifier NeoBuds S:

• Double tap R earbud to play/pause music
• Double tap L or R earbud to answer/hang up the call
• Double tap L earbud to switch modes
• Triple tap L earbud to turn on game mode
• Triple tap R earbud to next song

Check the Edifier NeoBuds S price:

• Check latest price on AliExpress
• Check latest price on Amazon US
• Check latest price on Amazon UK
• Check latest price on other Amazon countries