Anker’s Soundcore brand has been liberating the airwaves for a while now and in its fifth iteration, the Soundcore Liberty 5 earbuds have finally made their way to my review bench.

Let me start off by saying that audio is a very subjective experience. So many things can influence our experience, from natural differences in our ears and brains, right through to the type of music we select and maybe even our mood! As this review will highlight, it turns out that even just a simple EQ adjustment can make an big difference to the listening experience.

 

FIRST IMPRESSIONS

The soundcore Liberty 5 ear buds come complete with a full set of tips ranging from XXS right through to XL with a set of medium size tips pre-installed. Beyond the ear buds and charging case, a multi-lingual warranty booklet is included, along with a a 30cm USB-A to USB-C charging cable.

A quick start guide and list of controls is included on the internal packaging which includes QR codes for additional support/app information. Having these instructions form part of the package was a questionable choice, as users will invariably trash the packaging at some point along with this information!

The Liberty 5 charging case is quite nice in hand, consisting of two smooth pearly white pieces punctuated by a silver stripe. At just 6cm square and 3cm deep, the case felt quite svelte compared to most earbud cases I have come across. Atop the case is the clever soundcore note motif which is also finished in silver. Other than a USB-C port on one face, there are no other distinguishable external features, making the Liberty 5 charging case a very clean design.

The case opening mechanism was unique to me and instead of flipping open, the entire top face slid backwards, revealing the Liberty 5 earbuds inside. An unobtrusive pairing button was located between the buds keeping neat and clean design. Finally, a stealthy white horizontal status light is located along the cases silver strip, just under the pairing button.

The earbuds themselves are of a fairly generic form factor, with the in ear section connected with a vertical irregular tube ala Apple’s implementation.

Like the case, the earbuds have a silver lining adorning the vertical section, along the inside edge of which, is a very thin button. A matching soundcore note logo is also featured on the exterior face. The overall look is good, with the silver and slightly tapered vertical section providing a point of difference from similar designs.

 

USAGE

After pressing the pairing button, opening up the Bluetooth settings on my phone and selecting the soundcore Liberty 5 from the list of other devices, the earbuds were connected and good to go. Easy.

I then downloaded the optional app via the QR code on the box and as soon as I tapped through the introduction slides on my phone, I was prompted with a firmware update. Once updated, to the latest version (v3.85) I explored the app and began listening.

My initial impressions weren’t great. I found the bass was quite boomy with the highs present, but lacking any sort of crispness. After our Amy review, I was still on a bit of an 80s kick, so I fired up some retro pop MP3s. I started with Kokomo by the Beach boys and wasn’t enjoying the experience very much. As I listened, I explored the accompanying app and discovered the Sound effects section and began fiddling.

Wow!

I ran through a short preferences wizard which like the old Windows ClearType test, provided A/B audio samples to choose from. The Beach Boys faded out and I listened to the app’s boppy K-Pop style test music. As I selected more and more A/B options, the sound improved.. well, drastically. After five choices, I could no longer hear a real difference between the options but importantly, I really liked what I heard. While it may not be a professional sound engineer’s dream, I found this EQ system brilliant. Not only was it simple, quick and easy, but to my ears, it put the Liberty 5 sound quality into a new bracket!

I flicked back to my music app and continued my journey through the 80s. As I listened to the multiple layers of Black Box’s Ride on Time I found the sound much improved. The bass was largely under control and highs had a new found clarity that I was enjoying a lot more.

As I listened, I discovered even more EQ settings within the app, including a number of presets and even the ability to manually adjust my own custom settings more granularly. Colour me impressed.

I continued listening and found all the 80s classics sounded really quite good. Belinda Carlile’s Heaven is a Place on Earth was punchy but the vocals felt a little flat, while Bobby McFerrin’s Don’t Worry By Happy with its infectious chill beat-boxing felt airy and light.

Bon Jovi’s Livin’ On a Prayer was engaging with the clear vocals with sharp guitar solos. Kung Fu Fighting was quite bassy (if a little boomy still) with the synth flutes coming through nicely but did highlight a lack of midrange clarity.

Moving onto the birth decade of music, Nirvana’s *Come as You Are* was warm and enjoyable but lacking punch again, suggesting a vagueness in the midrange, possibly exasperated by my personal EQ settings.

Fleetwood Mac’s Everywhere sounded silky smooth but was maybe just a touch bright but it didn’t detract from my listening too much.

Overall, I was surprised at how much I enjoyed listening to the Liberty 5s. To try and trip them up I played Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony and while things did get muddier as the complexity increased, I didn’t outright hate it. Considering the price of these earbuds, the sound quality was very good.

And by really good, I mean for the most part, I really enjoyed listening to them.

And just to provide context, I have a very low tolerance for poor sounding audio equipment. Now, I’m not an audiophile but there’s a set minimum of what I will accept from a speaker, headphone or earbud.. and to my surprise, the Liberty 5s at their relatively meagre price point, pretty much exceeded those minimums.

Beyond the good sonic experience, the touch control buttons on the ear buds worked quite well. When pressed, the buttons made a high pitched click-clack, letting you know you hit the spot. And then there’s the customisation: Each earbud’s button’s can be uniquely customised, from adjusting the volume control to taking a photo on your phone! Why far more expensive brands – here’s looking at you B&W – don’t provide this level of customisation (along with that masterful A/B EQ wizard) is frustrating.

The noise cancelling on the Liberty 5s was good too. External noise was muffled and walking through shopping centres was quite serene. Noise cancelling can be adjusted in five steps and while we didn’t have the opportunity to test the Liberty 5s on a flight, for medium noise environments, they weren’t class leading but again, for the price, they worked very well. Noise cancelling can be adjusted in five steps and the Liberty 5 earbuds also have a transparency mode for situational awareness. Like the noise cancelling, transparency mode worked well, allowing us to hear conversations clearly when we needed, all at the quick push of an earbud button.

Using the earbuds for phone calls also worked well with no complaints from callers regarding the quality of the audio when used in quiet to moderately noisy environments.

Also worth noting is that the case features wireless charging if you don’t have a USB-C cable handy, which is great to see at this price point.

Overall, at $169, the sound (and overall experience) was very good and while the Liberty 5s aren’t going to be setting any audiophile records, they were perfectly fine for casual listening. And at this price point, great.

 

SELECTED SPECS

Drivers: 9.2mm Wool-Paper Diaphragm
Playtime: 12h
Water Resistance: IP55
Bluetooth Version: 5.4
Microphones: 6
Weight: 4.6g (earbuds only)

For a full list of technical specifications, please visit soundcore’s Liberty 5 product page.

 

CONCLUSION

I hate to admit it but I’m a bit of an audio snob. Whenever I’m tasked with reviewing low or mid tier audio equipment I mentally prepare myself for a bit of a let down. Before the EQ adjustments, the Liberty 5s were firmly heading in that direction but after the adjustment and a few hours of listening I really warmed to them. Coupled with the feature packed app, I ended my testing very impressed.

I’m not suggesting these punch with the Pi8s or Pi6s of the world, but at well under half the price, the Liberty 5s are easily more than half as good. Unless you are a hardcore audiophile, these ear buds will impress you, the same as they did me.

The soundcore Liberty 5 ear buds come in three different colours, white (as tested), black and blue. They are available now and can be purchased direct from from soundcore as well as from select technology stores for a very reasonable $169.99AUD.