I wasn't expecting much, I'm convinced, and this purchase just confirmed me that "pips" will never play well. I only bought the headphones because I wanted something small, comfortable, that I can carry in my bike pocket for occasional listening, especially to the spoken word. I'll also state up front that I'm comparing mainly with over-the-head headphones from the same manufacturer, the WH-1000 series, so according to some I'm comparing the incomparable. I agree, but then I'd have to insist that other names should be used to describe the features, because the ANC of the WH-1000 is completely different from the ANC of these pips, or else - the ANC just doesn't exist here. I guess I'll start with that and state right off the bat that it's not about fitting ear buds or choosing silicone tips. No, the ANC as I know it just doesn't have these pellets. Here it's just something that pretty much destroys the already not so glorious sound. Scenarios tested: walking in the city, shopping in the supermarket, riding public transport (metro, tram), eating out, restaurants, cycling, running. In none of these scenarios will turning on the ANC bring what the acronym stands for, i.e. active attenuation of surrounding unwanted sounds, but only the addition of some, often unpleasant "mess". I had to take the pins out of my ears when shopping at the supermarket and walking past the refrigerated counters because it was very uncomfortable. When eating, or rather biting, the sound mixed by the ANC is also very unpleasant, and when listening to the spoken word it is sometimes unintelligible. Additionally, if the "Speak to Chat" feature is active, it will repeatedly activate itself while eating/chewing, resulting in paused playback. Listening while cycling is impossible (let's leave aside the safety issue), ANC can't cope with airflow around the pumps, running is pretty much the same. In normal city walking or public transport driving, ANC is unnoticeable, it is really more about mixing in other distracting sounds and amplifying certain frequencies/bands/components, especially high tones, rather than dampening ambient noise. My recommendation is not to use ANC at all. The opposite function, "ambient sound", where the headphones send ambient sound into the ear, is even worse. Unless you want to go deaf, I don't recommend turning this on at all. For example, the sound of dry leaves being pushed by the wind across the asphalt pavement, which you hardly hear in real traffic, is interpreted as a shattering pile of glass when you turn on "ambient sound" - like garbage men emptying a glass container. Control by repeatedly tapping your finger on the area around the ear or on the pips themselves is pretty unreliable, and unlike the WH-1000's informative status messages about what mode the headphones are in, there's just an unmistakable beep. The sound itself is not surprising. If I'm listening in a calm, quiet environment, there's a noticeable lack of low frequencies, the rest of the spectrum is kind of bland - not downright bad, but not neutral either, just bland. I skip all the other attractions like DSEE or LDAC codec, really this has no other than marketing value for pips. Not to mention that most users stream through Spotify or something like that anyway. I was kind of hoping that maybe there might be a better use for telephony than the WH-1000 series, but no - you can't beat physics. If you don't want to start every call by asking if you're calling from a well or something like that, a microphone in front of your mouth is simply the only option. Period. Personally, I'm not even thrilled with the size of the headphone case and its design. The dimensions are rather close to a cube and it is rather impractical to carry in your pocket. The lid is as high as the other half of the case and is not secured around the perimeter by a latch or a rim, it is only held on a plastic hinge and there is a slight sideways bag. Design surpasses functionality. The headphones themselves, sorry, the pips, stored inside here audibly squeak. On the other hand, the processing of the tracks themselves is good, I have no complaints here, on the contrary - it is very well done. The headphones are small, lightweight, fit perfectly in the ears and the silicone stabilizing cap does what it's supposed to. Even with prolonged use, they do not press or shift in any way, I basically do not notice that the headphones are in my ears. The same is true when moving more, running, cycling. For me perfect and I have no reservations and I am very satisfied. However, this is very subjective and depends on the shape of the ear. I recommend taking the time to try all the silicone tips, I personally use different sizes for left and right ear. Finally - I bought the headphones here used for 50% of the price. (I was expecting Alza to at least reset them to default settings, but no - I hereby greet Lubomir. ) If I had to pay full price for them, I would most certainly return them because they are definitely not worth it. I will probably keep the pumps like this because I am very happy with how comfortable they are. With all of the described features turned off, and especially the LDAC codec that cuts the listening time per charge in half, they are fine for occasional use. For listening to offline audio in lossless compression with quality mastering, I have my HEARTS. I don't believe I could find anything else in this category that would sound better - just the best...
