Belkin’s SoundForm ANC Wired Earbuds Are No Menace to AirPods

Inside a desk drawer subsequent to me lives a group of wired earbuds I can by no means carry myself to toss out. Though I’ve primarily used Bluetooth wi-fi earbuds for a few years now—normally AirPods Professional—generally it’s good to only plug in a cable and pay attention, with out the fiddliness of a wi-fi connection. The one factor that’s lacking? Lively noise cancellation, or ANC.

I examine in on occasion on the state of wired earbuds with ANC, and I’m normally disenchanted. ANC must be powered, and you may’t get that from a 3.5mm headphone jack, so the options—like embedding a battery pack within the earbuds’ cable, or including the characteristic by way of a separate USB-C-powered dongle—ditch the battery-free benefit of wired audio. Identical goes for utilizing Bluetooth over-ear wi-fi headphones with ANC as wired headphones. Yeah, you are able to do it with most wi-fi over-ears, however they nonetheless want energy for his or her sound filtering, and a few received’t even work as regular headphones as soon as their battery is kaput.

Lastly, in early September, Belkin unveiled nearly precisely what I’d been trying to find: its $29.99 SoundForm ANC Wired Earbuds (USB-C). I previewed them at IFA 2025, the place I discovered them comfy, light-weight, and so they sounded respectable, however that was primarily based on utilizing them on a loud present flooring, which wasn’t sufficient to really consider them. Fortunately, Belkin despatched me dwelling with a pair to overview.

I’ve at all times actually appreciated AirPods Execs, from the primary technology to the most recent AirPods Pro 3. However nearly as good as they’re, their wi-fi connection can nonetheless be flaky, particularly after years of battery and bodily put on and tear, to not point out the occasional necessary firmware replace that makes them act bizarre. Like when mine recognized themselves as “Not Your AirPods Professional” each time I opened the case for months on finish, solely returning to regular after a firmware replace launch that coincided with the discharge of the AirPods Professional 3. It’s been good to return to only plugging in a factor and having it work—no recharging, no Bluetooth pairing, no secret, software-breaking firmware updates. Simply music or podcasts once I need them.

Belkin’s SoundForm ANC Wired Earbuds are chunky—roughly the scale of my aforementioned AirPods Professional—however, for me, light-weight sufficient that I don’t actually discover them in my ears. They’re additionally IPX5-rated, which suggests they aren’t dust-tight, however they need to stand up to sweat and splashes of water—AirPods Professional 2 had been IPX4 or IP54, relying on whether or not you obtain the Lightning or USB-C version. The SoundForm ANC Wired Earbuds are available each black and white shade choices, and so they use a flat cable that’s pliable and tangle-resistant.

See SoundForm ANC Wired Earbuds (USB-C) at Amazon

Their in-ear suggestions are made from a gentle silicone that’s way more resistant than Apple’s AirPods to the creeping horror that’s my earwax. (Sorry if that’s gross to learn, however I do know this occurs for loads of you, too.) They arrive with three pairs of suggestions, and so they don’t connect to the earbuds in any particular, proprietary method, so choosing up a set of common match earbud suggestions is doable if the included ones don’t really feel good.

Belkin’s wired earbuds are clunky in some methods. The quantity and play/pause buttons on the small, inline management module work such as you’d count on, however it’s awkward as hell to carry down each quantity up and all the way down to cycle via the three included EQ presets: bass increase, balanced audio, and Belkin Signature Sound. And I’m undecided I like the way in which ANC and transparency mode are activated, by long-pressing a button on the facet of the module, regardless of not minding an extended squeeze to do the identical factor on AirPods Professional. One thing about it being a bodily button makes me need it to work in another way. However these are minor complaints, and I discovered I didn’t actually need to change the EQ preset as soon as I set the bass increase one.

The most important compromise is correct within the identify: they join with USB-C, quite than a 3.5mm headphone plug. Which means you possibly can’t use them with older units like MP3 gamers or pre-USB-C handheld recreation consoles. I did verify that they work with my iPhone 15 Pro, Google Pixel 6, each of my Apple silicon Macs, and my Nintendo Switch 2. Asterisk on Nintendo’s newest handheld: the Switch 2 Pro controller, which has a 3.5mm audio jack that permits you to use headsets for GameChat, doesn’t assist USB-C headphones. And simply so we’re clear, neither does the first-generation Switch, together with the OLED model, a lot to my disappointment.

Nonetheless, it’s good to know that of the whole lot I’d need to use wired headphones with, Belkin’s earbuds work effective with most. USB-C additionally introduces one other challenge: longevity, or the potential lack thereof. The Belkin SoundForm ANC Wired Earbuds appear to have a hardy USB-C plug, however I’ve solely examined them for round a month. As usually as they may very well be plugged and unplugged over time, the mechanism that clips them right into a USB-C port is sure to wear down ultimately. I hope Belkin did job with these and that they’ll final for years, however solely time will inform whether or not that’s the case.

Testing, testing, 1-2-3

So how do they sound? Belkin outfitted the SoundForm ANC Wired Earbuds with 12mm drivers, placing them proper between the AirPods Pro 2 and three. Driver dimension isn’t the whole lot, and Belkin solely costs $30 for these earbuds, so I didn’t count on miracles—and so they didn’t give me any! However they did outrun my expectations with punchy bass that’s not too boomy, and midrange and treble which are clear with out being muddy or ear-piercingly tinny, respectively. In comparison with the AirPods Professional 3, their sound profile is way cooler, with thinner low-end. It’s not a good comparability, although (the AirPods Professional 3 are fairly broadly praised, in any case). General, they’re fairly respectable, placing out significantly better sound than I’d count on from equally priced wi-fi earbuds.

It’s while you begin to concentrate to the small print that the worth tag exhibits. The bass will get fuzzy and weak while you flip the SoundForm ANC Wired Earbuds as much as round 80 % or so. They usually lack definition in songs that want it; Belkin’s earbuds didn’t do any favors for tracks like Tom Waits’ “Inexperienced Grass,” overly emphasizing its crackling audio and making it sound extra amateurish than an deliberately ragged stylistic selection. The earbuds even have a fairly slim sound stage, leaving audio you hearken to very a lot confined to the world between your ears. I have a tendency to really just like the intimate really feel of that once I’m listening to one thing like that Tom Waits track, however it’s not splendid for a bombastic observe like “By way of the Fireplace and the Flames” by DragonForce. There’s additionally a whole lot of cable noise that vibrates its method up into the earbuds. I might hear rustling each time I turned my head and the cable scraped in opposition to my facial hair, and a loud thump once I reached up and grabbed the wire or tapped it with my fingertips.

The SoundForm ANC Wired Earbuds solely mildly cancel noise—they’ll block the small desktop fan I’ve in my workplace, however usually talking, they solely deal properly with sure droney sounds. Strolling round close to a busy road in my neighborhood, the ANC quieted different sounds properly sufficient to hearken to music and podcasts or take a cellphone name, however these could be your final resort on, say, an airplane or a metropolis bus. The earbuds even have respectable voice isolation. A good friend I known as whereas on that stroll stated that whereas they may inform there have been automobiles round, my voice got here via loud and clear. Turning off ANC compromised the voice isolation, such that my good friend might out of the blue hear far more wind and automobile noise. Both method, although, they stated I used to be clear and intelligible all through the decision. That’s not at all times the case with my AirPods Professional 2, which have a tendency to chop out so much and require me to consistently repeat myself when outside on a cellphone name.

Price each penny

I genuinely didn’t count on to love the Belkin SoundForm ANC Wired Earbuds as a lot as I do. My AirPods Professional 3 are in no hazard of being changed by them, however throughout the testing interval, they had been my go-to, anytime I used to be enjoying my Nintendo Swap 2, and I discovered I even appreciated utilizing them whereas sitting and dealing at my laptop computer. I’d nonetheless quite use wi-fi earbuds if I’m up and about, largely as a result of I discover all of the noise from the cable bumping or rubbing, properly, something in any respect is simply too distracting.

I appreciated the expertise, which resembled a previous time once I by no means needed to mess with Bluetooth pairing and my earbuds labored with something that output sound. It’s not the very same, since I couldn’t use these with, say, my Sony PS Vita or my previous Apple iPod nano, however a lot of the units I exploit in my each day life have a USB-C port today, and nearly all work with Belkin’s earbuds the way in which I need them to. The one exception was with my Swap 2 Professional Controller, which solely outputs audio via its 3.5mm audio jack. I didn’t truly count on it to take action with the USB-C port on high, however wouldn’t it have been neat if it did?

In the event you’ve been lacking wired earbuds, otherwise you need one thing that’s near a contemporary Bluetooth audio expertise however with out the tiny, easy-to-lose earbuds and no concern of working out of battery, these are a simple advice for lower than $30. Belkin’s SoundForm ANC Wired Earbuds (USB-C) can be obtainable Oct. 17 on Belkin’s web site, and shortly thereafter on Amazon.

See SoundForm ANC Wired Earbuds (USB-C) at Amazon