J. Dew—December 17, 2024
I'm a bit of an earbud/headphone junkie, having about a dozen pair. Some of the brands include Sony, Master & Dynamic, Bowers & Wilkins, Samsung, Bose, etc. These have taken the top spot for me, and here's why... Pros: - They are loud. Max volume on these exceeds any of my other earbuds and most of my headphones. - The bass is booming. It's deep and full. Very satisfying, especially if you tweak the EQ. - The EQ is robust. It really does allow you to change the sound scope dramatically. - It connects to 2 devices. Super convenient! I don't have to do anything special to go back and forth between my phone and my iPad. I previously used to carry two sets of earbuds because of this! - The ANC is actually good! I expected the active noise cancelling to just be ok. No, it's actually good. They do a really good job of putting you in your own world. I took them on a plane this past weekend. They delivered impressively. The ANC plus the volume mean you will not hear a thing around you. And yes, the ANC alone is good, even w/o using volume to drown out noise. I've used them at my local lounge and they kill a rather significant amount of outside sound. - You can switch between ANC and transparency mode with a push of the button on the earbuds. You don't have to open an app or go through a menu of touch/swipe controls. Very convenient. - The battery lasts all day, even with ANC on. I don't own a single pair of earbuds that will last an entire workday w/o needing to be recharged. These do! Very convenient/useful. - Despite the somewhat unusual design, they fit well in my ears and stay in place, even at the gym. I constantly have to readjust my other earbuds to put them back into position but not these. - These earbuds would be worth the price at $250-$300, but I got them on sale at $130. That's a killer deal. Even if you get them at the normal price of $180 you still getting your money's worth and won't be disappointed. Cons: - They aren't the coolest looking earbuds you'll ever see. They probably aren't the best choice in a professional setting. Every picture in the advertisements show people from the side. When you put them on and look at yourself from the front you'll see they stick out from your ears further than normal earbuds. But frankly that's the ONLY con I have for this product and it's not a deal-breaker in the least. You get so much else from this product. Read more
Seth—May 17, 2025
I'm a bit of a weird one. As in, I'm a mildly autistic audiophile with ADHD, OCD, and I've developed a particular hyper-fixation on TWS-style products over the last few years as they've grown in prominence. Anyway, I've both tried and personally own several pairs of earbuds/headphones/etc. At the moment, I have: (These Between3 ANCs) Airpods Pro (2nd Gen) OnePlus Buds Pro 2 Galaxy Buds FE Pixel Buds A-Series JBL Tune Buds Soundcore Space A40s JLab Go Pop ANCs And the Soundcore Life Q30 over-ear headset I have to at least explain the fact that each audio product on that list has usually been used for a specific purpose and that purpose only (for example, the $30 JLabs are my "throwaway" earbuds that I wouldn't feel as devastated if I lost them vs, say, my AirPods or Galaxy Buds FE). Anyway, I'd seen the ads all over social media and beyond when it came to the Between3 ANCs. Naturally I didn't give them much thought at first, but I did hear out their sales pitch of having multiple drivers inside these vs your typical single 2-way woofer or dual driver design (like the OnePlus Buds Pro 2 have). Having a dedicated speaker/driver for not just mids/bass and treble, but all THREE? I will admit I was intrigued. Unfortunately at the time I could not afford their initial asking price of nearly $200 after tax, and I was also a bit hesitant given what little presence the company seemingly had. Fast forward 2 years & my friend and I were discussing our favorite earbuds and listing all of the reasons why. Somewhat ironically, he mentioned the Between3 ANCs despite not even owning a pair lol. He'd just recently tried them out at the time via a mutual friend who did have them, and he was so impressed that the experience had stuck with him. And keep in mind, this is a guy who's equally weird/autistic like me with an INSANELY picky preference for audio quality and fidelity. He couldn't stop raving about them, and I had mentioned knowing about them vaguely and having been interested in them a while back. Well, through both his obnoxious attempts of persuasion (and my own curiousity having finally peaked) I decided to go ahead and bite the bullet. I figured the worst thing that could happen is I'd just return them if I didn't like them enough. As if that was ever going to be a genuine possibility lol. The Between3 ANCs are EVERY BIT as good as everyone else (including the company behind them) says they are. The bass is powerful, full, but not muddy or incessant. The mids are equally as powerful, and make their presence known without overstepping the highs/treble. Which even said treble too is clear, crisp, and the cherry on top of what I consider to be an incredibly well balanced soundstage that absolutely NAILS the 3 main aspects of what makes music sound good. I absolutely love them. Before, I was torn between my AirPods Pro Gen 2 and OnePlus Buds Pro 2 with trying to decide which one sounded better/the most balanced to me. The former is just one of those "take them out of the case and just enjoy" whereas the latter just needs a tiny bit of tuning (and a OnePlus device to enable their LDHC codec for lossless audio) to achieve a fairly impressive sound. The Between3 ANCs are like both of them put together, and the best part is they work just as well on iOS as they do on Android. So they're truly THE earbuds to use for all of the things you could want to use them for. Discord chats and phone calls are fantastic; everyone always says the mic quality is top notch and background noise is non-existent (even if there's a lot going on in the background that SHOULD be able to be heard by others). Battery life is arguably one of the most important factors for me aside from the sound quality when it comes to a pair of TWS earbuds, and the Between3 ANCs deliver on that front flawlessly. The claimed 12-hours on a single charge on the earbuds themselves (with no ANC or ambient mode enabled) is spot on. And for earbuds that can produce this kind of sound quality, that is insane. By comparison, my AirPods Pro Gen 2 will only get 8 hours at best with no fancy stuff turned on, while the OnePlus Buds Pro 2 get closer to 9-10 give or take. The Galaxy Buds FE are around roughly 8-9 hours, with the Space A40s netting 10 hrs & the Tune Buds about 12 hrs respectively. The JLabs and Pixel Buds sit at the bottom of the pack with a meager 7 hrs and 5-6 hrs respectively (and the Pixel Buds don't even have ANC or ambient mode). So for the Between3 ANCs to offer the sound quality, multi-point connectivity (also a must have for me), AND have ANC + ambient mode with such long battery life is just hard to not be satisfied with. The last thing I'll cover is the recently mentioned ANC and ambient mode. They are good, but they're not "great". I used to think AirPods were overhyped at every turn, but after having owned the 2nd Gen Pros I cannot deny their supremacy in both ANC and transparency/ambient mode. Even with the Between3 ANCs in consideration, nothing I have owned/tested/compared has been able to surpass the level of quiet using ANC with a proper seal in your ear. Same with the transparency; the AirPods are so good in that regard it literally makes it seem as if there's not even an earbud in your ear (not to mention they were deemed good enough to be a legally acceptable alternative to hearing aids). Still, that doesn't take anything away from the Between3 ANCs. Their ANC is still more than sufficient to get the job done and enhance your listening experience in a noisy area (or if you just want to drown out the world entirely when you're alone and it's already quiet to begin with). And their ambient mode works well enough to where you don't have to take the buds out of your ears to have a conversation or be aware of surroundings when out in public. They're also very comfortable thanks to the ergonomic curvature just passed the silicone tip, which helps keep it seated in your ear for long periods without causing any soreness. If I had any complaint AT ALL, it'd be that I originally joked about the Between3 ANCs looking like Juul pods lol. But looks aside, the build quality is exquisite and comprised of premium materials. And the practical factor of this design having allowed Status to pack 3 total drivers and hefty battery cells into each earbud is enough to make me not care too much about how it reminds me of a Juul pod. I just wish they'd have at least given the charging case a little bit more love, because as it is currently I am weary a good drop or two on solid concrete will make short work of the hinge (or chip/scuff it to oblivion). Hopefully we'll get a successor model, maybe even with a metal hinge (like AirPods use) and a more resilient material for the rest of the case that's not matte plastic (which is prone to scratches and scuffs, so when those start showing up on mine I won't be super caught off guard). All in all, these are a MUST HAVE if you need TWS earbuds with extremely long battery life (either for long calls or just listening to stuff while working a 8 hr+ shift at work), you want AMAZING sound quality with real bass, mids, and highs that don't bleed over onto one another (therefore ruining the balance in sound), and you can live with the somewhat lackluster quality of the charging case. I promise you won't regret it, even if you only aim to buy them to use for something highly specific. For me I tend to leave them at home to use with my gaming PC + my phone thanks to multi-point, mainly because I don't want them to get lost or damaged. But if they were the only pair I had, I'd take them everywhere because yes, they're THAT good (which can't be said for ALL of the ones I listed previously). The price can be a bit steep, so if that's the only big thing holding you back then I'd recommend waiting for them to go on sale (right now they're only $150 vs $180 if I recall). Don't let the design of the earbuds turn you away though! These are fantastic! And their companion app is on both iOS and Android and you get the same experience regardless of which phone you use! Read more
Ian Laird—November 24, 2025
A very good set of earbuds. Battery life is good, noise cancelling is quite effective, case has a nice small profile and charges quickly. The included eartip and fit-wing options helped me get a good fit that stays in even during exercise. The default EQ was not to my liking, but after switching the profile in the app, I got one that worked and the sound quality is definitely great. My only gripe is the ambient pass-through mode - it works well, but there is noticeable white noise that detracts from the experience, and the lack of a noise-cancelling-and-transparency-off mode is sometimes disappointing. Read more
