Tech review: Libratone Track Air+ true wireless headphones look unique and offer good noise cancellation

The Track Air+ comes in black and white models. PHOTO: LIBRATONE

Libratone is probably more known for its sleek wireless speakers but the Denmark audio company has also entered the true wireless in-ear headphones market with its Track Air+ (available on Lazada and Shopee).

Launched last August and available here since May, the Track Air+ comes in black (version tested) and white models and features active noise cancellation (ANC) technology.

The review model's black pebble-shaped charging case has a USB-C port at its rear for charging and supports wireless charging. However, its LED charging indicator is inside the case. So you have to lift the lid to check the charging progress.

The diminutive case has just about enough space to hold the two earbuds, which are also on the small side.

The earbuds have a rather unique design - an irregular-shaped triangular stem hangs out of the oval body of each earbud.

On each stem is a tiny touch-sensitive Libratone logo.

The stems rest nicely on my ear lobes to "anchor" the earbuds securely in place. They could be an issue though for those who wear earrings.

Four pairs of ear tips are included, so you should be able to find a pair that fits. With the right sized ear tips, the earbuds should not fall out easily.

I find the earbuds really comfortable to wear and so lightweight I barely notice them even when wearing them for long periods. With an IPX4 rating, the earbuds are resistant to sweat and water splashes. But do not run with them in heavy downpour.

You can use the Libratone app (available on Android and iOS) to help you pair the Track Air+ with your mobile device. Once paired, the app allows you to customise the double- and triple-tap functions of the earbuds, as well as adjust the ANC (to manual or automatic) and choose your preferred equaliser setting from Neutral, Extra Bass and Enhanced Treble.

I like that I can freely choose what functions to execute with the double- and triple-tap actions. For instance, I designated ANC switching (double-tap) and voice assistant (triple-tap) to the left earbud, and the play/pause and next track music controls to the right earbud. This way, I won't get confused with the controls.

Despite the earbuds' small stature, their audio output is superb, especially at the Extra Bass setting. The bass is punchy, while the mids are clear and the highs are crisp. I also find the entire audible spectrum rich with details.

On the downside, you cannot manually adjust the equaliser setting. You are stuck with the three presets.

I like that the music only pauses when I remove both earbuds, as sometimes I just want to take one earbud out to talk to someone but not pause the music. However, the music playback resumes when you put just one earbud back in.

In terms of ANC performance, the Track Air+ is not as effective as Sony's WF-1000XM3 or Apple's AirPods Pro. But it is no slouch, able to filter out most of the ambient noise when manually set to maximum. It is probably comparable to the Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 2, which I reviewed recently.

When set to automatic, the ANC will measure the ambient noise and set the ANC level accordingly. But I find this mode inadequate when I want maximum filtering.

If you are jogging and want to be aware of your surroundings, there is an ambient monitoring mode that lets in most of the ambient noise.

Battery life is pretty good, at up to six hours of music playback on a full charge. The charging case allows for another 18 hours. In my tests, I found the battery life to drop to 55 per cent after three hours of playback.

The Track Air+ is not cheap, with its $349 price tag comparable to that of genre leaders Apple AirPods Pro ($379) and Sony WF-1000XM3 ($349). But it is a good choice if you want a pair of true wireless in-ear headphones that has a unique design with great sound and ANC.

FOR

- Unique ergonomic design

- Lightweight and comfortable

- Great audio output for its size

- Good active noise cancellation

- Long battery life

AGAINST

- Earbud's stem might interfere with earrings

- Charging case lacks external LED indicator

- Equaliser setting cannot be manually adjusted

TECH SPECS

PRICE: $349

DRIVERS: 5.3mm

CONNECTIVITY: Bluetooth 5.0

WEIGHT: 5.6g (earbud), 36g (charging case)

RATING

FEATURES: 4/5

DESIGN: 4/5

PERFORMANCE: 4/5

BATTERY LIFE: 4.5/5

VALUE FOR MONEY: 4/5

OVERALL: 4/5

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