QCY - MeloBuds N70

Of all the ones I tested, L4NC has the best ANC and Transparency mode, now I'm using the QCY N70, it has a more interesting transparency mode than the 4NC, but Soundcore is Soundcore!

Both are very good - I'm a fan of both brands and own a few models because of their sound signatures. If I had to choose one over the other, QCY for the win in sound quality with MeloBuds Pro. However, the only thing I feel questionable is the battery they use. Nearly every release after the Arc Buds (HT07), the battery is inconsistent and degrades over time sooner than I'd like. I recently got the new MeloBuds N70 - literally just this past Saturday, I am already seeing early signs of inconsistency. The Arc Buds (HT07) are still fine for the past three years of use.

Listening to them now. Very impressive. Had to drop the 16K band a bit because those tweeters really deliver on the cymbals.

With no budget: Devialet Gemini II Noble FoKus Rex 5 (more flat signature) Technics AZ100 (my favorite) Status Pro X With a medium budget ($100-$200) Nothing Ear (2024) or (3) (if you prefer bassier response and want a good mic) OnePlus Buds Pro 3 or 4 Soundcore Liberty 5 Denon PerL Pro (on sale... They're kind of back to retail but shouldn't be bought for more than $150... If they're comfy for you) SoundPeats H3 (not my favorite but some folks like them for sound quality. Needs to be EQed to be enjoyed at all) Low Budget EarFun Air Pro 4+ (on sale of you sign up for the presale) QCY Melobuds N70 (my favorite on this list) CMF Buds Pro 2

Yes, those buds are all relevant today. Yes, I would be worried about new models being released in the fourth quarter of 2025, especially around the Black Friday holiday Christmas season shopping seasons. I don't know of any specific models from the high-end makers that have been announced, except for the status x which are on pre-order right now from their website. I would imagine that some of the big names will release new models in the next 6 to 8 weeks. But planned obsolescence is one of the problems in tech. And at least with earbuds even if there are new models, that doesn't mean the old models were bad. One suggestion might be to look into high quality value earbuds. There are some pretty amazing players in the $50 space. I really like my qcy mellow Buds and 70. I think they're still available from qcy for $50, and you can sometimes find them on AliExpress for 35. They have MEMS speakers, and nice full bass. Are they as good as my az100s? No way. But they're also 1/6 the cost. That gives you something nice to listen to for a while while you wait for prime day, 11:11, black friday, or the rest of the holidays. And, it gives you a nice backup pair if your primary Bear runs out of batteries, or you need a second pair to put in your gym bag, or car, or whatever.

Aussie dollars or USD? The current forum favorite for $75-100 (USD) buds are the OnePlus Buds 4. You can usually find them on Ali for about $75 USD, which is about $120 AUD. They have very good sound, amazing mics, very good ANC, and good other specs. Other good options include: Soundcore Liberty 4NC or 5 (if you have the budget for them). Very good all-arounders with OK sound. CMF Buds Pro 2. Fun controls with a click wheel on the case, and really good sound with dual drivers and tons of bass. There have been some reports of the CMF having battery problems, though I haven't experienced them. Just make sure you buy some place where returns or warranty returns are relatively easy. If you're willing to try something different, I like the QCY MeloBuds N70. They have MEMS drivers for very fast, precise high frequency reproduction, and a nice big dynamic driver for bass. They also have very good ANC and just-fine mic. Now, their app is pretty bad, the case is kind of annoying to use, and touch controls are tough because the area to touch is pretty small. But you're getting $150-$200-level sound quality for $50 USD. These things should all be available to ship to Brisbane. I don't know about buying in person. The OnePlus should be available, but I'm going to guess they're going to be out of your price range in a retail store. The QCY is not going to be available in stores. JLabs are generally known for being... OK budget buds. I've not tried the pop+, but I think you're going to get OK-ish cheap buds for your money.

Lots of buds allow you to turn off the on-ear controls, either by selecting an in-app option that turns them off temporarily (my QCY Melobuds N70 have a "sleep mode" that turns off the touch controls for one use), or permanently. Some buds have an in-app toggle switch that turns off all controls (like my SoundPeats Capsule 3Pro+); others allow you to program each touch gesture to "nothing" (like my OnePlus Buds Pro 3) Really many, if not most, buds, allow you to do this. So maybe take a look at some buds you're interested in, or give us a price range and we can make some recommendations, and then we can look to see if you can turn touch controls off. My CMF Buds 2 Pro don't allow programming for the first touch (since it has a click wheel on the case). My Liberty 4 Pros have controls on the case, too. I think you can turn the touch controls off.

I like the CMF Buds Pro 2 a lot. They have surprisingly good sound and a nice soundstage, especially at the price. And having the click wheel on the case is fun. I don't like that you can't command the buds with a single tap, and the click wheel sometimes activates in my pocket when I'm carrying it around. And they're not for people who like neutral audio signatures -- they're pretty V shaped. I have the OnePlus Buds 3 *Pro*, which I think makes them a little higher quality in sound, feel, and features from the regular OPB3, so I don't know if I have a good comparison. (I think my Pro 3's are better than the CMF in a lot of ways, but that could be because of the Pro features. They're also double+ the price of the CMF). My other recommendation of buds in this price range is the QCY Melobuds N70. They're very surprisingly good, especially at the \~$50 USD range. [https://www.reddit.com/r/Earbuds/comments/1n7kqiy/final\_xmems\_showdown\_with\_qcy\_melobuds\_n70\_theyre/](https://www.reddit.com/r/Earbuds/comments/1n7kqiy/final_xmems_showdown_with_qcy_melobuds_n70_theyre/) I think the QCY buds themselves feel a little less cheap, have better overall clarity and balance, have more responsive and clear highs (which are not sibilant but can get a tad fatiguing if you don't EQ them down), and they have a few more features (wireless charging, more customizable controls). I think the CMF Buds have a nicer case, better and more functional app, and I *feel like* the soundstage is maybe a little wider. But I haven't done A-B testing of the two back to back, so that could just be my imagination. There are rumors flying around here that Nothing and CMF buds are more likely to have battery drain/loss problems. I haven't had that experience, but I rotate my buds out pretty frequently, so I don't feel qualified to comment one way or another.

Listen, I know that Apple overprices their products, but there's going to be a difference between $250 USD buds that focus on ANC, and have transparency so good they can be used as hearing aids, and $100 buds that are meant for commuting on the train. Soundguys just published an article saying that the APP3 have the best ANC *ever.* I know that APP2 aren't to that level, but you get the point. I don't think you're going to get comparable ANC from any buds in your price range, much less any buds on your list. (I think the CMF ANC is pretty dang good... for budget earbuds.) Heres a review with charts comparing the L4NC, L4Pro, and L5 in ANC and transparency. You can see that they're pretty similar, with the L4NC deadening more bass, and the L5 doing just a teensy bit better in some of the highs. And Aaron recommends the L5 for the best transparency of the three [https://www.loudnwireless.com/blog/one-month-later-soundcore-liberty-5-vs-liberty-4-nc-vs-4-pro-review](https://www.loudnwireless.com/blog/one-month-later-soundcore-liberty-5-vs-liberty-4-nc-vs-4-pro-review) I agree with others that the OnePlus Buds 4 are pretty good all-arounders, and get pretty good ratings on ANC. Here's a chart you can compare to the Liberty models: [https://www.loudnwireless.com/blog/did-not-expect-this-oneplus-buds-4-review-vs-buds-pro-3-vs-buds-3?rq=Oneplus](https://www.loudnwireless.com/blog/did-not-expect-this-oneplus-buds-4-review-vs-buds-pro-3-vs-buds-3?rq=Oneplus) (It looks like the Liberty models outdo OnePlus on the charts.) If you want to stay in the budget space, my QCY MeloBuds N70 have impressed me with their ANC. And they're about $50 USD (and even cheaper if you look carefully and get lucky on AliExpress). They're probably not as good as the Liberty models, but value/money tradeoff again. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eDll7JnN854](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eDll7JnN854)

You can get the Nothing Ear (2024) for that price, which has much more customization and overall better sound than the (a). I haven't done any a-b testing with them in a while, but they're probably a little better than the OnePlus on sound quality (especially since you can tune them so precisely to your ears). But the OnePlus is going to beat them in ANC and mic. The EarFuns are packed full of features, and are great buds at their price, but their sound quality is the worst of the bunch. (I'm kind of unique in that perspective, I think.) The L4Pro have every feature under the sun, including the cool case controls and the auto talk through that turns off ANC mode when you speak, and their sound quality is better than the EarFuns, but it still doesn't reach the quality you get in the Nothing, or the ANC and mic quality of the OnePlus. My new "dark horse" buds under $150 are the QCY MeloBuds N70. I just wrote a review of them [here](https://www.reddit.com/r/Earbuds/comments/1n7kqiy/final_xmems_showdown_with_qcy_melobuds_n70_theyre/). They have MEMS drivers and the sound quality is fantastic (for the price, and compared to other sub-$200 buds). Frankly, I think they sound as good as my OnePlus Buds 3 Pro on average. ANC is great; mic is fine; transparency is good; battery life is great. And they cost $50-$60 on special now. They may not feel quite as quality (and maybe they won't be as robust int he long run), but they're also half the price of the OnePlus or Nothings.

1. Do not, I repeat DO NOT buy used AirPod Pro1's. I can't imagine the battery will last very long--batteries die in TWS earbuds and those buds are OLD--and there are just better options out there for both ANC and sound. 2. Best buds in the \~$150 price point: OnePlus Buds Pro 3 (if you like the squeeze and swipe controls and the nicer case and slightly nicer tuning, which I do), or Buds 4 (if you want to get 95% of the Buds Pro 3, and actually maybe some better mic pickup, and if you want to save money). Frankly, you can stop reading here. 3. If you care more about good sound quality than top-notch noise cancellation, check out the Nothing Ear (2024) (on sale at Amazon for $99 for Prime day). For a budget option, check out QCY MeloBuds N70 (if you can handle the cheap case and subpar app). Both of those buds have ANC that is okay, but not class leading, but have very very good sound. 4. If you care more about ANC, check out the Skullcandy Method 360 (on sale for $71 on Prime Day today) (if you can deal with the obnoxious case). Other good options come from Soundcore-- the Liberty 5, Liberty 4NC, or Liberty 4 Pro. (I think the Pro likely has the best sound quality but has measured as not having the best ANC, but all of them are very good. [https://www.loudnwireless.com/blog/one-month-later-soundcore-liberty-5-vs-liberty-4-nc-vs-4-pro-review?rq=liberty%205](https://www.loudnwireless.com/blog/one-month-later-soundcore-liberty-5-vs-liberty-4-nc-vs-4-pro-review?rq=liberty%205) )

QCY Melobuds N70 and I look as well Roseselsa Star Ring Ultra N70 is best my earbuds they are phenomenal for so small price

Better than QCY Melobuds N70 u cannot find for this price is insane this need cost more than 100

Hmm maybe u need check about QCY Melobuds N70 they have small eartips XS think be great for you I love mine and sound fantastic

QCY Melobuds N70 is best under 100 and more with my EQ They crazy and u be shocked what this can do My EQ is this Best https://imgur.com/a/kWxLHSN

Still QCY N70 is better much better we speak about they have 2 speakers inside and sound incredible better than Air Pro 4

Followup: Doesn't work. Tried with QCY R70 and UGREEN BT 6.0 (Barrot chip) adapter with official drivers. Was getting around 250ms latency, gaming mode or not. Not sure if that's a missing protocol implementation on either the earbud or adapter side, or if Bluetooth audio is not supposed to have improved latency even on BT 6.0.

go with qcy melobuds

I really like QCY Melobuds? Pretty damn good sound quality, battery life, and ANC for the price point

They do! It doesn’t have as much functionality, as, say, Soundcore but from my memory it’s pretty good