Beyerdynamics' first true wireless earbuds sound excellent, despite some usability hiccups

I've been a contributing editor for PCMag since 2011. Before that, I was PCMag's lead audio analyst from 2006 to 2011. Even though I'm a freelancer now, PCMag has been my home for well over a decade, and audio gear reviews are still my primary focus. Prior to my career in reviewing tech, I worked as an audio engineer—my love of recording audio eventually led me to writing about audio gear.

The Beyerdynamic Free Byrd earphones deliver exceptional audio and reasonably good noise cancellation, but their app and on-ear controls could use a bit more attention.

Beyerdynamic might be late to the noise-cancelling true wireless party, but the company’s new Free Byrd earbuds ($249.99) are no slouch. They sound fantastic, support a wide range of Bluetooth codecs, and come with plenty of accessories. They also offer decent active noise cancellation (ANC), though they don’t compete with the top options in this price range, and their companion app (we tested the latest beta version) only includes equalizer presets, not a fully adjustable EQ. For a bit more money, Sony's $279.99 WF-1000XM4 earphones offer superior noise cancellation, a better app, and equally impressive audio quality, earning our Editors' Choice award.

Available in black or gray, the Free Byrd earphones are somewhat chunky, but they fit securely without any fins or stabilizers. Five pairs of silicone eartips (XS, S, M, L, XL) and three pairs of foam eartips (S, M, L) arrive in the box—we’re always fans of foam tips because they provide superior passive noise reduction, tend to ensure the most secure fit, and often lead to slightly stronger bass response.

Internally, 10mm dynamic drivers deliver a frequency range of 10Hz to 20kHz. The earphones are compatible with Bluetooth 5.2 and support the AAC, AptX Adaptive, and SBC codecs. The aforementioned Sony earbuds and the Technics EAH-AZ60 have a slight advantage here because they also include support for the more audiophile-friendly LDAC codec.

The outer panel of each earpiece sports a black capacitive touch strip with the Beyerdynamic logo and a status LED. Tap once on either earpiece’s outer panel to play or pause audio. Tap twice to switch between ANC On and Transparency modes. Tap three times on the left earpiece to navigate one track backward or three times on the right to skip forward a track. Finally, tap and hold on either earbud to summon your device’s voice assistant. The capacitive buttons are sensitive enough to register touches, but we sometimes noted a lag between a tap and action; this might lead to misfires if you ever try to press the button again in the span of that delay.

An IPX4 water-resistance rating is unimpressive, though typical for the category. The rating means the in-ears can withstand light splashes from any direction; neither sweaty workouts nor light rain should be an issue, just don't rinse them under a faucet or submerge them. The rating doesn't apply to the charging case, so make sure to fully dry the earpieces before you dock them. If you need ANC in a waterproof design, check out the Jabra Elite 7 Pro ($199) or the Jabra Elite 7 Active ($179), both of which carry IP57 ratings.

The charging case is slightly bulky, but its flip-top lid is easy to open and the surface has a good grip. Most other cases can't claim the latter two distinctions. The front has a status LED just above the Beyerdynamic logo, while the back houses a USB-C port for the USB-C-to-USB-A charging cable included in the box. The case supports wireless charging via the Qi standard.

Beyerdynamic estimates that the earphones can last roughly eight hours per charge with ANC on or 11 hours with it off. The case holds an additional 19 hours of extra battery life (depending on your use of ANC and volume settings), which is somewhat below average.

We tested the latest beta version of the Beyerdynamic companion app (available for Android and iOS). The app is confusingly named MIY and the logo, even more confusingly, closely resembles the word “My.” We confirmed that searching for the term "Beyerdynamic" in the App Store surfaces the app, in any case.

In the app, you can set up a sound profile that tailors audio to your hearing and then blend that profile with the original signal with a fader. This type of feature is increasingly common in companion apps but, unfortunately, typically at the expense of full EQ controls, as is the case here. The app offers several EQ presets (bass boost, warm, and smooth treble, for example), but you can’t adjust them or create a custom profile.

Aside from the presets and sound profile feature, you can switch between the ANC and Transparent modes (or turn both off), as well as enable a low-latency mode for gaming. You can also set up Alexa as your default voice assistant, though you must first install the Alexa app. Aside from the EQ missteps, we also miss the option to customize the on-ear settings here.

The Free Byrd earbuds deliver above-average noise cancellation. In testing they substantially dialed back powerful, low-frequency rumble (like you hear on an airplane) and significantly tamped down the lows and mids in a recording of clanging dishes and boisterous conversation from a busy restaurant.

Unfortunately, despite their good performance on these tests, the earphones add a notable amount of high-frequency hiss—it isn't unpleasant, but is a sign of less than top-tier noise cancellation. The earphones even add a hiss to the signal in quiet environments, thus making a quiet room sound louder with ANC than without it. Ultimately, if ANC is a top priority, either the Sony WF-1000XM4 or Bose QuietComfort Earbuds ($279.95) handle deep lows and more complex soundscapes far more effectively and with much less in the way of a hiss.

Transparency mode works well; it allows you to easily hear your surroundings and converse without removing the earpieces. But, again, we noticed a significant lag when we tried to switch modes via the on-ear controls. We also wish we could cycle to the All Off setting via the touch controls, but that option is available only via the app. Plenty of other earphones let you add the Off mode to the on-ear control scheme.

On tracks with intense sub-bass content, like The Knife’s “Silent Shout,” the earbuds deliver impressive low-frequency response. At top, unwise listening levels, the bass doesn’t distort, and at more moderate listening levels, the lows still sound robust and complementary to the higher frequencies.

Bill Callahan’s “Drover,” a track with far less deep bass in the mix, gives us a better sense of the sound signature. The drums on this track can sound overly thunderous on bass-forward in-ears, but these earphones strike a lovely balance between boosted lows and natural tones. Callahan’s baritone vocals come across with low-mid richness and benefit from crisp high-mid definition. The acoustic strums and higher-register percussive hits sound bright and clear, too.

On Jay-Z and Kanye West’s “No Church in the Wild,” the kick drum loop receives enough high-mid presence for its attack to retain some punch. The background vinyl hiss and crackle also step forward in the mix—we hear plenty of higher-frequency boosting and sculpting. The sub-bass synth hits that punctuate the beat come across with powerful depth—you won't feel like there's a subwoofer in your skull, but you certainly get a healthy dose of rumble. The vocals on this track sound clear, though you might prefer a smidge more high-mid presence on this track—that's where the lack of an adjustable EQ is a true bummer.

Orchestral tracks, like the opening scene from John Adams’ The Gospel According to the Other Mary, get a little bit more low-frequency boost than they need, but never to the point of upsetting the balance too much. The higher-register brass, strings, and vocals maintain their place in the spotlight, and, for the most part, the additional bass depth just makes the track sound a little richer.

The MEMS mic array works well. We had no issue understanding every word from a test recording on our iPhone. We didn't notice any garbled Bluetooth audio artifacts in the signal and the mic array offers strong clarity, though Beyerdynamic noticeably filters and EQs the signal here.

The Beyerdynamic Free Byrd earphones sound fantastic and support a good range of Bluetooth codecs. The lack of an adjustable EQ is annoying, however, and we had a few issues with the responsiveness of the on-ear controls. The ANC performance is above average, but suffers from an obvious and distracting hiss. Ultimately, the aforementioned Sony WF-1000XM4 and Bose QuietComfort Earbuds are superior overall, earning both our Editors' Choice award. Beyerdynamic also faces tough competition from Sennheiser in the form of the Momentum True Wireless 3 earphones ($249.95), which are slightly more compelling than the Free Byrd for the same price.

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I've been a contributing editor for PCMag since 2011. Before that, I was PCMag's lead audio analyst from 2006 to 2011. Even though I'm a freelancer now, PCMag has been my home for well over a decade, and audio gear reviews are still my primary focus. Prior to my career in reviewing tech, I worked as an audio engineer—my love of recording audio eventually led me to writing about audio gear.

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