AirPods Pro Alternative: Edifier TWS330 NB

When my AirPods Pro are working, they’re great. They sound great (especially considering their size), calls are clear, ambient noise is a little weird but much appreciated when walking the dogs along streets, etc. I like ’em. But the left unit will randomly stop working mid-song, or won’t connect at all, or ... Sometimes it’s solved by putting it back in the case and taking it out, or putting both back in the case, or doing a full reset ... Frustrating and annoying! Also, they were over $200 when I got them (they’re $179 now), and I don’t want to lose them out and about.

After a disastrous experience with an older Klipsch headphones/mic setup (the person I was on the video conference could barely hear me over all the background noise), I decided to change things up and go a different route in my EDC kit. (One more thing to keep charged, sigh. Was really hoping I could find a good wired setup, but seems not to be a thing.)

After reading through a few reviews, I decided on the Edifier TWS330 NB. Edifier generally has a good reputation, and I love the little R12U speakers I ran on the iMac.

Amazon currently has them for $70, but apparently they’ve sold, on Prime days, for as little as $26. At that price point, they're a no-brainer. I picked up a pair on eBay, new (sealed), for $28.90. They don’t sound as good as the Apple earbuds, but for the price they sound very good. The case is about the same size as the Apple case and fits in the watch pocket like the Apple. No wireless charging but quickly recharges via USB-C.

Others have reviewed them with a better audio vocabulary than I can muster:

https://www.scarbir.com/tws/edifier-tws330nb-review (“FOUR STARS - The Edifier TWS330NB wireless earbuds may not stand out when it comes to sound quality or ANC noise cancelling, but offer great call quality and comfort on a budget.”)

Update: I added the Comply TrueGrip Pro TW-400-C Earbud Tips to the Edifiers and I’m very happy with the combination. Good sound isolation and they hold in my ears a lot better than the stock tips. I got the “sampler platter” SKU with one set each of small, medium, and large, and find the mediums work perfectly for my ears.