Libratone Track Air+: competition for the Sony WF-1000XM3?
4.10.2019
Translation: machine translated
Pictures: David Lee
The new Track Air+ is one of the few true wireless in-ear headphones that comes with active noise cancelling. Find out here whether they can keep up with the competition.
The Danish manufacturer Libratone is launching its first true wireless headphones on the market and is taking on Sony: The Track Air+ has many similarities with the Japanese manufacturer's WF-1000XM3. Above all, this includes active noise cancelling - a feature that has so far only been available on Sony models in the completely wireless range.
Two months ago, I tested the Sony WF-1000XM3. Now it's the turn of the Air+ from Libratone.
The little headphones look good. I think they're the best of all the in-ear headphones currently available. But as we all know, good looks alone are not enough.
Small and fine
The small earphones only protrude from the ears with their silver triangle. This not only looks worlds better than other in-ear headphones, but is also more comfortable to wear. Compared to the WF-1000XM3, the Track+ are much finer. Together they weigh just 11 grams, while the WF earbuds come in at 17 grams.
I particularly notice that the Air+ is lighter when I have them in my ears for a long time. The Sony headphones were never uncomfortable, but over time the weight in my ears started to bother me. Although they are so small, the Libratone never fell out of my ears. The Danes supply four different silicone attachments to ensure the right fit.
The charging case is also small. In contrast to the Sony case, which is around twice the size. The Air+ can be charged three times with the case. Unlike the WF, the Air+ is protected against splashing water, so you can use it for sports or in the rain without any worries.
Sound: Top
I used the Air+ for a little over two weeks. During this time, I listened to more music than usual. Because the Air+ sounds good. The sound is very fine and well tuned, which I particularly like. The headphones are also clear and you can hear the details well. The bass is not too strong. If you want more bass, you can adjust this in the app.
To my ear, the Air+ sounds centre-emphasised: vocals and piano come out particularly well, but they are not too dominant.
Only the highs could be more nuanced for me - I noticed this on the track Shadows by Lindsey Stirling. The very high violin passages didn't come out quite as beautifully with the Air+. Otherwise, I can't fault the sound.
I liked the sound of the Air+ a little better than that of the WF-1000XM3. The WF had a bit too much bass for me and came across as too powerful on some tracks.
With the Air+, however, you can only select the sound in three presets in the Libratone app: Neutral, Extra Bass or Boosted Treble. With Sony, you can set significantly more.
Noise cancelling: insufficient
Unfortunately, the noise cancelling of the Air+ is not good enough for me. The first time I put the Air+ on in the office, I could still hear my office colleagues chattering even on the highest cancelling level at medium music volume. I found the noise cancelling of the WFs much better. I could no longer hear voices.
Even on the train, I can still hear the chatterboxes on the phone with the Air+ - children's screams come through anyway. The Air+ is good at blocking out background noise, such as the roar of a car, thanks to the infinitely adjustable cancelling function.
Smart noise cancellation is also on board. I only used this very little, as it didn't suppress enough for me. I also sometimes had the feeling that one of the earpieces was slightly noisy due to this cancelling. I didn't notice this in normal mode. The smart noise cancelling measures the noise level with the microphones on the headphones and then adjusts the noise cancelling. This is particularly useful in the city if you don't want to be run over by a bus.
With the new headphones, Libratone has also revised the app. In addition to smart noise cancelling, there is also ambient monitoring: Here you can hear your surroundings completely.
Libratone claims a battery life of six hours. With maximum noise cancelling, I ran out of juice after about 5 hours and 20 minutes.
Apple accessories without AAC codec
The Air+ transmits with Aptx Bluetooth codec. As an Android user, I'm pleased. It was different with the WF, which only transmits with AAC. Although the Air+ does not support the AAC codec, which is the codec used by most iOS devices, the packaging of the Air+ states "Made for iPhone and iPod". If you use the handset with an iOS device, you only have the standard Bluetooth transmission SBC. This is neither helpful for good sound quality nor for a good connection.
With my Android phone, I had no latency when watching videos, Netflix also worked without any problems. I had no connection problems. As soon as I take the handsets out of the Böxli, they automatically connect to the smartphone.
If you want to use the earbuds individually, this is possible with the latest update. The earbuds are each controlled individually.
The killer: the controls
On paper, the Air+ controls don't sound bad: you can specify in the app whether you want to use play/pause, the noise-cancelling controls, skip or voice control. You then assign the functions to the left and right earpiece.
In practice, however, the controls are far too unreliable. To execute a command, you have to tap the headphones twice. If you don't tap at exactly the right distance, nothing happens. However, if you tap at the right time, this is no guarantee that the headphones will do anything. I usually have to try two or three times.
The controls were so unreliable that I contacted Libratone, whereupon I was informed that my model was a pre-production model. Libratone then sent me a production model. The controls on this one were slightly better, but still inadequate. It only works about every second time. That annoys me. The frequent, pointless and stupid tapping on the ear is anything but practical.
In addition, there is no gesture to return to the previous song. And you can't adjust the volume at your ear either - you always have to pick up your mobile. The controls on the Sony headphones are much better, but you can't adjust the volume there either.
I would love to like them but...
I like the Libratone brand. I like the beautiful and simple design of the brand with the bird, as well as the good sound quality. I also really liked the previous wired version. The Air+ would be a great earphone. I would really like to like it. But I can't.
The unreliable and inadequate earpiece control ruins all the joy for me. It almost makes me sick to my stomach when something doesn't work properly and isn't thought through enough. The controls on the Air+ are lousy and I don't find that acceptable for headphones that cost over 200 francs. The noise cancelling on the Track+ is not the best, but for good sound and for the fact that the small dividers are so light and fine, I could accept compromises here. But not with the controls.
If you can do without reliable and good control in a pair of headphones, I can recommend the Air+. Otherwise not.
The best that remains is to hope that Libratone fixes the problem with an update.
Testing devices and gadgets is my thing. Some experiments lead to interesting insights, others to demolished phones. I’m hooked on series and can’t imagine life without Netflix. In summer, you’ll find me soaking up the sun by the lake or at a music festival.
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