Wireless earphone/earbuds in the girl's ear | Picture: iStock
What is it? A wireless earbud is a wireless earbud is a wireless earbud. Apple, Samsung and Jabra compete annually to raise the bar on in-ear sound quality. As a result, it becomes increasingly hard to differentiate between the numerous earbuds models on the market, and the purchasing decision is usually based on price or brand loyalty.
Now LG is giving consumers a reason to rethink that choice.
Its new Tone Free FP-9 earbuds, released in South Africa last month, offer two very distinctive features.
The first is one of those “why-was-this-not done-before” innovations, namely the industry’s only auto-cleaning UVnano charging case. It uses ultra-violet light to reduce bacteria on the earphone speaker mesh by a claimed 99.9% within five minutes of beginning charging.
The Tone Free buds take the thinking a step further: they feature medical-grade, hypoallergenic ear gels. The FP series earbuds introduce LG’s new Whispering Mode, which allows users to hold the right earphone close to their mouth and whisper into its microphone, “enabling crystal clear and completely private phone calls”, according to LG.
In terms of standard features offered by most market leaders, it includes Active Noise Cancellation, which eliminates low-frequency sounds not blocked by normal earphones. Each unit contains three microphones that listen for ambient noises and neutralise them by producing identical, inaudible, soundwaves.
It pairs with PCs, gaming consoles, and other devices, either wirelessly or via a USB-C to AUX cable. This means one can also use an AUX cable to listen to music when Bluetooth is unavailable, for example in airplane mode.
The LG Tone Free App provides an Ambient Sound Mode that allows sound to be adjusted to the volume of the surroundings, or have messages read without using one’s phone.
The Tone Free range also features Meridian Audio, a technology that uses digital signal processing to make sounds appear to originate from all directions.
Its equalisers can be adjusted via the app. On top of that, it adds a 3D Sound Stage feature, which claims to “expand the sound point via spatial up-mixing and allowing you to hear your favourite tracks in a simulated 3D space”.
“With larger, upgraded drivers and diaphragms featuring silicone edging, allowing for more flexibility and movement, the new Tone Free models now deliver more powerful bass without compromising on clarity or detail.”
Certainly, when compared with equivalent models, 3D sound does not set it apart from the competitors. But then, it already has plenty to set it apart.
What does it cost?
The LG Tone Free FP series is available in SA in charcoal black and pearl white.
The FP5, FP8, and FP9 models retail for R1 999, R2 699, and R3 699 respectively.
Why should you care?
As LG puts it, “wearing a headset for too long, especially during workouts, can result in irritated skin or painful ear infections”.
The ears are among the most germ-ridden parts of the body that come into contact with electronics, so it is quite astonishing that no other earbud maker has come up with an equivalent solution to the UVnano cleaning-and-recharge case.
What are the biggest negatives
– Its claims for audio innovation are incredibly complex, and may not tally with the average user’s experience.
What are biggest positives?
– Ergonomic design technology resulted in a sleek Arc Design, reducing the stem by 4.4mm.
– Great battery, with 10 hours of play, another 14 hours of recharge from the case, and Fast Charging in five minutes for one hour of play. Also compatible with wireless charging.
– The most hygienic earbuds on the market.
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