Enacfire A9 review: Noise-cancelling earbuds for less

For

Warm sound contour
Adequate ANC for the price
Waterproof
Decent call quality

Against

Lack of extra features
Bear on controls don't operate every bit intended
Mediocre design
Transparency manner is useless

Pros

+
Warm sound contour
+
Acceptable ANC for the price
+
Waterproof
+
Decent call quality

Cons

-
Lack of extra features
-
Touch controls don't operate as intended
-
Mediocre blueprint
-
Transparency mode is useless

The Enacfire A9 is the newest release from the Amazon darling. This set up of wireless earbuds has bass-forward sound, an ambient-listening manner, and up to 32 hours of battery life via charging case. Near importantly, information technology offers agile noise counterfoil (ANC) at a super-affordable price.

While the A9 presents a legitimate instance for making our all-time noise-cancelling earbuds list, it also bears flaws similar to those institute on other cheap wireless earbuds. The touch controls require some experimentation to get functioning properly. Furthermore, the uninspiring design and lack of extra features brand it less appealing compared to other sub-$100 models.

Enacfire A9 specs

Colour: Black

Bombardment life (rated): 4.5 hours (ANC on), 5.5 hours (ANC off) , 32 hours (with charging example)

Connectivity: Bluetooth 5.0

Processor: BES2300IU

Size: ane.3 x 1 10 0.eight inches (per bud)

Weight: 0.2 ounces (per bud)

Withal, if you want cheap buds that get the chore done and provide some noise neutralization, our Enacfire A9 review breaks down why this budget pair is worth a look.

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Enacfire A9 review: Toll and availability

Enacfire A9 on Amazon for $49.99

The Enacfire A9 tin be purchased for $69 from Enacfire, though Amazon has information technology on auction for $49. It is just sold in black. Bundled with the purchase are a charging instance, short USB-C charging cable, instruction manual, two-yr warranty, and 3 pairs of ear tips.

Factoring in sale price, the A9 is one-fifth of the price of the AirPods Pro ($249). Should you seek something under $100 with longer battery life and more features, there's the EarFun Free Pro ($59) that comes with 7 hours playtime (on a unmarried charge) and wireless charging. At that place'southward besides the JLab Ballsy Air Sport ANC ($98) with eleven hours playtime and a customizable EQ.

For all of the latest sales, bookmark our best inexpensive AirPods deals and best headphones deals pages.

Enacfire A9 review: Pattern and comfort

Enacfire isn't known for its design pedigree. The visitor'south wireless earbuds are as minimalist as you'll notice on the market and prioritize function over fashion. That being said, don't expect the A9 to enamor you with its bland, copycat appearance.

The buds boast the same long-stalk silhouette as the standard AirPods, but with an all-black outside and thicker casing, which makes them stick out more. To my optics the AirPods Pro also has a more distinctive design than the A9, thanks to unproblematic details like blackness vents and shorter stems. One positive is that the A9 comes with an IPX7 waterproof rating, a stronger IP rating than the AirPods Pro (IPX4). That means the buds can survive rain, sweat, and submersion in one meter of water for 30 minutes.

Enacfire A9 review — (Prototype credit: Regan Coule/Future)

The charging case isn't Reddish Dot Honor cloth, but fine for portability and storage. You lot can toss it in any shirt pocket or gym bag and not feel weighed down. The matte finish and logo on the front end requite it some flair equally well. Despite the flimsy lid, this case has a strong magnet that shuts it tightly, preventing the buds from spilling out if ever dropped to the footing. On the inside are left and right indicators to remind you which bud goes in which charging slot, a thoughtful gesture that shouldn't go unnoticed.

Initially, I guessed the large crenel wouldn't make these buds a comfortable wearable, and I was correct. Its bulging class takes upwardly a lot of inner ear space and presses up confronting the concha, causing soreness the longer you lot continue them on. A 45-infinitesimal listening session had me pulling the buds out for some pain relief.

Enacfire claims the A9 provides an ergonomic fit, though that isn't the example. The tips neglect to create a tight seal; I tried all three sizes and noticed zero comeback. Yous'll need to suit the buds for proper stabilization, and even then, the slightest movement to them results in serious slippage. For instance, I scratched my left ear and striking the bud by blow, which and then acquired it to autumn out when turning my caput. This happened oft.

Enacfire A9 review: Affect controls and digital assistant

The touch controls don't exactly piece of work equally Enacfire intended. Functions are divvied upwardly between the two buds, which are activated through concur and tap gestures, only the buds barely recognize the latter. Seriously, I couldn't get tap functions working at all. What I figured out is that the bear on sensors also have slide gestures, and these delivered much meliorate input accuracy.

Enacfire also programmed these buds with a comprehensive suite of media controls. Depending on how you tap and/or hold the sensors, yous tin play and break music, skip forward and back, heighten and lower volume, cycle betwixt the different listening modes and even activate your phone's digital assistant.

The A9 supports both Google Assistant and Siri, and they function well for the most part. There is some slight lag when enabling the characteristic, just once turned on, you can fire off commands and receive results in quick fashion. Spoken communication recognition is surprisingly skilful, which tin be attributed to the A9's four external mics that selection up every spoken word. To accept Apple and Google's AI bots understand and execute nearly commands was all I could enquire for.

Enacfire A9 review: Active noise counterfoil

The A9 can't compete with what the AirPods Pro and Bose QuietComfort Earbuds are doing on the ANC front, and to wait that of any pair of $69 earbuds would exist foolish. What you get is capable noise neutralization that tin challenge other low-tier options like the Epic Air Sport.

I found the A9's racket cancellation performed improve indoors. In my home office, the buds managed to block out most distractions, from family chatter to loud TVs. My cat's meows even went unnoticed as he tried clawing his way into the room. The A9 as well minimized high-frequency sounds noticeably well, though mostly from a distance. It was good plenty to mute my newborn'due south cries from the reverse room, so that fabricated me happy.

Even so, not all noise went silent. My infant boy's fussing was articulate when getting him to perform tummy time exercises, plus I could hear doors opening and closing every bit guests entered the room. External sounds were much more transparent when stepping exterior. Heading towards the mailbox, I was bombarded by the level of dissonance produced by the landscapers who were about xxx feet away from me; the leaf blowing and weed trimming sounded like it was taking place in front of me. Wind also made its presence felt when listening to music on walks.

Enacfire went the actress mile of creating a transparency fashion for listeners to hear what's happening around them. But this too needs piece of work, every bit the poor clarity made it difficult to distinguish sounds or have face up-to-face conversations.

Enacfire A9 review: Audio quality

These aren't critical-listening earbuds, and then don't purchase them thinking y'all're going to hear the subtle nuances in complex recordings. The A9 has a sound profile that leans primarily towards the warm end of the sound spectrum. Underneath the hood are 10mm drivers that don't skimp on bass and keep distortion to a minimum.

I thought blast-heavy tracks like Method Human & Redman'south "Da Rockwilder" would have made for a regrettable listen, but the end event was noteworthy. The 808 effects and propulsive lows knocked hard. Also, the fuzzy bass tones were handled well, granted they sounded crisper on the AirPods Pro and QuietComfort Earbuds. Nonetheless, the fact that these buds could reproduce such sounds without bloating up the entire soundstage speaks to the A9'southward sonic capabilities.

The percussion on Earth, Wind & Burn'south "Boogie Wonderland" was striking. Bass drums and conga stimulated rhythmic toe taps, while harmonies had swell resolution to distinguish betwixt individual voices over the up-tempo production.

Jazz classics sounded bittersweet, every bit the depression end was overemphasized, diminishing the depth on certain songs. While I got a taste of mids and highs on Miles Davis' "Freddie Freeloader," with the steady hi-chapeau play sounding sharp, the double bass came on as well potent and dominated the soundscape. The AirPods Pro did a better chore of capturing the record'due south warmth and melodic tones.

I noticed sound quality was better when the listening modes were disabled, producing slightly better bass and clarity. These are small-scale details that many listeners won't choice up on, but those with perceptive hearing might catch them. Volume doesn't reach diggings levels and won't put your hearing at adventure. Although, if y'all do decide to mind at max book, know that the buds bleed out sound, so others around you will also hear what's playing.

Enacfire A9 review: Battery life and charging case

Enacfire hasn't shared the playtimes, but my testing had them lasting about iv to 4.5 hours with ANC on. This places the A9 in the same company as the AirPods Pro (4.5 hours), though Apple's bombardment management is far superior and gets you better general operation on such short battery life. Volume and ANC/transparency mode are battery drainers as well. Listening with ANC off will extend playtime to about 5.v hours. That should suffice for 3 to four days of moderate use before recharging.

The charging instance does help deal with low-battery anxiety, generating up to 32 hours in full, and 24 hours with ANC on. Information technology's the same equally the AirPods Pro case (24 hours) when factoring in noise counterfoil. At that place are no quick-charging stats for the A9, but my experience saw battery life increment by l% on a 15-minute charge. Apple'southward quick charging is faster , with 5 minutes producing ane hour of playback. Wireless charging didn't make the cut either.

Enacfire A9 review: Telephone call quality and connectivity

Call quality is satisfactory on the A9. When taking my wife'southward calls exterior, she heard every sentence, though my voice was slightly muffled. More feedback she shared was that current of air was audible, but wasn't distracting, which shows the power of Enacfire's 4-mic array. Other groundwork noises like bicycle bells and speeding cars were transparent and loud, and so be mindful of this if you lot decide to respond calls on a busy street.

Video calls didn't perform as well. My clients sounded very distorted during Skype chats. I thought maybe it was the service, but the problem occurred on Zoom and Google Meet also.

The A9 does have speedy wireless functioning. Taking the buds out of the case automatically enables Pairing Style, which made connecting them to my Google Pixel 3 XL and MacBook Pro a breeze; yous'll notice "ENACFIRE A9" pop up immediately on the available devices listing.

Unfortunately, the A9's range is shorter than advertised (33 feet), hitting a peak of 25 feet earlier stuttering occurs. It would accept been absurd if Google Fast Pair was available to expedite the pairing process on Android devices. Multipoint technology is MIA from the spec sheet too, pregnant you tin't connect the buds to two devices simultaneously.

Enacfire A9 review: Verdict

The Enacfire A9 offers plenty of functioning for the price, highlighted by its stiff audio. Where nearly brands cheap out on the internals in favor of aesthetics or features, Enacfire focused on hardware, stuffing 10mm drivers and noise cancellation circuitry into these buds. Waterproof protection almost makes up for the unflattering design, plus the battery life, while non the lengthiest with ANC on, can exist extended by turning off the listening modes and keeping the charging case on hand.

For all the adept these buds present, there is also the bad. I would strongly urge Enacfire to change the copy on their product page to inform users of the affect controls; swipe gestures are the best manner to operate these buds versus taps. The transparency mode seems similar something that was added last minute for variety, and it requires a lot of piece of work. Then in that location is the lack of extra features (e.yard., customizable EQ, multipoint technology, wireless charging) that competitors are offering at a like cost indicate.

If you can live with the shortcomings, then the A9 is a decent AirPods Pro alternative that can be had for cheap. Just don't look top-tier performance from any of the categories.

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A lifestyle announcer with an affinity for consumer products, Alex has over a decade of feel and has worked with pop publications such as Complex, Thrillist, Men'due south Health, Gear Patrol, AskMen, and Hoop Magazine. He currently focuses on sound, reviewing the most coveted headphones in the market for both Tom's Guide and Laptop Mag.