Ear Buds for Work and Play

Every day some really smart people post opinion and factual feedback regarding Bluetooth audio device preferences. Today I wanted to share my opinion, based on experience, with some popular choices in the Ear Bud category.

1st - if you prefer a full headset, over the ear experience, or like having a boom mic to mute/unmute - this review may not be for you

2nd - I don't use Apple ear buds, and don't even have them in here for review. 

This comparison will focus on Microsoft Surface Buds, Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 3 and Poly Voyager Free 60+ UC. I'd have loved to put the Jabra options in this list - alas, I don't have Jabra buds, just over the ear models.

I'm also not going to get deep into tech-specs - codecs, frequency ranges etc. I wanted to stick to practical features and daily use - I'm not a review guy.

I also suspect many of you will recognize, each of these models appeal to different use-cases and user preferences - I will go through my experience.

        Poly Voyager Free 60+ UC      Sennheiser Momentum TW3      Good Old Surface Buds

Best for work+ - Poly Voyager Free 60+ UC

Best for Audiophile - Sennheiser

Smallest Case - Surface Buds

Backdrop - I have used the Surface Buds the longest - over 2 years now and still ticking. The Sennheiser's became a need, I was looking for a good blend of high quality music, workout bud, also good for meetings and calls. The Poly's came out right after I got the Sennheiser's - because ... that's how technology works, something new comes out right after you purchase.

I use each of these connected to different compute - iPhone, Android, Surface Laptop and Pro. Music genre is all over. And meetings - they are pretty standard, always someone muted who shouldn't be, and someone unmuted who should be - but noise canceling critical.

Volume - nothing can be loud enough for me - turn it to 11 and break off the knob. These all do a great job of balancing volume, with limited driver space, and battery life.

One might argue, my current employer has influence over my opinions here. This may be true, but not for the "surface" reason. We'll talk a little more about Teams Certified devices later.

On to the "good" ....

Surface Buds:

Pros	Cons
Least Expensive	Standard Audio Quality
Easy Pairing and Setup	Not Teams Certified (Surprising to some I bet)
	No additional noise canceling
	Form factor may not fit all ears

Rock Solid, and for those who use Surface Headphones with frustration, I'll tell you, the buds do a great job, getting connected and staying connected. I always thought the audio quality was great - until I tried some others. Case is small and easy to put in a pocket. As a Microsoft product, there are a few cool features, like slide advance in Powerpoint - Cool stuff I just don't use much. Charge lasts a while and updates are easy with Surface app. Other than my kids looking at me (with the buds in) and thinking I got my ears "gauged" ... These guys have never really let me down.

 

Sennheiser Momentum TW3:

Pros	Cons
Fantastic Audio	Not best for Gym - tend to fall out
Sound control - Smart Control App	Firmware updates - take some time
	Hard to reseat in ear without pushing a control

I was excited when I got these. Sennheiser always known for world-class audio and engineering. Music is spatial, almost 4 dimensional. The mic and AI noise canceling is great. Wind reduction also fantastic. Music on the plane, then I walk through the airport still hear what I need to (announcements for delays), and don't hear the "noise". When they do start to fall out of the ear, pushing them back in is tough without hitting a control like mute, or pause - but this only happens when I'm moving a lot. Initially had some echo in meetings when connected to my iPhone - could have been Apple/Teams/Smart Control app fighting for option priorities. Seemed to be fixed in latest firmware update. That said - firmware updates 15min +. I put these on (or in) and enter a different world.

Poly Voyager 60+ UC:

Pros	Cons
Great Audio - without having to configure an app	Firmware updates - case, USB dongle and buds themself
Case - I use it all the time - mute/volume/track advance and battery remaining	Case - while cool and useful, its big in a pocket.
Touch control on bud is easy	I suppose one could argue cost $$$

My winner and new go-to device. These are the only Teams Certified device of the 3 - and I'm on Teams meetings more than gym, golf course, and truck combined. I spend a lot of time stressing the importance of Teams Certified - so ill try to stay off my soap-box here.  Some may consider the USB dongle a pro or a con. I get fantastic distance and no distortion from my home office, with the USB dongle. I also hate packing up my laptop with "Stuff" hanging out of the USB ports - so the USB stays in the office connected to my PC/Dock. I use them without the dongle on my mobile phone - no problems, and my phone is usually near me so distance isn't an issue. Initial setup was a little confusing, Poly Lens helps - but each component needed a firmware update, some over the air, and some over USB-C. The "smart case" is a game-changer - I use it all the time (and didn't think I would). The physical design is also perfect - these stay in-ear best of the 3, and the elongated boom design allows for great mic separation, and space to re-seat them when needed. Audiobooks, podcasts, music and meetings - Poly allows me to hit all of these with ease and quality.

Devices Certified for Teams

Closing:

I will use my Sennheiser's for sure - the audio quality is beyond fantastic. The Surface Buds will now likely stay in my backpack or truck for just-in-case moments. Poly's audio is near the Sennheiser TW3 quality, and provides a few other leading factors which make these my winner and daily-driver.

Love to hear about your daily driver ...