Pixel Buds/ Google Assistant-powered headphones

sesevans said:
... The snug fit seems to keep the noise away from any bystander because I had no reaction to any noise from the Buds. I even turned up the volume to check and no one said a word, so the sound must be well-contained...
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That's because you were in London were people don't say anything they just silently judge you.
 
sesevans said:
Will play around with the Pixel Buds for a few more days but my first impressions were extremely positive. For sound quality, which I appreciate for you is not as important as volume, it was excellent. The trebles and basses sounded great to my ear.
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Well there’s a surprise.....:rolleyes:
 
String said:
It's little things like this that really give you away. ;)
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Wut?

@ahar said: "Less about sound quality really, more about being able to hear what people are saying on podcasts. Properly in ear buds block out much of the outside noise ( my hearing is okay but not great).."

to which I responded that volume was fine while noting that sound quality was not as important to him.

You must have missed the memo. :D
 
geuben said:
What did I do?

I was just pointing out that not having someone tell you that the sound leaking out of your headphones is really annoying does not mean that there is no sound leaking out of your headphones, especially in London!
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"What did I do?"......perhaps not accepting that a Holiday good tidings wish was sent your way?

By the way, I believe the London public is getting more vocal than ever. No longer the stiff upper lip, the look askance or the "tskk, tskkk." If they have something to say, believe me, they say it.

:p
 
whiskycycle said:
Ok Google, how have your first few days been with the Buds then?
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Ha! Glad you asked. I am sure you read my first impressions above. I have had several excellent days with the Pixel Buds since then.

What I forgot to mention in my earlier posting was the notifications. If you opt in for notifications, which I did, you get a low ping sound when you get a message. If you double tap the right Bud, it will read the message to you. The one thing I noticed was the speed of the read-out. It was too fast but I have not figured out how to slow it down. Need to think about that one. I went into my notification settings where I initially authorised the read-out but did not see the speed reading. Will investigate that one further in due course.

One of the best things about the Pixel Buds with built in Google Assistant is the ability to not have to take you Pixel phone out of your pocket as often as I used to do. As a result I find that my posture feels like it has actually begun to improve!!! Perhaps others here do not lower their heads when reading a message on their phones or send a message, etc, but I found that I tended to keep my phone in my lap and tilted my head down, slouching my shoulders. I know this must sound completely mental to some of you but the ability to keep my chin up (as the expression goes) makes me feel better and walk better and bike better, etc etc. Crazy I know.

The microphone inside the Pixel Buds is really superb because I can issue a Google Assistant request/command in a very low voice and it responds accurately. I was reminded in some responses above that the British public typically will not complain if I am playing my music too loud through my earphones but as I said, I tested this over the past few days and again I have had no complaints or stares or tsksss or whatever! And the sound quality and volume rocker feature on the Buds is excellent. I have now had further opportunity to test it on busy London streets and in traffic and I have found that the stereo quality is really good.

I spoke to one friend who is considering purchasing the Buds and said that for him, the killer feature of the Buds was the notification read out. It is really that convenient. I hear a little "bloop" sound to hear the name of the sender and at my option, double tap to have the Buds read out the entire message and long press to send my reply. Could not be easier. Phone never leaves your pocket!

When I let other friends test the Buds and the sound quality and fit in the ear and the weight and the charging case and the music playing features and the Google Assistant, the reaction has been really positive. I had another opportunity to test the Google Translate feature on the Buds and Pixel phone with a Portugese speaker and again it worked really well together.

I have read some reviews which complained about ease of pairing (I had no problem and they paired immediately) and level of comfort of Pixel Buds in ear (I wore them effortlessly for three or four hours in total yesterday and for another two or three hours today). I have not yet taken them out for a run but will do when (and if) the weather warms up some. If not I will test them on a run on the treadmill next week!

So bottom line: an excellent stocking stuffer for a good friend.
 
I have to hand out to you, you're positively effervescent, regardless of the ribbing and poking we give you sometimes.

Good that you're liking them though, and that they're working for you.

All the best, and I'd still be interested in some long term report after a while.
 
Personally it concerns me that they appear to be perfect... not a single thing that could be better. I'm not sure the last time I had a perfect piece of tech... if ever.
 
AndyCr15 said:
Personally it concerns me that they appear to be perfect... not a single thing that could be better. I'm not sure the last time I had a perfect piece of tech... if ever.
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They do not keep out all traffic noise as they are not "sealed" around your ear. And wait for my run! They still might fall out on a particularly rough patch of ground!

All kidding aside, I have read reviews where the Pixel Buds were found to be difficult to use (no Fast Pairing with Pixel phone), uncomfortable to wear in the ear for long periods of time, difficulty with the language translation---casual rather than formal translation, unintentional activation of the music playing, etc. So far I have not encountered these issues. Will any of them or others become issues in future? Very possibly.

For £ 159, I am prepared to deal with them when they arise. I also expect Google will work out some of these reported flaws through future software updates, as they do on many of their products. Meanwhile I recommend the Pixel Buds.
 
Two more impressions for those considering Pixel Buds:

1. I am wearing them for sometimes up to 5 hours per day and the Pixel Buds charge is really strong because I have had no issues with the battery. But 5 hours outside of the special case is about the max before setting them back in for a recharge.

2. I have had a few runs now wearing the Pixel Buds and playing music and everything went well. No issues with the fit.

So far, so good. The one issue I do have is with skipping music to the next song in a Play List. Only works with the command: "Play the next song" as there is no gesture on the Pixel Buds. When out of breath from a run, I would appreciate not having to issue the voice command!

I see the Clearly White Pixel Buds I have continue out of stock on the Play Store (out of stock for a few weeks now). Buds that are either Black or Somewhat Blue are available to order with relatively short lead times: 27 Dec and 3 Jan respectively.
 
Hmm you're promoting Google stuff again I see, paid Google promoter!

Linus covered all bases already, and the community has dished out a suitable verdict.

They are too expensive for what they are, and the battery life of 5 hours is too little.

You can get Bluetooth earphones that are really good quality and support aptX or aptX HD for much less and have 8 hours battery life.
 
Mine went back, I made the silly mistake of not reading any reviews and bought them.
As I fly every week the utter lack of noise isolation is unforgivable and while on the plane I could barely hear anything, then there's the the battery that didn't even last the length of the first flight I took them on.

The sound quality is also absolutely woeful given the price, there is a distinct lack of low range on them and I spent a good 15 minutes messing around with the EQ on my phone trying to get the best out of them and failed. I've replaced them with some £30 set of no brand from Amazon which last longer, sound better and have decent separation. Honestly even it £20 I still wouldn't touch a pair again.
 
Sesevans has stopped promoting this thread, so assumably they have been, or are being discontinued already.
 
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