(NEW) LG TONE Free ANC True Wireless Bluetooth FP9 Earbuds

These things are great. I also have a set of Soundcore that will give you a hearing test and customize the sound profile to your specific needs, and even using the presets that come with these buds, I find I have the same great sound. I listen to a lot of music and stream videos (YouTube as well as movies) and the channel separation of these buds is superior. The sound quality is so accurate that in one movie I was watching the other evening, there was a phone ringing in the background and I took one of the buds out thinking I had to answer my own phone. There are several other reviews here that give detailed breakdowns of the technical aspects of the earbuds and even though the numbers tell you something about the buds, the final judgment has to be what they actually sound like to the user. As lightweight as these are, it is hard to imagine that they can produce both the volume and frequency spectrum that they have. I do wish they came with a few more silicone tips in more sizes. The largest tips are just a tad too small for me, but they still offer a good seal and sound isolation. Aside from the passive isolation, the noise cancelling mode is excellent and is better than the ANC on my other buds. I have only connected them to my smartphone and my laptop so far. The initial setup is a snap and MUCH faster than either of the other two buds I have had. They quickly connect to whichever device I want to use. The battery life is fantastic and I have only gotten a low power warning once after a very long listening session. I didn't try the 5 minute in the case for an additional hour of use, but I am sure it would work as advertised. The only nit I have to pick is the perfectly symmetric shape of the case. The case is small and convenient to carry in a pocket, but if you want to open it in low light conditions, it is hard to figure out which direction to hold the case to pull the top open. I may end up painting a white stripe on the top of the case at the edge on the top center of the lid. I watched a lot of YouTube video reviews and demos of the LG earbuds before I finally placed my order and they meet or exceed all expectations I had. One of the deciding points for me in getting the more expensive FP9 instead of the FP8 earbuds is the ability to use the case as a Bluetooth link to devices that only have a headphone jack. If we ever get to travel again, I would much rather use these on flights than having to carry a wired earbud or use the cheap junk they give you on the aircraft. The fact that I sacrifice wireless charging is no big deal and a minor concession compared to the added ability of more universal uses. UPDATE 9/25/2023 - I have discovered another nit to pick. 1st - the charge on the buds don't seem to last as long as advertised. 2nd - also a complaint about the earbud charging. After sitting in the charging case for 18 hours straight, one but or the other will announce "Batter Charge Very Low. Please Plug In to Charge". This will sometimes happen after only suing the buds for 30 minutes to an hour. The right bud is the one that it seems to occur with the most, but I experience it with both. The case will have a full or good charge in it so I don't know why I have the problem with the earbuds charging. I make sure the contact points are clean and even shift the buds back and forth over the contact points to make sue they have a good charging connection. I have a set of Soundcore NC buds that I have been using for over 2 years and have never experienced a similar problem with them. UPDATE #2 10/04/2023 - I have dropped my rating from a 5 down to a 3. The longer I use these buds the more frustrating they become due frequently getting a low batter alert when they have been snugly sitting in a fully charged base for 24 hours. To begin with it seemed like only the right but would have this problem but more and more both buds are acting up. Tonight I was using them for a total of about 15 minutes when the left bud chimed in. I have cleaned the contact points on the earbuds and the mating points in the case and nothing seems to help. I have started grinding them into position when I place them in the case and that seems to help some. It is not like they are in my pocket and being jostled around during the day. These are strictly my "at home" buds and stay on an end table next to my chair. I have a separate pair of buds that I walk in and subject to sweat, rain, and environmental stresses. I have never once had a problem with them of any sort. I think my patience is at its limit and these will be placed in semi-permanent storage and I replace them with a nice pair of Soundcore Liberty 4 NC buds. Every product I have ever purchased from them has been excellent. UPDTE 12/12/23: I have to say that I have about had it with these earbuds. The case indicates that it has a full charge, however, after using the buds for around 2 hours I get the audio warning that the power on the right earbud is extremely low and it needs to be charged now. It always seems to be the right bud. I have cleaned the contacts on both the earbuds and the contact points in the case. I have even burnished the contact points with an abrasive pencil eraser. The only thing I have found that helps for even a little while is to put the buds in the charging case and press down firmly and grind them into the contact points. That seems to work for a couple of weeks and then back to the same low charge warning. I'm pretty sure that withing the next few months I'll be moving back to another pair of Soundcore buds. UPDATE 1/15/2024: I have finally surrendered and am trashing these buds. WHEN they work they are excellent. The sound quality and noise cancelling are both great. Their big point of failure is that one bud or the other consistently gives an alert that the "battery power is extremely low, please charge now". I often get that when removing the buds from a fully charged case for the first use of the day. All the great attributes of the buds don't mean a thing if one of the buds needs charging shortly after I start using them. I have cleaned the contacts with approved solvents and even used a pencil eraser on them. Most of the time when I replace the buds in the case I scrub them back and forth on the contact points to make sure they have good contact for charging. So, it is bye bye to the LG buds. They are no more dependable than the LG TV I have. I should have known better when I bought them. It is back to Soundcore for me. 01/17/2024 - My FINAL update on these buds. I have made sure that I have done EVERYTHING possible to make sure that the buds are in good contact with the charging points in the case and that the chase has a good charge on it...but tonight...again, after about 2 hours of use I get the normal "battery charge extremely low, please charge now" in the right earbud. Fortunately my new Soundcore buds are arriving on Saturday. I have another set of Soundcore buds that I use for exercise. The sound quality is only slightly lower but they are dependable and I can fall back on them until the LG replacements arrive. Unless you want to face regular frustration, I would advise that you avoid these buds. I did notice that the price has been greatly reduces on Amazon, so maybe they are trying to liquidate a bad product.