Soundcore Liberty D1200Z11

The Liberty D1200Z11 is a call-quality monster hiding in a comfy semi-in-ear shell. Music is meh, but your voice will sound fantastic.

The adaptive ANC is the surprise here. We expected it to be weak sauce given the semi-in-ear design, but it lands in the 90th percentile. It won't block out a jackhammer, but it takes the edge off train rumble and office chatter. The 9.2mm dynamic driver is solid, not spectacular, sitting at 74th percentile for sound. Battery life is fine at 9 hours from the buds and 19 more from the case. The 15-minute quick charge for 3 hours is a nice touch. But the real flex is the mic array. Six mics with noise cancellation, and it shows. Calls sound like you're in a quiet room, not a windy street.

Against the Sony WF-C700N, the Liberty D1200Z11 wins on mic quality and comfort but loses on overall sound refinement. The EarFun Air Pro 4+ is a better all-rounder for music lovers, but its call quality can't touch this. The Anker Space A40 has better ANC isolation thanks to its in-ear seal, but it's less breathable for long wear. If calls are your priority, the Liberty D1200Z11 beats all of them. If music is your main thing, look at the EarFun or Sony instead.

At USD 80 in the US, this is a fair price for what you get. But the CAD spread is wild, from CAD 65 to CAD 109 across two listings. If you're in Canada, shop around. The CAD 65 listing is a steal for this feature set. The CAD 109 one is a rip-off. Don't pay more than CAD 80 for these.

The Soundcore Liberty D1200Z11 is a weird one. It's a semi-in-ear bud with adaptive ANC, which is a bit like putting noise cancellation on a screen door. But somehow, it works well enough for commutes and travel. The real story here is the mic quality. It's in the 98th percentile, which means your voice comes through crystal clear even when the world around you is falling apart. If you take a lot of calls on the go, this is a serious contender.

If you're buying earbuds primarily for music, skip these. The 55.1 music score tells the story. Get the EarFun Air Pro 4+ or Sony WF-C700N instead. They'll sound better and cost about the same.

Buy these if you live on phone calls and want something you can wear for hours without ear fatigue. The semi-in-ear fit is genuinely comfortable, and the mic quality is elite. Just don't expect them to be your primary music buds. They're a communication tool first, entertainment device second.