What Bluetooth audio equipment does Team Authority use on a daily basis?

We mostly focus on smartphones here at Android Authority, but there are plenty of other categories we cover as well. Bluetooth audio is one of those categories, along with our sister website SoundGuys Covering all audio things comprehensively.

We collectively spent a lot of time with earbuds and headphones As part of our review process, but what about the Bluetooth audio devices we use as our daily drivers? Well, we asked Android Authority Team members about the Bluetooth earphones and headphones they use. A total of 17 members participated in this survey, covering their picks, likes/dislikes, and much more.

Bluetooth audio equipment that we use daily

We publish our results by model and brand. Check out the model-based breakdown in the first chart below, and our brand-based breakdown in the second chart. Yes, the total actually comes to 20, because two colleagues voted for two or more machines.

One company stands head and shoulders above it all when it comes to everyday Bluetooth audio drivers at Team AA.

Sony audio products took seven out of the 20 selections, and it’s far and away the most popular brand. The WH-1000XM4 wireless headphones and the older WH-1000XM3 cans were the most popular choices here, getting two votes each. Otherwise, the WH-1000XM5 headphones as well as headphones WF-1000XM4 And WF-1000XM3 The true wireless buds received one nod each.

It’s not a big surprise to see Sony so popular, as their products are often among the best wireless speakers and headphones you can get. In fact, most Sony support respondents cited the impressive battery life, sound quality, and Active Noise Cancellation (ANC) as reasons for their choice.

However, most of these Sony users also didn’t like the precise touch controls and some felt uncomfortable in certain situations. Meanwhile, news editor Adamya Sharma hated the fact that the XM5 headphones were so expensive they didn’t fold. Editor C. Scott Brown also gave an extensive summary of what he liked and didn’t like about the WH-1000XM4.

Samsung came in a distant second in this AA Team poll, with three Bluetooth audio drivers per day. It turns out the Galaxy Buds Pro were the most popular pair here, with two of our team members using them. Galaxy Buds Plus are the remaining choice.

Team members typically cited comfort and sound quality as what they liked most. DroneRush Editor-in-Chief and Newsletter Jonathan Vest also noted the Pro model’s ability to connect quickly, as well as connection stability and ANC support.

Not all was rosy with the Galaxy earbuds, however, as technical writer Calvin Wankidi found the Pro model uncomfortable. He also felt that the battery life wasn’t great.

The only other brand that saw more than one nod in our survey was Anker, with two of the members using SoundCore devices. News writer and SEO writer Andy Walker uses the SoundCore Life Q20 Plus while Copy Editor and Weekly Authority writer Paula Peyton uses the SoundCore Life Q30.

Andy and Paula both pointed out strengths like the ANC, easy pairing, and ergonomic designs. In saying that, Paula specifically decried the Q30’s battery life, while Andy praised the Q20 Plus’ endurance.

The other takeaway

• Literally everyone said they recommend their wireless audio products Android Authority readers. This is a significant departure from the 2022 AA Team Phone poll, in which five of the 21 team members said they couldn’t recommend daily driver phones to readers.
• None of these picks get a 10. But two devices get a 9.5 out of 10, Nick Fernandez’s WH1000-XM4 and Calvin’s QuietComfort 35 II.
• Half of the 20 Bluetooth audio products in the survey were headphones, while the rest were true wireless earbuds. So the AA team doesn’t have an overwhelming preference for any particular form factor. In fact, the two people who listed several audio products (Calvin and Rita) had at least one pair of cans and one pair of true wireless earphones. In particular, Rita notes that each pair has its own use case.
• Two of the entries on the list that do not support ANC are the Samsung Galaxy Buds Plus and the Master & Dynamic MW07 Go.
• The cheapest speaker on this list is the Anker SoundCore Q20 Plus at $70. But the SoundCore Q30 is similarly cheap at around $80.
• It’s also interesting to note that 12 respondents said they had no plans to purchase new wireless audio equipment in 2023. Five of those respondents said they would only buy a new pair if their current product broke.
• Jared said he planned to buy second-generation AirPods Pro, Jonathan wanted another pair of Galaxy Buds, Jasper had his eye on a Sennheiser Momentum 4 or Sony WH-1000XM5, and Scott Brown planned on getting XM5 headphones, too.