Since its debut collaboration in 2010 with Hip-hop artist Ludacris for the “Soul by Ludacris” headphone product line, Soul has quietly cornered the market with affordable, wireless audio products by keeping three main goals in mind. Power, clarity, and comfort. I can’t think of a better way to sum up Soul’s latest Sync-ANC wireless headphones.
Soul’s Sync-ANC (ANC stands for active noise canceling) wireless headphones ($99.99USD) come in black, dark blue, and frost (a very choice minty green). They offer an incredible experience at such a competitive price point for students and work from home professionals that they’ll be hard to resist for anyone looking for affordable wireless headphones with a lot of premium features.
My black Soul Sync-ANC headphones came bundled in sturdy premium packaging with the earpieces and charging case displayed separately in black foam behind clear plastic. Immediately I was impressed with the slim profile of Sync-ANC’s charging case. At around 3 inches in length and roughly 1 inch wide, the hinged matte black case is sturdy, well-appointed, and slips easily into my pocket. The earpieces and case use magnets to lock themselves into place with a multicolored LED to display charging status. Soul also includes a small branded carabiner clip in case you want to attach the charging case to a belt loop or backpack. Also included in the packaging are a product manual, a short USB-C to USB-A charging cable, small, medium, and large silicone ear tips to accommodate larger and smaller ear canals, and a Soul logo sticker.
With Sync-ANC’s Bluetooth 5.1 technology, pairing is quicker, and the connection to my iPhone 12 Max Pro was very reliable. In fact, once I initially paired them with my iPhone, the Sync-ANC earpieces connected so quickly that they were ready to go before I managed to place them in my ears!
Sync-ANC’s 25-hour battery life is comparable to most competitive models at the same price point. It’s worth noting however, that battery life takes a bit of a hit (20-22 hours) with active noise canceling constantly engaged.
Touch controls make common functionality easy. I was able to raise and lower the volume, switch between audio modes, accept and disconnect calls, and switch between audio tracks with a few coordinated taps on the earpieces. As with any new touch-controlled headphones, they can initially take some getting used to. I found the Sync-ANC touch zones were very intuitive. Within minutes, I was easily able to quickly move through audio modes and devices without accidentally disconnecting a call or switching music tracks. Support for Apple’s Siri and Google Assist is also a nice added feature.
Sync-ANC’s 12mm drivers ensure that audio quality is great, with clear trebles, defined mids, and bass present but not overwhelming. In active noise canceling mode, I found that environmental noise dropped out considerably with sudden and louder noises only occasionally leaking through, which is to be expected. When compared to my Apple AirPod Pros ($199 USD) (widely considered to be among the best at active noise canceling), the AirPod Pros did a better job with a broader range of environmental noise. In transparency mode, the Sync-ANC allowed me to hold conversations with others in the same room and still be tuned into the audio or calls coming through my headphones.
In conclusion, I would wholeheartedly recommend the Soul Sync-ANC wireless headphones, especially to students and work from home professionals looking for headphones with a big list of premium features at a great price point.
