Cyrus soundBuds 2 Review
A cheap true wireless pair from hi-fi masters Cyrus
Verdict
The Cyrus soundBuds 2 are another somewhat disappointing pair of true wireless earphones. Improvements have been made over the original soundBuds, including better battery life, a slicker-looking earpiece design and altered sound. However, audio quality still isn’t good enough to recommend these buds over others.
Pros
- Funtional tap-touch controls
- The price isn’t too high
Cons
- Limited dynamics
- Diffuse imaging
- Battery doesn’t last as long as some rivals
Key Features
- WaterproofIPX5 water-resistance against sustained sprays of water
- Battery life20 hours of stamina with five hours per charge
- WeightEach earbud weighs 4.3g
Introduction
The Cyrus soundBuds 2 are a second attempt at a true wireless pair of earbuds from one of the bigger names in high-quality hi-fi separates.
They cost just £79.99, which is far cheaper than a pair of Apple AirPods Pro earphones. All the cred at no added cost – so what’s not to like?
Although the Cyrus soundBuds 2 work just fine, aside from their poor-quality silicone tips, they’re totally outclassed by comparable budget pairs such as the Lypertek Tevi – now known as the Lypertek PurePlay Z3.
Limited dynamics and a diffuse soundstage means, once again, Cyrus’s earphones seem to have little to do with the name on the earpieces.
Availability
- UKRRP: £70
- USARRP: $119.99
The soundBuds 2 launched near the beginning of 2021, around a year after the original Cyrus soundBuds.
They cost £79.99 at the time of review, £20 more than their predecessors. It isn’t a huge amount to part with for a true wireless pair, but you’re not short of choice in this area.
Design
- Still plain-looking, but less bland than last time
- Simple looks
- Lightweight
- Bundled ear-tips don’t provide a good fit
The Cyrus soundBuds 2 are simple-looking black earphones, which at least have a slightly greater sense of style than the original soundBuds. Their earpieces are a teardrop shape, making the design seem a little more deliberate.
There are no major changes when it comes to the materials used. The Cyrus soundBuds 2 are plastic earphones, aside from the little gold-colour metal contacts used for charging.
The charging case isn’t flashy, either. Its finish is shined up to a high gloss, but it’s plastic inside and out.
The case feels relatively cheap, then, but the plastic at least keeps the weight down and there’s a useful charge indicator on the front. The LEDs light up when you put the Cyrus soundBuds 2 earphones in, to show they’re charging and the power remaining in the case. They also light up when you plug the case itself in, over USB-C.
The case and earpiece design fit the relatively low price.
Three pairs of tips are included in the box, and a couple of sets of silicone hooks, which stabilise the Cyrus soundBuds 2 in your ears. They’re optional in theory, but the earpieces look like they’re missing a piece without them attached.
I actually used a different pair of tips to review the Cyrus soundBuds 2’s sound because I found the bundled silicone tips pretty terrible. Their shape appeared to collapse too much if they’re not a good fit for your ear canal, and I wasn’t able to get a decent seal with any of the three sizes.
If you already own a pair of IEM-style earphones, then keep hold of the tips in case they work better on the Cyrus soundBuds 2.
There are no other fit issues here. The Cyrus soundBuds 2 are comfortable, and even with the default tips they stayed in my ears just fine during a run. Cyrus doesn’t market this pair as ‘sporty’, but I found they were just fine for use whilst exercising since they come with IPX5 water-resistance, which means they’ll survive some sweat or rain.
Features
- 20 hours’ total battery life
- SBC, AAC codec support
- IPX5 water-resistance
The Cyrus soundBuds 2 are fairly simple true wireless earphones. They don’t offer active noise cancellation, which is useful for nullifying the low-frequency sound of bus, train or car engines. However, I don’t expect to see this in a sub-£100 pair of earphones.
Battery life is rated at an unremarkable five hours per charge, and the case holds enough power for three additional charges.
I’ve haven’t experienced any Bluetooth cut-outs or interference.
The Cyrus soundBuds 2 earpieces offer simple touch-sensitive controls – which, unlike plenty of true wireless pairs, appear to work just fine. Cyrus didn’t get too ambitious here, using just taps rather than taps and swipe gestures.
Two taps on the left earpiece skips back a track. Two taps on the right skips forward. Sensitivity hasn’t been dialled up too much here, so you’ll need to be quite deliberate with your jabs; however, I find this less of an issue than a too-keen pair.
These earphones don’t support any of the advanced aptX codecs, just standard SBC and AAC. But now Android supports AAC as standard, this is less of an issue than it once was. However, latency was actually lower with SBC in my OnePlus Nord test phone, so you might want to play around with the codecs to see which works best.
Slight latency was noticeable with SBC, but not bad enough to put you off watching some YouTube or Netflix while travelling.
Sound quality
- Not quite ‘hi-fi’
- Smooth, rich bass performance
- Lack of dynamism
The Cyrus soundBuds 2 include 6mm drivers. I find such drivers often provide the best balance of power and precision in earphones, despite their small size. However, this isn’t really the case here.
These earphones sound pleasant enough with a good tip fit. The bass is smooth and rich, with a sort of plummy tone that gives electronic music decent weight. They’re not fatiguing, and the sound field is reasonably wide for an affordable pair of buds.
However, as was the case with the original soundBuds, there’s little evidence of the sort of sonic flair you might expect from a company such as Cyrus.
The Lypertek PurePlay Z3 were my main point of reference in A/B comparisons. It’s a set of earbuds I’ve recommended most often in the past year to people who want an affordable no-nonsense wireless buds.
The Cyrus soundBuds 2’s dynamics are far more limited, making music sound flat and rhythmically inert. It isn’t much the tonal makeup of these earphones that’s the issue; but that they can’t deliver tunes with all that much drive or energy.
Their sound field, while wide enough as already mentioned, is also unusually diffuse. The central channel is poorly defined, at times sounding as if there’s no real centre at all, but ‘left’ and ‘right’ information stretched and taped together.
Yes, standard stereo sound may only have two channels, but earphones with better definition than these can make sound imaging seem a lot more intricate than that.
The Cyrus soundBuds 2 also display limited treble spark and boosted mid-bass, which makes the tone seem unambitious, if easy to get along with. Inoffensive sound is better than ear-grating sound – but at £80, you can do better.
Conclusion
The Cyrus SoundBuds 2 are another somewhat disappointing pair of true wireless earphones from a company I’ve admired for decades. Improvements have been made over the original soundBuds, including better battery life, a slicker-looking earpiece design and altered sound. However, audio quality still isn’t good enough for recommendation over other pairs of buds. If you like the idea of buying earphones made by a hi-fi brand, then check out the excellent Cambridge Audio Melomania 1 instead.
Should you buy it?
You’re a fan of the Cyrus
brand: The Cyrus soundBuds 2 might appeal to the kind of person who has bought Cyrus hi-fi equipment for years, just as a Porsche fan might buy a Porsche keyring, coaster or decorative dinner plate. And to be fair to Cyrus, these earphones aren’t priced at anything like the cost of its hi-fi separates.
You’re expecting better
sound: Expect Cyrus-grade sound from Cyrus earphones? That’s what I was hoping for too – but it isn’t really on display. Limited dynamics, diffuse imaging and a relaxed approach to bass and mid-bass mean these don’t come close to the class leaders, even in the category of affordable true wireless pairs.
Verdict
The Cyrus soundBuds 2 are another somewhat disappointing pair of true wireless earphones. Improvements have been made over the original soundBuds, including better battery life, a slicker-looking earpiece design and altered sound. However, audio quality still isn’t good enough to recommend these buds over others.
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FAQs
The Cyrus soundBuds 2 are relatively inexpensive with a price of £79.99.
Specifications
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Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
