Samsung Galaxy Buds3 Pro Hearing Enhancements

TL;DR

I bought these earbuds to try out the recent software update that added hearing enhancements that interested me as a person with hearing loss in one ear.  Therefore, this will not be a long comprehensive review as the buds have been reviewed extensively online already. I will break this mini review into two pieces: sound and hearing enhancements.

How Do They Sound?
My go-to earbuds for the past year or so has been the Technics AZ80.  I like them because they sound good, have excellent noise canceling, and can connect to three devices at a time.  As person with a number of devices, having one set of earbuds that connect to more of them is a good thing.  This clearly a tech-lover and tech reviewer centric feature, but I'm glad a company is out there trying to address it, nevertheless.  When I decided to explore the hearing capabilities of other items, I continued to benchmark them against the AZ80.  I also had been using the Samsung Galaxy Buds2 Pro with my large Samsung tablet and I liked them for their great fit and comfort for my ears. 

The Galaxy Buds3Pro (henceforth GB3P) sound different than the Galaxy Buds2 Pro (henceforth GB2P).  The GB2P have more presence and clarity in the midrange and high end out of the box and a less bass than the GB3P.  Both buds have equalizers accessible in the Wearable app, but I tend to evaluate audio products based on their sound out of the box as most people don't go looking for equalizers.  At most, they may play with some presets.  And for audiophiles, it can be a mark against a product that requires equalizing to sound better.

And although the GB3P have more bass than the GB2P, I didn't necessarily find the bass to be of higher quality.  I think the Creative Aurvana Ace Mimi, which is a very bass-heavy set, has better quality bass even if there is perhaps too much of it out of the box.

This is not to say the GB3P sound bad.  If you are using them for exercise (and they stay in your ears), the extra bass can be a plus.  If you are like me and a significant portion of your listening is podcasts and YouTube videos, the GB3P are more than good enough.  For most people, who are not doing A/B comparisons for hours a time, they sound great and with their superior noise canceling over the GB2P, they are a good option for people who live in the Samsung ecosystem.  As with the Apple AirPods, Samsung earbuds are able to switch between Samsung devices that are signed into your Samsung account.  This can be very convenient if you have a Samsung phone, tablet, and laptop.

Hearing Enhancements
I was cautiously optimistic about the latest firmware update that claimed to bring hearing enhancements to the GB3P.  In reality, it really just adds Adapt Sound directly to the buds.  Adapt Sound has been available on Samsung devices for many years now.  It allows you to take a hearing test and then use the results to tailor the sound of the Samsung device accordingly.  I have been using it on my Samsung devices for as long as I've had hearing loss and for me, it is a selling point for Samsung.  However, it is not a silver bullet.  My hearing loss is just below the threshold where I think Adapt Sound is intended.  As mass-market devices, Samsung is aiming at minor hearing loss.  Nevertheless, it does compensate somewhat for the loss in my left ear and it does make a difference so I keep it turned on.  Adapt Sound on the GB3P is no different.  It correctly recognizes my hearing loss and compensates for it, but not enough to bring the final sound on the left to the level of hearing on my right side.  

I still find myself using system-wide level equalizer apps like SpotEQ31 (SpotEQ31 on the Play Store ) to add the additional balance I desire.

I do not think the hearing enhancements are worth buying the GB3P over most other earbuds.  It is possible that for people with less hearing loss than what I have that this might in fact be a game changer, but I also think that something like SpotEQ31 would still be more effective and wouldn't be tied to a specific pair of earbuds.  I also think SoundID (SoundID website) is another option.  And note that these apps are free to use and work across apps and audio products for your Android device.

I think the GB3P are best for the person who lives in the Samsung ecosystem and wants a good pair of earbuds with solid noise canceling performance, solid microphones, good sound, and aren't afraid of the retail price or are willing to buy them refurbished (I bought mine refurbished from Best Buy for $140).

For everyone else, I do not think that the GB3P sound good enough for their full retail price.  There are other products on the market that sound as good or better.