Ease of Use
- Through the IQbuds App, focus your hearing where you want it. The Focus setting allows you to select the direction you want to want to pay the most attention to, for example, using the external microphone to filter the sound behind you. How and Where Nuheara IQBuds Can Help You.
- Taptouch controls allow for a truly customized IQbuds experience. Setting up the controls is very simple. Open your IQbuds App. On the bottom panel of the App, tap ‘My Buds’.
The IQbuds can be set up and controlled on both Android and iPhone through the IQbuds App, while the Airpods can only be set up and controlled on an iPhone. If you’re an Android user, you can set up the Airpods on a friend or family’s iPhone, however you won’t be able to control amplification volume on the go. So Android users, the IQbuds may be a better option for you.
The Airpods are easy and intuitive to use, with great Bluetooth stability and a single squeeze button on the stem. A short squeeze will play/pause music or answer/hang up a call, while a long squeeze switches between transparency and active noise cancellation modes. It does lack additional controls like directionality and speech-in-noise, which available on the IQbuds, but I found just having volume control was adequate.
In contrast, I found the IQbuds quite confusing to use. Their controls and interface were not intuitive, requiring both buds to be inserted to use the hearing aid mode. If you removed one earbud from your ears, it would mute both but not pause music and overall I found the experience quite unrefined. This, in conjunction with a number of other issues we will discuss, makes them hard to recommend, especially given the Airpods for the most part, just work!
Iqbuds App Android
Block noise, elevate conversation or focus on a sound direction; IQbuds 2 MAX delivers unrivalled noise control with Active Noise Cancellation (ANC), Speech in Noise Control (SINC) and directional FOCUS. IQbuds 2 MAX The worlds most advanced hearing bud.
Music Quality
Iqbuds Updater App
Music playback sounds fantastic on both earbuds, with the Airpods packing a bit more bass and the IQbuds bringing better mid and high clarity. In my opinion, you will be happy with the sound quality either one you go for, and further adjustments to the sound profile can be made in the equalizers. Because of the more occluding fit and larger driver sizes (on both sets of buds), they definitely sound better than any traditional hearing aid for music playback.
Additionally, although the Airpods Pro do customize your music playback to your hearing loss, the IQbuds Max do not. Meaning you may get better music clarity and fidelity out of the Airpods if you have a hearing loss.