Libratone AIR+ 3 review: It worked better once
A TEST REPORT from David Haydl 
on February 29, 2024, 12:00 | Write a comment
Libratone has been back in the in-ear headphone market for some time now. You can find out what the latest Libratone AIR+ 3 can do here.
The AIR+ 3 from Libratone are inexpensive in-ears that convinced me on many points. These include the improved design, active noise cancellation, the app with many helpful functions and the battery life, even if it is not quite where it often is with the competition.
My biggest criticism is the sound quality. It often lacks in the highs and details, where other products at a similar price can sometimes deliver better. I would also say that Libratone has felt like it has done better in this area before. However, I must add that an update has already drastically improved the sound and it is not impossible that this will happen again.
Unboxing and initial setup
The Libratone AIR+ 3 come in a white box that has several logos and texts as well as a textured image of the product. Inside the box are the headphones in their charging case, a short USB-C cable, four different sized earbuds, one pair of which is already installed, and various instructions. What bothers me about the cable is that it has USB-A on one side, which many people don't even have a power adapter for these days.
The initial setup is as simple as it can be with in-ear headphones. You open the case and hold down the pairing button on the back. Within a few moments, the product should then appear in the Bluetooth settings of the playback device for pairing. Alternatively, you can use the Libratone app for setup, which will guide you through the process.
Design and workmanship
Without thinking too much, it's easy to see from the look that we're dealing with Libratone with the AIR+ 3. There are still some adjustments to the design. The side part and the part that goes into the ear now look like they are made from a single piece and the case comes across a lot more discreet. Libratone also added another option to the color selection: mint green.
Picture: TechnikNews
The case is made of matte plastic, which means you can't see any grease marks or small scratches, weighs just 41,5 grams and feels very high quality. Based on the feel in the hand, I would definitely prefer it to the AirPods Pro 2. I also liked the mechanism of the flap. The case can be charged in two different ways: either with a cable or wirelessly. The AIR+ 3 have an IP54 certification, which means they are resistant to dust and sweat, but not to long dives.
The plugs have a touch-sensitive surface on the side for control, and their actions can be configured via the Libratone app. By default, both sides are occupied equally. What I would have liked at this point is that there could be an action not only for double and triple taps, but also for single taps. With a weight of 4,9 grams, the plugs are pleasantly light and, at least in my ear, don't hurt even after a few hours. Unfortunately, none of the silicone adapters ensured a perfect fit for me. I often had to readjust them, especially when lying down or when brushing my teeth in the morning.
Picture: TechnikNews
Battery life
The Libratone AIR+ 3 have a battery life of six hours at a time and 24 hours in total. One could say that the competition is doing better in this regard. But you really don't notice in everyday life whether the battery life is six or seven hours or 24 hours or 26 hours. In addition, Libratone's specifications were always approximately accurate with half the volume and ANC.
sound quality
The Libratone AIR+ 3 houses an 11 millimeter driver on each side. They connect with Bluetooth 5.2 and support the SBC and aptX codecs. Active noise cancellation is able to compensate for up to 40 decibels.
I was a bit shocked by the sound at first. Everything sounded completely dull, not balanced and was therefore a disappointment. Thankfully, an update to the firmware eliminated the behavior. However, I wanted to briefly note this here because during my research I came across a case where the experience was probably similar.
But even after the update, the in-ears are still not at the top in terms of sound. They often don't reach the highs in particular and the level of detail that I expect is not always there. Products from CX series from Sennheiser As far as I remember, they were much better. And as already mentioned at the beginning, I also claim that Libratone has already delivered a better sound.
The active noise cancellation can be adjusted to 30 levels and blocks out constant noise just as well as the competition. However, when noises start suddenly, they have their difficulties. There is also still room for improvement in transparency mode, as the outside world sounds noticeably choppy. That's enough if you just want to stay attentive in public, but the mode isn't really useful for conversations.
App connection
The Libratone app allows you to make settings and updates to the product. It is free and available in the App Store and Play Store.
There are several pre-defined equalizers to choose from in the app, which should cover all your needs. The ability to create your own equalizer would still have been nice. The app also offers flexible setting options for the ANC. On the home page you can immediately see a dial that can be used to set a desired intensity. Alternatively, you can quickly switch the noise cancellation completely on or off with one tap. The only practical thing now would be if the headphones remembered the configuration from the last time they were used and restored it when they were started again.
The menu for managing connections is fairly new. Here you can see the last five connected devices so you can easily switch between them. Unfortunately, in practice this only worked sporadically.
Last but not least, there are a few settings and menu items for the AIR+ 3's hardware. These include a view for the battery level, the settings for the tap gestures and the option to update the firmware.
Picture: TechnikNews
Libratone AIR+ 3: Pricing and availability
The RRP of the Libratone AIR+ 3 is 169 euros. You can buy them here:
We would like to thank you for providing the Libratone AIR+ 3.