Felix
@feliquisds.one
any pronouns | PT-BR / ENG
tech enthusiast and samsung ecosystem user
pfp by @dinokiing.furry.ac
tech enthusiast and samsung ecosystem user
pfp by @dinokiing.furry.ac
all of the Galaxy Buds i used were on the dynamic preset, as that was what i enjoyed the most, UNTIL i got to try the custom EQ, where i got to experiment and get something much nicer
the characteristics of the device will be present no matter what, so it's just best to tune it to your liking
the characteristics of the device will be present no matter what, so it's just best to tune it to your liking
November 5, 2025 at 4:11 PM
all of the Galaxy Buds i used were on the dynamic preset, as that was what i enjoyed the most, UNTIL i got to try the custom EQ, where i got to experiment and get something much nicer
the characteristics of the device will be present no matter what, so it's just best to tune it to your liking
the characteristics of the device will be present no matter what, so it's just best to tune it to your liking
thank you for reading my silly ramble!
i don't really spend a lot of time with the default sound as i already know what kind of sound i like, and it's almost never the default sound. the greatest trick i've learned is not to EQ it to match something else, but to try to make it *better* than it!
i don't really spend a lot of time with the default sound as i already know what kind of sound i like, and it's almost never the default sound. the greatest trick i've learned is not to EQ it to match something else, but to try to make it *better* than it!
November 5, 2025 at 4:11 PM
thank you for reading my silly ramble!
i don't really spend a lot of time with the default sound as i already know what kind of sound i like, and it's almost never the default sound. the greatest trick i've learned is not to EQ it to match something else, but to try to make it *better* than it!
i don't really spend a lot of time with the default sound as i already know what kind of sound i like, and it's almost never the default sound. the greatest trick i've learned is not to EQ it to match something else, but to try to make it *better* than it!
but, overall, i love my Buds3 FE. i hope they last as long as my Buds2 Pro did!
October 10, 2025 at 11:50 PM
but, overall, i love my Buds3 FE. i hope they last as long as my Buds2 Pro did!
yes, i am saying the $150 price tag is worth it! it's totally fair if you don't want to spend that much on them, and that's why i believe they'll continue to be a great deal, as the price will drop and hopefully match the Buds2 Pro. THEN, the Buds3 FE will be a true no-brainer
October 10, 2025 at 11:50 PM
yes, i am saying the $150 price tag is worth it! it's totally fair if you don't want to spend that much on them, and that's why i believe they'll continue to be a great deal, as the price will drop and hopefully match the Buds2 Pro. THEN, the Buds3 FE will be a true no-brainer
the Buds3 FE will make sense for you if you don't care for the extra features of the Buds2 Pro and Buds3 Pro, but still would like a premium experience at the core
October 10, 2025 at 11:50 PM
the Buds3 FE will make sense for you if you don't care for the extra features of the Buds2 Pro and Buds3 Pro, but still would like a premium experience at the core
the Buds2 Pro is old, doesn't have a custom EQ, and the battery life is mediocre, but, for what it is, the price is pretty worth it. the Buds3 Pro has been suffering with quality control for its entire lifetime, but it's extremely feature-packed and high quality for its current price
October 10, 2025 at 11:50 PM
the Buds2 Pro is old, doesn't have a custom EQ, and the battery life is mediocre, but, for what it is, the price is pretty worth it. the Buds3 Pro has been suffering with quality control for its entire lifetime, but it's extremely feature-packed and high quality for its current price
people have been finding the Buds2 Pro for about $80, and the Buds3 Pro at about $140. outside the MSRP vacuum, the Buds3 FE are way less competitive. but, in my opinion, could still make sense depending on your preferences and thoughts
October 10, 2025 at 11:50 PM
people have been finding the Buds2 Pro for about $80, and the Buds3 Pro at about $140. outside the MSRP vacuum, the Buds3 FE are way less competitive. but, in my opinion, could still make sense depending on your preferences and thoughts
now, should you buy the Buds3 FE? it depends.
if we consider exclusively MSRP, the Buds3 FE at $150 are a no-brainer compared to the Buds2 Pro at $230 and the Buds3 Pro at $250. but that's obviously not the reality
if we consider exclusively MSRP, the Buds3 FE at $150 are a no-brainer compared to the Buds2 Pro at $230 and the Buds3 Pro at $250. but that's obviously not the reality
October 10, 2025 at 11:50 PM
now, should you buy the Buds3 FE? it depends.
if we consider exclusively MSRP, the Buds3 FE at $150 are a no-brainer compared to the Buds2 Pro at $230 and the Buds3 Pro at $250. but that's obviously not the reality
if we consider exclusively MSRP, the Buds3 FE at $150 are a no-brainer compared to the Buds2 Pro at $230 and the Buds3 Pro at $250. but that's obviously not the reality
it got announced in the middle of my painful journey trying different Buds3 Pro units to no success, and it reminded me of my sweet baby boy (my Buds2 Pro). i'm very glad i was able to get the Buds3 FE and i'm even happier that they exceeded my expectations hahaha
October 10, 2025 at 11:50 PM
it got announced in the middle of my painful journey trying different Buds3 Pro units to no success, and it reminded me of my sweet baby boy (my Buds2 Pro). i'm very glad i was able to get the Buds3 FE and i'm even happier that they exceeded my expectations hahaha
i can't help but be a little sentimental, so: i was IMMEDIATELY hooked on the Buds2 Pro when they got announced, and that was very similar with the Buds3 FE
October 10, 2025 at 11:50 PM
i can't help but be a little sentimental, so: i was IMMEDIATELY hooked on the Buds2 Pro when they got announced, and that was very similar with the Buds3 FE
(...) but the ANC is the best one i've tried from the Galaxy Buds lineup, the ambient mode matches the Buds3 Pro's amazing ambient mode, and the sound tuning and customization make the Buds3 FE's sound my newest favorite
October 10, 2025 at 11:50 PM
(...) but the ANC is the best one i've tried from the Galaxy Buds lineup, the ambient mode matches the Buds3 Pro's amazing ambient mode, and the sound tuning and customization make the Buds3 FE's sound my newest favorite
CONCLUSION
the Buds3 FE genuinely impressed me. i was expecting MUCH less from them, and was mentally preparing myself to regret my purchase and go for another product, (...)
the Buds3 FE genuinely impressed me. i was expecting MUCH less from them, and was mentally preparing myself to regret my purchase and go for another product, (...)
October 10, 2025 at 11:50 PM
CONCLUSION
the Buds3 FE genuinely impressed me. i was expecting MUCH less from them, and was mentally preparing myself to regret my purchase and go for another product, (...)
the Buds3 FE genuinely impressed me. i was expecting MUCH less from them, and was mentally preparing myself to regret my purchase and go for another product, (...)
what i want to get at is: the Buds3 FE sound incredible, so don't fall for marketing of two or more drivers. more drivers CAN sound good, but it doesn't mean they WILL. ideally, you should test earbuds before buying them, but with a custom EQ and high quality driver setup, you don't need to worry
October 10, 2025 at 11:50 PM
what i want to get at is: the Buds3 FE sound incredible, so don't fall for marketing of two or more drivers. more drivers CAN sound good, but it doesn't mean they WILL. ideally, you should test earbuds before buying them, but with a custom EQ and high quality driver setup, you don't need to worry
this is my custom EQ for the Buds3 FE. it is VERY extreme, yes, but it performs extremely well. i do not hear any distortion or artifacts, and it feels clear and full without being harsh like the Buds3 Pro or limited like the Buds2 Pro
October 10, 2025 at 11:50 PM
this is my custom EQ for the Buds3 FE. it is VERY extreme, yes, but it performs extremely well. i do not hear any distortion or artifacts, and it feels clear and full without being harsh like the Buds3 Pro or limited like the Buds2 Pro
my personal preference is a focus on treble, while still maintaining the immersiveness with mids and bass. the Buds3 FE have a good amount of bass and mids, but, for my tastes, lack treble severely. and this is why i'm so thankful for the custom EQ
October 10, 2025 at 11:50 PM
my personal preference is a focus on treble, while still maintaining the immersiveness with mids and bass. the Buds3 FE have a good amount of bass and mids, but, for my tastes, lack treble severely. and this is why i'm so thankful for the custom EQ
for context, i was a fan of the Buds2 Pro's sound, but felt it could be better or more customizable. i LOVED the sound of the Buds3 Pro, but i did feel like it was a bit harsh at times; even with my EQ adjustments, it never felt quite right. but the Buds3 FE fixed that, as the sound feels natural
October 10, 2025 at 11:50 PM
for context, i was a fan of the Buds2 Pro's sound, but felt it could be better or more customizable. i LOVED the sound of the Buds3 Pro, but i did feel like it was a bit harsh at times; even with my EQ adjustments, it never felt quite right. but the Buds3 FE fixed that, as the sound feels natural
the Buds3 FE feature a single 11mm dynamic driver, which is a departure of the trend Samsung had. up until the Buds FE, with the exception of the OG Buds and Buds Live, all Galaxy Buds models had two dynamic drivers. i thought that was what made them sound so good, but that's not the case
October 10, 2025 at 11:50 PM
the Buds3 FE feature a single 11mm dynamic driver, which is a departure of the trend Samsung had. up until the Buds FE, with the exception of the OG Buds and Buds Live, all Galaxy Buds models had two dynamic drivers. i thought that was what made them sound so good, but that's not the case
THE SOUND
these are my favorite sounding Galaxy Buds, and it's all thanks to the custom EQ and Samsung's tuning
these are my favorite sounding Galaxy Buds, and it's all thanks to the custom EQ and Samsung's tuning
October 10, 2025 at 11:50 PM
THE SOUND
these are my favorite sounding Galaxy Buds, and it's all thanks to the custom EQ and Samsung's tuning
these are my favorite sounding Galaxy Buds, and it's all thanks to the custom EQ and Samsung's tuning
compared to the Buds2 Pro, it's a much nicer upgrade, specially for me; my Buds2 Pro only lasts about 4 hours with ANC enabled after two years of usage, so it'd probably last about 5 hours with ANC disabled nowadays. close to twice the battery life in an extreme scenario is pretty great!
October 10, 2025 at 11:50 PM
compared to the Buds2 Pro, it's a much nicer upgrade, specially for me; my Buds2 Pro only lasts about 4 hours with ANC enabled after two years of usage, so it'd probably last about 5 hours with ANC disabled nowadays. close to twice the battery life in an extreme scenario is pretty great!
i did similar tests with the Buds3 Pro, and, with SSC at 46% volume, it averaged at 8 hours. that doesn't sound that big of a difference, but, with basic SBC, the Buds3 Pro averages to a little over 6 hours. if you enable UHQ, that drops to 5 hours. so, really, the difference is considerable
October 10, 2025 at 11:50 PM
i did similar tests with the Buds3 Pro, and, with SSC at 46% volume, it averaged at 8 hours. that doesn't sound that big of a difference, but, with basic SBC, the Buds3 Pro averages to a little over 6 hours. if you enable UHQ, that drops to 5 hours. so, really, the difference is considerable
this is kind of an "extreme" test - considering Samsung's codec is more efficient than normal SBC by about 25%, and my volume is usually at 46% instead of 64% -, so consider this as the performance floor of the battery life. you could probably get between 8.5 to 9 hours using SSC on a Samsung phone!
October 10, 2025 at 11:50 PM
this is kind of an "extreme" test - considering Samsung's codec is more efficient than normal SBC by about 25%, and my volume is usually at 46% instead of 64% -, so consider this as the performance floor of the battery life. you could probably get between 8.5 to 9 hours using SSC on a Samsung phone!
in regards to battery life, i did small measurements using my Windows setup
after 30 minutes of playing a YouTube video at 64% volume with ANC off, using the custom driver with the shown settings, the Buds3 FE lost 6-7% of battery. that averages to about 7.1 hours of non-stop playtime
after 30 minutes of playing a YouTube video at 64% volume with ANC off, using the custom driver with the shown settings, the Buds3 FE lost 6-7% of battery. that averages to about 7.1 hours of non-stop playtime
October 10, 2025 at 11:50 PM
in regards to battery life, i did small measurements using my Windows setup
after 30 minutes of playing a YouTube video at 64% volume with ANC off, using the custom driver with the shown settings, the Buds3 FE lost 6-7% of battery. that averages to about 7.1 hours of non-stop playtime
after 30 minutes of playing a YouTube video at 64% volume with ANC off, using the custom driver with the shown settings, the Buds3 FE lost 6-7% of battery. that averages to about 7.1 hours of non-stop playtime
just by using this driver, i noticed a latency improvement, going from ~140ms to ~100ms. and - thanks to the amount of options the driver has - i was able to increase the bitrate and change the stereo mode from Joint Stereo to Dual Channel, thus improving sound quality by a huge margin
October 10, 2025 at 11:50 PM
just by using this driver, i noticed a latency improvement, going from ~140ms to ~100ms. and - thanks to the amount of options the driver has - i was able to increase the bitrate and change the stereo mode from Joint Stereo to Dual Channel, thus improving sound quality by a huge margin
on Windows, things get a little more interesting and fun; the Buds3 FE work fine on Windows, but without the benefits of LE Audio, so they take a little longer to connect and latency isn't the best it could be. but it can be improved with a custom driver, called Alternative A2DP Driver
October 10, 2025 at 11:50 PM
on Windows, things get a little more interesting and fun; the Buds3 FE work fine on Windows, but without the benefits of LE Audio, so they take a little longer to connect and latency isn't the best it could be. but it can be improved with a custom driver, called Alternative A2DP Driver
(...) but i don't think it's their fault, as my S23 got its Bluetooth performance immensely nerfed with One UI 7 out of nowhere (which has made me give up on SSC and just use SBC, as it fixes my issues). i don't play games on my phone so i didn't do latency tests there, but videos sync up just fine
October 10, 2025 at 11:50 PM
(...) but i don't think it's their fault, as my S23 got its Bluetooth performance immensely nerfed with One UI 7 out of nowhere (which has made me give up on SSC and just use SBC, as it fixes my issues). i don't play games on my phone so i didn't do latency tests there, but videos sync up just fine