Enacfire A9 review: Affordable active noice cancelling and transparency

I love listening to my favorite tunes and podcasts while I'm out and about, so I always have a pair of wireless earbuds on me. I'm also one of those people that must listen to music while working out — I need the motivation, so sweatproof headphones are preferred. I like the low-key profile of in-ear headphones, but I've tried them all — over-ear and on-ear. Enacfire A9 earbuds provide active noise cancellation and ambient mode for an affordable price. They deliver good sound quality and impressive battery life. The touch controls are hit or miss, and they could be louder, but overall, these waterproof earbuds are a great value.

Enacfire A9: Price and availability

Enacfire A9 earbuds are in-stock and readily available on Enacfire's main website for $67. They come with a charging case, USB-C charging cable, and three sets of ear tips for a customized fit.

Enacfire A9: ANC, transparency, battery

The market is saturated with all kinds of wireless earbuds at various price points. I like that Enacfire A9 earbuds offer both active noise cancellation (ANC) and transparency modes at a budget-friendly price. It's important to note that these earbuds require a three-tap transition to switch modes. Tap once to turn ANC on, tap again to turn it off, and tap a third time to turn ambient mode on.

I was confused at first because I didn't notice a huge difference between turning active noise cancellation on and off, and then realized that I needed to tap them once more to turn ambient mode on. The active noise cancellation and ambient modes work pretty well — especially considering cost, though the technology does not compare to my Apple AirPods Pro. This is to be expected via a product that costs nearly four times as much.

Enacfire A9 use smart noise-detecting microphones to pick up external noise and neutralize it before it reaches the ear. The inward-facing mics are measuring sound 120 times per second to ensure that it's producing the correct counteracting sound. This in turn, reduces external noise up to 80%. I think 80% is accurate. These produce a solid seal in active noise cancellation mode. I feel that ambient mode could be more transparent. External noise still sounds a bit muffled, but again, for the price, these modes work well.

Enacfire A9 pair easily, which is nice. I've seamlessly paired them with my MacBook Pro, iPhone, and MYX Plus without any issues. They have an IPX7 waterproof rating, so they're 100% sweatproof. Theoretically they could be safely submerged within one meter of water, and therefore, could be worn while swimming laps in a shallow pool or in the shower, though I have not tested this.

For an inexpensive pair of earbuds, Enacfire A9 deliver good sound quality. Bass lines come through the strongest and provide a deep, rich sound. If I'm going to get nitpicky, trebles and mid-levels can sound tinny at times, but overall, these provide quality sound.

One of the best things about these earbuds is battery life. They'll give up to 32 hours of playtime on a full charge, which beats the battery life on many of my other earbuds by a long shot. I've been using Enacfire A9 for about three weeks and have only needed to charge them once. The included USB-C charging cable provides faster charging and flexible compatibility.

Enacfire A9: Touch controls, volume, comfort

The touch controls on Enacfire A9 are hit or miss, and unfortunately, it's usually a miss. They're either overly sensitive and perform several commands at once, don't do the right command, or don't respond at all. As you can imagine, this gets annoying.

They're supposed to perform as follows: tap either once to answer or end calls. To reject a call, you tap either for two seconds. To play and pause music, tap the right earphone once. To change a song, double tap either. To switch between ANC and ambient, tap the left earphone once. I've yet to get them to change a song, they haven't been able to reject a call, and performing any of the other commands can take multiple tries.

Every time you turn ANC on or off, or ambient mode on or off, there's a little voice that completely interrupts whatever you're listening to that tells you so. I don't like this at all. I find it very disruptive. I much prefer the gentle chimes that occur in my Apple AirPods Pro when switching between ANC and transparency mode.

I wish top volume on the Enacfire A9 was louder. These don't come anywhere close to as loud as my Apple AirPods Pro, but again — you get what you pay for. They also aren't super comfortable. I can't wear these for hours on end. Short walks with the dog and hour long workouts are fine, but I don't find them comfortable enough to wear for extended periods.

Enacfire A9: Competition

Apple AirPods Pro

Apple AirPods Pro are arguably the best wireless earbuds on the market. They have a hefty price tag, but offer unmatched quality when it comes to sound, ANC, and transparency tech. Enacfire A9 are much less expensive, have extra-long battery life, and deliver good enough sound, ANC, and ambient noise for the price tag.

TaoTronics SoundLiberty 97

TaoTronics SoundLiberty 97 are much less expensive than Enacfire A9, but only offer active noise cancellation. They don't have transparency mode. They're great for sleeping, working out, or airplane rides — anything where you need to block out external sound as much as possible. They too offer extra-long battery life. But if you need both ANC and ambient modes, Enacfire A9 are the obvious winner in this competition.

Enacfire A9: Should you buy it?

• You're on a budget
• You want ANC and transparency
• You're looking for long battery life

• You need the touch controls to work
• You want major volume
• You have sensitive ears

You should buy these if you're on a budget. These are a great pair of earbuds that offer both ANC and transparency mode. They deliver quality sound at an affordable price and feature up to 32 hours of playtime on a full charge. You shouldn't buy these if you need the touch controls to work. They often don't function as intended. These earbuds don't get super loud, so they're not for you if you need major volume. Don't get these if you have extra sensitive ears. They get uncomfortable after wearing for extended periods of time.

Enacfire A9 provide exceptional battery life, quality sound, and ANC and transparency modes. They are IPX7 waterproof to stand up to the toughest sweat sessions and they're easy to pair. The touch controls often don't operate as intended, they're not the most comfortable, and they could get louder, but overall, they deliver when considering price. I would recommend these to those on a budget looking for ANC and ambient mode.