Belkin’s SoundForm ANC wired earbuds pose no threat to the AirPods

Inside the desk drawer next to me is a set of wired earbuds that I can never get rid of. Although I’ve been using wireless Bluetooth earbuds for many years now — usually AirPods Pro — sometimes it’s nice to plug in a cable and listen, without the mess of wireless connectivity. The only thing missing? Active Noise Cancellation or ANC.

From time to time I check the status of wired earbuds with ANC, and I’m usually disappointed. ANC needs to be turned on, and you can’t get that from a 3.5mm headphone jack, so workarounds – like including a battery pack in the earbuds cable, or adding the feature via Detached USB-C powered dongle– Get rid of the battery-free wired audio feature. The same applies to using wireless Bluetooth headphones with ANC as wired headphones. Yes, you can do this with most wireless headphones, but they still need power to filter the sound, and some won’t even work as regular headphones once their battery dies.

Finally, in early September, Belkin almost unveiled what I’d been looking for: the $29.99 SoundForm ANC (USB-C) wired earbuds. I’ve previewed it in IFA 2025I found it comfortable, lightweight, and looked decent, but that was based on using it in a noisy showroom, which wasn’t enough to actually rate it. Fortunately, Belkin sent me home with a pair of products to review.

I’ve always loved the AirPods Pros, from the first generation to the latest AirPods Pro 3. But despite its quality, its wireless connection is still unstable, especially after years of battery use and physical wear, not to mention the obligatory firmware update from time to time which makes it behave strangely. Like when they identified themselves as “Not Your AirPods Pro” every time I opened the case for months on end, and only went back to normal after a firmware update was released that coincided with the release of the AirPods Pro 3. It was nice to go back to just plugging something in and running — no recharging, no Bluetooth pairing, no secret, breaking firmware updates Programs. Just music or podcasts when I want them.

Belkin’s SoundForm ANC wired earbuds are chunky—about the size of the aforementioned AirPods Pro—but for me, they’re lightweight enough that I don’t really notice them in my ears. It’s also IPX5 rated, which means it’s not dust-resistant, but it should withstand sweat and splashes of water. The AirPods Pro 2 were rated IPX4 or IP54, depending on whether you purchased the earphones or not. Lightning or USB-C version. The SoundForm ANC wired earbuds come in black and white, and use a flexible, tangle-resistant flat cable.

See SoundForm ANC Wired Earbuds (USB-C) on Amazon

Their ear tips are made of soft silicone that’s more resistant than Apple’s AirPods to the creeping horror of earwax. (Sorry if that’s gross to read, but I know this happens to a lot of you, too.) They come with three pairs of tips, and they’re not attached to the earbuds in any special, proprietary way, so opting for a set of universal-fit earbud tips is doable if the included tips aren’t in good condition.

Belkin’s wired earbuds are clunky in some ways. The volume and play/pause buttons on the small included controller work as you’d expect, but it’s a bit of a hassle to hold down the volume up and down to cycle through the three built-in EQ settings: Bass Boost, Balanced Audio, and Belkin Signature Sound. I’m not sure I like the way ANC and Transparency mode are activated by long-pressing a button on the side of the unit, though I wouldn’t consider long-pressing to do the same thing on the AirPods Pro. There’s something about it being a physical button that makes me wish it worked differently. But these are minor complaints, and I found that I didn’t really want to change the EQ preset once I set the bass boost.

The biggest compromise is in the name: they connect to a USB-C port, rather than a 3.5mm headphone jack. This means you can’t use them with older devices like MP3 players or pre-USB-C portable game consoles. I have confirmed that they are working with me iPhone 15 Pro, Google Pixel 6both Apple Silicon Mac devices, and Nintendo Switch 2. The star on the latest Nintendo handheld devices: Switch 2 Pro Controllerwhich has a 3.5mm audio jack that allows you to use headphones for GameChat, and does not support USB-C headphones. And to be clear, no Switch first generationincluding OLED modelmuch to my disappointment.

However, it’s good to know that out of everything I like to use wired headphones with, the Belkin earbuds work well with most of them. USB-C also presents another problem: longevity, or potentially lack thereof. The Belkin SoundForm ANC wired earbuds seem to have a solid USB-C plug, but I’ve only been testing them for about a month. As they plug and unplug over time, the mechanism that attaches them to the USB-C port is bound to eventually wear out. I hope Belkin has done a good job with these and that they last for years, but only time will tell if that is the case.

Test, test, 1-2-3

So what do they sound like? Belkin has equipped the SoundForm ANC wired earbuds with 12mm drivers, placing them directly between the earphones AirPods Pro 2 And 3. Driver size isn’t everything, and Belkin only charges $30 for these earbuds, so I wasn’t expecting miracles — and they didn’t give me any! But they exceeded my expectations with strong bass that’s not too boomy, and clear midrange and treble without being muddy or too small on the ear, respectively. Compared to the AirPods Pro 3, their sound profile is much cooler, with a thinner low-end. It’s not a fair comparison (the AirPods Pro 3 have been widely praised, though). Overall, they’re pretty good, and provide much better sound than I’d expect from similarly priced wireless earbuds.

That’s when you start paying attention to the details that the price tag shows. The bass gets vague and weak when you crank the SoundForm ANC Wired Earbuds up to about 80 percent or so. They lack definition in the songs that need it; The Belkin earbuds did tracks like Tom Waits’ “Green Grass” no favors, overly emphasizing their broken sound and making it sound more amateurish than a deliberate stylistic choice. Earbuds also have a very narrow sound stage, leaving the sound you listen to very confined to the area between your ears. I actually tend to like that intimate feeling when I’m listening to something like a Tom Waits song, but it’s not ideal for a bombastic track like DragonForce’s “Through the Fire and the Flames.” There’s also a lot of cable noise vibrating its way into the earbuds. I heard a rustle every time I turned my head and the cable scraped against my facial hair, and a loud thud when I reached out and grabbed the cord or tapped it with my fingertips.

The SoundForm ANC wired earbuds only cancel noise slightly, as the small desktop fan in my office will, but overall, they only handle some drone noises well. While strolling near a busy street in my neighborhood, the ANC silenced other sounds well enough to listen to music and podcasts or make a phone call, but that would be a last resort for you on, say, a plane or a city bus. The earbuds also have good sound isolation. A friend I called during that walk told me that while they could tell there were cars around them, my voice came through loud and clear. Turning off ANC weakens the sound isolation, so my friend could suddenly hear more wind and car noise. Either way, they said I was clear and articulate throughout the call. That’s not always the case with my AirPods Pro 2, which tend to fizzle a lot and require me to constantly repeat myself when I’m out on a phone call.

Worth every penny

I really didn’t expect to love the Belkin SoundForm ANC wired headphones as much as I do. My AirPods Pro 3 are in no danger of being replaced, but during my testing period, these were my favorites any time I played Nintendo Switch 2, and I found that I loved using them while sitting and working on my laptop. I still prefer to use wireless earbuds if I’m around, mostly because I find all the noise from cable bumping, rubbing, and, well, anything at all very distracting.

I liked the experience, which was like a bygone time when I never had to mess with Bluetooth pairing and my earbuds worked with anything that made sound. It’s not quite the same, since I couldn’t use these with my Sony PS Vita or my old Apple iPod nano, but most of the devices I use in my daily life have a USB-C port these days, and almost all of them work with Belkin earbuds the way I want them to. The only exception was with my Switch 2 Pro controller, which only outputs audio through the 3.5mm audio jack. I wasn’t actually expecting it to do that with a USB-C port on top, but wouldn’t it have been neat if it did?

If you’re missing wired earbuds, or want something close to the modern Bluetooth audio experience but without the tiny, easy-to-lose earbuds and no fear of running out of battery, this is an easy recommendation for under $30. Belkin’s SoundForm ANC wired earbuds (USB-C) will be available on October 17 on Belkin’s website, and shortly thereafter on Amazon.

See SoundForm ANC Wired Earbuds (USB-C) on Amazon