Indian personal audio brand Noise is one of the leading names in its category, thanks in large part to its competitive pricing and ability to offer features not typically seen in budget products. Noise has adopted a clever approach that has solidified its position in some of the most popular and fast-growing categories of electronics such as headphones and smartwatches. The latest product sticks to this winning formula, offering features you usually see on more expensive products priced under Rs. 2,000.
Pricing is rupee. 1,899, the Noise Buds Venus true wireless earphones offer active noise cancellation, making once-high-end features more accessible through strong pricing. The Noise Buds Venus are the most affordable true wireless earphones with ANC you can buy right now, and they come at a very affordable price. Does this make Venus the best true wireless earphones under Rs. Can I buy it for 2,000 yuan now? Find out in this review.
Noise Buds Venus headphones are IPX5 waterproof
Noise Buds Venus design, features and specifications
While most of the true wireless earbuds you can buy these days are pretty generic looking, the Noise Buds Venus look pretty unique and in line with the brand’s aesthetic. The earphones come in an interesting combination of smooth and matte finishes that match the look of the charging case. This sets this headset apart from most other headphones in this price range, which tend to look like what their price suggests.
The Noise Buds Venus’ earphones themselves feature touch-sensitive areas for controls, as well as an in-ear canal fit that ensures proper noise isolation to help actively cancel noise. They’re a bit big and stick out a bit, but they’re lightweight, weighing only 3.5 grams each, and don’t feel too bulky when worn. I found the fit to be comfortable even with the default medium-sized ear tips, but there are extra ear tips in the box—three pairs in total—that allow for some customization. Also in the box is a charging cable (USB Type-A to Type-C) and instructions (you’ll need it to master the controls).
Interestingly, the Noise Buds Venus generally do come with more advanced features, such as active noise cancellation and a low-latency gaming mode, but there’s oddly no companion app to support these features. There’s also ambient noise cancellation, and a four-microphone system enables ENC, ANC and voice communications on the headset.
The controls on the Noise Buds Venus are fairly simple and can’t be changed due to a lack of app support, but you can control all of these features directly from the earbuds themselves – which is why you’ll need the instruction manual. You eventually get used to the controls; they’re easy to master and rely on a variety of click combinations to control everything, including playback, volume, ANC, and game mode.
The charging case of the Noise Buds Venus is neither too small nor too big, with only a USB Type-C port for charging at the bottom and an indicator light below the brand logo. It fits easily in a pocket, supports fast charging, and is large enough to provide quite a bit of extra charge to the earphones – more on that later. The headphones are available in four colors – black, brown, green and ivory – all of which look beautiful in my opinion.
The Noise Buds Venus charging case has a USB Type-C port
In terms of specifications, the Noise Buds Venus have 10mm dynamic drivers and Bluetooth 5.3 connectivity with support for SBC and AAC Bluetooth codecs. The earphones are rated IPX5 for water resistance and can easily handle minor water droplets and sweat. There’s also voice assist support, which calls up the default voice assistant on a paired smartphone.
Noise Buds Venus performance and battery life
True wireless earphones with active noise cancellation for less than Rs. 2,000 is a pretty impressive statement on its own, but what’s even better is that the Noise Buds Venus are actually a pretty good pair of headphones in terms of performance. Some of these are backed by technical specs, such as support for the AAC Bluetooth codec and Bluetooth 5.3, but the headphones are also pretty well adjusted for the price.
Considering this is where most affordable wireless earbuds fall short, good tuning is actually half the battle with the Noise Buds Venus. I was surprised by how clean and direct the sound was, ensuring a good balance of sound signature and also allowing for a decent degree of detail.
Listening to Friendly Fires’ “Paris (Aeroplane Remix)” at medium volumes, the sound has just the right amount of low-frequency attack, and a hint of high-frequency spark can be heard throughout the upbeat track. It’s a pleasant listening experience that allows me to focus on the music without any distractions from the sound itself. That’s really the point of budget wireless headphones, and the Noise Buds Venus do it without trying too hard.
Volume changes don’t affect sound quality more than you expect, and luckily there’s no volume “target zone” where the Noise Buds Venus perform best. This is useful for letting me adjust my listening based on my mood or the quietness of my surroundings, although I’d say the 60% volume mark is generally sufficient for indoor listening, and up to around 70% for outdoor listening.
The Noise Buds Venus have active noise cancellation but no app; that’s not really a problem since all features can be controlled through the headphones
The Noise Buds Venus can get quite loud if needed, but I did notice the sound was a bit rough above 90% volume levels. In normal use, you’re unlikely to need to turn up the volume that high, and even at moderate volumes, the Noise Buds Venus can basically keep up with modern music genres. Call quality is acceptable for most use cases, but the Noise Buds Venus struggle a bit when making voice calls in loud environments.
Considering the price tag of this headset, the Noise Buds Venus’ active noise cancellation is expected to be basic, only slightly reducing ambient sound without completely eliminating it. With ANC turned on, even simple indoor sounds (such as the whirring of a ceiling fan) can still be heard, while outdoor sounds are less affected.
That said, it helps make music easier to listen to even at moderate volumes, so it’s not completely useless. However, its performance levels don’t quite match those you get with the relatively affordable Oppo Enco Air 3 Pro, so consider the ANC feature rather than the Noise Buds Venus’ USP.
The battery life of the Noise Buds Venus is pretty good for the price. With ANC on and volume at 60%, the earphones can run for about 5 hours per charge, while the charging case can recharge the earphones an additional four times. That makes for about 25 hours of listening time per charge cycle, and even with mixed use, you can definitely get close to the numbers I got in my testing. The charging case charges quickly, and 10 minutes of charging is expected to provide about 2 hours of listening time.
judgment
Active noise cancellation on cheap true wireless earphones is often very basic, especially if you’re getting an entry-level product. This is true even for the Noise Buds Venus, which offer a very basic ANC experience that has little impact on the overall experience but is still nice to have. The lack of apps may annoy some, but in most other respects the Venus is a pretty good headset for the money.
Sound quality and battery life are both good, and the simple design leaves no reason to complain. This is perhaps the best you can hope for under Rs. Given that ANC additions are generally unusual in this category, at $2,000, they’re definitely worth a look if you’re shopping for new true wireless earphones at this price right now.
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