They do sound good in open mode. When they’re not covering your ear canals, the Aerofit 2 Pro rank among the best open earbuds in their price class, with an airy sound signature that naturally focuses on the upper registers. While no open earbuds I’ve tried accentuate bass as well as regular buds, the Aerofit 2 Pro have more resonance down low than most, accompanied by splashes of keen instrumental detail and clear stereo separation.

Wandering Noise

The biggest issue I have with these “best of both worlds” earbuds is noise cancellation that’s not only limited but also unstable and inconsistent. This is almost certainly due to the lack of eartips, which prevents a proper seal. There’s a reason all our favorite noise-canceling buds come with multiple eartip sizes to conform to your ear canals; a good seal is paramount to effective noise canceling.

High-register noises and midrange sounds are the worst offenders, especially voices. During one of my wife’s video calls, her voice seemed to constantly migrate from one ear to the other as the noise-canceling struggled to adjust to my head’s natural movements. It’s was a disorienting experience, listening as the onboard microphones work to quell the noise like sailors bailing out a leaky ship.

Low-frequency drone sounds like bathroom fans or the din of a refrigerator fare better, but I continued to experience issues in key use cases like bringing in my garbage cans, where the rumbling of the wheels kept fading in and out.

Soundcore’s PR team was quick to point out the Aerofit 2 Pro’s limitations, saying the experience is “highly fit-dependent” and “not intended to replace fully sealed in-ear ANC earbuds in extreme noise environments.” That’s fine, but it does beg the question: What are we doing here?

The Aerofit 2 Pro are a fair pair of open earbuds, but their hefty design works too hard for a feature that can’t compete with even average noise cancellers. It’s hard not to think of noise-canceling open buds as a solution looking for a problem, especially when you can get a solid pair of regular open earbuds like the Acefit Air for as low as $30. On the other hand, the Aerofit 2 Pro get frustratingly close to working. Could eartips crack the case? Honestly, I hope we get a second generation to find out.

If you can only buy one pair of earbuds, it should not be the Aerofit 2 Pro. It’s the AirPods Pro, Bose QuietComfort Ultra, or any of the scores of more affordable ANC buds that effectively keep out environmental sounds and offer solid transparency modes for hearing the world around you when you want to. Better yet, you could just get a good cheap pair of each. Open earbuds have many benefits, and the idea to give them noise canceling is a good one in theory, but the Aerofit Pro 2 have too many compromises to be your only pair.

“CCTV networks, facial-recognition systems, applications designed to capture or log private user messages, and systems assessing citizens’ lifestyle patterns and behavioral profiles collectively provide the Islamic Republic’s security agencies with the means for broad and precise monitoring of the population,” the analysis says.

Put another way, Holistic Resilience’s Mahdi Saremifar says simply, “They want to have a centralized system that monitors daily life—lifestyle surveillance.”

The NIN was developed as a core component of the Iranian regime’s mechanisms for control, designed to provide Iran-specific apps, web services, and digital platforms to monitor Iranians constantly and control the information they can access while simultaneously making it much more difficult to get information out of the country to the international community. The NIN has an isolationist architecture that also prevents connections from outside Iran.

The first days of January’s connectivity blackout were so severe, though, that the NIN itself was offline, disrupting government websites and domestic services. Multiple researchers told WIRED that the NIN, landline telephone networks, and even privileged-access SIM cards had no connectivity.

“There’s been a lot of stuff in Iran, but I would say the blackout we’re in now is without precedent in the country,” says Doug Madory, director of internet analysis at monitoring firm Kentik, “And I think it’s arguably one of the biggest communications blackouts in history, not just Iran.”

Filterwatch, a project by internet freedom organization Miaan Group, says that as some connectivity has been restored, including international connections, it believes the Iranian regime is moving to a system of “whitelisting”—restricting internet access to certain organizations and websites or apps. Around the middle of January, the group notes, Iranian state-controlled media published a list of websites available on the NIN, which included Iranian search engines, maps, video services, and messaging apps.

“This architecture utilizes sophisticated service and customer segmentation to transform internet access from a public utility into a government-granted privilege, allowing the state to maintain critical business services while severing the public’s connection to the global web,” Filterwatch explains.

Even as connectivity has been partially restored, researchers emphasize that the volatility of the digital landscape is still striking and leaves open the possibility that the current saga could precipitate permanent disconnection—or splintering—of Iran from the global internet.

For now, analyzing signals from the outside does not make the regime’s intentions clear. “I’m seeing this kind of chaos in the traffic, and I don’t know if that’s the objective—they want chaos—or if this is the system not working correctly,” Kentik’s Madory says. Maybe “they instituted this internet blocking system that is going haywire or maybe they wanted it to go to haywire. I can’t tell, but it’s nuts.”

Connectivity shutdowns, selective blocking, and other digital censorship can be appealing to repressive governments when regimes feel that a situation is getting out of control—both domestically and potentially in terms of optics on the global stage. But as researchers who are focused on Iran and other authoritarian governments have often noted, there are very real limitations of control via digital disconnection.

“When you absolutely disconnect everything, even people who may not want to end up coming to the streets, because they can’t see what’s happening from just sitting in their homes anymore,” another Project Ainita researcher told WIRED. “So in terms of controlling the situation, a bunch of these decisions don’t make any sense.”

As Iranians slowly regain connectivity, though, they face the difficult reality that they are returning to a surveillance dragnet as intrusive and comprehensive as it has ever been.

Other Earbuds We Like

Every month seems to bring new sets of earbuds with longer battery life, new features, and more compact designs. As such, we can’t list everything we like. But if you’re still hunting, here are some other recommendations.

Nothing Ear (a) for $59: It has taken a lot for me to recommend a pair of ostensible AirPods Pro clones as the best earbuds for most people, but that speaks to just how much I actually like the Nothing Ear (a). These stylish little yellow earbuds come in a sleek, clear charging case, and they have excellent sound and decent noise cancellation for under $100 retail. I liked how easily they paired with Android and iOS devices and that the lightweight, compact design helped them stay comfortable during longer listening sessions. The larger, more expensive Nothing Ear are also good, but they don’t quite match the Ear (a)’s svelte figure.

Status Audio Pro X for $239: The multi-driver array inside these cool-looking earbuds from little-known brand Status Audio helps them rise above the rest when it comes to audio quality. A dynamic driver down low pairs with a set of Knowles balanced armatures for upper mids and highs, providing a ton of musical separation between instruments, and offering some of the best detail down low that we’ve heard in a pair of buds so far. The warm EQ works well with pop music and acoustic music alike, and the Pro X support Sony’s LDAC Bluetooth codec for near-lossless streaming quality. We compared them with the best from Sony, Bose, Sennheiser, and Technics, and found that the Pro X hold their own valiantly, with only the call quality coming in a touch below what others have to offer.

Technics EAH-AZ80 for $165: Technics’ follow-up to the fantastic EAH-AZ80 provides trickle-down driver technology from the brand’s hi-fi in-ears, the EAH-TZ700. The result for the AZ100 is even richer and more detailed sound that digs deep into instrumental textures to reveal new dimensions in old songs. The buds add new features like Dolby-powered Spatial Audio and Bluetooth LE Audio support for futureproofing, along with old favorites like three-device multipoint pairing and mildly improved noise canceling. The slimmer design isn’t as ergonomic as the AZ80 to my ears, but they’re still comfy, and battery life of up to 10 hours per charge with ANC lets you listen long past Bose and Apple buds. —Ryan Waniata

Beyerdynamic Amiron 300 for $150: These premium earbuds from Beyerdynamic look nondescript and sound fantastic, but they lack any of the superlative qualities of the buds on the list above. If you’re after a clean-looking pair of headphones with fantastic vocal definition, they’re worth considering.

Audio-Technica ATH-CKS50TW2 for $159: These buds from Audio Technica boast 15 hours of battery life with noise canceling on, which is the longest we’ve tested in a pair of earbuds. Despite a somewhat bulky appearance, they actually remain very ergonomic, with multiple pairs of included eartips to guarantee a good fit. A cool magnetic feature allows you to clip the buds together when they’re not in their wireless charging case to engage standby mode. These aren’t the best-sounding buds for the money, nor do they have the best noise reduction, but if you want a pair that will last you throughout multiple workdays (or one really long one), these are a great option. (Note: These have been in and out of stock on Amazon.)

Soundcore Space A40 for $45: While they’re no longer on our main list, the Space A40 are still some of my favorite buds for the money, providing good features, clear sound, and excellent noise canceling for their price class. They also look polished, with only their lack of auto-pause sensors betraying their low price.

Samsung Galaxy Buds 2 Pro for $100–$200: The Galaxy Buds 2 Pro are getting older, but they’re still among the best buds to pair with a Samsung phone. They don’t have the multi-device connectivity of our top pick for Android users, and their five-hour battery is looking pretty short these days, but they provide excellent sound quality, IPX7 waterproofing, and a distinctive design that doesn’t just ape the AirPods Pro. That makes them well worth considering on sale.

Sony Linkbuds Fit for $200: Sony’s Linkbuds Fit offer rich and punchy sound, naturalistic transparency mode, and a light and comfy fit, helping them live up to their intent as a “wear anywhere” solution. They provide some solid features, but skimp on battery life with just 5.5 hours per charge, and their noise canceling is just OK. Their oddly unresponsive touch controls and reliance on flimsy silicone sleeves further diminish their value, but they’re still Sony buds and could be worth nabbing on a good sale.

Montblanc MTB 03 for $395: These earbuds are priced out of reach for most buyers, but if you’ve got the cash, you’ll be rewarded with a luxury experience worthy of the brand. Montblanc has called in some heavy hitters from the audio industry to design and voice these buds. The result is a small, comfortable, and quite flashy-looking pair of wireless earbuds that sound really impressive.

Raycon Everyday Earbuds for $80: These YouTuber-beloved earbuds are actually a decent cheap pair. They are small and light, and they come with an IPX6 rating, which makes them great for workouts.

Earbuds to Avoid

As a general rule, you should avoid earbuds that don’t support the Bluetooth 5.0 standard (or higher), or don’t offer at least five hours of battery life—more like six these days. Batteries in wireless headphones degrade over time, so the better your battery life is at first, the more tolerable it will be in two to three years.

Apple AirPods (Previous or Current Gen) for $119–$170: These headphones do some things well, we just don’t like them all that much. (Read our latest review.) They get OK battery life, come in a compact case, and work well for calls, but they don’t fit all ears well, and since they don’t have ear tips or wings, you’re out of luck if they’re loose. The priciest model adds noise canceling, which works about as well as you’d expect for a pair that doesn’t offer a proper seal. Want clear music, good noise canceling, and advanced features made for iPhones for less than the AirPods Pro 3? Get the AirPods Pro Gen 2, which sometimes cost more (and sometimes less) but are legitimately great.

Beats Solo Buds for $70: These are lackluster in virtually every possible way, especially when it comes to features for the money. Their best traits are their micro-size and big battery, but that’s about it. It’s odd, because we like other headphones from the brand, but these just don’t keep pace. The best we can say is they are cheap.

Samsung Galaxy Buds 3 for $170: A Cybertrucked pair of AirPods clones, the headphones in the new Galaxy Buds line work worse than they already look. With no eartips, these are uncomfortable to wear for long periods, and the noise canceling is all but useless.

Power up with unlimited access to WIRED. Get best-in-class reporting and exclusive subscriber content that’s too important to ignore. Subscribe Today.