The Best In Buds
LG TONE FREE T90Q w Dolby Atmos
My Review on the journey for the ultimate sound and serious tech.
What is it about crisp clear audio, immersive and dynamic sound that seems to pluck at every last nerve of excitement within me... And likewise pluck at the purse strings of professional clearance-crazy, savings savvy shopper such as myself?
Sound is something that touches us all on a deeper level and in a different way for each of us. Some are born with a musicians ear and can pinpoint any note out of tune well enough to single out an individual member of ensemble orchestra. Some of us have sub par talents in our own right and are able to pick up and navigate just about any instrument we show interest in yet others can't put together the know-how to hum a note. Still, others have no interest and just happen to know what they like and truthfully there's the latter are probably happier for it.
I'm one of those types to pick it up quick and usually learn it as fast as my interest was peaked. I'll admit I managed to play over 6 instruments in my life without the ability to read sheet music in a standardized way. I can't tell you what note this or that is by looking at the page, but give me an instrument from my signature woodwind to the ivory keys of the piano and my eyes communicate foreignly to my hands that will perform the music as in correct fashion and in just about any octave. Image how crazy this former first chair band member drive his teachers in school. Then again, my brain always has a different way of learning, absorbing, understanding and ultimately seeing things for how they were. This also put me into a group of people that, able or talented as we are, tend to also lose interest in the midst of another distraction along the way and then it's on to our next brilliant plan - or so we hope. ADHD can be a bitch to burdened with in a time that your teachers and parents simply dubbed you lazy and didn't look much further between the lines.
Still, I always had the subject of film ingrained in my DNA from the start and it was through my passion and obsession with writing, directing, photography and the essential element of music that I somehow maintained a level of sanity that saw my through enough to be here today writing this article.
I may not be dominating the field in a position with the major studio players knocking down my door to get a whiff of my artistic wilds or nobely accepting the predictable Oscar for Best Writer/Director to sit with the others in my collection in my home office, but still I've somehow managed a position and place in my life where every day and every project requires a new level of creative energy from my varied talents and - even better - most days challenge me to learn something even further. I'm happy with the challenge and grateful for the chance to share my artistic vision with others no matter what form that may be in.
So between the dreamer within, the tech junkie that gets to come out and play through various test projects and beta invites, the curious developer that carriers the keys to the back end among Google, AWS, Alexa, various social media companies and most recently has peaked an interest for the inner workings of banking operations and Fintech (all naturally a tease for the writer within foreshadowing something very interesting, exciting and quiet frankly, unexpectedly out of nowhere to soon be announced 😈) and needing to keep up in my reviews... I spent the greater part of last month searching for the highest quality and overall superior sound harnessed within the small gumdrop size shell for the ultimate in wireless earbuds.
The sad fact is the search went on for weeks despite the few filters and must have features I was in the market for. Truth be told, I wanted a pair that were comfortable and sounded good for my taste. Beyond that I set my requirements with these must have functions:
1. Spatial Audio
2. Noise cancellation
3. Clear Call ability for cellular use
4. Compatible with my Google Pixel and other home electronics (specifically to be compatible with my PlayStation 5)
5. Bluetooth 5.1 or higher (preferred)
That was roughly all I wanted and it unknowingly was a tall order to find a package with these prerequisites to punch in 1st place under the $200 threshold.
My latest quest to quench the inner tech junkie and somewhat splurge landed me on this set of LG TONE FREE T90Q earbuds, the first to hit the shelf equipped with Dolby Atmos and Head Tracking Spatial Audio and they're honestly pretty impressive. So, why am I - The OFFICIAL unofficial Google Guy buying LG over the Google Pixel Buds Pro to complete my Google Pixel 6 Pro and daily listening needs?
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I'll see it was a VERY CLOSE RACE to the checkout and I researched for a couple weeks straight ... Having never actually owned a pair of earbuds before this and the LG listed at $239/Google Pixel Buds Pro $199 - it's not an easy sum to drop.
Still, I decided I needed a pair and if I was going to splurge I was going to do it on the right pair - not the cheapest (this is one category my die-hard deal junkie is sad to say there is no gray area.)
Still, convinced of the eternal bargain behind the Blogger, I gave it my best shot and I failed my first try out of the gate!
---I won't get into those guys here but let's just say LG TONE FREE T90Q has everything. Dynamic immersive sound powered by Dolby Atmos technology and Spatial Audio Head Tracking (the first to do it successfully, too!) and at the end of the day all that means is what you value it at.
Any music buff, audiophile or casual listener knows that in the land of tech, WHEN IT COMES TO AUDIO, it doesn't matter what the specs list, manufacturers claim or where the price point starts. The only thing that matters is WHAT IT SOUNDS LIKE when you power up to - hopefully - rock on.
I know this. After two previous pairs, LG comes in king and has the depth, richness and range I'm looking for and like to hear. It doesn't matter if it's a set of buds, TV set, stereo or smart speaker - when it comes to audio visual presentation I've been obsessed with immersive 360° sound that makes you feel like you're in the middle of it. I want to be cheering, covered in sweat and jam packed with gyrating bodies spent with exhaustion but willing myself to stand for one more encore in the mega pumped rock concert event of the decade.
I want to be sitting speechless in a dark and brooding auditorium, holding my breath and the edge of my seat as I listen to the crisp sound of The Grand Orchestra in a classical experience that makes the room and the world itself melt away, only to narrow my attention in anticipation of the next note.
And yes, I want to kick back in my comfy leather chair in the cool and crisp air conditioning while experiencing a home theater journey for the senses that leave me baffled and asking - what is real anymore?
And, even if it's "only a pair of earbuds" for listening to music and taking calls while multitasking and writing this review - I want to be taken... Away...
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What I know is with LG, with these earbuds, I may not be barreling over the edge of the grave canyon in an old Cadillac with my guy on my arm and looking to call it quits fire the "end all-be all." But as I'm sitting here with goosebumps from the haunting ballad "Sleepwalk" plucking away like poetry to my soul, I know that while the end is far to go, with these bad-ass buds, I'm pretty close.
In the meantime, LG gets my respect and business because they continue to produce quality products that live up to their claims, last well past the next several upgrades and still they manage a reasonable price point with outstanding online 24/7 customer service.
A Jonathan Black Observation.
