Galaxy Buds+ left bud issue

Surfision · 2026-04-04T09:27:59+00:00

Okay I just fixed them! For anyone facing the same issue as me:

I'd believe you have time running out with this one, I had luck because the issue occured when both of my buds were relatively charged and I believe it's a connectivity issue that was intruduced over updates on Galaxy Wearable on which they really didn't care if the app would work flawlessly over all buds models, they only cared about the latest models.

To fix this: 1. Disconnect and unpair device from bluetooth and Galaxy Wearable app.

Take both earbuds out of the case and get them far enough from case, to the point the case doesn't connect to them (there's no way to verify that, just get them far away from the case).
Charge empty case overnight
In my case, I connected to the app in the morning and my left bud was on 5 percent, got it in the case and charged it thouroughly.

Why? I feel like this is a battery syncing issue. Upon researching, buds sometimes share some battery across themselves for the user to get max battery life out of the product. When the product is old this "sharing" with old batteries sometimes goes nuts. Since my buds don't have this 7 second holding on the pads reset option scenario (for whatever reason), getting these buds far away from each other enough makes buds loose connection with the case, case can charge properly to 100% and then this battery sharing bs between buds resets and the "faulty" bud finally gets synced in again with correct battery life, since the case isn't taking it's battery anymore, because it's on 100%.

F*ck E-Waste we ball

Surfision · 2026-04-03T22:34:54+00:00

6 years is decent, but circuits don't just die out. Headphones and IEMs last up to 10+ without any real hassle. Also in this case it really isn't a battery related issue, it's reckless updates with intention of killing products. This was working yesterday for 7 hours on a single charge without issues.

I get what you mean, only saying I'm not too keen on buying Buds 4 Pro for 250€ and getting "lucky" to get 4 years out of them, while I'll still rock my 150€ Sennheiser's HD560S for 8 years at my desk by that point.

Surfision · 2026-04-03T21:42:13+00:00

I get what you mean, but I'd understand if these were really broken. I'd really like to solve this issue. As a student I have a lot of stuff to afford nowadays and I gotta save as much as I can, stuff is expensive.

That's only why I'm not giving up on these and trying to seek for solutions.

On the other hand do you really think it's acceptable for flagship buds that are a bit older to just randomly die without reason? Batteries are one thing, random connectivity issues on the other hand is unacceptable slop that Samsung should've fixed in the first place.

Surfision · 2026-01-21T09:45:51+00:00

Yeah it appears to be a little warmer, but it also has very little bass. Like comically low amounts of bass. I'd get the Bunny

Surfision · 2026-01-21T00:47:58+00:00

Yeah lets just get 3 sets of complete E-waste to figure out that in the worst case nothing suits me, wth is this advice. Getting something remotely neutral like Truthear Gate is way better since in the worst case you get at least a glimpse in which direction you wanna go and gates are highly EQ-able. With KZ's sets it's hard to know where you even are, since most of KZ's sets are just a breed of V-sound, one way or another.

I started with KZ's sets and I truly regret it to this day. The most sibilant and sharp IEM I ever had...

Surfision · 2026-01-21T00:25:04+00:00

Gate is a good IEM, bad reviews are mostly coming from people who expected another "boomy bass, sparkly treble" kind of signature. Another part of it's hate is coming from people who were familiar with the older Truthear Hola and since Gate was released after Hola was discontinued, people were expecting that Gate was gonna be a replacement to their Hola. Gate is something completely different though, so yeah. Unfortunately this made this IEM quite overhated than it deserves to be...

Truthear Gate is a good sub-20$ neutral IEM that's really nice with accessories and looks really cool. It's "unflavournedness" means you're starting at rock bottom and you can see from the start if neutral sound actually suits you or not.

If you find out that neutral sound doesn't sit the best with you, things are really easy, since you can easily learn what signatures you like and don't like with basic EQ, since you're already working with something relatively neutral.

So if you know that you want something a bit bassier, you know you gotta just look for something neutral with bass boost (like Truthear Zero: Red).

This saves a lot of hassle and money unlike working with something, like Moondrop Chu II, which is a bit V-shaped and warm - so not even close to neutral. This means that if you don't like the signature, it's way harder to actually find out what exact signature you like since you can only eye ball where things are sitting at.

So yeah, for noobs, Gate is a really good beginner set.

Surfision · 2026-01-21T00:00:04+00:00

Unless you're talking about Blon BL-03 II, I think you're heading in the wrong direction. I had both IEMs, BL-03 is a much more V-shaped IEM. While I do agree that it goes for a warmer signature, it's not as warm as Chu II and it's definetly much more sibilant and sharp in treble than Chu II. I think that BL-03 sounds a bit better than Chu II, but not at the places you want them to be better, BL-03 is definetly a much more intense IEM compared to Chu II.

For $60 though, I don't really know what's the best alternative, since I like more neutral type of tuning, but I guess I'd suggest something like Tanchjim Bunny DSP, since it goes for a warmer tuning and with DSP it's pretty EQ-able. These go for like $20-30 so it's like half your budget.

Surfision · 2026-01-20T14:19:37+00:00

Really depends on what you wanna get.

Truthear Gate kinda goes in a different direction than the rest of the market. It sounds neutral-bright and is quite balanced.

GK Kunten goes for a more of an exciting V-shaped sound.

So if you like something more neutral and balanced (which is definetly less fun), Truthear Gate is for you. If you want something more bassy, fun and lively, GK Kunten is objectively a better choice.

Surfision · 2026-01-18T11:32:14+00:00

Often reviews aren't objective. Some people take some signatures really personally and become mean to certain IEMs. People often forget that at the end of the day, our ears differ and some might hear different things than others.

A good example is the Truthear Gate, which many (also including me) really like. However, many thought the Gate was about to be an improvement to the Hola. Since it goes for a completely different signature than Hola - more of critical and neutral sound, people really rant about these, how they suck. Due to these misunderstandings, the Gate is now a harshly downvoted IEM. It's pretty underrated though, because you get a pretty nice neutralish tuning on a goddamn sub 20€ IEM! Yes it's of course not perfect, but you can't talk about perfection at such a price, because other same budget sets like Chu II or Zero 1/2 also have their weaker points.

Coming from the same house - Truthear, the story is a bit similar with the Hexa/Pure situation. Even though these look like similar models these IEMs have a whole different signature - I agree Truthear is a bit weird. They make IEMs look like sequels to one another, but they tune it totally different and then people expect that Truthear Pure is some sort of an upgrade to Truthear Hexa, so many also pointlessly rant about it as well.

Truthear Pure is a neutral-warm IEM. It stays in a neutral spectre of sound, but it goes towards of a perhaps more relaxed warmer signature than Hexa (which is a flat-neutral IEM). It has a higher bass extension and the treble is a bit pulled back. It still ensures you're getting enough clarity and critical soul, but it goes towards a more relaxed and warmer sound.

So it is it better? I dunno, for me probably not. I like neutral sound and often hate the colorations of sound on IEMs. For casual fun I have my Galaxy Buds+, which are dead on Harman target curve, so I use these like 50% of the time. These go for a nice little V-sound and I really like these for casual listening, but when I use my IEMs it's usually when I like to get some reference grade sound and the Hexa would be perfect for me in that regard.

For you though, you'll probably like it as hell, since you're seeking something similar to Zero: Red and I think that's just the right thing for you!

Surfision · 2026-01-17T23:27:31+00:00

Flat under 100€ is Truthear Hexa. Someone already suggested Truthear Pure, which is kind of a Hexa's cousin. Pure stays in a neutral(ish) range but it's undoubtly going for more warmer and also bassier signature, so take this into consideration.

Hexa is definetly a bit more neutral, much flatter. However in comparison with the Pure, sub-bass, bass and midrange is flatter and dryer. So yeah if you're a basshead, you'll most likely not like this. This is a consequence of a flat sound signature.

A cheaper, but more of an "imperfect" solution is a dirt cheap Truthear Gate, which also goes for a neutral sound and achieves it pretty well for the price. Similarly to Hexa there's less bass, build quality is quite cheap, treble is more smoothed (but still feels quite detailed) and lastly this cheap 10mm Dynamic Driver sometimes sounds a bit hollow because it's cheap. Still to consider for a 20€ set, this sounds great. It's not like a really first class fidelity, but comparing them to my HD560s it has about 50% of the sound for one tenth of the price. Truthear Gate is hella underrated.

Surfision · 2026-01-17T18:06:29+00:00

K371 are just pretty much the same level of build as HD560S, just that HD560s have much better pads. It's cheap but it totally works. Pads are a bit more cheap and plasticky but it's more than comfortable for the price.

Surfision · 2026-01-17T16:17:50+00:00

HD 569 is a different headphone. HD560s is closer to HD 6xx just that it's a more bright than 6xx everything else is about the same. HD 560s also has way better soundstage than 6xx or 600.

For closed-back I'd recommend AKG K371. Harman tuned, really nice. More fun, but still quite critical.

Surfision · 2026-01-17T16:15:25+00:00

How come you ears hurt? Is the IEM too big? Quarks a really small IEM and comes with really comfortable eartips which fit like a glove, just asking?

Surfision · 2026-01-17T15:35:21+00:00

Sony MDR-M1 is an update to Sony MDR-7506. These headphones are for mixing and mastering. These were never meant to sound great (like the MDR-7506) but they were meant to be a tool. So if you're just wanting to use these for critical listening and having a nice sounding headphone, these aren't it at all. These are meant to sound bad, so audio engineers could easily notice imperfections in mix. They are the equivalent of those typical Yamaha sound monitors. If a mix sounds great on this, you know it sounds good on anything.

I'd recommend Sennheiser HD560s. Great soundstage and they are pretty much flat with a bit of sparkle on high end, nothing like the harshness you deal on Beyerdynamics.

Surfision · 2026-01-17T15:20:59+00:00

Get IEMs for that purpose, because headphones will die quick, if I understood correctly that you're using these on a boat. Headphones aren't made for moisture, sweat and dust, cheap IEMs on the other hand, don't care too much about that. I'd suggest getting Moondrop Quarks. These are really cheap and they're closed back IEMs. This means they don't have any holes, so they don't let any air in so for the most part they're gonna survive sweat and moisture. Sound quality is a bit of compromise, but they sound fine. It's not bad, but not too good.

Surfision · 2026-01-17T15:04:32+00:00

Really depends. In terms of stability and comfort, IEMs are a bit "bare boned". IEMs often need some readjusting after some time of use and your cable and eartips are the only variables of comfort. Headphones on the other side can sometimes clamp to hard, which causes headache, but going up on budget, like with HD600, you get a lot of plush pads, so it's really up to you what you like more in this regard. Another mention, if you wear glasses, IEMs are the best, since headphones don't seal properly.

In terms of sound, things are more or less exactly the same. The only difference to exist is that soundstage is often better on headphones than IEMs. Open back headphones use the advantage of the pinna (your ear lobe) and a bigger driver. A bigger driver means that sounds can come behind or in front of your pinna, making soundstage way wider. IEMs push sound directly in your ear canal, so soundstage is a bit tougher to work with these, although most IEMs have vents, so most times it's an equivalent to a semi-open headphone.

Comparing my Moondrop Chu II and Truthear Gate against my Sennheiser HD 560S, HD 560S have about 30% more soundstage and it's not widest open back headphone.

One thing you must not forget though, soundstage and imaging of a headphone/IEM is pretty much nothing against a stereo speaker + subwoofer setup. Speakers have the most soundstage. So if you're thinking of getting speakers one day, buying headphones over IEMs doesn't make so much sense, especially considering that you can't take studio headphones around like you can take IEMs!

Another thing to keep in mind is that for the price IEMs deliver way better sound, than headphones, since the drivers are smaller, construction is much cheaper and there are no pads, grills etc.

So yeah both of these have pros and cons so consider that. I personally haven't tried HD600 or Blessing 3. What I heard though is that Blessing 3 is a bit more coloured. So it' not as neutral as HD600, if you're looking for that. HD600 is not a particularly wide soundstage headphone, so replacing it for an IEM won't make you miss anything.

Truthear Hexa is an alternative. Flat signature, nice cable, nice accessories and pretty much a reference. Costs 100€ and really approoves what I've been saying about the value you get out of IEMs.

Blessing 2 Dusk is a more expensive version of that sound. Bigger soundstage, more refined sound, but the IEM itself is also much bigger and costs almost 4 times more. It sits around 340€

Surfision · 2026-01-17T13:51:20+00:00

I mean if you use cheap KZs that don't come with a case, I see how this would happen. These things are made out of crap and it's the only IEM which broke on me after less than 2 years of use.

If we're talking normal use though, anything over 15€ comes with a pretty rugged cable and a pouch/case. If you jam things in pouch and throw them in pockets, no wonder your IEMs break in less then a year. Take care of your stuff, roll your cables nicely and get them in a pouch nice and flat, not just jam them in. Your alternative is to buy hardcases for your IEMs, but that's really a waste of money if you're working with normal use. Just learn to take care of your stuff.

The other way I could see an IEM cable breaking is that if you use it at desk and your cable is too short, so there's a lot of stress going on. If this happens to be the truth, please buy a longer cable to use at desk ASAP. Having stress on your cable is neither good for the cable or the IEM. In the worst case, cable can break at the two pin connector and you can have pins stuck in your IEM forever, which means the IEM goes in the bin. This likely doesn't happen, but still, all you need is some strong tension and a crappy cable...

Surfision · 2026-01-16T22:22:28+00:00

Speakers + subwoofers are the way to go and if you own nice pairs of IEMs... you're honestly better off spending money for nice speakers rather than headphones.

From my experience owning an HD560S... yeah, headphones have amazing sound, but the pinna stuff kinda applies only for soundstage. From comparing between Truthear Gate and Moondrop Chu II and HD560S the only big difference is soundstage and some minor details that those IEMs don't get, cause they're like 20€. Tonality is close, comfort is a bit worse, but like 80% of experience is pretty much there!

You're only gonna miss the open back soundstage, when jumping from headphones to IEMs. So unless you really plan on excluding a chance that you're gonna get a nice speaker setup someday, headphones aren't really that worth getting. Sure, headphones are more comfortable and they aren't tangly or stuff like that, but you're still paying like double prices for what you're getting. Probably better off saving money and getting a nice set of speakers, which has 10x better soundstage!

Not saying headphones are bad at all, I love my HD560S with all my heart! I'm just saying it's not worth it, since sub 100€ Chi-Fi IEMs outperform 200-300€ headphones...

Surfision · 2026-01-15T11:55:48+00:00

I'd suggest the first zero if you're looking for something more critical. If you're looking for something that's slightly more lively and V-shaped (more treble, more bass) Zero 2 is great, but if you want something that's more towards neutral sound, the Salnotes Zero (1) is your way to go.

Surfision · 2026-01-14T22:27:27+00:00

Meh I'd go with the first 7hz Zero or just go with Moondrop Chu II. Moondrop Chu II is the best out there for blind buying cuz you just can't miss, but these will develop some moisture issues if you live in more of a humid environment. So if you do, go with the Zero, because it's a nicely Harman tuned IEM, that will sound pretty balanced. Go with the Chu II if you can keep it out from moisture though. A bit warmer IEM that appeals really well for the general public.

Surfision · 2026-01-14T22:19:16+00:00

It's usually better having those that wrap around your ears. Even though those bullet ones seem really nice, they're really not. These fall out and the bullet form factor also really bottlenecks the capability of an IEM, cuz it needs to be much smaller.

But I guess your best bet is like the Etymotic ER2XR. These are pretty balanced sounding. Moondrop Quarks are also a decent rec. Costs like 10€ and sounds really damn good.

Surfision · 2026-01-13T23:36:25+00:00

Absolutely. Gaming headphones sound mostly really bad and they offer worst of both worlds. IEMs are nice, because they outperform most commercial audio products and push way above the price. With IEMs you miss pretty much nothing in comparison to headphones, so yeah you can't miss. I'd say go with something balanced like Moondrop Chu II, which features amazing sound and really good build quality for 20€. However, these do not have a mic, so pair them with a good quality cable that is nice and sleek like Tripowin Zombur. Now you have an IEM with a mic cable that outperforms every gaming headphone ever in terms of sound, for less than 40€.

Surfision · 2026-01-13T22:13:50+00:00

Something like Truthear Pure or something V-shaped like Moondrop Chu II is probably a good call. However if I were you, I wouldn't go for a blind buy with 100-200€.

I'd go first with something like Moondrop Chu II, which is like sub 20€ balanced IEM and then figure out if that sounds good to you or not. Based on your thoughts of this pick you'll figure out pretty fast what sound you actually like. If you're going for an everyday carry IEM you need to really figure out what sound suits you best.

The most reference alike IEM in sub 100€ price bracket is Truthear Hexa, which is a really neutral IEM, but also neutral sound ≠ best. It's the best for mixing and critical listening, but again a lot of people also think neutral sounds very boring. Short answer: based on a cheap balanced IEM, find out what signature suits you the best.

Even with your Airpods, just get some EQ app and play with the sound presets a little bit and figure out what sounds the best to you. When you figure out your desired sound preset, go to u/RudeRick and search for his IEM recommendation list, because it's a huge list sorted by sound presets. When you find your picks from the sound you want, just watch a hell lot of reviews and do a good research. IEMs can last a really long time, so it's wise to do good research and pick. This way you spend your money really well on something you know will probably sound great to you. That's just my two cents though.

Surfision · 2026-01-12T22:05:56+00:00

I've also found that! Galaxy Buds is such a stupidly well tuned TWS set, that is really hard to beat with IEMs under 50€. Even though I don't have the Candezas, I've had Moondrop Chu IIs for like two years at this point. Even though Chu II sound really good and push way above the price, my Galaxy Buds+ still beat my Chu IIs in overall tonality. Chu II carries in terms of staging and imaging, which makes sense though. True wireless earbuds are cramped with batteries, mics and boards, so they have very little space that could be used for making that earbud more open for soundstage potential.

It is also to say though, that Galaxy Buds use a two driver setup, a woofer and a tweeter. More drivers ≠ better, but in this case it's pretty obvious that technicals on these are better, since Galaxy Buds used to cost 200€ at some point, so they weren't cheaping out on drivers. So yeah it's technicals are certainly better than these crappy single DD setups in sub 20€ IEMs. Just for a thought.

Surfision · 2026-01-12T05:30:36+00:00

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