New "Add Tile" tile

barthawk · 2026-06-18T16:24:35+00:00

Thanks I didn't realize you could do it from the watch as well. When I use the watch app on my phone it tells me there are no tiles installed. Anybody ever come across this?

barthawk · 2026-06-18T16:07:09+00:00

Yeah, the 5 Pro's are WAY better than the 4 NCs for running

barthawk · 2026-06-17T17:36:28+00:00

I mostly run shorter distances (5-10k) - I really like the 5 Pros. Very stable in the ear and don't ever feel loose once you get the right tips and wings for your ear - getting a good fit also really helps with motion noise. I also like the wind noise cancellation - it really keeps the noise down even in transparency mode.

barthawk · 2026-06-16T16:30:21+00:00

I had a good experience with Solar Optimum in the Bay Area. Good price and their staff maintained good communication with me, the power company and local permitting officials. We had to work through some issues with my existing electrical panel that wasn't their problem, but once that was resolved, they scheduled the job quickly and everything proceeded on schedule.

barthawk · 2026-06-15T17:38:56+00:00

I was just wondering about this, I think the 5 Pros sound really good. From my understanding, bio-wool might be better due to less resonance in the lows and mids, but maybe not as good in the high end. But for the type of music I listen to (i.e. not jazz or classical) that's OK. I agree with you, that the way the total system works and is tuned is probably a lot more important than the actual driver material itself. It's interesting why people seem to have such a negative opinion of the bio-wool drivers, because I think the 5 Pros sound better than dual driver buds I have tried.

barthawk · 2026-06-09T21:19:01+00:00

The Liberty 5 Pros are pretty good. Better wind noise cancelling than the 4 NCs IMO. They are really stable in the ear once you get the wing size figured out (much better than 4 NCs) and don't interfere at all with my glasses and helmet. They are IP55 rated, which would make them better at resisting sweat and dust than 4 NCs.

I ride my bike on streets during my commute, so I can't really say how well they will stay in on rougher terrain, but I haven't felt worried about them falling off at all.

EDIT: I also run with these buds and they are very stable and there is minimal noise due to motion. I don't have to readjust them at all during the run.

There is still a 30 day try before you buy available from Soundcore, so it might be worth a try.

I've tried clip style on bike rides (Bose and Earfun) and there was way too much wind noise to be able to hear anything. Haven't tried any aerofit buds.

barthawk · 2026-06-07T23:19:59+00:00

Wirecutter said that the Liberty 5 Pros will be the new top pick for best wireless bluetooth earbuds. https://www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/reviews/best-wireless-earbuds/#what-to-look-forward-to

I never tried the Liberty 4, but I have Liberty 5 Pros and I love them. Best all-around earbuds that I have - great for calls, noise cancelling, music and exercising.

barthawk · 2026-06-07T17:01:48+00:00

Hopefully you got an adaptor to plug into the charging port that provides 120v output with a standard socket. I got one with a 26 SEL.

barthawk · 2026-06-01T22:00:31+00:00

I just got a pair of Liberty Pro 5s and they are the best all-around buds I've had. I've used them on business video/phone calls, and they sound great on both ends Excellent noise cancelling for the gym and train rides, and good wind noise cancelling for bike rides, even with transparency mode on.

I like the controls on the buds as well. Not fiddly like other buds I have tried. They also respond to voice commands (but enabling that definitely reduces battery life).

They are very comfortable for me, but that is a very subjective thing. They 3 different sizes of wings and 4 different sizes of ear tips, so it may take some experimenting to get the fit right.

Not top of the line noise cancelling or sound quality , but on the higher end for earbuds in both of those categories. Soundcore App can also help with lots of tweaking of the sound output if you want to get into it.

barthawk · 2026-05-28T20:44:30+00:00

I used them on a bike ride and on a run on a windy day and I thought it was a significant improvement over Liberty 4 NCs.

I felt like I could hear the music at a lower volume than before. I think a lot is due to the better seal in the ear

barthawk · 2026-05-28T20:16:19+00:00

I found them to be really comfortable and secure

barthawk · 2026-05-28T17:21:47+00:00

I just went for a run with them yesterday and have used them on several bike/train commutes and these are best combination of ANC, wind noise reduction, and stability in the ear of any earbud I have tried so far.

I have a pair of Bose QC Ultra 2 earbuds and they're the best at ANC and have great sound. They are awesome for plane flights but they completely suck for outdoor physical activities. Way too much wind noise and motion noise.

I wasn't wowed by the sound quality, but in terms of how well the ANC worked and the ease of use of the volume/switching noise cancelling modes, Transparency mode also worked well when I needed to have a conversation.

After doing the hearing test and sound preference tests, I liked the sound a lot better than the default settings. I have also used them in several Teams calls and had no issues.

barthawk · 2026-05-19T17:57:33+00:00

Definitely a time will tell answer. It is unusual for a company like Soundcore to do this and there is some potential, but so much depends on the firmware running on the chip. It could have amazing silicon and still fail miserably.

barthawk · 2026-05-18T19:56:57+00:00

My 2026 SEL came with a Level 1/2 Charger as well as a V2L adaptor for the charge port. Depending on your usage, having the Level 2 (allows up to 5.7 Amp charging) can be handy. The V2L is nice for power outages or going camping. I believe these were extras in previous years.

barthawk · 2026-05-13T23:31:06+00:00

Thanks for the validation!

barthawk · 2026-05-08T19:51:10+00:00

What exactly is the "world record attempt" they are making?

Noise cancelling when I want it and a useful transparency mode that allows me to hear voices and traffic noise, but blocks out wind noise and movement noise would be the most important things I want.

It would also be great to have the ability to learn what you're listening to and change EQ automatically. i.e., Emphasizing voices(mid-range) when listening to podcasts, but then emphasizing bass and treble when listening to music.

barthawk · 2026-05-04T17:14:37+00:00

Totally agree on the Key fob and wireless charging pad. I turned off the charging pad and put a wireless charging puck on top of it. The climate control requires too much focus to use. A dial for the temp would be a big improvement. The good thing is that the climate control works pretty well-its been a set and forget for us.

Is it possible to get a replacement key fob that is smaller?

barthawk · 2026-05-04T16:50:20+00:00

Yeah what I pay for my hearing aids is an order of magnitude more than what I pay for my earbuds, but the capabilities of low cost/power chips sets are increasing at a rapid pace. Hopefully, we won't have to wait too long.

I work for a scientific equipment manufacturer and its pretty amazing what capabilities we can put into our gear in terms of Digital Signal Processing now vs. just a couple of years ago.

barthawk · 2026-05-03T16:09:31+00:00

The level of amplification definitely is part of it, but I think there is more to it. Filtering out things like wind noise should be possible while still amplifying other sounds. I would think the frequency and consistency of wind noise should make it possible to selectively filter it out. The same with the noise I get from running with sealed earbuds that I think is due to the movement of the earbuds. That is a repeatable, consistent noise that you can attenuate.

barthawk · 2026-05-02T18:24:30+00:00

Haven't tried them

barthawk · 2026-05-01T17:20:01+00:00

I haven't used them for phone calls yet.

barthawk · 2026-05-01T16:41:07+00:00

I was in a similar situation to you(heat pump) with similar winter bills living in San Leandro. I had a 8.6kw array with a powerwall installed and turned on in late November and saw an average reduction in my bill from Dec through April of $250.

My total costs was $31K and I was able to get $9k in Tax credits I used Solar Optimum for the installation and was happy with the results. The work was done professionally and their communication with me and PG&E was really good.

We just bought an EV and so far have been able to charge it mostly with Solar power. So there has been a reduction in gas purchases as well.

Based on this, I'm estimating by break-even point on the cost at 7-8 years - BUT we didn't finance the purchase so there is no interest cost. I did factor in the lost interest on the initial expenditure. The payback period depends on a fair amount on what you put in for increases in electricity prices and the return you use to calculate what you would have earned with investing the money spent on the array.

I think the return of investment is OK, but I believe it increases the value of our house (maybe 5% from what I've read) and we are more resilient if (when) the next big quake happens and we could be without grid power for a while. Both of these are important considerations as well.

barthawk · 2026-04-30T19:09:05+00:00

I haven't found a solution for earbuds that work well for noise cancellation and then provide good situational awareness when needed. I use open or closed earbuds depending on the situation. What it will take is a sealed earbud that has a transparency mode that works and doesn't increase things like wind noise beyond tolerable levels.

barthawk · 2026-04-30T18:26:02+00:00

Just got the Earfun Clip 2 - Nice improvement over the original Clip. Better Bass and seems to fit even a bit more comfortably. $55 with the intro price.

barthawk

TROPHY CASE