How We Research
We compare products from their published specs and features; the verdicts below are our independent editorial opinions.
If you want maximum passive noise isolation with zero batteries, choose Direct Sound EX29; if you need wireless freedom, active noise cancellation and a smart assistant in your ear, choose Google Pixel Buds Pro.
• Direct Sound EX29 — biggest strength: 29 dB of natural passive isolation from closed-back dynamic drivers, with no batteries or charging ever required.
• Direct Sound EX29 — biggest trade-off: It's a wired, over-ear studio headphone at 1.1 pounds with no active noise cancellation and no wireless mode.
• Google Pixel Buds Pro — biggest strength: Pro-level Active Noise Cancellation with Silent Seal 2.0, Adaptive Audio, Gemini voice help and up to 30 hours of battery with the case.
• Google Pixel Buds Pro — biggest trade-off: In-ear buds depend on a good seal and a charged battery, and they're wireless-only with no wired option listed.
• Who the EX29 is for: drummers, tracking musicians, DJs and anyone who wants the outside world gone without plugging in a charger.
• Who the Pixel Buds Pro is for: commuters, travelers, gym-goers and anyone who lives on their phone and wants features, not isolation alone.
The EX29 is a specialist tool, and it doesn't pretend otherwise. Direct Sound built it around 29 dB of passive isolation — "environmentally responsible natural isolation," as the spec sheet puts it, meaning no batteries, no charging case, no firmware. The closed-back dynamic drivers cover a full 20 Hz to 20,000 Hz range, and the whole thing is wired: a straight stereo 3.5 mm gold-plated plug with a screw-on 1/4-inch gold-plated adapter, so it works with a phone, a laptop, a mixer or a headphone amp without hunting for dongles.
The build details tell you who this is aimed at. An IncrediFlex padded, fully adjustable headband, over-ear earcups, and a foldable design for storage — that's a headphone designed to be worn for long sessions and then thrown in a gig bag. The 1.1-pound weight is the honest cost of that: this is not a featherweight you forget you're wearing. The 1/4-inch adapter and the model's classification as DJ headphones point at studio, stage and practice-room use rather than a commute.
Buy it if you're a drummer tracking to a click, a musician playing live, a DJ working in a loud room, or anyone who wants isolation that works even when the battery in everything else is dead. Skip it if you want wireless audio, active noise cancellation, voice assistants or spatial sound — the EX29 offers none of those, on purpose. It's a wired isolation instrument, and it's excellent at exactly that.
The Pixel Buds Pro 2 is the opposite philosophy: pack as much intelligence and adaptability as possible into a tiny in-ear bud. Google's headline claim is a twist-to-adjust fit — rotate the stabilizer one way to lock them in for workouts, the other way for all-day comfort. That's a genuinely useful idea, because in-ear buds live or die on fit, and a mechanical adjuster is a more honest solution than hoping one tip size works for everyone. Google also includes three additional eartip sizes in the box.
On sound and noise, the specs are specific: 11 mm drivers with a high-frequency chamber for bass and treble, Active Noise Cancellation with Silent Seal 2.0 that Google says cancels up to twice as much noise as before, plus Adaptive Audio so you can stay aware of your surroundings while loud spaces get tamped down. There's spatial audio with head tracking for a surround-style effect, and the buds run on a Tensor chip built for Gemini — the Google AI assistant you can talk to for lists, ideas and scheduling, with audio processing tuned for calls in noisy places.
Buy it if you want one pair of buds for commuting, calls, workouts and travel, and you like the idea of voice help and adaptive noise handling. Skip it if you need guaranteed isolation with no charging involved, or you want a wired connection — the Pixel Buds Pro is wireless Bluetooth only, and its noise cancellation depends on battery and a proper seal.
• Best for passive isolation → Direct Sound EX29. 29 dB of natural isolation with no electronics involved, which matters most in genuinely loud rooms.
• Best for active noise cancellation → Google Pixel Buds Pro. Silent Seal 2.0 ANC and Adaptive Audio are the whole point of this model.
• Best for never charging → Direct Sound EX29. Wired, battery-free, always ready.
• Best for battery life → Google Pixel Buds Pro. Up to 30 hours with the charging case, per Google's specs.
• Best for studio, stage and DJ work → Direct Sound EX29. Over-ear, foldable, 1/4-inch adapter included, built for long sessions.
• Best for commuting, calls and travel → Google Pixel Buds Pro. Wireless, in-ear, Gemini voice help and clear-call processing.
• Best for workouts → Google Pixel Buds Pro. The twist-to-adjust stabilizer exists precisely to keep buds locked in during exercise.
• Best for pure wired audio purity → Direct Sound EX29. No codecs, no pairing, no firmware — just a cable and drivers.
In my opinion, these two don't really compete — they solve different problems, and you should buy the one that matches yours. If I needed isolation that never runs out and I was working in a studio, on a stage or behind a DJ booth, I'd buy the Direct Sound EX29 without hesitation. If I wanted one pair of earbuds for the bus, the gym, calls and everything in between, I'd buy the Google Pixel Buds Pro. My honest tiebreaker: the EX29 does one job exceptionally and never asks for a charger; the Pixel Buds Pro does ten jobs well and asks for one every few days. Pick based on which of those describes your life. Either way, check the current price on Amazon before you commit.
No. It's a wired headphone with a 3.5 mm jack and a screw-on 1/4-inch adapter. There's no Bluetooth and no battery, which is exactly why its isolation never depends on a charge.
Does the Google Pixel Buds Pro have better noise cancellation than the EX29?
The Pixel Buds Pro, in my opinion. Its twist-to-adjust stabilizer is designed to lock the buds in during workouts, and it's wireless with no cable to snag. The EX29 is a 1.1-pound over-ear headphone — better suited to sitting or standing still.
It depends on your job for them. If you need wired isolation for music work, the EX29 gives you one thing done thoroughly with no charging overhead. If you want all-day wireless features, ANC and assistant help, the Pixel Buds Pro covers far more ground. Check the current price on Amazon for both and decide against how you'll actually use them.
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