Products
Sony PULSE Explore Truly Wireless
Sony INZONE Buds Truly Wireless
Tested using Methodology v2.0
Updated Dec 22, 2025 06:55 PM
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Tested using Methodology v2.0
Updated Dec 12, 2025 04:57 PM
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TypeIn-ear
Noise CancellingNo
EnclosureClosed-Back
Bass Amount
Emphasized (3 dB)
WirelessTruly Wireless
TransducerPlanar Magnetic
Treble Amount
Slightly Underemphasized (-3 dB)
MicYes
Sound Signature
Warm
TypeIn-ear
Noise CancellingYes
EnclosureClosed-Back
Bass Amount
Slightly Emphasized (2 dB)
WirelessTruly Wireless
TransducerDynamic
Treble Amount
Balanced (0 dB)
MicYes
Sound Signature
Warm
Our Verdict
Sony PULSE Explore Truly Wireless
Sony INZONE Buds Truly Wireless
The Sony INZONE Buds Truly Wireless are better for most uses than the Sony PULSE Explore Truly Wireless. The INZONE have a longer battery life, a better mic performance, and a better noise isolation performance, thanks to their ANC feature. They also include a dedicated app with sound customization features. On the other hand, the PULSE support more common Bluetooth codecs (SBC and AAC), so you can use their dongle to connect with PlayStation consoles and stream audio from your phone simultaneously.
Variants
- PULSE Explore (White)
- INZONE Buds (Black)
- INZONE Buds (White)
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White
PULSE Explore
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INZONE Buds
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PULSE Explore
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INZONE Buds
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PULSE Explore
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PULSE Explore
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Main Differences for
Sports And Fitness
Sports And Fitness
Threshold
Sports And Fitness
7.7
6.9
Bluetooth Connection
8.0
3.3
Stability
7.5
7.0
Full Comparison
Sound
Sound Profile
Sound Profile
Normalization Frequency
850 Hz
1,300 Hz
Bass Amount
Emphasized (3 dB)
Slightly Emphasized (2 dB)
Treble Amount
Slightly Underemphasized (-3 dB)
Balanced (0 dB)
Sound Signature
Warm
Warm
Frequency Response Consistency
6.4
8.6
Consistency L
Consistency R
Std. Deviation
1.21 dB
0.60 dB
Bass Profile: Target Compliance
8.7
8.6
Bass Profile: Target Compliance
RMS Deviation From Target
3.4 dB
3.4 dB
Low-Frequency Extension
20 Hz
20 Hz
Low Bass
4.18 dB
0.04 dB
Mid Bass
3.09 dB
3.21 dB
High Bass
1.89 dB
5.31 dB
Mid-Range Profile: Target Compliance
9.6
8.5
Mid-Range Profile: Target Compliance
RMS Deviation From Target
0.76 dB
2.06 dB
Low Mid
-0.12 dB
1.99 dB
Mid-Mid
-0.89 dB
-0.83 dB
High Mid
-0.1 dB
0.53 dB
Treble Profile: Target Compliance
6.2
9.5
Treble Profile: Target Compliance
RMS Deviation From Target
5.02 dB
2.03 dB
Low Treble
-1.29 dB
-0.17 dB
Mid Treble
-4.37 dB
-0.67 dB
High Treble
-12.16 dB
-7.33 dB
Peaks/Dips
7.3
7.2
Peaks/Dips Graph
Peaks
1.49 dB
1.2 dB
Dips
1.95 dB
3.6 dB
Stereo Mismatch
5.9
8.2
Frequency Response Mismatch
Phase Response Mismatch
Weighted Amplitude Mismatch
0.71 dB
0.27 dB
Weighted Frequency Response Mismatch
2.08 dB
0.46 dB
Weighted Phase Mismatch
5.1°
1.7°
Cumulative Spectral Decay
CSD
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PRTF
0.0
0.0
PRTF
PRTF Accuracy (RMS Deviation)
N/A
N/A
PRTF Size (Avg.)
N/A
N/A
PRTF Distance
N/A
N/A
Harmonic Distortion
9.1
9.0
Harmonics Levels
THD Ratio
WHD @ 94 dB SPL
0.09%
0.06%
WHD @ 104 dB SPL
0.15%
0.34%
Electrical Aspects
Impedance
Sensitivity @1kHz-1V
N/A
N/A
Bluetooth Max SPL
98.8 dB
N/A
Virtual Soundstage
0.0
2.0
Virtual Soundstage
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Head Modeling
No
No
Speaker Modeling
No
On/Off
Room Ambience
No
No
Head Tracking
No
No
Virtual Surround
No
Sony Spatial Sound
Test Settings
Firmware
0137
02.000.002
Power
On
On
Connection
Wireless (Proprietary)
Wireless (Proprietary)
Codec
PCM, 16-bit, 48kHz
PCM, 16-bit, 48kHz
Test Instrument
Audio Precision APx517B
Audio Precision APx517B
EQ
Default
Flat
ANC
No ANC
On
Tip/Pad
Silicone (medium)
Silicone (small)
Microphone
Integrated
Integrated
Design
Style
Design Picture 2
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Type
In-ear
In-ear
Enclosure
Closed-Back
Closed-Back
Wireless
Truly Wireless
Truly Wireless
Transducer
Planar Magnetic
Dynamic
Comfort
7.0
7.0
Comfort Picture
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Weight
0.03 lbs
0.03 lbs
Clamping Force
0 lbs
0 lbs
Controls
5.2
6.7
Controls Picture
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OS Compatibility
Not OS specific
Not OS specific
Ease Of Use
Good
Good
Feedback
Decent
Good
Call/Music Control
No
No
Volume Control
Yes
Yes
Microphone Control
No
Mute/Unmute
Channel Mixing
No
No
Noise Cancelling Control
No
On/Off
Talk-Through
No
On/Off
Additional Controls
No
No
Portability
9.4
9.5
Portability Picture
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L
1.4" (3.7 cm)
1.4" (3.5 cm)
W
1.0" (2.7 cm)
1.5" (3.8 cm)
H
1.1" (2.9 cm)
0.7" (1.7 cm)
Volume
1.77 in³ (28.97 cm³)
1.38 in³ (22.61 cm³)
Transmitter Required
Yes
Yes
Case
7.0
7.0
Case Picture
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Type
Hard case
Hard case
L
1.5" (3.9 cm)
2.2" (5.6 cm)
W
3.5" (8.8 cm)
1.9" (4.9 cm)
H
1.7" (4.2 cm)
1.6" (4.1 cm)
Volume
8.80 in³ (144.14 cm³)
6.87 in³ (112.50 cm³)
Build Quality
7.0
7.0
Build Quality Picture
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Stability
7.5
7.0
Stability Picture
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Headshots 1
Angled Picture
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Side Picture
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Headshots 2
Front Picture
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Rear Picture
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Top
Top Picture
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In The Box
In The Box Picture
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Isolation
Noise Isolation - Full Range
4.5
8.1
Noise Isolation - Full Range Graph
Noise Cancelling
No
Yes
Overall Attenuation
-10.71 dB
-21.02 dB
Bass
-2.06 dB
-15.57 dB
Mid
-10.23 dB
-20.57 dB
Treble
-21.70 dB
-28.13 dB
Noise Isolation - Common Scenarios
4.9
7.8
Noise Isolation - Common Scenarios Graph
Airplane Noise Attenuation
-11.13 dB
-18.22 dB
Airplane Noise Isolation Audio
Office Noise Attenuation
-11.67 dB
-18.40 dB
Office Noise Isolation Audio
Street Noise Attenuation
-12.60 dB
-19.94 dB
Street Noise Isolation Audio
Noise Isolation - Voice Handling
Female Voice 1
Male Voice 1
Female Voice 2
Male Voice 2
Microphone
Microphone Style
Integrated
Yes
Yes
In-Line
No
No
Boom
No
No
Detachable Boom
No
No
Mic
Yes
Yes
Recording Quality
5.4
6.5
Microphone Frequency Response
Recorded Speech
LFE
84.76 Hz
195.85 Hz
FR Std. Dev.
8.46 dB
4.34 dB
HFE
13,279.64 Hz
6,001.45 Hz
Weighted THD
30,625.132
5.012
Gain
-14.58 dB
-6.54 dB
Noise Handling
6.3
6.8
SpNR
SpNR
7.69 dB
17.3 dB
Noise Gate
Always On
Always On
Speech + Pink Noise Handling
6.5
7.0
Speech + Pink Noise Audio Sample
Speech + Subway Noise Handling
6.0
6.5
Speech + Subway Noise Audio Sample
Active Features
Battery
5.9
7.8
Battery Type
Rechargable
Rechargable
Continuous Battery Life
5 hrs
12 hrs
Additional Charges
2.0
1.0
Total Battery Life
15 hrs
24 hrs
Charge Time
0.9 hrs
1.5 hrs
Power-Saving Feature
No
Standby mode
Audio While Charging
Yes
Yes
Passive Playback
No
No
Charging Port
USB-C
USB-C
App Support
0.0
8.5
App Picture
Compare High-Res
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App Name
No App
Sony INZONE Hub + Sony Sound Connect
iOS
No
No
Android
No
Yes
macOS
No
No
Windows
No
Yes
Equalizer
No
Graphic + Presets
ANC Control
No
On/Off
Mic Control
No
Adjustable Level
Room Effects
No
No
Playback Control
No
No
Button Mapping
No
Yes
Surround Support
No
Yes
Connectivity
Wired Connection
0.0
0.0
Cable Picture
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Analog Audio
No
No
USB Audio
No
No
Detachable
No
No
Length
N/A
N/A
Connector
No Wired Option
No Wired Option
Latency - Analog
N/A
N/A
Latency - USB
N/A
N/A
Recorded Latency
N/A
N/A
Recorded Latency Connection
No Wired Audio
No Wired Audio
Bluetooth Connection
8.0
3.3
Bluetooth Version
5.3
5.3
Multi-Device Pairing
Bluetooth + Console/Non-BT Wireless
No
Quick Pair (Android)
No
No
Quick Pair (iOS)
No
No
Line Of Sight Range
282.15 ft (86.00 m)
N/A
Latency - SBC
265 ms
N/A
Latency - aptX
N/A
N/A
Latency - aptX Adaptive (High Quality)
N/A
N/A
Latency - aptX Adaptive (Low Latency)
N/A
N/A
Latency - LDAC
N/A
N/A
Recorded Latency
N/A
Recorded Latency Codec
SBC
N/A
AAC Support
Yes
No
Wireless Connection (Dongle)
8.0
8.0
Line Of Sight Range
203.41 ft (62.00 m)
219.82 ft (67.00 m)
Latency - Dongle
27 ms
30 ms
Recorded Latency
PC Compatibility
Analog
No
No
Wired USB
No
No
Non-BT Wireless
Audio + Microphone
Audio + Microphone
PlayStation Compatibility
PS4 Analog
No
No
PS4 Wired USB
No
No
PS4 Non-BT Wireless
Audio + Microphone
Audio + Microphone
PS5 Analog
No
No
PS5 Wired USB
No
No
PS5 Non-BT Wireless
Audio + Microphone
Audio + Microphone
Xbox Compatibility
Xbox One Analog
No
No
Xbox One Wired USB
No
No
Xbox One Non-BT Wireless
No
No
Xbox Series X|S Analog
No
No
Xbox Series X|S Wired USB
No
No
Xbox Series X|S Non-BT Wireless
No
No
Base/Dock
2.2
2.2
Type
Wireless USB Dongle + Charging Case
Wireless USB Dongle + Charging Case
USB Input
No
No
Line In
No
No
Line Out
No
No
Optical Input
No
No
RCA Input
No
No
Dock Charging
Yes
Yes
Power Supply
USB-C
USB-C
Check Price
White
PULSE Explore
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White
INZONE Buds
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White
PULSE Explore
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Amazon.com
Black
INZONE Buds
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White
PULSE Explore
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PULSE Explore
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PULSE Explore
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Sony PULSE Explore Truly Wireless vs Sony INZONE Buds Truly Wireless: Main Discussion
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