LG Tone Free FN9A Bluetooth, Noise-cancelling earphones (AV review)
It does not get much better than the LG Tone Free FN9A ‘buds’. Great sound, decent noise-cancelling, good battery life and even a built-in UV Nano steriliser.
First, a brief explanation of our review procedure. We test over two days of use – battery life is an extrapolation of that. We can’t measure absolute volume and frequency response – only tell you if it sounds good with our test tracks. So, Cybershack uses a consistent comparative chart approach (same for each bud tested) that allows you to compare different buds on an ‘apples for apples’ basis.
Sound – Superb
Bass is quite punchy, treble is there for crisp high notes, volume is good, the sound stage is outside your head, and the buds have a fairly neutral sound signature, so the EQ works well.
We like the Bass Boost, but the 3D spatial became our usually listening favourite. Two custom EQ modes allow you to create your sound signature. We experimented with a 1-4kHz boost for clear voice, perfect for TV listening.
Try the Dolby Atmos test and Manhattan Transfer in our guide How to tell if you have good music (sound signature is the key).
ANC, Ambient noise and conversation modes
Not quite as high a level as Sony or Bose, but it allows LG to have a more expansive sound stage. In all fit for the purpose and fine for work from home or office use.
Ambient mode lets about 70% of the noise in and conversation 100%.
Battery life
All claims are at 50% volume, and we find that 70-75% is more appropriate. We got 4 hours and 47 minutes ANC on at that volume.
Comfort
The only caveat here is to get the right gel cap fit for effective ANC. This also ensures they stay in during exercise (IPX4 sweat-resistant). I like the small POD stalks (I hate dorky Apple PODS) – they are practical handles to insert the buds and have a beam-forming mic in each for hands-free.
Unique features
UV Nano disinfects your ear tip with UV light. It does not clean or remove ear wax. The AUX-in is surprisingly useful to listen to music from 3.5mm devices like a PC or aeroplane.
CyberShack view – LG Tone Free FN9A are premium buds
No, they are not the very best – let Sennheiser (Momentum), Sony (WF1000xM4) or Bose (Quite Comfort) argue over that spot, but for the money, LG FN9A offer good value and useful features above the other premium buds. They get our tick of approval.
Comparative chart for the LG Tone Free FN9A
| Earphone comparison chart | Brand/model |
| LG Tone Free FN9A | |
| STYLE | |
| POD | small stalk – conch design |
| Buds | In-ear canal |
| Sports (with wing) | No |
| IP rating | X4 |
| Ear tip type | Small, Medium and Large medical-grade Gel |
| Colour | Charcoal Black |
| Class | Premium |
| CONNECTION | |
| Cabled | No, but has 3.5mm to USB-C AUX to the BT enabled case |
| Bluetooth | 5.2 |
| Codecs | SBC, AAC |
| A2DP, AVRCP, HFP | All |
| True Wireless (Qualcomm) | Can use either (mono) or both buds |
| Google Fast Pair | Yes |
| Windows Swift pair | Yes |
| Multipoint | Yes – two devices |
| SIZE | |
| Weight each (grams) | 5.2 |
| Dimensions W x H x D mm | 21 x 28 x 23 |
| CONTROLS | |
| Type | Touch – Play/Pause, Volume, Skip Track, Ambient Listening |
| Autopause | Yes |
| NOISE | |
| ANC | Yes |
| Ambient passthrough | Yes |
| Conversation mode | Yes |
| Game mode | Yes |
| AUDIO | |
| Speaker size mm | 8 |
| Frequency response | ? |
| Impedance | ? |
| Driver sensitivity 1kHZ/1mw (dB) | ? |
| BATTERY (unless cabled) | |
| mAh in each bud | 68 |
| mAh in case | 390 |
| Case charge type (USB or Qi) | USB-C |
| Case size/weight | 55 x 28mm x 37g |
| Charge voltage rating | 5V/.5A |
| Battery time excluding case ANC off | 10 |
| Battery time excluding case ANC on | 6 (Test 70% 4 hrs and 47 mins) |
| Additional battery time in case hours | 14 |
| Charge time case | 5m for 60min no ANC |
| MICS for hands-free calls | |
| Number on each bud | 3 |
| Other | Whisper mode as well |
| VOICE ASSISTANT | |
| Type | Google, Alexa and Siri via phone |
| APP | LG Tone Free |
| Features | |
| EQ | Immersive, Natural, Bass, Treble, 3D Sound Stage) |
| Find my buds | Yes |
| Other | Meridian sound effects |
| Spatial | Meridian upmix |
| OS support | Android and iOS |
| SPECIAL FEATURES | |
| UV Nano case kills 99.9% of specified bacteria after 5 minutes (must have USB-C power) | |
| The case acts as an AUX-in BT dongle – no mic function |
Pro, con rating
| GENERAL | |
| Website | here |
| Warranty | 12-months ACL |
| Price | TBC – less than $300 |
| From | TBC |
| Accessories included | USB-A to USB-C charge cable |
| 3.5mm to USB-C AUX-IN | |
| MISSING | |
| Qi charge | |
| PRO 1 | Great looks |
| 2 | Superb sound |
| 3 | Excellent hands-free |
| 4 | Premium noise-cancelling with the right size gel TIP |
| 5 | Charge time is accurate |
| CON 1 | AUX-in does not support MIC or app pre-sets |
| 2 | Battery life is effectively 60-70% at normal (not 50%) volumes |
| 3 | Touch controls are a little sensitive |
| 4 | Critical to get a good fit for comfort and ANC |
| 5 | 200ms audio lag that game mode reduces slightly |
| RATING | |
| Features | 9.50 |
| It has almost everything | |
| Value | 9.00 |
| TBC | |
| Performance | 9.00 |
| Occasional BT dropout | |
| Ease of use | 9.00 |
| Fast pair. Must use the right-sized gel | |
| Design | 9.00 |
| Score /10 | 9.1 |
| An excellent score and gets our recommendation |
CyberShack LG News and reviews and earphones or headphones
LG Tone Free FN9A premium buds
<$300 TBC
Pros
- Great looks and fit
- Superb sound and flexible EQ
- Excellent hands-free
- Premium noise-cancelling with the right size gel TIP
Cons
- AUX-in does not support MIC or app pre-sets
- Battery life is effectively 60-70% at normal (not 50%) volumes
- Touch controls are a little sensitive
- Critical to get a good gel fit for comfort and ANC
- 200ms audio lag that game mode reduces slightly
