The Creative Outlier Gold true wireless earbuds remind me that comfort can be even more important than good sound quality. Yes, the buds—which look almost identical to last year’s Creative Outlier Air, but offer improved battery life—have good sound for their price and tick a lot of boxes if you’re seeking gym-friendly true-wireless earbuds for just $100. But gosh, you’d better hope you have deep ear canals, because otherwise the touch controls for the Outlier Gold rank among the most uncomfortable out there.
Note: This review is part of our roundup of wireless and true wireless earbuds. Go there for details on competing products and our testing methods.
So let’s start off with the good stuff. Again, the sound is good, particularly if you’re seeking a more balanced auditory experience instead of skull-thumping bass. The bass is satisfying enough on tracks like Billie Eilish’s “Bad Guy,” but it never hits as hard as it does with buds like Anker’s similarly priced Soundcore Spirit Dot 2. Instead, the Outlier Gold works best on tracks that emphasize both lows and highs like Queen’s “Radio Ga Ga.”
