I bought a Fitbit Air recently, and it came bundled with $35 of Google Credit that I mistakenly thought would be Play Store Credit. This meant I had some extra cash to spend on the actual Google Store, and since I just upgraded to a Pixel 9a last year, I didn’t have many other options. I decided to get a pair of Google Pixel Buds Pro 2, and I’ve been impressed with them.

Mostly, I use them to pair with my phone and listen while I’m outside, but I’ve found a few more uses, too. The big one is that, while I’m on the treadmill, I’ve found it very hard to hear the sound from my TV. I’ve heard of people pairing their earbuds to things like their Roku and Fire TV Stick, but I never thought it would be something I would try. As it turns out, it works quite well, and it’s a seamless experience. Now, I always pop in my Pixel Buds while I’m on the treadmill. I don’t think I’ll start watching movies this way any time soon, but I can certainly see the appeal of sitting down on the couch with a pair of earbuds and watching something.

4.5/5

Downloadable Apps

Yes

Resolution

Full HD

RAM/storage

8GB of storage

Connectivity

HDMI

Earbuds make a lot of sense

It’s easy to set up

A lot of this might just be me living under a rock for years, but I didn’t realize how easy it would be to pair my earbuds to a streaming stick. All you have to do is go into Settings, navigate to Bluetooth Devices, and then select your earbuds to pair them. From there, it’s as easy as popping them into your ear and listening. My earbuds stay paired with my stick, so all I need to do is turn it on and take my Pixel Buds out of their case for them to connect. To my surprise, it really has been as simple as that.

Something I was worried about is how I would pause videos or change the volume, but that’s easy as well. All I have to do is slide my finger on the Pixel Buds to change the volume, so I don’t need the remote for this at all. Pausing the video is done by tapping on the bud or taking it out of my ear. I know that I’m way behind the curve here, but I’m glad I figured out that I can do this.

For specific cases, like exercise, I could easily recommend earbuds to anybody. I was on the fence for a long time, just because I didn’t know how they’d work. I’ve long been somebody who used wired earbuds, but now I know that my purchase didn’t go to waste. I certainly use them with my phone more than anything, but knowing they’re around for my TV is a nice trick. What’s nice is that these work for both Roku and Fire TV, so I can use the same set of buds across several TVs, and it takes just seconds to get rolling.

Depending on your earbuds, there are some obvious downsides. I have active noise-canceling on my Pixel Buds, so if someone needs my attention, I can easily hear them. Not every set of earbuds has that functionality, so it’s easy to get lost in what you’re watching. Something I’ve noticed a bit is some slight audio delay. It’s not a ton, but it’s certainly there, and it might affect some people more than others. I just chalked it up to a Bluetooth issue, and since I’m half-paying attention to what I’m watching on the treadmill anyway, it’s not a massive deal. I can see it being a much bigger problem if you’re watching a movie, however.

Latency is always going to be something that rears its ugly head with Bluetooth, but with each passing iteration of Bluetooth, there are some improvements. I mostly use Bluetooth controllers for gaming and don’t notice much of a problem, but audio has long been a thorn in my side.

Lots of benefits if you look past some issues

I see the vision

I’m all for people having more choices, and while I have a Dolby Atmos sound system in my living room, that’s not an option for many people. One of the big things that a pair of good earbuds can provide is a quiet listening experience that doesn’t shake your house with surround sound. Sure, it’s not the same thing as watching with a sound system, but if you have to be conscious of the people around you, whether that’s in your house or your neighbors, earbuds are a great way to do that. You’re not going to get noise complaints while wearing a pair of Pixel Buds.

In some ways, wearing a pair of earbuds can be more immersive, especially if you’re relying on regular TV speakers for most of your viewing. It’s no secret that TV audio leaves a lot to be desired, and many people upgrade to soundbars for this very reason. A solid soundbar isn’t cheap, however, so you might want to try a pair of earbuds that you already have to see if they perform any better. Chances are quite good that they will be better than TV speakers, so I think it’s worth the trouble of trying. At the very least, you shouldn’t have any problems listening to dialogue.

Of course, this really only applies to people watching TV alone, because you probably don’t have extra earbuds to hand out to people watching with you. That’s the big limitation of this type of watching, and it’s why I don’t think I could ever stray far from the treadmill to watch TV like this. If you live alone, it’s a totally different situation, and it’s easy to see the appeal. It’s definitely a good choice if you’re trying to stay quiet at night.

Ultimately, how far earbuds take you on your Fire TV Stick, Roku, etc. depends on how you plan on listening. I think it’s great for people who don’t rely on it for all of their listening, but if you have to use earbuds with your TV all the time, I think it’d be better if you looked for a more long-term solution. Dolby Atmos is well worth the price of admission, and that’s just something you can’t fully experience with earbuds or headphones, even if it’s supported. I don’t want to tell you how to listen to your TV, but I just know I wouldn’t be happy if I had to deal with a compromised Dolby Atmos experience. My Pixel Buds are great for workouts, but that’s probably the extent of it for me.