The LG Tone Free DFP8 is a set of earplugs that have a number of interesting functions, not all of which have to do with music and audio. The earplugs are made in collaboration with the high-end audio brand Meridian Audio and have a suggested retail price of 179 euros. But what exactly do you get for that?
LG Tone Free DFP8
Recommended retail price € 179,-
Link bluetooth 5.2
Compatibility Computers, smartphones, tablets, Nintendo Switch
battery life Eight to 24 hours
Website lg.com 7.5 Score 75 
- Pros
- Audio quality (midrange)
- UV nano case
- Wireless charging
- battery life
- Negatives
- Distortions in audio
- Fit (Cash Caps)
- Bass layer sometimes predominant
Buy LG Tone Free DFP8 directly at bol.com
It takes a while to find out what exactly the role of Meridian Audio is when it comes to the audio products of the South Korean manufacturer LG. The collaboration – according to the company communication – only yields benefits, but there are no concrete indications about those benefits.
Meridian Audio is a high-end audio brand that was the first to develop a digital active loudspeaker and has experience with digital signal processing (also called DSP). In addition, the audio manufacturer is jointly responsible for high resolution (hi-res) audio formats and master quality authenticated (MQA). For non-connoisseurs, that’s still abracadabra, but at least it sounds impressive.
Some digging makes it clear that Meridian Audio does add something to at least the set of LG Tone Free DFP8 earplugs. For example, the earplugs have Headphone Spatial Processing. That is audio technology from the shed of the high-end audio brand, which should provide a spatial sound.
As a user you have to get the feeling of being “enveloped by sound”. 3D Sound Stage, another part, takes it up a notch. This expands the sound field through spatial upmixing “to provide a lifelike audio experience”. That sounds nice and nice, but that may result in processed audio with some distortions.
UVnano case as a unique part
Before we judge the sound, let’s take a step back to highlight the specifications and (unique) features. The earplugs have drivers of 8 millimeters, so that there is quite a bit of room for a beautiful sound reproduction. They offer ipx4 protection and survive sweat during exercise or a short rain shower.
In addition, there is active noise cancellation, touch control via the earplugs and LG supplies a few money plugs of different sizes. If all goes well, there will be a good size for your ear canal, but unfortunately the selection is not very extensive. The batteries in the earplugs last for eight hours, but if you take the storage box with you, there is a maximum operating time of 24 hours.
Charging can be done in two ways. For example via the supplied charging cable. Otherwise, wireless charging is an option if you have a Qi charger. You can purchase a special charging mat or accessory for this, or check whether your smartphone supports wireless charging of other devices. Samsung and OnePlus devices can do that, for example.
A unique part of the LG Tone Free DFP8 is the UVnano case. The storage case can kill 99.9 percent of the bacteria present on the earplugs by means of UV light. Research shows that these types of products are full of bacteria, which can cause ear infections, for example. The special box removes almost all of them for you.
Personalization options via the app
The free app, available for Android and iOS, gives you access to a number of personalization options. You can change the sound profile of the LG Tone Free DFP8 with the push of a button. LG offers five options as standard, but as a user you can also save two profiles that you set completely yourself.
In addition, you determine to what extent the noise suppression works. You can completely shut yourself off from your environment, turn off the noise reduction or opt for some kind of combination. Then you get a little more of your environment, so that the bass layer disappears somewhat into the background. The suppression works reasonably well and filters out annoying sounds like typing on a keyboard, for example.
You can also find your earplugs via the app when you lose them, set the music to automatically pause when you remove the earplugs from your ears and you can lock the touch controls. This way you prevent something from happening the moment you take an earpiece out of your ear or want to position it a little better.
And you probably do that positioning more often than you’d like. Because the LG Tone Free DFP8 earplugs are not very comfortable. Not for longer listening sessions anyway. Although this is different for everyone, it has something to do with the design of the product. The gel earplugs are less comfortable than memory foam, such as on the Sony WF-1000XM4.
Audio experience to say the least reasonable
It is clear that LG wants to appeal to a wider audience with the Tone Free DFP8. Especially the performance of the bass layer and mid-tones come out well. Especially when you turn the noise reduction all the way on; then the lower tones continue well. But that unfortunately comes at the expense of details and higher tones.
Guitar solos are therefore a bit insignificant and do not come into their own fully. The higher tones are measured out fairly quickly, so that music – which sounds familiar to you – sounds different than before. It also depends a bit on which sound profile you select within the app. Some profiles edit the audio more than others.
The neutral sound mode prefers balanced sound and you can hear that well. Higher tones get a little more space, voices do not disappear into the background and the bass layer is less powerful. Treble Boost pushes that bass layer even further away, making background details much better.
And then we have, for example, the remarkable 3D Sound Stage. This mode should ensure that you enjoy very spacious sound; a basic feature of the LG Tone Free DFP8. Although the vocals do indeed sound further away compared to other profiles, it doesn’t necessarily sound better. Especially the higher tones are (slightly) distorted.
In any case, the neutral mode is preferred by the undersigned. The sound is therefore most balanced. The spaciousness is also more prominent; you don’t feel like all the sound is coming directly from the center of your head. But you notice that there are (minor) distortions on both sides of the audio spectrum.
LG Tone Free DFP8 – conclusion
You can of course overcome a lot of problems that we experience with the audio by composing a sound profile yourself. Then it would have been great if LG or Meridian also put technology in the app that allows you to test the range of your own hearing, so that you can put together a truly personal sound experience. But unfortunately, that mode is not present.
All this is not necessarily to say that the LG Tone Free DFP8 is a bad set of earplugs. But it is true that we expect more when we see the stamp of Meridian Audio. These are not earplugs that sound like high-end earphones.
The LG Tone Free DFP8 are excellent midrange earplugs, which are still quite affordable. But despite that, it is a complete package with quite a few options, an audio experience that delivers better sound in neutral than many competing models for the same price and offers a unique function in the form of the UVnano case.
We cannot fully test the claims about that case, so we have to take LG at its word. If everything is correct, it is a good idea that the bacteria disappear and you have less chance of an ear infection.
If you come across the LG Tone Free DFP8 earplugs for a price of 100 euros or less, you can take them with you; because you won’t get better for that price. However, if you have more to spend, then you would do well by choosing the Sony WF-1000XM4. Those earplugs sound and fit much better, but are also a lot more expensive.
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