Short answer: the Realme Buds Air 6 Pro. Both are rated 3.8/5 for sound quality (#566 and #582 of 1291 in-ear headphones), and the Realme Buds Air 6 Pro costs $74.96 against $79.99 for the Rose Technics Star City 5 Pro, and with sound quality even, the cheaper one is the better buy.
Why pick the Realme Buds Air 6 Pro: These true wireless buds offer active noise cancelling, LDAC and AAC support, Bluetooth 5.3, IP55 water resistance and 10 hours per charge with 40 total from the case, at just 0 lbs (4.5 g) per earbud. Watch for: Air rises about 7 dB above target with a 5.6 dB peak near 11.9 kHz right after a 5.3 dB dip near 9.7 kHz, so the top end sounds uneven and can turn sizzly.
Why pick the Rose Technics Star City 5 Pro: The median of 10 hobbyist measurements gives it a solid Harman preference score of 71 with a 2.19 dB spread, and its mids sit within about 1.5 dB of target, so vocals and instruments sound natural. The tradeoff: Presence sits about 3.5 dB low with a 6 dB dip near 5.1 kHz, so vocals and instruments lose some bite.
Buy the Realme Buds Air 6 Pro. Both are rated the same for sound quality, and it costs $5.03 less than the Rose Technics Star City 5 Pro.
Looking for alternatives? See the complete Headphones rankings.
These true wireless buds offer active noise cancelling, LDAC and AAC support, Bluetooth 5.3, IP55 water resistance and 10 hours per charge with 40 total from the case, at just 4.5 g per earbud.
Amazon $74.96 eBay
The median of 10 hobbyist measurements gives it a solid Harman preference score of 71 with a 2.19 dB spread, and its mids sit within about 1.5 dB of target, so vocals and instruments sound natural.
Amazon $79.99 eBayPrices on this page were last checked October 16, 2026 at 5:46 PM UTC. Product prices and availability are accurate as of that date/time and are subject to change; the price and availability shown on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.
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Specifications Side By Side
| Realme Buds Air 6 Pro | Rose Technics Star City 5 Pro | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $74.96 | $79.99 |
| Ranked | #566 of 1291 in In-Ear Headphones | #582 of 1291 in In-Ear Headphones |
| Form Factor | In-ear | In-ear |
| Back | Closed | Closed |
| Harman Preference Score | 71 (median of 4 squig.link measurements, calibrated to AutoEQ) | 71 (median of 10 squig.link measurements, calibrated to AutoEQ) |
| Deviation From Target | 1.91 dB standard deviation | 2.19 dB standard deviation |
| Tonal Tilt | -0.67 (negative is warmer, positive brighter) | +0.35 (negative is warmer, positive brighter) |
| Sub-bass Extension | Within 6 dB of target down to 20 Hz (-0.1 dB at 30 Hz) | Within 6 dB of target down to 20 Hz (-4.4 dB at 30 Hz) |
| Connection | True wireless | Wired |
| Driver Type | Hybrid (1 dynamic + 1 planar magnetic) | Hybrid |
| Drivers | 1 x 11mm dynamic + 1 x 6mm planar magnetic | 1 x dynamic + 2 x balanced armature |
| Weight | 0 lbs (4.5 g) per earbud | 0.1 lbs (28 g) |
| Active Noise Cancelling | Yes | - |
| Battery Life | 10 hours (40 with case, Manufacturer specified) | - |
| Bluetooth Version | 5.3 | - |
| Bluetooth Codecs | SBC, AAC, LDAC | - |
| Built-in Microphone | Yes | - |
| IP Rating | IP55 | - |
| Impedance | - | 24 ohms |
| Sensitivity | - | 104 dB/mW |
| Frequency Response | - | 10Hz - 25kHz |
Frequency Response Compared
Both headphones’ measurements overlaid on the Harman target. Above the target sounds louder in that range, below it quieter. Each curve is the median of several independent measurements, shifted so its 500 Hz to 2 kHz average sits at 0 dB, so only the tuning is compared.
Measurement data: the Realme Buds Air 6 Pro from aquaphobic, dhrme, filk and regancipher; the Rose Technics Star City 5 Pro from aftersound, arn, audioamigo, boizoff, cqtek, hobbytalk, lumerion, mmagtech, pw, soundcheck39, soundignity, theaudiostore, treblewellxtended and vortexreviews, all via squig.link.
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