Page 2 - Physical Look - Hardware
Like all true wireless earphones, SoundPEATS provides a carry case that doubles as a charger for the earbuds. The charging case is made out of plastic, and has a black finish with SoundPEATS’ logo on the back. This finish is a fingerprint magnet, so you may need to wipe it down often, and these marks are quite difficult to remove. The design is nice and minimalist, having some additional text saying “Hear the difference” in attempts to make the case look classier. Personally speaking, the fancier font makes it look slightly tacky. There are no stated measurements on the product page, and as such, I will make rough measurements. It measures in at 50mm in height, 65mm in width, and 25mm in depth, and weighs 50.3g with the earphones inside. The case design is quite standard, opening up like a motorcycle helmet, revealing a spot dedicated for the earbuds to sit and charge. The hinge on the case is quite rigid, making it feel quite snappy. Its shape and size mean you can conveniently carry it in your bag or even your pockets. The front of the case has an indication light that changes between green, yellow, and orange depending on the battery charge level.
Each bud of the SoundPEATS Air5 Pro has a 35mAh built-in battery rated for up to 7.5 hours of battery life. We will verify these claims on the next page. They weigh 4.8g each and measure in very roughly at 25mm by 25mm by 35mm, making them average in size. They take approximately 1 hour to charge to full using the charging case. The charging case supports about four to five recharge cycles, or an additional 30 hours of music with ANC off. The charging case also takes about 1.5 hours to charge via its USB Type-C port. As USB Type-C is the standard, I am happy to see it here. Unfortunately, the case does not support wireless charging..
The SoundPEATS Air5 Pro earbuds are revealed once you flip open the front of the charging case. The pairing process can be accomplished by opening the case and searching for the earbuds in your device's Bluetooth connection list. The earbuds have a clean and professional appearance with brown accents. As someone who appreciates minimalism, I like the understated look, as I know they will not call attention to itself in day-to-day use. The Air5 Pro is decently small and light, making it decently comfortable to wear. I think anyone can find a nice snug fit with the addition of extra tips. When I am moving, they do not lose their seal easily. They have only ever fallen out when physically manipulated through my extensive testing.
The SoundPEATS Air5 Pro connects to your audio source device via Bluetooth 5.4. Codecs supported over Bluetooth 5.4 include LDAC, SBC, AAC, LC3, aptX, aptX Adaptive, and aptX Lossless. LDAC is a codec developed by Sony, which allows streaming audio over Bluetooth up to 990 kbps at 24 bits/96 kHz. However, LDAC has also been a part of Android for quite some time now. On the other hand, we have aptX Lossless, which also supports similar specifications. aptX is developed by Qualcomm. The Air5 Pros also supports AAC, which communicates at about 250kbps from the source. SBC, or Subband Coding, is the default Bluetooth audio codec with reasonably good audio quality and low processing power requirements. LC3 is very similar to SBC, but provides slightly better audio quality and can also be used for hearing aids. Out of these three codecs, LDAC and aptX Lossless offer the best audio quality.
Each side of the SoundPEATS Air5 Pro will automatically turn on once you open the case. Since there are no wires, the Air5 Pro uses a duo set of pogo pins and pads on each side to keep those electrons flowing when it is inside the charging case. In terms of charging, SoundPEATS claims 2 hours of battery life in just 10 minutes, which is quite exceptional.
The design of these earbuds is symmetrical, and the capacitive tap controls on both sides each have unique operations. The tap controls work decently, but they are quite sensitive. I would often have accidental activations when simply adjusting the earbuds. Tapping the left earbud will lower the volume. Double tapping the left earbud will pause and play the current track. Holding the left earbud will change between ANC, regular, and passthrough mode. A single tap on the right will raise the volume. Double tapping the right earbud will also pause and play the current track. Holding the right earbud will play the next track. These controls are quite comfortable and natural to use.
Both earbuds also feature three microphones each. There is one on the sides acting as a feedforward mic, one on the inside to detect feedback, and one at the bottom for capturing your voice. Generally speaking, these microphones are used to gauge the surrounding noise and feedback. We will test the performance of the microphone for call quality on the next page.
Taking off the sleeves gets users closer to the 10mm dynamic driver. The output power and impedance are not given. Its frequency response range is 20Hz to 40kHz, which is more than the typical human hearing range on the higher end. SoundPEATS uses Composite Bio-Diaphragm drivers that they claim will deliver a rich bass, detailed midrange, and crisp highs, which I will discuss in my testing results on the next page. The drivers aim directly into your ear for a direct and transparent sound reproduction characteristic like many modern in-ear monitors. At the same time, it makes the earphones easy to clean in the long run too. The circular-shaped acoustic tubes via the sleeves assist the aim into the user’s ear canals. The SoundPEATS Air5 Pros are active noise canceling earbuds. These earbuds can cancel up to 55dB of ambient noise in the environment. Since these earphones are designed for a closed configuration, the Air5 Pro is made for both active and passive noise canceling.
Surprisingly, there are no infrared sensors on either earbud. Having these sensors would allow them to detect whether the earphones are in your ears or not and will pause your music automatically when you take them out. This feature would help with conserving some battery life. The SoundPEATS Air5 Pro is IPX5 certified for water resistance, meaning it is protected light to medium rain, splashes, and water projection from any angle, but not submersion.
With all this in mind, how will they perform? As always, we have the next page will be dedicated to presenting our results.
Page Index
1. Introduction, Packaging, Specifications
2. Physical Look - Hardware
3. Subjective Audio Analysis
4. Conclusion
