Page 2 - A Closer Look - Hardware and Software
The SOUNDPEATS Cove Pro is not the first pair of headphones we reviewed from this company, even if the majority of their products we have looked at have been true wireless options. The last one, the SOUNDPEATS Space, was a pretty average looking pair of headphones, but it stood out with the "S" logo on each side. On the other hand, the Cove Pro looks a lot more subtle and therefore blends in with a few other popular headphones. Its all-plastic build is on clear display, with a slightly bulbous shell. It reminds me of some offerings from the competition like Bose or Sony. This is due to the overall smooth design, including the extending arms that integrate well into the rest of the outer shell. Otherwise, everything is black in color, including the ear cups and the headband up top. A "SOUNDPEATS" name is printed on both sides and follows the curve of the shell. Overall, everything looks pleasing to the eye, although it still does not really stand out from the competition for its design.
As I have mentioned, much of the headset is made of plastic, including the outer shell and top headband. The ear cups and headband underside have a vegan leather exterior, with memory foam underneath for support. There is an internal reinforced steel band to enforce the structural integrity. Out of the box, nothing looks cheap, but the plastic easily picks up fingerprints, dust, and scratches. In fact, as I was taking photos, I noticed a pretty sizable scratch on the top, which is unfortunate. I tried to clean it, but that led to even smaller scratches. This plastic is soft and signs of use will show up quickly. Internally, none of the moving parts or joints were squeaky regardless of how much I swiveled or stretched the headphones. Regarding its dimensions, the SOUNDPEATS Cove Pro measures approximately 225mm in length, 186mm in width, and 83mm in depth at its largest dimensions when fully expanded. It weighs approximately 251g.
At the top, we can take a closer look at the headband of the SOUNDPEATS Cove Pro. When you extend the ears, the arms reveal the internal steel band for increased strength. The movement is notched, so you will hear and feel each step. The band is also marked with lines to indicate to users how far they have extended each side. At the very top, there is a bit of memory foam padding with protein leather where it contacts your head. I find the Cove Pro's memory foam to be a bit thicker than the previous Space, which makes this area feel plushier and more comfortable.
While inspecting the ears of the SOUNDPEATS Cove Pro, we can see the cups are covered in the same protein leather material with memory foam underneath for comfort. These are over-ear headphones, so the ear cups sit around your ears rather than pressing on them. Unfortunately, you cannot remove the ear cups from the rest of the headset. The cups also indicate left and right on the fabric inside with large peach-colored letters. Underneath the cups, we have 40mm dynamic drivers with a titanium-coated diaphragm. Otherwise, SOUNDPEATS has not provided much information about the drivers. As mentioned, the ears swivel about, allowing you to wear the Cove Pro comfortably around your neck. The ears also fold inward for a more compact body when you are on the go.
In terms of comfort, I found the SOUNDPEATS Cove Pro to be very enjoyable to wear. At 251g, it is light compared to other headphones I have used. The real standout feature, however, is the memory foam. It is very plush and fits your head with minimal pressure, resulting in an extremely comfortable experience. Its protein leather cups ensure a better seal for sound isolation and reduced leakage. However, it also tends to be less breathable with the tighter seal on your head. Personally, I prefer fabric or mesh ear cups for longer usage sessions, as the Cove Pro did become warmer after several hours of use. The clamping force of the SOUNDPEATS Cove Pro is just enough to keep the headphones in place even when shaking your head.
All the controls on the SOUNDPEATS Cove Pro are on the right ear. They are all different in size to ensure users can differentiate one from another. From the back, there is a single button to cycle active noise cancellation, pass-through, and standard modes. It is marked with "ANC". Next, there is a small hole with an LED in it. This indicates power and charging status. After, there is a circular multipurpose button. It is used to power on and off the Cove Pro. Single presses while it is active will play or pause your music. When you receive a call, you can pick up the phone. If you double press this button, it will toggle on and off game mode. The game mode is designed to lower sound latency for more time-sensitive applications. The last pair of buttons is a volume rocker to increase or decrease the volume. If you hold down the rocker, it will go to the Next or Previous Track. However, because it takes a few seconds to execute the command, I could never go to the previous track. They should have implemented this by double-clicking instead of holding it down. A USB Type-C port is the last input on the right side. You can use this for audio transmission, but you need to obtain a separate cable to do so.
For wireless use, the SOUNDPEATS Cove Pro supports the latest Bluetooth 6.0, with codecs including SBC, AAC, and LDAC. SBC, or Subband Coding, is the default Bluetooth audio codec known for its good audio quality and low processing power requirements. The Cove Pro also supports AAC, which communicates at about 250kbps from the source. AAC is widely supported on both Apple and Android devices. LDAC is Sony's proprietary audio coding technology, and is a part of the Android Open-Source Project. It can communicate at up to 990kbps, but can step down to 660kbps or 330kbps depending on wireless channel conditions. LDAC is one of two Bluetooth codecs that makes the SOUNDPEATS Cove Pro Hi-Res Audio Wireless certified. Unfortunately, the Cove Pro does not support Qualcomm's aptX codecs.
As mentioned previously, the SOUNDPEATS Cove Pro also features active noise cancellation. According to the manufacturer, this technology can remove up to 56dB of ambient noise by generating an out-of-phase signal. There are seven microphones around the headphones to enable this noise reduction. Additionally, the headphones offer a pass-through mode, which allows environmental sounds to be fed into the headphones, enabling you to hear people talking without removing your headphones. Both modes can be used regardless of whether you are connected via Bluetooth or with the cable. With ANC turned off, the rated battery life is an impressive 95 hours, while it is reduced to 58 hours with ANC active. Internally, a 750mAh battery keeps everything powered. Actual battery performance will be tested in our upcoming tests on the next page. Charging the headphones to full capacity takes just over two hours via the USB Type-C port. In addition, a quick 10-minute charge provides 11 hours of playtime according to the manufacturer.
Unlike the SOUNDPEATS H3 and Clip1, the Cove Pro uses their SOUNDPEATS app, which is available on the Google Play Store and Apple App Store. Once you download and launch it, however, you will see both offer similar functionality. For the Cove Pro specifically, you will see the main page with the headphones displayed and its current battery life. The first setting is used to enable or disable Spatial Audio, which includes a Music and Movie mode. They are virtual surround settings and sound quite unnatural. Next, you can choose between ANC, Normal, and Transparency operating modes. When either ANC or Transparency is active, you can select specific levels within the mode. For ANC, this means choosing between varying levels including wind noise, traffic, outdoor, or indoor noises. You can also pick adaptive to let it determine the mode based on your current setting. For transparency, you can choose a standard operation or a vocal boost to further enhance speaking voices in your surroundings.
Underneath, there are more settings to change and they are self-explanatory. Some of these settings open to new pages while others are just toggles. One setting I appreciate is the prompt sound guide, where you can adjust the volume of the voice over sounds when you change settings, such as when you cycle between ANC, transparency, and normal modes. You can also change it to speak Japanese or English. At the bottom is where you can find other pages to update the firmware, which is something I did immediately, as well as resetting the device.
Everything in the SOUNDPEATS app is functional, but once again, I have several concerns. For one, you need to register for the app for some reason, and it purely seems like a way to collect your information. You also need to enable location permissions to help you locate your headphones. If you do not, it will constantly annoy you with pop-ups to enable it every time you return to the main page. Thankfully, the changes are saved to the device, so you can easily uninstall it once you have set up the Cove Pro.
Page Index
1. Introduction, Packaging, Specifications
2. A Closer Look - Hardware and Software
3. Subjective Audio Analysis
4. Conclusion
