Last September, I reviewed the Soundpeats H3 hybrid earbuds. What I said at the beginning of the review bears repeating: Reviewing earbuds (earphones, in-ear monitors, etc.) today is both good and bad news. The good news is that it’s almost impossible to buy a terrible pair of earbuds. Unless you bought a $15 pair at your local gas station, most modern earbuds are pretty good in terms of audio and build quality. The bad news is that there are so many good earbuds to choose from. Deciding which pair to buy usually comes down to price, comfort, and convenience. The Soundpeats Air5 Pro+ TWS Earbuds fit each of those categories nicely. Let’s see why.
⬇︎ Jump to summary (pros/cons)
Price: $129.99
Where to buy: Soundpeats, Amazon
What is it?
The Soundpeats Air5 Pro+ TWS Earbuds are the updated successor to the Air5 Pro Earbuds. The Pro+ version is a hybrid design with an added speaker (more on that later). This additional speaker increases the weight slightly, but not uncomfortably. Charging times are now quicker, while total playtime remains at 30 hours. Additional Bluetooth codecs are included, making the Pro+ version more of an audiophile option—for Android users, at least (more later).
What’s included?
- Air5 Pro+ Wireless Earbuds
- Charging Case
- Ear Tips (S/M/L)
- Type-C Charging Cable
- User Manual
- Panda Stickers
Tech specs
- Single earbud weight: 5g
- Charging case with earbuds: 51.11g
- Control type: Touch
- Waterproof rating: IPX5
- Bluetooth: V5.4
- Bluetooth codec: SBC/AAC/LC3/LDAC/aptX/aptX Adaptive/aptX Lossless
- Charging time: 1H (earbuds）2H (case)
- 10 Min. Fast Charge – 2H
- Charging Port: USB-C
- Total Playtime: 30 hours
Design and features
The Soundpeats Air5 Pro+ are stem-style earbuds, similar to the Apple AirPods Pro. I’ve come to like this design for its convenience and comfort. I find them more comfortable than the H3 Wireless earbuds I previously reviewed. The stem is easy to hold for custom functions. Plus, you usually get better mic performance for calls.
Opening the awkwardly designed case requires two hands, unlike Apple’s. However, the case is well made with magnets that help “snap” the earbuds into place. The case’s gold-and-black Vegas-style design motif is a bit gaudy, but others might like it. The back has a USB-C charging port. Soundpeats includes a charging cord.
Soundpeats offers an app (iOS and Android) that allows customization for both audio and daily use. The app includes a hearing test that helps determine which equalizer setting is best for your hearing. My result sounded clearer than the other preset EQ settings, but I still preferred the EQ labeled HIFI and my own custom EQ. The app is simple to use—a good thing. Touching and tapping each earbud can be set to perform different functions. It’s not quite as convenient as Apple’s AirPods Pro, but the customization options are still appreciated.
Like many earbuds, the Soundpeats Air5 Pro+ include built-in active noise canceling (ANC) and transparency modes. Each can be activated by touching and holding either earbud. ANC is effective, though not as strong as Apple’s AirPods Pro. Then again, the AirPods Pro cost much more.
Both the Soundpeats H3 hybrid and Air5 Pro+ earbuds are hybrid designs, meaning they use more than one speaker type per earbud. With the H3, it was a dynamic speaker combined with armature drivers. With the Air5 Pro+ earbuds, the dynamic speaker (which resembles a tiny cone speaker) is coupled with a MEMS speaker.
What is a MEMS speaker, you ask? MEMS stands for Micro Electro Mechanical Systems. This speaker consists of a thin layer of piezoelectric material deposited onto a silicon substrate. When an electrical voltage is applied, the piezoelectric material contracts or expands, vibrating the silicon membrane and pushing air to create sound waves.
This new ultra-thin, lightweight speaker technology is appearing in high-end earbuds. The membrane can start and stop vibrating almost instantly. This fast “recovery” of speaker vibration results in crisper, more accurate high-frequency audio. The more traditional dynamic speaker is better at bass.
Got all that? Just understand that this piezo/dynamic speaker combination delivers a “complete” speaker, with deep bass and crystal-clear highs. Does it work? Heck yeah, it works.
The Pro+ earbuds support more Bluetooth codecs than the previous Pro model and also feature Japanese Hi-Res certification. They include Adaptive aptX lossless, aptX, SBC, and AAC, and Soundpeats has added both LDAC (Sony’s hi-Res streaming over Bluetooth) and the new LE Audio, a low-power audio standard that delivers high-quality audio with Auracast (for public multi-streaming). The bottom line is that these additional codecs promise better sound from various music sources—for Android users.
We Apple fanboys are—once again—left out of these hi-res goodies. However, my ears tell me that Apple’s AAC sounds quite good on Apple’s iDevices. I’ve heard “better” audio on Android and am still quite satisfied with Apple’s approach. Plus, manufacturing’s claims of lossless audio via these other Bluetooth codecs aren’t true. ALL Bluetooth is lossy, meaning some audio data is lost during wireless streaming. So, don’t be dissuaded if you own Apple devices. The Air5Pro+ earbuds will sound good no matter the source device.
So, how do the Air5 Pro+ earbuds sound? Unless you are a snobbish audiophile, you won’t be disappointed. I use earbuds for audiobooks almost as much as for music. The app includes a “Book Whisper” setting, perfect for spoken content. It eliminates the “boominess” many audiobooks exhibit when played through earbuds.
The many EQ settings in the app affect music more. As I said, I prefer both the HIFI and my personally customized settings. I lean toward 60s–80s music, which evolved from bass-weak (60s) to overproduced (80s) audio. The A5 Pro+ earbuds handle it all quite well.
One of my favorite albums is the first Spirit album—a weird yet successful fusion of psychedelia and straight-ahead jazz. Because of the limitations of analog recordings, Mark Andes’ bass and Ed Cassidy’s drumming never sounded quite right. With the Air5 Pro+ earbuds, the album sounds like plain fun. There’s no listener fatigue given the EQ choices. Remember, there are no right or wrong EQ settings. It’s what sounds best to your ears.
Among many 80s-sounding albums, Lament by Ultravox has a bass-and-drum punch that only digital remastering can bring out. The title song has a low end you can hear. Granted, it’s not the visceral feeling one gets from large speakers, but it’s a good kick in the head that’s rare from many earbuds. MEMS speaker technology takes this to the next level.
Final thoughts
Soundpeats has made a good-sounding earbud that balances overall comfort, audio quality, and affordability. It’s rare to achieve all three.
What I like about the Soundpeats Air5 Pro+ TWS Earbuds
- Panda stickers!
- Sound good
- Comfortable
- Customizable EQ
- Custom earbud settings
- App easy to use
What needs to be improved?
- The case can be awkward to open
- Overall desigh a bit “Vegas”
Price: $129.99
Where to buy: Soundpeats, Amazon
Source: The sample of this product was provided for free by Soundpeats. Soundpeats did not have a final say on the review and did not preview the review before it was published.
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