Soundpeats Air5 Pro+ Review: Why Are You Still Buying AirPods?

Listen, man, I know… AirPod Pro 3 are really nice! They work well with Apple products. They have cool features like live translation and an industry-leading heart rate sensor. They’re iconic and minimalist, and they sound pretty good. Yadda, yadda. But if you’re in the market for a pair of wireless earbuds that do one thing well (like playing music), I’m here to tell you that maybe it’s time to look beyond the Apple bubble. Maybe it’s time… for Soundpeats. Yes. Soundpeats.

What do you really want from your earbuds?

There are so many wireless earbuds in the world nowadays, so which pair you buy will depend largely on, well, you. What do you want? Are you listening to podcasts? Are you trying to translate other languages? Are you gaming? Do you run a lot? Do you want a pair that does your laundry? You’re shit out of luck if the last one is on your “must have” list. But if listening to music is a big one, like it is for most people, then I can say for sure that the $130 Soundpeats Air5 Pro+ are bringing a lot to the table for not a lot of money.

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When I put the Air5 Pro+ into my ears, the first thing I noticed was that they’re extremely comfortable. I’m not often hit with the perfect-fit revelation when putting wireless earbuds in my ears, so the experience was immediately welcome. The ear tips are slim enough for a smooth, deeper fit without feeling loose. The result is a pair of wireless earbuds that just drop straight in and then feel snug once they’re there. Obviously, fit is a very personal thing, so your results might not be the same, but if you don’t feel the same as I do, there are three included different sizes: small, medium, and large.

The next thing I noticed (or, next two things, really) is that the Air5 Pro+ are both loud and clear. Driving the volume and clarity (no pun intended) is a hybrid driver setup that combines a 10mm dynamic driver for the low end and a separate xMEMS driver. The latter, I’m fairly certain, is where that extra clarity is coming from. If you’re unfamiliar, MEMS drivers (short for micro-electromechanical systems) are different from other drivers, which typically use magnets.

Instead of using a magnet and coils to create sound, a MEMS driver vibrates a silicon membrane using what’s called the piezoelectric effect (a phenomenon through which materials generate electricity from applied mechanical stress). When the membrane is vibrated, it expands and contracts, generating sound waves. The result is a solid-state driver that has a fast response time and usually equates to more clarity in mid and high frequencies. This is admittedly my first experience with a MEMS driver, and I have to say, the Soundpeats Air5 Pro+ are making me a believer.

The soundstage is spacious, which is to say that all frequencies (mids, highs, and lows) feel distinct from one another and like they have room to breathe. That clarity and nuance translates well across genres, too. Whether I was listening to Herbie Hancock or Steely Dan, the Air5 Pro+ performed. I even tested the wireless earbuds via Spotify on lossless settings (FLAC format) and your typical midrange settings, which are more compressed, and was pleased with both, even if FLAC sounds better.

© Raymond Wong / Gizmodo

I felt like the Air5 Pro+ shone particularly bright when listening to older songs with lots of instrumentation. In Neil Young’s “Old Man,” for example, the banjo felt perfectly panned to the left in its intended place in the mix, while the acoustic guitar occupied the right, and the lap steel/piano swooped in intermittently right through the middle. Everything in its place. Lovely.

One particular standout is the low end, which is mainly the responsibility of the 10mm dynamic driver. Maybe it’s because the driver is dedicated mostly to just the bass territory, or maybe Soundpeats just nailed the tuning, but I found the Air5 Pro+ deliver clear and pronounced low end that isn’t overpowering. Obviously, everyone’s preference is different, but I would consider the Air5 Pro+ to have great out-of-the-box tuning that feels suited for lots of different genres. I can say for sure that if fidelity tops your list of things you look for in a pair of wireless earbuds, these should be on your radar—especially when you consider that for $130, they eclipse competitors like the OnePlus Buds 4 and the Nothing Ear 3 in the sound department by a long shot.

What about the other stuff?

Sound quality is a big part of any pair of wireless earbuds, but it’s not everything. Chances are you’re still going to want important (and increasingly standard) features like active noise cancellation (ANC) in your chosen pair as well. On that front, Soundpeats delivers again. I put the Air5 Pro+ through the obligatory subway test, and they held up. Train noise was mostly blocked out, even at 60% volume.

Whether that noise cancellation is a product of a superior fit (passive noise cancelling) or Soundpeats’ ANC algorithm, the Air5 Pro+ did a better-than-average job of blocking out noise during my commute, both on the street and while riding the train. They’re not my top choice for ANC when it comes to wireless earbuds (that distinction still belongs to Bose and its QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds (2nd Gen), but they’re more than solid, especially for the price.

© Raymond Wong / Gizmodo

Outside of ANC, the Air5 Pro+ also offer various features through the Soundpeats companion app. I’ve covered those previously in my review of the excellent Clip1 open wireless earbuds, but it bears repeating since the Soundpeats app is solid. It’s all pretty standard stuff—controlling the earbuds’ mode (ANC or transparency), adjusting EQ (both preset and custom), and activating features like “game mode,” which reduces latency in audio. There’s also a section for things like white noise if that’s your jam. You could just as easily look up ambient noise on Spotify or YouTube, but if, for whatever reason, you can’t do that, the option is nice to have.

These wireless earbuds also have adaptive EQ, which uses an ear test to adjust the EQ to your specific hearing. Like most tests, Soundpeats’ adaptive EQ feature consists of listening to a tone and then indicating with a tap in the app when you hear it. I took Soundpeats’ test and didn’t find a huge difference, but that could just be a result of the out-of-the-box tuning working well with my particular hearing. If you’re at all interested in getting the most out of your wireless earbuds fidelity-wise, I always recommend taking the included hearing test in your companion app (if there is one).

Like basically every other pair of wireless earbuds, there are touch controls that can trigger things like play or pause, as well as toggling ANC on and off, or track skipping. They work fine. There’s a slight delay between tapping and the command registering, which isn’t ideal, but not enough to drive me mad or make me like the wireless earbuds less.

© Raymond Wong / Gizmodo

If there are two things I might deduct some points for, it’s the looks and the battery life. Like the Clip1, I’m not a huge fan of the Soundpeats design language, but everyone’s taste is different, and ultimately, sound and ANC are more important. Battery life, however, is a material category, and the Air5 Pro+ are a little under the average in that department. Soundpeats’ wireless earbuds are rated for 6 hours of battery life in the earbuds themselves at 60% volume while listening in normal mode, which is Soundpeats lingo for “without ANC.” That means you can expect about 5 hours if you’re listening with ANC on, which, in several hours of testing, tracks from my perspective.

That’s not an egregious battery life, but it’s a little underwhelming compared to other wireless earbuds with ANC, which in my experience usually get around 6 to 7 hours outside the case with ANC activated. The case holds about 24 hours of additional battery, which is (again), just okay; total battery life with the case is up to 30 hours, according to Soundpeats.

A lot for a little money

I’m not here to tell you what to like. Maybe you own a pair of AirPods or Google’s Pixel Buds 2a, and you love them. If that’s the case, then go forth. If you’ve ever wondered if there was more to appreciate in the sound department, though, then Soundpeats and its xMEMS driver might be a great way to find out at a cost that’s not crippling to your wallet.

For $130, the Air5 Pro+ offer great sound, better-than-average ANC, and lots of features. While the look isn’t sleek and the battery life is a little underpowered, they feel like a steal for the money, especially when compared across the aisle to competitors like Nothing and OnePlus, which are solid but still not quite up to Soundpeats’ level. Trust me, they may not have the same recognition, but the sound speaks for itself.