SOUNDPEATS H3 REVIEW

>>I am brazilian and I speak portuguese, so forgive my english, I’ll use translation tools to help<<

INTRO:

SOUNDPEATS is one of the world’s largest manufacturers of wireless earphones, a company dedicated exclusively to the production of this type of equipment. I’ve reviewed one of their products in the past, but it’s been a long time since I had the opportunity to test another product… until now. Today’s review is the SOUNDPEATS H3, a TWS earphone that feature two types of drivers: Balanced Armature (BA) and Dynamic Driver (DD).

Price: $129.99 USD
Colors: Golden

SOUNDPEATS LINKS:

https://amzn.to/3Y9zRm4

https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_c3ykydK3

SPECIFICATIONS:

Hybrid: 1DD + 2BA per side

(1) 12mm Dynamic Driver
(2) Balanced Armatures

– Chipset: Qualcomm® QCC3091 com Snapdragon Sound™
– Touch Controls
– Bluetooth 5.4
– Profile: HSP/ HFP/ A2DP/ AVRCP
– Codecs: SBC/AAC/LDAC/aptX/aptX Adaptive/aptX Lossless
– BT signal range: 10 meters
– Waterproof Rating: IPX5
– ANC and Ambient sound (4 modes)
– PeatsAudio APP – EQ presets & customization
– Low Latency mode (60ms)
– 6 Mics AI ENC for calls
– Dual-device connectivity
– Play time: 7h
– Battery life of earphone: 37h
– Charging time: 1h (earphones) 2h (charging case)
– Earphones battery: 35mAh
– Charging case battery: 400mAh
– Input: 5V-1A
– Charging by USB-C port
– Earphones material: plastic + aluminum
– Case material: plastic
– Case size: 4.2cm [H] × 6.8cm [W] × 2.9cm [D]
– Weight: 6g (one side)(without tips)
– Case weight: 41.4g (without earphones)
– Total weight (box, earphones, etc): 208.6g
– Packaging size 12.7cm [H] x 12.5cm [W] x 5.6cm [D]

UNBOXING:

PHYSICAL ASPECTS:

Construction:

Shell – body – made of plastic resin and metal.
Semi-custom design (similar to IEMs).
I liked the transparent shell, showing the drivers.
Earphone with round nozzles (positive point).
Aesthetically pleasing (subjective).
IPX5: Resistant to low-pressure water jets.
Good battery life.
Sources: Samsung A36, Samsung S22 Ultra, Dell Inspiron 14 (W10).

Charging case:

LED indicator (on the front of the case).
Compact and lightweight charging case.
The earphones don’t fall out of the case with the lid open (strong magnetism).
The lid is made of a more fragile plastic, which could break if you letting drop.
The case lid makes a noise when closing (that “clack” sound of plastic).
The lid is made of reflective plastic, meaning it can get scratched.
The reflective material also gives the impression of being a cheaper product.
In my opinion, the lid is the most negative aspect of the product.

Eartips:

Only 1 type of ear tip available.
5 pairs included: XS/S/M/L/XL.
I liked the eartips, soft and well-shaped.
I usually use M, but I ended up preferring to use L size.
I don’t see the need to upgrade the eartips (subjective).
I did the review with size L.

Connectivity:

Pairing upon opening the case lid.
Excellent range (achieves the indicated 10m).
Good signal stability.
No latency (in both modes: Game Mode On or Off).
Perfect synchronization between image and sound.
Responsive gesture controls.
The touch area is large and easy to use for commands.
Commands are confirmed by a female voice assistant.
Dual-device connection works perfectly (enable in the App).
It is not possible to activate the dual-device and LDAC at the same time.
Game Mode is also unavailable when LDAC is activated.
Only one side can be used at a time (mono).

APP:

PeatsAudio APP: Download from the Google Play Store (I use Android).
The app layout is simple, but everything is easy to understand.
It doesn’t show the battery life indicator (in %) (it could have).
The preset is saved on the earphones even if paired with another smartphone.
Parametric equalizer available.
The adaptive EQ is confusing to use. I couldn’t explore this function.

ANC and Transparent mode:

ANC: Only smooths out the sounds. Similar to other TWS earbuds.
Transparent mode: Works well, it manages to pick up surrounding sounds.
It’s possible to switch between modes directly from the earbuds.
Switching between modes doesn’t interrupt music playback.
I think ANCs will continue to evolve, but it’s always better to have them than not.

Microphone:

In a quiet environment, the Mic quality is very good. One of the best I’ve tested.
With a fan on, the quality drops, but it’s still possible to hear the voice.
I liked it a lot. The quality is medium to high.

Fit and comfort:

Good fit. Stable in my ears.
Recommended for casual or office use.
Comfortable, good ergonomics.
Good for long listening sessions.
Medium insertion.
Good isolation.
I consider it to be lightweight (although there are lighter ones).
Not so good for intense physical exercise (subjective).
Walking/weight training, yes. Biking/running, no.
It protruded a little in my ears (sticking out of my ears).
0.5cm less would be perfect, more discreet.
Small ears may have difficulty fitting (subjective).

Earphone kit (accessories):

H3 earphones.
5 pairs of eartips (SS/M/L/XL).
Charging case.
USB-A to USB-C cable.
Manual and sticker.

SOUND ASPECTS:

Sound:

I did the review using the Electronic preset.
For me, this preset produced the best performance on the earphones.
V-Shape: Emphasized bass, recessed mids, and slightly emphasized treble.
Aimed at a commercial sound, to appeal to a wider audience.
It combines well with popular genres: EDM, Hip-Hop, Pop, Rock, etc.
In my opinion, the presets don’t produce better results (subjective).
I don’t usually equalize earphones.

Bass:

– Quantitative:

Moderate to high.
It may be suitable for bassheads.
Slight focus on mid-bass.
It has sub-bass frequencies, although less so than the mid-bass.
Certainly, the bass frequencies are the most prominent.

– Qualitative:

These are strong, impactful, weighty bass frequencies with good definition and extension.
Excellent physicality without sounding boomy.
Good texture and warmth.
They don’t overwhelm the midrange.
They are neither bloated nor muddy.
Good for musical genres that prioritize bass.
The reduction in sub-bass makes the bass “cleaner”.
The kick drum and bass guitar sound imposing in the performance.

Mids:

– Quantitative and qualitative:

The mids are slightly recessed.
It’s not the recess that past TWSs had.
They are soft, warm, and velvety mids.
They don’t generate fatigue or aggressiveness.
Definition and transparency are good/okay.
Detail and airiness are also good/okay.
Not the best for those seeking technical/forward mids.
Good for those who want to avoid very loud/shouty upper-mids.
Guitar riffs become more “warm” and textured.
The timbre leans more towards musical than analytical.

Voices:

Best suited for low/male voices.
Deep voices gain more weight and texture.
Guttural and snoring are intensified in the H3.
Because it doesn’t have a high pinna gain, female voices are more restrained.

Treble:

– Quantitative:

Moderate.
They stand out as the 2th major frequency.
Not for trebleheads.
Suitable even for those sensitive to treble frequencies.

– Qualitative:

Treble with good energy, vitality, speed, and definition.
Excellent extension (which is a difficult point to find in TWSs).
Consistent and lively sparkle.
Great detail and airiness.
They aren’t shrill, not sharp, not harsh.
I didn’t heard sibilance, peaks, or coloration.
Slight grainy in the treble when there is too much excess.
An example of what I said above is Extreme Metal, songs with a lot of speed on the hi-hats.
I didn’t even list it as a negative point because it depends a lot on the recording.

Soundstage:

I found the soundstage to be very good.
Of the TWS earbuds I’ve tested, this was one of the most spatial to date.
It’s good in all three dimensions: height, width, and depth.
V-shaped tuning achieve better spatiality (this isn’t a rule).
A very positive point for these earphones.

Imaging:

Good instrumental separation.
For a TWS, that’s already a pretty good level.
I was able to perceive instruments in different locations.
Wired earphones still have an advantage (TWSs are coming closer).

Driver flex test:

The H3 didn’t feature a flex driver sound.

Amplification:

Just to comment on the volume.
I consider these earphones to be quite loud.
I found the last two volume levels to be very loud (for my ears).
I mostly used them at volume 12, out of the 15 available on Android.

PROS AND CONS:

– Aesthetically pleasing (subjective)
– Well-built with a round nozzle
– V-shaped sound
– Great soundstage and imaging
– Great detail
– Bluetooth 5.4
– LDAC codec
– ANC and transparent mode
– App: customization and parametric EQ
– Dual-device connection
– Great mic quality
– IPX5 certification
– Responsive gesture controls
– Good battery life
– Excellent fit and comfort
– Good for long listening sessions
– Compact and lightweight case
– Good eartips (from XS to XL)

– Case lid (weak point of the product)
– The lid makes a “clack” noise when closing
– It protruded from my ears
– Small ears may not find it a good fit (subjective)
– EQ presets don’t contribute much
– Could have a % battery indicator in the app

GRAPHS BY HI-END PORTABLE:

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