Soundpeats is a Chinese language audio model that desires to indicate you do not have to spend large to take pleasure in good audio on the transfer. The RunFree are a pair of the model’s air conduction headphones, and due to this fact firmly geared toward runners, gymnasium lovers and anybody that desires their sound delivered in a manner that also retains them conscious of their environment.
Priced at simply $49.99/£49.99, the RunFree promise a design that may keep put if you actually begin to sweat, together with large bass and large battery life for lower than many of the open-ear sports activities headphone competitors. I have been working and hitting the gymnasium with the RunFree to search out out in the event that they make a worthy exercise companion – this is how I received on.
Soundpeats RunFree
Really useful
Soundpeats RunFree are an aggressively priced pair of headphones that ship greater sound than bone conduction headphones can handle, together with a match and battery life that make them an excellent low cost sporty headphone possibility.
- Safe design
- Good workout-friendly sound signature
- Straightforward to make use of Soundpeats app
- Not improbable for making calls
- No frills design
- Do leak sound
Design
- Silicone body
- Weighs 31g
- Out there in 4 colors
It is honest to say Soundpeats is not making an attempt to excite with the look of its headphones, however crucially, they’re mild at simply 31g, have not budged once I wanted them to remain put and the built-in controls are usually properly built-in too.
They seem like they’re produced from plastic, like their RunFree Lite siblings, however Soundpeats has added in some silicone right here, which makes them a contact extra comfy to put on for longer durations of train.
They undertake a neckband-style design, which is a glance I might affiliate with most bone and air conduction headphones, arising and over the ears to position the speaker parts delivering the audio simply in entrance of your ears. The lightness of the design offers you the sensation they’re going to transfer round, however I’ve used them for extra high-intensity exercises and the body fortunately hasn’t bobbed round in an annoying vogue.
An IPX4 waterproof score means they’re additionally in a position to deal with some sweat and rain, and I had no points once I swapped working open air for a sweatier session within the gymnasium.
Soundpeats does an excellent job of holding the profile slim whereas additionally together with some buttons for controlling your music, and twin microphones to allow you to take calls away out of your telephone. The buttons are straightforward to succeed in, however are fairly shut to one another, which may make it tough to tell apart between them if you wish to shortly alter quantity or skip audio.
Sound high quality
- 16.2mm driver
- EQ presets and customized EQ modes in Soundpeats app
Soundpeats says it is utilizing what it calls ‘air conduction’ know-how to ship an open-ear headphone expertise. Which means you may hear your audio, however you too can hear the sound round you on the similar time. It is about providing a steadiness between the 2.
That is much like the strategy of bone conduction, however as a substitute of sending sound by means of vibrations up the cheekbone in direction of your ears, Soundpeats makes use of a 16.2mm driver setup to ship sound into your ear with out bodily blocking it up.
What you get is a sound profile that is infinitely extra highly effective and well-rounded in comparison with bone conduction headphones, all whereas holding you in tune with the world. That strategy does imply these headphones leak sound and when you’re sitting in an workplace or a quiet practice carriage with even some average quantity, folks will hear what you are listening to.
Once I was out working with them and utilizing them within the gymnasium, the steadiness between headphone sound and exterior sound was fairly good total. That is primarily right down to accessing a collection of EQ and customized EQ settings within the Soundpeats telephone app, which I used with an iPhone 14. It primarily that allows you to improve or cut back bass, that will help you discover a steadiness that caters extra to folks or digital music, or you may simply arrange your personal EQ profile.
What that immediately does is offer you far more scope to get a sound that fits your tastes on the RunFree – and one which feels much more balanced than it does if you first begin utilizing them. With some small tweaks, you will get a extra pleasing degree of bass than you may often anticipate from bone conduction headphones, and one thing far more rewarding within the mids and treble departments too. You will must mess around with the EQ modes to search out one thing that you just like, however when you’re a bass head otherwise you choose a sound profile with a contact extra finesse, you will get one thing that works properly right here.
Taking calls on them is not fairly nearly as good an expertise, and readability struggles. However a bit just like the pretty bland design there are all the time going to be some compromise, given the value.
Finally although, the RunFree ship the place it issues – working properly for exercises and holding up admirably if you’re battling towards wind, rain and different loud environments. Whether or not you are listening to music, podcasts or audiobooks, the Soundpeats RunFree impress.
Battery life and options
- 14-hour battery life
- Sport mode for gaming audio
- No onboard EQ controls
The Soundpeats RunFree promise some fairly hefty battery numbers, with a boast of 14 hours’ battery life on a single cost. Nevertheless, I might say that when you’re making use of these EQ modes frequently and also you’re listening to volumes that creep in direction of the highest of the quantity vary, then you will notice the battery life drop beneath that. It is not significantly much less, however these issues will have an effect on it.
I discovered that an hour of listening to music with them noticed the battery drop by lower than 10 per cent, which appears to be about proper based mostly on the claims Soundpeats makes right here. When it’s time to cost, it makes use of a Kind-C charging cable, however there isn’t any form of fast or quick cost mode sadly.
Soundpeats retains issues fairly easy by way of the extras you are getting right here. Together with the EQ options within the Soundpeats app you additionally get a recreation mode for lag-free gaming audio and – extra usefully – a battery standing indicator, which is beneficial to have when you’re utilizing them with an iPhone.
Verdict
If bone conduction headphones have left you feeling a little bit underwhelmed on the sound entrance and you want the thought of one thing that provides the same open-ear strategy, then the Soundpeats RunFree will attraction.
They’re low cost, and whereas they don’t look notably excessive grade, they do not sound low cost and do offer you scope to customize sound to higher tailor to what you hearken to. Add in sturdy battery life and a design that stays put, and there is definitely extra to love than not like concerning the Soundpeats RunFree.
