Review - Soundcore Spirit Pro
Website - Soundcore
Official Spirit Pro info
Specifications
- Waterproof Rating: IP68 + SweatGuard
- Driver: 6mm graphene dynamic driver
- Dual EQ Modes: Crystal-Clear / Deeper Bass
- Playtime (Varies according to volume level & audio content): Up to 10 Hours (at 60% Volume)
- Wireless range: ~10m
- Bluetooth: 4.2
- Supported Bluetooth Codec: aptX, AAC, SBC
Price:
U$ 50. down to $35.
Warranty:
1.5 year.
First of all, credits go to Soundcore for sending the review sample of the Spirit Pro. Many thanks!
The Spirit Pro arrive in a compact cardboard box with a magnetic closure that allows seeing the earphones from the plastic window, and inside, all the accessories and paperwork. The package is the usual deal for this price range, 4 pairs of single silicone ear tips (xs/s/m/l sizes), a small pouch, USB cable (type A to micro), 3 sets of ear fins (or "EarWings" as called by the company) and pair of cable clips.
Build Quality / Design
Build quality looks very solid on the Spirit Pro with the main part of the shells made of metal with a smooth surface, while the inner part from the base of the nozzle to the tip is made of plastic. Both parts seem well attached and with no sharp corners. The shape is rather straight with a slight angled nozzle for a more natural and comfortable fit for active use. The base of nozzle may look large, though it is completely covered by the ear fins when installed. As can be seen on the photo there's a very small hook on the shells that helps to lock the fins around them and avoid any rotation. At the rear part, the shells have magnets that attach to each other lying as necklace, though the cable length may bit short for some.
At the exit of the earpieces, the cable has a thick strain relief which is strongly attached to the metal body. The cable itself is flat, not too wide but may be a bit noisy. The 3-button inline control is on the right side. It is large and placed too high and a bit annoying when moving around; considering the short cable length it could have been placed at the middle of cable, or at least made a bit smaller.
Using the
EarWings fins makes the Spirit Pro easy to fit and sit very securely on the ear. The fit is rather shallow and with the soft fins the earphones remain very comfortable for all day use. Even so, the isolation level is actually quite good, probably thanks to the sealed design and the fins that block larger outer ear area.
The
controls work well. I mainly used for playing music and the buttons are easy to press. Middle button for power on/off on long press and play and pause at single press, while +/- buttons for volume on single press and previous/next track on long press. A sound can heard if volume reaches the max level.
As a product meant for active sport use the Spirit Pro also features extra sweat and water resistant coating. I could not confirm yet the real performance, but there were no issues under some short rains.
Battery is rated to hold up to 10 hours and in practice it seems accurate without reaching the max volume. Charging takes like 2 hours or less.
The Bluetooth version 4.2. When using the Shanling M0 (4.1 BT) the codec is automatically set to AptX. The wireless range out of the M0 or Samsung Galaxy phone didn't really reach the 10 meters, though neither of these devices rates a very wide range.
As mentioned above, the Spirit Pro features dual sound EQ modes Clear and Bass, and differences are strong when switching between them. However I found the sound quality to be only good on the Bass mode, while the other Clear option sounded of low quality, very artificial and out of balance. Considering the affordable price there's not much room to complain about, as the first sound mode is quite good as described below.
The sound of the Spirit Pro is a touch bassy with a typical v-shaped signature but surprisingly good in overall balance. Considering the price and the sport use the earphones was meant to, it sounds better than expected.
The bass is forward and powerful with decent sub and mid-bass balance. Depth is good but doesn't get much extension on the lower sub-bass region. Quantity wise it can classify as a bass oriented set, but not too heavy or overwhelming. In fact, the control and quality are good with decent layering and full in texture and weight. Not too tight but very fun to listen.
Despite the powerful bass, the midrange is clean and remains forward enough for a kind of v-shaped signature. The low end adds more body and emphasis to the lower mids. Upper mids sound clear too with vocals that stand out more than instruments; mainly neutral in texture, neither dry nor sweet.
Treble is more focused on the lower part with just enough energy and sparkle if kind of limited on the upper region. Control is around average, but it remains fairly smooth without signs of sibilance. Timbre can be a bit off and the tonality a bit artificial, but for casual listening it is very enjoyable and better presented than IEMs that tend to have a treble boost in order to sound more detailed but turn out being peaky.
Soundstage is average, not much width or depth, so rather normal for a wireless in-ear $50 set. Not a detail oriented set, but decent for this type of sound, and even more considering the active use this earphone was meant to.
Taken as a whole package, the
Soundcore Spirit Pro offer a very good value for the $50 retail price. Build quality is very solid with a very comfortable design and secure fit for both active and daily use, and with the advantage of being waterproof for a rainy weather. Moreover, the sound quality is surprisingly good with a full bass response, clear midrange and comfortable treble.
