SoundPEATS T2 Hybrid Active Noise Canceling ANC Wireless Earbuds TWS
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The SoundPeats T2 is the company’s first foray into Active Noise Cancellation. For a reasonable price point they have a lot up their sleeve, but how well do these fare in real life?
NOTICE: I purchased these in April 2021 when it was first released in Canada. SoundPeats has stated the unit I received is the second batch which addresses clipping distortion at louder volumes reported in the first batch.
Design 8/10
Overall the design is a bit uninspiring but decent enough for me. The charging case stands tall and is slim with a soft-touch plastic, but after some time it can get scuffed up easily. It charges with USB Type-C which is a no-brainer at this day and age but unfortunately does not have Qi wireless charging.
Comfort and fit 9/10
The earbuds themselves are quite large but surprisingly comfortable and stay put in my ears very well. They have an ergonomic negative profile - the issue is more into how much they protrude out of your ears than the fit. Therefore they are not ideal for sleeping with or wearing a hat over.
Isolation 6/10, ANC 8/10
Passive isolation is mediocre, it is fine for most general background noise but does poorly for commuting. For a negative fit design that fits quite nicely and stays in my ears, this is a tad disappointing.
ANC is very good for this price point. It is quite aggressive at removing mid to low frequencies, and takes a slight edge off higher frequencies. It does however, hiss noticeably in complete silence and doesn’t do much for removing the sounds of people talking (especially loudly).
Most concerning is that I notice a slight buzzing artifact after prolonged listening on the left earbud - I hear it regardless of whether ANC is turned on or off. There have been several conflicting reports of this defect, with some users saying it doesn't occur to them or only when ANC is turned on. While it is not too bothersome, it is unfortunate that the second batch has not addressed this issues. [See more about ANC settings with the AirReps156X app]
Another gripe is that the ANC setting is not remembered - these will always default to ANC off each time you power on the earbuds. You also must cycle through passthrough mode in order to activate ANC mode, which is rather tedious.
Controls 5.5/10
These earbuds have touch controls for play/pause, controlling the volume, next track, smart assistant and toggling the ANC mode. Unfortunately there is no previous track button though I just need to say “previous” on the smart assistant on Android.
Holding the touchpad for 6 seconds puts the earbuds into pairing mode. Not as convenient as having multipoint (which is still few and far in TWS), but it does save the step of disconnecting to my current device. Holding the touchpad for about 10 seconds turns off both earbuds. This proves important, because the earbuds don’t power off in the case if it is depleted. The earbuds power off together but need to be powered on again individually.
However, the touch controls have many issues. There is some overlap between the durations, such that sometimes I inadvertently power them off when I meant to go into pairing mode if I just hold it slightly too long. There are also occasions where the touch controls for play/pause and hold (ANC or next track) fail to work. Usually it fails on the right earbud, so next track and play/pause fail to work on that bud. While it can sometimes resolve eventually, the only reliable way to get around this is to re-connect the earbuds. For this reason I have to deduct points for reliability.
Usability + Connectivity 7.5/10
The T2 is also the first SoundPeats product to feature ambient hearthrough, and it is quite a good implementation. The volume stays constant without any fluctuations, so these are great for playing instruments while listening to music. Even though the ambient feed is reasonably loud, it is more emphasized in the higher frequencies, and I have to turn my music way down in order to hear conversations clearly.
These support AAC and SBC codecs. They still sound good even if you’re using SBC on Windows 10. However, with SBC they often start up music with slightly delay on one earbud - not an uncommon issue with true wireless earbuds but it can be annoying in that first second or so. Connectivity is quite solid with very infrequent dropouts (I notice some on my phone when I have its bluetooth modem oriented a certain way, but I’m not sure I can blame the earbuds for this issue which occurs on other devices as well).
On Android, latency in gaming is slightly below average at this day and age. While not as bad as some BT 4.2 or early 5.0 devices, it is quite underwhelming for a new product. On Windows 10 latency is slightly improved but trails behind other contemporary products.
App Support [unofficial AirReps156X]
There is no official app support, but the Android AirReps156X app (designed for Airpods clones and other devices using Airoha chipsets) is partly compatible with the T2. The app requires you to select and connect your device each time you open it but after that you are able to quickly adjust ANC modes and even low-latency mode. Note that the settings made in this app are only temporary and will be forgotten the next time you power on the earbuds.
Among the ANC modes, aside from the default hybrid ANC, you are able to adjust feed-forward and feed-back ANC modes. Feedforward ANC is not as powerful as hybrid mode but emits less overall hiss, and may be better suited for indoor settings. Feedback ANC is terrible - it does not block out much background noise and almost sounds almost like a half-baked ambient mode. You are also able to force transparency mode on using the app, but once you take both earbuds out it will go into default ANC off. I've also had one occasion where after doing this the two earbuds no longer recognized each other as a stereo pair, until I re-paired them.
The AirReps156X also allows you to enable Low Latency mode, but I can see why SoundPeats didn’t include it. On Android, the connectivity suffers quite a bit such that holding my phone around its Bluetooth modem causes several dropouts.
Unfortunately, the equalizer function appears to be disabled by SoundPeats. The app also does not appear to be available for Windows 10 or iOS (understandably so as it pertains to Apple clones). As long as your earbuds are powered on they preserve the settings made on the app and so you can just disconnect then connect them to a second device (eg. Windows 10 laptop). This is the only way on Windows 10 you can use low latency mode, for example. (the connection is much better, probably because SBC is being used instead of AAC).
Sound Quality 8/10
Overall, the tuning is organic and warm, with an emphasis on the bass and lower mids. The low end is punchy without being bloated, while vocals sound full but a tad lacking in upper registers. They don't sound veiled or muffled, just like something is missing up top. The treble rolls off but is a tad peaky/hot at higher volumes. While these can get loud, I have mixed feelings about changing the volume. I generally listen around 70% but sometimes find it a tad lacking in detail, but turning it up brings out the hot lower treble.
The soundstage is intimate but not congested and have a good sense of depth such that layering/instrument separation is excellent, often bringing out elements I don’t really notice before, particularly in the lower mid frequencies without sounding muddy.
My unit is supposedly from the second batch, which SoundPeats claims to address clipping distortion at higher volumes. Unfortunately, the noise floor is rather high such that hissing is quite noticeable, and intermittently I hear a buzzing static from the left earbud. While these are serious reliability issues, I will not be factoring this into the sound quality score as various users have reported not having this issue or being present on the opposite earbud instead.
Battery Life 7/10
The earbuds themselves claim to have up to 10 hours of battery life, though this only pertains to having ANC off. With ANC on, the earbuds last about 6 hours or so. The battery indicator for the earbuds themselves still shows about 90% left after 1-2 hours of use, but drops more abruptly within the last 2 hours or so. Overall, I am still impressed with the battery life but the percentage indicators could be more accurately scaled.
The case seems inefficient in constantly topping up the earbuds to 100%, which leads them to become depleted within 2 days (~12 hours of use), even though the earbuds themselves could last for another full cycle. You also can’t power off the earbuds by closing the case when it is “depleted” (even though one LED is still blinking). If ambient mode is turned on in this situation, putting them in the case will cause a high-pitched feedback sound until you manually turn of the earbuds. Fortunately you are able to power the earbuds off, but having to power them on individually in this situation is cumbersome. Although this is not uncommon among budget true wireless earbuds, the fact that something like Earfun Free Pro is able to still do this has me a bit disappointed.
Overall
In terms of ANC and sound quality, the SoundPeats T2 are a solid presentation for the their ANC earbuds. However, they have a number of serious shortcomings, much of which seem to be down to QC issues (intermittent audio hiss) and software glitches (touch controls failing). For the most part, I can live through these issues which only occurs intermittently, but the uncertainty you may receive a faulty unit prevents me from giving these my highest recommendation.
7.3/10 (weighed due to possible issues/defects)
8.3/10 (unweighted score)
NOTICE: I purchased these in April 2021 when it was first released in Canada. SoundPeats has stated the unit I received is the second batch which addresses clipping distortion at louder volumes reported in the first batch.
Design 8/10
Overall the design is a bit uninspiring but decent enough for me. The charging case stands tall and is slim with a soft-touch plastic, but after some time it can get scuffed up easily. It charges with USB Type-C which is a no-brainer at this day and age but unfortunately does not have Qi wireless charging.
Comfort and fit 9/10
The earbuds themselves are quite large but surprisingly comfortable and stay put in my ears very well. They have an ergonomic negative profile - the issue is more into how much they protrude out of your ears than the fit. Therefore they are not ideal for sleeping with or wearing a hat over.
Isolation 6/10, ANC 8/10
Passive isolation is mediocre, it is fine for most general background noise but does poorly for commuting. For a negative fit design that fits quite nicely and stays in my ears, this is a tad disappointing.
ANC is very good for this price point. It is quite aggressive at removing mid to low frequencies, and takes a slight edge off higher frequencies. It does however, hiss noticeably in complete silence and doesn’t do much for removing the sounds of people talking (especially loudly).
Most concerning is that I notice a slight buzzing artifact after prolonged listening on the left earbud - I hear it regardless of whether ANC is turned on or off. There have been several conflicting reports of this defect, with some users saying it doesn't occur to them or only when ANC is turned on. While it is not too bothersome, it is unfortunate that the second batch has not addressed this issues. [See more about ANC settings with the AirReps156X app]
Another gripe is that the ANC setting is not remembered - these will always default to ANC off each time you power on the earbuds. You also must cycle through passthrough mode in order to activate ANC mode, which is rather tedious.
Controls 5.5/10
These earbuds have touch controls for play/pause, controlling the volume, next track, smart assistant and toggling the ANC mode. Unfortunately there is no previous track button though I just need to say “previous” on the smart assistant on Android.
Holding the touchpad for 6 seconds puts the earbuds into pairing mode. Not as convenient as having multipoint (which is still few and far in TWS), but it does save the step of disconnecting to my current device. Holding the touchpad for about 10 seconds turns off both earbuds. This proves important, because the earbuds don’t power off in the case if it is depleted. The earbuds power off together but need to be powered on again individually.
However, the touch controls have many issues. There is some overlap between the durations, such that sometimes I inadvertently power them off when I meant to go into pairing mode if I just hold it slightly too long. There are also occasions where the touch controls for play/pause and hold (ANC or next track) fail to work. Usually it fails on the right earbud, so next track and play/pause fail to work on that bud. While it can sometimes resolve eventually, the only reliable way to get around this is to re-connect the earbuds. For this reason I have to deduct points for reliability.
Usability + Connectivity 7.5/10
The T2 is also the first SoundPeats product to feature ambient hearthrough, and it is quite a good implementation. The volume stays constant without any fluctuations, so these are great for playing instruments while listening to music. Even though the ambient feed is reasonably loud, it is more emphasized in the higher frequencies, and I have to turn my music way down in order to hear conversations clearly.
These support AAC and SBC codecs. They still sound good even if you’re using SBC on Windows 10. However, with SBC they often start up music with slightly delay on one earbud - not an uncommon issue with true wireless earbuds but it can be annoying in that first second or so. Connectivity is quite solid with very infrequent dropouts (I notice some on my phone when I have its bluetooth modem oriented a certain way, but I’m not sure I can blame the earbuds for this issue which occurs on other devices as well).
On Android, latency in gaming is slightly below average at this day and age. While not as bad as some BT 4.2 or early 5.0 devices, it is quite underwhelming for a new product. On Windows 10 latency is slightly improved but trails behind other contemporary products.
App Support [unofficial AirReps156X]
There is no official app support, but the Android AirReps156X app (designed for Airpods clones and other devices using Airoha chipsets) is partly compatible with the T2. The app requires you to select and connect your device each time you open it but after that you are able to quickly adjust ANC modes and even low-latency mode. Note that the settings made in this app are only temporary and will be forgotten the next time you power on the earbuds.
Among the ANC modes, aside from the default hybrid ANC, you are able to adjust feed-forward and feed-back ANC modes. Feedforward ANC is not as powerful as hybrid mode but emits less overall hiss, and may be better suited for indoor settings. Feedback ANC is terrible - it does not block out much background noise and almost sounds almost like a half-baked ambient mode. You are also able to force transparency mode on using the app, but once you take both earbuds out it will go into default ANC off. I've also had one occasion where after doing this the two earbuds no longer recognized each other as a stereo pair, until I re-paired them.
The AirReps156X also allows you to enable Low Latency mode, but I can see why SoundPeats didn’t include it. On Android, the connectivity suffers quite a bit such that holding my phone around its Bluetooth modem causes several dropouts.
Unfortunately, the equalizer function appears to be disabled by SoundPeats. The app also does not appear to be available for Windows 10 or iOS (understandably so as it pertains to Apple clones). As long as your earbuds are powered on they preserve the settings made on the app and so you can just disconnect then connect them to a second device (eg. Windows 10 laptop). This is the only way on Windows 10 you can use low latency mode, for example. (the connection is much better, probably because SBC is being used instead of AAC).
Sound Quality 8/10
Overall, the tuning is organic and warm, with an emphasis on the bass and lower mids. The low end is punchy without being bloated, while vocals sound full but a tad lacking in upper registers. They don't sound veiled or muffled, just like something is missing up top. The treble rolls off but is a tad peaky/hot at higher volumes. While these can get loud, I have mixed feelings about changing the volume. I generally listen around 70% but sometimes find it a tad lacking in detail, but turning it up brings out the hot lower treble.
The soundstage is intimate but not congested and have a good sense of depth such that layering/instrument separation is excellent, often bringing out elements I don’t really notice before, particularly in the lower mid frequencies without sounding muddy.
My unit is supposedly from the second batch, which SoundPeats claims to address clipping distortion at higher volumes. Unfortunately, the noise floor is rather high such that hissing is quite noticeable, and intermittently I hear a buzzing static from the left earbud. While these are serious reliability issues, I will not be factoring this into the sound quality score as various users have reported not having this issue or being present on the opposite earbud instead.
Battery Life 7/10
The earbuds themselves claim to have up to 10 hours of battery life, though this only pertains to having ANC off. With ANC on, the earbuds last about 6 hours or so. The battery indicator for the earbuds themselves still shows about 90% left after 1-2 hours of use, but drops more abruptly within the last 2 hours or so. Overall, I am still impressed with the battery life but the percentage indicators could be more accurately scaled.
The case seems inefficient in constantly topping up the earbuds to 100%, which leads them to become depleted within 2 days (~12 hours of use), even though the earbuds themselves could last for another full cycle. You also can’t power off the earbuds by closing the case when it is “depleted” (even though one LED is still blinking). If ambient mode is turned on in this situation, putting them in the case will cause a high-pitched feedback sound until you manually turn of the earbuds. Fortunately you are able to power the earbuds off, but having to power them on individually in this situation is cumbersome. Although this is not uncommon among budget true wireless earbuds, the fact that something like Earfun Free Pro is able to still do this has me a bit disappointed.
Overall
In terms of ANC and sound quality, the SoundPeats T2 are a solid presentation for the their ANC earbuds. However, they have a number of serious shortcomings, much of which seem to be down to QC issues (intermittent audio hiss) and software glitches (touch controls failing). For the most part, I can live through these issues which only occurs intermittently, but the uncertainty you may receive a faulty unit prevents me from giving these my highest recommendation.
7.3/10 (weighed due to possible issues/defects)
8.3/10 (unweighted score)
Introduction
Anyone who has looked at my profile or read my previous reviews will know that I'm a big fan of bluetooth headphones - both full sized and iems. I've had the opportunity to try out quite a few and am comfortable in saying that there's now quite a few inexpensive models on the market now that can compete with the more expensive models on the market now. In my opinion, the Soundpeats P2 definitely falls into this camp.
I have a policy when reviewing the less expensive headphones out there. I don't think it's generally fair to compare them with the more expensive models and when awarding marks out of ten I do like to take their price into account.
Features
The Soundpeats P2 is a very unassuming pair of TWS earbuds - it's fair to say that they kinda look pretty generic and unimpressive all in all. Completely black in colour, they give off the impression that most muggers would let you keep them and just be happy taking your wallet. Well that would be their loss as these are bloody excellent. They're unashamedly plastic in construction, very light and unfortunately, like many other wireless IEM's, slippery and sometimes difficult to get out of the case if you have dry fingers.
Manufacturers specifications (nicked from their website):
Core Specs
Bluetooth Chip: Airoha AB1562A
Waterproof Level: IPX5
Bluetooth: 5.1
Audio Codec: SBC, AAC, MP3
Working Range: 33 feet(10m)
Technology: BT5.0, HSP, HFP, A2DP, AVRCP
Battery
Battery Capacity: 370mAH (Case)
Battery Capacity:55*2mAH(Earbuds)
Charging Time: 2 hours
Standby Time: 150 hours
Playtime Time: ANC ON 7.5 hours, ANC OFF 10 hours
Package
Product Dimensions:0.8 * 0.84 * 1.03 inches
Item Weight:1.72 ounces
Shipping Weight: 4.19 ounces
What is in the Box
1 x SOUNDPEATS T2 Wireless Earbuds
1 x Charging Cable
1 x Charging Case
6 xInterchangeable Ear Tips
1 x User Manual
The T2’s feature Bluetooth - 5.1. Whilst this doesn't appear to directly affect the sound quality the rock solid connection definitely helps with the stability of the sound and they have a decent range (easily passing the upstairs bathroom test).
The charging case is a rather neat affair. Pretty much as small as that found on the Airpods, it offers around 3 full charges. It uses USB Type C (which is always welcome) and charged pretty quickly. I really liked the way SoundPeats have configured their LED indicators to externally show that each earbud is charging properly as well as the overall charge level of the case itself. I really liked the magnetic lid as well. Easy to open and features a subtle two-stage element when opening and closing.
The T2’s offer pretty much every feature you really need in a pair of wireless headphones - including volume control on the buds themselves. What they don’t have are features like in-ear detection, touch to hear (I think this is unique to Sony) or wireless charging. This has helped to keep the cost of the unit down without sacrificing anything too important.
The touch controls work pretty well but unfortunately there’s no app so therefore no way to change the controls (or disable the controls for use in bed). With this in mind, they’re not going to replace the Tronsmart Apollo’s for bedtime use). Interestingly there’s no facility to go back a track but you can still skip forward so it’s not the end of the world. As with many other wireless headphones, the volume steps are a little too coarse for fine tuning which is a shame (not sure if this is a limitation of Bluetooth but the Sony WH1000XM2’s (and probably XM3 and XM4 models too) offer much finer control over the volume. One touch I really do like is that when you pause the music it’s a two-step process - in other words the volume dips down before completely going silent - so there’s no sudden silence.
Sound Quality
Up front it has to be said that, although these headphones sound really good, they’re not what I would call hi-fi - the very top-end is curtailed and the bass, although slightly boosted, tends to lack a degree of detail although this slight bass boost does help reduce the need for an air-tight seal - they remind me somewhat of the Apple Airpods Pro in this respect in that you don’t have to get that ‘bunged up’ seal in order to get a nice full sound out of the units.
One thing I really liked about these headphones is that default to ‘Normal’ mode when first powered up. Long pressing for about 1.5 seconds on the left hand bud cycles through the three available modes - Normal, Pass-Through Sound and ANC on. There is a very small amount of additional ‘line-noise’ when using the ANC but all in all, it doesn't particularly have an effect on the sound quality.
Speaking of sound quality. The SoundPeats T2 sounds pretty good for their asking price. They go loud. Although there is a definite ‘V’ shape to the sound, it’s not as pronounced as that found on the Tronsmart Apollo’s. There was a degree of ‘hardness’ to the upper mids when they’re pushed too hard but at normal listening levels this effectively disappeared and the overall sound character remained fairly flat.
The SoundPEATS real ace up their sleeve though is their active noise cancelling which is actually remarkably good - very VERY close to the Sony WF1000XM3's. That's one hell of a compliment because the Sony's are amongst the very best anc TWS earbuds out there at the moment. I tried them out on a trip to my local supermarket and found that the ANC does a very good job of eliminating excessive outside noise. Whilst it could still be heard (just like with all other ANC headphones I’ve tried), once the music started playing - even at low levels - the outside noises effectively vanished. One problem I did experience though was a considerable amount of wind noise with the ANC on. Many ANC headphones suffer with this problem - so the SoundPeats aren’t on their own here.
The audio pass through works extremely effectively but the end result can't really be described as 'natural sounding'. Outside sounds come through pretty clearly but both amplifier and compressed. Don't get me wrong, it serves its purpose but Sony and Apple's definitely do it better. To be honest, it's actually not a feature I use all that often.
Conclusion
There's no doubt in my mind that the technology that Sony, Apple, Bose and Sennheiser employed in their leading edge products from the last couple of years have now filtered down into the budget market. I'm a big user of wireless headphones - both iem and full sized. Whilst I recognise that from a technical perspective, the sound quality of wireless will always play second fiddle to their wired counterparts. For me, the differences and both fairly subtle and certainly tolerable. Whilst I can still appreciate the purer sound quality from a really good player coupled with a set of really good wired headphones (Sony NW A55 Walkman and Ultimate Ears Triple Fi 10's for example) - for much of my music listening I tend to veer towards wireless simply for the convenience.
In conclusion. I'm really impressed with these headphones. They offer better active noise cancellation and have a flatter sound profile than the Apollo Bold's, are a fraction of the price of the Sony WF1000XM3’s and yet offer a comparable degree of noise cancelling, almost match the Lypertek Tevi’s with regard to the earbud battery life and offer a really good balance of sound quality and value for money. Highly recommended for their price.
Anyone who has looked at my profile or read my previous reviews will know that I'm a big fan of bluetooth headphones - both full sized and iems. I've had the opportunity to try out quite a few and am comfortable in saying that there's now quite a few inexpensive models on the market now that can compete with the more expensive models on the market now. In my opinion, the Soundpeats P2 definitely falls into this camp.
I have a policy when reviewing the less expensive headphones out there. I don't think it's generally fair to compare them with the more expensive models and when awarding marks out of ten I do like to take their price into account.
Features
The Soundpeats P2 is a very unassuming pair of TWS earbuds - it's fair to say that they kinda look pretty generic and unimpressive all in all. Completely black in colour, they give off the impression that most muggers would let you keep them and just be happy taking your wallet. Well that would be their loss as these are bloody excellent. They're unashamedly plastic in construction, very light and unfortunately, like many other wireless IEM's, slippery and sometimes difficult to get out of the case if you have dry fingers.
Manufacturers specifications (nicked from their website):
Core Specs
Bluetooth Chip: Airoha AB1562A
Waterproof Level: IPX5
Bluetooth: 5.1
Audio Codec: SBC, AAC, MP3
Working Range: 33 feet(10m)
Technology: BT5.0, HSP, HFP, A2DP, AVRCP
Battery
Battery Capacity: 370mAH (Case)
Battery Capacity:55*2mAH(Earbuds)
Charging Time: 2 hours
Standby Time: 150 hours
Playtime Time: ANC ON 7.5 hours, ANC OFF 10 hours
Package
Product Dimensions:0.8 * 0.84 * 1.03 inches
Item Weight:1.72 ounces
Shipping Weight: 4.19 ounces
What is in the Box
1 x SOUNDPEATS T2 Wireless Earbuds
1 x Charging Cable
1 x Charging Case
6 xInterchangeable Ear Tips
1 x User Manual
The T2’s feature Bluetooth - 5.1. Whilst this doesn't appear to directly affect the sound quality the rock solid connection definitely helps with the stability of the sound and they have a decent range (easily passing the upstairs bathroom test).
The charging case is a rather neat affair. Pretty much as small as that found on the Airpods, it offers around 3 full charges. It uses USB Type C (which is always welcome) and charged pretty quickly. I really liked the way SoundPeats have configured their LED indicators to externally show that each earbud is charging properly as well as the overall charge level of the case itself. I really liked the magnetic lid as well. Easy to open and features a subtle two-stage element when opening and closing.
The T2’s offer pretty much every feature you really need in a pair of wireless headphones - including volume control on the buds themselves. What they don’t have are features like in-ear detection, touch to hear (I think this is unique to Sony) or wireless charging. This has helped to keep the cost of the unit down without sacrificing anything too important.
The touch controls work pretty well but unfortunately there’s no app so therefore no way to change the controls (or disable the controls for use in bed). With this in mind, they’re not going to replace the Tronsmart Apollo’s for bedtime use). Interestingly there’s no facility to go back a track but you can still skip forward so it’s not the end of the world. As with many other wireless headphones, the volume steps are a little too coarse for fine tuning which is a shame (not sure if this is a limitation of Bluetooth but the Sony WH1000XM2’s (and probably XM3 and XM4 models too) offer much finer control over the volume. One touch I really do like is that when you pause the music it’s a two-step process - in other words the volume dips down before completely going silent - so there’s no sudden silence.
Sound Quality
Up front it has to be said that, although these headphones sound really good, they’re not what I would call hi-fi - the very top-end is curtailed and the bass, although slightly boosted, tends to lack a degree of detail although this slight bass boost does help reduce the need for an air-tight seal - they remind me somewhat of the Apple Airpods Pro in this respect in that you don’t have to get that ‘bunged up’ seal in order to get a nice full sound out of the units.
One thing I really liked about these headphones is that default to ‘Normal’ mode when first powered up. Long pressing for about 1.5 seconds on the left hand bud cycles through the three available modes - Normal, Pass-Through Sound and ANC on. There is a very small amount of additional ‘line-noise’ when using the ANC but all in all, it doesn't particularly have an effect on the sound quality.
Speaking of sound quality. The SoundPeats T2 sounds pretty good for their asking price. They go loud. Although there is a definite ‘V’ shape to the sound, it’s not as pronounced as that found on the Tronsmart Apollo’s. There was a degree of ‘hardness’ to the upper mids when they’re pushed too hard but at normal listening levels this effectively disappeared and the overall sound character remained fairly flat.
The SoundPEATS real ace up their sleeve though is their active noise cancelling which is actually remarkably good - very VERY close to the Sony WF1000XM3's. That's one hell of a compliment because the Sony's are amongst the very best anc TWS earbuds out there at the moment. I tried them out on a trip to my local supermarket and found that the ANC does a very good job of eliminating excessive outside noise. Whilst it could still be heard (just like with all other ANC headphones I’ve tried), once the music started playing - even at low levels - the outside noises effectively vanished. One problem I did experience though was a considerable amount of wind noise with the ANC on. Many ANC headphones suffer with this problem - so the SoundPeats aren’t on their own here.
The audio pass through works extremely effectively but the end result can't really be described as 'natural sounding'. Outside sounds come through pretty clearly but both amplifier and compressed. Don't get me wrong, it serves its purpose but Sony and Apple's definitely do it better. To be honest, it's actually not a feature I use all that often.
Conclusion
There's no doubt in my mind that the technology that Sony, Apple, Bose and Sennheiser employed in their leading edge products from the last couple of years have now filtered down into the budget market. I'm a big user of wireless headphones - both iem and full sized. Whilst I recognise that from a technical perspective, the sound quality of wireless will always play second fiddle to their wired counterparts. For me, the differences and both fairly subtle and certainly tolerable. Whilst I can still appreciate the purer sound quality from a really good player coupled with a set of really good wired headphones (Sony NW A55 Walkman and Ultimate Ears Triple Fi 10's for example) - for much of my music listening I tend to veer towards wireless simply for the convenience.
In conclusion. I'm really impressed with these headphones. They offer better active noise cancellation and have a flatter sound profile than the Apollo Bold's, are a fraction of the price of the Sony WF1000XM3’s and yet offer a comparable degree of noise cancelling, almost match the Lypertek Tevi’s with regard to the earbud battery life and offer a really good balance of sound quality and value for money. Highly recommended for their price.
Attachments
Peddler
I found the sound quality to be pretty good on mine. Not earth shattering but quite acceptable.
RC032
How I review: (See Previous Reviews)
Model: SoundPEATS T2
Price: MSRP $60
Vendor Website: SoundPEATS
Review Reference: RC032
Manufacturer Specification:
1 x Pair wireless headphones
1 x USB Type-C Charge Case (no wireless charging)
1 x USB Type-C Charge Cable
3 x Pair Silicone Tips
1 x User manual, warranty card
Real Life Experience
SoundPEATS seem to have become an overnight sensation, wiping up a large portion of budget TWS earbud market share with a business model that has served them (and Anker before them) exceptionally well - good distribution channels (via Amazon), good support, a catchy name and product that performs well at a very competitive price point. In reality, they have been around a long time - whilst Shenzhen SoundSOUL IT Co LTD is a different trading name to Ginto E-Commerce, they share the same business address (including room number) as them - you may know their brand name better as Dudios. With Dudios not sounding quite so cool as Soundpeats, maybe the brand transition has been instrumental in their success, but having been around since 2010 and patents in Bluetooth tech stretching back to 2015, they are not the plucky upstarts that some may think - they know their stuff, have a great network of contacts, and now a very solid brand in Europe, and deservedly so.
The thing that sets SoundPEATS apart from other vendors, and makes them my favourite budget earbud vendor, is that they are completely transparent over their components. Whether they use Realtek, Qualcomm or Airoha chips in their buds, they are totally open about it, and as a reviewer this really helps, because whilst I have, and do, dismantle buds to check the way that certain things have been implemented (such as the power management, mems mics, etc) and I really don't like having to do it with every set of earbuds, because they then become unusable.
The T2 are Soundpeats' first foray into active noise cancellation, so it was always going to be an interesting analysis as the budget vendors increasingly tiptoe into higher end feature-sets.
The Unboxing - 7/10
There is something refreshingly consistent about SoundPEATS unboxings. Icons display features in familiar places, QR codes inside the box and on an enclosed slip take you to their Official Website and Social Media pages, and everything inside is nicely enclosed to minimise potential damage in transit and compacted to reduce carbon footprint.
Enclosed is a USB type C charge cable, small and large silicone tips, extended warranty card and the charge case. The tips are fairly wide bore due to the larger drivers, but otherwise nothing unusual. As per previous reviews, this is a step up from the Dudios days and better than you will see from Enacfire, Mpow and some of the other budget brands, but not quite up there with some of the elder statesmen like Tronsmart with their war-and-peace Apollo Bold and FIIL with their moulded inserts.
The manual comes with instructions in English, French, German, Italian, Spanish and Chinese and gives a very clear indication on how to use the buds, including the control scheme, which is very nicely detailed with easy-to-understand graphics as well as a text box.
The Case - 7/10
The case lacks the lustre of the Sonic, vetoing the unique rose gold and grey finish in favour of a more conventional matte black, with the SoundPEATS logo etched into the top. This gives it a generic look that could easily be mistaken for any other brand.
The front has a lip for easy control of the lid, and three charge lights at the front. Whereas the TrueEngine3se had the lights inside, recent Soundpeats releases have recognised that displaying on the case is far more useful, even upgrading the TrueAir2 to support this with their second iteration (so I am told)
When the first light only displays, the case has 20% charge or less. If the first two are lit up, then you have 20-70% charge, and if the latter two are lit up, then it's 70-99%. If all three are lit up then you're at 100% and can remove the case from the charger. Whilst the case has overcharge protection, it's still useful to know when you have a full tank.
When the first and third LED lights are lit up as shown in the image above, this means that both the left and right earbuds are charging. This is an INCREDIBLY understated feature - the number of Reddit comments I see complaining about a single bud not being charged up, and it is often down to the charge connectors being obscured by dirt or other materials - are addressed with this one single feature. Fantastic.
Not pictured above, but included in my Instagram video review, is how easy the case is to operate single handedly. The lip has sufficient groove depth to flip it open with your thumb, and the hinge is excellent. It features a clutch-style system, whereby if you want the case to stay open, you have to open beyond the 'bite'. Before the bite, the magnets will kick in and close it.
Now there is only one problem with this. When you take the buds out, the case will not stay upright with the lid open. Whilst it does encourage you to keep the case closed to preserve battery, and keeps the case light, it can be a little annoying.
Similar to Edifier, TaoTronics and Boltune, they signify which side each bud should be inserted, designated by the LR in the centre. Not only is this helpful if you don't know your left from your right, in all seriousness it is a useful feature, as I find button-shaped earbuds don't insert intuitively into the case - FIIL point them horizontally, Samsung and Kinera vertically, and nowadays there is no de facto - and when you're on the move, the last thing you want to do is fiddle around with getting buds in a case. The T2 can be a little fiddly, so the LR is actually rather helpful.
However, what it lacks in the looks department, it makes up for in portability. Due to the angled, horizontally protruding sides, it measures 64mm at its widest and 59.8mm at its slimmest point, but with a height of just 36.7mm and depth of 23.8mm, it sits in the pocket really nicely. It doesn't compromise on charge either, offering between 25-30 hours (2-3 additional charges) which will easily see you through the day and is very good by ANC standards (this is dependent on volume and other such variables, like with all earbuds)
Weighing in at 46g - it is about average for TWS these days - similar to the ZMI PurPods, but lighter than the Taotronics SoundLiberty 94 and Alien Secret QCC010, it is almost unnoticeable in your pocket, helped by the upside-down pear-shape curves.
A cursory comparison against similar sized cases shows how portable the T2 are - not quite in the T1 Pro realms, but nevertheless still perfectly adequate. The thing you notice about the above cases is they are all slimline and this makes them ideal for slipping in your pocket.
There is also no wireless charging, and you need to give it 1a juice for 2 hours to get the full 30 hours - there is no quick charge - but the USB-C connector is on the back side, not the rear, which means you can charge it upright and see how much charge it has whilst it is charging. One more point of note is the case occasionally makes a high-pitched shrill when I close it. Not sure what that is but I will keep an eye on it!
With all cases there are compromises, and overall SoundPEATS does a good job here of balancing essential and even nice-to-have features with compromises.
The Ergonomics - 6.5/10
This is the only area where the T2 fall flat for me - almost quite literally. They are simply too chunky for my shallow concha, protruding from front profile more than any other earbuds I've tested.
They have a short neck, which does mean that when you move around a lot, they don't wiggle loose (see my review on the SoundPEATS Sonic for why that can be a problem), but this does require a bit of adjustment to keep them this way. It's still not short enough to rest right against your concha, so this could be a problem for some. This means that depending on your ear shape, they could be perfect (like they are for Sean Says) or they could be just a little too protruding.
Similar to the Edifier X3 and Soundpeats Sonic, they are like 'lego bricks' in your ear, which means they are pretty much unsuitable for specific applications - lying on the sofa, side sleepers and wearing underneath a motorcycle helmet. Whilst this form factor is sadly not ideal for me, it is not massively different to the Sennheiser MTW, JBL T115 and other premium brands, as well as the already mentioned Edifier and others out there, but it doesn't really work for me.
That said, the design is tailored to optimise hybrid noise cancellation - and it can't be faulted there. SoundPEATS are putting a lot of tech into these buds - and it shows, with a weight of 5.58g - between 0.5 and a whole 1g heavier per bud than any other of this type that I tested. This perhaps adds to the lopsided nature of the design.
Despite a small bevel, the battery connectors will make contact with your skin, making them unsuitable for those with allergies.
This was a really tough one to score, because they are actually rather comfortable, and facilitate the 'better than your average' ANC/hybrid noise cancellation.
To SoundPEATS credit, as stated earlier, they have tried to resolve packing so much tech into one earbud by using a shorter neck. In comparison to the Alien Secret, which can feel extremely intrusive in your ear canal, they only extend a further 7.5mm, versus 11mm on the TaoTronics and 11.3mm on the Alien Secret, and they lack the contoured finish which makes the TaoTronics so comfortable, and the Kinera YH623 - a dream to wear, but the bulbous outward design does the mic no favours either, with the mems mic more exposed to the elements, and the voice mic being further away from your mouth. Whilst this is ideal for outdoor calls, it can impact indoor calls where it becomes a little too sensitive.
The light to indicate they are connecting or connected is located on the bottom of the bud, and this goes off after a short period. It is far less intrusive than the Sonic and barely noticeable. The Achilles heel - the form factor - is perfect for using the controls, with a large flat panel making touch controls easy and intuitive (i.e. your finger doesn't end up stabbing the wrong part of your ear) and not at all laggy, and they get an extra mark for being ANC-capable and IPX6 water resistant, which is impressive - most ANC buds lack any kind of water resistance so this is a big benefit that again should not be overlooked.
Noise Cancellation - 7.5/10 (For the money)
Given it is the T2's headline feature, I was expecting it to be good, but not quite as good as it is. The T2 are one of the best I have tested at nullifying low rumbles - and even perform pretty well with higher frequencies too. As I type now it is very difficult to hear my keyboard taps and traffic is kept to a muted occasional swoosh. The problem is, they come loose from your ears so easily, you're only likely to get that performance for a few minutes before they loose efficacy.
On my Instagram review there is a video of me testing out the ANC outdoors at around 60-95 dbA, and it works astonishingly well for the money. I also used them purely to cancel out noise whilst doing an online test yesterday (review edited 06.04) and they worked a treat for that too. However as soon as I picked up pace outdoors, the effect was gone. It's the same problem as the SoundPEATS Sonic - they're too heavy for the average ear.
They have three ANC modes - off (by default), 'ambient passthrough' and 'on'. Passthrough mode is decent enough, without adding the echoey sound you get on many earbuds, but it could be clearer. Another point of note is that ANC is off by default, so you have to cycle through once to ensure it is on.
Kudos to SoundPEATS as the T2 were released at a time when ANC wasn't universally seen on TWS let alone performing. Whilst the Tronsmart Apollo Bold, Edifier TWS NB2, FIIL T1 Pro and TaoTronics SoundLiberty 94 all offered it in this form factor, the T2 perform pretty well at a fraction of the price of the first two and with better availability than the third, so if your primary goal is a budget ANC bud and you don't mind the ergonomics, the T2 are a solid choice.
Call Quality - Indoors - 7/10, Outdoors - 7.5/10
Wow - lots of compression! These MEMS mics are getting better.
Outdoors, the T2 do a very adequate job of blotting out background noise, and do elevate your voice slightly. For the form factor, the call quality is good, but not comparable to high performing stem-based buds, such as the Apple Airpods Pro, and whilst it cancels out ambient noise better than almost any others that I've tested, it struggles to pick up your own voice in complex scenes, which I attribute to the bulky design (as mentioned in the ergonomics section). That said, we are talking semantics here - the quality has come on leaps and bounds in the last 12 months.
Indoors the compression can be a bit too heavy at times. You can sound a little 'lispy' with the mic struggling to work out what to cancel out if you get anything going on around you, but most of the time you're perfectly coherent, albeit lacking the clarity and naturalness that you get with stem based buds. Compared with the FIIL CC2 or 1More Pistonbuds, for example, you sound a touch robotic when background noise is introduced, but the ambient noise around you almost disappears, albeit after a short delay.
Audio - 7.5/10 (for the price paid), 6.5/10 (raw score)
The TrueAir2 are my gold standard sound signature, and the Sonics were great, but a touch fatiguing on the low end. The T2 are a bit too far the other way - much more laid back, with the highs rolled off earlier and the bass definitely reigned in at the lowest frequencies. For most users, the signature will be inoffensive and adequate, avoiding the shrill that many budget buds have been typecast with from the early days of extreme v shapes, but with quite a narrow soundstage the detail and clarity you get on higher end TWS are unsurprisingly devoid, feeling somewhat congested on complex arrangements.
I tested with a few tracks from the 70's and 80's - 'You can't always get what you want' by Rolling Stones, for example, and also a few opera tracks, and they sounded certainly warmer than I'm used to, and whilst they lack the punch of the similarly warm TrueAir2, simplistic EDM tracks like 'Summer' by Calvin Harris are an enjoyable to listen to on the T2 due to their non-fatiguing nature.
Where they struggle a little is vocal tracks with complex mid-bass - where you have a baritone voice and bass guitars, for example, it can get a bit crowded - RnB or rock tracks are particularly susceptible, and at high volumes distortion starts to kick in. If you're using android, then you can remediate this a touch with Wavelet, but not a lot. This is something I have found to be quite predictable with ANC buds - the sound quality is never quite as strong as non-ANC. It could be a placebo effect, who knows. Female vocals can also sound a bit flat.
With some tip rolling, the soundstage can feel more spaced out in certain scenarios due to auditory masking, so I recommend going through your tips to get the right sound.
Connectivity, Controls and Other Features - 7/10
Connectivity is perfectly adequate, as you would expect with the buds using the Airoha Bluetooth 5.2 enabled chip. I couldn't get it to disconnect until I made it to my bedroom - around 10m away, but with multiple walls, wireless devices, open Bluetooth cases etc.
Controls are very good - very intuitive and easy to initiate. Whilst I was critical of the form factor, it does facilitate very easy control usage, and you get to control everything. Holding down the left bud toggles between ANC off/Passthrough/ON or rejects a call if it is coming in, and the right bud progresses to the next track. Thankfully, volume is controlled by single tap of the left (for reduced) and right (for increased). Double tap plays/pauses and answers calls.
Like the Sonic, you can switch between two active calls by holding down either button, although I did not test this, and hail voice assistant with a triple tap.
There is no auto-pause, no button customisation, no app, no alternative latency modes. There is a little more latency than the Sonic, which is more noticeable when gaming. Single mode is initiated simply by leaving one bud in the case.
The T2 are definitely not feature-rich, but what they can do, they do well.
Battery Life - 8.5/10
10 hours from the buds themselves, a further two charges from the case. Not quite up there with the Sonic, but not far off, and very good for ANC-enabled earbuds - giving at least 5 hours advantage over the SoundLiberty 94, for example.
Having tested extensively this weekend, they have performed as expected, only falling slightly short of the advertised total.
Final Comments
SoundPEATS are the vendor for all-seasons. Rather than having one set of earbuds that does everything, they have a set in their range for each scenario, all with their own individual benefits and all at a very affordable price point.
ANC is strong for the money, and at the price point they are a solid addition to your earbud collection, with good sound, calls, controls, battery life, and all the basics accounted for.
For me personally, the T2 are just too bulky for sport or chilling out, but that is totally subjective - for Sean Says they clearly don't stick out anywhere near as much. If you have a small ear or shallow concha, bear this in mind. Regardless, they are comfy and not as heavy in the ear as their weight suggests.
The inevitable question will be are they as good as the FIIL T1 Pro, Taotronics SoundLiberty 94 and Tronsmart Apollo Bold. Firstly, the ANC is better than the first two, and at least on part with the Tronsmart. The form factor on the FIIL is more suited to sports, and the Soundliberty 94 are more comfortable, but with a poorer microphone quality.
As you can probably tell, there is always a trade off. These are the cheapest of the four, and lack app support, low latency modes and wireless charging, but they deliver reasonable quality sound, great ANC and good controls, so the choice really is not which is the best, but which is best for you. Hopefully this review goes some way to detailing the strengths and weaknesses of each, and be better informed to make your own mind up and make the choice that suits your needs.
Price Weighted Score: 81%
Raw Score: 75%
2022 Score: 71%
SoundPEATS Review Inventory:
SoundPEATS Mini
SoundPEATS Air3
SoundPEATS TrueAir2+
SoundPEATS TrueAir 2
SoundPEATS H1
SoundPEATS T2
SoundPEATS Sonic
About SoundPEATS:
SoundPEATS seem to have become an overnight sensation, wiping up a large portion of budget TWS earbud market share with a business model that has served them (and Anker before them) exceptionally well - good distribution channels (via Amazon), good support, a catchy name and product that performs well at a very competitive price point. In reality, they have been around a long time - whilst Shenzhen SoundSOUL IT Co LTD is a different trading name to Ginto E-Commerce, they share the same business address (including room number) as them - you may know their brand name better as Dudios. With Dudios not sounding quite so cool as Soundpeats, maybe the brand transition has been instrumental in their success, but having been around since 2010 and patents in Bluetooth tech stretching back to 2015, they are not the plucky upstarts that some may think - they know their stuff, have a great network of contacts, and now a very solid brand in Europe, and deservedly so.
The thing that sets SoundPEATS apart from other vendors, and makes them my favourite budget earbud vendor, is that they are completely transparent over their components. Whether they use Realtek, Qualcomm or Airoha chips in their buds, they are totally open about it, and as a reviewer this really helps, because whilst I have, and do, dismantle buds to check the way that certain things have been implemented (such as the power management, mems mics, etc) and I really don't like having to do it with every set of earbuds, because they then become unusable.
How I review: (See Previous Reviews)
Model: SoundPEATS T2
Price: MSRP $60
Vendor Website: SoundPEATS
Review Reference: RC032
Manufacturer Specification:
- Model: SoundPEATS T2
- Driver: 12mm
- Chipset: Airoha AB1562A
- Codecs: AAC / SBC
- Mics: 4, ENC
- ANC: Yes, up to 30dB
- Earbud Weight: 5.42g
- Case Weight: 40.31g
- Gross Weight: 45.73g
- Earbud Dimensions: 27mm wide, neck approx. 6mm
- Case Dimensions: 59.8mm - 64mm x 52.5mm x 36.7mm
- Case Battery Capacity: 370 mAh
- Input: 5V 1A
- Earbuds Charging Time: Earbuds 2 hours, Case 2 hours
- Music Playtime: 10 Hours*
- Earbuds and Case Fully Charged Music Playtime: 25-30 Hours*
- Bluetooth Range: 10m advertised
- Bluetooth: Bluetooth® 5.1 advertised, 5.2 capable
- Bluetooth Protocols: BLE/ HSP/ HFP/ A2DP/ AVRCP
- IPX6 Water Resistance
1 x Pair wireless headphones
1 x USB Type-C Charge Case (no wireless charging)
1 x USB Type-C Charge Cable
3 x Pair Silicone Tips
1 x User manual, warranty card
Real Life Experience
SoundPEATS seem to have become an overnight sensation, wiping up a large portion of budget TWS earbud market share with a business model that has served them (and Anker before them) exceptionally well - good distribution channels (via Amazon), good support, a catchy name and product that performs well at a very competitive price point. In reality, they have been around a long time - whilst Shenzhen SoundSOUL IT Co LTD is a different trading name to Ginto E-Commerce, they share the same business address (including room number) as them - you may know their brand name better as Dudios. With Dudios not sounding quite so cool as Soundpeats, maybe the brand transition has been instrumental in their success, but having been around since 2010 and patents in Bluetooth tech stretching back to 2015, they are not the plucky upstarts that some may think - they know their stuff, have a great network of contacts, and now a very solid brand in Europe, and deservedly so.
The thing that sets SoundPEATS apart from other vendors, and makes them my favourite budget earbud vendor, is that they are completely transparent over their components. Whether they use Realtek, Qualcomm or Airoha chips in their buds, they are totally open about it, and as a reviewer this really helps, because whilst I have, and do, dismantle buds to check the way that certain things have been implemented (such as the power management, mems mics, etc) and I really don't like having to do it with every set of earbuds, because they then become unusable.
The T2 are Soundpeats' first foray into active noise cancellation, so it was always going to be an interesting analysis as the budget vendors increasingly tiptoe into higher end feature-sets.
The Unboxing - 7/10
There is something refreshingly consistent about SoundPEATS unboxings. Icons display features in familiar places, QR codes inside the box and on an enclosed slip take you to their Official Website and Social Media pages, and everything inside is nicely enclosed to minimise potential damage in transit and compacted to reduce carbon footprint.
Enclosed is a USB type C charge cable, small and large silicone tips, extended warranty card and the charge case. The tips are fairly wide bore due to the larger drivers, but otherwise nothing unusual. As per previous reviews, this is a step up from the Dudios days and better than you will see from Enacfire, Mpow and some of the other budget brands, but not quite up there with some of the elder statesmen like Tronsmart with their war-and-peace Apollo Bold and FIIL with their moulded inserts.
The manual comes with instructions in English, French, German, Italian, Spanish and Chinese and gives a very clear indication on how to use the buds, including the control scheme, which is very nicely detailed with easy-to-understand graphics as well as a text box.
The Case - 7/10
The case lacks the lustre of the Sonic, vetoing the unique rose gold and grey finish in favour of a more conventional matte black, with the SoundPEATS logo etched into the top. This gives it a generic look that could easily be mistaken for any other brand.
The front has a lip for easy control of the lid, and three charge lights at the front. Whereas the TrueEngine3se had the lights inside, recent Soundpeats releases have recognised that displaying on the case is far more useful, even upgrading the TrueAir2 to support this with their second iteration (so I am told)
When the first light only displays, the case has 20% charge or less. If the first two are lit up, then you have 20-70% charge, and if the latter two are lit up, then it's 70-99%. If all three are lit up then you're at 100% and can remove the case from the charger. Whilst the case has overcharge protection, it's still useful to know when you have a full tank.
When the first and third LED lights are lit up as shown in the image above, this means that both the left and right earbuds are charging. This is an INCREDIBLY understated feature - the number of Reddit comments I see complaining about a single bud not being charged up, and it is often down to the charge connectors being obscured by dirt or other materials - are addressed with this one single feature. Fantastic.
Not pictured above, but included in my Instagram video review, is how easy the case is to operate single handedly. The lip has sufficient groove depth to flip it open with your thumb, and the hinge is excellent. It features a clutch-style system, whereby if you want the case to stay open, you have to open beyond the 'bite'. Before the bite, the magnets will kick in and close it.
Now there is only one problem with this. When you take the buds out, the case will not stay upright with the lid open. Whilst it does encourage you to keep the case closed to preserve battery, and keeps the case light, it can be a little annoying.
Similar to Edifier, TaoTronics and Boltune, they signify which side each bud should be inserted, designated by the LR in the centre. Not only is this helpful if you don't know your left from your right, in all seriousness it is a useful feature, as I find button-shaped earbuds don't insert intuitively into the case - FIIL point them horizontally, Samsung and Kinera vertically, and nowadays there is no de facto - and when you're on the move, the last thing you want to do is fiddle around with getting buds in a case. The T2 can be a little fiddly, so the LR is actually rather helpful.
However, what it lacks in the looks department, it makes up for in portability. Due to the angled, horizontally protruding sides, it measures 64mm at its widest and 59.8mm at its slimmest point, but with a height of just 36.7mm and depth of 23.8mm, it sits in the pocket really nicely. It doesn't compromise on charge either, offering between 25-30 hours (2-3 additional charges) which will easily see you through the day and is very good by ANC standards (this is dependent on volume and other such variables, like with all earbuds)
Weighing in at 46g - it is about average for TWS these days - similar to the ZMI PurPods, but lighter than the Taotronics SoundLiberty 94 and Alien Secret QCC010, it is almost unnoticeable in your pocket, helped by the upside-down pear-shape curves.
A cursory comparison against similar sized cases shows how portable the T2 are - not quite in the T1 Pro realms, but nevertheless still perfectly adequate. The thing you notice about the above cases is they are all slimline and this makes them ideal for slipping in your pocket.
There is also no wireless charging, and you need to give it 1a juice for 2 hours to get the full 30 hours - there is no quick charge - but the USB-C connector is on the back side, not the rear, which means you can charge it upright and see how much charge it has whilst it is charging. One more point of note is the case occasionally makes a high-pitched shrill when I close it. Not sure what that is but I will keep an eye on it!
With all cases there are compromises, and overall SoundPEATS does a good job here of balancing essential and even nice-to-have features with compromises.
The Ergonomics - 6.5/10
This is the only area where the T2 fall flat for me - almost quite literally. They are simply too chunky for my shallow concha, protruding from front profile more than any other earbuds I've tested.
They have a short neck, which does mean that when you move around a lot, they don't wiggle loose (see my review on the SoundPEATS Sonic for why that can be a problem), but this does require a bit of adjustment to keep them this way. It's still not short enough to rest right against your concha, so this could be a problem for some. This means that depending on your ear shape, they could be perfect (like they are for Sean Says) or they could be just a little too protruding.
Similar to the Edifier X3 and Soundpeats Sonic, they are like 'lego bricks' in your ear, which means they are pretty much unsuitable for specific applications - lying on the sofa, side sleepers and wearing underneath a motorcycle helmet. Whilst this form factor is sadly not ideal for me, it is not massively different to the Sennheiser MTW, JBL T115 and other premium brands, as well as the already mentioned Edifier and others out there, but it doesn't really work for me.
That said, the design is tailored to optimise hybrid noise cancellation - and it can't be faulted there. SoundPEATS are putting a lot of tech into these buds - and it shows, with a weight of 5.58g - between 0.5 and a whole 1g heavier per bud than any other of this type that I tested. This perhaps adds to the lopsided nature of the design.
Despite a small bevel, the battery connectors will make contact with your skin, making them unsuitable for those with allergies.
This was a really tough one to score, because they are actually rather comfortable, and facilitate the 'better than your average' ANC/hybrid noise cancellation.
To SoundPEATS credit, as stated earlier, they have tried to resolve packing so much tech into one earbud by using a shorter neck. In comparison to the Alien Secret, which can feel extremely intrusive in your ear canal, they only extend a further 7.5mm, versus 11mm on the TaoTronics and 11.3mm on the Alien Secret, and they lack the contoured finish which makes the TaoTronics so comfortable, and the Kinera YH623 - a dream to wear, but the bulbous outward design does the mic no favours either, with the mems mic more exposed to the elements, and the voice mic being further away from your mouth. Whilst this is ideal for outdoor calls, it can impact indoor calls where it becomes a little too sensitive.
The light to indicate they are connecting or connected is located on the bottom of the bud, and this goes off after a short period. It is far less intrusive than the Sonic and barely noticeable. The Achilles heel - the form factor - is perfect for using the controls, with a large flat panel making touch controls easy and intuitive (i.e. your finger doesn't end up stabbing the wrong part of your ear) and not at all laggy, and they get an extra mark for being ANC-capable and IPX6 water resistant, which is impressive - most ANC buds lack any kind of water resistance so this is a big benefit that again should not be overlooked.
Noise Cancellation - 7.5/10 (For the money)
Given it is the T2's headline feature, I was expecting it to be good, but not quite as good as it is. The T2 are one of the best I have tested at nullifying low rumbles - and even perform pretty well with higher frequencies too. As I type now it is very difficult to hear my keyboard taps and traffic is kept to a muted occasional swoosh. The problem is, they come loose from your ears so easily, you're only likely to get that performance for a few minutes before they loose efficacy.
On my Instagram review there is a video of me testing out the ANC outdoors at around 60-95 dbA, and it works astonishingly well for the money. I also used them purely to cancel out noise whilst doing an online test yesterday (review edited 06.04) and they worked a treat for that too. However as soon as I picked up pace outdoors, the effect was gone. It's the same problem as the SoundPEATS Sonic - they're too heavy for the average ear.
They have three ANC modes - off (by default), 'ambient passthrough' and 'on'. Passthrough mode is decent enough, without adding the echoey sound you get on many earbuds, but it could be clearer. Another point of note is that ANC is off by default, so you have to cycle through once to ensure it is on.
Kudos to SoundPEATS as the T2 were released at a time when ANC wasn't universally seen on TWS let alone performing. Whilst the Tronsmart Apollo Bold, Edifier TWS NB2, FIIL T1 Pro and TaoTronics SoundLiberty 94 all offered it in this form factor, the T2 perform pretty well at a fraction of the price of the first two and with better availability than the third, so if your primary goal is a budget ANC bud and you don't mind the ergonomics, the T2 are a solid choice.
Call Quality - Indoors - 7/10, Outdoors - 7.5/10
Wow - lots of compression! These MEMS mics are getting better.
Outdoors, the T2 do a very adequate job of blotting out background noise, and do elevate your voice slightly. For the form factor, the call quality is good, but not comparable to high performing stem-based buds, such as the Apple Airpods Pro, and whilst it cancels out ambient noise better than almost any others that I've tested, it struggles to pick up your own voice in complex scenes, which I attribute to the bulky design (as mentioned in the ergonomics section). That said, we are talking semantics here - the quality has come on leaps and bounds in the last 12 months.
Indoors the compression can be a bit too heavy at times. You can sound a little 'lispy' with the mic struggling to work out what to cancel out if you get anything going on around you, but most of the time you're perfectly coherent, albeit lacking the clarity and naturalness that you get with stem based buds. Compared with the FIIL CC2 or 1More Pistonbuds, for example, you sound a touch robotic when background noise is introduced, but the ambient noise around you almost disappears, albeit after a short delay.
Audio - 7.5/10 (for the price paid), 6.5/10 (raw score)
The TrueAir2 are my gold standard sound signature, and the Sonics were great, but a touch fatiguing on the low end. The T2 are a bit too far the other way - much more laid back, with the highs rolled off earlier and the bass definitely reigned in at the lowest frequencies. For most users, the signature will be inoffensive and adequate, avoiding the shrill that many budget buds have been typecast with from the early days of extreme v shapes, but with quite a narrow soundstage the detail and clarity you get on higher end TWS are unsurprisingly devoid, feeling somewhat congested on complex arrangements.
I tested with a few tracks from the 70's and 80's - 'You can't always get what you want' by Rolling Stones, for example, and also a few opera tracks, and they sounded certainly warmer than I'm used to, and whilst they lack the punch of the similarly warm TrueAir2, simplistic EDM tracks like 'Summer' by Calvin Harris are an enjoyable to listen to on the T2 due to their non-fatiguing nature.
Where they struggle a little is vocal tracks with complex mid-bass - where you have a baritone voice and bass guitars, for example, it can get a bit crowded - RnB or rock tracks are particularly susceptible, and at high volumes distortion starts to kick in. If you're using android, then you can remediate this a touch with Wavelet, but not a lot. This is something I have found to be quite predictable with ANC buds - the sound quality is never quite as strong as non-ANC. It could be a placebo effect, who knows. Female vocals can also sound a bit flat.
With some tip rolling, the soundstage can feel more spaced out in certain scenarios due to auditory masking, so I recommend going through your tips to get the right sound.
Connectivity, Controls and Other Features - 7/10
Connectivity is perfectly adequate, as you would expect with the buds using the Airoha Bluetooth 5.2 enabled chip. I couldn't get it to disconnect until I made it to my bedroom - around 10m away, but with multiple walls, wireless devices, open Bluetooth cases etc.
Controls are very good - very intuitive and easy to initiate. Whilst I was critical of the form factor, it does facilitate very easy control usage, and you get to control everything. Holding down the left bud toggles between ANC off/Passthrough/ON or rejects a call if it is coming in, and the right bud progresses to the next track. Thankfully, volume is controlled by single tap of the left (for reduced) and right (for increased). Double tap plays/pauses and answers calls.
Like the Sonic, you can switch between two active calls by holding down either button, although I did not test this, and hail voice assistant with a triple tap.
There is no auto-pause, no button customisation, no app, no alternative latency modes. There is a little more latency than the Sonic, which is more noticeable when gaming. Single mode is initiated simply by leaving one bud in the case.
The T2 are definitely not feature-rich, but what they can do, they do well.
Battery Life - 8.5/10
10 hours from the buds themselves, a further two charges from the case. Not quite up there with the Sonic, but not far off, and very good for ANC-enabled earbuds - giving at least 5 hours advantage over the SoundLiberty 94, for example.
Having tested extensively this weekend, they have performed as expected, only falling slightly short of the advertised total.
Final Comments
SoundPEATS are the vendor for all-seasons. Rather than having one set of earbuds that does everything, they have a set in their range for each scenario, all with their own individual benefits and all at a very affordable price point.
ANC is strong for the money, and at the price point they are a solid addition to your earbud collection, with good sound, calls, controls, battery life, and all the basics accounted for.
For me personally, the T2 are just too bulky for sport or chilling out, but that is totally subjective - for Sean Says they clearly don't stick out anywhere near as much. If you have a small ear or shallow concha, bear this in mind. Regardless, they are comfy and not as heavy in the ear as their weight suggests.
The inevitable question will be are they as good as the FIIL T1 Pro, Taotronics SoundLiberty 94 and Tronsmart Apollo Bold. Firstly, the ANC is better than the first two, and at least on part with the Tronsmart. The form factor on the FIIL is more suited to sports, and the Soundliberty 94 are more comfortable, but with a poorer microphone quality.
As you can probably tell, there is always a trade off. These are the cheapest of the four, and lack app support, low latency modes and wireless charging, but they deliver reasonable quality sound, great ANC and good controls, so the choice really is not which is the best, but which is best for you. Hopefully this review goes some way to detailing the strengths and weaknesses of each, and be better informed to make your own mind up and make the choice that suits your needs.
Price Weighted Score: 81%
Raw Score: 75%
2022 Score: 71%
SoundPEATS Review Inventory:
SoundPEATS Mini
SoundPEATS Air3
SoundPEATS TrueAir2+
SoundPEATS TrueAir 2
SoundPEATS H1
SoundPEATS T2
SoundPEATS Sonic
About SoundPEATS:
SoundPEATS seem to have become an overnight sensation, wiping up a large portion of budget TWS earbud market share with a business model that has served them (and Anker before them) exceptionally well - good distribution channels (via Amazon), good support, a catchy name and product that performs well at a very competitive price point. In reality, they have been around a long time - whilst Shenzhen SoundSOUL IT Co LTD is a different trading name to Ginto E-Commerce, they share the same business address (including room number) as them - you may know their brand name better as Dudios. With Dudios not sounding quite so cool as Soundpeats, maybe the brand transition has been instrumental in their success, but having been around since 2010 and patents in Bluetooth tech stretching back to 2015, they are not the plucky upstarts that some may think - they know their stuff, have a great network of contacts, and now a very solid brand in Europe, and deservedly so.
The thing that sets SoundPEATS apart from other vendors, and makes them my favourite budget earbud vendor, is that they are completely transparent over their components. Whether they use Realtek, Qualcomm or Airoha chips in their buds, they are totally open about it, and as a reviewer this really helps, because whilst I have, and do, dismantle buds to check the way that certain things have been implemented (such as the power management, mems mics, etc) and I really don't like having to do it with every set of earbuds, because they then become unusable.
Peddler
Superb review - you've set a standard to follow there. I've just got myself a pair of these - I've yet to review them but so far I have to say I'm very impressed - these tick an awful lot of boxes in my opinion. Review pending.
whitete
Very helpful review. Thank you!
regancipher
Thank you for the kind comments. This is the template for all my reviews, I hope you enjoy!
My computer says the connection is AAC. I’m not sure if this is how these are supposed to sound or if mine are defective.