Soundpeats Free2 classic

The Definition of: Good Enough
I stumbled on these by accident, receiving them as a Christmas gift a year and a half back. I promptly handed them over to a family member who had no TWS or earpieces and never thought about them again. Until I found myself without a earpiece while overseas and needed to make a call in a noisy city. I borrowed these again, and less than an hour later I ordered another set online for myself.

I love these.

No, there is nothing special about them. Except price. These cost less than a dongle, and they have lasted me the better part of the year with zero complaints.

Here's a quick TL;DR: This is a above average pair of V-shaped IEMS, getting you maybe 60% of the way compared to a great wired IEM. TWS normally cost about a 100, so this is just great value, for above average sound. It's not good, it's not Kato, it's not Hexa, it is however a more convenient option for me over Chu.

Durable and will not spoil after multiple drops, trips to the gym
Long battery life
"Good" enough sound has ensured I never reach for the Kato outside of the house. I ONLY use these on commutes or at the gym. Kato has been downgraded to an at-home set only.
Bassy, v-shape signature, with just enough vocal clarity for me to not mind too much. No peaky treble. Big bass bloat. Great for commute and not much else.
Good isolation
Nozzle size lends itself to tip rolling. No luck with increasing treble, but easy to add a bassier tip to make the bloated bass even worse if you want to. I actually did this to hear movies better on the bus. Disgusting, I know.

No LDAC
Top end is muffled
Crappy mic, horrible on the bus
If you hate cheap v-shaped sound, this isn't for you.

While I am a big shill for these as a commute pair, that's where I draw the line. They are good enough for a Zoom call, with mics that just barely do the job.

The mic isn't good enough for you to survive a conversation while on a noisy bus or in the city BUT do just fine on a walk.

The thing is, if you just need something to drown out the outside. These are golden and cheap at the same time. I just chuck these in my pocket wherever I go. It is just too much effort to bring the BTR3 and Kato pairing out, with a cable hanging out my pocket while at the gym. Not to mention the on-off switch on the BTR3 taking about 5 secs to activate. All for what, better treble, better bass quality, better ergonomics? All of those are great, but not if I'm just taking a 30 min trip to the supermarket.

BTR3 also has a mic, but if the unit is in my pocket, I can't conveniently answer calls. Defeating the purpose.


Long story short: Just grab a pair if you haven't used a TWS before. It's about 20-30 dollars and even goals on sale periodically. Don't bother with Chu, Chu 2, or Jiu, this is the same price. And they can condense and give you QC issues, not to mention you need a dongle (except for Jiu).

I'm not ashamed to say I happily bring this out over the Kato daily. The Free 2 Classic will never beat the Kato, but with the loud drone of a bus engine, loud city and constant conversation in the background, the difference in SQ is moot. The comparison is as follows:

Bass Quality: Kato > Free 2 Classic
Bass Quantity: Free 2 ≥ Kato (Kato bass is cleaner, Free 2 has more of it, none of it clean.)
Vocal quality: Kato > Free 2 Classic
Timbre: Kato > Free 2 Classic (Kato sounds more correct with vocals by a country mile, but is arguably worse for hip hop as subbass rumble is less)
Treble: Kato > Free 2 Classic (excess bass bloat means vocals can be muffled and pushed back on Free 2 Classic, Kato renders voices beautifully)


There are no illusions here, this thing WILL not play nice with Windows. Windows just flat out sucks with anything bluetooth audio related. If you need something for laptop Zoom sessions you will still need something durable like a FiiO FH3 or Audio Technica ATH M20x. If you need something with better tuning, I would just go for the comfortable and great sounding Sennheiser IE200. It's small, sound great but has a very difficult to replace cable.

At the end of the day, it is still a 20 USD TWS that punches above its weight to a 50 USD one. Hence the low rating. If 5 stars is headphone or IEM perfection, the rating should reflect that.

Feature with 6mm bio-compound diaphragm driver, Bass is rapid and punchy with clear and detailed Mids , Treble is sparkly and well controlled. The build is above average and the extra dust-proof metal mesh mics give it a really clear call quality and touch controls make this an exceptional value at just under $20