SoundPEATS Mini Pro HS ANC LDAC Bluetooth 5.2 TWS with AI ENC

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Model: SoundPEATS Mini Pro
Price: MSRP Approx $60
Website: Amazon UK
Review Reference: RC086

Manufacturer Specification:

• Brand: SoundPEATS
• Model: Mini Pro HS
• Driver: 10mm Bio-Diamphragm Driver
• Chipset: WUQI WQ7033AR
• Mic: 6 mics with NNPU AI ENC
• ANC: Yes, up to 40dB
• Codecs: LDAC, AAC, SBC
• App Support: Yes
• Volume Control: Yes
• Gaming Mode: Yes
• Earbud Weight: 4.8g
• Earbud Dimensions: 18mm height, 23.2mm depth with nozzle
• Gross Case & Buds Weight: 36.7g
• Case Dimensions: 58mm (width) x 43mm (height) x 26mm (depth)
• Case Charge Capacity: 300mAh / 1.1Wh
• Quick Charge: No
• Wireless Charging: No
• Single Use Playtime: Up to 8 hours (ANC off), Up to 4.5 hours (ANC on, LDAC)
• Playtime with Charge Case: Up to 28 hours
• Bluetooth Range: 10m advertised
• Bluetooth: Bluetooth® 5.2
• Bluetooth Protocols: BLE/ HFP 1.7/ A2DP 1.3/ AVRCP 1.5
• Water Resistance: IPX5

Includes:

1 x Pair Wireless Earbuds
1 x USB Type-C Charge Case
1 x USB Type-C Charge Cable
1 x User Manual: English, French, German, Spanish, Italian, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese
3 x Pairs Eartips



YouTube Review



Introduction

Welcome to the @regancipher review of SoundPEATS' latest 'LDAC upgrade' - the Mini Pro HS.

The cat was out of the bag a little while ago with this one, with SoundPEATS having left a thumbnail of the product in the shop section of their app. TWS detectives across the globe don't miss a trick, and here we are in double quick time!

Soundpeats seem to be updating most of their Qualcomm-based products with LDAC iterations - the potential motives are discussed on headfi here, but one interpretation could be to jump on the high resolution bandwagon and offer an alternative to those with non-Qualcomm devices (Google Pixel, for example) where aptX-adaptive is not an option, opening up a larger pool of potential customers that value higher resolutions.

Whilst this agile approach to product releases does mean that SoundPEATS, as a brand, remain at the forefront of innovation, it can tire reviewers a little with seemingly iterative improvements, rather than evolutions that focus on the weak points of the product and try to remedy as many as possible.

On paper, it is difficult to imagine that the Mini Pro HS will offer a huge improvement over the original, but improvements are rarely encapsulated on specification sheets, so onto the review to see if the Mini Pro HS stacks up to expectation as we approach 2023.

Unboxing - 8/10

The Mini Pro had already marked the beginning of an improved unboxing experience for SoundPEATS, and with the Air3 Deluxe HS and now the Mini Pro HS, the improvement has been cemented and refined. It is a more 'premium-feeling' packaging that passes the 'would you give these as a gift?' test, with a tougher outer package and a nice insert. The back and sides of the box display the key headline features: LDAC, Hybrid ANC, 10mm bio-coated diaphragm dynamic driver

One aim for SoundPEATS in 2022 has been to take a more environmentally-friendly approach to product packaging, reducing unnecessary plastic and finding new ways to deliver without compromise. An example is the Apple/Huawei-style enclosure holding the eartips - after taking a while to work out how to get it open, it definitely improves on the 'plastic baggy' approach, which had a budget air about it.

Another improvement is the sleeve containing the product manual. I had a hard time being able to retrieve this from the box on previous releases, but by adding a thumb pull on the side, retrieval is much easier.

The manual is as per previous releases, with diagrams and text used to good effect to display basic instructions, including the control scheme. The instructions are in seven different languages (as per the product specification at the top of this review). You also get the usual USB-A to USB-C charge cable.

Case - 8/10



The case is essentially the same as the case on the original Mini Pro, with gold 'flecks' giving a speckled-effect to differentiate it from its predecessor. The outer layer to the case, an upgrade from Mini to Pro version (see my review on the original pro here) gives it a little more durability, feeling almost-rubberised and adding a degree of resistance to scratches.

As per the previous, you get a tactile LED on the front to denote charge status. It's the usual traffic-light scheme here, with Amber kicking in when the case drops below 50% charge, and Red below 10%.



When you open the case, you'll notice immediately the nice friction hinge is further reinforced. This allows you to pop the case on the desk with the buds open, use one bud in single mode and leave one in the case for it to charge. Getting the buds out of the case is a bit awkward at times, as you only have a small area to grip onto.

Unfortunately, once again SoundPEATS have omitted 'hall-switch' mode from the case, which means they will not immediately connect to your device when you open the case. There are positives and negatives to this - it negates the issue of the buds draining in the case when the case battery is dead, and prevents you from skipping a track or something like that while you're taking the buds out of the case, since they will typically still be in the process of connecting. However, you lose the ability to see whether you're connected to the right device whilst the buds are still in the case, so you may have to negotiate the connect/reconnect process with the buds in your ears, and may even have to restore the buds to the case to reset in case you have any issues.

The buds slot gently into the top with the magnets giving adequate holding power, and the buds slot in with the S facing you straight up, unlike the confusing angle which was necessitated with the original Mini. You'll notice the tiny LEDs on the bottom of the outer side of the buds are glowing red - this means they are charging, take them out and they will flash white to denote connection, or red and white to denote pairing mode. Once connected, the white light will remain on until the bud connects sound from the connected source - pressing play on Spotify etc. will immediately cause the LED to switch off.



The case is charged exclusively with USB (no wireless charging) and sadly there's no quick charge feature. The case capacity is 300mAh, and the case charges with an input power of around 1.4w at 5v. The latest generation Low Power Semi charging module is designed to withstand higher voltages, negating the need for separate overcharge and overvoltage protection components, eliminating extra points of failure whilst adding resilience. It provides up to 2.5 additional charges (see Battery section for further details)



The case shares the dimensions with the original Mini Pro - measuring just under 6cm wide, just over 4cm high and around 2.5cm depth. At under 37g it sits firmly in the lighter case category without ever feeling flimsy. It's a nice size for ideal portability - I took it into town for mic tests in my trouser pocket, and it didn't feel uncomfortable at all, making it ideal for the daily commute.

Design & Ergonomics - 7.5/10

The aesthetics of the buds have changed very little, with the gold accent from the case replicated across the earbuds. The touch control area is very responsive and large enough for your fingertips. A small cutout at the bottom of the S opens for a single LED and a Ruiqin Leidiao R230 voice mic. A further opening at the top exists, for the feed-forward noise cancelling mic, also manufactured by Ruiqin, to pick up environmental noise.



On the inner side, you have a cutout that allows the battery connectors to recess, minimising direct contact with your skin. You also have another opening, for a feed-back noise cancelling microphone, the second of two additional mics used to improve voice calls and maximise noise cancellation. The oval nozzle is nicely finished with a brass-coloured metallic mesh.



The ergonomics of the Mini Pro HS are identical to the original Mini Pro, with a double-flange design and steep, shallow oval nozzle. The expectation here is for the steep part to augment the eartip and close off the entrance to the ear canal without going inside it. This design is in contrast to something like the original Mini or Jabra Elite 75t, which has a deeper nozzle that enters your ear canal and closes it off that way.

The double flange is necessitated by the large battery and overcharge/overvoltage protection components. It is clear more of the space is being utilised in this model over the original.



There are pros and cons to this design - whilst it feels less invasive in the short term, it can cause fatigue due to the pressure you're placing on your concha. The pressure builds up around the edges of the seal, and I found after a few hours I needed to remove the buds and give my ears a rest. I also found going up a size to the largest (right ear) and medium (left ear) tips for my odd-sized canals benefited both comfort and ANC.

As you can see above, regardless of which sized tips, there is a small gap around the top of the bud where the fit isn't perfectly even. Whilst this wasn't reflected with the power of the ANC (which performs superbly), it does look a little awkward, and I found myself having to adjust them with exercise - they certainly didn't feel like they would hold up from me pounding the turf for a 10km run. There's definitely the argument that SoundPEATS have missed a trick by not exploring the option of a wing tip, that works well with the Soundcore Liberty 3 Pro - another double-flange-style design.



The weight is identical to the Mini Pro, and keeping it under 5g certainly minimises the potential for 'droop' during exercise (although not so much if you have odd ears like me)

ANC - 8.5/10

Active Noise Cancellation was one of the disappointments of the original Mini Pro, offering only mediocre performance, working fine with deep, low rumbling sounds but struggling to deal with higher pitched noise.

The Mini Pro HS obliterates the original in every way, taking advantage of the capabilities of the WUQI chip and adding a 6 mic array, with both feed-forward and feed-back methods utilised. As a result, the Mini Pro HS offers performance that almost compares with the industry heavyweights in this field, the Soundcore Liberty 3 Pro and Edifier NeoBuds Pro, only falling short with limitations in options (only three modes - on, off and passthrough). It is the strongest performing ANC bud SoundPEATS have released to date.

Indoors, air conditioning units and outside traffic are negated altogether. Chatting or TV sounds are reduced to incoherent mumbles, I'm sat here with the World Cup on TV, around 5m away from the source - the crowd noise is reduced altogether, and the commentator sounds like he's hissing - you can't make the words out at all. Keyboard clicks become taps, and whilst they don't disappear altogether with no music playing, the harshness is certainly taken out of the sound.

Outdoors, it's a similar story. Engine noises don't disappear altogether, but they do turn high pitched and incidental. Unfortunately the lack of wind here in the UK currently hasn't allowed me to assess how well it deals with wind noise, but I will update when that is the case.

Passthrough mode is quite powerful in the near distance, but more distant sounds dissipate. Even so, it is quite natural sounding and one of the most impressive I've tested, if not the most impressive, under $100.

Wearing them for a while then removing them suddenly and you'll feel briefly like you're hearing for the first time, with sounds overwhelming you - always a good sign in ANC tests. Whilst it isn't over-ear headphone levels of ANC, by TWS standards, performance is very strong, especially at the price.

Audio Quality and Sound Signature - 8.5/10 (for the price), 8/10 (raw score)

As mentioned in the intro, the Mini Pro HS takes advantage of the capabilities of the WUQI chipset, which permits a frequency response of 20Hz-40KHz, transfer rate of 990kbps and transmission up to 24bit/96KHz using the LDAC Bluetooth codec. Whilst this pushes the transmission to 3x that of SBC, delivering relatively efficiently, the theory is usually more emphatic than the reality. LDAC will not turn badly-tuned drivers good, and the differences are usually somewhat academic.



Regardless, the audio delivery of the Mini Pro HS is, like the Air3 Deluxe HS, an improvement over its predecessor. With Active Noise Cancellation switched off, the Mini Pro HS has a moderately rich midbass, gentle subbass and rolled-off trebles. The midrange isn't as scooped as it was on the Air3 Pro HS or the Life (see the graph above), allowing vocals to stand out considerably more. Whilst male vocals tend to sit back slightly from the orchestral arrangement more than female vocals, all vocal ranges come through with decent clarity and tonality, without the depth and resonance that they have on buds like the Edifier NeoBuds Pro. Higher frequencies, however, definitely lack a little sparkle - if you're used to buds like the Soundcore Liberty 3 Pro, you will almost certainly notice very quickly that shakers, claps and hats feel a little incidental by comparison. It is certainly a more dynamic sound than the Air 3 Deluxe HS, staying a little truer to the original in terms of sound signature, and adding a touch of smoothness to the rawer sounding predecessor.

On tracks like 'Everybody Rules The World' by Tears For Fears, the Mini Pro HS separate the lower frequency elements nicely to give a decent sense of space, and clashes and drums have nice texture, good clarity and reasonable separation. Switch genre to Oliver Heldens' 'Wombass', and you experience a clean subbass with fast attack and decay whilst retaining the texture of the sound. Switch again to 'My Life is Going On' by Cecilia Krull, and the subbass is again fast, vocals this time are much more forward without sibilance. If anything, the trebles maybe lack a little sparkle and texture compared with something like the Soundcore Liberty 3 Pro or Huawei FreeBuds Pro 2, which deconstruct hats, strings and tams much better by comparison. Strings and winds separate more than adequately on 'On The Nature Of Daylight' by Max Richter, offering better than average depth and tonality.

Turn on ANC and the soundstage tightens, the trebles roll off a little and the lower frequencies lift quite overtly, even bordering on a little bloated with more complex tracks. On tracks with heavy subbass and lowpass filtered kicks like 'Side to Side' by Ariana Grande and 'We Don't Talk Anymore' by Charlie Puth, it's almost a wobble - not quite 'Soundpeats Life'-heavy, but it may feel overwhelming, especially if you like extra detail to your higher frequencies. Switch genre to 'Gecko' by Oliver Heldens and Becky Hill, a simply electro house track from a few years ago, and the subbass rumbles through with no impact on the other elements of the track - same story with 'Jimmy Cooks' by Drake & 21 Savage, however move to something a little more elaborate like 'There Is No End' by Mahmut Orhan, and a little detail is lost by the overwhelming subbass decay. Even so, with ANC on there is a greater energy and punch - being able to toggle quickly at least allows you to select the right format of sound depending on the genre or style.

Soundstage is neither especially wide nor especially narrow. This elasticity gives a little air to tracks, but doesn't feel too open. On 'Low' by Lenny Kravitz, vocals pan around nicely and strings, horns and drums move outwards. Switch ANC on and it feels like the soundstage is compressed somewhat (both in depth and width) with a warmer sound, even with the EQ.

Whilst resolution is good, and certainly an improvement on the original, I didn't feel like the Mini Pro HS dazzled me with its technicalities in the way the Deluxe HS did, but perhaps given it is an in-ear bud, maybe my expectations are a little too high. Even so, it is one of the better sounding earbuds at its price, and the improvements show how far SoundPEATS and wireless earbuds at this price in general have come.

Call Quality - Indoors - 7.5/10, Outdoors - 7.5/10

Adding an additional mic seems to have helped Soundpeats not only with active noise cancellation but also delivering very strong.

Indoor your voice comes across very clearly. With no other sounds around you, you can sound a little robotic and a little thin, but everything is very coherent. Add some ambient sound and the Mini Pro HS seem to perform better, almost negating all ambient sound to a whisper, and retaining the authority and tone to your voice, if not the weight.

Outdoors, it's a similar story. Passing cars are reduced to virtual silence - only the occasional crackle over your voice intrudes on the presentation, and even then it certainly doesn't impact on your coherence.

It is certainly a big improvement over the original Mini Pro, and offers a good option given the form factor (usually stems are a pre-requisite for this level of performance).

Connectivity, Controls and other Interactive Features - 7.5/10

The SoundPEATS app is starting to mature, thankfully, as you'll definitely need to use it. Firstly, whilst I had no issue with connectivity, LDAC is reputed to weaken signal strength the more distance and interference you put between you and the source compared with the transmission of lower bitrate audio - whilst the science makes sense to me, I've never noticed it, but regardless, improvements in stability are provided by firmware v1.4.4, which my buds were not shipped with, so a firmware upgrade was required immediately. The upgrade also fixes an issue where the buds default to ANC off when you take the buds out of the case. Upgrading the firmware is not in the main section - touch the top left corner and you'll see an option listed there.

The app has actually removed some of the features you get with the Air3 Deluxe HS, including 'Adaptive EQ'. This allowed you to put your ears through a hearing test of various different frequency bleeps before serving you with an EQ setting customised for your hearing. For whatever reason, this beta feature is not available with the Mini Pro HS.

In terms of the EQ, whilst you get the usual 9 presets, they aren't usable in the way they were on the Air3 Deluxe HS. 'Bass Boost', even with ANC off, adds far too much weight to the subbass. 'Bass Reduction' on ANC mode cuts too much off, 'electronic' lifts the mids so high it sounds uncomfortable and 'Folk' and 'Classical' sound like your audio is being played underwater. The only usable preset is 'Pop', giving sound a 'warmer' feel.

The custom equaliser has also been scaled back here, moving from a 10-bar to a 7-bar EQ. Aside that, the app gives you the ability to switch single touch off (not so much of an issue for this model, because accidental touches are less frequent), and toggle gaming mode and ANC mode, both of which can also be accomplished from the touch controls.

Controls are back to the old scheme, with no option to play the previous track unfortunately. Single tap on the left and right bud reduces and increases volume respectively. Double tap plays/pauses and answers calls, hold the left bud for a couple of seconds to toggle ANC mode, hold the right bud to progress track forward. Triple left tap for gaming mode, triple right tap for voice assistant. The controls are responsive and intuitive, although whilst you do receive spoken confirmation of ANC mode and gaming mode, you don't hear a tone when you change volume.

Latency is fine - videos are lipsynchronised without any issue. With gaming mode on, first person shooters like PUBG see a minor delay, although it seems slightly improved from the original. Volume is very loud. I rarely went above 50%, a little lower than most of my earbuds.

Battery Life - 8/10

Battery life is solid on the Mini Pro HS, although can vary depending on your usage. My findings were as follows:

ANC off, SBC, occasional call & gaming mode, 50% volume - just under 7.5 hours playtime (advertised 8)
ANC off, LDAC, one call, 50% volume - 4 hours 47 minutes (advertised 5.5 hours)
ANC on, SBC, 50% volume - 5 hours 35 minutes (advertised 6.5 hours)
ANC on, LDAC, 50% volume - 4 hours 3 minutes (advertised 4.5 hours)

The charge case enables the buds to be charged an additional 2.5 times - there is no quick charge feature unfortunately.

Comparing this to the competition, it falls some way short of something like the more expensive Soundcore Space A40, which does support fast charging and gives you around an hour extra across all of those different modes. By the same token, compared with the Huawei FreeBuds Pro 2, longevity is much better, offering around 30-45 additional minutes.

Summary

The Mini Pro HS are a decent upgrade on the original Mini - offering a big improvement in ANC, decent improvement in calls and sound. In one sense, you could say this was a more justifiable upgrade than the Air3 Deluxe HS, but in another you could say SoundPEATS have missed some potential opportunities for improvement - wing tips to improve stability, quick charge and in-ear detection.

Even so, at around the $60 mark, there isn't a great deal around this price that can compete with the Mini Pro HS in doing the basics so well, at least when purchasing from conventional outlets (i.e. Amazon). Coming in some way below the price of the Soundcore Space A40, 1More Evo and Edifier NeoBuds Pro, they offer almost-comparable features at a much reduced price, and are an attractive option for those on a budget.

Price Weighted Score: 84%
Raw Score: 82%

SoundPEATS Sound Signature Comparison:

SoundPEATS Review Inventory:

SoundPEATS Engine4
SoundPEATS RunFree Lite
SoundPEATS Life Classic
SoundPEATS Opera05
SoundPEATS Capsule3 Pro
SoundPEATS Mini Pro HS
SoundPEATS Air3 Deluxe HS
SoundPEATS Air3 Pro
SoundPEATS Mini Pro
SoundPEATS H2
SoundPEATS T3
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.