The much requested review of the SoundPEATS Clear
REVIEW ROUNDUP - With so many wireless earphones on the market, it's easy to miss the time to review them all. After my ridiculously big comparisons of AliExpress most popular $5 earbuds and 15 dirt-cheap AirPods-like earbuds, I decided to round up three promising earbuds from $15 to $30 and put them in one article.
Which offers the most bang for your buck and the best sound on the cheap - the SoundPEATS Clear, Oppo Enco Air2i or the newly released Tronsmart Sounfii R4?
SoundPEATS Clear review: $25 earbud kings?
$20 - $30 | 8 hours on a single charge | IPX4 splashproof
Yeah - I'm late to the party with my SoundPEATS Clear review. This pair was released in the fall of 2023, when I couldn't get to reviewing earbuds because of my regular work. The Clear has meanwhile conquered a spot in my Buying Guide of Best Wireless Earbuds under $25, but I never found the time for a separate review. Time to fix that - these deserve more.
You can't write about these without mentioning their looks, as SoundPEATS clearly took design cues from the Nothing Ear and gave it a more round housing, as well as different colours: white, black, blue or beige.
The oval charging case can feel a bit bulky, but it catches the attention when it lies on your desk or table. After months of heavy use, the transparent part of the case still looks as new. Scratches are barely visible.
The earbuds itself look striking as well, from the transparent stem lines to the visible internals, to the blue inside of the rubber tip. These rubbers are on the bigger side, and take some getting used to before becoming comfortable.
The earbuds therefore feel bigger in your ears than competitors like the Moondrop Space Travel or the Soundcore A20i. I can't wear them for their masssive playtime of 8 hours on a single charge (!) without taking them out now and then. That's a great battery score nonetheless, and they recharge quickly in the case too: a 10 minute recharge in the case is enough for 2-3 hours of extra playtime.
For this price, there are functions you don't have, and the list of the Clear is long: the case doesn't support wireless charging; the earbuds lack Active Noise Cancelling and a Transparency mode, and don't automatically pause music when you take an earbud out. Multipoint connectivity misses too, so you can only connect them to one device at a time.
The SoundPEATS Clear is a basic pair of wireless earbuds then - but it does those basics well.
For starters, the touch panels on top of the stems respond well to your touch and let you control everything. A single tap to change volume, double to play/pause, hold to change tracks, triple-tap L to (de)active game mode - it works like a charm.
That game mode is a blast. It synchronizes the sounds with the action on your screen incredibly well, and also reveals where the action around you is in a challenging game like Call of Duty mobile.
You can take a phone or video call with them - mostly. Your voice could be both louder and clearer, and noise around you is audible on the line, but the sharp edge is taken off that noise - and your voice doesn't dip because of it. Your voice even remains stable when there's a bit of wind - a bit of surprise here.
I have mixed feelings towards the sound quality, however. Quite a few YouTubers praised the sound of the Clear, which is why I've had so many requests to do a separate review of the SoundPEATS Clear in the first place.
In theory, the SoundPEATS is tuned very well. It follows the Harman signature quite closely, which is a scientifically backed sound profile, formed from the sound that most people say they love most.
While bass isn't the focus of the SoundPEATS Clear, it's one of its strongest assets. The mid-bass could have been a little quicker, but its strong and deep thumps feel juicy - and never overpower songs. The sub-bass (darkest tones you can feel as much as hear) is also capable of a strong, controlled rumble. The Clear knows how to entertain down below.
That said, the Harman signature works especially well for the mid-tones, and it shows on the Clear too. Mids sound more prominent, and more crisp than on your usual bassy budget earphone. Typical center-mid instruments like guitar and piano play sound natural, and violins and trumpets in classical recordings can pop. Instruments benefit from the Clears brightness; revealing details in breath pauses or the striking and plucking of strings. They're also well-separated from each other and surprise you on your left and right, if closeby.
Vocals don't benefit so much, however. Female and higher male vocals are put very forward on the Clear and here, the brighter-than-average character results in some harshness. Higher voices have a bit of a sharp edge, and there's a bit of sibilance (emphasis on sss-sounds) as well. The emphasis on clarity means some vocals also sound a bit too clear - Leonard Cohen's misses a bit of depth and warmth for instance.
But if you're willing to tweak the sound a bit, things start to shine on the Clear. The free SoundPEATS app for iPhone and Android phones give you a handful equalizer presets (of which the Bass Boost will likely entertain a whole lot of people), a hearing test that results in an adjusted Adaptive EQ, and the option to create your own equalizer.
These can change things for the better. For me, the Adaptive EQ tones down the forwardness of higher vocals and instruments a bit - making music less tiring. And my custom EQ in the screenshot reduces the sharp edge and adds a hint of warmth from the lower mid-tones, resulting in what could well be the best execution of a clear sound on a budget.
One thing that's less tweakable is the maximum volume; it could just be a tad higher.
Add everything together, and the SoundPEATS Clear is a pair of budget wireless earbuds you shouldn't overlook. Basic in features, smashing in looks, and special in sound - if you're willing to tweak the knobs a little bit.
Design and comfort: 4/5 - Great design, 8 hours battery life, bigger ear tip needs getting used to
Controls and connectivity: 4/5 - Solid connection and volume controls, no multipoint connection
Playback: 5/5 - Flawless video playback, great game mode
Call quality: 3.5/5 - Doable with some noise, but your voice could be louder
Sound quality: 4.5/5 - Clear and natural mid-tones, fun mid-bass - edgy out of the box, great with some tweaking
VERDICT: 4.5 STARS (Great)
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Oppo Enco Air2i review: Now this is a clear sound
$25 - $30 | 7 hours on a single charge | IPX4 splashproof
The SoundPEATS may have ‘Clear’ in its name, the Oppo Enco Air2i takes it up a notch. These are some of the clearest and brightest earbuds on a small budget, with staggering detail in the higher notes.
The Oppo Enco Air2i quietly released a year ago, but this model too deserves the spotlight. The Chinese phone brand that also pushes out quite a few earbuds is regarded higher and higher among audiophiles, so it's interesting to see what the entry model in the lineup sounds like.
Well: trebly. Really trebly.
There's really is a lot going on in the higher frequencies here. Higher instruments like trumpets, violins, and cymbals are in-your-face prominent. They're brighter than average and they excel in texture. The acoustic guitar play in Nils Lofgren's audiophile test track Keith Don't Go shows the plucking almost as clear as the notes itself - accentuation seldomly seen on more affordable earbuds.
The Air2i honours its name with a lot of ‘air’ around the higher frequencies. Without delivering a big soundstage, instruments and vocals are separated greatly from each other.
Next to the big treble boost, highs also extend far. The clocks in Pink Floyd's Time (2011 Remastered) challenge on higher volume levels, the claps in Michael Jackson's Stranger In Moscow are sharp, and yeah - Björk pretty much attacks you with her high-pitched squeeks in It's Oh So Quiet. It isn't out of bounds, but it's a lot to take in.
The focus on clarity takes its toll when it comes to the tonal balance of the music. Female and higher male vocals have the tendency to appear so clear it becomes unnatural. Not in a metallic way, but just brighter compared to how you know a song. Not saying bad - but definitely different.
That doesn't mean the Air2i resolves only around treble - oh no. The mid-bass pushes out quick and thick thumps, and while the sub-bass stays a little on the surface, it's precise and controlled. As center mid-tones tend towards the treble bump, it's the lower mid-tones that are the least boosted part of the music, but this also causes the Air2i to maintain its outstanding separation between everything you hear.
With the official Oppo app HeyMelody on iPhone and Android phones, you can opt for two alternative sound presets, of which Clear vocals may be the most useless EQ ever, and Bass boost turns up the (mid-)bass in a strong way. The result is still slimmer than that of the SoundPEATS Clear, however.
That's the thing a bit - the SoundPEATS Clear's sound has most of the strong suits of the Oppo Enco Air2i, while it also gives a more comfortable listening. A bit less hyperactive. A bit more balanced.
I covered the most outspoken part of the Oppo Enco Air2i, but it isn't the only good part.
This is the typical all-around product the Chinese phone manufacturers are known for by now. The round charging case looks and feels polished, and the oval earpieces are IPX4 splashproof and comfortable to wear. Their 7 hours battery life on a single charge is more than enough too.
The green of the Oppo Enco Air2i is hard to capture - but this is the actual colour!
Like on the SoundPEATS Clear, ANC, Transparency, and multipoint connection miss here, but music automatically pauses when you take an earbud out - and all the controls can be setup via the HeyMelody app - including volume controls and (de)activating the game mode.
That gaming mode works well in synchronizing sounds with the action on your screen - although not as good as the Clear. Phone calls are better than on the Clear, however. Your voice sounds loud and natural, and isn't thrown out of the window when there's some (quite audible) noise around you. It doesn't withstand wind.
The last thing of note? While most controls are confirmed by a subtle and lovely click, (de)activating the game mode triggers Chinese voice prompts.
The Oppo Enco Air2i is a victim of the overly crowded market. It's a solid pair of budget wireless earbuds with a strong sound character which may just be your thing, but it's hard to recommend over the even more versatile and eyecatching SoundPEATS Clear.
Design and comfort: 4/5 - Simple design, comfortable fit, nice green finish
Controls and connectivity: 4.5/5 - Adjustable controls, stable, lacks multipoint
Playback: 4/5 - Flawless in videos, solid gaming performance
Call quality: 3.5/5 - Natural voice reproduction, can't withstand wind
Sound quality: 4/5 - Pronounced and detailed treble that can be feel a bit too hyperactive
VERDICT: FOUR STARS (Good)
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3. Tronsmart Sounfii R4 review: Your average bassy earbuds
$15 - $25 | 7 hours on a single charge | IPX4 splash proof
The brand new Tronsmart Sounfii R4 is exactly the type of cheap wireless earbuds you expect from, well, cheap wireless earbuds. It has a solid bassy sound, but fails to convince in general.
The Tronsmart Sounfii R4 couldn't differ more from the Oppo Enco Air2i if it tried. Tronsmarts newest release in a long while delivers the typical warm-bassy sound that is so common in the low-cost segment of wireless earphones.
To no surprise then, the Sounfii R4 (who makes these names up?) has boosted lower mid-tones, meaning darker electronic tones and lower instruments have a strong presence in songs. The bass consists mostly of a deep and dark mid-bass. It slams more than it punches, but there's enough of it to make you nod your head.
The sub-bass isn't always easy to discover underneath the thick layers of lower-mids and mid-bass, but in dedicated moments like in James Blake's Limit to Your Love, it does show that it's capable of a tight, controlled, deep rumbling.
There's not much to discover on top of the lows. Vocals are forward enough, but as treble rolls off comfortably quick, both female and male vocals sound warmer than they sound clear. Like higher instruments, they can feel a little muted on lower volumes. The R4 has decent left-right separation, but as both mids and treble are laidback, it doesn't give off a very detailed or sparkly presentation.
Still - the sound is one of the two best parts of the Tronsmart Sounfii R4.
The other strong suit is the design.
The charging case feels robust and has this great looking feature that you can see the earbuds sitting in them - which also means that it's tricky to put the earbuds in. Make sure the charging dots of the earbuds are connected to those of the case, otherwise your earbuds won't turn off while closing the case.
The earbuds themselves come in a nice creme-coloured finish, and look rather good with their shiny metallic touches at the top and the bottom of the stem. Tronsmart uses the same oval earpiece as the SoundPEATS and the Oppo, but it mounts the most comfortable rubber ear tip - making these comfortable for their 7 hours of playtime on a single charge. The earbuds rock an IPX4 splashproof rating and a steady Bluetooth connection, but that's where the good stops.
The controls are limited to play/pause and track controls, and don't always immediately respond - either responding slow or not at all. There's no gaming mode and even videos don't always playback well, requiring you to pause first for good audio-video synchronization.
The call quality is atrocious, already failing to pass through your voice in a clear and natural way without any noise around you. It becomes downright inaudible with sound or wind on top of that. With basic functionality this bad, it's not the worst problem in the world that the Sounfii misses out on app support, ANC, Transparency or multipoint connection. What are the chances these would be executed well?
The Tronsmart Sounfii R4 is your typical everyday pair of bass earbuds on a budget. It's upheld by its looks and comfortable warm sound… and that's about it.
Design and comfort: 4,5/5 - 7 hours of battery life, comfortable, looks great
Controls and connectivity: 3/5 - Misses volume controls and multipoint, steady connection
Playback: 2/5 - Struggles with games, not flawless in videos either
Call quality: 1/5 - Nearly inaudible even in good circumstances
Sound quality: 4/5 - Laidback listening, warm and comfortable
VERDICT: THREE STARS (Worth considering)
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Also read: These are the best wireless earbuds under $25.
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Disclaimer: I bought these TWS true wireless earbuds myself. I test and review all audio products equally honest - read about it here.
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