SoundPeats Air 3 Deluxe HS – The best semi in ear TWS, cheap, Hi Res certified and with LDAC codec
After the model Life let's talk about Sound Peats which has from poco launched the superbe on the market Air 3 Deluxe HS. For those who don't know it, SoundPeats is a Chinese company that produces very cheap audio products, which over time has carved out a fair share of aficionados, due to the excellent value for money which is accompanied by a widespread distribution thanks to the e -commerce Amazon.
I am one of the admirers of this brand, having tried many products, all of which are very valid and with today's review, I want to remove prejudices towards the brand, to all those who think that to have a professional result in terms of audio reproduction and calls, it is necessary to spend hundreds of euros.
On offer on Amazon
Let's start with the usual unboxing which in the case of the SoundPeats Air 3 Deluxe HS provides a standard package, albeit slightly improved compared to the previous generations, where inside we find a USB/USB-C cable for charging, manual which also includes the Italian language and a quick guide for the compaion app, available for both Android and iOS systems.
Both earphones and cases are made of plastic, with good build quality. The box has a glossy finish, which unfortunately retains a lot of fingerprints and dirt in general, while the headphones are opaque and slightly rough. more favoring the grip, something not to be underestimated considering the reduced measures. Overall they turn out solid and well made and then there is also resistance to liquids, with IPX4 certification.
The case is surprisingly small and slim, even more compact than that of AirPods or other TWS headphones in circulation, fitting into any pocket (case weight 36,3 grams, earphones 4,06 grams) even those of the tightest trousers, without causing discomfort. There is a single LED indicator which shows battery and pairing status and then there is also a small pairing reset button on the front of the case, just below the LED. The earphones are of those with semi-in-ear design, Than we without grommet, probably a big point in their favor, resulting comfortable to wear even before going to sleep, indeed you could even fall asleep with them on and wake up without having sore ears.
In fact, there are not many alternatives out there to offer this type of design, indeed the SoundPeats Air 3 Deluxe HS are the first semi in ear TWS to be Hi Res certified, with a lot of support to the LDAC codecs, (with up to 24 bit/96 kHz and a bit rate of up to 990 kbps ) which adds detail and nuance to the sound reproduced by driver from 14,2 mm headphones enjoy. Despite the form factor, the acoustic insulation is quite good, but precisely for this reason there is no ANC function active noise cancellation, although these earphones are great for calls.
In this regard, the SoundPeats Air 3 Deluxe HS enjoy 4 microphones with noise canceling technology in call with ENC function, effectively reducing 80% of external noise during calls. Your interlocutor will be pleasantly surprised by the conversation quality. Bluetooth is version 5.2 and the connection with the smartphone was always immediate and stable.
Battery life is average, guaranteeing a hypothetical week of work: in fact we are talking about 5 hours with a recharge, plus three further recharges supplied by the case, bringing the total autonomy to about 20 and a half hours, relying on a case battery of 300 mAh and for individual earphones 30 mAh. Both the earphones and the charging case take around 1,5 hours to fully charge. I would add that we also have the available game mode which cuts down the latency to solos 60ms, making these headphones also ideal for gaming and then also integrate the sensor for automatic wearability detection, acting on the automatic play/pause of the track.
The controls of the SoundPeats are of type touch which is accompanied by the aforementioned in-ear detection system, i.e. come on proximity sensors which automatically pause the music when we remove the earphones from our ears and resume playback when we put them back on.
Bass quality is goodIn fact, that's probably the best bass I've heard from these types of semi-in-ear headphones, even considering how cheap they cost. It has good fullness and impact without distortion. Vocals are nice and clear, so they're easy to hear above the bass and treble. Both male and female vocals are given equal treatment with neither being favored over the other. High notes are crisp and airy without being sharp. There is a good amount of detail present in the music. It's some of the best treble I've heard from a budget TWS headset—it's punchy and has good range.
The touch controls are not editable but work surprisingly well and also include volume management. We summarize them below:
| play pause | Automatically: remove an earpiece from your ear, Manual: Double tap on the touch control panel |
| Volume - | Touch the control panel on the left 1 time touch |
| Volume + | Tap the touch control panel on the right once |
| Previous track | Press and hold the left touch panel for 1,5 seconds |
| Next track | Press and hold the touch panel on the right for 1,5 seconds |
| Answer/end the call | Double tap the touch panel |
| Reject the call | Press the touch panel for 1,5 seconds |
| Switch between 2 calls | Press the touch panel for 2 seconds |
| Manual Bluetooth pairinge | Press the button on the case for 3 seconds |
| Activate voice assistant | Press 3 times on the right touch panel |
| Enter/exit game mode | Tap the touch panel on the left earbud 3 times. |
As anticipated, the SoundPeats Air 3 Deluxe HS enjoy a companion application through which we can for example equalize the soundchoosing from a few preset or adjusting manually the 10-band equalizer, going even further to emphasize the quality expressed by the LDAC codec, a far from common technology, which we usually find in high-end earphones and which is frankly surprising to see on an economic model.
Through the app we can also activate or deactivate thein-ear detection, Game Mode, touch controls, but also update the firmware, a sign that SoundPeats is a company that leaves nothing out and is always ready to improve its products.
PROJECTED IMPACT
The declared list price is €57,99, but at the time of writing this review we can find them on the Amazon store at a price of € 46,39, taking advantage of the 20% discount coupon that can be redeemed directly from the purchase page. I'm basically a real best buy for those who do not want earphones with rubber.
The SoundPeats Air 3 Deluxe HS were a pleasant surprise, or rather a confirmation for me. Comfortable, light, with automatic Play/Pause sensor, excellent audio quality for both music and calls, LDAC codec and sensational microphones, all for less than €50. Let's not turn around you have to rush to buy them, indeed they could be the perfect Christmas present for anyone, even for yourself.
