SOUNDPEATS RUNFREE LITE – Hi Res, LDAC, Bluetooth 5.3: the best for sports
In the portable audio landscape, lately the type of product dedicated to sports is gaining ground, revolutionizing the wearability of the earphones to which we are generally accustomed. In fact, the product that we will see together today makes design a real revolution but above all it is the characteristics that are hidden inside that amaze, offering for example the LDAC codec but also Multipoint connectivity, but I don't want to spoil too much and therefore continue to read this review dedicated to sports headphones (but not only) SoundPeats RunFree Lite.
Topics of this article:
unboxing
The unboxing experience does not give great emotions, even if the company choice to adopt for its products, a recycled cardboard package embellished with real images of the product and some key specifications on the various sides is appreciable. Unfortunately inside we find a plastic tray and therefore goodbye environmental sustainability, in which the sports headphones are placed and then the multilingual manuals and a USB / USB-C charging cable for recharging the device.
PRODUCT SPECIFICATIONS
- Brand: SoundPEATS
- Model: RunFree Lite
- Drivers (size): 16,2 mm
- Chipset: WUQI WQ7033MX
- Microphone: dual microphones for single driver (total 4), sensitivity of -38 ± 1dB
- ANC: No
- codec: LDAC, AAC, SBC
- App support: Yup
- Volume control: Yup
- Game mode: Yup
- Multipoint Connectivity: Yup
- Headset weight: 27 g
- Battery capacity: 130 mAh
- Fast charging: No.
- Wireless Charging: No.
- Autonomy in playback: up to 17 hours (mixed use of music/calls)
- Charging time: approx. 90 mins
- Bluetooth range: 10m
- Bluetooth: Bluetooth® 5.3
- Bluetooth Protocols: HFP 1.7/ A2DP 1.3/ AVRCP 1.5
- Water/Dust Resistance: IPX4
DESIGN AND PERFORMANCE
The Runfree Lite are made of polycarbonate and skin friendly silicone as regards the headband, making them ultra light and comfortable to wear. Only 27 grams in weight and a design that overturns the classic idea of Bluetooth earphones, in fact the drivers will not get stuck inside the ear cup but will rest delicately above it, allowing the user to listen to the surrounding environment without having to activate the appropriate mode that we find in in-ear headphones. This aesthetics and shape therefore makes them ideal for athletes, especially runners and cyclists but not only. One could hypothesize bone conduction headphones, but this is not the case as the diffusion of sound occurs by air, i.e. the sound will come out of 16,2 mm drivers, through grids, just like the classic headphones, but in this case the fact of leaning and not getting stuck, makes the sound experience pleasant and attentive also to the environment that surrounds us, not immersing ourselves completely.
We then find the bow that rests on the back of the neck and then the main hook-shaped section that includes the two speakers to be placed over the ear without applying pressure. We have an IPX4 certification supplied, therefore ideal for a run in a light rain but not for swimming or more extreme things such as a shower to the rhythm of music. On the one hand, this style offers extreme comfort, in fact we can listen to music for hours on end without tiring our ears or experiencing an ear suffocation experience, but the headband and the rest of the structure is not adjustable and all in all quite wide, so if you have a small garment size, you could find yourself in the situation where the SoundPeats RunFree Lite will be too "loose" in the fit.
However, it must be said that the solution offered by the company is successful in terms of stability, in fact even by making repeated jolts, the headphones will never fall and will not move a millimeter from their original position. As regards the management of the commands, we do not find touch solutions but rather physical buttons, easily accessible in terms of position as they are located in the lower part of the control surface on the right side, where we also have the Type-C charging input, protected by a silicone lid. 3 buttons, 2 of which are dedicated to the volume but which also offer the music track skip function and finally a central button for turning on/off the SoundPeats RunFree Lite which has other functions such as gaming mode recall, assistant recall voice, play/pause and call management.
In fact we have available on a single driver, even two microphones which I will tell you about later, which amazed me with their performance. Finally there is a small LED next to the buttons, which flashes white and red during pairing and remains white until music is playing.
AUTONOMY
The RunFree Lite headphones can last up to 17 hours on a single charge, and the headphones recharge with a standard USB-C cable in about 1,5 hours. The port is protected by a small rubber flap to help keep moisture and sweat out. The autonomy in this case has been evaluated with a mixed use of listening to music and calls, but without taking advantage of the LDAC codec, while if enabled the autonomy is approximately 12,5 hours. However more than satisfactory considering the nature of the product.
FUNCTIONS, APPS AND SOUND
I'll tell you right away about microphones, a total of 4. Despite the "open" design and therefore the introduction of wind and any ambient noise inside the ears, the performance of the microphones and therefore of the audio in calls is exceptional. The conversation is not compromised in any way, almost as if an ENC technology were enabled by default even if this is not present in the product specifications. Clean and crystalline sound are a real strength of these SoundPeats RunFree Lite, thanks also to the presence of the coded LDAC, which guarantees quality, depth and breadth of nuances in music reproduction.
Only the listening volume could be lower than normal, but considering the shape of the drivers and the airborne sound conduction system, specially designed to remain alert to external sound inputs, it is more than justified. Then there is the Bluetooth 5.3 connectivity, therefore of the latest generation, which allows first of all through the appropriate gaming mode to reduce the latency to just 65ms: the latency is already very respectable on this model, certainly for videos, and the gaming mode it improves it further but above all we can also benefit from MULTIPOINT technology, that is to connect the headphones to 2 devices at the same time.
Also available is the companion app from which to adjust the volume, see the remaining battery power at a glance, activate game mode and even choose one of the nine equalization presets offered by SoundPEATS. You can also enjoy a custom ten-band equalizer that allows you to control individual frequencies as well as update the firmware if software updates are released. Unfortunately, there is no Multipoint control from the app.
PROJECTED IMPACT
SoundPeats RunFree Lite have proved to be a great option for those who don't want to spend a lot on earphones dedicated to sports. With them we get a very high level quality/price ratio, considering the technology they integrate, such as the latest generation Bluetooth, the possibility of being associated with two devices at the same time, exceptional call performance and the LDAC codec to guarantee a high level of experience music that you can benefit from, as well as an autonomy above all expectations.
The RunFree Lite list costs 39,99 euros but often on Amazon they go on offer, thanks to coupons that can be redeemed on the purchase page, such as the one present these days that reduces the price by an additional 10 euros. So for 29,99 euros, these headphones are really competitive in everything, ideal for the gym and outdoor sports but also for sedentary people who want to listen to music, while perhaps they are writing the novel of their life on the PC and don't want to lose the pay attention to what is happening around them. In short, whatever use you make of them, the SoundPeats RunFree Lite are the right and economical choice that you cannot escape.
