The True Wireless market is stacked with brands all fighting for marketing share with the likes of premium brands like Dottir, KEF, Sennheiser & Sony all fighting for your attention but all with higher price points. So if you’re looking for a more budget-friendly pair of TWS I would suggest brands like Skullcandy, Earfun, JBL and SoundPEATS.
In this review, we are turning our focus to SoundPEATS Free2 classic which is the second pair of buds we have tested after the SoundPEATS Sonic Pro last year. The Free2 Classic are the latest release alongside the Mini Pro that in terms of appearance look identical to each other. However, In terms of cost, the Mini Pro cost £59.99 whereas the Free2 Classic costs £29.99 both available via Amazon.
First Impressions/Unboxing
When the SoundPEATS Free2 Classic arrived the packaging reminded me of the packaging of the Sonic Pro before them.
Once opened the earbuds come in a portable charging case, USB-A to USB-C charging cable and 2 pairs of silicone eartips. (Large and Small pairs provided). The medium pair is already on the buds. In addition to this, you have a small user guide which has the basic controls and how to pair if you are new to TWS earbuds.
Set-Up
Setting up the Free2 Classic is very simple, first up take the buds out of the charging case and remove the 2 small stickers that are covering the charging contacts. I would suggest you then place them back in the case and give them a full charge before use. However, if you are excited you can start using them right away.
The buds should fit into your ear canal with the logos facing right side up. The tips of the earbuds should feel comfortable in your ears without feeling any pressure. Also, make sure you have the correct fitting eartips.
Once the buds are fully charged and you remove them from the case you will notice each bud has a small LED that will flash red and blue until you connect the buds to your smartphone. On the Bluetooth list on your phone select Free2 Classic from the list of connections. Now you are connected you can enjoy listening to music or a podcast.
Design
The key thing you will notice about the design is the very slim profile they are much smaller than other TWS I have tested. I found when testing the fit on my son these buds fit nicely as he has smaller ears. If you have larger ears you may want to consider changing the eartips for a larger pair which will help with that passive isolation.
The buds are quite simple in design they have that SoundPEATS logo on the buds but apart from that, the design is very low profile.
When you fit the buds in your ears they fit quite well and do not protrude too much which is a good thing. I have found them nice and comfortable to wear even for long periods of use.
In terms of getting these wet when hitting the gym or getting caught in the rain, you won’t have any concern with the Free2 Classics as they come with an IPX4 rating. What this means is it can handle high-pressure water jets or be submerged up to 1 meter deep if you wanted to wear these when swimming.
When not in use or they are in need of charging you have the charging case which is also quite small measuring 2m x 1m (WxT), they will fit in your pocket without any trouble.
The case itself is a clamshell shape with a flip-open lid like many other TWS on the market. The case has a textured design that feels a little dated when you compare the case to the buds. It has a leather appearance and comes in matt black finish.
At the rear of the case, you have that USB-C port and when it’s time to charge the case it has a battery capacity of 350mAH with each bud holding 43 mAh of battery life in each bud which offers 8 hours of playback. The charging case will provide 4 full charges which were impressive considering the price point of these buds.
Front and back of the charging case.
The overall design feels nice and the battery life was impressive considering they are under £50 in cost.
Controls
SoundPEATS have decided to go with the touch controls for all of the functionality. All you need to do is tap the logo area of the earbuds and they are very touch-sensitive. It may take someone who is new to touch controls a few days to learn how to bring up each control but soon you will master it.
Below is a list of the controls:
- Play/Pause – Double-tap either bud
- Volume Increase: Single tap on the left bud
- Volume Decrease: Single tap on the right bud
- Skip back a track: Press & Hold the left bud for 1.5 seconds
- Skip to the next track: Press & Hold the right bud for 1.5 seconds
- Answer/Hang-up phone call: Double-tap either bud
- Reject call: Press and hold for 1.5 seconds
- Activate Voice Assist: Triple tap right bud
As you can see there are a number of controls to learn and master and when testing you will get very annoyed quickly as you need to touch the buds to put them in your ears. You might activate some of the above features by mistake. Unfortunately, there is no way of putting them in your ears without activating a feature. It’s not a game-changer just annoying that is all.
Sound Quality
The most important aspect of any pair of earbuds is the sound quality and the results showed as these buds offer a decent sound but are not perfect. The buds connect to your phone using Bluetooth 5.1 which comes with the following codecs- AAC & SBS. With these codecs, you can expect a frequency range from 20Hz to 20kHz. What you can expect from the audio profile is no lag.
I have been listening to these buds now for the last 2 weeks and they are enjoyable if you’re looking for a basic pair of buds. If audio quality is important to you then the Free2 Classic does output some tininess at times.
I also noticed the buds lack bass however, the mids are fine in testing but it’s the highs that are just too thin for us. The overall sound is disappointing as I like my buds to offer some real bass something these buds just did not provide. You will also notice if you pump the volume up to the max you really suffer from distortion which does not help you enjoy your audio experience. I would suggest a max of 70% volume to be the best spot for your audio listening.
Call Quality
The Free2 Classic earbuds also have the feature allowing you to take or reject phone calls while listening to your music. When a call comes in you can answer it by tapping the earbud twice to answer an incoming call and this will pause the music to allow you to take the call.
I have taken a few calls on these and considering the audio quality when listening to music making calls was acceptable quality. You will notice the calls are clear without any interference.
Verdict
The SoundPEATS Free2 Classic considering they only cost £29.99 provides a well-built pair of TWS that is compact and with a budget-friendly price tag. They do not provide the best audio, especially for the audiophile in the room. However, they are not designed for that type of listener they are designed for someone with a limited budget who just wants to listen to some music and for that type of user they tick the boxes.
Product Rating:
First Impressions/ Set up: 4.0 out of 5.0 stars
Design: 4.0 out of 5.0 stars
Sound Quality: 2.0 out of 5.0 stars
Value For Money: 5.0 out of 5.0 stars5.0
Overall Rating: 3.7 out of 5.0 stars – 3.75 Stars
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My ear buds stopped working when I play music but works for calls, what do I do?
I Would approach the manufacturer might be a fault or the website normally has a help guide