SoundPEATS Air5 Pro+ Review: A Big Step Up in Sound

THE SCORECARD

How the SoundPEATS Air5 Pro+ scored

• Comfort

  8.5/10

  The compact shape fit my ears well with minimal suction and pressure, although only three ear-tip sizes are included.

• Security

  8/10

  They stayed secure for weight training and a quick run, with a usable amount of body noise.

• Case and battery life

  5/10

  SoundPEATS advertises 6 hours from the buds and 30 hours total with noise cancelling off, while the compact case has no wireless charging.

• Controls

  7.5/10

  The touch controls are extensively customizable, but I could not limit ANC cycling to two modes, mute calls or change ANC modes during a call.

• Connectivity

  9/10

  Bluetooth 5.4, multipoint, mono use of either bud, low-latency gaming mode and a broad codec list make this a very well-equipped earbud.

• Call quality

  8.5/10

  Call quality is great, with a slight improvement over the Air5 Pro, particularly in my simulated windy-city test.

• App customization and extra features

  7.5/10

  There is plenty to adjust, including EQ and an ear-fit test, but the app can be buggy and requires an account.

• Noise cancelling

  8/10

  ANC is very solid and, to my ears, on par with many earbuds at double the price.

• Transparency mode

  8/10

  Transparency is clearer, more natural and less noisy than the Air5 Pro, though wind noise limits it outdoors.

• Sound quality

  8.5/10

  After EQ, I got a powerful but controlled bass response, rich vocals and smooth, detailed treble.

The Pros and Cons

How comfortable and secure are the Air5 Pro+?

The Air5 Pro+ uses the same ergonomics as the Air5 Pro, only in a different colour. It is a compact bud that should fit well even in smaller ears, and I noticed minimal suction and pressure in my ear canal. I have large ears and use the largest included tips, although I could go slightly larger if needed.

For security, these worked fine for me while weight training and on a quick run. There is a slight amount of body noise, but it is usable. They carry an IPX5 water-resistant rating, though the microphones pick up wind easily if you use transparency mode while running.

Battery, controls and connectivity

SoundPEATS rates the Air5 Pro+ for 6 hours on the buds and 30 hours in total with noise cancelling off. A 10-minute charge in the case is rated for 2 hours of earbud playback. The case is compact but a little chunky, and its build is solid relative to the price. There is no wireless charging, which I still think is fair at this price.

The touch controls support single, double and triple taps plus a long hold, with extensive assignment options for each earbud. The restrictions are frustrating: ANC must cycle through on, off and transparency rather than two selected modes; I could not mute a call from the earbuds; and I could not switch ANC modes during a phone call. Wearing detection is also missing.

Connectivity is a real strength. You get Bluetooth 5.4, SBC, AAC, LDAC, LE Audio, aptX Adaptive and aptX Lossless. Either bud can work alone in mono mode, multipoint connects two devices, and there is a low-latency gaming mode.

The app has plenty of options but needs refinement

The SoundPEATS app offers noise-cancelling and transparency adjustments, multipoint controls, touch-control customization, game mode, EQ presets, a 10-band EQ, an ear-fit test and a Find My Earbuds feature. Android users also get high-resolution codec settings.

My issue is that the app is still a little buggy. The earbuds did not connect every time, and creating an account just to use the app feels unnecessary. On an iPhone, changing the 10-band EQ could make the sound go strange until I exited and re-entered that page.

ANC and transparency are strong, until the wind starts

The noise cancelling is very solid, and I scored it an 8 out of 10. To my ears, it performs exactly like the Air5 Pro and is on par with many earbuds that cost double. Indoor, outdoor and traffic offer low, medium and high strength settings, while adaptive mode gave me the strongest ANC.

Sound quality stays the same when moving between ANC and transparency. Switching ANC off reduces bass by about 10%, which is moderate but not too bad. The catch is wind: the microphones pick it up easily, even on a moderately windy day.

Transparency is a slight improvement over the Air5 Pro. It is clearer, slightly amplified, more natural and has less white noise, while my own voice sounded fairly natural. Higher-scoring earbuds still have a little less occlusion, and wind makes this mode difficult to use outdoors.

Sound quality: smooth, detailed and more open than the Air5 Pro

The Air5 Pro+ combines a MEMS driver with a regular dynamic driver, and it reached just over 119 dB in my maximum-volume test. I found the stock EQ too bassy, so I reduced bass and gave the mids a very small lift. After that EQ, I scored sound quality an 8.5 out of 10.

Bass remains powerful after that reduction, with a sub-bass presence that is not excessive and a rich mid-bass that does not become boomy. Kick drums have good impact, electronic music loses nothing, and the overall balance works well across genres. It is not the quickest bass response, but it still has punch.

The lower mids keep male vocals rich, while the upper-mid lift gives instruments good separation. The treble is the standout: detailed, airy and precise, but smooth enough that it does not become harsh or fatiguing. High hats, crashes, orchestration, female vocals and electronic synths all come through well. If you are treble-sensitive, it is easy enough to reduce it further in EQ.

Compared with the Air5 Pro, this is smoother, more refined and slightly more open. The SoundPEATS H3 remains the better-sounding option if you want a more balanced tuning focused on instrument detail and separation, but I can see listeners preferring the warmer Air5 Pro+ presentation.