SoundPEATS H3 Review: Budget Sound That Stands Out

THE SCORECARD

How the SoundPEATS H3 scored

• Comfort

  7/10

  The large IEM-style shells and deeper nozzle caused me mild discomfort after around 40 minutes, although five ear-tip sizes are included.

• Security of the fit

  8/10

  The deeper fit stayed secure for weight training, but the larger shells created annoying body noise while running.

• Case and battery life

  6.5/10

  Battery is advertised at 7 hours on the buds and 37 hours total with ANC off, while the chunky case feels cheap but sturdy enough.

• Controls

  8/10

  Touch controls were reliable and highly customizable, though calls prevent ANC and transparency changes from the touch controls.

• Connectivity

  8.5/10

  Bluetooth 5.4, multipoint, mono use and a low-latency game mode make for a well-equipped connection setup.

• Call quality

  8/10

  Call quality was solid across my quiet-room, crowd-noise and windy-city simulations.

• App customization and extra features

  7.5/10

  The app is buggy and requires a login, but the 10-band EQ gives you strong control over the sound.

• Noise cancelling

  8/10

  ANC was solid across low, middle and high frequencies, with especially good performance against gym background music.

• Transparency mode

  7/10

  Transparency has low white noise and low occlusion, but voices and distant sounds are too muffled.

• Sound quality

  10/10

  The triple-driver setup delivers exceptional mids, upper mids, separation and a smooth but engaging presentation.

The Pros and Cons

Are the SoundPEATS H3 comfortable and secure?

I scored comfort at 7 out of 10. The H3 use a classic IEM-style shape, and fitting three drivers inside means they are a large earbud with a deeper-than-usual nozzle. I felt mild discomfort after about 40 minutes, mainly in my more-sensitive left ear. A spiky protruding end on the nozzle seems to be the main culprit for me.

Fit is personal, and the five included ear-tip sizes, from extra small to extra large, give you a decent chance of finding one that works. Security was better, earning 8 out of 10. The deeper fit kept the earbuds locked in during weight training, but I would not recommend them for running because every step creates noticeable body noise in the ear canal. They carry an IPX5 water-resistant rating.

What are the SoundPEATS H3 battery, controls and connectivity like?

I scored case and battery life 6.5 out of 10. SoundPEATS advertises 7 hours from the buds and 37 hours total with ANC off, dropping to 4 hours and 21 hours with ANC on. A 10-minute charge provides 2 hours of playback with ANC off. There is no wireless charging, and the case is chunky and feels a bit cheap, although it is sturdy enough.

Controls scored 8 out of 10. Single, double and triple taps plus long holds all worked reliably for me, and each earbud can be customized with track controls, ambient control, volume, voice assistant or game mode. I would have liked click feedback and more freedom over the ANC mode cycle.

Connectivity earned 8.5 out of 10. You get Bluetooth 5.4, SBC, AAC, aptX, aptX Adaptive, aptX Lossless and LDAC. LDAC cannot be used with multipoint, but multipoint lets two devices stay connected. The game mode was suitable in my quick test for fast reaction games such as shooters.

How good are SoundPEATS H3 calls, ANC and transparency?

Call quality scored 8 out of 10 after my quiet-room, crowd-noise and windy-city simulations. Noise cancelling also scored 8 out of 10. It was solid across low, middle and high frequencies, and it did a particularly good job against background music at the gym, so I did not need to crank the volume.

ANC strength settings in the app sounded fairly similar to me, but switching among ANC, ANC off and transparency caused barely any EQ shift. Wind pickup is not too loud thanks to the microphone placement, although it remains audible on a moderately windy day and there is no automatic wind reduction.

Transparency is the weaker ambient mode at 7 out of 10. Lower amplification keeps white noise and occlusion low, but voices and distant sounds are slightly muffled. The vocal mode did not improve clarity much in my testing.

Why the SoundPEATS H3 sound quality scored 10 out of 10

The SoundPEATS H3 review really comes down to sound. These are SoundPEATS' best-sounding earbuds, and I think they are among the best sounding true wireless earbuds you can get at any price. The triple-driver setup uses one 12 mm dynamic driver and two balanced armature drivers, giving them an IEM-type listening experience.

Out of the box, the tuning is a little too balanced for my taste, so I preferred a slight bass, mid and treble boost in the 10-band EQ. The stock tuning is already excellent though: bass is balanced and powerful, kick drums have impact and presence, and there is enough sub-bass for electronic or bass-heavy music without sacrificing clarity.

The mids and upper mids are the real standout. Vocals are incredibly clear, natural and well separated, while instruments have an unusually realistic quality. Snare drum snaps stood out, distorted guitars sounded excellent, and the H3 handled complex symphonic metal arrangements particularly well. Their separation is among the best I have heard in a true wireless earbud.

Treble is smooth rather than especially airy to my ears, but it remains precise and detailed without harshness or sibilance, even with my slight EQ boost. The soundstage is not the widest, but I would put it only slightly behind the Bowers & Wilkins Pi8. Compared with other top-ranked earbuds, the H3 still stand out for mids, upper mids and overall separation.

SoundPEATS app features and sound customization

I scored app customization and extra features 7.5 out of 10. The SoundPEATS app does not always work properly and still requires a login, which I am not a fan of. It does cover the essentials, including battery status, ANC and transparency settings, control customization, game mode and multipoint.

The useful feature is the 10-band EQ. It is buggy, and changing a band temporarily drops the volume until you save, but it gives you enough control to tailor the H3 closely to your preference. You also get EQ presets, a hearing test that did not work well for me, Find My Earbuds, an ear-tip fit test and prompt-tone settings.