Soundpeats Capsule 3 Pro
Soundpeats have surely come a long way. Not that they weren’t always a leader in the tws budget sector because they most assuredly have always had a nice stake to the budget pie. What I am noticing is that the quality is raising across the board with Soundpeats products to new levels, which really puts the noose around the necks of other tws manufacturers. Today I am reviewing the Soundpeats Capsule 3 Pro or “CP3” as I will call them. The CP3 comes equipped with many features, is dope looking and even sounds good too. I will obviously elaborate quite a bit more as we carry on with this review.
I want to take a moment to thank Soundpeats for their kindness in offering three different units for review at mobileaudiophile.com. Those being the Soundpeats Mini Pro HS, the Air3 Deluxe HS, and the set I am reviewing here, the Capsule 3 Pro. I do provide a link below for the purchase of the Soundpeats Capsule 3 pro, but I must add that I am in no way affiliated with Soundpeats and make no monetary gain in any way by reviewing this set. I’m simply glad to help out a company who was very kind and if posting a link helps, well …I’m happy to do it.
Amazon purchase link HERE
Early bird pricing below:
20% coupon plus 10% off code: QG6UCCG2
I have been a fan of Soundpeats for quite some time and have personally owned a number of their sets. One of my favorite tws iems at any price is the Soundpeats H1, which I still own. I was thrilled to be able to check out this newest Soundpeats tws iem and I will absolutely give my most honest impressions whether good or bad. Let’s get on with the review, the Soundpeats Capsule 3 pro everyone….
Packaging
The CP3 (as I will call them) come in a smaller box which is pretty understated, which I have zero issue with. After all, I don’t listen to the box. Anyways, again, Soundpeats opted to put a young man on the sleeve cover who has obvious model features. Of course, this young man is completely expressionless with an almost annoyed look on his face. Soundpeats, please hire me to approve any designs for any new upcoming tws packaging, trust me, you will be glad you did. Just shooting my shot. Again, I don’t really care about the artistic expression of the box but… It does make me chuckle. Obviously, I am joking. So, the box has some good info on it relating to the performance and features of the CP3, but I will explain those things further later on. Plus, I realize not a soul on planet earth cares about the box. Also, just look at my pictures.
Take off the sleeve and you are met with a completely black flip top box. Open it up and the very nice-looking case will be staring back at you, wrapped in plastic. A small box above the case holds a very short and basically standard usb-c charging cable as well as the tips and both come in standard plastic baggies. Other than that, you will find some reading material, button layout instructions… some other really exhilarating stuff here. I was joking on that last statement by the way.
Eartips
The provided tips are actually not of bad quality which is not the norm in the tws world. Most of the time the tips which come with tws iems are almost unusable. In this case they aren’t bad at all however I did find that the only size which worked in my ears were the largest pair. Unfortunately, these eartips are extremely shallow fit, so if the earbuds themselves don’t hug your ear perfectly than I’m afraid getting a seal may be hard for you as well. So, the provided tips are of great quality but in terms of use on the CP3 they may be a hindrance depending on your year’s anatomy.
What tips I used…
One huge plus is that the case actually gives plenty of room for 3rd party eartips. Please trust me, this is fantastic and refreshing to see. 85% of tws cases within the hobby give little room for any tip changes which, quite frankly I cannot stand. I went through a number of tips. Kbear 07 tips did well, Final E-tips worked nicely but what I landed on was a set of ultra-wide bore shallow fit tips that are pretty common in the Chi Fi world. I have zero idea where I got these, but they have a very firm flange which makes for a fantastic seal on the ear opening. These tips seemed to open up the CP3 the best and brought the mid-bass a little closer to the ear while adding some depth to the sound to a degree. The included large size is good to but slightly less stable in my ear.
At first, during my tip journey I tried to find the longest tips. Due to the shallow fit of the CP3. I figured I’d find a pair that could really get in there. The Final E-tips and Fiio vocal tips from back in the day both were able to get further in there. Both are longer and extend further into the ear canal. However, one thing I noticed was that the bass all of a sudden was impacted. Greatly. It sounded as though the fundamental sound of the bass was much further back in the presentation. Like, way back. This was odd to me because normally it is the exact opposite conclusion. Anyways, switching over to some very short and shallow, firm flanged wide-bore tips brought everything closer. More dynamic, more open and more decisive in note delivery after I made this discovery. Just my experience but I do hope it helps.
Case
The charging case which houses the CP3 is a great case at this price point. Really. First off, it is built really well. Nothing in it is flimsy and shoddy. Nothing is chinsy either. The case opens and closes nicely, with a quality hinge. The plastic used is pretty robust and great for the price of $69. It isn’t some ultra-premium feeling and ultra-premium looking case, but it is very nicely built and looks nice too.
Second, this case provides 52 hours of battery life. In case you didn’t know, that is fantastic. Not needing to worry about charging is a nice feeling. Just pop the CP3 in the case and they begin to charge relatively quickly.
Third, the case is a good size. I love the fact that the case slides right into the tiny jeans pocket that all blue jeans have. That is where I always store my tws iems and please trust, I go nowhere without them. The case is smooth and oval shaped and not too wide which enables it to simply slide right in. Lastly, the case looks nice. You have an indicator light on the front and a nice bronze colored Soundpeats logo placed on the back in a classy way. It’s all good.
Build / Design / Internals / Fit
Build Quality
Soundpeats chose a nice feeling plastic for this set. You know how some plastics feel of low quality, cheap, not durable? Well, this isn’t that. The CP3 feel sturdy, precision cut, molded to an exact form and done so in a class and bold manner. The CP3 feel solid. That is a great thing. The stems aren’t ridiculously long at 33mm in length. Also, the earphones are not heavy at all and actually feel very light in the ear. Truthfully, they are very comfortable. Soundpeats added three mics to each earpiece. One is a feed forward mic; another is a feedback mic as well as a mic for talking. These help for clear calls. All things considered the CP3 are built well for the price point.
Design
What a catchy looking set of tws. I love the bronze-on-black two-toned colorway. On the stem is a bronze looking metal mesh that runs most of the way down the stem. The actual touch surface is the Soundpeats logo at the top of the unit. It has to be hard to design these tws iems as there is an ocean of them out there in the world and to come up with a fresh look is saying something. These are fresh. From the bronze mesh oval nozzle to the stems, the CP3 have a distinct and bold design language that is very well laid out.
Internals
The CP3 comes equipped with a massive Soundpeats custom made 12mm full frequency Bio-Diaphragm Driver. Also, Soundpeats opted for the quality SOC chipset WUQI-WQ7033AR. Which is actually an impressive chipset which is able to run Bluetooth 5.3 as well as audio output of 990 kbs using LDAC audio codec as well as quite a few other impressive specs. More on that later. The CP3 also house a good-sized battery as well as three AI ENC mics.
Fit
The fit is a funny subject that will change between listeners. Truthfully, I don’t even know why I always add this to my reviews. For me, the fit is great. The main body of the CP3 sit perfectly within my ears and once I found tips that fit me, all the rest was history. I have zero idea how these will fit you, but the design is done in an ergonomic way.
Features
SOC Chipset / Audio Codecs
Again, Soundpeats decided to use the WUQI-WQ7033AR SOC Chipset inside of the CP3. This is a fine chip which carries LDAC, AAC and SBC Codecs. So even Apple people will not feel left out. The CP3 can reach up to 990 kbs on LDAC which is as good as it gets for the most part. The CP3 can also replay at 24bit/96khz as well which is fantastic to see at $69. There was a time when LDAC within a set of tws was unheard of and thought to be impossible but now we have it in $69 earbuds. Awesome.
Hybrid ANC
The CP3 do have a very well-done Hybrid ANC which is promoted to attenuate up to 43 db’s of sound. I can concur that the ANC is very well done. Now, I did have to update the firmware to achieve this ANC so I’m hoping that future sets will ship with this update intact. Anyways, the ANC really does a nice job of covering over sounds like the drone of an air conditioner. In fact, I am in my office right now with an AC running and I cannot hear it even slightly. Higher pitched sounds are simply dampened a bit, but they are not blocked out. Really any sound that is a low drone, the hum of an engine and very likely plane engines will be almost fully canceled with only the faintest of hum in the background. For $69 I am very impressed.
Transparency Mode (Pass-through)
The CP3 also comes equipped with a transparency mode which does a fine job. It isn’t perfect however as the sound is a hint tinny but for the most part is natural to the ear and works like a charm. You can toggle the ANC, Transparency mode, and Normal mode by simply holding down the left earpiece touch surface for a couple seconds.
Game Mode (Low Latency)
I was glad that Soundpeats added a game mode to the CP3 repertoire. Game mode is simply another way of saying low latency mode. Truthfully, I really haven’t had any lip-syncing or lag issues. Videos always seem to be spot on and even more so with game mode turned on. The toughest thing for tws to get right are games and more specifically first-person shooter type games which have plenty of action going on. The CP3 fares pretty well as I didn’t find gunshots to be too far off at all, even in the commotion of a battle scene. Soundpeats advertises the game mode to lag at as low as 70 ms, which if true, it is humanly impossible to notice any of that lag.
Soundpeats App
The Soundpeats app (I use Android) has come a long way. Thankfully Soundpeats realizes how important a good app can be for us consumers. The app which correlates to the CP3 gives you many options. You can upgrade firmware through the app (don’t forget to do this right away). There is also a 10-band equalizer which is very effective at switching up the sound to your liking. Personally, I don’t use eq for reviews, but I did play around and the CP3 does very well in reaction to EQ. Soundpeats also offers 9 preset EQ settings as well as the custom user EQ. One huge plus is the fact that whatever setting you choose it will save to the buds themselves. You can also toggle between ANC, Transparency mode and Normal mode as well as toggle on or off game mode. Finally, you can check the battery status of each Earbud. It isn’t the most in depth app, but it is exactly what we need. Very nice.
Battery Life
The CP3 have a lot going for them. The SOC chipset is really a great chip, in that, even though I am using LDAC, with ANC on, it is advertised to still give you 4-5 hrs of battery. Without using these battery eaters, you get around 7-8 hrs. Each earbud has 35 Mah which is pretty good considering that the buds are not that large. Somehow Soundpeats cram a lot of tech inside these housings.
So, not only do you get decent battery life on the buds, but the case also has a 500 Mah battery which enables 52 extra hours. This is one area that will always be an issue with tws iems…Battery Life. The CP3 are pretty good considering that LDAC alone is a battery hog, couple that with ANC and you are still receiving 4-5 hrs.…not bad at all. Now, I haven’t tested this myself, I simply don’t have the wherewithal for that endeavor. I will confirm that listening for a full day in my office while periodically throwing the CP3 back in the case lasted days before I even thought about charging the case.
Call Quality
This is one area that matters to me on a professional level as I do many Zoom meetings and calls. Thankfully I have buddies that I can ask about how my voice comes across and I have only heard that my voice sounds clear and clean and natural. Of course, I don’t think these people are critically listening trying to spot weaknesses in the sound quality, but I haven’t heard anything negative. I ask my wife the same, and again the quality was very nice.
Touch controls
The CP3 did what I wish all tws manufacturers would do and that is make all controls available using either touch or push-button commands. You have complete control of music playback as well as full volume control, voice assistant and ANC/Transparency controls. The touch surface is very snappy to react albeit a bit sensitive. You may have a couple ghost taps every now and again. Personally, I like push button controls but as far as the implementation of the touch controls on the CP3, I have no complaints.
Quick Sound Impressions
Note: I want to quickly make mention that I do not use EQ when reviewing tws iems. I may occasionally clue the reader in to how well a set reacts to EQ, but I want this to be an almost right out of the box review. I have a hard time not including what this set can sound like with some addition or subtraction of db’s at specific spots in the frequency. For the CP3 I used the “Soundpeats Classic” preset which is what is used out-the-box. Also, I listen using either Uapp or Poweramp using all stored music.
The CP3 has a warmer tonality which is pleasing and never harsh. Considering that the CP3 is $69 I’d say the sound quality is pretty darn nice. I do hear a V-shaped sound with a deep enough sub-bass response. The mid-bass drops off a hair early but still has ample weight to bass drops. The CP3 can bump Ya’ll. The midrange is mostly clean and clear and without any bass bleed which leaves the lower mids as close to pristine as a $69 tws can get you. Females have good energy and are certainly more forward sounding than males. The treble has decent body with enough energy to add some levity to the mix.
Each area of the spectrum has some minor flaws and most of those relate to the tws technology itself. Honestly, I enjoy when I’m out and about with some tunes jamming out in my ears as the CP3 does all the work. Really a fine set for the price.
Volume Level
A few other things to make mention. One thing which drives me nuts is the low volume on 75% of tws. The CP3’s volume is not the highest, but I can still reach top volume with a pinch more headroom to spare. Using UAPP I normally have to listen at 95/100, which, I believe is a Uapp thing. Using Poweramp I am normally around 80/100. Another thing is the tonality has slight changes when toggling between ANC, Normal mode and Transparency. Keep in mind these aren’t major changes.
Bass
Sub-bass
The sub-bass has a relatively sonorous and mildly deep haptic reverb that never overwhelms the mix. The leading edge is slightly on the softer side with less ‘Feel’ to the sub-bass rumble. However, it is a nice sub-bass section that comes across decently weighted. Alot depends on tips and positioning of the CP3 in your ears. Still, I am not missing anything at all in the lowest of lows as there is certainly more than enough for me and for most genres.
Ashley Monroe‘s track “Home Sweet Highway” begins with a deft and boomy bass drop that encompasses all of my head space normally. However, with the CP3 you get a good tactile texture yet without the rotund and growling meat down low. I don’t hear anything sloppy at all and nothing infringes on any other frequencies while at the same time I still hear a nicely weighted and clean delivery.
Mid-bass
The mid-bass has a bass-tuck much like the Truthear X-Crinacle Zero or the QKZ X-HBB Khan. In fact, the CP3 follows both of those graphs almost perfectly in the lower regions. Thus, the mid-bass is not the beefiest that I’ve ever heard and reacts how the graph would Indicate. The bass-tuck takes away some of the dirty growl of a bass-guitar and the CP3 doesn’t have the most slam in this area. However, what it does have is a clean nature which stays in control mostly and never impedes on the midrange. Leading edges are snappy enough to represent many genres just fine. In my opinion the mid-bass does more well than it doesn’t. Also, again, this set is $69 and also…it’s a tws! When all is said and done, there is a very open feel in the bass region which comes across clean enough and hits with just enough authority.
I believe that bass heads may be on the fence here. It’s like the CP3 allllmost gets you there but is simply missing the fullness to the sound. The problem is, not on every track. Some tracks have that guttural and full sound that booms and others simply… Don’t. Basically, if a track calls for it than you will get just that out of the CP3. It is slightly colored but for the most part the CP3 will replay exactly what you give it. I love bass, I need good bass and for me I really am not missing anything. I suppose I always keep in mind that this is a set of tws and it’s under $100. Let’s Put it this way, compared to similarly priced tws I’d say the CP3 is doing just fine in the low-end. Also, the CP3 take to EQ very well as you could easily EQ this set into a basshead set if need be.
Midrange
Low-mids
Male vocals come across in a crisp and tidy way while remaining warmer. Note weight isn’t anything to write home about but it isn’t deficient or brittle either. I’d say it’s sufficient but also males have a clean texture to them with a hard edge to notes. I’d also say that for a tws the resolution is decent in this price range. Males have a crispness like I mentioned which comes across fairly resolute to the ear. Male voices don’t have that rotund weight from the bass region like some sets, this of course is due to the bass-tuck or roll-off of the mid-bass. Still, what that tuck accomplishes is leaving the Mids very distinct, kempt and tidy with a nice tonality.
Upper-Midrange
Females have a nice shine to them and are very transparent. There is a thinness that I hear, but I am not calling them “overly thin” by any means, just a tad dry. Females are more forward than males and come across with almost a knife edged note outline. Resolution and clarity are nice in this area as well.
“Mariana Trench” by Gabrielle Aplin has a nice timbre to her voice. She does sound a hair thin, but her voice is melodic on the CP3. Using LDAC, female voices like Gabrielle’s are energetic enough while not coming across recessed or too veiled. Thankfully I did not hear any sharpness or glare as Soundpeats leveled off the upper mids before anything grating took place. While females aren’t the fullest or bodied, they are crisp and forward enough to highlight a woman’s voice nicely.
Instruments like strings, piano or the fundamental frequency of a cymbal crash for instance, are a hair less energetic and highlighted. I say that but I would also say that instruments come across pretty naturally. Overall, the midrange has a pleasing tonality which comes across pretty musical and earthy and not as processed as some tws iems.
Treble
The treble region has some nice lower treble energy and then seems to drop off a bit leaving a lot of info attenuated to a degree. The transition from upper mids to lower treble is a painless task for the CP3 and there is a nice and pretty natural rise in this area. However, there is a roll-off around the presence region which helps to create a non-offensive tuning.
Case in point, “In Bloom” by Nirvana. This song should be so full of energy that you should be ready to turn the volume down at a moment’s notice. Using the CP3 I find myself not needing to. In fact, I added a few dB’s using the EQ. The treble region (using Soundpeats Classic preset) sounds like it is behind everything else in this track. I personaly would like some more energy up top. I could really use a bit more bite to the trebleHowever, I suspect that many will enjoy the non-piercing behavior of the treble region. Crank it up all you want and the CP3 will stay pretty well in control for a set at this price range. Treble heads will certainly be left in wanting with the CP3, however.
Info Up Top
There is a peak around 15k which adds a sense of extension to the mix and does help to draw out some of the technical stuff to a slight degree but mainly the treble up top feels somewhat attenuated. Detail retrieval is actually decent. Secondary harmonics of cymbals are easily distinguished yet are somewhat splashy as well, depending on the track. Obviously, EQ helps even more and again, the CP3 takes EQ well enough to point out within this review. Out the box the treble is not the most elevated or crisp, but it is great for long listening sessions without any agonizing peaks to disrupt your favorite tracks.
Technicalities
The stage size has pretty good width to my ear. Not enormous but it is good. Height is well established too and there is a slight bit of depth. I should add that this is an area where most tws suffer. The CP3 is certainly above average for the price point. Imaging is well done on the CP3 as positioning is well laid out to the music being replayed. Separation of elements within an imaginary stage are rendered pretty well providing that I am not listening to a congested track. Details actually aren’t that bad either, considering this is a fun and musical tuning. The CP3 will draw out some of the minutia within my music and for a tws they are actually pretty good. No, the CP3 aren’t detail kings but you won’t find yourself lacking at all if you choose to pick up a set.
Is the Soundpeats Capsule 3 pro worth the asking price?
This is an easy yes for me. Absolutely the CP3 surpassed my expectations. For this type of build quality, this design, features and sound quality, all for only $69, please trust me… you should be paying more. I’ve tested too many sets to list and please understand that the CP3 are well worth the asking price. Just for features alone the CP3 is worth the asking price. Take a class leading ANC and couple that with very good build quality, call quality and a fantastic transparency mode and what you are left with is one of the better deals out there under $100. Soundpeats has been doing this for a long time and have really dialed in the budget models to compete with pricier sets. Especially when you look at the product as a whole, features, design, sound and price-to-performance.
Conclusion
To conclude my review of the Soundpeats Capsule 3 pro I again have to thank Ellen and Soundpeats for being as kind as they have been in sending out this set for review. Soundpeats never asked me to skew my words to upsell their units and they never put words in my mouth. They simply sent this pair for a fair and honest review and to me that takes believing in your product and is nice to see. Thank you so very much.
Please do not just take my word for it though. Please read, listen to or watch other reviews of the CP3. We all have different gear, hearing and even different likes and dislikes and so it only makes sense to gather other perspectives. With that, I thank you (the reader) so very much. I do hope this review helps you in at least a small way. Please take care and be well.
Rating (0-10)
Build/Design- 9.5
Bass- 8.4
Midrange- 8.0
Treble- 6.5
Technicalities- 7.5
Features- 9.5
Overall Rating- 8.2
C3P Pros
-Great build
-Great looking tws iem
-Quality App (Firmware, EQ, ANC toggle etc.)
-Feature full (the bonus: the features all work well)
-Call quality
-Good balance across the mix for a tws
-Timbre is actually nicely rendered
-Vocals are clean and forward
-Rumbly sub-bass
C3P Cons
-Fit may be finicky for some
-Not everyone loves stem style
-May need tip-rolling (I certainly did). The provided tips do not do this set justice.
-Treble lacks good air
-Treble lacks bite
-Bass lacks bite
-Resolution could be better
-Congested tracks sound congested