Soundpeats Air4 Pro
Intro
This is an exciting set that I’m reviewing today from the good people of Soundpeats, the Soundpeats Air4 Pro. Soundpeats seems to just get better and better with every true wireless iteration of each series, and they do so at a very quick pace. I think it’s fair to say that they’ve got this tws thing down. I want to thank Ellen as well as Soundpeats for providing the Air4 Pro in exchange for a full review & feature at Mobileaudiophile.com.
Soundpeats
Friends, Soundpeats has been around for a long-time. At least in terms of true wireless earphones that is. In fact, I’ve reviewed a number of them myself and can attest to the continued success in every set I review. All very well built with great functionality and features and all of Soundpeats sets hover around the top in class moniker. For instance, I reviewed the Soundpeats Capsule 3 Pro (Capsule 3 Pro Review), Soundpeats Air3 Deluxe HS (Air3 Deluxe HS Review), Soundpeats RunFree Lite (RunFree Lite Review), Soundpeats Mini Pro HS (Mini Pro HS Review), Soundpeats Engine4 (Engine4 Review) as well as the Soundpeats Air4 (Air4 Review). Each and every one of these sets perform very well for their intended purpose and usage. I feel the Air4 Pro is no different.
The truth is I’ve been sitting with this set for a very long time now and I have grown very fond of the Air4. I find the Air4 Pro to have a very stylish look, a nice build and great functionality. With that said, let’s break this down further. The Air4 Pro…
Purchase link & Air4 Pro Offer:
-Early Price: $47.99 (MSRP: $79.99 )
-30% coupon + 10% code: SPA4P4PR
-US Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CHS56Z85
Air4 Pro Pros 🔥🔥🔥
-Build Quality
-The design is very slick looking
-ANC is extremely well done
-In-ear detection works perfectly
-Multi-point Connection
-Soundpeats App (is this a Pro? It’s definitely a solid feature)
-Clean sound with nice macro-dynamics for a TWS
-Fun bass region with a hearty rumble which doesn’t overtake the mix
-Clear midrange, nice vocals
-Non-fatiguing treble region
-Imaging
-Call quality is fantastic
Air4 Pro Cons 🥶
-Battery life isn’t the best
-Stem style isn’t for everyone
-No quick charge or wireless charging
-Volume isn’t the loudest but certainly passable
Gear used for testing
-Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4
-Shanling M6 Ultra
Packaging / Accessories
Unboxing
Well, this will be rather quick. The Air4 Pro comes in a smaller box that is normal for a Soundpeats product. Nothing too fancy but not cheap. Once you open the box you will be greeted with the handsome looking case which is wrapped in cellophane. Once you lift out the charging case and look under it, you’ll find the eartips as well as the short charging cable. That’s about it, nothing too crazy to report.
Eartips
The eartips provided by Soundpeats are actually of pretty nice quality. They give you three pairs (S, M, L) of shallow fit silicone tips. Unfortunately, I could. Not for the life of me get a good seal with these tips. I find that almost all true wireless eartips will give me some fit issues. This is where I want to give Soundpeats a huge round of applause 👊🙏🙌!! Yes, I just used emojis in my review. Let’s never speak of this again. Anyways, the reason for my cheering is that once again… the wonderful engineers or designers of the charging case saw to it that the Air4 Pro has the unique ability to house just about any 3rd party tip that I use! With the exception of very long and deep fitting tips. Because of this, I actually was able to use a pair of wide-bore tips that gave me a perfect seal. Also, these tips really opened up the upper mids while adding air into the sound up top simultaneously.
Build / Design / Internals / Fit / Case
Build Quality / Design
This is one of many areas that Soundpeats seems to always excel in, that being the build quality. The Air4 Pro is made out of a nicely dense and hard plastic that doesn’t feel cheap in hand at all. The Air4 Pro is actually a stem style tws earphone and I love how they hug my ears so well. My pair actually came in white, but you can also get them in black. The look is awesome! I really mean that. I am very particular in what I will allow myself to go out and about wearing and the Air4 Pro fits that bill easily. This type of stem style isn’t like some antennas protruding from your head. Instead, they perfectly run the contour of the ear and sit perfectly. Also, the design is simple, sleek and classy. The touch area is the logo which is easy to feel. The nozzle is rather short so tip rolling may be necessary to you. There are very few issues that one could drum up over this set folks. Honestly, they are one of the better-looking pairs of tws in the price point.
Internals
Soundpeats chose upon a mammoth single Dynamic Driver of 13mm. I have no idea what the Driver material is. Inside you have the SOC chipset among many more high-tech gadgetries to make the Air4 Pro what it is. Soundpeats also added a number of mics which I’ll comment on further into the review.
Chipset
This is where things begin to get interesting. Soundpeats actually uses a fantastic SOC Chipset in the Qualcomm QCC3071. Truly a great chipset which has a whole host of advantages over previous chips or inferior chipsets. I will explain later in the “Features” section what all is included with this chip but will just let you know now… It’s a good one. Obviously, ANC is one key feature with Bluetooth 5.3 and Snapdragon sound Aptx-lossless.
Fit
Fit is always a very subjective and personal thing. For me personally, I don’t think the Air4 Pro could fit any better. Like I said earlier, the Air4 Pro hug my ears very nicely and the units themselves are so light that I forget I have them in. The fit is great, but I must mention again that I did tip-roll to some very wide and shallow wide-bore tips which makes getting a good seal pretty easy for me. I could probably venture to say that the majority of people should have no issue with the fit.
Controls / Functionality
I won’t go into every control at your fingertips, but I will say that the Air4 Pro has a truly excellent response to finger taps. I really mean this and want to highlight it so that you, the reader, understands. The emblem on the top of the stick on the earbuds themselves happens to be the touch pad and it is so easy to find. Each finger tap is very responsive every time I tap, and I couldn’t have been happier with the functionality of the Air4 Pro controls. Now, you can control everything Straight from the earbuds. You have next track, but they excluded Back track for some reason. There’re also volume controls (yes!), game mode toggle, virtual assistant, answer/hang up calls, ANC toggle as well. Soundpeats have been at this game awhile and they know what we want… We want control! So, thank you Soundpeats! The non back track is odd though.
Charging Case
The charging case is close to perfect. However, It is about as robust as a case in the price point. Nothing that will blow your mind. In truth the Charging case is the perfect size, in that it isn’t too large to fit well into a pocket. Also, it isn’t too small where you are seeing little battery capacity. Another thing that is fantastic is something I’ve already mentioned; most 3rd party tips actually fit inside the case! The case has a gloss white finish and is made entirely out of a fairly durable feeling plastic. A little about me; there isn’t a place I will ever go on planet earth that I don’t have a pair of tws in the little watch pocket within the front pocket of my jeans. Always! Thankfully, the Air4 Pro is quite literally perfect. The gloss makes it so very easy to take in and out and the size feels like it was meant to be specifically for that little pocket.
Case battery & features
It has been noted in the Soundpeats promotional material that the Air4 Pro’s case can get up to 26 hours of use. Now I don’t know how true this is, but Soundpeats rarely exaggerates specs like this. That’s over a full day friends! And that is good to see. There is also a pairing button on the case which is very beneficial as well and offers easy pairing. Trust me, you’ll love this feature the exact moment you need it.
Specifications
-Core Specs
Bluetooth: V5.3
Profiles: A2DP/AVRCP/HFP/HSP
Chipset: QCC3071
Supported Bluetooth Codec: AptX Lossless/Aptx-Adaptive/Aptx/AAC/SBC
–Onboard Features
ANC: Up to 45 dB attenuation
Mics: #6 in total (Aptx Voice & ENC)
Multi-point Connection: Yes
In Ear Detection available: Yes
Gaming / Low-Latency mode: Yes
Soundpeats App: Yes
Touch Controls: Yes
-Battery
Battery Capacity: 35*2 mAH(Earbuds) 330mAH (Case)
Charging Time: ＜1.5H (Earbuds）＜1.5H (Case)
Charging Port: Type-C
Total Playtime: 26 hours
-What’s in the Box
–SOUNDPEATS Air4 Pro aptX Lossless Wireless Earbuds
-Type-C Charging Cable
-Charging Case & Eartips x6
-User Manual
-Package
Single Earbud Weight: 4.53g
Charging Case with Earbuds: 38g
Control Type: Touch
Waterproof Rating: IPX4
Features
Note: Full disclosure, many of these features will be copy/pasted from my review of the Soundpeats Air4 Review to a lite extent. Thankfully, Soundpeats uses many of the same features which allows me to do so and save some time. Obviously if there are any distinctions or differences I will add or take away to reflect the Air4 Pro earphones.
Snapdragon Sound
This is one area where you begin to see the fruit of having such a good Qualcomm Chipset. The QCC3071 chip enables the Air4 Pro to have what is called “Snapdragon Sound“. If you don’t know what this is I will try to fill you in as best, I can. Snapdragon Sound is an all-encompassing audio solution to bring lossless (bit-to-bit) sound replay as well as an entire infrastructure that allows crazy low latency for movies, videos and games as well as the most robust connection and high-speed connection too. There is a lot more involved but one of the best features is what Snapdragon Sound does for your music through Bluetooth. Truly it is a game changer once all the wrinkles are ironed out.
Codec Support
The Soundpeats Air4’s come equipped with Aptx-Adaptive Lossless due to the integration of Snapdragon Sound which provides 24bit/96khz audio transmission. The Air4 also has regular Aptx-Adaptive, Aptx, AAC & SBC. To be honest any of these Codecs will provide good quality sound. However, how good the sound is really all depends on how the driver and components inside the Air4 Pro are implemented. For instance, IOS (Apple) users only have the option for AAC codec which has a substantially smaller bit rate (256kbs) than the others, still it sounds very good. I know this because I used this set with my iPad and all sounds great. The point is, Soundpeats did a good job making sure the Air4 sounds good first.
For a quick refresher so that you have an elementary grasp on bit rates “SBC” codec provides up to 328kbs & 16bit/44.1khz audio at best. “AAC” provides up to 256kbs & 24bit/48khz audio. “Aptx” is where we start to see some higher quality Audio at 356kbs & 24bit/48khz audio. Moving up to “Aptx-Adaptive”, it has a scalable bit rate from 279kbs-429kbs & 16bit-24bit/48khz-44.1khz. “Aptx-Lossless” is an entirely different beast which scales between 140kbs to over 1mbs, which is well over CD quality and operates at a bit-perfect rate. Aptx-Lossless will scale between these bit rates depending on the outside environment to allow the best connection and superior listening in all environments.
Adaptive-Hybrid ANC
One feature also found on the earlier Air4 tws was ANC (Active Noise Cancelation) which we also find here on the Air4 Pro. Now, Adaptive ANC is a bit different from regular ANC. Qualcomm states that the chip itself will decide the level of noise cancellation depending on the outside environment and does so in “real time”. Working off of six mics in total between the left and right earbuds this adaptive ANC is able to pick up noises from all sides of the listener. Combine that with Qualcomm’s CVC noise-canceling algorithm which I’ll cover later, there is some nice tech involved with this set. Soundpeats says you can get up to a 45db reduction in outside noises. This is quite nice.
How well does the ANC work?
I have had a multitude of ANC true wireless iems and I have had a number that claimed that the onboard ANC worked as advertised (usually overhyped). I can say with 100% confidence that… most of the time, ANC is a complete gimmick. A selling feature and nothing more with limited ability to perform the function of attenuating the outside environment. Friends, please hear me when I say that the Air4 Pro has some of the best ANC I’ve ever used in a set. I am blown away how well Soundpeats did on this set! The only thing it doesn’t attenuate perfectly is high pitched noises. For instance, when my AC is running in my home, I hear none of the low rumbling but instead only hear a faint higher pitched sound of the air blowing. For the price that Soundpeats is offering I feel the ANC is a huge “Pro”. That is of course if you value ANC in your daily usage.
Call quality
As far as call quality, the Soundpeats Air4 Pro utilizes what I consider a breakthrough in voice quality with Aptx-Voice. First off, the Air4 Pro uses six mics in total and using the algorithm of Aptx-Voice I find voice calls are quite surprisingly awesome. Truly. I use this set for many meetings over Zoom or Teams and I have yet to get a complaint. Many of the people I’m in the meetings with know I review audio devices and they always tell me the truth about how I sound. I was told these are the best yet. Believe me when I say I’ve been through a ton of these earbuds for these meetings. Aptx-Voice works, and it works well.
Game Mode / Low Latency Mode
Another nice feature that I actually use daily is the “Game Mode”. Game Mode is basically a low-latency mode for use when playing games or watching videos. I found that the game mode works wonderfully for any video watching and for most games. The only game type that I have played that doesn’t sync up perfectly was many of the first-person shooter games. Really everything else worked great.
Multi-point
Soundpeats also added in a feature that used to be unheard of in true wireless only a couple years ago and now seems much more prevelant, that is Multi-point Connection. It is a nice feature that you don’t know how much you enjoy it until it’s gone. However, it is a bit finicky on the Air4 Pro. Sometimes. There were times I’d have to pause the one device and play the second device to enact the connection. Those times were few and far in between though. Mostly the multi-point worked like a charm. I’d say they implemented it well. This is one of those features that really pays off when you need it or are very well used to it. Just trust me on that.
Battery
Soundpeats states in their promotional material that you can achieve 6.5 hours of battery life from the earbuds themselves in a single charge. Of course, there’s a lot to unpack with those figures. Hour ratings depend heavily on listening volume, what audio codec you are using and a few other factors. For instance, using ANC “on” will bring that total down to roughly 4 hours. I haven’t done an actual real-world rundown on the battery life, but I can tell you this; I was able to last three days in my office without needing to recharge the case. So that’s plenty in my eyes. I don’t know how long you all are planning to sit with earbuds in your ears, but most of the time I won’t have them in for more than three hours at a time. Give or take. The one thing I won’t know until a couple years has gone by is how well the battery retains its ability to charge and to hold a charge. This is the one huge drawback of true wireless earphones. However, I never think about it and honestly, I’ve had the Soundpeats H1 since they came out around three years ago and it holds perfect charge.
Capacity
The earbuds themselves have a battery capacity of 35mah and the case has a capacity of 350mah, so they are relatively decent sized batteries. I suppose it comes down to longer battery life or looks and comfort. Obviously adding a larger battery will increase sizes of both the case and earbuds. I think that even if you can get 5 Hours of battery life then that is perfectly reasonable and acceptable. With all that said, in comparison to other sets on the market (within the price point) the Air4 Pro is lower on average than some. Not a huge “con” but a “slight-con” nonetheless.
Also, remember that much of the battery life will be greatly affected by usage. Using ANC for instance will decrease the battery life a bit more. Listening on higher volumes as well. Any feature which uses the battery to function will ultimately kill the battery a bit quicker. Also, Soundpeats negated the quick charge feature and the wireless charging feature on this set. Not an issue for me but some of you may be used to such features. Just a heads-up.
Soundpeats App
One of the best features involving any Soundpeats tws or wireless device is its ability to connect to the Soundpeats App. One of the easier to understand, simplest, and more functional apps out there, as far as wireless devices go anyways. It isn’t the most diverse and intricate app out there, but it gets the job done. I should add that if you are using LEAudio, you will not be able to connect to the app. You must first disconnect and reconnect using a different audio codec. Is witch to Aptx and I’m good to go. Moving on.
First, you can obviously make firmware upgrades through the app. You can also play around with the EQ presets, of which Soundpeats provides nine different presets. Furthermore, you can also make your own personalized EQ changes through the Custom EQ and the beauty of that is your personal EQ settings save to your earbuds for good until you change them again. In the app you can toggle Game Mode, ANC Settings, toggle Dual-Device Connection, increase the volume (most of this you can do from the earbuds themselves) and you can reset the earbuds from the app too. I find the Soundpeats app to perfectly fluid and easy to use and it’s a great asset that really does separate Soundpeats from some other audio brands.
IPX Rating
The Soundpeats Air4 Pro comes in rated at IPX4 which is something we’ve seen time and time again from any set using ANC. IPX4 will be good for random splashes or moisture from sweat. You can even go running with this set in the rain if that’s what you are into. However, you cannot submerge the Air4 Pro into water, drop them in a swimming pool, puddle or toilet. I don’t know why I added that last watery environment. Moving on…
EQ
One huge benefit of the Soundpeats app is the ability to EQ your true wireless earphones. Not all tws sets have this ability with a dedicated app. The huge “plus” in my eyes is that whatever EQ settings you change on the app, it saves those settings on the buds or wireless device you are using. This is wonderful folks. This means that any music app you listen to, whether it be a streaming app like YouTube Music, Spotify, Tidal, Amazon Music etc. Or if you listen to actual music apps which use stored music files to play like Poweramp, Uapp, Neutron, Hiby Music or Fiio Player etc. The EQ settings will save to your buds so that you may use it on any app or any device you are listening to. I realize that this isn’t a new concept and has been done for years now but it is worth mentioning for those who don’t understand it.
EQ cont…
Now, Soundpeats actually provides up to ten presets in their app if you want to simply use already EQ’d settings. Those include Bass Boost, Bass Reduction, Electronic, Rock ‘n Roll, Folk, Treble Enhancement, Pop, Classical Music, and the Soundpeats Classic setting as well. They also added in an “Adaptive EQ” which will switch up the EQ settings for you, based on the type of music you are listening to and some other parameters like environment noise etc. All things considered I think Soundpeats knocked this one out of the park in providing the listener with many options to to tinker with the sound. Now, does the Air4 Pro absolutely “Need” EQ? No, it doesn’t, in fact this entire review will be based on stock sound, with some commentary about some of the changes I may make using EQ. I think in its stock form… the Air4 Pro sounds better than fine. However, it is always good to EQ to your own liking and preferences.
Sound Impressions
Note: Before I proceed I’d like to preface the entire sound section with a few things. First, without question the sound ages well and gets better after some hours of usage. This large 13mm Dynamic Driver will reward those who don’t judge too harsh too quickly. Second, I listened using shallow fit wide-bore eartips for all testing. Third, I listened primarily to UAPP (USB Audio Player Pro) and Poweramp using flac or better files stored on my devices.
The Soundpeats Air4 Pro comes across as a slight V-shaped set to my ears. This is of course without any equalization. The sound is warmer yet with nice energy to the sound for a tws and one of the better tuned Soundpeats products to date. The only real issue I have is not really an issue at all for many folks. That is, the volume is not the loudest. In the same breath, it also isn’t low either. If I had my perfect world, I’d like a few more volume steps. We want headroom! We want to turn the earphones down because they are too loud. I don’t know who “we” are in my little spiel, but the sentiment stays. Anyways the sound of the Air4 Pro is smooth over crisp, nicely weighted notes for a tws and a very cozy warmth that doesn’t come across as a veil.
Between the 20’s
The bass has plenty of oomph and rumble and can get much more “basshead” worthy with some EQ. However, using the Soundpeats Classic preset the bass is very fun and has enough boom to satisfy. The midrange has a little recession, but I don’t hear it being a very large detriment to the overall sound quality. The midrange is lush and rich but also pretty clean for what it is. The treble is slightly laid-back, safe, non-offensive. Again, you can EQ some more levity in the mix but also, I don’t think it necessarily needs EQ. The treble has some decent detail retrieval and comes across with a good emphasis and nice timbre. The sound quality as a whole is about as good as some of the better sets in the price point I would say. Nothing that will blow your mind, but good. It certainly has areas that could use some EQ but for the most part it’s a solid tuning. Let’s dive in a bit more for each 3rd of the mix.
Bass Region
The bass region is (in my opinion) very nicely emphasized. Certainly, this is a set that has its greatest emphasis in the sub-bass region. Almost like a subwoofer in its expression. To be honest it sounds somewhat similar to something like the Truthear Zero. There is obviously less of a mid-bass rise than previous Soundpeats sets like the Soundpeats Engine4 or even the Capsule 3 Pro which is a nice tuning trend for Soundpeats. This frees up the midrange and cleans away some of the residual merkiness that can encompass the region. I also find the bass to be more guttural and deep yet retaining the cleanliness of previous sets. Possibly cleaner and more snappy bass, albeit less slam and boom in the mid-bass. You have an obvious mid-bass tuck and there are some distinct advantages to this. In the same token there’s some disadvantages too. Of course, I’ll say this over and over again; you can always EQ more mid-bass into the equation very easily and it will be saved to the buds.
Bass Region cont…
I actually added about 3-4 db’s in the mid-bass region at 101/192/300hz which really added some weight to the bass, and I truly love it, no distortion even at high volumes. However, that is my personal settings. As far as the actual Soundpeats Classic preset I find the sub-bass to have a deep and nicely penetrating haptic vibration that I can feel. Not the quickest bass but nicely rendered. The mid-bass still has a moderate impact but nothing that will blow anyone’s mind. Again, the mid-bass tuck has its own rewards, and we will get into those.
Real quick, listening to Too $hort “Get In Where You Fit In” I get a decently round bass drop that doesn’t come across pillowy or hollow. It’s a satisfying thump that is a necessity when listening to this track. Or “Damn It Feels Good To Be A Gangsta” by the Geto Boys is actually very nicely separated and doesn’t muddy the waters on the Air4 Pro. There is a melody which runs parallel to the bassline this entire song and the bass hits with some authority but also the rest of the song comes through loud and clear. Nothing veiled or blended really. It isn’t the fastest, tightest, deepest, or most robust bass in the world, but it is well established and relatively clean for a true wireless set. I really don’t hear a huge loss in overall boom from the mid-bass tuck. Both of these tracks sound good on the Air4 Pro.
Downsides to the Bass Region
If I were to list some downsides, I would say that surely not everyone wants such a beefed-up bass. Even with tws. Some want a more agile low-end that can facilitate quicker passages of music easier. Personally, I love the bass on this set. I do think it’s the most organic and realistic bass from the company. Also, the low-end can flat out BANG when you give it some extra EQ’ing.
Midrange
The mid-section of the frequency is one that I quite enjoy from a true wireless product. The sound is cleaner than most without any hint of a veil. There is also some semblance of air to the sound and even decent separation.
Lower-midrange
Beginning with the lower midrange I find male vocalists to have a slightly less robust sound and maybe a hair recessed in this range. However, I do like the presence of male vocals, and they come across very defined for a tws. Listening to “Sand in My Boots” by Morgan Wallen I am very impressed with the way the Air4 Pro replays his southern twang. I don’t hear that metallic sharpness to his voice which can so easily come through. Males generally have a lean-lush presentation on the Air4 Pro. Meaning, they still have good density and weight, but not to the point that I’d call them “thick” or flat-out “rich”. The lower midrange has a more pristine sound much like some other wired earphones of the last couple years in which the bass doesn’t leach I to the midrange but rather stays out of the way leaving better note definition and better resolution.
Upper-Midrange
Females in the upper midrange have a more forward stance in the mix. There is the slightest bit of shimmer that gives off a nice energy to the sound. Females like Taylor Swift in the track “The 1” have a very gentle and nice sounding timbre and the Air4 Pro picks up her cadence and inflection perfectly. The sound is definitely more organic and natural than it isn’t. Instruments also come across pretty naturally and I find the drawbacks of Bluetooth don’t really come across in the sound to some great degree. For instance, the secondary harmonics of strings, piano, percussion etc. actually sound passable. Cymbals have a nice “chisk” and decent body to them, snares have a very snappy and punchy “pang”. Overall, I’d say that Soundpeats certainly upgraded the sound in my opinion from precious Soundpeats products.
Downsides to the Midrange
The midrange will likely not appeal to everyone, of course nothing will appeal to everyone. However, for those who desire a much warmer, density rich and weighted midrange they will likely not completely find that here. Obviously, things can be EQ’d into the sound but even with EQ you won’t quite get there. Also, I’m sure there will be those folks who want a more analytical sound with cleaner details. I will say this, the Air4 Pro gets about as much as you can sonically out of the asking price. You can’t please em all, but also, I THINK Soundpeats will please the majority.
Treble Region
The treble comes across pretty laid-back out of the box. It isn’t the most energy driven and bright. Definitely not brilliant and sheened out in lustery treble energy and sprightliness. The top end of the spectrum leans more to the safe side. Great for long listening sessions. I still find the treble region to bring enough of a rise up top to lift the entire mix and balance very well with the rest of the mix too. Let’s put it this way, the treble is emphasized enough to offset the larger bass of the Air4 Pro. I’ll also add that the top end isn’t devoid of detail retrieval but also isn’t some detail king either. In fact, I think the Air4 Pro is above average in this area for true wireless earphones within this price point. The treble is able to keep up with more complex treble arrangements and the timbre is not bad by any means. It actually sounds quite nice. Tws have come a long way folks and the fact that I’m not ridiculing this set is proof of that. The Air4 Pro sounds good in the midrange.
Example
Listening to Billy Strings in “Secrets” and the rapid-fire banjo play comes across surprisingly nimble on the Air4 Pro. I can hear each note, the rise and release, the decently defined notes, the separation. The treble may slightly lack some fullness to it but I mostly find it very well done. I don’t hear a thin and anemic treble that is either dry or analytical, tinsley or metallic. I don’t really hear any sibilance and I don’t hear any peaks that will make you want to rip your ears off. These are all great qualities friends!
EQ fix
Another thing I noticed about the treble region is that it is nicely smooth but could use a bit more body to notes. I wouldn’t say it lacks treble density either, but it simply isn’t the most physical treble. So, it’s safe and not ultra brilliant, I realize this sounds bad but let me introduce you to true wireless earphones. This is common, especially in stock settings in which the set has an onboard (in app) equalizer. It makes sense for the company to play it somewhat safer in the stock settings. Using EQ certainly helps. Personally, I did add a few db’s into the presence region from 4k to 6k which does provide a nice lift to the sound from the stock settings. A bit more liveliness and vibrance I would say. It certainly isn’t necessary though because the stock settings are well tuned to begin with.
Downsides to the Treble Region
I wouldn’t say there are really any huge drawbacks here. Perhaps some folks would like a treble with a bit more brilliance out of the box, maybe. Of course, one could always jump into the app and add or subtract up to 6dbs to make the sound work for them. You could also say that the treble isn’t the most detailed out there and you wouldn’t be wrong. It’s more musical, non-offensive, no force resolution up top. All in all, the Air4 Pro is pretty nice, it won’t blow anyone’s mind but they will compete at their price point and that is what we should expect.
Technicalities
Soundstage
The soundstage is actually pretty open and decently wide. Try to remember that true wireless earphones don’t have the exact same components internally involved with the tuning. Much or all of the tuning is done through a DSP and so the soundstage must be graded on a curve. For a tws set the Air4 Pro has a very nice sounding stage. I don’t hear anything off, as I do so often on tws sets. We have nice dimensions in width with sound that reaches past my ears. We also have about average height, which is good enough. Nothing special there. Depth is also decent as there is some layering of sounds from front to back that I hear as well. In my opinion the Air4 Pro has a nice stage
Separation / Imaging
The quality of separation of instruments and voices when listening to the Air4 Pro will likely come down to the track you are listening to. This is a 13mm Dynamic Driver operating off a DSP and the sound is decently smooth, rich, and lush for a tws. Generally, these attributes equate to a more blended sound on cheaper sets. Not all the time of course. I suppose this is one of those times. The Air4 Pro actually do a decent job of separating elements of a stage and even better at the imaging of those elements. Without question that in highly complicated tracks or tracks with a lot of bass boost or treble sheen it will be harder to distinguish the separation. Imaging on the other hand is the same but to a lesser degree. However, I still would put this set near the top of its respective category and price point. Not the best but very good for what the Air4 Pro is.
Details
I wouldn’t refer to the Soundpeats Air4 Pro as a detail monster. Soundpeats didn’t tune this set to be that, thankfully. Who wants an analytical and dry sounding true wireless? By-&-large the majority of folks rep’n the Air4 Pro’s, or any tws for that matter would prefer a bit more musicality. You are already losing a bit of acoustic info and data due to the limitations of Bluetooth. Granted, there are those who enjoy that thinner and flatter profile. So, forgive me if I alienated some of you folks. In the case of the Air4 Pro, detail retrieval is decent so long as some parameters are met. I find using LEAudio sounds a bit more resolute and cleaner. I also would advise not to judge too harshly when listening to complicated tracks as well. There is some slight blending happening at times with more congested music, bass dominated music etc. Still, I really don’t think the Air4 Pro are bad at retrieving the minutiae within my music. Maybe average.
Is it worth the asking price?
For anyone looking for a stem style design with ANC, under $100, and more of a V-shaped sound signature I would say that the Soundpeats Air4 Pro would be my first recommendation. Especially if you value good ANC. Folks, it is one of the best of this style under $100 that I’ve had the pleasure of listening to and using on a daily basis. The design is obviously pretty polarizing being a stem design. Not everyone loves a stem. However, it may be polarizing but stem style designs are also very popular so there are plenty who can appreciate the great design language of the Air4 Pro.
The Why…
For one, the build and design is one of Soundpeats best yet. It’s simple, modern, slick & sleek and is not too bulbous, too long at the stem or too awkward of a fit. It really is perfect for my ears and I’m sure the majority of hobbyists as well. They look cool, built pretty durable but also the Air4 Pro has a ton of functions that actually work! Very well too! They aren’t just gimmicks or sales pitches that will let you down in real life. No sir, the Air4 Pro has many features that work, just as Soundpeats said they would work. I find that reassuring. The final good reason as to why the Air4 Pro is worth every penny (especially at the sales price) is that they sound good. Now, the sound is not some amazing example of tws technology but instead the Air4 Pro is good, passable and will decently compete for your dollar. The bass is big and reasonably tight, fun, the mids have good presence and the treble is elevated enough to bring some shimmer, but dialed back enough to be non-fatiguing. Hopefully you have a device that can play Snapdragon Sound or Aptx- Adaptive (it does make a difference). No the sound won’t be the same as it’s wired counterparts, but the sound quality coupled with the features I’d say the Air4 Pro is worth the money.
Ratings (0-10)
*All Ratings are given per the price point as well as the style of earbud. In this case I am rating the Soundpeats Air4 Pro against the field of ANC stem-style tws earbuds under $80 US. Please remember that “ratings” don’t tell the whole story. This leaves out nuance and a number of other qualities which make a set of tws what it is. A “5” is exactly average, and please take into consideration the “lot” of iems these ratings are garnered against. Under $80 US ANC stem-style earbuds are less in abundance as it’s not a very broad scope of tws earbuds. So, seeing something like a 9 for instance is pretty understandable. My ratings are never the same and each set of ratings tells a different story. Each time you read one of my ratings it will be unique to that review. Basically, I create a Rating that makes sense to me.
Aesthetic
Build- 9.8 Very nice build for the price.
Design- 9.5 I don’t usually prefer stem style but I really like the design.
Features- 9.0 They left out a couple features but awesome for the price.
Feature function- 9.9 All the bells & whistles work very well imo.
–Overall Rating- 9.6 🔥🔥🔥
Sound Rating
Timbre/Tonality- 9.5 Nice timbre throughout
Bass- 8.8 Subwoofer style bass that sounds. Fun & robust.
Midrange- 8.7 The mids are clean and have good presence
Treble- 8.8 The treble is elated yet not overcooked.
Technicalities- 7.4 Most technicalities are great for the tuning.
P2P- 9.0 Price to performance is fantastic on this set.
–Overall Rating- 8.7 🔥🔥🔥🔥
Ratings Summary
The pool of tws stem style true wireless earphones with ANC under $100 is not the vastest of selections. There are some bangers though. I write these reviews for those looking to buy. This is why I do this. What would someone who enjoys a stem style, wants ANC, and $100 US is at the top of their price limitations. How does the Air4 Pro rate (in my opinion) against those sets? I’ve heard many of them, spent time with many of them and I really feel I can adequately rate from experience. I will at least try as I understand that these prices can be a lot of money, and this is an investment for many folks. I really truly do understand this. However, as far as ratings goes, there aren’t many that will serve this purpose abundantly better than the Air4 Pro. Though there is some good competition in this price point.
As far as possible issues that I could see with my ratings; possibly the “Bass” rating would garner some ridicule. I could see those who want a more polished low-end, tighter, snappier and those folks probably wouldn’t give this set a “8.8”. Bass on tws is not always what one would expect. So often the bass feels detached almost. Or emphasized but somehow recessed to the background of the sound field. It happens all the time. Not with the Air4 Pro. The Air4 Pro has a very pretty good sounding bass, albeit a bit too under-emphasized for some, and it could use some more mid-bass, but a very good foundation, nonetheless. Also, remember, you have a great EQ that does an excellent job on the Air4 Pro. Every other Rating is pretty self-explanatory. An “8.7” is worthy of this set overall in my opinion.
Conclusion
To conclude my full written review of the Soundpeats Air4 Pro I want to thank Soundpeats and a very large thank you to Ellen who is a great representative of Soundpeats. Truly. I am very grateful for these people and their willingness to simply let the “chips fall where they may” as far as the reviewer’s thoughts are concerned. Never under any pressure and always extremely kind and helpful. So, thank you. I also want to thank the reader. Thank you for clicking on the link as every one of them is helpful. I do hope this review is helpful to you.
Different perspectives
Lastly, please take in other thoughts about this set. Take the time to learn as much as you can from other perspectives. We are not all the same folks and there are many diverse opinions in all thing’s audio. Audio reviewers are just people with their own unique thoughts and ideas and subjective opinions. I hope each person reading is well and good. Take care, stay as safe as possible and always… God Bless!