Soundpeats Clip1 Review 

Intro 

Hello, this review and feature covers the latest from the audio brand Soundpeats named the Soundpeats Clip1 ($69). The Clip1 is another open-ear style tws clip-on style set from Soundpeats and certainly seems to improve upon some of the features and tech from previous open-ear style sets. Now, the Clip1 uses a very cool tech to get the sound from the small transducers inside of the Clip1 and into your ears called Air-Conduction technology. Air-Conduction tech seems very new to the audio world but in truth it’s been around for quite some time. In fact, I’ve reviewed many sets from Soundpeats which feature the tech. Sets like the Soundpeats RunFree Lite, the RunFree, the GoFree2, the PearlClip Pro, and the Pop Clip. So, I’ve actually had my fair share of experience getting to know these types of wireless earbuds and as truthfully as I can say it Soundpeats has literally come close to perfecting this style of set, from my perspective that is. Now, the Clip1 is really the culmination of all that Soundpeats has learned this far and I find it fairly easy to hear. I am actually very impressed folks. Soundpeats did a nice job on this one. Sure, there are small subjective gripes that some may have, but for the most part the Clip1 performs pretty darn well in many ways. 

Soundpeats 

Friends, I have been reviewing Soundpeats products for years now, and one observation that I’ve made is that Soundpeats always gets better. Never do they release anything that isn’t a step up, that isn’t an upgrade, and that isn’t a good and relevant product in consideration of the market as a whole. I never let a Soundpeats review finalize without bragging on this brand though. Friends, Soundpeats is truly one of the few brands which always makes sure to craft and create wireless products which champion price to performance as their number one claim to fame. Always within the budget arena and they always have plenty of obtainable products for any price tier. It’s actually quite special folks. What’s even better is that the difference between Soundpeats “budget” priced products and so-called “top-of-the-line” products from other brands is very small. I mean, incremental improvements which are hardly worth the price increases. This is why I’ve always been a fan of Soundpeats and why they are the 1st brand that I usually bring up to folks looking for a wireless product under $150. At any rate, I’ve reviewed a lot of their products, and I’ve never turned down a review. Which is saying something. I only review what I like or what I feel a vast number of hobbyists will enjoy. So, it’s been great getting to know this brand and having the pleasure of helping others to also get to know their products. 

Feel free to check out some of my past Soundpeats Reviews below if you’d like:

Capsule3 Pro Review–Air3 Deluxe Review–RunFree Lite Review–Mini Pro HS Review–Engine4 Review–Air4 Review–Air4 Pro Review–Clear Review–RunFree Review–GoFree2 Review–Space Review–Capsule3 Pro Plus Review–PearlClip Pro Review–Pop Clip Review–Soundpeats Air5 Pro Review– Soundpeats Q40 HD Review–Soundpeats H3–Air5 Pro+

Well, everyone, I’ve had plenty of time to use the Clip1. I’ve used them in every setting that I’m in and I have had plenty of time to dissect the sound. I think I’m ready to get this review period under way. So, without further ado, the Soundpeats Clip1…. 

Non-Affiliated Purchasing Links:

–Amazon 

–Soundpeats 

Clip1 Pros

-Price to performance 

-Build Quality is nice for $69 

-The design has a slick aesthetic 

-For me, the fit is awesome (also a con for some)

-Comfort is one of the main reasons to purchase  

-DynamicEQ Pro is really great for this type of device

-Supports LDAC as well as other notable audio codecs

-Supports Dolby Audio as well (great for movies) 

-Fantastic battery life 

-Aero Voice for phone calls works like a charm

-In-ear detection and left-right detection works well

-PeatsAudio app

-Multi-point connection & Game Mode works nicely

-Open & dynamic sound for this style

-Snappy bass, tight, even somewhat textured too (says a lot for this style) 

-Clear, clean, and melodic midrange 

-Sparkly enough treble which is also non-offensive (out-of-the-box) 

-Just an overall solid set. With the style in mind, the Clip1 is a very good buy

Clip1 Cons 

-Open-ear style does not fit everyone well

-Due to the style, there is a lack of sublevel response and general bass weight

-Charging case isn’t the most robust and quite slippery (believe it or not) 

-Some feature limitations due to the style of set

Packaging / Accessories 

Unboxing

The Soundpeats Clip1 arrived at my home in a smaller white box which has a picture imposed on the front of the Clip1 earbuds. Open the box and right away you’ll see the charging case wrapped in plastic and sitting inside of a molded plastic tray. Inside you’ll also find the type-c charging cable hidden under the plastic tray. Now under the box top is a smaller secret box which contains the manual as well as some Soundpeats stickers. As far as unboxing experiences go, you won’t have many wow moments with this set. Nor should you. There simply aren’t many accessories that could be added to the packaging. So, the box and its contents are about par for the course. Not bad at all. 

Charging Case

The charging case provided with the Soundpeats Clip1 is fairly large to accommodate the size of the Clip1 earbuds. It’s an oval case, about three inches long and 55 grams in weight, and is made out of glossy gray plastic. The build of the case is not the best I’ve ever seen from Soundpeats as it feels rather light and less durable to me. Also, the case is very glossy which can be surprisingly slippery. I’ve actually dropped this case a couple times not gripping it perfectly. Something to consider. However, it is actually a great case in that it supplies a total of 40 hours of battery life to the Clip1 earbuds as it houses a huge 450 mah battery inside. On the backside of the case, you’ll notice a pairing button, which is always nice to have. At the front of the case, you’ll see an indicator light which glows green, red, or white based on the battery status of the case. Now, one huge plus for this case is that you can charge its 459 mAh battery to full in just under 2-hours. Which is better than most charging cases. Furthermore, the battery will provide up to 2-hours of battery life on a quick 10-minute quick charge. Another solid quality. Also, the case does have an intelligent feature which auto detects left and right-side channels. The bonus is that whatever slot you put either earbud the case will adapt and change the channel. So, it really doesn’t matter what side you put either bud into as the case will correct the left and right side on its own. Actually, a better feature than you may think. All in all, the build isn’t the best I’ve seen but also not the worst. However, it is a nice functioning case with a bigger battery life and some intelligent features. 

Build / Design / Internals / Fit / other Misc. Features

Build Quality 

One thing that I have always praised Soundpeats for is the build quality of their products, and the Clip1 is no exception. I find this set to have a very nice build for the cost. Of course, like most wireless products under $100 the Clip1 is made out of various plastics. However, not all plastic is created equal as Soundpeats uses some fairly durable feeling plastics with a robust feel to them. To be exact, Soundpeats chose ABS plastic to craft the main enclosure, as well as the band. The arch is what’s called a N-Flex Arch which consists of extremely thin memory wire made of nickel-titanium alloy which is designed to be bent to every user’s particular ear anatomy. Also, each earbud only weighs 5 grams in total. Which is extremely lightweight. They basically feel like nothing at all on the ear. Lastly, the Clip1 is also water resistant to an IPX5 rating (more on that later). In hand the Clip1 is obviously well built from quality materials which is a nice thing to see at this price point. 

Design / Aesthetic 

I’ll keep this rather short, but the aesthetic and design of this set is pretty cool folks. I like the gray gloss plastic along with the slick looking Soundpeats logo on the touch surface. Having said that, these open-ear style earbuds will never be my favorite style as in-ears are always my number one favorites. However, I can’t help but feel the Clip1 is a very nice-looking device. Soundpeats always has some of the better-looking products in comparison with other products on the market from “other” brands. It’s what I would refer to as modern-minimalist. Now, from what I can tell the Clip1 only comes in this gray color. I could be wrong though. On their product page I only see the color “black”. However, on the Clip1 that I have there isn’t anything black on this set. So, take that with a grain of salt. At any rate, this is a very nice-looking set, looks good when out and about in public. My wife and daughters only like this style of earbuds, and they seem to find the Clip1 to be the sickest looking set they’ve seen of this style. Well, besides the Soundpeats PearlClip Pro. They adore those. So, they are well designed, as always. Nice work Soundpeats. 

Internals

Soundpeats always incorporates high quality internals for all of their products. The Clip1 uses a massive 12mm dual magnetic dynamic driver with a PU+Titanium-Coated diaphragm. This is obviously a good driver which never sounds distorted and always produces clean sound. Beyond that, Soundpeats chose the BES2710 soc chip which allows for many different features and also comes equipped with a dac and amplifier as well as supporting most of the functions and features of the Clip1. Think of the SOC chip as the heart of this set. No, it isn’t some expensive Qualcomm chip, but I’ve found that there are some fantastic SOC chips without the Qualcomm branding. The Clip1 also has a fairly large 45 mAh battery inside of each earbud. You’ll also notice one clear call microphone on each earbuds with AeroVoice ™  technology (more on that later). 

Fit & Comfort

When it comes to the fit and overall comfort of the Soundpeats Clip1 I have to say that the open-ear style earbuds are clearly some of the most comforting styles of earbuds on the market. When it comes to easy comfort with no pressure built up anywhere on the ear you should find (as I did) that the Clip1 is extremely comfortable. Now, the fit is a different story… potentially. I can tell you that for me the Clip1 fits like a glove everytime that I wear them. For good sound you want the driver & nozzles as close to the ear as possible. Now, Soundpeats utilizes air-conduction technology which means that you don’t have to have a seal for good sound like you do with iems. However, a good and secure fit is essential and not everyone is going to be able to achieve that. Sure, I can get a wonderful fit and the driver hovers right over my ear holes, but I do not expect everyone to get that. So, your mileage may vary. 

Chipset

Like I said, the Soundpeats Clip1 doesn’t use some expensive and well-known chipset to run all of its features and sound. However, Soundpeats always uses quality and well praised chipsets. To be exact, they chose the BES2710, made by Bestechnic CO. Soundpeats is smart for using a chip which doesn’t need every last feature being that the open-ear style cannot run many of the features that in-ear style earbuds can. That said, this chip is highly capable. It’ll get you Bluetooth 5.4 with all of the best audio codecs along with LE Audio, which is a very powerful power management feature. Hence why the battery life is so good. Anyways, it’ll give you Game Mode, multi-connection, and many more features which help phone calls to come through cleaner. Lastly, this chip has an awesome on board dac chip. Sure, the amplifier is nice and gives a good dynamic listening experience, but the overall sound is very natural and has great clarity. So, not a bad chipset at all. 

Earbud Controls 

As always Soundpeats uses double and triple taps and refrain from using single taps to ward off ghost touches or accidental triggers. However, you can perform most functions right from the Clip1’s touch surface. Like, play/pause and answer/hang-up phone calls, previous track, and next track. Now, those are the out-of-the-box controls, but you can customize those controls via the PeatsAudio app. You can add in Volume + & Volume -, Game mode, and Dolby Audio Mode amongst other controls. So, you can customize however you see fit for your use purposes. The great thing is that the touch surface works very-very well. I have had zero issues with touches, no phantom touches, no accidental swipes of the finger changing things up on me. I’m telling you, Soundpeats has these touch surfaces down to a science folks. The Clip1 is a well-functioning set of earbuds. 

📋 Specifications — SoundPEATS Clip1

🎧 Audio

Driver Type: Single Dynamic Driver

Driver Size: 14.2 mm

Frequency Response: 20Hz – 20kHz

Microphone System: Dual-Mic ENC

Noise Reduction: Environmental Noise Cancellation (ENC)

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📡 Bluetooth & Connectivity

Bluetooth Version: 5.3 / 5.4 (region-dependent)

Supported Codecs: LDAC, AAC, SBC

Bluetooth Range: ~10 meters / 33 ft

Connection Type: Clip-On Bluetooth Receiver

Compatible With: Any 3.5 mm IEMs, earbuds, or headphones

Multipoint: Yes

Note: Multipoint is disabled when LDAC is active

Low-Latency / Gaming Mode: Yes

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⚙️ Controls & Features

Control Style: Physical clip buttons

Dedicated Volume Keys: Yes

Track / Call Controls: Yes

Voice Assistant Support: Yes

EQ Support: Via SoundPEATS App (if available in region)

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🔋 Battery & Charging

Playback Time: Up to 40 hours in total using the charging case

Charging Port: USB-C

Charge Time: ~1.5 hours

Battery Capacity: 120 mAh

Single use battery life: 8 hrs max

When battery is  depleted, a 10-minute quick charge provides 2 hrs battery life 

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🧱 Build & Design

Chassis Material: Matte-finish plastic

Clip Material: Reinforced spring-steel

Weight: ~15.8 g

Color: Black

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📦 What’s in the Box

SoundPEATS Clip1

USB-C Charging Cable

User Manual & Warranty Card

Features

Audio Codecs 

Within the last few years, we’ve seen a number of tws sets come out with LDAC included when at one point it was thought that we’d never see LDAC in these devices. However, even though many sets have this great codec, they are usually a bit more costly, and it is still a fantastic feature to have. Well, Soundpeats uses LDAC often, even in their budget sets because they know how important good and quality sound fidelity is to the consumer. Of course, I bring this up as a “feature” because on the Clip1 it is in fact… a “feature”. LDAC gets you very close to CD quality in terms of bit rates which maxes out at 990 kbs whereas CD quality is right around 1411. Basically, it is indistinguishable. At least to my ears it is. However, IOS users do not have the lovely ability to enjoy this most prestigious audio codec. The best IOS users can use is the AAC codec. Thankfully, the Clip1 also has AAC codec. To compare, AAC will get you a max bit rate of around 252 kbs, which is a far cry from 990 kbs. That said, AAC has some other ways that it produces higher quality music which I am not going to explain here. Lastly, the Clip1 also has thee Bluetooth standard SBC as well. Try not to use SBC. Now, the only gripe that I have is that the Clip1 doesn’t include Aptx, or any form of Aptx, which would’ve been nice. Still, LDAC at $69 is a nice feature. 

Dolby Audio

One great quality/feature that the Clip1 has is the ability to use Dolby Audio for use with movies, games, and music. So, Dolby Audio actually uses advanced DSP (digital signal processing) as well as some psycho-acoustic to create an illusion of a grander, fuller, more dynamic, and more holographic stage. Great for movies. In fact, of all the things that I’ve used it with I found that movies tended to make use of the tech the best. Though, there are some tracks in music which absolutely came alive with Dolby Audio. However, other tracks didn’t help as much, and I actually preferred some music without Dolby engaged. Anyways, it’s a great feature and the first time that Soundpeats has ever used it for any of their earbuds. Now, there are a couple things to consider. First, Dolby Audio cannot be used with LDAC enabled. So, you would be stuck with AAC or SBC. This is a downside in that you cannot use spatial audio with the highest resolution codec. Not a big deal just because it has AAC, but also, it’d be nice to have LDAC. By the way, AAC codec isn’t bad at all. Also, this feature can only be enabled through the PeatsAudio app. That said, if you think you’d enjoy a virtual 3D surround sound style experience then the Dolby Audio feature may be something great for you. 

Passive Transparency 

Okay, this next “feature” isn’t really a technical “feature” at all. Instead, this next attribute that I am going to speak on is a feature of the style of earbuds that the Clip1 are. So, obviously, the Soundpeats Clip1 is not going to seal in your ear, and you will have all of the outside world easy to hear. Anyone who buys earbuds simply to always use the “transparency mode” feature will love that the open-ear style has a natural “transparency” mode in a passive way. Many people who jog a lot, or workout, and many office people enjoy the use of a good transparency mode. It’s a safe way to listen to anything as you still can hear the outside world very well. Now, obviously this is not a great feature for everyone, but I know a few people who live this style for just this purpose. 

Battery Life

Soundpeats made sure to add a healthy battery inside of the Clip1 earbuds as both the left and right side features a 45 mAh battery. That battery will afford the Clip1 a grand total of 8 hours when using AAC or SBC codecs. That battery total will go down an hour or two using LDAC, but the difference will be small when using the Clip1 for casual listening. In fact, even getting 6 hours with LDAC is much more than most people will ever do in one sitting without placing the Clip1 back into the charging case. Which brings up the charging case once more. So, the charging case will provide the Clip1 with 40 hours of battery life, which is huge. I said this earlier that the charging case has a very large 450 mAh battery. Also, the Clip1 does come with fast charging as well. So, if the Clip1 battery is depleted completely, giving them a quick 10-minute charge will provide 2 hours of battery life. I should also point out that the air-conduction tech housed within the Clip1 is a huge help to battery life. Also, the Clip1 doesn’t have power intensive ANC either. Now, if you want as much battery life as possible you should consider a few things. First off, try not to listen at super high volumes. Thankfully, the Clip1 has good volume and so I don’t have to crank it to 100 to hear (like many tws). Next, if you can go without using LDAC (I’m not strong enough to do this) then that will help too. Also, it is said that Dolby Audio usage will deplete the battery life a hair faster too. Beyond those things, the Clip1 gets better battery life than most tws open-ear style earbuds, which is a huge feature in my opinion. 

PeatsAudio App

The best feature is not a feature on the Clip1 earbuds, but instead it is a feature which can be used for anyone who purchases a Soundpeats product. That is, the PeatsAudio app. Folks, I have praised this app up and down over the years and watched as it has gotten better and better. I should note that I’ve used darn near every tws companion app on the market. In my opinion, the PeatsAudio app is one of the best. I say that because it flawlessly functions without any issues whatsoever, every time I use it. It’s a clean looking app, it has a ton of features, and it’s easy to use with a simple to understand UI. In truth, it is the essential hub of all controls and functions of any Soundpeats product. Many of the controls are not available through each respective device’s touch surface. This app is a very easy to use audio app which allows the user to control every single aspect of their earbuds. No doubt the Clip1 benefits greatly because of it. For instance, paired up my earbuds, launched the PeatsAudio app, and within seconds it was already connecting to the Clip1. Instantly I checked for a firmware update (you should too) and within three minutes I had a completely updated set of earbuds. That is not all though… 

What is inside of the app? 

I will do a very quick rundown of the app. After all, this isn’t a review of the PeatsAudio app. So, the very first screen you’ll connect the Clip1 to the app and once that is completed (mere seconds) you will be taken to the home screen. On the home screen you have all the features included with the Clip1. Stuff like, double device connection, game mode, Dolby Audio, in-ear detection, you can customize the touch controls, as well as enforce LDAC. Here you can see the battery level of both earbuds as well as the charging case. At the top right there are three parallel lines. Tap those and you’ll be taken to another screen with certain settings and info. Here you can firmware upgrade, conduct an earbud water drain (if you’ve dropped them into water), find your earbuds, see device info, reset the earbuds, as well as change the language from English to Japanese. If you back out of that and go to the bottom middle icon you are taken to the EQ page within the app…. 

EQ

One of the coolest parts of this app is the fact that Soundpeats provides a total of 10 preset EQ profiles with names like “Bass Boost”, “Rock”, “Folk”, “Treble Boost”, “Classical”, “Soundpeats Classic” and so on. Basically, different well-made profiles which can help dial in the sound to your preferences. However, you can also use the 10-band graphic equalizer as well. The nice thing about this graphic EQ is that any profile that you create can save to the buds themselves for use in any app and any device. You can save many multiple different custom-made profiles. Yes, there are many other apps which can do the same from other earbuds, but the Soundpeats graphic EQ is seamless in how well it operates and also, it’s nice to have so it’s worth mentioning. Beyond that you also have the option to perform an Adaptive EQ. The Adaptive EQ will basically align the EQ to your actual hearing abilities. I haven’t used this that much because my raring is great and it honestly doesn’t help for me. But I could see how it may help some folks with hearing issues. Now, I personally enjoy the actual 10-band equalizer the best. I like adding a little here, take away a bit there and I like dialing in the sound to fit my likes and dislikes. So, EQ is certainly a nice feature in my book. 

How does the Clip1 take to EQ? 

Real quick I want to speak on the Clip1’s ability to even take to EQ, or not. I have found that the Clip1 does take very well to EQ apart from the bass region. Yes, you can add a touch more warmth and weight, but you’ll never EQ super deep and palpable bass in a super robust way. However, everything else has a nice effect. The graphic EQ gives you the ability to add or take away a total of 6 db’s in each frequency range. So, that’s quite a lot and you can really manipulate the sound in a profound way. Granted, I don’t feel that the Clip1 does as well as some of Soundpeats in-ear tws, but they do ncie and you can dial in the sound quite well. 

Game Mode (Low-Latency Mode) 

Once again the Soundpeats Clip1 carries a “Game Mode” or “Low-Latency Mode”. Game Mode is not a new feature in the audio world, and it certainly isn’t the only tws iem to carry it. In truth, I have game mode or low-latency mode on many sets under $50. So, it’s certainly nothing new. Having said that, just like everything else in audio; not all game modes are created equal. This is a fact. I say that because some Low-Latency modes actually carry really low latency without killing your battery. Other sets have low-latency modes which barely work as intended whilst draining the charge in your battery, like air leaving a balloon. I know it because I’ve tested them ad nauseum. Truly, some game modes on other sets truly have zero effect. The Clip1 does about the same as the other open-ear style Soundpeats sets or even their in-ears like their flagship Soundpeats H3, the Air5 Pro, and the Air4 Pro amongst many others. They do a very good job on almost all games. Albeit some first-person shooters will slightly lag at times. Stuff like “Call of Duty” etc. By the way, that is the same as with every tws set which has any sort of game mode. Once the action gets too intense you will have an ever-so-slight lag. To be honest, unless you are paying close attention you probably won’t even notice. However, the Clip1 does a fantastic job syncing up voices on movies, podcasts, etc. Definitely a nice feature that I like having in my earbuds. 

Multi-point 

Soundpeats also added in a feature that used to be unheard of in true wireless only a couple years ago. Nowadays it is much more prevalent, that is “Multi-Point Connection”. Multi-point Connection is a neat feature that will be very useful… for those who can make use of it. Basically, you can be connected to two devices at one time. Why is this helpful? Well for instance, it’s useful for those folks who are watching a video on a tablet or playing a game, and they get a call on their phone. What happens is when you answer the phone it will automatically click over to your phone whilst being connected to the other device. It is a nice feature that you don’t know how much you enjoy it until it’s gone. I should add that I haven’t tried out the Clip1’s multi-point yet as I simply don’t use it, or need it, ever. Still, it’s a nice feature for those who do need it or want it and its worthy of being talked about. One more thing, you cannot use Multi-point on the Clip1 while also being connected to LDAC. Keep that in mind. 

Call Quality & AeroVoice Technology 

Now we get to call quality. I find that one of the better and more natural features of the Soundpeats Clip1 is its ability to have a nice phone call. Actually, a very nice phone call. I really truly find this set to be fantastic for any sort of phone calls, TEAMS meetings. I should also mention that Soundpeats utilizes patented new tech to help with those phone calls called “AeroVoice” technology. AeroVoice also coupled with AI Environmental Noise Cancellation. Now, AeroVoice was created by Soundpeats to basically block all wind noise from breaking up a phone call as it’s made specifically for phone calls. Using both tech features the Clip1 effectively cancels out background noises using a specific ANC algorithm. However, what good is this tech if the sound isn’t good. Now, the actual ability of the Clip1 to take good phone calls is above average for the price point. However, don’t expect the Clip1 to make professional earbuds made entirely for phone calls obsolete. It won’t do that. Still, voices sound as natural as they can with just a hint more of a metallic feel to the voices. Having said that, they sound very close to perfectly natural. I find the Clip1 to be great for meetings online and taking important phone calls. Of course, this is not a business class earbud for this purpose. Still very nice though. 

IPX Rating

The Soundpeats Clip1 also has a pretty good waterproofing as well. From the Soundpeats website, they state that the Clip1 is rated at IPX5, which is something we’ve seen from time to time with sets which have ANC. IPX5 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 Clip1 into water, drop them in a swimming pool, puddle or any other body of water. What’s nice is that if you splash water or any other liquid on the Clip1 from any direction, you won’t have to worry. I thought this was a great thing to see. Lately we’ve seen some of these brands getting lax on waterproofing their sets and so I thought that was good. 

Sound Impressions 

*Note: before I jump into this sound portion, I first want to add a couple of things about how I went about reviewing this set. It may mean nothing at all to you. So, I listen almost entirely to flac or better files (some mp3) which are stored on my devices and rarely stream music. My Android music player of choice is UAPP (USB Audio Player Pro), as well as Poweramp at times. For my Hiby daps I do use Hiby Player when connected to Bluetooth. I listen on LDAC. Not that there’s a huge change from AAC, but the depth and dynamism to music is better on LDAC. Lastly, I am giving you sound impressions in its out-of-the-box state. Meaning, no EQ, no EQ presets, no changes from the standard sound. I may bring up some EQ changes that I’ve done throughout this review though. 

How does it sound? 

The first thing that I’d say about the Soundpeats Clip1’s sound quality is that this set comes across very naturally. It has a natural timbre, very clean, with a good balance across the mix giving the Clip1 a more neutral organic take on my music. Do not expect the Clip1 to give you sonics on par with some of Soundpeats better in-ear tws sets, but for the style that the Clip1 is, it is very good. Clearly their best yet for an open-ear style. Well, the best of what I’ve tried and that I have on hand. However, I think that many of you already know that with this type of earbud sound almost comes second to comfort, form, & function. Please understand that there are some inherent limitations of a set like the Clip1 entirely due to the type of device that it is. Those limitations primarily revolve around the fact that you cannot form a perfect seal in your ears. The beauty of this set is how well they do sound in spite of those limitations. Believe me, I wouldn’t review this set if it wasn’t good folks. However, there are a couple caveats that one must understand before diving into a set like this. For one, the bass is not going to rumble very deep, and it won’t provide that heavy and weighted warmth. Remember, the Clip1 is an open ear style set and so it has a very airy sound, somewhat thinner in body, but also very dynamically expressive in respect to the type of device that it is. Don’t expect a lush and thick sound or anything earthy and full-bodied. Do expect clarity, fantastic instrument separation, expect a highly resolving sound, and expect a large stage that feels open. 

Balanced

So now that you have at least a hint of what to expect with a set like this, let me fill you in on what you should expect to hear. Honestly, I hear a very well-balanced sound profile. Balanced in many respects actually. I find the Clip1 to be balanced tonally with no area of the mix assuming dominance over another. Here you won’t have bass mudding up the mix or causing veil, and you won’t have the low-end masking details or causing a murky environment. You will hear a forward and very natural sounding midrange with clean vocals. Lastly, the treble will come across as non-offensive, and sparkly. It’s also balanced in its ability to have both a smooth and crisp take on note delivery as well as a nice balance between musicality and its analytical technical chops. 

To my ears I hear a very much neutral sound yet with a hint of subtle warmth. I’d say the Clip1 has a U-shaped signature just missing W-shaped due to a hair of lower midrange recession. Other than that, the midrange still has great presence (more on that later). This is not a super energetic sound, and it won’t be considered a very fun sound. Just a pleasant sounding set of earbuds with great tonality, very melodic, and clean across the board. Let’s check out each 3rd of the mix, shall we… 

Bass Region

Like I said, the bass region is not going to blow your mind. You should already know this. You don’t have a deal and so a lot of those sublevel db’s escape right out of the nozzles never to be heard of again. Basically, it’s the sub-bass which loses most of its potency. However, I do find that the bass has a good mid-bass punch to it. No, you won’t get all the “feels” from the bass, but you will hear a warm and moderate boom to any track which features such a thing. The mid-bass has very little bass bleed into the midrange and stays in awesome control for a device such as this. I’m telling you folks, Soundpeats puts just as much effort into making sure this open-ear style earbuds sound great as they do their pricier items in their lineup. I can tell you this, the fact that Soundpeats uses that huge 12 mm dynamic driver really does maximize the impact which can be had and holds onto as much boom and slam as possible. It’s a clean bass, a well-defined bass, and the bass does have some representation. Just don’t expect anything too fun. 

Midrange 

The midrange comes across very well balanced with a very nice presence. Really, the clarity is such that it helps to define each note much better than I had anticipated. Now, the lower-mids do have an ever-so-slight recession, but that is a small price to pay for such a melodic and smooth sounding midrange. Vocals pop on this set. You see, the Clip1 carries what I’d call an effervescent sound. Again, very natural, neutral with a touch of warmth, yet there’s this nice touch of vibrance which gives those vocals a pedestal to stand on. Just a touch of upper mid shimmer and a sound that is full of air and openness. Couple that with the nice transparency and clean note delivery and you have yourself a great sounding midrange. I think it’s the best open-ear midrange that Soundpeats has made yet. Technically the Clip1’s midrange stands out as well. The bonus is that the clarity mixes so well with the smooth demeanor. You have hints of crispness to go with that fluid and rhythmic sound, and you’d be surprised how well this set can illuminate subtle details, separate instruments, and create a well dimensioned sound field. I think the mids are clearly the highlight of this set. 

Treble Region 

The treble has what I would refer to as a nicely balanced emphasis with the rest of the mix, fitting the overall tuning to the tee. The Clip1’s treble region carries a nice shimmer and sparkle which doesn’t ever come even close to fatiguing. Again, a very airy sound with a boosted upper treble extension. Once again, I’d say that the treble also has that nice edge defining crispness to it while in the same breath the Clip1’s treble is smooth across the board. I hear absolutely zero piercing peaks even though there is a fair amount of brilliance to be heard. A very detailed experience in this region too. I hear even touches of treble bite and a nice edge detail as well. To my ears the Clip1’s treble region is a large improvement over Soundpeats other open-ear “air-conduction” tws earbuds. I found the others to be a touch more rolled off with a lesser upper treble extension while the new Clip1 seems to bring almost a radiance to the top-end of the spectrum. The beauty of this treble is that it isn’t dark, dull, or drab. This is a nicely tuned treble that matches the other frequencies in dynamics and overall cleanliness very well. I’m impressed. 

Technicalities 

I’d say that for as musical and as smoothly rendered as the Clip1 sounds, it is quite cool to hear the level of detail retrieval that I’m hearing. I hear zero making of sounds which shouldn’t really surprise anyone. Yet on top of that, the Clip1 actually has a black background and a very tight transient response in every area of the mix. This helps the Clip1 tremendously as they offer a clarity rich sound. So anyways, detail retrieval is high for an open-ear set. Granted, against other in-ears the Clip1 wouldn’t be quite as impressive for obvious reasons. Still, for the style I am hearing some of the best details that I’ve heard yet. That’s not all, the Clip1 has a cleanly layered and well separated sound. There is clear space between instruments. When you have such a clean sound with no bass bleed mucking up the spectrum leaving every note precise, and well contoured. Add to that the tight transients, open stage, clean note outlines, and good resolution while using LDAC and I hear very good imaging too. Way better than I would’ve thought. Usually, true wireless will give you a more in-your-head experience that feels more like a mishmash of sound centrally located. Friends, that is not the case here. The Clip1 has well delineated and well positioned instruments with vocals sitting dead center. Very nice for a set such as this. Lastly, I’ve already alluded to the stage size which is clearly larger than average. Especially in its width. Now, the depth isn’t quite as impressive, but that is to be expected. Still, the Clip1 has a pretty vast stage left to right and a tall stage too. This set simply feels and sounds very well dimensioned. So well controlled too. Such a nice mix of musical and technical. 

Last Words on the Soundpeats Clip1 

I got to say, I don’t ever truly expect much from sets such as this. Like I said earlier, most people buy a set like this for its form factor, its function, and its ability to present a safer transparency to the outside world. I usually review these sets with those attributes in mind first. Surprisingly, I never thought I’d listen to this set and actually melt into my music. I mean, it isn’t to the potential and ability of a good set of in-ears, but the Clip1 has done nothing but surprise me considering its style. Folks, I review so much. Every price point, every style, and every type, and what I’ve come to understand about the Clip1 is that it truly does stand out when paired against similarly priced sets and similar style sets. Once again Soundpeats crafted and created a solid tws. They’ve proven time and time again that they can perfect just about any style of their choosing. I’d say the only true issues with the Clip1 is potentially the fit, the lack of sublevel bass presence (again, this should be expected), it’s lack of Aptx audio codecs, and probably some of the Clip1’s feature limitations due entirely from the open-ear style. However, these are all things which should be expected. Honestly, in my opinion I feel that anyone seeking out a set like the Clip1 already knows what they are getting. They want a comfortable set which never causes fatigue, they want to hear the outside world improving their awareness of the surrounding world, and those people want a set which they can multi-task and take good phone calls. What I don’t think most people who have experience with a set like this will expect is the solid tuning and sound quality of the Clip1. At $65 the Clip1 is a very good buy. 

The Why… 

Because the Clip1 is built so well and has such a nice design and aesthetic. I really do enjoy the overall look of this set. However, I understand if it isn’t for everyone. Still, it’s made very well with durable ABS plastic resin as well as the nickel-titanium N-Flex Arch which feels very robust in hand, nothing chinsy or weak about the build. Beyond that, the fit is very nice for me, allowing the nozzles to sit perfectly clipping on my earlobes and shooting the sound directly into my ears using the Clip1’s air-conduction technology. It’s an odd tech, but it works way better than it should. Also, the touch surface works very well in my experience too, as well as every feature on this set. It has multi-point connection, game mode, Dolby Audio, Dynamic EQ, as well as every other feature found within the PeatsAudio app. Also, Soundpeats created a very well-done EQ in general. By the way, the Clip1 actually reacts better than expected to both the graphic EQ, and the preset EQ profiles provided by Soundpeats. 

The whole package 

This is the part of my review where I usually (9/10 times) will say something along the lines of “However, the real worth of any audio device is in its sound quality”. Now, there’s no question that I believe the sound quality is one of the best features of the Clip1. However, for me, and in respect to the way I’ve been using this set, I find that what makes the Clip1 special isn’t just the sound quality. It’s honestly the whole presentation, the build, the form, the comfort, the design, the features, and the sound all in one inexpensive package. Now, I confess that the open-ear style is not my favorite and I typically would not reach for this style set. I love the sealed feeling of an in-ear and the robust sound of an in-ear. However, the utility of a set like the Clip1 cannot be overlooked. The truth is, lately, I haven’t gone anywhere without the Clip1. Which is even more than I can say for previous open-ear style sets. Everything just works. I use this set daily in my office as I will always have a podcast on, or I’ll be listening to music. The benefit of this set is that I can hear my surroundings very well and have at least some semblances of spatial awareness. Obviously, with in-ears my outside world gets shut off sonically. So, there is a major benefit to this style in an office setting, when out in the market, when jogging / working out etc. 

That Sound though… 

Be that as it may, the sound alone is a huge plus. Especially when using LDAC and its balanced tuning out-of-the-box. The Clip1 has just enough bass output with just enough slam (sublevels could definitely use some more emphasis). But it’s a tight slam, defined slam. Also, the midrange is clearly my favorite aspect of the Clip1’s sound. Very melodic, highly technical, great vocals, clean, clear and well detailed. And the treble is sparkly and mildly brilliant without ever crossing the line into fatiguing. Just a nice balance. Also, the stage is big, airy, open, and the sound field has some dimension to it, with good placement of elements within the stage as well as solid note separation. Now, I didn’t add how nice movies are with Dolby Audio. This feature does add another slight element to the sound. Even to a degree with gaming too. Having said all of this nice stuff about its sound I want to emphasize that to me the Clip1 is worth every penny of that $65 because it is a complete package and does nothing…wrong. In fact, it does a whole lot right and I think that Soundpeats is on the right track with these types of open-ear styles. What I’m getting at is this; the Soundpeats Clip1 is a very easy rec from me at $65-$69. Worth every penny. 

Conclusion 

To conclude my full review and feature covering the Soundpeats Clip1, I must give a huge shout out to Soundpeats as well as the great rep with whom I deal with. If ever there was a brand committed to good relationships, it’s Soundpeats. Thank you so very much. I also need to thank you, the reader, for taking the time to click the link which got you here. It is always my great joy to write these reviews as I get to incorporate my favorite hobby (personal audio) into my favorite creative outlet (writing), which is a total winner combination for me. That said, the real reason that I write anything is to help you, to drum up conversations, and to have something to do with “some” of my free time. However, helping people is always the most rewarding. So, thank you very much and as always, I hope this review helped at least a little bit. 

Other perspectives 

Now that you’ve read my words, go and watch, listen to, or read someone else’s thoughts about the Clip1. Take some time to read some other opinions. It’ll only benefit you in the long run to have many other perspectives to align with, or not. Basically, it is always a good thing to hear what others have to say. I may have a completely different opinion than the next reviewer. So, without question it is always a good thing to check out other thoughts. Beyond all of that, I think I’m done. Please take good care. Stay as safe as possible, and always… God Bless!