REVIEW – Let’s be honest, earphones (earbuds) and headphones have gotten really good over the past few years, to the point that choice is more based on design and comfort rather than audio quality. It’s now hard to find a bad-sounding pair of earbuds in the $100+ price range. Recently, Soundpeats sent me the new H3 (hybrid) Wireless Earbuds for review. These blinged beauties are crammed with tech, fit well in the ear, have good noise canceling, and sound quite nice. Then again , so do a lot of earbuds. So do the H3 earbuds stand out from the crowd?
⬇︎ Jump to summary (pros/cons)
Price:$149.99
Where to buy: Amazon ($129.99)
What is it?
The H3 Wireless Earbuds are the latest from Soundpeats’ large selection of headphones and earphones. The H3 earbuds are a hybrid design with 2 balanced armature speakers combined with a large single dynamic driver. This pairing results in a more accurate bass, middle and high frequencies across the audio spectrum—at least on paper.
Water/sweat resistance is rated at IPX5—they can withstand moisture from sweat and water jets (like a downpour), but cannot be submerged.
What’s included?
- H3 earbuds
- Case
- USB-C to USB-A charging cable
- Ear tips: XS, S, M, L, XL
Tech specs
- Weight: .21 oz.
- Charging Case with Earbuds: 1.86 oz.
- Waterproof Rating: IPX5
- USB-C charging
- Battery: 7 hours (ANC off)
- Touch controls
- Active Noise Canceling
- Bluetooth 5.4
- Bluetooth Codecs: SBC/AAC/LDAC/aptX/aptX Adaptive/aptX Lossless
Design and features
As I said, Soundpeats packed a lot of tech inside the H3 earbuds. Let’s get started:
Each earbud includes 3 mics for voice calls (6 total). These use the Qualcomm CVC v8.0 algorithm which blocks outside noise using AI-powered noise reduction. I have no idea what any of that means, but I called my brother (he’s my call tester) and he could easily hear and understand me. That’s a win.
Audio is (Japan) certified Hi-Res with lossless decoding via Snapdragon Sound. This supports both (Sony) LDAC and aptX Lossless audio Bluetooth codecs. Here’s a note for iPhone and iPad users: Unlike Android, Apple does not support LDAC or aptX. They never have. Apple uses their own ALAC Bluetooth codec. ALAC audio is not lossless. There will always some quality loss when using wireless Bluetooth, despite what marketing copy says. In other words, LDAC aptX Lossless is not lossless. With Bluetooth 5.4, both LDAC and aptX sound really, really good—but so does Apple’s ALAC! I defy anyone to tell the difference in a blind test. Audio quality depends more on recording quality than wireless codecs and such. The only way to hear true lossless audio is wired, never wireless.
The hybrid speaker setup is not unique. However, it is a clever way to handle the different frequencies in music. Typically in a hybrid speaker design, the mids and high frequencies are handled by armature drivers. These look nothing like a “normal” speaker. They are adapted from the hearing-aid industry. Bass is usually better served by dynamic drivers. The regular round speakers seen in a speaker box are dynamic. The tiny dynamic version in the H3 looks identical—just tiny at 12mm. Note that this is the usual hybrid setup. Both types of drivers can be tuned differently if desired.
Active Noise Canceling (ANC) is handled well on the H3 earbuds. It’s not as good as Apple’s AirPods Pro earbuds, but then again, almost no earphones can rival Apple for ANC. Soundpeats has incorporated 4 ANC modes depending on what sound needs to be “erased”: Adaptive, Indoor, Outdoor, and Traffic. The differences between the modes were subtle. I recommend trying them out in the real world and deciding what is preferred. I stick with adaptive, as that seems to be the best for all situations.
The H3 earbuds feature touch controls (Soundpeats calls them “Gesture Settings”) that can be set to various functions. I set it at single tap=volume, double-tap=play/pause, and triple-tap to none. Anything after two taps seems a bit silly to me.
Soundpeats claims battery life is 7 hours per charge, which feels right in my use. 2 hours can be had from just 10 minutes of charging. Battery life is normal for this type of earbud—nothing special. Note that these times are with ANC turned off. When active, ANC can shorten battery life significantly.
The H3’s design (earbuds and case) is what Soundpeats calls distinctive. There are lots of black and gold with a tiny plaque that reads “Hear the Difference” in gold script. It reminds me of the Trump Hotel design—old-style elegance. The earbuds themselves feature a gold logo design capping a clear shell that shows off the interior tech goodies. I’ve always preferred clear to solid colors for earphone shells.
The case is a bit bulky for carrying in a pocket. Plus, the smoke-colored lid is a larger piece than the case bottom. Opening requires two hands rather than a one-handed flip-open motion. It’s awkward, but not a deal-breaker.
As I said at the beginning of this review, most earbuds over $100 sound quite good, and the Soundpeats H3 earbuds are no exception. The bass coming from the 12mm dynamic driver is thumping and potent, without sounding smeary or bloated. It’s crisp and forceful, which can be missing from many earphones.
The mids (where most vocals lie) are pushed a bit forward, but that’s a good thing, especially with older music. Neil Young’s classic “Harvest” album benefits handsomely from the H3s sonic treatment. Bryan Ferry’s vocals in his cover of Bob Dylan’s “Make You Feel My Love” are laid bare, revealing damage from years of smoking. His grit-laden singing comes through in all its ragged glory. Ferry’s Dylan interpretations are an acquired taste, but I like listening to him with the H3 earbuds.
Keep in mind that I played a bit with the EQ to downplay the higher frequencies. Maybe it’s my age, but I’m becoming less and less a fan of bright-sounding music. Being able to EQ it down helps me appreciate my music more.
Speaking of EQ, the Soundpeats app (iOS and Android) has 12(!) presets that alter the listening experience quite a bit. It’s fun to play with to get the sound you might be looking for, but I preferred to customize my own EQ. Note that this Soundpeats’ EQ only works with Soundpeats earphones using their app.
One of the app’s cool features is performing a hearing test (and fit test!) based on each ear and creating an Adaptive EQ based on the test. It’s a novel approach that may work well for some, but I still prefer my custom EQ over the Adaptive choice.
Final thoughts
The H3 Wireless Earbuds are Soundpeat’s most expensive earphones. Although they sell for $150, they can (usually) be found on sale. The H3s are well built and sound quite good. The ANC is not as complete as Apple’s, but none are, especially at this price. If you want good comfort, a reasonable price, good ANC and great sound, this is a good deal.
What I like about the Soundpeats H3 wireless earbuds
- They sound great
- Good call quality
- Affordable for a 3-driver hybrid
What needs to be improved?
- ANC could be better
- The case is bulky
Price: $149.99
Where to buy: Amazon ($129.99)
Source: The sample of this product was provided for free by Soundpeats. Soundpeats did not have a final say on the review and did not preview the review before it was published.
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