Soundpeats has been making tws IEMs for a while and they offer a lot of variety in shell shapes and driver types at various prices. Their Capsule 3 Pro Plus houses the lastest xMEMS drivers too. I have heard a couple of their IEMs too but what I have here with me is their latest Air 5 pro. This looks very similar to the Capsule 3 pro but houses a slightly smaller driver, slightly less battery life and is priced at $79, which is $10 more than Capsule 3 pro and $10 less than Capsule 3 Pro Plus. Air 5 pro is available in both black and white colors, I have the black version with me. This slots in the upper mids range for SoundPeats lineup but does this make a difference? Can this offer anything different? Will the app help anyway? Let’s break it down!! This is going to be interesting.
P.S I would like to thank Icy and SoundPeats for the unit and having patience with me.
At this point of time, Soundpeats is offering Air 5 pro at a “sale price” of just $60!!
Get one from here.
They are offering Extra 5% Off (on top of the $59.99 promo price): Code SPA5PPRSP08 , Valid Until: August 31, 2025, 23:59
Official Product Page : https://soundpeats.com/products/soundpeats-air5-pro
UNBOXING:
Don’t expect anything fancy at all. Open the box and we have the charging case infront of us and the ear pieces are placed inside them. We get a set of tips, a cable for charging, some documents and that’s all.
BUILD AND FIT:
Build quality of this IEM is as good as it gets. Yes, it looks slightly less premium than the Capsule 3 pro’s matte finished body but this is slightly smaller in size and offers better fit inside the ear. Ergonomics of this IEM is decent, it has the curves at the right places, the stem helps with stability and alignment too and the ear tips offer good grip inside the ear. I would have liked slightly deeper fitting tips but these tips aren’t doing bad either. On the back we have the shiny touch sensitive area.
Yes, this charging case is differently designed. They open side wise yet, the buds fit nicely, no clunky sounds whatsoever. I did struggle a bit while placing the buds back inside the case but here is my advice, put the gold side of the stem outward. We get a a reset/pairing button aside the Type C post to pair with a new device if Air 5 pro is not showing up.
BATTERY, RANGE & CONNECTION STRENGTH:
Soundpeats TWS IEMs never had any issues with battery life, range and connection strength. I easily got around 7-8 hrs of battery life from each earpiece and one single charge lasted me more than 2 weeks with daily usage of around 2-2.5 hrs with the charging case.
We get a very good range of around 15-20mtr (50-70ft) in clean air and around 10mtr with a wall within and signal strength too remains good within this range. Good thing is, it doesn’t have issues with multiple walls within a small range. I barely have any complaints here. Thank to its slightly vocal forward presentation 3 mics on each earpiece to capture sounds clearly , call clarity is very good and sound at the receiver’s end is clear too.
APP SUPPORT:
Soundpeats has updated their mobile app, it’s named PeatsAudio now and looks a bit more tidy and sleek. We get to control ANC levels, how the touch sensitive area responds to various inputs, it offers preset EQs and a custom one too and can be used for software update and one nifty feature, “Find my Device” which makes an reasonably audible ringing sound (might not be audible in noisy conditions) but the device has to be connected with the phone.
SOUND QUALITY:
I have heard a handful of TWS IEMs under $100 and that includes Capsule 3 pro too. Most of these IEMs were trying to offer a V shaped IEM with big bass body where the vocals take the back seat, this includes the Capsule 3 pro too. When Soundpeats reached out for Air 5 pro, which looks very similar to the Capsule 3 pro, with a slightly smaller driver, I wasn’t expecting it to sound any different. Mostly because, this V/W shaped signature is very popular and consumers like the bassy and energetic presentation.
But, to my surprise, powered by Snapdragon Sound and Bluetooth version 5.4 , Air 5 pro is a more balanced and slightly mid forward IEM with a reasonably balanced signature. This TWS IEM is not trying to deliver big boomy bass or tingly highs, what it’s offering is slightly forward, much more tonally accurate vocals, offering very good clarity with calls too. Let’s break this down.
ANC Modes:
Air 5 pro offers 3 ANC modes and they work much better than RoesesElsa Ceramic X when it comes cancelling ambient noise. Normal mode offers very good noise isolation, it easily reduces sounds like Mixer Grinder and angle grinder to a fairly less bothering levels. Yes, this mode does enhance bass a bit and offers slightly bigger stage too. “Noise cancellation” mode nearly cancels out all the ambient sounds while paying music and lets only a murmuring sound in when not playing anything even when the sound is from the adjacent room with doors open. This mode boosts a bit more bass body but has similar stage and imaging as the normal mode.
Transparent mode lets most of the sounds in. It lets with awareness of the surrounding and can be helpful while we are at the gym or out for a jog. It does relives the pressure hence reduces the lower end weight a bit while the rest of spectrum sounds slightly less full too, yet has no lean or sharp feeling.
BASS:
Yes, Air 5 pro is slightly vocal forward yet it offers very good lower end performance. It has the sub-bass extension and rumble. Mid bass is clean clear and offers good layered notes. Area of impact isn’t very big but it moves good amount of air. Bass notes usually move in and upward, keeping the stage cleaner but do change their direction dynamically, when needed. We get good dynamics and contrast too but it’s not the cleanest because of it’s slightly slower decay. It definitely offers much better control and is more technically capable than the Capsule 3 pro. Air 5 pro has better clarity with upper bass notes too. All in all, Air 5 pro offers a good, fun yet controlled lower end.
MID RANGE:
This is where the Air 5 pro shines. It has one of the best kind of mid range presentation for a TWS IEM. We get very good separation, it has the right kind of body and texture with the vocals and instruments, while the finishing regions are slightly relaxed and eased out. It has very good stage depth which helps with back and foreground separation while not being sharp, compressed or lean at any point. Notes have very good shape, with aptly wide bases, superb mid body texture and precise yet not sharp finishing. We get slightly warm tonality or timber which helps with cohesion and comfortable listening sessions. We are delt with very good resolution and definition too. Instruments around the vocals are equally energized and maintain very good transparency and clarity. Vocals are as accurate as it gets while maintaining right amount of throat emphasis, texture and sharpness. Upper mids are clear of any unwanted sharpness too. I have no problem is stating that Air 5 pro offers one of the best mid range for a TWs IEM under $80.
HIGHS:
Unlike the Capsule 3 pro, Air 5 pro doesn’t sharpen the highs, what it does is, it reduces a bit of energy at the finishing region while maintaining good amount of air between instruments. This treble range is slightly relaxed, upper treble is slightly darkish and offers a calm yet aptly transparent sound. Its presentation is so good that I have to admit, it doesn’t need to have a lot of energy or extension to be admired. We are getting aptly agile, nicely spaced and clean notes with decent extension. There is not excess energy or sharpness to be wary of. Layering are separation are very good too. Air 5 pro doesn’t sound fatiguing like the Capsule 3 pro.
COMPARISON:
Vs Samsung Buds 3 pro:
Acquired by my cousin brother in a bundled deal this definitely is one of the most popular TWS IEMs. It definitely offers very good vocals clarity and resolution but the Air 5 pro matches it without much issues while offering better tonality and timber. Buds 3 pro sounds a bit dry and slightly sharp in comparison. It has less voluminous, and leaner bass notes but offers slightly better control too while the Air 5 pro is more meaty and fuller sounding. Highs is where the Air 5 pro is slightly more forgiving but sounds more refined while the Buds 3 pro offers a bit more clarity and extension while being a bit more bright. Vocals are where the Air 5 pro is more pleasing and tonally accurate. Instruments are a bit cleaner with the Buds 3 pro.
These two have different form factors too but I find the Air 5 pro more stable inside the ear. I can definitely understand if someone likes the stem-less design of the Samsung.
As far as sound quality is concerned, pick the Samsung for a more balanced signature with dry and crisp tonality.
Air 5 pro is more fun and musically tuned, has a more pleasing tonality timber and sounds more cohesive too.
STAGE AND IMAGING:
Air 5 pro not only offers impressive balance across the spectrum, it has an aptly developed stage too. We get a slightly wider than taller stage while the Z-axis depth is impressive for a TWS IEM. Yes, most of the stage is placed inside the head but the clean separation and cue placements gives this TWS admirable imaging capabilities. Most of the notes beyond 4k and some vocals do make it out of the head though. We are getting very good sonics too, background instruments have the subtlety, but retain a bit more transparency for better clarity and details.
CONCLUSION:
Yes, I have been saying this for a while but I have no problem repeating myself, TWS IEMs are definitely getting better as the Bluetooth technology is improving with time. If not all, Soundpeats Air 5 pro tuned to offer very good macro dynamics, texture, accuracy and details. Yes, an equally priced wired IEM can offer a bit more micro details but the difference is definitely getting smaller.
I wasn’t thrilled with the Capsule 3 pro tuning but the extra bit of balance and vocal clarity of Air 5 pro has won my admiration. I definitely recommend this TWS IEM for those looking for calls and a balanced signature with class leading resolution, tonality, timber and clarity. It’s excellent for gaming and movie watching thanks to it’s dynamic cue placements. I must admit, I had never liked any other TWS IEM under $100 more than the Air 5 pro. It reminds me of the Technics
