SoundPEATS Free2 Classic: one of the best budget in-ear headphones for €19.99 on Amazon

SoundPEATS Free2 Classic Review: You can get the small, inexpensive but good-sounding SoundPEATS in-ears for €19.99 from Amazon. For this you have to activate the 15€ voucher on the product page.

Highlights of the SoundPEATS Free2 Classic:

  • Balanced sound
  • Full touch operation
  • Good battery life

With the SoundPEATS Free2 Classic in-ears there is something new for a very small budget. The up-and-coming manufacturer has already convinced me with various models such as the T2 or the Air3 – let’s take a look at what the new budget headphones have to offer.

Soundpeats Free2 Classic Review, Specs, Manuel & Price

  • Technical specifications
SurnameSoundPEATS Free2 Classic
driver6mm dynamic drivers
frequency range
connectivityBluetooth 5.1
battery capacity350 mAh in charging case; 43 mAh per earpiece
Weight4.97g per earpiece; 37.5 g with charging case
Dimensions25.84 x 18.58 x 17.34mm
IP protection classIPX4
audio codecSBC/AAC
SoundPEATS Free2 Classic Review:

Packaging And Accessories

The Free2 Classic come in a typical “SoundPEATS” box. Inside you will find, in addition to the headphones themselves, a multilingual user manual, a USB-C charging cable and three pairs of ear pads.

soundpeats free2 classicPin
€19.99

Bud design with recognition value

The SoundPEATS Free2 Classic have a standard bud design without the rods à la AirPods. In terms of design, the Free2 Classic In-Ear is based on the SoundPEATS Mini and Mini Pro, which have also not been on the market for long.

The compact earphones measuring 25.84 x 18.58 x 17.34 mm  weigh just under 5 g – a fairly average value. Like most budget in-ears, they are only available in black.

If I had to compare the SoundPEATS Free2 Classic with the in-ear buds of other manufacturers, then a certain similarity to the Earfun Free 2 cannot be denied. But Bud design is Bud design, so I think it’s normal for the listeners to be somewhat similar. I don’t think it has anything to do with copying.

soundpeats free2 classicPin
SoundPEATS Free2 Classic Review:

I like the fact that SoundPEATS is now (for the time being) following a consistent line when it comes to design. A cross-product design language, such as between the Mini, Mini Pro and Free2 Classic, ensures a higher recognition value and, in my opinion, the value of the products is also strengthened.

There are a number of manufacturers, such as TaoTronics or Aukey, where there is often no connection between the audio products apart from the name. Most of these products come from external producers or suppliers, who also take on the entire development and design process. These wholesale products are offered “free for all” and only branded by relevant companies.

That doesn’t seem to be the case here, SoundPEATS at least seems to have fixed suppliers with whom they work together on new products, their design and inner workings.

Materials & Processing

You can already tell that the SoundPEATS Free2 Classic are inexpensive headphonesThe leather-grain plastic used for the charging cradle somehow reminds me of the dashboard of a Dacia Sandero. No front to the Dacia drivers among you, but you have to admit, plastic with a leather grain has never made a really valuable impression.

soundpeats free2 classicPin
SoundPEATS Free2 Classic Review:

The headphones themselves are made of smooth, matt plastic and, in my opinion, look more valuable than the box. Luckily you only wear the handset on your face, but not the charging box.

In terms of processing, I have nothing to complain about here. The plastic parts fit together perfectly and are neatly glued – very good! The cheap headphones make a solid impression despite the perhaps not the most expensive materials.

Sound of the SoundPEATS Free2 Classic

Logically, the most important thing for the sound is the built-in sound generator. SoundPEATS relies on a dynamic driver with a membrane diameter of 6 mm – quite standard. The manufacturer himself speaks of “solid bass” and “decent voices”. That sounds refreshingly honest to me, as many manufacturers tend to constantly use various superlatives that are ultimately not adhered to. How about headphones for this price?

soundpeats free2 classicPin
SoundPEATS Free2 Classic Review:

In the test, the sound of the SoundPEATS Free2 Classic really surprised me. Of course, the headphones, which you can occasionally get for around €20, are not comparable to a >€100 model, but I still think it’s remarkable HOW good the inexpensive in-ear sounds.

In general, I like the tonal tuning very much. In my opinion, the headphones do not sound distorted in any frequency range , which is not a matter of course in this price range. I also like the overall neutral emphasis of the individual frequency ranges. In the budget segment there is often one frequency range that is particularly dominant or particularly detailed compared to the rest, this is not the case here.

The SoundPEATS Free2 Classic have a good bass and sub-bass , which, however, does not ensure that details from the midrange or treble are lost.

The midrange itself is not too bassy, ​​voices are often unnaturally voluminous, especially with cheap headphones – not here. Also, or rather, the treble was the most surprising in the test. Of course, the sound here is not as detailed and high-resolution as with a +100€ headphone, but the SoundPEATS Free2 Classic can easily keep up with the middle-class competition up to approx. 50€.

Sound conclusion

Overall, I really like the sound of the SoundPEATS Free2 Classic The only downside is that there is no high-resolution audio codec installed. One has to be content with the AAC and SBC standard. No problem on iOS, device-dependent on Android. For example, the AAC codec is fairly well integrated in OnePlus’ OxygenOS, but less so in Xiaomi’s MIUI. Above all, Xiaomi’s aggressive energy management intervenes here.

If the support of the aptX codec is particularly important to you, I would rather recommend the Eafun Free 2. If you want to save a few more euros and can do without the codec, then the SoundPEATS Free2 Classic is a very good choice in the budget range.

Headset

The SoundPEATS Free2 Classic are of course also equipped with headset microphones, two of which are installed per earpiece. You can even use it to make calls quite well in quiet surroundings. My interlocutors could understand me well here and it was easy to follow what I was saying.

The situation is different in noisy environments, for example in the city on a busy street or similar. Unfortunately, the SoundPEATS Free2 Classic are not equipped with a correspondingly good noise suppression. Long Story Short: Calling in quiet surroundings yes, calling in noisy surroundings no. 

Wearing Comfort

Just like the Earfun Free 2, the SoundPEATS Free2 Classic are not the most compact of headphones. The buds protrude slightly from the ears due to the width of the body. In my case, that’s not a big deal. In terms of support, I had no problems with the middle ear pads in the test.

soundpeats free2 classicPin
SoundPEATS Free2 Classic Review

As always, wearing comfort is an individual thing and varies from ear to ear. When in doubt, there is only one thing to do: try it out.

Service

Touch sensors are installed on the backs of the SoundPEATS , which enable full operation – very good! A total of five gestures are implemented per listener.

soundpeats free2 classicPin
SoundPEATS Free2 Classic Review
  • Functions of the touch sensors: 
gestureTouch onceTouch twiceTouch 3 timesTouch for 1.5 secondsTouch for 2 sec
right earpieceincrease volumeplay/pause; Answer/end callStart voice assistantnext title; reject callRedial
left earpiece Decrease volumeplay/pause; Answer/end callStart voice assistantprevious title; reject callRedial

In the test , the touch sensors work reliably under both iOS and Android – very well!

Connection & Range

A Bluetooth 5.1 module is used in the SoundPEATS Free2 Classic , which is responsible for communication and audio data transmission. Unfortunately, the chip does not come from Qualcomm and only supports the SBC and AAC codec. In the meantime, however, the latter has been implemented so well on most Android phones that it is sufficient for Spotify music quality and MP3 audio files.

It’s funny, though, that iPhones are basically more compatible with most budget in-ears (which come with standard codecs) than many Android phones. The manufacturer is often accused of a lack of compatibility, which is justified in many other areas, but not with Bluetooth headphones. When compressing audio data, the AAC codec selects according to audibility for the human ear.

SoundPEATS Free2 Classic Review: Frequencies that are not or only slightly perceptible anyway are compressed more than audible ones. However, this intelligence of the codec is not particularly energy-efficient, which leads to poor implementation of the codec under Android, for example under Xiaomi’s MIUI Android with extensive energy-saving measures. iPhones can do that better.

In the test, the connection between the cell phone and the headphones remained stable over a distance of around 15 meters, a good value. So I have no problems even in closed rooms within a room. If the wireless connection has to cross several rooms, it depends on how massive the obstacles are. Of course, the headphones can also be used individually, which is practically standard these days.

Battery Life

43 mAh battery is installed in each of the handsets, which is relatively large. Many manufacturers are already getting along with smaller batteries. However, larger batteries always have a positive effect on the runtime. With the SoundPEATS Free2 Classic, the manufacturer speaks of up to 8 hours – a value at the top level!

There is also a 350 mAh battery in the charging box, with which the batteries can be recharged 2.8 times, according to SoundPEATS. The manufacturer speaks of a total runtime of up to 30 hours.

soundpeats free2 classicPin
SoundPEATS Free2 Classic Review

These manufacturer specifications should usually be treated with some caution. Similar to cars and the corresponding manufacturer information regarding consumption or range, these are laboratory values. Often, if not always, these values ​​are determined at a constant volume of 50%. In practice, however, most listen to music a little louder, which means that the runtime is a bit shorter. But environmental influences, such as the outside temperature, also have an impact on the battery life.

In the test at a mixed volume of about 50%-70%, I was able to achieve an average runtime of around 7 hours . Still a very good value, which is more than sufficient in combination with the charging box.

Conclusion

With the SoundPEATS Free2 Classic, the manufacturer is definitely positioning a competitive product in the budget range. In my opinion, the charging cradle shows that the material is not the best in terms of feel. Nevertheless, the wireless in-ear is very well made and the material seems durable.

In terms of sound, the SoundPEATS Free2 Classic wireless in-ear headphones convinced me with a natural sound and multi-faceted sound in relation to the price! In addition, I am also happy about the comprehensive operation via touch sensors, which reliably does its job in the test. The good battery life also speaks for the wireless in-ear.

You have to make compromises with the Bluetooth chip, which unfortunately does not support a high-resolution audio codec. However, there is always the question of what your own claim is.

Pros

  • Balanced sound
  • Full touch operation
  • battery life
  • processing

Cros

  • material feel
  • Standard audio codecs only

Buy SoundPEATS Free2 Classic?

Based on our experience and your feedback, I am convinced that at least 90% of standard streaming service users are already very satisfied with the sound of the SoundPEATS Free2 Classic. The question remains whether you personally want to do without the aptX codec. Unfortunately, there is no general answer to this and it also depends on your mobile phone. For my part, I am very satisfied with both the performance under iOS and OnePlus. If you have a Xiaomi cell phone, the Earfun Free 2 with aptX may be the better choice.

5/5 - (1 vote)
Leave a Comment