Finding true wireless earbuds that balance hi-res sound, strong noise cancellation and comfort often means paying premium prices. Brands like Sony, Bose and Apple dominate the high-end, but Soundpeats has been building a reputation for delivering excellent value. Their latest release, the Air5 Pro, aims to offer flagship-style performance at a far more accessible cost. I was so eager to try these, I actually opened them & started using them straight away. Normally, I would take photos of earphones before using them, but I live by a loud road & it’s getting harder to hear my podcasts on my daily walks, so I was desperate to test out the noise-cancelling. I’ve not been disappointed. As usual for sound peats, they come well packaged & they feel premium. The charging case is great & I’ve only needed to recharge it once since getting the Air5 Pro’s.

With support for aptX Lossless, LDAC, adaptive ANC and multipoint Bluetooth, the Air5 Pro look like an audiophile-friendly option on paper. After several weeks of testing them across commuting, home listening, workouts and calls, here’s how they perform in real life.

Specs Overview

• Bluetooth: 5.4 with Snapdragon Sound
• Chipset: Qualcomm QCC3091
• Drivers: 10 mm bio-diaphragm (PU + PEEK)
• Supported codecs: SBC, AAC, LC3, LDAC, aptX, aptX Adaptive, aptX Lossless
• Noise cancellation: AI Adaptive ANC (up to 55 dB claimed reduction)
• Microphones: 6-mic system with cVc 8.0
• Battery life: 7.5 h per charge, 37 h with case
• Charging: USB-C, 10 min fast charge = ~2 h playback
• Water resistance: IPX5
• Weight: 4.8 g per earbud, ~50 g total with case
• Extras: Multipoint connectivity, touch controls, PeatsAudio app

Design and Comfort

The Air5 Pro use a familiar stemmed design with a compact charging case that slips easily into a pocket similar to that of AirPods. The earbuds weigh just 4.8 g each, making them feather-light and comfortable for long listening sessions. The silicone tips create a snug seal, and the stem design helps keep them stable during movement. I’ve found the medium silicone tips to very comfortable, and even without ANC, the design blocks out quite a bit of ambient sound. Build quality feels solid and these have become my go-to earphones for all uses, even supplanting my AND headphones. The charging case is solid with a strong hinge and the magnets hold the buds securely in place. With IPX5 water resistance, they can handle sweat and light rain, making them workout-friendly. I’ve worn these out in the autumn rain and they have been flawless.

Sound Quality

This is where the Air5 Pro shine. Powered by a 10 mm bio-diaphragm driver and Qualcomm’s QCC3091 chipset, they deliver audio quality that outperforms most rivals at this price point.

• Bass: Punchy and controlled, with enough weight for EDM and hip-hop without muddying the mids. Perfect for rock, metal & grunge. You can select EQ’s directly on the chipset via the app.
• Mids: Clear and natural, keeping vocals and instruments well-defined.
• Treble: Crisp and lively, adding sparkle without becoming harsh.
• Soundstage: Impressively wide for budget earbuds, with good instrument separation.

The real game-changer is codec support. With LDAC and aptX Lossless, the Air5 Pro can stream hi-res music if your device supports it. Listening to Tidal HiFi and my FLAC files, the earbuds revealed details and dynamics usually reserved for higher-end models.

Adaptive Noise Cancellation

Soundpeats claims up to 55 dB of reduction with AI-driven ANC. I’ve had great results with the ANC, now listening to my podcasts without vocal boost and only needing about 20% volume. With standard earbuds, I was at 100% volume and a vocal boost, due to the traffic noise on local roads where I walk daily. In practice, results are very strong:

• Commute: Engine and train rumbles are cut to a low murmur.
• Office: Background chatter and typing are reduced significantly.
• Outdoors: Wind is handled decently, though strong gusts can still sneak through.

The Transparency mode is effective for quick conversations or staying aware of traffic, though there’s a slight digital hiss in very quiet settings. While ANC doesn’t quite match Sony or Bose flagships, it’s excellent for the price.

Call Quality

With six microphones and cVc 8.0 noise reduction, the Air5 Pro are reliable for calls:

• Indoors: Voices are natural and clear, great for Zoom or Teams.
• Noisy streets: Background noise is suppressed well, though your voice can sound thinner.
• Windy conditions: Still usable, though some noise makes it through.

For work calls and everyday conversations, they’re more than adequate.

Connectivity and Features

Using Bluetooth 5.4, the Air5 Pro maintain a stable connection with no dropouts, even in crowded areas.

Multipoint connectivity works smoothly, letting you switch between phone and laptop without re-pairing. Latency is low enough for streaming video in sync, and casual gaming is fine.

The PeatsAudio app adds useful features like EQ presets, touch control remapping, and firmware updates. It’s not as advanced as Sony’s Headphones app, but it covers the essentials.

Controls

Touch controls are responsive and cover playback, volume, ANC, and calls. The learning curve is short, though accidental taps can happen when adjusting the fit. Thankfully, the app allows remapping or disabling certain gestures.

Battery Life

• 7.5 hours per charge with ANC on (longer with ANC off)
• 37 hours total with the charging case
• 10 minutes quick charge = ~2 hours playback

In daily use, they easily last a full workday plus commute. The case recharges via USB-C, though there’s no wireless charging option.

Long-Term Impressions (After 4 Weeks of Use)

After several weeks, the Air5 Pro still hold up well:

• Comfort: Lightweight fit remains comfortable for long listening sessions. Tips keep their seal.
• Battery: Runtime hasn’t dropped noticeably, and there’s no sign of idle battery drain in the case.
• Connectivity: Multipoint switching between laptop and phone works seamlessly. No random dropouts experienced.
• Durability: The earbuds resist scratches well, though the case shows fingerprints. IPX5 protection has survived sweat and rain during workouts.
• Sound: Still detailed and lively. After “burn-in,” mids feel slightly smoother, making vocals richer.
• ANC: Continues to handle commuting noise effectively, though not at flagship levels. Transparency mode remains practical.
• App and Updates: Firmware updates via the app are simple, showing that Soundpeats is committed to long-term support.

Overall, they’ve proven reliable beyond first impressions — not always the case with budget earbuds.

Pros and Cons

Pros

• Excellent hi-res audio with LDAC and aptX Lossless
• Punchy, detailed sound across genres
• Effective adaptive ANC for commuting and office use
• Lightweight, secure and comfortable fit
• Stable Bluetooth 5.4 with multipoint pairing
• Strong battery life and fast charging

Cons

• No wireless charging for the case
• Companion app is basic

The Air5 Pro stand out for Android users who want lossless audio at a budget-friendly price. I tend mostly to use iOS, but they are wonderful for my use case and have become my go-to earbud. At this price, I’d say they are an AirPods Pro challenger & a no-brainer purchase for those wanting a premium earbud and ANC at a fraction of the cost.

Verdict

The Soundpeats Air5 Pro are among the best value wireless earbuds of 2025. They combine hi-res audio support, adaptive ANC, multipoint connectivity, and excellent battery life into a lightweight, comfortable package.

They don’t fully dethrone flagship models from Sony or Bose, but they come surprisingly close at less than half the cost. For listeners who want premium features without the premium price tag, the Air5 Pro are an easy recommendation — and they’ve proven durable in the long run.

Verdict: A superb choice for budget-conscious audiophiles and commuters alike. Keep an eye out for these on the upcoming Amazon Prime Day, as I hear they are going to have a significant discount available.

So the Soundpeats Q40 HD came out as a massive upgrade to my older Soundpeats Q12 which I got & reviewed years ago & you can read here.  Choosing portable headphones isn’t always straightforward. The lighter and more compact they get, the more you often sacrifice in terms of comfort, durability, or battery life. For people who want headphones that balance portability with proper sound and long-term wear comfort, the SOUNDPEATS Q40 HD make a strong case. They come with a great selection of ear hooks (wings) and ear tips so you can get that perfect fit, and these feel premium in the hand with their metal casing and reinforced cables. I’ve been wanting to upgrade the Q12’s I use for a long time, so when I heard of these with bigger drivers & LDAC support, I just had to try them.

The Q40 HD uses a neckband design. It may not suit everyone, but for active use it’s an excellent choice – the band helps the earbuds stay secure without weighing you down. The cable is slightly flattened at the back so it rests more comfortably against your neck, and each bud uses small ear wings to keep them locked in place during workouts. I really liked the addition of the ear wings, as they made the fit much more secure than the Q12 I’ve already got. I did heavy workouts and sprints, but they stayed in place at all times. They also feel extremely comfortable when wearing them and the fact that the earbuds are technically joined, means connectivity between left & right is solid with no chance of drop-outs. I also like that if one falls from your ear for whatever reason, it’s still connected to your body around the neck and in the other ear. It would be extremely difficult for these to drop to the floor by accident.

In the box, you’ll find five sets of silicone ear tips and three sets of ear wings, giving you plenty of sizing options for comfort and stability. The lightweight nature of the Q40 HD means you can wear them for hours without noticing much strain. With an IP67 rating, the Q40 HD can easily withstand sweat, rain, and dust, making them a reliable running & sports earphone. Magnetic clasps on the earbuds let you clip them together when not in use. It’s a simple but useful touch carried over from previous designs that make them easier to carry and prevents tangling.

An inline control module handles playback, volume, and track skipping. It’s easier to use than fiddly buttons on the earbuds themselves, and it also makes it simple to tell left from right at a glance. I really appreciate this feature, as I sometimes struggle to remember the gestures and taps required when it comes to touch controls on ear buds. The controls contain the playback and pause buttons, volume controls and the microphone for calls.  It’s always handily available by your neck & I much prefer inline controls to touch controls for ease of use. Multipoint connectivity via Bluetooth 5.4 means you can connect to two devices at once – for example, switching seamlessly between your laptop and phone, which I haven’t used with these, but it’s a great feature to have.

Audio Performance

The Q40 HD are Hi-Res certified and support the LDAC codec, which means higher-quality streaming when used with compatible devices. Inside each earbud are 11mm dual-magnetic dynamic drivers, tuned for a lively sound profile with punchy bass and smooth mids. Treble is controlled well enough to avoid harshness, even at higher volumes. I enjoyed the sound from these & the inner ear design allows for some external noise dampening without actual ANC. These have just enough bass to make them comfortable to wear & I found I didn’t need to use massive volumes to enjoy music on them. A 360° spatial audio mode adds depth for films and gaming. It isn’t going to rival high-end surround systems, but it makes content feel more immersive than standard stereo. Overall, the sound signature leans slightly towards the energetic, making them well suited to workouts, pop, and electronic tracks – while still handling podcasts and calls cleanly. I listened to a lot of podcasts using these & spoken word does sound excellent. I also tried some Prog Rock & some metal albums from my collection, and they sounded good. Perhaps the best thing I listened to was my 90s grunge. Nirvana tracks like Son of a Gun & Turnaround sounded really clean on these.

Microphone Quality

For calls, the Q40 HD includes a single AI-assisted microphone that reduces background noise. It does a solid job of filtering out chatter and general environmental noise, making voices clearer on the other end. It’s not at the level of professional headsets, but for casual and work calls it performs well. I found this works better in quieter environments, I tend to run at the side of busy roads, so even the best noise-cancelling would struggle, but these are OK for making those quick calls during your workouts.

Battery Life

Battery life is one of the Q40 HD’s strongest features. You get up to 20 hours of playback on a full charge, which is more than enough for a week of commuting or several long gym sessions. A 10-minute quick charge provides around 5 hours of use, perfect for when you’re rushing out the door. Full charging takes about 1.5 hours, and standby stretches to 100 hours.

What’s in the Box

SOUNDPEATS include a generous set of accessories:

Q40 HD headphones

5 pairs of silicone ear tips (XS/S/M/L/XL)

3 pairs of ear wings (S/M/L)

Adjustable silicone bead

USB charging cable

User manual

This range of fittings ensures a secure and comfortable experience for most ear shapes.

The SOUNDPEATS Q40 HD neckband headphones strike a balance between portability, performance, and comfort. They’re not trying to reinvent the wheel, but they deliver strong sound quality, excellent battery life, and rugged durability at a price that feels more than fair. They are a massive upgrade from my trusty Soundpeats Q12 and well worth the investment if you are looking for some well priced workout earphones. For sports, commuting, and general day-to-day listening, they’re a dependable choice – and one of the better-value neckband headphones currently available. They are super cheap to buy & they do seem to last years. My older Q12 which I’ve had for many years still hold great charge & have survived a lot of miles of running. As of writing, they are running a promotion on these, so you can grab them at a bargain price of £29.99 over on Amazon.

I’ve been rocking these SoundPeats PearlClip Pro earphones for a month or so now, so thought it was about time I did a short review of these little beauties. They are currently available on Amazon with money off, so I can 100% recommend grabbing a pair. Let’s dive into the review.

I’ve been looking for something to replace my wired apple earbuds for a while now. Since upgrading to an iPhone 16 Pro and requiring an adaptor to convert USB-C into a 3.5mm jack, I was thinking of grabbing a pair of wireless earbuds. The Apple AirPods are great, but for the amount they cost, I was convinced I could find a better option for my usage.

I’ve been using these Soundspeats PearlClip Pro earbuds now for well over a month, and they tend to be worn for around an hour a day when I’m doing my walks. The thing that strikes me the most is just how well they cling to your ear, even on a windy day, on the beach, they cling onto your ear cartilage like a champ.

Let’s get into the details, they come well boxed in a neat little package which has the most satisfying film to peel off (it can’t be just me who loves to open electronics that are sealed in film). Inside you will find the charging case and underneath the packaging a USB-C charging cable and instructions.

As standard, the rear of the box has details about the earbuds themselves including the specs, but this is kept to a minimum and the packaging feels very premium. Let’s get into the earbuds themselves.

Flip open the charging case, and both earbuds are neatly contained inside. The status light on the front lets you know that they are charged. You can also press and hold the pairing button on the front, so the earbuds enter pairing mode. The earphones are held in the charging case with small magnets, and the charging case itself feels very sturdy and premium. As soon as you remove the earbuds from the case, they connect to any device they have been previously paired with, and you are ready to go. To switch them off again, simply pop back into the case.

The earphones themselves are very sturdy. There is a trick to wearing them, take the left or right earbud, have a look at the bottom edge and see where the charging points are. This bit goes over the edge of your ear and clings to the rear side of your earlobe, while the speaker side sits in your ear canal. Once you get used to clipping these on it becomes second nature, and they cling on so well, even during sport or heavy movement.

So now onto using them. I’ve found them to be very good for all but the noisiest environments. They obviously don’t have any kind of ANC, so this is to be expected. I did find turning off soundcheck on my iPhone was needed to get the volume high enough when walking in noisy areas, but for everyday use & city sounds they are more than sufficient. The Bluetooth connection is seamless & I haven’t once lost the stereo pairing.

The earphones themselves have touch controls, so you tap or hold to do things like adjust volume and skip tracks. The gestures themselves take a bit of getting used to, but once you master it, it works well. I do tend to be old school & like to control my music on the device, even from lock screen controls, so this hasn’t been an issue for me.

The sound is actually superb, with a nice balance of bass & treble. They don’t suffer from sounding tinny or muddy, especially given this small size. I’ve also found the battery life to be great & have only recharged my charging case once in over a month. I tend to listen to a lot of rock & metal, and both genres sounds great on these. Furthermore, I also listen to a lot of prog rock, and the new Steven Wilson album – The Overview – actually sounded great on these little earphones. I could pick out the individual instruments & the soundstage sounded much larger than it had any right to on small ear buds. For the price, these really are a great deal.

The one criticism I would have is the wireless call quality. I don’t tend to make many calls on wireless headphones, but if the phone rings, I do answer it even wearing headphones. Friends have complained the audio clarity isn’t great, so I’ve been avoiding using them for calls.

My recommendation would be to go & buy these right away. They always have great deals on Amazon, and for the money, they are a great addition if you are in the market for Bluetooth earbuds. I love how firm they stay in my ears & I’ve not yet managed to drop one or shake one lose, even when doing workouts & running outside. They seem super durable & well-made & I’m convinced you won’t be disappointed.

A week later I had the OneOdio A30’s in my hand, and I was instantly impressed with this little gem. I wasn’t expecting great things given the sub £60 price tag, but I’ve got to say I’m blown away by how good these headphones are. My expectations were low due to price, but that was misplaced. They are wonderful.

They are on over ear design so the soft ear cups naturally block out a lot of ambient noise. Trigger the ANC switch though & you have 26db active noise cancelling which is brilliant. Like all noise cancelling, it is better at blocking out constant pitch of noise such as the hum of an engine, but these do well to block out most sounds, even sudden bangs and crashes in the environment.

Without the noise cancelling active, the sound response is decent from the 40mm drivers. Bass is punchy but not overpowering & treble doesn’t get muddy like it tends to on a lot of Bluetooth headphones. I’ve paired them with my MacBook, iMac, Apple Watch & iPhone, and they work flawlessly with each device, also allowing for easy switching between devices as they favour the current connected device which is outputting audio. Simply pause on one device and start playing on another and the audio source automatically switches. I have found that they work best without any EQ settings on iOS. I had a bass booster turned on for my earpods, but have switched it off for use with these. It was too bassy.

The multi function buttons on the side allow you to power on/off the headphones and also feature volume up and down buttons. Tap the power button to pause and resume and long press the volume buttons to skip tracks. The controls are always at hand, but I tend to use my Apple Watch to control my music, so not a function I use often.

One problem I did find was when pairing with my MacBook & iMac, the Bluetooth codec would default to SBC which is the basic Bluetooth reference codec & means audio will go out of sync with videos when playing. However, not stated on the box is that these headphones support the AAC codec which is the native apple codec on Mac/iOS devices. AAC is normally reserved for much higher end hardware & I’m surprised it isn’t advertised on the specs as it would make these even more desirable with apple users. Running the following commands in terminal on my iMac and MacBook enabled AAC support & audio/video streaming was in sync & the audio much better quality. I also enabled aptX for other headphones.

To enable AptX support
sudo defaults write bluetoothaudiod "Enable AptX codec" -bool true

And AAC support

sudo defaults write bluetoothaudiod "Enable AAC codec" -bool true

The headphones charge using a USB C cable which is supplied & the OneOdio A30 headphones also come with carry case, wired cable for use when battery is low or on older non Bluetooth devices & an airline adaptor to allow you to use them on a plane.

The headphones are made out of plastic, which doesn’t feel premium like the alloys used in other brands, but they feel robust and hard wearing. The ear cups are a comfortable synthetic leather & I haven’t had any issues with hot ears or itching. The headband is padded in a similar vegan leather and one aspect I really like is that the top of the headband where the logo is, is also padded. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve banged my beats against things like car doors and not wanted to look at the scratches & gouges. A nice touch.

Battery life is excellent. Specs quote that you will get 15 hours using Bluetooth and noise cancelling, while you should get 25 hours with noise cancelling disabled & 45 hours of just noise cancelling without Bluetooth switched on. This all from a 500mAH battery. For my usage, listening to music, meditating & watching films while I work, I find that I’m charging them once a week. I don’t tend to use ANC when sat in the office, but will when meditating or walking outdoors & I’ve found it a really handy feature. It really does help. These headphones also have mics built in for hands-free calling which is a feature I’m using a lot during lockdown.

For under £60 on Amazon these are a no brainer. Great price, great product and wonderful value for money. As good if not better than headphones I’ve used at 5-6 times the price. Their support of AAC makes them perfect for iOS & Mac users & if you stream from Apple Music, you will notice that the audio is crisp and pleasant as intended. A highly recommended purchase.

I’ve got a Nike+ Apple Watch Series 3 with Cellular and I tend to use my watch a lot to listen to music on the go. It means I can keep my iPhone in my pocket or backpack & not worry about being disturbed. It’s also amazing to use the apple watch to work out. I already use the fitness trackers on the apple watch, but now combined with the SoundPEATS Q12 headphones I can listen to music and track my workout.

The Soundpeats Q12 headphones are a similar design to my older Q30’s. They still have the magnets built-in so they connect like a necklace when not in your ears, and the left & right headphones are still connected by a wire which I really like. The one thing which has stopped me buying Earpods is the thought of having nowhere to put them when I stop to chat.

The wire connecting the left & right earbud on the Q12 is a better design than on the Q30. The cable is flat and much less prone to tangling. It also sits comfortably around my neck when not wearing the earbuds, and looks a little slicker too.

The Headphones come with various sizes of ear bud and ear hooks, so you can customise the fit to your ears. I’ve found a really snug fit with the large hooks and medium earbuds, almost to the point where they are noise cancelling like earplugs. Much of the outside world is blocked out by the close fit, meaning you can keep your volumes lower & protect your ears.

Another major benefit of the SoundPEATS Q12 is the ability to pair via bluetooth with two devices. I’ve got mine synced to my apple watch & to my iPhone, and can easily switch between the two without having to un-pair & re-pair the bluetooth connection.

The sound is very good from these earbuds. They take a little getting used to regarding fit, you figure out the right angle and depth to insert these earbuds & when you do the bass response is great & even at low volumes the sound fidelity is good. On a song such as Trains by Porcupine Tree, there is a good dynamic range, and I can hear good seperation in bass and treble between the hand claps and bass lines. For the price (currently only £19.99) these headphones are a great choice for people who appreciate decent sound without breaking the bank.

There are a selection of colourways for the Soundpeats Q12 headphones, but I opted for black with luminous green earbud inserts. They really suit my colour pallete.

In the pack you get three sizes of earbuds, three sizes of ear hooks and two cord clamps for hooking them to your T-shirt collar. The headphones come in a small faux leather pouch for storage and transport, and the pouch works great to keep them clean & dry in my backpack when not in use.

The headphones themselves weigh only 15g and are sweatproof so have survived my 40km daily bike rides with ease. I’ve also worn them in the rain & cold and have had no problems. The headphones are an advertised 8 hours battery life from the built-in lithium-ion battery, but I’ve found they will do around 10 hours between a charge on the volume setting I select.

The SoundPEATS Q12 also come with a 12 month warranty, so I’ve not been afraid to use them as advertised, and I work out in them for a few hours each day. I’ve never had issues with pairing on sync and they always performed as expected.

These Soundpeats Q12’s also support AptX And are specced as Bluetooth 4.1, so if you have an android phone or device supporting AptX, you will benefit from a better audio/bluetooth compression codec & the headphones should generally sound better.

I would never expect in ear headphones to perform as well as full size cans, but these work well with my ios devices & I’ve not noticed a difference between them using bluetooth & my wired apple earbuds. When playing on the iPhone I use Tidal Hifi and the sound is rich & defined.

If you want audiophile quality sound i would always advise you buy wired full size headphones with a built-in DAC, but for the casual daily user or someone who needs a lightweight & versatile pair of headphones, I would fully recommend the SoundPEATS Q12’s.

I’m currently using mine predominantly with my Apple Watch Series 3. The in line controls work perfectly with the apple watch for volume, play/pause & skipping of songs.

Manufacturer specs as follows :-

One of the biggest features of Sonos that I use are the lock screen controls. My device usage has changed dramatically over recent months as I’ve been researching smart phone addiction & the problems caused by too much exposure to social media. One thing to come out of this research is that I tend to leave my iPhone docked in a bamboo dock in my kitchen at all times. This means I don’t pick up the phone at random & my compulsion to check it has diminished.

This also means that I really rely on the lock screen controls for my sonos. The hardware volume buttons are perfect to quickly adjust volume without taking my phone out of the dock or even unlocking it. I use the lock screen skip buttons & I like to view the artwork on the lockscreen. Also, I use the lock screen controls via my apple watch, which makes perfect sense as the controls are always on hand. The apple watch is a great way to control sonos, it’s discrete and the digital crown acts as a volume knob.

The other benefit is that the lock screen controls also appear on my wife’s iPhone & our iPad’s, meaning we normally have a device close at hand to control our sonos system.

This week sonos rolled out Airplay 2 support. This support meant a sonos software update & an app update. To be clear, I have Sonos Play 1’s in my home. I don’t like having alexa in every room in the house & since unplugging the Fire Stick, I don’t have any smart device which is always listening for prompts. It just doesn’t fly with me from a privacy standpoint.

The Play 1’s don’t support Airplay 2, the update only applies to the more high-end Sonos speakers such as the newer Play 5’s and the all new Sonos one’s with alexa built-in. I really wish that Airplay 2 could have been supported, but I may add a Sonos one to my system at some point which will enable it across my sonos system.

Anyway, even though Airplay 2 isn’t supported on any of my devices, the new update broke my all important lock screen controls. After contacting Sonos I was told that basically the Lock Screen controls where never officially supported by Apple & that they had been a bit of a hack (playing a silent song on the iPhone to work).

Regardless, the lock screen controls are what originally sold me into the Sonos ecosystem. I don’t like talking to my devices & it is too hit & miss at present. Furthermore most of my music is in my personal collection & my library isn’t fully supported by Alexa in the newer Sonos speakers.

And the fix for Lock Screen Controls on iOS/Sonos

After a lot of head scratching I decided to experiment with getting the lock screen controls working again. The option was still ticked in my iOS app settings, so I started poking around. I concluded that if AirPlay devices are available on the network, the lock screen controls are disabled as AirPlay takes precedent. I figured this out by unplugging my Apple TV and my Libreelec Kodi media centre on the Raspberry Pi. These two devices are my only Airplay endpoints on the network. After rebooting my iPhone and firing up the Sonos app, I was suprised to see the Lock Screen controls return.

To make the change permanent, I disabled AirPlay on my Apple TV and I also disabled it on my Kodi media centre. For some reason, the iPhone running iOS 11 will now cache any AirPlay endpoints (possibly to allow them to sleep but still be available to iOS). So once you disable AirPlay, you need to restart all of your iOS devices. Also, unplug your AirPlay endpoints until you can confirm the fix works, and turn them back on one by one to isolate any which are still broadcasting as Airplay receivers.

To find out which devices on your network are airplay endpoints, open the music app on your iOS devices (not the sonos app, but the actually music app) and click the airplay button. If you see any devices there, you need to identify them and disable airplay on those devices.

My Lock Screen controls are now working as expected on all of my iOS devices & I hope Sonos can come up with a more elegant solution in future updates.

I would love to introduce an AirPlay supporting speaker to my sonos collection which doesn’t feature Alexa, perhaps something for Sonos to consider for all of us Privacy focused tech people.

Over the last few months, I’ve been trying out Apple Music, Spotify Premium, Amazon Music Unlimited & Tidal. I also have my own music collection which is ripped to iTunes. My own collection is around 26,000 tracks, ripped from CD in Apples 256kbps AAC codec format using iTunes. I combine this with iTunes match both to backup my collection on apples’ servers in case of a disk failure & also to give me access to my music on my Apple & iOS devices. For years this has served me well & is a habit I will keep, but I was definitely interested in new music discovery so ventured into the world of streaming services.

I’m not going to write much about Spotify, Amazon or Apple Music. After trying all three I’ve got to say I found Spotify the best for music discovery but Apple Music the best for sound quality & overall experience. Bear in mind that I use iMacs, MacBooks, iPhones & iPads so I’m heavily into the Apple Ecosystem already.

I did find however that Apple Music offered no significant benefits over my locally stored AAC, so I cancelled that subscription & went back to sourcing & curating my own library.

On the whole, I’ve been very happy with 256kbps AAC. I mostly listen to music using my iMac and Creative Inspire 2.1 2400 speakers with bass sub (these powered speakers with sub are ancient & connect via a 3.5mm jack).

These speakers are pretty old now but they’ve always sounded great & as an average consumer I’ve never felt the need to upgrade them. I’m sure many people reading this will have fancy monitor speakers & separate DAC’s, but this is aimed more at the home user so you could probably skip the rest.

Last week I decided to give Tidal a go on their free trial. I’ve always played with the idea of Tidal, but with only a one month trial & a £20 a month price tag I’d always dismissed the service. I don’t personally know anyone else who has a Tidal account so it’s just not been on my Radar. After visiting Bang & Olufsen in Truro and hearing the most amazing sound, only to notice the owner was running tidal off his own iMac for that sound, I just had to give it a go.

What can I say, I’m blown away by Tidal. I signed up for the Hi-Fi account which offers 320kbps AAC, but also all tracks are available as lossless quality FLAC files. The FLAC streams sound incredible, even on my modest setup. I can hear aspects of favourite songs I’ve never heard, such as plectrum scratches in Steven Wilson tracks & high-frequency percussion in Porcupine Tree tracks.

I can hear a lot more high-frequency sounds, and vocals sound much crisper and cleaner. When compared to my AAC the sound is a lot more clear & less muddy. In comparison to my 256kbps AAC, it’s like listening to normal audio and listening with a towel over the speaker.

I’ve got a few albums in FLAC, but storage of my entire collection has never appealed to me due to the time it would take to manage the files & the various backups I’d have to keep. I’m now keeping my music collection in AAC for personal use & use on the go, but predominantly listening to tracks on Tidal if they are available.

Then we come onto the Tidal Masters. I could probably get even more out of them with better monitor speakers & an external DAC plugged into the mac, but as an average consumer listener, I’d rather hear the best I can with the kit I’ve already got. Masters do sound wonderful even on my kit, and although the MQA streams will be software decoded & downsampled slightly for my sound card in the iMac, there is no doubt the audio quality is sublime.

I’ve had no issues with buffering of the streams & I even love the Tidal interface, especially the spinning disc effect on full-screen mode.

I’ve got no problems at all with my personal collection staying in 256kbps AAC. The Matched tracks on iTunes match are deleted from my machine & re-downloaded so I have Apple’s own iTunes store copies/rips of the tracks. I’m not prepared at this point in my life to spend thousands on pro audio gear or a listening room. I just like to get the best out of the stuff I have & mixing my own collection in 256kbps AAC with a Tidal subscription seems to be a great compromise.

At £20 a month it is quite expensive, but well worth it if you listen to more than a few hours of music every month. I’m really enjoying the Tidal experience & the extra boost in sound quality seems to be worth it. I can cancel at any time & fall back on my own vast collection, but I’ll play it by ear month on month.

Tidal also sounds great played in hi-fi on my iOS devices, even when outputting to Bluetooth speakers, there is a definite improvement over my AAC tracks.

In the living room, we have a stereo pair of Sonos Play 1’s. We live in close proximity to neighbours & have a modestly sized living room as I expect most of my readers will, and the Play One’s in stereo are more than sufficient in terms of both sound quality & power output. I’ve added My local music library to the Sonos system & I’ve now added Tidal as a music service. Tidal works really well with Sonos & again it’s a definite sound upgrade from my AAC. Sonos will only support the Hi-Fi FLAC streams at the moment, but these are of CD quality on the whole so it’s a clean and crisp sound.

The Tidal App for iOS also supports Sonos as an output device so you can use the Tidal App and output your audio to your Sonos system. This is great for music discovery or to resume your listening when you come from outside listening on Headphones or in the car.

When using earbuds on my iPhone 6 with Tidal, the improvements are more subtle. Tidal tends to have a little less bass than Apple AAC files, but the sound on Tidal tends to be more rounded & a slightly nicer experience. When listening to my Sony headphones, there is definitely an improvement over AAC.

All of my kit is pretty standard and consumer level. It’s by no means audiophile quality, but most people I know are not that interested in investing thousands to listen to their music. I have a few Audiophile friends who have spent upwards of £20k on kit, and while it sounds wonderful, it’s a little bit of a diminishing return for the size of the improvement.

For now, I’ll enjoy all of my favourite tracks on Tidal and keep my own curated library in AAC to supplement and archive my music. It’s not a great deal to pay out each month & the quality improvement is of tangible value. 256kbps AAC to FLAC is a big jump in quality. Anything above that on consumer kit just seems like overkill for the size of the improvement you would see.

If you decide to give Tidal a go on a Mac, make sure to adjust your streaming settings to max out at Master, and also give Tidal exclusive use of the built-in audio device. This way Tidal will adjust your soundcards sample rates to take advantage of the improved audio streams. This really helped Masters to sound better on my machine (yes I know so downsampling will occur as my sound card can’t support that maximum sampling rate) But it does seem to max out my sound cards abilities & sound as good as it can on my current kit.

I know I’ll get a million audiophiles telling me I’m doing it wrong, but after reading all of the reviews & What Hi-Fi magazine I was still struggling to figure out what would sound good on my relatively primitive & low-end setup. I expect most people will want to maximize what they have rather than invest heavily in a lot of extra audio gear. If that is the case, I suggest you give Tidal a go on their free trial. It has definitely changed my music listening & I’m even seeking out awesome sounding albums like Led Zeppelin & Talk Talk.

Let me know your thoughts on this post & be nice.

This single requirement has put me off Bluetooth and wireless headphones for a while until I came across the Soundpeats Q30 wireless earphones.

A few months ago I took a gamble on the Soundpeats P4 Bluetooth speaker. I’d been looking for one for ages and decided to give the really well priced Soundpeats P4 a go. I took the P4 on holiday and loved it, using it every day. I’ve used it every day since being home for the last few months so I can say the quality is outstanding.

I, therefore, decided to check out what Sound Peats had to offer in the Bluetooth headphone department. A few of their products are the individual earbuds, which as I mentioned aren’t suited to my lifestyle. But then I came across the Soundpeats Q30 Bluetooth headphones. The buds are joined by a wire which runs around the back of your neck. The wire also includes a mic and volume/playback controls as you would find on Apple Earbuds. The real party piece comes from the design of the Q30 though. A magnet has been included on the rear of each earbud, so when you hang them around your neck to chat with friends, they click together and form a necklace so you don’t lose them. I personally thought this was genius from Soundpeats.

They are very reasonably priced offering at £19.98 on Amazon and are currently half price so if you like the review you should be quick & grab a pair while they are on offer.

Now, to the headphones themselves. They are really well made and have a light alloy body on the ear buds. These things feel really tough. They are supplied with a range of in earbuds which are interchangeable and of varying sizes, so you can select the size which fits your ear most comfortably. I went for the biggest size so I get an almost vacuum seal fit. This, I find, blocks out most external noise and allows me to listen to music at a much lower volume and hear every note as you aren’t blocking out the environmental noises.

The fact that the earbuds are themselves joined by a wire means you don’t have any sync issues between left & right and you only need to worry about a single pairing, no chance of one ear losing signal like reports from much more expensive headphones.

In the box, you also get an assortment of ear grips, which grip onto the inner part of your ear to keep them extra secure & finally you get a charging cable, all in a neat little leather effect travel bag.

Due to the vacuum design of the earphones, the Soundpeats Q30 earphones offer a lot of clarity and bass, even at low volumes. You need to make sure the buds are positioned correctly in your ear for best results, but after a few times using them, this becomes second nature. The sound is rich and as good as a lot of much more expensive Bluetooth earphones I’ve tried out.

Having the controls on the joining wire is also brilliant. They fall pretty much in the same place as I’ve come to know from my apple earphones and the controls are exactly the same, even down to a small microphone for taking calls or talking to Siri. The volume controls and play/pause buttons are another must for me.

I haven’t had any issues with these headphones regarding pairing with Bluetooth with my iPhone 6 or my MacBook. My iPhone remembers them and instantly connects when I turn them on. I would advise you read the instructions regarding the multi-function buttons before you start. A long press of the play button is also the on/off button and as these are powered by a battery, which you charge with the supplied cable, you will want to turn them off when not using them.

I can only say good things about these Soundpeats Q30 headphones. They are comfortable, dependable and the battery life is very good. I’ve only charged them on a couple of occasions and the iPhone gives me an indication of battery life via Bluetooth in the status bar. They seem to last much longer than the 8 hours quoted on the box but I expect this will vary depending on how you use them.

Wearing them is a pleasure, they grip the ear very well and feel secure. I’ve used mine daily for all of my days around the city and they haven’t yet fallen out, even when running in the rain. The added benefit being if one falls out they are still connected around your neck & you can use the included line clamp to attach to your T-shirt collar if you need extra security.

If you are in the market for a pair of Bluetooth headphones I would fully recommend the Soundpeats Q30 earbuds. They are comfortable, sturdy, has great sound quality and features & at less than £20 they represent huge value for money.

The technical specs are very good for these Soundpeats Q30 headphones, you can check them out below:-

Specification:

Bluetooth Version: V4.1

Charging Time: 2 hours

Play Time: 7 Hours

Talk Time: Up to 8 hours

Bluetooth Mode: HFP/HSP/A2DP/AVRCP

Weight:0.53OZ/15g

  Package included:

1 x Q30 Sports Magnetic Bluetooth Headset Wireless Earphone

1 x Line Clamp

1 x USB Charging Cable

5 x Pairs of Ear Tips (XS/S/M/L/XL)

3 x Pairs of Ear Fins(S/M/L/)

3 x Slide Line Buckle

1 x Leather Bag

1 x User manual