If you wear headphones for long periods and find that you might get a little bit of discomfort, then you might want to check out the SoundPeats GoFree 2 open-ear headphones. Air conduction delivers a natural sound quality by allowing external sounds, fostering a sense of transparency, reducing listener fatigue, and removes that slight discomfort you can get when having earbuds shoved in your ears for long periods.
The SoundPeats GoFree 2 use air conduction. Air conduction and bone conduction are two different ways of transmitting sound to the inner ear. Bone conduction works by sending vibrations through your bone structure to your inner ear. On the other hand, air conduction works by sending sound waves through the air to your ear, which then picks up the sound waves as a vibration through your eardrum. Pretty self-explanatory, really. But it’s key to know!
Design & Comfort
Let’s start with the case. It’s the first thing you see/hold when you open the box, after all. The case has a matte finish and an almost rubbery feel to it. I kind of like it – it’s not my favourite SoundPeats case (that is still the SoundPEATS Air4 Pro), but it’s far from my least. The texture of it feels pretty good to me, however, it is one that you’ll see scuffs on it more than you would some other cases. It might not be to everyone’s tastes, though.
As for the headphones themselves, they have a pretty cool design. They sit flat in the case and fit in with barely any room to spare. They come with soft rubber hooks that are weighted on the ends. This means that the GoFree 2’s sit on your ears quite comfortably without feeling like they’re rubbing. And you don’t get that weird sensation of something touching you behind your ear, which was a nice surprise.
The earpiece is enclosed in a large housing that hangs over your ear canal and is light enough to forget what type of headphones you have on while listening indoors. For me, I’m not a huge fan of anything that goes up and over my ears, but these are pretty close to changing my mind on that feeling.
SoundPeats App
The SoundPeats App gives you a few options. You have your equalizer, Game Mode, disabling touch controls and dual device connection.
There is no manual in the box for the touch controls. So, I’m once again asking SoundPeats to add manuals to the app. They’re not something I generally use anyway, but if I decide I want to, it’d be nice to remind myself of what they are without finding the manual at home. Or, in this case, trying to work out what they are because there is no manual. It’s one key feature that I think is missing from the app.
Calls, Outside and Sound Playback
Let’s start with the sound playback indoors. When I’m at my desk working away, the GoFree 2’s sound good. I have to turn the sound down a fair bit because it’s just blasting music right at me. If you’re working out at home, these are borderline perfect. They’re designed to not fall off/out.
Outdoors, though, is another matter. The sound is a little further away from your ear canal than most headphones so you lose a bit of quality in the air gap. You’ll hear cars, people, and general noises. Great if you want to still hear what’s going on around you, which if you’re running I think you need to be aware of your surroundings still. But it does diminish the experience a bit. Not too much, though. These are loud, so you can still hear your music just fine providing a truck isn’t zooming past a meter or two away from you.
What you miss, though, is a bit of bass. Maybe some treble too. The sounds that really help you immerse yourself in what you’re listening to. Podcasts or phone calls work just fine, but it’s not as perfect as having proper earbuds in. You’ll get the aforementioned sounds seeping through, but it’s not bad as there is some clever microphone work to help eliminate what external noises it can.
The design of the GoFree 2 headphones requires some flexibility. It’s recommended to keep them on during any activity, and the clever design allows you to stay aware of your surroundings, which is essential when running or cycling on roads and paths.
These are not appropriate for casual wear at home or while studying or commuting. These are to stay on your ears no matter what activity you’re doing. And if you want privacy for your music or phone calls, then air conduction headphones might not be what you’re after.
Conclusion
I’m not a fan of running, but I do have an exercise bike. When using it, I find that the GoFree 2 earbuds are a great option. They perform better than most other headphones I’ve tried while cycling, as they stay in place no matter how much I push myself. And at my desk, gaming or just writing, they’re solid headphones where I can still hear when my attention is needed elsewhere. And they pack some serious noise, considering the size.
For runners, they’re almost perfect, as I couldn’t get them to fall off, no matter how hard I shook my head. And so even if you run like a loon, these should stay on your ears.
You can enjoy a comfortable and reliable audio experience with the GoFree 2, even though it might not be the best sound quality available. But for what they are, with the limitations of air conduction headphones, I think they’re pretty damn good. Plus, you can be confident that they won’t move from where you want them to stay.
I rate the SoundPeats GoFree 2 headphones a solid 7/10.
> Limited Time: until Jan 31st
> Offer Price: £51.09 (MSRP: £79.99 )
> 20% coupon+10%code: SPGOFREE2
> UK Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0CJ26PB4F