SoundPeats RunFree Wireless Headphones Review

If you are a runner who likes to wear headphones while working out, it’s challenging to find a pair of earbuds or in-ear headphones that will stay on your ears. Maybe you’re just looking for some headphones for home use that don’t fit inside your ear for a bit of added comfort. One solution is to get a pair of wrap-around earbuds. There are headphones that provide a secure fit and quality sound without breaking the bank. SoundPEATS makes such headphones with the SoundPeats RunFree air-conduction wireless headphones.

Design & Comfort

I’ll preface this by pointing out that I’m not a runner. I can run, but I choose not to because I’m lazy. But what I do like the sound of is headphones that don’t go in my ears or cover them entirely. Headphones where I can listen to music at home on my laptop and can hear if I’m being called or talked to by my partner, thanks to the open-ear format. Where I won’t get earache or ridiculously hot ears. This is where SoundPeats has me covered.

There are just three buttons on the device, which control volume and power. Once you have them powered up and turned on, they automatically go into pairing mode to connect – we’ll get onto that in a bit. The buttons are barely noticeable, which is quite nice, seamlessly fitting into the design. The power button is slightly more raised than the others making it super easy to find and press when needed.

With a form factor that curves around the back of your neck to your ears, then over the top of your ears and rests over your ear hole. There is very little to the device in terms of bulk, so although you can feel it on the top of the ear, it’s not uncomfortable. Certainly no more so than wearing glasses – I’ve head reading glasses that weighed more than these. The device’s rubber-coated wireframe body is super thin yet extremely robust, holding the 16.2 mm speakers parallel to your ears.

The only thing I’m not a fan of is purely down to personal preference, but it’s also something that I could get used to – and that’s the wireframe that goes around the back of your head. I found that I kept feeling it when moving or talking. It’s something that I’m not used to. They are super comfortable otherwise, though.

Connectivity

A nice feature of RunFree headphones is their Multi-Point Connection, similar to the SoundPeats Air4 Lite we reviewed the other week. Using Bluetooth, users can pair two different devices to the headphones, allowing them to switch between them with just the touch of a button. It’s pretty near technology where you can answer calls with the RunFree headphones even though you are watching something on your tablet, with the speakers changing from one device to the other seamlessly.

There’s a USB C port nicely hidden away for charging where you can get an impressive 14 hours from just a 2-hour charge.

SoundPeats App

There’s also the Soundpeats app, which allows you to activate the Adaptive EQ. to get the perfect sound out of your Soundpeats headphones. There’s not much more to cover than what I mentioned in the Air4 Lite review – it does what you need, allowing you to set your own equaliser and check the battery level easily. It’s a bit more limited with these headphones as there are no touch options, which would have been a nice addition, given the bulk of the device sitting behind your ear. Just a simple tap feature/option would have been nice.

If you don’t want the app, though, you can get on just fine without it. But you do limit yourself to the one EQ mode if you don’t want to do that.

Calls, Outside and Sound Playback

The sound quality overall is quite good and also rather interesting, thanks in part to the oversized drivers. They come with 16.2mm drivers, as opposed to 8-15mm of the average set of earbuds. It’s noticeable and allows you to have the volume lower than you usually would indoors.

Outdoors is another matter. The volume needs to be higher to make them heard properly over cars. That’s kind of to be expected, though, with there being no seal over your ear canal. Outside sounds will naturally be able to come in. SoundPeats has thought about this, though, particularly when it comes to calls. There’s a dual microphone setup in each headphone, which is designed to effectively suppress ambient noise. Delivering clear and crisp calls for both you and the person on the other end. So, whilst I couldn’t hear who I was speaking to when a bike zoomed past, there were no problems with the other person hearing me perfectly.

It’s just a shame that they can’t get a bit more ambient sound dampening for what I hear, but I didn’t expect that anyway, considering how they sit over the ear. There’s just too many gaps for sound to get in around them, so I don’t know how they could combat that.

Testing at work, because that’s where I like to test headphones initially, and people close would head what I was listening to. Again, though, I kind of expected that since they’re open-ear. You can keep the volume low and still hear good enough, but there’s no sneakily listening to music because it’s pretty obvious I’m listening to music instead of using them with my work’s phone system.

I wouldn’t say the noise cancelling is a deal breaker, though. You might lose that along with some sound richness, depth, and quality, but you do gain the safety of being able to hear things if you’re taking these running.

Conclusion

Overall, they’re nice headphones with a range of pros and cons.

Cons: no touch controls. There is no case, so, therefore, there is no charging without connecting them to a cable. The sound quality is diluted due to the nature of the design.

I think the pros outweigh the cons, though. The lack of case isn’t a dealbreaker as they’re quite flexible and less likely to be lost than earpods. The touch controls would be a nicety but not essential. They’re great for exercising and are unlikely to fall off, and with 14 hours of battery life, you can exercise for an hour a day for 2 weeks before they die on you. There’s no learning curve as they’re pretty simple, with just 3 buttons and super easy pairing. They’re great for people who hate having buds pressed in or hat the feeling of over-ear headphones. And I think being aware of your surroundings if you go running with them is pretty essential. Not that I’ll use them for running. Like I said, I’m lazy.

Personally, these won’t replace my daily drivers, simply because I take one bud out when needed and I still quite like my Samsung Buds. But as an alternative to what I have, for the occasional use at home where I still need to be aware of what’s happening around me, these are going to work pretty well.

Buy on Amazon: https://cutt.ly/bwdGuoMn
Use code RUN4FREE to save 10% off available until 9/10/2023 PDT

Rating: 7/10.