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SoundPEATS Q29 is a similar concept to the Bragi Dash that made waves at CES a few years ago. They are completely wireless earphones that are fit in your ear and then sync to each other, as well as pairing with your phone via Bluetooth. In theory, this should be amazing, no annoying nightly wires getting in the way while doing exercise, and less chance (for me) of getting sweat into the controls etc. In practice, they were not quite as great as I hoped for.

The SoundPEATS come in a nice charging case, each earpiece has a small metal contact part that lines up nicely in the case, then you plug a micro USB directly into the case itself. Charging is quite straightforward, but you obviously need to charge both earphones rather than just the one of normal styles.

Pair up is a little more difficult than normal earphones too, I actually had to reference the brief manual. It still isn’t hard though. You connect to your phone in the same way as always, but I didn’t realise that one earphone needed to be connected first, then the second switched on so it can sync with the other. It needs to be done in a specific order or it won’t happen.

There are 3 earpieces supplied, and I found them all quite small for my massive ears and ear canal. Here is where the main problem lies, the earphones themselves are quite large, I would say a bit bigger than the already large Bose SoundSport Pulse earphones I reviewed. Unlike the Bose, there is just the ear tip that goes in your ear, there is no hook that wraps around the scapha. cartilage part of your ear. So, getting a snug fit with the earpieces is critical. I eventually got an adequate one using some different ear tips.

Sound quality is average in my opinion, they are probably on par with other cheap Bluetooth earphones I have reviewed, but you are paying a premium to have no wires.

The biggest issue I had was using them for exercise, if you don’t have a great fit they are prone to falling out, like any earphone. The issue here is that without any wire when they do fall it they fall to the ground. This is annoying in the gym, but disastrous when I went cycling. I had one of them drop out while cycling slowly down the road then had to spend 20 minutes looking for it on the side of the road. However, your mileage may vary, if you get a good fit I am sure these will be fine for exercise. Considering the good reviews on Amazon it looks like my experience might be an exception.

Overall, they are not bad earphones, and I love the concept, but I think it is a case of form over function at the end of the day. You pay a small premium and actually end up with a worse user experience.

The SoundPEATS Q29 currently cost £45.99 on Amazon, which is quite affordable, but Soundpeats have various other wireless earphones and I would be inclined to save a few pounds and just get some with a wire.  Options include the well-reviewed SoundPEATS Q12 or the SoundPEATS Q9A which look like a good option for running/sports due to no controller on the cable. There is also the Q16 which offers a zero wire solution in a more practical form.

 

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