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SoundPeats Q8 Wireless Headphones Review

Tested using Methodology v0.9
Reviewed Apr 13, 2016 at 05:02 pm
SoundPeats Q8 Wireless Picture
7.1
Mixed Usage
6.0
Critical Listening
7.2
Commute/Travel
7.7
Sports/Fitness
7.3
Office
6.2
Home Theater

The SoundPeats Q8 Aptx are well-designed, wireless in-ear headphones with great bass and very low leakage regardless of volume. Unfortunately, the in-ear fit may not be comfortable for everyone. They may sound a little sharp, and they only provide passive isolation.

Our Verdict

7.1 Mixed Usage

The Q8 are a good pair of every day in-ear headphones. They're sufficiently versatile for most use cases and have a compact, wireless design. They also have a decent enough audio reproduction to please most casual listeners and the high passive noise isolation is a plus in loud environments and for commuting.

Pros
  • Good passive isolation.
  • Portable, wireless design.
  • Minimal leakage.
Cons
  • In-ear design is not comfortable for everyone.
  • May sound too sharp with some tracks.
6.0 Critical Listening

Decent for critical listening. They have a good reproduction of the bass, mid and treble and are much better balanced than the latter QY models on the same brand. However, the closed in-ear design isn't the most immersive for critical listening.

7.2 Commute/Travel

Suitable for commuting. They're compact and fit into most pockets. Their passive noise isolation also considerably blocks a fair amount of noise from your environment.

7.7 Sports/Fitness

The Q8 are great headphones for sports. They're wireless, easy to carry around and deliver a stable in-ear fit. Also, their passive isolation will block the ambient noise of a gym but might be a bit too closed for runners and bikers that have to monitor their environment for cars and traffic.

7.3 Office

Suitable for office use. They don't leak much and will isolate you from the chatter of a busy office.

6.2 Home Theater

Average for home theater use. They have quite a bit of latency even with aptX enabled. This will cause slight synchronization issues which are not ideal for watching videos. They're also not as comfortable as some other in-ears to wear for long listening sessions.

  • 7.1 Mixed Usage
  • 6.0 Critical Listening
  • 7.2 Commute/Travel
  • 7.7 Sports/Fitness
  • 7.3 Office
  • 6.2 Home Theater
  1. Updated Apr 13, 2016: Review published.
  2. Updated Apr 11, 2016: Our testers have started testing this product.
  3. Updated Mar 22, 2016: We've purchased the product and are waiting for it to arrive in our lab.

Test Results

Design
Design
Style
Type In-ear
Enclosure Closed-Back
Wireless Yes
Transducer Dynamic
Mic Yes

The SounpPeats Q8 look great. They have an all-black color scheme with a glossy finish for the in-ear buds. The stability tips give them a sporty aesthetic that works with their wireless design. Multiple tip sizes are included.

6.5
Design
Comfort
Weight 0.04 lbs
Clamping Force
0 lbs

The Q8 fit like regular in-ear headphones. They come with additional tips for better stability, which adds a little to their comfort level. However, if the fit of an in-ear design is uncomfortable for you, you will experience the same issues with these headphones.

7.8
Design
Controls
Ease of use Above-average
Feedback Mediocre
Call/Music Control Yes
Volume Control Yes
Noise Canceling Control N/A
Talk-Through N/A
Additional Buttons No

Button layout for the SoundPeats Q8 is functional and efficient. They provide call/music, track skipping and volume controls. Unfortunately, the buttons are a little small and do not provide good tactile feedback.

8.0
Design
Stability

The Q8 like the QY8 are very stable headphones. They offer a variety of stability tips that prevent the headphones from falling while doing sports. They're also wireless and are less likely to get hooked on something and be yanked out of your ears. This makes them ideal for use at the gym or while doing high-intensity exercises.

8.8
Design
Portability
L 2.76"
W 1.18"
H 1.57"
Volume 5.12 in³
Stand required N/A

The Soundpeats Q8 are incredibly portable in-ear headphones. They will easily fit into your pocket, purse or bag. There is no specific way to fold them into their most compact format but thanks to their wireless design there's not much cable to fold, which takes even less space. The in-ear buds are a little large than typical in-ear buds, but they're not large enough to be cumbersome in any way while transporting them.

7.0
Design
Case
Type Soft case
L 3.54"
W 3.54"
H 1.57"
Volume 19.84 in³

Comes with a sturdy, soft pouch that will protect the headphones from damage and has enough space to carry all the additional tips and gear that are provided with headphones. However this adds a little bit of bulk to the headphones, but the case is till small enough to fit in a pocket.

7.0
Design
Build Quality

Build quality is decent. The ear buds feel dense, if a little larger than usual to house the wireless technology. The only cable that links the two ear buds is rubberized and flat, which is a plus. However, they do not feel as durable as an over-ear or on-ear design and the cable could be a weak point susceptible to wear and tear.

9.2
Design
Breathability
Avg.Temp.Difference 0.8 °C

Design
Cable
Detachable No

Comes with USB charging cable.

Design
Front

Design
Angled

Design
Side

Design
Rear

Design
Top

Design
In The Box

  • SoundPeats Q8 Headphones
  • Earbud tips (x3 sizes)
  • USB charging cable
  • Carrying case
  • Manual

Sound
7.2
Sound
Bass
Std. Err.
4.09 dB
Low-Frequency Extension
10 Hz
Low-Bass
5.56 dB
Bass
4.08 dB
High-Bass
2.39 dB

6.7
Sound
Mid
Std. Err.
4.36 dB
Low-Mid
-1.84 dB
Mid
-4.97 dB
High-Mid
-4.94 dB

5.6
Sound
Treble
Std. Err.
5.43 dB
Low-Treble
-2.99 dB
Treble
-1.61 dB
High-Treble
2.46 dB

3.1
Sound
Soundstage
Openness
3.6
Acoustic Space Excitation
1.1

8.6
Sound
Total Harmonic Distortion
Weighted THD @ 90
0.174
Weighted THD @ 100
0.813

Isolation
7.6
Isolation
Noise Isolation
Overall Attenuation
-22.37 dB
Noise-Cancelling No
Bass
-4.21 dB
Mid
-20.13 dB
Treble
-46.82 dB
Self-Noise
11.28 dB

Average isolation. These headphones don't have active noise cancelling, however, the passive isolation provided is quite impressive. It provides more than 45dB of isolation in the treble range and about 20dB in the mid range. It should be noted, however, that most of that isolation is happening in the high-mid range and as the frequency lowers the effectiveness of the passive isolation decreases. The isolation provided in the bass range is negligible.

8.9
Isolation
Leakage
Overall Leakage @ 1ft
28.03 dB

Excellent leakage. Listening at loud volumes should not be an issue in most situations.

Active Features
6.0
Active Features
Wireless
Type
Bluetooth 4.0
Obstructed Range
23 ft
Line of Sight Range
47 ft
NFC
No

The Q8 have a below-average wireless range. They won't be ideal if you have a big house or work in a large office with a lot of walls as their range barely reaches 25ft. They don't have a good line of sight range either and won't be the best wireless option if you don't like to carry you Bluetooth source on your person. They're also not the easiest to pair, and they don't offer NFC but produce decent auditory feedback with an automated voice instead of just beeps and chimes.

5.4
Active Features
Latency
Base Latency
124 ms
aptX Latency
119 ms
aptX(LL) Latency
N/A

5.1
Active Features
Battery
Battery Type
Rechargable
Battery Life
4.4 hrs
Charge Time
3 hrs
Auto-off
No
Audio while charging
Yes
Passive Playback
No

The Q8 have a below-average battery life. They do not last very long on a single charge at casual listening volumes they also take surprisingly long to charge for an in-ear headphone, but on the upside, they can charge and stream audio at the same time which comes in handy if you're at the office and have access to a power outlet or USB port.

0
Active Features
App Support

No compatible app.