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SoundPeats QY9 Wireless Headphones Review

Tested using Methodology v1.0
Reviewed Aug 18, 2016 at 02:59 pm
Latest change: Test bench update Aug 10, 2017 at 11:34 am
SoundPeats QY9 Wireless Picture
6.9
Mixed Usage
6.2
Critical Listening
6.8
Commute/Travel
7.7
Sports/Fitness
7.0
Office
6.1
Home Theater

The SoundPeats QY9 have a lightweight, wireless design and a stable fit that's good for sports. They barely leak any sound and are compact enough for most pockets. Unfortunately, they don't block ambient noise as well as the QY8 and have an average-at-best sound quality.

Our Verdict

6.9 Mixed Usage

The QY9 are geared towards sports, but they're fairly versatile and have a compact, wireless design. This makes them decent mixed usage headphones. Unfortunately, they have worse isolation than the QY8 and a mediocre-at-best sound quality.

Pros
  • Low leakage.
  • Stable in-ear fit.
Cons
  • The in-ear fit is uncomfortable for some.
  • Cramped audio controls.
  • Poor noise isolation.
6.2 Critical Listening

Not made for critical listening. They have closed-back in-ear buds, which can't create a spacious soundstage. That coupled with their mediocre-at-best sound and their sometimes uncomfortable in-ear fit makes them not ideal for critical listening.

6.8 Commute/Travel

Mediocre for commuting. They're compact and fit into most pockets. Sadly, their isolation is weaker than the QY8, which makes them less suitable for loud environments.

7.7 Sports/Fitness

The QY9 are good headphones for sports. They have a stable in-ear fit, and They're wireless and small enough to carry around on your person wherever you go. However, they're not comfortable for everyone, and their control scheme could be improved.

7.0 Office

Mediocre for office use. They don't leak much but won't block the chatter of a loud office.

6.1 Home Theater

Mediocre-at-best for home theater use. They have a lot of latency even with aptX enabled, which is not ideal for watching videos they're also not as comfortable to wear for long listening sessions.

  • 6.9 Mixed Usage
  • 6.2 Critical Listening
  • 6.8 Commute/Travel
  • 7.7 Sports/Fitness
  • 7.0 Office
  • 6.1 Home Theater
  1. Updated Aug 10, 2017: Converted to Test Bench 1.0.
  2. Updated Aug 18, 2016: Review published.
  3. Updated Aug 16, 2016: Our testers have started testing this product.
  4. Updated Jun 27, 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 QY9 are stylish-looking wireless in-ear headphones. They have a similar format to the QY8, but the earbud's design is a little sleeker and moves the play/call button to a better location than on the previous model. They have a simple matte black color scheme, and they're relatively large for in-ear headphones. However, they do not stick out of your ears like the SoundPeats Q8's design.

6.5
Design
Comfort
Weight 0.05 lbs
Clamping Force
0 lbs

These headphones have a typical in-ear fit, which may not be comfortable for everyone. On the upside, the QY9 fixes the issue the QY8 had with the call/music button placement. The button no longer causes listeners to push the earbuds deeper into the ear canal, which was uncomfortable. They also come with a variety of tips to help you find a more comfortable fit.

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

The QY9 has a decent control scheme that provides call/music, track skipping, and volume controls. The buttons feel a little cramped on the earbud, but it's a slight improvement over the QY8's layout. However, tactile feedback is mediocre and may take some time to get used to.

8.0
Design
Stability

The QY9 are very stable headphones. They won't easily fall out of your ears while exercising at the gym. They're lightweight, and the in-ear design is inherently stable. They also have a wireless design, which means the likelihood that the audio cable gets tangled or hooked by something is low. That plus the additional tips provided to improve stability makes these headphones good for sports use.

8.6
Design
Portability
L 3.15"
W 1.97"
H 1.18"
Volume 5.89 in³
Stand required N/A

The QY9, like the QY8, are also amazingly portable headphones. The in-ear buds are a little larger than usual earbuds, to house the wireless electronics. However, they're still small enough to comfortably fit into a pocket, bag or purse.

7.0
Design
Case
Type Soft case
L 3.5"
W 3.5"
H 1.8"
Volume 22.3 in³

Comes with a soft case that will protect the QY9 from falls and scratches. The soft case will not protect the headphones from water damage or heavy physical stress like accidently stepping on it. It also adds a little bulk to the headphones but it's till small enough to fit into pockets and has sufficient space to carry all the provided headphone accessories.

6.5
Design
Build Quality

Build quality is decent. The earbuds are lightweight and dense enough to handle a couple of drops without damage. The flat audio cable is thick and rubberized, which makes it less tangle prone and a bit more durable. Unfortunately, on some units, the audio cable has snapped relatively easily. This issue won't happen with all units but should be something you take into consideration before buying these headphones.

9.1
Design
Breathability
Avg.Temp.Difference 0.9 °C

Design
Cable
Detachable No

Comes with a USB charging cable.

Design
Front

Design
Angled

Design
Side

Design
Rear

Design
Top

Design
In The Box

  • SoundPeats QY9 Headphones
  • Earbud tips (x3 sizes)
  • Stability tips (x4 sizes)
  • USB charging cable
  • Carrying case
  • Manual

Sound
6.8
Sound
Bass
Std. Err.
4.85 dB
Low-Frequency Extension
11.72 Hz
Low-Bass
-2 dB
Bass
2.48 dB
High-Bass
7.49 dB

6.3
Sound
Mid
Std. Err.
4.96 dB
Low-Mid
6.57 dB
Mid
0.26 dB
High-Mid
-4.46 dB

6.3
Sound
Treble
Std. Err.
4.86 dB
Low-Treble
-4.47 dB
Treble
1.11 dB
High-Treble
-4.61 dB

10
Sound
Frequency Response Consistency
Avg. Std. Deviation
0 dB

2.9
Sound
Soundstage
PRTF Error
12 dB
Openness
5.7
Acoustic Space Excitation
2.2
Correlated Crosstalk
0.01 dB

8.2
Sound
Imaging
Phase Error
31.04°
Driver Mismatch (Amplitude)
0.01 dB
Driver Mismatch (Frequency)
2.52 dB
Driver Mismatch (Phase)
22.17°

8.2
Sound
Total Harmonic Distortion
Weighted THD @ 90
0.744
Weighted THD @ 100
0.915

Isolation
6.4
Isolation
Noise Isolation
Overall Attenuation
-16.03 dB
Noise-Cancelling No
Bass
-2.85 dB
Mid
-13.61 dB
Treble
-34.61 dB
Self-Noise
16.23 dB

Poor isolation. Unlike the QY8 which outperformed some ANC headphones, the QY9 shows moderate amounts of isolation. There is little to no isolation present in the Bass Range, and the isolation provided in the Mid Range is just above average. However, there is more than 40dB of isolation provided in the Treble Range which is excellent.

7.8
Isolation
Leakage
Overall Leakage @ 1ft
34.59 dB

Good leakage. The QY9 has low amounts of leakage. The majority of the leakage happens above 2KHz which is good and the overall level of the leakage is quite low too.

Active Features
6.8
Active Features
Wireless
Type
Bluetooth 4.1
Obstructed Range
32 ft
Line of Sight Range
87 ft
NFC
No

The QY9 have the best wireless range out of the Soundpeats QY series. They maintained a stable connection up to 30ft when the Bluetooth source was placed in another room. They also have a decent line of sight range which makes them a good wireless option for moderately sized offices, as long as there are not too many obstructing walls between the headphones and the source. Unfortunately, they don't offer NFC and their hold to pair procedure is slightly tedious even if they do provide good auditory feedback when pairing.

4.9
Active Features
Latency
Base Latency
146 ms
aptX Latency
121 ms
aptX(LL) Latency
N/A

5.4
Active Features
Battery
Battery Type
Rechargable
Battery Life
5.4 hrs
Charge Time
2 hrs
Auto-off
No
Audio while charging
No
Passive Playback
No

The QY9 have a decent battery life for small wireless in-ear headphones. However, it won't be enough for, particularly long road trips as you will have to charge them at least once through the day especially if used continuously. Luckily they don't take too long to charge but you can't play audio while charging and they have no power saving feature, which means they will run out relatively quickly if left connected to your bluetooth device.

0
Active Features
App Support

No compatible app.