SoundPEATS Opera05 Headphones Review

The SoundPEATS Opera05 headphones have been with us for almost three months now. During this time, we have used them almost every day, allowing us to delve a bit deeper into the range of capabilities of the headphones and their limitations. In this article we will carry out in depth analysis and review of SoundPEATS Opera05.

Technical Specifications of SoundPEATS Opera05

Appearance and Build

The SoundPEATS Opera05 headphones are not anything super unique, but they have their pros and cons in terms of appearance. Right away, it must be acknowledged that the color of the headphones in daily use appears more coppery than how it’s depicted in the advertising images. Several people have pointed out to me that the SoundPEATS Opera05 headphones are rather unattractive due to their color.

In the package of the headphones, you will find only the most basic set – three different-sized silicone ear tips, a USB Type-C charging cable, and the headphones themselves with the case.

The headphone case is moderately large and quite heavy, and the headphones themselves are also heavy, which should be taken into account if you plan to use them for more than a few hours daily. Both the case and the SoundPEATS Opera05 headphones are made of very high-quality plastic. Unfortunately, the case cannot be charged wirelessly. On the outside of the case, there is a partially concealed button for pairing the headphones with devices.

But we haven’t reached the worst feature of the SoundPEATS Opera05 headphones yet – you’ll need fairly large ears to comfortably use these headphones. It seems that the beginning part of my ear canal isn’t particularly large, so sometimes it’s difficult to precisely insert the SoundPEATS Opera05 headphones.

It gets even worse! At least for me, the SoundPEATS Opera05 headphones partly slip out (no, they don’t fall out) when I eat or laugh. In my case, I can’t use the SoundPEATS Opera05 headphones when I have chewing gum in my mouth or when I’m munching on something of larger size, then I’ll definitely have to keep readjusting the headphones all the time. All of this isn’t super disruptive, but for someone with smaller ears, I can’t recommend the SoundPEATS Opera05 headphones in any way.

SoundPEATS Opera05 App

The SoundPEATS Opera05 headphones come with a fairly simple SoundPEATS app. Its main features include the option to choose the sound profile (digital equalizers), partially adjust the sound, enable or disable noise cancellation, and perform firmware updates. The good news is that you can also fine-tune the noise cancellation using touch surfaces on the headphones themselves.

Perhaps the most significant feature in the app’s arsenal is the partially manual, partially automatic sound adjustment. The app plays various sounds through the headphones, and then you have to press the on-screen button to confirm when you start hearing something. The app then calculates how the headphones should precisely sound to provide the best result for each specific listener. The idea isn’t bad, but only after the third time using this feature did I understand exactly what I needed to hear. But even then, it seemed that the sound differed quite substantially when I went through this for the fourth, fifth, and sixth time.

Sound Quality of SoundPEATS Opera05

Connection and Codecs

Starting off, the SoundPEATS Opera05 headphones offer Bluetooth 5.3 connectivity and feature the Sony-developed LDAC codec. These headphones have even earned the Hi-Res Audio Wireless certification from the Japan Audio Society, though the significance of this may be debatable. However, the standout feature that shouldn’t go unnoticed is the remarkably low audio latency.

Low Latency Performance

It must be noted that the audio latency in the SoundPEATS Opera05 headphones is so minimal that it’s almost imperceptible in daily use. Yes, when watching a movie, there might be a delay of a few milliseconds, but this is incomparable to other Bluetooth headphones I’ve come across, where latency is measured in hundreds (usually somewhere around 250… 350 ms), which is approximately a third of a second.

SoundPEATS Opera05 Sound Profile

The sound profile of the SoundPEATS Opera05 headphones is quite bass-heavy. These are probably the first in-ear type headphones I’ve heard priced below $100 that don’t sacrifice the mid and high frequencies. However, this is heavily influenced by how you’ve adjusted the aforementioned semi-manual digital equalizer. In any case, the sound detail for Bluetooth in-ear type headphones is very, very good.

Active Noise Cancellation – SoundPEATS Opera05

The active noise cancellation does work, but it falls slightly behind the noise cancellation provided by Sony and other manufacturers. However, it does have one advantage – enabling ANC doesn’t create uncomfortable sensations (the feeling of pressure in the ears), which I sometimes experience with very powerful ANC solutions. If there’s something lacking in these SoundPEATS Opera05 headphones, it would be the transparency mode, which is definitely on the quiet side, making it suitable for use when someone is talking to you. On the street, you don’t always hear cars in this transparency mode. Some say the ANC is about 80% of what you might expect from the noise cancellation of Apple AirPods Pro.

Call Quality

Voice calls with these headphones are of very good quality. This might be because the microphones are outside the user’s ear, but in strong wind, this could be a downside.

Overall Impression

In general, the sound quality of the SoundPEATS Opera05 headphones seems very appealing to me. Occasionally, claims surface that these are almost audiophile-grade standard headphones, but… well… perhaps such strong words shouldn’t be used when it comes to wireless connectivity.

SoundPEATS Opera05 Battery

Here are three words about the SoundPEATS Opera05 headphone batteries. At least for new headphones, the operating time with a single charge is about six hours when using LDAC, but ANC is turned off. The case allows you to recharge the headphones three times. Charging the case itself takes just under two hours if both the case and the headphones are depleted.

Conclusion

Here and there, the SoundPEATS Opera05 headphones are compared to models like the Sony WF-1000XM4, and even the Sony WF-1000XM5 or the Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 3, with the key difference being that the SoundPEATS Opera05 headphones can sometimes be found for around 60 euros.

I still like the SoundPEATS Opera05 headphones even after three months of living with them. Yes, they’re not the most comfortable headphones, but the sound quality makes up for it. It’s also worth noting that cleaning the headphones is straightforward; they get a little gunked up with earwax, but it’s nothing compared to some of the cleaning issues with certain Apple products.

And now, the main question – would I buy the SoundPEATS Opera05 model again? Definitely yes, because the sound and features far outweigh the price. Would I recommend the SoundPEATS Opera05 headphones to others? Most likely, as long as you don’t have unusually small ears.

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