The SoundPeats GoFree 2 are some of the most comfortable open-ear buds I’ve ever tested, but there’s a lot to be desired when it comes to sound quality. I will give the GoFree 2 props though for delivering some decent noise isolation without any kind of ANC running in the background.

SoundPeats GoFree 2 Open-Ear Earbuds

$63 $75 Save $12

The SoundPeats GoFree 2 feel great to wear and should last for up to nine hours on a full charge, but the accolades pretty much stop there.

Battery Life

9 hours (35 w/ charging case)

Charging Case Included?

Yes

Brand

SoundPeats

Supported codecs

LDAC, SBC, AAC

Bluetooth

5.3

IP Rating

IPX5

Solo bud mode?

Yes

Driver Size

6.2mm

Charging type

USB-C

Colors

Black

Noise Cancellation

No

Pros

• Comfortable fit
• Hi-res and LDAC support
• Good companion app

Cons

• Compressed sound
• Bulky charging case
• Bluetooth multipoint is so-so
• Battery depletion doesn’t match projected life

Design: Another Day, Another Set of Wireless Earbuds

As far as appearances go, not only do the GoFree 2 earbuds look great, but they also feel great to wear. I particularly liked how the silicone ear hooks gripped my outer ears without irritating my temples or jaw, which I’ve experienced when testing other open-ear and bone-conduction products.

These are also IPX5-rated earbuds, and I found them to be excellent for going to the gym. The hooks provided enough stability to prevent the buds from falling off during workouts, and even with sweaty hands and digits, the GoFree 2 responded like a champ to all touch commands.

Speaking of which: Like many other earbuds, a majority of the GoFree 2 commands are mapped to outer touch points on each driver. These were little bumps that were easy to reach and responded to even some of my lightest taps. A single tap to the left earbud lowers volume while a tap to the right raises it. A double tap plays or pauses a track and answers or ends a call.

A triple tap to the left bud puts the GoFree 2 into Game Mode, which doesn’t do much to alter the sound. Three taps on the right bud activates your smartphone or tablet’s voice assistant. A long-presses on each also will control media or calls.

Out of the box, the GoFree 2 also comes with a pretty bulky charging case that can be re-charged using the provided USB-C connection (you’ll need your own power brick though). A front-facing LED indicator lets you know how much battery is remaining, with green being above 50%, yellow between 49% and 10%, and red when the case is below 10%.

When you’re ready to start using the GoFree 2 for the first time or with a new device, you’ll need to seat them in the case while it’s open. This automatically puts the buds into pairing mode, so all you’ll need to do is grab your host device, head into the Bluetooth settings, and select the GoFree 2 for pairing.

Sound Quality: Not Good

I hate to lead with this right out of the gate, but it must be said that the GoFree 2 are some of the worst-sounding earbuds I’ve ever tested. That’s a crying shame too, because this SoundPeats product supports Bluetooth 5.3 and LDAC playback.

In my opinion, the poor audio quality has nothing to do with a lack of ANC. In fact, I think the GoFree 2 do an exemplary job of blocking out environmental sounds. The real issue is with what sounds like a boatload of compression that gets staked onto whatever track or podcast you’re listening to. From one genre to the next, all of my music sounded like it was being siphoned through a tinny metal pipe before reaching my ears.

Switching to Game Mode and messing with the earbud EQ in the SoundPeats app did nothing to remedy this issue, and while the GoFree 2 can get pretty loud, the bigger the decibels, the more distracting the compression became.

I do think the buds produce a decent amount of bass (especially for an open-ear product), but the compression puts a limit on the depth and punch of the low-end too.

Call Quality: Also Not Good

Can you make phone calls with the GoFree 2? Absolutely! Whether you want to or not though is a different story. I’m personally in the “not” camp. The aforementioned compression makes a return during phone calls, which affects the vocal clarity of the person you’re talking to.

My girlfriend actually said that my voice sounded pretty clear on her end, but that was when we were chatting in a quiet indoor environment. Taking the GoFree 2 outside though presented a mess of road noise and wind-driven interruptions. Neither my girlfriend nor I could hear each other very well, even when there wasn’t as much wind noise.

Battery: Not as Promised

SoundPeats claims the GoFree 2 should last up to nine hours on a full charge. A fully-charged case supplies an extra 35 hours of battery life, which is actually better than the Apple AirPods Pro series and Sony’s WH-1000XM4.

I can’t say I got a full nine hours out of the GoFree 2 though. It was more like 6.5 hours of playback, and that was with the volume around 70%. It took a little over two hours to fully recharge the buds, which you can do with or without the USB-C connection (just as long as the charging case itself doesn’t need to be charged).

Using the SoundPeats App: A Solid GoFree 2 Addition

The SoundPeats app (for iPhone and Android) isn’t a necessary addition to the GoFree 2 listening experience, but it does provide a few extra features. When you first launch the app, it’ll take a moment or two to locate each GoFree 2 bud, at which point they will appear on the home screen, with a “battery remaining” indicator next to each icon.

Tapping the three vertical lines button at the bottom of the screen brings up the “Customized” dashboard. From here you’ll be able to choose between default sound settings or a custom EQ for both buds, toggle Game Mode, earbud controls, and Dual Device Connection on or off. Unfortunately, the app doesn’t let you customize short-tap and long-press commands for the earbuds. Also, as of writing, the “Adaptive EQ” mode was unavailable.

When using the Dual Device Connection feature (SoundPeats’ take on Bluetooth Multipoint), I noticed a pretty significant delay when switching between my MacBook and iPhone. I clocked each switchover at around five seconds, which is too long of a wait in my book.

Unlike other Multipoint products I’ve tested, using playback commands on Device A didn’t automatically pause the media or silence the sound from Device B either. If I was listening to a song on my iPhone, I had to manually press pause and then start playing media on my computer, which took around five seconds to start.

Should You Buy the SoundPeats GoFree 2?

I would pass on the SoundPeats GoFree 2. Yes, these are budget-friendly open-ear buds, and they’re using Bluetooth 5.3 and have LDAC support. But trust me: These are the last earbuds I would ever use to experience hi-res audio with. I also think they’re a little overpriced, retailing for $74.99. For this type of sound quality, I think $50 or less is more aligned with the performance the GoFree 2 are capable of.

SoundPeats GoFree 2 Open-Ear Earbuds

$63 $75 Save $12

The SoundPeats GoFree 2 feel great to wear and should last for up to nine hours on a full charge, but the accolades pretty much stop there.