TWS true wireless earphones - under $100
FOUR STARS - With comfortable sport-wings and a handy Transparency mode to hear traffic or chatter while listening to music, the Soul S-Fit is a convenient pair of wireless earbuds for sporting and working out.
Soul S-Fit specs:
Bluetooth 5.0 with AAC codec
IP67 waterproof rating (heavy rain, sweat and dust resistant)
6 - 6,5 hours listening on a full charge
Charging case can charge earpieces fully 4 times
Comes with 4 sizes sport-wings, 3 sizes ear-tips, USB-C cable and carabiner
$80 on Amazon US or other Amazon stores
Below this Soul S-Fit review, you will find comparisons between the Soul S-Fit vs Soundcore Spirit Dot 2, Mpow M30, SoundPEATS TrueFree 2 and Fiil T1XS.
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Design, comfort and battery life
The Soul S-Fit earbuds are clearly designed with sports in mind. The earpieces are super-lightweight, compact oval-shaped, and go easily in your ears. They come with four sizes of rubber sport-wings you can wrap around the buds. The smallest size consists of merely a rubber; the small, medium, and large ones have three holes in them, making them breath and extremely flexible. These wings are more flexible than on the Soundcore Spirit Dot 2, and even more flexible than the Mpow M30.
Working out or sporting with the S-Fit is a joy when it comes to comfort. The earbuds feel small and light in your ears, yet the sport-wings ensure they're in secure.
Not all is fantastic, though. The sport-wings slide off too easily of the earbuds. This isn't a problem during runs or workouts, but take them out of your ears or the case, and you can see the wings slide out of place. This sliding isn't very convenient for sports earbuds - definitely pay attention to it. Happily, the buds leave out wind noise while running or cycling, and the IPX67 waterproof rating makes them rain and sweat proof too.
The S-Fit comes in multiple colors, of which the Cobalt Blue version is tested here. Some color combinations may look a little off with the dark-grey rubbers and accents, but when in your ears, people will mostly see the color you've ordered.
The case comes in the same colors and has a uniquely designed cover, with a pebble-shape and Soul-logo in the center. It closes with a good magnet and charges via USB-C, including a single LED-light on the back to indicate the charging status. There's also a cotton brand on the case, to which you can apply a carabiner to attach the case to your belt. The S-Fit already comes with a hook, so knock yourself out.
Battery life on the Soul S-Fit is above average, with around 6 to 6,5 hours of playtime on a single charge. The case can recharge the buds four times fully before needing new power itself.
Connectivity and controls
The Soul S-Fit has touch controls that respond well, if a little delayed, to your input.
Tap once on L or R to play/ pause
Tap twice on R to skip a song, double-tap L to return a song
Tap three times L or R to activate the voice assistant
Hold R two seconds to activate the Transparency mode
There are no volume controls on the earbuds itself.
Activating the Transparency mode requires a long press, which can be a problem when you're working out. If you have sweaty fingers, a touch panel can 'hang' in the intended action. Activating or deactivating the Transparency (hold 2 seconds) once resulted in the earbud turning off (hold 8 seconds). It can't be done to re-pair the earbuds in your run - you need to have them both in the case, delete them from your Bluetooth list and press them both for 15 seconds to re-establish a good pairing. Hopefully, it won't happen very often, and it may not occur at all when you're not sporting with them, but it's still tricky.
Otherwise, connectivity on the Soul S-Fit is good. The pairing is fast, the Bluetooth signal holds a solid connection up to ten meters from your device, and it's possible to switch between listening one or two earbuds, if you want to charge the other bud in between. Music doesn't automatically pause when you take an earbud out.
Calling and watching movies
Watching videos with the Soul S-Fit is convenient on Android. On iPhone, the YouTube-app is an exception. Here, the audio comes a little slower than the video.
There is a noticeable delay in sound effects when playing games as well - as is the case on almost all wireless earbuds.
The main problem with calls on the S-Fit is the low volume of your voice. As long as it's quiet around you, you can be heard properly, but it doesn't take much noise around you to battle heavily with what you're saying. Trains, scooters, traffic buzzing, and people talking are nicely reduced in your calls, but because your voice is soft as well - it still becomes tricky to call outdoors.
The Soul S-Fit specialty: Transparency mode
A great addition of the Soul S-Fit is the Transparency mode, which can be activated by holding an earbud two seconds. It immediately puts through louder sounds from your surroundings. It's handy when you want to combine listening to music while talking to someone, or when you're taking part in traffic.
Especially brighter tones, like chatter, keyboard clicking, and traffic (tire) sounds are audible around you with the Transparency mode activated. In return, there is a blanket of white noise over the music, which you can hear clearly in between songs. Wind noise also comes through clearly in this mode, which is annoying when you're cycling or running - but this feature is still handy when you're working out on the spot.
Also read: The best wireless earbuds under $100
Sound quality of Soul S-Fit
Unlike many other wireless earphones designed for sports, the Soul S-Fit has a rather laidback sound.
Surprisingly soft treble. That's the best way to describe the sound signature of this TWS. Whereas most wireless earphones - and sport models especially - boost the upper-mids and highs to give energy to vocals and the overall sound, the Soul S-Fit rolls-off the higher notes quickly. Female and higher-pitched male vocals don't reach their highest highs; they're not especially upfront in the music, but sound rather smooth. They lack a bit of clarity, and therefore also the detail that comes with it.
The reduced highs have an advantage: the S-Fit never sounds too bright. Not in its vocals, not in claps, not in cymbals, not in violins. If you're sensitive to treble, this Soul is one to consider.
The bass on the S-Fit joins in on the laidback character. The Soul offers plenty of bass-slam, but it comes across as rather gentle. Its hits lie a bit deeper than on your regular bass-pumping earphone. The sub-bass doesn't dive very deep, and don't go looking for a strong bass rumble either - it's a decent, ideal son-in-law kind of bass. It's just about enough to get you going during sporting and working out but controlled enough to enjoy background listening as well.
The Soul has elevated lower-mids, which intertwine with the bass a bit. The S-Fit gives drums and darker electronic tones some prominence, but the lower-mids don't color music overly warm or dark, even though the highs are reduced. In less electronic songs, take Rage Against the Machine's Killing In The Name, the emphasis on the darker notes becomes apparent, with both the guitar and the singer dragged to these lower-mids. Happily - in most electronic genres, the boosted lower-mids give the music body without damaging the fair soundstage and instrument separation.
With reduced highs and well-behaving bass, the Soul S-Fit sounds more laidback than you may expect from sports earphones. In return, the S-Fit is a solid companion for background listening on workdays too.
Soul S-Fit comparisons
Soul S-Fit vs Mpow M30
When you're looking for in-ear sports buds, you can't miss the best-selling $35 Mpow M30. Its round earbuds with sturdier sport-wings may not reach the same comfort as the S-Fit, but the rubbers stay in place better. The M30 doesn't have a Transparency mode but does let you change the volume on the earbuds. Battery life is an hour longer on the Soul. The Mpow has more extended, more energetic highs, making you hear vocals and brighter details better (especially when you're working out). However, the Mpow also strikes as a bit thin next to the S-Fit. The Soul has a fuller sound, with more emphasis on lows and mids. The toned-down treble also makes the S-Fit a more relaxing listen.
Soul S-Fit vs Fiil T1XS
The brilliant, now widely available Fiil T1XS is another great model with sport wings. The newer Fiil T1 Pro also has these wings and is more comfortable, but its tinier earbuds may make the fit less stable for sports. The T1XS fills up your ears in a way it can barely escape. It has comparable battery life, clearer call quality than the Soul, and comes with volume controls and app support, with which you can pump up the bass to Soundcore levels. The T1XS emphasizes the mid-tones, making instruments and vocals more prominent and lifelike, delivering a staggering amount of detail on top. The Soul is more toned-down, more laidback tuned, with a subtler bass and fewer highs. The T1XS wins on sound; the Soul has a more comfortable fit.
Soul S-FIt vs Soundcore Spirit Dot 2
The $70 Soundcore Spirit Dot 2 is the current top recommendation for bass lovers on Scarbir.com, and the Soundcore shows its teeth once again against the S-Fit. However, it not only has an uplifting, hard-hitting bass. It also elevates upper-mids, making both higher-pitched vocals and instruments more prominent - and the sound livelier and more energetic than the Soul. However, it also sounds splashier than the Soul. The sport-wings of the Spirit Dot 2 are much less flexible than the Soul's, and they make the Spirit Dot 2 even tighter in your ears. The Soul feels lighter and more comfortable, however. Battery and spec-wise, these two don't differ much. Sound-wise, the Soul is more relaxing and the Soundcore more engaging.
Soul S-Fit vs SoundPEATS TrueFree
Next to the flexible sport-wings of the Soul, the fins of the TrueFree 2 feel big in your ears. SoundPEATS' sports model comes with 2 hours less battery life than the Soul, but it has actual buttons that are more convenient to control with sweaty fingers. The TrueFree 2 lacks a Transparency mode, but has volume controls. The SoundPEATS sound is more energetic, with a stronger mid-bass and deeper sub-bass, thicker mids, and more prominent vocals within the bigger soundstage. The Soul sounds more relaxed, recessed even in comparison.
Verdict
With comfortable sport-wings and a handy Transparency mode to hear traffic around you, the Soul S-Fit is a convenient pair of wireless earbuds for sporting and working out, although the sound could have been more engaging.
Four stars - very good
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