Finding the perfect pair of Bluetooth headphones is never an easy task. Whether it’s the build quality, sound quality, battery life or even comfort, there are many factors to consider before making a purchase.
SoundMAGIC, a company known for high-value, high-performance audio products, aims to cover those bases with its new P58BT ANC Bluetooth headphones. Offering an impressive 60-hour listening time, 40mm drivers, and numerous features to enhance the listening experience—all for around $100—could these headphones be contenders for the best all-around wireless option?
The box contents contain the basics, a charging cable, aux connection cable, storage pouch, manual and obviously the headphones themselves. I do wish SoundMAGIC had included a hard carrying case like the one included with my EarFun Wave Pro’s came with, as it gives some extra piece of mind that they will arrive in one piece safely vs a pouch that offers little to no protection. However, something is still better than nothing so, that’s worth taking into account as well.
“Build quality on the SoundMAGIC P58BT’s feels well-made and sturdy and provides me with confidence that they will withstand years of usage.”
SoundMAGIC offers the P58BTs in two colours, Platinum Silver and black – ours being the latter which while there’s nothing wrong with that, I do wish manufacturers would offer more colour options on their products, even if more muted colours like Google tends to offer.
Build quality on the SoundMAGIC P58BT’s feels well-made and sturdy and provides me with confidence that they will withstand years of usage. The plastic feels higher quality than that on many other headphones I have tested over the years. Both the headband and earcups have silicone padding on them which, while I generally enjoy that on the headband, causes other issues but more on that later.
Listening to the SoundMAGIC P58BTs, I found a lot to enjoy. The audio quality was impressive and immersive. Music sounded as expected across all frequencies, with a satisfying amount of bass. Video was equally immersive, delivering rich and detailed sound. However, I often struggled with the touch-sensitive controls when navigating tracks, adjusting volume, etc.
“The audio quality was impressive and immersive, with music sounding as expected across all frequencies and a satisfying amount of bass.”
While I’m not sure if this issue was specific to my unit, I frequently found myself needing to pull my phone out of my pocket to control playback—something I haven’t needed to do with most other audio products. The active noise cancellation (ANC) was exceptional; I could easily tune out nearly all surrounding noise, even at lower volume levels, making these headphones a great choice for those in noisy environments.
As enjoyable as media consumption was while wearing the SoundMAGIC P58BTs, I did find my ears would regularly sweat due to lack of air flow around the ears because the earcups surrounded my relatively smaller ears. Additionally, my ears often got pressed up against the insides of the cups, causing further discomfort after extended wear sessions. Friends and family members who tried them also noticed similar experiences when trying them so, that could be an area for SoundMAGIC to look into further for improvement.
The SoundMAGIC P58BTs truly shine thanks to their exceptional battery life. Offering up to an impressive 60 hours of listening time (with ANC off), they’re ideal for a weekend or several days away without the need to pack a charging cable—not that one wouldn’t be easily accessible in today’s USB-C era. During my weeks of testing the SoundMAGIC P58BTs for several hours at a time, I only needed to charge them once—a first for me.
While there was a lot I found myself liking on the SoundMAGIC P58BTs, from the incredible audio quality, build quality and even the exceptional battery life, if SoundMAGIC were able to tweak how they felt around the ears a little more, these would be near the top of my recommendation list. However, due to this fact, I find myself wanting just a little more out of them. For short listening sessions, I do find myself still reaching for them and can still recommend them for those who can live with how they feel while wearing them.
