SoundMAGIC P60BT: Two-minute assessment
The SoundMAGIC P60BT is the apparent subsequent step, after all. The corporate has nothing to show in relation to reasonably priced in-ear headphones, and has had success with on-ear fashions too – so why shouldn’t it shake up the market in wi-fi noise-cancelling over-ear headphones too?
As a bundle, the P60BTs definitely have attraction. The technical specification is nice, that normal of construct and end is effectively as much as what the price-point calls for, and there are some very considerate touches too – the inclusion of a cable with mic hooked up for players is an effective instance. And the battery life is a match for any rival, price-comparable or in any other case.
And in some methods, the audio high quality is simply as pleasing as one of the best headphones. Element ranges are excessive, and the midrange communicates freely – so anybody who values a vocal efficiency will discover tons to love right here.
However there are points at both finish of the frequency vary, and though the energetic noise cancellation is efficient it does affect on sound high quality greater than a little bit. Which implies, in the end, that the P60BT ANC are a diverting choice relatively than a nailed-on front-runner in your cash.
SoundMAGIC P60BT assessment: Worth and launch date
- Launch date: September 5, 2023
- Worth: $189 / £129 / AU$249 (est)
The SoundMAGIC P60BT ANC had been launched on September 5, 2023, and at present promote for $189 / £129. No pricing is at present obtainable for Australia, however at at the moment’s alternate charges I’d anticipate them to go for AU$249 or thereabouts.
As is the established SoundMAGIC manner, that’s an attention grabbing worth while you take the way in which the P60BT ANC are specified into consideration. They don’t have the sphere clear, although, removed from it – manufacturers as credible as JBL, Sennheiser and Sony (to call simply three) all have comparable designs at comparable cash with which to tempt you.
SoundMAGIC P60BT assessment: Specs
| Kind | Wi-fi over-ear |
| Weight | 311g |
| Drivers | 40mm dynamic |
| Battery life | 50h (ANC off), 45h (ANC on) |
| Management | Bodily and contact management, supply participant’s native voice assistant |
| Bluetooth | 5.2 (SBC, AAC, aptX, aptX HD) |
SoundMAGIC P60BT assessment: Options
- Bluetooth 5.2 with aptX HD compatibility
- Three-stage energetic noise-cancellation
- Spectacular battery life
The SoundMAGIC P60BT ANC makes use of Bluetooth 5.2 for wi-fi connectivity, and there’s compatibility with SBC, AAC, aptX and aptX HD codecs, which suggests lossy hi-res audio from an acceptable supply is on the menu. There’s no multi-point connectivity obtainable, although.
As soon as the audio data is on board, it’s delivered to your ears by a few 40mm full-range dynamic drivers with Neodymium magnets. For some purpose, SoundMAGIC is relatively coy in regards to the frequency response this association can ship.
The corporate is more than pleased to let you understand about battery life, although. The P60BT ANC will run for 50 hours from a single cost for those who maintain ANC switched off, and that drops to an solely barely much less spectacular 45 hours with noise-cancellation switched on. There’s no wi-fi charging facility right here, however because of the quick-charge performance a ten-minute pit-stop ought to offer you one other 5 hours or so of playback.
So far as energetic noise-cancellation is worried, it’s a three-stage system. ‘On’, ‘off’ or ‘transparency’ (which SoundMAGIC calls ‘ambient sound’) are your choices.
Function rating: 4.5 / 5
SoundMAGIC P60BT assessment: Design
- Respectably gentle and cozy
- Barely fussy contact controls
- Could be a wired gaming headset with built-in mic
Simply because there’s nothing particular the way in which the SoundMAGIC P60BT ANC look or the supplies from which they’re constructed, that doesn’t imply there’s something basically mistaken with the way in which they’re designed. Nobody messes with the broad design of over-ear headphones, in any case – so about all you may realistically anticipate is an honest normal of construct and end. Which is precisely what SoundMAGIC delivers.
An all-in weight of 311g, mixed with some fairly well-judged clamping pressure and a even handed quantity of earcup and headband padding, means the P60BT ANC keep snug for a great lengthy whereas. Earlier than the padded pleather of the earpads makes your ears uncomfortably heat, anyway. The hid headband adjustment mechanism feels sturdy, and the earcups themselves swivel sufficient for the headphones to fold flat – which suggests the hard-shell case by which they journey isn’t particularly giant.
The outer floor of the left earcup is an outsized NFC patch – it’s speedy and dependable in operation. The surface of the best earcup, in the meantime, is a contact management floor that’s equally dependable however not fairly as speedy – right here’s the place you may management quantity ranges, skip forwards or backwards by means of tracks, pause or play music, reply (or finish, or reject) calls, and summon your supply participant’s native voice assistant. Irrespective of the operate you need, its operation is confirmed by the identical, relatively anxious, chiming noise – and operation happens simply lengthy sufficient after you requested for it so that you can have time to surprise if it’s going to occur in any respect.
The mics on both sides show adept sufficient in relation to voice-assistant interplay, although. And the sting of the best earcup is house to a USB-C socket, a little bit LED tell-tale and a button masking ‘energy on/off/Bluetooth pairing’ and which additionally cycles by means of your noise-cancellation choices. There’s additionally a 3.5mm socket for hard-wired listening – SoundMAGIC supplies a USB-A / USB-C cable for charging, a 3.5mm / 3.5mm analogue cable with increase mic hooked up (useful to be used when gaming), and a cable with a 3.5mm socket at one finish and stereo left/proper 3.5mm jacks on the different in case that’s what your pc requires.
Design rating: 4.5 / 5
SoundMAGIC P60BT assessment: Sound high quality
- Speedy and fairly detailed sound
- Tonality is skewed in the direction of the highest finish
- Noise cancellation can have an effect on efficiency
It appears solely truthful to offer the SoundMAGIC P60BT ANC a preventing probability and so I’ve wirelessly related to a Nothing Cellphone (2) as a way to benefit from its potential with the aptX HD codec. And with a giant 24bit/96kHz file of Huge Assault’s Unfinished Sympathy enjoying, the P60BT inform you more-or-less all the pieces about the way in which they carry out. For higher and for worse.
On the plus facet, they’re fairly a sprightly and communicative pay attention. They maintain element ranges excessive throughout the frequency vary, and pay attention to among the transient data that equally priced alternate options let slip. Their presentation is effectively organised, and so they create a reputable soundstage with loads of area for every particular person aspect of a recording to specific itself with out getting crowded out. Due to well-controlled low frequencies which have good straight edges on the assault of bass sounds, they’re fairly perky and might categorical rhythms confidently.
They do notably good work by means of the midrange, the place vocalists get each probability to shine. The spectacular element ranges imply a singer’s character and emotional state is made plain, and so they talk in fairly a direct, constructive manner. Tonality by means of the midrange is properly pure, and the P60BT are alive to the minor harmonic variations obvious in a voice that, once more, much less proficient headphones can ignore.
Both facet of the midrange, although, there are particular points. Low frequency data is formed effectively, and carries loads of element together with it – however there’s not an enormous quantity of weight or substance to the bass the SoundMAGIC generate. The Huge Assault tune options some very speedy kick-drum motion – however whereas the management the P60BT exhibit means they don’t have any downside differentiating these runs, they’ve next-to-no affect. ‘Punch’ is absolutely not one thing that occurs right here. On the high of the frequency vary, in the meantime, the P60BT are equally missing in substance – so treble sounds are relatively skinny and exhausting, with out the physique essential to steadiness out their chunk and assault. Wind up the quantity to vital ranges and the treble copy right here may be nearly wince-inducing, which is simply exacerbated by the SoundMAGIC’s enthusiasm for prioritising high-frequency sounds over their low-frequency siblings.
All the above assumes you’re listening with the energetic noise-cancellation switched off. Flip it on and the P60BT, firstly, get extra forceful – at first I assumed it is likely to be a ruse, a manner of suggesting that the headphones are coping with exterior sounds just by making the music you’re listening to louder. However they push the midrange ahead on the similar time, spoiling the tonal steadiness but additional – so the truth that the P60BT are fairly adept noise-cancellers turns into secondary to how totally different they sound relying on whether or not ANC is engaged or not.
Sound high quality rating: 3 / 5
SoundMAGIC P60BT assessment: Worth
- Eye-catching worth
- Properly offered
- Missing some sonic finesse
Judged on their feature-count, broad specification and engaging worth, the SoundMAGIC P60BT ANC signify unarguable worth. However while you add their audio high quality into the equation – and why else did you purchase some headphones if to not take heed to them? – they begin to look much less of a ‘no-brainer’ and extra of a ‘assume lengthy and exhausting’…
Worth rating: 3.5 / 5
Ought to I purchase the SoundMAGIC P60BT?
| Attributes | Notes | Ranking |
|---|---|---|
| Options | The SoundMAGIC P60BT are function wealthy with three totally different ANC modes, Bluetooth 5.2 and a powerful battery life. | 4.5/5 |
| Design | A basic over-ear design that’s easy and efficient. | 4.5/5 |
| Sound high quality | Whereas the sound efficiency is speedy and fairly detailed, it’s let down by an absence of bass. | 3/5 |
Purchase it if…
Don’t purchase them if…
SoundMAGIC P60BT assessment: Additionally take into account
| SoundMAGIC P60BT | Closing Audio UX3000 | Sony WH-CH720N | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Drivers | 40mm | N/A | 30mm |
| Lively noise cancellation | Sure | Sure | Sure |
| Battery life | 50h (ANC off), 45h (ANC on) | As much as 35 hours | As much as 30 hours through charging case |
| Weight | 311g | N/A | 192g |
| Connectivity | Bluetooth 5.2 (SBC, AAC, aptX, aptX HD) | Bluetooth 5 with aptX Low Latency | Bluetooth 5.2, USB-C, 3.5mm jack |
How I examined the SoundMAGIC P60BT
- Examined for a working week
- Examined in indoor and outside environments
- Examined by a author with 20 years’ expertise
Other than these moments after I switched to a price-comparable pair of wi-fi over-ear headphones for comparative functions, I wore the SoundMAGIC P60BT ANC for the whole thing of a working week. I wore them indoors and outside, in quiet environments and in noisy environments.
I listened to a variety of music. I listened to them wirelessly related to each iOS and Android gadgets, and hard-wired to various totally different headphone amplifiers. And, naturally, I used my a long time of expertise of merchandise like this to evaluate and contextualise them.
- First reviewed in November 2023
