SoundMagic P58BT ANC review: not quite the magic over-ear headphones we hoped for

SoundMagic
P58BT
ANC:
Two-minute
review

Chinese
audio
company
SoundMagic’s
bid
to
become
a
leader
in
the

best
budget
headphones
stakes
is
a
strong
one.
The
audio
specialist
retains
a
special
place
in
cash-savvy
audiophiles’
hearts,
thanks
to
2018’s


SoundMagic
E11C
wired
earbuds,
which
paved
the
way
for
a
range
of
similarly
affordable
IEMs.
And
after
launching
its
first
wireless
over-ear
headphones
in
2021
with
the


SoundMagic
P23BT,
it’s
back
with
a
pricier
follow-up.

That’s
how
we
come
to
the
SoundMagic
P58BT
ANC,
cans
that
are
still
distinctly
affordable,
but
with
a
few
upgrades
over
the
past
models.
After
testing,
though,
I’ve
got
to
say
that
the
upgrades
don’t
make
these
a
better
proposition.

It
goes
without
saying
that
you
have
to
set
your
expectations
at
a
reasonable
level
when
looking
at
affordable
over-ear
headphones
(and
I
say
it
anyway
to
make
it
clear
that
I

did
lower
my
standards).
And
there
is
a
lot
to
like
here
with
that
in
mind,
but
I
had
two
big
issues
with
the
SoundMagic
that
any
potential
buyer
will
have
to
get
over
first.

Firstly,
I
simply
didn’t
find
them
comfortable
to
wear.
A
relatively
small
arch
means
the
pads
are
pushed
right
into
your
head,
and
I
had
to
remove
them
every
time
I
listened
for
more
than
an
hour
due
to
the
headaches
they
caused.
The
P58BT
ANC
have
a
60-hour
battery
life
which
is
really
great
(though
not
best-in-class),
but
at
my
rate,
that
means
60
listening
sessions
followed
by
ample
pauses.

The
other
issue,
which
is
decidedly
less
subjective
than
the
last,
is
that
the
SoundMagics
don’t
have
any
kind
of
smartphone
app,
marking
the
only
audio
gadget
I
can
recall
testing
in
recent
years
that
doesn’t
have
any
kind
of
way
to
control
its
features
other
than
on
the
product
itself. 

This
means
you’re
lacking
some
(arguably-)
basic
features
that
most
rivals
have,
namely
an
equalizer
to
tweak
the
audio
mix.
I
desperately
wanted
to
fiddle
with
the
sound
of
the
cans,
but
was
stuck
with
the
default
balance
which
emphases
mids
over
bass
or
treble
frequencies.

If
you
want
to
toggle
the
features
the
P58BTs
do
have,
you
have
to
use
gesture
controls
over
the
large
pad
on
each
earpiece,
or
rely
on
button-pressing
patterns
for
the
sole
physical
button
on
the
left
ear
cup.
In
my
several-week-long
testing
period,
I
found
myself
completely
incapable
of
memorizing
all
the
various
gestures
and
shortcuts
for
the
modes
that
I’d
usually
enable
on
my
smartphone,
and
I’d
imagine
all
other
users
(who
aren’t
in
MENSA)
will
have
the
same
experience.

As
I
said,
you
always
have
to
bear
in
mind
the
price
with
low-cost
headphones
like
the
SoundMagic
P58BT
ANC,
and
the
detailed
audio
and
valiant
battery
life
will
sway
over
some
users,
especially
those
who
may
be
able
to
overlook
my
stated
issues.
Yes,
SoundMagic
puts
out
its
headphones
at
a
competitive
price
point,
but
there
are
many
other
rivals
on
the
market
at
similar
price-points
that
I
found
more
impressive.

SoundMagic
P58BT
ANC
review:
Price
and
release
date

• 
  Released
  in
  August
  2024
• 
  Sell
  for
  $90
  /
  £79
  /
  AU$134

The
SoundMagic
P58BT
ANC
were
announced,
and
put
on
sale,
at
the
end
of
August
2024.
That’s
a
lengthy
three-year
hiatus
since
the
P23BT.
They’re
also
available
in
a
pretty
lengthy
list
of
countries
around
the
world
on
SoundMagic’s
website.

At
launch,
the
headphones
cost
$90
/
£79
/
AU$134,
so
they’re
pretty
affordable
if
not
as
bargain-bin
as
the
$55
/
£50
(roughly
AU$100)
P23BTs,
and
we’d
expect
a
little
more
as
a
result.

There
are
a
lot
of
competitors
at
that
price
point,
including
some
on
our
list
of
the


best
cheap
headphones,
with
the
top-rated


Earfun
Wave
Pro
and
the


Sony
WH-CH520
both
slightly
cheaper. 

SoundMagic
P58BT
ANC
review:
Specs

SoundMagic
P58BT
ANC
review:
Features

• 
  Distinct
  lack
  of
  features
• 
  ANC
  is
  welcome
  if
  not
  powerful
• 
  Total
  battery
  life
  of
  up
  to
  60
  hours

I
tend
to
wax
lyrical
in
headphone
review
‘features’
sections,
for
better
or
worse,
but
that
won’t
be
the
case
for
the
SoundMagic
P58BT
ANC.
And
that’s
because
there
isn’t
a
lot
to
cover.

Let’s
start
with
the
titular
feature:
active
noise
cancellation,
something
the
P23BT
didn’t
offer.
Here
it’s
present
and
accounted
for,
but
nothing
to
write
home
about:
solid
enough
to
remove
overbearing
background
noises
but
lacking
nuance
or
power
to
compete
with
the
greats.
As
an
example,
the
headphones
would
cancel
out
the
rumble
of
a
bus
I
was
riding,
but
not
the
low
chatter
of
the
people
on
said
bus.

Bear
in
mind
that
these
are
over-ear
headphones,
so
there’s
some
natural
noise
cancellation
from
the
natural
fit
of
the
cups,
and
this
certainly
helps
the
ANC.

The
SoundMagics
do
compete
in
terms
of
battery
life,
with
60
hours
of
music
in
the
tank.
There
are
few
headphones
that
last
that
long,
even
amongst
over-ears,
and
it’s
truly
a
blessing
for
people
who
habitually
forget
to
charge
(like
me)
or
suffer
from
battery
anxiety
(also
me).
Some
rivals
beat
the
SoundMagic
in
this
department,
(see
the

Cambridge
Audio
Melomania
P100
for
an
excellent
100-hour
option
with
ANC
disabled
–
albeit
a
more
expensive
one)
but
many
top-end
cans
fall
far
short
of
the
figure.

And
the
rest
of
the
feature
set
is…
almost
totally
barren.
You
see,
SoundMagic
doesn’t
have
an
app,
so
all
the
features
you’d
normally
find
when
using
one
are
notably
absent.
No
equalizer,
no
ambient
modes,
no
way
of
tracking
the
P58BT’s
battery
level
if
your
phone
UI
doesn’t
tell
you.

There
is
actually
a
low-latency
game
mode,
which
does
what
it
says
on
the
tin,
and
solves
an
issue
that
I’ve
never
faced
in
all
my
years
of
mobile
gaming.
For
the
reasons
you’ll
read
about
in
the
design
section,
I
found
enabling
this
more
faff
than
it
was
worth.

• 
  Features
  score:
  2.5/5

SoundMagic
P58BT
ANC
review:
Design

• 
  Comfortable
  and
  light
  design
• 
  A
  few
  on-cup
  controls
• 
  Folds
  up
  into
  carry
  case
  but
  no
  IP
  rating

The
SoundMagic
P58BT
tip
the
scales
to
the
tune
of
305g,
so
they’re
not
particularly
heavy,
but
there
are
certainly
lighter
headphones
out
there
if
you’re
worried
about
them
being
too
weighty. 

That
wouldn’t
be
a
misplaced
fear
either,
as
I
found
them
a
little
uncomfortable
to
wear
–
the
silicone
ear
pads
felt
very
rigid,
pressing
down
on
my
ears
rather
than
settling
onto
them,
and
I
had
to
break
up
listening
sessions
as
a
result.
It
goes
without
saying
that
this
is
a
subjective
observation
but
I
do
have
to
mention
it,
especially
given
that
I’d
use
some
other
headphones
I’m
testing
as
a
reprieve
when
the
SoundMagics
got
too
painful.

They
come
in
two
color
options:
black
or
silver,
and
don’t
seem
to
have
a
waterproofing
or
IP
rating
that’s
listed
on
SoundMagic’s
website.

You
can
adjust
the
cans
to
quite
an
extent
with
an
adjustable-length
headband
and
cans
that
can
rotate
and
fold
to
quite
a
dramatic
degree.
I
kept
accidentally
flipping
the
cans
around
180-degrees
and
getting
confused
which
side
was
right
or
left.

The
left
ear
pad
is
the
one
with
the
features:
it
has
a
USB-C
port
for
charging,
3.5mm
jack
(with
an
audio
cable
included
in
the
box)
and
the
power
button,
which
needs
to
be
held
for
a
surprisingly
long
amount
of
time
to
turn
the
P58BT
on
or
off.

Most
of
the
controls,
however,
come
with
the
gesture
controls,
and
this
is
my
biggest
gripe
with
the
SoundMagics.
The
flat
pad
on
each
cup
can
be
swiped
in
different
directions
or
tapped
for
loads
of
different
functions:
changing
volume,
skipping
tracks
and
so
on.

Frankly,
I
found
the
amount
of
different
gestures
I
needed
to
memorize
overwhelming,
which
is
to
say
I
simply
couldn’t
remember
any
of
them.
If
I
wanted
to
pause
music
or
change
volume
I’d
have
to
rely
on
my
phone;
ANC
is
toggled
with
the
power
button
instead
of
the
pads
and
I
continually
forgot
about
this
until
I’d
already
tried
all
the
swipes
and
slaps.

There’s
also
the
issue
that
some
controls
are
directional:
swipe
up
for
one
command,
swipe
left
for
another.
This
would
seem
well
and
good
but
‘up’
and
‘left’
can
be
very
different
directions
depending
on
the
angle
you’re
holding
your
head,
and
I’d
often
accidentally
enact
the
wrong
gesture
due
to
leaning
my
head
too
far
backward
or
forward,
or
at
certain
angles. 

This
gesture
control
was
in
place
in
the
SoundMagic
P23BT
and
our
reviewer
didn’t
mind
it
there,
but
those
headphones
didn’t
have
those
(few)
extra
features
over
the
previous
pair
that
need
to
be
controlled
with
gestures
too.

• 
  Design
  score:
  3/5

SoundMagic
P58BT
ANC
review:
Sound
quality

• 
  Well-balanced
  audio
• 
  Mids
  bloated
  just
  a
  little
• 
  Max
  volume
  is
  really,
  really
  loud

Tech-wise,
the
SoundMagic
P58BT
ANC
packs
40mm
drivers
with
support
for
SBC
and
AAC.
Those
are
largely
in
line
with
other
headphones
you’ll
be
considering
at
this
price.

People
who’ve
used
other
budget
headphones
might
find
the
SoundMagic
pretty
good
–
music
has
a
lot
of
detail
and
clarity,
with
a
broader
soundstage
than
some
other
similarly-priced
gadgets
I’ve
tested
and
a
commendable
lack
of
peaking
at
reasonable
volumes.

However,
at
least
personally
speaking,
I
wasn’t
a
fan
of
the
balance
of
the
headphones.
The
detail
of
bass
and
treble
is
provided
at
the
expense
of
their
energy
or
power
–
mid
sounds
dominate
the
mix
and
on
certain
genres
of
music,
this
saps
some
of
the
‘pizazz’.

I
particularly
think
that
bass-heads
will
be
disappointed
as
lower-frequency
sounds
lack
power,
as
though
you’re
watching
a
bassist
play
their
instrument
when
it
isn’t
plugged
in.
The
genres
I
enjoyed
best
with
these
headphones
were
acoustic-laden
folk,
singer-songwriter
and
bluegrass
songs,
where
thumping
bass
rhythms
aren’t
as
important.

I
did
enjoy
listening
to
the
spoken
word
on
the
headphones
though,
as
I
found
the
detail
provided
by
them
helped
convey
small
nuances
in
tone
and
pitch.
Podcast-listeners
might
find
these
a
decent
pick.

Bear
in
mind
that
the
lack
of
an
equalizer
means
you’re
reliant
on
the
default
sound
of
the
P58BT
ANC
–
no
bass
boosting
or
rock
modes
here.
Because
of
this,
more
so
than
on
other
headphones,
I’d
really
recommend
trying
to
source
a
pair
to
test
before
you
buy
them.

• 
  Sound
  quality:
  3.5/5

SoundMagic
P58BT
ANC
review:
value

It’s
hard
to
make
a
firebrand
statement
about
the
cost-value
proposition
of
the
SoundMagic
P58BT
ANC
because
you’re
basically
getting
what
you
pay
for
here.

In
terms
of
audio
quality
and
design,
the
headphones
tick
the
boxes
you’d
expect
from
them,
and
you
see
in
similarly-priced
rivals. 

Dragging
the
value
down
a
little
is
the
lack
of
an
app,
which
gives
the
impression
of
these
being
some
cheap
AliExpress
buys,
even
though
SoundMagic
is
a
reputed
brand.
However
I
do
think
the
soft
carry
bag
for
the
phones
does
tip
the
scale
in
the
right
direction
a
little.

• 
  Value:
  3.5/5

Should
I
buy
the
SoundMagic
P58BT
ANC?

Buy
them
if…

Don’t
buy
them
if…

SoundMagic
P58BT
ANC
review:
Also
consider

How
I
tested
the
SoundMagic
P58BT
ANC

• 
  Tested
  for
  two
  weeks
• 
  Tested
  at
  home,
  in
  the
  office,
  on
  public
  transport
  and
  on
  walks

The
testing
process
for
the
SoundMagic
P58BT
ANC
took
place
over
two
weeks,
which
includes
the
set-up,
review
writing
and
general
usage
time.
This
is
the
usual
amount
of
time
I
allocate
to
headphone
reviews.

For
most
of
the
testing,
I
used
the
headphones
connected
to
my
Android
phone
via
Bluetooth,
but
I
also
connected
them
to
my
phone
and
laptop
using
the
audio
cable
for
some
testing
too.
I
mainly
tested
using
Spotify
and
several
streaming
services,
with
some
gaming
done
to
test
out
that
mode.
Lots
of
the
testing
was
done
in
my
office,
and
on
various
walks,
bus
rides
and
train
journeys
to
and
from
it,
but
I
also
used
them
at
home
and
in
other
everyday
environments.

My
history
of
review-writing
at
TechRadar
spans
over
five
years,
and
I’ve
been
covering
tech
for
even
longer.
I’ve
tested
loads
of
similarly-priced
headphones
(including
one
mentioned
in
the
‘also
consider’
section),
as
well
as
a
range
of
other
gadgets. 

I
mentioned
earlier
that
I
used
the
SoundMagic
alongside
another
pair
of
headphones;
this
was
a
pricier
model
and
it
wouldn’t
be
fair
to
compare
them.

• 
  First
  reviewed
  in
  September
  2024