Having a good headset is an increasingly important part of modern gaming, whether it’s helping you communicate with your teammates, immersing you in the audio design of your game, or helping to create a buffer between your gaming and the rest of your household. The range and breadth of options can be dizzying, though, especially if you want to get the best value for money. Cheaper options will do a job but can be unreliable, uncomfortable, or lacking in features, whilst the big hitters can cost almost as much as the consoles themselves! This makes the mid-range perhaps the most competitive area to shop in, and it is here that the SoundMagic P58BT ANC is placed. Available for around £70 – £80 from the usual online stores, this wireless headset has become my daily go-to for music and media, whilst also proving to be a solid option for gaming.
The P58BT are well packaged and come with a carry pouch and a USB-C cable for charging. The carry pouch does feel a little cheap though and is a little disappointing compared to the solid hard cases that other headsets provide – even ones at lower price points. It will keep your headphones free from crumbs and fluff in your bag but offers no impact protection whatsoever – obviously, this is only an issue if you plan to take them out and about. The packaging is pretty massive too and I was surprised how light the actual headset was once I opened it up. This is a good thing in my opinion, as I find some headphones uncomfortably heavy for wearing around and about, although I can appreciate the benefits of more sturdy ones for gaming purposes.
In terms of performance, I have been using the P58BT for a few weeks now and have had very few issues – aside from the couple of times that I forgot to charge them up and had to plug in a 3.5mm cable. The fact that you can do this is a real positive though as this isn’t a universally available feature. Being able to use such a cable also means that you can use the P58BT with Sony and Microsoft consoles for audio, but the microphone isn’t compatible for voice chat this way. It works fine for voice calls on phone and through Bluetooth on PC, and while it does benefit from CVC noise reduction, the end result isn’t as clear as a wired alternative. Audio quality is good with the 40mm dynamic driver unit offering a decent range and effective soundstage for positional audio when gaming.
The main connection is with Bluetooth 5.3, and this works as reliably as you’d hope. There is the option to connect to multiple devices simultaneously which is a welcome feature, so you can stay connected to both your PC/Switch and your phone if you want to. The active noise cancellation is solid enough and works well at cutting out the sound of your family in the background or the roar of traffic when sat on the bus. There is also an ambient sound mode which probably won’t be used whilst gaming, but is useful when out and about to keep you aware of your surroundings. Finally, there is an ultra-low latency gaming mode to help ensure a smooth experience in games.
In addition to being lightweight, the P58BT ANC are sturdily designed and comfortable to wear, with silicone earmuffs and headband, making them water and sweat-proof and promising more durability than the cheap faux–leather that is often used. The earmuffs have a decent amount of swivel to fit your head snugly and prevent sound leaking. The battery life is excellent too, with up to 60 hours depending on whether you are using ANC or not.
Perhaps the best feature of all, though, is the set of minimalist, but intuitive controls. There is a tactile button for power on and off which also switches between the ANC profiles, while a double press turning gaming mode on and off and a triple press to activate pairing. For general use, however, it is the touch control pad on the left earcup that is super easy to use. Volume controls just need a quick swipe up and down with track selection being mapped to left and right. Where touch controls can be a bit flaky on other headphones – even premium models like Sony’s earlier 1000XM series – it’s nice and reliable here, always registering my swipes as intended.
