Anker Soundcore VR P10 Review - PCMag

Based connected the name, Anker's Soundcore VR P10 earphones ($99.99) dependable similar they’re geared toward VR headsets. They’re so designed to enactment with the Meta Quest 2, but they’re truly conscionable a flexible brace of true wireless earphones with customizable lighting, a charging lawsuit that stores a USB-C Bluetooth transmitter, and crisp, cleanable sound. Their biggest flaw is simply a deficiency of heavy bass response. If you privation a amended gaming-focused experience, Razer's over-ear Barracuda X headphones ($99.99) person a roar mic and connection some much bass and superior dependable performance. If you privation existent wireless earphones and the deficiency of a USB-C transmitter isn’t a woody breaker, JBL's Tune 130NC earphones ($99.95) connection booming low-end and passable active sound cancellation.

A Flashy Design With a Clever Charging Case

The P10 earpieces look much elaborate and “gamerly” than astir stem-based designs. The main assemblage of each earpiece has a round, glossy conception designed to acceptable successful the receptor with a level stem extending downward. A silver-colored sheet covers the stem with the Soundcore logo and a acceptable of 3 RGB LEDs. The lights glow magenta by default, but you tin customize their colour successful the Soundcore app oregon disable them entirely. Three pairs of silicone eartips are included, and I recovered the acceptable comfortable.

The earpieces person an IPX4 rating, which makes them comparatively sweatproof for usage during workouts. The case, however, doesn't person an IP standing and cannot get wet.

The charging lawsuit is peculiarly clever. It’s matte achromatic and rounded, and splits diagonally on the sides. When open, the earpieces easy drawback into their recesses for charging, but that’s modular for existent wireless charging cases. The lawsuit besides has a circular airy connected the beforehand to bespeak its status.

(Photo: Will Greenwald)

The clever spot is the magnetic enclosure nether the apical of the lid that securely holds the included USB-C transmitter. This is clutch. Typically, existent wireless headphones deficiency a retention abstraction for the transmitter, which is often tiny and casual to lose. This charging lawsuit plan ensures that you ever cognize wherever the transmitter is. The recess for it is heavy and the transmitter itself is smooth, truthful immoderate fingers mightiness person trouble retrieving it. Still, unafraid lodging is sometimes preferable implicit easiness of access.

The transmitter itself is besides somewhat much utile than usual. It’s a tiny achromatic conduit with a glossy achromatic cape connected 1 extremity that holds an indicator LED and the USB-C plug. The different broadside of the conduit holds a astonishment successful the signifier of different USB-C port. This lets you complaint different devices via pass-through utilizing the aforesaid USB-C larboard the transmitter is plugged into.

Anker says the P10s tin past up to six hours connected a charge, and the lawsuit includes capable powerfulness for 3 much afloat charges for a full listening clip of 24 hours. That’s emblematic for existent wireless earphones.

Soundcore VR P10 App Control and Connectivity

(Credit: PCMag)

The Anker Soundcore app enables respective utile features with the Soundcore VR P10. First, you tin set the lights connected the earpieces to glow coagulated oregon breathe, oregon crook them disconnected entirely. You tin alteration the colour of the lights, but determination are lone 5 options: blue, pink, purple, magenta, and orange. Tap, double-tap, and clasp gestures tin beryllium customized for either earpiece, oregon disabled entirely. You tin prime from implicit a twelve preconfigured equalizer settings, oregon make your preferred dependable illustration via the adjustable eight-band EQ.

The Soundcore VR P10s are designed to beryllium utilized via Bluetooth oregon with the included USB-C transmitter, and tin automatically power betwixt the 2 connections erstwhile the transmitter is plugged successful oregon disconnected. The earphones usage Bluetooth 5.2 for connecting, and enactment the SBC, AAC, and LC3 codecs. They're promoted arsenic compatible with the Meta Quest 2 VR headset, but enactment conscionable arsenic good with the Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, and Windows PCs. The Microsoft Xbox isn't supported, however. When connected via the transmitter, the mobile app can’t power oregon set the earphones, though your RGB colour and different preferences are maintained.

Any simulated situation effect is babelike connected the instrumentality to which the P10s are connected. For example, you’ll lone get stereo with your telephone oregon Nintendo Switch, but you tin usage spatial audio bundle with your PC, oregon trust connected the PlayStation 5’s built-in 3D audio processing, arsenic good arsenic acquisition afloat head-tracking dependable with the Meta Quest 2.

Heavy connected Treble, Light connected Bass

(Photo: Will Greenwald)

The P10s enactment retired a decent magnitude of bass, arsenic heard successful our bass trial track, The Knife’s “Silent Shout.” While the bass synth notes dependable a spot weak, the footwear drum hits are circular and forceful, and neither distort astatine maximum volumes.

Yes’ “Roundabout” sounds rather bully connected the P10s. The acoustic guitar plucks successful the opening bars person a coagulated magnitude of resonance. When the way decently kicks in, the lows and low-mids instrumentality a spot of a backmost spot to the high-mids and highs, making the signature bass enactment dependable a spot much poppy than deep. The antithetic elements tin beryllium intelligibly heard successful the engaged track, but the edges of the drums, guitar strums, and vocals truly basal out. There’s plentifulness of item here, but there’s besides a noticeable spread successful low-mid response.

The lowest bass frequencies look to get much beingness than the low-mids. The P10s effort to emulate subwoofer-like sub-bass portion bypassing the modular bass tones. This comes done successful The Crystal Method’s “Born Too Slow,” wherever the riffs and vocals get beardown edges that chopped done the mix. The backbeat astatine the opening of the way sounds a spot poppy, but erstwhile the bass drum hits commencement they get a solid, heavy roundness that anchors the track.

Enabling the BassUp diagnostic successful the Soundcore app's EQ conception addresses immoderate of these complaints. The lows and low-mids are boosted conscionable a spot with the diagnostic on, but inactive dependable somewhat scooped.

Fortnite gameplay sounds wide and detailed, but the scooped dependable illustration keeps it from providing a existent consciousness of atmosphere. The deficiency of lows and low-mids supra the deepest frequencies (which adjacent the game’s thumpy enactment euphony doesn’t thin to hit) means the popular and texture of gunfire and footsteps travel done easily, but without overmuch resonance.

Another game, Satisfactory, has a akin consciousness of lightness done the P10s. Environmental sounds are clean, but the dense machinery successful the crippled doesn’t person overmuch rumble. Only 1 of the machines (the Awesome Sink) receives tons of presence, portion the whirr of constructors and woosh of hyper tubes dependable reasonably full, but determination isn’t that coagulated low-mid grind during the crippled that different headphones produce.

The mics are serviceable. Test recordings were wide capable to understand, but a spot fuzzy and distant, which is emblematic for existent wireless earphones. If you privation precise bully dependable for calls oregon video, you should see a gaming headset with a dedicated mic, oregon adjacent better, a USB microphone.

Smart and Affordable, But Not for Bass Fans

The Anker Soundcore VR P10 are clever true wireless earphones with an eye-catching, light-up plan and cleanable sound. That dependable doesn’t person overmuch beingness successful the lows and low-mids, though, and leaves the P10s with a somewhat flimsy audio profile. There’s plentifulness to similar astir the earphones, including their flexible connectivity, functional app, and charging lawsuit that stores the USB-C transmitter. Bass fans, however, should support walking. Anyone looking for a flat, close dependable signature volition apt beryllium disappointed, too. If you similar the lighted look and secondary features and similar a crisp dependable to tons of bass, however, the Soundcore VR P10s are a coagulated pick.