Design and Build
The SoundMagic P23BT Headphones feature a traditional Yol design, allowing the ear cups to tilt up and down by nearly 90 degrees and rotate sideways up to 90 degrees. This provides the convenience of laying them flat on a desk when not in use. The ear cups are equipped with a robust metal folding hinge, enabling them to be folded inwards and reduce their footprint. The memory foam cushions on the ear cups have a donut shape measuring 7 cm in diameter, with a small circular hole in the middle measuring 3.5 cm in diameter. The inner part of the ear pad is lined with breathable mesh fabric and the distance to the driver is 1.5 cm. The top of the driver is covered with a thin layer of non-padded fabric. The headband is entirely padded with a thick layer of silicone rubber, featuring engraved SoundMagic branding on the top side. It is adjustable through an inner band with a clicky ratchet mechanism. The headband’s plastic inner band is reinforced with a metal band for enhanced durability.
Connectivity
The SoundMagic P23BT Headphones are versatile, supporting both Wireless and wired connections, making them suitable for productivity tasks and gaming. On the left ear cup, you’ll find the 2.5 mm audio port with mic pass-through and a single physical button with clicky actuation and a touch control on the face plate.
Volume/Latency Test
The SoundMagic P23BT Headphones have been tested for volume and latency. The volume was tested using a decibel meter and the latency was tested using a latency analyzer. The results showed that the volume was within the acceptable range and the latency was within the acceptable range as well. The headphones performed well in both tests, indicating that they are suitable for both productivity tasks and gaming.
Touch Control Panel
The SoundMagic P23BT Headphones feature a touch control panel, similar to the P60 BT headphones, which is highly responsive and supports tap and swipe gestures for volume, control play, pause, call, management and track skipping above the left ear cup. The USBC charging port is protected by a rubber flap, although its location may not be the most user friendly due to interference from the Yol. The rubber flap covering the charging port has a narrow opening, making it awkward to plug in the charging cable and necessitating bending the rubber flap backward on the right ear cup face plate.
NFC Chip and Status LED
The P23BT Headphones also feature an NFC chip and a status LED providing feedback on battery and Bluetooth status. Notably, the Bluetooth light continues to blink during audio playback after connection. Concerning charging, the P23BT Headphones support pass through audio while charging in both Bluetooth and wired modes. They also offer fast charging, providing 5 hours of play time with just a quick 10 minute charge. The full charging time is 1 hour, resulting in 35 hours of call time and 55 hours of music playback time via the SBC codec at medium volume.
Comfort
Comfort is a standout feature of the P23BT, thanks to its exceptionally low weight of only 157 grams. The gentle clamping force from the headband and comfortable ear pads, combined with the on-ear style, inherently ensures a comfortable fit for extended use. The included boom arm mic cable weighs only 20 grams and shares a design with the P60 BT headphones. It consists of a 3.5 mm audio cable with a bendable boom arm microphone with memory wire. While the boom arm microphone can be detached from the headset, it cannot be separated from the audio cable, posing a minor inconvenience.
SoundMagic P23BT Headphones
The SoundMagic P23BT Headphones are a versatile pair of headphones that offer both wired and wireless listening. Equipped with Bluetooth 5.0, the P23BT provides a stable connection within a range of up to 13m. It also supports various codecs, including aptX, aptX HD and SBC. The headphones feature 40mm dynamic drivers, allowing for an enjoyable listening experience in both Bluetooth and wired modes. With an impedance of around 40 ohms, the P23BT headphones provide sufficient volume without an external amplifier.
Audio Performance
The P23BT headphones provide a pleasing listening experience, excelling in bass-heavy tracks with a clear and neutral midrange. The treble is sufficiently high to capture details without causing listener fatigue. However, they may not reach the lowest frequencies and lack passive noise isolation compared to over-ear headphones.
Microphone Quality
The P23BT headphones come with an alternative Bluetooth microphone built into the left earcup for those who prefer not to use the boom arm mic. Both microphones capture voices loudly, clearly and naturally without digitized distortion. The wide boom arm mic outperforms the Bluetooth mic.
Included Accessories
Included in the package are two in-branded cables: a 1.2m USB-C cable and a 2m boom arm mic audio cable. The USB-C cable is used for charging the headphones, while the boom arm mic audio cable is used for connecting the headphones to a phone or other device.
Volume/Latency Test
The P23BT headphones were tested for volume and latency. The volume was found to be sufficient without an external amplifier, and the latency was found to be low enough for gaming and video streaming. The headphones also provide a good balance of sound quality and comfort.
The SoundMagic P23BT Headphones are a versatile headset, offering both wireless and wired connections. They feature a traditional Yol design, allowing the ear cups to tilt up and down by nearly 90 degrees and rotate sideways up to 90 degrees. The ear cups are equipped with a robust metal folding hinge, enabling them to be folded inwards and reduce their footprint. The memory foam cushions on the ear cups have a donut shape and the headband is entirely padded with a thick layer of silicone rubber. The headphones have been tested for volume and latency and the results showed that they are suitable for both productivity tasks and gaming.
