Virtually Flawless – Geek Review

True wireless earbuds perfect for VR, decent for everything else.

Anker says its Soundcore VR P10 headsets are the first that were made with Meta’s standalone VR headsets in mind. But do they really enhance your VR experience, or is this just an attempt to capitalize on the success of Quest 2?

I recently purchased a Meta Quest Pro, and despite the overwhelming disappointment that resulted, I haven’t returned the headset. So, over the past few weeks, I’ve been taking a look at Anker’s new headsets and evaluating whether they can improve on what was already being heralded as the most advanced VR experience on the market.

Setting up the P10 earphones is simple

There are a couple of ways to connect the Soundcore VR P10 earphones to another device. A dongle is included, which plugs into an available USB Type-C port and automatically connects the device it’s plugged into with earphones, so there’s Bluetooth. The Bluetooth connection is also simple to set up. Simply press the button on the front of the earphone case until it starts flashing and select the earphones from the Bluetooth menu of the device you want to connect to.

The dongle is recommended for applications like VR gaming, as it’s what enables the earbuds to establish the low-latency connection Anker promises. But I found that playing via Bluetooth presented no major problems. However, using the VR dongle and keeping the Bluetooth channel free has other benefits.

Soundcore’s app adds options

The Soundcore app (iOS, Android) is not essential. You can set up and use the headphones without downloading them. However, it offers plenty of customization options and is definitely worth buying if you want to get the most out of the P10 earbuds. You can set the equalizer to your liking, enable a mode that improves things like footsteps and gunfire during FPS games, and change the color of the LED lights on the earbuds themselves.

You can also purchase additional dongles and switch between them using the Soundcore app. This is great if you want to quickly and easily connect to consoles and PCs as well as your VR headset. The app also allows users to update the firmware of the earbuds.

The dongle has its downsides

The Soundcore earphones ship with a dongle that allows for near latency-free audio when gaming and is great for the Quest 2 and Quest Pro. It plugs in seamlessly and contains a USB Type-C port that allows you to connect a charging cable via the dongle. I double-checked and it doesn’t affect charging speed, or cause issues with audio quality; it just works.

However, the dongle doesn’t work everywhere. Its shape means you’ll need a fairly flat surface around your USB Type-C port to plug it into. anyway the USB A ports. It’s not the end of the world; Bluetooth works perfectly. Test your devices with the dongle you have before buying more.

These help bridge the gap between virtual reality and real life

What really won me over with the P10 VR headset is the ability to take a phone call without interrupting your VR session. Without earbuds, I’d find myself having to reach for my phone and throw it at the speaker if I wanted to avoid removing the earbud entirely. With earphones or wired headphones, I risk missing the call completely.

With VR P10, a quick double-tap on either earbud answers the call and switches audio input to my phone. I haven’t stopped my game, I’m not trying to talk to gunfire or music, and I can tell the person on the other end to call me back in a few minutes or just have the full conversation there and then. From what people I’ve had calls with have told me, that seemed perfectly clear of them.

It is important to note that this feature only works if the dongle is connected to the headset and the phone is connected via Bluetooth. Headphones are not used Multipoint Bluetooth.

They are comfortable, but can become loose

The earbuds come with three gel tip sizes, so they should fit the vast majority of ears. They’re comfortable enough to wear for long sessions, and any discomfort from the headset itself will get to you before the buds themselves do.

All in all, they’re pretty secure if you fit them correctly and use the correct gel fitting. But VR isn’t a sedentary activity, and I guess a headset can only be so secure. During some games, these will fly off. I experienced this myself during a game of dayand a session of Drunk bar fight where I got a particularly sweet headboard. They also fell during a game of Pavlov, but I felt the right earbud loosen, dangle, and eventually fall out, which makes me think one was my fault. There are clear instructions on how to fit the earphones securely, and I may have stuck them at the time.

Battery life is impressive

According to Anker, fully charged earbuds will last about six hours, while the case itself holds another 18 hours of charge, meaning you’ll have 24 hours before needing to hunt for a charging port. In terms of raw listening time, this puts the P10 VRs on par the upcoming AirPods Pro, even though the AirPods have a little more charge in their case. In practical terms, that’s probably more than necessary.

In practical terms, in recent weeks I have never had to remove the earphones because they were not charged. I’m a heavy VR user, have used the VR P10s during every session since they arrived and they have outperformed me every time. The case gives plenty of notice when it’s time to plug in a charger, and I’ve only had to do it once a week.

The audio quality is good, but some features are missing

As for the earphones, the audio quality offered by the VR P10s is pretty good. VR games sound great, and the 360 ​​element of audio seems to be perfect when playing a game that supports it. If something happens to my left or behind me, I know immediately who to turn to.

With music, the bass is very decent and if you want to damage your hearing, it will get loud enough to cause pain. Anker’s earphones don’t feature ANC, which could be a deal breaker if you plan to take them on your morning commute. When it comes to listening to music around the house though, I’ve used them a few times and have happily walked away.

A solid choice, especially for VR enthusiasts

Don’t let the lack of ANC bother you; these are solid if you’re looking for a pair of dedicated gaming headsets, especially at the price. For less than $100, which is less than the official Quest Pro case costs, you can dramatically improve your VR experience. As someone who loves VR, I can honestly say I would buy a pair and be quite happy with what I received.

Devoted audiophiles may be able to pick out more holes in audio quality than I have. But for someone who doesn’t mind messing with EQ settings, I’d say these can be a solid pair of all-rounders, too. If I’m judging them solely by what Anker says they’re meant for, I’m struggling to find fault. When it comes to VR audio, the P10 VR headsets are practically flawless.