At its default equaliser preset, the Soundcore A30i produced balanced, detailed sound. Vocals and treble were clear and detailed without sounding harsh. Bass notes were punchy and controlled but lacked a little low-end. If you need more low-end bass, this can be tweaked in the app, without making audio sound muddy.
The Soundcore A30i’s sound profile remained consistently good and did not change with or without ANC and when it was in transparency mode. This means that if you’re listening to these earbuds in a quiet room, you can switch of ANC to extend battery life.
Music
The Soundcore A30i offers clear vocals, a good overall balance and punchy mid-bass tones at its default settings. You’ll enjoy balanced, detailed, punchy sound on pop, rock and hip-hop tracks. Low-end bass frequencies are lacking slightly. If you enjoy bass-heavy songs, like Wiz Kalifa’s We Dem Boyz or Macklemore and Ryan Lewis’ classic Thrift Shop, you can use the equaliser to compensate for this.
Movies
Voices and musical scores were clear and balanced on the Soundcore A30i. On its default settings, the lack of low-end bass meant some action sequences – like the afterburners in Top Gun: Maverick’s aerial sequences – felt less impactful.
Latency – when there’s a delay in the sound and the on-screen action – wasn’t an issue on the Soundcore A30i. I tested across multiple platforms (Netflix, YouTube, Disney+, free-to-air channels), devices (phones, tablets, TVs, consoles) and Blu-ray discs.
Phone calls and meetings
Audio quality was good on phone calls, Zoom and Teams meetings. I had no problems hearing what participants were saying and vice versa. Phone calls in noisy environments were also clear for me, although callers said my voice occasionally lacked clarity for them.
NOISE-CANCELLING IRL: MRT, FOOD COURT, HOME
I tested the Soundcore A30i’s noise-cancelling capabilities on the MRT, a food court and at home. First up, one of our underground MRT lines, where the tunnel amplified the train noise and passengers’ voices. Then, I headed into the belly of the beast – the office food court during lunch hour. It was packed and had music blaring from a loudspeaker.
Finally, I used it at home to see – purely for research purposes – if I could drown out my family’s voices and focus on watching a movie.
In all three scenarios, the earbuds provided a decent degree of noise cancellation. I set my device volume at 50 per cent to ensure that background sounds weren’t simply blocked by loud audio. There was a noticeable reduction in background noise – even on the MRT and food court – though some of it was still audible.
It fared less well with nearby conversations. These were less distracting but still audible, though this is also a byproduct of how noise-cancelling algorithms work.
ARE THEY SUITABLE FOR EXERCISE?
These are not fitness-oriented earbuds but are still IP54 rated. This makes the Soundcore A30i resistant to sweat and dust. They stayed in place during long walks but I wouldn’t recommend these for vigorous exercise. They lack the ear hooks or wings that keep fitness earbuds in place. If these fall out when you’re running, finding them could be a challenge.
