Meet the New

SoundMAGIC Earphones

The new range updates some existing models but also adds some completely new ideas, some previously unused materials and more colour choices.

The SoundMAGIC E10 is a beautifully finished in-ear sound isolating earphone made from brushed metal with a choice of four vibrant colours. The E10’s internal acoustic design follows on from the massively popular PL11, but with some serious improvements to the aesthetics and sound. The earphone body is made from metal, features high quality cabling and a robust metal jack plug to give a long life.

The SoundMAGIC E30 is for those who are serious about their portable listening the E30 in-ear monitor features pro-fit over ear cabling and a robust metal jack plug.  Why compromise with audio quality when listening to music on the move, when you can enjoy a high definition audio experience from these pocket sized earphones.

The SoundMAGIC EH11 is a rugged sports headphone designed for serious everyday use by sports men and women.  Made from a lightweight metal frame the EH11 headphone stays in the ear no matter how hard you are training thanks to an over ear design that can be adjusted to fit perfectly.

Finally and possibly most interesting is the SoundMAGIC P30, is a serious portable headphone featuring an on-ear closed back design with soft, comfortable ear pads that also ensure maximum noise isolation.

These new products will appear over the Summer of 2011, expect reviewers to urge you to upgrade your present SoundMAGICs, or if you’re new to the brand, to grab yourself some inexpensive audio treasure!

More Information

More information on the full range of SoundMAGIC products can be found here.

The SoundMAGIC PL30 is an IEM (In Ear Monitor) style earphone with an over ear cable fit system and innovative bass control switch.  The PL30 is priced to compete directly with earphones like the Sennheiser CX300-II, Denon AH-C351 and Ultimate Ears Metro.fi 220.

SoundMAGIC earphones are a relatively new addition to the line-up at HiFi Headphones.  We originally took on the brand after trying out some samples sent directly from SoundMAGIC.  Our initial sceptisism about the fact SoundMAGIC earphones are relatively low cost was soon turned into surprise by the excellent sound and sturdy build quality.  Passing the earphones round the office we quickly decided that the PL11 and PL30 models would be the first we would stock.

The PL30 was the earphone that got SoundMAGIC recognised as a serious contender in the highly competitive in-ear earphone market.  This earphone has been designed entirely by SoundMAGIC engineers and is totally unique to the brand.

This is a review of the some of the attributes of the SoundMAGIC PL30 in ear sound isolating earphone.

What You Get

The first nice surprise when opening the SoundMAGIC PL30 is that you get lots of accessories included.  The following items are included:

• High quality travel case made from high impact fibre material (very similar to Shure supplied earphone cases).
• Many different types of ear tips, including small/medium/large silicone tips, double flange tips and foam tips (harder than Comply Foam, but worth a try).
• 1x pair of silicone over the ear cable guides (for keeping the cable on your ear while running)
• Soft silicone cable wrap for safe storage of the earphone cabling.

It’s great to see a manufacturer really thinking about how the earphones are going to fit in the ear and also considering what is needed to keep earphones safe during every day use.

SoundMAGIC PL30 Package

Comfort and Fit

The PL30 features pro-style over ear cabling (to reduce microphonic cable noise and to provide a secure fit.

Initially the SoundMAGIC PL30’s over ear fit system can take some getting used to if you’v never worn an earphone with this design before.  With the PL30 the cable is designed to run up over the ear and secured at the back of the neck with the sliding cable tensioner.  It sounds complicated, but it’s dead easy with a bit of practice.

I found the fit easier with the PL30 than with earphones like Ultimate Ears Super.fi 3/Super.fi 5 Pro.  The PL30’s earphone body is much smaller than these other designs and I found it simple to get the earphone snug in the entrance to the ear after just a couple of attempts.

Comfort is very good with the PL30.  I found the medium sized silicone ear tips worked OK straight out of the box, but the supplied dual flange ear tips gave me a better seal.  I also tried a pair of Comply Foam T-400 tips that I normally use with my Sennheiser IE8’s and they worked very well with the PL30.  As with all in-ear sound isolating earphones, if you do not get a good seal in the ear then the bass will be seriously lacking.  Get the seal right with the PL30 and it’s unlikely you will be disappointed by the punch of the bass.

Sound Quality

The SoundMAGIC PL30 offers a very well balanced sound, with good kick at the bass end, a forward midrange and good clarity in the higher frequencies.  If anything the lower midrange is a little too forward for my liking, but overall the balance is excellent.

Bass punch is superb and nicely defined.  Much better than the bloated and muddy bass you will find in many entry level earphones.  While this earphone is no bass monster it does represent lower frequency sounds very solidly and I found it very enjoyable listening to tracks with big basslines.  The bass response can be altered by tweaking the bass control rotating switch - I preferred the flat bass setting over the bass boost setting.

Sound stage and separation is something that is immediately striking about the PL30 - you can easily locate different sounds and instruments in the music, without it being analytical.  The PL30 is a very enjoyable listen and presents sounds in a very musical way.

Sound quality is far better than you might expect from an earphone costing less than £40.

Review Summary

For:

• Brilliant sound quality for the price, with excellent clarity and good separation of notes.
• Nearly zero cable microphonic noise and secure fit make the PL30 ideal for running or the gym.
• Well made cabling with good strain relief.

Against:

• Cabling can get tangled due to rubberized coating.

More Information

For more SoundMAGIC earphones and a selection of other earphones please visit HiFi Headphones.

SoundMAGIC have released the PL50 IEM earphone in Asia this week.  The PL50 is an in-ear sound isolating design and looks like it will be competing with higher end IEMs, such as the Shure and Ultimate Ears range.

This is SoundMAGIC’s first step into a balanced armature technology earphone and we’re really keen to give a proper listen.  We are expecting stock here in the UK within the next couple of weeks.

SoundMAGIC has taken the earphone World by surprise over this last year with a stream of new high quality products, including the highly regarded PL30 and PL11.  The PL30 has had plenty of recognition on the Head-fi.org forums since it’s launch and has been getting some excellent reviews.  The PL11 has also rapidly gained acceptance as an entry level earphone to rival the Sennheiser CX300-II, with excellent bass response and robust build quality.  Stuff Magazine recently reviewed the PL11 and seemed to like it a lot.

SoundMAGIC PL50 Photos

See below for photos of the new SoundMAGIC PL50:

SoundMAGIC PL50 IEM Earphones

SoundMAGIC PL50 in Box

More Information

For the full range of SoundMAGIC earphones and many other high quality earphones and headphones, please visit the HiFi Headphones store.

The SoundMAGIC PL11 has pushed the boundaries of what can be expected from an entry level in-ear isolating earphone.  For less than the cost of a Playstation game the PL11 offers high end audio clarity, with enough low end power to satisfy the biggest bass-head.

Looking and feeling like an earphone that comes from one of the established brands, the SoundMAGIC PL11 is a newcomer that deserves a second look.

Sceptical At First

Before we received samples of the SoundMAGIC range to try out we were sceptical about the way they would sound and even more doubtful about build quality.

How wrong we were!  Like the rest of the SoundMAGIC range, the PL11 is very well made and sounds like an earphone with a much higher price tag.  Holding the earphones in your hand you would be mistaken for thinking they are manufactured by one of the well established earphone brands.

SoundMAGIC PL11 with included accessories

Built To Last

With cabling and strain relief that has obviously been thought about by someone who understands how earphones are going to be used, the PL11 is built to a similar specification as high quality brands like Sennheiser and Beyerdynamic.

Here at the HiFi Headphones store we have a pretty good idea how well a headphone or earphone is going to last by looking at the strain relief on the cabling.  Over 90% of faulty returns we receive are caused by cabling faults.  In our opinion the PL11 is an earphone we are not going to see returned often.

The SoundMAGIC PL11 has high quality cabling with a rubberized finish for extra durability.  The strain relief is also well thought through, with highly flexible support where the cable enters the earphone body and at the jack plug.

How Do They Sound?

Most importantly, does the SoundMAGIC PL11 sound any good?  Yes, the PL11 sounds superb!  When we first received samples I spent a week listening to the PL11 on my walk to and from the office.   The sound is immediately appealing as there is plenty of warmth at the bottom end and the trebles are well balanced and clear.

The obvious comparison that is going to be made is with the Sennheiser CX300-II.  In many ways the SoundMAGIC PL11 is very similar to the CX300-II, with plenty of bass and a clear high end.  Just like the CX300-II, the PL11 has a slightly recessed midrange, which actually helps reduce long term listening fatigue.

Many headphone brands, including high end headphone manufacturer Grado, are known to drop the midrange frequency response slightly to provide a more enjoyable listening experience.  The reason for this is that the human ear resonates at 2.9Khz, making it particularly sensitive to mid-range treble notes.  If the headphone or earphone is less responsive around this frequency then the ear tires less quickly and you can enjoy your music for longer.

Summary

The SoundMAGIC PL11 is an earphone that is a very enjoyable listen.  Good bass response and a superb degree of resolution at higher freqencies make the PL11 an earphone to be reckoned with.

The sound is similar in some respects to the highly regarded Sennheiser CX300-II and beats the Sennheiser hands down on price.

Good build quality rounds off a well thought out earphone package that we are happy to recommend.

More Information

For the full range of SoundMAGIC Earphones and many other high quality brands please visit the HiFi Headphones store.