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.
Open back on-ear headphones. Retro design. Excellent sound with brilliant detail and clarity. SR325is has won many awards. Very efficient headphone voice coils (low impedance) means it can be driven by pretty much any device (even the humble iPod) and does not need a dedicated headphone amplifier. Hi-Fi speakers of similar quality would cost thousands. Hand made by Grado in Brooklyn New York. Grado has been in business since 1953, making turntable cartridges.
Open back over ear headphones. Very comfortable over ear design perfect for long listening sessions. Midrange and high end treble clarity is exceptional. Japanese brand with pro-audio pedigree (also make studio headphones and microphones).
Closed back over ear headphones. Very powerful bass response (ideal for gaming and movies). Replaceable parts (cable and ear pads) make it possible to service the headphone. Beyerdynamic headphones are used throughout the BBC (look at photos on Radio 1 website). Made in Germany.
Closed back over ear headphones. Closed back design ensures good isolation from noise and also means you don’t annoy people sitting nearby. Good bass response and high degree of accuracy. Coiled, detachable cable (can be replaced). Shure is a pro-audio manufacturer of monitoring earphones and microphones.
WeSC have just launched some new models in time for the summer holiday season. The new headphone models are the WeSC Pickup and the WeSC Maraca.
The WeSC Maraca headphone is has a distincly retro design, not that far away from the highly sought after Alp Horn, but is a much smaller headphone and has a headband similar to the Bongo and Oboe models
WeSC Pick-up Headphones
The WeSC Pickup headphone is the coolest looking (in our opinion) of the new models, with circular ear pieces and funky earpads. The headband is a metallic band with adjustment to allow for all sizes of head.
As ever WeSC have really pushed the boat out and come up with some of the funkiest looking headphones available. You can be sure you’re wearing the coolest headphones with these new models.
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.
Headphones for Use in Schools, Colleges & Learning Centres
Educational headphones have specific requirements that set them apart from the type of headphones used for home listening or with an iPod.
Picking the best headphone for use in schools and other learning environments needs careful consideration. At HiFi Headphones we have built up considerable experience of the type of features that will be the most beneficial for use in a school, college or learning centre. Please do ask us and we will do our best to help.
Durability is obviously a key area of interest, as headphones for school use need to cope with regular listening by the most active students. Robust design of the headphone headband and well made strain relief on the cable are must have features. Headphone cables are often the component that will break first, so headphones with good strain relief on the jack plug and as they enter the headphone earpiece are most suitable.
Reduce Distraction
Reducing distraction of the student is one reason you may choose to work with headphones in your classes. Over ear design and closed back earcups ensure external distractions are blocked out and your students stay focused on the task at hand.
Comfortable & Lightweight
Lightweight, comfortable designs ensure the students are happy to wear the headphones without complaint for extended periods. Look out for adjustable headbands (make sure they can adjust small enough) and low headphone weight.
Shure have just launched a brand new range of closed back studio and DJ headphones that have already been getting quite a bit of interest since news of the pricing was leaked on Head-Fi.org.
Full size headphones is a new departure for Shure, as they are known best for their in-ear sound isolating earphones. Initial user reviews suggest that the Shure SRH840 sound like a ‘Shure SE530 with sparklier treble’, which can only be a good thing.
Those lucky enough to get their hands on review samples of the Shure SRH840 have commented on the huge soundstage considering that this headphone is a closed back design. Read one Head-fi members review of the Shure SRH840.
We’re really excited about this range of headphones and itching to get out hands on initial stock to give them a proper review.
If you are looking for the perfect in-ear fit for optimum comfort, then custom fitted earphones or sleeves are the answer. Made from ultra soft silicone material and made specifically for your ears, custom mould earphone gels also offer the best possible isolation from external noise. With custom earphones fitted it’s possible to totally immerse yourself in the sound of your music without interruption from noisy surroundings.
Custom Sleeves for Earphones
Custom made earphone sleeves are the ultimate upgrade for an existing pair of high quality in-ear sound isolating earphones. The sleeves are manufactured specifically for your existing earphones your ears.
Custom earphones are custom made ear gels with miniature earphone speakers fitted inside at the time of manufacture. Just like regular earphones, custom earphones come with varying numbers of drivers, with entry level models having a single driver and higher end models having upto three balanced armature drivers.
A benefit of opting for a custom earphone with built in drivers is that you only have a single device to think about – no need to worry about the custom ear gels getting split up from your earphones. The all-in-one design also offers advantages over custom made sleeves by being more compact – the drivers are embedded deep within the ear mould – and therefore providing a neater solution. Interestingly, it can actually also work out cheaper to purchase a complete custom earphone with drivers built in, rather than a high end standard earphone and then an additional custom sleeve.
WeSC officially opened their first high street shop in Carnaby Street, London last night. HiFi Headphones were invited to the launch party, which was organised by LateralCorp (the UK importer of WeSC products).
The launch party was also attended by celebrity investor Debora Meadon from the UK TV series Dragons Den as well as the founder of WeSC, Greger Hagelin. Shaun and Kristina from HiFi Headphones took the opportunity to have a few beers and meet some of the team.
WeSC Alp Horn – First Photos & Test
The WeSC store launch party gave us the chance to have our first listen of the WeSC Alp Horn headphone. The Alp Horn has been in the pipeline for some time (we were expecting initial stock in August 2008), so it is great to finally see the Alp Horn in production.
Annalise from LateralCorp kindly let us demo an Alp Horn and we were suitably impressed. The design of the Alp Horn is like no other headphone we have ever seen and we love it. It’s great to see a headphone manufacturer doing something completely different and unique with headphone design.
I had a bit of trouble with the fit of the headband over my head and ended up wearing it with the headband resting towards the back of the top of my head. Mind you I have a particularly large head and have problems finding hats and caps that fit me!
Sound quality is excellent, with plenty of clarity and detail. I found bass response a little lacking initially, but this improved substantially once I got the fit right and therefore got a good seal over the ears.
At HiFi Headphones we’ve just taken delivery of our first batch of FiiO headphone amplifiers. The brand new FiiO E5 and FiiO E3 are ultra small headphone amplifiers with a price tag that makes them affordable for anyone with an iPod, MP3 player, laptop or mobile phone.
The FiiO headphone amps promise increased output power (to power hard to drive headphones), added bass response and even better clarity of treble notes.
FiiO E3
The FiiO E3 headphone amp is the perfect introduction to improving your portable audio setup – look out, it’s a slippery slope! 🙂 At a price point that makes it possible to try without risking to much cash, the E3 has taken the headphone amp World by storm.
Just connect the FiiO E3 between your portable audio device (iPod, iPhone, laptop, mobile phone, etc) and enjoy the improvement in volume and sound quality.
FiiO E5
The next step up from the E3 in the FiiO line-up is the all new FiiO E5. With an exterior casing that has been redesigned to fit more comfortably in the pocket, and internals completely revised to improve noise figures, the FiiO E5 is a force to be reckoned with.
When compared with higher end headphone amplifiers, such as the iBasso T4 or Graham Slee Voyager, the FiiO E5 does colour the sound to some degree (it definitely warms up the bass response), but with the FiiO E5’s price tag of less than £25 I shouldn’t really be comparing.
If you’ve been following the world of headphones you may have noticed that headphone amplifiers seem to be cropping up more often than ever, but what’s the point? Do they just increase volume, or is there more to it?
Below are a few good reasons to upgrade your audio setup with a headphone amp.
Ability To Power ‘hard to drive’ Headphones
Some headphones are notoriously hard to power. A headphone amplifier gives your audio source a boost in output power, which gives the headphones a more full sound, improves bass kick and often makes trebles more defined.
For example the Sennheiser HD650, HD600, HD595 and many Beyerdynamic headphones have relatively high impedance ratings, which mean they need more power than most to drive the headphone speakers.
Interestingly, many lower impedance headphones and earphones (normally the high end models) also appear to benefit from the use of a headphone amplifier. For example the low impedance Grado GS1000 or Grado RS1 can be easily be driven by a humble iPod, but add a headphone amplifier such as the Grado Slee Solo to the equation and the improvement in sound can be very satisfying.
Avoiding Cheap Headphone Outputs
The headphone output on many portable audio sources, such as iPods, iPhones and laptops, can be very poor indeed. The electronics used often leave much to be desired and are obviously designed with budget, rather than sound quality, as the major design factor. A headphone amplifier offers ways to avoid the noisy headphone output completely.
The iPod and iPhone headphone socket can be avoided completely by using a Line Out Dock (LOD) cable. These cables take the un-amplified line out signal from the 30 pin dock connector provide a way to drive a headphone amplifier with this better quality signal.
Laptop and computer owners can avoid the often breathtakingly bad headphone output with the addition of a Digital to Analogue Converter (DAC) and headphone amplifier. The DAC is connected to the computer’s USB port and the conversion to analogue audio signal is done well away from the noisy electronics inside the computer. Some products, such as the iBasso D2, combine a DAC and headphone amp into a single unit.
FiiO and KS Distribution today announced a partnership for distribution of FiiO’s audio electronics products in the UK. Based near Brighton on the South Coast of England, KS Distribution is a specialist distributor of headphone and earphone related audio products.
KS Distribution is to be distributing FiiO audio electronics products to independent specialist retailers in the UK and Ireland.
FiiO headphone amplifiers provide a way to get the best audio performance from portable audio sources, such as MP3 players (Apple iPod, iPhone, etc) and laptop computers.
The FiiO E5 has taken the headphone amp market by storm, with a high specification and entry level price making it accessable for anyone looking to upgrade their portable audio system.
About KS Distribution
A leading audio electronics distributor, KS Distribution specialises in bringing innovative products to the UK market and providing a World class service to their customers. Offering a carefully selected range of products for home and mobile listening, KS Distribution are a highly focused team whose primary aim is to develop strong partnerships with retailers and manufacturers.
FiiO Electronic Technology is a personal audio consumer electronics manufacturer with a product line-up that includes headphone amplifiers and speaker systems. Leading the field in affordable personal audio products, FiiO is constantly innovating to stay ahead of the competition.
Regular visitors to HiFi Headphones may have noticed we’ve listed the iBasso D2 in our headphone amplifier section. Last week we received a couple of samples of each iBasso model to test. The results were so positive we went ahead and listed them immediately and put our first order in (we’re expecting stock from in approx 3 weeks).
There are other models in the range, including an ultra portable headphone amp called the iBasso T4 (it is VERY small and weighs just 29 grams) and a high end model that comes with various types of Op-Amp to swap over to alter the sound signature (one for the perfectionists).
The iBasso D2 works especially well with higher impedance earphones such as the Sleek Audio SA6 and Klipsch Image X10, where there is good improvement in depth of bass, as well as high frequency detail and soundstage. I’ve yet to test with lower impedance earphones (Ultimate Ears Triple.fi 10’s, etc), but I would guess the effect is similar, but maybe not so pronounced.
Below is a photo of the iBasso D2 with my Sleek Audio SA6’s and an old iPod Nano:
In my opinion the most interesting application for the iBasso D2 is using the DAC with a laptop. With my IBM ThinkPad T62 laptop feeding the D2’s DAC and a pair of Sennheiser HD650’s the difference in overall sound quality is significant compared with the laptop’s standard headphone output. I would say this is the application where the biggest improvement in sound quality is seen.
KS Distribution has announced they have been appointed as the sole UK distributor for iBasso Audio headphone amplifier products. Based near Brighton on the South Coast of England, KS Distribution is a specialist distributor of headphone and earphone related audio products.
KS Distribution is to be distributing iBasso electronics products to independent audio retailers in the UK and Ireland.
iBasso headphone amplifiers provide a way to get the best audio performance from portable audio sources, such as MP3 players (Apple iPod, etc) and laptop computers.
About KS Distribution
A leading audio electronics distributor, KS Distribution specialises in bringing innovative products to the UK market and providing a World class service to their customers. Offering a carefully selected range of products for home and mobile listening, KS Distribution are a highly focused team whose primary aim is to develop strong partnerships with retailers and manufacturers.
iBasso is a personal audio electronics manufacturer dedicated to getting the best from portable audio listening via headphones. iBasso’s range of headphone amplifiers feature high specification design and outstanding audio quality at an affordable price. With flexibiliy in mind iBasso headphones amps have been developed for high quality headphone listening via direct connection to portable digital audio players, such as the Apple iPod, as well as listening to music stored on laptops and netbooks via USB.
The HiFi Headphones sale section now lists a big selection of headphone & earphone models at dramatically reduced prices. With bargain prices on headphones from top manufacturers such as Sennheiser, AKG, Audio-Technica, Skullcandy and many others, you can pick up a high quality pair of headphones at a huge discount.
Our headphone sale includes a broad range of high quality models, including wireless headphones, in-ear sound isolating earphones and even professional DJ headphones.
The sale is strictly on a first come, first served basis, so don’t let anyone else beat you to that bargain deal!
