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SoundMAGIC PL50 IEMs
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SoundMAGIC PL50 IEMs
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Product Description
A tiny, discreet IEM that’s ideal for traveling, the SoundMAGIC PL50 uses balanced-armature drivers to reproduce sound with incredible accuracy, energy, and detail. Plus, with an industry-leading 20 dB of noise isolation, even loud environments (like bustling streets and crowded trains) won’t get in the way of your music Read More
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keyboard_arrow_downnbogod
5
Apr 23, 2019
Just got them - initially thought they sounded terrible - highs and mids there with no lows and a bit shrill on the treble side and a very thin overall sound presentation. However, after playing around with the fit and getting the right seal among the silicone and foam S/M/L tips (provided) they actually sound surprisingly good. I'm not an audiophile by any means but I'd say they have a reasonable if narrow sound-stage, fair instrument separation and clarity, good dynamic range, and reasonable though not powerful bass response. As others have noted the right fit is essential to getting decent non-tinny sound out of these little guys but now I have them sitting right with a good fit I'd say they were a good value at the low price offered.
Domba
1
Mar 29, 2019
MellowBatonYes they are balanced armature, was referencing the term driver flex because that's exactly how they sound when listened to on a bass heavy track...
Dmac6419
194
Mar 25, 2019
How are these $100.00 when they were only about $51.00 from SoundMAGIC. Almost forgot these ain't no collectors item either.
(Edited)
gemmoglock
63
Mar 17, 2018
Anyone knows how these compare to the Mee Pinnacle PX, Brainwavz B100 and other IEMs? Curious if it is worth its discounted 30USD compared to the newer competition.
Ofer
66
Aug 4, 2018
gemmoglockI have the Pinnacle PX. Overall they are better for sure. They give you more immersion (except for acoustic small scale recordings - see below), more detail, and an impressive sound-stage.
However, if you want something that doesn't grab your attention so much, and is a bit easier on the ear, smaller and very easy to insert, these could be nice.
Furthermore, the mids here are very good, quite forward and perhaps more appealing to some than the PX mids which are very detailed but sit somewhat in the back of the mix.
The PL50 is mid-centric.
The PX has plenty of things to offer, forward-mids not being one of them.
MFDK
5
Mar 16, 2018
Another past PL50 owner here, around 2010 when they first came out. Not going to cover much new here - brief review as I remember these.
Tiny flat, light iems, comfortable, and in my ears, stays good in place. Very good indeed for listening hours in bed. Paired with comply t-100 foams, without hooks = super comfortable. Sony hybrids also works well. They do deserve better ear tips from the included ones. Soundwise, they did too sound to me dull and 'meh', I couldn't agree much of the description. But I cannot rule out perhaps these didn't mixed well together with my slight cold sourced Cowon DAPs, and they need a warmer or right source to shine. Even eq'ed, I personally never ended up loved the sound of these. Build quality - you likely to find better. I did experience back then the shells to suddenly open and separate, but they can be glued back together. The cable however lasted me surprising a good while and abuse, before it eventually failed, and my pair end scrapped as sleeping plugs. I would buy these mainly for their ability to provide great comfort. Small ears would definitely love'em too.
Eli35
653
Mar 14, 2018
Got them long time ago, initially got very dissapointed because they sounded dull, kinda "canned", and lacked extension on both ends from my cheap DAC/amp (Hifime Sabre 9018). I was used to a bright bassy sound, coming from ATH-M50x. After lying around in a drawer for a few months, and me getting used to a much more balanced sound (HD6XX), I decided to give them a second try listening from my smartphone. For my surprise, those things surprised me in a great way with, and now I use them as my daily night buds.
They're super flat, very light and tiny, you barely notice you wear them. You can lie on your side in bed/couch without major issues (I've owned 20-30 IEMs, those are the smallest, and the only ones with whom I can lie on my side). I discovered they sound dull when plugged to higher output impedance amps (like my Sabre 9018 or laptop's headphone out) due to their impedance curve, but when using low impedance sources (smartphone, for instance) they sound really well balanced and have decent extension, a nice natural and relaxed sound. They're great for watching series/movies because mids are very well presented, so dialogs are crystal clear, not like some V-shaped headphones that sound great with EDM/hip-hop music but voices sound distant and artificial.
Overall, they're good, worth the money (if you know what you're buying and you have a proper source for them). On the negative side, the included foam tips are complete trash and even removing them can be troublesome, I suggest buying some Comply (T-100 are supposed to fit well) or use silicone tips (seal with silicone can be challenging due to their shape, YMMV).
They're super flat, very light and tiny, you barely notice you wear them. You can lie on your side in bed/couch without major issues (I've owned 20-30 IEMs, those are the smallest, and the only ones with whom I can lie on my side). I discovered they sound dull when plugged to higher output impedance amps (like my Sabre 9018 or laptop's headphone out) due to their impedance curve, but when using low impedance sources (smartphone, for instance) they sound really well balanced and have decent extension, a nice natural and relaxed sound. They're great for watching series/movies because mids are very well presented, so dialogs are crystal clear, not like some V-shaped headphones that sound great with EDM/hip-hop music but voices sound distant and artificial.
Overall, they're good, worth the money (if you know what you're buying and you have a proper source for them). On the negative side, the included foam tips are complete trash and even removing them can be troublesome, I suggest buying some Comply (T-100 are supposed to fit well) or use silicone tips (seal with silicone can be challenging due to their shape, YMMV).
Eli35
653
Mar 29, 2019
Welcome, and thank you! Now, about your question, any decent DAC will be mostly transparent and add almost no coloration at all to the sound (that's what it's supposed to do). If you don't want dullness for a good music listening experience, I suggest you use some sort of equalization, but I'm telling you straight: these IEMs aren't good for it's dynamic range, they do not sound very musical, they're just good for voices (podcasts, YT, Netflix series, some movies... that kind of content) and also have a very compact form factor that makes them perfect for bedtime listening.
If you wanna get a good musical sounding IEM, I suggest you look elsewhere. Feel free to ask for some suggestions given your budget and preferences. Don't worry too much about the source, you can basically buy a budget DAC/amp combo for <$100 and you'll be able to drive almost any budget IEMs in the market quite well. And later on, you can use it just as a DAC and plug a dedicated amp that'll allow you driving less sensitive and/or higher impedance headphones (like full-sized open back headphones) and you're all set.
Good luck in your neverending search for the best listening experience :)
Eli35
653
Mar 29, 2019
BTW the main reasons to use a dedicated DAC instead of a integrated sound chipset are:
- cleaner sound: typically, audio chipsets have a lot of background noise due to electromagnetic interference with the rest of electronics inside your computer and low quality electronic components (most people don't give a f*ck about sound quality, so manufacturers usually don't put too much effort on it).
- better dynamic range: since a decent DAC will have less background noise, the largest difference between the softest audible sound and the loudest possible one are much bigger, which is always good.
- better sound quality (overall): usually integrated audio chipsets are mediocre at best (high distortion, low extension, bad amplification, underpowered...). Upgrading to a budget DAC is crucial, since using a dedicated amp with a crappy source will just make it louder (trash in - trash out). Of course, if you're on a very tight budget, you can start buying the amp and use anything as a source, since without proper amplification some headphones will sound just terrible and not loud enough. You can always upgrade to a dedicated DAC and enjoy a better listening experience, but you won't enjoy listening low sensitivity headphones from a underpowered source no matter what.
- higher output voltage: that one is tricky, but if your DAC has a standard output voltage (like 2.1V RMS) instead of low power sources like a smartphone or PC, it "puts less stress" (requires lower gains) on your amp to reach the same power output, which means you have more headroom for less sensitive headphones or higher impedance. Sensitivity and impedance are completely different things, higher impedance doesn't means more power hungry, ask for details if you wanna know more about it.
CamoGeko
137
Mar 14, 2018
I urge everyone not to buy these. Go on AliExpress and buy some brand new 2018 multiple/hybrid driver IEMs for half the price.
Eli35
653
Mar 15, 2018
CamoGekoThe PL50 are great if you know what you're getting: a balanced sounding IEMs that needs low impedance sources to sound good. If you plug these to some motherboards with somewhat high output impedance (15-20 ohm) they'll sound dull and lack extension, if you expect a v-shaped sound with deep bass and bright treble you'll be dissapointed. They're not "the best IEMs" because there's no "best IEMs", everyone's tastes are different. Initially I disliked them so much but now I love them, read my mini-review above if you wanna know my opinion.
Eli35
653
Mar 15, 2018
First of all, hybrids aren't better than dynamics-only, it's just a different technology with some pros and cons. Second, as a budget chi-fi IEM fan who has owned 20-30 different renowned models, I'll list you a few models that I liked the most:
- bass-focused: Rock Zircon.
- v-shaped sound: KZ ZS5 v1 (with foam tips), Memt X5, Tennmak Dulcimer, TFZ Exclusive 5 (expensive!).
- balanced sound: SoundMAGIC PL50, Tin Audio T515, Tin Audio T2, KZ ATR.
- treble-focused: Seahf AWK-009, Boarseman KR25D.
Best price performance, probably goes for the ATR if you like a balanced sound or Memt X5 for a v-shaped sound. Rock Zircon are also great, but the bass is a bit overemphatised and they lack some highs and specially mids (for my taste), so they're not good "all-rounders" like other models and only sound good with some bassy genres. KZ ZS5 v1 is almost impossible to find right now, since the model being sold now is the v2, a real treble cannon that will pierce your ears for sure. But if you can find a 2nd hand KZ ZS5 v1, and plug some memory foam tips, they have an absurd price-performance ratio, real flagship killers. If you can afford them, TFZ Exclusive 5 are a step above the rest and have THE BEST bass I've ever heard while mids are still present and treble is bright & detailed but not sibilant, also build quality and comfort are 10/10.
Best price performance, probably goes for the ATR if you like a balanced sound or Memt X5 for a v-shaped sound. Rock Zircon are also great, but the bass is a bit overemphatised and they lack some highs and specially mids (for my taste), so they're not good "all-rounders" like other models and only sound good with some bassy genres. KZ ZS5 v1 is almost impossible to find right now, since the model being sold now is the v2, a real treble cannon that will pierce your ears for sure. But if you can find a 2nd hand KZ ZS5 v1, and plug some memory foam tips, they have an absurd price-performance ratio, real flagship killers. If you can afford them, TFZ Exclusive 5 are a step above the rest and have THE BEST bass I've ever heard while mids are still present and treble is bright & detailed but not sibilant, also build quality and comfort are 10/10.
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