SoundMAGIC PL50 IEMs Discussions | Drop

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SoundMAGIC PL50 IEMs

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).

Mar 14, 2018

JimSwaz

Mar 15, 2018

Eli35Thanks for making the time to write a review with this detail. I have a purpose for these that I would not had thought about addressing via this route otherwise.

Mar 15, 2018

lifeisaburrito

Mar 28, 2019

Eli35Just saw your review! New to the community, so I wanted to say how much I appreciate your work. If I were to use these as main earphones at work (through PC) would you recommend I run them through a DAC, to avoid the dullness?

Mar 28, 2019

Eli35

653

Mar 29, 2019

lifeisaburritoWelcome, 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 :)

Mar 29, 2019

Eli35

653

Mar 29, 2019

lifeisaburritoBTW 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.

Mar 29, 2019

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