Introduction
I got bored with the sound of the Bijou 2 earphones primarily because of the boomy bass which I did not like too much. So I ordered two earphones and decided to sell the earphone I liked the least. I ordered the PL-30 with FiiO E3 from mp4nation and the Sound magic PL-12 from Focal price.
Well the Pl-30 came first so they are burned in quite nicely. The PL-12 however are still burning in and Ill write a review for them once they finish burning in.
Specifications
9mm drivers
102 +/-3dB/mw sensitivity
12ohm impedance
20-22K Freq. Resp.
20mw max input/2mw rated power
Cord Length - 1m
Packaging
Whoever complains that Soundmagic doesn't give any accessories with its earphones needs to be sent to an asylum ! Seriously for a budget earphone (yes 1400 bucks is STILL a budget earphone) there are lots of stuff.
- Soundmagic PL-30 earphones (duh !)
- 8 tips (6 pairs of single flange tips, 1 pair double flanged tips and 1 pair of foam tips)
- Lots of connectors
- Zipper case
- A USB battery charger.
- Cable wrap
Some pics of the accessories -
Build Quality
The earphones are made up of plastic but the wire is pretty decent. However it has two knobs to adjust the bass. (Clear bass or Deep bass) The problem is these knobs look like they can break at any time. So best not to use them at all.
These earphones are unique in the fact that you need to wear them around the ear and you are not supposed to stick them into your ear directly like the famous Creative EP-630 buds. The upside to this is that there is practically no microphonics (ruffling sound when the wire brushes your clothes) but the downside is that the seal is not very good and isolation is pretty bad as canal phones go. Comfort is decent but for some reason the earbuds do not stay in my ear and after some time I have to reinsert them again.
Sound Quality
Pathetic !!! (Before you burn them). You NEED to do at least a 20 hour burn-in. I have used these earphones with the Sansa Clip.
BASS - These are bass light earphones. The bass is clear and tight but it gets boomy in certain tracks. If you love to hear the bass over anything else, then these earphones are not for you. That said the bass is sufficient and it does not drown out the vocals and trebble. If you turn the knob (deep bass), it will cause the bass to become more noticeable and also more muddy. Not recommended for most people, but some will prefer it that way.
MIDRANGE - Very smooth and vocals sound very nice. Most earphones have a lower mid range hump which makes the bass sound bloated and boomy but the PL-30 is not one of them. The midrange is actually better than the Bijou 2 earphones but that should not be surprising given that the mids were a bit recessed in the Bijous.
TREBBLE - The trebble is clear, detailed and has sparkle. Most earphones have a rolled off trebble but I believe the PL-30 is not one of them. The trebble however never gets too sharp so as to hurt your ears.
SOUNDSTAGE - Wow ! These earphones have a wider sound stage than even the more expensive Bijou 2 earphones ! The soundstage makes you feel that the music is coming to you from all sides and makes certain tracks a real treat to listen to since you can concentrate on all the different instruments playing with ease.
Conclusion
The strong points of this earphone is the trebble and the midrange with bass being the slight weakpoint (its not bad but bass heads will be disappointed).
For the price - $26 with the E3 amp is a good deal. If you wish to save yourself the hassles of shipping them back in case of warranty issues, you can buy them from mediahome.in
I like these earphones as they suit my tastes in Music and they dont have the bloated bass that I hate. I prefer them over my (now deceased) Bijou 2 earphones. To the Bijous credit, they have better build quality and are slightly more detailed. But I am happy with the PL-30s though I am even happier with the $12 PL-12s !!!
The PL-12 review will be coming up shortly.
hyeah:
I got bored with the sound of the Bijou 2 earphones primarily because of the boomy bass which I did not like too much. So I ordered two earphones and decided to sell the earphone I liked the least. I ordered the PL-30 with FiiO E3 from mp4nation and the Sound magic PL-12 from Focal price.
Well the Pl-30 came first so they are burned in quite nicely. The PL-12 however are still burning in and Ill write a review for them once they finish burning in.
Specifications
9mm drivers
102 +/-3dB/mw sensitivity
12ohm impedance
20-22K Freq. Resp.
20mw max input/2mw rated power
Cord Length - 1m
Packaging
Whoever complains that Soundmagic doesn't give any accessories with its earphones needs to be sent to an asylum ! Seriously for a budget earphone (yes 1400 bucks is STILL a budget earphone) there are lots of stuff.
- Soundmagic PL-30 earphones (duh !)
- 8 tips (6 pairs of single flange tips, 1 pair double flanged tips and 1 pair of foam tips)
- Lots of connectors
- Zipper case
- A USB battery charger.
- Cable wrap
Some pics of the accessories -
Build Quality
The earphones are made up of plastic but the wire is pretty decent. However it has two knobs to adjust the bass. (Clear bass or Deep bass) The problem is these knobs look like they can break at any time. So best not to use them at all.
These earphones are unique in the fact that you need to wear them around the ear and you are not supposed to stick them into your ear directly like the famous Creative EP-630 buds. The upside to this is that there is practically no microphonics (ruffling sound when the wire brushes your clothes) but the downside is that the seal is not very good and isolation is pretty bad as canal phones go. Comfort is decent but for some reason the earbuds do not stay in my ear and after some time I have to reinsert them again.
Sound Quality
Pathetic !!! (Before you burn them). You NEED to do at least a 20 hour burn-in. I have used these earphones with the Sansa Clip.
BASS - These are bass light earphones. The bass is clear and tight but it gets boomy in certain tracks. If you love to hear the bass over anything else, then these earphones are not for you. That said the bass is sufficient and it does not drown out the vocals and trebble. If you turn the knob (deep bass), it will cause the bass to become more noticeable and also more muddy. Not recommended for most people, but some will prefer it that way.
MIDRANGE - Very smooth and vocals sound very nice. Most earphones have a lower mid range hump which makes the bass sound bloated and boomy but the PL-30 is not one of them. The midrange is actually better than the Bijou 2 earphones but that should not be surprising given that the mids were a bit recessed in the Bijous.
TREBBLE - The trebble is clear, detailed and has sparkle. Most earphones have a rolled off trebble but I believe the PL-30 is not one of them. The trebble however never gets too sharp so as to hurt your ears.
SOUNDSTAGE - Wow ! These earphones have a wider sound stage than even the more expensive Bijou 2 earphones ! The soundstage makes you feel that the music is coming to you from all sides and makes certain tracks a real treat to listen to since you can concentrate on all the different instruments playing with ease.
Conclusion
The strong points of this earphone is the trebble and the midrange with bass being the slight weakpoint (its not bad but bass heads will be disappointed).
For the price - $26 with the E3 amp is a good deal. If you wish to save yourself the hassles of shipping them back in case of warranty issues, you can buy them from mediahome.in
I like these earphones as they suit my tastes in Music and they dont have the bloated bass that I hate. I prefer them over my (now deceased) Bijou 2 earphones. To the Bijous credit, they have better build quality and are slightly more detailed. But I am happy with the PL-30s though I am even happier with the $12 PL-12s !!!
The PL-12 review will be coming up shortly.
hyeah:
