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Never heard of Soundmagic before? Don’t sweat it – neither had we until the sound-isolating PL11s from www.hifiheadphones.com landed on our desk.
As a general rule we countenance spending disproportionately large amounts of money on headphones but the Soundmagic PL11s tip the scales at just £20 (or even less on Ebay). Surely you’re better off with the ones that come with your player?
Buddy good
Well, no – far from it, in fact. Straight out of the inauspicious cardboard box they impress with their array of accessories, including various ear fittings and a handy cable wrap.
The two-tone buds are nicely machined from aluminium and the soft touch cable feels as though it’s going to stay put.
They’re reasonably small and light, so should be comfortable for anyone willing happy to block their lugs with rubber, and they offer excellent noise blocking characteristics. The slim, straight-fit 3.5mm jack feels solidly fused, too.
Sounder than a pound
But what really impresses about the PL11s is sound. Up against the likes of Sony’s in-ears, the best of the bundled crop, they astound with their relative clarity and detail resolution. Compare them to a pair of Apple buds and it’s like you’ve discovered a whole new flavour of sound (most of us call it bass).
It’s fair to say that the PL11s give any pair of sub-£40 headphones a run for their money. At that price point they run into the excellent Sennheiser CX300-II which has a similar balance of talents – a weighty, warm, forthright delivery that resolves instruments and voices impressively well.
There are hiccups – some fine detail is lost to the exuberant bass – so if you can afford to spend extra on your headphones you will be able to find superior sound. However, at this crazily low price we’d be mad not to recommend the Soundmagic PL11s whole-heartedly.
Comments
doibi
1 year ago
So this is new... I must admit that I never heard of this kind of player, but after having read the article, I can say that I'm curious to try it. video to Flash converter / hulu to ipad / ipad 3 converter
jb4522jb
1 year ago
The quality of these headphones are so good. It has some great sound quality. You cannot go wrong with this at all. florida short sale
gabrielaela
1 year ago
I like this kind of headphones. I something which was very alike. They fit great in the ear and the sound's quality is high.
Oferte revelion
gabrielaela
1 year ago
I like this kind of headphones. I something which was very alike. They fit great in the ear and the sound's quality is high.
Oferte revelion
scontini
3 years ago
Read this review of the SoundMAGIC PL11 and thought I would give them a punt. Well, I'm suitably impressed. Very good quality sound with lots of nice warm bass - great for Pendulum and High Contrast. The cabling is well made and they seem overall of very good quality build. Highly recommended!
jamesbneilson
3 years ago
I have just taken delivery of a pair of PL12 (which I believe to be the sister version of the PL11). I have not had chance to properly test the sound but one potential problem I have had out of the box is the length of the cable. It is just a few cm short to run from the ipod in the back pocket to the ear without applying tension to the chord. I am not a tall man either. Be sure to check the cable length against your requirements before purchasing.