This and
That:
One
Balanced Armature driver per side.
Comes with a pouch
carrying case/bag, which is definitely something that is definitely
an accessory that’s inferior to a hard case. Still acceptable at
the price point, though.
The included silicone tips are
rather unusual as they’re rather cushion-/pillow-shaped. They fit
and isolate really
well, though, and are soft as well as adequately stable.
Designed
to be worn with the cable around the ears, which emphasises the more
professional orientation and is definitely a plus.
The
cable doesn’t appear particularly tough but still tough enough
(better than most of Sony’s models’ cables) and features a proper
strain relief in
most areas (could be better directly at the
shell entrance, though) as well as an
integrated chin-slider.
I really like the metallic blue
shell colour and that the coloured side
indicators. The
plastic appears rather thin and cheap, though. The
shells are fairly low in profile wherefore the PL 50 fits nicely flat
in one’s ears.
Sound:
Largest
included silicone tips.
Low impedance
sources.
Tonality:
Neutral
tendency leaning somewhat
more towards warmth and darkness. Nicely
balanced indeed and without any striking
flaws or things lacking.
Effortless and
nicely inoffensive. “Unremarkable”
in a good way and very easy to listen to.
Compared
to an in-ear with a more diffuse-field flat bass response such as my
Etymotic ER-4S or the ER4SR, the PL 50’s lows are elevated by ca. 5
dB, which is around 2 dB more bass quantity than my Ultimate Ears
Reference Monitors put out.
The lows’
climax is reached somewhere between 200 Hz and 100 Hz, and can be
kept flat down to the real sub-bass at 20 Hz wherefore SoundMAGIC’s
single-BA in-ear is also capable of
reproducing the lowest frequencies with nice rumble.
Around
about 650 Hz, the lows’ elevation starts to climb, wherefore the
lower mids and fundamental range already
have a gently warm character but
without appearing too thick or overly
warm.
After
the central midrange at 1 kHz, the PL 50
loses a bit of energy towards
2 kHz which gives voices a slightly more relaxed touch and
makes bright-ish male musicians as well as females sound a little
darker than they really are, just to rise
back to neutral quantity again around 3 kHz (neutral
relative to my ER-4S, and ca. 1 dB above neutral right at that spot
relative to the ER4SR).
Above
that, the treble takes a clear step back towards 5 kHz,
which is the main reason why the highs are
perceived as inoffensive, rather relaxed
and easy to listen to, and is again at more
neutral (but still slightly recessed) level between about 7 kHz and
12 kHz, just to drop off quite steeply
above that.
“Relaxed
neutral” would probably be a fitting description, although
(thankfully)
without being
excessively so in the lower and middle treble as
it is the case with the Audiofly
AF1120.
Resolution:
Good
speech intelligibility but ultimately on a
somewhat
lesser quality level
compared to some
higher-end single-BA in-ears (such
as my Etymotic ER-4S, Logitech/Ultimate
Ears UE600vi or Phonak Audéo PFE 132).
Tight
and clean
bass.
Ultimately not
entirely on the
same level as that of Etymotic’s more expensive single-BA in-ears,
though, but very close and well
controlled, tight and detailed.
Treble
appears soft, with less clean note reproduction and transients
(“smear”).
Soundstage:
Wider
than deep resulting in a more oval presentation.
Precise
instrument separation and good imaging as
it should be expected with a decent too good single-BA in-ear.
Ultimately not on the same level as
Etymotic’s single-BA models, though.
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Compared
to the Etymotic ER3XR:
The
most striking difference between the two in the lows is that the
SoundMAGIC has got the thicker fundamental range and lower midrange
resulting in a bit more warmth (the Ety’s bass elevation rises
deeper and reaches its climax deeper as well, which can be clearly
heard in comparison) while the rest of the bass is
only a bit stronger elevated (a bit less than one dB) on the PL 50
with similarly good, linear extension towards the sub-bass.
Ety
more neutral midrange (less lower midrange warmth and more upper
midrange quantity), resulting in a more “true to life” vocal
reproduction.
The Ety’s highs
are less recessed than my PL 50’s around the 5 Hz central treble
range as well as more level around 10 kHz, resulting in a more
reference-like, less relaxed-style neutral presentation in the highs.
Above 10 kHz, the PL 50 is brighter and extends closer to 20 kHz in
comparison.
In terms of
resolution, most strikingly when it comes to midrange details and
treble, it is, not much surprisingly mainly due to the PL 50’s more
relaxed 5 kHz range, the Ety that sounds cleaner
and more detailed with the SoundMAGIC
presenting cymbal hits and high notes more softly, less crisp (here,
I don’t mean by level, but perceived attack and decay in
the upper registers).
In
terms of bass quality though, there isn’t
much of a difference although when compared side-by-side, the Ety has
got an edge (although a slight one)
over the PL 50 in terms of decay speed
wherefore the latter appears boomier by a
smidgen in comparison.
The
SoundMAGIC has
got the wider soundstage with
the ER3XR’s appearing ever so slightly deeper in direct comparison
to my ears; the
Ety has
ultimately got the somewhat more precise
imaging (instrument placement) in comparison when
switching back to my SoundMAGIC whose soundstage appears somewhat
more diffuse in comparison (“empty space” between instruments not
as “empty” when compared to the Ety).
Compared
to the FiiO FA1:
Accessory-,
cable- and design-wise, the FiiO offers the quite more premium
appearance compared to my PL 50’s flimsy-ish cable and its very
light plastic shells (the latter, though, could also be considered as
a pro argument for the SoundMAGIC as it “disappears” subjectively
much quicker and isn’t really noticed anymore (by me) already after
a few seconds).
In terms of
tonality, both are quite similar in the lows with only minimal
differences (FiiO slightly bassier by around 0.5 dB) a very slightly
more lower midrange warmth on my SoundMAGIC.
The
FiiO’s upper mids around 2 kHz are a bit less relaxed, which, along
with its more present 4 kHz range and even elevated 5 kHz (here it
shows a peak) range, results in a clearly brighter and crisper treble
presentation compared to the PL 50 but also
a moderately metallic edge that is caused by the aforementioned 5 kHz
peak as well as another elevation around 11 kHz that causes cymbals
to sound somewhat more elevated than they really are (so while the PL
50’s tuning follows a darker, overall more down-sloping
curve, the FiiO’s tuning is more
loudness-curve oriented leaning towards neutral, however
less even/peakier). This
results in the PL 50’s highs appearing more even, although
undeniably darker.
When it comes
to resolution, the FiiO is slightly ahead compared
to the more smoothed high note edges on the PL 50 that has however
got the advantage of more evenness in the highs.
Regarding bass
quality, though, the SoundMAGIC is a little superior with a somewhat
tighter, slightly cleaner low-end presentation.
The
FiiO’s perceived soundstage
appears a good bit larger and, in direct
comparison, a little more precise,
too.
Conclusion:
Relaxed-warm/dark-ish
neutral sounding single-BA in-ear with flimsy appearing cable but
decent technicalities and stable fit as
well as good, lightweight fit and comfort.