SoundMAGIC PL30 Review

While the SoundMAGIC PL30 earphones are mainly aimed at the lower end of the sports or running market, they’re also suited for regular use. Find out what we think in our full SoundMAGIC PL30 review.

Coming from the same stable as the ever popular SoundMAGIC E10 earphones, the SoundMAGIC PL30 sports earphones have a lot to live up to. While they sit slightly lower down the price ladder than the E10’s, they still have a lot to offer for running or sports use.

SoundMAGIC PL30 Running Earphones

The PL30 earphones are pretty basic in appearance, built for function rather than looks. Care has been taken to make them tough and rugged for use while playing sports or running, whilst keeping them plain in appearance so they can still be used as an everyday set of in ear headphones.

What sets the SoundMAGIC PL30 earphones apart from many other sports earphones, are the removable ear hooks. When in use, these help keep the earphones securely fitted to your ear even when running. When removed, they essentially become a standard set of everyday earphones that can be used wherever and whenever you like. To compliment this secure fit, there are 3 sets of silicon adaptors and 3 sets of memory foam adaptors which means that you will get a great fit. Many people, particularly those that struggle with earphones falling out, find the memory foam type a great choice for both fit and comfort.

Also included are a storage pouch and a cable clip. The cable clip is a welcome addition for sports use as it further helps to reduce the cable tugging on the earpieces. An extra benefit is that the clip also reduces the microphone effect of the cable – the sound that you here when the cable bounces around.

The Sound of Music

As you may be aware, the SoundMAGIC have become known for producing great sounding earphones at an incredibly low price point. The SoundMAGIC PL30 earphones are not an exception to this rule and perform pretty well.

We’ll be upfront here – the sound isn’t as good as the award winning SoundMAGIC E10 earphones. But, given that they are for sports use rather than everyday use we think the sound quality is acceptable. The sound is clear with good detail – mid frequencies and treble are handled very nicely, but the bass is somewhat lacking…particularly if you’re a bass head.

If you look closely, you will spot a dial on the back of each of the earpieces. The dials adjust the bass response or character of the earphones. As they come, the dial is set to the clean, or flat setting which gives a neutral sound. Rotating the dial to the other extreme sets them to deep or enhanced bass mode. We found this to do little to the overall sound, but some users have reported a more pronounced effect after the earphones have been worn in after 50+ hours of use.

We should issue a minor word of caution here. The SoundMAGIC PL30 earphones are noise isolating – meaning that they block out some external noise. While the sound isolation isn’t as pronounced as many other regular earphones on the market. If you are looking for a set of earphones specifically for running, you may be better off opting for a set that are a more open in nature, such as the Sennheiser MX 685. This is a safety issue and would allow more external sounds into your ear eg, traffic. The SoundMAGIC PL30 in ear headphones are perhaps better suited to use in the gym or running in the park than running on the road.

SoundMAGIC PL30 Review Conclusion

Once again SoundMAGIC have come up with the goods in a great value set of earphones. The SoundMAGIC PL30 sports earphones come in at a very competitive price point that is pretty hard to beat. While they lack a little on looks and sound quality, they do fit very securely and perform very well for exercise or running use. All in all, the PL30’s are a good choice if you want a great value set of sports earphones to chuck in your gym bag.