SoundMAGIC HP200 Premium Full Size Open-Back Folding Headphones (Black)

I live outside the US, on February 2015 I purchased the HP150, based on some good reviews on-line, that pair sounded great, and even when lack on lower-end (they not designed for bass heads, but still lack in that end), overall they just sound clear and detailed.Fast forward to a vacation trip made to the States in March of the same year, I was excited on getting the HP200 based on my previous experience and because I wanted open air headphone. I made my purchased before my arrival, as I only a couple days in my stay. But for some reason, the package was delayed and received a day before my return, so never had the time to test the HP200.The problem with the unit I received, is that the left side sound quieter than the right!! Not sure by how many decibels as I do not have any equipment to test this, but I tried different sources and had friends listen to them, and all times came to the same conclusion.I have purchased numerous headphones over time, some cheaper some more expensive, but this was the first time something like this happened to me. This headphone was not on the cheap side ($200 at the time of purchase), and coming from a company that prides itself with their “meticulous manufacturing process, all products must be tested at least three times”, I just can’t understand were the quality control actually was when my unit was manufactured.I did not return them to Amazon because the shipping expenses were insanely close to the cost of the headphones themselves.Maybe I got a lemon, as the HP150’s still sound fine, and while I could partially compensate the volume differences with the balance controls, in the end, I still end up with a low quality expensive headphone, hoping this is not a an early sing of a driver going bad.Now they still sit in my closet in mint condition with a couple of uses, as a reminder to never purchase a SoundMAGIC product again.To a friend, I would definitely advise them to look elsewhere, for the price there are many alternatives for open headphones (Audio-Technica, Sennheiser, etc). But if still you are wanting to buy these headphone as part of an export sale, just check the return cost beforehand. I wish you do not have such a bad experience as I did.

I collect headphones and now own 30 pair priced from $20.00 to $500.00. I have owned a lot more than the 30 I have kept. I keep the one's that are unique in styling(but still sound good), perform exceptionally for their price or just plain blow your mind with their sound.With that said these cans are definitely keepers.ConstructionThese are very well built units that surpass other headphones in this price range.ComfortUnmatched in comfort. These cans are among the most comfortable I own.SoundFor sound I would say they compare most closely to AKG Q 701's and Grado 225i headphones. The bass is deep and balanced not muddy and boomy. Bass is a little more represented than the AKG ' S and similar to the Grado's maybe going a little deeper. Mid's are very clear accurate. High's are perfectly nuanced with out a hint of shrillness or fatigue. Overall a very well balanced sound. The sound stage is immense larger than the Grado's or AKG's providing a true 3D sound. . Every instrument can be identified in good recordings along with their placement. The only nit pick would be the sound stage is so huge they lack some centering.I can truly say I never heard of this brand before and after some research decided to give them a listen. I must say I am so glad I did I now would not want to be without them. When ever I want to sit and do critical listening to music they are one of four headphones I reach for. In fact I liked them so much I purchased a set of their HP 150 closed back and P21 portable headphones. Both of which are world class in their performance in their category.I was skeptical about a company with such a strange name and whether it could compete with the established brands. The name is strange but it truly describes the sound they make, it's magic.

First review I've ever posted on Amazon:Allright, this is the first item that I've ever reviewed on any website. The reason? I really think this is one of the best deals in the audiophile world.Gonna keep it short and simple:Build: Nice, comparable to the HD600 in sturdyness, feels far more solid than the HD598. Not as good as Beyer DT990Performance: Great, amazingly detailed mids and highs, nice quick bass (run out of a Schiit Asgard 2+Modi). Could use a bit more space in the vocals, the intimacy of the sound can be a bit overwhelming sometimes and muddle the soundstage. A little picky sometimes, can have a bit of sizzle.Cons: Provided cord is short, and a replacement would need to fit into the proprietary locking mechanism. Also, while the build is sturdy, it looks a bit "cheap" on close inspection due to the mostly plastic finish.Overall: I think these cans are quite comparable to the HD650 in terms of warm-ish signature and detail. However, I prefer the bass here to any Sennheiser headphones that I have tried. I'll be looking to see if I can replace the cord and earpads somehow (maybe to the Shure Alcantara) and update this review. Until then, these still stand as a viable alternative to any pair of headphones in the DT880/990 HD600/650 AKG 701/702 class.

These headphones are fantastic. Very detailed sound, excellent balance. I use these headphones for most anything, but they are particularly nice for doing listening analysis of contemporary classical music where there are so many soft dynamics and rich timbres in that style that it is very important to be able to discern incredibly slight shifts. These headphones absolutely slay on that front. You are getting quality like the Sennheiser 600 or 650 but for a fraction of the price, so I can't recommend these enough. I would advise picking up an amp of some kind because it will help with the sound quality if you are playing from not super hi-fi audio tracks (like streams, mp3, etc.)One slight complaint, the little emblem has come somewhat loose in one ear and can make some noise now, but this is a very minor qualm.

This is the true HD650 competitor that almost no one knows about. I'll go as far as to say that this headphone kills it when it comes to overall fidelity and SQ.Extremely dynamic, punchy and engaging sound with excellent top end. The Bass is especially taught and deep with great sub-bass presence.Overall I'll rate it above the HD650 in terms of sound. Buy this blindly; if you get to.

Great cans for the price,having owned some Grado sr80e,beyer DT880 these came accross as really good for any bass or dance type music adding a real depth weight and detail to anything electronic they really are fun.My only real problem is the pressure they generatecan be hard for long periods if Youv sensitive hearing these are definitely not for you.the build quality is excellent and the removable cable means you won't have the normal issue when it comes the cable failing.If you prefer classical or anything other than electronic try the beyerdynamics DT880(250ohms)the neutrality of these means you can wear them quite literally all day or fall asleep with them in bed as i often do,the way they reveal detail texture subtlety in well recorded music never fails to put a smile on my face.

I bought these during the Amazon 'thanks £10 off' and with an additional discount voucher so less than the £140 advertised - more on this later.Did a considerable amount of listening to headphones where available locally, including:Beyerdynamic DT880 and DT990 (sonically a little flatter in the treble and coloured in the bass than I liked)Sennheiser 598 which I found had good range but seemed to add a quality to music that made it non-neutralAKG K702, excellent in some ways with a very good signature, but I found the soundstage muddled and the detail clean but somewhat of a 'digital' sound to it as if processed.Audio-Technica ATH-M50X, a great sound but I could not get these to sit on my head for any more than a few minutes without fiddling with the fitting, maybe just me but unable to live with that for extended listening.The HP200's were not available to listen to locally but I had read a lot about them and what I read I liked so I took the plunge and ordered them. First impressions were good - a weighty feel about the phones when extracted from the (admittedly large) case which contained the phones, the 1.2m connector cable (with annoyingly a 'vendor proprietary connector to the phones themselves) and a 3m extension lead. They are a little heavier than some phones but sit well on the head and are not intrusive, however the earphone cups are free moving and can flip in the arms that hold them when not sat upon the head if not careful.I connected them up and allowed them to burn in for about 1.5 hours before having a first listen...to be honest they sounded very good even at that point with a neutrality I was very happy with, a little bit of treble harshness but a tight and controlled bass that made its presence felt but was not colouring the sound at all. After allowing them to burn in for 12 hours I checked them out the next morning and was impressed, still neutral but now a slightly warmer treble that did not sound shrill and that the soundstage was almost perfect for me…I could visualize instrument placing in many cases with good recordings. I was enrapt, and whilst meaning only to dip in, it was a couple of hours later that I surfaced with a big smile on my face and a realization that 1. These were so much better than my old AKGs and 2. I needed to seek out far better quality recordings (FLAC or very HQ MP3) to get the detail and clarity I was hearing in these phones.I have tried various tests, including the online headphone checks at http://www.audiocheck.net/soundtests_headphones.phpI have taken time to find decent recommended recordings that define some of the qualities expected of phones, including:Amber Rubarth - Good MysteryHolly Cole - Train SongJan Garbarek - Once I Wished a Tree Upside DownOlive - fallingToto – RosannaMotley Crue - Kickstart My HeartThe phones performed exceptionally well given the presented music across a range of types including genres such as rock, classical, dance, folk and indie etc…but they do elicit detail in poor recordings which spoil enjoyment so good source material is critical.I've burned them in overnight for a few days and am now not really hearing any difference but still find myself astonished at the quality of sound reproduction and clarity of these phones for the price...even at £140 these would be a steal.Obviously, we all hear things differently and some may prefer the aforementioned models and their sound to the HP200s but I would certainly include them if you have a chance to do so in any test at the price point. You may be as surprised and happy as I myself am with this purchase.

The first thing I had to do when I tried these was to lower the treble in all my equalizer settings. My immediate impression was that the treble was harsh and shrill. A reviewer wrote that whether you like these phones will depend on whether you like their treble handling – he may be right.After a cable fault with my Panasonic RP-HTF890 phones, I ditched them and bought these. I have an Asus X99-S motherboard with Crystal Sound 2 and am amply powerful power supply, but no amp or DAC. I've tried them with classical (including Mendelssohn – Violin Concerto, Carl Nielsen – Symphony No. 4 "Inextinguishable", Bach – Toccata and Fugue D Minor), vocals (mainly female) and television replay movies and other spoken dialogue. I don't possess FLAC, AIFF or WAV recordings so most of my experience was with mp3.To me the sound is really quite solid, particularly I would say in the upper bass region. Higher frequencies are in a way competently handled, but I'm still deciding if I like the sound. I've left my equalizer lower bass settings well boosted. From what I've listened to so far, the open spatial sense to be expected from open phones is not that of the Panasonics which often left one not knowing if the sound was coming from the middle of the room or even outside the building. With the SoundMagic phones, beyond about a metre, I haven't detected anything so far.I would therefore say the SoundMagic sound is somewhat staid but indeed solid. The SoundMagic phones don't have the "flight" and lightness of the Panasonics and indeed mercilessly reproduce any distortion in the recording.Would I swap them back for Panasonics or another brand? If one owns a Land Rover, would one readily swap it? Only for a TVR or Tesla maybe.

Die vielen positiven Kommentaren im Internetz über den SOUNDMAGIC HP200 haben mich neugierig gemacht. Einige haben diesen Kopfhörer sogar mit dem HD650 von Sennheiser verglichen, so weit möchte ich mich jedoch nicht aus dem Fenster lehnen.Der HP200 hat mich trotzdem sehr beeindruckt.Pro:+ Offene Bauweise (Geschmackssache!).+ Sehr gute Verarbeitungsqualität und Tragekomfort.+ Detaillierte, glasklare Hochtone, angenehmer Bass. Luftiger und ausgezeichneter Klang.+ 3m Verlängerungskabel mit vergoldetem 6,3mm Schraubadapter.+ Akzeptabler Preis.Contra:Der HP200 hat im Vergleich zu den anderen etablierten Herstellern in gewisser Weise Nachteile wegen der Beschaffung von Original-Ersatzteilen. Meinem Eindruck nach bietet SoundMagic nämlich keine Ersatzteile an.Im Fall eines Kabelbruchs zum Beispiel, wo finde ich das passende Ersatzkabel?Das Original-Kabel hat nämlich eine eigene Arretiervorrichtung wie normalerweise andere Hersteller auch haben. Das Ersatzkabel muss deswegen ohne die Arretiervorrichtung direkt durch die sehr schmale 5mm-Anschlussbohrung in die 3,5mm-Klinkenbuchse eingeführt werden. Die meisten 3,5 mm-Klinkenstecker haben leider ein Gehäuse, das mindestens 5,5mm oder noch größeren Durchmesser hat.Zum Glück habe ich beim Ebay in den USA einen seltenen Stecker-Buchse-Adapter (Headphone Jack des Herstellers Fospower) gefunden. Der Adapter sitzt bombenfest im Kopfhörer und zwar ohne die Arretiervorrichtung, ich könnte nun beliebiges 3,5mm-Standard-Klinkenkabel nach Wunsch anschließen.Wo finde ich übrigens die Ersatz-Ohrpolster? Ein Leser im US-Amazon behauptet, die Ohrpolster der DT770,DT880 oder DT990 von Beyerdynamic wären passend dafür. Ich habe es noch nicht ausprobiert. Wahrscheinlich werde ich sie auch nie brauchen.Ich ziehe deswegen einen Stern wegen der Unsicherheit bei der Beschaffung von Ersatzteilen ab.Im Großen und Ganzen ist der HP200 trotzdem ein toller Kopfhörer mit aufregendem Klang.