PL50 In-ear Headphones

Note: the star ratings are not absolute, but instead relative to its street price at this time (~$55)

The pl50 represent a good value in budget IEMs, provided you like its particular sound signature and quirks.

The pl50s have a tiny form factor. They are easy to insert and remove, and are more than flat enough to lie down in. Needless to say, they are among the most comfortable IEMs available on the market.  Build quality is also fairly good. The strain reliefs are well made, and they actually included one on the Y-split. They are durable enough to take to the gym, although I still wouldn't abuse them. There are a lot of accessories thrown in, but the stock tips aren't great. I recommend purchasing some sony hybrid tips (EPEX10A). Also, unlike the previous reviewer, I found this earphone to be virtually lacking in microphonics (cable noise).

The sound signature is mid-centric, and is one typical of balanced armature IEMs - namely, a lack in bass quantity. Bass quality is good, although the pl50 won't hit the low 20Hz notes. The mid range is this product's strong point. It is clear, articulate, and very forward. Treble is extended, but completely lacking in shimmer or sparkle. Whether this is a good thing or not will depend upon one's own taste. There is also a bit of warmth to the sound, and the soundstage isn't particularly great.

The pl50 is best with vocal centric music, as well as folk or country. At these genres, it excels, and by a fair margin. Especially for vocals, I doubt you will find a better IEM at this price point. On the other hand, bass heavy music is not this IEM's forte. Also, I will say that at times, the pl50 sounds a bit thick, so music that requires alot of air and space, such as classical, is not reproduced well. And like most balanced armature IEMs, the pl50's reproduction of timbre is not perfect.

Try to think of the pl50 as a very polite and inoffensive sounding earphone. I imagine that if you enjoy the sennheiser sound and don't mind and/or want less bass quantity, you will like the pl50. Their ability to stay out of the way makes them a great earphone for reading or studying. If, however, you are enamored with a more energetic presentation a la grado, you will likely find listening to the pl50 a rather boring experience.

So, in short, the pl50 is a well designed and built, supremely comfortable IEM. The sound is very good - for particular genres, and for certain tastes. But if you listen to lots of folk and vocal centric music, this is probably the overall best in ear monitor available at its price point.

These and the PL30 are terrible quality buds, I went through both of them in less than 8 months. Both times they failed they left me in an awkward position where I really needed earbuds for working. Thus I would rate these as highly undesirable as I prize reliability and quality most. 

I would not waste your time with these..

Highly disappointed

...

pl50s were actually my first pair of proper in-ears and I love them very much! There was one point when I was disappointed about its bass cause I got myself a pair of sennheiser hd202, but then little fiiO amp gave it life again

I like the comfort especially, wear them before sleep and often find myself tangled by the cable the next morning haha. They never break tho - unlike others said. I guess I am amongst the lucky users

OK something that might sound funny but definitely worth a try. Put the foam tips on oppositely, I read this in another forum. I want proof of this too but to me they sounded a lot better suprisingly! You HAVE TO TRY IT. then let me know how did it go

In general, very happy and proud of having the PL50s :-)

I've seen three pairs of these earphones in one year and each pair has been faulty. The first pair lasted a few months until one of the speakers suddenly decided to stop working.

I made the mistake of contacting customer support to get a replacement. After a couple of weeks they sent me a replacement which was faulty out of the box. One of the speakers simply did not work.

After a few weeks managed to get a hold of customer support and explained to them what happened. They said they will send me another replacement once they receive the faulty set they sent. So I sent them back and I had to wait for a couple more weeks until they received the earphones, constantly having to ask whether or not the earphones have arrived or not. Eventually I was told that they received the earphones and that they will send me a replacement.

Two months after my initial contact with customer support, I receive a working replacement. Unfortunately, they only worked for a couple of weeks until one of the speakers, once again, stopped working.

In conclusion, I'll just say this. These are fine earphones while functional. They are comfortable and audio quality is decent, but I cannot bring myself to recommend these to anyone after my horrible experience with the product. The customer support is ridiculously bad. I ended up wasting more money and time, running back and fort to the post office trying to get a replacement than if I was to simply buy a new set of earphones.

Avoid these.