SoundMAGIC HP1000

Intro
So far, I've been more familiar with SoundMagic's in-ears and am an obvious fan of the E11 in particular.
In fact, there are even some sonic parallels to the company's flagship over-ear model, the HP1000, especially in the bass and midrange, although (to preface this) I appreciate the E11 more for its tonal consistency.



Handling
As expected, the build quality is very good considering the price. I like the simple and slim design, which conveys value and also confirms this haptically. Plastic and aluminum form an attractive symbiosis here.

The comfort is very pleasant due to the soft PU leather (sheepskin) ear pads. Despite the noticeable weight of the headphones, they nestle very well against the head and can also be worn for several hours without any problems. The space inside the ear pads is ample and with the adjustable headband, the HP1000 should fit any anatomical requirements.

The HP1000 comes in a hardcover case along with a cloth pouch, a detachable 3.5mm cable with 6.3mm adapter as well as extension and a 4.4mm upgrade cable. The connection is a bit unusual and looks like a banana jack of a speaker cable split in the middle. Still, the connection is secure and without restrictions.

The isolation is certainly not a selling point and is quite permeable in both directions, which does not really do justice to a closed headphone.



Sound
Bass
In the bass range, the HP1000 is quite balanced, with a slight mid-bass focus. It is not interested in making any bass head claims, but mostly stays in a focused, neutral base posture with pleasant warmth. For me, it is quite well proportioned within the signature and generally does not tend to exaggerate. Sometimes he even lets it go a bit too restrained for my taste. In contrast, however, on rare occasions it is too present in the upper bass and slightly boomy.
A very solid, balanced bass with a warm note, with slight wobbles.

Mids
Basically, the mids are very detailed and of the somewhat brighter variety in the upper range, but slightly warmed up in the basement. This bears the risk of not always acting tonally correct. Voices can sound a bit thin around the top in some cases and fade into the background or sound a bit muffled and too warm. In general, the mids lack a bit of effervescence here and there, but this also depends a lot on the instruments used and their arrangement. For example, guitars tend to have a full character, but violinists or pianos do not always have the desired physicality or an authentic timbre.
Here, the HP1000 turns out to be a bit of a grab bag for my taste and seems somewhat inconsistent as a result. This means that the HP1000's mids can be breathtaking on the one hand, but on the other hand there are also moments where the timbre could be judged as simply off the mark. This is where getting used to the sound plays a role above all. The more you are willing to give the HP1000 some time, the more the mids will unfold their magic, but the tonal fluctuations will always accompany you.

Trebles
The trebles are mainly present in the lower range and around 10 kHz. This ensures that sibilants and sharpness are minimized, but as with the mids, there is a bit of a feeling of not always being on the right track tonally. The emphasis in the upper range can seem a bit artificial, and substance is sometimes lacking. Thus, some songs sound rather slightly brightened and overdrawn in the absolute high frequencies than that the level increase also brings an added value in terms of content. I would gladly trade some "brilliance" for airiness and fullness.

Stage
This is clearly where the HP1000's strength lies. For a closed headphone, the stage extension is enormous and clearly extends beyond the head. However, this is not true to the same extent in the deep.

Imaging
Basically, the HP1000 draws a fine and well-divided 3D image. Even though the X-axis seems much more lush than the Y- or Z-axis, the amount of space and its use surprises one again and again. However, the instrument placement could be a bit more accurate and sharper separated in some cases. Nevertheless, the HP1000 is technically very well positioned and more than lives up to its price tag.



Outro
The HP1000 impresses above all with its stage extension. This is definitely comparable to an open design and is clearly the HP1000's strength. However, you sometimes get the feeling that musical content gets a bit lost in the expanse.

Tonally, the HP1000 can be a bit of a grab bag and in some cases act a bit too thin and uninspired or as a contrast too warm and a bit dull. That's complaining on a high level, but still ensures that I can't give the headphones my complete trust musically, which limits them somewhat for me in daily use and it always takes some getting used to at the beginning in any case. Technically, however, the headphones definitely convince me and those who have their preferences in this area and can put up with the one or other tonal fluctuation should risk an ear.

Thanks to SoundMagic for providing the test headphones.

___________________________________________________________
More reviews: CHI-FIEAR
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CHIFIEAR/

The Soundmagic HP-1000 is the new flagship over-ear headphone from Soundmagic which I will be reviewing here. I come from a background that mostly consists of closed backs, so I am very excited to review this one.

As a hobbyist I try to keep improving my use of sound jargon in order to correctly and accurately describe the headphone I am reviewing, criticism is always welcome. I am no professional by any means, and other than hearing frequency sweeps do not own any measuring equipment to fortify my arguments with, nevertheless I consider myself an experienced listener. I do think measurements are an useful extra tool in order to confirm perceptions, or expose some inherent technical flaw. However, I also believe that headphones are more than just measurements, which is where I can bring an experienced viewpoint that can inform you on whether a headphone has as special quality or is a must buy for everyone. I will be comparing it mostly to Soundmagic's famous predecessor, the HP151, but will draw comparison to other headphones as well.

I clocked in around my usual 50 hours with this headphone, listening to a variety of music genres, watching movies and playing games. My music preferences range from Trip Hop such as Bonobo or Emancipator, to movie soundtracks such as Blade Runner 2049 or The Dark Knight and ambient track such as what Moby or DJ Shadow can provide. If you are curious of my tastes in headphones you can further check out my profile page where you can see other reviews of headphones or the gear that I own. As an extra here is my current Spotify playlist 2020:

MY SPOTIFY PLAYLIST



What exactly is Soundstage?

Soundmagic is discovering their headphone house sound. Namely soundstage in closed back headphones that start to rival their open backs. This headphone totally aims at layering all the elements without overruling one or the other, aims at sound positioning and aims at soundstage. Does it deliver?

Let's first start with soundstage. But how exactly can we define soundstage anyways? Defining this term further I find is necessary with these headphones as only then can the signature be understood. If you are interested bear with my rambling otherwise just skip right on ahead to the page "how does the HP1000 achieve this soundstage" underneath.

On Head-fi I have seen soundstage being defined in terms of XYZ depth. As I try to continue to grow in this hobby I am more conflicted about it defining it. I think the X width I can be pretty sure about. For example, a warm signature can sound closer or more intimate on the X-axis than a cold one, as the body of sounds can sound closer and weightier when warmer. But a warm signature also might not, depending on which frequencies are lowered or raised by the headphone. For example a warm headphone with raised bass and lower mids can still have certain peaks in the upper mids or higher frequencies which could help emphasise soundstage. Inevitably a warm or cold signature could have an effect on the X-axis perception of the soundstage but it doesn't totally define it either. Consequently, I think the X width is largely dependant on the center image which is dependant on the way the left and right sides are balanced out. The better balanced the left/right drivers are, the better center image and less wonky positioning on the X-plane sounds have. Then there is the Y-axis, or height, I think is more dependant on the size of the driver. In-ear earphones will for example never reach the Y-axis height of a full sized over ear headphone that is larger than 50mm. The sheer size of the driver is more likely to make the image of a sound image bigger but that is also timbre dependant. That's why some large headphones don't have any soundstage whatsoever.

But what exactly causes this image to be sensed coming from infront, so from the Z-axis? Is it that the drivers are angled? Is it the transient speed of the driver? Is it that the headphones are open? Is it that the Timbre of the frequency response creates this sensation that a sound is coming from further away? Is it that from memory we recognise sounds being either far or closer depending on the frequencies we receive? My current vision on this has to do with a combination to all those questions, with each affecting the other if one is more or less present. Though, I also think it mostly depends on the frequency response tuning and how the detailed and correct timbre then operates within the shell of the headphone. So when multiple instruments play at the same time and some I can hear further away than one and another, a mental Z-depth is formed. The greater the Z-depth, the deeper the soundstage. A great Z-depth doesn't need the soundstage to be high on the Y axis, but alongside a wide X-axis it will become a lot easier to segregate instruments in a soundtrack. But if on top of that there is also a high Y-axis to the image, then it begins to image sounds holographic. Though in order to be completely holographic sounding, the layering needs to be excellent, which I think happens through high transient attack and a good timbre.

But then there is the aspect of "in your head" vs "out your head" soundstage.
Keeping the aforementioned aspects in mind, the "in your head" soundstage is dominantly present on closed backs, and "out your head" soundstage on semi-open to open headphones. Though, "out of your head" doesn't instantly imply a big soundstage. The Fostex X00 Purpleheart is the perfect example of how an out of head soundstage can sound so close and intimate, it's like sitting with a chair right in-front of the band that is playing. But when sitting in the back of a concert hall, which frequencies arive at which intensity? If a headphone get's that timbre just right, it could just imitate the feeling of being in the back of such a concert hall. Though will the concert hall feel like a closed hall or an open air one? That also depends on the design of the drivers, with open ended headphones mostly being the ones achieving the open air feeling, though that could be the bias that originates from the less warm sensation open headphones create around your ears: They feel cooler so airier? Or it could be because open headphones have less ringing within the chamber of the headphone thus create a cleaner overall sound. But I digress, smaller drivers also tend to sound more as if the sounds originate from within the listeners head, bigger drivers tend to minimise this effect but most closed headphones never truly sound outside of your head until they reach a semi open design. The Soundmagic HP-151 was my first closed over ear headphone that gave me the feeling the sound originated out of my head, which is a big reason why I found it to be quite a bit better than the famous Beyerdynamic DT-770, which sounded inside my head. The Sennheiser HD25 does render it outside my head as well but to a much lesser degree and has a much smaller soundstage at that.

Unlike speakers however, headphones only truly allow us to listen to the left and right side independently with each ear. But depending on the mastering of the recording, by mixing both channels correctly the sensation of depth can still be perceived if the timbre of the headphone portrays a sound exactly like how it would sound from far away. But on certain recordings which have some sounds only originating in either the left or right channel at a time can end up sounding more flat than speakers because of how our brain creates the perception of depth and localisation through the difference of volume being perceived in both ears and through said timbre. So not only are the frequency response and the design of the headphone important, but also which recording that is being played is. In the case of the angled 53mm drivers of the HP1000, with the right recording, I feel it has a very broad, very tall and very deep "out of your head" holographic soundstage. It succeeds the HP-151 in every way and is a worthy successor in that regard.

How does the HP1000 achieve it's big soundstage?

The HP1000 achieves this is in various ways. First of all it's a cold analytical headphone, but it's not peaky enough anywhere on the spectrum for it to be invasive, harsh or bright. This cold sensation is only ever so slightly present however. Listening to a frequency response sweep reveals this as well. The lower mids are linearly present from the 200hz-500hz area but slowly roll off to the 1khz mark and soon drop right after. This creates the warm side that balances out the upper mids and enables the sense of space by not giving the sound elements too much body. The upper mids are coloured in such a way that there is a scoop in the middle of the 1khz-2khz area. This scoop makes the sound less fatiguing, but results in some instruments and vocals especially males sounding further away than you might be used to on other headphones. There are also these slight peaks in between the 2khz-4khz area. These peaks create the slightly cold and very revealing nature of the headphone. But these peaks don't particularly stand out to me during normal listening so they don't overshadow detail and don't sound fatiguing on normal volumes. There is this sense of smoothness that is welcoming though it is not as smooth as the E-MU Teak of course. The separation of layers that I thought was only common on planar magnetic or open headphones is definitely here. And let me stress again that the cold sensation leans more to neutral than to actually sounding too cold or too coloured.

I believe the way the mids are tuned here is what sets the stage, no pun intended, for this enormous soundstage. That in combination with the way the bass never interferes and the way the the highs never sound too bright or harsh enables the listener to hone in on the many nuances hiding in soundtracks or soundscapes that headphones around lower price ranges never dream of even imaging. The amazing soundstage enables the amount of air and space that the many layers can breathe in, and so it can flawlessly image them all at once which is truly astonishing for a closed back. It is then a very transparent clean experience. This can only be truly appreciated if your only activity is actually paying attention to the music or soundscape that it's playing. In other words, the HP-1000 signature asks for you to be actively listening to it. Furthermore, the body of the instruments might seem too distant and muffled at first, but after the 10 hour burn in mark I noticed the headphone became smoother, got a better timbre and thus became more neutral. So I absolutely recommend you take a good amount of time letting both the headphone and you settle in with the signature. It's a masterful signature then at that.


Diving deeper, from Bass to Mids to Highs

Sub-bass (20hz-80hz) and upper Bass (80hz-200hz)

While the HP151 is a more in your face U sound signature which can be quite energetic and sometimes overwhelming in it's brightness, the HP-1000 is more of a w sound signature where each part of the frequency response is balanced and which approaches neutrality, with a coloured upper mid-range as mentioned before, that emphasises soundstage and texture and is thus leaning on the slight cold and analytical side. Unlike the HP151 there is no raised sub-bass. The sub-bass is actually slightly rolled off after the 40HZ mark. At the lower volumes it is a very clean and controlled sub-bass. But there is a nice texture and tightness to it with a hint of physical rumble. The bass is speedier and has better decay than the more boomy HP-151. It's great for tracking bass lines of bass guitars though at times I felt it could use just a bit more volume in busy passage ways. This might have to do with the fact that I come from a background of headphones with quite prominent sub-bass. The upper bass is also quite linear and manages to kick hard enough to allow for the tracking of drum kicks or impacts. There is a great sense of body and tightness from the upper bass and I can describe it as quite ideal for bass guitar or weight to strings or instruments. The best part is that there is no hint of bass bleeding or interfering with the rest of the spectrum, which can be quite prominent on other closed back headphones.


Lower mids (200hz-1khz) and higher mids (1khz-4khz)

As mostly described earlier, the mids are coloured to enable the soundstage to be so large. They can be quite detailed and very revealing. I hear elements I never heard before from my other headphones in my collection. In comparison to the E-MU Teak for example, I found the HP-1000 to be more revealing but not necessarily more detailed. The Teak is still more detailed but is more forgiving and more laidback which means it's not as analytical as the HP-1000. There were many background noises, effects or voices that became clear to me on the HP-1000. Switching back to the Teak I ended up noticing them too but in a more relaxed fashion which makes you less likely to hone in on the texture of those layers. The HP-1000 presents all these details so evenly that you can start to dissect them better from one and another. Little nuances in singer's voices such as sighing or breathing can be noticed faster, or secondary singers in the background stand out easier. Piano keys really feel like they are being pushed in and have great texture. Electric guitars have plenty of body and bite and can sound actually quite upfront if the track calls for it. Acoustic guitars are imaged very natural and little nuances of chord switching or string pulling are all sonically portrayed here. Trumpets sound very crunchy, have a nice bite and thus sound beautiful. Though it is important to keep in mind that the spaciousness can also negatively effect the sound and can get rid of an intimacy that some might always prefer while listening to their recordings. Especially with vocals, which can almost seem a bit hollow at first, especially males as mentioned before. The vocals can be very detailed though, it's just that the vocals are now placed in a further away space that they were not before unlike some other headphones. But vocal textures are impressive even if they are distanced away. I do enjoy vocals on these but they won't win the most natural award here. This has to do with the analytical side of this headphone.

In busy passage ways such as orchestra I also noticed that all the instruments were more separated than most dynamic offerings can do. The speed and decay is quick. It was easy to localise each instrument when many of them fired at once, but each axis of the soundstage is so wide that you really need to actively listen to the soundtrack in order to accurately localise each element in your mind. This again is due to the less intimate and far sounding nature of the headphone, and requires one's full attention. Though the beauty of this large soundstage is that some sounds truly feel like you are in the back of a big concert hall. There can be this nice howling decay to instruments or sounds that create this feeling of great depth. Though it's not too artificially big by any means, recordings that are intended to sound smaller are still in a realistic space.

I read in the other reviews that they found the timbre to be a bit off. I can not agree with that statement though I understand where they come from. This is not a headphone with warm mids, and if one is used to the scooped upper mids most headphones have these HP1000's can come off as quite cold or coloured. And as in comparison to the HP151, the HP1000 have much more dimensionality and detail to the mids. I found the HP151, while having ok timbre, sounding less detailed and more peaky in comparison. Though still good for it's price range, the midrange of the HP-151 ended sounding one dimensional in comparison.


Highs, Presence (4khz-7khz) and Brilliance (7khz-20khz)

The highs on these are also very detailed. The timbre is well done, I get a very natural sensation from instruments their energy and body. This means that there are no peaks in the highs that annoy or interfere with the rest of the spectrum or that would cause harshness or sibilance. I wouldn't call the highs bright but they are extended enough for a certain crowd whom are used to rolled off highs to find them bright. They do roll off slowly after around the 13khz mark. I normally don't mention recordings in my reviews as everyone listens to different music, but "Take Five" by The Dave Brubeck Quartet is so excellently portrayed here with the snares sounding impactful, natural and highly detailed. Actually all the instruments sound spot on but that's another topic. There is a sense of volume and depth to the highs that most other closed backs portray as artificial, thin and brittle. The highs while being articulate don't miss a hint of body. Sometimes the body is a bit exaggerated, probably by the raised 5khz area. But this never is too intruding to my ears. Rarely I missed the air of an open headphone but sometimes in order to feel less grainy the highs could use just a bit more openness to breathe in. Open headphones simply will have highs that sing a bit more due to being cleaner and a tad smoother. I found the E-MU Teak for example, which is semi-open, to sound smoother and also cleaner in the highs. But the Teak is in another price bracket so there is that. Finally, there might be a peak in the presence region that slightly sticks out on some recordings as I do hear a tad bit too much sparkle from for example tracks containing a tambourine jamming through them. But this is mostly remedied by improving your source, amp and playing an uncompressed format. This is also nitpicking in what I would call great highs from a closed back, especially for the price range.


Final Conclusions

The HP-1000 is a full sized closed back that can effortlessly image a multitude of sounds at once and does so with a phenomenal soundstage, great timbre and high amount of detail.
The HP-1000 are quite versatile but perform best with certain genres such as those containing many layers as with orchestra, movie soundtracks, Trip Hop or classical. It also excels at acoustic or at Jazz because of the correct timbre for those instruments: it makes Jazz sound like it's being played live. Rock sound excellent too, it can have a nice bite to the guitars but can sound a tad distant compared to ideal. Bass heavy soundtracks can sound good with tight kicks and a hint of physical rumble but I don't expect bass-heads to be completely satisfied here. Movies sound of course spacious and can be quite engaging because of this. For gaming these headphones do a great job at positioning but perhaps lack a bit of impact to accurately track shots coming from certain directions, probably due to the 1.5khz scoop. During video editing I could notice anomalies in the sound easier than I would with other closed backs. Soundmagic delivers on its promises which advertised an expensive soundstage and an audiophile signature, and for the price probably overdelivers on those statements. The sound revealed textures of sounds to me that my more expensive headphones not necessarily do, which is amazing for the price these go for. Being so versatile in their sound, these are now my go to main closed over ear headphone.



Build quality is also amazing for it's price. The cups are much better coated and scratch resistant than the HP151. The achilles heel of the HP151 has also been remedied: The yokes are now made entirely of very thick metal. The headband is made of sheepskin leather and the pleather pads are much more comfortable and durable because of the perforated air holes in them and the better pleather material that is used. The clamp force is tight enough for them to easily seal on the head, but can be worn for hours on end due to the weight being so evenly distributed. You get a beautiful flat headphone case, which is cleverly designed to save space in your luggage as the headphone lays flat on it's cups in it. The thick 1.2m proprietary cable itself is also very nice. It smoothly is inserted in the headphone but doesn't seat with a click despite sitting firmly. I prefer this design, as when the cable accidentally gets yanked the cable unplugs itself instead of pulling on the headphone. The downside is that only through Soundmagic will you be able to order a new cable. You do get a free 3.0m extension cable however. Lastly, if you have trouble with any of your drivers inside the HP1000, Soundmagic is willing to help you under your warranty if you can clearly communicate what your issue with the sound with one of the drivers is. In the end not everyone can appreciate this style of signature as it's not an easy listen, with no frequency in particular sounding with an upfront nature anywhere in the spectrum. But for those that take their time, deep dive in the signature while sitting back and relaxing to the soundscape are in for a magical ride.

SoundMAGIC HP1000

This headphone was kindly provided by SoundMAGIC to be featured in a series of unbiased honest reviews.
Thank you for the opportunity.

Introduction

SoundMAGIC was founded in 2005 by engineer Mr. Tony Xu and very soon instead of being condemned to obscurity like many other small companies from China they managed to succeed by offering truly great sound at a budget price.
At the beginning was the much acclaimed E10 the iem that redefined the market stating that budget is not necessarily cheap or bad performing.
Since then SoundMAGIC never resting at their laurels they have tried hard to further improve by releasing many other good products like E50 and E80 and even expanding at larger headphones like HP150 and HP200.
The latest release is their flagship headphone HP1000 an over the ear closed back design being reviewed here.
SoundMAGIC team spend more than three years researching and developing the headphone considering greatly user feedback in order to fine tune it.

Tech - build quality - comfort

At the heart of HP1000 we find a huge 53mm angled dynamic driver with a composite made diaphragm constructed with cavities of special design.
Nominal impedance is 66ohm with a sensitivity of 120db meaning that the headphone can easily be driven from low powered sources without peeking any internal noise.

Build quality is excellent reaching well above it's price point and all materials used are of top quality.
The adjustable headband is internally metal reinforced and covered with real sheepskin leather for comfort and durability.
The ear cups are made of matte plastic with scratch resistant coating and a very nice feeling to the touch.
The huge ear pads are user replaceable and made of breathable PU leather with memory foam inside.
Ear cups feature an adaptive aluminium spindle which can be rotated at 120° for easy storage inside the provided travel case and attach to the headband with aluminium yokes.
All in all really impressive and nothing to complain about.

The cable is detachable with different left and right plugs located at the bottom of each ear cup.
There is only one 1.2m cable provided with a 3.5mm plug at the end plus an extra 3m extension.
Cable quality is acceptable but not great and surely not a match for a flagship headphone.
An extra longer cable would be much appreciated as extensions are not much to our liking due to the extra connection.
Oddly SoundMAGIC instead of choosing a usual generic plug for the detaching system they have opted for a unique plug design never found elsewhere.
It is something like an aerial plug as you can see at the photos.
To be honest it gets the job done as it is stable and allows for easy handling but it rules out after market cables or other plug options like 2.5mm balanced.
In our opinion this is a major let down and should be addressed at the next batch or at least we should be offered with an extra 2.5 mm balanced cable.

Real use comfort is great as the headphone is not very heavy weighting 412gr and the headband does an excellent job distributing it equally at the head.
The ear cups are very roomy even for larger ears and cool enough considering this is a closed design so we were able to listen more than an hour without taking a break.
Clamping force is medium keeping the headphone stable without causing discomfort and providing good passive noise isolation.

Listening

After the needed burn in we begun our listening sessions pairing the headphone mostly with portable gear like FiiO M9 and low powered amps like Lehmann Audio drachenfels.
Even from the start it was apparent that we were dealing with a very good headphone an impression made stronger after days of listening.
If we would like to summarize in a few words this would be an even well balanced presentation with natural tonality , amazing clarity , plenty of detail and excellent headstage although in the lean , monitor side of things.
The HP1000 is a well tuned headphone with great extension at both ends of the spectrum and great clarity throughout a perfect achievement considering how difficult is to tune properly closed headphones.
Bass extends well down to the sub bass region but without an extra emphasis.
This is fast , reference tuned bass focusing mainly in quality but lacking in body and depth.
Notes can be individually heard with great layering able to successfully portray low strings either being plucked or bowed with satisfying decay.
There is no bleeding into the mid bass which is heard even and linear up to the mids.
Talking of mids which are well behaved and lively sounding but a touch of recession is robing them out of presence and body making for a clear but somewhat restrained presentation.
Depending on the mix some voices and instruments of the region are heard sometimes far at the background.
Highs follow up with some extra boost enough to lighten things up contributing to a very detailed and clean presentation without causing sound fatigue.
But don't be mistaken as the headphone will do no favors at all and poor quality as bright sources will be highlighted resulting in an over emphasized experience.
HP1000 is a very lively headphone but sometimes time decay especially in the higher frequencies is just too fast giving the impression of thin sounding instruments of the upper registers.
Dynamic behaviour is good able to portray with great sense of reality all the swings of the orchestra from whisper to full rise.
What impressed us most was the width of stage and sense of space making HP1000 one of the most open sounding closed headphones we have ever heard.
The sound stage is very wide with plenty of air between the instruments and pinpoint accuracy.
Aided by the amazing clarity and detail retrieval makes for a very persuasive presentation of the recording venue being it a small ensemble or a large orchestra.
It should be noted that this is more like a two dimensional projection than a 3D holographic stage because we found it lacking at height and depth.
Classical music lovers will find HP1000 much to their liking.
As mentioned earlier the headphone can play very loud from low powered sources so there is no need for an extra amplifier but dac quality is a prerequisite to fully enjoy it.
Pair it with a good dac/amp and be rewarded with great sound.

At the end

HP1000 is a leap above the rest of the SoundMAGIC products taking sound and build quality to a whole next level.
Don't let it's "humble" origins and low price deceive you.
This is a great sounding headphone , one of the best closed in the market , able to compete with rivals asking two or three times more.
With a well balanced monitor type sound it is going to equally please casual and professional users alike.
Add to this the top notch build quality , great looks and very reasonable asking price and we've got a real winner deserving our full recommendation.

The test playlist - http://open.qobuz.com/playlist/5669033

Copyright - Petros Laskis 2020

Price: ~U$300.

HP1000 product page

The HP1000 unit was sent directly by SoundMAGIC for purpose of review. The following impressions are based on the limited amount of time of about a month.



Design


The new HP1000 are over-ear closed-back headphones. Price goes higher than any previous product from SoundMAGIC, being the current flagship, and as such has excellent build quality and nice elegant design without fancy looks. There are no plastic parts that can spotted on the HP1000, at least not on the outside, all made of tough aluminum in a very smooth finish. The top main headband may not have a broad curve, however it is flexible enough and easy to adjust with slider mechanism on both sides. Moreover, the round cups and yokes are all aluminum too, can rotate to both front and back sides so the whole design sits very securely atop of the head and around the ears. The design only allows to fold flat to be stored inside the hardcase. The headband is well covered by real sheepskin leather, being very soft with plenty foam material inside. The ear pads are made of PU leather and have good amount of foam too. While the headphones weight is about 400g it is very well distributed and with the soft leather and thick enough foam, all results in a very comfortable over-ear set. The isolation is fairly good for a closed back design too.


The cable is detachable and connects to both cups unlike the previous SoundMAGIC headphones models. The HP1000 introduce their own proprietary connectors, instead of standard 3.5mm / 2.5mm audio plugs. The connectors are long but are easy to install. They connect securely and can be remove from the cups without much effort. The proprietary design works fine, but logically limits any possibility to try other cables and, more importantly, balanced outputs. The cable itself is quite thick with a kind of rubber sheathing. While not noisy it is not very soft and less comfortable for dedicated portable use. The plugs are very well covered by metal parts and well relieved on both cable ends. The y-split is simple, made of two attached plastic parts. The main cable is of standard length of 1.2m for portable use. The extra extension cable is of same build quality and adds extra 3m, suitable for desktop or more dedicated large music systems.



Sound Impressions
Temporarily edited.

disclaimer: The HP1000 was graciously provided by Soundmagic for review. For more information on Soundmagic or to find a dealer, see their website or shop their Amazon Store.



Unboxing / Packaging:

The box is a standard cardboard style designed to be hung on a retail rack. The front has the make and model information with the particulars on the reverse. Inside the box everything fits neatly in a hard-sided cloth covered zipper case with the SoundMagic logo and name on the top face. Inside the case is a formed tray with positions for the phones themselves and a black velvet bag sporting the logo /name in gray, with the accessories inside. Included in the bag are the cable, an extension cable, and a 3.5 to 6.3mm converter. The case is solid enough to protect the contents, and the bag prevents cable ends scratching the cups while in storage.





Build/Fit:

Build is impressive with aluminum cups, steel gimbals, cast aluminum hinges, and metal band covered in soft leather. The only plastic I could find anywhere was the joint between the band and the leather cover and the sides of the cups both of which are low stress locations so not likely to cause problems. Cups are large enough that fit over the ear is good even with larger ears and adjustments are both positive and plentiful so even the smallest and largest user shouldn't run out of adjustment before they find comfortable fit. The adjustments are particularly impressive to me as the picture below shows, they are machined into the aluminum rather than being a stamped part that relies on friction fit like so many others (Hifiman, are you seeing this?). Comfort on the head is good and I had no problem with either my glasses or long listening sessions causing fatigue. This is probably due to a combination of the soft vented leather pads and the light weight of the unit . The connectors on the cups are dead vertical rather than having a forward cant like come others with the connector protruding slightly over an inch before the cable can bend forward. For me, I found the connectors to sit about an inch away from skin so no discomfort caused by them whatsoever.





Internals:

The heart of the HP1000 is a 53mm dynamic driver with a composite diaphragm and neodymium/iron/boron magnets mounted at an angle inside the cup. Nominal impedance is 66Ω with a sensitivity of 120dB/mW and no, that is not a typo. Most of the time when we see sensitivities that high, we expect to see impedance that is below 32Ω as well. In this case the high sensitivity with a bit higher impedance is a good combination as it still has a low noise floor, but remains easy enough to drive that it is usable with portable devices and even passable with a cellphone or tablet. I did find the HP1000 scaled quite well and details improved considerably as source improved even though I don't think the extra power of the bigger amps was as much a factor as the improved DACs ahead of them.



Cable:

The cable deserves its own discussion as it is not a standard design and will limit aftermarket options. Having said that, it is extremely well made and the need for an aftermarket model may not present itself. The 3.5mm straight Jack is housed in a black metal barrel with a proper strain relief as the cable exits. Cabling itself is a heavy but pliable black rubber of about 3/16th of an inch thickness from the jack up to the splitter which is a heavy black rubber Y shape. Each wire above the splitter is nearly the same size as the single below it with terminations having black metal barrel housings like the jack and what can be described as a cross between an HD-800 style connector and a banana plug. The gold plated connectors have a ring of 6 fingers around a central pin with the fingers providing the resistance to keep the plug attached but allowing for easy removal when called for. One upside of this connector design is if the cable is caught on something it will pull the connectors from the headphone rather than putting pressure on the DAP. These aren't particularly well suited as a portable, but they are very usable from devices like the AK70Mk2 and Sony NWZ-300 so it isn't outside the realm of possibility.





Sound:



Bass:

The HP1000 shows good sub-bass depth and rumble but is not exaggerated and will not please the basshead crowd. Those looking for something where bass is well controlled, doesn't overlap the mids, and is good proportion to the rest of the signature will appreciate the signature. Mid-bass follows the same pattern of present, but not over-stated or boomy. Slam is good when called upon, but can fly under the radar until a passage plays that makes it front and center. Attack is a bit faster than decay at times and leaves a bit of lingering warmth wtihout feeling thick or overly slow. The bass has good texture and detail and builds a strong foundation for the rest of the signature.



Mids:

There is some warmth brought to the lower mids but no obscuring of the lower mids from bass bleed. My Frequency response graph shows a bit of a drop in the midrange that I don't hear so I am left questioning if that is more an artifact of my rig than a feature of the headphones as I find the mids to be in good proportion to the mid-bass and then move forward as they move toward the lower treble. The 151 got panned as having poorly tuned mids and it generally was one of the low points of the previous Soundmagic models. It is quite obvious that Soundmagic took the criticisms to heart and has done a good job of cleaning up the mids and making them more present in the mix. Guitar timbre is good and I especially like the growl on blues guitar as rendered on the Hp1000. Mids are notably more textured and detailed than on their predecessor. A push of the upper mids forward brings vocals to the front with exaggerating them.



Treble:

Lower treble is somewhat emphasized without being sharp or strident and brings good energy and life to the mix. Above that lower treble push, the treble drops back to the same level as the mids and mid-bass up to about 15kHz where it starts to roll-off very rapidly. This gives the Hp1000 a fairly bright signature without getting fatiguing which is a tough combination to pull off. I found cymbals sounded more realistic than anticipated and snare hits have that nice crack and rattle I look for. Treble detail is quite good as well. When I initially started my listening I anticipated fatigue due to the treble, but the longer I sat and listened the more I began to realize these do a masterful job of providing enough brilliance to feel open and detailed but not enough to sound harsh or fatiguing. I was able to wear these for an entire work day.



Soundstage / Imaging:

This is the strongest card in the Hp1000's hand. The Soundstage is huge, not for a closed back, but for a headphone in general. I found the stage to be roughly comparable to several of my open-back models when A/B testing and kept coming back to test another track as a result as normally a closed back just can't compete with their open siblings in this respect. Those looking for a good soundstage in a closed back model should definitely audition the Hp1000 as if you like the signature, your search may end right there and even if not, at least you know what kind of staging is possible in a closed back model. Imaging is very good as well which is aided by above average instrument separation and seating the orchestra is straight forward as a result with no odd placements or errors. Layering is better than expected from a single dynamic at this price point as well.



Thoughts / Conclusion:

I'll admit to being a Soundmagic fan from the days of the Hp100. I thought that model provided really good sound for the asking price, but will also readily admit I thought build quality needed some improvements to be as good as the sound. So, I went into this review with high hopes with a somewhat skeptical thought or two lurking in the back. I was probably harder on the Hp1000 as a result as I kept looking for the "But". I am happy to say now that despite my best efforts, I didn't find one. The magic of the Hp100 has been improved on in both build with the aluminum hinges and in sound with the more engaging mids, and the more refined treble. Soundstage is a master class on what can be done with a closed back, and the signature gives plenty of detail and energy without any stridency or becoming grossly fatiguing. These deserve serious consideration if you are in the market for a closed-back headphone. They compete well with models I didn't expect them too (LCD2C for example). While I am not thrilled with the proprietary cable connections, I have already done a bit of looking and I think converting them to either 3.5 or 2.5mm jacks will be a fairly straight forward process for those that are interested in recabling them. Other than that one caveat, these earn an enthusiastic recommendation and are one of the best new models I have gotten to audition this year.