SoundMAGIC Vento P55 Headphone Quick Review by mark2410
Thanks to Hifiheadphones for the sample.
Full review here http://www.head-fi.org/t/819804/soundmagic-vento-p55-headphone-review-by-mark2410
Brief: SoundMAGIC goes premium.
Price: £190
Specifications: Drivers: 40mm, Neodymium Dynamic, Frequency range: 15Hz - 22kHz, Impedance: 35Ω, Sensitivity: 110dB, Maximum input power: 20mW, Cable length: 1.2m, Connector: Stereo 3.5mm °60 gold-plated jack plug, Weight: 285g
Accessories: Audio cable (1.2m), “C” audio cable with mic and remote (1.2m), VoIP adaptor, Phone adaptor, Hard case, Soft carrying pouch
Build Quality: Rather beautiful. They don’t look all that special in a photo but all those gun metal bits are all real metal. Its feels really most sumptuous in the hand.
Isolation: Meh. Its not really very isolating so I wouldn’t really want to use it around others nor will it block out very much. Fine for out and about but id be weary of using on a bus. Of course with music going still enough for you to get yourself run over if you aren’t looking.
Comfort/Fit: Fit was fine, comfort was a little less so. They do sit on your ears so after a couple of hours I wanted a break, physically and acoustically.
Aesthetics: These look rather more nice in person than in pics. In a photo you can’t really tell that those grey bits are real metal rather than plastic but up close I found them most appealing. Certainly if you want something show off to others, this doesn’t do that, they are distinctly unblingy.
They're back! I was the first to review these back in November and I was not impressed. They were harsh sounding to say the least.I did my review. I said my piece. A few couldn't believe my findings. My review went against many others at the time, What Hi Fi seemed to love them, for instance. As a result of mine and other reviews, the Soundmagic P55 Vento was recalled. And revamped. Fast forward 9 months to August 2016 and the new batch have arrived.
Thanks to Tony of HiFIHeadphones for the loan and a chance to revisit these phones.
These are on ear headphones. They are lightweight , clamp well and are comfortable for prolonged use.
Introduction
I spent a couple of days listening solely to these to adjust my ears to their characteristics. The good news - the Ventos have lost that boomy harsh sound and have a subtler presentation. The music is not thrown at you is I remember it was , there is still punch and some rawness to the sound. Much has thankfully been tamed.
The bass has been toned down and the flabbiness has been reasonably well removed. The bass and mids have some punch to them , the top end no longer grates the way it did.
For music styles, driving rock and pop was the easiest to listen to with these. Classical music especially violins and Orchestras in full swing were not the P55s forte.
A review is not a fair one unless a comparison is made against headphones in a similar price range so without further ado....
I have used a pair of Pendulumic Stance S1+ Bluetooth Headphones
in the first head to head. The Stance can be used wired or wireless, is an over the ear style headphone , does not clamp as well but is comfortable for extended periods. It retails at a similar price level.
The Sound
The Stance has bigger, deeper cups. This results in the drivers being further away from the ear. The immediacy of the Vento hits you - they have more impact in the bass and mid regions.
The Ventos sound more congested than the Stance, the initial excitement and liveleness of the presentation eventually lost out to the more controlled Pendulumics.
Instrumentation and vocals are easier to follow on the Ventos. This is an advantage of a more intimate soundstage.
The Music
Some of the tracks I used
The Judgement is the Mirror - Dali's Car
A little known collabaration between Mick Karn formerly of Japan who provided the instrumentation and mixed the track and Peter Murphy of Bauhaus fame who provides lyrics and vocals. The song reached the giddy heights of No.66 in the UK charts in 1984. This somewhat obscure song I own as a single and I ripped it onto digital some years ago. There are pops and clicks galore. A spacious musical landscape with very smple synth and drum machine and bass sounds that will reveal any harshness in a headphone. There was nothing here that made me wince when I put the Vento's on , thankfully.
Classic- Adrian Gurvitz
Released in 1982 and again from a 7" single which is badly warped , Adrian Gurvitz's only well known song has scratches galore , lots of echo and tons of bass. The Vento was unleashed on this track and came up trumps.
Comfort
It's difficult to criticise the Vento's in this respect. Although the cups do not fit over my ears , the soft material covering them makes them clamp with a perfect pressure even for my abnormally thin head. Coupled with the fact these are so light it's easy to forget you have them on.
Versatility
When buying full size headphones such as these many people will be wanting to use their new phones outside their living room , so there are other factors to consider. Microphonics - any cable noise working it's way into the drivers is often caused by movement ; bad on walking , terrible on running. Not a normal problem for full size headphones and the Vento's exhibit no cable noise. 1 thin cable fits well away from the right driver at the bottom of the driver housing and is detachable. Isolation also synonymous with leakage, the Vento's are, well, vented....so they let in noise from the outside world but also broadcast a little too. Discretion will have to be used on the tube and whether this would be an enjoyable experience is debatable. Which is a shame. The Vento's punch is clearly lessened on the go- the ambient background noise floor in the outside world being fairly low frequency- but is far better than most headphones in it's class. These headphones are useful to take out for a quiet country run ; they clamp well, they're light and there is very little vibration noise inherent in the design. The Stance has a headband design that has a lot of movement built in and there is an annoying squeak present which leaves them trailing behind the Vento despite the lack of wire getting in the way.
Conclusion
The Vento's have been tweaked to good effect. They have lost much harshness in the top end. The intimacy of the sound stage will appeal to some and will not be favourable to others. Driving rock dance pop etc will sound vibrant and alive with these and you will want to turn them up. And with the new Vento you should be able to do this without too much flinching. I preferred my Pendulumic Stance S1+ phones which have the added wireless capability ; but not for all variables and not with all music. I can't unreservedly recommend these but if I have whetted your appetite then take the chance to have a listen yourself and tell us all what you think
Sound: Wow. Dazzelying brilliant a cacophonous extravaganza of excitement and mesmerising dazzle. The bass is super tight, lithe, so clean and punchy when you amp it well. Somewhat less so from a phone but still it feels very fast for a dynamic. The driver seems so light and agile. The mids are nice, I could do with more a PL-50 buttery yumminess as these are bit open and slightly dryer than id find ideal. Beautifully clear and can pair up very well with well recorded vocals. A very good semblance of scale, openness and grandeur. I would rather a bit more creamy and intimate presentation as it can feel a little coldly distant. The treble, the treble really is the star of the show. It’s insane, so talented, so fast, so ultra-cuttingly clean. It is just so spectacularly talented, so much refinement which is just as well because there is lots of it. In particular the extension here is very much more so than most. It has a highly energetic far high end and it’s incredible. It’s so praise worthy but my word, it was ever so tiring on my ears. So spectacular, so desperately capable but this could never be my only headphone. Like sucking a lemon these are something so clean, tart and refreshingly intense. It just can’t seem to do chill and mellow.
Value: exceedingly premium feeling build quality and sounds wildly spectacular. You very much get your monies worth.
Pro’s: A wildly spectacular and exciting dazzle fest.
Con’s: A wildly spectacular and exciting dazzle fest.
Takeanidea
Headphoneus Supremus
Pros: Bass impact
Cons: Soundstage and high end won't be for everyone
They're back! I was the first to review these back in November and I was not impressed. They were harsh sounding to say the least.I did my review. I said my piece. A few couldn't believe my findings. My review went against many others at the time, What Hi Fi seemed to love them, for instance. As a result of mine and other reviews, the Soundmagic P55 Vento was recalled. And revamped. Fast forward 9 months to August 2016 and the new batch have arrived.
Thanks to Tony of HiFIHeadphones for the loan and a chance to revisit these phones.
These are on ear headphones. They are lightweight , clamp well and are comfortable for prolonged use.
Introduction
I spent a couple of days listening solely to these to adjust my ears to their characteristics. The good news - the Ventos have lost that boomy harsh sound and have a subtler presentation. The music is not thrown at you is I remember it was , there is still punch and some rawness to the sound. Much has thankfully been tamed.
The bass has been toned down and the flabbiness has been reasonably well removed. The bass and mids have some punch to them , the top end no longer grates the way it did.
For music styles, driving rock and pop was the easiest to listen to with these. Classical music especially violins and Orchestras in full swing were not the P55s forte.
A review is not a fair one unless a comparison is made against headphones in a similar price range so without further ado....
I have used a pair of Pendulumic Stance S1+ Bluetooth Headphones
in the first head to head. The Stance can be used wired or wireless, is an over the ear style headphone , does not clamp as well but is comfortable for extended periods. It retails at a similar price level.
The Sound
The Stance has bigger, deeper cups. This results in the drivers being further away from the ear. The immediacy of the Vento hits you - they have more impact in the bass and mid regions.
The Ventos sound more congested than the Stance, the initial excitement and liveleness of the presentation eventually lost out to the more controlled Pendulumics.
Instrumentation and vocals are easier to follow on the Ventos. This is an advantage of a more intimate soundstage.
The Music
Some of the tracks I used
The Judgement is the Mirror - Dali's Car
A little known collabaration between Mick Karn formerly of Japan who provided the instrumentation and mixed the track and Peter Murphy of Bauhaus fame who provides lyrics and vocals. The song reached the giddy heights of No.66 in the UK charts in 1984. This somewhat obscure song I own as a single and I ripped it onto digital some years ago. There are pops and clicks galore. A spacious musical landscape with very smple synth and drum machine and bass sounds that will reveal any harshness in a headphone. There was nothing here that made me wince when I put the Vento's on , thankfully.
Classic- Adrian Gurvitz
Released in 1982 and again from a 7" single which is badly warped , Adrian Gurvitz's only well known song has scratches galore , lots of echo and tons of bass. The Vento was unleashed on this track and came up trumps.
Comfort
It's difficult to criticise the Vento's in this respect. Although the cups do not fit over my ears , the soft material covering them makes them clamp with a perfect pressure even for my abnormally thin head. Coupled with the fact these are so light it's easy to forget you have them on.
Versatility
When buying full size headphones such as these many people will be wanting to use their new phones outside their living room , so there are other factors to consider. Microphonics - any cable noise working it's way into the drivers is often caused by movement ; bad on walking , terrible on running. Not a normal problem for full size headphones and the Vento's exhibit no cable noise. 1 thin cable fits well away from the right driver at the bottom of the driver housing and is detachable. Isolation also synonymous with leakage, the Vento's are, well, vented....so they let in noise from the outside world but also broadcast a little too. Discretion will have to be used on the tube and whether this would be an enjoyable experience is debatable. Which is a shame. The Vento's punch is clearly lessened on the go- the ambient background noise floor in the outside world being fairly low frequency- but is far better than most headphones in it's class. These headphones are useful to take out for a quiet country run ; they clamp well, they're light and there is very little vibration noise inherent in the design. The Stance has a headband design that has a lot of movement built in and there is an annoying squeak present which leaves them trailing behind the Vento despite the lack of wire getting in the way.
Conclusion
The Vento's have been tweaked to good effect. They have lost much harshness in the top end. The intimacy of the sound stage will appeal to some and will not be favourable to others. Driving rock dance pop etc will sound vibrant and alive with these and you will want to turn them up. And with the new Vento you should be able to do this without too much flinching. I preferred my Pendulumic Stance S1+ phones which have the added wireless capability ; but not for all variables and not with all music. I can't unreservedly recommend these but if I have whetted your appetite then take the chance to have a listen yourself and tell us all what you think
View previous replies…
Takeanidea
Thanks @glassmonkey of course you are right. If it's glaring and the volume is turned down you don't hear that so much, the bass will always be there in spades with the Vento so that will mask some of the stuff my ears don't like at lower volumes, much like the old loudness function we had on our Ghetto Blasters in the 80's
Hawaiibadboy
Definitely some ADHD in this review...kinda like it though 
The Third
Soundmagic should just redesign the HP150 with the build quality and materials of the Vento and call it day.