[chinesekiwi]

Ok bastards, 'Mr. Skeptical and think these are FOTM's' will buy one from Focal later on tonight! I'll try and do a comprehensive review of them with pre-burn-in, during burn-in as well. Will test with RE2 tips, comply tips (both if they fit of course) and a Fiio amp. Will try out the 'mod' with the bass button off as well.

 

[groch]

Quote:

Originally Posted by chinesekiwi /img/forum/go_quote.gif 'Mr. Skeptical and think these are FOTM's' will buy one from Focal later on tonight!"

WAHHOOOOO!!!

As the saying goes, "A fool and his money are......"





.....Just kidding, you will love them, looking forward to your review.

 

[LTUCCI1924]

Me too. Exspecially with the mod. buttons off.

 

[lewislink]

Hehe, if we turned him, we can turn anyone.

 

[ckhirnigs113]

Mine should be in within the next few days from FocalPrice. I will be comparing them to the im716, and the UM2 from memory. Right now, I only have the KSC35 and KSC75 for direct comparison as far as non-IEMs. These will be used with a 5g iPod Video and a 1G iPod Shuffle.

 

[Utilities]

Quote:

Originally Posted by LTUCCI1924 /img/forum/go_quote.gif The e-mail I sent to foclprice HI: I bought the soundmagic pl-30 from great-sounds for 52.00 shipped and ordered a pair from you for 20.00 shipped. The pl-30 are one fantastic sounding iem. I mean these pl-30 sound better than some 200.00 iem. What a great,fantastic,super buy from you guys and girls. Now my challange to all of you at foclprice is to come up with a 50.00 iem that sounds much better than the pl-30 and just blows me away for 50.00 that sounds better than 300.00-400.00 iem. Thank You I will be a loyal custermer because of your great prices. Thanks again. LOU T

When focalprice rise the price we know to whom we have to be grateful

You are a true genius (yes, I'm ironic)

 

[Clincher09]

How big is the included case? Can it fit in a pocket?

 

[AYEBOOBOO]

this seems like fun, ill join in.. too!

 

[Clincher09]

I think I might get a pair, still trying to decide between this and RE2s.

The pl-30s are kind of ugly though.

 

[ckhirnigs113]

Well the long awaited day has finally arrived. My PL30s came in from FocalPrice. As another poster has stated. There are no doubts about the authenticity of these phones. The packaging is very nice and all the accessories were included. They took exactly two weeks to get here, so their estimate was very realistic.

Now on to the sound. I am listening to them out of a 5Gen iPod Video with high bitrate mp3 and aac files. Right out of the box, they sound very good. The first thing that struck me was the deep, rich bass that didn't sound very muddy. They come with the bass knob set to the "Clear Bass" setting vs the "Deep Bass" setting, and that is where I left it. I feel no desire to change it because I can't imagine wanting more bass.

The second thing that has come across after listening for about an hour is the balance these phones seem to have. The bass, mids and highs all seem adequately presented. Overall I would say they have a warm sound signature closer to say the UM2 rather than the im716. If I had to say what part of the frequency range they emphasize, it would have to be the bass. Thought I expect it to become tighter and more detailed with burn-in.

Comfort is great as well. I first tried them on with the included medium black flanges. They fit very well, but I noticed than with even a good seal, these are not as isolating and most other IEMs. I have the Altec im716 and they have much higher isolation. I also had the UM2 and they blocked much more sound. All of this isn't a criticism of the PL30, just an observation. I tried all the tips that I thought might work, but ended up coming back to the medium black flanges that they shipped with.

Right now, I'm just enjoying their natural sound. It doesn't seem to have any glaring problems, so I think I can wholeheartedly recommend these for the amazing price of $20 shipped that they are going for on FocalPrice. I just may have to buy another pair to give as a gift, considering the great sound and value these little gems possess!

I'll try and post some more findings as they burn-in and as I compare them to some of my other phones. Thanks to all that brought these to the attention of Head-Fiers everywhere!

 

[Clincher09]

So would using a Fiio amp with them be bass overkill?

 

[lewislink]

Probably. They do have all the bass a person needs.

 

[ckhirnigs113]

Do we know whether the tips for the Shure E2C will fit on the PL30? I would love to get some of the olive foams for these.

 

[Stikk]

Quote:

Originally Posted by lewislink /img/forum/go_quote.gif Probably. They do have all the bass a person needs.

Haha, we will see about that when I get mine in a couple of days!

 

[lewislink]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ckhirnigs113 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Do we know whether the tips for the Shure E2C will fit on the PL30? I would love to get some of the olive foams for these.

Nope, the olives won't fit unmodded. The Comply T500s will work, though.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Stikk /img/forum/go_quote.gif Haha, we will see about that when I get mine in a couple of days!

The Deep Bass position will over do bass, in my opinion.