SoundMAGIC think they’ve created a closed back headphone design which produces the sound image of open backed. We’ve burned them in and reveal all there is to know about this brand new £329 release. Buy on Amazon

Design

Well made and well designed. The SoundMAGIC HP1000 headphone’s offer indulgent comfort with a notably cling-free stance on the head, so hours of musical listening isn’t at all irritating. Whilst it’s true to say that the hefty headphone cups and thick headband create a chunky silhouette, it’s a serious image that certainly looks the part, with the mostly matte black body featuring some good aluminium trim. We were particularly impressed by the strong aluminium sliders and the UV oil coating on the plastic components; this has a pleasing rubbery finish that genuinely has scratch resistance, as proven by our negligent usage! Storing this pair away is made simple too, thanks to the lavish carry case with foam inserts.

Interestingly the cable design SoundMAGIC have conjured up is something we’ve never seen before from them or anyone else for that matter. It looks to be proprietary, with a single cable connecting into each headphone side, conjoining within a six valve gold plated single aux plug to pop into your device of choice. We really have no complaints to make about this design; it's easy to remove the cables from the headphones for storing, and the cables are substantial.

Performance

'Utterly impressive' is how we’d describe the balancing act between the frequency output from the large 53mm drivers - and we don’t even have any nitpick criticisms. These SoundMAGIC headphones challenge the higher priced entries exceeding £1000 offered by premium brands such as Ultrasone. This is keenly demonstrated with the song ‘Forget About the Boy’ by Veronica Swift, which showcases generosity between the smooth yet deep upright bass lower range, and lighter piano, drums and other instrumentals that occupy more of the mid-high ranges. Additionally, when the performance leans into the energetic parts, the detail evident from the vocals, which levitate to the surface without a single pronunciation qualm from the competitive set of frequencies, is impressive. Also those elusive details that aren’t so easy to detect from the ‘Abbey Road’ album by The Beatles or ‘Confessions’ by Veronica Swift, that often come through with premium speakers we review, are present here as well. Following days of listening to what seems like every musical genre imaginable, we are continually impressed with the level of rigidity and depth heard between and within the frequency ranges. They’re so good that they enter confidently into the domain of being studio friendly with true Hi-Fi accuracy.

SoundMAGIC HP1000 headphones are a fantastic pair to wear everywhere and anywhere. There’s certainly an element of magic about the sound as it soars in the excitement of energetic choruses and seeks shelter with softer musical pieces. Yes, the volume can absolutely destroy your ear drums, yet in the process of doing so you don’t have the sensation of it being ‘too loud’. We think this may have something to do with the closed back design, which is more of a hybrid in terms of the real-world effect. The sound profile certainly has attributes of an open backed headphone and the downside of this is those in your close proximity will be able to hear every spoken word. Yet a huge upside is that they block the outside environment superbly, and have the notable strength from stereo performances that yields a generous soundstage around your head. ‘Flirting With June’ by Les Gordon ricochets from ear to ear and features immersive detailed layered audio; outstanding for the price.

Verdict

Audio engineering at its very best. SoundMAGIC have debuted a stylish design with thoughtful durability. Furthermore, they have produced a premium sound quality that gets the relationship between frequencies, volume control and generous soundstage all wonderfully right. Put simply: the SoundMAGIC HP1000 headphones are a wired pair you will want to wear everywhere and anywhere. Buy on Amazon