Before we start our review of the SoundMAGIC HP200, we want to give thanks to Massdrop for hooking us up with a review unit. If you don’t know about Massdrop, they’re a website that brings together enthusiasts across several communities from audio, electronics, even knitting. They pull together deals where the price decreases as more people buy. The SoundMAGIC HP200’s normally retail for around $300 but since so many people bought them during the recent drop, the price went all the way down to $150.

Make sure you check out Massdrop if you’re at all interested in products like audiophile grade headphones and DACs/Amps, mechanical keyboards and even watches! They have a ton of deals across a ton of product ranges. I’m a user of the site and I can’t speak highly enough about it. Alright, onto the review then!

SoundMAGIC HP200

The SoundMAGIC HP200 headphones are an audiophile grade pair of headphones. First the particulars:

Specs 53 mm dynamic drivers with neodymium magnets Folding construction Metal grills and extender arms Hard plastic casing Memory foam headband Large earpads Frequency range: 15 Hz – 35 kHz DC resistance: 20 Ohms +/- 10% Sensitivity: 98 +/- 3 dB at 1 kHz/mW Maximum input power: 100 mW Detachable 3.94 ft (1.2 m) cable with 1/8 in (3.5 mm) gold-plated plug 9.84 ft (3 m) extension cable 1/8 in (3.5 mm) to 1/4 in (6.3 mm) adapter Flight adapter 11.29 oz (320 g) Hard carry case

When you get your HP200’s you’re first greeted by the included hard carrying case. The case is just a little bit longer and wider than the headphones themselves and can fit in a messenger bag or book bag but take up a fair bit of room. The hard case has a pocket inside to hold your cables and connectors and secures with a small piece of velcro. Either I keep forgetting to close it up or the velcro isn’t sufficient because the connectors are always in the main part of the case.

Your headphones rest in a soft spongy foam that has cut outs for the cups so they won’t move around in transit. The whole thing zips shut to provide a secure place to keep your headphones on the move. No word on whether the case is weatherproof but the seals seem tight enough to keep the elements out.

You will receive two cables with your SoundMAGIC HP200 headphones. One is a 1.2m or 3.94 foot cable and one is a 3m or 9.84 foot extension cord. The short cable has an interlocking design so it will stay secured to the headphones when you want it to but you can easily take them off for storage. Both cables have gold-plated ends to ensure the highest quality. Two adapters are also included for you to connect to devices that require a 1/4in plug and a flight adapter.

Build

Some have panned the construction of the SoundMAGIC HP200 as cheap feeling but I strongly disagree. From the metal grills on the sides and the metal extending arms to the hard plastic construction, I feel like these will last forever. The extending arms get gradually harder to extend as you pull them further out which at first annoyed me until I put on another pair of headphones which felt like they were about to fly off my head because they moved everywhere.

That brings us to the fit of the SoundMAGIC HP200. I was in love with the Sennheiser HD598 headphones, which like the SoundMAGIC HP200s are open back, because of how comfortable they felt when they were on my head. The HP200s are that level of comfort. Light, strong and with a good amount of grip to the side of the head and large cups, the HP200s are easily a 9/10 out of comfort. The only thing that could have made them more comfortable is using velour ear pads instead of the leather that they currently use. The leather is comfortable but the Sennheisers definitely win there.

The headband at the top of the SoundMAGIC HP200s features memory foam wrapped in more leather that’s just as comfortable as the cups surrounding your ears. The headband is soft and doesn’t push down on your head causing discomfort. The build quality on these headphones are excellent and will go a long way to making your investment last.

Sound

The SoundMAGIC HP200 headphones are LOUD. Like ear splitting loud. On other headphones I may listen to music at around half volume, these may come up to 25% or 33% volume under the same circumstances. The reason I really love that is because I’m the father of a three-year old and being able to listen to these around my neck and still hear what she’s doing is excellent. I know that’s not going to be a standard situation for many people reading but take the lesson out of that. These things will definitely make the most out of your music.

The loud sound extends to those around you. The SoundMAGIC HP200 are open back headphones which means they leak sound like the devil. Obviously there are huge advantages by allowing air to flow through the 53 mm neodymium drivers but you may want to consider your options if you rely on public transportation and you don’t want to piss off those sitting around you.

The lows are absolutely fantastic. You feel the kick and bass into the core of your body. While you feel them, I wouldn’t say they’re overpowering at all. There’s as good instrument separation as I’ve heard in headphones and that includes the AudioTechnica ATH50x. The lows will please even the biggest bassheads but these aren’t overtuned Beats style headphones that are more fashion accessory than headphone.

Mids and Highs are equally as present in the spectrum. There are no ear shattering shrills at higher volumes like other similarly prices headphones. You won’t have to worry about tinny highs or thinning out. Some users have reported that there needs be a bit more room in the vocals and I can see their point. Sometimes I do feel like voices get a bit overpowered but this is on a small basis and never enough to take me out of the song.

Conclusion

Honestly, I’m going to make this short and sweet. These are easily the best headphones I’ve ever used. The comfort of them is really the killer feature here. I did an 8 hour stretch with them on with only short breaks to get up and walk around and they never once got uncomfortable. The SoundMAGIC HP200 breathe better than other open eared headphones I’ve used and sound better doing it.

The bass response and wide soundstage along with clear instruments and good, but not great, vocal separation make music a joy to listen to. Headphones and ear buds have always been a tool to get me to the music that I want to listen to but the SoundMAGIC HP200 are the first audio accessory that makes me want to listen to music more often because of how good it sounds.

If you’re interested in the headphones, head over to Massdrop and check them out. Even if you’re not interested in them (bravo for getting this far! in that case), head over to Massdrop and have a look around. They have amazing deals of some huge sellers and high quality products. From mechanical keyboards, magic cards, knives, quadcopters to watches, straight razors and vaping and writing accessories, they have it all for a great price.

Product Page: SoundMAGIC HP200