Magaosi K3Pro 2.0

The bang for The buck!

Introduction:

Magaosi is a brand of HiLisening Co. that is located in Guangdong – China. The Magaosi product line is covering products series marked with M, BK, K, DT and B. The M series have mainly a metallic housing with Balance Armature and /or Hybrid Drivers. The BK series have wood housing with Balance Armature and/or Dynamic Hybrid drivers.

The K3Pro 2.0 is the updated version of the original K3Pro with additional upgrade cable, which belongs to the top of the line product category with 2 (BA) +1 (DD) Hybrid driver configuration.

Disclaimer:

Magaosi K3Pro 2.0 was provided to me by Magaosi via Penon Audio for free of charge as a review sample. I am not affiliated with Magaosi or Penon Audio beyond this review and these words reflect my true, unaltered, opinions about the product.

The Price:

The Magaosi K3Pro 2.0 is available on Penon Audio for 109,90 USD.

Purchase link: https://penonaudio.com/magaosi-k3-pro.html

Package and Accessories:

The Magaosi K3.Pro 2.0 comes in a black cardboard box with the Magaosi Logo, which is printed in gold color. This box has a transparent plastic (pvc) window, where you can see the  Magaosi K3Pro 2.0

This box containing the following items/accessories;

• 1 pair x K3Pro 2.0
• 1 x MMCX cable with L-shaped plug
• 1 x MMCX cable with Mic and straight plug
• 1 x MMCX Bluetooth cable
• 1 pair x Silver & Gray tuning filters
• 1 pair x L and S sized silicone eartips
• 1 pair x L/M/S sized foam eartips
• 1 x USB cable for charging of the Bluetooth cable
• 1 x Carry Case

The carry bag that comes with the Magaosi K3Pro 2.0 is made of a faux leather coating, which is well made and quite useful with its dimensions.

The foam and semi transparent (white) silicone ear tips are quite comfortable.

There are also 2 different types of sound tuning filters. The black one came preinstalled, which boost the treble range by a small but noticeable margin. The silver sounds more balanced and is my favorite filter, which I will also use during this review.

I would advice you to be carefully while replacing the filters, because these filters are very small and there is no backup included to the package.

Cables:

The Magaosi K3Pro 2.0 comes with 3 different cables that are included to the package.

The first cable comes with a microphone that was compatible with my Samsung Galaxy S8+ with Android OS.

The cable is in black and has a straight plug that is made of metal.

The MMCX connectors are also made of metal and have Left and Right markings. The ear guides are a bit stiff but without any discomfort.

The second cable is the upgrade cable, which has a stylish appearance with a transparent coating and thick, braided cable wire that sports also a Y splitter, which is made of metal and a plastic chin slider.

The MMCX connectors and the headphone plug have a housing that is made of metal. These MMCX connectors are marked in red for right and blue the left channel.

The 3.5mm headphone jack (TRRS) has an angled connector housing that looks quite stylish with its design.

The third and cable, which comes with the Magaosi K3Pro 2.0 is a Bluetooth cable with build in DAC and amplifier with build a build in battery, which is in my opinion a very nice addition.

This Bluetooth cable is lightweight and made of plastic material. There are 3 buttons and one mic for phone conversations. The sound is not bad at all for a free accessory, while the battery life is approx. 2.5 hours.

Design and Build Quality:

The Magaosi K3Pro 2.0 is an In-Ear Monitor with a pretty small size and ergonomic design, which is made of a all metal aluminum alloy that looks and feels quite solid in its appearance.

The Magaosi K3Pro 2.0 is available in 3 different colors; those are gray, silver and blue. My review unit came gray color that looks pretty nice.

I have read that some units at the first batch of the original K3Pro have had connector issues, which has been solved according to Magaosi. The MMCX (Micro Miniature Coaxial) connectors of my Magaosi K3Pro 2.0 review units have had no interruption issues during this review.

The nozzle is slightly angled (around 45 degrees) and has a detachable sound filter for fine-tuning of the sound.

Fit, Comfort and Isolation:

The Magaosi K3Pro 2.0 is an In-Ear Monitor (IEM) with a small and ergonomic design. I didn’t have had any discomfort issues due this review and could wear it for many ours without any noticeable fatigue my ears. The noise isolation of the K3Pro 2.0 is above average and good enough to use it in quite noise public environments, but not ideal for the stage.

Some Technical Specifications:

• Driver Configuration   : 2x Balanced Armature + 1x Dynamic Driver (Hybrid Configuration)
• Impedance                 : 16 Ω
• Frequency Response : 20Hz – 30 KHz
• Sensitivity                   : 120db
• Connector Type         : MMCX
• Interface                     : 3.5mm (single ended)
• Cable length               : 1.2m±5cm
• Weight                        : 30g

Drivability (Impedance):

The Magaosi K3Pro 2.0 is a sensitive IEM, which is easy to drive from almost any source. The nominal impedance that is 16 Ohm makes it suitable for the use with portable devices like Smartphones, Tablet’s or DAP’s without the need of any amplifier.

Sources:

a) In Ear Monitor : Magaosi K3Pro, MEE audio Pinnacle P1,

b) DAP/DAC         : Hidizs HD1000, Cayin N5II, Chord Mojo, Ipad Air2

c) Albums & tracks used for this review:

• Sertab Erener – Aşk (Spotify)
• Jehan Barbur – Yollar (Spotify)
• Minor Empire – Bulbulum Altin Kafeste (Spotify)
• London Grammar – Interlud (Live) (Flac 24bit/44kHz)
• Morbid Angel – Drum Check (Spotify)
• Liquid Tension Experiment 2 – Acid Rain (Spotify)
• Metallica – Sad But True (Flac 24bit/96kHz)
• Opeth – Damnation (Tidal Hi-Fi)
• Megadeth – Sweating Bullets (Flac 16bit/44kHz)
• The Glitch Mob – Mind of A Beast (Flac 24bit/96kHz)
• Lorde – Team (Flac 24bit/48kHz)
• Tom Player – Resonace Theory “Album” (Tidal Hi-Fi)
• Deeperise feat. Jabbar – Move On (Spotify)
• Dire Straits – Money for Nothing (DSD 64)
• Steve Srauss – Mr. Bones (Flac 16bit/44kHz)
• Gothart – Jovano, Jovanke (Spotify)
• Casey Abrams – Robot Lover (Tidal Hi-Fi)
• Otto Liebert & Luna Negra – The River (DSF) – Binaural Recording
• GoGo Penguin – Fanfares (Tidal Hi-Fi)
• Charly Antolini’s – Duwadjuwandadu (Tidal Hi-Fi)

Sound Analysis and Comparisons:

Please note that this review is written after a burn-in process of more than 120 hours. I have use the semi transparent silicone eartips, the silver filter and the upgrade cable that are included to the package.

Please note that this is an entry level mid-fi IEM and all my comments about the sound quality are in consideration of this price range.

Sound Signature and Tonality:

The Magaosi K3Pro 2.0 has a slightly V shaped sound signature with a warmer than neutral tonality that is adding some musicality to the overall presentation.

Bass:

The Magasoi K3Pro is a solid performer in the bass department, which is focused on the mid-bass area.

The sub-bass is there but not in the foreground or better say the highlight of this IEM. It is reachs to a pretty low register, but is missing a bit of rumble and weight, which offers otherwise great control and texture.

The bass, especially the mid-bass area sounds quite controlled and has good speed characteristics. The K3Pro have had a very good performance with Morbid Angel’s – Drum Check, which is my new reference song regarding to speed and control, which  has show me how good a Chi-fi IEM in this price category can perform.

The mid-bass are a real highlight of this IEM. It extends well, has good texture and nice slam when it called for. There is a nice transition between bass and the midrange, where I didn’t hear any remarkable bleed of the mid-bass to the midrange.

Some instruments like drums, bass guitars etc. sounding quite natural and are exiting.

Midrange:

The midrange sounds clean and transparent, with velvet like presentation. It doesn’t sounds thin or very full and has a nice balanced presentation. There is a nice amount of warmth that comes fro the lower midrange, which is avoiding a dry and too analytical presentation and is adding musicality to the overall presentation.

Vocals are one step behind of instruments and sounding in a quite natural way. Here is also a nice sense of space and where you can find enough air between instruments.  Both, male and female vocals are represented in quite realistic way and have enough emotion to bring you in to the middle of the stage. The midrange shares also some nice definition, with pretty good detail retrieval at this price range, where string instruments like violin, guitar etc. have a nice presentation.

The upper midrange of the Magaosi K3Pro 2.0 sounds dynamic and fairly controlled, without to be overly harsh or ear piercing. People who are sensitive in this regarding will like the tuning of the K3Pro 2.0.

Treble:

The Magaosi K3Pro 2.0 has a quite balanced treble presentation that doesn’t sounds too bright or harsh and the overall control in this area is pretty good for an IEM in the mid-fi category.

The clarity level and definition is pretty good and the general treble presentation is at the natural and relaxing side of IEM’s with a V Shaped sound signature.

There is also a nice rendering of air that opens space for instruments, which is especially good for songs with many instruments like Charly Antolini’s – Duwadjuwandadu. The treble extension has an above average performance, with no significant sibilance thanks to the fairly balanced tuning in the higher frequency region of the Magaosi K3Pro 2.0.

The upper treble region has a fairly good level of resolution, together with a crisp and airy presentation, which is a great ability especially in this price category.

Soundstage:

The soundstage of the Magaosi K3Pro 2.0 is quite expansive with its wideness, while the depth is in a moderate level. Instruments are placed in a horizontal direction where the vocal is in the middle of the stage.

Some Comparisons:

Vs. iBasso IT01

The iBasso IT01 is a very capable IEM with a very energetic and crisp presentation.

When I compare the iBasso IT01 with the Magaosi K3Pro 2.0, one of the first noticeable differences is in the treble response. The treble range of the IT01 is more energetic and crisp than those of the K3Pro 2.0, which has less presence, especially in the upper treble range. The Magaosi IEM maybe doesn’t sounds as energetic as the IT01 in this department, but offers better balance and has also slightly more control.

Instruments and vocals are slightly more upfront with the iBasso IT01, while the Magaosi K3Pro 2.0 has a touch warmer and darker presentation. The difference is very low, but the K3Pro 2.0 offers additional detail level and slightly better separation of instruments. The upper midrange of the iBasso IT01 sounds a bit more lifelike.

The iBasso IT01 has more bass impact and rumble, which makes the overall presentation more dynamic. The Magaosi K3Pro 2.0 on the other hand has slightly better extension. The bass speed of booth IEM is nearly identical maybe a touch faster with the IT01, while the K3Pro 2.0 sounds a bit more controlled.

The soundstage of the Magaosi K3Pro 2.0 is slightly deeper then those of the iBasso IT01 while both are nearly identical for wideness.

Vs. MEE audio Pinnacle P2  

The MEE audio Pinnacle P2 and Magaosi K3Pro 2.0 have similarities for tonality; both are on the warmer side of neutral, while the Pinnacle P2 has slightly more bass emphasis a bit more roll-off of at the treble range.

The Magaosi K3Pro 2.0 sound a bit brighter and has a smooth and fairly controlled treble tuning. The Pinnacle P2 on the other hand sounds darker and has a noticeable roll-off in treble range. The Magaosi K3Pro 2.0 is the more capable IEM, due the better extension and more authority in the treble range. The Magaosi K3Pro 2.0 is also slightly faster, especially with music genres like metal music, for which are both not very suitable.

The midrange of the Pinncale P2 sounds a bit veiled and grainy compared to the more transparent tuning of the K3Pro 2.0. The Pinnacle P2 sounds engaging but a bit too thin and dry, especially while listening to male vocals. The Magaosi IEM sounds also a bit more detail and has the better instrument separation. I can also confirm that the upper midrange of the Pinnacle P2 is slightly more forward and has a bit more definition, while K3Pro 2.0 offers better control.

The iBasso IT01 has more bass impact and rumble, which makes the overall presentation more dynamic. The Magaosi K3Pro 2.0 on the other hand has the slightly better extension, while the speed of both IEM’s is nearly identical maybe a touch faster with the IT01.

The soundstage of the Magaosi K3Pro 2.0 is slightly deeper then those of the iBasso IT01 while both are nearly identical for wideness.

Conclusion:

I can easily say that the Magaosi K3Pro 2.0 is a real bang for the buck. It has a good sound, a solid metal housing (no plastic used) and lots of accessories, which makes it to one of the best options in this price category.

Pros and Cons:

• + High price to performance ratio
• + Good detail and clarity
• + Nice and solid metal housing
• + Many cables (great to see a free Bluetooth cable)

• – No backup for the small sound filters
• – Missing of some dynamism of the sound
• – Only two pairs of silicone eartips, but lots of foam tips