Firstly let's get some things squared away:   I do not believe in break-in. (Burn-in for those who don't understand terminology.) I do not believe cable materials alter sound. I do not believe amping makes a large difference.   Ah, the sub-$100 market. SO much competition. I've been a self-proclaimed audiophile since late 2010. I started out with Bose Triport, and SoundMAGIC PL11. Since then, I've explored the $20-200 market very thoroughly, mostly staying in the sub-$100 market. Of this, I have had the pleasure of owning:   Audio...

Mild u-shape. Rather than going the XB500 route, it goes more for sub-bass extension, then mellows out in the higher bass/lower mids, roll offs where appropriate to keep the sound balanced, and smooth. Another roll off in the lower treble. Just a bit of sparkle.   Detail retrieval is inferior to some other 'phones in the price range. Superlux, and Grado have the Hesh beat in detail, and separation, and of course, headstage, open vs closed.   The Hesh perform much better with classical, acoustic, hardstyle/freeform/jumpstyle/hardjump/hard...

This is my first review in the past year of getting in to audio as a hobby. My roots started last year around April when I purchased the SoundMAGIC PL11. I heard my father's various Bose products, which introduced me to the world of high(er)-end audio equipment. Directly comparing The PL11 to the Bose Triport made me realize that my $16 PL11 were nearly as good as my father's $130 Triport, and it lead me to Head-Fi.   The SoundMAGIC ES18 use the same drivers used in the higher end E10. This is a budget-minded 'phone, sacrificing build quality to...