Soundmagic E10

Inderino

New Head-Fier
Pros: Nice thumpy bass, great sparkle
Cons: Not the greatest driver housing build quality
I was in the market for some IEMs for regular 'rough' use, a pair to throw in my pockets or my bag to take anywhere so after some consideration, I settled on the SoundMagic E10C purely because the E10 line was so well regarded. And the praise is definitely worth it.

The packaging is nothing extremely fancy but you do get a LOT of accessories. A pretty nifty lil carrying hard case, about 7 pairs of tips (including a double flanged one and ones with different sized bores), a splitter to plug into computers without a combo headphone/mic input, a lapel clip, a stereo to mono converter (???) and the earphones themselves.

On first impressions, the thing that struck me the most was the cable. It was brilliant blue, with a nice ridged plasticy texture that is probably to keep it relatively tangle free. There's a metal splitter in the middle leading up to the mic module with the remote. The C in the name stands for compatible as this remote is compatible with both Android phones and iPhones (a fact that I made sure to check). The only misgiving I have with them are the driver housings. They don't look very sturdy or premium but they seem to be well made.

I powered them through my Nextbit Robin with Foobar2k (with OpenSL) The first thing that anyone will notice is the presence of strong bass. I wouldn't call the E10C an overly bassy phone but it can definitely output some nice tight thumping and the best part is, it doesn't bleed into the mids. It's also quite bright, having a nice amount of sparkle without verging on unpleasant levels of sibilancy. The mids... are average really. Sometimes they get shouty if my volume is too high but generally they are nothing to write home about. I listen generally to Alt Rock, Pop and some House music and the E10C is a pretty good fit for them.

The absolute best part is their price. They go on sale for about 1300 INR or 20 USD and while I don't have experience with other popular Chi-Fi recommendations, I can definitely say it ranks up there as one of the best cheap IEM offerings. They are perfect for a pair to take while travelling or just general commutes/ going anywhere really, and not make you wince with terrible audio like some of the OEM earbuds that come with your phone. I've had them for a couple of months now and I've not found much to complain about. Definitely recommended. If the next version in the E10 series introduces better build quality and perhaps some more character into mids, they'll sell like hotcakes.

PS : Sorry for the terrible picture quality, was a rough shot just for this review

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Omar717

New Head-Fier
Pros: Highs and bass. Build quality. Value. Braided cable. Soundstage. Comfort.
Cons: Mids. Isolation.
These earphones are some of the best I've used at this price range; it's fantastic value for money.

The sound quality is very good. The highs are clear, crisp and have a nice sparkle to them that isn't overwhelmingly harsh. Likewise, the bass is also very nice, loud and punchy without drowning out the mids or highs. Speaking about the mids, they have good clarity but feel a bit recessed compared to the bass or treble. It would be nice if the mids were just a bit more forward. Soundstage is also surprisingly spacious, and creates an airiness to the sound and vocals.

Next is build quality. The build is extremely solid and tough for £30 earphones, due to the aluminium construction. The braided cable also feels like it could take quite a beating on top of keeping the cable untagled. No complaints here.

The design is also equally good. The shiny gold metallic design looks flashy without being over the top, and the use of metal makes the unit look much more expensive than it actually is. Comfort is something which is dependent on people's ears, but for me they feel nice (when using the bi-flanges). Another success.

The cable can produce a bit of cable noise if worn straight down, although it isn't too much of a bother. Wearing the cable around the ears will, of course, reduce these sounds completely. As for isolation, it's good but not great. It is able to block out most sounds but will not provide total isolation.

Overall these are great earphones which represent brilliant value. I am interested to see how long these will last, as only time will tell.
JK1
JK1
Have you tried the Soundmagic ES18? I have the ES18 and love it.

rajeevrn

100+ Head-Fier
Pros: Sound changes for better after burn in, Nice treble, forward mids, airy, great speed and timing, instruments have character
Cons: build quality, bass could have been bit better.
The review below is for the E10M but the E10 is exactly identical, bar the extra mic. So lets begin.
 
Packaging:
 
 
 
 
Mine came in a nice little box with plenty of tips. I tried swapping out the stock ones with each one of them. There’s also an adaptor that allows you to connect the earphones to a laptop or desktop with separate ports for head phone and mic. Theres an extra clip as well, just in case you smash the one that came with it. I don’t see how but anyways, nice addition there, Soundmagic!
 
 
 
Design and Build:
 
 
 
The design positively screams for your attention. All of Soundmagic’s products are like this. Some in a good way. This is in a good way! Thank heavens!
 
 
 
The build is a little suspect, but Oh yeah at this price point no one can really complain. IEMs that cost much more are sometimes not this well built. The wires are reasonably thick and most importantly, the mic on my E10M is placed at the right height and it is easy to pick it up and start a conversation. I would have liked to see a longer cable but hey at this price point…no complaints.
 
 
 
Isolation:
 
 
 
These buds isolate but not too well. They don’t cut out all the external noise though and you could hear a little of the outside. As long as it’s not my neighbor’s dog out there barking away at the newly painted wall(possibly because it didn’t like it), I don’t mind!
 
 
 
Sound Quality:
 
 
 
Now to the nitty gritty. Very quickly to it.
 
 
 
Treble: I am listening to it again as I write this. It started out very bright, almost an irritable brightness to be very honest but after a few hours of burn in, that has been replaced by a very sweet treble. The cymbals, bells and chimes are so beautiful, it is to be heard to be believed. It is not sibilant anymore.
 
 
 
Mids: They are not upfront, but they seem quite forward to me. Anything more and perhaps it could get uncomfortable. They were uncomfortable to start with, but not anymore but they have slowly recessed over time though not by much. Be well prepared for a thrashing on some tracks from Metallica! The instruments have some character!
 
 
 
Bass: Bass is quite good, but maybe a little bit more of an impact, a better resolution, texture and of course quantity would have been desired by bassheads, but on some dance tracks I must say they do give the music a good pounding, but yes this does depend on the track.
 
Airiness: These are quite airy, have an open characteristic to the sound.
 
 
 
Pace and timing: It is almost up there with the best. Though it can skip a beat or tow, I never knew my S&M album from Metallica had so much speed. Now how exactly did they manage that with the orchestra moving slowly in the background. Must have been quite a distraction. That’s why Metallica is a legend. Well I guess this is becoming a distraction. Back to the Soundmagics!
 
 
 
ADVISORY:
 
Changing the tips affects sound quality greatly. It can go from being very balanced with one of them to forwardness in mids and treble, though I am still to find one with pronounced bass. Me , I use the stock buds that came with my fake Apple earphones and find them to be quite good. Keep experimenting with different tips till you find the sound of your liking.
 
 
 
 
Run out to your local store and get them now if you already haven’t. I am by no means an expert but I enjoy them a lot and you should too(if you also listen to my kind of music! Rock, Metal, Instrumental!)
 
 
 
That’s all folks! If this wasn’t the review you were expecting, there are plenty here on head-fi. You could always find a better one
smily_headphones1.gif
. I have chosen not to grade the various aspects as sound quality always should be the most important consideration at this price point or at any for that matter, but that is my opinion. The other aspects could vary in importance, so it is difficult to grade an assess a value for a newbie like me. 
 
 
 
I am still listening and still enjoying the music as you can infer from my writing. Get them now so you can do the same! All the best and hope the Sandman doesnt get to you before the Soundmagics do! And that's not a joke there, you are in for an experience if you get this one, a very energetic one!
rajeevrn
rajeevrn
Thanks Billson!
rajeevrn
rajeevrn
I am sorry to hear that imfine..hope you let them know about it.
Otto Motor
Otto Motor
Great soundstage, width, and depth. And a good punch. Compared to more expensive models, everything sounds a bit leaner and the treble can be a bit harsh.

steveww

New Head-Fier
Pros: Great sound quality, build quality, plenty of ear fit options included
Cons: A bit fatiguing on long listening sessions
If you bear in mind how these are typically going to be used and the price point they are at, these are really good. The bass is a bit big and bouncy and the overall clarity is not as good as some other in ear headphones. However like I said these are typically going to be used on the commute in a noisy background environment rather than critical listening, thus the lack of clarity is not really an issue. They appear to be well build but I have only has them for a week so I will have to wait and see how well they stand up to daily abuse.
 
They come with a wide selection of tips to suit all sizes. They also come with a great little carry case so you don't end up with a ball of wire in the bottom of your bag.
 
All in all really excellent for the price.

Rewas

New Head-Fier
Pros: Good sound/ nice design/ accesories
Cons: Isolation
Hello, I own these headphones for over a month now after changing them over my panasonic hje rpe 140.
first of all, they have really good sound quality. They have beaten my panasonic hje rpe 140 like nothing and they even vere better than sennheiser hd 205 which are 2 times more expensive. They have awesome bass and really good mids, however highs are just better than normal to me. Fitting was a problem only at the start (later i found better eartips) and there is no need to be worried about thick headphones "barrels" because they fit really good anyway. But even though they fit good isolation is only normal and really could be better. However, if you are high-volume listener then there's no problems here too. I really liked the assortment of accesesories (especially bag for headphones). Overall these headphones are really "bang for a buck " and get the value of 9 from me.

DirtyHarry98

New Head-Fier
Pros: Great Soundstage, Attractive Appearance, Great Sound, Good Packaging and "Goodies".
Cons: Some Design Gripes, Static Interference, SLIGHT Driver Flex.
I have been on a noble quest to find the best budget IEM for many years now. I realized that in the under $15 category many of these IEMs have crippling issues such as bad build quality or terrible comfort even if they may sound good. I decided to spend just a touch more on a pair of IEMs that everyone on the internet seemed to really enjoy. I was glad I did. The Soundmagic E10 has now become the IEM I use on a daily basis. I am very glad I picked them up. At only $35 you'd be crazy not to. 
 
First things first, let's talk about sound quality. Before I tested them, I burned them in for around 10-ish hours to hopefully settle the drivers. The sound at a glance at first seemed to be a tad treble heavy and I noticed some sibilance in some of my music. After the burn-in though, the E10s had calmed down a bit and weren't as fatiguing to listen to. I then realized how brilliant the soundstage was. I like to compare it to my ATH-M50s, which have a decent soundstage for a closed back headphone. The E10's soundstage isn't quite as good, but they are very close. This is by far the best soundstage I've heard out of a sub-$80 IEM. The sound can be described as dynamic, but they retain good detail and mid-range. The bass is tight and punchy and very rarely does it become too over-baring. The mid-range could maybe be more prevalent, but then again I do prefer a flat EQ (these are just a tad U shaped). The treble was clear and concise without being obnoxious and sibilant. On a few albums of mine such as Dream Theater's Black Clouds and Silver Linings, (a very treble heavy album) the treble would become just a shade fatiguing. I do wish they would be a tad more detailed and that the instrumental separation was more distinct. Overall though, I couldn't be happier with the sound of these IEMs considering they costed just $35. 
 
Now on to build quality. I was pleasantly surprised at the packaging of these 'buds. They were tightly packed into a dense foam mold. They also came with a sweet little carrying case that protects them quite nicely. The range of tips included was definitely generous; there were about three different sizes of small opening and large opening tips, along with a pair of double flange tips ( I use the medium size small opening tips). The finish on the IEMs themselves was perfect. The red and black color scheme is extremely appealing. The cable is also red and is made out of a sort of bizarre grippy plastic. The cable finish isn't smooth. Instead it's sort of bumpy. The cable is also more rigid then what I'm used to. It seems to hold a very general shape of the way it is bent after awhile. I don't really mind the rigidity and I actually like the odd finish on the cable. I don't really like the sort of memory that the cable has though. Another sort of bizarre thing I noticed about these headphones is that they seem to pick up some static interference. When I am around clothes or a blanket that is charged with static, the sound of the IEM crackles and cuts out in a very odd and consistent way. This is something I have never noticed in a pair of IEMs. Maybe it's the metal housing? The right monitor is subject to driver flex, which really bummed me out. I hate to hear that tell tale crack and pop of the driver when I first insert a pair of IEMs in my ears. I then realized that the driver flex is inconsistent and seems to happen more at times than others. Rarely though, it will bombard my right ear, but most of the time I notice nothing. This is obviously an isolated manufacturing error that is unique to my pair so I wouldn't even worry about it if you plan on buying some. The plug is gold plated and straight. To be honest I do prefer a right angle, but no big deal. 
 
If you are looking for an IEM that sounds great, is comfortable, is built well, and is good looking, then search no longer. You will struggle to find an IEM under $50 that sounds as good as these or is as fun to listen to. So what are you waiting for? Go grab a pair and enjoy a hearty helping of sonic excellence. 

Jazmanaut

Member of the Trade: Valco
Pros: Price, overall sound, sturdy cable, build quality.
Cons: Cable is a bit stiff. Fitting could be a bit better.
Because i am wearing helmet when biking and longboarding i cant use my trusted Sennheiser PX100 on those kind of activity i went in ear.
i didnt´t want to spend much, max 100 euros, because i do my serious listening mainly in my home and to be honest, didn´t think that
you can have proper sound from inear monitors, unless you spend big bucks for it.
Well let me tell you: i was wrong.
 
Sound of these little fellows are very pleasant indeed. Lots of bass and it goes low, but by a lot, i dont mean that they are over hyped. It just is there, when needed.
There are little bump on upper mids, so some songs gould get a bit boxy, but its very minor bump, so you can live with it easily. And what is most important to me:
Vocal range is not harsh! So overall sound is much better that i could expect to get for 100€, but best part was, that these costs only 27€ No brainer!
Nowdays they go everywhere, that im going. So im using them alot. And they are still as good as new. So build quality is exelent.
Cord is a bit stiff wich is good thing, but could get dangled easily, so i bought this thing called wishbone and that take care of that broblem.
Jojaonthebeat
Jojaonthebeat
Which is better in terms of  sound quality, smoothness, detail and soundstage between the e10's and e50's? How is the bass differ from the other?

jgbreezer

New Head-Fier
Pros: Engaging bass without being tiresome, ok fit
Cons: unsure on build quality, not as much detail as some others in <£30 price range
Having been used to JVC HA-FX51Cs, which lasted quite well for me (I go through IEMs every year or two either through loss/breakage), these feel a little plasticy and aren't _quite_ as solidly held in my ear but don't come out any easier than most others (but minor difference point). I worry about the points where the cable enters the ; and that unflexible cable really does want to stay how it was in the box it came in! I've not noticed microphonics except when I'm wearing them without music and the cable rubs occasionally. They are slightly more effort to roll/coil up and stick in a pocket but the tie-clip (or shirt-clip) attached is sort of handy.
 
The highs and bass when listening to music are more noticable and I think I do like the overall sound better than my FX51s for music, although perhaps less definition in some areas (IMO).
 
I mostly use these for listening to spoken-word podcasts with the occasional bit of electro/dubstep/rock on my phone/laptop, and the FX51s were very natural sounding and avoided overdoing the bass, more natural feel; I definitely notice the stronger bass with these E10s but it doesn't get tiring (yet) by overdoing it. My main objective therefore is to avoid tiring high/low pitched sounds being too sharp for the speech (many many hours more listening time than music).
 
I got the red colour set, like the design. I have quite small ears and the standard small ones provided are fine. They block out the noise to a level I like - seem quite high output relative to some others, can still easily hear important stuff externally if I'm leaving it at a comfortable relaxed volume level while it cuts out enough of the minor background noises on my work commute (London underground, bus, trains)

DylanJohn

New Head-Fier
Pros: Sound stage, low price but good sound!
Cons: Build quality
Before I start, I'd like to let you know that this is my first review on head-fi and that I am not actually an audiophile, so this review is from a 'normal consumer' perspective.
Thereby I am Dutch, so there could be some grammar flaws throughout this review, excuse me for that.


------------------------------
 
This was my first pair of 'better' headphones than the normal stock headphones delivered with my HTC One X. 

When unpacked I was already enthusiastic about the number of tips that came with the 'phones.
As a beginner I immediately put them on and started listening.. and I was blown away! The sound was so detailed and wide, it was like I was listening to completely new music. (believe me, I wasn't)
I enjoyed them a lot and I couldn't listen to normal stock 'phones anymore, that was just awful.

But then the casing came apart, just as mentioned in the top review. I got them replaced through warranty services from the retailer where I bought those and I was happy again (they even shipped them for free to another country, as I was having holiday in Germany). 

But then also with the new pair the casing came loose, at both sides this time.. so I felt pretty disappointment.. of course it can happen once, but not thrice.

Conclusion:
Although the sound is very good for such cheap headphones, they really lack durability. The casing came of three times and I decided to buy some other pair (sennheiser CX250), I have to say I liked the E10's way more, but I would not recommend it at this point due to a faulty build of the casing.

(now planning on buying the Shure SE215's) 


 
suman134
shaun_g
shaun_g
Yes, SoundMAGIC recently improved the build of the E10 significantly. The earphone body is now held together by mechanical clipping together of the two parts internally (instead of glue) and the cabling has been massively improved with a twisted pair braided cable. The E10 is now super tough!

Ch1Kn

New Head-Fier
Pros: sound for value
Cons: Durablity
They have been updated...
old model had bad build quality and fell apart on me and then broke within a year :frowning2:
 
Sound is basically just a crappy sounding version of the ath m50 (this is not a bad thing)
it has more mid bass but it bleeds into the spectrum... 
not much extension but at this price point the sound is about as clean as it gets
 
the new model is a little pricey i believe at 20$ they were a steal (for a pair of headphones you could afford to toss around) but now i see them for 30-50$
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Loras 461
Loras 461
Yeah my firs pair fell apart and i had to glue it myself (doesn't look pretty) and today i've noticed the grilles fell off too - just pulled them out. Ive got a second pair which is a lot newer - let's see how long will these last...
manizkrishnan
manizkrishnan
Very rue.  These headphones don't even last for 8 months.The left earphone is not working and Soundmagic support is awful. I would not recommend these headphones.
gobin
gobin
Instead of upgrading the durability, they decided to upgrade the price. What a great move.

akshayshah12

New Head-Fier
Pros: Good looking build, Better overall sound stage, Great bang for the buck
Cons: not so analytical and accurate
First of all, I'd like to thank 'H20Fidelity' who recommended this IEM to me. I was not sure whether to go for this brand as i did not hear of it before. but thought of givin' them a try. Got it under 40USD. I had Sennheiser Precision 300-II before these and I liked them but i lost them so needed new pair with similar sound.

These are definitely better than my now lost Senn They are very engaging and ideal to listen music on the go. Bass is plenty (not by Bass head standards) and has a nice punch in it, which is more than sufficient for me. I'd highly recommend them to anybody who is on tighter budget.
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shotgunshane

Headphoneus Supremus
Pros: large soundstage; engaging sound; price
Cons: stiff cable
SoundMAGIC E10

Soundmagic is building up quite a reputation for budget-fi products. Their latest entry into the fray is the E10. It is a barrel styled dynamic driver offering at just $35. Is it a giant killer? How good can a $35 phone be? Let’s find out…


Soundmagic seems to have phased out the hard case they used to include and instead offer a pleather pouch with drawstring. While I know many prefer hard cases, I really like nice pouches for toting in a jacket or jean pocket. This pouch is very nice but a little larger than necessary, so I plan on using it with my new custom Merlins when they finally arrive. Also included is a nice selection of various tips. For most IEM’s I’ve found larges to give me the best seal but with both the new E10 and my old PL30, the mediums work best to give me a deeper fit and better bass response. I’ve yet to try any different tips. The cable is the standard SM offering. It is pretty stiff and rubbery feeling and tangles fairly easily but at this price and with the kind of sound quality the E10 offers, I’m not complaining.

Bass is nothing short of spectacular for its class. It’s the perfect blend of mid bass punch and sub bass rumble. Kicks sound off with authority and bass guitars thump their driving beats. The bass is tight and extended, if a bit on the soft side with respectable speed and nice decay; which works really well with the overall sound signature. I find it just right for my preferences.

The midrange is pushed forward of neutral. Bass does not bleed into the midrange, leaving you with a nice and clean vocal. Distortion guitars have nice forward bite (nowhere as good as the GR07 or FXT90 but good in their own right). Pianos sound very good and are placed forward in the mix.

Treble has very nice sparkle but does take a slight backseat to the bass and midrange. However it isn’t what I’d call recessed or laid back. I’d say its presence is somewhere between the Atrio MG7 and GR07, leaning much closer to the Atrios. Perhaps slightly relaxed with sparkle is good descriptor for the treble.

Soundstage is pretty wide and depth is good. Dynamics are very good and the E10 sounds great for low level listening as well as ‘rocking out’ levels. Instrument realism isn’t on the level of my favorite JVC offerings but it is no slouch considering its class bracket. Clarity is great for such an inexpensive, bass oriented phone.

The E10 just sounds great with any recordings I throw at it, from classic rock, metal, pop and country. It has a fun, punchy and clear sound that is certainly better than anything at $35 has a right to be! I cannot recommend the E10 enough. This one is a keeper.


Tip recommendations:
Meelectronics extra long single flange. They come in Meelec's M11+ 10 pack but if you contact Meelec, they will sell them in 4 packs.
See link for a picuture: http://www.meelec.com/MEElectronics_Original_Eartips_for_M11_Earphones_p/tipset10-m11-bk-mee.htm
I get a deeper fit and better seal, resulting in better sub bass response while maintaining maximum clarity.
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StargateRecords

100+ Head-Fier

 

I purchased these earphones specifically for my pocket rig, I was looking for something that could be used every day and my buying requirements were simple. First they needed to cost less than £30, and second they needed to sound as good as the stock set from Sony which, as stock earphones go, sound pretty impressive. I was reluctant to pay more than £30 as they were going to be used solely for my pocket rig and would therefore take quite a battering.

I had never tried Sound Magic earphones before and the E10's had only just been released so there were no reviews to guide my decision. Despite being a little over my budget I decided to take a chance and I purchased them from HiFiHeadphones for £34.99 they arrived the next day well packed and with a free Chupa Chups!

Inside the box were three sets of single flange black eartips; small, medium and large, one set of double flange eartips, a nice black draw-string pouch and the earphones. The colour scheme also factored into my decision to purchase these earphones. I really like the red cable and aluminium housing, they look great and I can find them easily in low light, which saves me using starglow paint.

In the image below you can see how well made these earphones are, the aluminium casings are machined and finished to a very high standard. The body of the driver casing measures just 12 mm excluding the eartip stem, and they are 10 mm wide. Inside the earpiece there is an interwoven grille to protect the membrane and located on the outside are two airflow ports. The cable is good quality, almost impossible to tangle and transmits very little noise.
 



I decided to test the E10's with a track called Magic Sunset Street from the album Housego Remixes by Yoshinori Sunahara using a flat equaliser. The first thing that hit me was how detailed the E10's are. The best way I can describe the sound quality is like this. Imagine you are going to a night club, as you approach the building you can hear the dampened bass resonating through the walls but nothing more (my iPod stock earbuds), then as you enter the building and walk down the corridor the bass becomes much more tighter and you can hear the mids and treble clearly (the Sony stock earbuds), finally at the end of the corridor you reach the door to the club, you open it and... boom, the bass hits you, thump thump thump thump, very tight and controlled, everything is clear and detailed, you feel as though you are in the music.

From what I have heard so far, straight out the box, I would have to say these earphones are excellent value for money and they have far surpassed my expectations. Based on my buying requirements alone; a good sounding budget set of earphones costing less than £30, I would give them 10/10 for sound quality and 10/10 for design and build quality. For a more technical description of the sound quality and photos of the packaging please read ClieOS review here, and visit Sound Magic using the link on the right.


 
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