[conanwarrior]

Hi everyone, I hope you are all OK.

I was looking for some budget IEM's to replace my Sennheisers that stopped working, and heard of the soundmagic ES18. These seemed great, especially as they used the same driver as the more expensive E10.

I should be receiving them today, but came across this review- https://www.amazon.com/gp/customer-...iewpnt?ie=UTF8&ASIN=B007PZSUF0#R16CK85GD0QTDJ

It states that soundmagic swapped the driver of the ES18 a few years ago, and the ES18 is now nothing like it used to be.
It isn't a big loss, they was £14.99, but I am struggling a bit with money at the moment so wanted to get what was best.

Is there any truth to this driver swap, or is it news to you? And if there has indeed been a driver swap, can you recommend some good sounding, budget IEM's?

I am fine with using Chinese companies like Gearbest, as I order many vaping supplies from China, so if a good IEM is only available from a Chinese vendor that would be OK.

Thank you all, Conan.

 

[conanwarrior]

Well, I have received them now.

They are good, but not as good as the cheaper Sennheisers they replaced. I am by no means an audiophile, but can tell the mids are rolled off, the bass is tight which is nice, although I hear none of the treble many people mention these are known for- in fact, it seems lacking to me, and I am more of a basshead than treblehead.

These will do for now, but what is a better replacement? I think the review on Amazon may be correct, although I did not hear an older set to compare too.

 

[Oscar-HiFi]

You could have looked around and got the E10 for £19.99... (refurb)

 

[conanwarrior]

You could have looked around and got the E10 for £19.99... (refurb)

Are they a good idea to go for still? And is the build quality better than the ES18? As I wasn't expecting much for the price, but they do feel very flimsy, similar to how ones from the poundshop feel.

These are mainly for use while I am out, or do not want to use the HD25 I-II's. I really like those, although they can get a little uncomfortable on my ears using them for a long time.