These days the market is flooded with in-ear headphones. There are models priced all over the place, from a few pounds right up to audiophile models priced in the hundreds.
Right in the middle of this lot are the SoundMAGIC E10 in-ear headphones. Priced at around the £35 mark they shouldn’t break the bank, but do they offer any benefit over cheap headphones from the local supermarket or electronics store?
In short, the answer is yes. Before we even get to the sound quality, it’s clear that this is no “cheap” product. The earpieces are made of aluminium and the the electrical connections are protected by thick rubber and plastic surrounds.
You also get a choice of three different ear piece sizes, though we found that the stock ones were the best fit for us.
As you’d expect you also get a plastic slider on the upper part of the cords, to prevent tangling, as well as a lapel clip to help keep the phones in your ears while exercising.
You also receive a leatherette pouch to keep your E10′s from getting damaged in the bottom of your gym bag.
The E10′s are available in a selection of different colours; red, silver, purple or gold. All feature a high level of painted detail to the earpieces as well as colour coordinated plastics and leads. We reviewed the red version, which won’t be everyone’s cup of tea. But with the selection available you should be able to find a colour that suits you.
When it comes to sound quality, we found that the E10′s met our expectations of earphones in this price range. Sound was clear and crisp at all volume levels, and there was more than enough volume to do yourself some damage.
Bass sounds are particularly well defined, which is unusual for in-ear headphones.
In terms of comfort, we had no problems whatsoever in our tests. Even after several hours of use there was no discomfort, and hour long sessions in the gym didn’t cause any problems either. Some people may find that the standard ear buds aren’t a perfect fit, but with other sizes included in the packaging you shouldn’t have any problems.
All in all, the SoundMAGIC E10′s are a worthwhile purchase for anyone that uses headphones for an extended period of time. They sound good, they’re very comfortable and at £35 they aren’t going to break the bank. They should also last quite a while, looking at their design and construction, so they may work out better value than buying the cheapest set of headphones you can find.