About Me
Like most people, I am an avid fan of music ranging from my all-time favorite Metallica to 2Pac to Mozart, YoYo Ma and a lot in between (sorry country but heck no). I have what doctors would call a compulsive disorder for headphones as I can never seem to stop buying and trying. I am not an audiophile, but I have a quest to find the best headphone / earphone for my tastes and I like to test new gear a lot. I rely on my ears, and my listening pleasure to move forward. I just hope to help other people find nice devices that will suit their taste and their budget.
As my ocd of headphones is expensive I tend to hover around the $200 or less range of headphones, sorry fancy schmancy headphone connoisseurs. Also I prefer Bluetooth as I am on the go a lot and don’t like cables (que the diss sesh of poor BT quality headphones). Enjoy!
Tech Specs for us nerds
· Drivers : Dynamic, 13.5 mm
· Rated Impedance : 46 Ω
· Frequency Range : 20 Hz ~ 20 kHz
· Sensitivity : 100 dB @ 1 mW
· Expected Battery: 10-12 hrs
· Bluetooth Version: 4.2
· Codecs: SBC
· Weight: 20g
Accessories
· 3 pairs domed silicone eartips (S/M/L)
· 3 pairs bowl silicone eartips (S/M/L)
· 4 pairs vented silicone eartips (XS/S/M/L)
· 1 pair double flange silicone eartips (M)
· USB Charging cable
· Semi-rigid carry case
Build Quality
Housings: The housings are fairly small and comfortable, and the sleek aluminum makes them seem sturdy and well made.
Cable: The cable is a round, thin wire with small strain reliefs at the earbuds. They seem flimsy to me and might not hold up to wear over time.
Functionality/Pairing/Range
Pairing for most BT is the same so I will only call out if there are issues.
The E10BT has a built in 3 button controller like just about all BT headsets. Volume Up, Down, Power, Sync, Track Skip.
Using my OnePlus 3 all buttons worked without issue.
The Bluetooth being used for these is the latest and greatest 4.2 claiming better range and throughput. Overall I didn’t have many issues with the connection. I was able to get about 20-25 feet away before skipping occurred.
Comfort
I will be honest; I don’t like silicone tips. Once you go Comply, you don’t go back. So I always buy the correct comply tips to go with my set. In this case the 400 series, of which I am using the isolation (great fit).
With these tips these earbuds are light and don’t fatigue my ears.
Now for the overall comfort. Soundmagic decided to do something different, and weird in my opinion. They placed the remote (standard) and a batter pack inline. This sits right in the middle and had a shirt clip to connect. I found this setup to be a bit cumbersome. Once you connect to your shirt and get the correct fit it works, but takes a bit to do so. This allows 12 hours battery, but dang kind of a pain.
Sound Review
I always test with the same devices and song list:
Devices: OnePlus 3 & Macbook Pro
Songs (don’t judge me):
Eagles – Hotel California [Hell Freezes Over Live Edition]
Metallica – No Leaf Clover or Fade to Black
Big Tymers – Still Fly
Jethro Tull – Locomotive Brass
Enya – Oronico Flow
The E10BT offers a very smooth, balanced sound that doesn’t hit too hard with bass and smooths out the very high end. It’s a really enjoyable sound that I really like. No EQ needed right out of the box.
I don’t know if the sound has a shape (some call it v or u) but I would call it S for smooth… yup did it.
The bongos on Hotel California don’t hit as hard as some bass heavy buds, but everything sounds nice and natural with a bit of high end smoothing.
In no leaf clover I could hear the different instruments playing along with the guitar, sounds amazing. Top notch quality for my ears.
I liked this sound signature and understand why Soundmagic gets so many good reviews.
Comparisons
E10BT vs Brainwavz BLU-Delta
Same price for both of these. Sound signature is similar, but the Delta’s hit a bit harder and aren’t as clear on the high end as the E10BTs. The Brainwavz have a shorter battery life and a very spotty Bluetooth connection. They have APT-X for better sound, but with connection issues these are a no-go.
E10BT vs 1More iBfree
Again these are the same price. The iBfree’s have a much harsher high end and less bass. They acutually are a bit piercing right out of the box. I installed the EQ app by 1More and this really improved the sound. Also they recommend a burn-in for these. So time will tell if sounds improve. Overall E10BT smoother and refined sound I prefer.
E10BT vs Ghostek Silencer
Same price, but dang what a difference. The Ghostek hit super hard in bass and are totally a bass-head set. They have APT-X and fins to help with comfort but I can’t handle over done bass at these levels (overpowers even vocals).
Conclusion
I have to say that all the reviews that the Soundmagic E10 were a phenomenal earphone on a budget and now they took that formula and put Bluetooth in it. Winning combination. I wish they would have left out the batter pack and reduced batter to 6-8 hours, but eh…
I am also very disappointed in the lack of APT-X and AAC. Even super cheap earphones use these codecs. Its particularly apparent when you listen to youtube videos and the delay is worse without APT-X.
Overall these are a great set of quality BT earphones I would highly recommend.
