What I’m most impressed by is the deftness of the stereo imaging, which, when combined with a fairly large soundstage, give the SoundMagic E10C an involving and “big” sound. The cable is a little different, though. Where normal E10 earphones have a braided cable, the E10BT use a standard round one. It’s more susceptible to tangles, but at least there’s less cable to get tangled. The SoundMagic E10S are a slight tweak of the classic SoundMagic E10 for people with infuriating phones that don’t sound right through ordinary earphones. This is a public service release, and the first of its kind we’ve seen. Ergonomically designed sound tubes sit perfectly in the ear canal and stay in the ear comfortably without falling out.

The SoundMagic E10BT’s control unit is a standard three-button affair that, thanks to the wonders of Bluetooth control, will work with just about any phone. There’s also a little blue LED under the button surface to let you know when the set is ‘on’. Despite the low price tag, the Soundmagic E10 comes with some solid accessories. Besides the earphones, the box also holds a carrying pouch and seven pairs of eartips. SoundMAGIC's engineers have tuned the drivers of the E10C to deliver a heavy bottom end. Delivering deep rolling bass balanced with superb musical detail, the E10C creates an exciting and fun listening experience.

Audio Quality

One thing we haven't mentioned about these earphones is that they feature redesigned 10mm drivers – an upgrade on the ones SoundMAGIC used in previous launches. How do they affect the sound quality? We're just coming on to that... SoundMAGIC E11C earbuds review: Sound Machined in one piece, the metal earphone body makes the E10C robust and ready for the rigours of everyday life, whatever you throw at them. Inside the sheath of the cord a twisted cable ensures strength and a tangle-free listening experience.

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). 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. They claim to have a robust metal design – “feel the charm of metal”, the slogan says – but there’s little noticeable benefit. At this size, plastic can be as strong as needs be. In fact, despite a metallic sheen, you’d be hard pushed to tell these were metal – they could just as easily be painted plastic. The slightly angular design is inoffensive but neither are they anything special. They really do just look and feel like any old earphone.

Despite those redesigned drivers, the sound isn't noticeably different to previous SoundMAGIC earphones, but that's not a bad thing; listening to some classic Oasis, we found the performance to be taut and energetic. The treble could be a little forthright in places, but not to the detriment of the bass, which was rich and precise. With a sensitivity rating of 112dB, the E11Cs also offer plenty of volume, which, on life-affirming tunes such as those on Definitely Maybe, is absolutely essential. The SoundMagic E50 shed most of the low frequency emphasis, giving them a more balanced, grown-up sound that I find more satisfying. However, if bonus bass is what you’re after then the SoundMagic E10C pull off this sound signature better than the rival Sennheiser CX3.00. Should you buy the SoundMagic E10C?

READ NEXT: The best budget headphones and cheap earphones you can buy SoundMagic E11 vs E11C vs E11D: What you need to know The E11D’s sound is near-identical to that of the SoundMagic E11C. This is no surprise given that they include the same 10mm dynamic drivers and earpiece cavity design. To my ears it’s a big improvement over the audio of the classic SoundMagic E10, which some of you may have owned. Commendable sound quality make them a good choice even if your current phone has no problem with ‘normal’ earphones, too. 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.

What these budget SoundMAGIC E11C in-ear headphones lack in tricks, they make up for in performance

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. SoundMagic has successfully transplanted the sound of the E10 into a Bluetooth earphone. It’s a pair with great battery life and top wireless performance. SoundMagic says the E10BTs are capable of receiving 24-bit audio, although with no word of aptX HD, it’s not clear whether this just means the DAC inside is a 24-bit chip. SoundMAGIC's acoustic engineers carefully configured the drivers of the E10 to produce exciting sound with powerful bass and balanced musical detail. They punch well above their weight in terms of sound quality. The in-ear design combined with the right eartip makes sure the sound is not lost or diluted. Sitting comfortably in the earcanal, the E10 ensures hours of fatigue-free listening fun. I’ve never been a huge fan of the SoundMagic E10 design. The coloured L/R earpiece parts; the “go faster” style stripes – they’re just not to my taste.