SoundMagic E80D

Verdict

These earphones provide good-quality, clear-sounding audio for the money, but they’re not the best fit for all occasions, though. The microphonic cable and some unusual in-driver noise heard during testing suggest they’re not a great fit for exercise our super outdoorsy use.

Introduction

The SoundMagic E80D represent the return of an old favourite. SoundMagic used to be one of Trusted Reviews’ consistent recommendations among budget earphones.

It has barely had a mention in recent years, though, having not had much impact in the true wireless market. 

The SoundMagic E80D are cabled earphones, but do at least get with the times in one sense. They use a USB-C connector, not a 3.5mm jack. 

You’ll pay £39.99 for a set of SoundMagic E80D, and get sound that would not be out of place in a pair of wireless earphones in the £70-80 bracket. There’s nothing particularly new or exciting to the SoundMagic E80D, but they are a solid option if you want to run from the all-wireless style. 

Design

• Tough-feeling build
• Microphonic cable
• Doesn’t fare well with strong movement/exercise

The SoundMagic E80 series first appeared in 2015. It was the step-up alternative to the SoundMagic E10, which Trusted Reviews was a fan of back in the day. Most people were. 

Almost a decade on, it’s almost odd how little has changed. The SoundMagic E80D still have the slightly odd barrel shape to the earpieces

As before, they are made of aluminium. And, just as I remember with the classic SoundMagic range, the silicone tips have a certain stiffness that I find makes them a bit more picky about fit than most. 

SoundMagic is also up to its old tactic of using a braided cable to appear more sophisticated and high-end. 

That’s well and good, but it may be the root of the one issue I’ve had with these earphones. They don’t seem to get on with a lot of device movement. I heard a sort of crunching noise at each step on a few occasions when wearing them for runs. And at other times I’ve heard what sounds like strange interference in one ear, not related to exercise. This hasn’t been heard recently, so it’s not the terminal breaking down.

Minor water ingress in the remote? Poor shielding somewhere? Perhaps, but it means I don’t recommend these highly for exercise.

These earphones have a right angle jack, one that feels sturdy and has an aluminium enclosure. I can’t replicate the noise effect by manually moving or flicking the USB-C, so it’s clearly not the case of the socket making a poor connection to the phone. 

I can easily replicate the quite strong microphonic noise the SoundMagic E80D’s cable cases, though. This is where the cable hitting your clothing causes a sort of rumble audible through the earphones. There’s a good amount of weight here, thanks metal sheaths around the cable join and the in-line remove, and the heftiness of the cable itself, makes these microphonics all but unavoidable.

None of this is new for SoundMagic earphones. But it’s stuff you don’t miss after going wireless. 

As mentioned, the SoundMagic E80D have a metal-bodied in-line remote. It’s the classic three-button type, with a pinhole mic on the back. 

This feels like a basic housing, and the buttons are not properly separated, just signified by embossed bits on a rubbery membrane. The SoundMagic E80D have no extra features. There’s no active noise cancellation, and no need for a battery. 

Sound Quality 

• Coarse upper mids
• Clear sound
• Clean, if not particularly high-end character

When the SoundMagic E80 were originally introduced, they were a flatter alternative to the massively popular E10. And by “flatter” I mean a more neutral and balanced character, with less bonus bass and mid-bass, which you typically get in a super-mainstream headphone. People love a little bit of bonus bass bounce. 

As such the SoundMagic E80D are unusually neutral for a headphones of this level. 

They sound clean and clear, and have better dynamics than I usually hear for the money. Unlike the typical style of a more V-shapred signature, where the bass and treble are more clearly promoted, the mids don’t end up shoved into the background. 

Despite that, the SoundMagic E80D’s bass isn’t thin or lightweight. It’s just less of a spotlight thief than you typically get in a pair of £40 earphones. 

This is a nice concept, right? A more faithful earphone you don’t have to pay through the nose for. 

However, my very first take on putting the SoundMagic E80D in my ears was their upper mids are a bit coarse, which can make some content sound slightly harsh or granular. 

The SoundMagic E80D’s sound field is not notably wide or expansive either, and while bass is gauged about right, it’s not the most taut and doesn’t have the snappiest decay. Mid-range detail and texture is also not anywhere near as present as that in the upper-mids and low treble. 

None of this is anything but expected in a budget earphone. But the SoundMagic E80D’s tuning makes these deficiencies easier to pinpoint. 

In other words, there’s a difference between being neutral and “high-end”. These aren’t really the latter, but will satisfy those tired of soft and flabby-sounding affordable earphones.

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