Aimed squarely at the smartphone upgrade market, the ES19S looks to tick a lot of boxes. Backed up with SoundMAGIC’s reputation for producing quality earphones, we’re intrigued to see how these stack up against the competition. Find out what we think in our SoundMAGIC ES19S review.
Having previously dominated the sub £30 market with the award winning E10, and then stepping things up a notch or two with the upgraded E10S. The ES19S looks set to do the same in the hugely popular sub £20 price range. Big sacrifices are often made at this end of the spectrum – lets find out how the ES19S holds up under the microscope.
Sleek Stylish Looks For The Masses
As with all SoundMAGIC earphones, the box is a simple design – functional with clean looks. One notable difference is the appearance of the ‘active series’ marking at the top of the box instead of the regular ‘reference series’ that we normally see on the E series earphones. This is a subtle nod to the fact that these are part of a more budget conscious range.
Inside the box you’ll find the earphones with 3 sets of white silicone eartips & that’s all – no storage case, cable clip or array of extra eartips.
The ES19S earphones have a very clean, understated look to them. The rounded earpieces are very nicely finished and feel very light in the hand. The cable exist is well supported thanks to the long stem & rubber re-enforcement. The cable is a smooth, matt finished silicone cable that seems to resist tangles very well.
Moving further down the cable, the microphone/button unit is very nicely finished (one of the nicest we’ve seen for a while). The whole of the control unit acts as the button, not just a hard to find small section – as a result the button click has a soft but definite feel to it.
The cable split has a switch to change the control wiring to make it compatible with virtually all devices. An additional nice touch here is a sliding cable grip that changes the height at which the two cables join under your chin. The 3.5mm gold plated jack plug is straight and unusually short but looks to have a good strain relief that will look after the cable nicely.
Looking at the SoundMAGIC ES19S earphones, you’d be forgiven for thinking that they cost significantly more than they actually do.
The eartips have a wide inner diameter which means they shouldn’t influence the sound of the earphones at all. In the ear, the ES19S feel very comfortable and fantastically light. The fit and sound isolation are also very good – much better than most other cheaper earphones.
Unexpected Audio Clarity & Definition
Given the price tag – you might expect the sound to be sub-standard or disappointing…you’ll be pleased to hear that this isn’t the case!
The first thing that strikes you when listening to the SoundMAGIC ES19S is the level of clarity – they sound very clean and well balanced. The stereo image is pretty damn good as well with accurate positioning right across the image.
The bass is deep, warm, natural and tight – there’s no overly deep sub like woomf, just a nicely balanced bottom end. The mid range is clean and tight with really good definition and the high frequencies are light, open and controlled.
The overall result is a sound that is almost unbelievable at this price point.
While some other earphones in this price range are capable of producing a decent quality sound – it isn’t as balanced as this
Note: we didn’t add any EQ while listening to the ES19S – this is very, very rare for cheaper earphones.
SoundMAGIC ES19S Review Conclusion
It looks like the SoundMAGIC ES19S are set to be a winner – at this price the sound is frankly, amazing. The build quality is just as good – the only potential negative that we can see is the lack of storage case…buts that being really picky. The ES19S is a perfect upgrade from the earphones that were provided with your smartphone.
For us, the SoundMAGIC ES19S is the new race leader for less than £20.
Pros:
- Great sound
- Sleek looks
- Perfect smartphone upgrade
Cons:
- No storage case
Review Summary:
Sound: Great clear, well balanced sound
Design: Clean sleek looks that will compliment any smartphones
Quality: High quality materials and build standard
Value: Amazing value for money
| Model | Manufacturer | RRP (£) | Available Colours | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ES19S | SoundMAGIC | 19.99 | 4 |
Thanks man! I bought this cheap but excellent earphone after reading of this review… And I was right… Unbelievable purchase.