SoundPEATS M10 Review

With an incredibly low price & an impressive build quality – the SoundPEATS M10 are turning heads, but how do they perform? Find out what we think in our SoundPEATS M10 review.

There is no escaping the fact that these are cheap earphones – in fact i’d go as far as to say, very cheap. So you do have to view them with that in mind & accept that they won’t perform as well as a more expensive set. But given that the price is so low, they can almost be considered as disposable – or sacrificial…maybe making them a good option for holiday/travel use when you don’t want to risk you’re favorite earphones. The M10 is the lower model compared its slightly bigger brother, and our preferred, M20 (see SoundPEATS M20 review).

Cheap & Cheerful

As you’d expect with a budget product, the packaging is pretty basic and unremarkable. But it does still manage to present the M10 earphones in a manner that doesn’t completely give away their price tag.

The earpieces are surprisingly well made and feel very solid. The finish is really very good (particularly for the price) – we have seen earphones in the £30 area that aren’t finished as well as these. They are made from what looks to be machined aluminium and have a good strong re-enforced cable exit. For us, the biggest clue to their price is the cable – it does feel cheaper than the cable you’d find on more premium priced product. The flat silicone cable is very lightweight – but looks to have a tendency to tangle & has a life of its own to a certain extent. It doesn’t feel as strong as some other cables either, meaning they might not last quite as long…but given their price, I don’t think that’s really an issue.

The microphone/button/control unit on the M10 earphones is actually very well made – notably so. It puts quite a few significantly more expensive control units to shame. The button feels very solid & has a nice feel to the click. Where the cable splits, the re-enforcement is tough – but it does look like it could be a potential stress point for the cable. The straight nickel 3.5mm jack plug is molded from silicone and should stand up to a considerable amount of rough handling.

Also in the box you get a choice of small, medium or large grey silicone eartips – unfortunately there is no storage pouch or case included. While the fit is pretty good, the comfort level isn’t quite what it could be. Overall though, in use they stay in place and remain comfortable for extended periods.

Big Bass

Personally speaking, I could be classed as a bass head, but there is more to good sound that just lots of bass – the M10 earphones are a good example of that imbalance. The bass is big and deep – perhaps a little overly accentuated, but it works well. However, the mid range is thinned in a slightly odd way giving them a slightly filtered sound. There is a good amount of punch, but the filtering effect makes them sound a little crunchy and hollow. The treble is pretty good and manages to allow a reasonable amount of detail through. Overall, the sound is pretty damn good for the money and with a little added EQ could be made a little more natural sounding. Yes the sound is big, yes it packs punch – but it lacks detail, clarity and a natural balance.

SoundPEATS M10 Review Conclusion

SoundPEATS have done a good job of producing such a cheap set of earphones that manage to deliver more than you’d expect at such a low price. While some will be happy with the sound quality – we think it’s worth spending a little more on something like the SoundMAGIC E19S. If though you are on a shoestring budget, aren’t concerned about better sound quality or are looking for earphones that can almost be considered as being disposable, the SoundPEATS M10’s do deliver an awful lot for the money and are well worth buying.