I've always had a soft spot for wired headphones. I want to be able to plug in my headphones while I'm on the go, avoid the annoying feeling of forgetting to charge them, and enjoy the superior sound quality that comes with a good pair of wired headphones.
That’s where the SoundMagic E80D ($45) comes in. For a fraction of the price of a similarly quality pair of wireless earbuds, the E80D really impressed me with the richness of the audio balance thanks to the built-in DAC—a rarity on wired earbuds. The simple yet sturdy design is easy on the eyes, and a USB-C connection means you don’t have to worry about adapters for most modern phones.
The sound was a bit imperfect: the bass wasn't as powerful as I would have liked, and the noise isolation didn't work as well as I'd hoped, even with low levels of background noise. The low overall volume meant that some tracks could sound less clear than I'd hoped.
Even so, I often opted for the E80D over my bulky over-ear headphones. For under $45, it's still one of the most versatile ways to listen to your digital music collection on the go, and should be considered one of the best best cheap headphones.
SoundMagic E80D Review: Technical Specifications
| Price | $45 / £39 |
| Connectivity | USB-C |
| Colors | Money |
| Drivers | 10 mm |
| Frequency | 15 Hz – 22 kHz |
| Cable length | 3.9 feet |
| Weight | 0.4 ounces |
SoundMagic E80D Review: Cheat Sheet
- What is this? A pair of wired headphones, with a built-in DAC
- Who is it for? Those who have a USB-C port on their phone, who aren't bothered by a wire on their headphones while commuting or relaxing at home
- How much does it cost? They're in the mid-range for a pair of wired headphones, at $45 on SoundMagic's website
- What do we like? Fantastic sound quality worth at least double the price, backed by a comfortable fit
- What don't we like? They lack punch, with a soft overall volume and fairly weak bass.
SoundMagic E80D Review: Price and Availability
The E80D is available for $45 from the SoundMagic website, or £39 in the UK on Amazon. placing it at a good price for mid-range wired headphones. The quality is excellent for the price, putting it on par with headphones like the EarFun EH100 Headphones ($99). The E80D is currently one of SoundMagic's most expensive in-ear offerings, but the company also offers alternatives with 3.5mm jacks and USB-C connectivity. For example, you can choose the SoundMagic E11D for the same price, which offers similar sound quality, although with some improvements in volume.
SoundMagic E80D review: design
The E80Ds go for a simple design, with silver aluminium dominating the look. The earbuds themselves are small and simple, with metal trim to give them a simple, formal look. This isn’t a bad thing by any means, as the earbuds look very understated when worn. They look and feel sturdy, with enough substance to not feel like hollow plastic shells, while still remaining incredibly lightweight.
The headphones are very convenient to take on the go, thanks to the 1.2m tangle-free cable that allowed me to carry them all the way to my backpack. The cable is made of clear plastic, revealing the coiled wires underneath, and feels durable in use. Fans of more colourful headphones will be disappointed by the almost formal, metallic look – in that case, there are other cheap wired headphones like the Panasonic Ergofit ($10) which offer more vibrant color options.
There are a few aspects of the overall design that I'm not a huge fan of. First off, the built-in volume control feels clunky – the tube-shaped control unit has buttons that are hard to press and reach quickly. It's also placed quite high up on the cord, which can be a bit awkward on the go.
Additionally, the USB-C port is housed with the DAC adapter, which is in a small unit at the end of the cable. It's quite bulky and may not fit on some devices. When I used it on my laptop, I had to move other cables around to make sure there was room on either side of the USB port, which is usually not a problem.
SoundMagic E80D Review: Soundstage
One of the most impressive aspects of these headphones is their wide soundstage. Thanks to the built-in DAC, you’ll get the most out of them if you’re a pop and acoustic music fan who wants to hear the full scope of even the most epic tracks. I heard details on The Last Dinner Party’s “Caesar on a TV Screen” that I haven’t heard on headphones three times the price, especially in the song’s most grandiose moments. The same can be said for Mitski’s “Bug Like An Angel,” which sounds incredibly good on the E80Ds thanks to the soaring vocals.
However, I felt like some elements of the songs started to get lost in louder or more electronic tracks, like Charli XCX's “Brat.” The distorted synths on “Von Dutch” were also held back by the E80D's lack of power. Some dance or electronic tracks, like Arca's “Prada,” sounded great on the headphones, but I found that more distorted or complex tracks suffered.
SoundMagic E80D review: bass
Cheaper headphones tend to overemphasize the bass, but sometimes the E80Ds go too far in the opposite direction. As someone who is learning to play bass guitar, this was really disappointing because I couldn't hear the bass by ear in some songs, which was often overpowered by the drum beat. Where the bass riff should be one of the most important elements of the song, like in Joy Division's “Transmission,” I felt like the bass was often overpowered by more background elements of the song.
The earbuds don't come with any add-on EQ software, so I had to use my device's built-in EQ settings to try and get a bit more bass out of the earbuds. The end result still lacked the punch I would have liked, but I was able to get them closer to my preferences—your mileage may vary.
SoundMagic E80D review: the extras
The E80Ds feature noise isolation, which essentially uses the silicone eartips to isolate your ear from outside noise. This is the best you can get without shelling out more for full-on ANC earbuds, like the Sony WF-1000XM5 ($119) or the OnePlus Buds 3 ($99), but I really missed the full ANC when I used them. It works well enough indoors and in low-noise environments, but I had to turn the volume up to about 90% during my commute to get enough clarity on the sound.
Other added features include a handy carry case, a great addition to an already fantastic value set of headphones. Topping it all off is a built-in microphone, which really impressed me – it offers comparable quality to my laptop’s microphone, and taking calls on the go didn’t elicit any complaints from the other end, unlike some other headphone mics.
SoundMagic E80D review: verdict
There are plenty of reasons to choose wired headphones over wireless ones, and the E80D is exemplary in quality. The built-in DAC works wonders, delivering some of the richest tracks I've heard for just $45. The lack of punchy bass was a disappointment for me, and there are cheaper headphones that handle this better, like the Panasonic Ergofit ($10).
It's a close competition between the E80D and the E11DBoth of SoundMagic's USB-C wired headphones with DAC. In my testing, I felt like the E11D had fewer volume issues than the E80D, but lacked some of the E80D's richness, but that comes down to personal preference.
Ultimately, you can't go wrong with the E80D. They're a great value pair of headphones, proving that having a wire on your headphones isn't always a bad thing.