Budget IEM Shootout: SoundMagic E30, Brainwavz M1, MonoPrice 8320, SoundMagic ES18
The Players
I got the M1 loaner from
Sarath_ a while back and I also got MEP-933 from
3.14or22by7. I thought I will do a small shootout.
It's an interesting bunch of IEMs, though not similar.
E30 and M1 go for a little over Rs. 2000. ES18 costs nearly 1/4th at around 400-500. All are available locally. While 8320 is priced at $7.11 (and reduces to $6.84 if you order 2), the shipping cost is $35.77, which would make it the costliest IEM of the bunch here. Of course, if someone were to source it from Head-fi FS
or through a friend, the cost would be somewhere around the region of ES18. It's a motley crew bunch which can be loosely tied together by using the term 'somewhat balanced sounding'. Strictly speaking, I should not be comparing them except M1 and E30 which are in a similar price range. But then, I am not known for making rational decisions. So, let's roll on...
The Setup
Short Names
M1 - Brainwavz M1
E30 - SoundMagic E30
MEP - MonoPrice 8320 or MEP-933
ES18 - SoundMagic ES18
External Features
Build Quality: M1 > E30 > ES18 > MEP
Comfort: E30 > M1 ~= ES18 > MEP
Cable: M1 > E30 > ES18 > MEP
Accessories: M1 > E30 > ES18 > MEP
Tips used
E30 - Stock Large Bulge tip
ES18 - (Fake?) Sony Hybrid
M1 - Stock Medium tip
MEP - Monster Foam tip from the Sampler pack
Over the ear fit for all IEMs
The Plot: Random Track Testing
The idea is not to go just by technical prowess or simply 'moar treble is da best'. Screw the Frequency response graphs and the normal means of evaluation. I am not going to do my usual 'running-the-same-old-test-tracks-for-the-250th-time' shtick.
The idea simply is to set an expectation for each track and see which fulfills it most. Some of these tracks do not feature among my regular test tracks. These may or may not be the finest recordings / representative of their respective genre. But then, I do not want to do 'regular stuff' this time. These turned up when I put Clip+ on Shuffle and Repeat (not in the same order and at different times) and I thought I will just go with the flow. The only rule, if any, is that I should be reasonably familiar with my tracks and should have a general, vague idea about how they sound with my favorite, higher priced IEMs.
RockBox Clip+ Volume Level used (Isis - Dulcinea) in negative dB
MEP - 30, M1 - 32, E30 - 37, ES18 (Stock tip) - 39
The comparison was repeated altering the original order of IEMs in each song. Volume used for repeat test: MEP - 31, M1 - 32, E30 - 38, ES18 (Sony tip) - 38
The general order followed was M1 -> MEP, ES18 -> E30, so that I needed to adjust the volume by a large amount only once during the test. I did not want to try MEP followed by ES18. What if I forgot to turn down the volume?
Pantera - I'm Broken (Far Beyond Driven)
Expectation: Make me Air guitar or shout along so that I strain my vocal cords and remain quiet for the next 3-4 days
E30's big bass and a wide sound stage adds a bit of fun. As far as theatrics in the song go, whether it's the drums traveling from left to right or that 'thundering effect' at 3:02, E30 is the clear leader of the pack as it conveys the feeling of sounding grand. Vocals are recessed and lack the 'flesh' which would have made them endearing; guitars sound good.
M1 is not as much fun as it has a smooth, soft character. Anselmo's vocals are clearly 'heard' (forward and intimate), but not as much 'felt'. Relatively forward mids, right amount of bass, but lacks the character. Cymbals sound a little closer, but not crisper as E30.
MEP-933 - now we are talking. Phil Anselmo's vocals have the full grunt on display here, the solo guitar towards the end is so much more involving. It does lack the sound stage gimmicks though. Bass quantity is a little less than what is necessary for this track, but it makes up for in the additional level of detail, especially in the upper registers. MEP, to me, brings out the rawness of the track better than others.
ES18 - everything is forward, has the right amount of bass quantity which makes it fun next to M1. But sounds falls a bit flat due to the treble roll-off and the thicker note. Bass wise, it does well next only to E30. But, it has smearing of details which does reduce it's points.
Result: MEP (
grit, rawness, details) > E30 (
grandness of presentation, bass) > M1 > ES18
Norah Jones - Come Away with Me (Come Away with me)
Expectation: Focus on Norah Jones. If I am tired, make me sleep
With vocals, you can enjoy it in a couple of ways. One is to look for those tiny nuances - vocal variations, the breathing of the singer - enough to visualize what they are doing. The other is to make the vocalist the focus of the track, but obscure that finesse in details in favor of a smooth sound.
MEP takes the first approach. It faithfully produces more details - enough for you to imagine Norah Jones in a Jazz club performance. It does the best with instruments in this track. M1 clearly follows the second approach. Norah Jones is forward and is the center of attention, but in a very small room. E30 is more balanced than either and puts instruments on equal footing to the centered Norah, who has now moved to a larger stage compared to M1 and MEP. The vocals do not stand out or feel special, but it is not lacking much either. ES18 puts me in a much smaller stage compared to E30, a tiny bit smaller than M1. But like M1, Norah is forward on top of my head. It does not sound bad at all stand-alone until one moves to the other IEMs.
Result: M1 >= E30 >= MEP-933 >= ES18
Isis - Dulcinea (In the Absence of Truth)
Expectation: Make me feel I am observing everything that goes on around me in the head stage [or] Put my a$s out there!
There is a certain sweetness to Isis' sound despite the growls and 'heavy' passages. Bass is a pre-reqiuisite as well as a good sound stage and positioning for portraying that ambiance. Let's say none of them do as well as FX700, but that is to be expected.
ES18 does well. Bass is right, vocals are the at the right distance, guitars sound well, growls sound ok.
E30 having the widest sound stage of the bunch was expected to "mop the floor" with the competition. Not so much. The problem is that despite the good sound stage, 'right' bass quantity for Isis, good separation, both vocals and instruments vie for attention at the same time. Cymbals sound better than M1 and ES18, but a little behind the MEP. In terms of 'fun', I must say that despite it's shortcomings, I would not put ES18 too far off E30.
In terms of forwardness, M1 stands mid-way between ES18 and E30 in terms of presenting this track. It's intimate presentation actually works well for this track. But, guitars do not sound as sweet nor cymbals as defined as E30.
MEP lacks good layering, so I half expected it to fail in this track. But with it's clarity, details and balance (despite having a little bass quantity than I expect with Isis) of MEP puts me right out there. Growls are felt and the guitars sound great... and now, that's a proper cymbal crash.
Result: MEP > M1 >= E30 ~= ES18
Ihsahn - Unhealer (angL)
Expectation: Both growls and clean vocal sections should both be engaging
ES18 has plenty of problems here. The vocals are just not as defined as the others, especially when it comes to the growls-shriek section. It seems a bit 'masked' / smeared. However, it makes up with it's presentation and bass punch.
E30 performs very well. Though the mid range is a bit recessed and the bass quantity seems a bit on the higher side, it also has the widest sound stage and very good imaging - it never gives a feeling of congestion or claustrophobia. The switching vocals between Akerfeldt and Ihsahn has good separation here. The growl from 4:18 to 4:25 is given a majestic boost because of it's bass.
M1 as expected, scores well in presenting a little more fleshed out clean vocal section, but loses out in the growl-shriek section - it just isn't as engaging. The presentation is more forward than E30, but the sense of space that exists with E30 is gone.
MEP comes into this game with plenty of aces up it's sleeve. It has better clarity, details, resolution and manages to produce details in the vocals. However, when the track gets busy, MEP too goes little too busy toning down enjoyment and effectively lowering it's points.
In this track, none of them perform close to my expectations, but each of them have a little strength of their own. So, I am just going to rank them in the order of least annoying to most annoying in terms of overall enjoyment.
Result: E30 > M1 = ES18 > MEP
More Blabber
There is no question that MEP scores high on technical ability - clarity, resolution, details and balance. But, that tangling mess of (what passes of as a) cable and the size of the housing is harmful especially when I am trying to quickly A:B:A. It has the best treble presentation of the bunch, though it's far from perfect. The bass quantity is the least of the bunch. The whole presentation is a little distant and the stage does not have good depth.
On the other end is ES18 - something that does not do as well on the technical front - be it resolution or details. But I'd call it a form of guilty pleasure - something like enjoying 'Escape from NY' because of Snake Plisskan and not sharing it with your Tarkovsky dissecting friends. It's the least annoying sub-$10
locally bought IEM I've heard. It manages to do the presentation somewhat decently, has good bass quantity and does not have annoying peaks, though I wish it had a little more treble and did not smear details. I think it's bass region in terms of mid-bass quantity:sub-bass quantity is better than E30. For me, it makes a good travel/background listening IEM - something that is cheap and less annoying.
The other two fall closer to MEP in terms of technical ability, but not quite there. Those who are looking for bass punch and/or used to bloated quantities of lower tier IEMs, M1 is a no-go. But, it is also far from bass light. Though it can be called balanced, it's emphasis is on the somewhat thick, smooth mid range. It's overall sound character is a little more polite and does not carry through rawness when required by the track.
E30 has the best bass punch of the lot. The well fleshed out low-end along with the wide sound stage helps it pull across many a times. It also is the best of the bunch in sound stage 'effects' - portraying distance and space very well (sound fading away, moving from left to right etc.,). But it is not free of issues. The mid range is recessed, vocals are a bit dry sounding in relation to M1. In terms of temperature of overall sound, E30 sounds darker, MEP is a little on the neutral territory, ES18 is a little on the warmer side and M1 the warmest.
Conclusion
MEP-933 takes the crown as the best sub-$30 IEM I have heard so far, not just sub-$10. If I had a choice, I'd want
MEP-933 in a housing as comfortable to wear as E30 with M1 like cable. In the absence of that, E30 offers the best compromise considering comfort, price, bass, sound stage and technical ability.
