SoundMagic ES18S Headset with MicRed & Black, In the Ear

I'm a big fan of Soundmagic and has been using ES18 for more than 2 years. So, I blindfoldedly went and bought this one. But I realized that it was a big mistake, just after the first use of this headphone. The volume is too low compared to ES18. The bass is okay but the vocals and mids are very poor. Overall sound experience is simply awful!. Please don't buy this one, if you think ES18 and ES18s are the same. Warning:I think I received a fake one. So don't buy this one unless it is from WS Retail.

I have used both the products in the past 3 months and I will compare the two leading IEMs. BUILD: The Xiaomi Piston 2 are more durable and are no doubt a better build with kevlar cord. COMFORT: Soundmagic ES18S are more comfortable and light weight as compared to its rival. The Piston 2 are a bit bulky and you will be disappointed with their earplugs. ISOLATION: The noise isolation no doubt is better in Soundmagic ES18S. I have used both in the crowded areas of Delhi and in Metros(standing beneath the announcement speaker) and to my amuse they isolate very well. The Xiaomi Piston 2 does a good work as well, however not as par with the former. CLARITY: Once again Soundmagic ES18S takes the cake away in this section! The frequency of Piston 2 ranges from 20-20000HZ, and for ES18S its 15-22000HZ. The difference is pretty noticeable when you listen to different genres. BASS: The Xiaomi Piston 2 are known as Bass Canons, however at high bass, I have noticed few distortions and there is cripple sound at high bass. Though the bass of Soundmagic ES18S is at par with Xiaomi's Piston 2 but you won't regret as the high and low bass doesn't distort the music. Example: Imagine Dragons - Radioactive at full volume. PACKAGING: The Xiaomi Piston 2 comes with 4 set of earplugs and a plastic case. The Soundmagic ES18S comes with a normal case and a pouch with 3 set of earplugs(S, M, L). ES18S also includes a connector(you can use it as a laptop headphone for video-calling). Still, packaging of Xiaomi is much better. USABILITY: The Xiaomi Piston 2 can be used with few mobiles but Soundmagic has a switch(A/B) which makes it versatile for using with Nokia, iPhone, Oppo, Karbonn, or even your old Walkman. SOUND: The sound quality of Soundmagic ES18S is very easy to love as it presents a U shaped warm and sweet surround sound signature. Speaking of the mids, it presents a very full mids that might blow away some users due to it's quality. The sound quality of Xiaomi Piston 2 are also crisp however the overall quality of sound is 80% as that of ES18S. VERDICT: Soundmagic ES18S is one of the best if not the best In Ear Monitors available.

I initially went for one of those Skullcandy Ink'd 2.0 headsets, since you know, Skullcandy! And my friend ordered one with me. His came fine, mine came defective. I thought it's my bad luck. Turns out it's his. I tried the skullcandy I couldn't bear them for more than 10 seconds. Sharp treble, cracking at full volume, next to none bass, even with different EQ settings. So anyway I ended up returning mine, and got these instead. Ok, so making this easy to read with a Pros & Cons list. Pros 1. Excellent bass & vocal/treble balance. 2. Looks classy, fits perfectly. 3. Mic is clear and the remote button feels durable too. 4. Comes with a carry pouch, diff sizes earbuds & the best part, a computer/laptop connector. You plug your headset on one side & the 2 output aux in each headphone &mic port. Now you can use your mic as well! Awe-f-some addition! 5. WSRetail sells it, so trustworthy delivery, got mine 12 hours, without opting for 1-day. 6. Has a neat switch near the aux, which sets the headphones for use on almost every device! The sound difference is very noticeable. Cons 1. Not the flat cable, so gets tangles easy Yep pretty much that's it! So I'd totally recommend this headset if you're looking for anything under 1k. And oh before you try comparing prices on other websites, take note that this is the 18'S' and others sell just ES18 (without mic). Also as far as I checked only FK has it.