How We Research
We compare products from their published specs and features; the verdicts below are our independent editorial opinions.
Updated: 2026-09-22 · 7 min read · Independent comparison
• SoundMAGIC E10C — biggest strength: A tiny, aluminium-bodied in-ear with a twisted, tangle-resistant cable, inline mic and volume controls, and a tuning that SoundMAGIC describes as punchy in the bass with clear, sparkly treble.
• SoundMAGIC E10C — biggest trade-off: It's wired, in-ear only, and relies on a physical 3.5 mm plug plus the fit of its silicone tips — no boom mic, no over-ear isolation, and it's aimed at music and calls rather than positional gaming audio.
• Razer BlackShark V2 — biggest strength: A 240 g over-ear gaming headset with 50 mm TriForce Titanium drivers, a bendable cardioid boom mic, and closed earcups with memory foam cushions for passive isolation.
• Razer BlackShark V2 — biggest trade-off: It's a bulkier, desk-and-console-oriented headset — over-ear, wired, and built around gaming sessions rather than slipping into a jeans pocket.
• Who each pick is for: E10C for commuters, phone listeners and call-takers who want small, durable buds; BlackShark V2 for console and PC players who want a dedicated gaming headset with voice chat.
The E10C is the "always in my bag" option. It's a wired in-ear headphone with a full aluminium housing, which is unusual at this tier — most budget buds are plastic. That metal shell makes it feel more solid than its size suggests, and the gold-plated 3.5 mm plug is there to hold up to repeated plugging and unplugging. At 15 g for the earphones themselves, you'll forget you're carrying them.
Sound-wise, SoundMAGIC positions the E10C as a music-first earphone: a 16 ohm impedance and 100 dB sensitivity mean it's easy to drive straight from a phone or laptop jack, and the dynamic driver covers a 20 Hz – 16 kHz range. The brand's own description leans on weighty bass drum, sparkling treble and clear vocals — in other words, a lively, foot-tapping tuning rather than a flat, analytical one. The in-ear seal is doing double duty here too: it keeps your music in and outside noise out, which is exactly what you want on a train or a noisy open-plan office.
Buy the E10C if you listen on a phone or laptop, want something that lives in a pocket, and value a durable metal build plus a mic for calls. Skip it if you mainly play competitive shooters with voice chat, want over-ear isolation, or prefer a wireless setup — this is a wired, in-ear design and nothing more.
Razer BlackShark V2: Who It's For
The BlackShark V2 X is the opposite philosophy: it's a headset you put on and keep on. At 240 g with thicker headband padding and leatherette memory foam ear cushions, it's built for long sessions — the kind where you're three hours into a raid and don't want a hotspot on top of your head. The over-ear, closed-back design with oval earcups covers your ears completely rather than sitting inside them.
The headline spec is the 50 mm TriForce Titanium driver. Razer's approach splits the driver into three parts so highs, mids and lows can be tuned separately — the pitch being brighter, clearer highs and more powerful lows. The frequency range runs from 20 Hz up to 28,000 Hz, and at 32 ohm and 100 dB sensitivity it's still easy enough to drive from a controller or a laptop jack.
For voice, there's a Hyperclear Cardioid boom mic. Cardioid means the pickup is focused forward, so it takes in more of your voice and less of the room behind and beside you — and the bendable stem lets you park it right at your mouth. That's the single biggest functional gap versus the E10C's inline mic, which sits on the cable and picks up whatever the cable picks up.
Isolation here is passive rather than electronic: the closed earcups and their cushions seal around your ears to block leakage in and out. There's also a volume wheel on the headset itself, so you can adjust levels without alt-tabbing into a settings menu. And because it terminates in a plain 3.5 mm jack, it works across PS5, Xbox Series X, PC and Switch rather than being locked to one platform.
Buy the BlackShark V2 if you play on a console or PC, talk to people while you play, and want a headset that stays comfortable for hours. Skip it if you want something pocketable for music on the move, need a wireless connection, or don't want a boom mic in front of your face.
Side-by-Side: Which Should You Choose?
• Best for voice chat and gaming → Razer BlackShark V2. The bendable cardioid boom mic is purpose-built for talking, where the E10C's mic is a cable-mounted convenience.
• Best for long sessions → Razer BlackShark V2. 240 g with memory foam leatherette cushions and thicker headband padding is designed to be worn for hours; the E10C is meant to be barely there.
• Best for portability → SoundMAGIC E10C. It comes with a semi-rigid hard case, a cable clamp and multiple tip types, and it fits in a coin pocket.
• Best for isolation → It's a real split. The E10C isolates by sealing your ear canal; the BlackShark V2 isolates with closed earcups and a cushion seal. In-ears usually block more constant background noise; over-ears usually feel less invasive.
• Best for platform flexibility → Razer BlackShark V2. The 3.5 mm jack is explicitly pitched for PS5, Xbox Series X, PC and Switch, while the E10C targets phones, laptops and calls.
• Best for a durable everyday carry → SoundMAGIC E10C. Aluminium housing and a gold-plated plug are the standout durability features in its spec sheet.
• Best for desk or couch gaming → Razer BlackShark V2. The on-headset volume wheel and over-ear fit make it a set-and-forget headset rather than a pocket accessory.
In my opinion, these two barely compete — they solve different problems, and the right answer depends entirely on what you plug them into. If your day is music, podcasts and phone calls, I'd take the SoundMAGIC E10C: aluminium build, a tangle-resistant cable, a real accessory kit and a hard case, all in something that weighs 15 g. If your day is gaming with friends, I'd take the Razer BlackShark V2: 50 mm drivers, a proper boom mic, memory foam comfort and cross-platform 3.5 mm support. I'd only pick one over the other if I truly had to — and for most people reading this, the deciding question is simply "music in my pocket" versus "headset on my head."
FAQ
Yes. The BlackShark V2 uses a bendable cardioid boom mic that focuses on your voice and rejects sound from behind and beside it. The E10C's mic is built into the cable, which is fine for calls but not for competitive voice chat.
Yes. It ends in a standard 3.5 mm jack and Razer lists PS5, Xbox Series X, PC and Switch as supported. That same jack is what the E10C uses, though the E10C is aimed at phones and laptops.
They're different products at different tiers, so pricing moves around — check the current price on Amazon before deciding, since this page doesn't quote figures.
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