Sudio E2 Review

It’s been a while since I checked out anything from Sudio. I was happy with their T2 model I was able to listen to, and after hearing it I was excited to hear what they had to offer next. It appears Sudio has taken the step into spatial audio with their E2 true wireless earphones. They are the latest to implement Dirac Virtuo technology, which I have been impressed with in the past. Can these $129 earbuds use it to their full advantage?

What You Get

• E2 earphones
• Charging case
• Charging cable
• Eartips
• Manual

Look and Feel

For a standard stemmed true wireless design, especially in the black variation I tested, the E2 has a fairly sleek construction. It’s a good-looking earbud with a narrow plate on each side that signifies the area that is touch control sensitive. They pretty much fit perfectly too, sporting great support for a secure and comfortable insertion.

Design and Functionality

The E2 uses a 10mm dynamic driver, with 3 mics on each side that you can use for voice assistant and phone calls. Its touch controls work great, offering good feedback on the actions you select. If you rather use your smartphone, Sudio has its own app you can download to operate all of the E2’s functions. Noise-canceling, ambient mode, and Dirac spatial audio are all selectable within the app, as well as a limited EQ with a couple of presets. The noise-canceling itself is good for the price and is effective in eliminating moderately loud distractions.

Bluetooth

Although the E2 has a stable connection that I never experienced any dropouts with, you only have access to a single SBC CODEC, which is a little disappointing.

Battery Life

Depending on if you’re using Dirac Virtuo or noise-canceling you should be able to get 5 to 6 hours off of a single charge. With the charging case, a total of 25 to 30 hours can be achieved, which is impressive considering the E2’s price.

Soundstage

With the E2, spatial audio is going to be the soundstage’s biggest factor. In its natural state, this true wireless falls into some of the habits these types of earphones tend to have, such as having a congealed stage with not much separation or layering to really be impressed by. You don’t get much stereo width from it, or considerable depth, but with Dirac Virtuo turned on in the app, it begins to see improvement. The imaging feels more like it is coming at you than originating inside your head, mimicking traditional stereo speaker setups. It gains more depth and articulates panning a lot more clearly. Dimensional space is somewhat obtained with the E2 using spacial audio, but it artificial appearance in the sound signature keeps it from feeling more immersive.

Low End

Most of the meat on the E2 happens within its bass response. It’s a chunky timbre full of thick and boomy low-end tones. You can feel it through every asset of the sound signature, resulting in some significant bleed that can cloud some of the clarity in some regions. You might not be listening to the E2 for the clearest detail, but if you’re looking for a fun and simple bass that puts some energy into the sound, then the E2 will deliver that.

Mids

Whatever midrange elements exist in this profile are heavily relegated to the background of the frequency response. You can add some of it back with EQ, making vocals a bit clearer, but the timbre of those frequencies isn’t granted the greatest resolution. It works for pushing some of the midrange forward so some detail can at least be perceived, but it can’t escape this cloudy tone that shades a lot of the frequencies, even with added gain.

Highs

Like the mids, a lot of high-frequency content is relegated to the background of the sound signature. In the highs, you do get some time to shine with cymbals getting some textured but reserved presentation.

Summary

When just considering its functionality, fit, and parts of its bass and spatial audio response, the Sudio E2 is a great option. However, that are some significant aspects that hold it back, such as its limited midrange and treble. Everything else is standard for the range it’s in aside from the battery life. If you want that spatial audio experience but you’re on a budget, then these are a good option, but if you want better clarity in your music then there are a few options to consider over this.

The Sudio E2 is avaialble on their website here.