SIVGA M260 Wired Earbuds Review

In ear buds have clearly come a long way since I last sought out a pair back before Bluetooth took over. After reviewing the Final VR500’s recently and coming away impressed, I’ve now spent the last week or so with the SIVGA M260’s, a pair of retro looking – but not feeling and sounding – set of in ear headphones. Comfort and sound quality are great, and they offer a few neat perks too for modern audiophiles.

Coming in at £40 for the 3.5mm jack version, or £45 for the USB-C one (which is the one we are sampling for review), they punch far above their weight on initial impressions. A smart looking box hides a neat, sturdy carry case, which itself holds the ear buds and replacement sponge coverings. 

The 1.2m silver braided cable feels robust enough to stand up to getting tangled or caught on anything, and comes with a built in mic and controls on the right ear side. It’s simple stuff – play, pause, and volume – but is a welcome addition to save fishing the phone out of your pocket to do the same actions. 

This MMCX cable can also be detached should the worst happen, and can then be replaced for far cheaper than a whole new set of headphones with any compatible MMCX cable. It’s a smart move, and if past experience is anything to go by it will be a welcome move down the line.

In the ear, the M260’s are very comfortable indeed. As mentioned, it comes with a variety of sponge cover replacements, though I stuck with the open ones that were on it out of the box. I was slightly concerned they’d be a bit too big and bulky to fit nicely for long periods, but after several hours on the train to and from London recently I can honestly say it was like they were not even there. Super comfy and they stayed in perfectly.

Sound quality is great also. The M260’s feature a 14.2mm dynamic driver, and in use I really enjoyed the clarity and bass. I found these best paired with the ROG Xbox Ally X, plugging straight into the USB-C port on the top of the handheld and working like a charm. Abyssus sounded punchy and meaty, while I could almost feel the wind whipping around me in Cairn. As far as in-ear buds go, these have been some of the best sounding ones I can remember using, and certainly a league above those I used to use while walking to work listening to my portable CD player…wait, what year is it again?

The M260’s have been attached at the hip to my Ally X, and while they come with the aforementioned carry case, have lived in the outer case I have for the handheld, where they fit in perfectly. 

These also work well with phones for listening on the go, though I must admit my time with this is limited due to an issue with my phone not picking them up properly for more than a few minutes. Every other device I’ve used has worked just fine, and once I sort this out I’ll be taking the M260’s out even more for podcasts as I do the chores most certainly.

My only real negative is much the same as the VR500’s; as a tall-ish man, I find the 1.2m cable ever so slightly short in my use case. My phone usually goes in my leg pocket, and this means the buds are always on the cusp of the full length of the cable. Even an extra 10cm would be great, but when in use on the Ally X or the like this is naturally not a problem. And of course, I could at least swap the cable for a longer one thanks to the MMCX option.

Conclusion

A reasonable price belies the quality we get with the SIVGA M260’s. Great audio, sturdy cable, and the ability to swap it out should the need arise means this is an easy recommendation for those looking for a new pair of buds to go with their gaming or day to day listening.

Hardware provided by the manufacturer for review purposes.