At a Glance:

Sound Signature: Bright

Category: C (20-100 USD), MSRP: Approx. 55 USD, Acquired at: 0 USD (Review Unit)




Disclaimer:

This Pre-Release review sample was very kindly provided to me by Ray of Kotori for me to try and review this IEM. This review is not sponsored, and no money was involved whatsoever. No external influences aside from my own will change the content of this review, and as always, all thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you to Ray, and to Larry Fulton of Audioreviews.org for helping me secure this unit.



Overview:

The Dauntless is the inaugural IEM from Kotori Audio, a Singaporean company likely more well known for their production of audio cables. It features a single 10mm “Japanese Dynamic Driver” housed in a 3D-Printed, Molded UIEM style shell.



Unboxing:

The Dauntless come in a medium-sized square cardboard box. The outer sleeve hosts a photo of the IEM. The sides and back host some extra information on the inclusions of the IEM, as well as some general technical specifications. The inner box simply has a stylized logo and it further opens up to reveal the (rather well-sized) carrying pouch, as well as a small box tucked in the side which houses it’s eartip inclusions.


Inclusions:

The included accessories are quite good, the hard-shell carrying pouch looks and feels quite good and unlike other included carry cases and pouches I’ve seen before, it’s quite roomy, making it a breeze to fit stuff inside. It also comes with a carabiner for portable use.

The 2 sets of included eartips are both silicon, and while I’m not familiar with the other pair of included tips, the black tips with colored stems are quite clearly the popular Sony EP-EX11 eartips, which I find are a very respectable general purpose eartip and are quite comfy in the ear as well.



Cable:

The included cable is also quite good, as I would expect from Kotori, with them making cables before this IEM. It’s a 4-core silver cable (likely the usual Silver-Plated Copper). The cable is overall very soft and quite easy to work with. It has occasional bits of shape memory but it is easily soft enough that those little kinks aren’t a problem. The fitted plug, splitter and chin slider are all made out of a hardened rubber, whilst the 2-pin connectors for the IEM itself are made out of a hard plastic. Overall, the cable is certainly quite good for the price, and a pleasant ergonomic experience.



Ergonomics:



Comfort:

The Dauntless are built to have a molded, pseudo CIEM style shell which can be seen with things like the concha fin, tragus depression and anti-tragus bulge. This makes them mate with the depression of your ear quite well. I found that the shells simply disappeared into my ears after a while thanks to the small size and light weight of the resin shells – something which I cannot say is the case for a lot of the other molded shells I’ve used, as they tend to be rather large and heavy in the ear. The concha fin may perhaps be too sharp for some people and indeed it can be a bother when lying down on the IEM but other than that occasional grip, this IEM is extremely comfortable.



Build:

Being an all-resin IEM, the Dauntless does not have the reassuring feeling weight of a metal shell, and being a hollow IEM, it has not the solid feeling that comes from holding a fully filled resin shell. However, looking at it closer, the fit and finish is very good for a budget IEM. Kotori says that these are hand finished, and I do see some spots here and there. However, looking at gaps and all the edges of the IEM show that it has been built quite well. For example, shining a flashlight onto the shell shows that the faceplate is actually a separate piece, but without doing so it’s basically impossible to tell. I’d certainly be concerned if I stepped on it, it doesn’t feel like a build that can hold up to abuse. But trading that off for comfort is fine, and I’m quite happy with the level of craftsmanship shown here.



Sound Review Conditions:

• Stock 4-core, 2-pin cable
• Stock Sony EP-EX11 tips, medium
• Schiit Bifrost R2R DAC, Schiit Asgard AMP,Topping L30, D10s, iFi Zen DAC (Desktop), LG V50 HiFi Phone/DAP. HaaFee HA9 Portable AMP + Dongle, , Zishan Z4 DAP (Portable)
• Deezer HiFi, Foobar 2000, Signalyst HQ Player, UAPP for LG V50

Sound:



Bass:

The Dauntless has a marginally recessed bass region overall, with a tonality that leans towards a linear bass region. The edge extension into the subbass is quite good, and low frequency rumble is quite well reproduced. Strangely though, I find that despite a linearity graph wise, midbass seems to take center stage with a primary sound profile that leans towards a punchy and clean sound rather than bloated and thick. Thanks to the clean response and mostly flat tonality, separation of different bass region frequencies is quite well done with differentiation solidly executed. However, sometimes I do find it to be overly clean and clinical and it does end up sounding somewhat detatched from the rest of the frequency response thanks to how precisely it sounds. Nevertheless, I quite like it, it reminds me of the HZ Sound Heart Mirror’s clean response.



Mids:

The midrange of the Dauntless is... certainly less straightforward than the bass and the treble regions to put lightly. Overall, there are a bunch of bizarre dips and elevations in certain regions I cannot quite get my head around in the context of proper tonal balance. Firstly, the lower midrange has an audible hump that makes male vocals sound downright weird, and also occasionally blunts female vocals. In this region, despite an overall bright tonality and clean bass region, I find that there can be a lack of clarity and transparency, particularly for vocals which have a tendency to sound muffled. As a result of elevations in the frequencies above and below it, the centre midrange leans towards being quite recessed as well, though perhaps not as tonally bizarre as the rest of it. The upper midrange shares a similar problem as it is weirdly inconsistent in presentation, with occasional hints of being relatively tame and even slightly blunted with warmer and thicker sources, but also moments where female vocals and instruments take on a bizarre, bright, metallic sheen. It’s all over the place. Not much more I can say.



Treble:

This section of the review is going to be fairly straightforward and frankly, the same word used to describe the overall signature of this IEM is easily applicable here. The Dauntless has bright treble across pretty much the entirety of it’s treble response and while it’s no Fischer Omega Spark, it’s pretty extreme. Overall, I think that the treble response is relatively well controlled for just how much of it there is, however for most listeners it will still be too much, no matter how well controlled it is. It’s well extended and has a good amount of upper range air, but with massive peaks at pretty much every juncture. Even with the relatively narrow bore Sony EP-EX11 tips it is still bright. With the lower treble there’s an overly forward sense of incisiveness on transients and a rather pronounced snap to cymbals. The mid treble is likely responsible for the metallic sheen and contributes to overly bright and fatiguing tonality. Forced detail is naturally exaggerated by quite a bit (though this driver does resolve quite well). I’ll cut this here, I could say more but that’s enough. It’s very bright is all that needs to be said





Technicalities:

Somewhat shockingly, the overall technical performance of this rather good and consistently good. First up, soundstage is rather wide and has very much decent depth for the price. Front and Back staging is somewhat better done than some comparable IEMs and the sideways stage is certainly better than most including other technical kings like the HZ Sound Heart Mirror. Imaging and Separation are both good as well. Imaging is precise, and it is certainly more finite than what I expected for the price. Likely also helped by the tonality, separation is great with a general incisiveness to everything in the mix and a notable lack of much smearing. Detail retrieval, forced or otherwise and bright tonality notwithstanding is also rather good here with resolution seemingly being a strong suit of this particular driver. There isn’t much more to say here, the Dauntless is a peerless technical king that topples even the Heart Mirror and makes the tonal quirks of this IEM all the more puzzling and unfortunate.



Conclusion:

To be quite frank, this is a set that is not for everyone, it’s a set that you need to have extreme treble resistance to listen to much after all. It’s a technically excellent IEM that has some massive tonal bizzareness to say the least. The value proposition here is quite varied and it really just depends on your personal tastes for the tonality of this IEM. In the end, what I can say is, it mostly sounds like it graphs, with excellent technicalities. Recommended with heavy reservations

At a Glance:


Sound Signature: Neutralish Flat leaning towards a mild U


Category: D (0 -20 USD), MSRP: 20 USD, Acquired at: 0 USD (Review Unit)


Disclaimer:


A KZ ZEX Pro/CRN was sent to me by the KZ Official Team in exchange for a fair and honest review. This review is not sponsored, and no money was involved whatsoever. No external influences aside from my own will change the content of this review, and as always, all thoughts and opinions are my own.





Overview:


The CRN are among the many recent releases of the Chi-Fi giant Knowledge Zenith in the 20-40$ price range, they perhaps only stand out as they are a collaboration with the famous IEM-grapher Crinacle. It features the same driver configuration as it’s predecessors the CCA NRA and ZEX Pro (which was a single 10mm dual-magnetic dynamic driver, and a single 6.8mm “low voltage electrostatic” driver, which is more likely a magnetostatic driver) but now tacks on a single Balanced Armature driver.





Unboxing:


This IEM comes in the by now incredibly familiar white box that many budget Chi-Fi IEMs from different brands also come in. It’s a standard slide out box, the outside features a picture of the product with some extra info on the sides and back. Sliding it out reveals the IEMs nested in a cut foam platform which when removed reveals the new KZ 2-core cable that I first saw on the EDX Pro and a pack of KZ’s popular “Starline” tips as stock/.


The included cable is an excellent new addition to KZ’s budget products. It’s very soft and extremely resistant to tangles and kinks. The connectors are made of a transparent plastic whilst the 3.5mm jack and the splitter are made out of a hardened rubber material. The only gripe I have it that it has a fair amount of shape memory, however this is thankfully remedied by the softness of the cable, and for a budget IEM, this is one of the best I’ve seen rivaled only by the Moondrop SSX and FAAEAL Hibiscus stock cables.


Overall decent stock package. However, considering this is the same cable that comes on the much cheaper EDX Pro, I was hoping that there would be something of an upgrade in this department. At this price I can still let it go, but above the 40-50 $ range, KZ needs to have a better cable in the box, as well as improved packaging in order to make the upgrade more meaningful.





Ergonomics:


Comfort:


Like it’s predecessor the ZEX, the CRN is built with a painted metal faceplate and a plastic shell facing the side of your ear when worn. However, unlike the ZEX, the CRN adopts a more molded, pseudo custom design that attempts to improve comfort by contouring the shell with things like a depression for the tragus, a molded bulge in the antitragus area and a concha fin. Additionally, unlike the ZEX, the CRN has a much wider nozzle, which eliminates the issue of making tip-rolling difficult. Overall, I personally found comfort, and thanks to the tight fit, isolation to be quite good with the CRN however, the shell is a bit on the larger side and may not fit that well for everyone’s ears.





Build:


As mentioned earlier, the CRN sports a nice metal faceplate which does help improve the overall feeling of the build. However, the paint used here, similar to the ZEX is rather prone to chipping and being scratched off. I suggest KZ use a better method of affixing coloration to the bare metal like anodization or perhaps even particle vapor deposition. This issue is quite a pity, as the CRN faceplates look quite good.


Nevertheless, the CRN seems to start showing the limitations of KZ’s manufacturing capabilities. The addition of the BA driver likely increases complexity, particularly within the wiring of the drivers and it shows. Though there was an attempt to tidy up the insides, the wires still look like a rats nest. I assume this was due to the fact that they had to lengthen the wires to be able to solder everything together in the assembly stage.


Additionally, the shell seems to have also taken a hit thanks to this. Likely due to the difficulty of accessing the micro-soldering points of the different components inside, the shell is 4 different parts. This means that there are many more failure points than a comparable 3D printed or dual-piece housing, particularly on the seams between the different parts. Moving forward, it would likely pay KZ dividends to work on improving their shell design as I see nothing but problems with having this many components to the shell, particularly in long term durability as I suspect that over time, the locking joints of the shell pieces in particular may fall victim to oxidation and other chemical processes resulting in cracking. The mess of wires does nothing for repairability as well.


KZ needs to find better tooling methods, particularly if they plan to expand into pricier and pricier multi-driver IEMs.





Sound Review Conditions:

• Stock KZ 2-core QDC cable
• Stock KZ “Starline” Tips (M size)
• Schiit Bifrost R2R/MB+Asgard, Topping L30+D10s, LG V50, HaaFee HA9 AMP, Jcally JM20 Dongle
• Deezer HiFi, Foobar 2000, Signalyst HQ Player, UAPP for V50

Sound:


Bass:


The CRN presents a bass response that is clean, extremely well defined and controlled. It seems to be just mildly skewed towards the subbass region, which makes sense considering how this is perhaps aimed at those who want an almost boring “monitorish” sound. The subbass shelf and relative lack of midbass means that this IEM has bass that has both presence and impact without the usual issues that come with boosting the midbass instead. Here, there isn’t even a trace of bass bleed, and the bass region is rather well controlled on the Attack-Decay side, reproducing texture, speed and articulation quite well. However, this precision comes at a steep cost. The CRN’s bass region is, for lack of a better word, boring. There is little to no character or coloration. I would even go as far as to say it sounds near-dead, even with the slight subbass shelf. Therefore, I would say that this tuning is perhaps ideal for musicians or for those who might believe that flat is justice. Whether or not that is a good or a bad thing, is purely up to the listener.





Mids:


There seems to be a recurring theme here with the CRN, as the midrange takes characteristics that are directly analogous to the way the bass response was tuned and even takes the “monitor” sound up a notch. The CRN’s midrange is about as even and flat as a dry plain. It’s tonal characteristics remind me of a wire, likely a deliberate choice. The upper and lower midrange areas are well balanced and neither take the stage. Instruments are reproduced in a precise but boring manner. While some may find this appealing, another group will find things like thin vocals for both the upper and lower midrange as well as the fact that there are hints of metallic tonal characteristics left behind a problematic issue. Once again, the midrange is clean, balanced and utterly soulless.





Treble:


The CRN’s treble is for the most part, is about as flat and linear as the other registers of this IEM. It has mostly inoffensive and reined in lower treble and high treble extension or air in it’s upper regions. However, it is not completely linear. Regretfully, the only area of real coloration and non-linearity within the CRN is also perhaps it’s worst element. As many will know, the CRN has a treble peak at around 8kHz, which is quite devasting to the tonal qualities of cymbals. It gives them a weird, splashy tonal qualities and further exacerbates or is causative of the metallic timbre or resonances within the treble region. Aside from this issue, the treble is flat as can be and once you EQ it down, the CRN does become an almost tonally flat IEM. I just can’t quite shake the fact that a tuner as renowned as Crinacle would allow his name to be plastered on an IEM with a flaw like this, but as he is a proponent for EQ, perhaps that was the sacrifice that they made in order to improve another section of this IEM. Nevertheless, the treble peak is there, and rather audible so buyer beware.





Technicalities:


The CRN is an extremely average to perhaps below average IEM in the way of technicalities, and it’s certainly not a standout feature for this IEM so just let me rattle off my thoughts. Soundstage is mediocre for the price, not too cramped but certainly nowhere near spacious. Frontal and Rear depth is of course scooped, with a slightly oblong stage. Imaging is quite blurred and sounds more like a sound is coming from a general area or even direction rather than occupying a finite area.


Instrument Separation is also less than ideal thanks to the mediocre stage and lacking in focus imaging. Timbre is off, rather metallic and thin. Detail Retrieval and overall Clarity are passable, possibly thanks to some forced treble detail, but still nothing to write home about. The CRN has absolutely nothing to brag about in the technical department, and though it isn’t bad, I hoped for better.





Conclusion:


The CRN has it’s target audience. Musicians, and other professionals looking for a cheap, mostly linear IEM as well as audiophiles and consumers looking for a flat signature. However, it’s treble peak, as well as subpar technicalities certainly won’t endear it to others. Nevertheless, the tuning is quite useful and uncommon so there is a market for them so long as the buyer knows what they’re getting into. Recommemded at Discretion.

At a Glance:


Overall Rating: S (S+ to C-)


Category: C (20-100 USD), MSRP: 100 USD, (Personal Unit)




Overview:


The ER2XR is one of the budget models in Etymotic’s famed deep-fit lineup, slotting in between the 60$ MK5 and below the ER3SE/XR. It features a single “High-Performance Moving Coil Dynamic Driver” housed in a CNC machined anodized aluminum housing. The ER2XR is tuned to Etymotic’s neutral signature in the midrange and treble but with a boost in the bass region for a more enjoyable listen.


Inclusions: S-


The ER2XR comes in a decently sized cardboard box. The white outer sleeve features quite a few graphics of the IEMs and information on the specifications as well as the inclusions. Sliding the sleeve out to open the box reveals the IEMs themselves presented in some cut foam with the cable hiding underneath. Further under are some paperwork about the IEMs like a guide for how to wear them. The bottom of the box reveals a rather nice faux leather and cloth carry pouch for the IEMs, and a very generous 8 sets of eartips to fit the special nozzles of this IEM, a S/M/L/XL set of dual flange eartips, a standard and large set of 3 flange tips and 2 sets of foam tips for maximum noise isolation. The package also includes spare nozzle filters and a removal tool for the filter, as well as a shirt clip.


The included cable for the ER2XR is a rather bad affair however. It is a 4 foot rubber cable terminating in a 3.5mm single ended plug, with a special notch locking angled MMCX connector for use with the IEMs themselves. The 3.5mm plug is made out of a hardened rubber material, the splitter is made out of the same blue anodized aluminum as the driver housings of the IEM. The chin slider is made of a similar hardened rubber to the 3.5mm plug, while the MMCX connectors are made of what seems to be a slightly harder plastic rubber material. The cable decently soft feeling, however a combination of the shell design and the design of the cable mean that it is quite microphonic when worn connector down, though wearing it over ear does help mitigate this issue. The cable also has quite a bit of shape memory, that does not seem to straighten out over time.


Overall inclusions for the ER2XR are still excellent, with plenty in the way of tips to get the correct, tricky fit for this IEM and some good accessories and packaging. If it weren’t for the sub par cable, this would have received my S+ rating for this price bracket.


Build: S-


The IEM shells are made of a rather precisely finished CNC anodized aluminum, which makes the shells light but durable feeling nonetheless. The shell features many oddities, like an incredibly small nozzle for mounting the eartips, making tip rolling with normal 3rd party tips practically impossible. Additionally, the MMCX connector at the back of the driver shells is rather recessed, making it impossible to plug in most aftermarket MMCX connectors, notch locking feature or not. Additionally, the included nozzle filters are tiny and seem to be proprietary, making it seem like finding replacements will be quite a headache. Sketchy design decisions aside, the actual build quality is great, with nice finishing and tolerances on the aluminum. Overall build could’ve been improved with an easier to cable roll MMCX connector, but the other issues are just unfortunate catch-22s.





Sound Review Conditions:

• Stock Etymotic locking MMCX Connector
• Stock Silicon Tips, 2-Flange and 3-Flange
• JCALLY JM20, CX-PRO dongles, Topping L30, KGUSS GH-3 Desktop
• Deezer HiFi, Foobar 2000, Signalyst HQ Player

Sound:





Bass: S


This IEM’s bass region features an elevated bass region with emphasis on the subbass, as well as slight midbass elevation in relation to the remainder of it’s rather flat frequency response. The bass tonal presentation leans towards a cleaner slam sound rather than a looser, more thumpy bass that most budget IEMs have. Additionally, thanks to excellent driver speed, especially for a Dynamic Driver, the ER2XR’s have a perceptively more present bass than one would consider. The transient impact and weight lends itself extremely well to bass heavy tracks but once again the focus on subbass and minimal midbass elevation ensures that it remains clean. However, despite a focus on the subbass, overall bass texture does not suffer, with thumps and booms sounding sufficiently thick to give texture and act as a foil to the clean slam of the rest of the bass region. Overall, excellent bass performance, somewhat neutral still, but still loads of fun nonetheless.


Mids: S


Etymotic has a reputation for having uncolored, near reference grade midrange and this IEM is no exception to that rule. It is not ruler flat, however the overall tonal balance melds together to give it an incredibly faithful and realistic sound presentation. The lower midrange, while not having any outright bass bleed despite the bass elevation when compared with the ER2SE is still marginally affected by the bass, taking on an ever so slightly thicker tonal quality to them, and giving extra body to male vocals in particular. On the same vein, the upper midrange seems to have the typical Diffuse Field target hump, which I personally do not enjoy as much on similar IEMs like the Moondrop SSR, which I found to be shouty on tracks that were not mastered amazingly well. However, what the extra bass tilt means is that this upper midrange energy is balanced by some extra energy on the opposite spectrum, but this IEM does so in a way that does not result in the typical severe midrange recession that occurs on other, typically V-shaped IEM. Overall, this IEM’s midrange performance is fantastic, and truly an appropriate reference. It was less amazing for actual music listening where vocal timbre and some body might have been missing, as well as a certain je nai se quoi to their character. Nonetheless, as a package, great performance.


Treble: A+


This IEM features a marginally recessed treble region with very little distinguishing characteristics. It is extremely neutral and fairly inoffensive in terms of having energy peaks. However, the extension is rather mediocre, likely thanks to the fact that the nozzles and driver chambers are so small (Treble naturally likes open, airy spaces). This is perhaps the area where the ER2XR lags behind it’s Balanced Armature-equipped older brothers. On the other hand, treble is quite good at it’s other main purpose aside from being tonally good, it helps render out the smaller micro details buried within the song, and gives this IEM a good sense of clarity to piercer through the rest of the frequency range, especially considering the elevation in the lower region. Overall, the treble is very much good, and I daresay great in the context of the tuning, it does a good job by not standing out and simply being there when called for. Nonethless, better extension and maybe a tiny amount more presence would have helped this score


Technicalities: S


A fellow HiFi enthusiast once told me “You must abandon all notions of soundstage when using Etys” and he definitely right. These IEMs have an extremely closed in your head sounstage. However, in terms of actual usable area, these IEMs beat out quite a lot of others by being able to stage elements and present them in more areas than the competitors thanks likely to the good resolving ability of it’s drivers. Speaking on separation, this IEM does a great job. Aided by a clean tonality and good driver resolution this IEM works on the most crowded of tracks. In terms of imaging, this IEM is rather unique in that it’s presentation occupies a space in the stage rather than a pinprick sound, which to some people is a more convincing way of presenting it rather than bullet like accuracy. As touched upon earlier, detail retrieval and clarity is excellent on this pair with resolution that beats out a lot of it’s more “Fun” sounding competitors. Overall technical performance of the ER2XR is excellent, and near class leading.


Conclusion:


Etymotic has their niche in the market. They know what they’ve been making, they know how to make their product, and people have come to expect both a certain tonal signature and standard from their brand. This is a rather old IEM in what is an incredibly crowded market. However, Etymotic has their style, and I think to this day, this IEM is a very capable musician’s device, and still even a relevant IEM to the public regardless. Highly Recommended

At a Glance:


Sound Signature: Warmish-U Signature

Category: C (20-100 USD), MSRP: 34 USD, (Demo Unit)


Overview:

The Sovannah are the latest earbuds out of Kobe Audio. They are the step up from the original Spectrum v1 with an updated 2 stand twisted cable, a larger, more robust 3.5mm Carbon Fiber Rhodium-Plated Plug and a new Aluminum Alloy splitter. They feature the same plain black MX500 shells common in ear buds, and sport Kobe Audio’s house tuning, an inoffensive and well-balanced warm-U signature.



Modder’s Official Specs:

• 32 Ohms Signature Drivers
• Rhodium Plated Plug
• Aluminum Alloy Splitter
• Silver-plated Copper Litz Cable

Disclaimer:

These earbuds (Sovannah, Spectrum v1 and 64 ohms “proto”) were loaned to me for the purposes of testing and review. After the review period is over, I will have to return them. I receive no benefits for making this review, and I make it only as a passion project, as well as for the good of the #lokal community here in the Philippines. Kobe Audio has NO input in this review, it is not sponsored and I have received no compensation, money or otherwise to write this review. All thoughts and opinions henceforth presented are my own and given freely.



Inclusions:

The Sovannah come packaged in a black cylindrical hard case with the Kobe Audio logo stickered on the lid. The lid screws open to reveal the earbuds themselves with a leather cable winder keeping them neat. The package also includes 3 pairs of foams, which seem to be decently thick and durable, as well as a sticker with the Kobe Audio logo on it.


Build and Ergonomics:



Cable:

The Sovannahs come with a 2 stand, 4 core twisted cable which is quite soft and easy to move around, particularly for how thick it is. However, it is somewhat prone to following the shape you bend it to, which can make for some situations where it looks hilariously kinked, though it is quite easy to return to it’s original shape by running your fingers through it. The 3.5mm termination plug is rather large, and if the cable weren’t as thick as it was, a little bit bulky. However, it does feel extremely solid and reassuring, being made entirely of metal. The splitter used is also metal but being aluminum it is quite light and inoffensive.

Comfort:

These fit like… Basically every other MX500 shelled earbud, of which there are many. As for my personal experience with MX500 shells, I find them to be initially inoffensive, and I am able to get a good seal without much effort. However, I do find that after some time listening, my ears do develop spots of pain at the Tragus, Anti-Tragus and Concha areas, and prolonged listening does lead to these spots aching and being sore for a while, which is why I generally stray away from standard 15.4mm earbuds.



Sound Review Conditions:

• Stock Cable (fixed)
• Stock “Bare” and Included Foams
• Topping L30, KGUSS GH-3 Desktop, LG V50 HiFi Phone/DAP. JCALLY JM20, VE OHD Dongles
• Deezer HiFi, Foobar 2000, Signalyst HQ Player, UAPP for LG V50

Sound:



Bass:

These earbuds have a forward, punchy bass region, characterized primarily with a focus on the midbass region and a roll-off in the subbass region. The midbass region, being the most prominent is quite easily heard. It avoids the typical pitfall associated with midbass prominence by taking on speedier and snappier tonal qualities, with a rather quick transient slap and attack, and a middle of the road, bordering on quick decay. The subbass is quite faint to my ears, with a general recession on deep synths or rumble and an occasional lack body and depth to the decay characteristics of some instruments, drums in particular. However, despite the lack of subbass, I did not find this earbud to be too lacking in terms of texture and definition, as I found it was still generally able to dig deep and reach the lower depths of the bass region when called for by the track. Overall, I found the bass to be quite good both tonally, or quantity wise, and technically. These are quite fun sounding without bleeding too much and/or altering the tonal characteristics of the midrange significantly.




Mids:

The Sovannah’s midrange can be described as a neutralish-warm area of the frequency response. Despite some prominence in the bass region, this earbud does not have any bass bleeding into the midrange, which thankfully spares the midrange from becoming blunted. The lower midrange is appropriately warm and thick, though still with a somewhat neutral character to it. Male vocals in isolation can sound on the edge of thin, but I generally did not find this to be a common issue, only on more nasal singers. I found female vocals surprisingly to do better, with a generally neutral characteristic to them, and they were smooth and unfatiguing without being laid back or blunted which I find can happen on bassier sets without much driver control. Strings also did rather well, with plucks in particular reproduced with a transient bite that was rather well reproduced. Overall, the midrange is done quite well, with only a small quibble in that perhaps the lower midrange needed extra depth and thickness. Otherwise, it’s quite inoffensive in all respects.

Treble:

The Sovannah’s treble without a doubt takes a backset to the rest of the frequency response, though it isn’t quite at the level of being recessed. The overall treble tuning of this earbud leans towards a smooth and generally inoffensive tuning with little to agitate a listener. The lower treble has decent snap and “bite” to it, without getting into the range of shouty. The mid treble is decently prominent giving extra detail and bite to the rest of the lower frequencies without being harsh or sibilant. Treble extension is decent, and these have decent air and a good sense of “false” detail, with a good amount air. Overall, there isn’t that much to talk about the treble, it’s out of the way and inoffensive but it doesn’t leave this earbud feeling dark or overly laid back, nor does it lean towards the area of offensive and fatiguing. It’s very much decent and appropriate in conjunction with the rest of the tuning, though trebleheads may want to look elsewhere.



Technicalities:

This earbud possesses a somewhat mixed bag in terms of technical performance, though generally good. The bag ranges from good, to about par for the course or average. Firstly, soundstage width is characteristically rather wide, and even seemingly wider than it’s little brother the Spectrum v1. It has good horizontal expansion towards the left and right, though it does scoop somewhat for front and back staging making the overall soundstage be somewhat oblong in stage. Within that stage, is a decent amount of depth, though nothing that particularly stands out. Imaging is also quite decent with instrument panning and positioning done well when staged out to the side, though again somewhat scooped at the front and back. Timbrical performance is good and fairly faithful. Transient performance is good, with bass transients being quite snappy and both midrange and treble transients handled to have good “bite” without being offensive. The only true flaw here is perhaps that I would have liked more instrument separation in particularly busy tracks as multiple instruments in one direction could cause blobbing or melding of them, particularly when combined with slower decaying ones. I feel like this may just be a cap on the resolving ability of these drivers though, as the tonality and technicalities don’t seem to do anything that would hinder resolution. That being said, for the asking price of these earbuds, this level of technical performance is very much acceptable and I would be quite ok with these.



Conclusion:

Overall, these earbuds stay true to their heritage. They are rather good looking, with a unique, good-looking build that feels as durable as it is attractive. They carry on the Spectrum’s legacy with the same smooth, fatigue free tuning that is smooth but not smoothed over. Their good looks, inoffensive tuning and reasonable price make these a decent foray into the world of earbuds, a rabbit hole which needs to be explored by more people. Overall, for the package these offer, they are very much decent and earn my recommendation for anyone who thinks their tastes align with Kobe Audio’s house sound, and I personally enjoyed them quite a bit. I will miss them once I return these units but I have already resolved to have a custom pair made with the same tuning, though a cable of my own.

At a Glance:

Overall Rating: S- (S+ to C-)

Category: D (0 -20 USD), MSRP: 19 USD, Acquired at: 0 USD (Review Unit)





Disclaimer:

A KZ ZEX and KZ DQ6 were sent to me by the KZ Official Team in exchange for a fair and honest review. I personally requested this unit of the DQ6 after positive feedback from some of my reviewer colleagues. This review is not sponsored, and no money was involved whatsoever. No external influences aside from my own will change the content of this review, and as always, all thoughts and opinions are my own.



Overview:

The DQ6 is perhaps one of the less known in the KZ lineup hiding in the shadow of more famous relatives like the ZSN or EDX. It features a 3 dynamic driver configuration with a single 10mm dual-magnetic “XUN” driver and two other 6mm single-magnetic dynamic drivers encased in a resin housing with a metal faceplate. It’s tuned to a fun v-shaped signature.




Inclusions: A

This IEM comes in the by now incredibly familiar white box that many budget Chi-Fi IEMs from different brands also come in. It’s a standard slide out box, the outside features a picture of the product with some extra info on the sides and back. Sliding it out reveals the IEMs nested in a cut foam platform which when removed reveals the new KZ 2-core cable that I first saw on the EDX Pro and 3 of KZ’s ultra-thin and soft tips which seem to be shaped like short nozzles R-Starlines. These are NOT the same tips that come with the ZEX, they are even thinner and flimsier, and I found them to be unusable for the purposes of this review.





The included cable is an excellent new addition to KZ’s budget products. It’s very soft and extremely resistant to tangles and kinks. The connectors are made of a transparent plastic whilst the 3.5mm jack and the splitter are made out of a hardened rubber material. The only gripe I have it that it has a fair amount of shape memory, however this is thankfully remedied by the softness of the cable, and for a budget IEM, this is one of the best I’ve seen rivaled only by the Moondrop SSX and FAAEAL Hibiscus stock cables.

Overall decent stock package. Tips need to be better but great cable





Build: A+

This IEM is built similarly to it’s brother the ZEX with a resin/plastic housing the bulk of the components like the drivers and a thick metal faceplate for heft and aesthetics. However, unlike the ZEX, the DQ6 adopts a much more molded resin shell design that resembles a CIEM more than a typical UIEM, it’s quite molded and this results in a rather snug and secure fit. However, do note that this IEM has a rather aggressive concha fin protrusion. It personally didn’t bother me but I have spoken to a fair few people who found it quite uncomfortable, so do note that if you have a shallow concha depression. There is a single vent facing the XUN main driver and another larger vent on the faceplate (which might be a reason for this IEM’s soundstage performance) However, despite the venting I still noticed some mild driver flex on this IEM. Additionally, the nozzle has the similar issue of a too-small nozzle, making it tricky to tip roll. Overall, the build quality and comfort of this IEM is quite good, with a few minor caveats to look out for.



Sound Review Conditions:

• Stock KZ 2-core QDC cable
• Final E, BeeNoise, AZLA SednaEarfit and Sony EP-EX11 Eartips
• JCALLY JM20, CX-PRO dongles, Topping L30, KGUSS GH-3 Desktop
• Deezer HiFi, Foobar 2000, Signalyst HQ Player

Sound:

Bass: S+

This IEM has bass that can be characterized as punchy, fast and clean. The presentation errs towards a more distinct, transient heavy sound with extremely prominent initial snap to all but the slowest and thumpiest of notes. The actual bass frequencies are quite balanced but with an emphasis on the subbass. The quality of the initial attack doesn’t quite carry over perfectly to the decay stage though because this IEM can occasionally be too fast for some tracks, lacking some of the thickness and lack of control that some tracks seem to like. However, for almost any track that’s well mastered this IEM performs exceptionally well with excellent impact and weight behind. Bass texture is very well done, thanks to a good frequency balance and driver control the subbass prominence doesn’t come at the cost of the midbass. Overall, the clarity and speed of the bass combined with the tonal balance mean that this IEM has fantastic bass that works well for almost any conceivable application and genre of music. For 20 $ this is the best bass I’ve heard in an IEM, thus, a provisional S+ rank here.



Mids: A-

This IEM has a less balanced midrange response with an emphasis on upper range instruments and vocals and less forward lower mids. Despite having plenty of bass and especially weight and definition, this IEM’s male vocals could use some more warmth or thickness because the cleanliness of the bass region means that there is little midbass affecting the mids to thicken and mix with them resulting in a slightly hollow presentation. On the inverse hand, the upper midrange has been overcompensated for with what seems to be a rather sizable 2k peak, which results in shoutyness and sibilance in tracks that are susceptible to it at medium-high listening volumes. However, despite all the negative things I’ve said so far the actual listening situation isn’t too bad, in fact it’s still fairly good. Pairing these with a more musical and thick, warm amp resolves both the issues in one go and makes these sound much better. Regardless, as they are stock, these IEMs are about average for their midrange at best.



Treble: A

This IEM has the usual affair of budget IEMs, a focus on the lower treble and a rolloff at the mid treble with what can only ever be described as a chasm of death when looking for actual treble air and extension. It’s good but nothing special. Cymbal hits are decently snappy and provide the necessary brightness but they don’t have too much shimmer to them as you would expect. Treble air is just ok. False detail capabilities at mid treble are ok, nothing special. Extension isn’t here as you would expect from a budget IEM with no BA drivers. Overall treble performance isn’t too remarkable to me frankly.



Technicalities: S+

This IEM has a really good set of technicalities on it for it’s price. Firstly and perhaps it’s most attractive feature is a really wide, expansive soundstage that matches significantly more expensive IEMs in terms of sheer width. Now in terms of actual staging it’s not as impressive with less depth and front and back stage however, imaging is quite good and fairly finite on this IEM. Separation is well done the cleanliness of the frequency reproduction and the wide soundstage help pull things apart immersively without sounding forced or unnatural. Timbrical performance is very good, the fact that this is an all-DD IEM definitely shows it’s merits here. Detail retrieval is also good for the price, with this IEM able to resolve as well as comparable hybrids, perhaps due to the fact that it has those 2 extra micro-DDs. Overall technical performance is as good as it gets, and if you can get these IEMs at the SRP pricing of 19$ where I live, they stand head and shoulders above their competitors. Provisional S+ rank awarded here again.



Conclusion:

This IEM is so close to being great. It has the makings of a very well tuned IEM, and has the superb technicalities to back it up. It has none of the issues that plague it’s DD+BA brothers and most, if not all of those same benefits. I implore KZ to consider perhaps making a sonically upgraded version of this IEM that fixes it’s tuning missteps. Even so, as it is, this is a great all-rounder IEM for some clean bassy fun and it’s easily one of my favourite KZ models. Highly Recommended






Thank you very much to KZ for sending these out. When possible, do buy direct from them. It should save you from a headache if QC issues do arise.


Link (NON-AFFILIATE)


Shopee: KZ Earphone, Online Shop | Shopee Philippines

At a Glance:


Overall Rating: A+ (S+ to C-)


Category: D (0 -20 USD), MSRP: 20 USD, Acquired at: 0 USD (Review Unit)



Disclaimer:


A KZ ZEX and KZ DQ6 (review to follow) were sent to me by the KZ Official Team in exchange for a fair and honest review. This review is not sponsored, and no money was involved whatsoever. I must also stress that I myself made a personal purchase of the ZEX, for a personal unit with no strings attached. No external influences aside from my own will change the content of this review, and as always, all thoughts and opinions are my own.


Overview:


The ZEX is the latest release of the Chi-Fi giant Knowledge Zenith in the 20$ price range. It features the same driver configuration as it’s brother from another mother the CCA NRA, which is a single 10mm dual-magnetic dynamic driver, and a single 6.8mm “low voltage electrostatic” driver, which is more likely a magnetostatic driver.

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Inclusions: A+


This IEM comes in the by now incredibly familiar white box that many budget Chi-Fi IEMs from different brands also come in. It’s a standard slide out box, the outside features a picture of the product with some extra info on the sides and back. Sliding it out reveals the IEMs nested in a cut foam platform which when removed reveals the new KZ 2-core cable that I first saw on the EDX Pro and 3 of KZ’s new ultra-thin and soft tips which seem like short nozzles R-Starlines. A single M sized starline tip also comes on the IEM nozzle preinstalled.


The included cable is an excellent new addition to KZ’s budget products. It’s very soft and extremely resistant to tangles and kinks. The connectors are made of a transparent plastic whilst the 3.5mm jack and the splitter are made out of a hardened rubber material. The only gripe I have it that it has a fair amount of shape memory, however this is thankfully remedied by the softness of the cable, and for a budget IEM, this is one of the best I’ve seen rivaled only by the Moondrop SSX and FAAEAL Hibiscus stock cables.




Overall decent stock package. Tips could’ve been better but great cable.





Build: A


This IEM is built out of both a resin inner housing and a rather thick metal faceplate embossed with a wave pattern and the KZ logo, which gives the driver housings a reassuring feeling in the hands without being overly heavy or cumbersome. The resin used seems to be par for the course in terms of quality and you can’t notice the usual overly light feeling that is normally present with other cheap IEMs. Venting is provided by a single cutout in the metal faceplate at the bottom, which is a rather good idea since it prevents the issue of the more conventional concha-based faceplates being covered up in use and causing driver flex. The only real gripes with the build here are the rather small nozzle, which makes it difficult to tip roll, and a QDC connector, which has a track record of breaking though I haven’t observed that issue in newer ones. Build is great overall, just a pair of gripes that have workarounds.


Sound Review Conditions:

• Stock KZ 2-core QDC cable
• Stock KZ thin tips
• JCALLY JM20, CX-PRO dongles, Topping L30, KGUSS GH-3 Desktop
• Deezer HiFi, Foobar 2000, Signalyst HQ Player

Sound:


Bass: A


Overall, this IEM has a fair amount of bass. The bass region can be summarized as mostly forward across the entire frequency range with good extension. Midbass is very marginally prominent but isn’t overpoweringly forward. Subbass is also present and adds a good amount of weight and body to the bass especially on kickdrum and synths. Bass attack and transient performance is very well done, with excellent snap and a crispness to notes. However, the same cannot be said for the decay which tends to be less controlled and reined in, sometimes leading to a fuzzy and wooly texture when combined with the mediocre driver speed preventing this from handling busier tracks all that well. In terms of texture this IEM is a mixed bag, with good extension and balanced quantity meaning that reproduction was good but overall texture was hampered by the lack of driver control. In general, bass performance is very good in terms of quantity though a little less so in the quality department. Regardless a solid tuning in this region for the price.


Mids: A+


Overall midrange presentation can be described as relatively balanced with a slight bias towards the upper midrange. The lower midrange is decently warm and thick with decent timbre to vocals and strings, however for the extremely thick and rich voices of some singers, this IEM can’t quite match the amount of warmth and richness to their voice leading to it being a little hollow and thin in comparison. Still, for more middle-ranging voices and strings not at the low extreme this IEM does a good job of presenting those. On the other had the upper midrange registers of this IEM are remarkably well done with excellent control over their transients making them bright enough to have “bite” and avoid sounding laid back but enough restraint to avoid any sort of sibilance and harshness. However, it doesn’t smooth over sibilance either, presenting it as the track was recorded. Overall, for tonality the upper midrange pulls ahead of the lower mids but it’s still very good showing overall.


Treble: A+


(Preamble)


This IEMs treble is perhaps the headline feature thanks the unique magnetostatic driver that’s inside this IEM. Now, I can’t say that it does anything radically different from a typical driver but since it’s very coherent that doesn’t matter. However, the special driver doesn’t mean that this IEM gets good treble extension like a more expensive IEM with a Piezoelectric or Super-tweeter multi-BA IEM.


Overall treble tonality leans towards a focus on the lower treble with the upper treble as mentioned, rolling off. The treble here is reminiscent of the HZ Heart Mirror, though not as bright. It’s decently forward in the mix and does bring a decent amount of brightness. Listening to it at higher volumes, it seems to me they could’ve even pushed the tuning a little brighter but maybe didn’t want to make the old KZ house tuning of piercing banshee. Snap and attack is very good but there’s a smoothness to the edge of the treble that prevents it from being overtly bright. Energy is very well balanced and this treble is very good, though I think it falls slightly shy of the benchmark set by the Heart Mirror. Nonetheless, well-tuned treble overall.


Technicalities: A


This IEM has a pretty well-rounded set of technicalities, though it doesn’t quite stand head and shoulders above it’s peers in this respect. Detail retrieval is probably the standout feature, as it’s both good in false (given the great treble tuning) and true detail (decently resolving). Timbre is also decently good with a nice balance between the metallic treble and upper registers and the more honeyed organic lower registers. Soundstage is just average on this IEM, it’s got decent depth and is relatively rounded in shape, not too much of the misshapen oblong that tends to be the usual stage shape. Imaging is alright, a little diffused and not pinpoint but layering isn’t too bad regardless. Separation suffers in the lower region thanks to the lack of decay quality but does very well in the treble region. Overall, I reiterate, it’s a mixed bag though still quite good for the price regardless.


Conclusion:


KZ seems to be clearly on a redemption arc. After a series of rushed banshees this IEM is an excellent breath of fresh air. It features new and interesting tech, mature tuning, and as a package? It’s very competitive, even with the current state of the market. KZ’s reputation as a brand and this IEMs good looks probably make it a great thing for the mainstream as well. Overall, there isn’t much to fault here, especially for the price, there are other, far more expensive IEMs that don’t quite sound as good, and this competes with a select few even in it’s own price bracket. Highly Recommended.








Thank you very much to KZ for sending these out. When possible, do buy direct from them. It should save you from a headache if QC issues do arise.


Link (NON-AFFILIATE)


Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/gp/mpc/A3KFVP2FNCFW8X

At a Glance:

Overall Rating: A+ (S+ to C-)

Category: B (100-300), MSRP: 139 USD, Acquired at: 0 USD (Tour Unit)



Diclaimer:
This unit was provided to me in a tour organized by another HiFi enthusiast (@Raymond Roque). I have not been paid any money to make this review, though BQEYZ and Elle Zhou were responsible for providing the units for review. Rest assured that no external factors outside of my personal opinions on this unit will affect the content of this review. As always, all thoughts and opinions are my own.



Overview:

The Spring 1 is BQEYZ’s previous IEM flagship from their “Seasons Series”. It features tri-brid driver setup containing a single 13mm Dynamic Driver, BQEYZ’s own patented 7-layer Piezoelectric driver and a single nozzle mounted Balanced Armature driver all encased in a custom-made CNC milled aluminum housing.



Inclusions: N/A

This unit was provided as part of a review tour, and I only received the IEM drivers. As such, this entire review will be done without anything stock. I should note that the cable used is similar to the actual stock cable, as are the tips used as they are the ones that were included with my BQEYZ Summer.





Build: S-

The Spring 1’s are built entirely out of a CNC machined aluminum that BQEYZ manufactures in-house. The tooling expertise here is quite clear, with incredibly tight seam tolerances for the two halves of the shell and the piece for the nozzle (which is a different, silver finish). Speaking of the nozzle this IEM, unlike the cheaper K line and like the rest of the Seasons IEMs thankfully has a lip on the nozzle to hold on to eartips, which is especially beneficial for the wider bore tips that this IEM seems to work well with. The nozzle is also rather wide, which suggests that narrow bore tips may not play so well. The driver housings are vented with 3 small vents on the inside face of the IEM. The 2-pin connectors are slightly recessed, but not to the point where it becomes tricky to fit cables.





The finish on my unit seems to be a matte anodized finish, which feels great in the hand and has been incredibly durable in the other BQEYZ IEMs I’ve used. Much better than Moondrop’s painted finish that much is for certain. Comfort is fantastic with the right tips. Despite the all-metal build, the aluminum used is still quite light, and the size of the shells combined with BQEYZ’s signature leaf-shaped design mean that thiey practically disappear on the ear. However, the size of the shells and the fact that they do not rest on your ear or hook onto the concha with a fin mean that comfort it mainly dependent on the tips you use rather than the actual shape of your ear.

Overall, the build is very good, with essentially no quibbles with durability, comfort and practicality being all hits here.





Sound Review Conditions:

• BQEYZ 8-Core SPC Upgrade Cable (in Silver) was used
• Beenoise Wide Bore Eartips, AZLA SednaEarFit and BQEYZ Wide Bore tips (from Summer)
• Deezer HiFi, Foobar 2000, Signalyst HQ Player

Sound:



Note:

This IEM comes with the usual cheese grater filter that BQEYZ uses. However, removing it in this case was a more marginal improvement in the soundstage likely due to the fact that this IEMs more balanced signature is less crowded. As such, I decided to carry out this review with the stock filter in place.

With a 43ohm impedance rating and only 108dB of sensitivity, these perhaps may require slightly more power than the average IEM, though in my experience they got loud fairly easily out of even cheaper dongles like the JCALLY JM20 with a CS43131.



Bass: A

Bass on this IEM can be described as rather neutral or balanced across the entirety of the region, which leads to a rather clean bass presentation, without a hint of the bloat that plagues some other IEMs. The relatively lean presentation means that depending on the track this IEM does feel bass-shy, even as a non basshead. However, thanks to good bass extension, this IEM is able to provide weight and impact in tracks that required that extension. Nevertheless, the lacking midbass (which is surprisingly bleedy despite there not being much of it), combined with the rather laggy driver speed mean that the bass region can end up feeling a little bit lacking in transient impact even if note weight is satisfactory in addition to being wooly and undefined Bass texture is alright, thanks to extension and linearity it does reproduce the full range quite well but separation and speed leave some performance to be desired with the speed in particular being a con in busier tracks. Overall bass performance is just a little bit above decent in this price point, being alright tonally but a bit behind in terms of quality.



Mids: A+

Midrange performance on this IEM is somewhat neutral in isolation but skewed to a colder more technical approach overall. Thanks to a relatively balanced presentation in the bass there is no veil but a dip in the lower mids combined with the lack of midbass warmth means that male vocals sound too cold tonally and they lack some of the thickness and warmth that make them sound correct. On the other hand, the combination of a colder tonality and treble excellence mean that the upper mids, female vocals and strings like acoustic guitar sound fantastic, with great control over the transient bite and better tonal quality than the lower mids. Overall midrange performance is good but it could use more body in the lower mids.



Treble: S

Overall treble performance is quite balanced and neutral. This is where this IEM and the unique piezo driver really seem to shine, the treble is fantastically well controlled and extends all the way up to the presence region. Lower treble is present giving good snap to cymbals and bright impact to other notes. As you get higher there seems to be a peak at around 8k giving this a good sense of detail presented but the control and appropriation of the quantity do mean that this IEM dodges being a source of sibilance. Going even higher up above 10kHz the treble seems to extend all the way up, giving this IEM a great sense of sparkle, shimmer and air with instruments that present it. Despite the quality of the treble though, I find that the treble is tuned quite safely, with too little in some parts. I would’ve preferred just a couple more dB of treble in some parts though that would’ve likely pushed this into a bright signature rather than being a more balanced neutral one. Overall treble quality is excellent and truly a remarkable contribution from the piezo driver.



Technicalities: A+

Technical performance is good but nothing to rave about on this IEM. The soundstage is decently wide though par for the course at this price range, it has reasonably good depth and some front and back width though still mostly oblong. Imaging is actually quite good, fairly accurate and convincing in presentation. Detail retrieval is also quite good even through what could be considered as some false detail from the treble region. Coherency is usually a strong point of BQEYZ and it’s no different here, maybe just a little bit of BA timbre at the upper mids to lower treble if anything at all. Overall, the technicalities are quite good with no overt flaws either.



Conclusion:

This IEM is a bit of an older one. It sits as a superseded unit in BQEYZ’s own lineup, overshadowed by the Spring II and Summer that are around the same price point with similar characteristics but newer. That makes it sit at a bit of an awkward position in terms of value at retail price especially when some of the budget K series IEMs are close to this in terms of sound quality. Nonetheless, it’s still a great package for an IEM with just a few flaws. If you can pick it up for cheap (I’ve seen these go for as low as 40 USD locally) they’re definitely a solid buy. Recommended with reservations.

At a Glance:

Overall Rating: A+ (S+ to C-)

Category: C (20-100 USD), MSRP: 35-40 USD, Acquired at: N/A, Tour Unit





Diclaimer:
This unit was provided to me in a tour organized by another HiFi enthusiast (@Raymond Roque). I have not been paid any money to make this review, though BQEYZ and Elle Zhou were responsible for providing the units for review. Rest assured that no external factors outside of my listening experiences will affect the content of this review. As always, all thoughts and opinions are my own.



Overview:

The KB1 is another one of BQEYZs 20-40$ hybrid IEMs like the KC2, K2, KB100 and many more. This time it comes in a 2+1 driver configuration with a 10mm dynamic, a smaller 6mm micro-dynamic and a single Balanced Armature driver. The tuning is tuned to a fun V-shaped signature.



Inclusions: N/A

This unit was provided as part of a review tour, and I only received the driver. As such, this entire review will be done without anything stock.



Build: S-

This IEMs driver shells are built entirely out durable feeling aluminum which lends itself quite well to a comfortable heft in the hands while still being light enough to be comfortable in the ear. The shells are finished in what looks to be a matte anodized coating (grey on my unit) that feels significantly more durable than the typical paint finish used on comparable IEMs like the Moondrop SSP. The connectors used are marginally recessed 0.78mm 2-pin connectors that allow for a more secure and safe fit at the cost of compatibility with short pinned connectors. However, I found that most cables still fit quite well nonetheless, they just weren’t able to take advantage of the extra durability offered by the recession. The nozzle is a rather wide bore affair that unfortunately doesn’t feature a nozzle to hold tips in place which means that non-grippy tips tend to slide off. Comfort on the other hand is about average. The smaller sized shells don’t cause any discomfort, however they don’t do anything for it either and it means that comfort is mainly tip dependent. Overall build is excellent with a couple of minor quirks that keep it from getting a top score.



Sound Review Conditions:

• BQEYZ 8-Core SPC Upgrade Cable was used
• Beenoise Wide Bore Eartips & AZLA SednaEarFit
• Deezer, Foobar 2000, Signalyst HQ Player

Sound:



Note:

This IEM is comes with BQEYZ’s standard cheese grater filter with holes too small to properly allow airflow. As with other models like the Summer, removing said filter makes the IEMs sound more open and airy by improving the soundstage width and giving the sound more separation and layering within that space. Before the filter mod, this IEM sounded homogenous and bloated and removing the filter undoubtedly improved the sound in my opinion. For safety’s sake I replaced the filter with a metal mesh filter that was as acoustically transparent as I had available. If you do purchase this IEM I highly encourage the filter mod, it does a lot for the sound.



Bass: S

Bass on this IEM is slightly boosted across all frequencies from the subbass to right under the midrange. Extension is great, it’s capable of hitting all the way down to the lowest reaches of subbass which lends itself to excellent note weight and impact without needing a boost in the midbass. The midbass is about even with the subbass and it helps bass to have a good sense of punch in the more moderate bass frequencies which is supplemented by the subbass thrum allowing this IEM to have impactful and hard-hitting bass when necessary but also giving it the control and “tight” quality that allows things like the snare drum to sound their best. Additionally, thanks to the balanced of midbass and subbass this IEM has very good texture and frequency separation across the bass region, preventing the bass from sounding “one-note”. Overall bass quality is excellent with the filter mod, textured, fun and present but not overwhelming or uncontrolled.



Mids: A+

This IEM midrange presents as relatively neutral in coloration, with perhaps some extra sizzle in the top end thanks to the BA driver. Thanks to the well-tuned quantity of bass the lower mids sound sufficiently thick and lush without being overtly warm and colored. Male vocals and thicker string and wind instruments sound quite good but they are perhaps even more slightly recessed than female vocals. Speaking of female vocals and the upper register in general they sound a little bit more forward than the lower region after the filter mod, likely thanks to some extra air being added to them. Mild 2-3k peaks mean that vocals have the characteristic transient bite that they require to avoid sounding laid back and more impressively, BQEYZ has managed to strike a careful tonal balance wherein harshness and sibilance are avoided in all but the worst of recordings. Overall, the midrange here is quite good, just a touch (very small amount really) recessed and tilted towards the upper regions more than the lower ones meaning that it does better in certain areas as a tradeoff. Issues are more significant here but still very good and very well-tuned, especially for a V-shaped IEM.



Treble: A-

This IEMs treble is tuned in a manner that’s rather common to a lot of budget chi-fi buds, extension up 8k then a chasm of death caused by a roll off. The tastefully done peaks at 3k and 8k mean that treble snap and some of it’s decay is executed properly and sounds good, however the lack of extension does mean that top range airiness and shimmer suffer as a result. Detail is thankfully spared thanks to the extension to 8k but it really does show it’s inadequacies above that. This seems to be a common theme with even the best tuned budget IEMs since their cheaper, and likely more mass-market BAs can’t reach the upper frequencies like a high-quality super tweeter from Knowles or Sonion can. Unfortunately, this seems to be an inexorable theme across this price range. I hope that in time, technology will trickle down and allow manufacturers to tune extension properly. In conclusion, this treble is rather mediocre and perhaps only the slightest bit ahead when taken as an element of a whole.



Technicalities: S

On first listen, these were what stood out to me, and in a bad way. Congested, was the operative word. As soon as I hacked those filters up the sound just opened up. The soundstage didn’t get much wider but the large increase in depth and imaging performance allowed this to shine, with separation of instruments being most apparent. The depth of the soundstage and accuracy of the imaging also lent itself incredibly well to pinpoint layering which allows this IEM to really separate out even the most congested of tracks and present them in a way that isn’t too over-the-top. Coherency is great, BQEYZ has always been known for the strength of eliminating BA timbre and this IEM is no different, it’s warm where it needs to be and metallic when called for. Overall technical performance is great with the filters but worse without so go ahead and try it.



Conclusion:

These are a fantastically tuned set of hybrids with a nice and enjoyable signature that steps away from many pitfalls that other hybrids make. They don’t particularly stand out in any way, good or bad but in a chifi world wherein rushing out tuning and incoherent hybrids are the norm, something like this is a simple, enduring classic that is an easy recommendation. Recommended

At a Glance:

Overall Rating: A+ (S+ to C-)

Category: C (20-100 USD), MSRP: 25 USD, Acquired: Tour Unit
Diclaimer:
This unit was provided to me in a tour by another HiFi enthusiast (Raymond Roque). I have not been paid any money to make this review, nor does BLON have any influence over what I write. As always, all thoughts and opinions are my own.



Overview:

The BL03 is undoubtedly Blon’s most famous release, and perhaps the most famous IEM of all time alongside the Tin T2. It features a single 10mm Carbon Diaphragm Dynamic Driver housed in a coated metal shell. It’s tuned to a bass-heavy L-shaped sound signature with loads of subbass.



Inclusions: N/A

This unit was provided as part of a review tour, and I only received the driver. As such, this entire review will be done without anything stock. It should be noted that the BL03 is noted for having a bad stock cable and eartips out of the box.



Build: A

The IEM drivers themselves are made out of a metal alloy finished in a reflective mirror coating that is rather aesthetically pleasing when clean but both a scratch and fingerprint magnet at all other times. The shells have a single vent on the part that faces your ear but I do have to note that the left driver on my unit happened to have some driver flex. The connectors are a protruding 2-pin connector that fit into the rectangle recession of an NX7/TFZ connector. However, it must be noted that a regular NX7/TFZ cable will not seat properly thanks to the nature of the protrusion, it is too long. Therefore, if you are aesthetically picky, you must find a cable with the correct connector otherwise the fit will not be seamless.



I have to dedicate an entire section to the nozzle and fit, because it is absolutely terrible. The nozzle is incredible narrow and rather short which means the finding tips that will seat properly is an incredibly difficult affair. The small, elongated shells do not help in any way shape or form to seat the IEM in your auricle, meaning that fit is almost entirely tip dependent. Any form of wide bore tip will just slide straight down and prevent you from getting a comfortable insertion depth. The loose hold will also likely mean that your eartips are very likely to get stuck in your ear canal. People have had success using an O-ring to help tighten the grip of wider bore tips, if your preference lies there. After rolling around 10+ different eartips I finally settled on the Final E eartips which had a nozzle narrow and are grippy enough to seat correctly on the nozzle. I should note though that those tips alone can cost ¼ of what this IEM costs in total at retail price. Considering that everyone’s ears are different, your mileage may vary.



Sound Review Conditions:

• NICEHCK C8-1 Cable in NX7 was used
• Final E Black – L Size
• JCALLY JM20, CX31993 dongles

Sound:



Bass: S-

This IEM’s bass is incredibly heavy and present with good extension down to the subbass and a taper-off to the midbass all the way down to the midrange. The weight and extension to the bass lends itself to incredibly heavy note weight and bass that can be described as heavily thumpy. However, this means that the middle and upper registers of the bass region can get drowned out by the subbass, especially considering that the bass speed is quite slow, which means that it lacks the agility to define notes properly in busier tracks. The mediocre texture and articulation to the rest of the bass region means that bass can sound “one note” in many tracks which can lead to it getting boring in EDM and such. The relative focus on the subbass does mean that this somewhat circumvents the usual issue of bassy IEMs, bass bleed but again at the cost of bass texture. Overall, the bass is quite good, and loads of fun despite the lacking texture.



Mids: S-

This IEM has a somewhat recessed midrange thanks to the presence of the heavy subbass region, the staging also puts vocals in particular towards the back of your head making them seem even more recessed. However, the actual quality of the midrange is quite good, both male and female vocals are relatively balanced in terms of presence. The focus on subbass instead of midbass thankfully means that this IEM doesn’t have the “warm veil” that typically pervades the upper register, which means that despite the lower mids and male vocals being properly warm and thick the upper mids do still have the “bite” that prevents them from being too laid back in the mix and helps the midrange stay present despite it’s recession. The good balance between the lower and upper registers makes this IEM quite versatile in terms of midrange, and although more presence and less recession would have been ideal for the asking price this is very good.



Treble: A

This IEM has an relatively unremarkable treble presentation with usual present, slightly spiky treble that rolls off after the 8-12kHz region. This means that lower treble, most cymbal snaps and such are decently presented and audible, thereby preventing this IEM from being too dark and balancing out the rather forward bass somewhat. However, what the heavy rolloff/lack of extension means that this IEM lacks air and shimmer to the upper treble. The lack of significant treble in the upper registers also means that the presence of detail is blunted and it makes this IEM sound fairly lacking in that respect. The lower treble snap also lacks decay thanks to the same issue so even if the snap is good the rattle could have been done better. Overall, the treble tuning is not bad, and not good. It’s just something seen in a lot of cheaper single driver IEMs, a lack of extension in one or both sides of the graph.



Technicalities: A-

This IEM has a mixed bag in terms of it’s technical qualities. The timbre is praised by plenty of people and rightly so, it’s warm, thick and slow where it needs to be in the lower region whilst the upper registers still have their necessary transient bite to sound fun and engaging. However, the tuning and “detached” sound within the frequency ranges does mean that imaging sounds, for lack of a better word “awkward”. The imaging of vocals slightly to the rear for example is a knock on the otherwise great sound while the percussion instruments have a tendency to get blurred and blunted. However, soundstage is quite wide for an IEM at this price, and it’s decently deep and holographic. Detail retrieval is just ok, it doesn’t suffer too much thanks to the subbass focus but the lack of upper range extension does hurt it. Overall, this IEM has about par for the course technical performance when compared to it’s competitors.



Conclusion:
This IEM is an incredibly popular one and it has gained a lot of fame as being a standard for Chi-FI audio and it’s indeed quite a good IEM. The fact that it was released so long ago and is still tonally relevant today in it’s highly competitive price bracket is a testament to the quality of it’s tuning and likely the validity of it’s hype. However, the tricky fit that requires plenty of tip-rolling and all the negative things I’ve heard about it’s cable make me hesitate to recommend this to a new person in the hobby, especially when IEMs like it’s partner the Tin T2 or other IEMs like the Moondrop SSP exist, which have far more compelling OOTB quality. Recommended with reservations.

At a Glance:

Overall Rating: S- (S+ to C-)

Category: C (20-100$), Acquired at: 50$ MSRP






Disclaimer:

This IEM was purchased from a local retailer, with my own money. This review is not influenced by external parties in any way, shape or form. All thoughts and opinions are, as always, my own.



Overview:

The E3000 sits at the middle of Final Audio’s E-series of bullet shaped IEMs. It features a stainless-steel housing like it’s older brother the E5000 but unlike the E4/5000 has a fixed cable. It features a tiny 6.4mm micro dynamic driver that’s rated at a deceptive 16ohms into 100dB/mW. It’s tuned to a warm, slightly dark signature with excellent technicalities.



Inclusions: S

This IEM ships in a simple white cardboard box with a picture and some information on it. Opening the box reveals the IEMs themselves, a small, soft leatherette pouch, some warranty and information cards, a pair of earhooks and 5 pairs of the famed Final Audio E eartips, which is a rather generous set considering that those tips alone would retail for almost half this IEM’s MSRP. Packaging is generally simple and no-frills but the inclusion of the Final E tips makes this an even sweeter proposition.



Build: A

The IEMs housings are build out of a mirror-finished stainless steel, which is rather good looking in ideal conditions and seems to be rather durable. However, the nozzle and nozzle filter are both made out of a plastic material. The nozzle thankfully features a nice, hooked lip to keep the eartips in place during use. The rear of the IEM is essentially a large vent that’s likely there for tuning and soundstage purposes as well as to prevent driver flex. However, the size of that vent and the tiny shells of this IEM do mean that isolation is rather poor for an IEM. Thankfully, comfort is fantastic, with no pressure or driver flex and excellent feel on the ear thanks to a very soft cable and the aforementioned small shells. One small gripe here is the fact that the shells can be rather unwieldy with large hands due to their size, making it hard to seat them in your ears.



The cable is not quite as good as the driver shells themselves. It’s very soft and flexible and has minimal shape memory. However, it’s fittings, the 3.5 jack, splitter and chin slider are all made of hardened rubber. Additionally, I would have much preferred a balanced termination in this case, considering how difficult these IEM can get to drive. The cable is also very, very thin, and fairly microphonic unless work over the ear. It’s serviceable but if Final wanted to go with a fixed cable I would hope for a better, more durable feeling one.



Sound Review Conditions:

• Both stock Final E as well as AZLA SednaEarFit and BeeNoise widebore tips were used
• Stock cable (fixed)
• Testing was done on both low-power sources (dongles) and higher power desktop devices

Sound:



Bass: A+

This IEM’s bass performance is characterized by mainly thumpy bass with a heavy focus towards the midbass and a rather pronounced subbass roll-off. This means that the bass can easily bleed into the mids and get boomy and uncontrolled when run off of an inadequate source. Even when run properly the bass still teeters right on the edge of “too boomy” and bloated with the wrong tips and track though bleed is no longer an issue. Note weight and impact is decent but it still does fall short in terms of definition and texture with the midbass prominence affecting texture in particular. Speed is decent but on the slow side even when powered properly and I would have preferred quicker articulation especially considering the amount of midbass. The bass punch is good but I would have preferred some more subbass presence and extension to add that extra bit of weight and impact to the notes especially for EDM. Overall bass performance is good, especially for those who want the warm comfortable signature but it can get extremely bloated quickly when improperly driven.



Mids: S-

This IEM’s midrange leans towards a balanced-warm signature with both vocals and instruments being decently well balanced. I quite enjoyed the lower mids, and both low pitched vocals like baritones and lower pitched strings and wind like a bassoon or cello sounded fantastic, with great timbre and plenty of “body” behind their sound making them thick and rich. However, the warm tint to the mids does not disappear as you get into the upper mids, which means that despite the frequencies being balanced volume wise the warmish timbre robs both female vocals and higher pitched instruments of their transient “bite” making them sound too laid back in some cases. Additionally, that warm tint also gives the impression of a bit of a “veil” on the entirety of the mids when A/B’ed with less tinted IEMs however once you get accustomed to it it’s not too bad. A benefit that arises from this blunting is the sibilance taming effect, tracks like (More than you know – Axell Ingrosso) are turned from harsh, sibilant messes to listenable tracks. Overall midrange performance is very good, with the lack of bite and the warm veil being the only quibbles.



Treble: A-

This IEM’s treble leans on the recessed and inoffensive side with an emphasis on the lower-mid treble much more than the upper treble. This means that cymbal strikes and such have a good amount of snap to them when listened for despite the relative recession in the frequency spectrum and it helps this IEM not feel too dark like a Tanchjim Tanya would. However, the lack of extension above around the 10k region also means that it lacks both shimmer and air in the treble, despite the rather spacious soundstage. Treble attack is good but decay is stifled. All this means that the treble lacks articulation, definition, detail and presence. In the context of the warm inoffensive tuning this IEM seems to be going for it’s acceptable but treble extensions and detail does pull this IEM back. Decent but nothing more.


Technicalities: S

This IEM is widely praised for it’s technical performance and rightly so. Soundstage is incredibly wide likely thanks to the design of the rear vent and it’s the widest I have heard in this price range, wider than the other technical monster in this price point the HZ Heart Mirror. It is more oblong than circle like with most IEMs but it does have good depth. Timbrical performance is also very good, with warmish realistic timbre all through out the frequency spectrum. However, attack-decay performance is less than ideal in some areas with the bass region not doing too well in the transient attack aspect and the treble region being lacking on the decay aspect thanks to the lack of extension. Detail retrieval is also somewhat blunted throughout the whole range with the treble in particular lacking articulation and definition thanks to it’s lack of presence and detail. However, this IEM does redeem itself with very good imaging performance within it’s wide stage. Positioning is convincing at it does a good job pinpointing stage position to image in. Overall technicalities are great, just hampered by the lack of detail and attack-decay performance.



Conclusion:

This IEM comes with the amazing Final E tips, and some basic accessories. It’s tuned quite specifically and maturely and it features amazing technical performance for it’s price so it’s doing a lot of aspects squarely above average, without any over flaws. The sound signature is not something you find this well executed, especially in terms of the quality of the bass region with regards to it’s midbass hump. Overall, this IEM is a great package for those looking for an inoffensive but well-tuned IEM. Or, you could just buy it for the Final E’s and see if you like the rest of the package lol. Highly Recommended

At a Glance:

Overall Rating: S- (S+ to C-)

Category: B (100-300 USD), MSRP: 169 USD, Acquired at: 80 USD (Secondhand Unit)



Disclaimer:

The vast majority of reviews of SeeAudio products are by reviewers in review circles/tours. I personally purchased this unit secondhand from another enthusiast and as such had no contact with SeeAudio for this review. I am not paid, compensated or was in any way dictated to change any aspect of this review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.



Overview:

The Yume is SeeAudio’s cheapest release in the IEM market, and is priced at around 169 USD, positioning itself towards the lower midrange price bracket. It features a single liquid silicon diaphragm dynamic driver paired with two custom-tuned balanced armature drivers (Knowles) and is tuned towards the latest 2020 Harman In-Ear target curve.




Inclusions: N/A

As I did not receive this IEM brand new and with complete accessories, I will not be rating the inclusions. This IEM comes in a “waifu” cardboard box. The main box slides out of an outer sleeve that features Rinko the waifu, with some extra technical information in the back. The main box opens with a top lid to reveal the IEM presented in some cut foam, a round metal puck case, some paperwork, Rinko stickers and 8 different pairs of silicon tips in some foam. I believe it also includes a cleaning brush. Inclusions are quite lavish and premium for the price.



The included cable is of rather high quality. It’s a copper colored 4 core 5N OCC cable that has rather thick strands before the splitter and thins out somewhat afterwards. The 3.5mm jack, splitter and 2-pin connectors all feature metal housings, though the chin slider is plastic. The cable insulation is thick and feels durable, it is thankfully not stiff. There is almost no shape memory pre-splitter however after it does have a little bit of shape memory. Microphonics are good, minimal. Overall, the cable is very good for the price.




Build: S

The IEM is made out of a hollow piece of resin with a decorative faceplate to close it off. The 3 drivers are all fed to the nozzle using tubes. The nozzle is made of a separate metal material and has what I would consider to be a rather obtrusive type of filter fitted to it stock so I modded it to a mesh filter, which “opened up” the sound a bit, giving this IEM a needed boost in soundstage. The shell is quite molded for a UIEM however it’s very well done. The nozzle is also rather long making fitting easier. Despite having a rather large protrusion for the concha fin, it doesn’t get intrusive towards your ears. These practically disappear in your ears as soon as you put them on thanks to the mold and their light weight. The only quibble I have here is that the seam between the faceplate and the rest of the shell has a lot of visual irregularities. However, the seam is still smooth to the touch. Overall build quality is very good with the gorgeous looks and excellent comfort being the cherries on top.



Sound Review Conditions:

• Stock 2-pin Cable was used
• For hygiene purposes, stock tips were not used. I used BeeNoise wide bore tips
• Filter Mesh Mod was in place (soundstage improvements)
• Sources used: Deezer and Tidal HiFI, Signalyst HQ Player, Foobar 2000 HR-FLACs and PCM, Spotify, and YT Premium
• DAC/AMPs: Zishan Z1, KGUSS BH-3, and AVANI, JM20, CX-PRO, JM6 Dongles

Sound:



Bass: A

Bass performance on this IEM can be categorized as a lean-neutral signature. It’s relatively flat on the graph with bias towards the subbass. Thanks to the lack of midbass it can result in a shortage of texture and contrast to the bass, with it sounding “one-note” on occasion. The bass is quite fast and works relatively well in busy tracks however it lacks impact and weight to make the lower region properly authoritative. Coming from the DT300, an all-BA IEM, I was shocked to observe that the DD bass on the Yume resembled BA bass more than it did DD bass. Timbre is quite good though. The bass isn’t bad, it works well with the rest of the IEMs tunings, and it’s inoffensive. However, it does lack the authority and impact expected of a hybrid setup and is rather underwhelming. SeeAudio if you’re reading this retune for a little more midbass and the bass will be better for it IMHO. Still in the context of this IEMs neutral Harman tuning I can’t fault the bass too much, and it doesn’t have any overt flaws either.



Mids: S+

Midrange tuning on this IEM is so tonally perfect some people might describe it as boring. Overall tonality is a relatively well-balanced neutral, with maybe a little bit of a boost to the upper mids. The entire midrange has a smoothness to it’s tones that obliterates harshness and sibilance on almost all tracks but it doesn’t have the blunted detail retrieval that plagues other smooth IEMs, nor does it have the warmish tint to the entire midrange. It has a very neutral signature, with warmish tonal coloration in the lower mids that gives body to a lot of male vocals and lower-pitched strings, and gradually gets more neutral as it goes up to the upper mids where tonal color is gone and the neutral tonal characteristics combined with the slight forwardness lend themselves incredibly well to female vocals and sharper higher pitched strings like acoustic guitar, giving it that transient “bite” that brings you into the notes but again, not a sliver of harshness on properly mastered stuff. Simply amazing midrange performance, and the main reason I will be keeping this IEM.



Treble: S-

The Yume’s treble is a master class in how good, well-presented treble shouldn’t scream like a wailing banshee into your ears. The coherency here in relation to the other BA is incredibly organic and almost as though they were the same driver. Despite being balanced and neutral the treble is well detailed and as very good Attack-Snap-Decay performance in the lower to mid treble region giving overt cymbal hits all the right metallic reverberations to sound great. Some treble heads might find it a little bit too fast and snappy and prefer a little more body but really that’s a small quibble. A more significant demerit here is the lack of upper treble energy and extension, which especially in conjunction with the narrow stage (Wide bore tips do alleviate this issue somewhat) results in this IEM lacking some of the treble “air” that it needs to really sound good. However, overall treble performance here still rates as very good and tonally inoffensive (no peakiness) with just a couple of tuning quibbles that hold it back.




Technicalities: A

This is where the Yume falls flat in terms of standing out against the crowded field of competitors. The soundstage is a little bit cramped stock, and narrower than ideal even when filter modded and with wider bore tips. This directly hits separation and layering, as well as treble air because the mix can get crowded and suffocating in the busiest of tracks. The detail retrieval is actually rather good despite the fact that the presentation is quite smooth, which is a noteworthy achievement. Upper range timbre, and it’s attack-decay performance is very good, fast and snappy, though lower region attack-decay is a little more flabby thanks to the sub-par DD. Imaging is good, and decently holographic. Spatial positioning is very good, though I would’ve preferred a more finite presence. Overall technical performance is good but severely hamstrung by a narrow stage stock, and a narrower than ideal stage when modded.



Conclusions:

This IEM is only slightly above average or average in most respects and sits at a very crowded sector of the market. However, the relative maturity of it’s overall package, being tonally inoffensive and an incredible reference in the midrange still make it a compelling package. Nevertheless, as a first foray into the midrange IEM bracket, I would suggest the Audiosense DT300 first. Get this as a sidegrade if the near-perfect mids are something you’re interested in later on. Recommended with reservations

At a glance:

Overall Rating: A- (S+ to C-)

Category B: (100-300 USD), MSRP: 200 USD

Overview:

The Neptunes are the entry-level IEM of the normally TOTL CIEM maker QDC, they were launched in 2017 and sport a single full-range balanced armature driver in a hollow, unvented acrylic shell. These are tuned to be smooth, inoffensive and generally pleasant.



Inclusions: N/A




Unfortunately, these were purchased second-hand, and did not come to me complete so I will not be scoring this section. These come in QDC’s standard retail packaging for their cheaper IEMs, a decently sized cardboard box with a transparent window to display the IEMs. It comes with 7 pairs of tip, 4 standard white silicon tips in S/MS/M/L, and 3 dual-flange deep insert tips in S/M/L. I believe it also comes with a very nice faux leather case, and a cleaning brush. The included cable is a nice feeling 4 core twisted cable, it has a nice metal 3.5mm TRRRS jack and metal chin splitter. It also features a 3-button mic on the right side. The cable is soft and feels good in the hand with no microphonics. Unfortunately, it has quite a lot of shape memory and tangles quite easily, however it’s still very much a decent cable. Packaging looks solid to me at 200 USD, though again, no rating here.



Build: A+

This IEM’s housing is hand built with a hollow piece of blue acrylic, that has a beautiful pearlescent faceplate attached to it. The BA driver is positioned directly at the nozzle, which means no tubes, so the rest of the shell is hollow air space. The IEM was apparently shaped using the molds of many different people’s ears (which is likely true due to the fact that QDC is a CIEM company), and it shows. This IEM is very comfortable on ear, the fins and bulges are all rather well-positioned to fit on your ear well, and I had no discomfort even after a whole day of continuous listening. A small gripe here is the fact that this is another unvented-BA IEM, which means pressure buildup unless they’re inserted properly and in a specific way.

Additionally, a much larger gripe here is the fact that the nozzle where the tips are attached to is completely unfinshed. The surface is rough and uneven and I worry that tips can possibly be damaged over time, especially narrower bore tips that fit more snugly on the rather large lip this has on the nozzle.

Overall build is good these IEMs feel alright despite being hollow, and are very comfortable in ear, all things considered. However, the unfinished nozzle is completely unacceptable at this price point and drags this IEM’s overall build score down.



Sound Review Conditions:

• Stock Cable was used
• Sound impression based on both the stock tips, however I also switched to Symbio W Hybrid widebores for comfort. (thanks to the rather narrow nozzle opening and single-BA set up, tips-rolling doesn’t have as much of an effect.)
• Sources used: Deezer and Tidal HiFI, Signalyst HQ Player, Foobar 2000 HR-FLACs and PCM, Spotify, and YT Premium
• DAC/AMPs: KGUSS BH-3, and AVANI, JM20, CX-PRO, JM6 Dongles

Sound:



Bass: A+

The bass on this IEM is not BA bass. It’s not recessed or rolled off, in fact, it’s rather prominent. Bass has a good amount of authority and weight behind it, and is relatively flat throughout, with slight emphasis on the sub and mid bass, which helps quite a bit in terms of bass impact. The fact that weight is decently well distributed through the bass region helps quite a bit in terms of keeping the bass balanced. However, I find the bass to be lacking in both transient impact and decay, with it lacking the quality of something like the Audiosense DT300 (3 knowles BA). Bass is also reasonably fast and it has decent texture and separation. Overall bass performance is well-tuned in terms of quantity and presentation; however it falls a little short in terms of quality, especially compared to newer sets.



Mids: A

The mids on this IEM are… nothing special. Presentation sounds quite good, with centered vocals that are only marginally recessed in the upper mids however the entire mid-range has a very-light warmish tint, similar to that of the Tanchjim Tanya though quite a bit less then that. It doesn’t sound “wooly” however it does throw of the tonality of both female vocals and colder, sharper strings, robbing them of some “bite” and edge in exchange for a much less offensive presentation, making this a good IEM for badly mastered music. The tonal coloration is not necessarily a bad thing, just a matter of personal preference. In the context of this IEM’s smooth tuning, it cannot be counted as a flaw.



Treble: A-

Treble on this IEM is takes on similar tuning characteristics to the rest of this IEM, with laid-back and inoffensive characteristics. It’s slightly recessed and muted however still present. The lower-middle treble range is rather balanced in the way of snap and sparkle characteristics, however the upper-treble roll off and cramped stage does mean that this IEM suffers a little bit in the “airiness” department. Thankfully, the warm tilt does not persist until this range unlike with the Tanyas and the treble has the correct hints of metallic character that is inherent to things like cymbals. Overall treble performance is well-tuned, if rather unremarkable.



Technicalities: B-

This is where the IEM completely falls flat in terms of keeping up with it’s modern competitors. The soundstage is narrower than average in this price point and makes it so that tracks mastered for a wide stage are rather cramped. Separation and layering suffer as a result. Thanks to the warmish layer on the mids, a lot of detail has likely disappeared. Ditto for the slight treble recession. Likely due to the fact that this is a single-BA IEM, it just does not have the raw resolving power of multi-driver IEMs. Coherency is obviously good thanks to that though, and metallic “BA” timbre is thankfully also not here. Decay and attack could be better done as well. Imaging is not bad, about par to marginally below average for the course in terms of positioning and finiteness. Overall technical performance is squarely below average, and the hamstring that prevents this IEM from being relevant today.



Conclusion:

The tuning on these is remarkably solid, and shows the thought and skill put into it my QDC’s tuners. However, the technical performance of this set is quite a bit behind even 100 USD IEMs half of it’s price that it becomes a difficult value proposition at 200 USD. At the used, secondhand prices that it can be picked up for however, it’s still a solid set tuning wise, and about average to marginally below technicalities wise. Recommended only at a Steep Discount

At a Glance:

Overall Rating: S (S+ to C-)

Category: C (20-100 USD), MSRP: 40$,

Acquired at: 33$ (local pricing + platform discounts)





Overview:

The Heart Mirror is HZ Sound’s foremost offering in the budget sub-100 USD category, it features a single Carbon Nano Coating (CNC) dynamic driver housed in a mirror-finished all metal driver shell. It also comes quite well-stocked with 7 pairs of eartips, a 4-core SPC OFC stock cable and a hard-shell carry case.



Inclusions: S+

The Heart Mirror comes very good quality packaging, especially for the price. The outer carboard box is decently sized and looks fairly good. It slides out with a cloth tab on the side to reveal the IEMs themselves presented in some soft cut foam, and a cardboard logo on the bottom. Removing that reveals the accessories, a gray hard-shell case with some branding on it and a krabiner and clip for transport and organization purposes. It also comes with 7 sets of eartips, 6 silicone and 1 pair of soft foam tips. One set of the eartips is a generic medium-wide bore S/M/L set of white eartips and the other set is a S/M/L set of the popular Sony EP-EX11 medium bore tips. The included cable is a 4-core SPC cable that is also very good for the price. It has a metal connector, splitter and chin-slider although plastic 0.78mm connectors for the IEM side. It’s a little stiff and has some shape memory but it is certainly not bad and is great for the price, nonetheless. It even includes 4 extra nozzle filters in case the stock ones get dirty. For 40$, I don’t know what you could ask for in terms of packaging and accessories. Provisional S+ rank awarded here.



Build: S+

This IEM feels and looks incredibly premium. The shells are quite small and thus fairly comfortable and inoffensive to a variety of ears but they are also made out of some decently hefty metal, which allows them to feel quite solid and durable in the hands. The are two vent nozzles on the inside side of the IEM to prevent driver flex and they do their job well, although I did notice that inserting the IEMs in a way the blocked those holes resulted in some pressure and driver flex. The machining and plating are very good on my unit, with good tolerances on the seam between the halves of the housing. The 0.78mm receptacle feels solid and unmoving despite being made of plastic. The nozzle is angled and decently long, the shells are quite flat and as mentioned decently small, which makes these a-OK for sleeping purposes as well and generally quite comfortable. The only quirks here are that they can be fingerprint magnets and the finish will naturally scratch very easily but in the grand scheme of things it’s miniscule. Once again, provisional S+ rating.



Sound Review Conditions:

• Stock Cable was used
• All 3 types of stock tips were used. (slightly better performance with wide-bores but YMMV)
• Sources used: Deezer and Tidal HiFI, Signalyst HQ Player, Foobar 2000 HR-FLACs and PCM, Spotify, and YT Premium
• DAC/AMPs: KGUSS BH-3, and AVANI, JM20, CX-PRO, JM6 Dongles

Sound:

Bass: A+

Bass performance on this IEM can best be describes as precise, and slightly recessed. The tonality leans very neutral and uncolored without being too lean in the mix. The overall bass region quantity is relatively flat though curved to roll off slightly both of the edges of the region. More significantly, this means just a bit of a subbass roll-off, despite it being extended very well all the way down. The slight curve also means a little bit of extra midbass. This tonality, combined with some incredibly quick transient performance results in a lean quick bass that resembles an all-BA setup. The extra bit of midbass helps the music get a little bit of extra transient impact but the lack of subbass can result in a rather light note weight and the feeling of being slapped more than punched on bass heavy tracks. Timbrical performance is quite natural if a little too sterile. Performance in busy tracks is quite remarkable, with the fast transients and lean tonality handling everything with minimal bleed or bloat. Separation and Speed are thus top-notch here. Toms and especially snares sound very good here. Overall bass performance is great, if a little too neutral and lean for some people’s tastes but in the end it lends itself very well to this IEMs overall tonality



Mids: A+

Like the rest of this IEM, overall mids performance is neutral and uncolored, leaning on technical. Despite graphing almost level with the bass, human sound perception means that the mids are still decently forward in the mix. Overall tonality skews towards the upper mids and does neglect the lower mids a bit. A lot of lower male vocals are where this neutral timbre and tonality start to give out cons as some voices occasionally lack warmth, thickness or depth in their presentation making them sound off. The smooth presentation still does ensure that they don’t get to gruff but it would’ve been nice to see a little more warmth and body. Upper mids performance is much better, with both female vocals and less organic, colder string instruments taking full advantage of the neutral tilt. The upper mids have some “bite” that brings you into songs that are particularly belty and high but enough smoothness is present such that it avoids overt harshness and sibilance. Overall mids performance is quite good but leaves some to be desired.



Treble: S+

As a treble-forward IEM, you’d have high hopes for this IEMs treble performance and it does deliver. It’s fully extended and quite bright but thanks to excellent driver control especially in the transients it avoids being harsh and fatiguing. The treble energy lends itself exceptionally well to cymbals but one thing to note is the sparkle is hamstrung somewhat by a smaller soundstage. Nonetheless, treble is still exceptionally well-textured with requisite snap and air whenever necessary. It’s not overtly forward with it but this IEM also does pull out a lot of micro-details in the treble region. There isn’t as much to say here simply because there aren’t really any overt flaws at all. Best in class treble performance and I’m happy to comfortably give this one the Category C S+ ranking. It’ll take a lot to replace this.

Technicalities: S

Overall performance here is once again fantastic. The stage is a little bit more compressed than what would’ve been ideal for the sound, however imaging, layering and detail retrieval are more than capable of making up for it. The cramped stage would theoretically make separation suffer but that isn’t quite the case here. Far-out cymbals and strings still layer quite well and there’s a good sense of space between the instruments nonetheless. As has been mentioned previously, driver control is quite good, which means that transient performance is great across the sound spectrum. Timbre could be a little less clean/technical but it’s still good notwithstanding. Detail retrieval is also great as mentioned. Overall technicalities aren’t quite good enough to merit the S+ (even though there are no competitors that I know of) thanks to the stage and timbre but nevertheless very good.




Conclusion:

The Heart Mirror is not the most musical or to some people not the most enjoyable IEM. However, it’s versatility, the maturity and refinement of it’s overall package and the fantastic technical performance make it a true audiophile device at a rock-bottom price and a compelling product in the sub-100 USD range regardless of your preferred tuning, simply for the technical performance. Highly Recommended

At a Glance:

Overall Rating: (S+ to C-)

Stock: S-

With IA: S-

Category: B (100-300 USD), MSRP: 250 USD, Acquired at 80 USD (Review Unit)





Disclaimer:

This IEM was kindly provided to me by Audiosense at a discounted price in exchange for a fair and honest review. (Thank you, Elaine). As always, review unit or not, all thoughts and opinions are my own and I shall write as unbiasedly as possible.




Overview:

The DT600 is Audiosense’s latest offering in the 200-300 USD price range, competing directly with IEMs like the Moondrop Blessing 2 and Ibasso AM05. It comes with a very-high quality waterproof case, 4 pairs of eartips and an 8 core SPC braided cable. It features an all-BA setup with 6 knowles drivers in a solid 3-D printed resin housing.






Inclusions: S-

The unboxing experience is incredibly premium. It comes in a minimalist slide-out box the opens to reveal a very high-quality waterproof “pressure venting” case. Inside are the IEMs nestled in some cut foam and the accessories. 4 sets of eartips (with SML sizes) are included, two sets are non-descript, 1 is a set of the common “Sony Hybrid” tips, and 1 single size 3-pack of memory foam tips. The included cable is a copper colored, 8-core braided cable that I consider to be very mediocre. It’s quite thin, it has a little bit of memory and the earhooks are a little stiff but is otherwise very serviceable. Only the splitter and chin-slider are metal, with the MMCX and 3.5mm terminations being made of a hardened rubber material. (Note: This IEM comes in the exact same box with the exact same inclusions as it’s younger sibling the DT300, with only a different colored cable and some different box print.)





Build: A+

This IEM is built out of a solid chunk of 3d printed resin with a decorative faceplate attached to it, the printing is very smooth, with no lines of demarcation that you can touch, and only a small line you can only see and not feel where the faceplate is attached to the rest of the housing. The 6 knowles BAs are split into 3 groups are fed to the nozzle with tubes. It uses an MMCX connector which is somewhat wobbly in your hands (would’ve preferred to see a recessed 2-pin or NX7 connector personally, the spinning of the MMCX connector also adds to the tangly-dangly of the cable). The shell is a safe shape with very rounded protrusions, slightly wide but quite flat which is great for those who listen in bed. The shell has only a very small vent hole (likely for the bass) which can occasionally be an issue when using silicone tips, as pushing them in at all would cause a pressure vacuum to form causing some discomfort and affecting the sound. I found that using the included foam tips managed to circumvent this issue, as it doesn’t seal off air in the same way the silicone tips did and doing that resulted in superb comfort. Your mileage may vary with this issue though, some people are more sensitive than others. Isolation on these is excellent, the solid 3D printed shells are quite good at absorbing noise, particularly with the foam tips.



Sound Overview:



Given the nature of this IEM, it becomes necessary to discuss the situation with the Impedance Adaptor. As you may already know, the Output Impedance of an amplifier audibly and measurably affects the sound of many IEMs, with balanced armature drivers being particularly prone to this, thanks to their design and their low impedances. This IEM and it’s younger sibling the DT300 are known for having people who enjoy both the stock tuning and the sound with the use of an Impedance Adapter (IA), a device that simulates high OI. Thus, as a reviewer, I find it necessary to carry out separate sound reviews for both the stock tuning and the tuning with an IA. Audiosense has also recognized this situation, and now bundles an 80ohm IA with their products. Said IA shall be what I use to carry out this review. Please bear with the length of this review as a result.



Sound Review Conditions:

• Listening was done with both an impedance adapter (Audiosense-included 80ohm) and also without. Separate reviews will be carried out.
• A combination of the foam tips, silicon tips and third party hybrid tips (Symbio W) were used.
• Stock MMCX Cable was used
• Sources used: Deezer and Tidal HiFI, Signalyst HQ Player, Foobar 2000 HR-FLACs and PCM, Spotify, and YT Premium
• DAC/AMPs: Zishan Z1, KGUSS BH-3, and AVANI, JM20, CX-PRO, JM6 Dongles

Sound: Without IA (stock)



Bass: S



This IEM has very prominent and powerful bass in this configuration. Unlike the DT300 and like the popular T800, this IEM features a bass vent. The quantity and quality of the bass resemble a Hybrid or Dynamic Driver set-up more than it resembles an all-BA IEM. The bass is very heavy in impact and has a lot of weight behind each note that reminds me of a planar magnetic/ driver. However, the BAs still lend themselves quite well to a fast attack in the transients of the bass notes which allow this IEM to not feel particularly bloated in the bass region, despite the bass quantity. The separation and layering of bass notes are quite good, though on busy tracks (particularly poorly mastered ones with too much boomy or bleeding bass in their recordings) it does get quite “dirty” sounding. However, that does not mean that the notes start bleeding into each other and the sound becomes indistinct, it is still possible to distinguish the notes and note source, however, the sheer quantity can get overwhelming for a typical listener. Timbre leans fairly warm and is quite good. This IEM is viable for bassheads. Overall bass performance is absolutely unmatched by likely any all-BA IEM in this price range and easily competes with setups that feature DDs. I don’t quite know how Audiosense did it.



Mids: S

The midrange performance of this IEM is characterized by a warm tint in the lower registers with that tint gradually evening out into a more neutral response in the upper-mids. This is especially good for female vocalists and other instruments that require a thinner, colder tonality to their sound as it can sound “off’ otherwise. Despite the quantity of bass that this IEM has, the mids are still quite prominent in the mix and are about even with the bass for forwardness, preventing this IEM from just being a typical bassy set (albeit a rare all-BA one). Vocals sound very detailed and tonally accurate almost all the time, with plenty of texture and harmonics to their sound. Strings also sound very good out of this IEM, with enough “airiness” but also “body” to their sound. In conclusion, you’d expect the mids to take a back seat to the bass but here they still feature prominently and hold their own. Overall mids performance is just as great as the bass.



Treble: A+

This IEMs treble is one of the few things I was not impressed by in this configuration. In the mix, it sounds very much like the DT300s treble, which was also quite underwhelming. It’s present and audible, and it does a commendable job in not getting totally drowned out given just how forward the bass and mids are in comparison. However, for an all-BA set its quite…. meh. The detail retrieval, soundstage and imaging superiority this carries over the DT300s mean that overall treble performance is indeed better though. I should say though. It’s not at all bad, in any way: It doesn’t do anything wrong. It’s just not noteworthy or exceptional when compared to the bass and mids performance.



Technicalities: S-

Technicalities are very well-refined even in this configuration. As noted awhile ago, layering and separation is great across the whole sound spectrum even with the quantity of the bass. The soundstage is also very wide, though still an oblong in terms of shape. Being an all-BA IEM, transient performance is also very good. Detail retrieval is good but a bit understated thanks to the relative recession in the treble area.







Sound: (With IA, included 80ohms)





Bass: S-

The bass performance in this configuration is rather lean in comparison to the stock tuning, similar in quantity to the DT300’s stock tuning. However, it is very well extended all the way down and has quite plentiful sub-bass. It retains the quick “snap” and attack speed that seems to be inherent to BAs, meaning that transient dependent bass like the snare or the high toms sound very good. Additionally, despite the quantity being rather lean, the sense of “punch” thanks to the amount of weight provided by the plentiful sub-bass region means that this IEM doesn’t leave you hanging on tracks that requite some bass to sound “fun”. Timbre shifts to a more neutral leaning sound. Performance in busy tracks improves, and there is now practically no track that this doesn’t play well with short of full-on EDM. (which you should be listening to with the stock configuration anyway). Overall bass performance here is still very good as it works well with this tuning and sounds good on it’s own.



Mids: S

Overall mids performance can be described as neutral, with hints of analytical. Despite having about the same quantity in lower mids as the stock tuning, a bit of extra upper mids and a 3k peak arguably improve the overall tonal quality. Both vocals and instruments in this range are timbrically neutral in tuning, taking on an uncolored quality through the range, in comparison to the warm tinged lower mids of the stock tuning. The slightly increased upper-mids, in addition to the general forwardness of the mid range results in more of an initial bite to the notes. However, this does not mean that the lower mids are neglected. In tracks where the lower mids are emphasized, this IEM does a commendable job in making sure that instruments and vocals in that range are still and supported rather than be too thin like with some other upper-mid heavy IEMs, guitar still has that grunge and crunch to it, and lower male vocals still thrum with energy for example. Overall mid range performance is great as well.



Treble: S-

The treble performance is likely the biggest beneficiary of this IA configuration. It’s still quite rolled off in the upper treble but not nearly as much as the stock tuning. Additionally, a lot of the extra treble energy is placed into peaks, however, said peaks are still quite low in the mix which results in enough treble that an average listener wouldn’t miss it anymore but at a quantity that still prevents this IEM from being sibilant and harsh in all but the most terrible of recordings. Additionally, the reduction in bass allows it to shine more in the mix, fixing some of that overt recession that was present in the stock tuning. Treble snap and more importantly air are now more perceivable, making this configuration quite balanced in the treble region. Overall treble performance is also quite good and certainly an improvement over the stock tuning.



Technicalities: S

The stock tuning already had great technicalities. However, the reduction in bass and extra treble energy results in this IEM gaining an overall sense of extra clarity all across the sound. Detail retrieval, both perceived and actual improve by virtue of the extra top end energy and reduction of the bass respectively. A/B testing with the stock tuning makes the stock sound like it has a veil, which isn’t actually too bad, just something that shows up when you look for it explicitly. Soundstage is virtually the same but a bit more clear thanks to less bass. Imaging, separation all take a boost, again thanks to the extra upper range energy and bass cut. Overall technicalities are great, and definitely better than the stock tuning.






Sound Conclusion:

There is no superior tuning in this case, there is only preference IMO. I have seen people enjoy both the stock and IA tuning, and the fact that we can get those two in a single IEM is fantastic, especially considering the IA is included with your purchase. The stock tuning is bass-mids focused, incredibly fun and totally not something you expect from an all-BA IEM. On the other hand, the IA tuning offers superb resolution and clarity and a more balanced approach to tuning overall. But again, remember. You get them both. (just be sure you have some power for the IA version and ideally a neutral source to be able to utilize both tunings well)





(PS: This IEM seems to change quite a lot when cable, tip and OI rolled. I won't get into my experiences, since it's quite preference dependent. You can almost tweak it to your exact preference. It’s incredibly versatile in that regard.)



Overall Conclusion:

This IEM is an overall fantastic package. It comes with plenty of stuff in a premium package, gorgeous looks and varied tuning that caters to two different palates. In a price range as competitive as this, it stands out as a uniquely versatile IEM. Highly Recommended

At a Glance:

Category: D (0-20 USD), MSRP 20 USD, Acquired at: 0 USD (Review Unit)

Overall Rating: A (S+ to C-)



Disclaimer:

This is a review unit kindly provided free-of-charge to me by HiFiGo with the assistance of Erik Ikomori from NBBA, I was not paid in any way to make this review and I am not affiliated with Tanchjim. As always, review unit or not, all thoughts and opinions are my own.



Overview:

The Tanya is another budget offering from Tanchjim, and one of their cheapest products at around 20 USD. It features a 7mm dynamic driver in a titanium alloy and ABS shell. These are tuned to a relatively inoffensive Harman curve target, with prominent bass and mids and recessed and rolled off treble.



Inclusions: S


These have fantastic packaging, especially for the price. The outer box is just a sleeve that has some branding and a photo of the IEM in the front, with some technical details on the back. Sliding the sleeve out reveals the main box, which has a large Tanchjim logo and smaller stylized “T’s” embossed in a reflective plastic. Removing the lid reveals the IEMs themselves, nestled in some cut foam. Underneath them are 6 sets of eartips (3 medium and 3 wide bore) in addition to the one medium bore already on the IEMs themselves. It also comes with a carrying pouch, and a pack of 10 spare nozzle filters. Absolutely top-tier packaging and inclusions in this price point.



Build: A

The driver housings are made of a combination of a “titanium alloy” sleeve with the bulk of the shell being made of ABS plastic. The rear of the housing has a vent covered with metal mesh. It feels light and reasonably durable. Thankfully, the L-R identification is made a little easier by a braille-like dot on the left driver housing to allow for side identification in low light conditions. The cable is a fixed, sleeved 4-core twisted cable, that’s very soft and has no shape memory but is rather microphonic, especially after the splitter area. The cable also includes a chin slider. The 3.5mm jack, splitter and chin slider are all made of hard rubber, with slightly softer TPE strain reliefs on the jack and driver housings. Overall build quality is above average but can’t be considered great thanks to the fixed and microphonic cable.



Sound Review Conditions:

• Stock Wide-Bore eartips (M)
• Stock Cable (fixed)
• No Burn In
• Files from; Deezer HiFI, Tidal HiFi, Foobar 2000, Signalyst HQ Player
• Sources: KGUSS BH-3, Jcally JM20, JM6

Sound:



Bass: A

Bass on this IEM can be best described as “thumpy”. It’s neither particularly light nor particularly weighty but much more in between. Speed is average, decay is average but the mid-bass boost can result in it getting a bit too boomy when driven by a weaker amplifier. It’s fast enough to not get left behind on medium-busy tracks but on the quickest of drum fills or bass guitar riffs it can certainly lag a little bit behind. Timbre is good but somewhat artificially warm thanks to the tuning. (Note: Warm does NOT always equal good timbre). Separation is decent but the whole bass region can sound like a similar blob when the tracks use drums or guitars playing similar notes or when the track is synth heavy and there is less instrument timbre and variation. Overall bass performance is relatively inoffensive and quite well-tuned with the usual budget single DD caveats.



Mids: A+

Mids are warm and lush, with a comfortable thickness to all notes in the entire range. They’re pretty even in terms of presence in the mix, about par with the bass. The whole range has a warmish tint to it that lends itself very well to most male voices and instruments playing in the lower ranges of the mids but female vocals do tend to sound off thanks to that warm layer. Lower register strings and wind instruments likewise sound quite good but higher notes of an acoustic guitar for example can sometimes lose that initial edge that makes them bright. Still, that warm layer isn’t all bad, given that there are some totally unlistenable songs that are bearable when using these IEMs thanks to the sibilance and harshness taming provided by the warm layer. Overall mids performance is very good, if boring and a little off timbre wise.



Treble: B

In comparison to the bass and mids, the Tanya’s treble is quite muted and quiet in the mix. It’s still present and audible on most tracks and typically quite good if inoffensive but on anything with busy mids and bass it inevitably gets lost within them and can only be heard when focusing on the cymbals off to the sides. When it’s present it’s decently well-tuned with a good amount of snap but less air than what is likely commonly ideal. Overall performance is on the lower side of average, and it may very well be too dark for some people.



Technicalities: A

Likely thanks to a vent on the back, the Tanya has quite a wide soundstage, especially with the wide-bore tips. It extends all the way to the edge of your ears. Like with most IEMs though it’s quite pill shaped with only left and right spread. Front and back imaging is unremarkably average. Imaging is quite precise and natural, no weirdly positioned instruments here. The layering performance is also very good for a budget IEM, with decent separation and distinction between instruments and vocals. Transient harshness is extremely good for a single Dynamic Driver thanks to the warm-ish tilt of the Tanya.



Conclusion:
The Tanya’s tuning is a bit boring but very well executed, and with no outright flaws to it. The above-average and well-rounded technical performance puts it above a lot of it’s competitors. The quality of the packaging and the complete inclusions you get are just the cherry-on-top. People looking for excitement and a fun tuning, look elsewhere but people looking for a comfortable daily driver or sleeping buds will find a competent performer in the Tanyas. Highly Recommended

At a glance:

Overall Rating: A (S+ to C-)

Category: D, MSRP 12 USD, Acquired at: 0 USD (Review Unit)







Disclaimer:

This is a review unit kindly provided free-of-charge to me by HiFiGo with the assistance of Erik Ikomori from NBBA, I was not paid in any way to make this review and I am not affiliated with Moondrop. As always, review unit or not, all thoughts and opinions are my own.



Overview:

The Quarks are the latest product to come out of Moondrop Labs and they are one of the cheapest they have released at 12$. These feature a single 6mm dynamic driver and are surprisingly tuned away from Moondrop’s signature Harman curve, hitting a more mid-forward to true neutral signature.



Inclusions: A

These come in a plain black box with minimal branding, just a single name or logo on each side and some information about the IEM on the back of the box. As soon as you open the box you are greeted by one of Moondrop’s signature “waifus” printed on a piece of paper, which also doubles as a small guide on how to put the IEMs in your ears. Beneath that piece of paper are the IEMs themselves, nestled in some cardboard, and beneath them lies the rest of the cable and a manual with some paperwork, as well as an included carrying pouch and an S/M/L set of medium-wide bore silicon eartips. For the price, this is very reasonable packaging, and aesthetically quite nice, if a little smaller than comparable boxes. The inclusion of the carrying pouch was also a nice touch. Overall, just a bit above average.



NOTE: (QC)

The unit I received had a mispositioned filter on one of the drivers. This was easy enough to resolve by reseating it into the nozzle properly, and unlikely to be a widespread issue, however, I noted it for full disclosure.



Build: B

The IEM is made almost entirely of plastic and rubber, which feel par-for-the-course in terms of quality when compared to other IEMs at this price point. The shells are small and comfy, these are one of the few IEMs where lying down on your side is a viable option. The driver housings are transparent, and the soldering inside looks neat, with the drivers themselves held in with a good amount of glue. However, the cable is fixed and sub-par. Out of the box, it has quite a lot of shape memory. Thankfully, it does seem to straighten up over time, and is generally quite soft if a bit sticky. Overall build quality is alright, but the cable shape memory and relative mediocrity of everything else make this IEM fall just a bit short.



Sound Review Conditions

• Stock Cable (Fixed)
• Stock Tips (M)
• No Burn In
• Files from; Deezer HiFI, Tidal HiFi, Foobar 2000, Signalyst HQ Player
• Sources: KGUSS BH-3, Jcally JM20, JM6

Sound:



Bass: A-

Bass is present, neutral (but thankfully not too boring) and well-done. It extends well down into the sub-bass with a relatively flat graph, without any shelves or peaks. Texture is quite good, with reproduction of the same drum type across different tracks sounding properly differentiated based on tuning and mastering. Bass quantity is a bit less than other Moondrop offerings like the SSPs but still more than sufficient and of good quality. Weight is a little bit subdued thanks to the quick decal. Presence and speed is pretty good, though +the entire bass region can get a bit muted on mid-focused tracks and it does lose coherency in very complex and fast tracks despite the fast speed and decay but overall performance is as expected of a budget IEM, and there is nothing outright wrong with it. It works well with the mid-centric tuning that this IEM has. Bass is slightly above average in general.





Mids: S

The mids on this IEM are it’s bread and butter with it being a mid-centric IEM. The mids are forward and quite good in tonality (I almost want to call them sweet but that wouldn’t help anyone) Once again, timbre is spot on and very good for a budget set, if a bit thin and somewhat technical. Both male and female vocals are executed very well, and there is no bleeding from the bass thanks to the clean tuning in that area. Everything from the lower register up to the upper mids is represented quite well. There is a rather large peak at the 3k range but I’ve found that to be a no-issue at lower volumes, in fact, it actually works quite well, giving the notes a bit of extra bite and forwardness, even if it becomes harsh at higher listening volumes. Texture is good, with plenty of distinctions between different things in the mid frequencies. Instruments also sound very good, with strings and acoustic guitar benefiting from the good timbre to sound nice and realistic. Overall mids performance is quite fantastic for the price so long as you keep that volume low.



Treble: B+

Inoffensive. The treble isn’t so recessed to call it muted but it is the least present of the 3 main regions by a decent margin. It doesn’t usually get lost though, short of the busiest of tracks. Definition and detail is alright. Extension isn’t amazing, it slopes down quite steeply after 10k. It’s not splashy by any means but it does lack some of the requisite snap, sparkle and air that music needs to be properly reproduced. It’s still decent enough, and it doesn’t interfere with any of the other frequencies just staying out of their way. Overall treble performance is unremarkable and on the lower spectrum of average.





Technicalities: A+

Overall technical performance is good. The stage is very wide for a budget IEM, extending quite close to the edge of your ear. Imaging is a little bit less than good but still quite above average. Congestion is present, thanks to the subdued imaging performance and not-the-best layering of instruments but it’s not too bad and still about par for the course in terms of performance. Transient performance is good for a Dynamic Driver and plays well even in the upper region. Detail retrieval is also quite good for a budget IEM though nothing that hits quite far above this price range.



Conclusion:

The Moondrop Quarks are a well-performing, relatively inoffensive IEM that distinguish themselves by being a bit of a rarer tuning in the budget price range. It does nothing badly and performs better than average in quite a few places. Combined with the assurance of the reputation of a manufacturer like Moondrop, these are a refreshingly simple IEM that were actually tuned to sound a particular way and that sound was executed well. Highly Recommended.

At a Glance:


Category: C (20-100 USD Bracket) Acquired at 26$, MSRP 40$

Overall Rating (S+ to D-): A B+


Overview:

When I first got these I disliked them, and you probably will too. Coming directly from my BQEYZ Summers, these sounded congested, unresolving and had weird staging, but as I later found, these are lovely IEMs, but they give up something for something at every step of the way. They can be picky at every single step of the way, but treat them well, and they will reward you with their sound. I think these are IEMs best suited for certain tracks, certain sources, cables and tips, but with those all done well, these reward you with a sound that punches well above their mid-fi price bracket.



Build: A

These are amazingly well-crafted IEMs, and beautiful to touch and see. The material looks to be an anodized aluminum and not the cheaper painted finish that flakes and chips like crazy (*ahem* Moondrop take some lessons from BQYEZ here). Unfortunately, this is also where the tradeoffs start. For one, these have big shells, very big. I’m not sure if it’s because there are 2 dynamic drivers, or for increased isolation or if it was a tuning decision etc, but what must be noted is that these can be uncomfortable for those with smaller ears. Another thing to note is the nozzle, which doesn’t have a ridge to hold tips in place (had some issues with the first tips I tried, reversed starlines), and while reasonably long, still doesn’t reach into your ears very deep. A final gripe, and yet another tradeoff is how recessed the 2 pin connectors on these are. A lot of cables will have fit issues, though the ones that fit properly will be rewarded in the durability aspect since most of the stress will be on the housings instead of the pins themselves.



Sound:



Tested on the ff:

Deezer HiFi and Foobar 2000

KGUSS BH-3

JCALLY JM20

CX-PRO



General Comments:

These are a 2+2 Dynamic + Balanced Armature setup, and once again BQEYZ shows me why they’re the masters of multi driver tuning. I don’t know what they did with those BAs, but as I’ll write about later, they’re pretty damn good. These are skewed to a neutral-cold tonality, but instrument timbre is still very organic and faithful and there is next to no artificial metallic twinge added (looking at you again KZ). As a package, these are very deliberately tuned for a specific result, and I think that BQEYZ definitely hit the mark here.



Bass: A

This is undoubtedly the weakest part of this IEM in my opinion, BUT, it’s neither bad, nor does it need to excel. It simply does it’s job the way it was tuned to, staying out of the way with regards to the mids and treble. Bass is lean and this IEM rarely adds character to the bass with regards to instrument timbre, it simply follows along with the track’s timbre and doesn’t stray from that. The lack of focus in tuning does mean that the bass occasionally becomes unpleasant or a weak link. Depending on the track, it can almost entirely disappear into the background behind a veil formed by the mids, it’s occasionally boomy and uncontrolled with certain tracks, and can’t muster up crisp toms and snares in the upper bass.



Mids: S

Love these. Silky, silky smooth, amazing texture and reproduction and quite forward. Vocal forward songs will leave you in awe with this IEM and you’ll find yourself tuning out the mediocre bass in favor of the vocals. Texture and reproduction on even similar sounding songs by the same singer will sound distinct and separate. However, if I listen to these critically I do occasionally hear a lack of support and body in some of the upper mids of female tracks and brittleness in the tones that shouldn’t be there. Male vocals don’t tend to have this issue but do occasionally suffer from a lack of warmth in their timbre, with voices sounding full-bodied, but with the occasional line sounding like it was mixed with a female second voice singing a note that doesn’t exist in the track. Let it be said that I am critiquing the mids harshly, and I would still only consider these mild gripes- put these on with a Celine Dion power ballad and feel the music in your soul LOL.



Treble: A+

Once again, I like these, but they're VERY weird. Some serious oddities with peaking and valleying in odd places and a roll-off. Fairly forward even as a person relatively insensitive to treble I can definitely always feel it whenever it is there. Most divide up treble into “airy” and “crisp”, I think these are decently good at both, treble textural reproduction is really good and it sounds like how I’d imagine the “correct” treble sounds. Combined with finite imaging, and good layering these IEMs execute treble about as good as anything in the 20-30$ price category. Detail reproduction is there, but thankfully these are not incisive and painful in any of the tracks I’ve put them on, an amazing feat for IEMs this cheap: treble is not “falsely detailed either, it’s all stuff that is there that this IEM simply brings out of the track rather than create from thin air. That being said, there are just What moments where I have no idea why the treble sounds that way.



Technicalities: A

I have to say, these have slightly odd soundstage and spatial positioning. Bass usually sounds like it’s slightly behind you, which can sometimes result in it being veiled. Mids are also unusual, on some tracks it’s staged high on your head, or around your forehead, which is something that you *mentally* need to burn in/get used to with these IEMs. Treble is the only one that sounds “typical”, it’s just off to the sides in a “pill-shape”. I would say these have narrowish-average soundstage, but very, very good imaging and layering which can give the illusion of a wide stage since instruments are well and distinct from each other. The pin-point levels of left and right finite imaging lend themselves really well to any instruments staged within those areas, but I need to caveat that by saying that these are quite narrow in terms of front-back stage depth, so it can sound flat, indistinct, or simply be difficult to pinpoint if something is staged in that area. A quick note on transient harshness (I am extremely sensitive to it) these IEMs deal with that incredibly well, even on some tracks that SHOULD have it, these smooth it over while retaining the original sound. All things said, very, very good for the price.



Summary:

Why are these only a mistress despite how good they are? Well, I believe your waifu IEM should be more balanced and versatile (mostly just have better and more forward bass really, and less treble wonk), so I think these are more of a specialist IEM than anything, amazing for vocals and treble, with reasonably good technicalities but faltering just a little on the bass aspect. These are still a “fun” IEM, just not in the typical way where bass is boosted to earth-shaking levels and mids are slaughtered and treble is nonexistent. No these are fun in a way that just makes you want to kick back and chill, savouring the sweetness of perfect vocals.

At a glance:

Overall Rating: S- (S+ to D-)

Category: B (100-300 USD), MSRP 180 USD, Acquired at: 80 USD (Reviewer’s Discount)



Overview:

The Audiosense DT300 is the brand’s latest offering in the 100-200 USD price range. It comes with a very-high quality waterproof case, 4 pairs of eartips and an 8 core SPC braided cable. It features an all-BA setup with 3 knowles drivers in a solid resin housing.



Inclusions: S+

The unboxing experience is incredibly premium. It comes in a minimalist slide-out box the opens to reveal a very high-quality waterproof “pressure venting” case. Inside are the IEMs nestled in some cut foam and the accessories. 4 sets of eartips (with SML sizes) are included, two sets are non-descript, 1 is a set of the common “Sony Hybrid” tips, and 1 single sized set of foam tips which are what I used. The included cable is an 8 core braided cable that I consider to be very mediocre. It’s quite thin, it has a little bit of memory and the earhooks are a little stiff but is otherwise very serviceable. Only the splitter and chin-slider are metal, with both the MMCX and 3.5mm terminations being made from plastic.



Build: A+

This IEM is built out of a solid chunk of 3d printed resin which surprisingly is very smooth, with the drivers being fed to the nozzle via tubes. It uses an MMCX connector which is somewhat wobbly in your hands (would’ve preferred to see a recessed 2-pin or NX7 connector personally, it also adds to the tangly-dangly of the cable). The shell is a safe shape with very rounded protrusions, slightly wide but quite flat which is great for those who listen in bed. The shell has no venting holes whatsoever which I found to be an issue when using silicone tips, as pushing them in at all would cause a pressure vacuum to form causing discomfort and affecting the sound. I found that using the included foam tips managed to circumvent this issue, as it doesn’t seal off air in the same way the silicone tips did, although the comfort still won’t be as good. Isolation on these is above average, the solid 3D printed shells are really good at absorbing noise, particularly with the foam tips.



Sound Review Conditions:

• Listening was done mostly with an impedance adapter (JCALLY 75ohms) but also without. Differences will be noted.
• The included foam tips were used because with the unvented design, silicon tips caused an uncomfortable pressure build-up.
• Stock MMCX Cable was used
• Sources used: Deezer and Tidal HiFI, Foobar 2000 HR-FLACs and PCM, Spotify, and YT Prem
• DAC/AMPs: Zishan Z1, KGUSS BH-3, and AVANI, JM20, CX-PRO Dongles

Sound:



Bass: A+

This is not typical BA bass. The bass is present, textured and dynamic with good extension and clarity. The full-range of low-end is all present and distinct despite bass being recessed in the mix. There is no bloat with the sub-bass into the mid-bass. Speed is good with even the quickest of drum fills reproduced properly, and in a properly recorded track different drums can be positionally identified, although with some concentration required. Detail reproduction and decay are also both very well done with loads of texture and microdetail present. Overall, bass presentation is good, if a bit on the lean side.



Mids: S-

My favorite part of this IEM. Good timbre for a BA IEM. Not a whisper of sibilance, even with tracks like Torn – Natalie Imbruglia, it’s still somewhat harsh but listenable. Crisp with plentiful texture and detail but also lush and smooth especially with the impedance adapter. Vocals are quite forward in the mix but coherency is handled very well with the full range reproduced properly. Guitars have their appropriate grunge and crunch with the harshness reproduced in a way that makes it feel like a musical element rather than a flaw. Forward elements are made more musical but without sacrificing their inherent bite in the initial tones of the note. Strings sound very organic and the resolution that this has allows them to really show off their individual characteristics.



Treble: S-

Neutral and inoffensive, with again, good details. Texture is good, it reproduces both the crisp and airy hits of cymbals well, and the differentiation between the hi-hats, crash and ride are easy to distinguish when you listen for them on properly recorded track. It’s not as pronounced as the mids or even the bass, however it is still present in the mix and does a good job of not getting drowned out, even in buisier tracks. On tracks where the cymbals are wider out, it does a good job of layering with distinct space but without separating from the rest of the mix and with the relatively wide stage that this has the distance is usually track dependent rather than being bottlenecked by the IEM. Overall, the treble is good, no harsh peaks or overt forwardness but without fading into obscurity.



Technicalities: S

This IEM is, for the price, very detailed. From the tiny rattles of a loose cymbal to the rattle of drum heads this IEM will reproduce quite a lot of the tiny details hidden within a track if you listen for them, it’s something it does better than what I’ve heard in this price range before. The stage is quite wide for what it is and is definitely wider than my BQEYZ Summer (130$). The instrument placement is distinct and natural, but imaging could be a bit better, as it can sometimes require some effort to pick out instruments instead of being effortless. Transient harshness is pretty much non-existent.



Impedance Adaptor:

Most of this review is done with an impedance adapter (IA) but here are some of the differences I noticed. The IA presentation is more natural, with the vocal presentation in particular sounding more organic and open. Removing the IA makes the sound a little more forward and harsher. The bass presentation without an IA is somewhat flat and plain, with an almost “clincal” presentation where it’s present and reproduced but sterile of any character. The IA bass is better extended and more dynamic. Treble seems mostly the same with IA and without.



Conclusion:

This IEM is a great all-rounder that offers good value for money and a superb overall experience at it’s price range. The comfort can be an issue, but foam tips or any other vented tips should fix that issue. It performs equally well for a variety of genres and is well suited to anything you throw at it whilst being tonally inoffensive and presenting naturally.