The Major 6 was one of the older models in chord&Major's lineup that has been revamped into the Major 6'13, inline with the Tonal Earphone series design principles. While it looks identical to the other models in terms of design, it hides a few improvements under its sleeves. If you're interested in reading up my previous review on the other models, or curious on some references I make here, please follow this link (due to the formatting, it might not be mobile friendly).
 
 
A few things to specify

1. This pair has been provided to me by Chord&Major as a followup so that I can complete the Tonal Earphone series review. This model was released much later than the others. In fact it was released in 2014 despite still being a '13 model. This pair has been with me and used alongside other gears in the past... almost year. Sorry for the delay!! I did rewrite this many times though.

1. As individuals our hearing and tastes are individually unique to some extent. In other words, YMMV.
2. Most of the time annotations will be made following the picture.

 
 
About my preferences
I usually prefer music with vocal tracks. Not that there are no exceptions in my repertoire but the bulk does involve a vocalist be it male or female or synthetic (such as Vocaloid).
 
 
Sources used for this review
iPhone 4S headphone out using the original music app; EQ turned off.
Laptop with uninteresting specs fed into a FiiO E17.
 
I decided against using portable amping solutions this time around since these are driven fine without the amp. Another reason is that my portable source is my phone and my amps lack good shielding... using them with IEMs means occasional, sudden, and extremely loud interference.
 
 
Overview
Chord&Major is a Taiwanese IEM maker with one product line which are the Tonal Earphones. They are basically all different models but share a same design principle, which also includes tuning with better synergy to specific music genres. All models till now use a single dynamic driver designed in-house and are meant to be easy to listen, easy to drive.
 
The Ballad model is made with an emphasis on vocals without sacrificing the instruments that play along.
 
 
Specifications
Major 6'13 BALLAD

1. Tonal: Ballad
2. Impedance: 30 ohms
3. Frequency Response: 20 - 20,000Hz
4. Sensitivity: 94dB at 1KHz 1mW
5. Max Power Input: 8 m W
6. Connector: 3.5mm stereo plug
7. Cable Length: 1.2m

 
Major 7'13 JAZZ

1. Tonal: Jazz
2. Impedance: 16 ohms
3. Frequency Response: 20 - 20,000Hz
4. Sensitivity: 94dB at 1KHz 1mW
5. Max Power Input: 8 m W
6. Connector: 3.5mm stereo plug
7. Cable Length: 1.2m

 
Major 8'13 ROCK

1. Tonal: Rock
2. Impedance: 16 ohms
3. Frequency Response: 20 - 20,000Hz
4. Sensitivity: 94dB at 1KHz 1mW
5. Max Power Input: 8 m W
6. Connector: 3.5mm stereo plug
7. Cable Length: 1.2m

 
Major 9'13 CLASSICAL

1. Tonal: Classical
2. Impedance: 21 ohms
3. Frequency Response: 20 - 20,000Hz
4. Sensitivity: 96dB at 1KHz 1mW
5. Max Power Input: 8 m W
6. Connector: 3.5mm stereo plug
7. Cable Length: 1.2m

 
I've included the specs of the other 3 models for your viewing pleasure, just to show that the Ballad has the highest impedance and the same higher sensitivity as the CLASSICAL model. All of them use dynamic drivers.
 
 
Packaging and Accessories

^{The theme wood for this model is using pine.}
 
There is actually a paper sleeve with product information covering part of the wooden case. At the time of the picture I had removed it already.
 
 
The list of included accessories is identical to the other models in the Tonal Earphone lineup and details can be found in its review thread. In short, it comes with:

1. cable winder
2. carrying pouch
3. cleaning brush (sealed)
4. a pair of S and L eartips without spare M tips (all sealed)
5. user manual written in Traditional Chinese, Simplified Chinese (when bought from a different market it might have different languages) 

 
The carrying pouch, however, is now different and a lot nicer in my opinion.
 
 
So unlike the JAZZ/ROCK/CLASSICAL models the carrying pouch is made of a soft, stretchy cloth instead of velvety on the outside and kind of rough on the inside. The shape changed a bit too and now the pouch folds to close. This change is a welcomed one as the previous design is a dust magnet and the IEMs could potentially still fall out when closed. It is also easier to roll up now when trying to shrink the volume it occupies. I suppose this pouch is washable although I haven't had the need to try that.
 
 
Design and Build
These are strictly earphones and no option for inline microphone or buttons are available. The cables are also non-removable and due to the way it is designed, I'm not sure how or if the earphones can be opened up for DIY repairs and/or modifications.
 
Faithful to the other models of the series the materials and shape of the body, cables, and plug are pretty much the same. Sturdy and resilient stainless steel body with wood (pine this time) veneer accents, nice rubbery cable with little memory that barely stiffens in the cold, "Ballad" etched at the Y-split, and a thin profile wood veneered 3.5mm plug. The build quality is great, and I feel this one being even better built than the previous models. Overall they look and feel great.
 
Aside from the different color layout on the back of the earphones, a first in the series with two-tones on the stainless steel parts, the overall shape looks identical at a quick glance. In reality, there are small changes.
 

^{Comparison between the Jazz (old standard) and Ballad (different) coloring layout on the back.
The black circle on the back tastefully matches the color of the stock ear tips.}
 
First off, the earphone is vented in the back just like the other three Tonal Earphones, but the Ballad also has a vent in the front. Even with the (stock) tips on, the vent is actually visible. The distinctive J shaped stainless steel back is also thinner (by roughly 0.08mm), which changes the weight distribution on the body. It feels lighter, but in reality it is not. In fact on the scale they weigh ~0.2g more than the JAZZ model. The surface treatment of the stainless steel is different and the edges have been slightly smoothed. It seems like the proportion of the J shaped back has slightly changed as well.
 
 
As far as durability goes, this time around I didn't forcibly abuse them with drop tests and whacking them against each other. Based on the other models, these are definitely very durable and I don't foresee the metallic mesh fall out or the earphone housing falling apart (like the TDK BA200 is prone to do) and they can take a fair beating. You can also use them to beat others like mini flails but... uhh... you did not hear that from me.  Which brings me to say, if you ever dropped them or one side falls out from your ears for whatever reasons, they could potentially leave an impression on whatever surface it hits.
 
The J-shaped back operates the same as before and is meant to help reduce microphones and cable strain. Personally, I don't find it very helpful against microphonics but it does work very well at providing a nice resistance against cable tug at the cable entry point. On the other hand, when the cables are tangled this particular shape makes untangling more difficult.
 
The 3.5mm plug is very diminutive in size and thus case-friendly for those that use smartphones or tablets with cases.
 
One pet peeves I previously had was with the cable length past the Y-split. Compared to most other IEMs in my repertoire, they are definitely on the shorter side for use worn over the ear. With time and use this had become much less of an issue. I suppose it was a matter of getting used to.
 
 
Fit and Isolation
The previous Tonal Earphones fit okay, but the comfort was definitely not among the best. The Ballad, with small changes to the overall design, brought great changes in terms of comfort. The stainless steel parts do not feel sharp against the skin and does not bother any part of my ears. No hot spots. Originally I thought the steel parts would be uncomfortable in winter when it contact with the skin; turns out since metals are good thermal conductors, this sensation is kept to a minimum and soon enough the earphones are near body temperature. No burns in summer, no frostbite in winter.
 
Overall, these earphones are something I personally can wear for long hours on end. While not as comfortable as small, light, and ergonomic IEMs like say the Sony XBA-C10, they are not uncomfortable. The Ballad weighs about 21g in total including cables but without ear tips. With the right sized tips, they don't fall out of your ears when inserted properly but they cannot mask their presence; these are definitely not something you can sleep on (due to shape) or that you would forget they're being worn (due to weight). Size-wise they are not too big, though I suppose people with very small ears might differ in opinions here. 
 
Here are a few images of how they look worn... on a semi-fail ear replica of mine.
 
 
 
 
Isolation? Not very good. Average at best; there are other IEMs that have much less isolation than these. Since it has two vents per side, the lack of good isolation is to be expected but this means that if you take the bus/metro/subway/train, you might not be hearing a lot of your music. In those cases you'd only be hearing mids. In quieter environments the lack of great isolation is not much of a problem and will not interfere the enjoyment of music.
 
 
Sound
All listening have been done using the stock tips. The reason is straightforward: I find they sound and fit the best. Sony hybrids might be more of taste for some... they don't sound too different from the stock tips, with a very slight more concentrated sound, but I personally find the stock tips more comfortable.
 

^{The FR as shown on the C&M website. The scale isn't mentioned... but I believe it is more to use as reference against their other earphones rather than to take literally.}
 
To start off, here is the official description:
Chord&Major's Major6'13 is a tonal earphone with highly balanced frequency response. It targets details in the lead vocal while maintaining comprehensiveness of all instrument. The beautiful, delicate vocals as well as clear, balanced music sound quality presented by Major6'13 gradually lays out the narrator's emotions. As listeners enjoy the appealing sound of singing, they are further invited to sympathize the feelings and meanings of the song and its lyrics.
 
I would be lying if I said I didn't like Chord&Major's product descriptions. They really are spot on. The overall tonality is well balanced with a hard (enough) hitting sub bass when needed, a mid bass that doesn't bleed nor overwhelm mids, a clean lower mids with a more energetic upper mids to bring out clarity, and finally a softer treble that brings detail without sibilance. Across the spectrum there are no major dips or peaks. The focus, or say the specialty, of this model is really on the vocals though.
 
But lets put that into context. Sub bass is there. It hits pretty hard when needed, has good texture, though on jazz tracks for instance the upright bass just doesn't have the same authoritative feel as something that is flat down to 20Hz. So if you want to hear the utmost details in bass, these will not satisfy. Mid bass is clean, and definitely on the lean side if compared to most modern tuning headphones that have mid bass humps. That said, if I were to listen to EDM (which I find sound surprisingly good on these) I might find myself boosting bass sometimes when in the mood. For most music, the quantity and quantity are quite melodic.
 
The same could be said of the lower mids. While there is plenty of body, unlike the Jazz and Classical model the Ballad's tonality isn't towards the warm side but the bright side with a more energetic upper mid reminiscent to the Rock model. The timbre isn't overly skewed and remains in fact very natural sounding. Vocals, male and female, are clear, articulate and portrays nuances very well. I love my BA200 for its vocal reproduction and these sound similar enough but with a bit less body, more clarity. These might be my new vocal reference IEMs. The same can be said of instruments with some reservation.
 
The treble is on the soft side and comparable to the Rock and Classical model. No overly accentuated treble or daggers to my ears as I'd like to call it, although personally I do find these the more fatiguing model--relatively speaking since none of them really are fatiguing. Overall these are less forgiving when it comes to badly mastered tracks.
 
The soundstage isn't perceived as large as the Classical model which I believe is thanks to it's slower decay. I find the stage to be above average and the stereo image very good as well. Vocals take the center stage and are upfront so if you like laid-back vocals, these might not work for you. Instruments are well separated but are layered behind and around the vocals.
 
As far as the speed goes, these are fast. Fast paced tracks, guitar licks, tongue twisters you name it, the Ballad sings them effortlessly. The attack is also fast, part of what makes the vocals and instruments very clean sounding. This can be a con though. My reservation with regards to instruments is due to this. Sometimes the impact of piano keys hitting the strings can feel overly accentuated and distracting. On the contrary, guitars, specially acoustic ones, sound sublime.
 
How do these fare for watching movies or playing games? If the game or movie involves a lot of guns, explosions and the sort, I would say there are much better choices out there. Just because more sub bass adds to the ambiance and echolocation.
 
 
TL;DR: I find these make a great all rounder if you don't need emphasized bass, and especially if you put emphasis on vocal quality. But if you like overall warm sound then these might not be the ones.
 
 
Sound (Alternate)
So uhh.. what's the alternate sound?
There's two vents right?... let's plug them up! (does it show I'm into modifying headphones?)
 
How should we go about doing this? Since the parts of the IEM body where the vents are is stainless steel, tape doesn't always hold very well. So instead, it looks terrible, but I put blue tack which also can be removed without any residue.
 
If only the front vent is plugged, the sound is loose and bassy. Lots of sub bass and huge loss in upper frequency making it very dark and warm sounding. Yuck.
 
If only the back vent is plugged, treble start to sound harsh. Yikes.
 
What if we plugged both at the same time? Huh... surprisingly great. Improved isolation. Increased sensitivity (almost like upping the volume by 1.5 on the E17). More sub bass and mid bass. Still of pretty good quality although sub bass gets a little garbled up in quicker tracks. Mid bass still doesn't bleed into mids. Mids still sound great, but gets a little complicated with somewhat of a M shaped accentuation. So for some voices, there's a little more body. For some it will sound the same. Others you might feel like the singing is a bit irregular. Treble gets a little bit of accentuation but like the sub bass, gets a little confused when the tracks gets fast and sophisticated.
 
What else do we lose? Well, the sound is less airy and flattened. If you're sensitive to differing (air) pressure in your ears, you'll feel it against your ear drums. But for all the times you wished the Ballads worked better on other genres, this method gives you just that.
 
 
EQ Response
These respond quite well to EQ. I personally don't find EQ necessary for these but when mood differs it certainly is an option. Also easier to apply on the fly than plugging vents up.
 
 
Final Thoughts

 
This may be ironic for me to say about Tonal Earphones but I am more the type that finds a good middle ground for all genres I listen to, rather than using different gear for different genres. But having quite a collection of earphones and headphones myself, I do switch around depending on my mood and what I am listening to. Some gear are just better suited for the job than others. That said, these fit the bill as a pretty solid all rounder especially if you like your vocals to be in the spotlight. In my case... I definitely have a penchant for vocals. I can't help but think that these really do excel at vocals without too much compromise, without limiting to just ballads as genre. The biggest and greatest compromise is the isolation which will limit where and how you use them.
 
How do these compare to other similarly priced IEMs? Depending on your tastes these give a fair competition to many high contenders on Head-Fi. I must say though, I haven't had the chance to keep up with the hundreds of new products pouring into the market every other week so my reference point might be outdated... but as far as my personal collection goes (you can check my profile) these rank high on my preference scale.

Alright, to be fair they did also say "best IMEs under USD 100"... okay, I shouldn't be mean and nitpick on typos. We all make typos.
 
This will actually be my second review write-up from a hisoundaudio review chance. Grateful to Jack of hisoundaudio for opening these positions! The previous model that I tried was actually a POPO, which in comparison these were a BIG leap from there. In the good direction.
 
For all purposes and intent of this review, I did not use any amps for these.
Ever since my review on the Chord & Major earphones, I've only gotten more picky about sound; what was probably a good bass-head IEM the POPO was, today is quite the mediocre one. Well, it wasn't an expensive one either so let's let it go; many name brands at these price range are pretty terrible as well. But there are gems out there nonetheless.
 
Now as a reminder: to some extent we all hear differently and we might all have differing degrees in our definition of various sound signatures. For this reason, keep in mind to take reviews--not just mine but in general--with a grain of salt; especially the sound description sections. We also have differing tastes in evaluating "good sound", do not forget that. A hyped headphone/earphone is not necessarily a headphone/earphone you will like. I tend to have sensitive hearing to sub bass and treble, so keep that in mind while reading my review.
 
Once again, sorry for the TERRIBLE pictures... my camera broke on my trip and the lighting was simply unacceptable.
Anyhow, let's get down to business.
 
 
 
Packaging
Well. Not much to say. A thin cardboard box with a plastic form on the inside. You can read the specs from the picture or on the original E212 thread linked above.
"Unbeatable sound quality"? Well, let's evaluate that.
 

 

 

 
Regarding hisoundaudio's idea of having the two earphones sticking out of the clamshell case... well, it's a little silly, perhaps a little fun or interesting. On the other hand, it's not being nice to the cable; the day I received them there was already a pretty deathly kink on the cable exactly where the clamshell case's zippers closed off. Mine turned out okay but repeat this on much larger production size through various shipping situations there might be a few that will perish from the zipper, aesthetic only or functional as well.
 

Look at those kinks! All due to the zipper.
 
 
Might I also mention that the box was half crushed during shipping; either the shipping needs to be packed more safely or the box made a little more sturdy. In reality, there was no damage to the IEMs themselves nor any of the accessories (maybe the cables caught be zipper was partially done in by the shipping process) so strengthening the packaging might be meaningless and more expensive for little reason. The packaging is, however, needlessly large for the amount of stuff it contains. Making it a bit more compact might in turn strengthen the box already, while cutting down on material costs. I think it would be easy to churn down the size by a good 30% or even more. That is my honest suggestion to HSA.
 
 
Accessories
Well, I'm unsure if it was intended this way but the package included 3 pairs of ear tips (total), a fish carcass cable manager and a reduced size clamshell case. No shirt clip.
 
Beginning with the ear tips, they seem to be a little bit thicker and more textured than your standard freebie silicone tips. Thanks to the thicker tips that are also stiffer, getting a proper fit is a bit more difficult if it doesn't already fit perfect. The slightly textured tip does play a bit on the give and take on isolation, but does facilitate taking them off with a small twist.
As far as sizes go, I am honestly unsure if that is two pair of Medium and one pair of small, or one pair of L/M/S each.

The picture shows one set obviously larger, but that is due to picture angle and (camera) lens curvature.
 
Now the cable winder.

Now WHERE have I seen those before?? OH right. Ebay.
Do any search on Ebay for "cable winder" you're sure to find some of these fish bone silicone cable winders of assorted color with the EXACT same shape.
The difference is that these are "rebranded" to HiSoundAudio. Let's say that there wasn't too much design put into these; they're pretty much grabbed from existing bins.
 
Needless to say, build quality or whatnot is just a piece of silicone without much precision given to it. I've actually never tried them since they don't fit well in the clamshell case anyway.
Regarding not fitting, they don't even conform to the shape of the plastic form of the packaging. I don't even know what happened to mine; maybe it got into a fight before being packed but he (or she...or it) certainly has a black eye! The poor guy...

 
The clamshell case in the other hand...

 
I can simply say that they serve their purpose very well. The zipper is pretty smooth. the interior is nicely lined and has a small pouch where I put my little box of spare tips. Note that the pouch has an elastic BUT the design isn't for small object it seems; the elastic is floating in the case, enough for me to slip my pinky in without touching the elastic at all. That said, if you want to put anything in the pouch it should be thick enough but not too thick to crush your earphones.
 
One great aspect of this clamshell case is the size. It's pretty small in my opinion, yet not too small (for the E212 and most IEMs with more flexible cables and smaller plugs). Roughly 8x8x3 cm, it's quite pocketable. It's a semi-hard shell case with "hi" embossed outwards on the cover.
 

Design
So, hisoundaudio's new E212 seems to still take the same type of flair in design as the POPO I previous received. The POPO had red cables, taking inspiration from flamenco (for... pop?...); these have a chrome and red body along with a fully black cable. Let's start with the cable.
 
The cable on the E212 is simply said... great. Let's not get into the cable sound and etc. but simply that it is fairly light, very supple, little memory and, well, they look nice. It's actually reminiscent of higher end IEM cables; braided (or twisted, rather) but with a slightly reflective layer over it. There's no slider above the Y split though.
I must say that at first sight I thought they looked hideous... like having electric tape wrapped all over. They grew on me real fast.
 
Microphonic is pretty average.
 

The plug end is a 45 degree plug. The body is larger than the V-Moda plug (left) though the strain relief is thinner---understandable as the cable is thinner as well. All in all, the cable is one element of these IEM I really like.
 
Let's talk a bit about the nozzle.
hisoundaudio did a pretty interesting thing to their nozzle.

You can see that the chrome part is the only reflective material on the IEM body. The red parts give off a matted reflection... and whatever the base material is, it seems like they put a thin layer of a soft material over it. Silicone?
Whatever the soft material is, what that means is that the nozzle area is more grippy! Thanks to that, tips stay on nice and tight, you won't have to worry about them slipping off. Good idea, hisoundaudio!
 
Now there are two down sides to having this (let's say) silicone layer over the nozzle.

Firstly is the aesthetics. Because the nozzle features concave shapes, spraying on whatever material is harder to get even coats. The white reflection on the picture? that part didn't get any silicone coating. This reflects into the build quality, if at least as far as aesthetics is concerned.
Secondly and more importantly, is the size of the nozzle. It seems to me that the designer did not account for the fact that this silicone layer would increase the girth of the nozzle, making tips even harder to put on/take off. It also slightly limits the number of tips that work with these; the nozzle is noticeably larger than standard tips. Mind you that the nozzle was already slightly larger than standard to begin with. The larger (and possibly even larger than intended due to coating) nozzle makes many standard tips unusable; Monster gel tips for one will come off with a small push on the side.
 
Aside from the bad selection of tips for such nozzle size, another point to take into consideration is how it may not fit well in some people's ears. Personally, they don't fit very comfortable at all, despite being able to get a decent seal. This is the same problem I have with the KEF M200, which I absolutely loved the way they sound but even small tips did not work for me.
I normally use M sized tips, and these are uncomfortable with the M tips. I get no seal with S tips. If you normally use L, then it may not be a problem for you at all.
 
 
Build Quality
As far as the build quality goes, I think hisoundaudio does a pretty good job on the IEMs. Can't say the same for the accessories (*ahem*cablewinder*ahem* or the ear tips on the POPO).
One thing that does HIGHLY bother me on these though, is the driver flex. Not entirely sure if build quality should be the section to write this but the driver flex on these is really bad. Not only does it occur every time I try to adjust my fit, the flex is REALLY loud. I'll be honest in saying that my ears have really hurt from the driver flex... might even have damaged my hearing to some extent by the sheer loudness of the flex and how frequently it occurs.
 
I am practically ready to disrecommend these based simply on the driver flex...
The driver flex is, sadly, the result of the driver design. These excel at bass (read on), and that inglorious bass basterd requires the drivers to be thin and light, which in turn causes driver flexing. Give and take.

 
Sound Quality
Let's start with the overall impressions. Bassy.
Alright, let's talk some more.
 
The overall sound of these is that they are very fun and bassy but unlike many of the cheaper bass-head IEMs, the mids are not sucked out. In fact there is a mids emphasis on these, which makes vocals enjoyable. They're quite dark though. Warm and dark. Muggy.
 
The bass on these have great extension and impact. These IEMs are proficient at bass and sub bass, and are not afraid to show it. In tracks that have sound effects to replicate wind, rumbling of trains, etc. the sub bass really does kick in. There's a few tracks I got to hear things I never noticed before thanks to this 'sensitive' sub bass. In fact, I'd be saying I hear more sub bass than mid bass... probably due to the sensitivity to sub bass in my own hearing though.
 
So aside from knowing it has a lot of bass quantity, what about the quality? I'd say the bass quality is really good. I love it, if only less in amount. Maybe then I can listen to them without giving myself headaches. After thinking through things a lot, these actually have the best bass texture and presentation in all IEMs I've tried ($1 to $1800? naturally I didn't try everything though).
 
Does all this bass quantity make them nice beaters for commuting? Well... at first I thought they would. But the average isolation doesn't help you hear the sub bass--which nobody really needs to hear when you're on the bus or subway/metro. Just because you don't hear it doesn't mean it isn't present though; the sub bass on these definitely gives me nausea even during my bus/metro rides.
 
The mids on these are so-so (read on). To me, the bass doesn't bleed significantly into the mids. The mids are pretty forward--to speak--and have a good presence that isn't superimposed nor mixed with the bass. This makes pop music among other genres very suitable. What is great about the midrange is that there are no obvious/perceivable/notable dip within the mid range itself. This is important.
 
But let's talk a bit more in details... vocals have great body but the upper midrange is missing in action. These lack A LOT on detail---let's not talk about detail.... they lack A LOT on clarity. Note that I'm not talking about hi-end gear clarity but basic lo-fi ones. While you won't have trouble hearing vocals and mids in general over the strong bass, and the vocals can sound very enjoyable, give it another listen on any other decent gear and you'll start feeling depressed. The lack of clarity feels like a day with clogged ears... and as audiophiles that is depressing.
 
The treble and uppers are far from exciting. While you still hear the cymbals without any blatant dip between the frequency range transition, it is as if you hear them through a pillow. There's no sparkle, no shine, just a depressing tsfft while it should have been tssst! The upper range is, without a doubt, non-fatiguing (debatable as some weird, unnatural sounding high frequencies do creep on) but could be boosted or extended for more enjoyability like the Chord & Major which don't have sparkly trebles either.
 
One weird thing though is the way the soundstage feels to me. These feel pretty spacious, and in layers. Or concentric circles.
I mention concentric circles because of the sub bass (or overall bass) presentation, which feels VERY omnidirectional, which is the property of low frequencies. However, these truly feel like you're immersed in a sea of sub bass, and you're drowning in it. In a sense, I find the sound stage of the bass too large. Added to the sheer amount there is, no wonder it gives me headaches. While this could be a problem to audio, they do give allow great immersion in sound effects (games, movies, etc. where things like wind, rumbling and explosions! would be commonly encountered).
The mids also are fairly spacious feeling, though as a smaller circle within the sea of (sub) bass. The spatial feel of the mids is quite nice.
As far as the upper frequencies go, they seem to emerge from here and there in between the mids and bass. The feeling that they come out squished between the bass and mids, is probably due to the fact that they're so muffled.
 
So what does this sound signature mean for musical genres? Well, throw rock out of the picture. The balance is completely wrong and way too dark for it. Faster paced tracks also tend to muddy up. The mids simply do not have the upper mids to clear up the cloudy water.
They do work pretty well with jazz, though jazz tends to work well with various sound signatures as long as you have enough details in the bass, of which these are frankly quite amazing.
 
 
Sound Modifiers
As far as EQ goes, I didn't find a proper graph to make them sound to my bidding. They DO behave well to EQ, although the treble still doesn't perform all that well. The speed does not improve with EQ either.
 
On the note of using different ear tips, I found two odd combinations that work decently well to reduce the overwhelming bass and slightly improve the apparent clarity: foam ear tips that transform IEMs into canal-type earphones (read: typical earbuds), and longer silicone tips. Both work under the same principle: increase the distance between the drivers and your ear drums. By doing this, a slight shift in the apparent frequency response happens; less bass, less mids, more upper mids and a more treble. Depending on the seal, the amount of bass remaining will vary from still a lot to hardly heard. Naturally, the problem with these sound shift is whether or not the sound shift sounds better. From the stiff foam tips and the Monster gel tips I have, they certainly don't sound significantly better despite the no longer deafening bass levels. The problem is simply that the increased distance may increase the upper mids and treble quantity but at significantly lower quality.
 
 
Verdict & Comparisons
So, how do these fare as ""Best IEMs under USD 100""? Once again, if you're a bass head maybe. Even so there are better ones if you like heavy bass but better overall balance. If you're anything else, no.
What I did like about these is how it sounded like there was no big, important dips within it's effective FR range. But it also felt like it started rolling off starting from 2k.
That said, I wouldn't call them V or U shaped because there's no notable or good uppers... These are more  \ shape without being so abruptly angled downward.
 
Priced in the $50 range plus shipping you're up to around the $60~70 range.
If I were to compare the sound, I'd actually say the E212 is comparable to the SonyEricsson MH1C, TDK MT-300 (that was under $5), which are all bassy sounds.
The differences being namely that the MH1C's mids are more recessed but has a much better performing (and still slightly unnatural) high frequency range. Both these and the E212 has bass levels to give me headaches.
What about the MT-300? Those are also bassy, but not as bassy as the E212. The E212 does however perform better on the bass quality and arguably in the mids as well than those TDKs. The MT-300 still fares better in the uppers, and that's not saying a lot since they both feel as if rolling off since the high mids.
 
What about other earphones that I've tried but not owned?
I'd say the JVC HA-FX31 (~$18?) which are also bassy IEMs. The mids are not forward but there's at least upper extensions (albeit unnatural sounding).
Under $50 I'd probably still say I prefer AudioFly's AF33, which gives a overall better balance also without large notable breaks. Now those aren't for bass heads. For those needing more bass, the models with increasing model number pretty much have increasing bass in a nutshell, the AF45 being in the E212 price range.
 
I'm picking models from the top of my head; there's surely more interesting models.
Still, a good departure from POPO. Would I recommend these? no:
-Large nozzle may not fit smaller ears
-Driver flex is unbearable.
-Too much (sub) bass.
-Needs at least some clarity.
These MIGHT be problems specific to my ears, specially regarding the fit issue. However, we should not forget that these all fall into design choices that HSA made, and it simply is not as versatile for smaller ears. I use Medium tips, but my ears are definitely on the small side. If you have larger ear canals then perhaps you will encounter none of the first two issues. If you are a bass head to boot, the third one and maybe even the fourth one can be non-issues for you.
 
 
P.S.: If you wonder why I bothered to review a bass heavy IEM if I don't like high amounts of bass. Well, Jack assured me that these have great bass that is well controlled and does not bleed in the mids and highs, and to check out Hisoundaudio's skills at developping earphones. Well I'll be. I certainly did want to hate them the moment I put them on and head the bass quantity (and the driver flex). But the mids were certainly there, if only about 3/4 of it. The highs however were a big flunk to me. It could, however, be the shape of my ear canals working against non-deep-insertion IEMs. They were enjoyable in the end... but still too bass heavy. But I give my regards to Jack and Co. because that bass was impressive no doubt. Hoping the next iteration could have that kind of bass but with a lot less in quantity, without having to resort to EQ.
 
 
Changelog: (23/09/13) Fixed a few formatting errors and added a bit more details to various parts.
                 (13/11/13) Added some sound science, fixed some formatting and typo, and put in bold the key phrases.