EDIT: this is an update after 6months. I tried very hard to keep using the hifiboy dream but I couldn't pretend anymore. There is way too much treble with a spike at 10khz that ruin the balance for a lot of musics even with full foam. The bass has no energy and no weight but it's impossible to turn up the volume because of the treble.. This go a bit better (I mean, less worse) when using an amp or perhaps heavy EQ but I don't think it's worth it. For that price you can find nicer stuff. Therefore I updated the rating from 4.5/5 to 1.5/5.
I still think good things of this earphones but the flaws are too Significant to have a positive rating.
dream is an earbud released by a new audio company called HiFi Boy based in Chengdu, China. They also released two IEM which, according to reviews, seems to be of good value.
Disclaimer
I bought the earbuds on PenonAudio.com and paid full price for it.
Source
For the review, final thoughts will be made after 200 hours of burn-in and approximately three weeks of use
I will use Nuansa P1 with JRC2068 op amp listening to FLAC 16bit and MP3 320kb/S mainly.
Will also drive the earphones with FiiO M3 and Zishan Z2 using the NE5532 NOS opamp.
I will eventually use my Nuansa A1 amp to compare dream with the Puresounds PS100-600
Personal Preferences
I tend to prefer a neutral to warm sound signature with a slight U shape or a fun sound depending on the mood. Less interested in clinical and critical reproduction of the music. I mostly listen to IDM, electronic music, experimental, pop, ambient, new age and jazz. From Top end Hi-Fi recordings to bedroom broken tape. Old and new. Random names: Autechre, Gigi Masin, Chra, Jun Togawa, Ryuichi Sakamoto & Alva Noto, Jon Hassel.
HiFi BOY dream "rose gold" with dense white foam
Specifications
Model: Dream
Driver: 16mm dynamic driver
Impedance: 32ohm
Sensitivity: 100dB
Frequency response: 15Hz-23 KHz
Cable Length: 1.2M
Plug: 3.5mm
Wire: 5N OFC
Four colors for optional: Silver, Coffee, Gold and Rose-gold.
SRP: 95.00 USD
Packaging and accessories
The dream comes in a big cardboard box, it is accompanied by a golden plated 3.5 to 6.5 mm jack and a gold plated two pin airport adapter. They are of good quality, It is probably the most beautiful airplane headphones adapter I have ever seen, but I'm not sure it is going to be used pretty much. There is a bigger than usual clam case to transport and store the earbuds, which is of same size of the zishan box but with "hifi boy" embossed on. It comes with foams and a shirt clip. Nothing spectacular, the packaging is still more generous than average when you think about other earbuds.
Build and comfort
Some TOTL earbuds like to impress with thick cables, heavy splitter and oversized plugs. dream goes the opposite way and try to be the least cumbersome an earphone can be. You are more likely to put them in your ears, dap in the pocket and forget about it.
Shells are made of aluminum, a shape highly similar to the one of the HE150PRO, the fit is in between the classic Sennheiser MX500 Shell and the Yuin, Shozy shell, It sits securely in the ears and can be use with or without foam. My ears are medium to small size and while the MX500 is fine, they tend to fell off every so and then. The yuin are a bit small and couldn't be use naked at all. The shell of the dream is of a perfect middle ground and fit securely, naked or not. The cable is soft and light. Thicker than average, it feels strong and durable. The right angled jack is low profile and makes it ideal for portable application, minimizing risk of stress if bending in jean pockets or anything. There is a very light chin slider that adds an extra level of comfort if one wants to secure the cable.
The build and design choice are of excellent taste and reminds us of what an earbud should be: a simple mean to enjoy musing in a wide array of situations.
from left to right: HE150 pro, HiFi BOY dream, PureSounds PS100-600
from top to bottom: TY HI-Z 150S, Puresounds PS100-600, HiFi BOY dream
Sound
The dream is a transparent sounding earbuds that show a relaxed presentation with great speed and a tone faithful to the source it is plugged to. Revealing in a subtle manner, the rendition of details remains natural and painless. While the dream extend far and render sub bass with ease. Sub is slightly lifted but mid bass lacks a bit of weight. It is lighter than average and won't give that slam. Going to the mids in a lean manner. The latter are clean and natural, neutral with a touch of warmth. The upper mids, like female vocals, are slightly forward, intimate with a good amount of details. The treble extend very far, more neutral, there is a small peak in the 10khz region that ads a touch of excitement. It is however beautifully controlled and won't get hot in any way, even with recordings that are usually "at risk". The treble is clean, fast and completely free of fatigue, I also noticed no sibilance at all unless I would use low resolution files. The soundstage size is similar of the one of a recording studio, shown in a spherical shape, width and depth being equal. The imaging is just great: Sounds at different volumes and different locations are easy to discern and locate. The rendering of textures and details is excellent and feels right. I noticed that the dream sound has a bit more of weight when being amped.
When using the FiiO M3, the sound is very nice, balanced, smooth, a bit of warner with a slight mid-bass bump. Althought the definition and the soundstage is not on par with nuansa P1, it sound excellent for this little DAP. Many of my earbuds would sound harsh and poor with the FiiO M3. dream is easy to drive and adapt well.
When I use the Zishan Z2 with new old stock NE5532 opamp, the tonality is dead neutral, there is a little roll off at both ends, it is not as refined as the P1, but the linearity of the frequency curve and the absence of coloration is really impressive.
Using the A1 amp. PS is darker. treble is less pronounced. Mid bass has a natural weight and enough slam. dream is more excited, vocals are more vivid and with a bit more of resolution. PS sound is more smooth, but also bigger, the feel being closer to full size headphones. The overall quality of resolution and accuracy of soundstage feels similar, PS being a bit wider. They are both, in my opinion, in the same league. The dream having more sparkle and the PS100-600 more weight. When using only a rig of high quality with great power output, I would say that the PS sound is more engaging.
Without amp, the PS sound is dull, it is still relatively balanced for an under powered headphones but it doesn't sound great. Pairing the PS with the Zishan Z2, a bit of bloom is noticeable. In that regards, dream wins at being more versatile and managing to sounds good on many sources.
Final Thoughts
If you like the the sound of your source(s) and are looking for a lean, accurate sound in a comfortable, care free form factor, then dream is a safe investment.
I still think good things of this earphones but the flaws are too Significant to have a positive rating.
dream is an earbud released by a new audio company called HiFi Boy based in Chengdu, China. They also released two IEM which, according to reviews, seems to be of good value.
Disclaimer
I bought the earbuds on PenonAudio.com and paid full price for it.
Source
For the review, final thoughts will be made after 200 hours of burn-in and approximately three weeks of use
I will use Nuansa P1 with JRC2068 op amp listening to FLAC 16bit and MP3 320kb/S mainly.
Will also drive the earphones with FiiO M3 and Zishan Z2 using the NE5532 NOS opamp.
I will eventually use my Nuansa A1 amp to compare dream with the Puresounds PS100-600
Personal Preferences
I tend to prefer a neutral to warm sound signature with a slight U shape or a fun sound depending on the mood. Less interested in clinical and critical reproduction of the music. I mostly listen to IDM, electronic music, experimental, pop, ambient, new age and jazz. From Top end Hi-Fi recordings to bedroom broken tape. Old and new. Random names: Autechre, Gigi Masin, Chra, Jun Togawa, Ryuichi Sakamoto & Alva Noto, Jon Hassel.
HiFi BOY dream "rose gold" with dense white foam
Specifications
Model: Dream
Driver: 16mm dynamic driver
Impedance: 32ohm
Sensitivity: 100dB
Frequency response: 15Hz-23 KHz
Cable Length: 1.2M
Plug: 3.5mm
Wire: 5N OFC
Four colors for optional: Silver, Coffee, Gold and Rose-gold.
SRP: 95.00 USD
Packaging and accessories
The dream comes in a big cardboard box, it is accompanied by a golden plated 3.5 to 6.5 mm jack and a gold plated two pin airport adapter. They are of good quality, It is probably the most beautiful airplane headphones adapter I have ever seen, but I'm not sure it is going to be used pretty much. There is a bigger than usual clam case to transport and store the earbuds, which is of same size of the zishan box but with "hifi boy" embossed on. It comes with foams and a shirt clip. Nothing spectacular, the packaging is still more generous than average when you think about other earbuds.
Build and comfort
Some TOTL earbuds like to impress with thick cables, heavy splitter and oversized plugs. dream goes the opposite way and try to be the least cumbersome an earphone can be. You are more likely to put them in your ears, dap in the pocket and forget about it.
Shells are made of aluminum, a shape highly similar to the one of the HE150PRO, the fit is in between the classic Sennheiser MX500 Shell and the Yuin, Shozy shell, It sits securely in the ears and can be use with or without foam. My ears are medium to small size and while the MX500 is fine, they tend to fell off every so and then. The yuin are a bit small and couldn't be use naked at all. The shell of the dream is of a perfect middle ground and fit securely, naked or not. The cable is soft and light. Thicker than average, it feels strong and durable. The right angled jack is low profile and makes it ideal for portable application, minimizing risk of stress if bending in jean pockets or anything. There is a very light chin slider that adds an extra level of comfort if one wants to secure the cable.
The build and design choice are of excellent taste and reminds us of what an earbud should be: a simple mean to enjoy musing in a wide array of situations.
from left to right: HE150 pro, HiFi BOY dream, PureSounds PS100-600
from top to bottom: TY HI-Z 150S, Puresounds PS100-600, HiFi BOY dream
Sound
The dream is a transparent sounding earbuds that show a relaxed presentation with great speed and a tone faithful to the source it is plugged to. Revealing in a subtle manner, the rendition of details remains natural and painless. While the dream extend far and render sub bass with ease. Sub is slightly lifted but mid bass lacks a bit of weight. It is lighter than average and won't give that slam. Going to the mids in a lean manner. The latter are clean and natural, neutral with a touch of warmth. The upper mids, like female vocals, are slightly forward, intimate with a good amount of details. The treble extend very far, more neutral, there is a small peak in the 10khz region that ads a touch of excitement. It is however beautifully controlled and won't get hot in any way, even with recordings that are usually "at risk". The treble is clean, fast and completely free of fatigue, I also noticed no sibilance at all unless I would use low resolution files. The soundstage size is similar of the one of a recording studio, shown in a spherical shape, width and depth being equal. The imaging is just great: Sounds at different volumes and different locations are easy to discern and locate. The rendering of textures and details is excellent and feels right. I noticed that the dream sound has a bit more of weight when being amped.
When using the FiiO M3, the sound is very nice, balanced, smooth, a bit of warner with a slight mid-bass bump. Althought the definition and the soundstage is not on par with nuansa P1, it sound excellent for this little DAP. Many of my earbuds would sound harsh and poor with the FiiO M3. dream is easy to drive and adapt well.
When I use the Zishan Z2 with new old stock NE5532 opamp, the tonality is dead neutral, there is a little roll off at both ends, it is not as refined as the P1, but the linearity of the frequency curve and the absence of coloration is really impressive.
- dream vs Puresounds PS 100-600
Using the A1 amp. PS is darker. treble is less pronounced. Mid bass has a natural weight and enough slam. dream is more excited, vocals are more vivid and with a bit more of resolution. PS sound is more smooth, but also bigger, the feel being closer to full size headphones. The overall quality of resolution and accuracy of soundstage feels similar, PS being a bit wider. They are both, in my opinion, in the same league. The dream having more sparkle and the PS100-600 more weight. When using only a rig of high quality with great power output, I would say that the PS sound is more engaging.
Without amp, the PS sound is dull, it is still relatively balanced for an under powered headphones but it doesn't sound great. Pairing the PS with the Zishan Z2, a bit of bloom is noticeable. In that regards, dream wins at being more versatile and managing to sounds good on many sources.
Final Thoughts
If you like the the sound of your source(s) and are looking for a lean, accurate sound in a comfortable, care free form factor, then dream is a safe investment.