Introduction
Zhiyin, a somewhat unknown company to anyone outside of China, has recently produced the QT5 which I am reviewing today. It is handmade, with four balanced armatures and one dynamic driver. It immediately caught my attention, as a configuration with these specs can normally run up to $1,000, such as with the Shure SE846. The SE846 actually does not have the extra dynamic driver that the QT5 has, making the QT5 an even higher spec IEM. Multiple drivers do not automatically equal good sound though, so I had to see for myself if the QT5 was worthy of competing with similar flagship models in its price range and beyond. Four Balanced Armatures (3 from Knowles) and one Dynamic Driver for $288, seems like a bargain… or maybe is it too good to be true considering similar specs cost much more just about everywhere else?
I’d like to thank Jim at HCK audio on Aliexpress for providing me the QT5 at a discounted price in exchange for an honest review.
About me
I’m a price/performance value shopper in everything I purchase. I spend an extensive amount of time researching purchases and always look for a good value.
I have also spent many years as an A/V and music enthusiast. I have owned some high end audio equipment, from amps, speakers, subs, to just about anything audio related you can think of. I eventually moved on into building my own DIY custom speakers, as I felt the value and performance of most commercial speakers were lacking. I found out through this process that you could create high end setups from equipment costing thousands less than most branded commercial setups.
Since I cannot play music at 100+ decibels all day and night in an apartment complex, I started looking for similar values in the Headphone/Earphone/IEM world. In a Beats dominated setting, I was very disappointed.
I then found out about some excellent headphones/IEMs at great prices being made by Asian companies that are not known of here in the US. It renewed my interest in headphones and became the basis of the Asian audio thread.
My love of quality audio continues to this day, and I enjoy sharing my opinion of the gear I listen to. I have been guided toward purchasing some life altering, fantastic gear from great reviewers, and I feel if I can guide someone in the same way in which they truly appreciate what they have found, I’ve done what I wanted to accomplish.
REVIEW
**Update** I need to do a rewrite on this review.
After taking measurements and A/Bing those measurements with an EQ correction curve, the dark lower mids are noticeable. The large dip in the 2kHz region hurts the sound as well. Once corrected via EQ, it becomes clearer.
Attached is an EQ curve to help with this. Unzip and use in Foobar2000
I will update the review in the future. I still like the QT5's soundstage and resolution, but I also notice the problem areas a bit more. Apologies for not noticing these sooner.
The QT5 can be found for purchase here:
http://www.aliexpress.com/store/product/2016-New-ZhiYin-QT5-Hybrid-5-Drive-Unit-In-Ear-Earphone-DIY-HIFI-Headphone-Kill-K3003/1825606_32640588846.html
Zhiyin, a somewhat unknown company to anyone outside of China, has recently produced the QT5 which I am reviewing today. It is handmade, with four balanced armatures and one dynamic driver. It immediately caught my attention, as a configuration with these specs can normally run up to $1,000, such as with the Shure SE846. The SE846 actually does not have the extra dynamic driver that the QT5 has, making the QT5 an even higher spec IEM. Multiple drivers do not automatically equal good sound though, so I had to see for myself if the QT5 was worthy of competing with similar flagship models in its price range and beyond. Four Balanced Armatures (3 from Knowles) and one Dynamic Driver for $288, seems like a bargain… or maybe is it too good to be true considering similar specs cost much more just about everywhere else?
I’d like to thank Jim at HCK audio on Aliexpress for providing me the QT5 at a discounted price in exchange for an honest review.
About me
I’m a price/performance value shopper in everything I purchase. I spend an extensive amount of time researching purchases and always look for a good value.
I have also spent many years as an A/V and music enthusiast. I have owned some high end audio equipment, from amps, speakers, subs, to just about anything audio related you can think of. I eventually moved on into building my own DIY custom speakers, as I felt the value and performance of most commercial speakers were lacking. I found out through this process that you could create high end setups from equipment costing thousands less than most branded commercial setups.
Since I cannot play music at 100+ decibels all day and night in an apartment complex, I started looking for similar values in the Headphone/Earphone/IEM world. In a Beats dominated setting, I was very disappointed.
I then found out about some excellent headphones/IEMs at great prices being made by Asian companies that are not known of here in the US. It renewed my interest in headphones and became the basis of the Asian audio thread.
My love of quality audio continues to this day, and I enjoy sharing my opinion of the gear I listen to. I have been guided toward purchasing some life altering, fantastic gear from great reviewers, and I feel if I can guide someone in the same way in which they truly appreciate what they have found, I’ve done what I wanted to accomplish.
REVIEW
**Update** I need to do a rewrite on this review.
After taking measurements and A/Bing those measurements with an EQ correction curve, the dark lower mids are noticeable. The large dip in the 2kHz region hurts the sound as well. Once corrected via EQ, it becomes clearer.
Attached is an EQ curve to help with this. Unzip and use in Foobar2000
I will update the review in the future. I still like the QT5's soundstage and resolution, but I also notice the problem areas a bit more. Apologies for not noticing these sooner.
The QT5 can be found for purchase here:
http://www.aliexpress.com/store/product/2016-New-ZhiYin-QT5-Hybrid-5-Drive-Unit-In-Ear-Earphone-DIY-HIFI-Headphone-Kill-K3003/1825606_32640588846.html