Are you guys ready?!? Here it comes! Just please DON'T quote the review in your replies, too many pictures below!!!
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This is a review of SIDY (BGVP) DGS100 2-way hybrid in-ear headphones. http://penonaudio.com/BGVP-DGS100
My adventure in a land of hybrid in-ear headphones continuous, this time looking into a new offering from SIDY with their latest flagship model DGS100. For someone who just wants to buy a pair of replacement headphones or on a budget to find something that "sounds good", it will not make a difference about a type and a number drivers used in various headphone models. But for those who understand and appreciate a sound quality and have different headphones in their collection, hybrid IEM has been the latest buzz word. Having a flexibility of dynamic driver to deliver strong low frequencies and balanced armature driver for high frequencies opens up a door to a new sound shaping opportunity. Having already a number of dynamic IEMs under their belt, SIDY decided to join the hybrid revolution with their own offering. Here is what I found.
Arrived in a very unique tin box, it was a pleasant change from a traditional headphone packaging. In addition to headphones, inside of the box I found a very impressive collection of accessories. In addition to a quality hard shell storage case, you also get red over the ear wire guides and a collection of 16 (!!!) pairs of eartips. We are talking about a set (S/M/L) of quality Foam eartips, a set of hybrid eartips with red stem (S/M/L), a set of a typical audio-technica narrow bore opening eartips (S/M/L), and another 10 pairs of wide bore opening eartips in gray/white/black colors. I actually found these foam tips to be a lot better than Comply since they are softer and more spongy with less memory effect, goes into your ear faster without a need to wait for a foam to expand. I also found them to provide the best sound isolation and also a more detailed presentation. It all depends on your personal preference and anatomy of your ears, but SIDY definitely provides you with a big variety of eartip to find the one which fits you the best.
The headphones itself have a very basic cylindrical shape, but it's made out of a solid metal material and has a nice black finish. The design revealed a few interesting details. Looking through the nozzle's mesh cover, I was able to see all the way down to a sound port opening which suggests there is no filter insert, and kind of reminded me of their other DM2 model with interchangeable filters where the nozzle itself was a shaped filter. Also, a typical port opening found at the base of the nozzle (common in a lot of headphones) was on the side of the shell facing outward in Left/Right earpieces. Furthermore, there was another port opening on the back of the shell which I found to affect low frequency content as you close and open it with your finger. The cable attachment had a very nice strain relief and clear L/R marking, including a small bump on the Right side. Cable shielding was round, not too thin or too thick, and with enough flexibility to keep it tangle free as well as folded over your ear without a need for included earguides. I was surprised a cable cinch (chin slider) wasn't included, but y-splitter had a nice touch with an individual S/N marking. 3.5mm gold plated connector had a great strain relief and was 270 degree angled for additional comfort. I didn't detect any microphonics while wearing these either wired down or up.
Even so DGS100 might look plain, there is nothing plain about it when it comes to the sound. But I have to warn you, they absolutely require at least 20-30hrs of burn in. This is a first pair of in-ear headphones where I experienced such a drastic change from when I heard them out of the box and throughout first 20hrs of burn in. Out of the box, the mid-bass was overwhelming and upper mids were recessed. Now, 25hrs later - what a difference!!! Starting with a bass, mid-bass definitely settled down in comparison to my initial impression, but it still a dominant element across entire frequency range. Sub-bass is present as well, but it's more of a fill-in layer which supports mid-bass. I feel there is a little bit of mid-bass bleed into lower mids, though bass is still under control while being "on" most of the time. Upper mids are very detailed and smooth, and no longer feel recessed. The only thing I feel it lacking is a bit of clarity.
It took me awhile to put my finger on what's going on until I came across FR curve for DGS100. I personally trust my ears more than any visual graph, but in this case when I saw a sharp dip around 6k region that made sense to me. DGS100 upper mids are warm and smooth, not too bright, which creates a perception of less clarity in comparison to some other brighter IEMs in my collection. The same with treble, it's super detailed, but not as bright. I'm not saying this in a negative sense, it's just a different sound signature. As a matter of fact, upper mids/treble of DGS100 reminds me A LOT of Westone W40 (and we are talking about $500 IEM). Soundstage is actually wider than average, while depth is average. Also, these headphones are not as forgiving when it comes to playing lower bit rate encoded files, and I noticed a difference with 192kbps mp3s.
Overall, in my opinion if you have been waiting to try out a pair of hybrid IEMs and not after a bright analytical sound but rather want a smooth fun sound - these get my high recommendation. I don't want to compare them to other BA only or dynamic only headphones because they are in a different category. Also, their smooth and laid back sound signature makes it more tolerable for extended non-fatigue listening, unlike bright sound of Altone 200. Furthermore, I prefer DGS100 sound signature over AX35 where I found upper mids to be veiled and a bit recessed. If you are on a budget and looking for a single pair of in-ear headphones to invest money into, these might not necessary be the end-game pair. But if you are a headphone enthusiast who understands and values a sound quality and has a collection of headphones with different driver technology - these will be a worthy trophy on your shelf with a great value under $80 (once you sign in to Penonaudio).
Here are the pictures.
