Received my custom-made Viento B from Hidition and wanted to leave a brief review a few days after receiving it.
Before placing my order, I did some searching around and couldn't find much information, so I'll include some points I was curious about. Hopefully, this will be helpful to those considering Hidition.
1. Process from Ordering to Receipt
The Viento B is a version without the R version switch. As for the current exchange rate, I'm not sure, but it's approximately 990,000 Korean Won. In Korea, you can visit the headquarters or authorized dealers in Incheon to get your ear impressions taken before placing your order.
I got my ear impressions taken at the Phonak Hearing Aid Seomyeon branch in Busan. From the date of ordering, I waited for approximately 35 days.
When placing your order, you can pay an additional fee of around 220,000 Won to expedite the production period by a significant margin.
I was informed that even if you're willing to pay an additional fee for orders that have already been processed, it's not possible to expedite them further. Considering this option is worth it if you want to receive your order quickly.
They were very courteous and answered all my inquiries thoroughly.
I believe communication via email would also be possible for international users.
2. Fit
Very Comfortable!
Of course. When compared to Apple's EarPods or shallow-insertion IEMs, the comfort level is of a different kind.
As shown in the photo, the nozzle shape fills deeply up to the second bend, so there is a sense of fullness.
However, since it fits perfectly, there's no feeling of discomfort. But, as the ear canal is penetrated deeper, it may cause irritation, especially if the skin is sensitive to pressure and stimulation.
Although inserting and removing frequently might cause irritation, it's a completely different sensation from the scratching feeling of etymotic.
I was advised to keep my mouth closed while getting the impressions, so I did. Maybe that's why it feels even more snug and comfortable.
In my search, I've noticed that some people experience pressure. With earphones made from impressions with the mouth slightly open or biting on something, it might be somewhat painful to listen to music for an extended period.
3. Deep Insertion depth and Huge Silence
Twisting the Viento B slightly clockwise upon wearing it feels like entering an anechoic chamber, just like the experience of getting impressions taken. It becomes incredibly silent.
All I can hear is my heartbeat. Since I don't use foam tips, I'll make an exception and compare it to regular-fitting silicone tips, and even then, the isolation is overwhelmingly superior. So, it seems like it would greatly assist in securing dynamic range.
Moreover, when properly worn, there's a sensation of being right at the front of the second bend, and even after scratching and listening to music, I can feel the resonance being pushed back. While DSP processing can address this ear canal resonance, reducing unnecessary errors at the source is always beneficial.
4. Some Measurements
I've borrowed a clone IEC 711 from a generous person and have measured only a few necessary things.
Coulper reliability + influence of custom earphones: Ignoring the high frequencies due to the reliability of the coupler and the influence of custom earphones, there don't seem to be any major issues.
Of course, there are also measurements provided by Hidition. The left-right match is excellent.
Also, I've had the experience where if the Viento isn't worn properly, some of the low frequencies aren't heard clearly.
When I manipulated the blue tack and took measurements several times, it seems like the issues of improper sealing are reflected in the measurements.
When properly fitted, it works well and sounds clear.
The 94/104dB THD measured with a stepped sine might have reduced reliability due to issues with the Vxlr or the coupler mic, but relative comparisons were still possible, and it was acceptable.
Even when subjected to two-tone tests, it seems to assert its presence as a BA driver, but proper measurement approaches for BA drivers haven't been achieved yet.
Regarding the most important aspect, listening experience, when listening to high-pressure sounds as usual, the characteristics above don't seem to be audible.
5. Sound Impressions
I listen to it only with Topping L70 High Gain + 4.4mm balanced connection.
I'm not particularly fond of the raw Binaural sound state because it's not very accurate and relies heavily on personal experience and brain correction for interpretation. Since it's personalized and lacks information on ear canal resonance, I briefly listened with an average 220us, omitting the extremes.
It's decent and satisfactory. There's no forced frequency range, and especially, the treble beyond 8kHz feels energetic. Unlike typical earphones where the treble drops off sharply after 10kHz, even if it's not like Western earphones, artificially boosting the treble with EQ, the sound feels natural. It's always better when the original is good.
The bass also follows EQ adjustments well and doesn't produce bloated sounds.
Excluding the rumbling bass of the 14.5mm 2nd generation, if you prefer, the Viento B offers the most balanced sound I've heard among the earphones I've tried so far.
And now, I've finally listened with my usual BRIR settings. The moment I heard it, I thought, "This is it!" The personalized measurements match perfectly with the personalized earphones.
While most iem things serve merely as playback devices for reproducing the sound required by BRIR, with some earphones, the listening experience feels somewhat lacking. Especially, with etymotic earphones, which have a deep insertion depth, I've had the feeling that reverberations are somewhat shortened.
While other earphones try to mimic or reproduce a 300ms reverberation, etymotic seems to cut it shorter, around 50-100ms. So, I speculated whether this discrepancy between the sound coming closer to the eardrum and the impulse could create a sense of inconsistency. This was the biggest concern I had regarding the Viento B.
And the conclusion is, the Viento is excellent. It plays back exactly as desired, as designed, and as it should.
Since the response extends into the second bend in the ear canal, causing stronger resonances, a custom earphone is necessary to address this. However, minimal EQ is inevitable, but the amount of EQ used is less compared to typical earphones, and the Q value is smooth.
Whether it's the response in a typical room environment, a response close to an anechoic chamber, or one with added reflections, each represents its characteristics accurately. Placing XTC on both sides at 90 degrees creates a binaural state, and it works incredibly well.
Seeing how it accurately reproduces earphone-like, headphone-like, speaker-like, spatial, and raw sound qualities, it certainly passes as a BRIR playback device.
Therefore, if anyone enjoys earphones, trying custom ones at least once would be worthwhile. Compared to other companies, Hidition's prices seem quite reasonable, and especially for BRIR users, it's highly recommended.
Before placing my order, I did some searching around and couldn't find much information, so I'll include some points I was curious about. Hopefully, this will be helpful to those considering Hidition.
1. Process from Ordering to Receipt
The Viento B is a version without the R version switch. As for the current exchange rate, I'm not sure, but it's approximately 990,000 Korean Won. In Korea, you can visit the headquarters or authorized dealers in Incheon to get your ear impressions taken before placing your order.
I got my ear impressions taken at the Phonak Hearing Aid Seomyeon branch in Busan. From the date of ordering, I waited for approximately 35 days.
When placing your order, you can pay an additional fee of around 220,000 Won to expedite the production period by a significant margin.
I was informed that even if you're willing to pay an additional fee for orders that have already been processed, it's not possible to expedite them further. Considering this option is worth it if you want to receive your order quickly.
They were very courteous and answered all my inquiries thoroughly.
I believe communication via email would also be possible for international users.
2. Fit
Very Comfortable!
Of course. When compared to Apple's EarPods or shallow-insertion IEMs, the comfort level is of a different kind.
As shown in the photo, the nozzle shape fills deeply up to the second bend, so there is a sense of fullness.
However, since it fits perfectly, there's no feeling of discomfort. But, as the ear canal is penetrated deeper, it may cause irritation, especially if the skin is sensitive to pressure and stimulation.
Although inserting and removing frequently might cause irritation, it's a completely different sensation from the scratching feeling of etymotic.
I was advised to keep my mouth closed while getting the impressions, so I did. Maybe that's why it feels even more snug and comfortable.
In my search, I've noticed that some people experience pressure. With earphones made from impressions with the mouth slightly open or biting on something, it might be somewhat painful to listen to music for an extended period.
3. Deep Insertion depth and Huge Silence
Twisting the Viento B slightly clockwise upon wearing it feels like entering an anechoic chamber, just like the experience of getting impressions taken. It becomes incredibly silent.
All I can hear is my heartbeat. Since I don't use foam tips, I'll make an exception and compare it to regular-fitting silicone tips, and even then, the isolation is overwhelmingly superior. So, it seems like it would greatly assist in securing dynamic range.
Moreover, when properly worn, there's a sensation of being right at the front of the second bend, and even after scratching and listening to music, I can feel the resonance being pushed back. While DSP processing can address this ear canal resonance, reducing unnecessary errors at the source is always beneficial.
4. Some Measurements
I've borrowed a clone IEC 711 from a generous person and have measured only a few necessary things.
Coulper reliability + influence of custom earphones: Ignoring the high frequencies due to the reliability of the coupler and the influence of custom earphones, there don't seem to be any major issues.
Of course, there are also measurements provided by Hidition. The left-right match is excellent.
Also, I've had the experience where if the Viento isn't worn properly, some of the low frequencies aren't heard clearly.
When I manipulated the blue tack and took measurements several times, it seems like the issues of improper sealing are reflected in the measurements.
When properly fitted, it works well and sounds clear.
The 94/104dB THD measured with a stepped sine might have reduced reliability due to issues with the Vxlr or the coupler mic, but relative comparisons were still possible, and it was acceptable.
Even when subjected to two-tone tests, it seems to assert its presence as a BA driver, but proper measurement approaches for BA drivers haven't been achieved yet.
Regarding the most important aspect, listening experience, when listening to high-pressure sounds as usual, the characteristics above don't seem to be audible.
5. Sound Impressions
I listen to it only with Topping L70 High Gain + 4.4mm balanced connection.
I'm not particularly fond of the raw Binaural sound state because it's not very accurate and relies heavily on personal experience and brain correction for interpretation. Since it's personalized and lacks information on ear canal resonance, I briefly listened with an average 220us, omitting the extremes.
It's decent and satisfactory. There's no forced frequency range, and especially, the treble beyond 8kHz feels energetic. Unlike typical earphones where the treble drops off sharply after 10kHz, even if it's not like Western earphones, artificially boosting the treble with EQ, the sound feels natural. It's always better when the original is good.
The bass also follows EQ adjustments well and doesn't produce bloated sounds.
Excluding the rumbling bass of the 14.5mm 2nd generation, if you prefer, the Viento B offers the most balanced sound I've heard among the earphones I've tried so far.
And now, I've finally listened with my usual BRIR settings. The moment I heard it, I thought, "This is it!" The personalized measurements match perfectly with the personalized earphones.
While most iem things serve merely as playback devices for reproducing the sound required by BRIR, with some earphones, the listening experience feels somewhat lacking. Especially, with etymotic earphones, which have a deep insertion depth, I've had the feeling that reverberations are somewhat shortened.
While other earphones try to mimic or reproduce a 300ms reverberation, etymotic seems to cut it shorter, around 50-100ms. So, I speculated whether this discrepancy between the sound coming closer to the eardrum and the impulse could create a sense of inconsistency. This was the biggest concern I had regarding the Viento B.
And the conclusion is, the Viento is excellent. It plays back exactly as desired, as designed, and as it should.
Since the response extends into the second bend in the ear canal, causing stronger resonances, a custom earphone is necessary to address this. However, minimal EQ is inevitable, but the amount of EQ used is less compared to typical earphones, and the Q value is smooth.
Whether it's the response in a typical room environment, a response close to an anechoic chamber, or one with added reflections, each represents its characteristics accurately. Placing XTC on both sides at 90 degrees creates a binaural state, and it works incredibly well.
Seeing how it accurately reproduces earphone-like, headphone-like, speaker-like, spatial, and raw sound qualities, it certainly passes as a BRIR playback device.
Therefore, if anyone enjoys earphones, trying custom ones at least once would be worthwhile. Compared to other companies, Hidition's prices seem quite reasonable, and especially for BRIR users, it's highly recommended.
