TL;DR: A warm/bassy fun yet still balanced addition to your library if you don't have one yet

Overview/History
Hi all.

Back again with more typed words with the Kefine Delci.

Everything that I had read and heard about this set was that it was an 'under $100 King' and everything about the signature seemed to fit what I typically enjoy for an all rounder.

Smooth sound with some extra elevated bass? Yes please. Inject that bass into my veins.

Disclaimers: No real disclaimers here. This was purchased with my own money as I was curious about the Kefine Delci after there was a lot of hype posted everywhere and it did seem like it fit with what I enjoy in IEMs.

Build Quality, Comfort and Accesories
Photo dump time!









The Kefine Delci comes a very competent cable and a bag full of nondescript tips.




While these are metal, they remain relatively lightweight and comfortable. They fit extremely easily into my ears and remind me a bit of my steel Moondrop Kato in size (though the Delci's nozzles are slightly bigger).

You aren't getting anything extremely pretty printed on a resin shell or anything but there's a certain characteristic with the industrial look they've nailed here.

Tip Rolling
Stock tips are not good, IMO. If you have an awesome experience out the box with them, that's awesome. I did not.



I had to go through my usual round up to find the best fit. With the size of the nozzles, I didn't actually find my best fit with them as my usual contenders but I -was- able to find the best fit without going full Singolo treasure hunting (took a lot of tips, lot of listening and trial & error and then realizing something didn't fit nearly as good, etc. etc.)



Stock tips: Not the best. Tried them for a moment, went through the bag. I couldn't get a great seal with any of them and they felt like a budget Divinus set.
Final Type E Clear Reds: While these sounded great, the fit was not perfect. These usually are my Go To so I was surprised with how they didn't seal properly for me.
Spinfit W1: These fit well but these tend to dull the bass by a small amount compared to the rest of my tips.
Dunu S&S: Ding, ding, ding! We have a winner. These fit extremely well with the nozzles, in my ears and gave me the bass I was expecting. They actually gave a bit more mid-bass sensation but this is likely due to the best seal.


*This cable is the NiceHCK Luna, not the stock cable. Just thought the Delci looked great with them along with the Dunu S&S.*

Cable
The cable is actually very nice and reminds me a lot of the cable that came on the Legato. They fit with the industrial type of look of the Kefine Delci. No complaints about the stock cable at all; I wish it was a bit softer but it doesn't feel cheap at all.



Sound
So, how do these sound? Warm, bassy, competent but intimate. It's definitely more of a V-shaped IEM (I would categorize it as more V vs U shaped simply because I feel the vocals/mids do take a bit of a backstage to the bass but it's not super drastic).

Gear Tested On: Primarily streamed music via either dedicated Streamer, Laptop or Phone
Phone chain: Pixel 8 Pro -> Abigail Pro
Phone chain: Pixel 8 Pro -> Fosi Audio DS2
Streamed Music Chain Workstation: Laptop -> Fiio K11 (used both single ended and balanced in this case)
Streamed Music chain: WiiM Mini -> JDS Labs Atom DAC+ -> JDS Labs OL Switcher -> Geshelli Labs Archel 3 Pro

Lows/Bass: This is the star of the show.

This set has very good impactful bass with more of the sub bass being elevated/emphasized. I think the quality of the bass is very good for a sub $100 IEM and is close to providing the same slam/quality of the Legato which is my "BASS"line.



That being said, there are certain really bass heavy tracks where it feels like the bass bleeds over a bit into the mids but it feels very controlled for the vast majority of my library.

Another quick point: these really opened up when you provide them power. Plugging them into the balanced side of the K11 (as an example), the bass tightened up a bit while giving a bit more impact with each note.

Mids: The mids are extremely smooth. They sound very natural, for the most part, though I will say that, again, sometimes the bass does (on certain tracks) bleed over into the mids by a small margin where it's nitpicking at best in this case.

Otherwise, vocals and all the mids sound very full and satisfactory. I think they handle male vocals way better than female vocals. There were a few tracks that female vocals came off a bit more husky to me but, again, this was nitpicking as a lot of other female vocal tracks sounded fine.

Treble: Another use of the word smooth. I think the treble comes off very detailed with decent layering.

Throughout several genres, there was nothing I found that would be offensive and I think this is tuned be extremely easy to listen to for hours on end.

Specific songs listened to and other Etc.:
I've listened to my library for a few days straight and can highlight some songs that I think that the Delci does well. Asterisks for ones that I think they really excelled in.

Black Keys - Lo/Hi, Gold on the Ceiling*
Florence & the Machine - Dog Days Are Over
ACDC - Thunderstruck
Fleetwood Mac - Dreams
Camile - Le Festin
Guns N' Roses - Sweet Child of Mine*
Death Cab for Cutie - Everything's a Ceiling*
SEATBELTS - Gotta Knock a Little Higher
Earth, Wind and Fire - September
Bob Marley & The Wailers - Three Little Birds*

Technicalities on the Delci are good. Timbre is very good across the board; it sounds very natural and there was nothing I could pick out that did not sound correct. Layering/imaging is very adequate. While this may be a very safe, overall, IEM with it's tuning, I think it hits all it's intended marks extremely well which is being a very fun and musical set to enjoy your music more than analyze. But it does -not- skimp on the other aspects of sound. It's just not the emphasis, IMO.

I think my only ding I can place on these is that they sound extremely intimate/small soundstage when I'm running them single ended.

But, I think with a good amount of power to spare (running balanced or on a desktop set up), they can really open up a bit so it doesn't feel as claustrophobic. This tells me that they do take the extra power very well and scale accordingly.

Comparisons:
Since I've got a few in this price range, I think it would be worth comparing the Delci to my current line up.



Xuan NV: Considering how recently the Xuan NV came out and given the similar price range, this feels like a good starting point to compare.

I think the Xuan NV's midrange/vocals are done a bit better than the Delci. But, I think the Delci has more satisfying bass. I think both are otherwise very comparable to the sound signature and what they bring to the table so it's really a coin toss on what you're looking for.

Moondrop Kato: The Kato were my first higher end IEM and I've put a lot of time on them. So, how does one metal boi compare to another?

Delci are better to me, IMHO. The Kato have better mids/vocals and slightly better soundstage/technicalities/layering but, unless you're getting them second hand, they're also double the price. Conversely, the Delci has a more fun element to it with the warm bassy goodness but you're also getting an awesome package for the price that gets you very close. I got my Kato second hand and I would be hard pressed to spend the additional money for the incremental difference.

That it not a knock on the Kato, really, but more just how the market is now; there are a lot of more budget friendly IEMs that really perform well and compete with some of the IEM staples of the past.

Legato: Going to compare this to my current resident basshead IEM.

I love the Legato for it's unabashed basshead tuning. That being said, while the Legato gets a solid B for it's bass (to me anyways), the Delci does it well enough to be satisfying.

The Delci feel almost like if I was to take the Zero Red/Xuan NV tuning and mix it with the Legato lows.

Zero RED: Get the Delci. Way more comfortable, it's like having the 10 ohm adapter plugged in already from the start.

Other Things to be aware of:
The current price on these are listed higher but you can get them on 'sale' at $59.

I also want to reemphasize that I wasn't a fan of the stock tips but these absolutely rock out with the Dunu S&S both seal and sound wise to me.

Conclusion:
I think these are another awesome sub $100 set that would be very easy to hype up.

There's something to be said for a set that really provides a good amount of bass without taking away from any of the other aspects of the music and Kefine has done an excellent job with these.

Bon appetit, budget audiophiles. You've got another DELiCIous (I couldn't help it, I'm sorry, queue the drum roll) IEM served for the masses.



Thanks for reading!

TL;DR: Buttery smooth - a new easy to recommend IEM for starters (that can afford to drop the extra $)

Overview/History
Hi all. Welcome to another probably long winded review. Going to plaster the disclaimer early!

Disclaimers: This is my own personal unit. I've followed HBB on YT and other forums since I've gotten back into the audio game and I typically find that HBB's sound preference matches mine. That being said, this was purchased of my own accord; I did not receive any units and I'm reviewing this because I had an inkling (and it was 100% met) that this would be a great introduction point into IEMs like the Zero Red were when they first burst onto the scene.

Suffice to say, I really like this set so if you're already tired of reading, my summary is that "This be good, buy not be bad idea" and you should consider it if you're looking for a smooth ~$100 IEM.



The Xuan NV is a new collaboration between TangZu and HBB (aka Hawaii Bad Boy aka Bad Guy Good Audio). They are a 2 DD set with, according to linsoul's website, integrates 'ceramic and PU + LCP diaphragms to produce a rich, detailed sound profile' which may not mean a lot to everyone that's newer to the hobby but there you go. From prior videos and history, the Xuan NV was meant to come out around the same time as the QKZ x HBB Hades so you'd be getting a "blue pill or red pill" option at the same time. Obviously, considering the Xuan NV didn't start hitting the retailers until months after the Hades, this didn't line up according to plan. But, c'est la vie. Onto the photo dump!

Build Quality, Comfort and Accessories
Photo dump time!





My goodness, they're freaking gorgeous. This is my second TangZu IEM that I've ever handled with the first being the Fudu Verse 1 which were super stealthy looking. That was a great unboxing/presentation/accessory filled release and I'm happy to point out that TangZu knocked it out of the park on this one too.

One underrated aspect to the Xuan NV is that while the nozzle feels larger, the overall size of the IEM isn't too much and they fit extremely well in my ears. YMMV.

You get a nice cable (very soft and I could see people thinking it feels flimsy but I find it very pliable/agreeable) and a small travel case.








You also get TangZu Sanchai Tips



They've included 2 different sets - Wide Bore would reduce base and open up vocals/treble while Balanced is... balanced.



You also get 3 different sizes so you can find the best fit.

Tip Rolling
Taking a moment to talk about tips, this is the first time that I really enjoyed the stock tips! They had a set of white tips that were already on there and I think they brought the character of the IEMs that TangZu/HBB wanted you to experience.

That being said, I did try out the TangZu Sanchai tips vs my own flight of tips as well. I typically rotate between the Final Audio Type E, the Dunu S&S and the SpinFit W1.



Stock Tips: Absolutely solid. I'm usually not a fan because they don't fit me perfectly but these sealed well and provided a similar experience to the Final Audio Type E.
TangZu Sanchai Tips - Wide Bore: Not a fan. Bass was gone while the mids/highs felt too inflated. Soundstage was great on these though. Maybe these aren't the best on the Xuan NV.
TangZu Sanchai Tips - Balanced: Balanced. I don't know how else to put them. They sound solid. My only issue was that they felt more intimate/closed compared to the stock tips or the others.
SpinFit W1: I think a bassier version of the Wide Bore tips but with more natural mid/highs. I still didn't prefer these tips on the Xuan NV.
Dunu S&S: Because the Xuan NV have chonkier nozzle, I was expecting my go to Chonky Nozzle dominators (the Dunu S&S) to be my preferred. They work extremely well on the Truthear Zero Reds. But, while they worked well in this set up, they were a runner up the Stock/Final tips.
Final Type E Clear/Reds: Not only does the colors work in this case, but they sound amazing together. Final Type E are usually my go to ear tips (preferred over Divinus). I will say, though, that while I think the overall sound presentation with the Type Es are my favorite, the white stock tips actually worked very well. I don't know why but they do.



Cable
The cable is very nice and soft. It does borderline feel almost flimsy but I think that works in certain situations especially if you're using these on the go. I do have some Xinhs cables (two different ones, Rainbow one is a bit stiffer vs the black/silver balanced one that I have) and Tripowin Zonie and I think the Xuan NV's cable is right up there for different reasons.





Sound
But, how do these sound? Overall, smooth. Don't be fooled by the Squig; the bass is there and it's not anemic at all. This would probably skew towards the 'warm neutral' sound signature (which is a total cop out summary). You can listen to anything with these and be satisfied. This is a good all rounder, IMO, and is easily my new benchmark for the price point.

Gear Tested On: Primarily streamed music via either dedicated Streamer, Laptop or Phone
Phone chain: Pixel 8 Pro -> Abigail Dongle
Streamed Music Chain Workstation: Laptop -> Fiio K11
Streamed Music chain: WiiM Mini -> JDS Labs Atom DAC+ -> JDS Labs OL Switcher -> Geshelli Labs Archel 3 Pro.

Lows/Bass: The low end for the Xuan NV is warm. I would not call it a bassy set (mainly because I do have a basshead set that is probably my reference point to bassy) but I think it's important to note that the Squigs available online make this set seem anemic when it's fuller than you'd think. I think the nature of the IEM (where it's not as sensitive and needs more power) help drive this home.

There isn't a lot of mid-bass because this isn't the intention with this set; this is supposed to be an opposite, in a way, to the Hades which is sub/mid-bass boosted for bassheads.

I would say that bass here is like a warm blanket on a cool evening; enough to make you feel comfortable without needing to grab anything else (like EQing, etc.) - could you grab more and further tune it? Yes, absolutely. But, that's not tuning choice in these. And, if you want to tune/EQ it to have the deeper sub-bass/mid-bass hit, there are a lot of options to provide those hits out the gate (Legato, Hades, QKZ x HBB, etc.).

Mids: The midrange is very full as expected based on the tuning/squig presentations. There is no deficiency when it comes to vocals (either male or female) and I think the smoothness of the mid-range accentuates the music you're listening to.

I would say that the mid-range is on par with a lot of it's competition and presented in a very musical manner that further makes this set a natural all-rounder.

Treble: Smooth and inoffensive. There isn't a lot of extension and energy but, again, that makes this set something you can listen to for hours and blends well with the bass/mids.

There isn't a lot to really say about the highs beyond that I think the tuning choice makes sense given what TangZu and HBB were trying to accomplish here and they found the best balance without making it boring.

Specific songs listened to and other Etc.:

I listened to a lot of my library but here's some key highlights. Without breaking down each track, I think the Xuan NV did great on a lot of tracks with some standing out (marked by an asterisk).

Guns N' Roses - Sweet Child of Mine*
Death Cab for Cutie - Everything's a Ceiling*
Fleetwood Mac - Dreams
Black Keys - Gold on the Ceiling*
Queen & David Bowie - Under Pressure
Jackie Wilson - Higher & Higher (Your Love Keeps Lifting Me)*
Coconut Records - It's Not You It's Me
SEATBELTS - Gotta Knock a Little Higher*
Earth, Wind and Fire - September
Camille - Le Festin*
Bob Marley & The Wailers - Three Little Birds*

I would say that my music taste is extremely eclectic and there wasn't a lack of anything found in my listening.

The Xuan NV sound extremely natural with it's timbre, there is no extra highlight of any one aspect of the sound balance but this isn't really meant to be a detail monster.

Soundstage is very adequate on the right source and gear. They scale very well with power so the better the equipment, the more you get out of them. Details are there and while not brought to the forefront, I don't think you're missing out on anything. Imaging/Layering is all extremely competent but not leading in it's price point.

Other Things to be aware of:
At this time, there's two things to be aware of. My order was delayed due to there being a lot of pre-orders so I was anticipating getting this sooner than I did. I'm not sure if the stock has finally caught up and there's an availability now but hopefully, if you're interested, you don't have any long delays.

The other thing is that some squigs have shown some channel imbalance; I don't have a measuring rig (as I don't want to be fully colored/influenced by utilizing one myself) but I will say that I did not notice any imbalance on my set. Just something to be aware of.

Another thing to note, these are very power hungry and I do find that I have to increase the power/volume more than the Kato to get to the similar volume. They also pair very well with good sources/equipment. As prior mentioned, the Abigail dongle does an adequate job with them but playing them on the Fiio K11 and my Archel 3 Pro really opened them up. They respond very well to power.

I also used balanced cables on these with the K11; it helped a bit with sound separation (and I do mean just a little bit but it could be a placebo effect) and meant I don't have to ramp up the volume but I didn't notice any fully audible change in sound.

Last thing to note is where this IEM falls in the current market place.

IMO, this is a Jack of all Trades type of IEM and while it won't lead in class in any particular one aspect of it's sound, I don't think you'd be able to find any negatives with it.

I've listened to the Zero RED (extensively as this was one of those IEMs that everyone recommended as a first/starter) and I own a Moondrop Kato. The Xuan NV feels right in between there like if you took the Zero RED, gave it a bit more tactile bass, gave it a bit more details/vocal warmth and then went in between the Kato and Zero RED size.

That being said, the Zero RED does exist and is comparable; you'd basically have to figure out do you want a similar sounding (albeit a little bit better) Zero RED in a more comfortable package? There would be no reason to sidegrade if you're already feeling fine about the Zero RED. Other IEMs in this price bracket (ones that I've tried include Fudu Verse 1, Kiwi Ears Melody, Singolo, Galileo) each bring something different to the field to warrant consideration vs the Zero RED whether it's better bass, better vocals, etc. so I would say that the Xuan NV not going to bring something definitively better than it's competition. The competition each have different drawbacks to me while there was none really found here. How much you're willing to spend on an all-rounder really depends on you.

But, honestly, that's a winning aspect to me where you get a very good/warm/balanced sound signature but in a much more comfortable shell so I would consider this right in my ballpark and what I was looking for to add to my collection.

Conclusion:
This is an absolutely smooth operator. Based on the balanced yet warm sound, the amount of accessories you get and the overall looks, TangZu and HBB went out of their way to provide an amazing package at a relatively affordable price.

This is pure conjecture but, in thinking about HBB's intent with the Xuan NV/Hades combo, it felt like HBB saw what Crinacle had done with his Truthear Zero/Zero RED and decided:



While the Zero/Zero RED are different, they still have aspects that are closely aligned to each other while HBB decided that he wanted a sibling set that was drastically different from each other. Each serves a different crowd. You have one for people that want that subwoofer in their ear rattling and another for the people that want a smooth/buttery sound that helps them relax with their music. But, at the end of the day, you're going to enjoy your music with either one so pick your 'Blue Pill' or 'Red Pill'.

I would go so far to say that I think the Xuan NV is such a compelling package that it would be my go-to set that I would shill if someone was interested in trying out IEMs in the first place (and could afford to save up more vs the Zero RED or other budget options). This would be a great set to show someone the evolution of how far IEMs have come, how much more capable they are vs some random wireless earbuds that are lossy and not tuned well and even allow them to further tune via tip rolling.

Consider me got by the Red Pill.

Thanks for reading!

TL;DR: Bring on the wubwub.

Overview
Hi all. Dipping my toes into reviewing IEMs because this has been a fun hobby and being given the opportunity to demo a product, it only feels right to spend some time to give impressions as a way to appreciate the product and give back a bit.

At this point in time, if you've ever been interested in a basshead oriented IEM and are looking for the TOTL, FatFreq has probably caught your interest. If they haven't...



FatFreq is a company out of Singapore. Their popularity has seemed to increase very recently with some of their releases either from word of mouth to various reviewers and influencers. They have several line ups but their Maestro series is what has people most excited (maybe it's time to check out their Signature series?)

https://fatfreq.com/

The Scarlet Mini is essentially a refresh of the Maestro Mini and was originally going to just be called the v2 (from my understanding and based on information found online... please correct me if I'm wrong and I'll be more than happy to edit this) before they decided to just name it the Scarlet Mini with a new look/color. I believe the Maestro Mini does have it's own dedicated v2/version update (with recessed 2-pin sockets, build-in mesh guard and slight tuning change for more natural bass timbre) but I digress.

Disclaimers: Shout out to @Sebastien Chiu - this product was received as part of the on-going Scarlet Mini Tour that he helped organize. I was given no instructions, not even told that I needed to do a review so these impressions are all of my own accord and desire to write about it.

Build Quality and Comfort
Photo dump time! The case and IEMs are absolutely gorgeous. They are some of the best looking IEMs I've seen and there are a LOT out there that look amazing. But, I'm sure I'll say the same thing to anything else that comes out.

They arrived in a padded hard case:











They came with their updated red cable and some tips/adapter. I didn't find the stock tips as comfortable for me (and I wasn't able to get the best seal with them) and, considering it looks like a size may not be on there, I only put them on for a moment before running my own tips.





I have a few sets of tips that I run that work for me. The nozzle on the Scarlet Mini isn't to the Zero Red levels but they're definitely not the smallest.

• Dunu S&S (which are great for larger nozzles) did not seal properly in my right ear. I use the L size for the Dunu S&S which usually seal with larger nozzles. It felt like a channel imbalance when I tried these tips on the Scarlet Mini so I moved on.
• SpinFit W1 (Size M) sealed properly but the right eartip got stuck in my ear when pulling out a few times. It felt a bit too tight of a seal.
• Final Type E Clear/Reds - I feel like Goldilocks but this was the ticket/fit that I was looking for. I used the size L for these and fit is perfect and comfortable.

With the proper eartips, these disappear. They fit wonderfully, the smaller IEM is comfortable (like Kato sized but with bigger sound than the Kato) and I could easily wear these 24/7 without any issues (beyond my wife probably being mad at me for not hearing her).

Sound
But, how do they sound? Bass. Thanks for reading. We're out.

For the sake of not repeating/reposting other people's squigs (as I'm too casual for this to get my own measurement rig), I won't post it but you can easily find measurements which all tell you one single thing:



Would a subwoofer gif have worked better? Probably.

Gear Tested On: Primarily streamed music via either dedicated Streamer or Phone.

Phone chain: Pixel 8 Pro -> Abigail Dongle & Pixel 8 Pro - Qudelix-5k
Streamed Music chain: WiiM Mini -> JDS Labs Atom DAC+ -> JDS Labs OL Switcher -> Geshelli Labs Archel 3 Pro. (Oh god, if I had used the tone control on the bass to bump it up, I think my head would have caved in)

Lows/Bass: This damn thing hits hard. For such a smaller form factor of an IEM, the sound is heavy. At times, it felt like the bass was borderline -too- much and on some tracks, it felt like my head was nodding along to the music but not because of the music. But because of the incredible sub bass.

Yes, this is a -bass cannon™-. There is absolutely no apologetics to what the intent of this IEM is. The IEM will shake your head on tracks that have a lot of bass and will still make your head feel like it's thumping on tracks that don't focus on bass. But, I mean... that's what we're here for, right? You wouldn't have been interested in a Scarlet Mini if you weren't looking to rock out or wubwub out.

The best thing about the bass is that the focus is more on the sub bass and the rumble there vs mid-bass which reduces any potential bleed over to the mid-range (not that there isn't still some bleed but you'd expect more from looking at a graph).

Really, the quality, details, texture, everything about the bass feels like it could be the end game for a lot of bassheads. But this would not be an IEM that you'd want to have as your only set unless you were strictly just a basshead who only listens to EDM, hip hop or similar music. This is more of a second/fun set you keep which makes it a very niche pick up.

Mids: Considering how bassy this set is, how do the mid-range/vocals sound? Great, actually. They're pushed up/closer to you as a result of the overall sound package but far from recessed or clouded over. In fact, the vocals sound extremely natural and even female vocals still shine well on them, IMO. Still, this is not something you'd want to keep as a vocal centric set and/or your only set ever even with how good the mids (despite the heavy bass). There is some bleed over from the bass but it's not entirely taking over the mid-range.
Treble: IMO, this is the frequency that's the most effected by the bass. While the treble is definitely not fatiguing, there is definitely a bit of a lack of resolution/air/detail on the top end. That being said, It's hard to fault the Scarlet Mini for this deficiency as the top end sounds -good enough- considering what you're getting with the sound signature. In fact, while the advertising is that this is a V-shaped set, I would argue that it's a left handed check mark since V would indicate you're getting more treble/air and I don't feel that's the case.



These are not your reference quality IEMs and they don't make any attempt to advertise that they are though so I can't fault them on this.

Specific songs listened to and other Etc.:
Soundstage is OK. Imaging, separation is all not the strong points here. I don't think the technicalities are leading at their price point but I feel they're adequate enough that you wouldn't need to try and EQ it in this package. It's hard to make additional points because they're all just OK but you're not getting this set for those purposes which is why I think these are a great -fun- set but likely not going to be the only set you ever touch/get. I would argue that there's enough IEMs out there that provide that sound signature where you get from 'good' to 'great' on everything while the Scarlet Mini is about being a -bad@ss- set on the bass and being 'good enough' on everything else.

I won't breakdown how each song sounds like on the Scarlet Mini but hopefully this gives you an idea of the music I enjoy/listen to and gives you some color to what I felt the Scarlet Mini exceled at presenting to me.

Gorillaz - 19-2000 Soulchild Mix
Deadmau5 - There Might be Coffee
ACDC - Thunderstruck
Fleetwood Mac - Dreams
Ludwig Göransson - the Mandalorian Theme
Lumineers - Leader of the Landslide
Guns N Roses - Sweet Child o' Mine
Holly Cole Trio - I Can See Clearly Now
L`arc-en-Ciel - Ready Steady Go
Black Keys - 10 Lovers, Gold on the Ceiling

On a lot of tracks, the Scarlet Minis were giving me what I wanted from the tracks in terms of the overall sound package but gave me the bass that makes listening to music -fun- and engaging.

I would say that these (or likely the Maestro Mini though I haven't had a chance to listen to them yet) would be the next step up for something like the 7hz Legato in terms of a higher price point basshead set. I -love- my Legato and I think these extend better on details/mids/technalities over the Legato while hitting harder.

Other Things to be aware of:
From my understanding, there is a huge backorder right now on these. Also, I don't think I would pick up the red cable as they feel a bit pricey for it (as others have said). Again, be careful on your eartips and don't hesitate to roll them to find the best fit. I used the Abigail dongle which worked out OK but I did have to push the power on them a bit to get the most out of them. Qudelix-5k worked fine and they performed well on the Archel 3 Pro that I use. They're great for high volume listening and lower/mid volume because of the signature and there's no distortion on either side whether you want to drown the world out or use them for lower volume/casual listening.

Conclusion:
In conclusion, bass.

The end.

But in all serious'ness, I think these are great for bassheads. While I -cannot- fault you if these end up being your endgame/only IEMs if you're a degenerate bass lover, that's likely not going to be for everyone. I think these would make a great 2nd/3rd option like having an all-star on your team who helps round out your line up when you need to drop the boom. Is the price worth it, though, for having it be a 2nd/3rd option? Price would be in the eye of the beholder and your choice.

Using my comparison of the Legato here... If the 7hz Legato were like the valedictorian of their Bassy Bass High class, the Scarlet Mini holds the doctorate and just published a Wubwub thesis that should be reviewed by anyone who wants to subscribe to that sound signature.

Thanks for reading!

TL;DR: Excellent neutral planar headphones that are worth some consideration

Overview
First time leaving a review but been a long-time member with a very, very recent resurgence back into this lovely (wallet draining hobby).

Having picked up and demo’d a variety of headphones (from the big players like Sennheiser to the small boutiques like JM Audio), I figured I’d leave my impressions of a set that I don’t think has as much traction as one would expect (likely for a variety of reasons including timing around the holidays).

My primary comparison will be against the Dan Clark Aeon Closed X that I have (which isn’t necessarily as fair of a comparison considering the open back vs closed back design) but I think I’ve had enough time with my Aeons to have a good enough detailed breakdown.

Disclaimers: I did actually meet Jeffrey (of SJY Audio) at SoCal CanJam and demo’d both the Umi and the Horizon there. These Umi headphones were purchased with a promo code as well but was on my own dime so impressions are all my own. Meeting him and purchasing these with a promo code have not colored my thoughts on them but figured I’d just mention it because I’m really not trying to shill here.

Build Quality and Comfort
Unboxing it, it was just the headphones and the cable. Ignore the messy background.



Build quality for these are great. The grill, the headband and the adjustment slider all feel extremely solid. I absolutely adore how they look but I’m also a sucker for borderline industrial looks (like the Sony Z1R will always hold a place in my heart for looks. Same with you old set of JM Opus X Summits) so YMMV.

The standard cable are usually dual 3.5mm to XLR but I got in touch with Jeffrey and he sent me dual 3.5mm to 3.5mm (I have my own 1/4" adapters). The cable feels good too; almost a bit loose and flimsy feeling but they untangle and stay straight well even if the ear cups swivel a lot.

The headphones are EXTREMELY light. You know that Ned Flanders meme? Those are these. They don’t feel like you have anything on and are probably one of the most comfortable sets considering how large the drivers are.

That brings me to probably my only concern with these. Because of how light they are, despite how solid the build is, they feel borderline flimsy because of how much they can swivel around. Once they’re on your head, it’s amazing but if you’re handling them loosely, they kind of can spin around and get caught up. This is probably my only nitpick.

Ultimately, I think the comfort is right there with the Dan Clark line up like the Aeons where they disappear once they’re on your head and would never hurt your neck if you listened to music all day with them. Nitpick aside, I think it’s by design to keep them this light for long listening periods.

Sound:
But, how do they sound? Like planars. Thanks for reading, good night everybody.





But, seriously, I really enjoyed listening to them when I had a chance to try them out at SoCal CanJam (along with the Horizon flagships) so I was very curious about using them for a longer time especially at my own set up. Here’s the Umi graph that SJY has previously posted.



Gear: These were used to listen to a handful of vinyls off and through a streamer.

Vinyl chain: Pro-Ject Debut Carbon Evo -> Pro-Ject Phono Box S2 -> JDS Labs OL Switcher -> Geshelli Labs Archel 3 Pro.

Streamed Music chain: WiiM Mini -> JDS Labs Atom DAC+ -> JDS Labs OL Switcher -> Geshelli Labs Archel 3 Pro.

Lows: In this case, the bass is solid but not the star. Based on the sheer size of the driver (96mm), they’re very capable of providing the bass where the track calls for it. But, if the track doesn’t call for it, it’s not going to be the star of the show.

This isn’t too far off from my other experience with mid-priced planars such as the Aeons Closed X. I’ve also listened to the Hifiman 400se, Hifiman Sundara and the Audeze MM-100 and they show similar characteristics where a track that really wants to emphasize the bass will have the impact/slam but otherwise it follows it’s neutral tuning.

The bass, though, is extremely detailed, and the Umi really take well to EQ. With tone control in the Archel 3 Pro and put at 2:00, it maintains that high level of detail but really does bring the bass to a satisfying level.

Mids: While the soundstage isn’t as wide as you’d expect, the music is extremely open. The vocals tend to be presented up front but they’re very lush/rich especially on good recordings. As I’ve reiterated, the detail, clarity and precision are the stars of the show overall and that extends very well to the mids.

I think the female vocals tend to be the strongest point (Fleetwood Mac – Dreams as an example) but the male vocals are no slouch either. I actually tend to prefer the vocals on the Umi vs the Aeons Closed X. The Closed X tend to present vocals further away while the Umi pulls them in a bit but give them a wide open’ness to them. I’m not the best at describing the mids/highs, admittedly, but I’m very satisfied with the mids on these.

Treble: The sound is extremely airy but, even though it doesn’t follow the curve on the upper treble, there is no fatigue. My understanding is that the Umi are supposed to be on the brighter side than the graph but there’s never any sibilance. It’s just smooth, clean, detailed (gosh I feel like I’m repeating words a lot) and, compared to the Aeon Closed X, feels like the energy is very well controlled.

Even when I’m EQing with the extra bass, it never feels like anything gets lost.

Etc.: While the soundstage isn’t as large as you’d expect from their open-back design, the sound is still extremely open and the Imaging and separation are superb. They’re extremely on point on these marks which are where these excel compared to the rest of the competition. They’re just so detailed and there are, at times, where it feels like it’s just feeding you the music as it’s recorded or intended to be heard. While that may sound like it would be dull or lifeless, they’ve got some character to them while maintaining that reference level.

Dynamics are only OK but it’s expected with my experience with some other planars like the Dan Clarks. I can get more dynamics out of these, though, vs the Aeon Closed X especially on some very busy tracks. They may not provide the same level of dynamics as others I’ve tried but they’re good enough to not be as distracting.

I think they perform well above their price range and you’d need to get into like the Arya levels to find headphones that do a lot of these other aspects as well.

Other Things to be aware of:
These are harder to drive than my Dan Clark. With the Aeons, I’m around, on high gain on my Archel 3 Pro, 11:30 to 12:00 while I need to be around 2:00 to 3:00 with the Umi. You’re going to need some power. I’m curious if I had an xlr or balanced amp if this would be alleviated but I’m not able to test it this way.

I haven’t tried the Umi yet with my Woo Audio Tube Mini (I’ll update once I have) but I suspect that I’d probably need to up the volume a bit to drive the Umi as well.

Conclusion:
Overall, I really enjoy the Umi. I think they do everything extremely well for a neutral tuned set (and you can basically see that the graph is exactly what you get with these).

While they may not have the most cavernous soundstage like you’d hope/expect with their design, they’re likely going to be one of the most comfortable headphones you could put on and enjoy literally everything about them.