7Hz Timeless x AE

Thanks to Ray from 7Hz for helping me to get an early shipment of the Timeless AE. That said, all thoughts and opinions are my own. Unaffiliated purchase link.

The following review was posted a few months ago in a different site. Some contents have been edited to reflect current situation with this repost.

When I learnt about Timeless AE, I was pretty excited about almost everything other the tuning changes. I felt that the original Timeless was already tuned really well, just there were a few things I didn't like, namely the stock cable, the MMCX termination, and the kinda sharp metal carrying case. The tuning change is only an additional 3dB in subbass, which anyone can probably just use PEQ to achieve, right? Is it worth its $259 price tag, a $60 premium over the OG Timeless? Maybe, but before we get into that, let's start the review from the build quality and sound impressions.

Build Quality and Packaging​

If you've owned the Timeless OG like me, you'll be pleased that Timeless AE has the same solid build quality of the earpiece. The anodized CNC aluminium shell is tough and durable, but now in an elegant blue. To me, the best part is the change of MMCX plug into 2-pin 0.78mm plug. I personally find it difficult to remove the MMCX cable with the OG (MMCX removal tool doesn't fit with the shell design). I have also heard about many people having issues with the Timeless OG's MMCX port; in fact, I had to fix Ray's Timeless MMCX port before. The 2-pin plug is more durable and now I can use it with my favourite cables which are mostly 2-pin, although it may not be necessary now with the new and improved stock cable.

The stock cable has been upgraded to a 4-core thick silver-plated copper cable (looks like 25 AWG) with swappable termination. The cable will eventually be available separately as 7Hz Thunderbird cable at $69 from what I heard. The cable is on the stiff side and may be pretty hard to squeeze into the case. Talking about the case, it is now a rigid leatherette box with AE logo embossed on the top. I kinda love/hate the milled aluminium case of Timeless OG, as it was sturdy but it may damage other stuffs you put in the same bag due to its sharp corners. I like the AE case better. The other accessories are the same, with the same set of 7Hz eartips from the Timeless OG.

Sound Quality and Technicalities​

Testing setup: Topping D90SE-A90D stack or Fiio M11S, running on balanced. 30h burn-in. KBear07 L size tips. I spent the past weekend testing the unit and went around to some local audio stores to compare it to other popular IEMs. I typically listen to pop (mostly J-pop), jazz, movie soundtracks, and occasional orchestral pieces.

The listening experience can be summarized as visceral and intense; Timeless OG in comparison was feeling sharper and lighter. Timeless AE gives you fuller note weight and cleaned up the treble peaks, making the bass more impactful in contrast. Male vocals sound present, while female vocals do not sound shrilly. Timbre is pretty good for a planar, less metallic and a marked improvement over Timeless OG and Dioko. Note that I would suggest against using extra wide-bore eartips like the Sedna Earfit as it may overemphasize upper mids.

The Timeless AE is an L-shaped tuned IEM, neutral with a healthy amount of bass boost. The bass is fast and textured with a tasteful bass shelf that blends slightly into lower mids, giving it a very satisfying punch on bass guitars and snare drums. The mids are largely clean and crisp, allowing the the vocals to keep up with the bass intensity. The treble is smooth and airy but detailed, no distracting treble peaks or shoutiness. The overall tonality is good, pretty versatile tuning that suits a lot of genre of music. A bit of nitpick, but I sometimes do find Timeless AE sounding too crowded on big orchestral pieces with a lot of instruments as the details presentation may feel overwhelming. In typical band scenario with 4-5 instruments plus vocals, you'll likely get a very enjoyable listening experience.

Soundstage is decent, somewhat 2D presentation but still an improvement over the Timeless OG. It feels like you're in the front row of a concert with two giant speakers blasting towards you; having plenty height but little depth. The details are impressive, one of the most resolving IEMs at this price range. I would put Timeless AE in the same class as even Moondrop Variations in details reproduction, which pretty bewildering to me as Variations is more than twice the price. However, the caveat is that the details are presented in a "wall of sound" way, where all the details are in equal loudness, making them seem like coming as a single layer. That said, I wouldn't really take too many points off the Timeless AE because of that, since achieving such a layered and nuanced detail presentation with a single driver is really difficult; we have to go up to the higher-end hybrid territory like Thieaudio Oracle or Monarch Mk2 (just a generalization, I know some high-end single DD IEMs can be just as capable). Note weight is thicker and fuller compared to Timeless OG, but still not at same level as other well-tuned DD IEMs.

Now, probably the most contentious part: is it just a small EQ adjustment away from the Timeless OG? The short answer is "not necessarily".

While you can indeed add a 3-4dB of subbass boost with some parametric EQ, you are effectively changing the input signal with high precision while keeping the overall driver characteristics the same. Doing the adjustments physically on the driver won't be as precise as an EQ, as those adjustments might affect overall characteristics of the driver. To achieve the 3dB subbass boost, 7Hz has increased the damping in the back vent (confirmed through discussion with Ray). My guess is that this has a secondary effect of smoothing the treble region as well, making Timeless AE's treble less piercing compared to the OG Timeless. It also helps to reduce the planar timbre. These changes are audible and you can even see these treble changes in the graph courtesy of Ian Fann.

Select Comparisons​

Tangzu Zetian Wu (demo unit, $149): Zetian Wu's tonality is a tad warmer and more laid back. It has less planar timber and doesn't seem to be pushing details to your face like both versions of Timeless, generally more safe-sounding. I find Zetian Wu to be the mellower of the two, and Timeless AE to be a more fun and detailed.

Dunu Talos (demo unit, $200): I tried it mostly with BA switched turned off. In planar only mode, it is actually very well-tuned in warm-neutral style. It also has less planar timbre, but not as resolving compared to Timeless AE. Soundstage-wise, Talos is a bit more intimate. Similarly, I find Timeless AE to be more fun and detailed.

7Hz Salnotes Dioko (personal unit, $99): Well, the Timeless AE has dethroned the Dioko in my personal preferences list. While tuning-wise, I would prefer the Dioko, Timeless AE's bass made Dioko sound comparatively limp, and Timeless AE upper midrange rendition is much better with less planar timbre. Timeless AE's note weight is fuller comparatively, while keeping a high level of details. Dioko still does edge Timeless AE in soundstage and layering due to the more subdued tonal balance.

Moondrop Variations (personal unit, $520): While the price bracket is totally different, I'd like to bring up the comparison of the details resolution as I mentioned earlier. In my opinion, Variations is one of the most resolving IEM at around $500, but Timeless AE can still somewhat match it. However, both of them do lack finesse in their details presentation, with all details coming in too intense and loud. That said, the bass is more well-controlled with the Timeless AE, while some people might find the bass in Variations to be too intense, although in the end it is more of subjective taste differences. However, I still think Variations is better in other technicalities except resolution, but Timeless AE is scarily close overall.

Note on the demo units, the listening is done in a relatively noisy audio store and I had a limited time to try compared to my personal unit.

Click to expand...

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Conclusion​

Timeless AE is an exciting IEM, with solid and fun tuning, impactful bass, and non-fatiguing upper mids and treble. It is a noticeable improvement over the Timeless OG: better accessories and cable, 2-pin plug, and improved overall sound that's not simply achievable by an EQ adjustment. It's what Timeless OG should have been in the first place in my opinion.

So, is it worth getting? I think if you already have the Timeless OG and you don't mind the issues I mentioned at the start of the review, probably you can keep using the OG. But if you're in the market for a planar IEM, I'd say that Timeless AE is a solid choice as of now. The price might look steep compared to other planar IEMs in the market at the moment, but if you can get it on a discount, it might actually be worth the price.

General Info/Comfort/Build
7Hz Timeless, a name that i believe no one who’s active in the Chi-Fi community wouldn’t know, it made a splash last year coming out with the first Chi-Fi Planar IEM, not just that, it also received a great deal of positive feedbacks (of course, there are bound to be some negatives as well as we all hear/perceive differently). Today, I have here with me the Timeless AE (A collaboration between 7Hz and a famous Aliexpress audio product store Angelears). This collab is basically a retune of the OG Timeless with a 3db boost on the sub bass, also it came bundled with a modular cable and a different shell colour.
Sporting exactly the same shell design as the OG Timeless, with the exception of a 2 pin port instead of mmcx, a change which I believe most will be happy with.



Gears used for this review

• Timeless AE in stock form (stock cable in 4.4 termination and stock eartips)
• Topping DX1 + iFi Zen Air Can
• Hidizs XO Dongle
• Sony Walkman ZX300 with MrWalkman’s Firmware
• iFi Go Blu in Wired and Bluetooth Mode
• Macbook Air M2’s 3.5mm port

Foreword
My review is solely based on what I hear via my equipment and I never consider my reviews to be objective in any way rather a subjective approach. Do take into consideration that everyone’s ear anatomy is not the same, so the psychoacoustics perception might be different as well, but i believe it will not stray too far

Sound Impression
Timeless AE is a L shaped tuned IEM to my ears, they are quite neutral with a bass boost of 3db over the OG Timeless, being a planar IEM, i did not hear any planar timbre on the Timeless AE, it could be the case of the 3db boost on the low end that helps to slightly smoothen to top end which in effect also cause the planar timbre to smoothen out. It has got a good note weight and full sounding to my ears. Let’s take a look at the breakdown on the frequency range:

Bass

• Bass on the Timeless AE is hard hitting, fast, and tight,especially satisfying when listening to Metallica’s track, Master of Puppets, Lux Aeterna
• Speed is good which is expected from a planar driver
• The bass has got a satisfying texture, especially evident on the double kick drum, very very pleasant experience which got my foot tapping along with it
• The sub bass rumble is nicely done on the music, i took a step further and played a trailer of Star Wars where the lightsaber fight scene and swinging the saber around produces a very ecstatic deep rumbles, and this is reproduced in a very “fun” manner listening to it via the Timeless AE

Mids

• The mids are a little forward, but not overly forward to the point where it’s on your face
• Male vocal has got a good texture to it, doesn’t sound thin or nasally, both Sam Smith and Zhao Peng’s vocal sounded very pleasant
• Female vocal such as Teresa Teng sounded sweet and has got texture to it, a slight boost on the upper mids will give the female a little boost, but overall, it is good
• Vocal positioning is not too laid back or forward, i would say it is just a few steps from your face
• No bass bleed from the mid bass to the lower mids, transition from the low to upper mid is also smooth and gradual rise, certainly not shouty at all

Treble

• Treble on the Timeless AE is very well done in my opinion, it is detailed, airy and also smooth at the same time, impressive
• The treble is non offensive and never sibilant, i have tried a wide range of music with it and even turned up the volume (for a short period of time of course), it remained easy on the ears all the time
• The smoothened treble response is due to the seesaw effect from the boosted low end which is audible to my ears

Soundstage/Imaging

• Soundstage is good, but it is more on a 2D presentation rather than a more 3D presentation
• Very good height, a little lacking in the depth and width hence the 2D presentation
• Imaging on the other hand is excellent, well layered and instruments can be pinpointed easily

Driveability

• Timeless AE is not hard to drive, it can be driven easily by most of the dongles out there
• It does however scale with better source and also power, i observed a better bass response in terms of control, dynamic, as well as soundstage when it is being fed with more power and also better source
• This is not to say that you need an amp to get the best out of it, rest assured that it is already great sounding right out the box, but amp it just to fully maximise its potential

Comparison
Dunu Talos

• Talos offers a more three dimensional presentation in terms of soundstage, but it can be a little artificial sometimes, as in a little too wide sounding
• Bass quality is equally good but in terms of quantity, Timeless AE packs more punch compared to Talos, hence a more fun and musical experience
• Talos offers a hybrid mode with a switch, but to my personally experience from Talos, the hybrid mode is too bright to my taste although it does offers even better resolution and also wider soundstage
• In terms of detail retrieval, Timeless AE pulls itself ahead of Talos even with Talos’s hybrid mode switched on. I say this because in most listening scenario, you are not able to listen with the hybrid mode switched on for more than 5 minutes because it gets very fatiguing (at least for my experience)

Tangzu ZetianWu

• ZetianWu’s presentation is overall a little laid back, warm with a slight elevation on the mid bass
• Once again, Timeless AE pulls itself miles ahead in terms of detail retrieval comparing against ZetianWu
• A very safe sounding set i would say compared to Timless AE which offers a bit more fun and details, I’m not saying ZetianWu is bad in anyway, it’s just that it is tuned differently and considering the price point it position itself at, it is good enough

Final Thoughts
There are plenty of Planar IEMs out there at the moment, i personally have tried several which i compared against the Timeless AE, i am someone who prefers versatility because i listen to a variety of genre, Timeless AE gives me the versatility because i consider it an all rounder which perform really well in most of my library, Metal, Rock, Hip Hop, Jazz, Live recordings and many more in its stock form (stock cable and stock eartips). To make things even better, using the Dunu’s S&S eartips offers a slightly wider soundstage compared to stock eartips, and also gives a little bit more energy on the top end if you find the treble on stock form is a little smooth to your taste. I am definitely recommending the Timeless AE without any hesitation to anyone who’s currently on the lookout for a very capable Planar IEM.

*I thank Ray and also Angelears Audiostore for sending over this in exchange for this review. All thoughts are of mine and I received no monetary compensation nor was I influenced in any way to produce this review.



Interested in getting a pair? Head over to Angelears Audiostore to grab one from the link below:
7Hz Timeless x AE - Non affiliated link