Acoustune HS1300SS

Purchased with my own money (SGD 450). Listening was done on my MacBook Pro 3.35mm headphone jack, apple dongle on iPhone 11, and sometimes on the FiiO BTR3K (where the soundstage seemed to my ears a little wider but the sound a little muddier). I used Apple Music & Youtube Music depending but honestly my ears aren't so refined that lossless audio makes a big difference to me. I listen on lower volumes and mostly enjoy acoustic, pop, alt-rock, and jazz.

Packaging & Fit

Earlier reviewers have covered what comes with the packaging, so I will not belabour the point except to add that I had no issues with the cables and liked how easy they were to connect to the housings. I also appreciate that this is one IEM that I never have to worry about stepping on in the middle of the night. On the other hand, the case that was given is not that easy to use and store the IEMS + slightly bulky cable in.

As for fit, I had no issues with the housing and the greater struggle was with finding the correct tips. My ear canals are somewhere between M and L, and M while comfortable often resulted in a non-sealing fit and diluted the sound. I eventually managed to find a good fit/positioning and there were no comfort issues after that (aside from a slight suctiony feeling you get with all IEMs, you just have to pop them out and re-insert). It's a fairly shallow fit compared to other deep-nozzle fits, which can be either a pro or a con depending on your preference but definitely isn't great for passive isolation (can't listen to anything on the train without blowing out my ears).

Sound

Soundstage and Imaging

To get it out of the way, these don't have the widest soundstage and are bested (within what I have on hand) by the far less expensive and far more dated Final Audio Heaven IV. It's not suitable for enjoying classical music because you're not going to get any of the spread required to place all the instruments. That is not to say that the soundstage is wall-of-sound narrow, as there is still good imaging and placement of instruments, only that it will struggle with tracks that are meant to be enjoyed with a wide soundstage eg Jupiter (Holst). However, there is no issue with imaging and I think the separation of instruments is good albeit within the slightly smaller soundstage, and for more intimate recordings eg Fields of Gold (Eva Cassidy), it sounds lovely.

Lows, Mids & Highs

As a general comment, what stood out to me about this IEM and why I eventually made the purchase was that there was nothing that sounded even mildly metallic in instruments, vocals, etc, even on tracks where there were lots of strings and other IEMs struggled to render them without giving them a slightly metallic timbre. While the Final Audio Heaven IV also has this warm, natural timbre, it is often much muddier than the HS1300SS even on good recordings (I A/Bed them to see) and has a much looser bass response. Instrument separation on the HS1300SS is also much cleaner.

Lows: The bass on this is really nice, carefully detailed without being clinical. They sound great in Save Room For Us (Tinashe) - the mids and highs are not overpowered and the vocals sit slightly forward in the mix so it feels like you're being propelled alongside the song. Same in Sunflower (Post Malone). OTOH, they can sound slightly bloated in low synth-led songs like Is It You (Cassie), which may have more to do with the mixing than the HS1300SS but I can't be sure - it happens sometimes, but rarely enough that it seems more like a bug than a feature. Even in this case, the vocals and piano are still very discernible over the slightly bloated bass and aren't totally overpowered, especially when the higher synths kick in at around 0:55. To round this section off, I just tested Limit To Your Love (James Blake) with these, and I can confirm that you will feel the sub-bass if there is even a hint of it.

Mids: Really lovely. Each string pluck has its own weight, each vocal turn and phrase is given its due. Everything jumps out at you in Old Pine (Ben Howard), but particularly starting from 3:50 in the bridge, where your heart will start to feel like it's swelling out of your chest. Heartbeats (Jose Gonzalez) is also a lovely experience on the HS1300SS. I love the mids on this and when they come together with the right song it's a wonderful experience. This also works with the little chorale portions of songs, like in I Remember (Zhao Lei), Should Have Known Better (Sufjan Stevens), or straight up choral-pop performances like Supermarket Flowers (Stellenbosch University Choir). Goes without saying that it goes well with any Ed Sheeran song from his man with a guitar phase. I put on a little In Your Atmosphere (John Mayer), which also sounded great. However, I want to point out that the HS1300SS have the tendency on some songs to either push the vocals a little too far forward or too far back. I'd wager that this has nothing to do with the other instruments which stay in their place, but some sort of trick in the tuning where certain vocals are picked up and moved foward/backward in the mix.

Highs: The highs are never sibilant but can be a little spicy. In Want You Back (HAIM), there's several high distorted electric guitar sounds that the HS1300SS has no problems handling. On High Hopes (PATD), no sibilance is present and everything is rendered clearly, including several higher pitched wind instruments like the trumpet. However, this is not a treble-shy IEM (like, for eg, the QDC Neptune) and I experienced fatigue if it was song after song where highs were present in a major way. To put this in perspective, I had no issues with Ditto (NEWJEANS), which I consider a song that's vocally and instrument-wise pitched on the higher end of the frequency range. Acoustune also provide tips that are bass-heavy and treble-light (including foam tips) if you're not such a fan of treble. They work fairly well for me. In general, when listening to songs that aren't so high-centric, the highs are well rounded, detailed, and complement the rest of the lows and mids - for eg Comeback (Carly Rae Jepsen).

Etc

The charm in the HS1300SS is that it's warm but still detailed, mid-centric but with a definite note of sparkle and air at the higher end. I wouldn't recommend it to everyone, but if you listen to lots of acoustic and pop music with little else (I think this can also accommodate rock fairly well), it will be a nice little treat. I hope I've managed to remain fairly objective after spending a good chunk of cash on these little guys, and that this helps a little in your decision to get it/pass on it.

Acoustune HS1300SS Review:


What this IEM does right:

• Vocal and instrument presentation is accurate enough, some boost in bass helps add warmth to male vocals. Small tweak in the "magic 2k" region makes female vocals sparkle just a bit.
• Soundstage is small, which makes this a very situationally good IEM. If you like stuff like Tiny Desk concert, this IEM will do well with that type of music. I found that guitars and individual singers were presented musically and made for an entertaining listen.

What this IEM does wrongly [SQ]

• Soundstage is small which makes this IEM quite a bad all-rounder. It is especially bad for movies that rely on scale. World ending events are presented as happening in a much smaller space. Gaming suffers the same fate and this IEM is generally not good for anything relying on space and locating sounds in a larger area.
• Imaging is similarly nothing special. Instruments can appear a bit mushed together and overall presentation can have that "singers singing into a microphone" effect. Feels boxed in.
• Detail retrieval is not up to par with the price. I have a Kato. And the Kato, aside from being tuned to Harman, is almost indistinguishable in terms of detail retrieval. Vocals were presented the same way aside from the warm bass boost on the HS1300. For a $188USD IEM to be 98% of the way there to a $338 USD IEM, honestly, I wouldn't bother at all with the Acoustune. The Kato itself is not competitive price wise with 2023's IEM launches, not to mention new planar stuff and the existing tons of DD IEMs available.

What this IEM fails in:

• The WORST connector I've encountered in an IEM. Loose, comes off the wire on it's own
• Heavy stock cable that cuts into earlobes
• Difficult to replace cable
• Problem may not be solved except through a connector replacement or custom cable with lock
• Poor soundstage, may not have enough detail retrieval for some
• Favors some genres heavily over others

Closing Thoughts
I gave the HS1300 another chance while on an errand to upgrade my MDR-Z7 cable to a balanced silver cable.

I'm not a cable-believer per se, but my impression of the HS1300 has always been a negative one since owning the set myself... Since well, I couldn't even listen to it without the sound cutting out from the Pentaconn connector. I still maintain my stand that the HS1300 is a poorly designed, generally uncompetitive IEM price wise.

But after giving it a second go with upgraded silver cables... I still think it sucks ass. For about the same price as my HD600, this thing doesn't sound as good, musical as it is, and is a bit too large to be comfortable. I'm not a cable believer at all, but I made sure I gave the HS1300 a fair shot, by upgrading it to a 2-pin connector and a premium cable to boot.

It still sucks. It's not just 388 USD suck. It's barely keeping up with a Moondrop Kato which itself, is having a tough time justifying it's asking price against new chi-fi.

2.0 stars for well, producing good enough sound? Honestly it deserves 1.0 star for that Pentaconn cable connector alone, and for bringing down the reputation of Japanese workmanship. For context even MMCX Final Audio IEMS have lasted me 5 years without so much as a connection or cable problem, at half the price.

I'm glad to be done giving the HS1300 a revisit and re-listen. And am happier still welcoming the Kato back as my go-to set.

Despite being quite popular in Japan, Acoustune doesn't have that much reputation in the Vietnamese community. That doesn't come as a surprise though, since I understand that there are more risks for local storefront introducing this brand into the market, hence demoing sources are sacred.

Though, since the beginning of this year, I have moved to Japan for personal study so I decided to try out the brand just to see how it goes. Hence, I bought the Acoustune HS1300SS since it's a recent release (at the time of this writing) and also it's affordable with my money. Let's see how it goes

This review is a copy-paste from my blog, you can check it for more information: https://banbeu.com/acoustune-hs1300ss-review-correctly-colored/

Information:​

• Driver: 1DD
• Price: 300$
• Purchase link: https://www.e-earphone.jp/products/detail/1304097/

The Acoustune HS1300SS was a self-purchased unit.

Build and Accessories:​

• 3 pairs of Acoustune AET07 tips (S/M/L)
• 3 pairs of Acoustune AET08 tips (S/M/L)
• 2 pairs of Acoustune AET06 tips (S/M)
• 1 pair of Acoustune AET02 foam tips
• Warranty card/Instruction paper
• 2 cable tighteners
• 1 Soft case
• 1 IEM briefcase
• Unbalanced 3.5mm cable with proprietary PentaconnEar connection
• The IEM itself

One thing I can't guarantee with the HS1300SS packaging is the briefcase since when I bought this at e-earphone, the staff included it with the IEM box. And, I am not sure if this would apply to other stores outside of Japan or not.

Regardless, I find myself satisfied with the HS1300 accessories. The soft-case is ok: it's nice to hold but I feel like the lid is too flexible, if it is a little bit harder then it would be nicer to use. The cable has some rubbery texture which isn't something that I prefer. Though, I really like Acoustune proprietary connection here, it's easy to apply the cable to the IEM as well as taking it out, the connections are tight which leave me with no problem in using it. That said, this would hinder a lot in terms of finding replacement cables since it is not following the usual standard like MMCX or 2-pin which is plenty in the market nowadays.

That said, the Acoustune HS1300SS features a unique design with a stainless steel frame and cylinder chamber inside. It's a weird design where weird edges are sticking, posing concern in terms of comfort. Since my ear canal is short and my pinna is flat, I don't have trouble fitting it. But, when I asked my friend (who has bigger ears) to try it, he said one of the edges of the HS1300 touched his ear, causing discomfort after 30 - 45 minutes of wearing.
Others who happen to buy the IEM around the time I got it reported that they are fine with the fit (with one claiming it is one of the most comfortable IEM they have tried). So it boils down to how sensitive your ears are and the shape of them.

Caveat emptor if you are planning to buy the HS1300SS, I highly recommend you to make sure that you are comfortable with the fit before buying.

---

Sound:​

Tonality:​

The Acoustune HS1300 SS has a "Warm V-Shaped" signature which is evident by the bass/midrange boost and the upper-mid + treble focus.

While the IEM might not be the most balanced thing in the world, It is one of the cases where I consider the coloration that is going on within this IEM helps a lot on its sound presentation: it's warm, one can even call it pleasant, yet has a lot of energy when the song calls for it.

Scanning through the frequency response and you can see some possible explanations:

• The pinna raise at ~2.2kHz
• The ~5dB peak at ~5kHz

These push a lot of instruments forward, maybe too into your face for some people who prefer a relaxed listening. That said, instruments like electronic guitars greatly benefit from this type of tuning - lots of energy and bite, which makes the HS1300 an ideal partner for Rock, Metal...
On top of it, the HS1300 also has decent upper-treble boost which results in an airy presentation in a lot of track that I throw it into. This would be what I considered as a pro in this IEM if not for one thing: The 13kHz peak.

Yes, I know that I always said that graphs over 10kHz are not to be trusted hence I have to use sine sweep to confirm this on my own. This results in a sound presentation that is slightly zingy when it comes to instruments like cymbals and acoustic guitars... Some vocal recordings do show this too, for example, Mameko's vocal in Mamyukka - 深海図鑑 or Aitsuki Nakuru's in AcuticNotes - Sherras...

That said, I am not someone who particularly too sensitive about it unless it is something like the Tin Hifi P1 (and P2), not to mention you would only pick this up in some "badly mastered" recordings anyway. What irks me more in terms of vocals presentation is that it can often come out as slightly shouty and nasally to my ears. Hence, it won't be my utmost pick when it comes to J-Pop (or K-Pop) when it comes to recommendation unless you can forgo this issue.

Technical performance:​

While it won't be the top performer in the price bracket that it belongs to. The HS1300 is still quite competitive. Most notable to me is the lower midrange, where the IEM managed to provide good transient and detailing. The bass is decent too, a bit bloat to my ear but overall providing good slam and texture.

That aside, what tanks this IEM down is in its average imaging and soundstage. Instrument layering on the HS1300 lacks some depth, the soundstage is still contained rather than having an "over the ear" sensation. Not only that, there are also some sense of the notes smearing into each other which hinders its resolution by a bit.
Though, it's definitely better than a lot of IEM I have listened in this regard. And not really a surprise regarding imaging/soundstage since not a lot of IEMs can achieve this anyway.

Choice comparisons:​

vs Moondrop Blessing 2:


People might feel this comparison unfair considering Moondrop Blessing 2's reputation in its sound performance but I reckon a lot of people reading this article will have this IEM (or at least have heard about it a lot) so it's a good reference point.

That said, no sugar coating here, the Blessing 2 trumps the HS1300 in any way imaginable in terms of technical performances. Wider soundstage and better in terms of instrumental position accuracy. Detail retrievals is even out of the question.

Were if there is anything that giving the HS1300SS the edge over. It would be its colored presentation that can be appealing to some people. Not only that, it has better bass performance - more quantity and better texturing. HS1300SS also has thicker notes, which can be one of the factors that you would consider over the Blessing 2.

vs DUNU DK-3001 Pro:


With the Moondrop Blessing 2 as the benchmark for my recommendation in this price range, the DUNU DK-3001 Pro usually served as one of my alternate recommendations were if one doesn't like Blessing 2's tonal performance.
Hence, I put these on comparison because I feel HS1300 deserves the same spot as the DK-3001 Pro.

Comparison wise, DK-3001 Pro flash out trumps HS1300 on bass transient, a little bit better in terms of detail retrievals and on top of it all, is a more balanced tuning. Yet, the HS1300 is more colored, airier and has more bass quantity - it is more engaging to listen to.

And then when I think about the similarities: The sharp lower-treble, average imaging... Then the HS1300 sounds like the opposite side of the same coin with the DK-3001 Pro - it fills in what the DK-3001 doesn't have with some small sacrifice in resolutions.

Of course, in terms of pricing, one could say that the HS1300 will be better for your wallet and I would not argue. Though, if I were to have a ranking page like a lot of people have nowadays, I would put the HS1300 at the same spot as the DK-3001 for these reasons.

vs DUNU DM-480:

This comparison serves as an upgrade recommendation rather than just the usual "comparing which is better in the same price bracket".

Anyway, it's not hard to understand the reason why if you are familiar with graphs. While both have similar tuning style, the HS1300SS is more balanced than the DM-480 by having less aggressive mid and less bass quantity - resulting in less bloat.
That said, what is on the graph isn't always reflected when it comes to subjective impression, so, what about it? Resolution wise, the HS1300's note decay is more natural, better detail retrieval, airier, soundstage is more open than the DM-480...

Overall, just better sound quality which is not a surprise considering the price difference. But still, the reason why I dubbed this as "upgrade recommendation" comes from the tuning style of both which are similar to each other: throwing any instruments that I am familiar with from the DM-480 to the HS1300, then I will find the latter presenting it similarly, albeit with some improvements.

---

Conclusion:​

All in all, the Acoustune HS1300SS is not something that one would find it amazing in this price bracket like the Moondrop Blessing 2, nor it is a "jack of all trade, master of none" due to its colored signature. But, it has decent technical technicalities to back it up and a tuning that not just doesn't break the bank, but also has some of its own twists without going too far.
Hence, I will give it my recommendation. Quite a unique IEM that I got the chance to try once in a while .

Disclaimer: The unit reviewed is a self-acquired unit from a local store, so this review will come purely from my experience with the IEM.

This review was originally posted on my site TheBartenderd.com

Introduction:
Acoustune is a Japanese audio company that was founded in 2013 under the umbrella of Nippon Dics Co. LTD/NDics, the same company that developed Pentaconn connectors. But unlike other audio company, Acoustune developed a unique technology to produce the best high-resolution dynamic earphone for their IEMs, the Myrinx Diaphragm and Modular Metal Structure.

The Myrinx diaphragm was made of a synthetic medical grade material used for artificial skin, and when used as diaphragm material, it was able to reproduce music in high resolution and wider dynamic range with excellent transient compared to the conventional dynamic drivers. And when it was stored inside of their Modular metal body, an acoustic chamber to separate the driver from the housing mechanism, not only it will prevent mutual interference from the connector storage (housing mechanism), but the Myrinx will also achieve higher responsiveness.

I actually never try any offerings from Acoustune, so HS1300ss is my first experience with them.

Price: $300-$350 (depending on the store)

Specifications:
Housing: Stainless steel cabinet made of CNC technology with stainless steel inner casing
Connector: Pentaconn Ear
Driver: 10mm D3.5 generation 10mm Myrinx dynamic driver
Frequency response: 10Hz – 25kHz
Sensitivity: 110dB/mW
Maximum input: 100mW
Impedance: 32 Ohms
Weight (including cable): 52 g

100% made in Japan

Unboxing:


For the full unboxing photos of HS1300ss, you can check it out here.

Sound Analysis:

Set up used:
• DAP: Shanling M6
• Cable: Stock ARC61
• Tips: AET07/AET06 (Retail version)

Acoustune HS1300ss is a single dynamic driver IEM that is using an improved version of their 3rd generation Myrinx driver that they used on their HS1500 series.

Although I never try any Acoustune's IEMs, I had known that their house sound being in between the mild V to V-shaped and HS1300ss is no different. Here the IEM can be categorized as a warm V-shaped with boosted bass and treble. Though, it also has some upper mid boost unlike the traditional V shape IEM, which some calling it the W-shape tuning.


Lows
Yes, the bass here can be a little bloated. But in my case, I only notice it when I listen to some tracks with mediocre to bad mastering. And since the driver has a pretty snappy, it's still quite minimal. So they didn't really have that irritating murky veil-like any warm IEMs I have tried so far.

In terms of the bass quality, I find them to be satisfactory as well. I wouldn't say they are the best in the price range, but they are still pretty much in the group of decent IEMs. I really enjoyed them myself because they have meaty impacts but not too overpowering, decent texturing and the sub-bass also can go as low as you want without making you nauseous.

Quick update: after I swap the acoustune tips to Black Sedna Earfit Short, it seems like it able to reduce the bloatedness to almost none. So, if you find yourself in a similar situation as me, I would also recommend getting a sedna eartips.

Mids
HS1300ss has a fairly thick and smooth sounding mid range. There is no shoutiness or harshness despite the peaks and most importantly, their presentation also very natural. Whether it was male or female vocal playing or even the instruments, they all sound lively and liquid here. The positioning between the male & female vocal is also pretty balanced since no range is more recessed or forward than the other. But the only problem I have with them is they sometimes can be a bit too forward/intimate on some tracks.

Highs
The treble can sparkle well without causing any fatigue or sibilant (to me at least), maybe can pretty aggressive for some, but it still has good clarity and tons of air from their upward extension.

Technicalities
So far the technicalities on HS1300ss is pretty on par with its price for me. There is no metallicness issue on the timbre, soundstage feels spacious and airy, the imaging capabilities is in the above-average category, the instrument positioning and layering also on point. Resolution wise, they are also not bad either since I didn't hear much note get mixed. Just that, don't expect them in the TOTLs level.


Comparison:

Moondrop Blessing 2



Ahh yes, the 2020's sub $500 benchmark IEM and my go-to IEM for almost a year now, the Blessing 2. From the tuning, they have been sitting on the opposite side of the spectrum. B2 is neutral sounding IEM, while the HS1300ss is a more fun-sounding IEM.

The first most obvious difference between the two is the quality of the bass and treble. B2 bass is much leaner and faster in speed but doesn't have much lower extensions and texture. B2 also lacked some sparkles and treble extension that caused them not as airy and clean as the HS1300ss.

Both IEMs have a forward mid-range presentation and they are equally good with it. But unlike HS1300ss, B2 is more laid back and thinner sounding, which made them shine more with female vocals or weeb music. The only problem people will have with B2 here is maybe the hints of BA timbre and driver in-coherency for those who are sensitive enough to feel it.

In terms of the technicalities, both also very capable IEMs. But I do feel the soundstage is much more open and surround on the HS1300ss compared to B2. Imaging, sometimes I also feel HS1300ss does a bit better as it has much deeper depth and taller dimensions, which reminded me a bit of Sony's IER-M7. To explain what I meant, B2 is like when you are sitting in front of a stage, while HS1300ss put you in the middle of a music hall. For the resolution, they are pretty on par with each other, so I can't really say which one is better or not.

Verdict:

So, do they worth their price tag? For me, I would say yes. Even though I know their tuning is not so special like the Moondrop Blessing 2 nor they are a very technical set, but at least they didn't have any major issue that can make you hate them. They still tonally pleasing with an arguably better dynamics than those in the same price range and set up. While out of the box, you'll also get plenty of good quality accessories and unique in-house designed IEM (If you care about the aesthetic of your IEM). So if you are bored with the Chi-fi's cycle of IEM, I think HS1300ss can be a good alternative for you.