AUDIOSENSE DT100

• Non-sound
• Sound
• Comparisons
• Conclusion

Disclaimer: I bought this with a big discount for this review from the Audiosense official store on AliExpress. Thank you very much.

Price: 110 usd

Specifications:

Impedance: 18Ω

Frequency Response Range: 20Hz-22kHz

Sensitivity: 103dB @ 1kHz


Carry case

Narrow bore S/M/L (2 sets)


Cable: SPC 8-core cable. It is the standard cable for Audiosense that comes with pretty much all their iems. Measures at 0,36 ohms, pretty decent. But build quality on it is not good with plastic connectors (metal divider) and the plastic for the ear hooks are very noticeable. Has a working chin-slider.








Build: Resin build and it has a small vent near the mmcx connector (but it doesn’t do anything to isolation or comfort, so feels more like a ventless shell). Has a metal mesh in the nozzle but no lip for the tips. Shell is on the smaller side and doesn’t weight a lot.

Fit: Perfect for me, it doesn’t move at all once it is in my ears. I have no problems with the fit at all. It is definitely more than good enough for physical activities.

Comfort: Due to the “lack” of a vent (that helps with pressure alleviation), comfort for me is not very good. Feels like a suction cup (like most BA iems), so if you are sensitive to pressure build up, then I cannot recommend this.

Isolation: Very good isolation thanks to the shell shape but also because it having “no vents”.


Setup: Ibasso DX160 (low gain, volume around 31), Final Audio Type E L tips, Tri Through cable 4.4mm

Lows: Bass is both fun (due to the elevated quantity and very good texture) and clean (good speed and tightness) while it is natural (very good timbre, close to DD timbre, although it does not move as much air as DDs do and does not extend as low either). Very impressive for a BA iem. Best bass in a BA iem that I have currently heard.

Mid-bass: Metallica – fight fire with fire (01:11-01:52), quantity and speed is good but could be tighter and have better instrument separation because it is a bit bloated and texture could be better as well. The (02:55-03:01) section with the chopper is hearable but a bit bloated.

Hiroyuki Sawano – Pretenders (01:18-01:47), quantity is very good and is fun. Texture, speed and tightness are very good as well. So, it is both clean and fun.

Sub-bass: Djuro – Drop that bass (01:15-01:30), impressive extension and rumble for a BA iem. Punch quantity is good but could be a bit higher, texture, speed and tightness are good as well.

Will Sparks – Sick like that (03:08-03:22), quantity and texture are very impressive for a BA iem. Speed and tightness are good but could be better.

Mids: Very natural mids due to the timbre and tonality (especially with the male vocals). But female vocals are a bit too warm while it makes the male vocals are great. Balancing is pretty good but leans a bit towards male vocals.

Female-vocals: Hiroyuki Sawano – OldToday (01:25-01:52), instrument tonality is very good but lacking some brightness for the vocal tonality. Both instruments/vocal timbre are exceptionally good for a BA iem. Vocals aren’t forward but they aren’t recessed either.

Yuki Hayashi – MightU (01:58-02:55), both instruments and vocal tonality needs to be brighter. But naturality is still very good thanks to the timbre. Details and clarity could be better though.

Evanescence – Bring me to life (01:18-01:35), not peaky at all and very non-fatiguing.

Hiroyuki Sawano – Crescent (02:07-02:26), not peaky at all and very non-fatiguing, very impressive.

Male-vocals: Hiroyuki Sawano – Pretenders (00:57-01:17), very good instrument/vocal tonality and with a very natural timbre. Although clarity and micro-details could be better.

Hiroyuki Sawano – Scapegoat (00:57-01:17), very good instrument/vocal tonality and with a very natural timbre. Although clarity and details could be better.

Treble: Linkin Park – Shadow of the Day (03:24-03:42), electric guitars aren’t sharp at all.

Deuce – America (03:03-03:16), not shouty or sharp at all, but instrument separation and imaging needs to be better as it gets a bit chaotic.

Hiroyuki Sawano – Lose (string version) (01:22-01:59), Cello tonality, texture and timbre are very good but details could be better. Violin timbre is very good but tonality (needs to be brighter), texture, details and treble extension needs to be better.

Hiroyuki Sawano &Z (02:18-02:57), good tonality but instrument separation, imaging and overall resolution could be better.

Soundstage: pretty good width and depth.

Tonality: Warm bass-boosted neutral sounds very natural due to the timbre being exceptionally good for a BA iem and it is tuned very well. Note-weight is leaning towards thickness rather than being thin. The tonality is very atypical of Knowles Bas as they tend to be more aggressive rather than being more relaxed and warmer like it is on this iem.

Details: macro-details are average but micro-details are below average at this price, most likely a bottleneck of having only 1 BA as the treble extension is suffering.

Instrument Separation: both imaging and separation are below average as it starts getting chaotic on faster/busier tracks.

Songs that highlight the IEM:

Good genres: Hip-hop, R&B, Trance, EDM, Vocal focused tracks

Bad genres: Fast/busy tracks as they tend to be a bit chaotic due to the instrument separation/imaging. Otherwise pretty versatile.



Comparisons:

IEM: Audiosense T180 Pro, stock tips L, NiceHCK LitzPS cable 4.4mm

Bass: Djuro – Drop that bass (01:15-01:30), Extension, rumble, punch quantity and texture are all much better on the DT100. A bit tighter and faster on the T180 Pro though, but timbre and tonality are much better on the DT100 as well as resolution, so its both cleaner and more fun.

Hiroyuki Sawano – Pretenders (01:18-01:47), Similar speed but a bit tighter on the T180 Pro but texture and quantity are much better on the DT100.

Metallica – fight fire with fire (01:11-01:52), faster and tighter on the T180 pro but lacking in quantity and texture.

Mids: Hiroyuki Sawano – OldToday (01:25-01:52), Instrument tonality is better on the DT100 while vocal tonality is better on the T180 Pro. But cleaner and more details on the DT100.

Evanescence – Bring me to life (01:18-01:35), more relaxing and non-fatiguing on the DT100.

Hiroyuki Sawano – Scapegoat (00:57-01:17), better vocal/instrument tonality on the DT100 and timbre.

Treble: Linkin Park – Shadow of the Day (03:24-03:42), more relaxing and non-fatiguing on the DT100.

Hiroyuki Sawano – Lose (string version) (01:22-01:59), Cello tonality, timbre, texture and details are better on the DT100. Violin tonality is better on the T180 Pro but texture, details, timbre are better on the DT100. Similar treble extension.

Hiroyuki Sawano &Z (02:18-02:57), better tonality, timbre and details on the DT100.

Technicalities: Shiro Sagisu – Hundred years war (02:24-02:57), similar soundstage, but a bit better instrument separation, imaging and details on the DT100. Timbre is much better on the DT100.

Overall: The T180 Pro is very different from the DT100. While the DT100 is a warm bass-boosted neutral iem that sounds closer to a DD iem rather than BA. The T180 Pro is a n-shaped iem with more vocal focused sound. Although they both have a single BA, the DT100 is more technical and higher resolution.



IEM: Audiosense DT200, Sony EP-EX11 tips L, Tri Through cable 4.4mm

Bass: Djuro – Drop that bass (01:15-01:30), extends and rumbles more on the DT100. Punch quantity is also more on the DT100 and is more textured but a bit faster and tighter on the DT200.

Hiroyuki Sawano – Pretenders (01:18-01:47), a bit more quantity on the DT100 and more textured. Tightness and speed are a bit better on the DT200 so it is cleaner on the DT200 but more fun and natural on the DT100.

Metallica – fight fire with fire (01:11-01:52), cleaner on the DT200 due to it being faster and tighter. A bit more quantity and texture on the DT100.

Mids: Hiroyuki Sawano – OldToday (01:25-01:52), Instrument tonality are very similar but a bit better on the DT100. Vocals are a bit more forward and has better tonality on the DT200 and is cleaner.

Evanescence – Bring me to life (01:18-01:35), a bit less peaky on the DT100 and tonality is warmer.

Hiroyuki Sawano – Scapegoat (00:57-01:17), better instrument/vocal tonality on the DT100, but cleaner and more detailed on the DT200.

Treble: Linkin Park – Shadow of the Day (03:24-03:42), very similar tonality but a bit cleaner on the DT200.

Hiroyuki Sawano – Lose (string version) (01:22-01:59), Cello tonality, timbre and texture are much better on the DT100 while details is similar. Violin tonality, details and treble extension are a bit better on the DT200 but better timbre on the DT100.

Hiroyuki Sawano &Z (02:18-02:57), better tonality on the DT200 and cleaner.

Technicalities: Shiro Sagisu – Hundred years war (02:24-02:57), Similar soundstage but details, instrument separation and imaging are better on the DT200. Timbre is better on the DT100.

Overall: The DT100 is a bit more versatile and natural sounding than the DT200 due to it having a more natural timbre and a bass that can handle bassy genres (like hip-hop, trance, EDM) better than the DT200. But the DT200 does have better technicalities and with a bit better resolution, as more complex tracks (fast and busy) can sound bloated and chaotic on the DT100. The DT100 is better for those that want a more fun iem, while the DT200 is better if you want better technicalities and resolution.



IEM: Hisenior T2, Final Audio Type E (Clear) tips LL, Tri Through cable 4.4mm

Bass: Djuro – Drop that bass (01:15-01:30), extension, rumble and texture are all better on the DT100 but similar punch quantity, speed and tightness.

Hiroyuki Sawano – Pretenders (01:18-01:47), similar quantity but a lot better texture on the DT100 while speed and tightness are a bit better on the DT100. Cleaner and more detailed on the DT100, bloated on the T2.

Metallica – fight fire with fire (01:11-01:52), similar speed and tightness but still cleaner on the DT100.

Mids: Hiroyuki Sawano – OldToday (01:25-01:52), Instrument and vocal tonality are better on the DT100 (a bit wonky on the T2) as well as the timbre, details and clarity.

Evanescence – Bring me to life (01:18-01:35), a bit more relaxing and non-fatiguing on the DT100.

Hiroyuki Sawano – Scapegoat (00:57-01:17), much more natural on the DT100 due to the tonality and timbre, cleaner and more detailed as well.

Treble: Linkin Park – Shadow of the Day (03:24-03:42), a bit more relaxing and non-fatiguing on the DT100.

Hiroyuki Sawano – Lose (string version) (01:22-01:59), Cello/Violin tonality, texture, details and timbre are better on the DT100.

Hiroyuki Sawano &Z (02:18-02:57), tonality, timbre, details and clarity are better on the DT100.

Technicalities: Shiro Sagisu – Hundred years war (02:24-02:57), similar soundstage, but details, imaging, instrument separation and timbre are better on the DT100.

Overall: The DT100 is outclassing the T2 on pretty much all aspects. Timbre, tonality and technicalities are much better on the DT100. If your budget allows it, just get the DT100.



IEM: Fiio FH3, Final Audio Type E tips LL, Faaeal litz copper cable 4.4mm

Bass: Djuro – Drop that bass (01:15-01:30), extension, rumble, texture, speed and tightness are on another league on the FH3.

Hiroyuki Sawano – Pretenders (01:18-01:47), speed, tightness and texture are in another league on the FH3 but similar quantity.

Metallica – fight fire with fire (01:11-01:52), speed, tightness and texture are much better on the FH3. Quantity is similar.

Mids: Hiroyuki Sawano – OldToday (01:25-01:52), instrument tonality is a bit better on the DT100 but better vocal tonality on the FH3 as well as more forward vocals. But timbre (mids/treble) is actually better on the DT100, although overall sound is cleaner and more detailed on the FH3.

Evanescence – Bring me to life (01:18-01:35), more relaxing and non-fatiguing on the DT100 and also a bit more natural sounding due to the timbre and tonality.

Hiroyuki Sawano – Scapegoat (00:57-01:17), cleaner and more detailed on the FH3 but more natural on the DT100 due to the tonality and timbre.

Treble: Linkin Park – Shadow of the Day (03:24-03:42), more relaxing and non-fatiguing on the DT100.

Hiroyuki Sawano – Lose (string version) (01:22-01:59), Cello tonality is better on the DT100 but better texture, timbre and details on the FH3. Violin tonality, texture, details and treble extension are better on the FH3 but better timbre on the DT100.

Hiroyuki Sawano &Z (02:18-02:57), better tonality, details and clarity on the FH3 but better timbre (mids/treble) on the DT100.

Technicalities: Shiro Sagisu – Hundred years war (02:24-02:57), soundstage, details, instrument separation and imaging are much better on the FH3. Mids/treble timbre is better on the DT100 while bass timbre is better on the FH3.

Overall: The FH3 has better resolution, technicalities and much better bass. But the DT100 is a better tuned iem, considering that it only has 1 BA and that timbre makes it overall a more natural sounding iem. Both are great though.



Conclusion: The DT100 is a great iem if you just want to enjoy listening to music with as much isolation as possible. While its technicalities aren’t really impressive, it makes up for it with that bass and timbre which are the best I have heard up to this point from a BA only iem. IF this was a DD (or more than 1 BA) it would have gotten a 4/5 instead as the technicalities are definitely below average for something at this price, but I believe this truly deserves a 4.5/5 based on its driver type/count as it is doing a better job at the factors (bass and timbre) that multi-BA iems usually struggles a lot with even at 3 times the price.

Graph:

Reference/test songs:

Rating: 8
Sound: 7.8

Intro
AUDIOSENSE is maturing more and more into a professional IEM manufacturer from China that is to be taken very seriously. The company has developed steadily and offers IEMs with a wide variety of configurations at an always fair price.
With the T180, the company already has a single-BA driver IEM in its portfolio, which is, however, no longer really up to date technically. The DT100 is supposed to change this now, but at three times the price. Can this be justified?

Handling
AUDIOSENSE never disappoints with the presentation and accessories.
A set of spinfits, as well as another set (S, M, L) of somewhat firmer silicone tips. Plus a good, silver-plated cable (MMCX) and a carrying case with a fur interior, something you're used to from companies like CAMPFIRE AUDIO (e.g. Solaris).

The DT100 is completely molded. This means there is no cavity, but the driver is completely enclosed by the resin inside. In addition, it is very compact and ergonomic, which results in a very good wearing comfort. The faceplate together with the transparent blue of the case/resin is nice to look at. A really successful presentation with good and useful accessories, paired with an appealing design.

The isolation is exceptionally good, especially with the spinfits. Here, the passive isolation is certainly also a selling point.

Sound
By now, I've really taken a liking to BA-only driver configurations and also use them in my own IEM designs. Aside from being a bit easier to maintain, and more durable if the IEMs are used properly, I especially love the midrange reproduction of well-tuned BAs.

Knowles' single BA has no easy task. Usually, BA-only IEMs distribute different frequency ranges (bass, mids, treble) among several shoulders, since a pure BA (depending on its orientation) is often not capable of satisfactorily covering a complete frequency spectrum. Many BA-IEMs are often described as mid-centered or vocal-centered, because the bass is usually too limited and the focus is on the mids.
I am all the more surprised by the bass of the DT100. It has some quantity and can even reproduce lower frequencies sufficiently. However, it is a bit plumped up in the mid-bass, which also continues in the upper bass and affects the mids. Likewise, it is not always 100% stable, but also tends to drone sometimes. Nevertheless, I am quite satisfied with the performance of the Single-BA in the low frequency. For me, however, it is almost a bit too much or not tight enough.

The mids sound a bit warmer than they should, but still they are exactly of the caliber I expect from a good BA driver. Voices sound intimate as well as natural and instruments quite smooth and authentic without becoming garish or shrill. Surely all this could be better and a jump in the cold water would do the mids quite well to cool down, but I like this soft, warm and emotional presentation of the mids.

The highs are equally positive for a single-BA. They are not the most lively and with a second BA driver, which exclusively takes care of the treble, you can certainly get a bit more brilliance and transparency out of it, but you can also cut your own flesh and make the sound artificial and unpleasantly spiky.
The highs have enough energy and keep up with the mids quite well. There are no sibilants or other annoying peaks that could lead to fatigue.
Together with the mids, they demand more than enough detail to come to light while maintaining their relaxed and authentic character. Not for trebleheads and perhaps a bit too dark for some in tandem with the potent bass, but to me everything seems quite harmonious.

The stage has a realistic extension without venturing into unknown worlds. Nevertheless, the 3D image produced is within a very good average, as the BA driver doesn't let its guard down too much in imaging and separation. However, the DT100 certainly doesn't have any groundbreaking technical features.

Outro
The DT100 can bring a smile to the face of anyone who prefers a warm and relaxed BA sound and finds accurate but smooth mids more important than a rich punch or micro-detail fireworks. I've only heard better from QDC Neptune so far, although my single BA-IEM selection to date is also rather modest and this statement should therefore be taken with a grain of salt (TIPSY BLUE AURORA, AUDIOSENSE T180, KBEAR F1, NICEHCK X49).

For my taste, the DT100 is a bit too expensive, but for that you are equipped with an extensive and valuable accessories. You also get a completely molded IEM that fits like a glove. In addition, it is a clear upgrade to the T180 from our own house.


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