Disclaimer:

This unit came to me as a part of the AAW ASH review tour organized by Goldfinch Acoustics

The review is, in no way, sponsored by Them nor I have been asked to tweaks my wording. Whatever little experience that I have gathered using different gears over the years, I have used them to subjectively, create an honest enough impression for the would-be new users.

Specifications:

• 7 Driver Hybrid IEM.
• 13mm Graphene Driver + 6x Balanced Armature Drivers
• 4 Way TruXross Crossover
• THD < 0.5% @ 1mW @1khz
• Impedance 30ohms@1khz
• Sensitivity 108db @ 1khz
• Frequency Range 10Hz to 40 KHz

Sources:

• F.Audio FA2 DAP
• Fiio X1.
• Ifi Audio Nano BL.
• Nobsound TDA1387
• Bravo Ocean.
• Sony Discman (Yes, I still use one)

Unboxing experience:

Pretty much nada, as I only received the IEM and the cable.

Build quality:

There is slang from where I come from” Chaukas”, which basically means excellent. The build quality is excellent and the shells are painted in beautiful looking Red-Gold Combo which enhances the bling factor.

The nozzle is metal built and that has a solid feel as well. The stock cable is one from Null audio and looks delicious. The overall presentation for a new user would always be great with ASH.






Fit:

The fit was excellent for me and I assume for an average user, the ASH will not present any problems. I used JVC spiral dots Tips.





Sound Impressions:

Bass:

Few Test Tracks used:

• Raavan By Amit Trivedi
• Bad Guy by Billie Eilish
• Contact By Daft Punk.
• What’s love got to do with it by Tina Turner
• Ho Jaata Hai kaise Pyar (Remix) by DJ Suketu

The Bass is there but it is not enough, and this comes when I am not a basshead. So it is needless to say that people who prefer a fun V-shape signature will not prefer ASH. All the tracks mentioned above have more than enough bass for my needs but on ASH, the sub-bass is pretty much absent on tracks and the mid-bass is hardly present. Even if you give it power, the picture will remain the same.

Mids:

Few Test Tracks used:

• Tere Liye By Vital signs:
• Unki Aankhon me Jab Nami dekhi By Jagjit Singh
• Aap Jinke Kareeb hote hain by Pankaj Udhas.
• Pyar Zinda Rahe by Bhupinder and Mitali
• Aadat By Nescafe Basement.

So yes…I Used Ghazals to assess the mids as I feel Ghazala are the most authentic vocal track after the classical music. ASH has the cleanest vocals that I have ever experienced. The baritone present of Jagjit Singh was present so well that I launched myself into a Ghazal listening session that lasted 6 hours. The twang of Pankaj Udhas was also presented well and so was the next track and then the next track. If you prefer vocal Performance over anything then you will look no further.

However, if you move from laidback ghazals to a complex arrangement like Aadat, then it struggles a bit but still, it performs better than others that are present in the same price bracket.

Highs:

Few Test Tracks used:

• Take it easy by The Eagles
• Free Fallin by Tom Petty
• In Your Eyes by Peter Gabriel

Treble is not sibilant at all. The overall presentation is good enough and it gives you a satisfying experience by putting forward the details in all their glory. Still, they lag a tad behind Z1R and Solaris, of which, I had a good fortune of listening. Give it a good laid-back playlist, that I have of Ghazals and you will love it all the way.






Closing thoughts:

I compared it with Campfire Andromeda (2019) and found that Andros has the widest stage that I can think of. ASH presents you with a stage that is more on the intimate side. Andros molds the sound as per the source whereas ASH, though, shows a different side, but not much. That been said, ASH is an excellent choice for people who love vocals or Mids with lush treble performance. Buy these and you will not be disappointed.

Ikko is slowly and steadily becoming a mainstream brand. The iem’s that IKKO has launched have already left their impact in the respective price categories, be it the underrated OH1 or the much-appreciated OH10. Today, we have the Zerda ITM03 for review.

Disclaimer:

The Zerda ITM01 has been to me as a part of the review circle from HIFINAGE in exchange for my honest opinions. The following review has been based on my sensibilities and is subjective to my listening experience.

Specs:

• High quality build: Full Shielded design, highly sophisticated production process, Monster OCC Silver-Plated silicone fully wrapped cable, aluminum alloy sandblasted oxidized shell, Weighs only 12 grams
• High-quality performance: Cirrus Logic CS43198 flagship DAC chip, low power, and high performance, support up to 32 bits / 384KHz (optical digital output bit rate is 32 bits / 192KHz) and up to 128x native DSD PCM decoding capabilities. THD+N is well below 0.0015%, providing unparalleled high-fidelity sound quality, restoring the truest and cleanest sound quality, and enjoying the true sound quality
• Easy to use: Built-in adaptive drive, no need to manually install the driver, the connection can be used directly, with 16Ω-600Ω Impedance adaptive, 3.5mm Audio & 3.5mm fiber optic signal output two-in-one interface design, easy to adapt to a smartphone to professional audio equipment.
• Full system compatibility: (Type-c) compatible with Android/Windows/MacOSX System Smartphone Laptop, (Lightning) Compatible with iphone/ipad/ipod
• Parameter details: AC:Cirrus Logic CS43198,Fiber Optic Output:32Bit/192kHz，DSD:128, THD+N：＜0.0015%，FR：20Hz-40kHz，Impedance Adaptive:16Ω-600Ω

Tested On:

• Samsung Galaxy S10
• Laptop

Impressions:

Lows:

The Bass has enough quality and quantity to it. The decay is quick and depending on the gear used, you will feel sub-bass rumble as well.

Mids:

MIds have the natural tome to them and they have a good amount of extension. Timbre is more on the natural end. The details retrieval is also good.

Highs:

The treble extension has ample details without any peaks or harshness which ultimately caused fatigue.






Soundstage:

The soundstage is decent enough with respect to width but lacks depth. For laid-back tracks, the imaging is good enough, but it may sound cluttery enough for some of the busy tracks. But that is mostly nitpicking.

Final Thoughts:

For the price to performance ratio, Zerda ITM03 is a complete package. Some may compare it with the Lotoo Paw S1 but then the price difference is wide enough for that argument. If you have a tight budget then think no more and buy the Zerda by clicking here

Disclaimer:

The unit is provided by HiFiGo for review purposes. If you’d like to purchase the H2, it is available from HiFiGo for USD $65.


Build and Design:

The H2 is extremely small to hold in hands. The weight is 12 grams so that helps.



On the left, you will see a single but multiple functions holding button. It acts a Power button, Play/Pause, or Call-answer feature.



On the right, you will see the volume rocker and next/previous button. The bottom sports the USB-C type port and the top has the Single-Ended Output in the form of 3.5 mm jack.

The LED indicator is also on the left side. It has the following features:

• Red flashing: on charging.
• Blue flashing: Bluetooth pairing mode.
• Green: 44.1kHz to 48kHz.
• Blue: 88.2kHz to 192kHz.

Technical Specifications:





How do the Bluetooth fares:

The H2 caters to major Bluetooth codec that includes UAT, LDAC, aptX, aptX HD, aptX LL, SBC and AAC. The H2 supports dual device support and becomes a really handy device if you are dealing with work-from-home in these pandemic times. The signal stays very stable and has a range of up to 10 meters. The range will drop at the use of higher codecs and is mentioned on the Hidizs website as well. Also, there is a latency observed while playing games like PUBG.



Performance:



The H2 was able to drive all my iem’s…KBear Believe, BGVP DN2, AD700x, Senn HD 598 CS, and a handful of earbuds. There was a noticeable difference between my Galaxy S10.




Battery Consumption:

H2 has decent battery consumption:

• On APtx it lasted about 3 hours.
• On LDAC, it lasted about 2 hours.
• On AAc, it lasted 6 hours.

How to use it:

You can download the Hiby Blue app from the Playstore to connect H2 and easily monitor its functions.

Sound Impressions:

Bass:

The lows offer a fuller feel to it. It makes for a more musical presentation than what you have gotten from your mobile phone. The tone is warmish and laid back. The snares are not congested and the bass has meat to it.

Mids:

Because of the warmish nature, the Mids has moderate airiness and extension to it. The mids sound above average than your regular mobile phones and the notes are full. I would not say that these provide you with lush vocals but H2 does the job.

Highs:

Treble is laid back and warm. It is also relatively airy than you average mobile phone.

Soundstage:

The soundstage is wide but it lacks depth. These provide you ample space for complex tracks so that they do not sound as congested as they usually do.

Final Thoughts:

If you are looking for a cost-effective and ultra-portable Bluetooth enabled dac/amp, that has NFC as well…well look no further mates…

Disclaimer:

This unit of NiceHCK EBX21 earbuds is provided to me by HiFiGO. All impressions in this review are completely my own sensibilities. You can buy the EBX21 from HiFiGo from here.


Unboxing experience:

As I live in India and the customs are very strict, I only received the storage box with the buds and the cables in it:





Build Quality:

The actual earbud is constructed of aluminum alloy and has an MX500 style of buds. The buds have a very smooth surface and the texture is very pleasing. The driver used here is on 14.2 mm. The overall construction is very sturdy and on-point.




Cable Quality:

Since unlike most of the buds, the EBX21 has an MMCX design, which means the cable that comes with EBX21 can be replaced with any MMCX cable of your choice. Although, the cable that comes with EBX21 is top-notch and needs no replacement. As a matter of fact, the accompanying cable will cost you 100$ if you buy it separately and that says something.

The cable is a sleeved SPC cable. However, the sleeve adds weight to it and that often pulled the earbuds out of my ear.



Sound Impressions:

The EBX21 has very balanced imaging with forward mids. The better the fit, the better the sound signature. It may lie in Bight territory for someone, who is able to get an excellent fit. And this stands true for all the earbuds.



Lows:

Again, the bass in an earbud depends on your fit. In my case, the loose fit resulted in the quantity of the bass. But when I used the silicone rings, the buds were able to provide, enough mid-bass. There was a hint of sub-bass as well. The overall bass is enough for a regular user.



Mids:

The middle world is where the EBX21 has its moment of glory. The expansive stage provides for the lush vocals that one always looks for. Both, male and female vocals, have exquisite timbre and texture. There is sufficient imaging at play here and that brings out the glory of the playlist that you have so carefully cataloged.


Highs:

The highs are detailed, airy, and non-fatiguing. The imaging is very good and there is no congestion in complex tracks. There is no upper peak frequency cut or harshness. An overall pleasing sound.

Soundstage:

This is where EBX21 shines. There is no other way to say this but the soundstage is just too good. The expansive width, the depth in the sound...everything is present.

Source:

Samsung Galaxy S10.
Modded Q5
Sony Discman.

Songs Used:
https://tidal.com/browse/playlist/3481bc89-716f-481b-8572-f81ed5ffa6aa

Comparions:

Ourart ACG: Although an older model, but this is still an excellent contender. The overall fir of the ACG is better than EBX21 but the soundstage is better on EBX21. The Cable is more manageable in ACG but the EBX21 offers more customization in cable w.r.t termination.

Overall, EBX21 is a better offering here.




Final Thoughts:

If you are an earbud liver like I am, then EBX21 is an excellent bud to own. It offers everything as per the TOTL price that it demands.

IKKO has very quickly gained itself a healthy reputation in the IEM arena. In the recent few days, IKKO has launched iem’s, Dongle-dac and cables. I have already posted my views on Ikko OH10 which can be seen here. What I will talk about today is the OH1.

Disclaimer:-

This unit of IKKO OH1 was provided to me by hifinage.com for the purpose of this review. I am not paid by anyone to write this review. Each and every impression has been derived using my own judgment. You can buy a pair of the OH1 by clicking here

Technical Specifications:-

• Balanced Armature: Knowles 33518.
• Dynamic driver: 10mm polymer composite titanium-plated diaphragm dynamic driver.
• Sensitivity: 106dB.
• Frequency range: 20-40kHZ.
• Impedance: 18ohm.
• Cable length: 1.2m.
• Connector: 2-pin 0.78mm.
• Cable type: 4 strands of 8 high-purity oxygen-free copper-plated 5n silver-plated.

Unboxing Experience:

The Unboxing is very similar to what the OH10 gave.





Build Quality:

The OH1’s shape is exactly like the OH10. The difference here is in the build material. The non-metallic build gives it a lightweight feel but they still look and feel premium. The nozzles are big enough to hold the tips. The drivers are large enough and have a color that changes to another shade of blue whenever light hits them.





Fit:

The fit was perfect for me. The light shells are extremely comfortable to wear and use for a long time.





Sources:

• Cayin N5ii
• Modded Q5
• Samsung Galaxy S10
• Sony Discman

Sound Impressions:

The major talking point of OH1 is this sounds fun and not analytical. It will give you all that you need barring few points on the upper treble range.

Bass:

First things first…if you are looking for something with an excellent sub-bass bass within budget then…OH1 is exactly what you need. What you get is very good bass, both quality-wise and quantity-wise. The mid-bass will not disappoint either. The slams are present, the decay is fast.

Mids:

The mids are open and clear. The separation is good. The timbre is as close to natural as it gets, and the sound is transparent as well. But you will feel that OH1 is somewhat restricted by its tuning at upper mids.

Highs:

The Highs have sufficient air and sparkle. The treble is clean. The Upper treble is messed up a little bit but still, it does the job and undercuts every other iem in this range. I believe, if you change the cable, this would be fixed to an extent.

Conclusion:

OH1 is very good at what it does and the price bracket that it targets makes it a complete winner. The excellent build quality, the excellent accessory package, the overall sound-signature, makes OH1 a very good contender to be the king of the slab.

IKKO has very quickly gained itself a healthy reputation in the IEM arena. In the recent few days, IKKO has launched iem’s, Dongle-dac and cables. What I will talk about today is the crowd-pleasing OH10.

Disclaimer:-

This unit of IKKO OH10 was provided to me by hifinage.com for the purpose of this review. I am not paid by anyone to write this review. Each and every impression has been derived using my own judgment. You can buy a pair of the OH10 by clicking here

Technical Specifications:-

• Drivers: 1 DD 10mm polymer composite titanium-plated diaphragm dynamic driver and 1 BA Knowles 33518
• Frequency Response: 20Hz-40kHZ
• Sensitivity: 106dB
• Impedance: 18 Ω
• Cable length: 1.2m
• Jack Termination: 3.5mm Gold plated audio
• Cable Connection Type: 2-pin 0.78mm
• Cable config: 4 strands of 8 high-purity oxygen-free copper-plated 5n silver-plated

Unboxing Experience:

OH10 gives a very pleasant unboxing experience. The presentation on the box is very different yet excellent.







Build Quality:

The Stainless stell body provides the OH10 a certain heft but I have used IEM like Campfire Solaris, oBravo Cupids, and similar in likes, so I personally had no issues using this one. Although the nozzles are short in nature but I never faced any issues while wearing the OH10




Fit:

The Fit is purely based on your ears but the overall ergonomics is very very good. My ears are big so had no issues whatsoever in wearing those. I also asked my wofe to try these, since she has considerably smaller ears, and even she had an excellent fit.




Sources:

• Cayin N5ii
• Modded Q5
• Samsung Galaxy S10
• Sony Discman

Sound Impressions:

The major talking point of OH10 is this is a fun iem. It will give you all the pleasures of the world but if you want something of, more like a reference-grade…the OH10 is not for you.

Bass:

First things first…if you are looking for a bloated bass…OH10 is not for you. What you get is very good sub-bass, excellent mid-bass. The rumble is present, the decay is fast. However, the slams are not as expected. They fall apart when driven with higher volumes

Mids:

The mids are open and clear. The separation is excellent and natural. It doesn’t feel unnatural at all. The timbre is as natural as it gets, and the sound is transparent as well. But you will feel that OH10 is somewhat restricted by its tuning.

Highs:

The Highs have sufficient air and sparkle. The treble is clean, as I stated earlier, it doesn’t feel unnatural. The energy, though, is not present. The Upper treble is a bit restricted but the overall sound that it presents to you…trust me…you will not be disappointed at all and OH10 has the capability to entertain you as long as you want it to.

Conclusion:

OH10 is very good at what it does. It hits all the checkboxes that one looks for before buying an iem for fun listening. The sound is superior, the stage is wide, the resolution is high. These will stay in the collection for a long long time.

The current flagship from the house of TIN, presents a very peculiar case in the IEM genre. The new iteration of Tin’s Planar magnetic IEM (after the P1) comes with an outlook towards the tuning of the driver. The bass, which was amiss in the P1, has a much more substantial presence here and the overall Package gives you a very nice unboxing experience.

Disclaimer:-

This unit of Tin HiFi P2 was provided to me by HiFiGo.com for the purpose of this review. I am not paid by anyone to write this review. Each and every impression has been derived using my own judgment. You can buy a pair of the P2 from HIFIGO.com by clicking here

Technical Specifications:-

• 12mm Planar Magnetic Drivers.
• Impedance: 32Ω±15%.
• Rated-power: 5mW.
• Max power: 10mW.
• Frequency Response: 10Hz-20kHz.
• Sensitivity: 90 ± 3 dB.
• Connector: 2 pin, QDC
• Cable: 1.25m (0.08 /16C 6n single glazed copper + 200D Kevlar) 8-core translucent orange single glazed copper PVC cable
• Shell Housing: Stainless steel.

Build Quality:

The stainless-steel build gives heft to the shell but they are extremely comfortable while wearing and you can use them for long listening sessions. The default cable is of excellent quality and complements the overall package.

Sources:

• Cayin N5ii
• Samsung Galaxy S10
• Modded Q5
• Earmen TR-AMP
• Sony Discman

Playlist:

• In your eyes: Peter Gabriel
• Heroes: David Bowie
• Little Bird: Annie Lennox
• Thousand beautiful Things: Annie Lennox
• Beats of Passion: Taal
• Kalank: Arijit Singh
• Aabad Barbaad: Arijit Singh
• Ajnabi Seher: Sonu Nigam
• Abhi Mujhme Kahin: Sonu Nigam
• Ghoomar: Shreya Ghoshal

Sound Impressions:

The one big takeout that I got from using the P2 is that this one needs all the power that you can throw at it. The P2 is set @ 90dB with 32 Ohms, so it is imperative to use a very capable amplifier with the setup. I have a modded FiiO Q5 dac/amp that enabled me to get a complete feel of the P2. I have used my Samsung Galaxy S10, Cayin N5ii, and my favorite Sony Discman as sources. When driven with the right amp, the P2 is no less than a mid-ranged headphone.

Bass:

The big difference that P2 has from the P1 is the Bass quality and quantity. While it was nearly absent in P1, the bass makes its presence felt in the P2. When paired with an amp, the P2 fires all its cylinders and presents you with the Bass that is lively. The slams…the sub-bass rumbles…the quality…the quantity…you name it. You have to feed the P2 to get the Bass out of it… but the Bass…while it is not a DD-powered bass, is excellent. It is fun and musical bass.

Mids:

The Best part of the P2…Mids. The vocals, the transparency, the separation, the musical placements…everything is just top-notched. The Vocals are life-like and warm. They do not sound mechanical at all. The detailing is to die for. All of my MTV unplugged Collection sounded so good. The acoustics arrangement was replicated exactly as it would have sounded in a live environment. The Orchestra arrangement was holographic in nature. You could feel where the guitarist is, where the bassist is, and so on.

Highs:

The highs have a sparkle to it. The treble extension gives an airy feel to the sound. The separation is exceptional, and the soundstage is 3D. The sound is warm and musical and that gives it an overall fun signature. But now comes the tricky part…the highs have an extreme boost at the upper end. Depending on what you are currently playing, you might feel it or you might not. I was lucky as 90% percent of my playlist is Bollywood Redbooks and 90’s Rock and New-Age. However, this is not a deal-breaker.

Conclusion:

The P2 deserves the flagship tag and everything about is premium…be the unboxing experience, the accessories, the build. The stage is excellent, the imaging is 3D and the bass is awesome…provided you feed it with a powerful source. Just be careful of the upper-end boost as it may catch you with a surprise.

Disclaimer
QOA Pink Lady has been provided to me by HiFiGo as part of their review tour. I am in no way related to them or working for them. All impressions of sound are subjective to my own listening and my sources. One can purchase QOA Mojito from HiFiGo using the following link.

Introduction

QoA was established in 2019 as a sister company of Kinera. It continues Kinera's technology and R&D experience and incorporates its own innovative ideas in product positioning.

Design

The earpices are made of acrylic shells with a prominent log of QOA on the faceplate. The unit that I have is of transparent Purple color. The connectors are 0.78 mm 2-pin and the cable has a good feel to it.

The major design flaw that I see that there is no lip on the nozzle that holds the eartips. As a result, I had stuck eartips in my ears through the review period.



Sound Analysis

The Best feature will come first:

Bass: You will get awesome bass I the QOA Pink Lady. There is a bleed present but not that prominent. You will fee the rumbles if you play your favorite Bass tracks. The bass has good quantity present.

Mids: The mids are Okay-ish. Not too good, not too bad. One can say that the mids are relaxed and laid back in nature. Although the vocals are good.

Highs: The treble is good and has an extension to it. And at the same time, it is smooth. The makes the overall impression lean towards the Bass presentation.

Soundstage

The sound stage is decent. Nothing exciting going on here. The more dynamic tracks feel congested on the Pink lady. I think cable change is required here.

Disclaimer
This unit has been provided to me by HiFiGo as part of their review tour. I am in no way related to them or working for them. All impressions are based on my individual experience and subjective to my own listening as well as sources. You can purchase it from HiFiGo using the below link:

https://hifigo.com/products/cozoy-t...0bb&_ss=r&sscid=91k4_o3ezn&&sscid=a1k4_4me9i&

Introduction
The Cozoy TAKT C is an external portable DAC/AMP module that has a built-in cable with USB-C port and has been designed for use with smartphones, tablets, or PC using the compatible ports. This is specially designed for phones with no 3.5 output.

Technical Specifications
Advanced Sabre DAC ES9018Q2C
PCM Decoding up to 32-Bit/384kHz
Native DSD support up to DSD256-11.2MHz
4-Layers reinforced gold-plated PCB
TCXO Crystal Oscillator
Output Power: 28mW @ 32 ohms per channel
USB Type-C Input
Output Port: 3.5mm TRS Headphone jack
Cable Length: 10CM
CNC 6063 Aluminium Alloy Body
Low Power Consumption Design

Practical usage:

Cozoy TAKT C can be easily paired to different smartphones and laptop/PC using USB-C port. With Windows 10 there was no need to install any additional 3rd party drivers and works well with Foobar and other streaming apps like Spotify/Tidal.



You can pair the Takt with different smartphones and laptops using USB C port. On a Windows PC, it works seamlessly with foobar and streaming apps.

Sound Impressions:

The Takt can drive high impedance IEMs or Headphones with ease. The sound is on the warmer side despite of the fact that this uses an ESS chip. I noticed improvements in the soundstage, dynamic range and the separation got wider as well. Get good detailing and treble get more extensions.

The highs Get good detailing and treble get more extensions.

The Mids become clearer and natural. Vocals get forwarded and excellent.

The bass gets improvements as well. You will feel that sub-bass rumble and mid-bass as well.

The One Con:

This heats up quite a lot after extended usage. This makes the on-the-go usage a bit of a drag.

Disclaimer:

The unit has been sent to me from Hifigo as a part of a review circle. I am not working or affiliated to Hifigo and I am not being paid or influenced otherwise to say anything positive or negative about this review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Purchase Link: https://hifigo.com/products/2020-qo...er-in-ear-earphone-iem?variant=32047937945649

Product Specification:

Driver Configuration : 2 Sonion Balanced Armature and 4 Knowles Balanced Armature
Frequency response range : 20-20000 Hz
Stock Cable : Furukawa 1.2 m ± 3 cm Pure copper and Silver Braided
Interface type : 0.78 mm -2Pin connector
Plug Type (Stock Cable) : 3.5 mm
Impedance : 23Ω
Earphone sensitivity : 118 ±2dB
Color: Available in Aqua Blue / Amber Orange / Grape Sparkling Wine

Introduction

QoA was established in 2019 as a sister company of Kinera. It continues Kinera's technology and R&D experience and incorporates its own innovative ideas in product positioning.

Design

The Mojito demands attention at the very first look that it gets. With three color variants, Aqua Blue, Amber Orange, and Grape Sparkling Wine, you have multiple choices available to spoil you.




Sources Used:
I have used Cayin N6ii w/A01 module for this review purpose.



Sound Analysis:

Lows:

In simple words, No Bass. Mojito will always make you question…where is the bass? With no Sub-bass rumble, and no depth in bass, my favorite tracks for bass testing felt un-natural. I know, what you are going to say…All BA setup…but…having used the Shozy Pentacles (Also an all BA setup), I disagree. Mojito has to works its ass off to give you the bass.

Mids:

The mids fare off better than the bass. There…I said it…but…the mids are still not what one would expect with a 399$ IEM. These require further tuning. Also..Cable change and tip rolling helped a lot with mids. The Vocals are clean, well-forwarded. However, highly dynamic tracks feel crowded. For example, Noor-ul-ala-Noor by A R Rahman.

Highs:

The highs are the most decent part of Mojito’s sound spectrum. But you will still experience the Treble roll-off and lacks energy. The higher frequencies will give you a cluttered feeling.

Soundstage:

The QOA Mojito has decent soundstage. The instrument separation is ok. As I said earlier, if you use a highly dynamic track, you will feel it becomes crowded.

Conclusion:

Overall, the Mojito is not a poor performer, but it will leave you feeling incomplete. I guess, that comes as an expectation if you will pay 399$ for it. Leaving the soundstage, the rest of the performance areas need improvement. I hope QOA takes this review positively and work on that tuning. Overall it is a decent first attempt.

Moondrop Blessing 2 IEM Review: Beautiful and Detailed!!!

Who doesn’t know Moondrop, they are some of the best Chi-fi IEM makers in the market and bring the users a wide range of brilliant sounding in-ear monitors ranging from around a 100$ priced Starfield with a CNT Dynamic Driver unit and goes up to Moondrop Solis a 4BA and 2 EST flagship hybrid driver pair at 1100$. Moondrop has released a new hybrid driver IEM, the Moondrop Blessing 2. The Blessing 2 has got a five driver hybrid setup, one Dynamic driver and four Balanced armature drivers. I have got a sample unit for the Moondrop Blessing 2 a few days back and today I am going to share my review for this beautiful pair. I received a sample of Moondrop Blessing 2 from HiFiGo in return of my honest opinion, you can buy it from here from their store.





Please note that the unit that I have received for this review is a sample unit, it doesn’t have retail packaging just got the earpieces with a two-pin copper cable, so I won’t be able to tell you about the unboxing and contents of the unit and for this review, the unit has been burned in for more than 50 hours, as that is the least suggested for a DD IEM to burn-in.

Build Quality:-




People all around already praise Moondrop for its brilliant craftsmanship, whether it be Moondrop Kanas Pro, Moondrop S8, or just a 100$ priced Starfield all are built with good quality material and have a strong build. The Moondrop Blessing 2 is also not an exception, it looks exceptionally beautiful with a stainless steel faceplate placed on a transparent resin shell from which you can see through to the precise placements of different driver units inside. I can see a large dynamic driver coil, and two pairs of BA’s, from this I can tell you that it has a triple crossover design, Dynamic Driver handling the lows, dual BA for mids, and dual BA for Highs. The faceplate has a hole near the corner it is to reduce the dynamic driver flex, and I have not heard that flex noise even while pushing the earpieces deep into my ears.





The cable that came to me with the unit surely looks its stock cable, it is a 4 wire braided copper cable with 2 wires on each side and a 0.78mm two-pin connector type. The cable has an L type 3.5mm termination plug. The Y splitter on the cable has a Blessing 2 logo printed on it.
Overall the earpieces surely look beautiful, they have a strong and tough build.

Fit:-



The Moondrop Blessing 2 has a bit big sized earpieces, so for people with small-sized ears, you guys might get some fit related issues. For me, I have medium-sized ears and the fit is perfect for me. The earpieces block my ear completely and provide me with great isolation, I can’t hear to people around me even on lower volumes.

Sound Quality:-

Ever since I had tried the Kanas Pro from a friend I was so excited to see the new line up of Moondrop, and The Moondrop Blessing 2 sounds amazing. It has a U-shaped sound signature with a wider staging representation. The staging is absolutely amazing here, it is wide, it is deep. You can feel an entire orchestra being played personally for you in your ears. The sound has that airy feel to it which is expected from Mid-level IEM’s. The elevated Bass and Treble sections have good detailing and smoother response, mids initially felt a bit peaky especially the upper mids holding vocals for us, but as I have given this pair some time of burning in the mids have settled really well. There is no peakiness now, the vocals feel crisp and lush. The instruments have got natural timbre and good quality imaging capabilities. Let’s talk about the different areas of the frequency response range in detail now.





Lower end/Bass:-

As we already know a DD is handling the bass here, and my god the thumps that I had got when I first listened to this pair. Please note that previously I own the DUNU DK-3001 Pro IEM’s which is a balanced pair but it also has good bass, but when I heard the bass thumps on the Blessing 2 I actually got amazed. It has got a deep and punchy bass, the bass doesn’t roll off quickly and provides the users with a deep response. Drums in Clarity by John Mayer surely left a deep impression in my brain. The entire bass region is controlled really well and it doesn’t overlap or leaks to the other sections.

Mids/Vocals:-

The pair has a U shaped sound signature but there is surely some elevation in the upper mids which brings the vocals to upfront, this initially made the vocals a bit peaky, but after the burn-in period everything is settled. The vocals have settled and are smooth now. I mostly listen to vocal-based songs by artists like Damien Rice, Yao SI Ting, MTV Unplugged sessions. And post the burn in it is a bliss to listen to them on this pair. There is no harshness or peakiness in the pair after the burn-in period is over. The vocals feel natural they are neither thin nor thick, there are no coloration just crisp details.

Highs/Treble:-

The treble is the main attraction in Blessing 2's sound. The treble response is very detailed and brilliant. Whether it be violin in any of the songs by Tina Guo, Electric guitar in Sweet Child O’ Mine by Guns N’ Roses, you will feel no harshness or peakiness at all. The Instrumental details are rendered so beautifully and precisely that even with such bright details the pair generates a relaxed sound. I really appreciate the tuning of Moondrop for this detailed treble response with no harshness. You will notice no sibilance in any of the instruments even at louder volumes.




Staging:-

The Moondrop Blessing 2 has a very wide stage representation. The stage has got a feeling of airiness, it has a feeling of depth, and with such beautiful details and staging the tuning of Moondrop surely looks promising and makes me eager to try out more products by them.
Overall the Sound quality of Moondrop Blessing 2 is very good. It has got a brilliantly detailed sound output with deep and clean bass thumps, natural-sounding vocals, and detailed and beautiful treble response. The pair plays all the genres I tried like EDM, Rock, Vocals, Pop with aplomb and very good clarity.


Powering the Moondrop Blessing 2:-



I have used the pair with my Fiio M11 Pro, Fiio M11 Pro paired with Aune B1s Amp, and One plus 6T smartphone with Cozoy TAKT C DAC/AMP and all of them powered the pair easily, though I feel like the pair has higher power requirements as I had to push the volume up to enjoy the pair fully.


Final Verdict:-

As I have told earlier in this review that I was excited to try out something from Moondrop, and thus came The Blessing 2. I loved the pair so much. It renders amazing details, it carries deep punchier bass response, and lush vocals exactly the type of sound that according to me makes any genre of music shine. This pair has made me a fan of Moondrop and now I am eager to try out more from the brand while keeping this as my daily driver now.