Planar IEMs have always attracted me with their speed and dynamics. Over the past few years, I have been following the rise and development of Planar driver-based IEMs. The journey for me started with the Tin HiFi P1 Plus, 7Hz Timeless, LETSHUOER S12, KZ PR2, etc. Earlier back in the day, Planar Magnetic Driver-based IEMs used to be quite power hungry like the Tin HiFi P1 and P2 IEMs were used to be tested on desktop amplifiers. And they had that amazing sense of scalability as well. But as time passed, the technology evolved and we got some new IEMs that don’t exactly require such absurd amounts of power. I am talking about the LETSHUOER S12, 7Hz Timeless AE, etc. This generation of Planar Magnetic Driver IEMs obviously benefits from good quality DAC/AMP or Dedicated DAP, but they never showed me such high requirements. Okay a lot of blabbering about the recent history and development of Planar Magnetic driver for IEMs in the recent times, now let’s get to talk about the product at hand today. Today I am going to share my review of this brand-new planar IEM, the Hidizs MP145. Hidizs MP145 packs a 14.5mm massive planar magnetic driver unit on each side with large-sized metallic shells. At the time of this write-up, the pair retails for about 150$ available across different retailers worldwide. I have spent a decent amount of time with the set(like 4-5 weeks now), with multiple sources and music genres, let’s start with the review today.

A Short Disclaimer:-

Hidizs MP145 was sent to me by Hidizs as a part of a review tour in India. Rest assured, all impressions here are my own based on my own experience with the pair for the past few weeks. It has been in my daily rotation for quite sometime now. My opinions might be biased based on my own personal preference for listening(which is mostly neutral with some sub-bass boost).

Design and Build Quality:-

The ear shells of MP145 are built like a tank. They are metallic shells with a mechanical cyberpunk style look with a large, and by large I mean really large. The shells are massive, to be honest, and at first, I was kind of sceptical about whether they would even fit me or not. Surprisingly, despite their massive size, they fit me perfectly. They sit a little on the outer side of my ears, but they sit comfortably and never fall off my ears. The shells have a rich, matte finish, they look and feel premium. Great job with the craftsmanship I would say. The one that I have has this gunmetal titanium colour, which looks minimalistic and with the matte finish has a charming appeal, atleast for me.

Hidizs MP145 has replaceable ear nozzles. There are three sets of nozzles with the MP145, Rose gold, Silver, and Red. Each set has a different nozzle filter density that brings noticeable changes into the output with the pair. Which I will discuss further after the sound quality part.

Fit & Isolation:-

As I mentioned above, the pair is a bit big in terms of size, but I have no issues at all with fit. The pair fits me like a charm(I have medium ears, and I usually don’t get any fit issues with the IEMs. I would say the big size of the shells might give fit issues to people with small ears. I have no issues in isolation, using Softears UltraClear eartips for myself and I have no issues.

Driveability:-

For the past few weeks, I have been using the Hidizs MP145 as my driver. I am taking it to the gym, I am listening to it on my bed, and I am just using it on a regular basis. Yeah it has seen a few breaks every now and then, but then again it has found its place in my regular cycle. For my usage, I have used it with Questyle CMA18P and iBasso DX260 with a 4.4mm terminated cable. It has never shown me any issues in terms of driveability although I would say I had to increase the volume a bit extra as compared to other IEMs that I have(Softears Twilight/Thieaudio Hype10, etc.). I won’t call the Hidizs MP145 to be demanding or a power-hogging set, yet it benefits from better sources, so I suggest you guys give it the best you have and you will have a good time I assure you.

In simple words, Hidizs MP145 will sound good with your standard DAC/AMPs(tested with AFUL Snowynight/Hidizs S9 Pro Plus), It never lacked any performance for me, but when I paired it with CMA18P and DX260, the experience was on a different level. So, just treat the MP145 with your best, to experience the best sound.

Sound Impressions:-

Hidizs MP145 has a very lively and immersive sound presentation. The sound has a neutral to slightly warm tone, the instrument notes are well-defined and precise. There is no audible sibilance or harshness even on louder volume levels. I appreciate how controlled the MP145 resolution is. It is crisp, it is accurate and has amazing clarity. The pair maintains absolutely amazing clarity throughout the frequency band. Overall tuning profile is very balanced with no particular frequency being emphasised.

Lower-end packs some solid bass response. The sub-bass is rumbling and the mid-bass hits fast and quick. The lower-end region is tight and precise, there is no bleed into the other frequencies. Bass is fast, I would say it could use a bit more prominence in the mid-bass to add more slam and body but I think that might affect the speed and snappiness of the lower end. Midrange sounds clear with an absolutely lovely vocal presence. While writing this review I am listening to Nandini Srikar, an Indian artist who has such a beautiful vocal presentation in Bhare Naina track from Ra One, a Bollywood movie. The vocals are nicely textured and showcase delicate details quite beautifully on the MP145. Lower Mids feel slightly recessed to me, which gives a wide and open feel to the overall soundstage. The treble is crisp, detailed, and well-extended. It isn’t super detailed in treble, but smooth and well-rounded I would say. Another thing that I love about Hidizs MP145’s sound is its liveliness and energy in the treble. The pair showcases the perfect balance here, it never got overwhelming or tiring for me, I am simply delighted to have experienced such an amazing sound with the Hidizs MP145. This makes it one of my favourite IEMs in recent times.

Instrument notes are very well-defined and one can expect amazing layering and imaging capabilities with the Hidizs MP145. The pair showcases absolute excellence in those technical aspects. The soundstage is brilliant, just like the size of the ear shells, the soundstage presence of Hidizs MP145 is massive. It is deep, airy, and wide, giving a massive feeling whenever I listen to the set.

Now on to some cons for the Hidizs MP145. As I said earlier, I would have loved a bit more slam and body to the mid-bass on the Hidizs MP145. Secondly, the stage feels massive, width and depth are simply outstandingly big on the pair, but I personally feel like the height of the stage could be a bit better it forms a 3D immersive, and big soundstage, just a tad bit more height would have made it the perfect choice for me. Believe me, these two are very minor cons and you can also call them nitpicking haha, man every time I listen to the MP145 I wonder how can an IEM sound so massive and fast at the same time, well that’s the magic of Planar and Big shell I believe.

Next up, Hidizs MP145 comes with a bunch of nozzle filters, they are said to have tuning changes. The above impressions are with the Rose Gold color filter, but we also have Red and Silver filters. So let’s see what changes they have in terms of sound quality.

Red Filter:-

With the Red filter, the sound of the MP145 becomes a V-shape signature, the bass gets a bit more slam(the thing I had missing on the Rosegold filters). Although the output gets a little intimate compared to the Rosegold filters. Treble also gets a little leaner with the Red Filter. I would say details are also slightly better on the Rosegold filter. But the increase in bass presence makes the output a bit warmer feel.

Silver Filter:-

The silver filter is probably the treble-enhancing one, i feel the treble gets a bit forward, but a bit of leanness i could notice there. Bass is also feeling a bit lean in this filter or is this the result of using on Red filter for the past two hours lol. But yeah, my favourite filter with the MP145 is the Rosegold one as that offers the perfect balance for me.

Some Comparison Time:-

As of writing this review, I have experienced a bunch of Planar IEMs including the NiceHCK F1 Pro recently, So today’s comparison will be with the F1 Pro.

NiceHCK F1 Pro vs Hidizs MP145:-

>Fit wise the F1 Pro is very comfortable, MP145 has bigger shells.

>MP145 has a more detailed and more neutral sound presentation.

>F1 Pro has a warmer tone in comparison(although it is also fairly neutral).

>F1 Pro has one of the smoothest trebles in Planars I have experienced so far, MP145 has that smoothness but also has more energy and sounds more resolving as well.

>Stage of MP145 is massive, F1 Pro has a intimate presentation.

>MP145 Bass is snappier and has faster notes as well.

>MP145 has more resolution.

>Vocal texture MP145 is simply next level.

I love F1 Pro, it is the safest tuned Planar IEM imo, but MP145 takes things on next level. Be it the clarity, be it the overall presentation, MP145 is on the another level.

Final Words:-

I place Hidizs MP145 highly in my top planars. Over the years I have experienced a lot of different planars including the Tin HiFi P1 series, and P2 as well but I consider that as an HP as it takes desktop level amp lol, then the KZ PR series, The LETSHUOER S series, and believe me, the MP145 is among the top three from my side. The other two? Well, they are something special and I would mention them as well(LETSHUOER S15, and CFA SuperMoon), but both of them are way above in price league compared to the MP145. For me, Hidizs MP145 offers great value for money with excellent sonic performance, and a uniquely shaped massive-sized shells. Well, that’s about the Hidizs MP145 from my side, I hope you guys enjoyed reading this review of mine, I would like it if you guys could leave me a like here For any questions, you can ask me in the comments section below.

BQEYZ has brought the latest into its weather series of IEMs with the release of the BQEYZ Wind. Things that started with the Spring Season followed great performance in Autumn and winter, and now we have the Wind. An IEM with a unique driver combination featuring a dynamic driver and coil-based bone-conduction driver on each side. I love how BQEYZ always experiments all around and brings products that are great in terms of sonic performance and at the same time, don’t break the bank. It is not the first time BQEYZ is here with a BCD driver, Winter also featured one and I liked the set. Although the BCD driver in the Winter was implemented above the 200Hz mark. In the Wind, they have implemented a 10mm coil-based BCD driver responsible for lower-end and midrange. I got a sample sent my way by BQEYZ themselves, and today I am going to share my review on the same. So let’s get our reading glasses on plug in your favourite IEMs and begin with the review.

Disclaimer:-

BQEYZ sent me the Wind for the purpose of a review tour in India. I will be forwarding the unit ahead to the next reviewer, not being benefitted by them in monetary ways by any means. The unit belongs to them until they let me keep it after the tour. You can buy the BQEYZ Winter from the online retailer(will be adding the HiFiGo link below). It’s a non-affiliated link. At the time of this write-up, the product retails for 239$.

https://hifigo.com/products/bqeyz-wind

Design & Build Quality:-

BQEYZ Wind looks good, really really good. The entire shell is metallic and has a semi-open back grill design. The Blue colour that I have is spectacular, it looks vivid and bright, just the way I personally like. The design of the pair is similar to QDC Tiger which is a premium flagship IEM. The face covers have BQEYZ Wind branding(BQEYZ on one side and Wind on the other). On the inner side, we have the BCD driver, we can see where it is located as it is covered by a separate panel with two screw kinda things. Will add the images below so that you can also have a look at that place. We get a detachable cable with 2-pin connectors and a preferred choice of termination, no swappable plugs here.


Fit and Isolation:-

For any IEM with a BCD driver, Fit plays a crucial role. If the BCD driver doesn’t touch your skin, it won’t work for you. BQEYZ Wind for me is the best fit for their IEMs. Out of Spring 2, Autumn, Topaz, and Winter, the Wind is the one that fits me the best. And the BCD driver also touches my ear, so I can actually feel that bass rumbling hard lol. Although I must add here, the stock tips were not the best fit for me, I am using the BQEYZ Wind with Softears UC eartips. They bring the IEM closer to my ear making the BCD area touch my ear. So I suggest you try different tips and then choose the one that is most comfortable and also helps you to feel the BCD driver.

Driveability:-

BQEYZ Wind does love some extra juice sent her way. Although works well with most sources that I have treated her with including my MacBook Pro, Hidizs S9 Pro Plus, AFUL Snowy Night, Questyle CMA18P, Questyle QP2R, etc. I would suggest using a decent-level USB DAC as a minimum with the set I tested with Questyle CMA18P and QP2R for most of this review.

Sound Quality:-

The unique combination of DD and BCD drivers here on the BQEYZ Wind is implemented nicely. It sounds cohesive as a single unit, the BCD driver produces a strong and slamming lower end just make sure it touches your ear when you wear the set properly. Bass has good reach and definition. It reaches deep in the sub-bass region and produces a good rumble along with a good punch in the mid-bass section as well. The midrange has a clean and crisp presentation. Vocals show good clarity and resolution. The same can be said for the instruments in the midrange. In my experience with their products so far, BQEYZ tunes with an open and detailed midrange section. Instruments such as Piano, Acoustic Guitar, Harmonium and wind instruments such as Trumpets, organ, etc. show amazing details and lovely tones in the midrange section. The overall tone on the Wind is quite natural and lively, Vocals sound full of life, they are well-textured as well.

Treble region is smooth and inoffensive. No harshness or sibilance is present on the Wind yet it received good micro details in the sound. Treble region has good air as well and doesn’t sound congested or intimate for busy tracks such as Billie Jean by MJ. I would personally love a little more energy into the Treble section, but hey where will I put the Simgot EA1000 then? lol. Overall, BQEYZ has treated the pair with an amazing sound tuning, it packs a sound that will complement most genres. I personally tested it with multiple genres including EDM, Hip-Hop, Rock, Pop, Classical, and some regional Bollywood, I never found the BQEYZ Wind to sound lacking at all in any given department. Technically, again I find the BQEYZ Wind to be highly efficient. It has good note weight, accurate imaging, and a wide+Tall soundstage. With its open-back cavity design, the soundstage also has good depth giving a full 3D feel.

BQEYZ Wind’s sound finds a place in my best IEM around 200-300$ price bracket. Heck, it can compete with some IEMs priced above its range(will share my comparison with Tangzu Nezha ahead) and will have some points going there in its favor. For me, BQEYZ Wind is probably the best BQEYZ has offered us so far.

Let’s summarise this review with some basic points.

>Excellent bass, fast, snappy, and deep-reaching.

>Clear and crisp midrange. The vocals sound well-textured and well-detailed.

>Handles even busy tracks easily, nicely executed treble.

>The soundstage has a good 3D feel.

>Excellent Imaging and instrument detailing.

>Instruments also have a decent amount of note-weight.

>Tone and Timbre are simply excellent, smooth and natural.

Some things that I feel could be improved here:-

>Fit, Yes the fit is very good for me. But unless the pair fits you perfectly, you won’t be able to feel the proper bass response of the BQEYZ Wind. So mentioning it for the team.

>Requires a decent amount of power. If you don’t have a decently powerful source, you won’t be able to feel the proper sound of the BQEYZ Wind.

>Treble is too smooth for me, personally I would love a little bit more energy into that section.

Now on to some comparisons.

BQEYZ Wind vs Simgot EA1000:-

Both these IEMs have a dual-driver hybrid configuration. The Wind has a DD+BCD combination while the EA1000 has a DD+PR configuration. Let’s take note of how these two compare.

>EA1000 is more sensitive than the Wind, so easy driveability.

>EA1000 have a tad bit more mid-bass slam and weight. The wind has more refinement and a crispier lower-end definition.

>Wind has a faster and snappier bass response.

>Both the pair have clear midrange, but Wind sounds better definition and slightly more clarity.

>Treble on the EA1000 is on the brighter side. It is more defined and extended. Wind handles a smoother approach in treble. EA1000 might sound offensive to some.

>Wind has a more 3D feel to the soundstage.

BQEYZ Wind vs Oriveti OD200:-

OD200 packs a single dynamic driver setup while the Wind brings a DD+BCD combination. Here’s my take on these two.

>Wind’s bass has more slam and weight to the bass. Oriveti is a little thin in comparison. Both have identical speeds and extensions.

>Oriveti’s midrange is a little thin in comparison, Wind has more weight to the vocals and instruments.

>Both maintain a good treble region with the OD200 presenting more energy, and the Wind presenting a smoother response.

>Wind’s soundstage is more 3D.

BQEYZ Wind vs Tangzu Nezha:-

Nezha the latest flagship from Tangzu packs a multi-BA+PZT hybrid configuration and retails for 400$. Here’s my take on these two.

>Wind definitely has more lower-end presence. It is faster, snappier, and punchier.

>Midrange is the charm of Nezha, Vocals sound really good. Although Nezha have a little BA texture to them and Wind sounds more natural.

>Vocals and midrange on the Nezha is more forward in comparison.

>Treble on the Nezha is more extended, crispier and has a slightly better definition than the Wind.

>Wind has more instrument and vocal weight thanks to the added bass response.

>Soundstage of Wind is more 3D, and is taller.

Final Words:-

BQEYZ Wind is an IEM that brings us a taste of Bone-Conductiuon Drivers in a pocket-friendly price bracket. And they have nailed it with the sound of the Wind. I have been using the set for quite a while now, and never even once have I felt like I should listen to something else. Right from the comfortable fit to the amazing sound, Wind packs it all in a beautiful metallic shell. For around 200$, BQEYZ Wind is one of my top recommendations alongside the Simgot EA1000 and Oriveti OD200. I hope you guys enjoyed reading my review, if you have any questions or queries related to the Wind, feel free to ask me in the comments section below.

Planar Magnetic Drivers in IEMs have been booming since the release of the Timeless or shall i say Tin HiFi P1 series. I am talking about the IEM category, HP’s had them since long(HiFiMan and a few other brands). Planar Magnetic drivers in IEMs have been quite fascinating for me. I have tried many models including the Tin HiFi P1 series, LETSHUOER S12 series, 7Hz Timeless, and many more models. NiceHCK has also joined the bandwagon with the F1 series. They recently came up with the F1 Pro, for which I am going to share my review today with you guys. It has been an amazing experience listening to the F1 Pro, the pair packs a smooth and safe sound, probably the safest-sounding Planar I have heard to date. Usually, most Planars that I have tried have a detailed, crispy, and energetic sound presentation, so where does the F1 Pro stand for me? Let’s find out in the review today.

Short Disclaimer:-

NiceHCK F1 Pro was sent to me by NiceHCK themselves for this review. And here goes my speech again, “I am writing this review in all my senses with no affection or hate towards any brand or anything. All the impressions in this post are completely my own based on my own experience with the set”. At the time of this write-up, NiceHCK F1 Pro retails for 109$. There’s a sale going on in the Aliexpress store where you can get the F1 Pro along with the Cyan cable starting at 100$ with a Coupon Code (F1PROGOOD). Link is added below(it’s a non-affiliated link).

https://www.aliexpress.us/item/1005006228604236.html

Design & Ergonomics:-

NiceHCK F1 Pro houses a large-sized dynamic driver still the pair is quite compact and ergonomic. Its round-shaped cavity is small and sits comfortably into the ear providing a good fit. F1 Pro has a beautiful design with metallic Blue coloured shells. They are metallic with a premium in-hand look and feel. The paint finish is matte, it doesn’t attract fingerprints at all. The compact design of the shells makes them fit comfortably and provides me with good wearing comfort, it can be worn for longer durations without getting tired at all. NiceHCK provides a standard cable with the set, Although I have used it mainly with the Cyan Upgrade cable. This cable has a cloth sleeve in a light blue color tone. Overall, great looks, great comfort, great isolation. Cyan Cable gets a little dirty with extensive use, but the pair still retains its shine and premium finish.

Driving the NiceHCK F1 Pro:-

NiceHCK F1 Pro works well with most sources that I have tested it with. I tried to test everything from a standard MacBook Pro output to proper USB DAC/AMPs and dedicated DAPs, I never felt like the F1 Pro takes a lot of juice. Yes adding current from CMA Amplification of QP2R or adding Current through the AK PA10 definitely improves the dynamics. But you won’t lose much with standard sources either. As long as you provide the F1 Pro with a clean source, you are good to go. I suggest using a decent DAC/AMP like Hidizs S9 Pro Plus or AFUL Snowy Night to bring the true potential out of the pair. And for added dynamics, and enhanced overall sound, use a powerful amp like AK PA10.

Sound Impressions:-

Where shall I start for the F1 Pro? The pair sounds so good, it has a smooth W-shape sound tuning presenting the Bass and Treble in a slightly forwarded manner. The bass is the main attraction of the pair, it hits hard, and it’s fast, when you give something like “Bad Guy by Billie Eilish”, you can actually feel the rumble being presented powerfully. TBH last night while I was making some notes listening to the set, It felt like a 2-channel speaker with a clear, strong bass response. There is no muddiness or graininess in the sound. NIceHCK has done a great job in presenting a tight and controlled lower-end response on the pair. The bass of F1 Pro gets the perfect balance between quantity and quality, it’s not overwhelming in either of the two and it still has enough of the two to present us with a clear and strong bass. In my test track(i will add the playlist after this sound impression), there’s a track called “Rockstar by Ali Zafar”, It’s a regional Hindi language track. The Drums in that track sound so good, the mid-bass is rounded and sounds so so pleasing that I just can’t get the F1 Pro out of my ears. Next up, Royals by Lorde, the Sub-bass is produced beautifully. It’s thunderous, it’s rumbling, and it’s a strong point of F1 Pro in my opinion.

The lower midrange is a bit recessed, but the upper mids, especially the vocals take a step forward. It isn’t hurting or sharp, although a bit of sibilance is present, especially with female Vocals. Instruments like Piano, Acoustic Guitars, maintain a really nice tone and timbre. They have a rich, full-bodied presentation. The same can be said for the Vocals. In my testing tracks, Hotel California is always there, and that track shines beautifully on the F1 Pro. The different instruments, the vocals, everything is presented so cleanly, so precisely, that it is quite enjoyable. There is no metallic timbre, the overall tone and timbre of the pair is slightly warmer than neutral.

Treble is nice and smooth. It’s decently detailed, I can’t call the F1 Pro a detail monster, but a smooth and rich-sounding one. The Treble tuning here is safe and sound. It’s not sharp, fatiguing, or harsh, even for longer listening sessions, the pair works like a true companion by my side. High Frequencies have good air and separation, they don’t sound dark or anything, and in fact have a smooth, neutral tone. Compared to something like Timeless or S12, I can’t call these the most extended ones, but definitely the smoothest one of the three, and the safest of the lot.

Technically, F1 Pro is a decent performer. It has a surrounding soundstage, neither too wide nor too narrow. The instruments sound well-separated and clear. There is no congestion even in fast tracks such as Billie Jean by Michael Jackson or Dark Necessities by RHCP. Imaging and placement of instruments are also nicely executed with the F1 Pro.

NiceHCK F1 Pro vs Celest Plutus Beast:-

I recently shared a review for the Celest Plutus Beast. The IEM is priced identically to the F1 Pro but has an entirely different driver setup. On F1 Pro we have a single Planar Magnetic Driver while Plutus Beast houses three drivers consisting of 1 BCD, 1 BA, and 1 SPD driver(which is a kind of planar by the way). So here are my sound comparisons between the two.

>Plutus Beast delivers a more physical lower-end response. F1 Pro doesn’t match the quantity, but definitely exceeds the quality of the bass. Mid-bass is more slamming and stronger on the Plutus Beast, F1 Pro has better sub-bass definition.

>Both IEMs have forwarded Vocals, F1 Pro has a bit of sibilance present.

>Treble on the F1 Pro has more life and crispiness, Plutus Beast sounds a bit darkish and rounded in comparison.

>Soundstage-wise both have a surrounding stage, Plutus Beast has more depth while the F1 Pro presents more width to the stage.

>Instrument separation is better on the F1 Pro for me.

>Microdetails on both the sets are identical, both of these don’t focus on more details, but rather has a more pleasing sound.

Final Words on F1 Pro:-

After spending like 12-15 days with the F1 Pro, I still stayed with my instant thought When I first heard the NiceHCK F1 Pro. It is the safest Planar sound, there is the least metallic timbre, there is a strong bass, there is a clear, crisp midrange, and there is a smoothly executed treble region. NiceHCK F1 Pro gets a place in my best Planar IEM recommendations as the set sounds so good that it is hard to get it off my daily listening list. Well, that’s about the NiceHCK F1 Pro, if you guys have any further questions, you can ask me in the comments section below. I hope this write-up was worth your reading time.

Regards!!

Celest, a sister brand to Kinera has been quite active in the budget segment of in-ear monitors. And they are not just randomly launching products, but thoroughly designing stuff with some new and innovative driver configurations. They debuted with the Celest Gumiho introducing that Squar Planar Thing. Celest further worked on improving the tech releasing successful products such as Pandamon and Phoenixcall. Now we have got a super solid new IEM from them, the Celest Plutus Beast. Just like every other IEM from Kinera and Celest, the Plutus Beast also has a solid lore. Before I delve into the review, let’s know some of the lore as presented by the Celest themselves.

Lore Behind Plutus Beast:-

Plutus Beast(also known as Tianiu, Bixie, or Baijie) is a strong mythological character from the tales of Ancient Mythology. It holds a notable position among the five auspicious mythical creatures in the tales. It is a distinguished character and is also believed to be the “Heavenly Creature of Fortune”, and as a symbol of wealth. I personally love how deeply Celest goes on to depict the character and design inspiration for each of their products. The package is also designed thoughtfully to describe the same. Celesst Plutus Beast has a three-driver tri-brid configuration. It houses three different kinds of drivers featuring a Bone Conduction Driver unit for solid bass response, a full-frequency SPD unit, and a high-frequency BA unit. At the time of this write-up today, the pair is supposed to be released soon with an expected price of around 100$-120$.

Short Disclaimer Before I Begin My Review:-

This unit was sent to me by HiFiGo as a part of the Review Tour. I would like to thank them for this tour in India. You can buy the unit from their store(release is supposed to be 10th January as per their store page). The link is available below(non-affiliated link). One point we all need to add here, “All thoughts in this review are going to be mine and mine only. I am not being paid or affected by any store or brand to write positive or bad things about the same”. Man it feels like I am standing in front of a judge with my hand on the holy bible and will only speak the truth .

https://hifigo.com/products/kinera-celest-plutus-beast

Design & Ergonomics:-

I personally love the craftsmanship by Celest and its parent brand Kinera. Both brands design some of the best-looking products in the industry. I am ready to pay some premium when the products look such beautiful. Good thing here is that Celest is focused on the budget category, so the hole in the pocket is not huge. Celest’s latest Plutus Beast has amazing looks and a compact shell design. The shells are small, they fit perfectly into my ears and provide good comfort while listening. I am sure the comfort of these will be better than the Phoenixcall (thanks to god my medium-sized ears fit everything nicely). The face covers look beautiful with hand-painted patterns. The review sample here has 3.5mm termination, I put on my own KBEAR 4.4mm cable. It fits the pair both sonically and aesthetically, the black shells are complemented by the black cable(see in the pictures in this review). As mentioned previously here, the Fit is perfect, and the Isolation is also really good. No complaints about either the design or fit of the pair for me. Although I would have loved a 4.4mm cable bundled with the set itself. Also, as you might be aware, for BCD driver IEMs as long as the pair fits perfectly, you are good to go. Any issues in fit would not bring the pure BCD experience for you.

Driveability:-

Driving the Plutus Beast is not very hard, a decent USB DAC/AMP or handy portable audio player will do the job for you. I personally used mine with AFUL Snowy Night, Questyle QP2R, HiBy RS6, FiiO M15S, and Shanling EC Mini. Never faced any issues in driveability even when I used it with my MacBook using the provided 3.5mm cable. So don’t worry much about driveability and enjoy the Plutus Beast with your choice of source.

Sound Impressions:-

Plutus Beast for me is probably one of the safest tunings by Celest yet. I have experienced all of their releases so far including the debutant product Gumiho, and the previous launch Phoenix Call. I have loved all of them, even when the Gumiho didn’t receive much love for being brightish. I was saying, Plutus Beast is probably the safest tuning yet. I would also like to add to my statement that it also has one of the strongest bass responses in its lineup. The BCD works well and provides a soul-soothing bass that hits hard. It slams like a truck adding a lively and fun factor to the sound for me. Sub-bass reach is deep and rumbles hard with perfect slams in the mid-bass. Although I would say it is not the cleanest bass out there, but definitely the most juicy one.

SPD Driver delivers a clear, crisp, forwarded midrange. Upper mids, especially vocals are a bit forward. Although I don’t find them shouty or piercing for me. I am personally a vocal lover and i adore the voice of Gloria Gaynor singing I Will Survive on the Plutus Beast. Celest has done a great job with these SPD drivers, they are fast, clean, and precise. I love the midrange clarity here. But as I said some people might find the Upper mids a bit hot and too forwarded.

Treble is safe and sound. It is delicately tuned in the treble region. Considering the strong bass and forwarded midrange, the treble is a bit darkish but still satisfying for me. Plutus Beast is not as detailed or as revealing as the Phoenixcall, but it does a great job in providing a pleasurable and enjoyable listening session.

Technically, Plutus Beast delivers a decent performance. Soundstage has a surrounding feel, and the width and depth are both above average producing a 3D-like presentation. Instruments are very well separated and have good air between them. Imaging and layering could be better and instrument notes could have slightly more crispiness to them, other than that everything sounds really good and solid.

Plutus Beast or Phoenix Call:-

I personally loved both the Plutus Beast and Phoenix Call. Both IEMs bring us great sound. Here would be my comparison between them.

>Plutus Beast has a stronger bass response, and Phoenix Call has more defined bass notes.

>Plutus Beast midrange is more forwarded than the Phoenix Call.

>Phoenix Call produces more details, micro details basically. I would say it has a brighter signature compared to the Plutus Beast.

>Phoenix Call stage is also bigger, Plutus Beast is more surrounded and has more things going around you.

>Instruments sound crispier and sharper on the Phoenix call when compared to the Plutus Beast.

>Both the IEMs look beautiful, Phoenix Call is the best-looking one out there, and Plutus Beast has better comfort for us listeners.

Like I said, I love both the IEMs, they both have different sound signatures and offer great sound in their own regard.

Final Words For Celest Plutus Beast:-

Plutus Beast brings a unique flavour to my lineup of products. Its strong bass complements the vocals and its relaxing, smoother treble is there for a pleasurable listening session. You know it’s an iem that finds its place in your everyday carry with its captivating sound and great comfort. Personally, the set was with me for a little over one week and I absolutely enjoyed its sound. I guess I am going to miss it when it goes out on the tour tomorrow. Well, that’s it from my side for the Celest Plutus Beast. I hope you guys enjoyed reading this one. I will soon come up with a video review on my YouTube, stay tuned for that one.

Thank You!!

Muse HiFi is a brand that recently popped up in the audiophile industry with a bunch of products. From affordable portable USB DAC/AMPs to IEMs, Muse HiFi has brought quality products to the market. They are still a rather new name with a handful of products under their name, while their earlier products were limited to entry-level segments offering average performance, they recently upped their game in recent products like the M3 II premium USB DAC/AMP, East6 Single DD IEMs, etc. These products got some good reviews in the community especially the East6 IEMs which were the talk of the town upon their release. Muse HiFi has now come up with its first Bluetooth USB DAC/AMP, the Muse HiFi M4. Priced at 139$, this portable DAC/AMP goes head to head with some acclaimed names such as the BTR7 from FiiO. I got a sample of the M4 courtesy of a review tour in India organised by HiFiGo, so here I am today sharing my thoughts and review on the M4. Let’s not waste any more time on any other blabbering and get started.

A Short Disclaimer:-
I would like to thank HiFiGo for the sample for this review. YOu can purchase the M4 from their store from the link below(It’s non-affiliated). Other information such as DAC chip, etc is also available on the link.

https://hifigo.com/products/muse-hifi-m4

Let’s See What’s Inside The Box:-

M4 comes in a small package with everything to get you going straight out of the box. The device itself sits at the bottom in its cutout casing, while other accessories including a USB Type-A cable and the user guide are in a small box at the top layer inside the package. And well, that’s it, these are the only three things we have in the package. There’s no USB Type-C to Type-C cable included in the package of M4.

Package Contents:-

>M4 itself.

>USB Type-A to Type-C cable.

>User Guide.

Design & Build Quality:-

Muse HiFi m4 is a treat to the eyes. The device is stunning to say the very least. We have a glass window at the front through which the entire circuitry is visible. It has two LEDs at the top to denote gain level(Blue denotes low gain, red denotes high gain), a Bluetooth logo on the front that glows when Bluetooth mode is used. The best part is that we have separate power and data USB ports, so users can charge it at the same time we are using it as a USB DAC. On the left side, we have volume keys and media control keys, on the right we have a Gain switch, and play/pause function key, and a USB indicator light(this light only glows when USB input is connected). This function key is used to turn the device on/off as well. At the top we have three headphone sockets, 4.4mm, 3.5mm, and 2.5mm. The entire frame here is metallic and the front and back has glass surface. Overall an impressive build. I would have loved it if Muse HiFi had bundled a carry case together as well lol.



I faced some issues using the DAC with USB connection. A few cables did not work for me but they worked fine on the other DACs, Like the Aune Yuki cable doesn’t work with the M4 but the Hidizs S9 Pro Plus cable works perfectly fine.

Sound Impressions & Pairing:-

Muse HiFi M4 has strong output signal amplification. It sounds big and strong with a big soundstage presentation. Tonally, the M4 maintains a smooth and musical sound signature with a bit of added warmth to the output. Bass feels a little stronger, a little more slamming, adding a bit of heft and weight to the notes. Midrange has a smooth and warm touch to the tone, vocals sound solid and mesmerising. The instruments are decently detailed, I won’t call the M4 a super-detailed DAC, but rather a musical DAC that presents a smooth and warm tone throughout the frequency band. On the USB Mode, the Background is quite clear and crisp with no audible noise floor, Although Bluetooth mode has some noticeable background Hiss with some IEMs on loud volume(tested IEMs include Fudu Verse 1, Penon Turbo, Softears Twilight, Kinera Freya 2.0, and a few more).

This is my basic impression of the M4’s sound, now there are seven digital filters on the M4 that allow to play around the signature a bit. The difference between these filters is a bit minor, like the bass speed, and bass decay, these take most effect. Changing filters is a bit easy, simply press and hold the volume down keys and the two lights on the front of the device will start blinking. They will cycle the filters in 1-7 with the number of blinks indicating the active filter. After testing these for most time, I noticed the 1st filter has the warmest sound, the bass is a little strong, and the decay is a little slow in this filter. The seventh filter is the cleanest with fast bass decay speed and clean overall sound. I personally prefer the 3rd and 5th filters, 3rd has the adequate fun like bass with forwarded midrange, while the 5th sounds the most adequate for me with clear bass with good punch and clear midrange(that is not as forwarded as on the 3rd filter).

Now on to the pairings that I have tested with the M4:-

Muse HiFi M4 with D’s Audio Fire Phoenix:-

Fire Phoenix is my TOTL single DD monster with a speaker-like massive sound. The impressive output power of the M4 does justice to the Fire Phoenix driving it decently at low gain and about 30% volume level only. It becomes very loud even at low gain only. I find the pairing to be decent, even though my Fire Phoenix already has a warm sound, it doesn’t get boomy or overwhelming with the M4, and it maintains good clarity as well. On USB mode there is no audible noise floor although I hear a bit of hiss in Bluetooth mode.

Softears Twilight:-

Twilight works wonderfully well with the M4. The combination is crisp, defined, and clear. No audible noise floor here in any scenario(USB or Bluetooth). Midrange sounds charming and stunning. Treble here sounds clear and defined as well, a good companion for everyday pairing I would say. Again did not have to go anywhere above 30% volume on low-gain mode for the Twilight.

Kinera Freya 2.0:-

Freya works decently well, I hear a bit of hiss in the background while using the pairing with Bluetooth mode. IDK why but the Freya 2.0 with M4 sounds quite natural, smooth, and neutral-ish in tone. A good combination with between these two.

BQEYZ WIND:-

This one is a great combination with the M4. The M4 provides it ample juice to open up completely and sound its best. Wind is a beautiful IEM with a beautiful sound, the combination with the M4 is amazing, it provides a strong lower-end and a 3D-like enveloping sound stage. The BCD with that added warmth does a great job, hitting you to your cores haha. Brilliant combo, out of about 80-90 hours i have spent with the M4 during the past 10 days, about 70% is with Wind only.

Gizaudio Chopin:-

Chopin with the M4 sounds good, a little hiss with Bluetooth mode, but the USB works perfectly fine. The added slight warmth by the M4 benefits the Chopin in presenting a strong lower-end response. Midrange maintains a smooth and warm touch, while the open treble sounds amazing with the M4. Another Good combo i would say. Yes a little hiss in Bluetooth mode, but doesn’t sound distracting when the stock IEM is so good sounding haha.

Now some comparison time!!

Muse HiFi M4 vs Aune Yuki:-

Yuki is recently bought by a friend of mine, i just happened to receive the shipment and now auditioned it for a few hours comparing with the M4.

>Aune Yuki is a USB Portable DAC/AMP, no Bluetooth thing available here.

>Yuki sounds cleaner than the M4, no noticeable background hiss.

>M4 sounds warmer of the two, Yuki maintains more clarity and has slightly better details as well.

>Instrument notes on the M4 are a bit heavier and weighted than on the Yuki.

>M4 sounds bigger in terms of stage presentation, Yuki has a more airy stage, and instruments and vocals sound better separated.

Final Words:-

Muse HiFi M4 is a big and powerful device. IMO it’s a versatile device that can be used in both Bluetooth as well as USB mode. It’s a little big in form factor, but it is very well-built. The structure and ergonomics are quite premium with an exquisite in-hand feel. ABout sound, I liked the musical and warm tone of the M4, it works well with most of my IEMs, although it has some flaws of its own. Like doesn’t work with all Type-C cables for me, noticeable background hiss in Bluetooth mode, slightly bigger form factor than a regular USB DAC, etc. All-in-all, a device that is quite handy in every day use if you want a deviec that sounds good, is versatile, and has excellent in-hand feel.

Over the years as an audiophile, and as a gadget lover, I feel myself growing with new experiences every day. Being a gadget lover since my childhood days, I have always found some peace with new tech and gear, be it for gaming where I spend some time on my PS5 every few days(yeah life caught up), be it photography where I enjoy clicking good pictures of my gear now, or be it the world of audiophilia where I see myself growing every single day. I personally feel that I am learning every single day, some days with my own mistakes, some days with new and innovative launches. Well, enough of this banter, But why all this banter? Because today I am bringing a new and innovative product for review, the AFUL Magic One. When I was new to the hobby, I had a strange craving for driver count. There was a time a few years back when I had a misconception that the more the number, the better would be the sound. Yeah, I was proven wrong by myself in just a few weeks of exploration, but hey that’s what we call learning!! But even with all the exploration daily, there are only two single balanced armature drivers that I have come across to date(that I have personally experienced not talking about reading online), The first one was the highly-acclaimed, widely regarded Etymotic ER4 series. An IEM backed by scientific research and housing a single BA driver unit. Honestly, I owned the dynamic driver variant ER2XR for some time, but ER4SE, I just got to audition the beauty for a few minutes only during a meetup. It was really good, no doubts about that, the fit was kinda of strange and required some time getting used to, but sound-wise that set was really exceptional. Although I would say the pair is quite pricey in today’s market, it was last available for like 350$ or something in my country(for a new unit). The Second Single BA IEM that I have tried to date is this one right here, the AFUL Magic One. Today we are going to find out how this one keeps up with a single BA unit.

Priced at 139.99$, this IEM brings a lot of Talk with itself. AFUL, ever since the brand debuted in the market has always been confident about its products because as per them they have always backed them up with proper scientific research as well. Their debutant products, the Performer5 and the Performer8 were a huge success in the market(I personally liked both, and loved the P8). This new Single BA set, the Magic One has stories of its own that the brand is advertising everywhere. They have some Nautilus speaker theme acoustic tubing, some innovative new acoustic technologies, and a newly developed customized BA for a full-frequency response. All these are the things that you can read anywhere, but this write-up today is not going to highlight any of those. Today, I am primarily gonna focus on how the Magic One sounds. So, let’s not waste any more time, I get my keyboard ready, and you guys wipe up the glass of your specs and let’s begin.

A Short Disclaimer:-

Before I begin, I would like to thank HiFiGo for this opportunity to test the MagicOne. I received the set directly from them for the purpose of this review, I would like to clear that there is not monetary benefit for writing anything good or bad about any product here. All thoughts in this review today are going to be my own based on my own experience with the Magic One for the past 1 week or something. I would like to add links to HiFiGo stores, you can purchase from them, they are non-affiliated links.

https://hifigo.com/products/aful-magicone
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CM5NCGCD/aful+majicone/
https://www.amazon.co.jp/dp/B0CM5SVX5Y/aful+majicone/
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005006184207746.html

Design & Build Quality:-

I am skipping over the unboxing part, I will show that in my video review. Just a few words about that, the pair comes in a simple package with a carry case, a 3.5mm terminated cable, and a bunch of eartips. Magic One looks magical, well you can say I used the name to describe the pair itself but it is damn true. The pair has clear transparent shells with complete see-through visibility of the inside arrangement through the inner cavity. Inside we can see the BA driver unit, the different arrangements AFUL has made to achieve their desired sound here, It is quite spectacular if you ask me. The face covers look beautiful, They have a beautiful shiny silver pattern on the panels. They are made up of resin material, light in weight and ergonomic in shape. I find the pair to provide me with a good fit. These are quite comfortable to wear for long hours as well, I don’t notice any pressure build up on my ears even after hours of usage(spent like 3-4 hours on a single run last night only). The Fit and isolation are quite solid with the Magic One. The good thing here is that the Magic One shells are quite compact, I am pretty sure these will provide a good fit for most users even with the ones with small ears(mine are on the medium side).

Powering the MagicOne:-

How much power would a single BA take? I was kinda chill about driving the Magic One. But to my surprise, the MagicOne takes some juice to sound its best. On my FiiO M15S, I am at around 60-65/120 volume on medium gain for my optimum listening level. This is on the 3.5mm single-ended connection port, while using balanced 4.4mm connection, the pair was at around 40/120 level. With my Sony WM1A Mk1, I was at around 100/120 volume level on high-gain single-ended outputs. It takes some extra juice compared to other IEMs in my collection. Like you won’t feel the numbers of FiiO being any high, but let me tell you that the M15S is quite powerful, I never had to go above 25-30/120 volume level for any of my other IEMs. Don’t think you need an extremely powerful source for the MagicOne, you can enjoy good sound with a dedicated DAC/AMP or a dedicated Hi-Res audio player with decent power. Even sounds great with my WM1A which is not so powerful. It’s just that only smartphones might not be the best choice for the MagicOne, just treat her with a dedicated high-fidelity source device and you will be good to go.

Pairing Impressions:-

With FiiO M15S:-

FiiO M15S retains the true signature for any connected IEM or HP. The player is mostly neutral in its presentation which is quite evident in the pairing here with the MagicOne. MagicOne sounds clear and gets easily powered with this player. Soundstage feels really big and wide with the M15S.

Sony WM1A MK1(My unit is hardware modded with added shielding and replaced internal cables):-

Sony DAPs are known for their rich and smooth signature, MagicOne sounds a bit richer and has denser notes when paired with the Sony here. The vocals sound a little warm, a little denser, and a little smoother here. The soundstage feels a little immersive but the instruments have a little added heft here on this combination.

I personally enjoy Magic One on both of my setups. WM1A I just have to push the volume near to the full-on high-gain mode while the M15S easily drives it with no issues at all on medium gain(there are 3 more gain levels above medium on the M15S).

Let’s Talk Sound:-

Magic One was an IEM I was not very excited about. I was thinking about how much can be achieved with a single BA, and to my surprise, my first audition itself changed my opinion on the Magic One. The pair with its single BA setup delivers quality sound, once I put these into my ears, they don’t feel like a single BA is doing the magic. It actually feels like a full multi-driver setup doing the magic. As for describing its sound, AFUL Magic One has a neutral, balanced sound response with a hint of bass boost. The bass boost is nominal, not exaggerated or something, but ample enough to make a precise lower-end response.

The lower end is precisely produced, and bass notes are quick and accurate. They aren’t hard-hitting or slamming, but clean and precise. During my first listen, I was questioning whether it was actually a single BA producing such a clean and precise bass response. Compared to DD IEMs(like EA500 or EPZ Q5), i would say they have more slam and body to the bass, Magic One is more about refined notes that are precisely produced. Mid-bass is a little more prominent than the sub-bass. The sub-bass rumble is there, you can hear it but it’s not as rumbling or shaking as you would get on a DD set. Midrange has good vocal clarity and outstanding separation for instruments. In fact, Instrument separation and imaging are my favorite parts of the Magic One. You can actually pinpoint every instrument and performer on the soundstage nicely with the set. The Treble region is smooth and defined. It has a roll-off in the high-frequencies, but notes don’t end abruptly, we get fuller sound throughout the three frequencies with well-rounded notes.

Tone and Timbre of the Magic One is quite natural and smooth. Vocals have a natural tone to them(talking about both male and female vocals). They have a good texture to them as well. Technically, Magic One is a good performer, we have excellent imaging, outstanding separation, and a wide soundstage as well. Soundstage in fact has a big presentation, it sounds both wide and extends well in depth section as well. Basically, if I have to summarise the sound of the Magic One, I would say, a neutral-balanced sound profile, precise bass response, natural tone and timbre, wide staging, and absolutely amazing separation and instrument clarity. Now this is all that I personally like in the sound of the Magic One, now on to some things that I personally think could have been improved.

Cons With the AFUL Magic One:-

Well, you must have gotten an idea that I liked the Magic One, But there are a few things I personally feel the pair could improve. Let’s check them out.

>Since a single BA is doing the magic here, the pair suffers from roll-off at both ends of the frequency segment. Taking off some energy into the treble and some depth from the sub-bass section.

>I would like more sub-bass rumble and some more thunder.

>MagicOne needs some good source to sound its best. Treat her well to get the best experience.

Apart from these, I don’t think I can find some flaws in the set. Now Let’s compare the set with some other pairs. I don’t have anything with a single BA as of now in my collection apart from the Magic One, but I do have some experience with the EA500 in recent times. So Let’s find out how this single BA sounds in comparison to the highly acclaimed single DD.

Simgot EA500 vs AFUL Magic One:-

>Both pairs differ slightly in their signature. The EA500 has a neutral to slightly bright signature while the MagicOne has a neutral to slightly warm signature.

>Instrument separation, Imaging, and positioning are better on the Magic One and the notes are well-rounded while the EA500 is a little crispy.

>Overall sound of the EA500 is more energetic, and the Magic One is a little relaxed in comparison.

>The bass of EA500 is faster and has better depths in the sub-bass region.

>Midrange clarity and tonality of the MagicOne are exceptionally good. It feels more natural. The upper mids on EA500 are slightly hot and more upfront, no such issue here, the Magic One sounds smooth and musical.

Final Words on the AFUL Magic One:-

What else can I say?? AFUL Magic One is truly a magical one. Why do I say this? As I mentioned earlier in this write-up today, I was kind of expecting nothing with the Magic One. There are only a handful of multi-BA sets that I prefer listening to like the Sony M9, SoundRhyme SR8, 64Audio U12T, DUNU SA6 MK2, Night Oblivion Butastur, etc., but I never expected such a clean and accurate sound with a natural tone and timbre from a single BA set. Yeah, the MagicOne has a few flaws of its own, but it achieves a great sound in many other ways. The AFUL MagicOne gets a default recommendation from me, not only for its amazing sound but also because everyone should experience the engineering that goes behind the MagicOne to deliver such a great sound with a single BA driver unit.

Well, that’s it about the MagicOne from my side. I hope you guys liked this review of mine, if you have any questions related to the MagicOne, feel free to ask me in the comments section below.

I have had a long-time relationship with FiiO. Not that the brand knows me by any means, but I have been a user of their products for a long time. I started my audiophile journey with their basic M6 music player years ago. But after using their M11 Pro series of DAC/AMPs I kind of drifted apart because I was not a fan of their THX implementations, they sounded lean and dry to my taste. But time came back and I got to try their current flagship M15S audio player courtesy of a school friend who bought the unit from HPZ. After spending a good 1.5-2 week period with the player, I feel I should make some short impressions and then a video review later this week and then the unit goes back to my friend.

Build Quality:-

FiiO offers good build quality, the DAP is a little heavy but nothing much to worry about. It is one of the few players in the market or I should say one of the few new-generation players to feature a 2.5mm balanced output(not that matters to me, but some people still have 2.5mm terminated cables). Build-wise it is really good and feels premium and solid. The back side has a glass finish with a 3D style pattern, a solid one I would say. Also, we have a leather case in the package and also a fan to keep the device cool you know for serious situations.

Sound Impressions:-

I am coming back to FiiO Players after a long time. Like after 2 years or something and that too with their current flagship “portable” music player. I tried to talk to people to get an idea about the M15S sound so that my friend could make an informed decision. But I was not getting proper impressions from anywhere apart from some reviews online with most stating that this one has a detailed sound presentation. But nobody told me so many things or maybe I didn’t watch them properly? Well, here are my impressions.

First and foremost, the FiiO M15S is nothing like the M11 Pro series, I mean yeah it’s an upgrade to that series, and a flagship for that matter, but the difference is easily noticeable. It’s not lean, it’s not dry per se, but it is very very very clean. There is no audible noise floor even with sensitive IEMs that I tested during this period. I am happy that the pair isn’t lean, but hey don’t expect Sony Wm1A MK2 level richness, it is not that rich but not lean either, hits the sweet spot I would say. M15S has a balanced sound mostly, I don’t hear any frequencies getting more pronounced or something. And It’s very resolving, like the detail level is simply astonishing, and the technical parts like imaging and separation are on the ultimate level. I would rate this even above my recent WM1A MK2 in terms of technical performance. The soundstage also has a good 3D feel to it, it feels spherical, it is wide and deep.

The bass part is quick and punchy, It is not warm per se, it has a solid and tight response. The midrange is deadly accurate, I mean the clean background helps in popping out the details and vocals with ultimate performance man, simply stole my heart in the first listen only. Treble is a little sparkly but nothing to worry about, it feels lively and pushes crisp details(not fatiguing or harsh unless and until your IEM is too bright that it needs a warm source to balance out). Timbre-wise, I would say the FiiO M15S mostly have a transparent and neutral timbre approach when coming directly from Sony WM1A MK2 it feels a little dry in comparison, but I can’t call it dry at all. It has that neutral and naturalness to the notes and vocals that it doesn’t feel dry or analytical to me. In Sony’s offence, it’s rich as honey my friends everything feels dry after Sony lol.

Another point I would like to mention in favour of M15s, the player is astonishingly powerful. Like man, it is too powerful for IEMs, I never had to go above medium gain for any of my IEMs and that too at a maximum 30-50 volume level out of 120 available. For my Sennheiser HD660S2, I tried using Ultra-high mode and still never had to push the volume much(like 30-40/120 only).

Now on to some pairing impressions:-

FiiO M15S with HiBy Yvain:-

HiBy Yvain is a multi-BA upcoming IEM with a neutralish sound. It pairs amazingly well with the M15s, the details are good, instruments sound crisp. I find the Yvain to be a bit bright in treble and the transparent nature of M15S brings that out. It’s an amazing combo with the M15s, the resolution, the clarity are top-notch. Although I must add, its bright nature makes the treble a little snappy and crispy, probably overly crisp for me. So I like the Yvain more with my Sony WM1A MK1(modded) which provides a smoother treble.

FiiO M15S With Night Oblivion Butastur:-

Butastur is my new love, this pair sounds astonishing, like ultimate level details, and ultimate level clarity and the FiiO M15S just brings the performance best out of this IEM. With my Sony WM1A MK1(modded) I feel the bass gets overly warm for this IEM, but the neutral and transparent nature of the M15S doesn’t exaggerate that and provides exceptional performance. Imaging and Separation are also super solid!!

FiiO M15S with D’S Audio Fire Phoenix:-

What can I say about this combo, it’s like the perfect flagship-level combo, we have perfect bass, have lively midrange, and a nice and crisp treble response. Sounds really good for different genres.

FiiO M15S with Gizaudio x Binary Chopin:-

Chopin is an amazing IEM man, it has a slight W-shape profile as per me, has a good bass response, a lovely midrange with forwarded vocals, and extended crispy treble. The combo with M15s showcases sheer quality with amazing resolution and details. With my Sony the set isn’t this resolving, technical performance with the M15s is also better in comparison.

FiiO M15S with Sennheiser HD660S2:-

FiiO M15S is the only DAP with me in recent times that can drive the HD660S2 well and on its own only. Previously I had the R6 Pro II+A&K PA10 combo, Sony WM1A MK2 and PA10 combo, but nothing reached the driveability of the M15S I would say. Basically, it feels more lively here on the M15S and is also my go-to setup.

FiiO M15S with TGXEar Sunniva:-

Sunniva, oh my lovely lovely earbuds, they pair so amazingly well with the M15S. These are quite demanding and have an impedance of 180Ω. Previously with my R6 Pro II and PA10, the combo was good for Sunniva. But the M15S here single-handedly drives the Sunniva well. It enables the pair to produce clearer sound, the mid-bass bump is a little controlled although still noticeable neatly.

Now some comparison time:-

FiiO M15S vs HiBy R6 Pro II(My last DAP):-

>R6 Pro II has newer software and a newer processor. It’s more fluid and faster in terms of UI performance.

>M15S has an older Android and also has a 720p display while the R6 Pro II has a 1080P crispy display screen.

>FiiO M15s is a lot more powerful in terms of driving force. It is more resolving and natural as well.

>Technical performance on the M15S is better than the R6 Pro II.

>The R6 Pro II has more width to the stage, but depth-wise it is very lacking, while stage width is not as wide as the R6 Pro II, but with better depth, the M15S definitely sounds more 3D.

>R6 Pro II Treble is less sparkly, M15S feels more energetic and extended.

FiiO M15S vs Sony Wm1A MK1 With Mod:-

I currently have WM1A MK1 with Mod as my main player here are the basic sound differences between the two.

>M15S has more resolution and dynamics to the sound. It basically feels more lively.

>Sony sounds richer and has denser notes for instruments and vocals.

>Sony sounds smoother, it is more suitable for bright IEMs, atleast for me.

Some Basic Information about FiiO M15S:-

>Battery Life of the M15s is marketed as 10.5 hours, in my experience the player lasted for about 8-9 hours using medium gain, streaming on Apple Music, and balanced 4.4mm output. I think we will get about 10 hours with offline playback.

>The Android is a little sluggish compared to the R6 Pro II, but does the job. I don’t notice much of bugs, the new FiiO Application is also quite good.

>Streaming Apps work fine, no issues using Tidal and Apple Music. In fact, FiiO has an app installer application that automatically downloads and installs apps such as Tidal with one click. It is special for us as Tidal is not available on our Google store in India.

>It gets a bit warm but nothing like Shanling M7 level warm. But hey we also have a fan, so use that.

>Ultra-high gain mode is probably useless for me, I never had to go above medium gain, even with my 300Ω headphones(yeah they are not very hard to drive but still), the M15S works well in medium gain only just with some volume gain(like 70-85/120). Let me remind you we don’t have 4 gain levels, we actually have five, Low, Medium, High, Super High, and Ultra High. Ultra-high was probably not required.

>Another point I want to add is that the M15S has two ways to adjust volume, wheel and keys. But surprisingly we can choose only one of the two. Like either use only the Wheel or use the keys only.

Final Words Before I Bid Goodbye:-

FiiO M15S is something I will recommend to people, for me M11 Pro and Plus were not good enough. I even tried the M17, but still found it to be edgy and sharp in treble, Maybe I am more sensitive? But coming to the M15S, I am happy that my friend got it. I will look for a portable Android-based player for myself next year and for 999$, this one is a good choice with a few shortcomings like older Android, slightly sluggish UI, and not that many complaints in the sound quality part. Well, that’s it. I hope you guys enjoyed this blabbering of mine on the FiiO M15S, I will make a final video review probably on Sunday and then this unit goes back to my friend.

Sayonara!!

Over the past few years, See Audio has made itself a great name in the international market. What began with Yume, Neo, Kaguya, is going fantastic with the Yume 2, Rinko, and even the brand-new Neko. Neko is the See Audio’s latest creation, it’s a brand new character brought to life by See Audio with a 6BA driver configuration on each side. The pair is designed beautifully and is tuned to deliver a rich and lively sound, giving a unique character to the name. I have spent a good two to three-week period with the Neko here, and today, I am going to share my review on the same with you guys, so let’s get our reading glasses on and get started.

A Short Disclaimer before I begin:-

I bought the See Audio Neko from HiFiGo upon launch. They were kind enough to offer me a decent discount, i would like to thank them for this. Rest assured there is no affiliation or payment involved to write anything positive or negative on the pair. All the thoughts and impressions on this review are completely my own based on my own experience over the past few weeks with the pair. At the time of this write-up, the See Audio Neko retails for 699$, you can buy it from HiFiGo from the link below(non-affiliated link).

https://hifigo.com/products/seeaudio-neko

Package & Accessories:-

See Audio has done a fantastic job in bringing “Neko” to life. The package of the pair is really beautiful. It has a colorful outer sleeve that depicts an image of Neko along with some branding information. On the side, we also have a character introduction for the Neko. Inside the contents are in a layered pattern, the first layer has the IEMs and the cable, and the second has the other accessories such as the round-shaped carry case, a bunch of eartips, a Neko keyring, etc. Did I tell you that the Neko comes with Effect Audio Cadmus?? Well, it does and this Cadmus cable has a TermX replaceable termination plug design. 3.5mm and 4.4mm plugs are included in the package. The primary point of the start of the discussion with HiFiGo for a discount on Neko was due to Cadmus as a stock cable only LOL. I have previously used the Cadmus and several other cables by Effect Audio and the Cadmus is actually one of my favorite cables by them.

See Audio has actually brought the character to life with the packaging. On the inside of the package, we also have a comic-style representation of the Neko character right at the top(attaching the image below).


Design & Build Quality:-

See Audio Neko looks extremely beautiful. The blue-coloured shells have a beautiful pattern on the face covers. Some might even find the design a little girlish, but I personally adore the beauty of the shells. The shells are made up of resin and are kind of semi-transparent in nature. We can actually see the drivers placed inside through the blue-tinted transparent inner cavity. Face covers are charming, they have a stunning flower-like pattern which See Audio calls something as “Mother of Pearl”. I was checking the images out by the brand and it seems to me that the face covers are hand-crafted to perfection.

Simply beautiful and highly ergonomic are the two words that instantly come to my mind when looking at the pair. The shells are compact and small, they provide an excellent fit for me. See Audio has also given a vent at the top near the two-pin connectors to do ventilation and stop air-pressure buildup on the eardrums. Absolutely amazing in terms of design, and super comfy in terms of fit and isolation. I used the pair with my Feaulle Latex H570 eartips most of the time and faced no issues of air pressure or discomfort by any means.

Driving the Neko:-

The See Audio Neko is quite efficient, it works well with most sources you will treat her with. I am using her with HiBy R6 Pro II, Sony Wm1A MK2, and also with direct connection to my Macbook, which works efficiently with all of them. With Wm1A MK2, I get a slightly warmish signature with denser instruments and vocal notes while the R6 Pro II sounds more neutral in terms of timbre and tone. If you have any decent source, you will be good, I am saying this because I never had to give much volume to any of my sources. At the time of writing this, I am using HiBy R6 Pro II at just 30/100 volume on medium gain mode, so you can have an idea about its efficiency.

Sound Quality Impressions:-

See Audio Neko has a lively and musical character in terms of sound quality. It has a balanced sound tuning with a little emphasis on the midrange, no It doesn’t feel overly emphasised or take the entire focus in the output, we still have an amazing lower-end and a crispy treble, but the midrange is probably the best part for me with the Neko. The pair starts with a fast and punchy bass response with a clear sub-bass rumble and a good punch in mid-bass. Lower-mids are a little recessed, but they sound crispy and show no lack of clarity or don’t feel overshadowed by the lower end. Upper mids specifically after the 1kHz region starts coming forward bringing a lively and slightly forwarded presentation for vocals. Vocals, in my opinion, are simply fantastic here on the Neko. The pair sounds absolutely adorable in terms of vocals rendition, both male and female vocals maintain a rich, lush presentation with a hint of warmth to their timbre/ The treble region is clear and shows good energy and details as well. Notes don’t end abruptly, they have a good extension up in the high-frequencies. This makes instruments sound clear and detailed and has a good amount of air on the stage as well.

How’s the Bass?

Balanced, and Clearm the Bass response on the Neko is pretty good. it’s more on the balanced side, don’t expect a powerful, hard-hitting bass, See Audio Neko delivers a clear and refined lower-end response which delivers both, a good rumble in the sub-bass and a good punch in the mid-bass. As long as you love a balanced bass response, you will definitely enjoy the Neko.

How’s the Midrange?

Lovely, absolutely lovely especially the vocals. Vocals are so charming that even in my initial impressions I stated that I absolutely love the vocals. Heck, when i started listening to the set 2-3 weeks ago I felt like man these are the juiciest vocals I have heard to date. They definitely sound rich with tone and have a musical touch to them. Both the male and female vocals have a great textured finish, simply said, they sound really great to listen to. Instruments in their midrange have amazing clarity as well, acoustic guitars, pianos, etc. sound clear and nicely separated.

How’s the Treble?

Smoothly extended. I love how beautifully the See Audio Neko handles the high-frequencies, they have a smooth and inoffensive presentation. neko maintains good clarity, wide extension, and proper definition of details in the high-frequencies. It doesn’t lose its character and maintains its resolution in the treble region. Instruments such as electric guitar, snappy things like Cymbal crashes, thunder lightning, claps, etc. don’t feel sharp or piercing at all.

How are the Technicalities?

See Audio Neko maintains good technical performance. We have extremely solid imaging and layering characters. Instrument positioning and placement is precise, stage has good depth and height but a slightly intimate width presentation.

How’s the Tone and timbre?

See Audio Neko definitely has a rich and dense character. The overall tone and timbre for the pair are slightly on the warmer side with lush and rich notes. Every instrument note has a good weight to it, same can be said for vocals with their lush presentation. It feels like a smooth ride throughout the frequency band.

See Audio Neko Vs Night Oblivion Butastur:-

Night Oblivion Butastur is getting some solid reviews worldwide. It is also a multi-BA set but instead of 6 BA’s like the Neko, this one has a 10BA arrangement on each side. The Butastur retails for 599$, close to Neko, I got the Butastur thanks to a friend(for the purpose of this comparison), let’s see ahead what i noticed.

>Neko has richer notes, instruments and vocals feels more weighted and has a better body.

>Butastur maintains a more neutral and more balanced sound presentation.

>Butastur has a wider and bigger stage, and Neko is more immersive and engaging in staging with a little intimate width.

>Bass on the Butastur has a faster response. It hits harder as well.

>Midrange definition and tonality for vocals is simply amazing and better on the Neko, they feel slightly recessed on the Butastur in comparison.

>Treble has more energy in Neko, and Butastur is slightly relaxed in comparison.

>With a bigger stage, Butastur also feels to have more air between instruments and has slightly better separation for instruments.

See Audio Neko and Butastur both offer great sound, Neko on the one hand has richer, denser presentation with more note weight, and Butastur on the other has a wider stage and better separation. I would say vocals are still the best on the Neko!!

Final Words:-

See Audio Neko sounds lovely, looks lovely, and comes in a lovely package as well. I personally loved the rich and dense character of the Neko here, Vocals are my favorite part of it and the Cadmus cable is just like an icing on the cake. It has been in my daily rotation for the past few weeks, and it is still going to get a place here. But some of my friends are interested in listening to the Neko, so I might send it to them to have a try and I will listen to some other sets in the meantime. But this is definitely a sound which I will miss when this goes out to my friend(probably gonna send it to my close proximity people only so that i can take it back whenever I want lol). Well, that’s about it, I hope you guys loved reading my review on the See Audio Neko. Please leave me a like if you enjoyed it, for any questions or queries you might have related to the Neko, feel free to ask me in the comments section below!!

Thanks for Reading till the end!!

EPZ is a new name recently emerging into the audiophile industry. The brand introduced a bunch of products ranging from USB DAC/AMPs to IEMs. I was mainly intrigued by one of their IEMs, the EPZ Q5. What intrigued me the most is its identical looks to a famous premium single DD IEM. By all the positive feedbacks all around, I was kinda getting more and more intrigued every single day. But the primary issue was that the pair was only available on Aliexpress and Aliexpress doesn’t ship to my country. So I messaged the brand on their Aliexpress store, and requested them to ship to me in India. They agreed and I placed an order, fast forward a week and I got the pair in my hands. I have spent a good week period with the set, Let’s check how the EPZ Q5 fairs for its usual price which is around 50-60$(I paid approx 45$ using some coupons available on Aliexpress).

Short Disclaimer Before I Begin:-

I bought the EPZ Q5 out of curiosity for its design from the EPZ Official Store Aliexpress store. All thoughts in this blog are my own based on my own experience with the pair, I am not affiliated with EPZ or any other entity for any monetary benefit. If you are interested, you can check out the technical information and other stuff or can also purchase the EPZ Q5 from the official Aliexpress store from the link below(Again non-affiliated).
https://vi.aliexpress.com/item/1005005790619423.html

Also, good news, while writing this review, I also saw that the Q5 is now available in India via Concept Kart as well, so I am attaching their link below as well.
https://conceptkart.com/products/epz-q5-iem

About EPZ Q5:-

The Q5 is a single-dynamic driver IEM that houses a 10mm dual-magnetic and dual-cavity dynamic driver unit. It falls in a highly competitive market with a retail price of close to 50-60$. The pair features standard MMCX connectors and lightweight, compact ear shells. The shells are identical to Meze Advar in terms of looks, but these have resin material build structure. The face panel have a horn-shaped pattern. It comes packed in a black cardboard box that opens up in quite a 3D pattern, We pull the sides and the centre main portion of the package comes up. We have the pair along with a simple zipper carry case, a cleaning cloth, and a bunch of eartips as the stock accessories.

Design & Build Quality:-

EPZ Q5 has a small and compact footprint. Yes the pair looks identical to Meze Advar, but it doesn’t look like a cheap copy, it has a unibody resin material build structure for its ear shells. The face covers have a horn-shaped pattern. Its compact design helps the pair to fit perfectly, I get proper isolation as well. Will attach an image of me wearing the pair below to give an idea about its fit(I am using stock eartips in M size).

The stock cable is simple in looks, it has a simple 2-wire hand-braided design with standard MMCX connectors(which are quite tight btw), an orange-coloured Y-splitter, a chin slider, and termination plug coating.

Driving The EPZ Q5:-

EPZ Q5 is very easy to power, you can enjoy it with simple sources such as Smartphones, Laptops, etc. I have used the set extensively with my Wm1A MK2(sold now), Macbook Pro(M2 with high-impedance Output), and smartphone(nothing Phone 1) with a generic USB Type-C to 3.5mm adapter). The EPZ Q5 works well with all these sources showing no signs of any lag in performance even with simple sources such as smartphones.

Sound Quality:-

EPZ Q5 has a smooth, musical. and inoffensive sound signature with a U-shaped tuning profile. I personally find the set to have a buttery smooth lower end, it is smooth, not very quick or snappy, and isn’t very slamming or hard-hitting either but maintains a richness in the signature. The lower-end has a good balance between mid-bass and sub-bass, I feel mid-bass is a little more prominent when noticed carefully. Bass drums and drum kicks are a little more pronounced. The transition to the midrange is smooth showcasing good coherency between the frequencies. It has a musical midrange, although the mids are recessed, Instruments and vocals don’t hold back their performance. They showcase good clarity and clearer resolution in the midrange and especially in the upper mids section. Treble section has intricate details, it is smooth and nicely controlled for an inoffensive presentation while retaining a decent level of detail retrieval in the treble. Will discuss the sound in different frequencies next, but to summarise in a few words about the EPZ Q5 sound, I would say that the EPZ Q5 is a cute little IEM that packs a smooth and delicate sound output.

Lower-End, Bass Response:-

Bass response is smooth and showcases a clean lower-end response. As I stated earlier in this review, I feel the lower end has a good balance between the mid-bass and sub-bass region although the mid-bass is a little more, just a little bit more prominent when noticed carefully. I would like to nitpick here, although the pair has a decent lower-end response, I would personally love some more punch and slam, it would make the pair feel livelier and more energetic.

Midrange:-

Even though the midrange is slightly recessed on the EPZ Q5, it maintains a clean and crispy presentation for vocals and instruments. The upper mids are slightly forwarded bringing the vocals a little on the front side. But they are not into the face kinds front and maintain a clear U-shape profile. The tone and Timbre for vocals and instruments in the mid-range are smooth and musical. Vocals feel a little thinner than natural or thick warm level, Feels more like Harman tuning vocals to me that have a slightly thinner presentation.

Treble:-

EPZ has tuned the Q5 to have a very smooth treble presentation. It sounds lovely with no signs or harshness or sibilance at all. The pair doesn’t sound dark or lifeless, please don’t get me wrong here. It has enough energy to maintain a well-balanced profile in the output. Treble has decent air and clarity for instruments as well. Overall, a smooth, inoffensive treble awaits on the EPZ Q5.

Tone & Timbre:-

EPZ Q5 has a slightly thinner note definition. It maintains a clean yet a little dry timbre throughout the frequency band. The instruments sound precise and are nicely detailed. I can’t call the set a super detailed or analytical one, but it retains enough details to have a musical presentation.

Technical Performance:-

EPZ Q5 has a decent enough technical performance level to keep it nice and tight with the competition in its respective price bracket. The pair has excellent imaging and layering characteristics, It’s a solid IEM for gaming. I love how precisely it helped me note my enemies. Great one in imaging regard. Soundstage-wise, it’s more on the immersive side, maintaining a good 3D feel.

Final Words:-

I purchased the EPZ Q5 out of curiosity only, I had no expectations for the sound. I was just hoping it to sound decent as it would be a great companion for me to my gym every day, but the pair literally caught me off-guard with its smooth butter sound signature. It sounds lovely and has a clear and musical presentation that complements my playlist nicely. I feel that it is an amazing set which serves well for the price point. Well, that’s about the EPZ Q5 from my side, I hope you guys enjoyed reading my review. If you have any questions or queries, feel free to ask me in the comments section below.

Effect Audio and HiFiGo are two prominent brands in their own way. We know Effect Audio as one of the premium brands that deal in premium-quality hand-crafted IEM upgrade cables while HiFiGo is a famous online store where we can get sweet deals on plenty of high-end audio gear from top brands in the industry. Why am I telling you about both of these brands together? well, I have something that both of these brands have developed together, introducing the Effect Audio x HiFiGo Griffin, a high-quality IEM upgrade cable specially designed to elevate the performance of our IEMs. Griffin was recently launched, it’s a very nicely priced product available for just 199.99$ at the time of this writeup and comes equipped with some highly useful features which we will definitely discuss further in this review.

I got the Griffin a few days back, approximately 2 weeks back, and today I am going to share my review on the same. As a basic introduction, Effect Audio x HiFiGo Griffin is a high-quality upgrade cable crafted using high-quality premium UP-OCC Silver-Plated Copper material. The cable is very nicely built with a 24AWG 4-wire configuration featuring the brand’s advanced ConX and TermX technologies that allow for easy replacement of the connectors and termination plugs respectively. Effect Audio x HiFiGo Griffin is quite a versatile cable that can be used with a variety of IEMs and sources. I have spent a good amount of time with the cable before getting into a deep examination of the same. Today, I am going to share my in-depth review, where I check the cable with a variety of IEMs involved, so let’s not waste any more time and get our reading glasses on and my typing glasses so that the laptop’s screen doesn’t hurt my eyes lol.

Short Disclaimer before I begin:-

Effect Audio x HiFiGo Griffing was sent to me as a part of a review tour organised in my country by HiFiGo. At the time of this review, the cable retails for 199.99$, you guys can grab yours from HiFiGo from the links below. These are non-affiliated links and I would like to thank the amazing people at HiFiGo for organising this tour.

https://hifigo.com/products/effect-audio-x-hifigo-griffin

Unboxing:-

I have previously used Effect Audio’s famous Signature series cable including the Cadmus and the Eros S. There is also Ares S in the Signature series but i never got enough time to access it. Eros S and Cadmus are my favourite cables at their respective price points, why i am discussing all this here? because the Griffin falls in the same category and Effect Audio has treated it the same way in terms of packaging. We get a simple matte-finished, richly textured black coloured cardboard box that has a beautiful image of Griffin’s character right on the front. For all those who don’t know, Griffin is a mythological creature widely known for its fierce build structure and raw nature. Effect Audio has featured an image of Griffin’s character, it’s like a flying lion with huge wings, so you can guess the energy associated with the name here. We have an image of Griffin right on the front of our package, Inside we have the cable placed firmly wrapped in a velvet-finished layer. The package includes everything we need to get going. By default, we have a ConX connectoer setup and TermX swappable termination plug setup as well. We get 2-pin by default and MMCX connectors are included with the cable, other connector options such as Pentaconn, etc. can be bought separately. My cable comes with 4.4mm termination while other termination can be purchased separately as well. Other contents include a cable info catalogue, a small case, a Cable organiser, and a user guide.

Package Contents:-
>Cable itself with 2-pin connectors.
>MMCX ConX Connectors.
>4.4mm Termination plug.
>Carry Case.
>User Guide.

Design & Build Quality:-

At a fair glance, the Effect Audio x HiFiGo Griffin cable resembles that of the EA Cadmus cable but the Cadmus is a little thicker and has a matte finish. It has a silver-plated core structure with EA’s effective PVC outer coating. The only difference in terms of build quality that I noticed in front of the Cadmus cable is that the Cadmus has a rich, matte finish with thicker wire cores, while the Griffin has a more raw, brighter, more vivid feel ot it. It is more shiny with its bright wire cores and still retains a solid build structure. I find the cable to be quite neutral in terms of hand feel. I mean, it doesn’t feel very hard or very stiff, and it isn’t very soft either. It has a medium stiffness, which is quite good in the long run. I would say the Griffin is very similar to Cadmus in terms of in-hand feel and stiffness. like two siblings.

What makes the Griffin stand apart from the Cadmus is its vivid Y-Slitter. The Cadmus had a minimalistic grey-coloured Y-Splitter while the new Griffin has a more vivid red-black coloured Y-Splitter. We also got the termX feature(Swappable termination plug system) which was not available with the stock Cadmus cable. The Y-Splir, the termination plugs, and even the connectors have a solid build structure with metallic coverings around them. Overall, a solid build for a solid character such as the Griffin. I am kind of impressed in this regard,

Sound Impressions:-

Effect Audio x HiFiGo is very identical to Cadmus in terms of its sound characteristics. It has the rich, dense character of Cadmus while showcasing a smooth, speedy presentation. We get a clean and rich tone with the connected earphones, especially in their midrange. Vocals showcase a lush tone and an added sense of richness which is pleasing to listen to. I am telling you after auditioning the cable with a range of IEMs including Falcon Ultra from DUNU, Solaris OG from Campfire Audio, Neko from See Audioo, and Fire Phoenix from D’s Audio. I personally feel that Cadmus introduces a warm character while Griffin maintains a more raw, more neutral presentation in that regard. Details are slightly rounded in the treble region, especially with single dynamic driver IEMs such as Falcno Ultra and Fire Phoenix. The bass is smoother and has added, a slight addition to the sub-bass region. Griffin also introduces better depth perception with the connected IEMs. I paired the cable with some of my favorite IEMs some showed good responses with noticeable differences while some had minor changes. I am a firm believer in cable changes, have tried a variety of cables to date, and I personally perceive their changes in most cases. Let’s explore what I noticed with different IEMs.

Effect Audio x HiFiGo Griffin with DUNU Falcon Ultra:-

Falcon Ultra is a beautiful IEM that sounds amazing even in its raw form. The Griffin cable enhances its performance with a cleaner, refined lower-end response with a slightly emphasised sub-bass response. The ConX connectors are very easy to replace and it helps in pairing the cable with different IEMs. Falcon Ultra definitely showcases better clarity, and better sub-bass with the Griffin by her side.

Effect Audio x HiFiGo Griffin With See Audio Neko:-

Neko comes stock with Cadmus cable from Effect Audio which is a direct contender to the Griffin here. I would say the difference with Neko is very less, mainly because it already comes with Cadmus which is very identical in terms of sound presentation. I would say the difference is there, although very negligible, Cadmus sounds warmer with a tad bit more mid-bass, while the Griffin presents more sub-bass and has a slightly cleaner presentation. Treble is also a bite crispier on the Cadmus, while the Griffin has more rounded notes, this makes Neko with its stock cable sound more punchy in bass and more crispy in treble, while the Griffin treats her with refined lower-end with a more rumbling presentation, cleaner mids, and slightly smoother treble. Overall, slight changes, but a slightly different signature than the stock cable of the Neko.

Effect Audio x HiFIGo Griffin With AFUL Performer 8:-

Putting two of my favourite products together here, We have the Griffin and the Performer 8 stuck together for this exploration. Performer8 for me has a very clean, smooth sound with an amazing midrange and smooth, inoffensive treble. The Griffin brings more energy into the lower end with more dynamics and more punchy, the sub-bass boost on the Performer 8 also enhances the midrange with an added richness and added lushness to both instruments and vocals. Overall, a lovely set!!

Effect Audio x HiFIGo Griffin With CA Solaris OG:-

Solaris OG is one of my favourite IEMs ever. I grabbed the Solaris in the B-stock unit and it has served me well, probably one of my favourite IEMs ever. It pairs well with the Griffin, while the OG cable had a neutral to brighter signature, the Griffin grants it a smoother and more natural signature. The bass is a little refined with added rumble and strength to the lower end. The midrange has an added sense of lushness and richness for both vocals and instruments. The treble is not as bright as on the stock cable but rather has a smooth presentation and also has smoother notes.

Effect Audio x HiFiGo Griffin WIth D’s Audio FIre Phoenix:-

Fire Phoenix is my current flagship IEM, it responds nicely with the Griffin. I notice the bass is a little more controlled and has added punch in the sub-bass. The mid-bass is a little controlled, not as punchy, but rather has a more balanced presentation. The midrange has no change here, and Treble has rounded notes for instruments. Overall, a little change with the Fire Phoenix, a little more towards a balanced side I would say.

Effect Audio x HiFiGo Griffin Vs Effect Audio Cadmus:-

I also happened to have the Cadmus with me at the time of this write-up. This is the stock cable of Neko, so will be sharing the main sound characteristics that I noticed.

>Griffin has a more neutral-ish sound while the Cadmus has a little warmer tone.

>Griffin has more rounded notes for the treble, Cadmus is more rounded in that regard.

>We have more punch in mid-bass on Cadmus, while more sub-bass rumble on the Griffin.

>Cadmus sounds more punchy while Griffin has more smoothness to its tone.

Both the Cadmus and the Griffin are fantastic cables, I found both of them to be quite extensive, one brings more punch with added mid-bass while the other has a more refined signature with more sub-bass rumble. You can choose the one that suits your IEMs and preferences.

Final Words:-

After spending a good amount of time with the Effect Audio x HiFiGo Griffin, all I can say is that the cable has fantastic sound characteristics. It sounds quite smooth and responsive. I noticed the bass of Griffin is a little refined, the midrange a bit lusher, and the treble a bit rounded. It pairs amazingly well with neutral to bright IEMs such as the Solaris OG. In fact sounds wonderful with that one. It is quite identical to Cadmus in terms of performance but has its own character as well. I hope you enjoyed reading this review of mine, feel free to ask me any related questions in the comments section below.

Celest as we all know is a sub-brand of Kinera. Kinera introduced Celest last year as a subsidiary focusing primarily on the budget segment of in-ear monitors. From the very first day, Celest made a mark as their debutant product(Gumiho) featured a new kind of planar driver(SPD). Which was later upgraded in the second release itself as well(Pandamon). Fast forward to today in 2023, Celest is all-ready with their new release the Phoenixcall. Different from the previous two launches, the new Phoenixcall is an IEM that breaks the 100$ price barrier for Celest with an official retail price of 129.99$. Another thing that’s different with the Phoenixcall is the multi-driver hybrid setup. It is a beast in terms of driver configuration featuring 1DD+2BA+2FPD(Flat Planar Driver) on each side. According to the brand-provided information, this FPD is also called the micro flat planar driver. Enough with the technical jargon, I have the pair for about a week courtesy of a review tour here in India organised by HiFiGo. Let’s dive deep into my impressions of the same.

A Short Disclaimer Before I Begin:-

As mentioned above, I received the Phoenixcall as a part of a review tour in India, I will be forwarding the unit ahead after my review is done. Would like to thank HiFIGo for this review tour here. The impressions, liking or disliking in this review might be biased based on my personal taste in music listening(which is a balanced, U-shaped profile). You can purchase the product from HiFiGo from the links below(non-affiliated links).

Kinera Celest 1DD+2BA+2 Micro Planar Drivers IEMs — HiFiGo

Unboxing, Package, Contents, & More:-

Kinera & its sub-brands know how to make an impact with the packaging itself. YOu get a fairly exquisite package with the Phoenixcall. It’s a purple-coloured package with a faceplate-like bird design on the front along with the name. Inside we have the story of Phoenixcall along with a metallic showpiece kinda thing on the left side. On the right, we have the user guide, the pair itself with the cable. There are a total of 6 pairs of eartips included in the package, three white silicone and three grey silicone with a wide bore. We also have a small round zipper case with the pack. Overall, a really beautiful and eye-catchy packaging, just like the pair itself which I will try to describe in the next section.

Design, Build Quality, Fit, & Isolation:-

I love talking about the design for Kinera and its sub-brand IEMs. Celest Phoenixcall is a beautiful, very beautiful pair with an eye-catching designer hand-painted face cover and an overall compact footprint. The face covers depict the legendary tale of Phoenixcall with an image of birds flying over a glittery sky. The one that I have is a Pink and Blue colour variant, and it looks absolutely beautiful. Its compact footprint makes it easier to wear and provides a comfortable fit. Celest has made a transparent inner cavity design, showcasing the neat driver arrangement underneath the beautiful shells. We can see different acoustic tubes going from the drivers to the nozzle mouth. Each and every single driver is clearly visible through the cavity. Overall, The design of the pair is so very unique and beautiful. My Wife is already eyeing the set for herself, little does she know that this is going on to the review tour ahead. Might have to buy her a pair lol.

The pair has 2-pin 0.78mm connectors placed on the top. Celest bundles the pair with a colourful cable, maybe because my unit is also coloured, basically the cable matches the pink-blue theme with the same coloured outer sleeve. It’s a 3.5mm cable that I got, but it got launched today and now I see it is also available with a 4.4mm variant as well. Cable is soft, and colourful, nothing else fancy about it to mention. Other accessories such as the ear tips are also of decent quality, I personally use the pair with Azla Sednaearfit Light as they fit me better.

Talking about the fit, like I said the pair has a compact footprint. It has an oval-shaped cavity design, that sits comfortably into my ears and provides me with a good level of comfort and isolation. no complaints at all.

Driving the Phoenixcall:-

Phoenixcall can be used easily off any given source, but it loves extra power thrown her way. It works well off my Sony WM1A(with the standard 3.5mm cable) but I need to push the volume to as high as 70/120 on high-gain mode. Using a balanced cable is suggested from my side as I tried one KBEAR cable that I had. The pair runs well off a balanced output, it sounds more open and more dynamic. I noticed similar changes with 3.5mm output as well when I plugged it into my PA10 class A amplifier. To keep things short, you will be able to enjoy the Phoenixcall through a standard USB DAC/AMP(UA3 in my case) or a decent-level music player(WM1A/WM1A MK2 in my case), but to unlock full potential i suggest using the pair with your most powerful source and with a balanced cable.

Sound Quality:-

I have had the pleasure to audition the Celest Gumiho as well as Celest Pandamon in the past. But they both were kind of budget offerings at like a 50$ price point. With the Phoenixcall I have higher expectations because of two main reasons, this is the first time Celest has made something over 100$, and secondly, the highly-equipped driver setup gives me some good vibes. Having loved the Gumiho and Pandamon both, I was kinda excited for the Phoenixcall. And the pair doesn’t disappoint at all. It has a neutral to slightly bright sound signature. The best part is that the Pair produces even the minutest details with utmost ease. It doesn’t feel like struggling or anything, rather we have a set that sounds highly resolving, has a quick, snappy bass response, and a crystal clear midrange. Imaging and instrument positioning is simply lovely. I was testing some rock music last night and the way Phoenixcall retrieved every minute detail, I was simply stumped. The pair actually caught me off-guard with its technical prowess. It’s a technical beast, with excellent, superb, outstanding imaging capabilities for the price point.

Bass/Lower-End:-

Celest has tuned the Phoenixcall with a neutral and smooth lower-end response. It is dynamic and very refined as well. But I can’t call it punchy or slamming, the sub-bass has good rumble, and actually adds a layer of refinement to the lower end. Mid-bass is more on the neutral side with a fast and precise presentation, it hits whenever called upon but doesn’t present a thumping or slamming response all the time. The bass on the Phoenixcall is more about accuracy, refinement, and quickness. Bass notes are rounded and clear.

Midrange/Vocals, Instruments, & More:-

Midrange on the Phoenixcall is slightly recessed especially in the lower mids. Upper mids especially vocals are brought forward in a smooth manner. We have crystal clear, crisp clarity. in the midrange. Vocals and instruments feel detailed and crispy. Tonally, I would say that the pair has a slightly cold/dry tone to the vocals. But they definitely show amazing clarity and resolution. Both male and female vocals have good weight and texture. Instruments are slightly closer to each other, but they don’t feel congested or lack any separation. In fact, instrument separation and crisp definition for different instruments is going to be a huge pro from my side for the Phoenixcall.

Treble/High-Frequencies, Instruments, & More:-

Treble is a strong point on the Phoenixcall. The pair sounds absolutely lovely with a crispy treble definition. Instruments in the high-frequency region are very, very well-defined and showcase great clarity and resolution. Treble is well done, it doesn’t sound sharp or fatiguing, yet it retrieves details nicely. There is no harshness or sibilance present, the pair maintains the true form of the recording. It doesn’t smoothen the edgy notes and presents them in a straight-up raw manner. The airiness in the treble region gets more open with more power, that’s why I love listening to the pair with PA10 in the chain.

Technicalities:-

Celest Phoenixcall is an ultimate technical performer. It has outstanding imaging and layering capabilities. Every instrument is crisp and nicely detailed, and its position can be easily determined on the stage with simple eyes closed. Soundstage is quite big with a good 3D feel to it, hits the perfect balance with appropriate width and depth.

Some Quick Comparison:-

There are not a lot of tribrids that I have recently auditioned around the price of Phoenixcall. But I am also listening to another hybrid IEM set, the CVJ Freedom. Freedom houses a 1DD+4BA driver configuration and has 2 tuning switches as well. Freedom is slightly more attractive in pricing priced at 79.99$ which is apparently quite low in pricing. But since using both of these together, will share a short comparison between these.

>Freedom’s bass is more punchy and dynamic yet lacks the refinement and clarity of Phoenixcall.

>Tonally the midrange on the Phoenixcall has better body and weight, Freedom is a little thinner in comparison.

>Treble and detail level of both pairs is exceptional for their respective price points.

>Freedom’s treble is brighter in comparison.

>Soundstage-wise, Phoenixcall creates more immersion and a more 3D feel.

Final Words:-

100$ to 200$ is a very competitive price bracket, there are many new releases happening in this price bracket, but after spending a great week with the set, I can say that Phoenixcall has its own place and charm in this competitive market. The level of detail, and the level of resolution that the Celest Phoenixcall has is simply outstanding. I have mentioned this thing many times in this review and I won’t shy away from saying this again, the Celest Phoenixcall is a technical monster, delivering the minutest of the details with simple ease. Last but not least, yes the pair has a few things where it can be improved like some added punch and slam to the lower end, and adjusting the tone to be a bit more natural and organic, but apart from that, it’s super hard to find even nitpicks with the sound of the Phoenixcall. Well, that’s all about my review for the Celest Phoenixcall. Now it’s time to tear down the pair and see what’s inside this beautiful set.

Teardown Time:-

I was so excited with the look of the pair being transparent. I could see all the drivers inside. This kinda made me more excited and I contacted my friend to help me open up the pair. P.S. My friend is a professional, he repairs stuff as well, I took his help in unlocking the shells, removing the drivers, and having a good look at them before asking him to pack the set again. First of all, here are a few images of the inner cavity and drivers.







As you can see, there are multiple drivers placed inside. We have a 3D-printed internal structure with a tube going from each driver to the earphone nozzle. The Dual BA drivers are placed closest to the nozzle, then we have two round-shaped FPD Flat Planar Drivers, and then at the farthest corner, we have the DD unit. There’s another venting acoustic tube that is connected to the tube from the dynamic driver. Overall a very neat arrangement is done inside a compact cavity. Celest has done a great job in packing these 5 drivers using their skilful 3D acoustic tube cavity structure. I have tried my best to display different drivers in this teardown separately, but due to our limited expertise in this matter, we did not unlock every single driver to showcase the complete internals.

Hope you guys enjoyed reading this review blog of mine and also this teardown. The pair is packed again and is working fine, it is all ready to go ahead to the next reviewer now which I will ship shortly!! For any further questions related to the Celest Phoenixcall, you can ask me in the comments section below.

Last year BQEYZ introduced the Winter, the fourth and the last season in their seasonal series of premium in-ear monitors. Having tried almost all of the products in their seasonal series, the Spring, Spring 2, Summer, and Autumn, I was quite excited to try out the Winter as well. Winter stood apart from the other products in BQEYZ’s lineup and also from other products in its respective price category with a rather unique driver configuration. BQEYZ bundled together a custom DD unit along with a Piezo-based BCD(Bone-Conduction) driver unit. At that time, BQEYZ Winter is probably among the most affordable Hi-Res IEMs with a BCD hybrid setup. The pair was received well, I also got to audition for the set, but couldn’t post a review at that time. Fast forward to today, We have got the BQEYZ Winter Ultra, a redesigned variant of the OG Winter. It has been designed as a collaboration project between Angel Ears and BQEYZ, the pair now has a newer cable, a newer design, and a newer tuning profile as well. This time around, I got the hang of the Winter Ultra for a few days with me. For the past 10 or 12 days, I have been using the BQEYZ Winter Ultra on and off with other items in my collection, the pair has got a charm of its own, and today, I am going to share my impressions or my personal take on the BQEYZ Winter Ultra. So let’s not waste any more time and let’s begin with the review today.

A Short Disclaimer before I begin:-

I received the BQEYZ Winter Ultra from HiFiGo as a part of a review tour in India. There is no monetary benefit involved with this review, at the time of this writeup, the BQEYZ Winter Ultra has been released for 269$. For further technical information or purchasing, you can go ahead and check out all this on the HiFiGo website from the link below(non-affiliated).

https://hifigo.com/products/bqeyz-winter-ultra

Design & Build Quality:-

Every time I write a review, I include an unboxing section. I am not sure how many people are actually interested to know that because it’s more or less the same with most of the products, we get a simple package with all contents inside. So today, I am going to skip that and we will start with the design and build quality part. One thing I would like to add, BQEYZ bundles the Winter Ultra with a generous set of accessories. We get about 9 pairs of silicone ear tips, a zipper carry case, etc.

Winter Ultra is spectacular in terms of design and build. The rich blue color of the shells is a treat to look at, It actually feels like a rich ink-blue color. I am attaching the pictures below and you can see how beautiful the pair actually looks. It has a curvy design on the face cover and an ergonomic inner shell that sits comfortably in my ears. The pair has a silver outline on the face cover that complements the rich blue tone of the shells. BQEYZ Winter Ultra is actually the brand’s current flagship, and it is built like one as well. The cavities have a full metallic build, and the color treatment is actually quite premium and exquisite. They have a premium in-hand feel. I showed the Winter Ultra to my wife when these were delivered and even she was amazed and appreciated the beautiful color. I will try my best to justify the beauty of these using some of my clicks attached below.

Other accessories such as the cable and the eartips are also of good quality with no complaints. In fact, we get a modular cable with the Winter Ultra. We have 3.5mm and 4.4mm plugs included, I have been using the set with 4.4mm cable most of the time.

Comfort & Isolation:-

In terms of comfort and fit, the BQEYZ Winter Ultra sits very comfortably in my ears. I don’t have any issues in terms of comfort, but in terms of isolation, I have a few issues. The pair while it sits comfortably, it doesn’t seal my entire ear canal so I am not getting a decent seal and isolation that I expect. I have tried using different tips, Softears Ultra-Clear eartips help a bit, but still isolation is below average I would say. Also, there’s a noticeable driver flex in the BCD driver, which is more prominent if I try to push the pair deeper. But nothing to worry about, these are honestly some minor nitpicks compared to the sound of the pair.

Driving the BQEYZ Winter Ultra:-

BQEYZ Winter Ultra isn’t a demanding set, although it benefits from cleaner and better sources. I have used the set with three different setups, direct 3.5mm output from my MacBook, 4.4mm on my Aune M1p, and 4.4mm on my HiBy R6 Pro II. It works well with all three sources, sounding cleaner and more resolving on the R6 Pro II, richer and denser on the Aune M1p, and decent sound on the MacBook direct output as well. I would recommend you treat the Winter Ultra with a decently powerful Portable USB DAC/AMP for the best experience.

Sound Impressions:-

BQEYZ Winter Ultra has got some shortcomings when it comes to providing good isolation to me, but its sound is so good that it actually found a place in my daily routine for the past few days. The pair has a highly detailed and crisp sound presentation which is clean and precise throughout the frequency band. Starting with the lower-end, we get an excellent lower-end(to get the best experience I suggest using Softears UC tips). The lower end isn’t particularly slamming or over-powering, it hits the sweet spot, the sweet balance with a clean, refined sub-bass, and decently powerful mid-bass. The lower end is tight, fast, and responsive, drum beats are precise and accurate. It is a complementing presentation that complements the other sections nicely. Personally, I would have loved a little more punch and slam here.

As we transition ahead to the midrange, the charm of the Winter Ultra just starts to grow further. The pair has a U-shape profile, with slightly recessed lower mids but clear front vocals. The resolution and clarity of the midrange are solid, for vocals, both male and female have a well-textured response, although they are not as lush as I had them on the Falcon Ultra, different taste here I can say. Vocals sound a little thing I would say. And for instruments, we get a precisely detailed presentation. It isn’t sharp or fatiguing, I can’t call it analytical either, but the pair produces minute details with great clarity. Midrange also has good air and separation for instruments and vocals. I remember I adored this part in the OG winter as well. Instruments such as Acoustic Guitars, and pianos, have a charming response to the Winter Ultra. I am listening to this track, “Haan Tu Hai” a regional Bollywood movie track and minute details are being reproduced so precisely that I am literally out of words.

Treble region again has a detailed presentation. There is a bit of sibilance present here in the. high notes especially with air instruments such as Flutes. Detail retrieval and airiness in the treble are again quite solid. Instruments in their high notes have good separation, and violins, and electric guitars sound phenomenally detailed. It feels like I am listening to a technical monster at this price point, But it is also appreciatable that how smoothly and easily the Winter Ultra manages such a high-detail level. Technically, the imaging and layering of instruments are simply top-notch. The soundstage is a little on the intimate and immersive side with forwarded vocals.

Well, this completes the basic sound impressions from my side, now on to the Pros and Cons of the Winter Ultra based on my personal listening preferences.

Pros of Winter Ultra:-

>Fast, Responsive Lower End.

>Clear, Crispy Midrange.

>Detailed Three-Frequency Response.

>Despite being detailed, the Treble is quite smooth.

>Immersive Sound Experience.

>Resolution is simply top-notch, minute details are reproduced with ease.

>Doesn’t sound sharp or fatiguing at all.

>Looks absolutely beautiful.

>Fit is super comfortable.

>Power requirements aren’t huge.

Cons of Winter Ultra:-

>Isolation is average.

>Vocals have a thin body.

>Bass could use more punch.

>Soundstage is a little on the intimate side.

Comparison With DUNU Falcon Ultra:-

I recently shared my review on the DUNU Falcon Ultra which is a similarly priced single DD IEM. Here’s my comparison between the two.

>Winter Ultra has more micro details, it’s a highly detailed set.

>Falcon Ultra provides a smoother sound, while the BQEYZ Winter Ultra has more energy and liveliness, two ends of a spectrum. You enjoy both depending on your playlist and music.

>Both the IEMs are quite strong in the lower end, Falcon Ultra having a more punchy and slamming signature while the Winter Ultra has a tighter lower end.

>Treble on the Winter Ultra is more forwarded in comparison to Falcon Ultra, notes are slightly sharper in comparison.

>Stage-wise both create an immersive soundstage with average width and decent depth.

>Timbre-wise, Both are quite identical, the slight difference is that the Falcon Ultra is slightly warmer while the Winter Ultra is slightly colder. The difference here is slight not night and day.

Final Words For BQEYZ Winter Ultra:-

BQEYZ Winter Ultra is different from what I usually listen to. And for me, this change was easy to adapt mainly because the Winter Ultra has a charm of its own. No, I am not talking about the lovely looks, I am talking about the amazingly detailed yet so smooth sound presentation of the Winter Ultra. With proper eartips, like Softears UC in my case, I get an excellent music listening experience, actually giving me a speaker-like feel. Well, that’s it for the Winter Ultra from my side. I hope you guys enjoyed reading this review of mine. If you have any questions or queries related to the BQEYZ Winter Ultra, I would love to answer them for you in the comments section below, or you can DM me also and we can have a little chat

Thanks for Reading.

Throughout my journey as an audiophile or audio lover, some IEM manufacturers have been among my favorites. I believe it’s the in-house sound tuning thing that we personally prefer. DUNU is one such brand that I prefer using on a day-to-day basis. Having tried, auditioned, and owned many of their IEMs, I can say I am a fan of their craftsmanship and also the way they tune their IEMs as well. My recent favorites from them could be the Zen(Single DD Monster), SA6 MK2(Multi-BA Set), and a few more models. Today, I am going to share a review of their brand new IEM, the DUNU Falcon Ultra. Let’s know the Falcon Ultra a little better before beginning on the review part.

DUNU Falcon Ultra:-

Falcon Ultra is the third IEM in the Falcon series by DUNU. The first installment came out years ago in the form of Falcon-C. Which later got an upgrade in the form of Falcon Pro in 2021. The Falcon Pro was completely redesigned both in terms of driver architecture and design & shape. I personally liked the Falcon Pro as well, it brought a good sound at around a 200$ price budget. This time around, we have got the Falcon Ultra, a similar design to the Falcon Pro, but with a new, vivid color profile, a new powerful driver(as told by the brand), and a new stock cable with replaceable plugs. The Falcon Ultra is launched for 239.99$, it is available on HiFiGo Which generously sent this sample to us in India as a part of the review tour here. I would like to say thanks to them for this, you can check out the Falcon Ultra on their store from the link below(Non-Affiliated Link).

https://hifigo.com/products/dunu-falcon-ultra

Well, that’s a lot of banter, now let’s go ahead and start with the unboxing for the Falcon Ultra.

Package & Accessories:-

DUNU Falcon Ultra comes in a compact package with a matte reflective silver outer cover. The package has a minimalistic design on the front and we have some technical information on the back of this outer cover. Inside we have the cable, IEMs, and tuning nozzles in the carry case which is the first thing we see upon unboxing. Underneath this carry case, there’s a black box that holds multiple sets of eartips including S&S, Candy eartips from DUNU, and some normal silicone ones as well. There are no memory foam ear tips included. We also have a cleaning brush, cleaning cloth, and a 6.35mm adapter. Overall, simple yet fruitful unboxing. We have everything we need except memory foam tips.

Design & Build Quality:-

I am a fan of DUNU’s craftsmanship, Falcon Ultra just increases that respect from my side. The pair has identical looks to the Falcon Pro, but the new color is vivid and looks amazing. It’s actually metallic blue which matches perfectly with the all-metal shell of the pair. It is still a fingerprint magnet and scratch magnet, I took good care of the pair for the time it was with me still got a few scratches here and there. Falcon Ultra has MMCX connectors and they are quite tight to disconnect from the stock cable(Had a hard time pulling these out of the stock cable).



The stock cable is of quite an amazing quality. It has a solid braided structure with metallic connectors and easy to replace modular plug system. Falcon Ultra comes bundled with 3.5mm and 4.4mm plugs. The nozzles on the shells are easily replaceable, they have slight differences in the filter at the mouth that brings some changes in the output.

Fit & Isolation:-

Falcon Ultra fits amazingly well, the earpieces sit comfortably into my ears and completely seal my ear canal providing me with a good fit. I am using stock Candy eartips and also Softears UC tips both in M size. Amazing fit for me. I will ask my wife to click me a picture of this one wearing and I will attach it below to showcase how comfortably the pair sits into my ears.

Power Requirements for Falcon Ultra:-

Falcon Ultra isn’t demanding at all. It works well with my music players, Sony ZX707, HiBy R6 Pro II, and Aune M1p. None of these have powerful output, they all have decently powerful output. I personally loved the Falcon Ultra with the Aune M1p. These two make a fantastic stack with a lovely sound and a compact footprint. I have also tried the Falcon Ultra with Shanling UA3, can safely state that Falcon Ultra will sound amazing out of a decent quality DAC/AMP as well. As long as you treat the pair with a decent source, you are good to go.

Sound Quality Impressions:-

Falcon Ultra adopts a similar driver identical to the brand’s single dd flagship, the Zen Pro just a little smaller in size(information by brand only). While I haven’t heard of the Zen Pro, I can say that the Falcon Ultra sounds like a noticeable improvement over the previous Falcon Pro. The pair has a stronger bass presence and a cleaner midrange. Basically, you get a U-shaped sound profile, the bass has a strong mid-bass representation, it feels strong and slightly on the emphasized side but nothing boomy or messy at all. Mid-bass has a little more presence than the sub-bass, but in tracks such as Bad Guy by Billie Eilish, Sub-bass also shows good rumble and clarity. Falcon Ultra maintains a clean and crisp resolution in the midrange section, the lower-mids a little recessed. Treble is smoothly done, it sounds inoffensive, has a good amount of details, can’t call it super detailed or analytical, but it isn’t dark or very relaxed either. It has enough amount of details to call it a crisp-sounding set. There is no noticeable harshness or sibilance present. The set handles busy tracks with ease showcasing a good amount of details and resolving power. I can simply say that the Falcon Ultra has a refined presentation with a smooth, natural timbre which takes away my heart every time I listen to the Falcon Ultra.

While making the notes for the Falcon Ultra some of my test tracks included fast music such as Rasputin by Boney M, Billie Jean by MJ, Californication by RHCP, etc, the Falcon Ultra handled them with ease. It doesn’t loses its character or its tone, and maintains an enjoyable presentation throughout the session. Technically, the Falcon Ultra again has an appreciable presentation. The imaging and Layering for instruments and vocals is decently executed. Even in busy tracks instrument separation is nicely done. Soundstage is something that could be improved a bit. It has decent depth but the width could be improved a bit. Depth perception is better because of the stronger mid-bass that gives a little heft to the notes. Don’t worry, the pair doesn’t sound overly warm or bossy, it maintains a warmish-neutral presentation that in my books, complements different genres of music well.

Tuning Nozzles:-

There are two sets of tuning nozzles with the pair. One is a Blue nozzle matching the color of the shells, and the other is brass gold-colored nozzles. Both the nozzles have slight differences in their sound. The Blue nozzle sounds clearer, crispier, and more detailed, but it has a slightly thin timbre for vocals. The Gold nozzle has thicker notes with richer timbre for vocals. Mid-bass is also a little more prominent on the gold nozzle. I personally preferred using a gold nozzle with the set.

Well, these are the basic things to describe the sound in a simple manner. Now, it’s time I mention pros and cons based on my own preferences.

Pros of Falcon Ultra:-

>Smooth, Buttery Smooth sound.

>Bass has a good slam.

>Timbre and tone are simple and lovely, the pair sounds very pleasing and not harsh at all.

>No sibilance presence.

>Instruments are crisp and nicely done.

>Comfort & Fit are super solid.

>Good isolation as well, the earpieces sit comfortably into my ears and provide me with proper seal(with stock tips as well as Softears UC tips).

>Two different sound signatures(smooth and natural with rich vocals(gold tubes)/ Slightly more detailed and slightly thin in timbre(Blue nozzle)).

>The metallic finish of the shells looks spectacular.

Cons of Falcon Ultra:-

>The metallic finish is also a con, it is actually a fingerprint and scratch magnet. Need to take utmost care while handling the pair.

>Some people might find the treble to be a little softer with rounded notes.

>Stage width could be better.

DUNU Falcon Ultra with BQEYZ Winter Ultra:-

I happened to have the BQEYZ Winter Ultra with me as well for the purpose of a review. Luckily, both the IEMs are similarly priced, and they both have excellent sound presentation, Falcon Ultra features a single DD while the BQEYZ Winter Ultra houses a DD+BCD combination. Let’s explore the sound comparison between the two.

>Winter Ultra has more micro details, it’s a highly detailed set.

>Falcon Ultra provides a smoother sound, while the BQEYZ Winter Ultra has more energy and liveliness, two ends of a spectrum. You enjoy both depending on your playlist and music.

>Both the IEMs are quite strong in the lower end, Falcon Ultra having a slightly more refined signature and the Winter Ultra having a slightly tighter lower end.

>Treble on the Winter Ultra is more forwarded in comparison to Falcon Ultra, notes are slightly sharper in comparison.

>Stage-wise both create an immersive soundstage with average width and decent depth.

>Timbre-wise, Both are quite identical, the slight difference is that the Falcon Ultra is slightly warmer while the Winter Ultra is slightly colder. The difference here is slight not night and day.

Final Words:-

Well, this completes it. The Falcon Ultra sounds amazing, has a beautiful eye-catchy design, and comes with an amazing range of accessories. The pair fits nicely, delivers quality sound, and isolates the listener as well, what else do we require from an IEM? I personally feel like the Falcon Ultra is a noticeable upgrade over the OG model, it has richer timbre, smoother treble, and quicker yet snappier bass response. I hope you guys enjoyed reading my review for the Falcon Ultra, if you have any questions or queries, you can ask me in the comments section below. I would appreciate if you guys could leave me a like, thanks for reading it till the very end!!

DUNU is a highly regarded audio in-ear monitor brand from China. Over the years, DUNU has developed several successful models that have always kept the brand different from the others. They have plenty of successful products under their brand name such as the SA6 series, Zen series, Falcon series, etc. But today, I am not here bringing you another one of their IEM reviews, rather I am here with one of their latest set of earbuds, the DUNU Alpha 3. DUNU has recently revived its Alpha series of flathead earbuds or traditional earphones as we know this form factor, with the upcoming Alpha 3. DUNU Alpha 3 incorporates a large-size 14.2mm dynamic driver unit with LCP composite diaphragm. I got a pre-release sample from DUNU for the Alpha 3 and I have spent a good one-week period with the set. Today, let’s see how this one fares as an earbud in a world that is usually dominated by IEMs.

Short Disclaimer before I begin:-

This was a review sample I received as a part of a review tour in my country organized by HiFiGo. The pair is supposed to release soon with an expected price of around 100-150$, The pair will be released on HiFiGo, you can check out more information on their website from the link below(non-affiliated). DUNU Alpha 3 will also be released on their Amazon and Aliexpress platforms as well, you can grab it from Amazon US, Amazon Japan, and Aliexpress stores as well. (none of the links provided here are affiliated).

https://hifigo.com/products/dunu-alpha3

Unboxing:-

DUNU is known for its premium packaging and rich set of accessories with its products. The Alpha 3 comes in a compact package yet packs everything beautifully. We have a simple black package with an image of the pair on the front of the outer cover, on the back we have the technical information. Inside we have DUNU’s new large-sized earphone carry case that packs the pair itself.

All other contents such as the, six pairs of foam covers(three complete and three donut foams), etc. are placed in a box right underneath the case. This new carry case from DUNU is very good, it has a hint of yellowish-green textured finish and the space inside is enough to even carry a small USB DAC/AMP with the pair. Overall, simple package, but rich in contents. Now let’s move ahead to the design and build quality of the pair.

Design & Build Quality:-

I have always loved DUNU as a brand for its outstanding craftsmanship. Every product of theirs that I have auditioned/owned to date, including the DK3001 Pro(My very first premium IEMs), EST112, Zen, SA6 Ultra, and the SA6 Mk2, all have excellent build quality characteristics. Same I can say for the Alpha 3, the shells are completely metallic, and they look and feel quite premium. We have the Dunu logo printed on the back of the shells, and the rich black finish of the buds is simply eye-catching. When I got the pair 8-9 days back, I was literally blown away by its designer looks. Ah what can be said man, most earbuds in the market are usually simple looking, so this one is quite premium in its looks and the all-metallic build is premium to hold. The cable is non-detachable but feels premium(thanks to DUNU’s craftsmanship). It has metallic connectors to add to the premium feel of the cable. My unit has 4.4mm termination(personal preference), users can also get it in 3.5mm termination.

We have a properly vented structure here with multiple vents present on the back of the earbuds. There’s also a speaker grill on the top of the stem of the earbuds(I think we call it a stem, refer to the images below), what can I say more about the pair itself, it looks amazing, will just include some beautiful shots below to help you appreciate its build as well.



Fit & Isolation:-

The Alpha 3 earbuds sit comfortably into my ears, with no discomfort or anything. I used the pair with both full foams and donut foams, no issues with the fit for me even for long hours. Isolation, since it’s an earbud, I had zero expectations for isolation, and I got my expectations met perfectly lol. Outside noise is easily introduced and isolation is average just like every other earbud.

Power Requirements:-

DUNU Alpha 3 doesn’t require a lot of juice, it can be powered easily with a decent enough device. I have personally used the pair directly with my MacBook Pro output(using a 3.5mm adapter), Shanling UA3(4.4mm output), and HiBy R6 Pro II(4.4mm Direct output). It is paired well with all three of the sources with me never going on high volumes for adequate listening level. So, easy driveability is there with the DUNU Alpha 3.

Sound Impressions:-

For me, Earbuds have a different use case. While I prefer IEMs and Headphones most of the time, I prefer using earbuds when I am in my bed and need a comfortable listening session in the silence of the night. The Alpha 3 serves well in this purpose with its strong sound. Basically, the pair has a warmish sound with some prominence on the mid-bass region. Please don’t get me wrong, it doesn’t sound boomy or overwhelmingly bossy, it’s just has a little emphasis on the mid-bass adding weight to the midrange and instruments. It feels strong, powerful, and dynamic in its sound presentation. The mid-bass surely adds a punch to the output of the pair, complementing the vocals and instruments nicely. While writing this review, I am listening to some of my favorite tracks including “I Will Survive” by Gloria Gaynor, the vocal clarity, the drums in the background, and the piano as well, everything is presented in such a captivating way that it sounds really impressive.

As mentioned earlier, the sound is a little prominent in the mid-bass region. It takes the main attention in the lower end of the pair, sub-bass is a little subdued in comparison. Mid-bass also has a little influence on the lower-mids as well, but it doesn’t sound muddy or dirty, just adding a bit of weight and texture to the instruments in the mid-range. Changing the foams to Donut definitely tames the mid-bass and makes the sound more balanced, so people who are more into getting more clarity in the midrange, can opt for the Donut foams. IMO Once switched to Donuts, Midrange shows its true colors. It sounds crispy, and vocals and instruments show a good presence in the mix. I love the timbre and natural tone of the vocals here. Both the male and female vocals sound really nice and pleasing. There is no sign of sibilance or harshness present on the pair. It sounds smooth and strong throughout the midrange. Treble presence is well-rounded. Instruments such as electric guitars, violins, and flutes, have a smooth presentation, they don’t have any sharpness or harshness even on busy tracks.

Technically, the DUNU Alpha 3 sounds good. It has clear instrument presentation, Imaging, and separation are above average I would say. I enjoyed the pair for gaming as well while playing Valorant, footsteps, and location were easily recognizable. The soundstage is quite open and airy. It doesn’t feel congested or narrow at all, but it isn’t super wide either. The pair actually creates an enveloping 3D soundstage while enveloping the listener with decent enough width and depth, giving a proper 3D feel. Micro details are not much I would say, they could be a little better in their presence!!

Well, that’s about the sound of the DUNU Alpha 3 from my side, now it’s time for some comparison. I will put it straight against the TGXear Serratus, a 200$ earbud. The one I have is bell Serratus with metallic buds.

>DUNU Alpha 3 has better fit and comfort for me compared to the Serratus. The cable here also looks and feels better.

>The prominent mid-bass of Alpha 3 gives the pair a strong presentation, while the lovely midrange of the Serratus gives it a musical presentation. Serratus has a clearer sub-bass response.

>Both the pair have lovely timbre and tone. They both sound quite natural and open in their timbre for vocals giving them a lovely touch.

>Serratus has more micro-details, and its treble is crispier, while the Alpha 3 sounds rounded and has smoother notes in the treble region. I would say Serratus has more extension in the treble region as well.

>Soundstage-wise, Both have a 3D feel, Alpha 3 sounds a little wider while the Serratus sounds more immersive of two.

In comparing both, I spent hours A/B’ing the same tracks again and again. I would say both are really solid, one has more mid-bass, and a more 3D feel, while the other has more sub-bass and treble extension, they both have a natural timbre that makes vocals stand out in the mix!!

Final Words For DUNU Alpha 3:-

For many years, I have kept my distance from earbuds. Earlier in the hobby like 4-5 years back, there was a time I had like 15-20 pairs of earbuds, but with time my use case changed and I switched primarily to IEMs. But recent times have made Serratus grab a place in my everyday pouch, DUNU Alpha 3 with its eye-catching design, its impressive sound, and mainly it is a direct companion to the sound that I get from the Serratus, the pair definitely finds a place in my heart and my everyday carry pouch as well. It sounds really good, the mid-bass dive, the lovely vocals, and the smooth instruments, make the DUNU Alpha 3 an exciting package. If you are looking for a set of earbuds to add to your collection for everyday use, the DUNU Alpha 3 definitely gets my recommendation!!

Well, that’s all about the DUNU Alpha 3 from my side, I hope you guys liked reading my review for the pair, if you have any further questions or queries, feel free to ask me in the comments section below.

AFUL Audio debuted last year in the international market with the release of the Performer5 which is a five-driver hybrid set of IEMs. I happened to get a unit to audition and review courtesy of HiFiGo’s India tour. Performer 5 gained a lot of attention for its exciting sound and crazy pricing. During the launch of the Performer 5, several articles from AFUL Audio suggested that they are already working on their next project, the Performer 8. As it is evident from their name, the Performer 8 is a more equipped version featuring 8 driver hybrid configuration(1DD+7BA drivers on each side). Fast Forward to today, and we are closing by for the release of the Performer 8. While there is no information related to the pricing for the pair, other information such as the technologies used, the driver configuration, the targeted tuning profile, everything is mentioned on the product page at HiFiGo(I guess they are the official partners for AFUL in the international market). Well, I have a unit with me which I got early last week and I have spent the entire week with this beauty. Today, I am going to share my review and some impressions for the Performer8 with you guys, let’s not waste any more moment and get our reading glasses on for today.

A Short Disclaimer before I begin:-

I absolutely loved the Performer 5, so I contacted AFUL Audio for the Performer8 through their Facebook page. They were kind enough to share a pre-sale unit with me for which I am thankful to them. There is no kind of benefit involved in this, being a fan of the Performer 5, I just feel lucky to have the early unit of P8 with me. For more information and stuff, you guys can go and check out on HiFiGo website from the link below(it’s a non-affiliated link).

https://hifigo.com/products/aful-performer8

Unboxing:-

I will start with the unboxing today. The package style and pattern are identical to what we had with the Performer 5 it’s just instead of a white box, we now have a greyish black colored box. Internals are again slightly similar, we have the pair sitting firmly into a foam cutout layer alongside a round-shaped box. The box has the cable for me, underneath this first layer containing the pair, we have six pairs of silicone ear tips in different sizes. There are some documentation as well such as a warranty card and user guide in a transparent envelope. Well, that’s all we have for the package, I hope you guys like the images I am attaching below.


Package Contents:-

>The pair itself.

>2-pin 3.5mm terminated cable.

>Seven pairs of silicone ear tips(6 in the package one on the pair).

>User guide.

>Warranty card.

Design & Build Quality:-

Performer5 resembled the Monarch MK2 in its face covers, the Performer8 has a better design approach. The shape is quite compact and lightweight. The entire shell is made up of resin material. Face covers are shiny and have an eye-catchy look. Upon a close inspection, it looks like multiple layers of hand-painted material are embedded into the face covers. The pair look and feel absolutely beautiful. The nozzle mouth is a bit recessed. It has three openings, one wide, and the other two quite narrow.

My wife also liked the fit and look of the pair. She has small ears, and the small-sized P8 fits her perfectly. I am personally using the stock ear tips only and getting a very good fit. Isolation is also quite good, I have no issues in listening to music at low volumes even in noisy environments.

The included cable is quite handy and has a rich in-hand feel. The connectors are a bit tight, but they fit perfectly and have a secure grip on the pair. I can securely place the pair along with the cable in the provided case, so no troubles there as well.

Powering The Performer 8(Power Requirements):-

Performer8 is quite a sensitive set of IEMs. It gets easily powered with most sources, and I find it to synergize well as well. For my personal usage, I have tested the set with my Shanling M7(15/100 volume, high-gain), HiBy FC6(10/31 volume, OS mode), and directly with my MacBook as well(about 50% volume level enough for me). So I can say that the pair is fairly easy to drive, it can be powered easily with most sources without worrying much. It even works with my Steam Deck and Nintendo Switch as well. For me, the most usage is done with M7 as my daily driver for the past week.

Sound Quality:-

Coming towards the most anticipated part of the Performer8, the sound performance. The pair delivers showcase outstanding sound capabilities with amazing clarity and a very, literally very refined sound signature. Throughout the frequency band, the P8 maintains amazing clarity. The lower end is precise, tightly controlled, and has a punchy presentation. It has good extension in the sub-bass frequencies as well. I would say, the Lower end quality and quantity are fairly balanced. It has a clear and strong rumble yet it doesn’t sound overwhelming. Mid-bass has a clear presentation with a good slamming response. The overall lower-end response is very well done. It is fast, tight, punchy, and precise.

As for the tuning of the Performer8, I find the set to have a balanced sound signature across the three frequencies. None of the regions feel over-emphasized, in fact, the balance between the three frequencies is nicely executed. Coming to the midrange response, Performer8 has a smooth and rich tone for the vocals. They sound quite rich and dynamic. Their clarity is simply sublime, Both the male and female vocals sound clear and have clean textured quality output. Instruments in the midrange have a crisp definition. Acoustic guitar, piano, etc. everything falling in the midrange section sound exceptionally clear and crisp.

Treble is well-defined and has great extensions here. Instruments in their high-frequencies have a clear definition and sound crisp. This enables the pair to deliver exceptional performances for genres such as Rock, Pop, Electronic, etc. When I got the set early last week, I played the track "Hotel California" by Eagles as my first track. And I was simply amazed by the clarity of the P8. Hotel California is my favorite track, and it is usually on the list of my test tracks as well. And the P8 handled the song so well that I was literally lost for the next seven minutes approx(the length of the track). Next, I tested the track “Don’t Give Me Those Eyes” by James Blunt, and this time the vocal clarity got me hooked.

Talking about some Hip-Hop tracks, I played some Billie Eilish next, featuring the “Bad Guy”, and how beautifully the Performer8 changed its presentation for this track. Performer8 keeps up with the speed of this track delivering very clear sub-bass extensions and refined lower-end clarity. Coming towards the technical performance part, P8 sounds great in that regard as well. The pair handles both macro and micro definitions nicely. Imaging and instrument separation is precise, and nicely executed. Soundstage has good width, although I would have loved a slight bit of more depth in the output. Probably my only con with the set.

Somethings I Think Could Be Improved(Cons):-

Well, it’s hard to find flaws with the set. It sounds exactly how I like, it fits nicely, and it looks nice. But I would like to nitpick, and I would say that the soundstage depth could be a bit better for a more 3D presentation on the stage. But apart from this, I can’t note down anything bad with the set. In fact, whenever I listen to the set making notes, I got so lost that I spent 2-3 hours and made 0 notes. I was so immersed in the music all thanks to my Shanling M7 and the P8 sounding absolutely brilliant. Now it’s time for some comparisons.

AFUL Performer 8 Vs AFUL Performer 5:-

Let’s make a short comparison between Performer 5 and Performer 8. There is a noticeable difference in how both these pairs sound. Let’s get some key points.

>Performer 5 sounds warmer, it has stronger mid-bass. P8 sounds refined and has clearer bass with more extended sub-bass.

>Midrange on the P8 has a cleaner and more accurate tonality. M5 in comparison is warmer in tone.

>Treble is crispier, better extended, and better detailed on the P8.

>Soundstage, while both are identical in this regard, P8 has more air and sounds slightly wider as well.

>Detail Retrieval, P8 is crispier and has more details.

AFUL Performer 8 vs DUNU SA6 MK2:-

SA6 MK2 was my recent love. I absolutely adore how beautifully the pair manages midrange clarity and showcase exceptional vocals. P8 puts up a strong fight against the SA6 Mk2 and delivers excellent results. Here are my findings.

>Bass on the P8 is punchier and more dynamic. It reaches deeper as well.

>Midrange SA6 MK2 sounds lovely, But the P8 is, SUPER CLOSE. Yes, you guys read that right, with a punchy, fast lower end, the midrange clarity of P8 is really comparable and sometimes even feels slightly better than the SA6 MK2. In fact, I would say the P8 sounds slightly bit more accurate and natural. Damn lovely vocals on both sets.

>Treble on both the sets is handled well with P8 being crispier and the SA6 MK2 being more rounded.

Final Words:-

While I personally don’t know the actual cost of the P8 as of now, the pair really puts up a fantastic fight with the SA6 MK2 which is priced at around 600$ range. But based on the pricing of P5, I think the P8 will cost somewhere south of 500$, and it is a kick-ass performer. It hits all the sweet spots for me including quick lower end, clear midrange, and crisp treble. This has been a daily driver of mine for the past week and now I have to ship it out to the next reviewer in line for the tour. Feels like I can’t let it go so early lol. Well, that’s it. That’s my review for the AFUL Performer8. I hope you guys liked reading this review of mine. For any further questions or queries, you can ask me in the comments section below.

Thank You!!

Last month DUNU introduced the all-new Studio SA6 MK2, a multi-BA IEM and a successor to the highly-regarded SA6. It is actually the third iteration of the Studio SA6 series after the success of the SA6 and the limited edition SA6 Ultra. The driver configuration is the same, but the looks are new, and also the pair is said to have upgraded internal wiring as well. It comes stock with DUNU’s Hulk Pro Mini cable. I bought the unit because I am a fan of the SA6 Ultra, so I grabbed one during the presale period. Let’s dive into the review.

Short Disclaimer:-

I bought the SA6 MK2 from HiFiGo. The unit was purchased as a pre-sale unit, now it is available through their store at 579$, you can check out more information on the link below(non-affiliated).

https://hifigo.com/products/dunu-sa6-mkii-iems

You guys can also watch the review video on the DUNU SA6 MK2 on my YouTube channel from the link below.


Unboxing:-

DUNU SA6 MK2 comes in a simple package. You get an orange-colored outer sleeve. Inside we have the pair, a newly designed customized carry case, Hulk Pro Mini cable with 3.5mm and 4.4mm plugs, and a bunch of ear tips including the XL size S&S eartips from DUNU.

Design & Build Quality:-

DUNU SA6 MK2 is quite nicely built. The wooden face covers have a strong grainy textured finish and a hint of orange color on the side. The shells sit comfortably into my ears and provide me with a very comfortable fit and isolation. The Hulk Pro Mini stock cable is also of superb quality.

Powering the DUNU SA6 MK2:-

SA6 MK2 can be powered very easily. It has high sensitivity and can be driven easily off any given source. It worked well with Sony WM1A(generation 1), Shanling M7, and even with straight Macbook 3.5mm output as well.

Sound Impressions:-

Being a fan of the Ultra’s, I was super excited to try out the SA6 MK2. My excitement was satisfied when the first time I listened to the pair. It had the charming midrange of the Studio SA6 series, smoother treble response, and a slightly added punch to the lower end. The overall sound response with the SA6 MK2 has a clean and refined presentation. The lower end sounds rich and dynamic. I won’t call it to have a heavy bass response, but the SA6 MK2 packs enough to complement the other frequencies and also deliver a fast and quick punchiness.

Midrange is where all the charm is for the SA6 MK2. The pair sounds simply wonderful, it’s rich, it’s clean, it’s well-textured. Both male and female vocals have a very lovely tone and timbre. They sound rich and natural. Female vocals are a bit more pronounced especially on the S&S tips. Nothing offensive though. Instruments are very well-separated and have good air between them. The pair doesn’t sound congested and keeps up the pace even with fast tracks.

Treble is nicely done here, it’s slightly smoother than the SA6 Ultra and has a revealing nature. I won’t call it an analytical set, but the SA6 MK2 has an excellent amount of details. The lovely midrange gives the pair a smooth musical tone.

Technically, SA6 MK2 is quite imaging, it has nicely done staging which is both wide and airy. The added punch in the lower end also adds a bit of depth compared to the SA6 Ultra. SA6 Mk2 has quite good imaging and layering capabilities. Listening to busy tracks on the SA6 MK2 like Billie Jean by MJ, Dani California by RHCP, and regional Bollywood music, feel clean and precise. There is no congestion at all.

Tuning Switch On:-

There’s a tuning switch on the SA6 MK2(similar to the Ultra and the OG SA6). It adds a tad bit more punch to the lower end when turned on.

Final Words:-

I personally love the SA6 MK2, it’s a fantastic pair that is both beautifully built and has an excellent sound as well. It has been my daily driver ever since I got the pair by my side. I hope you guys like this quick and short review of mine, you guys can go and check out my complete review on Youtube over here.

2023 is all about collaborations, we are just three-four months in and we have already got so many collaboration products. Just a few days back I completed my review for the See Audio x Tangzu Audio Shimin Li Encounter Edition, a collaborative project between See Audio and Tangzu Audio. Today, I am going to bring a review for another See Audio collaboration, the See Audio x Z Reviews Rinko. Rinko is actually the talk of the town currently mainly because of a driver-related controversy that’s going around. Basically, things are going around about the verification of its planar driver unit. People are talking and engaging in a lot of discussions over this, and that got me curious to do a teardown myself. Hifigo has also posted a teardown that shows the internals which has increased my curiosity even further. So, I have joined hands with a friend of mine to tear down my unit as well. I will be adding a teardown section later in this review, but first, let’s find out more about the Rinko design, build, and sound!!

A Short Disclaimer Before I Begin:

The See Audio x Z Reviews Rinko was sent to me as a review sample from HiFiGo. There is no monetary benefit involved in this review, I would like to thank HiFiGo for providing me with this sample unit. I have enjoyed a good two-week period with the set, and now the set is actually not working for me as I messed up during the tear down(actually broke the planar shell for the left side driver unit). But the teardown and my review are complete that’s the good thing here. At the time of this writeup the unit retails for 99.99$, you can go and check out more information on the HiFiGo page below(It’s a non-affiliated link).

https://hifigo.com/products/seeaudio-x-z-review-rinko

About See Audio x Z Reviews Rinko:-

As I mentioned above, Rinko is a collaboration between See Audio and Z Reviews. It’s a dual-driver hybrid set of IEMs featuring a dynamic driver and a micro planar driver unit as advertised by the brand. The pair has attractive pricing and comes with a beautiful waifu designer box package. That’s almost everything that everyone knows now, let’s begin directly with the unboxing experience for the set.

Unboxing The Rinko:-

See Audio makes good packages for their IEMs. I was so in love with their Yume II package design, it looked so beautiful. The Package of Rinko has a designer look with waifu design right on the slip-on cover. On the back, we have the technical details and another image of the waifu. They have named this waifu Rinko(as evident from their keycap set as well). I have also got a stander of Rinko, which is a good-looking designer item(my wife has already called her dibs on this stander). Inside we have everything we need to get going including the pair itself, a 3.5mm terminated 2-pin cable, three pairs of new silicone-foam hybrid ear tips, a carry case, and a user guide. There’s also a cardboard-style stander inside the package with the Rinko waifu image exactly as we have on the front of the slip-on cover. Too much waifu in the package!!! But overall a good experience for unboxing a 100$ set. The new Eartips are quite good, will share more about them in the design and build quality part.

Package Contents:-

>Rinko IEMs.

>3.5mm terminated 2-pin cable.

>Three pairs of New Render Ear tips.

>Carry Case.

>Cardboard stander.

>User Guide.

Design & Build Quality:-

The pair is pretty well-built. It has a unique 3D beveled shape with metallic face covers. The inner cavity reminds me of Moondrop Variations with its semi-translucent black-colored look. We have Zeos engraved on the side of both earpieces. The pair looks and feels amazing in hand. Rinko has a single air vent present right underneath the Zeos engraving on the side. The pair has a lightweight design, it sits firmly into my ears and serves me well with a comfortable fit and good isolation.

The included cable is a generic stock cable. It’s soft, has 2-pin connectors, and has a 3.5mm termination. Rinko comes with new Render Ear Tips. They are a blend of silicone and memory foam with foam filled in between the silicone tube and silicone outer layer. They are quite good and I personally like them with the Rinko.

Driving The Rinko:-

Rinko is an easy-to-drive pair, it works well enough straight out of my Sony WM1A. Heck, it’s so easy to power that it works well with my PS5 controller as well. I have used the pair extensively for gaming with my PS5. So don’t worry about driving the set, it works well off with basic sources.

Sound Impressions:-

Rinko packs a powerful and fun sound signature. It has a strong lower-end response, delivering a powerful sub-bass rumble and a strong mid-bass response. It is borderline basshead for my taste and that’s why I find it perfect for watching movies and enjoying some video games. I hooked it into my PS5 and was literally amazed by its outstanding theatrical sound feeling. It benefits from the surround sound of the PS5 and delivers an expansive soundstage with crisp bass. Lower-end is probably the highlight of the set for me. The bass is so strong that it sometimes comes over the lower mids as well, Upper mids sound clean and accurate. They have crisp clarity for vocals and instruments. Treble is also nicely done on the Rinko, it sounds clean and sibilance free.

Lower-End:-

As mentioned earlier, the Rinko has an emphasized lower-end response. It has a fast, quick, punchy lower-end response that complements genres such as hip-hop, EDM, etc. The lower-end clarity is quite refined and well-textured. Love the rumble it produces while watching movies and playing games. Personally loved watching Interstellar, the bgm sounded so lively and created a different aura with its strong lower end. I must add, this is the borderline bass response I can enjoy, anything above this would be overwhelming atleast for me.

Midrange:-

Even though the strong mid-bass reaches for the lower mids every now and then, the pair maintains a clean midrange most of the time. The instruments are well-separated, and the clarity is quite good for vocals as well. Female vocals are a bit more pronounced than male vocals. I don’t find them harsh or sibilant even at louder volumes. The midrange is pretty nicely done, although could be a bit more clean with a little more control in the lower end.

Treble:-

The Treble response is nicely done, it’s smooth, it’s detailed, it’s crisp. I won’t say that the pair has strong extension in the lower end, but it does a great job in delivering a smooth, detailed presentation with no noticeable harshness or sibilance. The pair also has good air that presents a clean staging even in busy tracks.

Soundstage, Layering, Instrument Separation, Dynamics:-

Rinko has a decently wide soundstage, with a good amount of air, the pair sounds quite open and expansive. With the Surround effect of PS5, this was just a super amazing theatrical experience. I used to play god of war Ragnarok and Horizon Zero Dawn and the experience was simply sublime. The soundstage, the surround effect, and the overall experience are pretty solid!!

Short Comparison With Simgot EA500:-

Simgot EA500 is one of my favorite sets around the 100$ price bracket. The pair sounds natural and wonderful. Here’s a short comparison between Rinko and EA500.

>Rinko has a strong lower-end, much stronger than the EA500.

>EA500 sounds more natural tonally and timbre-wise, Rinko sounds warmer.

>Rinko has a more pronounced sound, it sounds more lively and immersive.

>EA500 has a more musical presentation.

>Rinko is an IEM that produces a strong V-shape profile producing a more fun signature.

Teardown Time!!!

Okay so now being done with the review, I am going to share my teardown experience with your guys. This is my first teardown and I absolutely loved every bit of it. Just a short piece of information before I begin, I took help from a friend of mine who is proficient in modding. He has done many different earbuds and IEM mods before(like MMCX mod on earbuds, repairing mmcx/2-pin connectors, etc). So I would like to thank my dear friend for helping me out here.

Now on to the teardown, the pair opens up easily with its face cover glued onto the shell. Upon opening, the first thing we see are two wires going from the 2-pin connectors to the frequency crossover board. The frequency board is quite delicate and needed to be handled with care, it is directly connected to the drivers. The drivers here are stuck together.

There’s a big casing that houses a slightly beveled shape diaphragm with a vertical copper coil. This is I guess the dynamic driver unit. It has a single magnet attached to it on the backside. Right next to this driver towards the ear nozzle is a smaller driver unit which is stuck to the bigger casing. This is the controversial planar magnetic driver unit. This one uses a diaphragm similar to the dynamic driver unit but instead of a vertical copper coil, this one has a coil that is embedded right into the diaphragm. From my small understanding of these drivers, Planar Magnetic drivers are units that use flat diaphragms with the coil embedded into them, the same is there on this unit. There are two magnets, one on each side of this diaphragm.

Now on to my mistake here, upon trying to open the casing of the planar unit, I actually put in some extra force that broke the casing of the driver unit. So the left side of my Rinko is now planar-less lol. But I am just happy to learn this new thing. I wish to do more teardowns in the upcoming future and learn more about this. Actually teardown was interesting, it was fun doing it with a close friend. But yeah feeling sad that the unit got damaged. Now I will have to purchase a unit for PS5 lol.

Final Words:-

There are a lot of things going around for the See Audio x Z Reviews Rinko, I find the pair to have an amazing sound experience. In fact before going bad, this was the pair that I have enjoyed hours of gaming with. It’s also quite good for music, loved listening to fast genres such as hip-hop, EDM, regional Bollywood, and other regional genres as well. Rinko actually has a lively, fun sound that is pretty solid for everyday enjoyment!! Now going to get another one for me!!

Tangzu Audio has joined hands with See Audio and developed a newer variant for the famous Shimin Li IEMs, this new IEM is named Tangzu x See Audio Shimin Li Encounter Edition. The pair has been revamped from the inside out with a new color finish, new tuning, and a new driver as well. According to the brand, the Shimin Li Encounter Edition adopts a newly-developed 10mm dual-cavity dynamic driver with a new Nano Carbon Diaphragm. Well, the pair has also attracted some controversies regarding its driver material as well. After spending a good 10-day period with the Shimin Li Encounter and enjoying the pair thoroughly, I am going to share my review and impressions on the new Shimin Li with your guys. Let’s begin but a short disclaimer first.

Disclaimer:-

The Tangzu x See Audio Shimin li Encounter edition was sent to me as a part of a review tour in my country arranged by HiFiGo. All the impressions in this blog are my own based on my own impression of the pair over the past few days. For more information and details, you can check out the Tangzu x See Audio Shimin Li Encounter Edition on the link below(Non-Affiliated).

https://hifigo.com/products/tangzu-x-seeaudio-shimin-li-encounter-edition

Unboxing Experience:-

The Shimin Li Encounter Edition has got a colorful slip-on cover on a plain black box. The slip-on has a beautifully designed image featuring a dragon depicting Shimin Li and a beautiful girl depicting Rinko. This same image is also available as a printed designer cloth, which I believe is for cleaning the pair or maybe a simple design element. There’s also a lucky scratch card. The earpieces sit firmly into a foam cutout layer, a metallic Encounter Edition branding plate, a carry pouch, and 10 pairs of ear tips. The package has a designer look to it, and has a vivid vibe to it.


Package Contents:-

>Tangzu x See Audio Shimin Li Encounter Earphones.

>Stock Cable.

>Carry Pouch.

>10 Pairs of Silicone Ear Tips(1 on the pair, 9 right underneath the pair inside the package).

>Designer Cleaning Cloth.

>Lucky Scratch Card Coupon.

Design & Build Quality:-

Shimin Li Encounter Edition has got revamped looks with a new brushed finish. Even though the design is the same as the OG model, the new brushed-Red finish looks really great on completely metallic ear shells. The golden nozzle gives a bling bling vibe. The shells have a vented design with an air vent at the face cover and another near the nozzle inside. With a brushed finish, the pair looks great. The cable has a matte-black sleeve and feels premium in hand as well. All-in-all, the design and build of the pair is quite good. As for fit and isolation, the pair is identical to the OG model in that regard as well. The shells are ergonomic in shape, even though they are a bit on the heavier side, but they provide a comfortable wearing experience and excellent isolation as well. The carry pouch is not as useful as it might seem. It’s more like an accessory, made up of soft leather material, and opens completely from the top side. Not a big fan of the case included here.


Driving the Shimin Li Encounter Edition:-

The Shimin Li Encounter Edition isn’t a demanding set by any means. The pair is driven easily off my WM1A without the requirement of any extra amp’ing. Forget amp’ing, I am usually at just a 45-50 volume level out of 120 available on the WM1A. The synergy with WM1A is also quite good. Also tested the set with direct output from my MacBook and it works perfectly as well. So don’t worry about special gear to drive the Shimin Li Encounter Edition, the set will sound good straight out of most sources.

Sound Impressions:-

Priced at 49$, the Shimin Li Encounter Edition falls in a very competitive price bracket. Since last year, we have got many great-sounding sets in the under 50 -100$ price bracket. Tangzu x See Audio Shimin Li has a warm-ish sound tuning with a little midrange-focused signature. The pair has a slight bit of boost in the upper midrange section. It delivers decent clarity throughout the frequency band presenting a strong lower end, forwarded vocals, and treble response with an early roll-off. It delivers a smooth listening experience with a little warmth to its tone. Vocals despite being forwarded have a lush tone to them. They get a little shouty as well at louder listening volumes but for normal listening levels no such issue with me. Instruments have got decent clarity and above-average imaging & separation for the price bracket. Let’s delve deeper into the sound with different frequency responses.

Lower-End/Bass Response:-

The Shimin Li Encounter Edition has a fast and quick lower-end response. The main focus here is on the mid-bass region, sub-bass rumble is present but not very prominent. Mid-bass has a good impactful presentation and gives the set an added punch. With its pronounced mid-bass, The lower end of the Shimin Li Encounter Edition delivers a good punch to complement the other frequencies well. It is well-controlled within the region so as to not introduce any kind of muddiness or grainy sound in the output. Although, don’t expect a lot of bass, the pair has an adequate quantity to have a decent lower-end response which is complementing to the other frequencies.

Midrange:-

Midrange has a clean and forwarded presentation on the set. It has a rich, warm tone for vocals. Although boosted upper mids bring the vocals forward and they actually sound a bit shouty at louder volumes as well. But that doesn’t disappoint me as for my usual listening volume, they sound decently forward and clean. Vocals despite being forwarded maintains their resolution, they don’t sound fatiguing or harsh at all(to me atleast). Vocals actually have all the limelight with the Shimin Li Encounter Edition. They sound the center point of attraction for the pair.

Treble:-

The treble response on the Tangzu x See Audio Shimin Li Encounter Edition has a clean presentation. It has a smoothly done treble with good resolution as well. The pair has enough spacing and separation between the instruments so as to not sound congested or intimate. Violins, Electric Guitars, and Pianos, have a sibilance-free clean response in the high-frequency segment.

Soundstage, Instrument Separation, Imaging, & Layering:-

Soundstage presentation on the Shimin Li Encounter Edition is immersive, it’s decently wide and doesn’t feel like lacking but it isn’t super wide or grande either. It has enough separation to make busy tracks sound clean and a good separation of instruments. Instruments have decent separation, and the pair doesn’t sound congested at all. Imaging and Layering are above average for the price bracket.

Coming towards the title question of this blog, is the Shimin Li Encounter Edition an upgrade over the OG Shimin Li? Well, in terms of looks yes, in terms of sound there are some improvements here and there. Like, the lower-end is punchier, the treble is a little more detailed here on the Encounter Edition. The midrange is also a tad bit more forwarded in comparison to the OG model( I have auditioned the OG model a few weeks back, these are my impressions based on my memory).

Short Comparison with Simgot EA500:-

I also happen to have Simgot EA500 with me which is again a single dynamic driver IEM priced slightly above Shimin Li at 69$. Let’s see how these two compare with each other.

>EA500 has a more natural sound tone with a refined signature, Shimin Li Encounter Edition sounds warmish and slightly softer in comparison.

>EA500 has better extensions and an overall smoother sound.

>Shimin Li Encounter Edition has a bit of richness, and lushness to its tonality.

>Both pairs have identical staging with Shimin Li Encounter Edition having more immersion with a tad bit more depth to the stage. It feels more 3D.

>The Matte-Red finish of the Shimin Li Encounter Edition feels richer and more eye-catchy to me.

Final Words:-

Despite all the controversy that’s going around related to the driver configuration of Tangzu Shimin Li Encounter Edition, I would say that the pair sounds good. Even though the price bracket is crowded with products, the Tangzu Shimin Li with its red-colored shells, and good sound quality stands apart in the crowd. It has a sound that would please some people, including me, with its clean, rich, and smooth presentation!! It’s a great set that I take out for a spin every now and then for casual listening sessions!!

The products from Kinera have always intrigued me, especially their IEMs. Not only because of their sound which is praised widely by the audience but also because of the linkage to Norse Mythology in design and naming, not the mention the outstandingly beautiful hand-painted designer ear shells. A few weeks back, I got an opportunity to try Kinera’s latest Nanna 2.1, a sub-flagship multi-driver hybrid set of in-ear monitors. Today after spending a good 2-week honeymoon with the set, I feel like I should write and share my impressions with you guys, so let’s begin.

About Kinera Nanna 2.1:-

Nanna 2.1, is a strange name. It’s the third installment for the Nanna. Originally, the Nanna came out a few years back. The pair boasted outstanding sound capabilities with a 4-driver tribrid configuration(1DD+1BA+2EST). Back then when the OG Nanna was released, it was the flagship of the brand. Later it got the Baldr as the main flagship, but Nanna has always been a favorite of the brand. I was super interested to try this beautiful pair out when it got the 2.0 variant back in 2020. But had to miss due to some other commitments. Fast forward to 2023, we have got the Nanna 2.1 as a collaboration project between Kinera Imperial and Zeos from Z Reviews. It’s a minor tuning upgrade over the 2.0 variant and houses the same configuration as the OG model. This new Nanna 2.1 is limited to only 500 units worldwide, and here I have a unit with me.

A Short Disclaimer before I begin with the review:-

Nanna 2.1 was sent to me as a review sample as a part of a tour in my country. I feel thankful to the brand for the same, and I would like to assure the readers a free audition sample doesn’t mean I will mince my words. I will try my best to write the review true to my words, and experience with the set. For more information, you guys can check out the product details on Kinera’s website from the link below(non-affiliated).

https://www.kineraaudio.com/product/kinera-nanna-2-1-z-tune-edition

Unboxing Nanna 2.1:-

Nanna 2.1 comes packed in a colorful cardboard box that has a hexagonal shape. It has a small outer slip-on cover with Z-Review branding information. The main box has a smokey pattern and looks quite beautiful. Kinera has printed technical information, a frequency graph, and some more brand and Nanna-related information on the back of the package. Inside all the contents are securely stored in foam layers. We have a booklet that has the story behind Nanna’s inspiration, tuning, and design. The earpieces sit firmly into foam cutout along with five pairs of Final Audio Type-E eartips, two pairs of memory foam ear tips, a carry case, and 3.5mm+2.5mm connectors on the side. Other contents including the cable, 4.4mm termination plug, a few more pairs of silicone ear tips, and a cleaning tool are all secured and packed inside the carry case.

That’s all about the package of the Nanna 2.1, we get all we need, earpieces, a cable with swappable termination, a bunch of eartips, a carry case, and a bunch of eartips. I have also posted an unboxing video for the Nanna 2.1 on my Youtube, you can check that out as well. Let’s move ahead and we will start with the design and build quality of the pair.


Design, Build, Form Factor:-

One thing I always praise about Kinera is their design for their IEMs. The shells are beautifully crafted with premium hand-painted face covers. Both the shells have a stunning smokey pattern on their face covers. From my understanding, these are hand-painted by a skilled artist. On the right shell, we have the Z-Reviews logo printed, and on the left shell, we have the Kinera logo printed. By no means the pair will allow you to have a minimal design, it’s eye-catchy and will grab the attention of a crowd. Great looker imo.

With a four-driver tribrid setup, the pair is quite compact and has a small form factory. The shape design is universal and ergonomic which allows for a comfortable wearing experience, atleast for me. While the pair don’t exactly disappear into my ears, the fit is comfortable and I get no issues even after 2-3 hours of continuous usage. Along with a good fit, the Nanna 2.1 also has excellent isolation. Thanks to this proper isolation, I never had to raise the volume to higher levels apart from testing.

I would say, I am impressed in all these regards, Design, Fit, & Isolation. The included stock cable is also quite light in weight and has a simple build structure. It has a swappable termination plug system which is pretty useful if one wants to use the pair with multiple sources. I have used it with included 3.5mm and 4.4mm plugs and the response was solid. Now, let’s go ahead to the power requirement section.

Power Requirements For Nanna 2.1:-

If I compare the Nanna 2.1 with other IEMs in terms of power requirements, I would say that the Nanna is a power-hungry set. It loves some extra power thrown it's way. Kinera has designed it with a moderately high impedance of 60Ω and a high sensitivity of 110dB. The high-impedance wants us to give it a powerful source, but the high sensitivity helps a bit. It sounds pretty good out of a dedicated USB DAC/AMP or a dedicated digital audio player with decent enough output power. Like it sounds amazing with Jcally AP90(4.4mm Balanced), Sony WM1Z MK2, Sony ZX707, and the Sony WM1A MK1. Although I recommend using it with a portable amplifier when using the set with low-power devices such as the Sony Walkman players. My personal setup for critical listening for this setup is as follows.

>Sony WM1A MK1 with HUM MA1B fully balanced class A portable amplifier(My favorite combination).

>Sony WM1A MK1 with Topping NX7 portable amplifier.

Sony WM1A MK1 also powers it efficiently through its 4.4mm output, but adding an amp surely tightens the lower end and opens the stage a bit as well. The difference is easily noticeable with both the amps attached to the WM1A, but the synergy of using WM1A as a DAC with Nanna 2.1 is simply amazing. It complements its sound and the resulting output is lovely. Let’s discuss more in that regard in the sound impression section now.

Sound Impressions for Kinera Nanna 2.1:-

Nanna 2.1 is a pair that instantly captivates its listeners with its exceptionally good sound output. The pair simply packs an impressive sound that is rich for vocals and instruments, detailed and textured for again vocals and instruments and has an expansive 3D soundstage as well. It hits the perfect sweet spot between analytical and musical sound. The vocals on the Nanna 2.1 have that charming musical touch to them while the level of detail retrieval on the Nanna 2.1 is outstanding as well. Nanna is an experience that instantly creates a gripe for the listeners with the first few tracks only. It honestly has become one of my favorite sets around the white price bracket(under 1k$). The best part about Kinera Nanna 2.1 is that it sounds fuller and immersive, Vocals, Instruments, and everything on the set has such a good body and definition that they sound spectacular for almost all the genres that I listen to(Vocal-centric, Regional Bollywood, Pop, Rock, etc). Let’s begin with the sound part according to different frequencies.

Bass-Response:-

Kinera Nanna 2.1 extends deep into the sub-bass region and produces a rumbling response. The definition and texture in the lower end are nicely done with good slams in the mid-bass region that genuinely complement the rumble from the sub-bass. Although, I would say a tad bit of more punch in the mid-bass would have made it a perfect bass for my taste, still the Nanna produces an amazing lower-end. But I guess that would take the output from being balanced to a bit Bassy. Listening to my favorite tracks to test bass response on the Nanna 2.1 like Limit to your love or Bad guy, I find Nanna 2.1 to maintain a good resolution and speed and never lose its clarity or introduce any kind of distortion.

Mid-Range:-

The mid-range response on the Nanna is clear, crisp, and well-detailed. The instruments and Vocals have a charming tone that is close to natural, atleast to my ears. Lower mids are a bit relaxed and recessed, but the upper mids have a bite and bring the vocals in a slightly forward manner. But the position is nicely controlled to maintain a balanced output, and the vocals sound sublime, never going shouty or fatiguing even at louder volumes(done this only for the sake of testing). I would like to praise now nicely Nanna maintains its resolution even on loud volume levels, especially in the midrange. If vocal-focused tracks/artists like Damien Rice, and Gloria Gaynor are a part of your everyday listening tracks, Nanna will be a solid companion for you.

Treble Response:-

Treble is done beautifully on the Nanna 2.1. It has excellent details and presents in a perfectly smooth manner. I mean, you can listen to the pair for hours and hours and won’t feel any kind of tiredness at all. The EST drivers on the Nanna do their magic in the higher end, the pair has an extended treble response showcasing an airy sound. Nanna reproduces every minute detail beautifully and still maintains a smooth, lively response. It’s one of the only few sets around the 1000$ price bracket that does Treble this beautifully. The other contender would be the Thieaudio Monarch MK2, delivering such a detailed and crisp treble.

Soundstage, Imaging, Instrument Separation:-

Well, Nanna 2.1 produces an expansive 3D soundstage presentation. The pair sounds simple and lovely with a wide and deep stage. If I have to compare the staging to something closely priced, I would say the Monarch MK2 has a bit more width, but the depth and full 3D feel is better created with the Nanna 2.1. Imaging and Instrument separation is crisp and very well done on the Nanna 2.1.

Somethings I Think Can be Done Better on Nanna 2.1:-

>Nanna 2.1 produces lovely sub-bass, it’s exceptionally well done. But I would need a bit more, just a tad bit more punch in the mid-bass.

>Nanna 2.1 is demanding in terms of power, being an IEM, it shines best with a powerful DAP or a DAP+Portable AMP combo. Though with its sound, I don’t mind stacking.

Ummm doesn’t matter how hard I try, I can’t find any more flaws with the Nanna. And after a lot of experience with many 1000$ and above-priced IEMs, I can simply state that Nanna 2.1 is one of the best-sounding IEMs priced around the 1000$ bracket, atleast to my ears.

Let’s check out some cable rolling with the Kinera Nanna 2.1.

I have tested the Kinera Nanna with three cables mainly, the stock cable, the Cadmus 8-Wire from Effect Audio, and the Kinera x Effect Audio Orlog premium upgrade cable. Here are my thoughts on them.

Nanna+Cadmus 8 Wire:-

To unleash the full potential of the Nanna, Cadmus 8-Wire is my absolute recommendation. The pair not only sounds expansive but has better details, buttery smooth treble, and a tighter lower end. Cadmus 8-Wire and Nanna 2.1 are an absolute bliss to listen to and they are probably my favorite portable combination with prices set to no bar.

Nanna+Orlog:-

Orlog improves the detail level a bit over the Cadmus 8-Wire, although it’s a bit dark in its presentation. So the Treble is a little soft. Orlog sounds a tad bit clearer and cleaner than the stock cable as well.

Some Short Comparisons!!

Kinera Nanna 2.1 Vs Thieaudio Monarch MK2:-

Monarch MK2 is a highly-acclaimed set for 1000$. Many people find it to be an end-game set, and probably it is because it sounds wonderful. Let’s check out how does this beautiful pair sounds with the Nanna 2.1 as a competitor.

>Nanna 2.1 has a more pronounced lower-end response. It sounds clearer and more refined in the sub-bass region than the Monarch MK2.

>Both the pairs have a crisp midrange response, although I would say that the vocals are a bit lush, and the instruments a bit better defined, just a tad bit better on the Nanna. Though, Monarch is the one with a more natural timbre and tone.

>Treble on the Monarch MK2 extends a bit better, Nanna has a smoother treble. Both retrieve an excellent amount of details.

>Soundstage as I mentioned earlier in this blog, is a bit wider on the Monarch but more 3D on the Nanna 2.1.

Kinera Nanna 2.1 Vs Oriolus Szalayi:-

>Szalayi has a lot more punch to its lower end. It’s kind of bass-head level and even beyond that with its strengthful bass.

>Nanna 2.1 has a cleaner, crispier sound throughout the frequency band.

>Szalayi the midrange tone is lovely, though Nanna is more resolving and clear.

>Treble on the Szalayi is a bit soft, Nanna has more extensions and is better defined as well.

Final Words:-

Kinera Nanna is a wonderful-sounding set, it's adequately rich, it’s exceptionally well-defined, it has excellent resolving capabilities, and it pairs well with almost all the different genres of music that I have thrown at the set. It’s kind of an all-rounder pair that does everything nicely and presents an amazing listening experience. The only con that it might have for the masses would be its power requirements, it surely requires a good source to deliver the best performance. For me, as a personal preference, Nanna 2.1 is going to be in my collection as one of the best sounding 1000$ IEM!!!

Well, that’s all about the Kinera Nanna 2.1 from my side, I adore the pair every day, It’s going out on a review tour now, and I don’t know what I will listen to when this beauty is gone. Hope you guys liked this review of mine, for any further questions and queries, feel free to connect with me in the comments section below.

Last year when Effect Audio released the Signature Series of IEM upgrade cables, I grabbed two of them for myself, the Cadmus and the Eros S. I actually had tried the Eros S before and went in blind for the Cadmus. Honestly ended up liking both of them for different matters. I have posted a review regarding both cables which I will link here, hope you guys enjoy the review. Back then, Eros S paired nicely with Softears RSV while the Cadmus accompanied the IE600. Fast forward a few months to today, we have got an update to the Signature series with 8-Wire variants for the entry-level Ares S and the Cadmus. Cadmus which was initially available in a 4-wire variant is now available in an upgraded 8-wire variant as well. The core material is kept the same but the wire count is exactly doubled to bring in improved performance. Today, this blog is going to be a review of the Cadmus 8-Wire variant which I have enjoyed thoroughly for the past week. Let’s begin.

About Cadmus:-

Cadmus has always been designed as an all-rounder cable from Effect Audio. It’s made up of high-quality UP-OCC Silver-plated copper Litz wire as the core material. The 4-wire Cadmus had amazing sound characteristics delivering outstanding sound while being easy on the pocket for around 200$. The new 8-wire variant uses the same core material with just an 8-wire configuration instead of the 4-wire one as the OG model. Currently, both models are available worldwide, with the 4-wire version priced at 199$, and the 8-wire one just got launched for 299$(the same price as the Eros S cable from the same series).

A short disclaimer before I begin the review post:-

This was a review sample for the Cadmus 8-Wire from the brand. I am thankful to Effect Audio for this opportunity, the cable belongs to them and it is only with me only till they allow me to keep it. There is no monetary or any other benefit involved, and I assure I am being completely honest with my opinions on this blog. You can check out further technical details and information about the Cadmus 8-Wire on Effect Audio’s website from the link below(non-affiliated link).

https://www.effectaudio.com/cadmus

Design & Build:-

Since this is a review sample, the Cadmus came to me in a simple transparent pouch, so I will be skipping on the unboxing part today. I will be beginning the review with the design and build quality of the cable. At a far glance, the Cadmus 8-Wire looks exactly the same as the 4-wire variant, just thicker. I mean, it’s obviously the same cable but in double-wire count configuration. I absolutely loved the build of the Cadmus 4-wire back when I bought the cable from the brand, this newer 8-wire variant is even better. I mean, I personally love using thick cables, and this one is super amazing in that regard. The cable is very well-built, it uses Effect Audio’s ConX swappable connector system. I got it with the 2-pin connectors as stock. But these connectors are easily replaceable, we just need to buy appropriate connectors for our IEMs. In today’s time, this is like a blessing when you have IEMs with different connector types. Ah, I got distracted from the main point of this section, the design and build, let’s continue in the right direction now.

So coming back to the design and build quality, the cable is very, very well-built. You can look closely at the pictures that I have attached below and notice the cable in its full glory. It has a rich, white finish, and looks spectacular. It’s not stiff per se, but it isn’t very soft either. Cadmus has an appropriate amount of hardness to it. It isn’t any hard to manage, and can be easily kept in a storage case along with IEMs. Effect Audio treats the cable with a high-quality Rhodium-plated plug and a designer metallic Y-Spliiter that is nothing less than an artistic element on the cable. In both these regards, the cable is again the same as the 4-wire variant. I would like to mention here, Cadmus is probably the finest-looking cable in the signature series, and this 8-wire variant looks stunning!!

Sound Quality:-

Coming towards the sonic capabilities, The Cadmus 8-Wire variant does everything that the original 4-wire cable does and takes them to an all-new level of awesomeness. If you guys check out my review for the 4-wire variant, you might have noticed that I absolutely loved the cable for its rich tone, excellent timbre, controlled bass, and lovely vocals. Now, the 8-wire variant takes them and elevates the performance of my connected IEMs even further. It has tighter control in the lower end, adds a bit of richness to the vocals, it delivers improved separation for the instruments as well, the main thing is resolution is a tad bit improved over the original 4-wire variant. Previously, I have had the pleasure to test the Cadmus with Softears RSV, Sennheiser IE600, etc, but this time, I got my hands on some top-level cream, and some top-level IEMs to test with the Cadmus. Let’s begin with the pairings and their sound descriptions.

Effect Audio Cadmus with Noble Audio Viking Ragnar:-

Ragnar is a technical beast, it has a tremendous amount of resolution and needs proper source matching for its proper sound delivery. Thankfully, my friend has paired his unit with iBasso DX320(absolutely best for the Ragnar). Affect Audio Cadmus 8-WIre is one of those cables, that matches perfectly with the Ragnar. Compared to the stock cable, it’s richer in sound texture, has better bass control and rumble, and shows a smoother yet clearer treble response. The only point where the Stock cable of Ragnar wins might be in the resolution department although the bass and midrange are all the better with the Cadmus 8-Wire.

Effect Audio Cadmus 8-Wire with Oriolus Trailli:-

Trailli is an IEM that I consider to be all-musical, and it sounds super amazing on the Sony WM1Z MK2. Adding Cadmus to the chain tightens the lower end, I find the sub-bass to be more present with the Cadmus 8-wire than the stock cable here. Midrange is as lovely as the Trailli delivers always, but the treble is a bit on the softer side. A great combination with Trailli if you want a smooth, relaxed listening experience.

Effect Audio Cadmus 8-Wire with Kinera Nanna 2.1 Z Review Edition:-

Kinera Nanna 2.1 is with me, and it’s a fantastic-sounding set. And Cadmus 8-Wire does everything perfectly with the pair, the bass, the midrange, and the treble response, all sound super, super good with the Cadmus 8-Wire. Compared to the stock cable of the Nanna, I would say that the Cadmus 8-WIre surely brings a noticeable upgrade to the pair. It sounds tighter, better detailed, and richer in tone. Excellent, absolutely excellent!!

Let’s not keep out self with top-end products only, let’s check out some budget stuff as well.

Effect Audio Cadmus 8-Wire with Tangzu x See Audio Shimin Li Encounter Edition:-

Amazing combination here, the Shimin Li sounds crispier, better detailed, and has a better sense of lower-end slam with the Cadmus 8-Wire by its side.

Effect Audio Cadmus 8-Wire with Simgot EA500:-

EA500 is my newfound love in the budget category. This 80-90$ IEM sounds nothing like a sub-100$ pair, and the Cadmus 8-Wire brings noticeable improvements to its sound as well. The output has better details, improved resolution, improved clarity, and richer, denser vocals.

Let’s have some short comparisons now.

Cadmus 4-Wire vs 8-Wire:-

>8-Wire variant has tighter, crispier sound delivery.

>Bass feels more impactful, and more rumbling on the 8-wire variant.

>Vocals are richer and denser on the 8-Wire variant(a tad bit of difference).

>Treble has a more revealing nature here. It adds a bit of resolution over the 4-wire variant as well.

Cadmus 8-Wire vs Eros S:-

Now signature series has two same-priced cables, the Cadmus 8-wire and the Eros S(which is also 8-wire in count). A short comparison between their sound.

>Cadmus feels more natural timbre-wise.

>Cadmus has a tighter lower-end response.

>Eros S sounds more revealing, more resolving, and more detailed.

>Cadmus has better vocal tonality and texture.

>Eros S sounds more open in comparison. Don’t get me wrong here, Cadmus 8-wire doesn’t sound congested or narrow by any means, Eros S just has a tad bit more openness to its sound.

Some things that could be improved a bit with the Cadmus 8-Wire:-

>The wire is thick, if you are going for a minimal setup at your office or outdoors Cadmus 8-Wire might not be the appropriate choice aesthetically. It attracts attention with its build. I have got 3 people to ask me about the cable in the past 4 days. And this probably might be the only con that I notice with the cable.

>Second is not something of a con, but more of a personal preference, for 300$, I would have loved if the Cadmus come with TermX swappable termination plug system as well.

>Treble gets a little softened, works great for neutral to bright IEMs but already smooth treble in IEMs gets over smoothened(like in Trailli).

Final Words for Cadmus 8-Wire:-

Effect Audio Cadmus 8-wire is an outstanding cable that serves well with budget as well as premium IEMs. It brings noticeable improvements in the output bringing in tighter bass response and a smoother presentation suitable for long hours of listening. I personally prefer the thicker build and appreciate the upgrade that the 8-wire variant brings for me over the previous 4-wire cable.

Well, that’s all about the Cadmus from my side. I hope you guys liked this review of mine. Feel free to ask me any questions regarding the Effect Audio Cadmus cable in the comments section below.