Though I had heard of Hidizs when it came to conversations about the DAP market, I wasn’t as familiar with their brand when it came to their IEM products. However, the company has been steadily expanding their IEM line-up, with their last product - the Hidizs MS4 - having been successfully launched via Kickstarter.

With their latest offering, the Hidizs MS5 (4BA + 1DD), the company is taking their first foray into the $300+ price bracket. To celebrate the upcoming launch, they held a global public review event and I received a review sample for evaluation. I've been listening to these earphones for the past week and am now ready to share my thoughts on the Hidizs MS5 and how I think it stacks up in the crowded IEM market.

Note obligatory disclaimer that the following thoughts are just my honest opinions about the product and that I'm not being paid for this review.

For reference, here are the sources that I've used with the MS5:

• For mobile: Android smartphone -> Spotify/Hiby Player -> Apple Dongle
• For desktop: MusicBee (WASAPI exclusive) -> Schiit Bifrost MB via Toslink -> THX AAA One

For its packaging, the Hidizs MS5 departs from the popular anime mascot trend and opts for a more mainstream consumer presentation. You receive a pretty standard box with an understated black/gold color scheme and the MS5 featured prominently on the front.

Inside, we have a dual-layer setup with the first layer having the MS5 earphones nestled in foam and the second layer having the following accessories:

• 3 sets of S/M/L silicon eartips (bass, balanced, and vocal tunings)
• 3 sets of "Hidizs Pneumatic Sound Tuning Filters" (balanced, bassy, treble tunings)
• 1 detachable 0.78mm 2-pin braided cable with 6N silver-plated and 6N single crystal copper wire and 3.5mm termination
• 1 PU leather earphone storage case
• Bilingual manual / Warranty Info
• Frequency Response charts for the tuning filters

Now there's nothing revolutionary going on here, but where Hidizs differentiates itself a bit from other Chi-Fi brands is paying a little more attention to the quality of their accessories.

As an example, the storage case that comes with the MS5 is the exact same type as the one that comes with the Moondrop Blessing 2. But the quality of the materials used are noticeably different. The Blessing 2's case has rough-feeling artificial leather, plastic zipper teeth, a flimsy mesh for the inside pocket, and some felt material for the inside.

In contrast, the MS5's case features a more supple pleather material, metal zipper teeth, a thicker mesh for the inside pocket, and a velvety-soft flannel lining. It's almost as if Hidizs was trying to one-up every aspect of the case.



The MS5’s tuning filters are made of metal and screw into a small metal plate for safekeeping. You also receive 9 pairs of silicone eartips for additional tuning, with each set having a different color scheme and bore size.

The cable included with the MS5 is a standout among the accessories and exudes quality. It's a thick and robust braid, constructed from copper and silver wires that complement the MS5’s bold black and gold design. The cable strikes a fine balance between flexibility and thickness, avoiding issues with memory and tangling, and having little in the way of microphonics.

The cable’s termination is solid and clean and the y-splitter has a tight cinch that doesn't slide around once you have it set. The 2-pin connector has a unique fin shape to it, which I'm told is supposed to represent armor for the IEM's angel wing design. It's a nice little touch and actually gives you something to grip when you try to disconnect the cable. I also like that the cables come with clear indicators for left and right (as do the shells themselves), which sadly is something that too many IEMs seem to neglect.

Overall, while there’s nothing too special included here if you’re familiar with Chi-Fi products, I do like the slightly more premium touch that Hidizs is bringing with their accessories.



Moving onto build, the Hidizs MS5 sports a single-piece aluminum shell, with a resin panel on the faceplate and a rose-gold mesh peeking out from inside. The shell is anodized, giving it a smooth matte texture that doesn't feel overly slippery and has a nice shine to it. There aren't any rough edges or sections that feel like they're going to separate, and it seems the internal components are soldered with a custom gold-tin alloy for further durability and stability. All-in-all, the MS5's build quality seems quite solid and refined, so I don't have any initial qualms about its longevity.

In the looks department, the MS5 is no slouch either. The design of the faceplate is one of the more unique ones I've seen, appearing like angel wings with dark feathers and a golden aura shining from underneath. From a distance, the MS5 looks sleek and elegant because of the black base color and gold accents. But when you come in closer and the light catches that gold mesh, the black shell comes to life and becomes even more of a striking visual. I find that Hidizs did an excellent job at expressing the "Dark Angel" thematic here, crafting a design that transforms as you examine it from different angles.

Where the MS5 stumbles a bit for me is in comfort. While the MS5 sits comfortably in my ears because of how the shell curves along the contours, the fit can be a bit difficult. The reason is because the ear guides on my pair start curving right at the connectors, which makes it a bit challenging to get the angle right for insertion. The MS5's nozzle is also quite large, about as large as the Blessing 2’s nozzle, so it can cause some discomfort over extended listening sessions.

Another thing to note about the MS5 is power. The MS5 is a very sensitive IEM and I found that using dongles like the Moondrop Click or something from Amazon like JSAUX would cause a noticeable hiss in the background when listening to music. For me, using an Apple dongle worked well as its power output is cut down on Android phones. But on desktop, using the THX AAA One amp with low gain produced no noticeable hissing. So the MS5 may require a little consideration when picking something to power it with.




Now let's move onto the meat of the review, which is how the MS5 sounds. The Hidizs MS5 has a hybrid driver configuration that uses 4 Sonion balanced armature drivers and a custom liquid silicon dynamic driver to handle the various frequency ranges.

To my ears, Hidizs has tuned the MS5 to have a slightly warm, U-shaped sound signature. It has a linear, but relaxed midrange, some elevation in the treble, and a solid bass shelf that blooms a little into the lower mids. This results in a fun balanced sound that's able to go low and deep while still remaining within the realm of tonally correct.

The bass on the MS5 is very satisfying, presenting good slam and surprisingly great control. It has no trouble handling fast and complex beats in the music. It extends well and produces good rumble all the way down into the deep subbass regions. The slight mid-bass bloom does mean that the MS5 loses some points in terms of cleanliness and texture, but it’s hard to miss it when the rest of the bass response sounds so large and full-bodied.

The midrange for the MS5 leans on the slightly dark side, with a relaxed upper midrange that's free of sibilance and shout. There is a bit of a "thick" sound happening because of this, which trades-off some delicateness in exchange for a bit more body and note weight. This also results in a slightly blunted attack for many instruments. However, the MS5 still maintains a decent shape where it counts for the ear gain, so they manage to avoid having overly muffled female vocals or dull-sounding acoustic instruments.

The treble for the MS5 is satisfactory, but not quite as impressive as its bass response. It’s somewhat elevated, adding some brightness to the sound to offset some of the bluntedness from the upper midrange. As a result, you get a good amount of treble detail from the MS5 without sounding harsh, though I find it misses that last bit of zing to really sell things like cymbal crashes and woodwind instruments.

In terms of soundstage, I’d say the MS5 is a bit above-average in size, but fares better when it comes to imaging and positional cues. In particular, I find its layering ability to be excellent, keeping the different sounds on the “stage” well-separated and distinct even as they overlap in more busy pieces. This allows the Hidizs MS5 to be quite good at highlighting individual instruments and introducing a sense of depth to the music, particularly in things like orchestral pieces.

As for perceived resolution, the MS5 seems to have appropriate detail retrieval for the $300+ price bracket. To my ears, the darker and bassier tone of the MS5 smoothes out some of the texture and trailing ends in sounds, keeping it from rising up to benchmark-level. That said, it’s still a noticeable step-up from more entry-level IEMs like the Moondrop Aria or the 7Hz Salnotes Dioko, being able to render fine details and subtle nuances in the music more clearly.



One of the interesting things about the MS5 is that it comes with 3 sets of nozzle filters and 3 sets of eartips to let you fine-tune the tonality more to your preferences. I found that most of the change is in the treble, with the bass filter (red) being the most relaxed and the treble filter (silver) being the brightest. The bass response remains fairly elevated across all three filters, but the changes in the treble do affect the overall tonal balance.

Personally, I preferred the treble filter (silver) the most as the tonal balance shifted to have less emphasis on the bass, resulting in a cleaner and clearer sound overall. There was still plenty of elevation and weight in the low end, it just helped to let the texture of the bass and the midrange come out a bit more. I paired it with the Vocal eartips, as it seems to give a little more ear gain than stock while also being bassier than the Balanced eartips. However, the balanced filter + balanced eartips (the Hidizs signature sound) was the most non-fatiguing out of the bunch, so that would be my preference for longer listening sessions.

However, it should be noted that these tuning options don’t radically change the characteristics of the MS5’s sound. Rather, it’s better to think of them as different “flavors” of the MS5’s relaxed, U-shaped sound signature.




Moondrop Blessing 2
When thinking of a 4BA + 1DD setup at the $300+ price bracket, one can’t help but think of the legendary Moondrop Blessing 2, which set a benchmark in terms of value and technical performance.

The Moondrop Blessing 2 has a leaner, more “reference” sound signature compared to the Hidizs MS5, presenting more clarity and a sharper attack in its sound. As a result, the Blessing 2 seems to have a higher perceived resolution, particularly in the midrange where it captures subtle details more clearly than on the MS5. However, the MS5 has a more visceral bass response that keeps up with the speed and texture of the Blessing 2, while exhibiting more rumble and impact.

In terms of soundstage and imaging, the two are fairly comparable. The main difference to my ears is that the Blessing 2 is a bit more precise when it comes to lateral imaging, but the MS5 fares better when it comes to keeping the layers of the music well-separated.

In terms of comfort, I find both to have a design that fits naturally in my ears, but causes some discomfort over time due to the large nozzle and fit. The cable of the MS5 is heavier and causes a slightly more awkward fit, but it is far less prone to tangling and easier to disconnect from the IEMs. In terms of power, the MS5 is significantly easier to drive, usually requiring less than half the volume level that I use with the Blessing 2.

Personally, I still prefer the Blessing 2 due to its tonality being a better fit for the kind of music I listen to. However, the MS5 provides a more premium-feeling package as a whole and its tonality may be a good alternative for those who want an upgrade from something like the Moondrop Aria, but with a more relaxed upper midrange.

SeeAudio Yume Midnight
The SeeAudio Yume Midnight is a 2BA + 1DD setup priced at $199.99, tuned by the well-known IEM reviewer and database curator, Crinacle. The Hidizs MS5 is a noticeable step-up in terms of perceived resolution, but the Yume’s excellent tonality does make it a bit harder to care about the difference in technical performance.

Like the Blessing 2, the plentiful ear gain in the Yume shines the spotlight on the midrange and gives it a vibrancy that the MS5 lacks. On the flip side, the quality of the MS5’s bass is even more apparent here, making the Yume’s bass feel limp and soft in comparison. The careful bass shelf that Crinacle applies to his tunings gives the Yume good rumble while keeping it clearly distinct from the midrange. However, I prefer the MS5’s slight midbass bloom here as it adds both weight to the bass and some additional body to the midrange.

The Hidizs MS5 also pulls ahead when it comes to soundstage and imaging, with the Yume sounding quite average in those areas. In particular, separation of instruments is much better on the MS5 than the Yume.

Comfort-wise, the Yume fares better than the Hidizs MS5. Despite also having a chonky build, the Yume’s presence is much less noticeable due to its significantly lighter weight. The cable is also lighter, though the cinch on the y-splitter is looser and the ear guides have a tendency to flop around.

The SeeAudio Yume Midnight shows just how far up you can go through the strength of tonality alone. However, for me, it’s not quite enough to win over the Hidizs MS5. While I do like the clean approach the Yume takes to a bassier sort of reference sound, I still end up leaning more towards the MS5’s approach to the low-end, which I find more articulate and compelling to listen to.


The Hidizs MS5 is a welcome dark horse dark angel in an era of Harman-target and “neutral” reference type tunings. The MS5 takes a tasteful approach to a bass-elevated tuning and it feels refreshing to see something like this when it could have easily just gone with a harder V-shaped sound.

While it’s not quite pulling benchmark performance at its price point, the MS5 still provides a very engaging sound presentation and packs it all up in a sleek and sophisticated package. If the MS5 is any indication of the quality and care Hidizs puts into its products, it seems like they may be a company to watch out for among the deluge of Chi-Fi that we see today.