This review builds on my first impressions I shared with you two weeks ago here: https://www.head-fi.org/threads/new...lution-earphones.912108/page-16#post-15139416 .
I received the earphones as a part of the HEAD-FI giveaway that Radsone organized. While I received them for free, I am in no way bound to write a positive review, and, in fact, any review at all. Yet, I'm under the impression that the HE100 made quite a splash in the community. So I hope that sharing my experience will help someone in the future.
I own HE100 for over two weeks now, and I used it as my main daily driver during that time. I haven't noticed any burn-in during that time. There's obvious brain burn-in, though, because the HE100 tonality is quite different from my standard daily driver (IMR R1 with pink filters). More on that later.
Packaging
Quite standard, not premium but not cheap (unlike some sporty Sennheisers for example). In the package, there are:
Fit
The HE100s are very small. And very light. Regardless of the tips I tried, it's the sort of headphones that disappear in the ears, and I'm left with the music. The provided tips are perfect. The surface is not perfectly smooth; there's a bit of friction, which helps to keep the earphones in place. In fact, HE100 is my first IEM where I'm not fighting the tips. For any other headphones, I prefer my custom silicone tips. Here, I don't care.
Sound
My first impressions were mostly based on listening to Mahler's first symphony: https://www.deezer.com/album/103082232. In the following weeks, I listened to more genres than classical, although classical might account for about 80%. I did all my listening with 320kbps mp3 from Deezer with very basic gear. Macbook Air headphone jack, iPhone through the Apple lightning connector, or FiiO E10k Olympus (the first version). I haven't noticed any significant difference between the sources, apart from what any other headphones show as well (e.g., hiss in the FiiO).
The sound is slightly tip-dependent. I get a good fit and seal using the stock M sized tips, but I prefer to use my custom tips anyway (from Custom Art). With the stock tips, the height extension is lacking a bit. With the custom tips, it's okay. When writing this review, I'm using the stock tips for better objectivity, however.
My first feeling about the sound was that it's pleasantly effortless. Whatever I threw at it, it sounds like it's no big deal. There's excellent clarity in low volumes. The Mahler's first symphony starts with a quiet passage when different instruments sort of "whisper" to each other. Particularly the brasses are supposed to sound like we hear them from a distance and I get precisely this feeling.
With more listening time, some peculiarities of the frequency response started to appear.
Heights:
Mids:
Bass:
Try listening to Dvorak's 9th symphony; everybody knows the fourth movement: .
The frequency response is where the brain burn-in comes into play. The immediate impression after putting the HE100 in the ears and hitting play is that it sounds sort of cardboard-y. Like if you take a small loudspeaker and put it in a cardboard box. It changes the sound in a peculiar way. The first HE100 impression is very similar. But this feeling disappears after a few hours of listening as the brain adjusts to the new tonality.
Soundstage:
Separation:
Cable
The cable is very thin, and the lower part is wrapped in cloth (see the pictures). It has a bit of memory effect but fortunately only a bit. Unfortunately, there's quite a lot of microphonics. Wearing the cable over-ears fixes that, but then we can't use the mike as it's right below the right ear. I've used both significantly better cables (e.g., the Noble cable that came with the Noble X) and significantly worse cables (e.g., the abomination that comes with IMR R1). At this price point, I'd judge the HE100 cable as above average.
Microphone
My job requires me to make a ton of calls, and I used the built-in mike often. My colleagues told me it sounds somewhat hollow, like if I'm in a large empty room, but they always insisted that the audio quality is good enough. I have the impression that I get fewer "sorry I haven't caught that" with Apple Earpods, however. In either case, the microphone is apparently not bad.
I received the earphones as a part of the HEAD-FI giveaway that Radsone organized. While I received them for free, I am in no way bound to write a positive review, and, in fact, any review at all. Yet, I'm under the impression that the HE100 made quite a splash in the community. So I hope that sharing my experience will help someone in the future.
I own HE100 for over two weeks now, and I used it as my main daily driver during that time. I haven't noticed any burn-in during that time. There's obvious brain burn-in, though, because the HE100 tonality is quite different from my standard daily driver (IMR R1 with pink filters). More on that later.
Packaging
Quite standard, not premium but not cheap (unlike some sporty Sennheisers for example). In the package, there are:
- The earphones
- Three sets of silicone tips (S, M, L). According to the card found in the box, there should be one more pair of foam tips. It was not there.
- Shirt clip
- A small cloth pouch, roughly 8x8 cm
Fit
The HE100s are very small. And very light. Regardless of the tips I tried, it's the sort of headphones that disappear in the ears, and I'm left with the music. The provided tips are perfect. The surface is not perfectly smooth; there's a bit of friction, which helps to keep the earphones in place. In fact, HE100 is my first IEM where I'm not fighting the tips. For any other headphones, I prefer my custom silicone tips. Here, I don't care.
Sound
My first impressions were mostly based on listening to Mahler's first symphony: https://www.deezer.com/album/103082232. In the following weeks, I listened to more genres than classical, although classical might account for about 80%. I did all my listening with 320kbps mp3 from Deezer with very basic gear. Macbook Air headphone jack, iPhone through the Apple lightning connector, or FiiO E10k Olympus (the first version). I haven't noticed any significant difference between the sources, apart from what any other headphones show as well (e.g., hiss in the FiiO).
The sound is slightly tip-dependent. I get a good fit and seal using the stock M sized tips, but I prefer to use my custom tips anyway (from Custom Art). With the stock tips, the height extension is lacking a bit. With the custom tips, it's okay. When writing this review, I'm using the stock tips for better objectivity, however.
My first feeling about the sound was that it's pleasantly effortless. Whatever I threw at it, it sounds like it's no big deal. There's excellent clarity in low volumes. The Mahler's first symphony starts with a quiet passage when different instruments sort of "whisper" to each other. Particularly the brasses are supposed to sound like we hear them from a distance and I get precisely this feeling.
With more listening time, some peculiarities of the frequency response started to appear.
Heights:
- Extended to the limit of my hearing with the custom tips, slightly rolled off with the stock tips (I was just tested a week ago and I'm good to 17.5kHz).
- Good detail retrieval. More details than, for example, in Etymotic HF5 (single BA for $130).
- Even with the stock tips, the extension is much better than with Massdrop Noble X (dual-BA for $250).
- I can't hear any significant spikes in the heights.
- The heights are not emphasized.
Mids:
- I think the mids are the dominant frequency.
- Decent details.
- When I first listened to the HE100, my thoughts were that it could be the recording I was listening to at the moment, but the upper mids have the most emphasis (violins, oboe, flute).
- After two weeks of extensive listening, this feeling was confirmed many times, very strongly. In fact, the upper mids spike is much more prominent with other genres, particularly with heavy metal.
- The emphasis goes down pretty fast. Female vocals are quieter than snare drums or electric guitars.
- The male vocals are even softer. While I wouldn't call the lower mids recessed, the super prominent upper mids overshadow them.
- This description might suggest that the IEMs sound thin. They indeed do sound a bit thinner than Noble X or IMR R1, but fuller than the Etymotic HF5. I wouldn't call this a problem.
Bass:
- For me, the bass is the weakest part of the frequency response.
- Well extended. Better than, for example, Massdrop Noble X (dual-BA for $250). Double basses are well audible.
- I'd consider the sub-bass almost adequate, but the mid and mainly upper bass is definitely subdued. That goes hand in hand with the quieter low mids. Most noticeable with violoncellos or bassoons.
- Sounds natural and effortless, but I could certainly use more quantity. Tympani in an orchestra, for example, lack the impact we're used to from listening to live music.
- Increasing volume to get better bass response renders the upper mids/lower highs a bit piercing.
- Sub-bass sounds better than mid-bass.
- Even with the (IMO) subdued bass, it's still much, much better than Etymotic HF5 (single BA for $130).
- Mid bass or upper bass is probably better on the Noble X, thanks to the quantity. It sounds more natural on HE100, however.
- To be fair, when listening to Dire Straits' Sultans of Swing, I find the bass quantity adequate.
Try listening to Dvorak's 9th symphony; everybody knows the fourth movement: .
- This particular piece has several parts that could be called a "wall of sound", e.g., 8:45 and on. Fortissimo, from double basses and timpani all the way to brasses and violins. The HE100 doesn't give me the Earth-shattering feeling that a live performance would - and I've heard this symphony several times live. Sure, it's only an IEM, but the IMR R1, for example, is almost there.
- In other parts, this symphony shows the strengths and weaknesses of the HE100 nicely.
- The trumpets and trombones sound fabulous, particularly in the opening sequence.
- The opening fanfares are interrupted by "hits" of the whole orchestra that leaves something to be desired in the bass.
- Shortly after, there's a solo for clarinet (1:55). That sounds great again.
The frequency response is where the brain burn-in comes into play. The immediate impression after putting the HE100 in the ears and hitting play is that it sounds sort of cardboard-y. Like if you take a small loudspeaker and put it in a cardboard box. It changes the sound in a peculiar way. The first HE100 impression is very similar. But this feeling disappears after a few hours of listening as the brain adjusts to the new tonality.
Soundstage:
- Pretty good. My primary earphones are IMR R1 (roughly $700) which is a whole different league, but the HE100's soundstage is good.
- Much better than the Etymotic HF5 or Noble X.
Separation:
- Pretty good. Again, no comparison to the IMR R1, but much better than the Etymotics, for example.
- When listening to the Mahler, I have no problem in separating various instruments.
Cable
The cable is very thin, and the lower part is wrapped in cloth (see the pictures). It has a bit of memory effect but fortunately only a bit. Unfortunately, there's quite a lot of microphonics. Wearing the cable over-ears fixes that, but then we can't use the mike as it's right below the right ear. I've used both significantly better cables (e.g., the Noble cable that came with the Noble X) and significantly worse cables (e.g., the abomination that comes with IMR R1). At this price point, I'd judge the HE100 cable as above average.
Microphone
My job requires me to make a ton of calls, and I used the built-in mike often. My colleagues told me it sounds somewhat hollow, like if I'm in a large empty room, but they always insisted that the audio quality is good enough. I have the impression that I get fewer "sorry I haven't caught that" with Apple Earpods, however. In either case, the microphone is apparently not bad.
