7Hertz or 7Hz is one of the audio companies that has its paradigm shift moments in the audio landscape in 2021. If you are a long timer in the audio enthusiast scene, who will ever forget their first product, the 7Hz Timeless which was considered as the gamechanger of the planar IEM market and a dual dynamic driver basshead-favoured set, the LEGATO.



To be honest, I only have a few product reviews on 7Hz items that I've published so far and this content will be a third one. This product that will be featured here is their latest midrange product and compared to other 7Hz products that I've reviewed in the past, this one is quite different.



This is 7Hz AURORA, their latest product that will cater the midrange segment and it is a hybrid driver set-up IEM earphone. This set has three types of drivers that were implemented inside and these are dynamic driver, new generation micro planar driver and balanced armature driver. Each type of driver was assigned to a specific part of audio frequency as it has its own distinctive electro-mechanical performance. The 12mm dynamic driver has a composite material on its diaphragm as its delivers a clear, deep and rich bass quality while the customised dual balanced armatures (probably a newer generation of Bellsings) is capable to deliver a crisp, clear and brimming sound on the midrange frequency and then the new generation micro-planar driver (I have some intuition that this might a flat panel driver but need some more confirmation about this particular driver) will add more clarity, well-detailed on its resolution and copious amount of brilliance air. It seems that all these drivers were connected into three-way crossover circuitry for smoother, coherent, seamlessly flat and less distortion on its frequency response curve.



In regards to comfortability, despite its large frame for an IEM, the AURORA can give a very comfortable wear and comfort to my lugholes that I was able to wear it on long listening sessions. Passive noise isolation is quite excellent on this one as it really seals off some external noises from the outside.



The drivers and other components were encapsulated in a composite shell chassis in which the cavity base is made of an opaque 3D-moulded imported resin while its faceplate is a metal alloy with some titanium filament to give distinctive pattern-like banding on some steel forging process. The general dimension of the shells are on the large size just like most multi-driver hybrid sets and it has three ventholes on the top part for escaping some excess air pressure generated from its high performance dynamic driver. Regarding its interlocking mechanism for cable connection, it uses the standard 0.78mm bi-pin connector as it is the most stable and easier to detach.




As for its stock cable, it is truly a premium grade cable which is quite thick, durable and supple that it offers a less susceptible on entanglement. This one has 4-core gold-plated monocrystalline copper wires that were shielded with PVC insulators that are twisted and braided, and it has a modularity feature where we can change its termination plugs for output versatility that most modern audio devices have. The available modular termination plugs are 3.5mm single ended and 4.4mm balanced that were angled into a L-shaped form.



As for product packaging, the AURORA has a medium-sized rectangular box with some illustrations and information prints like basic specification and company addresses. The contents inside were well-arranged and organised as it gives a pleasant overall presentation.



These are the following contents inside of 7Hz AURORA's packaging box:

• Pair of 7Hz AURORA IEM transducers
• Stock cable
• A white-coloured pill-shaped carrying case
• Ear tips casing
• A pair of medium-sized balanced bore ear tips.
• 3 pairs of narrow bore ear tips in different standard sizes.
• 3 pairs of new generation of 7Hz high quality flexible silicone ear tips in different standard sizes.
• User's manual

In addition, I would like to introduce the latest 7Hz ear tips and they are made of pliable high quality silicone ear tips which gives an improvement of its brilliance extension, dynamic range and an increase of soundstage perception. It really offers me a very comfy feeling while having an excellent grip into my ears due to its tacky surface.



The 7HZ AURORA is actually easy to drive as it will amplify a good amount of audible volume level even from a device with decently normal gain output. But powering up on this set on the sources with a better amplitude level will sound even more fuller and vivid. I would like to share about this IEM on pairing and synergy on some sources, if I paired it to a more warmish-neutral or balance-neutral sources with some specified audio ICs like AKMs and Cirrus Logics, there are some noticeable smoothness and subduing those “digital glares”.



As for its tonality, The AURORA has a mild U to U-shaped (depends on the ear tips) sound profile with somewhat balanced presentation in all parts of the frequency range.


(Graph measurement was provided by @baskingshark , credits to his effort)


LOWS/BASS:

The bass response of this set is reverberating, precise, tactual and clean. It shows the quality of its bass region that makes this set's defining tuning. While it appears that it focuses more on subbass presence, it still balanced out with the ample texture on its mid-bass to give some semblance of authority and slam.

The deep, vibrant subbass presence can be perceived clearly on how it responds from subbass-focused instruments like low tone bass guitars, synthesisers, octobasses and drum machines. An adequate mid-bass texture somehow gives a sufficient note weight on instruments like bass kick drums, bass guitars, double basses, bass trumpets and male vocals like bass and bass-baritones. Bass kick drums have resonant, rumbly and sustaining sound on every stroke that even it can cope up with the fast double bass kicks on extreme metal tracks, bass guitars and double bass have rasping, sombre and resonant as both sets can be an accompaniment with music ensembles, the former instrument is for modern genres like rock, jazz and pop while the latter is for classical, operas and orchestras. Bass trumpets have metallic and a less fuller sound as it should have on its usual register, and as on male vocals, while it doesn’t have that depth and dark tone to give that guttural and booming voice but at least it has an ample weight with little vibrato to give some dense and wool-like sound on bass and bass-baritone vocals.


MIDRANGE:

As on how it renders its midrange presentation, it is quite discernible on how it is slightly a bit notch on the overall frequency range of this set but it has a well-balanced texture on its note weight to give some heft and density on instruments and vocals with an energetic and shimmery sound on it to add more clarity and openness on high-pitched female vocals, strings and some woodwinds.

On male vocals, baritones have a smooth, velvety and lushness on their vocals which are excellent on both light and lyric types of baritone voice although while other types of baritones like Kavalier baritone, Verdi baritone, dramatic and noble baritones sounds somehow natural but they are a bit too mellow, milder and less powerful as these voices needs more warm and note density. Tenors vocals are excellent on this one as all tenor voice types either it is leggero, lyric, spinto, dramatic and heldentenor have a spiciness, brassy, dazzling and tinny sound on them while countertenors have a graceful, tender and softness on their vocals albeit a tad brighter to this set's energetic tuning nature.

As on female vocals, while contraltos have this smoky and full voice on this set, I wish that they have more weight and depth on them as it is a typical timbre characteristic on this particular vocal type. Mezzo-sopranos have those intense and bold sounds while maintaining a velvety and tender vocals as they convey a melodic and soothing quality. Soprano vocals are probably the AURORA's most strongest forte on how it depicts the quality of this particular vocal type whether it is coloratura, lyric, soubrette or dramatic ones as they sound crystalline, silvery and shimmering.

On how the instrument sounds on this set, it appears that they all sound organic and detailed as it is able to capture some of its tonal colouration but some added brightness. Strings instruments like guitars, violins and cellos, there's a crisp, presence and bright sound on every plucking on the notation strings of guitars, while the violins have a sparkling and vibrant sound on every motion on its bowstring and a clear, lively and incisive sound on cellos. When it comes to woodwinds, flutes have bright, rich and silvery sound, have intense and brilliant sound, clarinets have bright and expressive sounds that evokes some pastoral theme on some orchestral tracks and saxophones have lively and reedy sound on them. As for brass instruments, trumpets have brilliant and vivid sound while trombones have penetrating and metallic sound, horns have a resounding, brilliant and metallic sound, and tubas have resonant and rumbling sound on them. Then on percussives, snare drums have clear, precise and sharp sound on every stroke, tom-toms have resonant and reverberating sound albeit it somehow lack of warmth, field or tenor drums have majestic, sonorous and reverberating sound on them, plate bells have some metallic and rich of overtones on them and kettledrums have dry, rumbling and substantial sound. Pianos have a well-balanced sound as it has a bright and even tone on its characteristic.


HIGHS/TREBLE:

Probably, one of the highlights of the AURORA's tuning to showcase its treble response. It is definitely on a brighter side of tuning but not that too intense or glaring that might ruin the overall balanced sound of this set. It has some emphasis on the upper-mids up to the presence part of the treble region to give a definition, detail and clarity on vocals and instrumental attacks. Despite the mild boost on those particular regions, I don't hear any stridency and the sibilance is kept under control although in some sibilant-laden tracks, I've encountered some occasional hissing sound. This type of tuning should take caution by some treble-sensitive folks out there due to its energetic and intense tuning of this set.

On the brilliance part of the treble, there's a copious amount of harmonics and well-defined sparkle and excellent treble air extension. On how it affects the tonal colour on each corresponding musical instrument, cymbals have bright, metallic and brilliant sound while hi-hats have a shortened buzz and sizzling sound. Glockenspiels on either mallet-types or keyboard variant, have this shimmering and brilliant sound on them and celestas have bright and lustrous sound that gives those “heavenly” and royal ball-like atmospheres.


SOUNDSTAGE, IMAGING AND OTHER TECHNICALITIES:

As I ascertain regarding this set in terms of technical facets, this is truly its strongest asset on why this set is such a remarkable performer in these aspects. We could clearly perceive its vast, spacious sound field with wide lateral span, excellent height reach and good depth distance from front to rear.

It does project an atmospheric and three dimensional stereo presentation where I can accurately locate the placement of instruments and singer(s) in a well-layered soundscape with excellent separation on each element.

The cohesiveness of its tri-brid drivers works pretty well on how these drivers work in unison with a homogeneity performance. Dynamic driver has fast transient to deliver a pristine bass response while the balanced armatures gives a smooth yet detailed output that works in support with added airy ambience from the micro planar.

Resolution capability wise, both macro-dynamics and micro-dynamics are commendable on this set as it shows a solid note texture while having a sharp definition of micro-detail retrieval on how it extracts the nuances of notation attacks, vocals ends and room effects like reverberations.


PEER COMPARISONS:

AFUL PERFORMER 8

• AFUL PERFORMER 8 has a hybrid driver set-up consisting of a single dynamic driver and seven (7) balanced armature drivers. Unlike the Aurora, it doesn't have micro planar driver and its shell chassis is entirely made of medical-grade resin shell with a sandstone-like colour theme and also.it has a smaller size compared to the AURORA which makes it more suitable to all ear type sizes. While it also has quite well-accessories like the AURORA and also has a premium quality cable but it doesn't have a modular termination plug feature.
• As for tonality, it has a mild U-shaped sound profile but in some way it has an almost balanced-neutral type of sound that I'm quite adhered to. Compared to the AURORA, it has a bit tighter bass response, a less colouration on timbre and more natural sounding vocals and instruments on its midrange presentation and smoother and even treble response albeit it has less airy extension.
• On technicalities, the PERFORMER 8 has a bit narrower and less spacious sound/speaker stage if it is compared to the AURORA. But the rest of most technical performance, it has a similar capabilities collated with the compared set.

KIWI EARS QUINTET

• This is probably the closest one that I currently have in my collection of multi-hybrid driver set-up and I can definitely compare it with the AURORA. QUINTET also has a micro planar driver aside from dynamic drivers, piezo-electric bone conduction driver and balanced armature drivers that were arrayed inside. It also has a composite shell chassis like the AURORA although it is more compact and its faceplate is quite more minimalist. Knowing KIWIEARS, they are a bit meagre in terms of accessories and its stock cable seems decent but doesn't have a modular feature.
• This set has a mild U-shaped sound signature and it seems it has less coloured sounding compared to the AURORA. It has more subbass-focus bass response as it has more rumble with a decently textured midbass just to give enough slam, a linear and more neutral midrange presentation with a hint of transparency and a bright treble with good sparkle and air on it.
• On the facets of its technical capabilities, while it has a pretty wide sound/speaker stage size, my main concern was its depth as it is quite lacking in my opinion. But at least it has a remarkable stereo imaging presentation, layering, separation and coherency. It seems that it has a sharp micro-detail definition but its macro-dynamics is less solid.

To sum up my assessment about this product, for the past few days, I'm quite impressed with the overall performance of the 7Hz AURORA as it gives me that engaging factor to enjoy its coloured tuning. The most thing that I truly amazes me was it's overall technical performance as if it reaches some of the best midrangers and probably even some TOTLs that I've tested so far, spacious sound/speaker stage, atmospheric stereo presentation, layering or whatever technicalities we know to determine its performance of playback.

While there are some improvements in terms of tonality and its timbre as there are some noticeable colourations like a bit too energetic that causes some tinny and brazen sound characteristics to some vocals and instruments as it might be an issue to some treble-sensitive folk. But with its balanced tuning with good bass quality, transparent, vivid and spacious vocal presentation on the midrange and a detailed, sparkly airy treble response, these particular tonal aspects are enough to outweigh those concern unless if you want a neutral head, treble-sensitive or wants a more colouration on its particular sound profile.


7Hz AURORA is now available at LINSOUL, if you are interested in this product, there's a provided unaffiliated link below.

★★7HZ AURORA - LINSOUL★★


For more 7Hz product review, check out the following items that were outlined with links.

■ 7HZ LEGATO

■ 7HZ ZERO II

SPECIFICATION:

MODEL: 7HZ AURORA
IMPEDANCE: 30Ω
SENSITIVITY: 105dB
FREQUENCY RESPONSE: 5Hz – 40KHz
CABLE LENGTH: 1.2m
PIN TYPE: 2-PIN TYPE CONNECTOR
PLUG TYPE: MODULAR 4.4mm, 3.5mm
DRIVER UNIT(S): (1) DYNAMIC DRIVER + (2) BALANCED ARMATURE + (1) MICRO PLANAR.


TRACKS TESTED: ( * = 16-bit FLAC, ** = 24-bit FLAC, *'* = MQA, '*' = DSD, *'= .WAV)

Alison Krauss -When You Say Nothing At All *
Jade Wiedlin - Blue Kiss**
Led Zeppelin - When The Levee Breaks **
Mountain - Mississippi Queen *
Queen - Killer Queen **
Guns N' Roses - Patience *'*
Eric Clapton - Tears in Heaven '*'
Sergio Mendes- Never Gonna Let You Go '*'
Pearl Jam - Daughter **
Roselia - Hidamari Rhodonite *
Assassin - Fight (To Stop The Tyranny)*
Celtic Frost- Visual Aggression *
New Order - Blue Monday *
The Corrs- What Can I do (unplugged version) *
Jimi Hendrix Experience - Voodoo Child *
The Madness- Buggy Trousers *
Metallica - Motorbreath **
Mariah Carey- Always Be My Baby *
Destiny's Child - Say My Name *
Malice Mizer- Au Revoir *
Mozart - Lacrimosa *
New York Philharmonic Orchestra - Dvorak- Symphony 9 " From the New World." *
Eva Cassidy - Fields of Gold (Sting cover)*
Michael Jackson - Give In To Me *
Exciter - Violence and Force *
Diana Krall - Stop This World **
Debbie Gibson - Foolish Beat *'*
The Sisters of Mercy – Lucretia My Reflection**
Suzanne Vega – Luka **
Lauren Christy – Steep *
Ottoman Mehter - Hucum Marsi *
Diana Damrau - Mozart: Die Zauberflöte*
Type O Negative - Black No.1 *
Felix Ayo - Vivaldi: Presto **
Three Tenors - Nessum Dorma *
Mercyful Fate - Witches' Dance *


P.S.

I am not affiliated to 7Hz  nor receive monetary incentives and financial gains as they provide me a review unit for an exchange of factual and sincere feedback from yours truly.

Once again, I would like to send my gratitude to MS. KAREENA TANG of LINSOUL for providing this review unit. I truly appreciate her generosity and trust towards me and other reviewers.

As a long time audio enthusiast, SHOZY is a familiar audio brand to me as I'm acquainted with their previous collaboration with Advanced AcousticWerkes which is a Singaporean audio brand on their HIBIKI models. I actually like the HIBIKI Mk.II as it aligns with one of my tonal references which is midcentric tuning. That's why I'm excited to do a review on this product as this is my first review on a SHOZY product.



SHOZY is a Chinese audio brand which is also registered in Hong Kong which specialises mainly on IEMs but it also releases some TWS and DAC/Amps. What I have here right now is their latest model for this year.



This is SHOZY P20 and it has a single driver configuration. The driver that was implemented here is a 14.5mm planar magnetic driver which is known to deliver a clear, clean and crisp sound reproduction and excellent clarity in its resolution with strong technical performance at the expense of better power output just to have an optimal performance. Again as I explained about the simple mechanism on planar magnetic, it has a diaphragm that has wafer-like structure with a series of wirings running through it and it was placed and suspended between the layers of magnets which reacts via electromagnetic signal output which makes them more sensitive.



Then the planar magnetic driver is encased in quite solid aluminium alloy shell structure in it which underwent a sandblasting process to give that brushed metallic surface with a laser-etched geometric design on its faceplate. The shell chassis is large as it accommodates its large driver and its outline contours remind of a certain moon phase, Waxing Gibbous phase. It uses a proven 0.78mm 2-pin connector as its interlocking mechanism.



As for its stock cable, it has 2-core OFC silver plated copper wiring that are insulated with a clear PVC coating and then it was twisted and its overall build is quite lean and susceptible to entanglement. It has 3.5mm SE on its termination plug but you can choose a 4.4mm balanced as an option if you are planning to purchase this set in online vendors in your preferred e-commerce platform.



On how this one fits to my lugholes, it seems that despite its large size, it looks nifty and quite comfortable to wear for a long listening session. It offers some good passive noise isolation as it was able to block some unwanted external noises from the outside.



The product packaging and presentation of this set is quite minimalist on how it was packed in a rather compact-size box and its contents inside are quite meagre for its intended price range in my opinion.



Here are the following contents inside of its packaging box:

• Pair of SHOZY P20 IEM transducers
• Stock cable
• Rounded edge rectangular storage case.
• 3 pairs of black coloured balanced bore silicone ear tips in different standard sizes.
• 3 pairs of black coloured wide bore silicone ear tips in different standard sizes.

When it comes to power scaling and amplification, due to its planar magnetic configuration, we will usually assume that it is harder to drive compared to some sets with dynamic drivers or balanced armature drivers. But to my surprise, this set is one of the easiest to drive sets for a planar magnetic driver out there which reminds me of a set with similar less power output requirement. Although to have an optimal performance, you still need devices with good power output delivery as you will notice the sonic performance from a normal gain mode to a bit higher gain output.



As for tonality, it seems the SHOZY P20 has a mild U-shaped sound profile as it has quite a bit more emphasis on lows and in the ultra high frequency range while the midrange has some proper texture on it.



(Graph measurement was provided by @baskingshark , credits to his effort)


LOWS/BASS:

There are few exceptional planar magnetic sets in terms of the bass quantity and quality and this set is one of them. It has authority and slam on it with a good rumbling on its bass response. It appears that while it has good sub-bass presence that I felt rumble and reverberation that were generated from instruments like octabasses, low tone bass guitars, synthesisers and drum machines.

Evidently, the texturing of the mid-bass is the one who delivers a seemingly tactile bass response as it gives more note weight on bass-focus instruments and male vocals. Bass guitars have a weighty, dark and earthy sound om every pluck on its strings, bass kick drums have full, resonant and thunderous sound on every hit on its drumhead, and male vocals types like bass and bass-baritones have its fullness, depth and dark tone that give those gravelly, voluminous and wobbly sound on their voices. It is noticeable that there are some slight mid-bass bleeds that smudges a bit on the midrange.


MIDRANGE:

Due to some slight bass smearing, it gives a more warmth, lustre and a well-textured midrange presentation although it remains to sound more articulate that will be more beneficial on male vocals, brasses and some percussion instruments. To think that this one is a planar magnetic set, this one is one of the most natural sounding sets in terms of tonal colour but in some instances, it has that planar sheen with some tinniness and energetic timbre.

Male vocals appear to sound more life-like as it has a depth, texture and volume for all types. Baritones have lush, warm and smooth sound on them that light and lyric type of baritone has a delicate, sweet and mild sound on them while a deeper ones like kavalier baritones, verdi baritones and dramatic baritones have those cold, harsher and fuller sound respectively. Tenors have those brassy and ringing characteristics as I clearly notice it on lyric and spinto types as it gives a warm. heft and emotive sound. Countertenors have mild, tender and graceful vocals from them. When it comes to female vocals, contraltos are almost utterly depicted in the most realistic manner in terms of sheer tone and timbre as it has the rich, plush and smoky sound, contraltos seems to have tender, coppery and musky sound of their voices with their distinctive lush tone and strong emphasis on low to middle voices that makes them euphonic and insouciant to listen to. On sopranos, the way on how this set was tuned, it apparently favours more on sopranos with either lyric, spinto and dramatic voice types as it sounds a bit warm, rich and expressive vocals than soubrette and coloratura types which needs more energetic and bright tuning.

As for instruments, on strings ones, guitars have meaty, warmer and bloom sound on every pluck of its string notes while violins have a full, sweet and lustrous sound on every motion on its bow strings. Woodwinds like piccolos, concert flutes, clarinets and saxophones, they sound a bit dull, hollow, rich and warm correspondingly on each order of instruments that are mentioned. On percussives, a warm, full-bodied and resonant sound in both tom-toms and field drums, a hard and somewhat precise snare drum strokes and a velvety and booming sound on kettledrums. Then on brass instruments, trumpets have substantial, sonorous and rounded on them while trombones have overpowering and full sound and then, horns have resounding and full sound that gives more a contrasting sound and tone to some woodwinds and string instruments on the orchestra ensemble. Pianos have that warm and full sound that reminds me of some antique European grand pianos.


HIGHS/TREBLE:

The treble response is quite well-balanced, smooth that gives a less brighter sound that some might perceive as a bit dark in their liking. There is a small degree of elevation on the upper mids and presence part of the treble region just to give a sustaining presence on female vocals and attack of instruments that doesn't overly boost that it might cause some piercingly sharp or bellowing female vocals. With this type of treble response, there are some slight repercussions on this one like sacrificing clarity and detail definition for the sake of a long listening session without suffering a listening fatigue.

There's a good presence of air as it extends well in the brilliance part of the treble region. Cymbals strikes have an undulating and lustrous sound while hi-hats have its typical short buzzing sound on them. Celestas have velvety and mellow sound and then glockenspiels have lustrous and bell-like sound on them either on keyboard-type or mallet-type ones.


SOUNDSTAGE, IMAGING AND OTHER TECHNICALITIES:

Among the planar sets that I've tested so far, this set is considered to have an above-average in terms of technical performance, it has an above average width on its sound field, a decent height ceiling and somehow a good depth reach. Overall, it gives me that less spacious but not too narrow head stage within my aural sphere as it projects a rather intimate listening experience.

On its stereo imaging, it has a quite concave-like presentation in which I can locate the placement of instruments and vocals in decently layered soundscape with good separation on them but I noticed that in some complex tracks, it does struggle a bit. As for driver coherency, it seems that due to how it was tuned, the transient speed of its performance is rather a bit sluggish compared to some planar magnetic drivers that I've tested so far but atleast, I don't encounter any distortion at all.

On resolution capabilities,it has a strong suit on macro-dynamics on how it shows a solidity of note weight on some instruments depending on the compression of certain tracks. And it seems that it has a less defined micro-detail retrieval as it barely extracts some fine details and nuances from an audio track.


PEER COMPARISONS:

KEFINE KLANAR

• KEFINE's first product release and it is also a planar magnetic dynamic driver with similar size with the P20's although it also has a solid aluminium shell chassis but it has a more compact design. It also has a better and thicker stock cable which makes this set even more compelling.
• As for tonality, the KLANAR has a more V-shaped sound signature as noticed with its more recessed midrange presentation when it compares to P20. It also has a punchy bass response, a slightly warm and yet energetic midrange quality and a smooth treble response but less in brilliance air extension.
• Regarding its technical aspects, the KLANAR's overall performance are quite similar with P20 from sound/speaker stage, stereo imaging and coherency. On resolving aspects, it has more refined and sharper micro-detail retrieval.

NICEHCK F1 PRO

• Another contender in the current planar magnetic IEM market. It also has an aluminium alloy shell in a teardrop design. In terms of the quantity of accessories, It offers more choices of ear tips and better quality stock cable..well NICEHCK, a well-known cable maker.
• Regarding its sound profile, F1 PRO has a V-shaped which has quite coloured tonality, it has more subbass presence and bit hollowed midbass, a noticeable recessed midrange presentation and bright treble response. Compared to P20, this set is somewhat susceptible to mild sibilance and a tad shrilly on some female vocals that might be an issue to treble-sensitive folk.
• As for technical performance, it is quite similar to the P20 in most aspects like sound/speaker stage size, stereo imaging and coherency, but it is more refined on layering and separation and has a sharper micro-detail definition. In terms of power out requirement, this set demands more power output than the P20.

LETSHUOER S12 PRO

• LETSHUOER's one of the most popular sets and like the P20, it has similar size planar magnetic and also encased in a medium-size metal shell. Compared to P20, this one is more accessorised as it has a better stock cable with modular features and more ear tips to choose from.
• S12 PRO has a U-shaped sound signature as it has more prominent subbass, a decent midbass texture enough to give a sufficient punchiness, a bright, crisp and energetic midrange and treble response. Unlike the P20, due to its energetic and gleaming nature, it is prone to slight sibilance.
• As for technicalities, it seems that S12 PRO has a bit wider sound/speaker stage, a concave-like stereo presentation, a tad better separation and layering, and also more resolving if it will be compared to P20.

HIDIZS MP145

• Currently, this set is considered as the “overlord” of the planar sets in under $200 as it received some accolades and respect to some audio enthusiasts alike. It uses a similar size of planar magnetic driver and it was encapsulated in a rather huge, whale-inspired solid metal structure. It also has a detachable nozzle system that makes the set more versatile to change some specific tuning and also, this set has more inclusions of accessories and better stock cable too.
• When it comes to its tonal aspect, MP145 has three sound profiles to offer as I mentioned its detachable nozzle system that makes this set more of an all-rounder. It offers from L-shaped sound up to a bright U-shaped sound signature. It has similar bass response, a comparable midrange and treble characteristics in some other tuning nozzle filters of this set if compared to P20 in case to case basis.
• As for technical performance, MP145 has a wider soundstage size in some tuning nozzle filter settings, similar stereo imaging, a bit better on layering and separation of instruments and vocals, and has a sharper micro-detail retrieval capability over the P20.

To put a conclusion on this product review, it seems that SHOZY is trying to differentiate from its competitors in terms of tuning as it tries to implement their usual in-house tuning on planar magnetic driver configuration ser which is a distinctively a balanced-warmish sound. For sure that there are some noticeable changes due to the characteristics itself it gives some “planar sheen” timbre on its overall tonality.

This is one of the few planar sets that I could certainly recommend if someone's looking for a musicality type of tuning that gives a more relaxed, casual and engaging listening experience for both casual and experienced audio enthusiast alike.


SHOZY P20 is now available at LINSOUL, check out the unaffiliated link below if you have an intent to purchase this set.

★★SHOZY P20 - LINSOUL★★




SPECIFICATION:

MODEL: SHOZY P20
IMPEDANCE: 30Ω
SENSITIVITY: 105dB
FREQUENCY RESPONSE: 5Hz – 40KHz
CABLE LENGTH: 1.2m
PIN TYPE: 2-PIN TYPE CONNECTOR
PLUG TYPE: 4.4mm
DRIVER UNIT(S): (1) PLANAR DRIVER


TRACKS TESTED: ( * = 16-bit FLAC, ** = 24-bit FLAC, *'* = MQA, '*' = DSD, *'= .WAV)

Alison Krauss -When You Say Nothing At All *
Jade Wiedlin - Blue Kiss**
Led Zeppelin - When The Levee Breaks **
Mountain - Mississippi Queen *
Queen - Killer Queen **
Guns N' Roses - Patience *'*
Eric Clapton - Tears in Heaven '*'
Sergio Mendes- Never Gonna Let You Go '*'
Pearl Jam - Daughter **
Roselia - Hidamari Rhodonite *
Assassin - Fight (To Stop The Tyranny)*
Celtic Frost- Visual Aggression *
New Order - Blue Monday *
The Corrs- What Can I do (unplugged version) *
Jimi Hendrix Experience - Voodoo Child *
The Madness- Buggy Trousers *
Metallica - Motorbreath **
Mariah Carey- Always Be My Baby *
Destiny's Child - Say My Name *
Malice Mizer- Au Revoir *
Mozart - Lacrimosa *
New York Philharmonic Orchestra - Dvorak- Symphony 9 " From the New World." *
Eva Cassidy - Fields of Gold (Sting cover)*
Michael Jackson - Give In To Me *
Exciter - Violence and Force *
Diana Krall - Stop This World **
Debbie Gibson - Foolish Beat *'*
The Sisters of Mercy – Lucretia My Reflection**
Suzanne Vega – Luka **
Lauren Christy – Steep *
Ottoman Mehter - Hucum Marsi *
Diana Damrau - Mozart: Die Zauberflöte*
Type O Negative - Black No.1 *
Felix Ayo - Vivaldi: Presto **
Three Tenors - Nessum Dorma *
Mercyful Fate - Witches' Dance *

P.S.

I am not affiliated to SHOZY  nor receive monetary incentives and financial gains as they provide me a review unit for an exchange of factual and sincere feedback from yours truly.

Once again, I would like to send my gratitude to MS. KAREENA TANG of LINSOUL for providing this review unit. I truly appreciate her generosity and trust towards me and other reviewers.

EPZ AUDIO is one of the audio companies in China that was only introduced a few years ago and yet they already earn some accolades and positive feedback from audio enthusiasts on their products. As I did some assorted reviews on their previous products before, the quality of these speaks for themselves on how riveting they are in terms of build and performance.



What I have here is one their latest single driver IEM and this one is actually a collaboration effort with another audio brand, TIPSY. What I know about TIPSY was that I saw their previous product model before while I'm scrolling on my e-commerce platform a few years ago. It is their DUNMER that piqued my interest at that time due to its aesthetics and compact size of its shell frame.



This is EPZ X TIPSY or TIPSY X EPZ STAR & ONE, it has a 10mm dual-cavity dynamic driver with composite material on its diaphragm that consists of different types of polymer materials, LCP (liquid crystal polymer) and PU (Polyurethane). With the combination of these materials, it will produce that deep, rich and detailed sound on every element of music like notes and beats. And then, the driver is encased in a compact-size 3D-moulded resin shell chassis with an unusually large vent hole at the top for escaping excess air generated from its dynamic driver. This set's interlocking mechanism is a QDC-type 2-pin connector while it is more prevalent on a budget to entry-level set, the structural integrity of this type of connector is questionable.



When it comes to fitting and comfort, due to its smaller frame, it will be more versatile to all lugholes’ sizes as it also provides a good sealing that blocks any unwanted external noises from the outside surroundings. The stock cable of this one is at least decent as it is silver-plated copper albeit on a thinner side of texture and it has a straight 3.5mm termination plug which is gold-plated for better conductive and corrosive-resistance.



As for product packaging, this one has a compact, rectangular box and the contents inside are presented in an organised manner.



These are the following contents inside of its packaging box:

• A pair of EPZ X TIPSY IEM transducers.
• Stock cable
• 3 pairs of balanced bore silicone ear tips in different standard sizes.
• A polymer-fabric storage bin
• User's manual

On power requirement, with a resistance rating of 64 ohms, this device might need a device with better power output. This is one of the few IEMs that activates the high impedance mode on my LG phones as it sounds very lively as it encompasses the whole spectrum of its frequency range.



The tonality of this one is quite coloured as it has a U-shaped sound profile (if properly amplified) or V-shaped (On low normal gain mode) with some mix of warmth and bright tuning. It has more emphasis on bass and treble with a linear midrange presentation.


(Graph measurement was provided by @baskingshark , credits to his effort)


LOWS/BASS:

Bass quality on this one is quite prominent as it has a punchy, penetrating and thrumming bass response while keeping a more balanced texture on both parts of the low frequency region.

Its sub-bass presence is very noticeable on this one as it has that reverberating and grumbling effects that were generated from sub bass–focused instruments like drum machines and synthesisers. The mid-bass is quite pretty textured as it gives a body on bass-clef instruments like bass kick drums, bass guitars, bass trumpets and male vocal types like bass and bass-baritones. Bass kick drums have a full and pounding sounding, bass guitars have a broad sound on every pluck on its strings, a warm and full sound on bass trumpets and a fairly deep, resonant and dark timbre on bass and bass-baritone vocals.


MIDRANGE:

It appears that the midrange presentation of this one is quite in a notch across its overall frequency range. But at least it sounds clean, has a warmth and with enough energy for vocals and instruments to sound coherent and detailed.

Male vocals have its depth and texture on note weight for baritones, tenors and countertenors. Baritones sound its lushness, while tenors have brassy and tinny sound on their vocals and countertenors have some tenderness and sheen on their voice quality. On female vocals, contraltos have a rich and husky sound, mezzo-sopranos have those musky, tender and emotive sound, and sopranos have a gleaming sound that in general, female vocals sound gives me that euphonic and fruity sensation in my ears.

As for instruments on how they sound respectively based on the tuning of the STAR & ONE, string instruments like guitars and violins, they sound crisp and vibrant respectively while on brass instruments, trumpets sound brilliant, trombones have a metallic sound and horns have full, warm and velvety sound on them. In woodwinds, concert flutes rich yet mellow sound, a light yet intense sound on piccolos, a lovely sound on clarinets and an expressive and a tinge metallic sound in saxophones. When it comes to percussion instruments, a warm, resonant and sonorous sound on both tom-toms and field drum, a hard and clear sound on snare drums and a substantial and mellow sound on kettledrums. Pianos are more on a balanced side as it has warmth and at same time, with a tad brightness on their tone.


HIGHS/TREBLE:

The treble response of this one is entirely elevated from some parts of its high frequency region where we will notice that instruments and vocals’ octave range. It is that part where we are also aware of the definition of some vocals and attack of instruments. I'm quite surprised the sibilance is well-controlled and it doesn't sound harsh at all probably due that dip on the presence part of the treble region.

There's a good sparkle and moderately airy extension on the brilliance part for a single dynamic driver. Cymbals sound quite lustrous with a tinge of metallic sound while the hi-hats have an accurate depiction of having shortened buzzing sound. Celestas have a sweet and mellow sound and then, mallet-type glockenspiel have a sheen and lustrous sound on every strike on its bar.


SOUNDSTAGE, IMAGING AND OTHER TECHNICALITIES:

To my surprise, this set has an above-average lateral span on its perceived sound field, good height and depth that in general gives me a fairly spacious head stage within my aural sphere. As for its imaging aspect, it projects a two-dimensional stereo presentation where I was able to locate the placement of certain instruments and vocals in a rather two-layered but with satisfactory separation in a soundscape where it can play some of the most complex multi-instrumental tracks.

Coherency of its composite driver where it relatively delivers a fast transient response without any distortion at all. On its resolution capabilities, it has a good macro-dynamics due its more solid note texture but its micro-detailing is a bit blunted on its definition to retrieve some nuances like vocal ends and room effects like reverbs.


PEER COMPARISONS:

ZIIGAAT NUO

• Like the STAR & ONE, this set also has single dynamic driver configuration albeit its diaphragm consists entirely of LCP. It is also encased in a 3D-printed resin shell chassis and its detachable mechanism uses a standard 0.78mm 2-pin connector unlike STAR & ONE that utilises QDC-type bi-pin ones. In terms of inclusions, both sets are quite similar.
• The NUO definitely has a U-shaped sound profile as it also has punchy bass, a warm and a tad midrange presentation and a similarly elevated and sparkling treble response. On technical aspects, the NUO is a bit narrower in terms of sound/speaker stage width and a two-dimensional stereo presentation. Although, the Nuo is quite a bit better on resolving in terms of micro-detail retrieval as it has a sharper definition.

EPZ Q1 PRO

• Another EPZ's product with a single dynamic driver setup IEM. It also has a composite diaphragm with similar materials and it is also encapsulated in a 3D-printed resin shell chassis but it has standard 0.78mm 2-pin connector. In terms of quantity of inclusions, both sets are quite similar in numbers
• Tonality-wise, this set also has a warm U-shaped sound signature as it has a tactile and rumbly bass response that gives that punchy nature, a warmer and well-textured midrange range thats gives more body on male vocals and some instruments, then a smooth and tinge bright treble response. As for its technicalities, Q1 PRO has a pretty average on perceiving its dimensions within my aural sphere. While it has this concave-like stereo presentation but it has less defined layering although it has a good separation. On resolving capabilities, both sets are eerily similar on either macro-dynamics or micro-dynamics itself.

SIMGOT EW200

• SIMGOT's single dynamic driver configuration with a composite material called SCP which is a mix of LCP and DLC materials. It has an aluminium alloy shell chassis with standard 2-pin connector. The quantity of inclusions inside of its packaging box is rather basic just like STAR & ONE.
• The EW200 has a U-shaped sound profile with a tighter yet rumbly bass response to have that cleaner presentation due to the less emphasis on mid-bass shelf at the expense of inadequate slam. A lean textured, neutral and energetic midrange presentation to deliver a more pronounced female vocals and instruments like strings and woodwinds. And bright, sparkly and moderately airy treble response. On technicalities, it has a bit narrower and less taller sound field compared to STAR & ONE but it has similar capabilities like stereo imaging, layering and separation. On resolution capability, it appears that EW200 is quite more resolving in terms of micro-dynamics.

It seems the EPZ is quite an audacious audio company as it manages to do some collaboration with other audio brands like TIPSY that are also considered a veteran in the audio business just to release such a product. To be honest, I'm quite surprised that this set is one of the few sets that really pairs well with my LG phones as it even activates the high impedance mode automatically.

To sum up my review on this one, this set is actually a bit different on sound profile in both normal gain which is a bit less appealing and in medium/high gain mode which sounds more lively and dynamic. As this one might not align with my preferred tuning as this one is a bit too coloured in my liking, but if you want an engaging and fun sounding set, this one might be your inclination in terms of tonal aspect.



EPZ X TIPSY STAR & ONE is now available at EPZ's official store on Aliexpress and also on LINSOUL and HIFIGO. Check out the following unaffiliated links below.


★★EPZ X TIPSY STAR & ONE - ALIEXPRESS★★

★★EPZ X TIPSY STAR & ONE - LINSOUL★★

★★EPZ X TIPSY STAR & ONE - HIFIGO★★


And also, here are my other product reviews from EPZ.

■ EPZ Q5

■ EPZ K1

■ EPZ TP20 PRO

■ EPZ Q1 PRO




SPECIFICATION:

MODEL: EPZ X TIPSY STAR & ONE
IMPEDANCE: 64Ω
SENSITIVITY: 112dB
FREQUENCY RESPONSE: 20Hz – 40KHz
CABLE LENGTH: 1.2M
PIN TYPE: QDC-TYPE 2-PIN CONNECTOR
PLUG TYPE: 3.5mm
DRIVER UNIT(S): (1) DYNAMIC DRIVER

TRACKS TESTED: ( * = 16-bit FLAC, ** = 24-bit FLAC, *'* = MQA, '*' = DSD, *'= .WAV)

Alison Krauss -When You Say Nothing At All *
Jade Wiedlin - Blue Kiss**
Led Zeppelin - When The Levee Breaks **
Mountain - Mississippi Queen *
Queen - Killer Queen **
Guns N' Roses - Patience *'*
Eric Clapton - Tears in Heaven '*'
Sergio Mendes- Never Gonna Let You Go '*'
Pearl Jam - Daughter **
Roselia - Hidamari Rhodonite *
Assassin - Fight (To Stop The Tyranny)*
Celtic Frost- Visual Aggression *
New Order - Blue Monday *
The Corrs- What Can I do (unplugged version) *
Jimi Hendrix Experience - Voodoo Child *
The Madness- Buggy Trousers *
Metallica - Motorbreath **
Mariah Carey- Always Be My Baby *
Destiny's Child - Say My Name *
Malice Mizer- Au Revoir *
Mozart - Lacrimosa *
New York Philharmonic Orchestra - Dvorak- Symphony 9 " From the New World." *
Eva Cassidy - Fields of Gold (Sting cover)*
Michael Jackson - Give In To Me *
Exciter - Violence and Force *
Diana Krall - Stop This World **
Debbie Gibson - Foolish Beat *'*
The Sisters of Mercy – Lucretia My Reflection**
Suzanne Vega – Luka **
Lauren Christy – Steep *
Ottoman Mehter - Hucum Marsi *
Diana Damrau - Mozart: Die Zauberflöte*



P.S.

I am not affiliated to EPZ nor receive monetary incentives and financial gains as they provide me a review unit for an exchange of factual and sincere feedback from yours truly.

Once again, I would like to send my gratitude to TEAM EPZ for providing this review unit. I truly appreciate their generosity and trust towards me and other reviewers.

FOSI AUDIO is an audio company that quite reflects its solid reputation as an audio brand whose products offer exceptional sound quality, superb performance and good build quality at affordable price for budget-conscious audio enthusiasts. This audio company offers a variety of products from desktop preamps up to DAC/amp USB dongles. I actually publish some reviews of their products before and you can check it out at the end of this assessment



What I have here that will be featured here in this review content is their latest DAC/Amp USB dongle, The FOSI AUDIO DS2. Like most DAC/Amp dongles that were available in the market, this device follows its usual form factor like elongated rectangular structure, a metal alloy chassis, type-C port and different types of audio jack interfaces.



As I mentioned that it has a metal alloy chassis, it seems that it underwent a CNC-milling process to achieve that uniform construction to have a firm and solid build with a sand-blasted finish on its surface in a gunmetal colour scheme to exude that premium-feel while maintaining a lightweight profile. Among the USB DAC/Amp dongles that I've tested, The FOSI AUDIO DS2 is probably the most compact size with a good balanced weight on it.



In both ends, it has a USB type-C port while its opposite side, that's where the two types of headphone port interface are situated, the 3.5mm single ended and 4.4mm balanced output. On the side panel, there are volume key buttons for volume control which have independent functionality depending on a music player app's settings.



At the top panel, there's a RGB LED indicator for sampling rate and type of digital audio format.



Here are the following colour-coded display:



Regarding its internals, it uses an older generation of Cirrus Logic, the CS43131 in a dual configuration. This DAC/Amp is a 32-bit 2-channel audio DAC that can decode up to 384KHz sampling rate on PCM and DSD256 on DSD format which makes it a high performance audio chip. This particular audio chip is actually very reliable and very power efficient to deliver a hi-fi sound with low distortion, high signal-to-noise ratio and better dynamic range to deliver a clean, transparent and stable sound quality. The built-in amplifier of this IC has a maximum power output up to 2Vrms which is enough to drive some of the most power-demanding headphones out with an impedance of 600 ohms.



This device has a detachable type-c to type-c short cable and its wiring strands are twisted.

Regarding its product packaging, FOSI AUDIO DS2 is very simple with meagre inclusions.



Here are some contents inside of its packaging box:

• FOSI AUDIO DS2 dongle
• Type-C to type-C cable
• User's manual
• USB type-C to type-A adaptor

Regarding its hardware and software compatibility, this device can be used on devices such as smartphones, tablets, laptop and desktop. And for software, it can support both desktop and mobile operating systems. Windows, Mac OS and Linux on desktop OS, and then Android and iOS on the mobile OS although in older iPhone models, you need a lightning to type-C cable. In Android OS apps, there are few music player apps that can support USB audio access to bypass the android OS audio sampling like Hiby Music App, UAPP (USB Audio Player Pro), Neutron App and Onkyo HF player.



As for its tonal profile, it seems that like almost all devices with Cirrus Logic DACs, this device has a warmish-neutral sound that it has a tad textured lows and mid frequency and a rather linear high frequency which makes this set more appealing to audio enthusiasts who wants a more analogue-ish sound signature.




LOWS/BASS:

This device is capable of delivering a well-defined punchiness, tactual and slamming bass response even if it was paired with more neutral-sounding sets with tighter and lightly thump bass, it can add some texture to it.

It can give a satisfying deep rumbling and reverberating sub-bass presence generated from instruments such as low tone bass guitar, bass violin, synthesisers and drum machines. It adds some density on note weight that might affect the tonal colour and characteristics on some instruments like bass trumpets, bass guitars, viola, bass clarinets, bass kick drum and a particular type of male voices like bass and bass-baritone vocals.


MIDRANGE:

The midrange quality of this one is quite well-textured as it has a hint of warmth that gives some depth and volume of vocals and instruments to sound at least more natural. Another thing that I also observe is that it has some transparency and a tinge of energy that will be more convenient on some female vocals, then a hint of crisp and brill on strings and woodwinds.

On male vocals, baritones have some smooth and plush sound while tenors have brassy and clear vocals. Countertenors have this opaque, coppery and tender vocals which share similar tonal characteristics with female mezzo-sopranos. Contraltos sounds almost correct on this one as it has a sufficient amount of richness and hefty on its vocal quality and then on sopranos, it has creamy and silvery that makes them even more captivating and mesmerising to listen to.

As for instruments, it sounds quite natural with a good amount of detail and clarity. On string instruments, there's a balanced to meaty sound on the guitars especially on the acoustic ones and a full and lustrous sound on violins. A rounded, full and intense sound on brasses like trumpets, trombones and horns. Then on woodwinds, it has a clear, rich, expressive and reedy sound on piccolos, flutes, clarinet and saxophones. As for percussive instruments, the tom-toms and field drums have a full, reverberant and warm sound, a hard and clattering sound on snare drums, and a resonant and rumbling sound on kettle drums. The piano sounds even and balanced as it has a bright and mellow tone with sufficient resonance.


HIGHS/TREBLE:

The treble quality that this device able to evince on my listening session, it has a smooth, evened and linear treble response with an unusually amount of sparkle and airy extension that most devices with Cirrus Logic DACs that I've quite familiar with, this device is quite a peculiar one.

Somehow it gives a more lustrous and full sound on cymbals and a short buzz and sizzle sound on hi-hats. A sweet and velvety sound on celestas and a bell-like sound on glockenspiels.


OVERALL TECHNICALITIES:

This device is able to project a fairly spacious soundscape with excellent height and depth that pairing it with warm-sounding sets gives that immersive and intimate feel but on IEMs and headphones with superb technical performance, it narrows a bit on the perceived distance. It still has an excellent layering on the placement of instruments and vocals with good separation on each element in a black sonic canvas.

In terms of resolution capabilities, this device is quite resolving on both macro-dynamics and micro-dynamics. It has a solid and firm texture on its dynamics as it has a proper compression while it has a good micro-detail retrieval as it is able to pick up on some subtleties like vocal ends, spatial reverberations and distinctive nuances of different instrument attacks.


PEER COMPARISONS:

TRUTHEAR SHIO

• This USB DAC/Amp dongle, like the DS2 is also equipped with Cirrus logic amp albeit a newer generation, CS43198. Its size is a bit larger compared to DS2 and yet it has similar weight, its surface was covered with PU leather and unlike the DS2, it has manual gain switch mode by pressing between the volume key buttons.
• On the tonal aspect, it also has a warmish-neutral sound profile like the DS2. Both have slamming and tactile bass response, a tad warmth on the midrange and a slight emphasis on upper-mids up to the presence part to give a little bit of energy with good airy extension and sparkling sound. Both sets have eerily very similar technical performance like moderately spacious sound/speaker stage projection, well-defined layering and separation and remarkably resolving on their own right. Although, I think that SHIO still has a more powerful output that can drive most of the stubborn and power-hungry headphones that demand more juice.

EPZ TP20 PRO

• Another dongle with Cirrus logic DAC with the same model IC. It has a broader frame compared to the DS2 as it is also carbon-fibre cover on the top and bottom panel. In additional features, it has a toggle switch and additional button key for pause and play function. And also, its stock cable is quite thicker and even a bit longer and of better quality.
• The TP20 PRO is also of a warmish-neutral side of tonality as it exhibits similar sound profile with DS2 albeit its treble response seems to less emphasis on upper-mids and presence part to give that smoother, a less energetic with just enough sparkle and a noticeable modest airy extension. Both devices have very similar performance of technical abilities as it is almost impossible to differentiate the differences between these devices. It also appears that both sets have similar power output delivery but on paper, DS2's power output has a maximum rating of 510mw at 32 ohms at its balanced output jack.

In summary, this DAC/Amp dongle is quite a performer and FOSI AUDIO continues to impress us on every release of their product. This DAC/Amp dongle shows that we can enjoy a high-fidelity sound quality in a compact and mobile form factor that it became more of a necessity for audio enthusiast like us given the removal of analogue features on most smartphone that deems “obsolete” for today's digital era according to these mobile phone companies (In which I'm still firm and adamant on disagreeing these notions). If you want a USB DAC/Amp dongle with some element of an analogue-ish tonal profile as it has a musical and fun factor that make it more engaging with competent technical capabilities, this might be the device that you are looking for.

FOSI AUDIO DS2 is now available in HIFIGO, you can check out the unaffiliated link below.


★★FOSI AUDIO DS2 - HIFIGO★★


Also, you can check out my previous review article of FOSI AUDIO products.


■ FOSI AUDIO MC101

■ FOSI AUDIO SK02




SPECIFICATIONS:



MY TESTING TRACKS: ( * = 16-bit FLAC, ** = 24-bit FLAC, *'* = MQA, '*' = DSD, *'= .WAV)

Alison Krauss -When You Say Nothing At All *
Jade Wiedlin - Blue Kiss**
Led Zeppelin - When The Levee Breaks **
Mountain - Mississippi Queen *
Queen - Killer Queen **
Guns N' Roses - Patience *'*
Eric Clapton - Tears in Heaven '*'
Sergio Mendes- Never Gonna Let You Go '*'
Pearl Jam - Daughter **
Roselia - Hidamari Rhodonite *
Assassin - Fight (To Stop The Tyranny)*
Celtic Frost- Visual Aggression *
New Order - Blue Monday *
The Corrs- What Can I do (unplugged version) *
Jimi Hendrix Experience - Voodoo Child *
The Madness- Buggy Trousers *
Metallica - Motorbreath **
Mariah Carey- Always Be My Baby *
Destiny's Child - Say My Name *
Malice Mizer- Au Revoir *
Mozart - Lacrimosa *
New York Philharmonic Orchestra - Dvorak- Symphony 9 " From the New World." *
Eva Cassidy - Fields of Gold (Sting cover)*
Michael Jackson - Give In To Me *
Exciter - Violence and Force *
Diana Krall - Stop This World **
Debbie Gibson - Foolish Beat *'*
The Sisters of Mercy – Lucretia My Reflection**
Suzanne Vega – Luka **
Lauren Christy – Steep *
Ottoman Mehter - Hucum Marsi *
Diana Damrau - Mozart: Die Zauberflöte*


P.S.

I am not affiliated to FOSI AUDIO nor receive monetary incentives and financial gains as they provide me a review unit for an exchange of factual and sincere feedback from yours truly.

Once again, I would like to send my gratitude to HIFIGO especially to Ms. Lvy Yan for providing this review unit. I truly appreciate their generosity and trust towards me and other reviewers.

NICEHCK is an audio company that specialises on upgraded cables and other audio accessories, and then they try to venture out on earbuds and IEMs. NICEHCK products are also known for its build quality and craftsmanship at reasonable price.



This is actually my second product review of their new IEM line-up model and what I've got here is their latest entry-level planar IEM, The NICEHCK F1 PRO. The F1 PRO has a 14.2mm planar magnetic driver with ultra thin diaphragm with high-grade neodymium magnets and co-axial magnetic design. With this configuration, it will produce a consistent performance and greatly reduce distortion. And as we all know that planar magnetics are known to have fast, precise and very responsive performance that gives them more leverage in terms of technical performance.



The drivers are encased in a light yet solid aluminium alloy shell chassis which have a compact teardrop design. The shell chassis was produced via CNC-milling process and it was sand-blasted to give that appealing look that exudes premium and finesse. NICEHCK employs a 2-pin connector on this one as it is the most stable and easier to detach in case of cable swapping.



As for fitting and comfort, with its compact form factor, this set will give a good seal and passive noise isolation as it rests well into our lugholes that are able to block some external noises from the outside surroundings.



Regarding its stock cable, Since this is a NICEHCK product, we expect a nice quality cable from this one and they deliver it. The stock cable has a 2-core high purity OCC and silver-plated copper that were braided tightly. The earhook receptacle shield, chin slider and plug shield are made of metal alloy, and on its termination plug, you can choose either a standard 3.5mm single ended or a 4.4mm balanced that are gold-plated for better conductivity ans resistant to corrosion.



On how its presents its overall product packaging, NICEHCK did a good job on how they packed the contents of F1 PRO to its packaging box. The placements of content inside of its bulky, rectangular box are well-organised.



Here are the following contents inside of NICEHCK F1 PRO packaging box:

• Pair of NICEHCK F1 PRO IEM transducers.
• Stock cable
• PU leather case
• Three (3) pairs of balanced bore grey-coloured silicone ear tips in different standard sizes.
• Three (3) pairs of balanced bore opaque white ear tips in different standard sizes.
• Four (4) pairs of “EP-EX11” ear tips in different standard sizes.
• Pair of white-coloured, wide bore ear tips.
• Paperwork like user's manual and warranty card.

Like a typical planar set, F1 PRO needs more power output just to drive it properly as planar magnetic structure itself is design to take more current than voltage output that makes it less power efficient compared to other drivers like dynamic driver and balanced armature driver. A dedicated DAP with medium and high gain mode, DAC/Amp dongle or desktop headphone amplifier are better pairing for this set.



As for tonality, NICEHCK F1 PRO has a U/V-shaped sound signature that makes it sound more coloured sounding. It has more accentuated bass and treble response and a notched midrange presentation.




LOWS/BASS:

For a magnetic planar set, the bass response of this one is quite fast, punchy and rumbly. It seems that it is more focused on sub-bass than the mid-bass but the latter has enough texture for bass-centric instruments not to sound too lean.

On the sub-bass, there's a perceivable reverberation coming from low tone bass guitars, synthesisers and drum machines. As I mentioned about the note weight texture on its mid-bass, the bass guitars have resonant yet a bit hollowed sound while bass kick drums have that thudding and gloomy sound, and then on bass-baritone vocals, they sounds a bit light and less deeper that affects the vocal texture but it has some resonance presence on their voices.


MIDRANGE:

On how this set was tuned, the midrange presentation is quite recessed and a tad hollowed sounding particularly on some vocals and instruments. But somehow, it sounds clean, detailed and energetic that will be more beneficial on most female vocals and instruments like strings and woodwinds.

Male vocals are noticeable a tad leaner on texture particularly on baritones as it sounds a bit inadequate of plushiness and richness that I prefer. Tenors' vocals have those spiciness and tinny characteristics on their voices while countertenors sound tender with an added brim on their vocals. On female vocals, contraltos sounds less rich and less smoky that it doesn't have that depth for those low chesty vocal register. Mezzo-sopranos have these fiery and coppery sounds on their vocal characteristics and sopranos have a gleaming and metallic sound that lyric and coloratura-type will have those energetic and expansive sounding.

On instruments, brasses like trumpets, trombones and horns, they have these metallic, penetrating and clear sounds respectively. Woodwinds such as concert flutes, piccolos, clarinets and saxophones, the sounds of the flutes are somehow clear and shrill, piccolos sound penetrating with brilliance on them, clarinets have incisive and reedy that even saxophones share similar characteristics with them. As for string instruments, violins have metallic and bright sound while guitars either acoustic or electric ones, have crisp and lingering sound on them. On percussion instruments, snare and tom-toms have this resonant, dry and cracking sound on them, field drums have this sharp and menacing sound and kettledrums have a dry and deep sound on it. And then, it appears that pianos have bright and lively sound on every stroke of its keys.


HIGHS/TREBLE:

The treble response of this set is definitely on the brighter side of tuning as the emphasis on the upper-mids up to the brilliance part is quite noticeable. With its elevated upper-mids and presence part of the treble region gives a more sharper attack, definition and clarity on instruments and female vocals but at the expense of occasional slight sibilance especially in sibilant-laden tracks (try Seventh Son Of The Seventh Son by Iron Maiden if ever).

There's a good amount of sparkle and excellent treble air extension on how it affects some instruments like cymbals, hi-hats, glockenspiels and celestas. Cymbals have these sizzling, metallic and dry sounds while hi-hats have these buzzing sounds albeit it's a bit exaggerated in terms of decay as they are known to have a sudden shortened sound. Glockenspiels have a glistening and a tad piercing sound while celestas have a glistening and sweet sound.


SOUNDSTAGE, IMAGING AND OTHER TECHNICALITIES:

On how I perceived the size of its general sound/speaker stage, it has an above-average to wide lateral span on both ends, good height reach and depth for a planar set. The overall dimension of its sound field gives me that moderately spacious head room within my aural sphere.

Its stereo imaging gives me a concave-like presentation where I was able to locate some placement of instruments and vocals in a soundscape. While it has a good separation, I noticed that its layering present appears to be in two-layer rather than the standard four layers that I usually experience on most planar sets that I've tested. But at least it doesn't sound congested and disorganised on playing some complex multi-instrumental tracks.

Like all planar sets, the F1 PRO is no different in terms of coherency of its driver performance as it has a very fast and responsive transient speed without any distortion on its sound quality.

On resolution capabilities, F1 PRO is quite very resolving on both macro-dynamics and micro-detail retrieval as it has a sufficient note texture with sharp definition on extracting any sonic nuances and detail like vocal ends, reverberations and notation attacks of instruments.


PEER COMPARISONS:

KEFINE KLANAR

• Like the F1 PRO, it also has a metal-alloy shell chassis and similar-sized magnetic planar albeit it has some added composite material that makes it even more responsive and power efficient. The KLANAR is quite easy to drive even for a magnetic planar set.
• As for tonality, KLANAR has a V-shaped sound profile as it has more emphasis on bass and treble region which share a similar sound signature with the F1 PRO but on the treble, KLANAR is quite smooth and well-balanced response that sibilance and harshness are subdued and well-controlled.
• On technical performance, it is also similar in terms of sound/speaker staging, stereo imaging and coherency, but the KLANAR is quite better in terms of layering but less sharper of micro-detail definition.

KIWI EARS MELODY

• KIWI EARS’ first magnetic planar IEM for the entry-level audio market. It has a smaller size planar magnetic driver that was encased in a medium-sized composite shell chassis. Like all KIWI EARS products, the MELODY has a meagre amount of inclusions.
• MELODY has uncommon tuning for a planar set as while it has a v-shaped signature, it is quite warm sounding for a magnetic planar. It has more mid-bass texture that it might sound a bit too boomy, a warm and rich midrange presentation and smooth yet less airy treble response.
• As for technical capabilities, like the F1 PRO, the MELODY has similar sound/speaker stage dimensions, imaging, separation and coherency. But the MELODY has a better layering presentation but again less resolving particularly on micro-dynamics that F1 PRO has more sharper definition.

As I conclude this product assessment, NICEHCK F1 PRO makes a statement that a set with planar magnetic driver could have a musical tonality to have a fun and engaging sound while maintaining a good technical performance. For sure that energetic and tizzy sheen timbre that planar magnetic driver aren't for everyone's preference as it doesn't that natural tone and dynamics that most dynamic driver sets could deliver but what makes this set truly as compelling one was its pricing, the quality of its overall construction and a fun factor of its coloured sound that makes it more enjoyable and even more engaging to listen upon.

NICEHCK F1 PRO is now available on NICEHCK OFFICIAL STORE on ALIEXPRESS. Check out the unaffiliated link below.

★★NICEHCK OFFICIAL STORE - ALIEXPRESS★★


For more review on a NICEHCK product, I provided a link down.

● NICEHCK DB2

SPECIFICATION:

MODEL: NICEHCK F1 PRO
IMPEDANCE: 16Ω
SENSITIVITY: 104dB
FREQUENCY RESPONSE: 20Hz – 28KHz
CABLE LENGTH: 1.2M
PIN TYPE: 0.78mm 2-PIN CONNECTOR
PLUG TYPE: 3.5mm, 4.4mm
DRIVER UNIT(S): (1) PLANAR MAGNETIC DRIVER

Tracks Tested: ( * = 16-bit FLAC, ** = 24-bit FLAC, *'* = MQA, '*' = DSD, *'= .WAV)

Alison Krauss -When You Say Nothing At All *
Jade Wiedlin - Blue Kiss**
Led Zeppelin - When The Levee Breaks **
Mountain - Mississippi Queen *
Queen - Killer Queen **
Guns N' Roses - Patience *'*
Eric Clapton - Tears in Heaven '*'
Sergio Mendes- Never Gonna Let You Go '*'
Pearl Jam - Daughter **
Roselia - Hidamari Rhodonite *
Assassin - Fight (To Stop The Tyranny)*
Celtic Frost- Visual Aggression *
New Order - Blue Monday *
The Corrs- What Can I do (unplugged version) *
Jimi Hendrix Experience - Voodoo Child *
The Madness- Buggy Trousers *
Metallica - Motorbreath **
Mariah Carey- Always Be My Baby *
Destiny's Child - Say My Name *
Malice Mizer- Au Revoir *
Mozart - Lacrimosa *
New York Philharmonic Orchestra - Dvorak- Symphony 9 " From the New World." *
Eva Cassidy - Fields of Gold (Sting cover)*
Michael Jackson - Give In To Me *
Exciter - Violence and Force *
Diana Krall - Stop This World **
Debbie Gibson - Foolish Beat *'*
The Sisters of Mercy – Lucretia My Reflection**
Suzanne Vega – Luka **
Lauren Christy – Steep *
Ottoman Mehter - Hucum Marsi *
Diana Damrau - Mozart: Die Zauberflöte*



P.S.

I am not affiliated to NICEHCK nor receive monetary incentives and financial gains as they provide me a review unit for an exchange of factual and sincere feedback from yours truly.

Once again, I would like to send my gratitude to Ms. VIVIAN for providing this review unit. I truly appreciate her generosity and trust towards me and other reviewers.

"With bronze as a mirror one can correct one's appearance; with history as a mirror, one can understand the rise and fall of a state; with good men as a mirror, one can distinguish right from wrong"

~~Li Shimin, also known as Emperor Taizong, Second emperor of Tang Dynasty.


Xuanwu Gate Incident was a pivotal moment of Tang Dynasty's history where a coup initiated by Li Shimin also known as Emperor Taizong, who was a prince back then, assassinated his elder brother, the heir apparent of the imperial throne and also his younger brother for bidding of its imperial power and also avenging its allegedly poisoning attempt by them. This event culminates the distant and cold relationship between Li Shimin and his father, Li Yuan, the first emperor of Tang dynasty even until the latter's death.



TANGZU products have their own significance in the audio market on which they named their product models from historical personalities during the Tang Dynasty era. But this time, the model name is based on a historical event that truly changed the destiny of the Tang rulership in ancient China.



TANGZU Xuanwu Gate is the latest product from TANGZU which is also their first flagship midrange line. It has hybrid driver configuration consisting of dynamic driver, balanced armature drivers and “Electrostatic(EST)/Electret” drivers. The dynamic driver that was used here has a dimension of 10mm and is made of carbon composite which is known for its flexibility and lightweight properties that will benefit the quality of the bass. The four (4) customised balanced armature drivers will handle the clarity and lucidity of midrange and highs, and then, the EST/Electret driver made by SONION will be responsible for the resolving, transparent and extension of ultra-high frequency. It also has an electronic frequency crossover for better separation while having a cohesive sonic performance.



The drivers were encased in a rather large modified UIEM-type shell chassis made of solid aerospace-grade aluminium alloy which are known for its less resonance properties with fatigue resistance and tensile strength. Its gold-plated faceplate looks pretty gorgeous and sophisticated with its terraces-like outlines that were inspired by rice terraces fields that are usually found in Asia. Even on its cavity base, it has those outlines to look even more élan and classy. Like most TANGZU sets, it uses a 0.78 bi-pin connector as its interlocking mechanism with its detachable cable.



Despite the large size of its shell chassis, it still fits well into my lugholes without any discomfort and ear fatigue as it rests well on it. It also offers a good passive noise isolation that is able to block some noises from the outside surroundings.



Flagship midrange sets should have a high quality stock cable and Xuanwu Gate has it. It has a premium thick stock cable which has a modular option where we can interchange its angled L-shaped termination plug in which we can choose either single-ended output or balanced output. It has an 8-core monocrystalline silver-plated copper which is known for its clear and lively sound (according to cable sound advocates).



As for product packaging, The product box of Xuanwu Gate is quite humongous and probably the largest IEM box that I've encountered so far and it also remarkably grandiose in terms of unboxing on how its contents inside are organised and well-presented.



Here are the following contents inside of Xuanwu Gate's box.

• Pair of TANGZU Xuanwu Gate IEM transducers.
• Stock cable
• 3.5mm single-ended termination plug adaptor.
• 4.4mm balanced termination plug adaptor.
• Carrying case
• Three (3) pairs of Sancai wide bore eartips in different standard sizes.
• Three (3) pairs of Sancai balanced bore eartips in different standard sizes.
• Paperwork like user's guide and warranty card.

In terms of power output and amplification, Xuanwu Gate can be driven by a device like a smartphone with normal gain output in a device but putting in better sources will surely give the most satisfying output with its full range and vivid sound.



As for its tonality, This set has this balanced-neutral sound profile in which all parts of frequencies are evenly presented across its sound spectrum without too much emphasis of a certain specify frequency




LOWS/BASS:

In my ears, this is clearly a quite balanced bass as it has a rumbly and reverberating sub-bass presence and sufficiently textured mid-bass. Overall, it has an accurate, precise and rumbly bass response that make this set truly a midranger sound quality.

Sub bass-focused instruments like synthesisers, drum machines and low tone bass guitars have this perceivable deep reverberations and rumble sound generated from those instruments. Bass guitars have a resonant and rasping sound from fretting, slapping and fretless on its note strings. Bass kick drums have sustaining, thudding and resonant sound although sometimes it has lack of slam and authority that this instrument should have but it has quite fast that syncs well with fast double bass drumming from extreme metal tracks. Bass to bass-baritone vocals appear to have a less depth and lack of well-modulated gravelly sound to have that deep, full and dark tone that these particular male voices should have.


MIDRANGE:

Probably the strongest assets of this set on how the midrange presentation of this one has well-balanced, tidy, neutral and energetic sound that gives more lively and vividness on most vocal types on either male or female and instruments. It also has a slight warmth just to give ample note weight on male vocals and percussives.

On male vocals, it gives a smooth, adequately rich and plush sound on some baritones like light and lyric baritones but it sounds less steely, less fuller and a bit milder on kavalier baritones, verdi baritones and noble baritones. Tenors sound almost flawless on this set as it sounds brassy, dazzling and spicy that all tenor types sound very well and depicts its accurate tone on this one. For countertenors, they sound smooth, velvety and tender that makes them pleasant and lilting to listen to. As female vocals, contraltos have a lush and smoky sound from their voices but I wish that it has more depth on it. Mezzo-sopranos have these fiery, emotive and tender voices that makes them sound so insouciant and captivating while sopranos are well-presented here with is spacious, energetic and detail vocals as they sound quite gleaming and crystalline that coloratura-type of soprano can execute those complex, florid vocal passages.

On instruments, strings like guitars and violins, it sounds crisp, ceiling and bright on the former while a vibrant, lively and sweet sound of the latter instruments. As for woodwinds, it has clear and brilliant sound on piccolos, a bright, airy and silvery sound on concert flutes, a dramatic and expressive sound of clarinets and a sonorous and forceful sound of saxophones. Brasses like trumpets, trombones and horns, they sound intense, penetrating and ponderous respectively. On percussives, there's a resonant and ample warmth on tom-toms, a sharp and precise sound on snare drums, a majestic sound of field drums on every stroke of its drum head and a velvety yet resonant sound on kettledrums. The sound of the pianos are quite well-balanced with sufficient bright and ample warmth of its tone.


HIGHS/TREBLE:

The treble response of this one is mildly bright and a tad smooth sounding as it has slight yet correct emphasis on upper-mids up to the presence part of the treble region to give detail, definition and clarity on vocals and attack of instruments on either percussive and rhythmic ones. There is a noticeable slight dip somewhere between presence and brilliance treble as I didn't hear any sibilance and stridency on this set despite its tad shimmery sound. Although, I will still suggest that treble-sensitive folks should be aware of energetic tuning as it might be still sensitive to them.

It has a good sparkle and excellent treble air extension that make this set quite impressive for its own right. Cymbals have a lustrous and sizzling sound while hi-hats have a short buzzing sound from them. Celestas have a silvery and sweet sound, and glockenspiel have a bell-like and sheen sound on it.


SOUNDSTAGE, IMAGING & OTHER TECHNICALITIES:

Overall, the Xuanwu Gate has an excellent mark in all aspects of technical performance, it has a spacious proportion of its sound field within my headroom as it has a wide lateral span from left to right, good height reach and stage depth distance from front to rear. As for stereo imaging, it appears that it has a concave-like presentation rather than holographic that I usually encountered in most midrange sets that I've tested but I was able to locate the placement of instruments and vocals precisely in a well-layered soundscape and I can assure its remarkable separation. So playing the most complex multi-instrumental tracks on this set is not an issue at all.

The cohesive performance of its tri-brid driver configuration of this one is quite astounding on how fast and responsive its dynamic driver is while the supporting other types of drivers are quite sensitive and responsive gives a detailed, clear and less distorted sound reproduction and smooth yet airy presentation of its SONION electrets. On resolution capability, this set is quite resolving on both macro-dynamics and micro-detail retrieval as its solid note texture while its micro-detail definition is able to capture some nuances and details like vocal ends, attacks and reverberations.


PEER COMPARISONS:


LETSHUOER EJ07M

• Like the XUANWU GATE, EJ07M also has a tribrid set-up consisting of 1 dynamic driver, 2 Sonion balanced armature drivers and 4 Sonion “ESTs” and also encapsulated in solid stainless steel shell chassis but in a more compact size. Both sets have a generous amount of accessories inside their respective packaging box but the stock cable of EJ07M is not a modular one.
• As for tonality, both sets are on the neutral side of tuning as I also classify the EJ07M as a balanced-neutral sounding one. Compared to the XUANWU GATE, the EJ07M has a more tad more mid-bass texture, similarly well-balanced and neutral midrange presentation albeit the EJ07M is less energetic, and smoother, less brighter yet airy treble response.
• When it comes to technical capabilities, both sets are actually trading blows in one another, While XUANWU GATE has a wider sound/speaker stage but the EJ07M has better stereo imaging as it projects a more holographic presentation and a tad more accurate on locating certain instruments and vocals.

KINERA IMPERIAL URD

• One of the tri-brid driver set-up IEM model from Kinera on the midrange as it has 2 dynamic drivers, 1 custom-built balanced armature driver and 2 Sonion “ESTs” albeit unlike XUANWU GATE, IMPERIAL URD has a resin shell chassis. Both sets have a generous amount of inclusion of contents of their respective product packaging box and their stock cables have a modularity option which makes them versatile on different audio jack outputs.
• IMPERIAL URD has this warmish-neutral sound which makes it a bit more coloured compared to XUANWU GATE. Its bass response is more impactful and tactile compared to XUANWU GATE, a tad more textured and rich midrange presentation but well-composed, smooth treble response which makes it a bit darker sounding with just a moderate amount of treble air.
• As for technical performance, compared to XUANWU GATE, this one is fall short in almost all categories as it has a bit narrower sound/speaker, a two-dimensional stereo imaging with less defined placements of vocals and instruments in a soundscape but at least it has good separation and layering. Its macro-dynamics somehow has a bit more solid note texture.

FEARLESS AUDIO ROLAND

• This model was actually my first taste of a tri-brid driver set-up as this one has a single dynamic driver, dual balanced armatures and quad Sonion “ESTs”. But unlike XUANWU GATE, this unit has a resin shell structure and its stock cable doesn't have any modular features as this was an older generation of tri-brid driver IEMs from the previous decade.
• As for its tonality, The ROLAND has a mild U-shaped sound signature which is a bit coloured compared to XUANWU GATE as it has slightly recessed midrange presentation with a more punchy and slamming bass response, a warm midrange which adds more heft and depth on male vocals,and then a more smoother and less sparkly on the brilliance treble. Therefore, its airy extension is rather modest.
• On its overall technical aspects, the ROLAND has just an above-average sound/speaker stage dimensions which gives a bit on the intimate side, a concave stereo imaging and somehow, it has a good separation and a multi-layered presentation of its soundscape. The ROLAND also has excellent resolving capabilities for its own performance with good cohesiveness of its tri-brid driver system.

To summarise and in conclusion of my assessment of this set, It proves that TANGZU has a capability to create a product in every part of the price segment in the audio market. It shows its testament as a reputable audio company to create a beautifully-crafted set with a phenomenal sound quality for discerning ears of audiophiles and audio professionals alike.

If you are a neutral head type of listener who doesn't want a less colouration of the sound quality, the Xuanwu Gate is a must have one that will truly define listening pleasure.

TANGZU Xuanwu Gate is now available in all online stores. You can check it out on the unaffiliated links below.

★★OFFICIAL STORE★★

★★LINSOUL★★

★★HIFIGO★★


For more TANGZU product reviews, just click the provided links down.

■ TANGZU/TFORCE YUAN LI

■ TANGZU WAN'ER SG

■ TANGZU PRINCESS CHANGLE

■ TANGZU FU DU VR.1

SPECIFICATION:

MODEL: TANGZU XUANWU GATE
IMPEDANCE: 10.5Ω
SENSITIVITY: 103dB
FREQUENCY RESPONSE: 7Hz – 20KHz
CABLE LENGTH: 1.25M
PIN TYPE: 0.78mm 2-PIN CONNECTOR
PLUG TYPE: MODULAR 3.5mm, 4.4mm
DRIVER UNIT(S): (1) DYNAMIC DRIVER + (4) BALANCED ARMATURE DRIVERS + (2) "ELECTROSTATIC"/ELECTRET DRIVERS


Tracks Tested: ( * = 16-bit FLAC, ** = 24-bit FLAC, *'* = MQA, '*' = DSD, *'= .WAV)

Alison Krauss -When You Say Nothing At All *
Jade Wiedlin - Blue Kiss**
Led Zeppelin - When The Levee Breaks **
Mountain - Mississippi Queen *
Queen - Killer Queen **
Guns N' Roses - Patience *'*
Eric Clapton - Tears in Heaven '*'
Sergio Mendes- Never Gonna Let You Go '*'
Pearl Jam - Daughter **
Roselia - Hidamari Rhodonite *
Assassin - Fight (To Stop The Tyranny)*
Celtic Frost- Visual Aggression *
New Order - Blue Monday *
The Corrs- What Can I do (unplugged version) *
Jimi Hendrix Experience - Voodoo Child *
The Madness- Buggy Trousers *
Metallica - Motorbreath **
Mariah Carey- Always Be My Baby *
Destiny's Child - Say My Name *
Malice Mizer- Au Revoir *
Mozart - Lacrimosa *
New York Philharmonic Orchestra - Dvorak- Symphony 9 " From the New World." *
Eva Cassidy - Fields of Gold (Sting cover)*
Michael Jackson - Give In To Me *
Exciter - Violence and Force *
Diana Krall - Stop This World **
Debbie Gibson - Foolish Beat *'*
The Sisters of Mercy – Lucretia My Reflection**
Suzanne Vega – Luka **
Lauren Christy – Steep *
Ottoman Mehter - Hucum Marsi *
Diana Damrau - Mozart: Die Zauberflöte*
Type O Negative - Black No.1 *
Felix Ayo - Vivaldi: Presto **


P.S.

I am not affiliated to TANGZU AUDIO nor receive monetary incentives and financial gains as they provide me a review unit for an exchange of factual and sincere feedback from yours truly.

Once again, I would like to send my gratitude to the TEAM TANGZU for sending this review unit. I truly appreciate their generosity and trust towards me and other reviewers.

“Music is like a dream. One that I cannot hear.”

~~Ludwig Van Beethoven, German composer and pianist


LETSHUOER AUDIO as an audio company will always deliver a high quality product from their entry-level up to the TOTL- flagship model range with some of their products that still resonate with the audio community. The EJ07 and S12 PRO are the epitome of their excellence as an audio company on how these particular models somehow truly influences the state of the audio market.



What I have here that will be featured on this review article is their latest product, The LETSHUOER CADENZA 4. This model is supposedly an affordable version of their TOTL - flagship model, CADENZA 12 which was known to be the most priciest LETSHUOER product to date. Like its flagship sister, CADENZA 4 also has hybrid driver configuration albeit it has lesser numbers with some different driver technology, new materials of its cable and a composite shell chassis. Although, like its predecessor, it still retains a modularity aspect of its stock cable.




As a set with a hybrid driver configuration, CADENZA 4 has a single dynamic driver and three balanced armature drivers on each side. The dynamic drivers that were implemented are 10mm dual chambered layout with its beryllium-coated thin but durable diaphragm which solely handles the low frequencies to have a precise and depth bass response. Aside from dynamic drivers, it was by balanced armature drivers that produced by two of the most premium audio solutions in the market, Sonion and Knowles in which these drivers directly responsible on midrange and high frequencies to have smooth, consistent sound with better clarity while having a good brilliance of its sonic quality. These drivers were connected into a 3D-moulded 3-way acoustic tube along with a 4-way electronic crossover for accurate, harmonious and well-defined separation on each part of the frequencies.




The shell chassis that were used to encapsulate drivers and other component parts are made of composite material and it takes the form of a typical UIEM-style design in a medium-size. The faceplate is made of metal alloy which appears to be sand-blasted while the cavity base were 3D-moulded resin material that were printed by HEYGEARS to achieve that light, consistent and smooth contours for better sealing and comfort. Like all LETSHUOER products, The CADENZA 4 still uses a 2-pin connector as its interlocking mechanism which is more stable and easier to detach.



The CADENZA 4's stock cable has 2-core, multiple strands of high-purity silver-plated monocrystalline copper which is known for its seamless transmission of clean audio signal. It also has a modular termination plug system where we can swap termination plugs that makes this set more versatile and compatible to be used on devices with its angular design.



Aside from its stock cable, LETSHUOER also released their new upgraded cable, the LR-Nebula. It is a 2-core braided 6N high-purity monocrystalline copper cable with malleable ear hooks. The particular material will deliver a seamless audio signal transmission and improve conductivity. It uses a 0.78mm bi-pin connector which compatible to all LETSHUOER set and other IEMs with compatible connector. The connectors and termination plug is gold-plated to lessen oxidation and resistance to corrosion.



Its overall build quality is somehow sturdy enough yet supple and flexible to touch. You choose either a standard 3.5mm single ended or a 4.4mm balanced upon ordering.



As for its product packaging, LETSHUOER is known to have a well-done product presentation on their items. The packaging box of CADENZA 4 is a quite bulky rectangular one and as we all know that LETSHUOER is also quite generous on inclusion of accessories.



Here are the following contents on LETSHUOER CADENZA 4's packaging box:

• Pair of LETSHUOER CADENZA 4 IEMs.
• Modular stock cable.
• Termination plugs (3.5mm SE, 2.5mm balanced and 4.4mm balanced)
• Circular IEM case
• Circular ear tips plate
• Three (3) pairs of wide bore silicone ear tips in different standard sizes.
• Three (3) pairs of balanced bore silicone eartips in different standard sizes.
• Paperwork like product catalogue, user manual and warranty card.

Regarding power scaling, CADENZA 4 is fairly straightforward in terms of amplification; with a sufficient amount of power output, this set is able to deliver a full-range sound. But there are some interesting things that this set is truly flexible in terms of driveability as if this device is paired on devices with high quality DAC/amps, it shows its true potential on why this item is one of the best sounding out there.



To determine its tonal quality, this set exceeds my preferred sound signature as CADENZA 4 has that balanced-neutral sound profile that I truly adhere to. It has well-balanced bass and midrange frequency and just enough elevation on upper midrange up to the brilliance part of the treble region.



(Graph was provided by @baskingshark , credits to him)


LOWS/BASS:

The overall bass quality of this set is more on a balanced side as it has a good sub-bass presence while maintaining a reasonable amount of mid-bass though it is more on transparent side to give that cleanliness, preciseband thumping bass response. This type of bass response is aligned with IEMs that were neutrally-tuned similarly.

Sub-bass presence is quite perceptible on this set on how it conveys a significant amount of reverberations and rumbling generated from instruments such as synthesisers, low tone bass guitars, octabasses and drum machines. Mid-bass appears to have a decent texture with good detailing on some bass-focus instruments’ and low octave male vocals’ note weight but it will sound a bit transparent and less robust bass quantity. On how I observe the tonal characteristics of each instrument, bass guitars have sustaining and raspiness on every plucking of its strings while bass kick drums have resonant and rumbling sound on them. Bass trumpets appear to have a full sound albeit it lacks that dark timbre as this particular instrument should have. Bass-baritones vocals sounds a bit leaner side that fact that its apparent inadequate volume and depth but at least it has those distinctive vocal tails that it has guttural and reverberating sound.


MIDRANGE:

This is the most prominent part of CADENZA 4's frequency spectrum and probably the main attraction of this set on how it presented the general quality of its midrange. This is absolutely one of my ideal midrange responses as it has this tidy, neutral and transparent sound while maintaining a well-balanced tuning with just a slight degree of warmth that will be beneficial for both vocals and some instruments’ tonal colour.

On male vocals, baritones have a smooth, sweet and lushness on them while tenors have clear, agile and ringing sound that leggero and lyric type of tenors will sound almost perfectly. And then on countertenors, they have these tender, graceful and lightness on their vocal quality. Female vocals like contraltos appear to have a sufficient richness and smoky on their voices while mezzo-sopranos have its velvety, graceful and smoothness to have that equanimous sound. Soprano vocals have a gleaming and crystalline sound that will be versatile to all types of soprano whether it is dramatic, lyric, soubrette or coloratura.

As for instruments, strings like guitars and violins, the former has an ample crisp, well-emphasis on its overtones and balanced sound on every pluck of its strings while the latter one has a vibrant and eloquent sound on every motion on its bow string. On woodwinds, flutes have rich, soft and silvery while piccolos have clear and graceful sound. Clarinets have these mellow and melodic sounds and the saxophones’ sounds mellow and velvety. Brasses like trumpets, horns and trombones have these vivid, mellow and smooth sounds respectively. In reference with percussive instruments, snare drums have clear and precise sound, tom-toms have a tad warm and resonant sound on every hit, field drums have this sonorous and majestic sound along with kettle drums that have those deep and a bit rounded sounding. Pianos appears to have an even and well-balanced sound with a hint of mellowness in its tone.


HIGHS/TREBLE:

The treble response of CADENZA 4 is relatively smooth and well-balanced; it seems that the gradual rise of the upper-mids then maintains an almost level presentation along with presence towards the brilliance treble region. That slight emphasis on the upper-midrange and presence gives a well-done clarity and some vocal definition and attack of instruments without having any harshness and sibilance.

On the brilliance part, it has a modest amount of airy extension with well-balanced and moderate sparkle to sound a bit glossy and on the satiny side. Cymbals have a lustrous and undulating sound while hi-hats have that shortened buzzing sound. Celestas have a silvery and soft sound, then on glockenspiels, they have a lustrous and tender sound.


SOUNDSTAGE, IMAGING AND OTHER TECHNICALITIES:

My estimation on how I perceived its overall proportion on its sound field that this set is capable of, it has an above average to wide lateral span on sound/speaker stage, with good height and ample depth on it. It somehow gives me a moderately spacious headroom within my aural perception.

Its stereo imaging projection somehow gives a holographic-feel in which I was able to locate the exact positioning of instruments and vocals in a sonic canvas where it has an excellent layering of frequency and dynamic tones, and a sterling separation of elements for a hybrid set. So playing complex multi-instrumental tracks will be easy peasy for CADENZA 4.

Cohesive performance of its hybrid drivers is quite stellar on how its dynamic driver is fast transient response without any distortion that works in tandem with balanced armature to have a crisp and detailed sound output. Resolution capabilities of this set is also good that it has a good presence of macro-dynamics with an impressive detail retrieval on extracting some nuances and subtleties of information like notation attacks, vocal ends and spatial reverberations.


PEER COMPARISONS:

AFUL PERFORMER 5

• This is AFUL's first model and like the CADENZA 4, it also has hybrid driver configuration with one dynamic driver and four unspecified models of balanced armature drivers that are encased in a standard UIEM-type shell chassis made of resin material. Both sets offer good passive noise isolation as it is able to block some unwanted noises from the outside.
• As for tonal characteristics, PERFORMER 5 has more colouration on its sound quality on how it was tuned as it takes a more U-shaped sound. It has more pronounced bass response but in slower and lethargic manner, a tad recessed but warmer midrange and an overboosted upper-mids that cause some shrill and piercing sound on female vocals and just a modest treble air extension.
• On technical performance, PERFORMER 5 is quite a dismal one particularly on sound staging, a mundane cohesive performance of its drivers due to sluggish bass transient response and it's a bit unnatural tone and timbre.

KIWI EARS QUINTET

• Another hybrid set from KIWI EARS, but this set has additional types of transducers like piezoelectric driver and “micro-planar” driver that make this set a “quad-brid”. While this set has a similarly built shell chassis with CADENZA 4 as it is also a composite one, its stock cable doesn't have a modular feature.
• As for tonality, QUINTET has a mild U-shaped sound profile. While it has a similar bass response with CADENZA 4 as they are both on a tighter side, It has more brighter and energetic midrange and treble response with good amount of sparkle and more airier extension.
• On technical capabilities, while both sets have similar sound/speaker stage dimensions, it is noticeable that the QUINTET has a lack of depth. But in some technical aspects, they are on equal footing.

THIEAUDIO HYPE 2

• One of THIEAUDIO's affordable set and it is also a hybrid driver configuration. It has a dual dynamic driver in an isobaric array with two balanced armature drivers provided by Sonion. The drivers and other components are encased with UIEM-type resin shell chassis but its high quality stock cable doesn't have a modular termination plug option.
• Like the aforementioned QUINTET, the HYPE 2 also has a mild u-shaped sound signature. Compared to CADENZA 4, it has more punchy bass response due to a more textured midbass, similar midrange and treble presentation as it maintains a neutral, balanced and smooth quality on them although it has a less transparent nature.
• Technicalities-wise, it has very similar performance with CADENZA 4 in almost every category from sound/speaker projection up to the cohesive performance, although CADENZA 4 is a bit better on micro-detail retrieval.

As I conclude my assessment regarding this set, The CADENZA 4 remarkably does an excellent job in terms of tonality and technical performance that we will usually encounter with other sets at higher price tier. This also proves that LETSHUOER continues to evolve itself as a very competent and innovative audio company that audiophiles and audio professionals should pay a lot of attention to.

With a premium balanced armature drivers, high quality dynamic driver with electronic frequency crossover circuitry and the inclusion of a modular high quality cable at least than US$250/£200, and also has that tuning refined of having that balanced-neutral sonic profile, this set is certainly one of the best product releases in this year.

CADENZA 4 is now available at LETSHUOER's official online store, Check out the link below.

★★LETSHUOER CADENZA 4 - OFFICIAL★★


Also if you are interested on other LETSHUOER products, here are the following links:

◆ LETSHUOER GALILEO

◆ LETSHUOER S12 PRO

◆ LETSHUOER CADENZA 12

◆ LETSHUOER EJ07

◆ LETSHUOER EJ07M

◆ LETSHUOER EJ09

◆ LETSHUOER CONDUCTOR (First Impression)

◆ LETSHUOER D13

◆ LETSHUOER DZ4

◆ LETSHUOER S15

SPECIFICATION:

MODEL: LETSHUOER CADENZA 4
IMPEDANCE: 15Ω
SENSITIVITY: 102dB
FREQUENCY RESPONSE: 20Hz – 40KHz
CABLE LENGTH: 1.25m
PIN TYPE: 2-PIN CONNECTOR
PLUG TYPE: MODULAR (3.5mm, 2.5mm. 4.4mm)
DRIVER UNIT(S): (1) DYNAMIC DRIVER + (3) BALANCED ARMATURE DRIVER(S)

MY TEST TRACKS: ( * = 16-bit FLAC, ** = 24-bit FLAC, *'* = MQA, '*' = DSD, *'= .WAV)

Alison Krauss -When You Say Nothing At All *
Jade Wiedlin - Blue Kiss**
Led Zeppelin - When The Levee Breaks **
Mountain - Mississippi Queen *
Queen - Killer Queen **
Guns N' Roses - Patience *'*
Eric Clapton - Tears in Heaven '*'
Sergio Mendes- Never Gonna Let You Go '*'
Pearl Jam - Daughter **
Roselia - Hidamari Rhodonite *
Assassin - Fight (To Stop The Tyranny)*
Celtic Frost- Visual Aggression *
New Order - Blue Monday *
The Corrs- What Can I do (unplugged version) *
Jimi Hendrix Experience - Voodoo Child *
The Madness- Buggy Trousers *
Metallica - Motorbreath **
Mariah Carey- Always Be My Baby *
Destiny's Child - Say My Name *
Malice Mizer- Au Revoir *
Mozart - Lacrimosa *
New York Philharmonic Orchestra - Dvorak- Symphony 9 " From the New World." *
Eva Cassidy - Fields of Gold (Sting cover)*
Michael Jackson - Give In To Me *
Exciter - Violence and Force *
Diana Krall - Stop This World **
Debbie Gibson - Foolish Beat *'*
The Sisters of Mercy – Lucretia My Reflection**
Suzanne Vega – Luka **
Lauren Christy – Steep *
Ottoman Mehter - Hucum Marsi *
Diana Damrau - Mozart: Die Zauberflöte*



P.S.

I am not affiliated to LETSHUOER nor receive monetary incentives and financial gains as they provide me a review unit for an exchange of factual and sincere feedback from yours truly.

Once again, I would like to send my gratitude to IVY GAO and BETTY for providing this review unit. I truly appreciate their generosity and trust towards me and other reviewers.

USB DAC/Amp dongles are now becoming an important arsenal to audio enthusiasts especially if their smartphones don't have a headphone jack. Like having a DAC/Amp dongle is a must and a prerequisite for a modern portable audio enthusiast given its easy to carry frame where we can enjoy this pocket hi-fi device everywhere.



EPZ Audio is a recently established audio company that earned some recognition from the audio community due the quality of their products while offering them at reasonable price that budget-conscious audio enthusiasts are able to afford. Aside from IEMs, this company also offers USB DAC/Amp dongles.



What I have here is their latest entry-level DAC/Amp dongle from them, The TP20 Pro. This device has a compact size of 6mm x 2.5mm × 0.5mm and it has typical elongated rectangular shape and layout of input and output interfaces just like most DAC/amp dongles has. Its chassis is made of sand-blasted metal alloy which is quite solidly built with a carbon fibre-like design on its surface.



One of the good features of this device is that it has hardware button keys for volume control and a play/pause. The button keys are very responsive and snappy to press that we felt its tactile feedback as we touch it.



At the opposite side panel, it has a toggle switch for adjusting gain mode manually as this dongle device offers both low gain and high gain mode.



At the top and bottom part of this dongle, like most dongles, it uses a USB type-C port as its input while at the bottom part, there are two audio jack interfaces, a 3.5mm single ended port and 4.4mm balanced port.



As for its power output rating, 3.5mm in a high gain mode offers a 2Vrms at 32 ohms (125mW) while 4.4mm balanced in high gain mode offers a 4Vrms at 32 ohms (151mW). Those power outputs seem enough for most IEMs and headphones in the market.



It also has a LED indicator for PCM and DSD decoding mode, PCM is on green colour while the DSD is on red colour.

Inside of this device, it uses a highly-regarded and powerful Cirrus Logic DAC, the CS43131 which is known to be its power efficiency while delivering a high fidelity sound quality with powerful output from its built-in high quality headphone amplifier along with its IC's compact design that can drive 2Vrms on some headphones with high impedance output rating up to 600 ohms. When it comes to decoding capabilities, it can decode PCM format up to 32-bit/384kHz while on DSD format, it can render up to DSD256.


On its cable wire, it has an 8-core with a mix of high purity monocrystalline copper and silver-plated copper wirings that are braided for better transmission and anti-interference. It has a type-C to type-C connector in both of its ends.



For its product packaging, EPZ TP20 Pro is quite classy on its presentation given its price segment. It seems that EPZ is making a statement on how they will present their products.



Here are the following contents inside EPZ's packaging box:

• EPZ TP20 Pro USB DAC/amp dongle
• 8-core wire type-C to type-C cable connector
• User guide

EPZ TP20 Pro is compatible on most Android devices and also to other operating systems like Windows and Linux. It works well with Android music player apps with USB audio support like HiBy Music, UAPP, Neutron and Onkyo HF player.



As for its tonality, It appears that this device is on “warmish-neutral” sound profile which makes it more analogue-ish and musical sound due to noticeable slightly added colouration on it.


LOWS/BASS:

This device delivers a sufficient punch and tactile bass response. It has a well-balanced bass presence that is able to make a noticeable rumbling sound while having an ample texture.

There's a perceived sub-bass presence that produced some reverberations from sub bass-focused instruments like low tone bass guitars, synthesisers, drum machines and octabasses. Midbass appears to have more texture to give that well-bodied note weight for depth and volume on instruments and vocals particularly on bass-baritones.


MIDRANGE:

The midrange quality that this device is able to deliver is quite neutral while maintaining a well-textured and dense note weight to give that warm characteristic. Both vocals and instruments have a fairly detailed and natural sound to give that “analogue-ish” vibe on their respective timbre.

Male vocals like baritones, tenors and countertenors have its warmth, brassy and smoothness on their respective timbre. On female vocals, contraltos sound quite correct on how it sounds husky and smoky while mezzo-sopranos have a tenderness and smoothness on their vocals, and then soprano vocals have a creamy and silkiness on their vocal projection.

That inherent warm characteristics gives more depth and consistency on tonal colour from each type of instrument particularly brasses and percussions. Brasses like trombones, trumpets and horns have brassy, full and warm sound with their distinctive dark timbre, while on percussions, field drums have sombre and boomy sound on them, snares and l tom-toms have hard and resonant sound with added warmth on them, and kettledrums have some deep and powerful sound that complements will brass instruments to convey that distinctive tonal magnificence that were usually found on classical composition pieces. On strings, guitars sound a bit meaty and warm, while violins have full and lustrous sound from them. As for woodwind instruments like piccolos, flutes, clarinets, bassoons and saxophones, they have delicate, rich, melodic, warm and velvety sound respectively. And last but not the least, pianos appear to sound quite warm and lush.


HIGHS/TREBLE:

The overall treble response that this DAC/Amp is able to deliver is quite smooth and even as it tries to maintain that tonal balance across its frequency range. It has some good definition and clarity on female vocals and instruments although it has less spacious and energetic sound compared to some DAC/Amp dongles that I've tested before.

It has an ample sparkle and it is capable of delivering a moderate amount of air in the brilliance part of this frequency. It somehow added a tad of warmth on cymbals, hi-hats, glockenspiels and celestas that affects some timbre quality of their respective tonal characteristics.


OVERALL TECHNICALITIES:

This device is quite capable of projecting a perceived fairly spacious soundscape where it more focuses on depth and height. If pairing this one with IEMs with adept technical capabilities, it will give an excellent layering on frequencies, tones and dynamics along with good separation on vocals and instruments in clean, pitch-black sonic background.

On resolution capabilities, its macro-dynamics is quite solid as it is able to give a more firmness of attack and slam of instruments that are able to influence on compression, while on micro-dynamics seems competent for its detail retrieval on extracting nuances and subtleties from an audio track.


PEER COMPARISONS:

TRUTHEAR SHIO

● Both dongles shared a similar form factor, an option to change gain modes and a snappy physical button but despite that both devices used Cirrus Logic DAC chip, SHIO's CS43198 is a newer generation compared to TP20 PRO's CS43131. The surface of SHIO is covered with PU leather and its overall weight is a bit lighter compared to TP20 PRO. And another that is quite an unusual implementation of gain mode on how we access its functionality is through pressing in between volume control buttons.

● As for sound quality, it has a warmish-neutral tonal profile just like the TP20 PRO but it has a tad more emphasis on treble region. On technical aspects, it is capable of delivering a moderately spacious sound/speaker stage, well-rendered layering and separation, and good resolution capabilities. On power output, it appears that the SHIO is quite a bit more powerful as it can drive some power-hungry cans that I've tested before.


HIDIZS S9 PRO PLUS: MARTHA

● HIDIZS’ latest flagship dongle as this is the third generation of their S9 series. Unlike TP20 PRO, S9 PRO PLUS uses the proven ESS DAC, ES9308 which is also quite capable of decoding and delivering a substantial amount of power output albeit it doesn't have a manual gain mode but it offers different types of digital filters. Also, S9 PRO PLUS is also fairly lighter than TP20 PRO in terms of weight

● On tonal quality, S9 PRO PLUS has a balanced-neutral as it has a tad less warmth compared to TP20 PRO and it appears that it has an elevated treble response and has more airy extension. On technicalities, it seems that it has a tad sharper definition on micro-detail retrieval but in terms of power output, they are both similar but on paper, TP20 PRO can deliver up to 4 Vrms.


As I put my conclusion regarding this device, despite its diminutive-size, The EPZ TP20 PRO is quite an impressive performer. It delivers a power output that will give a well-amplified sound quality for better listening experience for a portable audio enthusiast.

EPZ AUDIO keeps putting up some competent products in the audio market that makes them competitive in terms of affordability and adequate performance, and this DAC/Amp is absolutely one of them that I can definitely recommend without batting an eyelid.

EPZ TP20 PRO is now available in EPZ AUDIO's official store in Aliexpress. For those interested buyers who want to purchase this item, you can check out the unaffiliated link below.


★★EPZ TP20 PRO - ALIEXPRESS★★


For more EPZ Audio review products, click the links below:

● EPZ K1
● EPZ Q5
● EPZ Q1 PRO



MY TESTING TRACKS: ( * = 16-bit FLAC, ** = 24-bit FLAC, *'* = MQA, '*' = DSD, *'= .WAV)

Alison Krauss -When You Say Nothing At All *
Jade Wiedlin - Blue Kiss**
Led Zeppelin - When The Levee Breaks **
Mountain - Mississippi Queen *
Queen - Killer Queen **
Guns N' Roses - Patience *'*
Eric Clapton - Tears in Heaven '*'
Sergio Mendes- Never Gonna Let You Go '*'
Pearl Jam - Daughter **
Roselia - Hidamari Rhodonite *
Assassin - Fight (To Stop The Tyranny)*
Celtic Frost- Visual Aggression *
New Order - Blue Monday *
The Corrs- What Can I do (unplugged version) *
Jimi Hendrix Experience - Voodoo Child *
The Madness- Buggy Trousers *
Metallica - Motorbreath **
Mariah Carey- Always Be My Baby *
Destiny's Child - Say My Name *
Malice Mizer- Au Revoir *
Mozart - Lacrimosa *
New York Philharmonic Orchestra - Dvorak- Symphony 9 " From the New World." *
Eva Cassidy - Fields of Gold (Sting cover)*
Michael Jackson - Give In To Me *
Exciter - Violence and Force *
Diana Krall - Stop This World **
Debbie Gibson - Foolish Beat *'*
The Sisters of Mercy – Lucretia My Reflection**
Suzanne Vega – Luka **
Lauren Christy – Steep *
Ottoman Mehter - Hucum Marsi *
Diana Damrau - Mozart: Die Zauberflöte*


P.S.

I am not affiliated to EPZ nor receive monetary incentives and financial gains as they provide me a review unit for an exchange of factual and sincere feedback from yours truly.

Once again, I would like to send my gratitude to TEAM EPZ for providing this review unit. I truly appreciate their generosity and trust towards me and other reviewers.

TINHIFI is one of the few audio companies out there that is quite consistent in the design language of their products. The original T2 itself is the testament on the reliability of its design although the MMCX-type appears to be a contentious matter among audio enthusiasts.



TINHIFI T2 MK.II is the latest model of the T2 series line as TINHIFI tries to pull out a nostalgia card once again as its form factor still garners some interest among its loyal fans. Like its original heritage, this set seems to follow its design language but with some slight modifications to have a modern appeal, metal shell chassis and MMCX-type connector albeit it has a different driver configuration as this model has dual dynamic driver configuration rather than the hybrid driver configuration that the original T2 has.



In its driver configuration, it has a 10mm dynamic driver for the low frequencies and a smaller 6mm dynamic driver for midrange and high frequencies in which each driver has some composite diaphragm for a cleaner, clearer and even more transparent sound . With the tandem performance of these paralleled drivers, it will deliver an accurate, fast and more natural sound quality. These drivers were encapsulated in a solid yet lightweight aluminium shell chassis in which it offers a comfortable wear for a long listening session with an assurance of its durability of its build quality for resistance to wear and tear.



Its shell design has more rounded and smooth contours as it is more similar to a conch shell. The shell's circular design appears to fit snugly into my lugholes as I don't encounter any fitting issues at all during my long listening session and at the same time it offers a decent passive noise isolation as it is able to block some noises from the outside surroundings. As I mentioned a while ago, this set has a MMCX-type of connector as TINHIFI justified on its flexibility due to rotating capability for angle adjustment and adaptability.




It looks like its stock cable seems to be of a decent quality for its price as it has a four-core OFC silver-plated copper that was twisted and braided with a straight 3.5mm termination plug. Although this cable is prone to entanglement, it is also less supple and in a leaner texture but still durable enough.



TINHIFI T2 MK.II product presentation still retains a minimalist approach like all TINHIFI sets that I've done a review before as minimalism is still their statement . It has elongated rectangular packaging where the contents are placed inside.



Here are the following contents that TINHIFI T2 MK.II have:

• Pair of TINHIFI T2 MK.II IEM transducers
• Stock cable
• Pair of blue-coloured memory foam ear tips.
• Three (3) pairs of balanced bore ear tips in different standard sizes.
• Three (3) pairs of narrow bore ear tips in different standard sizes.
• Paperwork like a contact card and instruction manual.

For having a 16 ohms of impedance and a sound pressure level of 16 ohms, TINHIFI T2 MK.II is definitely an easy to drive set as it is quite sensitive to amplification even with decent power output equates with low gain mode. With a sufficient power output, this set will give a full-range and vivid sound output to have a dynamic sound.



To determine its tonality, it appears that it follows its progenitor's tuning which is a neutralish-bright sound profile in a quite uncommon tuning in this price range up to this day. It has more emphasis on midrange up to high frequencies.




LOWS/BASS:

The bass response of this one is on the tighter side, as it is also more focused on the mid-bass texture while having a clean and articulate bass quality. This type of bass quality suits well with sets that aim towards a more neutral sound on its intended target curve but the majority of bassheads, they might find it lethargic and anaemic to their liking.

The sub-bass presence of this set is less perceivable and with less detail that it only produces a faint rumble from sub-bass focus instruments. As I mentioned a while ago that it focuses more mid-bass texture, it still sounds a bit transparent, a tad hollow and still on a leaner texture which has its less depth, volume and authority that affects the timbre of bass-centric instruments and male vocals. Bass guitars sound a bit dull and aspirating while bass kick drums have resonant yet soft sound and then bass to bass-baritone have lack of depth and dark tone on them that sometimes, they sound more like a lighter baritone singer to my ears.


MIDRANGE:

The midrange presentation of this one is quite forward, energetic and transparent on how it is defined by its perceived neutral presentation. Due to its inadequacies of warmth characteristic on this one, it gives a leaner note weight tone on vocals like baritones, tenors and contraltos which makes them a less natural sounding. But the energetic and clarity nature of this set will be more beneficial on countertenors, some mezzo-sopranos, sopranos, strings and woodwinds.

In vocals, male vocals especially on dramatic or deeper baritones have a lack of lushness and richness on their characteristics while tenors have less brassy but somehow it has clear and metallic sounding on them. Countertenors have smooth, tender and a tad dazzling which share similar characteristics with mezzo-sopranos. Contraltos sounds too light and hollow due to its lack of warmth to have that husky and rich sound in which they should have those attributes. Sopranos seems to fare on this set as it gives some openness and energy to their vocal qualities to sound glimmering and crystalline.

On instruments, strings like violins, harps and guitars, they sound vibrant, bright and crisp respectively. Woodwind instruments like piccolos, concert flutes, clarinets and saxophones, piccolos have brilliant and shrill sound, concert flutes have clear and bright sound, clarinets have bright and penetrating sound, and then saxophones sound expressive and incisive. As for brasses, trumpets have bright and vivid sound while trombones have blaring and intense sound on them. Horns have metallic and intense sound while Wagner tuba have hearty and menacing sound. On percussion instruments, snares have dry and sharp sound, field drums have dry and resonant sound that tom-toms share the same sound characteristics, then on kettledrums, they sound resonant, dead and dry. Pianos are on the brighter tone as it has brilliant and clear sound.


HIGHS/TREBLE:

The T2 MK.II is definitely bright as it has accentuated upper-mids up to brilliance treble region which gives more crisp, shimmering and quite airy for a co-axial dynamic driver set-up IEM. This type of tuning gives a more edgier attack of instruments and a more clarity and definition on female vocals. Any possibility of sibilance was kept under control but some female vocals might sound a bit piercing and shrill that treble-sensitive folk should take caution on the treble register of this one.

Cymbals strike sounds bright and glistening while hi-hats have a buzzing sound though there are some instances that it exaggerates to add more sizzle. Glockenspiels have a shimmering and striking sound while celestas have a bright and sweet sound on them.


SOUNDSTAGE, IMAGING AND OTHER TECHNICALITIES:

While it has above-average to wide lateral span on its perceived sound field, it has less depth while its height ceiling appears to be decent which in overall sound/speaker dimension within my headroom gives me a moderately spacious. Stereo imaging gives me a rather linear two-dimensional stereo presentation where I can locate and pan out some location of instruments in a spatial point accurately. It maintains a good separation although its layering isn't that impressive at all.

The cohesive performance of its co-axial dynamic drivers are quite excellent as it gives a homogeneity performance with fast transients without any out of phasing and distortion issues at all. Resolution capabilities of this one is good given it has a good macro-dynamics while it has decently sharp micro-detail retrieval to extract nuances and detail like notation attacks and vocal ends.


PEER COMPARISONS:

TINHIFI T2 DLC

• The second variant of the T2 series but this time it has only a single dynamic driver which has DLC on its diaphragm. Like all T2 it has a metal shell chassis but its connector uses a 2-pin one.
• As for tuning, it seems that it has a mild U-shaped sound profile that makes this set a bit more coloured in terms of tonality. It has more emphasis on sub-bass, a bit recessed yet energetic midrange presentation and similar bright treble register.
• On technical capabilities, both sets have more similar performance with the exception that this set has less width span but its depth and height is a bit better.

TRIPOWIN KAILUA

• Another set with dual dynamic configuration with similar drivers set-up. It also has a metal shell but it uses a standard 2-pin connector.
• As for its sound signature, it has a warm, V-shaped which makes it a contrasting sounding to T2 MK.II that makes it more coloured and musical sounding. It has more pronounced bass response, a recessed yet warmer midrange, and a less brighter treble response with meagre airy extension.
• Regarding its technical performance, compared to the T2 MK.II, KAILUA has a smaller sound/speaker staging, not so defined instrument separation and layering, and less resolving on resolution capability particularly micro-dynamics.

CCA DUO

• CCA's answer to last year's answer on the popular trend of releasing dual dynamic drivers set-up on IEMs at the entry-level segment. It uses 2 micro dynamic drivers rather than the usual implementation of dynamic drivers in different sizes. It has a composite shell chassis and still uses the QDC-type connector just like all CCA and KZ sets.
• The DUO has a mild U-shaped sound signature as it has more focus on sub-bass response but mid-bass texturing is ample enough, a bit recessed but linear and energetic midrange, either smooth or brighter treble response depending on ear tips you are using. It has a decent brilliance extension if using silicone ear tips but at the expense of instances of piercing and shrill sound on female vocals.
• As for technicalities, the DUO has a smaller dimensionality in terms of sound/speaker staging but it has good height and depth, good layering capabilities and somehow, it has similar sharpness on micro-detailing aspect.

To conclude this product assessment, it seems that TINHIFI is quite conservative on how they will market this set as it is more of a recurrence of their previous highly regarded product as it still follows its tuning philosophy and design language. To be honest, I'm a bit of a fan of the previous T2 as it was also one of the few sets that aimed toward a neutral sound back then.

To whom I will recommend this set? if you are a type of an audio enthusiast who wants a neutral-sounding set that is quite affordable at the entry-level pricing segment. I'm glad to recommend this one to you as it sounds clean and clear sounding with good resolving capabilities.

TINHIFI T2 MK.II is now available at LINSOUL, check out the unaffiliated link below.


★★TINHIFI T2 MK.II -LINSOUL★★


For more TINHIFI product reviews, just visit the product catalogues with links down.


■ TINHIFI T2 DLC

■ TINHIFI C2

■ TINHIFI C3

■ TINHIFI C5

■ TINHIFI C0 ELF





SPECIFICATION:

MODEL: TINHIFI T2 MK.II
IMPEDANCE: 16Ω
SENSITIVITY: 103dB
FREQUENCY RESPONSE: 20Hz – 20KHz
CABLE LENGTH: 1.2m
PIN TYPE: MMCX-TYPE CONNECTOR
PLUG TYPE: 3.5mm
DRIVER UNIT(S): (2) DYNAMIC DRIVERS


Some Tracks Tested: ( * = 16-bit FLAC, ** = 24-bit FLAC, *'* = MQA, '*' = DSD, *'= .WAV)

Alison Krauss -When You Say Nothing At All *
Jade Wiedlin - Blue Kiss**
Led Zeppelin - When The Levee Breaks **
Mountain - Mississippi Queen *
Queen - Killer Queen **
Guns N' Roses - Patience *'*
Eric Clapton - Tears in Heaven '*'
Sergio Mendes- Never Gonna Let You Go '*'
Pearl Jam - Daughter **
Roselia - Hidamari Rhodonite *
Assassin - Fight (To Stop The Tyranny)*
Celtic Frost- Visual Aggression *
New Order - Blue Monday *
The Corrs- What Can I do (unplugged version) *
Jimi Hendrix Experience - Voodoo Child *
The Madness- Buggy Trousers *
Metallica - Motorbreath **
Mariah Carey- Always Be My Baby *
Destiny's Child - Say My Name *
Malice Mizer- Au Revoir *
Mozart - Lacrimosa *
New York Philharmonic Orchestra - Dvorak- Symphony 9 " From the New World." *
Eva Cassidy - Fields of Gold (Sting cover)*
Michael Jackson - Give In To Me *
Exciter - Violence and Force *
Diana Krall - Stop This World **
Debbie Gibson - Foolish Beat *'*
The Sisters of Mercy – Lucretia My Reflection**
Suzanne Vega – Luka **
Lauren Christy – Steep *
Ottoman Mehter - Hucum Marsi *
Diana Damrau - Mozart: Die Zauberflöte*
Type O Negative - Black No.1 *
Felix Ayo - Vivaldi: Presto **
Three Tenors - Nessum Dorma *
Mercyful Fate - Witches' Dance *

P.S.

I am not affiliated to TINHIFI  nor receive monetary incentives and financial gains as they provide me a review unit for an exchange of factual and sincere feedback from yours truly.

Once again, I would like to send my gratitude to MS. KAREENA TANG of LINSOUL for providing this review unit. I truly appreciate her generosity and trust towards me and other reviewers.

“It's easy to play any musical instrument: all you have to do is touch the right key at the right time and the instrument will play itself.”


~~Johann Sebastian Bach, German composer and musician in the Baroque Period.


In this new era of digital revolution, where mobile multimedia devices are ubiquitous, portable audio technology is also evolving to meet people's needs to experience high-fidelity sound from a compact mobile device they can roam around with. With the advancing elimination of the headphone jack from smartphones (they weren't much good anyway, say most audiophiles), dedicated portable DAPs (digital audio players) are growing out from being a niche product to become mainstream offerings, offering with their vast dedicated audio circuitry sound quality that one would never have found on smartphones anyway, jack or no jack.



This is actually my third review of a HIBY DAP as I did some reviews from their entry-level up to the midrange models and I find them all excellent in terms of pricing and performance. And now, I want to present their latest TOTL, flagship DAP, The HIBY R8 II.



The HIBY R8 II is the flagship-level android-based premium DAP in their R series, and this is indeed a step-up from their R6 PRO II. The R series introduces some new design language for the modern look of their devices. While this is not the most expensive DAP from HIBY as the HIBY RS8 still takes the crown on that category, R8 II is also a device that should be noted as premium yet less pricey that it has some new features that makes this device more fresh.



The overall construction of the HIBY R8 II is quite robust and solid as it is made of high quality stainless steel with an exquisite synthetic fabric which are usually implemented on interiors of some luxury or sports cars and premium furniture pieces, the Alcantara. The stainless steel chassis applied is surgical-grade, known to have a high tensile strength and better corrosion resistance compared to standard steel while the Alcantara fabric offers a premium-feel with its softness, fussiness and napped-finish texture at the back with an embossed print of “Designed by Hiby). The colour of this device that I have is the Preussisch blau (Prussian blue) variant one which is actually my favourite colour blue out there due to its association with the Prussian military colour which I am also an avid reader of European history.



At the left side panel, the volume keys were situated there while at the opposite side panel, there's the micro-SD slot along with a power button with LED indicator and another set of key buttons for pause/play and previous/forward. Meanwhile on its screen part, It has a HD LCD screen of 2160 x1080p in 2:1 aspect with oleophobic coating which makes the screen have a more punchy and vivid colour to make it more visually appealing.



At the bottom part of this device, there we can find the output interfaces and USB-C port. Regarding its output interfaces, there are two sets of 3.5mm and 4.4mm balanced audio jacks and each of these jacks were placed vertically along with the 3.2 rated USB-C port is placed at the centre and it serves as an outlet for charging and sync with quick charge and PD support up to 20W and a 10Gbps transfer speed. The reason of why there are four audio jacks on this device because each of them are linked into different kind of audio output transmission, the PO (Power Output) at the left part which have a low impedance output enough to drive IEMs, earbuds, headphones and loudspeakers, and the LO (Line Out) at the right part which have high impedance output and constantly emitting a high level of voltage signal which are more suitable for devices with high input of resistance like amplifiers. It should be noted that all ports are gold-plated for better conductivity and resistance to corrosion.



As for its internal part and components, the HIBY R8 II has a discrete 16-way PWM (Pulse Width Modulation) - constructed Delta Sigma DAC with a DARWIN MPA (Multiphase Array) DSP architecture. This type of technology seems to further improve the performance of frequencies to be more consistent and precise compared to standard Delta-sigma based DACs which are known to have inconsistent levels of modulation that needs some other parts precision for a proper performance on its digital filters and analogue circuitry. These drastic improvements will somehow give a more accurate and natural music playback with its innovative DARWIN digital filter that oversamples on PCM data at 128x with its high speed MPA DAC while maintaining a superb power efficiency. And also, it is capable of higher quality anti-aliasing while oversampling than the other DARWIN units from HIBY thus far (RS6, RS8 for example), with a fully configurable first-stage 2x oversampled AA filter (just like the other Darwin DAPs), but of 1024 taps filter length compared to the 256 taps for the previous models.




For more technical information, check out Zeppelin and Co.'s more in-depth detail on this technology here.


The performance of this DAC in terms of encoding audio data formats, it supports PCM's maximum bitrate and sampling rate up to 32-bit/1536kHz while on DSD format, it is capable to decode up to DSD1024 which are quite mind blowing visually. I almost forgot to mention that this device still supports MQA-format and it can unfold some data up to 16x.



Aside from DAC, it also has some high quality audio capacitors along with high capacity tantalum capacitors for a detailed sound quality while retaining its analogue-ish characteristics. It also has a pair of high frequency precision crystal oscillators for better timing accuracy on its digital audio samplings at atomic clock level.



On its amplification, this device has a class-A amplification were driven by Analog Devices’ dual-drivered ADA4624-2 op amps which are known to have an optimal performance on providing high voltage, high gain and low noise application for zero crossover distortion and faster transient responses in which was also supported with 16 custom transistors. On the other type of amplification, its class-AB amplification was handled by three Texas Instrument OPA1612 op amps which have lower amplification enough for low impedance, high sensitivity devices which yields better conserving power output for longer battery life and better thermal control.



All internal circuitry that this device has, from DA to postamp circuits, each of them are independently electrified by either DC/DC transformers, inductors or regulators, which makes this one even more stable on its operation.



The HIBY R8 II is powered by an 8-core midrange chipset, the Qualcomm's Snapdragon 665 which has a maximum processing speed up to 2 Ghz which is quite enough on this device for multitasking and a fairly snappy software performance. This device also has internal memory storage of 256 GB which can be extended via micro-SD and an 8 GB of RAM for software tasks and operation.




Its bluetooth version is 5.0 and it can support more advanced bluetooth audio codec like LDAC, APTX, APTX-HD and HIBY's proprietary UAT codec. This device also has a dual band Wi-Fi, a 2.4 GHz and 5GHz for fast, consistent and stable internet connectivity for music streaming and it should be noted that it also supports DLNA/Airplay/ WiFi music download and upload.



As for battery capacity, this device has a whopping 12000mAh/3.8V which is shielded with pure copper plating for heat dissipation and we can used it for almost half a day in a normal usage depending on some factors like amplification output and gain mode, volume listening levels, screen brightness and streaming music online and it should be noted that activating the Turbo Mode will even take a hit for more battery consumption.



On the software side, The R8 II has an Android 12 operating system which was heavily modified to tailor HIBY's specifics for audio improvements and customisations and also to control some of its internal components via executing some simple software command. It also has a system-wide bit perfect audio from a stock app up to the third-party apps.



As for its visual interface, on its status and notification bar, it still has a look of an Android UI in which retains some of its features like Brightness control, Internet, Bluetooth and Auto-rotate but it add some features the HIBY specifically tailored for their devices like Audio Settings, Darwin Controller, Gain mode settings and Amplifier-Type. And also, HIBY has its own file management system with more advanced features.



Under the Audio setting section, there is the Amplifier Operation, Turbo mode, Gain, Plugins, MSEB, PEQ, DSD gain compensation, Channel balanced, MQA decoder, Spdif digital volume lock and USB digital volume lock.



On DARWIN controller, there you can find its advance settings on its low-pass digital settings, Here are the following settings:


Darwin Default - Offers high frequency bandwidth and exemplary SAF* rejection for exemplary performance according to regular definitions of audio performance. Also does not have any pre-ringing of ultrasonic cutoff frequencies.**

Linear Phase Sharp Rolloff - Similar to Darwin Default, but with zero phase shift across all frequencies, in exchange for pre-ringing of ultrasonic cutoff frequencies, which may be more audible than post-ringing, owing to uneven auditory masking for humans before and after an impulse. (Ringing is equal in amount to Darwin default but distributed equally between pre- and post- ringing).**

Linear Phase Sharp Late Rolloff - Offers further high frequency extension with slightly less SAF rejection which is fine for earphones with exemplary high frequency fidelity. Also has zero phase shift across all frequencies, in exchange for pre-ringing of ultrasonic cutoff frequencies, which may be more audible than post-ringing, owing to uneven auditory masking for humans before and after an impulse.

Linear Phase Short Ring - Offers shorter pre- and post-ringing of ultrasonic cutoff frequencies for better-defined transients in exchange for lower high frequency bandwidth. The treble is more mellow and "analogue". Also has zero phase shift across all frequencies, in exchange for pre-ringing of ultrasonic cutoff frequencies, which may be more audible than post-ringing, owing to uneven auditory masking for humans before and after an impulse. (Ringing is less than Darwin default but distributed equally between pre- and post- ringing).**

Linear Phase Short Ring Late Rolloff - Offers shorter pre- and post-ringing of ultrasonic cutoff frequencies for better-defined transients and does not lose high frequency bandwidth. Has lower SAF rejection instead. The treble is more pin-point accurate if played from earphones with exemplary high-frequency fidelity. Also has zero phase shift across all frequencies, in exchange for pre-ringing of ultrasonic cutoff frequencies, which may be more audible than post-ringing, owing to uneven auditory masking for humans before and after an impulse. (Ringing is less than Darwin default but distributed equally between pre- and post- ringing).**

Minimum Phase Sharp Rolloff - Compared to Darwin Default, offers shorter post-ringing of ultrasonic cutoff frequencies for better-defined transients and does not lose high frequency bandwidth. Has lower SAF rejection instead. The treble is more pin-point accurate if played from earphones with exemplary high-frequency fidelity. Does not have any pre-ringing of ultrasonic cutoff frequencies, and post-ringing is less than the fast-roll off filters.**

Minimum Phase Sharp Late Rolloff - Compared to Darwin Default, offers further high frequency extension with slightly less SAF rejection which is fine for earphones with exemplary high-frequency fidelity. Also does not have any pre-ringing of ultrasonic cutoff frequencies.**

Minimum Phase Short Ring - Compared to Darwin Default, offers shorter post-ringing of ultrasonic cutoff frequencies for better-defined transients and does not lose high frequency bandwidth. Has lower SAF rejection instead. The treble is more pin-point accurate if played from earphones with exemplary high-frequency fidelity. Does not have any pre-ringing of ultrasonic cutoff frequencies, and post-ringing is less than the fast-roll off filters.**

Minimum Phase Short Ring Late Rolloff - Compared to Darwin Default, offers shorter post-ringing of ultrasonic cutoff frequencies for better-defined transients in exchange for lower high frequency bandwidth. The treble is more mellow and "analogue". Does not have any pre-ringing of ultrasonic cutoff frequencies, and post-ringing is less than the fast-roll off filters.**

0th Order Hold NOS - one of 3 possible implementations of an "NOS" result, other than the actual NOS switch. Applies 0th-order hold of original signal to upsampled output resulting in the classic "stair step" waveform response of most "NOS" systems (including also the actual NOS switch also available). No pre- or post- ringing. Has slow and widely rolled off highs, owing to the physics of 0th-order hold, which also offers some (very little) SAF rejection. Sound is more mellow, "analog" than all filters (except no. 11), if not distorted by SAF-IMD.**

Darwin Ultra - based on long experience with R2R, NOS vs D-S, OS, we crafted the ideal oversampling filter for analog sound lovers. It has the same audible characteristics as the smoothest NOS filter (1st-order interpolation), while taking full advantage of the fidelity-increasing SAF rejection capabilities offered by oversampling. Even the phase response is a new secret sauce that is superior to both minimum phase and linear phase.**



Note: **- the information on each filter was provided by Mr. Joseph Yeung, a representative of HIBY, credits to his effort on this in-depth explanation.

On gain mode level, this device offers three (3) gain mode options, low gain, medium gain and high gain modes, each gain mode corresponds with signal and noise level based on the sensitivity tolerance of each set that the higher gain mode on driving a sensitive set, we might encounter some audible hiss.

In regards to MSEB, this feature was HIBY's proprietary advanced software algorithm feature that combines parametric equalisation and sound field adjustments. This feature is quite beneficial for audio enthusiasts who have their own sound target preference to customise it in a more convenient and ease of operating its functionality. This feature is also fully integrated into their HIBY MUSIC app.



The Turbo mode appears to give more sharper definition on note attacks on instruments and a bit tighter and even more incisive bass response.

About its stock player, HIBY installed a professional version of their proprietary music app, The HIBY Music app, which was considered as one of the best music players in mobile app space due its advanced features like theme, advanced parametric equalisers and an online streaming support.



The product packaging of HIBY R8 II is a large rectangular-shaped packaging box and it is quite pretty well-presented and the contents are well-organised in a manner that a premium DAP could only offer.




Here are the following contents inside of HIBY's packaging box:

• The HIBY R8 II DAP
• A premium opaque TPU case with Alcantra fabric on each side panel.
• USB Type-C to Type-C cable.
• Extra screen protector
• Some paperwork

In terms of tonal qualities, The HIBY R8 II has a warmish-neutral sound that makes them sound more natural, well-balanced on representing each frequency tone while maintaining a surprising transparency and more accurate tonal colour. But given it DARWIN digital filters, it somehow affects some marginal changes of its high frequency response



In my testing settings, I turn on the turbo mode, a stock DARWIN Default filter, low gain mode and a class AB mode as I believe that it is more doable based on my preferred set-up and usage.

I'm using some of the IEMs that were considered as neutral-sounding ones or just slightly coloured sounding a bit. Here are the following sets:

• HIBY Crystal 6 Mk.II
• LETSHUOER CADENZA 12
• LETSHUOER EJ07M
• LETSHUOER EJ09
• AFUL PERFORMER 8
• AFUL MAGICONE
• BQEYZ WINTER
• BQEYZ WIND
• KINERA IDUN GOLDEN
• TINHIFI T2 Mk.II

As for its sound profile, same as my initial impression, the HIBY R8 II has that warmish-neutral sound profile that both analogue and digital music lovers have a common ground to like its overall tuning. It will deliver the closest and a quite faithful reproduction on both vocals and instruments in an exceptional natural tone on them while maintaining a smoothness and well-texture for more engaging and musical experience.


LOWS/BASS:

This device is very capable of delivering a sufficient punchiness, deepness and tactility in its bass response. It retains a clean, precise and accuracy that this device is able to project without adding unnecessary colouration.

The sub-bass presence is fairly perceived if some instruments like low tone bass guitars, octabasses, synthesisers and drum machines that I usually experience it from genres like old school hip-hop, classic rock and synthpops. On the mid-bass presentation, it has an ample texture just to give a well-balanced note density on instruments like bass guitars, bass trumpets, viola, cello, bass kick drums and bass clarinets, and on male vocals like bass up to bass-baritone.


MIDRANGE:

While having a neutral and linear midrange, it has a hint of warmth with a good texture to add a tad of lushness and richness on vocals and instruments while having a transparent and resolving sound quality. It has this analogue-ish characteristic that somehow defines its organic sound.

Male vocals are properly textured with good depth and volume as it gives a gruff, deep and well-modulated sound on baritones, tenors and countertenors. On female vocals, contraltos have rich and smoky voices while mezzo-sopranos have sweet and soothing vocals, and then sopranos have these ethereal and hypnotic voices as they sound silvery and silky.

On instruments, all instruments sounds natural and realistic as the brass instruments like trumpets, trombones and horns sound stately, full and warm subsequently while on woodwinds instruments, piccolos sounds graceful, concert flutes have rich and ethereal sound, clarinets have expressive sound and saxophones have sonorous and velvety sound. Strings like guitars, violins and harps, there's a well-balanced sound with a good presence of overtones on acoustic guitars while violins have a lively and clear sound, and then, harps have crystalline and resonant sound on them. As for percussive instruments, snares have precise and clear sound, tom-toms have warm and resonant sound, field drums have venerable and full sound and kettledrums have rumbly and velvety sound on them. Pianos seem to have an even, well-balanced with just the right amount of warmth on their sound.


HIGHS/TREBLE:

The treble response that this set is able to deliver is quite energetic, pretty lucid with a good amount of airy extension. Despite some noticeable evenness and smoothness on its character overall, it can execute a well-defined vocal projection and well-rendered attack of rhythmic and percussive instruments.

Treble-focus instruments like cymbals, hi-hats, glockenspiels and celestas have a precise, delineated and accurate timbre on them as they sound almost life-like.


SOUNDSTAGE, IMAGING AND OTHER TECHNICALITIES:

With a moniker of “Portable Concert Hall”, this DAP truly delivers on how it projects a spacious, well-layered and atmospheric sound/speaker stage dimension that when pairing it to some sets with superb technical capabilities will be even more improved in terms of openness and probably will reach a pinnacle of technical excellence that you rarely encountered on a portable audio set-up.

This device gives a clean, pitch black background on its sonic canvas where I was able to pinpoint the exact location of instruments and vocals in a perceived soundscape that makes this one truly at the top of the line level. It has an excellent resolution as it has solid and well-textured macro-dynamics while it has well-defined and decently sharp on micro-detail retrieval as it is capable to project a plenty amount of subtleties and nuances like vocal ends, perceived spatial cues reverberations and notation attacks of instruments like strumming of string guitars, reverberating effect on hitting the drum head, bow gripping of note strings on violins, cellos etc.


PEER COMPARISONS:

SONY WM1Z (DEMO)

• This was probably the first TOTL DAP that I've ever encountered as I've started delving seriously towards more audio enthusiasm around 2018 as I wondered why this device was so expensive at that time. Compared to the R8 II, it has a smaller screen-size, appears to use a heavily Linux distro, a more intuitive and logical placement of buttons and is somehow lighter. It only has a single 4.4mm balanced and 3.5mm single ended which were placed on each side with lesser power output.
• As for its tonal profile, this is probably the most liked Sony DAP in my opinion as it has a balanced-warmish tuning in which make this one is quite a refinement among the Sony DAPs even to the modern models although it still follows the in-house sound of Sony in which as I have some qualms on it as it sound too coloured in my liking. It has a more warmer and lusher due to its more textured note weight on both bass and midrange frequencies, therefore, it sounds more coloured compared to R8II.
• Technicalities-wise, I don't see this device as a very technical sounding one to be honest as it focuses more on its distinctive in-house sound rather than having competent technical capabilities. It doesn't have a wide lateral width span on its sound field but it has a good depth. Separation and layering of this DAP is on above-average that doesn't have a standout feature.

ASTELL & KERN SP1000 (DEMO)

• One of the first TOTL DAPs from A&K that I've tested. Like all A&K DAPs, this device has an irregular chassis design but it appears durable and looks sophisticated due its carbon-fibre cover in its rear part. It is made of stainless steel with a volume control wheel that I really preferred. It has a smaller screen size and for balanced output, it only has a 2.5mm balanced port as A&K usually implemented at that time. Like the R8II, it has a heavily modified Android OS and a large capacity of internal memory storage of 256 GB. It uses an AKM DAC with a good amount of power output but not on par with R8 II which has more power output.
• Regarding its tonality, I can definitely attesting that this DAP has a neutral-ish-bright sound signature as I've tested it many times every time I've visited the hi-fi store that I'm hanging out with, and in my thoughts it sounds like a typical ESS DAC rather than lush and velvety characteristics of most AKM DACs that some of my dongles and smartphone have. Compared to the R8 II, it has a tighter bass response, crisper and brighter midrange and a more energetic treble response that makes it more sparkling.
• As for technical performance, SP1000 appears to be more analytical in nature on how it projects a quite well-defined layering and excellent separation of elements in a fairly spacious sound/speaker stage. It has a sharper micro-detail retrieval but its macro-dynamics appears to be on a leaner side.

LOTOO PAW GOLD TOUCH

• This is actually my favourite reference TOTL DAP as it impresses me up to now. It has a more compact chassis design on which its material is made of aluminium alloy and it uses an AKM flagship DAC but in terms of decoding capability, the PCM decoding of this is quite limited as it is only capable up to 768kHz on paper. It has a 4.4mm balanced and 3.5mm single-ended that can be switched on either PO or LO configuration which both have good power output in my opinion. And also, it has a volume roller which is quite smooth and snappy on operating it at the top part which makes it more accessible to adjust desired volume level. On software, it uses a modified linux OS for better customisation and more coherent UI to use.
• In regards to its tonal aspect, as I mentioned before, this device is my reference sound profile. It has balanced-neutral sound that makes it almost uncoloured sounding while maintaining an excellent resolution while having a well-delineated definition of its overall sound quality. Bass response is well-rendered for its punchiness while making it well-segregated to have a sense of tidiness on it, then a linear yet transparent.with sufficiently textured and well-detailed midrange presentation and a neutral and yet quite airy treble response.
• Technical performance appears to be LOTOO PAW GOLD TOUCH's one of its strongest asset as it has a quite a bit larger sound/speaker stage compared to R8II but the rest of its technical aspects appears to be on par or slightly better on both DAPs if I compared it side by side.

As I conclude my assessment of this device, HIBY R8 II truly delivers a performance befitting for a top of the line, flagship device that we have seen recently. The way of the execution on how this device was constructed with such refined craftsmanship along with the implementation of some of the innovative features to deliver the best possible sound quality with superior technical capabilities that a digital audio player could have.

A breakthrough of its proprietary delta-sigma DAC that HIBY painstakingly and meticulously developed shows the level of dedication on its research and development on how it was able to overcome the physical hurdles of a typical delta-sigma DACs in terms of complex processing, harmonic errors, signal output and modulation.

With its moniker “Portable Concert Hall'', it isn't just a mere marketing stunt but rather a reality that this device is capable of. And to think that in the realm of TOTL flagship DAPs, HIBY R8 II pricing should be considered and with its feature-rich qualities that this device has, its asking price is justified enough on it.

HIBY R8 II is now available at HIBY’s official store, I'll provide an unaffiliated link below.

★★ HIBY R8 II - OFFICIAL STORE ★★

For more reviews of HIBY products, check out my previous reviewers on their products before.

■ HIBY CRYSTAL 6 Mk.II

■ HIBY R6 PRO II

■ HIBY R3 II

■ HIBY YVAIN

Some Tracks Tested: ( * = 16-bit FLAC, ** = 24-bit FLAC, *'* = MQA, '*' = DSD, *'= .WAV)

Alison Krauss -When You Say Nothing At All *
Jade Wiedlin - Blue Kiss**
Led Zeppelin - When The Levee Breaks **
Mountain - Mississippi Queen *
Queen - Killer Queen **
Guns N' Roses - Patience *'*
Eric Clapton - Tears in Heaven '*'
Sergio Mendes- Never Gonna Let You Go '*'
Pearl Jam - Daughter **
Roselia - Hidamari Rhodonite *
Assassin - Fight (To Stop The Tyranny)*
Celtic Frost- Visual Aggression *
New Order - Blue Monday *
The Corrs- What Can I do (unplugged version) *
Jimi Hendrix Experience - Voodoo Child *
The Madness- Buggy Trousers *
Metallica - Motorbreath **
Mariah Carey- Always Be My Baby *
Destiny's Child - Say My Name *
Malice Mizer- Au Revoir *
Mozart - Lacrimosa *
New York Philharmonic Orchestra - Dvorak- Symphony 9 " From the New World." *
Eva Cassidy - Fields of Gold (Sting cover)*
Michael Jackson - Give In To Me *
Exciter - Violence and Force *
Diana Krall - Stop This World **
Debbie Gibson - Foolish Beat *'*
The Sisters of Mercy – Lucretia My Reflection**
Suzanne Vega – Luka **
Lauren Christy – Steep *
Ottoman Mehter - Hucum Marsi *
Diana Damrau - Mozart: Die Zauberflöte*
Type O Negative - Black No.1 *
Felix Ayo - Vivaldi: Presto **
Three Tenors - Nessum Dorma *
Mercyful Fate - Witches' Dance *

P.S.

I am not affiliated to HIBY MUSIC nor receive monetary incentives and financial gains as they provide me a review unit for an exchange of factual and sincere feedback from yours truly.

Once again, I would like to send my gratitude to JOSEPH YEUNG of HIBY MUSIC for providing this review unit. I truly appreciate his generosity and trust towards me and other reviewers.

POOWWWEEERRRR!!!

~~Terry Crews in an old Old Spice commercial.


FOSI AUDIO is one of the few audio companies out there that offers some of their products that truly signifies that price to performance statement on how they manage to construct them meticulously. They usually specialise in producing amplifiers and preamps, and they were able to offer at a very affordable price.



I actually did a review on their product before and I still have a pending item to review from them. What I have here right now to be feature in this review article is their latest Desktop DAC/ headphone amp, The FOSI AUDIO SK02.



The SK02 is a desktop-grade headphone amplifier in which its overall construction is quite solid yet compact as it allows me to carry it anywhere due to its balanced weight for a desktop amp. It has an elongated square shape chassis made of solid aluminium alloy which underwent a process via CNC milling and its surface which were sandblasted to achieve that matte-like finish.



At the top panel, there are some buttons for gain and input modes, some levels of LED indicators for gain display, PCM sampling rates, DSD sampling rates, volume level status and power indicator that were aligned horizontally, and a large multifunctional knob use to adjust for volume control on clockwise/counterclockwise and clicks for basic command functions.



On gain modes, it offers two modes that will be beneficial for headphones and earphones with different power output requirements from very sensitive IEMs up to the power hungry cans with magnetic planar drivers. These modes are low gain and high gain mode, and the difference between two modes are quite a stark contrast in terms of power output delivery, I usually use the low gain mode as the majority of my sets are usually IEM earphones. On the left part, the PCM sampling rate LED indicators are arrayed in a perpendicular fashion and it has some levels of sampling rate from the maximum rating of 384kHz down to a standard 44.1kHz. And on the opposite right side, there are DSD sampling rate LED indicators that were arranged in a similar manner below the input mode indicators like optical mode and USB mode. The DSD sampling rates that have LED display status are DSD64, DSD128 and DSD256 which are more than enough as my collection of DSD files are usually in either DSD 64 or DSD128 format. The volume level status indicator depends on the intensity of flashing lights of magenta colour, the more that we increase its amplitude, the more intensity of blinking lights it occurs. Then below the volume level indicator, there's the power mode indicator that was situated there.



The large knob is used for volume adjustment depending on the loudness level of your choosing. As for click commands that I have mentioned a while ago, a single click is for play/pause, double-clicks for mute/unmute and a long press for 3 seconds on power on/off. It should be noted that command clicks won't work on optical signal connection mode except for the long press one.



At the rear part of this device, there's the power/USB Type-C input port for USB connectivity for PCs, laptops, TVs and other devices and it is also used as a pre-amps pairing it with speakers or amplifiers. The other ports are optical input for TOSLINK-supported devices in which my majority of testing is conducted in this manner and an 3.5mm AUX port for analogue signal output.



And in the front part, there are two types of audio output interfaces that were implemented here, the standard 3.5mm single ended headphone jack and a 4.4mm balanced headphone jack. The 3.5mm headphone jack power output rating is quite powerful and robust as it is capable of delivering a 280mW@32 ohms at high gain mode while the 4.4mm balanced output can deliver up to 1.62W@32 ohms in high gain mode.



Regarding its internal parts, FOSI AUDIO did implement a flagship ESS reference DAC Chip, The ES9038Q2M which is known for its reliability and high performance. The ES9038Q2M is a capable 2-channel stereo DAC with its vaunted proprietary 32-bit Hyperstream architecture with clock jitter eliminator which enables it to deliver a clear, distortion-free audio signal output with a less demanding power consumption. Aside from a high performance DAC, it uses a separate headphone op/amp, SGMicro SGM8262 which is a high speed operation amplifier with low noise and voltage feedback functionality which gives a substantial load of output swing for better linearity and improving its dynamic range performance.



As for product packaging, like all FOSI AUDIO products, the device and with other contents was put in a protective styrofoam in a rather minimalist packaging box.



Here are the contents inside of FOSI AUDIO packaging box:

• FOSI AUDIO SK02 desktop headphone amplifier
• A long Type-C to Type-C USB cable
• Instruction manual

This desktop amplifier will be normally used for decoding audio codecs from PCs, laptops and other multi-media consoles if you use its type-C input as its connection. But if you are using this in your smartphone like a typical USB DAC/amp dongle, it will definitely won't work at all as this device needs a required input voltage of DC 5 volts just to power this one. The majority of the duration of its testing phase of this device will be in optical mode in which I will connect it to QUESTYLE QP2R DAP which has TOSLINK support for analogue connectivity, so it will serve as an amplifier. I will also share some insights on how this device will perform as a desktop DAC when I tested it on my mate’s laptop.



Furthermore, to conduct a test, I will use a variety of IEMs in my collection from warmish-neutral LETSHUOER CADENZA 12, SEE AUDIO BRAVERY RED and BQEYZ WIND, a DF-neutral like LETSHUOER EJ07, reference-neutral sets like KINERA IDUN GOLDEN, HIBY CRYSTAL 6 II and LETSHUOER EJ09, a mild U-shaped AFUL PERFORMER 8, A warm sounding ORIVETI OD200 and lastly, some balanced-neutral sets like LETSHUOER EJ07M, AFUL MAGICONE and BQEYZ WINTER.

The sound impression that this device is able to deliver is a reference-neutral sound which has more emphasis on midrange and high frequencies to give that bright, crisp and detailed sound quality.




LOWS/BASS:

The device is able to deliver a precise, rumbly and incisive sound with a very little colouration as it maintains a tidy bass response that is well-segregated from other frequencies.

While it maintains a sub-bass presence just to exhibit if a certain track requires more reverberation, its mid-bass appears to be quite linear but it is enough to give an ample amount of texture for bass-focus instruments and bass-baritones vocals.


MIDRANGE:

My initial impression on how the midrange presentation is transparent, neutral and energetic as it gives more articulation, clarity and silvery vocals, mainly on female types and some instruments.

If I paired it with warmer sounding IEMs, it just gives more clarity on male vocals to sound more expressive and some detail on its vocal ends in which tenors and countertenors will sound more brassy and musky respectively. As I mentioned that female vocals will benefited more on this one especially if I pair it with reference-neutral tuning sets as it adds more emotive and fiery sound on mezzo-sopranos while the energetic nature of this device will give a more gleaming and shimmering on sopranos as it sounds so open that it project its highest note range.

On instruments, it adds some richness and crispness tones of some instruments particularly on some strings, percussions and woodwinds as it still sounds natural but more detailed on its timbre. Once again, if I pair it with warmer or balanced-neutral sounding sets, it has a very little to none amount of colouration on some brass and percussives that will sound marginally negligible into my ears at all.


HIGHS/TREBLE:

Treble response of this one is definitely bright with a lot of detail, sparkling and quite well-extended.

Pairing it with reference-neutral sets which have more emphasis on upper-mids up to the brilliance part of the treble region will be more accentuated so that it will have more definition and clarity.


OVERALL TECHNICAL PERFORMANCE:

This device is quite analytical in that aspect as it will deliver a more resolving sound in a clean pitch black sonic background. It is able to project a rather spacious stereo imaging with a well-layered of frequency and dynamic tones in a sonic canvas. Separation of instruments is quite remarkable as it has a good gap and spacing on each element.

Resolution capabilities of this one is outstanding as it is able to deliver well-textured macro-dynamics while its micro-dynamics is exceptional as it has a sharper definition on extracting nuances, subtleties and intricacies of note textures from an audio source.


There will be no peer comparisons section as I don't have any desktop amplifier aside from this unit. But I did test some iFi like Zens, S.M.S.L. desktop amps in which I forget its model and Chord Mojo and I find them more coloured sounding due to their warm and analogue-ish nature.


To sum up my assessment in regards to this product, FOSI AUDIO continues to impress me even more that this device performs beyond my expectation. So what are my takes about this one, first one is the desktop amplifier is quite solid for its build construction while maintaining a balanced weight. Second one is pricing which is quite affordable and reasonable for its performance. Third one is its overall sound quality as it has a robust and powerful amplification on its power output while maintaining a neutral and analytical sound. And last but not the least, was its versatility that I can even use it in both modern and analogue audio desktop gears. To whom will I recommend this one? My best answer is for audio enthusiasts who keep pursuing more high-fidelity audio with a very competent technical performance but their budget is rather limited.

FOSI AUDIO SK02 is now available at HIFIGO, ALIEXPRESS and AMAZON. Check out my unaffiliated links that I've provided below:


★★FOSI AUDIO SK02 - HIFIGO★★

★★FOSI AUDIO SK02 - ALIEXPRESS★★

★★FOSI AUDIO SK02 - AMAZON (US)★★

★★FOSI AUDIO SK02 - AMAZON (JP)★★


For my previous review of a FOSI AUDIO product, click the link below to know more about the company.

■ FOSI AUDIO MC101





SPECIFICATION:

Some Tracks Tested: ( * = 16-bit FLAC, ** = 24-bit FLAC, *'* = MQA, '*' = DSD, *'= .WAV)

Alison Krauss -When You Say Nothing At All *
Jade Wiedlin - Blue Kiss**
Led Zeppelin - When The Levee Breaks **
Mountain - Mississippi Queen *
Queen - Killer Queen **
Guns N' Roses - Patience *'*
Eric Clapton - Tears in Heaven '*'
Sergio Mendes- Never Gonna Let You Go '*'
Pearl Jam - Daughter **
Roselia - Hidamari Rhodonite *
Assassin - Fight (To Stop The Tyranny)*
Celtic Frost- Visual Aggression *
New Order - Blue Monday *
The Corrs- What Can I do (unplugged version) *
Jimi Hendrix Experience - Voodoo Child *
The Madness- Buggy Trousers *
Metallica - Motorbreath **
Mariah Carey- Always Be My Baby *
Destiny's Child - Say My Name *
Malice Mizer- Au Revoir *
Mozart - Lacrimosa *
New York Philharmonic Orchestra - Dvorak- Symphony 9 " From the New World." *
Eva Cassidy - Fields of Gold (Sting cover)*
Michael Jackson - Give In To Me *
Exciter - Violence and Force *
Diana Krall - Stop This World **
Debbie Gibson - Foolish Beat *'*
The Sisters of Mercy – Lucretia My Reflection**
Suzanne Vega – Luka **
Lauren Christy – Steep *
Ottoman Mehter - Hucum Marsi *
Diana Damrau - Mozart: Die Zauberflöte*



P.S.

I am not affiliated to FOSI AUDIO nor receive any monetary incentives and financial gains as they provide me a review unit for an exchange of factual and sincere feedback from yours truly.

Once again, I would like to send my gratitude to HIFIGO especially to MS. YUMU SONG and MS. LVY YAN for providing this review unit. I truly appreciate their generosity and trust towards me and other reviewers.

HIDIZS is one of the few audio companies out there that I really get along with. They are on the right path of success with the release of their products, the MS3, S9 Pro +: Martha and the one of the most acclaimed planar set out there, the MP145.



What I have here to feature in this review piece is their latest product, the HIDIZS SD2.This is HIDIZS’ budget-level DAC/amp dongle tailored specifically for portable audio enthusiasts who want a more compact form factor without compromising the sound quality while on the move.




The SD2's overall construction is made of aluminium alloy which is quite light and its unusual trapezoid shape has that mecha-inspired design that we are quite familiar with. It has an angular, 45° positioned 3.5mm headphone jack at the bottom part while a type-c connector is at top part in a perpendicular angle albeit a bit off-centre.



This device also has an LED indicator for sample rate just like all HIDIZS USB DAC/amp dongles but it only has 2 colour indications.

RED COLOUR - 44.1 - 48kHz PCM

BLUE COLOUR - 88.2 - 384kHz/ DSD64 - DSD128



This dongle offers a variety of adaptors, from lightning adaptor for older iPhone devices up to the USB type-a for PCs and laptops that make this dongle more versatile to almost all known modern multimedia devices. It is also noted the type-C connector will support all Android devices with said type of connector and a good news for users with the latest iPhones to enjoy apple music or any streaming services, this dongle can fully support it and it can even use its mic option and in-line control. The mic has a high definition output that can deliver a crisp and crystal clear vocal quality.




On its internal parts, HIDIZS implemented an older but reliable ESS DAC, the ES9270. This DAC has 2-stereo channels with built-in class G Sabre DAC capable of delivering a power output up to 2.0Vrms and it can support Hi-Res up to 32-bit 384KHz PCM and also, up to DSD128 on DSD or DoP. The power output of this dongle was rated to have a 70mW + 70mW at 32 ohms with an SNR of 118dB



On the software side, this device can support almost all known popular operating systems either in mobile or desktop format. And also, this device is compatible with the built-in EQ features of some popular music apps on android like UAPP, HiBy Music app and Neutron app.



On product packaging, it was packed in a small compact square box, and somehow, it offers some supporting accessories for SD2.



Here are the following contents, you can find inside of its packaging box:

• HIDIZS SD2 Dongle
• USB Type-C to USB Type-A adaptor
• USB Type-C to Apple lightning adaptor
• Paperwork like instruction manual and Q.C. stub

As a dongle with no built-in battery, this device will syphon some amount of power from its host device and its thermal handling is good as it is quite well-optimised to lessen heating. It drawn-off a minimal amount of power from my mobile devices so that I can use it for a longer listening session.



As for its sonic profile, the HIDIZS SD2 has a neutral sound with just a minimal amount of warmth to make it more a “balanced-neutral” sound.

I will pair this device on my sets with different shades of neutral sound profile like LETSHUOER EJ07M, LETSHUOER EJ09, AFUL MAGICONE, BQEYZ WINTER, HIBY CRYSTAL 6 II and LETSHUOER Cadenza 12.


LOWS/BASS:

Precise, punchy and lucid bass response that it is more than enough to deliver a well-balanced bass response on sets. It is quite capable of giving a rumbly sub-bass response and a slightly textured mid-bass that can adequately give an ample note on bass-focus instruments and deep male vocals like bass-baritones.


MIDRANGE:

The midrange is fairly neutral, linear, transparent and clean. It has a sufficient texture and energy for vocals and instruments to sound more natural and articulate without too much colouration.

Male vocals have some density and depth on any types of voices, from baritones and countertenors. With enough energy, it gives more crisp and clarity on some female vocals like mezzo-sopranos and sopranos. On instruments, they quite sound very organic with some detail on their distinctive timbre and tone.


HIGHS/TREBLE:

The treble appears to be well-balanced compared to some devices with an ESS DAC which has those “glaring” characteristics that might sound too digital. It has glosser treble response with just sufficient amount of sparkle and a moderate airy extension that won't give an exaggeration on colouration on high frequency that might be too piercing.


SOUNDSTAGE, IMAGING AND OTHER TECHNICALITIES:

ESS DACS are known to be very competent in this field aspect as sound/speaker can give that spacious and roomy head room in a sonic canvas with good stereo imaging presentation that can panned out cleanly the precise location of instruments and vocals in a soundscape.

Resolution capability of this set is excellent as it is able to retrieve some information on both macro-dynamics and micro-dynamics like notation attack, note textures and vocal ends.


PEER COMPARISONS:

HIDIZS S3

● This device has a circular compact design attached to a fixed cable with Type-C connector. Like all HIDIZS devices, it also has an LED indicator and an ESS DAC inside, the ES9281C. It has a MQA-support in which we can determine its unfolding mode when the LED light colour changes to a magenta.

● As for sound profile, it also has a neutral sound albeit if I compared it to SD2, its treble response is a tad bit brighter. The technical performance of this one is almost similar to the SD2 which is quite competent to deliver a perceived wide soundscape and good resolution capabilities in a clean sonic background.


It seems that HIDIZS will try to take some advantage of the current development of mobile technology that this device is aiming for. With this device, its compactness and performance at affordable and reasonable price will assure that its device will deliver a good sound quality in a compact form and will be easy to use and carry around. As its unusual design choice might be a concern to some users but I think this design choice is more doable and conducive for me as a person who is quite physically active that I was able to just insert this dongle into my mobile devices without any hassles like most dongles with detachable short cable dangling around during my brisk walking session.

Will I ever recommend this device as an alternative option? Certainly it is.

HIDIZS SD2 is now available at HIDIZS OFFICIAL STORE and also in AMAZON, check out the unaffiliated link below that I've provided.

★★HIDIZS SD2 - OFFICIAL STORE★★

★★HIDIZS SD2 - AMAZON★★

For more HIDIZS product reviews:


■ HIDIZS S9 PRO

■ HIDIZS XO

■ HIDIZS MS5

■ HIDIZS MS3

■ HIDIZS MP145

■ HIDIZS S9 PRO PLUS: MARTHA

SPECIFICATION:

DIMENSIONS: 34.5×20×10ｍｍ
DAC CHIP: ES9270
DSD: Native DSD64/128
PCM: Support up to 384kHz/32Bit
OUTPUT OPTIONS: Single-ended 3.5mm
SAMPLING RATE INDICATOR: Support
Red Color : PCM 44.1-48kHz
Blue Color: PCM 88.2-384kHz & DSD
SHELL MATERIAL: Aluminum alloy + Resin
TRANSMISSION INTERFACE: Type-C interface
SUPPORTED OPERATING SYSTEM: Android, Windows, Mac OS, iPad OS
Net weight: 6g
AUDIO PARAMETERS: Test Conditions @32Ω Load
FREQUENCY RESPONSE: 20Hz-40kHz
DISTORTION: PO (3.5): 0.0015%
SNR: PO (3.5): 118dB
SEPARATION: PO (3.5): 64dB
OUTPUT POWER: Up to 70mW+70mW SE 3.5mm


Some Tracks Tested: ( * = 16-bit FLAC, ** = 24-bit FLAC, *'* = MQA, '*' = DSD, *'= .WAV)

Alison Krauss -When You Say Nothing At All *
Jade Wiedlin - Blue Kiss**
Led Zeppelin - When The Levee Breaks **
Mountain - Mississippi Queen *
Queen - Killer Queen **
Guns N' Roses - Patience *'*
Eric Clapton - Tears in Heaven '*'
Sergio Mendes- Never Gonna Let You Go '*'
Pearl Jam - Daughter **
Roselia - Hidamari Rhodonite *
Assassin - Fight (To Stop The Tyranny)*
Celtic Frost- Visual Aggression *
New Order - Blue Monday *
The Corrs- What Can I do (unplugged version) *
Jimi Hendrix Experience - Voodoo Child *
The Madness- Buggy Trousers *
Metallica - Motorbreath **
Mariah Carey- Always Be My Baby *
Destiny's Child - Say My Name *
Malice Mizer- Au Revoir *
Mozart - Lacrimosa *
New York Philharmonic Orchestra - Dvorak- Symphony 9 " From the New World." *
Eva Cassidy - Fields of Gold (Sting cover)*
Michael Jackson - Give In To Me *
Exciter - Violence and Force *
Diana Krall - Stop This World **
Debbie Gibson - Foolish Beat *'*
The Sisters of Mercy – Lucretia My Reflection**
Suzanne Vega – Luka **
Lauren Christy – Steep *
Ottoman Mehter - Hucum Marsi *
Diana Damrau - Mozart: Die Zauberflöte*
Type O Negative - Black No.1 *
Felix Ayo - Vivaldi: Presto **
Three Tenors - Nessum Dorma *
Mercyful Fate - Witches' Dance *

P.S.

I am not affiliated to HIDIZS nor receive monetary incentives and financial gains as they provide me a review unit for an exchange of factual and sincere feedback from yours truly.

Once again, I would like to send my gratitude to MS. ZOIE HELLO for providing this review unit. I truly appreciate her generosity and trust towards me and other reviewers.

This review content will be quite special as this is actually my first assessment of a NICEHCK product. I've seen this audio brand before on some e-commerce sites that I've visited as they sold some upgraded cables, earbuds and IEMs like NX7, DB1 and DB3. It is said that this audio company is known for their high quality cables and I will also include their latest upgraded cable here in this review article.



What I have here right now is their latest entry-level hybrid driver configuration IEM, the NICEHCK DB2. As an IEM earphone with hybrid driver set-up, the DB2's internal was arrayed with one dynamic driver and one balanced armature driver. The dynamic driver that was implemented here is a 10mm high quality magnet with titanium-coated graphene diaphragm for tensile strength and flexibility that will handle low and midrange frequencies to have a better transient response, low distortion and efficiency for tactile bass and clearer sound. The balanced armature will be solely responsible for the high frequencies in which it gives a more brighter sound and better resolution capability. Aside from the drivers, NICEHCK also implemented a PCB board and fabric mesh for better audio signal frequency separation and improving its acoustic dampening.



The drivers and other components are encased in a composite shell housing and somehow, it is quite compact. Its cavity base is made of a clear polycarbonate while its faceplate is an aluminium alloy with laminated acrylic resin on its surface, and its nozzle is made of brass. The aesthetics on its faceplate is quite a looker as it reminds me of a nacre shell of a molluscs with blue-ish iridescent colour patterns. There's a vent hole in a cavity base where the dynamic driver was situated for releasing excess air pressure from inside. This set uses a NXP/TFZ-type of bi-pin connector as its interlocking mechanism which is quite uncommon.



The fitting of this set is somehow comfortable and it rests well into my lugholes without any issues at all like ear fatigue and discomfort. Its compact design provides a good passive noise isolation as it is able to block some unwanted noises from the outside surroundings.



The stock cable of this one is decent enough as it is a 4-core high purity OFC cable that was twisted and it has a L-shaped gold-plated 3.5mm single-ended termination plug.



Speaking of cable, I would like to interject another cable that NICEHCK sent to me along with this set. This one is more of an upgraded cable which is quite thicker than the stock cable and it was twisted and braided from termination up to the bi-pin connectors. It has a cyan colour scheme which makes it more appealing-looking on the aesthetics of your IEM if the colour matching is right. Its 4-core OCC silver-plated copper cable with each segment are insulated with nylon fabric for less wear, better handling and resistance to entanglement. It also has a solid metal alloy on connector shield, termination shield, chin slider and splitter parts, while the 4.4mm balanced termination plug and 2-pin connectors are gold-plated for better conductivity and resistance to corrosion.



The product packaging of the NICEHCK DB2 is on a medium-sized rectangular box. The printed illustration of its front panel looks pleasant as the company's anime mascot, Tian Hui as it looks so lively to stare upon, isn't she cute?



On the back part of the packaging box, there's a product specification, company address, email and contact number.



Here are the following contents inside of NICEHCK DB2 packaging box:

• Pair of NICEHCK DB2 IEM transducers
• Stock cable
• YP-leather storage pouch with metal hinge clasps.
• Three (3) pairs of narrow bored grey-coloured ear tips in different standard sizes.
• Four (4) pairs of balanced bore opaque silicone ear tips in different standard sizes.
• Pair of balanced bore white-coloured ear tips.
• Postcard of Tian Hui
• Paperwork like Q.C. stub, user manual and contact card

As for power scaling, DB2 is a fairly sensitive set that it is easy to amplify even by sources with decent power output like smartphones, tablets and laptops. A decent power output is enough for this set to deliver a full range and vivid sound.



Regarding its tonality, with more emphasis on lows and high frequencies with a notched midrange presentation, The NICEHCK DB2 is definitely a V-shaped sounding set.



LOWS/BASS:

It seems that the low frequency of this set is more focused on the sub-bass rather than the mid-bass. The bass response of this set is quite rumbling, tight, hollow and a bit imprecise that I am trying to figure out on where's the texture, depth and volume on this one.

While it has a good sub-bass presence on this set as its reverberation from certain instruments like low tone bass guitars and synthesisers are clearly manifesting on most tracks with strong sub-bass presence like and synth-pops, the mid-bass appears to sound lean and definitely lack of texture to give a more natural and correct tone on bass-centric instruments. Bass kick drums have a hollow and soft sound while cellos sound soft and less weighty. Bass guitars have dull and hollow sound from its string notation on either plucking, strumming, slapping or fretting. Bass-baritone vocals have a leaner, soft and hollow sound due to lack of depth and lighter tone. I've listened to some artists like Bryn Terfel, Barry White and Louis Armstrong that demand more texture and volume to project their vocal rendition properly.


MIDRANGE:

The first thing I noticed regarding this set is on how it was tuned was the depression of its midrange is clearly perceivable across its frequency range. It has this inherent leanness on its texture but it is transparent and smooth sounding with a little bit of energy to give an enough firmness on female vocals namely sopranos.

Male vocals sound a bit too transparent, glossy and sleek as baritones sound less lush but its smoothness and velvety sound characteristics are enough for light and lyric baritones but not on deeper ones like Kavalier baritone, Verdi baritone and dramatic baritones. Some tenors and countertenors will fare a bit better on this one as they sound clear, spicy, tender and emotive respectively. On female vocals, contralto-type singers like Anggun, Annie Lennox and Toni Braxton will sound less appealing as they sound too shallow, lack of richness and huskiness of their vocals appears inadequate in my liking. Mezzo-sopranos have smooth and sensitive sound in which I consider as good enough, while the sopranos have gleaming, light and sweet sounds which are well-suited on soubrette types of soprano singers and its similar vocal range like Susanna Hoffs of The Bangles and Belinda Carlisle.

When it comes to instruments, on woodwinds, concert flutes have light and soft sound, while the piccolos have graceful and light sound on them. Saxophones have a mellow, gentle and plaintive sound and the clarinets have gentle and round sound. Brass instruments like trumpets, trombones and horns, they sound full, soft and distant consecutively. Percussive instruments like snare drums, tom-toms, field drums and kettledrums, snares have dry and clattering sound, tom-toms have resonant but lacks warmth, field drums appears to have gloomy and shuffling sound, and then on kettledrums, they sound muffled and soft. Chordophones like pianos appear to sound soft and smooth due to some lack of warmth. On strings, guitars sound smooth and buttery while violins have a lustrous and solemn sound though in some tracks they sound a bit muffled.


HIGHS/TREBLE:

While the upper-mids up to the presence part of the treble region appears to be elevated and perceived dip somewhere in between presence part and brilliance part of the treble region, its treble response is on the balanced side as it sounds neither too bright or dull sounding. While its vocal definition and attack of instruments appears to be soft and smoothen, that dip that I've mentioned will somehow lessen sibilance and it won't sound harsh at all.

On the brilliance part, it appears to have an insufficient amount of treble but at least it has a sheen of its sparkle. While the hi-hats has a more correct tone as they have that shortened buzz sound, the cymbals sounds soughing and lustrous, and in some instances, a tad dull while the glockenspiel have a soft and lustrous sound, and then celestas have mellow and velvety sound on them.


SOUNDSTAGE, IMAGING AND OTHER TECHNICALITIES:

Its perceived sound/speaker stage appears to be on the average size; average width spans, decent height and depth that gives me less roomy head room within my aural perception.

Stereo imaging is rather a bog-standard two-dimensional presentation but to my surprise, the positioning of instruments and vocals in a decently layering of frequencies and tones in a sonic canvas are somehow well-placed and it has a good separation on them.

Cohesive performance of its hybrid driver set-up is good enough as its dynamic driver has a fast transient response and less distortion on them while the balanced armature did its function as a supporting one for better clarity of its sound. Resolution capabilities of this set is quite decent, while it doesn't have a solid macro-dynamics for its note density but its micro-detailing is sufficient enough as it decently retrieves some nuances and subtleties of notation attacks and vocal ends albeit nor quite less sharp on its definition.




PEER COMPARISONS

CVJ NAMI

• This set was released last year and it is CVJ's current hybrid driver for the budget-tier segment. Like the DB2, it has 1 dynamic driver and 1 balanced armature driver and it was also encased in a composite shell chassis. But the difference between them was that Nami has a QDC-type of connector, a tuning toggle switch and a better stock cable which is a modular one.
• Due to implementation of tuning toggle switches, it offers three different types of V-shaped sound profile from warmer to brighter tone. The bass response of Nami is more textured and sounds more authoritative, has a good presence of warmth if it was set in that mode that will give more note weight in male and brass instruments and a brighter treble response on a bright V-shaped mode but it should be noted that shrill, bright intensity and sibilance might occur. Technical performance-wise, both of them have average sound/speaker stage size, but the DB2 is a bit better at layering while the Nami has better resolution capabilities.

EPZ K1

• K1 has a similar driver configuration with the DB2 as it also has a 1 dynamic driver and 1 balanced armature driver on each side of its transducers, but the K1 has a more premium-looking shell chassis as it is made of resin shells in a more conventional UIEM form factor. Product packaging and presentation this set is also comparable to DB2 in terms of quantity of inclusions.
• The K1 has a bright U-shaped sound and if it will be compared to DB2, the bass response of this one is more punchy and impactful, less recessed but warmer and plush midrange presentation which makes this one better in male vocals and a brighter and energetic treble presentation but there's some instances of shrillness on female vocals. On technicalities, the K1 has a wider sound/speaker stage, similar projection on stereo imaging and a more solid resolution capability.

As I concluded my review on NICEHCK DB2, this set is an affordable set that will let you experience the dawn of entry-level Chi-Fi tuning back in mid to late 2010s if you are interested in the evolution tuning flavours. If you are a casual-type of listener who wants to be a budding audio enthusiast seeking an improvement of sound quality from your typical “consumer-grade” headphones and earphones, this set might be a good option as it maintains a more musical and fun sound with some noticeable improvements.

NICEHCK DB2 and NICEHCK CYAN upgraded cable are now available at NICEHCK Official Online Store in ALIEXPRESS. Just check out the unaffiliated links below.

★★NICEHCK OFFICIAL STORE - ALIEXPRESS★★

SPECIFICATION:

MODEL: NICEHCK DB2
IMPEDANCE: 16Ω
SENSITIVITY: 107dB
FREQUENCY RESPONSE: 20Hz – 20KHz
CABLE LENGTH: 1.2M
PIN TYPE: TFZ/NXP-TYPE 2-PIN CONNECTOR
PLUG TYPE: 3.5mm
DRIVER UNIT(S): (1) DYNAMIC DRIVER + (1) BALANCED ARMATURE DRIVER

Some Tracks Tested: ( * = 16-bit FLAC, ** = 24-bit FLAC, *'* = MQA, '*' = DSD, *'= .WAV)

Alison Krauss -When You Say Nothing At All *
Jade Wiedlin - Blue Kiss**
Led Zeppelin - When The Levee Breaks **
Mountain - Mississippi Queen *
Queen - Killer Queen **
Guns N' Roses - Patience *'*
Eric Clapton - Tears in Heaven '*'
Sergio Mendes- Never Gonna Let You Go '*'
Pearl Jam - Daughter **
Roselia - Hidamari Rhodonite *
Assassin - Fight (To Stop The Tyranny)*
Celtic Frost- Visual Aggression *
New Order - Blue Monday *
The Corrs- What Can I do (unplugged version) *
Jimi Hendrix Experience - Voodoo Child *
The Madness- Buggy Trousers *
Metallica - Motorbreath **
Mariah Carey- Always Be My Baby *
Destiny's Child - Say My Name *
Malice Mizer- Au Revoir *
Mozart - Lacrimosa *
New York Philharmonic Orchestra - Dvorak- Symphony 9 " From the New World." *
Eva Cassidy - Fields of Gold (Sting cover)*
Michael Jackson - Give In To Me *
Exciter - Violence and Force *
Diana Krall - Stop This World **
Debbie Gibson - Foolish Beat *'*
The Sisters of Mercy – Lucretia My Reflection**
Suzanne Vega – Luka **
Lauren Christy – Steep *
Ottoman Mehter - Hucum Marsi *
Diana Damrau - Mozart: Die Zauberflöte*



P.S.

I am not affiliated to NICEHCK nor receive monetary incentives and financial gains as they provide me a review unit for an exchange of factual and sincere feedback from yours truly.

Once again, I would like to send my gratitude to MS. VIVIAN for providing this review unit. I truly appreciate her generosity and trust towards me and other reviewers.

"When the words leave off, music begins"

~~Heinrich Heine, 19th century German poet and literary critic


EPZ Audio is one of the recently established audio companies from China as it was inaugurated five years ago as an independent audio company. All their products are quite appealing in both construction quality and tuning that they are able to offer them at a reasonable price for budget-conscious audio enthusiasts out there. This is actually my third product review from them and I'm willing to share my assessment to the audio community.



This is EPZ Q1 PRO, it has a single dynamic driver like its predecessor, the EPZ Q1. But unlike its predecessor, the Q1 PRO has a new type of dynamic driver that EPZ implemented. The dynamic driver that was fitted in this set is 10mm dual chambered, double magnetic set-up with composite diaphragm consisting of LCP (Liquid Crystal Polymer) and PU (Polyurethane). With the combination of these materials in a diaphragm, it will provide better rigidity and flexibility to deliver a deep bass, crisp and clear treble while maintaining a natural sound.



The driver was encased in a 3D-moulded resin shell chassis and it is rated to be hypoallergenic. EPZ offers many colour options on this set and what I have here is the colour blue variant on its faceplate that looks pretty attractive with its colour hues. The shell takes a UIEM-style contour that will give a better to almost all ear sizes and is somehow quite compact. There's a vent hole at the top of the cavity base part of the shell where it allows to escape excess air pressure generated by the dynamic driver. The EPZ Q1 PRO utilises a 0.78mm 2-pin connector as its interlocking mechanism as it is stable and easy to detach.



EPZ Q1 PRO's stock cable is a 4N monocrystalline copper and it was braided to assure a stable and uninterrupted flow of signal transmission and greatly reduces signal interference. The cable quality is quite supple and flexible to handle and it looks durable enough. Its termination plug is a 3.5mm single ended one and it is a gold-plated one.



As for fitting and comfort, this set snugly rests well into my lugholes without any issues at all due to its compact size and choice of a proven form active. It provides an excellent passive noise isolation as it is able to block some unwarranted external noises from the outside.



To unbox an EPZ product, it makes its customers pleasant to unpack the contents given how its products are well-presented. The EPZ Q1 PRO has a medium-size rectangular box in an all black colour with silver blue prints on it.



Here are the following contents inside of EPZ Q1 PRO's packaging box:

• Pair of EPZ Q1 PRO IEM transducers
• Stock cable
• Velvet cloth storage pouch
• Three (3) pairs of balanced bore silicone ear tips in different standard sizes.
• Paperwork like user's manual and Q.C. stub

On power scaling and sensitivity, this set is easy to amplify as sources with decent power output like smartphones, tablets and laptops are enough to drive it. Even in power output akin to low gain mode will deliver a full range sound with good dynamics.



To determine its sound profile, the EPZ Q1 PRO takes an u-shaped sound profile with a tad of warmth on its tonality. Lows and upper-mids up to presence part of the treble region are a bit more prominent than midrange on its overall audio frequency.



(Frequency graph was provided by @baskingshark , credits to him)


LOWS/BASS:

The bass quality on this one is quite well-balanced as both sub-bass and mid-bass were equally presented in this frequency section. It has a punchy, tactile and slightly thumpy bass response that will be enough to most audio enthusiasts out there although I noticed that there's some slight bass bleed, as it makes the tonality of the midrange on this set a bit coloured.

Sub-bass has a perceivable presence as I definitely felt its rumbling and reverberation coming from instruments like drum machines, synthesisers and low toned bass guitars. Mid-bass has an ample texture to give a good note weight on instruments and male vocals. Bass guitars have broad and resonant sounds on every plucking, fretting and slapping on its strings, violas have warm and solemn sound on them that will add some colour in a string section in an orchestra ensemble, bass kick drums have thudding and sonorous sound on them and capable enough to come along with fast double bass kicks from rock and metal tracks, and then on bass to bass-baritone vocals, they have enough depth and dark tone to have a fairly dense and dusky sound.


MIDRANGE:

The midrange presentation is a bit recessed on its overall frequency range presentation but it is quite linear, slightly energetic, a tad warmth and somehow a well-balanced texture on its note weight that will be beneficial for vocal flexibility and natural sound on most instruments.

On male vocals, due to some warmth on it, it adds some organic tone and timbre on most types of male voices albeit I wish that it had some more depth on them. Baritones have smooth and warm sound on their vocal while tenors have some brassy, emotive and ringing tone from them whether its lyric, dramatic, spinto or heldentenor. Countertenors have smooth, tender and expressive vocal quality as they project their falsettos. As for female vocals, contraltos have enough depth to give a plush, smokey and rich sound on their voices while mezzo-sopranos have smooth and glowing sound on their vocals. Meanwhile on sopranos, they have a shining and silky sound that has enough airiness on their vocals particularly on coloraturas and lyric types.

As for instruments, it seems that most of them sound natural and pleasant to listen to with their distinctive tonal colour. On strings, guitars have balanced and enough sparkle on their tone while violins have lustrous and introspective sound on every motion on its bow strings. Brasses like trumpets, trombones and horns, they sound full, dramatic and resounding respectively. On woodwinds, piccolos have graceful and hollow sound while concert flutes have rich and poetic sound on every blowing on its notation. On percussives, tom-toms have warm and resonant sound, snare drums have clear and rattling sound on every stroke, field drums have venerable sound, and last ones are the kettledrums have substantial and resonant sound. Pianos appears to have an even and well-balanced tone as it is capable of distinctive articulate clarity on its sound.


HIGHS/TREBLE:

The treble response of this set has a sufficient brightness while maintaining some smooth characteristics. The upper-mids up to presence part of the treble region are quite accentuated to give more clarity, definition on some female vocals and attack instruments without any instances of sibilance or harshness albeit treble-sensitive folk should stay caution on this set but I think that they will managed to handle those elevation of these said frequencies


On the brilliance part of the treble, its airiness seems to have a moderate extension as cymbals have a lustrous and undulating sound while hi-hats have its discernable shortened buzzing sound. Celesta have a mellow and golden sound in any note register with a hint of warmth, and glockenspiels seem to have more lustrous sound than brilliant or shimmering sound on them.


SOUNDSTAGE, IMAGING AND OTHER TECHNICALITIES:

The sound/speaker stage perception that this set appears to be more of just average to above-average head room as it has average lateral span, decent height reach and good depth distance from front to back. On imaging, it projects a concave-like stereo presentation in a not so well-defined layering of dynamics and frequency tones of specific instruments and vocals although it has good separation of elements in an audio track as I was able to locate the placement of particular instruments.

Coherency of its composite driver is excellent in my opinion in how it performs on its transient speed without any distortion at all. Resolution capabilities of this one is also quite well-regarded as it has good macro-dynamics to have a solid note texture while having a decent micro-detail retrieval as it able to extract some nuances and subtleties of vocal ends (vibrato, falsetto, vocal fry or other types vocal pitches and modulation) and notation attacks of some instruments (bow gripping on violins and violas, tremolo on strings instruments etc.).


PEER COMPARISONS:

ZIIGAAT NUO

● Like the Q1 PRO, it's a single dynamic driver with LCP material on its diaphragm. It is also encased in a 3D-printed resin shell chassis in a modified UIEM-style form factor similar to TANCHJIM OXYGEN. On its packaging, it doesn't include any carrying case or even a pouch for storage.

● On tonal aspect, NUO has a U-shaped sound signature similar to the Q1 PRO as it also has punchy bass, ample warmth on midrange and slightly similar treble presentation albeit its bit more brighter given how intensity of it shimmer and a presence of sibilances on some tracks. On technical capabilities, both sets are almost similar with the exception of stereo imaging in which the NUO presents a typical two-dimensional stereo presentation.


7HZ ZERO II

● 7HZ's entry-level single dynamic driver IEM with composite materials on its diaphragm like polyurethane. It has an unusual angular shaped composite resin shell chassis and compared to Q1 PRO, you can choose different ear tips as 7HZ's is quite generous on including a quantity of ear tips inside of its packaging box. Its stock cable is a bit inferior and it doesn't have any form of storage case.

● On tonality, ZERO II has a mild-U sound profile which makes it even more balanced and almost neutral sounding than the Q1 PRO. It has a punchy and precise bass response, similarly textured midrange but less recessed in presentation and smooth and balanced treble response although Q1 PRO is a little bit brighter by hair. In technical aspect, ZERO II is almost similar to Q1 PRO with the exception that the latter presents a more concave-like stereo imaging and its struggles a bit more on some complex tracks.


SIMGOT EW200

● Another competitor of Q1 PRO as this set was also a single dynamic driver one. It also uses a composite type of diaphragm and it was coined as “SCP diaphragm” as it is composed of LCP and DLC (Diamond-like carbon) and it was encased in an all-metal alloy shell. It also has a better storage case for protection.

● Like most SIMGOT sets that I've tested so far, it still follows a Harman-variant U-shaped sound profile with SIMGOT's tuning modifications that somehow deviates to the usual standard Harman target curve. Compared to Q1 PRO, It has a more tighter, incisive and rumbly bass response with a lean mid-bass presentation, a less warmer but transparent and energetic midrange presentation, and a brighter and crisper treble quality that gives an occasional shrill and dry sound, particularly on female vocals. On technicalities, both sets have its strong and weaknesses as they were trading blows on one another , while EW200 has a bit better layering, separation and micro-detail retrieval, Q1 PRO has better depth and more solid macro-dynamics.



EPZ Q1 PRO is another solid product offering from EPZ that might gain some more traction in the audio market as they develop their reputation as a consistent portable audio manufacturer. With a high quality composite material dynamic driver that were implemented in a beautiful and eye-catching resin shell chassis with finely-tuned tonal quality and a budget friendly one, this is indeed one of my solid recommendations for entry-level sets.



EPZ Q1 PRO is now available at EPZ's official online store in ALIEXPRESS, you can check out the unaffiliated link below.

★★EPZ OFFICIAL STORE - ALIEXPRESS★★


For more reviews on EPZ products, you can visit the links below.

■ EPZ Q5

■ EPZ K1

SPECIFICATION:

MODEL: EPZ Q1 PRO
IMPEDANCE: 32Ω
SENSITIVITY: 100dB
FREQUENCY RESPONSE: 20Hz – 20KHz
CABLE LENGTH: 1.2M
PIN TYPE: 2-PIN CONNECTOR
PLUG TYPE: 3.5mm
DRIVER UNIT(S): (1) DYNAMIC DRIVER

Some Tracks Tested: ( * = 16-bit FLAC, ** = 24-bit FLAC, *'* = MQA, '*' = DSD, *'= .WAV)

Alison Krauss -When You Say Nothing At All *
Jade Wiedlin - Blue Kiss**
Led Zeppelin - When The Levee Breaks **
Mountain - Mississippi Queen *
Queen - Killer Queen **
Guns N' Roses - Patience *'*
Eric Clapton - Tears in Heaven '*'
Sergio Mendes- Never Gonna Let You Go '*'
Pearl Jam - Daughter **
Roselia - Hidamari Rhodonite *
Assassin - Fight (To Stop The Tyranny)*
Celtic Frost- Visual Aggression *
New Order - Blue Monday *
The Corrs- What Can I do (unplugged version) *
Jimi Hendrix Experience - Voodoo Child *
The Madness- Buggy Trousers *
Metallica - Motorbreath **
Mariah Carey- Always Be My Baby *
Destiny's Child - Say My Name *
Malice Mizer- Au Revoir *
Mozart - Lacrimosa *
New York Philharmonic Orchestra - Dvorak- Symphony 9 " From the New World." *
Eva Cassidy - Fields of Gold (Sting cover)*
Michael Jackson - Give In To Me *
Exciter - Violence and Force *
Diana Krall - Stop This World **
Debbie Gibson - Foolish Beat *'*
The Sisters of Mercy – Lucretia My Reflection**
Suzanne Vega – Luka **
Lauren Christy – Steep *
Ottoman Mehter - Hucum Marsi *
Diana Damrau - Mozart: Die Zauberflöte*



P.S.

I am not affiliated to EPZ nor receive monetary incentives and financial gains as they provide me a review unit for an exchange of factual and sincere feedback from yours truly.

Once again, I would like to send my gratitude to TEAM EPZ for providing this review unit. I truly appreciate their generosity and trust towards me and other reviewers.

“Cause, baby, there ain't no mountain high enough, Ain't no valley low enough, Ain't no river wide enough”


~~line from Ain't No Mountain High Enough, a song by Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell.


Kiwi Ears as an audio company was established recently and they have a good relationship and strong connection with LINSOUL, a popular online store that serves as a distributor for Chinese portable audio products for international markets. I actually did a substantial review of products for them and I also published a substantial number of review articles on Kiwi Ears products that I'm quite transparent about.



What I have here is their latest IEM with hybrid driver configuration for entry-level offering, The Kiwi Ears Forteza. The Kiwi Ears Forteza as an IEM with hybrid driver set-up, it has two (2) dynamic drivers and one (1) balanced armature driver which is quite an uncommon configuration.



The dynamic drivers that were implemented on this set are 10mm and 6mm which are used for lows and midrange frequency respectively. The lone custom-built balanced driver is a tweeter-type one used to support on the midrange up to ultra-high frequencies for more crisp, brighter tone and better clarity. It is said that these drivers are connected with 3-way passive crossover to achieve that lush, dynamic and musical sound quality that makes it more appealing and engaging.



The drivers were encased in a medical-grade resin shell which are known to have some hypoallergenic properties. Like all Kiwi Ears IEMs, The Forteza also has an UIEM-style shell chassis that surely offers superior fitting and comfort to all ear sizes. It has a blue-ish green colour scheme with Kiwi Ears logo at faceplate. The 0.78mm 2-pin connector was still used on this set as it is the most stable and known to have a consistent interchangeable mechanism among all types of connector.



With the UIEM-style shell chassis that the Forteza has, it really snugs well to my ears and I don't encounter any issues in terms of comfortability. The passive noise isolation of this one is excellent as I could barely hear a considerable amount of external noises from the outside surroundings.



The stock cable of this set is somewhat average for its price given that I've encountered better stock cable from other sets. It has 4-core silver plated copper that was twisted with a 3.5mm termination plug that was gold-plated, although if I compare it to other sets, this one is on the leaner side. But still, it is quite supple and flexible to hold it.



The product packaging of the Forteza is a medium-size one but it is fairly bulky as it accommodates its contents.



Here are the following contents inside of its packaging box:

• Pair of Kiwi Ears Forteza IEM transducers
• Stock cable
• a rounded square zippered carrying case
• Three (3) pairs of white-coloured silicone ear tips in different standard sizes.
• Three (3) pairs of black-coloured silicone ear tips in different standard sizes.
• Three (3) pairs of transparent grey-coloured silicone ear tips in different standard sizes.
• User guide

Regarding its power scaling, The Kiwi Ears Forteza is quite hard to drive given its impedance of 32 ohms. To my surprise, my LG phones will automatically activate the high impedance mode, so I surmised that its impedance rating is probably much higher as it was stated on its official specification. If it was amplified with decent power amplification in the state of low gain mode, it would not give us dynamics and texture as it sounds a bit underpowered and quite lean. Devices with medium gain or high gain mode are a must to be paired in this one.



As for its tonality, the Forteza is clearly a V-shaped sounding one as it has more emphasis on lows and highs and a trough midrange just as the line of song that I put in the introduction.



(The frequency graph was provided by @baskingshark , credits to him)


LOWS/BASS:

This is the most prominent frequency of the Forteza as it has quite a boomy, authoritative and physical bass response. This bass quality and quantity harkens back to the late 2000s up to the mid-2010s where Beats By Dre, Skull Candy, Sol Republic and even V-modas cans rule the audio market aim for more consumer-friendly sound rather than a nicher Hi-Fi sound quality.

Its sub-bass presence is quite perceivable as I definitely feel its deep rumble and reverberations from instruments such as low tone bass guitars, drum machines, synthesisers and octabasses. Mid-bass on this one appears to have a warm, sufficiently textured and it definitely bleeds across the midrange. Bass guitars have weighty and earthy sound on every plucking, slapping and strumming on its strings while bass kick drums have thunderous and fullness on every kick although its a bit sluggish in fast double bass kicks on some rock and metal tracks, and then, the bass-baritones have heavy, voluminous and darker with a very full tone on their voices.


MIDRANGE:

The midrange response of this set is on a steep and recessed on its overall presentation as it sounds a bit distant despite the smearing of mid-bass response. Most vocals and instruments were noticeable behind in the mix. Despite its recessed presentation, it still has some texture on its note weight and somehow energetic sound for female vocals and string instruments.

Male vocals sounds quite textured and has a heft on it as baritones have rich and plush sound on their vocals, tenors have brassy, ringing and dazzling though I noticed that in some tenor types like spinto and dramatic ones seems a bit less emotive and rich sounding in my opinion but quite good on leggero and lyric types as they sound graceful and bright. Countertenors have a tender and smooth sound on their voices enough to project their unusual high pitch falsettos. On female vocals, contraltos have smooth and smoky voice quality but lack of heftiness and depth that its intended timbre should have that rich and dark tone. Mezzo-sopranos have rounder, tender and sensitive vocals as I find them sweet and melodious. Meanwhile, sopranos have that bright, full and metallic sound which quite suits all types of sopranos vocals albeit they might be too piercing and shouty to some listeners.

On instruments, strings like guitars and violins, a crisp and bright sound on guitars and a vibrant and metallic sound on violins. Then on woodwinds, piccolos have bright and penetrating sound, concert flutes have bright sound and also has penetrating sounding one too, clarinets have a shrill and lively sound, and then saxophones have reedy and forceful sound. Brass instruments such as trumpets, trombone and horns, trumpets have a brilliance with some hint of metallic sound while trombones have penetrating and tense sound, and then horns have bright and metallic sound that compliments well with other instruments in brass sections in an orchestral ensemble. On percussion instruments, snare drums have bright and shrill sound on every stroke while field drums have booming and sombre sound, Tom-toms have warm and resonant sound on every hit on its batter head, and kettledrums have booming and rumbly sound. Pianos appears to have a warm and uneven sound on them.


HIGHS/TREBLE:

Since that this set's frequency response has elevated upper-mids up to the brilliance part of the treble region which makes it a brighter and crisper sound but it might sound too intense to treble-sensitive folk out there. That accentuated upper-mids and presence part gives more pronounce and definition on female vocals and sharper attack on instruments. But in most cases, sibilance is quite evident and there are some instances of harshness in some tracks.

On the brilliance part of the treble region, it is quite sparkling with a fair amount of treble air. Cymbals have metallic, harsh and sizzling sound, hi-hats sound a bit exaggerated as it has more splashy instead a shortened buzzing sound, celestas have too much shimmering sound on them and glockenspiels have jingling, strident and piercing sound on them.


SOUNDSTAGE, IMAGING AND OTHER TECHNICALITIES:

The overall perceived sound/speaker stage dimensions on Forteza is on average to above-average as it has median width span, a good height ceiling and depth as it seems more proportional within my headroom.

Its stereo imaging is atypical two-dimensional presentation and locating a certain element like instruments or vocals seems decent as I was to pick it up in a soundscape. Separation of instruments is somehow acceptable while its layering is up to par but not that well-defined one that I want to.

The cohesiveness of its hybrid driver configuration isn't particularly impressive given that the dynamic driver that was implemented for bass response isn't that fast enough as the lows seems to be a bit sluggish. This set is quite resolving in terms of resolution capability as it has a solid macro-dynamics while it has sharp micro-detail retrieval as it is capable of extracting some nuances and details from an extracting albeit on overall tonal aspect, it sounds a bit unnatural and too digital sounding.


PEER COMPARISONS:

TANGZU FU DU VERSE I

● TANGZU's first hybrid driver configuration IEM. It has a single dynamic driver and two balanced armature drivers which is more of a contrasting driver implementation of FORTEZA, and it was encapsulated in a 3D-printed resin shell chassis with aluminium alloy faceplate. FU DU has high quality ear tips but FORTEZA has a better carrying case.

● Tonality-wise, FU DU has a U-shaped, balanced-warmish sound profile that makes it more balanced sounding and even a refiner one in my opinion, while its doesn't have a more authoritative bass response and brighter sound on FORTEZA, FU DU has a cleaner, well-balanced and smoother sounding and definitely not a hint of sibilance. Technicality-wise, they are quite a match in some aspects but separation and layering, the FU DU is better while FORTEZA has a sharper micro-detail definition due to its elevation on high frequencies.


CVJ MEI

● CVJ's hybrid set with Knowles BA driver, it has 1 DD + 2 BA set-up and it was encapsulated in a composite shell chassis. It is noted that it has toggle switches that makes this set more versatile. But in terms of inclusions, it is quite inferior to the FORTEZA from the quality of cables up to the carrying case.

● Due to implementation of toggle switches, MEI offers 4 types of sound profiles but I will compare this set to FORTEZA in 1 DD + 1 Knowles BA. Bass is more punchy and cleaner, midrange is more textured, balanced and cleaner, and then treble is more refined as it sounds smoother and less offensive sounding on MEI. On technical aspects, both sets are quite similar but MEI has better separation and layering a bit while FORTEZA is quite more resolving due to its micro-detailing definition.


ZIIGAAT CINNO

● ZIIGAAT's first hybrid driver model, it has a single 10mm LCP dynamic driver and four (4) balanced armature driver set-up and it was encased in a resin shell chassis, it doesn't doesn't have any storage case and a meagre amount of ear tips.

● CINNO has a mild U-shaped sound signature with a warmish-balanced tuning. Compared to FORTEZA, its bass response is a bit tighter yet cleaner while it has less recess on its midrange presentation and it has sufficient texture and vocals and instruments sound quite more organic sounding, and then smooth and a bit darker treble response. Technicality-wise, both have similar sound/speaker stage proportion, stereo imaging, layering and separation, but cohesiveness of its driver, CINNO is a bit better due to faster transient speed response while FORTEZA has more resolving and well-defined micro-detail definition.


To sum up my review on the Kiwi Ears Forteza it seems that they are trying to be different once again as they are having some throwback moments on delivering this set. The Forteza is truly a coloured sounding one that will give more listening satisfaction towards more consumer-oriented tuning which is simply more musical and doesn't really matter on more technical and tonally correct sound that caters more on critical-type of audio enthusiasts. If this set was released in the late 2000's, I might like its sound quality as it sounds a bit better to some cans that I've tested at that time. Again, if you are looking for a set which sounds fun, engaging and lively just to listen casually, this one is one of them that I will recommend.


The KIWI EARS FORTEZA is available exclusively on LINSOUL, You can check out the unaffiliated link that I've provided below.

★★KIWI EARS FORTEZA★★


For more KIWI EARS product review, check out the links below:

■ KIWI EARS CADENZA

■ KIWI EARS QUARTET

■ KIWI EARS QUINTET

■ KIWI EARS MELODY

SPECIFICATION:

MODEL: KIWI EARS FORTEZA
IMPEDANCE: 32Ω
SENSITIVITY: 103dB
FREQUENCY RESPONSE: 20Hz – 20KHz
CABLE LENGTH: 1.2m
PIN TYPE: 2-PIN CONNECTOR (0.78mm)
PLUG TYPE: 3.5mm
DRIVER UNIT(S): (2) DYNAMIC DRIVERS + (1) BALANCED ARMATURE DRIVERS


Some Tracks Tested: ( * = 16-bit FLAC, ** = 24-bit FLAC, *'* = MQA, '*' = DSD, *'= .WAV)

Alison Krauss -When You Say Nothing At All *
Jade Wiedlin - Blue Kiss**
Led Zeppelin - When The Levee Breaks **
Mountain - Mississippi Queen *
Queen - Killer Queen **
Guns N' Roses - Patience *'*
Eric Clapton - Tears in Heaven '*'
Sergio Mendes- Never Gonna Let You Go '*'
Pearl Jam - Daughter **
Roselia - Hidamari Rhodonite *
Assassin - Fight (To Stop The Tyranny)*
Celtic Frost- Visual Aggression *
New Order - Blue Monday *
The Corrs- What Can I do (unplugged version) *
Jimi Hendrix Experience - Voodoo Child *
The Madness- Buggy Trousers *
Metallica - Motorbreath **
Mariah Carey- Always Be My Baby *
Destiny's Child - Say My Name *
Malice Mizer- Au Revoir *
Mozart - Lacrimosa *
New York Philharmonic Orchestra - Dvorak- Symphony 9 " From the New World." *
Eva Cassidy - Fields of Gold (Sting cover)*
Michael Jackson - Give In To Me *
Exciter - Violence and Force *
Diana Krall - Stop This World **
Debbie Gibson - Foolish Beat *'*
The Sisters of Mercy – Lucretia My Reflection**
Suzanne Vega – Luka **
Lauren Christy – Steep *
Ottoman Mehter - Hucum Marsi *
Diana Damrau - Mozart: Die Zauberflöte*
Type O Negative - Black No.1 *
Felix Ayo - Vivaldi: Presto **
Three Tenors - Nessum Dorma *
Mercyful Fate - Witches' Dance *

P.S.

I am not affiliated to KIWI EARS  nor receive monetary incentives and financial gains as they provide me a review unit for an exchange of factual and sincere feedback from yours truly.

Once again, I would like to send my gratitude to MS. KAREENA TANG of LINSOUL for providing this review unit. I truly appreciate her generosity and trust towards me and other reviewers.

“Music is a more potent instrument than any other for education”

~~ Plato, Greek philosopher


DUNU is one of the audio companies out there that I really like as I have tested some of their midrange sets like SA6 regular and SA6 MK.II in which I still highly regarded them as one of the best sets in the midrange segment. And I'm glad that I was given an opportunity to do another project review from them.



To think that the first set that I have tested from DUNU was actually the Falcon C and in this review, I got the latest variant of the said model, the Falcon Ultra. Like its first incarnation, the Falcon Ultra is also a single dynamic driver set-up IEM but DUNU added some new features like new driver technology, detachable filter nozzles and better modular cable.




According to DUNU, they upgraded its dynamic driver which was supposedly similar to their midrange flagship single dynamic driver IEM, The ZEN PRO with “Eclipse” technology on its driver. The dynamic driver of this one is a CNC-milled 10.7mm magnetic chamber with high performance magnetic flux density along with lithium-magnesium alloy on its diaphragm to give more rigidity and faster transient response for more accurate sound reproduction. Aside from its high performance dynamic driver, its acoustic chamber has well-placed vent holes to achieve a better dampening and regulated air pressure to achieve that solid bass response and better dynamics.




As for its shell chassis, it still follows the design language of the Falcon C which has a Magatama-like shape on its form and overall, it has a deep blue colour hue and it underwent an anodising treatment and buff to achieve that mirror-finished surface. It has a detachable brass nozzle where we can choose two types of tuning according to our closest preference on tonality and two vent holes on its cavity base. The faceplate has a minimalist aesthetic and I also noticed that its bottom part has a tiny etch of different DUNU logos on it. Like the Falcon C, it still utilises a MMCX-type connector as its interchangeable connector.



Regarding its fitting, like its predecessor, the DUNU Falcon Ultra offers a good sealing and comfort in my lugholes that I don't encounter any discomfort or fitting issues at all. With ita good sealing especially when I use the DUNU S&S ear tips that gives me an excellent noise isolation where it able to block some external noises from the outside surroundings




The stock cable of this one is a good quality, while it is somewhat on the stiffer side in terms of flexibility but at least it has a patented modular termination plug, so that we can use any types of jacks on DAPs, DAC/amp dongles or even desktop grade headphone amplifiers. The cables are made of 4-core AWG monocrystalline silver-plated Litz copper wires with insulation coating on each strand. As for its modular termination plugs, aside from 3.5mm single ended, DUNU includes a 4.4mm balanced and 6.5mm adaptor.



As for product packaging, I have no doubt on DUNU in this feature as they are known to be one of the most generous audio companies out there in terms of quality and quantity of inclusions that they will include to give more satisfaction to their customers. The packaging box of this one is a medium-size rectangular-shaped box and it is quite bulky given the number of inclusions inside.



Here are the following contents inside of DUNU Falcon Ultra's packaging box:

• Pair of DUNU Falcon Ultra IEM transducers.
• Modular stock cable with 3.5mm SE.
• 4.4mm balanced termination plug
• 6.5mm adaptor
• A hard-bound canvas fabric zippered IEM carrying case
• Four (4) pairs of DUNU S&S ear tips in different standard sizes.
• Three (3) pairs of DUNU Candy ear tips in different standard sizes.
• Three (3) pairs of balanced bore grey-coloured ear tips in different standard sizes.
• Three (3) pairs of wide bore “vocal” black-coloured ear tips in different standard sizes.
• A small plate for interchangeable tuning filter brass nozzles.
• A fabric cloth
• Cleaning tool
• A mesh bag for IEM transducers.
• Extra colour ring indicators.
• Paperwork like instruction manual and user's guide for Q-lite modular system.

When it comes to power scaling and amplification, DUNU Falcon Ultra is quite easy to drive given its low impedance and high sensitivity rating that my LG phones are able to drive properly and a smartphone, tablet or laptop are enough to amplify this set. I have some sources like DAPs, DAC/amp dongles and headphone amplifiers too and it seems that this set is also quite sensitive on sources with powerful output that there are some instances of slight hissing sound. In a source with proper amplification to regulate noise, this set is capable of delivering a clean, full range sound with good amount of dynamics on it.



As for tonality, since this set has a detachable tuning filter nozzle, it offers two types of tuning:

Gold Nozzle - Its tuning has a mild u to u-shaped sound profile with a tad warmer tonality to sound more balanced.

Blue Nozzle - A bright, u-shaped sound that focuses on the upper mids to treble. Sort of a modified Harmanish type of tuning that I'm quite familiar with.


(Graph measurement was provided by @baskingshark , credits to him)


LOWS/BASS:

Gold Nozzles

The bass quality of this one is punchy, impactful and quite detailed too. It has a more balanced presentation on both sub-bass and mid-bass on how I perceived it. There are some slight bass bleeds that smear across the midrange.

There's a noticeable reverberation its sub-bass part and the mid-bass region seems a bit boosted to give a substantial texture on its note weight not to sound leaner, therefore its gives more organic timbre on some bass-centric instruments and male vocals, particularly on bass to bass-baritone vocals.

Bass guitars - broad and rasping sound on every strum, pluck, fretting and slapping on its string notation.

Bass kick drums - full and thudding sound on every stroke, somehow quite fast enough that it can cope up with faster double bass kicks on some rock or metal tracks.

Cello - warm and sonorous sounding that its bass clef sound seems to be complimenting well on other instruments in the string section of an orchestra ensemble.

Viola - warm and “stately” sounding in every bowing motion and fingering notation that somehow affects the pitch tone depending on its tuner.

Bass to bass-baritones - it has an ample depth and texture while having a dense and sufficiently dusky sound. Although not the dark and espresso-like tone that these types of vocals should have, I still consider it well-done.


Blue Nozzles

Tight, precise and more rumbly bass response as if it primarily focuses more on sub-bass response than the mid-bass. It gives a cleaner bass response but at the expense of a tad attenuation of mid-bass region.

Due to more favour on sub-bass presence, it gives more grumble and reverberation on some instruments like synthesisers, octabasses, drum machines and low tone bass guitars that we perceive it more physically.

Mid-bass seems to sound a bit leaner in my liking. It has a less texture and sounds less natural on some bass instruments and bass-baritone vocals.

Bass guitars - resonant and a bit aspirating sounding.

Bass kick drums - soft and a tad hollow sound but it appears more precise and a bit snappy on tracks with fast double bass kick drums.

Bass to bass-baritones - lack of depth and texture on its vocals as if they sound hollow and less engaging that we might classify it as light or lyric baritone, although there's still a noticeable vibrato on their vocal end.


MIDRANGE:

Gold Nozzles

Due to slight bass smearing, it gives a warmer midrange presentation as it gives more texture and density on most male vocals, female contralto vocals, brasses and some percussives. Strings sound a bit more buttery and less energetic and less brilliant sound on woodwinds. Overall, its midrange presentation is quite mildly recessed on this tuning mode.

Male vocals:

Baritones - warm, smooth and rich, light and lyric baritones have its sweet, mild and insouciant while deeper and warmer ones like kavalier baritones, verdi/dramatic baritones and noble baritones have steely, fuller and smoother sound respectively.

Tenors - As there are many types of tenors but this one seems to be appealing and versatile enough. Lyric tenors have warmer sound but less brighter, while spinto and lyric tenors have brassy and a heft in their vocal weight and then on dramatic and heldentenors, their voices have rich, emotive and power on its timbre.

Countertenors - Tender, smooth and “coppery”. Enough to distinguish its recognisable and distinctive pitch notation of their falsettos.

Female vocals:

Contraltos - Rich, plush and smoky vocal quality as these ones are the closests adjective of its intended timbre.

Mezzo-sopranos - Smooth and velvety sound on their voices. It gives a more fruity and comforting sound when listening to these particular vocal types.

Sopranos - Fairly suitable on some lyric and dramatic types as it has warm, rich and creamy but lack of shimmer and energy that coloratura and soubrette sounds less appealing and lethargic.

Instruments:

Trumpets - Substantial, full and rounded sounding.

Trombones - Solid, full and brassy in any register.

Horns - Warm, sonorous and velvety.

Snares - Hard, dry and quite penetrating.

Tom-toms - Warm, rounded and resonant sounding.

Field drums - A bit boomy, full and fairly sonorous sounding.

Kettledrums - Deep, substantial and velvety sounding that reverberates in an orchestral hall.

Guitars - warm and buttery sounding on acoustic ones.

Violins - Solemn, dark sounding yet has a sweet. At least not muffled or veiled sounding at all.

Pianos - warmer tone, reminds me of some antique German pianos.


Blue Nozzles

While it has more noticeable recession on its midrange presentation compared to gold nozzles tuning mode, it offers a cleaner, transparent, crisper and a tad more energetic sound that will be more beneficial on some female vocals and some classes of instruments like strings and woodwinds. It sometimes gives more leaner and less texture on most male vocals.

Male vocals:

Baritones - too smooth, too sweet and has a tad lighter vocal weight. Not suitable on kavalier baritones, verdi baritones, dramatic baritones and noble baritones as they are lacking on vocal weight, richness and power.

Tenors - Seems satisfactory on leggero and lyric tenors as they have a mild, graceful and lilting voice to give a dazzling and spicy sound. Spinto tenor vocals like Luciano Pavarotti have less vocal weight and a creamy timbre that sounds hollow and opaque.

Countertenors - Still has tender with added glow on their vocal quality.

Female vocals:

Contraltos - Just like the baritones, too smooth, it has an inadequate richness on their vocal quality and a tad weaker sounding.

Mezzo-sopranos - Fiery, musky and tender sound due to the tuning target curve of blue nozzle to elevation in a midrange region.

Sopranos - Coloratura and soubrette sopranos will sound more shimmering and crystalline as it has a sufficient energy that is able to achieve an airy, bright and breathy vocal register that the gold nozzles will not be able to give.

Instruments:

Guitars - Bright, crisp and ceiling, it gives a more crisper and resounding tone on every pluck of its strings.

Violins - Vibrant, bright and lively sound , some instances of having a metallic tone on it.

Piccolos - Clear, brilliant and sometimes a bit too piercing sound.

Concert flutes - Bright and penetrating sound in any register.

Clarinets - Lustrous, lively and reedy sound.

Saxophones - Brilliant, expressive, and a tad shrill sounding.

Snare drums - It has a sharp, clear and metallic sound on every stroke.


HIGHS/TREBLE:

Gold Nozzles

The treble register of this one is so smooth, even and well-balanced that its safe tuning will be appealing to most treble-sensitive folk out there. It has a rather conservative accentuation on the upper-mids just to give a proper vocal rendition and attack of instruments. There's not a hint of harshness nor sibilance on this particular tuning nozzle mode.

On the brilliance part of the treble region, it has moderate airy extension and its sparkling nature is on a sheen side of tuning. Cymbals strikes have a more lustrous and full sounding, hi-hats have a short buzzing sound while celestas sound velvety and mellow, and glockenspiels have lustrous and silvery sound.


Blue Nozzles

Unlike the golden nozzle mode, this mode settings appears to have more crisper, better clarity, energetic and brighter sounding due to some intentionally boosted upper-mids up to the brilliance part of the treble region. It gives more definition on female vocals and even precise and sharper attacks of instruments. But there's a hint of sibilance on this that might be detrimental to some treble-sensitive folk.

It has more sparkle and shimmer and it has an even noticeable improvement of its airy extension. Cymbals strikes has more sizzle and glistening, hi-hats have added more resonance on their sound, celestas have bright and shimmering sound on them and glockenspiels have a brilliant and a tad penetrating sound on any register either on keyboard-type or the traditional mallet-type ones.


SOUNDSTAGE, IMAGING AND OTHER TECHNICALITIES:

As I figured out its perceived sound/speaker staging, it has rather an average to above average lateral width span, acceptable height ceiling and somehow a good depth that gives me a rather less spacious head room with my aural sphere.

On stereo imaging, it projects me a concave–like stereo presentation where I was able to locate precisely the exact positioning of vocals and instruments in well-defined tonal and dynamic layering and a good separation of elements in a perceived black sonic canvas. It is capable of playing more complex tracks like jazz and orchestral tracks.

Coherency of its drivers is absolutely excellent given the performance of having a fast transient response without any hint of distortion. Its appears that maintain a well-balanced resolution capabilities as it has a good and robust macro-dynamics especially on gold nozzle mode and balanced and decently sharp definition of its micro-detailing as it is able to retrieve some nuances and subtleties from an audio track like notational attacks of instruments and vocal ends.


PEER COMPARISONS:

DUNU FALCON C (Demo)

● The older predecessor of FALCON ULTRA, it shares similar design language like physical aesthetic, MMCX-type connector and driver configuration but the FALCON C uses a CNT dynamic driver, non-detachable nozzles and it doesn't have a modular system of its stock cable.

● As for tonality, The FALCON C has a u-shaped sound profile as I remember. It has good sub-bass presence and an ample mid-bass texture, a well-balanced and a fairly texture midrange but it is quite recessed on its presentation on the overall sound frequency spectrum, and a boosted upper-mids that might give some shrill and piercing sound on some female vocals. Treble air was quite modest as I don't remember it as airy and well-extended.

● On technical aspect, it has a similar sound/speaker stage dimension with the FALCON ULTRA as both sets give me a bit more intimate head room with the exception that the latter has a better layering and separation.


ORIVETI OD200

● FALCON ULTRA's closest rival as both sets are all-metal alloy chassis, detachable tuning filter nozzles, modular cable and driver configuration. But the difference was that the OD200 uses a beryllium-coated dynamic driver and also has its own acoustic chamber technology the ORIVETI also developed for better dynamics of its sound quality. Even on product packaging and quantity of included accessories, both sets are on par.

● OD200 also offers two distinctive tuning profiles, a mild U-shaped and warmer U-shaped which are quite similar with the FALCON ULTRA. On silver nozzles, the OD200 has more texture and more voluminous mid-bass as it delivers more authority and slam than FALCON ULTRA's gold nozzle. The silver nozzle has a bit more warmer and richer midrange presentation although the blue nozzle mode of FALCON ULTRA has better treble air extension on both nozzle configurations of the OD200.

● While the OD200 has a bit wider sound/speaker stage compared to the FALCON ULTRA but the latter has better layering and separation.


SIMGOT EA1000 FERMAT

● Another rival of FALCON ULTRA as this set also has a metal alloy shell chassis, composite dynamic drivers and detachable nozzles. But the difference between two sets is that the EA1000 offers three types of tuning profile and its dynamic driver was reinforced with a passive radiator. It doesn't have a modular termination feature on its stock cable and it offers less quantity of choices on ear tips to choose from.

● Even though it offers three types of sound profiles, The EA1000 tonality is leaning towards U-shaped sound and a Harman-esque type of tuning. Compared to the FALCON ULTRA, the bass quality and quantity is somehow more refined and well-implemented on the EA1000 due to the passive radiator which gives a darker and deeper tone on its bass response. Midrange is a bit leaner on texture and noticeable more recessed on EA1000 and it has more emphasis on upper-mids to brilliance treble as it gives more brighter and sparkling that it renders a sharper vocal clarity on female vocals and attack of instruments which might gives a bit too intense and piercing sounding to some treble-sensitive folk out there.

● Technical performance-wise, Both sets are actually trading blows on another but here are some takes, EA1000 has a tad wider sound/speaker stage and a bit sharper micro-dynamics while FALCON ULTRA has a more solid dynamics, better depth and more natural sounding.


Given the solid reputation of DUNU in the audio community as they have a solid following from audio enthusiasts around the world. I have no doubt that DUNU will deliver a complete and well-rounded set that DUNU Falcon Ultra is definitely a remarkable set as it maintains a well-balanced sound with some good musical aspect while retaining an organic and competent technical performance in a reasonable asking price given its implementation of newer driver technology and modern features that an IEM should have.

If you are an audio enthusiast looking for a good upgrade from your entry-level sets and want to make a huge leap in terms of tonal and technical performance, The DUNU Falcon Ultra is probably what you are looking for.

The DUNU Falcon Ultra is now available in HIFIGO, you can check out the unaffiliated links that I have provided below.

★★DUNU FALCON ULTRA - HIFIGO★★


Also, you can check my previous reviews on other DUNU products.

■ DUNU KIMA

■ DUNU SA6 MK.II

SPECIFICATION:

MODEL: DUNU FALCON ULTRA
IMPEDANCE: 15Ω
SENSITIVITY: 108dB
FREQUENCY RESPONSE: 5Hz – 40KHz
CABLE LENGTH: 1.2M
PIN TYPE: MMCX-TYPE CONNECTOR
PLUG TYPE: MODULAR (3.5mm, 4.4mm)
DRIVER UNIT(S): (1) DYNAMIC DRIVER


Some Tracks Tested: ( * = 16-bit FLAC, ** = 24-bit FLAC, *'* = MQA, '*' = DSD, *'= .WAV)

Alison Krauss -When You Say Nothing At All *
Jade Wiedlin - Blue Kiss**
Led Zeppelin - When The Levee Breaks **
Mountain - Mississippi Queen *
Queen - Killer Queen **
Guns N' Roses - Patience *'*
Eric Clapton - Tears in Heaven '*'
Sergio Mendes- Never Gonna Let You Go '*'
Pearl Jam - Daughter **
Roselia - Hidamari Rhodonite *
Assassin - Fight (To Stop The Tyranny)*
Celtic Frost- Visual Aggression *
New Order - Blue Monday *
The Corrs- What Can I do (unplugged version) *
Jimi Hendrix Experience - Voodoo Child *
The Madness- Buggy Trousers *
Metallica - Motorbreath **
Mariah Carey- Always Be My Baby *
Destiny's Child - Say My Name *
Malice Mizer- Au Revoir *
Mozart - Lacrimosa *
New York Philharmonic Orchestra - Dvorak- Symphony 9 " From the New World." *
Eva Cassidy - Fields of Gold (Sting cover)*
Michael Jackson - Give In To Me *
Exciter - Violence and Force *
Diana Krall - Stop This World **
Debbie Gibson - Foolish Beat *'*
The Sisters of Mercy – Lucretia My Reflection**
Suzanne Vega – Luka **
Lauren Christy – Steep *
Ottoman Mehter - Hucum Marsi *
Diana Damrau - Mozart: Die Zauberflöte*



P.S.

I am not affiliated to DUNU nor receive any monetary incentives and financial gains as they provide me a review unit for an exchange of factual and sincere feedback from yours truly.

Once again, I would like to send my gratitude to HIFIGO especially to MS. YUMU SONG and MS. LVY YAN. And I also say thanks to NEIL NIÑO CLARK a.k.a @koyawmohabal for providing this review unit. I truly appreciate their generosity and trust towards me and other reviewers.

Mino has many meanings in Japanese language, it means either large bodies of water like sea or ocean, fruity or beautiful. It also pertains to a traditional straw raincoat in pre-modern Japan that we usually see in taiga drama series on TV shows and samurai movies.

It's quite a rarity that I will do a review on a TWS (True Wireless Stereo) product. The last time I did a review on TWS was 2 years ago and to be honest, I find it pleasant to use as I can carry it anywhere.



TWS sets gives us more of a convenience to use as we will enjoy our listening experience via wireless transmission either in physical activity or just in a relaxing mode to enjoy your music tracks casually. But in terms of sound quality, it depends on how an audio company will implement its tuning as most of the TWS that I've tested so far are either just decent or simply mediocre sounding.



As the new technologies emerging that have been implemented to improve the connectivity capability and better transmission of digital data from sources, a lossless audio format is now possible to experience in a bluetooth. As the bluetooth technology keeps evolving as it improves its range and better frequency response that it minimises latency issues, so as the TWS set as it also benefited the evolving technology of Bluetooth and better battery technology for longer playtime.

The product that I have here and will be featured in this review is from a reputable audio company, TANCHJIM. This is TANCHJIM MINO and this is their second TWS product as they previously released their first model before, the TANCHJIM ECHO.



The TANCHJIM MINO consists of two parts, the TWS IEMs and the charging dock case. Its TWS design form appears to be inspired from Apple's Airpods Pro as it has a compact size ovular-shaped cavity base shell with a short stem protruding downward and its overall construction is made of high quality PVC material which is sturdy enough to withstand wear and tear usage. Inside of the cavity base is where the driver is situated and it is a 10mm dynamic driver with a composite material on its diaphragm like PU (Polyurethane) and beryllium-plated one for better tensile strength that will deliver a responsive and distortion-free sound.



In other components inside, it has a modern 5.3 Bluetooth chip with some smart frequency hopping signal anti-interference to improve seamless connectivity and less latency for casual music listening, streaming podcasts and gaming. It also has a dual microphone on each side that can be used as an active noise cancelling and clear vocal recording for receiving calls.



On the upper part of the protruding stem, there's a touch sensitive control where we can do some basic commands like play, pause, stop, previous, next, voice assistance, transparent mode and ANC mode.



Here are the basic guide for tapping commands:

Previous track - Double tap on the left part of the TWS IEM.

Play/Pause - Single tap on any part of the TWS IEM.

Next track - Double tap on the right part of the TWS IEM.

Voice assistant - Triple tap on any part of the TWS IEM.

Transparent mode - Double tap then hold on the left part of the TWS IEM. (We will hear some marimba-like sound for its notification)

ANC mode - Double tap then hold on the right part of the TWS IEM. (We will hear some marimba-like sound for its notification)

Unpairing - Tap 4 times then press long on both parts of the TWS IEM.


There is also an alternative option for more convenient usage via software command is by installing the TANCHJIM app from TANCHJIM's official site and there, we can simply choose some options and settings to customise it according to our preferences.



On its docking port, there is a LED indicator to determine the status of battery power of the MINO, a transparent opening lid for covering and a type-c charging port for replenishing its battery power.



The LED indicator corresponds with particular colour on what remaining battery level that MINO has. 76% - 100% on white LED, 75% - 51% on light yellow LED, 50% - 26% on dark yellow LED and 25%-0% on yellow-orange LED. The TWS IEMs have a playback rating up to 6 hours on standard mode while on ANC mode, it will be less than 5 hours. The charging docking port will support by replenishing the battery power on the pair of TWS IEMs and will add over 30 hours of playback time.



In terms of product packaging, like all TANCHJIM products, TANCHJIM MINO still follows a simple and compact packaging box but its inclusions are reasonable enough.



Here are the following contents inside of TANCHJIM MINO:

• Pair of TWS IEMs
• Charging dock
• Nozzle filters
• Three (3) pairs of balanced bore ear tips in different standard sizes.
• Short type-c to type-c cable
• Paperwork like instruction manual, quick guide and contact card.

Like most TWS sets, with a decent power output via short radio signal, TANCHJIM MINO is an easy to amplify set to deliver a sufficient amount of loudness in our listening session. This set is quite capable of giving a full-range and dynamic sound into our lugholes.



As for tonality, it seems that this set has a U-shaped that we are accustomed to in some TANCHJIM sets that follows a modified Harman-esque tuning curve. But you can access other preset EQs that the TANCHJIM app offers that will tailor based on your tuning preferences. The review of its tonality will be based on its stock tuning.




LOWS/BASS:

Punchy, rumbly and somehow clean to give a fairly textured bass response. It has a perceivable rumble and reverberation coming from sub bass - focused instruments like drum machines, synthesisers and low tone bass guitars.

Mid-bass texture of this one appears to be sufficient but it will not give that authoritative and striking sound. This kind of bass shelf gives enough note weight on instruments like bass guitars, bass kick drums and bass-baritone vocals. Bass guitars sounds sombre and resonant while bass kick drums have a thudding and rumbling sound though in some tracks, there's a hint of hollowness on it, and then on bass-baritone vocals, they sound a bit mellow and less darker tone on their voices although their vibrato are still present and has a good depth on them.


MIDRANGE:

The midrange presentation of this set is quite recessed and a tad lean note weight as I noticed it on the timbre quality and vocal depth particularly on male vocals and some types on instruments like brasses and percussions. But at least, it has translucent, crisp and neutral midrange response to enjoy most female vocals and string instruments.

On male vocals, baritones have smooth and clear voices though it lacks the plush, warm and lushness that this particular vocal should have. Tenors have bright and ringing vocal qualities which is acceptable given its brilliant timbre although on spinto, dramatic and heldentenors, they somewhat sound lacking of strength, fullness and depth on them. Countertenors appear to have tender with an added shine on their vocals. As for female vocals, contraltos doesn't have that depth, richness and texture to give that husky smoky and rounded vocals. Mezzo-sopranos appear to have sensitive, smooth and tender sound while sopranos have shining and silvery vocals on them.

In regards on instruments, strings and woodwinds appears to be more appealing on this set strings like guitars (acoustic and electric) and violins have a crisp, lustrous and lively sound on them, while on woodwinds, piccolos have brilliant sound, concert flutes have mellow and soft sound, clarinets have also a mellow and expressive sound and saxophones have mild and melancholic sound on them. On brasses, sounds of trumpets have some vividness and metallic sound on them, a brassiness and tense sound on trombones and a mellow and sombre sound on horns. Meanwhile on percussives, snares have sharp and precise sound, tom-toms have resonant yet less warm sound, field drums have sonorous and kettledrums have hollow and resonant sound on them. Pianos appear to be on a balanced and even tone as they don't sound too warm nor too bright.


HIGHS/TREBLE:

The treble response of the MINO seems to be balanced and a tad smoother side of tuning. Upper-mids appear to be a bit elevated just to give some definition and presence in female vocals and attack on instruments. There's not a hint of sibilance and harshness that will be detrimental to our long listening sessions especially on treble-sensitive folk out there.

On the brilliance part of the treble region, there is enough sparkle on this one but the airy extension is rather diffident in my opinion. Cymbals sound undulating while glockenspiels have these lustrous and soft sounding on either mallet-type or keyboard type, and then celestas have these sweet and glassy sounds on them.


SOUNDSTAGE, IMAGING AND OTHER TECHNICALITIES:

It seems that overall, the technical capabilities of this one is average. a narrow to average width on its lateral span, acceptable height and depth on its perceived sound/speaker stage within my headroom. A typical two-dimensional stereo imaging with just tolerable separation and indistinguishable layering in which playing a more complex track will be an issue on this one.

Coherent performance of the drivers appears to be remarkable as it is capable of delivering a fast transient response. Resolution capabilities on this set is on median as while it has good macro-dynamics but micro-detail retrieval isn't on par and barely passable as it only manages to extract a small amount of nuances and subtleties from an audio track.


PEER COMPARISONS:

Since I rarely review TWS sets, I can only do a comparison with a two-year old TWS from Divinus.

DIVINUS OSTIA

● On physical features, OSTIA is a bit more larger in size and like the MINO, it also has sensitive controls on its faceplate area. In overall build quality, OSTIA appears to be more solidly built but the MINO has better microphone quality as it sounds more clearer. It is also noted the OSTIA has more types of ear tips to offer on its user.

● Both sets don't support advanced bluetooth codec like LDAC,Apt-x and Apt-x HD. But with Tanchjim App, MINO has better software where you can update its firmware and better customisable on its sound quality, it is also noted that MINO has transparency and ANC mode too.

● On tonality, while both sets are leaning towards a U-shaped sound profile, OSTIA has a more textured mid-bass, a tad warmer midrange and a brighter treble response with a tad better airy extension. Technicality-wise, OSTIA appears to have a bit of a spacious sound/speaker stage and somehow a better separation but the rest of technical performances appear to be similar with the MINO.


It appears that diversification of products is still a priority on TANCHJIM given on how the audio market is getting more competitive day by day and creating a capable TWS at an affordable price appears to be a logical decision on their behalf. To me, the MINO is a good product if I give importance to convenience where I can listen to some tracks from my multimedia devices in a wireless mode casually without any complexity at all.

TANCHJIM MINO is currently available in your favourite online store vendors, and if it happens that you are in the Philippines, you can order them via JYS+ Audio on Facebook as they are the official distributor of TANCHJIM products here.

★★TANCHJIM MINO - HIFIGO★★

★★TANCHJIM MINO - LINSOUL★★

★★TANCHJIM MINO - JYS+ AUDIO (PHILIPPINES)★★


For more information on other TANCHJIM products, you can read some of my review articles on their previous product models:

■ TANCHJIM TANYA

■ TANCHJIM ONE

SPECIFICATION:

MODEL: TANCHJIM MINO
IMPEDANCE: 32Ω
SENSITIVITY: 94dB
FREQUENCY RESPONSE: 20Hz – 20KHz
BLUETOOTH VERSION: 5.3
CODEC SUPPORT: AAC, SBC
RANGE DISTANCE: Up to 20m
WIRELESS CHARGING INTERFACE: Type-C
BATTERY CAPACITY: 380 mAh
BATTERY ENDURANCE: 5 hours + 26 hours
DRIVER UNIT(S): (1) DYNAMIC DRIVER


Some Tracks Tested: ( * = 16-bit FLAC, ** = 24-bit FLAC, *'* = MQA, '*' = DSD, *'= .WAV)

Alison Krauss -When You Say Nothing At All *
Jade Wiedlin - Blue Kiss**
Led Zeppelin - When The Levee Breaks **
Mountain - Mississippi Queen *
Queen - Killer Queen **
Guns N' Roses - Patience *'*
Eric Clapton - Tears in Heaven '*'
Sergio Mendes- Never Gonna Let You Go '*'
Pearl Jam - Daughter **
Roselia - Hidamari Rhodonite *
Assassin - Fight (To Stop The Tyranny)*
Celtic Frost- Visual Aggression *
New Order - Blue Monday *
The Corrs- What Can I do (unplugged version) *
Jimi Hendrix Experience - Voodoo Child *
The Madness- Buggy Trousers *
Metallica - Motorbreath **
Mariah Carey- Always Be My Baby *
Destiny's Child - Say My Name *
Malice Mizer- Au Revoir *
Mozart - Lacrimosa *
New York Philharmonic Orchestra - Dvorak- Symphony 9 " From the New World." *
Eva Cassidy - Fields of Gold (Sting cover)*
Michael Jackson - Give In To Me *
Exciter - Violence and Force *
Diana Krall - Stop This World **
Debbie Gibson - Foolish Beat *'*
The Sisters of Mercy – Lucretia My Reflection**
Suzanne Vega – Luka **
Lauren Christy – Steep *
Ottoman Mehter - Hucum Marsi *
Diana Damrau - Mozart: Die Zauberflöte*


P.S.

I am not affiliated to  TANCHJIM nor receive monetary incentives and financial gains as they provide me a review unit for an exchange of factual and sincere feedback from yours truly.

Once again, I would like to send my gratitude to TANCHJIM & JYS+ AUDIO for providing this review unit. I truly appreciate their generosity and trust towards me and other reviewers.

"Music is the movement of sound to reach the soul for the education of its virtue."

~~Plato, Greek Philosopher

LETSHUOER is one of the few audio companies that really take serious on building some of the best IEMs in the current audio market from entry-level up to the TOTL flagship segment. They make sure that the drivers and other components that were implemented on their product are of high quality and meticulously contrived.



This product review is more of a throwback, a reminisce of their humble beginning on how LETSHUOER attained its status as a credible audio company that audiophiles and audio professionals should pay attention to. This product is actually an old model that was released in 2019 and it is their first “tri-brid” set that will target the midrange segment in the audio market.



This is LETSHUOER EJ07, the very first model of the EJ Series. The EJ Series are the classes of IEMs models with three types of drivers that were implemented internally and most of them have moulded resin shells with an exception of EJ07M which is made of metal alloy. This model is actually the predecessor of the EJ07M and the difference between them is that this set has a resin shell chassis, a different take on modular cable as it relies on adaptors specific for different types of audio output jacks and a type of tuning.



As I mentioned about its driver configuration, LETSHUOER EJ07 has three types of drivers that were implemented inside, a dynamic driver, balanced armature drivers and Sonion “EST (Electrostatic)”/ Electret drivers. The dynamic drivers used on this set is a 10mm with nano-carbon diaphragm that solely handles the low frequencies to deliver a deep and tactile bass; there are two balanced armature drivers which are mid-woofers that were produced by Sonion and these are the 2389 models which will handles the midrange and some parts of high frequencies which offer a good clarity and detail on instruments and vocals with excellent tonal reproduction. And then the Sonion EST65QB02 “EST”/Electrets will handle the majority of high frequencies as it is very capable of delivering a shimmer, sparkling and airy treble response. These drivers were connected in acoustic tubes in a three-way passive crossover in tandem with electronic frequency crossover to achieve that low distortion, well-segregated frequencies and cleaner sonic output.



The drivers and some of its components were encapsulated in a high quality, medical-grade hypoallergenic resin shell chassis in a UIEM-style form factor to achieve that 26dB passive noise isolation. The shells’ dimensions are on medium size and its overall aesthetics is rather minimalist and looks quite a professional tool as it has black resin faceplate with some glittering multi-coloured design on it and a clear and transparent cavity base which you see the drivers and some of its methodical innerworkings. It has a vent hole at the top of the shell as an outlet for excess air pressure generated from the dynamic driver. Like all LETSHOUER products that I've tested so far, it uses a proven 2-pin receptacle as its detachable cable connector system.



As for fitting and comfort, LETSHUOER EJ07 offers a very comfortable wear and excellent isolation into my lugholes as it manages to block some unwanted external noises from the outside surroundings. I can even wear it and didn't encounter any discomfort during my usual long listening session.



LETSHUOER EJ07 stock cable is of a high quality and it offers a different kind of modularity as it relies on adaptors for its 2.5mm balanced termination plug. The composition of its cable is a 6N OCC copper wiring and it was sheathed with nylon fabric for strength and flexibility. As for adaptors, it includes a 3.5mm single ended and a 4.4mm balanced adaptors for versatility on different types of audio output and all of the plugs were gold-plated for corrosive-resistant.



To think that EJ07 is supposedly a “high midrange” set but its product packaging is rather quite simple and minimalist for a midrange set. Despite the plain appearance of its packaging box, it actually offers many inclusion of accessories that are quite useful.



Here are the following contents inside of LETSHUOER EJ07's packaging box:

• Pair of LETSHUOER EJ07 IEM transducers
• Stock cable in 2.5mm termination plug
• 3.5mm single ended adaptor
• 4.4mm balanced adaptor
• Oval-shaped IEM storage case
• Cleaning tool
• 2 pairs of memory foam ear tips
• 3 pairs of balanced bore silicone ear tips in different standard sizes.
• 3 pairs of wide bore silicone ear tips in different standard sizes.
• Paperwork like product certification stub and instruction manual.

Regarding its power scaling and amplification, LETSHUOER EJ07 can be driven decently from device sources with decent power output. But putting this set into the sources with better power output will deliver a more vivid and a full range sound that truly unleash its full potential of its dynamic sound.



As for tonality, LETSHUOER EJ07 has an unusual and uncommon type of tuning in which I only encountered it on a specific audio brand which usually adhere this type of target tuning curve, The Etymotic and also the Sennheiser's HD800 albeit a bit modified on the treble part. It sounds pretty neutral, well-balanced and somewhat linear sounding across its overall frequency range as it has that DF(Diffuse Field) - like presentation on its intended tuning style.



Diffuse Field Target Curve is described as it is more of an ideal sound quality of specific target frequency response based on a multiple speaker set-up in a very reverberant and well-treated room where the sound waves bounces off from all angles and all direction through the head centre. The reasoning and idea behind this tuning concept is that it can be also applied to headphones and IEMs as it gives an even, linear and almost flat frequency response which can be described as an ideal neutral sound acoustically perceived by our auditory senses.




LOWS/BASS:

It has a tight, precise and articulate bass response like most DF-tuned sets either IEMs or cans that share almost the same characteristics. The sufficient amount of bass quantity is quite satisfying for a neutrally-tune bass response as we will definitely hear a good sub-bass presence and a reasonably textured midbass.

In my ears, I audibly felt its sub-bass rumble reverberation that were generated from instruments like low tone bass guitars, synthesisers, drum machines and octabasses from music genres like rock, synth-pop and older Hip-hop or RnB tracks.

As this set won't deliver that slam or authority that will be more favourable to bassheads as it focuses more on precision and less colouration. The bass guitars have a rasping and resonant sound from them in every pluck and strumming of its strings, while the bass kick drums have a good rumbling and thudding sound on every hit that it can show the precision and speed of double bass kicks from extreme metal tracks, and the bass-baritones vocals have sufficient vocal weight and tonal colour on them though it seems that they sound less darker and less voluminous but somehow, it has a fairly depth with a little bit vibrato on their particular voices.


MIDRANGE:

The midrange presentation of this one is quite well-balanced and neutral sounding that this is probably one of the best midrange responses that I've ever listened to in the midrange IEM segment. Clean, sufficiently textured and well-detailed that vocals and most instruments will sound quite natural, clear, vivid and crisp while maintaining an almost correct timbre.

On male vocals, baritones have those fairly smooth, evenness and plush sound from their voices as I'm enjoying to listen on light and lyric baritones although on kavalierbariton, verdi and dramatic baritones, we might find it less powerful but it still has some semblance of fullness and richness on their vocal quality. Meanwhile on tenors, they have an agile, clear and dazzling on their sound quality while having an ample vocal weight on them either its leggero, lyric and spinto types, but it should be also address that while dramatic and heldentenor vocals might have less depth and less darker tone on their vocals but still retain that rich and emotiveness on their voices. And then on countertenors, they have these soft, tender and ethereal qualities on them. On female vocals, they all give me that euphonic, comforting and mesmerising voices as contraltos have rich, husky and smoky vocals that this set is able to capture that realistic timbre that I'm quite familiar with while the mezzo-sopranos have velvety, a tad warmness and fiery as I find captivating and sweet, and then on sopranos, they have these silvery, creamy and crystal-clear vocals on them whether it is dramatic, lyric, soubrette or coloratura type that this set almost perfectly to project them quite accurately as intended as possible.

As for instruments, it seems that EJ07 will deliver an even, natural and almost accurate tone on them that I even consider as quite correct and well-balanced sounding. On string instruments, acoustic guitars have a balanced sound with good presence of overtones as I don't hear it either too warm or too bright while violas have a full and stately sound and then on violins, they have that eloquent and pureness of their sound quality that I find it very pleasant. Woodwinds like piccolos, concert flutes and clarinets, a clear and brilliant sound on piccolos, an ethereal, mellow yet silvery sound on flutes, and a melodic and expressive sound on clarinets. As for brasses, trumpets have full and brilliant sound while trombones have solid and dramatic sound, and then on horns, they have a sonorous, mellow and velvety sound. Then on percussion, snare drums have clear and precise sound on every stroke while tom-toms have penetrating and resonant sound, field drums have sonorous and venerable sounds, and then kettledrums have substantial and somewhat velvety sound from them. Pianos sounds quite well-balanced and has that naturalness of its tone.


HIGHS/TREBLE:

It appears that EJ07 has a neutral yet smooth treble response with just a sufficient amount of brightness on it. This type of treble response might be less appealing to the majority of treble-heads (I'm a bit of a treble-head too) who want more shimmer and energy but in my opinion, this one sounds quite almost perfect for its intended target curve that despite of its a bit relaxed tuning nature, it actually delivers a lot of details and quite resolving.

Upper-mids up to presence part of treble were just a bit accentuated just to give a presence and definition on vocals and instruments. Definitely, It won't give that harshness or sibilance that we usually encountered to some over boosted upper-mids and presence IEMs that in a long run it will definitely give you that listening fatigue.

While this set doesn't have the airiest treble in the midrange segment that I've tested and its sparkle is more than enough to give a sheen quality, the presentation of instruments are quite natural and very pleasant to listen to. Cymbals have a glistening and lustrous sound while hi-hats have a shortened buzzing sound to give that chicky sound. Then, celestas have bell-like and sweet sound, and glockenspiels have those lustrous and silvery sound either in keyboard form or mallet-type in an orchestral ensemble.


SOUNDSTAGE, IMAGING & OTHER TECHNICALITIES:

The overall sound field dimensions that this set is able to project within my aural perception is quite spacious as it has excellent height and depth while its lateral width span is moderately wide. Its imaging presentation gives me that atmospheric-feel that I can certainly pinpoint the exact position of vocals and instrument in a soundscape. It has remarkable separation and the layering is quite transparent and well-defined on how these instrument and vocal frequencies and dynamic tone are quite well-arranged in a sonic canvas. In that matter, it is very capable to play the most complex multi-instrumental tracks out there like orchestral ensemble and jazz easy peasy.

It is also noted that cohesive performance of its multi-driver set-up is also remarkable as it has responsive fast transient and decay on its dynamic driver and no distortion and unwanted resonance sound from its balanced armatures and “ESTs”.

Resolution capabilities of this set are quite excellent as it has a substantial note texture on its macro-dynamics and a fairly sharp micro-detail retrieval as I was able to hear clearly some nuances and subtleties like vocal end pitches, perceived room reverberations or reverberating effect from a drum stroke.


PEER COMPARISONS:

LETSHUOER EJ07M

● EJ07's successor model and a more affordable one. While it still retain the tri-brid set-up, it has a metal alloy shell and a stock cable is different and quite similar to other LETSHUOER product stock cable, EJ09. It doesn't have any modular option as it has only 3.5mm SE on its terminal plug.

● EJ07M's sound profile is also neutral but it takes a different type of neutral type of tuning compared to its predecessor. It has more sub-bass presence and a slightly elevated upper-mids to presence treble with more airy presentation. Overall, in terms of neutrality and uncoloured sound, if I compared both sets, the EJ07M is a bit more coloured in my opinion.

● Technicalities of both sets were quite similar as EJ07M also had a fairly spacious sound field, an atmospheric stereo imaging presentation, excellent separation and well-defined layering. As for resolution capability, EJ07M has a bit more sharper micro-detail retrieval.


KINERA IMPERIAL URD

● A tri-brid driver set-up IEM from Kinera. Like EJ07, it also has medical-grade resin shell albeit a bit more larger size. It also has a modular stock cable but its uses a detachable termination plug system rather than adaptor-type that EJ07 utilizes.

● IMPERIAL URD has a “warmish-neutral” sound profile that makes it more coloured sounding compared to EJ07 as it has more texture on its mid-bass, a warmer and meaty midrange and a quite similar treble response as it is also smooth and relaxed sounding, though if I compared it to EJ07, its a bit darker as there are some instances that it sounds too smooth in my liking.

● As for technical aspects, while IMPERIAL URD has a moderately spacious headroom, its stereo imaging presentation is rather two-dimensional and also, I'm struggling a bit on pinpointing the placement of instruments and vocal in a perceive soundscape. On resolution capability, this set is more focus on macro-dynamics than micro-dynamics as the latter's micro-detail retrieval aspect is quite average and its definition seems to be blunted and less sharp.


EMPIRE EARS VALKYRIE MK.II (DEMO)

● One of the sets with tri-brid driver set-up that I've tested from a more established international brand and not part of Chi-Fi sphere. This is the most expensive one in this comparison segment. Like the EJ07, its shell construction is also made of medical grade resin material and it was also implemented with their own anti-resonance technology inside along with its choice and custom drivers. Like most EE sets that I've tested, it has a driver flex on every insertion into my lugholes.

● The VALKYRIE MK.II has a more coloured tonality as it presents me a more U or V-shaped sound profile compared to the more balanced, almost uncoloured and neutral sounding EJ07. This set is definitely has more authority and slamming bass response, a noticeable notch midrange presentation as it has some instances of leaness on its note weight and a sudden accentuated on the upper-mids to give a crisper and bright tone on female vocals and some string and percussive instruments. Treble response of this one is indeed on the brighter side and quite very sparkling with similar treble airy extension of EJ07. Overall, its tonality sounds a bit artificial and less organic sounding that it will more appealing to more digitally-oriented modern tracks.

● In terms of technical capabilities, VALKYRIE MK.II has a quite spacious sound/speaker stage and a concave-like stereo imaging presentation. Its separation and layering appears to be good enough but if I compared it to EJ07, its performance a bit inferior and less refined in my opinion given for its asking price. Coherency-wise, that Weapon IX dynamic driver that gives the VALKYRIE MK.II more authority and a tad boomy bass response somehow gives more sluggish transient and decaying takes some time to dissipate that affect the overall cohesive performance with other drivers. On resolution capability, it has a solid macro-dynamics and a quite sharp definition micro-detail retrieval.


As I conclude my review about this set, this set is truly impressive as it take me some time to put up a review on this one as I really enjoy the sound quality of this one. This is probably the defining moment of LETSHUOER, as this product truly eclipse its previous ones with leaps and bounds. It also uncommon to encounter a set with similar target tuning curves that aligns with Etymotic's tuning and make it even better. The eloquence and refinement of LETSHUOER EJ07's tonality and technical performance truly leaves an indellible mark on the annals of the portable audio history.

LETSHUOER EJ07 is still available in online store vendors, check out the unaffiliated links that I've provided below.

★★ LETSHUOER OFFICIAL STORE★★

★★ LINSOUL ★★

★★ HIFIGO ★★


And also check out my previous reviews on other LETSHUOER products:

◆ LETSHUOER GALILEO (First impressions)

◆ LETSHUOER CADENZA 12

◆ LETSHUOER EJ09

◆ LETSHUOER CONDUCTOR (First impressions)

◆ LETSHUOER D13

◆ LETSHUOER S12 PRO

◆ LETSHUOER EJ07M

◆ LETSHUOER DZ4

◆ LETSHUOER S15





SPECIFICATION:

MODEL: LETSHUOER EJ07
IMPEDANCE: 17Ω
SENSITIVITY: 104dB
FREQUENCY RESPONSE: 20Hz – 40KHz
CABLE LENGTH: 1.2m
PIN TYPE: 2-PIN CONNECTOR (0.78mm)
PLUG TYPE: Modular (Adaptor-type) 2.5mm, 3.5mm, 4.4mm
DRIVER UNIT(S): 1 DYNAMIC DRIVER + 2 BALANCED ARMATURE DRIVERS + 4 ELECTRET DRIVERS


Some Tracks Tested: ( * = 16-bit FLAC, ** = 24-bit FLAC, *'* = MQA, '*' = DSD, *'= .WAV)

Alison Krauss -When You Say Nothing At All *
Jade Wiedlin - Blue Kiss**
Led Zeppelin - When The Levee Breaks **
Mountain - Mississippi Queen *
Queen - Killer Queen **
Guns N' Roses - Patience *'*
Eric Clapton - Tears in Heaven '*'
Sergio Mendes- Never Gonna Let You Go '*'
Pearl Jam - Daughter **
Roselia - Hidamari Rhodonite *
Assassin - Fight (To Stop The Tyranny)*
Celtic Frost- Visual Aggression *
New Order - Blue Monday *
The Corrs- What Can I do (unplugged version) *
Jimi Hendrix Experience - Voodoo Child *
The Madness- Buggy Trousers *
Metallica - Motorbreath **
Mariah Carey- Always Be My Baby *
Destiny's Child - Say My Name *
Malice Mizer- Au Revoir *
Mozart - Lacrimosa *
New York Philharmonic Orchestra - Dvorak- Symphony 9 " From the New World." *
Eva Cassidy - Fields of Gold (Sting cover)*
Michael Jackson - Give In To Me *
Exciter - Violence and Force *
Diana Krall - Stop This World **
Debbie Gibson - Foolish Beat *'*
The Sisters of Mercy – Lucretia My Reflection**
Suzanne Vega – Luka **
Lauren Christy – Steep *
Ottoman Mehter - Hucum Marsi *
Diana Damrau - Mozart: Die Zauberflöte*



P.S.

I am not affiliated to LETSHUOER nor receive monetary incentives and financial gains as they provide me a review unit for an exchange of factual and sincere feedback from yours truly.

Once again, I would like to send my gratitude to IVY GAO for providing this review unit. I truly appreciate their generosity and trust towards me and other reviewers.