Reviews by Zerstorer_GOhren

Idun, Idunn or Idunna is a Norse Goddess which is correlated with the golden apples that grants immortality to other gods and goddesses. She is a goddess of juvenescence among those who venerated her who were seeking eternal youth. Her tale revolves around her abduction by Thjazi due to the machinations and schemes by Loki that affects the youthfulness of most pantheons in Asgard. (I'm familiar with Norse Mythology, History of Scandinavia and Viking sagas)

It seems that Kinera somehow fixated on Norse mythology with their products as their naming convention on their model items are based on the deities of Norse mythos. I'm actually familiar with the Kinera brand since 2018 and I've tested their Kinera Seed before and my initial impression on it is very unpleasant and leaves me with a cranky face.

After four years of being active on the audio enthusiasts community scene, I have this new set from Kinera due to the insistence of a fellow reviewer and one of my closest mate in the audio community to at least try it out and I finally obliged on his request. (thanks Edz a.k.a. @RemedyMusic )



Kinera Idun/Idunn Golden is a variant of the Kinera Idun which was released in 2018. The difference of these variants appears to be on the implementation of drivers which Idun Golden has upgraded balanced armature drivers, one of them is a Knowles BA driver. Because of the included premium Knowles BA, Idun Golden is almost twice the price of the original Idun.



The transducers implemented on Kinera Idun Golden are two (2) balanced armature drivers and single 7mm titanium-plated with polyurethane diaphragm dynamic driver for bass. Regarding these balanced armatures, the Knowles BA driver that I have mentioned before was implemented in this item is a Knowles RAF-32873 which is a full-range frequency BA and it handles the midrange and a customised Kinera BA (probably a custom Bellsing) for treble range.

We are aware that Kinera products are one of the best lookers out there with their eye-pleasing aesthetic design on its shells and Idun Golden is no different. It shell chassis that encloses the transducers is made of medical-grade resin and it is so light that it really rests well in my lug holes. Its aesthetic design on its faceplate reminds me of a Norse world tree called Yggdrasill. Good thing that Kinera still implemented a 2-pin connector which is more logical and proven to be more durable than other types of connector.



Wearing the Kinera Idun Golden is a pleasurable experience on how it sits well to my concha along with a good passive isolation through insertion to my lug holes from external noise. Certainly that this is one of the UIEM shells that I've encountered that really fit snugly without any hint of discomfort or stress.

Another thing to heed upon Kinera Idun Golden is how they presented their product in a very presentable and orderly manner. The packaging box is of a hexagon shape which also corresponds with some archeological findings of metal works such as brooches and rings in Norse culture in Scandinavia.

Here are the inclusions inside of the packaging box:

● Kinera Idun Golden IEM.
● A cream coloured zippered IEM case.
● 2 pairs of memory foam ear tips.
● 7 pairs of silicone ear tips of different standard sizes.
● 4.4mm termination plug.
● 6.35mm adapter plug.
● A hexagonal-shaped paperwork.
● A Kinera Ace modular cable.



Speaking of Kinera Ace modular, it is an 8-core, 4N OFC silver plated cable. Due to its modular design, you can replace and plug it with another termination plug like 4.4mm balanced beside its 3.5mm TRS termination plug. I was really impressed by its design and you will really feel it with its high quality build on it.

As for driveability, Kinera Idun Golden can be powered with decent power output sources from multimedia devices such smartphones, laptops and tablets. But if you want the best sound experience for this set, feed it with better device sources with quality Hi-fi DACs/amps and it really defines the dynamic and full potential of sound quality of Idun Golden.



Regarding its tonality, Kinera Idun Golden is of a reference-neutral sound signature, it is a type of neutrality which has a more prominent midrange and treble with just a sufficient elevation on the bass region to give a more balanced sound in overall frequency range spectrum. This is actually one of my preferred sound signatures.

Here's my observation of sound characteristics of each frequency range section.

LOWS/BASS:

Due to its reference-neutral sound signature, The bass quality of Kinera Idun Golden is precise, articulate and well-regulated. It gives a really clean and tight bass response that a reference-neutral should sound like.

Sub bass is somehow agreeable that I discerningly hear those reverberations and rumble with a gradual ebbing towards its depth. I can assuredly share my observation on this one due the fact that I listen to some of my favourite synth-pop tracks with sub bass driven instruments like synthesizers, electric drums and some bass guitars.

Midbass is adequately textured that it gives an ample body on bass guitars, bass kicks and bass-baritones vocals. It gives a resonant and enough broad sound of bass guitars, a rumbling and sonorous sound of bass kicks (I'm actually enjoying to listen those detailed bass kicks on Skas and 2-tones tracks here), and lastly, an ample depth and sustaining vocal clarity on bass-baritone which has an enough note weight on them.

Due to a clean bass response, other part frequency ranges have defined its own segmented characteristics and clean delivery that not a hint on bass spillover was detected.

MIDRANGE:

This is absolutely the strength of Idun Golden, its clean, neutral, translucent and detailed with a sufficient amount of texture and warmth to make all instruments and vocals sound very organic and life-like.

If you are already a reader of my previous review articles, Midcentric tuning is one of my preferred tuning and I want vocals and instruments to be presented forward in the sonic canvas and good thing that Idun Golden delivers it. Both male and female vocals work pretty well as it has a dense note weight, a fair reasonable power on male vocals to have that gruff and gravelly to give authoritative delivery in all vocal types and registry especially on tenors and falsettos. Female vocals sound very open and energetic, brimming with details that all I can speak about is that it has a very euphonic, luscious and soothing sound. It really mesmerises my vocal-centric senses after all. Soprano singers indeed have an angelic-like and very provocative articulation.

Instruments on this set sounds especially the strings and woodwinds very natural that some listeners who were used to attuned on sharper and edgy definition as a bit obtuse on their liking. Guitars have a sufficient crisp, good presence and well-defined overtones as its specific tuning of some guitar-laden tracks ( I listened to some Jimmy Hendrix, Jimmy Page of Led Zep, Paul Gilbert of Mr. Big fame and Malmsteen tracks), a vibrant and lively sound of a violin, a velvety sound of saxophone and brilliant to shrill sound of a flute. Percussives also exhibit an organic and well-heeded sound that gives a marked sound of a snare drum to be sharp and cracking, tom drum sounds sonorous and hard hitting and finally the sound of a piano evidently has a vivid and lively sound for every stroke on its keys.

HIGHS/TREBLE:

My initial impression of the treble of Idun Golden is more on the brighter side, with such pristine and quite particularising but there are some significant factors that I'm nitpicking on this one which I will describe later.

It has some inherent peaks on the upper mids to presence region that it will give a whisper of sibilance especially in sibilant-laden tracks but not really my concern as I think it remains restrained not to give any more hisses. Stridency isn't particularly an issue as I don't hear any grating and harsher tones.

For every cymbal strikes that I hear, it gives me that lustrous sound and yet soft soughing as it gives me an impression it has the lack of that snap and crash that I really want. It has even just an average sizzle that give me that unremarkable airiness which I think is just a middling extension. Hi-hats seems pretty accurate as it has this distinct "chicky" sound which I describe as a shortened sizzle.

SOUNDSTAGE, IMAGING AND OTHER TECHNICALITIES:

Idun Golden has an average to above average soundstage, with equally proportionate depth and height in which it gives a decent headroom on the spatial sound field which give me some holographic feel.

Imaging is fair enough to be creditable that I can locate the placements of instruments and vocals within its perceived spatial points. It has has sufficient gap and separation on each element but layering capabilities isn't one of its technical strengths as its distinct dynamic and layering isn't well-defined on its arrangement but surprisingly despite of that particular issue on layering it doesn't give me a sense of turbulent and congested sound even when I listened to a more complex and instrument tracks which leave me on state of bewilderment.

Resolution capabilities is more of an above average in my rating as it has good detail retrieval and a valid macro-dynamics presentation.

The coherency of its hybrid driver setup with its performance seems to have a very cohesive and solid performance with its good speed, decay and precise attack without any hitches nor distortion. Tonal colour is on natural sound with just a tad of brightness.

PEER COMPARISONS:

See Audio Yume Regular (2021)

● Both have equally beautiful IEM shells, See Audio has a silicone diaphragm dynamic driver with 2 Knowles BA drivers which is similar Idun Golden has titanium coated DD and 2 BA drivers, one Knowles and one "customised" Kinera. They have both good cables but I prefer Kinera's stock cable due its thicker and has an option of modular terminations.

● Despite that they both have neutral tuning, Yume is more of a balanced-neutral and Idun Golden is a reference-neutral set. Yume is more sub bass focus while Idun Golden is mid bass which I really prefer. Mids of both IEMs are equally good mids which gives me a hard choice on choosing between them on which has an advantage. I still prefer the Yume for its more detailed and crystalline sound quality, especially on vocals. Trebles of both sets are eerily similar but I give it to Idun Golden by a hairline due the fact that it has more air than Yume but still not the best when it comes to airy extension.

● Technicalities on both sets are even similar in performance, but Idun Golden has wider soundstage. They even have this sense of holographic feel. Yume is better on the layering aspect.

AUDIOSENSE DT300 (2021)

● Again, both have aesthetically eye pleasing shells, DT300 is a tad hefty compared to lighter Idun Golden. It has an all-BA setup and all of them are Knowles drivers. DT300 uses a durable MMCX connector while Idun Golden has a more sturdy and proven 2-pin connector which I prefer. Both of them are equally generous when it comes to inclusions, Idun Golden has better stock cable while DT300 has a good Pelican-like IEM Case.

● As for tonality, this is where the real clash on both IEMs really matters as to why DT300 has an upper hand over Idun Golden. Both have different approaches on neutrality, DT300 has balanced-neutral with almost uncoloured tonality. Bass is even more well-defined with even more punchy despite that it has a Woofer BA, Midrange is more textured which gives a lusher and even more organic but retain its detail clarity on the DT300 either on vocals and instruments. Treble on this DT300 is more smoother, good details and even has more air. Sibilance on DT300 is absolutely absent.

● Technicalities-wise, Idun Golden stood no chance against the DT300. DT300 has a wider soundstage with equally good height and depth that gives a very spacious headroom with its spatial field, Not even on imaging, separation and even layering capability, DT300 has more accurate on pinpointing the placement of elements on a track whether its instrumentalists or vocalists, it also has a very noticeable spacing and gap of each instruments and very well-arranged placement of respective frequency layering in the mix. As for resolution capability, its up to the listener's preference, a more sharper definition of Idun Golden or a more naturalness of DT300.


To conclude this review, Kinera Idun Golden is a very astonishing good set. With a gorgeous looking shell along with quality inclusions inside the box, a very capable modular cable and a likeable, neutral sounding for people who want to experience a high fidelity sound in a reasonable price, Kinera Idun Golden will be an easy recommendation.

Nonetheless with my preferences, Kinera Idun Golden still needs some refinement when it comes to technical aspects and just a little bit on the treble part. But with its tonally neutral tuning and an enough analytical performance without being too dry and clinical sounding, Kinera Idun Golden will certainly outweigh those particular concerns after all.

Kinera Idun Golden is currently price around US$169/ £149.50.



Interested in purchasing Kinera Idun Golden, Just click HERE

SPECIFICATION:

MODEL: KINERA IDUN GOLDEN
IMPEDANCE: 32Ω
SENSITIVITY: 113dB
FREQUENCY RESPONSE: 20Hz – 20KHz
CABLE LENGTH: 1.25M
PIN TYPE: 2-PIN CONNECTOR (0.78MM)
PLUG TYPE: (MODULAR) 3.5mm, 4.4mm
DRIVER UNIT(S): (1) DYNAMIC DRIVER + (2) 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 *

P.S.

I am not affiliated to KINERA 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 thank Edz Cuizon a.k.a. RemedyMusic Reviews for lending me this review unit. Please checkout his reviews also, He is one of the most capable and competent audio reviewer out there.

"Necessity is the mother of innovation"


The removal of the headphone jack in the smartphones was supposedly the end of the analogue technology that traces back to the late 19th century but the 3.5mm was standardised only in the 1970s with the introduction of Sony Walkman. And 3.5mm SE becomes the staple connector to all multimedia devices including smartphones. With this so-called "courage" path of that company, a move initiated the removal of the beloved analogue jack of their phone started this movement and most companies follow this suit (Even one company making a mockery out of it but afterwards they follow suit as it was a "necessity" for the improvement of their product to be more competitive in the market).


The removal of headphone jacks seems to be a blessing to some enterprising audio companies. These audio companies decided to offer a working solution on this issue of scarcity, a Hi-Fi DAC/amp in a USB pen drive form factor. I was already aware of the existence of these contraptions since 2017 and Audioquest Dragonfly Black was the first device that I've encountered but I digress.




Speaking of enterprising audio companies, Hidizs is one of the companies that were very active and constantly projecting their presence in the current audio market. Hidizs was established in 2009 and it was founded by Mr. Tamson who happens to be a member of a local underground rock band during his college days in his home country and also an audio enthusiast who has a dedication of creating Hi-fi portable gadgets like DAPs and other audio accessories. Along with his fellow colleagues in the audio community scene and some of them have extensive knowledge and experience in audio fidelity engineering, they put up their own dedicated Research and Development in their own company to provide a better product at an affordable price. The Hidisz Sonata HD was the first product that I've encountered from them and their AP80s are among the most popular items for budding portable audiophiliacs.


Let me remind you that this is my first product review on a USB DAC/Amp dongle and I try to simplify my review to be understandable to all readers and sufficiently detailed despite my limited knowledge regarding this subject.



Hidisz S9 Pro is a USB DAC/Amp dongle, this is a flagship model of their USB dongle line-up. It's a variant of the Hidisz S9 with some improvements in power output.


It has a small rectangular form factor which has similar sizes with some USB pen drives. The rectangular-shape casing is made of CNC milled aluminium alloy with a glass-like panel of its surface and it's quite very light and somehow durable, able to withstand a few accidental falls. My colour variant of S9 Pro has a silver-finished coating that looks really attractive and of high quality.




Both of side ends have different kinds of port, a USB type-C socket and its opposite side was a pair of headphone jacks of different output, one is 2.5mm balanced ( I actually wish for 4.4mm but due to the constraints of small sizes its impossible) and a unbalanced 3.5mm single-ended termination.


The 3.5mm output was rated up to 100mW at 32 ohms (2 Vrms) and up to 200mW at 32 ohms (4 Vrms) which is quite powerful already to most IEMs out there and even to some power hungry cans (a fellow audio enthusiast who happens to be my online mate claims that it can even drive a Fostex T40RP III which have those power demanding planar magnetic transducers). It still wonders to me how Hidizs managed to make it work despite its minuscule size.




It is also noted the S9 Pro has colour-coded LED light for sample rate and bit depth.


Here are some of the colour indicator:


GREEN - PCM 16-32bit /44.1-96 KHz

BLUE - PCM 24-32bit/192 KHz

RED - PCM 24-32bit/384 KHz

WHITE - PCM 24-32bit/768 KHz

YELLOW - DSD 64-128

VIOLET - DSD 256-512


I have some types of audio file formats in my digital collection, most of them are of lossless format. I've also tested them in the Hiby Player Music app in USB exclusive mode.


Inside of S9 PRO chassis, Hidisz implemented a high performance, flagship-grade ESS DAC ES9038Q2M which I'm very familiar with as it is also implemented on my F.Audio DAP, and this type of ESS DAC is also found on some desktop DAC/Amps like from McIntosh, Burson and Topping. ES9308Q2M is a reference DAC specifically for audiophile-grade portable and desktop devices like DAPs, A/V receivers, mixer and pre-amp consoles. It is also noted that the ES9038Q2M has a powerful Saber 9602 headphone amplifier to deliver the best possible audio volume. Looks like that I have a very strong relationship with the ESS as most of my LG phones and a lone DAP have ESS DACs on their internals so I consider myself as an ESS DAC enthusiast (just kidding).


Another thing to remember about S9 PRO that it doesn't have a built-in battery and to power it up, it siphons off on the battery power of the device sources and it is really quite a nasty, insatiable parasitical audio implement that devours a substantial amount of power if you play some tracks with a sample bitrate of 24bit/192 KHz PCMs to DSDs file formats. And also there is the absence of hardware volume key that you will use on your transport device's volume key buttons and even software of the app you are using. It should be also noted that this thing does really warm up after a few minutes of using it but not to the point that it is a hot iron-like heat.


As for its packaging and inclusions, S9 PRO was packed in a small-size black box and its inclusions are the following:

• Hidisz S9 PRO USB Dongle
• Type-C to USB-A adapter
• Transparent USB dongle holder with cloth clip.
• A thick Type-C to Type-C short cable with a silver colour insulated coating
• Some paperworks such as instruction manuals, Q.C. card, a card discount voucher and serial number card.
• A pair of Hi-Res audio logo sticker (to make hi-fi sound have added even more fidelity and resolution…just kidding)

If you are an iPhone user, the Lightning connector to USB-C is sold separately and it is available at the Hidisz Store.


Another helpful advice is if you put the Type-C connector, make sure that the one that you are inserting with has a Hidisz logo on its casing or else it won't work.


So I've only tested the S9 PRO to my Android smartphones and a macbook (connected it to a Type-C Thunderbolt slot) and all of them work flawlessly. It works on apps in Android OS such as UAPP (USB Audio Player PRO) and Hiby Music Player app.




In general sound quality of this item, Hidisz S9 PRO seems to have a balanced-neutral to reference-neutral sound signature (depends of the ear/head gear that you are using which should have at least a "neutral" type tuning either warmish-neutral to neutralish-bright) as it has an ample texture in all parts of frequency sound spectrum with just a tad of upper mid peaks and presence (some source-zealots will probably interpret it as a "Saber Glare")



BASS/LOWS:


S9 PRO has intended a very impressive bass response in both quality and quantity. It has this precise, articulate and has a good impact as it really stays very static within its frequency range without a hint of smudges that might spillover to other parts of the sound spectrum.


Sub bass is slightly a bit prominent in overall bass region for it has that rumble and reverberation that discernly feel it. Bass synthesizers on some Synth-pop tracks are well-outlined and crisp. Mid bass has an ample texture to give a sufficient note weight on bass guitars, bass kicks and bass-baritones. That density gives a resonant and weighty sound of a bass guitar that even plucking, slapping and strumming are clearly heard. Bass kicks have an enough pounding and sustaining sound thus double bass kicks of some complex metal tracks are executed in a meticulous way. Bass-Baritone vocals have an adequate guttural recital.



MIDRANGE:


Certainly that it has an excellent linearity and almost flawless midrange quality with an exuberant, transparent and pristine within its character. Both male and female vocals exhibit an organic and life-like presentation. Male vocals are firm, broader and deep in all categories of vocal types. Female vocals sound very pleasant as it has this euphonic, mesmerising and soothing feel in contralto to mezzo-soprano voice while sopranos have this silky, shining with expansive spatial range and yet melodic.


Presentations of instruments are accurately reproduced especially on strings as it gives a crisp with well-defined overtones on guitar either rhythm and acoustic ones, a vibrant and lustrous sound of a violin on every bowstroke on its strings. Piano tones seem to have a lively, rich and eloquent sound. A brisk and dynamics on percussives like snare drums as it has that sharpness, precise and penetrating sound. And finally the woodwinds like saxophone and fife have that warm, lustrous and incisive in a higher note and brass instruments like trumpets and horns have this metallic, brilliant, blaring and austere in lower note register.



TREBLE/HIGHS:


As I mentioned that S9 Pro has some reference-neutral characteristics, it has some emphasis on treble region that gives that analytical, dry and airy sound at the expense of being too lean but S9 Pro doesn't even sound lean and inadequate.

In fact, It has a substantial texture and definition in this particular part of the frequency range spectrum.


Treble has an almost spotless, lucidity, shimmer and crisp quality that defines its detail quality and tones of harmonics.

Cymbals strikes have that snap and elan as it has a glistening, metallic and a sizzle that has good extension towards the brilliance region with sparkle and air. Hi-hats appear to have that shorted buzzing and shrill which is its natural sound characteristic.



GENERAL TECHNICALITIES:


S9 PRO is very proficient in projecting its technical capabilities. It has a wide sound field that gives a sense of expanse within its headroom, excellent height reach and good depth value for the distance range between front to rear. With these impressive spatial proportion, It does give that immersive 3D-feel on how it give an accurate spatial cues on placement of instruments and vocal positioning, with a very specific and distinguished on layering forte on interpreting each distinct frequency and dynamic character along with significant separation of each element that even a very complex track like multi-instrumentals scores will absolutely play it effortlessly with no hint of congestion and chaotic sounding.



It is also adept at delivering a clear, well-detailed and resolving capabilities in a pitch black background sonic canvas. Harshness and grainy noise floor is practical absent on this one.



PEER COMPARISONS:


AUDIOQUEST DRAGONFLY BLACK (2016)

• It has a bit larger chassis and more solid build with matte coating finish. It has a 3.5mm SE and USB Type-A port which is contrasting to a more modern features of S9 PRO like 2.5mm balanced and a type-C por but if you want to use it in smartphones specifically android, you need that proprietary adapter and USB OTG cable which is quite a hassle to set it up in my opinion.
• It has a mild U-shaped sound signature and manifests a natural timbre but it is a bit softer in presentation and less detailed compared to S9 PRO. Bass is a unrefined and vague in presentation, Mids is in a neutral and transparent state and treble is even more even unpolish as it shows some coarseness, grainy and metallic due the boosted upper mids. Sample rate and bit depth of Dragonfly Black is somehow capped to 96 KHz PCM and doesn't even support native DSD capability but it can do MQA rendering.
• Technical aspects on this one clearly shows its age, it is totally outclassed by the S9 Pro by a mile from staging to resolving capability. A few notable advantage of Dragonfly Black was it plug & play mode that it can be use to all music apps in Android and will act as a headphone amp while S9 Pro is more specific and limited as you can use only on few music apps like UAPP, Hiby Music Player app and Neutron app.

To conclude this review, USB Hifi Dongles like the Hidisz S9 Pro became an important and logical implement as the continuous abandonment of the venerable headphone jack by most smartphone companies seems to be an inevitable and it is indeed a future tool for mobile audio enthusiast who wants to experience a high fidelity musical experience that is portable and ease of use.


For sure that this USB Hifi dongle is quite voracious and glutton on sucking up some battery life on the device on which Hidizs S9 PRO is connected, but as for sound performance it is unequivocally deliver an almost-desktop grade DAC/Amps sound quality with a clean, accurate sound reproduction and brimming with good details and solid macrodynamics.


Will I ever recommend this one to some budding audiophiles? I will definitely endorse this one without batting headphone and hesitation.


HIDIZS S9 PRO is still available for purchase and if you are interested to purchase it, just click the link there below. You can also check out there the detailed specification of this product.

◆○ LINK ○◆

"Titillate the sounds of your guilty pleasure".

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 *




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 thank EMMA LI for providing this review unit. I truly appreciate their generosity towards me and other reviewers.

In the current sector in the audio world, there is a current war that keeps raging on that almost all audio companies wanted to earn their spot and try to become the undisputed warlord of this new battlefield, The Battle of the Planar IEMs.


It is unexpected that the Lord of the Entry-level IEMs, Knowledge Zenith also known as KZ decided to enter the fray in the battlefield. This big question is what will be KZ's arsenal that makes him even a serious threat to all.



To be honest, my experiences on some Planar IEMs are a bit complicated as to how I would stand on it. At first, I was very critical on the first generation and second generation of Planars IEMs on how ridiculously power demanding these sets are with just a mediocre and unrefined tonality. But as years go by, the development of Planar on IEMs seems to be noticeable on how they became less power demanding and delivers a commendable sound quality.


Entering the KZ PR1, It is KZ's first IEM with a planar driver and KZ as the dominant player in the Chi-fi audiosphere decided to release not one but two variants for specific type of tuning in the opening salvo, a Standard PR1 and the Hi-fi PR1. The one that I'll be assessing is the Standard variant which is more bassy.



For those who don't know about the planar magnetic driver technology, Planar driver is type of transducer that has a pair of magnets of exact dimensions sandwiched a very thin, electrically-charged diaphragm as for layman's term, magnets that constantly reacting on a very leveled, smooth surface or a flat plane hence the term "planar" came from. To think that functionality on how planar works is akin to the electromechanical principles of both electrostatics and dynamic drivers. KZ PR1 implemented a fast responsive 13.2 mm planar on its interior.




KZ PR1 Standard shell is made of acrylic resin on the cavity base part and a light aluminium alloy in the faceplate. Faceplate design has modern, industrial appeal with grill holes that also lay over on a decorative mesh. There is a single vent on which a planar unit is situated in a cavity base and as for choice of its connector, it still uses QDC-type 2-pin connector which stable to all KZ units since the KZ ZSN.



Fitting seems to be decent on how it sits well into my lug holes as its contours are very ergonomically design that will snugly fit to most ear sizes. I don't encounter any issues like driver flex and ear sores due to long usage.


As for its packaging, KZ PR1 is the same with entry-level KZ with too austere on their inclusions. I wish they included a better stock cable.




Here are the included accessories:

• A pair of KZ PR1 Standard IEMs.
• A parallel, flat 4-core stock cable with a L-shape 3.5mm termination plug (with mic version).
• Extra ear tips of different standard sizes (small and large).
• Instruction manual.

On the subject of driveability of these sets, everyone should be aware that planars IEMs are quite feisty and the PR1 Standard is no different. Despite that it is one of the few planar IEMs that it is easier to drive compare to most current planar sets out there but remember, it is still a planar and planar demands more power output that a typical media source like smartphones are having a hard time to powering up these sets (I tried this little monster to available latest smartphones in current market that even a full volume level doesn't deliver that distinct dynamic sound of a planar driver). LG phones can drive these sets decently but at the 85-100% volume level but it will sound more fuller and crisper if I trick my LG phones into medium gain or aux mode to achieve it. USB DACs are also highly endorsed to be used on this unit and it is enough for them to deliver a substantial amount of power.


It is also highly recommended that KZ PR1 standard should be powered to a balanced source either its a 2.5mm or 4.4mm to achieve better amplification. My DAP happens to have these type of jacks.




As for tonal character, KZ PR1 Standard is a distinctively typical KZ in-house sound which is V-shaped tuning with added planar sheen on it.


V-shaped sound signature has a particular tuning which is elevated bass and treble with a recessed midrange in the overall presentation.


Here are some of my observations on its tonal characteristics in the overall frequency range spectrum of KZ PR1.



LOWS/BASS:

Bass is certainly elevated on this set. It is punchy, tactile and has an exact slam. This type of bass suits well with its v-shaped sound signature. It seems that it has a noticeable bass bleed but it still manages to control it to avoid smudges on the other frequencies in the audio spectrum.

It has a substantial depth that I clearly felt those rumbling and reverberating sound on its sub bass that I've used to listen on high quality subwoofer transducers either from full range speakers or head/earphones (usually DDs) and surprisingly, PR1 Standard deliver it. Synthesizers, electric drums and some string instrument like the harp is usually situated here.

Midbass has an ample texture that it adds a volume on the note weight on several instruments. Bass guitars, bass kick drums and Bass-baritone vocals, you name it. It gives a more resonant and rasping sound on the bass guitar, bass kicks has this dark and thudding sound and a sufficient guttural and power on bass baritones.

Bassheads will have a good time to experience a quality bassy planar IEM.



MIDRANGE:

As expected on a V-shaped tuning, Midrange is attenuated and recessed on this one. It is surely has a sufficient warmth, clear and crisp that adds up some note weight on both vocals and instruments.

Vocals of both gender definitely benefited on the warmness as it gave a strong emphasis on deep and gruff on male voices in any type of vocal range. Female vocals sounds very bright and hypnotic on how it reaches its fullest range, quite an energetic and spacious sounding that even a soprano projects it clearly.

As for instruments, I already expect a bright and vibrant sound due to the nature of planar tone and my assumptions are somehow accurate. Strings and Brass instruments sounds more natural with added vigorous and intensity. Guitars have a more brighter and crisper tone, Violins have a lustrous and lively sound, and more brassy, rounded and blaring trumpets and tubas. Woodwinds seems to have an intense and shrill sound like picollos and fifes. Piano appears to have a bright, vibrant and more lively tone and lastly on the percussives like snare drums, it has sharper, more metallic and penetrating on every strike.

Despite the inherent recession, it does exhibit a decent midrange presentation.



HIGHS/TREBLE:

This is the one of the main highlights of this IEM and it is treble quality. Planars really excels on projecting the treble quality; clearer, more detailed and better airy extension. KZ PR1 really hit those characteristics on the treble planar standard.

Upper mids seem to have some noticeable peaks to be augmented mainly on the treble section, Even so it still remains to have a smoother delivery. Sibilance is very minimal to be noticed and harshness seems to be non-existent on this one as I tried it on some tracks with soprano vocals and other treble focus ones.

Cymbals strikes on this one are decent. It does have that shimmer and sizzling sound with a very good amount of air but sometimes it has that lack of snap or body that I want a more solid cymbal cymbal. Hi-hats sound very natural and life-like that they correctly capture their unusual "chicky" sound.



SOUNDSTAGE, IMAGING & OTHER TECHNICALITIES:

Planars supposedly have superior technical performance such as wider and spacious soundstage, good height, decent depth, accurate imaging, well-defined separation and layering and superb resolving prowess and once again PR1 Standard managed to pass those criteria with exception the resolving and resolution capability.

Soundstage is commendable on this one as it has an above average width with an ample spacious in my headroom (to achieve this, a proper amplification on PR1 is a must with required power output), excellent height reach and good depth as I defined it has a stellar proportionate sound field. Imaging is quite accurate as I can pinpoint the placement of instruments and singers, separation and layering is noteworthy that it has a good gap of each instrument with each specific dynamic characteristic and frequency in the sonic canvass that even a busy tracks like multi-instrumental and complex is presented on a very systematic and cogently to listen.

Coherency of KZ PR1 planar tranduscer is convincingly superb with faster transient response and accurate sound reproduction with less harmonic distortion. Timbre-wise, like all planars, it exhibits a "Planar Sheen '' on which we are familiar with. That distinct shimmery crisp tonal colour as I try to describe in a layman's term.

Resolution capability-wise, it is satisfactory that it shows an acceptable amount of micro-details and a solid macro-dynamics contrast but compared to other current generation of planar IEMs, it's a bit underwhelming.



PEER COMPARISONS:

Audeze iSine10 (around £351/US$400, 2016)

• Their aesthetics and design are contrasting with one another. While the PR1 standard follows a similar pattern with other KZ style cues, iSine10 has a very unusual design that it really looks like some spacecraft from Sci-fi series. It has a semi-open back design and the fitting is very awkward as I'm very annoyed on how to have a proper insertion in my lug holes.
• To be honest, my first impression on this item a few years ago leaves me baffled and frustrated. Tonality is absolutely a mess, it's a V-shape sounding with lack of bass quality and quantity, skewed-up midrange (almost all female vocals sounds nasally) peaky and strident treble and too splashy cymbals. Like what kind of tonality is, this is abysmal…. And if I do a comparison it with PR1 Standard which has the same sound signature. PR1 Standard is the superior set when it comes to tonality in every category.
• This set is harder to drive and you need a desktop DAC/Amp or a USB DAC with high power output just to give it a proper amplification to sound fuller. Due to its open-back design it has a wider stage but the expense of isolation, not recommended for noisy outdoor usage.

TINHIFI P1 (around £149/US$170, 2019)

• The shell is made of aluminum alloy and it has a more solid and robust build. It has a MMCX connector which has mixed opinions of its quality.
• Tonality-wise, it has a more of a balanced-neutral sounding leaning. Tight bass, more forward and luscious midrange and smooth treble, too smooth that it really affects some technical aspects especially resolution capability.
• Another hard to drive set compared to PR1 Standard when it comes to required power scaling. It has a lesser technical aspects like soundstage which is a bit narrower than PR1 Standard then a vague and unrefined performance on imaging and separation.

As I lay down my conclusion about this product, It is actually the longest assessment in a KZ product as It really give me a genuine surprise moment that KZ really jumped into the planar bandwagon and yet they manage to offer a compelling product that is very affordable at very cheap price for a planar IEM set.


Moreover, this set still needs some refinement and just a little polished to further improve its tuning and inclusions to match the current competitors which are more expensive with better included accessories and finer tuning. But with its affordability and surprisingly well-tuned set, I highly recommend this one to other audio enthusiasts who want to experience a planar sound without breaking your bank account.



KZ PR1 Standard is now available to all e-commerce stores and you can check it out on their official site.

"Titillate the sounds of your guilty pleasure".


Official Site

Shopee (For SE Asia Market)


Also, check out my previous reviews on other KZ products:

• KZ EDX
• KZ EDC
• KZ EDA
• KZ ZEX
• KZ ZEX PRO
• KZ DQ6S
• KZ ZES
• KZ ESX
• KZ AS16 PRO

SPECIFICATION:

MODEL: KZ PR1 STANDARD

IMPEDANCE: 16Ω

SENSITIVITY: 96dB

FREQUENCY RESPONSE: 20Hz – 40KHz

CABLE LENGTH: 1.25M

PIN TYPE: QDC TYPE 2-PIN CONNECTOR

PLUG TYPE: 3.5mm

DRIVER UNIT(S): (1) PLANAR MAGNETIC 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 *



P.S.

I am not affiliated to KNOWLEDGE ZENITH 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 thank TYVAN LAM for providing this review unit. I truly appreciate their generosity towards me and other reviewers.

"Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication"

This is how I defined TINHIFI (previously known as TIN AUDIO) as a company on how they approach the simplicity and practicality of their products and yet they prove their point by delivering the best possible product in the audio market. Their T2 is one of the best Chi-fi's products that earned a legendary status among audio enthusiasts. The T2 is the only reference-neutral set that ever existed under US$100 at that time and it is really a good stepping stone towards a more hi-fi sound quality.


As an experienced manufacturer of OEMs with extensive years of experience in the field, TINHIFI formerly known as TIN AUDIO was established in 2017 and with the release of their infamous product, they instantly became the darling of budget audio enthusiasts for their competitive pricing that offers a good audio quality that punches above its price.



This is TINHIFI T2 DLC, it's a reinvention of their legendary classic T2 with a different type of transducer, a DLC(Diamond-Like Carbon) diaphragm dynamic driver which was previously implemented on more expensive sets (Two of my top three recommended single DD set have DLC drivers). Its shell chassis is made of light, durable aircraft-grade aluminium alloy just like the original T2. The intended reason on why TINHIFI designed this unusual form factor of T2 was due to its acoustic chamber cavity that removes any unwanted resonance oscillation as it dampens the excessive sonic waves that might cause some distortion that might produce a muddled sound quality.



Surprisingly, TINHIFI changed its connector as the regular T2 has a MMCX connector but some who purchase the original T2 has encountered some issues on the quality of the MMCX in the long run like it easily loosening up the grip between the socket and the termination. Due to some feedbacks, TINHIFI decided to ditch the MMCX to a more proven and durable 2-pin connector (0.78mm).



As for fitting, TINHIFI T2 DLC has a very comfortable fitting and is inserted well into my lug holes as I can wear them for a long listening session. Passive sound isolation seems decent as I still hear some external noises from the surroundings while I'm doing my daily habit, brisk walking. My only fuss on this part was the preform ear hooks on the stock cable that impedes the insertion for a better snug into my lug holes.

The packaging box of T2 DLC is very similar to the original T2. It is a small, rectangular black box with basic included accessories.




Here are the inclusions inside of the packaging:

• A pair of TINHIFI T2 DLC IEMs
• A 5n 8-core SPC 2-pin cable with 3.5mm termination plug.
• 5 pairs of white ear tips of different standard sizes.
• A pair of light blue-coloured memory foam ear tips.
• Instruction manual.
• A contact card.

With a 32 ohms of impedance, this set can be properly amplified by power sources with decent power rating. I tested the T2 DLC in my media devices like smartphones and DAP and it is driven well enough that it outputs a sufficient loudness to my lug holes.


The tonality of T2 DLC is more a mild-U shaped sound signature with almost neutral tuning as it shows an slight elevation on bass and treble with a more neutral midrange. It has this sufficiently bright sound nature.


Here are some of my observation on this set and I will give some characteristic based on what I hear.


LOWS/BASS:

Compacted, articulate and precise. The bass quality of this set really fits the overall sound signature. It gives a very clean bass register that the other parts of frequency range to be projected in very clear and detailed.

Sub bass on this one is present as I clearly felt some reverb and rumble that I heard on some tracks, usually synthpop and electronic music that synths and electric drums produce. Mid bass is more prominent on this one as it has a decent texture to give a sufficient body on bass guitars, bass kicks and bass-baritones. Bass guitar sounds a bit mellow and resonant in my preference as I want a more broad and heavier tone. Bass Kicks seems to have a thudding and yet softer sound and bass baritones have a deep and decent power to stand out.

This is actually my preferred bass in both quantity and quality as it is neutral or midrange-treble focus tuning. But Bassheads will surely look for another set that they will find this one as lacking on their hearing.



MIDRANGE:

The midrange of this one is fairly neutral, has an ample texture to provide a good amount of note weight on vocals and instruments but it still on a leaner side of the tuning. Vocals are presented in a natural position rather than being presented too forward or at the back seat.

Female vocals appear to be prominent over male vocals on this one as it is more energetic, bright and spacious sounding. As I describe the characteristics of its voice quality, it is vivid, regal and lyrical that it is versatile to all types of female vocals while male vocals sounds a bit delicate and plaintive as I want a more gravelly and brawny sound one.

Regarding the sound quality of instruments, it is clearly more beneficial on strings like guitars and violins. It gives a crisp and bright sounding on a guitar as I clearly hear on every pluck on its note strings and a vibrant and lively sound on violins in every move of bow to its string. Snare drums have this metallic and bright sound with a sufficiently sharp tone in every strike. Piano seems to have a bright tone as it gives a sense of a very clear and clean sound.

As a midcentric listener like myself, T2 DLC gives me a very satisfying and mark it with above average grade as it gives a pristine, crystalline and detailed presentation on its mids for an entry-level single DD set.



HIGHS/TREBLE:

This is definitely a bright, delineated and vibrant treble register. I discerningly hear those boosted upper mid peaks that give an attack and definition but this might give some unpleasant listening experience to some listeners who are treble sensitives that will feel a fatiguing sound in long run. Despite those upper mids peaks, Sibilance is controlled well and harshness seems tamed enough in my hearing.

Cymbal strikes has a crunch that makes it sounds very sizzling and a glistening sound that its hiss is sufficiently extended. This is treble air has indeed a good and reasonable range. Hi-hats has a blunted buzzing and brassy sound which I consider them organic one.

This has commendable treble quality for a single DD set but if I compare it to a multi-driver set-up with a good quality BA driver on it. T2 DLC is more of an average quality in my preference.



SOUNDSTAGE, IMAGING AND OTHER TECHNICALITIES:

Overall technicalities capabilities of T2 DLC is good for a single DD, Soundstage seems to have above average on wideness with enough headroom just to fill out on its sound field, with equally good depth and height to make a more immersive on its spatial proportion. Imaging is decent as stereo panning sweeps from left to right properly but it was presented in a more linear manner but I can still point out the placements of each instrument and singer(s). Separation has an enough spacing and gap of each element of the tracks. Layering is also decent on how it presents each layer of dynamic tone in the sonic canvas but in some rare occasion especially on some very complex instrumental tracks and musical scores, I hear some hint of muddy and a bit congested delivery.

Coherency of driver is very good as it deliver a very homogenous and cogent perfomance transient speeds seems pretty nimble that i don't feel any distortion and remains to deliver a clean sound.

Timbre seems to be on a brighter side just north of neutral and organic tonality. When it comes to resolution capability, for a single DD set it delivers a decent micro-detail retrieval with a sharper note definition, macro-dynamics clearly has a volume of texture.



PEER COMPARISONS:



TINHIFI/ TIN AUDIO T2 Original (2017)

• Both have identical shell chassis which are made of aluminium alloy. T2 Original has a MMCX connector while T2 DLC doesn have a 2-pin connector.
• Tonality-wise, both have slight differences in tuning. While they have an inclination towards being lean, neutral sounding. T2 original is more a reference-neutral type of tuning as it has tighter bass, focuses on the emphasis on mids and treble. T2 original is even a tad brighter sounding.
• Technicalities-wise, they are very similar but T2 has a more edgier definition on details and cohesive performance of the driver is less nimble compared to the DLC driver of the later variant model. The rest are practically the same from soundstage to layering.

KB EAR INK (2022)

• Like T2 DLC, it has an aluminium alloy housing and it has even the same driver type implemented on KB Ear which is DLC. Inclusions is better on KB EAR INK knowing that they are one of the most generous audio companies out there when it comes to quantity of accessories included inside.
• KB EAR INK is more of a v-shaped tuning compared to a more neutralish sounding T2 DLC. KB EAR INK is even a more bassier set but less cleaner sounding and less detailed compared to T2 DLC. Sibilance and harshness is more noticeable on KB Ear Ink.
• On the subject of technical performance, KB EAR INK presentation on soundstage is more on average sized with smaller spatial headroom, imaging is tad blurry and separation is decent. But have similar aptitude on the execution of layering.

In my overall assessment of the TINHIFI T2 DLC, It reminds me of how the TINHIFI keeps evolving their classic T2 since 2017 up to the latest standard and it managed to stay relevant in an even more competitive portable audio market.


As aforementioned on this item, is it really an improvement compared to the original classic T2? For me it's more of a sidegrade rather than a total upgrade as both has its particular strength and weakness and its up to the preferences of the listeners on which tuning suited them better.


TINHIFI T2 DLC is now available to all online stores and if you want an audio distributor with good reputation and outstanding customer service, you can order it at LINSOUL and you check it out in a unaffiliated link of the product below:

LINSOUL TINHIFI T2 DLC

SPECIFICATION:

MODEL: TINHIFI T2 DLC
IMPEDANCE: 32Ω
SENSITIVITY: 111dB
FREQUENCY RESPONSE: 20Hz – 22KHz
CABLE LENGTH: 1.25M
PIN TYPE: 2-PIN CONNECTOR (0.78MM)
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 *


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 thank LINSOUL and to Miss Kareena Tang for providing this review unit, I truly appreciate their generosity towards me and other reviewers.

"The Devil is in the details".

So how does this quote connected to this review article? Well this is how I simply described this product capability as a tool for audio professionals or just for an apparatus for an audio enthusiast either for critical listening or just a simple enjoyment.


As some of you already know, I'm a big fan of Audiosense products as I previously did a lot of product reviews from them many times. I can proudly declare that not a single Audiosense product has really failed my expectations. That's how I undoubtedly adore Audiosense on how they presented their products and make sure it is up to the high quality standard.


What I have here now is their latest flagship model, The Audiosense AQ7 Insight.. It's actually an improved model with some revisions over its predecessor, the original AQ7. Based on the users' feedback of AQ7, Audiosense decided to tweak and modify some supposedly shortcomings of the previous model and AQ7 "Insight" is the result of it.




Audiosense AQ7 Insight is a hybrid driver set-up IEM consists of single dynamic driver and 6 balanced armature drivers. Its 10mm single dynamic driver has a titanium diaphragm which has the most durable and yet light among the current existing type of dynamic driver that will deliver a more resonating, crisper and faster bass response. The balanced armature drivers that complemented it are the ones who handle the lows, mids and highs and it is also noted that Audiosense has a very strong relationship with Knowles and we all know that Knowles is one of the premium BA driver manufacturers out there. All transducers are its own sound tube channels to have better reverberation and separation among its specific frequency range.




The shells of AQ7 Insight are made of high quality medical-grade resin moulded in a 3D printer. Medical-grade resin supposedly has a very skin-friendly attribute and whenever I touch it to feel its texture, it really screams premium. There is a capsule-shaped vent hole on it with some micro holes on its filter. As for fitting and comfort, it really snugs well into my lug holes and I can use it for a long listening without any discomfort and irritation.




Moreover, like all Audiosense products, AQ7 Insight still uses a MMCX connector which is somehow durable and resistant to wear and tear on daily usage given that I have a number of Audiosense IEMs among my collection and I don't encounter any issues on it. But there are some minor inconveniences on this set as I experience some driver flex in every time I lightly tap on the housing. (The right part has it.)




As for packaging and included accessories. Audiosense is one of IEM companies that presented their products very satisfyingly and impressively with some good quality accessories of its inclusions. It has a colour black, rectangular-shaped box that is identical with its DT200-DT600 cousins.



Here are some included accessories inside of the box:

• A pair of AUDIOSENSE AQ7 Insight shells.
• A light copper 8 strands, 19 core OFC cable with an L-shape 3.5mm termination plug in a MMCX connector.
• MMCX removing clip
• Three (3) pairs of AUDIOSENSE S400 eartips of different standard sizes.
• Three (3) pairs of AUDIOSENSE GT40S eartips of different standard sizes.
• Three (3) pairs of AUDIOSENSE AT400 foam tips.
• An instruction manual
• A pelican-like container IEM case
• A cleaning tool with ear wax remover and brush.

Audiosense IEMs are usually easier to drive sets and scales well to all sources due to low impedance rating and a substantial sensitivity mark. Even on decent devices like smartphones, it is already a good volume output and delivers a very good dynamic sound quality.




In regards to its tonality, Audiosense AQ7 Insight manifests a distinct "reference-neutral" sound signature in my ears as it has a tight bass response with more emphasis on the midrange and treble. Others will find this set as a bright mid-centric IEM.




Here are some of my observations on its characteristics of each part of the frequency range spectrum.



LOWS/BASS:

Tight, precise and articulate are the characteristics that instantly exhibit to my auditory perception. This is my preferred bass quality in my tonal preference as It perfectly fits well with midcentric tuning in my opinion. Sub bass is definitely present on this one as I discerningly hear those rumbling and reverberating sounds.


Midbass is more prominent on this one for it has a decent texture to deliver an ample note weight on the lows. It is a decent growl on ass guitars to sound broad and more resonant, a sustaining and thudding characteristic in bass kicks and bass- baritones has very enough heft and deep not to make the vocals sound hollow and less appealing.


Due to its tighter sound nature, the bass bleed on this one is practically absent as it delivers a cleaner, accurate and segregates itself from other frequency ranges. This is not definitely a bass preference for a basshead listener.




MIDRANGE:

This is the strongest asset of this set as I mentioned that its midrange is more prominent and projecting. I am a sort of midcentric listener and I want mids presented more forward and detailed and AQ7 insight doesn't fail my expectations. The mids are presented very sterile, well-detailed, translucent and neutral.


Female vocals seem to have more benefited on this one as it has sufficient texture and yet is transparent. It is very versatile to all female vocal types and registers from a denser contralto (which is quite uncommon) to a well-extended and powerful sopranos. The quality of female vocals on AQ7 Insight are mesmerising, ethereal and captivating in my ears. While male vocals have enough gruff, guttural and rounded to have sufficient thorough quality.


As for instruments, strings are plainly more prominent on this one as it adds a crisper and brighter sound on an acoustic guitar (sometimes, a tad dry) and a vibrant and metallic sound on a violin. Percussives like snare drums have this sharp and shrill sound in every strike to beat. Brass like trumpets has a more strident and sharper tone and horns have a ponderous and robust sound on which AQ7 Insight accurately reproduces them. Piano has a brighter tone that it sounds brilliant and clear but sometimes a tad brassy.


For sure that this midrange boost, it will absolutely be likeable to most midcentrists like me but the transition on elevation between mid to upper mids might give some issues to listeners who were sensitives on this particular part of frequency spectrum and they might be too honky or nasally sounding.




HIGHS/TREBLE:

It is secondly the most prominent in the overall frequency range of this set. Treble seems to have a clear, clean, detailed and airy one. I like this kind of treble as it adds some clarity and fidelity.


Upper mids to presence treble treble are noticeably peaky but good thing that it doesn't have that harshness and gritty that I usually hear on unrefined upper mids boost. Occurrences of sibilance is minimal to none which I enjoy some tracks that tend to be sibilant-laden without hindrance. Cymbals sounds have a good shimmer and gleam that extends well. Hi-hats have a distinctively shorted and "chicky" sound that AQ7 insight conveys to the listener correctly.


Moreover, It definitely has a very airy and sparkling sound that it is well-extended across brilliance treble without some roll-offs that might have dampened the harmonics.


This is one of the best treble qualities that I've encountered recently in an entry-level to midrange category.



SOUNDSTAGE, IMAGING & OTHER TECHNICALITIES:

"Goddamn! what a spacious and expansive head room that this set has" This is actually my initial utterance on how the soundstage was presented on the AQ7 Insight. It is well-proportioned in my opinion, has a wide sound field that is quite spacious in my headroom, has a good height ceiling and the depth is well-defined on how the front and rear are presented on this one.


Imaging is absolutely impressive on this set on how it pinpoints the placement of instruments and vocals very accurately in a perceived spatial field. Separation has indeed a sufficient gap and spacing on each element that you will hear on the track. Layering is even more impressive on this one on how frequencies and distinct dynamic characters of each tone of instruments and vocals are arranged very orderly that a complex, multi-instrumental tracks will be played effortless.


Coherency of the drivers delivers a very cohesive and homogenous sound on how dynamic drivers and multi balanced armature drivers complement well that decay, sustain and attack on the performance of each driver are harmoniously well-executed. Tonal colour tends to be more brighter, north of being sounds organic.


As for resolution and resolving capability, macro-dynamics is presented solidly and micro-detail retrieval is even more impressive on how it capture a lot of data and infos from the track in a very sharp definition.



PEER COMPARISONS:


Fearless Audio Roland (2019, around £576/US$615)

• While both IEMs are of hybrid driver setup, Roland has another type of driver inside which is a Sonion EST. To sum it up, Roland has a single DD, dual BA drivers and dual Sonion ESTs. These IEMs are also comparable when it comes to aesthetics as their resin shells are even moulded via 3D printing. Roland uses a more proven and durable connector which is a 2-pin connector. Presentation of their respective product and inclusions of quality accessories are evenly matched on both items.
• As for tonality, Roland is more of a mild-U shape sound signature. It has a more warmer and natural sounding due to a more textured compare the transparent and more neutral AQ7 Insight. Bass is more punchy, mids is a bit recessed but has more lusher and thicker while AQ7 Insight focuses more on transparency, clarity and resolution but still has a decent texture not to sound lean. Another noticeable difference in this comparison is the treble register, despite Roland having an EST driver, it has less airy extension and less shimmering compared to AQ7 Insight but it is smoother. For an all-rounder tonality, Roland is a more of a safer bet.
• Technicalities are definitely better on AQ7 Insight, Roland has above average technical capabilities as it has less expansive soundstage but still in a more natural headroom proportion, separation and imaging is good and satisfactory. But overall aspects on resolution capabilities like clarity, detail retrieval and transparency, AQ7 Insight is way better in my opinion.

DUNU SA6 (2021, around £515/US$550)

• Dunu SA6 is also a multi-driver set-up just like AQ7 Insight but the difference is that it has all balanced armature drivers from premium brands like Knowles and Sonion. Dunu SA6 has a bass vent hole switch to add more bass quantity (I didn't even switch on this one, when I tested one before). It uses a 2-pin connector which in my opinion is a better implementation. As for shell aesthetics, they are equally a looker.
• The sound signature of Dunu SA6 is more of a balanced-neutral tuning, and it has a substantial note weight and enough warmth to have more balanced sounding without any compromises of clarity, detail and texture. AQ7 Insight focuses on transparency, more detail and cleanliness. Treble on Dunu SA6 is less airy and yet it is way more smoother. Both have superb mid range quality, between texture and transparency, which do you prefer? In an all-rounder tonality, Dunu SA6 will be more pleasing and compelling to listeners who want to have a transition between fun sounding to analytical while AQ7 Insight is more of a tool for experienced hi-fi enthusiasts as it is for more analytical listening or a professional tool for audio engineers.
• Dunu's SA6 technical capabilities are just above average while AQ7 Insight has an excellent mark in that category, Soundstage and resolution capability are where AQ7 Insight dominates over SA6.

To think that this is currently the most expensive set that I have been reviewing for now and it really amazes me on how it performs almost flawlessly that it really hit my tuning preference. Superb tonality and unmatched technical performances is what AQ7 Insight has to offer.


Another to be noted that AQ7 Insight isn't an all-rounder set in my opinion as it caters only to specific listeners which are neutral heads and midcentrics. Bass heads and fun sounding fanatics will having a second thoughts if it will fit on their preferences.


Would I still recommend AQ7 Insight to everyone? For me, it's a big yes if you want to try another flavour of a new listening experience then it's definitely worthy to try it out.


Audiosense AQ7 Insight is available to purchase and you can check the link here if you are indeed interested.


Check out my other reviews on Audiosense products:

• AUDIOSENSE DT100

• AUDIOSENSE DT200

• AUDIOSENSE DT300

• AUDIOSENSE DT600

• AUDIOSENSE AQ0

• AUDIOSENSE T800

• AUDIOSENSE AQ4

SPECIFICATION:

MODEL: AUDIOSENSE AQ7 INSIGHT

IMPEDANCE: 13Ω

SENSITIVITY: 110dB

FREQUENCY RESPONSE: 20Hz – 22KHz

CABLE LENGTH: 1.25M

PIN TYPE: MMCX CONNECTOR

PLUG TYPE: 3.5mm

DRIVER UNIT(S): (1) DYNAMIC DRIVER + (6) 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 *


P.S.

I am not affiliated to AUDIOSENSE 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 thank Bradley Loo and Elaine Wong for providing and facilitating this review unit, I truly appreciate their generosity towards me and other reviewers.

Oi! Welcome to my another review article and this is all about the latest product from Tronsmart. As people reading my review articles, I've done at least 2 item reviews on Tronsmart products and all of them are portable bluetooth speakers. I'm actually enjoying using them on a daily basis as it is very convenient and easy to use them in either listening to music casually or watching some shows like movies, documentaries and podcasts.


What I have here is their latest portable bluetooth speaker offering, The Tronsmart Bang Mini. This is a cheaper variant of the Tronsmart Bang without the software EQ app support.




On the physical aspect of Tronsmart Bang Mini. It has an ergonomic sausage-like shape with a handle on the top for easy to carry and it has bass transducers on both side ends. Like all Tronsmart speakers, it is very sturdy and well-built as it lives up to its moniker as a party speaker. The material of this unit is made of a solid, high quality plastic that adds rigidity and structural integrity on this portable speaker as it can take a beating on daily usage on either indoor or outdoor use. The speaker grills are somewhat coated with rubber as it has a waterproof rating like most Tronsmart portable speakers. In the handle part, you will find a NFC spot as Tronsmart Bang Mini has a built-in NFC support on which other devices with NFCs will have ease of connection by simply putting them to instant seamless pairing. Good thing that all my smartphones have NFCs support. In the front part of the speaker area, there is a pill-shaped rubberised function key panel which has button keys to push for basic commands.





Here are some infos of each button keys on that you will found there:




In the rear part of the speaker, below on it is where the type-C slot for charging situated along with micro-SD card slot and a 3.5mm jack for analogue connection which is more beneficial to me as I am an audio enthusiast and a firm believer that wired and analogue connection are still superior compare to wireless implementation when it comes to the overall sound quality. Another surprising feature on this set is that it has a USB type-A for charging to your devices like smartphones. Quite convenient isn't it. And also, that part has a rubber cap to plug it for water protection.




At the both ends of the speaker, there are rhythm LED lights at the side of bass transducers to add better visual effects while listening to your listening and it offers a variety of ambience light effects based on your whim but at a cost of added battery consumption to deplete power reserves of the Tronsmart Bang Mini. This is somehow a basic feature to all Tronsmart bluetooth speakers for having at least a LED lighting.




Furthermore, as for its connectivity, it has Bluetooth 5.3 which has lesser latency and a more seamless connection on both bluetooth devices. But I wish that Tronsmart Bang Mini has more bluetooth codec support as it has only SBC as its standard and other more advanced codecs like APT-X, APTX-HD and LDAC aren't supported. Good thing is that this speaker has a 3.5mm jack for aux mode. It is even more important to me as the wired connection still offers the option to deliver the best possible sound fidelity. Tronsmart Bang Mini has a support of popular voice assistants with the likes of Google Assistant, Apple's Siri and Microsoft's Cortana.


Battery life and playtime is rated up to 15 hours if you turn off the LED lighting and in moderate volume level and 13 hours or less if the LED lighting is activated.


As for implementation of its transducers, Tronsmart Bang Mini has a 4 drivers setup, two mid tweeters to handle the midrange and treble and dual woofers for the bass part whic give a rich and deeper bass response.


Tronsmart Bang Mini have an IPX6 rating which means that it has protection and resistance level from unwanted splashes, heavy sprays and high pressure of water.


Tronsmart Bang Mini is packed in a mid-sized rectangular packaging box. The inclusions aside from the Bang Mini portable bluetooth speakers includes an Aux-in cable, a Type-C cable and some paperworks such as SoundPulse card, instruction manual and warranty card.




With a 50 watts of power output, It is definitely loud enough that its sound wave can blast and fill up a medium-size room (tested it on a condo unit with an area size of approximately 45 sq.m). Overall sound quality is quite satisfactory and it is leaning towards having a V-shaped sound signature.



LOWS/ BASS:

Tronsmart Bang Mini lows are definitely elevated in the overall sound spectrum. It has a very rich, deep and pack a punch whenever a bass-laden track needs it. Sub bass is present as I hear clearly the reverberations and rumble every time that track has synthesizers and electronic drums that demand a buzzing and reverb tone.


Midbass has well-textured, thicker note weight that adds a more body on bass guitars, bass kicks and bass-baritone vocals. Bass guitars has more weighty and heavy sound, Bass Kicks seems more resonant and thunderous sounding and more gruff and guttural sound of bass-baritones vocals.


There are some instances of bass bleeds but it still remains controlled not to make any unnecessary smudges on the other frequency range spectrum.



MIDRANGE:

The midrange of this portable speaker is indeed recessed on this one, vocals of both gender are decently presented in a neutral and clean as both of them have a sufficient texture that they don't sound lean. Male vocals have a deep and gravelly sound while female vocals are projected in a sweet and "feathery" manner.


Instruments are presented in a reasonable and organic manner. It has sufficient warmness on string instruments especially on acoustic guitars that sound "buttery", violins have these austere and solemn characteristics. Snare drums strikes sounds harder and more penetrating and lastly a more rich and warmer piano tone.


Midrange quality seems to be decent in overall presentation.




HIGHS/TREBLE:

Treble quality of Tronsmart Bang Mini is somehow satisfactory as it has a smoother delivery along its curves and crevices without any lingering harsher tone nor sibilance.

It has a decent airy range that gives the shimmering of cymbals with acceptable extension. Hi-hats sounds life-like as it accurately reproduces that shortened sizzled sound.



There is a mode on Tronsmart Bang mini called SoundPulse. It's a type of DSP equalizer that impedes unnecessary harmonic distortion and lessens some strident noise by elevating some part of upper mids to presence treble to improve the qualities on vocals to sound more revealing and "cleaner" due to some upper mid boost and more defined "attack" of rhythm instruments and percussions.


For better surround stereo experience, pair it with another of Bang Mini and you will have a more atmospheric and immersive sound experience.


To end my assessment on Tronsmart Bang Mini. All I can say is that I could recommend this product without batting an eyelid. Why? Simply because it really delivers a reasonably good sound quality with more useful features to make a listening experience even more pleasant and sensible not to spend more dosh on other competitors which are more pricey and yet delivers a meagre sound quality.


Tronsmart Bang Mini is currently price around £90/US $97.

You can purchase the Tronsmart Bang Mini here.

And also you can checkout their official site here

If you are interested on other Tronsmart products, you can check out at the link below:

• TRONSMART T7
• TRONSMART T7 MINI

SPECIFICATION:


MODEL: TRONSMART BANG MINI

DIMENSIONS: 11.9 x 4.07 x 6.8 INCHES

WEIGHT: 2.37 KG.

BATTERY LIFE: up to 15HRS (LED OFF)/ 13HRS (LED ON)

DRIVER UNIT(S): (4) 2 Subwoofer Driver + 2 Mid Tweeter drivers

IP RATING: IPX7

CONNECTIVITY: BLUETOOTH 5.3 , MICRO-SD SLOT, 3.5mm AUX JACK

BLUETOOTH RANGE: up to 15M

OUTPUT POWER: 50W

MICROPHONE: YES

FREQUENCY RANGE: 65Hz - 20KHz

AUDIO CODEC: SBC


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 *'*

Lucretia my Reflection – The Sisters of Mercy **

Suzanne Vega – Luka **


P.S.

I am not affiliated to TRONSMART 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 thank Ella Beck for providing this review unit. I truly appreciate her generosity towards me and other reviewers.

"Life is a series of natural and spontaneous changes. Don't resist them; that only creates sorrow. Let reality be reality. Let things flow naturally forward in whatever way they like."


This quote is from Lao Zu, a great Chinese philosopher and it's all acceptance and moving on. That's how I actually felt about this particular audio brand, BLON. I have a very complicated connection with this brand as it is one of its products is the main reason that drives me to be become an IEM reviewer. To make this story short, I'm one of the many audio enthusiasts who purchased the BL03 due to some hyping from influencers and opinions in YouTube and in some audio forums on how good sounding this IEM but when I received it, put them in my lugholes, my initial expression is "What the ****... is this a quality tuning that these people are praising it to the heavens, this is awfully tuned, fitting is atrocious and technicalities are really subpar, this is no way a ******* budget Oxy (Tanchjim Oxygen)!". I tried some improvements by purchasing some spinfit eartips and upgraded cable but still no avail to fix those issues. It's a big disappointment and waste of dosh, then after that, I develop a great dislike for BL03. Some people in the audio community scene are even aware that I always thrashed the comments in regards to BL03.


Then, in a twist of fate, a certain audio distributor contacted me if I am willing to do a review on a new product from BLON. At first, I was quite hesitant but at same time, my thoughts inside says that I should try it for the sake of pursuing the development of my audio hobby. And now I have the BLON Z200 in my hand and I'll be sharing my honest impression about this one.





Like BL03, BLON Z200 is a single DD IEM encapsulated in a metal alloy shell with a matte-like coating. Its transducer is a 10mm CNT/ carbon diaphragm and claimed that its an improvement over BL03's DD to have faster transient response. BLON Z200 has 2 vent holes for escaping some excess air pressure generated from DD. As for the connector, BLON decided that this unit has a non-detachable 4-core SPC cable in a 3.5mm termination plug which is a bummer in my opinion. And there's precurve hooks in cable which is actually good as it contours well to my upper earlobes.




Regarding its fitting and wearing aspect, Z200 seems to have a comfortable fitting as its stays well in my lug holes but fitting is a shallow one and it is a tad loose as I wiggling when I do some walking.


Packaging of BLON Z200 is a decent one, it practically the same with the BL03 box and noticeable difference between them is that BLON finally corrected the word "Opportunity".( I still have some giggles on the wrong spelling one…Oppoty)


Here are some of the inclusions inside the box of BLON Z200.

• a pair of BLON Z200 IEM.
• A canvass IEM bag sack.
• Two (2) pairs of extra ear tips of different sizes.(Small and Large)
• Basic instruction manual.

As scalability on power sources, BLON Z200 amplies well on even a decent power source but when powered from a high quality hifi DAC/amp it does really improve the sound quality to have more added volume and even sound more dynamic.




Tonality of this set is almost the same as its predecessor. It has a very steep V-shaped sound signature due a more elevated bass and treble while a deep notched midrange.


Here are some of my observations on its sound characteristics on its element in the overall audio frequency spectrum.


LOWS/BASS:

Elevated, thudding and boomy, that's how I describe its bass quality. Sub bass is surely present as I hear some reverberation and rumbling sound as I feel its depth. Midbass is the focal point of the bass region as it has more texture to add more body to the bass guitar, bass kicks and bass-baritones. Bass guitars have this very broad and weighty character to add more growl on every plucking, Bass kicks has very resonant sound as being thunderous and pounding and finally a more guttural and husky sound on bass-baritone vocals.

Like my complaint on BL03, It still has a very bloated mid bass that really ruins the midrange which is already recessed in the overall presentation. Because of its bass bleeds, the sound of BLON Z200 way too muddled and unrefined just like the BL03.



MIDRANGE:

Mids are definitely a very recessed one, too recessed that really triggered my midcentric bias on how the vocals and instruments were presented on this one. I like my midrange to be presented in a forward, spacious and open-sounding with lots of details but Z200 doesn't fit on this one. It is too laid back that it really sounds lean, veiled and was too overlaid by the bass.

For sure that bloated bass to midrange transition is more beneficial towards male vocals as it added more warmth to its texture to give sound more deep and gravelly on lower vocal types. As female vocals it has this "smoky" and sometimes orotund feeling that they are bit congested and somewhat restricted of being more energetic.

As for instruments' presentation, they are receded even further in the sonic canvass. Strings like guitars have a sufficient crisp but in most cases it does too warm sounding, violins have this glassy and wafting sound. Percussives like snares have this shrilly and clattering sound while field drums sound austere and somber. Piano tones have an uneven tone as they sound too mellow and less harmonic. Brass like tubas and horns have these particular tones of being rounded and warmer. Woodwinds like flutes has this soft and sighing but it has inadequacies of less airy sounding.



HIGHS/TREBLE:

As a V-shaped sounding, the treble of Z200 is certainly elevated as it was a bit bright and yet has its inherent smoothness. Upper mids has some certain peaks but sibilance and stridency is almost zero to none.

It has sparkle and brilliance as cymbal strikes have a shimmer and sizzle but it doesn't have the best airy extension as it was way too short and blunted but it gives a more natural sound on the hi-hats to have that distinct shorted, chick sound.

I rate the quality of treble on Z200 as above average while an average mark on its quantitative value.



SOUNDSTAGE, IMAGING & OTHER TECHNICALITIES:

Like the BL03, it mostly fared poorly on its technical aspects. The Z200 has an equal proportion on its spatial sound field but the perceived soundstage width is narrow to a mere average size, the height is also average and depth has an enough gap for back to front. Imaging performed decently as it has a good transition from left to right in regards of stereo panning though in some instances, it can be cloudy but separation and layering is just sub par as it doesn't have an enough spacing and frequency layering isn't in order and doesn't have a distinct placement that when a more complex instrumental tracks were played, it is absolutely congested and jumbled.

Coherency of driver somehow performs very cohesive and homogeneous manner, it is a noted that it has a moderate pace transient. As for tonal colour it has still an organic and natural sounding with just added tad of warmth with a substantial amount of shimmer.

As for resolution capability, Z200 focuses more on macro dynamics with just an average detail retrieval.



PEER COMPARISONS:


BLON BL03

• Both have metal alloy casing, BL03 has a removable cable option for cable upgrade while Z200 has a non-detachable one. Fitting is an improvement on Z200 while it is atrocious on BL03 in my ears no matter how I tried to replace it with different ear tips.
• Tonality is almost the same. Both have a V-shaped sound signature but compared to Z200, BL03 is less steeper. Bass bloat permeates both of these sets as it notoriously smudges on mids. Treble of BL03 is less brighter and muted on its airy extension. Less detailed compared to Z200.
• Technicalities of both sets are very similar though Z200 is tad better on resolution capability and has better imaging but for timbre when it comes of being organic sounding, BL03 is better.

KZ EDA (Balanced)

• Both have single DD but the KZ EDA's DD is a newer generation as it has faster transient and better diaphragm response for a lower distortion. I prefer Z200 in the build quality as it has metal alloy shell but as for fitting ergonomics, EDA is way better as It has a suitable fitting to my ears. And lastly, EDA is removable.
• They have both V-shaped sound signature, but the EDA is more balanced sounding, ample texture of bass that doesn't bleed on mids, more cleaner and lively midrange and a very similar treble response.
• Technicalities-wise, I prefer EDA in almost all categories, from soundstage, separation and layering even though that EDA's technicalities are still on the average side on preference. Imaging is somehow better on BLON Z200. Resolution capability is even on EDA to as it has a better clarity and detail retrieval.

CCA CRA

• Again, both have single DD set-up. Between the two of them, CCA CRA has the most eye-pleasing shell design which make the Z200 looks too plain and utilitarian and CRA has a detachable cable.
• They both employ a similar sound signature which is a V-shape. Bass response is more authoritative, punchy and cleaner on CRA. Mids are similar as they are too recessed both of the unit, But I nitpicking choose, I prefer the CRA as its less steep and somehow more open sounding. Treble performances on both are eerily similar to my ears. Sufficiently bright while retaining some smoothness but sibilance is prevalent to CRA and airy treble extension is just mere average.
• Technicalities are once again very similar in all aspects but CRA has somehow has better sound field width and separation, coherency is even much better on the CRA. and lastly, resolution capablities of both devices are indistinguishable as both more on scaling on macro-dynamics rather than micro-details.

As I handed down my verdict on this assessment on BLON Z200s. What's the relevance of this product in the current state in a more tighter and very competitive portable audio market? How does BLON Z200 fare against its current competitors? For me it's a very tough fight on what this product will face ahead but there is always one thing that pop out in my mind, A legion of very loyal fans of the BLON brand which continues on believing them on how BL03 really change their perception on audio quality for I intrinsically admit and recognize that BLON makes an etched on Chi-fi audio's history.


Another question also coming out from my thoughts, is the BLON Z200 a redemption product to a BL03 hater like me? For me, Z200 performs decently over BL03 but it still needs more refinements just to reach my average ideal standard on what a good IEM should be.


BLON Z200 is currently available in Keephifi and just click the non-affiliated link here.

SPECIFICATION:


MODEL: BLON Z200

IMPEDANCE: 32Ω

SENSITIVITY: 102dB

FREQUENCY RESPONSE: 20Hz – 20KHz

CABLE LENGTH: 1.2M

PIN TYPE: (**N.A.**)

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 *


P.S.

I am not affiliated to BLON 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 thank KEEPHIFI for providing this review unit, I truly appreciate their generosity towards me and other reviewers.

Ormosia is a type of legume plant which is endemic to East Asia and it has many sub variants forms from large shrubs to a full grown tree. Here in my country, we have a native Ormosia tree and with its fruits and leaves, we use it as some sort of folk medicine.


We are all familiar with the KB Ear's naming convention on their product based on gemstones or birds but this time they choose a name from a tree or shrub.

What I have here is a new product from KB Ear and its model name is a namesake connected to the tree that I mentioned at the start. This is KB Ear Ormosia, it is a hybrid driver set-up IEM consisting of a single dynamic driver and a custom balanced armature driver. It is housed in an aluminium alloy to provide a better built and protection to its inner components. KB Ear decided to uses a MMCX-connector on this unit which is quite different compared to their usual recessed 2-pin connector probably due to a very unconventional contour of its shell. The design of the shell is so versatile that you can wear them in either a falling cable earbud style or an in ear style which cable is situated behind in your ears.



Fitting seems decent that it sits well into my lug holes but it is more on a shallow side. Passive sound isolation doesn't block well the external noise coming from the outside surroundings. Comfortability is good as I don't feel any soreness and pressure to my lug holes.



As expected for a KB Ear , I usually give high praise to them on how they generously gives some included accessories on their packaging on their products. The box is medium-sized with a red Cheongsam dress in the black background printed at the front.


Here some included accessories inside of KB Ear Ormosia:

• A pair of KB Ear Ormosia IEMs.
• A 4-core SPC cable with an L-shape 3.5mm termination plug.
• A hard bound brown IEM leatherette case.
• 5 pairs of eartips in different standard sizes and bore sizes.
• A cloth clipper.
• A basic instruction manual.

KB Ear Ormosia is an easy to drive set as it already amplifies well on decent sources but putting them in a very good source with better DAC/amps seems to further improve the overall sound quality on this set. Most of my sources are of good quality that I don't see a problem to properly power up these sets.



As for tonality, KB is a mild U-shaped sounding with an ample warmness in both bass and mids with smooth transition through treble region to make it more engaging sounding.




LOWS/BASS:

Bass seems to be prominent on KB Ear Ormosia,definitely not an authoritative and deep one but it has a sufficient thump and impact. It's bass region is almost equally distributed in both sub bass and mid bass but later seems to be more elevated as I discerningly hearing those rumbles but mid bass has an ample texture that it doesn't sound lean.

Bass kicks have enough thudding but are still a bit softer to be resonant, bass guitar has that somber and yet mellow sound and bass-baritones vocals seem to have a rasping and gruff but still lacking that depth that I want.

I also sense some occasional bass bleed on mids due to prominence of a midbass. Furthermore, it remains to deliver a decent bass quality response.



MIDRANGE:

Since it is a mild U-shaped sounding IEM, It has a slight recession on the overall presentation. It has warmth and dense texture to add lushness on vocals and instruments. Both male and female vocals appears to benefit from a dense note texture that gives a substantial gruff and guttural on male voice then a feathery and sweet sounding on females voices in all types of vocal range.

Instruments like strings seem to be more on warmer sounding especially on acoustic guitar sounds more on between being dark to "buttery". Violins have this sound on being more solemn and lustrous. As for percussive like snares and field drums shares almost same sound characteristic of being shuffling and less hard hitting and somber. Horns sound being mellow and a tad muffled one. And lastly, pianos sounds a luscious and warmer tone.

Overall, the quality of mids on this one are passable enough to my midcentric bias ears.


HIGHS/TREBLE:

The treble register on this set seems to have a very smooth and pleasant one. Upper mid to presence treble have those lucid transitions of peaks and scoops to deliver a non-sibilant and strident sound. Clarity is just decent but nothing spectacular. But still, Good job on this one, KB Ear.


Cymbal strikes appears to have a sufficient shimmer and crispness but extension seems to be more of average, I wish that there are some more to add more air and harmonics.



SOUNDSTAGE, IMAGING AND OTHER TECHNICALITIES:

Overall soundstage appears to be decently proportionate on its spatial sound field, average to above average on wideness, has a decent height and average depth. Imaging is decent as I can pinpoint the location of instruments in a typical binaural, stereo manner but not the most accurate one as I find it a bit indistinct to my finical ears. Separation and layering is quite satifactory has an enough gap spacing and a distinction of each frequency profile is noticeable and define its arrangement.

Detail retrieval and clarity aspect is on more transparent sounding rather than being a detailed one. Coherency of drivers performs decently, transients speed more on moderate pace rather than being speedy and it still delivers a very cohesive delivery without being sound "out of phase". Timbre is definitely on a warmer side given the overall tonal quality on how it was tuned.



PEER COMPARISONS:


KB EAR ROBIN

• Both cousins have the same driver set-up, but KB Ear Robin has more BA drivers and yet way more cheaper. Shells of Robin is more of an standard Chi-fi UIEM design in a 2-pin connector compare to a more circular and rounded shell Ormosia (this is actually reminds me of a BLON 03 but eay better fitting) and uses a MMCX connector.
• Here is a category where both IEMs respective tuning is way different on one another, Robin is a way more v-shaped sounding compared to a u-shaped sound type of Ormosia. And Robin has a more noticeable sibilance and somehow a bit more textured.
• Technicalities seems to be similar on both Robin and Ormosia ranging from soundstage to timbre quality.

AMBIENT DYNAMICS LYNDALE

• Both have identical set-up, a single Dynamic driver and one balanced armature driver. The materials of both IEMs are different as Ormosia is of a metal build , circular IEM housing while Lyndale is made of high quality resin shell. Fitting and comfort is superior on Lyndale as it is one of the best IEM in my collection when it comes to fitting. Connection choices of both IEMs is contrasting, MMCX connector on Ormosia and 2-pin connector on Lyndale. Surely that Lyndale has better inclusions than Ormosia but it is way more expensive.
• As for tonality, both displayed a warm U-shape tuning but Lyndale is a bit better tuning set. From a cleaner and punchy bass response to a treble extension, Lyndale takes it all.
• Technical aspects of both device perform similarly. Above average soundstage, decent imaging and separation but Lyndale somehow has a better detail retrieval.

As I conclude my review in KB Ear Ormosia, to whom will I recommend this set? Not for more experienced audio enthusiast who want a more "audiophile" quality tuning as KB Ear Ormosia doesn't fit its requirements. Definitely not for neutral heads as it was way too warm and coloured on their hearing perception. I can certainly recommending this set to a more casual listener who wants a more fun, engaging and lively with a very balanced sounding one.


KB Ear Ormosia is now available to all e-commerce platform and for the best delivery service, you can check it out on Keephifi with the link here.


KB Ear Ormosia pricing is currently around US$93/£81.





SPECIFICATION:

MODEL: KB EAR ORMOSIA

IMPEDANCE: 16Ω

SENSITIVITY: 105dB

FREQUENCY RESPONSE: 20Hz – 20KHz

CABLE LENGTH: 1.2M

PIN TYPE: MMCX 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 *


P.S.

I am not affiliated to KB EAR 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 thank KEEPHIFI for providing this review unit, I truly appreciate on their generosity towards me and other reviewers.

Oi! welcome to my another IEM blog and once again I'll do a review for the Knowledge Zenith or KZ product. This product is somehow different in tuning especially on their all-BA product range as I have tested some of their old models before like BA10 (that Ironman-inspired look IEM in 2018) AS06 and the first AS16 which all of them were of V-shaped tuning.

As I mentioned that I've tested the first AS16 in 2019 and I remember I have some qualms about that unit as it was sound so unrefined in my ears due to recessed mids, sibilant and with very mediocre technicalities and if my memory serves right, it is one of the KZ's product which price was around US$100/£83. And now, KZ decided to release an improved version of AS16 and it is now cheaper and affordable to budding audio enthusiasts.




What I have here on my hand is KZ's latest product, KZ AS16 PRO. Like its first previous version, it consists of an octa-driver set up, All of them are balanced armature transducers that handle all of the parts of frequency range. It has an electronic frequency divider and a newly improved, 3D-designed tri-channel sound tube for deliver a fuller sound quality.

Moreover, its inner components were housed in a smoky polycarbonate "resin" shell with a supporting frame made of zinc alloy in the face plate part of the shell. It's aesthetic design shares with CCA Lyra which has been inspired from either a chandelier or some sort of precious gem and we were all aware that CCA is KZ's sister company that also shares resources to them. Its size is kinda huge and chunky that I am having a hard time doing a long listening due to the fact that I only barely wear them for just merely an hour as my ears feel some discomfort and strain already. Like all KZ/CCA IEMs, it uses a QDC-type 2-pin connector that I still have some qualms about it but I digress.



Like all top tier KZ/CCA products, its packaging box has this door-style and a tad larger than usual of their entry-level sets and if you open it, you will see the IEMs and some sort of plaque at front.

Here are the contents inside of the KZ AS16 PRO's packaging box:

• A pair of AS16 PRO IEMs
• A product plaque plate
• A parallel, flat four (4) core stock cable with L-shape termination plug (3.5mm)
• Some pair of extra ear tips (small and large sizes).
• An instruction user manual.

KZ IEMs are known to be easier to drive and KZ AS16 Pro is no different. It already amplifies well even on decent sources such as smartphones and tablets so you don't other contraptions that boosted some extra juice like USB DACs and desktop DAC/Amps just to have a good listening experience on this set.

For its tonality, KZ AS16 Pro is indeed an exceptional device if you compare it to most KZ IEMs which follow almost the same trajectory curve. We are already familiar with KZ's tuning and I can assure you that this time, they have a different approach on AS16 pro.

KZ AS16 Pro exhibits a mild U-shape, a very warmish-balanced tuning that has a very likeable sound quality that will please listeners who are in either warm-balanced tonality or even "balanced-neutral" like me. It is well-executed in my opinion despite that I'm a bit stickler when it comes to tuning.

Here are some of my observations about all parts of the audio frequency spectrum.



LOWS/BASS:

Since this is an all balanced armature driver set, I just lowered my expectation that it will not have a very deep and dynamic bass quality but surprisingly, AS16 pro delivers a well-rounded bass quality.

Assuredly that it still has those BA "timbre" bass but to a lesser degree compared to KZ's previous all-BA models. The bass has an ample punchiness, fast and clean delivery. Sub bass has an acceptable quality that it does have some sense of rumble and reach on sufficient depth. Mid bass is more prominent on this one as it is well-textured to give a well-bodied sound on bass kicks, bass guitar and bass baritone.

I even sometimes encounter some bass bleeds but it is still acceptable given that it will probably add these characteristics that will give a warm character on the AS16 Pro.



MIDRANGE:

This part of audio frequency is one of my points when it comes to having my own preference in tuning. Mids should be at least, presented very clearly, well-detailed and positioned at least in a very "natural "position (either in between and forward) and KZ almost finally nailed it.

KZ AS16 pro mids seems to have a tad depress in presentation of mids but as a midcentric like myself, I really enjoy in how the mids are very translucent, a sufficient lucidity and a decent added warmth to make the mids sound more natural and engaging especially on vocal tracking of both male and female voices and instruments. Male vocals has a guttural and power while female vocals has pleasant and sweet character and It is also noted that they can handle all vocal types registry decently. Instruments seems to have a good natural and have ample detail especially on percussions like snares and field drums to have a full, sonorous and hard sound. Strings like guitar has a tad dry to crisp sounding and violin seems to have lustrous and lively sound characteristic and lastly piano seems to have warmth to added rich and eloquent sound that reminds me of some ancient German piano like Steinweg.

This is the probably the best KZ IEM when it comes to mids presentation as it is very engaging and compelling and I hope that I will hear this kind of mids presentation on their next product.


HIGHS/TREBLE:

This is where my impression on this part seems that I'll be a bit fastidious on this one as I find the treble registry quite odd. It has smooth, linear and lack of airiness. Transition from mids to upper mids seems to have those noticeable peaks that you might find limits of some vocal presentation especially in mezzo-soprano types a bit skewed-up or off-centered. (If you like U/V-shape type tuning curves like Harman's, you might find it either honky and even wonky based on you sound bias but once again I digress as Harman curves aren't that my thing and I don't have an exact target curve on tuning and please don't even bother me on suggesting putting up some impedence adapter on this review).

Due to some slight upper-mid peaks. It gives of some tad on sibilance on some tracks especially on sibilant-laden ones but the good thing was that I don't encounter that stridency that will ruin the overall sound. Between presence and brilliance treble seems to have that linearity that it has an adequate clarity and well-defined harmonics and fundamentals but sparkle and airy extension seems to be scant as I observe on how cymbals strikes seems to have that lack of shimmer and glistening on my ideal sound.

As I'm quite critical in this part but I still find the treble quality of AS16 PRO as passable.


SOUNDSTAGE, IMAGING AND OTHER TECHNICALITIES:

As I perceive the dimensions of its sound field, it seems to be well-proportionate, average to above average on width with decent depth and a decent height reach. Not a quite spacious headroom but rather more on natural perception.

Imaging seems performs very well in most cases as I can pinpoint the positioning of placements of vocals and instruments, Separation is somehow decent as it has a enough spacing of each distance and layering is good enough as I hear those distinct individual tones and harmonics on how they are stack and arranged in a perceive sonic canvass but in some cases complex tracks like multi-instruments seems to have those overlapping tones on the mix that sound congested and in disarray as it struggle and suffer some inconsistencies of a different sound.

Coherency seems to be above-average given that its all BA drivers but it delivers a fast decay, a good attack and a very sustaining and cohesive but as I said that it does affect the layering and imaging quality of a sound.

Tonal colour seems to have an organic for an all- BA set and with an ample warmth to give a distinct timbre on the AS16 Pro but on some instances, that metallic timbre still permeates and lingering.


This is one aspect of KZ AS16 Pro as its Achilles' hell and it is the imaging, separation and layering on some complex and multi-instrumental tracks but it just a simpler and straight composition that AS16 Pro can handle with an ease.

Furthermore, regarding the resolution capability aspect of this product, it seems that AS16 Pro seems to have a decent detail retrieval that enough to show some nuances but still inadequate to capture more data and information. But the macro-dynamics is indeed solid and substantial.




PEER COMPARISONS:

KZ AS16 original (2019)

• Both have exact driver set-up, they have both a total number of BAs and also have those electronic frequency divider for delivering a better sound quality. The original version shells has a better fitting ergonomics to my ears than the current reiteration which is too large and have some ear strains on them in under an hour on wearing them. Aesthetically-wise, AS16 Pro is much a looker.
• This is what differs between them and its their respective tuning. The original one is more of V-shaped sounding and the current is more of a mild U-shape sounding which is way more balanced one and comprehensible mature tuning on it. Sibilance and harshness are prevalent on the original one.
• As for technicalities, they are almost comparable from soundstage to imaging. Timbre quality is more natural sounding on AS16 pro but still needs some polishing to those occasional metallic and tinny sound.

CCA CA10

• As both cousins have the same drivers set-up, CCA CA10 has lesser number of BAs but is superior on fitting ergonomics as I can wear it for a long listening session.
• They are both of U-shape sound signature but the mids of CCA CA10 has more dipped and leaner compared to a more forward and textured mids of AS16 Pro. CCA CA10 treble is brighter and prone to more sibilance than AS16 pro. Midbass on CCA CA10 is less textured but a bit more cleaner.
• Technical aspects are very similar as both of them have average soundstage, decent and less impressive imaging and separation which is still inadequate in my ideal quality.

Audiosense DT300

• From quality of inclusion of accesories to the materials of the shells, DT300 is way superior in any aspect. Fitting is even better, no contest at all. As for choice of connector, DT300 uses an MMCX connector while AS16 Pro has a QDC-type 2-pin connector. And the DT300's pricing is almost 4x of AS16 Pro.
• Tuning of both are different as DT300 is more of a balanced-neutral sound signature and almost uncoloured while AS16 Pro is mild U-shape. It has a more transparent and detailed sound. Treble is very smooth and with sufficient shimmer and air on DT300 and lastly is that it doesn't exhibit that BA-timbre after all as it really sounds very clean and neutral.
• As for technicalities, DT300 really is up ahead on this. Wide soundstage, precise imaging, well-separated instruments and superb layering that I really wish that AS16 Pro had.

To end my assessment of this review, I still amazed on how KZ really managed to upped their tuning on this one. We are all familiar on KZ's in-house tuning but this time it seems that they approach a very different manner.

KZ AS16 Pro finally almost captured one of my ideal tuning curves which is midcentric but it still had some rough edges to polish but for $56/£47 asking price this is already compelling given it is quite rare to find an almost midcentric sound signature in this price range. Good balanced sound set with decent technicalities is enough to try this out as this might be your "gatekeeper" towards on more matured tuning.

KZ AS16 Pro's current pricing is US$56/£47 and it is now available to all e-commerce sites.

Check out my previous reviews on other KZ products:

• KZ EDX

• KZ EDC

• KZ EDA

• KZ ZEX

• KZ ZEX PRO

• KZ DQ6S

• KZ ZES

• KZ ESX

SPECIFICATION:

MODEL: KZ AS16 PRO
IMPEDANCE: 18Ω
SENSITIVITY: 114dB
FREQUENCY RESPONSE: 20Hz – 40KHz
CABLE LENGTH: 1.2M
PIN TYPE: QDC-type 2-PIN CONNECTOR
PLUG TYPE: 3.5mm
DRIVER UNIT(S): 8 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 **


P.S.

I am not affiliated to KNOWLEDGE ZENITH(KZ) 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 thank Tyvan Lam for providing this review unit, I truly appreciate on his generosity towards me and other reviewers.

Oi! And welcome to my another review article. I previously done a product review for Tronsmart and it is their wireless bluetooth speaker which is my first time to do such a review on a particular item. And now what I have here is the bigger brother of Tronsmart T7 mini, The Tronsmart T7.




Like the T7 mini, it has a cylindrical, barrel-shaped device but it is more elongated with a very tactile volume control knob at the side topped in a LED light ring. The reason for the longer design is due to the fact that it has more transducers that were placed in an opposite manner to provide a more 360° degree spatiality surround experience. It also has a subwoofer transducer in the opposite side of the column. It can be placed in either horizontal or in a vertical position on which you are more comfortable with.




The build of Tronsmart T7 is very durable and it was clearly designed to be used on outdoor activities like parties or camping. It's casing is made of high quality plastic, aluminium alloy on its speaker grills and some rubber on its basic key control buttons, a rubber flap to protect the USB-C slot for recharging its built-in battery power pack and a micro-SD slot for alternative playing mode besides bluetooth connection, and other rubber ring used for support if you want a vertical stand mode. It is also rated to have an IPX7 water protection against water splashes, rain showers and limited underwater submersion.




As I mentioned that it has more drivers than the T7 mini, the T7 has two compound transducer tweeters and a subwoofer driver. The two compound transducer tweeters handles the mids and treble frequency range while the subwoofer driver use for lows that if you position the T7 in vertical manner, it's down firing speaker added a more acoustic rumble of its sub bass and has even more reverberating effect if you placed it in floor or in a wooden table. And the output power of T7 is up to 30 Watts which is very loud enough to fill up a small to medium-sized room for listening experience.




Like the T7 mini, T7 has Bluetooth version 5.3 which has lesser latency to provide a better wireless connectivity between T7 and its sources like smartphones and other devices with bluetooth connectivity. It only supported SBC codec which is good enough for casual listening but I wish that it has more bluetooth codec support such as APTX-HD and LDAC. Another feature of this set is that it can support popular voice assistance such Google Assistant, Microsoft Cortana and Apple's Siri.


Another missing feature of T7 was the absence of the 3.5mm audio jack which is found on T7 mini. I like this particular feature for I want a more analogue set-up that wireless Bluetooth connectivity is lacking of to offer but the good thing that it offers more EQ modes either in physical button or via software app (Tronsmart app is available to download in iOS and Android and it is free).


As for its power consumption, its battery rating is rated up to 12 hours if you switch off the LED lights and 6-8 hours if you added a LED lighting effect for more added visuals on your listening experience.


Just check out the commands of button keys here to know more:






The packaging box of Tronsmart T7 is of rectangular shape and besides the T7 speaker device, it also includes a short USB-C cable for charging and some paperwork like warranty card and a basic instruction manual of different languages.





Due to some EQ modes, I decided to change some format in this review on how I explained its sound characteristic.


In regards of EQ modes, here are the preset settings:

• Default Mode - it is more balanced-"neutral" sounding. It has an ample bass, it is punchy and has a sufficient slam, a more neutral and linear mids and a smooth treble.
• Sound Pulse Mode - it is a treble focus due to boost on the upper-mid to presence treble. Bass is more tighter and yet it has sufficient thump on it. Low midrange seems to have decent texture on male vocals just to have a power and guttural sound. Pianos seems to have a more lively and rich sounding, a crisper sound of an acoustic guitar, a bright and metallic sound of snare drums and vibrant and lively sound of a violin.
• Deep Bass Mode - a typical V-shaped sound signature but it has more deeper and thick bass register. It seems that bass guitar, bass kicks and bass-baritone vocals benefited from its thick note density. It gives a more mighty and thunderous sound on bass kicks, an added growl on bass guitar to a more somber and heavier sound and more deeper and resonant bass-baritone vocals. Mids are recessed in this EQ mode, upper mid to presence treble are elevated on this one but remains to be in a smoother side
• Classical Mode -a more warmish approach as it has more textured on low and mids and a bit smoother and linear treble response. I can safely say it is the most laid back sounding to all EQ presets. This is more a musical towards an analogue-ish feel rather than critical listening. Pianos seems to have a richer, eloquent and lusher tone, a more lustrous and fuller sound on a violin and sharper and hard sound on snares, and intense, rounded and brassy sound of horns and trumpets. And a more sonorous and warmer sound of a guitar either acoustic or rhythm ones.
• Rock Mode - it's more of U-shape sound that has an impactful and authoritative bass, a slight notch on the midrange and some elevation on the upper mids which has some instances of being sound strident and prone to sibilance. Its a more "balanced" version of deep bass. Guitars seem to have that crisp but a tad dry sounding, Snare drums has that metallic and shrill sound, Bass Guitars sound very "earthy" and broad, Bass kicks seems to have an ample pounding and dark sound to add more resonating tonal colour. Male vocals to has more rigidity and power to add more gravely and gruff and female vocals are more energetic and more open sounding but it gives a bit unpleasant on being too high-pitched and possibly piercing to some treble sensitives.
• Customized Mode - set your own preferred tonality on a frequency range spectrum on this EQ setting.

(Note: it has Vocal and Hi-Fi mode presets before but Tronsmart decided to remove them in newer firmware for unknown reasons.)



I will not add some technical aspects as it is quite irrelevant given that this is a Bluetooth speaker with even more transducers. Given that it has 30 watts which is quite very loud for casual listening and musical enjoyment in a small to medium-size room.


To sum up my review in this item, this Bluetooth speaker delivers a very good sound quality with sufficient clarity and a very portable set. To be fair, I'm a bit disappointed on the removal of the 3.5mm jack but it was supplanted with better EQ modes and more drivers for a better and fuller sounding listening experience.


Tronsmart T7 is currently price at $50/£42.

Checkout their official site here for more infos.
And also, if you are interested for Amazon purchases, you can visit the links below:

• US
• UK

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 *'*

Lucretia my Reflection – The Sisters of Mercy **

Suzanne Vega – Luka **



P.S.

I am not affiliated to TRONSMART 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 thank Ella Beck for providing this review unit, I truly appreciate on her generosity towards me and other reviewers.

Welcome mates to my another IEM review article and I'll do a product assessment from KBEar, The KBEar Ink.


I did some previous product reviews for KBEar before and I actually like how KBEar prepares a reasonable packaging on their products as they are one of the most generous audio companies when it comes to a number of inclusions. And KBEar Ink is no different as it is loaded with accessories.






KBEar Ink is a single dynamic driver set-up. Its transducer inside is an 8.8mm dynamic driver with Diamond-like carbon diaphragm (DLC) that we all know that delivers a faster fate of vibration to reduce the possible loss of sound transmission and at the same time for less distortion. Some of my favourite single DD IEMs are of DLC diaphragm dynamic drivers so I am aware of how it performs.


The shell housing of KBEar Ink is made of two parts, an aluminium alloy mould on its cavity base and an epoxy resin on its faceplate with very intricate honeycomb design look that gives an assurance to its user that their product is of good quality standard for its build quality and aesthetically-pleasing. The cavity base part of KBEar Ink is somewhat of a matte-finish and it has a vent hole for escaping excess air pressure coming out from its transducer. Like KBEar products, it uses a recessed 2-pin connector that is similar to TFZ's as it is more stable and even sturdier.




As I mentioned a while ago that KBEar Ink has some good bundle inclusions and it was packed in a medium-size packaging box. Its packaging box has a black colour sleeve with print consist of KB Ear logo and the word "INK" at the front and some basic infos of the product like specifications and company address.




Here are the included accessories inside the packaging box:

• KBEar INK IEMs.
• An 8-core litz high purity OFC silver plated black cable.
• A faux-leather IEM storage bag
• Cleaning brush
• Cleaning cloth
• Extra two (2) of black Ear tips of different sizes (small and large)
• 4 pairs of white ear tips of different standard sizes.
• An instruction manual.

With an impedance rating of 16 ohms, KB Ear Ink is an easy to drive as it amplifies well to decent sources like smartphones and tablets. It is loud enough even at 60% of its volume level and it gives a satisfying dynamic sounding experience to its user.


As for tonality, KBEar is more of a V-shaped sound signature as it has a prominent bass, notched midrange and elevated treble. It is somewhat a bright sounding set for a single DD set-up.


Like all my IEM reviews, I will explain what I observe from each part of the audio frequency spectrum.




LOWS/BASS:


This is what I observe on all KBEar products when it comes to its usual tuning and its bass is always boosted. It is punchy and thumpy that makes the overall tuning of KB Ear very enjoyable for casual listening.


It has substantial depth and extension that you will feel its rumbling and roll that defines a good sub bass quantity. Midbass is somehow the most prominent part of mid bass region as it has an adequate texture that gives a more attack of bass kicks to have pounding and sonorous sound, a heavier and broader sound on bass guitar that it has added growl and lastly, a somber and boomy nature of bass baritone vocals.


Due to mid bass boost, I perceive that occurrences of bass bleeds that smudges on the midrange section in some bass-laden tracks. If you are a basshead then you will enjoy this type of tuning.



MIDRANGE:


There is no doubt that this particular part of the frequency range spectrum of KBEar Ink is indeed recessed. Despite that recession it remains to have a sufficient texture that it gives a warm sounding and energetic sound to that gradual rise towards the upper mids.



Male vocals were displayed to have an ample texture to give a more depth and power but they are not presented on a forepart rather than they are on the back or middling. Female vocals shows that have a forward, bright and airy to all types of vocal types from contralto to soprano but it does sometimes give me that leaner, edgy and aggressive one that makes voice quality a bit raspy and shrilly.


As for instruments, strings like acoustic guitar have this crisp and yet somewhat dry sound and violins have that metallic and "glassy" feel for every bow string struck. Percussive like snare and field drums have sharp, bright and hard sound. As for piano, it is leaning towards a brighter tone as it sounds a bit metallic and brilliant.



HIGHS/TREBLE:


As this is one of the prominent emphasis of in general sound of KBEar Ink. It has bright and sheen due to those noticeable peaks on the upper mids to presence treble. Sibilance does really show up on this one and there was some instances of a jarring note that might be an issue to some treble-sensitive individuals.


As for extension and clarity, It has a decent airy and sparkle that cymbals has that shimmer and scintillating sound but sometimes that its gives off a bit too splashy.


Overall, the treble quality is decent but it still needed some improvements.



SOUNDSTAGE, IMAGING AND OTHER TECHNICALITIES:


This is a bit baffling to me when it comes to this aspect of a comprehensive tuning. Soundstage definitely has an average width, decent depth and good height which I estimate has a proper proportionate sound field. As for imaging, it is as usual stereo panning on an appropriated transition of sound from left to right on how instruments and singers are placed but in some cases it is indistinct I can't clearly define its exact positioning. Separation is decent but layering isn't exactly my ideal on how its frequency layering of each placement of distinct frequent and dynamic of each tone to the overall sonic canvas gives a congested and jumbled sound especially on complex instrumental tracks.


As for coherency due to its single DD set-up, it gives a very cohesive and homogenous performance but I also observed that speed of the driver is more on moderate pace rather than fast compared to most DLCs and it performs more similar to a CNT (Carbon Nanotube) driver.


As for resolution capability, it has decent detail retrieval with good macro dynamic fundamentals that is somewhat impressive for a dynamic driver set. Timbre-wise, it's leaning more on brighter and mellow tone.



PEER COMPARISONS:


Zerest Audio Kagami Plus

• Both are on the same price range but when it comes to packaging and composition of contents, Kagami plus is just a bare bone and too plain compare to the one of the most generous audio companies in the market when it comes to inclusions. Build quality is even better on KBEar INK as it has a combination of aluminium alloy and resin while Kagami plus housing is an ABS plastic that will be problematic in a long run especially if you are in a tropical country.
• Both have distinctive tuning, KBEar INK is more aggressive V-shape tuning while Kagami Plus is more a smoother U-shape sound. Bass is more authoritative on KBEar INK. Mids are more pleasant and sounds more balanced on Kagami Plus but treble extension is better on KBEar INK.
• Technicalities are comparable on both sets from soundstage to imaging but when it comes to resolution capability, KBEar INK is better due to better detail retrieval due to a more sharp and precise definition.

Audiosense AQ0

• As I mentioned, KB Ear is one of the most generous audio companies out there and it also happens that Audiosense is in that category too. AQ0 is a more expensive set compared to KBEar INK. AQ0 is made of high quality resin moulded in a 3D printed process with an eye-pleasing aesthetics while KBEar INK is constructed in a durable composite shell consist of aluminium alloy and resin with also good face plate design so I leave to you this subjective comparison. Stock cable is a bit better on KBEar INK as it has an 8-core and thicker to give a sense of a high quality accessory.
• This is where the aspect where AQ0 tuning is tonally better, it is more refined and more mature tuning as it has more balanced sounding with better bass response, a cleaner and detailed mids and smoother and refined treble quality and even quantity. KBEar INK was simply outclassed on this aspect unless you want a more V-shape sounding IEM.
• Soundstage is even better on AQ0 as it is more spacious and good separation compare to an average width and enough gaps on separation of elements on KB EAR.

To put up my conclusion on KB Ear INK. This set is actually decent given to its price offered to its customer that will be more suitable to budget audio enthusiasts who wants a capable and enjoyable, fun sounding IEM with decent technical capablities.


For sure that in under £82/$100 price range where there are a lot of competitors which also offers other alternative tuning that might sound even better but KBEar INK's main asset to stay relevant on this even tighter audio market was its overall product packaging and presentation with good inclusions of a good quality accessories and a proven "in-house" V-shaped tonality that will give a gratifying and pleasant experience to some casual type listeners who wants a bit better tuning coming out to from a "consumer-grade" tuning for more details and clearer quality.


KB EAR INK is currently price at around £56/US$69.


And also, check out my reviews on other KB Ear products:

• KBEAR KS1
• KBEAR LARK
• KBEAR ROBIN

I hope that you will enjoy reading my content, cheers!



SPECIFICATION:

MODEL: KBEAR INK
IMPEDANCE: 16Ω
SENSITIVITY: 102dB
FREQUENCY RESPONSE: 20Hz – 20KHz
CABLE LENGTH: 1.2M
PIN TYPE: 2-PIN CONNECTOR (0.78mm)
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 *'*

Lucretia my Reflection – The Sisters of Mercy **

Suzanne Vega – Luka **


P.S.

I am not affiliated to KBEAR 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 thank Keephifi for providing this review unit, I truly appreciate their generosity towards me and other reviewers.

"If ain't broken, don't fix it", that proverb is somehow connected to the product that I will do a review on right now. I'm talking about the See Audio Bravery Limited Edition and its supposedly stark contrast with its regular version.




I've done a review on previous See Audio Bravery before and it is still one of the defining moments to me as an IEM reviewer on how an all-BA set has an almost DD-like bass quality with good tonality and noteworthy technical aspect.


I'm actually a fan of See Audio products since I've tested the See Audio Yume and it is still one of my favourite IEMs in my current location for vocal-centric listening sessions. See Audio Bravery, the regular one has different approach as it was tuned differently with better inclusions inside of its packaging box.




If you want to check my reviews on other See Audio products, just click them below.

• See Audio Yume
• See Audio Bravery
• See Audio Yume Midnight

See Audio Bravery Limited Edition is more of a celebratory product as See Audio Bravery managed to win an award on a prestigious award-giving body in Japan for audiovisual technology excellence, VGP last summer. Due to Bravery's success and received a lot of positive feedback and acknowledgment from audio community, See Audio decided to release a variant of Bravery and it will be in limited production for only 500 pcs.



So what's the difference between the regular and the limited edition of See Audio Bravery? The first one you will noticed was the change of its housing shell, both of them still uses a medical-grade, high quality resin and the difference was the regular Bravery shell's proportion is more bulky and larger while the limited edition's newer design shell is leaner and it fit comfortably to all ear sizes as it was developed to have a better ergonomics on wearing it. Regular Bravery choice of colour is a marbled black as it was actually voted by audio community to let them choose their choice of colour and design while the Limited Edition has a gorgeous ruby red colourway to signify its status as a limited edition.




As for its transducer set-up, it is still identical to regular version as it uses the same quantity of premium all-balanced armature (BA) drivers like Knowles and Sonion. Two (2) dedicated Knowles BAs for bass, single full range tweeter BA for midrange and another tweeter BA to handle treble frequency. And also noted, that both of them have vent holes, as some All-BA sets don't benefit from it at all.





Like its regular version sister, See Audio Limited Edition uses a 2-pin connector which is my preferred connector and I'm still happy that See Audio still implemented it and they all know that a 2-pin connector is a superior and proven detachable system for ease of doing cable swapping and more durable.




About its packaging, See Audio Bravery Limited Edition contents is still similar to previous See Audio products when it comes to inclusion of accessories and we know that See Audio is known to be generous to put more accesories on their products.




Here are the following contents inside of See Audio Bravery packaging box:

• a pair of See Audio Bravery Limited Edition IEMs
• 3 pairs of premium Azla Xelastic Eartips of different standard sizes.
• 3 pairs of memory foam eartips of different standard sizes.
• a high quality 7N litz single crystal copper, coated with polyester fabric modular stock cable provided by Hakugei.(2.5mm balanced, 3.5mm and 4.4mm balanced)
• a black circular, aluminium IEM case.
• a black envelope contains of some product documentation like instruction manual, stickers, postal cards, contact card and extra pairs of nozzle filters.

Bonus inclusions (for pre-order only):

• Rinko IEM acrylic stand
• See Audio Bravery mouse pad

The Bravery Limited Edition is very versatile when it comes to driveability as it amplifies well on decent source but if it is powered via a source with good output from high quality DAC/amp will truly shine this one as it has more dynamics, volume and showing more essence of its detail quality.




As for its tonality, like my previous review on the regular Bravery, See Bravery Limited retains its "warmish-neutral" sound but there are some perceptible observations while I listen to them longer and compare it with my preceding assessment on last year's Bravery regular. From slight deviation on its sonic spectrum to distinctive improvement of technical facet between the variations of Bravery which has its different equations on how it will deliver its respective tuning, I will just leave it to the people who have tested and owned both of the Braveries on which tuning they preferred to.


Here are some of my observations regarding of its sound characteristics from its overall sound spectrum.


LOWS/BASS:

As my first impression on the regular Bravery, it has a very dynamic sounding bass with impact and articulation. Bravery Limited Edition retains some of its qualities but it is more tighter, accurate with good haptics.


Sub bass is definitely present in overall sound spectrum as it has a suffice depth reach as I hear some occurences of grumble whenever I play synthpop tracks with electric drums and synthesizers that gives the distinct reverb effect. Mid bass is even more authoritative as it has more texture that it gives well-bodied sound on bass instruments and low voice type. Bass kicks have a more resonant and pounding sound, while a more darker and somber reverberation gives a growl on bass guitar in a very detail manner whether it is slapping, fretless and other plucking techniques. And a lastly more guttural and rich voice of bass baritone vocals.


Due to its tighter bass, it really separates and doesn't bleed to other frequency range that I can boldly declare that it has a very clean and segmented bass.


MIDRANGE:

The midrange is fairly neutral and natural with a sufficient amount of lucidity and just a tad of warmth to add some enough texture on the note weight to sound more balanced and some emphasis need to make a clearer and more dynamic sound.


Vocals quality of both of male and female are beautifully presented and well-rendered. Male vocals of different voice types are exhibited naturally with their resounding gravelly, powerful and authoritative from all of its vocal range registry either of its limits of their pitch range or just their general comfortable vocal pitch range or tessitura. Female vocals are presented in a captivating, pleasant and luscious with sufficient energy to sound more open and spacious that a soprano vocal range will be justifiably demonstrated within its pitch limit.


As for instruments, it has an organic, more accurate timbre and clarity that percussive like snare and tom drums have those penetrating, sonorous and shuffling sound, a crisp and enough sparkle on guitars, a warmer and lush tune of a piano and a lustrous and vibrant sound of a violin.


I convincingly pronounce that the mids of See Audio Bravery Limited Edition is well-done and mature enough that I can even compare it to other mid-fi level IEMs that I've tested when it comes to the quality of midrange.


HIGHS/TREBLE:

Perhaps that this has a very balanced treble registry. It has very smooth transition coming from the midrange. Assuredly, It has noticeable slight peaks on upper mids and presence treble but I didn't encounter any sibilance nor instances of strident and gritty that it will ruin the overall audio frequency spectrum and gives a clean fidelity and clarity


Brilliance treble range is properly rendered on this set that it has a good amount of air as it extends well within its perceive range that it gives a shimmer and glistening on cymbals strikes and a more articulate, chicky sound on hi-hats. It has indeed a well-defined harmonics that if you pay attention on some tone quality, you'll find it in a detailed and present manner.


SOUNDSTAGE, IMAGING AND OTHER TECHNICALITIES:

Its overall soundstage is well-proportionate on its perceived spatial sound field. It has an above average to adequate spacious width, a reasonable and immersive depth as I aware its discerning interval from front to rear and a sufficient height ceiling.


Imaging is a noteworthy that as I can pinpoint on locating the placement of vocalist(s) and instruments in a very accurate manner, separation has a good gap and spacing of each respective elements to be heard inside in a virtual room and a contrast of frequency profiles and character are in order and well-arranged homogeneous tone.


Coherency of its drivers are commendable that they sound very cohesive with faster transient without any signs of distortion and "out of phase" sound.


Resolution capability wise is also impressive that it has good detail retrieval and also solidify its macro dynamics ability to have a firmer and stable in general sound quality.



PEER COMPARISONS:

See Audio Bravery Regular

• As I previously mentioned, the difference between the Limited Edition variant and the regular one was the shell size. Regular version has a more chunky built shells and a bit more hefty but it is still comfortable to wear while the Limited Edition variant was scaled down into a standard medium-size of its newly-design UIEM shell that fits well to all ear sizes and better ergonomics and intuitive shell housing for comfort.

• Bass quality on Bravery regular is more punchy compare to a more tighter and precise on Limited Edition that gives a more cleaner bass response. The midrange of Limited Edition is a noticeable improvement over regular as it has more detail, more open sounding and even clearer on high vocal pitch range like mezzo and soprano. Limited edition is a bit smoother on its treble quality as it has cleaner and even more airy.

• Technicality wise, See Audio Bravery regular has an average to above average soundstage width but the Limited edition is more wider and feels spacious that it has a sense of enough headroom that it has some improvements on separation and layering capability, imaging is very similar as Bravery regular is capable on that aspect. Resolution capability is a bit an improvement on Limited Edition as it has a better detail retrieval. An occasional BA timbre on Bravery regular is lessened on the Limited Edition variant which has less metallic and a more natural tonal colour.

AUDIOSENSE DT600

• Both are comparable when it comes to shell sizes, aesthetics, fitting and comfort. They have similar set-up with some implementation of premium BA drivers. Audiosense DT600 has all Knowles BAs inside while Bravery LE has a combination of Knowles and Sonion BAs on its interior. The connectors are quite different between these two. Audiosense is some sort of loyalist to MMCX connector while See Audio is using a 2-pin connector which I really favours but don't get wrong, Audiosense's MMCX are of high quality. Inclusions of accesories is a toss-up on these two. I prefer the pelican-like case of Audiosense DT600 while the more premium ear tips and modular cable of Bravery LE are even better. DT600 has included a lot of ear tips of different kinds.

• As for tuning, they are both "neutral" but their tuning on neutrality has different paths. DT600 is more of a "balanced-neutral" with bass boost and a leaner and neutral midrange to treble frequency that makes the Bravery LE more of a slight U-shape to compare with it. Both have good quality bass that it really mimics the dynamic and deeper bass on a dynamic driver. Bravery LE is tad airier in treble on a slim margin.

• For technical aspects, DT600 has a wider soundstage and height reach while depth is more immersive on Bravery LE. Imaging and layering are similar but separation is more noticeable on DT600. Both have impressive resolution capability on its price range.

DUNU SA6

• It is more expensive than Bravery LE with a bass switch system and it has more BA drivers on its internal. Both implemented Sonion and Knowles BA drivers which is good. The housing shells of SA6 is larger and yet offers the same comfort level on wearing them.

• On tonality, SA6 is more mature and even more well-defined tuning. It has reference-neutral sounding; its midrange is really superb and unmatched. It is currently the best mid centric IEM, instruments and vocal focus that I've tested in the midranger level though I still prefer the bass quality of Bravery LE as it has that quantitative edge on being more thumping and solid sounding. Dunu SA6 has even more treble air compared to Bravery LE.

• They have very similar soundstage proportions but separation, imaging and layering is even better on SA6. Resolution capability is superior on SA6 as it has more detail retrieval and has a very translucent and clarity definition. To think that Bravery LE managed to simulate the capabilities of Dunu SA6 for at least 70%.

To end my conclusion on my assessment of See Audio Bravery Red. Is it really an improvement over its Regular version? For me at first impression was that I was very sceptical about it until I personally had it and tested it for a long listening session and compared it to my previous data on Bravery regular. It does really have some improvements on overall tonality and technicalities probably due to newer shell design which is more ergonomically logical.


To whom will I recommend See Audio Bravery Limited Edition prefer to? Certainly, I will propose this set to an even methodical and experienced listener who wants a more mature and thriving tonality with a good technical aspect.



See Audio Bravery Limited Edition is on limited release that you will be having a hard time purchasing it as it is already out of stock as of typing down this article and its value cost around $300.00/ £248.50.




SPECIFICATION:

MODEL: SEE AUDIO BRAVERY LIMITED EDITION
IMPEDANCE: 18Ω
SENSITIVITY: 110dB
FREQUENCY RESPONSE: 20Hz – 20KHz
CABLE LENGTH: 1.2M
PIN TYPE: 2-PIN CONNECTOR (0.78mm)
PLUG TYPE: MODULAR (3.5mm,2.5mm and 4.4mm)
DRIVER UNIT(S): 4 BALANCED ARMATURES (KNOWLES & SONION


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 *'*

Lucretia my Reflection – The Sisters of Mercy **

Suzanne Vega – Luka **




P.S.

I am not affiliated to SEE 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 thank Steve Tong and Kent Alfonso for providing this review unit, I truly appreciate their generosity towards me and other reviewers.

Oi! Welcome to my another review article and this time it is very different from most items that I've always reviewed with. As you know that most of my content are usually revolves around IEMs on how I assess each product, it is unexpected that a respected company would contact me if I can do a review on their products and I take an opportunity to take it.


This company I'm taking about is Tronsmart. As we all know that Tronsmart is a reputable technology brand that offers high quality products at a very affordable price. I actually have a Tronsmart power bank which I can attest to its durability and longevity.


Tronsmart is a technology company from Shenzhen, the technology hub capital of Asia (probably in the world). It has a formidable R & D crew that creates and produces some innovative products especially on mobile accessories and wireless gadgets. I also saw some Tronsmart products wherever I go, from the commercial establishment to a mate's flat and the most prominent ones were wireless Bluetooth speakers.


What I have here is their latest product, Tronsmart T7 mini. Tronsmart T7 is a mini portable Bluetooth speaker, it has a stout cylindrical shape whose ergonomic design is to provide a better portability experience to bring it everywhere either for personal home use, business presentation, celebratory parties and camping outdoors. It has a build in LED lights that synchronise well to every beat and rhythm on a music track played.




Its structural design is a robust and compact one that I can wrap it with my whole hand to grasp it . It has a basic control panel at the top with the circular LED light at its edges. Tronsmart seems to be thinking about a more logical approach on designing this product to make it more easy to use.




Tronsmart T7 mini is also rated to have an IPX7 rating that it can take water splashes, raining submersion due to its water protection to its component with water-repellant to hydrophobic coating. With a good waterproofing rating, you can indeed take anywhere even to the outdoors like beaches and other bodies of water.


Regarding its battery life. Tronsmart T7 mini seems to have a decent power consumption up to 16-18 hours when the LED light is turned off and 8 hours with LED light activated. LED lights also serve as a power indicator if it needs to be charged when the battery power is almost depleted.




When it comes to wireless playback, Tronsmart T7 mini has Bluetooth 5.2 version but it can only support basic lossy bluetooth codec such as SBC and AAC. (Sorry for the audio blokes who wants a "hi-res" codec like APTX-HD and LDAC) Despite those limitations, T7 mini offers another option, an analog audio source as it has a 3.5mm jack which will please people who wants a better sound quality. I almost forgot to mention that this device supports a majority of popular voice assistance softwares in the market like Siri from Apple, Cortana from Microsoft, Alexa from Amazon and Google Assistant from Android and other Google related products.


As for its loudness and connection capability, T7 mini seems to deliver a loud output that's enough to filled a small room and due to a newer bluetooth version its has lower latency which gives a clearer connection and lesser interface unless you go to another room with the device source like your mobile phone which causes a spotty connection.


Another notable thing on Tronsmart T7 mini is it has a micro SD slot that it can play directly from micro SD card audio file format which is convenient to some people rather than to connect their phones.





The unboxing experience on Tronsmart T7 mini is decent and it includes pretty basic accessories.

Here the contents inside of packaging box of Tronsmart T7 mini:

• Tronsmart T7 MINI speaker
• 3.5mm to 3.5mm "male" cable
• USB type-C cable
• Some paperwork like an instruction manual and warranty card.

As for tonality-wise, Tronsmart T7 mini has a U-shaped sound signature as it has an elevated bass and treble and a fairly neutral and slightly notch midrange that will be more versatile to be played in most music genres.


LOWS/BASS:


It has an impact and punchy bass, I can even qualify it as authoritative as it really has a decent depth reach as I can feel that sub bass that has an ample rumble and grumble whenever a synthesizer and drum machines were present on most synth-pop tracks.


Mid bass has that texture that gives a well bodied sound on bass guitars, bass kicks and bass-baritones.


I also noticed on some bass bleed that is discernible in some tracks that I play, probably due to a single transducer set-up but it is still acceptable.



MIDRANGE:


Since I classify T7 MINI's overall tonality as a U-shaped. It has a slight recession on its mids that vocals and instruments are a bit behind on overall frequency spectrum but it still remains to have a very balanced and decent clarity with it.


Vocals seems to have an equal texture on both male and female. Males vocals has an ample guttural and power with its voice and female ones has a tad gruff and sometimes a more mellow on lower vocal type while a more bright and some instances of being a bit shrilly on upper vocal types like soprano.


On instruments, It retains sound more natural and accurate from a crisp and bright sound on guitars, a more warmer and rich sounding of a piano, a metallic and bright sound of a violin and lastly, a penetrating and hard sound on snare strikes.


HIGHS/TREBLE:


Treble on this one is a bit underwhelming in my liking. For sure that casual listener would certainly won't mind this fussy observation of mine when it comes to being fastidious on this matter.


Upper mids and lower treble or presence treble seems hoisted as it has that clarity and sheen but at expense of occasional sibilance and sometimes a tad strident.


As for brilliance, it has sufficient sparkle but lacking of airiness that gives a cymbals' sound lack of shimmering extension.


SOUNDSTAGE, IMAGING & OTHER TECHNICALITIES:


Due to a mono transducer set-up. I don't expect too much of a technical aspect on the T7 mini. For sure that it has enough headroom to fill a small room to have a well-proportion sound field in a sense of spatiality but imaging, layering and separation is a bit sub par as it is a bit veiled and a disorder of positioning on instruments and singers on its respective location . Then, some jumbled on mixing and arrangement of each frequency profile in a perceived sonic canvass that will cause a congested and muffled mix.


Tonal colour seems to be accurate especially on strings and percussion instruments. Coherency is also excellent that it has a good cohesive sound.



As I concluded my review on the Tronsmart T7 mini, this is actually my first review on wireless Bluetooth speakers so pardon my assessment on this one due to my inexperience with this kind of product if you find it lacking and less informative.


For sure that T7 mini is marketed for casual listeners and not for a more audio enthusiast like me that really delves more into high fidelity audio stuff. But when its comes to basic functionality and portability, Tronsmart really delivers a high quality product that will give its customer a more enjoyable music experience at a very affordable price with flexible functionality in either wireless or a more traditional analogue sound that you can bring it everywhere you like.


Tronsmart T7 mini cost around $34/£28 and it is now available to all e-commerce sites.




SPECIFICATION:

MODEL: TRONSMART T7 MINI

DIMENSIONS: 4.02 x 4.25 INCHES

WEIGHT: 500g

BATTERY LIFE: up to 18 HRS (LED OFF)/ 8 HRS (LED ON)

DRIVER UNIT(S): (1) FULL-RANGE DYNAMIC DRIVER

IP RATING: IPX7

CONNECTIVITY: BLUETOOTH 5.3 , 3.5MM JACK, MICRO-SD SLOT.

BLUETOOTH RANGE: up to 18M

OUTPUT POWER: 15W

MICROPHONE: YES

FREQUENCY RANGE: 20Hz - 20KHz

AUDIO CODEC: SBC



Addendum:

Here are some instructions of Tronsmart T7 mini from button command to indicator:

P.S.


I am not affiliated to TRONSMART 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 thank Ella Beck from TRONSMART for providing this review unit, I truly appreciate her generosity towards me and other reviewers.

If you are interested of Tronsmart T7 mini, Just click the links below:

Official site: https://www.tronsmart.com/products/tronsmart-t7-mini-portable-bluetooth-speaker
Aliexpress:
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005004388283454.html

Oi! And welcome to my another IEM review article. This product review that I will assess is from CCA. I reviewed a lot of products from them and somehow I have some good experience and am a bit surprised at their progress both in tuning capability and choice of newer drivers that they are implementing.


Let's cut short the introduction about the CCA as we are all aware their connection with Chi-Fi's most dominant force, Knowledge Zenith or also known as KZ. I'll be hastily introducing their new product and what we have here right now is their introductory model from their new series line up, The Constellation series.



This is CCA Lyra, the first model from their Constellation series. It has a single Dynamic driver and KZ claims that it's an improvement over their previous 10mm dynamic drivers with their patented composite diaphragm. This newer 10mm dynamic drivers offers better less distortion rate and consistent vibration frequency to deliver more dynamic sounding.




The DD transducers are housed in a polycarbonate plastic shell with an unspecified metal alloy supporting frame on its faceplate. In my opinion, this is one of the most aesthetically pleasing IEM in under $20 price as it reminds of a chandelier with Swarovski crystals which are very elegant and classy looking. The cavity base of Lyra is akin to a UIEM's design cues as it has a protruding fin to provide better fitting stability in the pinna part and it has a brass nozzle of good quality. It has two vent holes, one in the bottom area between the contact point of plastic and metal alloy and the other one is near the placement of the transducer. Like most CCA and its sister, KZ, CCA Lyra uses a QDC-type 2-pin connector which I still have some qualms about.




On a facet on how it fits and rests on my lug holes, I find it very comfortable as it snug well without any wobbling nor feeling strain. It also connects on providing a good passive sound isolation due to its better sealing into my lug holes.


As usual, Like most CCA products in this budget-level range has a very bare bone packaging from box to contents inside. There is nothing special about it.


These are the contents that you can find inside the box.

• A pair of CCA Lyra IEMs
• A parallel, flat 4-core stock cable with a L-shape 3.5mm termination plug (with mic version).
• Extra ear tips of different standard sizes.(small and large)
• Instruction manual.

CCA Lyra is very responsive when it comes to amplification and scaling from any power source. It can be easily driven even with decent power output like smartphones and other multimedia devices.





The general tonality of CCA Lyra is more of a v-shaped sound signature as it has more elevated bass and treble with scoop mids. These are the usual "in-house" sound signatures of CCA products but there are some deviations on its tuning to sound it more balanced.


I'll be pointing out some points about its sound characteristics to its overall sound spectrum.


LOWS/BASS:


This is one of the most refined and definitive bass responses that I've heard from a CCA product. It has this good amount of thud, precise slam and ample depth reach. It is well-segregated as I can point out the part of sub bass and the midbass.


It has an essential sub bass quality that it can produce a good rumble if a bass focus track demands it. The mid bass has substantial texture to a more rounded and solid sound especially on bass guitars, bass kicks and bass-baritone vocals. Bass guitars have that weight and resonant sound every fingered string either slapping, fretless and other bass guitar fingered string techniques. Drum kicks has good pounding and fuller sound to add a lively sound. Bass-baritone has a sufficient deep and guttural sound due to a substantial note texture. Another good thing on bass quality of CCA Lyra that bass bleeding is kept under control in any tracks that it deliver a cleaner and solid bass quality.


This kind of bass quality will be at least more acceptable to bass heads who wants more bass quality and it will probably make those adherent bass heads on exploring on others sound signature which are more balanced sounding.



MIDRANGE:


This is the most prevalent characteristic of CCA's tuning on its overall tuning and it is the less emphasis and scooped on midrange. As usual it has a recess mids but there are some noticeable improvements like an ample texture on the lower mids to give a more robust deep and resonant male voice on any vocal types but female vocals aren't that well-pronounced, less forward, lack of energetic and air and a bit dull especially on mezzo to soprano type of vocals which I can't hear any sense of infos about the quality of vocals.


As for instruments, Snare drum and brass like horns and trumpet has more dominant on this one as it gives a more penetrating and yet shuffling sound on snare drums while it gives a warmer and intense sound on trumpets and with added metallic tinge on horns. On the string instruments, it gives a warm and less crisp sound on guitars and a bit of a thin and austere sound from a violin. And lastly, the piano tone is more a warm and lustrous.


Overall, this is not a refined and a homogenous midrange that I really want as it has a bit subdued on details and clarity that I find it scanty.



HIGHS/TREBLE:


Treble quality on CCA Lyra is somewhat acceptable as it really manages to reduce those upper mid to brilliance treble peaks a bit that might cause some strident and discordant sound. CCA seems to really trying to improve their tuning on this part of frequency range on how it has more smoother delivery compared to their previous tuning but there are some issues that you should take note on this as I will explain it later on the technicalities part of this assessment. I do occasionally encounter some hint of sibilance but to be fair it is still fairly controlled.


Treble extension is barely average as it takes a sudden dip off response on the end of the frequency spectrum which also influences the quality of sizzle on the cymbals, lack of air and loses some harmonics. The only thing to put on show is the sound of hi-hats which really sounds natural and instinctive.


This is indeed the shortcoming that I noticed in CCA Lyra and it was the deficiencies of treble facet in both quality and quantity.



SOUNDSTAGE, IMAGING AND OTHER TECHNICALITIES:


As for its soundstage, it does really have a very average-size dimension on its sound field. The width is more just an average expansion even though it was a major component on the overall soundstage proportion to give a more broader sense. It also has decent depth and above average height it makes the sense of headroom more of a "natural" sense as it also stay on limits on perceived spatiality on the head neither wide nor too narrow.


Imaging isn't that impressive the fact that it has a similar performance like almost entry-level DDs out there as they do almost the same linear stereo panning. Pinpointing some placement of instruments and singer(s) aren't that consistent and a tad spontaneous. Separation is just decent as it has just enough gap to all the components of a track and layering seems doesn't arrange very well in order, the fact there are some instances of overwhelming of each section of instrument tonal range that causes inconsistencies to the overall sonic spectrum.


Driver coherency is very good as expected to a newly developed dynamic driver that performs very well with faster transient and consistently having lesser distortion.


As for resolution capability, CCA Lyra is more concentrated on the macrodynamics as it presents more solid and general element of track to make it more musical rather than being analytical and technical. Micro-details doesn't fare well here as subtleties and nicety have less definition.


This makes the general overview of its technicalities as mediocre one.


PEER COMPARISONS:


ND NSK

• Both of them are very similar in tuning and capabilities. They are also at almost the same price range. Aesthetics-wise, Lyra has a more elegant look that ND NSK looks like cheaper and plain. ND NSK has better stock cable though.
• They are both in V-shape tuning but the bass region of Lyra is better well, segmented that you determine between sub bass and mid bass, ND NSK still has better body and clarity on mids. I still give ND NSK on treble as I rarely encounter sibilance and also has better treble quality with more smoother and airy.
• Technicalities goes to ND NSK again,why? It has above average soundstage width, better imaging and separation that its layering seems to be more organize and decent definition within each respective dynamic frequency section. Lyra sounds a bit congested especially in more complex tracks.

KZ ESX

• Like its KZ cousin, they share both similarities from tuning to inclusions. Lyra has more of an elegance of a neo-classical look while KZ ESX has more of an aesthetic of a post-modernist art namely cubism.
• Despite that they are both V-shape. ESX bass is more punchy and has an impact that certainly reaches to its deepest end of bass spectrum,as for its mids and treble, I still prefer the overall quality on ESX due to more texture on female vocals and smoother treble registry given that It has smoother response and less sibilant.
• Technicality is even much better on ESX due to a wider soundstage though imaging, separation and layering are similar. Coherency is a bit better on KZ ESX due to faster transients.

BLON-03

• Aesthetically-wise and fitting, no contest. CCA Lyra has better looking shell and is more ergonomically fitting to wear. BLON 03 won't even stand a chance.
• Both have V-shaped sound signatures, bass bleeds on BLON 03 still an issue to me as it ruined the midrange and even the treble while CCA Lyra has a well-controlled mid bass. Mids are both recessed and kinda similar. The only redeeming factor for BLON 03 is a more natural and accurate timbre. The rest will be on CCA Lyra's court.
• Technicalities of both IEMs are similar both have average (I even thought that BLON has even a narrower soundstage). Almost the same imaging, separation and layering capabilities but in coherency, CCA Lyra has better cohesive driver performance, a contrast of slower and sloppier transients execution of BLON-03.

To conclude my review here, CCA Lyra is another evolution of CCA's maturity in tuning on how they keep improving their usual "in-house" V-shaped sound signature by doing some tweaking on tuning or adding some improvements on their hardware like better materials on its transducer. The big question is to whom the CCA Lyra will be offered to despite of existing budget-level competitors like their KZ cousins sharing the same tonality and pricing too in that particular segment. The best possible answers will be its suave and sophisticated look and as for the musicality aspect, it will be its fun and lively sounding that will be more versatile and pleasant to have an enjoyable listening experience.


CCA Lyra is available in two colour choices, White which is a clearer diamond-like finish and Blue one on which it has more akin to a blue sapphire colourway. Its current price is around £11.00/US$13.50 in all e-commerce sites.


Check out also my other reviews on previous CCA products.

• CCA CA10
• CCA CA16 PRO
• CCA CRA

SPECIFICATION:

MODEL: CCA LYRA

IMPEDANCE: 28Ω

SENSITIVITY: 113dB

FREQUENCY RESPONSE: 20Hz – 40KHz

CABLE LENGTH: 1.2M

PIN TYPE: 2-PIN QDC TYPE CONNECTOR (0.78mm)

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 *'*

Lucretia my Reflection – The Sisters of Mercy **

Suzanne Vega – Luka **



P.S.

I am not affiliated to CCA 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 thank Tyvan Lam for providing this review unit, I truly appreciate on his generosity towards me and other reviewers.

Neutralheads and midcentrics alike, rejoice and be ready to put a smile on your face that this review will be special as this specific type of tuning will be favourable towards some listeners like you who love vocals and instruments focus and a more dynamic yet neutral tuning . If you are a reader of my review articles in the past few months, you are all aware that I admire BQEYZ as an audio company for they deliver a good quality product for the past few years. Their BQEYZ KC2 is still one of the talk-about products that is still relevant despite new products release from other companies.



I have currently have a substantial number of BQEYZ products in my collection and some of them have a diverse implementation of drivers from a single DD flagship of BQEYZ Autumn to a tribrid ones like BQEYZ Spring 2 and Summer and if you want to check out my reviews from some previous models from BQEYZ, check out the links below.

• BQEYZ KC2
• BQEYZ SPRING 2
• BQEYZ SUMMER
• BQEYZ AUTUMN

We are also aware that BQEYZ is taking a few months to release their products just to ensure that it was well-tuned and meticulously crafted. And what I have here is their new product, The BQEYZ TOPAZ.




BQEYZ TOPAZ is the latest and first model from their new product line-up series, The Bird series. It has a hybrid driver set-up transducers that consist of a newly developed 13mm dynamic driver with LCP (Liquid Crystal Polymer) diaphragm paired with a 9-layers of new type of Ceramic Piezoelectric plates. This new type of dynamic driver and piezoelectric driver transducers offers a better bass response, a rich and cleaner mids with less distortion, more crisp and detail treble as BQEYZ promises. These hybrid transducers are encapsulated in a shell made of aluminium on its faceplate and high quality resin on its cavity base which also has structurally similar to their previous model, The BQEYZ Summer and BQEYZ Autumn.




The aluminium faceplate of BQEYZ Topaz's shell has a thin outline on its edges with a rounded edge triangle at the center with a print inside of it (different words of each side, TOPAZ at the left shell and BQEYZ at the right shell). Interestingly, there's a vent hole that was put inside of letter O and Q respectively. The resin-made cavity base is somehow skin friendly as I don't encounter any irritation and its quality is very durable for daily wear and tear use. Another vent hole is also found in this part of the shell too just to make sure the release of some excess air pressure generated from the drivers. The nozzle is made of good quality brass and it is in medium length to fit on most ear for comfortable insertion but this isn't the case into my lug holes as I still have some awkward feeling that I try to do some ear tip rolling (like BQEYZ Autumn, BQEYZ reference ear tips in large-sized is the answer). The passive noise isolation is at least average as I still hear 50% of external noise from the outside sources. Good thing that BQEYZ still implemented a standard 2-pin connector as is more proven to its sturdiness and ease of doing cable replacement.




On the packaging and its included accessories features, we all know that BQEYZ is one of the audio companies who are very generous and conscientious when it comes to that aspect as they included a lot of inclusions that make the customer that they received what they deserved, a high quality of inclusions. The packaging box of BQEYZ TOPAZ has similar size with BQEYZ albeit it is a tad leaner. It has a blueish colour accent with the print " TOPAZ" at the front and some information of specification at the back of the box.The accessories are well-organized inside the box.


Here are the following contents inside:

• A pair of BQEYZ Topaz IEMs.
• 4-core OCC SPC white cable of 3.5mm termination plug with tip plug
• 3 pairs of silicone "reference" eartips of different standard sizes (Small, Medium,Large).
• 3 pairs of silicone "atmospheric" eartips of different standard sizes (Small, Medium,Large).
• a round grey zippered IEM case.
• Cleaning tool
• Some paperworks like instruction manual and Q.C stub.

BQEYZ Topaz can be driven decently and it can be pair on decent sources despite of the of that 32 ohms of impedance requirement but in a better sources with better output from high quality DACs and Op/Amp will amplify the fullest potential of this hybrid transducer as they really sound even more dynamic and more cleaner sounding in the background.





The tonality of the BQEYZ is more of a leaning towards on a balanced-neutral sound signature as it has that perceive linearity on both bass and midrange and have an enough peak on the treble though they are more of laid-back sounding in the overall presentation.

It's tuning reminds me of an old headphone model from Sennheiser, The HD598. BQEYZ TOPAZ and HD598 have shared similar aspects like neutral sounding with some hint of warmth, punchy bass, well-bodied midrange and smooth treble response.


Here are my observations of each part of its audio frequency range spectrum.


LOWS/BASS:

The bass region of BQEYZ Topaz is intrinsically present in the overall audio frequency spectrum. The bass quality shows more prominent over being a quantitative one. It has an ample punch, sufficient impact and a clean one.


Sub bass has a presence as I discerningly feel its rumble towards its decent depth. Synthesizers and drum machines that we usually heard on electronic music such as EDM and Synthpop has an enough detail to hear their tremorous nature. Mid bass is even more prominent on the bass region as it has a texture to give a well-bodied sound on bass guitars, bass kicks, bass trumpets and bass-baritone vocals. It gives a growl on bass guitar to sound more dark, "earthy" and somber and at least it doesn't sound hollow, an adequate sonorous and resonant sound on bass kicks, a fuller and tinge of tonal colour of bass trumpets and lastly, a guttural and rich quality of bass baritone vocals.


I can say that I consider this one as a "neutral bass" as it doesn't smudges the other audio frequency due to almost to none good control on midbass and certainly that this is not a bass head's ideal tuning due to non-boomy nature and less impact, just an ample thudding.



MIDRANGE:

This is the unequivocally the most prominent part of the overall audio frequency spectrum and it is its midrange both in quality and quantity. It is well-polished, organic and has added ample warmth just to added some texture and density on both vocals and instruments especially on percussive instruments.


Both vocal types of both genders have benefited from that ample warmness. It gives a more solid, deep and power of male vocal especially low-medium octave ones from bass to falsetto. It really shows a detail on how male singers belted the power from their lungs. Female vocals are also projected properly to sound more luscious, sweet, pleasant and clarity. It gives the sense of natural tone and resolve on the contralto to mezzo-soprano types but there is certain type of vocal type that pays my attention and it is soprano's vocal projection. Soprano supposedly has a weaker middle voice and higher pitch which Topaz manages to deliver the sense of energy and intensity decently but I'll be honest on this one, it's a tad inadequate in my ideal standard due to that smoothed edge as a performance of vocal centric IEM needs to reach that higher note to sound airy and energetic. Even so, it's just a minor compromise that I can deal with.


As for the sound quality on instruments, it has that organic but due added warmth unto it, it is somehow less glittering especially on strings but on the bright side, it is now full-bodied sounding. Every pluck of guitar has that clarity but not to point the sound to a realistic crisp. Some certain tracks of acoustic guitar tracks show the inherent characteristic of the Piezoelectric which is added that a sizzle that some listeners might find it "unnatural". Violins and cellos have this cascading sense to have this lustrous, calm and full sounding that doesn't sound muted nor veiled. Brass like saxophone and trumpets has still this metallic and intense characteristic to sound closer to being natural. Woodwinds like fife and flute has this rich and airy sounding but sometimes a bit soft as you will determine everytime the flautist blows its headjoint. Pianos has this warm, luscious and rich tone that reminds me of some antique German grand pianos. And lastly is how snare drums sound like, it is penetrating and shuffling but it has this softer impact.


As I'm a bit biased towards on midcentric tuning, this is indeed a highly recommended type of midrange tonality on how the mids are presented in a smooth manner, well-bodied and has sufficient details. Midcentric will absolutely love its quality and quantity.



HIGHS/TREBLE:

Another thing that BQEYZ Topaz surprises me on how it handles its treble registry. As we expected of a piezoelectric driver's typical characteristic which is that zingy sizzle feel to give some listener a sense of airiness and sheen in the brilliance region but expense of being too strident and artificial to some treble sensitives, but BQEYZ manage to tamed down those peaks while retain the shimmer and good extension of treble air. The fact that the treble delivery is rather smooth and relaxing.


Upper mids has still some noticeable peaks but not to the point to make a sound more strident and sibilance was keep under controlled and very minimal to none to be noticeable unless it was a sibilant-laden tracks that Piezoelectric drivers make it more pronounce but not that unpleasant hissing that make us annoyed with.


Cymbals strikes definitely has a more lustrous and undulating sound with some substantial amount of shimmer but there's a snag about it, it lacks snap and is a bit dull in my ideal as I wanted a more solid and glistening sound on hitting and crashing on cymbals. Despite on my reservation on how cymbal sounds was portrayed, Piezoelectric managed to deliver a good treble extension with a sufficient amount of harmonics and air.



SOUNDSTAGE, IMAGING & OTHER TECHNICALITIES:

As we all know, Almost all BQEYZ products' strength lies in excellent technical performance and TOPAZ is no exception on this one. The overall presentation of its sound field is well-proportionate. It certainly has a wide soundstage, a good immersive depth and a good height ceiling reach which I classify it as cavernous.


Imaging is good for a single DD as you can locate the precise positioning of instruments and singers but in a more typical stereo panning manner. Separation is also commendable on this one it has a good gap and spacing of each instruments but there is one element that pays my attention and it is its layering capability, the arrangement each note in every part of audio frequency sprectrum doesn't define well on emphasizing of its respective sonic information that causes some inconsistencies on the mix. It's just a slight nitpicking in my part as I tested some of TOTL IEMs with superb technical aspect in the past few days ago. But for its price value, it is just fine.


Resolution capability-wise, it is adept at resolving some nuances and details either on micro scale or macro dynamics. But in overall presentation, it is a bit smoothed out, a less aggressive definition that will also influence the timbre to have a smooth and organic tone with a tad of warmth.


As for coherency of drivers, the tandem of dynamic driver and piezoelectric plates seems to perform a very cohesive performance to the overall frequency spectrum that it deliver a faster, dynamic sounding with nimble transient response and the zesty nature of Piezos seems to have been suppressed and even less distorted probably due to newer composite materials of Piezoelectric plates.



PEER COMPARISONS:


BQEYZ SUMMER

• Both are very comparable due its implementation of Piezoelectric drivers but Summer has additional balanced armature to handle the midrange. Shells on both SUMMER and TOPAZ are in contrast as the aforementioned product is made purely of resin while the latter has a mixture of aluminium for its faceplate and a resin for its cavity base.

• SUMMER is more V/U-shape sounding while TOPAZ has balanced-neutral presentation. Summer has a more aggressive approach when its comes to tonality while TOPAZ is more laid-back and relaxed. Maturity of piezoelectric driver seem to be an advantage of TOPAZ as it really sounds more homogenous over a bit divisive sounding of SUMMER to make it a tad incoherent.

• SUMMER was more pricey when it was released a year ago and TOPAZ pricing is more competitive and affordable.

TANGZU/TFORCE YUAN LI

• YUAN LI is more expensive than TOPAZ. YUAN LI's shell is made of aluminium alloy that it is more hefty to wear compared to a tandem material of resin and aluminium alloy of TOPAZ which is lighter and easy to wear into the ears for a long time. Both are comparable of providing of a good set of inclusions.

• As for tonality, both have balanced-neutral sound signature, but YUAN LI is tad leaner on overall presentation compared to a more textured Topaz. YUAN LI is more focused on sub bass while TOPAZ has more accented mid bass, mids is leaner and probably has more clarity on YUAN LI while TOPAZ approach in a different manner which is a more bodied and yet smooth mids. Both of them have smooth treble registry but TOPAZ definitely has more air.

• As for technicalities, YUAN LI has better layering and imaging while TOPAZ has a better soundstage. Separation is similar as both of them have good spacing. As for resolution, certainly YUAN LI has more defined on details as they have more edgy definition as TOPAZ has a smoothen one.

MOONDROP KATO (Gold Nozzle):

• KATO is definitely more expensive than TOPAZ, KATO shell is made of stainless steel which is more durable than TOPAZ's hybrid sandwiched materials but it is more on a hefty weight that might add some stress on wearing them for a long time. Wearing both of them is also a bit problematic into my lug holes but KATO has a more shallow fit given that I've tested it with a Moondrop Spring eartips.

• As for tonality, KATO is more of a lean U-shape sound signature which also affects the quality and quantity of mids. KATO bass is leaning more on sub bass as you will feel a more grumble and seismic sound while it has thin mid bass that bass kicks and bass guitar sounds too transparent and light, almost no texture at all. TOPAZ indeed delivers a better bass quality. Mids is definitely recessed on KATO compared to TOPAZ as male vocals and instruments are lacking in texture and definition. Only female vocals seems to have a better clarity and more open but too transparent on texture is also an issue. Treble registry-wise, KATO has more brighter and shimmer as I notice upper mid peaks that I encounter in some tracks, especially on female vocal ones but it has lesser treble air extension when I compare it to TOPAZ which has smoother and better airy extension.

• When it comes to technicalities, TOPAZ is better than KATO in most aspects, from Soundstage to Imaging. KATO has only average to above average soundstage and imaging and seperation are just meagre and a bit too linear in my liking. As for resolution capability, both have different approaches, KATO certainly has more edgier definition while TOPAZ is more softer but surprisingly, TOPAZ has better detail retrieval.

As I end my assessment on BQEYZ TOPAZ, BQEYZ once again manages to deliver on such a phenomenal product. For sure that this is not a perfect product as there are still a few things that need to be polished on this product but its well-done tonal maturity and good technicalities will outweigh those flaws.


Current competitors in this price range still seem to follow those more hyped tuning curves like Harman or its derivatives (Geez, it's just another modified U-shape all over again.) But this is what I like on BQEYZ's philosophy, they don't follow the trend, they try to create their own path in audio world industry that they manage to win some hearts and minds to some audio enthusiasts out there.


BQEYZ TOPAZ is currently available at US$89.00/£75.00 to most e-commerce sites and they are available in two colour options, Grey and Purple.





SPECIFICATION:

MODEL: BQEYZ TOPAZ

IMPEDANCE: 32Ω

SENSITIVITY: 108dB

FREQUENCY RESPONSE: 5Hz – 40KHz

CABLE LENGTH: 1.2M

PIN TYPE: 2-PIN CONNECTOR (0.78mm)

PLUG TYPE: 3.5mm

DRIVER UNIT(S): (1) DYNAMIC DRIVER + (1) PIEZOELECTRIC 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 *'*
Lucretia my Reflection – The Sisters of Mercy **
Suzanne Vega – Luka **


P.S.

I am not affiliated to BQEYZ 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 thank Elle Zhou for providing this review unit, I truly appreciate her generosity towards me and other reviewers.

This review will be a second tribute on KZ/Knowledge Zenith's 10th year anniversary of its establishment on how they became the game-changer and shifting the paradigm of audio industry. My first KZ product was an IEM with a non-detachable cable and it has a single DD set-up, the model is called KZ ATE. I bought it around late 2016 as I'm really curious about a good sounding earphone with the sound quality of a headphone in a smaller form. After the purchase of ATE, I bought more products from KZ until that I switched to other brands due to lack of progress in tuning. I still value KZ ED16 as one of KZ's best products.




What I have here right now is their decade anniversary product, The KZ ESX. Knowledge Zenith is now refining their single DD line up since the release of KZ EDX as it shows its capabilities in tuning and at least we should appreciate it, to give credit where credit is due on behalf of them.




KZ ESX is a single DD set-up encapsulated in a shell made of hybrid materials such as polycarbonate and aluminium alloy. The transducer of KZ ESX is a 12mm dynamic driver which offer better bass response and better resolution retrieval. This is not the first implementation of 12mm DD as it was previously applied on KZ ZES albeit the ZES was a hybrid driver set up which also includes a magnetostatic driver.




The proportion of shell of this unit is in average size and its faceplate is an aluminium alloy with an aesthetic cue reminds me of an abstract pattern art or a Neo-Picasso, industrial look. Like most KZ's line-up products, it still uses a QDC-type 2 pin connector which I still have some qualms about. As for fitting, it has adequate insertion in my lug holes if I rate it as comfortable enough but the sound isolation is just average as I still hear some noises from outside surroundings.




Packaging of KZ ESX is as usual to all KZ entry-level products, too barebone as included accessories are sparsely basic for its cheaper price offering. It has a small packaging box with illustration of ESX at the front and basic specification infos at the rear.


Its contents inside the box are the ff:

• A pair of KZ ESX IEMs.
• A parallel, flat 4-core stock cable with a L-shape 3.5mm termination plug (with mic version).
• Extra ear tips of different standard sizes (small and large)m
• Instruction manual.
• A KZ 10th year anniversary commemorative token.

The driveable and amplification aspect on this unit is laudable as they scales well to all audio sources even to decent ones like smartphones, tablets and laptops. DAPs that has amplification stages gives even more potential on ESX to improve its dynamics and quality volume output.




When it comes to its tonality, It has that usual V-shape sound signature that we are all familiar with KZ's in-house tuning. Elevated bass and treble with recessed midrange to sound more appealing and relatable to most listeners especially to casual ones.


I'll be describing its sound characteristics from each part of the audio frequency range spectrum based on what I perceived on my observation in this unit.


LOWS/BASS:


This is the eminently part of the ESX and it is its bass quality. It is punchy, robust and thump so that bass heads will be satisfied with its quantity. Sub bass has a good depth reach as I perceive a notable grumble.


Mid bass has a sufficient texture to give a good body on bass instruments. Bass guitars has that growl and weighty sound from each plucking either from slapping to fretless, a good thudding and full pounding on bass kick and a mighty and sonorous sound of bas baritone vocals. Midbass is somehow controlled as it rarely does some smudges that might ruin the midrange part.


In general, KZ manage to deliver a very good bass response on this set that bass heads will truly appreciate this one.




MIDRANGE:


As expected for a typical KZ in-house tuning, Mids are indeed recessed in this one. Despite of that dipped midrange. It is somehow a consistency of its texture to have a sufficient warmth and mellow.


Male vocals certainly benefited on texture as it give an adequate guttural and thicker voice quality. Female vocals are a bit smoothen out and less energetic in my liking on this one as a midcentric, the quality it's tad subdued, soft and compressed. Despite of those qualms that I mentioned, it remains to be melodic and soothing.


As for instruments, strings like guitar and violin don't have the crisp and vibrant sound rather than being muted and austere. The piano's sound is warm and somehow rounded in my liking. Saxs are more warm sounding and sometimes nasally and some brass instruments has that warm dark tuning registry either from bass trumpets to horns. And lastly, snares drums has the dry and less penetrating strikes.


Midcentrics will surely have a diverse impressions on the quality of its midrange especially if they want a more forward vocals and a detailed and precise sound on its instruments.


HIGHS/TREBLE:


This is what I'm bit surprised on how was the treble registry of KZ ESX. I certainly affirm its improvement on treble aspects compare to KZ's previous product offering in single DD segment, it has indeed a smooth, more balanced and less offensive upper mids to presence treble.


Due to smoothen upper mids peaks, it has very minimal amount of sibilance as I still discerningly occasionally hear them more on some sibilant-laden tracks as I still view it as a well-controlled one. KZ even manages to minimize the stridency and harshness cause by some peaks between upper mids to presence. With all these effort to tame down those peaks, there are some caveats which I will explain later.


Cymbals' sound has less shimmer and its sizzle is muted as its extension is fading fast as it has somewhat comparable to a a shorted chick sound of hi-hats which I find unnatural in my perception. The range of treble extension is just average as it has a lack of sparkle and airiness is simply flat and inadequate.



SOUNDSTAGE, IMAGING AND OTHER TECHNICALITIES:


For a KZ product, it is now the widest soundstage among its products. The previously KZ product that I've tested with sufficiently spacious staging was the KZ ED16 and KZ ED16 was a hybrid driver set-up. But if I compare it to other IEMs that I have, KZ ESX has an above average width which I gave it a good mark. As depth and height, that perceived depth is merely average as it isnt that immersive and the sense of ceiling is somehow decently tall. It is has a good proportion and dimensions on all sides of sound field.


Imaging is tad blurry as it does not pinpoint accurately the placements of singers and instruments, separation and layering are more on average as it has enough spacing but it doesn't defined well and a bit muddied on perceived textured on stacking rows of frequency range especially when I play a more complex instrumental tracks.


Due to its newly-developed 12mm dynamic driver. The coherency of its drivers performs excellently. It is fast that it give a better transient and responsiveness to execute a homogeneous sound. Tonal colour is more on a warmer with a tad smoother definition.


As for resolution capability, it's more concentrated on macro details rather than micro details as it has insufficiencies on sharpness, vividness and definition on resolving on such amount of details on harmonics.




PEER COMPARISONS:


KBEAR KS1:

• KZ ESX shell is bit larger and has better design has it has a cubism-inspired aesthetics compare to a more plain and spartan-looking shell housing of KS1.
• Both have similar sound signature, V-shape. Bass is more tactile and impactful on KS1 but ESX has better control on bass bleed and some more balanced, ESX has better mids texture as KS1 is a bit leaner, treble quantity is somehow similar as both of them have average airiness on treble.
• As for technicalities, KZ ESX has better soundstage width than KBear KS1 but terms of imaging, separation and layering, they are very similar.

BLON-03

• KZ ESX is more logical when it comes to an ergonomic shell design than BLON-03's quirk and peculiar one as I still remember my struggles on putting it in my lug holes just to have a good fitting on it.
• Bass is cleaner and more solid on ESX as BLON 03 has that bass bloat that keeps smudging the mids which is very annoying.
• Technicalities wise, KZ ESX edges out the BLON 03 in any category from soundstage to coherency. Wider soumdstage, better separation and driver performance.

KZ EDA (Balanced)

• Bass is more prominent on ESX as it has more thudding and has an impact compared to a more balanced, less haptic EDA.
• Mids are similar, male vocals performance is a bit better on ESX but EDA is more balanced and transparent as it is more versatile on both male and female ones.
• Both treble quality are similar, both exhibit on a smoother and sufficient treble but sibilance is more noticeable on EDA. Technicalities-wise, both are analogous but in soundstage, ESX is wider and feels more spacious than EDA.

As I conclude my assessment on KZ ESX, this unit definitely follows a more familiar KZ in-house tuning, with some improvements of tuning and materials to be more palatable in the even more competitive entry-level of portable audio market. I also expected some sort of change on the packaging of KZ ESX like new included accessories like an improved cable and better eartips since this is their decade anniversary product but it seems that it has the same barebone accessories that we are very familiar with and a decade anniversary token of Knowledge Zenith.


Anyway, KZ ESX is tuned for listeners who are leaning more on musicality and fun tuning rather than being more analytical and "audiophiliac". And in any event, Knowledge Zenith will continue to garner more newer audio enthusiasts who have just started their audiophile journey.


Checkout my other reviews from KZ products for reference and comparisons:

• KZ EDX
• KZ EDC
• KZ EDA
• KZ ZEX
• KZ ZEX PRO
• KZ DQ6S
• KZ ZES

KZ ESX is now available in all known e-commerce sites and currently priced around US$19/ £16.





SPECIFICATION:

MODEL: KZ ESX

IMPEDANCE: 22Ω

SENSITIVITY: 122dB

FREQUENCY RESPONSE: 20Hz – 40KHz

CABLE LENGTH: 1.25M

PIN TYPE: 2-PIN QDC-TYPE 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 *'*
Lucretia my Reflection – The Sisters of Mercy **
Suzanne Vega – Luka **



P.S.

I am not affiliated to KNOWLEDGE ZENITH(KZ) 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 thank Tyvan Lam for providing this review unit, I truly appreciate on his generosity towards me and other reviewers.

If you are interested for more infos, just click the link below:

https://www.kztws.com/collections/all-products/products/kz-esx

Oi! Welcome to my another IEM review and what we have here is from the most popular Chi-fi brand of all time, Knowledge Zenith a.k.a. KZ. We already know KZ on how very influential they are in the current audio market space either you hate them or like them.


As we all know, most of us who started in this audio hobby in the mid 2010s were probably at least owning a set from KZ as our starter pack on our audio enthusiast journey. To think that KZ is now a decade-old company and how they are already well-entrenched in the audio market and established itself as the preeminent leader of the budget IEM market for a long time until to this day.


KZ introduces their latest product, The KZ EDA. KZ EDA is very different compares to all of KZ's previous products as it has included three (3) pairs of shells with different tuning as they probably want their customers to let them experience a different tuning modes on one single package. This actually commendable to them that they approach differently on this one, good job!




The packaging box is quite very minimalist and bare-bones as usual just like their budget segment. It has a small white box with a sleeve with illustration of KZ EDA at the front and basic specification and company address infos at the back.


The contents of the packaging box are the following:

• a pair of EDA "Heavy Bass" IEM (in gold colour with opaque faceplate)
• a pair of EDA "Balanced" IEM (in silver colour with clear faceplate)
• a pair of EDA "Hi-Res" IEM (in silver colour with cyan faceplate.)
• a white, rounded flat stock cable in 3.5mm termination plug
• Extra pair of eartips in different standard sizes.
• Instruction manual.

The shells of KZ EDA are decently good for its price. They are made of polycarbonate plastic with a recently newly developed dynamic driver that were implemented to some of their previous models ( and CCA's too). This new generation of dynamic driver promises a lower distortion rate, a improve on transient performance and better output for its diaphragm attenuation.




The size of the EDA's are of a small scale that it easily fit through my lug holes and it does a decent sealing from external noise sources. The build quality is decent that it you can assure its durability for daily use. Like most of KZ's product, they still uses a QDC-type 2 pin connector for firm and stable connection.




When it comes to pairing on sources, KZ EDAs are definitely easy to drive devices.

Smartphone, tablets and other multimedia devices are sufficient enough to deliver an output to EDA to sound it fuller and good dynamics.




The tonality of KZ EDAs are all V-shape sounding with a slight deviation on some part of the its audio frequency range spectrum of each pair on it.


I'll pointing all the sound characteristics of KZ EDAs based on my perceived observation for a past few days.


This review will be slightly different when its comes to my typical pattern format as I will separate it on each variant of EDAs.




LOWS/BASS:


EDA "Heavy Bass"

To all the EDAs, this is the most bassy one among the trio. It has a solid, good impact and depth that bass heads really want on the low frequency quality, a boomy bass. For its sub bass performance, it has a good depth that I discerningly hear the grumbling especially on bassy and electronic bass elements from some tracks in synthpop, hip-hop and some current modern pop genre. Mid bass is definitely is well-texture as it gives a more growl on a bass guitar, a thunderous sound of a bass kick and a deeper pitch vocals of a bass baritones. Despite of these good quality on its bass, there is a caveat on this one, that apparent bass bleeds that sometimes smudge over the mids that will affect the vocals and some instruments.


EDA "Balanced"

Bass quality on EDA "balanced" has an ample texture, has a fair punchiness and very precise. It is more of a sub bass focus one, as it has more define resounding quality in overall bass region while mid bass has acceptable texture to give a thudding sound of bass kick, a more somber sound on bass guitars and decent deepness of a bass baritone voice. This is actually my preferred bass quality of all three EDAs as it is well-balanced, lessens its mid bass smearing to other frequency range spectrum and cleaner response.


EDA " Hi-Res"

This kind of bass will please reference-neutral lovers, it is tight, clean and precise. Both sub-bass and mid-bass are equally on a leaner texture in general sound signature of this IEM. It is similar to EDA " balanced" in a sub bass quality but the mid bass is a bit too transparent in my liking as it gives a hollow sound on bass kicks, a dull sounding bass guitar ( Au revoir growl and rasping licks, slaps and frets) and a more shallow vocal quality bass baritone. To all the EDAs, EDA "Hi-res" is absolutely the cleanest bass reproduction to all of them.


MIDRANGE:



EDA "Heavy Bass"

Among the EDAs of being V-shape sounding, it has the steepest one as mids are definitely recessed, it has a warmth on it and also a way too linear in my liking that it really affects the quality on vocals especially on female, its too lean, less engaging and subdued. As for instruments, they are less details as violins and guitars has a lack of crisp and detail, Pianos are too rounded and warm sounding and trumpets sounds a bit too dark that its loses it brilliance. I'm a midcentric guy and i find it inadequate both in quantity and quality.


EDA "Balanced"

Despite that I still classify it as V-shape sounding, it has acceptable quality of vocals and instruments. For sure that it has recessed mids but delivers a smooth, cleaner quality and has an ample texture on both male and female vocals. Male vocal has a firmness and authoritative character while female vocals has a mellow and a sense of openness but it has edginess on it. For quality of instruments, percussives like snares has a precise and penetrating sound, strings like violin and guitars, as it gives a sensuous and acceptable lustrous on violin, a crisp and vibrant sound of a guitar and lastly, more lively and bright sound of a piano. This is actually one of the most balanced sounding midrange in a V-shape sounding IEM at under US$30/£25 price range.


EDA "Hi-Res"

Mids on this one definitely leaner, brighter and "glassy". Certainly, it gives a vocal quality on females voices to sound more detail, transparent and more spacious sounding compared to EDA "balanced" but at the expense of a tad grating, scratchy and shrilly that might be overbearing to some treble sensitives. On instruments, it gives a rattling and metallic sounding on snare drums, a more crisp and crystalline sound on guitars,a shrilly and brighter sound on a violin and lastly, a lively and more edgy sound on a piano. Overall, EDA "Hi-res" gives a more gleam on the midrange compared to other EDAs.



HIGHS/TREBLE:


EDA "Heavy Bass"

Due to the steepest V-shape sounding among the three, treble is also prominent sound spectrum in the EDA "Heavy Bass" variant. Upper mid peaks are perceptible on this one as I notice some occurrences of sibilance and jarring especially when I played some sibilant-laden tracks. As for sound on cymbals, it has sufficient shimmer and hi hats "chicky" sounds is natural and accurate but treble airiness is tad average when it comes to extension across the brilliance spectrum.



EDA "Balanced"

It is certainly the smoothest of the EDA variants, peaks upper mids is still noticeable but it has least sibilance and a tone down a bit on being strident. Cymbals' sound still has a sufficient shimmer and an organic presentation on hi hats but like its "heavy bass" counterpart treble extension is a bit underwhelming in my hearing perception.




EDA "Hi-Res"

A Hi-res rating is also identified with an overwhelming reach on treble range (reaching over 40KHz is a standard to rate on such a device as a "Hi-Res" according to JAS). A boosting on upper mids and presence treble give some sense of clarity and bright and that's what KZ was doing on tuning of the EDA "Hi-Res" but there are some cautionary concerns. Sibilance is even observable and even more discordant compare to the " balanced" and "heavy bass" variants of EDA. It gives a more gleam and shimmer on cymbals to sound less natural along with the sound quality on hi-hats. Despite on the added boost upper mids to presence treble, it only gives a miniscule improvement of the treble extension. Overall, the treble presentation on EDA "Hi-res" is bright, sharp and cacophonous that treble-sensitives will have an assured aversion on this kind of tuning but it will give a smile on a face of some treble lovers as it gives more a definition and more clarity on their liking.




SOUNDSTAGE, IMAGING AND OTHER TECHNICALITIES:

When it regards on the spatiality aspect, it has a decent proportion. It has an average to above average soundstage width, a good height ceiling and an enough depth to give a more immersive experience. Imaging is just average as the presentation of perceived placement of instrumentalist and singer doesn't define well and bit blurry to pinpoint them out. Separation and layering is just a mere average to some instances of a congested and constricted feeling if I listen to more complex tracks with more instrumental elements.


As for resolution capability its has good detail retrieval and clarity especially on a "Hi-res" variant of EDA albeit at the expense of causing an ear fatigue due to a sharper definition and too much transparency.


Coherency-wise, due to its newer generation of dynamic drivers. It is performing very cohesive and resolving due to a faster transients (maybe thin diaphragm on this DD really works on that manner).



PEER COMPARISONS:


BLON 03


(Note: I'll compare it with the "Heavy Bass" variant of EDA*)

• Bass quality is bit bloated and tends to smears more on BLON 03 over EDA*, EDA* has better bass response as it faster transients and a decent bass bleed control.
• Both have a typical v-shaped sound signature. But midrange on EDA* has a tad better resolution and less recess over BLON 03's subpar clarity on vocals and instrument.
• Technical performance wise, EDA* has better staging and somewhat separation while BLON 03 has poor technicalities due to narrow soundstage, a poor separation of instruments and slow bass response
• Shells on BLON 03 is more of a better quality as it is made of metal alloy while EDA* is made of plastic that offers enough durability but fitting issues on BLON 03 is a very problematic and annoying that it takes time just to have a proper fitting.

ND NSK


(Note: I do a comparison with EDA "balanced"**)

• Both have similar tuning but ND NSK is more of a mature one and also more natural sounding one.
• Bass quality are similar as both of them has a faster and punchiness level.
• Mids is better on ND NSK as its more lush, smoother and more textured as male and female vocal delivers a more solid presentation whereas the EDA** is a bit leaner in a presentation and leanings to being a bright midrange presentation.
• Treble wise, both ND NSK and EDA** are trading blows, while upper mids is more satiny on ND NSK as EDA** need some polish on the upper mids but treble extension is a bit better on EDA but NSK is not a slouch here.
• ND NSK stock cable is way better compare to current almost all KZ IEMs (with the exception of KZ ZES).
• Technicalities aspect-wise, ND NSK is a better one due to a wider soundstage and timber quality is more natural.

CCA CRA


(Note: I compare this one with KZ EDA "Hi-Res"***)

• They have some similarities on tonality as both of them are v-shape sounding with that treble emphasis.
• EDA*** has improved treble quality as it is more smoother and refined compared to CCA CRA.
• CRA has slightly have better treble extension than EDA***as it has bit more air.

To sum up my review here, As I concluded on this review, KZ EDA is definitely Knowledge Zenith's one of their finest creation on how they conceptualise to include 3 sets of IEMs unit with different variations of tuning in a single packaging and at very affordable price as they continue to keep pushing on their improvements in the aspect of tuning and quality of their products.


To whom I can recommend these IEMs? I'll undoubtedly recommend these sets to the starters of audio hobby as a good introduction material and at least they will be given an idea on how a "reference-neutral" monitor tuning will sound like as they perceive it as well-detailed, vivid clarity and a very transparent sounding. And KZ EDA (Hi-res) is a good candidate in that category.


Despite being a little nitpicky and a bit critical in my review of this one. This is an easily recommended set given to its imperfections as its price point, a more plain versatile tuning and value for product will outweigh it.


KZ EDA is now available to purchase online and currently at US$31/£25.




SPECIFICATION:

MODEL: KZ EDA

IMPEDANCE: 30Ω

SENSITIVITY: 112.5dB

FREQUENCY RESPONSE: 10Hz – 40KHz

CABLE LENGTH: 1.25M

PIN TYPE: 2-PIN QDC-TYPE 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 *'*
Lucretia my Reflection – The Sisters of Mercy **
Suzanne Vega – Luka **


P.S.

I am not affiliated to KNOWLEDGE ZENITH(KZ) 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 thank to Tyvan Lam for providing this review unit, I truly appreciate on his generosity towards me and other reviewers.

Hello and welcome to my another IEM review blog. it's been a long time since I'm posted my last review article as I'm really busy for these past weeks and now I have a spare time to publish more IEM reviews coming from backlog items.


What I have here is a first product offering from a new audio company in China, Muse Hifi and they named their product, Muse hifi Power. Muse Hifi Power is a single Planar Magnetic driver IEM that will be competing and aiming to some current competitors in the market with the same planar drivers set-up like from Letshouer, 7Hz and the first Chi-fi company implementing a planar driver on an IEM, Tin Hifi.




To be honest, I've only tested 2 IEMs with planar drivers before and these are Audeze iSine 10 and Tinhifi P1, I remembered that I am that not particularly impressed on those planar magnetic IEMs before as they are really hard to drive that you really need a better source just to properly power them up and yet it only delivers a mediocre tonal quality. That's reason I'm really skeptic on those planar IEMs as it really kills the whole point of a versatile, portable hifi setup with these hard to drive IEMs.


A planar magnetic driver works a bit different compare to a more traditional dynamic driver as it is more complex. The principle of planar magnetic driver is to send an electrical signal and impulses to a very conductive element of which membranes and thin diaphragms are made of and they are sandwiched by a pair of strong magnets specifically a high quality neodymium, that it will have faster response rate due to the diagphragm reacted well on feeding electric signals coming for an audio source. But I digress and let's go back to the main point of this review.


Muse Hifi Power is indeed one of a very few special IEM with a uncommon driver set-up (for now), a 14.5mm planar magnetic with a thin diaphragm and it currently price at around US$200/£140 which I see it as very competitive with its given price value. The shells are indeed humongous and chunky but I didn't have fitting issues on them as they snugly fit into my average-size lugholes with acceptable weight which I don't find uncomfortable. Isolation is very commendable on this one as it seals well against external noise from the outside.




The shells are quite sturdy and it is made of high quality medical grade resin material that are friendly to my skin as I didn't encounter any irritations even in a long listening session. Its faceplate are quite a looker as its design is somehow takes an inspiration from a swirly foam art in a cup of cappucino (I'm a coffee lover). It has a metal alloy frame that holds bother the resin base cavity and the faceplate.




Given to its price value, The Muse Hifi Power is packed in a medium-size black box. It's packaging is well-thought and loaded with accessories that you will only encounter on most midrange to Top-of-the-line products from other companies.




Here are the contents inside from the box:

• A pair of Muse Hifi Power IEMs
• A black braided clothed sleeved black cable in 3.5mm termination plug
• A four (4) sets of different types of ear tips in three (3) pairs.
• A good quality IEM faux leather case.
• An instruction manual.

As for driving requirement, It is a given thought that planar drivers are very demanding when it comes to amplification, they are indeed power hungry sets but on Musehifi Power it is really a quite surprising that it can be drive from my LG phones for at least 80% of volume level to be decent listenable level and but it scales well on better sources with more powerful amps like dedicated DAPs ( I have a new DAP, F.Audio XS04 just to drive these planar properly in high impedance/gain mode) and desktop DAC/Amps that its gives a more lush sounding with better dynamics.


As for its tonality, Muse Hifi Power has a distinct U-shape sound signature, with an elevated bass and treble and a neutral midrange. It is more approaching towards on being a tad warmer in general.


I will point out some characteristics that I've observed from each frequency response spectrum of Musehifi P1 for the past days during my listening and testing phase.



LOWS/BASS


This is the most prominent frequency response region of Muse Hifi Power, it has that sufficient punch, a peculiar dynamic sounding and precision. The subbass has a good depth and extension as it has a rumble that will be beneficial to some genres like modern pop, hip-hop and synth-pop that it gives a more impact and reverb to synthesizers and electronic drums.


And for mid bass, it has an ample texture to give a sufficient growl on a bass guitar that sounds earthy and a thuddingly but a bit soft sound of bass kicks. There are some instances a tad of bass bleed to some bass heavy tracks but it is still remain firm and controlled and nonetheless, it is at least affecting the midrange quality after all.


MIDRANGE:


As the mids are more on a linear side but it has an added tad of warmth into it that it gives a more tonal balance to other frequencies, it has a clarity, a good resolution and an energetic nature. Both vocals quality of both gender are benefited on that sufficient texture as it is sounds natural and good clarity on it but female vocals shines a bit further as it is in onward position due to added energy and sonic range due to that emphasis towards to the uppermids which will I explain later on the treble part of this review.


As for instruments it sounds organic with a tad of bright as it has a crisp and twanging sound on guitars either it is an acoustic, a lead or rhythm. a blaring sound of a brass trumpet, a rich and vivid sound of a piano and a shrilly and sharper snare strikes.


Overall, the mids performs well and its presentation is very decent and convincing of such a delivery from a performance of a planar driver.


HIGHS/TREBLE:


The treble part is where will I have some concerns the overall tonality of Muse Hifi Power. It has noticeable peak on the upper mids that it give a piercing and shriek sound as I encounter it on some female vocal tracks and a miniscule amount of sibilance that is more prevalent to sibilant-laden tracks. To be honest its just a slight issue to me as I want a good treble quality but my concern on that too much emphasis on the upper mids are some treble sensitive individuals that are less tolerant on that certain frequency range that gives a discomfort and unpleasant listening experience.


Evidently, cymbals has a shimmer and sheen sound with decent airy extension and hi-hats has that prim and cursory crisp chick sound.


Despite that particular issue on the treble quality, I still consider it as a good one as I see a silver lining on it which is a more better resolution capability on both macro and micro-details and boosted upper mids and presence treble region gives off that kind of high fidelity vibe.


SOUNDSTAGE, IMAGING AND OTHER TECHNICALITIES:


To give you an idea of the overall proportion of its sound field and spatiality, It is significant on the height (tallness)and depth over width. It has an above average wideness, with good immersive depth and height reach in the whole spatial profile of Musehifi Power.


Other aspects on the technical side such as imaging, separation and layering are only performing decently but not an ideal preference that I really incline for as excellent and laudable as I already expect some possible shortcomings of a planar driver. Imaging is just a typical two-dimensional stereo panning, and it has only an ample perceive distance of spacing and gaps between singers and instruments and having a bit of difficulty to determined the placement and exact position of each element but at least its doesn't feel congested and boxy but not my ideal technical aspect as it is one of main prerequisites to have those in an IEM.


As for the coherency of the drivers, I will give it a high mark. Why? Because it is a planar driver, Planar drivers are known to have a very nimble and agile driver tech. It has quicker bass response and very cohesive performance that it has a lesser harmonic distortion….but at the expense of a sucking up more power from its source.


As for timbre quality, it is on a natural side but it has an added sheen and gleam tended to have a tad brighter tonal colour. And lastly for its resolution capability, it has good detail retrieval and sufficient information on sonic value and harmonics.



PEER COMPARISONS:


Audeze iSine 10

• Audeze iSine 10 is more of a V-shape sounding and a bit lean while Muse hifi is more of U-shape and more balanced sounding.
• It demands more power just to drive it properly, Muse hifi Power requires less power output that it can be driven by a decent source but compare to dynamic drivers and balanced armature sets, it is more source dependent that needs better amplification.
• iSine's bass quality are tighter and less sustaining, Muse hifi Power is more on quantitative side.
• iSines are a bit heavier and have some discomfort and keep adjusting its position to have a suitable fitting into my ears.
• iSines has a subpar resolution retrieval.

Tinhifi P1

• Harder to drive set than Muse hifi Power
• Has a lesser technicalities aspect especially on imaging and soundstage, Tinhifi P1 performs it underwhelmingly and Muse hifi Power is a bit better in a respect.
• Too much smoothness that harmonics and air are almost gone and details are lacking of infos to retrieve.
• P1 has a tighter bass response compare to Muse Hifi Power's more punchier bass.
• P1 stock eartips doesn't have that good sealing and isolation that I really want. Included stock eartips on Musehifi Power are way superior.

As I'm an agnostic on the power efficiency and performance of planar magnetic IEMs of the past. Given to the fast track development of newer type of magnetic planar drivers along with trying to minimizing the moving parts of it to make it more easier to produce and more viable to the audio market. Those notions of mine might change as I see a potential of planar magnetics are even going better and it will be more common in a coming months as I already see many companies are adapting it already




Muse Hifi Power is one of the few products that gives me an alternative thought and it somehow amends my views on planars. Musehifi managed to surprisely me with a solid performance and price value of their introductory product. I find it very pleasant to listen to day after day and Musehifi Power will be my favourite planar magnetic set for now.





SPECIFICATION:

MODEL: MUSE HIFI POWER

IMPEDANCE: 32Ω

SENSITIVITY: 106dB

FREQUENCY RESPONSE: 10Hz – 40KHz

CABLE LENGTH: 1.25M

PIN TYPE: 2-PIN CONNECTOR

PLUG TYPE: 3.5mm

DRIVER UNIT(S): (1) 14.5MM PLANAR MAGNETIC 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 *'*

Lucretia my Reflection – The Sisters of Mercy **

Suzanne Vega – Luka **



P.S.

I am not affiliated to MUSE HIFI 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 thank Steve Tong and MUSE HIFI for providing this review unit, I truly appreciate on his generosity towards me and other reviewers.

Oi! Mates, Welcome to my another review article on this month and what we have here is an introductory product from a new audio company from Singapore, Zerest Audio. This product model of theirs is called Kagami Plus.




Kagami Plus is a single dynamic driver set-up encapsulated in an ABS plastic shell to provide an enough protection and average durability. It’s house casing was coated with some metallic silver-coloured paint on its faceplate while the base part is just a plain, exposed blue plastic. To be honest, the overall design is just too plain in my liking as eye-pleasing aesthetic design are one of my criteria on purchasing an IEM but it depends on some people given that they might like its minimalist cues on it. Kagami Plus uses a MMCX connector for flexibility and ease to do cable swapping within a seconds.



When it comes to wearing aspect, it does fit enough though it doesn’t insert well into my lugholes due to its short nozzle as it is bit shallow that it has a poor isolation. The good thing of Kagami Plus is that it very comfortable that I can do a long listening session due to its lightweight.



The packaging of Kagami is more of a bare bone one as it includes some basic accessories like the IEMs itself, a four(4) core cable in 3.5mm termination jack, some eartips of standard sizes and a small card contains of simple instruction manual and warranty.



When it comes to drivable rating from audio player sources, its amplification is well noted that it can be easily powered from decent audio sources like smartphones, tablets and other media player devices.


The tonality of Kagami Plus is more of a U-shaped sound signature as bass and treble has more emphasis over midrange. The tuning is more of a safer one that most of the listeners will be enjoy a balanced tuning of this IEM.


LOWS/BASS:

Due to its U-shape tuning, the bass is most prominent to the overall sound. It has a sufficient punchiness but not that haptic and deep bass that a basshead wanted to have one on their preferred sound signature.

Sub bass is more prominent than the mid bass as it has a substantial rumble to perceive but it doesn’t mean that it overwhelms the mid bass. Mid bass has an enough texture to give an ample body to bass kicks and bass guitar but it is still bit lacking when it comes being a concrete sounding on my preference to bassy IEMs.

There is also some hint of bass bleeding that will affect the quality of midrange and treble as it smears slightly on vocals and instruments.


MIDS:

The mids are a bit recessed in the overall sound as vocals are less engaging and tad emotive in my liking due its more leaning towards being warm sounding that I find it lacking especially in females vocals while the instruments sounds very pleasant and natural that I find them engaging enough.


It has a good presentation on male vocals due to its warmth that it adds up some texture to sound more bodied. Female vocals are a bit lethargic and lean due to its less energetic and subdued extension to give a confined, less opened sounding.


As for instruments, it has a substantial texture on some percussive and wind instruments to sound more natural but on strings like acoustic guitars and violins aren’t that engaging and less detailed due to lack of crisp and definition due to its warmth nature.


HIGHS/TREBLE:

Despite of the emphasis on treble, it doesn't have that harshness nor strident that most treble-elevated/bright IEMs prone on that issue. It has smooth delivery across the treble region that some listener will perceived it as a dark sounding due to its inherent warm tuning.


Sibilance and raspiness certainly absent due to a less peaky on upper mids but there is a caveat in all of these smoothness which is some comprises on clarity and resolution.


Treble extension is a bit lacking due to to limitation of its driver as I really want a more sparkling and airiness from the clattering sound of cymbals.


But overall, it has a silky and safe tuning that prolong listening experience will be more pleasant and comfortable to a listener.


SOUNDSTAGE, IMAGING AND OTHER TECHNICALITIES:


I'll be straight on this one as technical aspects are one of the criteria that I'm looking for an IEM. This is not a technical IEM as I can pointing out its flaws immediately.


Soundstage is more of an average on its width, insufficiency on its depth and more emphasis on height which I find it not proportional on its perceive sound field. Imaging is bland as it doesnt really defined the placement of instruments and vocals and they are fuzzy and congested. Its more aif a typical two-dimensional stereo presentation. Separation is quite average at it has only a minimal gap on its spacing of each instruments.


Only coherency is somehow a redeeming factor of this IEM since it's a single DD and it gives a cohesive and nimble perfomance to give a more solid, dynamic sound.



PEER COMPARISONS:


HZ Mirror

• HZ Mirror is cheaper and delivers a better tonality over Kagami.
• HZ Mirror's shell is a metal alloy while Kagami is made of ABS plastic in durability will be a bit problematic in a long run given that ABS plastics doesn't work well in a tropical climate.
• Technicalities on both IEMs are comparable as they have similarities from soundstage to coherency but I still choose HZ Mirror by a hair.

ND NSK:

• ND NSK is way cheaper than Kagami but once again it has a bit better on tonality and even technicalities.
• ND NSK has better stock cable (still one of the best cable in under US$20/£14 range)
• ND NSK has an overall better technicalities like a wider soundstage, better depth and equally good height reach on its sound field. Separation and Imaging is even better on ND NSK.
• ND NSK has a QDC-type 2 pin connector while Kagami has MMCX connector, I slightly prefer the later as I have bad experience with QDC connectors.

As I end my review here, Zerest Audio is still on a learning curve on how to deliver a better product on their next releases. For sure that their first product is commendable and quite impress on their effort on how they market their product but given to the ever-changing and competetive portable audio market, it's a bit of a challenge on their part that they must release a more solid and refined product in the future. I'm looking toward on it, Zerest Audio.


Despite of the inherent weakness of Kagami which are its technicalities aspect, choice of materials on its shells and price point, There is a silver lining to it and it is to deliver a fun, engaging and smooth sounding IEM that will be very versatile to all genres and gives you a satisfying listening experience.


Zerest Audio Kagami Plus is currently price at US$ 65.00/ £ 51.






SPECIFICATION:

MODEL: ZEREST AUDIO KAGAMI PLUS

IMPEDANCE: 16Ω

SENSITIVITY: 98dB

FREQUENCY RESPONSE: 20Hz - 20KHz

CABLE LENGTH: 1.2M

PIN TYPE: MMCX CONNECTOR

PLUG TYPE: 3.5mm

DRIVER UNITS: (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 *'*
Lucretia my Reflection – The Sisters of Mercy **
Suzanne Vega – Luka **

P.S.
I am not affiliated to Zerest 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 thank Jeremy Lin for providing this review unit, I truly appreciate on his generosity towards me and other reviewers.

Note: The cable that was used on the picture wasn't a stock cable from the box but from XINHS. Aesthetics reason.

Click to expand...

Hello there mates, Iend me your eyes to read and checkout my new content for the latest IEM review article. And what we have here is the current offering from one of my favourite “Chi-Fi” audio company out there, AUDIOSENSE. As some of you are already aware that I’ve done a lot of reviews on their products (No, they aren’t free as I still paid them in a reasonable discount) and most of their products are aesthetically eye pleasing and has this well-thought mature tuning that I give them a consistent high mark rating in both Head-Fi and also in my own blog.

You can check my other reviews on AUDIOSENSE products if you are interested:

• AUDIOSENSE DT100
• AUDIOSENSE DT200
• AUDIOSENSE DT300
• AUDIOSENSE DT600
• AUDIOSENSE AQ0
• AUDIOSENSE T800

It really takes a tad longer to release the newest product from their AQ series and a suitable replacement for their AQ3 which is quite a bummer in my part as I didn’t have a chance to test and review them. As I’m quite chuffed about on these new sets, I almost forgot to mention that AUDIOSENSE currently has two (2) series on their product line-up, The DT series which are a single or multiple all-balanced armature set-up and a replacement of their previous T series line-up and the AQ series which are more of hybrid set-up consist of dynamic driver and balance armature driver(s) with exception of AUDIOSENSE AQ0 which only has a single DD set-up.




Here it is, their latest offering and a much awaited product for AUDIOSENSE fans out there, The AUDIOSENSE AQ4. The AUDIOSENSE AQ4 is an IEM with hybrid driver set-up like its predecessor, AQ3 with another added driver. Its drivers’ set-up comprised of one (1) 10mm dynamic driver and three (3) balanced armatures. As we all know that AUDIOSENSE only uses a more premium and proven balanced armatures on their product line-up which is Knowles drivers that they have a strong relationship with the Knowles Corp.



The inner components are encapsulated in a high quality medical grade 3D-moulded resin shell. Within its cavity base, each drivers has its own sound tubes that will give a more separation and clarity on specified part of frequency range for less distortion and cleaner output. It has also a single vent hole that gives a better performance on its 10mm dynamic driver as it releases some excess of air pressure to deliver a more faster, dynamic sounding bass registry. For aesthetic sakes, AQ4 is similar to DT200 and T800 which has carbon fibre-like finish on its faceplate albeit with different colour scheme which is silvery. Like all AUDIOSENSE IEMs, AQ4 still uses a MMCX cable for flexibility and adjustability for their preferred connection knowing that their MMCX socket are proven to be of a high quality.




The dimensions of each shells are on average-size as it properly snug well into my lug holes without any discomfort and not even a hint of soreness in the tragus and cochlea part due to a well-thought ergonomically shell design. Due to its good sealing, it really gives a good isolation against external noises from outer surroundings.




One of the slight changes of AUDIOSENSE AQ4 was its packaging box and its included accessories. The packaging box is leaner and tad smaller compare to the previous AUDIOSENSE products with more bulkier packaging.



Here are the following contents inside of the packaging box:

• A pair of AUDIOSENSE AQ4 shells.
• A light copper 8 strands, 19 core OFC cable with an L-shape 3.5mm termination plug in a MMCX connector.
• MMCX removing clip
• Three (3) pairs of AUDIOSENSE S400 eartips of different standard sizes.
• Three (3) pairs of AUDIOSENSE GT40S eartips of different standard sizes.
• Three (3) pairs of AUDIOSENSE AT400 foam tips.
• An instruction manual
• A zippered hard-bound faux leather IEM case ( which is identical to Campfire Audio's leather case.)
• A cleaning tool with ear wax remover and brush.

To be honest, I still prefer the previous Pelican-like IEM container case that was included in previous AUDIOSENSE products as it is really proven and tough enough to protect your precious IEMs from accidental falls and scratches.




As for drivability, AUDIOSENSE AQ4 really scales up even to a decent source like its prior cousins. It is easy to power up due to its low resistance/impedance and good sensitivity rating as all AUDIOSENSE products are known for that position. This particular set only need an ample amplification to sound it fuller and dynamic at decent volume level but if you plug it on better sources like dedicated DAPs, desktop DAC/Amp and some LG phones with Quad DACs, It definitely shines and has better dynamics and more cleaner output.





When it comes to its tonality and sound profiling, AUDIOSENSE AQ4 is tuned to be more of a “balanced-neutral” sound signature with more boosted on bass region and a neutral midrange and treble. Some will probably perceived it as a mild U-shape sounding but in my hearing perception, it is more of a L-shape sounding.





Here are some sound characteristics that I can describe based on my meticulous observation from each part of audio frequency range spectrum.



LOWS/BASS: Superb Tactility

As I said that the bass of AQ4 is the most prominent in the overall frequency range spectrum. It is unequivocally elevated but it was done splendidly. It has very dynamic sounding, a slam that really resonates and a very detailed one too. I still wondering on how did AUDIOSENSE manage to deliver it such a very tactile and haptic bass response on AQ4.

Sub bass performs very well on how it extends and have a good reach depth that I discerning heard those reverberation and rumbling from sub bass-laden tracks especially on synth-pop genre. Electronic bass instruments such as drum machines and synthesizers really presented in a very detailed manner that I can pinpoint out each distinct timbre.

When it comes on the facet of mid bass , this is where I really paying attention as most of my favourite bass instruments and vocal type are usually situated on this part of bass region on how they really correlate on general audio spectrum in both quality and quality aspect. It has a very well-textured definition that it really gives a good dense note and depth especially on bass kicks, bass guitars, bass-baritone vocals and even bass trumpets in some orchestral tracks. Bass kick have this very authoritative and sustaining sounding that I really want especially on classic rocks (John Bonham's bass kicks should be sound authoritative and very haptic in my ears), a weighty and earthy sound of a bass guitar that it gives a more growl and resonance, bass baritone characteristics has that gravelly and detailed voice (Barry White should sound like Barry White) and lastly, fuller and somber sound of a bass trumpet.

Despite of that bass emphasis, it remains to sound very clean as it doesn’t have even a hint of bass bleeds that might affect the overall presentation. I’m very attentive on this one as I really want my mids to be very clean and segmented from other frequency range, free from bass smudges that AQ4 delivers it properly and well-controlled in that manner. Is this one recommended to bass heads? No doubt that they will appreciate this one.



MIDRANGE: That Intoxicating Profuse Vocals

Another strength of AUDIOSENSE AQ4 was the quality of its mids on how it was well-presented across the frequency range spectrum. Some of you were already aware on my preference as I really want a very well-textured, clean and detail mids for I am a self-professed midcentric bloke.

The midrange quality is neutral, a bit linear with just a tad of warmth, almost pristine and well-detailed for its given value that is very compelling and offers competitive pricing. To all the qualitative aspects on its midrange, it really gives a better effect in both vocals and instruments.

As for vocals, both males and females really benefited on a well-done mids for more lush and sufficient clarity due to that capable full range Knowles BA drivers. Male vocals of all types has a more power, guttural, agile and power, that a tenor and falsetto voice really sound very natural and leaves a powerful impression to its listeners. Female vocals are equally presented in such a grand manner as they sound energetic, more open, lively and vivid and yet they remain to euphonic, pleasant and sweet to listen. From Edie Brickell to Mariah Carey, the vocal quality was indeed captivating and admirable. There are only few IEMs in the same price range and category that really delivers a smashingly good vocal quality and AUDIOSENSE AQ4 is one of them.



As for instruments, percussive like having some vibrant sounding shakes from maracas, a snappy and clacking sound of the castanets (I also listen to some Flamenco tracks too) and sustaining hit from snare drums sounds organic and intrinsic as a dynamic sounding of maracas and castanets on how they were shaken and rattling by clicking has this accented airy sound which are very precise in my ears and a well-treated thudding and pounding snare strikes that gives a sustaining upbeat that dwells on my listening experience. Strings like acoustic guitars and violins has crisp and lively sound that it has delicate and precise on how plucking of each strings give a distinct note in a guitar, on the other hand, a presentation of a vibrant and lustrous sounding of a violin. Brass instruments like saxophone, trombones and trumpets has a very organic bright, intense and powerful brassy sound along with a more ponderous sound characteristic of a horn. Pianos sound more rich and sensuously resonating on articulate manner every press on a piano note key.

Overall, if I'll ever rate the qualitative and quantifying aspect of the mids on this set, I definitely give it a high score.



HIGHS/TREBLE: Smooth, Relaxing and Soothing

Due to its more neutral approach on tuning the treble aspect, It has a clean, smoother delivery with a satisfactory sparkle and an average to above average airy extension. At least that treble quality doesn’t sound dull and dark and subsequently as upper mid peaks are seems to be controlled and it doesn’t sound that it was forcefully tuned that might ruin the quality of harmonics.

Upper mids are tastefully well-done as I don’t encounter any sibilance nor strident that treble sensitives will find it as unpleasant and annoying on their listening experience. Even in some sibilance-laden tracks, I really surprised on how the AQ4 did manage to brought it under control by minimizing the hissing sound.

In regards of resolution and resolving capabilities, it has a very competent detail retrieval that it captures an amount of information in every ounce of details from tones, notes and harmonics. Macro-details retrieval is also a commendable as you will feel more on its physical and solid dynamic presentation with the audio frequency spectrum.

Since that cymbals has a suffice amount of shimmer and gleam with just moderate part of air on it. That airiness on how it was presented actually gives me a little concern that I perceive it as insufficient given that it has a high performance Knowles BA drivers that handles the presence and brilliance treble but it still manage to sound more logically. Both Lo and Hi-hats sounds has a superb timbre on how it really capture that shorted snap and “chicky” sound.

Despite of a slightly perceived imperfection on treble extension as it only barely pass on my standard. It still delivers a veritable and estimable treble trait that you won’t even mind that specific dearth.



SOUNDSTAGE, IMAGING AND OTHER TECHNICALITIES: Enveloping 3D-feeling

As I tested a lot of hybrid driver set-up IEMs out there, technical aspect is one of the most important criteria that I’m looking for and AUDIOSENSE AQ4 really pass on my standard in flying colours. Dimensions of soundstage are properly proportional as it has an above average width on its perceived sound field, with a good immersive depth along with a good height reach as of you feel that you are in medium-size movie theater hall.

In regards of imaging aspect, I can accurately pinpoint to locate the exact placement instruments and singer as I can even give some estimate the distances on how farther or closer the positioning on such certain thing it is (Hotel Califonia live version, mate!). It has good separation as I can really hear and differentiate that distinction of timbre from each instruments and layering of instruments was also commendable for it has an adequate sense of spacing and gaps on each instruments and proper stacking and placement of each row that it won’t be an issue on congestion and feels constricted especially on a complex multi-instrumental track . It is more of 3D-like sense on spatial field as it is really enveloping and undergo in some sort of surround feeling my perceived head stage.

Coherency of its hybrid-driver set up performs impressively given that to make a cohesive and compatible performance on such typical hybrid setup is a hit or miss affair. It really delivers a fast transient response and a more consolidating and solid resolve on its attack bite and decay. On a timbre quality, it is very natural and balanced sounding with just minimal warmth added that I can tell that it has an exact tone colour.

PEER COMPARISONS: (added new feature in my review pattern as it was requested by many)

See Audio Yume:

• It has better bass response than Yume, Yume is more of a sub bass focus while AQ4 is has equal emphasis on sub bass and mid bass. AQ4 has a more dynamic and better bass in both quantity and quality.
• Both have good mids, Yume is a cleaner and more transparent that it gives more rendition in female vocals while AQ4 is more versatile as both male and female have well-textured that gives a more robust weight note.
• Trebles are similar, both have less extended which are both inadequate.
• Technicalities goes to AQ4, wider soundstage, a tad better separation on layering and imaging accuracy.

See Audio Yume Midnight:

• Both have similar characteristics on bass quality but AQ4 has more elevation.
• Mids are quite comparable and complemented on each other as they have that a bit of warmth but I give it Yume Midnight due to more resolution capability
• Treble is better on Midnight, even that they have both sufficient shimmer and smooth response but Midnight has better treble extension.
• Technicalities has similarities, but Midnight has bit wider stage, AQ4 is no slouch here as it has better depth and layering.

TRI Starsea:

• Starsea is way cheaper and affordable than AQ4 as it has only half of its price.
• Starsea has a switches for tuning versatility.
• Starsea is more of U-shape sound while AQ4 is more of a neutral bass boost approach. Tonality is superior on AQ4, well-textured, better resolution and solid, Starsea is a bit leaner in my liking and has sub par resolution quality due a less emphasis on mids which were scooped.
• Technicalities are better on AQ4, soundstage, imaging and coherency. Starsea is only average in all aspects.

Before I do a forgone conclusion of this review, AUDIOSENSE once again able to release a very smashing product that has a potential to be a disruptive one or somewhat a dark horse in a very competitive midrange segment in a ever growing state of current portable audio market. Why it is compelling to buy the AUDIOSENSE AQ4? It has an aesthetically eye pleasing shell design…check, A very classy presentation on its packaging…check, AUDIOSENSE is very generous on including a lot of fine quality accessories out of the box…check and lastly, it is well-tuned and very mature sounding for an IEM that has competitive and affordable price tag for its performance comparable to a more expensive ones… big check!

AUDIOSENSE AQ4 is one of the few IEMs in the price range segment has this faithfully tonally accurate tuning with a very competent technicalities. Not a bat of eyelid, I will instantly recommend this product to everyone.



AUDIOSENSE AQ4 is now available in most e-commerce stores and its current price value is US$179/£137.





SPECIFICATION:

MODEL: AUDIOSENSE AQ4

IMPEDANCE: 10Ω

SENSITIVITY: 101dB

FREQUENCY RESPONSE: 20Hz - 22KHz

CABLE LENGTH: 1.2M

PIN TYPE: MMCX CONNECTOR

PLUG TYPE: 3.5mm

DRIVER UNITS: (1) DYNAMIC DRIVER & (3) 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 *'*

Lucretia my Reflection – The Sisters of Mercy **

Suzanne Vega – Luka **

Milli Vanilli – Girl You Know It’s True **




P.S.

I am not affliated to AUDIOSENSE 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 thank Ms. Elaine Wong for this providing this review unit, I truly appreciate on her generosity towards me and other reviewers.


If you are interested this IEM product from AUDIOSENSE, Just check their FB Page and E-commerce sites links below:



FB: https://m.facebook.com/AudiosenseIEMs/


Official Site:
http://www.audiosense.cn/


Aliexpress:
AUDIOSENSE Official Store
https://m.aliexpress.com/store/v3/home.html


Shopee (ASEAN Market):
https://shopee.ph/audiosense.ph