BGVP DMA Hybrid Bone conduction IEM

BGVP is a pro headset brand founded in 2015 and the subordinate brand of Dongguan Nengjiang technology limited company which is located in ChangPing Town, Dongguan City. BGVP mainly produces and customizes various high-end HIFI earbuds, earphones and other electronic products. In the process of development, BGVP has never forgotten to master the core technology capabilities, independent research, development and sales. BGVP is committed to providing high-quality HIFI headsets for consumers around the world. The brand produces various highly acclaimed earphones, like the NS10 that I have reviewed here.

BGVP DMA

The BGVP DMA (DMA stands for Dream Armature) is a brand new earphone that features a groundbreaking 1DD+2BA+2BCD hybrid configuration that incorporates both bone conduction and air conduction technologies. This combination of bone conduction and air conduction technologies aims to provide a real and wide sound field atmosphere, compensating for the frequency band loss that occurs during air transmission.

The two bone conductor drivers by Sonion are adjusted to support lower mids rather than the low-end as is the usual practice. This type of balanced armature bone conduction units is different from the dynamic driver type bone conduction. The vibration frequency of the balanced armature type bone conduction is delicate, so the outer skin tissue cannot sense the vibration frequency. The bone conductors kick in at 100Hz and are effective up to 10kHz with maximum effect at about 2.5kHz.



Additionally, the front cavity features three acoustic ducts for independent sound production, minimizing interference between drivers. Metal acoustic damping is employed to ensure accurate frequency division and clean details. The back cavity includes an independent bone conduction shock hole for realistic sound field simulation.

DMA is equipped with Sonion 2300 series balanced armature as the middle frequency part of the sound and Knowles RAD series balanced armature that has good analytical performance, super high frequency linear extension and great transparency.

The dynamic driver incorporates a nickel vibration film with high temperature distribution, resulting in a thin nanoscale diaphragm. Nickel's properties, including hardness, high rigidity, fast heat conduction, and high specific elasticity, contribute to the driver's performance.



Non Audio stuff

BGVP has cooperated with the famous 3D printing company, HeyGears Technology, to make the front cavity using advanced DLP-3D printing technology for high precision molding. The clear resin material that is used for the main body of the ear-shells ensures impact resistance and durability while allowing a clear view of the internal parts. The outer faceplate is made from CNC machined aluminum alloy that is available in two beautiful looking finishes, dianthus silver and dark blue. An engraved “Y” pattern at the center of the faceplate is both aesthetically pleasing and also serves as a venting mesh to relief bass pressure.

Despite the many internal parts, the ear-shells are compact and lightweight enough while they have an ergonomically shaped design that results in a comfortable and stress free fit, even after prolonged time of use. Build quality and finish are really good, the only things of note are the rather sharp edges of the faceplates and the non seamless integration between them and the main body of the ear-shells.

Cable and accessories

BGVP has equipped DMA with a detachable and modular cable that utilizes MMCX attaching system and snap-on interchangeable plugs. High quality, polished aluminum 3.5mm and 4.4mm plugs are included. The cable is made of four-strand 6N single crystal, silver-plated copper and has an outer sheathing made from transparent TPU material. This is a high quality cable that might be a little thick but it looks very durable, it doesn't get easily tangled and has
minimal microphonic noise.

Except for the high quality cable, the package also includes two types of silicone ear-tips in three sizes each (vocal and bass), a pair of memory foam ear-tips and an absolutely fantastic carrying case in a classy white color.



Audio stuff

Rated at 17Ω with 106dB/mW of sensitivity, the DMA is very easy to drive and doesn't need special amplification. However, it scales quite well and is also a little sensitive to source noise so you are encouraged to use gear better than entry level USB DACs. For this review, I have mostly used the FiiO M15S and iBasso DX260.

The sound signature of the BGVP DMA is distinguished by abundant sub-bass extension, generously emphasized bass and mid-bass, present and natural sounding mids and a treble that is luminous and energetic yet quite smooth and polite. The tuning is a warm and colored, steering away from neutrality, however it is still a mostly balanced and not dark sounding earphone that additionally is not lacking in transparency and overall clarity.

Sub-bass extension is excellent, the deep low-end is slightly boosted in a polite way that makes it very enjoyable with bass heavy tracks without ending too dominant. Thus said, this is an earphone that can't hide its bass credentials, the low-end is emphasized all the way up to the lower mids. The bass is weighty, visceral and impactful with plenty of punchiness and dynamic force. The overall experience is head shaking and rattling, the bass is mostly tight and controlled but not without some boominess and a few instances of slow rebound.

The DMA does very well in reproducing deep synthesized bass and percussion instruments (like bass-drums or timpani and even with bass guitars and electric bass) but it doesn't fare that well with low-pitched stringed instruments, especially when many of them are playing together. This is because mid and lower bass are too boosted to sound tonally accurate and correct while at the same time layering and definition are not class leading. I don't know if it is due to the bone conductor driver but listening to heavy populated passages with a bulk of cellos and double-basses playing together can get rather messy and lacking in definition. The DMA wouldn't be my first choice for large symphonic works, reproducing Mahler's 2nd symphony was not an easy task for the earphone.



Thankfully not all people listen to classical music and the DMA truly shines with a lot of other genres, like modern pop and electronic. Part of this success is the crystal clear, well voiced and present mid-range that allows for vocals to shine forth with adamantine clarity while at the same time the bass hits hard at the back of your head. So you can listen to stuff like Billie Eilish and enjoy the heavy beat without losing track on the vocals. The mid-range is very harmonious and engaging with a natural timbre, great vibe and absence of any shoutiness or other fatiguing elements. The texture is weighty and rich without dryness and has plenty of liquidity despite using a single BA driver.

The treble is well extended and clean, it is energetic and lively with good levels of clarity, definition and detail retrieval. There is plenty of shed light and a pinch of brightness to counterbalance the low-end warmness and keep things moving and sparkling but it never sounds harsh or piercing. The textures get a little drier this time but not overly lean while some traces of balanced armature tinge can be spotted here and there. Resolution and refinement are pretty good but not the best, you can expect much from a single balanced armature per each frequency section.

The BGVP DMA surpasses itself and punches above the category when it comes to the soundstage which is extended both horizontally and vertically to make for a three dimensional and rather grand listening experience. Separation and imaging are also above the average of the category but it is not that successful in communicating the ambient information.

Comparison with the BQEYZ WIND

The BQEYZ WIND is a hybrid earphone that combines a single dynamic driver with a custom bone conduction driver that is effective in the low and mid frequencies. The all aluminum made ear-shells are slightly more compact than that of the DMA. Both earphones are very comfortable but the DMA is more ergonomically shaped so it matches better the shape of the outer ear. Both are also well accessorized, the cable and the carrying case of the DMA are of higher quality but the WIND comes with a greater variety of ear-tips.

When it comes to tuning, the WIND is also a bass prominent earphone but it doesn't have the sub-bass extension of the DMA. The WIND is not as dynamic and impactful as the DMA but the bone conduction driver is more effective at transferring the low-end energy inside your head. Textures on the WIND are leaner and not as visceral as on the DMA but it sounds just a bit more clear and well defined on the bass. The mid-range is more prominent in the WIND, especially in its upper section where it gets a generous boost to sound more energetic and luminous but slightly brighter and sharper than the DMA. The WIND has better frequency cohesiveness but it not as resolving and detailed as is the DMA, both in the mids and the treble. The two earphones are really good when it comes to soundstage, the WIND is more expansive and airy but the DMA is the most holographic one.

Conclusion

The BGVP DMA is an earphone made for people who like shuttering bass experience without sacrificing anything when it comes to mid-range clarity and treble definition. It has a special tuning that combines thundering bass with very engaging mids and a rather smooth treble that blend together to form a sound profile that pairs well with a lot of sources and matches a variety of music tastes. If you are after that kind of signature, then the BGVP DMA is a solid choice as it combines great sonics with a comfortable fit and plenty of high quality accessories at the right price.

The price of the BGVP DMA is $299 and you can buy it from BGVP official AliExpress store.

The review sample was kindly provided free of charge.

A deluxe version of the review is available in my website.

TONALITY: 8.5/10
TECHNICALITIES 9.2/10
TIMBRE: 8.2/10
IMAGING: 9/10
SOUNDSTAGE: 8.5/10
MUSICALITY (subjective): 8.5/10
CONSTRUCTION: 7.5/10
ACCESSORIES: 9/10
SOUND VALUE: 10/10

INTRO

BGVP is an IEM company based in China, they were established in 2015 and has launched a wide amount of IEM since then, always earning more audio engineering experience. They seem to focus on hybrid and tribrid IEM and have a ''high sound value'' approach. In the past, IEM like DM7 earn good praise.
The last IEM i've tested from them is the BGVP DM9 which is among most competitively priced 9 drivers tribrid and offer excellent technical performance with their 1DD+4BA+4EST implementation. Yet, it was a bright analytical sounding set and not the most versatile in term of musicality.

Today i will review their latest offering, the BGVP DMA.

Priced 300$, the DMA is a tribrid, or as BGVP call it, an Hybrid with Bone conduction drivers. It have 1x 10mm nickel plated dynamic driver for bass, 1x Sonion 2300 balanced armature for mid-lower treble, 1xKnowles RAD for highs and 2x(dual) sonion bone conduction vibration driver for lower to upper mids (atmosphere as they say).

The bone conduction driver is different than the one that are round and flat like in UM Mest serie or BQEYZ Wind and Winter, it's based on balanced armature technology. You can see its vibration frequency curve here:


As a big fan of bone conduction potential (when used in hybrid, tribrid or quat config), I contact BGVP to test those IEM that represent a big revolution in term of accessibility since the only other tribrid of this type cost 1000$ and is call UM Mext.

I guess the scoring and Pros and Cons is a bit of spoiler, yet let see in this review if the tonality is pleasant and cohesive enough and the technical performance truely competitive at it's mid tier price range.


CONSTRUCTION&ACCESSORIES



The construction is mostly OK, it's made of half resin plastic with a metal back plate that has semi-venting in the back. I didn't choose the color which is ''pink salmon'' and not as appealing to my eyes than the blue version. I know from experience that back plate can be prompt to unglue or pop up so I hope this one will hold the Canadian climate. Overall built is more impressive inside than outside I feel and it's overall main con of this IEM for me.
It use a MMCX connector which is very thight and i never encounter sound cutting or too loose swiveling with those, which is a plus.
The nozzle is quite thick, it's long enough too for deep fit which is suggested for bone conduction contact with the skin.
Comfort wise, these are light and even if the back plate have sharp side it doesn't go in contact with the ears so i find them very comfortable.



The included cable is of excellent quality and very welcome. It's a modular cable, a 4 strands silver plated single crystal copper cable that is thick and sturdy. If i can be nit picky, i would have love a 2.5mm balanced plug included with it since their just 3.5se and 4.4bal. Yet, it's a good cable that don't make the upgrading urgent.



The packaging come in a small compact box fullfill with goodies. It include the excellent cable, 6 pairs of silicone ear tips in 2 model and 1 pair of memory foam. The carrying case iss very nice too and large enough to fit more than 1 IEM pair. ALl in all, this is very satisfying.

SOUND IMPRESSIONS



Ok, let’s begin by stating that if it wasn’t for bone conduction driver, I would consider DMA plain V shape but since their a whole mids bump that brighten presence bypassing ‘’rule of air transmission’’ with bone conduction driver I perceive it as well balanced bassy W shape, gently bright way, but this will depend the source matching you do since BC is very transparent to source and a hint sharp, perhaps brightest BC I’ve heard.
It doesn't feel out of place though, it’s very cohesive and not too in your head, less so than other BC tribrid like UM Mext (but I will need direct comparison). What I can firmly confirm against 3x pricier Mext is that bass performance including speed, control and layering, are superior with DMA.

So a W shape with plenty of upper mids and a treble that is crunchy but not very sparkly, vocal are incredibly clear and well layered, this is main advantage of sonion bone conduction which cover vocal range, this mean you get bright and very intelligible vocal without the pinna gain fatigue too.

But the first thing that hooked my attention was the bass quantity and quality.


This is the kind of magical bass where we have both thump and deep rumble, and not in a warm, boomy way since it doesn’t lift or mix with lower mids.
Its vast, resonant but well controlled in its sustain-release, it’s not loose or sloppy, as well the BC add a bit of attack edge improving texture and definition.
It’s near the basshead but doesn't fatigue with too much sound pressure due to the back venting tube. It’s transparent, not meaty, juicy and opaque too and very versatile because we have the dynamic impact that is weighty and the bass line is clean and easy to follow even in busy tracks due to excellent layering helped by BC driver.

Sub bass is just slightly more elevated than mid bass but as noted, not in a muddy or sloppy way. I'm extremely impressed by this exotic bass, and I tend to be a warm and chunky bass lover, here it’s sure not thin, but it isn't very tactile or vibrant with excited air particule too.
The Double bass release is deep and realist, it’s not warmed nor compressed in vibrancy or grunt. It flows freely. We are in bass quality meet bass quantity here, so rap and big beat sound fabulous due to excellent layering, but as said, it’s super versatile...this kinda bass should be a guilty pleasure if it was coming from a single DD IEM I feel.

The acoustic kick drum has a well defined presence and slightly less heavy punch than digital slam with wider dynamic heft, when bass line occurs in this instance, it can dominate the kick, while for toms it sounds fabulous with a natural resonance and good texturing.

All in all, this is a versatile bass response but I find it even more enjoyable with electronic and heavy beat music, though with jazz it’s excellent too, for classical, I tend to enjoy a bit more lower mids thickness and coloring, lusher warmer cello presentation.


Then the mids are something special due to bone conduction transmission, its bright and forwards yet not shouty or fatiguing, its gently bright with superb resolution. Readability of instruments are top notch while intelligibility of vocals are excellent. That's something that always impresses me with BC, how it suddenly makes it super easy to track vocals and improve word spelling in whatever language. I tend to use UM Mext for movies because of this, yet it doesn’t sound as clean, fun and crisp as DMA so I don’t use it often for music (the bass issue again).
Mids are centered and patched above bass and treble without stealing the show or taming their dynamic.
Vocal while clear aren’t very lush nor the widest, as say, its centered and very well layered. Timbre is plain neutral, their no bass coloring or extra lush warmth going on, that’s again the magic of BC. It’s fully textured, not thin to force transparency since even if very upfront the 3D space has plenty of sound layers floating behind and around the main instrument or vocal. Male vocals have the same treatment, so some people might miss extra warmth or thickness from bass or lower mids boost but it’s certainly not recessed and there is no harmonic gap in vocal range.
So, it's clear DMA are vocal specialists first and foremost, even bad mixes I've made in the past with vocals that were supposed to be hard to perceive clearly were suddenly clean, upfront and easy to understand.
BC really feel like having a pair of ears in your head that can perceive more clearly mids info that should be swallow by the bass or too boosted in loudness otherwise, which isn't the case, but the BA add a bit of extra upper mids bite too, this isn’t in pina gain region, more where sibilance could occur, their none here but it dont smoothen this part so if recording have sibilance it will not heal it.
Piano too is very clear, especially in attack speed and control, so it's easy to follow complex playing but it dont have alot of note weight, resonance release is very well resolved too.
Saxo is better, since it's similar to vocal range, it's upfront and very rich in texture without going shouty even at loud passages.
This isn’t the most open sounding super clean mid range since the middle stage is upfront, near in your head while bass is wide in the back and treble in stereo at each side, it’s intimate and enveloping.
And now for BAs upper mids and treble, this is well done again. I do think the DMA is a bit sensitive to source output impedance and this is why I use Questyle QP2R DAP and Xduoo X20 for this review.

The highs are speedy and snappy, a hint crunchy and not very sparkly but we have minimal brilliance to percussion still, these are good BAs.
I don’t struggle to follow percussion even with a busy track, it seems it's what it extract the best in terms of micro details because as well resolved it can be, it’s not an analytical IEM and the treble doesn't extend up to 20 HZ in a boosted way.
Yet, there is something...is it a BC spike adding this snap sharpness to BA? Can’t tell right now really but it’s a refined treble in term of tribrid balance...it have nothing to do with a GeekWold GK100 for ex, it don’t pick up noise artifact you don’t want yet you don’t feel details are lacking or air isn’t opening up spatiality enough.

It feel the BC is sharper and cleaner sounding than BA that always lack a bit of snap sharpness and clean definition to my ears, I can say this for 64 audio U12T or Aroma Thunder too, BA don’t produce clean transient response nor alot of natural brilliance or resonance release in higher range and the DMA is no exception.

The acoustic guitar sounds gently bright and well resolved, it has a good attack lead bite, textured timbre and a fast release that has proper sound info instead of harmonic distortion, but the fine sparkly brilliance is a bit lacking airy release.

This makes the harpsichord sound a bit dry and lacking this metallic natural release too, but unlike a lot of other IEM it’s not distant or lacking in dynamic weight. So I can enjoy it even if tone wise it’s not fully there.

All in all, the highs are fast i attack, thick in timbre, a hint polished in definition edge like it happens with most BA, and this affects the natural sparkle that some percussion and instrument should produce. But it’s not a dark or dull treble even if I wish there were more micro details capacity, for this, we would need extra EST drivers and well, a consequent price jump too, for this treble head purpose the BGVP DM9 is a better bet.

The soundstage is surely the hardest part of audio experience to describe with this IEM, it’s holographic and 3D in an intimate way, it sticks around your head and doesn't open up far away from it. You have excellent channel separation in high range that has a bit of fake air in stereo perception then the mids tend to be in front and in your head and the bass a bit behind it adding a sense of depth without a perfectly clean background.

The imaging is another highlight, very revealing and precise with pristine layering that avoid the pumped up bass to mix with mid range, thanks to bone conduction help. You never struggle to track the instruments or bass line, for percussions it's very good too but not as sharply define.


Side Note

At 17ohm of impedance and 106db of sensitivity, the DMA aren't really hard to drive but still a bit source picky because of how revealing they sound, ill suggest source with not too high output impedance and a clean noise floor to get the best of them.

They are ear tips sensitive too, but the included wide bore do the job to open up spatiality and preserve natural balance.

Cable wise, since it's MMCX, i don't have alot of them so I stick with original one which doesn't had distortion or mess up tonal balance.



COMPARISONS



VS BQEYZ WINTER (1DD+1BC-240$)

The Winter is brighter and more neutral, it feels like a monitor IEM and less W shape and dynamic sounding than DMA.

The bass is quite a bummer with WInter, it's more boomy yet way less boosted, its brighter, less transparent and more rolled off in sub bass, their no proper rumble unlike DMA, definition is inferior too and feel less rounded, energy is more in mid bass but not as thumpy as DMA.

Mids are louder and brighter, female vocals are more prompt to shouting and fatigue as well as sibilance, presence is more boosted and timbre lack lower harmonic fullness more than DMA which have less fatiguing yet clearer and more upfront overall mids.

Treble is brighter and more airy, guitars have more sparkle release and wider restitution than DMA, overall highs are more natural and the bone conduction adds a presence edge and snap that the DMA is lacking a bit.

Soundstage is wider and deeper with the Winter.

Imaging is notably superior in layering capacity with the DMA, bass don't get lost in the mix nor the mids mask as much sound info.

All in all, I find both tonality and technicalities superior with DMA, as well, it’s more dynamic, fun and versatile sounding.

VS UM Mest MK3 (1DD+4BA+4EST+1 wide range BC-2K$)

The MK3 is more neutral, cleaner and crisper sounding and as expected notably superior in technical performance, yet less bassy and fun sounding as well as leaner in mids and bass, making it sound a bit treble centric sometimes.

The bass is leaner, more textured and better resolved in presence, it has more mid bass focus so kick drums have more energy while sub bass lines are leaner and not as dominant in the mix.

The mids are richer in presence, better defined, cleaner and in a busy track it can deal with more instruments going loud together, vocals aren't as forwards which underline to DMA being more vocal boosted with its BC. I do think if you have an headache the loud in your head vocal of DMA can be too much, while with more technical neutral MK3 it isn’t.

Treble is really from another league with MK3, it's sharper, cleaner, way more snappy and sparkly and digs a greater amount of micro details in an effortless way, DMA feels a bit excited in attack with percussions, not as cleanly defined.

Soundstage is this time slightly wider with DMA, while it's notably deeper with MK3.

Imaging is a big win for MK3, not competition here…

All in all, DMA complements this IEM due to its more bassy, energetic and dynamic musicality but as expected it can’t compete in terms of technical performance with my end game IEM Mest MK3.


CONCLUSION




The BGVP DMA is something I was waiting for along time which is a truely affordable tribrid with bone conduction that offer incredible sound value and a well tuned musicality that isn't too austere or analytical. It's in fact a balanced fun and bassy tonality with incredible mid range resolution and an open otherwordly holographic spatiality that is sure to immerse and captivate the listener for long time pleasure.

Unfortunately, i didn't have on hands both BQEYZ Wind and UM Mext which i loan to a musician friend, but i'm confident the DMA is superior in technicalies of both, at least in bass separation, round impact and attack speed, the treble is more extended and detailed than the Wind and mids are more fowards than the Mext.

It's rare I give 5stars, this only happen when i'm shock about sound performance to price ratio and the DMA is one of those rare beast.

If you want to introduce yourself to bone conduction flavored tribrid musicality, I think the DMA is safest bet, then you'll be able to know if you wanna climb up to end game bone conduction IEM like the Unique Melody Mest MK3 which is more neutral and resolved.

All in all, apart the construction design, BGVP achieve a tour de force with the DMA and it's very highly RECOMMENDED from me!

--------------------------------



PS: I want to thanks BGVP for sending me this review sample after i manifest my intense curiosity about them. As always, I don't participate to affiliated program, don't make any $ and don't even resell 99% of the IEM I review (which is evident with the comparisons pic I share)

You can order the BGVP DMA for 299$ from official Ali Express store here:
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005006226645207.html