BGVP NS9

Introduction:
BGVP is a well known Chinese company mainly involved with customizing and producing high end Hifi earbuds, earphones and other electronic products. The BGVP NS9 took its name from the number of drivers it has. Each earpiece consist of total 9 drivers - 2 dynamic drivers and 7 balanced armature drivers(Sonion and Knowles). The dynamic drivers have a titanium-plated silicone composite diaphragm. These diaphragms are powered by an N5 magnetic circuit with a CCAV voice coil. The lower midrange is handled by a pair of FDK-6018, which is a combination of 30017 and 60318, the upper mids are then handled by RAF-32783 units, and the treble frequencies are by 2 E50DT from Sonion.

The NS9 features a 3D printed acoustic tube that has 3 channels in the sound tube to allow for isolation of each frequency range in the NS9. There are two pressure vents, one on the inside and one on the side. The shells are also equipped with tuning filters that allow the user to customize the frequency response. The NS9’s shells are made of aircraft-grade aluminium, that goes through a CNC machining process. In terms of design is minimalistic and very comfortable

The stock cable is pretty decent and is a 5N silver-plated copper cable with MMCX connectors. It also comes with a carry case that has semi hard shell covered with fabric. There is wide selection of eartips provided (Bass eartips, Vocal eartips and Memory Foam eartips) in the box along with three sets of different sound filters.



Disclaimer:
I have received as part of review circle sent from the brand itself in exchange of honest reviews. All impressions of sound are subjective to my own listening and my sources and is based on my experience with IEMs of similar hardware configurations and price range.

Sources:
For this review the unit has been paired to A&K SE100 (ES9038 Pro) and Shanling M6 (AK4495EQ) without any other amplification. The review is based omnivore filter with stock tips.



Highs:
So starting with the treble section, I would say that the treble is minutely extended as compared to mids, but doesn’t feel like much boosted. It's just highlighted the way to give a feel of balanced armatures it has. The treble air is decent but extension I would say is average. Overall it gives a very pleasant experience specially for those who are bit sensitive in this region. If I talk about instruments like cymbals and other bells and whistles all sound quite natural, not even a single time it gets sibilant or harsh.

Mids:
Coming towards mid-range, I felt it quite weighted and organic. Mid range has apt resolution and separation. Bother upper and lower mids feel natural with very nice timber. Instruments like pianos and flute sound very melodious and smooth. Only issue is with some complex tracks where upper mid bass has a bleed to lower mids and takes away all the technicalities of that region. Also at times it has been observed that the upper mid bass pushes the vocals to the background. While listening to "Sting - Shape Of My Heart” there was this nice feel of presence factor in bass guitar and decent sound stage.

Lows:
The bass does get boomy, I would say talking in terms of quantity is too much and can fill in all the desires of a casual basshead, but in terms of quality I would say it's not that clean. At times it does feel over powering and bleeding into the mid-range. The decay in bass is very slow hence one feels the rumble very distinctively. For slow EDMs the bass control is top notch. Talking about sub-bass , the IEM shines very much.
Listening to “Bass Rani” album by Nucleya was such an awesome experience - what a rumble on all the bass drops, it was entirely fun listening to each track. Although there were occasions when bass got overwhelming and muddy, but sub bass rumble was amazing. I enjoyed each and every bass drop with same fervor.

Technicalities:
The stage I would say is quite average, its neither too wide not too intimate but has good depth overall. Separation on other hand is quite decent. Imaging is also above average but instrument placement at times feel at weird places. The stereo transitions are smooth. It has an average resolution and micro dynamics.

Final Verdict:
In a nutshell I would say that BGVP NS9 is not a typical V-shape IEM, although the lows I would say are bit boosted but with apt control. I really liked them, I find them fairly balanced with decent resolution. The best part of tuning as per me is that there is no over boosting of treble despite of 7 balanced armatures. There is slight highlight in micro dynamics and has good transitions and very good emotions. Mids do feel bit recessed and generally pushed to the background but has good timber and sounds well weighted and organic. The major thing that I felt missing is the overall coherency but that is understandable in an IEM of this price range with so many drivers. The bass on the other hand feels elevated and powerful, so if one is digging for good quantity of bass then this is definitely the one for you.



Comparison (BGVP NS9 Vs Fiio FH3):
I would say they look a bit similar to my daily driver (Fiio FH3) and also priced similarly but fit wise to me I find BGVP NS9 bit better than FH3. Fiio I would say is more V-shaped, It has bit more emphasize on the low frequencies with more punch and slam but on the other side on BGVP NS9 it shows more weight to the mids and has more organic signature. Overall quantity of bass is more in NS9 as compared to FH3 specially in sub-bass region. Comparing the micro details and treble FH3 is bit more effective. Overall Fiio FH3 I would say is more musical and fun sounding where as BGVP NS9 is more on the balanced side of tuning.

BGVP, a famous chinese audio manufacturer doesn’t need introduction at all since they are one of the bog giants in the chifi industry. They have produced high end renowned ear monitors like the DM8 etc. The latest offering is the NS9 which is a hybrid driver system consisting of 9 drivers per side. In this review let;s see whether this NS9 competes in its price range with its competitors.




SPECIFICATIONS:
>Powerful nine-driver hybrid configuration.
>Seven high-performance Knowles & Sonion BA drivers.
>Two Powerful dynamic drivers.
>Three pairs of tuning filters.
>Composite Titanium-plated silicone diaphragm material.
>3D-printed acoustic structure.
>Four-way electronic crossover.
>CNC machined ear cavities made using Aviation-grade aluminum alloy.
>High-quality silver-plated braided cable.
>Hi-Res Certified.
>Impedance:20 ohms.
>Sensitivity: 107dB/mW.
>Frequency Response: 10Hz-40kHz.
>Channel Difference: <1dB(20-10kHz).
>Distortion: <0.5%(1kHz).
Credits: HiFiGo

CONTENTS:​

The box comes in a white sleeve with the NS9 image and the branding on it. Inside the sleeve there is the box and after opening it we are welcomed with the earpieces embedded in the foam tray, above it there are the different pairs of eartips. The included square case is sturdier and inside they contain the cable for the NS9. A pair of foam tips and the replaceable filters are also placed inside the case.

DESIGN AND FIT:​

The design of the NS9 looks very similar to that of the FH5 where the stripes has the same resemblance. The faceplate is gold coloured while the body remains balck. The colours are matted out hence fingerprints and the sweats don’t engage here. The iem also comes in different colours like in full grey, blue. The full construction is made out of aviation grade aluminium and looks very sturdier and doesn’t feel heavy at all in the hands and ears. They provide nice subtle weight factor and the premium feel in the hanD. The mmcx connectors are nicely tucked inside the body and don’t protrude outside.
The faceplate and the body are seamlessly attached thus providing a nice seamless finish. They have two pressure vents, one on the inside and one on the side. The filters are interchangeable and BGVP provided balck, white and gold filters to change according to the user’s sound preference.

The filters are screwable and fit nicely alongside the nozzle. The eartips get securely engaged in the nozzle adapting to the filters. Sometimes while adjusting the eartips the filters get disengaged so the care should be taken when adjusting the eartips.
They have provided 3 pairs of Bass tips and 3 Pairs of vocal tips. For this review I found that bass tips work fine for me and sonically I can’t find a big difference in between them.
The included cable is very high quality. The cable is nice and heavy as usual by the BGVP standard and comes with the 3.5MM termination.

SOUND:​

The sound profile of the NS9 is not the usual V shaped instead this is kind of L shaped sound to me. The bass is emphasized more than the midrange and the highs. The whole sound appears to be pretty dark and intimate. Let’s dive into each frequency in detail.
SOURCE: iPhone + Zorloo Ztella MQA Dac
Since this is rated at 25 OHMS and 105 dB this is pretty easy to drive and can be easily run via any underpowered sources like any smartphones. For the purpose of this review I have used the Zorloo Ztella DAC.
In this review I have used the Black filters which sounds better to my ears and frankly the filters don’t change the sound of the NS9 much and the difference is pretty negligible.

LOW END:​

The low end is pretty powerful and it’s the star show here. Both the mid bass and the sub bass is emphasized a lot with enough quantity.
Decay: The bass has very slow decay hence the rumble can be felt evidently. Especially when listening to tracks like Hans Zimmer and OST’s the rumble is very nice here
The slam and the attack is lacking in the NS9. The overall bass appears to be very loose when the track is busy. If the track has less instruments in the background then the bass control is very good. The attack is sloppier and the resolution is average. The separation in the low end is kind of average for me.
The control is the average thing here especially in the busy tracks they become looser and the impact is very much sloppier and boomy. The mid bass is overly done where they sometimes ruin the listening session due to that excessive boomy mid bass. Especially in tracks with vocals the excessive mid bass makes a lot of disturbance.
The good thing in the low end are the slower decay and the mid bass body which is a legit delight for the Bassheads. The mid bass fulness gives a nice body to the overall track and the whole track appears furnished and pleasant to listen to.
Tracks Used:

1. Bigfoot – Malfnktion
2. Why Do We Fall – Hans Zimmer
3. Smack That – Akon

MID RANGE:​

The mid range is nice and forward in the NS9 and is portrayed very well until the mid bass comes into the play. The excessive mid bass ruins the lower mid range where they just get completely engulfed in the mid bass thus they sound very much lackluster and too boomy.
The midrange in bass light tracks are pretty nice and have very good resolution and separation in between the instruments. Both the male and the female vocal sounds natural and pretty nice. The vocals have natural tone hence the tonality is pretty much natural and no timbre issues are found despite having the BA’s.
The piano notes and the drum hits are natural and sound very pleasing to listen to. The mid range is smoother overall thus no harsh or sibilance is observed during my listening sessions. The vocals sound very much fuller and thus lacks the air. The vocals are very warm and that lively feel is lacking, thus the engaging factor in the midrange is absent.
The mid bass bleed into the midrange is pretty much evident in a lot of tracks hence mostly the midrange sounds very boomy and unresolved. The separation gets messier and sounds very dull. The midange is pretty nice with the bass light tracks but with the bass heavy and complex tracks the whole situation gets changed.
Tracks Used:

1. The Blowers Daughter – Damien Rice
2. Na Mask Aram – Treble Puns
3. Me! – Taylor Swift

TREBLE:​

The treble is pretty average in the NS9. The airiness and the separation is pretty average and the good thing I can see here is that the detail is very nice with a good amount of retrieval. The treble lacks the sparkle and the extension in the top end.
The top end feels very restricted and limited. The cymbal crashes are pretty natural and sound very nice. The smoothness of the treble can be felt at the instant and harshness is out of the subject in the NS9 sound signature. They are pretty fatigue free and sound warm and smooth.
The electric guitar and the high notes sound very much dull and don’t have that sparkle and aggressiveness. The bite in the electric guitar strings are lacking. This sounds like a very cheap sounding treble section. The treble has a more or less null energy factor.
Tracks Used:

1. Trans Europe Express – Kraftwerk
2. Red Sea, Black Sea – Shearwater

TECHNICALITIES:​

Soundstage: The Soundstage is pretty average too where the width is overall good with moderate in width and the height. The depth is slightly bigger due to that bigger bass body. Overall the soundstage is average in all dimensions except the depth which is above average.
Imaging: The imaging is pretty nice here. The instruments can be easily pointed out even in busy tracks and the precise placement of the instruments makes things pretty much easier in pointing it out. The transient response is very smooth thus the transition of the instruments from one channel to the other is very neatly portrayed without any stutters in the movement.
The separation and the detail retrieval are very dependent on the tracks and they are pretty good if the track is not complex. The tonality is pretty natural with a hint of warmth and the timbre is warm and natural.

VERDICT:​

NS9, the latest offering from the BGVP is one of a kind in the BGVP lineup. This may be a good pick for the Bassheads since the bass in this is pretty powerful and has an enormous amount of bass. The low end has nice staging and the slower decay allows for the nice rumble in the low ends while the bass body gives nice fullness to the vocals. The midrange and treble is however average for its price but nothing to complain about, they sound very smoother and relaxed which might be a great pick for relaxing sessions. For my taste I would have liked a bit more aggression and some energy in the midrange and treble.
The stage depth and the imaging are pretty nice. The separation and detail retrieval are good too. Overall for the price it can be recommended for Bassheads who like a very warm tonality and vocals with slow bass and smooth highs. This unique sound makes this NS9 the dark secret of the BGVP.

Disclaimer: I have received this unit as part of a review circle from BGVP. I am in no way affiliated with them or anyone else, nor am I under any influence or obligation to say anything positive or negative. All the following impressions and opinions are my own based on my accompanying gear.



Features & Specs:

• Nine-driver hybrid configuration
• Seven Knowles & Sonion BA drivers per side
• Two Powerful dynamic drivers per side
• Three pairs of tuning filters
• Composite Titanium-plated silicone diaphragm material
• 3D-printed acoustic structure.
• Four-way electronic crossover
• CNC machined ear cavities made using Aviation-grade aluminum alloy
• High-quality silver-plated braided cable
• Impedance:20 ohms
• Sensitivity: 107dB/mW
• Frequency Response: 10Hz-40kHz
• Channel Difference: <1dB(20-10kHz)
• Distortion: <0.5%(1kHz)

Packaging & Accessories:

• BGVP NS9 Drivers
• 1x 5N OCC Silver-Plated copper cable with a 3.5mm SE termination
• 3 pairs of Bass Eartips + 3 pairs of Vocal Eartips + 1 pair of Foam Tips
• Fabric carry box
• Three different sound tuning nozzles

Build & Fit:
The build quality of NS9 drivers is very good. The shells are made of aviation grade aluminum alloy and designed using CNC Machining process. The shells are slightly larger in size and I got a good fit after a bit of initial struggle. The stock cable also looks good and appears to be strong and good quality with no microphonics. As an overall package given the quality of unit and supplied accessories, it looks worthy of its ask price of US $169. It's also available in 2 different colors, I got the Black-Gold variant for the purpose of this review.



Sound:

With an impedance of 20 ohms and sensitivity of 107dB/mW, the NS9 doesn't have special amplification requirement and can even be driven off a mobile handheld easily.
Highlight of NS9 is the Bass, which is quite solid and enjoyable with good amount of rumble and slower decay that makes it warm and full-bodied. Both sub-bass and mid-bass have nice thump and weight that makes it a bass-head's delight.
Mids are recessed and I found them getting overpowered by lower frequencies. I also observed fair amount of bass bleeding into mids. While the upper mids aren't shouty the lower mids do get overpowered by bass bleeds. This takes away the clarity and lushness from Vocals and pushes them back in the spectrum, making it sound V shaped.
The treble on NS9 has good amount of details however it is not well extended and I found highs lacking the airiness that makes a V shaped IEM sound fun. In my opinion, some more air and open-ness in the top end would have made NS9 a much better sounding IEM overall, especially for someone who's looking for fun sound.
The overall sound signature is clean and while the soundstage on NS9 is not the widest, there's good separation between instruments and the imaging is also decent.
The tuning nozzles unfortunately don't do much in changing the overall sound in any way and make very little difference to the overall sound signature of the NS9.

Conclusion:
NS9 is a well built IEM which is suited for more bass dominant genres like EDM, Techno etc. It has delightful bass and good instrument separation. While the vocals are recessed I wish it has a tad more air and resolution up top. The build quality is great and the packaging is wonderful with good quality accessories and presentation for the ask price.

BGVP NS9 Review

Disclaimer

BGVP NS9 has been provided to me by BGVP for review purpose as a part of their review tour in India. BGVP NS9 is priced competitively at 169 USD. I am no way related to them nor do work for them. All my impressions are subjective and based on my sources.



About

BGVP is quite popular Chinese brand that makes a few successful IEMs like DMG, DM6, which brought this brand into limelight by its overnight popularity. It has some really good products in its catalogue, DM7, DM8, ArtMagic ES12 and ArtMagic EST8. Recently, they released a new 9-driver hybrid IEM, NS9, the one going under test in this review. BGVP has put 2 dynamic drivers and 7 balanced armature drivers in NS9. NS9’s shell is built with aluminum and is very light and comfortable to use for long time. Build quality is very good an\d no complaints there in this regard. Fit and finish is very good. BGVP, has also included three filters along side the IEM to alter sound signature with respect to bass, mids and treble. Nozzle is little bigger in size though, but in no way uncomfortable. BGVP did provide ample amounts of tips and a good quality MMCX cable with 3.5mm termination. Provided cable is supple and soft and has no microphonics. MMCX connectors are used and they are of good quality. BGVP has provided 3 pairs of tips each for mids and vocals and one pair of foam tips. BGVP has also provided a very good quality case with ample space for IEMs, cable and tips.



Sound Impressions

NS9, right out of box, sound warm and smooth. Bass is its strength all through, and it’s a decent performer overall. NS9 comes with three filters to boost bass, mids and treble regions, but I didn’t feel any vast difference from such filters. Let’s break my impressions even further.

Bass

Bass of NS9 is quite addictive. It has got very good slam and rumble. Decay is slower making it sound warm and thick. Sub bass has got good slam and goes deep. It has very good mid bass rumble too to make you enjoy songs all through. NS9is quite musical IEM.

Mids

This is where NS9 falters a bit. Typical to any IEM with v-shaped sound signature, NS9’s mids are recessed. White and black filters bring mids a little forward, but still it’s recessed. Powerful bass region adds warmth and thickness to its mids, but there’s slight bleed into mids. In certain songs mids sound veiled and slightly unnatural. Both male and female vocals feel less energetic. Overall, mids are decent, not too exciting nor too dull.



Treble

NS9 lacks air and sparkle. Treble extends well, but not enough to make music exciting. The silver filter is supposed to bring treble forward, but that doesn’t do anything special. In fact, you will be hard pressed to find any difference with silver and the other two filters regarding treble performance. Treble lacks energy all through.

Soundstage, Separation & Imaging

NS9’s soundstage has decent width but has good depth and height. Instrument separation is good. Doesn’t feel congested in busy tracks. Imaging is good. Overall resolution of NS9 is good. Cymbals aren’t exciting enough. Has good details all through. Resolution is quite good, but found lacking in treble region.

Comparison

Vs JVC HA-FDX1

I have been using this IEM since few months and mighty impressed with its performance. It too comes with three filters and costs 200 USD from drop.com. It’s a single DD IEM compared to 9-driver NS9. Though both are made by aluminum, FDX1 feels heavier and better built than NS9. Coming to sound comparisons, FDX1 is opposite to NS9, in how it sounds. FDX1 is neutral to warm NS9. Bass quantity is more in NS9, bass slam and punch are all good and is best suited for people who prefer more bass. FDX1, on the other hand has neutral bass, better in quality. FDX1 takes the cake in mids though, mids sound natural, clean with good energy whereas NS9’s mids sound thick, warm and veiled sometimes. FDX1’s treble is more energetic and sparklier than NS9 with better extensions. Soundstage on both NS9 and FDX1 are slightly similar in width, though FDX1 has a little advantage in width and depth too. Instrument separation, imaging, clarity and resolution are all better in FDX1. Overall, if you like neutral and energetic sound, FDX1 is for you and if you want very good bass in your IEM, NS9 is for you.

Verdict



BGVP NS9 is overall a decent IEM, that performs very good in bass regions, decently in mids and treble. BGVP could have provided more treble extensions and reduced bass bleed. It’s all that needs to transform a decent IEM to a good IEM.

BGVP is a well-reputed High-Resolution IEM brand based in China with many successful products in the market. Their “DM” series of multi-BA driver IEMs are praised by many, BGVP DM8 is also one of my favorite IEMs under the 500$ price segment. Earlier this year, BGVP released their latest 9-driver hybrid IEMs, the BGVP NS9. BGVP NS9 features a powerful dual dynamic driver with seven high-resolution Balanced Armature drivers per side. BGVP organized a review tour of the NS9 in my country. I was lucky enough to be a part of it. Today, I am gonna share my review and impressions with the BGVP NS9 that I received about a week back.

Disclaimer:-

I received this review sample from BGVP. All the impressions in this review are based on my own usage with the pair over the past week. I will be forwarding the unit to the next reviewer after this blog is done.

Unboxing & Accessories:-

BGVP packs the NS9 in a simple packaging that is very similar to previous products from the brand(such as BGVP Zero, BGVP DM7, and more). The pair comes in a simple black box with a white slip-on cover. The outer cover has an image of BGVP NS9 earphones along with some branding logos. On the backside technical features of NS9 are printed in both English and Chinese languages. Upon lifting the top lid of the Black box, we have a direct glimpse at the entire contents of the package arranged in an engraving design foam layer. There is a BGVP branded zipper case at the lower portion. The top portion includes six pairs of silicone ear tips, 3 pairs of Blue Vocal ear tips, and 3 pairs of white Bass ear tips. The beautiful NS9 earpieces are located just near the ear tips. There’s also a set of Memory foam ear tips placed in between both earpieces. The carry case includes the bundled cable and three pairs of replaceable tuning filters.

BGVP has included three different pairs of tuning filters, Red, Black, & Silver. These filters alter the sound quality slightly, which we will discuss in detail in this review later.

Package Contents:-

>One pair of BGVP NS9 earphones.

>One MMCX connector cable with a 3.5mm termination plug.

>Three pairs of tuning filters.

>Six pairs of silicone ear tips(Three Vocal and three bass focused).

>One pair memory foam ear tips.

>One Zipper carry case.

Design & Build Quality:-

BGVP NS9 has a strong metallic build. The shells are made up of gold aluminum faceplates and black inner cavities. They have a bulky look and feel to them but don’t weigh as much as other metallic shell earphones. The faceplates have three beveled lines depicting the BGVP logo. There are two DD vents on the cavity, one on the back and the other on the inner side of the cavity. The build quality and feel of BGVP NS9 are solid and sturdy. They give a rich feeling to hold and wear.

I always like the heavy cable that BGVP bundles with its DM series. With the NS9 it is a silver-plated cable with twisted memory hooks near the connectors for a comfortable fit. The carry case here is the same as they have included with the BGVP Zero, a small squarish zipper case with ample space for the earphone and a few extra pairs of ear tips.

Driving the BGVP NS9:-

Even with such a high driver count the BGVP NS9 doesn’t have any high power requirements. It can be powered straight off your smartphones without any trouble. It has a low impedance rating of 25 ohms and high sensitivity of 107dB/mW. It ran brilliantly straight off my Samsung Tab S6 Lite. As always, I recommend using hi-res players for better signal decoding that results in a better sound experience with our hi-res IEMs. For the purpose of this review, I used my Shanling M3X for critical listening.

Sound Quality:-

BGVP NS9 has a warm touch to its output with a deep, exceptionally deep bass response. The lower end is the most emphasized frequency range of the NS9. It soothes the soul with powerful thumps hitting with every single drum kick. Mids have a recessed yet clean response where vocals show good clarity. Warm touch to the vocals also adds to the musicality of the pair. Treble frequencies have a non-sibilant, smooth, non-fatiguing response. Though in certain bass-heavy tracks the treble-frequencies are overshadowed by the powerful lower-end response. Overall it's a smooth, jazzy ride of music that maintains a fun factor with a slow, impactful bass. Here’s the sound description based on different frequencies.

Lower End:-

BGVP NS9’s lower end has a slow yet deep impactful lower-end response. Both the mid-bass slams and sub-bass rumbles go deep hitting you with a pounding, meaty punch every time the bass drops. This adds weight to the output, giving it a thick and warm feel. The lower end with the NS9 might not be the fastest one, but it is slow, soft, and mellow. It has a soft, smooth feeling to it that also adds to the musicality of the pair.

Mids:-

Mid-frequencies continue the warm and musical tonality of the pair. They are recessed, veiled by the powerful low frequencies. Both the male and female vocals have a smooth, warm tone to them that I like. They also have a grainy texture. Instruments such as acoustic guitars, pianos, show a natural timbre. There is no fatigue or sibilance noticeable with the NS9 even at loud volume levels.

Treble:-

Treble has a smooth, well-extended response, it doesn’t rolls-off all of a sudden. NS9 doesn’t show any peaky or harshness in the treble portion. BGVP has tuned the pair with a smooth, non-fatiguing high-frequency response. The resolution of high-frequencies is also quite good. Though they get overshadowed by the lower end in certain bass-heavy tracks. Instrument detailing and separation is very good. Using a silver filter is what I would recommend with the pair(coming to the filters in a while).

Soundstage & Imaging:-

Soundstage width with the BGVP NS9 is above average for the price though depth and height are quite good(Keeping SeeAudio Yume as a reference here). Imaging and instrument separation is pretty good. BA does their job really well here in maintaining good resolution with the NS9. It just feels BGVP has tuned the dual DD with too much power haha.

Filters:-

There are three sets of filters that are included with the BGVP NS9, Red, Silver, and Black. Red is said to improve the bass(believe me NS9 doesn’t need that with any filter), Black is supposed to improve the mids, and Silver is there for treble lovers. Well, to be very honest the difference between these filters is very subtle and hard to notice. But yeah they do affect the sound that is noticeable when we do A/B seriously.

Red does bring some extra punch with the output but that completely overpowers the other frequencies so I don’t recommend it.

Black pushes some life into the mids by bringing some more energy in the upper mids, though the difference here is very subtle.

Silver filter does improves the treble portion with some added airiness. I liked the silver filter most as it tries to bring a good balance between the lower and higher frequencies. I used the BGVP NS9 most of the time with the silver filter only. And my whole review is based on that too.

Final Words:-

BGVP NS9 is a well-built pair of in-ear monitors with slow and smooth sound output. It has a warm meaty touch to its sound with a deep, thick, pounding bass that grows on you slowly. The pair complements slow, smooth genres of music such as jazz, acoustic, vocal-centric, and more. While I am okay with its veiled mid-frequencies as they have a crisp and clean presentation, treble could’ve been better with more air and refinement. The included filters bring small changes, Silver filter brings a slight bit of energy in the treble portion but the pair could benefit with more. Well, this wraps up my thoughts for the BGVP NS9. It was a good experience exploring the depths of the lower end with this beautifully built product.

BGVP is well known Chinese IEM manufacturer with many good iems especially their DM series out of which I loved especially the DM8 with vocal tips the most…

But today I am checking out their new BGVP NS9 which goes for 169$

DISCLAIMER- THIS IEM IS PART OF A REVIEW TOUR ORGANISED BY BGVP AND I HAVENT BEEN PAID TO SAY ANYTHING. THE THOUGHTS ARE MY OWN AND THANKS TO BGVP and @machinegod FOR MAKING ME PART OF THIS TOUR.

SPECS –
1.2 DD for lows
2.7 Knowles & Sonion BA drivers
3.4-way electronic crossover
4.Impedance: 20 ohms.
5.Sensitivity: 107dB/mW
PACKAGING- Now it's comes in a white cardboard box written BGVP NS9 on it.

Inside the white cover it's a big black case, opening it is just easy (just lift it up).

Now we can see the beautiful black foam embedded in which are the tips with perfectly labelled tips from sizes S to L. And the beautiful golden coloured top iem with small ridges and black colour on the ear side.

The middle is filled with a hard black fabric coated carry case. Leaving the carry case aside I see a small white thin packet underneath the seating place of iems and I remove the foam to see some paperwork with manual (needed here obviously for filters but wasn't much helpful) and other how to take care of stuff and warranty yada yada...


The manual for filters ain't that detailed, needs a bit of work there.

Opening the Hard case -

1. The white and dark silver coloured 5N SPC mmcx ( sorry have too many broken mmcx iems, so not a fan of the connector) cables terminated in 3.5mm
2. Three filters in a white plastic packet
3. One pair of medium wide bore tips

BUILD AND FIT-
IEMS- It's a aluminium metal shell with a beautiful golden coloured iems with ridges that increase grip a bit and black coloured acrylic body.

It's mmcx terminated not my favorite connection but hey if it works why change right !!
FIT - They just fit me epicly, I found both comfort and fit with every tip. It's a bit heavy but not too much to be a pain like IKKO OH10.
CABLE- The included cable is a 5N OCC Silver plated copper cable. It has really good feel, supple and sound. Its nicely thick and durable.

Tips – We get three pairs of SML vocal tips and three pairs of SML bass tips, a pair of M sized foam tip and a single pair of M sized Wide bore tips.
Vocal tips- great, brings the mids forward but has an added problem of mid bass bleed.
Bass tips- Not my favorite way too much bass, becomes bloated and muddy.
Wide bore tips- Real good for my me IMO, has good balance to the whole sound signature
I also did try BGVP W01 tips(these are also wide bore) which were better than the added black tips since they are not way too soft and gives me a better fit.

FILTERS- For me the red filter, the black and silver filter made very little difference. But I did use the silver filters hoping for more air in treble but didn’t find any. The black filters had an elevated (slightly more with male vocals) midrange but not that much different from silver filter. The red filters on the other hand did change the bass, a little more but not that much to make a significant difference. All in all I would say choose any and stick to it.


COMING ON TO THE SOUND CHARACTERISTICS

BASS AND SUBBASS –
1)"DARKER SIDE"- JONNY LANG- Feel the bass drum in just below the vocals- Wow the amount of bass this generates wew, it’s thick, powerful and has BIG body. Bass heads this might your iem. The bass feels a little bit too much for my taste (a little bit bloaty for my taste), The snares are good, thick and has a prolonged extension at the end making it having a very slow decay, Cymbals felt harder like a steel plate being hit not too sharp and just had a good sound and are fast but lacked energy for me a little bit dull for me. Hi- hats were just hitting my taste bad like a coffee does in the morning, ohh lovely. It’s not overly sharp, or hits you way too hard and this has a benefit, that is it’s much better to listen to for long term and had perfect extension (used DREAM THEATER-"PULL ME UNDER" for last two) …In another word it’s just too thick in low end ... Bass head level though at least imo... OH, I forgot bass guitars are awesome too, they have definition and have the same thick good body, you will feel the pull of each strings and feel it’s extension with others. The bass though lacks texture quite a bit, transparency also and this slower decay is great but a little more definition would be more in my taste to have that atmospheric feel ...You might wanna keep the bass in check though sometimes it feels a little overpowering and a little mid bass bleed is there but very minutely felt unless you look for it ,you would miss it for sure (Wide bore tips is the way to go, easier to notice with narrow bore tips aka please don’t use the bass tips ha-ha). Vocals on the other hand are a different story and will present them below…

2) NYCTERIS- HANS ZIMMER AND JAMES NEWTON HOWARD – From 0.30min the simple hits of the synth and the timbre from it, is really good. Then the 1:37min the further hits and the slow receding sound makes it awesome song to test your sub-bass and bass atmospheric feel here.
The sub-bass is really good here, you will feel the rumble through you. It is textured and has a slower decay and also feels sometimes lasting longer than mid bass. It goes really down and the depth is good. What it lacks is good definition and a little more texture would be great. It though sometimes overshadows mid bass for me. DON'T USE THOSE VOCAL OR BASS TIPS OTHERWISE GET READY TO HEAD BANG TO GOOD ROCK SONGS LIKE A BASS HEAD… JK LOL

MIDS-
VOCALS- I came to some classics to know actually what was happening as I got confused a lot as to what’s happening.

MALE VOCALS- SONGS used- ‘KISS FROM A ROSE – SEAL’ & ‘WHERE DID YOU SLEEP LAST NIGHT - NIRVANA (MTV UNPLUGGED)’ & ‘SWEET CHILD OF MINE - GUN'S AND ROSES’
It’s a V shaped iem for sure so take everything similarly. Vocals are distant, controlled and yet thick for male vocals (lower frequencies coming into play maybe). The texture is present in vocals and small details don’t come up that easy though, a bit less transparent. I will still consider them lean but the thing is bass bleeds sometimes in some bass heavy tracks but then again you need to check for it with WIDE BORE TIPS (NARROW BORE PLS DON’T USE UNLESS YOU LIKE MIXING VOCALS WITH BASS- ALL THICK LOL). They seem a bit forward though in comparison to female vocals.

FEMALE VOCALS- ‘KING- LAUREN AQUILA’ & ‘HELLO – ADELE’ & ‘SWAY - DIANA KRALL’ - lovely ladies and lovely songs.
What I feel about female vocals is that they are good enough, lean still but this helps to make their high pitch voice more prominent. I felt they lack a bit of energy, a little smooth for my taste, added benefit they are not sibilant for me at all. Given the warm presentation this is pretty good to use for podcasts for long time with female hosts. The notes are balanced though and have same body from beginning to end except when they extend it in some songs which is great since these do add a bit of air there. Lips smacking are even felt beautifully.

MIDS- ‘BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY - QUEEN ORIGINAL SOUNDTRACK’, ‘THE WOLF AND THE MOON- BRUNUHVILLE’ AND ‘END CREDITS-CHASE AND STATUS’-
The beautiful amalgam of instruments in these songs are excellent to test the mids, ohh my, did I forget to mention the flute too.
The mids are similarly placed behind like the vocals given the V shaped tuning. The instruments have good timbre which is fast in decay and good tonality, a little bit lean but still not too much. The instruments are well textured and have a good body , the beginning and the ending of the notes though suffer a bit due to lack of resolution. It seems a bit veiled owing to the V shape. Wide bore tips do bring the mids forward along with vocals tips but mid bass bleed makes me come to wide bore tips again and again haha. Bass tips well they weren’t much suited for me.

TREBLE-
‘DREAM THEATER - THE BEST OF TIMES (BLACK CLOUDS AND SILVER LININGS ALBUM)’- Be ready for "the nun hiding in the background with guitar( reference to the movie - The Nun " at 2:46 min--coming right at you and ‘CIGARETTES IN THE THEATER - TWO DOOR CINEMA CLUB’, ‘SIGH-PRAFUL’- really lovely trumpets and ‘DO IT AGAIN- STEELY DAN’ for that fast-paced details that needs to be checked-
Treble is forward as its V shaped iem. It is fast and well extended. It somehow took a conservative, long and smooth listening approach. Its not at all sharp but then rock songs lack from the energy. Cymbals are nicely handled and don’t sound too much dull but really lacks energy and air for me especially for trumpets, sax , flute, electronic guitars etc. I didn’t find too much resolution either and it’s a bit congested for me.

SOUNDSTAGE, IMAGING, SEPARATION AND RESOLUTION- ‘LETTER - YOSHI HORIKAWA’ AND ‘SANDSTORM-DARUDE’-

X AXIS- This iem is has an average width.
Y AXIS- This iem has a very less height less than average for me and what I have tried. The depth is not great either unless it’s too much emphasised on the soundtrack and it comes here as a small depth
Z AXIS- This iem lacks at all any differentiation on Z axis. The writing on the song LETTER or marble ball drops in BUBBLES should come as front to back but not here it’s all on x axis.
IMAGING- Its decent in upper mids and treble region. But Bass not so much lacks details and transparency there.
SEPARATION- Now in faster tracks there is enough separation for me to easily identify instruments but this is more easy to listen to in the beginning and body of notes rather than at the end. But vocals and bass kinda mix a bit for me. A little bit but still it’s there , more with the narrow tips.
RESOLUTION- It’s not that great but still lip smacks, string strikes etc do come through but very minutely. But treble resolution lacks a bit and mostly when too much is going on.

MOVIE WATCHING EXPERIENCE- This I check on YouTube to see the BANE escape scene from the plane. Its good but details don’t come through that much. The blast off scene when the plane falls though feels great. Podcast experience was an easy long-lasting experience with no fatigue at all.

SUMMARY- The iem is worthy to be a bass champion at this price. The amount of body this tiny thing has puts my Sony Bluetooth speakers to shame haha. If you are looking for an iem for long listening sessions and if you are a bass head and can do with a V shaped signature this is made for you.

BGVP NS9 - The Bass guitarists's choice


BGVP was generous enough to lend me NS9 for review. BGVP is quite known to have good tuned IEMs with great looking designs and and affordable prices. They are not new with tuning filters since theyve already released DMG back then which immediately got some good attention. NS9 on the other hand is yet another ambitous take on the IEM section wherein the filters were also made interchangable and has both Knowles and Sonion BAs.


BGVP NS9 offers a wide variety of options in tuning the sound from utilizing tips to filters. The packaging includes 3 pairs of A08 for vocals, 3pairs of clear A07 1 pair of foam tips and another stock black tip. It also came wjth 3 tuning filters, a beautifully made cable and a case.



First I used the NS9 without any filters and used A08 tips since that's my favorite ear tips. The bass was all over the place with recessed But clean mids, treble was struggling to be in effect on this set up.


Next I chose the red filter and still used the A08. Red filters are actually supposed to raise the bass, but having that said, it even tamed the bass rather than having no filters. It provided more detailed imaging somehow and gave some room for the treble to shine a bit. Mids are clean but not much accentuated.


Tried the silver ones with A08's but unfortunately I didnt quite notice any significant change on how it sounds. Its pretty similar to the red ones. Could be my ears but checking on Delta Fyre's FR I can tell that my ears may not really be able to notice such minimal changes.


So then I came to the last filter the Black 1 with A08s, the balanced one as per BGVP. This is actually my favorite set up providing a bit more room for other frequencies aside from the bass. It's still bass heavy but is now somehow more pleasing. Mids are still clean but lacks emotion. Trebles starts to appear on this set up but still lacks shimmer and sparkle.


The imaging shows less space in between sounds giving it a narrow hall way effect with tall sounds. The imaging is set up not too far from my shoulders to be precise. With its tuning it almost felt like riding on a Toyota Corrolla with some bassy stereo set up. The layering can be good too but lacks details or resolution to it.


Generally the bass can go very low, has a good rumble but speed is a bit slow making it not suitable for EDM and progressive metal. Aside from trying it on Hiphop genres wherein it's almost a giveaway, I can also tell that it's also good for Indie music, giving it more color on the lower frequencies without having required to produce great trebles. NS9 can be great for Kpop, Hiphop, some alternative, indie, and lofi tracks.


PROS:
Beautifully crafted shells
Interesting tuning filters
Bass quality
Great looking stock cable
Generous tips with different tunings
Case included
Easy to drive
Potentially a great IEM for monitoring Bass guitars on/off stage


CONS:
Recessed mids
Treble shy
Genre specific
Filters do not make night and day difference



Bass ★
Mids ★★
Trebles ★★★
Imaging ★★
Layering ★★
Microdetails ★★
Soundstage ★★
Spatial Panning ★★
Timbre ★★
Tonality ★★
Affordability ★★


Overall rating ★★


Comparisons: based on price range and tuning
Pai Audio Dr2 - NS9 has better bass, slightly better mids although Dr2 excelled on the trebles and soundstage
BQEYZ Summer - NS9 has more bass, while summer has smoother faster bass with great mids and sparkle 1 would look for.


Tested on LG V30 Quad Dac


Final say:
NS9 is a uniquely tuned IEM that should be focusing its market on musicians specifically bass guitarists rather than audiophiliac listeners. NS9 offers a tuning that most listeners might find odd but its key strengths should not be taken for granted. Fishes arent meant to fly and this fish is already mighty in its territory. I really had fun with NS9's creativeness despite lacking a night and say change in tuning. Good job BGVP!


Thank you PH Review Circle!


I am not recieving any monetary support from any IEM companies that may alter my impressions on any of my reviews. These are all my honest opinions and I only hope that my audience may find my reviews credible and somehow informative.


Watch my video review on YT



#berrywhitegamingandreviews #bgvp #ns9 #lgv30

Intro​

Disclaimer: This review set is a demo graciously lent to me by Daniel at Oardio. This review is written of my own accord and all thoughts here are my own. The BGVP NS9 is available for purchase from them through their website should you find yourself interested in a pair. For more reviews like this, do check out our website: www.perrivanaudio.com

The BGVP NS9 is a 9 driver Hybrid IEM featuring a combination of Knowles, Sonion and inhouse BA drivers, coupled with a liquid silicone double DD driver unit. It supposedly features interchangeable nozzles that tweaks the sound signature slightly but I’ll discuss more on that later.

Accessories and Build Quality (Score: 9/10)​

BGVP once again doesn’t disappoint in their build quality. It features a fully CNC-ed aluminium shell that feels reminiscent of the Fiio FH5.
The demo unit I was lent did not come with the packaging and just the accessories. The cable a very nice 4-wire braided cable which has the vibes of a downsized UM MEST Cable. The set I received has a 2.5mm termination. Simple Quality stuff as we are used to seeing from BGVP.

​

Fit (Score: 8.0/10)​

BGVP did a good job at making these rather big IEMs comfortable. They are weighty but are well-rounded and fit snugly in the ear. The contours of the IEM were well-machined without any weird bumps in the design. Overall, I didn’t experience any fatigue or discomfort using these for hours on end.

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Sound (Score: 7.3/10)​

Sources Used

• Hiby R5
• Lotoo Paw S1

Albums and Tracks tested with

• Itzhak Perlman
• Broods – Free
• Why Don’t We – The Good Times and The Bad Ones
• 10cm – 4.0
• Michael Bublé
• Gryffin
• NEEDTOBREATHE
• Scary Pockets
• Boston Symphony Orchestra
• Lumineers – Cleopatra

Bass (Score: 6.5/10)
I know I’ve said this for a lot of IEMs but hear me out, the NS9 has basshead levels of bass. These have a more subbass focused bass, and the extension is quite impressive. Unfortunately, the balance is a little too warped to the extent that the changeable filters don’t tilt the balance enough for people who prefer more balanced-sounding sound signatures.
The midbass also gets a little loose and unrefined at times and becomes apparent in tracks with prominent bass and drums or instruments like tuba and bass. This dulls the overall impact and punch in the bass and takes away some of the enjoyment. I wouldn’t say this bass tuning is my cup of tea

Mids (Score: 8/10)
On tracks that didn’t have a bassline that stole the show, I found myself able to enjoy the mids quite a bit. The upper mids and vocals are quite pronounced. They are forward and smooth without coming across as thin or shouty. Listening to The Lumineers, the soulfulness and emotion in the male vocals were carried through.
Brass band tracks are quite the experience, with the separation of layers between different horns. The trumpets have a very pronounced, articulate and texture sound, while the trombones are very meaty and bodied sound.

Treble (Score: 7.5/10)
Treble didn’t have any weird peaks apart from a little metallic timbre in the lower treble in certain tracks. I think the treble timbre was better done on their DH3 and DM8 IEMs that I’ve reviewed previously. Overall, it wasn’t harsh and still mostly quite pleasing, let down only by a lack in upper treble extension, which I expected more from an IEM in this price range.

Overall
The best part of the NS9 is its soundstage and imaging qualities. While not to the extent you get with open-backed headphones, it is quite impressive for an IEM. Regarding the filters, I didn’t find much noticeable change between the filters besides some minute changes in the upper mids and treble.

​

Comparisons​

VS Seeaudio Yume

The Seeaudio Yume is at exactly the same price point as the NS9. The Harman-ish tuning of the Yume is more in line with my tastes and is overall much better in resolution as well, especially in the lower region. Hence, the Yume is much more of a value purchase than the NS9 unless you’re in the search for a more bassy IEM. In that case, the NS9 would be able to better satisfy that itch. I personally find that the Yume excels in every way possible over the NS9 in my books (yes even the fit and build).

Conclusion​

The BGVP NS9 is quite an interesting product in the BGVP lineup. It boasts an impressive hybrid driver count, which is something similar to the BGVP DMG family of IEMs. That said, this IEM’s technical ability is its main bottleneck and the NS9 puts forward more fun and musicality than accuracy, making this more of a specialist IEM and limited in the genres it shines in. I’m sure not everyone would like it, and in fact, some may detest it. However, I do see its appeal, and perhaps for its target audience, aka bass lovers, it would be a joy to listen to. Personally, there is an increasing number of IEMs that are performance-focused at the same price and I would find myself preferring the sound profiles of those over the NS9.

Overall Grade: C+​

Th BGVP NS9 is a hybrid IEM consisting of 9 drivers (7 BA + 2 DD) with an impedance of 25 ohms and a sensitivity of 107 dB. Thus, it can easily be driven off a mobile phone. The IEM has a metal shell with design cues that make it look very similar to the FiiO FH5 or FH7. It comes with 3 pairs of tuning filters, 3 pairs of BGVP’s vocal silicon tips, 3 pairs of BGVP’s bass silicon tips, a pair of foam tips, and a pair of wide bore tips. The package also includes a BGVP semi-hard case. All in all, the packaging is similar to other BGVP IEMs.

The included cable is a 5N OCC Silver plated copper cable that goes well with the IEM in terms of both, aesthetics and sound. The cable is quite thick and seems to be durable. The IEM is good in terms of fit and comfort and I was able to get a good seal with the stock tips.



Sound

Lows:

With 2 DDs dedicated to bass, the NS9 performs very well in this region. The NS9 is likely to please bass heads since it has great depth and layering in this region. The bass response of the NS9 is near perfect. I say near-perfect because the bass seemed to be slightly bloated and I was unable to tame it with any of the 3 filters or stock tips included. The bass is huge in terms of quantity and quite good in terms of quality.




Mids:

Perhaps 2 DDs for the bass is a bit too much to handle as the bass bleed is noticeable. Considering the fact that the overall tuning is warm, there is no sibilance in the upper mids, but the lower mids do suffer from bass bleeds. Since the bass dominates the sound, the vocals remain in the background, resulting in something like a V-shaped signature.

Highs:

This is where I think the NS9 could have done better. Even for a V-shaped signature, the NS9 lacks treble energy. There is almost no air and extensions are unheard of (quite literally). The quality of the highs is fairly good but there is a serious shortage in terms of quantity. I presume BGVP chose to go for such a signature to make the NS9 appealing to bass heads.



Filters:

The filters included with the NS9 hardly alter the FR and they sound very similar irrespective of the filter. The red (low frequency) ones elevate the already emphasized bass, thereby providing the kind of boom that would please bass heads. However, I’d suggest the black (neutral / reference) ones as they were able to provide cleaner mids and slightly elevate the mid-range. The silver (high frequency) filters elevate the highs very lightly but fail to add any treble extensions or air.



Comparison with BGVP Artmagic VG4:



The BGVP Artmagic VG4 is an IEM that failed to get the attention it deserves. It is a very capable IEM that has a lot of things in its favor. Perhaps the cheapest entry in the Artmagic range, the IEM has a wide stage and is somewhat bright. The tuning switches on VG4 actually make a difference, hence making it a lot more versatile than the NS9 in my opinion. Both the IEMs complement each other in a certain way, the depth of the bass on NS9 is amazing but VG4 is light on bass. Similarly, the highs on VG4 are excellent, providing for an airy experience, that is missing in the NS9.

In fact, as I compared the two, I couldn’t help but feel like an IEM that has the lows of NS9 and mids and highs of VG4, would be fantastic, and I wish and hope that BGVP makes one soon.


Conclusion:

BGVP perhaps chose 2 DDs with the intention of making it sound like a bass Canon. If not for the slightly bloated bass and insufficient energy in terms of treble, this could have been a bass canon that I'd recommend, considering they are priced at 169 USD. However, there is a lot of competition in this price range that makes is hard to recommend the BGVP NS9, even to bass heads.



OT – A note to BGVP (Unboxing and documentation gripes)

Usually, there’s not much to discuss in terms of packaging, but I had a few hiccups while unboxing the IEM. The first one being that the filters are packed in a flimsy plastic pouch, this solution not only lacks elegance but makes it very easy for users to misplace or damage the filters. Other manufacturers have more elegant solutions and I wish BGVP had opted for something more elegant. My second concern is more to do with the user manual/documentation. Granted that most users usually skip the manual entirely, in fact, I usually don’t open the manual, unless it is necessary. In the case of NS9, however, I had to look at the manual, primarily to figure out the color-coding of the tuning filters included.

Unfortunately, all I found in the manual were instructions related to connecting the MMCX cable and the procedure to insert the IEM. Although I was able to google this information, I couldn’t help but notice the translation errors. This is another factor I wish BGVP would consider improving upon.

The NS9 arrive in your typical BGVP package, a compact box with 4 different types of tips for you to pick from, 3 pairs of "bass" tips, 3 pairs of "vocal" tips a pair of good quality foam tips and the pre-applied wide bore tips.

Trying out all the tips, i find the pre-applied wide bore tips to sound the best as they seem to improve the bass just slightly.

Also in the box is a hard shell case, a very nice 4-core SPC cable, velcro strap, warranty info, and a small plastic container with 2 interchangeable "tuning filters" to try.

Cracking open the NS9 shell and looking inside reveals a seriously impressive assortment drivers..


Two "FDK-60718" This is one of those double package ba units, it's two knowles drivers, one 60318 and one 30017, sandwiched onto each other. Said to cover the mids.

A Knowles RAF-32873, a balanced armature who's solder contacts are on the unit's side, and on the back is a this rubber gasket thingy. A full range BA that is said to be an upper mids tweeter.

A Sonion E50dt, this BA looks just like any other armature driver. a peek at the datasheet reveals this driver actually dual balanced armature, very interesting as these aren't nearly as large as the double package FDK-60718s we see. Said to cover the highs & ultra highs.

One Coaxial dual dynamic driver. This is 2 dynamic drivers integrated into one package. The diaphragm material is advertised as being "liquid silicone" i believe this is a similar material as the hard silica gel balls you can find in those silica gel packets.

let's dive into the fr graph:


the 3 tuning filters


combinations of tips+filters




At first glance, these look like a basshead's delight, there is full extension on both ends of the spectrum with the bass peaking at 20hz and treble information present around and after 16khz.

You may notice the lack of really any sort of upper mids emphasis, typically you see some sort of climb after 1k before dipping around 6k. listening to the NS9, this translates into a very laid back mids/treble experience.

While on the graph all may look well, the actual listening experience leaves alot to be desired.

Let's talk about the bass, it is very very "slow" bass. It sounds mushy, soft, it is severely lacking in texture, i believe this is due the combination of having two dynamic drivers playing over each other and the bass being centered around 20hz.

On tracks with a heavy bassline, the NS9 totally lack impact and texture.

Visually i can show you how slow the bass is by looking at the decay of the low frequencies:




The BGVP DMS for comparison




You can see how much quicker the decay of the BGVP DMS is when compared against the NS9's decay.

It takes about 300 milliseconds for a 20hz impulse to fully decay on the NS9..

Focusing our attention on the mids, it's another area where the NS9 fail to impress. vocals are distant, instinctively while listening you will increase the volume to liven up the mids but doing so will only flood your ears with loud, dreaded mushy bass.

Due to the lack of upper mid energy, overall clarity is lacking. Not for mids lovers.

The treble can be described as being good in quality, but lacking on quantity. A boost in the upper mids or treble would have greatly improved the perceived clarity of music.

After 10k we see a drop, I say this is good as too much 12k will make the sound very unnatural (I'm looking at you V90S).

Then we see 3 peaks around 16khz giving the NS9 some much needed treble resolution, this is one of the strong points of the NS9, the treble sounds extended with good air.

The soundtage is good, instruments are placed mostly away and behind you, treble instruments are placed a short distance away from your ears and the bass sounds like it's coming from the same spot, the overall presentation isn't convincingly realistic, there isn't much sound coming from above or in front of you, everything is mostly localized either away, behind, or in your head.

The "tuning" filters that come with the NS9 are total gimmicks, they do little to nothing to alter the sound.

From the moment i layed eyes on the filters and inspected them it was clear to me that the only physical differences between the 3 were simply the different styles of metal mesh, ofcourse I can't just claim such a thing without proving my theory, so i did an experiment. i removed the metal screens on one of each filter type and i meaured them, expecting to see identical performance between the three.

The results of my experiment? well you can see for yourself, the filters are IDENTICAL to each other with the only difference being the color and the way the mesh screen looks.




So that's it, we have extremely capable hardware. Somehow 7 balanced armatures equate to a lackluster upper mids/treble experience and the two dynamic drivers working in tandem are just flat out inferior to something like the single DD in the BGVP DMS. That, coupled with tuning filters that don't actually tune anything. What we're left with is an earphone that is at the very least, comfortable, and comes with very nice accessories.

The included cable is a thick, 4-core silver plated copper (SPC) with half the cable being insulted with clear insulation, and the other half being insulated with grayish clear insulation. Looking at the structure up close it looks to be a litz wire but isn't advertised as such.


I bought my NS9 during the march ali sales as it was selling for $160.

Overall i find the NS9 hard to recommend.

I do not know where to start. Solid structural properties? the way complex configuration is handled well? or the sound?

Without going into these details, I think it is important to emphasize that the company has had hardcore fans in the Hi-Fi iem community for years and that it takes serious care and work to maintain it.

Thanks again to everyone who has delivered this product to our team for review.

Website: http://www.bgvp-hifi.com/

Specifications:

• Frequency Response Range: 10-45000Hz

• Sensitivity: 111 dB / mW

• Impedance: 32Ω

• Plug: 3,5 mm

• Connection: MMCX

• Body: Metal

• Line Length: 125cm

Package and Accessories:

Accessories are rich and all necessary supporters are available. Away from fancy content that will distract you or increase your cost.

• 1 pair BGVP NS9 IEM

• 1 piece x Detachable Cable with MMCX Connector

• 2 pairs Nozzle (Gray /Red)

• 3 pairs x Vocal Eartips (size S/M/L)

• 3 pairs x Bass Eartips (size S/M/L)

• 1 pair x Foam Eartips (size M)

• 1 piece x Storage Case


Monitor Design, Fit/Isolation & Build Quality:

Nozzle is short and wide, but I had no problems with the M-sized Spinfit CP 100. In addition, headphone mouths can be changed as part of its design. We will then talk in more detail about how these mouths in the box affect the sound.

The sound isolation on the other hand is above average with the right tips selections that should be efficient enough for the use in quite noisy environments like bus, train, metro etc.

The resistance level of the headset does not prevent mobile use from being used with generally low-power sources such as mobile phones or computers. Of course, my advice use will be usage dedicated DAPs.

I would say I like the wire. It is stiff and thin, so it is thick enough. The company made this cable standard for most models and again did not go down the path of glamour. (Thank you)

The headset itself is small and well built. Well-shaped from 2 solid metal cubes separately with CNC, resulting in a smooth and soft edges. It feels the care and seriousness shown from the moment you first grabbed in your hands.

Sound:

The standard (Black) nozzle used during listening, and the Fiio M11 Pro music player was used as the source, and sometimes SDF Audio Tube SE VI AMP for reaction/color purposes, Magaosi DQ4 and Thieaudio Legacy 3 headphones for comparison.

My music library consisted of albums in DSD, FLAC and MQA formats, I also occasionally used my Tidal and Spotify playlists.

You can see all the tracks I've listened to here: https://www.last.fm/user/nurettin

Bass: The most desirable and indisputable star in the voice character. Soft without corners. You can not stop yourself to push them how deep it can go? It is in control when he can. In live performances, it is impossible not to feel the close relations of the artists with the microphone. Of course, it's sudden and fast, so sometimes it makes you freak out, and I like it. Unfortunately, I did not feel the effect changeble nozzles on the low frequencies. They are still there and alive. You can not stop them.

Mids: While female vocals no sibilance detected, male vocals were not honky. Arne Domnerus - The acoustics of the Spugna church and the pipe organ ambiance in the back are in your head while performing the saxophone. The stage of three dimensions is successful, but I've heard better scenes at this price range, so my grade is slightly below the pass.

Highs: Now, where are at take it or leave it place. Because I think the company chose safe and conservative tuning in here. The Balanced Armatures in used when listening to classical music can give you the exact response you need and they are ready all your command with full throttle. But again I am saying its limited. Although it is my personal preference, I wish the cymbals were a little longer and lively in rock music. Fortunately, the company gave you this solution with the existing package. Yes, I know, plug it in, take it off, experiment etc... It is a bit tiring, but you'll be satisfied with the result and I think it's worth it. I do not answer the question, please everyone should do their part,

Conclusion:

From the standard configuration point of view of the headset (black nozzle), the sound trend is L type but of course it can be converted to V shape with small adjustments and the kind you want to give you fun times.

If you like Reggae, Pop, R&B or Electronic Music and want to go to the next league, yes, this full headset is for you and definitely deserves this chance. Hey Bass heads, make sure you try it on. A set suitable for you due to its technical potential!

If you're going to critical listening, monitoring or production, this headset may not be for you.

Stay tune and healthy!

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/miniaudio/

Disclaimer:

The unit has been sent to me from BGVP as a part of a review circle. I am not working or affiliated to BGVP and I am not being paid or influenced otherwise to say anything positive or negative about this review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Note: Please note that my opinions and ratings are based on price, category, market competition and personal expectations and are subjective in nature.



Build Quality and comfort

Priced at 169 USD, the NS9 looks good in its golden faceplate and CNC machined aviation grade alloy shell which is black in colour. NS9 has a driver configuration of 2DD+7BA. The diaphragm material is composite titanium plated silicon and the drivers are calibrated using a four-way electronic crossover. The retail packaging comes with a good bundle of accessories – a 3.5mm silver plated braided cable, various assortment of tips and 2 extra sets of filters which helps in tuning the sound signature.

The shells are slightly larger in size but has a snug fit for me, anything bigger even by a slightest margin wouldn’t have fit me. It might not be very comfortable for longer sessions. The cable looks decent and no microphonics either. Overall the set feels decently comfortable.

Looking at the build quality of the IEM and the cable, and the set of included tips and filters, it looks fairly good for its price. Its has various combination of colours and cable preference available in various sites.

Score: 8.5/10



Sound

For the review I have used the grey filters which provides a balanced tuning along with vocal eartips. This seemed to be the best combination for me.

NS9 has a fairly distinct V-shaped sound signature with relaxed highs, recessed mid and boosted punchy bass. Its quite fun to listen to and does well for most genres. It is able to handle complex genres with ease.

The bass has decent amount of texture, abundant amount and punch. The low extension is quite decent for the price and has been the highlight of the pair.

The mids takes a step back and are at times overshadowed by bass, and a minor amount of congestion and lack of clarity is noticed. Recessed mids aren’t particularly and issue for me, I tend to prefer balanced to V shaped sound than a mid forward presentation however I’m not a fan of bass being too powerful to overshadow the mids.

The treble is laid back, with decent amount of details. However highs lack extension and air. The sparkle is still there and attributes to the fun sound signature, but a bit of air and transparency in the mid and high frequency would have certainly taken the NS9 to whole new level. I am not sure though as to attain that type of tuning the sound signature might lose its relaxed nature and maybe that’s not what BGVP would have aimed for its tuning.

Score: 8/10



Soundstage, Imaging, Separation

Soundstage of NS9 has decent width and depth, and helps keep enough space for instrument heavy tracks to not sound congested. The imaging is decent. It has decent instrument separation. A clean sound signature and has good refinement.

Score: 8/10

Source and drivability

I have Cayin’s N6ii with A01, Lotoo Paw s1 and DecaDAC (diy r2r) as sources. N6ii and S1 are fairly warm in its presentation however DecaDAC is more of a neutral source. In my experience, the sound signature of the source hardly impacts the NS9. Its strongly retains its sound signature and tonality all thoughout.

Conclusion:

I have previously reviewed See Audio Yume which is an excellent IEM under 200USD. Both are priced exactly same at 169USD. Comparing with the NS9, the Yume has better tonality with slightly better performance in mids and highs, and the soundstage. The detail retrieval and imaging are on same level in both. NS9 has stronger bass and has a more fun approach to the sound signature. My recommendation under 200USD will still be the Yume however someone who wants a fun bass heavy warm sound signature might try the NS9 and wont be disappointed. Accessories and design wise NS9 is still better unless you have a smaller ears and cant really fit bigger shell IEMs.

Overall Score: 8/10

BGVP NS9 Review

Tl;dr : 170usd, 2dd 7ba setup with tuning nozzle options. Signature can be an L-shaped or a V-shaped depending on the filters used. Unashamedly bassy and warm. Midrange a bit veiled with leaking bass. Decent treble extension although lacking air. Good imaging and separation. There’s a QC issue about unit variants and design issue about the nozzle filters that prevents me from suggesting this.

A bit of background and disclaimer:

BGVP gave me the opportunity to try the NS9 through a review circle tour; rest assured they won’t influence my review. I hope my criticisms can be used to improve BGVP’s future releases and current ones, and guide some curious consumers.

I'm also new on reviewing so please tell me your inputs about it! I'm happy to listen and learn from you guys!


Packaging:

· The packaging consists of a two-part box with a slide-on cover showing its marketing and specs. The two-part box opens to a velvet-lined interior on foam with inserts for the case, the IEMS detached and a foam guide for the 3 pairs of 2 type of tips given, and an envelope containing the usual warranty and manual. The case contains the cable, the two red and silver filters in a small plastic case (the stock black filter is already in the IEMs themselves). With the amount of accessories and tips provided, I think it’s a good value for 170usd, I just wished the tips included were a bit more fitting to the IEM’s nozzle.


Build:

· The shape of these shells is very BIG, sporting a design similar to the Fiio FH3s. The MMCX connector is sufficiently tight and is still easy to remove. The body and the faceplate are very thick and the length of the nozzle is super short, even for Chi-fi shallow fitting IEM standards. As you can see, it sports a screw-able nozzle for tuning your preferred sound but it seems to unscrew easily when you tip roll, especially with the given small bore tips, this is a flaw that BGVP should prevent because the nozzle filters will likely be worn down with usage, so stick to a filter you want if you want to prolong its tightness.
I also saw reports of unit variants with people hearing sibilance in their pairs, so please take note if you’re going to buy one. I suspect there’s a QC problem with their BAs, filtering and sound tube.
I’d give it a plus for giving consumers a chance to tune their sound, but negates it with its potential issues.

Fit and isolation:

· They fit decently, given that your ears is as big as mine, but the shallow fitting of the stubby nozzles might be more of a problem for some. The pair isolates noise surprisingly very good, if it fits your ears well. MANDATORY tiprolling is needed because of the small bore tips provided and the shallow nozzle, so I found a great fit with foams, reversed Starline and large MH755 tips.


Sound:

A bit of background for the source, I used my Meizu DAC (on my phone and laptop) and my music player (Samsung YP-Q2) for the testing. My library consists of MP3 and FLAC albums on 16/44khz and few 24/96khz ones. Here is my lastfm account to see what I listen to: https://www.last.fm/user/varia_ble

- Bass: This is definitely the most prominent of the whole signature. A huge extension till the sub-bass, it is unashamedly bass heavy and sloppy. The decay of the bass is slow and the kicks are full bodied. They also leak through the mids. I just wished it was a tad tighter, textured and doesn’t intrude the midrange so much, but it definitely makes for a fun listen for electronic genres and a good supplement for bass lacking tracks especially in indie rock. The filters seem to do nothing on this range.

- Mids: Warm and a bit veiled. You can definitely see where the V-shaped sound takes its form here. The timbre of some instruments is pretty good for a hybrid but the bass really intrudes with the definition and details of them. Male vocals seem to be taking the stage in front rather than female vocals, though the silver filters seems to accentuate some of the upper-mid and give the female vocal a tiny lift. There is no upper-mid sibilance detected, even more so on the red filter which basically puts an even darker veil on the midrange.

- Treble: Decently extended but lacking air, stock and even with the silver filter. Cymbals don’t have that thin, digital quality that a hybrid usually has and Sssses are handled exceptionally, but the lack of air might be a problem for some. I personally hear good extension but people might hear the opposite, BGVP definitely played it safe in this region, and I like it. The silver filter gives it a bit of a more emphasis while the red filter just overshadows the treble somehow.

- Soundstage, Imaging and Separation: The soundstaging is decent, and feels like a small room, with a focus on width and sufficient depth.
Imaging is good with defined spatial cues and movements, though the bass might smudge it a bit.

Separation is also good with a semblance of definition on various elements, even with the veil and the bassy nature of the IEMs. The BAs definitely did their work with this part.

- [EXTRA] Coherence: I honestly don’t hear any crosstalk on my unit or anything that overlaps with the ranges. BGVP seems to do a great job with its crossover circuit although I don’t really mind, if I’m gonna buy an IEM, it’s gonna be for the music, though a bit of crossover QC quality for this price range should still be expected.

Comparison:

- With Seeaudio Yume: They’re basically sold more or less in the same price (170usd, 169 in other places), and both are hybrids with only difference is the driver count. The Yume sports an accurate Harman 2019 signature and the NS9 sports an L or a V shaped signature (depending on its filters).

Bass goes to NS9, because the Yume unacceptably has a lacking bass slam, though it is tighter and well textured than the NS9.

Mids goes to the Yume, being more defined and detailed and less veiled by the boisterous bass response, although the warmth factor of the NS9 is still something I’d prefer.

Treble goes for the Yume, because it’s less veiled than the NS9 and more detailed, though both lacks air.

Thoughts:

I seriously want to give the NS9 a 4 out of 5 with its fun signature and the valuable choice to tune its sound to your liking but I have to deduct some points with their overall design and quality flaws like the reported issues about unit variance, the short nozzle and its damage-prone filters screwing which can be a problem in the long run. I wouldn’t mind giving it another half if BGVP addresses the QC issues in their production, but till then, we have to wait for their response to those people that had the problem.

With the problems aside, I honestly think this is a good IEM for most of my library and my current listens, carrying an all rounded and fun listen. I had good fun relistening to Justin Timberlake’s 20/20 Experience, and I think this is a good addition to your collection if you’re into pop, rock and electronic genres. Unfortunately I still have to hold that suggestion for now until BGVP fixes these flaws. J

Thank you for reading!

Build & Fit :
NS9 has its shells made of aviation grade aluminium alloy and the shell is CNC machined. The chassis is smooth and chunky, although that is partially due to the whopping 9 drivers per side; 7 Knowles & Sonion BA and 2 DDs. Integrating the 9 drivers is a 4-way electronic crossover.
It comes with 3 tuning filters which have a robust screw on system. The red emphasises the bass region, the stock one provides a balanced sound and the grey filter emphasizes the high frequencies.
The cable is a 5N single crystal Silver Plated Copper with MMCX interface. The cable looks and feels gorgeous and for the first time I have encountered a stock cable which is sonically very good as well. On trying with other IEMs, I have found the cable to consistently improve soundstage and imaging capabilities.
When it came to fit, I just couldn't get the IEM to seal in my right ear for some reason; left was fine. I guess the shape of the shell didn't play well with the shape of my right ear canal. Unfortunate as it might be, I am holding my weird right canal at fault in this case.





Amp Needs :
At 20 ohm, 107 dB/mW sensitivity, you do not need an external amplifier. Plug the NS9 in your phone and enjoy.



Sound Quality :
The review has been conducted with a combination of the silver filter and the stock black tips which come pre-applied. I have found this combo to work best with the NS9.
What hits you in the face unashamed is the bass quantity; it's deep and pounding and it's even got rumble to it. Switching to my other IEMs and headphones made them sound almost bass-less.
There is big boost in the sub-bass and midbass region which is clearly heard. Sadly, the bass does bleed into the mids and masks it, making the midrange sound veiled. The bass isn't the
fastest or texture rich either. It isn't the tightest bass either, it's more of a "hit you in the face" impactful kind of bass. But boy does it hit hard. The rumble is heavily seal dependent, I have found varying results just by pulling of different expressions on my face (which in turn affect the seal and positioning).
This slow decaying bass leaves male vocals sounding veiled even though the timbre is more or less good. To visualize it, imagine if the vocalist is behind a translucent curtain. Upper mids and female vocals in general are toned down in presence, presumably to token the intended dark thick sound signature. Female vocals come out better and truer to life
as compared to the male vocals, although lacking the bite and glisten needed. The treble is just plain rolled off and laid back. Nothing is harsh, nothing even comes close to being bright. It has the usual boost in the mid-treble to restore balance in its overall bassy tone and I think it is done nicely, without bordering on sibilance. NS9 isn't that resolving in the top end; it's smooth and buttery.
The good news is that the instrument separation is quite decent, seems to be unaffected by the boosted bass and so is the soundstage. It's not that spacious but reaches noticeably wide although not deft when it comes to showing the depth in the stage. Image positioning is more accurate at the edges of the headstage than in between where it is a bit fuzzy.
I wish it had more image resolving capabilities which would have made it a considerably better performer.





Conclusion :
This screams to be used for electronic/downtempo/IDM/Techno music. So if you turn on Plastikman/Richie Hawtin instead of Diana Krall, you will not be disappointed with the NS9. While its sound signature doesn't represent speed, accuracy and control, it will be a joy to use in the previously mentioned genres or any genre similar to it.

Hello mates, Welcome to my humble IEM review here in Head-fi once again. As usual, I do some explanation about my takeaways and comprehensive analysis on such a particular IEM product provided by audio companies as always as either I received or bought it with my own dosh. I have this new set from an audio company, BGVP. I am quite familiar on this particular company as I have tested their BGVP DMG and BGVP DM6 before some few years ago. BGVP is one of the few companies in Chi-fi world that delivers some of a well-tuned and good built quality products that was quite familiar and known in the audio community scene. A representative send me this review unit for my honest impression and a feedback on their product.



This is BGVP NS9, their latest offering in over a hundred dollar (US) IEM segment, It is made of CNC-milled aluminium with three-vertical lines embossed at the front metal shell which offer sturdiness and premium feel. This IEM has a hybrid set-up, Two (2) Dynamic Drivers and Seven (7) Balanced Armature Drivers. One of the most interesting part here are the BAs that they have chosen on these, Sonion and Knowles. Most of the IEM afficionados are very familiar on these BA brands, they are both use from midrangers to top-of-the-line IEMs in more popular and premium audio brands. The other interesting one is the implementation of multi-crossover circuit boards that promises better separation on three parts of audio frequency spectrum. The connector of this one is a MMCX for flexibility and manageable ergonomics.



The packaging box has a white colour in the front and back with black tinge on its sides.The front has a simple illustration of the NS9 itself with Hi-Res audio, Knowles and Sonion logos at the bottom, And some specification and the address of the company itself at the back. The contents inside are the IEMs, a silver four(4)-core single crystal SPC cable, 6 pairs of extra ear tips for vocals and bass for a usual three (3) different ear sizes, a pair of memory foam ear tips, an IEM hard leather case, 2 pairs of tuning filters inside of a small opaque case (This one has a changeable screen tuning filters on their nozzle to improve some audio frequency based on your tuning preference.) and some paperworks like warranty card and a simple instruction manual in different languages.



The wearable rating of this IEM is very comfortable into my average-size ears as it fit snugly into my ear canal without any ear fatigue and irritability, surprisingly that these IEMs are a little bit weighty. It has a good isolation that partially block from external noise.



The tonality of BGVP NS9 is warm with smooth transition on treble. Let's dive even more and to divulge its sound quality.



LOWS/BASS

The bass quality is punchy, impactful and vigorous. It has decent reach on sub-bass I hear the rumble distinctly that most bassheads' wants on their LFs. The mid-bass has an average weigh tone as its provide a good amount on slam and very minimal or absence of bass bleeds on other frequency spectrum. The transiency of bass decay is quite a worthy to praise for its average speed. Double bass kicks still manage to tend to avoid some unnecessary smudges on other instruments. Bass guitars still sound with even burp and has that growl characteristics on it as I feel that natural portrayal of plucking on it. This is the low frequency caliber on what basshead are looking as I can recommend this set to them with a brazen grin on my face.

MIDS

The mids of this one has forward and good texture density that will provide a full-bodied and sustaining mellowness along its frequency range. Both male and females vocals are both balanced and well-densed to provide better resolution and detail fullness as it will blend it well on melody harmoniously. The male vocals are engaging and with harmonic intensity while the female vocals are emotive and well-defined on its articulation, fluency and pacing within on their respective octave ranges. The percussions, rhythm and wind instruments sounds sonorously and natural as I can distinctly tell the tonality and timbre between the rhythm, lead and acoustic guitar as it has the crunch, vibrancy and crisp of a lead and acoustic guitars while rhythm guitar has these warm and amicable feel, the piano has these fullness and mellow. Snares strikes are penetrating yet retains its precision and clarity.

HIGHS/TREBLE

This is the part of the audio frequency which I find as an underwhelming and bland in my hearing perception. The treble is smoothen out on this one as I sense an undulating, less resolving on micro-detail and resolution even if I keep changing its tuning filters and eartips just to satisfy my part of being a treblehead but alas, no to avail. This set has an average or less treble extension with less airy due to some subdued peaks on the brilliance treble region. The cymbals strikes sounds tight and easily lose its sizzle and extension. Chimes and xylos are also lack of that glistening and luster characteristics. There are even tracks that I encounter that sounds like a gushing waterfalls especially on fast cymbals strikes that sounds hissy and quite soughing (Try Metallica's Jump In the Fire).The good aspect of this one that sibilance is absent on this one and treble sensitives will definitely enjoying its safe treble tuning.

SOUNDSTAGE AND IMAGING

The soundstage size of NS9 has an above average width with emphasis in depth. The vocals positioning are quite intimate on this one. The separation of instruments has sensing of space and imaging and layering has a good positional accuracy as I do a sweeping spatial panning in some tracks I can locate placements of instruments and vocals on each row.


As I conclude my review on this unit, this is good set for people who wants a comfortable listening experience yet delivers a decent audio quality. Trebleheaded ones will probably shun on this as they will find as dark and too mellow but a certain set of listerners like Bassheads and Midcentrics will definitely love its capability on delivering on their preferred tuning and natural tonality on it.



SPECIFICATIONS:
MODEL：NS9
SENSITIVITY：107dB
CABLE LENGTH：1.2mm
IMPEDANCE：25Ω
CONNECTOR：3.5mm
FREQUENCY RANGE RESPONSE: 10 - 40000Hz
TOTAL HARMONIC DISTORTION：0.5%
DRIVER CONFIGURATON: 2 DDs and 7 BAs
CHANNEL DIFFERENCE: ≤1dB(20-10kHz)

P.S.

I am not affliated to BGVP 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.