BQEYZ Spring 1

BQEYZ Spring 1 Review (1DD + 1BA +1PD) - 𝐒𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐡𝐚𝐬 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐡!


Disclaimer: This unit was lent to me in exchange for my honest opinion about this IEM. Only the earpiece was provided to me so I can't make any feedback about unboxing experience and its sound at stock form. So like what I did with the **** DT9 Review, I will be stating what cable and ear tips I'll be using with the BQEYZ Spring 1. And lastly, your mileage may vary.


𝐈𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧
- First I would like to thank my dear friend for lending me this IEM for review.

This is the first time that I've listened to a BQEYZ IEM, but I have heard a lot of good things about the Spring 2 and Summer. And what I have here is BQEYZ's very first tri-brid that has a dynamic driver, balanced armature driver, and a piezoelectric driver, the BQEYZ Spring 1. Now I don't have access to the newer IEMs of BQEYZ, so I can't make any comparisons between the three. Now let us begin.


𝐆𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐬 𝐮𝐬𝐞𝐝:
Source - ZiShan U1 ESS Version
Cable - TRI 8 Core SPC Cable, KBEAR 4 Core Copper Cable
Ear tips - JVC Spiral Dots


𝐁𝐮𝐢𝐥𝐝 𝐐𝐮𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲
- As I only have the Earpiece with me, then I'll be only commenting about the earpieces alone. The build quality of the Spring 1 is really good. It has a metal build with a powder-like finishing, making it not susceptible to scratches like shiny metal shelled IEMs. I also like the gold accent that they did with this variant, very elegant looking I would say. Despite it being metal, the IEM itself is lightweight, so you wont have to worry about having weights on your ears.


𝐒𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝 𝐐𝐮𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲

𝐁𝐚𝐬𝐬
- The Spring 1 delivers a deep bass, with more emphasis and quantity on sub-bass. This gives the Spring 1 a nice low end rumble, but not overdone. Mid-bass on the other hand is average. I find the bass to be focused more on the sub bass than the mid bass. The bass presentation is smooth and its decay and details is average. Bass texture is smooth and pleasant to listen to. Not for bassheads as the bass of the Spring 1 has a mid bass that doesn't have expansive sound that surrounds one's head.

𝐌𝐢𝐝𝐬
- I find the mids of the Spring 1 a bit recessed and thin sounding. Nevertheless the mids still sounds very lively and engaging. And has elevated upper mids that is bright and wide, but sibilance and harshness is present at time specially with K-pop or J-pop tracks. Overall very enjoyable mids even if they're on the thin side, sibilance and harshness is something that you'll encounter with tracks that are prone to them.

𝐓𝐫𝐞𝐛𝐥𝐞
- For me, the star of the Spring one is the sparkly treble. The treble presentation is smooth, detailed, natural sounding, and is well extended. All I can say is the the treble is simply amazing. I just wish that it was a bit brighter.

𝐒𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐈𝐦𝐚𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐠
- Soundstage is above average, and the imaging and instrument separation is very good.


𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐜𝐥𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧
- The BQEYZ Spring 1 is a very good introductory IEM to what IEMs with Piezoelectric driver can offer, especially with its treble. The only gripe I have is that I wish that the bass are tighter, but some people may prefer a slower decay in the bass region. And that the occasional harshness in the upper mid and sibilance to be completely eliminated. Overall I think that the Spring 1 is a must buy at this price segment, as it will also introduce you to the wonders of piezo.

At a Glance:

Overall Rating: A+ (S+ to C-)

Category: B (100-300), MSRP: 139 USD, Acquired at: 0 USD (Tour Unit)



Diclaimer:
This unit was provided to me in a tour organized by another HiFi enthusiast (@Raymond Roque). I have not been paid any money to make this review, though BQEYZ and Elle Zhou were responsible for providing the units for review. Rest assured that no external factors outside of my personal opinions on this unit will affect the content of this review. As always, all thoughts and opinions are my own.



Overview:

The Spring 1 is BQEYZ’s previous IEM flagship from their “Seasons Series”. It features tri-brid driver setup containing a single 13mm Dynamic Driver, BQEYZ’s own patented 7-layer Piezoelectric driver and a single nozzle mounted Balanced Armature driver all encased in a custom-made CNC milled aluminum housing.



Inclusions: N/A

This unit was provided as part of a review tour, and I only received the IEM drivers. As such, this entire review will be done without anything stock. I should note that the cable used is similar to the actual stock cable, as are the tips used as they are the ones that were included with my BQEYZ Summer.





Build: S-

The Spring 1’s are built entirely out of a CNC machined aluminum that BQEYZ manufactures in-house. The tooling expertise here is quite clear, with incredibly tight seam tolerances for the two halves of the shell and the piece for the nozzle (which is a different, silver finish). Speaking of the nozzle this IEM, unlike the cheaper K line and like the rest of the Seasons IEMs thankfully has a lip on the nozzle to hold on to eartips, which is especially beneficial for the wider bore tips that this IEM seems to work well with. The nozzle is also rather wide, which suggests that narrow bore tips may not play so well. The driver housings are vented with 3 small vents on the inside face of the IEM. The 2-pin connectors are slightly recessed, but not to the point where it becomes tricky to fit cables.





The finish on my unit seems to be a matte anodized finish, which feels great in the hand and has been incredibly durable in the other BQEYZ IEMs I’ve used. Much better than Moondrop’s painted finish that much is for certain. Comfort is fantastic with the right tips. Despite the all-metal build, the aluminum used is still quite light, and the size of the shells combined with BQEYZ’s signature leaf-shaped design mean that thiey practically disappear on the ear. However, the size of the shells and the fact that they do not rest on your ear or hook onto the concha with a fin mean that comfort it mainly dependent on the tips you use rather than the actual shape of your ear.

Overall, the build is very good, with essentially no quibbles with durability, comfort and practicality being all hits here.





Sound Review Conditions:

• BQEYZ 8-Core SPC Upgrade Cable (in Silver) was used
• Beenoise Wide Bore Eartips, AZLA SednaEarFit and BQEYZ Wide Bore tips (from Summer)
• Deezer HiFi, Foobar 2000, Signalyst HQ Player

Sound:



Note:

This IEM comes with the usual cheese grater filter that BQEYZ uses. However, removing it in this case was a more marginal improvement in the soundstage likely due to the fact that this IEMs more balanced signature is less crowded. As such, I decided to carry out this review with the stock filter in place.

With a 43ohm impedance rating and only 108dB of sensitivity, these perhaps may require slightly more power than the average IEM, though in my experience they got loud fairly easily out of even cheaper dongles like the JCALLY JM20 with a CS43131.



Bass: A

Bass on this IEM can be described as rather neutral or balanced across the entirety of the region, which leads to a rather clean bass presentation, without a hint of the bloat that plagues some other IEMs. The relatively lean presentation means that depending on the track this IEM does feel bass-shy, even as a non basshead. However, thanks to good bass extension, this IEM is able to provide weight and impact in tracks that required that extension. Nevertheless, the lacking midbass (which is surprisingly bleedy despite there not being much of it), combined with the rather laggy driver speed mean that the bass region can end up feeling a little bit lacking in transient impact even if note weight is satisfactory in addition to being wooly and undefined Bass texture is alright, thanks to extension and linearity it does reproduce the full range quite well but separation and speed leave some performance to be desired with the speed in particular being a con in busier tracks. Overall bass performance is just a little bit above decent in this price point, being alright tonally but a bit behind in terms of quality.



Mids: A+

Midrange performance on this IEM is somewhat neutral in isolation but skewed to a colder more technical approach overall. Thanks to a relatively balanced presentation in the bass there is no veil but a dip in the lower mids combined with the lack of midbass warmth means that male vocals sound too cold tonally and they lack some of the thickness and warmth that make them sound correct. On the other hand, the combination of a colder tonality and treble excellence mean that the upper mids, female vocals and strings like acoustic guitar sound fantastic, with great control over the transient bite and better tonal quality than the lower mids. Overall midrange performance is good but it could use more body in the lower mids.



Treble: S

Overall treble performance is quite balanced and neutral. This is where this IEM and the unique piezo driver really seem to shine, the treble is fantastically well controlled and extends all the way up to the presence region. Lower treble is present giving good snap to cymbals and bright impact to other notes. As you get higher there seems to be a peak at around 8k giving this a good sense of detail presented but the control and appropriation of the quantity do mean that this IEM dodges being a source of sibilance. Going even higher up above 10kHz the treble seems to extend all the way up, giving this IEM a great sense of sparkle, shimmer and air with instruments that present it. Despite the quality of the treble though, I find that the treble is tuned quite safely, with too little in some parts. I would’ve preferred just a couple more dB of treble in some parts though that would’ve likely pushed this into a bright signature rather than being a more balanced neutral one. Overall treble quality is excellent and truly a remarkable contribution from the piezo driver.



Technicalities: A+

Technical performance is good but nothing to rave about on this IEM. The soundstage is decently wide though par for the course at this price range, it has reasonably good depth and some front and back width though still mostly oblong. Imaging is actually quite good, fairly accurate and convincing in presentation. Detail retrieval is also quite good even through what could be considered as some false detail from the treble region. Coherency is usually a strong point of BQEYZ and it’s no different here, maybe just a little bit of BA timbre at the upper mids to lower treble if anything at all. Overall, the technicalities are quite good with no overt flaws either.



Conclusion:

This IEM is a bit of an older one. It sits as a superseded unit in BQEYZ’s own lineup, overshadowed by the Spring II and Summer that are around the same price point with similar characteristics but newer. That makes it sit at a bit of an awkward position in terms of value at retail price especially when some of the budget K series IEMs are close to this in terms of sound quality. Nonetheless, it’s still a great package for an IEM with just a few flaws. If you can pick it up for cheap (I’ve seen these go for as low as 40 USD locally) they’re definitely a solid buy. Recommended with reservations.

Source Used During Review: Hiby R5 Saber, ShanlingUA1
Tips Used During Review: Stock Atmosphere Tips, Final E-Tips
Cable Used During Review: Stock Spring 1 Cable

Disclaimer: Although this review unit has been loaned to me by Gears for Ears, it will be returned to them upon the completion of this review. All thoughts & opinions shared here will be my own, 100% honest and bias-free. This review of course is completely subjective.



Introduction: Let me start off by saying that I know I am little bit late to the party in reviewing this IEM, Spring 1 has been out for a while & there are already plenty of reviews out on it already. But since I was given the opportunity to review this IEM by Gears For Ears BD, I did not want to pass on this opportunity. This is my 1st review of a BQEYZ product so let me give some background info abut the company, quoted by Miss Elle Zhou herself: “Our factory has over 20 years of experience in the earphone and headphone industry. We can offer OEM and ODM. From 2018, we released our first brand BQEYZ, it means Best Quality for You! We want to offer audio products that are cost-effective. The design is simple and fashionable, sound is neutral, no biased, no inclined. “

Now that you have some idea about who BQEYZ is & what they stand for, let’s talk a bit about the specs & price of the Spring 1. BQEYZ spring 1 is tri-brid IEM with a 7-layer piezoelectric driver for the highs, a balanced armature (BA) driver for the mids & a 13mm dynamic driver for the lows. It has an impedance of 43Ω & sensitivity of 108dB which means it requires some power to shine. For such an intriguing setup, Spring 1 is price quite reasonably well at $139.



Packaging & Accessories: Looking at the price & specs of the product one would assume it’s only natural for the manufacturer to skimp out on the accessories, but that is not the case here at all. The standard retail box contains:

- 6 pairs of silicone ear tips

- 3 pairs for “Atmosphere”: With smaller bore to enhance the bass performance

- 3 pairs for “Reference”: With wider bore to produce a more neutral sound signature

- A pair of foam ear tips

- 8 core 0.78mm 2-pin 3.5mm unbalanced silver-plated copper (SPC) cable

- A black semi-hard carrying case

I would like to use this part of the review to appreciate how nice the stock cable of the Spring 1 is! It’s not only soft & extremely comfortable to use, but the black & gunmetal color scheme really makes it stand out from the rest of the crowd.



Build & Fit (4.3/5): Unlike other brands from China who more or less use the same design pattern for their shells, BQEYZ is going for something bold & unique. The shell of the Spring 1 is fully made out of an aluminum frame, although I wouldn’t say its light weight but it has a very ergonomic design. The nozzle is made of aluminum too & there are three vents on the inner side of the shell to reduce driver flex. I am happy to report than unlike the TRI Starsea, BQEYZ Spring 1 does not suffer from any driver flex or BA pressure build up issues. Luckily there is also a 2-pin connector on top of the shell, which makes using any 3rd party cables hassle-free.



Drivability: As mentioned earlier in the review the Spring 1 requires quite a bit of power to shine properly. Playing it from a phone’s 3.5 jack is out of the question, even using a mid-level dongle like Shanling UA1 or Fiio BTR5 (connected via desktop PC) fails to make that piezo driver sing & bass has barely any presence. I was able to get optimal results only with my Hiby R5 Saber DAP, highs were bright, vibrant & there was a good quantity of sub & mid bass.

Sound

Tonality: The Spring 1 has a W-Shaped tuning, which means its identical to a V-shaped sound with dips in the mid bass and upper mids. The sound of the Spring 1 is more on the analytical & bright side rather than warm & smooth. But there is still a good quantity of bass present, keeping things fun rather than boring. The BA timbre for instruments is pretty natural and sounds accurate.

Highs (4.5/5): The highs are the highlight of the Spring 1, they are airy, crisp, have a quite a bit of sparkle to them & pretty well extended. The detail retrieval is class leading at this price point, the quantity of micro details is abundant due to the more analytical nature of the sound. Highs are pretty energetic and I did not notice any sibilance or fatigue during long listening sessions.

Soundstage, Imaging & Separation (4/5): The soundstage of the Spring 1 is above average, with a good width and It extends in depth, height. Overall soundstage is good but not attention grabbing worthy. Imaging on the Spring 1 is top-class, it manages to pinpoint most interments & vocal cues with excellent precession. Resolution is pretty great too, which means the Spring 1 is more forgiving of the poorly recorded/mastered tracks.

Mids (4.2/5): The BA driver handles the midrange like a champ, with plenty a warm tonality & plenty of details. Vocals sounds thick & forward with a boost in the upper-midrange. Even with that peak in the upper midrange vocals maintain a good amount of transparency & no shouty-ness can be detected even at louder volumes. Both male & female vocals sound excellent and really grabs your attention in acoustic tracks. Mids are definitely a strong point of the Spring 1’s after Highs.

Lows (4.1/5): When amped properly I found the Spring 1 to have plenty of sub-bass rumble, while mid-bass punch is missing. Bass has a good texture but it lacks in speed which is especially noticeable in faster paced songs & genres like metal. Still not a bad performance at all, it’s just that bass heads will have to look elsewhere. On a more positive note, IEM’s with great mids usually come with under-whelming bass, which is not the case here. While the bass of the Spring 1 might lack some punch & speed, you will definitely notice & feel its presence in genres like Pop & Hip-hop.

Conclusion: Due to its more analytical & less fun sound nature not everyone will appreciate what Spring 1 brings to the table. While those looking for a bright sound with plenty of details will be pleasantly surprised. Personally, I think Spring 1 hits the sweet spot between a warm, rounded & bright, analytical sound, due its emphasis on the upper mids and sub-bass quantity. Is the Spring 1 an all-rounder? Not really, but its pretty close to being one.



Comparisons: ??? Right now, I am in the middle of reviewing BQEYZ Spring 1, 2 & Summer along with Fiio FH3, Tri Starsea so I felt it appropriate to review them individually first and then do a massive $100 to $150 range IEM battle, to see who takes the lead! So please stay tuned, like & follow my page The Audio Bloke for future updates if you liked this review. Thanks!