BQEYZ Summer

First impression.
The box is compact, with stylish printing. Presentation is at a very high level. Everything is neat, beautiful. The most needed accessories were put in. It is worth noting that the ear pads are of very good quality. The cable is soft, beautiful and of high quality. Shells are made of translucent plastic (there is also a completely transparent blue version), very reliable in appearance and impeccably assembled. Overall impressions of the package and presentation are very good

Now let's get down to the sad information and what's wrong with these IEM...this time you will not wait)) There are some nuances, but more about them later

Sound.
Having started listening to Summer, I immediately realized that I would have to listen to my entire audio collection, I very rarely do this with new headphones. At first, I was confused by the abundance of high frequencies (not sibilants), there are simply a lot of them, they are not crushed by anything and due to this they simply give out a divine upper part of the range, with all the layers, velvet, the smallest nuances. Oh my..., I heard new shades of my favorite compositions...it rarely happens, it happens very rarely.
The mids are crisp, precise and engaging. Bass?! You hear the bass at the very end. At beginning it seems that there is not enough bass...but after listening a little, I realized that it is there. Bass reaches very depths of my ear. No one frequency is no cannibalized, all frequencies are separated, the scene is wide, there is a strong micro-contrast, but I personally like it

The IEMs are clearly not basshead, I would class them as audiophile. The overall sound is a little bright, but this is done deliberately, in order to enjoy the music and open up its new facets. Drivers are very coherent, the joints are not audible, each of the 3 drivers (piezo, dynamically, balanced armature) clearly plays out its part, but at the same time they work as one friendly team

Summer is omnivorous, you can listen to absolutely all styles of music on them. But styles as heavy as possible can sound lightweight, but if you love the detail of a "chainsaw", not a "jackhammer", then you can safely buy them!

Now for one caveat, if you are sensitive to high frequencies, the Summer data will not hurt you, but perhaps at first they are a little shocking with the abundance of details in the upper register. Otherwise, these IEMs are a godsend for a true audiophile

If you're looking for new experiences and new iems, I highly recommend giving Summer a try. They are definitely cheaper than they give in return in terms of sound

They need a good source, at least a mobile Apm/Dac. Hi-fi player will be able to fully unleash their potential. They are also critical of the quality of the material (do not even try to listen to mp3, universe will not forgive))


To be honest, I will continue to follow the development of BQEYZ, they make a truly great product

I highly recommend Summer to the restless explorers of new sound. Thank you for reading to the end, I will go on to enjoy this little miracle

The BQEYZ Summer is the the "second act" to BQEYZ's Seasons Series...

the question now is: "Is the BQEYZ Summer the best all-rounder hybrid IEM under $200usd?"
Read on further to find out...

INTRODUCTION:​

BQEYZ Summer is a $129usd triple hybrid IEM consisting of 1DD for bass, 1BA for mids, and 1 5-layer piezoelectric unit for highs. Its box comes with a generous amount of accessories; with 2 different types of ear tips, a leather carrying case, a cleaning brush, a beautiful 8-core SPC cable, and the IEM itself.

Regarding the 2 provided tips (1 being black and the other being white), I find the black one to be warmer and smoother sounding, while the white one to be tighter and has more bite up top. Personally, I find the white one to sound better so that is what I'll be using for this review.

With that out of the way, let's start the review.

PROS

:​

• Very versatile and fun tuning. Best way to describe the sound signature here is that it is slightly warm, with a slight W to mild V shaped tuning. Generally smooth and non-fatiguing sounding.
• Bass is dominant, full-bodied, thick, warm, and punchy. It also extends well with satisfying sub-bass rumble.
• Midrange is open, forward, musical, weighty, and slightly warm.
• Detail retrieval is good with great control. Never once have I felt fatigued or overwhelmed with too many microdetails. Yes, I do agree that its microdetail retrieval could be better, but the amount of microdetail (or lack thereof) is what gives the Summer that smooth and non-fatiguing sound.
  
  Don't get me wrong, the Summer is NOT at all lacking in detail, it is actually pretty detailed for the price. It's just that there are more detailed IEMs out there at around this price. Problem is, those IEMs are nowhere near Summer's level of smoothness and control.
• As expected from a smooth and non-fatiguing sound, no hint of sibilance or shoutiness can be detected.
• Timbre here is warm and pretty natural sounding for a BA. Really impressed with the timbre here.
• The Piezo highs here is just… amazing. The best way to describe the highs here is that it is sparkly, airy, splashy, with a good amount of bite… and it is able to achieve all that, while still retaining its overall smooth sound signature (a recurring theme). Although the treble here is bright and slightly emphasized, it is never peaky or uncontrolled.
  
  Even if you are treble sensitive, I wouldn't worry about the treble here at all as it is tuned amazingly.
• Not to mention, the piezo treble here sounds one of a kind. If you have not heard piezo highs, IMO you must give it a try.
• Soundstage is also very good for the price. Soundstage here has great width, with decent height and adequate depth.
• Image separation is also great, thanks to the open midrange and great soundstage.
• Left right positional imaging is great too. However, I do find front back imaging to be slightly lacking.
• The IEM shell is light and well built. Fit is great and comfortable for long hours, with one small caveat (see cons).
• 2 different types of tips provided - 1 black and 1 white. Black one for smoother more laid-back listens. White for tighter bass and more bite.
• Very good accessory set. Great cable, great case.

CONS

:​

• Not the most coherent sounding IEM (Quite coherent for a hybrid at this price, but will lose when compared to single driver IEMs).
• Soundstage depth could be better.
• Front back imaging could be better.
• Not a micro-detail monster (I find this to be a pro, but your mileage may vary)
• Lacks texture, especially bass
• Stock tips are quite stiff out of the box. Have to break them in a bit to be usable (especially the white ones).
• Regarding comfort, the shell's fin is slightly sharp. Would prefer it if the fin is more smoothed out.

CONCLUSION:​

In conclusion, the BQEYZ Summer is a great hybrid IEM that is super versatile and well-tuned. BQEYZ did an amazing job tuning the Summer as I find the Summer to be one of the best all-rounder Hybrid IEM you can get for under $200usd.

If someone is asking me to recommend them a balanced sounding hybrid IEM that can work for all genres at around the $150usd price range… heck, even at around the $200usd price range, the BQEYZ Summer would definitely be the first thing that comes to mind. Its versatile tuning, good technicalities, and competitive price is what makes me recommend the BQEYZ Summer so highly.

So... have you tried the Summer? Let me know down in the comments! Would love to hear your thoughts

Hello mates and welcome to another review of an IEM that I've been interested and looking forward since it was announced a few weeks ago. I know that you are familar about BQEYZ products in Head-fi as I review their previous offerings like the resurgent popularity of their good old KC2 and their widely acclaimed Spring 2 as I give them a positive rating and highly regarded on their product offerings due to their build quality and mature audiophiliac tuning. As I have patiently waiting the release of this particular product from them and now I have obtain it and very excited to use them and listen to some of my favourite tracks. Now that I will share some of my subjective insights on this product.



I'm here proudly to introduce their latest product, The BQEYZ Summer. As we know that their previous series were named after a type of season which is Spring and now we have the Summer. It seems that they do name their flagship product line based on seasons, maybe we will expect a Winter or Autumn on their upcoming, future products. We know that BQEYZ is a well-respected Chi-fi brand that gain a good reputation and admiration from audio enthusiast forums due their build quality, a different approach on their implementation of driver in their product like tri-brid which is unusual and very few Chi-fi companies implement them and you can only find them on from top-of-the-line audio brands and outstanding mature tuning but I digress.


Anyways, let's go back to BQEYZ Summer IEM, This set is tri-brid driver consists of their custom BA, a new 13mm DD tech consists of polyurethane (PU) diaphragm and liquid crystal polymer (LCP) film and a new improved 5-layered Piezoelectric driver. This set-up is also found on its previous predecessors like Spring 1 and Spring 2 but this one is tune differently compare to its Spring cousins.
The new 13mm DD is quite interesting as these new material promises a faster bass transient, reduces excess vibration, improving signal process fidelity to be more sound natural and dynamic on both lows and mids, better rigid structural yet less weight. Then the custom BA by BQEYZ and the Piezo are both working in tandem to deliver a transparent, bright, cleaner responses on upper mids and treble. The current price offering of BQEYZ Summer is US$ 129.00 in online stores.



The Summer IEM shell is made of translucent and opaque high quality resin with some small amount of glitters that is robust yet very light. This is the lightest and less chunky shell among the BQEYZ products which is quite suprising on their decision to go in this direction, from premium looking, thick-shelled CNC-milled aluminium to feather weighted, minimalist design resin shell. This IEM has two colour options to choose from, the smoky black one and light blue one. The nozzle of this IEM has average length made of silver coloured brass and its fitting is deep enough and it is very cosy and comfortable to my ears as it sealed well on the outer ear canal which benefit for slight better sound isolation from external noise in the surrounding. As I observe this IEM, I found that it has a 3 pinhole-size vents on it for releasing air pressure from the inside.



The packaging of The Summer comes with medium-size, grayish sky blue cardboard box with small print of BQEYZ in top-left and a medium-size print "Summer" at the center. The contents inside are a pair of the IEMs, a high quality 8-core single crystal SPC white cable, 6 pairs of black and white silicon eartips in three standard sizes and all them are atmospheric eartips that you will found from their previous flagships ( The metal plate eartips organizer is not there anymore), a medium-size grey IEM leatherette case ( quite a downsize from Spring 2's leatherette case), a small brush for cleaning the nozzles, a velcro cable cable lace and some paperworks like warranty card and simple instruction manual.



The stock cable of Summer feels very premium to touch as it is very supple and soft in my hand. It doesnt entangled and very sturdy for daily usage and longevity.



The scalability of the Summer is very easy to drive and adequate enough as it has an average impedance rating of 32Ω and high sensitivity rating that can be driven through low powered source such as smartphones, tablets, PC and laptop though it will be more benefited on high quality hi-fi DACs and amp as it will show its true potential.



The Summer has balanced, mild U-shape tonality with elevated and enhanced bass , balanced to linear mids and some lift and emphasis in treble.



And now, I'll describe the sound characteristics of each audio frequency range based on my hearing perception.

LOWS/BASS:

I describe the bass of this one as very punchy and has well-defined power. It has precision, impact and intensity as it reveal the depth extension on its sub-bass which shows ardently slam and definitive roll and rumble. The midbass quantity has a thick density as it is still sounds balanced as it tends to avoid on being overly excessive that it might bleed on the mids. The bass kicks sounds life-like, pounding and sustaining while bass guitar sounds attested to its tune as it show its broady and resonant nature especially on fretless, tapping, slapping and picking techniques in rock and metal tracks. Bassheads will definitely love the bass quality of this one as it engaging and impactful.

MIDS:

The mids are slightly recess on this one but it is still deliver a forward, clean and still retain its linearity with some warmth on it. The texture density of vocals are on average quantity as both male and female will have different outcome based on their vocal range capacity. The male vocals are a little bit overshadowed compare to the females as the latter taken the advantage technicality due to some emphasis on the upper mids. The male vocals are more on a leaner side and in between or eclipsed in some tracks that percussive and rhythm instruments are more prominent but still retains its resolving details and clarity that harmoniously mix well on the track. The female vocals are more lively and transparent as it show more details and etherealness in the mix. I feel the particularity of high octave vocal range as sonorous and resounding. The rhythm and percussions instrument are even more eminent and distinguishable as I feel the snares hits very intimate and natural. The guitars (both electric and acoustic) sounds more refined and crunchy with tons of detail and air on it as I hear it more convincing toward natural. The piano keys sounds rounded and pleasant. The BQEYZ Summer somehow deliver decent quality on mid segment as it still retain its smooth and precisely characteristic.

HIGHS/TREBLE:

The treble quality of this one is leaning towards bright but somehow I felt some smoothen part (toning down some peaks) somewhere in presence sector on treble region just to avoid the harshness and sibilance. Despite of some soft refining on upper mids/lower treble, it still has that sparkle, clarity and show some good amount of detail retrieval. It still has an airiness and a good extension as I still hear that quality of cymbals strikes as it is convincing to be a natural sounding, snappy as tersive and has that speedy transcient.This will be have a good rating or passable mark by trebleheads and enough to be appreciated by treble-sensitives who still look for a good treble quality in their tracks but still depends on their tolerance.


SOUNDSTAGE AND IMAGING:

This is truly one of the strongest points of Summer. It has that expansive wideness and depth of soundstage as if you will feel that you're in big concert hall ( they are even wider than KC2 and Spring 2). The imaging is superb and highly commedable on this one as I can hear it clearly and accurately to determine the directional panning and dynamic signals, pinpointing the placement of instruments and vocals and sensing the spacing and separation on each instrument and the layering is even precise and detailed in each row. This kind of representation on this technicality give me some spacious, 3d-holographic feel vibe.

As I put my verdict here, BQEYZ Summer offers a different tonality flavour compare to its predecessors, This is indeed very impressive on their part despite of almost the same tri-brid set-up from their previous flagships, BQEYZ managed to overhaul on it to sound distinctly and have a contrasting tonal character. If your looking for a set that is fun and musical tuning then this is what you are looking for. A high-end balanced sounding IEM at affordable and decent price.



P.S.

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

Once again, I would like to thank Elle Zhou for providing this review unit, I truly appreciate on her generosity towards me and other reviewers.

**Note: Changing eartips (from "Atmospheric"(Bassy) stock tips to "Reference"(Vocal tips that was included in Spring 2 but surprising absent on the Summer's included accessories )do some rectification to have some modest improvement on mids **



SPECIFICATION:

MODEL: BQEYZ SUMMER
DYNAMIC DRIVER: 13MM
IMPEDANCE: 32Ω
SENSITIVITY: 107dB
FREQUENCY RESPONSE: 7-40KHz
CABLE LENGTH: 1.2M
PIN TYPE: 0.78MM 2-PIN CONNECTOR
PLUG TYPE: 3.5mm /2.5mm/4.4mm
DRIVER UNITS: 13MM COAXIAL DYNAMIC DRIVER + 5-LAYERED PIEZO ELECTRIC + CUSTOM BALANCED ARMATURE

The BQEYZ Summer is the successor to the Spring 1-2 with a new resin shell instead of metal this makes the Summer lighter and more comfortable. While I do find metal more durable plastics can be shaped into more comfortable shapes and offer more colors and designs potions that are so beautiful in my opinion.

It features the same trybrid 13mm dynamic driver, a single balanced armature, and a piezo electric drivers and comes in a new lavender box and is upgraded with a fancier carrying case, better silver plated crystalline coper cable and two sets of silicone tips and a cleaning brush.








Sound:
Bass:
I found the Bass refreshing, it was present but more punchy in the Mid-Bass that is not to say Sub-Bass was light it definitely was thumpy when it was called upon but had a fast roll off, even so the Mid-Bass gives the Summer a warmth I really find pleasant. To me the Bass presents just behind the instruments feeling more natural and realistic.

Mids:
The Mids present forward with good details and a slight warmth from the Mid-Bass. I found them to be full sounding and natural. Male vocals sounded exceptional and in general the Mids are smooth with details and relaxing for long listening sessions.

Treble:
Highs are neutral / Bright and rich with details and has some fine sparkle, while it is bright I found it not to be harsh with most of my sources. The separation and clarity of instruments is good and paired with a warmer source the Summer performs well with only the rare spike.

Soundstage:
Here the Summer shines so bright with a wide yet organic sounding soundstage that has a some great imaging. The Summer can be good for gaming or watching videos with enjoyable results.

Conclusion:
I paired the BQEYZ Summer with many devices to get and average response and with all it performed quite well, in this price range I have a bunch of very good IEMs but the Summer has a signature that provides a great listening experience and comfortable without fatigue making it very enjoyable in my opinion.

https://hifigo.com/collections/bqey...-3-hybrid-drivers-balanced-in-ear-monitor-iem

Introduction:

The BQEYZ Summer comprises of a triple Hybrid Configuration, 1 Dynamic Driver that is 13mm and has a PU-LCP diaphragm, 1 Balanced Armature and a 5 layered Piezo Electric unit. It comes in Blue or Black Colorways. The Summer's Trihybrid configuration was very promising considering the components as well as the price segment it is placed on. Basically Summer can deliver a very robust and impressive musical experience that can be synonymous with the 200 plus dollars tier iems available in the market.

Packaging:



The Box is a plainly design bluish to purple box and has a premium internal aspect that provided a great unboxing experience. inside the box you will be greeted with the following elements:
Summer earphones

• 0.78mm 2-pin, 18 core crystal copper silver plated cable (there is an attached cable tie on it)
• Leather like carrying case in grey color
• Nozzle cleaning brush
• Silicon Eartips

Sound Source:

I used the summer on my Shanling M3X, on dual DAC and high gain mode. As for the Player Applications, i was circling around the Hiby Music App with MQA enabled, as well as the Build-in Shanling App, and at time venturing for a Tidal Playlist via UAPP app. I used the standard ear tip that was included with the Summers', but eventually placed a 160 core cable in my later listening dives.

My Subjective Impressions:

Disclaimer: I tend to love warm sound signatures with focus on mid clarity of the vocals. you can say that I am a bit of a bass-head as well as a loud head, ramping the volume of my M3X up to 70-85. i also generally listen to alternative, punk, rock and classical music playlists. I am not an audiophile and my taste would tend to be a reflection of an average consumer user to an enthusiast level.

Bass:

Base my my listening dives, the bass is very accurate and very substantial to my liking. I can feel the rumble, the deep strums of the bass guitar as well as a very timid sub bass response, overall i like it a lot, it does not over power the other frequencies as well as it provides a more accurate and tight bass response. the strums of the bass guitars in every track is well defined and appreciated.

Mids

Overall Mids response are well detailed, very clear and robust, you can clearly and accurately hear the voices, the lyrics. The Summer provided great clarity and accuracy and clean mid response especially when you play acoustic genres. I liked how BQEYZ iems especially the summer gave emphasis on the Mids, letting the vocal actualizations of the singers shine.

Treble

I liked how the cymbals were very clean and clear, yet there were times that the highs neared piercing levels for me, but it subsequently diffused providing a near sibilant experience. The Highs really do sparkle especially on the end tones or notes of the songs. Its very Nostalgic and very Energizing to hear.




Soundstage and imaging

The soundstage is very good, it feels as if I'm inside a medium sized room with the band playing infront of me.
The imaging quality is very exceptional! I can clearly here and judge the different instruments playing, I can also at times
tell where the instruments are positioned.



Conclusion

The BQEYZ Summer is an exceptional IEM for its price range, the trihybrid elements gives off a unique and raw feel on the tracks I've played. Its well balanced and very detailed for me. I think for the other average consumer such as myself, they will surely love the sound signature and texture the BQYEZ Summer can offer.

BQEYZ AliExpress official store: https://a.aliexpress.com/_m0nRCLL
BQEYZ Summer product page:
https://a.aliexpress.com/_m0hHdpT
LAZADA Philippines: https://www.lazada.com.ph/products/...list.1.2d6045400rl7Yt&search=1&freeshipping=1

Disclaimer:

• I paid for this unit, with the help of sir Eiji of Euphonia Reviews and Ma’am Elle of BQEYZ Audio sent me this unit in exchange for an honest review. Rest assured that this review will do its best to devoid of any biases.
• The following remarks and observations shall be made and owned only by me.
• No monetary compensation is/was involved before, during, and after the period of creation of this review.
• Your mileage may (and always, will) vary.

Burn-in time: 5-10 hours per day, 4 days.

Source/s used:

• Hidizs AP80
• Not-By-VE Avani Realtek Dongle
• Zishan U1 USB DAC (AK4490 Variant)
• Samsung Galaxy S3 (WM1811 DAC)
• Non-HiFi smartphone (realme 5i)
• Local Files via Foobar and Roon, YouTube Music, Deezer, and Qobuz with UAPP.

IEM and configuration: Stock grey medium ear tips, stock cable, any form of EQ or MSEB off, 40-60% volume, both high and low gain.

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

Sound signature:

• U-shaped, energetic bright sound signature. It will sound w-shaped on some sources. Controlled, rumbly bass, clean, clear mids, bright and energetic highs.

Lows:

• Lows are slightly elevated, and sometimes close to linear in terms of presence. Subbass and midbass quantities are almost at equal levels, with the sub-bass being slightly dominant by a very small amount. Decay leans to a slightly slower side of decay. Despite exhibiting a slow decay, the Summer managed to keep its bass controlled, clean, rumbly, and textured without sounding lacking on EDM or bass-heavy tracks. As a whole, the lows of the Summer are controlled, clean, rumbly, and can cater bass-heavy tracks you listen with it.

Mids:

• The mids are almost linear, with an occasional slight recession on certain pairings and some tracks. Its presentation is very clear and clean with no presence of midbass bleed. Lower mids do not sound too thick or too thin. Upper mids are elevated and shows very good amount of sparkle and air. Instances of peaks on sibilant prone tracks are present but are on the tolerable side when compared to the other bright IEMs within its price range. Overall, the mids are clean, clear, and airy with a bit of upper mids peak.

Highs:

• The highs are elevated and bright with very good extension. It also exhibits above-average detail retrieval as it the microdetails are easily heard and well defined on this IEM. As a result, the highs on the Summer can also please those people who are looking for a bright sound signature.

Soundstage, Imaging, and separation:

• This is where the Summer excels the most: its technicalities. The soundstage is one of the widest I’ve had and heard, with very good depth and expansion. Separation is also excellent for its asking price as it handles most busy tracks with ease. Imaging is precise and has a very good presentation of spatial positioning of vocals and instruments.

Comparison/s:

VS TinHiFi T3 Plus:

• The TinHiFi T3 Plus exhibits a thicker sound and bass response compared to the Summer. Both IEMs do not exhibit midbass bleed, but the T3 Plus has a recessed lower mids by a very, very small margin, like an inch or some sort. Upper mids on the Summer are much more elevated, sparkly, and airy when compared with some instances of peaks on sibilant prone tracks which the T3 Plus does not have. Treble is much more extended and brighter on the Summer, while the T3 plus leans to a more “organic” approach. Both IEMs exhibit very good remarks and performance based on their respective prices, but the Summer is better on technicalities when compared to the T3 Plus. I do have a finding that they share similarities on how they present their sub bass, probably because they share the same LCP Diaphragm as their DD material.

VS Audiosense AQ0

• The Audiosense AQ0 is much more bass-heavy compared to the Summer. It also has a great amount of midbass punch when compared. The mids may sound lacking in detail on the AQ0 when compared to the summer. Lower mids are slightly thicker on the AQ0. Upper mids on the Summer are much more elevated, sparkly, and can introduce some peaks on sibilant prone tracks. The treble is also much more extended and detailed on the Summer. In terms of technicalities, the Summer is slightly better than the AQ0, taking the edge, particularly on the separation and soundstage.

Pros:

• Nearly excellent sound quality for its asking price
• Controlled lows that do not bleed to other frequencies
• Rumbly sub-bass
• Clear mids presentation
• Airy and clear upper mids
• Well-extended, energetic, and very detailed treble
• One of the IEM that has the widest soundstage under 150usd I’ve heard,
• Excellent imaging and separation for its price
• Lightweight shell with very good isolation
• 8-core cable already included as stock cable
• Easy to drive but can benefit from a decent source.

Cons:

• Instances of upper mids peaks are present on sibilant prone tracks
• IEM design might not please everybody (subjective)
• Heat shrink ear guides are a bit loose on my unit, but may not be the case for others.

Thank you for reading!

Additional Photos:

Disclaimer
This product was supplied as a review unit by Lu Xinyi from BQEYZ via Amazon.co.uk. Product link: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Earphones-Isolating-Balanced-Sounding-Detachable-Black/dp/B08ZD5GGQZ

Introduction
The BQEYZ Summer is the latest development of the triple hybrid design previously seen in the Spring and Spring 2 models. The drivers in the Summer are all new and comprise a revised 13mm dynamic driver with a liquid crystal polymer and PU diaphragm covering the bass frequencies, a second generation balanced armature for the midrange and a new 5-layer piezoelectric unit handling the high frequencies. These drivers are housed in a new resin shell instead of the metal one in the Spring models.

Description
The Summer comes attractively presented in a chunky rectangular box with a printed slip cover. The front features the name "Summer" in a simple font on a blue background and a BQEYZ logo in the top left corner. The reverse has an image of the IEMs and a list of specifications. Removing the cover reveals a simple black box with a silver BQEYZ logo, which opens like a book. Inside, the IEMs are displayed in a foam cut-out in a card insert and under this there is a square carrying case containing the accessories. In a further layer below are stored the spare ear tips. In all the package includes:

* Summer IEMs
* 8 core single crystal SPC cable
* 3 pairs "reference" tips (grey)
* 3 pairs "bass" tips (white with blue bore)
* Zipped carrying case
* Cleaning brush
* Velcro cable tie
* Documentation

The package is quite generous although perhaps some foam tips could have been included.

The IEMs themselves are formed from a smoothly contoured resin with an attractive wave-like pattern on the faceplate. They are shaped somewhat like a leaf and are available in two colours, blue and black; I received the black colour which is in fact a dark purple with silver sparkles and looks very good. There is a small circular vent for the dynamic driver on the top surface near the silver-coloured metal nozzle. The left earpiece features BQEYZ branding and the right earpiece has "summer" written in a white font. The 2-pin sockets are flush with the surface and take a standard connector (not Type C).

The 8-core silver-plated cable is of very good quality and is supple and the ear guides are not too tightly curved. There is a straight metal 3.5 plug and a metal Y-split with BQEYZ branding and a sliding ring serves as a chin slider. The metal 2-pin plugs have channel identification.

The Summer was tested using the stock cable and medium "reference" tips which provided an excellent fit and seal and the earpieces were light and comfortable. An Xduoo X20 DAP was used as the source and a burn-in period of 100 hours was carried out. Adequate volume was achieved without augmentation, but extra power resulted in a tighter, more focused delivery. I found an amplifier with a more neutral sound was preferable and chose a Topping NX1a rather than the Fiio A5 which has a warmer sound.

First Impressions
The Summer displayed a warm, well-balanced mild W or U-shaped profile with high resolution and expansive staging. Bass was deep, firm and well-textured. The midrange was clear and nicely detailed and the extended treble was a notable feature, courtesy of the well-tuned piezo driver. The musical quality of the reproduction was an outstanding feature and music was displayed in a bold "cinematic" fashion.

Bass
The bass was fairly well extended but there was a bit of roll off in the lowest frequencies and a little more rumble would have been welcome. There was a smooth transition into the mid-bass which was somewhat elevated but had plenty of impact and was lively and entertaining. There was a small amount of bleed into the midrange which endowed that region with a bit of warmth and the mid bass did sometimes become dominant.

"Fantasy Passages" is an electronic soundscape by Jonn Serrie from the album "And the stars go with you". It begins with sound effects evoking outer space and includes some extremely deep sub-bass tones. The Summer reproduced these well with good depth and power and free of distortion. The piece then opens out into a joyful anthemic melody with sparkly treble underpinned by deep bass drones. The effect was very atmospheric.

"Anime" is the fourth movement of Jacques Ibert's colourful suite, "Escales" (Ports of Call). It features all the instruments of the orchestra in a varied and lively performance. The version by the Minnesota Orchestra under Eiji Oue features a prominent bass drum. The power and impact of the drum was cleanly conveyed by the Summer with a realistic ambience and decay and the experience of a large orchestra in full flight was beautifully presented. The overall impression was, perhaps, somewhat over-romanticised.

"Welcome to the Machine" by Pink Floyd begins with mechanical sound effects and a deep pulsing bass motif. This was powerfully portrayed by the Summer and when contrasted by the incisive guitar chords, produced a thrilling effect. The foreboding and slightly menacing atmosphere of the piece was authentically preserved.

Midrange
The Summer's midrange possessed a very good natural timbre from the proprietary BA unit. There was plenty of detail and little harshness. The lower region received some warmth from the bass but in general the tonality was natural and smooth.

"Keltic Lament" by John Foulds begins with a duet for cello and harp playing a beautiful melody. In the version by the City of Birmingham Symphony under Sakari Oramo, the timbre of the two instruments was very believable with an attractive "bloom" deriving from the bass influence. When the full orchestra repeated the theme later in the piece there was a wonderful swell to the sound and great dynamic range but it was maybe just a little larger than life!

Benny Anderson's "Piano" is an album of instrumental versions of his compositions. "Thank you for the music" is arranged in an entertaining ragtime style reminiscent of Scott Joplin and it is performed with verve and humour. His Fazioli instrument is placed in a resonant acoustic and the details of the piano's timbre and overtones were perfectly captured by the Summer in Linn Fajal's fine recording with excellent rhythmic integrity.

The ethereal voice of Moya Brennan produced an otherworldly feeling in "Theme from Harry's Game" by Clannad. Her voice was beautifully rendered and contrasted nicely with the dense synthesised accompaniment and well separated backing vocals with the strangeness of the Gaelic lyrics adding to the effect.

Treble
The Summer possessed a very detailed and extended treble with excellent resolution and detail. The piezo driver managed to produce a delicate and airy quality to the upper frequencies and only occasionally displayed a minor thin quality often found in piezo drivers.

Richard Burmer's "A story from the rain" from the "Western Spaces" album begins with the sound of thunder and rainfall. Less accomplished earphones struggle to reproduce the subtle detail here but the Summer succeeded admirably. The piezo driver revealed all the atmosphere of the piece and the speed and impact of the percussive elements later in the track was really impressive.

The classic recording of Charles Ives's "The Unanswered Question" by the New York Philharmonic under Leonard Bernstein received a stunning rendition from the Summer. Set against a serene, sustained string background, the assertive trumpet solos and aggressive woodwind tone clusters produced a startling effect with the various instruments' individual timbres easy to discern and remained clean and clear even in the most dynamic passages.

Canadian synth duo Mychael Danna and Tim Clement have produced a series of electronic albums. "Ice and Air" is a track from their debut album, "A Gradual Awakening". It begins with descending swirling arpeggios in the high registers evoking snowfall. Each sound was cleanly depicted and displayed good separation and extension. The crystalline tones were notable for their detail. As the track continued a powerful bass drone added depth but the high frequencies remained clean throughout and retained their clarity.

Soundstage
The Summer's staging was very spacious and expansive with equal height and depth and a greater width. Layering and separation were very good due to the detail retrieval and fast transients of the piezo driver. Imaging was also of high quality.

"Andalu" by Chris Spheeris from his wonderful album "Desires of the Heart" showcased the excellent soundstage of the Summer. Bass and percussion introduce the track accompanied by piano with each element clearly depicted in its own space. A characteristic guitar solo appears high in the centre of the image and bass synthesised effects enter behind and across the stage. The Summer produced a real three-dimensional effect which was very spacious and enabled the superb production to be appreciated.

Vangelis's score for the Kurosawa film "Antarctica" is one of his best works. "Antarctic Echoes" employs a variation of the main theme in a calm and meditative style. Set in a very large resonant acoustic, the principal synth voice hovers in space accompanied by inventive string patches and electronic effects making full use of every square inch of space and the Summer rose to the occasion superbly, conveying a wide and spacious image with pinpoint imaging and delicate detail.

"Merok" by Eric Fogg is an orchestral piece written in 1929. It is based on a simple yet beautiful theme which is taken by a variety of instruments and accompanied by a soft string backdrop. In the version by the BBC Philharmonic conducted by Rumon Gamba, the Summer took the listener to the concert hall very convincingly with the orchestra laid out realistically and the interplay between the various instruments handled very well. The timbre of the woodwind was especially memorable and the ambience of the recording venue well rendered.

Comparisons
I have not heard either of the Spring models but have compared the Summer with another IEM with a piezo driver, plus two other multi-driver examples.

Elecom CB1000 (1DD + 1 piezo)
The CB1000 has a neutral/warm profile. It is much lighter in the bass than the Summer and does not have a mid bass emphasis, being quite linear. Texture and detail are very good. Mids are also fairly neutral, perhaps a little recessed but possess good timbre. The Summer is preferable here with more detail and resolution and is not as recessed. Treble is similar, the CB1000's coaxial design delivers good coherence and phasing and the transition to the treble is smooth. The extension is not as good as the Summer, though, and there is a thinness of tonality at times. Soundstage is not as expansive but layering and separation are good.

TRI Starsea (1DD + 2BA)
The Starsea's USP is the two tuning switches providing four different sound profiles. My preference is for the "Balanced" setting (both switches on). All comparisons are made with this setting engaged. The Starsea has a neutral and very transparent sound. Bass is fairly linear with some sub bass presence but no mid bass emphasis. Texture and resolution are excellent. The Summer is more emphatic in the bass, with some extra mid bass energy and perhaps a little less resolution. There is a smooth transition into the mids to the Starsea's Knowles 29869 driver which has good timbre, in fact, it is very similar to the Summer in this region and there is little to choose between them. Both have good timbre for a BA with only occasional sharpness in both cases. In treble, the Starsea is preferable with the proprietary TRI "Hi-A" unit delivering a smoother and just as extended response but avoiding the characteristic thin tonality piezo drivers occasionally tend to display. Soundstage is also superior in the Starsea, it is remarkably open and transparent with excellent layering and separation. The Starsea, in my opinion is the best tuned IEM I have heard in this price sector.

TRI i3 (1 DD+ 1 Planar + 1BA)
The i3 has a similar bold and expansive presentation to the Summer. Its bass is more focused in the sub bass region and there is superior extension and rumble. The i3's bass is exceptionally good. The Summer has a mid bass emphasis and there is still a good sub bass presence but it is not as impressive. The i3's planar driver is a true star. When adequately amplified it is accurate in timbre, smooth and detailed. The Summer's BA driver does well with good tonality for a BA but cannot compete with the i3 here. Treble is honours even with the Summer having better extension and excellent detail, but the i3 is deceptively accomplished as well. The smoothness and timbre makes up for the slight roll off in the upper frequencies and is better integrated with the midrange and bass. In soundstage, the i3 is exceptional, even though the Summer is very good in this regard. The overall presentation of the two is similar in the bold, cinematic and expansive quality they both display.

Conclusion
If I could choose one word to describe the sound of the Summer it would be "colourful". The effect is exciting and dramatic. The Summer's well-balanced profile and wide frequency range is testament to its high quality driver combination and excellent tuning and the piezo HF driver is the best implementation of this type I have heard, improving on those in the Elecom CB1000 and Artiste DC1, although there is still that occasional thin tonality associated with piezo units. Combined with the accurate timbre of the new BA unit and the robust performance of the dynamic LF driver, the Summer delivered an entertaining, powerful performance. There is a little extra energy in the mid bass colouring the lower mids, but in general, the tuning is musical and it produces a big, bold and enjoyable sound picture which suits many genres, making it a must for any shortlist of quality IEMs in this price range. It is highly recommended.


.

Introduction

The BQEYZ brand from Dongguan (China) continues to iterate its triple hybrid model. This time, it's time to move to the summer season. This is the name of this new model: BQEYZ Summer. The external differences are obvious: compared to the Spring models, they have moved from a metal capsule to one made of resin, which weighs only 4.2 grams. Internally, three different drivers are still used: a 13mm dynamic driver, whose diaphragm is made of a PU+LCP composite material. A second-generation BA driver, redesigned exclusively for this model, provides a greater sense of air, more clarity in vocals and acoustic development, as well as a larger soundstage. Last but not least, the piezo unit has 5 layers, which are intended to make the sound free of undesirable sibilance and improve the level of resolution. Finally, the Summer comes with a new 8-strand cable, consisting of 0.08x18 cores of silver-plated monocrystalline copper wire.
In the following review we will see how all these new improvements help this new model in its main function, which is to play music in the best possible way.



Specifications

• Driver Type: 1 x 13mm coaxial dynamic driver, 1 x 5-layer piezoelectric driver, 1 x balanced armature driver.
• Frequency Response: 7Hz-40kHz
• Sensitivity: 107dB
• Impedance: 32Ω
• Jack Connector: Choice of 2.5mm/3.5mm/4.4mm
• Cartridge connection type: 2Pin 0.78mm
• Cable length: 1.2m

Packaging

The BQEYZ Summer comes in a clear blue box, dimensions 167x103x56mm. The main face is very simple, in the centre is the word "SUMMER", in partly white and very clear blue letters. At the top left is the brand name, in a smaller, white font. On the back are the specifications, in Chinese and English, the contents and address of the headquarters, as well as their e-mail address. After removing the cardboard, a black box, with a silver brand logo in the centre, is visible. After lifting the lid, as if it were a book, you can read the phrase "Best Quality Earphone for You" on the back, a phrase that makes up most of the brand's acronym. On the right side of the case is a cardboard insert, repeating the name of the model and the brand, which also contains a small window at the top, allowing the blue capsules to be seen. Underneath is a square, grey, zippered case with the logo in the centre. It appears to be made of imitation leather, which is very pleasant to the touch. The capsules are encased in a foam mould and underneath are two sets of silicone tips, among other things. Inside the case are the rest of the accessories. In summary, the complete contents are as follows:

• The 2 capsules.
• 1 2Pin 0.78mm 8-strand cable, consisting of 0.08x18 cores of silver-plated monocrystalline copper wire, with 2.5mm balanced connector.
• 1 zippered case.
• Cleaning brush.
• 1 set of clear silicone tips and blue core, sizes, SxMxL.
• 1 set of black silicone tips and blue core, sizes, SxMxL.
• Warranty certificate.
• Instruction manual.

The relatively tall, square case is perfect for storing the product, as the cable is a little thick and a smaller case would complicate the storage operation. The cleaning brush is appreciated, as are the two sets of tips, although some foam tips are missing.
On the other hand, the possibility to choose between 2.5mm/4.4mm balanced and 3.5mm SE connectors is a detail that should be a general trend in all IEMS, as balanced output is becoming more and more popular among sources.



Construction and Design

The Summer can be chosen in two colours, black and blue. You can also choose between the three cable types 2.5mm/3.5mm/4.4mm. The connection of the capsules is 2Pin 0.78mm. This time, they are made of translucent, skin-friendly resin. Each capsule weighs only 4.2 grams. The outer face has a wave pattern. Through it you can see inside, the dynamic driver and its connections. The shape of this side does not have the classic almond-shaped silhouette, but has two subtle vertices. The maximum width is less than 23mm and the height is less than 17mm. As for the thickness, at the lower level it is no more than 14mm and with the complete mouthpiece it is 23mm. The inner side has a protuberance at one end, which serves as an anchor for the upper part of the ear. Near it, there is a small indentation with a hole. Near the base of the mouthpiece, there is another hole. The mouthpiece is made of metal and has three distinct parts. The total length is 5.5mm. Its base has a diameter of 7.4mm, the central part of 5.2 and the crown of 5.80mm. The inside is protected by a perforated metal grid. They are extremely light at 4.2 grams and there are no noticeable flaws in their construction. On the rim of the right capsule you can read "Summer" and on the left "BQEYZ".
The cable consists of 8 strands, and is composed of 0.08x18 cores of silver-plated monocrystalline copper wire. They have an ear-shaped sheath, 2Pin 0.78mm connectors. The metal parts of the cable, connector sleeves, splitter piece and pin are of a shiny silver colour, which has a micro roughness. The sleeves have a cylindrical shape, which narrows in the middle. On the 2Pin connectors, there are letters R and L to identify each channel. The cable is relatively thick, but is flexible and has a low stiffness. The pin fits well and stays in place tightly. There is a Velcro strap for tucking it away. The cable doesn't seem to need to be replaced and I find it appropriate for the price and quality. Also, due to the Summer's profile, I find it appropriate that it is silver plated, with the intention of improving the clarity of the sound.
The capsules, now in resin, are inevitably less striking and elegant than those of the Spring models. In this respect, I have no complaints about the construction, but metal is always tougher. And although the shape is nice, I find this new model less attractive.



Adjustment and Ergonomics

However, the Summer's ergonomics are superior. Their minimal weight and precise fit mean that they do not move or rotate, producing an excellent fit. However, it should be noted that the thickness of their mouthpieces may be more critical for those with a narrow ear canal. This is not my case, but quite the opposite. Thus, the insertion can be shallow to medium, depending on the tips used. The isolation will depend on the chosen set, but basically, it is quite good.
The cable is comfortable and the over-ear guide does not bother. There is no microphony and the weight of the set is good.
In this sense, this section is superior to previous models.



Sound

Profile

The profile of the BQEYZ Summer could be fitted into a soft crescent W. It has a linear, slightly emphasised bass, with a slightly recessed and balanced first half in the middle, where the second half rises gently to gain clarity. Finally, the now typical flash produced by the piezoelectric driver. It is true that my measurement system generates a resonance peak around 8kHz, but it is clear that this effect is "helped" by this driver, as it happened in the Spring models. The result is a slightly polarised profile, although more vivid than the previous Spring models, where the bass is more striking and the clarity also feels improved.



Bass

The feeling is that the bass is quite linear, from the sub-bass to the mid-bass, with a good extension towards the mids, due to its moderate roll-off. Although the sub-bass is quite audible at the start, it doesn't feel as deep and there is a slightly higher intensity in the mid-bass. Thus, the range has a predominance that can become clear in bass-heavy genres. However, I don't think that the BQEYZ can fall into bass-heavy territory. The definition is quite good, even their punch has a good amount of energy and power. Its texture is relatively smooth, there isn't much descriptive ability and perhaps this is the negative point of the equation, which limits the appeal of a zone that doesn't quite have the punch to grab a bass lover like me, although the effort made with respect to its previous model, in providing a richer and more influential range in the sound, is much appreciated.
If one continues with the technical aspects of the lower range, one can comment that in terms of speed they are remarkable, with a decay to match. The result is a rather dry stroke, as I said, with a good dose of power and air movement, but somewhat bland in its execution. Perhaps, too, its good accuracy and resolving ability detracts from its power of surprise or that more raw character I sometimes look for. But there is no denying that the zone is very capable, skilful in the recreation of planes and in the execution of notes, perhaps more to the audiophile taste, though clearly vitaminised.



Mids

The mid-range is slightly warm and drags some weight from the lower area, due to the fact that the transition is quite smooth. In this way, both the percussions and the bass guitars have an important presence and body, even more so than the male voices. As a result, in this first half, the instrumentation receives a favourable treatment over other elements.
The presentation of the area persists in that idea of softness and calmness, characteristic of the Spring model. But there is certainly an improvement in clarity, detail, dynamics and vibrancy, thanks to a slight emphasis on some key points in the upper mids. This slight breeze adds a superior benefit to the range, bringing a subtly brighter and more cheerful edge, reviving the mids and moving them away from the neutrality, flatness and a certain apathy of the previous model, though without being definitive. Moreover, thanks to this boost, the female voices stand out in presence, but without sounding persistent or sibilant, always within that safe margin.
Although this phase is perceived as quite complete, it is not dense, overwhelming or characterised by too much information. In this sense, the profile remains pleasant and musical, without being demanding on the listener or overwhelming him with an overexposure of details and nuances. It is clear that restraint continues to predominate, making these monitors very suitable for long, relaxed listening.
The timbre is maintained in a neutrality that leans towards warmth, where the tone is presented as faintly dark. It's curious, because I associate Spring and Summer with light and brightness, while I perceive both models more as a sunset or a change towards autumn.
The definition is high, without this quantity implying an analytical sound. Although it is true that, along with the remarkable level of resolution and the new sparkle, there is a slight perception of a more defined and technical sound. In contrast, the texture is smoother and less descriptive, with hardly any roughness in the vocals, something that detracts from the mid-range's appeal, losing punch and soul.



Treble

The high end of the Summer has two faces, the friendly and the insolent. The piezo driver continues to play this double game when it suits it best. To begin with, these IEMS are not eminently sharp, especially in the first part. However, it is true that there are some more penetrating phases, which provide that rebellious tone, non-existent in the previous ranges. This rebelliousness is not always well understood, even though its intentions are good, sometimes it is slightly incongruous. Most of the time, gentleness predominates and the treble sounds delicate, fine, subtle, fast, defined, even quite well extended, without sounding overemphasised or overexposed.
Despite all this, it cannot be denied that its sonority remains particular and one feels that its provenance gives it that distinctive nature, which adds a generally superior quality. It doesn't need to elevate its presence above everything else to stand out in terms of definition and resolution, without completely losing its naturalness. It seems that the piezo driver is becoming more refined, especially in many areas of its timbre and tonality.



Soundstage, Separation

Perhaps one of the most improved aspects of this new model is the soundstage. In addition to the traditional width, a more pronounced lateral sensation has been added, capable of extending the sound in a more semicircular, or even superior, manner. In this way, both the instruments and the voices, especially the female voices, are able to occupy a large part of the stage, covering both the side areas and the zenithal positions, giving it an immersive character, and also providing it with a good height and presence in the upper area. It is thus possible to achieve a sensation of incipient three-dimensionality, which lacks a point of greater depth to generate a more complete semispherical dome.
However, the separation is not on a par with the scene, perhaps betrayed by homogeneity, balance or the lack of greater dynamics in the sound. Despite the good level of detail and resolution, in the distance between elements, there is not enough space to distinguish the darkness from the silence or the transparency of the tiniest micro details or nuances, remaining at a level more remarkable than superior.



Comparisons

BQEYZ Spring II

Starting with the obvious, the capsules of the Spring IIs are smaller, in the shape of their outer face, and also slightly less bulky. It is clear that the metal construction outweighs the durability of resin, although the weight is higher. The Summer's anchorage makes its fit more durable and its ergonomics fit the anatomy of the ears better.
The Spring II's wire is 4-strand copper, while the Summer's wire is 8-strand silver-plated. The copper wire is subtly stiffer, with a slightly greater tendency to take shape. The connectors and sleeves are the same, the difference is in the pin.
The Spring IIs are more sensitive and that's something you notice - you get more volume for the same power.
Sonically, the new Summer has a more emphasised low end, which is comparatively unbalanced compared to the homogeneous mid-range of the Spring IIs. In the old model the vocals remain more prominent than the bass. In the new Summer, the low end dominates the vocals. Their more powerful sub-bass gives them a different warmth, as well as a higher fun factor. However, if you prefer more prominent vocals, you'll have to turn to the Spring IIs, basically because of the bass' greater respect for their presence. But going back to the low end, in addition to a lower incidence, the bass is slower in the Spring IIs. Both their power and ability to move air is lower, and that lower impact also reduces their texture, making them feel smoother. The Summer has the ability to make the bass rumble in our ears, a sensation that is reduced with the Spring IIs. At first glance, one might think that the technique falls on the side of the previous model. But with the Summer, you don't feel a loss of resolution or definition, as the higher speed and decay contribute to the sonic improvement of this range.
The mid-range of the Spring IIs, although more balanced in sound, feels a little more backward. In my opinion, there is a slight perception of a comparative veil, which in the Summer has disappeared, mainly thanks to the greater sparkle in the upper mids. Now, the voices are more dynamic, even that more light, brings their presence and details closer. On the Spring IIs, they feel denser and wider, but also more opaque and somewhat darker. Although they sound thinner on the Summer, they definitely have a more realistic timbre, as well as being more vivid and clear, with more air and clarity, which is a step forward in this new model. With the midrange instrumentation, it's much the same, although it's not always so obvious. The greater density and more muted sound can benefit some genres or songs. But the Summer's superior sparkle, combined with its greater clarity and transparency, gains in dynamics, nuance and brightness, something that moves the sound of this new model away from the flatness and greater apathy of its predecessor.
The treble starts in the same vein. Whereas in the Spring IIs they feel more nuanced and soft, as if displaced, in the Summer they have a more real colour, with a more accurate timbre. Again, the dynamics are superior, even the speed. In this way, the tone is more in tune with reality, without the silkier patina of the Spring IIs. The Summer's treble is sharper, rising higher, with an improved verve, again giving it that extra edge in the enjoyment factor. It's true that the area is more secure on the Spring II, but, again, it's haunted by that more boring, dull tendency that, thankfully, has disappeared on the Summer.
The Spring II scene is more like a homogeneous, continuous wall, set in the middle distance. The Summer sounds more splashy and its greater dynamics give it a more agile sound, where the movement translates into a sense of greater freedom, which expands the music in all directions. There is no longer that mutual anchorage between all the elements of the Spring IIs, but more space and transparency in Summer. The result is a larger, more ethereal, more three-dimensional scene, as opposed to the flatter, more compact width of the Spring IIs. Likewise, details are more easily distinguishable, thanks to the more explicit detail in the Summer.



NF Audio NM2

The NM2s are one of my references in the $100 range, and NF Audio has been able to extract a lot of potential from their dynamic drivers. This time, it's their turn to take on a triple hybrid driver. And the first thing you notice about the NM2s is their enormous sensitivity, they move very easily, bringing a sense of power superior to the Summer. As for their profile, the NM2s have a more pronounced W, with an even more powerful bass and a more noticeable upper-mid range, where the treble feels more explicit. However, no one should see the bass power of the NM2s as a drop in quality, because that is not the case. The NM2s have more impact, a clear and rough texture, a thunderous tremble, a very deep sub-bass and a lot of energy. Technically, it seems unlikely that they would perform as well as the Summer, but they do. What more could you ask for? On the bass side, little else.
The midrange of the NM2s is more recessed, due to the polarisation and higher emphasis, in the adjoining ranges. The female voices, though, feel close, but thinner, less complete and with a sharper timbre than in the Summer. The BQEYZ come across as flatter and wider, with a fainter light, but more homogeneous. It is clear that they sound smoother and quieter, with a better blend between the elements of this midrange. They also offer a larger and more compact body. Meanwhile, the NM2s feel more uneven, as if the V feels sharper: on the one hand, the power of the low end can overpower the upper midrange. On the other, the high mids can make the details more perceptible than the fundamental of the notes. In this way, the Summer, with its greater calmness and gentleness, presents a more balanced, pleasant and rounder zone.
In the upper part of the NM2s everything is more blatant and present, the difference in brightness is very clear and explicit. This makes the sound feel sharper, crisper and brighter. But, technically, the treble on the Summer is quite good, even if it does feel quiet and smooth. The only downside is their rebellious side, something the NM2s don't have, being more coherent with their more prominent and extended presentation, especially in the first half.
The more polarised and energetic sound of the NM2s makes them more fun for short listens. Meanwhile, the Summer allows for longer listening, thanks to its friendlier and less penetrating treble. But, of course, this will also depend on individual tastes.
The NM2s offer more explicit detail, but at the level of micro nuances, there is little difference, being at a similar level. They seem more dynamic, something that gives a sense of greater separation, as their notes seem sharper and more isolated. But the stage is slightly superior on the Summer, with that more ethereal, vaporous, three-dimensional feel more perceptible.
In terms of construction, both are similar, made of translucent resin. The NM2s have a more streamlined shape, but lack the Summer's anchorage. Thus, the NM2s can rotate slightly inside the ears. The insertion is very similar and except for the above detail, the fit is similar, as is the feeling of isolation. The difference may be in the diameter of the nozzles, which is larger in the Summer, something that may be noticed by those with a narrower ear canal.
Overall, compared to the larger IEMS, the BQEYZ Summer is a winner, providing different skills and very good qualities that surpass, in some respects, the NM2.



Conclusion

BQEYZ has improved practically every aspect of the sound in this new model. Starting with a subtle variation in the tuning, which seeks a greater enjoyment factor, but without falling into a classical tendency and without losing the personality of their previous models, the Summer's enhance those fragile points, which previously hindered the quality of the Spring models. With more emphasis on the low end and high mids, the sound has gained in dynamics and speed, but also in stage and three-dimensionality. In addition, the aesthetic changes are noticeable: the capsules switch from metal to resin, gaining in lightness, but losing in durability. And in the cable, silver replaces copper and the number of strands is doubled, even improving flexibility and reducing rigidity. There is no doubt that BQEYZ has made some concessions, but with the idea of improving the most important thing: the sound. The best thing is that it succeeds.



Sources Used During the Analysis

• Xuelin H7
• S.M.S.L Sanskrit 10th MKII + iFi ZEN CAN
• Earmen Sparrow
• Hiby R3 Pro
• Hidizs DH80S

Ratings

• Construction and Design: 84
• Adjustment/Ergonomics: 91
• Accessories: 70
• Bass: 86
• Mids: 88
• Treble: 84
• Separation: 85
• Soundstage: 90
• Quality/Price: 88

You can read the full review in Spanish here:

https://hiendportable.com/2021/05/02/bqeyz-summer-review/

INTRODUCTION:

BQEYZ is an audio brand based in china produces a wide variety of high quality earphones and of course their brand name stands for “BEST QUALITY EARPHONES FOR YOU”. Dongguan Xianchao acoustics technology co., LTD is an audio factory processing from materials to final products. The company has more than 20 years of experience in the audio industry.

They have variety of earphones ranging from budget to high end audiophile grade. Their flagship is the Spring 2 which has separate fan base for its tonality, mid section and detail retrieval. Following the same driver configuration with cheaper price tag the brand decided to release an earphone naming the SUMMER and in this review let’s see whether the sibling summer lives up to its ancestor.

DISCLAIMER:

This unit is provided to me by Elle Zhou Mam from BQEYZ Audio in exchange of my honest unbiased review on the product. I have not been influenced by the brand in any ways to produce this review.

SPECIFICATIONS:

DRIVERS: 13MM Coaxial Dynamic Driver + 5 layer Piezo Electric + Balanced Armature

SENSITIVITY: 107Db

IMPEDANCE: 32Ohms

FREQUENCY: 7-40KHZ

PIN TYPE: 0.78MM 2Pin

The coaxial dynamic driver has the newly improved PU+LCP diaphragm which is an upgraded driver from the spring 2 and expected to deliver better than the spring 2.

PACKAGING:

The box is simple and minimalistic. The box is covered by a outer sleeve which is lavender coloured with the summer leaves photo on the side of the sleeve which looked exquisite and gave a warm welcome to the user.

After opening the sleeve there is a black slip on box with the brand name printed in silver colour which is another minimalistic sign. The slip on mechanism is actually amazed me where there is a slot prepared accurately which sits snug onto the box. Inside the box there are earpieces, a hard zipper carry case which again looked premium, grey coloured with brand name on it. Inside the case there is the cable and a brush for cleaning the nozzle. Underneath these contents there are the 6 pairs of ear tips of S, M, L sizes. 3 pairs are black coloured and the other 3 pairs are blue/white coloured as same as the spring 2 tips. The blue tips are really comfy and provides nice fit and the brand should include this same ear tip in future earphones too.

BUILD AND DESIGN:

After all these premium things observed in the package, the construction of the earphone underwhelms you. It’s made of resin! For this price a consumer would definitely expect a metal or aluminium build but BQEYZ went with the transparent resin. This really affected the premium feel of the earphone even though they are light weight. They are available in two colours namely blue and black. Since its being a transparent body the drivers can be seen clearly especially in the blue one where it’s subtle in the black one. Even if it’s a plastic the finishing is done well where there is no cut and crease found near the faceplate and the body. The branding is done on the side of the earpieces with 3 pressure vents on the inner surface. The L and R markings are imprinted onto the ear pieces rather than the stickers which look nice.

Even though they are made of plastic the three drivers inside the earpiece gave the slight heft to the body which added the premium feel while handling it. The faceplate has leaves pattern and when the light hits there is an appearance of starry sky which starts glittering.

The cable is an 8 strand, 18 core single crystal copper silver – plated offering high-resolution signal transmission to bring out the best in the earphone. Thankfully the cable doesn’t get tangled easily even after smashing the earphones within the pouch.

FIT:

The fit is nice and seal depends upon the ear tips you use. I used the medium sized blue ear tips and provide good enough seal with no pain even after longer listening periods. There is a fin provided in the earpiece which seats nice in the ear and is comfort enough.

SOUND:

Source Used: iPhone Xr + FiiO Q3

The summer earphone is easily driveable so even with smart phone inbuilt DAC they sound great. They didn’t get scale to any high extent even with amp so that’s a good user friendly experience.

BASS:

In a single word if I want to describe the summer bass response is ACCURATE. There is no boomy or muffled bass, just accurate. There is more mid bass emphasis compared to the sub bass which gives enough body and warmth to the low mid section.

The sub bass has enough depth and extension with adequate rumble. It’s not bass head approved but sounds very adequate and accurate. My nitpicking gripe would be an extra rumble in the low end but hey! They tuned this exceptionally well to meet the need of an audiophile.

Tracks Used:

• Even Heaven – Aimer
• Royals – Pure Heroine (Lorde)
• Battling Musk Ox – Jacob Shea
• What are you going to do when you are not saving the world? – Hans Zimmer
• Why so serious – Hans Zimmer

The bass has nice definition and is relaxed in nature. The bass is tight and under control. Even in the busier tracks they were able to bring out enough details. The resolution might be not good enough but it’s definitely nice. The coaxial 12mm Dynamic driver is responsible for this low end and that PU+LCP diaphragm really does a great job in delivering the low end.

For my liking I would like the sub bass rumble to be even good but that’s just me. Overall the articulation of the bass is done well with control and texture. If that extra sub bass rumble had been done it would have been my favourite low end experience.

MIDS:

Holy Molly! SWEET! The vocal sounds absolutely gorgeous here. Both the male and female vocals are brought forward with nice tonality and timbre. These are tuned exceptionally well in the mid section. They have used their own customised Balanced Armature driver to deliver the mids and I just loved it.

The mid section is very energetic and engaging. It’s been a long time since I heard to this type of energetic earphone and I’m just reliving it. They have full energy and just bring the mid section in front and engage us in the pleasant mood.

The timbre is exceptionally well considering there’s a BA driver. The tonality is superb with excellent layering in the background. Especially in the song CARDIGAN – TAYLOR SWIFT (FOLKLORE) where in the starting there will be a lot of backbeats going on in the background while the Taylor swift sings. Summer is able to clearly separate out the beats from the vocals and can maintain the distance between the vocals and the beats which is sweet thus proving that layering is exceptionally good in the summer. Thanks the customised BA driver.

Tracks Used:

• Believe in life – Eric Clapton
• Sexual Healing – Marvin Gaye
• Capsize – FRENSHIP
• When you say nothing at all – Susan Wong

I’m very impressed with the mid performance. The vocals, background instruments, piano everything just sounds natural and accurate. The tonality and timbre is very nice if not the best. That mid bass helped the body and providing fullness to the overall sound.

HIGH:

The 5 layer Piezo electric driver delivers the nice extended highs with nice detail retrieval. The guitar strings sounds very nice and beautiful. To accompany the excellent mid section and the bass response the high are near to free in terms of sibilance and harshness. During my period of listening they sounded smooth and nice with good enough detail retrieval. The resolution in the high department is done well compared to the low end.

During initial listening period there is some slight hint of sibilance in female vocals but later after burn in period it got a lot smoother with nice extension.

Tracks Used:

• You shook Me – Led Zeppelin – The electric guitar sounds nice and without harshness. Overall they sounded nice and smooth with nice extension
• Sultans of swing – Dire Straits
• Stand by me – Liam Gallagher – The acoustic guitar strikes natural and sounds very pleasant. The piezo highs are always nice to listen where they extend very well without any harshness.

SOUNDSTAGE AND IMAGING:

The soundstage is expansive in the sense of width when compared to height and depth. The instruments are spread out well with enough distance and have good sense of space within the instruments.

Tracks Used:

• Global Gear (Instrumental) – Punya Srinivas
• Hideaway – Jacob Collier
• Crossing – Yosi Horikawa

VERDICT:

The BQEYZ SUMMER which shares the similar components of spring 2 in a cheaper price tag is just a NO BRAINER! The summer has one of the best mid range performance as far as I know in this price range. The Piezo highs sounds very nice combined with the tight and under control relaxed bass response with the energetic and engaging mids makes this pair a very delicious recipe for the price.

Of course the build could have been better to provide that extra premium (the resin is sturdy enough though!) Feel but BQEYZ invested all their cash in to the internal organs to make it sound the best in the price range which is a welcome gesture to me.

Overall I would pick the summer as my daily driver any day without any hesitation. Under 130 USD this is going to be my NO: 01 recommendation. Whatever genres you may listen, the summer just excels and it is what it has been taught and been tuned!

Intro​

Disclaimer: This review set is a demo graciously lent to me by Daniel at Oardio. No incentive was received and this review is written of my own accord and all thoughts here are my own. For more reviews such as these, do visit our site: perrivanaudio.com


The BQEYZ Summer is a pair of tri-brids containing a dynamic driver, a balanced armature driver, and lastly a piezoelectric driver. It’s a combination that worked really well for BQEYZ in their previous model, the Spring. Now we’re moving to the next season – Summer.

I haven’t tried the Sping 1 or 2. Hopefully, I’d get the chance to try them in the near future. That said, it’s good to be able to look at these tri-brids from BQEYZ with a pair of fresh eyes.

Accessories and Build Quality (Score: 7/10)​

Accessories are decent and they’ve more or less got you covered with all you need out of the box. Included are 2 sets of silicone tips. The Blue ones have a stiffer stem which I find to make the sound a tad bit brighter.

Build quality is a little sus for an IEM at this price point. It’s made out of plastic, the kind you usually see from in KZ’s entry-level buds. Not only that, the shells have some tacky glitter in them, reminiscent of the TinHiFi T1 Plus which I wasn’t exactly a fan of. Aesthetics aside, these seem adequately well-built and should hold up well to daily use.

The stock cable is an 8-core Silver-plated Copper (SPC) and comes in 3 possible terminations, 2.5mm and 4.4mm balanced, as well as the usual 3.5mm single-ended. The cable quality is mostly alright, apart from the ear guides, which are really stiff and causes the cable to slip over my ear occasionally.

Fit (Score: 7.5/10)​

My experience regarding the fit and comfort of the Summer was mediocre. The finicky ear hooks sure didn’t help at all. The plastic shell, though, was light and kept the weight of the IEMs down so that was a plus. However, the nozzle is on the shorter side so you had to find the right tips to help achieve a good fit and seal. The issue is that I find the Summer’s sound to be very tip sensitive. I eventually settled on a pair of foams so as not to lose out on the bass extension from the breaking of the seal. This also helps to tame the upper midrange and treble a little.

Sound (Score: 8.4/10)​

Sources

• SMSL M200 + Schiit Magnius
• Lotoo Paw S1

Music listened to

• Chicago Symphony Orchestra – Beethoven Symphony 7
• The Vamps – Cherry Blossom
• Stevie Wonder – In the Key of Life
• Bastille – All This Bad Blood
• The Lumineers
• Børns – Blue Madonna
• Paul Kim
• Dyan – Looking for Knives
• Andy Gibb – The Very Best Of
• Chris McClarney – Everything and Nothing Less

Bass (Score: 8.5/10)

One of the best parts of the Summer has got to be the Bass. It is punchy and fast, extends deep and most importantly, clean. Drums, both snare and kick drums, have a very nice texture to them that is somewhat multidimensional; both heard and felt. I really enjoyed the timbre of the drums and its coherence with the bassline on Stevie Wonder’s tracks.

The Bass extends well into the sub-bass regions, providing a satisfying rumble that completes pop and rock songs. I did not notice any mid-bass bloating or bleeding, and the separation and quick decay just made everything super enjoyable.

Mids (Score: 7.5/10)

The lower mids are a little recessed, which intensifies the upper midrange and treble peaks. If you’re expecting meaty mellow bodied mids then you would be disappointed here. Male vocals on tracks by X Ambassadors, Coldplay and The Lumineers sound and feel a little “compressed”.

Upper midrange and lower treble tonality are ever so slightly off but I can’t put a finger to it. Might be the piezo tweeters’ sound that I’m not used to. Listening to instrumentals confirms this, where Hi-Hats, violins have a little difference in tonality that I’m not used to.


That said, the detail retrieval and separation here is once again excellent. There is no harshness despite the emphasis in the upper regions. Listening to Børns, his vocals and synths are layered perfectly and shine through brilliantly in his album Blue Madonna.

Treble (Score: 8/10)

There is a lot of lower treble. This can be a little fatiguing when listening for prolonged periods. Don’t get me wrong, the Summer isn’t sibilant at all. It’s just the tonal balance in the upper midrange and lower treble just makes it a little tiring on certain genres. Nevertheless, the Summer does well in its technical ability and detail retrieval. There are tracks where hearing things I don’t usually do with earphones in this price range. There is also a decent amount of sparkle and upper treble extension, contributing to the soundstage, especially when amped.

Overall

Imaging and soundstage seem to benefit from some amp-ing. Or maybe the Summer is very picky with the source. It sounds a little more energetic and with depth on my desktop amplifier.

Comparison

VS Thieaudio Legacy 3 / Legacy 4

The BQEYZ Summer is in between the Thieaudio Legacy 3 and 4 in terms of price. Comparing the Summer to the Legacy 3, which has a current RTP of $100, the Legacy 3 comes out tops for build quality and comfort. In terms of sound, they have rather different approaches to tuning. The Legacy 3 trades detail and accuracy for a warmer, luscious sound that is richer and thicker in the mids. Vocals would sound meatier on the Legacy 3. On the other hand, the Summer has a more serious analytical sound, beating the Legacy 3 hands down in detail retrieval, especially in the bass and treble regions.

Taking it a notch up and comparing the Summer to the Legacy 4, it would still lose out in build and comfort, though it doesn’t lag too far behind in sound. I liked how the Legacy 4 provided a big improvement in detail retrieval from the Legacy 3, however, the Summer is no slouch and its ability for its price keeps it in the game. That said, I would say the overall tonality is slightly more accurate on the Legacy 4. However, it is worth noting that the Legacy 4 does get a little more fatiguing faster than the Summer as well (YMMV).

Conclusion​

I came into this review without many expectations, given my limited experience with BQEYZ products and a not so positive first impression given the build of the Summer. However, I must say that this has been a pleasant surprise. Right from the first moment I tried on these IEMs, I was certainly impressed.

The summer strikes a good balance between technical ability and having an engaging sound. It has a really enjoyable bass performance that is technically capable yet dynamic as well. This is a very well-done V-shaped sound signature earphone and exceeds what’s expected of it at its price point.

Overall Grade: B+​

Click HERE for our grading list for earphones

Summer

Slightly less than avg isolation

Fit and seal are good

Color good but shell is so so for price especially compared to spring 1-2

Good bass and low end, much better than spring 1-2

Slightly weird sounding to me , hollow mids

Too warm sounding for me, lack of air

Relaxed smoothed

Mid and treble tonality are off

Mids and highs are nowhere near as good as the spring 1-2

Good sound stage

Good build but a step back from shell of spring 1-2

Dynamic Driver: 13mm

- Impedance: 32 Ω

- Sensitivity: 107dB

- Frequency: 7-40KHz

- Cable Length: 1.2m

- Pin Type: 0.78mm-2 Pin

- Plug Type: 2.5/3.5/4.4mm

- Driver units: 5-layer piezoelectric unit, Coaxial 13mm dynamic driver with PU+LCP diaphragm, and new version balanced armature customized unit

- Contents: Summer earphone, Cable, Carrying Case, Brush, Silicone ear tips (S/M/L)of 2 types of tips in different sizes.

- Price: $129



Pure Silver cables fix this iem, lowers bass a tad and brightens up mids and highs ads sparkle



Mids clean well detailed good

Vocals

Great soundstage

Driver coherence is good

Treble is sparkly smooth with good extension

Bass is good , thick with presence , overall warmth to sound to me pairs better with slight neutral cooler dac not warm and bassy

Moderator sub bass extension

Easy to drive but improves with small clean power

Good detail and clarity

Mild W or U shape sound signature

Smooth

disclaimer: I was sent the BQEYZ Summer for purposes of reviewing it by BQYEZ. I have no financial interest in BQEYZ nor have I been provided with any remuneration beyond the earphone itself for this review. If you have an interest in BQYEZ, I recommend you check out their facebook page, or to purchase BQEYZ products shop their Aliexpress store.

Unboxing / Packaging:

The Summer ships in a slipcover with summer on the front and specifications in Chinese and English on the reverse. Removing the slip-cover reveals a black book-fold box with BQEYZ in silver. Opening the box reveals the earpieces in foam in the main compartment. A cardstock flap covers the soft case which houses the cable as well but not the tips. You’d be forgiven for not thinking any were provided as there is no indicator that the foam the earpieces sits in has another layer under it that contains 6 sets of silcone tips. Tips in 2 styles are provided with one listing as reference tuning and the other as a more bass-forward option. Kit is pretty standard at this price point but the included items are good quality which I would rather see than more lesser quality stuff being thrown in just to say it has extras.





Build/Fit:

Unlike the previous seasons (spring 1 & 2) the shell of the summer is acrylic rather than aluminum but dimensions and shape are largely the same with the addition of a small spur to the rear of the inner shell. The result is a slightly lighter medium sized shell with a more ornate face-plate as the previous models are smooth surfaced where the Summer has 3 stylized ripples in the outer surface. Currently two colors are available which are listed as blue and black. The model I received is listed as black but is actually a very dark shade of purple as can be seen in the better lit photos. It looks black in average light, but shows a purple/blue color in bright light. Shells are 3 part with an acrylic face and inner shell and aluminum nozzles. Nozzles have a forward rake and a pronounced lip for tip retention. Shells have a vent immediately behind the nozzle and another pair nearer the rear edge of the inner surface. The bi-pin connectors have a slight recess rather than using a hooded connector. I found the shells comfortable and had no problem with extended wear. I also found the mid-sized stock black (reference tips) worked well so didn’t have to spend long getting tips sorted out like I sometimes do.






Internals:

All of the seasons so far have been tri-brid models with a 13mm dynamic driver, a single balanced armature, and a piezo electric element. The summer is no different as it too uses a 13mm dynamic driver, a single armature, and a piezo, but all three elements have been updated since the Spring 2. The dynamic driver is faster responding with a new PU+LCP diaphragm. The balanced armature has been retuned for better linearity, and the piezo has been reduced from nine(9) layers in the spring 2 to five(5) in the Summer. Impedance is listed as 32Ω with a nominal sensitivity of 107 dB/mW which puts the summer somewhere between Spring1 (43/108) and Spring2 (32/110). I found the summer worked well from dongle dacs and while it needs a little power to do its best, it will work from a cell phone on high output mode (LG) or from one of the various dongles for phones and tablets without need for a dedicated amp.





Cable:

If people feel the shell is a step back from the Spring models, the cable certainly is not. The cable provided with the Summer in an eight (8) strand braid of silver plated single crystal oxygen free copper up to the splitter and 4 strand braids above that. the Jack, splitter, and connectors are all brushed aluminum with a pinched waist. Even the chin slider is brushed aluminum with the same style. Bi-pin connectors are 0.78mm type and fit into slight recesses in the shell rather than opting for a hooded type. The cables do have pre-formed hooks without memory wire and the connectors have L/R clearly marked on the exterior. The end user has the choice of 3.5mm single-ended, 2.5mm balanced or 4.4mm balanced at time of purchase or additional cables can be bought from the Aliexpress store. I think the cable is a large step forward from the original BQEYZ models and applaud their progress. I would purchase this as a replacement cable for some of my other bi-pin in-ears as it has little or no tendency to tangle and is pliable with little weight felt on the ear and almost no microphonics.





Tips:

The summer comes with two styles of tips, one a clear tip with a blue core (atmosphere) and the other a solid grey (reference). I found the two tips do make a difference and prefer the reference for their more balanced presentation. Those looking to get more bass out of the Summer may wish to try the atmosphere (blue-core) tips as they do increase the bass at the expense of a little clarity in the lows. The one omission here is the Spring2 shipped with foams in addition to the two types of silicones while the summer does not ship with any foam tips in the kit.





Sound:





Bass:

The summer has the best bass of the seasons so far but that doesn’t mean it is going to please everyone. Sub-bass has some thump when called upon but rolls off in the upper 20s so doesn’t have as much impact as it might with a bit more depth. Overall, mid-bass seems more elevated in spite of what the FR chart would suggest with sub-bass being well controlled but not overly prominent. Mid-bass is fast with good attack speed and natural decay giving a nice clean sound but at the same time I can’t help but feel the texture could be a little better. At times, you hear elements that let you know the driver is capable of producing good texture but at others it feels restrained. It may be that the tuning went a little too safe here and lost a little texture in favor of keeping the linearity and balance instead. Overall, the bass is well matched to the rest of the signature, has good speed, and a natural tonality, so the knock on texture is probably nitpicking considering the price point.


Mids:

There is very slight mid-bass bleed and it contributes some warmth to the lower mids and a bit of weight. Bass guitar and male vocals both have good note weight and timbre with lead guitar having slightly less weight than its brother. Growl is good with sharp lead edge and good energy. Mids have good clarity and detail and are improved over the Spring2 in the lower registers but about even with the spring2 as we move into the upper-mids. Strings have good energy and tonality so that trend continues as well. Female vocals are a bit forward of their male counterparts but not so much so as to be unnatural sounding, it is more that female vocals cut through the mix while male vocals stand between instruments.


Treble:

This was probably the most polarizing feature of the Spring models and quite frankly it will likely continue to be on the summer as well. I felt the treble on the Springs was good for the most part but did occasionally cross into hot territory. With a peak in the 9kHz range, the Summer is capable of that same behavior. During most of my listening, I was not bothered at all, but then a particular passage would trigger that spike and I would find it piercing, then it was gone again as quickly as it came. Lower treble has good energy and detail and gives snare rattle a nice realism, but hi-hat can be metallic and clicky (its right on that border). I think this just shows that the peizo elements are still a work in progress and while the BQEYZ models are doing a good job harnessing them, there is still some work to be done to perfect it.


Soundstage / Imaging:

This is where the Summer steps out of the shadows of the Spring 1&2 and owns it. The stage is improved over both of its predecessors by more than a little bit. Stage is still a little wider than deep but depth is improved and height has as well with the Summer stopping just short of 3d. Seating the orchestra is straight forward with no overlaps or gaps and seating feels natural without the absurd width you get with the original Spring1. Instrument separation and stereo separation are both quite good as well which helps the Summer as well. Imaging is good as well but not exceptional as spatial cues show good movement but perhaps a bit less precision than it could have. Layering was impressive as I expected to trip up the dynamic with some of the busier passages but found only very mild compression even with the worst tracks.



Comparisons:

I’ve pretty much covered the territory of comparing spring models to summer all the way through the review so will settle for posting the comparison graph here. I have included the three models Spring 1, Spring 2, and Summer FR below for comparison.





Thoughts / Conclusion:

I have thoroughly enjoyed the Spring models and find BQEYZ consistently one of the better values on the market today so I expected good things from the Summer. Yes, its a step back in materials from the Spring, but about 75% of all in-ears are made from some form of acrylic so its hard to knock it for that and the price is lower as well so it isn’t like they lessened materials to make a bigger profit. Inside, they have improved the dynamic driver with faster transients, redesigned the peizo element with fewer moving parts and better coherency, and improved the armature in between. The tuning is very similar to the spring models from the lowest note up through the lower treble and then it departs a bit. For me that departure is not necessarily a welcome change as there is more emphasis in the 8-9kHz range which some will find opens up the sound and it probably is responsible for some of the improvements in the stage dimensions, but others will find it can be harsh and will need some EQ in that area to prevent fatigue. I do think the summer represents very good value as it has a lot of positive points, but we also have to remember not to expect miracles the budget price range and that some trade offs like loss of a little bit of texture in the lows and an occasional harsh note in the treble can still be expected.

BQEYZ has been in the audio gear game for quite some time now specializing in high-resolution IEMs and cables. While the brand focuses primarily on the budget segment of audio gears, they grabbed a lot of attention for the Spring series of in-ear monitors. The series got two products, Spring 1 and Spring 2. Both of which are quite identical with premium metallic shells and a tribrid driver configuration. Both the pairs received multiple positive feedbacks for their excellent performance around the 200$ price range. But the Spring series was just the first chapter of the Seasons series by BQEYZ. Earlier this year BQEYZ announced the second chapter in the Season series, the BQEYZ Summer.



BQEYZ Summer is the latest IEM set featuring a tribrid driver configuration consisting of a 13mm DD unit, a BA unit, and a five-layered piezo-electric unit. This driver configuration is similar to that on the Spring series only difference being the Piezo driver in Spring 1/2 has a 9 layer configuration while the one in Summer has five layers. Other than this the primary difference between Summer and Spring is the shell material, Summer features simple acrylic resin ear shells while Spring features full metallic shells. This also resulted in a lower cost for Summer, It is available to purchase from BQEYZ Store on Aliexpress for just 129$. Where does the Summer stand in the industry? Is it worth the 129$? Well, we are gonna find out today.

Disclaimer:-

I was provided this unit of BQEYZ Summer free of cost in return for my honest opinion by Elle Zhou from BQEYZ Audio. I would like to thank her for this opportunity, all thoughts in this review are completely my own based on my own experience with the pair over the past few weeks.



Packaging & Accessories:-

Summer comes in simple packaging with a light purple slip-on cover over a black box. The slip-on has BQEYZ Summer branding on the front and detailed technical specifications on the back. Below this slip-on cover, we have a book-open style shimmery black box with BQEYZ branding on the top. Inside we have BQEYZ Summer earphones sitting on the top portion of the box in a simple foam layer. The lower portion is being covered by a plain black sheet below which lies the BQEYZ branded carry case. While the cable is inside the carry case, ear tips are placed right below the earphone layer. The packaging is quite simple yet reflects the Summer season with the light purple cool tone of the outer slip-on cover.



Package Contents:-

>BQEYZ Summer earphones.

>One Two-pin connector cable with a 3.5mm termination plug.

>Six pairs of silicone tips(three black, three greys).

>Cleaning brush.

>Quality Certificate.

>User guide.



Build Quality & Fit:-

The earpieces here have a very simple look with acrylic Resin material cavities and a metallic nozzle. They look finely built with a slight bit of transparency inside the shell(when in a properly lit situation). I got the purplish-black color of Summer that looks pretty elegant. On the top we have recessed two-pin connectors, face panels have an elevated pattern that looks like fish gills. The right earpiece has Summer printed at the bottom, the left one has BQEYZ printed at the same place. In terms of build quality, the resin shells come nowhere near the premium, rich finish of the metallic shells in the Spring 1/2, but at their own place, they are built quite decently with a perfect finish.







The pair has an ergonomic shape with lightweight aesthetics that allows the pair to sit firmly in my ears and provide a very comfortable fit. With the included tips the fit was okayish, I find my perfect fit on the Summer with Final Audio Type-E ear tips. They cover my ear canal completely and block all the outside noise providing a good level of noise isolation. I once used them while riding my scooter at around average volume level, the pair blocked environmental noises quite effectively.

Bringing The Sun Up(Powering The Summer):-

With a low impedance rating of 32 ohms and a high sensitivity rating of 107dB/mW, the Summer is very easy to power. It can be driven right off a smartphone such as Honor View 10(though needs to be pushed to near full volume). For the purpose of this review, I used my Cayin N3 Pro and Shanling M3X to power up the Summer.



BQEYZ Summer & Shanling M3X:-

Shanling M3X drives the Summer at an adequate listening level at around 65/100 volume on low gain mode. The pair has a clean presentation here with no noticeable background hiss, pretty good extensions, and good clarity between the instruments.



BQEYZ Summer & Cayin N3 Pro:-

Cayin N3 Pro features three different sound modes, Tube UL, Tube Triode, and Solid-State. I mostly use UL tube mode for most of my sessions and my impressions are based on that. Summer shows a warm tonality here(taste of N3 Pro), it is easily driven at like 51/100 volume level on medium gain, I like the thick tonal touch to the instruments and vocals by N3 Pro here.

I also tried it with my Honor View 10 smartphone just to check how it performs with regular smartphones, the pair was driven easily at my adequate listening level though at full volume on the phone. But as always I recommend using portable USB DAC/AMPs or Digital Audio Players for best output quality.

Sound Quality:-

There are only a few IEMs that leave an impact on the very first song we play on them, the BQEYZ Summer is one of them. On my first listen I played my favorite track, Hotel California by Eagles from their Hell Freezes Over album, the acoustic guitar during the first 30 seconds was legendary. During my first sessions with the pair, It held me onto it with excellent detailing, punchy deep bass, spacious soundstage. While most of the time the pair sounded smooth to me but I felt the treble portion to have a slight bit of extra sparkle in some complex tracks such as In The End by Linkin Park. It was not piercing but it was being noticed easily. I gave the pair a suggested burn-in period of 100 hours(8-9 hours random music playback for the next 10-12 days).



After this burn-in period, I can’t say much whether it is a placebo effect or an actual effect on the pair, but I find it to have a smoother response than my initial listen with it. Now the presentation is actually much smoother. Summer has an intimate, engaging presentation with a W-shape sound profile. I personally loved its punchy bass response that hits right at the moment, feels so energetic and engaging. Vocals, both male and female have a full-bodied presentation with a hint of warmth. The Piezo ceramic driver does its magic with a sparkly treble response that shows good detail retrieval. Now let’s discuss the frequency-wise sound response of Summer.

Bass:-

As stated earlier, Summer leaves its impact with every single bass drop in the music. No it’s not overpowering that would please a bass head but it is fast, it is deep, and it hits hard. Billie Eilish is such a bliss to listen with the Summer with its wonderful mid-bass slams and powerful sub-bass rumble. I always enjoy a deep, punchy bass response, and I get it with the Summer. It is an instant favorite for me.

Mids:-

Mid frequencies have a smooth presentation. The vocals are rich and full-bodied. Instruments such as acoustic guitar, bass guitar, piano have a good tonality and a natural timbre. I like this engaging presentation of instruments that makes the music sound lively and exciting. I couldn’t hear any muddiness. When I listen to acoustic guitar in Tell Her You Love Her By Echosmith & Mat Kearney, the separation between the strings being played can be felt with a good sense of weight for each string.

Treble:-

Summer delivers a sparkly treble frequency response with a bright tonality. Every instrument is presented clearly with good energy. Electric guitars, violins, cymbals have a neutral, detailed, and properly extended presentation. The piezo ceramic driver is doing its magic here. Treble-oriented tracks such as Californication or Hey Oh by Red Hot Chilli Pepper sound engaging shows good dynamics and separation of instruments on the pair. While everything else is perfect there is a brightness to the treble region that might trouble treble sensitive people especially with bright sources such as a Topping NX4. I am also sensitive to harsh treble, but both my sources, N3 Pro and Shanling M3X have warm and neutral tonality that provides a good smooth synergy with the Summer.

Soundstage & Separation:-

BQEYZ Summer produces a wide soundstage with a good sense of depth and height. It gives ample space for our music to shine even for complex tracks such as Crawling by Linkin Park where multiple instruments and vocals are being presented at the same time. The separation of instruments is pretty good, they also show good layering and detail.



Comparisons:-

See Audio Anou/Yume Vs BQEYZ Summer:-

See Audio Anou(Mainland China version of Yume) used to be my default recommendation for the under 200$ price segment just because of its rich tonality. The only issue I had with it was the fact that it lacks somewhat of an impact in the lower end. Here is my comparison of BQEYZ Summer and See Audio Anou(Anou is from my memory I reviewed it earlier this year).

>BQEYZ Summer produces a much better lower-end response, great speed, great punch.

>Micro-detailing was better on Anou but I find the energy of Summer to be better.

>Sound presentation of Summer is more intimate, engaging, & lively in comparison to Anou.

>Summer has a brighter tonality out of the two.

>While both the pairs produce a wide spacious soundstage, Anou sounded has an airier presentation.



Final Words:-

BQEYS Summer has quite an engaging and smooth presentation that keeps one hooked on to it for hours. My previous recommendation around this budget used to be the See Audio Yume, but the Summer improves over it with a better lower-end response. I love how it handles different genres played on it with good clarity and precise detail retrieval. This is gonna be my default recommendation for the 150-200$ price range!! Loved it.

Introduction
BQEYZ audio is the Chinese company that specialized in the IEMs, they are well known by their interesting tri-bird configuration, which has the piezoelectric driver been used. The Bqeyz Summer is the successor of the Spring line up, which I review last year. The driver configuration of the Summer is 1DD+1BA+5 layers piezoelectric, price of it is $129USD.




Disclaimer
I would like to thanks Elle Zhou form BQEYZ for given this opportunity, and the review will be based on my honest opinion through the music I listen to.


Package & Accessories
The Summer come with the moderate sizes box. The box has bqeyz logo and model name located at front, whereas the specifications at the rear side of it. There is the black box with the brand logo located at the middle after removed the cover. After the box open from side, the IEMs itself sited in the foam along ear tips underneath. There is the cable and other accessories contain in the carry case at the button of the box.








Accessories list:
1 pair x BQEYZ Summer In-Ear Monitors
1 pcs x 0.78 2-Pin Detachable Cable
3 pairs x Black Silicone Eartips (size S/M/L)
3 pairs x White Silicone Eartips (size S/M/L)
1 pcs x Cleaning Tool
1 pcs x Carry Case




Build & Design & Comfort
The Summer has well ergonomic design. The shells are in blue color with moderate transparency levels, there are also black colors available. The shell is made plastic, which is light weight. There are the wave design on the faceplate, with touch of glitter decorated. There are the branded logo”BQEYZ” located at the bottom of the left ear pieces, where the right side has a word “Summer” sported. There are left and right indicator located at the rear side of the shell. There are three vents on the rear side of the shell.





The build quality on the Summer is pretty solid. It is made with two pieces of the resin, which is the shell and faceplate respectively. The shell are well rounded with smooth curve. The drivers inside are perfectly placed in the place, and the wires inside are averagely organized. There are no shape edges or glue around the joint part of the shell. There are the metal filter to prevent from the ear dust. The recessed 2 pin female connectors are tight, and do not have sign of wear and tear after I swapped few times of cable.





The fits on the Summer is alright, it is on the thick side, and I find out the ergonomic design is just not fit my ears well. The nozzle has moderate length, so it can fit pretty stable in your ears. The isolation is average, and thanks to the vents there are no pressure build up after a long listening.






Technical specifications:
Driver: 13mm dynamic + 5 layers piezo electric + balanced armature
Impedance: 32Ω
Sensitivity: 107dB
Frequency response: 7-40kHz


Sound

Paring
I pair up with the stock cable and white ear tips, as the white ear tips sound clearer compare to the black ear tips. I run through my music library on the Fiio M11 and Topping E30.




Overall tonality
The Summer has a mildly U shape tonality, it is presented in soothing and musical manner, with a fatiguing free presentation.

Bass
The bass is thick and meaty. It has moderate levels of sub bass extension with moderate decay. The mid bass quantity is well balanced with sub bass and it is well controlled. The bass has average impact and punch with fair amount of rumble. On the other hand, the bass has moderate amount of texture and sound averagely clean. It is overall weighty and full bodies bass. The detail retrieval and clarity is average.

Mids
The midrange is soothing and musical, the tonality is warmer than the neutral. The lower midrange has moderate amount of bodies, it sound clean yet smooth. The upper midrange sound soothing and it is more pronounced compare to the lower midrange, it has moderate levels of transparency with good levels of control. The detail retrieval and clarity are above average.

Treble
The treble is smooth and fairly laidback with good amount of sparkle on the top end. The lower treble is well controlled and it is smooth yet well defined. The upper treble are well extend, and thanks to the piezoelectric drivers, the transaction speed is faster and controlled. There are good amount of sparkle on top with fair amount of airiness. The detail retrieval and clarity are above average.

Soundstage and imaging
The soundstage has average depth and width.
The imaging is slightly above average.



Comparison
Fiio FH3 ($129USD)

Bass
There are more sub bass quantity on the FH3 and it extend further, on the other hand Summer has more mid bass quantity with thicker presentation. The bass has cleaner tone on the FH3, where the Summer is on the lusher side. There are fuller rumble on the FH3, while the Summer has better sense of punch. The bass has more weight and decay slower on the Summer, where as the FH3 is tighter with better sense of control. The detail retrieval and clarity is better on FH3.

Mids
The midrange sound has warmer and fuller presentation on Summer, on the other hand, the FH3 has slightly warmer than neutral tone with relatively leaner presentation. The lower midrange sound lusher and a tad thicker on the Summer, where the FH3 sound cleaner with less bodies here. The upper midrange has more soothing presentation on the Summer, where the FH3 sound more lively with better sense of transparency. The detail retrieval and clarity is better on FH3.

Treble
The treble on both extended well, the FH3 has more relax tone here, where the Summer has strong upper treble emphasis. The lower treble sound smoother on the FH3, while the Summer sound a little bit edgy relatively. The upper treble has more emphasis on the Summer, which lead it to be sharper but harsher compare to the FH3 which is smoother. The detail retrieval and clarity are both pretty good.

Soundstage and imaging
The soundstage width is better on Summer, depth is on par.
The imaging is tad better on FH3.


IKKO OH1 ($139USD)

Bass
There are more sub bass quantity and extended further on the OH1, where as the mid bass has slightly more quantity and sound fuller on the Summer. There are better sense of rumble with cleaner tone on the OH1, on the other hand, the Summer sound lusher and thicker with tad more slam. The bass sound clearer with better control on the OH1, where the Summer has more weight and slower speed. The detail retrieval and clarity is better on OH1.

Mids
The midrange on both has a V shape tonality, but the Summer has a lusher and more textured tone, where the OH1 has clearer tone with less bodies in its presentation. The lower midrange has relatively more bodies and sound thicker on the Summer, where the OH1 has cleaner presentation. The upper midrange sound more vividly with more emphasis on the OH1, while the Summer is more soothing with fuller tone. The detail retrieval and clarity is tad better on OH1.

Treble
The treble extend further on the Summer with relatively brighter tonality. The lower treble on both sound smooth, but the Summer is bit edgy in certain track. The upper treble has more airiness and sparkle on the Summer but it sound relatively stronger in this region compare to lower treble, where as the OH1 is roll off early here. The detail retrieval and clarity is better on Summer.

Soundstage and imaging
The width is tad wider on the Summer, deeper on the OH1.
The imaging is tad better on the Summer.


Dunu SA3 ($139USD)

Bass
There are more sub bass and mid bass quantity on the Summer, the sub bass extend further and provide fuller rumble on the Summer. The mid bass has thicker tone with more slam on the Summer, where the SA3 has clearer and leaner tone with less bodies. The bass has quicker decay speed with better sense of control on the SA3, while the Summer has more weight with thicker tone. The detail retrieval and clarity is better on SA3.

Mids
The midrange has neutral-ish tonality one the SA3 with less bodies, while the Summer has warmer tonality with lusher bodies. The lower midrange has thicker tone on the Summer, where the SA3 has leaner presentation with reduce lushness. The upper midrange on both are smooth yet lively, the SA3 has tad more intimate presentation, where the Summer has extra sense of spacious. The detail retrieval and clarity on both are well done.

Treble
The treble on the Summer extended further win extra sense of airiness. The lower treble has more emphasis on the Summer, which can sound bit edgy compare to smoother SA3. The upper treble sound sharper with extra crispness on the Summer, where the SA3 is roll of earlier. The detail retrieval and clarity is better on Summer.

Soundstage and imaging
The width and depth are both better on Summer.
The imaging is on par


BQEYZ Spring1 ($139USD) The Spring1 share fairly similar BQEYZ house sound, so I won’t do the full comparison here.

The bass on the Summer is a improvement in term of the sub bass extension, tightness and clarity, it also provide extra sense of slam in comparison to Spring1. The midrange is tad clearer and more spacious on Spring1, while the Summer sound tad lusher and owing a more intimate presentation. The treble has brighter presentation on the Spring1 with more extra airiness on the top end, where the Summer has less energy and sound more soothing. The overall detail retrieval and clarity is on par. The soundstage is wider and slightly deeper on Spring1, but imaging is better on Summer.


Final E4000 ($149USD)

Bass
The sub bass has slightly more quantity and extended further on the Summer with fuller rumble, while the E4000 has more mid bass quantity, which sound muddier compare to Summer. The Summer provide better sense of punch and slam compare to the more the E4000. The Summer also provide better speed and extra tightness, where the E4000 sound less clear and thicker in tone. The detail retrieval and clarity is better on Summer.

Mids
The midrange on both has V shape tonality, the E4000 has extra sense of warmth and bodies carried from mid bass, where the Summer sound cleaner and more spacious. The lower midrange has more bodies and sound fuller on the E4000, where the Summer sound cleaner and clearer. The upper midrange sound more lively with better transparency on the Summer, while the E4000 sound duller and warmer in comparison. The detail retrieval and is better on Summer.

Treble
The treble extend further and sound brighter and more airy on the Summer. The lower treble has more energy and sound more engaging on the Summer, where the E4000 has darker and laid back type of presentation here. The upper treble has extra sense of airiness and sparkle on the Summer, while the E4000 is a roll off here. The detail retrieval and clarity is better on Summer.

Soundstage and imaging
The soundstage is wider and deeper on the Summer.
The imaging is also better on Summer.




Conclusion
The BQEYZ Summer is a well done successor after the Spring series, which take a slightly different sound signature, but remaining a well extend and fast piezoelectric driver treble. The Summer has really soothing and well balanced sound signature, with full bodies and extended bass, clean yet musical midrange, and fatiguing free treble with good extension. Overall, the Summer is definitely a good competitor in this price range. Thank you for reading, Happy Listening!!

BQEYZ AliExpress official store: https://a.aliexpress.com/_m0nRCLL
BQEYZ Summer product page:
https://a.aliexpress.com/_m0hHdpT

BQEYZ SUMMER NO GIMMICK REVIEW :

PROS: Balanced cohesive V shape tuning that doesn't forget the mids, natural timbre, authoritative bass, smoothly textured, good details retrieval and macro-resolution, impressive treble speed, snap and control

CONS: Average imaging and soundstage, lack of air, hollow mids definition, overly forwards presentation, not very well articulated bass, lack of decay and sparkle, underwhelming construction-design.

TONALITY: 8/10
TECHNICALITIES: 8/10
CONSTRUCTION-DESIGN: 7/10
SOUND VALUE: 7.5/10

Okay, let’s begin by ‘’disclaiming’’ I’m an intense BQEYZ fan, for years...and do really think they are underatted AF. I have my theory about why they are THAT underatted, or most likely, stock in audiophile amnesia, and it’s because they have a brand name nobody can memorize more than 5 seconds. Hence this meme i did some time ago to explain this unjust fate :



Did my fanatism mean BQEYZ are perfect tuner? Absolutely not, and i would be hard-pressed to find any audio company that nails 100% of their tuning….even Final Audio doesn’t have win this golden palm to my ears so...so, they have a house sound tuning that I find well balanced, competent in technicalities and musical. KB100, KC2, Spring1 and 2 are all prime example of this well balanced yet revealing and musical tuning BQEYZ chase. And they work hard for this, creating their own balanced armature driver and even patenting new type of drivers like a dual Dynamic and Piezo coaxial driver that doesnt exist anywhere apart into Spring 1 and 2 and well, the new SUMMER model i will revie today!



The BQEYZ SUMMER is an hybrid IEM using dual piezo-dd for low and highs and a New Balanced armature model made by BQEYZ. This new mid BA is different than the one used in Spring serie, and it is meant to be warmer sounding. Timbre being something very hard to achieve with a BA, let’s see how this sound in the middle of the piezo-dd drivers!

But now, lets cover boring part :


CONSTRUCTION is quite average for the price and will underwhelm those that prioritize IEM look, those fancy boys that want their IEM to go Bling-bling. Why? Because even our finger judge quality of something and the plastic used for SUMMER is a basic one, not a thick resin similar to pro custom IEM. The advantage is lightness and comfort, but compared to metal shell used with every older models, it isn’t a feel of upgrade. Let’s just say whole design was uninspired, even the Summer lettering seem uninspired….and easy to scratch off….and well, neither bling-bling or refined or beautiful.

Cable in the other hand is pretty decent, thick sturdy 8cores Silver plated. But i’m not sure it’s the one I would suggest first for great sound pairing.
Packaging is average and have minimal accessories.



NOW, the real SUMMER REVIEW BEGIN!

SOUND:

OK, I have to confess my dilemma about the SUMMER. First time i put them in my ears I was feeling something wrong is going on with the sound and this was due to 2 reasons. First, these need to burn in so the bass settle, secondly my hearing isn’t treble sensitive but very aware of acoustic phenomenon connected to air flow and I conclude the nozzle mesh was blocking too much of it. For the purpose of this review i put the mesh back, but i do prefer the more open, detailed and impactful of SUMMER without the mesh. Yes, the mesh warmer the sound, but it did interfere with other acoustic phenomena, like attack edge, imaging and soundstage size. There is the measurement of with and without mesh SUMMER, as seen, 2DB more in mids section but that’s just half of what happen to sound.

TONALITY is a balanced V to smoothed W shape signature where mid bass hit thumpy way, and mid treble have the most presence and extend in a lean, slightly restrained way apart upper treble which have more teeth. You will be hard-pressed to guess type of drivers in there because the tuning is balanced, coherent and thickly homogenous. Yep thickly cause it sound as a thick whole making macro-resolution more focus than micro definition.

IMAGING-SOUNDSTAGE is wide, not very tall or deep. Spatial positioning isn't very crisp and precise and lack separation space. We have good amount of layers of sound, but they can feel overly compressed to appreciate their singularities.

TECHNICALITIES are great, though a bit hollow and tamed in attack due to the mesh that filter lot of it’s dynamic potential. Attack is fast and well controlled, yet lacking edge in definition and separation as well as natural decay. Treble seem just a bit faster in transient than rest of spectrum, bass being the slower.

BASS have a hefty thumpy hit, with notable boost in mid and sub bass, but not alot of grip and definition to kick drum due to warm texture and thigh but not very delimitate impact. Their no alot of resonance or natural rumble, its all about weight here.

MIDS feel a bit hollow and not sharp in clarity, though well layered and full bodied. Vocal presence is centered but not very open and airy in presentation, more stick on the rest of instrumentation. It's not thin, lack a bit of transparency but have rather natural timbre and good texturing. Female vocal are brighter than male vocal but still not sibilant. Instruments sound realist and bodied.

TREBLE is quite similar to mids timbre, well balanced, lacking sharp bite but still capable of delivering intricate snappy micro-details that only a well tuned piezo (or electrostat) driverr can present as effortlessly. Everything with the Summer sound good as a whole but suffer in clean clarity, so the treble doesnt splash or sound harsh but the rendering isn't neither holographic or very open with clean air between instruments.

COMPARISONS :

VS BQEYZ SPRING2 :
Spring2 is crisper sounding with cleaner wider deeper soundstage, imaging is better, details retrieval higher. Treble is more airy, snappy and extended. Summer is more V shape and its bass is fatter warmer ,thicker. Mids too are warmer and a bit fuller but less transparent and open sounding. Summer sound hollow in definition, texture, details and air, as well as technically shy compared to Spring2, the attack lacking bite and snap and imaging being too saturated as a whole it’s very hard to find a reason to suggest Summer over the more audiophile targeted Spring2.

VS SHOZY ROUGE:
Brighter, colder, more analytical and towards neutral sounding. Cleaner-clearer and faster in attack. Dryier thinner timbre. More artificial sounding. Way less bassier. More shouty and harsh in treble. Really underwhelming in cohesive musicality after listening to Summer even if ROUGE try to push its technicalities bravado to the max...its just plain unpleasant due to timbre weakness.

CONCLUSION:

So, my impressions of SUMMER are a bit biased by 2 things: the fact i was expecting something very different than Spring2 and even better in some aspect as well as the fact I prefer how it sounds without its mesh but can't review it this way because it isn't the tuning desired. By everybody but me? That, im not sure, but it sure boost the treble a bit as well a mids presence.

In its stock form, the SUMMER are good, but have a rather underwhelming design and construction. The sound is lively yet warmed by both bass boosted presence and obstructive nozzle filter. The bass hit hard and would even please the gentle basshead, I've been enjoying these alot with EDM, Drum&bass because unlike other V shape IEM that can be too sharp or shouty in treble, the Summer make you enjoy its sound in a polite way and doesnt make the mids overly recessed. A polite basshead iem then? Yes, I think so, and a very well balanced and smooth one too even if forwards sounding which is very unique to say the least.

Disclaimer:

I would like to thank Ms. Elle Zhou and BQEYZ for providing a review unit of the Summer. Rest assured that my impressions written in this review are my own personal thoughts and opinions and in no way influenced by outside parties.

I am not an expert in this hobby nor claim to be an audiophile. I just love listening to music and am fond of writing articles.


Introduction:

BQEYZ. Best Quality Earphone for You, Zhou (family name of tuner/owner). They’re one of the rare Chi-Fi companies that dedicate time-and-effort for each product that they produce, prioritizing “Research & Development” unlike other companies that release IEMs each and every month for the whole year. Their pace for releasing new products is about 1-2 new IEMs a year. I praise BQEYZ as a company for this act which goes to show that they put first and foremost the satisfaction that their quality IEMs will bring to their customers ahead of other goals. The BQEYZ Summer, a tri-brid IEM with a 13mm coaxial DD, custom BA unit (2nd generation), and a 5-layer piezoelectric driver, all for 129 USD. It is available in black (closer to violet) and blue (like sky), with options for either a 2.5mm, 3.5mm, or 4.4mm stock cable (0.78mm, 2-pin). This is the “second act” of the BQEYZ Seasons series, following the Spring 1 & 2. Will the BQEYZ Summer bring forth warmth to the hearts of its listeners or will it just be too hot to handle?


These were plugged to my iPhone 5s with the SD01 amplifier for the review. As per Ms. Elle Zhou, the Summer is easy-to-drive at 32 ohms of impedance with a sensitivity of 107 dB. I can happily say that this is true and a typical phone should be enough for the listener to enjoy the Summer with 1 Vrms @ 32 ohm and headroom to go louder, though even a cheap external amplifier like the SD01 brings slight improvements to the SQ.







Build and Comfort: Two-piece resin (faceplate & body). It’s light yet feels solid on hand. I got mine in the black colorway, which is closer to violet, really. It’s hard to capture in pictures, but the faceplate has some sort of glittery stuff in it. Pictures don’t really capture it’s beauty, as it’s very captivating in real life. Size is “normal” and shouldn’t be a problem for most ears (has a fin, to note). Nozzle (on the bigger side) is angled and is of the shallow-fitting type for my ear, thus it does not provide the best passive isolation. It also has a total of three vents, so yep… isolation bye-bye. A big pro for me, personally speaking as I prefer non-isolating pairs and value awareness of my surroundings.




Package: Two sets of tips (3 pairs each). Paperwork. QC certificate. Hard case (BQEYZ-branded). Cleaning brush. 8-core cable advertised as SPC, single-crystal copper.


Now, onto sound:

For this review, the IEM was left in stock mode, without mods other than going two-sizes up than usual with the clear, blue stem tips. I don’t prefer the grey tips as they have too relaxed midrange and treble for me. The clear tips have punchier bass and bring more presence to the midrange and treble region.

I can’t emphasize enough that this review was done in stock form. I included a part in the end concerning the changes I made which may “trigger” a few people.

----------

Bass:

Of the warmer side, with minimal sub-bass, having a satisfying weight to kicks and a slight bleed in EDM drops.




Midrange:

The midrange of the BQEYZ Summer is characterized by a relatively relaxed upper midrange, with vocals being presented in a natural and clear manner with a bit of warmth to it, weighty note delivery, and non-existence of sibilance even in badly-recorded tracks. Jacob Collier’s voice sounds amazing in these. Rhythm guitars have really nice heft, though the lead guitar leaves me wanting for more aggressiveness/bite and presence. I can go at least 9 hours straight without experiencing ear fatigue thanks to the tuning at my normal listening volume (low-medium). There was a moment where I even fell asleep while listening to the Summer without noticing .




Treble:

Treble is tuned like it’s a-step-and-a-half away from being considered bright. There is no pierce or peakiness in ear heard, for me. It is also very fast, controlled and has enough sparkle and presence for a musical experience. I would’ve wanted more “air” and “brilliance” with the piezo driver but I guess that wouldn’t have fit the “Summer” theme? Weirdest region of the Summer, as sometimes it sounds relaxed, while other times it’s very energetic.




----------

Timbre: This is the first IEM I’ve listened to that has a driver type other than a dynamic. No metallic midrange whatsoever and strings don’t sound weird for me.

Soundstage, Imaging, and Separation: One of the best aspects of the Summer. No dimension is lacking, and with the accurate imaging and excellent separation, it can handle any track not named EDM (due to the bleed and decay) ichikoro’s Q never sounded congested and instruments had a place of their own and never went over each other.

Detail-retrieval: With the IEM not being tuned to be analytical and having emphasized bass, the good thing is that you still hear detail thanks to the speed of the BA and piezo handling the midrange and treble respectively. For example, in MCR’s Welcome to the Black Parade intro, there’s a very subtle ticking clock that is heard with the Summer. However, in other songs, the bass decay counters this quality of the Summer. Detail-retrieval would be track-dependent to show full potential of the BA and piezo. The good thing is that I don’t usually listen to EDM and bass-heavy tracks

----------

This next part is important as this changes the Summer from 3.5/5 to a 4.5/5. Rated it at 4/5 for this review as the average of the scores. CAUTION: Not for everyone! TRIGGER WARNING IN 3, 2, 1…


Conclusion:

When I approached Ms. Elle Zhou regarding a review unit of a BQEYZ product, I told her that I would be delighted to try out the KC2, which has seen a resurgence in hype among multiple FB communities, lauded as arguably the best price-to-performance IEM under 40 USD, competing with 100 USD IEMs. The BQEYZ Summer sounds like a solid, all-mahogany, dreadnought, acoustic guitar – pleasing, inoffensive, and full-bodied. Makes sense as this accurately represents the season it was named after. The Summer would have been a perfectly tuned IEM in a sense if it had faster bass decay, more upper midrange presence, and a bit more air on top. Good thing there’s the TRN T2 cable for that


UPDATE: Use double-flange eartips and thank me later. Never go wide-bore as it lets through a significant peak in the treble region.

BQEYZ Summer - Affordable Tri-Brid?



Intro

Prior to this, I have no knowledge about this brand at all other than their recent model which garnered a lot of attention which is Spring 2.
According to the manufacturer, BQEYZ stands for Best Quality Earphone for You. BQEYZ Summer is the latest triple hybrid driver pair of in-ear monitors featuring ultra-light Resin ear cavities, a 13mm powerful DD unit, a second-generation BA unit, and a 5-layer piezoelectric unit.


Specifications

Drivers Configuration
13mm Dynamic Driver x1;
5-Layer Piezoelectric DD x1 ;
Balanced Armature Driver x1
Impedance
32Ω
Sensitivity
107 dB
Frequency Response Range
7-40khz
Frequency response range
20-20000HZ
Pin Type
0.78mm-2 Pin
Plug Options
2.5mm/3.5mm/4.4mm
Cable Length
1.2m
Package Content
-BQEYZ Summer IEM x1 Pair
-Cable x1
-Carrying case x1
-Brush x1
-Silicone ear tips x6 Pairs(Including S/M/L -2 Pair Per Size)


Packaging

The packaging is quite minimalistic in my opinion, and doesn't bother me. Once you open it up and you’re greeted with the IEM itself and a storage case, good quality cable and two different types of ear tips.


*Spinfit CP145 ear tip installed for illustration purpose only

* Throughout the review i am using the stock ear tip which is the grey colored one.


Build Quality and Comfort



The housing which houses the DD,BA and Piezo is a plastic housing. It is lightweight and comfortable to wear for long hours. However, I would advise to handle the IEM with care as the shell looks like it will break if it’s dropped at a certain height.
I wore it straight for 3 hours+ without feeling discomfort. Though I can't say the same for the cable’s earhook. It is annoying in the sense it did not properly hook onto your ears, thus giving it the sense of doesn’t fit well even with the cable’s earhook. There’s a small fin as you can see from the picture, it does help with securing Summer on your ear. I did not notice any discomfort from the fin even after a prolonged listening session.


Source

Here’s the setup that i used throughout this review:

Tidal (MQA/HiFi) Windows 10 -> iFi Zen Dac (7.2c Firmware GTO Filter) -> BQEYZ Summer (3.5SE)
Tidal (MQA/HiFi) Iphone 11 -> Apple’s Lightning Dongle -> BQEYZ Summer (To test it’s drivability)


Sound

The reason why I opt for single ended instead of using it with 4.4 Bal is because I find that on 4.4 it exhibited slight sibilant and it made it slightly brighter and it’s fatiguing to listen for a long period. I put on the 4.4 female to 3.5 male adapter to run it on SE. I guess Summer doesn’t benefit from all that extra power after all. However, YMMV, this review is done based entirely on my setup hence i am writing the review based on what i heard from my own setup.

Bass

The 13mm DD used in Summer definitely helped to bring out high quality and quantity bass.
During the opening on The Weeknd’s Starboy, the sub bass rumble came alive, it is controlled and tight, not bloated at all. Mid bass is also well controlled to not make it feel too boomy. Not a basshead’s IEM for sure. Overall presentation is snappy.

Mids

Fairly detailed with moderate amount of texture. Female vocal sounded a little forward and thin as what i heard from Nina Simone’s Suzzane, male vocal has got more texture and less forward in Jeff Buckley’s Hallelujah. Despite the minor shortcoming, the overall presentation is quite detailed. Though, I would prefer it if it's more bodied.

Treble

As for the treble, it is impressive and the extension is good which is to be expected from the Piezo housed within. It is also fast and controlled. However, I am not sure if this is some issue with my setup, i had to resort to using 3.5 instead of 4.4 because on balance, the high exhibited slight sibilant and the sparkles are too much to handle, 3.5 solved all the issues mentioned. Trebles are now sparky and smooth with a fair bit of airiness in it. It also exhibited a good amount of details.


Soundstage and Imaging

The soundstage has got average depth and width. Nothing much to shout out about. However, the imaging is above average and impressive. Radiohead’s Creep for example, instruments can be pinpointed accurately and also Marvin Gaye’s Sexual Healing, the sense of progression between left and right channel is impressive during the opening of the song.



Driveability

Summer is quite efficient and not hard to drive. I have tested it on Iphone 11 with Apple’s Lightning Dongle and suffice to say, it is able to offer a similar experience as iFi’s Zen Dac, but it does offer better performance out of Zen Dac of course.


Final Thoughts



BQEYZ Summer is decent enough for what it is. A well priced Tri-brid setup, pleasant tuning which is suitable for wide range of audience. The cost of a tri-brid setup often comes in the form of coherency and timbre’s naturality. The plastic shell’s durability is also doubtful in my opinion, however the choice is made in order for the IEM to feel light and comfortable. At this price point for such a setup, I believe the compromise is acceptable and throughout the time that i spent with the IEM, i enjoyed them.

*Above written review is solely based on my listening experience and I wrote based on what I heard. I do not have access nor do I have any knowledge in operating and measuring the FR of this unit. I still believe that FR only tells part of the story about the IEM unless you really listen to it.

*Thanks to Elle from BQEYZ for this opportunity to review Summer. The review will be based on my honest opinion and unbiased view despite the fact that I was given this unit without having to return them.

Intro​

First and foremost, big thanks to BQEYZ for sending in the Summer to be reviewed. Personally it’s my first BQEYZ In Ear Monitor (IEM) at the moment and frankly speaking, this particular IEM is quite appealing. It’s getting crowded in this price segment and audio companies need to deliver something outstanding if not unique in order to capture the market. Truth be told, the Summer is one of those unique (in a good way) IEM that pop ups every once in a while.

Sporting a tribrid design (1 DD, 1 BA, 1 Piezo), the configuration alone is unique in the price segment. The build is solid for a plastic shell (they claimed it to be made of resin) but to be honest they could’ve been better. The Summer is a fairly light IEM hence there’s no issue regarding comfort. I can wear these all day long. So, will the unique configuration of the Summer complement its sound signature? Read on…

Packaging​

The packaging is simple yet sufficient. Unboxing experience is somewhat disappointing due to the lack of accessories but putting that aside, it’s honestly complete to get you started. Besides, what are the odds that we actually use all of the accessories included with any IEM? There are a total of 6 pairs of eartips provided, 3 sets of wide-bore eartips and another 3 sets of narrow-bore eartips. The carry case however, is lit!!! With somewhat leathery finished that screams ‘exclusive’ and a very substantial feel to it.

Functions & Specifications​

• Material: Ultra-light Resin
• Transducer Type: 1x 13mm PU+LCP diaphragm Dynamic Driver, 1x Balanced Armature, 1x 5 Layers Piezo Electric.
• Sensitivity: 107dB/Vrms @ 1kHz
• Impedance: 32ohms @ 1kHz
• Frequency Range: 7Hz – 40kHz

What’s In The Box​

• BQEYZ Summer
• Silicon eartips (S, M, L) x 2 pairs each
• Carry case

Sound & Tonality​

The Summer carries a W-shaped sound signature with an overall fun and clean tonality. It is mostly balanced, slightly leaning towards bright sounding IEM with a very engaging high frequency response. Technical ability is somewhat mediocre at its best, but definitely a step up from the more budget segment IEMs.

Source Used​

Sony WM1Z (Midnight FW, Balanced) > BQEYZ Summer

Bass​

The sub-bass on the Summer is audibly rolled off. The rumble is present but really not that satisfying. Don’t get me wrong, it’s there but just not inspiring (at least for me). The mid-bass has good texture and engaging to listen to without ever, not even near being bloated. Upper-bass is clean and there’s no significant bleed towards the lower-mids. It’s just enough to provide slight warmth to the tonality. I would say that the Summer is a mid-bass focused IEM with a clean, fast and well textured bass presentation.

Mids​

The lower-mids sounds natural but the transition from the lower end is somewhat incoherent. This is purely nit-picking as it is not that significant to be a deterrent for music enjoyment. The mids itself is presented in a textured, clear and well articulated with good detail retrieval. But the forward mids might sound hollow, depending on the tracks. Now, the upper-mids may get hot and can be perceived as slightly thin sounding at times. All in all, the mids on the Summer can be perceived as clean and arguably natural.

Treble​

There’s a slight sibilance to be heard on the lower-treble, which can be fatiguing at times. The treble however is well done and sparkly with excellent detail retrieval. The only caveat for me is that it can sound metallic-ish. The upper-treble lacks air and rolled off on the extreme end. To be frank, the brilliance that it presents in this region is amazing and it would be perfect if it was toned down a tinny bit just to avoid from sounding metallic. But then again, the treble coming from the Piezo driver is what renders the Summer as unique.

Soundstage​

To be honest despite the slightly bright sound signature, the soundstage is average at its best. They are indeed wider than deep and throughout my listening period there has never been a single moment that I felt them as being too closed in. The best part of the Summer is that it possess a perceptibly good height in its soundstage, which is excellent for the price. Layering on the Summer is good enough to complement the depth of the soundstage. It’s not stellar but definitely notable especially when coming from more budget oriented IEMs.

Imaging & Separation​

The Summer showcases good separation throughout the frequency range. It was never crowded nor congested. The imaging that it presents is fairly precise. They’re not pinpoint accurate but enough to clearly distinguish every spatial cues. But both separation and imaging capabilities are limited to its height presentation. Despite having a perceptibly good height in its soundstage, it is also the limiting factor here. By that I mean they could be much better in this regard. They’re good but that’s just it.

Driveability​

These are easily driven by any source and scales very, very well with more power. Control is the word here. Everything sounds more controlled and refined with more powerful sources. But do be careful since they’re quite picky when it comes to the source’s sound signature.

Synergy​

It is safe to say that the Summer pairs very well with warm sources to add more weight & body to the overall tonality. Since I experienced some slight sibilance, eartips rolling might help to compensate the tiny sibilance issue. I end up with the JVC Spiraldots despite still having that periodically, tiny bit of annoying “Ss” and “Ts” but I just can’t forego their overall considerably fantastic treble presentation.

Comparison​

Shozy x Neo CP

The CP is a 3-BA configurated IEM with a very well made resin shell. Despite having an all-BA drivers, the CP is warmer and more coherent. In comparison to the Summer, the bass is more extended with more natural decay throughout, with more rumble too. Yes, more rumble. Mids are slightly recessed but more transparent and fuller sounding as compared to the Summer. Treble is where the Summer outshines the CP, and by a very good margin. The Piezoelectric driver used in the Summer clearly delivers a more revealing, airier and more engaging treble experience.

On to technical performance, the soundstage is wider and deeper on the Summer, and slightly taller too. The CP has a more closed in soundstage but they’re much more holographic in comparison to the Summer which makes them the more immersive IEM to listen to. Imaging and layering is better defined on the Summer while separation can be considered similar despite things can sound a bit muddled up on the CP at times.

For Who?​

I would say that those who seek to venture into more exotic driver configuration will most likely find the Summer a promising option. Despite the tribrid configuration, they’re just a slightly above average technical performer with some minor quirks in tonality and coherency. But trust me, this is just nit-picking. They’re absolutely worthy of the asking price considering what it offers.

Verdict & Stars​

With exotic drivers being offered in the lower tier segment, it is interesting to see where Chi-Fi manufacturers would take us further into this never-ending rabbit hole. The effort to trickle down all the fancy tech for more pocket friendly price tag is massively appreciated. At the very least, it is something different from the others. For the asking price, it will surely lure in more users to experience the exotic drivers configuration, including (but not limited to) the higher tier ones. Good job, BQEYZ!

4 Stars

BQEYZ Summer

The seasonal earphone, is something not too many manufacturers are doing. Idea of having a different themed earphone for each of the seasons brings about some challenges in how the tuner wants to convey the sound for their audience. It is interesting that BQEYZ has done two iterations of the Spring and now Summer but no Autumn or Winter. I suppose most folks don’t want to hear a cooler or even a cold sounding IEM.

The Summer in theory should be about natural warmth with a vivid sound. At least that is how I would like an earphone named Summer to sound. If BQEYZ needs some advice on what type of tuning for an Autumn and a Winter IEM. I suggest something to do with neutrality and or maybe an analytical reference higher end tuning, a flagship for their winter?

In any case the Summer days are passing by and we have their newest earphones the Summer which sees sound tweaks from their Spring tribrid formula with some updated drivers that improve their sound design while being cheaper. A win and more of a win in my book. Granted their previous Spring 2 looked more premium due to the all metal design but hey this game is more than just looks it is about what BQEYZ is doing to improve their sound. The Summer is using an all clear strong but lightweight plastic housing, the color of the unit I received reminds me of them sugary blue colored kool aid drinks that turns tongues blue during the middle of hot Summer days as a kid.

Housing is lighter and probably where the cost savings was in comparison to their former earphones giving the savings to the consumer. They come in a smaller box with a minimum amount of accessories; two sets of silicone tips, a compact square zip up clamshell type case, and a good quality 8 cored silver plated crystal copper cable in single ended. The build is strong and light with such designs having an average amount of passive isolation. Where the value of the earphones comes in is with an upgraded BA doing mids to treble, a larger 13mm dynamic driver utilizing a combination of liquid crystal polymer and polyurethane composite in material for bass, and lastly a 5 layer Piezoelectric unit handling the ultra highs.

Thanks goes out to the BQEYZ team for the review sample, the Summer was provided for the purpose of a review. You can read more about the Summer on their official page on Aliexpress here. And purchase a set for you from Amazon here. The Summer has been burned in for over a week and was analysed using my sources Fiio M15, Shanling M6pro, M5s, M3s, Ibasso DX160, Cayin N5ii,Sony Zx300, Ibasso PB3 and IFI Black Label for amping.

The Summer tuning is not too vastly different from their prior Spring models it seems but more of a minor sound tweak and added definition based on newer drivers to their tribrid formula. I would describe the tuning as a mild V shaped colored tuning based more on clarity and presence vs the slight warmth of their Spring 2 model with an increase of upper mids, and a slight uneven increase of upper trebles for added sparkle and sizzle.

It does seem BQEYZ has a certain house tuning trait for their earphones which happens to incorporate fundamental balancing and dynamics but with an upper treble lift for better sparkle and presence. On one hand I can hear the improvements in their Summers but at the same time why call it Summer it could be called Spring 3rd. My point is if BQEYZ plans on doing a continuation of their seasonal earphones. You can’t have the Fall and Winter earphones have the same tuning with slight tweaks to the same tuning. I suppose that will be up to BQEYZ. The seasons are different and should provide something with more of a contrast in the sound like the actual seasons. Just a suggestion.

The Summer is a step forward in their tuning design using some upgraded drivers. I noticed their house sound always includes some type of treble sparkle and we get that with the use of the single BA and upper treble enhancement using a newer 5 layer design of their Piezoelectric driver. This is the only driver out of the 3 that might not have been an upgrade but in cutting out some of the layers maybe this was a cost cutting measure to use better drivers for the rest of the sound. Just a theory. It certainly performs more or less similarly as their Spring 2 for the design.

It seems BQEYZ loves to tune with a bit of a zing to the trebles. The inclusion of a dedicated Piezoelectric driver for their upper trebles means it will have a different tone vs the BA it is using for the lower trebles. On top of this I noticed a greater upper mids and lower treble lift vs their Spring 2 design to give better presence, clarity, air and definition to the mids area. The treble sees an upper treble spike to enhance the trebles with plenty of spark and shimmer, noticed more so with crash cymbals and upper treble notes end up being brighter with a bit of a thinner note weight vs the more BA treble tone of the lower half of the treble tuning. The treble sounds a touch forced, a bit edgy and not as fluid at times vs having a natural treble presentation.

This treble combo works to give that presence the designers are going for but at the same time this combo is not as smooth sounding as I would have liked. This contrast of tone in the treble highlights upper trebles even more so than just using a single BA or multi BAs. It is a type of coloration to the trebles to give some life and some sizzle to your sound and much like throwing on your favorite meats on your hot grills there is a lot of sizzle going on during hot summer days. So this is the area that might be the best descriptor for the given name. Folks that like a more lively treble presence might like this type of treble tuning. It is not the most even treble tuning but has good presence, extension, good detail, imaging and has plenty of sparkle when called for.

Mids of the Summer is even handed and has good presence with good clarity and here is the aspect of the Summer that sees a slight uptick in space and definition from their previous Spring models. Mids does a good job staying away from the more digitalness aspect of the BA design and sounds mostly natural in presentation with a slightly cooler tone which is the result of the more increase of upper mids from their previous Spring 2 design. Their Spring 2 had a slightly more forward intimate mid range presentation vs the Summers more even broader sounding mids that lends to its more spacious presentation in comparison. Its technical chops for the overall sound is roughly about average showing more the advantages of the BA precision for the mids. The strong suit of the BQEYZ designs has been its presentation of the mid range for their earphones and I feel the mids are balanced well and has a good fundamental technical foundation for its sound. Its tonal character has good note weight and sees a slight uptick in sound separation for a more spacious wider presentation giving even a more musical character for the Summer sound.

Bass sees an increase of definition as well. The newer composite type larger 13mm dynamic is a nice improvement from their Spring 2 earphone where I felt its bass while having good presence was not as defined as I would have liked. The Summer corrects that with an upgraded driver that is tighter, denser and presents a better tonal character for its bass presence. Its bass can show good emphasis when called for but there is room for more improvement in the area. Bass can use a bit more in the way of range. It sounds slightly inconsistent at times, nothing that is a deterrent for the sound presentation but I noticed bass range going from very light sounding to forced depending on what track it is like it is missing the oomph on some tracks and has plenty for others.

Photo shown with Spring 2 copper cable and the included silver plated copper cable to the right.

The bass end is clearly an upgrade however and it shows that BQEYZ has taken the advice of previous reviews and has upgraded the bass dynamic. I applaud BQEYZ for improving the one area I had somewhat of an issue with with their last Spring 2 earphones. The moderate bass emphasis sees a linear emphasis from midbass to sub bass and has good definition in the region overall. Bass texture is about average given the price level but it is most definitely a step forward for their tribrid designs. Bass shows good agility, average speed for dynamics and is most definitely an upgrade in bass texture from their previous dynamic drivers used on their Spring 2.

In the end
The summer days are slowly fading. We are seeing less and less sunlight with crickets chirping about for the cooler evenings and we wait for the inevitable Autumn season. The Summer earphones are a good step toward improving the BQEYZ sound. Beyond slight sound tweaks I would like to see BQEYZ create a higher end earphone for an autumn and maybe a flagship for winter. That would be something.

As they are the Summer has their house tuning down pat with an increase of stage, a clean tonality, good definition with precise imaging and plenty of treble sparkle. Leans more toward a cleaner fun sound signature which if you think about it matches well with the clean fun times we have during Summer times. Well mostly clean. Summer is a good sounding seasonal earphone that shows BQEYZs knack for a versatile sound tuning that will do your music justice. Its an easy phone to like with its energetic tuning, defined bass and a more spacious presentation. I appreciate that BQEYZ has improved aspects from previous designs and in the highly competitive earphone industry that is what it should be all about. Thank you for reading my take on the BQEYZ Summer. Happy listening always..

Greetings!

Today we're checking out the Summer from fan favourite, BQEYZ.

I was first introduced to the brand with the KC2, an affordable 2+2 hybrid that is still quite popular three years after it's release. Such staying power is a rarity in what has become a very fast-paced consumer space. Next up was the Spring II, a tribrid earphone that very successfully combined dynamic, balanced armature, and piezoelectric drivers into a coherent, capable earphone. It was one of my favourite releases of 2020 and the earphone that, in my experience, best showcased what a piezoelectric driver could do.

The Summer borrows it's driver configuration from the Spring II but comes in at a lower price point of 129 USD (vs. 169 USD). Where the Spring II featured finely crafted aluminum housings, the Summer makes due with a more lightweight translucent resin. The piezoelectric driver has also been changed with the 9-layer unit of the Spring II swapped out for a 5-layer unit.

Is the Summer a worthy entry into BQEYZ's product lineup, or should you be looking towards the competition? Let's find out, shall we?


What I Hear Piezoelectric equipped earphones prior to BQEYZ's Spring II showed plenty of promise for the tech, but failed to capitalize on it. Amazing detail and clarity, but also harsh and peaky. BQEYZ with their 9-layer driver kept the good qualities while more-or-less eliminating the bad, and it resulted in a pretty darn amazing earphone for the price. While the Summer shares it's driver layout, the downgraded 5-layer piezo simply isn't as good.

Tuned virtually the same, the Summer's ~7k peak is noticeable but I never found it overly sharp or aggressive. You get a pleasant sparkle and shimmer with plenty of detail, clarity, and spaciousness between notes. Notes also attack and decay rapidly giving the Summer's treble presence a very nimble, well-controlled presentation that is free of splash or looseness. Where things take a step down from the Spring II is in the smoothness of the presentation, or lack thereof in this case. The Summer's piezo lacks refinement and comes across quite grainy compared to the Spring II which is a disappointment, greatly hindering what is otherwise a nearly class leading presentation.

The midrange fares better with a nearly identical presentation to the Spring II. Vocals are warm and dense with a focused clarity that leaves them very coherent, even amidst overly busy tracks. Fine details aren't hidden. The Summer's bumped midbass region adds just a bit more warmth giving female vocals an even sweeter presentation. It leaves male vocals sounding maybe a bit too dense for my tastes, however. Compared to the Spring II, I found the Summer less resistant to sibilance. While the Summer doesn't add to existing sibilance, it doesn't negate it to the same extent as the Spring II does. Timbre is quite pleasing with a realistic instrumental replication. It's not dry, metallic, or plasticky as armatures can sound, but just right. Excellent stuff overall.

The low end is where I hear some improvements over the Spring II. Depth into sub-bass regions is similarly satisfying giving the Summer a solid rumble and plenty of visceral feedback. Midbass is still a little more robust than I prefer, but it fits in well with the overall tune and avoids coming across as bloated or bloomy. Where the Summer pushes the Spring II to the side is in texturing and speed. It comes across more nimble and better controlled, more easily tackling rapid basslines. Where the Spring II smoothed out grungy bass notes, the Summer better replicates them. It more-or-less nails the micro-details and provides a more dynamic experience.

Leading into the sound stage the Summer remains an impressive piece of kit with a well-rounded staging presence that comes across neither huge nor overly compact. It has no issues presenting intimate moments where vocals or effects need to sound 'in-the-head', nor does it struggle to toss effects well off into the distance. Channel-to-channel transitions are smooth and nuanced with great off-centre movement. I found it especially helpful when gaming, and it certainly helped with immersion when using the Summer for movies. I've been on a horror kick lately and a good set of headphones is either a blessing or a curse, depending on how you feel about scary stuff. The Summer also does a competent job of effectively layering and separating individual track elements to avoid congestion. It enables the listener to follow specific elements if they're in the mood to dissect their tunes, though these aspects are not class leading.

Overall the Summer is a nice sounding product. I'm a little disappointed at the graininess of the piezoelectric driver, but the improved dynamic driver performance is welcomed. The three transducer technologies in use are well-implemented and sound coherent which remains an impressive quality at any price point.

Compared To A Peer (volumes matched with a Dayton iMM-6)

Tin HiFi T5 (129.00 USD): The single-dynamic T5 has less bass emphasis with a more linear transition into the lower mids. It sounds less meaty, cooler, and more lean than the notably bassier Summer. The T5 comes across a bit speedier with similar texturing. The midrange of the Summer peaks just before 2k then slowly tapers down as you head into the treble whereas the T5 peaks around 2.5k then remains fairly even in emphasis until you slip into the presence region. These differences result in the T5 being considerably more detailed and crisp, but it comes at the expense of note weight and some realism. The Summer's timbre and vocal reproduction are more full-bodied and natural. Treble on the two is quite different with the T5's presence region bias giving it a huge advantage in detail retrieval and general clarity. The Summer pulls this region back in favour of a ~7k treble peak resulting in a more sparkly but distant presentation. Both earphones have a good sound stage with the T5 coming across deeper and more layered. Imaging is a touch tighter on the Summer, but they're both quite competent.

Overall I find both extremely enjoyable, though the T5 fits in more with my preferences for less bass and an upper mid push. I also appreciate the smattering of detail it outputs, though the Summer isn't a slouch by any means. If you prefer a thicker, warmer, bassier, more natural presentation, the Summer will be the better choice.

Dunu SA3 (139.99 USD): The triple-armature SA3 is a less bassy, more mid-range focused product than the Summer. Bass quantity is considerably less with the SA3's armatures unable to provide the same level of visceral impact and physical feedback, though they both extend plenty far. Expectedly, the SA3 is quicker and more textured, though I find it gets overwhelmed more easily on heavy basslines that the Summer's dynamic driver has no problems with. The SA3's midrange is elevated to a similar extent, but doesn't drop off after ~2k like the Summer. This plus a more reserved bass presence leaves the SA3 sounding quite a bit more mid-focused with vocals that remain prominent at times where they fail to stand out through the Summer. Timbre from the Summer is more accurate, but the SA3 does a much better job of reducing sibilance. They have a similarly thick presentation with about equal levels of detail. Treble is another area where the two vary widely. Beyond around 3.5k the SA3 really cuts emphasis, then brings things back a bit with a small peak at 7k. There's an almost 15dB difference in upper treble emphasis between the two. This leaves the SA3 sounding considerably more relaxed and much less aggressive with a dry tonality that only adds to the lack of energy. When it comes to sound stage the Summer takes my pick. Wider, deeper and with a less intimate default vocal positioning, it just sounds more spacious at all times. I also found the Summer to provide more precise imaging, alongside improved layering and instrument separation, especially at higher volumes.

Overall I found the Summer to be the more technically proficient of the two, and generally more enjoyable. That said, if you are treble sensitive or want something less v-shaped and closer to a typical “reference” sound, the SA3 is the clear choice. For everything else, I'd take the Summer without hesitating.


In The Ear The Summer trades in the Spring II's premium aluminum body for a lightweight, translucent plastic one, subtly enhanced with reflective metallic flecks throughout. The face plate features wavy ridges that remind me of Mazda's short lived Nagare design language. It was featured on a number of concept cars, with the 2012 Mazda5 being the first and last production vehicle to utilize the language. Even though it is plastic, the Summer still feels fairly substantial. The material feels stiff and dense. While light, it doesn't feel weightless. This all helps to ensure it doesn't feel cheap or compromised. Further adding to this is some excellent fit and finish. The face plate, main body, and metal nozzle all fit together tightly, free of gaps, misalignment, or excess glue. The 2-pin port up top is slightly recessed, though not quite enough to ensure the cable sits flush with the body. Overall a really nicely built earphone.

The cable is my favourite part inclusion. 8 strands, 18 cores with a nice tight braid. The tangle-resistant, flexible clear sheath does nothing to mask the silver plating and as such it has a very vibrant look to it. The hardware used is top tier and the same found on the excellent cable included with the Spring II. A compact metal, BQEYZ-branded straight jack is present with comfortable pre-formed ear guides that lead into compact 2-pin plugs adorned with clear channel labels. Strain relief at the jack is mediocre and absent at the y-split, but this style of cable doesn't really benefit from it anyway so no big loss. Lastly, the bead-style chin cinch from the Spring II has been swapped out for an aluminum ring and can be found resting just above the y-split. It does a stellar job of tightening up the fit when necessary and doesn't slide out of place. This is a fantastic cable, and just like the Spring II's, something that wouldn't seem out of place on a much more expensive product.

The Summer is a comfortable iem. The half-moon shape is similar to the Spring II, but ever so slightly longer and deeper, mostly due to a larger protrusion that locks into the antihelix of the outer ear. The angle of the nozzle is fairly natural angle, but also somewhat short. Those that prefer a deeper insertion or who find shallow insertion earphones unstable might want to consider some longer third party tips, like the Spinfit CP145. Despite similar ergonomics to the Spring II, I find myself adjusting fit less with the Summer. I suspect this is due to the drop in weight and added stability provided by the deeper shell.

Isolation is below average, not completely unexpected given the shallow fit and ample ventilation. With no music playing I can easily hold a conversation with someone, hear the snicking of key caps on my laptop while I type, and other ambient noise. Sounds are dulled but not blocked. Turning music on obviously helps, but in particularly noisy locations like a busy coffee shop, a bump in volume is necessary to listen to music comfortably. Foam tips certainly help with making the Summer a more suitable earphone to use in noisy environments and outdoors, so be sure to pick up a set if passive isolation is important to you.


In The Box The sky blue exterior sheath of the Summer's packaging has only the brand and model name on the front, with specifications and a small product image to the rear. Slipping off the sheath reveals a dark grey, textured cardboard box with BQEYZ printed in silver foil. Lifting the fitted lid you find a slender cardboard insert with a cutout showing off the lovely blue earpieces, safely nested in dense protective foam. Removing the cardboard insert reveals a semi-hard clam shell carrying case with an attractive faux-leather skin. Lifting out the foam insert, you find a series of ear tips set within individual cutouts. In all you get:

• Summer earphones
• 0.78mm 2-pin, 8 strand, 18 core copper silver plated cable
• Clam shell carrying case
• Cleaning brush
• Velcro cable tie
• 2x wide bore single flange ear tips

Overall a nice kit for the price. The carrying case is spacious but still small enough fit in most pockets. The cleaning brush is nice to have, even if you think you're never going to use it. The ear tips are of good quality but similar enough in design to be more or less interchangeable, at least in my experience. I would like to see BQEYZ replace one of the sets with something else, be that foams, bi- or tri-flange tips. Just a bit of variety for those who prefer something other than single flange tips.

Final Thoughts The Summer is another great release from BQEYZ, though I feel it is overshadowed by the Spring II given there is only a 30 USD price difference between them. The Spring II's improved build quality, considerably more refined piezoelectric driver, and better sibilance management make me feel it is worth spending the extra, despite the Summer offering slightly better ergonomics and improved bass quality. If the Summer was priced at 109 USD, putting it in direct competition with the Moondrop Starfield, TinHiFi T4, etc. it would be a much stronger offering. As is, it is certainly a wonderful product with a plethora of positives backing it up, just the pricing keeps it from standing out.

Taking price out of the equation, you get a good looking, well-equipped earphone with a fantastic cable. It is well-tuned and technically satisfying, and BQEYZ continues to showcase their tuning chops by making the three driver types in use sound tonally coherent. Other brands fail to match this coherency within multi-driver setups of the same type.

Overall, I like the Summer and I think it's worth picking up... if you can't spring [nyuk nyuk nyuk] for the Spring II.

Thanks for reading!

- B9

Disclaimer A huge thanks to Elle with BQEYZ for asking if I'd like to review the Summer, and for arranging a sample for review. The thoughts within this review are my subjective opinions and do not represent BQEYZ or any other entity. At the time of writing the Summer retailed for 129 USD: https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005002351172998.html

Specifications

• Drivers: 13mm coaxial dynamic + nine layer piezoelectric + balanced armature
• Impedance: 32 ohms
• Sensitivity: 110dB
• Frequency Response: 7-40kHz
• Cable: 0.78mm 2-pin connector, 4 core single crystal copper wire with 3.5mm gold jack straight plug

Gear Used For Testing LG Q70, FiiO M3 Pro, FiiO BTR3K, Earstudio HUD100, Earmen TR-Amp, Asus FX53V, TEAC HA-501

Some Test Tunes

Supertramp – Crime of the Century
Slipknot – Vol 3 (The Subliminal Verses)
Daft Punk – Random Access Memories
Aesop Rock – The Impossible Kid
King Crimson – Lark's Tongues in Aspic
King Crimson – Starless and Bible Black
Infected Mushroom – Legend of the Black Shawarma
The Prodigy – The Day is My Enemy
Steely Dan – The Royal Scam
Porcupine Tree – Stupid Dreams
Fleetwood Mac – Rumors
Tobacco – screw*d Up Friends