CVJ Demon

Disclaimer:

• CVJ/CVJ Love sent me this unit in an exchange for an honest review. Rest assured that this review will be free from any bias/es as much as possible.
• 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
• 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 setup configuration: stock tips, stock cable, any form of EQ and MSEB off, 40-60% volume, both high and low gain.

Sound signature:

• Dark-sounding type of IEM. Bass is present but does not have too much quantity, recessed mids, rolled off highs. The overall sound can sometimes sound laid-back.

Lows:

• Lows are present but do not have the same quantity compared to the IEMs within its price range (under 15USD). Subbass is prominent over the midbass by a very small margin. Decay leans to the slower side of things. The quantity of lows will be enough for most tracks but will lack on bassheavy/EDM tracks. Overall, the lows on the CVJ Demon is present, can handle most tracks paired with it but lacks texture and can be lacking for bassheavy genres.

Mids:

• The mids are recessed, due to the midbass bleed. Lower vocals, or should I say vocals in general, sounded distant and/or laid back during my observation period. On rare occasions, it can sound muffled, particularly during my first hours out of the box but slightly disappeared and improved over time. There are no instances of any sibilance, harshness or peaks are present on this IEM – not even once, due to its laid-back nature. Overall, the mids are recessed and have a laid-back character to it. I personally find it lacking in energy but sounds “good enough” for my friend who is sensitive on upper frequencies.

Highs:

• The highs are rolled off, but is much better in presentation compared to its sibling, the Angel Wings. It may lack air, but it never sounded harsh on some tracks compared to its sibling. The treble on demon lacks sparkle and has average detail retrieval. Overall, the upper frequencies are rolled off but has a smooth presentation that will not offend anyone.

Soundstage, Imaging, and separation:

• The soundstage is average, it is wider than deep, with average expansion. It sounds like you are in an average-sized room. Separation is surprisingly good here for its asking price which I did not expect. The instances of congestion here are less frequent compared to other budget IEMs within this price point. Imaging is average, accurate but not precise.

Pros:

• A fatigue-free IEM option under 13USD
• Lower bass quantity compared to other IEMs in this price point (subjective)
• Smooth upper-frequency presentation
• Good separation
• Very good fit and isolation for most people (subjective)
• One of those companies that provide a pouch and cable winder in this price range

Cons:

• Rolled off treble
• Laidback sounding mids
• Upper frequencies could have a bit more “energy” to it (subjective)
• The soundstage can be a bit wider.

Thank you for reading!

Additional Photos:

Another latest entry into an already very crowded ChiFi IEMs market. CVJ sent me this unit for review and here’s my impressions on it.

Click to expand...

I will start by saying that truthfully, I am taken aback by what I am hearing from this Demon right out of the Box, everything stock. After the release of CVJ Angel Wings before this, I was expecting CVJ to acquire some feedbacks and design the CVJ Demon to address the issues as noted by many who had tried the Angel Wings. Alas what I am hearing is something that is below my initial expectations. I would have preferred to declare that the Demon is a better unit than Angels, but the reality is no. It is somewhat fuzzy sounding with overly smoothened out dynamic transients, imparting less than precise imaging and resolution. But this also means it is totally impossible for the Demon to be offensive (how ironic). So, not wanting to give up right away, after lengthy burn in for over 100 hours, I had another go with my Demon unit and this time I swapped out the stock cable for NICEHCK LitzPS-Pro Pure Silver interchanged with TACables Amber, both of which are being excellent to squeeze the last bit of resolution to warm sounding IEMs. On top of that, I swapped in Misodiko MIX460 which I have grown to trust for imparting clean sonic responses to many IEMs.

AND THIS IS HOW IT PANNED OUT:​

CVJ Demon is a very organic sounding single DD. Timbral balance oozes with warmth all over end to end. I must commend it for being tonally natural, with slight emphasis to Mids. If I am to draw some comparison, I recall hearing this dense dynamic presentation similar to BLON BL-03, except that BL-03 of course being Bass heavy. Assuredly this overall theme of sonic characteristic is very inoffensive with no chance to be sibilant due to frequencies aggression. However, it must be noted that for those preferring euphonic and vibrant dynamics, then the Demon will feel outright uninspiring.

TREBLE​

Let’s just make this simple, Trebleheads should stay away from the Demon at all costs. It is markedly rolled-off with Treble extensions falling short even when driven with my 15.1 Vrms iFi ZEN Stack. In stock form it is even worse with anything below 2 Vrms. With this barely audible Treble presentation, it is hard to discern if the existence of Treble details and textures. But one thing for sure, I will eat my own shoes if anyone can find a reason to find the Demon being Treble sibilant hahahaha.

BASS​

The demon admirably has good tonality to Bass presentation. Yes, it is a bit fuzzy still in alignment with the rest of the sound spectrum, but tonal wise it is pleasantly soothing and smooth. Lush and warm, the Mid-Bass offers moderate vibe and remained disciplined to not bleed into Sub-Bass. But perhaps I am hearing a tiny hint of Mid-Bass being intrusive to lower Mids, of which it gives the impression that female vocals being thick sounding. Otherwise, I would say that Bass for the Demon is very civil and can be outright uninspiring for Bassheads. Sub-Bass does sometimes making sporadic presence but it is largely shy and anemic.

MIDS​

The strength of the Demon, undoubtedly the Mids presentation – to my hearing at least. It is rich and dense with good texture. Splashes of warmth to make instruments sounding very analogue, the vocals lush and engaging. Listening to Jazz of Diana Krall and Sinne Eeg gave me very intimate sonic indulgence at which sometimes I can almost hear the inhale and exhale of breaths by those two of my favorite singers. However, with the Soprano vocals of Alison Krauss, I am hearing something that is borderline nasal. Her piercing voice does not respond well to the Demon’s slow Mids transients. Alison Krauss is someone who needed speedy responses from the drivers. As such with male vocals, especially the Baritone type of Nick Cave and Morrisey, that slow Mids worked surprisingly great imparting depth and warmth. So, it is a mix bag here I must say.

TECHNICALITIES​

Now, let’s just keep it realistic. This is perhaps the worst segment for the Demon. What bothers me the most is how narrow the soundstage is with two-dimensional staging. It feels caved in and the worst part, spatial positioning is split to just left and right, there’s no hint of holographic imaging, just none. I mustered everything I could swapping sources from CEntrance DACport HD, Cayin RU6, HiBy FC5, VE RunAbout Plus 5 and ultimately the iFi ZEN stacks – the results remained consistent. I just can’t fathom what is happening here, perhaps I have received a bad unit? Nonetheless the flawed staging proved detrimental to my enjoyment.
As for details handling, Macro details are decent at best and Micro details almost nonexistent. CVJ Demon is simply not a device designed for critical listening, especially at this price point of $12.

In the end, to me the Cons outweighs the Pros for this struggling Demon. About the best-case scenario that I would think the appeal to have this unit is to have something that is totally harmless and non-offensive. I can even play the peakiest Black Metal songs from the likes of Burzum, Cult of Fire, Mulla and Akvan, and will not get any sensation akin to having ice spikes poked at my eardrums. I know that there’s an audience out there that will find this presentation very welcoming, those who are super sensitive to Treble responses – and if you are one of them, perhaps you should give the Demon a shot, at least it is not as slow as the BLON BL-03

I am not sure the intent for CVJ for this unit, it is definitely a unique IEM with niche consumer target, at least this is my assumption. But if CVJ is keen to tackle the larger crowd, they should take a step back and observe what the competitors are doing in this wildly competitive budget segment, especially on technicalities. I hope that CVJ will combine the responses for both the Angel Wings and the Demon and come stronger with the next releases – perhaps something to be named Diablo?