CVJ Freedom

Intro
I have known about CVJ company for quite a long time, but I have never listen to any of their models before. Besides, until recently CVJ models release had an infrequent chaotic character. And lately the manufacturer has been replenishing the lineup with enviable periodicity. And judging by the frequency graphs, the new models of this company (mei, kumo) represent a more complete product.

You can buy CVJ Freedom at the official hifigo store.

Specifications

• Impedance: 22Ω±15%.
• Sensitivity: 113dB±3dB.
• Frequency Response: 20hz-20kHz.
• Connector Type: 0.75mm 2-pin Connectors.
• Termination Plugs: 2.5mm+3.5mm+4.4mm.

The configuration of the iems is 1 dynamic driver and 4 armature drivers.

Bundle


The iems come in a box with an unusual secret compartment. This is the first time I've ever seen such a thing. It's even funny to open this "dresser" every time.


The package might even be considered as sparse

but the quality modular cable makes up for it.


Fit and ergonomics

The Earphones' shells deserve only praise from me. Lightweight, comfortable, with very good ventilation not at the expense of noise isolation. I listened to these earphones for hours and did not feel any discomfort. I could well have continued listening to music for a longer period of time. Absolutely no strain on my ears. As a compomise, the earphones play outward more than usual.

On the back of the shells there are switches to change the sound. A tribute to fashion, you will say... And you'd be right - 4 sound settings, of which only 2 are working, and those are the same. We'll see it on the graphs a little further on.


Sound

Well, let's dive into the realm of switches and see how they effect the sound.


As we can see on the graph, the changes concern only the upper frequency range. Variants 0-0 and 0-1 are identical. Variants 1-1 and 1-0 give a strong skew in the highs and are extremely unpleasant to listen to. That's why I will focus more on the only variant for me (0-0 / 0-1). If we talk about the graph, you may be confused by the peaks. But you should take into account that the frequency difference is only 6 dB. By the standards of this budget, you can call the iems relatively smooth.

Freedom offers a very comfortable analog presentation. Throughout the frequency range you can feel a slight softening, which removes unnecessary harshness, makes the sound warmer and more natural. Most of all this softening is felt in the bass. Bass becomes a bit funky, but because the sub bass is limited, it remains relatively fast. Overall, these earphones are not about the fast bass. However, due to the fact that there is no roll-of on lower mids and mids, the bass here is gorgeous in its own way. It gets a nice boost from the midrange. It is full-bodied, filling, voluminous, natural. It's not for lovers of rumbling. Here you just have to sit down, relax and enjoy. In general, this can be said for all other components of the sound of these iems.

The mids, as I said, are the main feauture. It's the highlight of Freedom. You can feel the body of the instruments, the resonances. All this creates a three-dimensional space in which you immerse yourself. Nothing is disturbed by any bursts or unnecessary accents. Everything is in its place and sounds very natural.

The upper mids continue the overall mood. They are served in a relaxed manner, without jams and rubber. Just comfort and relaxation. Some may find them insufficiently emotional and detailed, but I liked them.

Highs complement the overall picture, following in line with the upper mids. Quantitatively in some genres I would have liked more information and quality here. But they do not strain, they are well heard and they do not focus attention with some obvious joints. Unfortunately, you won't be able to fully enjoy the upper-frequency instruments here. It lacks resolution, detail, level. Therefore, to sit down and get into all the details of a track with a lot of percussion is not for this model.

Conclusion

I unexpectedly liked CVJ Freedom. First of all, for its gorgeous melodic analog midrange. For the overall comfortable full-bodied sound that makes you want to re-listen to your favorite tracks again. These earphones are like a warm analog cat that has climbed into your lap. And you can't kick it off as you're captivated by the comfortable purr.

The only thing is, I wouldn't try these earphones with warm or dark sources.


Comparisons

Tangzu Fudu.


The Fudu offers the listener a more dynamic, poppier sound with a noticeably roll-off midrange. The bass in the Fudu, although faster and sharper, loses a lot in naturalness and fullness.

The Freedom's midrange is more meety and here this model has absolute dominance. Very good midrange and better transition from the bass side makes Freedom is more mature and voluminous.

The upper mids in Fudu are more pronounced, more emotional and thin. Sometimes you can feel it digital.

I can't call that highs are reference in both models. Level-wise they are close, but in Freedom they do not draw attention to their faults so much and are perceived more organically.

Thanks for reading!

All our measurements you can check on our squig.

CVJ FREEDOM INTRODUCTION:​

CVJ, the brand based out in China is an emerging brand and a team which never fears to introduce new innovations to their product, likely the KONOKA. They are continuously learning and evolving where their latest new launches speak for this statement. Today in our hands is the CVJ FREEDOM, the midrange offering from the brand prices around 80 USD. Let’s check out in detail about the sound and its character in the following sections.

CVJ FREEDOM SPECIFICATIONS:​

>Five-Driver Hybrid Configuration.

>Brand New Nanophase Ceramic Vibrating Colorful Diaphragm Dynamic Driver.

>Four High-Performance Customized Balanced Armature Drivers.

>Four Tuning Modes with Two Tuning Switches.

>High-Purity OFC Stock Cable.

>Impedance: 22Ω±15%.

>Sensitivity: 113dB±3dB.

>Frequency Response: 20hz-20kHz.

>Connector Type: 0.75mm 2-pin Connectors.

>Termination Plugs: 2.5mm+3.5mm+4.4mm.

CVJ FREEDOM OVERVIEW:​

Freedom adopts a hybrid configuration that accompanies a Single Nanophase Ceramic Vibrating Colorful Diaphragm Dynamic Driver and four custom tuned balanced armature drivers. The drivers are embedded in a strong acrylic resin with an aluminum faceplate. The drivers are interconnected by a frequency board and tuning switches to modify the tone according to the user’s preference. The provided stock cable is of high grade SPC that comes with interchangeable termination ends.

CVJ FREEDOM SOUND ANALYSIS:​

The Freedom has a V shaped tuning with very forward stage presence. The overall tone leans towards the dark side with artificial BA timbre presence to it. Though there’s the presence of tuning switches, they merely do the work and the variation is negligible to observe. Technical aspects appear average with poor track separation. Let’s talk in detail about the sound through the following sections.

The whole sound analysis was made using the 1 DD + 4 BA mode.

BASS SECTION:​

1. The reach in the bass is on the moderate side with poor separation between the sub and mid bass section.
2. The quantity is on the precise side yet due to the poor track separation leads to perceived improper attack and decay.
3. The sub bass provides subtle rumbles only when called upon and it needs a bit more reach to provide a proper resonance.
4. The kick drums and the bass guitars get lost in the presentation if the track gets busier. The impact delivered by them appears average.

MID SECTION:​

1. The mid section is presented in a very forward manner leading to a cramped up stage.
2. The tone appears darker with metallic timbre giving the presentation a robotic taste.
3. Lower mid section has adequate warmth and fullness carried along from the mid bass section. Male vocals get the proper attention but the tone made it worse.
4. Upper mid section feels slightly elevated yet the sibilance is kept under control. Female vocals feel lively and energetic with an engaging presence.

TREBLE:​

1. The extension in the treble is elevated noticeably thus giving adequate brightness to the overall presentation.
2. The cymbal crashes and the trumpets have that metallic BA taste which makes the tone worse. The attack and decay appears good enough with no noticeable longer delays.
3. Detail retrieval is on the average side with poor separation leading to a cramped up treble section.

TECHNICALITIES:​

STAGING AND IMAGING: Due to its very forward presentation the staging feels cramped up with no adequate space for the notes. The closer stage leads to poor layering with average imaging capability. The channel sweep appears smoother with no noticeable stutters.

DETAIL RETRIEVAL: The treble has poor separation leading to average detail retrieval and when compared to the competitors in this price range the Freedom don’t stand out.

TONE AND TIMBRE: Freedom has a warm and darker tone with a metallic timbre.

VERDICT:​

Freedom, one of the mid range offerings from the house of CVJ comes with a mediocre sound enclosed in a solid package. The Freedom adopts a hybrid configuration accompanying a Single Nanophase Ceramic Vibrating Colorful Diaphragm Dynamic Driver and four custom tuned balanced armature drivers. The build appears sturdy enough with stronger resin and an aluminum faceplate and the package includes a nice premium SPC cable that comes with interchangeable terminations.

The Freedom has a V shaped signature with a darker background. The presentation is delivered pretty forwards creating a sense of engagement while making the stage very intimate.

The bass section has precise quantity but the quality is average representing poor track separation and the impact. Though the speed appears precise, the clustered separation made the presentation worse.

The mid section is delivered in an engaging way with forward presentation. The lower mid section has adequate warmth carried along from the mid bass thickness. The upper mid section has decent extension with vivid female vocal presence thus delivering an engaging experience.

The treble section has a decent extension providing adequate brightness throughout the presentation. The percussion instruments however have a weird metallic tone which makes the presentation artificial. Due to the intimate staging and poor track separation, the detail retrieval and layering appears mediocre.

The CVJ Freedom is a NECESSITOUS product in the arena it’s trying to play. This is priced around 80USD and for that category there comes the competitor like Truthear Hexa with a premium sound than the Freedom. A big tweak need to be done in making the hybrid configuration to sound coherent. Considering the CVJ’s rise, I hope the next iteration would make itself a name in this category.

DISCLAIMER:​

Hifigo sent me this unit in exchange for my honest opinion of the product CVJ Freedom. The whole views are based on my observations and sources thus it might vary from person to person.

If interested about purchase and to know more details : Here!

This CVJ Freedom IEM Review was originally posted on my website.​

About the CVJ Freedom​

Company Overview​

CVJ hi-fi is a Guangdong-based audio company that offers IEM earphones and other add-on accessories at decent prices yet delivers quality products.

Specifications​

• Impedance: 22Ω±15%
• Sensitivity: 113dB±3dB
• Frequency Response: 20hz-20kHz
• Cable Length: 1.2m
• Pin Type: 0.75mm 2-pin Connectors
• Plug Type: Modular cable (3.5mm, 2.5mm, and 4.4mm)
• Driver Unit(S): (1) Dynamic Driver + (4) Balanced Armature

What’s Inside the Box​

• Brown velvet pouch
• Modular Cable (3.5mm came preinstalled)
• Ejector Pin (For the switches)
• Eartips
• Manuals
• Cable Organizer
• 2.5mm jack
• 4.4mm jack
• IEMs

Review​

This is going to be my first time testing out a product from CVJ. I’ve heard about them for years but never got the chance to try their offerings until now. I tested these without knowing the price, since Neil from Practiphile sent them to me right away without telling me anything about this model beforehand. I believe not knowing the value helps avoid biases when reviewing.


The IEMs came with a switch option but I don’t really like switches on IEMs, so I just left them as I received them in the “DU” configuration close to the stock tuning.

Frequency Graph​

Frequency response courtesy of Practiphile. All 4 tunings.

Experience​

Unboxing the CVJ Freedom was a pleasant surprise. At first I was scratching my head trying to figure out how to open the main compartment looking for the accessories, but later found out it has a separate drawer for them – gotta give CVJ credit for that unboxing experience. It’s my first time encountering such a box design.

The fit of these IEMs is so good, they fit my ears like a glove on my hands. No long session fatigue.


The cable is a 4-core copper that has interchangeable jacks – it came with an extra 4.4mm and 2.5mm balanced jacks, which is a nice addition. I did find the cable a bit stiff though. The shells are made of green plastic resin with a matte green faceplate, which makes them light and ideal for longer listening.

Music​

Before testing the CVJ Freedom, I had taken a break from listening to IEMs for a while, preferring my speakers instead as I barely had the motivation to use any earphones. But after some busy weeks, I was ready to try out some IEMs again. The CVJ Freedom were my first pair back.


Right away I played Sleep Token’s “Chokehold” on the Freedom. Having become so accustomed to hearing this track through my Edifier R2000DB speakers, I anticipated the kick and impact after the build up. However, I was underwhelmed by the cymbals, which lacked energy and excitement during the post-drop section. That said, I have to credit the Freedom’s full, impactful bass – though the overall tuning sounded darker than my preferences.


Switching over to Daniel Caesar’s “Ocho Rios”, I could hear the nuances of the acoustic guitar clearly, but it came across colored and unnatural. Daniel’s vocals however were full and well-placed.

For jazz vocals, these IEMs are not ideal in my opinion. Listening to Laufey’s EP “Typical of Me”, I found them dull and taking away the emotion from the music. The vocals are a bit back in the mix, whereas I prefer them slightly forward.

That said, the Freedom would likely work well for rock music where clarity is not the priority.

Gaming​

For gaming, these aren’t too bad, I’d say it performed really well. They feel immersive and I can feel the intensity of the game, especially during opposing team encounters.

The good thing too is they’re easy to drive – basically any source can power them. I even had to turn down my volume, as setting it at 50/100 (my normal loudness) made them too loud. I had to drop it down to around 30/100.

Conclusion​

In conclusion, if you prefer a darker sounding IEM, this is a good pick. But if you prefer a clear, open sound with sparkling, engaging highs, I’d say you’re better off searching for other IEMs.


As for me, this isn’t my preferred sound signature, though I can see it appealing to some listeners. I did enjoy using the Freedom during my game time with it – it provided a pleasant experience.

Huge thanks to HiFiGo for sending this review unit and to Practiphile, who always supports this website by facilitating these units.