DEAT HIFI Small

Deat Hifi Small Review

Deat Hifi is a China based company that is producing earphones. The Deat Hifi Small is the first product of this brand.

I would like to thank Deat Hifi and Penon Audio for sending me this earphone sample. You can find the Deat Hifi Small on Penon Audio for 29.00 US$.


Material Quality:

Deat Hifi Small is showing a minimalistic design concept. The housing is very Small same as the name of the earphone itself and the build quality is absolutely fantastic for this price.





The chassis of the Deat Hifi Small is of aluminum with the so called “Aurora Red” painting. The nozzle on the front is made of black plastic and the cable is fixed to the chassis.




Specifications:

Brand: DEAT
Model: SMALL
Driver: 5.8mm custom micro-dynamic driver
Impedance:16 ohm
Cable length: 1.2 M
Frequency response range: 15~28000Hzz
Sensitivity: 112dB
Wearing weight: 1.27g
Earphone weight: 13g
Material: aviation aluminum
Process: CNC carving processing + anodizing process


Package:

-DEAT SMALL Earphone
-Eartips
-Cloth Pouch
-Clip
-Print Material


Sound Quality:

Deat Hifi Small is a very small earphone with a 5.8mm micro dynamic driver that has a v shaped sound signature with a strong bass that will surprise most users. The presentation of the mids is musical and the highs are fatigue-free.


Lows:

The Deat Hifi Small is capable to produce warm, deep and strong bass that is balanced in quantity and intensity. The bass quantity is not on the level of bassheads but will satisfy the most users for sure. In short, the Deat Hifi Small has a bass performance that has enough power and extension with the exception of a slightly lack of quantity in the sub-bass region.

The bass of the Deat Small is not very loose/splay and can be classified as bass type with tight impact.

I have found the speed, emphasis and tightness of the Deat Hifi Small in Megadeth and Opeth's drum performances successful.

The sub-bass performance in tracks like Pop / EDM / Trance music is relative sufficient but is missing a little bit of extension and depth.

There are no negative situations like a mid-bass hump and the mid-bass is also not bleeding in to the mids that could overshadow the presentation in this area. In short, the Deat Hifi Small will satisfy its users with its fun, powerful and warm bass presentation.


Mids:

The male vocal performance of the Deat Small is deep and powerful, while the female vocals are warm and somewhat veiled. Both male and female vocals are not too bright, and I think that male vocals are more successful than female vocals because of the lack of clarity / transparency in female voices.

The Deat Hifi Small is more successful in music styles like Rock, Acoustic, Metal or Pop than in Jazz and Classical, where are too many instruments. The instrument separation of this in-ear is quite sufficient especially for acoustic songs where you can find a small number of instruments. Especially people who like warm, fat and fatigue-free mids will love the Deat Hifi Small.


Treble:

Deat Small’s treble presentation is not laid back or too upfront, it extends very well without to shine or to fatigue.

The treble extension and intensity of with instruments like cymbals and bells is relative successful. The upper mids / highs do not have the kind of presentation that would bother your ears after prolonged listening.

I like Deat Small’s instrument performance a lot particularly with woodwind instruments and violins that don’t showing any sharp or harsh tonality. Vivaldi’s violins that are playing from a high pitch are also quite controlled with the Deat Hifi Small.


The Soundstage:

Deat Small does not have a very large scene and is showing an average expansion that is pretty normal for earphones for this size and price range. The depth is parallel to the width and is big enough for songs with lower instrument density.


Comparison with Hypersense Hex02:

The Hypersense Hex02 and Deat Hifi Small are warm sounding IEM with V shaped character. The Hex02 sub-bass is deeper and has more quantity. The mid-bass of Hex02 is punchier but the Deat Hifi Small is faster and a bit more controlled.

The mids of both IEMs are laid back. Female voices are more successful with the Hex02, but the Deat Hifi Small have better depth for male vocal’s.The Deat Hifi Small is sounding more spacious and airy than Hypersense Hex02 that has otherwise detail and definition for instrument’s. The upper-mids of the Hex02 is a bit more detailed, while Deat Hifi Small is more.

The highs of the Deat Hifi Small have better extension, are brighter and more vivid than Hypersense Hex02 while both are fairly controlled

The stage of the Deat Hifi Small is wider than those of the Hypersense Hex02, while the Hex02 has a bit more depth.


Comparison with Alpha & Delta D3:

The Alpha&Delta D3 and the Deat Hifi Small are relative warm sounding IEM’s with a V shaped sound character. Please note that the AD D3 sounds warmer than Deat Hifi Small.

The AD D3 has more sub-bass quantity and depth than those of the Small. And is aslo punchier in the mid-bass area. But the Deat Hifi Small has the faster and tighter bass response.

The mids of both AD D3 and Deat Hifi Small are laidback, but the mids of the AD D3 are warmer, thicker and veiled than the Deat Hifi Small that is more transparent and musical.
Female vocals are more successful with the Small because of the upper mids that show more sparkle. Male vocals are a bit more emotional with the AD3.
The Deat Hifi Small is more detailed and clearer in terms of instrument presentation.

The highs of the Deat Hifi Small are brighter and more vivid than those of the AD D3.
The highs of the Small have more quantity and extension.

The soundstage of the Deat Hifi Small is wider than compared to those of the AD D3, which shows slightly better depth.


Pros / Cons:

• Clean Sound
• Good Bass
• Build Quality
• Small Form Factor
• Comfortable

• Some Driver Flex
• Soundstage Depth
• Cable

DEAT HIFI Small Review: Big Sound, Small Package

Deat is a budget Chinese brand that I’ve never heard of. I tried to find some information about them online, but I can’t seem to find any English testimonials about the company itself. However, we don’t need any background to determine whether or not the IEM at hand, the Deat Small, is something worth buying. So, is it?

You can find the Deat Small for sale here, on Penon Audio, for $29.

About My Preferences: Heads up, I’m a person! As such, these words are my opinion, and they are tinged by my personal preferences. While I try to mitigate this as much as possible during my review process, I’d be lying if I said my biases are completely erased. So for you, my readers, keep this in mind:

• My ideal sound signature would be an extended sub-bass with a leveled, but textured, mid-bass.
• I have a mild treble sensitivity.

Source: The Small was powered like so:

HTC U11 -> USB-C adapter -> earphones

or

Hidizs AP100 3.5mm out -> FiiO A5 3.5mm out -> earphones

or

HiFiMAN SuperMini -> earphones

or

PC optical out -> HiFiMe SPDIF 9018 Sabre DAC 3.5mm out -> earphones

All music was served as MP3 @320Kbps or as FLAC.

Tech Specs

• Driver: 5.8mm custom micro-dynamic driver
• Impedance: 16 ohm
• Cable length: 1.2m
• Frequency response range: 15~28000 Hz
• Sensitivity: 112 dB
• Wearing weight: 1.27 g
• Earphone weight: 13 g

Sound Signature
Sonic Overview:
The Small’s sound signature is V-shaped. Given the limited displacement of a tiny 5.8mm dynamic driver, I’m surprised that Deat had the self-control to not try and over-extend the Small into a bass-drowned mess. So I suppose we can say that the small is mildly V-shaped with some mild roll-off on both the top and low end of the sound signature.

Sonic Breakdown:
Treble: Songs used: In One Ear, Midnight City, Outlands, Satisfy, Little One, Show Me How To Live (Live at the Quart Festival)

The Small’s treble is elevated past its midrange. It doesn’t extend very far, but what it does extend to, it does well. I was particularly surprised at the tonal normalcy it implements. Not only that, but it consistently dodges the treble-traps, such as spikes at the 3KHz and 6KHz range, that can often a time make an IEM rather unpleasant to use. Transients are somewhat well represented when listening to the Small and it can pick up somewhat subtle background details.

Midrange: Songs used: Flagpole Sitta, Jacked Up, I Am The Highway, Dreams, Too Close, Little Black Submarines

The Small’s midrange has a warm tint to it. It is recessed behind both the Small’s bass and treble, though that doesn’t affect factors such as vocal intelligibility severely or lead to veiling. I found the midrange’s tonality to stage well for guitars, both electric and acoustic, adequately capturing bite and string reverberation. Given its warmth, the Small’s midrange has a mild preference towards male vocals.

Bass: Songs used: Moth, Gold Dust, In For The Kill (Skream Remix), War Pigs (Celldweller Remix)

It isn’t quite basshead quality, but the Small’s low-end is pretty competent. It does indeed flatten out in the sonorous bass line of In For The Kill, but it nails the drop for Gold Dust. Given its relatively small mid-bass hump, the Small’s lower-register has a preference towards wetter bass samples. I see listeners who value clarity and “balance” appreciating the Small’s bass, even if it is fairly prominent compared to flatter “pro” sound signatures.

Packaging / Unboxing

The Small’s packaging is adorable and minimalistic. It’s literally just a clear plastic box with DEAT HIFI printed on it. I’m a fan of this approach for cheaper IEMs. Just skip the whole cardboard mess. We both know that it just looks cheap and gets thrown away anyways.

Build
Construction Quality

The Small’s shells are made out of an anodized ruby-colored aluminum. I’m a fan of both the finish and the hue. It is minimalistic and generally avoids the troubles, aesthetically, that budget IEMs tend to run into with their designs.


The Small’s nozzles are of average length and width. Given its form factor, I often find myself wishing for some long nozzles to facilitate a deeper insertion, and thus, better isolation. At the tip of the nozzles lies a metal debris filter. It sits comfortably and doesn’t appear to be in any risk of falling out or warping.


Deat used a very simple cable with the Small. That’s fine since it seems that the money they saved on the Small’s packaging went right back into reinforcing the cable’s durability. While there isn’t a ton of external stress relief, the cable isn’t assembled in such a way that it will be pre-disposed to wearing along the traditionally-expected pressure points. Still, I’d like to see some additional stress relief above the Y-splitter.

Speaking of the Y-splitter, both it an the 3.5mm jack housing are made out of a semi-reflective metal. It is sturdy and cool to the touch. The cable’s wires are coated in a simple black plastic. They are thicker than average though, which should aid in the Small’s longevity.

Comfort
The Small is… small. It can fit quite easily into most anyone’s ears with no problems. I opted for the small silicone eartips to get a deeper insertion, and this better isolation, since I didn’t find any foam eartips in the box. Even my SO, whose ears are tiny could comfortably wear the Small.

Accessories
Inside the box you’ll find:

• 1x shirt clip
• 3x pairs of silicone eartips

That’s all folks. I can’t say I expected very much more from the Small for $30, considering it’s packaging doubles as a carrying case.

Comparisons
1: Geek Wold GK3 ($20)

The GK3 has a smoother sound signature with a more mellow treble and much stronger bass. The GK3’s midrange is warmer than the Small’s midrange by about 3dB.

2: Rose North Forest ($25)

The North Forest is more V-shaped. Given its full-sized driver, it hasa better extension on both the low and high end. With that said, the Small has a tamer 6KHz spike which makes it easier on listeners who have a treble sensitivity.

3: Alpha and Delta D3 ($30)

The D3 has a much stronger bass response and a more well-defined low-end but misses some of the balancing points that the Small has implemented. So while the D3 is better for bassheads, the Small appeals to listeners who want a relatively balanced sonic experience.

Summary
The Small is a godsend to listeners who want bang-for-the-buck IEMs but have trouble wearing regularly-sized IEMs. It has a relatively balanced V-shaped sound signature in a well-machined, and very small, shell. Its packaging is simple and effective, as is its cable. While penny-pinchers might lean towards other options at the $30 price point, there’s certainly a well-sized list of high-points that make the Small a good value for some users. All in all, good job to Deat for building a well-rounded IEM.

As always, happy listening!

Introduction: DEATHIFI (or DEAT HiFi as I'd like to think) is a new Chinese brand that recently launched their debut IEM, DEAT Small. I would like to thank DEAT HiFi and Penon for providing me with a review sample in exchange for an honest review. You can buy the DEAT Small at Penon or locally if your retailer has them in stock.

Specification:
Brand: DEAT
Model: SMALL
Driver: 5.8mm custom micro-dynamic driver
Impedance:16Ω
Frequency response range: 15~28000Hz
Sensitivity: 112dB
Cable length: 1.2M
Material: aviation aluminum

The DEAT Small is very easy to drive with it's 16Ω impedance and is easily heard even with low output phones having 112db of sensitivity. The version I have is the one without a microphone, but the current ones have a control microphone which would make it perfect for taking in calls as well as listening to music.







Unboxing: DEAT HiFi Small came in a nice small plastic box that can double as storage for the IEM in addition to the accompanying soft cloth pouch. Only the essentials and a few cards came with the Small, and is for me, an efficient, minimalist and very reusable type of packaging.

1x Plastic snap lid box
1x Soft cloth pouch
1x Shirt clip
3x Silicone tips
1x Pair of DEAT Small
1x QC Pass card
1x Warranty/Info card



Cable: The cable on the Small is made of single crystal copper that's relatively soft and flexible, wrapped in TPU which adds a lot in durability, water and oil resistance but also a bit of microphonics (if you plan on exercising with the Small, use the included shirt clip). The Y-split is made of a smooth metal cylinder and has a plastic cinch for adjusting the cable. The 3.5mm plug is straight and made of the same material as the Y-split, there is a barely visible brand on it.



Build/Design: The Small is of a minimalist design befitting it's name, just a small cylinder of aluminum with a bass port at the back and a screened tip with the shell permanently attached to the cable via strain relief nubs. The diaphragm is made of PEEK + PU composite and is only 5.8mm in size, so yeah, tiny. The size and simplicity of the Small allows it to be easily worn and taken out of the ear, though you will not find any left or right markings on the shell, the strain relief nub on the shell is color coded for this, black is Left and clear is Right. There is a bit of driver flex that can happen (you can sometimes hear it when you insert the Small), best to pull your ear up before inserting to minimize or eliminate the flexing. Comfort wise, it's light and very tip dependent for isolation and fit, but with the right size, it can stay in for hours without fatigue and block out ambient sound quite well.



Sound Analysis: The first time I tried the Small, I heard a balanced presentation with good warmth and near equal mids and highs. I looked back on my notes and realized I was listening to modern pop tracks when I tested it (yeah, loudness war), so after a few hundred hours of music and listening, I'd like to present my in-depth analysis of the the DEAT HiFi Small. Note that I used the stock tips on the Small and set the volume to 85db using a dedicated sound level meter (see at end) so it's pretty loud.

Bass: The Small has a good amount of sub-bass with a little above average extension that you hear in the drums of Way Down Deep. The good slam coupled with a moderately warm and thick tone that feels and sounds natural gives this track a good bass sound. The decay of the Small is of average speed and can give your ears a good rumble as you listen through it with tracks like Lithium, the bass guitars sound nice and crunchy and resolves clearly. Bass impact on the Small is a little bit above average in weight and will satisfy those who don't like strong bass but still want to feel a good punch in the ear.

Mids: The lower mids of the Small have a little bit of recession and a good amount of warmth that gives the male vocals a smooth presentation. Upper mids have a little more forwardness along with some of the warmth and smoothness of the lower mids and this gives female vocals some intimacy and a bit of an organic sound. There is average amount of detail retrieval and a little above average separation.



Treble: There is good transition with the mids to the treble on the Small as well as an overall average amount of extension that has a peak at around 7khz. It's where you'll hear the acoustic guitar strings resonate with You Were Meant For Me and reach a good height that sounds clear and harshness free. There is some crispness to the notes being played here as well as some air that helps give clarity and space. Note that there is a little bit of sibilance on very prone songs when the volume is turned up loud.

Soundstage: There is a good level of stage on the Small, the horizontal width is a little above average with most sounds and vocals coming from outside the ear canal and can reach more than a few inches outside of my head. There is less vertical depth but amounts to an average size that can reach around an inch or so above my head. Separation is pretty good in general with an average level of imaging accuracy and amount of detail retrieval.



Conclusion: The DEAT HiFi Small is a compact IEM that has pretty good bass, smooth mids, safe treble highs and a better than average soundstage for big fun. The Small sounds pretty good with orchestral music with it's relatively wide stage, as well as live recorded music. But in addition to that, the tuning favors modern music (like your typical Maroon 5 or David Guetta etc) where it's musicality can be better appreciated.



Sound testing was done using a Sony WM1a (Primarily), a Hiby R6 and Zishan Z1(for comparison) and a phone (for checking driveability) volume matched to 85.X db of volume for safe hearing below 8 hours of use and calibrated using a 1kh tone on a dedicated DB Meter, all sources patched through a switcher. More information will be available on the About Me page (once I find the time to write it up.)