DQSM Hermit
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- budget amp chi-fi iem
When you hear the name "DQSM" it probably sounds like some random chi-fi brand that you probably couldn't care less about. That was my initial reaction when hearing about the DQSM Hermit, but I decided to take the bullet anyway and try it out for myself. The good news is that the hermit certainly transcends its obscure branding, both in sound quality and build quality.
UNBOXING
BUILD QUALITY AND DESIGN
I personally love the all-metal build, it's very heavy and feels very premium. And unlike the typical over-ear "pseudo-custom-fit" IEMs that we've seen ad nauseam, the Hermit sports a more traditional bullet-shaped design. It shares similar resemblance to the Moondrop Spaceship.
V-shaped. The tuning is reminiscent of some older generations of budget chi-fi, which I find to be refreshing.
[HIGHS]
Very impressive upper trebles. It's very resolving and picks up lots of transients and micro-details. Guitar strums are delicate and worthy of a chef's kiss. The technicalities of the treble are honestly not that far off from—say—the Moondrop Blessing 2, which costs $350+. This is quite possibly the Hermit's best strong point, which is already saying a lot.
[BASS]
Most of the Hermit's bass is centered around the mid-bass. Overall it's tuned not to be aggressive or domineering but to compliment the rest of the sound signature. It can definitely deliver some oomph when the track demands it, just don't expect deep rumbling bass, it's only there to give instruments their warmth. Overall the quality of the bass is pretty decent, nothing to complain about but also nothing to write home about.
[MIDS]
This is where the Hermit truly had missed its mark. Mids are overall recessed in relation to the lows and the highs. It is noticeably on the thin side and you'll feel as if that instruments lack a soul. But to be fair it's far from being the worst you could get around this price. Overall the mids just compliment the rest of the sound signature. If you purely listen to well-mastered acoustic audio, then perhaps the mids won't bother you too much. But on EDM where the treble and bass are overtly emphasized, then you will feel that the mids are lacking.
I compared these IEMs with two reference tracks: Gramatik - Tranquilo / Gramatik - Cool Thieves. Highs on the BLON lack the upper treble extension of the Hermit, but is overall much more balanced and natural sounding and still has a great sense of clarity and sparkle in the lower trebles (3Khz-8Khz). When it comes to mids, BLON is the winner hands down. Not only are the mids on the BLON more upfront, but they linger around far more longer than the Hermit, giving instruments more depth and realism. You will feel much more engaged with the "meat" of your music with the BLON than with the Hermit. For bass, both are a tie in terms of quality. If you want your bass to hit harder and deeper, then BLON wins.
Overall for CAD $29 (23 USD) the Hermit sits at a very competitive price market that is brimming with new IEMs as we currently speak. The detailed upper trebles is something that is very impressive at this price-point, but the mediocre performance of the mids leaves a lot to be desired even at this price-point. So would I recommend it? Probably not. At least not for $29. I'd honestly just spend a little extra and get the BLON BL-03 instead.
UNBOXING
BUILD QUALITY AND DESIGN
I personally love the all-metal build, it's very heavy and feels very premium. And unlike the typical over-ear "pseudo-custom-fit" IEMs that we've seen ad nauseam, the Hermit sports a more traditional bullet-shaped design. It shares similar resemblance to the Moondrop Spaceship.
SOUND QUALITY
[SOUND SIGNATURE]V-shaped. The tuning is reminiscent of some older generations of budget chi-fi, which I find to be refreshing.
[HIGHS]
Very impressive upper trebles. It's very resolving and picks up lots of transients and micro-details. Guitar strums are delicate and worthy of a chef's kiss. The technicalities of the treble are honestly not that far off from—say—the Moondrop Blessing 2, which costs $350+. This is quite possibly the Hermit's best strong point, which is already saying a lot.
[BASS]
Most of the Hermit's bass is centered around the mid-bass. Overall it's tuned not to be aggressive or domineering but to compliment the rest of the sound signature. It can definitely deliver some oomph when the track demands it, just don't expect deep rumbling bass, it's only there to give instruments their warmth. Overall the quality of the bass is pretty decent, nothing to complain about but also nothing to write home about.
[MIDS]
This is where the Hermit truly had missed its mark. Mids are overall recessed in relation to the lows and the highs. It is noticeably on the thin side and you'll feel as if that instruments lack a soul. But to be fair it's far from being the worst you could get around this price. Overall the mids just compliment the rest of the sound signature. If you purely listen to well-mastered acoustic audio, then perhaps the mids won't bother you too much. But on EDM where the treble and bass are overtly emphasized, then you will feel that the mids are lacking.
OTHER NOTES
- Soundstage and imaging is pretty decent. It's not cramped and instruments are well-separated, but it's not remarkably spacious or three-dimensional. Decent and does the job, but nothing amazing.
- The highs can be a bit too spicy on some tracks, especially EDM. So I'd say the Hermit only fares well with non-sibilant genres like classical, rock and acoustic music.
COMPARISONS
DQSM Hermit ($29) vs BLON BL03 ($31)I compared these IEMs with two reference tracks: Gramatik - Tranquilo / Gramatik - Cool Thieves. Highs on the BLON lack the upper treble extension of the Hermit, but is overall much more balanced and natural sounding and still has a great sense of clarity and sparkle in the lower trebles (3Khz-8Khz). When it comes to mids, BLON is the winner hands down. Not only are the mids on the BLON more upfront, but they linger around far more longer than the Hermit, giving instruments more depth and realism. You will feel much more engaged with the "meat" of your music with the BLON than with the Hermit. For bass, both are a tie in terms of quality. If you want your bass to hit harder and deeper, then BLON wins.
VERDICT
Overall for CAD $29 (23 USD) the Hermit sits at a very competitive price market that is brimming with new IEMs as we currently speak. The detailed upper trebles is something that is very impressive at this price-point, but the mediocre performance of the mids leaves a lot to be desired even at this price-point. So would I recommend it? Probably not. At least not for $29. I'd honestly just spend a little extra and get the BLON BL-03 instead.
