Introduction
Dudios has finally released a new pair or wireless earphones, and this time they’re not TWS.
We have a sport-style pair of wireless earphones that I’ve personally undervalued until I got my hands on.
Dudios surprised me with the Zeus Ace (at least when it comes to the genres I usually listen to) as they provide an enjoyable signature and a great battery life, and I was really hoping these were going to surprise me again.
Let’s check if they really did!
Disclaimer: the Dudios Zeus HD were provided to me by Carrie free of charge in order to write a honest review.
Check our official website in which you can find more reviews
https://www.audio-monkeys.com
Packaging
Packaging consists in a simple carton box, but as soon as you open it you’ll find an elegant carry case in which the Zeus HD are stored. There’s a good variety of tips that won’t leave you uncomfortable.
You’ll obviously find an standard micro-USB cable for charging (Type-C would have been better), a metal hook and some instruction papers.
Connectivity
Connectivity is nice, I have been able to move around the rooms in my house without losing the bluetooth connection or without hearing any strange interruption. The Zeus HD are lightning fast even when it comes to pairing and they instantly pair up with the smartphone as soon as you turn on the bluetooth if they’re already paired.
Considering they’re not TWS and that they share the same bluetooth cable, you cannot use a single earphone at time, so you won’t have the chance to use them like you’d do with a TWS pair like their Zeus Ace.
The Zeus HD also support AptX audio codec for very-low latency transmission.
Build Quality and Battery
Build quality is good if we think about the price: the earphones are solid and so is the multifunction controller which consists of 3 buttons:
The earphones have magnets on the back so you can carry them around your neck without worrying about making them fall.
They are IPX7 certified so you can run with them outside and they will still work under rain and sweat. I didn’t try this out as the COVID-19 emergency forces us to stay at home, but I have already used Dudios products in the past and they’re serious when it comes to certifications.
Battery seems to be ok, I left them playing for about 25 hours before they turned off. That was the first charge however and I’ve set a mid-high volume in order to stress them a bit. I needed 3 hours for a full charge so I would have really liked a Type-C connector and Fast Charge on these. It’s certainly not a dealbreaker, but it’s something to consider in my opinion.
Comfort and Isolation
Comfort is superb, at least to me. The good variety of tips and silicon shapes makes them appealing for every kind of listener, except the ones who prefer pod-style earphones.
The neckband is light and so is the multifunction controller.
Sound
Now the critical factor that decides if something has to be tried or not: how do they sound?
Personal preferences: I mainly listen to EDM subgenres, from Dupstep and Future Bass to some more genres which represent a niche in the music market. I even like listening to vocal tracks (moreover from female singers like Sia) and sometimes Rock tracks. I always search for IEMs that have a little bit of emphasis in the lower region, and can sacrifice mids with some recession if they still sound clear and natural. I love vivid and sparkling highs if they’re not at a headache level. Soundstage has to be at least average with a bit of air. V-shape signature is my favourite one.
Lows: lows are emphasized and there’s ton of rumble. I seriously like the low end here even though I have to say the bass is a bit slower than I’m used to and sometimes adds some useless and unnecessary thickness that can maybe annoy some people with a tad of boominess. Bass is, in fact, forward in the mix and it’s the real star of the show.
Mids: midrange is recessed and has a warm tonality. Instruments take a step back there’s a lot of warmth that makes male voices deep. The upper midrange has a boost and gives some more energy, but tends to get harsh sometimes.
Highs: highs are a tad boosted but not by a very high margin. Anyway, the combination between this boost and the upper-midrange lift can cause some sharpness in some tracks. Details are there, but I wouldn’t consider the Zeus HD a revealing monster. The roll-off in the upper range comes just in time to make the Zeus HD very pleasant without excessive upper treble that many people find annoying.
Soundstage feels like a large closed room, and feels wider than deep with just average height. Imaging and instrument separation are better than expected and I have to say quite surprising, but still cannot beat wired IEMs in their price range (ZS10 Pro, TRN V90 and similar products). We even have to say these are a sport-style pair of wireless earphones so the impressions are absolutely positive.
Just a little note on the microphone: the EMC-type microphone uses the CVC6.0 technology which captures ambient noise in order to improve voice calls and the result is very good considering that the calls I’ve made using the Zeus HD had no issues.
I don’t have any other pair of sport-style earphones so I cannot make a direct comparison, but I can compare them with my old favorite Dudios pair: the Zeus Ace.
The Ace are a tad less refined overall, with a warmer and simpler sound.
I like everything on the Zeus HD more: sub-bass rumbles much more, bass is more precise and punchy, midrange is a tad less recessed but still keeps its warmth, upper midrange has more energy and treble has more sparkle. These things make the Zeus HD the best sounding and the more dynamic and funny pair of earphones between the two.
The choice would be obvious if they were both the same type of earphones, but the fact that one is a sport-style pair and the other one is a pair of TWS puts them into two different categories and so you’ll have to choose the one that fits your needs more.
Final Thoughts
Dudios is back again! The Zeus HD sound well, they’re comfortable and they even offer a good battery life and the AptX codec compatibility. No quick charge unfortunately, but this, again, is not a big dealbreaker.
Keep it up Dudios!
Dudios has finally released a new pair or wireless earphones, and this time they’re not TWS.
We have a sport-style pair of wireless earphones that I’ve personally undervalued until I got my hands on.
Dudios surprised me with the Zeus Ace (at least when it comes to the genres I usually listen to) as they provide an enjoyable signature and a great battery life, and I was really hoping these were going to surprise me again.
Let’s check if they really did!
Disclaimer: the Dudios Zeus HD were provided to me by Carrie free of charge in order to write a honest review.
Check our official website in which you can find more reviews
https://www.audio-monkeys.com
Packaging
Packaging consists in a simple carton box, but as soon as you open it you’ll find an elegant carry case in which the Zeus HD are stored. There’s a good variety of tips that won’t leave you uncomfortable.
You’ll obviously find an standard micro-USB cable for charging (Type-C would have been better), a metal hook and some instruction papers.
Connectivity
Connectivity is nice, I have been able to move around the rooms in my house without losing the bluetooth connection or without hearing any strange interruption. The Zeus HD are lightning fast even when it comes to pairing and they instantly pair up with the smartphone as soon as you turn on the bluetooth if they’re already paired.
Considering they’re not TWS and that they share the same bluetooth cable, you cannot use a single earphone at time, so you won’t have the chance to use them like you’d do with a TWS pair like their Zeus Ace.
The Zeus HD also support AptX audio codec for very-low latency transmission.
Build Quality and Battery
Build quality is good if we think about the price: the earphones are solid and so is the multifunction controller which consists of 3 buttons:
- + and -, used for changing tracks and increasing/decreasing the volume;
- Play, used for turning the earphones on, play or pause the track, accepting or closing calls.
The earphones have magnets on the back so you can carry them around your neck without worrying about making them fall.
They are IPX7 certified so you can run with them outside and they will still work under rain and sweat. I didn’t try this out as the COVID-19 emergency forces us to stay at home, but I have already used Dudios products in the past and they’re serious when it comes to certifications.
Battery seems to be ok, I left them playing for about 25 hours before they turned off. That was the first charge however and I’ve set a mid-high volume in order to stress them a bit. I needed 3 hours for a full charge so I would have really liked a Type-C connector and Fast Charge on these. It’s certainly not a dealbreaker, but it’s something to consider in my opinion.
Comfort and Isolation
Comfort is superb, at least to me. The good variety of tips and silicon shapes makes them appealing for every kind of listener, except the ones who prefer pod-style earphones.
The neckband is light and so is the multifunction controller.
Sound
Now the critical factor that decides if something has to be tried or not: how do they sound?
Personal preferences: I mainly listen to EDM subgenres, from Dupstep and Future Bass to some more genres which represent a niche in the music market. I even like listening to vocal tracks (moreover from female singers like Sia) and sometimes Rock tracks. I always search for IEMs that have a little bit of emphasis in the lower region, and can sacrifice mids with some recession if they still sound clear and natural. I love vivid and sparkling highs if they’re not at a headache level. Soundstage has to be at least average with a bit of air. V-shape signature is my favourite one.
Lows: lows are emphasized and there’s ton of rumble. I seriously like the low end here even though I have to say the bass is a bit slower than I’m used to and sometimes adds some useless and unnecessary thickness that can maybe annoy some people with a tad of boominess. Bass is, in fact, forward in the mix and it’s the real star of the show.
Mids: midrange is recessed and has a warm tonality. Instruments take a step back there’s a lot of warmth that makes male voices deep. The upper midrange has a boost and gives some more energy, but tends to get harsh sometimes.
Highs: highs are a tad boosted but not by a very high margin. Anyway, the combination between this boost and the upper-midrange lift can cause some sharpness in some tracks. Details are there, but I wouldn’t consider the Zeus HD a revealing monster. The roll-off in the upper range comes just in time to make the Zeus HD very pleasant without excessive upper treble that many people find annoying.
Soundstage feels like a large closed room, and feels wider than deep with just average height. Imaging and instrument separation are better than expected and I have to say quite surprising, but still cannot beat wired IEMs in their price range (ZS10 Pro, TRN V90 and similar products). We even have to say these are a sport-style pair of wireless earphones so the impressions are absolutely positive.
Just a little note on the microphone: the EMC-type microphone uses the CVC6.0 technology which captures ambient noise in order to improve voice calls and the result is very good considering that the calls I’ve made using the Zeus HD had no issues.
I don’t have any other pair of sport-style earphones so I cannot make a direct comparison, but I can compare them with my old favorite Dudios pair: the Zeus Ace.
The Ace are a tad less refined overall, with a warmer and simpler sound.
I like everything on the Zeus HD more: sub-bass rumbles much more, bass is more precise and punchy, midrange is a tad less recessed but still keeps its warmth, upper midrange has more energy and treble has more sparkle. These things make the Zeus HD the best sounding and the more dynamic and funny pair of earphones between the two.
The choice would be obvious if they were both the same type of earphones, but the fact that one is a sport-style pair and the other one is a pair of TWS puts them into two different categories and so you’ll have to choose the one that fits your needs more.
Final Thoughts
Dudios is back again! The Zeus HD sound well, they’re comfortable and they even offer a good battery life and the AptX codec compatibility. No quick charge unfortunately, but this, again, is not a big dealbreaker.
Keep it up Dudios!
