Intro
The HILL AUDIO S8 is one of the more expensive In-Ears in my collection and available for 50 €.
First of all, it is one of the best I have. Not only from its sound characteristics, but also from its construction and fit, its variety through its interchangeable filters, the workmanship, and the accessories.
Unfortunately, the S8 is not officially available in an online shop (Amazon, AliExpress) for the European market. However, you can get it from the HILL AUDIO Facebook page, where you can write to the owner. The owner accepts PayPal and sends the in-Ears also with a tracking number.
https://www.facebook.com/hillsonicaudio/
Handling
There's absolutely nothing to criticize here.
The design is independent and well done. Compact and light, they are also due to the fit one of the most pleasant what I have tested so far.
You don't only get non-slip silicone tips, but also a selection of foam tips. In addition a transport box and a silver-plated cable. If you put another 10 € on top, you get an 8 core cable, which tickles out of the in-ear once more.
The clou, however, are the changeable filters, which influence the sound. (Neutral, bass accentuated|V signature or treble accentuated)
I haven't seen that in the price range in the quality yet.
Sound
The review refers to the most appealing reference filters for me (blue), but I will also discuss the differences to the other filters.
The bass is rich in details and very textured. It's not very accentuated, responds very accurately and is crisp. Its strengths lie in the midrange, but it also works very cleanly deeper. But here it might be a little bit more!
The mids are the heart. They dissolve fantastically, have a warm sound and a rich body, are very dynamic and have an excellent separation of the instruments. The voices have exactly the right distance and everything seems clear, detailed, natural and harmonic.
Also, the treble doesn't stand in the shadow of the mids but also has a lot to offer. What is particularly striking is that despite their width, brightness and transparency, they never become strenuous or emphasize hissing sounds. They might be a bit too smooth for height fanatics, but they are just right for me. Out the back, there might be a little more brilliance and assertiveness.
Silver filter (bass):
The silver filters bring the treble and bass more to the front, which makes the actually very balanced sound into a V-signature. The mids become a bit duller, more distanced and the midbass pushes itself more into the foreground, but unfortunately without raising the sub-bass in the same way. Nevertheless, you have more punch and warmth now, which benefits some genres like electro or hip-hop.
Black filter (treble):
This brings the highs but also the upper mids more into focus. These become brighter and the filter gives them even more lightness and brilliance. The bass remains almost unchanged. But this also means that the naturalness of the tonality is somewhat lost.
I prefer the blue filters, but I also like the silver ones when I want to increase the fun factor.
Outro
The S8 have played their way to the top of my collection with the **** **** and the Tin Audio T2. There is currently not much better for 50 € in this range. That's a lot of money, but a worthwhile investment, just because of the different filters, which allow you to adjust the sound and have almost three different in-ears in one, even if the difference doesn't move mountains.
In addition, the fantastic ergonomics make you forget that you have headphones in your ear.
If you're still looking for weak points, you might want a bit more dynamics and a bigger expansion in the treble range, but you have to say that we're still talking about 50 € in-ears and not 400 €.
___________________________________________________________
More reviews: https://david-hahn.wixsite.com/chi-fiear
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CHIFIEAR/
The HILL AUDIO S8 is one of the more expensive In-Ears in my collection and available for 50 €.
First of all, it is one of the best I have. Not only from its sound characteristics, but also from its construction and fit, its variety through its interchangeable filters, the workmanship, and the accessories.
Unfortunately, the S8 is not officially available in an online shop (Amazon, AliExpress) for the European market. However, you can get it from the HILL AUDIO Facebook page, where you can write to the owner. The owner accepts PayPal and sends the in-Ears also with a tracking number.
https://www.facebook.com/hillsonicaudio/
Handling
There's absolutely nothing to criticize here.
The design is independent and well done. Compact and light, they are also due to the fit one of the most pleasant what I have tested so far.
You don't only get non-slip silicone tips, but also a selection of foam tips. In addition a transport box and a silver-plated cable. If you put another 10 € on top, you get an 8 core cable, which tickles out of the in-ear once more.
The clou, however, are the changeable filters, which influence the sound. (Neutral, bass accentuated|V signature or treble accentuated)
I haven't seen that in the price range in the quality yet.
Sound
The review refers to the most appealing reference filters for me (blue), but I will also discuss the differences to the other filters.
The bass is rich in details and very textured. It's not very accentuated, responds very accurately and is crisp. Its strengths lie in the midrange, but it also works very cleanly deeper. But here it might be a little bit more!
The mids are the heart. They dissolve fantastically, have a warm sound and a rich body, are very dynamic and have an excellent separation of the instruments. The voices have exactly the right distance and everything seems clear, detailed, natural and harmonic.
Also, the treble doesn't stand in the shadow of the mids but also has a lot to offer. What is particularly striking is that despite their width, brightness and transparency, they never become strenuous or emphasize hissing sounds. They might be a bit too smooth for height fanatics, but they are just right for me. Out the back, there might be a little more brilliance and assertiveness.
Silver filter (bass):
The silver filters bring the treble and bass more to the front, which makes the actually very balanced sound into a V-signature. The mids become a bit duller, more distanced and the midbass pushes itself more into the foreground, but unfortunately without raising the sub-bass in the same way. Nevertheless, you have more punch and warmth now, which benefits some genres like electro or hip-hop.
Black filter (treble):
This brings the highs but also the upper mids more into focus. These become brighter and the filter gives them even more lightness and brilliance. The bass remains almost unchanged. But this also means that the naturalness of the tonality is somewhat lost.
I prefer the blue filters, but I also like the silver ones when I want to increase the fun factor.
Outro
The S8 have played their way to the top of my collection with the **** **** and the Tin Audio T2. There is currently not much better for 50 € in this range. That's a lot of money, but a worthwhile investment, just because of the different filters, which allow you to adjust the sound and have almost three different in-ears in one, even if the difference doesn't move mountains.
In addition, the fantastic ergonomics make you forget that you have headphones in your ear.
If you're still looking for weak points, you might want a bit more dynamics and a bigger expansion in the treble range, but you have to say that we're still talking about 50 € in-ears and not 400 €.
___________________________________________________________
More reviews: https://david-hahn.wixsite.com/chi-fiear
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CHIFIEAR/