INTRO:-
Not many of you have heard about HillSonicAudio, based in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Operated by Vincent (A good friend of mine) Sells mostly KZ earphones and Chinese OEM products for less than what others will sell you for. He will ship out to any country if you are willing to pay for shipping.
Here is his Online Shop:-
https://shopee.com.my/shop/6548893/search/
What I am reviewing here is the HillAudio Vajra 3 (Factory UNIT, Retail units may look different), Vajra a Sanskrit word which basically means weapon, Vajra 3 is a 3BA earphone, One for each, Bass, mid range and highs with a 3 way crossover, is an OEM product which can be better indentified as the NiceHCK GT300. Both are exactly same earphones with different names.
The Vajra3 houses drivers from Bellsing, heavily used by many Chinese manufacturers, is really good considering the price to performance of the Vajra3. It splits fire, in other words it’s a fantastic earphone for the price of RM380 or $95.
I will compare this with the TFZ Series 4, Earnine EN210 and Brainwavz B200.
P.S. :- The seller is a friend of mine, I received just the earpieces for review, the retail pack comes with this SPC cable. Not the one seen in other Pictures.
Here are some information about the earphone:-
https://shopee.com.my/HillAudio-Vajra3-3-Driver-Professional-In-Ear-Monitor-i.6548893.1379207595
Features ---------------
● Triple driver fully balanced armature design with drivers targeting each frequency range (lows , mids , highs)
● Using high quality yet cost effective BA driver made by Bellsing for same great performance
● Professionally tuned sound with 3-way electronic crossover between the BA drivers.
● Ergonomically designed shell for good comfort and isolation.
● Detachable cable system with universal MMCX connector.
● Comes with professional quality braided silver-plated OFC cable for better sound performance.
● Included with 2 pairs of memory foam eartips for a more customisable fit.
Specifications -----------------------
Brand: Hill Audio
Model: Vajra 3
Transducer principle: Triple balanced armature Transducer
specs: Bellsing custom driver
Frequency range: 20hz - 19khz
Impedance: 22Ohm
Sensitivity: 109dB
Connector type: MMCX
Plug type: 3.5mm
Cable length: 1.2M
With mic: NO
Schmitt S10 making an appearance, Those Shells maybe similar but The S10 houses only one driver per side. And if you pay a bit more stain on your eyes you can see a Filter on the Schmitt S10, lacking with the Vajra3 (DT300).
BUILD, ERGONOMICS, FITMENT AND MISCELLANEOUS:-
Even though the Vajra 3 is made out of plastic, its not bad when it comes to build quality, yes it will not be able take much pressure but it will survive well if you don’t abuse it.
Ergonomically it tries to emulate Shure design, making it a very comfortable earphone.
I don’t see the Vajra3 giving anyone any trouble with fitment, it will fit most without any struggle, and the long and narrow nozzle gives it a deep and secure fitting, and with the provided foam tips comfort is not an issue.
Isolation of this earphone is better than average thanks to a deeper in ear fiting.
The retail Package includes earphone storage pouch, Vajra3 earpiece, braided SPC MMCX cable, 2 pairs foam tips.
SOUND QUALITY:-
I have a bit too much experience with sub $100 earphones, I have reviewed around 30 of them, and the Vajra 3 holds its own in that bunch.
If you are looking for bass, if you listen to EDM or like your music calm and docile, this is not for you.
Aiming for accuracy and balance, the Vajra 3 delivers a very detailed and fairly controlled sound. Overall signature is bit bright and fairly neutral with attacking notes presentation, it won't be easy to overlook the sound.
I am using plenue R and D for this review. The Vajra 3 is very sensitive and don’t need amping to sound better. I am using stock rubber tips and the Earphone has been burned for more than 120 hrs.
BASS:-
Yes, its not flat, not as flat as the ER-4P or AF180 but don’t expect too much, its doesn't move plenty of air, it doesn’t have the slam, lacks a bit of body but isn't that true for all the Accuracy minded earphones?
Vajra3 has one of the fastest decay when it comes to this price point, it has plenty of details too. There isn't much sub-bass but it's not missing by much. The extension is good for an Armature based earphone but it is not as deep as something like a Brainwavz B200, B200 does have bigger bass quantity with better body but falls behind when it comes to details and accuracy.
Mid bass is slightly more prominent still under good amount of control, one doesn’t have to worry about it. Upper bass doesn’t do anything undesirable, it very nicely goes into the lower mids with plenty of details.
What really makes the Vajra3 stand out is its ability to keep the upper bass and lower mids energy intact.
MID RANGE:-
The first thing which catches the attention is that the vocal range is not clumsy or compressed, it’s a bit more forward compared to rest of the spectrum and yes, the tonality is slightly sharper than what one will find with something like B200 or EN210 but the dynamic range and stage size is one of the best you will find from an earphones in this price range.
Notes have slightly more depth and energy to them but that doesn’t introduce much sibilance, there is a bit, but it's not bothering. Vocals have very good texture to them, not as much as a dynamic driver like the Series4 but more than B200 and EN210.
As I said earlier it is tuned to go for accuracy and details, to achieve that The Vajra3 likes to attack with on your face kind of details, which it has plenty of. It is a very transparent and clear sounding earphone. There is not plenty of micro details which one can experience with something like ATH-IM03 or ER-4P but the amount of details it has is very clear.
What really helps the mid range is the beautiful stage size, it is hollow graphic with no voids in it. It has nice height, the width is average and the depth deeper than 95% of earphones in the price range of $100.
Upper mid do have some more energy than usual but it's not as aggressive as the AF180, it bodes very well with me as this energy makes the Vajra3 sound more detailed compared to competition.
For an earphone with a price tag of under $100 the Vajra3 has one of the best separation.
The only thing that goes against the Vajra3 is its tonality, which is a bit metallic compared to something sounding more neutral and natural like EN210.
HIGHS:-
Highs are not as impressive as the rest of the spectrum. it does starts very well with lower treble, there is good amount of energy, good amount of details but it gradually loses energy as it gets deeper into the spectrum. There is barely any energy left after 12khz.
Till then there is good amount of spark to it, its not as sharp as the upper mid still has enough to keep me seated. If you are not listening critically you will not even bother about it.
Layering and separation is up to the mark, if not better than the competition. There is good amount of air between the instruments.
Top end stage is not as good as the mids but is okay.
VS DT500:-
Refrain from buying the 5ba model (DT500), it has serious issues with upper mid range. The 3BA model is tuned better and delivers better upper mids with lesser issues, and has better top end energy too.
Both have similar bass, mid range vocals and tonality of the DT500 is more natural but things go bad from upper mid range, stage is smaller from there on, lacks serious amount of upper mid clarity and details, high too lose the energy, a bit too much to be precise, it feels very bad, considering how beautifully the Vajra3 (DT300) is tuned.
Not sure If the DT500 have different drivers for mids and highs but they do look smaller than the 3BA unit.
This is the DT500, You can see All the 5 drivers in this Picture.
CONCLUSION:-
It’s a very capable earphone, if the tonality were a bit more accurate and had a bit more cleaner separation it could have killed all the $100-200 earphones, it still is very good for $100.
If you are in the market for an earphone around $100 which has plenty details and energy to its note, you simply should not overlook the Vajra3.
I hope I covered everything, if you have any questions, drop me a message.
I hope you guys are having a nice time, Cheers, Enjoy.
