HZSound Heart Mirror Pro

I was not present when the hype for Heart Mirror on 2020 was rife for having a distinct sound that no other IEMs in its price range could match. I won't be making any comparisons since I haven't been able to try the Heart Mirror, and I will treat this review as it should be. The Heart Mirror Pro is definitely more expensive than its predecessor, will it be impressive for its price? Let's find out!


DISCLAIMER:

• I am not affiliated with HZSound and received no monetary compensation during or after this review. This unit is provided by KEEPHIFI in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.

• I am not a professional reviewer and would only coin simple terms for most beginners, and experts in the hobby to understand.

• Words taken from this review should be taken with a grain of salt. However, I can assure you that my findings won't differ a few miles from yours and will discuss what I have heard using my audio gears.

PACKAGING:​

The packaging is a sleeved box, with the sleeve showing the inclusions and specifications of the unit. It also has some QR codes that will redirect you to their social media sites. Inside the box, I was astonished by the number of inclusions provided by HZSound for this specific unit:

• Heart Mirror PRO IEM
• 4-core high purity OFC SPC modular cable with three terminations (3.5mm, 2.5mm, 4.4mm)
• A mic-in SPC cable with 3.5mm termination plug.
• 9 pairs of various eartips
• A black coloured, faux-leather case
• A hanging clip (for the case I suppose)
• Instruction manual.

BUILD QUALITY:​

The shell of the HM Pro is identical to that of its predecessor, made from the same material, with a 10mm CNT dynamic driver inside. It uses a 2-pin connector that is tucked in within the shell for durability. The HM Pro comes with a high-quality modular cable for flexibility.

SOUND:​

The HM Pro is very easy to drive, it has an impedance rating of 32 ohms and a sensitivity of 110 dB. Your smartphones will have no trouble driving this pair. It works wonderfully if you also have a dedicated DAP or dongle. The HM Pro has a somewhat warm presentation with a focus on the lower frequencies and a balanced treble on the side.

LOWS:

The bass has a midbass focus rather than a subbass one. The sub-bass does not fall that deep, can barely be felt, and does not exert much impact for some bassheads to adore. The midbass has a soft, thumpy impact. The basslines on "The Chain" - Fleetwood Mac sound impactful, but sound very dull on bass-intensive tracks like "Islands" - The xx. The attack is quick, but the decay is kind of slow. The best track to test this is Das Spiegel by The Chemical Brothers, where every sound has seemingly been designed to appear from nowhere and end just as abruptly. The HM Pro appears to struggle when bombarded with rapid-fire transitions of various sounds. This pair has noticeable midbass bleed, so keep that in mind.

MIDS:

Mids are laid-back and warm to the ears. The vocals are much thicker, more energetic, and have a luxurious presentation. Instruments don't have that much impact on me and have average attack and speed. The upper midrange can have a shrill, uncomfortable sound on some tracks; the vocals on "Feels Like We Only Go Backwards" by Tame Impala and that splash cymbal crash sound are so harsh to the ears that I cannot bear to hear them. Overall, the midrange can still be enjoyable for casual listening.

TREBLE:

The treble is average. Its brilliance is somewhat lacking in air, but it is not offensive to the ears. I find the treble on the HM Pro to be somewhat limited; it's as if I seek out more treble energy but not too much that it would sound too hot for my ears. Its detail is average and sometimes has difficulty picking up micro-details. Nevertheless, the treble plays this safe for this pair.

SOUNDSTAGE AND IMAGING:

Somehow, the HM Pro has average stage, it has enough height and width to create a somehow roomy soundstage for vocal and instrument separation. Imaging is good and sounds can still be distinguished within the soundstage, it can somehow handle busy tracks but struggles picking up some micro-details, and some busy tracks may sound blurry and chaotic on the HM Pro.








To summarize this review, the inclusions on the HM Pro are superb; it even has a carrying case and two cables in one packaging; one of which is even modular, which is great. For the sound, the HM Pro sounds lackluster for $80; there are definitely better options to consider within that price range, but if you like warm-sounding IEMs that aren't overly warm and come with a lot of accessories, or if you are only a casual-listener who wants to listen and just have fun with the sound of the IEM the HM Pro is definitely worth a try.

General Info/Build/Packaging/Comfort
Most people should be familiar with HZSound because of HM Pro’s predecessor, it was touted as a set with good price performance ratio, however I have not heard the HM before, therefore I will not be mentioning/comparing it between them.
The build quality is rather solid, the shell’s size is small, fitting generally will not be an issue. Using it with the bundled Sony tips, it sits and seals well in my ears, also, no problem wearing them for hours. The packaging is rather simple, but when it comes to the bundled accessories, they definitely stand out by offering a modular cable with interchangeable plugs (4.4, 3.5, 2.5), and also another extra cable with built in microphone, and also several sets of eartips and a solid carrying case. Very good unboxing experience overall.



Gears used for this review

• Topping DX1 + iFi Zen Air Can
• Hidizs XO Dongle
• Aune M2, Cayin N5, Sony Walkman ZX300 with MrWalkman’s Firmware
• Macbook Air M2’s 3.5mm port

Foreword
My review is solely based on what I hear via my equipment and I never consider my reviews to be objective in any way rather a subjective approach. Do take into consideration that everyone’s ear anatomy is not the same, so the psychoacoustics perception might be different as well, but i believe it will not stray too far

Sound Impression
I have never heard of the OG Heart Mirror before so I can't really compare it against the Heart Mirror Pro. Putting Heart Mirror Pro into my ears for the first time, the most prominent range that I noticed from the overall frequency range, it is not to say that it is very bassy, but it is definitely boosted to the point where it stood out amongst the mids and treble. To my ears, Heart Mirror Pro’s has a mild v shaped sound signature where there’s a slight emphasis on the low and high frequency. The mid is a little recessed but not overly recessed like a pure V shaped sound signature. Tonality wise, Heart Mirror Pro is a little warm and fun sounding. Timbre sounded quite realistic to my ears, piano, cello, cymbals all sounded as how they should sound (at least to my ears). Let’s take a look at the breakdown below:

Bass

• As i have mentioned earlier, bass is quite prominent in Heart Mirror Pro, bass extension is average, but the quantity is definitely boosted a little
• Bass isn’t as tight as how i wanted it to be, control is somewhat average
• Sub bass does rumble but it doesn’t really goes deep, but it is adequate to enjoy EDM
• Mid bass is thumpy and punchy, providing plenty of “fun”
• Speed is quite good as it handled Slipknot’s track pretty well, doesn’t sound bloated or muddy at all
• Bass doesn’t bleed into the mids, nice touch!

Mids

• Mids has sufficient warmth to it, female vocal especially has very good texture to it as well as male’s
• The mids are not overly forward, so does the vocals, just right, not too laid back nor forward to the point where it’s on your face
• The transition from low to upper mid is rather smooth (pinna gain), not shouty at all

Treble

• HM Pro’s treble extension is good but not excellent, merely nitpicking considering its price point
• Overall treble range is smooth and definitely not sibilant nor offensive, very suitable for treble sensitive folks or listeners with preference of smooth treble rather than a more energetic approach
• Details retrieval is average, not excellent nor bad, some micro details in Hans Zimmer’s Why So Serious can be picked up without much effort

Soundstage/Imaging

• Soundstage to my ears is slightly out of your head, but not overly wide nor too in your head
• Good depth, but slightly lacking in terms of heights
• Imaging is good, instruments can be pin pointed easily even on busy track such as Slipknot’s People = crap!

Driveability

• HM Pro is rather easy to drive, it is also pushing out decent volume driving it from Apple’s Lightning Dongle
• It does however scale with better sources
• Doesn’t really need amplification, however, driving it with Zen Air Can exhibited better control in terms of tighter bass, slightly better dynamics
• A budget to mid tiered dongle is enough to fully bring out the performance for HM Pro if you don’t have an amp

Final Thoughts
All in all, HM Pro is a good set of IEM with reasonable asking price. However, there are several other IEMs out there tuned with the harman target, at similar price point, so where does that position HM Pro? HM Pro attempted to pull itself ahead against the competition by offering a modular cable, and additional cable with built-in microphone, and also rather generous sets of eartips and a rather solid faux leather carrying case. If you’re in the lookout for a harman curve’s IEM and also don’t want to spend extra for cables, HM Pro got you covered!

*HM Pro is sent over by KeepHifi for the purpose of this review, I thank them for the opportunity as always. I received no compensation nor was I influenced in any way to produce this review.



If you are interested in getting a pair of HM Pro, head over to KeepHifi’s store via the link below:

HZSound Heart Mirror Pro - Non Affiliated
KeepHifi’s Storefront - Non Affiliated

HZSound Heart Mirror Pro



The HZSound Heart Mirror Pro have been sent to me by KeepHiFi in exchange for the publication of this review. They have not requested anything specific and I will follow my usual procedure of aiming to be a unbiased and sincere as possible, although it is always good to remember that these IEMs have not actually cost me anything.

You can find the link to the Heart Mirror Pro via KeepHiFi by visiting the version of this review published on my blog (link at the end of this post).

As always, it is a non-affiliate link, therefore I do not receive anything by you clicking or even purchasing via the link.



Intro…

Back in 2021, HZSound released the Heart Mirror, a set of budget IEMs that received quite a lot of praise from the IEM community. Personally I ever got to hear the Heart Mirror, not because I wasn’t interested but it’s impossible to get to try all of the models that are released!

Fast forward to far more recently and KeepHifi reached out to see if I was interested in trying out the Heart Mirror Pro, the follow up from the company which does come in at a higher price point (around 80 euros) but also offers upgrades from the original, at least that is what is advertised.

I obviously can’t go into comparisons with the original as I haven’t heard it, but I was more than happy to try out the new Pro version and share my opinions on this set which, while not in the extreme budget category, is still something that can be considered a relatively cheap IEM.



Presentation…

The box is a dark blue one, with a sketch of the IEMs on the front and information on the rear. It is not something that draws attention to itself but doesn’t look overly cheap either.

Upon opening the box, we find the IEMs sitting with their cable attached in the upper half of the interior, with card showing the HZSound logo covering the lower half. Removing this card, beneath it we find the user manual and the storage case.

Inside the case we get a second cable, this one with an inline microphone (terminated in a 4 pole, 3.5mm), 8 sets of tips (in various different sizes and types, including foam), a carabiner and the two additional connectors for the modular cable (more on that below).

In general, the presentation is more than adequate and the contents are very pleasing for a set of IEMs in this price range.



Build and Aesthetics…

I actually expected a mirror finish on the IEMs like the original model but I was actually pleasantly surprised to receive them in black. Not that I have anything against the mirrored finish but it does lend itself to becoming a fingerprint magnet (some black finishes do also, but not in this case). Looking closely at the finish, there is actually some grey (silver?) speckle to it, which is a nice touch, along with the HZSound logo in a dark bronze colour.

The IEMs are not very large, in fact, they are on the smaller side of things, and I find them to be rather comfortable. If they were any larger, the triangluar shape at the bottom may have been a problem but that is not the case. They are completely made of metal and seem to be well assembled and I can't spot anything that I would say is a going to be a problem over time as far as durability (but, as always, only time will tell).

The included cable is rather thin and a little rubbery but is not bad and a a very positive thing is that it comes with a modular connection system, including 3.5mm, 2.5mm and 4.4mm connectors. While it may not be on the level with some of the other (more expensive) modular systems, it works well and it is very nice to see it included. They also opt for standard 2 pin connectors at the IEM end, so I have no complaints here either.

The included case is also a very nice one. It is quite spacious (enough to hold the IEMs, some accessories and even something like the Go Blu) without it being overly bulky. I don't carry it in my pocket but it doesn't take up to much room in my small sling bag that I carry (yes, I’m a bag guy ).

In general, I have to say that I am quite happy with the overall quality of the IEMs and accessories for their price point.



Sound…

Let’s start with the usual look at a graph comparing the Heart Mirror Pro with my usual preference target curve.



Starting off with the subbass, we can see on the graph that it is north of my usual preferences, however, as it is kept clean and well detailed, it does not become overpowering. In fact, if I hadn’t have looked at the graph, I would have guessed that this has less subbass than it actually does. It is not missing subbass, “Chameleon” has plenty of rumble, but at the same time, it is not a set that I would class as a bass head set.

The midbass is also a little elevated for my personal preferences but again, it doesn’t become over powering nor does it become the center of attention. I have said in the past that if something is tuned higher than I prefer in the bass range but still manages to keep it clean and detailed, chances are that I am going to enjoy it. The Heart Mirror Pro is one of those sets.

It is true that the low end of the guitar in “Crazy” does have a little too much in the midbass area, which sort of gives it a bit of a boomy effect to said guitar, yet, as the mid range is well balanced (I’ll get there in a moment), it gives an overall clean and detail effect to the track in general, making for a very pleasant listen.

The additional midbass manages to decrease before hitting the lower mids, avoiding things becoming muddy in the bottom of the mids, something that is appreciated as it counteracts that midbass boost and makes things seem a lot cleaner.

I have to say that I find vocals, especially female vocals such as Daniela Andrade in the track “Crazy” that I just mentioned, to have just the right amount of presence and warmth in their lower ranges, making most of the acoustic music Iisten to very enjoyable.

There is a little bit too much warmth for me to class the timbre of things like the acoustic guitar in “All Your Love (Turned to Passion)” as correct, yet just because something may not be exactly what I consider correct, it doesn’t mean that it is bad. If I was wanting to focus on dissecting and equalizing music, then I wouldn’t suggest the Heart Mirror Pro in these ranges for that, but for enjoying the music, I have to say that I have had no problem in doing so with these IEMs.

Moving up to the higher part of the mids, I have to say that I am impressed with the tuning of the Heart Mirror Pro. It is almost a perfect replica of my personal preference, with a smooth climb that stays smooth and present from the 2kHz to 4.5kHz, starting to ramp down just before the 5kHz mark. I really couldn’t ask for a better tuning for my taste in this upper mids.

This works for the vocal centered tracks that I listen to, as it brings the voices forewards without them being overly present, harsh or nasal. As an example from my test tracks, “Seven Nation Army” by Zella Day, which is a track that can be very harsh on so many sets, is just right on the Heart Mirror Pro. I have heard it slightly less harsh on other sets but that is because they are actually taming it down. I feel that these, the Heart Mirror Pro, are giving the real presence of her voice, just on the verge of the harshness, as her voice actually is.

As we move into the higher ranges the extension is fairly good. I wouldn’t say it is the most extended, airy or open of IEMs in the treble ranges but it certainly doesn’t suffer from a pronounce roll off like so many other single DD sets. I wouldn’t say it is going to win any prizes in this range but it’s certainly not bad.

Using “Code Cool” as my usual judge of sibilance, I feel that HZSound has also done a good job here, with Patricia Barber being just on the verge of sibilance, which is were I feel that she should be when a set is nicely balanced in these ranges. She could maybe be toned down just slightly but I don’t think it is a reason for complaint.

Detail is not bad but is not excellent either. I find that the details that are more “up front” are easily identified and quite impressive but the smaller background details (such as reverbs etc.) do fade away fairly quickly. A good example of this would be the intro of “All Your Love (Turned to Passion)”, where the initial strikes on the body of the guitar are impressive yet the room reverb does fade away quickly, leaving an impression of things being a little too tame (when compared to other sets that are better at this specific task).

In the soundstage category, I would say that they are around average, maybe on the higher side of the middle ground. There is a decent amount of soundstage but they are still very much IEMs. Image placement is decent but I do feel that things like “Strange Fruit” could do with a little more space between layers in the more complex parts of the track.



The isolation is a little above average, meaning that they should be fine for use in places with normal extenal noise yet they will suffer with things like the low frequency rumbling of engines on a plane or train etc.



Conclusion…

The Heart Mirror Pro is a set of IEMs that I have enjoyed listening to and have no issues using as a daily general listening set. I don’t feel that they are ground breaking in any specific way, yet they are a solid performer in all of the categories. I could mention various areas where I think they could be improved but I don't have any complaints about anything specific with them at all.

The lows may be a little elevated for my personal tastes but they are not irritating and the upper mids I find to be very well done indeed. The details retrieval may not be the best for those small nuances happening in the background but the overall detail of music is by no means bad and I don’t feel that those small elements are something to really focus on unles you are specifically looking to analyze the track.

The build is good, the included accessories are very good in the price range and in general, I just feel that the Heart Mirror Pro are a good set of IEMs for the 80€ price range. I certainly cannot complain about their performance.

________________________________

So as to not break tradition, this review is also available in Spanish both on my blog (www.achoreviews.com) and on YouTube (www.youtube.com/achoreviews)

All FR measurements of IEMs can be viewed and compared on achoreviews.squig.link

All isolation measurements of IEMs can be found on achoreviews.squig.link/isolation

In the year 2020, In that fateful year for audio enthusiasts, HZSound Heart Mirror was storming its way towards the audio community scene and felt its presence on being indifferent compared to its competitors. A neutralish-bright tuning with a well-tuned balanced sounding set at a very affordable price which is quite a rarity on that price range, HZSound Heart Mirror is an IEM to behold and it really won many ears.



Despite that superb tuning of Heart Mirror, there is only one thing I consider its achilles' heel and it was its technical capabilities. It really baffles me to be honest and somehow sort of a disappointment that if HZSound Heart Mirror has good technicalities, it will be the best IEM in 2020.




What I have here is the successor model of the HZSound Heart Mirror, the HZSound Heart Mirror PRO. Like its predecessor, it has basically the same shell chassis, similar driver set-up albeit with newer generation of CNT (Carbon Nanotube diaphragm) dynamic driver and modular cable.


The shell chassis of Heart Mirror PRO is made of a CNC-milled aluminium alloy in a trapezoidal-triangular shape with a mirror-like finish. It encapsulates a 10mm CNT dynamic driver that offers a better driver speed, more clarity and less distortion. Heart Mirror PRO uses a proven and durable 2-pin connector as its detachable socket on its modular cable.




The modular cable of this set is a 4-core silver-plated copper one and it is interchangeable to other termination plug aside from 3.5mm and these are all balanced types such as 4.4mm and 2.5mm.



The fitting of Heart Mirror PRO is cosy and comfortable as it rests well into my lug holes without any niggles. Its passive noise isolation seems decent enough that it manages to block some external noises from the outside.


Another good aspect for Heart Mirror PRO and it is a plethora of quality inclusions inside of its packaging box. HZSound really earn my respect on this one as I like audio companies being generous on including a substantial amount accessories to its product.





Here are some contents from HZSound Heart Mirror PRO:


■ A pair of Heart Mirror PRO IEMs

■ A 4-core high purity OFC SPC modular cable.

■ A mic-in SPC cable with 3.5mm termination plug.

■ 3 pairs of "Sony" ear tips of different standard sizes.

■ 3 pairs of black ear tips of different standard sizes.

■ 3 pairs of white ears tips of different standard sizes.

■ 2.5mm balanced output termination plug.

■ 4.4mm balanced outpur termination plug.

■ A black coloured, hard bound faux-leather IEM case.

■ A hanging clip.

■ Instruction manual.





With a sensitivity of 110db and a resistance rating of 32 ohms, Heart Mirror PRO should be an easy to drive set as it amplifies well on decent sources. But having a better source with better output and good quality DACs, its scales it pretty well as it has more dynamic sounding with added more power.



As for its tonality, Heart Mirror PRO has a mild V-shaped sound signature with more emphasis on treble and bass and a notch midrange. It has a warmer sound and somewhat a sound departure to the previous Heart Mirror which has more neutral sounding.


Here are some of my observations on HZSound Heart Mirror PRO on each frequency range spectrum.




LOWS/ BASS:

Without batting an eyelid, this is the most prominent part of Heart Mirror Pro on the overall sound spectrum in which it distances itself from its predecessor. The bass on it has a broad amount of slam, rigid and quite deep. It is more focused on mid bass rather than sub bass.

Sub bass has a decent depth and reverberation as I've tested some of my sub bass tracks usually from synth-pop genre which usually has that rumble and roll. The mid bass as I mentioned a while ago is more dense as it gives a full bodied sound on bass guitars, bass drum kicks and bass-baritone vocals. Bass guitars growls has this dull and weighty sound, bass kicks have a thudding but rather soft impact and bass-baritone has a sufficient resonance and powerful low delivery.

Due to more mid bass texture, it has an evidently bass bleed that detail enthusiasts might frown about.



MIDRANGE:

Certainly that it has recessed mids but despite being presented in a depressed manner in the overall sound spectrum it has warm, lush and sensible texture not to make a leaner layout (I really don't like lean note texture either its a V-shape or U-shape) sound. It gives more body to male vocals and an energetic presentation on female vocals.

Due to a warm nature of Heart Mirror PRO, male voices in all vocal types have a more gruff, guttural and power that even gives a quality on an alto or falsetto. Female vocals were also beneficial on this one as it gives a luscious and "silvery" sound but here are some points that should be taken. In upper vocal registers from mezzo-sopranos to full range sopranos, it gives some shrill and a tad raspy when a singer hit the highest note range.

Instruments like percussives seem to reap on its inherent warmness like tom and snare drums and that heavenly sounding celesta in some classical tracks. Tom drums has a more sombre sound with ample hard hitting, snares seems to have metallic and penetrating sound then a lustrous and velvety sound of a celesta. Strings like guitar and violin have more of a warmer side rather than being crisp sounding, guitars especially on acoustic one is more of a warmer and "woody" sound and violins has this austere feel that it has an inadequate grit and attack on every motion on its bowstring. Piano is even warmer with overtones to make it sound more bloomy and rich sounding. Woodwinds like flute and fife has mellow and softer sound which I wish that it is more airy with brilliance and Brass like trumpets and horns has this rounded and robust with hint of being metallic sounding which somehow accurately capture that natural sound.

It seems that it doesn't really inherit some of bright and detailed midrange of original Heart Mirror but it delivers an opposite one.



HIGHS/ TREBLE:

Treble seems to be more on a balanced side rather than being too bright or too dark. Surely that it has some noticeable peaks on the upper mids that it somehow gives some hint of sibilance but it doesn't sound even further to be a strident one as it manages to have a smoother transition with enough details.

It appears to be that treble extension has an average airness that the sizzle on crashing cymbals seems tad lacking but it has enough glistening and metallic. Hi-hats do have a shortened muted dull and buzz sound.

It is safe to say that Heart Mirror PRO on treble tuning is more on the safer side.



SOUNDSTAGE, IMAGING & OTHER TECHNICALITIES:

Like its predecessor, it has a similar approach when it comes to soundstage width and it is more of an average size, with even a midpoint depth and above average height just to make an almost equal proportion in spatial field to make a headroom just enough clearance. Imaging seems to be presented on two-dimensional, linear stereo panning just enough to hear certain elements on each part but not the most pinpoint on locating them.

Separation has decent spacing and gap between instruments and vocals. Layering is bit an improvement over the Heart Mirror original but still I consider it as a mediocre, both frequency and dynamic layering doesn't have any distinction on how it was arranged in a sonic canvas where if I play a more complex instrumental tracks, it turns out to be blurry and unhinged sounding.

Coherency of the driver responds fairly as it performs a moderate transient speed to have a sense of cohesion. Tonal colour of this one is more natural to the warmer sound.

Resolution capability of Heart Mirror PRO is quite average as it has more firm macro-dynamics with decent micro-detail retrieval. It has a less sharper definition due the intrinsic tuning of this set to sound a bit blunted.



PEER COMPARISONS:


TINHIFI T2 DLC


● Both its respective predecessors has a very positive and successful acceptance from audio community, T2 DLC has a DLC (diamond-like carbon) DD which has similar performance to Heart Mirror PRO's CNT. They even use the same shell design and material from its predecessors which are quite parallel to one another.


● T2 DLC is more neutral sounding as it sounds more balanced compared to Heart Mirror PRO which is warmer and more coloured. T2 DLC has more tighter and cleaner bass, Mids is transparent and more energetic than Heart Mirror PRO but male vocals has that lacking of depth and power that Heart Mirror PRO deliver it pretty well, Treble seems even better on T2 DLC as it has more shimmer and airier than Heart Mirror PRO.


● Technicalities on T2 DLC is tad better, as it has a wider soundstage with good depth and height. Seperation, Imaging and layering has almost the same performance. Coherency-wise, T2 DLC has faster transients and lastly, its detail retrieval has edgier and sharper definition.



BQEYZ TOPAZ


● Shells of Topaz is a composite one as it consists of aluminium alloy on its faceplate and a resin on the cavity base part which makes it lighter compared to Heart Mirror PRO. It's a dual driver set-up as its 13mm DD has piezo-electric plates on it to handle treble. Cable of this set is thicker and looks durable but Heart Mirror PRO is more versatile due to its modular termination design.


● Both have a warmer tonality but Topaz is more leaning towards a balanced-neutral sound signature. Bass is more boomy that exhibits more bass bleeds on Heart Mirror PRO compared to Topaz the fact that they focus more on mid bass rather than sub bass. They even have similar texture on mids but Topaz presentation of this particular frequency is more forward and detailed. Treble is even smoother and airier on Topaz but both sets have that lack of snap on the cymbals part.


● Technicalities-wise, Topaz is superior in most category.wider soundstage, better separation, resolution and coherency. Imaging and layering are similar as they are presented in a linear stereo panning fashion and just average layering capability.



HZSOUND HEART MIRROR REGULAR:


● The regular version is way cheaper but it does have lesser quality inclusions like cables and IEM case.


● Tonality of these sets have a definitive distinction on what these two products separate and have its different approach regarding its tuning on one another, Heart Mirror regular has that reference-neutral tuning with brighter timbre compared to a more coloured, fun sounding successor unit. Bass is tighter, midranger is more forward, detailed and even more spacious as vocal quality on Heart Mirror regular is the best for high range sopranos. Treble is even more shimmering at detail but airiness seems eerily similar as both have average extension.


● Technicalities are basically almost identical from soundstage to layering but Heart Mirror regular has edgier definition and better micro-detail and nuances retrieval.


As I put a conclusion of my review in HZsound Heart Mirror PRO, I unequivocally render my percipience towards this set is indeed a departure to the original Heart Mirror which we used to fall in love with its neutral tuning. With better included accessories and more musically tuned to be more versatile to most genre out there, Heart Mirror PRO is indeed an evolution for some listener who wants to step up from their previous consumer-level friendly tuning ear gears but as for tuning aspect, it's more of a step back rather than a progression in my honest and humble opinion.


HZsound Heart Mirror PRO is currently available to purchase and you can order it via KEEPHIFI. KEEPHIFI is always available online and ready to take care of your order with best possible customer service. You can click the non-affiliated link HERE.

SPECIFICATION:


MODEL: HZSOUND HEART MIRROR PRO

IMPEDANCE: 32Ω

SENSITIVITY: 110dB

FREQUENCY RESPONSE: 10Hz – 40KHz

CABLE LENGTH: 1.25M

PIN TYPE: 2-PIN CONNECTOR (0.78MM)

PLUG TYPE: 3.5mm

DRIVER UNIT(S): (1) DYNAMIC DRIVER


Some Tracks Tested: ( * = 16-bit FLAC, ** = 24-bit FLAC, *'* = MQA, '*' = DSD, *'= .WAV)


Alison Krauss -When You Say Nothing At All *

Jade Wiedlin - Blue Kiss**

Led Zeppelin - When The Levee Breaks **

Mountain - Mississippi Queen *

Queen - Killer Queen **

Guns N' Roses - Patience *'*

Eric Clapton - Tears in Heaven '*'

Sergio Mendes- Never Gonna Let You Go '*'

Pearl Jam - Daughter **

Roselia - Hidamari Rhodonite *

Assassin - Fight (To Stop The Tyranny)*

Celtic Frost- Visual Aggression *

New Order - Blue Monday *

The Corrs- What Can I do (unplugged version) *

Jimi Hendrix Experience - Voodoo Child *

The Madness- Buggy Trousers *

Metallica - Motorbreath **

Mariah Carey- Always Be My Baby *

Destiny's Child - Say My Name *

Malice Mizer- Au Revoir *

Mozart - Lacrimosa *

New York Philharmonic Orchestra - Dvorak- Symphony 9 " From the New World." *

Eva Cassidy - Fields of Gold (Sting cover)*

Michael Jackson - Give In To Me *

Exciter - Violence and Force *

Diana Krall - Stop This World **

Debbie Gibson - Foolish Beat *'*

The Sisters of Mercy – Lucretia My Reflection**

Suzanne Vega – Luka **

Lauren Christy – Steep *




P.S.

I am not affiliated to HZSound nor receive monetary incentives and financial gains as they provide me a review unit for an exchange of factual and sincere feedback from yours truly.

Once again, I would like to KEEPHIFI for providing this review unit. I truly appreciate their generosity towards me and other reviewers.

Hello all here is my two cents worth of opinion on the new Heart Mirror pro, the packaging is good information and nice graphics inside a bunch of goodies much more than the original. The accessories include 3 kinds of silicone tips and 1 foam set, a clip, two cables one of them has a swappable plug 2.5mm 3.5mm and 4.4mm and a nice size case.

The build, fit and comfort are all the same as the OG HM but this one comes in two colorways black or silver, isolation is also the same. all of them are good.

Sound:
This is a different animal all together, at first, I thought it was similar with just more bass, but this is not the case. The HM pro is a V-shaped and fun sounding IEM not the technicalities and detail wizard of the original.

Sub-Bass is deep and powerful but is slower and weighty, Mid-Bass has a good punch with a decent control, both have good texture to them, and most Bass heads should be pleased even though I don't consider this a true Basshead IEM but rather a IEM with well-defined lower presentation.
The Mids are as predicted smooth and warm with a natural presentation and some recession, still full bodied and vocals both male and female are enjoyable and positioned naturally.
Treble here is much different it still has a good amount of airiness but is more controlled and still very good in my opinion.
The soundstage was average in size and accuracy not bad but more akin to a classic set of closed back headphones

Afterthoughts: The HM pro is a fun and dynamic sounding IEM with warmth and smooth tuning, it is so far from the original, yet it has great potential as an all-around in ear due to the non-fatiguing signature. I would recommend for the Casual listener looking for something smooth.

TONALITY: 7.5/10
TECHNICALITIES: 8/10
CONSTRUCTION: 8.5/10
SOUND VALUE: 7.5/10


INTRO

HZsound was a rather unknown chinese IEM company until they launch their best selling Hearth Mirror earphones, which I still consider king of technical performance under 100$ even today.
Since then, they have launch other IEM and even earbuds, like HZ Bell and Waist Drum, 2 very potent offering with good sound value, but it show a departure from their HZ Hearth Mirror crisp neutral signature too.
Did the pro will follow this more safe and mass appealing tuning approach?
Let see in this review.

CONSTRUCTION

Its very same housing than original HZ, but come in darker grey or full black.
Yes, these are quite small which will permit universal fit whatever the size of your ears. The mirror finish is both eyes and finger prints catching, so you need to take care of those as micro-scratch happen easily with mirror finish IEM, even if it cost 2K like the Sony ZR1 or A8000. Cherish your beauty.



So the construction is 2 piece of solid alloy stick together perfectly, no maladjustment often found with sub-100$ iem. The nozzle is angled and long enough so you can use any type of ear tips you want without fitting issue. The 2pin connector is solidly embedded in body and near flush so again, you can use a wide range of cable without issue which is a big plus for me that hate it when 2pin connector are deep inside the shell.



The CABLES is a nice 4cores OFC silver plated cable with mic of above average quality for it’s price range and it have a metal L shape jack, smooth braiding and not too thigh ear-hook. But this is more of a bonus since the big upgrade here its the MODULAR cable that come with 3 plug-3.5mm single ended and 2.5mm and 4.4mm balanced. Its the very same cable than TRN spc modular cable, which cost 15$. So, let say it make it a little bit less exciting, yet, it's nice to have one.

Other accessories are very generous and include extra spc cable with mic, beautifull leather like carrying case, 12 pair of silicone ear tips and memory foams. Very nice.



SOUND IMPRESSIONS

Tonality goes V shape here, gone is the W neutrality and crisp near reference level HZ mirror sound, we are into an attempt to charm the mass here...which is conter intuitive since HZ Mirror appeal was all about high resolution and fast attack speed.
Does this mean the Pro are bad? Nope. Badly named? Yes.
Pro reflect higher technical performance and more refined tonality, which isn't the case at all here. In fact, on Taobao, they are call HZsound MOOD. Which is sure more appropriate, cause it's a different mood indeed, an excited bassy earphones with balanced bright signature that is far from being inferior to other IEM in this price range with similar signature.

But i'm biased here, since i've listen SO much the original HZ Mirror...and love them still. If I had a V shape dream with those, it would be surely with a 2 dynamic driver setup, at least, it would be about adding bass quantity without affecting it's quality.

Yet, with a single dynamic of this type, HZ have push to the limit the bass quantity without going all messy, HZ goes safe tuning here, yet, it's a risky one for first gen of Mirror lovers.

Bright V shape with energic resonant mid bass, fast in attack but not fully free of boomyness. Fowards enough mids, with good upper mids energy free of sibilance, which is impressive, but not shoutyness due to damping and well, those upper mids. Treble is darker and crunchier. We are betwee energic V shape and W shape with damped upper mids and upper treble tonal balance here.

Bass hit fast, it's excited in mid bass boost yet keep a tight pace with resonance that bloom lower mid range, separation is rather mediocre, unless its not hard hitting or very energic bass hit or slap.
You know when you feel the bass have extra ''oomph'' to it, this add entertaining distant sub woofer like physicality, well this is mostly what you get, since slam isn't well define, and the edge is blunted in resonance as noted. I don't think its a pro mastering trick here and bass quality let to be desired. Extension is muffled-muted, texture is gently blurry and warmed, energy slam of bass line and kick drum tend to mix togheter and their slight mids bleed or romantic bloom. Lower mids are thickned by this. Its not very textured bass and control will depend of how beat heavy is you music, but for complex IDM it will feel a bit muffled and too warn, it's not a very tight bass and lack bit of bite for proper articulation. Nonetheless, with R&B, Soul and slow beat heavy or pop music, the result can be very pleasant, it's a bass to be enjoy laid back way, since when you enter critical listening you easily find it's above mentionned flaw, unlike with original HZM.

Mids are warm and full sounding, timbre is dense and note weight is good even if scooped in definition edge. Upper mids have more dynamic energy yet aren't sibilant, just perhaps a bit shouty since female vocal can sound too loud in amplitude gain sometime, making me lower the volume. Overall resolution while not completely dark is a bit foggy, vocal will tend to overshadow other instrument, in fact, instrument of same range will struggle to keep their clean space and feel hollow as a whole. Woodwind instrument tend to sound very good, saxophone being densely lush and natural, not dry or saturated with timbral imbalance, the opposite can be say for sharp instrument like electric guitar which lack abrasive texture and details richness or violin lacking bite for proper attack definition. These seem to be tuned for versatile vocal presentation since both male and female vocal have bodied presence, but aren't the most easy to understand in term of clear word spelling. Overall, the mid range is warm and dynamic with average clarity.

Now for the treble, its notably more colored than original HZ, it's what I would call a safe treble with hint of extra energy in upper highs, just an hint that tend to extract part of percussions or micro details slightly without making it spiky or unbalanced. It very cohesive and understated. The edge is very softed in attack so its not a clean or crisp treble. It lack sparkle and snap and air. Clavichord sound muted with the PRO for ex, and texture very polished with most of instruments. It doesn't really affect the tone, but timbre sure feel a bit too dark some time, for ex if a cello and violin play in same pitch, it will be hard to differentiate them. This is a ''jack of all trade, master of none'' kinda treble to me, safe yet not too smooth, with very polish lower treble and just a hint of snap in snare.


Soundstage wise, it's just average. Just enough wide to don't feel in your head, as if your very near 2 deskp speakers, center spatiality lack deepness too.

Imaging isn't good and feel hollow blurry, its very hard to position precisely instrument and separation will have bass or resonance bloom affecting visibility.


It's important to understand that if I haven't heard the original HZsound Mirror, my review will surely find more positive side to the PRO, since it's far from being bad. It a fun warmish V shape with potent technicality and vivid dynamic. The fact its free from sibilance or treblyness is a big plus too, its quite versatile sounding too. I do think those that dislike first HZ will love these, since they were complaining about treble sharpness and lack of bass mostly, 2 things that indeed have been ''improve'' with PRO tuning, to the cost of resolution-imaging and attack sustain-release naturalness.



COMPARISONS



VS TRIPOWIN OLINA

Well, while original HZ Mirror was superior technicaly to Olina, here the dynamic tweak impact on the Pro make it inferior in this department.
Tonal balance is more V shape with the Pro and overall warmer, Olina is more balanced W shape to energic neutral and resolution is notably higher too.
Bass have better definition, its less boomy and resonant and more textured with the Olina. Lower mids are warmer-thicker with the Pro, more blurry too, while cleaner in presence with Olina.
Rest of mid range is more foward and open with the Olina, better resolve and more textured, separation with bass is better, their less bloom in definition and attack have more bite. Female Vocal can feel a bit dryer and thinner with the Olina, yet cleaner in resolution and not impacting other instruments. Treble is darker with inferior definition with the Pro, attack is more blunted, lacking proper definition edge. Olina dig more micro details and texture nuance, have better transparency, more snappy and balanced treble.

All in all, Olina offer a more mature neutral tuning with edgier attack, better resolution and imaging, less blurry, warm and compressed spatiality.



VS BLON BL05S

These underatted Gem are surely the best IEM from Blon yet nobody praise them. Firstly, these are the HZ Pro bassy IEM we wish to get, since it's notably better resolved and balanced than the Pro. Sure, it's a brighter V shape, so you have more attack bite and edge, more texture, more resolution! HZ Pro have warmer more boommy bass that veil lower mid range while the BL05S keep it well resolved with a tighter better define and hint less agressive in slam low end. The bass is less resonant, hitn dryer yet the punch have proper definition and separation. Mids are brighter with more upper mids energy but less shouty dynamic, so resolution is notably superior and imaging is sharper. Timbre is less warm, but vocal are more detailed, less veiled and better easier to understand due to clearer articulation. Mid range is very muddy and veiled with HZ Pro compared to the BL05S, it feel compressed in loudness too. Now, treble part is very different, this is where people will decide if they prefer BL05S fuller brighter and more crunchy treble, it's more agressive in presence and texture and make distorted instrument like electric guitar sound way better, more full, detailed and abrasive, where PRO tamed part of texture and make them sound boxy and distant, very artificial. So, the high dig more sound info yet are less colored and darkened in upper range, so timbral balance is less affected even if less warmed too.
Soundstage is notably more open, wide and deep. Imaging is superior, bass doesn't interfer with accuracy of placement and we have both better separation and layering.

All in all, the Blon BL05S is superior both in energic balance that have less V shape bass boost and technical performance which are not tamed in speed nor uncontrolled in bass impact. The choice is easy here. HZ Pro is a warmer bassier darker BL05S.


VS HZSOUND HEARTH MIRROR

So here we are, and let begin by saying HZ mix up PRO terminology here since first HZM is way more profesionnal audio sounding, with a more crisp neutral tonality and magnify technical prowess unlike tweaked performance of the PRO which are damped in proper dynamic restitution.
HZ is notably less boosted, warmish and boomy in bass, its better separated, more textured and better controlled, less resonant and blunted overall. Sub bass line and kick drum have better separation too.
Mids are more transparent and lean with the HZ, resolution is higher and less blurry, the Pro have warmer thicker mids and hint more shouty yet less edgy too, overall vocal are more organic and natural yet not as well define. Overall mids of HZ are colder, more clinical yet more refined, clean and accurate.
Treble is biggest difference here and the big trade off from HZ to PRO, gone are the sparkle, brilliance, gone is ultra fast sannpy attack that create fascinating percussions restitution, gone is the clean edge too since it's blunted now, darkened, safely polished so you have less texture, less micro details. For some it will feel more cohesive and balanced, and it's partly true even if it impact negatively imaging capacity.
Soundstage is very similar as expected, perhaps bass resonance tend to widen the PRO a bit more, anyway, what is certain is that HZ is way more deep in spatiality, cleaner and more airy.
This make imaging way more accurate and positioning have more space between instrument, here, it put to shame the PRO since both layering and positioning is cleaner crisper.

All in all, the PRO are warmed more V shape sidegrade of first HZ, the technical performance are now inferior due to damping of attack speed and bloomy resolution, these are more fun and weighty in dynamic and safer choice for treble sensitive people.

CONCLUSION

The HZsound Hearth Mirror Pro, while offering a well balanced bassy tonality, isn't aimed at fans of the first version and doesn't represent a sound quality upgrade in term of performance.
It's aimed at those that doesn't like the first version, and find offenssive it's more edgy crispness or its lighter bass or rather thin timbre, since in that regard, the PRO is a winner.
Yet, to the risk of being categorize snobbish, the original HZM earn my big applause exactly because of its mature audiophile near analytical tonality as well as vivid attack speed that wasn't damped in dynamic or blunted in edge.
Since it deliver notably higher and cleaner resolution, snappier attack control and sparklier more brilliant treble edge, its very hard for me to find the PRO appealing, since there plenty of better V or U shape IEM in sub-100$ price range, Moondrop Aria and even cheaper Blon BL05S being prime example of this.

Nonetheless, out of my subjective appreciation and expectation ''bias'', I don't think the HZ Mirror Pro are bad sounding IEM, not at all, in fact they are superior technicaly than lot of other too.

For those enjoying fun bassy musicality with a sens of immediacy in dynamic, this might be it.

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PS: I wanna thanks Keephifi for sending me this review sample after I manifest them my curiosity about it. I'm not affiliated to this audio distributor nor influenced in any way.

You can buy the HZsound Hearth Mirror Pro for80$ here:
https://keephifi.com/en-ca/products/hzsound-heart-mirror-pro

For more diversify audio reviews, you can give a read to my No Borders Audiophile website HERE

Foreword

• At the point of this article, my Heart Mirror Pro (HM Pro) has undergone over 150 hours of burn in and approximately 60 hours of actual listening
• I don't do measurements, I just describe what I hear, from my own POV
• I don't use EQ
• The entirety of my impressions was done with stock HM Pro Foam Tips
• Ultimately, my reviews are purely subjective and biased to my personal preference in sound

Hot on the trail of the highly regarded Heart Mirror, HZSOUND has rebooted the same offering with some tweaks intended to cater for diversified needs of the portable audio enthusiasts. Practically HM Pro, at least from the design and outer appearance remained the same as the OG HM.



The Build
Very Impressive! That’s my first reaction when I first unboxed my HM Pro. I don’t think anything within this price point can compete with HM Pro when it comes to build, package and accessories.


The IEM housing itself is a thing of beauty with mirror smooth Electroplated Zinc-alloy imparting elegance and grace. Housed within is a pair of 10mm CNT diaphragm dynamic driver, employing powerful N52 magnetic architecture, with Japanese DAIKOKU CCAW Voice Coil. Rated at 32 Ohm of Impedance with 110 dB of sensitivity.

Then there’s the beautifully crafted modular high-purity OFC silver-plated copper cable. The cable itself with simple twist braid and very pliable to the touch. The highlight being modular to allow for swapping of all three popular sizes for 2.5mm BAL, 4.4mm BAL and 3.5mm SE. The cable construction really felt very premium and equally graceful to match the IEM itself.



Even more impressive is the inclusion of dedicated separate cable which has proper inline MIC to be used with mobile phones directly or for usage of conferencing when attached to PC/Laptops. I have not seen anything like this before with other IEMs, especially not at this price point.

It does not end there. HM Pro comes with full range of tips to suit different preferences. I am happy so see the inclusion of foam tips on top of the regular three type of silicone units. HM Pro also comes with nozzle filters for further tuning (to dampen some high frequency if needed).

Last but not least, HM Pro also include very practical black case. Together with cable hook which can be used to manage the cable when on the move. I must say that on packaging alone HM Pro is a real winner.

Equipment Used

• Xiaomi Mi 9T (3.5mm SE and USB Port)
• Sony Xperia X Compact (3.5mm SE and USB Port)
• Windows 10 with Native USB Drivers
• HiBy Audio Player USB Exclusive Mode with FLAC files
• CEntrance DACport HD
• Cayin RU6
• Ovidius B1
• VE Abigail 4.4
• NotByVE Avani
• VE Megatron
• MUSE HiFi M1

Sound Impressions

Right off the bat, HM Pro exhibited traditional strong Harman-ish V curve profile – notable elevation of high frequencies and pronounced boosting of lower registers. The Midrange seemingly stepped back as how it is normally done with V sounding gears.

Timbral and tonal balance being organic yet very sparkly. The sort of characteristics to be expected of well-tuned traditional dynamic drivers.

The Midrange of HM Pro, albeit being stepped back (position wise), does offer rich and audible body. It does not sound recessed. Just that the staging are less forward. The Mids being smooth and realistic. I did not sense any attempt to add warmth or element of dryness to the presentation. Attack and decays of instruments being smooth edged with ample resolution.

However vocals wise. I observed that HM Pro may at times appear slightly peaky when subjected to some Soprano type. Alison Krauss for example, her peaky and boyish singing may appear borderline sibilant especially on crescendo sections, where she will pushed her singing to the max. On the same note, it would behave similarly with the vocals from Varg Vickerness (who wails all the time). Otherwise, the singing of Diana Krall (contralto), Sinne Eeg (contralto), Nick Cave (baritone) and Morrissey (baritone) appeared natural sounding. It is rich with proper depth and texture.

BASS, now this is where HM Pro differs significantly from the OG HM. Right out of the box I was shocked out of my wits with the amount of Bass this thing produced. It was literally a Bass cannon that overwhelms everything. However, despite all that, HM Pro Bass settled down more sensibly after 12 hours of Burn-In. After the first 20 minutes of initial use, I set it aside to burn with Pink Noise on loop. True enough 12 hours later I can clearly hear the Bass has stabilized and no longer sounding overly dominant. It gets better as more time allocated for aging. Now at approx. 150 hours, HM Pro has some of the most dense and deep Bass I have heard within this price range.

Midbass being impactful and commanding, yet manage to behave to not overwhelm everything else around it. Subbass deep and well extended. It is still a lot stronger than what I would prefer (in fact I prefer the OG HM Bass responses). But I can understand the trend nowadays seems to favor Bass heavy presentation and as such HM Pro came forth to cater for that needs.

Bass responses of HM Pro reminded me a lot to the sort of Bass performances from KOSS PortaPro. As I said earlier, it is authorative, impactful with slam and reverbs. Absolutely suitable for listening to electronic, dance, pop or fusion music. But may prove a bit over the top for Jazz, Folk, Bluegrass or Instrumentals.

However I must note that despite the richness in density, I feel that the Bass in general lacked a bit of details and texture. This perhaps due to focus on smoothness with Bass transients which masked the micro details. On the other hand it does offer good decays imparting smooth dispersal with vibrant seismic responses.

Switching to higher frequencies, I would say that HM Pro is a tamed version of the original HM. For those who are familiar with the OG HM, Treble brightness, shimmer and sparkle is what makes it special. OG HM was a thoroughbred Trebleheads IEM. Now with HM Pro, the upper frequencies has been re-tuned to be a bit more sensible and less metallic. It still has that airy Treble transients like the OG HM, but the level of shimmer and sparkle are reined in just enough to keep it exciting still. Which also means HM Pro is less euphonic as the OG HM. The energy and attack markedly more mature and well controlled. Treble decays however remained the same as the OG HM – so this is a plus in my book.

Technicalities
Perhaps one of the caveats that proved worrisome from my perspective, HM Pro appeared to struggle with speed and resolution – especially when subjected to handling of past paced music that contain lots of layers. This is evident when I use my HM Pro for Rock/Metal/Indie playlist. While it does not succumbed outright to being muddy, the soundscape seems to caved in and thus imparting cramped fuzzy lines between layers. Thankfully it fares better when playing most other music genre like Jazz, Pop, Folk or anything else that does not exceed 100 BPM.

Nonetheless, I would say the technical prowess of HM Pro is average at best. Imaging amply clean but not as clinical due to edge smoothing. The overall resolution proved enough for casual use.

Another element that I find to be less appealing would be the projection of spatial positioning. HM Pro exhibited traditional Left/Right split, which is common for most dynamic drivers. This means that HM Pro is not suitable for gaming or movie usage. HM Pro simply lacked holographic imaging.

Scalability

One key element that HM Pro does better from the OG HM, it is a lot more efficient to drive. In fact I was pleasantly surprised to hear my HM Pro sounding so good with my weak Sony Xperia X Compact (which is under 1 Vrms). Further tests indicated that the efficiency of HM Pro goes to peak at around 2 Vrms, of which it sounded the best when powered by Cayin RU6 and Ovidius B1. Pushing it further with CEntrance DACport HD or VE Megatron at over 4 Vrms, I frankly can’t hear any difference in terms of fidelity which was already present with RU6/B1.

Final Words
In summary, I would regard HZSOUND Heart Mirror Pro as a solid performer for the asking price at just $80. Despite being Bass heavy as compared to the OG HM, HM Pro proved to be a more balanced sounding unit which will appeal to many - HM Pro offers richer Mids and more sensible Treble brightness compared against the predecessor. It is vibrant, fun and smooth. Some deficiencies with technical aspect but it is not a deal breaker really – for as long as HM Pro is not used to listen to highly pacey music.

Not forgetting how premium the whole packaging is, I believe HZSOUND should be made as example how manufacturers should package their IEMs. That modular cable alone is more than worth the price.

HZSOUND Heart Mirror Pro is available via HiFiGo:
https://hifigo.com/products/hzsound-heart-mirror-pro