HZSOUND Heart Mirror

Introduction
Have you ever wondered: "I want to experience a different tuning than Harman within a budget". Wonder no more with this review of the HZSound Heart Mirror, an IEM tuned to follow the IEF Neutral tuning coming at $35 (and now replaced by his sibling: the HZSound Heart Mirror Zero, also for $35)



Disclaimers

• This review is based on 2-4hs listening sessions across 7 days - IEM used with stock tunning and accesories
• Favourite music genres: Heavy Metal, Classical, EDM
• Only lossless music from Qobuz
• Gear used: Fiio E10K, TempoTec Sonata HD Pro (BHD firmware)

If you would like to read this review in spanish you can click here

Unboxing, build and comfort

The HZSound Heart Mirror come in a medium-sized box with a sliding system that reveals the IEMs and their case. Underneath the case, we find a large number of ear tips to use: 3 pairs of white silicone ear tips (balanced) in sizes S/M/L, 3 pairs of black ear tips (bass focused) in sizes S/M/L, and a pair of foam tips. Also, the Heart Mirror comes with a clip to attach to your shirt to avoid cable microphonics. Speaking of the cable, it is a 4-core 2-pin 0.78mm silver-plated oxygen-free cable (OFC). It is a fairly complete package for the price, and personally, the black tips and the cable are two of the accessories I use the most when testing other IEMs.



Focusing on the IEMs themselves, they have a 10mm dynamic driver with a nano-carbon diaphragm. These are protected by an electroplated zinc housing with a glossy finish, which makes them feel very premium for their price, but also makes them a fingerprint magnet and easy to scratch with any sharp surface.



In terms of comfort, the size of the IEMs is relatively small (there is a comparison with the KZ DQ6 below), so they fit very comfortably in the ear. However, I could only achieve a partial seal in my right ear with any type of the eartips provided, so I would say that the comfort is only decent at best.



Frequency response description

• IEF Neutral tuning
• Sub-bass and bass that do not bleed into the mids but extends well
• Accentuated highs (fatiguing), that provide a lot of detail and clarity
• Tuned for analytical listening

Subjective sound description:

Starting with Iron Maiden, “Powerslave” (Live Long Beach Arena), the imaging is precise with good separation between the guitarists on either side. The lows from the bass guitar sound behind in the mix and may even be difficult to find in situations where the instruments play in unison. From the same live performance, in “Running Free”, the bass is present at the beginning of the song when it is presented alone and has good definition.

Continuing with classical music in The Four Seasons, Concerto in F Minor, RV 297, Op. 8, No. 4, "Winter": III. Allegro, the clarity of the string instruments (violin, double bass and harp) is excellent although they can sound a bit metallic (this happens with most instruments that live in the treble region). Microdynamics can be appreciated during moments such as a person stroking the harp strings to play while the violin plays as the protagonist. Overall, with all of Vivaldi's Four Seasons repertoire and classical music, these IEMs demonstrate their true strength. However, being so resolving, they do not offer that relaxed listening experience that many people seek.

It was very enjoyable to listen to Adele's album "25" with these IEMs. During "I Miss You," the soundstage is wide and the separation of the instruments in space can be appreciated. Also, distant instruments like a maraca or tambourine can be appreciated on the left side of the mix. On the other hand, in "When We Were Young," the different voices harmonize articulately, and the three participating voices can be distinguished clearly along with the drums and piano in the final stretch of the song.

Continuing with another great artist, Amy Winehouse's 2006 album "Back to Black" is an "old" album in which some songs seem compressed and even congested. However, Amy's voice is always present and in a very intimate and enjoyable way.

Moving on to male singers, a song that I always like to listen to is "Vivere" by Andrea Bocelli, and I have to say that this IEM does not disappoint here. Both the female and male voices have a well-marked authority in the song with the piano and bass following a bit behind. The presence of both types of voices is a virtue as well as a course due to how fatiguing they can be for long listening sessions.

For me, another great male singer is Sinatra. While singing "Luck Be A Lady" (Live At Carnegie Hall), I have to admit that the trumpets sound sibilant. Sinatra's presence is exceptional here. You can really hear the width of the soundstage of these headphones. The reverberations that Sinatra generates through the speakers in the theater can be heard and that is incredible for an IEM under $50.

Last but not least, I tested the sub-bass in "Grnfthr" by Spark Master Tape. This song has powerful sub-bass, and the Heart Mirror represents it without problems. They have a very good extension that goes down to 30-40Hz. However, with how they are tuned, you cannot expect that meaty bass that makes you shake your head to the beat of an EDM song drop. I would not recommend them if the genres you consume most often are Hip-Hop, EDM, or others where the bass has great predominance.

Conclusion

The HZSound Heart Mirror are headphones that I can recommend to those who seek to listen all the little nuances in music and prefer genres such as classical, opera, or melodic music. I cannot recommend them for everyday use since they are extremely fatiguing headphones that make you concentrate on the music at all times. However, I believe that these IEMs are a must-have for every person to complement their collection by offering a sound that deviates from the Harman Target and provides amazing sound quality below $50.

A very concise one.

I bought this IEM with my own funds, and my opinion is biased only by my subjective preferences that are plentiful, but promotion/hype-independent.
(~$43 US, $56 Cdn)

Actually, the main motivation to get this IEM was due to controversial reviews.

Also, I did find more fun and "milage" buying older favourites rather than newly hyped ones.

As a preview, my opinion is 75-80% with the positive reviews and 20-25% the limitations described by the one-star review were experienced and can be attested/confirmed to be an issue.

For the source, I first tried my phone (Samsung S10), then I mostly used Tempotec E44 as one of my favourite brighter-neutral dongles.

I use large-diameter wide-bore tops (Spiral dots and similar) with all my IEMs.

The "unboxing" experience, nice case, useful tips and greatly made shells are superior. The fit is nice, while isolation is expectedly quite limited.

I really liked the DD bass of the mirror, it was there for me when "called for" and that works well to my ears.

Treble is meant to be the king of the show, and it is largely so; the impression/illusion of the resolution is there, but there are definitely limits to it.

Poor tracks, poor sources exacerbate the resolution and dynamics problems greatly. Multiple drivers do resolve by the contrast!

So it is a specialist IEM to me- with the right files and few instruments - it can make a really good impression.

With increasing complexity, the resolution and dynamics collapse to my ears, often in a fiasco-like fashion.

Compared to Blon 03, I am biased to Blon 90%, just nice and organic, the loss of resolution is expected compared to the failures to resolve of the Mirror.

CCA CRA are definitely more resolving, and arguably a better deal for the money despite the "timbre" and 5K peaks.

Aria is in a different league to me, given the price difference and overall universality of Aria.

So overall: 3.5-4 stars - 75% of 4.5 stars and 25% of 1 star on complex tracks.

Despite my perhaps overly critical opinion, I really enjoyed this IEM for a comparative experience and in many aspects (again. a specialist IEM to me) may return to it once in a while - the late Beethoven Quartets (Takacz) sound engaging and crisp.

Bass:
The sub-bass has a decent rumble and has a good extension. The mid-bass is relaxed, but its sufficient and is present when the track requires it. Definitely not for bassheads as you will not get the punch and slam. The overall bass region is controlled and does not bleed over to the other frequencies, also the bass does not sound bloated at all. The drums and bass guitars do not have much punch and vibration, but they do sound smooth and non-fatiguing.

Mids:
The mids are detailed and have a good amount of clarity. The mids lack a bit of body but has a natural tone that makes up for it. The vocals sound clear and well-present in tracks, they do not sound harsh and have a decent timbre. The male vocals are not that "authoritative" due to the recessed mid-bass, but is still pretty decent. The instruments are the star of the show here as they sound clear and natural which is quite pleasing. The piano strikes and the strums of the guitar sound luscious but lack a bit of richness.



Treble:
The treble has that clear sparkle and in my opinion but the treble region is surprisingly pleasant. The treble region has that pleasant sparkle and female vocals sound angelic and natural, not being sibilant nor harsh. The instruments such as the cymbals and electric guitars are not harsh nor peaky. The treble is detailed just like the mids which is a plus for me.

Soundstage/Imaging:
The soundstage is quite decent for this price range as it has decent width, depth and height, thus is not too intimate but not distant at the same time. The imaging is accurate, as the instruments are in their respective positions. The separation is good as instruments can be distinguished and heard clearly.



Verdict:
This IEM is good for its price range due to its soundstage, mids and treble region and its natural tonality. Its price is very competitive at $41usd which is honestly a steal. Would recommend this for those who like natural tonality with a decent soundstage, but although you cannot get a good seal on this IEM unless you change up the eartips.

For reference, you can check out my video: