HZSOUND Waist Drum

Intro
HZSOUND is a brand known for Heart Mirror, which offers a very high price performance ratio and received a lot of positive feedback from various reviewers.


Packaging
The packaging is fairly standard, nothing exceptional. However, the bundled accessories for the asking price, it is very generous, with various eartips, extra filters as well as a storage pouch to store the waist drum.


Build/Comfort
Being a bullet styled IEM, I have no problem with the fit, except it has to go a little deeper than usual. Noise isolation is not bad as it is similar to deep insertion. Comfort wise, the waist drum feels very light weight in my ears, so i don’t have any problem wearing them for long hours



Source
Foobar2k -> Questyle M15 -> HZSOUND Waist Drum
Cowon Plenue D2 -> HZSOUND Waist Drum


Sound
Waist Drum is a U shaped sounding IEM to my ears. The tuning is on a safer side which is generally easier to accept/like by the majority, and also less recessed sounding vocal. Note weight is slightly on the thinner side


Bass

• Sub bass is rolled off so you don’t really get much rumble
• Mid bass is punchy and tight, not to mention it is also fast and clean, clearly the mid bass is the focus here
• To my ears, i find the bass’s tuning is just right, not overly emphasised, some call it “audiophile’s” bass
• The fast bass makes it very enjoyable on tracks like Metallica’s Master of Puppets and Slipknot’s Duality

Mids

• Vocal placement is slightly laid back rather than too forward
• Male vocal has got good body and texture to it, while female vocal is a little thin and nasal sounding at times
• You can clearly tell that the upper mids are slightly boosted, i’m not that sensitive to the upper mids boost so your mileage might vary. I for one prefer a slight boost on the upper mids to spice things up

Treble

• Treble is lacking a little air, but it is good enough
• Good amount of details
• Smooth and non fatiguing treble, non sibilance
• Overall treble performance is good for the asking price

Soundstage/Imaging

• Instruments separation is good for the asking price, you can tell the instruments properly without one trying to overpower each other
• Imaging is also well done where instruments can be pinpointed easily
• Height of soundstage is good but the width is average, not necessarily a bad thing

Driveability
Waist Drum is very easy to drive, it can sound good even on an Apple’s Lightning Dongle. However it does scale with a better source/amp of course.
Pairing it with a warmer source is recommended because of Waist Drum’s thin note weight, it will kind of give a perception of a slightly thicker note weight when paired with a warm source, pairing it with a neutral/analytical source will just make things worse as it is already thin sounding and also the boosted upper mids, it will be very bad for certain people who are sensitive to upper mid boost

Comparison
I do not have Waist Drum’s sibling which is Heart Mirror, so I can't do a direct comparison on both of them. I do have TinHifi’s T1S which is priced slightly below Waist Drum

• T1S is more on the fun sounding side of spectrum
• Bass does rumble and thump, a little slower than Waist Drum, hence it can get a little muddy on Slipknot’s track, a little too much mid bass to my ears
• Treble on T1S is smooth and non fatiguing, in terms of detail retrieval, Waist Drum is better at it, however, T1S does have slight edge where it has a thicker note weight on the treble
• Mids are lush on T1S, thick and meaty?
• Wider soundstage on the T1S, imaging is more or less the same on both Waist Drum and T1S

Final Thoughts
HZSOUND’s Waist Drum is a highly competent set in terms of technicalities and also price performance ratio. If you are looking for a budget IEM with good technicalities and also safe sounding, look no further as this is the one you could be looking for. At 34$ at the time of writing, it’s a no brainer to me given the performance it offers and also the accessories that came with it.

If you are interested in getting a pair, head over to KeepHifi’s webstore to grab one
https://keephifi.com/products/hzsound-waist-drum

*This unit is sent by Mei from KeepHifi for the purpose of this review. I thank her for the opportunity to try this out. I am in no way influenced by KeepHifi to produce this review, all thoughts are of my own and the link provided is not affiliated

Waist Drum comes in a nice little box with 3 different types of tips and denim pouch just like the Heart Mirror.
The Earphones themselves are made of metal and are of a smaller size bullet shape that should fit everyone just fine. I personally found them comfortable for long listening and even laying down, no uneasy pressure on my ears as with larger IEMs. They are open back isolation was average for this type. Build quality surpasses expectations and looks great too.

Sound: Signature is a safe and well-tuned warmish U-shaped IEM

Bass: Is impactful without overpowering the other frequencies, it has decent speed and details, but Sub-Bass does roll off quickly so no Bass heads will not smile at this one, Mid-Bass has more emphasis here and does bleed a little into the lower Mids. Still the Bass is pleasant and very close to neutral.

Mids: Are well tunes and have focus, they are for the most part transparent and rich sounding with a warmth to the lower mids. Vocals are forward and center stage, both Male and Female have great presence and details, Upper Mids can get a little hot depending on volume and recording quality, but it's not a major problem.

Treble: Sounds good, there's decent energy but it does lack in extension a little. Highs have a good detail and clarity without any sibilance. This will not impress treble heads either but still is enjoyable or welcome to the treble sensitive.

Soundstage: Has an average wide field, with less depth but good placement and above average in this price range.

Conclusion. For its price it's one of the better options in a sea of V-shaped cookie cutter IEMs this one stands out for its unique character and charms. I really like this one, build is comfortable, sturdy and sound is great for all around listening and they look great too.

DISCLAIMER

I purchased the HZSound Waist Drum from KeepHIFI Amazon at a discounted price. It can be gotten here or at their KeepHIFI store page (no affiliate links).

So why is this unit named the Waist Drum? Well, the waist drum is actually an ancient folk percussion Chinese instrument, so this IEM is aptly named after it, due to the similar design of the shell:



EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

The HZSound Waist Drum is a pretty good all-rounder U-shaped bullet-shaped IEM that does most areas well. It goes for a "musical" over an analytical tuning. Accessories are very generous, build/comfort is good, and it has quite good price-to-performance ratio. Timbre for acoustic instruments is a highlight.

Some nitpicks are a sub-bass roll-off and upper mids glare at louder volumes (Fletcher Munson curve), so those that are sensitive to this area may need to look elsewhere.


SPECIFICATIONS

• Driver configuration: 6 mm polymer composite diaphragm single dynamic driver
• Frequency response: 20 Hz – 40000Hz
• Impedance: 16 Ohms
• Sensitivity: 104 dB (no units provided)
• Cable: 2 pin, high purity OFC silver-plated cable
• Tested at $33 USD

ACCESSORIES

Other than the IEM, these are included:

- Spare filters
- Cable
- 3 different types of tips (S/M/L)
- Anime waifu card -> the most important accessory for some!
- Cloth bag



The provided accessories are extremely generous for the $30ish USD asking price. It definitely puts to shame some higher priced IEMs that give way scantier accessories (looking at you TRN cough cough).

The spare filters are a nice addition, in case of clogging of the filters with debris/moisture, or some might wanna play around with different tuning filters, or via stacking them.

Three types of tips are provided. The white ones tend to lower the bass, whereas the black thin ones seem to boost the bass for me. Then we have some sony hybrid lookalikes which are my personal favourite pairing with the Waist Drum, they are very comfortable and give a well balanced sheen to the music; they are kind of a mid-point between the other 2 tips in terms of sound. These sony hybrid lookalikes also seem to be more comfortable and isolating than the other 2 types of tips provided, at least for me. Do try and tip-roll to see what suits you, as we all have different ear anatomies, and tips will change the sound, isolation and comfort.

Very happily, I noted that the Waist drum has a 2-pin detachable cable, which is quite rare for a bullet-shaped design (most detachable bullet-shaped IEMs feature MMCX). This theoretically should improve the Waist Drum's lifespan, and one can even use the Waist Drum with aftermarket balanced cables or TWS adapters.

The provided cable is a high purity OFC silver-plated cable, it is on the thinner side but is quite usable, with a chin cinch. At purchase, one can opt for a mic version or a non-mic one. Unfortunately, this cable has slight microphonics, but this can be minimized by utilizing a shirt clip.

The included anime waifu card has 2 sides, one features a blue dressed anime girl, while the other side's model is dressed in red.





The rest of this review was done with the sony hybrid tip lookalikes and the stock cable. No aftermarket accessories/mods were done, so as not to add confounders to the sound.


BUILD/COMFORT

As per its namesake, the Waist Drum is shaped like a Chinese waist drum percussion instrument, and is a bullet shaped design. The Waist Drum is very small in profile. It is also light and extremely comfortable. I have used it for hours without any discomfort, and in fact, they are well-suited for sleep; you can lie down on one side of the head without the Waist Drum causing pain.

The housing is made of CNC fashioned stainless steel, and a cool point is that the Waist Drum can be worn cable down or over-ear, which increases fitting options.

I didn’t find any driver flex during usage.


ISOLATION

The HZSound Waist Drum is an open backed IEM, and this is a double edged sword, as it improves soundstage but does give penalties in isolation. Even so, with the sony hybrid lookalike tips, isolation is about average, and is not as badly isolating as some other open backed stuff like the Final E3000, but don't be expecting unvented BA type isolation levels.




DRIVABILITY

I tested the HZSound Waist Drum with:
- Khadas Tone Board -> Schiit Asgard 3 amp
- Khadas Tone Board -> Topping L30 amp
- Sony Walkman NW A-55 DAP (Walkman One WM1Z Plus v2 Mod)
- Sony Walkman NW A-55 DAP (Walkman One Neutral Mod)
- Questyle M15 DAC/AMP dongle
- E1DA DAC/AMP dongle
- Colorfly CDA M1 DAC/AMP dongle
- Tempotec Sonata HD Pro dongle (BHD firmware)
- Smartphone

The Waist Drum can be driven from lower powered sources, but it scales with juice. Due to the thinner note weight on the Waist Drum, I would recommend warmer sources with it, to give some heft to the music, and also to counter the upper mids region, which we will discuss below.


SOUND & TECHNICALITIES

The Waist Drum is a U-shaped set. It is very "musical" rather than analytical and sterile like the Heart Mirror older brother.


Graph of the Waist Drum via IEC711 compliant coupler.


Bass is mostly mid-bass focused, with some sub-bass roll-off. The bass is north of neutral. Bass quality is moderately fast, with slight mid-bass bleed. Texturing may be one-noted at times with some lack in definition, say when compared to its sibling the Heart Mirror.

For the midrange, the lower mids are not the most lush, due to the lack of mid-bass. But this results in the midrange being very transparent and clear, with layers in the music heard well. Upper mids are boosted, with vocals taking centre-stage over instruments; this region has a pinna gain of around 12 dB or so. In essence, vocals are forwards, and may occasionally veer into shouty territory, if used at higher volumes (Fletcher Munson curve). At lower volumes, this is not much of an issue, unless perhaps in poorly recorded material.

Upper mids perception, is however, dependent on volume played at, ear anatomy (pinna gain), hearing health (either from age or occupation/leisure exposure), source and eartips used, but suffice to say, those sensitive to the 3 kHz upper mids region may want to consider alternatives.

Treble is boosted with good clarity and details, with surprisingly minimal sibilance. Extension is moderate, not the most airy or sparkly set.

Note weight is on the thinner side, though not as thin as the Heart Mirror. Clarity is excellent. Soundstage height is good, though depth/width are about average. Instrument separation and imaging are good at this price. Music never sounded compressed even with complex musical movements.

Instrumental timbre is very organic, though vocals an sound a bit nasal at times due to the boosted upper mids. Indeed, I really enjoyed the Waist Drum with non-vocal acoustic and classical pieces, stringed, woodwind and brass instruments are portrayed authentically. Classical aficionados will have a field-day with the Waist Drum!


COMPARISONS

HZSound Heart Mirror

Graph of the Waist Drum versus Heart Mirror via IEC711 compliant coupler.

The hyped Heart Mirror is the older sibling of the Waist Drum and is a neutral bright IEM with a thinner note weight than the Waist Drum. In contrast, the Waist Drum is more U-shaped with more bass quantity. The Heart Mirror has more treble quantity and sibilance, but the Waist Drum is more boosted in the upper mids region. The Heart Mirror can sound splashy with cymbals and high-hats, which isn't the case with the more subdued Waist Drum.

Other than in soundstage, the Heart Mirror has better technicalities - in bass tightness, imaging, micro-details, clarity, transients. The Waist Drum has better timbral accuracy, with a more "musical" flavour, compared to the ultra analytical and sterile Heart Mirror.

These 2 siblings are very different, and are complimentary. Think of the younger brother Waist Drum as the fun loving and friendly life of the party, whereas the Heart Mirror is the aloof and intelligent older brother.


Final Audio E3000

The Final E3000 is a dark L shaped set that is much harder to drive than the Waist Drum. The E3000 has a more boomy and nebulous mid-bass, but has a darker treble, and a much thicker note weight than the Waist Drum.

The E3000 has better soundstage and imaging than the Waist Drum, but loses in micro-details and clarity and transients. In terms of timbre, the Waist Drum is superior.

Both are bullet-shaped IEMs, but the E3000 has a very noodle-thin microphonic cable without strain relief, and this is a potential point of failure down the line. The E3000 also have much worse isolation than the Waist Drum.

So other than in build (detachable cable), the niche tuning and the amplification requirements of the E3000 make it not as versatile as the Waist Drum.


CONCLUSIONS



The HZSound Waist Drum is a pretty good all-rounder U-shaped bullet-shaped IEM that does most areas well. It goes for a "musical" over an analytical tuning. Accessories are very generous, build/comfort is good, and it has quite good price-to-performance ratio. Timbre for acoustic instruments is a highlight that should please most timbre freaks.

Some nitpicks are sub-bass roll-off and upper mids glare at louder volumes (Fletcher Munson curve), so those that are sensitive to this area may need to look elsewhere.

Otherwise, the Waist Drum is a more analoguish and "musical" sibling to the cult classic Heart Mirror, and is really quite a nice set for those looking for a sub-$50 USD single DD that can do most areas well.