Open Audio Witch

Disclaimer

• Huge thanks to OpenAudio for providing the opportunity for me to review the Witch Pro. I really do appreciate it. However, all thoughts and opinions are my own, and are not influenced in any way.
• Please take this review with only a grain of salt, as everyone's hearing, fit, and gears may differ, so our experience may be different.

Price(MSRP)

• $89.90

Source(s)

• FiiO KA13
• Truthear Shio

Ear tips

• OpenAudio 003

Packaging

• OpenAudio Witch Pro.
• Hard case with a really nice texture and feel to it.
• 1 set of OpenAudio 003 Premium Silicone Ear Tips (6 pairs, 3 sizes)
  • Bore is very narrow
  • Very soft and comfortable to use.
• Cleaning cloth
• 4-Core OFC Cable
  • The cable honestly feels very cheap, but it is comfortable and serviceable at least.
  • It does tangles fairly often

Build Quality

• Plasticky, lightweight and clear, feels a little cheap but build is solid for the price.

Fit

• Nozzle length is average, but it is slightly on the wider side
• Fit is really good for me, fits very comfortably.
• However, pressure does get built up very easily, so do take note of it and use a pair of ear tips that can relieve some pressure for you. The included stock tips work very well for me.

Tonality

• Deep V-Shaped

Bass

• Sub bass is more prominent than mid bass, both are monstrous in quantity.
• Rumble goes really deep and it slams fast and hard.
• However, control and texture is not really good, and there is a weird, hollow sound to it. It sounds as if the bass slams are coming from an empty metal tin.
• Quantity of bass is huge, may even be sufficient for some bass heads!
• Overall, the bass is decent, probably the best aspect coming from the Witch Pro.

Midrange

• Midrange is very recessed, making it quite scooped overall.
• Midrange is also uneven on several parts
  • Lower midrange has a good heft from the bass but is most likely to be muddy for most people.
    • However, this does give male vocals a good weight and lushness most of the time.
  • Upper midrange pops out a lot from the mix but they are simply uneven and grainy.
    • Female vocals tends to be very forward and can be potentially shouty. Furthermore, they also sound nasally and husky from the bloat in the lower midrange.
• Timbre is not really natural as expected from a deep V shaped signature.
• Overall note weight and density is definitely on the heavier side from the bass bleed.

Treble

• Treble is bright, sparkly and airy, which does adds a ton of excitement, but can easily be overbearing for people who are treble sensitive.
• However, treble is also very peaky and piercing, which easily causes sibilance.
• Treble extension is quite good, which adds a good sense of air and openness.
• Details can be perceived quite easily from how bright and extended the treble is, but it may sound very boosted or forced due to peaks and brightness.

Technicalities

Resolution

• Resolution and detail retrieval is surprisingly decent, but this is mostly due to the boosted treble that helped to highlight the details and nuances.

Soundstage

• Soundstage is decent in terms of width, but has a good depth to it.

Imaging

• Imaging and accuracy is a little subpar considering a lot of notes are a bit blunted and smeared, which makes it a little hard to pinpoint the directions.

Separation

• Separation and layering is underwhelming as well.
• As mentioned above, the smeared and blunted notes makes instruments and vocals sound congested and blended, which doesn't sound cleanly separated at all.

Conclusion

• Overall, the OpenAudio Witch Pro is a tough recommendation, considering how fierce the competition is in the $100 price range.
• The tuning is just not the best, midrange being overly recessed and uneven, and treble being overly piercing and harsh.
• However, they are very pretty, and have really good isolation and comfort.
• I tried messing with the EQ to tune it closer to my personal preference, and to my surprise, they are very capable of responding to it.

Thanks for reading!

Open Audio Witch can be bought from their official taobao shop (Link). This one is borrowed unit from local seller (Kuping Kaleng Indonesia) in Indonesia which will returned later. Review 100% based on my experience using Open Audio Witch for ± 100 hours..

Sneak-Peek Open Audio Witch
MSRP: 599RMB
Tuning Style : Mild V-shaped, Powerfull with good texture bass, cold sounding
Frequency Distribution (Total 10): Low (4) – Mid (3) – High (3)
Suitable Genre : Pop, Vocals, ACG
Wear Comfort : Excellent / Good / Normal / Poor
Build Quality : Excellent / Good / Normal / Poor
Isolation. : Excellent / Good / Normal / Poor
Microphonic : None / Minor / Normal / Poor
Analytic Level : Excellent / Good / Normal / Poor
Mic : None
Balanced Cable : None
Detachable : QDC 2-Pin 0.78mm


Frequency Graph (Provided by Woodenears):
Graph Link

Brief Introduction to Open Audio Witch
I’ve heard Open Audio (later will be reffered as OA) since 2018, but they use illegal drugs as product names (which is not good IMO) such as Khat (2BA), Ecstasy (3BA), Marijuana (4BA), Ketamine (6BA) and Alkaid (8BA).
At beginning of 2021 they released OA Witch which use 10MM Titanium Diaphragm Dynamic Driver combined with Single BA (Bellsing 29689).
OA Witch has stunning box presentation with lot of small details (definitely a good one).
OA Witch equipped with lot of accessories such as 6 pairs eartips, Magnetic PU-Leather case, cloth wipes and lastly 4-core SPC cable.
Build quality is excellent, very light and really good fitting.

Sound Quality Evaluation
This Review using Quloos QA390, YinLuMei A1S and F.Audio FA2 as source.

High Frequency
Slender and clear treble with good amount of quantity, though upper treble control kinda lacking which result upper treble feels a bit fluttering.

Mid Frequency
Forward vocal, thin cold sounding, good control there is no sibilance nor harsh sound, good vocal texture

Low Frequency
Deep, powerfull, good texture elastic bass. Overall good control with few exception the bass could be lack of control if the song demand large dynamics. But it’s should be one of the best bass performer for the price range

Separation, Soundstage & Resolution
Soundstage width is good, while the depth need some work (acceptable on the price range, almost all IEM sub $200 quite lacking in depth). Instrument separation is good enough. For resolution just at the right level for the price range.


Personal Comment
Hybrid single DD and single BA, kinda hate that combination because there’s always some problem. OA witch also has that incoherency though not as bad others (like QOA vesper or Pink Lady). Put aside incoherency problem, OA witch actually quite balanced and quite good product, don’t forget it has really good box presentation and build quality

It just need to understand what OA aims with this product, definitely not an allrounder IEMs.

Should I buy OA Witch?
Depends on what you’re looking for. If your playlist full of Pop / Vocals / ACG, then OA Witch is a good to buy, but if you looking for allrounder IEMs, you can choose something else

Recommendation Level: ★★★☆☆
In the end only 3 stars recommendation, good sound is not enough for today competition. There is so many good product at low price which can offer higher value. Audio brand need more effort to acquire marketshare.

That’s all my review of Open Audio Witch, hope it helps, Cheers~