EDIT 2023-08-25: If you are not aware, I am selling my own Earbuds, called RikuBuds: https://rikubuds.com/
EDIT 2021-04-19: Changed rating from 5/5 to 4.5/5, due to the Yincrow RW-2000 being close in price and to me sounds better and more "complete" as an iem guy (much better bass).
Disclaimer: I received a review discount (50%) for this review by Yaoyaotiger HIFI Audio Store.
Price: 120 usd
Specifications:
Impedance: 32Ω;
Headphone sensitivity: 113Db/mW
Frequency range: 10-38000KHz
Interface: 3.5mm
Cable Length: 1.2m straight plug
Cable: 6N Single Crystal Copper UPOCC Silver Plated
Driver Unit: Three Diaphragm Dynamic Drive Unit (PU+Peek+Ti)
Accessories:
Hard case
Clip
4 pairs of black full foams
4 pairs of black donut foams
1 pair of ear hooks
Cable: A pretty good black 8 core cable that measures at 0.36 ohms. Has a working chin slider and the connectors/divider are all made out of metal. It also has strain reliefs on both the 3.5mm and the mmcx connectors. No microphonics and very soft cable.
Build: All metal build which is uncommon for earbuds and it feels very premium because of that. L/R are marked on the build itself with black/red colors. The mmcx connectors on the build itself is quite tight but not too tight that it requires an abnormal amount of force to remove the cable.
Fit: The shape of the bud themselves fit my ears good but with those ear hooks that are included makes them fit better without them moving an inch even after violently shaking my head.
Comfort: Less comfortable than usual buds because of the ear hooks. So, the ear hooks are a “double edged sword” since you are trading better fit for comfort. But without the ear hooks it is very comfortable because it isn’t very big. For longer sessions I prefer using it without the ear hooks, but for shorter sessions the ear hooks don’t bother me.
Isolation: None, it is an earbud after all.
Setup: Ibasso DX160 (low gain, volume around 41), stock cable, stock full foams
Lows: Standard bud bass, poor extension and non-existent rumble but clean due to the speed/tightness. Nothing special and nothing bad for an earbud, but definitely not for bassheads.
Mid-bass: Metallica – fight fire with fire (01:11-01:52), clean because of the bass speed/tightness. But lacking texture, quantity and individual bass strikes aren’t very distinct. The (02:55-03:01) section with the chopper is clean but it could be better.
Hiroyuki Sawano – Pretenders (01:18-01:47), very clean due to the tightness and speed, but lacking a lot of quantity and texture.
Sub-bass: Djuro – Drop that bass (01:15-01:30), very poor extension and pretty much non-existent rumble. Punch quantity and texture is lacking as well but is tight/fast so it is clean.
Will Sparks – Sick like that (03:08-03:22), pretty good texture and very clean due to tightness/speed, but lacking quantity.
Mids: Fantastic vocal performance, it does lean a bit more towards female vocals than male vocals in terms of quantity and quality wise, female vocals are better due to the tonality lacking warmth/thickness on male vocals on most songs (still very high quality). But the female vocals are amazing with both the quality and the tonality being spot on without it being shouty. Acoustic instruments like the piano also sounds exceptionally good on this.
Female-vocals: Hiroyuki Sawano – OldToday (01:25-01:52), stunningly good vocal performance with spot on tonality and very natural timbre. Very clean and detailed as well.
Yuki Hayashi – MightU (01:58-02:55), same as above, vocals are very good on this bud.
Evanescence – Bring me to life (01:18-01:35), tonality is very good since it is bright but not shouty at all. Impressive.
Hiroyuki Sawano – Crescent (02:07-02:26), a bit too bright tonality and a bit shouty.
Male-vocals: Hiroyuki Sawano – Pretenders (00:57-01:17), clean and detailed but tonality is lacking some warmth/thickness.
Hiroyuki Sawano – Scapegoat (00:57-01:17), still clean and detailed but lacks even more warmth/thickness with the tonality.
Treble: Linkin Park – Shadow of the Day (03:24-03:42), electric guitars aren’t sharp but tonality is a bit too bright so it gets fatiguing.
Deuce – America (03:03-03:16), a bit too bright tonally but very clean and detailed.
Hiroyuki Sawano – Lose (string version) (01:22-01:59), violin timbre, tonality, texture and detail are extremely good and very clean. Cellos are also very textured, detailed and clean with good timbre but tonality is not as good since It lacks some warmth. Treble extension is very good.
Hiroyuki Sawano &Z (02:18-02:57), very clean and detailed with good tonality.
Soundstage: Huge soundstage and especially the depth which is deeper than normal and it has a slight holographic effect.
Tonality: Bright neutral and tonality is spot on for female vocals and acoustic instruments like pianos and violins.
Details: Tons of details.
Instrument Separation: Extremely good instrument separation.
Music: Linkin park tracks are very good for this bud. Chester Bennington´s voice that was very unique sounds very good and natural with spot on tonality. Although Mike Shinoda´s voice do lack some warmth but is very clean and detailed so it doesn’t sound too bad since he is mostly rapping so having that clean/detailed sound makes it very good.
Acoustic Hiroyuki Sawano songs with pianos and violins are extremely natural sounding (Hiroyuki Sawano – Aesthetic for example) with perfect tonality on both instruments and very good treble extension and texture with the violins.
Songs that highlight the Earbud: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fGuNOcmHj54 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KAFOpywZbMM https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ytO2Ymslc9c https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=za8aapTmp44 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L17S9SYRzQY https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OG8GxzJTBck https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ka_bJMbh3fI
Good genres: Acoustic songs, OST, Orchestral, Linkin Park, Rock/metal
Bad genres: Trance, Hip-hop, EDM
Comparisons:
Earbud: NiceHCK DIY MX500, stock cable, full foams
Bass: Djuro – Drop that bass (01:15-01:30), extension is a bit better but also rumbles more on the MX500. Punch quantity, speed, tightness and texture are similar.
Hiroyuki Sawano – Pretenders (01:18-01:47), more quantity on the MX500 but tighter, faster and more textured on the Viridis so it is quite a bit cleaner as well.
Metallica – fight fire with fire (01:11-01:52), more quantity on the MX500 but is bleeding and sounds bloated in comparison to the Viridis (faster, tighter and more textured on it).
Mids: Hiroyuki Sawano – OldToday (01:25-01:52), the Viridis is cleaner, more detailed and has a more correct tonality with the vocals. Although tonality with the bass on the MX500 is better due to it being warmer/thicker.
Evanescence – Bring me to life (01:18-01:35), both aren’t shouty at all, but the Viridis is brighter so it is more fatiguing.
Hiroyuki Sawano – Scapegoat (00:57-01:17), tonality is better on the MX500 but is much cleaner and more detailed and also more forward on the Viridis.
Treble: Linkin Park – Shadow of the Day (03:24-03:42), the Viridis has better tonality, detail and is cleaner.
Hiroyuki Sawano – Lose (string version) (01:22-01:59), extension, details, tonality, texture with the violins are much better on the Viridis. Cellos are more tonally correct on the MX500, but cleaner, more detailed and better textured on the Viridis.
Hiroyuki Sawano &Z (02:18-02:57), cleaner, more detailed and tonally correct on the Viridis. (MX500 has some bleed and bloat in comparison.)
Technicalities: Shiro Sagisu – Hundred years war (02:24-02:57), soundstage width is similar, but deeper on the Viridis. Details, instrument separation, imaging and timbre are better on the Viridis.
Overall: The Viridis is on another level pretty much on all factors except the bass where the MX500 has more quantity at the cost of quality. Viridis is the brighter bud while the MX500 is warmer.
Earbud: DQSM Turandot, stock cable (4.4mm), double full foams
Bass: Djuro – Drop that bass (01:15-01:30), extends and rumbles much more on the Turandot but tighter, faster and more textured on the Viridis. Sounds bloated and bleeds on the Turandot.
Hiroyuki Sawano – Pretenders (01:18-01:47), very bloated on the Turandot, quality is a lot worse than the Viridis but quantity is higher.
Metallica – fight fire with fire (01:11-01:52), very bad on the Turandot, should rename the song to “fight bloat with bloat” on it….
Mids: Hiroyuki Sawano – OldToday (01:25-01:52), tonality and timbre are better on the Viridis. Details is similar but the bass on the Turandot is bleeding and makes the overall sound unnatural.
Evanescence – Bring me to life (01:18-01:35), bloated and a bit shouty at the same time on the Turandot.
Hiroyuki Sawano – Scapegoat (00:57-01:17), bass is bleeding a lot on the Turandot, sounds much cleaner and more detailed with better tonality on the Viridis.
Treble: Linkin Park – Shadow of the Day (03:24-03:42), much cleaner and more detailed on the Viridis.
Hiroyuki Sawano – Lose (string version) (01:22-01:59), every single aspect was better on the Viridis except the cello tonality on the Turandot which is warmer and more correct.
Hiroyuki Sawano &Z (02:18-02:57), bloated bass on the Turandot and everything else is better on the Viridis.
Technicalities: Shiro Sagisu – Hundred years war (02:24-02:57), soundstage (width and depth), instrument separation, detail, imaging and timbre are all better on the Viridis. Bass is bloated and bleeds on the Turandot.
Overall: The Viridis is superior to the Turandot. The Turandot sounds like the typical chi-fi tuning strategy where you are boosting the bass and treble a lot to increase the “details” and makes the bass very bloated.
Earbud: NiceHCK ME80, stock cable, full foams
Bass: Djuro – Drop that bass (01:15-01:30), extends and rumbles a bit more on the ME80. Punch quality is also a bit higher on the ME80, but tighter, faster and more textured on the Viridis.
Hiroyuki Sawano – Pretenders (01:18-01:47), similar quantity but faster, tighter and more textured on the Viridis.
Metallica – fight fire with fire (01:11-01:52), similar quantity but faster, tighter and more textured on the Viridis.
Mids: Hiroyuki Sawano – OldToday (01:25-01:52), cleaner, more detailed and a bit more tonally correct on the Viridis.
Evanescence – Bring me to life (01:18-01:35), brighter on the Viridis and also better detail and cleaner.
Hiroyuki Sawano – Scapegoat (00:57-01:17), very slightly warmer on the ME80 but otherwise very similar tonality. The Viridis is cleaner and more detailed though.
Treble: Linkin Park – Shadow of the Day (03:24-03:42), similar tonality but cleaner and more detailed on the Viridis.
Hiroyuki Sawano – Lose (string version) (01:22-01:59), better tonality, details, texture and cleaner with the violins with the Viridis and extends higher too. A bit better tonality with the cellos on the ME80 but cleaner and more detailed on the Viridis while texture is similar.
Hiroyuki Sawano &Z (02:18-02:57), tonality is similar but cleaner and more detailed on the Viridis.
Technicalities: Shiro Sagisu – Hundred years war (02:24-02:57), soundstage is a bit deeper on the Viridis and also has better details, instrument separation, imaging and timbre (due to it having better treble extension).
Overall: The Viridis is very similar to the ME80 and I would say it is the upgrade to it with better quality across the entire spectrum.
Earbud: Yincrow X6, stock cable, full foams
Bass: Djuro – Drop that bass (01:15-01:30), extension, rumble, punch quantity and texture are all better on the X6. It is tighter and faster on the Viridis though.
Hiroyuki Sawano – Pretenders (01:18-01:47), quantity is much higher on the X6 and with better texture, but is much cleaner on the Viridis due to it being faster and tighter.
Metallica – fight fire with fire (01:11-01:52), more quantity on the X6 and more textured as well. But is much faster and tighter on the Viridis.
Mids: Hiroyuki Sawano – OldToday (01:25-01:52), better tonality, details and cleaner sounding on the Viridis. Bass tonality is better on the X6 due to the quantity though.
Evanescence – Bring me to life (01:18-01:35), better tonality, details and cleaner sounding on the Viridis.
Hiroyuki Sawano – Scapegoat (00:57-01:17), better tonality on the X6 (warmer and thicker) but otherwise cleaner and more detailed on the Viridis.
Treble: Linkin Park – Shadow of the Day (03:24-03:42), Less fatiguing on the X6 but better tonality, details and cleaner on the Viridis.
Hiroyuki Sawano – Lose (string version) (01:22-01:59), Cellos tonality is better on the X6. But everything else is better on the Viridis.
Hiroyuki Sawano &Z (02:18-02:57), Tonality is better on the Viridis along with it being cleaner and more detailed.
Technicalities: Shiro Sagisu – Hundred years war (02:24-02:57), Soundstage, instrument separation, imaging, details and timbre are all much better on the Viridis.
Overall: They are polar opposites where the X6 is the much warmer and bassier sounding bud (with a bass close to iems) and the Viridis the better bud on every other aspect.
Conclusion: The performance on this bud is the best of the buds I have tried so far and if you are listening to a lot of vocal/acoustic music this is amazing. But if you want a bassy bud then this is not recommended, in that case check out the Yincrow X6. Thanks for reading.
Reference/test songs:
I will review the RW-2000 in due time. Haven't compared it to anything other than the yincrow x6 right now. (and I am very busy with other stuff right now so it might take awhile.)