Simgot EA500 LM

Looking for in-ear monitors (IEMs) that redefine what you expect from audio under $150? Enter the Simgot EA500LM. Let's dive into its performance across bass, mid, treble, and technical aspects:





•Packaging & Fitting: It's so catchy the box has nice and Aesthetic color and pictures. Accesoris is good. not a stingy, has what u are looking for a case, decent eartips, even changeable noozle..
Fitting In this iem is good, the shell is round shape It is soo sturdy imo.. no any sharpe angle.



•Build Quality: It's not just about sound—the EA500LM excels in build quality too. Made with premium materials, including full metal, and featuring interchangeable nozzles, these IEMs are built to last.
Also with Changeable Noozle, you can choose whatever u like, it has 3 include the installed one, but i like the Silver Red Stripe one it less bright/ analytic than the other two. even u can change to another Noozle from another Brand like Moondrop Kato.. will definilty try it this one for sure, i heard some good news with this noozle.
Cable is decent not bad though but not thick either, decent.

Moving To Sound Aspect...

•Bass: The EA500LM nails the bass aspect. It's not just tight; it's textured and rumble-filled, striking the perfect balance between punchy and controlled. Plus, its decay is spot-on, ensuring every bass note is delivered with depth and precision.

•Midrange: Vocals? Oh, they're a highlight. Clean, clear, and devoid of any unwanted sweetness or thickness. The midrange here pronounces details with crystal-clear clarity, adding depth and emotion to your favorite tracks without any hint of sibilance. i even try with songs full of sibalance like ~IVE - Afterlike, suprase suprase its not noticable..

•Treble: Now, onto treble. The EA500LM impresses with its crispness and clarity. It's never harsh or fatiguing, offering extended highs that add sparkle and definition to the overall sound signature. You'll hear every detail without feeling overwhelmed.

•Technical Aspects: Let's get technical. The soundstage? Wide enough to immerse you completely in your music. Resolution? Surpasses expectations for its price range, with excellent clarity and instrument separation. Timbre? Natural and lifelike, ensuring each instrument sounds true to its original recording. And the 3D imaging? Precise enough for gaming or pinpointing instruments in complex mixes.



•Conclusion, the Simgot EA500LM sets a new standard for clean sound and technical prowess in the sub-$150 price range. Whether you're a discerning audiophile or a competitive gamer, these IEMs offer an unparalleled listening experience that's sure to impress. but in my opinon if u want some competition iem u can try another product from Simgot too, EM6L is very much good/ made for gaming experince..

My Rating..
- Low: ★★★★✮
- Mid: ★★★★✮
- High: ★★★★★
- Technical: ★★★★★ (4.9/5) {☆ 0 point, ✮ 0.5 point, ★ 1 point}

Introduction:
Simgot means "Simple and elegant" A rather modest meaning for their company, but significant in many ways.
To be honest with you, i truly love Simgot's products for their design and sound performance. I already own the EW200, which i love
They have created a wonderful, bright EA lineup: EA2000, EA1000 Fermat, EA500, and the budget EW lineup: EW200 Maze, EW100P.
Additionally, they offer excellent hybrids for gaming purposes - EM6L, and divine - EN1000.
Each of their earphones looks great and has excellent sound tuning. But today we will talk about the continuation of the EA500 lineup, namely ea500lm with an updated lithium-magnesium diaphragm driver.
Did Simgot manage to make an upgraded version of the bestseller EA500?
In this review, we will find out!

---

Specification:

• Impedance: 21Ω±15%(@1kHz);
• Sensitivity: 123 - 124 dB (depends on the installed nozzle);
• Frequency response range: 10hz-50kHz;
• Effective frequency response: 20hz-20kHz;
• Connector: 0.78mm 2-pin;
• Cable material: High-purity silver-plated OFC cable;
• Price: 89$.

What's in the box:

• IEMs itself;
• 2 pin 0.78mm silver-plated OFC cable, 1.2m length;
• Regular silicone eartips (S / M / L);
• 2 interchangeable nozzles: Silver with the red seals & Silver with the black seals;
• 16 seals for the nozzles;
• Carrying case;
• Instruction.

---

First impression, Design, Comfort, Build Quality

First impression
My introduction to the Simgot EA500LM started with the box. Its front part is adorned with abstract depictions of planets, the sun, the moon, and zodiac signs with a shimmering color that changed its shade in the sunlight. In real life, it looks simply amazing.

---

Design
As I mentioned before, Simgot knows how to impress with its exterior design, and the EA500LM is no exception. EA500LM has a brilliant look, thanks to its full-metal body and metallic-steel color. The earphones are mirror-like, effortlessly reflecting sunlight and adeptly collecting fingerprints.
On the left side of the earphone, you will find the Simgot logo, while the letters 'LM' are engraved on the right side. The inner part features a properly shaped sound nozzle, 2 holes, and a left/right identifier.
On the side panel, there is a 2-pin connector, as well as the engraving of the earphone model - "EA500LM".

---

Comfort
The earphones fit like a glove in the ears, weighing approximately 10 grams each. Despite their weight, they didn't cause any discomfort even during extended use. While the sound isolation is decent, it's not the best. With these earphones, you can easily hear surrounding sounds.

---

Cable
The stock cable is of good quality. It's a 2-core OFC cable with high-purity silver plating and is 1.2m in length. It's quite lightweight and flexible.
On one end is a straight 3.5mm mini-jack, and on the other end are aggressively shaped ear hooks with a right/left channel indicator. At the end of the hooks, there's a 0.78m 2-pin connector.

---

Sound Impression

When I first put them on, i was a bit disappointed, but after 20 hours of burn-in and changing the eartips, they played as they should.
Well, let's start with the bass:

Bass:
The bass is what makes the Simgot stand out. It's a definite step step-up.
The bass frequencies here are rich, not getting lost in the overall musical composition but also not overpowering it. The sound of drums is deep, the bass-guitar is energetic, and it fits well into the musical symphony.
Perhaps there is a slight lack of bass punch and attack, but the bass quality is more important than the quantity.
In my opinion, this is the best bass among other Simgot models.
Well-done Simgot!

Mids:
The mid-range here are saturated, conveying the texture of instruments excellently. I really enjoy the sound of piano keys, and the clarity of guitar strings is distinct but not overpowering among other musical timbres.
Vocal tones are fully conveyed, with male vocals sounding bold and female vocals more graceful. Every vibration in the performer's voice sounds completely natural.
The vocals in songs by Queen, Frank Sinatra, Frank Ocean, Ed Sheeran... are particularly impressive as well as the female vocal parts of Taylor Swift, Miley Cyrus, ABBA etc...

Treble:
The treble are where these earphones truly shine. The highs are not as bright as in previous models, but they still leave a good impression. Plates are crisp but not overpowering in volume, and violins sound natural.
For example, they are not as smooth in the high frequencies as the EW200.
With these earphones, you won't have any trouble separating sounds into separate layers. Piano keys, guitar strings, vocals - they sound like separate presentations, and you'll have no trouble recognising them from one another.

The sound stage here, i would say, is decent, not too wide but enough to contain the full spectrum of music.
However, it's not deep enough to fully recognise the positioning of each instrument.
Performance in games:
I don't have the Simgot EM6L yet, which are considered the best for gaming purposes, but i can say that the EA500LM performs well in FPS games like CS2 and Valorant.

The positioning is good. It wasn't difficult for me to determine the direction and distance of footsteps or shots. The sounds are clear, and each sound is distinguishable from the others

---

Some Comparison

Simgot EA500LM vs EW200
Both fit well in small ears, both are metal, and both are well-built. The EA500LM is slightly heavier, larger, and fits better in the ear canal. The EA500LM also has interchangeable nozzles and better overall tonality, making it a step up from the EW200.
The EW200 is better suited for long sessions because of its lightweight and comfortable design. It is well-tuned, with good bass quality, similar in quantity to the EA500LM, and has more expressive high frequencies, with slightly more pronounced upper mid frequencies

vs Kinera Celest Pandamon 2.0
These are two different pairs in terms of sound signature.
The Pandamon features a square planar driver, while the Simgot is equipped with a dynamic driver. The Simgot EA500LM offers a more melodic approach, while the Pandamon 2.0 provides a wider presentation with a planar driver.
The Pandamon presents music more deeply, but this may result in some lack of detail. On the other hand, the EA500LM excels in music detail.
With the Pandamon, you can feel the breath, the movement of air, while Simgot is more focused on instruments and vocals

For whom are these earphones
These earphones are recommended for those seeking a complete sound experience. They offer moderate bass frequencies, excellent mid-range vocals, and detailed high frequencies. They are ideal for listeners who enjoy high-quality and complex compositions and seek emotional engagement with their favorite songs.
Additionally, for those looking to maximize their audio experience without the need for additional equipment such as a DAC dongle or amplifier, these earphones deliver vibrant sound without extra investments.
Conclusion
Well, Simgot has once again provided another fantastic product that excels in any genre. They've managed to create something between the EA1000 Fermat and the EA500 OG.
Well-tuned, comfortable fit, with excellent presentation of instruments and vocals
With the right eartips, EA500LM will deliver an unforgettable range of emotions.
It's a safe purchase for less than $100 for any consumer, and I definitely recommend it for this price

Thank you for reading my review!
Feel free to ask questions in the comments, i will definitely respond​

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Disclaimer: I would like to thank Fia Lam from Simgot for providing this unit for review.
The earphones review is my personal opinion about product. I don't receive any income for conducting reviews and i'm don't participate in any affiliate programs.

You can purchase the Simgot EA500LM from Linsoul store - https://www.linsoul.com/products/simgot-ea500-lm

---

=================================================================================================================
Disclaimer:

• I don’t read FR graphs. I only use my ears, as how earphones should be used.
• Simgot sent this unit to me in an exchange for an honest, unbiased review. Rest assured that this review will do its best to devoid from any bias/es as much as possible.
• The following remarks and observations shall be made and owned only by me.
• No monetary compensation is/was involved before, during, and after the period of creation of this review.
• Your mileage may (and always, will) vary.

Burn-in time: 4-8 hours per day, 5 days.

Source/s used:

• - Non-HiFi smartphone (Infinix Note 12 G96), PC.
• - Tanchjim Space DAC
• - Kiwi Ears Allegro DAC
• - Hidizs S9 Pro DAC
• - Simgot DEW4X DAC
• - Aiwa XP-V710C CD Player (12 sec. EASS)
• - Fosi Audio DS1.
• - Sony Xperia X Compact
• -Local Files via Foobar, YouTube Music, Deezer, and Qobuz with UAPP.

IEM/Earbud/Setup configuration: Stock medium eartips, any form of EQ or MSEB off, 40-60% volume.

Additional Note here: I’ll be reviewing the EA500 LM in its stock, pre-installed gold tuning nozzles first then comparing it to the other nozzles later on.

=================================================================================================================
Sound signature:

• The Simgot EA500 LM follows the Simgot’s house sound which leans to the brighter side of the spectrum. This means that the EA500 LM is a mild-u (near neutral) sounding IEM that leans to the brighter side of the spectrum. What makes this different from its older siblings is that there is a noticeable improvement in technical performance when compared, albeit not being night-and-day.

Lows:

• The bass on this set is mildly elevated, fast, detailed, and non-lacking for most people. Midbass is definitely more dominant here compared to its subbass, exhibiting a punchy, snappy attack and decay. This doesn’t mean however, that this lacks the subbass when the tracks call for it. It still delivers sub bass with a decent amount of depth. While this may not be a basshead’s dream, I am still happy and pumped that they managed to improve the EA500 LM’s overall bass character. It is now more detailed and textured, while keeping its clean, fast characteristics found on its older siblings.

Mids:

• Simgot’s take on the presentation of their mids is always preferred by my ears because of its openness and details, but is not favored by some due to its “thin” in presentation. The EA500 LM exhibits its sound a bit thicker but not far compared to its older siblings. Lower mids are clean and free from midbass bleed, but are mildly recessed. Lower vocals and instruments are detailed in this region, but will sound “thin” for those ears who are accustomed to a warm, smooth, lush character in terms of presentation. Upper mids are elevated, exhibiting a very good amount of clarity, air, and sparkle. The EA500 LM with its gold nozzle does not exhibit any unnatural peaks and harshness, but is still bright and is not recommended for those people with sensitive ears as it can be “too much” for those ears. In a nutshell, Simgot again traded the warm, “safe” character for a vivid, open, airy presentation, which really fits my preferences, but I am also aware that this will not fit some ears, so do take a note of that.

Highs:

• Moving on to this region, the treble in this set definitely leans to the brighter side, exhibiting a very good amount of air and sparkle. Peaks and harshness are still not heard with this good nozzle, which is a good sign for most ears. Detail retrieval is excellent and will definitely render all the details in the track.

Soundstage, Imaging, and separation:

• Here’s where the EA500 LM differs itself from its previous siblings. The soundstage is wide, tall, and holographic. To my ears this is above EM6L and midway to EA1000 in this context, but definitely not on par or above it. Separation and layering is excellent for its price, and will render heavy passages clearly with ease. Imaging is precise and renders vocal and instrument positioning clearly. I did use this when I tested the latest Call of Duty Warzone Mobile game and it is more than enough and precise on that game as well.

=================================================================================================================
Other Nozzles Comparison!

VS Silver Nozzle, Red Ring

• The EA500 LM sounds nearer to the Harman Target with this nozzle. Its bass is more elevated and thick, mids exhibited a smoother warm character, and the treble remained the same. The soundstage however, took a toll on this nozzle to my ears.

VS Silver Nozzle, Black Ring

• This nozzle made the EA500 LM brighter compared to the gold nozzle, elevating the mids a bit compared to the gold nozzle. This also means that the bass became more tight and lost a bit of detail and versatility. Vocals became elevated and sound mildly “nasal” to my liking. This nozzle also introduced peaks and sibilance which is almost non-existent with the gold ring paired. It also affected the layering and soundstage, in terms of width and depth.

=================================================================================================================
Other IEM Comparisons!

VS Simgot EW200

• The EW200 is brighter than the EA500 LM and “thinner” if you find the EA500 and EW200 thin to your preference. Bass is also lesser in quantity on the EW200 and is less detailed when compared. Soundstage is also “flatter” but wider, if that makes sense.

VS Simgot EA500 (Black ringed nozzle)

• The EA500 is brighter and is closer to neutral when compared. It is also prone to sibilance and harshness when compared. Soundstage is more immersive on the EA500 LM. Separation, layering, and imaging are also cleaner and precise on the EA500 LM.

VS Simgot EM6L

• The EM6L is EA500 LM’s thicker-sounding, warmer, “safe” brother. The EM6L is safer in upper frequencies, but the EA500 LM is airier and much more extended. The EA500 LM has better technicalities as well, but not big in terms of difference.

VS Celest Phoenixcall

• The Phoenixcall has more bass quantity and has more recessed mids when compared to the EA500 LM, but is lesser in treble quantity when compared. This also means that the Celest Phoenixcall has less air on the top-end. Technical performance is also cleaner and more precise on the EA500 LM

VS Celest Pandamon

• The Pandamon is a more balanced set when compared. It is thicker as well and exhibits a tinge of warmth. The EA500 LM is airier. Technical performance is also better on EA500 LM due to its soundstage.

VS Letshuoer DZ4

• The DZ4 leans to a more laid-back, neutral, vocal-centric sound when compared. It is also less detailed when compared to the EA500 LM. Technical performance is better on the EA500 LM.

=================================================================================================================
Pros:

• The “perfected” version of the EA500 and EW200!
• All-rounder, near-neutral sound signature.
• Very good technical performance improvement!
• Well-balanced tonal and technical performance in Simgot fashion!
• Fast, non-lacking, detailed bass response!
• Clear, open, near-transparent mids!
• Airy, well-extended sound signature.
• Excellent detail retrieval!
• Holographic, precise, well-layered technical performance!
• Additional tuning nozzles!
• Very good fit, comfort and isolation.
• Very good build quality!
• Excellent among and quality of accessories!
• Easy to drive.

Cons:

• Just like its older siblings, its finish is prone to scratch and smudges.
• While arguably a very good improvement fromEW200 and EA500, its overall improvement isn’t a huge leap when compared.
• While this set is less bright in sound when compared to the EW200 and EA500, this set can still be shouty or “too much” to sensitive ears.
• A cleaning cloth would’ve been a nice treat due to its smudge and scratch prone finish. An additional set or eartips would be a good treat as well.

=================================================================================================================

As I listened to the EA500 LM, I decided that Simgot took the input they received from earlier sets and applied it to this set. This is their "nearly perfect" IEM for around $100 USD, in my honest opinion. In practice, the EA500 LM's upgrades aren't so "big" when compared to their earlier sets, because, in my perspective, they already made very good IEMs in their respective price ranges, such as the EW200, EA500, EM6L, and many more. But that doesn't affect the fact that I recommend the Simgot EA500 LM to anyone looking for a highly-resolving, technical IEM for less than $100, as long as their ears aren't sensitive to bright, vivid sound signatures. Excellent job Simgot, as always!

Pairing recommendation/s:

• Source: This IEM does not need an expensive, or too powerful dongle to be fully utilized. A neutral, or a warm sounding dongle would fit with this set. Their own Simgot DEW4X fits this so well.
• Eartips: The stock eartips included decent enough for the most part. You may still use your preferred eartips.
• Cable. The cable is good and sturdy enough for daily usage, but you may still use your preferred cable.

Thank you for reading!


Non-affiliated link here!: (will update once given)

Additional Photos Here:

Simgot EA500LM​

"I Choose You"​

​

Alright, folks. This time, we're going to discuss another IEM from Simgot. Actually, this product has been launched for quite some time, a few months ago, but the samples for review were only sent by Simgot from China last mid-Ramadan, and it was just towards the end of Ramadan that the product arrived in my hands, here in Jogja, Indonesia.

Now, the one we're going to talk about this time is the SIMGOT EA500LM.


*THANKS TO SIMGOT*
First of all, I would like to express my gratitude again to Simgot for sending this IEM sample for us to review on this forum and also on my YouTube channel, Alba Project Youtube Channel. For those who are interested or curious, you can check the link I provided in the description of my YouTube video.

*PRICE*
As for the price, the EA500LM is currently priced at $80.99 USD on Linsoul as of the date of this writing (April 15, 2024), while it's not yet available on simgot.com, I'm not sure why. Meanwhile, in my country, Indonesia, there are already several stores selling this IEM for around Rp 1,300,000 to Rp 1,400,000.

The price is not much different from the Simgot EM6L that we reviewed earlier.

*SPECIFICATIONS*
In terms of specifications, the Simgot EA500LM differs from the Simgot EM6L. While the Simgot EM6L has a configuration of 1DD plus 4BA, the EA500LM uses only a single dynamic driver. For those of you who are fans of Single Dynamic Driver, pay close attention to this review.

It has an impedance of 21 Ohms, sensitivity of 123 dB, frequency range of 10Hz to 50,000 Hz. The connection from the driver to the cable uses a 2-pin 0.78mm connector. Also, the driver uses a Lithium Magnesium Alloy diaphragm. Hence the name LM. The size of the dynamic driver is standard, 10mm, with dual cavities and dual magnets.

In the EA500LM, we can also change the sound tuning using its detachable nozzles, similar to the older EA500, unlike the EM6L which doesn't have this feature. The tuning using these nozzles results in a significant difference.

Now, considering the comparison between the EA500LM with its single DD and the EM6L with its 5 hybrid drivers, what makes the EA500LM's 1DD special, and why is its price equivalent to the EM6L's with 5 drivers? We'll discuss that later. For now, let's talk about the packaging.

*PACKAGING*
As for the packaging, the box model is similar to the EM6L, with the only difference being the artwork.


While the EM6L had a phoenix bird-like image, this time the EA500LM's image is more like classical astronomical paintings, with images of the sun, stars, or planets, reminiscent of Abdurrahman Al Sufi's style.


As usual, there's the Simgot logo on the top left, the Hi-Res logo on the right, below there's a hand either praying or offering something to the universe, and below that is the EA500LM label.


On the back, there are specifications, etc., along with the frequency response graph.

*ACCESSORIES*
As for the accessories, the EA500LM is similar to the EA500 and EM6L. The only difference is that the EM6L doesn't come with additional nozzles for tuning like this. Also, there's a black and red rubber ring.


Other than that, it's the same: clear unit, ear tips, just three pairs, then there's the high-quality hard case that Simgot always provides, inside there's a High Purity OFC Silver Plated cable. Plus, there's a manual booklet in Chinese and English, and a warranty card.

*BUILD QUALITY*
For the build quality, the pouch is the same as the EM6L's, and I like this pouch, it's sturdy, strong, and can accommodate both a small DAP and the EA500LM IEM. So, if you want to be compact, you can just carry this one pouch everywhere.


I also like the IEM unit itself, it's made of full metal and really sturdy, hard, with a very smooth finish, with just the Simgot logo on the left driver and the LM logo on the right side. This LM logo reminds me of the Mobile Legends logo, but reversed, in Mobile Legends it's ML, and this one is LM.


On the inside, there are two vents, there's something like a bolt, but I don't know what it's for, and there are L and R markings.

The nozzles are also metal, and the filters inside are aluminum.

So overall, it looks very solidly built.

As for the internals, there's one Dual Magnet dynamic driver, size 10mm, with a diaphragm or membrane made of Lithium Magnesium.


The cable is exactly the same as the one from the Simgot EM6L, except this time it doesn't use QDC connectors. This time it's more universal with 2 Pin 0.78mm connectors. The looks are typical Simgot cable, the cable diameter is also not large, it's small, and the cable is soft, not stiff. In daily use, this cable also feels comfortable, there's no noticeable microphonic effect here.


The ear tips are also standard Simgot. I've known for a long time that Simgot provides ear tips like this, they're quite good, the flanges are soft, a bit stiff but still comfortable.

*FITTING*
As for the fitting, Simgot always fits me well, starting from EW100P, EW200, EM6L, up to this EA500LM, they're all comfortable. The housing size is also never too big, even though the EM6L has many drivers, it can still be made compact. Small, smooth, in the ear, it feels immediately comfortable.

For use on a laptop or PC, the metal material is safe, there's no hint of buzzing even when the laptop is charging. Not like the KZ D-Fi which can cause slight buzzing and itching in the ears when plugged into a laptop.

*SOUND QUALITY*
Moving on to the sound quality discussion.

Let me first tell you about its drivability, the EA500LM is quite easy to drive. In terms of volume, even the EA500LM requires less power than the KZ Castor Harman. So, you don't really need a powerful amplifier to drive this EA500LM. The consideration is more towards a source with good sound quality. As for power, it's hardly something to worry about. It's easy.

Also, I need to mention this so that you guys have a better idea of the tonality and technicality of the EA500LM when paired with your devices or sources.


For my own testing of the EA500LM, I used a Fiio KA13 DAC source priced around Rp 1.300.000 IDR, its tonality is slightly neutral with a hint of brightness but has an extra bass kick that makes the sub-bass a bit deeper but still tight and tidy. From the midrange to the highs, it also tends to be slightly crisper. The power output here is also quite significant; well, if it's good enough for KZ PR2 or PR3, then it's sufficient for driving the EA500LM.

Secondly, I used an F.Audio T3 DAP source priced around Rp 900.000 IDR, this one also has a large power character, but not as big as the Fiio KA13. Its tonality is still relatively neutral, but the warmth here is warmer than the Fiio KA13, and it also has quite a bit of smoothing in the range of 7 to 9 kHz, making its character more musical. Additionally, it can better control peaks in the upper midrange, and it can tame sibilance and shoutiness better. The Fiio, on the other hand, is more suited for analytical listening.


Third and fourth, I also connected the EA500LM to cheap dongle DACs costing less than Rp 200.000 IDR, even less than Rp 100.000 IDR. Here, I used the KZ AM01 and the KZ X J3 Labs Audio, known as J3 Eline. They both have the Conexant CX31993 chip, which generally has a tuning from neutral to bright with minimal noise, providing clean sound and decent detail. The AM01 has a secondary independent amplifier, the MAX97220, with a power output of around 60 mW, similar to the JCALLY JM6 Pro, but with a cheaper build quality, especially in the slightly stiff cable.


The remaining connections were made to the Infinix Note 30 smartphone with a DTS sound profile set to Traditional, with bass boost and vocal and treble enhancements turned off, and another connection was made to the Asus ROG Strix G531G laptop.

*TUNING*
For the tuning, I'll be using the Silver Nozzle - Red Ring primarily. After that, we'll discuss how it changes when swapped with the Gold or Silver Nozzle - Black Ring.

*TONAL*
Generally, the Simgot EA500LM with the Silver Nozzle - Red Ring tends to have a Mild V-Shaped or U-Shaped sound signature, with a focus on boosting the Sub-Bass and the Upper-Mid to Mid-Treble range. However, it's not extremely V-Shaped. It's more of a mild V or U shape.

*LOW / BASS*
In terms of low or bass frequencies, it's not entirely neutral; we get a really good depth in the sub-bass, nice texture, tidy mid-bass, and the overall bass’s presentation is very clean. Extremely clear.

However, in terms of its impact on the lower mid-range or vocals, the lower-vocal doesn't thin out too much.

This low’s transient isn't lightning-fast, but it's still considered very versatile. What I mean is, when we need quick bass for chasing double pedal beats in metal music like Trivium or Dragon Force, here we still get enough speed, unless you're used to listening to metal every day with planar IEMs like PR2, PR3, or S12 Pro, or Timeless. With the EA500LM during the initial adaptation phase, it might feel a bit slow, but the texture remains good.

If you've been using non-planar IEMs lately or haven't been using planar IEMs at all, the EA500LM's single DD still feels quite fast.

So, with the EA500LM, it's enjoyable to listen to any genre. Pop songs sound lively, dangdut or even EDM retains its enjoyable bass without feeling dry or hollow.

Now, if we switch to the Gold Nozzle - Red Ring, the bass quantity increases slightly, the mid-bass becomes thicker, so for Pop, Top 40, or EDM music, it can hit harder, although it won't reach the immersive levels of basshead IEMs. The lower vocals also become thicker here. On the other hand, using the Silver Nozzle with the Black Ring, the bass becomes tighter or thinner but can be quicker.

Here, we need to be careful and pay close attention to the sound signature of our source.

In my experience, when I first received the EA500LM, it was fitted with the Gold Nozzle - Red Ring. When I plugged it into the F.Audio T3, which inherently has smoothing in the upper mid-range and treble areas and has a warm tonality, the EA500LM initially disappointed me a bit. Overall, the tone felt too warm, somewhat muddy, with vocals pushed back and the treble somewhat dulled. This affected not only the tonality but also the technical aspects, such as clarity, separation, and sound staging, all felt somewhat lacking.

On the other hand, when I switched to the Silver Nozzle, whether with the Red-Ring or the Black-Ring, the difference was significant. These two Silver Nozzles are much more compatible with the F.Audio T3 compared to the Gold one.

Conversely, the Gold Nozzle feels best when plugged into other sources like the AM01, Fiio KA13, or even J3 Eline. It sounds best with the KA13. Here, we get bass that's punchier yet tidier and cleaner. The positive impact extends to the overall vocal and treble presentation, which sounds nicer and cleaner here than when plugged into the F.Audio T3 earlier.

*MID & VOCAL*
Regarding the mids and vocals, using the Silver Nozzle - Red Ring, the vocal thickness is just right, positioned well in the center for male vocals, while for female vocals they sound more forward here. When plugged into the F.Audio T3 with the Silver Nozzle - Red Ring, the vocals feel relaxed, fitting, lively, and clean, with clear articulation of lyrics and good dynamics that convey emotion well.

However, when this Silver Nozzle is plugged into the Fiio KA13, it tends to be slightly aggressive in the upper mid-range, and male vocals become somewhat thin, while female vocals become even more pronounced. Sometimes, it can sound shouty and slightly sibilant.

With the Fiio KA13, KZ AM01, or J3 Eline, in my opinion, the best match is with the Gold Nozzle - Red Ring, which makes male vocals thicker, while female vocals and the overall upper mid-range don't become too forward. Using the Gold Nozzle here prevents shoutiness or sibilance.

Instrument sounds in the mid-range have a similar presentation to vocals. Clear, clean, lively, with good clarity. But again, match or synergize the nozzle with the sound signature of the source.

*HIGH / TREBLE*

For the high frequencies or treble, the extension is decent; it has good extension but not overly extended, nor is it truncated. It's just right. The focus is more on the upper midrange to the lower treble. The mid-treble also retains a nice crispness. Instrument sounds in this frequency range, such as the cymbals, focus more on the initial strikes, the crashes or crispness, which feel quite forward.

Here, if we use a warm source with a lot of smoothing like the F.Audio T3, I personally find the Silver Nozzle - Red Ring more suitable. You can also use the Black Ring if you want an even crisper instrument presentation. Because if you use the Gold Nozzle, the EA500LM with the F.Audio T3 will feel muddy, with too much bass bleeding to the lower mid-range, and the vocals will be too recessed.

Conversely, if you pair it with a bright source like the Fiio KA13, the Gold Nozzle feels the most comfortable for listening to any genre. The crispness is just right, not piercing, with very minimal peaks, and still delivers a very clean instrument presentation. Meanwhile, if you use the Silver Nozzle, especially the Black Ring one, the treble can be a bit too forward and quite aggressive.

So, those were the tonal characteristics. It's really beneficial that the EA500LM has detachable nozzles that can be tuned to match our sources better. If your source is warm, use the Silver nozzle; if your source is bright, use the Gold nozzle. Both provide good, clean tonal presentations.

*TECHNICALITY*

In terms of technical performance, what stands out most about the Simgot EA500LM is its clean presentation. The quality of its dynamic driver is very good. No matter which source you plug it into, the presentation remains clean once tuned properly. Furthermore, the cleaner the source, the greater its potential for cleanliness. For example, with these two sources, although both can make the presentation of the LM clean, it's still cleaner with the Fiio KA13 compared to the F.Audio T3 or the two other dongles.

*TIMBRE*
Regarding timbre, the EA500LM isn't the most natural, but it's still good enough to distinguish the sound of each instrument. There are no instruments that sound off, metallic, plasticky, muddy, boxy, or anything like that. Everything is relatively safe.

*SEPARATION, LAYERING & POSITIONING*
For separation, layering, and positioning, considering this is only a single dynamic driver and not a planar one, it's pretty good. Instruments are well separated, layering isn't overlapping, and positioning can be analyzed quite well. It's not better than the EM6L, which has one dynamic driver and four BAs, but the EA500LM is still good.

But also note, don't use the Gold Nozzle with a warm DAC or DAP with lots of smoothing if you want good technical performance.

*RESOLUTION, CLARITY & DETAIL*
Including resolution, clarity, and detail, you'll get good resolution, clarity, and detail with the Silver Nozzle. But be careful, this Silver Nozzle has the potential to make the upper mids and treble aggressive when plugged into a bright DAC or DAP. If you're using a DAC or DAP with a bright sound, it's better to use the Gold Nozzle; it still provides good overall resolution, detail, and clarity, including separation, layering, and positioning.

The detail isn't extremely fine, especially in the treble detail, because the treble extension isn't extremely extended, especially in the airy parts; it's just decent in the EA500LM. Not extremely airy.

*SOUND STAGING & IMAGING*
The sound staging of the EA500LM is wide and spacious, with good depth and height, and the sensation of rotation around the head is quite good. In terms of imaging, it also has good depth, height, and rotation sensation around the head.

*COMPARISON*
For comparison, I won't compare it to the EA500 because I haven't tried it myself yet, so I'll compare it to the EM6L first.

If you're really looking for good technical performance in terms of instrument separation, positioning, and layering, the EM6L feels more luxurious.

But with the EM6L, you won't get the same clean instrument and vocal presentation as with the EA500LM. The details and resolution are better with the EM6L, but both still have similar levels of clarity.

For tonality, I personally tend to prefer the EA500LM with the Gold Nozzle paired with the Fiio KA3. The sub-bass hits deep, the mid-bass punch is sufficient, vocals are clean without thinning out, and the treble has a lively presentation without being aggressive.

At this price point, what else do we have? Maybe the Hidizs MS3. Resolution is indeed better with the Hidizs MS3. Separation and 3D imaging are also slightly better with the MS3. But once again, in terms of the clean instrument presentation given by the drivers, the EA500LM is still better. Tonal-wise, the MS3 has some points of aggressive upper vocals and lower treble.

*CONCLUSION*


Okay, folks, in conclusion, if you're a fan of single dynamic drivers, whether it's single DD or dual DD, at the price of around 1 million, I think the Simgot EA500LM is one of the good choices and safe to pair with whatever source you have. Just adjust it with its detachable nozzles. And I suggest optimizing its potential by pairing it with a good source, especially one with a clean black background and good technical performance, no need for high power.

But if you're really into technical aspects like separation, imaging, and positioning, you might lean more towards the Simgot EM6L or Hidizs MS3.

Okay, peace be upon you, and thank you.

​

I bought Simgot EA500LM with my own money, so all thoughts and opinions are mine and no one influenced me to write anything good or bad about the product.​

Disclaimer​

• This IEM is reviewed with no-foam nozzles since they sounded the best to me.
• This IEM is reviewed with Flat Sources. So expect no colouration.

Tip Rolling​

Before beginning the review, I must warn you about the tip sensitivity of Simgot EA500LM. This IEM is extremely sensitive to tips and wrong tips might break its tuning for you. This is one of the most tip-sensitive IEMs I encountered, along with Tripowin Olina.


Stock: With stock tips, the treble sounds unrefined. The bass and mids are well balanced but the range above 4khz gets very bumpy and uneven.


Final E: With final E the bass gets a boost and the the mids take a veil turn. This is my least favorite tips to use with the set. The treble gets refined but everything else falls apart. Resolution(Perception of micro details reduced a lot ).


Spring Tips: Treble gets uneven but other things are OK with this tip.


Divinus Velvet: This tip made the LM a lot better. The Treble got fixed and micro details perception wasn’t reduced. The balance between the sub-bass and mid-bass stayed the same. The mids became a lot better.

Source Rolling​

Simgot EA500LM is very transparent towards the source too. It will adapt the nature of your source to a great extent so use your sources to your taste.


With Aful Snowy Night it becomes warm and mid-focused losing all the treble sparkles. With M1P DAP it becomes liquid smooth with richness end to end. Moondrop Dawn Pro, makes it as true to itself as it can.


So choose your sources very wisely. It does get more thump & more authority with more power, but you won’t need anything over 4vrms.

Hype Talk​

Now before going any further let’s discuss the hype it is getting and does it is worth the hype that it is getting. In one word, no. It won’t throw out every IEM under $200. Not technically and surely not tonally.


There is a lot of debate about Simgot EA500LM 's comparison with EM6L and EA1000 (check out the reviews of these two). To my finding, both of them sounded better to me than Simgot EA500LM. EM6L is overall a better set for me and EA1000 without its upper treble harshness is a lot better sounding IEM too.


But is it a bad IEM under $100? Absolutely not. Simgot EA500LM 's technical ability this IEM provides is simply excellent.

Now, after setting up the ground for the review, let's start dissecting its timber before analyzing the frequency response.​

Timber​

I am not a fan of its timber. Nor that it provides unforgiving timber for the price it occupies, but it could've been better for sure.

Drums​

They sound fine. The low-end and the pinna accept the drum hits very well. Snare drums can project the attack of the mid-bass of this IEM properly. Although cymbals sound a bit too much it paired with a flat source. It helps to pronounce the trailing edges though.

Violin​

They sound very average too. The metallic nature of the driver gives it an essence of inorganic feel. The low end is elevated too. The higher registers sound good though, full of air and details.

Guitars​

They sound above average. Its straight-up not made for something like Classical Guitars. But acoustic guitar sounds very fun. Full of details, bite and crunchiness to offer. Electric Guitars might get a little bit hot with this IEM, they retain a lot of details and are transient but you might have to lower the volume to enjoy them for a long period.

Wind Instruments​

They sound full of air and speedy. Prolonged listening is still not possible with them. But they are enjoyable none the less.

The cello/Bass​

They sound a bit exaggerated but they also project their authority on the bass shelf. They don’t sound either lifelike or organic. Furthermore, they are a hell of a lot more enjoyable though, if the music fits well.

The vocals​

The worst part of the IEM is the vocals. With the aforementioned divinus velvet, they are somewhat palatable but with its stock tips, it could sound veiled in some songs. Not only that sometimes it can feel a bit too metallic to fully enjoy the textural information of the vocalist.

So one thing you might’ve noticed is that instruments sound metallic to me, and that is the biggest concern I have for this IEM. This is not the IEM I would recommend if you are chasing absolute realism through your gears.​

Tonality​

This is a V-shaped IEM. The midbass is more pronounced than the subbass. Not that the subbass is less in any way or form. The bass is very full and the attack is very fast too. What bothers me is the decay, it’s too fast to give the sound a natural feel.


The mids are recessed and lack warmth. Although it is full of textures. The female vocals are very prominent contrary to the male.


The lower treble is forward to a point that some might feel that it is sibilant (I am not treble sensitive). The upper treble is beautiful and airy. Trailing edges are well preserved and airy with a lot of details.


So keeping the timber in mind let’s discuss the different genres of music and how it can play them.

Genre Compatibility​

Hip-Hop​

This IEM is exceptional for this genre under $100. The bass feels so good. Subbass it present to give songs a platform throughout. Midbass slams hard and it makes sure that you feel every drop and every beat. The treble is full of details which effortlessly pronounce micro details revealing the nuances of the track.


I whole heartedly recommend this IEM to a Hip-Hop fan and it could save them hundreds of dollars. It is that good.

Modern Pop​

This IEM is very good in this genre too. The bass is excellent and matches the mastering of newer pop songs. (Since modern pop songs are mastered keeping consumer-centric earphones and headphones in mind, which are typically bass-boosted). The mids are spot on and the treble is sparkly enough.


If you listen to a lot of Pop/Modern Songs I can recommend this IEM blindly too.

Rock​

For rock, this IEM is above average. The bass might get a bit too much here and there as well as the treble, but if you keep the volume in control this can play rock music very well. The imaging capabilities of this IEM make me enjoy the genre even more. With little nuances to micro-details, everything will sound well preserved.


I won’t recommend this IEM if you only listen to Rock. But if you’re like me who covers 30-35% of listening sessions with just rock music this IEM will work out for you.

Blues​

They are very average for blues. Since they don’t project the organic nature of the instruments and atmosphere. The treble is great to produce fast attack and bite but it fails to provide the warmth of analogue at the same time.

Orchestra/Western Classical​

The technical abilities of this IEM make this genre a joy to listen to but at the same time, the difficulties while producing timber kept me from having a great time. The details are excellent and the imaging is phenomenal for even 2X of it’s price tag.

Technicalities​

Soundstage​

The space is large enough for an IEM at any price point. And the most important thing about the sound stage is you can hear the blackness between the instruments. Due to its very high detail retrieval, it can produce a sound stage with such blank spaces. It is nowhere intimate, and the shape of the sound stage is round enough and covers the head on both axis almost equally.

Imaging​

The imaging of this IEM is very good. Even expectations at twice/thrice it’s price point. You can pinpoint instruments with precision. The pan and swap of the instruments are borderline mind-blowing. Even up to the point that it can compete with IE600 for its positional cues.

Details & Resolution​

The resolution of this Simgot EA500LM is above average as well as detail retrieval. It surpasses IEMs like Olina/IE200 and can compete with something like Performer 5. Especially details of this IEM are one of the wow factors of the IEM.

Conclusion​

At the end of the day, Simgot EA500LM is great IEM if you are a newcomer to this hobby and trying to not sacrifice anything over another aspects of the audio. I think this IEM covers the newer genres of music more than the music created before 1990.


But if you’re a seasoned audiophile trying to buy a budget IEM for daily use, I would like to recommend you look at other options. The tuning is not really up to the mark as well as the timber of the instruments.

Ratings​

Sub Bass – 5.5/10
Bass – 5.75/10
Lower Mid – 4.5/10
Upper Mid – 6/10
Lower Treble – 5.5/10
Upper Treble – 6.5/10
Timber – 4.75/10
Resolution – 6/10
Imaging – 6.25/10
Soundstage – 6.5/10

Overall Rating – 5.72/10


Tonality = B-


Technicality = B+/A-

Non-Affiliated Purchase Link​

ConceptKart - https://conceptkart.com/products/simgot-ea500-lm-iem

ACCESSORIES ​

The Box Consists of

1. IEM
2. Very average 3 sets of Ear tips
3. Above Average Quality Cable
4. Three Sets of Tuning Nozzle (No Foam, Half Foam, Full Foam)
5. Rubber Gaskets

The Wire​

The wire is pretty solid

• Pretty good in-hand feeling
• The construction is nice
• Doesn't have memory too much
• Microphonics are not present
• Thick enough

Source: Moondrop Dawn pro, Hiby R3 Pro Saber
Eartips: Tangzu Sancai
Overview: This is a budget earphone from Simgot, featuring a 1DD configuration and equipped with three different nozzles, although I'm reviewing the brass/gold nozzle
+ Build: Overall, the build is quite solid, fits well in the ear without any discomfort or issues when worn, however, it can get scratched during use if not handled carefully.
+ Accessories: The cable is well-made, nicely wrapped, and doesn't feel too cheap; it can be said to be one of the best in the budget segment.
+ Bass 7/10: Improved significantly compared to the EA500, the bass is deep and better controlled, without overpowering other frequency ranges.
+ Mid 8/10: Natural, clear, and quite detailed, male vocals are good and much better than the EA500, high mids are very well done, especially female vocals which sound very ethereal and natural, and male vocals are good without being too thin, just not as outstanding as female vocals.
+ Treble 7.5/10: Sounds airy, not harsh or piercing like the EA500, with a certain crispness.
+ Technical: Good layer separation, soundstage performs well in the budget segment.
- Summary
+ Solid build
+ One of the best earphones in the budget segment
+ Easy to drive, just need an Apple dongle
+ Recommended for beginners

Simgot EA500LM
Another Budget King from Simgot
Please note that sound perception can be subjective and can vary from person to person.
SHORT REVIEW (for normal people): BUY IT !! (I promise you won't regret)
Detailed review ( for audiophiles/tech nerds):
Simgot EA500LM In-Ear Monitor (IEM) Review
Overview:
The Simgot EA500LM is a single dynamic driver (1DD) IEM that offers impressive technical performance, surpassing its cost expectations. Let’s delve into the specifics of its sound signature.
Sound Analysis:
Important note: The EA500LM comes with 3 set of nozzle. This review is based on the stock (OG) gold brass w/red ring nozzle. The steel nozzle w/red ring sounds almost the same but it has a tad bit smoother mid. The nozzle w/ black ring make the iem sounds harsh and could be fatiguing ( Not rcm).
Bass:
The EA500LM boasts improved bass response compared to its predecessor, the EA500. Expect deeper, more impactful bass notes that enhance your listening experience.
The low-end frequencies are well-defined and extend comfortably without overpowering other elements.
Midrange:
The midrange on the EA500LM is cleaner and more transparent. Vocals and instruments come through with greater detail and accuracy.
Unlike the original EA500, which could sometimes sound harsh or fatiguing, the EA500LM strikes a better balance, providing a smoother midrange presentation.
Treble:
The treble of the EA500LM is definitely the star of the show! It has extremely well extension and airiness without being too harsh or fatiguing.
Natural Sound Signature:
One of the standout features of the EA500LM is its natural tonality. Instruments sound lifelike, and vocals have a realistic timbre.
The IEM avoids excessive coloration, resulting in a more authentic and enjoyable listening experience.
Conclusion:
The Simgot EA500LM is a commendable IEM for audiophiles seeking excellent sound quality without breaking the bank. Its refined bass, clear midrange, and natural sound signature make it a worthy addition to your audio collection.
Remember that sound preferences can be subjective, so it’s always advisable to audition the IEM personally to see if it aligns with your musical tastes. Happy listening!

Intro
With the pace Chi-Fi is going now, I might be late into the game with owning the Simgot EA500 LM as the majority has already given its praise to this single DD wonder. This impression piece will be a concise one as most of the details have already been discussed in previous reviews but I'm still going to outright start this review with a thumbs up recommendation at the $89 price point and if you can tolerate a bit of balanced-bright sound signature then I'm already telling you this set is going to put a smile on your face. Though if you have tried the other Simgot sets in the past especially the EW200 and EA500, found out not liking them then still, give this one a listen as this is the EA500 made better, optimized, and refined to its purest form with a more mature sound. Read on to to find my updated inpressions.



Packaging
The EA500 LM comes in a holographic print black box, quite different from its brethren. No waifu here. Inside, you have the IEMs themselves in their shiny glossy metal glory, and an accessories box which contains 3 sets of eartips, the cable and zip case with 3.5mm terminated cable inside similar as to what comes with the EM6L. Lastly, you get 2 sets of tuning nozzles - 1) silver with red ring and 2) silver with black ring though most probably I feel the default gold with red ring will be the right tuning for most listening sessions. The first tuning nozzle is quite minimally different from the default nozzle while the second (silver w/ black ring) makes everything a bit more shouty and peaky.


Build and Sound
The IEMs themselves look and feel classy and sturdy with their all-metal shells, having that hefty feel though it is obviously a fingerprint magnet. It is still somewhat a comfy fit, not needing any fiddling. I just love what a single DD sound can bring and the Simgot house signature is no exception. It is pretty easy to drive and brings out a balanced Harman-bright lively sound that I find it would be appealing to most listeners, both casual and audiophile. The majority would be impressed at what this set brings with above-average details for the price and imaging + stage width that other below $100 sets would be jealous of. Though if you are very sensitive to treble and ever so slightly cringes at the sound of peaks then steer clear especially if the previous Simgot sets does not appeal to you. Though I would say this is one of the smoother sets Simgot has produced with a clean overall response. It's obviously better than the EA500 with friends and I myself finding the LM the polished, improved, grown-up version and better overall as a single whole product. You rarely get this much technicalities and good tuning at this price point. I do find a handful few colleagues who find it a MID set and I respect their opinion, but I do recommend to give it a try first and find out if it appeals to your ears before counting the EA500 LM out.



Comparisons & Conclusion
I would gladly take the EA500 LM over similar single DD sets such as the Moondrop Aria 2, Chu II, and Kato as well as Tinhifi's T3 at the said price tier. It's just that good and puts a boundary what an $80 set could achieve in terms of technicalities. To be frank, even up until now with all the other recent releases, the EA500 LM just gives a price-performance ratio that's hard to beat. With an overall sound that may appeal to the majority, I wholeheartedly just recommend it even up until past the $100 price tier. It just sounds more mature and appealing, makes your toes tap with pop genres while still keeping its composure with smooth jazz. I'd say if you're still curious, have a listen to it and if you're ever so slightly the treble sensitive but then you find the EA500 LM non-offensive, it just might grow on you. Definitely a thumbs up set!

Introduction:

Simgot has become a distinguished name for its thoughtful approach to blending elegant simplicity with advanced audio engineering. The EA500 LM, priced at a competitive $90, is their latest endeavor, promising an upgrade over the well-received EA500. Incorporating a dynamic driver made of lithium and magnesium, this IEM aims to set a new standard for resolution and transient response within its price range.




Build Quality and Accessories:

Robust and stylish, the EA500 LM's all-metal build exudes quality workmanship, complemented by a dark gray finish that resists scratches. The kit includes a high-quality silver-plated OFC copper cable, a simple yet functional carrying case, and six sets of silicone eartips, with the addition of three tuning nozzles that enable sonic personalization. Though straightforward, the accessories cover the essentials, allowing users to start their audio experience on the right note.


Tuning Nozzles and Versatility:

The EA500 LM's tuning nozzles truly set it apart, providing discernible variations in sound signature:

- Silver/Black Nozzle: This nozzle takes brightness to a new level, promising crisp and airy vocals along with a treble that unveils the minutest details with clarity.
- Silver/Red Nozzle: My preferred nozzle with stock eartips – it delivers that airy, crisp sound yet manages to stay smooth and non-fatiguing.
- Gold/Red Nozzle: For those in search of richer lows, this tuning offers a more traditional Harman curve, with a heftier bass and midrange presence, with smoother treble.



Included Eartips and Recommendations:

While the bundled eartips suffice, I suggest elevating your experience with the Pentaconn Coreir eartips. Not only do they enhance the fit, but they also bring a notable sonic improvement worth their $20 price tag. With these tips, you'll notice a richer texture, broader midrange, and more vivacious treble, though be mindful of the slight reduction in midbass – something the Gold/Red Nozzle can compensate for if you desire more bass.




Sound Impressions:

Tested with the Gold/Red nozzle and both stock and Pentaconn Coreir tips.

Click to expand...

The EA500 LM showcases a bright Harman signature with remarkable resolution. It presents an airy, expansive soundscape that's ideal for detail-seekers but may not align with those yearning for a warmer, smoother audio profile.

The bass is deep, detailed, and controlled, ensuring impactful lows that complement rather than cloud the mids. The midrange, open and detailed, may lean towards the brighter side, potentially edging towards shrillness in the upper mids. The treble is the star of the show, extending effortlessly to provide a crisp, effervescent quality to the overall sound.

Technicalities:

The technical capabilities of the EA500 LM are great, especially given its price bracket. It boasts a decently wide soundstage, paired with good imaging that pinpoints each instrument clearly. The addition of Pentaconn Coreir eartips further enhances these technicalities, resulting in sharper transients and a more expansive, airy soundstage. This additional space allows instruments and vocals to resonate more freely, thereby enriching the separation and overall auditory experience.

Drivability:

The Simgot EA500 LM is not fussy about its source, performing admirably with the Apple Dongle straight out of the box. Exhibiting a modest impedance of 21 ohms and sensitivity levels of 123dB/Vrms, it proves to be an easily driven pair of IEMs. However, there's a definite uptick in performance when paired with higher-end gear. Through the Cayin Ru6 and up to my Audio GD R2R Mk2, the soundstage begins to "open up". When powered by the Burson Soloist 3x Performance, the driver really comes into its own: bass deepens, treble gains finesse, and the overall soundstage widens, shedding any semblance of boxiness. While the EA500 LM excels with basic sources, higher-quality gear brings out the best in these IEMs.



In Conclusion:

As a sub-$100 IEM, the Simgot EA500 LM shines, particularly for those who appreciate a brighter, detailed sound and the ability to fine-tune their listening experience. While it may not be the top pick for bass enthusiasts or those with treble sensitivity, its resolution

Ratings:

Value: S
Tuning: A+
Technicalities: B
Enjoyment: A-/B+

Overall Rating: B- (Objective Perspective)
The EA500 LM is a fantastic offering for its price point. While those with more to invest might consider higher-priced alternatives like the final a5000 or Simgot's own ea1000, this IEM holds its own as a budget-friendly champion.

Personal Rating: A (Subjective Take)
For the modest asking price of $100, the Simgot EA500 LM is a remarkable IEM that thrives on its adaptability in tuning and robust technical performance. With a simple swap of nozzles, listeners can shift between balanced, bright, or bass-forward sound profiles to match their preferences and playlists. It's challenging to pinpoint any shortcomings, especially when factoring in the price.

EA500LM is Simgot's latest release at the date of this review. Just by the name, it promises to continue the legacy of the now legendary EA500. LM name comes from the materials used in the drivers which are Lithium and Magnesium, so it doesn’t stand for “Limited”. Apart from the tuning, the price was also increased to 89.99 USD and they added another pair of tuning nozzles to the package.

Disclaimers​

Simgot EA500 was provided to me by Simgot for free and I only paid for the customs fee. As I always say, everyone is biased one way or another so take everything you read with a grain of salt. Also I will try to be more concise and to the point in my reviews from now on without worrying about the word count etc. If you have any questions, please ask me in the comments and I will try to answer them to the best of my abilities.

Build and Accessories of Simgot EA500​

Earpieces of the EA500LM are identical to the original EA500; it’s made fully out of metal, only darker in color. If you like EA500’s fit, then you don’t need to worry at all. Domes of the drivers powering them are, like I said above, made using Lithium and Magnesium.



Packaging and its contents are identical to the original EA500 and EM6L. For those who don’t know, EA500LM comes with an unbranded carrying case, a thin but decent cable, 3 pairs of eartips, 3 pairs of tuning nozzles and spare O rings. Well tuning nozzles and O rings are exclusive to EA500 brothers.

Sound of Simgot EM6L​

Tonality​

EA500LM didn’t stray far from the usual Simgot sound. Although they come with 3 tuning nozzles, gold and silver with red rings sound very close. Gold nozzles have tuning foams in them and they somewhat soften the sound but don’t alter the peaks too much so I decided to use the silver nozzles with red rings which don’t feel like they are holding back the IEMs. Nozzles with black filters collect dust since even the other nozzles are already very bright. If only gold nozzles made more difference.



Compared to its predecessor, bass gained some heft and weight. It also extends deeper into the subbass and rumbles more. Attack and decay is very fast and it’s one of the aspects that convinces you that Simgot again used very high quality drivers.

Mids are lovely as always but intensity is somewhat increased. I know some of you find EW200 shouty and harsh and you are probably going to find EA500LM shouty and harsh too. But even in long listening sessions I didn’t feel fatigued at all. Like upper mids, treble is also elevated but unless I cranked up the volume it didn’t feel harsh for me. Instead it sounded very airy and sparkly.

Technicalities​

After EA500, I wouldn’t believe they would improve upon it but they actually did. In almost every way they improved subjective experience. I don’t think Simgot achieved it only with the tuning, if that were the case, EW200 would also be superior to the original EA500. EA500LM is highly detailed with great instrument separation. It also feels very spacious and imaging is very precise. I will elaborate in the comparisons section.

Comparisons​

Simgot EA500 (original) vs. EA500LM​

This is the obligatory comparison and I’m not the only one to compare them. However for the sake of convenience I will refer to them as OG and LM in this part.

• LM is slightly harder to drive.
• Bass on LM has more weight and more power behind it and extends deeper into the subbass. In some songs, bass guitars on the OG sound more prominent but that’s probably caused by the LM having more treble energy.
• Both have incredible mids presentations. OG is slightly cleaner and also less shouty and less intense.
• One is not harsher than the other, surprisingly. Although LM is slightly brighter, shoutier and more intense, they stop at the same line when it comes to harshness and fatigue. In fact LM is slightly more controlled in the treble.
• Timbre is slightly better on the OG but LM is more spacious. LM is more detailed and has more defined notes. Imaging is also sharper on the LM.

After comparing them for longer than I usually do, I actually couldn’t pick a conclusive winner. LM doesn’t replace the OG for me and OG is still relevant in my opinion. If you want to avoid some shout and treble energy, OG might suit you better. But improvements in technical aspects and bass region cannot be ignored.

EA500LM vs Moondrop May​

Moondrop May has become one the most enjoyable IEMs for me and a default recommendation under 100 USD so I really wanted to put them against each other.

• May’s bass is more tactile, more impactful and rumblier but EA500LM’s bass is faster in decay and shows its capability in the first attack.
• May’s mids are, although forward, not intrusive. EA500LM is shoutier and more aggressive in the mids, especially in the upper region. Still it is tastefully done in my personal opinion. May has more body in the lower mids. Bass guitars are also more prominent on May.
• EA500LM is more susceptible to sibilance, May is as safe and inoffensive as can be. EA500 is much brighter.
• May has a more agreeable timbre. EA500LM’s timbre is although very good, the treble energy it has sometimes throws off the balance.
• EA500 is technically superior in almost every way. It feels more spacious and detailed. Although May is no slouch, it sounds blunted compared to EA500LM. Imaging is also sharper on EA500LM

It was fun comparing them and I can definitely say I’m glad to own them both. EA500LM is highly technical with Simgot’s bright tuning, May is very versatile thanks to its cable with less technical capability.

Conclusion​

Although Simgot named these EA500LM, like I said in the comparisons section, I don’t think these replace the original EA500. In fact I think EA500LM is the default upgrade if you liked the EW200. Tuning is different enough to keep OG and LM both even though they improved LM technically. EA500 was already a benchmark below 100 USD and LM also became one. The only nitpick I can make is, gold and silver red nozzles aren’t that different. If only one of the nozzles made them closer to the OG EA500. Fine, I will do it myself.

Introduction

As a continuation of their worldwide success of the EA500 model, in 2024 Simgot has released a new successor in its name, the EA500LM.

With this model, Simgot has introduced a new 2nd Gen Lithium-Magnesium Dome Diaphragm, hence the “LM” part in the model name. It is said to “not only maintains excellent high-frequency clarity but also enhances the richness and fullness of mid to low frequencies, delivering a sound that is both lush and intricately detailed” compared to the OG EA500.

Does the EA500LM perform up-to-par with its promising? Let’s find out.

Disclaimer: I got this iem from Simgot as a tour review unit. I would like to thank Simgot for providing me this oppotunity.

Packaging

The box of the EA500LM is the same as the EA500. But this time, on the front, there is a very beautiful design patterns. It may not matter much in the end, but i appreciate the attention to detail from Simgot

The accessories are quite simple. They include a small case, 2 changable nozzles, a few O-rings, few pairs of tips and the cable.


Design/Build quality/Comfort

Simgot has reuses the shell from the EA500 onto the EA500LM. But to differentiate the 2, Simgot has treated the metal surface with a metal gun color, glossy finish. This one is also prone to scratches and fingerprint. The housings feel sturdy on hands.

Keeping the same DNA, the EA500LM also has changable nozzles. Simgot this time include a total on 3, instead of 2 on the EA500, different nozzles to allow us to have more tuning options.

Here is a small peak of what the driver inside looks like.

One thing i would like to comment, and i think this only happens to my unit, but the threads in shell was poorly done. Every nozzles i’ve used, when i want to screw in into the shell, it feels really rough. On the EA1000 and OG500, it feels smoother. After swapping, screwing the nozzles in so many times, the rough edge got smoother. So this maybe due to QC.

As for comfort, it’s also similar to the EA500 and EA1000. I can wear this for many hours straight.

For the cable, i think it’s alright. I expected a bit more for 80$. It's a 2 core cables, inside each strand has 2 smaller gold and black cores The cable feels soft in the hand, has no memory to it, although it does feel a little bit tangly. The connectors feel a bit cheap. The earhooks are quite stiff and not really ergonomical

Sound impression:

*Test gear:

Source: Poco F3, Dell laptop

DAC/Amp: Chord Mojo, Ibasso DC04 Pro, E1DA 9038D

Eartips used during review: Spinfit W1

Cable: Stock

Nozzle used during review: Gold nozzle

Out of the 3 nozzles, the red ones are the only one that has only a simple mesh filter, whereas the black and gold filter has some sort of foam in it. The black one is the brightest and harshest of the bunch, so i didn’t like it. The red and gold nozzle, according to graph, has near identical tonality. But from my test, the gold nozzle sounds a bit more laid back, the bass is a little more hard hitting, tech is more or less the same with the red nozzle.

The EA500LM is easy to drive. I can reach more than adequate volume with just my dongle.

Tonality: Harman-ish, U shaped with bright upper mids

* Bass: 7/10

It’s good. It’s “above average”-ly good, just not outstandingly good yet. I was spoiled with how good the bass of Simgot EA1000 was, so when i switched to the EA500LM, i was underwhelmed. But after a while, as well as testing with other cheaper and/or older iem, i must say the bass of the EA500LM is praise worthy

It has a big, rigid bass with good subbass extension. The bass is hard hitting with great slam, yes, but it doesn’t really have a lot of texture or layering to it. The bass note feels kind of 2D. The bass is fast, maybe too fast in the decay, so it doesn’t have that lingering sense to it.

Cello, trumpet feels a bit thin, like it’s lacking some body to it along with the usual lush, warm feeling that i’m familiar with. Am i too used to the overly warm bass line? Maybe, but i do think it’s the case with the EA500LM even on its own.

* Mids: 7/10

A few words of choice: Expressive, transparent, vocal focus and natural.

The bass doesn’t bleed a lot into the midrange, so what we have hear is a really clean lower midrange, but the pay off is the slightly lacking of noteweight or heft to the notes. I’m usually not too opposing to thin mids, but this is one of them times. Like you can feel like there’s some sort of “mid scoop” in this iem. Female vocal on the other hand is forward, clean and expressive. With the gold nozzle, the shouty feeling was minimized yet still kept the same energetic DNA of the Simgot house sound.

Is it my type of midrange? Probably no. I usually like a more balanced, lusher with more texturing type of midrange. I think this is more suitable for mid volume folks or modern pop fans , or Harman-ish tuning fans of sort.

* Treble: 7.5/10

Probably the best part of the EA500LM. It’s airy, well extended. The EA500LM has more than good percussion rendering (attack decay release). It rides the line of being energetic, yet not being too harsh or overemphasized.

Cymbals strikes and hihats sounds nice, although they do sound a bit scratchy at times (Listening to Caravan-John Wasson and Silhouette-KanaBOON). Just a nitpick.

* Tech: 7/10

Soundstage wise, the EA500LM has a wide, spacious sense of stage with good height and depth. Imaging also sounds adequate with good microspacing left to right. The EA500LM is just an overall technically capable iem.

Comparison

Vs Simgot EA500

Supposely the successor of the EA500, is the EA500LM an upgrade to the EA500? No imho. That spot is for the EA1000

It’s been a while since i listen to the EA500, but from my auditory memory, the EA500 has brighter and harsher tuning, especially in the uppermids to treble part. The EA500 has this metallic timbre or near sibilant sound to it, while the EA500LM does not.

The EA500LM overall has a more fun type of tuning, as oppose to the more correct, neutral bright tuning of the EA500. The LM has a deeper but boomier bass, yet the OG has a faster, tighter and thicker type of bass. Lower mids sounds lusher on the EA500. The uppermids is not too different between the two, other than the metallic timbre and sibilant feeeling like i said. I enjoy the mids on the EA500LM more.

As for the treble, EA500LM wins straight up. It has better treble extension. It’s airy, but not over bearing. Percussion instruments sound natural without sounding too splashy.

EA500LM also has a better soundstage, in depth and width, as well as improved imaging over the EA500

Vs Simgot EA1000

Let’s say you’re someone who can only get the EA500LM for now, but also wish to get, or curious about the EA1000. So what’re the differences between these 2?

To me, the EA500LM and the EA1000 have 3 main differences: The bass, the mids and the treble. Well, that’s everything, but we’ll get to it.

About the bass, the first thing i noticed is actually the layering. The EA1000 has this 3D sense to it with more depth of sound, it has better bass texture overall. The EA500LM’s bass sounds more 2D. Sure the EA500LM has a little subbass quantity, but for the overall bass reproduction, the EA1000 wins.

Turning to the mid. The mids on the EA1000 sounds lusher, more natural sounding. The high note of female vocal is less shouty. Instruments have a denser note weight to it.

The degree of difference is smaller here, but the EA1000 has higher treble detail, higher 13k peak energy. Percussion instruments sound crisper on the EA1000 due to this. It will hurt more on high volume though.

Technicalities wise, it’s a total onslaught coming from the EA1000. Sounstage size is not THAT different, but the timbre, layering and detail retreival is better on the EA1000.

Both of these iems have the Simgot house sound, but the EA1000 is more tastefully done.

Vs Oriveti OD100

Since these 2 are in the same price bracket, it’s only logical to compare these 2 to each other.

Right of the bat, the EA500LM is way easier and more comfortable to fit due to its ergonomic design. The OD100 on the other hand has this bullet-ish type of design. I’d have to opted for foam tips in order to get a better fit and seal.

The cable on the OD100 is more well built and looks nicer

As for the sound, i like the EA500LM more.

The EA500LM has more bass slam with deeper subbass extension. The OD100 bass feels more pillowy, like it has a “poof” sensation to it. Note weight is a touch heftier on the OD100.

Vocal on the OD100 feels way less refined. Compared to the EA500LM, it’s a bit honkier, more nasally. With louder volume, you can feel the shoutiness coming through.

Treble is less sparkly and airy on the OD100. EA500LM just has better treble extension and detail retrieval. Percussion instruments have more shimmering to it on the EA500LM. I think the OD100 has crisper treble, but not by much.

Soundstage is wider on the EA500LM. Layering and imaging are also better on the EA500LM due to how well its bass and mids was done.

Conclusion:

All in all, the EA500LM is good iem, a great iem even, but not near perfect and still has more room for improvement. But even with its flaws, i still think it’s an outstanding iem for under 100$. Did the EA500LM perform up-to-par with its promising in the marketing material? I would say it ALMOST did, due to the "lush" in the promise.

If you’re looking for an iem that has a bombastic midbass slam, lush male vocal, thick noteweight and relaxing uppermid range, this iem is not for you. Whereas if you’re looking for an iem that has a really good driver, a clear tonality, technically capable but also has a fun factor in it, EA500LM is the one i would recommend for under 100$.

Thank you for reading.

SIMGOT EA500LM REVIEW



TONALITY: 7.2/10
TECHNICALITIES: 8.8/10
TIMBRE: 7/10
IMAGING: 8.8/10
SOUNDSTAGE: 8/10
MUSICALITY (subjective): 7/10
CONSTRUCTION: 9/10
ACCESSORIES: 8/10
SOUND VALUE: 8.2/10


INTRO

‘’SIMGOT，means "Simple and elegant".We trust only the finest product and perfect service, only the fusion of old-school rules and fashion creativity. Don't give in to conservative and troubles, we will redefine your senses. Stop stepping around and start setting out. Salute to art and science. ‘’

This is how Simgot presents themself, this IEM company from China has been around for about 10 years and releases hybrid and single dynamic drivers IEM that gain good success. What put them on the map lately is their best seller EA500, then the EW200 pushed sound value even more and then they released the EA1000 which is their best IEM to date.

Today I will review their latest release named Simgot EA500LM.

Priced 90$, This is the upgraded version of highly acclaimed EA500, the LM letter stand for Lithium and Magnesium material used for the dynamic driver diaphragm, it promess faster and less distorted transient response which will improve overall resolution performance.

Let's see in this review where and if the EA500LM excels in technicalities and musicality.

CONSTRUCTION&ACCESSORIES



The EA500LM construction is 100% the same as stock EA500 apart from the color which is dark gray and less prone to easy scratching.
It’s all metal built that feels pristine with great craftsmanship details and no imperfection to be found.



The cable included is quite nice but it’s single ended (3.5mm). It's a thin 4 core high purity silver plated OFC copper cable, it has an appealing black and golden copper braiding color.



The packaging is quite beautifully presented but accessories are minimal. We have this cable and a basic carrying case, 6 pairs of silicone eartips and 3 pairs of tuning nozzles.


SOUND IMPRESSIONS


The tonality of EA500LM is very similar to other offering like EW200 and EA500, but with more sub bass focus and more stable extension. It can be perceive as U shape or W shape depending of music style, it’s not a punch less U shape though we aren’t in thick impactful bass territory neither and I would never suggest those to warm tone lover nor basshead, while for treble or even neutral head, it’s surely a win. To my ears, it’s clear the the EA500LM highlight and focus is treble first and foremost, from low (upper mids) to ultra highs (roughly 2khz to 20khz I guess).

So, again, these aren’t thick or lush sounding IEM, it’s clean, open and crisp, bright and revealing, near analytical and highly technical with a hint of fun in fast bass slam, which is wide and well controlled in resonance though it does slightly warm kick drum presence and roundness.

When it comes to the bass, bass lines are well exact and easy to follow even in a busy mix, it will dominate kick drum if their impact to it, it can offer quite potent slam when the mix is boosted in that section.
Double bass and electric bass line are well textured with enough attack edge and bite, the extension release is resonant but doesn't invade headroom, it’s not a thick, lush, vibrant or juicy presentation and for some it will feel dry and thin, lacking proper tuck and well felt weight.
The cello is a bit too thin to my ears, the tone and timbre isn’t appealing and lacks warmth and lushness to properly discern it from the violin, both having presence favored before fundamental harmonic.
But this means it’s not opaque and dark bass too, and the layering is quite good.
So, for those familiar with U shape tuning, the bass will be alright while for those loving round chunky impact, it will sound a bit too cold and lacking attack lead thump.

The mids are clean, bright and open. Again, it’s not thick nor lush, it’s quite boosted in presence and we have richly detailed texture but slightly ‘’papery’’ timbre, like sandpaper, you perceive the grain details in texture, which can create subtle timbral imbalance. It can be borderline sibilant at high volume, as well, violin and sax attack lead will be very abrasive and highlight in micro details artifacts that don’t favor musicality unless you're into analytical timbre.
The transparency and clarity is excellent for the price, you don’t struggle to find multiple instruments on the stage though the notes dynamic can feel light and piano sound a bit recessed, underlining scooped lower mid range.
The female vocals are forwards and very bright, as said, it’s prompt to sibilance and tend to jump in front of all other instruments, forcing the focus. If the vocal is breathy, it will be in a harsh way, not a lush sweet way. These aren’t my kind of female vocal at all and will mostly please fans of Harman tuned iem, so perhaps J pop fans that want their singer hitting their ear drum hard.
Male vocalists are bright and very textured too, not thick and well bodied.
All in all, mid range is the main drawback to my ears when it comes to full tone and timbre enjoyment, i find it fatiguing and non musical.

Then the most impressive part of the show is certainly the treble, it’s where the technical performance is fully released. This is a fast, snappy and crisp treble with a good sense of air and very impressive amount of micro details that doesn’t boost background hissing.
It’s energetic too, and not made for treble sensitive people, even the smoothest tuning filter I base my review on don’t go dark or non spiky, by spiky i don't mean intense imbalance at all, just that the snare and clap are a bit piercing and overly loud in the mix.
This is the type of crisp treble that does marvel with metallic instruments like acoustic guitar, harpsichord and percussions which are extremely well resolved and has this sharp attack lead and sparkly release that make it captivating.
Sure, the percussion is so detailed it can feel splashy sometimes, but it isn’t, it’s just ultra resolved to the point it picks up every detail of cymbal release.
This is a proof of excellent dynamic driver with crazy treble extension, it’s not roll off here for sure and it’s rare to be so in sub-100$ target, this put to share anything Moondrop release for ex, since it’s not ruin with harmonic distortion pass 8khz like with Kato.
But this means in a jazz quatuor with piano, double bass, drum and guitar that the guitar will steal the show of all other instruments apart from percussions, but kick drum too will be darkened by a distan double bass.
Yes, we are in treble head eargasm territory where quality meets quantity, it’s vivid yet well controlled, it does attract more attention than lower range instruments but this can be highly immersive for some. For me, it’s too much but I always complain about not having proper sparkle and air, so in that regard I'm blown away.

The soundstage is taller than wider and very deep due to clean spatiality as well as slightly recessed center stage. It’s like a mini hall, or tunnel vision.

Imaging is very impressive for the price and I can see this being used for monitoring a lot of instrument apart kick drum and piano, since the sound layering is transparent and well define, it’s easy to pull apart different instrument, then the realism of this positioning is a bit unbalanced with overly magnify presence of higher pitch instrument like percussions and acoustic guitar, which will be easier to track in stereo way.



COMPARISONS



VS ORIVETI OD100 (1DD-70$)

The LM is crisper, more transparent and open sounding as well as leaning more to smooth U shape signature, which make the OD100 sound brighter balanced V shape.

LM bass offer wider slam with more sub bass resonance and extension, it’s more mellow in mid bass punch which is warmer and more rounded with OD100. Bass separation is better layered with LM, bass lines are more textured and less ‘’one toned’’.

Mids are more recessed and less crisp with the OD100, female vocals are more upfront and prompt to shouting and sibilance, their presence is less open and transparent, texture grain is more boosted with OD100. LM mids are a bit thinner and colder.

Treble is notably superior with LM both in micro details retrieval and attack control, which is more snappy, speedy. It extended further so it’s more sparkly and airy. OD100 is more edgy and crunchy in attack, treble is brighter but dryer and rolls off faster. It gets congested faster too.

Soundstage is notably wider and deeper with LM.

Imaging is from another league: more accurate and clean, positioning is sharper and layering more transparent.

All in all, Simgot EA500 is from another league in terms of technical performance and offers a more cohesive and balanced musicality too, which extends further both in bass and treble.

VS SIMGOT EA500 (1DD-80$)

These 2 are quite similar as said but it doesn’t mean they sound the same, we can see the LM as a brighter and more technical version of EA500, it’s crisper and slightly more bassy and U shape in balance, clarity is improved, as well as transparency and attack speed and treble extension go further as well as bass is a notch more boosted so we have more impactful slam.

The bass of LM is thinner and more boomy but in a good way, since it’s cleaner and less warm than thicker more mid bass centric low end of EA500, yet this warmth thicken lower mids and overall vocal and fundamental of tone-timbre too, so the bass is more euphonic but rounder and heavier even if less fast and clean it has more tuck, ultimately tough darker in texture i find bass timbre more natural sounding with EA500.

The mids are clearer and crisper as well as more open and airy with LM, sense of transparency and imaging is quite superior too and it’s easier to perceive background instruments which have brighter definition and more textured timbre. If you were expecting smoother sounding EA500, bet on something else since upper mids a hint more shouty and aggressive with LM and timbre is less warm and natural, we have unbalance between fundamental and harmonic so female vocal feel thin and less soul full (injected with natural air) than stock EA500 which have warmer thicker mids even if some already complaint it’s too aggressive in upper mids it’s notably smoother and lusher.

The treble is the biggest improvement of LM, it’s faster and more snappy and sparkly, it’s more extended and airy and we have greater amount of sound info. The percussions are less prompt to slight splashing with LM and separation is better as well as definition sharper. Attack lead is more vivid too and macro dynamic is better articulated. Simply put: everything sounds cleaner and crisper with the LM.

The soundstage is slightly wider and taller with the EA500 while notably deeper and more holographic and ‘’concert hall like’’ with the LM.

Imaging is notably superior with the LM, in that regard it’s a big improvement and this is due to cleaner spatiality, more transparent layered and sharper instrument definition and separation.

All in all, tonaly wise i find the OG EA500 lusher and more natural, especially for mid range and vocal-saxophone instruments but technicalities goes to EA500 LM and I can see people preferring the LM, especially those who like Harman target tuning à la Moondrop Aria (which i prefer tonaly to the LM but again have inferior technical performance).

CONCLUSION



The Simgot EA500LM are incredible performers for the price and sure take the lead in that regard when it comes to sub-100$ IEM, but I could say this for 2x cheaper EW200 too.

Now when it comes to tuning choice, this is another story, or in fact ‘’more of the same harman story’’. It become harder and harder to pull apart the chifi IEMs from maker like Moondrop, Thieaudio, Tripowin, Truth ears, Whizzer, Simgot and I can go on and on since even KZ and TRN play the Harman wannabe game….to my ears their always something wrong either about the bass or mids timbre and tone or presence gain aggressivity, to my ears it actually lack musicality and alas EA500LM is no exception since the feedback i read (and share) about the stock EA500 was about pina gain boost and upper mids aggressivity and the LM choose to boost it instead of making it smoother…so in that regard, i find it counter intuitive and overly betting on resolution boost.

Nonetheless, unless you're sensitive to mid range timbre or upper mids and treble loudness, the technical sounding EA500LM sure is an impressive harmanish IEM, one that stands apart in terms of imaging and attack speed as well as extremely low harmonic distortion.

Recommended!





-----------------------------

PS: I want to thanks Simgot for sending me this review sample. I'm not participating to any form of affiliate program or influencer game that would earn me $, so don't expect bias by me apart my subjective hearing as well as personal take on musicality enjoyment.

You can order the Simgot EA500LM for about 84$ (best price?) here: https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005006229192285.html

After a year in this mystical hobby here comes my first review. Having had the possibility to try so many different sets in a relatively short time I felt obliged to go ahead and express my gratitude by trying to help any lost souls out there, just as I was when I first got in. Possibilities are seemingly endless and only by getting to meet some highly experienced people did I manage to jump onboard the train heading the right direction without getting off-track thousands of times along the way. Make sure to understand the helping person's preferences and you too can find your footing and hit the ground running in no time.

A Quick Intermezzo About Me

I won't bore you for too long with personal trivia, however my quick background resume goes as follows. Currently 27 years old and I am more in awe of the sheer power of music by the day. I have always been moved by music just that slight bit more than average, I'd say. My spending started with a roughly 200€ Bose bluetooth speaker back in my first grade of highschool. What an extraterrestrial thing that was in early 2010s. And it keeps on playing to this day – a true testament of quality. Also sounded fantastic back then, nowadays not so much. Lots of BT speakers, TWS, car audio speakers, IEMs, etc., later bring me to this day when I do consider myself an audiophile. What brings me the most joy beside listening to music is singing, so I am currently participating in a choir and challenging myself with solo vocal covers (check the link in my signature to hear my first project). Unsure where all this leads, but the journey itself is marvelous and life is nothing but a journey.

How The Review is Structured

For those that are interested in my thoughts on this set, but cannot be asked to read the whole thing, I will start off by placing it in my special trademarked graph and give it a score on certain qualities to reach the final star score. Those that are seriously considering a sub-100€ set, please read the song examples that follow below too to get as much of a feel on what you could expect. I will mention some songs of varied genres and try to convey what one can expect from the EA500 LM. As source I have been using my FiiO M15S on high gain as well as the Venture Electronics RA2B-FE + Prime DAC. Certainly no lack of power.

Disclaimer: This unit was sent to me by Simgot in exchange for a review. This will not affect the transparency of my written presentation of what I am experiencing. For that, I owe an honest Thank You to Simgot.

Unpackaging & Accessories

The box of the item came in another classic unassuming cardboard box which did not really pique my interest. However, upon opening the transport box I was greeted with a wonderfully presented box with flowing rainbow colours (not best seen on my pic) that had me go "Oooh ... okay, unexpected!"



Then it's all about getting the thing out of the box, usually I have no time to lose. I was soon pausing again due to another nice touch. And I very much agree with the statement!



Finally came to the grand prize. Beautiful metallic shells are always worth appreciating for a little while before reaching for them and never ever seeing them fingerprintless again!



Afterwards, we were on to the accessories which have left me wanting more. There is a grand total of 1 tip set in S, M and L. It is, however, a nice set of tips, may I say. Similar to KBear 07, I feel. After some testing, I have swapped the tips to Divinus Velvet.
Cable looks decent and handles well, but is only a 3.5mm and doesn't do the gorgeousness of the shells much justice. I have to add that the cable strap has another nice touch with the writing "Salute to Art and Science" - it's the details that count. I have swapped the cable to NiceHCK BlackCat Ultra.






Let's Get Going !

This funny but useful graph I came up with does not come with a thick user manual. All you need to know is that sets further left are warmer than sets further right, and sets higher up are better technically than sets lower down. Those little yellow lines on both axis represent where sets with average technicalities and neutral overall balance lay. I have also added the Venture Electronics SIE 1DD (gold) and the CVJ Mei 1DD+2BA (silver) to help with my perception of where the LM slots in.




Here are my scores on the sound of the LM in individual categories. All three subcategories of each of the frequency spectrums will be rated 1-5. The overall Bass/Mids/Treble score is an average of all three scores.
Keep in mind that I am scoring sets irrespective of their price, so cheaper sets getting a 3 in any given subcategory is already good going. I feel this is more holistic than rating based on price since sound is sound. I had to approach this in a simplistic manner so to keep it easy to understand and compare sets. Since this is the first review I have done there is not much to compare to yet.





Seven Song Examples

Song #1:
First minute of this song offers a quick sample to test piano, bass, trombone, and sax timbre as well as female vocals and the perception of stage.


Creep by Scott Bradlee's Postmodern Jukebox feat. Haley Reinhart

This song's lowest register is covered solely by bass, so getting that right is critical. LM does it very satisfyingly with ample authority and ease of following it throughout. What it lacks is the ultimate distinction of similar notes played in quick succession and bass clarity. Overall it is the most prominent instrument even after all the other parts get going at full pace. It delivers the low register of this song in a different way to my other sets. Most of the information is midrange focused with all instruments but bass occupying this frequency spectrum. Allowing all the instruments their space and delivering them in a natural way is what a set needs to excel at. LM sounds extremely open to my ears here, which means following which ever instrument is rather simple. Her velvety vocal is always free of muddiness or other parts blurring it. It places the vocal a bit back in the mix, though, so those that prefer very front and proud vocals might not find it too perfect in that regard. Hihats could be a bit crisper and extend more effortlessly, but this is a nitpick since this is an affordably priced single dynamic driver and single DDs rarely do the treble justice for me, even higher up the price ladder.

Song #2:
Angelic male vocal slowly transforming into a sharp male vocal and the usual rock accompaniment. Allows to better understand different sets' capability of perceived emotion, layering, timbre, etc.


Castaway Angels by Leprous

Song starts with a calm guitar and his breathy and dreamy vocal. LM delivers both in a satisfying manner, adding slight bit of body to both guitar and his vocal. Each guitar pick is well detailed. His voice is on the smoother side of the spectrum. Bass makes itself welcome with a low and deep punch which mixes nicely with the guitar and his vocal. When the song gets going the bass guitar gets very intricate in certain parts and LM does deliver all notes, but not the most cleanly. Drum kicks are nicely set and punchy. Discerning among the drums and bass guitar could be easier. Here too, vocal has no trouble staying away from the rest of the mix and finding its spot on the stage. High mids are on the verge of overeagerness, but stay safe. Overall, this song requires careful line between the bass and mids while not scooping out midbass or lower mids too much. This balance is done well on the LM. I judge the treble on such sets mostly by focusing on good clarity and lack of sharpness. LM does not sound sharp to my ears at any point as long as you don't crank up the volume to 11 – from my experience, all affordable sets so far have struggled to maintain composed once you go a bit wild with the volume knob. Treble is balanced out by the bass weight. It comes across even as slightly reduced compared to bass. Treble stays clear and does not leave to many details on the table. Treble extension could be better since there isn't much air, but let me clarify again, with DD drivers I put much more focus on low-end extension.


Song #3:
Let's plug those guitars in and stop being gentle with the drums. Pace, space, rhythm, male vocal.


The Pot by Tool

This song is more drum-driven than the previous, so we need punch and quickness. LM does not leave much to be desired. Drums sound full and lively. It does not struggle with pace. Bass guitar can get a bit overwhelmed behind the drums. All the energy is covered by electric guitars. The distortion sounds wonderfully distorted. They are not lacking speed nor presence. His vocal never seems strained, but does seem to my ears a bit too far behind the sheer power of guitars. Overall, very capably done. Cymbals and hihats are sharp as they should be, but still a bit smoothed over and possibly a bit too wet sounding. Tough thing to get fully right and LM struggles a bit.


Song #4:
Upbeat pop rhythms with plenty going on.


The Thrill is Gone. by RAYE

Her voice is very proudly positioned right upfront and quite a bit ahead in the mix. The overall balance of this song seems a bit more bright but carefully done in the LM's potentially problematic high mid area, so it fits the LM nicely. Energetic presentation throughout. Stage width is above average which allows enough room for back vocalists. Brass and drums are timbrally correct. This sort of pop is what I would suggest the LM for.



Song #5:
Slow and moody jazz. Requires spaciousness, timbral accuracy and a playful vibe.


Rosita by Coleman Hawkins, Ben Webster

Must say I was positively impressed with LM's rendition of this tune. Not an easy one. Get one thing wrong and the charm is gone. All instruments are in their own imaginary bubbles and they successfully leave room for each other. Timbrally I feel all is well, except for sax which gets a bit too sharp or digitalised at times. Not too big a deal. Enjoyable, but slightly flawed.


Song #6:
A pleasant and somewhat creepy look into the unknown. Needs serious bass to form the template and good imaging.


Satsang by Sumiruna

Playful character of bass of the LM is unleashed here. It is a song that might sound majestic or downright weird if the system is unable to reproduce it. LM can handle the ridiculousness and as a result provides an enjoyable listen. Definitely not a relaxing set, though. This would not be my pick for those calm evenings, but rather the Friday nights when you want to get the party going. Smoothness of bass and mids is interestingly countered by energetic high mids and low treble.


Song #7:
Turning up the wildness to 11.


Alien Alert by 1200 micrograms

The anticipation of insanity is high with this one. Absolute necessities are thunderous bass and good spacial cues. Bass of the LM does the job very decently while spaciality is good, but obviously not up to the highest standards. Slight excess of high mids makes this song quite fatiguing. This will not be too big of an issue when you are out and about, it only might become a bit much when you want it to be a bit more reserved. But when it gels with your mood … oh, man.


This concludes my song examples and hopefully you found some information that proves useful to your listening habits!



To Sum Up The Simgot EA500 LM

To sum up the LM, I would mostly pitch this one to those who like a good amount of bass to be counterbalanced by high mids with a slight lean in authority to the latter. Definitely a highly energetic listen which fits the bill when your mood calls for it. On calmer nights I would reach for other sets.

Thanks for Reading! Have a Lovely Day.

Introduction!
Hello friends!
Today in our review we’ll talk about dynamic headphones from SIMGOT.
And they come in a very small but interestingly designed box where everything shimmers so beautifully and this model is called EA500LM, that is, this is an update of the original EA500.

Well, at the back there are two graphs of the frequency response, namely Harman 2019 and their branded Simgot 2023 target.
And here a dynamic driver with a second-generation lithium-magnesium diaphragm is responsible for the sound, and their sensitivity is very high - 123 dB, and they have an impedance of 21 ohms, so the headphones are very easy to drive.

Let's take a look at what's included!

And here we get headphones that are made of metal and at the same time they are very smooth and tactilely pleasant, but they still collect fingerprints a little and they can even be scratched, so be careful with them, they look strict but I like them and how the two logos on the headphones complement this well branded Simgot concept.

And here the name of the model EA500LM is also written, and on the inside of the case, next to the medium-sized gold sound guide, there is a marking of the right and left channels, as well as a hole for compensation and an additional block with a screw.

And with the fit like the original EA500, everything is fine here, the headphones sit in your ears very comfortably and reliably, so you can even move somewhere while listening to music without any problems.
Accessories!
All the accessories are in two boxes.
Namely, instructions, a quality certificate, a leather case, a set of ear tips.

And the included cable that we have already seen but with SIMGOT EM6L headphones, it also received 2 pin connectors, and a standard 3.5 jack plug, the cable is well made and it is convenient, but it gets a little tangled, keep this in mind.

We also get replaceable nozzles and these colored rings, for those who like to slightly adjust the tuning of their headphones, but I’ll say right away that this time I listened with the complete nozzle that comes out of the box, namely gold, and I didn’t install any additional filters!

How do these headphones sound?
And now we come to the most important part of the review, namely the analysis of the sound of the SIMGOT EA500LM dynamic headphones.
And it’s worth saying that the general concept of sound that Simgot still adhere to here has essentially not changed much it can be seen on the graph.

They did not conduct any global new experiments, but on the contrary, they got down to business seriously and corrected minor previous shortcomings of the original EA500.
Namely, they tightened up the low frequencies and improved the mids due to which now this model has a more U-shaped sound signature with a slightly shifted emphasis on the upper mids, but now this is not as obvious as it was with the ea500, since the bass is now noticeable and more noticeable rumbles and does not allow the mid frequencies to dominate and tire so clearly, although even if it does not completely compensate for them, it is clear that they did not have the goal of making a basshead model out of these headphones, so in this case, everything here is designed correctly and corresponds to their target Simgot 2023, and this is certainly not a neutral and overly warm model in presentation, but all lovers of brighter, perky and energetic headphones will certainly appreciate their tuning!
Low Frequencies:
Since, compared to the original, the bass here is now perceived much better, it is more massive and punchy, it has much more weight and due to this, the kick now sounds more weighty and full and is not as easily presented as it was in the original, and is also more pronounced I like the attack here much more due to which the bass is very clearly visible in the mix and doesn’t sound like it’s smeared and sloppy on impact, on the contrary, here we have a very attack-focused and more accurate mid-punch bass punch, which is what is required from dynamic headphones, and I hope you agree with me on this matter, but of course, serious bassheads who are already accustomed to more inflated and accentuated low frequencies will probably have to pass by, after all, Simgot set themselves a different goal in tuning, but I’m sure all the other guys will appreciate the more impactful and weighty component of the low frequencies in this update!
Mid Frequencies:
But the mids are exactly what I expected to get from simgOt, here you have super transparency and clarity with a slight warm tonal bias and a very airy and open sound that immediately catches your attention from the first listen.
And this range here feels really insanely refined and super energetic with a slightly light midrange presentation compared to other more expensive headphones, but I haven’t seen such a general presentation for a long time among dynamic headphones that came across in recent reviews, there is no tightness of excessive harshness and insight of the vocal part, and I am pleased with the not at all tiring and correctly designed female and male vocals, which cause me only delight and pleasant emotions every time you listen, and quite natural timbres and sophisticated and weighty instruments are very well revealed here as for dynamic headphones.
And the kick drums still show themselves just fine; they are a little more highlighted than they were in the original, but revealed in all their glory they have a very clear and even more highlighted attack, complemented by a very long aftersound and a neat decay from the reverberation trail.
High Frequencies:
But the high frequencies, as in previous simgot models, are presented here as super detailed, emphasized, and I would even say moderately crispy with some kind of crazy analytics and technicality, and the way various nuances and details are drawn in the music surprises every time you listen Therefore, these headphones are ideal for in-depth analysis of literally any of your favorite tracks as they literally take it apart and you can easily separate all the instruments, various synthesizer and live sounds without any strain!
And therefore this model is perfect even for working and mixing music, and now heavier genres are revealed much better here, and they cope with something lighter without any problems at all, not to mention orchestral or classical music, in general, these dynamic headphones make me happy I was surprised and at the same time I was pleased that the Simgots retained here the same corporate character that was in previous models, and it is especially worth highlighting the EA1000 since in my opinion they most closely resemble this model.
Stage and stereo panorama:
It turned out to be very wide and, most importantly, it feels super open, there is both an excellent stereo panorama and its elaboration and an equally excellent depth of immersion and a bewitching portrayal of each individual instrument, and they very much reminded me of my open full-size headphones due to this large amount of air and effect openness when everything literally breathes.
My conclusion on this headphones:
Simgot EA500LM are very technical, super detailed and simply insanely analytical dynamic headphones that have not lost their signature energetic and very cheerful character that we have encountered in other models of this company, I would especially highlight the EA1000 because they reminded me very much of their presentation of mid and high frequencies, therefore I confidently recommend these headphones to everyone, especially those who are looking for something not very expensive and with one driver.
Link where you can buy them!
Aliexpress:https://aliexpress.ru/item/1005006468336042.html
Linsoul:https://www.linsoul.com/products/simgot-ea500-lm
I will be glad if you subscribe to my YouTube channel and watch this full review on SIMGOT EA500LM!

Simgot EA500LM. Review

Model EA500LM is a logical continuation of the 500 series. This is a mid-budget model that does not have a high price, but has very decent sound and an interesting design

At first glance, you may get the feeling that the new model is just a restyling and there is nothing interesting about it, but this is a wrong opinion

Let's start from an aesthetic point of view, the gray finish of the new model makes it more presentable and more futuristic. Yes, it’s not premium, but they look much more expensive than they actually are

I used to pay strong attention to the presentation, but now it is absolutely unimportant for me, but if we talk about the presentation of this model, it is very aesthetically beautiful and stylish

The build quality of the EA500LM is at a very high level. I have absolutely no complaints about anything. The metal from which the shells are made is heavy and does not cause a feeling of fragility. It may be some kind of nickel alloy, but it is not aluminum, and it weighs about the same as steel.

To tell the truth, I like it when headphones are heavy, but not always. But if the headphones are completely made of metal, then I prefer them to be heavy rather than light. EA500LM fit better in the auricle and are less likely to fall out of it

Cable is soft and moderately thin and looks good. But to be honest, I would like its quality in terms of braiding and design to be a little higher. In this case, comments the cable are not a remark or criticism, because, in principle, this is a fairly common phenomenon when the manufacturer includes a cable of slightly lower quality than themselves IEMs

Of course, let's come to the most important thing - the sound. The sound of EA500LM is very soft and detailed with a slight hint of tube sound

Model EA500LM has good separation of high, mids and low frequencies, no creeping of one into the other, the IEMs data handles any type of music very well, they have no preference for any particular style of music, they handle absolutely any material and do it gracefully

I try not to compare the IEMs/Headphones/ DACs of one company with another. But in this case, model EA500LM reminded me very much in sound of IEMs Moondrop KATO. The most interesting thing in this story is that EA500LM is absolutely not inferior to Kato in sound and they are also not inferior in build quality

On this I would like to resume the model one is a very good EMS for the money, regarding the build quality of the presentation. And what is most important is the sound, they are more expensive than their price

Highly recommend EA500LM

Simgot EA500LM

I remember when I was approached by Fia Lam of Simgot to do a review of the Simgot EA500. I was thinking OK yet another single dynamic IEM. Hey why not, so I agreed to give it a good listen and write up my thoughts in the form of a review for the EA500. Little did I know that Simgot was on a roll with their line up of IEMs. Then soon followed the release of their EA1000. OK now we are heading into the higher end sound segment and now we have a new EA500 revision in the EA500LM. The LM boasts some new addition to its make up in that it is using a completely new dynamic driver. The single dynamic design mostly remains the same from the prior EA500 model using the same housing with their dual magnetic, dual cavity design but this time using a Lithium Magnesium alloy dome diaphragm vs the Diamond Like carbon composite diaphragm used in the EA500.

Different driver material yields a tonal and performance shift from the prior EA500. Does that equate to a superior IEM? The quick answer to that is yes it is but not exactly a superior SQ upgrade. Let me explain. Testing the EA500 vs the EA500LM using their default filters both have similar tunings but where I notice a difference comes in the form of technicalities. EA500LMs driver seems to be a level above the prior EA500 in resolution. The sound stage seems a bit wider vs the EA500 which is a result of the more detailed and less forward lower mids of the LM version. Gives an increase of imaging and sound separation from the EA500. Then the tunging got a bit of a tweak it seems as well. Bass digs a bit deeper in the LM and trebles seem just a smidge smoother. All leading to a nice refresh of the EA500 in the EA500LM. While the technical level is not exactly at the EA1000 level. There really aren’t going to be too many single dynamics in the sub $100 level that will out technical these things so once again Simgot is offering the enthusiast something that is worth taking a good look at in its price category. However just because an IEM shows better technical characteristics does not automatically make it a clear upgrade.


Disclaimers: I would like to thank Fia Lam of Simgot for providing a sample of the EA500LM for the purpose of a review. They have been burned in for a period of a week's time and are now ready for evaluation using my sources. IFI signature, Fiio K9 pro ESS, Fiio M15, M15S, IBasso DX300Max. IBasso PB5 amp. You can purchase a set for you here

Single dynamics will alway have a place in the audiophiles collection of IEMs simply due to their best in class timbral characteristics, natural tonal character and seamless coherence for the various sound tunings. In general Simgot is like an alternate Moondrop or Dunu in that they generally tune based on harmon curves with all the Harmon tropes both good and bad depending on how you like your harmon tunings. Simgots are generally balanced designs with some outstanding technical aspects to their IEMs. This being said, it is unusual to see a manufacturer make IEMs with exotic dynamic materials at the prices these guys are charging which leads to another aspect that your enthusiasts will gravitate to. It seems each manufacturer that makes these are striving for “better” performance out of the materials they chose with their house tuning aspects. This leads directly to what Simgot does best and is offering the EA500LM under the magical $100 mark for IEMs. What was clear to me on even open listening to the EA500LM was that these are a different take on what they have established with the prior EA500 and in some way a bit of an upgrade in the sound department. But this aspect will more or less be about what one likes in a sound profile. I have seen the various reviews online about the EA500LM and the views about them are, more or less, varied. From my own subjective view, on a technical level yes these are better than the EA500 and have slight sound tweaks to the same formula. Does it warrant another purchase if you own the EA500? The EA500LM to my ears leans a bit more toward being a side grade vs a clear upgrade. I think your average sound loving person that buys an IEM for occasional music listening or gaming using one of these IEMs would find just as much enjoyment out of the old EA500 which is about $10 cheaper vs the EA500LM. Now if you're a hobbyist and collect as many good to great sounding IEMs that suit your musical taste. Yes these are worth diving into just for that driver upgrade and the technical enhancements it provides.

What they come with.
The EA500LM comes with the darker gray colored shiny chromatic shells. Its all metal universal design is about medium size, oval design with a fairly shorter nozzle. The entire housing was made to fit inside your ears. Overall the design is identical to the older EA500 in just about every way. Same shape, same materials for the sounds, same cavity design with similar interchangeable tuning nozzles. They have included a new colorway for the included single ended cable to match with the EA500LM. This silver plated OFC cable will show you what the EA500LM is about but is by no means optimizing the full potential of the EA500LM. Includes their standard oval shaped all black zip up case. A bunch of extra nozzle rings two sets of extra nozzles that slightly rebalance the tuning and a single set of silicone tips. You can’t expect a huge variety of tips and a premium cable for a sub $100 IEM. This is basically Simgot telling you. You need to get some better upgraded cables and use your better tips. If you plan on maximizing the sound of the EA500LM. I highly suggest you look into your collection of tips and cables to enhance what they are about.

Dynamic based IEMs do extremely well when amped. If you want to maximize the dynamic contrast of your EA500LM and its overall performance, it can easily be driven from a simple source but it is when using your DAPs balanced out that will get you that extra bit of power so you will have to use another cable to do that anyway is my point. Might as well get something that suits the sound character of the EA500LM to your liking is my point. More copper based cable for fullness, warmth, a smoother treble with the boldest bass. A more silver based cable to highlight the technical aspects of the EA500LM to a greater extent or a mixture of both to get the best of both aspects from a cable to use on the EA500LM.

This review is mostly based on what was included but just know these sound better to my ears in balanced configuration using an aftermarket cable. Using Simgot’s own upgraded cable, the LC7. Brings bigger fuller dynamics an expansion of its stage, better sounding in every way possible vs the stock cable.

Use cases.
It is interesting to me that the descriptor for the EA500LM states it can be used for both music and gaming. Considering Simgot IEMs in general have good to great imaging, this makes a lot of sense to me. Testing the EA500LM with my Retroid Pocket 4pro and the DEW4X. OK now I can understand what Simgot meant by these being good for gaming, and I have to agree. These are not just good for gaming, they are excellent for media in general. The DEW4X dac/amp by the way is an excellent portable source for your phones/ gaming devices as it counters the general brighter tonal character of their IEMs by providing a punchy dynamic, warmer sounding source. The match there is undeniable in their synergy.

Using the EA500LM on my gaming laptop out of my Fiio K9 pro. Ok now we are talking about a serious source here. I have to admit for a portable solution the DEW4X is about as easy as it gets to a source that just jives well with Simgots own IEMs but when connected to my laptop out of my Fiio K9 Pro ESS. The performance is definitely maximized. I still say the synergy with the DEW4X is better but this is the reason why I mentioned earlier that the EA500LM deserves a better cable to use in balanced out. The EA500LM easily scales with more power and amplification, preferably with a warmer sounding source.

Music out of my IBasso DX300Max and PB5 Nutube Amp. For all the guys that say EA500LM don’t sound so cohesive. That's because you haven’t heard the EA500LM out of this combo I am using for music listening. This is absolutely bonkers sounding due to just how good this combo sounds. The EA500LM scales to better sources, let me put it that way.

Sound.
Harmon tuned IEMs are both good and bad depending on how you like your sound. If you're into your more warm/ smoother sounding IEMs, unfortunately that is not exactly what the Simgot house tunings are about. Simgot IEMs all have ample 10dbs of upper mid/ pinna gain which brings immediate clarity and detail. An added plus is that the tonal character of the upper harmonics for trebles and vocals also includes a touch of sweetness to the sound. Harmon tuned IEMs are generally more technical in approach and then when you have a treble that continues from the upper mids and extends over to the 8Khz range and then starts to deemphasize from there for extensions. You get a more technical leaning sound profile. Bass this time gets a bit of a sub bass boost over the original EA500. I would say it's a more technical sounding EA500 with an increase of subbass emphasis and a slight deemphasis for its mids forwardness.

I can understand what some folks mean by how they hear the EA500LM to be a bid disjointed. There is a bit of a contrast in tonal characters for this IEM. You get brighter, crisp more delicate treble notes and upper mid clarity and the detail associated with it but then you get a slight warmth, fullness and a bass bloom that introduces a bit of warmth to the overall sound.This would officially bring somewhat of a disjointed tonal character however that is not how I would perceive it.

I suppose if you had a darker sounding treble note to go along with what the EA500LM is doing that would bring a better cohesive tonal character but to be honest I don’t see it as an issue if anything this brings a bit of a multi speaker effect from what the EA500LM sounds like. It sounds like it has dedicated treble tweeters and a dedicated bass driver. As crazy as that sounds. It's not that the actual sound is disjointed, it is because there is a tonal shift from a warmer lower harmonics to thinner brighter upper harmonics.

Using the other two nozzle filters introduces even more trebles vs the stock brass nozzle. Most of my review was based on using the stock brass nozzle which I feel brings the best balanced version of the EA500LM..

Trebles.
Ample in emphasis and even more so using the two extra nozzles. The trebles of the EA500LM brings treble sparkle and presence for the sound balancing and it is one of those aspects that will depend a lot on how you like your treble emphasis. Simgot would not be Simgot if they had a rolled off treble or trebles that lack emphasis. I have yet to hear a Simgot IEM with a darker tonal character due to less emphasized treble. Simgot IEMs tend to lean a bit towards clarity and bright vs anything overly warm or muted especially regarding its trebles. The EA500LM here is no different if anything this area is where I feel Simgot can really give the enthusiast some real variation. The stock copper nozzle having the least amount of treble emphasis, even these will clearly have trebles being a part of its sound make up.
Simgot has introduced a kit in the past that incorporates an extra fitting nozzle with various density foams that brings down the treble emphasis to even a greater extent. Trebles are the area where some folks love a lot or don’t like even a moderate amount. I feel there is a lost opportunity to give a real variance in the treble tunings here. Because essentially what you are getting is a moderate emphasized trebles with their stock copper nozzles, silver nozzle with red ring brings even more emphasis with leans more brighter and then the silver nozzle with black ring brings the most emphasis out of the 3. It is more or less 3 different levels of emphasis in the treble department and it is just my opinion but it would be even better if they took the silver nozzle with black rings to go the opposite of the silver nozzle with red rings for a slightly warmer smoother treble signature.

This is in fact the same exact complaint I had with their EA1000 IEM. Because as it is constituted you go from sparkling to bright to glaring with these 3 nozzles. Would make more sense to go from smooth, sparkling to bright instead is my point to give a real variance on the tuning.

The trebles as it is constituted has plenty of sparkle and shimmer when called for and has a good amount of detail aspects to its make up. I do like the stock treble ability and emphasis for the base EA500LM tuning. You're getting a good balanced treble emphasis with some excellent tight transient qualities. Its solid treble emphasis provides a balanced combination of ability and presence, excellent details for trebles with a good amount of extension to boot. There is no lack for the trebles and nothing blunted in the treble presence. Shimmer and sparkles are always present for the stock tuning. Its overall presentation is balanced enough from the opposite end where there is a good amount of mid to sub bass presence to balance out its presentation.

Its included brass nozzles= best balancing of the Simgot harmon tuning.
Silver nozzle/ red ring = slightly brighter treble notes with uplift in slightly brighter tonality
Silver nozzle/ black ring= bright harmon tuning shifting sound signature toward trebles.

Mids, is a touch laid back vs the treble presence and the bass presence. I don't necessarily perceive the mids and being recessed here but it's not exactly forward in the mix either. I have seen some complaints of others saying the mids seem a bit thin sounding. Well yes when you're listening to them with the included cable and especially noticed more so when using the silver nozzles. This is where if you care enough to try for a $89 IEM, Simgots own LC7 cable. These are remarkable as it synergizes with the Simgot IEMS and provides that bit of added note weight that is missing from the stock presentation and does not actually enhance more of the treble emphasis in the process. This makes a bunch of sense that Simgots own cable synergizes well with Simgot's own IEMs. In any case the included cable is enough to show you what they are about and that is about it. It is a more technical leaning cable too meaning it provides enough transparency for the IEM to show what you are listening to but does not exactly optimize and maximize the sound of the EA500LM.

Mids technical aspects like layering, sound separation, imaging and its sense of space is good actually very good for a sub $100 IEM, even slightly better than the OG EA500. However its forward trebles and its more extended sub bass presence brings a bit of a V shaped sound profile, which is not exactly a bad thing but in doing so some may prefer a more forward lower mids presentation. The EA500LMs lower mids especially sound a bit more laid back vs the more pronounced upper mids which makes the mids sound more neutral for the mids for its balancing this time. The slightly uneven mids with the upper mid skew brings a clear- standard brass nozzle to bright- silver nozzle overall tonal character.

Mids performance varies with the sources and cables you attach to the EA500LM. A more neutral sounding source will make them sound a bit leaner. A more full bodied warm sounding source will bring more substance to how the EA500LM will sound so experimenting with your sources will certainly help if you feel the EA500LM can sound a bit thinner in makeup.

Bass
Leans more emphasis towards sub bass this time vs the OG EA500 more linear mid to sub bass emphasis. The ability of this new driver can dig deep at the same time brings excellent extension for trebles on the opposite end. The Lithium magnesium alloy dome shows it is capable of covering the entire gamut of why we listen to music in the first place. However, while I feel its speed and tactile nature is slightly improved from the prior EA500. It does not provide the same type of texture of the carbon composite dynamic used for the OG EA500. It's certainly not bad here and again it will come down to just how finicky you are with your bass presentations. Its bass performance is quite good here even though I am nit picking more than anything.

Bass end keeps up with the more technical presentation and certainly has a good solid tight quality to the sound. It's not as impactful in the mid bass for the EA500LM but certainly does not lag too far behind.

A bit of a suggestion for Simgot but if you guys want to use your Diamond like carbon for bass and this new Lithium Magnesium alloy dynamic for mids and trebles and then use the front passive radiator tech thrown in from the EA1000 for a new dual dynamic IEM. Now that would make for an interesting IEM.

Sub bass fans will like this new tuning angle vs the prior EA500s in that it does have more emphasis leaning toward sub bass and digs deeper in comparison . Where it lacks a bit of texture is easily made up for in its tight speedy presentation. Bass overall like all of Simgots IEMs are satisfactory. Some might prefer having a bit more mid bass emphasis but overall there is really not much to complain about. This slight tweak to the harmon tunings from the prior EA500 actually opens up more of the mids which leaves the tonal quality to be influenced more by the same 10dbs of upper mid gain more so than the warm low bass presence. Hence I hear a bit of sweetness on top of its overall clarity for the EA500LM. Don't know if it is due to the tonal quality brought by this material or if it is a residual effect of having ample trebles for this material.

Overall
I would say the EA500LM is a nicely technical clean sounding IEM but can be a bit strident when using their other filter sets. Which brings me to my biggest criticism for Simgot. Why include 2 even more treble infused nozzles when the stock tuning already has plenty. It would be very interesting to see an actual count of just how many folks use the other nozzles. The whole idea of the nozzle filters is to bring some variance/ variety for the tunings but so far from all their sets that have tuning nozzles, they only include nozzles that actually increase the trebles and none that actually lower the trebles. This to me does not make much sense. I get that Simgot is going for specific harmon tunings. Some of the best IEMs I have ever heard and I have heard more than a lifetime's worth of IEMs, do not adhere to Harmon tunings. I am just saying.
But then they provide a tuning kit you can buy? I know each manufacturer has their own style of tuning, be it the main tuning engineer or a committee that makes the final decision on how to design a sound. But just how many of these reviews must you guys read before you realize. Hey, maybe our Simgot harmon curve needs reinventing? A lot of these reviewers are saying the Simgot harmon curve sounds a bit bright? You have to know this bright version of the Harmon tuning is fatiguing meaning it's not the type of sound even for the most treble enthusiastic person to actually listen to for a longer period of time.

I am telling you guys. Your Harmon Target curve is too bright and this is coming from a middle aged enthusiast that don't hear as well as some of these younger folks that review these IEMs. There is a fine line of being technical and bright and technical and just right. You guys are so very close to getting Technical and just right but it isn’t just right. It is just a hair over just right. Hence the need for an actual greater variance with your tuning curves when you include your nozzles. Giving the consumer something that actually dips into the warmer side of tuning vs having 3 variations of what is essentially the same thing increasing treble presence with each one. Otherwise the trebles for the EA500LM is highly detailed and with plenty of addictive sparkle in the mix. I do like the EA500LM quite a bit and not too many sub $100 IEMs will be exactly what these Simgot IEMs are doing at the prices they are sold for. However I feel the inclusion of tuning nozzles can use a bit of a reshuffle as it is pretty much the same idea with all their IEMs. It goes from clean--glaring in treble performance.

Who prefers glaring? Not too many people I know to be honest and that is my point. Tuning nozzles are effective in getting the tonal and balancing right for the end user but if the options are just limited to bright and even brighter. That is not much of an option if I am to be honest. Simgots IEMs are definitely worth owning due to the positives I have laid out but at the same time there is potential to be even better and it has to do with the various nozzles you guys put out with the same tunings. Just some food for thought.

DISCLAIMER

I would like to thank Simgot for providing this review unit.

The EA500LM can be gotten here: https://www.linsoul.com/products/simgot-ea500-lm (no affliliate links).




SPECIFICATIONS

• Driver configuration: Lithium-magnesium diaphragm dynamic driver
• Impedance: 21 ohms
• Frequency response: 20 Hz - 20 kHz
• Sensitivity: 123dB/Vrms (@1kHz gold/red nozzle), 123dB/Vrms (@1kHz silver/red nozzle), 124dB/Vrms (@1kHz silver/black nozzle)
• Cable: 2-pin, 0.78 mm; 3.5 mm termination. Silver-plated OFC wire
• Tested at: $89.99 USD

ACCESSORIES



Other than the IEM, these are included:
- 3 pairs of silicone eartips (S/M/L)
- Cable
- Carrying case
- 3 pairs of tuning nozzles
- Spare silicone rings

The accessories are decent for a sub-$100 set, perhaps other than the lack of other types of eartips.




The silicone eartips are serviceable from a sonic and comfort perspective, though it would have been nice to have a wider selection of tips, be it foam or silicone ones.




Simgot has provided a silver-plated OFC cable, sheathed with anti-oxidation PVC. This is well-braided but is somewhat tangly. Thankfully, there's a chin cinch for added grip.




There's an ovoid zipper leatherette case, with inner webbing to store accessories, and a bunch of spare silicone ring identifiers.




Lastly, we have 3 pairs of tuning nozzles, which we will go into further detail below.




The rest of this review was done with the stock cable and stock silicone tips. No aftermarket accessories were used, so as not to add any confounders to the sound.


BUILD/COMFORT



The EA500LM is fashioned from CNC etched alloy. It comes in a tear-drop shape design, with a mirror-like finish. While this is elegant, it may be a fingerprint or scratch magnet.

The shells are light and ergonomic, and are designed from accumulated data of 3D ear models. Indeed, comfort is top-notch for long listening sessions, with no awkward protrusions to poke the ears.

I did not find any driver flex on my pair. Isolation is above average in view of the vented acoustics.


TUNING NOZZLES/INTERNALS

The EA500LM - as per its "LM" namesake - utilizes a lithium-magnesium diaphragm dynamic driver.

Tuning nozzles are all the rage nowadays, and unexpectedly, this set comes with 3 pairs of tuning nozzles. Unlike other "tunable" IEMs that are gimmicky with minimal changes in tonality, I'm glad to report that the tuning nozzles of the EA500LM do contribute to some tonal differences:

Graphs of the Simgot EA500LM via IEC711 coupler. 8 kHz is a coupler artefact.

Simgot is known for its bright Harmanish house sound, and the black/silver and silver/red nozzles are tuned in the same vein as this stock house sound, bringing a thin but resolving and transparent soundscape, with solid technicalities to the table.

For the pinna-gain sensitive, the gold/red nozzle is a better match, toning down the upper mids and lower treble as per the graphs above, though with a slight compromise in resolution. This gold/red nozzle combination provides a thicker note weight than the basic Simgot tuning, with more meat to the bones.

The first 2 nozzles will suit the trebleheads and vocal lovers, with the silver/red nozzle being kind of a midpoint compromise if you want something more analytical but less fatiguing. Personally, I am not a fan of the overly bright silver/black config, and mostly utilized the more laid-back gold/red setup.


DRIVABILITY

I tested the EA500LM with the following sources:
- Apple dongle
- Cayin RU7
- Chord Mojo 2
- Fiio KA11 dongle
- Fiio KA17 dongle
- Khadas Tone Board -> Schiit Asgard 3 amp
- Questyle M15 DAC/AMP dongle
- Sony Walkman NW A-55 DAP (Walkman One WM1Z Plus v2 Mod)
- Sony Walkman NW A-55 DAP (Walkman One Neutral Mod)
- Sony Walkman NW WM1A DAP (Walkman One WM1Z Plus v2 Mod)
- Smartphone

This IEM is easily driven, and additional amplification is not 100% required.


SOUND & TECHNICALITIES



The following impressions were done with the gold/red nozzle installed.

On this setup, the EA500LM has a Harmanish tonality that is quite crowd-pleasing. Simgot has taken on feedback from their previous IEMs, to shave off a few dB from the zealous upper mids of their house sound with this gold/red tuning nozzle.

Bass is focused at the sub-bass, though there is a sub-bass roll-off. This IEM is hence not for bassheads. While there is no mid-bass bleed, the texturing can be one-noted at times, though it is relatively speedy during complex bass movements.

The lower midrange is clean and transparent, with just a touch of mid-bass warmth. With a 9 dB ear gain on the gold/red nozzle, the upper mids are forwards but relatively shout-free, which is a very tough line to balance. The other 2 nozzles have a more zealous upper midrange, and I find the gold/red one to be the most restrained of the lot for this frequency band.

Treble is moderately extended, though this isn't the most airy of IEMs. We have decent resolution and clarity retained, though not veering to too much fatigue. Sibilance is just slight, with no splashy high hats or cymbals.

Timbre is realistic and authentic, in keeping with its single DD roots. No complaints here.

The EA500LM is a really solid in technicalities, for a sub-$100 USD single DD. Soundstage is wide, with accurate imaging and solid layering (soundstage height and depth are above average). There's a good sprinkling of micro-details and fast transients noted.


COMPARISONS

The EA500LM will be compared against other sub-$100 USD single DDs. Planars, multi-BAs, and hybrids are left out as the different driver types have their pros and cons.
The gold/red nozzle is used on the EA500LM for the comparisons.


Simgot EA500 (original)


Graphs of the Simgot EA500LM versus OG EA500, via IEC711 coupler. 8 kHz is a coupler artefact.

The OG EA500 has only 2 tuning nozzles, and both have less sub-bass than the EA500LM's 3 tuning nozzles.

When compared to the gold/red nozzle on the EA500LM, the EA500 is a tinge thinner in note weight, with a less natural timbre. The EA500 has slightly better micro-detailing, but loses in soundstage and bass extension. The EA500 is easier to drive.

In the big scheme of things, considering the EA500LM is about 10 bucks more than the OG EA500, it is an incremental upgrade and not a night-and-day different IEM. You get a slightly more refined IEM with an extra tuning nozzle in a way, but for existing owners of the OG EA500, perhaps there is not great value proposition to procure the newer EA500LM.


Oriveti OD100

The OD100 is a brighter IEM - it is shoutier in the upper mids, more sibilant in the treble, with less bass. Overall, this contributes to the OD100 sounding more fatiguing than the gold/red nozzle config on the EA500LM.

Timbre is worse on the OD100, and it is technically a league behind, with the OD100 having inferior micro-detailing, soundstage and layering.

The OD100 can be worn cable down or over-ears, so fit is a bit more versatile, but it is has no tuning nozzles to vary the tonality.


Moondrop Aria 2

The Aria 2 follows the virtual diffuse sound field (VDSF) - which is essentially Moondrop's in-house variant of the Harman curve.

Tonally, the Aria 2 has less bass, but is a tinge brighter. It hence sounds more sterile. Technically, the Aria 2 is slightly poorer, with a smaller soundstage and weaker imaging/micro-detailing.


CONCLUSIONS



It is rare to find a budget IEM that does well in most departments. Verily, most budget gear have compromises in some form or other, but the EA500LM manages to do well in the 3Ts of tonality, technicalities and timbre.

Accessories, aesthetics and build are good for the coin, and it is easily driven. There are 3 tuning nozzles to spice up tonal options, from a bright analytical-focused tuning to a slightly tamer Harmanish fare, to suit different ear sensitivities and preferences. Timbre is impeccable, and technicalities as alluded to, are solid. Soundstage width and imaging are really well done, even when compared against other single DD sets under a 100 bucks.

Well nothing is perfect, and there are admittedly some small nitpicks. The bass perhaps could do with better texturing, and the black/silver nozzle may be overly fatiguing for all but the most diehard of trebleheads.

Nevertheless, as an overall package, the EA500LM is certainly multifaceted and polished, and would be one of my go-to recommendations for a high-performing sub-$100 single DD set.

Thaslaya's star rating system:
☆☆☆☆☆ - Best in class/buy it now
☆☆☆☆ - Highly recommended
☆☆☆ - Sound for thee, not for me
☆☆ - Can't see the appeal
☆ - Product is a failure

Disclaimer:
This product was purchased by me and all opinions are my own.

Gear used:
●LG v30+
●Samsung Galaxy s22 Ultra
●Samsung dongle
●Hiby FC4

Source:
●Listening was done through Amazon Music HD or Ultra HD. Iems were burned in for 50 hours prior to review.

Introduction:
● Simgot has had quite a few releases in the past year: EW200, EM6L, EA1000, EA500 and now EA500LM. Most of them have been well received. I have not heard the original EA500 so can't say how the LM model builds on its predecessor. The 3 tuning nozzles is what sold me on wanting to try the newest release by Simgot. Let's see how they sound.

Build, fit, ergonomics:
● The 500LM sports an all metal shell construction. The weight strikes a perfect balance for me. Fit was not an issue at all, however, I would have liked more than just the 3 pairs of included tips. The stock cable is pretty lackluster for the price. It feels and looks cheap compared to the iems themselves. I would expect this cable to accompany the EW200 which is half the price. It is nice that there is a small zipper case included but it's nothing to write home about.

Sound impressions:
● Let's start by saying the 500LM is a brightly tuned set. The note weight is pretty lean. I would have prefered it to be slightly thicker. There are 3 tuning nozzles so it should offer 3 distinct tuning options. I would describe them as follows:

Gold - smoothest presentation of the 3
Silver/red - very close to gold nozzle with a little more treble sharpness
Silver/black - sharpest treble and most extension

I'm disappointed that the nozzles don't vary more in their tuning. To my surprise I prefer the silver/black nozzle even though I would consider myself treble sensitive. It has the sharpest treble presentation with the best extension but without sibilance. I found it to be the most balanced. The vocals have the best presentation of the 3 which is probably why I prefer this nozzle. The gold nozzle is the least bright but I couldn't tell much difference between them and the silver/red. Tuning aside, the 500LM's biggest selling point is its technicalities. The imaging, instrument separation, and overall amount of detail at this price point is insane. I would say the soundstage is above average and instruments are well placed.

●Lows - The bass quality and quantity are very good. There is plenty of sub and mid bass to please most. I would say there's more sub bass but not by much. It has a quick attack and decay and it stays nice and tight with no bleed. The notes are a bit leaner than I prefer.

●Mid - The mids on all 3 nozzles are generally recessed compared to the bass and treble. Vocals are recessed a bit too much for my liking on the gold and silver/red nozzles. They aren't necessarily veiled but they get a bit smothered and take a back seat. With the silver/black nozzle, vocals came forward a bit more and I didn't detect any shoutiness.

●Highs - If you like a bright and crisp treble you will find it here in spades. The 500LM will please most trebleheads. The air and extension is really nice. Plenty of shimmer and sparkle with very little sibilance to be found. For me personally this tuning can get fatiguing fast so it isn't my preference but I can see the appeal for someone looking for detail above all else.

●Balanced:
The 500LM are very easily driven so using a balanced connection is definitely not required. When hooked up to my Hiby FC4, the details seem to get a little sharper and notes seem to get a little more weight. The treble isn't quite as fatiguing and the sub bass digs deeper. I prefered the balanced connection over the simpler 3.5mm due to these changes. The entire spectrum seems to warm up a bit which is my preference. Of course that could be the FC4 injecting it's own flavor into the 500LM.

Summary:
Trebleheads rejoice! If you value a resolving iem with great instrument separation, the 500LM is what you're looking for. For under $100, I didnt think I would ever find something this technically savvy. I was hearing every detail in my music, even those I didn't know were there. It's a technical marvel but it's not necessarily my personal tuning preference. I do enjoy my time with the 500LM but overall I prefer warm and musical over bright and technical. There is absolutely great value here and I recommend this set to anyone who wants a technically correct sound and a very technical set.

Disclaimer: The EA500 LM was provided by Simgot for a review

NOTES:

Simgot has been around a while but has risen to prominence over the last year or so and is now a brand that is widely recognized. The EA500 LM, $90usd, is the second iteration of the celebrated OG EA500 and the shell design is pretty much identical. It is the sound that has changed, and for the better.

Driver compliment is still a single dynamic driver consisting of a Lithium-Magnesium dome diaphragm. This is the first major change from the original EA500. Simgot claims that this material is even lighter than pure Beryllium. A second generation dual-magnetic and dual-cavity is also employed with tech taken straight out of the more expensive EA1000. Marketing aside, it’s always the sound that counts in the end. There is a choice of three tuning nozzles provided and I found that for my listening preferences and evaluation the red nozzle was best.

Easy to drive, the EA500 LM is at home with most sources driving it. Tip selection, as per usual, is not to be overlooked as well. Comparisons with the original EA500 have to be made.

Read on to find out more.


SPECS:

Impedance: 21Ω±15%(@1kHz)

Sensitivity: 123dB/Vrms (@1kHz Gold Copper nozzle & Red Silicone Ring)
123dB/Vrms (@1kHz Silver Steel nozzle & Red Silicone Ring)
124dB/Vrms (@1kHz Silver Steel nozzle & Black Silicone Ring)
Frequency response range: 10Hz-50kHz
Effective frequency response: 20Hz-20kHz
Connector: 0.78mm 2-pin
Cable material: high-purity silver-plated OFC cable
PRICE: $89.99 USD


BUILD FIT & QUALITY:

The Simgot EA500 LM shares the same physical characteristics as the original. Fit and finish are commendable as with the apparent quality. The included accessories include the tuning nozzles, a set of tips and case. The stock cable is good looking with ok haptics but nothing special at this price range.

Fit was not an issue as the EA500 LM is of medium sized with a moderately protruding nozzle. Simgot are following their usual high standards with respect to fit and finish. The retail packaging is also nicely done and interesting both to look at and the unboxing experience.




SOUND:

BASS:

One of the major criticisms of the original EA500 was that it had good quality bass but lacked power and impact. This led to many, including myself, to mod the OG with a duct cover mod. The EA500 LM has that bass the OG was missing. In fact, the LM sounds like the og with the bass mod, but with a step up in refinement.

Bass goes deep and has a pleasing roundness to it. There is a snappiness to the low end which has good speed and acceptable amounts of texturing and definition. Bass comes alive at moderate to higher levels revealing pleasing quantities of slam. The LM is not a basshead iem, but one with bass I did enjoy.

On the track “In Passing” by the Robert Glasper trio, the LM represented itself well with vibrant reproduction of the double bass. On “Poem of the Chinese Drum” by Yim Hok-Man the LM did well with good if not visceral impact. It was noted that the bass decay was somewhat slower than I would have liked which could on bass busy tracks cause some blurring but it is track dependant. Of course, I’m being critical here but that’s what reviews are for.

The EA500LM is a definite improvement over the original with stronger bass output and further refinement.


MIDRANGE:

The midrange sounds open and detailed if a little analytical yet not enough to sound cold. Vocals do stand out in the mix usually in front of the instruments. Sound is lively and engaging with little harshness. The mid-bass does add just a touch of warmth to the lower mids but not enough to be distracting. There is an upper midrange emphasis that is well controlled but with the other nozzles I found a tad excessive at times.

Male vocals had acceptable weight with just a touch of warmth. Listening to “Closer to Heaven” by the incredible Phil Perry, his vocals came through with great clarity. “Sweet Love” by Anita Baker was a similar experience.

The midrange has a lushness to it and the level of detail retrieval was impressive. The LM also did well with busy tracks such as “Beautiful Lie” by Vick Lavander. Layering and separation were good, but not class leading, keeping all the musical instruments in their place and discernable. This clarity though did suffer at higher volume levels with the soundscape tending to flatten out. I admit to not being drawn into the music as much as I would have liked, yet still enjoying the listening experience.

Timbre was good but depending on the nozzle used can make some stringed and woodwind instruments take on an overly bright signature that was just south of natural. Note wight was acceptable and transient handling was good as well with nice sharp impact and natural falloff.


TREBLE:

The Simgot EA500LM offers a treble that is reasonably extended with a nice smoothness to it. This is not a shy treble presentation yet does not get harsh. I found that the treble, with the right nozzle choice, was pleasing with good definition and energy yet never overpowering the rest of the music. Air and sparkle were present in quantity.

Compared to the original EA500 the treble on the LM was definitely more refined. Treble with the LM has a more natural sound with even better control which contributed to the open sonics the LM relays.


IMAGING AND SOUNDSTAGE:

The Simgot EA500 LM offers a moderately expansive soundstage with good height but to a lesser extent depth. Instrument placement within that soundstage was fine and the LM never sounding congested unless pushed hard.


VERSUS:

-Simgot EA500-

There are definite differences between the OG and the LM. Bass is more prominent, though far from basshead on either, with the LM. What it all boils down to is refinement. The LM variant just sounds more refined throughout the frequency range as compared to the original. With a few simple mods the EA500 can come close to the LM but not quite. Still not necessarily an upgrade for OG owners.




CONCLUSION:

Simgot has again graced us with a pleasant sounding iem. The tuning choices afforded by the nozzles is welcomed and makes the EA500 LM more of a crowd pleaser. The LM is a step up in refinement as compared to the original EA500 and I would say is a better choice for those who are newly looking for an iem in this price range rather than existing EA500 owners, in particular if they are willing to do a few easy mods. That being said the EA500 LM is definitely an iem that should be on anyone’s shortlist when shopping in this price range.

Review Of The Simgot EA500 LM​

Introduction​

Simgot, a brand I admire, has developed a slew of IEMs beloved by many audiophiles like myself, and they have always delivered the unexpected, whether it is the affordable line of the EW200 or EA500 or the mid-budget IEMs like the EM6L or EA1000. This firm, which re-entered the audiophile market two years ago, has grown to become one of the most popular brands among audiophiles. They just launched the successor, or rather sidegrade, to the EA500, known as the EA500 LM, which utilizes new drivers, and I was fortunate enough to receive one for evaluation. But before we go any further, I'd want to clarify a few issues.

Disclaimer​

*Since this unit tour was organised by the kind people at Linsoul, I am grateful to them. And as I've said in all of my evaluations, the same is true for this one: all of the concepts I've expressed below are entirely my own, original ideas that haven't been influenced by anyone else. If interested, go to this link.
*I am not associated with the connection, and I receive no financial assistance from anyone.
*For the remainder of the review, I will refer to these IEMs as “EA500LM.”
*I am using different Ear-tips for convenience and better versatility.
*Finally, I will only evaluate the EA500LM based on their performance, even though I will explain how it feels and seems physically and aesthetically.

Specification​

The EA500LM has a new single dynamic driver configuration, a second generation dual magnet and dual cavity dynamic driver with a new lithium-magnesium dome diaphragm. Except for the faceplate with an LM engraved in the centre, everything is the same as it’s predecessor; the shells are quite heavy in the hand despite not putting much weight on the ears; however, the fit was an issue with my ears, and I had to spend a lot of time practising tip rolling to get the ideal seal and fit. Only because of the fit did I feel tired after a long listening session. The shells look exquisite and have a great premium finish. There are three pairs of nozzles that produce different tunings, and changing the nozzle looks to be simple. Despite being a high purity silver plated OFC cable with a 2 pin connection at one end and a 3.5mm straight plug at the other, the supplied cable feels heavy and slightly rubbery in my hands. The other accessories are three pairs of eartips in various sizes, a hard oval carrying case, two other pairs of nozzles, lot of replaceable rings for the nozzle and a cable. In terms of the technical specifications, the sensitivity is approximately 123dB, and the impedance is 21 Ohms. The effective frequency response spans the range of 20Hz to 20kHz.

Sound​

I must say that I am astounded by the degree of improvement felt while listening to the EA500LM compared to the EA500, despite the fact that the tuning is nearly identical but with higher sound quality and quantity. I already feel that the EA500 sounds great, but when compared to the EA500LM, it appears to be lacking in technical ability as well as tuning, which might be because I like that type of response. To be honest, I can't tell much more about the differences because I don't have the EA500 to compare them to, but I was able to listen to it lately and evaluated the two based on that memory. However, I don't believe any other IEM in this price range can compete with the quality that SIMGOT provides, unless the listener desires a different tune. The EA500LM's response is more V-shaped than balanced, with notes that have a distinct clarity unlike any other IEM I've heard in this price range, and this time I like the bass response. Let's go further into the sound to learn more about it.

Treble​

The treble area is extremely detailed and clear, maybe more so than its predecessor. The sound quality and presence are significantly superior to any other IEM in this price range; nevertheless, in terms of consistency, I feel this one has ups and downs. Overall, I believe the response is appropriate. The top treble has strong extension, with the voices stretching out and sounding noticeable, while the instruments have a back presence and the notes have a wonderful glimmering presentation. The response is similar to that of EA1000, although it is noticeably less resolved.The lower treble is the most lively section of the entire response, with the voice and instrument sounding upfront and invigorating to listen to. Although I feel the notes to have superb definition, this is also owing to good note separation. The notes have greater room to sound open and clearer. The vocals have a vibrant tone with a light and airy response, while the instruments have the same clarity but are more expressive. Consequently, the overall presentation of the treble area is detailed, clear, and open sounding.

Mid Range​

In the midrange, the notes maintain their purity and crisp tone, but they are more bodied and weighted, resulting in a more natural response that sounds inviting. Though, if I recall properly, the notes sound thinner than the EA500 but similar to the EW200. The upper midrange resonates with the same vigor as the lower treble, allowing the response to remain upfront while sounding more tonally true. The vocals have a dynamic presentation, whilst the instruments take a more forward approach, resulting in notes that sound thick and energetic, making the overall reaction more open and engaging. Although the lower midrange lacks weight and solidity, as the singers and instruments have a cleaner response than I prefer, there is enough to keep the response from sounding shouty or fake. I feel the EA500 was superior in terms of sounding warmer in the lower midrange. Overall, the mid range's presentation is bright, dynamic, and forward-being.

Bass​

When it comes to bass, I really like it. I recall that the EA500 lacked bass, particularly in the sub bass zone, but the EA500LM makes up for it. The response is not overpowering or loud, but the lower notes have greater depth and clarity, which completes the response in my opinion. To be honest, I like a balanced response with sub bass increase, and it provides a strong yet clean bass.The focus is on the subbass area, which stretches deep and serves to produce a rumbling sensation in the ears, giving the music a strong presence; the punches are also powerful. The mid bass lacks presence but helps to generate pounding impacts; the slams sound effective but don't hit as hard physically. The bass texture and clarity are exceptionally nicely developed, and the notes sound distinct and pure. As a result, the bass area delivers a powerful, thumping, and controlled performance.

Technical Performance​

The technical performance of the EA500LM is among the greatest I've heard from a 90 USD IEM or less. The separation and clarity of the notes, while remaining as tonally agreeable as possible without introducing any undesirable features like as sibilance or scream, is quite outstanding. Let us delve into further depth.

Soundstage, Sound Imaging & Separation​

The stage is far and broad enough to provide a surround response, specifically holographic, with excellent imaging that is crisp and clear, with a strong focus on how and where the notes are placed. And the significant spacing between the notes allows me to quickly locate where the music is originating from.

Speed & Resolution​

When it comes to resolution, these are incredible for the price. I mean the details, whether big or tiny; I never anticipated them to come out so expressively. The assault and decay of the notes are very fast-paced, allowing the response to sound clear and distinct.

Sound Impressions ​

Tuning Nozzles ​

The impressions were made using the stock nozzle that came with the EA500LM, which are gold nozzles, hence the evaluations above and below were done with solely gold nozzles.

Red Ring Silver Nozzle - With this nozzle configuration, the sound was more mid-centric, with voices sounding more upfront and intimate, and a more energetic response. The treble seemed similar to the midrange, but the higher extension was more restrained. The differences aren't really obvious.

Black Ring Silver Nozzle - With this nozzle arrangement, the sound was more apparent in the midrange, with a stronger accent on male vocals. The female vocals had the same vitality as previously, but the male voices were clearer and more present in the mix; yet, in the treble area, the higher extension felt drowned out. The changes felt a little more evident here.

Sources​

Sony WM1A - While listening to the EA500LM with the WM1A, the response became more expansive and stretched out, allowing it to sound more open and airy. The vocals sounded somewhat back, although this was owing to a more expansive and well-rounded response. Whether vocals or instruments, everything sounds nice and lovely without compromising nuances, however the clarity is less noticeable. The bass seemed louder but didn't sound particularly forceful, although it was more resolved with nice separation. Such a response contributed to a more warm tone, making it more appealing to my ears and enjoyable to listen to.

Tempotec V6 - While listening to the EA500 with the V6, the response was more transparent and clear, with notes that had a higher level of clarity than any other source I had heard. The notes, particularly those in the upper frequency range, seem more clear and precise, but because the presentation is more closed, the instruments or singers have a peaky response that is emphasised in the mix. The bass, on the other hand, sounds more powerful and well-resolved, with a stronger presence in the mix.

Akliam PD4 Plus - When paired with the PD4 Plus, the response was nicely resolved, with a pleasant tonal sound that retained the same details as any other source. The midrange is more accentuated, and the bottom seems slightly meatier than previously. The response sounds more intimate, with less treble extension.

Tracks​

Luna Haruna - Glory days
Luna Haruna - Overfly
Rokudenashi - The Flame of Love
LMYK - 0 (zero)
ORESKABAND - Jitensya
Marina Horiuchi - Mizukagami no Sekai
RADWIMPS - Suzume
Indila - Love Story
Indila - Tourner dans le vide
Earth, Wind & Fire - September
Tom Petty - Free Fallin'
Fleetwood Mac - Everywhere
Nirvana - Smells Like Teen Spirit
Blue Oyester Cult - (Don't Fear) The Reaper
Guns 'N' Roses - Sweet Child O' Mine
The Police - Every Breath You Take
Gojira - Amazonia
TV on the radio - Wolf Like Me
Bring Me To The Horizon - Can You Feel My Heart
Bring Me To The Horizon - sTraNgeRs
Avril Lavigne - Dare To Love Me
Travis - Love Will Come Through
Gotye - Somebody That I Used To Know
DJ Shadows - Six Days (Remix) [feat. Mos Def]
Lady Gaga - Just Dance
Lil Wayne - Lollipop
Flo Rida - Low
Sebastian Lopez & Flug - Electronic Measures
Federico Mecozzi - Blue (Da Ba Dee)
Wayve - Not Enough
Kai Wachi & TeZATalks - Ghost
NGHTMRE, Zeds Dead & Tori Levett - Shady Intentions
Zeds Dead, DNMO & GG Magree - Save My Grave
Skrillex, Noisia, josh pan & Dylan Brady - Supersonic
Skrillex & Nai Barghouti - Xena
Skrillex, Missy Elliott & Mr. Oizo - RATATA
Kaifi Khalil, Eva B & Wahab Bugti - Kana Yaari
A.R. Rahman, Javed Ali & Mohit Chauhan - Kun Faya Kun

Conclusion​

Finally, if anyone is looking to upgrade any IEM and has a budget of less than $100 USD, I would recommend this pair of IEMs. The EA500LM is the beast they can get because of its excellent details and resolution, as well as a lively and enticing presentation that will never bore you. Of course, those who want a warm sound can test these to see whether they are worth the money, but for clarity and detailed focus response, these cannot be surpassed by any other IEM that I have tried in this price range, thus I wholeheartedly suggest them.