Rose Cappuccino MK2;
The Beauty and the Beast!


First of all, I would like to thank PenonAudio for giving me a discount in return for this review.

Purchase Link: http://penonaudio.com/Rose-Cappuccino-MKII


Introduction:

The company Rose Technology is founded by University students in China and is specialized in IEM and Earbuds.

The Rose Cappuccino MKII is the Secondary flagship of the Company.


The motto of the company Rose is “Create difference”.




The main differences of First Cappuccino and MK2:


The first released version of the Cappuccino (aka MKI) had some minor issues with its 2 pin configuration.

After these issues, the company decided to use the new MMCX interface instead of the old 2 pin configuration for the new batch’s of the first Cappuccino and now for the new released MKII.

The biggest differences between the old Cappuccino and the new MK2 are the bass switch option.

The MK2 has a bass switch that lets you configure the bass amount.

The second improvement over the old Cappuccino is the re-designed and improved housing that gives a better wearing experience.

The third and last difference is the new Knowles 31736 balanced armature driver, which gives the MK2 a less distorted high frequency range.



Package and Accessories:

I think the company DUNU is the champion when it comes to accessories in the package.

The company Rose in the other hand gives us a small but useful accessory box.

So, what’s inside the box?

• Cable with MMXC interface: 1 piece
• Silicone eartips (blue color) : 4 pairs
• Silicone eartips (in transparent white) : 1 pair
• Double flansh eartips : 1 pair
• Foam eartips : 1 pair
• Hard Case : 1 piece
• Soft pouch : 1 piece
• 3.5mm to 6.5mm female adaptor: 1 piece
• Clips: 1 piece

inside the box



The provided Hard case is small and handy, it looks like a pelican case but I don’t think that it is water resistant.

The eartips inside the box are soft and comfortable, but can’t compete with Sony and Spinfit silicone tips.

The soft case is made of a silk like material that feels good in your hands.

BTW, it is nice to see a 3.5mm to 6.5mm female adaptor inside the box.

About the cable;


The cable that came in the box with my Rose Cappuccino MK2 is made of a soft material. It feels good in your hand and has no microphonic effects. The connection type is MMCX.


Specification:

The Rose Cappuccino MK2 has a 2BA (Knowles type 31736 ) + 2 DD (Panasonic 13.5mm) driver configuration.

As mentioned before, the MK2 has two switch options;

OFF is suitable for genres like pop, electronic, RnB etc. and the switch position ON is for genres like classical and jazz music’s with focus of instrument presentation.


The On / Off switch



Here are some technical specifications:

• IEM Type: Hybrid type of IEM
• Driver Type: 2 BA (Knowles 31736 ) + 2 DD (Panasonic 13.5mm Dual Dynamic Driver)
• Sensitivity: 108dB / mW
• Impedance: 12Ω
• Frequency response range: 4-26000Hz
• Plug diameter: 3.5mm
• Connection Type: MMCX
• Switch: 1 Switch for Bass Tuning ON/OFF option

Design and Build Quality:

Oh, this gear is a beauty!

The MK2 that I have ordered and shown in my pictures below is called Van Gogh Blue.

This color pattern is inspired by the well known painting Starry Night by Vincent Van Gogh.


Starry Night by Vincent Van Gogh




The MK2’s shell is built with a 3D painting technology and is made of plastic. The build quality of the unit is well done.

The 13.5mm diameter Dual Dynamic Driver made by Panasonic occupies the largest area in MK2’s shell. The two Knowles type 31736 Balanced Armature drivers are really small compared next to the Panasonic DD drivers. The BA drivers are located inside the Nozzle.


The BA drivers are located inside the Nozzle



Fit and Isolation:

The MK2 is a relative small monitor for a 2BA + 2DD configuration that sits very comfortable in my ears. I think that the MK2 is one of the most comfortable Universal IEM’s that I have used to date.

The Earsonics Velvet and the Ibasso IT03 are good examples for comfort. But the MK2 is a step above this two.

The worst comfort I ever had with a UIEM was the InEar Stage Diver (not the S).

The isolation of the MK2 is better than my old Velvet and IT03, but the real champion in this category is the Stagediver SD3.


One example of the fit on my ear



Tracks and sources that I have use for this review:

a) Tracks:

• Massive Attack – Angel (Tidal HiFi)
• Celine Dion – The Power of Love (Apple Music)
• Opeth – Windowpane (Tidal HiFi)
• Metallica – Sad but True (Flac 24bit 192khz)
• Meshuggah – Nostrum (Tidal HiFi)
• Vaults – Mend This Love (Apple Music)
• Jehan Barbur – Seni Seviyorum (WAV 16bit 44khz)
• Bang La Decks – Aide (320kbps)
• Dr. Chesky’s – Pamafunck (Flac 24bit 192khz)
• Lorde – Royals (Flac 24bit 48khz)
• Mabel Matiz – Gel (320kbps)
• Amber Rubarth – In the Creases (Tidal HiFi)
• Max Richter - On the Nature of Daylight (Flac 24bit 48khz)
• Arnesen: MAGNIFICAT 4. Et misericordia (DSD 128 5.6448Mbit/s)
• Yosi Horikawa – Bubbles (Tidal HiFi)

b) Sources:

IFI Micro IDSD, Shanling M2S, Walnut V2s, Ipad Air 2, Rose Cappuccino MKII





The Sound:

Note: Please note, I wrote this review after a burn-in process of 150 hours.


First of all, I think that the MK2 has a relative good price to performance ratio when compared to some higher priced IEM with the same configuration.


The MK2 is my first IEM that has a slightly L-shaped sound signature. The Bass is the most present frequency, followed form the highs and the mids. But don’t misunderstand me, the bass of the MK2 didn’t ruin the sound of this IEM and is in no way overpowering the sound when the switch is in reference mod.

Note: Please note, I wrote this review after a burn-in process of 150 hours.

Tonality:

The MK2 is not a cold or too warm sounding IEM. When the bass switch is on reference mod, the MK2 sound fairly natural. It has a small amount of warmth that is coming form the bass especially form the midbass section.


The Bass:

The MK2 has two dynamic drivers inside the shell. Only one of the dynamic drivers is active while the switch is in reference, so in on position.

In off position, the bass of the MK2 is well present but not overpowering. It is tight and has great dynamics, which gives a well bodied music presentation.

The subbass on the other hand gives a good rumble especial in pop and electronic music genres. The midbass kick is relative quick and responsive.

The best part of the bass presentation is, that it is not beading in to the mid section that would otherwise ruin the vocals and instrument presentation.

So, where is now the Beast?


Switching to bass mod:

The MK2 has an enormous bass kick capability when we switch it to the bass mod.

It has a deep and punchy “bass ability” that is also physical noticeable J


If you are a Basshead, the MK2 with its “bass mod” will provide you more than enough bass kick and rumble without ruining the whole music and sounding hollow.

The MK2 reminds me to my old Inear Stagediver SD3, but only quantity wise. When it comes to quality, the MK2 has the upper hand in every respect.

It is more controlled, detailed and has a better layering compared to the SD3 with is BA configuration.

BTW, the Bass quantity of the MK2 is not of my taste when the “bass mod” is on

“ Oh my God, I thing I am ageing ”.


The Mid (Vocal, Instruments etc.):

The vocal presentation of the MK2 is relative neutral. The vocals are by no way recessed, due the L-shaped sound signature.

Both, female and male vocals sound realistic and have enough emotion to bring you in the middle of the stage. It is well defined and has a good layering with great detail that is welcome in this price range.

Nice to hear, that the midbass are not bleeding in to the mids, so that the vocals sound clean and not hollow.

Drums, guitars and flutes are sounding not to colored as I have expected form a dynamic + balanced driver combination. The instrument separation is above its price range.

Both vocals and instruments have a relative small amount of thickness when compared to the natural sound. This is not a big deal because it gives the mid presentation a slightly warmer presentation that is welcome for me.

The only negative side of the mid section is the upper mid presentation. There is a small amount of stress that is sometimes present, especially in bad recorded tracks like Metallica’s - Sad but True.


BTW, I think, that the MK2 is not only suitable for genres like pop, rock, electronic, RnB etc. It is also capable to make more critical listening with genres like classic and jazz music (for example Amber Rubarth).


Switching to bass mod:

If you listen to genres like classic, rock or metal music, I wouldn’t advise you to switch to the bass mod. The bass presence is not suitable for genres with to many instruments.

This mode is made more for electronic music fans that won’t compromise details in the music without loosing deep bass J and the MK2 does its job well!


The Highs:

One of the strong sides of the MK2 is the treble region. The overall treble presentation and detail level is surprisingly good for this price point.

The MK2 benefits from its L-shaped sound signature and doesn’t overpowering the rest of the frequency cart.

Complex passages with instruments like “cymbals” in my new favorite track “Meshuggah –Nostrum” sound well controlled and with good separation.


Male and female voices sounding vivid and clear and there is lot of detail.


One negative aspect of the MK2 is the upper treble. Some records with female voices sounds a bit harsh, especially tracks of Celine Dion (my favorite one is “The Power of Love”) could be more controlled.

I don’t know the specification of the stock cable, but a good upgrade cable could solve this problem.



The Soundstage:

The MK2 has a relative forward vocal presentation and there is also a good amount of air around each instrument with good stereo separation.

The soundstage is not gigantic like these of the Sennheiser ie800 or not expansive and airy like these of the Earsonics Velvet. But this two examples should be to unfair due the higher price tag.

The soundstage is a bit wider and deeper than the Ibasso IT03 and quite bigger and much airier than those of the Inear Stagediver SD3. The SD3 was a really claustrophobic IEM in this aspect!

Conclusion:

Rose Technology is a relative young company that has released many different earphones for all types of consumers. Rose Cappuccino MK2 is a good example how good Chi-Fi gears can sound.


The best description for the Rose Cappuccino MK2 is that it is a “good all-rounder”.

A beauty and a Beast!


Thank you for reading my second review, oh and sorry for my bad English


The Rose Cappuccino MK2 and Rose Masya side by side


Summary (plus and minus):

+ Great look and fit
+ Customizable tuning
+ Non fatiguing sound tuning with lots of detail
+ Well controlled bass

- Upper treble sounds harsh with bad recorded tracks

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Rose Cappuccino Mk. II Review: Hit The Bass Cannon

Do you like bass? Do you like so much bass that you have to make sure you don’t listen at too high of a volume so that you don’t suffer hearing loss? If you answered yes to either of those questions, I’ve got something today that will make you grin: the second generation Rose Cappuccino. Hailing from a small company in China formed by university students, the Cappuccino Mk. II is a tribute to bass-heads around the world.
You can find the Cappuccino Mk. II here on Penon Audio for $350.
Disclaimer: I bought this unit with my own money. I am not affiliated with Penon Audio or Rose. These words reflect my true, unaltered opinion about the product.
Preference and Bias: Before reading a review, it is worth mentioning that there is no way for a reviewer to objectively pass judgment on the enjoy-ability of a product: such a thing is inherently subjective. Therefore, I find it necessary for you to read and understand what I take a natural liking to and how that might affect my rating of a product.
My ideal sound signature would be an extended sub-bass with a leveled, but textured, mid-bass. The mids should be slightly less pronounced than the treble, but still ahead of the bass. I prefer a more bright upper range.
Source: The Cappuccino Mk. II was powered like so:
Nexus 6P -> earphones
or
Hidizs AP100 3.5mm out -> FiiO A5 3.5mm out -> earphones
or
HiFiMAN SuperMini -> earphones
or
PC optical out -> HiFiMe SPDIF 9018 Sabre DAC 3.5mm out -> earphones
All music was served as MP3 @320Kbps or as FLAC.
The Cappuccino Mk. II scales well with higher-end sources. Bass hardness is dependent on the source.

Sound Signature

Initial Impressions:
The Cappuccino Mk. II’s sound signature is quite rare: a true L-shaped IEM is hard to come by, and one that sounds good is even harder to find. Luckily, the Mk. II checks all of these boxes. The bass rests in front of the mids and treble, which are matched together well. The treble takes a very slight edge in front of the mids, but not enough to be noticeable in too many situations.
Treble: Songs used: In One Ear, Midnight City, Outlands
Treble is well matched with the rest of the sound, and isn’t too aggressive in most cases. However, it’s pretty far away from something you could call smooth. Therefore, in certain situations, treble bound instruments can sound a bit sharp, though its nothing that has prevented me from enjoying a song thus far. However, this lack of smoothness really allows the Mk. II to grab tons of details and drag them to the front of the song.
Mids: Songs used: Flagpole Sitta, Jacked Up, I Am The Highway, Dreams
The upper mids of the Cappuccino Mk. II are unadulterated and uncolored. This lends many songs a great sense of realism. I was surprised by how well the Mk. II enunciated vocals and maintained instrumental separation in the mids, even during complex bass lines.
Lower mids have a slightly warm tinge to them, which adds a lot of heft to rock songs like Flagpole Sitta and Jacked Up.
Vocals have a certain sweetness to them, but aren’t tinged by coloration at all. Weighting is darn near perfect for my tastes with both male and female singers.
Bass: Songs used: Moth, Gold Dust, In For The Kill (Skream Remix), Leave Me
If you look through my previous reviews, you won’t find me ever say that an IEM or headphone has had bass that felt “physical” to me. That’s an accolade that I hold quite high in regard, and award to only those IEMs that I find create an incredible bass response; not simply a little bit or rumble or “slam”.
The bass on the Mk. II feels physical. Time after time these earphones manage to move an immense amount of air during bass drops. This bass is truly deserving of a bass-head’s audience. However, despite its massive bass quantity, the Mk. II never sacrifices bass quality. It was always presented with a good tightness and great dynamicism. Bass extension is really, really good, with the Mk. II pushing down into the deep recesses of sub-bass effortlessly. Gold Dust, In For The Kill, and Leave Me all performed sublimely.
The Mk. II also has something for non-bassheads. The double dynamic setup Rose went with enables the Cappuccino to be quite subtle when it needs to, presumably by not using both drivers at the same time. In Moth, I could hear the bass guitar quite clearly, in a way that I’d not previously experienced. Having a clear and defined bass line is something I won’t be taking for granted in the future.
However, Rose made sure that their new IEM isn’t a one-trick-pony. On the side of the Cappuccino Mk. II you can find a small switch that. When in default mode, the switch keeps the bass at standard levels with normal (healthy) decay. When you flip the switch, the bass lessens its strength a bit and speeds up both attack and decay, moving the bass closer towards a balanced armature’s style. I enjoy both modes very much, and find both usable on all of my genres of music.

Packaging / Unboxing

The Mk. II comes in fairly standard Rose packaging. The IEMs are tucked inside little foam cutouts. The eartips are lined up in a neatly alongside the IEMs. The cable is stored inside the hard carrying case.

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Build

Construction Quality
I have always had good things to say about Rose’s construction quality, and that trend continues today. I found no flaws with the machining of the housings, which appear to be made out of an acrylic. Underneath the face plate of my unit lays a Starry Night-esque patterning upon which rests an updated Rose logo. On the side of the housings you can find the bass-control switch that adjusts the decay levels of the bass. It also slightly modulates the quantity of the bass, which is likely the mechanism being used to alter its presentation overall. The switch seems sturdy enough, though I won’t be moving it around all too often.

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The cable connects to the Mk. II via a 45-degree MMCX connector. The cable included in the box takes a bit to get used to visually, but looks better once I gave it a little time to grow on me. The lower half is covered in a sturdy cloth braid which gives it RHA-levels of meatiness. Above the Y-splitter the cable slims down considerably to two two-strand copper cables which are quite thin. Since they are coated in a nice clear plastic, I don’t worry much about their longevity. Closer to the top to the MMCX connector, the cable gets covered in a black memory-wire compound. This compound works nicely and hasn’t exhibited any strange wrinkling that other memory-wire cables can get. Despite the cable’s unorthodox construction materials, it has minimal microphonics. However, if you experience any distracting noise being conducted through the cable, you can just use the included chin-slider.

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The included cable terminates in a hefty aluminum-housed 3.5mm jack. The weight of the jack gives the cable a premium feel. The size of housing is appropriately large given the unusually high diameter of the cloth covering the lower-half of the cable. All in all, Rose paid a lot of attention to detail here, and gets almost full marks from me. Perhaps if the cable looked a bit better, and the upper-half of the cable was a bit thicker, I could upgrade my scoring.
 

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Comfort
The Cappuccino Mk. II is quite large, given its two dynamic drivers, but doesn’t feel gigantic in my ears like the the KZ ZST or Trinity Phantom Master 4. Rose really nailed it again with their ergonomics. After achieving a decent seal with the included memory foam eartips, the Mk. II essentially disappears. Since the Mk. II has above-average sized nozzles, people with narrow ear-canals may experience some trouble achieving a fit.

Accessories

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Inside the box you will find:

1. 1x soft carrying pouch
2. 1x hard carrying case
3. 4x pairs silicone eartips
4. 1x pair double flange eartips
5. 1x pair of memory foam eartips

Rose packaged the Mk. II with a good amount of accessories. It comes with the standard Rose carrying pouch and case, though I wish Rose had made them slightly larger to accommodate this IEM’s thick cable.

Summary

The Cappuccino Mk. II delivers truly skull-shakingly powerful bass without compromising of overall sound quality. Combined with the Cappuccino's improved style and fit, the improved sound makes the Mk. II a good value for the price, and a godsend for bass-head’s around the world.