Rose North Forest Impressions
INTRODUCTION/DISCLAIMER:
This review is based upon a commercial unit purchased by me for personal use. This review represents my honest and unfiltered opinion. I am not being compensated in any way for writing this review.
This review can also be read on my blog here.
ABOUT ME
I listen mostly to heavy metal, hip hop, and electronic music, as well as movie and video game soundtracks. I value detail, clarity, and soundstage above other acoustic qualities. I like V-shaped sound signatures, generally those with more of an emphasis on the treble. Other headphones I own or have owned in the past include the Campfire Audio Polaris, Meze 99 Neo, E-MU Teak, Mee Audio P1 Pinnacle, Mee Audio P2 Pinnacle, Yersen FEN-2000, UiiSii CM5, Fostex TH-X00, V-Moda M-80, V-Moda LP2 Crossfade, Beyerdynamic DT-770 (250 ohm), KZ ATE, Mixcder X5, Mee Audio M6, Hifiman HE-400S, and (very briefly) Phillips Fidelio X2.
SOURCES
I have used the Rose North Forest with the following sources:
Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 Global > Rose North Forest
Windows 10 PC > JDS Labs The Element > Rose North Forest
I have tested these headphones with Spotify Premium high-quality streaming and local FLAC.
PACKAGING AND ACCESSORIES
The Rose North Forest comes in a small rectangular box with the IEMs pictured on the front and technical details about the IEMs listed on the back. The included accessories are spartan in comparison to other Chi-fi IEMs I have reviewed recently, only including 4 pairs of silicone eartips (3 standard in Small/Medium/Large sizes, and 1 double flanged pair).
BUILD QUALITY / DESIGN
The Rose North Forest is designed to be worn cable-up. The North Forest has a simple straight black cable terminated in a straight 3.5mm jack. The cable is resistant to tangling and is non-microphonic. There is no choker above the Y-split for adjusting fit. The IEM housings have an attractive metallic red finish with the Rose logo in white. There is strain relief at both the driver housing and jack ends. The only quality control issue I encountered with my pair was noticeable driver flex while inserting one of the IEMs, though it was not as unpleasant as that on the Campfire Audio Polaris. At this price point ($25), the absence of detachable cables is unfortunate but not unforgivable.
FIT / COMFORT / ISOLATION
The Rose North Forest is more comfortable than average for long periods of wear. Isolation is average with the included double flange eartips.
SOUND
The Rose North Forest has a V-shaped sound signature that suffers from overblown mid-bass. Sub-bass extension is poor. The midrange is recessed. Distorted electric guitars and male vocals sound thin. Upper-mids and lower treble is shouty. Treble is reasonably detailed without being sibilant. Overall tonal balance is just off. The layering of instruments feels messy. Separation is below average. Soundstage is average.
EQ
The Rose North Forest benefits greatly from EQ. The below settings were based on the frequency response chart on the front of the North Forest’s box and go a long way to cleaning up the tonal balance of these IEMs. However, male vocals still sound pretty thin even with EQ.
AMPLIFICATION REQUIREMENTS
At 18 ohms and a sensitivity of 105db, the Rose North Forest can be comfortably driven from a smartphone and does not benefit from additional amplification.
CLOSING WORDS
Despite an attractive and comfortable design, the Rose North Forest is not worth picking up, especially at its current price of $25. They are overly bassy and muddy-sounding. Correcting the sound signature with EQ, while possible, requires desktop software to accomplish and is frankly more trouble than it’s worth given that there are better options at lower prices that do not need such drastic correction. I absolutely do not recommend them for portable use where tailored EQ is not possible.
INTRODUCTION/DISCLAIMER:
This review is based upon a commercial unit purchased by me for personal use. This review represents my honest and unfiltered opinion. I am not being compensated in any way for writing this review.
This review can also be read on my blog here.
ABOUT ME
I listen mostly to heavy metal, hip hop, and electronic music, as well as movie and video game soundtracks. I value detail, clarity, and soundstage above other acoustic qualities. I like V-shaped sound signatures, generally those with more of an emphasis on the treble. Other headphones I own or have owned in the past include the Campfire Audio Polaris, Meze 99 Neo, E-MU Teak, Mee Audio P1 Pinnacle, Mee Audio P2 Pinnacle, Yersen FEN-2000, UiiSii CM5, Fostex TH-X00, V-Moda M-80, V-Moda LP2 Crossfade, Beyerdynamic DT-770 (250 ohm), KZ ATE, Mixcder X5, Mee Audio M6, Hifiman HE-400S, and (very briefly) Phillips Fidelio X2.
SOURCES
I have used the Rose North Forest with the following sources:
Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 Global > Rose North Forest
Windows 10 PC > JDS Labs The Element > Rose North Forest
I have tested these headphones with Spotify Premium high-quality streaming and local FLAC.
PACKAGING AND ACCESSORIES
The Rose North Forest comes in a small rectangular box with the IEMs pictured on the front and technical details about the IEMs listed on the back. The included accessories are spartan in comparison to other Chi-fi IEMs I have reviewed recently, only including 4 pairs of silicone eartips (3 standard in Small/Medium/Large sizes, and 1 double flanged pair).
BUILD QUALITY / DESIGN
The Rose North Forest is designed to be worn cable-up. The North Forest has a simple straight black cable terminated in a straight 3.5mm jack. The cable is resistant to tangling and is non-microphonic. There is no choker above the Y-split for adjusting fit. The IEM housings have an attractive metallic red finish with the Rose logo in white. There is strain relief at both the driver housing and jack ends. The only quality control issue I encountered with my pair was noticeable driver flex while inserting one of the IEMs, though it was not as unpleasant as that on the Campfire Audio Polaris. At this price point ($25), the absence of detachable cables is unfortunate but not unforgivable.
FIT / COMFORT / ISOLATION
The Rose North Forest is more comfortable than average for long periods of wear. Isolation is average with the included double flange eartips.
SOUND
The Rose North Forest has a V-shaped sound signature that suffers from overblown mid-bass. Sub-bass extension is poor. The midrange is recessed. Distorted electric guitars and male vocals sound thin. Upper-mids and lower treble is shouty. Treble is reasonably detailed without being sibilant. Overall tonal balance is just off. The layering of instruments feels messy. Separation is below average. Soundstage is average.
EQ
The Rose North Forest benefits greatly from EQ. The below settings were based on the frequency response chart on the front of the North Forest’s box and go a long way to cleaning up the tonal balance of these IEMs. However, male vocals still sound pretty thin even with EQ.
AMPLIFICATION REQUIREMENTS
At 18 ohms and a sensitivity of 105db, the Rose North Forest can be comfortably driven from a smartphone and does not benefit from additional amplification.
CLOSING WORDS
Despite an attractive and comfortable design, the Rose North Forest is not worth picking up, especially at its current price of $25. They are overly bassy and muddy-sounding. Correcting the sound signature with EQ, while possible, requires desktop software to accomplish and is frankly more trouble than it’s worth given that there are better options at lower prices that do not need such drastic correction. I absolutely do not recommend them for portable use where tailored EQ is not possible.