SHINI S-520

Introduction​

This is a very special and “different” review.
Instead of giving you a review of something “popular”, this time I want to provide you with a pleasant discovery I’ve made before 2021's Christmas Holidays.
Considering the KSC75 from KOSS are becoming a lot harder to find at good prices i Europe (both because of the scarcity of raw materials and because they’re pretty old now) with respect to, let’s say, 2 years ago, I wanted to find a clip-on set that could be a good cheap option while I was waiting to find them at a lower price on the web.

Disclaimer: I have bought the Shini S520 out of curiosity.
At the time of the review, the Shini S520 were sold for an average price of $3 on Aliexpress.

Technical Specifications​

• Configuration → 1DD
• Sensitivity → 98dB
• Impedance → 16 Ohm
• Frequency Response → 20 Hz – 20000 Hz
• Cable → 1,2m braided cable with microphone
• Connector type → L-type 3.5mm jack connector

Packaging​

Basically no packaging. The headphones came without any box and were just inside a plastic sachet, directly in the packet in which they were shipped.
No other accessories other than the headphones were provided.

Design, Build Quality and Cable​

Essentially, build quality reflects the price with low quality plastic and practically no particular refinements on the shells. The design is minimal and the colour I have chosen is very basic (black), but you can also buy them in different colours.
The earhooks are also made of plastic.
The stock cable is braided, and honestly pretty bad, but overall there’s no way I am gonna complain about its quality.
However, I have encountered a relevant issue that is pretty annoying: the jack connector isn’t of good quality and while moving it inside the jack port of the smartphone or the notebook there can be heard a big amount of noise out of the drivers, like some “buzzing”.
Note: the cable has an in-line control with play/pause button and an IP/NK switch.
For those who don’t know, back in the years IP and NK were respectively referred to IPhone and NoKia, as the connection was slightly different between the two: basically, the ground and microsoft connection to the 3.5mm jack connector is inverted between the two standards.
Nowadays, you want to keep the switch on IP, otherwise you’ll hear that the polarity is messy and the headphones will not work properly in terms of audio quality.
Regarding the microphone on the cable, it’s pretty bad, I’d say “usable” but still not really that good (there’s no way I’ll complain given the price).

Comfort and Isolation​

The Shini S520 are pretty comfortable although for the first listening sessions you’ll need to find the right position and wearing method.
Isolation is obviously not to consider: they do not insulate from external noise so pick something else if you need something for outdoor listening sessions.

Sound​

How do these sound?
This is the real reason you’re reading this review (I guess).
[Personal preference: I listen to almost every genre, even though my main preference goes to EDM subgenres. I always like a bit more energy on the bass and on the highs, leading to a personal preference for Y-shaped sound signatures, but if I have to choose, I’d prefer having many different IEMs with various signatures, in order to choose a particular one of them when I want to listen to a specific genre. I love switching between my IEMs so it’s even better if they’re very different from each other.]

TEST GEAR

• DAC: Topping E30
• AMP: Topping L30
• Mobile phones: Poco F2 Pro, Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge
• Portable DAPs: Benjie S8/AGPTEK M30B
• Other sources: Presonus AudioBox iONE

Do they need an amp?
I can hear improvements when using them out of an amplifier, moreover in the low-end. The amplification also helps with the volume as these need some juice to play at high volumes and not every smartphone output will be enough to power them well.
However, be careful with the output: too much power will cause some distortion as the driver is still cheap and produces distortion when too much power is given.

Sound signature
The Shini S520 have slightly recessed midrange with a little boost on midbass and some emphasis on the upper registers, I’d say a sort of Y-shaped signature.

Lows: tight bass, good punch and speed with nice textures for the price. Sub-bass does not even exist practically as the roll-off is pretty aggressive in the low-end, so these won’t be something to consider if you’re mainly into EDM, hip-hop and stuff that requires some added energy in lower registers.
To achieve good performance I think you’ll need some amplification or the bass will miss some punch.

Mids: I was not expecting so much musicality in midrange from something so cheap. Instruments are reproduced well even though notes would have more weight if the S520 had a little more sub-bass. Vocals are intimate, and female ones shine more than male ones thanks to the added emphasis in the upper midrange. There is some sibilance here and there, although it’s really hard to complain.

Highs: lower treble and upper treble are emphasized and even though I do not have a graph to prove this, there is a lot of air and sparkle. If you’re sensitive to treble the S520 will annoy you with stock pads, and you should maybe try buying new pads and playing around; however, if you love some more “sparkle” in upper registers, the S520 will definitely surprise you with a controlled and energetic treble.
Soundstage width is rendered better than depth (which is still ok), while height is generally not a thing. Instrument separation is honestly great for the price and imaging is surprisingly good, even in games, although highly conditioned by the limited height and depth.
It’s really hard to believe these cost less than 3$.

What is the problem here? Quality control.
Apart from the buzzing noise that sometimes come up when moving the connector into the jack port, the L and R channels are inverted, meaning that every sound that should come up from the right earpiece is going to play on left one and viceversa.
Fun fact (but not really funny): I have spoken with the seller about this issue, and seller asked me for a proof of the problem. Since the two channels are inverted but there’s nothing physically broken that could be seen in a photo, I asked them how would I be able to prove that the two channels were inverted, and the seller replied I should make a video of the problem or they would have simply ignored my report regarding the bad quality control.
In fact, they have ignored my messages and although I wasn’t trying to get refunded (price is very low so a refund is not life-changing) they preferred not answering anymore and proceed with the full refund of the product (which I will maybe use to buy another obscure clip-on set online as I have done it with the S520 and I was pleasantly surprised).
Hence, I will not recommend my seller if you want to buy the S520; you can find the S520 everywhere online, moreover on Aliexpress, so it will be pretty easy for you to find good sellers around.

I do not have any other pair of clip-on headphones to compare, so here you won’t find any comparison.
I hope to get some more stuff of this kind in the future so that I can discover and share some more hidden gems around the market.

Final Thoughts​

The Shini S520 were a real revelation for me.
I was searching for a pair of KSC75 and ended up blind-buying a pair of these from an Aliexpress seller that I didn’t even know; and although my expectations were very low I found myself with a unknown piece of tech in my hands that actually sounds amazing for the price. Sure, there are some things that weren’t so pleasant, such as the connector noise, but the overall experience was nice.
I know it’s hard to believe I am speaking well about such a so cheap pair of clip-on headphones (and I know quality control in China is, well, what it is…) but if I were you, I would bet 3$ on these.
I did it and didn’t regret it.

Disclaimer:

None needed. Bought with my own money.



I am not an expert in this hobby nor claim to be an audiophile. I just love listening to music and am fond of writing articles.



Introduction:

These are quite the unknown headphone brand on head-fi. I only know three people that also own or have tried a product from the brand here on head-fi. Shini is mainly focused on clip-on headphones from the listings I’ve seen on Aliexpress, Shopee, and Lazada. There are at least four more models that they produce, other than the one in this review. The Shini S-520 is an all-plastic build, clip-on headphone available in multiple colorways. I bought these for 2 USD on Shopee but I’ve seen them on Aliexpress for as low as 1 USD. At a sensitivity of 123 dB and impedance of 16 ohms, these are hard to drive. I doubt that the specs listed is real. It maxes out my iPhone 5s, which is rated at 1 Vrms, and just barely reaches my listening volume (I would also like to mention that there is no distortion at max volume). Using the SD01 amplifier, I need 9 less clicks and there is a perceivable improvement on sound quality with very slight distortion at max volume.



First off, for those who might be thinking that all of the Shini headphones have the same driver, I can at least confirm that the S-520 (left) and the Q-140 (right) don’t use the same driver based on the pics I’ve seen. Not sure with the other models.

*credits to @xilon for the Q-140 pics



*Mine arrived with swapped drivers. Really easy to fix without soldering needed. Just open them up and literally switch them. Xilon posted pics of said procedure.



These were plugged to my iPhone 5s with the SD01 amplifier for the review.






Build and Comfort: These are my first foray into headphones, particularly clip-on style. Everything is made of plastic and feels alright, kind of like what is used in opaque MX500 shells. They’re small as well in a cute way at just 40 mm. Cable is garbage, and I suggest you recable them (which I did). Regarding comfort, these are the most comfortable (ridiculously light) and most secure (thanks to the hooks) audio gear I’ve put on my ears. But of course, YMMV.



I would like to point out that it is very hard to find replacement earpads for the Shini’s. They’re just too small for the 3rd party suppliers.



Now, onto sound:



For this review, the headphone was left in stock mode, without mods other than a cable change

*These might seem bright, bass-anemic, and shouty at first. But trust me, just give your brain time to adjust to the SS and you’ll be in for a rollercoaster ride.

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Bass – tight and textured. Fast as well and can keep up with all of my songs (particularly the faster-paced ones). Rolls-off starting 70 Hz and is slightly north of neutral. Sub-bass is basically non-existent. That might seem downright bad, but this is what surprised me - it is far from bass-anemic, which is what I expected what with the lack of seal and all. The quantity is enough to survive EDM/Mainstream Pop and not sound “weird” or “lacking.” With only the iPhone 5s, bass lacks impact. Connecting it to the SD01 amplifier and you get that nice thumping bass. Personally, I would have wanted better extension (down to ~40 Hz) which I think an earpad change would help. However, this would probably affect the midrange and treble, resulting in a darker presentation.

Midrange – musical. That’s the word that best describes it. Everything just sounds so sweet. Vocals are intimate and instruments are so realistic. There is this weight with the vocals that always makes me reach for the Shini’s when I listen to music. Acoustic guitars, in particular, have this refined characteristic that I can’t describe. BUT, it lacks the bite that one might hear from an IEM and may sound boring to some. Might be shouty as well due to the sound signature, especially with that bass, which further highlights the midrange and treble in the presentation.

Treble – sooo controlled. It’s the only gear I have which does highs so well. Even with multiple and continuous cymbal strikes, it reproduces each strike with distinction. Upon initial listen, I was hearing a few peaks, but after a few hours of burn-in, it lessened, which just might be my brain adjusting to the signature. There was no sibilance or pierce heard, as well.

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Timbre – Nothing sounds weird or wrong. No thinness as well, whatsoever. Heck, I dare say that these have the best timbre that I’ve heard so far. It’s just so realistic-sounding.

Soundstage – The most holographic experience I’ve had. It’s not particularly wide nor long nor tall, but it’s just so well done, giving this out-of-the-head experience. Partnered with the excellent imaging, it’s just awesome.

Imaging – Sound travelling from left-to-right is unmistakable and defined. It’s effortless to locate where sound is coming from, as well.

Separation – They just continue surprising me. Anything I throw at them, they handle like a pro. Math rock, guitar virtuosos, electro – nothing at all made these headphones muddy-sounding or become unlistenable. Instruments stay separated and don’t go over each other.

Detail-retrieval – The area written in bold letters that is a giveaway this is a 2 USD headphone. You hear detail, alright, but nothing like that of say, a $10 modded IEM that I have (apples-to-oranges, I know, but still…).



Comparisons:

*I currently do not have other headphones to appropriately compare them to SQ-wise.



Conclusion:

I need help hyping these up. Listening to them made me regret spending money on the buds/IEMs/TWS that I bought (SFR KP580 excluded). I’ve seen the Shini’s go for as low as 1 USD on Aliexpress and I highly recommend you guys buy them. There is nothing wrong with the headphones – tight and textured bass, clear and musical midrange, controlled highs, excellent separation and imaging that is just insane considering the price, and of course, the comfort it brings. IF they could just release one with better build quality/material and a cable you can actually use, I would immediately buy the whole stock, even if they sell for 10 USD. Something like a Shini to rule them all.



NOTE: I don’t advise to use the Shini’s outside as they have crazy sound leakage and non-existent noise isolation (they don’t look good on ear because they’re so small, personally speaking . I quite like the design, though). A quiet room is the way to go for this one.