Shozy Form 1.4

Shozy Form 1.4 Aesthetic and sound enjoyment.

I got acquainted with the headphones thanks to the HiFiGo store.
Packaging is rather meager.
A box of thin black cardboard.
The case is medium-sized with a zipper, it also contains headphones with a nice cable in a fabric braid and a set of silicone and foam nozzles of different sizes.
However, the most important thing is the headphones - elegant stunning pebbles, which at first glance seem weighty, surprisingly very light.


Sound.
Low frequencies:
There is an excellent subbass here, its a little and not a little, just right, electronic music lovers should appreciate it. I would not say that the bass here is viscous and rolly, fast metal styles also play well, that is, with the mid bass there is also order.

Mid frequencies:
They have excellent resolution, the guitars sound great, with fat, the vocals sound too high, all the nuances are heard.

High frequencies:
There is a peak at 7 kHz, I am quite sensitive to them, but then he didn’t deliver any troubles to me, which is surprising.
All cymbals, crashes, hayhet, raids have excellent attacks and attenuation.
Great resolution. No dirt.

Conclusion:
4BA and 1DD are well matched.
Excellent headphones that can be called universal, with an assertive, dense sound and at the same time decent detail.
Any music sounds excellent and rich.
The landing is also convenient, do not press, do not fall out of the ears, as the very light ones wrote above.
General appearance and most importantly sound 5!

You can buy it here https://hifigo.com/products/shozy-f...i-audiophile-iems?_pos=3&_sid=d8a8034ad&_ss=r

Greetings!

Today we're checking out one of Shozy's newest, the Form 1.4.

The Form 1.4 builds on the Form 1.1 released last year (which I'll be reviewing in a couple weeks time), adding an additional three balanced armatures to the hybrid configuration. Inside are five drivers, one dynamic driver and four balanced armatures (hence 1.4), as well as a three-way crossover to keep it all in check. I've really enjoyed a number of past products from the Shozy brand, like the Hibiki (both versions), and Shozy & Neo CP, so my expectations for the Form 1.4 were high. My first listen did not leave me disappointed, nor have my continued experiences with it over the last month.

Let's take a closer look at this new hybrid from Shozy, and find out why it has joined the Moondrop Starfield as one of my favourite products of 2020, thus far.


What I Hear The Form 1.4 is one of those warm, unapologetically bassy earphones that puts a smile on my face the moment music starts piping through them. They sound as good as they look, pending you enjoy plenty of bass and sleek, sexy objects.

Starting off with treble, the Form 1.4 is pretty mellow. Extension is decent, but the lack of major emphasis or significant peaks keeps it from sounding shrill or causing fatigue, even at high volumes. While there are no significant peaks, lower treble does see a lift that gives the Form 1.4 good clarity. This isn't a detail monster by any means and there isn't a ton of upper treble shimmer and sheen, but the information is there and the quality is high, it's just not shoved in your face. I was quite impressed with the 1.4's attack and decay. While the presentation is reasonably tame, these armatures are quick and well controlled and offer a very tight, clean experience. Still, if an analytic sound is what you're after you are better off buying something like the EarNiNE EN2J or TinHiFi P1.

The midrange on this earphone is flat out gorgeous in my opinion. When it comes to vocals in my music, they fall into the “take it or leave it” category. I don't spend a ton of time focusing on lyrics and consider voices just another instrument in the mix. Therefore, when I find myself with an earphone that has me hunting down tracks from artists whose voices I really like, such as Calyx (on Calyx and TeeBee's “Long Gone”), Céline Dion (“Ashes”), and Alicia Keys (“Un-thinkable”), you know it's going to sound pretty awesome. Again, the Form 1.4 isn't hyper detailed in the mids, but it doesn't need to be. Clarity is perfect and unimpeded by the voluminous midbass, and timbre spot on. Nothing sounds plasticy, dry, overly bright, etc. Also, you might rag on me for this given this is a track for one of the largest games in the world, but listen to Awaken (ft. Valerie Broussard) from the League of Legends crew. The emotion and power in Valerie's performance combined with the cinematic track design is phenomenal. I can listen to this over and over and not get tired of it. If you opt to watch through Youtube, the accompanying video is pretty slick too.

On to the bass! The Form 1.4's bread and butter. The tires to your automobile. The one aspect that carries the performance, holds up the rest of the signature, and ties the entire product together. To say the low end on this earphone is engaging would be an understatement. This dynamic driver doesn't hold back. Dillon Francis's “Not Butter” highlights the 1.4's bass perfectly; grungy, highly elevated mid-bass backed by visceral vibrations from some deep subbass. Detail and texture are handled well, being clear and satisfactory, but not overdone. The smooth presentation heard through the mids and treble carries on down here too. Despite the massive waves of bass this driver can output, it somehow manages to remain fairly tight and avoids bloat. Don't get my wrong, you catch whiffs of it every now and then, but the scent passes by so quickly if fades from memory near instantly. Despite most of my favorite earphones being BA-only and fairly light on bass, the presentation here is undeniably intoxicating.

Sound stage is where things pull back a bit and the Form 1.4 is more average. I find it quite wide without a ton of depth, not unlike the 6mm micro-dynamic earphones I love so much. As pointed out by one of my peers, as you increase the volume the staging opens up, gaining back some of that missing depth. However, I also find raising the volume brings the vocals in closer. It's a weird mix of enlarging the overall sound stage while compressing aspects of it at the same time. Given I generally listen at low volumes, my experience with the stage is typically wide and shallow. Imaging is quite accurate with clean channel-to-channel transitions. I don't find it vague in any way, though it doesn't offer up the pinpoint accuracy of something like Brainwavz's B400. Instrument separation is also quite good thanks to all those drivers tucked away inside, but the shallow staging hinders layering somewhat and on extremely busy tracks the Form 1.4 starts to blur fine details. That said, who listens to orchestral music with bass cannons anyway

Overall I absolutely adore the way this product sounds. It is smooth, organic, analogue, realistic, etc. etc. etc. Just toss in a bunch of classy buzzwords, heap some more praise on the pile, then cap things off with two thumbs up and a toothy smile *ding*. This earphone kicks @$$. Oh yeah, and make sure you read the disclaimer. This review is subjective if you hadn't figured that out already. The Form 1.4 doesn't measure perfectly and is objectively just okay. That doesn't matter to me. My interpretation of the Form 1.4's tune is that is was designed to elicit strong emotions from the listener, and I think it succeeds in spades.


Compared to a Peer

BGVP DMS (159.00 USD): Bass out of the 1+6 (one dynamic, six armatures) DMS digs a little deeper with less midbass emphasis and more subbass emphasis. The Form 1.4 sounds notably better controlled though, especially on long, dynamic notes that change pitch and loudness. The Form 1.4 also provides a bit more texture. Heading into the midrange, vocals and instruments are more prominent through the 1.4. It presents itself with a more natural timbre and tone than the DMS, but falls behind in terms of clarity and detail. Treble on the Form 1.4 is more rolled off on top with less upper treble energy. As a result it sounds darker and warmer, with a more confined presentation. The additional lower treble emphasis of the DMS also gives it a detail edge. The DMS has a wider and deeper sound stage but doesn't as precisely image from channel-to-channel. Both separate and layer tracks well, with neither really having an edge to my ears.

Build quality with both earphones is outstanding, but since they take very different approaches it's hard to say which takes the proverbial win. The DMS is painted aluminum with a similar inner shape to the Form 1.4. The face plate incorporates the triple slash BGVP logo into the vent design. It's quite clever and unique, but does not look anywhere near as beautiful as the Form 1.4's hand polished wood. Despite containing two additional drivers (set within a 3D printed sound enclosure) the DMS is smaller and even more ergonomic. Weight between the two is closer than you'd expect given the DMS is metal, but the DMS is, as expected, the heavier of the two. Isolation is clearly better on the Shozy though. Overall, they're both wonderfully constructed with stellar fit and finish. I guess it comes down to things like size, attractiveness, and material durability, as to which you would choose. When it comes to their cables, well, BGVP all the way. It is stiffer and doesn't look anywhere near as nice, but you don't have to worry about it kinking and destroying itself, or tangling at the first opportunity it gets. I'm sure many will prefer the 1.4's cable, but that cloth sheath completely ruins it for me.

When it comes down to it, I don't find the Form 1.4 to perform at a much higher calibre than the DMS, but it engages me in the way the DMS cannot. The Form 1.4 had some additional effort put into it in the form of manual labour and craftsmanship with the hand polished resin coating, and there's the whole wood face plate thing, plus the cable is higher quality (even if I like it less). So, from a construction perspective I think the extra dough required to hop on the Form 1.4 train is warranted.

LZ A5 w/ updated red filter (269.00 USD): The LZ A5 was a hot topic earphone back in 2018. It was a follow up to the phenomenally popular A4. The A5 upped the ante with a higher price tag and driver count to match. They also “borrowed” Honda's flying wing logo. Since the A5 contains the same driver setup as the 1.4, that being a single dynamic and four balanced armatures, it only seems fair to compare. Bass out of the Form 1.4 is bolder and more powerful, though depth feels equally good. Texture and speed are superior on the A5, but the Form 1.4 provides a thumpier, more visceral experience. Mids on the A5 are slightly less forward and not as dense or weighty. Sibilance can also be an issue, something not really present on the Form 1.4. It has the edge in clarity and coherence, but ends up sounding less organic and natural than the Form 1.4, especially when it comes to timbre. The Form 1.4 has a much more relaxed treble region, in particular the brilliance region. Even with the more restrained red filter in place, the A5's treble is quite bright. You get a ton more shimmer and vibrancy from the A5, but also a lot more fatigue. It also doesn't help that decay is slower and notes less controlled than on the Form 1.4. These two earphones are quite comparable through the bass and mids, but the Form 1.4's treble to my ears is leagues ahead in terms of quality. The A5 wins some points back with a larger sound stage and excellent imaging, layering, and separation qualities which are all a step above the Form 1.4.

Build quality goes to the Form 1.4. Don't get me wrong, the A5 is a nicely build earphone but everything about it just feels a little less premium. It doesn't feel as solid and weighty (despite being aluminum) and the stolen, pink Honda logo loses it a lot of points. I also don't like how loose the MMCX connectors are as the earphone can swivel about freely making inserting them a little less easy than it needs to be. The shape is also exceptionally common and is quite similar to the ancient Shure SE846. On the plus side, that does lead to a very comfortable product that has widespread appeal across a variety of ear types. The Form 1.4's larger, thicker, more contoured housings will limit potential users due to size alone. When it comes to the cable, I have to give it to LZ. It too is a cloth cable, but this one is handled better. The sheath is almost twice as thick below the y-split and is very tangle resistant. Even more important is that it is very kink resistant. It remains notably thicker above the y-split, and does a slightly better job of mitigating cable noise. The one critical flaw with LZ's cable that almost had me giving the nod to Shozy is the use of memory wire instead of preformed ear guides. This memory wire is god-awful, BUT, with some coercing can be formed into something livable. For me at least. Some people love memory wire and hate preformed guides. That's something I'll never understand, but alas, to each their own.

While the A5 is the more detailed, resolving earphone, the treble can get out of hand. It also sounds much less natural than the Form 1.4. Shozy for the win.


In The Ear The Form 1.4 features organically shaped, 3D printed earpieces using imported stabilized wood face plates that are unique to each earphone. The protective resin coating is polished by hand bringing further personalization and craftsmanship to the project. I'm strongly reminded of the Limited Edition Kinera IDUN which also utilized 3D printed housings and stabilized wood face plates, and as a result has a similarly unique quality to each model. The Form 1.4 looks and feels just as premium thanks to the more smoothly integrated 2-pin connectors, metal nozzles, and metal vent hole on the rear face of each ear piece. That said, I appreciate Kinera's decision to use a clear resin instead. It allows you to peer inside and appreciate the various components that make it tick. Being able to do the same with the Form 1.4 would have been nice. Regardless, it is a beautifully crafted and constructed earphone that is every bit as premium as something costing twice as much.

While the ear pieces are a work of art, the cable is hit and miss. Mostly miss. Let's start with the good stuff, that being the hardware. The chromed 0.78mm 2-pin plugs look great and sit mostly flush with the body of the earphone. It would be better if they were recessed slightly to add some additional protection against bending, but I'm cool with them as-is. The straight jack feels like a high quality piece with a weighty metal and (faux?) carbon fibre construction. They even laser etched the Shozy brand name onto one of the chrome rings so you won't have to worry about it rubbing off over time. Strain relief is a little stubby, but the rubber used is soft enough to provide adequate protection. Above the y-split is a small metal bead that functions as a chin cinch. It works well despite the weight. The y-split carries on the chrome/carbon fibre aesthetic and looks fantastic, though there is a complete lack of strain relief. Normally this would be a red flag for longevity, but this is a fabric cable and that brings us to the main negative; this is a fabric cable.

I'm biased against them because my experiences have almost exclusively been negative. The Form 1.4's cable embodies pretty much everything I dislike about this style of cable. Below the y-split its actually not terrible though. The weave is loose but because of the way a fabric sheath reacts to twisting, feels sturdy and stable. Its not resistant to tangling though. Above the y-split certainly isn't either. Not only does it tangle with ease, but small kinks develop the moment the cable twists or loops in the wrong direction. You must be very careful when wrapping it up and putting it in the case, and equally cautious when removing it from the case for your next listening session. Do not absentmindedly toss this cable in your pocket unless you want to spend the next 10 days trying to unravel the chaos it will inevitably become. The preformed ear guides are thankfully fine. While they aren't particularly nice looking, they are flexible and do a decent job keeping the cable behind your ear where it should be. Personally, I recommend ditching this cable immediately. It is not worth the hassle.

When it comes to isolation, I found the Form 1.4 quite impressive. With no sound playing and the stock medium tips installed, the clattering of key strokes is reduced to a slight click, nearby voices muffled, and the roar of passing cars dulled. Bring music into the picture and all that is easily drowned out without the need to increase volume to compensate. With foam tips in place, the Form 1.4 isn't a half bad set of ear plugs. Those who frequent the transit system or noisy coffee shops (if those return in the near future given we're in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic at the time of writing) will find the Form 1.4 a welcome companion.


In The Box Since my Form 1.4 did not come with retail packaging, this section will be short and sweet. What it did arrive in was a simple matte black cardboard box with the Shozy logo emblazoned in silver foil on top. This is the same box you find inside the main retail packaging of the Form 1.1, so I assume the 1.4 will ship with something similar. Within this simple encasement you find all the goodies:

• Shozy Form 1.4 earphones
• 2-pin 0.78mm fabric shielded cable
• Fabric coated carrying case
• Foam tips (s/m/l)
• Single flange silicone tips (s/m/l)
• Bi-flange silicone tips (s/m/l)

Let's first chat about the case. The grey fabric you find coating this hexagonal beauty seems to be pretty popular right now. A similar aesthetic can be found on the various cases included with the Astrotec S80 and charge case of the Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless. Not only does it look nice, but functionally it's useful too. Dirt and grime is well hidden and it provides plenty of grip in the hand. The Shozy logo printed on top of this case will probably peel off in time, but that's not a big deal.

The included tips are the same as those found with the Shozy & Neo CP, at least in all but colour when looking at the single flange set. Material quality of the silicone tips is outstanding. It is durable and flexible. The large double flange and foam pairs fit me on the CP. While this rings true with the 1.4, you can now rope in the large single flange set thanks to the 1.4's deeper insertion. It would still be wise for Shozy to include a fourth pair of even larger tips, or even something a little more traditional in shape. Many will find themselves resorting to third party tips out of the box to guarantee a reliable seal. I'd love to see Shozy team up with Final Audio and include their E Type tips which pair well with the 1.4.

Final Thoughts If you like highly refined earphones with punchy, powerful bass and a glorious midrange, all tucked inside a sexy, comfortable shell, the Form 1.4 is for you. The cable is mediocre, it's not the be-all end-all for measurement freaks, it's not the king of detail and clarity, nor is it highly affordable at 199.00 USD (or about a billion in my local Canuck bucks), so it doesn't have everything going for it. That said, that stuff doesn't really matter when you hear the powerhouse of a performance it is capable of producing.

Audiophiles bow out now, if you even made it this far. This part isn't for you.

The reason I love the Form 1.4 so much is because it is FUN. I don't get lost in the technical aspects of the product since none of that stands out. Instead I get lost in the performance itself. The Form 1.4 is that rare artist that performs purely for the love of it. Not because it makes them money, or because they know they're damn good at it and their ego takes over. It is simply because it makes them happy. The Form 1.4 does that for me. My mood improves and I feel content and relaxed. I'm reminded of why I dug into this hobby in the first place; because I love music and the products that reproduce it. Maybe this earphone will do the same for you too.

Thanks for reading.

- B9

Disclaimer Thanks to Lillian with Linsoul Audio for arranging a sample of the form 1.4 for review. The thoughts within this review are my own subjective opinions based on time spent listening to the Form 1.4. They do not represent Shozy, Linsoul, or any other entity. At the time of writing the Form 1.4 retailed for 199.00 USD: https://www.linsoul.com/products/shozy-form-1-4

Specifications

• Driver: 4 balanced armatures, 1 dynamic driver w/ 3-way crossover
• Sensitivity: 102dB
• Impedance: 16ohms
• Frequency Response: 20Hz - 20kHz

Devices Used For Testing LG Q70, Cozoy Takt C, Earmen TR-Amp, Asus FX53V, TEAC HA-501

Some Test Tunes

Supertramp – Crime of the Century
Slipknot – Vol 3 (The Subliminal Verses)
Daft Punk – Random Access Memories
Aesop Rock – The Impossible Kid
King Crimson – Lark's Tongues in Aspic
King Crimson – Starless and Bible Black
Infected Mushroom – Legend of the Black Shawarma
The Prodigy – The Day is My Enemy
Steely Dan – The Royal Scam
Porcupine Tree – Stupid Dreams

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

The Shozy Form 1.4 is a slightly warm L-shaped (forward-sloping) earphone that is wonderfully balanced and therefore a Swiss army knife for all musical genres.


INTRODUCTION

Shozy are a Hong Kong company that appear to put a lot of thought in their products, be it design or functionality. They offer a wide variety of gear, from daps through amps to earphones. During writing this review, I had a few questions for them and they promptly, openly, and readily answered them. Appears to be a good business. You find more information on the Shozy website.

The $199 Shozy Form 1.4 (as the name implies: 1 DD and 4 BA) follows their popular Form 1.1 model. The Form 1.4 has already experienced a few reviews. It was generally liked but found to be pricey. I conducted a “deep” analysis of the 1.4 to find out whether these reviewers were right.


SPECIFICATIONS

• Driver: 4 balanced armatures, 1 dynamic driver
• Cavity: Imported medical resin (3D printed)
• Faceplate: Imported wood stabilized panel
• Technology: 3-way crossover
• Sensitivity: 102 dB
• Frequency: 20 Hz – 20KHz
• Impedance: 16 ohms
• Cable: 2-pin 0.78 mm
• Connector: 3.5 mm
• Carrying case
• 9 pairs of eartips
• Tested at $199
• Purchase Link: HifiGo

PHYSICAL THINGS AND USABILITY

Pragmatic packaging: a simple small box around the case…the goodies are all inside. Environmentally friendly and easy on the mailman. Bravo!





You may have read on the product page about the one-of-a-kind faceplates and the medical-grade resin of the earpieces. The earpieces look, feel, and handle very well. The cable’s outer material is textile, it is just fine, works well, and I never felt the need to change it.

The earpieces are extremely light, the nozzle angle is perfect for my ears, which resulted in great comfort and fit. These were extremely comfortable over several hours and more so than the much heavier Moondrop Starfield and KBEAR Diamond. Isolation varied with tips used.





From the selection of included eartips, only the largest small black foams fit my ears — and they work well. The KZ Starline tips do the same job. Azla SednaEarfit Light Short tips increase the bass somewhat, and the JVC Spiral Dots even more so. This for bassheads as the “standard” bass is more than enough. The Shozy From 1.4 are easily driven with my iPhone SE. I use the headphone jack, the Apple lightning adapter, and the Scosche Strikeline adapter…it makes no sonic difference.





TONALITY AND TECHNICALITIES

My tonal preference and testing practice

To say it right away: I really like this earphone, it is one of the best sounding ones I have ever tested, and it will not disappoint anybody. The tonality can be characterized as being slightly off neutral through a slightly elevated bass and a signature that strikes the balance between naturalness and detail resolution. I found this earphone universally usable from Joy Division and Heavy Metal to Jazz and Classical, something that is rare.

Considering that four of the five drivers are BAs, it is surprising that a symphony sounded like a symphony, and a cello sounded like a cello. The sound has enough air to even let older recordings shine, without getting lost in unnecessary detail that may let the analytical listener/reviewer jubilate — whereas the casual listener misses the coherency of the sound image.

The Shozy Form 1.4. is also a good example of how L-shape can be beneficial: this is the case in a situation where the midrange is firm and dense enough to be alone standing and the upper midrange/lower treble does not add an icepick factor — and bass quantity does therefore not have to be compromised: the bass can be a bit above neutral without spoiling the overall sound image.

With such a tuning, the listener can turn up the volume without the fear of compromising pleasure and even damaging their eardrums. The Shozy Form 1.4’s tuning works well at all volumes. So much to practicality and usability of the Shozy Form 1.4.





Sure, the bass is a bit north of neutral, which is indicated by the small buckle in the graph. And, although I am sensitive to bass, this hump is forgivable, one gets used to it fast, and it is minor. The Beryllium-cated dynamic driver is reasonably fast, controlled, and the low end is well extended. It is the low end that adds the organic component to the sound, and it is in good harmony with the midrange. The forward dipping graph points to a slightly warm overall tonality.

I tend to say that I put my money on the midrange…or, the other way round, the value of an earphone is reflected by the quality of its midrange imo (ignoring the technicalities for now). And this midrange delivers: male and female voices are beautifully imaged in 3-D. I sometimes have the feeling my ears are wrapping around the singers’ heads [don’t try this at home!]. Vocals are wonderfully natural, dense, with a good depth, and the right amount of air. Even voices in older recordings sound reasonably fresh again. In this respect, I have problems finding another earphone in my collection to match this quality.

Upper midrange is well behaved, no sensitive areas of our hearing are affected negatively. It is just the right dose to add some air. Treble is also rather in support of the midrange, and micro detiail at the upper end are lagging behind the rest a bit. The Shozy Form 1.4 is certainly treble forward, which adds to its pleasant and easily digestible overall sound.

Soundstage is very wide and tall…the music really leaves my head. And it has a healthy depth and height too, which results in superb spatial cues with great instrument placement and separation. I listened to some dummyhead recordings that literally blew my mind because the were so realistic to the point of being creepy. Timbre is also astonishingly natural as said above. The image is clean and clear, the BAs do not accelerate the decay to unnatural levels.


WHAT WOULD I DO DIFFERENTLY?

Being an amateur tuner myself who had contributed to the KBEAR Diamond and the KB04 (plus a few betas that disappeared mysteriously somewhere in a hole), I would do very little differently, essentially only one thing: I’d “flatten the curve” (hey, isn’t that the phrase of the season) at the low end to make the mid-bass less punchy. But this is guided by my personal taste and may not be shared by everybody. It is easy to add bass to the Shozy Form 1.4 by the choice of eartips, but it is difficult to reduce bass. The inclusion of different tuning filters giving the listeners more flexibility to adapt the sound to their individual tastes would have been an asset.


COMPARISONS

The Shozy Form 1.4 resolves and images better than my beloved JVC HA-FDX1 $250 single dynamic driver, but does not quite reach its timbre (because of the BA drivers). The same accounts for the $109 single DD Moondrop Starfield, which is inferior to the JVC in all aspects. Where the Shozy outclasses the Starfield is in the three-dimensionality: the Starfield sound much flatter. The Form 1.4 does not have the wooly bass of the otherwise great BQYEZ Spring 1. I don’t know any other $100-200 iems to compare them to, but I also don’t think this is necessary as the Shozy Form 1.4 does most things very well. To me, the Shozy Form 1.4 is definitely an upgrade over the $150 BQEYZ Spring 1, hence I don’t feel it is outright overpriced, also considering that prices are all over the place.


CONCLUDING REMARKS

The Shozy Form 1.4 is a very good, well-tuned earphone imo, and it does everything I expect well: it is comfortable, handles all genres of music very well at all volumes, it is well built and beautiful. If there is room for improvement it is in the micro detail, but there is also room for a couple of thousand dollars to achieve that. I am a man of timbre and this earphone is pleasing me 100%.

People who are not sure about the price — I have to repeat that prices are generally all over the place — should be aware that they get an earphone in the Shozy Form 1.4 that may prevent them from further impulse buys — which will save them money in the long run. I have identified my personal sweet spot here and could be very happy with just this one model on a lonely island. And now go and read all the other informed opinions and paint your own picture.

Keep on listening!

Jürgen Kraus

You find an INDEX of all our earphone reviews HERE.


DISCLAIMER

The Shozy Form 1.4 review unit was supplied unsolicited by HifiGo and I thank them for that.

HifiGo product link HERE.

Our generic standard disclaimer.

About my measurements.

You find an INDEX of our most relevant technical articles HERE.


FURTHER READING

Shozy Form 1.4. photos

Moondrop Starfield review by Jürgen

Jürgen’s JVC HA-FDX1 review

Jürgen’s BQEYZ Spring 1 review

A few months ago, I reviewed the Shozy Form 1.1 to some mostly favorable results. At $59 to $79, I found the dual-driver hybrid to have pretty solid resolution and fast, fun impactful bass for it’s asking price. My biggest gripe with it was that I had to use EQ to drop the treble response down to make it not so fatiguing and harsh, as I found listening to it was a challenge to it’s peaky upper-end.

The $199 Shozy Form 1.4 is the latest release to this series, and was sent to me by Linsoul for a review. I’ve had it for a little over a month now and have found it to be a nice update to the original 1.1. The 1.4 is also a hybrid featuring the same beryllium dynamic driver, but adds 3 additional balanced armature (BA) drivers to give it a total of 4 BAs within the same sized housing.

The housing now features a wood design faceplate, which is supposedly real wood, laminated within the acrylic shell. The cable is the exact same cloth-braided cord used in the Form 1.1, which I found to be very nicely made, and easy to use before.

Sound
The Shozy Form 1.4 has a nice balanced sound signature, though it does have a mid-bass hump that punches a lot of weight at times and lacks extension in the upper treble, however I don’t find that to be a problem, at all.
The bass level and quality hasn’t changed at all since the Form 1.1, as it’s being carried out primarily by the dynamic driver. There’s a lot of punch and slam at times, however the decay speed is on the faster end of a dynamic driver. I typically don’t like mid-bass humps but this one does it tastefully, as there’s not a lot of mid-range bleed off.



The mid-range has also pretty much stayed par for the course despite having more drivers. In fact, I found the entire headphone to sound almost identical to its lower cost predecessor with the only tweaks happening in the treble range.

With the original Form 1.1, I found that there was too great of energy around 8K and onward, which caused a lot of records, not just bad ones, to sound overly strained, harsh, and even sibilant. I felt it ruined it’s tonality with the exaggerated high end. With some EQ work, I was able to tone it down without any problems and then found the Form 1.1 to be a rather competent IEM. On this newer model, they must have taken some of that feedback to heart, as the new sound signature has a much more tamed upper frequency range, which makes everything sound more natural and relaxed.



There is a roll off right after 8K but in practice, like the Dunu DK3001 Pro I just recently reviewed, I didn’t find this to harm it’s tuning at all. With this small treble update, I found the Shozy Form 1.4 to sound pretty solid right out of the box.

Like the Form 1.1, the soundstage here is just average width and lacking a lot of depth, something I am slight disappointed at with a much higher price tag at $199. There aren’t a lot of technicality differences between the two despite having more drivers that share the load, and I haven’t been able to audibly hear enough to distinguish better resolution, transients, or anything of that nature.

Conclusion
At the end of the day, I think the tuning of the Form 1.4 is an improvement over the Form 1.1 It fixes the issues I had with treble gain, and strained, and sibilant sound, however I am not totally sure the small fix, which can be patched with EQ, is worth a 2.5X price gap. Yes, there’s more drivers now, but I don’t know if they do enough for me to really hear a marked improvement. That said, I rather grab the Form 1.4 over the Form 1.1 any day, however I also didn’t pay for these review units. The choice is going to be up to the user here.

And while I do like the Form 1.4’s general sound signature, I would take any of the lower cost Moondrop offerings – Kanas Pro and KXXS/Starfield – over the Form 1.4 as they just present sound better overall.

Disclaimer: Shozy has graciously provided us with this sample unit in exchange for an honest review. The views discussed below are a reflection of Project A3's thoughts surrounding the product. The sample has been run-in for at least 50 hours prior to reviewing in order to achieve an accurate representation of the product.









Introduction:
Shozy, in the eyes of many an audiophile, is a Chinese company with a pedigree, known for its budget-tier releases, ranging from the cult classic, “Zero” to their recent collaborative project with AAW (Advanced Acoustic Werkes), the exorbitantly priced “Pola39”. Based on their past product launches, Shozy has the credentials to back their claims up.

In the recent months, Shozy has been toying around with a multiplicity of concept IEMs’ that have yet to make their debut in the portable-audio marketplace (be sure to follow Project A3 for the latest “Shozy related” reviews).

Today, we’ll be reviewing the Form 1.4; the titular successor to their budget phenome which shares its namesake, the Form 1.1. With an addition of 3 additional balanced armatures to its current array of 1 balanced armature and 1 beryllium-coated dynamic driver in the Form 1.1. The difference in price, however, isn’t a monumental leap; it’s only $100 USD more, at $199 USD. Based on what’s under the hood, its massive driver-array alone is enough to sell itself as a value proposition.

However, sound is king; and the Form’s 1.4 specifications means nothing in the grand of scheme of things, if it isn’t tuned right.

Will the Form 1.4 improve upon its little sibling, the Form 1.1? Or will it tarnish Shozy’s pristine ledger of successful releases? Available at Linsoul Audio.

Specifications:
● Driver: 4BA + dynamic
● Cavity: imported medical resin 3D print
● Faceplate: Imported stabilized panel
● Technology: 3-way crossover
● Sensitivity: 102db
● Frequency: 20 Hz-20KHz
● Impedance: 16ohm
● Cable: 2pin 0.78mm
● Plug: 3.5mm

Gear Used & Tracklist:
Onkyo DP-X1 | Sony NW-A105 | Aune X1S | Periodic Audio Nickel (Ni) |




Unboxing:
The Form 1.4 comes in a tiny cardboard box, one which appears to lack the capacity to hold most of its contents. To my surprise, the hard case takes up the entirety of the box. The case itself could easily hold two pairs of earphones without breaking a sweat. Inside the case, we have a few pairs of silicon ear tips in your standard sizes, ranging from S to L. stored inside a zip-lock bag.

Considering the stiff competition faced by the Form 1.4, a more enticing package that values quantity AND quality in its accessories offering would’ve been greatly appreciated by yours truly. But I will commend Shozy for including an oversized case; one that allows me to stow my Shanling M0 away, alongside the Form 1.4.


Scalability:
The Form 1.4 is easily driven out of all the sources that I currently have on hand, carrying its strikingly “dark” signature. Balanced armatures are known for being high efficiency, low mechanical loads. In this case, there are no exceptions to that hard and fast rule.

On my Sony Walkman NW-A105, I left the volume at a moderate level of 50/100 steps to reach a listening volume that I’m comfortable with.

Like other earphones I have reviewed prior to the Form 1.4, the Aune X1S DAC/Amp effortlessly drives the Form 1.4. with the potentiometer placed a minute away from the 6 O’clock neutral position.

Any audible changes across sources were barely noticed or imperceptible.

Overall, the Form 1.4 doesn’t scale much, if not at all. But it is an efficient earphone that doesn’t require much power for it to truly sing.




Fit:
The Form 1.4’s form factor follows the ubiquitous universal mold that has been accepted as an industry standard. The shells feature an exotic, stabilized wooden faceplate, juxtaposed by contrasting swirls of tan and burgundy. It looks extraordinary. Its nice to see manufacturers kicking their standards up a notch, even for products in the sub-$200 range. The shells are lacquered and finished with finesse; the seam between the faceplate and shell is nowhere to be found, as I trace my finger alongside it.

The contours of the shell sit well in my ear with zero discomfort. The length of the earphone’s spout sits snugly in my ear with a pair of medium-sized silicon ear-tips. There are no sharp protrusions or rough edges on the shells themselves.

The Form 1.4 features a standard 2-pin IEM termination, allowing for seamless cable-rolling.

The included cloth-braided cables are supple and easily malleable, preventing unwanted kinks or bends from forming. However, the sheathing is prone to microphonics, especially when you’re walking outside, where the friction generated from the cable rubbing against your clothes can prove to be an unnecessary distraction.

The metal-end cap at the back of the shell, which is the vent, to my surprise, doesn’t pick up on much ambient noise from its surroundings. Wind noise wasn’t too much of my problem on the daily commute.

So far, the Form 1.4 ticks all the right boxes.







The bass displays great control and restraint, but it errs on the side of “safe”. It lacks excitement and dynamism, which one expects from a beryllium driver. However, it falls in line with the over-arching, analog-esque sound signature that Shozy was gunning for here.



Rich, thick and succulent; these are the adjectives I would use to surmise the mids. But the conservative signature has resulted in a upper-mid section that lacks energy or enthusiasm; it can oftentimes results in vocals sounding distant and further back in the mix.



As mentioned earlier, the transition from the upper-mids to the highs is a smooth one; an overly smooth one. If you enjoy a sound signature that virulently detests the notion of “sibilance”, the Form 1.4 still carries ample detail in the higher registers. However, this is a textbook example of playing it too safe. It simply needs to be more daring. What gives the Form 1.4 its character at the same time, is what hampers its ability to truly shine.



Despite my criticisms here, do take it with a grain of salt; this is a $150 USD earphone, not a flagship product.



The Form 1.4 proves to be a formidable earphone, managing to untangle the reference track, which is a cavernous wall of noise coming from all directions. It put up a good fight, but eventually, the entirety of the mix is just too much for it to handle.



By nature of the Form 1.4’s cloyingly sweet mid-range, restrained songs with an even harmonic emphasis, such as “Soledad Y El Mar” is further complemented by the Form 1.4’s signature, recreating a “cabin-like”, intimate experience.

However, jazz-instrumentals or songs with a screechy, instrumentals that favor odd-harmonics sound both cold and distant; it simply lacks clarity.




Conclusion
The Shozy Form 1.4 makes me reminisce of an analog age that favored the noise and surface crackle of a needle tracking the grooves of a vinyl record. Yes, it isn’t the most detailed earphone in the market. But that is what makes it is so endearing. In fact, I found myself investing more listening time into the Form 1.4 simply because of its aversion to abrasiveness. In the meantime, Shozy has many upcoming products in the pipeline (*hint hint*).

Be sure to follow Project A3 on Facebook for more reviews*.




*All ratings are accurate as of date of publication. Changes in price, newer models may affect Project A3's views on the performance and value of the reviewed product.