SIMGOT EA500

𝗚𝗿𝗲𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀!

This is a review of the Simgot EA500, which Linsoul has provided me to review.

𝘋𝘐𝘚𝘊𝘓𝘈𝘐𝘔𝘌𝘙: 𝘐 𝘞𝘈𝘚 𝘗𝘙𝘖𝘝𝘐𝘋𝘌𝘋 𝘛𝘏𝘌 𝘜𝘕𝘐𝘛 𝘐𝘕 𝘌𝘟𝘊𝘏𝘈𝘕𝘎𝘌 𝘍𝘖𝘙 𝘈 𝘕𝘖-𝘍𝘙𝘐𝘓𝘓𝘚, 𝘜𝘕𝘉𝘐𝘈𝘚𝘌𝘋 𝘙𝘌𝘝𝘐𝘌𝘞. 𝘐 𝘈𝘔 𝘕𝘌𝘐𝘛𝘏𝘌𝘙 𝘗𝘈𝘐𝘋 𝘕𝘖𝘙 𝘊𝘖𝘔𝘔𝘐𝘚𝘚𝘐𝘖𝘕𝘌𝘋 𝘛𝘖 𝘗𝘙𝘖𝘝𝘐𝘋𝘌 𝘈 𝘚𝘒𝘌𝘞𝘌𝘋 𝘙𝘌𝘝𝘐𝘌𝘞.

This is 𝐄𝐩𝐢𝐬𝐨𝐝𝐞 𝐈 on Goji-Fi' s 𝘼𝙩𝙩𝙖𝙘𝙠 𝙤𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝘽𝙖𝙘𝙠𝙡𝙤𝙜𝙨, a series I will continue as I journey through the backlogs of this year's previous releases.



The Simgot EA500 took the audiophile hobby by storm by being the "next big thing" recently. Its undisputed likeable tuning and the flexibility through changeable nozzles is truly the stuff that generates talk among the hobby, and rightfully so. This may seem like a retrospective view given that months have passed since its initial popularity, but it still holds true to this age as it started a bit of a trend of modified Harman targets creeping into every price point in the IEM market.

𝙋𝙧𝙞𝙘𝙚
$79 (USD)
~₱4400 (PhP)

𝙏𝙚𝙘𝙝𝙣𝙞𝙘𝙖𝙡 𝙎𝙥𝙚𝙘𝙞𝙛𝙞𝙘𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙨
𝗗𝗿𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝘂𝘀𝗲𝗱: 10mm 4th Generation DLC Diaphragm Dynamic Driver (1)
𝗣𝗶𝗻 𝗧𝘆𝗽𝗲: 0.78mm 2-Pin
𝗣𝗹𝘂𝗴 𝗧𝘆𝗽𝗲: 3.5mm unbalanced
𝗥𝗲𝘀𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲: 16 Ω
𝗙𝗿𝗲𝗾𝘂𝗲𝗻𝗰𝘆 𝗥𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲: 20Hz – 20KHz
𝗦𝗲𝗻𝘀𝗶𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗶𝘁𝘆: 123dB/Vrms

𝙋𝙖𝙘𝙠𝙖𝙜𝙞𝙣𝙜 (out of 5)
𝐏𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧
The packaging is one of the cutest sizes that I've seen in a while. It's not small, but the overall dimensions and shape make it very pleasing to look at. Despite the non-imposing stature, the front box art emanates a very serious and professional aura. No pictures nor silhouettes of the IEM can found; just a visual representation of what looks like a door that leads to outer space. The model name (EA500) is displayed under the door-like figure, which is accompanied by the Simgot logo and a high-res certification. At the back, we can see a pair of graphs, all designed to show you the subtle yet effective differences between switching nozzles.


𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐭
As you open the box, you'll immediately be greeted with the EA500 IEMs themselves, all in their mirror like finish. You'll know right away that these will be fingerprint magnets, as once you extract them from the box, your prints will immediately stick to the entirety of the surface of the EA500. Nonetheless, they are good looking enough without being too overbearing with its design, which I truly like.


𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐮𝐥𝐚𝐫𝐬
Simgot has offered us quite a good deal when it comes to the particulars that come with the IEM: a lightweight yet quality cable, multiple pairs of eartips, a sturdy oval case, the tuning nozzles, and multiple pairs of colorized rubber gaskets to help you identify what kind of tuning that you want. Simgot is very vocal about their campaign towards a mod and repair-friendly environment, which clearly shows in the inclusions they have made available for their consumers.




𝘽𝙪𝙞𝙡𝙙 𝙌𝙪𝙖𝙡𝙞𝙩𝙮 & 𝘾𝙤𝙢𝙛𝙤𝙧𝙩 (out of 5)
✳ The 𝐁𝐮𝐢𝐥𝐝 𝐐𝐮𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲
The build quality for the IEMs themselves and their cable is nothing short of fantastic. Everything feels solid in the EA500, even in its lustrous mirror-like appearance. There are appearaces of seam lines around the body, but they still seem (pun intended) intentional and won't break at a drop's notice. The different vents and holes around the EA500 also looks cleanly made and are, as far as I can tell, functional. To top if all off, the entire thing feels rightfully hefty, which some of you might know, is a total win in my books. All of these add up to a satisfying feeling of confidence which really, is sometimes hard to find in this sub-$100 IEM bracket.

✳ The 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐭
Small but terrible, as the quote goes. Although terrible is definitely not the case here, as the smaller form factor of the EA500 greatly contributes to the increased comfort that it offers. Audiophiles with smaller ears rejoice: the EA500, as said previously, is small in its size. It had absolutely no problem snuggling in my relatively bigger ears, which definitely will be the case for others that have smaller pinnas and depth in their ear canals. The body also does not protrude out to the back, which is a contrast from the common resin-made IEMs that tries to be a custom fit. This improves the comfort significantly; I wish more companies start to realize this rather than try to implement bigger curvature and bulges in the IEM body to aspire for a "universal" custom fit, which ironically, does not really work for all. Although a relatively heftier boi than other IEMs, I didn't feel that much heft when its properly secured in my ears. All of that combined with the lightweight cable means for a listening experience that can last upon hours and hours.


𝙎𝙤𝙪𝙣𝙙 .5 (out of 5)
𝗠𝗨𝗦𝗜𝗖 𝗨𝗦𝗘𝗗: (𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘧𝘪𝘭𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘰𝘯 𝘢 𝘍𝘓𝘈𝘊 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘮𝘢𝘵, 𝘦𝘪𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 24𝘣𝘪𝘵/48𝘬𝘏𝘻 𝘰𝘳 24𝘣𝘪𝘵/96𝘬𝘏𝘻)
𝘋𝘢𝘧𝘵 𝘗𝘶𝘯𝘬 - 𝘙𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘰𝘮 𝘈𝘤𝘤𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘔𝘦𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴 (𝘢𝘭𝘣𝘶𝘮)
𝘋𝘢𝘧𝘵 𝘗𝘶𝘯𝘬 - 𝘈𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘦 2007 (𝘢𝘭𝘣𝘶𝘮)
𝘋𝘢𝘷𝘪𝘥 𝘉𝘰𝘸𝘪𝘦 - 𝘉𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘬𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘳 (𝘢𝘭𝘣𝘶𝘮)
𝘋𝘶𝘢 𝘓𝘪𝘱𝘢 -𝘍𝘶𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘕𝘰𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘭𝘨𝘪𝘢 (𝘢𝘭𝘣𝘶𝘮)
𝘛𝘸𝘪𝘤𝘦 - 𝘔𝘰𝘳𝘦 & 𝘔𝘰𝘳𝘦 (𝘢𝘭𝘣𝘶𝘮)
𝘛𝘸𝘪𝘤𝘦 - 𝘌𝘺𝘦𝘴 𝘞𝘪𝘥𝘦 𝘖𝘱𝘦𝘯 (𝘢𝘭𝘣𝘶𝘮)
𝘔𝘪𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘦𝘭 𝘑𝘢𝘤𝘬𝘴𝘰𝘯 - 𝘋𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘴 (𝘢𝘭𝘣𝘶𝘮)
𝘒𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘳𝘪𝘤𝘬 𝘓𝘢𝘮𝘢𝘳 - 𝘛𝘰 𝘗𝘪𝘮𝘱 𝘈 𝘉𝘶𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘧𝘭𝘺
𝘕𝘦𝘸 𝘖𝘳𝘥𝘦𝘳 – 𝘛𝘖𝘛𝘈𝘓 (𝘢𝘭𝘣𝘶𝘮)
𝘕𝘦𝘸 𝘖𝘳𝘥𝘦𝘳 - 𝘗𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘳, 𝘊𝘰𝘳𝘳𝘶𝘱𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘓𝘪𝘦𝘴 (𝘢𝘭𝘣𝘶𝘮)
𝘗𝘰𝘳𝘤𝘶𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘦 𝘛𝘳𝘦𝘦 - 𝘐𝘯 𝘈𝘣𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘢 (𝘢𝘭𝘣𝘶𝘮)
𝘗𝘰𝘳𝘤𝘶𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘦 𝘛𝘳𝘦𝘦 - 𝘍𝘦𝘢𝘳 𝘰𝘧 𝘢 𝘉𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘬 𝘗𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘦𝘵 (𝘢𝘭𝘣𝘶𝘮)
𝘚𝘭𝘦𝘦𝘱 - 𝘏𝘰𝘭𝘺 𝘔𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘪𝘯 (𝘢𝘭𝘣𝘶𝘮)
𝘚𝘭𝘦𝘦𝘱 - 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘚𝘤𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘴 (𝘢𝘭𝘣𝘶𝘮)
𝘖𝘮 - 𝘈𝘥𝘷𝘢𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘤 𝘚𝘰𝘯𝘨𝘴 (𝘢𝘭𝘣𝘶𝘮)
𝘊𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘭𝘦𝘮𝘢𝘴𝘴 - 𝘌𝘱𝘪𝘤𝘶𝘴 𝘋𝘰𝘰𝘮𝘪𝘤𝘶𝘴 𝘔𝘦𝘵𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘤𝘶𝘴 (𝘢𝘭𝘣𝘶𝘮)
𝘉𝘦𝘭𝘭 𝘞𝘪𝘵𝘤𝘩 - 𝘔𝘪𝘳𝘳𝘰𝘳 𝘙𝘦𝘢𝘱𝘦𝘳 (𝘢𝘭𝘣𝘶𝘮)
𝘗𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘣𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘳 - 𝘏𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘭𝘦𝘴𝘴 (𝘢𝘭𝘣𝘶𝘮)
𝘋𝘦𝘢𝘧𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘷𝘦𝘯 - 𝘚𝘶𝘯𝘣𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 (𝘢𝘭𝘣𝘶𝘮)
𝘋𝘦𝘢𝘧𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘷𝘦𝘯 - 𝘖𝘳𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘳𝘺 𝘊𝘰𝘳𝘳𝘶𝘱𝘵 𝘏𝘶𝘮𝘢𝘯 𝘓𝘰𝘷𝘦 (𝘢𝘭𝘣𝘶𝘮)
𝘒𝘰𝘳𝘯 - 𝘒𝘰𝘳𝘯 (𝘢𝘭𝘣𝘶𝘮)
𝘒𝘰𝘳𝘯 - 𝘓𝘪𝘧𝘦 𝘐𝘴 𝘗𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘩𝘺 (𝘢𝘭𝘣𝘶𝘮)
𝘉𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘬 𝘛𝘰𝘯𝘨𝘶𝘦 - 𝘕𝘢𝘥𝘪𝘳 (𝘢𝘭𝘣𝘶𝘮)
𝘋𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘩 - 𝘏𝘶𝘮𝘢𝘯 (𝘢𝘭𝘣𝘶𝘮)
𝘋𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘩 - 𝘚𝘺𝘮𝘣𝘰𝘭𝘪𝘤 (𝘢𝘭𝘣𝘶𝘮)
𝘋𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘩 - 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘚𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘗𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦 (𝘢𝘭𝘣𝘶𝘮)
𝘕𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘸𝘪𝘴𝘩 - 𝘖𝘯𝘤𝘦 [𝘙𝘦𝘮𝘢𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘥] (𝘢𝘭𝘣𝘶𝘮)
𝘕𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘸𝘪𝘴𝘩 - 𝘋𝘢𝘳𝘬 𝘗𝘢𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘗𝘭𝘢𝘺 (𝘢𝘭𝘣𝘶𝘮)
𝘉𝘦𝘩𝘦𝘮𝘰𝘵𝘩 - 𝘖𝘱𝘷𝘴 𝘊𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘳𝘢 𝘕𝘢𝘵𝘷𝘳𝘢𝘮 (𝘢𝘭𝘣𝘶𝘮)
𝘉𝘦𝘩𝘦𝘮𝘰𝘵𝘩 - 𝘐 𝘓𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘥 𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘈𝘵 𝘠𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘋𝘢𝘳𝘬𝘦𝘴𝘵 (𝘢𝘭𝘣𝘶𝘮)
𝘉𝘦𝘩𝘦𝘮𝘰𝘵𝘩 – 𝘌𝘷𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘰𝘯 (𝘢𝘭𝘣𝘶𝘮)
𝘉𝘦𝘩𝘦𝘮𝘰𝘵𝘩 - 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘈𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘴𝘺 (𝘢𝘭𝘣𝘶𝘮)
𝘉𝘦𝘩𝘦𝘮𝘰𝘵𝘩 – 𝘋𝘦𝘮𝘪𝘨𝘰𝘥 (𝘢𝘭𝘣𝘶𝘮)
𝘉𝘦𝘩𝘦𝘮𝘰𝘵𝘩 - 𝘡𝘰𝘴 𝘒𝘪𝘢 𝘊𝘶𝘭𝘵𝘶𝘴 (𝘢𝘭𝘣𝘶𝘮)
𝘉𝘦𝘩𝘦𝘮𝘰𝘵𝘩 - 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘚𝘢𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘪𝘴𝘵 (𝘢𝘭𝘣𝘶𝘮)
𝘔𝘦𝘵𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘤𝘢 - ...𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘑𝘶𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘈𝘭𝘭 (𝘢𝘭𝘣𝘶𝘮)
𝘔𝘦𝘵𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘤𝘢 - 𝘔𝘦𝘵𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘤𝘢 (𝘢𝘭𝘣𝘶𝘮)
𝘚𝘦𝘱𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘧𝘭𝘦𝘴𝘩 – 𝘛𝘪𝘵𝘢𝘯
𝘚𝘦𝘱𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘧𝘭𝘦𝘴𝘩 - 𝘊𝘰𝘥𝘦𝘹 𝘖𝘮𝘦𝘨𝘢
𝗦𝗢𝗨𝗥𝗖𝗘𝗦 𝗨𝗦𝗘𝗗: 𝘚𝘢𝘮𝘴𝘶𝘯𝘨 𝘎𝘢𝘭𝘢𝘹𝘺 𝘚8+; 𝘍𝘪𝘪𝘰 𝘟3 𝘔𝘢𝘳𝘬 𝘐𝘐𝘐; 𝘝𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘌𝘭𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘪𝘤𝘴 𝘙𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘗𝘭𝘶𝘴; 𝘘𝘶𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘺𝘭𝘦 𝘔15; 𝘕𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘗𝘩𝘰𝘯𝘦 (1) 𝘸/ 𝘈𝘱𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘛𝘺𝘱𝘦 𝘊-𝘵𝘰-3.5𝘮𝘮 𝘥𝘰𝘯𝘨𝘭𝘦 (𝘜𝘚 𝘝𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘢𝘯𝘵)
𝗡𝗢𝗧𝗘: 𝘐 𝘵𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘯 𝘣𝘰𝘯𝘦-𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘤𝘬 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯. 𝘐 𝘈𝘓𝘞𝘈𝘠𝘚 𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘭𝘶𝘥𝘦𝘥 𝘤𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦 & 𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘪𝘱𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘢𝘤𝘬𝘢𝘨𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘢𝘷𝘰𝘪𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘺 𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘤𝘤𝘶𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘯 𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘐 𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘦𝘸 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘪𝘯𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘴𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘶𝘵𝘱𝘶𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘢𝘯𝘺 𝘐𝘌𝘔 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘐 𝘵𝘦𝘴𝘵.



𝐎𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐓𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲
- The Simgot EA500 is an absolute people pleaser when it comes to how its tonality is generally constructed. If you're an avid follower of trends that are recently happening in the audiophile space today, the EA500 ticks all of the right boxes, and then some. It faithfully recalls all the hallmarks of the Harman curve: a neutral tonality, lean midrange, sparkly treble, all capped off with a clean, surgical bass. What makes the EA500 adds some integral additions here and there that makes it the best iteration of the already-repetitive lineup of various IEMs. It injects that right amount of extra energy and engagement to keep interests high, which puts a smile on my face even in my pessimistic attitude towards the DNA it shares with others. It also scales well in terms of putting additional power into it through amps/capable DAPs, which adds up to the overall enjoyment of the IEM when added to your collection. It's 100% understandable why the EA500 is famous, and it has the capabilities to back up the hype.

𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭'𝐬 𝐇𝐨𝐭
- What really piqued my interest towards the EA500 is its capability to resolve everything in such a crystal-clear way. This characteristic is mostly shared by those who religiously follow the Harman curve, as it is mainly the point of its existence. It's what the participants of perceived as the most "hi-fi" sounding curve, and it definitely shows. The EA500's resolution prowess is king: it can present everything in any mix without any mud nor "mushiness" whatsoever. This is one of the tenets that make the Harman tuning popular, as it produces a sweet tonality that is easily likeable to the casual ear. Female vocals tend to benefit from this type of tuning, as the frequency range that they live in are in line with where its strength lies. The EA500 uses that advantage and perfects it with what it can offer with the price range. Instead of just copying the Harman tuning to-a-t, it tweaks the weaknesses it has and turns it into remarkable points. One aspect of this that is really tangible is its dampening of the Harman's slightly harsh upper midrange and turns it into a very natural experience. I love how it sounds in conjunction with the crystal-clear resolution that the EA500 pumps out, resulting in one of the (if not, THE) most naturally immersive IEM within this price range. Another layer of likeability is added when you add in the fact that the EA500 comes with two sets of tuning options, which can alter the sound: black for the Simgot tuning, red for a classic Harman one. It definitely makes an observable difference, which is sometimes rare for IEMs that feature any kind of interchangeable parts to "change" its sound. I prefer the black ones overall, as it injects a little bit of a Simgot personality into the market-saturated Harman tuning, which is a huge plus for me, subjectively.

𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐈𝐭'𝐬 𝐍𝐨𝐭
- If you're looking for a warm, midrange-heavy, silky smooth experience in an IEM, the EA500 is definitely not the IEM for such purposes. That is the main caveat if you're buying this IEM, for I couldn't nitpick too much on its faults. May you be a seasoned veteran of the hobby or a casual newbie, you will be hard-pressed on finding any objective mistakes on how the EA500 presents itself. All will boil down to preferences: if you love Harman-tuned equipment, then the EA500 is arguably the best representation of such under $100. Clean, inoffensive bass; relatively present midrange; crystal clear treble with minimal peaks/irregularities: the EA500 has got it all. But if you're more of a neutral, flat-tuning, midrange heavy guy/gal, then the EA500 will definitely not be into your preferences. This might be my shortest criticism/nitpicking part of any review that I have done, for this is truly a great IEM that's worth the hype it's generated.

𝙁𝙞𝙣𝙖𝙡 𝙑𝙚𝙧𝙙𝙞𝙘𝙩 (𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝟱):
𝙋𝙖𝙘𝙠𝙖𝙜𝙞𝙣𝙜:
𝘽𝙪𝙞𝙡𝙙 𝙌𝙪𝙖𝙡𝙞𝙩𝙮 & 𝘾𝙤𝙢𝙛𝙤𝙧𝙩:
𝙎𝙤𝙪𝙣𝙙: .5

𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘨𝘦𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘚𝘪𝘮𝘨𝘰𝘵 𝘌𝘈500 𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘬 𝘣𝘦𝘭𝘰𝘸 (𝘶𝘯𝘢𝘧𝘧𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘥): https://www.linsoul.com/products/simgot-ea500?_pos=1&_sid=49b57a5ed&_ss=r

Firstly I would like to thank Simgot for sending me the EA500 to review.

*disclaimer: This sample was provided for the purpose of writing a review, no incentive was given to write a favourable review. All opinions expressed are my own subjective findings

Gear Used:
iBasso DX200 > EA500
JDS Labs Atom DAC+ > Singxer SA-1 > EA500



Tech Specs:
• MODEL – EA500
• DRIVERS – 10mm dual-magnetic-circuit & dual-cavity structure dynamic.
• DIAPHRAGM – Fourth-generation DLC composite diaphragm
• IMPEDANCE – 16Ω+15% (@1kHz)
• SENSITIVITY – 123dB/Vrms (@1kHz nozzle with red ring) 124dB/Vrms (@1kHz nozzle with black ring
• FREQUENCY RESPONSE RANGE – 10Hz-50KHz
• EFFECTIVE FREQUENCY RESPONSE – 20Hz-20kHz
• CABLE – High-purity silver-plated OFC wire
• CONNECTOR – 0.78mm 2-pin

https://www.linsoul.com/products/simgot-ea500

Packaging, Build Quality and Accessories

The Simgot EA500 come in a small matte black box, it has the model’s name on the front and info about the IEM’s on the back along with 2 graphs showing the sound signature for each nozzle (Black and Red). Slide the outer cover off and there is another matte black box with rose gold lettering embossed, a very nice touch. The box is mostly made of carboard, with a small section of hard foam to hold the IEMs in place, this is good for the environment which I appreciate. You’ll find the IEMs and accessories all neatly laid out in separate parts of the box and its well done overall.

Build quality is excellent, the main housing is made from metal and the detachable cable uses a standard 2-pin connector. The nozzles unscrew to allow either the black or red silicone ring ones to be fitted, these act as tuning filters which is a great addition. The cable is a twisted pair for below the splitter and single above, internally there are 4 cores of stranded silver-plated-copper OFC and the flexibility is excellent along with great strain relief on all parts.

Accessory wise you get 3 sets of silicone eartips (S, M and L) along with a spare set of nozzles (red are fitted, black are spare) there is a small bag of coloured o-rings too in case you lose any/they get damaged. There is also an oval shaped clamshell carry case included which is great, personally I would have liked to see more eartips included but all the basics are covered so that’s a plus.



Comfort and Isolation

The Simgot EA500 have a well-shaped housing which allows for a comfortable fit, the only issue I had was that the weight of the metal housing did cause them to slide out a little and meant they didn’t fit as flush as I would have liked. They didn’t fall out however, I would not pick these for active use, and they’re better suited for general daily usage. I did find them to be comfortable in use, and the cable greatly contributes to this, being supple and easy to handle.

Isolation is average, these are a vented dynamic driver design and as such will never compete with fully sealed balanced armature models. They do very well for everyday commuting and the usual daily activities, but if you have a very noisy commute, I would look at something a little more isolating.



Sound

Firstly, I will start off with the red nozzle which Simgot claim follows the Harman earphone curve quite closely. The Simgot EA500 have a punchy sound with these nozzles, there is great punch from the lower end of the spectrum and it’s controlled along with impactful. The punch is well controlled and there is good extension to back it up, these are not bass-head IEMs however they are mildly fun and quite engaging with the right music.

The midrange has detail, the EA500 manage to extract an impressive amount of detail from vocals and guitars without them sounding clinical. The transition from the bass into the midrange is handled very well without any excessive warming of the lower midrange, and equally the transition from the upper midrange into the treble is smooth with only a hint of sibilance on certain tracks. The midrange has very impressive tonality and they never sound congested, vocals are slightly forward giving them a bit of an intimate presentation however the rest of the instruments are well placed within the soundstage.
Treble wise these have good presentation and are not lacking when it comes to quantity, they are not however presented in a brash or up-front way and don’t ever become fatiguing. Extension is good, whilst they don’t quite trail off as effortlessly as some others, for the price the detail and control are commendable. They complement the overall balance and leave the EA500 sounding fun and enjoyable without sounding dull, or too clinical either. There is a sense of sparkle up top, but the highs are well controlled and even tonally they come across very well for the price.

Overall the red nozzles have a thoroughly enjoyable, well balanced sound with slightly forward vocals that give them a somewhat intimate presentation without ever sounding congested. The detail in the midrange is stunning for the price, and I really enjoy this sound signature.



Now on to the black nozzles, Simgot call this tuning a “Classic-Simgot” tuning and it differs to the Harman curve in a few ways. Right away you will notice a slight decrease in body in the bass, the punch is a little drier and has less warmth and body to it, and to me sounds a little less natural down low. Kick drums sound a bit to constrained, there sound be more body to back them up, however articulation and speed is good with the black nozzles.

The midrange is still quite natural; however, it is ever so slightly cooler in tonality, it doesn’t quite have the natural warmth of the red nozzles. Due to the slight decrease in body, there is a slight perceived increase in detail, the upper midrange is still well controlled though with minimal sibilance however it is a little more forward. The presentation is also slightly different, vocals don’t come across quite as up-front and there is a little more space within the soundstage.
A small increase in treble presence is noticeable and they no longer sound quite as well rounded and punchy, instead the overall signature is a little leaner and could become fatiguing at louder volumes. There is slightly more sparkle to the treble and it is more upfront in its presentation however it does remain quite well controlled and doesn’t sound splashy or overly peaky.

Overall, the black nozzles are a little leaner sounding which can work well for some genres, there is a perceived increase in detail due to the tuning and the treble is a little more upfront however they are lacking a slight richness to the sound that the red nozzles have.

Conclusion

The Simgot EA500 with the red nozzles are very easy to enjoy, I think they have a signature that is easy to like and the technicalities are mightily impressive for the price. There is a good level of detail retrieval, the sound is controlled and they never come across as congested. The black nozzles on the other hand could sound fatiguing to some over time and at higher volumes, the sound with the black nozzles is a little lean and perhaps not quite as fun and engaging as the red. Which you will prefer will come down to personal preference however, I found the red nozzles to provide a very well-rounded sound that way engaging, fun and yet technically proficient too. They are comfortable but the housings are quite heavy and I did find them not to sit as flush as I would have liked due to this (along with my awkward ear canals).

Sound Perfection Rating: 8/10 (Excellent build, great sound)