Simgot EM2

General Information

Specifications-
  • Transducer unit 
    10mm high magnetic compound dynamic driver & Knowles balanced armature RAF-32873
  • Polymer compound titanium-plated diaphragm
    N50 strong magnetic circuit
    Acoustic hanging system
    Brass stabilizing rings
  • Frequency response
    15Hz-40kHz
  • Sensitivity 
    ≥101dB(at 1000Hz)
  • Impedance 
  • 15Ω
    Distortion 
  • <1% 101dB(20μpa)
    Channel imbalance 
  • <1.5dB(at 1000Hz)
  • Rated power 
    10mW
  • Cable 
    4 cores of SPC braided cable

    Pictures-

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Latest reviews

Otto Motor

Headphoneus Supremus
Pros: Near-audiophile tuning; clarity; superb leather case.
Cons: Lower midrange recessed.
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY


The nicely accessorized, well fitting/isolating Simgot EM2 impresses by its balanced, crisp, transparent, bright, neutralish sound. A more forward (lower) midrange would move it closer to perfection.


INTRODUCTION


I have seen a few reviews of the Simgot EM2 already, most positive, one negative. I was rather surprised when putting these in my ears as I could not remember anything this crisp and clear in the $100-150 class. These Simgot EM2 belong to yet another new generation of multi-driver earphones that sound sleeker, fresher, and more natural than the previous one (as you will see below).


SPECIFICATIONS


Transducer: 10 mm high magnetic compound dynamic driver & Knowles balanced armature RAF-32873 polymer compound titanium-plated diaphragm N50 strong magnetic circuit, acoustic hanging system, Brass stabilizing rings
Frequency Response: 15 Hz – 40 kHz
Sensitivity: ≥101 dB(at 1000 Hz)
Impedance: 15 Ω
Distortion: <1% 101dB(20μpa)
Channel Imbalance: <1.5dB(at 1000Hz)
Rated Power: 10 mW
Cable: 4 cores of SPC braided cable with 2-pin connectors.
Price: $116 (at the time of the review)
Simgot Amazon Store: LINK


IN THE BOX…


…is quite a lot. The Simgot EM2 are generously accessorized including the best leather case coming with any earphone I have unpacked. What is particularly nicely done is the presentation of two sets of eartips, one narrow-bore for bass emphasis, and another wide-bore one for treble. Although, this turned out to be less useful for me than expected.

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PHYSICAL APPEARANCE, HAPTIC, AND BUILD QUALITY


The Simgot EM2’s housings are made of acrylic (similar to the NiceHCK DT600 [review] and the $$$ Sennheiser IE 500 Pro [photos) is good but not as good as CNC machined. The 4-core 2-pin connector cable is flawless, has a chin slider and no microphonics. The cable’s metal parts are coated with protective clear plastic.


ERGONOMICS, COMFORT, ISOLATION, AND FIT


Isolation is marvellous, the EM2 are great for street use. Even with cars around I did not miss any of the music’s details. Worked also well when my wife watched television next to me. The shells are small and comfortable. I’d compare them in this respect to the Sennheiser IE 40 PRO [review].

SOURCE AND EARTIPS

The EM2 were easily driven by my iPhone SE. The included wide-bore tips generated a treble-happy, blurry, unbalanced sound that didn’t do it for me. The included narrow-bores, on the other hand, worked just great for me.


TONALITY


JK’s tonal preference and testing practice

The included narrow-bore eartips allegedly emphasize bass. But all they do is move the lower treble peak to the left and attenuate the upper treble resonant peak, which creates only the perception of a stronger bass.

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Simgot EM2 frequency responses with narrow-bore and wide-bore tips.

The overall image is a gentle U with a forward inclination from between the nicely extended sub-bass into the lower midrange, similar to favourites such as the Sennheiser IE 40 PRO, Soundmagic E10C, or the original black Brainwavz B200. This means that the bass slam comes from way below (and not from the mid-bass or upper bass), which avoids a thick low end and generates clarity in the vocals department of the lower midrange but also keeps warmth to a minimum. The bass is fast, focused and crisp, but not overly punchy, just as purists like it.

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Simgot EM2 frequency response with narrow-bore tips.

The lower midrange is a slightly recessed and low voices/rhythm guitars could be a bit denser with more body and lustre, but this recession adds depth to the image. Vocals are clear, well contoured, and natural. The slightly boosted upper midrange adds brightness to the sound but not enough to create harshness. The whole midrange is close to neutral.

Treble fits in with the midrange. It is not overly extended and devoid of strange peaks, which excludes sibilance and piercing. High piano notes are well defined and cymbals are crisp and well resolving but they don’t have the sparkle and pearliness of the ISN Rambos [review].

Soundstage is of average width, good height, and lesser but still average depth. Instrument separation and layering are good and so are transparency and sense of space. The timbre is almost there for classical music, a bit of natural warmth is missing in the string instruments, but this is rather minor. I find that the DD and the BA work well together and produce a coherent image.

Simgot gives a channel imbalance of maximally 1.5 dB at 1 kHz (see specs above) — I achieved a close to perfect match in my measurements across the frequency spectrum.

In summary, the sound of the Simgot EM2 can be described as leaning towards bright and neutral (but not sterile), with excellent clarity. I found they brightened up some of my dull, muffled old 1980s recordings.

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Frequency responses of the Simgot EM2, Ikko OH1, and the Kanas Moondrop Pro: similar graphs, different tonalities.

In comparison, the warmer and more organic sounding single DD Moodrop Kanas Pro ($179) [review] have a stronger bass slam, smoother midrange and treble, and less transparency. And they have bigger and much heavier earpieces.

The $139 Ikko OH1 [photos] have even more emphasis on sub-bass than the Kanas Pro and a more pronounced V-shaped image than the Simgot EM2, while being warmer across the frequency spectrum. Their alloy shells are marginally bigger and CNC machined.

The fact that the frequency responses of all of the above are essentially identical from approx. 2 kHz down, shows the limitations of the usefulness of measurements for characterizing/comparing the sound of different driver configuration/tunings…and/or that my fantasy took over.

The Sennheiser IE 40 PRO also have a warmer, fuller sound with a more robust low end and more upper treble than the Simgot EM2.

In summary, the EM2 is the closest to neutral, clearest, and the least bassy of the bunch and will appeal to the demanding and mature listener.


CONCLUDING REMARKS


Overall, these Simgot EM2 are a keeper which excel by their clarity — the only improvement I would suggest is bringing the lower midrange forward. The sound quality of this 1+1 hybrid shows once again that less is more and that the race for the highest number of drivers is futile, at least in the budget and mid-price segments. I am sure we will hear a lot more from Simgot in the near future. And since their products are available from amazon, you don’t have to wait long for your shipment.


DISCLAIMER


I received the EM2 unsolicited and free from Simgot for my independent review. Thank you very much!
This review was originally posted at https://audioreviews.org. You find a series of photos of the iem THERE.

Our generic standard disclaimer

About our measurements


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EagleWings

Headphoneus Supremus
Pros: Warm and Thick Sounding, Comfortable, Awesome Carry Case
Cons: Veiled and Muddy, Lacks Transparency
Acknowledgement:
I would like to thank Simgot for providing me with a pair of the Simgot EM2 free of charge in exchange for my review.

Introduction:
I reviewed the Simgot's EN700PRO, which was a single DD IEM with a very nice balanced tuning. When I learnt Simgot was coming out with a hybrid line-up, I was looking forward to it. After reading reviews on EM3 and EM5 which appear to be brightly tuned IEMs, I knew they were not my cup of tea. So when Simgot reached out to me if I was interested in reviewing either the EM3 or the EM5, I turned down the offer in the beginning of 2018. I was told that they were coming out with the EM2 in a few months, which they thought would better suit my taste. Around fall of 2018, they shipped the EM2 to me and I had been caught up with some work that I couldn't get to the review sooner.

Packaging, Accessories and Cable:
You get the standard accessories that you get with all Simgot IEMs. A beautiful brown leather case and 6 x sets of eartips (3 x Bass Tips and 3 x Upper-Mid and High Tips). Simgot’s brown leather case is the probably one of the best stock cases one can get these days. Unlike most cases, which turn out to be not very practical for everyday use, Simgot’s leather case is hard enough to protect your IEMs from falls, is slim enough to fit your pocket, and the magnetic flap makes it a breeze to access the storage compartment for stowing or retrieving the IEM. I just can’t stress how much I love this case. And the best part is, it does all that and looks very sophisticated with the brown leather finish. As for the included cable, it is very flexible but is slightly prone to tangling. As the IEM is worn with the cable running over the ear, microphonics is almost non-existent.

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Comfort and Isolation:
Both, comfort and isolation are very good for a universal IEM. As these are lighter than the EN700PRO, these sit more comfortably in my ears.

Source Matching and Hiss:
EM2s are very efficient and sensitive and they play just fine even out of a smartphone. These don’t hiss like some of the multi-BA IEMs, but pairing these with amps that have a high noise floor will make the IEM to pick up some hiss. But that is the case with most IEMs. So in terms of balance between ease to drive and hiss, EM2 works just ideally.

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Sound:
EM2 has a bit of a U shaped signature, which is a result of slightly bumped up mid-bass and lower-treble. I am typically not a fan of U shaped signatures, but there are some IEMs with a U shaped signature that actually sound good. Unfortunately, EM2 isn’t one of those good sounding U shaped IEMs. As the enhancement in the lows are focussed towards mid-bass and lower-mids, EM2 creates boomy bass and thick notes. There is decent sub-bass as the DD driver helps with the extension. While the mid-bass is boomy, the impact and slams are palpable and nice, adding a fun factor to the sound.

The warm and thick sounding mids work well for male vocals and lower harmonic instruments. But there is a lack of balance between lower and upper mids that the warmth and thickness cast a veil. This is due to insufficient upper-mids. So the female vocals and instruments with majority of frequencies lying in the upper-mid region sound dull and lacking in articulation. While the lower treble bump tries to compensate for that, it doesn’t do a great job and ends up sounding bright.

As for non-tonal aspects such as separation, layering and soundstage, EM2 performs at a level of what you can expect from a $100 IEM. Meaning, it is going to be noticeably better than the earbuds that come with your smartphone, but not as good as some of the champion IEMs in the price range.

Comparison:
Vs EN700Pro:
Compared to the EM2, 700 is more balanced sounding. It is a more coherent sounding IEM with better balance not only on the entire spectrum, but also within bass, mids and treble. As a whole EN700Pro is more accurate sounding than the EM2. While one might think that the EM2 might work better for genres like electronic and pop, as a result of EM2’s U Shaped signature, those genres still work better on the 700, as it sounds energetic. 700 also does the non-tonal aspects like soundstage and separation slightly better than the EM2.

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Conclusion:
I can’t recommend the EM2, when the EN700Pro is available for the same price. While Simgot is trying to offer something different with its hybrid series IEMs, they probably need to rethink the tuning of the EM2. While the EM2 is in no way a bad IEM, they have not surpassed their own EN700Pro.

Amazon Link: https://www.amazon.com/Headphones-SIMGOT-Detachable-Noise-Isolating-Smartphones/dp/B07JXZD7LG
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loomisjohnson

1000+ Head-Fier
Pros: very transparent and coherent; wide, engrossing soundstage and excellent overall clarity
Cons: tip-sensitive and can sound bass-shy in certain set-ups.
The EM2 is a new (single Knowles BA/DD) hybrid from Simgot, whose single dynamic EN700 Bass is still one of the best-tuned $100 phones I’ve heard. Packaging and accessories are lavish (silver cable, great leather case); the unboxing experience is orgasmic. Build is solid, although I prefer the metal aesthetic of the EN700 to the less elegant-looking acrylics of the EM2. Sleek, tear-shaped shells provide for excellent fit and comfort; for some reason these isolated well outdoors and less well in the gym. Very efficient and easily driven with a mobile; however these also scale well with more powerful sources, which deepens subbass impact.

I hear these as mildly U-shaped, with a neutral to slightly bright tonality and moderately crisp note texture. Soundstage is very holographic, with more width than height, and layering and imaging is pinpoint. With the “bass” eartips (and esp. with foams), subbass extends quite low and, in contrast to the EN700, the EM2 has impeccable bass control and speed, although midbass is fairly flat and modest in quantity; these lack the seismic slam and physicality of, say, the Ibasso IT01 and are not optimal for EDM or technoid genres. (Note that the included “treble” tips do, as advertised, markedly attenuate high end, but render these overdamped/ bass shy and somewhat unbalanced; in general the Simgot EM2 are extremely tip-sensitive). Mids are slightly recessed but very revealing; voices have very good clarity and audibility despite sounding slightly far back from the center stage. High end is well extended, with a nice sibilant-free sheen and sparkle and are also very detailed; I heard new subtleties on familiar recordings and these sort out complex orchestral passages very, very capably. Driver coherence is flawless; the EM2 lack the sizzly, overbusy character of many of the new breed of cheap multidriver Chifis. They are, however, ruthlessly revealing of bad recordings.

Compared to the EN700, the EM2 are more analytical and “audiophile tuned”–more revealing, with a rounder stage and tighter (if less voluminous) bass; next to players like the Tehnz P4 or even the Moondrop Kanas the EM2 sounds less smoothed-over and more accurate. That said, I won’t say the EM2 are clearly better than the EN700 or the Moondrop Kanas, which sound “tubier” and beefier than the EM2, although the EM2 are the better choice for critical listening, esp. with less bass-heavy fare. Very fairly priced at $115.

SPECIFICATIONS

Transducer: 10 mm high magnetic compound dynamic driver & Knowles balanced armature RAF-32873
Polymer compound titanium-plated diaphragm N50 strong magnetic circuit, Acoustic hanging system, Brass stabilizing rings
Frequency Response: 15 Hz – 40 kHz
Sensitivity:  ≥101dB(at 1000Hz)
Impedance: 15Ω
Distortion: <1% 101dB(20μpa)
Channel Imbalance: <1.5dB(at 1000Hz)
Rated Power: 10 mW
Cable: 4 cores of SPC braided cable

DISCLAIMER

I got the EM2 unsolicited and free from Simgot; I bought the other IEMs mentioned above.

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