Simgot EN700 Pro
msrp $149.99
disclaimer: Simgot provided the EN700 Pro free of charge
Aesthetics
The housing shape is rounded and free from sharp edges. Fit is easy and very comfortable. Housing plates are plastic, designed to look like a metal grill. The effect is either stately or tacky bling, whichever really depends on my mood. Supplied tips are plentiful and pretty decent, but I preferred JVC Spiral Dots for their larger aperture, allowing maximum treble response and shallow fit. The leather like case is a good one, with a magnetic flap, that is a style reminiscent of some of JVC’s nicer cases.
As of late, many Chinese manufacturers are offering stock cables that have a somewhat custom appearance and the EN700 Pro is a fine example. The stock cable is above and beyond what many American counterparts offer. The plug is more robust with a look more common to custom boutique cable makers. The Y-split and slider are a little beefier as well, if a little less sleek than I prefer. The 4 core cable is finished with an aesthetically pleasing twist. Overall the cable is supple and memory free, below the over the ear section. However… this is where it all goes south for me. The Simgot cable is designed for over the ear wear only, and while it doesn’t contain a stiff wire, the preformed ‘memory’ section has excessive curl that makes every attempt possible to pull the housings out of my ears. After a few days of annoyance, I spent a good hour slowly cutting it away, tiny piece by tiny piece, ensuring not to damage the cable itself. The end result is far superior fit. The cable is supple enough it will stay over the ear without the aggravating memory section.
Enough with the boring stuff, let’s get to the fun stuff.
Sound
I would put the EN700 Pro in the V shaped category. The EN700 Pro also has a healthy bass and treble boost. At lower volumes, it’s great for background listening and with the flush fitting housings, it makes a relaxing bedtime listening companion (at low volumes). But at louder volumes, the V shape becomes more pronounced. it’s not an IEM that forces you to take notice (although it can hit pretty hard) and It won’t throw details in your face. In fact, the EN700 Pro isn’t much about nuance, layering and imaging. It’s more about an organic, blended single 10mm dynamic musical experience.
Comparisons
All comparisons were done from the following chain:
iPhone > USB3 camera connection kit > Grace SDAC > Cavalli Liquid Carbon X
vs Brainwavz B400
The quad armature B400 is noticeably leaner upon switching from the EN700 Pro, while still sounding a little on the warm side itself. The B400 bass doesn’t reach as deep, nor does it have as much rumble as the EN700 Pro.
Both present a rich and full male vocal but the EN700 pull them closer to the listener for a more intimate performance. With female vocals, the B400 gives a little more energy and more emphasis on overtones, whereas female voices on EN700 Pro are deeper and fuller with slightly less bite.
The B400 presents rock guitars with more forward attack and the EN700 Pro blunts and smooths them out a bit. The B400 also sounds a little airier but it’s by no means an airy IEM. Overall the B400 sounds a bit more balanced across the frequency response but suffers from balanced armature timbre. The EN700 Pro sounds bigger in scape, more natural in tone and more realistic in timbre.
vs Noble X
The dual balanced armature Noble X also sounds on the warm and smooth side. It’s bass can sound quite powerful for a dual armature. Compared to the EN700 Pro, The Noble X hits nearly as hard but doesn’t plumb the depths like Simgot. Texture and rumble is more palpable on the EN700 Pro. The low end of the Noble X hangs in surprisingly well though.
The midrange of the Noble X has this bit of ethereal haze. While it lacks transparency and clarity, it gives its midrange a musical and quite engaging appeal. Male vocals on the Noble X sound a bit fuller and more intimate. Comparatively and surprisingly, the EN700 sounds noticeably clearer and more transparent, if a bit further in distance. With female vocals, the Noble X again sounds a bit fuller and a bit more blunted, less energetic. While the EN700 sounds more distant/less intimate it does inject a little more energy in female voices. Treble presence is greater on the EN700 Pro, as well as having a slight edge on clarity.
This was another comparison that surprised me. I’m not the biggest fan of dual armatures in general, as I tend to find something lacking, and I expected the EN700 Pro to walk away a clearly superior IEM. However the Noble X, like it often does, reminds me just how good an IEM it is. What it gives up in technical prowess, it gains in musical engagement.
vs Alpha & Delta D6 (micropore tape modded)
The micropore tape modded D6 is a tiny bit warmer and more balanced than the mid-centric stock signature. D6 bass is on the lean and fast side; it reaches fairly deep but at much reduced SPL compared to the EN700 Pro. The D6 is reminiscent of armature type speed next to the boosted rumble and slower decay of the EN700 Pro. Bass rumble and texturing is much more overt on the EN700 Pro.
Both male and female vocals are more forward on the D6; midrange weight is lighter and overall more aggressive in presentation. While the D6 is more forward through the midrange, it sounds less clear and transparent.
Suprisingly the D6 sounds less bright, as some of it’s treble presence is masked by it’s mid-forardness. The EN700 Pro sounds more sparkly and resolving up top. Overall the D6 sounds much smaller in scape; certainly more in-head but makes up for its comparatively small presentation with an aggressive, yet musically engaging midrange. In contrast, the EN700 Pro sounds obviously grander in scale in all directions- height, width and depth.
Conclusion
The Simgot EN700 Pro wasn’t an IEM that surprised and wowed me in everyday listening. But every time I directly compared it to another IEM, I certainly came away both surprised and impressed. I wouldn’t recommend this tuning this to someone looking for a highly detailed, multi-layered and technical monster with pin point imaging… however, if you’re a bass lover- craving deep sub bass rumble without sacrificing clarity, a dynamic driver lover- craving natural timbre or just a lover of a larger and more dynamic soundscape, the EN700 Pro should be considered. For me, I found it most enjoyable on the go. I used the EN700 Pro many times with the Radsone EarStudio ES100 for really engrossing exercise rig. In fact, the EN700 Pro is nearly the perfect signature for walking/running around town, where outdoor noise is quite high.
msrp $149.99
disclaimer: Simgot provided the EN700 Pro free of charge
Aesthetics
The housing shape is rounded and free from sharp edges. Fit is easy and very comfortable. Housing plates are plastic, designed to look like a metal grill. The effect is either stately or tacky bling, whichever really depends on my mood. Supplied tips are plentiful and pretty decent, but I preferred JVC Spiral Dots for their larger aperture, allowing maximum treble response and shallow fit. The leather like case is a good one, with a magnetic flap, that is a style reminiscent of some of JVC’s nicer cases.
As of late, many Chinese manufacturers are offering stock cables that have a somewhat custom appearance and the EN700 Pro is a fine example. The stock cable is above and beyond what many American counterparts offer. The plug is more robust with a look more common to custom boutique cable makers. The Y-split and slider are a little beefier as well, if a little less sleek than I prefer. The 4 core cable is finished with an aesthetically pleasing twist. Overall the cable is supple and memory free, below the over the ear section. However… this is where it all goes south for me. The Simgot cable is designed for over the ear wear only, and while it doesn’t contain a stiff wire, the preformed ‘memory’ section has excessive curl that makes every attempt possible to pull the housings out of my ears. After a few days of annoyance, I spent a good hour slowly cutting it away, tiny piece by tiny piece, ensuring not to damage the cable itself. The end result is far superior fit. The cable is supple enough it will stay over the ear without the aggravating memory section.
Enough with the boring stuff, let’s get to the fun stuff.
Sound
I would put the EN700 Pro in the V shaped category. The EN700 Pro also has a healthy bass and treble boost. At lower volumes, it’s great for background listening and with the flush fitting housings, it makes a relaxing bedtime listening companion (at low volumes). But at louder volumes, the V shape becomes more pronounced. it’s not an IEM that forces you to take notice (although it can hit pretty hard) and It won’t throw details in your face. In fact, the EN700 Pro isn’t much about nuance, layering and imaging. It’s more about an organic, blended single 10mm dynamic musical experience.
Comparisons
All comparisons were done from the following chain:
iPhone > USB3 camera connection kit > Grace SDAC > Cavalli Liquid Carbon X
vs Brainwavz B400
The quad armature B400 is noticeably leaner upon switching from the EN700 Pro, while still sounding a little on the warm side itself. The B400 bass doesn’t reach as deep, nor does it have as much rumble as the EN700 Pro.
Both present a rich and full male vocal but the EN700 pull them closer to the listener for a more intimate performance. With female vocals, the B400 gives a little more energy and more emphasis on overtones, whereas female voices on EN700 Pro are deeper and fuller with slightly less bite.
The B400 presents rock guitars with more forward attack and the EN700 Pro blunts and smooths them out a bit. The B400 also sounds a little airier but it’s by no means an airy IEM. Overall the B400 sounds a bit more balanced across the frequency response but suffers from balanced armature timbre. The EN700 Pro sounds bigger in scape, more natural in tone and more realistic in timbre.
vs Noble X
The dual balanced armature Noble X also sounds on the warm and smooth side. It’s bass can sound quite powerful for a dual armature. Compared to the EN700 Pro, The Noble X hits nearly as hard but doesn’t plumb the depths like Simgot. Texture and rumble is more palpable on the EN700 Pro. The low end of the Noble X hangs in surprisingly well though.
The midrange of the Noble X has this bit of ethereal haze. While it lacks transparency and clarity, it gives its midrange a musical and quite engaging appeal. Male vocals on the Noble X sound a bit fuller and more intimate. Comparatively and surprisingly, the EN700 sounds noticeably clearer and more transparent, if a bit further in distance. With female vocals, the Noble X again sounds a bit fuller and a bit more blunted, less energetic. While the EN700 sounds more distant/less intimate it does inject a little more energy in female voices. Treble presence is greater on the EN700 Pro, as well as having a slight edge on clarity.
This was another comparison that surprised me. I’m not the biggest fan of dual armatures in general, as I tend to find something lacking, and I expected the EN700 Pro to walk away a clearly superior IEM. However the Noble X, like it often does, reminds me just how good an IEM it is. What it gives up in technical prowess, it gains in musical engagement.
vs Alpha & Delta D6 (micropore tape modded)
The micropore tape modded D6 is a tiny bit warmer and more balanced than the mid-centric stock signature. D6 bass is on the lean and fast side; it reaches fairly deep but at much reduced SPL compared to the EN700 Pro. The D6 is reminiscent of armature type speed next to the boosted rumble and slower decay of the EN700 Pro. Bass rumble and texturing is much more overt on the EN700 Pro.
Both male and female vocals are more forward on the D6; midrange weight is lighter and overall more aggressive in presentation. While the D6 is more forward through the midrange, it sounds less clear and transparent.
Suprisingly the D6 sounds less bright, as some of it’s treble presence is masked by it’s mid-forardness. The EN700 Pro sounds more sparkly and resolving up top. Overall the D6 sounds much smaller in scape; certainly more in-head but makes up for its comparatively small presentation with an aggressive, yet musically engaging midrange. In contrast, the EN700 Pro sounds obviously grander in scale in all directions- height, width and depth.
Conclusion
The Simgot EN700 Pro wasn’t an IEM that surprised and wowed me in everyday listening. But every time I directly compared it to another IEM, I certainly came away both surprised and impressed. I wouldn’t recommend this tuning this to someone looking for a highly detailed, multi-layered and technical monster with pin point imaging… however, if you’re a bass lover- craving deep sub bass rumble without sacrificing clarity, a dynamic driver lover- craving natural timbre or just a lover of a larger and more dynamic soundscape, the EN700 Pro should be considered. For me, I found it most enjoyable on the go. I used the EN700 Pro many times with the Radsone EarStudio ES100 for really engrossing exercise rig. In fact, the EN700 Pro is nearly the perfect signature for walking/running around town, where outdoor noise is quite high.