So my
ASK Hybrids arrived today (
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/New...s-HIFI-Hybrid-technology-DIY/32828678398.html).
These are the "twin brother" to the
ASY Hybrid that
@Vidal posted about here:
Like Vidal, the ASK shell comes apart easily (mine didn't "fall apart" like his, but it does easily snap apart if you wish). There is no glue - the shell simply pops apart using a spudger tool, guitar pick, butter knife, etc.
The box has a nice presentation - nice silicone tips (like Sony hybrid style), and the cable is decent (although a bit stiff and springy).
And like the few others that have tried them, my ASK had a few problems right out of the box:
- The removable cable cuts in and out of the earpieces when moving around. This appears to be due to the pins in the female socket (on the shell) not making good contact with the pins on the male plug (on the cable). The solution is to gently bend the pins in the female socket (on the shell) either slightly apart or slightly together, so that the plug fits tighter. They only need to be bent very slightly (a fraction of a millimeter). I used tweezers, but you could use a small flathead screwdriver such as the type to repair glasses.
- The shell comes apart easily. This is by design (for manufacturing), as the halves of the shell are only held together by a number of clips. The solution is to just put a few strategic micro drops of glue along the seam of the 2 halves (you don't even have to tale apart the shell for this - just put the drops on the seam on the outside of the shell) . I used Lazer Bond UV glue, but fast drying epoxy would work fine as well. Be aware that there's are a number of vents along the seam (like on the KZ ZS5), so make sure you don't put the glue in the vents.
- Something was rattling around on the inside of 1 of the IEMs. Upon opening it up, I found that the 8mm DD was just floating around in the shell - in other words, it had no glue holding it in. The 8mm DD in the other IEM had a tiny bit of glue holding the DD in, but certainly not enough to SEAL the DD driver. I reglued both drivers, totally sealing them around the edges like they should be.
The sound is quite neutral OOTB. Sub-bass is almost non-existent. The sound reminds me of an open headphone.
It appears that the sound is due to the numerous vents along the seam (like the KZ ZS5), and the drivers not really being sealed with glue. Once the DD is sealed with glue,
some sub-bass appears. It's still quite neutral overall, but it was nice to have the bottom end filled in with a bit of sub-bass when called upon. Midrange and treble is clean. They have decent clarity, and nice sparkle. Vocals sound good. Good soundstage. No sibilance. No driver flex. The stock cable has some microphonics, even though these are behind-the-ear.
I have not done anything with the seam vents - I will likely experiment with sealing some/all of the vents to see if I can coax some additional sub-bass (which is my sound preference).
These would make
excellent donors for DIY IEMs. They are very comfy, come apart easily and everything is easy to see and work on, they use 1x8mm DD drivers (in addition to 1xBA in the nozzle), and all of the driver and external plug connections are on a separate circuit board that also has crossover components. It would be easy to change out the resistors, solder in different drivers, disconnect the BA if desired, and very possibly change the plug to a MMCX or KZ style 2-pin plug.
Regardless, if you can deal with the few minor niggles with this hybrid - gluing the DD so it's sealed, tweaking the pins so the plug is tight, and adding a few drops of glue to the seam so the shells stay secure - this is a good IEM for the $18 price.
Especially if you're tired of the same old v-shaped sound.
BTW, Vidal got no after sales support from the vendor for his problematic pair, but for such a low price I didn't care. Since almost everyone that has tried the ASK or ASY so far has reported similar issues, I would just expect the issues I listed above and expect to fix them yourself. It is not hard and takes 10 minutes. Should you have to do this? No, but this isn't totally surprising when dealing with low-end/mass-produced ChiFi. If you expect perfection OOTB, steer clear.
Let me know if you have any questions.
Here's some photos, showing the halves of the shells (with the clips and ZS5-ish seam vents), the circuit board/crossover, and the "loose" 8mm DD driver that was just flopping around. Click if you want to see the photos larger.
