New kid "DIY" on the block...
I am trying a new DIY earphone, which I bought through taobao:
HIFI BCD micro-drivers.
So, the story goes; Nearly a month ago I received a head-fi email from a head-fi member that goes by the name of 'Tamerlan' telling me that he's a reviewer from the Ukraine. He claims that the HIFI BCD can outperform many single dynamics in the lower price range and can compete with more expensive ones costing up to 1000. Now, he never mentions if it's in dollars, but I can only assume, since he knows I'm a reviewer from America, though living in China. For the price, they are "dirt-cheap" here in China only costing me 53 RMB ($7.67 US dollars)!
...They are not the loudest, but so far they outperformed most of my Chi-FI IEM's with an incredible balanced and mature sound!
Update: After giving the BCD a good 100 hours of playtime, I can’t believe how they produce such good quality hi-end technical sound for the price I paid! For me, what comes to mind is; Did this DIY company just copy the exact same famed Klipsch x10? I remember when the Klipsch x10 first came out, they were just under $350 US dollars, then they dropped their price significantly during the years to less than half that price! Is it possible the micro-drivers in the BCD are an exact copy? I auditioned the x10 many years ago and they were very good, but these are not short of amazing! So far, they are not harsh or sibilant sounding and sound overall natural and surprisingly crystal clear. Ironically, they can really outperform some of my top sounding Chi-Fi with built in BA's! But, I'll be "hush" about it for now until others can speak their minds on these amazing gems! So, now let's continue the Micro-driver competition!
SOUND SIGNATURE:
They are nicely balanced with a natural sounding atmosphere and notably enhanced bass and hi-end treble with excellent details. Most of the time they have a continuous mixture of sounding bright and warm, the best of both worlds!
PERSONAL EXPERIENCE:
I used to believe that continues enhancements on IEM’s were only going to get better with new and improved driver type versions like BA’s and more advanced Planers “versus” the typical dynamic drivers. But honestly, I just took a step back when I heard the BCD micro-drivers. So, lesson learned...never judge an earphone by what’s inside until you try them, first!
SOUND DESCRIPTION:
BASS:
The bass on these are nothing less than amazing presenting clear continues quick bass with the pleasure of hearing nice deep rumble and details in the sub-terranean and upper-bass regions.
MIDRANGE:
With the midrange, vocals are clear and lively with the sense of sounding not too forward or laid-back, but just right!
TREBLE:
Treble on these are incredibly detailed, vivid, and raw! They present excellent high pitch notes while the lower treble does not present any harsh or sibilance with most genre’s I tried.
SOUNDSTAGE:
Soundstage has a 3D-like holographic environment with good width, depth, and frontal stage. Imaging is better than average with good spatial separation.
THE BENEFIT OF A SHIRT CLIP:
The BCD comes with a shirt clip, which keeps the micro-type earphones from dankling and falling off your ears. So, I believe that these are 100% useful and does its purpose according to its requirement.
OTHER COMPARISONS:
BCD VS Kailuhong AR-3001
The AR-3001 are amazing mini earphones with "Smart Voice Coil" for a MID vocal experience, but the BCD can clearly match them with better life-like transparency. And, though the AR-3001 has good clarity to go along with it, they are no match on the level of hi-end details the BCD presents. Both the AR-3001 and BCD are driven with good quality bass, but the BCD outperforms the AR-3001 with better texture and clarity in the sub-bass region, as well.
BCD VS MEMT X5s
What better match-up than comparing the BCD to the upgraded MEMT X5s! I like the MEMT X5s very much! It carries plenty of bass, clear vocals, and clean treble, but that's where it all ends with the BCD just soaring past them! With the BCD you can nick-pick better details in the bass, midrange, and treble while sounding more natural and mature from vocals to even crash cymbals and hi-hats.
BCD VS Joyroom JR-E107
Once upon a time, I enjoyed the Joyroom JR-E107 very much, but today there is just too much competition to say the least! And, though they are nicely balanced with good soundstage and imaging, the lack of sounding natural are overthrone by the almighty BCD's speed, texture, and natural signature. They are just technically better!
PROS:
Awesome clean and balanced sound signature, plus nice durable cables for its small size with shirt clip and carry case.
CONS:
I bought a few of them (4 to be exact), but the right driver on one of them was slightly louder than the left one. Slight QC issue, I guess?
SPECS:
FINAL THOUGHTS:
At such a low price, I dare anyone to purchase these and speak your mind on the mind-blowing experience you’ll encounter with these as I did.
WHERE TO PURCHASE:
Currently, for overseas purchase, I only found them on "Ebay". But, though the price is a little high, they are well worth it, IMHO!
https://www.ebay.com/itm/High-Performance-Hifi-BCD-Earphones-/232970334653
Thanks to Slater! He posted that they can be found here as well...
https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/TWtrcwc
Finally, I would like to thank 'Tamerlan' (head-fi member) for his suggestion on getting the HiFi BCD…Good looking out!
-Clear
