MUIX IX3000: A collaboration between Golden Ears and iSOUND

[blazer78]

Look what arrived ^^

 

 

 

The MUIX IX3000 canalphones spawn from a collaboration between iSOUND and Golden Ears. Whilst probably not well known to the majority of the head-fi community, iSOUND is a Korean OEM that makes earbuds, in-ears and headphones for many companies either as a bundled product or for separate retail. The MUIX or MUsIc eXperience is a line of earphones by iSOUND, with the IX3000 being a co-work product presumably through Golden Ear’s technical advice and extensive testing methodologies.

The IX3000 is by no means an expensive canalphone (~$25AUD) but is only available for purchase mainly in Korea and Japan. What perked my interest in examining these canalphones was Golden Ear’s involvement in the development process and how well they would be able to tweak an earphone to conform with their target frequency response curve. 

 

 

 

Judging by the perceived frequency response, the earphone for its price does relatively well. From the many measurements they have performed on various earphones, there are no earphones that appear entirely “flat”.

 

 

 

Moving on to the measured frequency response, the IX3000 conforms quite close to their target response curve (refer to their website for testing methodology, it is apparently what they perceive to be a “Hi-Fi” sound) with a boost in the mid-bass as well as an increase in the treble region. Comparing other earphones, of note is the Shure SE846 which does appear to have a boost in the lower frequencies and a noticeable reduction in the treble response but does conform to the shape of the target curve very well. The Etymotic Research ER-4PT also conforms very closely to the target response curve but with an apparent roll off in the bass region.

 

 

Granted the above examples do cost significantly more, it is interesting to see what the IX3000 has accomplished on a limited budget. My stance on frequency response graphs is that it is useful information that can assist in determining the general sound of an earphone as well as any irregularities, but does not tell the entire story of the sound quality (e.g. soundstage) as there are many unique ear and canal shapes as well as varying sensitivities biologically. Additionally, I do not view measured deviations from a “flat” response curve as a bad thing, but rather as a boon, as that is representative of the unique “tuning” from the designer. Certainly in the studio, I have listened to many studio monitors costing a lot, yet each manufacturer conveys a different sound to the other (ask yourselves, what is the definition of reference sound? Are there multiple definitions?).

 

Naturally, it comes to no surprise that the reviewer’s opinion of the IX3000 on the Golden Ears website is extremely positive. I wonder if there is inherent bias in the opinion due to: (i) different reviewers being used for different earphones, (ii) the scale of the sound quality metrics discriminating between different price ranges, (iii) the IX3000 being a product they have worked on. There is also the possibility of number (iv), that is me being overly sceptical. Nonetheless, that is the purpose of this review, have “decent” measurements of the IX3000 produced a good sounding earphone?  

 

First, a pictorial of the earphones.

 

The back of the box, beautifully bounded with a silk ribbon and a holographic MUIX sticker.
 

The Golden Ears authenticity sticker, hopefully each earphone is measured to decrease sound variance
 

The earpieces are displayed nicely in the box
 

The same goes for the remote
 

The only accessories that are bundled, small and large silicone tips
 

The earpice housing, machined aluminium with a tasteful colour combination
 

Under an LED flash, they still look pretty good
 

The face of the earpieces tell you how they will sound.
 

Front of the remote
 

Back of the remote
 

A very fine cloth mesh covers the sound port
 

Side view without the silicone tip
 

The central hole is reinforced
 

The y-split junction
 

Just oozing with quality.....
 

L-shaped 3.5mm plug with slight deformation (dent) near the strain relief
 

The face of the 3.5mm plug
 

 

Packaging and Accessories

The packaging is simple and clean. The canalphones can be removed from the packaging easily. In terms of accessories, only three different sized silicone tips are included (S, M, L). It would have been nice if they included some kind of a pouch or case, but at this price point, it is an understandable omission.

 

 

Build Quality

The earpiece housings are made of machined aluminium and are very sturdy. The nozzle that the silicone tips attach to is also part of a single machined piece and will not break under repeated tip changes. The single button remote is made entirely of plastic and the button has a solid tactile feel. Despite the plastic being used for the remote, it feels durable. The L-shaped 3.5mm plug is housed in a hard rubber like material and appears to deform easily under pressure from a sharp object (as can be observed by the photos where the plug has already been dented from their production line).

 

The flat style cable has a rubbery texture to it and is flexible. The strain reliefs for all elements could be improved however. There is virtually no strain relief to both of the earpieces nor the remote. The 3.5mm plug has a very short strain relief, this could be lengthened for enhanced resistance to bending stress. Whilst the cable is flat style and only bends easily along one axis, it would still provide more reassurance of quality and durability with additional strain relief.

 

 

Isolation and Microphonics

Isolation wise, there are no noticeable problems. The housing protrudes from the cable exit (of a sufficient length) and can be inserted fairly deep into your ears. On the bus, the engine noise is reduced to a slight rumble, while commuter conversations could not be heard. There was no wind noise during a walk on a windy day.

 

Microphonics are managed well, with little noise emitted from the cable rubbing against a shirt. Impact bumps from the cable and shirt result in a very slight and muted “thumping” noise.

 

 

Comfort and Ergonomics

Comfort is excellent. Owing to the simple canalphone design with the cable worn straight down, insertion and removal is effortless. The housing diameter is approximately 12mm and those with small ear canal openings may have a problems with the housing touching the skin, though all edges are rounded off and this should not pose a significant problem.

 

Ergonomics are also excellent. The earpieces themselves are fairly light and the flat cable doesn’t kink, bend or tangle easily, leading to less time spent straightening the cable. The remote is very low profile, lightweight and does not pull the canalphone downwards. The tips are fairly soft and the central hole in the tips appears to be reinforced so that the sound port won’t be obstructed (collapse) when inside your ear canals.

 

 

Aesthetics

The earphones look very clean and sleek. These come in three colours, black, white and pink. I thought the flat white cable would look tacky when worn, but it doesn’t appear as such in person due to the thinness and short width of the cable. The only aspect of the aesthetics I disapprove of are the text on the face of the housings “Balanced Dynamic Sound”.... because the person sitting next to you cares? This could be changed with something less cheesy like the model number or the brand name / logo.

 

 

Sound Quality

Test Setup:

iPhone 5S > MUIX IX3000 (stock medium silicone tips)

 

50% volume output of the iPhone 5S

Listening in a quiet room ( < 25dB)

Sitting in an upright position

Combination of 320kbps MP3 and ALAC

 

Overall

The sound of the IX3000 can be characterised as being fairly neutral with a slight emphasis in the bass and treble region. The overall sound is natural, clean and detailed. Of note is the treble rendition, which extends quite far and is also sharp sounding with a hint of smoothing at the top to prevent sibilance.

 

Bass

The bass is very well balanced with the amount of midrange in the sound. Interestingly, the volume of the sub-bass frequencies is almost as loud as the mid-bass, indicating very little roll-off in the bass region. The bass is also fast, clean and tight with very little bloat. The details and definition in the bass region are very good (I was able to hear the secondary bass line clearly in the track “Run” from the Final Fantasy XIII-2 OST).

 

Low end attack is low to moderate in quantity due to a smoothing in this region. Impacts are not as hard as they could be.

 

Midrange

Midrange is clear and detailed. Vibrations in the vocals of certain singers could be heard, female singers breathing in before singing a passage is also audible. The detail in the midrange is not in your face so to speak, but is noticeable on critical listening. The tonality of the vocals is fairly neutral, balanced with the quantity of bass and treble.

 

Treble

The treble presentation is the defining feature of the IX3000’s. Treble is natural and airy with a generous amount of sharpness and sparkle. A slight smoothing at the edge of the sharpness prevents the canalphones from becoming sibilant and is the reason for the natural timbre conveyed for most instruments. Some may prefer further smoothing in the treble region to reduce a bit of the sharpness, but it certainly does a convincing job of making the instruments sound lively and realistic. The treble rendition is almost reminiscent of the Audio-technica ATH-CM7Ti and the Bowers and Wilkins nautilus tube loaded tweeter, though isn’t at the same level as either.

 

Certainly, the sharpness is welcome as the instruments and vocals do not sound restricted on any level. Smoother sounding phones’ will sound more pleasing at louder volumes, but sometimes I feel that the accuracy of the timbre suffers, the IX3000 does not disappoint in this respect.

 

No significant problems noticed with treble extension, slight rolloff at the extreme.

 

 

Concluding Remarks

To answer the initial question proposed at the onset of this review, yes. It is quite clear that the good measurements and technical advice from Golden Ears as well as iSOUND’s production capabilities have produced an excellent sounding canalphone. Owing to the IX3000’s fairly neutral and masterfully tuned sound signature, the canalphones play music of all genres very well. At a price of around $25AUD (or ~$50AUD shipped), I can find very little to fault regarding the sound and would be hard pressed to recommend costly earphones where versatility, great sound and value are concerned. Highly recommended (if you can acquire one

).

 

[goodvibes]

It may be a great device for the money but the review doesn't match the graph which is kind of the point of a target function approach. The low bass should be slightly masked and the mids should have a bit of bass bleed though both shouldn't be a big deal, more the mids. The thing that's common between the 2 better phones that gave curves of is that their basic shape between 100hz and 10Khz is very similar to the target where the muix is not. That said, it looks like a nice set of compromises with the extra midbass balancing out the the extra sparkle above 3khz. I bet it sounds absolutely great (and fun) for the price if it doesn't have other issues.

 

[Tarnum]

Muix IX3000 is good, I also love it because of the treble extension.
Isound developed LG quadbeat series, so, the sound of Muix is also same style with Quadbeat.
But at the same price range in Korea market, the best earphone I tried is Dynamic Motion DM030, easily outclass every earphones in their price range, especially in clarity and resolution. 
Hope someone can try it once.     

 

[blazer78]

Reserved. Oops nvm lol.

 

[blazer78]

  Muix IX3000 is good, I also love it because of the treble extension.
Isound developed LG quadbeat series, so, the sound of Muix is also same style with Quadbeat.
But at the same price range in Korea market, the best earphone I tried is Dynamic Motion DM030, easily outclass every earphones in their price range, especially in clarity and resolution. 
Hope someone can try it once.     

 
Yes, they certainly look like a modified quadbeat based on the frequency response curve

. Though I don't particularly fancy the LG brand so didn't bother with those

Unfortunately the DM030 was not in stock, but I'm glad I got my hands on the IX3000.

 

[blazer78]

  It may be a great device for the money but the review doesn't match the graph which is kind of the point of a target function approach. The low bass should be slightly masked and the mids should have a bit of bass bleed though both shouldn't be a big deal, more the mids. The thing that's common between the 2 better phones that gave curves of is that their basic shape between 100hz and 10Khz is very similar to the target where the muix is not. That said, it looks like a nice set of compromises with the extra midbass balancing out the the extra sparkle above 3khz. I bet it sounds absolutely great (and fun) for the price if it doesn't have other issues.

 
Thats a good point. I suppose there is a possibility of an individual's perceived function being different to the target function due to extraneous variables such as ear canal shape and insertion depth?

 

[getclikinagas]

I think iSound has done a fabulous job on the Quadbeat2 with emphasized treble that never gets sibilant/harsh. Except for the extra dollop of midbass that doesn't fit very well into the spectrum.
For 30$(non-discounted), I think it's one of the best deals out there. However, looking at the graphs, I don't know if the change is where I wanted it to be. Nonetheless, I would definitely like to try the IX3000.
 

 
Thanks for the review and bringing this to our attention @blazer78 

 

[blazer78]

  I think iSound has done a fabulous job on the Quadbeat2 with emphasized treble that never gets sibilant/harsh. Except for the extra dollop of midbass that doesn't fit very well into the spectrum.
For 30$(non-discounted), I think it's one of the best deals out there. However, looking at the graphs, I don't know if the change is where I wanted it to be. Nonetheless, I would definitely like to try the IX3000.
 
 
Thanks for the review and bringing this to our attention @blazer78 

 
It's hard to say how different the QB2 and IX3000 sound just by looking at the graphs (with the bumpy treble response being the visible significant difference). There is a slight emphasis on the midbass in the IX3000, but it is inoffensive to me. The best way to find out is to break the bank in (a little 

) and have a listen to the IX3000.

 

[getclikinagas]

   
It's hard to say how different the QB2 and IX3000 sound just by looking at the graphs (with the bumpy treble response being the visible significant difference). There is a slight emphasis on the midbass in the IX3000, but it is inoffensive to me. The best way to find out is to break the bank in (a little 

) and have a listen to the IX3000.

 
Which is the most reliable place to get this shipped worldwide?

 

[blazer78]

   
Which is the most reliable place to get this shipped worldwide?

 
Unsure, a good friend of mine picked a pair up for me in Akihabara. Maybe there is a korean ebay equivalent? Gmarket has a few listed though they aren't shipping worldwide.

 

[Snipars]

Like the specs in these. Considering to buy them now

Sent from my Rooted, Debloated GS3 using Tapatalk 2

 

[Francisk]

I just tried this in Bic Camera Yokohama and I'm damn impressed by the sound at this price point. I'd take the IX3000 over the very much hyped Zero Audio Carbo Tenore any day.

 

[blazer78]

I'm surprised they still sell this haha

 

[Francisk]

Yes Blazer78, I'm also surprised that they're still selling the IX3000 considering it's a 2014 release. I've tried quite a number of IEMs around the same price range and some even more expensive ones like Onkyo E700M but I kept going back to the IX3000. Even compared to the Philips TX2, I still prefer the IX3000. The IX3000 actually took me by surprise. I believe good sound quality is timeless so however late I've discovered this gem, I'm glad I finally discovered it.

 

[iiilgsrlll]

We bought 6 pairs of these headphones in 2015 while visiting Japan after trying everything Yodobashi had in store. Isound did a great job with these as I was quite impressed with how great these sounded at such a bargain price.