[earfonia]

I don't have GR02, but have GR07 BE, and i prefer Narmoo S1.

 

[earfonia]

A short review for Narmoo S1:
 

 
 
I've used Narmoo S1 for more than a month now. Also have let some of my friends tried them. Most of them like it a lot, and I made another bulk purchase (more than 10 units) for my friends recently. So I'm talking around 10 happy users here.
 

 
 
Although Narmoo S1 might not have any specific sonic character that has high 'wow' factor on first impression, it has a very balanced tonal balance that in my observation so far, kind of rare for an IEM in this price range, even in sub $100 price level. The longer I use them, the more I like them and appreciate its balanced sonic signature. S1 has pleasing sound signature that is quite likeable.
 
S1 is an excellent all-rounder. From classical to modern genres, all rendered musically by S1. It has enough detail and sparkle that are essential for classical, with full bodied mids and awesome bass for modern genres. Although it is pretty good on classical, IMHO S1 performs slightly better for modern genres. S1 is not warm sounding, nor analytical. Its tonality is somewhere in between warm and analytical. Balanced, is the best word to describe S1 tonality.
 

 

 
 
Sound Signature
 
Detail and clarity are 2 very important sonic characters that are significant for me. I always prefer clear sounding character rather than the overly warm and mellow character. S1 is not highly detailed and revealing IEM, but S1 is also not lacking in detail and clarity. The level of detail and clarity is actually quite high for a sub $50 IEM, if not one of the best. But not yet as detailed as for example Brainwavz S5 or ATH-IM70, that are cost more than twice of S1. S1 has better clarity and detail than my DUNU Trident (DN-12) and the famous Zero Audio Carbo Tenore. S1 actually has a pretty close tonality to the famous Tenore, but with much better detail, clarity, and dynamic. S1 simply sounds livelier, more dynamic and spacious compared to the Tenore.
 
Bass is probably the strongest feature of Narmoo S1. S1 is not a bassy IEM at all, and certainly not for basshead. But the bass quality is very very good. Bass extends low, good body, power and punch. Bass level are roughly about the same as the bass level of Tenore and Xiami Piston iF edition. But bass quality is better on the S1, maybe due to dual dynamic driver architecture. Bass sounds realistic with good power.
 
Midrange sounds natural with good midrange body, never sounds thin. Although midrange sounds full with good body, it is not warm sounding, nor analytical. Midrange is nicely in between of warm and analytical, sounds very natural with good level of detail. Vocal sounds more natural with good texture on S1 as compared to Tenore and Xiaomi Piston iF edition.
 
Treble level and sparkle is in between Tenore and Xiaomi Piston. More sparkling than Tenore, but slightly less than Xiaomi Piston. Sometime a bit soft for some classical recordings, but sounds very good for modern genres. I do prefer a little bit of more transparent and airy treble.
 

 
 
I have another two of 2 ways dual dynamics IEMs with similar architecture as S1, the TDK IE800 and Meelec M-Duo. Although S1 is a two ways system, but I never heard any coherency problem. Coherency between the 2 drivers is excellent, overall it sounds like a single driver. Dual drivers coherency is much better than the Meelec M-Duo, and in the same class as TDK IE800. Among the 3, Narmoo S1 is my favorite.
 
Narmoo S1 is also easy to drive, sounds wonderful and loud enough on my Galaxy S4. And also scales well when driven using higher quality players.
 
 
Summary
 
Natural, balanced, and lively is how I would describe Narmoo S1 sonic signature. I have around more than 15 of good sounding sub $50 IEMs, and among my collection, Narmoo S1 sound quality is simply the best. It even competes well with much higher priced IEMs. When asked for sub $50 IEM, Narmoo S1 is my first recommendation (period). This is a sub $50 IEM that really punches through its price category.
 
 
Burn-In
 
Since I have many Narmoo S1 at home, I did some comparisons between the sound quality before and after burn-in, with new units and some units that have been burnt-in for around 3-4 days.
 
Below is my impression, before and after burn-in:
Before burn-in: A bit congested, less spacious. Upper mid and treble less airy and sounds grainy.
After burn-in: More relax sounding, more open and spacious. Overall tonality sounds smoother. Upper mid and treble sounds smoother, and less 'scratchy'.
 
I asked my friend Leonard who is a sound engineer to compare new unit with the burnt-in unit. I didn’t tell him which one is which, I just put a little marking on one of the unit for me to identify it. Leonard impression:
Earphone A (new unit):
- Aggressive / harsh. Seem louder most probably due to being harsh sounding in an area that our ear is more sensitive.
- Instruments sound "fighting" for their place in the stereo field
Earphone B (burnt-in unit): 
- Balanced smooth sounding.
- More spacious & relaxed. 
 
Conclusion: Narmoo S1 does benefit from 3-4 days burn-in to make it sound smoother and more spacious.
The stock eartips is ok for me, although we can improve the sound signature further with different eartips. All my impressions here are based on stock eartips.
 

Pros: 
Balanced and natural sound, with lively dynamic and good bass.
Excellent coherency for a 2 ways dual dynamic IEM.
Full metal housing, yet very light weight.
Big and spacious earphones case.
 
Cons:
Cable has a bit of coiling memory.
Pretty bad driver flex (crinching noise when the IEM is inserted to ear canal).
L & R marking is clear, but there is not left dot / dimple to identify left driver in dimly lit environment.
 

 
 
Suggestion for improvement:
More flexible and less coiling cable. But could be slightly thicker. Silver plated OFC might improve treble transparency.
Smooth bullet shape design housing without knurling.
Reduce driver flex noise.
Left dot / dimple on the left driver.
To include more variety of eartips.
Add a version with microphone for smart phone.
 
 
2014-08-07 update:
After listening to more varieties of modern recordings, IMHO Narmoo S1 has bass emphasized that from balanced sound point of view, makes it a rather bassy IEM, than a balanced one.
So I would like to update my impression here, that Narmoo S1 is not really a balanced sounding IEM, but there is some mild to moderate bass emphasize on the tonal balance.  
Bass emphasize doesn't ruin the midrange clarity, only slightly bleed to the midrange area, but in my observation, midrange clarity is still pretty good, especially for an IEM at this price point.
Depending on the recordings used, the bass emphasize could be perceived as mild or moderate, but IMHO still within the enjoyable level. I like realistic sounding bass, and Narmoo S1 bass sounds good to me.

 

[H20Fidelity]

I really like the carry case and cable material, showing some quality there.  Amazing for this kind of money.

Great work earfonia.

 

[earfonia]

  I really like the carry case and cable material, showing some quality there.  Amazing for this kind of money.

Great work earfonia.

 
Thanks!
Right, I also like the case, spacious enough to bring a few IEMs.
The cable looks good, seems to be good quality, but if it is less coiling, it would be better.  Flexible like the JVCs or DUNUs cable.

 

[H20Fidelity]

   
Thanks!
Right, I also like the case, spacious enough to bring a few IEMs.
The cable looks good, seems to be good quality, but if it is less coiling, it would be better.  Flexible like the JVCs or DUNUs cable.

The cable reminds me a little bit of the material found on Sunricky's Dark Lord cable for TF10.

Like you said, comes up well in pictures but a little springy and wild. (not relaxed).

That case though I really like it! 

 

 

[earfonia]

 

The cable reminds me a little bit of the material found on Sunricky's Dark Lord cable for TF10.

Like you said, comes up well in pictures but a little springy and wild. (not relaxed).

That case though I really like it! 

 

 
Ala Fitear 000 cable 

I really don't understand that Fitear 000 cable, sounds very good and transparent, but the level of microphonic is unbearably very high. Why don't they use a better jacket for that excellent cable... 

 

[Lorspeaker]

the cable reminds me of that on the Hisoundaudio Golden Crystal...arrrghhh.
supposed to be kevlar or something unbreakable.?
 
earfonia's review is spot on...like what i am hearing off my simple rig.

 

[adammax]

I was with earfonia and was trying out the s1. I must say its really good earpiece for it's price. Thanks earfonia!

The biggest asset is it's bass. Its not for bass head. The quality if bass is deep and balance Between tight n boomy. The clarity is very much above average. However compared to dunu 1k and 2k, it pales in. In relative, it feels warmer. Tool my ears, I find dunu peaky at treble. Probably will give me some ear fatigue. S1 is actually less peaky on treble and more enjoyable for longer session.

I also find the sound to be fuller vs the thinner dunu. However, the treble will be less airy, less sparkle.

Overall,for my genre of songs,I'd go for the s1.

I do hope they Will improve on the clarity at the level of brainwave b2. This is not to say s1 is muffled. Its clarity can already give a lot of higher priced iem a run for their money.

 

[earfonia]

I do hope they Will improve on the clarity at the level of brainwave b2. This is not to say s1 is muffled. Its clarity can already give a lot of higher priced iem a run for their money.

That's right! If S1 has better clarity and transparency, it's really a giant killer.

 

[Deviltooth]

I'm surprised people are describing the S1 as 'balanced'.  For me it's definitely bass heavy.  The bass isn't sloppy like some earphones but it's not markedly clean and tight either. 

 

[Soundsgoodtome]

It's hard to hear bass heavy until you hear a headphone that's truly balanced (via FR Graph). Example, the HE560 sounds bass light if you're coming from most headphones but the speed and FR graph shows otherwise. Most HP has a bass boost one way or another, just a way to get some emotion in the sound.

The S1 definitely has a bass boost, mid bass slightly more so than sub bass BUT it is nowhere near basshead levels (before people start assuming it's something it isn't). In terms of balanced I think people can hear the treble well with a slight mid recess (half step back on the stage) and that's what people say is balanced. I'm not knocking the S1, if they fit my ear like I wanted to then I'd have definitely kept them. They were certainly enjoyable and forgiving of most music while making it sound fun. They were great for movies too!

 

[earfonia]

  I'm surprised people are describing the S1 as 'balanced'.  For me it's definitely bass heavy.  The bass isn't sloppy like some earphones but it's not markedly clean and tight either. 

 
We all have different expectation of what we consider as natural sound, natural bass, etc.  We just need to gauge our preference from the review, especially those reviewers that you're familiar with.
Anyway, we are talking about sub $50 IEM here.  I'm interested to know, any IEM under $50 that has better bass quality than Narmoo S1. I will surely try to get those.
 
Secondly, there are no recordings made equal.  They all used different equipment, recording different thing, and mixed by different recording engineers that have different personal sonic preferences.  So really depend on what recording we use to evaluate.  Some recordings are really bass heavy, some are really bright.  From there our opinion will differ.
 
Let's use standard Head-Fi recordings like for example recordings from Chesky.  Do you still think Narmoo S1 is bass heavy listening to the Chesky binaural albums?
 
Same like what I experienced yesterday with @adammax he used his own albums to try the DUNU DN1K and DN2K, therefore he has different opinion especially on DN1K treble. With my recordings I hear DN1K treble is smooth. With his recordings, he heard the DN1K treble is peaky.  It all goes back to what recordings we use.  I will have the same opinion with him, when listening to Celine Dion album 'All the Way...A Decade of Song' on DN1K, because the recording is simply has bright tonality.
 
Chesky binaural albums are quite consistent in their recording quality, and very natural sounding.  I suggest we use those recordings to evaluate our gears, so we have similar starting point.
Some of those binaural albums are very affordable, for example these 2 Audiogon albums only cost $5 each:
http://www.hdtracks.com/catalogsearch/result/?q=audiogon

 

[Deviltooth]

   
We all have different expectation of what we consider as natural sound, natural bass, etc.  We just need to gauge our preference from the review, especially those reviewers that you're familiar with.
Anyway, we are talking about sub $50 IEM here.  I'm interested to know, any IEM under $50 that has better bass quality than Narmoo S1. I will surely try to get those.
 
Secondly, there are no recordings made equal.  They all used different equipment, recording different thing, and mixed by different recording engineers that have different personal sonic preferences.  So really depend on what recording we use to evaluate.  Some recordings are really bass heavy, some are really bright.  From there our opinion will differ.
 
Let's use standard Head-Fi recordings like for example recordings from Chesky.  Do you still think Narmoo S1 is bass heavy listening to the Chesky binaural albums?
 
Same like what I experienced yesterday with @adammax he used his own albums to try the DUNU DN1K and DN2K, therefore he has different opinion especially on DN1K treble. With my recordings I hear DN1K treble is smooth. With his recordings, he heard the DN1K treble is peaky.  It all goes back to what recordings we use.  I will have the same opinion with him, when listening to Celine Dion album 'All the Way...A Decade of Song' on DN1K, because the recording is simply has bright tonality.
 
Chesky binaural albums are quite consistent in their recording quality, and very natural sounding.  I suggest we use those recordings to evaluate our gears, so we have similar starting point.
Some of those binaural albums are very affordable, for example these 2 Audiogon albums only cost $5 each:
http://www.hdtracks.com/catalogsearch/result/?q=audiogon

Having the same reference points would be helpful, yes.  However I only have one short Chesky recording and no desire to invest in any others.
 
My hope is that reviewers listen to multiple songs/albums they're familiar with then try some TV shows and/or movies, the latter of which often involve more natural sounds including a lot of the human voice.  This seems more reasonable than binaural recordings which are very rare and not representative of typical IEM use for the majority.
 
After sampling the IEM in question the reviewer can then compare it to all of the other IEMs he/she has on hand (and sometimes memory, fallible as it may be) and that will help to provide reference points for people who own some of the same earphones.  Ideally the reviewer will try to avoid hype and the urge to justify their own expenditures; realistically that's unusual.
 
Over time with experience reviewers become more jaded, usually resulting in better more grounded reviews in context to what's available in the market.
 
The above is what I personally would like to see from IEM reviews.
 
As for the S1, I stand by my statement that for me it's not a neutral earphone.  It has a consumer friendly sound that is bass, notably mid bass, heavy.  This isn't a bad thing depending upon what you're looking for but it's definitely not a 'balanced' IEM.

 

[earfonia]

  My hope is that reviewers listen to multiple songs/albums they're familiar with then try some TV shows and/or movies, the latter of which often involve more natural sounds including a lot of the human voice.  This seems more reasonable than binaural recordings which are very rare and not representative of typical IEM use for the majority.

 
As suggested, after listening to more varieties of modern recordings, I agree with you that Narmoo S1 has bass emphasized that from 'balanced sound' point of view, makes it a rather bassy IEM, rather than a balanced one.
I might have used it more for classicals and Chesky recordings during the review, and with those recordings, the bass emphasize was not so apparent.  More apparent with other modern genres recording like Lee Ritenour - Rhythm Sessions, etc.  Still not basshead level for me, but yes, a rather bassy IEM.
The good thing is, with recordings that have less bass emphasize, S1 bass doesn't really colored the midrange. Midrange still has pretty good clarity with those recordings. A very good achievement for an IEM at this price point.
I have updated my review.  Thanks for your opinion!

 

[Lorspeaker]

the bass is not "loose" "flabby" on the B3...and it doesnt drown out the mids.
and it is not so big as to take it into basshead territory.
Clean, agile, healthy bass to my taste, nice