[Heo00911]

In that case I wouldn't call it legendary or TOTL if EQ is needed to salvage the tuning? Is it still competitive against some modern day midfi-TOTL gear?

It was one of the most technical performance as a single DD and still is today, surpasing the Xelento and compete directly with the Luna and this IE900.

 

[Heo00911]

In that case I wouldn't call it legendary or TOTL if EQ is needed to salvage the tuning? Is it still competitive against some modern day midfi-TOTL gear?

It is not top of the line any more, but still, bass texture and such resolution is always praise worthy, considering how mediocre most mid-fi iem are in that regard.

 

[RikudouGoku]

In that case I wouldn't call it legendary or TOTL if EQ is needed to salvage the tuning? Is it still competitive against some modern day midfi-TOTL gear?

Stock tuning definitely has a very special sound that I havent heard replicated elsewhere. Its soundstage is huge and the bass is also very unique sounding to me.
Tech wise It can still rival modern iems. Probably not TOTL iems at 1000 usd+ though, but I havent heard those.

 

[Damz87]

Stock tuning definitely has a very special sound that I havent heard replicated elsewhere. Its soundstage is huge and the bass is also very unique sounding to me.
Tech wise It can still rival modern iems. Probably not TOTL iems at 1000 usd+ though, but I havent heard those.

EX1000’s technicalities are still pretty competitive for the most part, except for its sound separation. It can sound pretty congested in busy tracks, especially in the midrange. I would say IE900 is superior in that regard, as well as having a much more pleasant tuning. EX1000’s treble peak is a killer I could only listen to it with EQ.

 

[Precogvision]

HZSound Heart Mirror Impressions

Spoiler: FR Graph

Stopped by @MRSallee to hear this on the way back yesterday. It was just a brief demo session, but it was enough for me to say, “Nope, not for me”. I’m not really sure what to make of the Heart Mirror’s sound signature. It’s clearly along the lines of neutral-bright, yet it doesn’t sound correct. The bass...exists. Kind of. Moving on, the midrange is a good example of why it's important to consider the graph in its entirety. Despite the upper-midrange dip, in practice, there actually appears to be an upper-midrange emphasis due to the degree of which the lower-midrange has been cut. And what is definitely clear here, at least to my ears, is how thin the Heart Mirror’s notes are. It sounds like female vocalists are asphyxiating; they have an unpleasant, glassy quality to them, like they’ve run out of breath but still need to pull through a given note. Treble is brighter leaning with what appears to be small peaks throughout 5-10kHz, and then your usual roll-off. I didn’t really mind this, but that could just be because I was listening to the IE900 earlier. Technicalities are alright. The Heart Mirror actually has decent speed for a $50 DD IEM, but I don’t think it matches the Moondrop SSR for sheer note definition or imaging.

In any case, the Heart Mirror’s tonality is chock full of issues and doesn’t inspire confidence. If one wants a more analytical tuning, why not just get the ER2SE? With the ER2SE hitting as low as $50, I just don’t see the value proposition of the Heart Mirror. That’s also ignoring the plenty of other IEMs that I think have the Heart Mirror beat for tuning of different flavors. Sure, I guess this is pretty alright overall, but I can’t say I’m surprised that another flavor of the month doesn't amount to much.

Score: 3/10

All listening was done off of the iBasso DX300.

 

[gLer]

HZSound Heart Mirror Impressions

Spoiler: FR Graph

Stopped by @MRSallee to hear this on the way back yesterday. It was just a brief demo session, but it was enough for me to say, “Nope, not for me”. I’m not really sure what to make of the Heart Mirror’s sound signature. It’s clearly along the lines of neutral-bright, yet it doesn’t sound correct. The bass...exists. Kind of. Moving on, the midrange is a good example of why it's important to consider the graph in its entirety. Despite the upper-midrange dip, in practice, there actually appears to be an upper-midrange emphasis due to the degree of which the lower-midrange has been cut. And what is definitely clear here, at least to my ears, is how thin the Heart Mirror’s notes are. It sounds like female vocalists are asphyxiating; they have an unpleasant, glassy quality to them, like they’ve run out of breath but still need to pull through a given note. Treble is brighter leaning with what appears to be small peaks throughout 5-10kHz, and then your usual roll-off. I didn’t really mind this, but that could just be because I was listening to the IE900 earlier. Technicalities are alright. The Heart Mirror actually has decent speed for a $50 DD IEM, but I don’t think it matches the Moondrop SSR for sheer note definition or imaging.

In any case, the Heart Mirror’s tonality is chock full of issues and doesn’t inspire confidence. If one wants a more analytical tuning, why not just get the ER2SE? With the ER2SE hitting as low as $50, I just don’t see the value proposition of the Heart Mirror. That’s also ignoring the plenty of other IEMs that I think have the Heart Mirror beat for tuning of different flavors. Sure, I guess this is pretty alright overall, but I can’t say I’m surprised that another flavor of the month doesn't amount to much.

Score: 3/10

All listening was done off of the iBasso DX300.

You have to wonder why anyone would willingly market cr*p like this

 

[HiFiHawaii808]

@precog, when do you expect to get the Elysian X? I am really looking forward to your review there.

 

[Precogvision]

You have to wonder why anyone would willingly market cr*p like this

I don't know if I'd go so far as to call it crap as, for $50, it'll probably sound pretty resolving for most new listeners. It makes for a good foil to stuff like the BL03. But yeah, I don't think the tonal balance accurately depicts what an "analytical" tuning should sound like, which led to it coming off underwhelming.

@precog, when do you expect to get the Elysian X? I am really looking forward to your review there.

I'm not sure, as it's not really in my hands haha. Last I heard, Lee told me he'd let me know when the cable arrives to ship it out and to expect some "extras" - whatever those may be.

 

[G777]

Basically the Blons but without the bass boost and a bit brighter?

 

[Victory112]

Basically the Blons but without the bass boost and a bit brighter?

I would not put the BL-03 and Heart Mirror in the same discussion tbh. The presentations during listening are too different. Some might think of the BL-03 as muddy but, from memory, it sounds clean enough despite its bass emphasis. It's also actually pleasant to listen with the BL-03.

 

[gLer]

I would not put the BL-03 and Heart Mirror in the same discussion tbh. The presentations during listening are too different. Some might think of the BL-03 as muddy but, from memory, it sounds clean enough despite its bass emphasis. It's also actually pleasant to listen with the BL-03.

BL-03 is definitely not muddy. It's clear, punchy and spacious. Probably the best tuned IEM I've heard south of the kilobucks.

 

[Strifeff7]

BL-03 is definitely not muddy. It's clear, punchy and spacious. Probably the best tuned IEM I've heard south of the kilobucks.

Agreed,

 

[baskingshark]

I would not put the BL-03 and Heart Mirror in the same discussion tbh. The presentations during listening are too different. Some might think of the BL-03 as muddy but, from memory, it sounds clean enough despite its bass emphasis. It's also actually pleasant to listen with the BL-03.

The BLON BL-03 has very good timbral accuracy and tonality. I think it can beat some midfi sets in these departments, but it isn't a giant killer for these reasons:

1) Weak technicalities (imaging, instrument separatation, microdetails).
2) Atrocious fit - most folks need aftermarket tips +/- cables to secure a better fit, this adds to costs. The stock cable is very stiff and tends to yank the IEM out of the ear, and the nozzles of the shell are too short, so most need a longer eartip or mod to get a good fit.
3) Boomy midbass. It can't keep up with fast or complex bass movements. The issue is most folks are not using the stock tips with the BL-03 (due to the above fit reasons), so different aftermarket eartips give different perception of the bass.


BLON had a predecessor called the BLON Cardinal, which came out a few months before the BL-03. The Cardinal looks like a DM6 resin shell, it fits very well and has better isolation than the BL-03. The Cardinal also has improved subbass extension due to the better isolation, and also slightly better technicalities and is a tinge brighter. Tonality and timbral accuracy are otherwise similar. Too bad the Cardinal isn't in production anymore.

 

[Feischmaker]

@Precogvision : thanks for IE900 review. The way you describe it kinda reminds me of Hyla (CE5/TE-5B).

Since the midrange is not that good, how does it impact to timbre?

 

[gLer]

https://tidal.com/track/115703721

I challenge anyone to listen to this track on the IE 900 and tell me it doesn't have superb mids.

Edit: here's a great live performance of the song, though I can't vouch for perfect SQ on YT:

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