Introduction:

EPZ is one of many chifi companies that focus on bringing the best value audio product into the market. They have a wide range of products in their catalog, from cheap to expensive iems and tws to accessories like eartips and cables, as well as different dac/amp dongles.

They have released a few good dongles before this, which are called the TP20, TP30. The TP20 was one of the cheapest dongles at the time to have a dual CS43131 DAC chip, while the TP30 is known to be a high performance dongle with an ESS DAC chip.

And now, after a continuous effort to improve their product, they have released two new dongles, the TP20 Pro - an upgrade to the TP20, and their new flagship - the TP50. In this review, I'll be talking about the TP50.

Disclaimer: EPZ has sent the TP50 as a touring reviewing unit in Vietnam in exchange for an honest review and feedback. I did not receive any financial benefit as well as influences on how to do this review. Everything I said in this review is my subjective opinion only.

Unboxing:

The unboxing of the EPZ TP50 is relatively straightforward. The TP50 arrived in a very modest and simple box. You just need to pull the tab out and it’ll reveal the dongle and the otg cable inside, along with a certificate note and a note that has some technical details regarding the TP50 on it.


The TP50 is the first dongle from EPZ to be equipped with a dual CS43198 DAC chip.

Design:

The TP50 is made out of an aluminum chasis in a purple colorway, with a carbon fiber patterned faceplate on both sides. There’s a small oled screen on one side that lets you see some of the settings. More on those settings later

On the side, there are 3 buttons, 2 of which let you control the volume (+ to turn up the volume and – to turn down the volume) and the “M” button, which stands for “Mode”, lets you control the settings for the TP50.

There’s not much I'd like to comment about the design of the TP50. I have no problem with it, although objectively, the TP50 is on a bigger side of the dongle world.

The TP50 weighs around 28 grams in real life. So not too heavy, but not too light either.

Features

Press the M key twice to light up the screen, long press the M key to enter function switching, click +/- to increase or decrease the volume by 1 (0-100), and long press +/- to continuously increase or decrease the volume.

In the setting menus, here are all the options:

Sound impression:

Now of course, I can’t exactly describe the sound of a dac/amp on its own, without using some sound transducers as well as comparing it with many other sources to have a better sense of referencing.

For that reason, during this review, i’ve paired the EPZ with some of these iems:

- Simgot EA1000 – My benchmark iem for under 200$

- Penon Serial – Relatively hard to drive, use it to also check bass texture along with timbre

- Michael Bruce’s Glamdring – A modded S12, used to check stage

- BQEYZ Cloud – A vocal and treble centrice iem

- TGXears Totem – A very hard to drive earbuds

As for comparison and to make some points of reference, I’ll compare the TP50 with

- Ibasso DC04 Pro

- Hiby FC6

- Chord Mojo.

I would describe the sound of the EPZ TP50 as neutral, natural and with a slight analytical feeling to it. The bass of the TP50 is very fast, tight and well controlled. The subbass and midbass seems to be equally spread out with no emphasis. Midrange is also very neutral with a high degree of transparency (dare I say “digital”) to it. It's a bit on a dryer side. There’s no sense of pinna glare that I can spot on TP50. Treble is well extended, pronounced yet smooth.

Technicalities wise, the TP50 gives me a decently wide sense of stage with great imaging. The TP50 is an overall very resolving dongle.

For a more relative context on how the TP50 performs compared to the others, please continue reading for the comparison parts

Synergy wise, the TP50 can synergize with almost any gears due to how neutral it was. However, if you want some heavy dose of coloration or warmth, substances to the timbre and noteweight, the TP50 is definitely not for you.

Playing with filters: One of the many features of the TP50 is the option for you to pick what filter you’d want for the DAC. There are 5 filter options for the TP50. They are: Fast LL, Fast PC, Slow LL, Slow PC and NOS. After my thorough listening sessions and to the best of my abilities, here’s what I found about the filters:

Between all 5, I'd consider the Slow PC and the Fast LL to have the most differences between each other. As the name would suggest, both of these filters affect the attack and the decay of the notes as well as the note density and the rhythm of the songs. The Slow PC sounds just a bit warmer to me, whereas the Fast LL sounds a bit colder, more analytical. The NOS stands in the middle ground with its neutrality while the Slow LL and Fast PC are too small of a difference to the rest for me to truly notice it. Slow PC and Slow LL just sounds too identical, same thing for Fast PC and Fast LL

Even after all that, I'd still think the differences between the filters are very minute. If I switch the filters in a quick interval then sure, it’s easier for me to spot some difference. But most of the time, I don't even remember which filter I'm using. So it’s safe to say that for most folks out there, just pick a filter setting that you like and then leave it be.

Objectively speaking, the NOS filter seems to lower the amplitude of the upper midrange and the treble region by less than 1db. In real life hearing, I still find it very hard to spot those differences.

NOS is the red line. Every other filter measures relatively the same.

I’m using the Glamdring/Modded S12 to measure it. I just insert the iem into the coupler, leave it to stay still and change the filter on the dongle.

Driving power: The EPZ TP50 is a decently powered dongle, enough to bring many iem of choices to a desireable loudness level and sound quality.

With the Simgot EA1000 and the BQEYZ Cloud, the TP50 has done justice for both of these iem in terms of dynamic rendering, stage presentation and stays true to its original DNA. Even if the TP50 is not a perfect source, I didn't find myself actively searching for any improvement for the 2 iems when using the TP50.

With the Penon Serial, the timbre sounds acceptably good, it’s just that I wished for the midrange to have more life, more coloration to it. For it to sound more “musical” you’d say. The bass texture on this iem is also in an acceptable range. It’s neutral, natural but not very dense and velvety.

For Glamdring – a magnetic planar iem, the TP50 can drive it with no problem. Listening to it with a 4.4 balanced cable, i have to set it at vol 77 to have a 75db range of listening level. So there is still a lot of headroom’s left.

Using TGXear Totem, I have to use the TP50 at high gain with 100/100 of volume to get my desired volume level, although I do like to listen at around 75-80 db. At this volume, it sounds quite decent, but the bass dynamic was not there yet for me. Before, I was using the Chord Mojo with the Cypher Labs Duet amp, so I know the upper limit of the Totem, that it can still be improved, source synergy wise.

Still, if your using cases are mostly with iem, i do think you can yield quite a satisfied result with the TP50.

Sound comparison:

1/ Ibasso DC04 Pro.

These dongles are at the same price range. The TP50 is selling for 110$ on EPZ Store on Aliexpress, whereas the DC04 Pro is selling for 119$ Linsoul. But a long time has passed since its release so there are many other stores on Aliexpress that sell the DC04 Pro at a lower price.

So what are the differences between these two?

First, outside of the sound perspective, the DC04 Pro is a bit smaller. The DC04 Pro has glass panels on both sides, which means that the DC04 Pro is more prone to micro scratches. The EPZ TP50 also has wayyy many more features than the Ibasso DC04 Pro. The TP50 now has an oled screen and the M button to let you control the settings of the TP50. And in that setting menu, there are a lot more options for you to play with.

Of course the Ibasso DC04Pro does have its own app to adjust the settings, but still. Since i mainly use dongles with my laptop instead of my phone, i found the ability to adjust the settings of the TP50 through M button and its screen a way more appealing option than to disconnect the DC04 Pro, connect it to an Android phone (did i mention that you can’t have that Ibasso app on Iphone?), change the settings, disconnect it and then connect it to the laptop to use it again. That’s way too much of a hassle.

Sound wise, the EPZ sounds a touch fuller in note definition with even better technicalities. Both of the dongles have a relatively similar sound profile, having neutral-ish tonality with not much coloration. However, dynamically, I felt the EPZ TP50 is better than the DC04 Pro because when using the DC04 Pro, I felt that something was amiss with the Serial, like the string plucking sensation was not fully captivated. I felt less of that on the TP50. Midrange sounds a bit fuller (very minute) and more musical on the TP50 due to that little bit more of note definition. The treble sounds sharper/harsher on the DC04 Pro. More piercing, but just a little.

Both of these dongles have great staging and imaging capabilities already, but the TP50 still edges over the DC04 Pro from my testing. The stage size of the EPZ TP50 sits between the DC04 Pro and the Cayin RU7 (which is a dongle that has the widest stage size I've ever heard). Imaging was just a touch sharper, but that’s basically it.

2/ Hiby FC6.

Ah yes. The legendary R2R dongle, one that reigned top 1 along with Centrance DACPort HD on Dongle Madness. How are the Hiby FC6 different from the TP50?

Build wise, I like the build of the TP50 more. The FC6 has a smaller form factor than the TP50, yes. But the TP50 felt way sturdier, the buttons are easier to touch (compared to the FC6 with its leather case on). The setting button on the FC6 felt way cheaper than the TP50’s.

Feature wise, the TP50 now has an additional 4.4 balance port, so it can deliver way more power than the FC6 with its 3.5mm port alone. In the menu settings, both the FC6 and TP50 let you choose many different filters. The filters on the FC6 have more of an impact when switching from NOS and OS. For the sake of this review, I'll keep the FC6 at NOS mode, comparing it against TP50’s Slow PC filter.

The FC6 sounds way warmer than the TP50. Stage size is the easiest thing to notice, because the stage on the FC6 is very intimate, vocals and midrange takes more of a frontal stage. The bass sounds denser, more sluggish on the FC6, pairing it with a softer, less crisp treble and it gives you that warmer sensation. The midrange on the TP50 is a bit dryer and more analytical than the FC6.

Imaging is a bit sharper on the TP50 as well, layering between instruments is better due to having a bit more breathing room.

3/Chord Mojo

Last but not least, the Chord Mojo. Chord Mojo was not even in the same price bracket as the TP50. The Mojo wasn’t even a dongle. However, the Chord Mojo was my best source at the time of this review, as well as the source that I used the most for my audio sessions, so I felt like I should compare the Mojo against the TP50.

Normally, I'd say the Chord Mojo is just the Hiby FC6 on steroids, sound and power wise. So if i have to comment about the sound quality of Mojo vs TP50, i would say the Mojo is definitely also warmer than the TP50. The bass region packs more authority and vibrancy to it, more so in the texture and less in the quantity. It’s more well controlled than the FC6’s. Midrange sounds a bit more natural, more organic as opposed to a bit colder, analytical leaning midrange of the TP50. This is not a bad thing per se, just something to be noticed.

The treble sounds a bit smoother, more fluid as well. Sound stage wise, I think the TP50 sounds wider than the Chord Mojo with an edge sharper layering. The Chord Mojo stage is a bit more rounded or more holographic. Safe to say, i enjoy both the stage presentation on these 2 sources.

Power wise, the Mojo is immensely more powerful. It can drive the TGXear Totem on its own way better, which is to be expected.

Conclusion:

Even with all the cons i may have mentioned, the EPZ TP50 is one of the most bang for buck dongles i’ve ever used. For such a long time, the Ibasso DC04 Pro has been my benchmark for what a dongle should bring to the table and how much a good dac/amp should cost. But now, with the arrival of the TP50, the bar has been raised yet again because now you can expect even more from a dongle with your hard earned money. Good dongles are getting cheap and cheap dongles are getting good.

I highly recommend this dongle.

That’s it for my review and thank you for reading.

Introduction

BQEYZ - A brand whose name just seems like many different letters were put together randomly - is one of the many veteran players in the chifi world. They have been making a lot of iems with different driver configurations at various but still very affordable price points. Until last year, they were most widely known for their Season collection, where they have 4 iems that named after the 4 seasons: Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter.

Now, I have before you the latest iem coming from BQEYZ, the BQEYZ Cloud. It has a 10mm LCP dynamic driver and a 6.8mm passive diaphragm unit. At the point of writing this review, it is currently selling for 169$ on Kickstarter.

In this review, I'll go into detail on how the Cloud performs and compare it with iems in a similar price point.

Disclaimer: BQEYZ has sent the Cloud as a touring reviewing unit in Vietnam in exchange for an honest review and feedback. I did not receive any financial benefit as well as instructions on how to do this review. Everything I said in this review is my subjective opinion only.

Packaging

The Cloud comes in a small rectangle box. Inside of it is the iems themselves and a carrying case with all the accessories inside, other than the foam tips.

The accessories included a cleaning brush, a 2 cores cable with 3.5mm termination, two types of eartips in three different sizes. The Atmosphere tips have a short and normal bore width, whereas the Reference tips have a similar length but with a wider bore. Overall, a decent amount of accessories are included for you to enjoy the Cloud.

A small nitpick on my part though. As much as I like the presentation, I would have prefered a plastic tip holder instead of a metal one. For 2 reasons. 1, by using a plastic or paper tip holder, you’d decrease the production cost by a bit (every small bit of money counts) and 2, if it’s a plastic tip holder, I won't have to worry about the shells getting scratched up when put in a case. With the current metal holder like this, I'm afraid that it may scratch up the shell during use

Design/Build quality/Comfort


The Cloud shells are made out of aluminum with an anodized matte finish in a gorgeour teal color. I dont think I've ever seen a teal colored iem before, so this is a really nice change of pace from my usual black/silver color iem.

The shell feels light yet very sturdy. The construction of it seems to be nicely done too. I would like to compliments BQEYZ for adding a chamferred edge around the faceplate, so that it’s not as easy to scratch up and loose the anodize finish overtime.

The shell shape actually reminds me of the Tripowin Olina, but luckily during my test, I did not encounter any condensation issues.

Cable wise, I'm LOVING this cable. It’s a coaxial mixed cable with single crystal copper and silver plated copper as transmitting material. Although it’s in a simple colorway with nothing fancy hardware, the cable is crazy soft, especially for the earhook, which in turn makes the Cloud more comfortable to wear.

As for the shell comfort and isolation, the Cloud has an average isolation but is quite comfortable to wear. I can wear this for many hours straight with no hot spot in my ears.

Sound impression:

Source: Poco F3+UAPP, Dell laptop + Foobar 2000

Dac/Amp: Chord Mojo, EPZ TP50, E1DA 9038D, Hiby FC6

Cable: Stock

Tips: Divinus Velvet, Spinfit W1, EPZ prototype tips

Tonality: Neutral bright

When first listening to the Cloud after a 50 hour burn in period, the first word that comes to mind was “light”. As in the bass is on a more polite side while the midrange and the treble are the star of the iem here. It’s forward, but not fatiguing on the ears.

Bass

As the tonality would suggest, the bass of the Cloud are on a more neutral side. It’s not entirely flat as the graph has already suggested, there are some mild bass boost, but there’s not much. The bass seems to only appear when it is called for. It has a subbass over midbass presentation, with the subbass being gently rolled off.

By using “Chameleon - Trentemoller” and “Why So Serious - Hans Zimmer” as my subbass test tracks, the Cloud shows great proficiency at handling the subbass drop. The subbass texture was fine, there’s no sense of clipping or dragging behind, but you will not meet some head rattling, bombastic moving type of bass drop.

The transition from subbass to midbass is quite linear. Midbass punches are there, but not very authoritative. In rock songs, kick drums don’t pack a lot of force behind them. The plucking of double bass can be felt, however the sustaining pitch and lingering vibration are quite subpar.

With drum instruments like Taiko drums and Chinese traditional, they have a natural timbre to them, each separate hits are easily felt, however the lingering sense is just not much, like they decay a bit too fast. I would have liked for them to be a bit boomier.

All in all, it seems the Cloud is going for a more monitor type of bass.

Mid

Even with that low of a bass boost, the midrange does have some warmth feeling to it. As a whole, I would describe the midrange as clean, clear, smooth and energetic. Female vocals are sublime and the star of the Cloud. Adele, Celine Deon sound vivid and lively without feeling harsh. The contrast between the neutral-ish bass with high pinna gain makes their high notes stand out even more, putting them into the front stage. This is the main reason for the light and delicate sensation on my first listening session.

That being said, with Diana Krall’s “Autumn in New York”, at 1:41, the “AUtumn” just pops into my head all of a sudden, with such high intensity that it makes me startled. So I think this really depends on the mixing and mastering of each songs

Male vocals on the other hand is not quite the Cloud’s strong point. Frank Sinatra, Michael Buble doesn’t sound quite as lush and full bodied.

Instruments like piano and violin have a natural tone and timbre. The noteweight actually seems fine, although they do not feel very dense and have very little coloration to them.

Treble

The treble here is quite nicely done. It’s airy, sparkly without sounding too peaky. It’s energetic, but not as pronounced as the upper midrange. The passive radiator must be doing something right, as the treble felt really smooth and highly refined compared to many other 1DD iem, which makes the guitar distortion quite a treat to enjoy.

The 8k seems to be an artifact of the coupler, as the Cloud does not sound like it has much sibilant at all. With “Caravan - John Wasson”, cymbals strikes and hihats sounds natural with the attack and decay, have great shimmering, yet it didn’t sound too splashy or crunchy. From 4:30 onwards, all the percussion instruments are greatly reproduced with high intensity and briliance, yet do not sound overbearing at all.

Technicalities

Soundstage wise, the Cloud is decently wide with not much height to it. It’s airy, yes, however with songs that have spatial cues that rely on the bass to convey, the Cloud doesn’t give me that quite out of the head feeling.

Imaging is good, with whatever headroom left by the soundstage. Instruments in orchestra tracks has good positioning, although the layering is not the crispess/sharpest.

Using “Bubbles” and “Swashers” by Yosi Horikawa, the Cloud showed me that it has a better micro dynamic rendering than macro dynamics.

Source pairing:

The BQEYZ is a relatively easy to drive iem. Even with a 3.5mm single ended cable, when pairing it with a dongle like EPZ TP50, the Cloud does not feel like it’s lacking in dynamics or underperforming at all. When using it with a stronger source like the Chord Mojo, the treble response seems to be even smoother with slightly more colored mids, but it’s very incremental.

But overall, when it comes to sources, you don’t need much to fully enjoy the Cloud.

Comparison

1/ BQEYZ Wind

Brother from the same mother, the BQEYZ Wind. Different from the Cloud, the Wind has a 1DD and 1 Bone conduction for the bass region.

Soundwise, the Wind has a bassier and darker tonality than the Wind. The bass on the Wind is denser, has more body and lingering sense to it. The quantity is not that much more on the Wind, but with the BC, the bass felt a bit more organic and immersive.

Midrange wise, both of these sounded great for different reasons. If the Cloud brings you this lively, energetic and delicate midrange, the Wind gives you a warmer, more colored midrange with an edge more realistic in acoustic timbre. Lower midrange has a bit more texture and layering to it. Female vocals sound more sublime and velvety with the Cloud.

Treble is easy, the Cloud’s treble just sounds better. It sounds brighter, smoother, better articulate in the attack and decay of percussion instruments. More refined. For whatever reason, there’s this darker edge around the Wind’s treble, making it sounds safer but less engaging as a whole.

Soundstage wise, the Wind is noticeably wider due to that semi open faceplate design. The imaging was kinda blurry, but at least there’s more breathing room between orchestra instruments.

Overall, it depends on one's preference. If you’d like a decently textured bass, well layered midrange with great timbre and dark-ish treble, pick the Wind. Whereas if you’d like a neutral bright iem, with an open, energetic and engaging uppermidrage with an airy yet smooth, not too peaky treble, pick the Cloud.

An additional thing I would like to mention: The Wind thrives more with better, stronger sources from my testing. When using the Wind with an additional amplifier, the bass seems to be liven up more.

2/ Simgot EA1000

Both of these iem have a similar configuration, which is 1DD and 1 passive radiator. The main difference is that the passive radiator that was used in the EA1000 is for the bass region, whereas the Cloud’s PR is for the upper mids and treble region.

Sound wise, I would say the Cloud is just a straight up flatter-or more neutral- Simgot EA1000.

The bass has less thump, less authority on the Cloud. The bass texture is noticeably better on the EA1000, almost like it has that 3D sense to it. The dynamic swing, the plucking of bass guitar or doublebass, the drum hits sound really nice on the EA1000. The bass texture on the Cloud is not bad per se, the Cloud’s bass still sounds very natural and realistic in timbre, but when standing in front of the EA1000, I don't think many can compete with the EA1000’s quick and highly technical bass response.

The midrange on the other hand, sounds a bit more forward on the Cloud. Both of these iem have what I'd called a bright leaning upper midrange. With a lower bass amount, the upper midrange stands out more on the Cloud. Female vocals sound more captivating and emotional on the Cloud, whereas the EA1000 sounds a bit harsher, brighter and more prone to sibilance. Horn instruments like trumpet have more bite on the EA1000, but sounds more realistic on the Cloud albeit with not much warmth.

Treble is another thing that’s easy to spot. Both of these iems treble are airy, well extended and highly energetic, but on the EA1000 with the red nozzle, the treble is noticeably peakier, harsher and more intense. Cymbals and hihats sounds more aggressive, with more splashy feeling to it. Together with the PR, the Cloud’s treble sounds noticeably smoother, more articulate but still manages to sound airy and snappy. The treble on the EA1000 sounds more jagged and rougher around the edges in comparison.

Technicality wise, the EA1000 edges over the Cloud to my ears. It has better macro dynamics, more detail retrieval (although the Cloud is no slouch either), it has more depth and height than the Cloud. Imagine is better on the EA1000 due to a more incisive, tighter driver membrane which gives this sharper sense on the layering.

Conclusion:

The BQEYZ Cloud is far away from my usual sound preference, but that certainly does not stop me from enjoying it. With a monitoring style of bass, a highly captivating midrange and well controlled treble region, the Cloud does stand out on its own, especially in a sub 200$ price range. Personally, the Cloud serves me greatly as a palate cleanser, a nice change of pace from the other iem in my rotation.

If you’re a vocal lover or are looking for a neutral bright iem, one that puts the female vocals into the spotlight and doing them justice, excels in conveying emotion with smooth yet detailed treble, I would highly recommend the Cloud. If you’re anywhere near bass head territory and sensitive to high pinna gain and treble, please look away.

That’s it for my review and thank you for reading.

Introduction

ZiiGaat is a relatively new iem brand in the Chifi world, first appearing in the end of 2023.

They maybe new, but before having a name of their own, they were actually a team of engineer, silently developing OEM and ODM audio products for a lot off consumers and professional brands, so they have a lot of tricks in their sleeves. And now, by working closely with Linsoul as their retailer, they wanted to share their work and products to the community without having as much corporate restrictions as before.

They have released a few iem from various price point, first with the Nuo – their budget single DD iem, then the Cinno – A 1DD+4DD hybrids for under 100$, all the way to their recent flagship and collabs with HBB: The Jupier – A tribrid with 1DD, 6BA and 4EST

And now, they have released another hybrid in a different price bracket, the Doscinco!

What is the Doscinco? Doscinco is a 5-drivers hybrid iem with 2 dynamics drivers and 3 balance armatures, so 5 drivers in total. The 2DD was arranged in an isobaric configuration to handle the bass; two Sonion BA was used for the midrange and a single Knowles super tweeter was used to handle the treble range.

Doscinco also means “two five” in Spanish, which sort of fitting for the iem.

Disclaimer: Linsoul has provided me with the unit of ZiiGaat Doscinco in exchange for an honest review and feedback. I did not receive any instruction on how to write this review, everything i said is my subjective opinion only. Thank you Linsoul for providing me this opportunity.

Now let's get started.

Packaging

The Doscinco arrived in a relatively simple boxing. The content of the box is also simple. They include the iem, a rectangular carrying case with a few pairs of tips and a cable inside of it. The case is made out of synthetic leathers and it gets the job done. The silicone tips seems to be a wider kind of bore and the foam tips is just your regular ones.

Overall a very bare bone amount of accessories for the price

Design/Build quality/Comfort

The Doscinco shells are made out of medical grade black resin. It feels very light yet sturdy in the hands.

The faceplate of the Doscinco looks very minimalistic, with a black background, really tiny blue glitter dust and many pieces of small confetti of different colors to highlight it. And of course in the middle of the faceplate is the ZiiGaat logo.



The shells are bigger than your average iem. It doesn’t have the usual rear wings like many other universally fit iem, so to me, the Doscinco does need a bit of wiggle action and play around will several tips to get a decent fit.

Cable wise, it’s very basic. It’s a 4 cores OFC with plastic hardwares and 3.5mm termination. The strands are only 2mm thick, so it’s not the thickest. The quality of the cable reminds me of some cheaper cable from Kbear or Xinhs. Although it gets the job done, i’d have prefered a thicker, higher quality cable so that it’s harder to tangled up.

Sound impression

Source: Poco F3+UAPP, Dell laptop + Foobar 2000

Dac/Amp: Chord Mojo, E1DA 9038D, EPZ TP50, Hiby FC6
Cable: Stock

Tips: Divinus Velvet, Softears UC

• Before diving into the sound impression, the Doscinco suffers being reverse polarity right out of the box. It’s not that the left and right side are out of phase with each other. It’s just that they're in reverse phase together. How do I know this? I have an iec711 coupler and when I measure it, it shows the phase response like this.
• 
• Now measurement wise, that is actually how an iem with the correct phase should look like. However, I know my coupler was wired incorrectly(+ wire at - and - wire at +), which is usually a characteristic of a copied coupler. So any iem that measures correctly, it would actually be out of phase irl.
• 
• Does it matter? Most of the time, no. As long as both sides have the same polarity, you probably won't recognize it. I personally did not recognize it until I measured it. I say this in case you’re someone who are picky about it (a.k.a me) and worrry it may affect the staging and such of the iem, can just rotate the 2 pin part 180 degree and the “problem” would be solved.
• If you’re wondering if it’s the cable’s fault, no it’s not. I’ve already checked the cable using the multimeter and the cable was wired correctly.

That is why during the review of this iem, I've rotated the cable and listened to the iem in the correct polarity. Since i didn’t bothered cutting the earhook off, i just use a lighter to soften the earhooks then bend it the other way.

Tonality: Fun U shaped / Balance L shape

Upon the first time listening, it’s very apparent that the bass is the most dominant factor in the Doscinco’s tonality. However, the uppermid range got sufficiently boosted to balance out the bass, so the tonality isn’t as dark, nor does the midrange sound too recessed. The channel imbalance is just spot on.

Bass:

With an isobaric 2DD configuration, the bass is big, bold and fun while still being technical. The subbass reachs deep, but the focus shifted more towards the midbass due to how hard slamming and punchy it is. Each bass notes are quite decently well seperated. It’s highly detailed with good texture and sense of reverb to it.

Using “Trentemoller” by Chameleon and “Why So Serious” as my bass testing tracks, the bass has great texture with a lot of air movement to it. They do not felt sluggish whatsoever. This rides the line of being the basshead’s dream due to how big, bold yet still being well controlled the bass region is.

Turning up to the bass instruments, using “The Rising Fighting Spirit” track from Naruto OST, the drums sound fast and cleanly separated. Even with so many other elements like the guitar rift, the flut, hihats, i can still easily perceive each hit of the drums. I’d have wish for the drum to be a bit boomier with more lingering decay, but this is just a nitpick on my part.

All in all, the bass of the Doscinco is very engaging and satisfying

Mid:

Even if there’s a big amount of bass, there’s a surprisingly low amount of bleed. The midrange still sound clean with decent warmth and coloration to it. Even with the bombastic bass shelf, vocals don’t get drown out much (either that or i’m too used to bass boosted signature). Male and female vocal doesn’t sound thin. They all sounds smooth with minimal BA timbre, which result in a very little metallic midrange.

Male vocal like Frank Sinatra still have that classic lush, dense signature to him. Female vocals like Adele and Celine Dion sounds natural with just enough energy up top and not to sound too shouty, although with some other vocals, they can sound a bit huskier. Soprano also sounds smooth and decently emphasized to the rest of the instruments in the orchestra tracks

Piano and violin also sounds natural with more than sufficient noteweight to it. The notes, the vibrancy of each bow strokes are beautifully captured with the Doscinco.

Treble:

The treble overall sounds smooth and relax. It's smooth, but also have sufficient bite to it. It’s well extended, just not the airiest or sparkliest, not dark nor bright. The treble serves more as a complimentary component to a highly boosted bass. There's also very little sense of sibilant in the treble region, so thumbs up for that.

Using “Caravan” by John Wasson as my test tracks, cymbal strikes and hi hats sound very smooth, has sufficient attack and decay to it without sounded too overbearing. Percussions instruments sound natural as a whole.

Technicalities:

Soundstage wise, i think the Doscinco has a wide sense of stage to it, but with around average width and height (this part is highly subjective depending on the person). It’s wide, but still very immersive due to the bass. On those songs that have spatial cues that rely on the bass itself to convey them like the first 20 sec of "Bubbles" by Yosi Horikawa, i can hear the songs going out of my head. Whereas on some others like some hiphop songs, the bass takes the front row more, which pushback and cramp in many other elements of the songs, which in turn makes it a very immersive experience.

When watching the ending scene of “The Lion King (1994)”, the background music with their instruments, the rain, the vocals, the ROAR gives me goosebump. The bass also makes the sounds effects more dramatic, in a good way of course.

Or when i listen to Frieren’s OST “Frieren the Slayer”, the choir, the bass drum, the trumpets and other horn instruments was all given justice with the Doscinco. The layering may not be the most distinct, but the wide stage makes it up for it.

With Yosi Horikawa’s Bubbles and Swashers, the Doscinco shows quite good amount of macro dynamics, but not as good in terms of micro dynamics and micro details.

Source pairing:

Overall, the Doscinco is a very easy to drive iem. Even with a single ended 3.5mm termination cable, a dongle like E1DA 9038D or Hiby FC6, the Doscinco already sounded great with good dynamic rendering.

However, i also think the Doscinco is quite source sensitive (especially in the bass) and does scale up with better sources. The EPZ TP50 is the dongle that makes me realize how wide the Doscinco can be and the bass also sounds great. The Mojo on the other hand, although sounds a bit cramper, have better bass performance. The bass sounds like it has more reverb with better texture to it. The layering is also a bit improved too. The notes sounds sharper on the TP50 as opposed to being smoother on the Mojo.

So yeah. The Doscinco may not need much to sound good, but it sure sounds lovely when pairing with a great dac/amp.

Comparison:

1/ ISN Neo 5

An interesting showdown between Penon’s house brand iem and Linsoul’s housebrand iem

Both the Neo 5 and the Doscinco are hybrids, but the Neo 5 has a 1+4 configuration with 10mm driver for the bass and 4Bas for the mids and treble, as opposed to 2DD for bass and 3BA for mids and treble on the Doscinco

Let’s start with the bass. The Neo 5 has lower bass quantity, the bass texture is looser and feels slower than the Doscinco. However it actually sounds more organic, or natural than the Doscinco’s, partly due to the additional lushness that was introduced due to the slower, more lingering sense of bass. Drums and cello sounds a bit lusher and warmer. The bass of Doscinco on the other hand is bigger, punchier and overall more authoritative. It feels more well controlled, edgier, sharper to the attack of the bass notes. The bassline felt more distinct with the Doscinco.

As for the midrange, it’d be more difficult to compare. Both of these sounds very natural and warm. Both male and female vocal have that warmth coloration to it. The pinna is lower on the Neo 5, but because the bass is lower too so it all balance out. If i have to nitpick, some female vocals are creamier on the Neo 5 whereas the Doscinco has brighter and more energetic high notes but are more prone to sibilance, not that it have much sibilance to begin with. Instruments like piano and violin sounds natural on both.

Lastly, the treble. Both of these have what i would consider smooth treble, as in not much peaky The treble on the Doscinco is sparklier, crunchier and snappier to it, where as the Neo 5’s treble have this darker edge to it, more rounded like the decaying of cymbals and hihats sound more polite with it. More analog i’d say. Both of the treble sounds good by the way, but the Neo 5 would be more suitable for those with treble sensitive than the Doscinco.

Technicalities wise, both are surprisingly similar in terms of dimension of the stage, but the layering is not as sharp and distinct on the Neo 5, similar happen for the imaging. So for technical performance, the Doscinco wins.

2/ Simgot EA1000

I deliberately pick the EA1000 due to how similar the midrange was on the graph. Upon listening in real life, both of these iem sounds very different.

The Doscinco has a way more fun, U shape-ish tonality, as oppose to a more neutral bright approach of the EA1000.

Bass wise, the bass of the Doscinco is way stronger, more prominent, punchier and more forward than the EA1000’s. The bass on the EA1000 is leaner more towards neutral, feels faster and arguably sounds more technical, more 3D sense to it even with the lower bass quantity as well as more well controlled due to the passive radiator tech. So one is leaning more towards bombastic fun, one leaning more towards being technical. Pick your poison i guess

Midrange wise, the EA1000 sounds more open, transparent and more energetic. Female vocals take more of a frontal stage with the EA1000, as opposed to being more recessed on the Doscinco. Male vocal doesn’t have that huskiness feeling to it either. The Doscinco however has a smoother midrange to it with less metallic feeling and also less shouty.

As for the treble, i’d pick the treble on the Doscinco any day. It sounds smoother and less peaky. Cymbals and hihats dont sound as harsh on the Doscinco, especially at higher volume.

Technicalities wise, the Doscinco has a wider sense of stage to my ears, although the EA1000 sounds like it has better layering even with a smaller headstage. Detail retrieval wise, the EA1000 takes the cake.

If i’m looking for a more neutral, more “monitoring” iem, i’d choose the EA1000, whereas if i want to have a fun, bassy and chill listening session, i’d pick the Doscinco.

Conclusion

If it’s not evident enough to you, i’m very much satisfied with this iem. The ZiiGaat Doscinco is an overall very fun yet technical iem. The package maybe minimal, but the sound performance does make it up for it.

If you’re looking for an iem with a great, big bass performance, smooth uppermids and relaxing treble, with a grand stage to boot for under 300$, i’d highly recommend this iem. And vice versa, if you’re looking for a more neutral sounding iem for monitoring purposes, or iem with more midcentric, prioritized on vocal performance with airier treble, please look the other way.

Music library wise, i’d say the Doscinco is suitable for the Rock, Hiphop and EDM genre.

That’s it for my review and thank you for reading.

Introduction

You probably aren’t too unfamiliar with Penon, but in case you are, Penon is an online audio store, established in 2013 and has been working ever since to sell audio product at an affordable price.
Along with their online store, they also create their own audio brand in 2018 under the same name. Penon has always been known for making great sounding iem at various price ranges, configuration as well as playing with a lot of different yet still good sounding tuning.
And now, as part of the world wide tour, Penon has sent me one of their latest iem, the Penon Quattro, in exchange for my honest review.



Disclaimer: I receive no benefit from Penon from doing this other than having the experience of listening to the Quattro, as I have to send the iem for other reviewers at the end of the tour. What I said in this review is my subjective opinion only.

So what is Quattro? Quattro is an iem with a 4 dynamic drivers configuration. Out of the 4 drivers, there are 2 10mm drivers facing each other to handle the bass, an 8mm driver for the mid and a custom 6mm driver for the treble. Quattro is said to be the successor to their Serial, which is one of a rare few 3 dynamic drivers iem in the market.

Packaging

The Quattro arrived to me in the same sized package like many other Penon iem. Inside of it are a small leather pouch and a blue carrying case, which house the iem, the cable, 9 pairs of eartips at various sizes+types, a clip and a cleaning brush.


Even if you don't have other 3rd party eartips, these 9 pairs should be able to give you a decent fit to start enjoying the Quattro.
Design/Build quality/Comfort

The housing of the Quattro is made out of semi black-stransparent medical grade resin. It feels light yet sturdy in the hand.

The faceplate looks really nice too. It has many pieces of blue stabilized wood panels with some subtle, yellow-ish, white-ish wood grains inside of them. This sort of color way reminds me of the famous painting “Starry Night” by Van Gogh.

Size wise, the Quattro is on a bigger side than average. It’s not something outrageously big like the Hidizs MP145 though, so i have no problem wearing it. I can wear the Quattro for 2 hours straight without feeling pain

The cable on the other hand is an interesting choice. It’s a 2pin, 4 core graphene cable with 4.4mm connector. They have deliberately chosen this cable in this blue color to have it better matched with the theme of the faceplate. The cable feels thick and sturdy. It feels a little bit stiff when i try to wrap it to take some pictures, but it does soften up over time.


Sound Impression

• Okay, before going deeply into the sound impression, I must say something beforehand: My unit of Penon Quattro has both sides out of phase. It’s not that the left and right side are out of phase with each other. It’s just that they're in reverse phase together. How do I know this? I have an iec711 coupler and when I measure it, it shows the phase response like this. (the dotted green line).

• Now measurement wise, that is actually how an iem with the correct phase should look like. However, I know my coupler was wired incorrectly(+ wire at - and - wire at +), which is usually a characteristic of a copied coupler. So any iem that measures correctly, it would actually be out of phase irl.

Here's what would happen if i reverse the polarity of the measurement.

• Does it matter? Most of the time, no. As long as both sides have the same polarity, you probably won't recognize it, most of the time. I personally did not recognize it until I measured it. I say this in case you’re someone who are picky about it and worry it may affect the staging and such of the iem, can just rotate the 2 pin part 180 degree and the “problem” would be solved.
• If you’re wondering if it’s the cable’s fault, no it’s not. I’ve already checked the cable using the multimeter and the cable was wired correctly

That is why during the review of this iem, I've rotated the cable and listened to the iem in the correct polarity.

*Test gears:

Source: Poco F3+UAPP, Dell laptop + Foobar 2000

Dac/Amp: Chord Mojo, E1DA 9038D, Ibasso DC04 Pro, Hiby FC6
Cable: Stock

Tips: Divinus Velvet, Penon Orange + Black Liquer tips

Iem has been burn in for more than 200 hours

Tonality: Warm + bassy + colored sound.


Even without the burn in, when first listen to the Quattro, the first thing i get is how bass dominant this iem is. Not in an L-shaped tuning kind of way, but more balancing and organic sort of way, showcasing that the bass is the star of this iem

Bass: Even with a dual DD handling it, the bass does lean more towards a more musical side rather than a technical side. The subbass has good extension with a lot of air movement, but its quality was a little bit lacking to my taste, almost like it’s too diffusing.

The midbass actually stands out more compared to the subbass, like it’s drawning out or masking the subbass rumble, even if the graph said other wise. Although it doesn’t have the quickest transients, a bit on a sluggish side, it does have a very addicting sense of reverb and dense texture to it.

Contrabass, kick drums, cello and saxophone in many jazz tracks sounds amazing. Even if the bass region is very dominant as a whole, each bass element in those tracks sounds very distinctive nonetheless. Taiko drums and Chinese traditional drums sounds very natural and they pack a great sensation behind each note.

On metal or fast pace rock songs though, i do feel like the Quattro’s having problem keeping up with the bass and drumming sessions.

Mids:

Since there’re a lot of bass bleed, the whole lower mids feels very warm, thick and weighty. Male vocals like Frank Sinatra, Michael Buble sounds lush and full bodied. Female vocal sounds smooth, organic and euphonic, but not in a shouty, over-energetic sort of way. The bleed introduces some huskiness feeling to some female vocals. Soprano sounds smooth with just enough vibrancy to make it pop out from the rest of the instruments in the orchestra tracks. However they do felt a bit recessed due to how forward the bass line was.

Similar thing happens for the instruments here. There’s some noticeable coloration happening for the violin, piano. They still sound velvety and natural, but they have this sort of heavy and dense sensation in the note weight.

All in all, you’d either embrace the warmth and richness goodness of the midrange, or you don’t. This coloration would not be suitable for the monitoring purposes.

Treble:

The treble as a whole sounds very smooth, non-fatiguing with soft decay to it. Compared to the bass, the treble range serves more as a supporting character rather than its own thing. It has a delicate feeling to it.

Cymbals and hihats still sound present with enough brilliant, but it’s not very crisp and airy sounding.

There’s a dip around 6khz that makes the Quattro very sibilant free, but also makes the treble have a darker edge to it. Some instruments timbre was affected because of it.

With the Quattro, i tend to have a better listen session at louder volume, which makes the treble region stands out more. If i listen to it at a lower volume, the treble got a bit masking by the bass region.

Technicalities

Soundstage wise, i think the Quattro has quite decent width, but not as great height nor depth, especially for the price of 400$. Stereo effects, spatial cues are there, just doesn’t have that “out of head” feeling to it.

Layering is also decent, but due to the large amount of bass bleed and the transients of the drivers sort of focusing on being musical rather than technical, layering feels kind blurry as a whole. Instruments separation felt a bit clumping together.

Source pairing:

I may not have heard many high end iem before, but the Quattro is the most source picky iem i’ve ever heard.

What do I mean by that? I wouldn’t say it’s picky in the sense that it’s revealing, showing the characteristics of many dac/amps like whether it’s warm or bright, but more that the Quattro behaves differently with different sources.

With the Ibasso DC04 Pro, it can reach the sufficient listening volume just fine, however I felt like the Quattro sort of underwhelming, like the bass was not performing like it should. The bass notes sound like it got cut off in the middle of the reproduction, which granted, makes the Quattro sounds a bit more neutral.

The E1DA 9038D on the other hand, makes it sounds brighter. The analog-ish, warmer, darker edge tonality of the Quattro with the E1DA’s more hifi-ish and brighter sound signature combo is interesting to say the least. The E1DA makes the Quattro sounds a bit less dark with more bite in the treble. The bass sounds less dense in its feeling with the E1DA

The Hiby FC6 is an interesting pick. The FC6 in short, has an analog, warm-ish sound with quite intimate stage and a low power output of 100mW, so on paper this is a really bad pick for the Quattro, and it really is. On some occassion when my inner basshead comes out and I embrace it, i’d choose the FC6 for the Quattro, but most of the time, the FC6 just overthickens the Quattro, adding too much note weight and density into it, which throws off the balance of the Quattro and making it sounds too muffled

And last but not least, the Chord Mojo. Out of all my sources, this dac/amp sounds the best with the Quattro, which is not too surprising since it is the best sounding and strongest dac/amp out of the bunch that i mentioned. Long story short, it’s basically Hiby FC6 but on steroid, in a sense that it has a better control over the bass driver which gives it a more effortless feel, along with a better sense of stage. Even if it does not have the brighter based sound of the E1DA 9038D dongle, i’m willing to trade it for a better bass texture and staging. That’s why Chord Mojo is my source of choice during the review of the Quattro

The Quattro definitely deserve some powerful source to truly shine, preferably a more bright leaning source. Better yet, you should try various dac/amps, be it in dongle form or deskop setup form, to see which would have the best synergy with the Quattro.

Comparison:

1/ Penon Serial

Quattro younger brother - the Serial. When it was released, it was known for its analog-ish, warm tonality with smooth treble. So now with a 100$ price jump and one DD more, how does the Quattro different from the Serial?

First, looking at the total package perspective, the cable of the Quattro looks way better than the Serial’s. It’s thicker, sturdier with better hardware, although the Penon cable feels easier to coil up.

Second, the sound. When a/b-ing the two, the Serial just sounds way more neutral than the Quattro, or conversely, the Quattro is definitely more colored than the Serial.

The Quattro sounds warmer, bassier and has more bass bleed than the Serial. The Quattro’s bass has more authority and body behind it, bass punch felt more velvety and denser whereas the Serial’s bass feels cleaner and lighter. The bass line felt more frontal on the Quattro.

The midrange feels clearer with more pop to it on the Serial. Male vocal sounds thinner on the Serial. Female vocal sounds brighter and more energetic with less huskiness feeling on the Serial, like it felt more open and vibrant.

Treble wise, both the Serial and Quattro have that i’d considered a soft and smooth treble response with zero to none sense of sibilance. On the Serial, the treble sounds sparklier, airier, more shimmering.

While the treble of the Quattro, although with boosted in quantity, sounds darker and more gentle in its definition due to having more bass. So the Quattro sounds a bit more V (more bass+more treble) than the Serial is what i’m trying to say.

Since the intrusiveness of the bass was lessen on the Serial, the layering, to my ears, was actually better than the Quattro, like it has more breathing room between instruments depth wise, where as the Quattro sounds a bit wider compared to the Serial.

Note weight is, unsurprisingly, heavier with the Quattro. Violin and cello have way more of a bite on the Quattro.

Both sets have very natural timbre, but the heavy dose of note weight of the Quattro does make some accoustic instruments sounds more off when comparing with the Serial.

2/ Oriveti OD200

The Oriveti OD200 is only 200$, so half the price of the Quattro, so in a way, this comparison may not make much sense.

However, when I first listened to the Quattro, I couldn't help but be reminded of the OD200. And upon closer listening as well as checking the graph, i think i can see why

Both iems have a sort of warm, bassy chilling tonality. But there are a few differences.

Quattro has more subbass quantity, so at “Why So Serious” subbass drop, the Quattro feels rumblier with more air movement to it.

The midbass on the other hand, while the Quattro midbass punchs feel denser, heavier, thicker; the midbass on the OD200 was more well doned in the technical aspects, like it felt more effortless with better tactility and separation.

Midrange wise, the OD200 has more energy in the upper region, which gives female vocal a bit more pop

Treble wise, both of these sets sounds quite similar even if the graph suggest other wise. The Quattro does have a bit more bite to the cymbals and hihats in terms of the attack with slightly more micro detail, however the OD200 have a better balance due to having a steeper subbass rolloff which makes it easier to perceive the treble on the OD200.

Technicality, while the Quattro sounds a bit wider in terms of soundstage, the OD200 does have better layering capabilities and more distinct bass line.

Conclusion:

Penon Quattro is certainly an interesting and unique product coming from Penon. With the tuning of choice, how the bass was presented and how it interact with the midrange and treble, the Quattro is quite frankly a really niche product from Penon. Not bad, just niche, meaning that it’s heavily depend on the listeners’ preference and library.

If you’re someone who’d like an iem with a really rare configuration (4DD), a “soulful” tuning that has a dense, thick, rounded bass response, weighty vocal and instrument timbre along with relaxing treble, the Quattro would be the choice for you.

As for music library, I’d say the Quattro is suitable for the jazz, R&B and pop genre.

And for those who already has the Serial and are looking for its upgrade, the Quattro is NOT it. It’s more like a sidegrade to its younger brother, reasons i have already mentioned above in the comparison part.

That’s it for my review and thank you for reading.

Introduction:
TinHifi is one of the old players amongst many chifi brands. They were known for selling iem at quite an affordable pricing, as well as experimenting with a lot of different tunings.
There are quite a few products from their catalog that manage to earn the recognition of many audiophiles as well as casual music enjoyers like their 1 dynamic driver lineup: The T2, T3 Plus, C2, C3 as well as their planar lineup: The P1, P1 Plus, P1 Max.
And now, after 2 long years, they have release their latest planar creation: The P1 Max II. P1 Max II is said to be the successor or upgraded version of their P1 Max, which was released back in 2022 and was known for its near neutral yet still musical tuning.


I would like to give a special thank to TinHifi for providing this unit of P1 Max II in exchange for an honest reviews. This will not affect my evaluation of this iem. Everything i said in this review is my subjective opinion only.

Packaging

The P1 Max II comes in a relatively simple box.
Together with the iem, it comes with a few pairs of eartips (6 pairs of silicone tips + 1 pair of foam tips) and a really nice quality cable.


Truth be told, I wish they could've included a small case in the accessories, especially for the 140$ price tag.

Design/Build quality/Comfort

The P1 Max II has a 3d printed resin shell in a black color way, with a 14.2mm planar driver housing inside of it. The iem feels really light in the hand, 3.8 grams according to the marketing material, yet it doesn't feel flimsy.

The faceplate on the other hand looks really nice. It has this sort of 3d wavy design in a gray-ish color way with actual depth to the pattern. The faceplate looks simple and minimal enough yet still looks great upon closer inspection.

Comfort wise, i think it’s alright. It’s not too small nor too big. It doesn’t have the most ergonomic design ever (no bulbous, rear wing design) but it does provide decent isolation.

The cable is a 4-strand silver plated OFC cable with a 3.5mm termination. It feels quite nice in the hand, soft and supple, has no memory and no microphonics. It’s quite a decent cable for the price.

As for tips, the provided tips did not provide me with sufficient seal as well as sound performance. I have opted for the Divinus Velvet tips instead. The following sound impression will be made with the Velvet tips.

Sound impression:

*Test gear:
Source: Poco F3, Dell laptop
DAC/Amp: Chord Mojo, Ibasso DC04 Pro, E1DA 9038D, Hiby FC6
Eartips: Divinus Velvet
Cable: Stock

Tonality: Mild V-shaped

Bass: 7.25/10

It’s fast, punchy, rumbly, has good extension. It’s subbass over midbass as the graph would imply. The midbass slams are easily felt with good heft to it and it’s not weak by any means, nor is it too boomy. Like the characteristic of planar driver, the bass has a very quick attack and decay characteristic however that “quickness” of it do makes me miss that lingering sense of the dynamic driver. As a trade off, that quickness gives the P1 Max II a very well defined bass notes during complexed tracks.

Personally, i’d enjoy a bit more midbass for the additional thumps and hit. Drums and bass guitar would have more body to it. Stock bass is absolutely fine, but because this is planar, i do think the P1 Max II would benefit from a bit more bass to compensate for that quick decaying nature of planar.

In “Strong and Strike” of Naruto OST, the drum hits, although sounding quite distinct, do lack that very bit of oomph to it. Or during many more fast pace tracks, the P1 Max II can keep up with no problem.

Mids: 7/10

With how the bass was done, the midrange is a bit on a leaner side. Even with the so-called “bass bleed” on the graph, the midrange actually sounds clean. It’s on the bright and energetic side yet doesn’t sound shouty at all. Vocals are relatively forward sounding, nor is it too recessed. Male vocals like Michael Buble and Frank Sinatra sounds fine, though like i said, they do lack that very bit of weighty sense to their voice.

With female vocal like “All by Myself – Celine Dion”, her voice sounds vibrant yet not harsh sounding. The high notes hitting from 2:30 onwards just sound emphasized enough.

Or for example with “Nee – Maiko Fujita”, her voice sounds just as angelic and lively as ever. Her voice does stand out more from the mix compared to the rest of the instruments.

At a high volume though, female vocals in general does sound more intense and fatiguing.

Piano and violin sounds natural in tone, but not exactly satisfying in its note weight

Treble: 7/10

The treble part is... fine. I didn’t get wow by it. It is crisp, airy and well extended. Together with the boosted bass, it gives me this slight V-shaped sense to the whole tonal balance.

In “Caravan – John Wasson” , cymbals and hihats has its basic properties like the attack and the shimmering decay. However, the decay or the tail notes of those percussion instruments sort of disappear a bit too fast, like it’s not lingering around or emphasized enough.

There is also some weird sense of sibilant to it. I do notice this at higher volume.

Tech: 7.5/10

Soundstage wise, it’s actually quite decent. Yosi Horikawa’s Bubbles and Wandering sounds great with the P1 Max II. I can feel the spatial cues hitting me from left to right and back and forth like it should. However, the height is quite subpar to my ears with the P1 Max II, which makes the soundstage quite flat.

Dynamic is also good with the P1 Max II, although i’d say microdetails aren’t its greatest strength.

Layering is nice, although it doesn’t have the sharpest layering between instruments.

Source pairing:

From my limited amount of DAC/Amp, i enjoyed the Chord Mojo and Hiby FC6 the most with the P1 Max II.

The Mojo has the best synergy with the P1 Max II as it has the best control over the planar driver, which in turn provides a very dynamic and full sound reproduction.

The FC6 on the other hand provides a bit of warmth and musicality with their R2R tech. The bass seems to have a bit more lingering sense to it, which makes the P1 Max II sounds more organic.

The DC04 Pro on the other hand was a bit too neutral and the E1DA 9038D was definitely too bright for the P1 Max II

=> Conclusion: The P1 Max II does benefit from a bit more current/power from a better and maybe a bit warmer DAC/Amp.

Comparison:

Vs 7hz Timeless

The 7hz Timeless was one of the first planar iem that manage to capture the hearts of many comsumers as well as started the first “Planar war”. At the time, it was famous for its technical performance and the value it brings. So how does the P1 Max II, a three years later product, different from the first planar iem king?

Comparing the two, the 7hz Timeless has a full aluminum housing, have better accessories, which includes a full metal carrying case as well as better stocking tips. The stock cable looks higher quality too. But this is to be expected since the retail price of it was 200$, comparing to P1 Max II’s 139$

As for sound quality, the P1 Max II has many improvements compared to the Timeless. The Timeless sounds brighter than the P1 Max II, yes. But the midrange on P1 Max II sounds way more natural with better texture. The Timeless’s midrange sounds more uneven in comparison.

The timbre is wayyyyyy better on the P1 Max II because of this. The P1 Max II has nearer timbre to a dynamic driver, whereas the Timeless still has that famous planar timbre. The timbre on the Timeless has this metallic and almost aggressive sense to it.

Detail wise, the Timeless does have more details than the P1 Max II, but in hindsight, the detail on the Timeless feels a bit too artificially boosted and almost fake, whereas the P1 Max II sounds more natural and less harsh.

Vs Hidizs MP145

Hidizs MP145 is one of, if not the most widely enjoyed, allrounded planar i’ve ever seen. At the point of its release, it has captured the heart of many audiophiles around the world due to its almost unprecedented performance for the price, which is around 100$ when it was first released on KickStarter.

So as a new planar contender in the planar iem market, the P1 Max II from Tinhifi does have a big shoe to fill. What does it have in its arsenal to go up against the MP145?

Well first is the price. The P1 Max II has a retail price of 139$, as opposed to the MP145’s current retail price of 159$. Outside of sound, the MP145 does provide a better overall package, which includes a better cable, more varieties of tips and a carrying pouch. The iem shell is of higher quality too. So MP145 wins in terms of overall package

Second is the sound. To my ears, the MP145 has a warmer overall tonality, more bass centric with smoother vocals and better treble. Instruments sound more dense with the MP145. The treble on the MP145 sounds more emphasizes, airier and crisper. The timbre is more natural on the MP145.
The P1 Max II on the other hand sounds leaner, brighter and more vocal/treble centric.
Female vocal sounds noticeably more forward and energetic.
Stage wise, i think the P1 Max II has better stage. On Yosi Horikawa’s songs, i heard and felt spatial cues better with the P1 Max II. Many people have commented on the MP145’s giant stage, but i personally didn’t hear it, part of which i think is due to the third part: The SIZE.

The P1 Max II is definitely smaller and easier to fit than the gigantic shell of the MP145. Even if the MP145’s sound more align to my liking and perhaps to a lot more people’s liking, i sold the MP145 in a heart beat due to how uncomfortable and hard to fit it is.

If you like a warm, bassy planar set with great technicality AND a big set of ears, the Hidizs MP145 would be a better choice. However, if you like a brighter leaning set with great stage as well as having an average size ears, the Tinhifi P1 Max II would be a logical choice.

Conclusion

Is the P1 Max II a great iem? In short, yes. I would say it is definitely a successful product from TinHifi. However, it does not stand out much compared to the rest of the market. It does compete with them, but not outstandingly so. It is not a truly “for everyone” type of product and it boils down to your preference and your library.

Library wise, i think the P1 Max II is suitable for US/UK Pop, K-Pop, orchestra and maybe some EDM. Rock and metal doesn’t sound the best with the P1 Max II. But this is of course just my personal taste, as i’m usually more of a soft bass head.

If you’re looking for a neutral iem, or iem with a warm, dense noteweight, relaxing treble, or you’re the type of person who listen to iem at a higher volume, then the P1 Max II might not be the iem for you. However, if you’d like a colorful, energetic sounding planar iem, yet still maintain a reletively balance tonality, then the P1 Max II is a great option for you to choose.

That’s it for my review and thank you for reading.

Introduction

Craft Ears is a relatively young brand coming from Poland. Although young, the quality of their iems can't be underestimated. They may not be heard about much in the iem community, especially Chifi lovers, but they are actually quite well known within their local community. As a testament to their success, they’ve worked and collaborated with so many artists and band members in their homeland. And now, they’re looking to expand their market and the brand awareness to outside of Poland.

In an effort to do so, Craft Ears has sent the demo unit of the Aurum to me in exchange for an honest impression and review. The Aurum was released way back in 2019 and has been forgotten by the meta of newer iem. However, I believe good iem stay good, and it’s worth giving them the exposure they deserve. Is the Aurum a good iem? Let's find out.

I would like to give Mr Jedrzej Nowicki and his team a special thanks for making this possible.

Packaging
Since this is a demo unit, I did not receive the original packaging upon its arrival. Here are what it comes with:

The iem arrived in a very high quality case. It’s like a miniature version of a pelican case. The case also has a handle on the side of it for the ease of carrying.

Inside the case are: The iem itself, a cable, 2 changeable terminations. (3.5 + 4.4mm), a box carrying 3 pairs of medium bore tips and 3 pairs of double flare tips.

This is actually more than I can ask for from a demo unit, since the shipping fee will be less compared to a full original package.
Specs:

1*Dynamic Driver + 4*Balanced Armatures + 2*EST Drivers (5-way crossover design)

Design/Build quality/Comfort

The Aurum’s shells are made out of resin, with a blue-ish color way and some sort of gold flakes inside of it

Here are some closer pics

Overall, the iem feels very sturdy and high quality in the hands.
The shells are on a bigger side with quite a long nozzle. So on one hand, it gives me a really snug fit, it does make my ears hurt a little bit after 2 hours or so of wearing it. Personally, in order to get a great fit with this iem, I have to use the included double flares eartips and push the iem deep into my ears. The Aurum in exchange has a great isolation due to how snug it is.

The included cable feels really nice in the hand. It’s soft and supple, has no memory, not too thick and heavy, the hardware also feels nice. The modular connector is a screwing type to better secure the end termination.

The cable does remind me of some Hakugei cable

Sound impressions

*Test gear:
- Source: Poco F3, Dell laptop
- Dac/amp: Chord Mojo, Ibasso DC04 Pro, E1DA 9038D, Hiby FC6
- Source pairing:
As much as I'd like to use the Aurum with my dongle, since it would be more convenient for me, the Aurum does need the extra current and power for the EST to truly shine, which is why the Mojo is my favourite source to use with.
If you have a dedicated desk setup, or an additional portable amp, I'm sure the result will be even better.

Tonality: U-shaped

Bass:
Subbass extension is deeppppp. Like really deep. Using a tone generator, the subbass doesn’t seem to have a typical subbass roll off and it just gets deeper and deeper the lower the frequency. EDM songs that are subbass predominant are such a bliss to listen to.

The midbass, although has great texture and overall quality, does lack a bit in quantity. It’s not as detrimental as the graph would suggest. However, drums and bassy instrument does lack some depth and body to it. It’s easy to hear how the subbass stands out more compared to the midbass.

Upon critical listening, it's evident that the bass driver has really good transient response, although its attack can feel a bit soft and not as incisive at times. This is just a small nit pick, as I'm comparing it against planar and BA levels of transients.

Mids:
The Aurum doesn’t hit you with a lush, thick sounding midrange, but rather a very clean and well defined one. Vocal goes relatively neutral, both for male and female vocals. With how the bass was done, I'm surprised that the vocal does not sound too thin. Heck, I'd dare say they even have a bit of warmth to it. The small peak at 1.2kHz does give female vocals a little bit more “pop” compared to the usual smooth glide from 1khz to 2.5-3khz.

Instruments sound natural with “correct” positioning. Note weight is on the lighter side, which is easy to observe through snare drums and piano notes

Treble:
This is the star of this iem. About the lower treble, there’s a slight dip around 6-8khz which gives the Aurum very little sense of sibilant or treble harshness. But, as a tradeoff, cymbal strikes do sound a bit soft in its attack. Am i hating it? Absolutely not.

However, the real magic is in the upper treble or air region.

Since I've been using mostly single DD and hybrids DD+BA for my audio journey, as well as only got to listen to the Monarch MK2-my first and only tribirds till date- for around 30 minutes a year ago, the high treble of the Aurum is quite stellaring. The EST drivers give the percussion instruments a really nice shimmering quality, great decay and tail notes, with a lot of microdetails to boot. But, if i have to nit pick, since the treble region doesn’t have a usual roll off, cymbals and hihats do have a bit of abrasive /sizzling characteristic to it.

So now with the Aurum, we’d have a dip at 6khz to minimize treble harshness, pairing with a lot of energy above 13khz to show the characteristic of the EST drivers. This is quite a weird and frankly quite unique combo to say the least.

As good as it is, with how the treble was done, the Aurum is very revealing, which means any artifacts or weird buzzing sounds coming from poorly mastered songs, will be quite easy to perceive. I consider this a pro, especially when i’m using this iem true to its purpose: A monitor.

Tech
The Aurum really has great technicality. It has great width and depth. On many songs, I perceive some elements that sound like it’s going behind my head. To my aural sense, the Aurum doesn’t have great height.

Layering is also very nice. Elements of complicated orchestra tracks are shown nicely. There are decent space between different instruments.

Detail retrieval is just as impressive, with the help of the EST drivers in the upper frequency. Coming from lower tier single DD iem to this, there are a LOT more details that I have not perceived before.

Test track:

1/ Caravan - John Wasson

The overall experience is quite good with this song. Although there’s not much weight, or not as full bodied/well rounded behind the kick drums, the plucking of the double bass as I normally want, other instruments actually sound fine. Horn instruments sound correct in tone and timbre but a bit light in noteweight. Cymbals and hi hats sound exactly like I described in the treble part.

2/ Castlevania OST - Lamento della Ninfa (Trailer Version)

The tenor’s voice is just simply divine. However, I do wish for a bit more bite from the violin. From 1:25 onwards, snares and horn instruments sound a bit rough.

3/ Hotel California

The plucking of the bass guitar strings are very evidently light/weak. Like there’s not much emphasis on it. Same for the drum instruments too. The bass distortion on the other hand is fine. Cymbals and hi hats sound more emphasized and crisper in comparison to other instruments.

4/ Wandering - Yosi Horikawa

Attack of the spatial cues. The sound of gravel being stepped on, the birds chirping, the hitting of many different wood instruments,... I just want to immerse myself in this song. The Aurum perfectly captured those things in great detail. The width and depth of the song are easily perceived with the Aurum.

5/ Swashers - Yosi Horikawa

The wavessss. How they keep gently hitting at you from behind on both sides. The Aurum perfectly captured their movements, down to their minute details.

6/ Trentemøller: Chameleon

The bass texture on these are surprisingly good, even without an abundance of midbass. Subbass rumble is really effortless, clean yet still deep, sort of like a subwoofer feeling.
The DD performs well under complex sections without the sign of clipping.

7/ Thunderstruck - AC/DC

Cymbal strikes are CRISP. It’s airy, detailed with really nice decay. The separation and layering between elements are well portrayed. The sound of bass guitar distortion and male vocals are more than fine, but like I said, the initial slam of drums and bass guitar that play notes at a lower octave, does lack a bit of weight and body.

Since the Aurum is the first kilobucks iem i’ve heard in a very long time, I unfortunately can’t compare it to any iem near its price point, so you’d have to make do with the sound impressions as well as my experience with some of the tracks I mentioned.

Conclusion
So yea, in and of itself, the Aurum is quite a nice iem. Although I'd have loved a bit more midbass quantity, it’s pretty easy for me to enjoy this iem for how well the rest of the frequency was done. Considering how long ago the Aurum was released, I do think the Aurum does hold itself quite well.
I may keep repeating myself too much regarding the bass, but since the Aurum is lacking a bit in midbass quantity, that does limit how many genres that the Aurum is suitable for and of course, how large the compatible audience pool is.

Who is this iem made for?
- For treble heads
- For detail chaser
- For people who likes a clean bass shelf
- For people who’s searching for a U shaped iem
Who is this iem NOT made for?
- For bassheads, or for people who’s looking for a hard midbass slam
- Treble sensitive people
- For jazz, rock lovers.

That’s it for my review and thank you for reading.

Introduction

Oriveti. They are a Hifi company that’s founded in 2015, so they can be considered as an old player in the game. In the past, they’ve release several high quality iem like the OV800 (8BA) and O400 (4BA) yet they didn’t have much traction into the market. That is, until now.

At the end of 2023, they suddenly make a grand come back with 3 new back-to-back iem at three different price range: The OD100, OD200 and OV700. These iems, in such short amount of times, have received a lot of love and being talked about from many audiophiles accross the globe.

I’ve finished my review of the OD200 recently. Today’s turn will be the OD100

Packaging
Different from its brother the OD200, the packaging of the OD100 is smaller and relatively simple. The inside content of it is quite basic. They consists of the iem itself, a cable, a small carrying case and 9 pairs of tips

I think this the the bare minimum you can ask for from a 70$ iem.

Design/Build quality/Comfort

The OD100 shell is made out of CNC aluminum. The finishing was nicely done and there’s no rough edge around it. The overall built quality feels really sturdy. You can confidently throwing this iem around without having to worry about breaking it.

Design wise, the OD100 has a similar DNA to a bullet shaped shell due to its size rather than a more ergonomic shape. The nozzle is at a slight angle to the body, which is why it’s not a true bullet iem.

The cable is a SPC 4 cores cable. I think this is the highest quality cable i’ve seen coming from a sub $70 iem. It’s light, supple and has no memory to it. That being said, since the iem was too light as well as being a near bullet shape, pairing that with the stiff earhook of the cable, it makes this iem not very comfortable to wear. Truth be told, i can’t fit the OD100 with any stock silicone tips. I have to use the stock foam tips to have a decently secure fit.

Sound impression

Tonality: Bright W shaped

Bass: 7.25/10

The bass of the OD100 is actually quite decent once you manage to get a good fit with it. The bass is not too overly boosted. Subbass extention is only around average. Kick drums does pack a punch to it, but feels bit mellow and was drawn out by the rest of the frequency. It does sounds clean and quick in its decay nonetheless.
Guitar rift in AC/DC’s songs sound a bit light and overly boosted in its presense, making it sounds a bit unnatural and not enough bite. It was more easily heard than felt.

Mids: 5.75/10

Put the OD100 into your ears, the first thing that pops out is how bright and forward the vocal was. On one hand, it’s bright and energetic; on the other hand it’s way too harsh and shouty.
Male vocal is not too recessed, but it’s definitely on a leaner side, as opposed to a lush and hefty sounding vocals. Female vocal is way more emphasized and priorities with the OD100. It’s way more vibrant and energetic than male vocals, more forward compared to other instruments. Celine Dion's "All by myself" sounds lively. Her voice was definitely stands out the most, hence the shouty characteristic, when listening with the OD100
Talking about instruments, violin and piano's noteweight feels a bit too light and too dry.

One thing i would like to mention. The fit matters greatly with the OD100. With such a high pinna gain region, if you don’t have a great fit, for example if you’re wearing the OD100 with a shallow fit, the pinna gain region will sound even louder, which in turn will make the iem sounds harsher and shoutier. I would advise you to go down a size on your usual tips and fit the OD100 deeper than usual.

It did not save the midrange region entirely, but it definitely sounds better when deep fitted.

Treble:7.25/10

The treble is highly resolving, above average compare to its peers. It’s airy, well extended and leaning towards bright. It sounds slightly metallic and sibilant especially in higher volume. There’s a peak above 10khz which boost the treble presence, making percussions intruments sounds crisp, but almost sounded too sharp. Cymbals and hihats has this edginess or graininess to its attack and decay.

Treble head would be able to enjoy this due to how standout it was compared to the bass and low mids.

Tech: 6.5/10

The OD100 only has around average technical capabilities. It has more width and height compared to depth. Layering is quite blurry, not very distinct. Imaging is also not great.

Timbre was not the best either, mainly affected by how the uppermids was done

Comparison:

Vs Simgot EA500LM

Since these 2 are in the same price bracket, it’s only logical to compare these 2 to each other.

Right of the bat, the EA500LM is way easier and more comfortable to fit due to its ergonomic design. The OD100 on the other hand has this bullet-ish type of design. I’d have to use foam tips or Spinfit CP100+ in order to get a better fit and seal.

The cable on the OD100 is more well built and looks nicer

As for the sound, i like the EA500LM more.

The EA500LM has more bass slam with deeper subbass extension. The OD100 bass feels more pillowy, like it has a “poof” sensation to it. Note weight is a touch heftier on the OD100.

Vocal on the OD100 feels way less refined. Compared to the EA500LM, it’s a bit honkier, more nasally. With louder volume, you can feel the shoutiness coming through.

Treble is less sparkly and airy on the OD100. EA500LM just has better treble extension and detail retrieval. Percussion instruments have more shimmering to it on the EA500LM. I think the OD100 has crisper and sharper treble, but not by much.

Soundstage is wider on the EA500LM. Layering and imaging are also better on the EA500LM due to how well its bass and mids was done.

Vs Blon BL-03

When comparing against the old legend, the Blon BL-03 does show its age. The BL-03 has a warm-bassy-dark tonality.

The bass on the Blon is noticably boomier and looser, where as the OD100’s bass is way tighter with better texture.

The midrange of the Blon BL-03 is of higher quality, where it sounds more naturally and easier on the ear than the OD100. Female vocal sounds less harsh, although it can sound too mellow at times. Live instruments has a better timbre with heavier note weight on the Blon.

There is more treble quantity on the OD100 than the BL-03, but it does sound more splashy and less refined, where as the treble on the BL-03 has a darker edges.

Soundstage is around average on both. There are more detail retrieval with the OD100.

Fit wise, both iems are equally hard to fit. The BL-03 due to its short nozzles and the OD100 due to its bullet shape. Coincidentally, i have the best fit with these two using the Spinfit CP100 Plus.

***Mod***: Hidden gem

As much as i want to enjoy it, the bright uppermids is simply too much for me unless i turn down the volume. I have a close friend Tzennn, a fellow head-fier who truly enjoy this iem because his usual listening volume is only around 60-65db

So in order to make the OD100 more suitable for me, i did these two simple mods:

First, use a metal squeezer and carefully take of the metal guard over the grill.

Second, use a 400-500 mesh filters from the Simgot DIY kit or Aliexpress and apply it over the existing filters.

This right here will bring the uppermids region down by a few db, as well as smoothen out the treble a little bit. The harshness and shoutiness feeling was not as great, the metallicness is almost gone too. Vocal will sound smoother. The bass is now more easily felt, almost like it was brought to life, since it was easier to perceive the bass when the uppermid was lowered.

Although this may void the warranty, as well as erase the intended tuning from Oriveti, these two mods have turned the OD100 into something more of an all rounder, more compatible and easier to enjoy with my library and listening volume. The drivers inside of the OD100 are more than capable, it’s just that it wasn’t in its best form right out of the box.

Conclusion

For $70, the Oriveti OD100 does have a struggle against many of its competitor in the same price bracket. If you’re someone who’s looking for a robust, small build iems with a bright W shaped tuning and usually have a low listening volume, the OD100 might be what you’re looking for.

Since the raw material a.k.a the drivers and the build quality are already there, if you’re willing to do some light mods, the OD100 will raise to an even higher level.

That’s it for my review and thank you for reading.

Introduction

Oriveti. They are a Hifi company that’s founded in 2015, so they can be considered as an old player in the game. In the past, they’ve release several high quality iem like the OV800 (8BA) and O400 (4BA) yet they didn’t have much traction into the market. That is, until now.

At the end of 2023, they suddenly make a grand come back with 3 new back-to-back iem at three different price range: The OD100, OD200 and OV700. These iems, in such short amount of times, have received a lot of love and being talked about from many audiophiles accross the globe.

Today, i will talk about my experience with the OD200.


Packaging

The OD200 has one of the most thoughtful packaging i’ve ever seen. Unboxing this iem is such a fun experience.

Here’s the link to my unboxing video.



What included inside was even more impressive. I think it has almost everything you’re gonna need in order to use the iem. In total, the packaging consists of: a high quality leather case, the iem itself, a soft 8-core modular cable, 3 changeable terminations in total (2.5, 3.5 and 4.4mm), 2 pairs of replacement nozzles (black and silver), 9 pairs of tips in different types and sizes (foam tips, normal and wide bore silicone tips), and the cleaning brush to top it off.

I can’t think of another iem product that includes this many accessories into the total packaging for just $200. This is even better than some flagship iem out there.

Design/Build quality/Comfort

Oriveti didn’t stop there. With that many accessories, they did not cut back on the built quality of the iem whatsoever. The housing is made out of CNC aluminum with a matte anodized finish. It has a very ergonomic shape with the rear wing and a correct angled nozzle. I didn’t have any hotspot or discomfort in the ear when using this iem.



Judging from how the venting and accoustic chambers was designed, you can see that there were a lot of thoughts what were put in to this.

The thread to screw the nozzle in feels very smooth. The nozzle itself has many small ridges which make it easier for us to screw the nozzle on and off.

The included cable also has a high quality feel to it. It’s really soft, has no memory to it and it’s hard to tangle it too. The modular termination is a snug-to-fit type, not a screwing type like a few other modular cables.

So yeah, the OD200 has a 10/10 in build and comfort for me.

Sound impression:

*Test gear:

Source: Poco F3, Dell laptop

DAC/Amp: Chord Mojo, Ibasso DC04 Pro, E1DA 9038D
Source pairing: The OD200 is very easy to drive. I enjoy both the more bright and technical E1DA 9038D, as well as the slightly warmer and more colored Chord Mojo with the OD200.

Tonality: Warm, relaxed tuning.

Out of the 2 nozzles, i think more than 90% of people would enjoy the silver nozzles more than the black ones. The black nozzles shift the whole balance of the OD200 towards the uppermids, making it sound very shouty, bright and just simply harsh. The only good thing i can see from the black nozzles is that it can help you feel the depth of the iem better, simply because the vocal got so boosted in comparison to the other instruments. The silver nozzles on the other hand, sound way more balance and relaxing. It will be the one that i use the most during the review, along with my trusty Divinus Velvet tips.

Bass: 8.25/10

The bass of the OD200 can be describe as thick, warm, punchy and just overall satisfying.

Objectively, the bass of it can be considered as muddy. Yes, the bass of the OD200 is very fast, like it does not feel sluggish or anything, but since it doesn’t have the quick attack and decay as planar driver, you can feel the muddiness coming at you on certain songs. This right here can put someone off the OD200. It can push too much note weight into the vocal and instruments in the lower register, making it too weighty and not as clear.

Subjectively though, i enjoy it. The bass here was very much suitable for me, on those days that i just want to have fun. The bass is not too boosted by any means, it’s only around 7db on the graph. But it sounds very much satisfying and very well controlled. Drums and bass guitar in "Highway to Hell - AC/DC" are easily felt and sound natural. “Trentemøller:Chameleon” has amazing texture and a lot of air moving.

With the bass starting to roll off at 80hz, the midbass does stand out more than the subbass. That being said, the “Why so serious – Hans Zimmer” still has a very good and satisfying subbass rumble

Mids: 8/10

With the silver nozzles, we’d have a very balance and smooth midrange. The bass goes deep into the midrange till 800hz. Male vocal sounds rich and lush, although few of them can have this huskiness to it. Female vocal sounds forward, natural and just overall emotional. However, if you’re used to those Harman-ish tuned iem, you can find the vocal sound a bit too mellow and smooth.

Live instruments like piano, violin also sounds nice and natural, but it does have a darker edge to it. Trombone and trumpet sounds dense and weighty.

As for the black nozzles... No, just no.

It’s just so shouty. The “Hey” parts of “The Lumineers – Ho Hey” just sounds like it’s jumpscaring me everytime, and there’re a lot of it in the songs. Silver nozzles’ midrange is just way way better

Treble: 7.5/10

The treble of the OD200 is very smooth and non-fatiguing. There’s just enough sparkliness and shimmering to bring life to the percussion instruments. Also, there’s almost no sense of metallic and sibilants when listening to the OD200. There’s no discernable peak in the area above 10khz.

It’s just an overall very safe treble response. It serves more as a spice or supporting character to the bass and mid. Treble head may find the OD200 very lacking in the wow factor and excitement.

In “Caravan – John Wasson”, hi hats and cymbal strikes sounds natural and just stands out enough with quick decaying tail notes.

Tech 8.25/10

The thing that impressed me the most is the staging. I have many songs that have spacial cues that rely on how the bass and mid was done. With the OD200, i have so many goosebump and a “Huh?? Has that part always sound like that”-face with the OD200. This right here is the main reason why it took so long for me to write the reviews, because i just want to keep listening to the OD200. It is not impressively wide by any mean, but it does feel very holographic. With the black nozzle, the stage is way more cramp and kind of pointy.

“Swashers” and “Timbre” of Yosi Horikawa sounds very nice. The waves of Swashers is almost like it’s hitting at the back of your head. First minute of Timbre has many spacial cues that i mentioned, which was reproduced beautifully by the OD200

Layering is only above decent, as it still feels kind of blurry and not lazer cutted.

Timbre is very warm oriented, organic and natural. The dip at 6k does affect the definition of the notes and its clarity, but not too much.

Comparison

Vs Simgot EA1000

Both of these iem are in the same price bracket as each other, which is around 200$



These two are just so different from each other, yet both are still wildly good, to the point that i feel blessed to be able to try out these 2 iems. The EA1000 and the OD200 compliments each other beautifully.

The EA1000 has a more neutral bright tonality and more technically incline as oppose to a more warm and relaxing tuning of the OD200. The EA1000’s bass is tighter in its attack, with better layering and more subbass presence, where as the OD200’s bass is more bombastic, boomier, bolder with more body to it. Both of it sounds amazing.

The midrange on the other hand. The EA1000’s mid is way clearer and more energetic, “All by myself – Celine Dion”, sounds livelier. The OD200’s mid is more suitable for those who enjoy a lusher type of vocal. Note weight is heavier and denser on the OD200.

Treble wise, OD200 is not lacking by anymeans, but EA1000 has way more energy on the high treble area. Cymbals and hi hats of “Caravan – John Wasson” sounds natural with a softer roll off on OD200, where as EA1000’s sounds more splashy, more spicy and more unforgiving.

EA1000 is has better layering and detail retrieval, where as the OD200 has more satisfying stage.

Vs Oriveti OD100

Brother from the same house. How do these two sound compared to each other?

The bass of OD100 is fine, but it’s lighter in body compared to the OD200. Midrange sounds 10 times better on the OD200. It’s way more natural in tone and timbre, more forgiving than on the more shouty and nasally midrange of the OD100. Treble of the OD100 is more enegetic than the OD200.

Tech wise, it’s no comparison. The OD200 just excels in the staging, the timbre and the overall presentation.

So yea, overall the OD200 is just better. I think it's worth paying more for the OD200 instead of the OD100.

Vs BQEYZ Wind

The OD200 is simply a better Wind, or what the Wind should have been in my opinion. Sure the Wind does have a very unique bone conduction bass drivers, but even in the best fit that i manage to get from the Wind, the bass of the OD200 was everything i want from it. The OD200 just shows its superiority in its control over the bass even with just a single 9.8mm driver.

The midrange is lusher, more relaxing with better layering with the OD200. Treble is smoother on the OD200. Stage wise, the Wind sounds more open than the OD200.

Conclusion

If it has not been evident to you, i adore the OD200. It’s been such a fun experience listening to this iem. I had a hard time writing this review because i just want to keep listening and keep enjoying the iem without having to think about writing anything.

It is not for everyone though. I’m a basshead at heart, so i can enjoy this easily. If you’re looking for an iem that has a clean bass shelf, clean and lively female vocal with high treble detail, this iem is NOT for you. I think this is for those that love a warm tuning iem, those that loves to just sit back and relax and let the music flow through them without thinking about analyzing anything. That is what the OD200 made for.

So yeah, the Oriveti OD200 gets my recommendation.

Thank you for reading.

Introduction

As a continuation of their worldwide success of the EA500 model, in 2024 Simgot has released a new successor in its name, the EA500LM.

With this model, Simgot has introduced a new 2nd Gen Lithium-Magnesium Dome Diaphragm, hence the “LM” part in the model name. It is said to “not only maintains excellent high-frequency clarity but also enhances the richness and fullness of mid to low frequencies, delivering a sound that is both lush and intricately detailed” compared to the OG EA500.

Does the EA500LM perform up-to-par with its promising? Let’s find out.

Disclaimer: I got this iem from Simgot as a tour review unit. I would like to thank Simgot for providing me this oppotunity.

Packaging

The box of the EA500LM is the same as the EA500. But this time, on the front, there is a very beautiful design patterns. It may not matter much in the end, but i appreciate the attention to detail from Simgot

The accessories are quite simple. They include a small case, 2 changable nozzles, a few O-rings, few pairs of tips and the cable.


Design/Build quality/Comfort

Simgot has reuses the shell from the EA500 onto the EA500LM. But to differentiate the 2, Simgot has treated the metal surface with a metal gun color, glossy finish. This one is also prone to scratches and fingerprint. The housings feel sturdy on hands.

Keeping the same DNA, the EA500LM also has changable nozzles. Simgot this time include a total on 3, instead of 2 on the EA500, different nozzles to allow us to have more tuning options.

Here is a small peak of what the driver inside looks like.

One thing i would like to comment, and i think this only happens to my unit, but the threads in shell was poorly done. Every nozzles i’ve used, when i want to screw in into the shell, it feels really rough. On the EA1000 and OG500, it feels smoother. After swapping, screwing the nozzles in so many times, the rough edge got smoother. So this maybe due to QC.

As for comfort, it’s also similar to the EA500 and EA1000. I can wear this for many hours straight.

For the cable, i think it’s alright. I expected a bit more for 80$. It's a 2 core cables, inside each strand has 2 smaller gold and black cores The cable feels soft in the hand, has no memory to it, although it does feel a little bit tangly. The connectors feel a bit cheap. The earhooks are quite stiff and not really ergonomical

Sound impression:

*Test gear:

Source: Poco F3, Dell laptop

DAC/Amp: Chord Mojo, Ibasso DC04 Pro, E1DA 9038D

Eartips used during review: Spinfit W1

Cable: Stock

Nozzle used during review: Gold nozzle

Out of the 3 nozzles, the red ones are the only one that has only a simple mesh filter, whereas the black and gold filter has some sort of foam in it. The black one is the brightest and harshest of the bunch, so i didn’t like it. The red and gold nozzle, according to graph, has near identical tonality. But from my test, the gold nozzle sounds a bit more laid back, the bass is a little more hard hitting, tech is more or less the same with the red nozzle.

The EA500LM is easy to drive. I can reach more than adequate volume with just my dongle.

Tonality: Harman-ish, U shaped with bright upper mids

* Bass: 7/10

It’s good. It’s “above average”-ly good, just not outstandingly good yet. I was spoiled with how good the bass of Simgot EA1000 was, so when i switched to the EA500LM, i was underwhelmed. But after a while, as well as testing with other cheaper and/or older iem, i must say the bass of the EA500LM is praise worthy

It has a big, rigid bass with good subbass extension. The bass is hard hitting with great slam, yes, but it doesn’t really have a lot of texture or layering to it. The bass note feels kind of 2D. The bass is fast, maybe too fast in the decay, so it doesn’t have that lingering sense to it.

Cello, trumpet feels a bit thin, like it’s lacking some body to it along with the usual lush, warm feeling that i’m familiar with. Am i too used to the overly warm bass line? Maybe, but i do think it’s the case with the EA500LM even on its own.

* Mids: 7/10

A few words of choice: Expressive, transparent, vocal focus and natural.

The bass doesn’t bleed a lot into the midrange, so what we have hear is a really clean lower midrange, but the pay off is the slightly lacking of noteweight or heft to the notes. I’m usually not too opposing to thin mids, but this is one of them times. Like you can feel like there’s some sort of “mid scoop” in this iem. Female vocal on the other hand is forward, clean and expressive. With the gold nozzle, the shouty feeling was minimized yet still kept the same energetic DNA of the Simgot house sound.

Is it my type of midrange? Probably no. I usually like a more balanced, lusher with more texturing type of midrange. I think this is more suitable for mid volume folks or modern pop fans , or Harman-ish tuning fans of sort.

* Treble: 7.5/10

Probably the best part of the EA500LM. It’s airy, well extended. The EA500LM has more than good percussion rendering (attack decay release). It rides the line of being energetic, yet not being too harsh or overemphasized.

Cymbals strikes and hihats sounds nice, although they do sound a bit scratchy at times (Listening to Caravan-John Wasson and Silhouette-KanaBOON). Just a nitpick.

* Tech: 7/10

Soundstage wise, the EA500LM has a wide, spacious sense of stage with good height and depth. Imaging also sounds adequate with good microspacing left to right. The EA500LM is just an overall technically capable iem.

Comparison

Vs Simgot EA500

Supposely the successor of the EA500, is the EA500LM an upgrade to the EA500? No imho. That spot is for the EA1000

It’s been a while since i listen to the EA500, but from my auditory memory, the EA500 has brighter and harsher tuning, especially in the uppermids to treble part. The EA500 has this metallic timbre or near sibilant sound to it, while the EA500LM does not.

The EA500LM overall has a more fun type of tuning, as oppose to the more correct, neutral bright tuning of the EA500. The LM has a deeper but boomier bass, yet the OG has a faster, tighter and thicker type of bass. Lower mids sounds lusher on the EA500. The uppermids is not too different between the two, other than the metallic timbre and sibilant feeeling like i said. I enjoy the mids on the EA500LM more.

As for the treble, EA500LM wins straight up. It has better treble extension. It’s airy, but not over bearing. Percussion instruments sound natural without sounding too splashy.

EA500LM also has a better soundstage, in depth and width, as well as improved imaging over the EA500

Vs Simgot EA1000

Let’s say you’re someone who can only get the EA500LM for now, but also wish to get, or curious about the EA1000. So what’re the differences between these 2?

To me, the EA500LM and the EA1000 have 3 main differences: The bass, the mids and the treble. Well, that’s everything, but we’ll get to it.

About the bass, the first thing i noticed is actually the layering. The EA1000 has this 3D sense to it with more depth of sound, it has better bass texture overall. The EA500LM’s bass sounds more 2D. Sure the EA500LM has a little subbass quantity, but for the overall bass reproduction, the EA1000 wins.

Turning to the mid. The mids on the EA1000 sounds lusher, more natural sounding. The high note of female vocal is less shouty. Instruments have a denser note weight to it.

The degree of difference is smaller here, but the EA1000 has higher treble detail, higher 13k peak energy. Percussion instruments sound crisper on the EA1000 due to this. It will hurt more on high volume though.

Technicalities wise, it’s a total onslaught coming from the EA1000. Sounstage size is not THAT different, but the timbre, layering and detail retreival is better on the EA1000.

Both of these iems have the Simgot house sound, but the EA1000 is more tastefully done.

Vs Oriveti OD100

Since these 2 are in the same price bracket, it’s only logical to compare these 2 to each other.

Right of the bat, the EA500LM is way easier and more comfortable to fit due to its ergonomic design. The OD100 on the other hand has this bullet-ish type of design. I’d have to opted for foam tips in order to get a better fit and seal.

The cable on the OD100 is more well built and looks nicer

As for the sound, i like the EA500LM more.

The EA500LM has more bass slam with deeper subbass extension. The OD100 bass feels more pillowy, like it has a “poof” sensation to it. Note weight is a touch heftier on the OD100.

Vocal on the OD100 feels way less refined. Compared to the EA500LM, it’s a bit honkier, more nasally. With louder volume, you can feel the shoutiness coming through.

Treble is less sparkly and airy on the OD100. EA500LM just has better treble extension and detail retrieval. Percussion instruments have more shimmering to it on the EA500LM. I think the OD100 has crisper treble, but not by much.

Soundstage is wider on the EA500LM. Layering and imaging are also better on the EA500LM due to how well its bass and mids was done.

Conclusion:

All in all, the EA500LM is good iem, a great iem even, but not near perfect and still has more room for improvement. But even with its flaws, i still think it’s an outstanding iem for under 100$. Did the EA500LM perform up-to-par with its promising in the marketing material? I would say it ALMOST did, due to the "lush" in the promise.

If you’re looking for an iem that has a bombastic midbass slam, lush male vocal, thick noteweight and relaxing uppermid range, this iem is not for you. Whereas if you’re looking for an iem that has a really good driver, a clear tonality, technically capable but also has a fun factor in it, EA500LM is the one i would recommend for under 100$.

Thank you for reading.

Introduction
Simgot is one of a few Chi-fi companies that managed to capture the heart (or the ears) of many audiophiles in the recent year. With their capable, high quality, dynamic driver along with their competitive pricing, Simgot just keep impressed us from their cheap entry level option like the EW200, EA500 to this iems right here, the EA1000.

The Simgot EA1000 house a proprietary purple-gold diaphgram DD along with a very special Passive Radiator, which was a trickle down tech from their older brother, the EA2000. It was said to improved the bass texture and add many subtle nuances which in turn improves the whole listening experience. In this review, i'll dive into what makes this iem special.

The EA1000 has a MSRP of 220$.

*Disclaimer: This iem was a tour unit that Simgot provided for me and my audio group in exchange for our reviews and impressions. I did not pay for this iem. I would like to thank Simgot for giving me this oppotunity.

Packaging

The box of the EA1000 was not as big as i thought. It was smaller than i thought. Here are some pictures of the inside of the box.


Inside the box as you can see, Simgot provided us with: The iem itself, a silver plated copper cable in 3.5mm termination, 3 pairs of tips, 2 pairs of exchangeable nozzles, a few silicone rings of the nozzles themselves

Design/Build quality/Comfort

Similar to the EA500, the EA1000 also has a stainless steel housing with a glossy surface. This makes the iem very prone to scratches and fingerprints. The faceplate on the other hand was a piece of clear glass with some intricate design pattern. Different from the EA500, it was harder to spot the scratches and stuff with the EA1000, which will makes it more appealing. The iem feels very sturdy on hands.


Above are the pictures that shows the outside of the Passive Radiator (PR) and a glimpse of the Dynamic Driver.

The nozzles themselves are detachable. This allows you to change between the 3 pairs of nozzle to be more suitable for your preference.


The cable is a 2-cores OFC silver plated cable. It feels very high quality. It's soft, thick yet not too heavy and not tangly.

Comfort wise, i can wear the EA1000 for many hours straight with no discomfort or hotspot. Isolation is really good with very little sound leakage.

Sound impression:

*Test gear:
- Source: Poco F3, Dell laptop
- DAC/amp: Chord Mojo + Cypherlabs Duet, Ibasso DC04 Pro, E1DA 9038D
- Eartips: Spinfit W1, Divinus Velvet
- Cable: Stock

Tonality: Harman-ish, neutral bright

During my test, i find the EA1000 to be very to drive. Even using only the DC04 Pro has brought me a very satisfied result with the EA1000. The E1DA 9038D on the other hand is too bright, too analytical which makes it the worst pairing with the EA1000. Chord Mojo was like a match made in heaven with the EA1000, since its slight warm, colored tonality is very suitable for the neutral bright, slightly analytical tune of the EA1000. The DC04 Pro and Mojo is what i mainly used during my review.

In this sound impression, i’ll be mainly using the red nozzle as i don’t like the foam inside the black nozzle, which affects the bass texture compared to the red. The black nozzle also sounds a bit brighter. The yellow nozzle on the other hand, it sounds a bit... rougher in its presentation. It also sounds a touch shoutier, more vocal forward and not as wide, which i dont like as much compared to the red.

Bass: 8.5/10

Subbass is gently roll-off, shifting the focus more towards the midbass. The EA1000 overall has a really fast, punchy and tight bass texture. You can actually feel the quality of the driver themselves, judging from their attack, release, sustain and decay. It’s near planar level of speed if i dare say so myself. Together with the PR, the bass just have this very addicting sense of body and layering, but it’s not at the level of real life speaker with a “real” PR yet. EA1000 can easily keep up with those fast pace drum and guitar session without feeling it’s dragging behind or feeling blurry between each notes/hits.

Mids: 8/10

The midrange of the EA1000 is also really good. Lush...is not the word i’d use to describe it. I mean yes, it does have a hint of warm since there are very light bass bleed, but because the bass quality was done so well, it doesn’t feel muddy or bloated. Instead, i’d say the midrange here is clean, clear, bright, hint shouty (very lightly) and definitely not sibilant nor harsh. However, it’s not the smoothest midrange out there.

Simgot really rides on the borderline of making this really shouty with the usual pinna boost like many other Harman-ish iem out there. The EA1000 does lean more towards the upper frequency, where they focus on that vibrancy or high notes one may associate with female vocal. Male vocal sounds fine, more than fine, but it doesn’t have that wow factor or the usual weight of some singer like Frank Sinatra or Michael Bubble

Instruments like violin, flute sounds emotional and lively; piano has a very clear, well definite notes that lean more towards the bright, cleaner side.

Treble: 8/10

Treble is also done well. It’s highly refined, well extended, not overly boosted nor too airy. The being said, they are on brighter side. Cymbal strikes and hihats have good shimmering to it without being too forward and take the spotlight from the bass and midrange. The boosted upper mids and presence region make these instruments sounds sharper, almost metallic but not sounding too harsh. This part here is what affects the most to the overall balance of the EA1000, preventing many high volume listener to fully enjoy the iem without it modded.

Out of all iems in my everyday-carry collection (not that i have many to begin with), it’s sufficient to say the EA1000 is top3 in terms of treble extension and the pure detail it brings.

The treble maybe fatiguing at times, which is why i said i prefered the neutral DC04 Pro or the colored, warmer Chord Mojo over the brighter E1DA 9038D most of the time.

Tech: 8.5/10

While the EA1000 didn’t exactly wow me with its soundstage size (All 3 planes are above average), it does impress me with the imaging, crisp layering capability as well as its resolution.

The highly controlled bass together with the good extended treble, as well as the well layered mids just seemingly contribute to this high level of technicalities.

Timbre is also good, although the EA1000 leaning more towards the analytical, monitor-like timbre instead of a more warm, velvety timbre on a more relaxed sets.

Using “Bubbles” and “Swashers” from Yosi Horikawa, the EA1000 does showcase a very capable dynamic rendering as well as stage reproduction.


Comparison:

Vs Simgot EA500

It’s been quite a while since i last listening to the EA500, but from my memory, the EA1000 has solved the two things that’s bugging me the most with the EA500: Its metallic timbre and the tonal balance. The EA500 sounds brighter and way brighter in its stock form compared to the EA1000. The EA1000, along with its passive radiator, has higher bass quantity which overall makes it sounds way more balance and enjoyable compared to the EA500. Heck, i’d argue that just solving that metallic timbre alone has made this EA1000 a worth-while upgrade from the EA500. Technicality wise, the EA1000 is better than the EA500 in almost every way, in terms of resolution, bass texture, treble sparkliness, the soundstage,...


Vs Tanchjim Oxygen

The Oxygen has a special place in my heart. It was the God Father to the Olina SE - the iem that truly brought me into the audiophile world. I’ve been using this iem the longest in my collection.

Compared to the EA1000, the Oxygen has an overall warmer, less V, more U type of tuning, vocals sound a bit thinner and sounds technically inferior compared to EA1000 in detail retrieval and imaging. Soundstage wise, the Oxygen has a more intimate staging with inferior separation. Bass texture on the Oxygen sounds notably looser, whereas the EA1000 sounds tighter with faster, snappier attacks and transients. The uppermids and treble of Oxygen sounds noticibly less “hot” compared to the EA1000.

That being said, the overall balance of the tuning of the Oxygen along with its more natural timbre still makes it a notable iem in 2024, even if it was released almost 6 years ago. The EA1000 did not completely replace the Oxygen from my rotation, as the Oxygen is still my preferable option when i want to laid back and just enjoy some good ol’ music. The small housing of the Oxygen just make it seems like it’s floating in my ears.

The Oxygen is also harder to drive compared to the EA1000.

Since my version is the old, 2018 version that hasn’t gone through with the driver change, there’s no need to beat yourself and just get the EA1000 instead. If you’re a detail and technical chaser, EA1000 is a worthy upgrade. You’d be more than satisfied with it.


Vs BQEYZ Wind

On the graph, both of these may look similar especially the bass and lower mids, but in real life listening, these two sounds very different.

The Wind has an overall warm tonality with a hint of darker treble. While the EA1000 has a tighter, faster bass texture; the Wind has a bit slower, more mellow texture bass. The Wind just feel like it’s dragging the end of its bass notes, more bass extension if you will, which makes the layering a bit blurry. Both of these iems have a very clear and forward midrange, but i’d say male vocals have more weight to it on the Wind. Treble wise, the EA1000 sounds brighter, airier, more refined compared to the Wind.

Micro details and imaging, the EA1000 takes the win; whereas macro details, the Wind wins just slightly. Soundstage wise, The Winds has a more 3d soundstage with the help of the open faceplate and the BC.

The EA1000 takes the win to my taste, purely because of the bass. The EA1000 just sounds more effortless compared to the Wind. Not to mention, it’s highly depend on your fit in order to feel that BC.

I’m pretty sure my impression regarding the BQEYZ Wind is legit as i’ve use my shortest, widest bore for the Wind in order for it to contact my ears, so which i can “feel” the bone conduction. Even if i press the Wind into my ears, my impression did not change, so there’s that.

Vs Hidiz MP145


The MP145 maybe a planar, but since it’s one of the best planar in the market at the moment in the 200$ bracket, as well as the fact that its timbre is very DD like, i think this is a worthy comparison. Many people also ask me which one they should pick between the 2, so here’s what i think.

Right of the bat, if you have smaller ears, skip the MP145. The MP145 shell is huge, along with its changable screws on the nozzle which increase its width to be around 7mm! That would affect the fit of quite many people.

Tonality wise, the MP145 has a bassier and warmer type of tuning

Both of these iem has a very fast bass, but the MP145 sounds a bit deeper and more rumbly. Together with the less emphasised uppermids, the bass sounds way more apparent and hits you harder. This also let you listen to the MP145 to a higher volume.

Vocal aren’t exactly the strongest point of the MP145, especially when it goes against the clearer and more vocal-focused EA1000. The bass of the MP145 just adds that additional lushness and weight into the midrange. It’s also standout the most in the spectrum of MP145. The MP145 sounds smooth, lusher, non-shouty and definitely less agressive than the EA1000

Treble wise, both iems are very airy, but they have a slight different in presentation. With the song “Silhouette” by Kana-Boon, on the MP145 has more “zing” to the cymbal strikes and hihats, where as the EA1000 sounds sharper, more rough around the edges. Both of these sound natural though.

Soundstage wise, the MP145 sounds a bit wider with just as impressive depth and height. Imaging wise, both of these are on a similar level to my ears. The EA1000 beats the MP145 in overall detail retrieval.

Depending on the preference, one may like more than another. EA1000 may sounds shoutier and too forward for their taste. Where as the MP145 may sounds too bass heavy with not enough uppermids bite. Personally, i like both. I enjoy EA1000 in a more clinical listening session whereas i would enjoy MP145 in a more relaxing session. You will win with either of this iem

The MP145 is also harder to drive.

Conclusion:

Simgot has set a new benchmark on what iem in the 200$-300$ price range should bring. Not just the sound itself, but the overall package and especially its changable nozzles that allow the users to fine tune the iem to their liking. They really knock it out of the park with the EA1000. I’m looking forward to see what they have to offer in the future.

I highly recommend this iem.

Introduction: RU7 is the latest flagship dongle released by Cayin as a successor to their previous flagship, the Cayin RU6. While the RU6 features a 24-bit Discrete R-2R Resistor Ladder DAC, the RU7 uses 1-Bit Discrete Resistor Network DAC, a different type of technology trickle down from their flagship N7 DAP, instead. This dongle has a MSRP of 290$.

Disclaimer: I bought the Cayin RU7 with my own money. Everything i said in this review is my subjective opinion only.

Unboxing:

The box was quite smaller than i thought. It’s only as big as my Poco F3 phone.

Inside the box, we have a few things: The C-C OTG cable, C-A adapter, a green leather case, a user manual and 2 magnets (sadly i lost it)

The green case itself fit the RU7 very snuggly. I won’t need to worry about the case coming loose anytime soon, unlike some previously known cases of the RU6.

Design

The RU7 has a small rectangular form factor. Its chasis is made out of aluminum with a matte black finish and glass panel with a built-in OLED screen on top.


On the side is the 3 buttons, 2 of which let you controlled the volume and the “mode” button to control the settings of the RU7. Click the “mode” button once to turn the screen on/off. By holding it in a few seconds, it let me go into a setting menu. I can change between Low gain and high gain, switch between the 3 DSD modes and the output of the RU7 (Phoneout or Lineout).



User experience:

The Cayin RU7 is small, light weight, has a protective case so i dont have to worry about scratching. The setup was relatively smooth when i wanted to use my RU7 with Window 10 laptop. I just need to plug and play and that’s done.

With 2 levels of gain, 3DSD mode and 2 output types, the RU7 gives me a lot of flexibility on how i’d want to use it on a daily basis.

Overall, my time with the Cayin RU7 was quite enjoyable. However, it’s not without its quirks.

First thing i’d like to note is how much the Cayin RU7 battery consumption. It drains my Poco F3 faster compared to every dongle that i’ve own. It only took me more than 4 hours to drop my battery percentage from 100% to 0%. Not to mention that even without playing music, the RU7 keeps draining the battery of the phone.

The second thing i’d like to note is the clicky, zappy sounds while using the RU7. This sound is very different from the usual humming noise floor when i use my Ibasso DC04 Pro and 7hz 71 with a powered laptop. These audible noises appear when i’m switching songs, when fast forwarding music and worst of all, it’s even appeared during some quiet session of the songs or videos. This is due to the resistor working inside. Andy from Cayin has already commented about this on the Cayin RU7 thread, so this behaviour is normal to the RU7. Some can live with it, but honestly after i noticed this sounds, the existence of it is quite...annoying.

Last thing i want to talk it how much heat the RU7 generated during use, especially in DSD256 and LO mode. I don’t know the exact temperature, but i’m pretty sure it’s over 50 degree Celsius after 30 minutes of listening.

Sound impression:

I’d describe the sound of Cayin RU7 as neutral and analog sounding.

Bass has this more rounded and fullbody sound to it with very light midbass emphasize. You can say the RU7 sounds a bit warm to it due to this discription, but i’d still say the RU7 is on a neutral side of things.

Midrange wise, the RU7 just do it just right. Neither too forward nor backward. The midrange of RU7 just sounds natural as is.

Treble is detailed smooth with no digital glare. There’s a subtle lower treble boost in the RU7, in a way that it makes the percussion instruments’s attack just sound a bit more crisp.

Technicalities wise, RU7 is the most technical sounding i’ve heard. Only after 10s of using RU7 that i know this dongle is quite something else. The soundstage is really wide with clear imaging and layering.

For a more relative context of how RU7 performs compared to others, please continue reading for the comparison parts.

Synergy: RU7 can synergize with a lot of gears, but i don’t think it’s suitable for the overly colored or warm sounding sounds tranducer.

For people that want most fast sounding bass, highest detail, clearest, more hi-fi sound rather than analog sound, the RU7 would not be for them.

RU7 in LO mode: I want to test how the RU7 would sound in LO mode without having to use an additional amplifier, so i tested the LO mode directly with the TGXear Totem, since i think having an ỉmpedance of 700ohms would somewhat keep it safe and not making it too loud. After thorough testing, i think the the sound from LO mode is slightly better than PO mode. Compared to the PO mode, LO mode sounds like it has a better impact subbass and a bit more transparent.

Word of caution if people want to test LO mode with other more sensitive gear: If you’re using a laptop or PC, please lower the volume of the software you’re using to listen to music, not the OS themself. For some reason, even if i turn my laptop vol from 100 to 1, the loudness of LO mode remains the same. Only when i turn down the volume of foobar2000 app or youtube’s video that the volume did come down. Also, it seems like the RU7 does not let you change between the modes rapidly, where you’d need to wait around 10 secs for the mode to be changed again. (the screen may show that you’ve already changed the output mode, but you’d need to wait for 10 secs for it to take effect)

Differences between DSD64, DSD128, DSD256

Truth be told, it was really hard for me to do comparison for these 3, as i feel like the differences was too small between them. Switching between the modes for every 10-15 seconds of the same songs did not really help me. So in order to make this comparison, i have to listen to each mode for around a few days then switch to another. After thorough testing, here’s what i think about the 3 DSD modes.

DSD64: Slightly more warmth and full. More analog sounding

DSD128 Jack of all trade. Most balance sounding, loose a bit of detail for naturalness

DSD256: Highest detail and clarity. A bit more digital sounding

Driving power: The Cayin RU7 is no doubt a very powerful dongle. At high gain and 100/100 level, it can drive my Shuoer S12 to a deafening level of 90db. It can also drive my 700ohms of impedance TGXear Totem earbuds to a comfortably loud level (around 80-85db) without sacrificing much, if any, bass texture and overall dynamic, so power is definitely not an issue here

Sound comparison:

1/ Ibasso DC04 Pro

I know i know, the DC04 Pro is not really in the same realm as the Cayin RU7. Its price is not even half of the RU7. However, the DC04 Pro was one of the most famous dongle in 2023, ranking 1st in the Best bang for buck category by DongleMadness. Many people were able to afford this. It was also my previously EDC dongle, so comparing these 2 against each other is something i should do.
Both dongle in my opinion has a neutral and analog-ish tonality, but right of the bat, there’re 3 differences that i noticed: the bass, the treble and the imaging.

The bass has more thump and better texture to it, compared to the DC04 Pro. Using Penon Serial to test, the bass on the DC04 Pro feels like it got cut of at the end of the notes. Those “strings plucking” moments in some of my jazz tracks just feels a bit incompleted, whereas it sounds more completed on the RU7. The bass there feels more lifelike, i can virtually imagine the instruments being played

As for treble, i feel like the treble of the RU7 is crisper than the DC04 Pro. However, due to this right here, the synergy of the RU7 would be a little different from the DC04 Pro. Some iem that has too much treble would not be able to synergize well with the RU7, whereas the DC04 Pro would be a better option between the 2, cue the TGXears Serratus and Hifri’s Barcelona. The treble there just feel a bit more pronounce with shaper, crisper transient.

Imaging. Coming from the DC04 Pro to the RU7, my first thought was “man, has the layering always been this crisp and distinct?”. I thought i was being paranoid due to “new toy syndrome”, so i listen to RU7 for a while longer then switching back to the DC04 Pro, the sentiment was still the same. The Cayin RU7 sounds wider, with better instruments separation and a more distinct layering between the instruments compared to the DC04 Pro

That being said, the RU7 did not completely kill the DC04 Pro. The DC04 Pro has a better battery consumption rate, it drained my phone’s battery way less. Even without listening to music, RU7 drains the battery of my phone. The DC04 Pro also generate less heat. It doesn’t have that usual clicky, zappy sounds from the resistor of the RU7. On Android phones, there's an app from Ibasso that let you adjust some settings of the DC04 Pro. Another thing i’d like to note is the noise floor when using the RU7 with my plugged in laptop is virtually zero, compared to a small amount of noise when using with the DC04 Pro. Although in my opinion, that would just like changing from another devil to another: The humming noise (due to the plugged in laptop) of the DC04 Pro vs the clicky sound of RU7 in those silent moments like during songs transition.

Is the Cayin RU7 an upgrade to the Ibasso DC04 Pro? In a sense, yes. It improves upon many things of the Ibasso DC04 Pro like the overall tone and the technicalites, despite it already is a good dongle in and of itself. If you’re looking for a do-it-all, only-keep-one dongle, then yes, buy the RU7 as an upgrade to the DC04 Pro. Is it worth it? Depend on your wallet. But if you already have the DC04 Pro and you’re looking for a dongle to diversify your dac/amp collection, i’d advise you to look for something else like the Cayin RU6 or the Hiby FC6 and keep the DC04 Pro. Despite me describing the differenes of these 2 for this long, the DC04 Pro is more similar to the Cayin RU7 than they are different. Both have i’d call a neutral and analog sounding.

2/ Chord Mojo.

Now i’ll reverse the scenario. Here i’ll compare the the Cayin RU7 against something that has more than double the msrp of it: The Chord Mojo. It was sold for 599$ the moment of its release. The reason why i’m picking the Mojo is that the Mojo are being sold in a very competitive pricing in the 2nd hand market (around 150$-160$ in Vietnam and Chinese), so good sound is very affordable there. The Mojo was arguably one of, if not the best sounding dac/amp during its time.

So here, we’d have a battle between the top of the dongle world in 2023, against the previous top of the portable dac/amp world in 2015. New vs old, how would they fair against another?

Both of these are wildly different. The Mojo has a battery and the RU7 does not. The Mojo has a custom FPGA DAC technology, whereas the RU7 has a 1-bit DAC technology. The Mojo has 2 3.5 phoneout ports rather than a 3.5mm SE and a 4.4mm balance of the RU7. Despite being SE only, Chord Mojo has more power to tap into compared to the RU7.

The differences in sound reproduction between the 2 were immediately perceiveable. Compared to the more neutral sounding RU7, the Mojo definitely has a more colored sounding. It’s more “romantic” in a sense. It’s warm, but also analytical.

Using the Penon Serial to listen to these 2, i definitely like the sound of the Mojo more. The Serial has a better bass texture, with more depth to its sound. The treble is also softer, yet the detail was around the same level. Imaging, i would hand it to the crisper imaging of the RU7. The Cayin RU7 has a touch wider soundstage compared to the Mojo. Synergy wise, i like to use the Serial on the Mojo more despite the Serial already warm sounding. The Serial just sounds more musical to my ear in this combo. Part of it was also due to me being a mild basshead.

Using the TGXear buds, the story was still the same. The Chord Mojo also colored the whole sound of the earbuds. The Serratus has a more natural bass tone with a better treble decay. The Totem was sort of brought to life more when pairing with the Chord Mojo. The Totem has a 700ohms Berylium driver which just screams for power, which the Mojo has. The neutral, reference-ness of Totem just synergize well with a more colorful and romantic sounding Mojo.

The Sunniva on the other hand. Sunniva is the one that the RU7 synergize well with due to the Sunniva already warm and thick sounding. The Sunniva sounds more balance, the treble becomes crisper with better imaging and layering when using with the RU7.

All in all, it’s all depends on taste. Personally, since i’d rather my music to be more musical and colorful and because i have many more colored sounding iem and earbuds (as opposed to a more neutral set like the Etymotic’s), i’d pick the Chord Mojo over the Cayin RU7 in many cases, despite its cons like the using of micro usb, 3.5mm port only and i have to charge it to use it.

3/ Cayin RU6

Brother from the same mother, the Cayin RU6. The Cayin RU6 uses an R-2R DAC technology inside its body. It’s been a while since i last used it, but judging from memory, the RU6 also has an analog type of sounding, however it feels warmer compared to the RU7. The bass on the RU7 has more authority compared to a more soft sounding bass on the RU6. Midrange and vocal wise, the RU6 is better than the RU7 in my opinion. I’d describe the RU6’s midrange and vocal as romantic, emotional and velvety. The RU6 used to be my go to dongle when ever i want to listen to some lyrical music or when i just want to vibe with the music, not analyzed it. Treble sounds crisper and shaper on the RU7. Techinicalities wise, especially the soundstage, the RU7 is definitely better than the RU6. The RU7 has more details, wider sense of stage and a more distinct imaging. Synergy wise, i’d say the RU7 is easier to synergize with a lot of stuff more than the RU6.

Conclusion:
With the price of 290$, is Cayin RU7 worthy of its price? Yes
The Cayin RU7 is one heck of a beast. It has become a benchmark in the dongle world, where future to-be-released flagship dongle would surely be compared against this. The RU7 gives people to have a chance to try what a 1-bit DAC would sounds like without hurting their wallet too much. The form factor maybe small, but what it brings to the table is not. Despite some of it quirks, being a neutral, analog sounding dongle with an impressive technicality, i’m confident that many people will like this powerful dongle if they can get their hands on it.

That’s it for my review and thank you for reading.

Hi everyone. I'd like to share my very amature review of the Penon Serial in the video format. Here's the link for it:


Here's the written part of the sound impression in case my accent was too bad

The Serial has what I’d called a bassy neutral, or bassy dark tonality, where the bass will takes the spot light in this iem, while the mids and treble are on a more neutral side.

Bass: It’s good. It excels both in quantity and quality. It’s not really purely for basshead since it’s only around 10db of bass, but it’s for bass lover nonetheless. With sufficient amping power, the bass on these are very satisfying. The textures are to die for. It has this weirdly but still good layering, reverbing effect to the bass itself that’s very hard to describe. Sort of like a vintage speaker if I can say that. Those pop and rock songs from the 80s are very satisfying coming from the Serial. Kick drums, bass guitar, you name it.

The bass on the Serial are definitely on a slower side. I’d not recommend this IEM for those fast pace music genre like death metal, EDM songs or fast rock. I can even feel the driver was struggling to keep up on some of those songs.

One thing I have to say. Without sufficient amping, for example this Ibasso DC04 Pro dongle here. In and of itself, it’s a good dongle, however when pairing this with the Serial, the bass just feel very limp and not as satisfied. The bass dynamics are just gone.

Mids: The midrange is also good. It’s lush, sweet, full bodied yet very non aggressive and not shouty. Pinna gain is not too high so the vocals are not right at your face. Vocal and instruments sounds smooth with good texture to it. Piano, violin, cello, saxophone all sounds very natural

That being said, the bass does bleed into the midrange, which sometimes makes the vocal overly warm or a bit husky. The somewhat slower bass does add a bit too much note weight into some intruments

Treble: Treble is what I’d called a weak point of this iem. Like I said, it’s on a more neutral side. You can even call it dark even. There is definitely a scoop in the 6-7k region which makes this iem free from the sibilance and fatiguing. But it does come at a cost. Those percussion instruments like cymbals or hi hats are present, though they sound a bit blunted without that usual shimmering feeling.

The Serial definitely lacks the airiness or treble extension that some of you are more familiar with on some tribrids or planar iem. The treble takes more of a backstage roll to support the bass and mid. Resolution also takes a hit due to a somewhat soften treble. It’s not very sharp sounding. If you’re looking for a more critical or analytical listening session where you want to pick out those micro details, this iem is definitely not for you. It’s more for those that wanted to lay back and enjoy music in a more relaxing fashion


Technicalities:

Timbre is one of the Serial strong points. It’s very natural, instruments is very close to real life sounding with a hint of warm and lushness to it.

Soundstage wise, it’s wide and deep, with decent amount of height. Although it still felt in your head at times, the overall stage does feel very holographic. Spacial cues or stereo, swirling effects are there

Layering and instruments separation are above average. It’s not very accurate. Vocal and instruments positioning are not very distinct. Overall the Serial is more for you to immerse into your music rather than to decipher it.

Comparison:

Now let’s compare this against the ISN Neo 5. The Neo 5 has what I’d called an L shaped tuning. The midrange of the Neo 5 are still apparent, yet this iem definitely lean towards a L shaped tonality.

When a/b ing the Neo 5 vs the Serial, the first thing that comes out to me is the Neo 5 is a bit more sibilant compare to the Serial. Just a hint. The neo 5 also sounds sharper, crisper, sparklier. Cymbal strikes and hi hats sounds more satisfied due to additional micronuances. It’s still not at the treble head level as both still lean on a relax side of trebles. Mids are somewhat the same. I think it still has that signature Penon mids, meaning it leans on a more lush, full bodied, non-aggressive, non shouty type of midrange. Bass region is where I perceive the most differences. It’s more subbass over midbass. I’m bias towards L shaped tuning, I feel like the Neo 5 has better textured, more satisfying type of bass. It’s a tad tighter than Serial’s

Timbre wise, Serial I think is better. It just sounds more natural compare to Neo 5

Stage wise, it’s decent. It’s wider but less depth compare to Serial. Both of it are still fairly intimate and inside your head type of stage. Instruments separation, layering is more or less on par


* Additional note that i wrote after i finished making the video
- Source: Chord Mojo also has a very good synergy to the Serial. The Mojo also brings out a similar sound quality to my HappyAudio dac/amp stack, that very satisfying bass and mids.


Penon Serial vs Simgot EA500.

The EA500 is very different compared to the Serial. EA500 has a neutral bright tonality. The bass doesn’t reach as deep compared to the Serial, although the bass does feel faster on the EA500. Mids sounds more vibrant, a bit shouty with the EA500, likely due to a higher pinna gain. EA500 sounds brighter overall. The treble sounds sparklier, but also a bit more harsh compared to the Serial. Timbre wise, Serial is definitely better than EA500. The EA500 feels lighter in note weight with more metallicness which affects the overall timbre. Soundstage and imaging wise, i would have to say the EA500 takes the win here
.

Penon Serial vs Tanchjim Oxygen

Both have a very natural timbre, similar bass quantity although Serial bass texture was more satisfying than the Oxygen. It feels visceral, reaches deeper, rumbling harder whereas Oxygen's was a bit softer. The 6k dips in the Serial with a slightly lower pinna gain makes it less fatiguing to listen over a long period of times. I also listen to a higher volume on the Serial. Where the Oxygen wins is in its upper treble response and the technicalities. Those percussion intruments are brought more forward, they sound more apparent, vibrant with more shimmer to it compared to the Serial. Soundstage is wider, layering is slightly better on the Oxygen.

Penon Serial vs Dunu SA6 Mk2

Almost exact opposite driver configuration, but easy pick nonetheless: Penon Serial takes the win. The Serial is more musical, has a way more natural timbre, stronger more rumbly bass, although the bass on SA6 Mk2 is faster with less body to it. Vocals sound more lush and natural compared to the SA6 Mk2, although i'd have to say both have very good sounding mids, just portrait very differently. SA6 Mk2 sounds more airy, has more forward treble - almost too forward - part of which contributes to its not-too-natural timbre when facing against the Serial. Microdetail goes to the Dunu SA6 Mk2

CONCLUSION
Penon Serial. Although it's no where near perfect, it is a very good sounding set nonetheless. This is for those that want an analog sounding set with warm, lush with natural timbre iem to use for those relaxing session, where you just want to melt into the music. Highly recommended.
Those that are treble heads, or are chasing for absolute microdetails or highly technical sounding iem, i'd have to tell you to look other way.

That's it for my review of the Penon Serial and thank you for reading.

Intro:
I’ve received this Final A4000 for a quick review. This is my impression of it after 10 hours of using the A4000

Packaging:
The package looks very minimal. Inside the box is a small case which house the iem unit itself and the cable, along with a box full of Final E black tips with size from S to LL



The cable is way too thin for my taste. I doubt I’d ever use this case if I have to be honest

Design/Build/Comfort

The housing is made entirely out of plastic, which makes it very light, but also feels very cheap

As jagged as it is, the housing is incredibly comfortable. I can where this for 10 hours easily

Sound impression:

Source: Poco F3

Dongle: Hiby FC4, Ibasso DC04 Pro

Eartips: stock Final E black tips

Tonality: Neutral bright

Bass 3.5/5: The bass have fast response, very precise,yet the overall bass shelf feels kinda lean. Subbass over midbass. The midbass thump is there, I can hear it, yet it doesn’t have a lot of body and weight to it. The bass decay way too fast, which doesn’t give me that lingering bass feeling I can get from usual EDM tracks. “Pillowy, dry” are the words I would use to describe the bass of A4000

Mid: 3/5 It’s…weird. With how lightweight the bass region is, male vocal just lack that heft to it. Female vocal also suffer from this, just less affected. They sound forward yet still have that thin characteristic. The uppermid range boost makes the vocal sounds more bright, sibilant and unnatural. Overall just straight up lacking in vocal performance. At least both male and female vocal doesn’t sound shouty
Piano sounds nice, although it sounds a bit veil. Violin sounds lively, precise with a decent bite from the bass to boot

Treble: 3.5/5
With how boosted the 4-10k region is, the treble is the star of the A4000. It’s not peaky, energetic, vibrant. Some may say it even has hot treble, which I agree. Bad recording can be easily spotted because of this. Microdetails are slightly above average. Intruments like cymbal strikes and hi hats are very forward, yet it doesn’t linger around as much, making it loosing that shimmering characteristics that I know of.

Technicalities: The easiest thing to noticed is the stage: It’s wide, deep with above average height. Imaging is decent, I can separate the many layers of instruments in complex orchestra tracks.. Timbre on the other hand doesn't sound natural.

Driveability: I know I need to use the 4.4 port on my dongle immediately. The A4000 does shine with more power.

Volume scaling: Medium to medium high volume. My ears would be ringing from that boosted 4-10k region before I reach my enjoyable level of bass.

The gripes: One of the thing I discovered is that my A4000 unit has reverse polarity on both sides. Some may say it doesn’t matter as long as it’s not out of phase with each other, but in my experience, it does affect the staging for worse. Normally, I can try to reverse the cable since my cable doesn’t have earhooks. But with how A4000 is built (look at the notch in the cable port), it can only use the cable as is and accept the fate of it being reverse polarity



Comparison:

Tanchjim Oxygen:

In short, this iem cooks the A4000 in almost every way I see, with my library. Timbre was way more accurate on the A4000. The stage, although not as deep, but way wider and more holographic. Bass is noticeably thumpier with better texture, although A4000’s bass have faster transient. Female vocal sounds more lively and correct compare to A4000. Instruments like hihats and cymbal strike sounds straight up better than the A4000 due to better sustain and decay, which also means I observe more micro details on the Oxygen.

Conclusion: Would I buy this? No. It’s not suitable for my taste, it’s more of a one trick pony – the grand stage of it. I do have to give credit to Final for what they achived with this iem. I heard that their new A5000 is an upgrade to the A4000, which I hope I can try it someday.

Thank you for reading.

Introduction

CVJ is one of few chi-fi company that’s gaining their popularity in other western and eastern with many model released in their cataloge

KE-S is one of their latest option, with the main objective of trying the be as cheap as possible, without sacrificing too much in terms of sound quality and music enjoyment.

I would like to thank CVJ for giving me this unit in exchange for an honest review.


Design/Build quality

With the cost at 10$, it’s exactly like what I would imagine. The whole construction is made out of plastic, which is fine by the way. It’s smooth, light and very comfortable. The housing and faceplate are 2 seperated pieces that was glued together.

I’ve decided to opt for the grey colorway, so that I can see clearly the driver inside

The nozzle is on a medium size. I’ve installed other 3rd party tips with no prolem

Stock cable and tips feels absolutely cheap. In order to wear it long enough to write down a review, I’ve decided to change the cable to a cheap SPC cable from Xinhs. The rest of my sound impression will be with me using said cable and stock tips.


Sound impression

Test track:

• Shivers – Ed Sheeran
• Spider man 3 OST: Drive That Funky Soul
• Highway to Hell – AC/DC
• One Last Time – Ariana Grande
• Runaway Baby – Bruno Mars
• POP/STARS – K/DA
• Blank Space – Taylor Swift
• Free Bird – Lynyrd Skynyrd (the bass rift session)
• Golden Hour - JVKE
• Love You Like A Love Song - Selena Gomez

Tonality: V-shaped

Bass

The bass region of the KE-S is very well elevated with subbass over midbass. Bass is obviously the star of this iem. The quality of the bass is average, which is good for this price. Subbass rumble is very firm, midbass has a lot of punch to it. On normal pop music, it performs adequately in terms of accurate reproduction. Kick drum, cello and bass guitar has lots of heft and body to it. However, on a more challenging rock or metal or songs with more complex bass line, the bass notes sort of feels smear together, not very well defined.

Mid

Recessed mid with slighltly veiled characteristic. Noticable bass bleed. Male vocal got good warmth, good body to it. Females sounds engaging, energetic, though not the most natural in my experience. However, both vocal got that veil feeling over it due to the bass.

Instruments on the other hand is on the acceptable level. Piano got good presentation, but violin sound a bit laid back, like one step backward in the stage


Treble

The treble is on a safe side. Microdetails and nuances act as a more backstage support for the bass and mid instead of being more forward. I can pick it out of the tracks just fine; however, stuff like hi hats and cymbal strikes don’t have that familiar shimering sound that I’m familiar with.

Technicalities:

Technicalities is below average. The sound stage is very 2D with almost no height with average width and depth. Imaging and seperation is also poor, all the elements of the songs sort of blend together. The resolution just feels a bit blunted. The timbre is not the most natural I’ve heard, especially coming from a 1DD. The overall dynamic of the iem just have so much more to be desire



Driveability

The CVJ KE-S is very easy to drive, even through my phone’s passive dongle. For most of the review, I’ve paired it with my trusty 7hz 71

Comparison

Vs 7hz Zero

The 7hz Zero has much less bass, brighter, has more clarity and overall have one notch better technicalities compare to the KE-S. Vocal and instruments sounds cleaner with better texture and timbre. If bass is the most important to you then the KE-S takes the win. However, if you value mid, treble and the overall tonal balance as well as ready to spend an additional 10$, then 7hz takes the win

Vs QKZ HBB

Both the QKZ HBB and the CVJ KE-S has a lot of similarities, where both has I would say a V-shape tonality and similar technical perfomance. However, the QKZ HBB house a more thumping, visceral bass, darker uppermid range and with slightly better treble extension. The QKZ HBB has better overall macrodynamics to my ears

Vs Simgot EA500

It’s not really a fair comparison, since it’s 10$ vs 79$. However, I want to show what an iem that’s 8 times more expensive (and it’s also the value champ in my book) can do compare to it’s counter part.

The EA500 is league better than the CVJ KE-S (obviously). The overall tonality is a milder V-shape with subbass roll off and brighter tonality. The bass feels more thumpy, have better texture and you can feel the speed, the quality of the driver itself just from the bass region. Mids on the EA500 sounds more forward with better clarity. Treble is much more emphasis; cymbal strikes and bass guitar, as well as other instruments have better decay. You can just perceive more details from the EA500. The overall dynamics of the EA500 just feels more… engaging, fuller, more satisfied. Soundstage wise, EA500 is at least 3 notches better compare to the KE-S, with better imaging and seperation to add up.

Conclusion

In and of itself, CVJ KE-S is a good solid option for 10$. Sound alone, i would have leave it at 2.5 stars. However, due to the value (price/performance) of this iem, i've brought it to 3.0. CVJ have done a terrific job to introduce iem to those that have extreme limited budget. If 10$ is all you have, KE-S is all you gonna get. But truth be told, if you can save up a little more, expand your budget up until 20$, or even 30$, you will have a wider range of choices for good iems like the Truthear Hola, Tangzu Waner, Blon Z300, QKZ HBB,…

But credit where it’s due. Thank you CVJ for making this model for the masses and thank you once again for giving me the opportunity to review this iem. I’m looking forward to see what you may bring in the future

Introduction:

TangZu is one of many growing Chi-fi company out there. They were previously known as T-Force with their Yuan-Li model, before they officially change their name to TangZu. They were then release several iems like the Wan'er, Shimili and their first planar: Zetian Wu.
As of the time writing this review, the “Zetian Wu Heyday Edition” is the most expensive iem in their lineup. The Heyday version - a collab project with HBB (Hawaiian Bad boy)- can be seen as an updated/revamp version of OG Zetian Wu which has purple faceplate.
This is my review for the Heyday

Disclaimer: I have no affiliation with Linsoul or Tangzu. I bought this unit with my own money. Everything I said in this review is my subjective opinion only.

Packaging

Per usual, Tangzu really knows how to do a visual presentation for their iem, from their entry level Wan’er SG, to their OG Zetian Wu, to the Heyday. On the cover is a very artistic illustrator with a very mature art style. Many people will easily enjoy this as it’s a very beautiful yet non offensive type of asthetic.

Inside the box, you can see the iem itself and a very generous amount of accessories, which include: 4 pairs of white eartips (same as Kbear 07 tips) and 3 pairs of blue eartips (same as Kbear 08 tips), a very nice black leather carrying case and a THICC blue, silver plated modular cable. Even though it said “foam tips”, there was none to be found.
The carrying case is very well design. Outside of it is made from some type of thick synthetic leather. The interior is upholstered in soft velvet. There's so much space inside that you can easily fit many other gears that you're gonna need for your listening session like DAP, portable amplifier, many dongles and accessories. However, i like to be minimal most of the time so i usually only need my iem and my dongle which takes very little space. That's why i don't reach for these case that often eventhough it's the most premium carrying case that i had.


Here's a side by side comparison with my usual, on the go carrying case.

They also give me a mousepad with the same visual as the outer box. This is a bonus for those who purchase early on Linsoul.

This is one of the best unboxing experience that I’ve had, although I must admit the overall package can be smaller for, you know, enviromental reason.

Design/Build quality/Comfort

Using 5-Axis CNC machine, Tangzu give the Heyday a very ergonomic and smooth housing. The housing is a little bit above average in size, but it’s not too big. I think many people can easily fit this. The faceplate features a very intricate design pattern, same as the OG Zetian Wu, but this time comes in a gun metal color instead of bright purple.


You can see the HBB trademark logo very clearly

Let’s talk about the cable. The cable feels thick, plush yet soft at the same time. It is not microphonics at all. The braids are tightly knitted together. The termination is made out of steel (judging from touch). The only down side about this cable is that the interchangeable connectors are on a long side. I do hope it was shorter, but I can live with it.
This cable just screams premium on hands. This is one of the best cable that I’ve had in my collection. I can easily see this selling seperately for at least 50$.

Build wise, because the iem is made from full aluminum, it has a hefty weight to it. The Heyday just feels like a tank on hand. It feels very sturdy and robust to the touch. The smooth and glossy finish does attract lots of fingerprint.
.
Comfort wise, it’s good. Eventhough it’s on a heavy side compare to many other iem, because it has such a snug fit, its weight doesn’t bother me. Depending on tips, it also affects the total comfort of the iem. With the original white tips or with Fiio HS18 tips, I have no problem listening to this for many hours straight. However, with Spinfit W1, I have some pain spots on the concha. Your situation maybe different.

Sound impression
*Test gear
Source: Poco F3
Dongle: 7hz 71, Hiby FC4
Eartips: Kbear 07, Fiio HS18, Spinfit W1

Tonality: Harman-ish, balance, analytical.

Bass: 7/10

It’s good. The bass here well elevated above neutral. Subbass are well extended yet not too overwhelming. Midbass slams are well performed with good enough texture and weight to it. It doesn’t feel bloated or sluggish due to the fast transient and responsive characteristic of planar. Bass guitar sounds correct, kick drum sounds a bit soft on the attack, but not a deal breaker. On those busy track, it’s easy to distinguished many lower octave instruments that was performed simutaniously. The overall bass just sound clean

I do find the overall quantity of bass a bit lacking, too relax for my taste. It has this sort of “lean” dynamic I might say. EDM, pop doesn’t feel as fun or as engaging. Instruments like cello, trumpet or bass doesn’t have that bite or note weight to it. It’s there, just not enough for my taste. Bass head will definitely not find the Heyday’s bass satisfying.

Case in point: 20 first seconds of “Mighty Down Fall”: You can hear all the bass guitar, kick drums; can feel all that slam but it just doesn’t feel rumbly and authorative enough.

Mids: 8/10

With a clean and well seperated bass, there’s no or very little sense of muddiness or bass bleed so male vocal in the lower mids sounds clean and precise. Male vocal like Michael Buble, Frank Sinatra sounds lush with nice body to it. Female vocal sounds forward and energetic. Taylor Swift and Maiko Fujita’s voice sounds lively, smooth and not shouty. The Heyday just hit that balance zone in terms of vocal quality and positioning: Not too present, yet not too recessed. Instruments registered in the midrange has a natural timbre with a clean and concise characteristic. Some people may find the overall presentation of the midrange is on a safe or lean side, like it doesn’t have that “wow” factor, which is why I only put it as 8/10.

Test songs: “Fly me to the moon” by Frank Sinatra, “Feeling good” by Michael Buble, “22” by Taylor Swift, “Nee” by Maiko Fujita

Treble: 8.5/10

I love the treble on these. Treble extension was phenominal. It just sounds so clean, crisp and packs a lot of details with sparkly tonality to it. It doesn’t feel peaky or grainy. Cymbal strikes, hi hats sound natural. Instruments in this region may come upon as too forward, depending on some tracks. Detail retrieval is also top notch. The objectively “lean” bass does have an effect on shifting our focus to the treble region, so you can easily pick up all those microdetails and nuances in this region, which in turns may gave an impression of the Heyday being too analytical.

People with treble sensitive or those that doesn’t like that sense of brightness, sibilance or metallic charateristc will easily enjoy this set. I have no problem enjoying these over a long period of time with mid to high volume.

I was quite surprise to see very little of the typical planar sheen so that’s a bonus point

Technicalities: 8.5/10

Soundstage is awesome. It has a lot of width and depth with sufficient height. Due to it literally sits inside your ear, you won’t have that “out of your head” experience, however it still feels very spacious and expansive compare to many other iem. The overall 3D imaging is very accurate. Resolution, instrumental seperation and layering is also top notch. It just adds to the overall immersiveness brought by the soundstage. Fast pace and multi instrumental music genre was handle with ease on the Heyday.

Driveability: I find it’s harder to drive than some typical 1DD iem out there, but it’s not too bad.

Using Hiby FC4 as a source to test if there’s any different in sound quality between 3.5mm and 4.4mm, I do feel like the Heyday benefits from more power to sound fuller with better dynamics.

That being said, the 7hz 71 can drive the Heyday adequately.

Comparison

Vs Zetian Wu OG

I can see why many people would prefer this over the Heyday. The bass profile of the OG feels fuller, richer and rumblier. Many people said the OG Wu’s bass reminded them of dynamic driver type of bass and I would agree. The upper mids are boosted a bit, but it’s negligible in my ears. The overall timbre of the OG Wu feels denser in comparison. That being said, the Heyday feels more refined, more analitical, more immersive with better technical performance (in terms of imaging and detail retrieval) compare to the OG Wu.

If you like a fun, more musical type of iem, the one that brings some sort of color to your music then I think you’d rather pick the OG Wu. That being said, if you afraid that you’d break the OG Wu because it’s made of 3D printing resin, you should look for some thing else (or you can just EQ up the Heyday). As for me, because my playlist has a variety of type of music (most of it being orchestra, multi-instrument type), I’d like to find a “one for all” type of tuning with good technicalities, which is what the Heyday brings.

Vs KZ PR1 Pro

Battle between expensive vs cheap. In my case, it’s a battle between 200$ vs 40$.

Hands down, the Heyday beat the PR1 Pro in so many different ways. The Heyday has way less planar sheen, more natural and immersive timbre, more balance tuning with league better technicalitites. Female vocal on the Heyday feels especially smoother. It doesn’t have that rough edge, that raspiness that the PR1 Pro brings. The KZ PR1 Pro has too much treble and feels sharper as a whole. I’m not particularly treble sensitive, but all the instruments in the treble region just sound so fake. One thing I like more about the KZ is that it’s more bassy, more rumble and more “fun” compare to the Heyday.

Would the Heyday be an upgrade to the PR1 Pro if you already have it? Yes, in terms of refinement and technicalities. Would you lose out much if you can only afford the PR1 Pro? By 25% atmost to be honest. Although it may not be the best out there, you can enjoy it with some EQ. You can also tame the treble by adding foam in the nozzle, change to 3rd party filter, using foam tips,… ymmv. That being said, if you already dig the sound signature of the PR1 Pro but you want something better in terms of technicalities, build quality while doesn’t cost as much as the Heyday, look no further than the Shuoer S12/S12 Pro.

Vs Olina SE

The Oline SE and the Heyday’s FR has quite a lot of similarities so I thought It would be logical to compare the two. It sounds more different than I thought. The most noticeable difference is the bass region. The Olina’s bass just sound more natural to me. Although the midbass hit harder on the Heyday compare to the Olina SE; the Olina SE feels rumblier, like the bass kind of linger around a bit more. I think this is more of a difference of physicality/timbre between planar vs DD, rather than between tuning. The lower mids and upper mids sounds almost the same to my ear. Treble wise, Heyday edges out the Olina SE in terms of microdetails. In terms of technicalities, the Heyday takes the win completely against the Olina SE. It has a wider sense of soundstage, better resolution (due to better detail retrieval), instruments seperation and layering. Imaging feel a bit better on the Heyday, but not by a lot.

Fit wise, I enjoy the Heyday’s way more. The Olina SE keeps slipping out of my ear, so much that I’d have to readjust it every 20 minutes or something. Not to mention, the Heyday has NO condensation issue so I can use it for many hours straight without having to worry about the filter being blocked. Driveability, the Olina SE is easier to drive compare to the Heyday

Conclusion

Heyday is a very good planar. To me, this is my endgame in terms of planar iem already. It performs way better than expected for a 200$ iem. It offers such immersiveness, clean tonality with such good resolution, suitable for many type of music library. If you’re looking for a “one to rule them all” iem then I think this is a very good contender for it.

That being said, 200$ is slightly on an expensive side in the grand scheme of things, considering you can get both the Shuoer S12 and Tinhifi P1 Max/P1 Plus when it’s on sale. But, the top tier quality modular cable as well as a sturdy, ergonomic housing makes up for it.

Would I recommend this? Absolutely, although I think you should wait for these to go on sale to get a much better value for your money.

Disclaimer: I bought this with my own money from KZ. Thank you KZ for giving me the 50% discount back when this was first release. Everything I said in this review is my opinion only. Hope you guys enjoy



Packaging

Like many other KZ iem nowadays, the PR1 Pro comes in a small box, in which has the iem itself, a SPC cable with QDC terminal, a few pair of tips with no iem case or pouch

Theoretically, the PR1 Pro should have come with 3 pair of foam tips, yet in my case there was only one pair of M size foam tips with two pair of S and L size whirlwind silicone tips. No biggie, as I only use the M size foam tips anyway.

I contacted Judy on kztws and she said it was fault on their part and they will do their best to prevent it from happening again in the future. They offered to send me another set of foam tips, but I told them it’s okay as it’s not worth the hassle.

Design/Build quality/Comfort

The KZ PR1 Pro’s housing is made from two clear acrylic pieces with an aluminum faceplate, all sandwiched into each other using glue. The durability of these type of construction is questionable, time will tell. However, as of right now, the iem seem to be sturdy enough. The cavity base part feels smooth with no rough edge to it.

I don’t know if the vents on the faceplate are for aesthetic only, or do they actually have some purpose regarding the tuning.

The fitting of the PR1 Pro is very good. I honestly though it was big (KZ AZ16 Pro kind of big) from the picture, but upon arrival, it’s only medium sized, slightly leaning on large. The contour of the housing fit my ear perfectly, like many other KZ iem.

The cable itself seems good. It’s not easy to become tangled. There’s little to no microphonic from it. The ear hooks are not too soft or too hard. Of all the cable that KZ is currently selling/shipping with iem, I’d say this is their best cable

Sound impression

Sound signature: I’d say the the PR1 Pro has a balance tuning with a hefty bass and treble boost. It’s not exactly pure V-shaped because I didn’t find the mids to be too recessed, but more on that later.

Bass:

This is my favourite part of the PR1 Pro. Growing up with dynamic driver headphone or iem, I’ve grown familiar with how DD’s bass sound or feel. This is different. The bass is tight, thumpy, heavy yet has very fast responsed and corrected. Subbass is well extended with a good sense of rumble. Midbass is well defined and full. I do find the midbass to be slightly muddy. Just slightly.

Kick drums, bass guitar, trumpet sounds fun with good body to it. I can easily pick up all the hits and slams, all the bass guitar strings being plucked. Although subtle, the way the air moves or the rumbling sensation that the planar brings feels different from typical DD’s bass

Not to mention, planar iem takes EQ like a champ. It doesn’t suffer from disortion or a sense of suffercate if you take DD’s bass to the extreme through EQ.

All in all, although it’s not in a true basshead territory, the KZ PR1 Pro brings a very satisfied bass profile.


Mids:

The mids sounds good enough. It feels slightly recess due to the elevated bass and treble, which in turn push the vocal into the background. Male vocal sounds rich with good body to it. There’s a slight sense of midbass bleed on some busier track, but it’s very forgiving. Female vocal sounds more emphasizeds compare to male vocal, but not by a lot. It doesn’t come across as too aggressive or to energetic. That being said, both male and female vocal sounds smooth and very well positioned. The PR1 Pro just doesn’t have that mid-centric type of tuning that some may searching for.


Treble:

Here’s where most of my nitpicks regarding the tuning of the PR1 Pro will be. It has an airy, sparkly, well extended treble. I can perceive all the micronuances that registered in the treble region. HOWEVER, it is simply a lot. It’s not like the treble is too bright or metallic by any means, the quantity of the treble here is a bit too much for my taste. It takes away my focus for the other region.

Cymbal strikes or hi hats sound overly pronounce, almost like it was in your face. The planar sheen didn’t help either. Altogether, the timbre of the instrument here sounds not as natural as I’d like.

BUT, there’re some saving graces for the treble. The treble’s overall presentation of the PR1 Pro is very smooth. There isn’t any weird dips or peak that makes the overall timbre sounds unnatural. Also, the high density foam tips that they provide seems to tame down the harshness of the treble, so it’s a good thing that they opted for foam tips.

Weirdly enough, as much as I complained about the treble, I didn’t get fatigue from it, even after using it for hours

Technicalities:

The soundstage is wide due to the sense of airiness brought by the treble. It has sufficient sense of depth and height to it. Imaging are good, you can easily pinpoint and visualize all the instruments here and there. Detail retrieval and resolution is also good. I have no complain regarding the technicalities of the PR1 Pro. It’s not the best I’ve heard, but for the price it is up there among the best.

Source:

Phone: Poco F3

Dongle: 7hz 71, Hiby FC4, Faaeal KT4099, Jcally JA03 passive dongle

I find the KZ PR1 Pro to be very easy to drive. Even when I use it with the passive dongle (dongle that has no dac chip in it), I can still easily reach enjoyable volume. But of course, the PR1 Pro benefits from a better source. Although I don’t have many dongles to test it with, I find the PR1 Pro to have good synergy with the 7hz 71 due to its smooth presentation. The Hiby FC4, as good as it is, makes the PR1 Pro a little bit too harsh or too analytical than it already is. It’s not a deal breaker nor it is something very noticeable, just something to note by.

Conclusion:

This is the best KZ’s iem I’ve ever heard. Plain and simple.

Who is this set NOT for? If you’re treble sensitive or if you like a more neutral type of tuning, this set is not for you. Or if you’re searching for something that has the most natural timbre or some mid-centric type of tuning, this set is also not for you.

Who is this set for? If you’re new to planar iem and you want to have a well tuned iem with out breaking the bank, this is it. It’s not perfect by any means. Even though there’re other contenders for planar iem under 100$ like the CCA PLA13 and the previous two PR1, the 7hz Dioko; the PR1 Pro is the best option in my opinion.

However, considering it has the price of 80$, you can opted for the S12 for around 20$ more on Aliexpress. The S12 has a full metal housing, an arguably better cable and a similar fun tuning. For 40$ when it was first release, the PR1 Pro was a must-buy. 60$ on sale, it’s still a must buy. But when the price is 80$, it’s not a straight answer anymore.

That being said, would I still recommend this set even if the price is 80$? Absolutely. However, I’ll have to point out that there’re many other options, not just planar iem, in the sub-100$ price to consider like the Olina SE, Truthear Hexa, Tangzu Wan’er, 7hz Zero, …

In short, this is the best KZ’s iem I’ve ever heard to date. Plain and simple. I'm looking forward to what KZ will bring to the table in the future.

Disclaimer: I have no affiliation with Tangzu. I bought this through Shopee with my own money so no one has any affect on this review

Packaging:

I’ve accidentally lost the cloth when I was cleaning my house, so I’m borrowing the picture from Hifigo instead (thank you Hifigo).

Inside the box include: a cloth with the same art style as the outer box, the iem itself, a SPC cable, 3 pair of grey narrow tips, and 4 pair of white wider bore tips.

Upon closer inspection, the white tips are exactly like the widely known Kbear 07 tips which are wonderful tips in my opinion.

Design/Build quality/Comfort:

I opted for the black version of the Waner.

The housing is made from resin/plastic with a metallic nozzle. The drivers are not so visible compare to the white version because of the dark colored resin.

The faceplace has some very unique pattern on it. Here on the black version, there’re some golden coin pattern along with a “cloud” symbol (I think) on the faceplate. The coin patterns are not really vibrant, just enough to see if you pay close attention to it. The overall build quality feels cheap, but it’s acceptable given its price.

The housing is on a medium size. It sits perfectly into my ear as you can see in the picture. That being said, the cable itself ruin the wearing experience for me. Eventhough I have a snug fit with the iem itself, the cable’s hooks are to big which keeps pulling the iem out of my ear. The cable itself is too soft, which in turn very prone to become tangled. It reminds me of the Blon 03’s cable.

Sound impression

Here’s where the Tangzu Wan’er shine.

Bass: The bass is very well controlled, although there’s not a lot of bass here. The overall bass will not satisfy hardcore basshead out there, but for me it’s just enough. The subbass is present with good rumble, the midbass are well detailed with enough presence to be suitable with some genre like Rock, Pop, EDM, ... I don’t find the midbass to be muddy at all.

In “Phoenix Rising” by Calum Graham I can hear every distinct guitar string being plucked. The overall timbre of the guitar sounds natural.
In “Mighty Down Fall” by One OK Rock, the kick drum has enough slam to it without overwhelming the lead singer.


Mids: With midbass being just enough, has a gentle glide/transition into the mids, I find the mids to be very clean overall with a slight sense of forward to the vocals. The male vocal has this light coloration, warmer characteristic to it where as the female vocal or vocal in the upper midrange to be more engaging, more energetic while not being shouty or harsh.

In “Mocking Bird” by Eminem, his voice was well presented without being push into the background
In “Racing Into The Night” by YOASOBI, it’s pretty easy to observe how energetic her voice was without being disorted, shouty or sibilant.

Treble: The Wan’er has decent yet slightly more laid back, darker treble. It’s just enough to show all the micronuances in some busy track that ít’s there. Cymbal strikes and hi hats sound natural with good attack and decay yet it lacks some of the sparkle characteristic that I crave. I find the piano or string instruments in these region sound very natural. Overall I find the treble of the Wan’er to be easy too enjoy, yet being too safe in my opinion. Those who are treble sensitive will find these easy to listen to.

In “YouSeeBigGirl” from Attack On Titan or “Licht Und Schatten” from Tokyo Ghoul, I can notice all the micro details in the upper treble range, although I wish to perceive it just a little bit more.

Technicalites: Soundstage wise, I’d say these have a good sense of width and depth, especially for the price. The imaging, detail retrieval, seperation are average at best.


Source

Phone: Poco F3

Dongle: KT4099, Jcally JA03, 7hz 71, Hiby FC4

I find the Tangzu Wan’er to be very easy to drive. The Wan’er has good compatibility with both the 7hz 71 and Hiby FC4. I find the KT4099 to be too warm and the Jcally JA03 to not have the best detail retrieval.

Comparison

Tangzu Wan’er vs 7hz Zero

Both of these have what I’d called balance tuning, but it’s a little bit different to each other. Using the the same white tips from the Wan’er, I can hear the bass on the Wan’er has a bit more of a punch compare to the 7hz Zero. The female vocals on the Wan’er are a bit more forward, more engaging whereas the male vocals are more or less the same. The instruments in the mid region sounds more satisfying. The trebles are where the most differences lie. The 7hz Hero is a tad airier, more lively as well as more detailed compare to the Wan’er. Part of it was due to the lack of bass on the Zero, which in turns shift my focus more onto the treble region. I’d say the timbre on the 7hz Zero are more correct compare to the Wan’er, but both are good. Technicality wise, both are very similar to each other.

About build quality, I like the 7hz Zero way more. Even though the housing on the Zero was a little bit bigger compare to the Wan’er, the overall package was nicer (decent non tangled cable, 2 pin, straight jack)

Conclusion

For 20$, the Tangzu Wan’er is a no brainer for its balance sound signature, especially for someone new to the hobby. I’ve recommended these for 3 of my friend and so far all of them liked it. Along with other contenders like the 7hz Zero, the Tangzu Wan’er has earn its place among some of the best iem for under 20$, maybe even 50$. It would've easily get 4.5 if it weren’t for the low quality cable. So yeah, that’s my review of the Tangzu Wan’er. I’m looking forward to what Tangzu has to offer in the future.

Disclaimer: I bought this with my own expense on Shopee. Also, my reviews are based on aftermarket tips due to the poor fit of the stock eartips, but i'll talk about it later

Packaging

Similar to many other cheap iem, the packaging for the QKZxHBB is quite... minimal. Bare bone as i'd say. Inside the box are the iem itself, a cable, a package of spare tips.


Design/Build quality/Comfort

The QKZ HBB feature a dark, semi-translucent resin shells with a clear faceplate that shows the QKZ logo on the left and HBB logo on the right. Surrounding the faceplate is a gun metal colored frame that's part of the aesthetic. The nozzle itself is made from metal with gold coloring and a lip to hold the tips in place. I'd say the overall build quality is quite good for a 20$ set



As i mention above, the stock eartips didn't do justice for these iem. I can't manage to get a seal with those tips, both the black and white ones. With its nozzle on a longer side, i found these iem quite compatible with after market short nozzle, wide bore tips.

The stock cable was not that good either. I find the cable to be flimsy with the earhook having too big of a curve, which tend to yank the iem out of my ear. At least it was usable for the testing period.

To me, the shells are on the medium size which fit me perfecly. Its smooth shell didn't give my ears any painful spot even after several hours of wearing them


Sound impression

Test gear:

- Source: Poco F3 with Hiby Music

- Dongle: 7hz 71, Hiby FC4

- Eartips: Whizzer SS20, Springtips



Sound signature: Warm, V-shaped
Drivability: I found my 7hz 71 with the stock cable to be more than enough the reach enjoyable volume.

Bass

This is definitely the highlight of the iem. It’s the first thing you’ll notice when you put on this iem. “Powerful” is what I would describe it. When I listen to “Naruto Main Theme” from Naruto OST, the drums and the bass guitar was *chef kiss*. Like holy smokes, I still get goose bump listening to it when I wrote these review. Same case for “Sweet Leaf” by Black Sabbath. EDM track overall are quite enjoyable too, as you would expect from a bass-heavy set

That being said, as much as I enjoy the bass from these, I find myself sometime getting a headache if I listen to a fast paced pure drum+bass guitar track, or rock/J-pop songs that feature a lot of those. It was that much bass. It’s just borderline boomy. Or perhaps it was just me being weak

Fun fact, because the driver itself actually move the air in my ear canals, so much so that sometimes I even go to tone generator website, generate the sound from 30hz to 150hz just to have the driver “scratch” my itchy eardrums by vibrating it lol.

Mid

As satisfying as the bass region is, there’s a price that it has to pay which lies in the mid. The mids overall are nice, but you get some bass bleed/muddiness due to the strong general bass emphasis. The weird thing is that it’s actually quite track dependent for some reason.

When I listen to the songs “Mighty Down Fall” by One OK Rock, I can’t really focus on Taka’s voice without the bass guitar and the drums keeps blowing in my face. His voice also gets push more to the background. Yet when I listen to “Way Back Home” by Shaun, the bass didn’t affect his voice too much. As for female vocal like Taylor Swift, her voice are very sweet and lush as usual, with a slight sense of being veiled.

Treble

I find the treble on this set to be on a darker, more relaxing side. Cymbal strikes are good enough with an adequate amount of attack and decay. I wish it sounds a little bit more crisp, but I can live with it.

That being said, same as the mids, on some rock/heavy tracks, the bass quantity simply overwhelmed the treble region. You can still hear it if you listen for it, but the bass kinda “masked” it in a way. Whenever I try to focus on the little details, the bass just keeps remind me that it’s there. Treble-head won’t find this set enjoyable.

Technicalities

I'd say the QKZ HBB has below average points in terms of clarity, detail and instrument seperation. The imagine and soundstage is alright, nothing is out of place or weirdly position. You can pin point which instrument is on the right, on the left or get push back to the back ground and that’s it. On some busy orchestrated track, you can feel some of the instrument blended with each other. It’s not a deal breaker, just something to point out.

These set were not built to be an analytical or technical set, but more for a fun, relaxed listening session anyway.

That being said, i find the Whizzer SS20, or many short nozzle wide bore tips in general, help open up the soundstage a little bit. The Springtips somehow helps control the overall bass quantity too.

Example of some short nozzle, wide bore tips that i enjoy for the QKZ HBB: Stock wide bore that comes with Olina SE, Whizzer SS20 and Alza Light Short. All of which are size M.

Comparison

- QKZ HBB vs 7hz Zero

I'd say the 7hz Zero being the exact opposite of the QKZ HBB. The 7hz Zero has a neutral type of tuning. The bass on these are noticably lighter than the QKZ HBB, which makes the overall tonality of it brighter than it seems. The mids are definitely better on the 7hz Zero. It was much cleaner. Part of it was due to its lack of bass which in turns can help me perceive vocals better as well as having a better sense of clarity. The trebles on the Zero are noticably brighter and airier compare to the QKZ HBB. Some may like this, some may not. It’s an iem that I’d normally use for a busier or orchestra-oriented playlist, or whenever I feel like doing an analytical listening session. Many people said these two iem compliments with each other and i agree with them.

- QKZ HBB vs Blon 03
The Blon 03's bass are not as authorative as the QKZ HBB, yet it is noticably cleaner. The bass bleed/muddiness are greatly subdue. The mids are more forward, yet still a bit recessed to my liking. The treble are sparklier but not as smooth. Technicalitie are more or less the same. I enjoy the overall tonallity of the Blon 03 a bit more because it's more balance compare to the QKZ HBB, although it's still on a warmer side.

Bonus
As i mention in the pros, these set was suitable for gym session. Because my gym playlist has mostly EDM or bass heavy music, when using these with a bluetooth adapter, it was like a match made in heaven. It just makes we want to be active. Sure, I may lose some of the smart feature that a dedicated TWS can bring, but that’s the price I’m willing to take.

Conclusion
Overall, I think this is a pretty good set for someone looking for a bass-oriented,fun yet non-fatiguing type of tuning. This may not be my personal favorite iem, but I can see how a lot of people like it. With the price tag of less than 20$, I saw this as a fine and easy way to find out if i was a bass head or not.

This is my take on the Olina SE, as well as my first ever review, so take this with a grain of salt

Disclamer: I have no affiliation with Linsoul. I bought these with my own money so they have no affect on this review.

Packaging

Similar to the OG Olina, the Olina SE came in the medium size box. Inside the box contains: the iems itself, a blue hard case, a 2-pin cable, 6 pairs of tips, 10 pairs of filters and the warranty card.

Design/Build quality/Comfort

The shell is made out of aluminum. It is almost the same shape as the OG Olina, with a different color scheme (blue-ish black) along with a metal back plate instead of resin. Inside the shell is the CNT driver, which HBB said to be the same driver as the 300$ Tanchjim Oxygen. Overall, the shell is on the small size and with its ergonomic shape, it is very comfortable for long listening session. I've slept while wearing this quite many times due to how compact and comfortable it is
The cable is soft, yet gets tangled easily. Overall, the quality of the cable is acceptable for the price of the whole package.



Sound

How do these sound? I think most of you guys are gonna most interested in this part



TEST GEAR:

- Source: Poco F3, Dell Vostro

- Dongle: 7hz 71, Jcally JA3

- Eartips: Whizzer SS20



Does it need an amp?

Imho, no. The Olina SE is quite easy to drive. With 7hz 71 as my dongle DAC/Amp, i can easily reach enjoyable volume with good sound reproduction.



Sound signature

The Olina SE has a very balanced sound signature, overall very smooth, not metallic nor sibilant.



Bass

Test track: first 20 seconds of the track "Mighty Long Fall" by One OK Rock.

This is by no means a bassy iem, yet it can deliver a very good quality bass with enough quantity. Very well controlled, well paced and accurate. It does not sound muddy or bloat at all. Kick drums, strikes, bass guitar are very precise and easy to perceive. Even if you're heavy basshead, i think you're gonna enjoy this.



Mid

Test track: "Lovers" by 7!!, "Shake it off" by Taylor Swift and "20/20" by One OK Rock.

The bass doesn't bleed into the midrange here, therefore makes the female and male vocal sounds quite distinct, clean and natural. The vocals are engaging, has good body and definition to it. There's a slight sense of forwardness to the female vocal than male vocal. Female vocalists like Nanae from 7!! or Taylor Swift just sounds...right, although it can be on the more relaxed side. It does not sound recessed or artificial whatsoever. That's the only way i can describe it. As for Taka-the male vocalist of One OK Rock, his voice also comes across as natural. It has a little bit of warmth from the bass, therefor makes his voice feel a little bit more rich.



Treble

Test track: "Licht Und Schatten" and many of "Attack on Titan" soundtracks

The treble of the Olina SE is smooth and pleasant to listen, with no sign of harshness nor sibilants. I've never feel fatigue even after listening to the Olina SE for 6+ hours straight. The detail retrieval is really good. I manage to notice all the micro nuances that i've never heard before in the treble region, especially when coming from the Blon 03 as my previous daily iems, like the lingering "ringing" of the cymbals and hi-hats. They come across more pronouced. There're also good amount of air and presence (although i'd like a bit more air). Overall, there's almost nothing to complain about the treble region imho.



Technicalities

Test track: Hotel California by Eagles

In terms of soundstage, I think they’re quite big. I’d say you would get more width than height or depth. The instruments are very well layered and well seperated. I got goosebump the first time i listen to Hotel California with these iem due to how good it sounds. 20 second after the 3:48 part, i was impress by how all the instrument was place and how they jump around the head. You can easily visualized how big the soundstage was at this part.

Comparison

Olina SE vs 7hz Zero

The Olina SE sounds noticeably warmer, has more thump, more note weight compare to the Zero. Vocal doesn’t sound as thin as the Zero. Olina SE has slightly more forward vocal compare to the Zero, but just slightly. The instruments in the treble region are more well recreated, the overall timbre sounds more natural on the Olina SE. The Olina SE also crushes the 7hz Zero in the technical department. Much more resolving, more details and slightly bigger soundstage. Overall the complete upgrade compare to the 7hz Zero,



Regarding the cons

As i mention above, the reason why i said there're tip dependent because for some reason, some of my go to eartips does not fit at all on the Olina SE. For example, with my Blon 03 or 7hz Zero, my go to tips are the Spinfit W1 and CP100+ size M. Both of those fit my ear PERFECTLY. Like, they're so well fit and well sealed that i can't imagine anything better. But as for the Olina SE, if i use the W1 and CP100+, they would just slip right out of my ear with no retention whatsoever. I still haven't found the best fitted tips for the Olina SE yet. The best seal i've manage to create was with the Whizzer SS20, which coincidentally improve the soundstage by a small margin, so it's a win-win i guess. But it's still not the best because i still find the iem sometimes slipping out of my ears.


As for the condensation issue, i can't use it more than 1 hour without dampen the filter with water. I have 2 solutions to this. First is to simply use the Tanchjim Tanya filters, which is the same solution for the OG Olina. Because the OG and the SE are tuned differently (OG+Tanya filter=SE; SE+Tanya=??), the sound signature are expected to be altered to some degree. Did i notice what was change? No. At least not to my ears. I'm sure there're some changes with the measuring gigs. My 2nd solution which "in theory" should not change the overall signature is to apply hydrophobic/nano spray onto the filter. Just cut out a pair of the provided filters, lightly spray 1 or 2 coats of the hydrophobic solution, dry it fast with the hair dryer and it should be done (i use laptop vents lol). The reason why i said "in theory" is because if you spray too many coat, the coating can actually block the whole filter itself. I lost 4 filters testing this. So yeah.

TL;DR: 1/Tip rolling dependent. 2/ Either use Tanchjim Tanya filter or spray nano solution on the filters to solve the condensation issue.


My conclusion

With my limited experience in the iem realm, i think the Olina SE is an awesome iem to have. All my life i've only use cheap iems before, from the likes of Xiaomi Pistol, to Blon BL03 then to 7hz Zero, then to this, it was quite an eye opening experience. I always thought "Meh, how good can a small pair of iems be. If i'm gonna spend that much money on an iem, i'd rather spend those on a fullsize headphone". Man was i so wrong.

I'm not saying this is the best iem in the world, nor will it be an endgame iem (that would be silly). But, with its vast yet still limited capabilites, i manage to have a glimpse of what a true endgame iem can be and what they are capable of.

The Olina SE has the retail price of 100$ on Linsoul and I’d say they’re worth it for the price, even after months from when it was released. However they usually go on for sale. I once helped my friend get these for 65$ on Aliexpress, which made it even more bang for your buck. If you’re an avid listener who is looking for a good iem under 100$ that is suitable for many different types of music, I think this is it. Even with the fast moving iem market, I think the Olina SE is gonna stay relevant for quite many months to come