Hoomia H8 Hybrid Drivers In-Ear Stereo Earphone with Micro Phone Brown

A little about me...
I'm 52 and live in the UK. I've been into audio since my teens. I built my first stereo amp when I was 16, and I know one end of a soldering iron from the other, and mostly I remember to pick it up at the end the lead comes out of... My last project was upgrading the capacitors and resistors in my Quad 33 pre-amp. I started playing the cello when I was about 8 or 9, gave it up when I was about 15, but missed the feel and sound of playing an instrument, and so bought and taught myself to play the mandolin when I was 18 and supposedly studying for my exams. Music has been a big part of my life for as long as I can remember. Playing an instrument helps remind me what real, live instruments can sound like, and what the experience of music is about.
 
My musical tastes are eclectic, from classical (Bach on period instruments, Tallis and Victoria renaissance choral, Vaughan Williams and Holst full orchestral) through all kinds of folk and rock (Dylan, Robert Plant, Nick Cave, Richard Hawley, Jackie Leven) and out the other end to dance and techno and world-beats (Daft Punk, Orbital, Afro Celt Sound System). For me, good audio equipment is all about it getting out of the way and letting me listen to the music.
 
I first became aware of the Hoomia H8 earphones from browsing this very site, and there didn't seem to be a great deal of information about them available – other than the great review by BloodyPenguin here on Head-Fi, which certainly piqued my interest. I already have some of the Chinese Xiaomi Hybrid-driver earphones, which I enjoy greatly, and I felt the Hoomias (from Taiwan) with a similar hybrid driver configuration, would be an interesting and enjoyable comparison. I received the review pair direct from Hoomia in exchange for writing an open and honest review.
 
My headphone listening varies: at home I have a couple of full-size rigs – Arcam and Cambridge Audio CD players driving a Schiit Magni, a Pro-ject Headbox S, a Mr Nixie Russian valve (tube) hybrid amp, and a Project Starlight valve hybrid amp. My full-size headphones are Sennheiser HD598 and Audio Technica ATH-M50x. However, I'll also listen to a Sony MZ-RH1 Hi-MD recorder and an xDuoo X3 DAP at home and at work using a range of IEMs including Musical Fidelity EB33, Sennheiser CX880, Xiaomi Hybrid, and Xiaomi Piston 3. Most of my IEM listening is either at work (office) or late at night when the house is quiet.
 
First Impressions
 
The Hoomia H8 earphones come in a substantial wooden box with a cut foam insert and a dense rubber  cable winder/storage bobbin. It's certainly quite up-scale packaging and you get the impression that Hoomia are pitching the H8s at a more high-end market than a lot of their other earphone production. The build of the phones also speaks of solidity and quality with the 3.5mm plug and the Y-splitter covered in a rich, brown-anodized sleeving, which tones very nicely with the dark brown, flat and sturdy cable (which is also very tangle-resistant). The earphones themselves are in either bare (or clear anodized – can't tell which) aluminium and are very nicely finished with a clean, engineered, "turned" appearance with laser-etched writing.  Each earpiece houses a dynamic driver (for bass and lower-mids) and a balanced armature driver (for upper-mids and treble).  The only slight let-down is the microphone assembly, which is made of black plastic; it works perfectly, but it looks a little "ordinary" compared with the rest of the product which is rather more "premium" as a whole. The H8s come with medium silicone rubber eartips fitted and with small and large spare eartips in the box, and a pair of foam eartips. I did all my listening with the medium silicone tips – they were comfortable and provided good sealing and isolation.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
 
The cables emerge straight out of the aluminium sphere of each earpiece without any strain relief, and whilst this feels pretty solid, I do wonder a little as to whether it might slightly shorten the life-expectancy of the cables at this point – especially as you have to use the cable a little as a "lever" to help with inserting and removing each earpiece from your earlobe. I'd feel a little happier if there were some kind of moulded strain relief around the cables at this point. Time will tell.
 

 

 

 

 

 
Listening
 
I generally give earphones about 48 hours or so burn-in. I'm not 100% convinced of the value of burning-in headphones – I think I've noticed some change/improvement in some cases, but I wouldn't bet my house on it. That said, I wouldn't call myself a sceptic either...
 
In this case, however, I plugged the H8s straight into my Windows Phone Nokia Lumia 1020 – because I wanted to test the function of the MusIC button (Windows Phone tends to be the poor relation when it comes to these things, which seem to be mainly designed primarily around Android functionality, and maybe Apple iOS). As it turns out, it works fine on my Lumia 1020; a single press pauses or re-starts the playback, a quick double-press skips one track forward, and a quick triple-press skips back to the start of the track (and a double-triple-press skips you back to the previous track). I hadn't intended to listen for long from my phone, but I found myself really caught up in the music – I was listening to the album Sen by Sevara Nazarkhan as a variable bit-rate WMA file and I was impressed by the clarity and spaciousness of the music, and the firm, almost tactile quality of the bass. I ended up listening for about an hour without intending to. A good start – coming from my phone and a fairly compressed file at that. I then plugged the phones into a portable CD played and gave them 48 hours of relatively loud music with a good spread of dynamic and frequency range (Midival Punditz – as it turned out; the CD was handy). I always feel a bit impatient when I'm burning-in 'phones – I want to have a bit of a listen, but by inner purist urges restraint until a couple of days have passed.
 
I have since spent about a week and a half listening to these phones with a wide range of music and I'm really starting to get a feel for them now. My main listening source has been my xDuoo X3 DAP, which continues to impress with it's musicality and openness. It always seems a bit artificial to break the sound down into bass-mid-treble, because that's not how I hear (or listen), but for the sake of making some sense of my impressions, I'll do so anyway...
 
Bass – The first thing which struck me with the H8s was their bass presence, and extended listening has borne this out. The bass is plentiful, but very well controlled and articulate. There is clear definition in the bass and it reaches down very low. My standout track for bass extension is Glistening Fields from Iarla O'Lionaird's Foxlight album – the bass goes so low it becomes a tangible presence if you're listening on speakers with a quality, hi-fi sub-woofer. The H8s reproduce that effect remarkably well – given that they can only work on the ears and not on the chest cavity as well!  It's also fair to say that the bass doesn't dominate or obscure the rest of the music – in dense orchestral passages it's still possible to hear into the heart of things and hear what's going on. I think that this is partly due to the quality of the mid-range...
 
Mids – Just out of curiosity, I like to listen to a 20Hz – 20kHz sweep through new headphones, just to see how they respond. Nope, it's NOT scientific, but in the past it has picked out some notable resonances in some phones which really ought to know better... With the Hoomias I thought I picked up a slight emphasis in the mid-range – nothing major – just a mild hump in the response. Whatever, listening to real music did reveal a corresponding clarity of detail and focus, particularly with vocals and some orchestral music. It's easy to hear through the complex textures of some of Wagner's or Sibelius's orchestral writing – and very rewarding it was. Likewise with Monteverdi's Vespers (Andrew Parrott's 1984 EMI recording) – the vocal lines are consistently clear, detailed and well-separated, with the other instruments existing in the same acoustic. The H8s appear to have been designed to get the best out of this kind of music. Where I felt they did slightly less well, was with some electronic-based music (Daft-Punk, for example), where the super-defined mid-range could feel a little fatiguing after a while, and I found myself turning the volume down, because it all felt a little "too loud". The Xiaomi Hybrids, with their slightly softened mid-range response, are a little more relaxing for listening to that kind of music for any length of time. Neither is right or wrong – it's about taste, and having choices.
 
Treble – One of the things I'm finding with hybrid-driver designs like the Hoomia H8s and the Xiaomi Hybrids is the sweetness and clarity of the treble response delivered by the balanced-armature unit housed in each earphone. Granted, I'm a 50+ year-old guy and my hearing isn't going to be going all the way out to 20kHz anymore, but my hearing is still pretty good and relatively un-abused – I religiously wear high-attenuation earplugs when I'm out on my motorcycle. The treble from the H8s really is a delight – clean, sweet, open, and with no undue emphasis or stridency. In some ways I find it hard to describe the "treble" on its own, simply because it seems so well integrated with the rest of the music. There's not a hint of that exaggerated "hi-fi-ness" that you can get (and which I try to scrupulously avoid, because I find it so irritating). Vocals feel very natural with no undue sibilance, and cymbals are very clean with no excessive splash.
 

 

 

 

 
Overall sound – Putting all this together, the H8s give a very detailed, seamless presentation. Very musical and open with no real vices or coloration to speak of. The sound-stage they present is open and spacious and very detailed, though interestingly, a little less widely spread than my Audio-Technica ATH-M50x – a little more intimate and "in the head". The sound-stage is very believable, with a real sense of placing with a genuine acoustic around performers.
 
They are very detailed. However, with some kinds of music, they can feel a little "unforgiving", perhaps just a little "too much", but I'm being really picky in pointing this out – it's the kind of thing that I might notice one day, and not on the next, even listening to the same piece of music. It's the "flip-side" of being so clear and detailed all across the audio spectrum; just sometimes one wants to take a seat a little further back in the auditorium. These earphones will not disappoint if you're after hearing all the information – they really are lovely and a delight in that regard. I'll be listening to a familiar piece of music and a smile will come to my face as I hear some new detail, or a familiar intricacy presented with a new clarity.
 
Value – Given that I received these earphones effectively "for free" (except that I've actually spent quite a few hours taking photos and writing this review), I do have to ask myself whether I think they are worth the asking price. On Amazon.com at the moment, they're available for $96 (or about £67.50) – which is a fair bit of money. On reflection, I do feel that at that price they do represent good value. If I'd bought them for that price with my own cash I'd feel pretty happy, and I'd be looking forward to listening to my music through them for a long while to come.

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Introducing the 2016 Hoomia H8, a Hybrid IEM from Taiwan [Balanced Armature + 8mm Dynamic Driver].
 

Check out this cool promo video of of the Hoomia H8:




**Disclaimer, a sample of the H8 was provided by Hoomia in exchange for an honest review**

~All photos taken by me~
 
 

*Packaging/Content*

- H8 Hybrid IEM
- Rubber Storage Thingamajig
- 3 Sets of Silicon Tips (S,M,L)
- 1 Set of Foam Tips (M)

This review includes the updated packaging, new for 2016.

Very interesting use of a wood box. It helps to package the H8 and also protects it when in storage as well.

You will also see the the H8 is stored via a circular rubber thingamajig. While this rubber storage device is different and helps to display the earphone, it is not of much use else where, as it leaves the H8 exposed to the elements, if you were to take it on the go.

Missing is a portable hard case, or even a bag for travel.

What is nice is the included silicon and foam eartips. This give you a better chance at achieving a good fit.
 
 

 




*Specifications*

- Driver Units: Balanced Armature + 8mm Dynamic Driver
- Sensitivity: 100 ± dB/mW @1kHz
- Impedance: 20 Ohm @ 1kHz
- Frequency Response: 5-40 kHz
- Plug Type: 3.5 mm
- Cable: 1.2 M
- Weight: 16 g
 

 
 

*Build/Design*

Little metal silver balls is what make up the H8 Housing. I find them to have a good weight, without being overly heavy. The metal itself has a nice finish, without attracting fingerprints. The earphone itself is put together well, with a premium finish.

The cord is flat and tangle free. However, it is quite prone to microphonics. You are going to want to sit still while wearing these. Strain reliefs are more than sufficient throughout.

The H8 comes with a simple microphone built in. While testing it calls to my wife, I found the mic to work easily as she could hear me very well, with little static.
 

 

 

 

 


*Fit*

Double edged sword here. Because the housing is small and slightly slippery, it can make inserting into the ears a little difficult at times as it can be hard to get a good grip. Once in the ear though, the round surface equates to a quite comfortable earphone. I found that this can be worn for lengthy periods without issue.


 
 

*Sound*

Right off the bat, you can tell Hoomia did a great job tuning the Dynamic and Armature Drivers to work together. The H8 has a distinctive and robust sound signature.

Lows - The H8 has presence down low that can be heard in some songs more than others.  I found them to be quite neutral while playing "The Cars - Tonight She Comes", where there is a perfect amount of mid-bass kick and control.  Though if I were to play "Björk - Immature" that the sub-bass kicks into high gear with a lot of presence.  It seemed no matter what I threw at the H8, it would adjust itself to the color of the song. 

Mids - While not the main focus of the H8, the mids do play a good part of the overall signature.  I would not say the mid range is recessed, more mid reserved.  Vocals, for example with "David Elias - Vision of Her" are portrayed with care and comfort, giving a relaxed feeling.  There is enough detail displayed in the mids for the H8 to keep up with most tracks.

Highs - The upper range extends farther up that I initially thought it would. This in return leads to more detail left in the highs. While frequency response is tall, it never becomes harsh or sibilant as it seems to roll off, just in time.  Best example here is "ZZ Top - La Grange" where the guitars can become down right piercing on some earphones, but never with the H8.

Isolation - Once you get past the effort it can take to insert the H8, you will find that it can make a nice seal thanks to the rounded housing. 1 - 10, 10 being the most isolating, I would say these are a solid 6. When music is playing, even at lower volumes, you are not going to hear much around you, well maybe the microphonic cable. There is also no concern for sound leak, as these keep the music hidden very well in your ear.

Sound Stage - Not sure what is going on inside that round little ball, but whatever it is, helps the H8 to achieve a wider soundstage than a close earphone should. While listening to these the other night I kept looking around because I thought I heard someone moving around my house. Come to find out it was just the background of the music I was listening too, talk about good distance and quality.


 


*Comparisons*

Puro IEM500 Vs Hoomia H8:

One of my favorite earphones to test new products against is the Puro IEM500 as it sets a nice benchmark, with a clean controlled sound signature. The two earphones are quite different in build and sound.

Build - While both have dual drivers , the Puro IEM500 needs more room because both are dynamic, making the housing much longer and larger than the Hoomia H8. The longer housing does have the added benefit of providing a better grip for insertion. Once in, I found both earphones to be equally comfortable. Build quality seems to be a dead heat as both feel premium in the hand.

Sound - These earphones have quite different sound signatures. While the IEM500 stays cool, calm and in control, the H8 sounds much more energetic and fun. Though both have their distinctive sound, overall playback quality is very much on par. It basically just comes down to what kind of signature you are in the mood for.


FiiO EX1 Vs Hoomia H8:

Full sphere verse half sphere. The H8 has even less in common with the EX1, than it did with the IEM500.

Build - About the only thing that is the same is that they both have smaller housings, while that in return makes them harder to grip it also equates to a nice, simple and comfortable fit. Other than that, they are quite different with the EX1 having a softer, none microphic cable and no microphone. Quality in build seems about equal though.

Sound - This is where the two earphones separate greatly. Is it fair to compare a dual driver with a single one? Yeah, why not. More drivers does not always equal better sound. Though in this case, it does equal a much different sound. The EX1 gives up lows for more prominent highs, while the H8 plays back much better overall bass and less fatiguing highs.


 
 

*Overall Thoughts*

Build quality is great, though as I mentioned the small round housing can be slightly troublesome when inserting them into the ear and the flat cable shows many signs of microphonics.

It would be nice if Hoomia threw in a little case or caring bag for on the go, as the rubber thingamajig is more for show than function.

The wood case is nice for display and protects the H8 well. I also like that foam tips are included with the silicon for more options and a better fit.

I keep coming back to the playback of the Hoomia H8. It has a genuinely fun and musical sound signature. They are truly an enjoyable earphone that has been well tuned by Hoomia. For those looking for a smooth, non-fatiguing, yet surprisingly detailed sound, the Hoomia H8 is an easy recommendation.
 

 

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