7Hz Aurora

7Hertz or 7Hz is one of the audio companies that has its paradigm shift moments in the audio landscape in 2021. If you are a long timer in the audio enthusiast scene, who will ever forget their first product, the 7Hz Timeless which was considered as the gamechanger of the planar IEM market and a dual dynamic driver basshead-favoured set, the LEGATO.



To be honest, I only have a few product reviews on 7Hz items that I've published so far and this content will be a third one. This product that will be featured here is their latest midrange product and compared to other 7Hz products that I've reviewed in the past, this one is quite different.



This is 7Hz AURORA, their latest product that will cater the midrange segment and it is a hybrid driver set-up IEM earphone. This set has three types of drivers that were implemented inside and these are dynamic driver, new generation micro planar driver and balanced armature driver. Each type of driver was assigned to a specific part of audio frequency as it has its own distinctive electro-mechanical performance. The 12mm dynamic driver has a composite material on its diaphragm as its delivers a clear, deep and rich bass quality while the customised dual balanced armatures (probably a newer generation of Bellsings) is capable to deliver a crisp, clear and brimming sound on the midrange frequency and then the new generation micro-planar driver (I have some intuition that this might a flat panel driver but need some more confirmation about this particular driver) will add more clarity, well-detailed on its resolution and copious amount of brilliance air. It seems that all these drivers were connected into three-way crossover circuitry for smoother, coherent, seamlessly flat and less distortion on its frequency response curve.



In regards to comfortability, despite its large frame for an IEM, the AURORA can give a very comfortable wear and comfort to my lugholes that I was able to wear it on long listening sessions. Passive noise isolation is quite excellent on this one as it really seals off some external noises from the outside.



The drivers and other components were encapsulated in a composite shell chassis in which the cavity base is made of an opaque 3D-moulded imported resin while its faceplate is a metal alloy with some titanium filament to give distinctive pattern-like banding on some steel forging process. The general dimension of the shells are on the large size just like most multi-driver hybrid sets and it has three ventholes on the top part for escaping some excess air pressure generated from its high performance dynamic driver. Regarding its interlocking mechanism for cable connection, it uses the standard 0.78mm bi-pin connector as it is the most stable and easier to detach.




As for its stock cable, it is truly a premium grade cable which is quite thick, durable and supple that it offers a less susceptible on entanglement. This one has 4-core gold-plated monocrystalline copper wires that were shielded with PVC insulators that are twisted and braided, and it has a modularity feature where we can change its termination plugs for output versatility that most modern audio devices have. The available modular termination plugs are 3.5mm single ended and 4.4mm balanced that were angled into a L-shaped form.



As for product packaging, the AURORA has a medium-sized rectangular box with some illustrations and information prints like basic specification and company addresses. The contents inside were well-arranged and organised as it gives a pleasant overall presentation.



These are the following contents inside of 7Hz AURORA's packaging box:

• Pair of 7Hz AURORA IEM transducers
• Stock cable
• A white-coloured pill-shaped carrying case
• Ear tips casing
• A pair of medium-sized balanced bore ear tips.
• 3 pairs of narrow bore ear tips in different standard sizes.
• 3 pairs of new generation of 7Hz high quality flexible silicone ear tips in different standard sizes.
• User's manual

In addition, I would like to introduce the latest 7Hz ear tips and they are made of pliable high quality silicone ear tips which gives an improvement of its brilliance extension, dynamic range and an increase of soundstage perception. It really offers me a very comfy feeling while having an excellent grip into my ears due to its tacky surface.



The 7HZ AURORA is actually easy to drive as it will amplify a good amount of audible volume level even from a device with decently normal gain output. But powering up on this set on the sources with a better amplitude level will sound even more fuller and vivid. I would like to share about this IEM on pairing and synergy on some sources, if I paired it to a more warmish-neutral or balance-neutral sources with some specified audio ICs like AKMs and Cirrus Logics, there are some noticeable smoothness and subduing those “digital glares”.



As for its tonality, The AURORA has a mild U to U-shaped (depends on the ear tips) sound profile with somewhat balanced presentation in all parts of the frequency range.


(Graph measurement was provided by @baskingshark , credits to his effort)


LOWS/BASS:

The bass response of this set is reverberating, precise, tactual and clean. It shows the quality of its bass region that makes this set's defining tuning. While it appears that it focuses more on subbass presence, it still balanced out with the ample texture on its mid-bass to give some semblance of authority and slam.

The deep, vibrant subbass presence can be perceived clearly on how it responds from subbass-focused instruments like low tone bass guitars, synthesisers, octobasses and drum machines. An adequate mid-bass texture somehow gives a sufficient note weight on instruments like bass kick drums, bass guitars, double basses, bass trumpets and male vocals like bass and bass-baritones. Bass kick drums have resonant, rumbly and sustaining sound on every stroke that even it can cope up with the fast double bass kicks on extreme metal tracks, bass guitars and double bass have rasping, sombre and resonant as both sets can be an accompaniment with music ensembles, the former instrument is for modern genres like rock, jazz and pop while the latter is for classical, operas and orchestras. Bass trumpets have metallic and a less fuller sound as it should have on its usual register, and as on male vocals, while it doesn’t have that depth and dark tone to give that guttural and booming voice but at least it has an ample weight with little vibrato to give some dense and wool-like sound on bass and bass-baritone vocals.


MIDRANGE:

As on how it renders its midrange presentation, it is quite discernible on how it is slightly a bit notch on the overall frequency range of this set but it has a well-balanced texture on its note weight to give some heft and density on instruments and vocals with an energetic and shimmery sound on it to add more clarity and openness on high-pitched female vocals, strings and some woodwinds.

On male vocals, baritones have a smooth, velvety and lushness on their vocals which are excellent on both light and lyric types of baritone voice although while other types of baritones like Kavalier baritone, Verdi baritone, dramatic and noble baritones sounds somehow natural but they are a bit too mellow, milder and less powerful as these voices needs more warm and note density. Tenors vocals are excellent on this one as all tenor voice types either it is leggero, lyric, spinto, dramatic and heldentenor have a spiciness, brassy, dazzling and tinny sound on them while countertenors have a graceful, tender and softness on their vocals albeit a tad brighter to this set's energetic tuning nature.

As on female vocals, while contraltos have this smoky and full voice on this set, I wish that they have more weight and depth on them as it is a typical timbre characteristic on this particular vocal type. Mezzo-sopranos have those intense and bold sounds while maintaining a velvety and tender vocals as they convey a melodic and soothing quality. Soprano vocals are probably the AURORA's most strongest forte on how it depicts the quality of this particular vocal type whether it is coloratura, lyric, soubrette or dramatic ones as they sound crystalline, silvery and shimmering.

On how the instrument sounds on this set, it appears that they all sound organic and detailed as it is able to capture some of its tonal colouration but some added brightness. Strings instruments like guitars, violins and cellos, there's a crisp, presence and bright sound on every plucking on the notation strings of guitars, while the violins have a sparkling and vibrant sound on every motion on its bowstring and a clear, lively and incisive sound on cellos. When it comes to woodwinds, flutes have bright, rich and silvery sound, have intense and brilliant sound, clarinets have bright and expressive sounds that evokes some pastoral theme on some orchestral tracks and saxophones have lively and reedy sound on them. As for brass instruments, trumpets have brilliant and vivid sound while trombones have penetrating and metallic sound, horns have a resounding, brilliant and metallic sound, and tubas have resonant and rumbling sound on them. Then on percussives, snare drums have clear, precise and sharp sound on every stroke, tom-toms have resonant and reverberating sound albeit it somehow lack of warmth, field or tenor drums have majestic, sonorous and reverberating sound on them, plate bells have some metallic and rich of overtones on them and kettledrums have dry, rumbling and substantial sound. Pianos have a well-balanced sound as it has a bright and even tone on its characteristic.


HIGHS/TREBLE:

Probably, one of the highlights of the AURORA's tuning to showcase its treble response. It is definitely on a brighter side of tuning but not that too intense or glaring that might ruin the overall balanced sound of this set. It has some emphasis on the upper-mids up to the presence part of the treble region to give a definition, detail and clarity on vocals and instrumental attacks. Despite the mild boost on those particular regions, I don't hear any stridency and the sibilance is kept under control although in some sibilant-laden tracks, I've encountered some occasional hissing sound. This type of tuning should take caution by some treble-sensitive folks out there due to its energetic and intense tuning of this set.

On the brilliance part of the treble, there's a copious amount of harmonics and well-defined sparkle and excellent treble air extension. On how it affects the tonal colour on each corresponding musical instrument, cymbals have bright, metallic and brilliant sound while hi-hats have a shortened buzz and sizzling sound. Glockenspiels on either mallet-types or keyboard variant, have this shimmering and brilliant sound on them and celestas have bright and lustrous sound that gives those “heavenly” and royal ball-like atmospheres.


SOUNDSTAGE, IMAGING AND OTHER TECHNICALITIES:

As I ascertain regarding this set in terms of technical facets, this is truly its strongest asset on why this set is such a remarkable performer in these aspects. We could clearly perceive its vast, spacious sound field with wide lateral span, excellent height reach and good depth distance from front to rear.

It does project an atmospheric and three dimensional stereo presentation where I can accurately locate the placement of instruments and singer(s) in a well-layered soundscape with excellent separation on each element.

The cohesiveness of its tri-brid drivers works pretty well on how these drivers work in unison with a homogeneity performance. Dynamic driver has fast transient to deliver a pristine bass response while the balanced armatures gives a smooth yet detailed output that works in support with added airy ambience from the micro planar.

Resolution capability wise, both macro-dynamics and micro-dynamics are commendable on this set as it shows a solid note texture while having a sharp definition of micro-detail retrieval on how it extracts the nuances of notation attacks, vocals ends and room effects like reverberations.


PEER COMPARISONS:

AFUL PERFORMER 8

• AFUL PERFORMER 8 has a hybrid driver set-up consisting of a single dynamic driver and seven (7) balanced armature drivers. Unlike the Aurora, it doesn't have micro planar driver and its shell chassis is entirely made of medical-grade resin shell with a sandstone-like colour theme and also.it has a smaller size compared to the AURORA which makes it more suitable to all ear type sizes. While it also has quite well-accessories like the AURORA and also has a premium quality cable but it doesn't have a modular termination plug feature.
• As for tonality, it has a mild U-shaped sound profile but in some way it has an almost balanced-neutral type of sound that I'm quite adhered to. Compared to the AURORA, it has a bit tighter bass response, a less colouration on timbre and more natural sounding vocals and instruments on its midrange presentation and smoother and even treble response albeit it has less airy extension.
• On technicalities, the PERFORMER 8 has a bit narrower and less spacious sound/speaker stage if it is compared to the AURORA. But the rest of most technical performance, it has a similar capabilities collated with the compared set.

KIWI EARS QUINTET

• This is probably the closest one that I currently have in my collection of multi-hybrid driver set-up and I can definitely compare it with the AURORA. QUINTET also has a micro planar driver aside from dynamic drivers, piezo-electric bone conduction driver and balanced armature drivers that were arrayed inside. It also has a composite shell chassis like the AURORA although it is more compact and its faceplate is quite more minimalist. Knowing KIWIEARS, they are a bit meagre in terms of accessories and its stock cable seems decent but doesn't have a modular feature.
• This set has a mild U-shaped sound signature and it seems it has less coloured sounding compared to the AURORA. It has more subbass-focus bass response as it has more rumble with a decently textured midbass just to give enough slam, a linear and more neutral midrange presentation with a hint of transparency and a bright treble with good sparkle and air on it.
• On the facets of its technical capabilities, while it has a pretty wide sound/speaker stage size, my main concern was its depth as it is quite lacking in my opinion. But at least it has a remarkable stereo imaging presentation, layering, separation and coherency. It seems that it has a sharp micro-detail definition but its macro-dynamics is less solid.

To sum up my assessment about this product, for the past few days, I'm quite impressed with the overall performance of the 7Hz AURORA as it gives me that engaging factor to enjoy its coloured tuning. The most thing that I truly amazes me was it's overall technical performance as if it reaches some of the best midrangers and probably even some TOTLs that I've tested so far, spacious sound/speaker stage, atmospheric stereo presentation, layering or whatever technicalities we know to determine its performance of playback.

While there are some improvements in terms of tonality and its timbre as there are some noticeable colourations like a bit too energetic that causes some tinny and brazen sound characteristics to some vocals and instruments as it might be an issue to some treble-sensitive folk. But with its balanced tuning with good bass quality, transparent, vivid and spacious vocal presentation on the midrange and a detailed, sparkly airy treble response, these particular tonal aspects are enough to outweigh those concern unless if you want a neutral head, treble-sensitive or wants a more colouration on its particular sound profile.


7Hz AURORA is now available at LINSOUL, if you are interested in this product, there's a provided unaffiliated link below.

★★7HZ AURORA - LINSOUL★★


For more 7Hz product review, check out the following items that were outlined with links.

■ 7HZ LEGATO

■ 7HZ ZERO II

SPECIFICATION:

MODEL: 7HZ AURORA
IMPEDANCE: 30Ω
SENSITIVITY: 105dB
FREQUENCY RESPONSE: 5Hz – 40KHz
CABLE LENGTH: 1.2m
PIN TYPE: 2-PIN TYPE CONNECTOR
PLUG TYPE: MODULAR 4.4mm, 3.5mm
DRIVER UNIT(S): (1) DYNAMIC DRIVER + (2) BALANCED ARMATURE + (1) MICRO PLANAR.


TRACKS TESTED: ( * = 16-bit FLAC, ** = 24-bit FLAC, *'* = MQA, '*' = DSD, *'= .WAV)

Alison Krauss -When You Say Nothing At All *
Jade Wiedlin - Blue Kiss**
Led Zeppelin - When The Levee Breaks **
Mountain - Mississippi Queen *
Queen - Killer Queen **
Guns N' Roses - Patience *'*
Eric Clapton - Tears in Heaven '*'
Sergio Mendes- Never Gonna Let You Go '*'
Pearl Jam - Daughter **
Roselia - Hidamari Rhodonite *
Assassin - Fight (To Stop The Tyranny)*
Celtic Frost- Visual Aggression *
New Order - Blue Monday *
The Corrs- What Can I do (unplugged version) *
Jimi Hendrix Experience - Voodoo Child *
The Madness- Buggy Trousers *
Metallica - Motorbreath **
Mariah Carey- Always Be My Baby *
Destiny's Child - Say My Name *
Malice Mizer- Au Revoir *
Mozart - Lacrimosa *
New York Philharmonic Orchestra - Dvorak- Symphony 9 " From the New World." *
Eva Cassidy - Fields of Gold (Sting cover)*
Michael Jackson - Give In To Me *
Exciter - Violence and Force *
Diana Krall - Stop This World **
Debbie Gibson - Foolish Beat *'*
The Sisters of Mercy – Lucretia My Reflection**
Suzanne Vega – Luka **
Lauren Christy – Steep *
Ottoman Mehter - Hucum Marsi *
Diana Damrau - Mozart: Die Zauberflöte*
Type O Negative - Black No.1 *
Felix Ayo - Vivaldi: Presto **
Three Tenors - Nessum Dorma *
Mercyful Fate - Witches' Dance *


P.S.

I am not affiliated to 7Hz  nor receive monetary incentives and financial gains as they provide me a review unit for an exchange of factual and sincere feedback from yours truly.

Once again, I would like to send my gratitude to MS. KAREENA TANG of LINSOUL for providing this review unit. I truly appreciate her generosity and trust towards me and other reviewers.

Introduction!
Hello friends!
Today in our review we will look at amazing tribrid headphones from the 7hz company worth $400!
They arrive in a very nicely designed medium-sized box that contains the company logo, an image of the headphones themselves and the name of this model Aurora.
And at the back are the technical specifications, and the sound is controlled by a 12mm dynamic driver responsible for reproducing low frequencies, and here we were also supplied with two custom armature drivers for mid-frequencies, and all this is complemented by a planar micro driver with a diameter of 6 mm, responsible for reproducing high frequencies, and the sensitivity is 105 decibel and they got 30 ohm impedance.

Let's take a look at what's included!
- Excellent set of ear tips in a transparent case
- Good branded case for storing headphones
- Excellent heavy copper cable with 2 pin connectors and a modular system of replaceable plugs here we have both 3.5 and balanced 4.4 jacks.
- Manual for use

And this is what the 7hz Aurora headphones look like, made of darkened medical resin, and they have an extremely interesting and rare front panel design that shimmers very beautifully in the light.

They received a standard 2-pin connector and next to it they gave us three compensation holes back.
And at the bottom there is a large inscription AURORA and channel markings.
The sound guide here is quite short but has a clear edge for better fixation of the ear pads and a gold insert.
And despite the rather large body of this model, they fit perfectly in the ears, even with the included ear tips, or with any other type of Divinus and Tangzu Sancai, the fit here is quite deep and everything is in perfect order with sound insulation.

How do these headphones sound?

And now, friends, we have come to the most important part of the review, namely the analysis of the sound of the 7hz Aurora tribrid headphones, and here everything is very familiar to me from the point of view of the approach to tuning, since there is a powerful and accurate low-frequency boost by as much as 10 decibels, with a neat transition from the midbass region to the midrange frequencies right up to that very familiar gain in the upper midrange region, and the high frequencies here have excellent extension.
Low Frequencies:
The low frequencies here are presented as super massive with deep sub-bass, excellent transparency and simply a gorgeously highlighted attack, the bass here does not sound relaxed or smeared and we have a very clear and highlighted kick and a clear punch in the mid-bass, which should especially please bassheads , since recently there have been few such bassier headphones in my reviews, and now the 7Hz Aurora just allows us to remember that same rolling and percussive bass, and for such a voluminous and pumped-up low end, respect from me.
Mid Frequencies:
But at mid frequencies it’s even more interesting, they are presented as very energetic with excellent weight and drive in the guitars, truly gorgeous airiness and excellent separation of images, and the presentation here does not feel dry or monitory at all, but on the contrary, it is a little warm, with a slight emphasis on upper mid to make the drums and vocals sound more prominent and exciting and I know that many of you like this less neutral and relaxed approach to tuning, and I can understand you perfectly, especially in comparison with the more neutral Tangzu Nezha headphones that play much more relaxed with less emphasis on the upper mids and such powerful drive and energy especially in the heavy genres of rock or metal, they definitely won’t give you anything for that, here’s an Фurora please.
The vocals here have excellent resolution without any hint of an armature timbre or its residual overtones, there is also excellent transparency of the voice and its image is perceived to be pushed a little forward along with the drum part, and this gives in many compositions a very pleasant immersion effect and more. enveloping deep stage design, and the drum part here with very confident emphasized transient processes simply perfectly complements this whole large-scale stereo panorama picture.
High Frequencies:
But at high frequencies here everything is exactly as I like, there is killer technology and simply insane analytics due to which these headphones literally disassemble heavy instrumental genres into separate parts and layers, and I note that all this is done extremely tactfully through the use of a planar driver, but Friends, agree that what is equally important is the detail in this area , and personally, I like it so that all the percussion cymbals sound very detailed in the overtones and have tails from reverberations that are not hidden anywhere, and various micro details and nuances, I think they should definitely be clearly audible and distinguishable, especially if we are already talking about these are top-end headphones in this price category, and they definitely work out this range as it should , and the excellent expansion of this area has definitely borne fruit here, which cannot but please me because of this, with all the trails and residual after-sounds, there is complete order here, even if the presentation here is not as neutral as in Nezha, but the resolution and increased detail and transparency here are simply mine respect, and of course I am glad that there is no hint of a fake resolution, and everything here sounds completely harmonious and correct, and at the same time, the most important thing is that only positive emotions remain after prolonged listening.
My conclusion on this headphones:
7hz Aurora are truly unique headphones due to the use of different types of emitters with extremely interesting settings and, most importantly, the output has a very driving, super emotional and bassy presentation, which should satisfy your taste. If you are tired of neutral and imposing headphones, then this is definitely your choice.
Aliexpress DD-Audio Store:https://aliexpress.ru/item/1005006833190177.html
Linsoul:https://www.linsoul.com/products/7hz-aurora
I will be glad if you subscribe to my YouTube channel and watch this full review on 7HZ AURORA!

Introduction
7hz have been making strides with their low-key yet very competitive releases so far. As a fan of the original Timeless all the while still keeping it in my collection, they have established their name as synonymous to budget-mid tier recommendations akin to the Timeless in the planar space to the Zero & Zero 2 in the budget-tier. The Sonus and the Dioko have their fans while the Legato has its niche basshead fans. I have to say I admire their release-window pacing and their attitude towards not fully launching the Timeless II without being confident of it which should be a pattern some chi-fi companies should take a note of, instead of churning out half-baked efforts. Now with the Aurora standing as their flafship to date and some good positive feedback from the recent Canjam SG behind it, the Aurora seems poised to be another success under 7hz's belt. Let's take a look into this nice-looking set shall we.




Packaging and Inclusions
The Aurora comes in a slide-out box with an attractive slipcover showing the product namesake without relying on any waifu. Upon sliding and taking out the inner box, you are then welcomed by a nice-looking faux white leather flip-top case which contains the IEMs along with 6 pairs of eartips + case holder (3 pairs similar to Acoustune AET07 and 3 pairs of their new first-party produced tips similar to S&S) . You are also then graced by the nice-feeling, no tangle premium cable with 3.5mm SE and 4.4mm BAL modular termination plugs. I have to say that the stock cable itself felt really nice and premiumly hefty. Just the exact nice set of accessories to fit your needs with satisfying quality.





Build
The 7hz Aurora out-of-the-box is a beautiful looking set, with shifting colors of the somewhat Damascus finish hoghlighting the faceplate. The shell itself is a dark translucent one that does not feel cheap or would crack soon but it is very lightweight that makes you wonder how were they able to jam a tribrid configuration of a 12mm DD and a 6mm planar along with dual BAs onto this setup.



Sound and Comparisons
The 7hz Aurora will impress you and outright give you some 'wow' moments upon pushing that play button that will immediately justify the price you pay for it. Its sound signature is of a balanced signature with somewhat of a upper-mids boost that makes it vocal-foward in a number of tracks and genres especially with jpop, female vocals, and mainstream. Ariana Grande, milet, and LiSA are definitely singing on these sets. What definitely complements is set is its execution of acoustic tracks and instrumentals. Pianos are lovely with the Aurora. Those key hit reverbs are really felt, Steinway & Sons would be proud Guitar plucks and strums sound alive and energetic. Best of all, the overall implementation is very detailed and airy. The Aurora is very resolving, jamming a lot of information at you upon playback yet imaging is ponpoint. Hence, it is somewhat its own disadvantage as others may find it fatiguing and even borderline bright in the upper mids going to lower treble. Playback of genres such as heavy metal, rock, and EDM is ranging from ok to quite busy as it does have a bit of trouble handling those with finesse because of the mix of planar timbre and busy resolution. Bass is punchy but may not have enough subbass to satisfy those who love the rumble, I wouldn't say they're deficient though. Just more than enough. On a similar note, orchestrals, concertos, and classicals also shine on this set. Microdetails pop out and are apparent and movie soundtracks are a delight to listen to. Male vocals and jazz though are a mixed bag and kind of a double-edged sword with these, some remarkably good and some are a bit dull and rough, weirdly putting some male vocals in the back despite being vocal-forward with the majority. An immediate comparison and reminder upon listening to these would be the AFUL Performer8, both being very detailed with copious amounts of resolution while playback of your music in a delicate balance. The Performer8 though is more neutral in tonality and soinds more cohesive compared to Aurora's sometimes off-put timbre but I would say the bass quantity and quality is just the right proportion for sets priced at this level while both execute treble in a very airy and extended manner. Staging is also very well-executed with width and depth going to the Aurora even if vocals do tend to be in the front, other elements are well distributed across the stage.





Conclusion
7Hz has a winner here with the Aurora, being a good balanced set that works really well with a lot of genres while being the utmost delight with female vocals, pianos, and acoustic guitars. I do recommend an actual listen with these as they could be a tilt sharp or shouty for your music preferences and if the sometimes unnatural timbre may put you off but if not, it's on the other extreme end towards enjoyment as it is very proficient with its strengths. It's also a fresh set thay set itself as a standout among the repetitive chi-fi tuning and Harman implementations. Very nicely done 7hz and if you do decide to launch the Timeless II properly, I do hope that it's going for something revolutionary worthy of a sequel but plays to its strengths like this.

Sidenotes:
IEM set has been listened via the Sony ZX-707, AK Kann Alpha, and Cayin RU7 separately using the stock eartips over the course of multiple genres across FLACs (16bit&24bit) and streaming (Tidal). The 7hz Aurora is available in Linsoul for $399 -
https://www.linsoul.com/products/7hz-aurora