TONALITY: 8.2/10
TECHNICALITIES: 7.8/10
TIMBRE: 8/10
SOUNDSTAGE: 8.5/10
IMAGING: 7.5/10
MUSICALITY (subjective): 8.2/10
CONSTRUCTION: 8.5/10
ACCESSORIES: 8/10
SOUND VALUE: 8.5/10

Kefine is a newcomer IEM company from China that has release a planar IEM call Klanar about 6 months ago and aim budget friendly IEM release that deliver high sound performance value.

Today I will review their second release call Delci.

Priced 60$ right now (msrp:75$), the Delci is a single dynamic driver IEM using a 10mm DLC+PU driver.

Let see in my review if the Delci is competitive enough to worth consideration in over crowded sub-100$ IEM offering.

CONSTRUCTION&ACCESSORIES QUALITY




The construction is all made of CNC aluminum alloy and feels extremely sturdy. The finish is gunmetal and has a pleasant texture, it doesn't seem easily scratchable which is a big plus.
As well, this one piece alloy is very lightweight at only 5.3grams.



On top we have the 2 pin connector, solidly embedded and aligned with the rest of the shell.
The nozzle is angled, and long enough for both shallow and deep fit.
This nozzle is a bit thick but doesn’t create discomfort.
Overall design is sober and elegant, not very colorful and striking to look at but I love low profile IEM too.



The included cable isn’t bad but comes only in the 3.5mm single ended option which is a bummer if most of your audio sources are balanced like me. Cable is a 4 cores braided with 164 copper wires, it's soft and flexible, looks good and feels durable.



As for the packaging, it's a minimalist box with a generous amount of eartips (6 pairs of silicone eartips in 2 models: short and long wide bore). The carrying case is basic quality but it has plenty of space for more than one IEM and 1 cable, which is a plus for compact portability.

All in all, I'm very satisfied with the construction as well as accessories for the price though lack of balanced cable option is a con nowaday.


SOUND IMPRESSIONS



Overall tonality of the Delci can be summarized as warmish U shape with big sub bass boost, mild mid bass boost, smooth upper mids-lower treble boost then mostly lean and dark treble until ultra highs crispness that add brilliance, sparkle and snap to a widely open and airy musicality with wide resonance rumble capacity that stretched headroom.
Electric bass, digital kick, female vocal and metallic high pitch percussions and sound are what get more intensity in tonal balance.
The Delci are near basshead IEM, they aren’t too bright nor too dark and aim for an immersive musicality with plenty of bass juice to bite in. It’s laid back yet near W shape in balance due to this extra upper treble extension that is something rare in sub-100$ IEM, which often lack proper sparkle.

The bass is thunderous in rumble, wide and heavy in slam, but not super speedy or cleanly rounded in mid bass so the kick while having minimum punch can’t compete with more dynamic sub bass, it feel thinner too, but does have this subtle tuck even with acoustic kick, it’s ‘’hidden’’ under bass line release resonance which benefit rumble density and tactility but not the sharpness of presence and positioning.
Bassist specialist then? I think so, electric bass lines are vibrant in texture and grunt and can get their own physical roundness, it magnifies the sense of layering even if as said the kick drum doesn't get the same treatment and isn’t as forwarded in soundscape.
I did enjoy jazz rock trio Autoryno with the Delci, since even if i nitpick kick drum definition perfection, the punch ‘’oomph’’ is there and mix well with more define bass line, it cohabit closely, sometime mixing their impact energy which benefit trip-hop, rap, R&B and soul as well as electronic music.
All in all, the bass is the main highlight of those Delci, but it excels with slower music genres as well as not too complex and busy tracks.

The mids sit between lush and bright, lean way. The female vocal are at risk of sibilance due to a slightly forwards and energetic presence, yet it’s not shouty or too loud, sibilance occur in 5-10 khz range so it’s pass upper mids and this is how instrument and vocal feel clearer too but not perfectly define. Without this extra attack edge, it would lack dynamic in fact so this is a well done balance afterall.
So again, lukewarm territory in term of resolution since it’s a mix of darkness and crispness here, definition edge of sound envelope is a bit messed up, it lack proper contour and has its harmonic more upfront than fundamentals, underlining a lower mid scoop that make instrument thinner and brighter that they naturally are, this is why i can’t say it’s 100% lush, sweet or warm.
Mids sound open and airy, piano has light note weight and clean rendering but lack attack lead definition as if piano was a wind instrument.
Male vocals are a bit thin too, but the presence is bright and clear, it’s not veil nor warm by bass, timbre of Kurt Eiling vocal can feel a bit nasally and harsh. It lacks lower range vibrancy and fullness and focuses more on upper range presence and grain, which benefit intelligibility of lyric but not musicality of the tone.
Female vocal are better and lusher and thicker, Jorja Smith breathy vocal sound very good, presence is wide and upfront yet not shouty or too aggressive.


The treble is the most impressive part with the bass, it’s plenty crisp and sparkly with an open and airy delivery. Not to imply that Delci are analytical but we have a good amount of micro details that pop up in soundscape with snappy energy.
Folk fans will be spoiled here since acoustic guitar sounds marvelously brilliant and well defined, cohabiting with vocals in an airy scintillating way.
Fine details of metal string pulling or scratching are delivered in ultra HD resolution, making separation of melodic line easier, it avoids too euphonic sustain too so the attack release while thin is clean too.
Some might find it extract unwanted or distracting micro details in instrument texture or percussions range, i’m one of those but mostly for percussions since when their a wide variety of high pitch sound some will be sharper and louder, gaining this metallic brilliance boost that make harder to follow full rhythmic richness, some cymbals lack proper atack lead while other are ultra snappy popping in with more authority and clarity, yet not being always fully restitute. So, in busy rock with plenty of crash cymbals, the air can get noisy with lean shrill resonance and the hit of each cymbal isn’t well felt or perceived.
This is a imprevisible treble response that can make violin attack super edgy and speedy sometimes, but this violin will sound thin and borderline metallic in timbre.
It must be noted that I judge treble without taking the price in account, like I do with EW200 which is superior in this department and I will show why in the comparison section.

The soundstage is quite impressive in term of wideness, it give a vast stereo sound tapestry that don't feel compressed. It's not a very deep and clean spatiality though.

Imaging is just average here, nothing to write about, even percussions are that sharp in positioning. Bass line are easier to position and extract. I would never suggest those for monitoring purpose.



Side Notes

At 28ohm of impedance and 108db of sensitivity, the Delci aren't hardest IEM to drive but benefit from proper amping to get all it's bass goodness as well as soundstage openess.

A balanced source do improve it's imaging and macro dynamic clarity, so in that regard, upgrading cable is legit.

As for eartips, i find wide bore the go to choice.

Since these are a bit warm, it pair better with clean source that have lively dynamic too.

COMPARISONS



VS SIMGOT EW200 (1DD-40$)

EW200 is notably brighter, crisper and more W shaped, it feels more neutral too in an energetic way, suddenly Delci feels more basshead L shape, darker as a whole and sloppier in bass response.

The bass is faster, tighter and more textured and defined in presence with EW200, mid bass is more focused, kick drum is less dark, bass line doesn't veil lower mids as much too. The punch is harder and dryer, while wide and juicier with Delci which has notably more boosted sub bass that offer longer thicker rumble release as well as wider slam. Overall transition in mids is warmer and more prompt to resonance fog that will affect definition sharpness of mid range instruments.

Mids are brighter and more technical, clearer and cleaner, as well as fuller and sharper in presence. Resolution is notably superior in this range (and above), attack is more controlled and I can see people using EW200 for monitoring purposes which I will never do with Delci. Both male and female vocals are less prompt to slight sibilance, they are about as loud but their presence isn’t as wide and diffuse and other instruments are clearer as well as air is cleaner around it. We have more note weight and faster attack control. Upper mids are a bit louder, nearer to shoutyness than smoother yet more sibilant Delci.

Treble is where the Delci has no chance to compete, EW200 is an abnormality in sub-100$ price range and offers notably fuller and more extended treble with faster snappier attack, more articulated, energic and edgy percussions dynamic. We have more micro details, not just random sound info boost, acoustic guitar isn’t just about brilliance, it sound fuller but as sparkly, Delci has more air and greater ultra high spike which feel like one-trick pony when it come to fast busy track with energetic percussions and drum since EW200 will not go as muddy and foggy in macro dynamic.

Soundstage wise, Delci go upper hand here, it’s way wider and taller, and even deeper due to more recessed center stage that have leaner amplitude intensity, so it feels more contemplative while you're in the middle of the jam with the EW200.

If resolution and attack control is from another league with EW200 it means imaging is superior even if it feels more compressed in sound layer, which are closer to each other but brighter and more defined in each sound envelope which doesn’t mix up in resonant diffusion like the darker Delci.

All in all, in term of plain musicality I would be lying to say I prefer EW200, this is due to the fact im both a fan of dense well layered enough rumble, not shouty mids and big soundstage as well as sparkle which Delci deliver, yet in term of plain technical performance the EW200 feel like a 200$ IEM vs a 80$ warm basshead one.

VS ARTTI R1 (3DD-70$)

Those 2 are quite similar in harmanish tonal balance but R1 is more technical sounding, a notch more W shape and crisper in mid range as well as cleaner and more capable in imaging.

The limitation of single DD vs 3DD is real here, it’s more evident with complex busy tracks that need proper macro dynamic layering where the R1 feels from another league.

But it doesn’t mean tonality is more musical, it’s less lush and laid back, thinner and dryer in timbre, less natural and warm in balance.

The bass is rounder, thicker, warmer and punchier with Delci, rumble is more vibrant and lush but separation is less clean. R1 bass is thinner and dryer, lighter in impact but faster in attack and not as prompt to bass bleed, bass lines are cleaner and better articulate too as well as more textured and edgier in definition.

Mids is darker and lusher with the Delci, vocals are less brightened in presence, smoother and creamier more colorful in timbre, male vocals are less bright and thin. vocal and instrument has wider but less edgy presence, timbre is more natural and upper mids less spiky with Delci. R1 has more open spatiality and clean crisper mids as well as more transparent layering, it’s less euphonic and prompt to macro muddyness

Treble is where Delci can’t compete since we have a whole DD for this task the R1 is way crisper and more detailed, airier even if both these IEMs can deliver sparkle. R1 percussions are better extracted and snappier in attack, we don't lose sound info as much as darker Delci. Treble sensitive people will find Delci safer too.

Soundstage is wider with Delci while it's notably deeper and taller and airier with R1.

Imaging and sound layering is from another league with R1, no competition here, even fast busy tracks keep their macro dynamic articulated and don't mix their sound layers easily unlike Delci that show its transient limitation.

All in all, i come to similar conclusion with R1 than i do for EW200, the Delci musicality is more natural and balance, bass is thicker and lusher and more pleasant as well as mids are more focused on vocals which are smoother and wider in lush presence with Delci, but technical performance can’t compete with 3DDs here even with an overall similar U shape tonal balance.


CONCLUSION



The Kefine Delci are a very pleasant sounding IEM, one of few well balanced warm U shapes I've heard under 100$. It would be the logical upgrade to something like Blon Z300, KBear Rosefinch or CCA CRA+.

Sure, these are no end games in terms of technical performance, but I've heard way worse and the sound signature isn’t technical in the first place. It aims for a smooth laid back bassy musicality which is very well achieved here.

If you like bass and rumble as well as lush warm vocals and need some sparkle on top, I think Delci is a very safe bet. Just the fact I'm underwhelmed 99% of the time by lack of sparkle on top and these deliver some is a big deal, due to keeping balance gently bright and not aggressive too.

All in all, Kefine is more than Fine and their second release confirms they know how to tune IEM since the Klanar is a very musical IEM too with similar tonality, slightly superior in technical performance due to the use of a planar driver.

Recommended!




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PS: I want to thanks Kefine for sending me the Delci. As well as for their patience because i took more than one month to accept this reviewing task. This was due to overwhelming suggestion from other audiophile buddies which are legit. I'm happy to have enjoy this budget IEM which I have zero affiliation with nor zero $ compensation (i don't resell IEMs 99% of time).

You can buy the Delci for 52$ here (non affiliated link and cleaned from cookies): https://www.aliexpress.us/item/3256806495115861.html

TONALITY: 7.8/10
TECHNICALITIES: 9/10
TIMBRE: 7.5/10
SOUNDSTAGE: 8.8/10
IMAGING: 9/10
MUSICALITY (subjective): 7.5/10
CONSTRUCTION: 8.5/10
ACCESSORIES: 8.5/10
SOUND VALUE: 7.8/10

Letshuoer is a well established IEM company from China that was founded by Danny To in 2016. They have launch an array of IEM but specialize in hybrid and tribrid IEM. Yet, they have launch best seller planar IEM like the S12 which was acclaim for years as one of best planar IEM.
I’m a big fan of their tribrid IEM, especially the EJ07M which i’ve reviewed very positively in the past as one of best tribrid with EST sound value, something on par with Mangird Xennup but selling for 100$ less and using smaller and more comfortable housing.

Today, i will continue to tribrid line up discovery with the Conductor.

Priced 823$, the Conductor is a tribrid universal custom in-ear earphones using 1DD for bass, 1x sonion woofer for lower mids, 1x knowles BA for mids, 1x knowles for highs and 4 sonion EST for ultra highs.




The tuning goal is to excel in classical music reproduction with a cohesive and highly detailed musicality that will permit symphonic composition to be fully readable.

As a big fan of classical music, let see in this review if the Conductor deliver it’s promise.

CONSTRUCTION&ACCESSORIES



The Conductor is certainly a looker due to its colorful back plate, it use medical grade resin plastic that feel sturdy and is soft under they hands. Whole housing is translucent apart back plate, this permit you to contemplate all those marvelous drivers and I admit i pass way too much time admiring the sonion electrostat drivers, which i find fascinating both for they eyes and ears.
While chunky, the shell isn’t that big for such tribrid. Nozzle wise, it’s perhaps where fit issue can happen due to large and oval (!?) shape, this thick nozzle has 3 hole connected to inner tube, it most not be block with ear tips, and finding the right one isn’t that easy. I struggle quite alot to get an ear tips that will embrace the shape of nozzle and don’t have gap around it, which will affect bass fullness and behavior. I suggest you to give great care about ear tips choice.



The included cable isn't bad, it's a 6N pure oxygen free 2 cores cable that come in balanced 2.5mm plug with very welcome L shape 2.5mm to 3.5mm single ended and 4.4mm balanced ended adapter. Sure, i would have prefer a proper modular cable but those adapter can be use with my other cable, which is very usefull. My only complaint about this cable is that i find it stiff, it's not very soft and flexible so i expect it to age badly.



In term of packaging, it come in a big box that feel luxurious with great care to presentation which include a Letshuoer booklet showing all their IEMs models.
In term of accessories, it's average and come with 6 pairs of silicone eartips, 2 pair of memory foams tips, the cable and adapter and a very basic carrying case, which is my main qualm here since we expect a more glorious and spacious carrying case with such flagship IEM. But that's nit picking since overal packaging and accessories are good.

SOUND IMPRESSIONS



The tonal balance of the Conductor can be summarize as crisp W shape with softly boosted sub bass, smooth open transparent mids and very expressive treble response which captivate the listener with it’s agile, sharp and speedy attack that add sens of air and clean clarity on top.

It’s an IEM that magnify sens of clarity and transparency as well as pin point imaging. This is near treble head IEM but in a gourmet way, since it’s for sparkle and brilliance lover as well as those that get sens of extra excitement when percussions in their music is edgy but not noise, fast with flexible sustain release that can deliver details of air release and micro details that only great electrostat driver can dig out.

Since the Conductor are 10th tribrid with EST I’ve tested, I can confirm that the benefit of those 4 drivers aren’t subtle here, attack edge has this bite and expression immediacy that add dynamic intensity and a controlled sens of articulation, it doesn’t blur silence around high pitch sound wich boost readability of rhythmic and melodic phrases. Presence of each instrument has fine liner contour to it, perfectionism detailing only fully awaken EST’s can achieve.

Yes, the Conductor is a technical beast, it’s not plain clinical though due to this bass boost that add hint of overtone warmth to mid range, but nonetheless those aren’t very colored sounding IEM, nor the lushest or thicknest when it come to mids and bass. The COnductor are sitting between monitor and reference musicality, with most of it’s dynamic energy coming from upper treble.

This time I will begin with TREBLE because it’s center of the show, it’s what pop out with most vivacity in macro dynamic and add extra edge to mids instruments and vocal presence as well as hint of bite to bass line. With the Conductor, it’s all about crispness atmosphere that magnify sens of clarity sharpness, amount of air around instrument as well as within their attack release is spectacular.
Those 4 electrostat driver can deliver clapping, clicking, slapping and snapping sounds with impactful attack accent that make speediest percussions or guitar harmonic effortless to read.
The violin has vivid authority to it’s attack, it’s presence is fullfill with fine texture details without sounding opaque or noisy in timbre which is very transparent. Sure, corpulency isn’t the denser or lusher and some might find violin a bit too thin or favor in harmonic over fundamentals but the resolution is pristine and Conductor don’t struggle with polyphonic ensemble and keep its clean readability of each sound layers gloriously.
In term of timbre, lower treble don’t feel colored nor very creamy, saxophone will not be densify with euphonic air vibrancy which can be mandatory for proper tone restitution, it’s forward in presence intensity but not in sustain of air blow.
The Conductor vividity benefit metallic instrument like acoustic guitar, harp, mandolin, banjo, Kora, timbalum, xylophone and whole range of percussion.
The cymbals have plenty of brilliancy with high attack stanigma and a fascinating splash release that is fullfill with sound info texture, scintillating longer than expected without getting unwanted amplitude intensity in release that could make it sound splashy. For once, those crash cymbals don’t mess with transient of other instrument and keep their pace in a well layered way.
The snare is supper snappy with an urgent impact, drum rolling don’t loose their bite whatever the speed. The Conductor are true percussionist maestro.
And so they are for prodigious classical guitarist too since I feel the highs sharpness benefit more single harmonic note than guitar chord stroke which need a bit more fundamentals density. We are spoil with sparkle pleasure when it come to guitar, even in crowded music, you’ll never struggle to appreciate fine presence of each note, which are delivered with confident knife-like attack. The shimmer blossom fully in they air, clean and stable in extension which go up 20khz in effortless fluidity.
Sparkle lovers rejoice because the Conductor is an airy highs brilliance beast that fully boost it’s 4 EST potential. Don’t be scare that it goes trebly since EST deliver ultra highs with delicate confidence. It’s speedy, sharp and airy without poking your ears, it deliver micro details effortlessly but the tuning of Conductor favor the edge of them, adding vividity excitement without boosting sound info in thick layers.
This is for refined treble head, not those seeking screamy highs fest, this treble add air around instrument, add clean razor sharp edge to upper range instrument and percussions attack, magnify sens of natural resonance release without adding euphony to sound envelope.
It’s light and crispy, not thick and crunchy, it doesn’t bite in attack sustain but cut it’s lead attack definition cleanly, it doesn’t do big brush stroke of whole presence of each sound but use fine liner to draw micro details in a perfectionist way that let nothing behind.

Keywords: razor sharp resolution, brilliance vivacity, mettalic snap, effotless micro details, thin, clean, airy

The mid range is bright and edgy but softer in dynamic intensity than highs, it’s maturely refined and focus on clarity and spatial cue which mean Conductor can be good for monitoring purpose. Center stage is clean, open and airy with excellent sens of transparency which benefit resolution and polyphonic imaging.
Their no guilty pleasure with the Conductor, mids are serious sounding, speedy but light in attack note weight, hyper realist in texturing but not the most dense and natural in timbre fullness.
The female vocal are brighter and more forwards than male, intelligibility is top notch, the presence is clean and well carved, definition edge isn’t blurry and even if lively and forwards they don’t induce invasive sibilance (but their some instance of it) nor feel shouty, it’s most energic part of mid range for me in fact, less thin too.
The piano lack a bit of well rounded corpulency, but has top notch resolution and fast attack with fascinating resonance release that doesn’t blur articulation of each note nor add overtone warmth, it’s delicate and cerebral in expressivity, it doesn’t slow the pianist playing with unwanted euphony so we have excellent readability even at high pace playing.
The mix of BA and EST for mids add extra definition edge to the already boosted presence, this make each instrument crisply define with very informative texture resolution, timbre isn't affected with warmth coloring or fundamentals euphony, it's dry and abrasive.
The saxophone sound energic and fowards with concentrated energy that add sens of intensity and expressivity to the playing, which keep it's articulation accent even in very speedy track.
Same goes for the violin, it's super agile and Hilary Hann prodigious playin of Bach partita can fully reveal it's speedy prowess.
Yes, this is a very technical mid range that certainly shine more with anything instrument than pop, rap or electronic music.

Keywords: Crisp, transparent, edgy, analytical, vivid, open and airy, cold, energic presence boost

As for the bass, it seem Letshuoer is quite addicted to U shaped tonality, which goes W shape here due to extra ultra high boost and extension. With U shape I mean the sub bass slam, rumble and bass line extracting is more boosted tha mid bass hard thumping and acoustic kick drum livelyness. We have a bit of lower mids-upper bass taming here, to keep mids open and crisp, but this affect drumming engagement to the benefit of bassist.
The bass line are well bodied, vibrant in air density, electric bass will have grunt when needed, double bass will have a deep colorful release, cello will not sound like violin yet be as clean.
So we have more sub bass than mid bass energy here and this permit easy tracking of bass player of all type since the presence is well textured and have proper attack bite. Their no artificial resonance added, which avoid background or fowards veil of soundscape.
The slight warmth we have slip into lower mids naturaly, this is where it can shadow the kick drum which have lighter dynamic impact and lack a bit of well define punch, this is a bit sad because othewise the macro dynamic will fully feel speedy and awaken. Acoustic drum has more presence resolution than tone fullness. Toms will sound more punchy than hard kick.
So, this is bass player specialist, which mean organ and cello in symphony will be easily perceivable and well position in spatiality too.

Keywords: sub bass dominant, well felt slam, no hard thight punch, slightly slower than other drivers, excell with electric bass, cello and double bass

The Soundstage is average wide and tall but very deep and clean, it's like an intimate concert hall in the sens it feel airy and open but not overly stretched in stereo wideness.

The Imaging is one of main highlight of the Conductor, and I can see these being use for monitoring purpose from bassist to vocalist to percussionist. The excellent clarity is clean and permit an easy positioning of each instrument due to great transparency of each sound layers you can pull apart effortlessly. High pitch instrument will be sharper in spatial cue than lower mids instrument like piano, its easier to pin point fast violonist or percussionist than fast tenor sax or pianist.



Side Notes

At very low impedance of 8ohm and rather low sensitivity of 102db, the Conductor are capricious in term of audio source and need one with low impedance output otherwise the ESTs will sound more euphonic and overall musicality will go warmer, more distorted in harmonic. 0.5ohm or lower is suggested, the Xduoo X20 was excellent pairing (0.1ohm) and permit ultra clean and crisp musicality. So, the magic pairing will happen with enough powerfull and clean source (min of 150mw@32ohm)

As noted, eartips fit is a bit complicate with the Conductor, stock one doesn't do it for me so I use Tangzu Sancai soft silicone eartips that can adjust to exact oval shape of the nozzle as well as stayin in place safely unlike short wide bore eartips that can move randomly on the lip-free nozzle. Too stiff silicone tips can create discomfort too, since the nozzle is already very big.

Then, yes, the Conductor are picky about cable too, from experience more an IEM has different type of drivers, more it's sensitive to cable. This explain why single DD or planar IEM don't worth intense cable obsession. The stock cable is good but don't wake up dynamic enough and tend to stole some air, I suggest the Simgot LC7 for vivid W shape goodness or Letshuoer Nebula if you want go go smoother lusher musicality and improve vocal timbre as well as bass roundness-fullness.


COMPARISONS





VS Oriveti OV800 (8BA-999$)

The Conductor is crisper and more U shaped in balance with notably sparklier and snappier treble.
The bass is less thick and punchy but more boosted in sub bass and digging deeper, it delivers longer rumble sustain and has a cleaner separation.
Mids are more open and airy, more transparent, a notch thinner especially male vocal and female vocal are a bit sharper as well as upper mids, timbre wise OV800 is darker and lusher, smoother, but struggle more to keep macro dynamic readability with fast busy track, their a notch more warmth.
Treble deliver higher amount of micro details, feel more analytical with faster attack that has sharper definition, snappier attack lead as well as notably more brilliance, it’s easier to follow complex speedy percussions, this make the COnductor feel W shape in balance too even if main focus is bass and treble.
Soundstage is wider and deeper, cleaner too.
Imaging is superior in both layering transparency and instrument separation space.
All in all, tonality wise the OV800 is more cohesive as a whole due to more uniforme timbre sharing between BA drivers, but musicality is leaner, warmer and a notch more mid centric too. In terms of plain technical performance it can’t compete against the Conductor which offers better extension in both low and high end as well as higher resolution and superior imaging and attack control.

VS LETSHUOER EJ09 (1DD-4BA-4EST)

The EJ09 sound cleaner, fuller in treble, more neutral but slightly more mid centric too and ultimately balanced.

Conductor is brighter and more V shape with more forward upper mids and instrument and vocal presence, offer warmer, more sub bass resonancewith wider more euphonic and energic slam.

EJ09 bass is faster and thighter, more rounded in mid bass punch and clearer in bass line but not as rumbly and resonant in sub bass release which is more vibrant, dense and warm with Conductor. Overall bass is thinner and more boomy with Conductor.

The mids of EJ09 are cleaner,clearer, leaner and fuller sounding. Vocal aren’t as forwards and loud, they are sharper in resolution but smoother and more controlled in intensity and attack release. Both violin, guitar, electric guitar sound richer and more textured in presence with more define sound envelope but slightly more edgy harmonic, attack has more bite and so did vocal, this mean while less shouty EJ09 are more prompt to slight sibilance (shhh-ssss)

The treble is fuller in global sound info with the EJ09, we have more micro details but not as delicate and airy ultra high. Percussions are fuller and crunchier with the EJ09 and more thin and snappy and brilliant with the Conductor. Everything sound lighter and airier with the Conductor, more hall like and contemplative apart this extra clarity boost in lower treble that magnify sens of transparency and presence energy.

The Soundstage is wider and more holographic with the EJ09 but notably deeper with the Conductor, which feel airier and taller too.

As for imaging, EJ09 is superior and more appropriate for monitor purpose.

All in all, EJ09 is more balanced and neutral in tonality as well as a notch superior in technical performance, unless your a U shape or sparkles addict in which case the COnductor deliver plenty.

VS BGVP PHANTOM (1DD2BA2BCD4EST-800$)

The Phantom sound more analytical, W shape and bright, while Conductor is crisper, airier and more U shape in balance.

The bass of Conductor has more slam energy and rumble release, its more boosted in sub bass while not as thick and round in mid bass punch which is more textured and punchy with the Phantom but not as airy and clean in definition, bass line feel more opaque and grainy with Phantom..

Mids are more forwards and focus with the Phantom, the bone conduction add presence fullness which make vocal notably richerin texture and wider thicker in presence as well as louder and more intelligible, it’s not as transparent and airy as well upper mids aren’t loud in same way, so this make Conductorr feel a bit shouty and unbalanced in harmonic density. We have more sound info with Phantom, it feel more mid centric and focused, it’s superior in all department but amount of natural air around instrument which has extra presence boost too with Phantom.

The treble is darker in micro details amount with Conductor, yet sparklier, more brilliant and airy too. The Phantom highs will have more crunch that show greater amount of texture richness while Conductor will focus on ultra highs snap and air, offering thinner percussions but with sharper and faster energy, this make acoustic guitar sound more metallic but more scintillant too as well as cleaner, less thicken with whole sound envelope richness. I wish i can have both air and resolution with bone conduction but it add an extra resolution layer, a bit like oversampling but for the psychoacoustic part of hearing.

The the soundstage sure sound more in your head with the Phantom, this is something to note with IEM using bone conduction, it do stole natural air flow. So, in term of spatial perception i can just feem its slightly taller, while COnductor is notably wider and way way deeper, but it’s the center stage their, it’s not that good to be that far.

Imaging is superior with the Phantom due to greater mid range resolution and fuller sound layers presentation that can cohabit a compressed yet very holographic and articulated soundscape.

Ultimately, their no doubt the Phantom is slightly superior technically, but that doesn’t mean it’s musicality will appeal everybody, the EST benefit is more evident with the Conductor wich is airier, snappier and sparklier, so if you favor transparency and bassy vivid crispness I’ll go Conductor, and if bright analytical neutral with slight mid bass boost is your thing, Phantom is the way to go.

CONCLUSION



The Letshuoer Conductor is a statement of technical prowess with prime focus on treble crispness and delicately boosted clarity that take full advantage of it's 4 electrostat driver to permit x-ray like micro details delivery.

It's musicality is both grandiose and contemplative but not in a passive way since everything sound lively, sharp and intensely well define in it's soundscape, as well, the bass has slam and vibrancy, vocal and high pitch instrument are fowards and most of all the highs extremely open, holographic and multi leveled in quantity.

This mean the Conductor shine with complex instrumental music from classical symphony to jazz ensemble as well as making folk music and acoustic guitar achieving next level of HD like reproduction where sparkle can fly in the air as long as the recorded sound info tell so.

The Conductor sure is a maestro in it's own right, and worth being consider by a wide range of musician from classical guitarist to even bassist. For this reason as well as it's technical performance superiority, the Letshuoer Conductor is:

Very Recommended!





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PS: I want to thanks Letshuoer for sending me this review sample. I'm not participating to any form of affiliated program or $ making strategy that can bias my subjective sound impressions and opinions. I collect and keep 99% of IEMs i review. I loan them to any canadian that are curious about them too and reach me.

You can order the Letshuoer Conductor for 823$usd on their official website here:
https://letshuoer.net/products/conductor-pro-concert-earphones-classical-music-headphones

TONALITY: 8.5/10
TECHNICALITIES: 8.8/10
TIMBRE: 8.5/10
SOUNDSTAGE: 7.5/10
IMAGING: 8.5/10
MUSICALITY (subjective): 8.2/10
CONSTRUCTION: 8.8/10
ACCESSORIES: 8.5/10
SOUND VALUE: 7.8/10

INTRO

Oriveti is a well established IEM company from Hong Kong, China. It was founded in 2015 and since then they have launched hybrid IEM like the OH700VB I've reviewed and tremendously enjoy, as well as multi-BA driver OV series I will discover with you today. They began launching single dynamic driver IEM too with their OD series, OD200 receiving quite good praise among the audiophile community (haven’t tried this one though).

Today I will discover the OV series by testing the top of the line OV800 which is an 8BA IEM with 2 switches to offer 4 different tuning choices.

Oriveti has designed their own balanced armature drivers for mids (4BA) and highs (2BA) while they use the very capable knowles BA woofer for bass part (2BA). In fact, I'm really fond of these knowledgeable BA woofers especially when using 2 and this is what pushed me in first place to test the OV800 (as well as the overwhelming love I have for the OH700VB).

As well, this IEM uses a 3 way active crossover, which is a must to achieve proper tuning with that many drivers.

The sound ideal Oriveti pursued with OV800 is described as ‘’sophisticated, balanced, natural with a luxurious low-pitched sound’’. If you noted OV800 uses half of its BA for mid range, you can expect fullness without lower mids compromise with those.

Priced 999$, the OV800 has been launched 2 years ago and can be put into the high end multi BA market that include 64audio, Aroma Audio and Unique Melody offering.

Let's see in this review if the OV800 offers a sound quality and musicality that is worthy of attention in 2024.






CONSTRUCTION-ACCESSORIES




The OV800 is a handmade resin earphone, it uses medical grade resin plastic of excellent quality that feels thick and sturdy. The plastic is dark green and half transparent, so with some light you can see 8 balanced armature hidden in its belly.The finish is very smooth and the beautiful wooden back plate has intricate wood texture and pattern, its dark green has an earthy feel to it, it’s sober and elegant, not flashy and bling bling. As I like. At the top we have a female 2 pin connector, it’s non recessed and aligns flatly with the rest of curvy housing that has an organic shape without any hard angle that could poke the ear cavity.

The back has 2 switches, deeply embedded in the body. You need a tool to change position which is a bummer but very common. I wish we can get these switch designs with just 2 mm extra length so we can change position with our nails. Oriveti tries to solve this with their OH700VB but goes to another extreme making a too long and flimsy single switch…that you can swap accidentally.
Anyway, the OV800 uses a common switch used with 99.999% other IEMs on the market.The housing is at the big, long and chunky size, so people with very small ears should take note, the nozzle is very thick too, among biggest in my collection, very same size as OH700, this make ear tips fit complicate as well as making it risky bet for people with small ear canal. No problem for my elephantine ears.



The included cable is quite good, it’s a 8 wire silver-plated copper cable that looks very luxurious. The cable splitter is made of sculpted metal and a real looker. While this cable screams quality and durability, it comes in 3.5mm single ended format, which is a bit odd nowadays with all these balanced portable sources. But I understand it’s an older IEM, the cable included with OH700 is more practical in that regard since it's modular with 3 different changeable plugs. I wish the OV800 had this very cable.



When it comes to packaging, I'm the kind to enjoy the smallest , most minimalist one in terms of vain package material yet highest accessories quantity and quality.
Oriveti seems to dislike over the top packaging, which is a plus. OV800 comes in a small cubic box which is elegant and well made. It’s fully packed with various ear tips types, we have 8 pairs of silicone eartips in 3 models, 2 pairs of memory foam tips and unexpectedly: 3 pairs of Azla Xelastec.
As well, we have an excellent carrying case, beautiful and sturdy, made of leather and round and deep, very elegant too.
We have a nice cable and a cleaning brush, a 3.5mm to 6.35mm adapter plug and a 3.5mm to 2 pole adapter I don't know the name of nor the use.

All in all, very satisfying construction and accessories, and adequate for the price range of this product (some more rubbish luxurious IEMs companies should take Oriveti as an example in that regard).

SOUND IMPRESSIONS



The overall tone of the OV800 is neutral, balanced and smoothly bright with 2 switches that can increase the intensity of the bass and treble, which influences the liveliness of the rendering and the energy as well as the abrasiveness of the attack of the harmonic and rhythmic.


Both downward switches deliver a flatter musicality devoid of any coloration.
The 1 towards the top adds a touch of warmth, density, palpable roundness and especially bass impact.
The 2 upwards is the most aggressive in the treble, the sharpest in the cutting of instrumental definition and the least focused on the bass, it would be the ideal choice for analytical listening such as mixing or sound mastering.
Both towards the top offers the most lively balance over the entire range and could be considered W-shaped where the presence and body of the bass, mids and highs are pushed the most forward, without becoming incoherent or too excited in their dynamic and tonal cohabitation.

The OV800 are IEMs delivering a mature and highly articulated intimate musicality without being harsh, clear without being garish and neutral without falling into the clinical. They are energetic because the impression of speed of the music is not attenuated by the performance limits of its 8 balanced transducers or muffled by the coloration arising from overly amplified bass resonance.

These IEMs do not offer a very warm or sweet musicality, even if the balance of textures and colors is not dry and artificial.
Unlike the OH700VB which are more bassy, colorful and warm, the OV800 aims for a reference sound reproduction with amplified resolution in its expressiveness without becoming eccentric or caustic.
Neither bassheads nor treble heads will find their dose of guilt with these IEMs with their mature and polymorphous tone. So, who knows, maybe the extra bass or treble that the 2 “tuning switches” allow would please a wider audience.

The BASS has a medium impact intensity with a slightly cut extension in its sub bass release duration. It’smore boosted and focused on mid bass punch and roundness than sub bass extension and rumble which cut short.
Due to the fact that we have two BA woofers for this section, the articulation and separation of the bass lines (infra bass) and kick drum (mid bass) is excellent.
The downward extension is not very dense or rumbly, it is a little compressed which thickens the bass lines and amplifies their vibration speed, making them more opaque but also more tactile and well defined into the macro dynamics.
What is impressive is that the bass lines do not swallow up the kick drum which is also round, fleshy and fast. The mid bass are focused, they are fast and a little softened in their cutting angle, the transition in the mids is not the cleanest.
The kick shell blends into the lower mids without clean air that will widen the sense of separation with kids, it in fact makes it more intimate and cohesive as a whole.
I’m often underwhelmed by acoustic kick drum sound envelope with most IEM, this isn’t the case here since we have a whole BA woofer for this purpose, it mean the kick is round and weighty in it’s impact, it’s dynamic isn’t flatten nor just about static brighten presence, the texture is subtle but realist and the speed is impressive, even drum rolling have their attack accent well articulated in busy track, this mean the OV800 deal well with jazz and rock.
But it doesn’t mean it can present whole fullness of double bass note release that vibrate down to 20hz but feel compressed in it’s natural air flow here, it’s not boomy though and fast player bass line are easy to follow, it do better for electric bass that tend to preserve their grunt.
Don’t expect big or deep rumble, but well articulated layering and speedy bass with just a notch of warmth into mids transition, this isn’t thin bass, mid bass being round and tactile and felt in punch but it’s not a fun bass either, thus the mature tonality.
I tend to prefer wider headroom and heavier slam, but find this bass presentation excellent for rock and jazz as well as IDM. Surprisingly, it’s due to its effortless speedy nature that it doesn't struggle to keep up with fast rhythm pace.
Overall very good bass quality, but like all multi-BA i’ve try (and I try a lot) their sub bass roll off going on, some try to add resonance to mimic fake rumble here it’s not boomy, its presence of bass line and flesh of kick drum that can cohabit together with docility.

Keywords: Fast, thumpy, warm mid bass, good bass line presence and cue, well rounded and good note weight.


The mid range is the main focus of these and offer effortlessly good resolution with a great focus on center stage, which is intimate and near the listener without going anamorphic in instrument presence in the sense nothing feels bigger or smaller in physical size.
It’s not super spacious and hall like with recessed center stage that add sense of openness, in fact we have a hint of warmth going on that add hint of lushness and coloring to instrument and vocal which are dense but not stretched in presence, it act like a smooth monitoring IEM, in that regard it make me think of Hifiman Audivina (which is a bit strange since it’s an headphone).
These are smoothly bright mids with polished attack edge, instrument loudness intensity is controlled, their no shouting nor sibilance with OV800.
It’s very versatile in tone so both male and female vocals sound realistic and full in harmony, with just a hint of dark texture. Upper mids aren't too energetic and in fact some treble heads will ask for more, but the dynamic isn’t dull nor do mids feel recessed. I can’t handle thin or shouty vocals and the OV800 avoids this gloriously, those are safe but highly informative mids.
The piano sound sweet and have good note weight, it’s not thin nor cold which prove we have enough lower mids presence too, it’s not sharply define yet have speedy attack with dense sustain release and natural airy resonance, i find resolution a bit warm sometime especially when fast not playing happen, we get interphasing of their sustain-release that affect readability slightly. Tone color wise, as a pianist I find it irreprochable but limited in fine details and natural extension which is part of realism of restitution too.
Saxophone and brass instruments sound very good, the slight lack of definition edge is a benefit for this instrument, we don’t have boosted lips or blowing texture details here that can distract from tone and timbre goodness, trumpet don’t sound boxy or piercing too.
To be noted, lifting switch 2 (treble) adds upper mids, so this makes vocals more upfront and bright, without going harsh, while lifting just switch 1 (bass) adds warmth but affects intensity of presence dynamic, making it darker and more mellow.

Keywords: Full sounding, colorful, good balance between harmonic and fundamental, natural timbre, unforced resolution.

The treble is smoothly bright, lean and balanced in extension but a bit lacking in terms of ultra-high air, brilliance and sparkle. This is very common with multi-BA whatever the number, even 64 audio U18T lack as much sparkle and brilliance as OV800.
This is the type of highs that don’t attract (or distract) attention yet don’t miss sound info which is plenty here, just not force on the listener. Passive listeners as well as treble heads will feel OV800 lack excitement and energy in attack, as well as boost in micro details.
This is a safe but well articulated treble that offers full restitution of percussions, each sound envelope of those cymbals are densified with sustain-release, with a soft attack lead that doesn’t affect attack speed delivery but doesn't add a lot of snap, bite or brilliance to it either.
Whole macro dynamic and tonal balance of OV800 feel cohesively rounded and even homogeneous as a whole, it’s no spiky or shouty highs here, nor super crisp, clean and airy one. Sens of air around instruments is limited since they are close to each other within compactly layered soundscapes that make the musical experience intimate and engaging.
I find the lower treble very appealing and well done, instrument like violin sound tonaly full with a warm timbre to it and tactile presence, it’s balanced in texture and not prompt of unwanted timbre artifact like overly loud bow stroke presence nor overly high pitched note that will sound oddly intense compared to other, it’s all smooth and well carved in presence.
Then when we go with acoustic guitar using metal string, the attack lead will feel a bit scooped and overly softed, we can’t ‘’see’’ the string being pull and release crisply, then the release is a bit densify with euphony which affect proper readability of fast playing.
We could say the same for harp, it will lack brilliance and long airy clean decay.

Keywords: Fast, more crunchy than snappy and sparkly, full sounding, rich in sound info, smooth and safe.

The soundstage is intimate and closed on the listener, acting like a musical cocoon and puting you near center stage. It's taller than wider and deeper, we have good stereo perception at our side of our head, not in a airy and distant way.

The imaging is quite great, which is surprising for this type of spatialization, it's not very wide in instrument separation space and we don't have lot of air around instrument for analytical positioning but the sound layers aren't mixed togheter and we can easily perceive presence of each instrument in polyphonic ensemble.



SIDE NOTES

At 15ohm of impedance and 110db of sensitivity, the OV800 aren't hard to drive nor overly sensitive but it's better to be cautious with multi-BA and use a source with output impedance lower than 1ohm, this will avoid unwanted harmonic distortion that can warm the bass and overall clarity. A crisp and dynamic sounding source is suggested to add a bit of air and honor the technical performance potential.

The the ear tips are very important and like with the OH700VB, quite capricious and hard to find perfect one due to very chunky nozzle. I use very same short wide bore ear tips so the nozzle hole don't get blocked which avoid unwanted reflection of sound projection as well as compressions of all BAs in mass inter-phasing.

OV800 are sensitive to cable, which is quite common with multi-BA. The stock one is excellent but limited to 3.5 unbalanced purpose. OV800 worth the balanced cable upgrade and my go to is Simgot LC7 which improve imaging and sens of spatial openess.






COMPARISONS



VS LETSHUOER EJ09 (1DD4BA4EST-1000$)

The EJ09 offers clearer, brighter tonality with a more U-shaped balance and more analytical and technically capable treble.

The bass is cleaner with a deeper and linear extension, less striking dynamics, the kick drum is more faded and less rounded and felt and defined in its impact. The bass and sub bass lines are more boosted, flexible and dense and transparent in their extension but even if the OV800 seems more boomy in the dynamic projection, the superposition of the bass lines, kick drum and mid frequency is better cut and therefore more easy to read.

Mediums are more open, transparent and recessed. The resolution is higher but the dynamic is more restrained apart from the intensity of the high harmonics which tends to make the timbre more grumpy and the vocals more prone to sibilance. The OV800s are warmer and less sharp in the envelope contour of presence, the instruments are less aggressive in their projection, more fleshy and colorful in their timbre which is less amplified in texture, less transparent, more centered on the scene which is closer to the listener.

The highs are more pointed, sparkling and put forward. Percussion is more vivid and precise with a faster and more controlled attack speed, less affected by the euphony of high-velocity sustain-release. There is more air and the extension past 10 khz is greater. The timbral cohesion is not as organic as the OV800 due to a more varied diversity of drivers.

Spatiality is broader and deeper.

Instrumental separation and positioning is more precise and analytical.

The EJ09 offers superior technical performance to the OV800, particularly high frequencies which are more brilliant, defined and detailed. In terms of tonal balance, the OV800s are more cohesive and neutral, with more natural and muted mids.



VS LETSHUOER CONDUCTOR (1DD+3BA+4EST-900$)

The Conductor is crisper and more U shaped in balance with notably sparklier and snappier treble.

The bass is less thick and punchy but more boosted in sub bass and digging deeper, it delivers longer rumble sustain and has a cleaner separation.

Mids are more open and airy, more transparent, a notch thinner especially male vocal and female vocal are a bit sharper as well as upper mids, timbre wise OV800 is darker and lusher, smoother, but struggle more to keep macro dynamic readability with fast busy track, their a notch more warmth.

Treble deliver higher amount of micro details, feel more analytical with faster attack that has sharper definition, snappier attack lead as well as notably more brilliance, it's easier to follow complex speedy percussions, this make the COnductor feel W shape in balance too even if main focus is bass and treble.

Soundstage is wider and deeper, cleaner too.

Imaging is superior in both layering transparency and instrument separation space.

All in all, tonality wise the OV800 is more cohesive as a whole due to more uniforme timbre sharing between BA drivers, but musicality is leaner, warmer and a notch more mid centric too. In terms of plain technical performance it can’t compete against the Conductor which offers better extension in both low and high end as well as higher resolution and superior imaging and attack control.

VS ORIVETI OH700VB (1DD+6BA-700$)

These are big crushes of mine and the music is very different even if in terms of mids and treble we have the Oriveti smoothness going on.

OH700VB is warmer and notably bassier, it’s more U shape with greater sub bass boost, these seem basshead compared to more neutral with slight mid bass boost OV800 which are brighter too.

The bass is more dense and tactile, ticker and lusher and less opaque too, the slam hits harder with wider headroom and rumble digs way deeper with more vibrancy and appealing realism. Cello, double bass, electric bass all sound more lively and natural, with a meatier presence that is richer in colorful texturing. Bass line can feel compressed and scooped in a natural way more with OV800, yet the acoustic drum kick has rounder and punchier presence, which OH700 can dominate with bass line or rumble. Nonetheless, both quality and quantity is superior with OH700VB and without bass boost it’s cleaner in separation.

Mids are more upfront and focused with OV800 yet smoother and lusher and thicker with OH700VB don’t have recessed mids, just not as bright in presence boost and a notch darker overall. Both male and female vocals are wider but more laid back, creamier, hint more natural with OH700VB. OV800 mids are more compressed in presence size and centered in the stage, it doesn’t trigger as much emotional response though male vocals are a bit thicker and more realistic.

Treble of OH700 is darker and more foggy, less snappy and well defined in attack, it offers less articulate percussion as well as lower micro details retrieval. Attack is more snappy and crisp with OV800, it’s cleaner on top too even with no end game in that regard. There is no doubt it uses superior BAs for highs.

Soundstage is wider, deeper and taller with OH700, no competition here, OH800 sound in your head and very intimate compared to its bassier lil brother.

Then for imaging its OV800 that is superior, without being endgame it offers greater layering speed and articulation, vocal will not over shadow as much other mid range instrument too, making spatial cue more accurate overall.

All in all, no doubt I personally prefer the bassier and lusher musicality of the OH700, but technical performance goes to the OV800 even if just slightly superior in terms of treble response it’s not lifting as much sound info in the dark.


CONCLUSION




The Oriveti OV800 are excellent all-arounder IEM that can be consider as ''Jack of all trades, master of tone'' since whatever instrument or vocal and music style I throw at them, they render it in a balanced dynamism with top notch timbre fullness and very focused mid range.

To say i'm enamoured of an IEM fullfill with balanced armature is even suprising for myself, other one that come to mind is NightOblivion Butastur but OV800 is less warm and laid back in musicality, as well as a notch superior in imaging and clarity.

The OV800 offer a mature and refined musicality that don't over favor any frequencies to the detriment of other, it aim for musical fluidity without spiky asperity that will affect immersivity contentment. It's an intimate cocoon you hide in for hours of music enjoyment with rich holographic layering that you are part of.

Sure, in term of plain technical performance for the price, it lack a bit of ultra highs extension, sparkle and air, but this would perhaps affect the great mid range focus we got.

The fact you have 2 switch that can add bass, warmth or offer flatter neutrality that is adequate for monitoring purpose raise the overall sound benefit of this marvelous IEM.

Unless your on a tight budget, those OV800 are

Recommended!

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PS: I want to thanks Oriveti for sending me this review sample. As always, i'm not affiliated nor take part of any marketing or promoting strategy. These are my subjective sound impressions and opinions.

You can order the OV800 from Oriveti official store here:
https://www.oriveti.com/shop

TONALITY: 7.5/10
TECHNICALITIES: 8.5/10
TIMBRE: 7.5/10
SOUNDSTAGE: 8.5/10
IMAGING: 8.2/10
CONSTRUCTION: 8/10
ACCESSORIES: 7/10
SOUND VALUE: 8.5/10

Creative Lab is a Singaporian audio company founded in 1981 by Sim Wong Hoo. It specialize in wide variety of electronics and audio product including computer sound card, webcam, gaming headphones, IEMs, deskop and laptop speakers as well as TWS buds like the one I will review today.

Since this company was founded before I birth, it's been part of my childhood where everybody seem to use creative 2.1 or 5.1 computer speakers. As well, i was quite enamoured with the Soundblaster X-Fi DAC-AMP that I bought more than 10y ago to bypass stocc sound card of my laptop wich was bad.

I still have this piece of history and it work as well as in 2011.



This affordable DAC-AMP (or external sound card as they say) was ahead of it's time and this is something with Creative Lab, they tend to push sound boundaries and make it accessible to the mass.

This is exactly what they do with the True Wireless in-ear earphones call Creative Aurvana Ace 2 by achieving very first budget TWS buds using xMEMs tweeter in dual driver format with a 10mm dynamic driver.



This is a very big deal because before Ace2, xMEMs driver was mostly used in cabled IEMs above 500$, or flagship TWS buds like Noble Falcon max which is priced 270$ and most likely use either very same dual DD+xMEMs drivers or very similar one.



The difference is in the price, the Ace2 can be found for 130$ (msrp:150$) which make it an entry level TWS buds, but will it surpass it's price range in term of sound quality?

The promise are all on xMEMs micro solid state speakers that promise effortless transient response free of speed control limit due to it's all silicone based diaphragm which has among highest stiffness to achieve ultra sonic extension without breaking point in transient speed, this less to higher transparency and sound info delivery as well as smoother less instable intensity of sound projection. They call it Ultra HD for a good reason here, because this tech will change IEM world forever and this explain my overwhelming excitment about these Ace2, it's all about the obsession to discover the potential of this new piezo and silicone based driver that don't deliver sound like a dynamic driver.

For more info about xMEMs technology, give a read here:
https://xmems.com/blog/solid-state-...ra-high-resolution-mems-speakers-has-arrived/

Now, let see in this review if the Creative Aurvana Ace2 is really something that break new ground in term of wireless IEMs.


CONSTRUCTION&ACCESSORIES



The construction of Ace2 is decent but doesn't feel particularly sturdy and durable so I would be afraid of dropping it on a hard floor or stepping on it.
It’s all made of plastic with the exception of back venting metal mesh.
We have 2 types of plastic, a mate black and semi-transparent housing that permit us to contemplate the big hybrid dynamic driver+xMEMs.
These are true semi-open backs, so expect a bit of sound leakage.
In terms of design, it’s quite common, similar to air pod and Final ZE8000.
My main qualm would be about how short the nozzle is, as well as the fact it has an oval shape that makes the nozzle unfriendly with most eartips. Due to this and the oval shaped housing, it makes the fit very shallow and not always perfect in sealment, which is needed to get proper sound projection. I’ve tried a couple of different eartips, KBear KB07 and Penon Liqueur were both decent matches but have too long nozzles which make music sound distant and dynamic less. At the end, I go back to included eartips even if it is very cheap and too soft in silicone material.

I’m nit picky here since these aren’t uncomfy at all, it's really the limitation of ear-tips that annoy me since i can’t know for certain if stock tips deliver best sound balance and dynamism.





The carrying charging case is all made of same plastic material as transparent part of Ace2 buds, it feel a bit cheap yet we have an insided that is paint in gold to make it look fancy, with mitigate result since i find it a bit out of place. On back of case we have the charging light that go red to green once charged and a button for disconnecting-reconnecting. The plus of this case it's is size, its quite small so you can bring it in your pocket without worry.

In term of extra accessories, their nothing to talk about. We have basic USB-C charging cable and a rubbish amount of 3 pair of eartips. These eartips feel cheap and too soft yet we can't use other one due to oval shape of the super short nozzle.



In term of control, it’s quite easy to use. It’s quite responsive too and I don't have the issue to raise or lower volume with L and R 2sec pressing, nor to tap 3 time R buds to change track. If it wasn’t perfect in responsiveness (like FInal ZE8000) this would be hell to change track, thanks god it’s not the case here. The fact the pressing spot is at upper top of the buds avoid shaky hit or miss pressing. To note that we don’t have control for the previous track, I'll take this instead of google assistant control (3 pressing L side). Nonetheless, smooth and responsive control that isn’t frustrating.



When it come to connectivity, this is a child game. You pair it one time and it will connect instantly next time. I can’t find option to choose bluetooth codec so I think it will be automatically selected by your phone. It says it’s compatible with aptX, but I haven't seen any confirmation of this on both my phone and laptop. We can say it is always into ‘’Connectivity priority’’ mode and in the regard Ace2 are probably the best i’ve ever tested (ok out of 10 TWS buds but still).
Simply put: I’ve never ever encountered any sound cutting due to the connectivity struggle with Ace2 and that…even if I try too. I wandered around my big place with a lot of walls and no sound cutting. I go wander outside, walk and walk ... .in my gigantic backyard, can’t create sound cutting.
Then I decided to walk as far as possible from my phone on the street. When I reach about 50 meters it’s when sound cutting happens. True experience. And this is incredible, this means you're fully free with those TWS in terms of connectivity stability range, you don’t need to be near your phone or laptop at all.



Then when it comes to single charge battery life, ACE2 isn’t as glorious as I wish, yet unless you're into non stop music listening at max volume for more than 5H, it shouldn’t be an issue. The small carrying case charges the buds, so everytime you take a listening pause just don’t forget to put them in and you’ll be able to achieve 16h to 24h depending on volume level and if you use active noise cancellation.

Now for the Creative App, this is very minimalist and don't really worth the caring since you can use Noise cancelation and everything without it. Only plus should be the EQ and it's preset but it's a bad EQ, it can create distortion faster than both EQ and PEQ of Hiby Music app which I suggest you to use.



Ok, their something valid about Creative App and is to custom touch control, this is usefull for those wanting to bypass Google Assistant annoyancy. And put Previous Track pressing choice instead.

Then how good is Active Noise Canceling (ANC)? Well, some passive isolation of universal custom In-ear I own is superior to block loud noise. This ANC isn't bad, in fact music sound louder with this mode, as for noise it will not fully cancel the loud motor rumbling of a motorcycle but distant sound and fans and people talking near by will be mostly block. In fact, Creative use AI to analyze outside noise and modify level of isolation which I think EQ music dynamic and loudness at same time.
As for Ambient mode, AI again will inflict on it, selecting valuable noise and rejecting other.
AI is used too for phone call mic, it will boost vocal range and clarity and reject unwanted noise, this make the call very impressive in intelligibility.


SOUND IMPRESSIONS



The ACE2 offers a bassy and highly resolved musicality within a soft U shaped tonal balance with warm boosted sub bass bottom, lean, bright, transparent and open mids instrument and vocal and crisp treble that is fast in attack yet delicate in intensity.

We can say that Ace2 has 2 persona, with beat heavy music bass will dominate with it’s dynamic wide boom while with acoustic music this sub bass boost will benefit instrument note weight and density of extended low pitch instrument like cello which sound truly marvelous with those.

Due to it’s 2 drivers being very different in dynamic rendering as well as transparency of timbre and overall delivery of sound envelope which has more edge and texture with xMems, the overall musical experience can be perceive as listening to ultra HD monitor speaker with a subwoofer that feel creamier and warmer in tone.

But this BASS doesn’t hit intensely hard and offers well controlled mellow slam with a juicy warm sustain to it. The sub bass is a notch more boosted than mid bass so an acoustic kick drum that doesn’t have as low fundamental (than cello or electric bass or variety or toms and digital kick drum) will feel leaner and less weighty and lively in attack energy and impact intensity.
In other words, dynamic driver bass feel slightly slower in attack and add warmth that can veil and cream lower mids and kick instead of feeding their presence fullness.
This type of bass do better with pulled string instrument like double bass, cello and electric bass than hard hitting one needed proper attack bite and lead, this make the macro dynamic a bit imprevisible and a mix of guilty pleasure boomy bass with crisp mids and treble that can be clean and open when the music is bass less and instrument.
This means the Ace2 excel with classical, live performance, jazz, folk and ambient music rather than fast hitting bass like rap, IDM, Drum & Bass, R&B etc.
While bassy, those never induce headbanging reaction in my case since apart from the bass, overall musicality of Ace2 is rather cerebral and contemplative.

The mids are extremely well resolved and open, with top notch note transients and excellent transparency that benefit its imaging capacity. The first time I listen to Ace2 my mind focus on xMEMs upper mids and treble, even when the bass can distract me, I know their high amount of sound info going on but the rendering is flat and not energetic in rendering, this is good for avoiding hearing fatigue but affect balance naturalness by making lower range pushing more air. I think Creative tried to avoid this with its semi-open back design but it still stole silence around instrument presence and definition, this made the mix heterogenous and opaque.
Without this background bass bleed, you can fully enjoy the xMEMs goodness and it truly bluffed me in terms of next level hyper realism and resolution that restitute fine texture details smoothly without affecting transparency of presence which is top notch.
Sure, the attack is light in dynamic, but it’s super speedy and well controlled, it’s more about lead of note impact that feel tamed in intensity, lacking a bit of accent that would benefit articulation of melodic line, but even with 10x pricier IEMs, it’s rare i can see so clearly the piano note resonance extending as long as the recording dictate, that i can pick up string vibrancy micro details or bypass it if I want too since it’s no impose on the listener, all this crispness feel organic and cozy, never harsh, distorted or spiky.
Those are mids with focused presence, they aren’t lush nor thick, vocals are airy, wide and open, rich in texture and highly intelligible, but non colored and a bit clinical. Trumpet can sound boxy because of this, it’s only instrument i truly find problematic with Ace2, saxophone isn’t as dense and colorful as I love and it’s the same for violin, which underline differential treatment instrument of different range can get cause I was blown away by cello lushness meet high resolution. For the violin, we lack this hint of warm air that benefits tone naturalness but the resolution is crisp in presence.

Then there comes the highlight of the show: the incredibly technical and delicate treble response that goes up in high sky to 20kHz and surely further. It’s airy, sparkly, speedy and superbly controlled, free of transient distortion as well as intensity harshness.
I’ve never heard anything similar apart from the sonion EST driver but here it covers a wider treble range so nothing feels too sharp in ultra highs nor too boosted in metallic brilliance even if crisp sparkles are plenty here.
Listening to Ballaké Sissoko magnificent Kora is an otherworldly clean and scintillating experience where you can perceive sharply every note lead attack and release, with natural smooth and transparence air resonance. You can pick up micro details at it’s finest in the upper range too and there's plenty of air around it that magnifies the sense of crispness. With some IEM, Kora can sound spiky in attack here it isn’t even if super snappy.
The percussion has similar treatment, whatever the speed they are played it’s fully readable and it flows cleanly in the background in a lean way, without overbearing mid range instrument.
SOme might find highs a bit thin, and it is hearable with acoustic guitar that can lack natural density in harmony due to scooped lower mids (fundamental), but this make note cleaner and crisper too, sharper in articulation, which is beneficial for complex classical guitar composition and finger picking shine more than chord stroke. Listening to Scarlatti classical guitar composition is pure bliss with Ace2.


The soundstage is quite impressive. Wide, tall, deep and airy, it’s a bit like being in an open concert hall in the sense center stage is not forwarded, you contemplate music more than being part of it.

This mean imaging is improved with extra instrument and vocal crispness and a transparent layering that permits good positioning cues. If you listen to a big beat, the imaging will go darker and less precise, the soundstage will feel less deep too.

All in all, the musicality of Ace2 can be consider as smoothly analytical with next level resolution that lack of high bit rate codec don't affect too much, it's not noisy nor distorted apart in bass part which is main drawback, it's airy, fully open with great transparency of layering that permit the listener to actively dig into soundscape and pull of texture fine details novelty. It's a contemplative and cerebral music experience that captivate you, that give eyes to your mind.

COMPARISONS



VS FINAL ZE8000

The ZE8K is warmer and darker, more neutral and natural in timbre and balance, notably inferior in technical performance like imaging, resolution capacity and soundstage openness. Ace2 is notably cleaner, crisper and more open sounding, more bassy U shape in balance too.

The ZE8K bass is chunkier and more weighty in punch, it bleeds more into the mids but has leaner and less boomy sub bass impact and extension, it’s more natural in transient and texture. The kick is better rounded and punchier, sub bass is less boomy and more elastic.

The mids are smoother, fuller and lusher, darker too and less open and crisp (and lean) than Ace2. I enjoy the female vocal with ZE, it’s less plasticky and thin in timbre, less boosted in texture details too. Lower mids of Ace2 are more scooped. Note weight is heavier with ZE too. Attack isn’t as controlled and speedy though.

Then there comes the xMEMs treble that changes the technical performance game and is intensely superior to the darker and more limited treble extension of the ZE. Ace2 is more detailed and airy, sparkly even if ZE offers some sparkle percussion, guitar or harp will sound half cooked, unbalanced in harmonic fullness, then the natural resonance will not be as clear and resolved as Ace2. It’s really like comparing an IEM with EST vs single DD, there's just no way it can reach as effortless crispness nor as fast and controlled attack free of harshness due to driver distortion. Cleaner, airier and more analytical and delicate is the treble response of the Ace2.

This extra high extension amplifies clean airyness of spatiality which is notably superior in all departments with the Ace2: its wider, taller and deeper.

Then imaging is crisper with more transparent layering and more accurate spatial cue as well as more space between instruments. Again, Ace2 prevails here.

Apart from a bass part which isn’t as cohesive and natural in rendering as 3x pricier FInal ZE8000, the Ace2 offer superior technical performance from imaging, resolution and soundstage openness. For acoustic music that needs pristine resolution, I'll choose the Ace2. For simple vocal music like pop, rap and R&B, I'll choose the ZE8000.



VS HIFIMAN Svanar TWS

Ok, these are 500$, so it’s a bit unfair. Let’s begin by saying its evident inner DAC-AMP as well as higher bit rate (Ldac) deliver more dynamic and resolved sound as well as reaching louder volume. Here, the dynamic driver feel properly driven while Ace2 hybrid DD+xMEMs feel a bit underfed and not fully awake in proper dynamic rendering.

This makes Svanar sound more energetic and W shape, more impactful in note weight, more natural and expressive in bass rendering as well as notably more open and holographic in spatialization.

The bass is superior both in quality and quantity, and cleaner in impact, more controlled rounder in mid bass punch, less warm and dark in texture, more elastic in rumble sustain and extension. More everything really no competition here Ace is put to shame.

The mids are more intimate and closer to you, timbre is lusher, thicker and more natural, the presence isn’t as boosted in harmonic, so vocal are less sharp in presentation, wider and creamier than leaner crisper Ace2 mids that feel more airy yet thinner and more artificial too, imaging capacity is superior with Ace2, clarity is more effortless but bass can mess up with it.

Treble is where the Svanar takes second step, even if I wish I can unlock full potential of xMems with extra amping and better dac-amp and audio codec.
Ace2 treble is airier, sparklier, more snappy and extended. It digs greater amount of sound info and offers sharper definition edge, percussions are less affected with attack sustain-release noise, highs are more speedy and controlled but more delicate and clinical than lusher Svanar.

SOundstage is notably wider and taller, most of the time deeper too; unless Ace2 plays bassless music, then it will be cleaner and deeper than Svanar.

Imaging while more static with Ace2 is still clearer and more accurate in positioning though sound layers feel closer to each other in Y axis and not as 3D and holographic as warmer Svanar.

All in all, tonality wise i find the Svanar way more musical and enjoyable, more cohesive as a whole and more lively in macro dynamic, yet technical performance even with low BT codec, basic qualcomm DAC-AMP chip, feel superior to Svanar when it come to mids presence and whole treble part (xMems driver), bass is way inferior though.

CONCLUSION



Even if my review might seem very critical, i wil not hide my intense enthusiasm about these marvelous and exotic Ace2. While the musicality might not be nailing high level of emotional response due to slightly clinical mids rendering, I can't hide the fact Creative unlock the potential of xmems driver at an extremely competitive price and achieve a more than Ok tonal balance that favor spatial openess and high resolution rendering

Sure, the bass can become the ''elephant in the room'' with bassy music style and will negatively affect the xmems resolution greatness, but if you listen to instrumental music alot, betting on the Ace2 is a good move, Fans of folk and even slower pop and soul will most likely be tremendously impress by otherworldly crisp resolution these can achieve.

Highly Recommended for those seeking an exoticaly crisp musicality like no other TWS can offer (in this price range).

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PS: I want to thanks Creative for reaching me and accepting my choice to test the Ace2, which was on my must try radar since couple of months. I have no $ incencitive and no affiliation with Creative. This is the curiosity of new sound flavor that make me write this review.


You can order the Aurvana Ace2 for 150$ here: https://us.creative.com/p/headphones-headsets/creative-aurvana-ace-2#buy-menu

TONALITY: 7/10
TECHNICALITIES: 8/10
TIMBRE: 6.5/10
SOUNDSTAGE: 8/10
IMAGING: 8.5/10
MUSICALITY (Subjective): 6.5/10
CONSTRUCTION: 8/10
ACCESSORIES: 8/10
SOUND VALUE: 7.5/10

Celest is sister company of Kinera, aimed to offer a budget solution for audiophiles seeking new acoustic tech that more often found in pricier IEMs. They have released a budget 50$ 1SPD+1DD hybrid as well as the well acclaimed Pheonixcall 1DD+2BA+2SPD tribrid that I've reviewed lately and found indeed very impressive in technical performance.

Today I will review the Plutus, which is another tribrid using 1SPD+1BA+1 bone conduction driver this time, making it the cheapest tribrid with BC out there. This was quite a big deal to me, and i’m grateful Kinera finally send this review sample to me after it was hold off by hifigo for near 6 months now.

Let's see how it sounds to my ears and if the sound value meets some kind of musicality too.


CONSTRUCTION&ACCESSORIES



The Plutus is made of basic plastic, not thick resin. It's light and feels sturdy enough but I would be worried about dropping it on a hard floor or stepping on it lightly.
The backplate design is quite magnificent and shows again how good Kinera is when it comes to aesthetics.
On top there is a 2 pin connector, it's not recessed and will match most 2 pin cables apart QDC.
The nozzle is quite thick and it’s long enough for deep and shallow fit, though deep fit is mandatory to get proper bone conduction transmission.

The included cable is of good quality and can be chosen in a balanced 4.4mm plug which is a big plus.Its a 5N silver plated copper, its 4 core braided and has a total of 48strandes. Construction feels very good and urgent cable upgrade isn’t necessary due to decent quality of this cable.



When it comes to packaging, we have a sober presentation and a generous amount of accessories. We have a small round carrying case of good quality. 6 pairs of silicone ear tips. A cleaning too. The nice balanced cable and the Plutus Beast (Pi Xiu) mythical creature medaillon. All in all, more than decent accessories, construction and design.

SOUND IMPRESSIONS



The tonality of Plutus sits between V shape and bright neutral with slight bass boost, it’s not a basshead nor the most fun sounding IEM, sense of clarity is magnified with the bone conduction driver that focus on mids presence and mid bass texture and dynamism.

These are the kind of IEM that sound bright both in and out of your head, thanks to the bone conduction driver for adding extra sound layers richness, though it does concentrate upper mids presence energy and will be too much for treble sensitive people.

These aren’t lush and warm sounding IEM, nor thick and natural in timbre nor particularly airy and open in spatiality, it’s an intimate and focused listening experience with plenty of attack bite and crunch but not a very extended treble in terms of sparkle and air. The drivers mix is quite exotic and the bass part being dealt both with BC and SPD driver, it again focuses more on energy of attack than its natural release like rumble density and longevity.

Yep, we are in speedy and exciting musical territory here, which is hit or miss depending on the music style you listen too.

The bass is certainly unique in its flavor, it’s fast and boomy, effortlessly textured and when we get an impact we have a hint of concentrated energy that helps define the mid bass presence and kick drum rendering.
Bass lines feel a bit compressed in articulation, in the sense it doesn’t resonate nor extend deep, it’s magnified in grunt vibrancy and not very transparent even if not very thick. Headroom isn’t wide and underlines the compression of dynamic release.
The punch feel more in your head than hitting the eardrum, this had an extra dimension to musicality but it doesn’t mean bass resolution is incredible, we have a mix of euphony from square planar driver that stricken bass to lower mids with hint of warmth that stay in the back of sound layers, canceling the possibility of perfectly black background but helping cohesion of 3 drivers flavors.
Though punchy, it’s not hard energetic impact and feels a bit diffuse in sound pressure, i can’t pinpoint the kick it’s physical and a bit sloppy in impact definition.
Cello and double bass sound a bit boxy and dark, again, we have the physical presence being extracted effortlessly but the presence is euphonic and distorted.
Unique bass for sure, but not something that I find addictive or appealing tonaly and dynamism wise.

Then the mids are mostly lean and bright, with concentrated energy in upper mids so they feel loud but not refined, it’s grainy and plastiky in timbre, acoustic instruments sound artificial but both male and female vocal are well bodied and forward in presence.
It seems Plutus specializes in vocal and nothing else, which means piano, saxophone, trumpet and cello will sound half cooked and off tonaly.
Back to the female vocal, they are bright and upfront, very focused, more so than other instruments. Their slight instance of sibilance and they are borderline shouty, it’s quite aggressive and the BA timbre is on the rough side.
I really struggle to find anything positive about mid range, it’s not clean nor open, it’s intimate yet not immersive or cuddling enough for pleasant listening, we can say it’s near monitor in rendering yet again not crisp enough in imaging and instrument definition to be applause in that aspect.

Then the treble isn’t as extended or impressive as expected with such tribrid. It seem Celest goes all lower treble presence boost with Plutus and forget to add air and sparkle as well as proper attack edge so macro dynamic feel properly open and sharpened.
It’s a fast and aggressive treble with the main focus in the lower treble region where presence grain and loudness peaks are magnified.
The snare drum is very aggressive and pops up in track with authority, but this can be spiky too and fatiguing.
Percussions aren’t very crisp, they are euphonic and noisy, fast in attack but without proper definition, so the complex rhythm part will be a bit messy especially if a lot of cymbals crash. They have boosted resonance too that is border line splashy. It’s energetic and excited in both attack speed and release.
Acoustic guitar will sound loud and a bit spiky, this can do the same with double bass in the sens string pulling attack will pop up loud in soundscape and underline texture of the snap, in other word, the (non harmonic) presence of instrument is again too boosted like it is for all high pitch instrument that can dominate the mix in loudness energy, this make me often play with volume to avoid shouty spike aggression.
This means that clarity is boosted and tweaked, for acoustic guitar the result is rather pleasant, i could say the same for harp and even some percussions part but this is overal not very well balanced treble and quite rough in attack sustain-release.

The soundstage is impressive in term of holographic intimate cocoon, like a mini hall you hide it, it’s not very wide and a hint taller, but most of all it’s deeper due to center stage being a bit recessed, so it’s between a tunnel like and mini-hall like spatiality.

The imaging is above average for the price, it’s easy to pinpoint instruments especially those in high frequencies range, but since presence is ‘’monitor like boosted’’ attack lead of bass instruments like double bass or electric bass is easy to pinpoint too.


COMPARISON



VS BQEYZ WIND (1DD+1 BC-220$)

The Wind is warmer, bassier and more mid centric as well as more natural and cohesive in smoother balance.

The Plutus is more energetic and V shape in balance with greater treble boost and focus as well as similar roll off pass 10khz, so both this IEM lack sparkle and extension in treble but Wind has more mid range focus as well as notably deeper bass response.

Everything sounds thinner and more boxy with the Plutus, we can say shoutier and brighter too from dryer and snappier bass response to crunchier and edgier treble, sense of speed is more magnified than relaxed balance of the lusher sounding Wind.

Bass is thicker and weightier with the Wind, it's more boomy-boxy with Plutus, bass line are fuller and more natural in tone with Wind while thinner, more recessed and unbalanced in lower harmonic with Plutus, this make plutus feel notably more rolled off in sub bass than more vibrant, rumbly and wide in headroom bass presentation of the Wind.

The mids are wonkier, shorter and thinner with the Plutus, it’s more recessed yet louder in upper mids and shout release for female vocal, this mean its more prompt to sibilance and fatigue too, presence is more centered and compressed too, which make vocal of Wind wider and more immersive, nearer the listener while smoother and less unbalanced in loudness energy too, i can’t enjoy vocalist with the Plutus while i adore them with the Wind, this is the same for piano which is more artificial and recessed sounding with the Plutus while all brass instrument like saxo are more wonky and bright sounding too.

The treble is edgier, brighter and more aggressive with the Plutus, it’s more resonant and brilliant too, it’s a notch airier and attack speed is faster. WInd is smoother and darker with less micro details like texture spike boost, it’s notably less fatiguing and better balanced, violin sound thicker and more natural with wider presence while harp and acoustic guitar has more body, lusher tone and less spiky brilliance, so less resonance boost too.

The soundstage is notably wider and taller with the Wind, while deeper like a tunnel with the Plutus.

Imaging is about on par with both but different in presentation since sound layers are wider and closer to the listener with the Wind. Presence separation in stereo positioning is better with the Plutus which has edgier definition of instruments but smaller and closer presence too. For the wind, sound layered are wider and more transparent even if thicker, i would use the Wind for post production and final mastering cohesiveness while the Plutus for technical monitoring.

All in all, tonaly wise the Plutus is less well balanced, wonkier in musicality, more artificial and thinner in timbre as well as more boxy in musicality, while for technical performance it have an inferior bone conduction driver and more excited SPD and BA drivers that ultimately show the price different in techs quality.

CONCLUSION



The Plutus Beast is quite a technical beast for sure but feel more like a rushed experiment than properly fine tuned IEM.

Those are sure not made for natural timbre seeker or lush mid centric tonality lover, nor for treble sparkle seeker. As well, i feel these shine more with instrumental music due to boomy bass response when it come to attack punch.

Yet, Celest push sound engineering in sub-100$ market making available a tribrid with bone conduction driver, in that regard, I really respect this company yet as always I feel they need to improve in tonal balance since cohesive tuning is harder with different drivers flavors, which is evident here especially between bass and mids response.

Anyhow, the Celest Plutus Beast offer great imaging and resolution for the price as well as an energic and captivating musical experience.

Recommended for those seeking exotic musicality on a limited budget.


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PS: I want to thanks Kinera for sending me this review sample. As always, i have zero affiliation or $ compensation and these are my honest subjective audio impressions and opinions.

TONALITY: 7.5/10
TECHNICALITIES: 8.2/10
TIMBRE: 7.5/10
SOUNDSTAGE: 8.5/10
IMAGIN: 8.5/10
MUSICALITY (subjective): 7/10
CONSTRUCTION: 8.5/10
ACCESSORIES: 8/10
SOUND VALUE: 8.5/10

Intro

Artti is a newcomer in the IEM industry, based in China it produces OEM IEMs for multiple companies then since about a year begin to make its own.
I’ve already reviewed very positively the T10, a 55$ planar IEM that offers skyhigh sound value and put to shame pricier planar IEM like 7HZ Dioko and KZ PR2 to name a few.

Priced 65$, the R1 is a 3 dynamic drivers IEM using 1x 8mm composite beryllium plated DD for bass+ 2 x 6mm titanium plated DD for mids and highs.

Can it be the budget solution for those wishing to own the Penon Serial but doesn’t have the fund for it?

We will see in this review.

CONSTRUCTION&ACCESSORIES




The construction is all made of CNC carved aerospace-grade aluminum, it’s all metal yet not too heavy. It’s quite big and chunky, the nozzle is large and short so it isn’t thinked for a deep fit.On top we have a 2 pin connector which isn’t recessed so most cable will fit without issue.



The included cable is quite good though not as impressive as the T10, it’s a thick 4 strands high purity copper cable with 216 cores. You can choose a single ended 3.5mm or balanced 4.4mm plug. It's a superior cable than what we are used to in the sub-100$ IEM market.



When it comes to packaging look, nothing to say, it’s a simple box with a carrying case in it. It’s recyclable so it’s a plus. Accessories are enough for the price, the carrying case is good and we have 6 pairs of silicone eartips.

All in all, I'm satisfied with what we get for 65$.

SOUND IMPRESSIONS


(impressions based on short wide bore ear tips of all kind)

Tonality wise, we are in smooth and crisp U shape territory with good sub bass boost that doesn't dominate or veil the mids, transparent open mid range and edgy upper treble with a lot of air and good sparkle.
These don’t sound like sub-100$ IEM, apart from the tuning balance which is influenced by harman targets.
But while upper mids are quite forwards, it’s not overly loud nor prompt to invasive sibilance, it’s a mostly safe harman tuning apart upper treble which is sharper and louder.

The overall musicality is open, 3D and holographic with very impressive spatial grandeur, and an imaging capacity that would make me jealous of pricier IEMs.

Think about a baby Penon Serial, but with a bigger soundstage and sparklier treble.

Both are well tuned 3 dynamic drivers IEM but the Serial is priced 300$ while R1 can easily be found for 65$.

The bass is focused on the sub bass and the bass line dominates the kick drum. Mid bass isn’t as dynamic as lower range slam and rumble, it’s not an hard punchy V shape here, but it’s not a lean or lifeless dynamic either, we just don’t get the proper 80hz punch pressure. This means the thumping is mellow and a hint sloppy compared to more lively bass line, tom's impact or digital juicy kick that has a wider slam.
This means it’s not roll off in sub bass at all, and that bassist can use these for stage monitoring too.
The sub bass rumble and extension is vast and vibrant, it moves a lot of air and I can follow electric bass easily in busy rock tracks while the acoustic kick drum will feel too lean.
Double bass sounds great too, life like and just a hint scooped in attack lead, while the release is long with a natural resonance, the bassist has its own wide space behind mids which have brighter presence.
I’m truly blown away by the bass quality here, it’s well texture and for more pop or R&B music it will not lack punch, unless you expect a basshead V shape. Yet, it’s not exactly what I would call a fun bass, more of a bassist specialist. It’s rather thin and lean, lacking proper mid bass authority and flesh.

The mids are clean and forwards, with tamed lower harmonic and gently boosted presence brightness. Female vocals are more upfront and full bodied than male vocals. They have a very wide presence, it’s not shouty and compressed, transparency is great too and timbre while on the thin side isn’t papery or plasticky, it embraces the listener with great intelligibility and fully layered physicality. It’s a bit on the dry side and not warm nor lush. I don’t find the upper mids too fatiguing but their slight instance of sibilance that can occur with both male and female vocals..
The piano too is clean, edgy in definition and fast in attack but a bit light in note weight. It’s leaner than female vocals, saxophone or violin. The resolution is very impressive and the attack release has long natural (recorded) resonance that doesn't get lost in the mix, which is again something we rarely find in the sub-100$ IEM market.


The treble is the most boosted part of the whole spectrum, it means that percussion and high pitch instruments take the lead in soundscape, but it doesn't mean this is an aggressive sounding IEM since it’s an airy and delicate treble.
Sparkle lover are well serve here, which benefit acoustic guitar that has well defined attack accent and long sparkly release with good transparency, it’s crisper than thicker and you will be able to find intricate details of texture that is more common to find in pricier IEM, this mean treble extend further 10khz too and is airy.
This air makes spatiality open and clean.
Percussions can be unbalanced, especially the highest pitch one where metallic accent will pop up in an unrealistic way, this does add snap to attack but in rare cases it makes the track shrill and wonky, puting micro details we don’t want in front of lean macro dynamics.



The Soundstage is the main highlight of the R1, it’s very wide, tall and deep. Near hall like with a slightly recessed center stage, extra wideness layering from percussions and high pitch instrument and overall spherical and out of your head holographic presentation where the head of the listener is at bottom of circle.

This means imaging is excellent too, but not the most realistic. Transparency of sound layers permits good tracking of instruments. Percussions and vocals are favored as well as bass lines.



SIDE NOTES

These are rather easy to drive at 20 ohm with 104db of sensitivity but not the easiest still and those 3DDs benefit from good amping power and can handle it without distortion so the impedance gain isn’t that important (unless crazy high). Min of 100mW@32ohm is suggested.

Eartips are of prime importance, I feel sorry for those using small bore ears but can’t force them to try wide bore ear tips to get proper macro dynamic articulation, improved clarity and imaging as well as notable bigger soundstage.

Cable can inflict on timbre a bit, warming it, but can’t do drastic change in overall dynamic boost. I did enjoy the slightly lushest vocal using Letsouer Nebula but it’s not an IEM that intensely earn from cable upgrade (like near all DDs IEMs in fact unless with very low impedance or high sensitivity)




COMPARISONS

VS PENON SERIAL (3DD-300$)

The Serial is a lusher, smoother and more balanced U shape with less scooped mid bass, rounder punch and more controlled, less resonant sub bass.

The bass is thicker, timbre of bass line is more natural, sub bass is slightly less boosted and dominant-resonant, attack release isn’t as vast and layered in the back, it feels less detached than R1 and more natural in balance. Overall less boomy and more mature in balance.

The mids are more intimate, warmer, lusher and thicker. Female vocals are more creamy and less prompt to shoutyness or over shadowing other mids instruments. It’s a hint darker too, presence is more centered and not as stretched, note weight is heavier, piano is less recessed and smoother in timbre. It’s not as crisp and airy.

The treble is better balanced and less spiky in the sense percussion doesn't distract you from other acoustic instruments yet it’s as well resolved and better in attack control, less splashy and resonant. More natural too and less prompt to diffuse resonance, R1 seem half cooked in treble and brush half of percussion envelope so it sounds more metallic and clicky, we can say more airy and sparkly too but here it’s not a pro.

Soundstage is wider and deeper with R1.

Imaging is on par here, but Serial puts you closer to center stage.

All in all, let’s say it like this: Serial is the logical upgrade to R1 and have similar tonality but less cohesive and natural, R1 sound overall thinner and colder as well as airier, technical performance while close isn’t in same league and feel a bit overly tamed in dynamic.

Imaging

VS UM 3DT (3DD-400$)

3DT is brighter and more neutralish, less bassy and more analytical overall.

The bass has more attack accent, punch is harder and less loosy, rounder and more defined and textured while sub bass is notably more roll off making R1 bass line more dominant and easier to read. R1 bass is thinner, more mellow in punch but wider in headroom slam, it feels slower and less energetic.

Mids are more energetic and upfront, more aggressive and grainy in presence, more prompt to fatigue but better resolve in presence definition, violin has more attack bit and body, R1 mids are leaner with wider presence and softer definition edge, transparency and layering is superior so you can perceive background instrument more easily, attack intensity is less spiky and loud, sense of overall mids is more open but less crunchy and boosted in texture.

As said, 3DT lower treble is brighter and even shoutier, but it make macro dynamic more lively and spiky too, rest of treble follow same road, percussion or more snappy and upfront, fuller in restitution while thinner and less edgy in attack with R1, note weight is more felt with 3DT too but attack release is more euphonic and shrill.

Soundstage goes to R1 hands down: wider-taller and deeper, in that regard 3DT is very underwhelming.

Imaging too is superior even if in a more static way, layers transparency permit greater readability of background instruments while everything feels shout in the same package with the 3DT.

All in all, while 3DT forces the captivation of the listener, it’s both inferior in tonal balance and technical performance to my ears. Yet the lean dynamic of R1 tends to make me reach more 3DT even for shorter listening sessions due to its very bright nature.


CONCLUSION

The R1 are incredible IEM in terms of plain sound value, to get this type of wide open crisp and transparent musicality in sub-100$ price is a blessing.

Yet I would lie if i say i find them musical, their U shape balance lack dynamism, note weight, even the bass which is well boosted in sub region lack body and proper impact.

But I could say this with a lot of harman target IEMs from Moondrop to Kiwi Ears to Simgot…so, this just underlines this isn’t my kind of musicality.

Nonetheless the sound value is real and you get alot for your money here, including a good cable and prime metal construction that put to shame pricier IEMs makers.

But will Artti be like Blon and just release to great IEM? That’s the real question here since other releases they do (too fastly) seem to degrade or downgrade from their very first release…which is the opposite of how an IEM should work.

Let’s pray that Artti releases other 3DDs and planar IEM in the future, until then, both R1 and T10 worth a ‘’no brainer’’.

Highly Recommended for harman target lover.




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PS: I want to thanks Volkchoi for sending me this review sample. As always, i'm not affiliated etc...

You can buy the R1 for 63.20$ here: https://volkchoi.com/products/artti-r1-triple-dynamic-driver-hifi-in-ear-headphone-for-music-lovers

TONALITY: 9/10
TECHNICALITIES: 8.5/10
TIMBRE: 9.5/10
SOUNDSTAGE: 8.2/10
IMAGING: 7.5/10
MUSICALITY (subjective): 9.5/10
CONSTRUCTION: 9/10
ACCESSORIES: 9/10
SOUND VALUE: 8.8/10

INTRO

Tansio Mirai (abbreviated TSMR) is an experienced yet rather obscure IEM company from China that began as an OEM maker in 2014 and began making their own IEM once they were confident enough about their experience.

This is how they present themself:

‘’The brand name is taken from the Tang and Song dynasties when the ancient Chinese economy and culture were at their peak.

"未来" represents a vision for the continuation of prosperity in the past and the present.
TANSIO MIRAI started to develop earphone-related products in 2014, and later established Beijing Tang Song Boyuan Technology Co., LTD in 2016.
Earphone design and production team from Guangzhou Academy of Fine Arts, adhering to the high level of production technology, improve the custom earphone aesthetic standards.
After several years of precipitation, the company began to officially release custom earphones and universal mold earphones in 2018. To sound first, to beauty for constant.
We adhere to the use of high-quality materials, gradually accumulate and develop more mature and more characteristic tunings, and constantly surpass ourselves.
For the future, we will continue to innovate and forge ahead to find our own positioning and brand characteristics.’’

I get aware of this company when I read positive reception of their highest end IEM which are the RGB (9BA+8EST) and Halo (8BA+4EST), yet I was wrongly thinking TSMR only specialize in kilobuck earphones and don’t follow much their newer release until the TSMR X begin to be praise everywhere….then some weeks after the Feat come in and I decide to contact Penon to review them.

Why? Because of the special dual dynamic driver it uses which is something i never heard and was the main selling point for the X in my case. It’s no mystery I'm a bass lover and find this frequency range very hard to achieve properly, i mean when we seek the sweet spot between bass quality and quantity.

So when I read this for the X:

‘’Hollow coaxial structure dual dynamic driver, the rear driver through the hollow’s hole complete sounding, and produce a certain push-pull force on the front driver, not only to ensure sufficient energy, but also to provide a richer sense of layer, so that the quality and quantity of low frequency are greatly improved.’’

I was already sold. The Penon Quattro already infected me with dual DD dual push bass promise so it was time to try an ‘’entry level’’ set that can please basshead that don’t want to feel too guilty in terms of tonal balance….

Priced 240$, the Feat promise exactly that and use ‘’2 x 8mm dynamic driver hollow coaxial carbon element diaphragm for low + 2 x Knowles balanced armature for mid & high’’ for delivering a rich bassy and lush musicality that will both be fun, versatile, and i hope fatigue free.

Let's see in this review if the Feat will Fit your needs and is worth being called a ‘’must have’’ for bass lovers with limited budget.

CONSTRUCTION&ACCESSORIES



The Feat is made of thick resin plastic that feels invincible. Size while chunky is quite small for a 4 drivers IEM. It has a triangular shape without a hard angle. Plastic is soft and smooth and half transparent so you can admire what's hidden in Feat belly.Front of the shell has an ergonomic shape based on ear modeling, then the nozzle is super short and a bit large. This mean the Feat are solely meant to be inserted with shallow fit, so for those using only deep fit IEM and using foam ear tips, it might be a con. For me, it’s a plus since I'm a ‘’shallow fit’’ kinda guy.



On top we have a 2 pin connector that isn’t recessed, this means most 2pin cable will match it too.

The back plate has a very beautiful sparkly blue lining pattern ,which is a joy to look at under light.

All in all, excellent construction and very comfortable (shallow!) fit.


When it comes to cable quality, we are very spoiled here yet…there is no specification or info about cable material. Which seem very similar to the Simgot LC7 cable I adore but LC7 seem to have more cores and thicker strand (18awg).
This one is very thick and smooth, it’s surely a high purity OFC silver plated cable too, and you can select the plug you want (2.5mm bal, 3.5mm se or 4.4mm bal).
Excellent cable that is very welcome.


The packaging comes in a small minimalist but good looking box. Apart from the excellent cable, we have 6 pairs of silicone eartips and an IEM case I find ridiculously small since the cable dont even fit in. That's the only drawback I can pinpoint, so this mini case might have other use potential for when you have very minimal space.

All in all, great construction, great cable, OK accessories.




SOUND IMPRESSIONS



Let’s begin by saying that the TSMR Feat spell on me is very hard to break so I need to always report the review, even after 2 weeks of daily listen….I have numerous attempts that solve into: drowning in their luscious musicality. These are just so musical and immersive within a lush and bassy warm musicality that you drown in it slowly, like in honey…

This means it’s not a clinical or analytical set, otherwise, my emotional side wouldn’t be as invested, making cerebral perception easier for critical listening.

This doesn’t mean these are underwhelming technically, if you can accept it’s warm DNA, as well as important yet well balanced juicy bass boost.

And it’s where all begin, their no doubt the dual coaxial DD bass is what captivate and wow the listener at first, even anti basshead couldn’t say these are bad in bass department, just perhaps not to their taste in balance dominancy cohabiting within a coherent, lush and lively way. Yes, we are in this guilty pleasure solace where bass quality and quantity embrace each other in a flexible impactful dynamic, with colorful dense timbre.

But let’s begin with the overall TONALITY: these are warm and darkish W shapes in balance, with a focus on bass and treble. They are smooth and buttery, with thick bass and vocals. These are not for treble heads, nor those that want thin mids with brighten presence. The dynamic is muscular and hefty, but not edgy. Upper mids sensitive will not endure shouty or sibilance even if mids are lively and loud, we aren’t in overly safe territory since both bass and mids jump at the listener and wanna kiss you.

Then if I summarize technicalities, it would be about attack impact which is speedy and weighty, but not edgy. The transient of note is fast in a multi layered way that doesn't boost readability of imaging, it’s no monitor, it’s colored. The bass is ‘oddly’’ the technical beast here, due to fast attack with great transient flexibility that digs very deep while treble goes roll off after 10 kHz due to 2 balanced armature limitations as well as damping of their energy spike. Feat is an IEM that favors lower harmonics yet can cover the full range of most instruments and vocalists.

If you love BASS, the Feat will be an intense love story for sure. We have both sub and mids bass boost here, with a wide and elastic attack impact and release. These are basshead, but not hardcore hard hitting one since the sound pressure of impact isn’t poking eardrum, as well, it’s not a V shape that would make the mids recessed, it warms them but with coherency due to multi drivers use.
The bass boost is about 12db, I don't care about graphs but I know this. 10 db bass boost rarely gets the basshead tag, while 20db is hardcore basshead to me and can create hearing fatigue and even headache which isn’t the case as noted here.
The sub bass rumble is dense, vibrant and deep, it can extract bass line presence envelope gloriously in a way it favors the flesh and tone before the texture grain and presence cutting. It’s not a one tone oomph we get with the Feat, it’s the whole tone being amplified in physical presence.
The cello sound superb, you just can’t unfocus from it, sure if this have to cohabit with piano it might stole the attention of it due to lush grunt and round forward presence of low end, yet, you will be able to follow the piano too due to an organic layering that is effortless.
Then when it comes to kick drum, digital one will have more weight and bulbous presence envelope than acoustic one which will have a darkened edge and mellower impact, yet, kick never sounds thin or plain flat like more U shape bassy IEM we find nowadays.
This is a very flexible bass response that keep its vibrant air density down to it's sub bass extension, bass line are both physical and well rounded, while these go big slam it don't create hard hitting sound pressure due to slightly warmed and tamed mid bass. Flavorfull bass like this is very rare, especially when we got a thick but not muddy presentation.

Keywords: muscular, dense, thick vibrant rumble sustain, bodied bass line, elastic attack, natural warm tone, balanced basshead.

This means the MIDS are warm and forwards, with slightly dark definition sharpness and dense and lush timbre.
It’s not the kinda mids that have an edgy attack stroke that will make the violin abrasive and bright, nor improve the resolution of their attack timing and energy. In this case, slower cello fit more like a glove tonaly wise, and feel less forced in coloration.
The mids benefit more wind instrument and vocals than tapping and slapping attack lead, the sustain in attack chain is warmed and this densifies the timbre of both male and female vocalist. Unless the highest pitch soprano, the naturalness of the vocal is boosted by lushness and has more tone info than anharmonic texture info. This is all sugar for their ears, which explains how addictive these can become. This means that articulation-intelligibility of words will not be sharpened in vowels too, this can make some lyrics less easy to follow if speedy singing but even as a french speaker i don’t really struggle (unless bad recording).
Vocals are sibilance and shouting free, the dynamic is frontal and lively, it jumps at the listener in a sensual way not a bully all upper mids boost way. You melt into it and presence is wide due to lower register being complete, the air flow in vibrancy, breathy vocal like Sabrina Claudio don’t get the breathy texture extracted wrongly, which happen often with harman tuned IEM, i can’t handle her vocal which sound boxy, thin and plain artificial with so much IEM! Yet, I find the one to get kissed by, Sabrina being a paroxysm of sensuality, she deserves gourmet lushness that the Feat delivers in plentiness.
These are intimate mids you mix in, so in that regard it might lack crisp openness for some even if layering is on top of chunky bass.
Thin mids lover should look somewhere else.
The Feat render piano in dense, weighty but mellow way, saxo in a warm full of flowing air way that add dynamic to the blowing flow, trumpet never sound screamy nor boxy top, which again is quite rare with IEMs unless super flattened in dynamic release.
Ok i will say it, to my ears the Feat got the mids the Quattro should have gone for, which means the pinna gain and upper mids boost isn’t overly safe, it does have minimal crunch to it, the sound envelope of the instrument isn’t too liquid nor too flat.
We are in gourmet mid range territory, where the word refinement will be adequate for those who love tone richness that fulfill the soul not just the mind with forced sound info.

Keywords: Lush, fully bodied, natural timbre, wide vocal and instrument presence, softed definition edge without going too dark, weighty note impact, warmed resolution, not crisp nor airy, thin and recessed.


Now when it comes to TREBLE, this isn't the prime focus of the Feat and we are in slightly dark territory, without the dullness and crumpled spatiality that would come with it if it was a single DD, BA or planar for ex.
It’s mostly smooth with just a hint of upper mids and treble crunchiness that permit attack to not go sloppy or definition don’t go too abstract.
Think about Final E3K-E4K-E5K kind of highs and you’ll have a good idea of the type of sugary refinement we get with Feat highs.
We have the high instrument tone and presence material without the hard edge to cut up their presence crisply. It’s not the type of highs that will permit you to follow ultra fast percussion with bat-like ears. Lazy ears will not be happy with the Feat, as noted it’s not for treble head, but the percussions are there and well layered, they never go splashy nor spiky.
Roll off it is and the sidekick of this is lack of sparkle and brilliance as well as perceivable air.
But this means you're never distracted from bass and mids too, you suck up in music, you don’t chase for micro details butterflies nor don’t get attacked by unpleasant higns mosquitoes with the Feat that highlights all goodness of music for long listening pleasure without ear damage risk.
Would I wish the Feat to add 2EST or 2 extra BA for treble extension? Yes, but I would still want mid treble to be smooth and polished like it is.

Keywords: smooth, refined, creamy, full and natural percussion, minimal crunch and rolled off ultra highs.


When it come to SOUNDSTAGE, the Feat offer very wide and tall 3D holographic spatiality, with a sense of openness that is vibrant with moving air that affect cleaness of background and sense of depth due to center stage and mids instruments-vocal putting their substance forwards.

This means Feat is no master of IMAGING even if the spacious multi layering is well articulated. Those sound layers are thick and not fully transparent, you can’t perceive air silence between them, this makes the tuning more cohesive in a round meaty way that avoids messy macro muteness due to great technical performance of its 4 drivers.



Side Notes

This is one of those IEM with both low impedance and sensitivity, while they aren't that hard to drive they benefit from clean powerfull source, something like Fiio KA17 is a great match. So anything with 4vrms and 100mW or above should be enough. These aren't sensitive to the point of creating distortion and the DD love extra power push to be properly bass and reach sub bass naturaly.

Then the ear tips is a bit capricious too since the nozzle is very short, i suggest short wide bore to don't block the 2 nozzle hole and get fully extended soundstage.

Then for cable, yes these can get warmer or brighter depending which one you pair it with, but I feel the stock one is enough and don't justify urgent uprgade need. If so, my suggestion would be Simgot LC7 since it's the one I always finish to use (better imaging and macro dynamic).

COMPARISONS



VS ORIVETI OH700VB (1DD+6BA-700$)

OK, this is a bit of an unfair fight but I can't resist comparing two of my fav IEMs when it comes to bassy lush musicality with capable technical performance.

The Feat is warmer, darker and bassier and tonality is a bit more W shape in the sense we have rounder thicker mid bass punch and thicker fuller mids, it makes the OH700 feel more U shape and a notch thinner in high bass-lower mids which are less warm.

Feat bass performance is superior, it’s more agile and flexible in extension and fuller in tone, cello sound more natural too, rumble has more tactility, its slam is less scooped in roundness and hit harder. OH700 is a notch more texture for electric bass but doesn't offer as fleshy presence, it doesn’t color as much the mids and without bass boost the presentation is notably cleaner and less bleedy.

Mids are darker and thicker with the Feat, timbre is softer, more buttery and both male and female vocal are smoother, less boosted in texture and higher harmonic, more liquid and less well define in presence enveloppe, intelligibility is superior with OH700 as well as resolution and we have more air between layers, timbre being lusher with the Feat i prefer more laid back and fuller in tone vocals but miss the cleaner readability of OH700.

Treble is where the OH700 is evidently superior, it extends further, offers crisper snappier and more brilliant highs as well as greater sound info. It has more air on top too. Macro dynamic is more edgy and note transient as more accent in attack lead and less foggy sustain.

The Soundstage is wider and deeper with the OH700, while taller and more holographic with the Feat, you feel in the middle of music, part of it more.

Imaging is average with both but the OH700 can keep its readability better in busy track, 2BA vs 6BA here sure give the advantage to OH700 in terms of positioning accuracy.

All in all, I love both and can only conclude that these 2 complement each other very well, OH700 being a slight upgrade in technical performance but not offering as lush and natural vocals.

VS Unique Melody 3DT (3DD-400$)

The 3DT is notably brighter, more energetic in treble and less bassy.

The bass is thinner, more textured and defined in presence, has faster and sharper punch but with less weight, sub bass is notably more rolled off and just about presence, complete opposite of Feat bass which is chunkier, rumbler, weighter and lusher. Their zero bleed into mids with the 3DT, kick drum being notably brighter and free of resonance or impact release.

Mids are brighter and harsher, more prompt to fatigue and sibilance, upper mids are sharper, vocals are thinner and more noisy in texture. Mids sound like monitors with boosted treble, clarity is superior than darker lusher and more mid centric Feat.

Treble is way more aggressive and spiky, its more edgy and percussions aren’t missing a hit unlike more foggy highs of Feat, instrument has more bite from violin to guitar to snare, cymbals can go ear damaging splashy so highs are leaner and safer with darker Feat but not as captivating and well define.

Soundstage is wider and taller with Feat, while it’s deeper and more ‘’mono’’ with 3DT.

Imaging is superior with 3DT, positioning is crisper and less mushy.

All in all, 3DT sounds more analytical and technical but has inferior bass response and notably harsher tonal balance, for me Feat musicality is sky highs superior.

CONCLUSION



Ok let's begin by sayin I adore those so much i press 5 stars first then....feel a bit guilty and with a pinch of hearth conclude these are 4.5/5 when we give great importance to technical performance.

Why? Because these aren't technical or analytical sounding at all, it's not the tuning goal here, in term of plain musical enjoyment ill give those a 6/5 in fact!

But does it mean they are bad in that aspect? Absolutely not, because the Feat achieve a very bassy musicality without veiling or recessing the mids, it achieve a fully rounded macro dynamic that feel cohesively warm and not mushy in it's articulation. Thanks to hybrid configuration that permit to layer sound properly as well as mids that are energic enough to open their wide presence and kiss the listener with cello, saxo or vocalist goodness.

Yet this is a very gourmand Feast here, i mean Feat.

There nothing I love more than melting in sweet music free of agressive upper mids or treble spike, free of noisy boosted texture grain, free of thin detached bass, just...well, free and wild like a natural beast running under the warm sun.

Either your a basshead, bass lover, warm balanced tuning lover or even lush mid centric tuning lover, you'll find something addictively tasty in Feat musicality.

Music should embrace you, not punch you in they face or poke you in they eyes....and the Feat wanna spoil music lover first and fore most, it trigger more emotional and physical response than cerebral detachement and jsut for that it worth:

Very Highly Recommended for warm tuning lover!



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PS: I want to thanks Penon for sending me this review sample after my request. As always, their zero $ involved and I don't resell my IEM neither (this is why Comparisons part have pic by the way). I'm irreprocheable of any bias but my own subjective audio opinions and impressions.

You can order the TSMR Feat for 240$ here (check ChiFI Love group, since i might try to get coupon code for the members, these worth it since it's logical upgrade to something like ISN H40!):
https://penonaudio.com/TANSIO-MIRAI-FEAT

TONALITY: 8.5/10
TECHNICALITIES: 8.2/10
TIMBRE: 8.5/10 (with Nebula cable)
SOUNDSTAGE: 8.5/10
IMAGING: 7.8/10
MUSICALITY (subjective): 8.5/10
CONSTRUCTION: 8.2/10
ACCESSORIES: 9/10
SOUND VALUE: 8.2/10

INTRO

Letshuoer is a well established earphones company from China that specialize in hybrid IEM of all types, from multi-DD (DZ4) to hybrid (EJ07M-EJ09) to planar (S12-S15).

Today I will review their latest release, the Cadenza 4, which is a follow up of the Cadenza series that has another flagship model called Cadenza 12.

The number stands for number of drivers, so for this Cadenza it means we have 4 drivers: 1x 10mm beryllium coated DD+1 sonion BA and 2 Knowles BA.

Priced 240$, the Cadenza promises high sound value and a ‘’melody of enchantment’’!

As well, the acoustic implementation of drivers is enhanced with 3D printing technology which permits to tube all drivers precisely and avoid unwanted resonance or distortion or inter phasing; it uses a 4 way electronic crossover to achieve precise tuning coherency.

All this is beautiful on a sheet, but let's see how it translates in musicality and technical performance in this review.


CONSTRUCTION&ACCESSORIES



The Cadenza uses a similar construction material and process than both DZ4 and S15, it’s made with a 3D printer machine and uses a soft matte plastic that is both thick and light.

The design will be hit or miss depending on your aesthetic taste. Personally I like it more than S15, it’s sober and elegant with a back plate made of carved metal with intricate reflection pattern and universal ears shaped front plastic shell. The nozzle is long, big and thick, so it can be worn in a deep or shallow fit way, if you have a large enough auditory canal.

On the top we have 2 pin female connectors that are flat in alignment of housing, it’s not recessed so all types of cable (apart QDC) will fit it, be aware to be cautious to not bend the pin when connecting it though.

All in all, I can understand some people finding the construction ‘’toy-like’’ but if the back plate is solidly glued and never falls, I feel the construction is good. I love the matte finish and comfortable ergonomics.



When it comes to included cable, we are quite spoil.It’s a high quality modular cable made of silver plated high purity copper with a total of 365 copper strands twisted in 2 big cores. We have 3 plugs to cover all our source needs (2.5, 3.5, 4.4). The cable design is very beautiful and has a metal cable splitter that is eye-catching. If effect audio was selling this cable, it would surely be 200$. Big plus: the plugs are L shaped!




Then when it comes to packaging, that’s another positive surprise since the box is a valuable accessory on its own. It is like a mini drawer for IEM accessories. I really like when a box can have a second life and will surely use this box for ranging my IEMs.
In terms of other extra accessories, the modular cable was enough to make me happy but we have a nice carrying case and 6 pairs of silicone eartips too.


SOUND IMPRESSIONS


(shallow fit using short wide bore Vocal ear tips not the one on this pic which is Balanced tips)


The tonality of the Cadenza can be summarized as smooth, balanced and safe. To my ears it sound warm neutral with a notable sub bass boost that had a safe mellow creamy slam and rumble to otherwise lean and buttery smooth musicality that has an harman target DNA without the thin or shouty mids going on, it’s among most natural sounding hybrid of this type I’ve hear, it remind me of YanYin Canon 2 at first listen but with lusher mids and more natural timbre and thicker darker treble.

The bass is warm and vibrant, it’s lush and not thin nor boosted in resonance, which is something I notice with all last letshuoer IEMs using this unique type of plastic that seem to have a damping effect when it comes to bass slam acoustic cavity reflection-resonance.
While bassy, the Cadenza isn’t a basshead IEM, it doesn’t deliver a hard thumping punch, the slam is a bit ‘’pillowy’’, which is cozzy for long listening free of hard hitting sound pressure.
It’s a dense and weighty low end, with plenty of juice and a colorful vibrancy that favor cello and double bass, adding a polished grunt and an appealing euphony.
The transition in lower mids isn’t sloppy nor feeling detached and clinical, it flow organically with other BA driver, it match the timbre too, which can even make you question yourself about listening to a 1DD+3BA hybrid since it’s so cohesive in timbral and tonal balance that it feel like listening to an excellent planar IEM.
This type of bass don’t distract the listener by dominating the mix, it serve as a meaty sit for the fundamental as well as enrich the timbre richness, this is a versatile bass performance that suit very well jazz but deliver enough weighty boom for electronic, pop, soul and R&B too, this is for controlled lush rumble lover too since the sustain is tactile and gently boosted without excited paced release.
Music styles that do less well will be fast aggressive rock, electric bass lack a bit of grit and proper bite as well as kick drum don’t deliver nervous thumping, we can say it delivers rock music in a warm, dark and overly smoothed macro dynamic way.
Overall bass is the guilty pleasure part of Cadenza adding warmth and a thick addictive rumble that favors the tone of instrument before it’s texture or clarity, it excels with the cello so if you're a fan of this instrument you’ll be in for a lot of joy.

The mid range is very focused but lean in dynamic, which can make me consider these IEM as near mid centric since both male and female vocals are upfront and fully bodied, but smooth and natural in timbre too.
The piano too is full in presence, but softens in definition sharpness and texture grain, the note has plenty of weight and sustain-release isn’t compressed, it blossoms fully and warmly. Piano notes stay in place with a controlled dynamic that doesn't favor higher pitch range, this is what I mean with focused mid range, something that isn’t too unbalanced in upper mids loudness nor lacking too much lower mids sweetness.
Those sensitive to sibilance, shoutyness or upper mids agressivity will find the mids cozzy, those that tone color over texture details too, because we are in slightly dark mid range territory, it’s not the most open and crisp mids, nor the most transparent or well defined.
I find the vocal to sound better in lower range, like alto and contralto for female singer like Arooj Aftab breathy lush voice is more open in presence and complete in harmonic than soprano like Arianna Saval that feel a bit damped-lowered in tone, this mean male vocal sound quite good too.
I can’t overlook the fact that midrange feels a bit foggy and lacking in definition sharpness and spatial clean clarity, it’s not a very informative mid range in terms of micro details nor the best in terms of precise imaging.
It’s a safe mid range without any edgy texture spike nor loudness war between instrument, it’s a calm and contemplative center stage with filtered timbre that just keep sweetness of tone, it’s warm and permissive, it grow on the listener more he listen to it but never wow it with macro dynamic liveliness nor the crispness or openness of spatiality.
Overall mids will be perceived as recessed by some listeners due to their lean nature in dynamic, so if you need a lot of upper mids presence brightness look somewhere else.

The treble is mostly dark with just an extra brightness spice in the upper treble to add minimal bite and crunch to attack, still it’s very safe and don’t expect sparkle or brilliance since there is barely none (BA can’t produce proper brilliance wtv price range).
It’s not a thin treble, acoustic guitar sounds meaty and full in tone, quite natural but just a hint scooped in proper note release, still it sounds well balanced within other instruments and its presence is bright enough to not be put in second stage when it’s not supposed to.
The percussions are well layered and don’t dominate the mix, they aren’t aggressive nor splashy but complex percussions variety will get some sound info get lost, it’s not very easy to follow each cymbals and when if go very speedy the lack of proper attack lead sharpness and texture will make the readability even harder.
Simply put it’s not an analytical treble at all and there is nothing to get wowed about, the rolled off extension after 10 kHz is my main qualm as well as overly damped attack edge.

The soundstage is very ear tips dependent and even with short wide bore tha open it up it’s average wide, above average tall and under average deep. It feels like a big ‘’helmet’’ you put your ‘’small’’ head in, it’s holographic and immersive, you put yourself in the middle of music and can feel part of the band sometime.

While not bad, the imaging is not a highlight of the Cadenza, macro dynamics feel foggy in terms of sound layers blend, even if layering is decent it’s not well defined in ‘’enveloppe of presence’’ so you struggle to precisely position each instrument. Bassists are easiest to pinpoint, then mids instruments will be very centered but if there are a high amount of them it will multiply macro imaging darkness.




SIDE NOTES

These have both rather low impedance (15 ohm) and sensitivity (104db), this mean Cadenza are easy enough to drive but will benefit extra dynamic heft from proper amping gain, cleanest amping is the best but these don’t seem that capricious about impedance gain, anything 1 ohm or lower should do, i’ll suggest a minimum of 100mW@32ohm to be sure the dynamic is awake which will translate into more open and better articulated spatiality.

When it come to eartips, i find short wide bore (vocal) eartips the best when it come to soundstage and presence of instrument fullness, its hint warmer and bassier as well as more mid centric than Balanced ear tips, which compress spatiality and push forwards upper mids, with those, treble is sharper so percussions are more snappy but i miss stereo openness and smoother balance of wide bore ear tips.

Then when it comes to cable, it’s true the Cadenza benefits from even higher quality than the stock one which is very good and doesn't justify an urgent upgrade.
If I use the Letshuoer Nebula cable timbre become smoother and less noisy, bass is lusher and more complete and dense in tone, mids aren’t as edgy and boxy and treble is less splashy, in other word: dynamic is better control, without any intensity spike and Cadenza sound notch warmer and more mid centric. I prefer this cable pairing yet don’t understand why it isn’t a modular cable. Quite a bummer in that regard since this cable is quite expensive (165$)



COMPARISONS



VS HISENIOR OKAVANGO (1DD+6BA-300$)

The Oka is more W shaped and bassy as well as a notch brighter, it’s less smooth and lean sounding than the more neutral and darker Cadenza.

Oka bass have weightier and more impactful mid bass, the sub bass is slightly less extended and articulate in bass line, while the kick is chunkier and less warm-dark, rounder and better defined in punch. Basshead would prefer the Oka while the purist will prefer Cadenza. Bass tone goes to Cadenza too, bass lines are less resonant and boomy as well are lusher but the punch is more mellow and dull.

Mids aren’t has cohesive in timbre with DD bass and show that more BA of inferior quality isn’t the best choice for the Oka in term of tone balance since the timbre is more grainy and thin, yet it’s less dark and static than Cadenza, better layered, clearer and more open as well as higher in resolution and micro details, the attack feel faster and less damped-smoothen too. But the vocals of Cadenza are notably more enjoyable to my ears.

The treble is notably superior with the Oka, it's more snappy in attack, more extended and airy as well as more generous in effortless micro details. Percussions are better defined and extracted, they are sharper in definition and less euphonic and thicken in timbre.

Soundstage is notably wider and deeper with the Oka, not competition here.

Same for imaging, which is quite dependent on treble capacity, so while the tone of 6BA is harder to match the layering and imaging capacity sure is more capable.

All in all, the Okavango is without a doubt superior to Cadenza 4 in terms of plain technical performance like imaging, attack control, macro dynamic and clarity but timbre and tonal balance wise the Cadenza is more natural and offers more pleasant vocal and lusher thicker bass too.



VS QOA AVIATION (1DD+3 knowles BAs-200$)

Aviation is slightly brighter and more W shape and energetic.Cadenza feel leaner in dynamic and more U shape in balance as well as darker in resolution

The bass hits harder but doesn’t rumble as much and isn’t as thick and lush, separation is clearer and kick drum is more textured, the attack is better controlled and faster, it has wider headroom after impact. Cadenza is all about sub bass thickness and lushness, which is more captivating and musical in its singularity but when it comes to mid bass the role changes and its QOA that entertains more.

Mids are crisper, more open and energetic with QOA, it has more note impact as well as less lean dynamic, female vocals are more bright and upfront yet still lush and as thick as Cadenza, it’s more textured and the attack lead and bite is superior too. Cadenza mids suddenly sound quite muted and I need to crank up volume to wake up enough of the dynamic, in that regard QOA is more previsible and coherent in its macro dynamic loudness balance.

The treble is brighter, more snappy and analytical with QOA, it has more air and sense of speed is greater as well attack lead has more bite so the percussions are easier to find and follow but some instruments like electric guitar can be borderline splashy. Cadenza is safer and darker-smooth in balance.

Soundstage is about the same wide but slightly deeper with QOA.

Imaging is superior in terms of sound layering separation which is more articulate and presence of instrument is more underline too.

All in all, the cheaper Aviation is superior in technical performance and I do prefer its more lively and fun tonality too, but treble sensitive people will most likely prefer the Cadenza 4. It must be noted construction is superior too (and sexier) with Aviation.


CONCLUSION



Once in a while I have to use the term ‘’Jack of all trades, master of none’’ to summarize an IEM persona and this fits the smooth versatile tonality of Cadenza 4 perfectly. In this case, it's a compliment, it mean it's so well balanced I can't fault anything in term of tonal cohesion.

I will never use this descriptive for too bright or too warm IEM, nor for clinical-neutral one, and the Cadenza can feel refreshing in it’s safe but lush, dark and gently bassy U shape tonality….if their DZ4 didn’t exist because both these IEM are very similar in musicality, so you can see the Cadenza as direct niche upgrade to this very IEM.

And yes, we are in warm harman target territory à la Simgot EW100 and then i would say direct upgrade to the Cadenza 4 is the EJ07M which I suggest you to directly jump to since technical performance is from another level and can compete with most sub-1000$ IEM out there.

The fact i'm not suppose to love harman tuning yet love the Cadenza mean that your aren't obligate to endure shouty or thin mids with all harman target based IEM, this is the solution for those who can't stand the Moondrop and Crin approach of harman target. I will even say, this is the solution for those that find Simgot harman tuning too bright too.

Since I love both DZ4 and Cadenza 4, i think the tonal balance ideal of Letshuoer reach more my soul and my concept of musicality where timbre and tone fullness is of prime importance. One thing sure, these IEM are a statement of refinement when it come to tonal balance but it isn't made for basshead and treble head nor those seeking intense Wow effect.

All in all: Highly recommended!




----------------------------


PS: I want to thanks Letshuoer for sending me this review sample as well as giving me white card for full freedom of thoughs. As always, i don't have direct affiliation and make zero $ with this review.

You can order the Cadenza for 230$ (pre-sale price, msrp 250$) here: https://letshuoer.net/products/letshuoer-cadenza4-wired-iem-hifi-earphones-in-ear-monitor

TONALITY: 7.5/10
TECHNICALITIES: 8.8/10
TIMBRE: 6.5/10
SOUNDSTAGE: 7/10
IMAGING: 8.5/10
CONSTRUCTION: 8.5/10
ACCESSORIES: 9/10
SOUND VALUE: 8.2/10

Intro

Celest is the sister company of Kinera, its aim is to offer IEM using new technology and pushing sound value boundaries.

At first it was supposed to stay in the sub-100$ price range, but it seems Hifigo influenced them to pass this price limit since they do exclusive collaboration with Kinera for IEM like the Plutus or Phoenixcall I will finally test today.

Priced 130$, the Pheonixcall is a tribrid IEM using 1 x 7mm dynamic driver+2x custom balanced armature+2 x square ‘’planar’’ driver (SPD).

It promises a bright and bassy musicality with ‘’natural’’ mids and spacious spatiality.

Let see in this review if it fulfills this promise and offers a sound value that is competitive at its price.

CONSTRUCTION&ACCESSORIES



The Pheonix are gorgeous looking, the back plate design is eye-catching with an artistic sparkly painting of flying birds. This is unexpected to get such elegant decoration at this price. The shell is made of thick resin plastic that is soft and seems durable enough.The shape is bulbous with a long thick nozzle, this might be a concern for people with small ears but I don't encounter discomfort.
On the top we have 2 pin female connector, it’s not semi recessed and this means all 2pin cable apart QDC will be compatible but that you are at risk of bending the pin if you're not careful enough too.Their 2 color choices, my pair is transparent and we can see all drivers inside, which is another captivating aspect of this IEM design.



The included cable is quite good too, another positive surprise.It’s a thick 5N silver plated cable with 8 braided cores and a total of 48 strands. You can choose it 3.5mm single ended or 4.4mm balanced.



Then when it comes to packaging, this is another overwhelming luxurious experience for a sub-200$ IEM, there is a lot to enjoy with the eyes and it feels like a treasure box.
Apart from the nice cable we have 6 pairs of silicone eartips. A nice carrying case and beautiful metal bookmark.

All in all, excellent box presentation, accessories and construction.



SOUND IMPRESSIONS



The Phoenix offers a bright balanced V shape with warm thumpy bass, open crisp mids and vivid but non sparkly treble that is the center of the show.

It’s a set that sounds both fun and technical, if not to say clinical.

Sense of transparency and its above average imaging and holographic sound layering capacity are the main highlight of the Phoenix.

The bass offers a good round slam that takes its impact energy in between sub and mid bass intersection, which densify the kick with warmth but affect definition of attack lead. The bass line are easy to find but cut short in rumble sustain, so the sub bass is slightly rolled off.
These aren’t basshead IEM and the punch isn’t very hard nor rumbly, it’s weighty and benefits more electric bass line than acoustic instruments like double bass or cello which sound more hollow and distant.
Attack control is average since we have some euphonic warmth and resonance, this means separation with mids isn’t the cleanest too. It’s a fast but exciting bass response that doesn't offer anything really special and has slight resonance and extra headroom that dirty the otherwise black background. Fast bass line can go muddy due to this resonance.

The mids are slightly lean and recessed with an emphasis on upper mids and instrument presence which are boosted in transparency. High pitch instruments and vocals are louder than other center stage and mid range instruments.
This means female vocal, saxophone and electric guitar are upfront. Brass instruments and female vocals are at risk of being shouty or fatiguing for sensitive listeners, sibilance is rare but can happen if already present in recording the Phoenix will not butter it.
These aren’t lush nor very natural sounding mids, the timbre is on the bright-dry side, it’s not sweet and the texture is a bit euphonic, not very high fidelity in fine details.
When it comes to piano or tapping instruments, the note weight is light and natural resonance cut short, as well it’s very lean in dynamic apart highest note which suddenly pop up in soundscape with more authority and attack bite.
The mids are open and airy with a near monitor like imaging but ‘’surround system’’ way in the sense the soundscape is vast in sound layers.
With vocals and most instruments, balanced armature plasticky timbre can be perceived, especially in breathy vocals or woodwinds where it gets extra noise vibration.
All in all, technical but not very musical mid range which isn’t the best for acoustic instruments and has a strange mix of boxyness and shoutyness for vocals that need more lower harmonic presence.

The treble is the main focus of the Phoenix but it’s made in a rather agressive bright way, it’s not the sharpest nor most refined highs since it lacks brilliance release and sparkle as well as proper attack edge and snap apart for very metallic sounds that will pop up more intensely in space.
While not crispest cutting in sharp attack lead, it’s still a fast and well controlled treble, sitting in between planar and BA which both lack proper brilliant snap and sparkly sustain decay.
We have micro harmonic distortion that adds euphony to micro details and percussions.
Those percussions are a mixed bag, they are well separated but roughly drawn in terms of attack sustain-release, cymbals that should sound sharp and short goes ‘’hit-hat’’ if we can say. This means ultra fast drummers will get a noisy attack timing lacking proper clean space between each hit.
Nonetheless, highs aren’t feeling compressed or muddy in macro dynamics, they have their own space and they are softened in attack release to avoid splashing.
To my ears, it’s near analytical in terms of details retrieval, but not all sound info is treated the same way, it’s more like an ‘’analytical draft’’ than fully restitute clarity. The mind knows all those sound info are there but can’t precisely represent it, it’s rough treble restitution, the SPD can’t achieve high fidelity crispness. Nor the BA used. In that regard, timbre and tone match well together.
As well, even if not the most sparkly or well defined highs, it still has air on top and adds a sense of openness to overall spatiality.

The soundstage is not bad but average, it has more talness than wideness and the depth will depend on the number of bass impact releases that slip into center stage, which can be quite deep with bass less instrumental music.

Imaging is main highlight of these IEM, it's very sharp in separation and definition and have proper transparency for multi layering. Positioning is mostly accurate and you don't struggle to pin point instrument position even in busy track.


SIDE NOTES

At 32ohm of impedance and 103db of sensitivity, the Pheonixcall benefit from some minimal amping, with lower than 100mW@32ohm source they might sound boxy and lean, to wake up dynamic and open up the spatiality it’s better to use dongle with balanced output.

The eartips is very important too, since we have a big nozzle with 4(!) hole that is tubed to each driver, it’s important to don’t block or compress the sound transmission, so the included short wide bore ear tips is best choice (or other similar wide bore).

Cable wise, no miracle will happen even if you use a Effect Audio overpriced TOTL cable with those. Stock cable is OK.


COMPARISONS



VS PENON FAN2 (280$ or more likely 140$ with ChiFI Love coupon code)

The Fan2 are warmer and more neutral, they are smoother and more cohesive in balance as well as more mid centric and natural in timbre. Technical performance is superior too, but not as boosted in clarity and bass punch.

The bass is less resonant, offers thicker kick drum punch but more mellow impact, the bass line is even warmer. Cello sounds less wonky while the rumble is more blurry but more vibrant and natural still. Both performance and tonality is superior, the Pheonix bass feels more detached and artificial.

Mids put so much to shame the Phoenix it doesn't worth lengthy analysis, simply put timbre is lusher, more natural and less unbalanced in texture, vocals are fuller and wider in presence, they fulfill the center stage without going shouty or desperate about showing off it’s presence. All instruments sound more natural and have greater note weight, BA timbre is inexistent compared to the obvious one of Phoenix too.

Treble head might prefer the Phoenix here since Fan2 is darker, still, Fan2 is cleaner and more snappy in highs attack, percussion are less boxy and dry, balance is more organic and effortless, it’s notably more refined but more delicate too, we don’t have as much extra air too.

Soundstage is wider but that's about it, the Phoenix has deeper and taller spatiality.

Imaging is less in your face and mids being denser, sense of transparency is inferior with Fan2, so for plain instrument separation and positioning the Phoenix is more capable even if layering of Fan2 is quite good.

All in all, tonality-musicality of Penon Fan2 is from another league in term of balance and timbre naturalness, i can say the same for technical performance since the 2 balanced armature used in tandem with 2 dynamic drivers are better implemented as well as superior in performance BA wise, while for bass, the DD can had too much warmth for some. At 140$.....the choice is very easy here. I don’t feel like throwing away the Fan2 after 5 min of listening, quite the opposite of Phoenix in that regard!

VS ISN NEO3 (2DD+1 micro planar)

Celest is brighter and more W shaped, dynamic is more energetic and analytical.
The bass is more rolled off in sub bass and notably more hard hitting and thumpy in mid bass, it feels faster and tighter too, less warm and mellow, it sounds more detached artificially from lower mids too. We have more resonance with Celeste and sub bass articulation is very messy compared to more tactile and chunky rumble and bass line of Neo3.
Mids are more aggressive and forwards in upper mids, lower mids is more scooped so piano and most mid range instrument sound more recessed apart high pitch saxo or female vocal which are more shouty, thinner in timbre and way less smooth, lush and dense than more mid centric Neo3.
Treble is more vivid, open and detailed, snappier and faster and more analytical with Celest, percussions are more prompt to dominate the mix and timbre is harsher. Neo3 is smoother in balance and less generous in micro details.
Soundstage is wider and taller with Neo3 but deeper and crisper with Celest.
Imaging while not very realist is still cleaner and sharper with Celest.
All in all, Neo3 is way more coherent and natural in it’s warm tonality, offers better fuller male and female vocal, has deeper and chunkier bass and has on par technicalities that feel more refined though not as boosted in energy. For treble head, the choice would be Celest Pheonixcall, even if it sounds more wonky and artificial it creates more in your face wow effect in terms of resolution and micro details.



CONCLUSION



While not the most natural sounding or pleasant in term of cohesive tonal balance, mid range body and density and timbre lushness, I was expecting way worst from the technical beast Pheonixcall.

These are energetic and technical bright sounding IEM that offer great clarity, fast thumpy bass, open transparent mids and sharp and snappy treble that sure will wake you up.

This mean the Pheonix aren’t made for treble sensitive people nor those who prefer warm and smooth musicality too.

Subjectively, i prefer smoother balance, lusher mids with less aggressive brightness and less boomy and resonant bass, but the vivid musicality is captivating still, more in a cerebral than emotional way to my ears.

Recommended for treble head, brigh V shape lover and those seeking high technical performance at affordable price.


—-------------------------------


PS: I want to thanks Kinera for sending me this review sample. This wasn’t suppose to happen due to Hifigo banning me but ‘’protector angels’’ still exist in this cynical world! You know who you are: BIG thanks for your true audio community passion Kinera matey!

SIMGOT EA500LM REVIEW



TONALITY: 7.2/10
TECHNICALITIES: 8.8/10
TIMBRE: 7/10
IMAGING: 8.8/10
SOUNDSTAGE: 8/10
MUSICALITY (subjective): 7/10
CONSTRUCTION: 9/10
ACCESSORIES: 8/10
SOUND VALUE: 8.2/10


INTRO

‘’SIMGOT，means "Simple and elegant".We trust only the finest product and perfect service, only the fusion of old-school rules and fashion creativity. Don't give in to conservative and troubles, we will redefine your senses. Stop stepping around and start setting out. Salute to art and science. ‘’

This is how Simgot presents themself, this IEM company from China has been around for about 10 years and releases hybrid and single dynamic drivers IEM that gain good success. What put them on the map lately is their best seller EA500, then the EW200 pushed sound value even more and then they released the EA1000 which is their best IEM to date.

Today I will review their latest release named Simgot EA500LM.

Priced 90$, This is the upgraded version of highly acclaimed EA500, the LM letter stand for Lithium and Magnesium material used for the dynamic driver diaphragm, it promess faster and less distorted transient response which will improve overall resolution performance.

Let's see in this review where and if the EA500LM excels in technicalities and musicality.

CONSTRUCTION&ACCESSORIES



The EA500LM construction is 100% the same as stock EA500 apart from the color which is dark gray and less prone to easy scratching.
It’s all metal built that feels pristine with great craftsmanship details and no imperfection to be found.



The cable included is quite nice but it’s single ended (3.5mm). It's a thin 4 core high purity silver plated OFC copper cable, it has an appealing black and golden copper braiding color.



The packaging is quite beautifully presented but accessories are minimal. We have this cable and a basic carrying case, 6 pairs of silicone eartips and 3 pairs of tuning nozzles.


SOUND IMPRESSIONS


The tonality of EA500LM is very similar to other offering like EW200 and EA500, but with more sub bass focus and more stable extension. It can be perceive as U shape or W shape depending of music style, it’s not a punch less U shape though we aren’t in thick impactful bass territory neither and I would never suggest those to warm tone lover nor basshead, while for treble or even neutral head, it’s surely a win. To my ears, it’s clear the the EA500LM highlight and focus is treble first and foremost, from low (upper mids) to ultra highs (roughly 2khz to 20khz I guess).

So, again, these aren’t thick or lush sounding IEM, it’s clean, open and crisp, bright and revealing, near analytical and highly technical with a hint of fun in fast bass slam, which is wide and well controlled in resonance though it does slightly warm kick drum presence and roundness.

When it comes to the bass, bass lines are well exact and easy to follow even in a busy mix, it will dominate kick drum if their impact to it, it can offer quite potent slam when the mix is boosted in that section.
Double bass and electric bass line are well textured with enough attack edge and bite, the extension release is resonant but doesn't invade headroom, it’s not a thick, lush, vibrant or juicy presentation and for some it will feel dry and thin, lacking proper tuck and well felt weight.
The cello is a bit too thin to my ears, the tone and timbre isn’t appealing and lacks warmth and lushness to properly discern it from the violin, both having presence favored before fundamental harmonic.
But this means it’s not opaque and dark bass too, and the layering is quite good.
So, for those familiar with U shape tuning, the bass will be alright while for those loving round chunky impact, it will sound a bit too cold and lacking attack lead thump.

The mids are clean, bright and open. Again, it’s not thick nor lush, it’s quite boosted in presence and we have richly detailed texture but slightly ‘’papery’’ timbre, like sandpaper, you perceive the grain details in texture, which can create subtle timbral imbalance. It can be borderline sibilant at high volume, as well, violin and sax attack lead will be very abrasive and highlight in micro details artifacts that don’t favor musicality unless you're into analytical timbre.
The transparency and clarity is excellent for the price, you don’t struggle to find multiple instruments on the stage though the notes dynamic can feel light and piano sound a bit recessed, underlining scooped lower mid range.
The female vocals are forwards and very bright, as said, it’s prompt to sibilance and tend to jump in front of all other instruments, forcing the focus. If the vocal is breathy, it will be in a harsh way, not a lush sweet way. These aren’t my kind of female vocal at all and will mostly please fans of Harman tuned iem, so perhaps J pop fans that want their singer hitting their ear drum hard.
Male vocalists are bright and very textured too, not thick and well bodied.
All in all, mid range is the main drawback to my ears when it comes to full tone and timbre enjoyment, i find it fatiguing and non musical.

Then the most impressive part of the show is certainly the treble, it’s where the technical performance is fully released. This is a fast, snappy and crisp treble with a good sense of air and very impressive amount of micro details that doesn’t boost background hissing.
It’s energetic too, and not made for treble sensitive people, even the smoothest tuning filter I base my review on don’t go dark or non spiky, by spiky i don't mean intense imbalance at all, just that the snare and clap are a bit piercing and overly loud in the mix.
This is the type of crisp treble that does marvel with metallic instruments like acoustic guitar, harpsichord and percussions which are extremely well resolved and has this sharp attack lead and sparkly release that make it captivating.
Sure, the percussion is so detailed it can feel splashy sometimes, but it isn’t, it’s just ultra resolved to the point it picks up every detail of cymbal release.
This is a proof of excellent dynamic driver with crazy treble extension, it’s not roll off here for sure and it’s rare to be so in sub-100$ target, this put to share anything Moondrop release for ex, since it’s not ruin with harmonic distortion pass 8khz like with Kato.
But this means in a jazz quatuor with piano, double bass, drum and guitar that the guitar will steal the show of all other instruments apart from percussions, but kick drum too will be darkened by a distan double bass.
Yes, we are in treble head eargasm territory where quality meets quantity, it’s vivid yet well controlled, it does attract more attention than lower range instruments but this can be highly immersive for some. For me, it’s too much but I always complain about not having proper sparkle and air, so in that regard I'm blown away.

The soundstage is taller than wider and very deep due to clean spatiality as well as slightly recessed center stage. It’s like a mini hall, or tunnel vision.

Imaging is very impressive for the price and I can see this being used for monitoring a lot of instrument apart kick drum and piano, since the sound layering is transparent and well define, it’s easy to pull apart different instrument, then the realism of this positioning is a bit unbalanced with overly magnify presence of higher pitch instrument like percussions and acoustic guitar, which will be easier to track in stereo way.



COMPARISONS



VS ORIVETI OD100 (1DD-70$)

The LM is crisper, more transparent and open sounding as well as leaning more to smooth U shape signature, which make the OD100 sound brighter balanced V shape.

LM bass offer wider slam with more sub bass resonance and extension, it’s more mellow in mid bass punch which is warmer and more rounded with OD100. Bass separation is better layered with LM, bass lines are more textured and less ‘’one toned’’.

Mids are more recessed and less crisp with the OD100, female vocals are more upfront and prompt to shouting and sibilance, their presence is less open and transparent, texture grain is more boosted with OD100. LM mids are a bit thinner and colder.

Treble is notably superior with LM both in micro details retrieval and attack control, which is more snappy, speedy. It extended further so it’s more sparkly and airy. OD100 is more edgy and crunchy in attack, treble is brighter but dryer and rolls off faster. It gets congested faster too.

Soundstage is notably wider and deeper with LM.

Imaging is from another league: more accurate and clean, positioning is sharper and layering more transparent.

All in all, Simgot EA500 is from another league in terms of technical performance and offers a more cohesive and balanced musicality too, which extends further both in bass and treble.

VS SIMGOT EA500 (1DD-80$)

These 2 are quite similar as said but it doesn’t mean they sound the same, we can see the LM as a brighter and more technical version of EA500, it’s crisper and slightly more bassy and U shape in balance, clarity is improved, as well as transparency and attack speed and treble extension go further as well as bass is a notch more boosted so we have more impactful slam.

The bass of LM is thinner and more boomy but in a good way, since it’s cleaner and less warm than thicker more mid bass centric low end of EA500, yet this warmth thicken lower mids and overall vocal and fundamental of tone-timbre too, so the bass is more euphonic but rounder and heavier even if less fast and clean it has more tuck, ultimately tough darker in texture i find bass timbre more natural sounding with EA500.

The mids are clearer and crisper as well as more open and airy with LM, sense of transparency and imaging is quite superior too and it’s easier to perceive background instruments which have brighter definition and more textured timbre. If you were expecting smoother sounding EA500, bet on something else since upper mids a hint more shouty and aggressive with LM and timbre is less warm and natural, we have unbalance between fundamental and harmonic so female vocal feel thin and less soul full (injected with natural air) than stock EA500 which have warmer thicker mids even if some already complaint it’s too aggressive in upper mids it’s notably smoother and lusher.

The treble is the biggest improvement of LM, it’s faster and more snappy and sparkly, it’s more extended and airy and we have greater amount of sound info. The percussions are less prompt to slight splashing with LM and separation is better as well as definition sharper. Attack lead is more vivid too and macro dynamic is better articulated. Simply put: everything sounds cleaner and crisper with the LM.

The soundstage is slightly wider and taller with the EA500 while notably deeper and more holographic and ‘’concert hall like’’ with the LM.

Imaging is notably superior with the LM, in that regard it’s a big improvement and this is due to cleaner spatiality, more transparent layered and sharper instrument definition and separation.

All in all, tonaly wise i find the OG EA500 lusher and more natural, especially for mid range and vocal-saxophone instruments but technicalities goes to EA500 LM and I can see people preferring the LM, especially those who like Harman target tuning à la Moondrop Aria (which i prefer tonaly to the LM but again have inferior technical performance).

CONCLUSION



The Simgot EA500LM are incredible performers for the price and sure take the lead in that regard when it comes to sub-100$ IEM, but I could say this for 2x cheaper EW200 too.

Now when it comes to tuning choice, this is another story, or in fact ‘’more of the same harman story’’. It become harder and harder to pull apart the chifi IEMs from maker like Moondrop, Thieaudio, Tripowin, Truth ears, Whizzer, Simgot and I can go on and on since even KZ and TRN play the Harman wannabe game….to my ears their always something wrong either about the bass or mids timbre and tone or presence gain aggressivity, to my ears it actually lack musicality and alas EA500LM is no exception since the feedback i read (and share) about the stock EA500 was about pina gain boost and upper mids aggressivity and the LM choose to boost it instead of making it smoother…so in that regard, i find it counter intuitive and overly betting on resolution boost.

Nonetheless, unless you're sensitive to mid range timbre or upper mids and treble loudness, the technical sounding EA500LM sure is an impressive harmanish IEM, one that stands apart in terms of imaging and attack speed as well as extremely low harmonic distortion.

Recommended!





-----------------------------

PS: I want to thanks Simgot for sending me this review sample. I'm not participating to any form of affiliate program or influencer game that would earn me $, so don't expect bias by me apart my subjective hearing as well as personal take on musicality enjoyment.

You can order the Simgot EA500LM for about 84$ (best price?) here: https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005006229192285.html

TONALITY: 8.5/10
TECHNICALITIES: 9/10
TIMBRE: 8.5/10
SPATIALITY: 8.2/10
IMAGING: 8.5/10
MUSICALITY (subjective): 7.5/10
CONSTRUCTION: 7.5/10
ACCESSORIES: 7.5/10
SOUND VALUE: 7.5/10


INTRO

The Aune Yuki might be very first dongle release from this company, but Aune is very experience with DAC and AMP engineering so this isn’t your normal entry level dongle using cheap OPamp or DAC amping section.
Nope, the big selling point of this dongle is the 4-way discrete amplifier that has 16 transistors distributed in a 4x4 pattern that you can contemplate thru dongle glasses.
You can count it too.
As well, it use the flagship cirrus DAC 43198 in dual balanced mode, this DAC can achieve very high signal-to-noise and has extremely low harmonic distortion, promising a clean and highly resolved sound restitution.
As well, it can decode any bitrate up to skyhigh 768khz and DSD256, in 32bit format.

Priced 169$, the Yuki promise an high end audio experience on the go, so let see in this review if it fullfill this promise!

SPECS:
DAC: Dual CS43198 from Cirrus Logic.
Playback formats: PCM 32Bits 768kHz, DSD256.
Headphone output: SE 3.5mm and BAL 4.4mm both gold-plated.
Headphone amplifier output noise SE: 2.6μV.
SE output voltage: 2.0V RMS.
THD+N SE: 0.00036%.
SE output power: 90mW 30Ω.
Headphone amplifier output noise BAL: 2.9μV.
BAL output voltage: 4.0V RMS.
THD+N BAL: 0.00033%.
BAL output power: 160mW 30Ω.
Input interface: USB Type C.
Dimensions: 53.5x24x13mm.
Weight: 230g.

Extra info, thanks to Aune for their transparency:
Output impedance: 1Ω
Crosstalk:
3.5mm: 71dB @32Ω
4.4mm: 106dB @32Ω



CONSTRUCTION&FEATURES


The construction is very elegant, this is no surprise since Aune always offer sober but luxurious design, even their IEM Jasper was pure eye candy, the Yuki is no exception.The finish is all white with a ceramic like texture, it have a big glass that show internal architecture which is fascinating to contemplate, the lettering are in gold and their fine line detailing that magnify overall elegance.At the back their 2 volume control button, one with a gold dot for + and other one full white for -. I find it lacking the click pression that underline volume step selection. With the protective case, it’s hard to even find the button blindly, which is a con for me.

Then we have two jack in front. I’m sensitive about quality of dongles jacks so I was very happy to see it’s no plastic but all gold plated metal, which promise long durability and thigh connection.

If this dongle is slightly expensive, at least the craftsmanship and material choice is on par with high end expectation.

All in all, apart volume button that i would prefer thicker and bigger as well as more clicky, construction and design are delightful.

Ok, in term of feature, it would have been nice to have a gain switch, this would permit surely lower impedance for balanced output and even more versatile performance.


Pass 100$, it’s normal to be nitpicky for a dongle.



In term of packaging and accessories, the dongle come in small cylindric box that can be use as carrying case and look quite good. Alas the protective case isn't included and will cost you an extra 15$. It's a real leather that look good but seem to make volume botton control less easy to find and press.
The USB-C to USB-C cable is excellent, it's SPC braided and gold plated, it feel durable as well.
We have a USB-A to USB C adapter too, but i would prefer a good quality cable that is longer to hook on laptop.
All in all, good quality accessories but quite minimalist too.

SOUND IMPRESSIONS



To my ears, the Yuki tonality is bright neutral, it’s one of few truely neutral dongle I own. This is the kinda dongle that will extract secret sound info effortlessly, this is even more evident when I compare it again other dongle, including pricier Questyle M15 which is warmer, bassier and darker.

Sure, saying it’s neutral is a bit vague, so i would say it’s treble centric before of being bass or mids focus, it tend to magnify presence of instrument and vocal and render texture richness and details in HD like level.

It’s an highly resolved restitution but don’t sound cold or thin, even if transparency and imaging is very good it’s not over boosting brilliance of percussion or loudness of upper mids.

The bass is less dynamic part of spectrum, it’s lean in punch but very well define in presence, drum have this ultra realist rendering but don’t gain in impact weight. I personally need more dynamism in bass but this is the kind of dongle that can ‘’heal’’ basshead IEM, cleaning the warmth and taming resonance of impact to some extend.
In fact, we are in smooth U shape bass territory here, this mean we have a slight sub bass boost that help to extract bass line which are more bodied than mid bass and kick drum. Those bass line can be incredibly detailed both in density and texture, Yuki help adding bite to their attack too, all this in a balanced way since it’s no euphonic boom here.This isn’t the kind of low end that add warmth or muddy boom boost to IEM, this mean it pair well with already bassy IEM.

The mids are open and clean sounding, gently bright without excited boost in upper mids that can boost sibilance of already brights IEM. Texture is rich with detail which permit to have well define presence of diversify instruments cohabiting in same space. This presence isn’t widen, it’s centered and static. Transparency is clean enough, what interfer with it’s translucidity will be texture details, not harmonic distortion added noise. This is a refined and focused mid range that permit to improve definition of vocalist and instruments but will not boost the dynamics or note impact of it’s rendering, overall presentation is refined and delicate, just slightly polished in attack edge to avoid a cold or clinical rendering thast favor too much the sharpness of resolution, yet, resolution is very high here.

This mean the treble is crisp and clean as well as organically balanced within other frequencies, it's not the sparkliest or airiest, it have more crunch than brilliance to attack lead and the release is smoothed, it doesn't gain loudness in sustain nor boost in percussions resonance. It's a safe but informative treble.
You don't struggle to find micro details or percussions cue with the Yuki, but it's not force on you too since it balanced in a mature and neutral way, the amping section seem to cream the timbre a bit, which avoid a blend or too clinical representation of high pitch instrument and sounds. While not the most airy on top, highs are still holographic and stereo sounding, but has said, it's a bit soften in definition edge wich inflict on sharpness of acoustic guitar or metallic percussions, this make them less agressive in attack.

Spatiality is wide and deep, yet intimate and focused on center stage which isn't too recessed. It's not the kind of dongle that suddenly expend soundstage of your IEMs.

Imaging is great, thanks to spacious layering and high resolution, from bass line to vocal to percussion the Yuki offer neutral monitor like rendering that don't forget mid range instrument positioning, which is well focused and not recessed.

POWER OUTPUT

The Yuki isn't the most powerfull dongle out there, but 160mW@32ohm is plenty for most IEMs including planar IEM like the Letshuoer S12 or S15 which pair well with this dongle and don't have distortion in bass due to lack of power.

When I pair it with very capricious IEM like the FInal E5000 it was less convincing, the bass gain was lacking and soundstage didn't sound as open as it should.

The balanced output impedance is low enough for most sensitive IEM apart 9ohm with high sensitivity like the Audiosense T800 that doesn't sound as clean and articulate in macro dynamic as im used too and can encounter harmonic distortion in bass region, so it gain unwanted euphony. Low gain choice would has been welcome since 4vrms is too much for the T800.

Nonetheless, i've heard more excited gain and T800 don't go distortant mess at all, it just gain in warmth so it don't scale up in resolution which with IEMs like Oriveti OH700VB is exact case with Yuki pairing.

As for headphones, it drive the Sivga Luan easily even if its sensitivity is 100db and impedance 38ohm, but don't expect a 160mW dongle to drive planar headphones like Hifiman Sundara or Arya properly, it will sound boxy and limited in dynamic push even if it can achieve loud volume.


COMPARISONS


VS FIIO KA17

The KA17 is plenty more powerful than the Yuki, it pack about 3times more power balanced way with desktop mode reaching 650mW again 180mW for the Yuki.
As well, we have more features control like low or high gain choice, digital filters choice as well as a EQ preset. This not only mean the KA17 can drive more demanding IEMs and headphones like planar or high impedance one, but that due to gain and amping mode it can be more versatile for sensitive IEMs too since at low gain it seem to have blacker background than Yuki.

Sound wise, the KA17 is notably more spacious and open sounding, it’s more lively in dynamic which feel W shape in energy with more punchy low end, more edgy and transparent mids and more lively and airy treble. It mean it’s a notch less neutral and lean than Yuki too, resolution wise the Yuki has more detailed texture and fuller presence and mids, but the instrument are more centralized on the stage, intimate in spatiality and restrain in dynamic energy.
Timbre is a hint warmer and more euphonic with the KA17 while more boosted in presence texture with the Yuki.

Overall musicality is colder and less holographic and multi layered with the Yuki, it’s more reference sounding and serious in musicality.

All in all, sound value is unbeatable with KA17 since its more powerful and has gain control as well as lower impedance. Sound wise, it's more lively and bassy too, more colored than leaner sounding Yuki which offer richer timbre texture too.

VS SIMGOT DEW4X

The 4X is crisper, spikier, more aggressive and vivid in brightness and more U shape and less neutral in balance than warmer, leaner and smoother sounding Yuki.

In term of amping power, both feel as loud with max power at balanced output, specs wise Yuki offer 10mW more balanced way which is very negligible. Unlike the DEW4X, Yuki don’t have amping gain switch. Again, noise floor seem cleaner with DEW4X.

Sound wise, these 2 are very similar and this is perhaps due to the fact both use same dual CS43198 dac chip, but amping chain of Yuki act like tube for DAC-AMP and had some lushness coloring and tonal smoothness cohesion to overal tone, it soften the attack edge a bit more too making the DEW4X sharper and more vivid in rendering as well as more lively and energetic in macro dynamic.

Yet the bass is weaker with DEW4X, it’s thinner and less dense in sub bass extension, bass line are dryer and more boxy than Yuki.
Then mids are more transparent, thinner and crisper with DEW4X, mids feel a bit more compressed and centered, less lush and natural in timbre. Simply put, Yuki feel more mid centric and offer wider mid range presence with less upper mids brightness.

The treble is more spiky and analytical with DEW4X, it will put forwards percussions and some micro details in a more aggressive and unbalanced way then more organic sounding Yuki, for ex in folk or country music the singer can get over shadow more with guitar or percussions with the DEW4X than more creamy and balanced sounding Yuki.

Spatiality is wider and taller with Yuki but deeper with DEW4X.

Imaging is on par with both which are very good in crisp positioning, bass line being more textured and well define with Yuki, as well as macro dynamic being more balanced and neutral, it’s just slightly superior in term of accuracy.

All in all, sound value go to the Simgot since it’s as powerful, it have gain button as well as optical out and the price is 2 times cheaper even if it use very same dual CS43198 DACs, but in term of pure sound quality, the Yuki is more refined and less energetic and excited in tonal balance.

CONCLUSION



The Yuki might arrive late in the dongle game but it offer the most neutral and smooth audio experience from all dongle i own and I own more than 30 of them.

It's not meant for those seeking lush, bassy or colored musicality, and will please the purist seeking versatile but uncolored yet natural musicality because we aren't in plain cold neutral territory here, the Yuki offer rich and life like instrument and vocal timbre with a focused presence that don't jump at you in an agressive way, with effortlessly high resolution.

Unlike lot of dongles that use very same DAC-AMP circuit board and sound the same, Aune has achieve it's own music rendering ideal which is refined and different than all other dongles I own, for this alone, the Yuki worth consideration.

Recommended.




---------------------------------

PS: I want to thanks Aune for sending me this review sample.

You can order the Yuki directly from their official store here:
https://www.aune-store.com/en/aune-yuki-dongle-dac_110207_1236/

TONALITY: 7.8/10
TECHNICALITIES: 8.8/10
TIMBRE: 7/10
SOUNDSTAGE: 8.5/10
IMAGING: 8.8/10
MUSICALITY (subjective): 8.2/10
CONSTRUCTION: 8/10
ACCESSORIES: 8.5/10
SOUND VALUE: at 290$= 8/10 at 200$=8.5/10

INTRO

Rose Technics is an IEM company based in China that create IEMs for near 10 years. They specialize in hybrid earphones and make their come back lately with the release of QT9 MK2 which I review and enjoy.

Today I will review the follow up of this QT9 serie which is the QT9 MK3.




Like the MK2, this is a 1 dynamic driver + 4 balanced armature drivers hybrid earphones but with a different tuning, upgraded construction and new 10mm LCP dynamic driver as well as upgraded tesla grade magnet that promise effortless powerfull transient current.
With a MSRP of 280$ but easily findable for as low as 200$, the QT9 MK3 promise high sound value.

Let see in this review if the Rose Technics come back worth to be follow and even praise.

CONSTRUCTION&ACCESSORIES



The construction is minimalist yet elegant and well crafted. The housing is very small, it's made of medical grade thick resin plastic and a metal back plate, Nozzle is made of metal and not very long so more appropriate for shallow fit than deep fit. Connector are MMCX and quite tight, it feel solid and well embeded in resin plastic, not prompt to getting loose easily.
The shell is half transparent and smooth, this is the kind of IEM you can forget you wear due to very small size which is impressive for a 5 driverss IEM.

The included cable is just OK built wise but sound transmission wise it's quite good. It's a 5N OCC single crystal copper cable with 3.5mm single ended plug, which is main con for me because I mostly use balanced cable.



Packaging and accessories are excellent and quite generous. We have 9 pairs of ear tips in 4 models. An excellent carrying case with enough space for 2 cables and extra IEMs. The basic yet good ''sounding'' cable. A 6.35mm adaptor plug. And this nice MMCX disconnector tool which is a welcome addition.




SOUND IMPRESSIONS



The MK3 offers a bright U shape bassy tonality with plenty of slam and rumble as well as open airy spatiality. Instrument presence is clean and crisp, resolution is vivid and lively and musicality is fun and near analytical at the same time.

These are one of those IEM that offer both bass quantity and quality and I think the tesla magnet has a lot to do with this, the sub bass control, flexibility and deep, clean extension is something truly captivating, and though i would not suggest Mk3 to treble or upper mids sensitive listener, the bright bassy tuning is well balanced in it’s own right. Those are for rumble lover as well as treble lover, and when it comes to mids. It's spacious and quite well resolved too.

The bass is dominated by the sub bass, so it will add slam resonance to attack and mellow hard punching of kick but this isn’t a boomy or muddy bass due to fast transient response that permit good layering of bass line and other instruments.
The extension of rumble release is very well controlled even if boosted in dynamic and loudness it doesn’t go upfront in bleeding and offer a long, dense and vibrant sustain that is clean and transparent, not euphonic and opaque, we got a subwoofer effect that don’t feel detached from rest of spectrum.
The double bass extends to its lowest range with natural resonance release that is full of air and hyper realist, the attack bite is slightly scooped but not to the point of feeling sloppy, tone presence is full while gently textured, again very realist. The Mk3 are quite enjoyable for jazz trio and quartet.
The electric bass too is good, we have the lowest tone ‘’oomph’’ that adds energy to rhythm and has thick and well layered attack.
Then the trade off is about acoustic kick dynamism which is less weighty and thick than sub bass.
Another acoustic instrument that shines with the MK3 is the cello, this is logical if double bass sounds great, we can’t confound cello with violin due to vibrant and dense attack release of infra bass.

The mids are very open and crisp with impressive multi layering of center stage instruments. The note weight is on the light side and presence of instrument and vocal is boosted in upper mids and quite upfront in loudness.
Yet, vocals aren’t sibilant nor wonky in texture balance, intelligibility of lyric is in monitor level, very easy to follow each word of both male and female vocal. Male are brighter than warmer and thicker, while for female vocals the timbre isn’t very lush. I’m impressed by how wide open the vocal release is. It's not shouty or compressed in sound pressure, it stretches very widely and embraces the listener with good transparency that permits other instruments to cohabit in an holographic spatiality. Personally I prefer softer and lusher vocals with more lower mids warmth and fullness but the hybrid drivers implementation delivers a very readable macro dynamic even if presence is bright and forwards, it doesn’t overshadow other mids instruments in lower range that have slightly leaner dynamism but crisp layering.
The piano is fast and thumpy in attack with good control and non blurry attack lead and release, it’s clean and transparent, a bit light in note weight and even in jazz trio where it’s supposed to be main instrument focus, it isn’t, it’s just a hint clinical in rendering, but we can say technical too, so it charm more my mind than my heart.
Again, I need to underline the mids are aggressive and soprano singer at high volume can be borderline shouty, but not in a rough way so it’s more problematic for those listening at very high volume, we don’t have sibilance added to this loud vocal, but this mean some part of piano range will suddenly sound notably louder too.


The treble is the most energetic part of the sound spectrum with the bass, it’s where the BA timbre and limitation are revealed too since while the attack is fast, crunchy and snappy, we don’t have a lot of sparkle and brilliance. Still, metallic sound will have minimal brilliance unlike some other hybrids, it’s just the sparkly resonance that cuts short.
The high timbre is a bit dry too, this can make trumpet a bit boxy sounding, percussions on the other hand are loud and agile, with good control that avoid splashing.
We have a lot of lower treble boost too, this put forwards instrument presence and permit a very lively macro dynamic that has energetically articulated layering, but this mean some might find highs a bit unbalanced and distracting when it come to percussions or high pitch instrument, it can feel forced at the listener and as noted with jazz trio, mids instrument like piano will not be as focus and loud as percussions or guitar.
Yes, we are in near analytical treble response where we get plenty of micro details, this is the type of highs that amplify sense of speed in rhythm section, but not only since violin is edgy and well textured, it’s easy to follow it’s fast playing since each string stroke has abrasive attack lead, but then for more contemplative laid back enjoyment, violin will feel a bit thin and severe in it’s playing, lacking lushness from lower fundamental that densify and warm the timbre. Again, it’s more technical than musical to my ears, nonetheless, it’s a captivating listening that will sure not bore the listener since MK3 has a treble that wakes you up, it’s nervous and highly revealing without boosting unwanted noise artifacts like background hiss of bad recording.
Another thing i find captivating but can’t explain exact acoustic phenomenon is that we do have air and sense of openness even if i feel treble pass 10khz roll off rather fast, we don’t have the airy long resonance of harp or acoustic guitar attack release but percussions aren’t mixed within a muddy macro dynamic, it well position in spatiality and has proper attack edge and snap for well define stereo separation in a 3D holographic spatiality.

This means the soundstage is quite great with the MK3 even if not the widest it’s open sounding, clean and deep. Nothing feel compressed and center stage isn’t too recessed, we are into a 3D bubble that extend about 1 meter at each side of the head, the instrument are fastly projected towards the listener, it’s not a flat center stage with static instrument presence, your into a mini concert hall fulfill with speaker and even a subwoofer.

The imaging is another highlight of the MK3, this perhaps explains my ‘’analytical rendering’’ perception in the sense that the presence of the instrument is bright and very well layered due to great resolution and transparency. Bass line are easy to position as well as most mid range instrument and percussions.




SIDE NOTES

At 18ohm of impedance and rather low 105db of sensitivity, the QT9 MK3 are one-of-a-kind when it come to pairing, it seem they like a mix of low impedance output and proper amping push, i’ll suggest a min of 100mW@32ohm for those.

Then they are ear tips sensitive and my fav pairing was with Penon Liqueur black ear tips that seem to cancel the sub bass resonance and warmth, improving imaging and cleaning clarity which make the soundstage deeper and background blacker.

Cable pairing wise, the stock one is good enough but I never use it because all my source are balanced.


COMPARISONS



VS Rose QT9 MK2

The MK2 is warmer, darker and less U shaped and crisp sounding than the more bassy, lively and dynamic MK3.

The bass is less punchy and rumbly, thicker and warmer, less resonant and not as deep too. Separation is warmer and less well layered, slipping into mids in a more sticky buttery way. MK3 offers more slam with wider head room and faster attack too, the sub bass elasticity is superior and infra bass is more vibrant and naturally extended. Sub bass is more rolled off and muddy with MK2.

Mids are darker and thicker as well as more intimate with MK2, upper mids are more softened and dynamic is overall leaner and less edgy. MK3 is more airy and open with higher resolution but not as fully bodied as the presence of instruments like piano and vocal, which aren’t as loud and energetic in attack. Vocals are lusher and more natural sounding with MK2 but more compressed and dark than more open and well layered MK3 vocals.

Treble is more blunted, less snappy and sparkly than crisper and cleaner sounding MK3. Percussion's attack is more blurry and less fast and controlled, we don’t have as much air on top nor as sharp definition of highs, this makes the whole macro dynamic feel less lively and W shaped than MK3.

Soundstage is notably wider, taller and deeper with MK3.

Imaging is superior, instrument separation having more space in both X and Y axis as well as layering being more transparent and articulated.

All in all, the Mk3 is a legit upgrade both technically and tonaly, unless you're against a well balanced bright tuning you shouldn't care about MK3 which has inferior imaging, bass and treble extension and more compressed and intimate soundstage.


VS KINERA FREYA 2 (1DD+3BAs-260$)

The Freya is warmer, darker and more L shape sounding than brighter, more W shape and highly resolved MK3.

Bass is slower, more muddy and sloppy, the slam is more muffled and warm and separation is poorer but thickens more the mids than cleaner sounding MK3 which has more transparent, speedy and resonant slam as well as deeper rumble.

Mids are warmer and lusher, as well as darker and hazier with Freya, upper mids are less loud and edgy, instrument like saxophone is fuller in tone but overall mids are less open and crisp in separation, center stage feel more foggy and lifeless in rendering with the Freya, the dynamic is notably leaner and macro dynamic come in a whole package, making all instrument limited in loudness release, vocal get more veiled too, lyric can be very hard to understand properly unlike more resolved MK3 which offer faster and more controlled attack of instruments.

The treble is softer and muddier with Freya, their zero air to be found unlike open airy highs of MK3, highs attack is blunted and hazy in edge, definition being sharper and cleaner with MK3. Acoustic guitar has more bite and natural sparkle with MK3 too, while spikier it’s still better balanced in lively macro dynamics while for Freya everything is just crumpled into a foggy safeness….

Soundstage is notably taller and deeper with MK3 and about the same width.

Imaging is next level superior, more holographic, 3D and spacious in placement, cleaner in separation space, more defined in instrument presence ... .it puts Freya to shame that MK3 feels like a way pricier IEM.

All in all, this comparison confirms how bad Freya 2 is and while tonality is duller and safer, it’s muddier, dynamic less and rolled off in both sub bass and upper treble. Technical performance of QT9 MK3 is from another league here.



CONCLUSION


The Rose Technics QT9 MK3 are technical monster IEM that deliver plenty of bass fun and take the opposite road of safe tuning that can often be very dull or boring to listen to.

The bass performance is incredible for the price, it’s fast and rumbly yet clean and elastic, thanks to the phenomenal DD and tesla magnet that permit to achieve a transient speed that properly match the one of 4 other BAs to deliver a captivating energetic and vividly resolved musical experience.

The Mk3 aren’t for faint of heart, nor for treble sensitive audiophile, as well, mid range isn’t the most natural or lushest we can find, nonetheless, i could say this for flagship headphones like Hifiman Arya Organic which offer similar sound experience to MK3.

All in all, I'm truly impressed by the QT9 MK3 performance and while I would prefer smoother upper mids, there is nothing wrong with being a treble head with such rewarding resolution and attack speed.

Recommended for bass and treble lover!


----------------------------

PS: I want to thanks Rose Technics for sending me this review sample. I'm not involved into any form of affiliation program or $ hubris bias. As always, those are just my subjective opinion and audio impressions.

You can order the Rose QT9 MK3 here for 210$ (look around their plenty of deals): https://www.aliexpress.com/i/1005006080160902.html

Tonality: 8.5/10
Technicalities: 8.8/10
Timbre: 8.2/10
Soundstage: 8.5/10
Imaging: 8.2/10
Musicality (subjective): 8.8/10
Construction: 7.5/10
Accessories: 9/10
Sound value: 10/10
INTRO

Artti is an obscure OEM company from China that was manufacturing IEMs for other companies like Letshuoer before going their own brand. It seem closely connected to Volkchoi but I wasn't able to get much more info about this IEM maker.
They've been getting lotta attention on ChiFi Love, thanks to Joel Regalado for it's find about 3-4 months ago.
Then I become obsess about this IEM brand because of their extremely competitive price for IEM tech that we rarely find in sub-100$ market like 3 dynamics drivers (of different type) and the planar IEM I will review today call T10.
Priced 70$ but easily findable for 50$, the T10 use a 14.2mm planar driver that haven't nothing to envy to pricier planar and put to shame rough sounding budget planar things from KZ.
I've waited 2 months for the arrival of T10 so let's say my expectation has the time to grow and grow.
Let see in this review if it worth getting crazy about those ultra budget planar IEM.

CONSTRUCTION&ACCESSORIES


The T10 ain't gonna win a beauty contest and feel cheap in hands. Yet, when we look closer, it does use a special type of plastic that is very similar to Letshuoer DZ4 and S15, so the housing is surely made with 3D printer. Then we have a round metal back plat sticken at the back of the round housing which is rather small and have a long angled nozzle.The plastic is smooth and IEM is light and very comfortable for long listening. It's thinked to be use with ear hook and noise isolation is good enough.2pin female connector are quite tight, this mean we need to be cautious when connecting a variety of cable.

The included cable is incredible for the price, you can choose it in balanced 4.4 termination which is a big plus. Its a 4 cores high purity copper silver plated cable that don't justify urgent upgrade and will be enough for most audiophile. This is a big deal because the goal of this IEM is to be an end game budget audiophile solution so now the only thing you need it's a dongle with powerfull balanced output which can be found around 50$ easily nowadays.


The packaging is minimalist in presentation, which I like because the vain waste of fancy packaging is just ridiculous and often use to compensate lack of proper accessories which we have plenty with the Artti. We have a large enough carrying case of great quality, 6 pairs of silicone ear tips and that's it and it's plenty for the price.



SOUND IMPRESSIONS



Tonality wise these sit between U and W shape, why? Because we don’t feel it lack anything bass, mids, treble wise yet their some coloring going on, like sub bass dominating mid bass in slam, then mids lift have extra warmth that thicken fundamental and lower mids so it’s not thin like an harman target U shape, then the treble isn’t fully sparkly but have plenty of snap and air.
We are into well balanced tonality, and guilty pleasure part will hit harder with bassy music than instrumental like classical and even jazz.


Describing the T10 this way don’t do them justice since i would like to be able being 100% hysterical brainless hyper but just can’t. Yet, they merit this way more than anything KZ or even Letshuoer. The 55$ price is not normal, we are into exceptional sound value even if musicality is more boosted than technicalities with T10. Those are bassy planar for sure, slightly bright but not shouty, piercing or trebly, as well unless going Shuoer S15, you will not find as natural timbre for a planar IEM, for me only thing T10 don’t excel is male vocal, the bass warmth benefit more female vocal density and lushness here and I can’t explain why, it is like it is.

The bass as big rumble that is thick and vibrant, the slam hit hard with great headroom, it’s wide and dense, dominate by lowest range so it’s not focus on mid bass thumping punch, nor magnify sens of speed. Kick drum is a bit dark in definition but the boom is fun and euphonic, well balanced within an overall warm balance.
This mean bass line are well extracted and easy to follow, yet they don’t overly distract or dominate the mix, warm transition is well done, it don’t bleed on male or female vocal due to fast transient response of planar driver that permit open sound layering.
Acoustic bass line like double bass or electric bass has minimal bite to it so attack lead is energic and define enough, it’s not overly boosted in bite so texture of string pulling will be too much.
Don’t expect cleanest bass, though it’s not muddiest too, it’s fun, lush and weighty, it’s not very resonant too, the rumble is about thick air vibrancy that I find highly appealing. This do better with soul, R&B, rap, Trip-Hop and EDM than rock or jazz. Still, i can enjoy most music style with T10, i accept the extra sub bass boom which add sens of physicality to music, the minimal kick drum texture and mellow punch permit enough readability, while for cello it lack a bit of low mids fullness so it can be mixed up with violin in orchestra or chamber ensemble.
Yes, we are in U shape balance where sub add weight to the slam without sounding too thin or too boomy. We have plenty of ‘’oomph’’ with the T10 even if it’s not perfectly define in roundness it can go speedy and had dynamic energy to the musicality.

The mids are open, gently bright and not thin sounding. It specialize in higher pitch instrument like female vocal and saxophone, which aren’t shouty or sibilant.
Female vocal are wide in presence, breathy and textured with hint of warmth in timbre, which make them lusher and more natural sounding than alot of pricier planar IEMs.
It’s not buttery sweet though, and some might find pina gain a bit borderline high.
The layering of multiple instrument is great. and we have enough transparency to perceive different stage of music.
The piano sound realist and have enough note weight to be felt, it doesn’t tap hard in attack lead wich is softed, then the natural resonance is a bit hazy but this avoid a dry or too flat rendering too, note of piano open up with euphony.
Then the male vocal has bright presence and aren’t veiled by bass nor thicken by it, it’s a bit leaner in dynamic than female vocal and perhaps not the best for fans of Kurt Elling which has a bit too much boost in raspiness compared to visceral grunt that should densify it’s vocal. Anyway, i’ve heard way worst and male vocal are as clear as female vocal.
All in all, very good mid range for a planar, with quite natural timbre too, it's open sounding, vast and lively and we have plenty of instrument positioning accuracy that make music listening extremely captivating.


The treble is fast and snappy, has hint of brilliance that benefit acoustic guitar and percussions and extra sens of air and openness.
While energetic, it’s well balanced and percussions don’t dominate the mix even if they are well separated, lievely and easy to pin point.
It’s quite extended too, yet permissive enough for poor recording since it don’t boost background hiss like KZ PR planars which are notably more trebly.
The snare are clear and loud without being piercing, hit hat is fast and tight, crash isn’t splashy yet well resolve too.
Both electric and acoustic guitar has slightly softed attack bite lead and texture, it doesn’t sound thin or too sharp, it’s hard to pin point electric guitar or acoustic chord than single note playing due to this.
We have plenty of micro details but no unpleasant noise artefact or texture boost unbalance, the highs are very well balanced within a W shape dynamic that is agile and lively.
If you love fast snappy treble with plenty of attack bite and control, your in for alot of joy with the T10 which is a sub-100$ technical champ.

The soundstage is another highlight, its quite gigantic in fact (with right ear tips), its taller than wider but still very wide and we have plenty of depth even when bass occur.

The imaging is excellent too, thanks to fast layering capacity of planar driver and great transparency, you can travel within a 3D holographic soundscape with accurate positioning, something that is quite unheard in this price range.




Side note

Like all planar, these scale up greatly with proper amping. I suggest a minimum of 200mW@32ohm to wake up the dynamic and open up spatiality.

The ear tips too inflict alot on sound projectiong, wide bore is mandatory but their a variety of it.

The cable don't inflict alot on sound rendering, this is perhaps due to planar not being sensitive to impedance output. As well, included cable is excellent, i just suggest using balanced cable for better imaging and spatiality representation from a balanced source.



COMPARISONS



VS LETSHUOER S12

S12 is less bassy, more W shape and brighter with more spicey upper mids.

Bass is both less punchy and rumbly, it’s more texture and cleaner but more rolled off in sub bass. T10 offer wider weighter slam, chunkier overall bass, lusher in timbre and deeper more vibrant and deep in rumble.

Mids are more aggressive and thinner with the S12, its more prompt to sibilance and harshness, texture is more brighten and noisy, vocal feel more compressed and less wide in presence, they are a bit cleaner too. T10 has smoother upper mids and more creamy timbre, saxophone and vocal sound more natural and bodied, when their big slam in track is can bleed more in lower mids, so overall darker yet piano sound less recessed as well as acoustic instrument less unbalanced in presence texture and fundamental of tone.

The treble is sharper and splashier with S12, for me it’s barely bearable while T10 is smoother yet still snappy and airy, you don’t struggle finding percussions yet they aren’t as unbalanced as S12.

Soundstage is notably wider and taller with T10, while slightly deeper with S12.

Imaging is more analytical and edgy with S12, so they win in that regard if you can handle the ‘’presence boost party’’.

All in all, technical performance is on par but less boosted in clarity sharpness with T10 which i find more balanced, smoother, warmer and way more musical.

VS NICEHCK F1pro

The F1 is brighter, boomier and more W shape in term of dynamic spike.

The bass is notably more muddy in resonance with darker thinner wonkier bass line that are impossible to read properly, the slam is loose and more boomy and dominant than warmer smoother and more balance bass of T10 that has thicker rumble with faster sustain and less resonance rebound.

The mids are more sibilant and bright, has artificial timbre compared to T10 and are more shouty, note weight is thinner, piano sound more distant and hollow, among worst planar mids i’ve heard.

Then the treble is sharper, dryer and edgier, its has a metallic timbre to it which make it more artificial and hint more brilliant than T10. Snap and clap sound are more piercing and detached, we have more lower treble noisy texture and more splashy attack than overall ddarker and more balanced treble of T10.

Soundstage is about same wideness, but taller and deeper with T10.

Imaging is on par with both too.

All in all, T10 surpass the F1 in all department, bass is more controlled and balanced, mids are smoother and lusher, treble is more controlled and balanced, tonality is more natural and musical and ultimately put to shame the messy F1 that I find unlistenable.

CONCLUSION


The Artti T10 are the game changer budget planar IEM i was waiting for, it’s not perfect but nothing is even at kilobucks price.

The fact we can find these for around 50$ is just insane, add to this the great balanced cable and it’s ski high price value buy.

Those who love bassy W shape balance will be in heaven with the T10, those who need well bodied instrument presence too, those who need technical performance that hit way above it's price range too, those who need vast soundstage as well, those who lovee fast bass and rumble too...I can go on and on, it's truely the budget miracle IEM and believe me: i don't earn nothing praising those. In fact, my audiophile quest try to avoid budget IEMs which are very underwhelming either in performance or tonality to my capricious high end ears....yet, this is a planar IEM that can compete against any other planar IEM whatever the price range, and this without shame....unlike KZ offering this is a cohesive and musical tuning and thanks god, it don't go shouty like the 7HZ Dioko or other harman target disaster that seem to charm alot of ears but not mine.

I'm no hyper yet these worth hysterical praise, which I hope some will do but it seem you need to have $ earning to go all positivity nowadays....in my case, i loose $ and time doing this, it's 100% self less praise to help those budget audiophile finding very best planar deal, which T10 is without a single doubt.

This is the new budget planar benchmark to beat, before it was around 100$, with the like of Letshuoer S12.

I don't think we will see another 50$ planar as competitive as this in 2024, but if so, thanks again to Artti for pushing the bundaries because ChiFi market was a bit complecent in 2023.

VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED ( a must for those not owning planar IEM)




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PS: hum, i'm not sure i wanna thanks Volkchoi which take months to send this IEM to me...so, i just underline it's a review sample here....which worth nothing to me. 50$ is price of 3 pack of cigarette here.

You can find the T10 for 55$ here:
https://volkchoi.com/products/artti-t10-huge-planar-headphones-wired-in-ear-monitors-hifi-earphones

TONALITY: 8.8/10
TECHNICALITIES: 8.2/10
TIMBRE: 8.5/10
SOUNDSTAGE: 9/10
IMAGING: 7.5/10
MUSICALITY (subjective): 9/10
CONSTRUCTION: 8/10
ACCESSORIES: 8.5/10
SOUND VALUE: 8.5/10

ISN audio is a cable and IEM company from China, owned by Penon which has been doing IEMs and cable under its own name for more or less 5 years.

I’ve discover ISN IEMs 2 years ago with the H30 that is a extremely competitive 1DD+2BA (sonion+knowles) hybrid earphones and positively surprise me at the time since it doesn’t follow typical V, U or harman balanced tonality and instead deliver a mellow warm neutral musicality that don’t bet on fatiguing treble or upper mids boost.

Then I discovered the H40 which was a lush basshead IEM that I'm very enamored of and the ISN love story just continued to strengthen more with Neo5 and H50.

This explains why I feel the urgent need to try the new Neo3 which I will review today.

The Neo3 is priced 199$ and it’s one-of-a-kind hybrid using 2 dynamic drivers (bass and mids) and 1 micro planar for highs.

Let's see in this review what kind of musicality and performance the Neo3 offer.


CONSTRUCTION&ACCESSORIES



The Neo3 construction is very, how say: Orange. It’s all made of thick resin plastic that is smooth and feels sturdy. The housing is fully transparent in front so we can see 3 tubed drivers, no need to tear it down to confirm these use real planar drivers!
The back is half transparent, which is a strange aesthetic choice to my eyes.
In fact, the whole design is quite a departure from the more classic look of other ISN IEMs, as well, the shape is chunky but comfy due to soft plastic, lightweight and elongated nozzle that is small.
On top of housing we have a 2 pin female connector that isn’t recessed but has a flat shape for easy and secure connection.

All in all, the construction doesn't feel cheap but the aesthetic will be hit or miss depending on your taste. Since I have just one Orange IEM (Dunu DK2001), I'm happy to have this unique looking Neo3 in my collection.

The included cable is of good quality too but I would have preferred a modular cable still. It’s a 8 strands OCC copper braided cable that is thick, flexible and sturdy. You can choose it in 3 different plug termination: 3.5mm single ended or 2.5mm and 4.4mm balanced.



The packaging is the same as all other ISN IEM, which is an elegant electric blue box with a generous amount of accessories. We have the typical ISN carrying case that is very well built but a bit small and we have 9 pairs of silicone ear tips. As well as cleaning tool and cable holder.

All in all, satisfying package for the price.


SOUND IMPRESSIONS



The tonality of Neo3 is all about feeding a lush, dense, rich and holographic musicality that is laid back yet highly immersive. It’s not a technical-clinical highly resolved sound we have but a slightly dark and mellow one with thick vibrant weighty bass, forwards and smooth mids with creamy timbre and fast and full treble that is not edgy but enough crunchy for attack lead, smoother.

The Neo3 is all sugar to the ears, fatigue free and perfect for getting lost for hours within an organic balance that isn’t muddy in macro dynamics. The drivers timbre match perfectly and nothing sounds detached or out of place, it’s a spike-less balance that round the corner of definition to magnify goodness of tone and timbre.

The bass is impactful but not edgy in definition, it’s energy is in-between mid and sub bass so it’s a vibrant mellow slam that is thick and a hint warm.
The kick is dark in definition while the sub bass line is vibrant and chunky and tactile.
It’s not a lean and clean extension we have, it’s juicy and we have slight sub bass roll off around 30-40hz, this means double bass can sound a bit boomy and one tone, this is the guilty pleasure part and the transition in lower mid range is dense and warm too.
Thankfully, this doesn’t veil the mids which sit above this warm luscious low end.
While this doesn’t benefit double bass, it does magnify the cello tone and body, which can't mix with violin like with harman tuning that over boost presence and texture to the detriment of fundamental frequencies which are the core of cello. Anja Lechner cellist never sound as good, the tone is colorful and natural while timbre is dense, rich with natural air vibration and the attack lead is weighty, we don’t have texture noise or micro details artifact that will ruin the appealing lushness and focus of this instrument is excellent, it can cohabit with piano smoothly too.
Synth bass line has similar treatment, it’s chunky and has a singular space to fully extract its presence.
Digital kick will be more enjoyable and readable than acoustic kick drum which will lack proper definition edge and presence boost. The kick has a warm boom to it, it’s round and creamy and just a hint sloppy.
I feel the Neo3 excel more with slow bassy music like Soul, Trip-Hop, Reggae and R&B than fast rock or jazz.

To my ears the Neo3 is mid centric but within a sirupy and slightly hazy macro dynamic that has an holographic multi layering spatiality, very open and immersive.
These are vocal specialists, both male and female vocals are upfront and lush, not too dark in presence, in fact all vocal range from baritone to soprano sound magnificent without any sibilance or shouting, the upper mids are softened but not to the point of affecting loudness release.
From Kurt Eiling grunty blues to Jorja Smith breathy R&B to Arianna Savall chant, the Neo3 trigger goosebump and emotional reach due to intense sense of proximity with widely presented vocal that is both dense and rich in presence.
Main instruments like piano, saxo or vocal will take the lead and begin the main focus of listening, overshadowing other instruments in background which isn’t the cleanest nor sharpest in resolution.
The piano sound wonderful, tone is natural and full, attack lead is creamy and weighty but not hard hitting so for very fast pace pianist, readability of each note will be a bit hard, as well, resonance release is a bit hazy, it’s not linear, but it’s part of overall musical charm since Neo3 is all but a monitor IEM.
So we have the tone color, the attack weight, but a darkish imaging and overall resolution, these aren’t edgy mids at all, it’s safe but captivating, it takes you by the guts not the brain.

The treble is slightly dark but fast and snappy too, this is the first time I heard highs of this type and it’s due to single micro planar used for this purpose.
It project sound layers fastly with excellent control but softened edge, it’s not an intensely abrasive and bright treble at all so while it extract a lot of sound info, it don’t force it on listener, it will be well layered in the back instead of put in front of macro balance.
It’s very well balanced both in timbre and loudness, snare sound round and full, not sharp, wet and trebly, percussions aren’t the most brilliant but they have rich texture and full restitution, when needed we will have hint of sparkle in ultra high but again, tamed in release.
The Neo3 are certainly not for treble head nor deliver cleanest airiest crispness. It doesn't attract attention either.
Attack sustain and release is fast, we don’t have long resonance after cymbals impact.
Same for acoustic guitar, which isn’t an highlight of these, it’s full bodied due to fundamental of lower mids being boosted but lack some bite and sparkle for proper definition.
Maracas are impressively realist and fully restitute, as well highs are very well layered and don’t get mixed in muddy thickness even if macro dynamic isn’t crisp or clean.
This is the miracle of 3 drivers used here that permit holographic layering that is ‘’impressionistic’’ in resolution but readable in organic layering.

The soundstage is another highlight of the Neo3, it’s very wide and tall, out of your head and 3D, not hall like in your part of the music so it’s hard to sense deepness which is fullfill with center stage thick layering.

Then the imaging isn’t the forte of Neo3 laidback musicality, it’s dark and hazy, hard to position instruments and when their main instrument it darken even more the definition of other background instrument or percussions. It’s an ‘’anti-monitor’’ IEM, too polished in delimitation of instrument presence to permit proper separation.




Side note:

At 15 ohm of impedance and slightly low sensitivity of 105db, you might think these are very easy to drive but due to 2DD+planar drivers it will scale up with power.

It doesn’t mean a crazy amount of power, 150mW@32ohm and up is plenty enough, as well, a cleaner and crisper source is suggested since if you add even more warmth to Neo3 it will sound too dark and affect proper holographic layering.

Then the ear tips can drastically change sound experience, the Penon Liqueur makes it cleaner and more W shaped in balance with less bass warmth and rumble but more compressed spatiality, while Kbear KB07 wide bore warms it too much. Short wide bore provided with it is good in-between, it opens up spatiality fully, improves layering but doesn’t make mid bass more hard hitting.

Then cable wise, it isn't worth upgrading since I feel these aren’t sensitive to cable change. I mean, sure you can get 0.000000001% more clarity on top with something like a Simgot LC7 but the stock cable was good enough. This is surely due to the type of driver since I feel DD and planar are less sensitive to cable impedance-resistance as well as noise.



COMPARISONS



VS HIDIZS MP145

The MP145 is brighter, crisper and more U shaped in balance.

Bass is thinner and more resonant, it’s less chunky and punchy in mid bass, their less lower mids warmth and extension is more transparent . Sub bass is less rolled off and rumbles are not as dense and vibrant, nor as tactile.

Mids are brighter and more open sounding, cleaner and clearer, we have better resolution but planar timbre is rougher and grainier, though transparency is higher to perceive background instruments. Male vocalists are more recessed and lean while female vocals are thinner, brighter and more prompt to fatigue and slight sibilance. Neo3 is more mid centric, darker and lusher, vocals are way more pleasant.

Treble is edgier and snappier as well as more crisp and airy with MP145, percussions are clearer and less euphonic in timbre, acoustic guitar has more bite and natural resonance and sound more realist and not as boosted in warmth. We have more micro details too, which make Neo3 feel notably darker and less extended in highs.

Spatiality wise, nothing can beat the MP145, including the Neo3 even if near has wide it’s not as tall and deep.

Imaging is superior too with the Mp145 due to wider instrument space in separation, less opaque-hazy sound layers and higher resolution.

All in all, the MP145 is superior in technical performance but polar opposite in tonal balance and timbre. Neo3 is warmer, has more mid bass beef and notably more natural and lush male and female vocal, personally I find it more musical than MP145 but guilty pleasure is higher too.

VS Celest Pheonixcall

Celest is brighter and more W shaped, dynamic is more energetic and analytical.

The bass is more rolled off in sub bass and notably more hard hitting and thumpy in mid bass, it feels faster and tighter too, less warm and mellow, it sounds more detached artificially from lower mids too. We have more resonance with Celeste and sub bass articulation is very messy compared to more tactile and chunky rumble and bass line of Neo3.

Mids are more aggressive and forwards in upper mids, lower mids is more scooped so piano and most mid range instrument sound more recessed apart high pitch saxo or female vocal which are more shouty, thinner in timbre and way less smooth, lush and dense than more mid centric Neo3.

Treble is more vivid, open and detailed, snappier and faster and more analytical with Celest, percussions are more prompt to dominate the mix and timbre is harsher. Neo3 is smoother in balance and less generous in micro details.

Soundstage is wider and taller with Neo3 but deeper and crisper with Celest.

Imaging while not very realist is still cleaner and sharper with Celest.

All in all, Neo3 is way more coherent and natural in it’s warm tonality, offers better fuller male and female vocal, has deeper and chunkier bass and has on par technicalities that feel more refined though not as boosted in energy. For treble head, the choice would be Celest Pheonixcall, even if it sound more wonky and artificial it creates more in your face wow effect in terms of resolution and micro details.


CONCLUSION



The ISN Neo3 is another musical bliss that aim for a lush balanced tonality with natural timbre and fatigue free mellow dynamic that cuddle and enveloppe the listener until he melt into it's music.

The immersive holographic spatiality is free of any harshness yet the 3 drivers permit an open and multi dimentional resolution that is both tactile in sound layers and versatile for a wide range of music style.

This is a warm but highly articulate in macro dynamic IEM, that will please fan of colorful timbre, full bodied yet non agressive vocals and buttery smooth treble that can surprise with it's agility.

These aren't for fans of harman target IEM with agressive upper mids and bright presence, nor for treble head, these are made for music lover first and foremost, not for those listening to music like if they monitor it.

As a music maker, I use monitor IEM as a tool, and the Neo3 to enjoy my music or those of other.

If you seek an upgrade to the ISN H30, this is it.

Highly Recommended.






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PS: I want to thanks Penon for sending me the Neo3 after I manifest my interest about unique sound flavor they seem to deliver with such drivers configuration. Again, no $ incencitive nor any affiliated program to compensate all this time is imply in my reviews. As well, 99% of IEMs i receive are still in my personal collection (no reselling benefit).

You can order the Neo3 for 199$ here:
https://penonaudio.com/ISN-Audio-NEO-3.html

TONALITY: 9/10
TECHNICALITIES: 8.5/10
TIMBRE: 9/10
SOUNDSTAGE: 7.5/10
IMAGING: 8/10
MUSICALITY: 9/10
CONSTRUCTION: 9/10
ACCESSORIES: 10/10
SOUND VALUE: 9/10

Intro

Hisenior is an experienced IEM maker from China that specialize in Custom In-ear and UIEM for musician, stage monitoring and audiophile.
This company has about 10 years of experience and is well known among musicians but a bit more obscure for headfier and audiophile.
This will most likely change in 2024 because they plan to diversify even more their sound signature offering with their ‘’Wild-Nature’’ series that focus on different musical experiences.

Personally, I discovered Hisenior 4 years ago when I bought the T2 classic, a 2 knowles BA marvel that still holds its ground today as the best dual BA under 100$ (not for bass head or treble head). The pair I own was excellent for monitoring and unfortunately they never get the acclaim they deserve.

Today I will review the big brother of T2 which is a 4 knowles BA IEM with 2 tuning switches called T4.

Priced 199$, the T4 uses 1 BA woofer for bass, 2 BA for mids and 1 BA for treble with a 3 way integrated crossover. It promises a natural and balanced sound inspired by harman target, but I can already confirm to you it has nothing to do with the Moondrop, Simgot or Thieaudio harman reference target.

It has 2 switches that either add bass or treble, offering 4 different tonal balances.

Let's see in this review if this IEM offers good sound value, performance and musicality.


CONSTRUCTION&ACCESSORIES


The construction of T4 is made of high quality resin plastic that is just slightly transparent so you can perceive the drivers when putting IEM in front of light.
The housing has 2 parts, both with richly colored plastic. The back plate has a mixed white and blue painting pattern that is eye catchy. The texture of plastic is smooth, if it feels thick and durable.
The size is surprisingly small and has a long ‘’ear canal shaped’’ nozzle with a metal nozzle end that is both thinked for shallow or deep fit.
There are no venting holes so the isolation is excellent.
The 2 pin female connector is flat and not recessed, but not put on curvy housing shape so it’s easy to connect it securely, as well it’s tight but not to the point of being worrisome.
At the side we have the 2 tuning switch which can only be turn on-off with a tool, i find this counter intuitive even if extremely common, while i would not want as loose and big switch as the Oriveti OH700VB, i’m sure it’s possible to create secure switch that we can turn at least with our nails. This will permit greater freedom on the go since sometime i want extra bass or treble for different music and don’t tend to bring mini tool with me…ok, in fact, when it happen i seek a small sharp rock on the ground, sometime even nail or screw, but we can’t bet on luck like this.



Then we are spoiled with a great modular cable that is surely worth 30$ or more, it’s very similar to Tacables obsidian but with 3 modular plugs (3.5mm single ended and 2.5mm-4.4mm balanced). I don’t have much info about the core material, but this is a 4 average thick strand and surely a silver plated copper of great quality since I don’t feel the urge to take a higher end cable from my 100 cables collection. The plug has a ring to screw the plug so there is zero risk it gets disconnected randomly like most other modular cables without securize plugs, this is quite a big plus and while the mechanism is similar to Fiio modular cable, it has better grip and construction.



Then the unboxing while minimal in presentation is more than maximalist generosity, this is incredible and pushes the price value even higher.
Let’s begin with the superior carrying case which is ultra sturdy and well built, and a must have for IEMs owners. It’s a pelican like case with very thick plastic, and pouch with zip inside it for accessories and plenty of space for 2 cables and some extra IEM, it’s waterproof and shockproof and Hisenior sells it for 30$ on their site, which is already an honest price.
But if you add this with the cable, the IEM alone might cost 140$.
Then we have 14 pairs of ear tips (!), 4 models of silicone eartips (wide and shorter bore) and 2 pairs of medium foam eartips.
We have a Feebas sticker, a cleaning cloth, a pin tool for switch and a cable holder clamp of great quality.
Yes, this is overwhelming in a good way and I can’t rave enough about the carrying case!

All in all extremely satisfying accessories and great quality construction of IEM, cable and carrying case.

SOUND IMPRESSIONS



Due to 4 tuning choices of the switch, the tonality of T4 is multi faced and can go from warm bassy V shape to gently bright neutral, all with a mid range focus and thick macro dynamic.
Whatever the switch choice, you get a smooth balance free of harsh spikes.
If you are familiar with Final E series IEMs, think about the E4000 and E1000 in terms of balanced tonality that sit between fun and mature musicality that favor tone fullness before texture presence brightness.

These kinds of IEMs are hard to tune without going either too warm and muddy or dark and dull, but this is the ‘’tour de force’’ of Hisenior here and it does justify the use of both 4BA configuration and 4 tuning choice to fully achieve a versatile sound and performance.

This isn’t an analytical IEM, nor a particularly technical sounding one, it’s one that grows on you in terms of richness of colors and immersivity of wide sound layers that are well articulated around the listener, capturing him into a cozy harmonic cocoon that is hard to depart from.

The 4 tuning switch choice are as follow:

2 down is the balanced tonality, which has leaner and more neutral and clean musicality, but less fun and energetic too.

1down2up is called vocal tonality, this is the one with most energetic and upfront upper mids-lower treble presence, which indeed make the vocals brighter as well as instruments like saxophone and violin more focused and less warmed by bass.

1up2down is for extra bass, it has the warmer-darker tonality and vocal aren’t recessed though less clean and gain in fullness and lushness, we got about a 2 decibel bass boost, which is concentrate in mid-bass thump, a creamy, weighty fast bass that is highly addictive.

Both switch up is called soundstage but doesn’t sound as open as Bass switch to my ears, it’s the most dynamic sounding and the treble is more crunchy.

In all honesty, all tuning choices sound good to my ears but we don’t have extremely different sound sig, their no 10db bass boost that will make one choice bass head, nor sudden treble extension that will add a lot of air and sparkle and transform the T4 into an analytical beast.
It’s subtle fine tuning to achieve perfect versatility of a stock tuning that is all about organic cohesive balance in the first place.



The bass has its own BA woofer which is tubed individually to permit a good layering with concentrated resonance that will not overly bleed over the mids.
It can go from gently punchy and well textured mid bass to thick and thumpy warm round impact depending if bass boost is on. Personally, I prefer when it’s on a par for classical and folk music, but anything that needs proper punch needs this extra ‘’oomph’’ that is fast, creamy and well layered.
As expected with BA, the sub bass is roll off and don't offer a long rumble release, the mid bass can offer vibrant slam and bass line can be well articulated in tone but not very clear nor very textured in presence, lowest pitch will sound a be ‘’one toned’’ too. But this doesn’t mean bassline and kick drum goes muddy, nope, the attack is too fast and thigh for this, it’s just warmed in definition edge, so you have both bassline and kick drum warm in their singular release, yet physically well rounded and layered.
The limitation in extension is mostly problematic for instruments like acoustic double bass or infra bass rendering which don’t dig it’s sustain deep and lean enough, I would not suggest T4 for rap trap or Drum & Bass, while for jazz it will go without bass boost.
I feel the bass switch is thinked for soul, trip hop, R&B, pop and rap.
With tracks from Pip Millet, Jorja Smith, Moonchild we are in pure lush bassy thumpy pleasure that is all sweetness without feeling too guilty pleasure thanks to good macro dynamic rendering of 4 BAs, non recessed mids and either super smooth or more crunchy treble if you had treble boost or not.
From cello to kick drum, everything sound lush and thick, with plenty of impact weight, the tone is natural, not thin or dry and only drawback would be the euphonic definition of the well rounded presence, it’s not sharp or crisp in bit, it slip behind the mid range with an hazy presence that can either thicken lower mid range or stay leaner and more transparent depending of tuning choice.
In terms of multi BA IEMs, it’s among the best bass implementations and quite similar to 64 audio U18T which have creamy chunky mid bass punch with sub bass roll off and hazy texture and definition too.
But unlike U18T, the T4 can go from lean technical bass to this oh so delicious warm thumpy flavor. Afterall, switch play with impedance of drivers, and U18T is only venting port change (apex module), something we can achieve at home with a piece of tape.

The mid range is the best part of the show for me and a pure bliss for female vocalist lovers . It’s thick and lush and very focused though warm in resolution and more about color of timbre, as it will sound if you are near the instrument or vocalist. It embraces the listener instead of pulling him far away to be able to read center stage with monitor-like precision.
Their plenty of lower mid range, which means breathiness of the vocalist will be boosted, adding creamy lushness to vocal presence which is smoothly upfront and wide and enveloping in presence.
It’s the type of mids that can give goose bumps and talk more to the soul than the brain.
Laid back yet highly pleasant in buttery tone, the instruments are fully bodied with an organic layering that feel effortless even if not edgy in attack.
Don’t expect a highly transparent and open presentation, it’s intimate and focused, you’re into the music not a spectator of it. Add this to luscious punchy bass and the pleasure can trigger eargasm fastly.
The piano has good note weight with a vibrant release that blossoms roundly, you don’t have long natural resonance so it’s a bit hard to know which pedal or not is pressed by the pianist. It is edge free, tone is full and presence smoothen.
The saxophone too has this creamy appealing presence, fully bodied and wide, with upfront focus.
You might be afraid that with this softed attack bite the layering would be messy and all stick together in an overly dark way, but that’s what is fascinating with T4: it isn’t, thanks to 4 balanced armature that permit effortless yet non monitor like layering.
This is a fatigue free captivating mid range with magnify tone lushness and intimate, close instruments surrounding. Nailing this cohesive lushness with 4 BA’s is a tour de force in it’s own, boosting musical appeal of main instrument and vocal and making all other IEMs sound distant, thin or too bright. Impressionistic and colorful, the T4 mids kiss you, you can’t overseen it and its main attention is its musical appeal.

Then we should expect some trade off to achieve this mid centric goodness, but it doesn’t mean we got a plain dull treble. Well, I will definitely not suggest T4 for hardcore treble head, but as a fan of good quality highs, I find it refined and organically balanced.
Lot of multi-BA IEM can feel detached at high frequency. In fact, even with a graph I can see exact BA treble bumps of badly tuned IEM, it feels like it’s just thrown there to wow you with a non-sense resolution boost.
The T4 takes the opposite path, which explains why they remind me of Final E4000, which is all but trebly or analytical.
It’s a full sounding treble, percussions are thick and realist and don’t have long or splashy releasy, we have warm snap to it that prove they are speedy but not sharpen, in fact they are damped in spike, not very brilliant or sparkly.
For some, including me, it will lack air, clean snap and sparkle, at first it annoys me then I find it pleasant due to all fully rounded is tonal balance and non distracting are percussions or micro details.
Then for acoustic guitar, it will lack a bit of attack lead bite and snap, but tone is full, notes are open and dense in release, yet I was surprised to struggle discerning piano and single note guitar in some jazz tracks, when both play similar loudness. This is proof that attack lead can help to discern an instrument, piano being hitting a hammer on string while guitar is pulling-stroking string. This is very common with BA .
Nonetheless, the treble deliver rich amount of sound info, some micro details, and fast percussions don’t go out of whack when speedy, they just don’t attract attention, so for lazy listener it will lack vividity and micro details, but I can hear fine details of violin and never feel anything is lacking apart brilliance and clean resonance of high pitch instruments like harp.
All in all, a safe and charming treble that doesn't sound detached, wonky or treble. It’s buttery and sibilance and spike free.

The soundstage isn’t massive with those, it has average wideness and good tallness, but lacks depth and doesn't feel crisp or clean nor airy or open. It’s an intimate cocoon that sticks around your head like a bubble, you're in the middle of music, the vocalist is 1 meter of you in center stage while percussions are a bit more stereo.

This means the T4 isn't thinked for monitoring, though I can see stage musicians like singer, saxophonists using those. It's not sharp in separation, nor very easy to position instruments since they are close to each other. It’s not sounding like a concert all for sure but the layering is well articulate and don't go muddy even if instrument presence is warm.


SIDE NOTES

At 19ohm of impedance and 115db of sensitivity, the T4 are easy to drive and don't benefit from amping gain. In fact, they prefer cleaner crisper source.

The stock cable is good enough, but you can improve clarity and imaging using higher end one like Simgot LC7.

These are sensitive to ear tips and to get fully open spatiality I use wide bore one, like KBear KB07.

The T4 aren't that capricious for a multi-BA IEM and can be driven properly with just a phone.


COMPARISONS



VS Hisenior Okavango (1DD+6BA-300$)

The Oka is more U-shaped and slightly brighter on top.
The bass has more slam headroom, deeper extension and leaner overall punch, with less mid bass rounded impact. The sub bass is less roll off and more focused and detailed than T4 too. T4 has a chunkier and punchier mid bass punch, warmer, more vibrant and compressed bass line too.

Mids are a bit more upper mids boosted, a notch thinner and less thick and natural than more mid centric sounding T4, which offer smoother lusher female vocals that are perhaps less transparent but more bodied, wider and notably more sugary and appealing to my ears.
Treble is more textured with Oka, it’s more extended and extracts a greater amount of micro details. Percussions can feel less well balanced as overall smoother, more buttery and darker treble of T4 which is less prompt to fatigue or lack of warm versatility.

Soundstage is notably wider and deeper with Oka slightly taller with T4 which sound less ‘’hall like’’.
In terms of technicalities, T4 is less well resolved and imaging is inferior due to more opaque sound layers mixing together in a thick macro dynamic. Attack control seems a bit superior though, less prompt to splashing or unwanted resonance. Oka has 7 drivers but I don’t think all BAs are as good as the 4 high end BAs used in T4.

Ultimately I enjoy the smoother and better balanced musicality of T4, timbre is denser and sweeter, I'm not distracted by anything ‘’bad sound info’’ like texture grip, but overall technicalities are inferior, especially in both bass and treble extension.
Tuning wise, and sound value wise, T4 stays the big winner for me.


VS HIDIZS MD4 (4BA-190$)

MD4 is notably brighter and thinner with a wonky W shape sounding compared to smoother mid centric more bassy L shape of T4.

Bass is dryer, more hard, thumpy and edgy, less attached to mids and treble, more artificial and even more rolled off in sub bass, which is replaced by strange boxy resonance and noisy bass line presence.

Mids are notably more shouty, brighter and edgy, vocals are unbearable while highly addictive and emotional with T4, resolution is more boosted as well as sense of transparency, tone-timbre is off while lush and natural with T4 which is sibilance free unlike MD4.

Treble is all over the place with the MD4, it’s notably more aggressive, spiky and percussions are more splashy. Acoustic guitar is more snappy. Overall treble of T4 is better balanced, thicker and less analytical.

Soundstage is wider and taller with T4, deeper with MD4, like a tunnel.

Imaging…both are on par but for different reason, firstly because they are average in that regard, then MD4 is too noisy and full of confusing sound info so positioning is very unrealistic and messy, thigh highs instrument are easier to pinpoint in this mess, then for T4, it’s darker in resolution and less edgy in definition cutting, yet i struggle less to position sound layer unless extremely fast and complex music which in both case I will struggle. Ok, MD4 is so bad I'll give it to T4 here too.

Time to conclude this since I can’t take more! I think it’s evident MD4 is shamefully inferior both in tonality and technicalities even if it tries to boost the latter in terms of cheap wow effect that will ultimately just damn your hearing or sanity.

CONCLUSION

The Hisenior T4 are extremely addictive in terms of smooth, mellow and mid centric musicality, organically balanced.
If you are afraid the T4 offers artificial tonality or BA timbre, don't because it’s among the most natural sounding multi-BA I've ever heard, like a darker smoother 64 audio U18T with more intimate and focused vocals.

The T4 are special IEM that will not appeal to treble head or bass head yet please a wide range of listeners due to its permissive fatigue free nature.

Yet it doesn't lack anything dynamic wise, we have round punch, lush mids and smooth but fast and snappy treble within an overall creamy macro dynamic that is free of distracting treble sharpness of intense bass boom.

It’s rare I'm a fan that much of a safe tuning, since if I seek in my head, the first IEM that comes to my mind are the Simgot EW100 that I wasn’t a fan of. This was due to technical limitations of single DD in terms of macro dynamic articulation and sound layering, which are above average with T4.

I would suggest those first and foremost for lush timbre and vocal lover, as well as mid centric audiophile. If you are sensitive to treble harshness and tend to dislike thin mids and bass, the T4 will be among the safest choices under 200$.

It’s one of those humble IEm that offer both mature and fun tonality depending on switch choice, and if favor tone correctness before analytical resolution or extremist tuning balance.

As well, for T2 owners, this is a very different beast that is worth the buy as both an upgrade technically and side grade tonaly, richer, warmer and bassier than its sibling.

The T4 confirms why I always believe in Hisenior potential and such smoothly cohesive tuning with 4 balanced armature is a tour de force in its own right. If you seek for intimate musicality instead of energetic technicalities, the sweet T4 will stick in your ears like honey.

Very highly recommended for those that don’t seek in-your-face wow effect!






—---------------------------------------------


PS: I want to thanks Hisenior for sending me this review sample. Unlike the T2 I paid 50% of the price 4 years ago, I just pay shipping fees for the T4. Should I pay full, half the price or zero $, this will not inflict on my sound impressions since after 400 IEMs mostly free samples, and none of them being resold, nothing can inflict on my passionate subjectivist audio impressions. I’m addicted to IEMs and Music, not $.


You can order the Hisenior T4 for 199$ here (there a coupon code available for 20$ off which i think work for the T4): https://www.hisenior-iem.com/products/t4universal?variant=40719937699876

TONALITY: 8.2/10
TECHNICALITIES: 8/10
TIMBRE: 8.5/10
IMAGING: 7.5/10
SOUNDSTAGE: 8.2/10
MUSICALITY (subjective): 8.5/10
CONSTRUCTION: 8.5/10
ACCESSORIES: 9/10
SOUND VALUE: 8/10

INTRO

Penon doesn't need lengthy introduction, it’s among the first hifi chinese audio product distributor and it produces IEMs for years too, under Penon and ISN brands.

This isn’t an amateur DIY IEM maker like NiceHCK or **** and other Ali express OEM companies, it’s a passionate and experienced IEM and cable maker with incredible contacts and manufacturing possibilities. It seems Penon always aims for ‘’musicality meet technicalities’’ audio experience and one of the most special IEM’s I,ve tested from them is the Serial, which is a 3 dynamic driver marvel that you can check my review to know more about.

Yet, this explains how excited and curious I am to review the Quattro today.

Price 400$, the Quattro is a 4 dynamic drivers IEM that use 2x10mm composite DD in opposed sided configuration to enhance their dynamic response, 1x8mm graphene DD for mids and 1x6mm custom DD for highs.

Yes the Quattro is an exotic beast that use similar double dynamic drivers tech to something like Moondrop Bellsing 3



But in this case, it’s all dynamic drivers goodness. But will it be as competitive as the Serial in term value, will it be too similar in tonality or worth collecting for a Serial owner?

I’ll try to answer this question in my review.




CONSTRUCTION&ACCESSORIES



The Quattro has very good construction that is quite similar to their Serial, as small but chunkier.It’s made of good quality resin medical grade plastic that is smooth and not easy to scratch.The back plate has a beautiful wooden pattern, painted in blue. It gives it an elegant and sober look, like I love because I don’t try to dress up with my IEMs.At the back side there is a venting port, it has a filter to avoid dust entering the shell.On top, there is the 2 pin female connector, it’s not recessed and I find connectivity slippy a bit so we need to be cautious to align the male 2pin to avoid bentin it by accident.All in all, with its solid thick resin plastic, this IEM promises good durability, its nozzle isn’t very big so no issue for canal hole size since these are very comfortable and light to wear.



Now in terms of cable quality of construction, as always we are spoiled with Penon and this time it’s a next level since the cable is way better than the one included with Serial (which wasn’t bad in first place!).
Everytime i share pics of this cable, people wanna know where to buy it, how much is it….yet I don’t even think Penon sell it yet so I have no idea, it just mean it’s a looker and this is due to ‘’electric blue’’ color of cable coating.
Not only is it eye- catching but it’s half transparent too so we can see wires inside, yes ... .I pass too much time admiring this cable but it’s that dope looking.
Unfortunately, I don’t have a lot of info about this cable and can only speculate. I mean, I read it using Graphene. That’s it. It's a 4 thick strands cable. You can choose it in 2.5, 3.5 or 4.4mm plug. There is no ear hook and it’s a plus for me (big ears). It feels sturdy enough to pull a car. The cable splitter slider holds well and is useful. The Build is pristine and if it was Effect Audio that sold this cable you can expect 300$ and up. I can’t wait for Penon to sell this cable, I feel it will be a success.
Simply put, I've tried my fav cable Simgot LC7 with it and it was a downgrade, spatiality was less open and holographic, more flat. You don’t need an urgent upgrade cable with the Quattro.



And again, Penon spoils its consumers with an incredible amount of accessories goodies, all fitted in small eco-friendly boxes.
We have the great Penon case that has plenty of space in a compact way, so you can fit 2-3cables and plenty of IEMs and accessories.
Then nothing less than 9 pairs of silicone ear tips, including a wide bore that I feel is the best for those IEM, so it’s no random ear tips here.
You have a leather pouch for ear tips or cable.
A cleaning tool and cable clamp.

All in all, very satisfying construction and accessories quality.


SOUND IMPRESSIONS



The Quattro are warm and bassy, the bass is so juicy you want to be kissed by it and for the mids it can be the same when bass don’t steal the show, non muddy way.

We can say tonal balance is U shape in a thick and lush way, since the bass dominates when asked for, mids are lean but superbly layered and sweet, and treble has just minimal spice to offer some brilliance and snap to percussions mostly.
Yes, we are guilty of pleasure if we consider colored musicality a vice.
And this is where it can go complicated: what is natural timbre exactly?
For some, it needs to be textured and underlined in presence definition, it’s in fact mixed with resolution...an aspect I put in technical performance that has nothing to do with final musical enjoyment. Unless for plain monitoring purposes!
For me a natural timbre should sound full in harmony and pleasant to the ears, not forced. When I'm in real life, it's very rare I find a vocal sibilant or shouty...this is what I ask from an IEM too: to let the soundwave flow in harmony, or at least without a peak that puts sound info that shouldn’t be there.

And this is what we get with Quattro but with a different macro dynamic rendering where energy comes from bass, lower mids and mid treble mostly.

Even if it uses 4 dynamic drivers, it’s not tuned to sound technical or analytical at all. Its near dark treble wise, everything is so smoothed, their no edge to definition yet the instrument are fully restitute, mids feel lean, yet they are intimate and not recessed in a way you feel their presence is lacking, treble is gentle but can pick up sound layers effortlessly as well as intricate details of acoustic guitar in a lean way…

The Quattro is a niche yet intensely immersive sounding IEM with the right music. Even more so than the Dome, which makes Serial feel utterly versatile even more. We can say it’s a guilty pleasure too and would impress the bass lover as well as warm sound signature lover, treble sensitive people will find the fun laid back musicality very welcome too.



The bass is what captivates the attention of the listener unless there is none in the music you listen to, then the musical experience will be very different. More the bass is dynamic in your music, the more the Quattro can approach basshead territory due to its fast pounding slam with thick deep and mesmerizing rumble and extension. The dual faced DD used for bass deliver a unique bass experience that is very dense and vibrant and can extend its sustain in a vibrant, tactile and fully extracted way.
Bass line aren’t thin at all, they have full colorful tone but not the most textured attack lead, yet they are very well layered and you can feel you have a subwoofer in your head listening to trap rap or electronic like Kaytranada since the synth bass line are very juicy, tactile and meaty in presence, the elasticity of infra bass in mind blowing.
This means it can deliver proper grunt to electric bass too as well as cello.
Cello sounds lush and more distinctive than the violin which can sometimes sound like...cello.
Double bass is a bit warm, but the deep dense extension will complement well relaxed jazz, less so energetic music style like metal, fast rock because the kick drum definition is a bit darken by sub bass warm and bass line will dominate and warm it presence, what is impressive is how the dynamic of both can cohabit in tandem but not in a sharply define way since bass embrace lower mids and thicken the macro dynamic.
It’s not a clean nor a lean bass rendering and it mean it’s not the most versatile too. I find it excels with Soul, trip-hop, rap, R&B, pop and jazz trio or quartet, not with fast busy tracks.

The mids are lush and lean with a dense natural timbre. It offers full tone with extra low harmonic coloring that can go a bit euphonic when big bass occurs or very smooth and organic with instrumental music or simple singer track. It will feel leaner and more recessed with bass heavy music but the multi DD permit a good layering that doesn't lose the main instrument or vocal of the mix even if it will make the fine micro details of background more foggy.
The vocal presence is wide, breathy and very smooth, the pinna gain is very low so people sensitive to upper mids will never get fatigue from vocal, saxophone or violin upper pitch.
The mids are very centered in the stage while bass and highs add an holographic openness to stereo presentation. I can’t rave enough about the timbre which is very rich and has a natural texture which is more evident with pristine recordings like the ECM label.
Both male and female vocal have a life like presentation which is intimate and enveloping, while I say the dynamic can feel lean it's more about V shaped mix, with neutral mix like last Elina Duni album, the vocalist don’t seem too far and both tone and timbre is top notch, their no lipsy boost, no sibilance, no warmth veil because their no big slam in the music that affect overall resolution.
With trap rap music from IAMDDB, it’s less clean sounding but the lean vocal is well layered above the big bass rumble and slam, this is very enjoyable but some people might need brighter vocals to appreciate the lyric articulation.
Both the bass and mid range are so exotic that it’s hard to describe the very appealing flavor it deliver, one thing sure, these are very colored with warmth so if you like your mids crisp or bright or very energetic this will not be for you, even as a warm mids lover I find the mids lacking a bit of energy and clarity.


When it comes to treble, don’t expect a vividly bright presentation because it’s laid back here with just an extra upper treble boost to add snap and bite to percussion and guitar. It’s not plain dry or too polished on top, we do have slight brilliance to percussions which are easy to pinpoint but not dominating the mix like analytical IEM can offer.
As well, those percussions are magnified in sharpness, which add brilliant snap that favor upper range metallic percussions more than snare, some percussions can feel not fully represented.
Lower treble is very soft, it doesn't boost texture presence a lot which means violin sound a bit buttery and not very edgy in attack, this can be detrimental to fast playing of Presto sonata from Bach for example which will feel a bit glued in attack timing. Yet, for relaxed chamber classical, this lush inoffensive musicality will be beneficial. For a big symphony, the treble will be too dark and make the readability of a full orchestra impossible.
Acoustic guitar are thicken with low harmonic, they don’t sound thin or overly metallic, nor crisp or clean, it have a foggy density to its body and the minimal sparkle release aren’t enough to make it sound airy unless it’s single upper pitch note which will have this natural brilliance delivered.
It will be evident the Quattro treble can produce brilliance with higher pitch now, this benefits classical guitar more than harmony stroke.
Electric guitar sounds full and the timbre can be very realistic since unlike acoustic guitar the sound info in its density is important, sure distortion grain is a bit softer but it finds a good balance between presence and dynamism, alas the rest of tonality don’t benefit rock or metal music.
All in all, the highs don’t really attract attention and like all the rest of the spectrum it’s colored to fit a liquid tonal cohesion, while this permits to crash cymbals sound smooth, it affects proper clarity of note release. Treble heads will not like this kind of laid back highs, while treble sensitive and dark highs lover will find it quite cozy.

The Soundstage is quite impressive in wideness and tallness, but not only since the presentation is very holographic, it surrounds you from left and right and front which is a bit static but not far from you. Listener can get lost in an immersive musical experience where he is in the middle of the soundscape.

Imaging isn’t plain bad since the layering is in fact very good, even bass have its layer where vocal and mids instruments sit on, we can track some percussion or instrument but not all of them so at the end the tuning is too dark for any serious monitoring. Definition edge is too polished for sharp separation too.


SIDE NOTES

Firstly, at 100db of sensitivity benefit from amping power, but since impedance is a bit low at 16 ohm some dongle or DAP will add harmonic distortion and bass gain euphony, this happen with Xduoo Link2 Bal and Penon Tail for ex, so this make the Quattro ultra warm and boomy. With powerful sources that have low output impedance like Xduoo X20, Ibasso DX90 or Tempotec V6, the pairing is better resolved and more balanced even if still bassey this bass layering is cleaner and better defined, less blurred in presence edge.

Cable wise, stock one is excellent but not modular, so I guess you will swap cable even if it doesn’t greatly affect sound performance unlike with multi-BA or Hybrid IEMs or those with very high sensitivity.

Eartips wise, it does inflict a lot on how open will be soundstage and how articulate will be sound layering. Stock green wide bore is my favorite one so I don’t feel an urgent need to upgrade it. Yet I’ve tried blue Fan2 wide bore eartips as well as short wide bore, these tend to widen and deepen even more the spatiality but make mids even leaner and bass less thumpy, more diffuse in sound pressure.

At the end, the Quattro seems to pair better with energetic and crisp sources that have lively but not too exciting dynamic gain. If their slight gain in mid bass it will make the bass rounder punchier which benefit the tonal balance, slight upper mids boost can improve readability of mid range while fully extended and slightly elevated upper treble will show the Quattro can produce brilliance and sparkle and have this metallic snap to percussions.




COMPARISONS



VS Unique Melody 3DT (3DD-400$)

The 3DT are brighter and less bassy.
The bass is more texture in presence and better defined in separation, it bleeds less into mids and kick drum is more punchy. Bass lines are leaner and thinner, sub bass is more rolled off, there is no proper rumble or infra bass density. Quattro feels basshead after listening to the lean bass of 3DT.
Mids are way brighter and seem all concentrated in upper mids, the presence is thinner but more texture, female vocals are more shouty and prompt to sibilance, spatiality is deeper and we have more sound info and micro details. Quattro mids are lusher, thicker, warmer and strangely feel less recessed even if leaner, presence is wider and less compressed too.
Treble is way brighter and crunchier with 3DT, it’s not as sparkly since their zero brilliance in percussion even if the restitution is fuller and more boosted in resolution. We have more micro details with the 3DT but less snap sharpness, snare are more aggressive and percussion more grainy too with 3DT.
Soundstage is notably wider and taller and more holographic with Quattro, it's more intimate and deeper with 3DT.
Imaging is superior and near monitor level with 3DT, definition of each instrument being edgier, it’s easier to track them even if the space is more closed and stock in your head.

All in all, these are polar opposite. For treble head I'll suggest 3DT, while for colored bass, mids lover and treble sensitive I would suggest Quattro. Personally, I find the Quattro more musical and fun as well as more natural and pleasant timbre wise.

VS PENON SERIAL (3DD-300$)

The Serial is slightly brighter and more U shaped, with a more open and transparent musicality.
Quattro feels warmer, darker and more V shape with a crisper but more liquid treble.
The bass is more textured and thinner as well as less punchy with Serial, bass lines are better resolved and more focused, less glued with warmth to kick and mid bass. Quattro slam is more concentrated in energy and juicier, it's more physical than technical, rumble is more boosted, vibrant, but less clean and lean than Serial that have more attack bite too for electric or double bass. Quattro thickens more lower mids too which affect separation clarity.

Mids are more open and crisp with Serial, more transparent, less dark. Presence is more boosted, female vocals are louder but less lush and meaty, male vocals are more recessed and lack of lower mids is more problematic. Quattro mids are warmer and leaner, vocals are better layered as a whole and notably smoother and more natural, we have more note weight but less clean release after attack.

Treble has more bite with Serial, it’s more generous in texture and micro details, it sounds more open and airy yet less delicately brilliant. Percussions sound fuller while Quattro extract the brilliant edge of them. Ultimately the highs or Quattro are darker and more polished in texture and presence.

Soundstage is wider and deeper with Serial, less tall and holographic, more flat and in front of the listener while you put in a multi layered soundscape with Quattro.

Imaging is way better with the Serial, even for bassline and kick drum positioning, it's superior to 3DT too.

All in all, I can’t lie to myself and consider both tonal balance and technical performance more refined and superior with the Serial. I do prefer the lusher vocal timbre of Quattro as well as this much needed mid bass slam but it comes with too much trade off in terms of resolution.

CONCLUSION



Subjectively, I tremendously enjoy the warm sparkly bassy U shape tonality and dynamic of the Quattro, which is very different in musicality than the older, brighter and more balanced sounding Serial.

Objectively, I can see this IEM as being hit or miss depending of music genre you listen too, for anything fast rock or jazz, it will be too dark and lack proper definition of instrument presence, for some, the pina gain and mids dynamic will be too lean as well, for other, Quattro will be to basshead.

There's no doubt I was a bit destabilized by the bassy and dark tuning choice, but the more I listen to it, the more it grows on me…but was it burned in too that helped open up to spatiality and make it more immersive and addictive? I can’t see but will suggest at least 50H before making any conclusion.

Fact is: we are in guilty pleasure territory, near basshead level of bass joy which is nothing like i’ve heard before, for this experience of round rumbly pouding luscious bass performance, I do think the Quattro is worth an applause. Then, the smooth natural timbre might restrain the dynamic push of mid range, which is perfect for slow music like pop, soul and R&B.

The Quattro is an exotic audio experience that will be rewarding for bass lovers as well as those seeking fatigue free treble that is buttery smooth yet has this special crispness edge that makes percussion edge and acoustic guitar sparkly and snappy, within a thick macro dynamic.

Simply put, the Quattro isn’t technical but musical sounding, and I respect the singularity of musical experience, which in that regard is certainly addictive.

This is Recommended IEM for those that don’t seek bright, neutral or uncolored tonality, as well as for Serial owners seeking a sound signature sidegrade with an upgrade mostly made in bass energy, dynamic, density and fun.

----------------------------------------







PS: I want to thanks Penon for sending me this review sample. I think it's evident that this audio distributor is honest and accept diversify independant reviewer like me, as well, their no affiliated program to feed any self interested $ benefit. My passion is IEM, and it's what feed my ears (and explain 200 IEMs collection)

You can order the Penon Quattro for 399$ here: https://penonaudio.com/Penon-QUATTRO.html

TONALITY: 7/10
TECHNICALITIES: 8/10
TIMBRE: 7/10
IMAGING: 8/10
SOUNDSTAGE: 7.5/10
MUSICALITY (subjective): 6.5/10
CONSTRUCTION: 8.5/10
ACCESSORIES: 7/10
SOUND VALUE: 8/10


INTRO

Oriveti is a Chinese earphones company founded in 2015.
I've review and adore their flagship balanced basshead IEM call OH700VB.
Today I will review their entry level IEM call OD100.
Priced only 70$, the OD100 is a single dynamic driver IEM promising high sound value and using a 9.2mm DLC (diamond-like-coated) dynamic driver.
Let see in this review if this is an IEM that can truely compete in most unforgiving price range of them all: sub-100$ hypertrophy chifi IEMs market.


CONSTRUCTION&ACCESSORIES



The construction of OD100 is all made of high grade CNC milled metal which is polished and glossy, very smooth in hands, small in size and seems tremendously sturdy for long time durability.
The 2pin connector feel sturdy but their are slightly recessed and has oval shape which will create mini gap with some cable.
The Nozzle is short and since the desgin is thinked for around hear, i find the fit a bit problematic and prompt of falling from my ears.



The included cable is a 4 cores silver plated cable of good quality. It's well built and feel sturdy, it's above average cable for a 70$ IEM.

Rest of accessories are minimal, but again of good quality. The carrying case is very good, it's solid and thick and has enough space for 2 cables and some extra IEMs. This is a very welcome accessory. Other one are 8 pairs of eartips including 3 pairs of memory foams. Again, very good.








SOUND IMPRESSIONS


The tonality of OD100 can be summarized as balanced V shape to bright neutral with slight mid bass boost and a main focus on treble, it’s near analytical and highly resolved with boosted presence of instruments that are loud. It isn’t suggested for those that are sensitive to lower treble and female vocal loudness since this is quite forward, upper treble too is upfront and quite impressive in extension past 10khz, which is something very rare in the sub-100$ price range.

The bass isn’t for basshead at all, it has a warmish punch to it that feels mellow, not hard hitting nor very high. The bass line presence is more boosted than their body which is a bit thin but it’s well textured and their this much needed attack bite for double bass or electric bass that add a sense of energy to the bassist playing while not offering proper rumble or dense resonance release of infra bass.
This makes bass line definition brighter than kick drum which is more about physical presence, about gentle ‘’oomph’’ hitting without the best separation with lower mids.
Due to the whole treble being more upfront of bass and mids, the drum dynamic is understated and a bit distant while its percussions feel detached and more upfront as if we have 2 different drummers in different positions of the stage.
When I say mid bass is boosted, it’s in the sub bass lead too, which means we can have a good slam especially with modern pop music that uses digital instruments, the issue is mostly for acoustic music. So, this is a niche bass, not a versatile and natural one.Don’t expect hard clean thump nor a perfect definition.
All in all, this isn’t bad bass per se, but sub bass is rolled off and lacks natural release and the dynamic feel overly damped in attack.

The mid range is bright and transparent, open sounding but leaner in dynamic than the rest of the spectrum, apart from upper mids which are quite boosted and favor female vocals in terms of immediacy and loudness. This can cause fatigue and some sibilance too, depending on source matching, this is problematic with neutral bright source like Xduoo X20 while with a warm dongle like Penon Tail the sibilance isn’t invasive but vocals are still very upfront.
The piano on the other hand feels a bit recessed and thin and light in note weight, yet its resolution is good, tone wise it lacks a bit of low harmonic fullness and sound dry to crisp depending on pitch range.
For saxophone, we have the same treatment as female vocalists. Due to the lack of low harmonic, it can feel a bit over centered and compressed, as well, it can be borderline shouty when the saxophonist goes loud and high pitch.
Timbre wise, it’s not the most natural and tends to lack warmth to glue together texture details and air vibrancy.
All in all, I'm not a fan of this mid range which is the main qualm for me with this IEM. I've heard way worse but upper mids emphasis is too much and sense of fullness isn’t there. Male vocalists are more favored in presence brightness and can feel too hot at times, we miss the baritone lush deep tone as well.

Now for the treble it’s both the highlight and ‘’sword of Damocles’’ of OD100, in the sense it’s what impress the most in term of technical prowess and high resolution achievement, but it’s the type of highs that can go unbalanced when it come to percussions, putting it too forwards to the point of distracting the listener from main instrument.
For example, in a jazz trio i'll be able to track double bass line and percussions more easily than kick drum and piano, it’s its saxo, it will feel a bit better balanced in loudness and dynamic, but the extremely snappy, sparkly and speedy percussions will still force my focus to follow their rhythm section to the detriment of full harmonious composition.
Nonetheless, the wow effect is there and the treble head will be impressive for sure. The highs are airy, it has a lot of shimmer, it’s cleanest part of the spectrum and has a sharp attack with boosted brilliance.
When it comes to instruments like violin, presence is notably more favored than harmonic density, it’s edgy in attack which can deal with fast playing yet it’s not a lush tone and can feel a bit grainy.
For acoustic guitar, harps or Kora instrument of Ballaké Sissoko, this kind of treble is magnifying crispness of instrument presence, permit sharp attack lead with an airy sparkly release but it can feel a bit thin and overly metallic too, depending of your musical appreciation this can go from wow to What appreciation.
This means that OD100 is generous in micro details too, thus the near analytical musicality I perceive.
All in all, this isn't the best treble in terms of balance but in terms of performance It's good for it's price.

The Soundstage isn’t bad but nothing really impressive, it’s deeper and taller than wider so it can feel a bit in your head.

The Imaging is quite good for the price, but not very realistic so it’s not suggested for monitoring purposes when it comes to mixing but for stage musicians like female vocalist, saxophonist or classical guitarist it can be a good entry level choice.



COMPARISONS



VS SIMGOT EA500LM

The LM is crisper, more transparent and open sounding as well as leaning more to smooth U shape signature, which make the OD100 sound brighter balanced V shape.

LM bass offer wider slam with more sub bass resonance and extension, it’s more mellow in mid bass punch which is warmer and more rounded with OD100. Bass separation is better layered with LM, bass lines are more textured and less ‘’one toned’’.

Mids are more recessed and less crisp with the OD100, female vocals are more upfront and prompt to shouting and sibilance, their presence is less open and transparent, texture grain is more boosted with OD100. LM mids are a bit thinner and colder.

Treble is notably superior with LM both in micro details retrieval and attack control, which is more snappy, speedy. It extended further so it’s more sparkly and airy. OD100 is more edgy and crunchy in attack, treble is brighter but dryer and rolls off faster. It gets congested faster too.

Soundstage is notably wider and deeper with LM.

Imaging is from another league: more accurate and clean, positioning is sharper and layering more transparent.

All in all, Simgot EA500 is from another league in terms of technical performance and offers a more cohesive and balanced musicality too, which extends further both in bass and treble.

VS Whizzer HE01

HE01 is basically a warmer-darker V shape version of OD100, with more open and natural musicality.

Bass punch is similar but has more sub bass extension and release which is thicker and less compressed, more vibrant and wider in headroom too, thus the slightly warmer tonality.

Then mids are notably smoother yet vocal presence opens up more, embraces the listener with more grandeur, female vocals are less aggressive and shouty and has lusher thicker timbre. Note weight is greater too with HE01 as well as timbre is ultimately more pleasant and less boosted in presence brightness.

Treble is less edgy, less crisp and clean with the HE01, definition of percussion feels more hazy and violin lacks proper attack edge, so overall highs are darker and more colored, sound info are greater with OD100.

Soundstage is wider and taller with HE01, while slightly deeper with OD100.

Imaging of both these IEM is average, so on par here.

Overall performance is similar here but the tonality is better balanced, more musical and natural with the HE01. OD100 sounds a bit more technical and is less warm and bassy-rumbly than HE01.

CONCLUSION

Coming from Oriverti OH700VB, listening to OD100 is quite a shift in terms of musicality which is brighter and less lush and bassy.

Here I'm not talking about the technical performance of 8x pricier OH700VB but the tonal balance which is notably smoother and even if more bass, it feels more mid centric too, and for me both bass and mids are the Achilles heel of OD100.

It doesn't trigger fun even if slightly V shape, nor impress with details retrieval even if pumped up in brightness.

Those OD100 are certainly not for upper mids sensitive listeners which will find high pitch instrument and vocal release too aggressive, then it might be a good choice for treble head but the quality isn’t really there since it’s a bit splashy.

While not plain bad, OD100 is an IEM that struggle to compete in extremely prolific sub-100$ price range, so for me it’s:

Half recommended!


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PS: I want to thanks Oriveti for sending me this review sample.

You can order the OD100 for 70$ from official Amazon store here (non-affiliated link): https://www.amazon.com/ORIVETI-OD100-Detachable-Ear-Headphones/dp/B0CK5WB42G

TONALITY: 8.8/10
TECHNICALITIES: 8.5/10
TIMBRE: 9/10
IMAGING: 7.5/10
SOUNDSTAGE: 8.5/10
MUSICALITY (subjective): 9.5/10
CONSTRUCTION: 9/10
ACCESSORIES: 9.5/10
SOUND VALUE: 8.5/10

INTRO

Soundrhyme is a chinese audio company from Xiamen, China, that begin working as OEM maker in 2017 then founded Soundrhyme official in 2019.
Like alot of other chinese company working as OEM in audio, they earn experience working for other and then go on their own with the experience they earn.

Unlike alot of chifi companies that get unnoticed, SR already has a solid fan base, thanks to their cost effect hybrid 1DD+4BA SR5, then apart their entry level SR1, it seem every of their release get positive reception.

In my case, it was the 1DD+6BA SR7 that trigger great interest in this company that don’t tune IEM with Harman target as reference, which is a blessing for me that prefer warm or sweet mids that don’t create shouty fatigue. The SR7 was a big love story and something still extremely competitive one year after it’s launch.

Them based on graph balance, I’ve selected the DTE500 to review because i’m a big fan of tribrid using sonion EST and well, the graph seem to promess lush bassy sweetness.

Priced 460$, the DTE500 is a 1DD+2BA (sonion for mids, knowles for highs)+2 sonion electrostat (EST), this price alone worth to trigger our attention since it’s among cheapest tribrid of this type.

Now let see in this review if it deliver a mix of musicality and technical performance that should make curious our wallet.



CONSTRUCTION&ACCESSORIES



The DTE500 are pure candies for they eyes, and every time i share pics of those i get wow effect comments. The housing is average to big size depending your ears size, it’s made of skin friendly medical grade resin plastic that is very smooth and their a glossy finish over eyes catching sparkly gold leaves. This is a IEM that feel like kilobucks in eyes and hands and the smooth CIEM organic shape permit a high level of isolation.

Why? Because it’s fully sealed. Which mean their no proper venting too for pressure release, this can cause rare instance of driver flex squeaky noise, but it doesn’t affect negatively the sound experience once it’s insert. Yet, it’s something to be noted for those sensitive about that.



The top has a 2pin connector that isn’t recessed, so be cautious to don’t bent the pin. I don’t struggle slipping them into female connector and insertion isn’t too loose nor too tight.

The nozzle is average long with an organic ear canal like shape, it’s large too and has 3 tubed holes, this mean you should be aware ti not block any with too small ear tips nozzle. It’s more thinked for shallow fit than very deep fit.

All in all, excellent construction and personally, the benefit oof high isolation surpass negativity of intermittent driver flex for me.



Now, when it come to the cable, we are well spoit with a 3in1 modular, It’s a single crystal copper plated thick silver cable, the material is full of 48 cores in each core. 6 strands 0.06X7 0.1X1 coaxial twisted Litz structure weave, the skin uses transparent and environmental protection TPU material, visible real material. The quality feel excellent and the signal transmission is clean and crisp, which benefit warm tonality of DTE500.



In term of packaging, we are spoil again with a very generous amount of goods. It come not with one but 2 high quality case. One in metal that feel invincible and will be perfect for survivalist wanting to stay audiophile in upcoming apocalypse, and a second one more elegant, made of leather and spacious enough.
Then we have 2 pairs of memory foams tips and 3 pairs of wide bore silicone eartips. Oddly enough, no short wide bore eartips, which is the one I find more appropriate for an IEM with big nozzle.

All in all, very positive construction and accessories impressions.

SOUND IMPRESSIONS



The DTE500 balance can be perceived as bassy mid centric to smooth neutral with sub bass boost, it has a colorful buttery character to it, free of harsh edge or texture abrasiveness.

The overall timbre is buttery, liquid and organic, very smooth and rarely if ever sharpened or boosted in noise info. We are into sonion balanced armature sweetness, well filter-damped and very sweet to their ears, not bity or sketchy.

The bass is warm, dense and mellow in impact yet meaty in potent weight. It has good rumble sustain that adds a sense of vibrancy to slam release as well as cello stroke, which can go grunty with softened distortion stridency.
It’s not what i would call a fast and thigh bass, and it shine more with slow music genre like soul, R&B, pop and rap than fast rock or jazz with complex rhythm section where kick drum need fast edge to it’s attack, which will be lacking with the DTE500 softed thumping and creamy bass line.
Yet, it doesn’t mean it blurs the mid range with its inherent warmth release, thanks to tribrid configuration, the mids are layered upon this wide chunky lush bass response.
Cello lover will be in for alot of joy, since the restitution is natural and magnify in lush density, you will never confound cello with violin with the DTE500.
I find this bass to pair very well with soul, r&B and pop due to big rumbly slam with pleasant colorful timbre.
Overall bass can be summarized as dark in definition, tactile in density, right in tone but creamed in texture details, it favor bass line before kick presence, which isn’t very clean nor easily readable.



The mids are the best part of the show for me, instruments and vocals are sweet like honey without being too sticky. The layering is open yet embraces you intimately, making the DTE500 mid centric and focused on acoustic instruments like piano, saxo, cello and violin but without the upper mids bite and abrasiveness.
But let’s begin with female vocals, those are magnificently smooth, lush and natural with a wide and full presence free of any sibilance, harshness or shoutyness, these aren’t plain loud and screamy yet forward due to wide and well layered delivery.
Breathy vocals will never lack air, while soprano will never pierce your ear drum, it’s pure delicacy that captivate and immerse for long listening pleasure free of fatigue or tone over brightening that can affect cohesion of an enveloping liquid musicality.
Piano lover will be in heaven with the DTE500 since the tone is full and rendering don’t have sudden high pitch note loudness that will unsettled the listener, it’s fast and laid back playin that favor color naturalness without adding much edge or texture info to note, each stroke release wide note with a lush sustain to it that blossom in air and keep it’s layering. In jazz trio, pianist will be focus but not in a monitoring way, more like if you were sit back of piano and get spoil with fullness of instrument resonance, united way so you don’t pick up too much finger or string noise nor the infamous Glenn Gould weirdo singing.
These are very sweet mids for sure, with a wide presence that is sirupy not papery or plasticy at all, BA timbre hater will be very happy: the sonion BA is sugared.
Then the note weight is heavy but don’t have edgy tapping to it, it’s no analytical mid range here, it’s intimate and immersive, as well I would not suggest those to Harman target lover cause pina gain and upper mids boost will feel to low and I guess they will be deaf feeling.



And now the smooth near dark treble which is sparkly and brilliant too, and organically balanced, is something unique in my audio journey which means it’s hard to describe too. It’s like trying to explain the form delimitation of an impressionistic painting. It’s there, it’s rich and far from dull, the extension passes the 10khz bar and even has air but it’s not a bright and crunchy treble, it doesn't boost texture grain nor micro details, even bad recording will be forgiven with the DTE500 gentle highs.
It means it’s colored too, and thickens with extra lower harmonics.
The violin flow without abrasive bite in attack lead, it’s liquid and dense, smooth in presence loudness but wide and holographic, it never feel recessed or off tone but super fast playin of Hilary Hann will be harder to read since each note will not have proper clean silence between them, it’s glued with euphonic warmth.
The 2 EST seem to focus on percussion rendering and this adds an extra dimension to the sound, it’s crisp and speedy this time yet doesn't feel detached due to intimate presentation as a whole and not too loud ultra highs. This adds a sense of well needed immediacy to jazz, pop and R&B by sharpening the presence of a percussions line which is easy to track. Those have this appealing natural brilliance and metallic snap too, which only EST or very good DD can offer.
This mean the acoustic guitar too sound fabulous, and that when you go bass less music like with folk singer songwriter, the result will be mesmerizing, the vocalist will have focused presence with wide lush natural timbre and it’s guitar playing will be clean, airy and sparkly, not lacking in fundamental note nor in inherent crispness of it’s string pulling and release.
To my ears, this is a very refined treble, a bit like adding EST to Final E5000 IEM, it’s non fatiguing yet captivating, and the fact it’s not analytical keep a part of mystery to your music that you want to get lost in, as well, EST deliver delicate vividity, not a trebly in your face snapping and sparkling, it’s anti splashing in fact and ultimately very sane for your hearing health.

With the right eartips, soundstage can go quite wide and tall, but never really deep, it’s like an intimate cocoon you wanna hide in, the center stage isn’t recessed and you’r in the middle of it which explain it’s not far away and hall like sounding. It’s a stereo tapestry that is well stretched and doesn't scoop frontal projections which embrace you.

Then, if we are in warm territory, it means it’s no monitor IEM accuracy but all this driver's permit an impressively open and holographic macro dynamic with good layering that avoids muddyness. If I can be esoteric, I'll say the soul (tone) of instruments are better layered than their edgy presence, but ultimately, it’s quite hard to properly position instruments since you melt into them.



Side notes:

At 17ohm of impedance and 112db of sensitivity, DTE500 are easy to drive but a bit source picky, they will not like alot of impedance gain yet need good power to wake up EST drivers too. This happen with all tribrid with EST i own (7), they shine with humble Xduoo X20 which has lower than 1ohm of impedance and no bass boost, with Penon Tail or Xduoo XD05plus it can go too warm and bassy for ex.

Then the ear tips are very important, since the nozzle is thick and have 3 hole you need a proper wide bore to open up soundstage otherwise their will be interference between soundwave which compress and mess up imaging and spatiality.

Then, cables will inflict too but the stock one is good enough, you can still scale up with something like Simgot LC7 (dont pass 100$ bar for cable upgrade since it's conter intuitive).


COMPARISONS



VS KINERA URD (2DD+1BA+2EST-650$)

The Urd is more U shaped and less mids centric and punchy.

The bass has less slam and chunk to it, it’s thinner and more resonant, less warm and thick in rumble.

The mids are again thinner, a notch bright and their more upper mids push, the definition is more edgy and sense of transparency and openness is higher. It seems more recessed too, more compressed in presence of instrument, less lush and natural in timbre, less vocal centric and lighter in note weight of piano too.

The treble is cleaner, thinner and dryer with the Urd, it’s less energetically snappy, more tamed in dynamic, less full in rendering. Brilliance and sparkle are more lively with the DTE500.

The soundstage is wider with DTE500, but not as tall and deep as the airier Urd.

Imaging isn’t masterful with both of these, even if more transparent in layering, Urd feel like a flat sheet with extra bass boost and upper mids push, it isn't as tactile and well articulate in sound layer wich feel on same level, percussions are easier to pinpoint with the DTE500 and mids and bass is fuller and more realistically articulate than the Urd.

All in all, unless bass warmth traumatize you, the DTE500 is superior both tonally and technically, the odd choice of using only one BA for mids and low-mid treble show the limitation of macro dynamic rendering which ultimately play big part of musical experience, this make me say: DTE500 is perfect upgrade from priciest Urd if you want as smooth overall balance with lusher mids, more natural and impactful bass and snappier treble.

VS LETSHUOER EJ07M (1DD+2BA+4EST-660$)

The OJ07M is more neutral, transparently bright and crisper and more airy sparkly.

Everything sounds cleaner as well as thinner with EJ07M, and clarity is notably higher.

The bass is less chunky and has thinner mid bass to lower mids transition, it’s more mature but can deliver a good amount of rumble when asked for which is less opaque and lush than DTE500 slower, warmer and darker bass.

Mids are crisper and more open, it’s monitor level in terms of edgy clarity, upper mids are brighter and timbre for vocals isn’t as sweet and natural, male vocals are notably thinner and overall mids seem a bit more recessed and compressed in the middle of stage.

Treble is notably more vivid and sparkly, it’s snappier and extracts a greater amount of sound info, it has more air and whole percussion range is well resolved while DTE500 will add warmth to it which makes highs a bit thicker and less sharp in definition.

Soundstage is notably wider with the DTE500, while notably deeper and cleaner-airier with EJ07M.

Imaging is a league ahead with the EJ07M, no competition here.
All in all, these 2 should marry together since they complement each other so well, i can see myself living with only these 2 IEMs ... .if i was forced to. Simply put, EJ07M is the technical beast while DTE500 the musical beauty.


CONCLUSION



While no end game in term of technicalities, it might be for some in term of musicality since the DTE500 excell to deliver a rich immersive and fun musical experience with natural timbre, inviting male and female vocal, smooth fatigue free overal balance and even crispness on top.

Yet, we are spoil with tonal goodness with the DTE500, but you need to lover lower mids and overall warm tonality, when I say no end game in performance, I mean it's not a technical sounding tribrid but it certainly not underwhelming in this department too! The holographic effortless layering that surround listener will sure impress, and the EST treble while not boosted to please treble heads and pierce the one of other, is something highly fascinating that add this technical superiority, mixed with an overal relaxed and warm tonality from dynamic and balanced armature drivers.

As an audiophile with more than 10 years of critical listening experience, I learn that lot of IEM are tuned like monitor and don't magnify musical experience for the soul but the brain, this ultimately push me further from music and being able to reconnect with my very wide variety of music with the DTE500 is a true blessing.

If you are an harman tuning lover, stay away of those, but for anybody else that seek ultimate musical experience in sub-500$ price range, this is a good bet because it's the cheapest tribrid with EST and one of the best too in term of lush natural balance.

Very Highly recommended (unless you want clean analytical sound and consider warmth as mud)





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PS: I want to thanks Penon for sending me this review sample after i manifest my interest to test them. Unlike many SEO obsess audio store that use affiliated program to redeem their reviewers, Penon don't do this and this is why I collab with them: i refuse all affiliated programs and despise them.


You can order the Soundrhyme DTE500 for 459$ here: https://penonaudio.com/sound-rhyme-dte500.html

TONALITY: 8.5/10
TECHNICALITIES: 9/10
TIMBRE: 9/10
IMAGING: 9/10
SOUNDSTAGE: 8.5/10
MUSICALITY (subjective): 8.2/10
CONSTRUCTION: 9/10
ACCESSORIES: 7.5/10
SOUND VALUE: 7.5/10 (higher is the price, lower is sound benefit return)


INTRO

Hifiman is a well known audio company from China that specialize in planar headphones and make a wide range of other products including DAP, DAC-AMPs, IEMs, Dynamic and even electrostatic headphones.
It's been a long time since I've been a fan of their headphones. My first real crush began with the competitively priced Hifiman Sundara that I still consider among the finest sub-500$ planar headphones.
Then, if you read my last review of HE1000 V3, you’ll understand it detrone Sundara and anything else in terms of extremely addictive musicality with excellent technical chops too, in a non analytical or resolution boosted way.
Today I will review something exotic from Hifiman, the full size closed back planar Audivina.
Priced 2000$ (but available at lower price if you search well), the Audivina is a reference grade closed back planar headphone using latest Stealth technology, and as stated by Hifiman it is thinking for studio use, and promise great soundstage and pristine imaging for this very purpose, within an overall neutral tuning.

Let's see in this review if this means you can’t enjoy the musicality of Audivina out of a studio purpose.


CONSTRUCTION&ACCESSORIES



The construction of Audivina is sumptuous and Hifiman connoisseurs will recognize some parts used for other of their flagship headphones like the metal headband of HE1000.The material is a mix of metal, plastic and wood.This is what captivates the attention, the big wooden cups that are made of solid yet not too weighty willow wood. The wood pattern and color are delectable and the finish is smooth with light varnish.




The metal headband holder feels sturdy and has good flexibility and the shape produces a smooth clamping force that isn’t hurtful. The real leather headband has holes in it to avoid getting how you barely feel it on your head, yet it is holded with a piece of plastic that can be a matter of worry if you hit it hard on something.
The ear cups are very big and this is a blessing for me because my closed back is often too small for my slightly big ears, so this is true universally around ears closed back.




The ears cushions are very thick and made of memory foam that isn’t too soft or hard, it’s extremely comfortable for long listening sessions and micro perforation seems to avoid getting too warm like it often happens with leather cushions pads.
These cups are fully swivable too, so it can shape your head precisely.

The cup holder seems made of plastic, but I'm not certain, it can be metal too since it’s very hard and feels sturdy.



Only part of the headphones I find a bit questionable is the plastic around the wooden ear cups. This time I'm certain it’s plastic and it feels light and a bit cheap, it doesn’t favor the overall aesthetic too and there is a slight gap between cups that I find odd. I nitpick here, but with expensive headphones we expect perfection and it’s not exactly the case here.
Finally, we have a 2x3.5mm female connector for the cable, under the cup. The jack is made of black plastic, I would expect gold plated metal here or something more prime. Again, I push my nitpicking to its limit.



The included cables are alright and it’s nice to get 3 of them to cover all need, but don’t expect end game cabless either. It’s basic cable quality but not bad to the point I feel the urge to upgrade. We have 1x 3 meter long XLR cable, 1x3 meter long 6.35mm cable and 1x1.5m 3.5mm cable.It’s not stated the type of cable material, but i guess it’s high purity copper, sound transmission wise the do the job, as well it’s an improvement over other Hifiman cable included with Ananda, Sundara etc, because they are flexible and smooth. Nonetheless, I don't use 3m long cable and I wish there was a 4.4mm balanced+XLR adapter instead of 3m long XLR.



The unboxing is very minimalist and I'm one of those that like it this way. Package is eco-friendly and comes in a box that can be recycled. Everything is highly fit in it and apart from the 3 cables, we have a very nice headphones carrying case that is small enough and sturdy enough to really protect those precious Audivina. I wish this high quality case was included with HE1000 too.
All in all accessories are varied and generous enough but the consumers who are very demanding in terms of packaging presentation will be underwhelmed in that regard.


SOUND IMPRESSIONS


(Source used are all 1W@32ohm and above apart the Fiio KA17 which is 650mW)

Let’s begin by stating Hifiman don’t hide the fact this closed back planar are thinked for studio use, and in that regard they not only excel but offer an accessible enough musicality too, which is bright but smooth enough for long listening session, which is a plus for both monitoring and laid back listening pleasure.

Then, unlike most of Hifiman headphones, those are closed back, the plus are extra isolation but i can’t say it’s the most intense in that aspect, the con is about spatial openness, it doesn’t go out of you head in a very expensive way, it’s intimate and focus on center stage first and foremost. If the sub bass was too boosted, there will be bass cons too, but it’s not the case here.

So as expected, the Audivina offers a neutral tonality, which is lean but not dull sounding or lacking dynamic heft. In fact, I feel a ‘’flat’’ W shape signature here in terms of liveliness. It’s gently bright with slight mid bass boost, great low mids and overall mids focus, soft lower treble and then extra highs sharpness to add proper edge to definition, so you can track more easily the instrument. But all this is so well balanced that it feels very linear in balance without going overly tamed in any frequency region.

I remember when I first put this on my head, I was certain to get a very bright signature we often found with monitor headphones that force the resolution and boost instrument presence before anything else…this can extract too much timbre noise and grain which isn’t the case with Audivina. So my conclusion was that it’s thinked to listen to your mix to judge overall balance and fine tune final mastering, not to analyze the mix in an overly critical way. Audivina shows you the mix as it should sound, it doesn't magnify its imperfection to the point it will ruin musical pleasure. Yet, don’t expect a fun sounding or lush guilty pleasure with those, don’t get me wrong it’s not unpleasant tonaly, the musicality is mature and neutral without going clinical or too cold that’s all. In fact, a big plus with planar driver is the capacity to handle extreme EQ’ing, so when I want fun, i just either switch the bass boost of my Xduoo XD05 plus or boost it with Hiby Music player EQ, then you can get head crushing headphones experience if it’s your will!

So the bass is textured, well defined in presence, punchy but not rumbly or boosted in sub bass, this is a good choice because with closed back it could have created resonance that blur the fine clarity. Even if neutral, it’s not a boring bass that lacks dynamic since we have a gentle mid bass boost and no intense high bass lower mids scoop that will cancel the weight of impact and natural fullness of tone for double bass and cello as well as tom and kick drum.
The kick drum is well defined in presence, has weighty dynamic and a natural tone, it’s textured but not unbalanced in color, we have both tactile and ‘’visual’’ rendering, it’s easy to find it in the mix but it will not distract you from mid range.
Bass line has similar rendering, but it’s not boosted in rumble release and don’t move a lot of air as noted before, the tone is again spot on, vibrancy or grunt will be there when needed, but for let say trap rap thick infra bass release it will be a bit tamed.
For jazz double bass, the harmonic are natural but the extension will not sustain very long, it’s not the most transparent sub bass i’ve heard too yet timbre and tone are perhaps the most natural of all planar i’ve heard, it’s like being in small room with other musician so it would be strange to hear clean crisp bass in a real acoustic unplugged environment.
The cello sound wonderfully natural too without being overcook or unbalance in harmonic, that’s the thing with Audivina: harmonic are full and to be soo you can’t scoop anything in frequency range, if you boost too much treble or bass, this will make the fundamental recessed in harmonic mix which isn’t the case at all with Audivina and this is utterly refreshing and even needed, not only for studio, but for purist audiophile seeking reference musicality too.
So, we sure have more quality than quantity bass wise, it flows in the mix without any hard edge and it has enough bite for electric bass attack lead and texture without going too boosted in the treble presence of any instrument. It’s sure not a dark bass too, but quantity wise it will lack for the basshead and those seeking engaging musicality like me, i would not listen to bass heavy music with this in term of musical pleasure, IDM, rap, Drum & Bass etc will all lack slam and rumble, I think it’s evident the Audivina isn’t thinked for this music style, but personally i do find a lot of musicality for jazz, rock, classical and even indie music.

The mid range is the star of the show for me, but not in a spectacular manner, it’s not even forced upon the listener with a upper mids presence boost, these aren’t bright nor dark mids, we are in lukewarm mature territory here where everything flows naturally and nothing is missing. It’s full bodied and transparent, the tone is again spot on for all instruments from piano to sax to male and female vocal. It might feel lean, but not lifeless, cold or very tamed in dynamic, this will be the case for those used to very boosted pina gain and upper mids, the treble head will think the mids are recessed while it’s the opposite since the Audivina are mid centric headphones first and foremost but the IEM and HP market scoop all mid range but it’s upper range most of the time which can lead to craving for louder mids energy out of studio usage.
I’m one of the rare reviewer that don’t enjoy high upper mids boost and find it fatiguing and tonaly wrong, so the Audivina is a welcome healing refreshment to my ears, when Arianna Savall goes into highest range it doesn’t pierce my ear drum with violent pinna gain, it’s smooth and tone and timbre is natural, slightly lush as it should, yet with perfect intelligibility of each words which mean it sound as recorded and unless the record have obvious sibilance (which is important to spot when mixing), it will not boost it at all. This is the main surprise for me since when i review monitor IEM, it’s often quite shouty and sibilant, an example of this would be Sony 7506 which are way brighter, more unidimensional in spatiality and plain bright in presence in an unpleasant way compared to more natural and refined sounding Audivina.
Both male and female vocals are full in timbre, wide in presence, well centered in the stage and never overshadowed by bass or highs even if not aggressive in energy. They aren’t overly loud and can feel lean to those addicted to upper mids shout, but for me they are near perfect since nothing dominates their harmonic, it’s round and sweet, doesn’t create fatigue and will sound good with all types of mix. I rediscover Serge Gainsbourg music with Audivina, since it always sound boxy with IEMs and Headphones I use in the past, now it was it’s natural voice i can fully appreciate within a clean and open mix, this underline that the tonality is versatile and show the music as it is, without putting in or taking off anything in balance, this underline how poor are modern mixing too, especially for pop music with over tweaked vocals.
The Audivina are refined delicacy that worth being tasted finely and with patience, the wow effect isn’t about too much salt or sugar, it isn’t fast food, it’s all about subilities of the music you listen too and record quality play bigger role than with mass tuned headphones, again, this is no surprise for a Headphones thinked for studio use, but the the fact i can find it truly musical is a surprise to me nonetheless.
All in all, mid range is smooth yet effortlessly resolved with pristine layering delivered in an intimate way so you can truly appreciate the body of your music.

When it comes to the treble, the balance is exemplary and while it's slightly boosted it will never distract the listener with overly forward percussion or micro details nor create fatigue or harsh rendering in loud attack of violin or guitar.
It’s a full sounding treble without hard spike, it doesn’t sound thin nor overly metallic or brilliant but we have the sparkle and extension offered in a lean extension which doesn’t add a lot of air to the mix.
It’s slightly polished in attack edge to avoid scratchy annoyance, yet it doesn't like attack bite for most instruments apart perhaps electric guitar which feel a bit too mellow in dynamic loudness and foggy in texture. But that’s ultimate nit picking and it’s based on one Autoryno album.
All instruments in high pitch range can cohabit without over dominating anyone, violin, guitar and accordion were rendered in smooth layering that doesn’t favor presence of any instrument without feeling it lack texture or tone nuance.
Sure, if i go from Arya to Audivina, i will feel it lack a bit of treble extension crispness, brilliance and air, but this will affect the intimate focus with mids and whole instrument presence and harmonic range, this clean brilliance decay is something i can enjoy but don’t find lacking for the Audivina musicality which is extremely captivating in it’s own right.
In fact, crispness is there but not overly boosted, both harpsichord and acoustic guitar as attack lead bite but a fast sparkle release, it's not reflected in resonance as if the wood cup in fact tame resonance. Guitar sound full, not thin nor overly metallic or dry, it's superbly life like without a clinical restitution due to overly boosted upper treble.
So, indeed, we have a slight mid treble boost that add a well balanced attack edge and bite when needed, should it be for violin stroke or string pulling.
As expected with planar driver, the attack speed is fast and effortless in control, this permit highly articulated macro dynamic that can deal with fastest and varied music style.
The Audivina will not miss anything in term of attack timing readibility, yet it will not force vivid micro details on the listener, overall treble being rather smooth in term of plenty of sound info it deliver, this mean it's the type of headphones that grow on you in the long run, certain mix revealing how well recorder they are only with this Audivina.
To my ears, it's among most refined treble from any hifiman headphones i've tested, it's fatigue freee yet highly captivating when you enter active critical listening.

The Soundstage is an highlight if you take in account those are fully closed back, but if compared to open back it's less impressive, in fact I expected wider and deeper presentation due to product description, this might have overly raise my expectation. Simply put: these aren't Sennheiser HD820 and first reason is because center stage isn't recessed nor thin. It's an open and intimate spatiality, very similar to what you'll get with deskope monitor speakers well placed at each side of you, then had a center third speaker too at about 30cm from your head. You in the middle of music with the Audivina but not lost in it, your in first row of small concert hall or studio.

The imaging is quite impressive though, positioning is excellent, even voice doubling can be easily pull apart, instruments don't have widest space between them but the layering is superb. It's as easy to track bass line than main instrument, as well nothing will blur or over shadow other instrument with too loud presence boost, everything is treated at same level with high sens of accuracy.






COMPARISONS




VS HIFIMAN HE1000 V3

The Audivina is notably more technical and neutral sounding than the more laid back and natural sounding HE1KS. It’s near dead flat, yet with little extra upper mids and ultra highs boost.
It’s certainly more appropriate for monitoring music than enjoying it in an immersive way, the rendering is colder and more ”cerebral”, you an observer of the music while with HE1K V3 your swimming into the middle of lush layering.
The bass is cleaner, faster and leaner with the Audivina, bassline and kick separation is better and less thicken by warmth, overall bass is thinner but has more fine details in terms of texture as well as attack edge. HE1KS bass is chunkier, more vibrant and dense in rumble sustain, more weighty but darker in definition and slip into lower mid range more, adding sound layers density to each other. Dynamic impact is greater with HE1KS too, tone is lusher, more juicy, vibrant, it’s more physical and tactile, less flat and dry than Audivina.

The mid range is brighter, cleaner, more resolved and transparent with Audivina, for those seeking pure high fidelity experience, it’s certainly the one to choose. But this mean dynamic is flatter and makes the vocal feel less forwards as well as less widened in warmed presence. Note weight is lighter, but edgier in stroke lead definition.
HE1K V3 has more lower mids fullness, presence and warmth, vocal and instrument are more bodied and forward yet less sharp in upper mids so smoother, creamier, more colorful than hyper-realistically textured. The attack sustain-release of Audivina is longer and extract more sound info of natural resonance recorded even if for ex piano notes don’t fall as heavily, i'll be able to know more easily if the pianist presses sustain pedal with Audivina due to crisper center stage. Its evident HE1K offers a more mid centric sound experience.

Then the treble is sharper, snappier and sparklier with Audivina but again in a leaner way that doesn’t deliver as tactile percussion and guitar dynamic. It’s more speedy and controlled in attack, the percussions are easier to follow in busy track due to crisper attack edge and cleaner air when mid range instruments take the lead.
Lower treble is more abrasive with the Audivina, which will benefit electric guitar presence that is creamier with HE1K but denser and more vibrant in fundamental. This made the treble of HE1KS less thin and dry sounding but less generous in micro details too.
The Soundstage is way wider and taller with the HE1KS, sense of depth is different though because your part of center stage while with Audivina your more like in small studio room with centered monitor speakers, for ex, HE1000S remind me my big Magnepan MG02A planar speaker which embrace my whole sound perception scale.
While the imaging feel more holographic and effortless in the of sound layers projection in space and dynamic with HE1KS, the imaging is more accurate and precise with the Audivina, it’s way easier to separate bass line, kick drum, mid range and high range instrument even if not as spacious and this is mostly due to less bass warmth that blur silence between instrument and more edgy upper mids that boost presence clarity of each instrument while keeping it’s transparency to be able to spot the positioning in both X and Y axis.

All in all, with Audivina I need to force my mind to find music immersive and musical while the HE1000 Stealth embraces me right away and makes me close to my fav singer, pianist or saxophonist. It’s more colored and less neutral and technical than Audivina but unless you want to monitor your music, I don’t think anybody will say Audivina is superior in tonality, cohesion and musical presentation.

VS HIFIMAN ARYA ORGANIC

The Arya are notably bassier and more U shaped in balance, they are brighter too and more open and sparkly sounding than linear smoother more reference sounding Audivina.

The sub bass is more boosted, it offers a bigger and wider slam which is warmer too than the more defined mid bass of Audivina. Audivina sub bass seem roll off compared to more rumbly Arya, it doesn't attract attention too and stay in the back while for bassy music the Arya can be borderline basshead from a purist point of view. Arya bass is more resonant and prompt to warm the mids, it’s less textured and not as fast in control, not as tight. Bass lines of Audivina are less edgy and dominant, more natural in tone and better separated from the kick drum.

Mids are brighter and more open, it’s more excited and boosted in upper mids which make the dynamic less lean than Audivina but less well balanced too, more prompt to slight shortness-sibilance so vocal are way smoother, fuller and more natural with the Audivina even if less boosted in presence brightness. Male vocals are more natural and less recessed and thin with Audivina too.
Audivina has more lower mids and overall mid range fullness, presence is wider and less compressed as well as less recessed when big bass occurs. Timbre and tone of all instruments feel more realist and life-like too with Audivina, free of low or highs coloring.
Its evident mids are more recessed and thin with Arya when we play acoustic music with real instruments, center stage take second stage more when low and highs take the lead than Audivina less U shaped balance.

Then like it’s name promise, the highs are more open and airy with the Arya, it’s more sparkly and brilliant too so acoustic guitar have more edge to attack as well as crisp sustain release, Arya percussions are more upfront and can dominate mids like the bass, it’s thinner but clearer in presence, more boosted in micro details, it add more attack bite to all instrument too which confirm the Audivina isn’t analytical monitor headphones, but a fine final mixing one. Audivine is more balanced and has leaner treble, fuller and less thin, acoustic guitar has greater lower harmonic presence too, yet I wonder why it feels less extended in highs, perhaps to focus more on mid range.

The Soundstage is intensely wider, taller and deeper with Arya, it feels a bit hollow compared to more intimate and focused spatiality of Audivina.

Imaging is great with both but more realistic with the Audivina especially for the whole mid range which have less tamed center stage dynamic, Arya favors some instruments over others, either low or high pitch one so for proper monitoring the Audivina is clearly the one to choose.

All in all, i find technicalities of both in same league apart the soundstage size which is more about acoustic implementation and open back design of the Arya, for tonal balance the Audivina are better balanced as well as less fatiguing for long listening at medium to high volume, i prefer vocal tone too, while i wish the bass dig as deep as the Arya but not in as boomy way.


VS SENNHEISER HD820 (from memories of 6 month usage, not direct A-B comparo)

Firstly, I've never liked the HD820 timbre which is dry and thin, unlike the more natural and dense timbre of the Audivina.

We can say HD820 is neutral too, but brighter and thinner and not as mid centric which have more scooped lower mids that affect rightness of tone in favor of presence clarity boost.

The bass is more textured and transparent and doesn't naturally slip into mids like the lusher bass of Audivina. It’s dryer and thinner, and we don't have as much weight on impact like the Audivina. Bass lines are more vibrant and full with the Audivana, not as resonant and wonky.

The mids have brighter timbre and greater sense of air and transparency, it’s more open sounding and a bit like Arya in that regard, piano sound more recessed and vocal are more prompt to sibilance, i find them way more artificial, edgy and prompt to sibilance than sweeter Audivina, it’s biggest HD820 flaw with thin bass, in fact, everything sound thin and overly forced in upper mids with HD820. Audivina mid range is lusher, more focused, more intimate, it has more tone color and density as well as note weight, it’s more soft in upper mids and the definition edge isn’t grainy.

Then the treble is notably more sparkly and airy with HD820, its less lean and delicate and refined than smoother les spiky sounding Audivina, attack control is better too with Audivina, we don’t have this cymbals crash harmonic distortion in release as well natural resonance of sparkle isn’t as boosted and ultimately it’s more realist and well balanced to my ears.

Soundstage is the no1 highlight of HD820, this is due to both acoustic tech and tuning choice, it’s hall like and instruments are put in concert stages where you aren’t part of music like the more intimate Audivina, you're a spectator far away in rows.

This means that while Audivina is less wide and deep in spatiality, the center stage where main instruments belong is more focused too, but the sound layers don’t have as much separation space so it’s harder to pinpoint them in an analytical way. The music mix is more realistic, less forced into a ‘’cinematic’’ rendering but overall I would conclude HD820 is superior in this department.

All in all, tonaly the Audivina is way better balanced and surprisingly more musical and versatile even if neutrality tuned. In terms of technicalities, planar can’t be beat by the HD820 DD even if the fake clarity is pushed to the max as well as the imaging capacity is clearer, cleaner, and airier. I would say that HD820 will please more those seeking the biggest soundstage in closed-back format, but be aware that it’s a thin sound headphones too!


CONCLUSION


The Hifiman Audivina positively surprised me with their musicality that isn’t as niche or clinical as expected. Being familiar with monitoring IEM, I was thinking to get a either too bright or too lean tonality and it’s not at all what we get here since we are in what i call ‘’lukewarm’’ territory, everything is balanced and refined, sure it’s a mature reference tonality we get but with a rich natural timbre that doesn’t warm or darken instrument presence definition which are very well images.

So, instead of being too niche sounding headphones, it’s a versatile neutrality we get, that favors realism of instrument tone and timbre as well as readability of positioning in a mid centric focused rendering that doesn't distract you with too much bass or treble.
Sure, the soundstage isn’t as mind blowing as full open back headphones like HE1000 or Arya, but it’s on par with Sundara and surely among most spacious spatiality just sitting behind the Sennheiser HD820, which is my benchmark for big soundstage for closed back headphones.

All in all, while these headphones will lack a bit of fun factor for a lot of audiophile, I feel Hifiman upon it’s game in term of tuning balance with the Audivina, it’s a neutral sounding headphones with a pinch of appealing lushness and extra crispness on top without the upper mids grain or harshness we can find with other models of their offering.

Before the Audivina, I concluded Hifiman offered 2 types of sound signature, bright U shape and warm W shape. Now I changed my mind and it made me even more curious about other sound flavors this company can offer.

Highly recommended (for those who know why they buy these headphones)



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PS: I want to thanks Hifiman for sending me this review sample. I don't participate to affiliated program nor gain nothing to write positive reviews. All audio gear are collected for futur comparisons purpose.

You can order the Hifiman Audivina for 2000$ here (check as well the open box crazy deals!): https://store.hifiman.com/index.php/audivina.html

TONALITY: 8.5/10
TECHNICALITIES 9.2/10
TIMBRE: 8.2/10
IMAGING: 9/10
SOUNDSTAGE: 8.5/10
MUSICALITY (subjective): 8.5/10
CONSTRUCTION: 7.5/10
ACCESSORIES: 9/10
SOUND VALUE: 10/10

INTRO

BGVP is an IEM company based in China, they were established in 2015 and has launched a wide amount of IEM since then, always earning more audio engineering experience. They seem to focus on hybrid and tribrid IEM and have a ''high sound value'' approach. In the past, IEM like DM7 earn good praise.
The last IEM i've tested from them is the BGVP DM9 which is among most competitively priced 9 drivers tribrid and offer excellent technical performance with their 1DD+4BA+4EST implementation. Yet, it was a bright analytical sounding set and not the most versatile in term of musicality.

Today i will review their latest offering, the BGVP DMA.

Priced 300$, the DMA is a tribrid, or as BGVP call it, an Hybrid with Bone conduction drivers. It have 1x 10mm nickel plated dynamic driver for bass, 1x Sonion 2300 balanced armature for mid-lower treble, 1xKnowles RAD for highs and 2x(dual) sonion bone conduction vibration driver for lower to upper mids (atmosphere as they say).

The bone conduction driver is different than the one that are round and flat like in UM Mest serie or BQEYZ Wind and Winter, it's based on balanced armature technology. You can see its vibration frequency curve here:


As a big fan of bone conduction potential (when used in hybrid, tribrid or quat config), I contact BGVP to test those IEM that represent a big revolution in term of accessibility since the only other tribrid of this type cost 1000$ and is call UM Mext.

I guess the scoring and Pros and Cons is a bit of spoiler, yet let see in this review if the tonality is pleasant and cohesive enough and the technical performance truely competitive at it's mid tier price range.


CONSTRUCTION&ACCESSORIES



The construction is mostly OK, it's made of half resin plastic with a metal back plate that has semi-venting in the back. I didn't choose the color which is ''pink salmon'' and not as appealing to my eyes than the blue version. I know from experience that back plate can be prompt to unglue or pop up so I hope this one will hold the Canadian climate. Overall built is more impressive inside than outside I feel and it's overall main con of this IEM for me.
It use a MMCX connector which is very thight and i never encounter sound cutting or too loose swiveling with those, which is a plus.
The nozzle is quite thick, it's long enough too for deep fit which is suggested for bone conduction contact with the skin.
Comfort wise, these are light and even if the back plate have sharp side it doesn't go in contact with the ears so i find them very comfortable.



The included cable is of excellent quality and very welcome. It's a modular cable, a 4 strands silver plated single crystal copper cable that is thick and sturdy. If i can be nit picky, i would have love a 2.5mm balanced plug included with it since their just 3.5se and 4.4bal. Yet, it's a good cable that don't make the upgrading urgent.



The packaging come in a small compact box fullfill with goodies. It include the excellent cable, 6 pairs of silicone ear tips in 2 model and 1 pair of memory foam. The carrying case iss very nice too and large enough to fit more than 1 IEM pair. ALl in all, this is very satisfying.

SOUND IMPRESSIONS



Ok, let’s begin by stating that if it wasn’t for bone conduction driver, I would consider DMA plain V shape but since their a whole mids bump that brighten presence bypassing ‘’rule of air transmission’’ with bone conduction driver I perceive it as well balanced bassy W shape, gently bright way, but this will depend the source matching you do since BC is very transparent to source and a hint sharp, perhaps brightest BC I’ve heard.
It doesn't feel out of place though, it’s very cohesive and not too in your head, less so than other BC tribrid like UM Mext (but I will need direct comparison). What I can firmly confirm against 3x pricier Mext is that bass performance including speed, control and layering, are superior with DMA.

So a W shape with plenty of upper mids and a treble that is crunchy but not very sparkly, vocal are incredibly clear and well layered, this is main advantage of sonion bone conduction which cover vocal range, this mean you get bright and very intelligible vocal without the pinna gain fatigue too.

But the first thing that hooked my attention was the bass quantity and quality.


This is the kind of magical bass where we have both thump and deep rumble, and not in a warm, boomy way since it doesn’t lift or mix with lower mids.
Its vast, resonant but well controlled in its sustain-release, it’s not loose or sloppy, as well the BC add a bit of attack edge improving texture and definition.
It’s near the basshead but doesn't fatigue with too much sound pressure due to the back venting tube. It’s transparent, not meaty, juicy and opaque too and very versatile because we have the dynamic impact that is weighty and the bass line is clean and easy to follow even in busy tracks due to excellent layering helped by BC driver.

Sub bass is just slightly more elevated than mid bass but as noted, not in a muddy or sloppy way. I'm extremely impressed by this exotic bass, and I tend to be a warm and chunky bass lover, here it’s sure not thin, but it isn't very tactile or vibrant with excited air particule too.
The Double bass release is deep and realist, it’s not warmed nor compressed in vibrancy or grunt. It flows freely. We are in bass quality meet bass quantity here, so rap and big beat sound fabulous due to excellent layering, but as said, it’s super versatile...this kinda bass should be a guilty pleasure if it was coming from a single DD IEM I feel.

The acoustic kick drum has a well defined presence and slightly less heavy punch than digital slam with wider dynamic heft, when bass line occurs in this instance, it can dominate the kick, while for toms it sounds fabulous with a natural resonance and good texturing.

All in all, this is a versatile bass response but I find it even more enjoyable with electronic and heavy beat music, though with jazz it’s excellent too, for classical, I tend to enjoy a bit more lower mids thickness and coloring, lusher warmer cello presentation.


Then the mids are something special due to bone conduction transmission, its bright and forwards yet not shouty or fatiguing, its gently bright with superb resolution. Readability of instruments are top notch while intelligibility of vocals are excellent. That's something that always impresses me with BC, how it suddenly makes it super easy to track vocals and improve word spelling in whatever language. I tend to use UM Mext for movies because of this, yet it doesn’t sound as clean, fun and crisp as DMA so I don’t use it often for music (the bass issue again).
Mids are centered and patched above bass and treble without stealing the show or taming their dynamic.
Vocal while clear aren’t very lush nor the widest, as say, its centered and very well layered. Timbre is plain neutral, their no bass coloring or extra lush warmth going on, that’s again the magic of BC. It’s fully textured, not thin to force transparency since even if very upfront the 3D space has plenty of sound layers floating behind and around the main instrument or vocal. Male vocals have the same treatment, so some people might miss extra warmth or thickness from bass or lower mids boost but it’s certainly not recessed and there is no harmonic gap in vocal range.
So, it's clear DMA are vocal specialists first and foremost, even bad mixes I've made in the past with vocals that were supposed to be hard to perceive clearly were suddenly clean, upfront and easy to understand.
BC really feel like having a pair of ears in your head that can perceive more clearly mids info that should be swallow by the bass or too boosted in loudness otherwise, which isn't the case, but the BA add a bit of extra upper mids bite too, this isn’t in pina gain region, more where sibilance could occur, their none here but it dont smoothen this part so if recording have sibilance it will not heal it.
Piano too is very clear, especially in attack speed and control, so it's easy to follow complex playing but it dont have alot of note weight, resonance release is very well resolved too.
Saxo is better, since it's similar to vocal range, it's upfront and very rich in texture without going shouty even at loud passages.
This isn’t the most open sounding super clean mid range since the middle stage is upfront, near in your head while bass is wide in the back and treble in stereo at each side, it’s intimate and enveloping.
And now for BAs upper mids and treble, this is well done again. I do think the DMA is a bit sensitive to source output impedance and this is why I use Questyle QP2R DAP and Xduoo X20 for this review.

The highs are speedy and snappy, a hint crunchy and not very sparkly but we have minimal brilliance to percussion still, these are good BAs.
I don’t struggle to follow percussion even with a busy track, it seems it's what it extract the best in terms of micro details because as well resolved it can be, it’s not an analytical IEM and the treble doesn't extend up to 20 HZ in a boosted way.
Yet, there is something...is it a BC spike adding this snap sharpness to BA? Can’t tell right now really but it’s a refined treble in term of tribrid balance...it have nothing to do with a GeekWold GK100 for ex, it don’t pick up noise artifact you don’t want yet you don’t feel details are lacking or air isn’t opening up spatiality enough.

It feel the BC is sharper and cleaner sounding than BA that always lack a bit of snap sharpness and clean definition to my ears, I can say this for 64 audio U12T or Aroma Thunder too, BA don’t produce clean transient response nor alot of natural brilliance or resonance release in higher range and the DMA is no exception.

The acoustic guitar sounds gently bright and well resolved, it has a good attack lead bite, textured timbre and a fast release that has proper sound info instead of harmonic distortion, but the fine sparkly brilliance is a bit lacking airy release.

This makes the harpsichord sound a bit dry and lacking this metallic natural release too, but unlike a lot of other IEM it’s not distant or lacking in dynamic weight. So I can enjoy it even if tone wise it’s not fully there.

All in all, the highs are fast i attack, thick in timbre, a hint polished in definition edge like it happens with most BA, and this affects the natural sparkle that some percussion and instrument should produce. But it’s not a dark or dull treble even if I wish there were more micro details capacity, for this, we would need extra EST drivers and well, a consequent price jump too, for this treble head purpose the BGVP DM9 is a better bet.

The soundstage is surely the hardest part of audio experience to describe with this IEM, it’s holographic and 3D in an intimate way, it sticks around your head and doesn't open up far away from it. You have excellent channel separation in high range that has a bit of fake air in stereo perception then the mids tend to be in front and in your head and the bass a bit behind it adding a sense of depth without a perfectly clean background.

The imaging is another highlight, very revealing and precise with pristine layering that avoid the pumped up bass to mix with mid range, thanks to bone conduction help. You never struggle to track the instruments or bass line, for percussions it's very good too but not as sharply define.


Side Note

At 17ohm of impedance and 106db of sensitivity, the DMA aren't really hard to drive but still a bit source picky because of how revealing they sound, ill suggest source with not too high output impedance and a clean noise floor to get the best of them.

They are ear tips sensitive too, but the included wide bore do the job to open up spatiality and preserve natural balance.

Cable wise, since it's MMCX, i don't have alot of them so I stick with original one which doesn't had distortion or mess up tonal balance.



COMPARISONS



VS BQEYZ WINTER (1DD+1BC-240$)

The Winter is brighter and more neutral, it feels like a monitor IEM and less W shape and dynamic sounding than DMA.

The bass is quite a bummer with WInter, it's more boomy yet way less boosted, its brighter, less transparent and more rolled off in sub bass, their no proper rumble unlike DMA, definition is inferior too and feel less rounded, energy is more in mid bass but not as thumpy as DMA.

Mids are louder and brighter, female vocals are more prompt to shouting and fatigue as well as sibilance, presence is more boosted and timbre lack lower harmonic fullness more than DMA which have less fatiguing yet clearer and more upfront overall mids.

Treble is brighter and more airy, guitars have more sparkle release and wider restitution than DMA, overall highs are more natural and the bone conduction adds a presence edge and snap that the DMA is lacking a bit.

Soundstage is wider and deeper with the Winter.

Imaging is notably superior in layering capacity with the DMA, bass don't get lost in the mix nor the mids mask as much sound info.

All in all, I find both tonality and technicalities superior with DMA, as well, it’s more dynamic, fun and versatile sounding.

VS UM Mest MK3 (1DD+4BA+4EST+1 wide range BC-2K$)

The MK3 is more neutral, cleaner and crisper sounding and as expected notably superior in technical performance, yet less bassy and fun sounding as well as leaner in mids and bass, making it sound a bit treble centric sometimes.

The bass is leaner, more textured and better resolved in presence, it has more mid bass focus so kick drums have more energy while sub bass lines are leaner and not as dominant in the mix.

The mids are richer in presence, better defined, cleaner and in a busy track it can deal with more instruments going loud together, vocals aren't as forwards which underline to DMA being more vocal boosted with its BC. I do think if you have an headache the loud in your head vocal of DMA can be too much, while with more technical neutral MK3 it isn’t.

Treble is really from another league with MK3, it's sharper, cleaner, way more snappy and sparkly and digs a greater amount of micro details in an effortless way, DMA feels a bit excited in attack with percussions, not as cleanly defined.

Soundstage is this time slightly wider with DMA, while it's notably deeper with MK3.

Imaging is a big win for MK3, not competition here…

All in all, DMA complements this IEM due to its more bassy, energetic and dynamic musicality but as expected it can’t compete in terms of technical performance with my end game IEM Mest MK3.


CONCLUSION




The BGVP DMA is something I was waiting for along time which is a truely affordable tribrid with bone conduction that offer incredible sound value and a well tuned musicality that isn't too austere or analytical. It's in fact a balanced fun and bassy tonality with incredible mid range resolution and an open otherwordly holographic spatiality that is sure to immerse and captivate the listener for long time pleasure.

Unfortunately, i didn't have on hands both BQEYZ Wind and UM Mext which i loan to a musician friend, but i'm confident the DMA is superior in technicalies of both, at least in bass separation, round impact and attack speed, the treble is more extended and detailed than the Wind and mids are more fowards than the Mext.

It's rare I give 5stars, this only happen when i'm shock about sound performance to price ratio and the DMA is one of those rare beast.

If you want to introduce yourself to bone conduction flavored tribrid musicality, I think the DMA is safest bet, then you'll be able to know if you wanna climb up to end game bone conduction IEM like the Unique Melody Mest MK3 which is more neutral and resolved.

All in all, apart the construction design, BGVP achieve a tour de force with the DMA and it's very highly RECOMMENDED from me!

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PS: I want to thanks BGVP for sending me this review sample after i manifest my intense curiosity about them. As always, I don't participate to affiliated program, don't make any $ and don't even resell 99% of the IEM I review (which is evident with the comparisons pic I share)

You can order the BGVP DMA for 299$ from official Ali Express store here:
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005006226645207.html