Reviews by Pelperson
A quick disclaimer
I am a reviewer from the PC Help Hub content team. I am glad to be able to bring you this review of the Fudu that I am doing as a part of the content creation program. The website is currently out of order, so I am publishing it here for now.
You can join our discord here!
discord.gg/pchh
Introduction:
I don't think anyone needs an introduction to who Tangzu is and where they came from, as I am already quite late to the party.
But I purchased this set myself, mostly because I was curious to as how it would sound, and also because I really wanted those awesome eartips.
Unboxing Experience:
Accessories:
So as we all know, the Fudu comes with 3 sets of Tangzu Sancai Wide Bore and Divinus Velvet eartips.
These eartips are highly regarded in the community as excellent eartips, for their comfort and quality. Which, after trying them for myself, not only on the Fudu but also my other IEMs(S8, Oracle, S12, Galileo) I can say that these eartips are definitely great for most people.
Except for the fact that my ears didn't like the shape of the Divinus. The rounded shape pressed against my ears, which caused it to hurt overtime, and this was the case for all my IEMs.
Sancai, on the other hand.. was super comfortable. I love the texture, although after wearing it for a longer period of time, sweat can make them a bit slippery but its not too bad.
I personally use the Sancai now on my S12's.
Now with all the GOOD accessories out of the way, let's get on to the rest..
First of all, the cable.
The cable is the absolute worst cable I've ever tried. It looks nice on pictures, but in reality, it's the lightest, most fragile, cheap feeling POS. Even my old stock cable for my Moondrop Starfield was better.
And lastly, the pouch.
It's a bit on the cheap side, and it's just a bit too small to use properly.
Comfort:
Good, given you have the right eartips on. If you use the wrong eartips, it might feel really loose on your ear, and the long ish nozzle base is the cause of that. Also the nozzle is a bit on the thick side.
Sound:
Sources used:
Ifi Zen Can Signature
Ifi Zen One Signature
Qudelix 5k
Running with a 4.4mm balanced cable
For the sound, I'll be comparing the Fudu against my Galileo, which are my 2nd favorite IEM to date.
Bass:
So first of all, the bass is nice, it's present. It hits nice and hard. Although, bass kicks don't have much texture to them. I can imagine someone coming from something like a Sony WF1000XM4 or AirPods, liking the bass on the Fudu, as it's nice and immersive. I wouldn't call the bass too controlled, because it does mess a bit with the mid-range. Subbass kicks feel satisfying and the midbass can certainly be heard, but it's not really too much.
To conclude the bass: Nice and thumpy subbass, and midbass could use some more strength
Midrange:
The midrange sounds mostly alright, unless you're talking about the upper mids. Just judging from 300hz to 1khz, it's alright, but as soon as you enter the upper mid range, things will sound wispy, it almost sounds as if the bass bled into the upper mids somehow, knocking down clarity and resolution by a few notches. Which is unfortunate. One thing I did notice is that female vocals didn't really sound pronounced. They were forward yet the Fudu didn't really give them any feeling.
Treble:
Average resolution for a price-range all-rounder, it doesn't really have a lot of air, the treble is not really fatiguing. Although it's still somewhat on the bright-ish side of things, but it's not really special either. If you're looking for a set with sparkly treble, this one isn't for you. There's also the treble wispiness I noticed, it's uneven and generally doesn't sound impressive and definitely is the biggest downside of this IEM.
Technical Performance:
What I immediately noticed when I heard the Fudu was the stage and separation. It wowed me because I didn't think it could get this good for under 100 bucks. The separation and soundstage pushes beyond its price point, meanwhile the imaging is only above average, but still good enough to not let down the other good things about the techs.
What is a shame though, that even though it has these qualities, the detail retrieval of the Fudu is below average, more in line with modern 50~ buck sets like the Zero:Red, 7hz Sonus, and EW200.
And because of all these technical quirks, the Fudu becomes an excellent set for gaming, comparable to even the Simgot EM6L, except the EM6L sounds more high-res and is just on the clearer side of things, meanwhile for gamers, the Fudu would be a more immersive sounding set due to the bass response.
Compared to Galileo:
A quick comparison to the Galileo results in this:
Female vocals are much better, much cleaner, they give you a feeling of involvement.
The amount of bass is reduced, but it's still reasonable, but not something that would please most due to the lack of volume. Despite that, the Galileo's dynamic driver is faster and has better bass quality. Lower midrange sounds less full and could be interpreted as thin by some people, but that is due to the reduced bass amount.
Treble on the Galileo is smoother, more well done, but noticeably more relaxing, and resolution is about the same, and cleaner sounding due to having a cleaner overall signature and a more competent treble response, while also lacking air.
The imaging and separation is slightly better on the Galileo's, but the stage is much more intimate, and technical performance is only slightly better as well, as the Galileo aren't exactly a resolving and technical set to begin with.
Conclusion:
I think that in 2024, you could pick up the Fudu, but it's not exactly the best pick you could make. If I had to give it an award, it would be "a good first iem" because the Fudu could help you figure out what you want more or less of. And it already comes with good ear tips so you won't need to buy any more of those if you're just starting out.
I am a reviewer from the PC Help Hub content team. I am glad to be able to bring you this review of the Fudu that I am doing as a part of the content creation program. The website is currently out of order, so I am publishing it here for now.
You can join our discord here!
discord.gg/pchh
Introduction:
I don't think anyone needs an introduction to who Tangzu is and where they came from, as I am already quite late to the party.
But I purchased this set myself, mostly because I was curious to as how it would sound, and also because I really wanted those awesome eartips.
Unboxing Experience:
Accessories:
So as we all know, the Fudu comes with 3 sets of Tangzu Sancai Wide Bore and Divinus Velvet eartips.
These eartips are highly regarded in the community as excellent eartips, for their comfort and quality. Which, after trying them for myself, not only on the Fudu but also my other IEMs(S8, Oracle, S12, Galileo) I can say that these eartips are definitely great for most people.
Except for the fact that my ears didn't like the shape of the Divinus. The rounded shape pressed against my ears, which caused it to hurt overtime, and this was the case for all my IEMs.
Sancai, on the other hand.. was super comfortable. I love the texture, although after wearing it for a longer period of time, sweat can make them a bit slippery but its not too bad.
I personally use the Sancai now on my S12's.
Now with all the GOOD accessories out of the way, let's get on to the rest..
First of all, the cable.
The cable is the absolute worst cable I've ever tried. It looks nice on pictures, but in reality, it's the lightest, most fragile, cheap feeling POS. Even my old stock cable for my Moondrop Starfield was better.
And lastly, the pouch.
It's a bit on the cheap side, and it's just a bit too small to use properly.
Comfort:
Good, given you have the right eartips on. If you use the wrong eartips, it might feel really loose on your ear, and the long ish nozzle base is the cause of that. Also the nozzle is a bit on the thick side.
Sound:
Sources used:
Ifi Zen Can Signature
Ifi Zen One Signature
Qudelix 5k
Running with a 4.4mm balanced cable
For the sound, I'll be comparing the Fudu against my Galileo, which are my 2nd favorite IEM to date.
Bass:
So first of all, the bass is nice, it's present. It hits nice and hard. Although, bass kicks don't have much texture to them. I can imagine someone coming from something like a Sony WF1000XM4 or AirPods, liking the bass on the Fudu, as it's nice and immersive. I wouldn't call the bass too controlled, because it does mess a bit with the mid-range. Subbass kicks feel satisfying and the midbass can certainly be heard, but it's not really too much.
To conclude the bass: Nice and thumpy subbass, and midbass could use some more strength
Midrange:
The midrange sounds mostly alright, unless you're talking about the upper mids. Just judging from 300hz to 1khz, it's alright, but as soon as you enter the upper mid range, things will sound wispy, it almost sounds as if the bass bled into the upper mids somehow, knocking down clarity and resolution by a few notches. Which is unfortunate. One thing I did notice is that female vocals didn't really sound pronounced. They were forward yet the Fudu didn't really give them any feeling.
Treble:
Average resolution for a price-range all-rounder, it doesn't really have a lot of air, the treble is not really fatiguing. Although it's still somewhat on the bright-ish side of things, but it's not really special either. If you're looking for a set with sparkly treble, this one isn't for you. There's also the treble wispiness I noticed, it's uneven and generally doesn't sound impressive and definitely is the biggest downside of this IEM.
Technical Performance:
What I immediately noticed when I heard the Fudu was the stage and separation. It wowed me because I didn't think it could get this good for under 100 bucks. The separation and soundstage pushes beyond its price point, meanwhile the imaging is only above average, but still good enough to not let down the other good things about the techs.
What is a shame though, that even though it has these qualities, the detail retrieval of the Fudu is below average, more in line with modern 50~ buck sets like the Zero:Red, 7hz Sonus, and EW200.
And because of all these technical quirks, the Fudu becomes an excellent set for gaming, comparable to even the Simgot EM6L, except the EM6L sounds more high-res and is just on the clearer side of things, meanwhile for gamers, the Fudu would be a more immersive sounding set due to the bass response.
Compared to Galileo:
A quick comparison to the Galileo results in this:
Female vocals are much better, much cleaner, they give you a feeling of involvement.
The amount of bass is reduced, but it's still reasonable, but not something that would please most due to the lack of volume. Despite that, the Galileo's dynamic driver is faster and has better bass quality. Lower midrange sounds less full and could be interpreted as thin by some people, but that is due to the reduced bass amount.
Treble on the Galileo is smoother, more well done, but noticeably more relaxing, and resolution is about the same, and cleaner sounding due to having a cleaner overall signature and a more competent treble response, while also lacking air.
The imaging and separation is slightly better on the Galileo's, but the stage is much more intimate, and technical performance is only slightly better as well, as the Galileo aren't exactly a resolving and technical set to begin with.
Conclusion:
I think that in 2024, you could pick up the Fudu, but it's not exactly the best pick you could make. If I had to give it an award, it would be "a good first iem" because the Fudu could help you figure out what you want more or less of. And it already comes with good ear tips so you won't need to buy any more of those if you're just starting out.
Introduction:
So the Chopin, Gizaudio's second collaboration IEM. It has quite a lot going for it, as I also personally own the Galileo, which I really like.
I was once in a voice call with Timmy(Gizaudio) and I asked him what his 2nd collab iem is going to sound like.
"Very good, buy it." -Timmy, Gizaudio, 2023
And so in this review, I shall see if that is true.
Accessories:
And here we come to my biggest(and honestly, the only) disappointment with this IEM. The accessories.
As an avid follower and shill of gladiatorcables, The instant I laid my eyes upon this cable, I was reminded of moondrop stock cables.
I would describe it as like a slightly better moondrop stock cable, like the ones you would get with the blessing 2, and S8. Besides that, Actually using the cable wasn't terrible, its just it felt really cheap.
Although I prefer it over the Galileo's stock cable, as that cable hurts my ears, physically, after wearing it after some time.
The case? Cheap. Although bigger than the Galileo Case, it feels much, much less premium. It's made out of plastic, and the inside is some sort of foam lay in, that I can see easily breaking off after some time of using it.
The tips are just another thing that reminds me of Moondrop. They include one set of silicone eartips, coming in S, M, and L size. These tips aren't great, and I instantly grabbed my Spinfit W1 small tips and used them on the Chopin.
But I do appreciate the funny cleaning tool. Handy for cleaning usb ports and those kind of hard to get to spots.
Currently I have the Chopin paired with a (at the time of writing) unreleased GladiatorCable, which is just so much better. But that is to be expected as this cable would've cost 180 euros. (which is partially the reason why i waited till writing this review)
Comfort
Now onto comfort, which is the most subjective thing of all.
For me, it's completely fine, but I can easily see some people not being able to use this IEM at all because of it's deep fit, or because of it's nozzle size.
I used this IEM with medium tips and small tips springtip w1's, both which sealed and were comfy. Although due to the sheer size of the nozzle, medium tips made the Chopin just kinda hang in my ears, to the point I could twirl it effortlessly around in my ears, while still having a seal.
The shape of the IEM is honestly quite unfortunate, because if they went with something more universal, I could've easily recommended it to much more people.
Build
The Build of the Chopin is fine to me, however I have seen some pictures going around of the backplate falling off, and I most certainly hope that doesn't happen to me nor anyone else for that matter.
Also here is this funny picture. The Chopin's shape looks strangely alot like an alienware headset xD
Sound
Source:
Ifi zen can signature
Ifi zen one signature
running 4.4mm balanced.
Now onto the sound.
Rumbly, powerful and impactful subbass, with a bit of midbass to complement.
With decently energetic female vocals, a clean midrange and smooth-ish treble.
Intimate stage that wraps around your head, but very clear and precise imaging.
Not sibilant or harsh for me at all.
Also really decent technical performance for it's price.
Although I found the bass sometimes overpowers vocals, and combined with it's intimate soundstage, it's as if the vocals gets squeezed in the middle, making them sound very nasally.
However, when a track has either a lack of bass, or a lot of it(along with treble) I find that the Chopin really shines, as it's a really fun, and engaging set.
For example in my library, where it's mostly japanese female vocals, with a bit of bass here and there, or sometimes basically devoid of bass, it's decent, but definetly this is not a set which specializes female vocals.
Which I notice in some tracks, but not in others. It depends. Sometimes female vocals can sound distant or squeezed without the track being necessarily busy, however it can also be the opposite. So it's kindof track dependant but it's definetly a flaw.
Everything just sounds OK, besides the nasal part, and on busier tracks, I've found that some instruments can get drowned out or just become hard to notice.
Chopin have an intimate soundstage, which really goes around your head in a small circle, which is nice for gaming. For gaming use I would tone down the bass by a bit though, as it can be annoying when an explosions basically blow your ears out.
Conclusion
The Binary Acoustics x Gizaudio Chopin is a very competent IEM, priced reasonably for it's sound.
However there are some potential dealbreakers for some, like the nozzle size, the intimate staging, and the stock accessories.
buy chopin fr fr
This unit was provided to me by HifiGO which I now have purchased from them.
you can buy chopin at:
Gizaudio × Binary Chopin
HiFiGo： https://hifigo.com/products/gizaudio-binary-chopin
Aliexpress：
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005006135789174.html
Amazon US:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CL6LNF82/binary+gizaudio+chopin/
Amazon JP：
https://www.amazon.co.jp/dp/B0CL6MRTW9/binary+gizaudio+chopin/
also check out my video:
So the Chopin, Gizaudio's second collaboration IEM. It has quite a lot going for it, as I also personally own the Galileo, which I really like.
I was once in a voice call with Timmy(Gizaudio) and I asked him what his 2nd collab iem is going to sound like.
"Very good, buy it." -Timmy, Gizaudio, 2023
And so in this review, I shall see if that is true.
Accessories:
And here we come to my biggest(and honestly, the only) disappointment with this IEM. The accessories.
As an avid follower and shill of gladiatorcables, The instant I laid my eyes upon this cable, I was reminded of moondrop stock cables.
I would describe it as like a slightly better moondrop stock cable, like the ones you would get with the blessing 2, and S8. Besides that, Actually using the cable wasn't terrible, its just it felt really cheap.
Although I prefer it over the Galileo's stock cable, as that cable hurts my ears, physically, after wearing it after some time.
The case? Cheap. Although bigger than the Galileo Case, it feels much, much less premium. It's made out of plastic, and the inside is some sort of foam lay in, that I can see easily breaking off after some time of using it.
The tips are just another thing that reminds me of Moondrop. They include one set of silicone eartips, coming in S, M, and L size. These tips aren't great, and I instantly grabbed my Spinfit W1 small tips and used them on the Chopin.
But I do appreciate the funny cleaning tool. Handy for cleaning usb ports and those kind of hard to get to spots.
Currently I have the Chopin paired with a (at the time of writing) unreleased GladiatorCable, which is just so much better. But that is to be expected as this cable would've cost 180 euros. (which is partially the reason why i waited till writing this review)
Comfort
Now onto comfort, which is the most subjective thing of all.
For me, it's completely fine, but I can easily see some people not being able to use this IEM at all because of it's deep fit, or because of it's nozzle size.
I used this IEM with medium tips and small tips springtip w1's, both which sealed and were comfy. Although due to the sheer size of the nozzle, medium tips made the Chopin just kinda hang in my ears, to the point I could twirl it effortlessly around in my ears, while still having a seal.
The shape of the IEM is honestly quite unfortunate, because if they went with something more universal, I could've easily recommended it to much more people.
Build
The Build of the Chopin is fine to me, however I have seen some pictures going around of the backplate falling off, and I most certainly hope that doesn't happen to me nor anyone else for that matter.
Also here is this funny picture. The Chopin's shape looks strangely alot like an alienware headset xD
Sound
Source:
Ifi zen can signature
Ifi zen one signature
running 4.4mm balanced.
Now onto the sound.
Rumbly, powerful and impactful subbass, with a bit of midbass to complement.
With decently energetic female vocals, a clean midrange and smooth-ish treble.
Intimate stage that wraps around your head, but very clear and precise imaging.
Not sibilant or harsh for me at all.
Also really decent technical performance for it's price.
Although I found the bass sometimes overpowers vocals, and combined with it's intimate soundstage, it's as if the vocals gets squeezed in the middle, making them sound very nasally.
However, when a track has either a lack of bass, or a lot of it(along with treble) I find that the Chopin really shines, as it's a really fun, and engaging set.
For example in my library, where it's mostly japanese female vocals, with a bit of bass here and there, or sometimes basically devoid of bass, it's decent, but definetly this is not a set which specializes female vocals.
Which I notice in some tracks, but not in others. It depends. Sometimes female vocals can sound distant or squeezed without the track being necessarily busy, however it can also be the opposite. So it's kindof track dependant but it's definetly a flaw.
Everything just sounds OK, besides the nasal part, and on busier tracks, I've found that some instruments can get drowned out or just become hard to notice.
Chopin have an intimate soundstage, which really goes around your head in a small circle, which is nice for gaming. For gaming use I would tone down the bass by a bit though, as it can be annoying when an explosions basically blow your ears out.
Conclusion
The Binary Acoustics x Gizaudio Chopin is a very competent IEM, priced reasonably for it's sound.
However there are some potential dealbreakers for some, like the nozzle size, the intimate staging, and the stock accessories.
buy chopin fr fr
This unit was provided to me by HifiGO which I now have purchased from them.
you can buy chopin at:
Gizaudio × Binary Chopin
HiFiGo： https://hifigo.com/products/gizaudio-binary-chopin
Aliexpress：
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005006135789174.html
Amazon US:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CL6LNF82/binary+gizaudio+chopin/
Amazon JP：
https://www.amazon.co.jp/dp/B0CL6MRTW9/binary+gizaudio+chopin/
also check out my video:
Now when I heard a friend was trying these and asked me what I thought.
I usually think, oh. Cheap BT headphones? Trash.
But overtime I have been proven wrong as I had been introduced to things like the JBL 710BT, 750NC,760, etc. So when I saw the graph which looked strangely decent, I got interested and bought one myself.
And now with The Zen Hybrid on my hands, oh boy was I surprised.
Let's go through all of the useless stuff first, so.
What do you get in the box?
The headphones
A 3.5mm to 3.5mm cable
A USB type-A to type-C cable(for charging)
Useless marketing stuff and a user manual.
A small carrying bag thats really soft.
And onto comfort,
So the Zen Hybrids are pretty comfy. They have a shallow pad design with cushiony inner padding, which is pretty comfy. Although for people with bigger ears I can see this being an issue as the outer pads already kindof rest on my ears, but I feel like thats a bit more common with wireless headphones to have compact sizes.
Also for some reason if I squish the right cup against my ear, the pad exhales and inhales. Left side doesn't do that.
Here is it ontop of my HD580 as reference.
With that out of the way, I will just tell you I won't be properly reviewing the ANC, as I've never really had much experience nor much care for ANC, as for my life, I find ANC quite useless. Anyways I was told by a friend that uses BT headphones daily, that these are quite good and the ANC is also really good for the price. I got this pair for 80 euros but in Germany I found them for 60.
In America and other places they go for around 50 euros.. but there's also the Zen Hybrid 2 and the other Zen's that Creative have made.. which I haven't tested.
Anyways, about the APP and the "feature" SXFI.
It is utterly useless and doesn't do crap, why? Because It's only active in music you've downloaded, and then open up in the SXFI app. You take pictures of your head AND FACE which you can't delete btw. And only to find out this "SXFI" is only usable in their app, so for listening on spotify, yt music, etc. It isn't active. Besides that the APP basically does nothing, as everything only works inside that app.
But that's okay given that you can use these perfectly fine without an app, because all of the buttons you need are on the headphones themselves.
You have volume up and down, ANC on or off, and a lady telling you the status of the headphone. On, off, anc on, anc off, connected, disconnected, battery low.
Now onto sound
I know this is a very poorly written review, and that's mainly because I want to get rid of this thing, not because it's bad, but because I have no use for it.
So in terms of sound, I would personally rate this higher than the Sennheiser HD560S & AKG K361 purely for enjoying music. In terms of technical performance, the Zens actually come close to the K361, which really surprised me. Besides that, the HD560s obviously has wider soundstage and better imaging compared to these.
Speaking of imaging, the imaging on these is actually not bad at all. It's very precise, so much so I spent an hour gaming with these and had no trouble finding where people were around me. Although that was me using them wired, and with a small EQ I did which is definetly not perfect.
But we'll get to that in a bit.
So using them wirelessly, It's a tuning signature that matches the graph pretty closely, although the upper mids are not as sibilant and harsh as it looks
Not nearly so even.
I main the HD580 as a Headphone, and my 4 IEM's, Moondrop S8, Thieaudio Oracle, Binary Chopin, and Letshuore Glialeo. And can say with confidence the upper mid range is actually more in line with the harman target than the graph suggests.
I listen to JPOP and JROCK etc mainly. The female vocals are lively and energetic, but as you do with Harman, I do find it a bit too much at times. They are presented very nicely and I think you will enjoy these alot if listen to similar things as I do.
I can't speak much for other genres, because I'm a selfish prick who only tested my own library. But I have some things in there and can also tell you these would be great for stuff like EDM, Phonk etc, the more energetic boomy things. The bass response you see on the graph is basically what you get.
For people who can't read graphs I'll tell you.
The subbass isn't too deep so for the subbass lovers, you'll need to find something else. But it's nice and compliments the midbass very well as it's a tasteful amount IMO.
The midbass punches nicely and feels well controlled, and makes this a very enjoyable headphone.
What about EQ?
Well, if you decide to use these wired, it will disable all the internal DSP(digital signal processing). Which means suddenly, the headphones sound alot worse. They sound like how I expected them to sound when I hear the words "Wireless headphone".
But using them wired, means you can properly EQ them, and they basically work as a regular set of headphones with my AMP.
Now I put together a little EQ, but the treble is unfortunately really grainy and vocals sound a tiny bit hollow. However I believe it's a strong starting point for the eq as besides treble, the rest of the tonality improves by quite a bit, and anyone who is more into EQ, will probably be able to turn these headphones into some god tier stuff for the price.
To conclude this review,
The Zen Hybrids are a very capable, and nice sounding ANC wireless headphone, and for the prices theyre going for, they're a no brainer IMO.
And if you can manage to perfect the EQ while using them wired, please tell me if you do. You can get resolution and clarity on almost comparable to my HD580's, as I already have achieved with my little eq.'
Overall I'm very impressed with this headphone, and am excited for the future. Recently Creative have come out with the Zen Hybrid 2, which I would be willing to try when it comes to the European market.
If you have any questions, you can find me on the PC Help Hub discord server by the name of Pelperson. discord.gg/pchh
I usually think, oh. Cheap BT headphones? Trash.
But overtime I have been proven wrong as I had been introduced to things like the JBL 710BT, 750NC,760, etc. So when I saw the graph which looked strangely decent, I got interested and bought one myself.
And now with The Zen Hybrid on my hands, oh boy was I surprised.
Let's go through all of the useless stuff first, so.
What do you get in the box?
The headphones
A 3.5mm to 3.5mm cable
A USB type-A to type-C cable(for charging)
Useless marketing stuff and a user manual.
A small carrying bag thats really soft.
And onto comfort,
So the Zen Hybrids are pretty comfy. They have a shallow pad design with cushiony inner padding, which is pretty comfy. Although for people with bigger ears I can see this being an issue as the outer pads already kindof rest on my ears, but I feel like thats a bit more common with wireless headphones to have compact sizes.
Also for some reason if I squish the right cup against my ear, the pad exhales and inhales. Left side doesn't do that.
Here is it ontop of my HD580 as reference.
With that out of the way, I will just tell you I won't be properly reviewing the ANC, as I've never really had much experience nor much care for ANC, as for my life, I find ANC quite useless. Anyways I was told by a friend that uses BT headphones daily, that these are quite good and the ANC is also really good for the price. I got this pair for 80 euros but in Germany I found them for 60.
In America and other places they go for around 50 euros.. but there's also the Zen Hybrid 2 and the other Zen's that Creative have made.. which I haven't tested.
Anyways, about the APP and the "feature" SXFI.
It is utterly useless and doesn't do crap, why? Because It's only active in music you've downloaded, and then open up in the SXFI app. You take pictures of your head AND FACE which you can't delete btw. And only to find out this "SXFI" is only usable in their app, so for listening on spotify, yt music, etc. It isn't active. Besides that the APP basically does nothing, as everything only works inside that app.
But that's okay given that you can use these perfectly fine without an app, because all of the buttons you need are on the headphones themselves.
You have volume up and down, ANC on or off, and a lady telling you the status of the headphone. On, off, anc on, anc off, connected, disconnected, battery low.
Now onto sound
I know this is a very poorly written review, and that's mainly because I want to get rid of this thing, not because it's bad, but because I have no use for it.
So in terms of sound, I would personally rate this higher than the Sennheiser HD560S & AKG K361 purely for enjoying music. In terms of technical performance, the Zens actually come close to the K361, which really surprised me. Besides that, the HD560s obviously has wider soundstage and better imaging compared to these.
Speaking of imaging, the imaging on these is actually not bad at all. It's very precise, so much so I spent an hour gaming with these and had no trouble finding where people were around me. Although that was me using them wired, and with a small EQ I did which is definetly not perfect.
But we'll get to that in a bit.
So using them wirelessly, It's a tuning signature that matches the graph pretty closely, although the upper mids are not as sibilant and harsh as it looks
Not nearly so even.
I main the HD580 as a Headphone, and my 4 IEM's, Moondrop S8, Thieaudio Oracle, Binary Chopin, and Letshuore Glialeo. And can say with confidence the upper mid range is actually more in line with the harman target than the graph suggests.
I listen to JPOP and JROCK etc mainly. The female vocals are lively and energetic, but as you do with Harman, I do find it a bit too much at times. They are presented very nicely and I think you will enjoy these alot if listen to similar things as I do.
I can't speak much for other genres, because I'm a selfish prick who only tested my own library. But I have some things in there and can also tell you these would be great for stuff like EDM, Phonk etc, the more energetic boomy things. The bass response you see on the graph is basically what you get.
For people who can't read graphs I'll tell you.
The subbass isn't too deep so for the subbass lovers, you'll need to find something else. But it's nice and compliments the midbass very well as it's a tasteful amount IMO.
The midbass punches nicely and feels well controlled, and makes this a very enjoyable headphone.
What about EQ?
Well, if you decide to use these wired, it will disable all the internal DSP(digital signal processing). Which means suddenly, the headphones sound alot worse. They sound like how I expected them to sound when I hear the words "Wireless headphone".
But using them wired, means you can properly EQ them, and they basically work as a regular set of headphones with my AMP.
Now I put together a little EQ, but the treble is unfortunately really grainy and vocals sound a tiny bit hollow. However I believe it's a strong starting point for the eq as besides treble, the rest of the tonality improves by quite a bit, and anyone who is more into EQ, will probably be able to turn these headphones into some god tier stuff for the price.
To conclude this review,
The Zen Hybrids are a very capable, and nice sounding ANC wireless headphone, and for the prices theyre going for, they're a no brainer IMO.
And if you can manage to perfect the EQ while using them wired, please tell me if you do. You can get resolution and clarity on almost comparable to my HD580's, as I already have achieved with my little eq.'
Overall I'm very impressed with this headphone, and am excited for the future. Recently Creative have come out with the Zen Hybrid 2, which I would be willing to try when it comes to the European market.
If you have any questions, you can find me on the PC Help Hub discord server by the name of Pelperson. discord.gg/pchh
Attachments
Links:
IEM cable
Headphone cable
Other Head-Fi review
My unscripted video
My cables:
*all prices are including shipping costs
AES Harmony:
Conductors: 4x 24AWG (4x1.5mm OD unsleeved)
Material: Thick silver plating 6N OCC Copper (99.9999X%)
Insulator: Extremely flexible
PECore Structure: Type 2 Litz (144*0.02mm)
Price: 120 for the cable, +30 for the 2.5 to 4.4 adaptor
Context: Reason that the adaptor doesnt share the same connectors is because the Gladiator connector was added later. The 4.4 to 2.5 adaptor also shares the same materials as the AES Harmony cable.
Sonum II + 4.4mm Interconnect + 4.4mm To 2.5mm Adaptor:
Sonum 2:
Conductors: 4 x 24AWG
Material: Japanese 99.9% OFC Copper
Insulator: Recycled silicone that is both high quality and extremely flexible.
Nylon Sleeving: Polyester & Polypropylene 2mm thickness
Price: 77 euros
4.4mm Interconnect: Viablue EPC-4
Price: 40 euros
The 4.4mm Gladiator connector
Pure copper with 5u Gold plating
Price: 30 euros
INTRO
So where it all started for me was when I had my Edition XS, and I wanted a balanced cable that simply worked. So I was told by a friend to get a gladiatorcable, and that was how I got in contact with Antonio the man who runs the entire thing.
Yes, one man. The entire thing.
AAnyways, so I ordered a 4.4mm balanced cable from him after asking him a bunch of things and basically telling him I wanted the cheapest functional normal looking cable possible.
So I got exactly that, although the material was still cloth, it was still flexible, and it was decently cheap enough for me to be okay with it. I remember it being 60~ euros or so. This cable is visible in some of my older videos on my channel.
Anyways I was happy with the cable, and that is where it all started.
The Interconnect
It arrived. And it worked. Fantastic.
AES Harmony story:
A quick disclaimer.
I personally don't notice any sound changes with cables, and have yet to have experienced that, besides the fact that some things improved, but I blamed that on the fact that both of the times I noticed that were due to me changing from single ended to a balanced connection. And the difference I noticed was just more bass impact and a more full-er sound.
So there's a bit of a story for this cable. Its a 2pin IEM cable with a aluminum splitter, and colors made to match my Thieaudio Oracle, I also wanted a 4.4 to 2.5mm adaptor with it, so I could use it with my Q5K when I was on the go.
So because I was so excited, I had selected the second most expensive shipping option, which was 20 bucks. It was by EMS post. And Antonio was quick to make the cable and take it to the post office. However this is where The Incident starts. And this was not due to Antonio at all. Infact he had nothing to do with it.
So, the cable got shipped to my country, and it was pretty fast too. I live in the Netherlands btw. But upon arriving, it was held at Amsterdam, then It was taken to Den Haag, and stayed there. for a MONTH, after that Antonio suddenly received the cable back.
Ofcourse during this, we held contact with each other via Discord and we both were very annoyed by this situation which POSTNL had caused.
The very reason it was sent back to Antonio was because apparently my shipping adress was not properly visible, which was complete bull.
Anyways Antonio was quick to send it back to me, and this time it arrived, smooth sailing. After being happy and excited about the cable, inappropriately touching it all over and smelling those Italian hands. /j I plugged them into my IEMs... and the left channel was completely borked.
So I contacted Antonio immediately, and we were quick to conclude that something in the 4.4mm connector had snapped. Which was a disappointment and a half. Although I am sure Antonio had learned from that experience
So I sent it back to him, and then also demanded he upgraded my 4.4mm connector to a Gladiatorconnector, because I thought the stock connector looked ugly asf and didn't match the 2pin connectors.
And coincidentally I had HD580's at the time with a horrible stock cable, so I also ordered a cable from him with a gladiatorconnector.
Anyways when the cable got back to me recently, along with the Sonum 2 cable, they both worked, and I was happy.
AES Cable Thoughts:
It's a nice cable, although it has made me realize some things. I prefer non-cloth cables when it comes to IEMs.
Due to it being cloth, theres a bit of cable noise, but during music listening, you don't notice it at all.
Also another thing to add which is a QC issue on Antonio's part. The Indicators for the correct orientation for the 2pin, were incorrect.
The 2 pin connector Antonio used has notches to indicate how the connector should be seated. And since there is no earhook, I had to rely on this. I asked Antonio about it and he told me the notch should point inwards of the IEM.
And while this was true for my left channel, it was the opposite for my right channel, as for it to be correct, the right channel pointed OUTWARDS. Which also surprised Antonio.
Very flexible, very nice looking, very nice feeling.
Sonum II:
It arrived, it worked. Wonderful. I enjoy it. Big upgrade over stock cable. Also cable noise due to cloth, but not noticable during use.
Color matched to my HD580
Very flexible, very nice looking, very nice feeling.
The 2.5mm to 4.4mm adaptor:
I use this thing personally all the time. Even though now I regret color matching it to my Oracles.
Why? Because I use it with my other IEM's now too, and I don't take the Oracles with me anymore when I go somewhere, because they're just too valuable for that.
I use them most with my Letshuore Galileo and my Qudelix 5k, because the Galileo is the cheapest IEM I own at the moment. I also sometimes use them with my S8.
How do I use the adaptor?
Well, I use it whenever I go somewhere where I know I can have a reasonable amount of time to enjoy some music.
Because I am Dutch, I use it when I go cycling, be it to work or to school, or to visit someone.
So I put it in one of the pockets inside of my jacket. The adaptor just plays so nicely, IMO it's better than just connecting something straight into it, because the adaptor allows for extra play.
Conclusion:
Gladiatorcables is a "Company" that is run by a single person that does literally everything himself.
That is also why the "Price" of the cables is in the cons, because I know a lot of people just buy cheap cables from Aliexpress and move on with their day.
Antonio tries to deliver maximum value to the customer, in all ways possible, however, he as a person and as a seller, still needs to grow, as issues sometimes occur. Such as the linked head-fi review of his PROTOTYPE cleopatra-line cable that he sold to someone.
Due to that review, Antonio realized it is not a good idea to keep sending products in just double packaged bubble wrap evelopes, as I personally have confirmed with him that he will be using boxes now that hold the cables in place properly, and try taking more care of the cables as an attempt to not make them die due to shipping.
Also, to deflect some controversy started by none other than Sharur. All the "evidence" in that video was taken out of context, but any smart individual here would know not to trust Sharur lmao.
conclusion times 2.
So, Gladiatorcables, or Antonio, is not an italian with a choking fetish, but a man trying to give the best value possible for his customers, and will take any feedback seriously.
All thoughts and opinions were my own, I am simply a customer that bought Antonio's cables multiple times, and is online friends with Antonio.
IEM cable
Headphone cable
Other Head-Fi review
My unscripted video
My cables:
*all prices are including shipping costs
AES Harmony:
Material: Thick silver plating 6N OCC Copper (99.9999X%)
Insulator: Extremely flexible
PECore Structure: Type 2 Litz (144*0.02mm)
Price: 120 for the cable, +30 for the 2.5 to 4.4 adaptor
Context: Reason that the adaptor doesnt share the same connectors is because the Gladiator connector was added later. The 4.4 to 2.5 adaptor also shares the same materials as the AES Harmony cable.
Sonum II + 4.4mm Interconnect + 4.4mm To 2.5mm Adaptor:
Sonum 2:
Conductors: 4 x 24AWG
Material: Japanese 99.9% OFC Copper
Insulator: Recycled silicone that is both high quality and extremely flexible.
Nylon Sleeving: Polyester & Polypropylene 2mm thickness
Price: 77 euros
4.4mm Interconnect: Viablue EPC-4
Price: 40 euros
The 4.4mm Gladiator connector
Pure copper with 5u Gold plating
Price: 30 euros
INTRO
So where it all started for me was when I had my Edition XS, and I wanted a balanced cable that simply worked. So I was told by a friend to get a gladiatorcable, and that was how I got in contact with Antonio the man who runs the entire thing.
Yes, one man. The entire thing.
AAnyways, so I ordered a 4.4mm balanced cable from him after asking him a bunch of things and basically telling him I wanted the cheapest functional normal looking cable possible.
So I got exactly that, although the material was still cloth, it was still flexible, and it was decently cheap enough for me to be okay with it. I remember it being 60~ euros or so. This cable is visible in some of my older videos on my channel.
Anyways I was happy with the cable, and that is where it all started.
The Interconnect
It arrived. And it worked. Fantastic.
AES Harmony story:
A quick disclaimer.
I personally don't notice any sound changes with cables, and have yet to have experienced that, besides the fact that some things improved, but I blamed that on the fact that both of the times I noticed that were due to me changing from single ended to a balanced connection. And the difference I noticed was just more bass impact and a more full-er sound.
So there's a bit of a story for this cable. Its a 2pin IEM cable with a aluminum splitter, and colors made to match my Thieaudio Oracle, I also wanted a 4.4 to 2.5mm adaptor with it, so I could use it with my Q5K when I was on the go.
So because I was so excited, I had selected the second most expensive shipping option, which was 20 bucks. It was by EMS post. And Antonio was quick to make the cable and take it to the post office. However this is where The Incident starts. And this was not due to Antonio at all. Infact he had nothing to do with it.
So, the cable got shipped to my country, and it was pretty fast too. I live in the Netherlands btw. But upon arriving, it was held at Amsterdam, then It was taken to Den Haag, and stayed there. for a MONTH, after that Antonio suddenly received the cable back.
Ofcourse during this, we held contact with each other via Discord and we both were very annoyed by this situation which POSTNL had caused.
The very reason it was sent back to Antonio was because apparently my shipping adress was not properly visible, which was complete bull.
Anyways Antonio was quick to send it back to me, and this time it arrived, smooth sailing. After being happy and excited about the cable, inappropriately touching it all over and smelling those Italian hands. /j I plugged them into my IEMs... and the left channel was completely borked.
So I contacted Antonio immediately, and we were quick to conclude that something in the 4.4mm connector had snapped. Which was a disappointment and a half. Although I am sure Antonio had learned from that experience
So I sent it back to him, and then also demanded he upgraded my 4.4mm connector to a Gladiatorconnector, because I thought the stock connector looked ugly asf and didn't match the 2pin connectors.
And coincidentally I had HD580's at the time with a horrible stock cable, so I also ordered a cable from him with a gladiatorconnector.
Anyways when the cable got back to me recently, along with the Sonum 2 cable, they both worked, and I was happy.
AES Cable Thoughts:
It's a nice cable, although it has made me realize some things. I prefer non-cloth cables when it comes to IEMs.
Due to it being cloth, theres a bit of cable noise, but during music listening, you don't notice it at all.
Also another thing to add which is a QC issue on Antonio's part. The Indicators for the correct orientation for the 2pin, were incorrect.
The 2 pin connector Antonio used has notches to indicate how the connector should be seated. And since there is no earhook, I had to rely on this. I asked Antonio about it and he told me the notch should point inwards of the IEM.
And while this was true for my left channel, it was the opposite for my right channel, as for it to be correct, the right channel pointed OUTWARDS. Which also surprised Antonio.
Very flexible, very nice looking, very nice feeling.
Sonum II:
It arrived, it worked. Wonderful. I enjoy it. Big upgrade over stock cable. Also cable noise due to cloth, but not noticable during use.
Color matched to my HD580
Very flexible, very nice looking, very nice feeling.
The 2.5mm to 4.4mm adaptor:
I use this thing personally all the time. Even though now I regret color matching it to my Oracles.
Why? Because I use it with my other IEM's now too, and I don't take the Oracles with me anymore when I go somewhere, because they're just too valuable for that.
I use them most with my Letshuore Galileo and my Qudelix 5k, because the Galileo is the cheapest IEM I own at the moment. I also sometimes use them with my S8.
How do I use the adaptor?
Well, I use it whenever I go somewhere where I know I can have a reasonable amount of time to enjoy some music.
Because I am Dutch, I use it when I go cycling, be it to work or to school, or to visit someone.
So I put it in one of the pockets inside of my jacket. The adaptor just plays so nicely, IMO it's better than just connecting something straight into it, because the adaptor allows for extra play.
Conclusion:
Gladiatorcables is a "Company" that is run by a single person that does literally everything himself.
That is also why the "Price" of the cables is in the cons, because I know a lot of people just buy cheap cables from Aliexpress and move on with their day.
Antonio tries to deliver maximum value to the customer, in all ways possible, however, he as a person and as a seller, still needs to grow, as issues sometimes occur. Such as the linked head-fi review of his PROTOTYPE cleopatra-line cable that he sold to someone.
Due to that review, Antonio realized it is not a good idea to keep sending products in just double packaged bubble wrap evelopes, as I personally have confirmed with him that he will be using boxes now that hold the cables in place properly, and try taking more care of the cables as an attempt to not make them die due to shipping.
Also, to deflect some controversy started by none other than Sharur. All the "evidence" in that video was taken out of context, but any smart individual here would know not to trust Sharur lmao.
conclusion times 2.
So, Gladiatorcables, or Antonio, is not an italian with a choking fetish, but a man trying to give the best value possible for his customers, and will take any feedback seriously.
All thoughts and opinions were my own, I am simply a customer that bought Antonio's cables multiple times, and is online friends with Antonio.
Attachments
