Hidizs MS2

The Hidizs MS2 in-ear monitor aims to deliver audiophile-level sound quality at an ultra-affordable price point. Retailing for under $80, this capable hybrid IEM utilises a configuration of one balanced armature driver and one 10.2mm dynamic driver per earpiece.


This dual-driver setup brings together strengths from both transducer technologies: bass depth and impact from the dynamic driver and top-end airiness and detail from the armature. The result is a cohesive and balanced sound with nice engagement across the frequency range.


Tonality is mildly V-shaped, providing an energetic and fun signature without major coloration. The bass has nice sub-bass rumble and added mid-bass impact while avoiding bloating or muddiness. Mids take a slight step back in the mix but retain good transparency and natural tone. Treble has crispness and extension without getting harsh or peaky.


The technical performance is impressive for the ultra-budget price bracket. Soundstage has good width, with accurate imaging lending an open, spacious quality. Separation is above average for a hybrid, allowing you to pick out individual layers and nuances. Fine details are well-defined, from subtle textures to background flourishes.


Build quality inspires confidence, with sturdy metal nozzles, removable cables, and cleanly assembled resin shells. The slick design stands out with colourful “phosphorescent” faceplates embedded with the Hidizs logo. Comfort and noise isolation are excellent for long listening sessions.


It delivers engaging, balanced tuning in a premium design well above its class.

The review sample was kindly provided by Hidizs in exchange for my honest and subjective evaluation.
The price is $89 and you can buy it directly from Hidizs using the following, non affiliate link.



Mermaid MS2

The Hidizs Mermaid MS2 is a hybrid, dual drivers earphone with a budget-friendly price.
It features a custom developed 10.2mm large dynamic driver with dual voice coils and dual voice chambers to achieve a pretty strong impact, fairly good sufficient depth and extension as well as excellent transient responses.
The treble is reproduced by a Knowles 33518 balanced armature driver which is optimized for a clean, crisp, clear and rich treble reproduction.
The crossover is kept as simple as possible with professional circuit AVX Tantalum Capacitors to reduce noise at audio frequency, ensure noiseless clear filtering and high fidelity in the passing of audio signals.



Cable

The Mermaid MS2 comes with a detachable cable utilizing the 2-pin 0.78mm interface, ending in a 3.5mm plug.
The quad-core braided cable has 60 high-purity silver wires and 60 high-purity oxygen-free copper wires.
Silver wires are used for a brilliant and clean sound while copper wires add smooth and gentle performance.
The cable is actually of high quality, well made and beautiful looking.
It is soft to the touch, it doesn't get tangled, it has low microphonic noise and it doesn't smell.



Build quality, appearance and fit

The MS2 has a custom - like anatomically shaped body made from skin - friendly and odorless resin with a shiny phosphorescent faceplate presenting amber feelings, with beautiful rainbow shards and an elegant Hidizs logo inside.
The ear shells are semi-transparent so you can see the internals and the drivers inside.
The MS2 is available in 5 different colors to choose from and the appearance is quite modern and youthful especially if you choose the more vivid ones.
The ear shells are compact and very lightweight, offering a secure, stable and comfortable fit which proved stress - free even after extended use.
Passive noise attenuation is not perfect but certainly above average, making the MS2 commuting and travel friendly.



Accessories

The MS2 comes bundled with a premium and beautiful looking carrying case with a classy brown leatherette outer face and velvet covered inner for effective protection of the earphones.
You don't often see such well made and luxurious carrying cases in the sub $100 category.



You also get two sets of eartips, one for balanced and the other for crispier sound, a total of six pairs nicely arranged in separate trays.
For a $89 earphone, the cable and the case are really amazing.



Listening impressions

With a rated impedance of 18Ω and pretty high sensitivity of 112dB, the MS2 is very easy to drive and your favorite USB DAC dongle will drive them with ease, just make sure that it is pretty decent and it doesn't hiss.
I have mostly used the Hidizs own S3 PRO, iBasso DC05, FiiO KA1 and Hidizs AP80 PRO-X. (review on the works)



The MS2 overall sound signature is pretty balanced and musical sounding with a touch of warmth, slightly emphasized at both ends of the spectrum but without exaggerations.
It is a tuning that is suited for all kinds of music, making the MS2 a real all rounder, you can enjoy your favorite electronic beats and at the same time listen to classical music without sacrificing much in transparency and accuracy.
Bass is only a bit emphasized, offering good sub-bass extension and a slightly warm mid-bass response but without clouding the mid-range or shadowing the other frequencies.
Technicalities are impressive given the price point, the bass is tight and controlled, fast, with good layering and clarity, there is no audible masking and you can clearly distinguish every instrument dwelling at the bass line.
Pretty impressive are also the dynamics of the earphone, the MS2 is quite impactful and has enough rumbling effect to satisfy with electronic tunes while it can convincingly reproduce the contrasted power of the large symphony orchestra.

The overall timbre is quite natural and convincing, especially in the mid-range which sounds real and organic with great levels of musicality.
Voice integrity is pretty good, the tuning is balanced, just slightly recessed but not too much for the mid-range to lose in presence and intensity.
Instruments and voices appear engaging and well blended, with clear articulation and a multicolored texture.
Upper mid-range is controlled, female voices are smooth and they don't become shouting as to cause listener fatigue.
As an example, the following album sounded really convincing with the Mermaid MS2.



The treble is satisfyingly extended for a budget IEM, the MS2 is resolving and detailed enough, crystal clear and sparkling without venturing into the sharpness territory while it can sustain higher sound volumes without becoming strident.
It cleverly avoids being too bright and piercing, it doesn't exhibit the usual harshness of budget earphones, the tuning is controlled with a touch of luminosity that makes for an airy and spacious presentation.
Most budget earphones have the tendency to sound overly thin in the higher frequencies but thankfully this is not happening with the MS2 which sounds coherent enough throughout the whole frequency range with good thickness and natural decay.



The soundstage is presented in a spacious and wide manner with pretty accurate imaging.
Don't expect anything too holographic or grand scale, nor the best depth layering but in the end you will be thoroughly satisfied with the overall presentation even with more dense and demanding material like when listening to Shostakovich's Jazz and Variety orchestral suites.



Vs the TinHiFi T3 Plus ($69)

More lightweight and less bulky than the T3 Plus, the MS2 offers a more comfortable, discreet and stress free fit but the T3 Plus is more classy and luxurious looking.
Tuning is quite close, the T3 Plus is warmer and fuller sounding, also a little more visceral in the low end and not as lean as the MS2 but the latter has better bass technicalities, is slightly more dynamic, resolving and less bright.
The MS2 is a little recessed in the mids, the T3 Plus is more concentrated on the mids but it has the tendency to become a little sharp.
Soundstage is wider on the MS2 with better imaging but the T3 Plus sounds more holographic and layered.
Both come with good quality detachable cables and a comprehensive assortment of ear tips but with the MS2 you also get the classy carrying case instead of the cloth pouch but let's not forget that it is $20 more expensive.



In the end

The Hidizs Mermaid MS2 is an excellent sounding sub $100 IEM without any serious sonic flaws, the tuning is reference - fun and enjoyable with most kinds of music.
This is a great step into high fidelity sound with a modest asking price that comes as a surprise considering the actual sound performance and the accessories pack, a real winner from Hidizs that deserves the highest praise.

Test playlist

Copyright - Petros Laskis 2022.

Budget Wired In ear

Hidizs MS2​

March 19, 2022 wiljen 907 Views 0 Comments Edit
disclaimer: I was sent a kit of recent releases from Hidizs for review. That kit included the Hidizs AP80 Pro X (review on Ecoustics.com soon), the MS2 in ear (reviewed here), the S9 dongle dac, and the DH80S dac/amp that are still works in progress. I own an AP200 as well that I purchased outright as well as having reviewed the MS1, MS4, and Ap80 previously. I have no financial interest in Hidizs or any of its partners or vendors and my review was not compensated other than the earphone itself. If you have an interest in the MS2, more information can be found on Hidizs website.

Unboxing / Packaging:
The MS2 is the middle model in the line with a retail price of $89 but you wouldn’t necessarily know that to look at the packaging. The box is a lift top design with a photo of the earpiece on the front and the specs on the reverse. The Hidizs name and logo, the model name, and the knowles and Hi-res stickers on the front are all done in metallic reflective silver while the specs on the reverse are are in matte black. Lifting the top reveals the earpieces in a foam surround with the glitter bomb face plates a nice contrast to the white box. All of the other goodies are hiding underneath the foam tray. Lifting out the tray reveals a leather(ish) hard shell case that is way better than the average at this price. Inside the case we find the cable, and two styles of tips in SML for a total of 6 pairs.




Build/Fit:
The MS2 shares a good bit with the MS1 rainbow as it uses the polymer shell with an aluminum nozzle rather than the metal shell of the earlier MS1 and MS4 models. The MS2 is available in green, red, blue, purple, black, all with a transparent resin that shows the internals to varying degrees depending on the depth of color. Regardless of which color you choose, the underside of the faceplate has a glitter bomb look that makes the face plates sparkle in bright light. Nozzles exit the polymer shell at the lower point (semi-teardrop shape) with a slight forward rake that is exaggerated by the shape of the shell. Insertion depth is fairly good and isolation is aided by this. Nozzles have a large lip for tip retention as well and take standard sized tips so tip rolling is easy for those that cant find a match in the provided set. There is a single vent over the dynamic drivers on the underside of the shells that can be blocked while wearing so some adjusting to prevent blocking the vent may be needed. I found comfort quite good as these are mid-sized shells and fairly light weight so all but the smallest ears shouldn’t have fit issues.
The case deserves some discussion as well as it is better than one should expect at this price. Metal plates support the leather to prevent collapse and internal memory foam pads help keep the contents protected. The top also has a mesh pocket for accessories to further keep things from rattling around and getting scratched up.







Internals:
The MS2 is a hybrid model with a 10.2mm dynamic driver with a titanium plated diaphragm and a Knowles 33518 balanced armature. Hidizs lists the titanium plating as helping mid-bass and the 33518 adding to the top end for increased treble response and resolution. The 33518 driver is very similar to the 30095 but has a lower price point so is a common site in budget models. The dynamic driver handles the low end most of the mid-range with the balanced armature adding to the top end. The crossover is a fairly simple design with a couple of visible components directly on the rear face of the dynamic driver. Nominal impedance for the MS2 is listed as 18Ω with a sensitivity of 112dB/mW which puts it in the very easy to drive class and I found it worked well using the S9 Pro dongle or AP80 Pro X DAP. It does scale some with better sources but additional power is not needed and in some cases is actually counterproductive as with high potency sources the noise floor sometimes became evident.





Cable:
The provided cable uses rose gold accents to highlight the copper strands in the cable. The jack is a gold plated 3.5mm with a straight housing in black and rose gold with a short strain relief. The cable itself is 2 silver plated copper strands and 2 oxygen free copper strands in a clear casing. The strands are in double twist from the jack up to the splitter. Above the splitter and rose gold coin chin slider, single wires per side run to the earhooks and 0.78mm bi-pin connector in a clear housing. The right connector is marked with a red dot for indexing purposes.




Tips:
The Ms2 Ships with two styles of tips on cards for storage when not in use. I really prefer this style of storage system as it makes it easy to mark which tips came with each model when storing several. All the tips are gray translucent silicone with one set having a wide bore and a fairly shallow depth and the other having a narrower bore and a bit taller as well. The shallow/wide version enhances bass while the tall/narrow version provides a bit more balanced signature. I chose the taller/narrow bore tips for the bulk of my listening.


Sound:


Bass:
There is a moderate sub-bass emphasis with a center around 80Hz and a fairly slow taper to either side. There is notable roll-off evident below about 35Hz but above that point the sub-bass presence makes itself known. There is some rumble here but not enough to make the bass head crowd happy. The sub-bass is not as well textured as I’d prefer but that improves as we move up and there is more texture and detail in the mid-bass. Mid-bass has good slam when called upon but remains a bit more present in the mix than neutral even when not the focus of the piece. Mid-bass does have some mild bleed into the lower mids which adds a little warmth to the sound at the expense of a little detail in that area.

Mids:
Lower mids rest at the bottom of the W and are recessed notably. Male vocals have good weight and clarity if they are a step behind their higher counterparts. Guitar has good growl with enough of a sharp edge to sound realistic. Strings vary with some being quite energetic and others seeming a bit flat depending on the recording. Piano has good timbre as does acoustic guitar. There is a considerable upper-mid push that brings female vocals to the front. Be cautious of tracks that also emphasize female vocals as they can get a bit shouty and nasal if doubled up.

Treble:
The lower treble is on the same plane as the upper mids and does become the dominant feature of the Ms2 landscape. Lower treble is quite forward but the MS2 isn’t prone to sibilance at normal listening volumes. At high volume there is some stridency and more of a tendency toward sibilance so these are not the in-ears for those who want to “crank it up. There is some grain to the treble as it drops back in the 7-9kHz range which helps keep it polite. Snare rattle is good, but cymbals carry a bit too much energy at times and can come off as slightly metallic sounding as a result. There is good top end extension with final roll-off above 14kHz and enough air and sparkle to avoid feeling closed in.

Soundstage / Imaging:
The MS2 has good stage dimensions but is definitely wider than deep and seating the orchestra a bit odd as some instruments appear more side to side than front to back as a result. Instrument separation is good, but not outstanding and layering follows that same pattern. As tracks get faster, there is some evidence of compression although it takes a lot to really notice thickening of the lower registers. Imaging is good with placements being easy to recognize and track, and positions in space reasonably well defined.

Thoughts / Conclusion:
The Hidizs Ms2 is an affordable hybrid that delivers a W shaped signature that is good for EDM and popular genres. It is best listened to at lower volumes as there is some tendency to become strident as volumes go up which may be a deal breaker for some users but for those worried about protecting their hearing its actually a good barometer of when you need to turn the volume down a notch. The strong points of the MS2 are good mid-bass and treble detail with enough mids to not sound scooped out and a good driving low end to keep things going. Sub-bass has good rumble but is not over-emphasized, and imaging is good as well. They do lose a little on the stage as it is a bit shallow and on the lower mids where there is some bleed and recess as they are obviously not the star of this show. For me, I’d pull the upper-mid/lower treble back slightly and add that same amount to the lower-mids. The W tuning wont be for everyone but it is a fairly unique signature at this price point and will offer the listener something a little different than the standard big-V or harman target tuned in-ears that dominate this price bracket.

Hidizs Ms2​