QKZ x HBB Hades

Intro


The QKZ x HBB Hades is the collaboration of QKZ and Hawain Bad Boy with his YouTube channel Bad Guy Good Audio Reviews. It is tuned to satisfy bass pips out there with its good and impactful slam. Let see how it performs.


Disclaimer


I would like to thank Linsoul Audio for arranging a unit for me. My opinions are unbiased, and I haven't been influenced or instructed to praise these IEMs. Every detail in this review is actual experience made by listening for hours everyday.


Specifications

Drivers : 9mm+9mm LCP Diaphragm Dual-Driver

Sensitivity : 95dB

Cable Connector : 0.78mm 2-pin

Frequency Response : 20-20kHz

Impedance : 16 ohms

Distortion : 1%

Price at $49.99 USD




Build and Comfort


The build is made in 3D resin, and the design is eye-catching tranparent purple faceplate gives a more premium look than expected in this price range. The earphones are lightweight making them comfortable for extended use.





Sound Aspects


Source used :


Realme 9 Pro

Jcally AP7

Ibasso DC04 pro

KiwiEars Allegro


This iems spend 50-60 hours of burn in before taking details of this review

Burn-in this IEM really matters. After some time it changed a lot.


Bass


Bass is the specialty of this IEM where the midbass more prominent over the subbass. The midbass has good and impactful quality. The sub bass is quite good producing satisfying rumbles while also maintaining a clean quality from the midbass.


Midrange


The mids is quite recessed it is also suffers by midbass bleed and heavily covers vocals and instruments. Lower midrange are natural, smooth, and thick sounding. In the upper midrange it is lack of energy and too safe for my preferences. By giving this more power there is noticeable more forward midrange presentation.
Treble
Treble is tamed, darkish, relaxed and smooth presentation. it is present enough to be heard with just the right amount of detail. I can’t find any sibilance especially even in high volume. It also lack air and sparkle in my preferences. This safe treble tuning contributes for long listening sessions.
Technicalities
The soundstage has right amount of sense of space and width. Imaging is average. The separation is also suffers to the midbass bleed I can't easily pinpoint instrument placements in the presentation. Detail retrieval can be better. If you give ample power to drive this Hades there is noticeable improvement in the overall technicalities
Pairing

with KiwiEars Allegro
The overall sound quality is more correct to my ears. The bass is impactful and controlled it shows less midbass bleed but still there. Midrange is more forward to my liking. It balances the frequency from end to end of the presentation.
I found the treble produces more air in my experience. This combo is really good. The musicality of the allegro gives the hades enjoyable and engaging presentation.


With DC04 Pro


The presentation with DC04 Pro is cleaner in my taste. The bass is big and boomy. Midrange quite recessed the midbass bleed is still there. The most noticeable improvement with this combo is the technicalities. The soundstage and imaging improved a bit.

If you want more cleaner and safe presentation DC04 Pro take the seat but
If you want more musical and engaging presentation Allegro is the best option.





Conclusion


I really enjoying this set. If you give ample power this Hades. It serves you the right music presentation but you cannot escape the boomy side of it. It a solid choice to add to their collection for those pips seeking more bass, natural timbre, smooth and thick mids.


Order here using the non -affiliated links below :
https://www.linsoul.com/products/qkz-x-hbb-hades

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Disclaimer:
- I don’t read FR graphs. I only use my ears, as how earphones should be used.
- Linsoul sent this unit to me in an exchange for an honest, unbiased review. Rest assured that this review will do its best to devoid from any bias/es as much as possible.
- The following remarks and observations shall be made and owned only by me.
- No monetary compensation is/was involved before, during, and after the period of creation of this review.
- Your mileage may (and always, will) vary.

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Burn-in time: 4-8 hours per day, 5 days.

Source/s used:

• - Non-HiFi smartphone (Infinix Note 12 G96), PC.
• - Tanchjim Space DAC
• - Kiwi Ears Allegro DAC
• - Aiwa XP-V710C CD Player (12 sec. EASS)
• - Fosi Audio DS1.
• - Sony Xperia X Compact
• - Local Files via Foobar, YouTube Music, Deezer, and Qobuz with UAPP.

IEM/Earbud/Setup configuration: Stock medium eartips, any form of EQ or MSEB off, 40-60% volume.

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Sound signature:

• - Just like most HBB collab sets, the Hades follows the same HBB signature wherein bass is the highlight of the show, which is tuned according to his preferred genre. In a nutshell, this IEM is a L/V-shaped fun, smooth, thick, basshead set.

Lows:

• - HBB-tuned sets have always been an IEM tuned for bassheads at heart (and ears), and the Hades is no exception. The bass is definitely elevated on this set, and both midbass and subbass are greatly elevated in this region. It is thick, boomy, and smooth in character, and the decay and attack lean to the slower side of the spectrum. Overall, the bass on this set is definitely for the bassheads, particularly those who prefer the same genre as HBB, which is hip-hop, rap, pop, EDM, and the likes. I enjoyed listening to UK Garage on this set!

Mids:

• - Due to its basshead level of elevation, the mids of the Hades is greatly affected, which can be a good or a bad thing depending on one’s preference. It is definitely recessed, suffers midbass bleed, and has a noticeable veil on vocals and instruments. Lower mids are warm, smooth, and thick. Upper mids are ever so slightly elevated, with a decent amount of clarity, but lacks the air and sparkle to my liking. This also means that I haven’t experienced any form of harshness and sibilance in this area, and I can confidently recommend this set for those who do not want to experience any form of harshness. Overall, the mids of this set is smooth and laid back, which can also greatly improve with additional volume and power.

Highs:

• - The treble also blends well with the rest of the frequencies - it is non-fatiguing, borderline dark, and lacks air to my liking. Microdetails are quite absent on this set for the most part and will only show the more volume or power you feed it, making this IEM not recommended for clinical listening as intended based on what I see (and hear), at least. On the positive side, this will be a good set for easy and casual listening for long sessions.

Soundstage, Imaging, and separation:

• - Just like the other frequencies, this part of the overall sound is heavily affected negatively to my preference, particularly on the separation and layering as it sounds quite cramped on heavy passages. The soundstage exhibits good height, width, and depth. Imaging is accurate enough for casual usage.

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Other IEM Comparisons!

VS 7Hz Legato

• - The Legato is the slightly expensive alternative for the Hades, to put it simply. Their differences are very minimal and are only heard when heard side-by-side. The Legato is better in build quality due to its shells being metal in material, and its accessories.

VS Kiwi Ears Cadenza

• - Both exhibits the same warm character, but the Cadenza leans to the neutral side of the spectrum. Its overall tonality is better when compared, particularly its mids. Their technical performance is identical to my ears. The Cadenza is not as bassy compared to the Hades when compared.

VS Simgot EM6L

• - Their price difference also says it all, the EM6L is the better set between the two, at the expense of sounding “too normal” to some enthusiasts due to its Harman-ish sound. Everything sounds better on the EM6L, from its bass quality down to its clarity and technical performance.

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Pros:
- Fun, bassy signature (subjective)
- Bass-centric sound for pop and EDM genres.
- Thick, smooth, overall bass response.
- Rumbly, big bass response.
- Smooth, thick mids.
- Non-harsh upper frequencies.
- Sound quality scales with additional power/volume.
- Very good fit, comfort, and isolation (for medium-large sized ears).
- Eye-candy IEM appearance.
- Eye-candy packaging!

Cons:
- Heavy midbass bleed that drowns/veils vocals and details significantly.
- Bass is nearly monotonous.
- Bass is boomy and sloppy in character.
- Treble is borderline dark.
- Treble lacks air.
- Technical performance is affected significantly, particularly on separation.
- Needs a bit more volume/power than usual to sound good.
- Accessories are quite underwhelming for its asking price in terms of quantity and quality.
- Overall packaging/presentation is not fitting on the model naming (very subjective).
- IEM shells may not fit smaller ears (subjective)
- Overall sound is genre-dependent (subjective)
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Before you put your pitchforks and probably point my listening preferences, I am here to say that I quite enjoyed this set for most mainstream genres and playlist, and I believe that HBB really tuned this set for those genres he mostly listen, at the expense of sounding “normal” in the audiophile hobby. Despite being an unusual set for most, these types of IEMs exist for a group of people who need the unusual out of the norm. After all, personal enjoyment should matter more than anything else. If you prefer that chunky, smooth, big bass, this one’s for you!

Pairing recommendation/s:

• Source: This IEM is one of those IEMs in the market that needs additional power to shine, because this IEM sounds underwhelming when underpowered, or in low volumes. I prefer using a neutral, fairly powerful source for this set, like the Tanchjim Space for example.
• Eartips: The stock eartips included decent enough for the most part. You may still use your preferred eartips.
• Cable: The cable is good and sturdy enough for daily usage, but it is quite flimsy and thin in quality for its asking price. You may still use your preferred cable.

Thank you for reading!

Non-affiliated link here!: https://www.linsoul.com/products/qkz-x-hbb-hades

QKZ x HBB Hades
2x LCP DD
$50

Before I begin this review, let me thank Linsoul for sending the QKZ x HBB Hades in for review.
Rest assured, this review is 100% my own personal opinion.

Just in case you're interested on getting the Hades, you can get it from the link below :
https://www.linsoul.com/products/qkz-x-hbb-hades

Unboxing
Inside the box you get :

• IEM
• Cable
• Coin?
• Eartips
• Plastic Case

Build Quality
is fine, QKZ state that the Hades is 3D printed or something, so I guess the body is made from resin. It is also very lightweight.

The shell shape kinda reminds me the Truthear Zero and Zero Red.

Though on the Hades, it has some interesting design, transparent faceplate and translucent main shell.

As for the cable, its usable, though the earhook is super annoying not gonna lie.

Comfort
Despites the annoying earhooks, I can get a good seal and no hot spots while using the QKZ x HBB Hades.

Sound

Tested using Kiwi Ears Allegro, Stock Cable, Stock Eartips
Music is mostly from Apple Music (J-Pop, J-Rock, K-Pop, EDM, Rap, Metal, Jazz, Anisong)

Tonality in General : Bass Boosted

Bass : Really big, bold and thumpy, the quantity is boosted quite a lot too, it definitely will satisfy any bass heads out there.

Bass speed is on the slower side, it struggles to keep up with metal / double pedal music.
Though for genre like EDM, or pop, it will be a very fun bass to listen to.

Midrange : Recessed, could sound a bit muffled at times.
Vocal and instruments both sounds thick and the placement is on the back behind the bass.

So if you're looking for a forward midrange presentation, this IEM is NOT for you.

Treble : Smooth, normal extension, average details.
The Hades is definitely a very bass focused IEM, the treble is smooth and not offensive at all.

Technicalities
For a $50 USD IEM the technicalities is Average

Stage : Medium sized, it has symmetrical width – depth, but average at best stage layering.

Detail Retrieval : Average, just enough details to not make the overall sound dull.

Imaging : 2.5D sounding, definitely not holographic but not bad either.

Positioning and Separation : Average, it sounds OK, definitely not the most sharp positioning and separation, but its still usable / passable for me.

Comparation

KZ Symphony : V-Shaped, not as bassy as Hades, though the Symphony has aggressive and intense treble.
The technicalities of Symphony is a lot better compared to Hades on all aspects.
Though if you're really looking for a bass head IEM, the Hades is the one to pick.

Conclusion

Is the QKZ x HBB Hades worth it?

It depends.

If you really want a bass head IEM, then yeah, why not grab the Hades, It probably has the most polarizing tuning IEM for its price, like no IEM around this price sounds so bassy like the Hades.

Though keep in mind, the technicalities is just average at best.

Thanks for reaching this far !

Just in case you're Indonesian or understand Bahasa Indonesia, you can watch the review of Hades here


-littlenezt.

The Review Of The QKZ X HBB Hades​

Introduction​

QKZ is a long-standing Chinese company that was among the first to offer affordable audiophile products, particularly in the form of ear monitors. They gained notoriety for the first time with the VK4, an IEM that many audiophiles loved for the price they were being offered. However, they were unable to produce another top-tier IEM until they teamed up with the well-known YouTuber and audiophile HBB or BGGAR. Together, they produced two inexpensively priced IEMs with excellent sound quality and tuning. I am fortunate enough to review the Hades, a newly released differently tuned IEM that is touted as a basshead IEM. The Hades was introduced recently, following the realization of Khan and QKZ x HBB, but before we get started, let me clarify a few things.

Disclaimer​

*Since this unit tour was organised by the kindly people at Linsoul, I am grateful to them. And as I've said in all of my evaluations, the same is true for this one: all of the concepts I've expressed below are entirely my own, original ideas that haven't been influenced by anyone else. If interested, go to this link.
*I am not associated with the connection, and I receive no financial assistance from anyone.
*For the remainder of the review, I will refer to these IEMs as “Hades.”
*I am using different Ear-tips for convenience and better versatility.
*Finally, I will only evaluate the Hades based on their performance, even though I will explain how it feels and seems physically and aesthetically.

Specification​

Two 9mm dynamic drivers with LCP diaphragms make up the twin driver arrangement found in the Hades. The ergonomic design and skin-friendly resin material of the shells allowed them to sit comfortably on my ears. Regarding comfort and fit, I didn't feel tired after listening to music nonstop for three to four hours. The shell body appears semi-transparent, while the eye-catching, unique pattern on the blueish-violet faceplate is striking. The cable includes a 3.5mm straight termination connector on one end and a two-pin connection on the other; it appears ordinary for the price and was even offered with previous IEMs from QKZ around this price. The additional accessories that come with the package are a gold-looking coin that highlights the partnership between HBB and QKZ and three sets of eartips in three different sizes.

Sound​

Prior to writing this review, I would like to make it clear that this one will differ slightly in terms of its positioning in the market and the target audience it is truly being presented to. Thus, in my opinion, this is more of an IEM for bassheads than for audiophiles, with a focus on the upper mid range and the entire bass spectrum, including the midsection and subregion.

When it comes to exposure to my ears, the Hades is really badass; the bass is so intense that it's difficult for me to focus. especially when I'm listening to tunes with a lot of bass. When the bass hits you, you feel its tonal wrath rather than the quality being heavily emphasized in the mix. Upon initially observing the graph, I thought it would be strange as the bass and mids' tuning would cause the response to sound compressed, Bloated, and muddy throughout, drowning out its presentation. However, I was pleasantly surprised that this wasn't the case.

Thus, yes, I do think that this IEM has a lot of bass—the most in this price range—while maintaining decent high frequencies. Please take note that the vocals feel muffled in the mid range due to the increased note weight, yet they still have enough vitality to bring the notes forward.

Technical Performance​

Despite being so loud and dense, the response is actually quite straightforward, with just enough vocal and instrumental presence to make it sound pleasant. Although the IEM is a Basshead IEM, which is designed for a fun and entertaining listen, I wouldn't compare it to its competitors because the stage is nicely spread out despite feeling spacious rather than open sounding.

QKZ X HBB Hades Vs QKZ X HBB Khan​

Well, I made a comparison just out of curiosity in which I imported Khan’s FR from HBB's Squiglink and essentially eq'ed Hades to it. The purpose of this was to determine whether or not audiophiles would find them enjoyable and whether or not the drivers could support them. To be clear, I had to tone down the portion between 10k and 15k because it was starting to sound a little nauseating.

Since I generally like the Khan's tuning, I really liked it. I also evaluated them and had a buddy give me the Khan so I could compare them. I was astonished to learn that the Hades could easily accomplish this after comparing the two when EQ'ed Hades to Khan's FR.

The response was leaner than the Khan as compared to the Hades (tuned to Khan's FR), which sounded much more detailed and technically pronounced where it lacked the note weight and depth for better tonal satisfaction. Safe tuning-wise, the Khan sounded more fitting.

When I compared Hades (tuned to Khan FR), I found that the notes' texture and clarity were far better than those of Khan, even if I'm not sure how precise the response would be when I explored appropriately. As I mentioned before, this was an experiment, so proceed with caution, but I would advise Hades to give it a shot.

More On Hades​

To be honest, not much at all, but when I consider it as a product in this extremely crowded market, two things do spring to mind. Of course, I want to make clear that in my opinion, my curiosity is getting the better of me rather than the product being poor or improperly advertised.

First off, QKZ is a reputable business that specializes in producing extremely affordable IEMs; nevertheless, the majority of their models tend to be bass-heavy, at least from my experience testing their more budget models, such as the AK6 series, ZX1, ZAX 2, ZXT, etc. And they do deliver the same thumping bass sound as the Hades; the quality is undoubtedly greater, but I'm not sure if this is better in terms of cost to performance ratio or not.

Secondly, I would have wanted to receive a little bit more vitality in the upper mid range, but that is mostly a personal choice.

Sound Impressions ​

Sources​

Sony WM1A - As I was listening with the WM1A, I realized that this pairing was meant to be. Hades' sound was more rounded and expansive when paired with the WM1A. Although the bass remained powerful, there was no noticeable bloating or heaviness in the mix of the mids. Without being overpowering, the instruments and voices have a deep, solid tone. For the first time, the treble was expansive and silky. Although the roundness of the notes made it sound a little less clear and resolving, for an audiophile or basshead, it was still an IEM worth the money.

Tempotec V6 - I noticed that the bass had less warmth in terms of hits and impact when I was listening on the V6. The treble seemed the same, but the mids—most especially, the vocals—were more immersive and upfront, allowing for more clarity in the upper area. Hip-hop definitely came through with this combination, at least to me.

Kiwi Ears Allegro - The Allegro produced a more closed-off response, resembling the V6 in terms of sound quality. When Hades was coupled with the V6, the bass seemed more thundering, and the midrange seemed just as forward as the bass. However, the bass prevents the upper frequencies from being overwhelmed by the bloating and strong presence of the mid bass. Aside from the whole bass range, the mid range had the greatest energy and the treble seemed a touch more forward.

Tracks​

50 Cent - Candy Shop
50 Cent - In Da Club
Tupac - Keep Ya Head Up
Tupac - So Many Tears
Timbaland - The Way I Are
Timbaland - Bounce
Dr. Dre - Nuthin’ But a “G” Thang
Jay Z - Run This Town
Jay Z - N***** In Paris
Kanye West - Stronger
Kanye West - American Boy
T.I. - Swagga Like Us
T.I. - Dead and Gone
Lil Wayne - Lollipop
Flo Ride - Low
DJ Shadow - Six Days(Remix)
ATliens - Obsidian Vortex
ATliens - Alchemy
Yookie - Ignite
Yookie - Heater
Skrillex - Rumble
Skrillex - Xena
JAWNS - Erotica
JAWNS - Catalyst
Ricky Martic - I don’t care
Valentino Khan - Satellite
Valentino Khan - Blackmail
Kohana Lam - Loving Me, Loving You
Miliyah - Kono Yumega Samerumade

Conclusion​

To sum up my review, I will say that Hades is a true Basshead IEM, with enough high frequencies to make sense of it and a strong bass presence to please any serious listener. I can heartily suggest this IEM to bass enthusiasts because I'm a basshead, but audiophiles who would like to give it a try will also find it enjoyable if they tweak the EQ to suit their preferences.

TLDR version on YouTube: TDLR - QKZ x HBB Hades

The QKZ x HBB Hades have been sent to me by Linsoul in exchange for the publication of this review. Linsoul have not made any requests and I will, as always, try to be as unbiased as possible in my review.

I will leave a link to the Hades via Linsoul in the version of this review published on my blog.

As usual, this is a non-affiliate link.

To avoid being repetitive in my reviews, you can find all the info about how I create the reviews, equipment used, how I receive the products and how to interpret my reviews by visiting: About my reviews



Intro…

I need to start off by being totally transparent as to the why of this review. I am not going into this review without knowing anything about the Hades, I had seen measurements of these IEMs before they were released and I have also read multiple comments, some good and some bad, about these IEMs. As usual, I ignore comments by others until I get to listen to something myself as, although there are people I know and trust that have similar tastes to my own, my opinions on something may be nothing like those of others.

The reason I mention this is because I knew long before hearing these IEMs that they are absolutely nothing like my personal preferences in tuning. In fact, I totally expected to hate the Hades and although I do try to avoid expectation biases, consciously or not, they are always there unless I know nothing about the IEM in question.

Let’s actually take a look at the graph of these IEMs now rather than waiting for the sound section to see what I am talking about:



As you can see above, these IEMs are far away from my personal preferences. However, these are a set of IEMs that have been aimed at exactly that, being something that is completely different, and I knew that before even saying I would review them.

Therefore, I can’t base this review on personal preferences (which you could already guess what I would say) and I need to put my tastes to one side and try to review these for what they are, a set of bass monster IEMs aimed at the bass heads out there, so please bear with me as I try and put the experience into words



Presentation…

The box is is comic inspired, with black and white artwork and images of the IEMs in large. The text, such as the logo, the model, etc. is purple to match the colour of the IEMs on the cover, although the IEMs themselves are actually lighter and more of a blue than the purple shown on the box. I have to say that the box is refreshing as it is a break from the usual packaging we find on IEMs.

The outer sleeve also shows the measurement and some specs on the back, although the measurement doesn’t really give you a grasp on the actual FR you will hear once you plug these in. I am not saying the graph is wrong but as it doesn't have a reference, it doesn’t give you a real idea of what to expect. One thing I found strange was that the text on the back of the box seems to be upside down, but I guess that depends on how you flip the box.

The contents are almost identical to those that were included with the QKZ x HBB Khan. I say almost because it’s only really the 2 pin connectors on the cable that are metal rather than the recessed versions on the Khan.

That is to say that it includes the IEMs, 3 sets of silicone tips, a generic cable and a gold coin with the HBB logo on one side and the QKZ logo on the other. They also include the same rigid storage/transport case that was included with the Khan.

Honestly I am not sure of the reason behind the coin, I’m sure there is a reason but I would have personally preferred a slightly nicer cable and no coin.



Build and aesthetics…

The IEMs are very lightweight and feature a plastic shell that is a tinted translucent plastic on the inner shell and a blueish purple tinted faceplate with a sort of ribbed window effect under the flat faceplate. I honestly don’t know how to explain the faceplate in words, or at least I can’t find the words to describe it, so the photo above is the best option to understand what I mean.

The cable, which is fairly thin and generic, features an inline microphone in my case. This can come in handy for the odd call here and there but I don’t think that the tuning of these IEMs really lends itself to voice intelligibility for calls.

I haven’t mentioned the price of these IEMs yet, which is just under 50€, placing them inside what I consider the ultra budget range. However, although I do consider them a budget option, I don’t feel that the actual content is really anything special for the price. Yes, you get everything you need along with a storage case (and a coin) but the contents do seem to be bare minimum as far as build quality is concerned. In other words, they all work and do their job, they just don’t give any sensation of being quality items (even at 50€), but I guess that leaves more budget for the actual IEMs themselves.



Sound…

All tracks mentioned are clickable links that allow you to open the reference track in the streaming service of your choice (YouTube, Tidal, Qobuz, Spotify, etc.)

So, moving into the sound section and here is where things get… let’s say, special.

I already posted the graph earlier in the review and said that the sound of these IEMs is not something that I can look at from my typical personal tastes point of view. These IEMs are aimed at giving bass and there is no doubt that bass is what they give!

This also renders my usual test track list almost useless, except for a few tracks, as these IEMs certainly do not work well for the majority of the list, which is to be expected. In fact, I find that these IEMs work for very specific kinds of music and even then, not all music that would fall under that genre.

For example, I find that they work well if you are someone who wants a lot of bass presence in EDM, however, EDM (at least how I think of it) can cover a lot of different subgenres and lots of different styles inside those subgenres. I find that for things like 90’s techno and rave, at least most of it, they work rather well, giving a lot of authority to those bass beats while maintaining a cleanliness in the lower frequencies that is pretty remarkable considering the quantity they are delivering. However, things like Dubstep, or more modern electronic dance that has a lot of bass drops can really suffer with the Hades, due to the sheer quantity of bass presence.

The same can happen with Hip Hop. I am a fan of Hip Hop and have been since being a kid in the late 80’s. During the late 90’s and early 00’s I was heavily involved in the scene (doing lots of live shows and even some brief touring) and, although it is by no means the music that I most listen to nowadays, it still gets a lot of play time. I still dig out underground stuff on occasions from groups who would have probably had a completely different outcome if YouTube was a thing back then.

The reason I am saying this, apart from the fact that I am rambling as usual, is because there are many subgenres of Hip Hop also. There is the electro inspired stuff from the 80’s, the simple early 808 based stuff, the 90’s gangsta stuff, the millenial commercial stuff, the jazz fusion stuff, there really are a lot of genres out there (that a non Hip Hop lover would never even believe).

As with EDM, I find that the Hades works better for certain genres of Hip Hop than for others. With styles that feature large quantities of bass in the recordings, then I find the Hades to overdo it, making the bass the center of attention and overshadowing the rest of the track and even the vocals. Some will obviously like the huge emphasis on bass and who am I to disagree but, while I do like bassy Hip Hop, I still like the vocals to be the center of attention as, to me, lyrics are 90% of Hip Hop.

With other Hip Hop that is not so prominent in the bass department, in the recording I mean, then the Hades can make it a lot of fun.

Now, there is of course one thing that I cannot not include in a sound review of mine when talking about bass… “Chameleon”. I am sure you will have heard this track by now if you are someone who reads my reviews but if you haven’t, then I must point out that this track is brutal in the bass range. When a set is too bassy, it makes this track become even nauseous, which is the case with the Hades. I knew this before I even listened to “Chameleon” but I had to give it a try anyway and I was not disappointed, the Hades + “Chameleon” will check for any loose fillings you may have



Conclusion…

Would I buy the Hades? No.

But I am not you.

Should you buy the Hades? It depends.

The Hades are a different animal and I think the term “animal” is quite fitting. If you are looking for a good all rounder IEM, then I think that you would be way off track with the Hades.

If you are someone who enjoys copious amounts of bass that actual performs fairly well given the quantity on offer, then the Hades is a budget offering that will meet those requirements.

I really don’t think the Hades is designed to be a “one and only” IEM (although I may be wrong as I didn’t design it), it is more of a “gimme more bass” set that will work for specific genres and tracks far better than others. If your library only consists of these kinds of tracks, then maybe it could be your “one and only” but I see it more as a complimentary set to other sets that you just grab when you want that experience.

Let’s face it, the majority of people who are reading this review are probably not “one and done” kind of people anyway

__
As always, this review is also available in Spanish, both on my blog (www.achoreviews.com) and on YouTube (www.youtube.com/achoreviews)

All FR measurements of IEMs can be viewed and compared on achoreviews.squig.link

All isolation measurements of IEMs can be found on achoreviews.squig.link/isolation

QKZ x HBB Hades Review
Redcarmoose Labs March 19th, 2024
As such we find a collaboration between HBB and QKZ. The YouTube luminary is sporting his tuning abilities and marketing power to use once again. HBB is a Youtube personality continuing to empower his sound ideas, and build an IEM for his personal library. Maybe much like a guy in the backroom at QKZ, only this HBB is more noticeable and exists as a high-profile entity which puts a name and a face onto the IEM tune. And not only the tune but HBB may have a say on how the Hades was named and/or designed to look. After a few HBB collaboration efforts I do regard them to share a common sound profile, regardless of the builder. Really this collaboration stuff I am “OK” with, meaning sure it is maybe overused, but at times the sound designer brings personality to the table, and brings forth a particular sound that is both understandable and unique.



Hades
So here we find something slightly different, as the Hades is put together with X2 9mm LCP diaphragms, only each driver gets a signal passed through by the crossover. As such this crossover splits the signal into 2 parts and gives 1 9MM the lows and one the highs. Now here’s the thing…….normally I get fairly good ideas as to the playback character straight out of the box. And I did a box opening set of photographs and interpretations. Only this time I thought the Hades was good and did some secret sauce tricks that contained a big stage as well as filled that stage with a ton of sonics. Meaning sure the Hades out-of-the-box was good, but I wasn’t sure about the pace it offered? I actually couldn’t exactly recommend it at first. A few weeks later after a couple other reviews and leaving the Hades on the burn-in bench for a week and what do you know…………what ever that pace issue it wasn’t totally gone but improved upon....in fact the Hades was alive………….






Hades
While sure, look at the graph. This is an oddball style of tune none-the-less. But it does two very important things right off…….maybe these are the most important things? The Hades has reverberations and note weight. Yep, these two components when added to the rest of the qualities make an IEM often musical. And that’s what we have. Great timbre too. I mean right off……..studying the graph will alienate 1/2 of Head-Fi. And that’s an accepted part of life. Where many put confidence on reading graphs only and have a set of parameters which delegate where their money gets spent. Even if they have been doing this IEM hobby thing for only 6 months, they think they know themselves and the ropes around here. Sure there is nothing wrong with thinking that way, only you have to realize graphs are only a squiggly line on paper………and don’t make a sound at all. Sure that may be representative of how the Hades graphs out……….but once again I wouldn’t read too much into the graph. Why? Well you may overthink yourself straight out of getting a low-cost and enjoyable IEM. What the Hades is is fun, but more than fun……there is a reason for this fun. Now just so you don’t think I’m part of this conspiracy to talk purely sales talk and somehow make you buy something you are not going to like……………buy something that maybe I don’t even like, but sound like I do......I’m going to list the last five review scores I have done.........

1) 4.5
2) 5.0
3) 3.0
4) 3.0
5) 5.0

Do you see those 3.0 star reviews? That was partially due to lack of note weight and lack of reverberations. And the reason I’m giving the Hades a better score is because I really think burn-in did something…….that or it was just me getting my first impressions off, or incomplete or something? Because in a nutshell the Hades has great timbre, actually fairly OK pace, considering the amount of bass going on. It has an insane stage, with super cool imaging……….and more musicality than two IEMs. Yep, I really like it and think it is a value for the $49.99 asked. In fact this review was one of the easy ones to write. As that is kinda how it goes down when you groove with the style of playback you’re writing about………..the words flow out and onto the paper, and at the end of the day everyone is happy.

Equipment rolls:
Here we investigate how Hades does with different ideas of playback.




The HiBy R3 II in 3.1 TypeC file player mode to the ifi GO bar.
I used four different cables in today's testing yet one I’m not going to talk about the included cable. While not bad if you had to use it, it is one of the most tangly cables I have ever received with an IEM? The other three cables include the 4.4mm NiceHCK Himalaya cable, the SIMGOT AUDIO LC7 in 4.4mm and the Penon ASOS Plus in 4.4mm. To simplify things here is the HiBy R3 II and LC7 hooked up to the Hades out of the GO bar in 4.4mm.

Tested using the Batman v Superman OST:


I’m still learning a lot. As this is not the most treble boosted tone, but gets its definition from pure resolution, opening the stage to glorious imaging and spacial clues. Of course I have the volume pumped as such a relaxed yet authoritative display would get you the personal freedom to do. Yet again the staging is the value here, as I’m not so sure I have ever heard under $50.00 be so grand in size? But while maybe not the most detailed pace, this theme that I’m listening to is fully acceptable and even going the extra mile to proclaim bass details, it is just there is an added furry texture and deep harmonic richness that is really the opposite of what I normally listen to? Yet I’m listening and the highs are still there and separated and playing back representing their desired frequency response though of an amber color and not bright yellow. Still the winning presentation comes from correct timbre and 2 9MM DDs kicking some butt.

The HiBy R3 II by itself:
A fast change out to the HiBy R3 II in less than 0.5 of a second showed slightly less detail yet this style of DAP works. I mean it is not always that you want to walk around with this Frankenstein’s Monster of a set up. At home you are fine, but out and about I would probably take the convenience of just the Hades hooked up to the LC7 in 4.4mm to the HiBy R3 II in great form? Here we are given a slightly less detailed rendition of the events than the GO bar yet still very thick and authoritative. The stage is incredibly eventful and fun, and I truly don’t have a want for more. This M signature HiBy R3 II does just seem to work here?



The WM1A and ASOS Plus Cable with the Hades:
Some may find this set-up ridiculous as the ASOS Plus is $215.00? Yet combined with the mid centric powered WM1A we are now witnessing a grand enhancement of character. Yep, the ASOS Plus is cleaning up the floor and placing everything on shelfs here, there is a faster pace and an all out charm to the music. Even the harmonics of real instruments somehow get closer to real life. This is true, only finally at the end of the tunnel we still capture the deep lower midrange energy the Hades does 24/7………you can’t escape this tone, yet all around it is a cleaner and faster positioning of musical excitement.

Music tests:
Here right off I’m going to get down and dirty into my perception of music playback. No better way to describe an IEM. Also later in the review I’m going to do side-by-side tests against 2 other IEMs, yet don’t you think the music tests should come first? Reason being is you want to get to know the IEM before you start to compare playback character.



Kaveh Cohen, Michael Nielsen
Forza Motorsport OST
Forza Motorsport 2023
44.1 kHz - 24 bit
This song is the opener of this soundtrack. And while I’m more specialized at using other choices in this OST, the song just happened to come-up when I was writing and by chance I thought it would be a different style of song to use here. First off it is the opener, so a song that seems to have a little more pace than some of the more moody pieces. Laughably nothing is really that moody here. As such this is the style of music meant as a backdrop for the gaming experience, a racing game experience. I mean I have never even played this game, yet I can almost feel the cars traveling across the track when this song is played? Of course that could all be simple suggestion too. Where you think a song is a tool for a racing gaming soundtrack and all-of-a-sudden feel like you’re playing a racing game. Here as with all the music tests I’m using the Sony WM1A with MrWalkman’s firmware, the NiceHCK Himalaya cable and my regular wide-bore ear-tips. As such the WM1A is very mid-centric and has ample bass pace, typically sculpturing the bass and making the midrange be the star of the show. The wide-bore ear-tips also add to such style of clarity and add soundstage into presenting itself the widest it can be. I cheated here, yep I skipped ahead to the song I normally use as I just wanted to make sure that I got this character, the Hades character in full clarity of perception.

Brotherhood:
And later I will go back to the opening. But here we have a tremendous amount of bass, it is this room response as I like to call it. What happens is sound energy reflects off the inside walls of the speakers, then travels out to the back walls of the listening room, and reflects off the side walls adding to the tone coming from the front of the speakers. This single phenomenon is one of the major differences from speakers to headphones. This room response is also responsible for adding note-weight and authority to everything it touches. Big fluid bass though what counteracts it is the 2.5 kHz to 4.2 kHz peaks. Yep it is the presence of this form of contrast that allows the clarity to form regardless of the lower realm trying to cloud it up. Though a side reaction is in a way you don’t totally hear into the sonics, there is an amount of detail which gets subdued and replaced with this warm inviting musicality and thick imaging. This imaging is so very big into the stage that even the lower midrange is somehow pushed out into this soft but slowly moving authority that never lets up. Drums where this downbeat is heard makes a quite opposite statement in that with other IEMs it can be a slap, yet here that slap is only the iceberg sticking out of this fully low-end submerged aspect that is there, below the water level. Yet due to this sonic repositioning I can almost hear this as complementary to how I normally hear this song, it showing the darker half, and while truly entertaining, it is not something I have to get used to to enjoy………as it sounds strangely correct right off, only I know there are other playbacks which offer a different window into playback.

Forza Motorsport 2023
Here we are supplied really with the same song theme as “Brotherhood” , my regular test song. Yet here the pace seems a little sped-up and saying hello for the introduction. Where there are the regularly used piano notes, yet here we are provided with a deeper tone, holding the underworld of sonics, still correct, yet very very different from how I normally listen to this. There is less fatigue for this listener, and I don’t seem to ever get bass fatigue either? I’m not sure if this makes sense but I seem to like the Hades more with songs I’ve only known for a week. Yep, the newer styles of files that have less stigma attached to how my mind demands they get heard have better luck. Is this a back-handed compliment, it may be?



E-Mantra
Expedition Frozen Taiga
When Darkness Comes
44.1 kHz- 24 bit
As such this song somehow totally works here…………to about 95% it works. The drums at the start and the echoes they contain adds to the mood. I mean the whole trick here is to somehow start to fool yourself that this is completely and totally correct, when I’m not so sure that it is…….but it is not bad? I mean this exists because the makers of the Hades know they could never make a thrilling IEM that only did upper-end details and bring it to market for under $50.00. So what they can do (and get away with) is introduce a bass heavy IEM that has thrills from the low-end details, then get HBB to sign off on the thing.

As such this seasoned listener can’t be totally fooled into believing this is 100% of playback………it just can’t be? Now maybe people who have less experience, or bass heads will say this is totally perfect, but the Hades gets 1/2 star less, because how can you ever rate anything like this as 5 star? That’s its role in life, to be controversial and different, I mean they understood this when they were making it, I’m sure. In a way it is marketing, because in a way nothing exactly like the Hades ever existed before now. As such……”When Darkness Comes” has a lot of digital reverb in its creation. The opening drums the keys……….really this style of music would be at least 90% different if reverb was not used. With that said The QKZ x HBB Hades grabs hold of the reverberations and doesn’t let go of them. As such they (the reverbs) are drawn out to the ultimate length here. See that’s the thing, DD drives can have many different sounds, maybe even more than applied characters to BA devices or Planar devices? DDs can be bright and with lesser reverbs, or long and extended in reverb performance. I have to guess these reverbs though are also connected to how this IEM is tuned. Make the diaphragm rigid and watch the reverb times get a cut. But no, here we are going for it, all of it. As such if you do take a walk into the town of Hades make sure you get a few days of burn-in going and play with your brighter sources and cables, maybe looking for a little balance, unless you are from the dark side…………….you know the bass head side. Then I don’t know what to tell you, you are obviously in an under $50.00 paradise. Here after the beat and after the bass drops we are greeting a style of echo which takes position way outside the stage. Why didn’t I talk of the obvious here…….you know the bass and the drums…….? I mean surely those are the front and center statements in music like this? It’s just that yes, when the drums hit they bring about an accent until the bass kicks in at 00:54….then you realize the entire groove of the song. And what’s memorable is the extra reverb continuation…….off to the sides, both sides……that sounds like one of those infinity reverbs, like it will never end…….and it is so far gone we can’t find the original sound that started it. When in reality it must be a sampler Hrrrrrrrr. At 01:20 when the brushes hit we find that finally there is a range going on here and it blends as much as the Hades will allow. That in-fact there are many levels of emphasis to the brush strokes. And sure as each element of the song is introduced we are grateful and entertained. As this style of music is dependent on introductions to push the interest forward and to the next part. That it is the variations that are of interest, not the actual sounds themselves, partially. At 01:48 there is a big splash of treble…….well treble for this song anyway. Though with-in a seconds time we realize this was the departure of the beat. Yes, more intros and exits than previously guessed, could or would even take place here. Where even as soon as the 02:02 mark there is the resulting break-down. Then back to full elements as scheduled, only once more a bright and wavy introduction of treble………this travels from side to side and reassures us to the extent of stage width at 02:16. You see they know just how much new information to add……running from any chance of boredom. In music like this from the 1990s at this point they may even add a spoken word snippet? But possibly we are now way farther away from any taking life forms? At 02:44 the keys are once again added, yet they are not too dark or too anything…….just right. At a place like this in a 06:11 song we are satisfied, satisfied that there is a warm groove below us with additives on-top and no fear of (this song) getting stale, as by now it has earned our respect.

Then maybe it comes some talk, but not really of an understandable language, a vocoder saying something that I can’t make out, this vocoder may have been through-out the song so far, as it is these realizations that add mystery and magic.



E-Mantra
Neverending Story
Neverending Story
44.1 kHz - 16 bit
Really slightly more uplifting than the last song, Oh……..those drums? Lucky the mind goes and starts to somehow place those beats into the rear focus, the mental focus. But wait, the use of starting and stopping of the beat keeps it at the forefront. Then we drill into the texture, the message…….the message is there is a heavy, super heavy bass here………I mean this is a bass track. In fact I’m embracing the bass……it’s taking me away. Eventually the song begins to end, but it just started. It is this time machine aspect of good IEMs where you literally lose 4 minutes into the song…….being preoccupied by the pure tone of it all and that’s the value. This phenomenon goes by (and time passes unnoticed) and is therefore pretty much indescribable……..but that is the way of escapism entertainment.

Deep Forrest
Deep Forrest
Sweet Lullaby
44.1 kHz - 16 bit




Here is a song very representative of the new musical culture of the times. A window into musicology and cultural anthropology. Here we can witness a very organic and spellbinding fusion of old dialect from 1970 mixed with samplers of the era. Interwoven we experience the warmness of the Beagu lullaby mixed with a stark vibe of the samplers, drum machines and synthesizers. The bass laden beats push this forward, but more than that the vocal samples make it through……..and while sure I have heard this song played from the opposite end of the spectrum, capturing the airiness and spacial size that comes with a more flagrant midrange……..of course. Yet this still works and better than just work, it is an alternative way to hear the song…….traveling to a different region of emotion and pace. Literally everything is slightly toned down, yet being brought forth due to the 2.5 kHz to 4.2 kHz peaks. I mean sure this take on what is right playback or wrong is truly subjective in the end, yet a song like Sweet Lullaby simply works. At least it works for me with the set-up I’m using currently? This song also uses a plateau of stimulus organization where more and more audio information is added upon each other to introduce a kind of extra effect. Later (after the break) a chorus of singing takes and makes this song go to the next level. It may be simply the texture of the drums and bass in both this song and the last that makes all this work so well. I really don’t think the original samples were stereo……that a background chorus was then recorded to add to the luster of the song. And each sample was panned from right to left to kind of add an amount of energy to such a mix. Though when it comes down to it, it is the warm vibe of the drums and the exquisite deep lower midrange energy (almost analogue) that makes this (somewhat sleepy) song gain the added points to work in replay.



Gdanian
Induction
Sheild Emitter (feat. Tineidae)
44.1 kHz - 24 bit
Well, I can’t do this review and not include this song. In fact this kinda means I have to include a few more test songs than I normally do just to go to the deep place (in bass) that we have on offer. Here we are visiting a deep ambient bass track filled with real depth and deep energy. In fact the bass here is almost effortless and holding a physical and visceral charm……that only a source like this one could possibly provide. Now while going for it and getting it here, there are other headphones which provide a better separation and layering especially at the 01:31 mark. But the Hades is more rudimentary here, more primal and even stupid. Yet at the price of admission and for the entertainment it provides, all is forgiven. Where here the bass is actually physical, it is crossing those boundaries and becoming a force to deal with. While other more balanced IEM players will take this song apart into striations of bass, here we are greeted with a cohesive one, with extra deep attachments that pull on our emotion like a new thrill. I mean I have used this song so much (for review) that I know it……….and there are even up-top elements like breathing and chimes that are not even heard…………so they don’t exist in the music with the Hades. It’s truly funny how one IEM can take apart one level of song aspects and other go the opposite route, and neither are really wrong at what they do, only very different. I mean sure this song is almost like only sound effects………so there are many different ways to hear it. With the extra bass it was fun, but probably my favorite way to hear it is more neutral with treble separations to include those chimes…….yet this was a cool and different experience.



Ghost
Phantomime
Phantom Of The Opera (Iron Maiden cover)
48 kHz - 24 bit
For many readers this will be the only song that holds any value in the group. Reason being it is one that is not based on synthesis. Yep the rest of the songs (except for Sweet Lullaby…..which has vocals) have very little “live” instruments used, and therefore are direct to board recordings, which put a different style of demands and overall sound response in IEMs. And out of necessity I placed this here at the end. And sure many more discoveries resulted, as guessed due to actual real-life timbre and room echoes etc…etc. Also too, this is after spending a full day with the Hades in my ears. So there is a style of acceptability that is brought forth, mainly because it is to the IEM you are reviewing causing listening issues, but the one before and the one before that one. So much of the time it is mental acclimation which decides what is good or bad in reviews. It is the reviewers responsibility not to be sidetracked by such memories. Here really the Hades are the floor standers here. The speakers in the room let the deep harmonics flourish and take form. The opening guitar parts are done with some type of octave multiplier effect that lets the strings play a down-tuned note along with the upper guitar register note. Such an effect is used often in rock to expand the guitar and add harmonics. And here it is to sound like multiple guitars playing and in fact it could be both used? This is called double leads in the music world, and Iron Maiden have made such things their trademark. Note only that but the bass is also going along for the ride here…….mirroring the note events. All I can say is the Hades is somehow unearthing the whole gambit of information here…….every part. The sound is full, harmonically rich……and big……….and we are only 00:10 seconds in!

At 00:20 seconds we are now face to face with these room reverbs and just as guested…….yep, the Hades is going full-tilt to go right along with what is demanded of it. At 00:27 the guitar chords hit and once again we are brought new tones to try and discover if they are correct or not. The best part of the 00:34 segment is the fact that the guitars are dueling it out and taking different images into stage presence. And while an after effect of such density becomes a burden on pace……..you started to expect that. It is this giving up of pace as a trade for excitement that becomes the guilty pleasure in the end. The fact that you can’t have this much bass energy and expect the pace to not be affected, it is just a fact of sonic life. Still I can hear the cymbal crashes and while not in any way forward, they are still separated and doing their thing in the outskirts of the stage. The vocals here……..listen I don’t want to make the Hades be any more or less than it is…….except this is not a vocal centric IEM in any form or fashion. As such Tobias Forge is simply there, not too far back but questionable if this is truly a correct way to interpret him. Yes, of course other IEMs push these vocals are forward……yet we can still hear him, just not all of his expression and luster.

Packaging:

While the cable is nothin to write home about, it works. Though maybe the most tangly I have ever come across?

Build:

While often disregarded as cheaper to make an IEM from 3D printed resin, many may prefer the idea, offering a more comfortable temperature in cold weather. Here we are greeted with a single vent off the bottom with an additive unusual rectangular vent off the back as seen (both) in the above picture. Here the nozzle looks to be shorter than it really is, with no bevel to hold tips on, my favorite ear-tips seemed to work flawlessly, and I don't know why? A inset screen gets out of the way and seems to function without notice.


Side-by-sides:
Here we try the Hades against its contemporaries.

The BLON X HBB Z300 (Middle position)
$39.99
https://www.linsoul.com/products/blon-x-hbb-z300

The TINHIFI C2
$29.00
https://www.linsoul.com/products/tinhifi-c2

Sure, ask me how or why I chose these IEMs to compare and I will tell you. For starters the Z300 had a place in being the very first HBB collaboration I was familiar with. Then the C2 was the odd-man-out, meaning there was a chance here that the TINHIFI C2 could show us the differences by contrast of why we may want something else to use. Yep, I’m not all about just glorifying the Hades experience, yet while it does offer thrills, it is not everything. Word on the street says I like Crins collaborations better, and that may be true? Why, well this Hades is so over the top, it exists as a great departure from your regular listens (in my humble opinion)……….though to be using it all the time………well you could be forced into a style Hades?

The BLON X HBB Z300 v The Hades:
Here we are giving the extra benefit of using the ASOS Plus and WM1A as a way to trim the authority and as revealed right before add an extra ounce of pace to our test subjects. Laughably this Z300 is the Hades off the steroids. Yep less density and power, less stage and faster more nimble pace. A pushed up midrange not lurking in the depths, we are now gifted with a less dramatic and less bass powered example of IEM art. Yet somehow (and don’t ask me how) the Z300 is not as involving…..the stage is not as big and I can see the limits of the Z300’s performance. Where we just came from a huge auditorium and now we are witnessing a smaller club with a slight glare that the Hades does away with 100% of the time. Which would I choose here………the Hades confusingly? Where the Hades was like (all-of-a-sudden) a longed for girl that just got on the bus. Yep, a need for just what the Hades did in absence of its twisted charms.

The TINHIFI C2 v The Hades:
So call me a risk taker………..sure this is budget…..but only 1/4 less money. But in hindsight this was the perfect IEM response to end our side by sides. Why? True there could have been other “perfects” but the C2 offers a very straight forward (while still warm) example of balance. The balance is everything the Hades lacks, and we do get benefits of such even Steven. Yet, it isn’t all sunshine and ice-cream cones for the C2. Nope that while there is a more forward vocal rendition, even stuff like vocal reverbs get more notice as they are near the same vocal frequency in generation……..but? The Hades has a bigger footprint, a more dramatic and cinematic vividness regardless of what gets covered-up in the fallout. While TINHIFI has made a truly great IEM with the C2, it is not really boring, but at the same time it is not doing the sinful excesses of the Hades, it is not walking to the dark side of town, and going to those dark bars where after a few drinks what is wrong becomes right. Yep, in my days of listening the Hades it has slowly enticed me over to the darker realm of life.



$49.99 without microphone
$50.99 with microphone
https://www.linsoul.com/products/qkz-x-hbb-hades

Disclaimer:
I would like to thank Kareena from Linsoul for the love and the QKZ x HBB Hades review sample.

Linsoul website: https://www.linsoul.com/
Linsoul Aliexpress Store: https://ddaudio.aliexpress.com/store/2894006
Linsoul USA Amazon Store link: https://www.amazon.com/s?i=merchant-items&me=A267P2DT104U3C

Equipment Used:
Sony WM1Z Walkman DAP MrWalkman Firmware 4.4mm and 3.5mm
Sony WM1A Walkman DAP MrWalkman Firmware 4.4mm and 3.5mm
Samsung Phone 3.5mm
HiBy R3 II 3.5mm/4.4mm output and 3.1 USB Type-C output
GO bar Dongle

The QKZ-HBB Hades comes in a very cool graffiti style box, inside is the Hades, a little white plastic case, a cable, a set of tips and a commemorative medallion. The build is good a soft resin with a wavy resin faceplate that changes from blue to tan depending on the light, it's a nice-looking set for sure. I found them very comfortable. Good isolation and good looks round of the qualities of the shell design. The tips and cable are adequate and nothing too special about them.

Sound impressions: The QKZ Hades is a bass centered IEM warm thick Bass extends outward with an almost stereo Sub kind of feeling to it. Sub-Bass is warm and there is bleed into the midrange but for Bass lovers it's a really fun set.
The Mids are as expected recessed. Midrange and treble are more towards a balanced tunning. Mids practically the lower are thick and warm but not overly so. they still are very nice and pleasant with male vocals sounding full.
Treble has enough sparkle and details but could have more energy.
Soundstage is decent it's not the most detailed and open but fits well in the fun mix of the hades, it's not intimate there is some width there it's just so much bass here technicalities sit in the back seat.
Overall, the QKZ-HBB Hades is super fun with Pop ,Hip-hop, Rock and Kpop and any bass driven music. I wouldn't recommend metal with this though.

The QKZ x HBB Hades is the third collaboration of the audio company QKZ and audio reviewer/youtuber Hawain Bad Boy with his YouTube channel Bad Guy Good Audio Reviews.

QKZ is an audio company based in China. They mainly make in ear monitors that are targeted at the budget market.

The Hades (55 USD) is a basshead in-ear monitor, or IEM, that was tuned according to HBB's target frequency response curve to produce prodigious amounts of bass. As you can see in the graph that I measured (see photo), the bass is elevated by 15 decibels.

I am a neutral head or a person who likes neutral-sounding music systems most of the time, but I do appreciate other kinds of tuning too. I also enjoy listening to loud bass sometimes.

The sound:

This is 100 percent a basshead IEM; there's no other way to describe it. The bass is so prominent that the lower midrange is affected by having a bloomy sound. The imaging is average, but the soundstage is good, there's a sense of space when listening to the Hades; and the details and micro details in the treble are subdued.

Compared to their second collab, the QKZ x HBB Khan, The Hades has louder bass and better upper midrange and treble; the upper midrange on the Khan is shouty at times. Overall, I find the Hades better.

Pros:
+ loud bass
+ good-looking face plate

Cons:
- not the best sounding bass
- bloomy-sounding lower midrange

Even though I'm not a bass head, I know what a good-sounding bass sounds like, and the bass on the Hades is not the best I've heard, I think it is tuned loud just for loudness' sake, not giving care too much to the sound quality and texture of the bass. I wish there was more subbass focus on the bass and less lower midrange. But whether or not I can recommend this depends on whether you want something different and have the extra money to buy it, or if you are a big fan of HBB, then buy it.
.
3-7-2024

If you're looking for earphones that can deliver massive amount of deep thumping bass the QKZ X HBB Hades is here to satisfy your cravings. With its dual dynamic driver setup featuring 9mm PU and LCP composite diaphragms, these earphones are engineered to pump out deep, resonant bass while maintaining balance warm mids and highs, with a very attractive 3D printed resin shell and translucent blue wavy panels, compact, light and creates a good seal on my ears.

With a sensitivity of 95dB and an impedance of 15 ohms, the Hades is easy to drive and can be powered by a wide range of devices, from dsp cables, small dongle dacs to dedicated audio players. The frequency response of 20Hz to 20000Hz ensures wide range for balance sound despite the powerful bass.

The star of the show here is undoubtedly the bass, the insanely massive amount of bass. The dual dynamic drivers work in perfect harmony to deliver bass that's not just powerful but also deep and boomy. Whether you're listening to rap, hip-hop, techno, deep house or any genre that demands a solid low end, the Hades doesn't disappoint.





Balance Mids and Highs: Despite the emphasis on bass, the Hades maintains a good balance in the midrange and treble frequencies with just enough warmness to encourage you to crank the volume up for more bass without the harshness, fatiguing upper mids and treble. Compared to rosefinch which have just a bit more sub bass and has a clearer more defined mids brighted upper mids and treble but can get harsh, fatiguing on high volumes.




I did a little mod with my Hades by changing the stock metal filters to the 7hz Legato filter (or you can just remove the stock metal filter) bumps up the upper mids and treble add extra clarity and brightness without losing the powerful bass as you can see in the graph. Thanks to @mars chan for the graph.







To fully enjoy the Hades it needs a curated playlist, a carefully selected tracks that showcases the full bass insanity that hades is capable of, it may not have the best cleanest sounding iem bass, but it perfectly recreates the vibe of bieng in the live venue, bieng in the middle of the club, or in a warehouse rave or in a car with a two 10 inch kicker subs driven by rockford fosgate amps this takes me back... Born in the 70s, Grew up in tghe 80s partied hard in the 90s! yes i am old.

Unboxing video of QKZ X HBB HADES

QKZ x HBB Hades Review: HELLISHLY BASSY​

WATCH FULL REVIEW HERE:

PRICE: $49 (PHP. 2,700.00)​

PROS:​

• Unique packaging
• Volume scaler
• INSANELY Deep, Rumbly and Headshaking bass
• Clean and smooth treble to crank up volume without harshness
• Comfortable fitting

CONS:​

• Too much bass for most genres
• Not impressive for low volume listening
• Poor technical ability
• Very niche tuning suited only for bass heads
• Lackluster accessories

WHO THIS SET IS FOR:​

• Bassheads
• HBB Fans who want even more bass from his sets
• People who want display piece box
• People who want a gold-colored metal coin of HBB’s logo

WHO THIS SET ISN’T FOR​

• Anyone who doesn’t want their music to be drowned in bass
• People who want a more complete unboxing experience
• People who want better quality accessories

RECOMMENDED GENRES:​

• HipHop
• EDM
• Retro Pop with bright mixes

SHORT REVIEW​

Hellishly basshead is the best way to describe the QKZ x HBB Hades. It provides such an absurd amount of bass into such a small in-ear that you start to wonder if they had magically plugged a 15-inch subwoofer into this thing. This is not for the faint of heart, nor is it for those who want a balanced listening experience. This is for hardcore bassheads, and you better prepare your ears for basshead journey you’re about to embark on.

FULL REVIEW:​

One of the most important aspects of choosing a reviewer to listen to is their preferences. After all, we buy audio gear to listen to music. And if the music of the reviewer that you follow doesn’t align with yours, then your findings would be quite different from theirs.

This then lands us on HBB or BGGAR or however, you call him. He’s a reviewer known for listening to a lot of HipHop and Rock and his sets speak for themselves. I’ve tried more HBB collabs than I can count and it has given me a good idea of what kind of IEM HBB likes and who it's for.

So now, what happens when HBB curates an IEM that speaks to the purest bassheads that throw everything but bass out the window? Let’s talk about the $49 QKZ x HBB Hades.

DISCLAIMER: The QKZ x HBB Hades was sent over by Linsoul in exchange for my honest thoughts. I am eternally grateful for the opportunity. I was not paid. Rest assured, my thoughts and opinions on this product will be my own honest opinions and will not be affected by the facts beforehand.

THIRD TIMES THE CHARM​

QKZ is known for two things; offering the most bottom-of-the-barrel IEM with the AK6 or providing us with the cheapest HBB collabs in the market. The Hades marks as their 3rd run-in with the QKZ x HBB being the first and the Khan being the second. The QKZ x HBB in particular was quite well received for being a very well-done warm IEM for the price while the Khan was a response to the DD craze of yesteryears. So now, let’s find out what the Hades offers and how HBB created one of the craziest basshead sets in the budget realm.

UNBOXING:​

One of the most stand out things about the Hades is its unboxing experience. Never have I seen a box this unique with its comic-inspired aesthetics and an odd amount of badges, including an “HBB HiRes logo”. I wouldn’t say that it’s the most fitting box for what the Hades does, but it’s definitely very unique compared to other IEM boxes.

Unfortunately, it doesn’t really carry over to the inclusions barring one thing. It comes with the following:

• QKZ x HBB Hades IEMs
• 4-core cable terminated to 3.5mm
• Plastic protective case
• 3 sets of eartips
• A gold coin

The accessories are admittedly lacking for the size of the box. Its larger than average presentation would make you think that this would be TRN Conch levels of accessories, but it’s much closer to their budget offerings more than anything. The case is just a glossy version of the same, cheap plastic case that they use on the AK6. The eartips are pretty nice and are actually a very unique shape, but only come in 3 pairs and offer no other choices like widebores or foam tips which I’ve found to be essential inclusions in today’s market.



Where QKZ diverts is with the inclusion of a golden coin. It’s not gold (obviously) but it really makes you think whether QKZ and HBB were thinking that the Hades would be a goldmine for bassheads (see what I did there?). Anyways, it’s an interesting inclusion that could have arguably been put into better accessories. But hey, it’s cool!

BUILD & FIT​

The QKZ x HBB features dual 9mm LCP Diaphragm Dynamic Drivers housed in a resin shell.



The first thing that stood out to me when I first saw pictures of the Hades was the fact that it used a 2-Pin connector rather than a QDC. This is a first for QKZ as all their past releases have all used QDC connectors which I am not very fond of. So them opting for a 2-pin option is a breath of fresh air.

I will say though that my initial connection was not the smoothest. It didn’t have ridges that the pins could fall into so I had to align it perfectly before pushing, otherwise, I’d break the pins (or the IEM itself).

Another thing that stood out was its general aesthetics. It had this nice, purple color in photos and I thought it’d look absolutely stunning IRL. And while I do still think it's pretty (partially because it’s purple), I think it doesn’t look as good as in the photos. The gold-colored internals don’t really compliment the specific shade of purple. The inner shell is nicely shaded a dark brown with HBBs logo on the side.

As for fit, I was genuinely surprised with how well this fits. 2 9mm DDs usually means massive boi like it was for the Zeros, but the Hades keeps it large enough to be snug in my ears. The ear tips also paired really well with the Hades, although using a wider bored tip helped it sonically.

Seal is absolutely fantastic. I use this for commuting and it was able to filter out the big, loud sounds while completely blocking voices. This has largely to do with the tuning being so bass-heavy that it blocks out the low-frequency noises really well, but the fit is just so snug and seal so good that it aided in making this a really good monitoring/noise canceling set.

Long-term fit can get a little bit painful, but it’s honestly a good trade-off for the fit and seal.

SOUND​

Sound Signature:​

Hardbass. That’s honestly the best way I can explain the signature of the Hades as this completely breaks one’s perception on basshead IEMs. Traditionally, it’s a very big V-Shape with emphasis on the bass and upper mids while dipping the mids and upper treble. Expect a VERY colored sound from this.

Source Pairing & Drivability:​

WIth an impedance of 16ohms and sensitivity of 95db, you’d expect this to be a crazy hard to drive set. But in reality, it’s just slightly harder to drive than your usual IEM and it’ll depend on how loud this would get on your preference in the bass. I personally don’t like too much bass in my IEMs, so I listened to these on lower volume levels at the start. But remembering my experience with the Legato, I knew I needed to crank these bad boys up to 11 and it was MUCH better for it. So if you can, get as much volume as you can with these. As for sources, these sound good out of basically anything you plug it on, but these will scale with better sources.

Ideal Listening Levels:​

9:30 on Topping DX1

Bass​

As one might expect, the bass on the Hades is ridiculously big. This is not for the faint of heart as the bass is so big and woofy that it WILL overpower everything else in the mix. And if you’re a basshead, this is an absolute dream. That also means that this is the furthest thing from a neutral bass presentation. If you’re not a basshead, you’d probably find the Hades muddy, bloated, and sloppy which is by design and a limitation of the price. You’re a long way from the Scarlet Minis of the world, so I think it’s okay to really lean into the big dumb bass aspect of the sound. But just know this is pure, dirty bass and it doesn’t try to be anything else

Since it’s HBB we’re talking about, obviously, I had to listen to the stuff he listens to. Particularly, Big Boy’s Kill Jill and Pact Like Sardines In a Crushd Tin Box and, as expected, they sound absolutely amazing on these. Kill Jill in particular was quite the headshaker as it was absurdly bassy that it felt like my entire body was shaking. Pact Like Sardines wasn’t as good as it muddied up the midrange and it was not pleasing to listen to, but still reached deep down in the bass to make your head go woof. There are just so many songs that I loved listening to with the Hades, so instead of explaining, here’s a list of every single track I absolutely bopped to the Hades:

1. Zombie - Qveen Herby
2. Earfquake - Tyler the Creator
3. Off the Grid - Ye
4. SZA - The Weekend
5. TALK!TALK - ena mori
6. Sierra Leone - Frank Ocean

And many more… It’s just so fun to listen to.

However, one thing I noticed about basshead IEMs is that you REALLY need a lot of volume to make them sing. I mentioned earlier that I started my Hades journey on lower listening volumes and I was quite disappointed as the bass didn’t feel like it reached deep enough. But a rule of thumb when listening to basshead IEMs (that don’t have a sharp treble to contrast) is to really crank the volume as high as your ears can handle. That’s where bass-head sets really shine in my experience

Mids​

I think it should be given that for a set with this much bass, the mids would not be the focus of the sound. To briefly describe it, the mids of the Hades are colored due to the amount of warmth in the low end and the vocals sound very mushy, muddy, and distant. The upper mids fair slightly better, but it’s there mostly to contrast the bass so as to not sunken the mids too much. This is no mid-centric set and timbre-heads won’t enjoy this at all, but I’d argue that it really isn’t the focus and that’s the trade-off to having a ridiculous amount of bass.

That is, with a few exceptions. Older rock/pop songs often have brighter-leaning mixes that perfectly complement the Hades’ absurdly overemphasized bass. The song that plays really well to this is the song “Heartaches by The Number” by Guy Mitchell. If you have the Hades, I encourage you to listen to this song with it and compare it with a “normally” tuned IEM. Earth. Wind & Fire’s September and Fleetwood Mac’s Dreams are also two songs that play really well to Hades’ bass due to their dry and bright mixing. This makes the midrange sound more bodied and fuller when it usually sounds dry and lifeless.

Treble​

One of the things that I’ve grown to realize in basshead sets, especially with my realization about the volume, is that the treble should never be overemphasized. One of my biggest turn-offs in “bassy” sets is when the treble is overemphasized and ends up sounding harsh over long listening sessions. The Hades, thankfully, mitigates that and keeps the treble present without overstaying its welcome.

Don’t get me wrong, you’re not getting a lot of detail out of this. With that much bass, the treble is just there to make sure the IEM doesn’t sound broken. On brighter mixed songs like the previously mentioned song Heartaches By The Number, the treble is present and sounds quite pleasing due to how overemphasized it is compared to the bass. But in most songs with a more balanced mix, you’re getting basic detail and extension without extra spice or sparkle.

Technicalities:​

If you’re expecting technicalities on a basshead set, then you’re kidding yourself. These throw so much bass at you that separation and layering, imaging, and stage are all basically thrown out the window. Well, maybe a little bit of stage depth is still maintained due to how emphasized the low end on these are, but beyond that it’s not a very technical set. This is a tradeoff for basshead sets, even in the top end. And I don’t mean “bassy” sets like the Z1R. I mean basshead sets like the Fatfreq series of basshead IEMs. Those IEMs, while considerably more technical sounding than the Hades, aren’t known for their technical ability with maybe the exception of the Maestro SE (but at $2000 it honestly has to be).

REAL WORLD USAGE​

Casual Use:​

For desk use, I wouldn’t really recommend the Hades due to how much bass it has for most content that you consume. It’s hard to understand dialogue and some videos with how much bass this thing has. However, where the Hades shines is when commuting out and you’re surrounded with a lot of loud noises. The bass somewhat masks that noise and acts as a sort of noise canceller, at least on the lower frequency sounds. This makes the Hades sound a little bit more balanced and its impeccable seal and fitting make it a genuinely solid commuter set

Gaming Use:​

I was expecting worse in regards to the Hades’ gaming performance, but the combination of that bass and the upper mids make it somewhat usable in more immersive games that include big action set pieces and make the overall experience quite fun. Competitive gaming isn’t as good, however, due to the bass essentially making any busy moment unintelligible.

COMPARISONS​

KBEar KW1​

Two seemingly contrasting sets with a LOT in common. KW1 features a wooden shell and a bullet style form while the Hades is your traditional in-ear with a splash of purple. However, both sets are absolutely bass monsters. Where they differ is how they balance that bass into the mix.

The KW1 takes a more linear approach with a nice, steep slow and gentle drop to the upper mids and treble. This makes the overall sound more cohesive and more lush, making it a more focused basshead set. The Hades on the other hand balances the ridiculous amount of bass with extra upper midrange focus to somewhat give a more open staging. However, I also found that the timbre of the KW1 just sounds a tad bit more natural due to the gentle glide down compared to the Hades’ mountain range. But still, those 2DDs do a lot of heavy lifting in providing a richer, deeper and thicker bass compared to the KW1. But honestly, for half the price of the Hades, the KW1 is not a bad set if you’re looking for a proper budget basshead set. And if you have the KW1 already, the Hades would be a pretty good upgrade with its detachable cable and deeper bass presentation

VS QKZ x HBB​

Compared to the OG collab, the QKZ x HBB has a more balanced overall sound that honestly fits HBBs profile better. It’s not as fun or as engaging, but it’s a considerably more balanced and more well-rounded kind of sound. For most people, you’re still better off getting the OG collab. However, the Hades does feature 2 pin instead of QDC and the faceplate doesn’t look like a 13 year old kid designed it. It also had considerably more accessories compared to the QKZ x HBB which makes it a better accessorized set.

VS 7hz Legato​

The set that begun my journey on finding the real meaning of 2DDs, the Legato does some things better while also doing some things worse. First, let me point out that both these sets are volume scalers. The KW1 was also a volume scaler, but the Legato in particular REALLY wants you to crank up the volume to get the most out of those 2DDs. On equal footing, the bass of the Legato sounded deeper, richer and more nuanced than the Hades.

However, the Legato features a rather odd peak somewhere in the mid to upper treble that makes it a double edged sword to crank the volume up. There’s a big chance you’d come across a little bit of harshness or sibilance in this region which I found to be quite problematic, considering how good of a basshead set this is. The Hades, while not having as nuanced of a bass presentation and generally sounding more woofy is able to be cranked to a much higher volume than the Legato.

VS Truthear x Crinacle Zero​

If you’re wondering why I chose the OG over the Red, that’s because the OG Zero has much more in common with the Hades than the Red does. Zero was a textbook Harman bass boost set that tucks down at 200. But I’ll be honest, the similarities between the two ends in their configuration and their shape because the bass of the Hades is quite considerably more compared to the Zero. The Zero does the bass boost in a cleaner, more “audiophile” way where it provides a deep and rich bass without coloring the midrange (which comes at the cost of sounding a little thin).

The Hades is pure bass no strings attached. You’re not getting clean mids good detail or general balance. You’re getting bass. And if you don’t like that and just want a bass boost without coloration, you’re better off with other sets just like the Zero

VS Kiwi Ears Quartet​

Another 2DD set, but this time add 2 BAs! Just like the Zero, the Quartet tries to find that balance of bass boost and unintrusive mids. The difference is that the Quartet has a more lush, smoother low end that is more akin to the Hades in lower volumes. The Quartet, however, has a nasty peak in the mid to upper treble that makes it nearly impossible to throw that much volume into it. The Hades is still a more focused basshead set, the the Quartet has a better balance and worse coherency throughout.

CONCLUSION​

As a treblehead, I was expecting to absolutely hate the Hades. It’s a dummy bass set and my ears will yearn for detail. But I was pleasantly surprised. Throwing this into my usual playlist, I didn’t enjoy it much. But listening to my guilty pleasure songs with heaps of bass or older tracks with no bass, these perform surprisingly well.

But let’s be real, this is a niche set. This isn’t your all-rounder balanced set that’ll fit all genres. As HBB puts, this is a HipHop set. Does it sound clean? No. Is there any semblance of balance in the tuning? Absolutely not. But is it an absolutely fun to listen to, turn your brain off and just let it rumble kind of set? Indeed it is. Just maybe next time, take that coin and slot it for some better accessories, yeah?

Thank you for readiing my review on the QKZ x HBB Hades. Big thanks to Linsoul for sending the Hades in exchange for my honest thoughts. If you would like to order one, consider using the non-affiliated link below: https://www.linsoul.com/products/qkz-x-hbb-hades
If you have any questions or concerns, contact me on my Facebook page or at obodioreviews@gmail.com

Enjoy music and have a great day!