Shozy Ceres

In this review, I’m looking at the Shozy Ceres. The Ceres is a hybrid dual-driver IEM with 1 dynamic driver and 1 balanced armature. It retails for $179.

Ceres is the goddess of cornflakes. Well, not exactly; Ceres is the goddess of grain crops and harvests in Roman Mythology and the word cereal is derived from her name.

Disclaimer: This sample was provided by Linsoul for the purpose of an honest review. All observations and opinions here are my own based on my experience with the product.

Shozy Ceres​

Specifications​

• Driver: 9.2mm dynamic driver + ultra-high balanced armature
• Impedance: 19Ω@1KHz
• Sensitivity: 100db SPL@1mW
• Frequency response: 20-20000Hz
• Noise isolation: -26db
• Plug: 3.5mm
• Connector: 0.78mm 2Pin

Packaging & Accessories​

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Ceres comes in a small rectangular black box with a Shozy logo on the top. Here’s what we find inside:

• Shozy Ceres IEM
• Detachable 2-pin cable
• Carrying case
• 3x pairs of foam eartips
• 3x pairs of double-flange silicone eartips
• 3x pairs of generic silicone eartips

Design​

The Ceres IEM has pseudo-custom resin shells with a dark blue translucent body and irregular blue and gold pattern on the faceplates. Here you’ll also find some subtle Shozy branding in gold print. 0.78mm 2-pin sockets are the connection chosen for Ceres.

The shells have 3 vents running in parallel on the top side which is a rather unusual implementation. The nozzles are aluminium and slightly narrower than average but I didn’t have any trouble finding some suitable eartips. Overall, the build quality of the Ceres feels very good and it has a fairly premium aesthetic to boot.

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I find the Ceres to be a very comfortable earphone that is suitable for long listening sessions. The shape of the shells is reminiscent of Form 1.1 and 1.4 models and like those, fits comfortably into the conchas of my ears. Passive noise isolation is above average and when the music is playing, you’ll have little chance of hearing anything else.

Cable​

The included braided cable is a lovely gold colour that matches the gold flecks and branding on the IEMs. All of the cable’s components, including the chin slider, are polished aluminium with textured rings on them. They look like pieces of silver jewellery and add to the visual appeal of the cable.

Not only does this cable look nice, but it also handles beautifully too; it’s supple and light yet strong and doesn’t have any noticeable microphonics.

Sound​

Gear used for testing includes:

• Cozoy TAKT C
• Shanling M5s
• TOPPING DX3 Pro+ -> Burson Funk

The Shozy Ceres has a warm, smooth sound signature with a strong emphasis on the bass. It has a somewhat dark and veiled sound so midrange clarity is a little below average. However, detail retrieval is still quite respectable, largely due to good overall resolution and elevated upper treble.

Bass​

The bass is pretty bangin’. I wouldn’t hesitate to label Ceres as a basshead IEM because it can deliver some thunderous lows. Leading edges on bass notes are somewhat blunted and soft, giving the bass a thick presentation.

Sub-bass notes have a large but smooth rumble that’s free of distortion, even at high volume. Kick drums thump with authority but could use better definition. The warmth of the bass permeates throughout the entire spectrum like a blanket.

Mids​

Vocals sound velvety smooth but a bit veiled, which could be said about the mids in general; the level of clarity leaves a lot to be desired. String instruments resonate deeply and the sound is more body than strings.

Surprisingly, the overall resolution and instrument separation is good. So although I don’t see this kind of tuning being very popular, it scores fairly well on technicalities. The midrange is syrupy and inherits a lot of warmth from the bass. The result is mids that are thick and smooth but dark in tone.

Treble​

Detail retrieval is impressive which is unusual for such a warm IEM. This is due to the elevated upper treble which delivers ample macro details. However, some of the micro details and treble harmonics are smothered by the bass and overall warm presentation.

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Another surprising thing about Ceres’ treble is that despite the large 10kHz peak, there’s no sharpness or brightness. There’s no sibilance either but there’s also no sparkle or liveliness.

Soundstage​

The soundstage is fairly intimate but there’s a good sense of layering and depth. Furthermore, the stage is not as narrow as I’d expect from something with such a dark tonality. Imaging and instrument positioning is really quite decent.

Conclusion​

The Shozy Ceres is a gorgeous and comfortable earphone with good build quality. It comes with a decent accessory set and a high-quality cable. With its bass-dominant sound signature, it could appeal to bassheads, especially those who are treble-sensitive.

Although it has a dark and melodious sound it performs admirably in a technical sense. I feel like Shozy could make something really nice based on this IEM with some tweaking. But having said that, Ceres has an outlier tuning and is not something I would recommend for most people.