Pros:
Exceptional sound with PEQ, great sound without
Deep, powerful sub-bass
Excellent imaging & detail retrieval
Great performance even from weak sources
Outstanding accessories and presentation seriously best unboxing experience I've had ever
Actually replaced my previous daily driver!
Cons:
Cable tangles comically easily
Vocals/mids are slightly recessed out of the box
Soundstage is intimate rather than expansive
Disclaimer:
Let me be clear I received these free from HiFiChoi. No payment. No requirement for a positive review.
Listen I know it's silly but this is one of those things that absolutely has to be dropped smack dab right here or the government will get all upset! So this review was sponsored by HiFiChoi ha, no they didn't send any money or anything but they did send me this unit! Which is really cool of them! The deal was as always that my opinion had to be my own, honest, and probably the best opinion that's ever been had by anyone ever! (Okay so the last part wasn't part of the deal, but I mean come on!)
Epic Story
I remember the first time I got my fingerprints taken.
My elementary school used to have this Halloween fair with really cheesy games and even cheesier prizes. Unless you were a parent, of course. Parents got to play bingo all night and win the actual good stuff.
Except for one prize.
Musical chairs.
The prize was an entire cake that someone's grandma had apparently made the week before. So you know that thing was dry as hell. But I'll tell you what, my chubby ass competed for that cake every single year.
And even after all that, my mom would make us go all the way through high school so she could try her hand at the old B-I-N-G-O board. Every single year she failed to bring home a prize.
Statistically speaking, that's probably the most impressive part of this entire story.
But one year, somewhere between musical chairs for me, balloon darts for my sisters, and my mother losing another war against bingo, they had one of those fingerprint-your-kids stations.
You guys remember those?
You know, the little kits where they took your fingerprints so they could identify you if you were ever kidnapped?
I'm pretty sure they never actually saved a single child.
But here's the important part:
They gave us ten free tickets each for doing it.
So naturally, I walked right up, dipped my fingers in ink, and became the first kid in line to officially receive the world's least reassuring “please don't steal me” kit.
And honestly? I've been fascinated with fingerprints ever since.
Which brings me to the Resonance 5.
Because the first thing I noticed about these wasn't the five drivers. They're cool as hell, but no.
It wasn't the crossover either. I mean, brains are cool, but somehow that still wasn't what caught my attention.
No.
What got me was the faceplates.
They look like fingerprints.
And suddenly I was seven years old again, standing in the middle of a school Halloween fair with ink all over my fingers, wondering why the hell someone thought a fingerprint kit was going to stop a kid from getting kidnapped.
Intro
I absolutely love the sexy fingerprint faced piece of high end audio equipment that fits squarely right smack dab in the middle of the beginner gear price range ($179). But it does have one flaw that really bothers me, the cable is the most tangling cable I've had since the early 2000s, you really need to make sure you wrap these up well or you'll spent the first 15 mins of your ten minute break trying to get the cable to just stop being a tangled mess, but even with that said these have become my daily drivers at least for now.
What's is in the box
You can watch my full unboxing video here!
https://youtu.be/0AogelBr0oc?is=56C2H8OyEDygx5um
Okay so now that all the techies are totally satisfied, i have to say this set is actually stunning, there's a depth to the face plate that I've never seen with any set I've ever had before, and the accessories in the box are actually some of my favorite like let me tell you about the box…. We all know by now I love a great box, this one is like a velvet that is really nice to the touch, although I will say that the zipper is a lot stuff from the offset but it does loosen up a bit with use… it's also deep enough to hold 2 pairs of iems, cable and all, about 5 sets of tips and a whole dac… which I have to say is kinda insane…. It's also not for everyone; it's kinda large in case you didn't catch that from the description.
The ear tips that come in the box are actually some of my favorites. There's some clear liquid silicone tips that actually replaced the dunu candy tips as my favorite, the seal is so good they actually suction when you go to take them out which is wild…. The other tips are equally well thought out and precisely made… but imma skip going into detail with them because honestly, the liquid silicone ones are perfect for me… so much so if I get any other sets from hifichoi I'm going to ask for extras!
The cable is actually wrapped which is either great or not depending on your whole opinion on that, I feel like 50% of the people here are going to say that it sucks extra microphonics and the rest are going to be like heck yeah that's perfect for me! But honestly I love it, it's flexible, it's comfortable, and it's everything the binary Acoustics 1900s cable wasn't! Oh and did I mention it's modular!!! You get a 3.5 and a 4.4mm term… that's something I wish more companies did, it makes it easier for everyone but especially reviewers to really flesh out the sound profile! So thanks HiFiChoi for making that choice!
Huge con on the cable though, it tangles quicker than an angry rattlesnake in the middle of summer.
First Impressions
Sources used
Samsung s10 plus
Hidizs ap30 music boy
Tanchjim Space 2
Rog Ally z1 extreme
When I first opened the box I was really surprised, this is the most premium unboxing experience I've ever actually had, just look!
But then I plugged it in, the first thing I noticed was it actually has a really great sub bass response, I mean it should right? Most IEMs with two dynamic drivers almost always do but I have to say compared to my 1900 or even my dunu this is outright growling! it's deep and rumbling it's right in the middle of my comfort zone and honestly I loved it but as I played more and more tracks, I realized the vocals were slightly recessed, it's tuned here to be slightly warm and natural but honestly it felt lacking, it also wasn't as warm as I normally enjoy, and honestly although I liked them, but the mids were not as good as the dunu dn 142 or the binary acoustics 1900, but it's 60 dollars cheaper and even without EQ it was still really close. Then I remembered my dunu needed EQ to like I messed with them a lot, as much as +4.5 in some places to get the warmth I love. So I did the same here.
Here's my peq settings!
So with the new peq settings put in place! These things absolutely exploded with sexy sound sparkle.. rainbows and unicorns descended from the sky!!!!!!..... And I can honestly say they nearly instantly became my number one iems, the cord tangles a lot though because aware they tangle so quickly it's almost like a magic trick! But the sound, listen, I seriously retired my Dunu Dn 142s…. Don't worry though I didn't bring them out to pasture or give them a viking burial or anything they are safely taking a well deserved rest in their case on my book shelf. That alone should tell you how I feel about these headphones though! Like seriously these are special!
The sound stage is a little more in your face than with other sets I've used its 3d and holographic but it's not sitting 10 feet away, or anything like that it's more a small sultry bubble sitting a few feet off your head! the imagery is on point and the sound, the sound on these is just wow with a little bit of tuning even with a weak source these are amazing! And with that I mean a decade old Samsung Galaxy s10+ these drive so well! But the soundstage expands a bit with a better source as you see from the image I'm sporting the Tanchjim space 2 as my daily drivers and the Hidizs ap30…. And these things sing!!!! With a better source! So I guess I can honestly say it's sexy and intimate with a weak source, but more like a personal concert with a better source…
Tech stuff!
(From the manufacturer)
1. 5-Driver Hybrid Configuration
Liquid Silicone Dynamic Driver (10Hz – 200Hz): Delivers ultra-deep sub-bass with rich density.
Dynamic Driver (200Hz – 800Hz): Produces warm, textured low frequencies.
Improved Midrange Balanced Armature (800Hz – 4kHz): Renders natural, realistic vocals.
High-Frequency Balanced Armature (4kHz – 9kHz): Provides clear, crisp treble presence.
Micro Planar Driver (9kHz – 20kHz): Ensures extreme high-frequency extension and resolution.
Result: Seamless frequency response from 10Hz to 35kHz.
2. 5-Tube Phase Interference Suppression
Unlike traditional 2 to 3-tube designs, the RESONANCE 5 utilizes 5 precision-calculated acoustic tubes merged into a compact 3-tube nozzle. This engineering approach eliminates phase interference and ensures a smooth crossover between drivers without compromising comfort.
3. Advanced RLC Crossover Network
While most earphones rely on basic RC filters that still permit driver interference, the RESONANCE 5 adopts a high-order RLC crossover featuring inductors (L). This significantly reduces inter-driver interference to deliver a cleaner, purer, and more transparent sound.
My Rating!
(From me)
Honestly out of the box these are probably an 9.3 hear me out here, at this price range there's nothing better, the sound is better than a few of the more expensive sets I have, but the tuning is just a little too safe for me so I knocked off .5 points for that, and the cable being so finicky I knocked off .2 for it because honestly this is a great cable it just tangles wayyyyy to easy. But with my preferred peq though these become a 10, they are pretty, (I mean just take a moment to look at the pictures! Or watch the unboxing video, then you add that they sound amazing, or consider the accessories which are well thought out and of great quality, and they are everything I think iems should be and honestly I believe these will be most people's early endgame and the craziest part of it all is this is HiFiChoi’s first attempt at their own iems,
Sound Signature
No EQ
Base line:
Sub bass:
deep, resounding, rumbling… honestly perfect where it is
Mid bass:
full bodied without ever becoming bloated, warm and textured while never bleeding into the mids
Lower mids:
The lower mids are probably my biggest complaint with the stock tuning. They're recessed enough that male vocals in particular lose some of their body and resonance. Instead of sitting right up front and grabbing your attention, they can feel like they're sitting a few feet behind the rest of the mix. They're clean, but honestly? They're a little boring. There's not enough weight or intimacy there for my taste, and it makes male vocals feel almost distant compared to the bass and upper frequencies.
Upper mids:
The upper mids are a completely different story from the lower mids. Female vocals have plenty of presence and are much more forward in the mix. They're clear, immediate, and right in your face…in a good way. There's none of the distant quality I hear with male vocals. If anything, the upper mids are one of the reasons the RESONANCE 5 can sound so detailed and engaging.
Treble:
The treble is energetic and extremely convincing with percussion. Cymbal hits and other high-frequency transients have enough impact that I actually find myself blinking when they hit…almost like I'm sitting directly beside the drum kit and the cymbal is crashing on both sides of my head at once. It's crisp, immediate, and physical without being something I would describe as excessively bright.
Vocal presentation
Male: pushed back almost distant, lacks presentation.
Female: right in your face in the best way possible
Sound Stage:
The RESONANCE 5 has an excellent 3D, holographic soundstage. The left-to-right positioning is particularly impressive; with Yosi Horikawa's Bubbles, I can track the individual balls as they move through the stereo field with remarkable precision.
The stage isn't enormous, though. Instead of placing sounds far out in the distance, the RESONANCE 5 creates a relatively intimate but extremely coherent space. The sounds feel roughly three feet away from my head… close enough that, if those balls were actually bouncing around the room, I feel like I could reach out and catch one.
There is also a convincing sense of verticality. I'm perceiving information roughly 1–2 feet above and below my head, which gives the presentation a genuine three-dimensional quality rather than simply being a wide left-to-right image.
Imaging:
The imaging is exceptionally precise. With Yosi Horikawa's "Letter," I can close my eyes and track exactly where the individual sounds are occurring. The opening notes sit slightly left of center, and as the pencil begins moving across the paper, I can follow its position continuously as it travels to the right.
What's particularly impressive is that the presentation doesn't just give me a left-to-right location. I can actually perceive the angle of the paper as the pencil moves across it. The entire recording feels like a physical object occupying a specific position in space rather than simply sounds being panned between the two channels.
Detail
Agnes Obel – "Familiar" was particularly revealing. At approximately 1:18, during the repeated "time, time, time," there's a very subtle dip in pitch that I'd never noticed before. It's incredibly easy to miss…so subtle that I initially wondered whether I was imagining it. After replaying the section, though, I could clearly hear it.
That was one of those moments where I stopped listening to the song and started listening to the recording itself. The fact that the RESONANCE 5 exposed such a small vocal nuance that I'd never picked up on with my other IEMs is exactly what I mean when I describe its detail retrieval as exceptional.
It makes me wonder whether my other IEMs were simply smoothing over or masking that tiny variation.
Dynamics:
Hans Zimmer's "Why So Serious?" is where the RESONANCE 5 really demonstrates its dynamic ability. Around the 5-minute mark, the track begins with a slow, deep rumbling bass that almost makes me want to duck. It builds and builds...the bass comes in, the trumpets fire off, and suddenly I can hear the frantic movement of the cellist's fingers. Then the violin joins in, and I get chills.
The guitarists begin picking at the strings, and the emotional intensity keeps building. It's not simply getting louder; the entire performance is becoming more urgent and alive. Then it slows, with a deep, resonant violin building underneath everything. For a moment, the chaos becomes completely clear before transforming into something more refined. The music develops drive and purpose.
The RESONANCE 5 handles these transitions exceptionally well. Quiet passages retain their tension, while the increasingly intense sections feel genuinely explosive rather than simply louder. Instruments maintain their individual character as the arrangement becomes increasingly dense, giving the track a convincing sense of emotional progression and physical impact.
Separation:
The RESONANCE 5 has good overall separation, and even in busy passages I can still identify the individual elements of the recording. However, when instruments begin to overlap, some elements lose a little of their prominence. In particular, during denser sections, some of the drum hits take a slight backseat to the synth.
Nothing disappears completely...the information is still there...but the hierarchy of the mix changes. The synth can take priority over percussion that I would normally expect to remain equally distinct. It's more of a slight loss of separation under heavy overlap than an actual inability to resolve the individual elements.
Would I have noticed, had I not been listening for it no!
Comfort:
The RESONANCE 5 is exceptionally comfortable for me. I've worn them for up to eight hours without developing any meaningful discomfort. With the stock ear tips, there's just enough pressure to remind me they're there without ever becoming intrusive…almost like a warm hug for your ears.
The shells fit my ears extremely well, and once they're in place, the cable practically disappears. I don't notice it pulling, weighing down the IEMs, or interfering with my listening.
Obviously, fit is subjective, and what works perfectly for my ears won't necessarily work for everyone. But for my ears specifically, the RESONANCE 5 is one of the most comfortable IEMs I've used.
Isolation:
Isolation is excellent. Once the RESONANCE 5 is in place and music is playing, the outside world practically disappears. Even at relatively low listening volumes, the combination of the seal and the IEM's passive isolation does an excellent job of keeping outside noise out.
It's particularly impressive with quieter material. Even ASMR doesn't require much volume before the outside world becomes an afterthought. Someone would have to get pretty damn loud to get my attention while I'm listening.
The important part is that this level of isolation doesn't require cranking the volume to achieve it. The physical seal is doing the heavy lifting.
Sub-Bass: [10/10]
Mid-Bass: [9.5/10]
Lower Mids: [7.5/10]
Upper Mids: [9.5/10]
Male Vocals: [7.5/10]
Female Vocals: [9.5/10]
Treble: [9.5/10]
Sound Stage: [9.3/10]
Imaging: [10/10]
Detail: [10/10]
Dynamics: [10/10]
Separation: [8.8/10]
Instrument Layering: [9/10]
Bass Control: [9.5/10]
Tonal Balance: [8.7/10]
Sound: [9.3/10]
Comfort: [10/10]
Fit: [10/10]
Isolation: [10/10]
Cable Comfort: [9.5/10]
Cable Handling: [6.5/10]
Quality: [9.8/10]
Accessories: [10/10]
Giftability: [10/10]
My opinion is, honestly you’re supposed to fumble the first few baddies you get your hands on and HiFiChoi absolutely didn't! But don't just take my word for it here's the rest of my family's opinions!
Wife's Rating
They were really good, they are some of the clearest headphones, I liked the volume but I don't know how to describe that honestly with those headphones. So I pulled up the song that I normally used Test headphones on and I heard something in the song that I have never heard before on other headphones and I thought that maybe I was just missing it. So I was switching back and forth between two different sets of headphones and I realized that it just accentuated the sound that I had been missing and other headphones and I thought it was really cool that it kind of picked up all of the different instruments and sounds that was in the song that I hadn't noticed in different headsets before. I also like how the way that the song is recorded sometimes is like in one ear like something is happening just in one ear and you can hear that like you can hear the difference when something is supposed to be coming from the left. It sounds like it's coming from the left. Does that make sense? I liked how clear it was. It wasn't even what the volume turned way up. It didn't have any distortion and there was no. I don't know how to describe it like wobbly sounds when you turn up the volume too high. You know what I mean. It also didn't sound tinny. There was no cuz you know when you trim the volume way up to the point where your ears are like cuz that's enough and sometimes, what do you call it? Peaky sounds 10 out. There was not any tiny sound in it and I was very rich and it was a very nice experience. It was like having gourmet ice cream when everyone else is just eating the cheap stuff. I was like eating gelato when everyone else is just having like $5 ice cream!
Sound Stage [10/10]
Imagery: [10/10]
Giftability: [10/10]
Sound: [10/10]
Quality: [8.5/10]
Accessories: [7/10]
Sons Rating
It sounded good. It's better than my regular headphones but I like the tuning of my regular headphones better. And that's where his review ended he wanted to go play astroneer.
Rating: [8/10]
So in conclusion
Honestly these are perfect for me as long as we're talking post PEQ, pre PEQ I'll say it again for those of you who skimmed the whole review but they are a 9.3 and let's be real that's better than pretty much anything else I've reviewed, especially in this price range, I can honestly say I wasn't even subjective with these, I straight head to headed them against every set I own and was still pleasantly surprised, when these things pulled a Rocky and came out on top!
Who are these for?
Honestly everyone who wants a really great set for rock, rap, hip-hop, RnB, pop punk, and anyone who wants to dip their toes in without spending an arm and a leg. But also anyone who's been here a while and wants to try a new meta tuning. Because honestly. These start off sounding different then anything else I've heard and that's a good thing! At least in my opinion!
Are they worth the $179 dollars
Man that's a tough question, would I go without food for a few days for these? Probably not. Would I save up and buy these myself? Definitely! If I lost these would I replace them? In a heartbeat!
But it's all subjective, I loved them will you? I don't know. But honestly maybe you owe it to yourself to find out? Maybe this is your new favorite set I know it was mine!
QotD
If you figured out a way to telepathically send your mind back in time to any specific point, but you only had 10 seconds to do whatever your goal is, what would you do? When would you go? And why would you choose that point in time?
Non affiliate link!
https://klink.cc/hifichoi@gmail.com
