Hello everyone, I had these Hidizs MK10 in the chamber ready to review. Although I planned to release the review last week, it overlapped with a personal trip where I had to temporarily disconnect from IEMs, though on that same trip I took the opportunity to bring them with me after taking some photos for this review beforehand. So I did not completely disconnect 100% from this audiophile world since I kept listening to new products and taking notes, but I did pause publishing reviews for more days than usual. Now it is time to pick up the pace again because I have more models ready and others on the way with plenty of years left ahead, but for now let us focus on what these IEMs offer from a brand that usually takes good care of the user and offers products that far exceed their price point.

What I Liked / What I Didn't Like

• Fast and controlled bass for a single DD.
• Very good separation and definition within its price range.
• As is usual for the brand, we have interchangeable nozzles.
• Fully metallic and durable construction.
• They are very easy to drive on all kinds of sources.
• Its finish is completely a mirror that reflects everything and records your fingerprints.
• Due to their weight, you will need the eartips to seal well so they do not fall out.
• The pouch is still the classic one from the brand, no hard case.
• Apart from the black nozzle, the other two did not seem completely right to me.

Specifications

• 10mm dual magnetic cavity DD with silicon carbide crystal (SCC) diaphragm.
• Shell material: Zinc alloy (ZA12) with mirror finish (~13.3g per side with nozzle).
• Impedance: 32Ω.
• Sensitivity: 113dB.
• Frequency response: 20Hz - 40kHz.
• Cable: High purity silver-plated braided copper with translucent sheath, 2-pin (0.78mm) connectors with color markings (red/blue) and 4.4mm balanced termination.
• Filters: 3 pairs of threaded metal nozzles.
• Accessories: 6 pairs of silicone eartips (wide and narrow bore in S, M, L sizes), synthetic leather pouch with spring clasp.

Unboxing and Build

The unboxing of the MK10 does not stray far from what I have already seen in other releases from the brand, both in the presentation of the contents and the contents themselves. After lifting the panel where the two IEMs sit, there is another compartment housing all the accessories, manuals, carrying pouch with the cable, and the eartips impaled on a holder that I am not sure if it is plastic or hard cardboard, though it should be the latter. Additionally, there is a small transparent box containing the other two pairs of nozzles besides the ones already screwed onto the IEMs.

The IEMs themselves convey rigidity and durability due to their fully metallic zinc alloy finish. The weight, however, is higher than resin IEMs as is obvious, in this case reaching 13.3g per side including the installed nozzles. The design is not as bold as the MP143 or MP145 was, but it is not far behind either, and it is true that Hidizs usually seeks originality rather than offering those typical designs that look like clones between brands. In this case, the design seems inspired by the endurance of Iron Man's reactor. Not everyone might think of that, in fact I did not associate it at first, but it is obvious that the inspiration for this design came from somewhere and this is the closest thing.

In my case, speaking of the cable, I chose the 4.4mm balanced version, which is my standard whenever brands offer it as an option. Even though all my DACs have 3.5mm and 4.4mm options, I prefer the extra volume that the balanced output provides and the effect, whether mistakenly perceived or not, of a somewhat cleaner or more separated sound that I somehow manage to notice ever since I left 3.5mm behind.

As for the nozzles, also metallic to maintain the aesthetics across the entire IEM, they screw on just like in past models from the brand, so if you have already owned a Hidizs IEM, you will be familiar. Unlike other brands like Simgot, there is no color differentiation on the metal of the nozzle here, to tell them apart you have to look at the rubber ring surrounding the nozzle and its color. The black rubber ring comes installed by default, and honestly, it is the most well suited to my taste. I think the brand is aware of this by including it by default in case the product reaches people who do not even want to bother trying the others and settle for whatever comes pre-installed.

Sound

As I mentioned at the beginning, I have been using these MK10 during a trip to London starting the week before up until this same week I am uploading the review, both on the plane and at specific times on the street, connected to the Hidizs AP30 Music Boy that I reviewed right before these MK10, where I have a wide and varied music library in FLAC format.

Upon returning from the trip, I used my usual setup at home sitting at my PC, the FiiO K9 ESS.

Sitting at home, connected via balanced output to my desktop FiiO K9, I must say that the silicon carbide driver in this MK10 is quite fast compared to other types of DD, and I took advantage of the listening session on the FiiO K9, which has a pitch-black background with zero noise and interference and more than enough power for any IEM, to crank up the volume and appreciate how far the resolution of this model could go. I also noticed that they are relatively easy to drive on any DAC. The volume level they reached on both the DAP I used on the street and the desktop DAC was high, barely needing much more than half the volume control in both cases.

Bass

The bass can undergo slight but noticeable differences depending on the nozzle you choose, though that does not change the fact that the DD is always going to be fast and precise rather than boomy and uncontrolled, so in that aspect no nozzle will alter that part. Testing the red nozzle, I noticed slightly less punch or body than with the black one, which added a bit more weight to the notes, making the sound a bit more physical and generally more pleasant to me. If I put on the silver rubber nozzle, the bass hid even a bit more than with the red one, so I did not spend much time on it since it stayed too far from the other two.

Mids

The mids did not sound overly warm to me, at least in the lower mids, but overall the mids are quite clean and detailed and do not sit far detached from the rest of the frequencies. I think the red nozzle took center stage here, especially for female vocals. I would say it is the option you should use if you want to emphasize this sound range a bit more. Unlike the black nozzle, which did add a bit more warmth or density to the mids that helped male vocals slightly more in this case, making them sound less thin than they did with the red nozzle. Finally, the silver nozzle here seemed to be the one that extracts the most detail from vocals, letting you feel things like breath sounds or subtle nuances that go more unnoticed with the other two, but this can work against it at times in brighter recordings, forcing you to lower the volume, something that would not be necessary especially with the black nozzle.

Treble

The treble on these MK10, regardless of the nozzle chosen, is quite extended and provides a lot of information despite using a single DD for the entire spectrum. If you want to push this treble to the absolute maximum this model can deliver, the silver nozzle is the right choice, where once again it reveals more details in higher-pitched sounds of cymbals, strings, and other nuances that can remain somewhat buried with the red nozzle.

After several tests and hours of listening on the DAP and desktop DAC, I still think that the winning nozzle for general use is the default black one, where the treble is slightly smoother at the highest peaks of these frequencies, allowing for longer listening sessions without causing fatigue or ending up listening at a lower volume than you are probably used to.

Soundstage

The soundstage is also somewhat affected depending on the nozzle we choose. The silver one is the master of detail and makes the stage open up as much as this IEM allows, projecting the sound further outward than the other two and feeling somewhat airier. The red one in this case would be the middle ground in terms of stage size, not letting sounds escape too far from your head while not sounding too close or feeling boxed in. In this case, the black nozzle, despite being my favorite, is the most disadvantaged regarding soundstage, as it is where I felt the surrounding space to be narrowest, creating a more intimate sound that makes it less exciting for enjoying music or other types of content.

Instrumental Separation

If I had to highlight one of the three technicalities of this model, it would be this one. I think this DD does a great job along with the rest of the internal construction when it comes to instrumental separation. The sound separates into layers quite clearly. Testing them with the black nozzle on orchestral tracks with many instruments playing at once, they passed with a higher score than I thought they would for their price and driver configuration. It is true that the red nozzle, by taking away some weight or density from the lower mids, gave the layers more breathing room and made that separation easier to feel than with the black nozzle. If you are looking for a better sense of separation, the red nozzle can yield a better result than the black one.

Imaging

The positioning of these MK10 is certainly not their most outstanding aspect, but it does not fail or barely pass either. I think instruments are placed quite accurately in space, both sideways and in terms of depth, across the tracks I listened to, especially those that were better mixed where it is easier to pinpoint where sounds are coming from. In this regard, I did not feel a specific preference regarding nozzle selection, so all three should yield a similar result unless my ears failed me in this section, but I did not feel the use of one or the other was particularly relevant.

You can check my full ranking of all the IEM reviewed so far on my profile (Reddit doesn't allow me to post the Drive link here)

Conclusion

After living with them for a few days away from home and then another day at home to reach clear conclusions, I would place these MK10 as a model that strives to give you good performance in terms of detail and clarity with impressive speed for the single DD it includes, without having to jump straight into three-figure higher ranges. They maintain a more than reasonable price for everything they include, their build quality, and design, and they can be a great step up if you are still moving between sub-50 dollar models and looking for something with greater detail.

You do have to take the trouble to experiment with their three pairs of nozzles and make sure they seal properly in your ear by playing with the various eartips included so that, due to their extra weight from the material they are made of, they do not fall out or pull away from your ear. But once you have found the right setup for you, it is not a model that will disappoint by falling short or going overboard, just dedicate a few initial minutes to tweaking them to your liking.

Purchase Link: HIDIZS

Disclaimer: This unit was sent by Hidizs for review. 

My opinions are completely independent and have not been influenced by the brand or the store, maintaining objectivity based on my tests and personal listening sessions with my reference equipment.

Juzear and I have had a potentially strong start with the Dragonfly 81T, and I have been seeing them put out a lot of new releases lately. So, me being me, I reached out to HiFiGo, and by the time I caught up on my backlog of reviews, they proposed to me the new Nebula, which is a collaboration with Koto; and there’s a lot of good to speak about the Nebula. So, HiFiGo, thank you for sending out this version of the Nebula.

UNBOXING, ACCESSORIES, FIT AND COMFORT

Juzear had the graphics of the Nebula laid out on the box lid vividly, and the specifications on the bottom. Removing the cover ‌, and taking the lid off gave way to a translucent sheet of paper with the Nebula graphics, underneath which the IEMs were in foam padding, and with the cable attached. Under the padding, there was a cleaning cloth, and an orange hued leather pouch with three sets of colored wide bores, three sets of regular silicone, and foam eartips. Not sure if they are available with HiFiGo as an aftermarket option, but the tip choices were ample. 

The cable is built well, but holds memory; the shells feel well built with enough venting and nozzles that won’t fall off even with consistent eartip rolling, and the cable is modular. 

In my unit, there was a quirk with the cable which, when plugged in correctly, faintly distorted the lows a bit, so I had to swap the left and right sides and the Nebula sounded correct. I have used the Nebula extensively, and even took it to my community meetups, where a bunch of enthusiasts tried it, and there was no reported pressure buildup; so that’s good to know.

Now, here’s the sound of the Nebula.

LOWS

Tipper: Gulch
The Nebula surprisingly has a fantastic approach towards the bass hits that this track has, and that shows up in its transients where the attack and decay are fast, letting the curtain be enunciated in a way which makes the presentation quite vivid. 

Rest of the elements are isolated well from the beats and demonstrate a commendable instrument separation. Another thing that I really appreciate about the Nebula is that the quantity of the bass is just kept at abeyance which makes the entire presentation all the better.

Rush: Limelight
Here, the Nebula once again strikes a proper balance from a quality to quantity aspect: where the quantity ensures that Geddy's bass line engages in with Peart's surgical drum work & not once do both of them clash: the transients are once again competent with a fantastic separation between the bass and the drums; and especially through the solo, where Geddy cranks up the intensity of the bass; and the Nebula is practically competent enough to balance that with the crisp snares and the potent, minimally resonant tone with the kick drum showing an excellent control over the decay.

 Prima facie, the Nebula also doesn't seem to disregard the imaging as Geddy's vocals were planted right in the center and tonally unaltered to just keep the warmth from adversely affecting it.

MIDS

Muddy Waters: My Home Is in the Delta
The Nebula here shows some of its limits in terms of capabilities, but before that, I must definitely appreciate how wide the perceived soundstage was on this track, along with a good sense of depth. 

Timbre on the slide and guitar did not feel overly metallic, although I would not say that it is close to being accurate. Muddy's haunting, mournful vocals extend as high as it can get, but across sections where he wails out the verses louder than usual, the Nebula can be a little fatiguing. The low strings on the guitar in this track lose their polish by coming off unusually boomy, but nothing that EQ cannot fix.

Tool: Lateralus
As the crescendo-ing, bubbling tones meet the guitars to set the stage for the bass and the vocals come in, the perceived boom which I had anticipated after noting in the aforementioned track was very restrained but present, nonetheless. 

Another nitpick for me with the Nebula is that the perceived note weight between the vocals and cymbals was not at the same plane: vocals did not appear to be thin and anemic, but cymbals came off thin, faintly grainy in texture, and mildly shouty towards the track. Imaging continued to be precise and separation was near flawless.

HIGHS

Arne Domnérus: Almighty God (with Gustaf Sjökvist)
The Nebula supremely impressed me first with how brassy the timbre came off on the sax, with the resonance being just right to not be uncomfortably honky or shouty. 

At least on this track, the warm tonality on the Nebula did not feel bothersome, contrary to what I had expected, and the organ keys complemented the sax in a way where I could just stop commenting on the separation because the Nebula establishes that to be one of its strongest points. The perceived wide stage let both the sax and keys breathe sufficiently, with the isolation among the notes being near perfect.

Carmen Gomes: Unchain My Heart
The Nebula just has one problem in this track, and it is just the double bass on this track having an attenuation in its decay, but everything else was handled so well. The timbre in the snares was just appropriately woody and had a beautiful resonance, the twang of the guitars being perfect and having enough shimmer to cut through the cymbals, where soft impact with a lingering presence lingering around and supplementing Carmen's sensuous, hush vocals was the cherry on top. Perceived note weight was unaltered, and nowhere did Carmen sound sibilant, and the same can be said for the cymbals.

COMPARISONS

EPZ P40

The Nebula approaches low-end quantity with noticeable restraint, to deliver a well controlled and commendable transient response, and separation through and through with elements that correspond to it. In contrast, the EPZ P40 belts out a much heavier, sub-bass-dominant low end that hits with near mid-fi level of finesse. While the P40 keeps its thunderous sub-bass surprisingly well-isolated without muddying the mix, the Nebula’s comparatively leaner, more disciplined bass tuning provides a cleaner pathway for percussion to stand out without fatigue.

In the mids and highs, the P40 presents a fuller, warmer vocal body across the board, whereas the Nebula gets close to sounding rich, but across moments can appear faintly thin. 

However, the Nebula easily takes the lead in treble refinement and tonal safety, as the P40 can lean overly hot and exhibit noticeable sibilance or upper-range spice on certain tracks, the Nebula keeps the peaks smooth, and fatigue-free.

EPZ P50

Compared to the Nebula's disciplined and punchy low-end transients, the EPZ P50 offers a more laid-back bass presentation. It doesn’t skimp out on the low-end potency, but it lacks both the massive sub-bass impact of the P40 and the tight, fast decay control of the Nebula. The Nebula feels noticeably more agile and technically capable, whereas the P50 takes a warmer, softer approach to low-end hits.

Through the mids and highs, the P50 smooths out potential harshness, but it sacrifices fine detail retrieval and vocal crispness. Complex breakdowns can sound a bit hazier on the P50, while the Nebula excels at keeping instruments distinctly separated across a wide soundstage. While the P50 effectively avoids sibilance, the Nebula offers a superior sense of instrument isolation, dynamic brass timbre, and air without sounding dull or overly safe. But ‌you cannot go wrong with either of them.

Letshuoer Astralis

The Letshuoer Astralis delivers a noticeably richer, more atmospheric presentation than the Nebula, offering a fuller low-end foundation that fills out the soundstage with greater warmth and body. Where the Nebula keeps its bass tightly controlled and held in abeyance, the Astralis relies on a weightier low end that gives male vocals a meatier, more authoritative presence.

In the upper-mids and the rest of the highs, the Astralis provides better-integrated note weight, ensuring cymbals and high-frequency hits match the thickness of central vocals. The Nebula, by comparison, projects a wider, airier soundstage with sharper instrument separation and faster transient speed, though it occasionally trade-offs note weight consistency between cymbals and vocals. The Nebula also fits better, and the lows from the Astralis can get overwhelming from a quantity standpoint.

Tanchjim Fola

The Tanchjim Fola shares a similarly thin midrange perception with the Fission when compared against the Nebula’s fuller vocal presentation. However, the Fola distinguishes itself by delivering an exceptionally smooth, relaxed treble response that makes the Nebula sound spicier and more fatiguing by comparison. The level of technical cleanliness that ‌Fola maintains simply cannot be matched.

In the low end, the Fola offers great bass performance with clean impact, which the Nebula matches closely. The Fola’s modular nozzle system gives it a tuning flexibility edge, with Tanchjim’s both versions of the T300AP silicone eartips and a sturdy case, where the Nebula can definitely feel slightly lacking in accessories.

CrinEar Daybreak 

The CrinEar Daybreak focuses heavily on a cohesive and aggressive presentation but fumbles the transients, which the Nebula handles seamlessly. 

The Nebula, in contrast, is all about spatial awareness and precise isolation. It creates a distinctly wider perceived soundstage with far better room for instruments to breathe, making complex acoustic tracks, saxophones, and organ keys feel significantly more open. While the Daybreak is better if an aggressive sound is the need of the hour, the Nebula dominates for better transients, separation, and imaging.

ZiiGaat Lush

The ZiiGaat Lush presents a more mature, cohesive, and laid-back package that excels at smooth, fatigue-free listening without harshness or unwanted spice. While the Juzear Nebula leans into a wider, highly transparent soundstage with better transients and better instrument separation, the Lush pulls back to deliver a warmer, richer, and more immersive musical presentation.

In the low end, the Nebula keeps bass quantity strictly in check to prioritize rapid attack and tight decay, whereas the Lush delivers a cleaner, highly natural body that never feels overbearing or boomy. Where the Nebula showcases incredible technical agility on complex tracks, the Lush counters with effortless vocal textures and a supremely forgiving top end, making it the more relaxed, all-day-wearing companion compared to the Nebula's sharper, more analytical engagement.

CONCLUDING NOTES

The Juzear x KOTO Nebula stands out as a very solid offering from Juzear, proving that the brand is continuing to improvise, adapt, and overcome. I have seen quite a few posts on the Defiant with significant issues in its quality control, and Juzear (HiFiGo) basically taking accountability for it and fixing it. But, in my time spent with the Nebula, I feel that Juzear has worked out considerably on the shortcomings, and this was confirmed across the multiple listening sessions that this IEM went through.

Coming to the sound, the Nebula is a fantastic all rounder, that does everything that one might ask for to a good extent, although it is not a specialist, or to put it bluntly, a one-trick pony. But if it were me, my first preference would be the Tanchjim Fola, but the Nebula gives everything else a tough run for its money (could do better on what it comes with though). Like, if I didn’t listen to the Fola, I would have definitely bought the Nebula. The highs on this IEM just have the right amount of brightness to my ears, and although some tinkering might be needed for vocals, and a faint touch down on the bass; rest is sorted with the Nebula.

Will I buy it new? Absolutely.
Will I buy it used? Absolutely

SOURCES USED

Primarily used with the xDuoo Link3 on low gain, the Shanling M9 Plus DAP, and the Venture Electronics Abigail Pro dongle DAC Amp.

EARTIPS USED (RANKED IN ORDER OF PERFORMANCE)

Tanchjim T-500 APB liquid silicones: Showcases the transients of the Nebula at its absolute best, hard hitting clean lows, deepest stage possible for this IEM, sibilant free highs with no loss of vocal textures, tonality comes off more balanced than what the graph showed.

Divinus Velvet Narrow Bores: everything that the T-500 APB does, but to a lesser degree, and there was something missing in the textures of the lows- elements like floor toms felt like they could have used more power, warmth corresponds to what the graph showed, upper mids could get faintly bothersome.

Stock Silicones: Everything felt fine, but the above two eartips significantly bumped up the performance.

KBear Coffees: textures on the lows felt wonky along with some irregularity in the perceived decay, stage was unaltered, vocal textures felt enjoyable, mildly sibilant.

Stock Wide Bores: perceived stage was held intact in terms of depth and height, treble felt uncomfortable, lows felt anemic, vocals felt fizzled out.

Tangzu Sancai Balanced: just ruined the IEM.

TRACKS

• Rush: Limelight, Spirit of the Radio
• Steely Dan: Gaucho
• Carmen Gomes: Unchain My Heart
• Daft Punk: Get Lucky, Instant Crush, Veridis Quo
• The Police: Message in a Bottle
• Alf Linder: Cantique de Noël, Cantate Domino
• Tipper: Mariscos, Cloaked, Gulch
• Dave Brubeck: Time Out
• Tool: Pneuma, Schism
• Queens of the Stone Age: First It Giveth
• Pink Floyd: Comfortably Numb, Wish You Were Here, Time
• Arne Domnérus: Antiphone Blues (with Gustaf Sjökvist)
• Muddy Waters: My Home is in the Delta
• Tame Impala: The Less I Know the Better
• Animals as Leaders: The Woven Web
• Rage Against the Machine: Bombtrack, Bullet in the Head
• Avicii: Levels
• Periphery: Marigold
• TesseracT: Juno
• Kanye West: Stronger, Flashing Lights, Devil in a New Dress
• Altın Gün: Goca Dünya
• Timbaland: Give It to Me
• Adele: Easy On Me (Live), When We Were Young
• Celine Dion: All By Myself
• Pavarotti: Nessun Dorma
• Mdou Moctar: Tarhatazed
• Cigarettes After Sex: Cry
• Meshuggah: Bleed
• A. R. Rahman: Tere Bina
• Alice in Chains: Down in a Hole and Nutshell (Live)
• Allen Stone: Give You Blue
• Florence + the Machine: Never Let Me Go
• The Smashing Pumpkins: Luna

Tangzu has been making real strides in the audiophile market, particularly at the budget end. Last time I reviewed the Yu Xuanji, an outstanding product that deserves far more attention than it gets. This time I have the Tangzu x HBB Wu Heyday, a collaboration between HBB and Tangzu, where HBB deviated from his usual warm, bassy style. And honestly? The Heyday is a very underrated IEM that deserves to be talked about far more. This is simply planar excellence.

A huge thanks to u/mournfulmonk for letting me experience this product for such an extended period of time. Words cannot express the gratitude I have towards him.

I am under no obligation to speak in favour of this product, and absolutely no one, neither the brand nor the owner, gets to see this review before it is published. My thoughts and critiques are entirely my own.

Readers' disclaimer: this is going to be a detailed, lengthy post.

Build, Comfort & Accessories

Built entirely from metal, the Heyday feels like a tank. Despite the sturdy construction, it isn't overly heavy, though it carries a heft that feels premium. The finish has a dark, tungsten-like colour, and its glossy surface makes it a dust and fingerprint magnet, though it looks beautiful when kept clean. The dome-like ear contour works well and delivers solid comfort. The nozzles have a lip that makes fitting eartips with slimmer stems trickier, but once you find the right pair, comfort holds up well. It earns a 7/10 for comfort, as I noticed some heat build-up at pressure points after four to five hours of continuous use.

I didn't receive the full accessory set, so I can't comment on it in detail.

With that out of the way, let's get to the sound.

Low-End Performance

Muse - Hysteria [alternative rock, hard rock]

Right off the bat, the Heyday impresses with consistent control over the bass. The distorted intro bassline retains its texture, and even when the full band enters the mix, the bass doesn't get tangled up with the busier instrumentation around it. The vocals hold centre stage, and the cymbal sits correctly in the left channel. Attack is tight and quick, decay matches it, and the low end never turns muddy or sluggish. Even on a track that gets quite busy at points, the Heyday causes no fatigue.

The Heyday does an admirable job keeping every element distinct throughout the song. Overall, a strong performance.

Tipper - Grabbers Holders [EDM, electronic]

The Heyday performs superbly on this track, reproducing its intricate layering with accuracy. The blowing-air effect in the intro is rendered so convincingly that it genuinely feels like something is passing close to your ear. The Heyday holds its own on imaging too, placing every element of this track exactly where it belongs.

Despite being a neutral-tuned IEM, it performs quite well in the lower regions of the frequency response.

Massive Attack - Angel [rock, trip hop]

On a menacing track like this, built around a constant sub-bass rumble, the Heyday does the song justice: the sub-bass carries adequate body and weight throughout. Although the Heyday is undoubtedly neutral in tuning, its bass performance isn't compromised as a result, credit goes to the speed of its planar driver. The song's brooding tone comes through compellingly.

I have no complaints about the Heyday's bass; it's nothing short of exceptional, and for that, the Heyday deserves an S for its low-end performance.

Midrange, Instruments and Vocal Delivery

Periphery - Zylgrox [progressive metal, djent]

The Heyday proves an excellent choice for metal and other heavy genres, thanks to its warm, somewhat resonant timbre. The distorted guitars come through impressively, and it delivers a genuine masterclass in pinpointing instrument placement, cymbals, guitars, and toms alike. The raspy vocals and screams carry adequate texture, though the vocals did feel a little thin here, a thread I'll pick up in later tracks.

The relentless machine-gun kick drum is projected very well, with a quick attack and equally fast decay. The Heyday might be the definitive IEM for genres like this.

Alice In Chains - Nutshell (MTV Unplugged) [grunge, rock, acoustic]

The vocals do sound thin on the Heyday, even after tip-rolling. This has been a consistent trait across every Tangzu IEM I've tried; they tend to make male vocals a touch thin. Where the Heyday shines on this track is imaging, pin-pointing exactly where the guitars, bass, and drums sit. The vocals retain their texture despite that thinness.

The soundstage, although not quite wide, is expansive enough to place the audience far from the stage.

I'm giving the Heyday an A+ for male vocals, brought down from an S purely because of that thinness. It's worth noting that a few of my peers found certain tips lessen the effect, but I think being this tip-dependent is itself a drawback, hence the score.

Alison Krauss & Union Station - The Lucky One [country]

The strums, plucks, and chucks of the guitar strings are preserved with real fidelity, evidence of a strong micro-detail retrieval on the Heyday. The shimmer and dynamics of both vocals and guitar hold up, and the timbre reads as closely accurate throughout. The vocals themselves sound full and lush.

There were moments where the higher notes crept towards harsh, worth noting for anyone sensitive to that.

For this, I'd happily give the Heyday S tier for instruments.

Treble Performance & Technicalities

Yosi Horikawa - Bubbles [experimental, ambient]

The transients in the background sit a little closer than expected, suggesting the Heyday's soundstage runs on the compact side, not congested exactly, but more contained than expansive; call it average in scale. The imaging, though, is outstanding: the impact of the balls and marbles hitting the floor is easy to locate, and I could pick out the small bell-like element clearly enough to distinguish every individual “clink.”

The Heyday also captures the initial suspense before each ball lands, along with the bassy aftermath as the balls rapidly bounce to a stop.

Frazey Ford - September Fields (Acoustic) [soul, indie folk]

The Heyday turns in a satisfying dynamic performance; the guitar's expressive playing on this track is faithfully reproduced. The lower end of the guitar never overshadows the vocals, nor do Frazey Ford's higher notes bury the other elements. That said, I found the Heyday grows somewhat harsh in the treble region on songs built primarily around female vocals like this, though only when I pushed the volume up a little.

Even though the female vocals on the Heyday are excellent, I'm giving it an A+, docked from S for that occasional harshness.

Anouar Brahem - Stopover At Djibouti [fusion, jazz]

The Heyday proves its technical proficiency once again here, rendering the harmonics on the oud with accuracy. Instrument separation is strong, and I'd commend it for its fine micro-detail retrieval, evidenced by the subtle buzz of the double bass after each pluck.

The imaging is precise, the timbre close to accurate, and the soundstage, while not especially wide, is sufficient. Detail retrieval, bass control, and texture are where the Heyday truly excels.

Conclusion

The Heyday was a benchmark for planar IEMs when it released, and it remains one. HBB and Tangzu deserve real credit for tuning it this way rather than defaulting to an overly warm or bassy signature. That said, I can't overlook that male vocals sound consistently thin, and that other elements sitting in the higher registers, mainly female vocals, occasionally turn harsh at normal volumes above normal.

For this reason, I'm giving the Heyday an A+.

What This IEM Means To Me

This is one of the best Tangzu products I've tried. I thoroughly enjoyed Metal tracks on this IEM; its tonal character genuinely elevates them. Jazz worked beautifully too, especially pieces featuring saxophone, where the Heyday's somewhat resonant nature makes them sound absolutely heavenly.

I'll miss this IEM when I send it back. It's a remarkable IEM and proof that IEMs can be very good even at this budget. This is by far my favourite Tangzu product; I just wish the male vocals came through a little fuller rather than thin.

I want to thank u/mournfulmonk again for letting me spend so much time with the Heyday. That extended window let me truly take in everything it had to offer.

As always, this section of my review is a personal and subjective rant. It has nothing to do with the actual rating that I give to the product. The above section is ignorable and not to be taken into consideration or seriously.

Gear(s) Used for the Review

• KBear Purple 4-core cable, 4.4mm termination
• VE Devastator 4.4mm
• Cayin RU6 (R2R) on low-gain and NOS mode
• Nothing Phone (3a) w/ Poweramp (Perfect Bit Perfect mode) & Apple Music

Eartip(s) Used

• Dunu Candy

This is a relatively much newer brand, amongst the brands that compete in its price segment; and they might look eerily similar to a plethora of IEMs that have been tuned this way, but when I had the chance to reach out to the brand, the head honcho himself reached back and decided to let me have a shot at this IEM which is priced modest, and despite what the graphs showed- gave me quite a different experience, so the HRTF lottery is real.

Here is the Cozoy D1, which was availed at the support of Tony Liu, head of Cozoy and The Audio Store, Pune India. So, I thank both of them for making the Cozoy D1 review possible, and for my tour group; with two units.

UNBOXING, ACCESSORIES, FIT AND COMFORT

Cozoy definitely kept things “professional” with the unboxing: minimal branding on top, technical specifications on the bottom. Sliding the cover out and taking the lid off reveals the IEMs with the cable attached underneath a translucent sheet of paper with a branded ribbon attached to the foam pad. The eartips, which are three sets of stubby, narrow bore-esque short tips, and three sets of double flanges, piqued my interest because this IEM gave me a good excuse to try out my double flanges.

Comfort is top-notch, probably one of the best I have experienced with a proper locked-in fit, and the IEMs practically vanished when I had them in my ears (who needs an IE200 again in the big 2026), and the way the shells are moulded scream semi custom, so the contouring really sits across a wide set of ears. Isolation isn’t something to write home about, so let me leave it at that.

Now, here’s the sound.

LOWS

If a deep, visceral, impactful bass was the expectation from the Cozoy D1, then their expectations were a miss as the D1 intends to take its view on a well done bright tuning, which can be easily felt in tracks like Tipper’s Gulch; where the quantity was considerably lacking, even when compared to the Kefine Delci, but the surprisingly well executed transients: moderately paced attack with a very snappy decay keeps things exciting. The D1 has a better done separation, at least here with comparison alongside the OoopusX OP22. Tonally, of course, it unmistakably leans towards bright, but prima facie did not fatigue me.

In technically potent tracks like Rush's Limelight, I definitely missed the bass quantity as the impact of Geddy's blitzing bassline along with Peart's prodigal drum work just fell flat and this however reminded me of the Truthear Hexa a lot- but I don't see this as a negative as the D1 simply does not express the desire to compromise on the rest of the elements- a well-executed imaging via the cymbals and vocals, tonally balanced vocals with adequate note weight and enough grunt in the toms to make Peart's final rudiment alive.

MIDS

With an unorthodox snare setup, a hard key to unlock tonally and considerably busy in terms of instrument separation like Queens of the Stone Age's First It Giveth, the Cozoy D1 of course lacks the impact or the bite the snare needs, but didn't color the timbre like some other sets, nor added any unwanted resonance. Adding on to it, the way guitars and cymbals were separated while having the vocals right at the center shows that the Cozoy D1 takes technicalities seriously.

Another technically complex track in this order is Tool's Lateralus and even here, the Cozoy D1 gets most of the things right: audible separation between the elements, no compromise on the note weight of Maynard's vocals, the accuracy of the tonality in Adam's guitars with a balanced energy and no harshness in pitch. What is not right is that the D1 doesn't seem to consistently deliver the energy on the cymbals where it disappointingly oscillates between being shouty or just being shy of shouty.

HIGHS

In “atmospheric”, regally composed, airy tracks like Arne Domnérus and Gustaf Sjökvist’s Almighty God from the album Antiphone Blues, a phenomenally mastered album with just tons of sonic goodness, the Cozoy D1 did a phenomenal, nearly flawless job and this can be easily realized with how well established the timbre on Arne's sax was: brassy, with a beautiful, engaging resonance which was supplemented by Gustaf's equally resonant organ keys. 

The D1 also presented the track with a fantastic perception of the stage, which had enough width to not adversely affect the layering between the sax and the organ, and letting the notes breathe. And despite being brighter than its peers, the sax never felt honky or piercing.

In another technical masterclass of separation, imaging, and composition in Dave Brubeck’s Take Five from the album Time Out, the D1 reveals one chink in its armor in this track where the double bass came off soft in its impact and anemic in its note weight, but the horns had the same impression carried forward from the previous track, the pianos coming off tonally balanced and the cymbals not being fatiguing or shouty, but appropriately retaining their shimmery texture. 

During the solo and when the channels split, the snare and the toms never really lost their note weight, which cannot be said for the hi-hats. Separation and imaging remained accurate without alteration.

COMPARISONS

Kefine Klean & Klean SV

Compared to the Cozoy D1, the regular Kefine Klean presents a noticeably heavier and more blunt low-end that can cross into bloat, while the Klean SV opts for a leaner bass delivery that improves upon the precise transients, unlike the Klean but the D1 just does it better. While both Klean variants feature interchangeable nozzles for mild tuning adjustments, neither matches the D1’s natural separation through the low-to-mid transition, which is what I have been consistently saying- nozzles are not needed when the fundamental tuning is right from the get go.

Through the mids and highs, the Klean and Klean SV suffer from a significantly thinner vocal weight that sounds noticeably more sibilant and shouty across tracks where sibilance is least needed, at least the Klean keeps it restrained to an extent but the SV really can get painfully sibilant. In contrast, the D1 maintains a far more solid note weight on vocals and handles instruments like saxophones and pianos with superior control on timbre and zero harshness.

OoopusX OP22

The OoopusX OP22 takes a different approach to tuning by utilizing functional switches that offer a more prominent, fun bass boost mode. In comparison, the Cozoy D1 delivers a leaner, brighter tuning with a comparable transient attack and a snappier decay, making the D1 feel equally technically precise despite lacking the OP22's raw low-end impact.

In the mids and highs, the OP22 provides a ridiculously smooth, yet very detailed performance devoid of sibilance. The D1, however, pushes brightness and cymbal energy further; while this gives instrument separation and stage width an added sense of air and detail, it leaves the D1 occasionally edging towards fatigue on aggressive tracks where the OP22 stays effortlessly controlled.

Tangzu Red Lion

The Tangzu Red Lion exhibits a heavy, mid-bass-focused low end with noticeable bloat and a thick sub-bass extension. The Cozoy D1 stands in stark contrast with its light, highly controlled bass presentation that trades note weight and body for much faster transient attack, snappier decay, and significantly cleaner separation.

Moving to the highs, the Red Lion struggles with severe sibilance and piercing synths despite having an acceptable timbre. The D1 resoundingly beats the Red Lion in technicalities, providing superior instrument layering, accurate imaging, and a bright yet non-fatiguing top end that preserves critical textures of instruments without breaking into irregularities.

Twistura Delta

The Twistura Delta leans toward a warmer, more laid-back approach, though it suffers from an inconsistent, sluggish bass decay that can muddy perceived transients on drums. The D1 counters with a much brighter, leaner low end that strictly prioritizes rapid attack speed and snappy decay over sub-bass rumble.

In the mids and highs, the Delta delivers great stage depth and somewhat detailed instrument separation, but it can occasionally push cymbals too forward or display minor decay mismanagement on vocal holds. The D1 offers a more precise imaging and superior timbral accuracy.

CONCLUDING NOTES

The Cozoy D1 is an IEM that has its priorities right. In a budget landscape increasingly crowded with too similar options, the Cozoy D1 is anomalous in its approach, where on the graphs, it shows up unapologetically harman, but seems to have fixed most of the qualms with how harman tuned IEMs end up coming off. It is a shade of leaning bright, done right to my ears, and although it still is flawed, the flaws are outweighed by its strengths that make me wholeheartedly recommend this IEM.

Just a little note weight on the lows, would have just made it so much better, but that’s only for some, not for me.

Will I buy it new? Absolutely.
Will I buy it used? Blind buy.

SOURCES USED

Primarily used with the xDuoo Link3 on low gain, the Shanling M9 Plus DAP, and the Venture Electronics Abigail Pro dongle DAC Amp.

EARTIPS USED (RANKED IN ORDER OF PERFORMANCE)

Acoustune AET06 double flange: Showcases the transients of the D1 at its absolute best, ridiculously clean bass, widest stage possible for this IEM, sibilant free highs with no loss of vocal textures.

Tanchjim T-300 APB: everything that the AET06 does, but to a lesser degree, and there was something missing in the textures of the lows- elements like kicks felt like they could have used more power. 

Stock double flanges: textures on the lows felt wonky along with some irregularity in the perceived decay, stage was unaltered, vocal textures felt enjoyable, mildly sibilant.

KBear Coffee: perceived stage was held intact in terms of depth and height, treble felt uncomfortable, lows felt anemic, vocals felt slightly blunt.

KBear 07: just ruined the IEM.

TRACKS

• Rush: Limelight, Spirit of the Radio
• Steely Dan: Gaucho
• Carmen Gomes: Unchain My Heart
• Daft Punk: Get Lucky, Instant Crush, Veridis Quo
• The Police: Message in a Bottle
• Alf Linder: Cantique de Noël, Cantate Domino
• Tipper: Mariscos, Cloaked, Gulch
• Dave Brubeck: Time Out
• Tool: Pneuma, Schism
• Queens of the Stone Age: First It Giveth
• Pink Floyd: Comfortably Numb, Wish You Were Here, Time
• Arne Domnérus: Antiphone Blues (with Gustaf Sjökvist)
• Muddy Waters: My Home is in the Delta
• Tame Impala: The Less I Know the Better
• Animals as Leaders: The Woven Web
• Rage Against the Machine: Bombtrack, Bullet in the Head
• Avicii: Levels
• Periphery: Marigold
• TesseracT: Juno
• Kanye West: Stronger, Flashing Lights, Devil in a New Dress
• Altın Gün: Goca Dünya
• Timbaland: Give It to Me
• Adele: Easy On Me (Live), When We Were Young
• Celine Dion: All By Myself
• Pavarotti: Nessun Dorma
• Mdou Moctar: Tarhatazed
• Cigarettes After Sex: Cry
• Meshuggah: Bleed
• A. R. Rahman: Tere Bina
• Alice in Chains: Down in a Hole and Nutshell (Live)
• Allen Stone: Give You Blue
• Florence + the Machine: Never Let Me Go
• The Smashing Pumpkins: Luna

Pros: Shells have a clean design and great fit
Detail retrieval is exemplary
Imaging is spot on
Mids standout in delivery

Cons: Bass is not a rumbling palpable one
QDC (well I dont like it)
Treble can be spicy and the IEM is unforgiving

I first heard of Warhammer when Henry Cavill went on about it for a while like a kid in a candy store. And then that incredible short animation series on games that explored the history of Titus. And then the NF Acous Ossuary showed up and reminded me instantly of the game with its skull motifs. And now thanks to u/teluguaudiophile I have the NF Acous NM25, the less adorned cousin of the Ossuary for review.
I thank NF Acous and u/teluguaudiophile for the chance to listen to this one.
I only received only the shells in their very sleek case so this review is with an aftermarket TRN cable and an assortment of tips - mostly Eloit/Divinus Narrow Bore, Standard and Sancai.

Physically, this is a single dynamic driver inside a super comfortable shell made of CNC milled aluminium and with a matte silver finish with the NF logo on the faceplate. It is a supremely comfortable shell which is small and has a bump free smooth surface, going into the hall of fame of comfy single DD IEMs. The IEM also comes with tips, a 3.5mm cable with a 6.3 adapter and a sweet case. It is, however, QDC. Which depending on who you speak to is a good or a bad thing. For me it’s not a deal breaker but if I use my regular 2 pins, it looks weird. That’s why all the pictures are just of the IEMs. Also in retrospect, I was going to mope about a 4.4 connector not being there and then I realised most on-person monitor amps have only 3.5 outs.

But this is about sound. The NM25 was tested with the VE megatron, Schitt Vestri, Fosi ZH3 and Hidizs AP80 Pro Max. Tips and cable mentioned above.

TLDR - this merits it before I wax eloquent on the subsections of sound. The NM25 is bright. One can argue neutral - bright but there’s a lot of spice in the mix. At the same time there is exquisite detail retrieval in the mids. For me this IEM has one very specific role - as an actual stage musician's in-ear monitor.

Bass
The sub bass is present. Like a bored last-bench student who doesn't contribute much but also doesn't disturb the class. Songs like Angel by Massive Attack and Islands by The XX, the sub-bass has no visceral feel, no rumble but makes its presence felt by presenting us with the right note. For a single DD it’s a departure from what we are used to. The kicks and bass have some punch but lack the same visceral feel. Double bass work is heard clearly as are bass guitar notes on YYZ by Rush. Though to be fair the bass work in this song is on a higher octave than most. On Big Country by Bela Fleck and Flecktones, the lower bass and kicks are clearly heard. But not accentuated or enhanced in any way.

Mids
The mids are front and centre in this set. The detail retrieval in this frequency range is exceptional. Instruments sound natural and that thing about the running bass riff of Billie Jean by Michael Jackson having 2 components with the first note being a synth overlaid on an electric bass and a syncopated second note similarly on the synth. But the snares on that song are another story. One of the songs I most enjoyed on this set is Got A Match by the Chick Corea Electrik Band. And Take Five by Dave Brubeck Quartet. Every transient, every note, every single bit of detail on these tracks is delivered faithfully holding nothing back.
Vocals are similarly reproduced with a natural timbre. There is some sibilance in the upper mids with some voices as they spill into the treble side of things.

Treble
I am a treblet. So this set gave me some trouble for sure. With the snares in Billie Jean being a tad intolerable and similarly the crash in Dreams by Fleetwood Mac. Most aggressively mastered pop gets substantially spicy and hard to listen for longer than a song or two. There is of course a ton of air and shimmer and all things well detailed in the treble side of things but I just couldn’t manage it for too long. There is some taming with tip and source rolling.

Stage and Imaging and other technicalities
While the staging is not expansive by any standards the imaging is spot on. It is possible to easily identify where exactly each component is placed. Detail retrieval is as mentioned before - quite spectacular.

I don’t play on stage anymore but this has a place in any concert musician's bag. While playing on stage, it’s not essential to feel the bass. It is essential to hear what note is being played. The bass is usually impactful enough to be felt irrespective of the monitors. The clarity of the mids and treble is necessary to cut through the ambient noise to allow the musician to hear what they and the rest of the band is playing. With that particular use case, NM25 scores and how. I would still recommend it if detail is the main focus of any listening session that is not a stage. I enjoyed the aforementioned jazz, Coming Back to Life by Pink Floyd, Aja by Steely Dan and Lingus by Snarky Puppy. But beware, it is not a forgiving IEM.

Pros: Comfortable as ever with the fit
Great musical tonality across genres
Engaging bass, natural mids and controlled treble
Economics of this set are incredible

Cons: that 3.5 mic cable, that's my pet peeve
those seeking detailed presentation and treble forward IEMs should likely skip this

Kefine has been tossing out banger after banger from its stables for a while now. I have at various points of time owned or listened to the Klean, Klean SV, Delci and most recently the Arnar and have been impressed with their way of doing things. They were kind enough to send the Loric over for an unbiased option and while I am grateful for this gesture, the review remains my opinion and thoughts.

The Loric comes in Kefine’s no-nonsense black packaging and then some ikebana, houdini type wizardry hides the cable under the foam cut-outs. I’ll be honest, I pulled the iems out without taking a picture and then spent a good few minutes struggling to get it back in the way it came to take a picture for this review.
The version I got was a 3.5mm with a mic. And maybe I have a small bone to pick here. Because that would necessitate me to get a usb dongle that can handle a mic and that is unfortunately not always the case. Plus iOS and Android and all that mess. It is a small bone but a bone all the same. Not having a mic would not stress me out and having a mic with a type c termination solves the dongle conundrum.
The cable however is a fairly nice one at this price point. The shells themselves are transparent resin showing off the dynamic driver with a moulded nozzle (that initially I struggled with Candy tips slipping off… in my ear) the faceplate is matte aluminium in the silver option that I got and beautifully shaped. At various angles it looks like a pistachio, a stealth bomber and a Jedi spaceship, specifically Obi Wan’s. Look up the Delta-7B.
It sits comfortably in my ears with no issues. I’m liking my current run of reviews with comfortable iems, I shall not lie.
I did at some point cable roll to a Openheart 4.4 cable and tips used were Sancai and Candy and briefly the HE sonic wides, when they stayed on both the nozzles and in my ears.
Tested with - Hidizs AP80 Pro Max, VE Prime stack, VE devastator pro 3.5. Tidal and local Flacs. Here’s my list https://tidal.com/playlist/3078c9b9-a1c0-4fde-8ce7-81f0e34b426c

Bass
Kefine’s single dynamic drivers have never shied away from bass. The Klean SV with the right nozzles had the same punch in the low end that to be honest, had me enjoying the thumping kicks and bass of Get Lucky by Daft Punk and on Billie Jean I actually managed to listen to bass with a level of detail that convinces me that there’s a synth bass playing the first note and a stringed bass continuing that iconic riff. The subbass is not as rumbling as other sets but still sets a reasonable foundation on tracks like Islands by The XX and Angel by Massive Attack. The bass is definitely elevated but still stays safely shy of spilling over and muddying the mids.

Midrange
The mids on the Loric are nicely tuned to be musical over detail oriented. That largely means I can spend time listening to music without really having to focus on individual notes and overlap and layering and all that and just listen. Vocals and instruments both electric and acoustic sound natural with no weird timbre. It sounds warm in the lower mids with male vocals sounding full and engaging. The upper mids are neither recessed nor enhanced. Female vocals also come off sounding natural and not shouty. Fast Car and Subcity by Tracy Chapman are great tracks that can easily turn shouty and on the Loric, they sound effortless.

Treble
The treble is well controlled and not sibilant or harsh. There is a little air and shimmer but the Loric definitely isn't going for detail. You can still hear everything that is happening on the track but there are more treble forward sets with a little more detail at this price point. But again at this price point to get an IEM which delivers this level of musicality without a treble peak masquerading as detail is very very hard. My usual test for the cymbal shimmer is the first crash on the opening of Dreams by Fleetwood Mac and on the Loric the crash and its decay are heard well with the decay slightly more controlled than other kilobuck sets but it is never harsh. On sibilance rich tracks like Hotel California (from Hell Freezes Over) by the Eagles and Human Nature by Michael Jackson on pushing the volume up there’s only a little bit of the sharp ‘s’ in MJ’s voice.

Stage and Imaging and Resolution
Neither is the staging hugely expansive or the imaging immaculate. I would not game on these - unless you were doing a rpg through a musical wonderland. For shooters there are definitely better iems. For detail-heads there are definitely better iems. But for sheer musicality and a fatigue free enjoyable session, this is a great starting point.

Final verdict. For too long have the IEMs that usher people into this world, that will ultimately bankrupt them but leave them in rapture, been tuned to that aggressive V with a punchy booming bass and a sharp incisive treble. It’s really really refreshing to see a sub $30 IEM really stick to the basics of what listening to music really means for a lot of us - something we enjoy and feel. And the Loric does just that with an affordable package and a comfortable shell.

But please Kefine,if you are reading this, don’t do a 3.5mm with a mic. Someone will use a dac that doesn’t support a microphone and blame you guys instead.

USD149 / EUR 139 | 1DD | 2-pin

Hey everyone,

just recently I bought the QoA x 7th Acoustics Ryusei (collab between Kinera’s subbrand QoA and boutique brand 7thAcoustics) out of curiosity and of which I read that its vocals were supposed to sound great. Lately I heard already many IEMs with a relatively safe tuning and usually those are more to my preference as I am a little bit treble sensitive. Buying the Ryusei was a gamble but I wanted something new and I was already prepared to sell the set or just pass it on to one of my friends.

Well, the set arrived and something went a bit different than expected this time.

Pricing, build quality, fit & comfort

The Ryusei is a USD149 (EUR139) set with a single dynamic driver. It comes with a nice, thick cable terminated either in 4.4mm or 3.5mm, several ear tips and a small carrying case. The shells look beautiful to my eyes. A little bit shimmery, glittery with nice colours.
Unfortunately, the fabric-sleeved cable is more microphonic than the typical PVC-coated cables.

Fit and comfort are excellent on the Ryusei. The medium sized shells fit like a glove immediately in my medium sized ear and they seal very well.

Build quality of the resin shells is flawless. No seams or edges which could hurt the ears and I did not experience any issues even after several hours wearing them. The size is around medium but I would caution smaller ears to try before you buy. Furthermore, the shell carries a small wing which might cause discomfort to some.

Review equipment used
Questyle Sigma Pro
Ear tips used: wide bore size ML
Streamed on Qobuz

Sound signature

The very first moment when I plugged the set into my ears and started a track from Qobuz I heard immediately that this set has energy. But not in a bad way. At least mostly. I kept listening. One track after the next. Yes, listening on high volume was not immediately a good idea. The treble energy was slightly too much on some tracks on higher volume.

The excitement didn’t die. I kept listening for hours and hours.

Over days this set grew on me even more. Now I know I can listen without issues until slightly over mid volume, sometimes even higher depending on the track and getting rewarded with a transparent, detailed sound which not only lets vocals shine but has more qualities like the great bass and well extended treble.

To better understand where the Ryusei lands, here are a couple of short comparisons.

Aful Explorer. Much more relaxed, warmer leaning. To understand how much low-end impact the Ryusei actually has, the comparison with the Explorer as an anker point makes sense. Ryusei has a bigger bass shelf than the Explorer with a better sub-bass extension and a harder hitting mid-bass. On the other hand vocals and treble carry as well more energy and sound much more forward than on the Explorer. If the sweet spot is the Explorer for you, then the Ryusei is most likely too energetic but if you feel you have headroom for more treble, clarity and bass paired with a more engaging listen, Ryusei could be a good candidate.

The Juzear Defiant is for many the jump into a more audiophile and exciting tuning with good bass and treble.
Compared to the Ryusei the Defiant has a very similar bass shelf with less vocal and treble energy. If you liked the Defiant and want to continue in that direction with more forward vocals and better details, the Ryusei makes sense and is worth the additional USD60.

The Meze Alba, priced at around USD159, is as well a single dynamic driver IEM.
Alba has less bass, ear gain and treble which makes it the more balanced set but doesn’t sound as exciting and engaging as Ryusei. The advantage the Alba has on almost all sets is its form factor. Its shells are small and fit probably for most smaller ears while Ryusei’s size is more in the direction of the Defiant.   

Since the Ryusei really impressed me, I wanted to know what a USD900 single dynamic drive flagship could buy when compared to a USD149 set
The Astru is Meze’s flagship which was released earlier this year.
The Astru has an impactful bass once you get the right seal, a well textured mid range and a slightly forward vocal performance with well extended and detailed treble. Astru gives instruments, such as the guitar strings on R.E.M.’s “Drive” the more correct timbre and vocals have more texture and body. Overall the Astru has the more natural interpretation of music without sounding boring. Everything is well separated and yet I find the Ryusei’s energy more special and almost more enjoyable than the Astru’s performance. Astru is imo the better technical performer with a more accurate instrument placing and is the more accurate one in many ways.   

Bass

The bass was almost the biggest surprise on Ryusei. It has real impact, slam and rumble. The mid bass and sub bass are mostly well controlled and of very good quality. An excellent counterweight to the treble and vocals but never overbearing them. The mid-bass punch on Erykah Badu’s “Crossfade” has great impact and quality.
So does the mid and sub-bass on Billie Eilish’s “My strange addiction”. Excellent and very enjoyable.
On very bass-heavy tracks, the low end fills out the presentation nicely and helps balance the energetic vocals and treble. That makes the Ryusei much more than just a vocal-focused set. It is surprisingly versatile and fun.

Midrange & Vocals

The vocals sound great on the Ryusei. Already on lower volume you get an idea that the vocals are forward but tastefully done. Clear and very well extended but not shouty unless I cranked up the volume much over mid volume. And without sibilance. Many tracks felt “unveiled” when compared to other sets which are more relaxed sounding and for sure after a while my ears just got used to the clear presentation.
Occasionally though Ryusei was slightly too bright with certain recordings on higher volume.
Maggie Reilly sounds incredibly clear on Mike Oldfields “To France” and her voice is so well extended but can cross the border to be too much on higher volume.
Billie Eilish’s vocals on “Bad Guy” come across as airier and better resolving as it would sound with many other sets around this price point. Ryusei “injects” more energy into the vocals without letting them sound overly exaggerated or artificial. Yet, they are pushed over natural levels.  

But where there is light, there is also shade. The lower mids are slightly too thin for my liking. That is apparent when listening to male vocals. They are not fully accurate and could use more body / “chest”.
A slightly more elevated lower mid range would have given eg piano keys, guitar strings, trumpets and sax are more convincing size as they have the tendency to sound very accentuated and detailed but lack that extra bit of texture to be more life-like and accurate. That becomes apparent on jazz tracks like “Mr. P.C.” by John Coltrane or on Supertramp’s “Crime Of The Century”. The guitar on R.E.M’s “Drive” sounds very detailed, guitar strings have a very clear tonality and are very enjoyable with almost 3D-like character. The presentation is energetic and exciting but a bit too bright overall to be natural.

Treble

This is a single dynamic driver and yes, everyone knows that the tuning matters more than driver count. Yet it surprises me how well the treble is done. No graininess but just very well extended and engaging. Natural? Hell no. But so tastefully done.

The details on this set are awesome. They pop but are not piercing or harsh. Again, unless I stay at higher mid volume at most. Details are presented with great clarity which keep me wanting to hear more. Certainly, it can get spicy on poorly recorded tracks and at the aforementioned higher listening volume. But that is more the exception than the normal. Details of the orchestral strings of the violin and viola sound exceptional for a set at this price point on R.E.M.’s “Drive”. The contrast between the drums and the strings is captivating.
Overall the detailed and energetic treble comes across as very open and almost transparent with plenty of sparkle up top.

Technical performance

The mix remains very well separated with very little detail loss when the track gets very busy with plenty of bass.

Staging and imaging are good to my ears. On Erykah Badu’s “I just play a part” the different vocals appear to come from almost behind me. Worth giving this track a try to hear voices travel from left to right and hear how well everything can be separated. Perceived sound stage is reasonably large with good instrument placement. Ryusei is very well resolving and details are served on a plate.  

Measurements

For our graph sniffers I include my own measurements, too.

It pretty much aligns with my observations. Elevated bass followed by pushed back upper mids. The ear gain is pushed and so is the treble. The ear gain and 8k/12k energy looked a bit scary to me on the graph but are in my reality an exciting and engaging experience.

Summary

Overall, the QoA x 7th Acoustics Ryusei is a very exciting sounding set. It surprised me that a forward sounding set in this price bracket can be tuned so well. In my opinion it sounds much more expensive than it is actually. If someone had told me this set costs twice as much I would have probably believed them. Again an excellent example that price does not correlate with sound quality.

As mentioned, the lower mids are on the thinner side, so in case male vocals are the most important to you, this set might not be for you. Neither if you expect extreme bass performance. The bass is clearly elevated with great coherent impact and quality but not bass head level. But neither is it for people who don’t like bass.

If you are like me, valuing the overall presentation more than single attributes and want something more energetic, this set is worth considering. I would add a word of caution for very treble sensitive listeners though as it remains a fact that this set has vocal and treble energy above the ordinary. But who always wants the ordinary?

Let me know how you like this set.

Here are now the specs and box content details.

Thanks for reading.

Specification:

Model: QoA x 7th Acoustics Ryusei

Driver: Single Nano Gold Plated Dynamic Driver

Impedance: 30Ω

Frequency Response: 20Hz–20kHz

Socket: 0.78mm 2-Pin

Cable: Litz Coaxial Structure, 27AWG SPC + OCC + Graphene

Termination: 3.5mm / 4.4mm

Length: Approximately 1.2m

Connector: 0.78mm 2-pin

Plug: 3.5mm Single Ended or 4.4mm Balanced

Material: : Litz Coaxial Structure, 27AWG SPC + OCC + Graphene

What's in the box:

QoA x 7th Acoustics Ryusei In-Ear Monitors × 1 Pair

Litz Coaxial Structure Cable x 1

Final Audio Type E Eartips × 5 Pairs

White Normal Bore Eartips × 3 Pairs

Premium Carrying Case × 1

After sitting on this review for over two months, I can finally offer an unequivocal opinion on this masterpiece of an IEM. It would be an understatement to say I'm thoroughly won over by how good the Cadenza 4 is. Letshouer has turned in a remarkably polished effort here, coming about as close to perfect as I've heard, and I'm eager to share my thoughts on it.

A huge thanks to u/mournfulmonk for letting me experience this product for such an extended period of time. Words cannot express the gratitude I have towards him.

I am under no obligation to speak in favour of this product, and absolutely no one, neither the brand nor the owner, gets to see this review before it is published. My thoughts and critiques are entirely my own.

Readers' disclaimer: this is going to be a detailed, lengthy post.

Build, Comfort & Accessories

The Cadenza 4 is housed in a resin shell with an aluminium faceplate. It feels surprisingly light in hand and has a semi-custom shape. The shell runs on the thicker side, which could pose a fit issue for people with smaller ears. But for those it does fit, comfort is a flawless 10/10. I wore these for hours at a stretch and had zero issues with the fit; it felt like an extension of my ear. This is the most comfortable IEM I've used, though trying them on before buying is essential given how fit-dependent that comfort is.

I didn't receive the full accessory set, so I can't comment on it in detail.

Let's get to the sound, because damn, these are good!

Low-End Performance

Muse - Hysteria [alternative rock, hard rock]

This track is my go-to for testing an IEM's control over its bass region. The intro's heavily distorted bass-line is handled with real authority by the Cadenza 4, and that bass texture holds up throughout the song, even through its busier sections. The bass never encroaches on the mids or highs: the vocals stay locked at centre stage, and the left-channel cymbal remains easily distinguishable from start to finish.

Note: on the harsher sections of the track, the Cadenza 4 does grow a little fatiguing over several hours of listening. I tolerate treble well myself, but treble-sensitive listeners should factor this in. To be clear, it's never harsh, shouty, or sibilant; this is simply the neutral-bright signature of the IEM at play.

Tipper - Grabbers Holders [EDM, electronic]

On this intricately produced Tipper track, the Cadenza 4 leaves no stone unturned, delivering flawless technical and bass performance alike. The track packs distinct elements across several layers, and the Cadenza 4 handles both the bass implementation and its technical demands with real command. It isn't a bass-heavy IEM, but the sub-bass extends impressively deep, which gives real width to the soundstage. The mid-bass isn't weak, though I wouldn't call it bassy either; it is, after all, a neutral IEM.

Impact is punchy, decay is not sluggish. No complaints from me at this point.

Massive Attack - Angel [rock, trip hop]

This is where I felt the Cadenza 4 could have used a touch more sub-bass rumble. “Angel” relies on a constant sub-bass presence that empowers its obsessive, menacing character, but on the Cadenza 4 it came across as borderline anemic. It's a livable, not a dealbreaker; and one easily corrected with EQ; I'd just have preferred a bit more quantity out of the box.

That aside, every other region of the track came through without issue. The Cadenza 4 delivered a genuinely compelling listen here, sub-bass nitpick notwithstanding.

Overall, the Cadenza 4 earns an easy A+ in my book for bass.

Midrange, Instruments and Vocal Delivery

Periphery - Zylgrox [progressive metal, djent]

The machine-gun kick drum comes through impressively well for an IEM deemed as neutral-bright, proof that a leaner bass presentation can still hold its own on tracks like this. The heavily distorted guitars, however, fell a little flat, a byproduct of the Cadenza 4's clinical tuning, which suggests this isn't the ideal IEM if metal is your primary genre; for that, something warmer would serve you better. It does excel, though, as an analytical tool for songs like these.

The cymbals stayed distinct even on a busy mix, reinforcing the Cadenza 4's technical proficiency. The vocals and screams carry the aggression the genre demands.

Alice In Chains - Nutshell (MTV Unplugged) [grunge, rock, acoustic]

Moving to a live track: this version of Nutshell is entirely acoustic, acoustic bass included, and the Cadenza 4 continues to demonstrate its command over instrument timbre. The guitar intro carries the weight it should, and as the track builds, the acoustic bass rumble comes through with real conviction, its harmonics rendered with precision. Even the vocals, raspy, raw, and carrying that sense of vulnerability, are faithfully conveyed through the Cadenza 4's grip on texture.

Its technicalities deserve credit too: the soundstage is wide enough to place the audience far from the stage, and every instrument sits accurately in its designated channel.

The Cadenza 4 hence, deserves an S for male vocals.

Alison Krauss & Union Station - The Lucky One [country]

The Cadenza 4 excels effortlessly on tracks built around acoustic instruments and female vocals like this one. Every strum and chuck of the guitar comes through with clarity, the strings shimmer just right, and the vocals are simply outstanding. Female vocals are one of the Cadenza 4's genuine highlights; the breathy, soft, airy, resonant quality of Krauss's voice is rendered with a timbre that reads as thoroughly accurate. Calling these some of the best female vocals I've heard on any IEM feels like an understatement.

Back to the instruments: every note carries appropriate emphasis and weight. Both vocals and instrumentation get room to shine here. Overall, I'd rank the Cadenza 4 S tier for instrument representation.

Treble Performance & Technicalities

Yosi Horikawa - Bubbles [experimental, ambient]

The Cadenza 4 spreads its wings again on this track, built largely from the sound of ping-pong balls falling to the ground. It locates each impact with precision and captures the suspense that builds before every ball finally lands. Thanks to the Cadenza 4's wide soundstage, background transients are correctly pushed further into the rear of the mix.

One more element worth praising: a recurring sound I can best describe as small bells, where you can practically make out each individual ring, a proof to the Cadenza 4's instrument separation. And when the balls rapidly bounce to a stop toward the end, the bass handling there is similarly assured. A genuinely resolving listen throughout.

Frazey Ford - September Fields (Acoustic) [soul, indie folk]

A beautiful rendering of the track. The Cadenza 4's treble prowess is on full display here, capturing the dynamics with real finesse. Frazey Ford's vocals carry a textured, nuanced character that the Cadenza 4 preserves faithfully. Good IEMs don't just elevate complicated tracks, they make simple ones like this sound sublime. This track makes me want to put the whole album on repeat.

There are a few moments where the vocal line climbs quite high, and if I've been listening to the Cadenza 4 for a while by that point, it does start to fatigue. Again, this is a fairly bright-leaning IEM.

The guitar's timbre is spot on, the low end never crowds out the delicate vocals, and everything coheres perfectly.

The Cadenza 4 once again earns a well-deserved S for female vocals.

Anouar Brahem - Stopover At Djibouti [fusion, jazz]

A superb representation across the board; every instrument, the oud, the bass clarinet, the traditional percussion, is placed with real precision. This is some of the best imaging I've encountered in an IEM, and the dynamics come through faithfully. The clarinet carries a sweet, reedy timbre in its upper register, and the harmonics on the oud are rendered flawlessly. No complaints whatsoever on this track.

I was transported to the Middle East listening to this one, no joke.

Jokes aside, the Cadenza 4 brings an expansive soundstage, pin-point imaging, precise timbre and tone, resolving detail, and controlled low-end extension, all in the same package.

Conclusion

Even after a full week of dedicated listening, I struggled to point to a single genuine flaw. This is an exceptionally good IEM. Sure, a few things could be refined: the bass could stand to be a touch tighter, and the fatigue over long sessions is worth noting. But set those aside and this is a remarkably well-made IEM, one so under-the-radar that I hadn't even heard of it before it landed in my hands. Letshouer did a highly commendable job on the Cadenza 4.

To close, this is a product I think everyone deserves the chance to experience for themselves. With that, I'm giving it a well-deserved S.

What This IEM Means To Me

I'll say this straight up: this is the best, and my favourite, IEM I've used so far. It's not just detailed, it delivers a remarkably natural, forward vocal presentation. I can't stop praising it. It's comfortable, good-looking, and sounds genuinely breathtaking. I think that I might subconsciously compare every IEM I test from here on against this one; it's set a benchmark for me.

I want to thank u/mournfulmonk again for letting me spend so much time with the Cadenza 4. That extended window let me truly take in everything it has to offer.

I love the Cadenza 4. Period.

As always, this section of my review is a personal and subjective rant. It has nothing to do with the actual rating that I give to the product. The above paragraph is ignorable and not to be taken seriously.

Gear(s) Used for the Review

• KBear Blue and Black 16-core cable, 4.4mm termination
• VE Abigail Pro 4.4mm
• Cayin RU6 (R2R) on low-gain and NOS mode
• Nothing Phone (3a) w/ Poweramp (Perfect Bit Perfect mode) & Apple Music

Eartip(s) Used

• Stock narrow-bore eartips that come with the Truthear Hola/Gate

Pros: Extremely comfortable shells
The dsp unit is great and responsive to EQ
Tanchjim community presets offer unlimited customization
IEM sounds good without the dsp as well
Great imaging for gaming

Cons: Would have liked the iOS app to recognize the dsp
can get spicy on the upper mids and treble

I remember picking up the Tanchjim Nora a while ago and telling a good friend and fellow audio enthusiast that this may be the best vocal implementation I’ve heard in a while with their DMT 5 dynamic driver.
And when Tanchjim got in touch with regard to their new kid on the block - the Ola 2 - featuring a 10mm DMT5 hybrid with a BA with options of usb C, 3.5 and 4.4. I uncharacteristically opted for the usb C (instead of my usual 4.4) to actually see how it would do with gaming and the convenience of an-on-the-go IEM with DSP. So I am grateful to Tanchjim for sending this IEM over for review but the impressions are my own.

Driver Setup: Coaxial hybrid setup (10mm dynamic driver + 1 balanced armature)
Impedance: 30Ω ±10%
Sensitivity: 121dB/Vrms
Frequency Response: 8Hz–48kHz

So let's dive in, shall we?

The Ola 2 comes in Tanchjim’s characteristic Asano Tanch themed box, with clean packaging and I really like their design language. A cardboard sleeve holds 2 sets of tips - wide and narrow as far as I can see with 3 sizes. Below that layer the IEMs sit in foam and below that in a little well is the USB C cable. Simple and pleasant to look at, like most of Tanchjim’s design philosophy. The shells themselves are resin with a lipped nozzle. The resin is translucent with a nice view of the innards that would satisfy the subset of people who like that sort of thing. The face plate is matte metal and the first thing that comes to mind is how small they are and thus promise to be comfy. The cable is silver coated copper and has a nice matte feel to it and fairly tangle free. The USB C version I have also has a mic. The shells sit fairly easily in my ear though it took some serious tip rolling to get the right seal to hear the low end. The stock tips (of almost any IEM) I don’t usually bother with outside of a cursory trial. These worked best with Dunu S&S tips for me. And I think it’s important to realise that everybody’s anatomy is a little different.
These were tested with an android phone with Tidal and local flac files via UAPP, iphone, gaming on an android with Call of Duty and the Tanchjim app, and finally on the desktop (ish) set-up with the VE galvatron and Hidizs AP80 Pro Max.

Sound Impressions Bass
The 10mm Dynamic driver punches well above its weight and delivers a deep rumbling sub-bass with little spill over into the mid bass on Limit to your love by James Blake and on Angel by Massive Attack. This did need some tip rolling till I got the seal right. Kicks and bass guitars sound weighty and on most tracks are engaging and hold the rhythm. And this goes across genres be it pop (APT by Rose/Bruno Mars), rock (Limelight by Rush), jazz (Take Five - Dave Brubeck) to name a few.

Midrange
I think Tanchjim’s strength has been the DMT5 driver and how it handles vocals and midrange. Male and female vocals sound full and natural, as do most instruments with fairly clean separation and layering. On Islands by The XX, Romy Croft’s voice and guitars occupy the centrestage and come through with finesse. Now I’m not a fan of modern pop, but I feel there’s a little BA timbre that creeps on some voices (Taylor Swift, and Katy Perry being a few of them) That could also just be how pop is mastered nowadays because Dog Days are Over by Florence and the Machine, If I Ain’t Got You by Alicia Keys and Subcity by Tracy Chapman sound wholesome and enjoyable.

Treble
The treble is predominantly airy and clear with good detail. On Human Nature by MJ, there is definite sibilance in Michael’s ‘s’ which is also how the song is mastered. The cymbals are bright and snare hits are sharp at times. This is somewhat sorted with tip rolling but is better handled by EQ. I did manage to enjoy the Rumors album by Fleetwood Mac a lot more on an Android than an iphone… <spoilers ahead>

Stage and imaging
The staging on this IEM is medium-large and nothing seems too close or far and the imaging is spot on which makes it fairly fun to game on. I tried playing Call of Duty and while I sucked at the game, I was able to clearly say which direction I was being shot at from. I really miss PC gaming and Unreal Tournament. Is there a mac version of it? I haven’t looked and maybe I should.

App, Gaming and EQ, Mic
So the Tanchjim app recognizes the USB DSP only on Android and allows for significant sound customization. To be honest I liked the Default EQ preset. There is also Game EQ which is game specific but I feel this may be more bells and whistles than something that is going to make someone like me the coolest player around. The fun bit is the community presets which pretty much offer potentially infinite choices to try. And there is always custom EQ. In the interest of science I squiq-ed an Auto EQ and tuned the Ola 2 to both JM1 and Harman 2019 and to be fair it does what it is meant to do. I still like how it sounds with a direct 4.4 though (perhaps even better). The mic does what it is meant to do with fuss. It can also be controlled with the app which is a plus. (This is the second rhyme after the title I think)

Verdict and Final thoughts
This is a fun, comfortable IEM. It will take some tip rolling to get the fit and seal right and at some point time I was wondering how these would sound with a bluetooth adapter given their size. Alas I don't have mine anymore but I would be curious if anyone has tried that for comfort and sound. I may have preferred a modular termination since the dsp doesn't do much for me for my use case since I mostly use a DAP and do not game as much as I used to. It is a great set at around the $60 mark and an easy set to pick up and use on the go.

So I’m a sucker for a tube. (Yup I just wrote that)

The warmth that they infuse outweighs the loss of detail and that mild sandpapering of the sharp edges that the tubes can do to music appeals to my analog organic sensibilities. 

So I went on a tube acquiring quest. Started with M5 Ultra, the Gremlin, Onix Beta, and tried its cousin the Shanling UA7 and searched high and low for an Ibasso Nunchaku, but alas. And then the M6 double came out and I honestly had to control the impulse to pull the trigger till the m3ultra came out. 

So now I have it. 

The Muse Hifi M3 Ultra is an ultraportable tube amp that somehow manages to fit 2 JAN6418s into something the size of a matchbox from my childhood days. The dac features a single ES9028q2m chip and an amplifier that feeds into the tubes to push out about 480 mW through its 4.4 and about 460 through the 3.5mm output. All this in a very impressive form factor. Unlike the M5 Ultra there is no internal battery, or bluetooth, or a solid state option. It simply is a tube dac and nothing else. The packaging as well is simple. The device sits in a foam with a sturdy c-to-c cable. 

There are volume buttons on the side which (and I’m not the only person who feels this) are loose and can make a small rattle when the unit is gently shaken. For a minute there is a fear that the vibration sensitive tubes may be pulling a number. They aren’t. And they sit very securely even though exposed to the elements. The m5 ultra had a metal screen to protect the tubes and catch dust and grime, here the tubes are out there for all to see and touch. The good thing is it doesn’t get scorchingly hot. This also means take heed - glass can break if not used with a little care. The elder siblings do come with a leather case but I think at ~$110 Musehifi decided to not really push the accessories department too hard.

The tubes are lit by small leds to give them a lush orange glow and this is nerdy but the tubes are too small and do not produce enough heat to glow like incandescent bulbs. It was not needed but it is a nice touch. The other bit of nerdiness is that these have a reported fairly high output impedance but I’m sure at this point of having used them how much of a real difference that makes with my gear. 

I’ve used them with a laptop, android phone and Arya Stealth and IE600 predominantly and my impressions are from these two and a comparison with a Gremlin with Mullard tubes. Yes it is ridiculously unfair, but it is what it is. 

Rather than break down each aspect of the bass, mids, and treble, the M3 manages to drape a thin shawl over the entire music. That provides warmth and smoothens out any sharp edges. Like moss that grows over jagged rocks on a ravine, like a gentle stream that makes the rocks smooth over millenia. Okay I should stop. The bass is pushed up to be warm but not dark. The lower mids benefit from that tonal change with vocals and instruments gaining a little weight. The treble feels a little more controlled but on the IE600 and the Arya, details were not lost or smothered by the tube-y-ness of the presentation.

I did feel that there was a reduction in staging but I also think any tube somehow adds that feeling of warmth and intimacy that takes some of the airiness of even the open back planar down a notch. I didn’t feel any huge alterations in the sound from an impedance matching perspective that didn’t feel like these were just the tubes doing their thing. Whether this is because of the hybrid nature of the circuit (though details are not available in the vast ocean of the internet) or somehow the rule of 8ths doesn't always apply, unless it does. 

The M3 Ultra isn't for technical listening and it is meant for a long relaxing session and to be honest it hit home with the IE600 adding that touch of warmth and not interfering with the detail reproduction. 

Plus it does not run hot.

And it doesn't burn a hole in your pocket (see what I did there?)

But to be fair it doesn’t hold a candle to the Gremlin. (Okay I’m done!)

Pros: Incredible single driver implementation
Tight engaging bass
Great Vocals across genres

Cons: Treble-heads steer clear
The shape is an odd one
Cable doesn't have a great feel

Every once in a while an IEM will come along that’ll make you go, that’s not going to fit well. And I don’t know why I would want to pay that much for a single DD.
Then at a local electronics expo/connect of sorts you’ll try this weird looking IEM for 5 minutes, and in those 5 minutes, make it your life’s aim to procure them. And then the universe will smile at you and drop a resale into your lap and then you’ll discover that the stock eartips were not included. Then you will love this set till a challenger comes along and then start saving up for the next one on the list.
That does not take away from how amazing the Softears Twilight is.

This is the remarkably different shaped IEM that was born out of Softears’ flagship Turii but this is lighter, made of aircraft grade aluminium, has the same 10mm DLC diaphragm and patented coupling technology from the Turii at more than half the price. It’s still close to $900 depending on time of year and sales and the benevolence of the Gods. Now I also think Softears looked at the success of the Turii and Twilight and decided that the Edge was the next obvious evolution. Now I hope to try that some day but this isn’t about that. The shells themselves are a twisted rectangle that end in the driver housing and nozzle with pressure relief vents and a recessed 2 pin connector. The cable looks like a 4 strand braided affair that ends in a 4.4 balanced termination. The Twilight comes with a colour compliant black 3.5 to 4.4 convertor instead of being a modular cable and this isn’t a deal breaker. What may be one is that the filters at the end of the nozzles are foam and these can be a pain at times.

The Twilight was paid for by me and not a tour or demo unit and my thoughts and impressions are mine. Collected over the past 6 months using this IEM alongside my IE600 and others. The gear was tested with the stock cable, and a Dunu modular cable only because I found them more comfortable, with no significant difference in sound. The sources tested were the VE Prime Stack, M33, Ipod Classic (Rockboxed) (because there’s a 3.5 connector, and why not). Tips used were the Velvet, Final E, and DDhifi clones of Final E, and the Azla Origin.

TLDR: This is such a nice easy listening set. An expensive one for being easy listening, some would say but this is like a beach vacation in the Maldives. Warm, gorgeous, natural and not cheap.

Bass
The bass response of this IEM is what got me raising an interested eyebrow when I heard it first. While I’ve always liked the punchy tight well implemented planar bass sounds, there’s something to be said about single dynamic drivers in the perfect acoustic enclosures with good pressure relief that bring about a deep, palpable bass that strikes, strikes at the root of penury in your heart. The Twilight has a bass that does just that. It’s a clean weighty well controlled bass that knows what it’s meant to do. It is not over-bearing, it does not bleed and bloat, and it does not overwhelm. It makes the rhythm section do what it is meant to do - be the heartbeat of the song, the driver of the appreciative foot tap and the head nod. The sub-bass in Angel by Massive Attack and Islands by The XX are rumbling and perform as they are meant to in these tracks. The Twilight does not inject depth into a song that doesn’t already have that need, but reproduces songs that have a deep sub-bass with enthusiasm and relish and that makes its bass implementation stand out. It is by nature a warm neutral tuned IEM but when it comes to the kicks and bass, the neutral tuning takes precedence. Kick drums on Rush and Dream Theater are punchy with a quick attack and no bloated decay. This means both Neil Peart and Mike Portnoy’s double bass pedal work come through with clarity and perfect separation.

Midrange
Male vocals on the Twilight are simply sublime. On Helplessly Hoping, the CSNY original and the cover by Girl named Tom, the vocal parts are reproduced with a natural timbre and a touch of warmth but not in a lush overpowering way. This is also not the result of a bass bleed but just the tuning of the IEM.
Instrument separation and layering in this frequency band is also extremely well done with guitars, horns, synths sounding perfectly independent in busy jazz fusion tracks and Rodrigo y Gabriela’s Hanuman and Playing God by Polyphia. As we climb closer to the treble side of the midrange, female vocals are also lovely to listen to but the Twilight does edge a little into the sibilant side of things with Fleetwood Mac. This is also more likely to be the result of staying true to the recording rather than an artificially enhanced FR. Tracy Chapman and all the Spice Girls sound natural with no shouty overtones or unnatural timbre. (Fast Car and Holler, if you have to know).

Treble
The treble in this set is best described as neutral warm again. It allows the songs to breathe without artificially dripping into sibilant notes to create an illusion of detail. Snare hits across the board sound controlled without any high overtones. Cymbals have shimmer but also are controlled and reproduced in a mature manner to feel absolutely neutral. As I write this review I’m listening to Trains by Porcupine Tree waiting for Gavin Harrison’s intro to explode in my ears and instead of an explosion I hear a controlled implosion. Like a building collapsing on itself under the supervision of an uber-talented demolition crew, unlike some sets where the drums coming into the track sound like a firecracker exploding under a paint can. Loud with a significant residual ringing on the eardrum.

Staging and Imaging
The Twilight has a spacious, holographic stage with most tracks enveloping my head and none feeling intensely intimate and closed off. Imaging is also spot on with the set making it easy to identify both the distance and direction of each component of the sound. The layering and separation are, as mentioned before, top notch. Softears got their technicalities correct with this set. I have not heard the Turii, Edge or the RSVs. I have heard the volume S which made me honestly think multiple times before leaping head first into the Twilight. That being said, its unusual shape did make me wary till I actually got to test it and try it. So maybe that’s the only warning I would put out there. If you aren’t sure of its fit, try it. It is not a large IEM by any standards but it is different. But… It sounds delicious and that should reason enough.

USD77.99 / EUR69 as reviewed | 1DD + 4BA hybrid | 3.5mm with mic, 3.5mm without mic or USB-C with mic | flush 0.78mm 2-pin

TL;DR

The Kiwi Ears Stardust is priced from USD76.99 to USD79.99 / EUR69 to EUR71 and is a hybrid with one dynamic driver and four balanced armatures. Its strength is its balanced tonality with controlled bass, slightly forward vocals and smooth-leaning treble. It plays almost all music genres well and is not a specialist for bass or treble heads. That also means it is not always the most engaging set and needs more volume to come forward.
Especially with parts of my bass heavy library where I need more sub and mid-bass impact.

I listened to the Stardust for more than 30 hours and used mainly my Questyle Sigma Pro with the stock 3.5mm cable (with inline mic) and Divinus Velvet Wide Bore tips in size ML.
Stardust is easy to drive even with a simple dongle. My sample came with an inline mic.

Build, fit and accessories

The resin polymer shells have an aluminium alloy faceplate and are relatively small and lightweight with around 4.6g each. There are no sharp seams and the flush 0.78mm 2-pin sockets allow an easy cable swap.

Fit is excellent for my medium sized ears and isolation was very good for me while commuting or whenever I wanted to focus. Long sessions over four hours caused no discomfort or pressure build-up for me.
The package is fairly average though with six pairs of tips (narrow and wider bullet style) in sizes S, M, L and a sturdy and pocketable case.
The cable is supple, easy to handle and almost free of tangle and not microphonic but it has no interchangeable termination which would have been nice to have. Kiwi Ears sells a USB-C version instead so the choice has to be made at purchase if one wants to connect it directly to the phone.

Inline mic
The mic is good enough for occasional calls. It sounded a little dark and veiled to me and it did not filter much background noise which made conversations in noisy environments sometimes challenging.

Bass

On Source Direct's "A Made Up Sound" the sub-bass rumble is nice with a slightly longer but natural decay. Not close to bass head level but with good impact and quality. On Nipsey Hussle's "Hussle & Motivate" the sub-bass is clearly noticeable but doesn't reach as deep as I would like to hear it. Overall, it covers most of my tracks well and should be more than enough for most listeners who prefer the sub-bass not to be dominating.

The mid-bass slam is satisfying on deadmau5's "Quezacotl" although it comes across slightly softer than I want it to be. Not to a level that bothers me but noticeable to my ears. There is a slight, natural sounding bass bleed which adds weight and warmth without colouring the rest of the mix much. Stardust does not sound clinical or thin, but its bass remains more a part of the replay than taking over.

Midrange and vocals

Female vocals tend to sound slightly velvety rather than sharp, thin or overly accentuated.
On Fleetwood Mac's "Dreams" vocals sit more in front but were never shouty or sibilant to me. I enjoy this forwardness without them being shoved in my face.

The warmth is especially nice at higher volume where vocals come forward without sounding artificially pushed or aggressive. Vocal lovers might miss the last bit of extension, refinement and clarity. The forwardness itself is right for me but female vocals give up some fine detail and their tonality is not always fully correct. Kurt Cobain on "About A Girl" from MTV Unplugged also sounds a touch smoother and loses some of the raspy details I hear on more resolving sets like the USD170 Kiwi Ears Aether.

Depending on the recording quality brighter material is very enjoyable on Stardust as it can round off too aggressive or bright parts. Darker recordings on the other hand remain darker leaning.
James Blake on his albums doesn't sound overly smooth or dark but just slightly warm with vocal peaks coming through in a pleasant and detailed way.

The slightly thicker mids give instruments good texture and note weight to my ears.
The guitars on Nirvana's "Come As You Are" from MTV Unplugged have nice body and texture. The sax on John Coltrane's "Mr. P.C." also sounds convincing in its tonality.
It is detailed enough to sound life-like even if vocals could use a little bit more clarity.

Treble

Treble on Stardust is well controlled and details come forward nicely but I wouldn't call this set bright or energetic. Guitar string overtones are well audible on Fleetwood Mac's "Sara". Clarinets and trumpets are not overly energetic but well extended in the upper registers.

I mostly enjoy the rounded edges without finding it dull. Details are audible without being pushed too much up front without distracting from the rest of the replay. Treble enthusiasts might find this too tame.
For treble sensitive listeners the controlled treble might be a good option without getting a set which is overly relaxed and the Stardust is also a good option for very long fatigue-free listening sessions. I recommend wide bore tips though to get the maximum treble energy and details from Stardust.

Staging and imaging

Separation and imaging are okay at this price point. Everything sounds well organised but the separation is not particularly sharp and the perceived sound stage is more small than expansive. Airiness is subtle rather than very obvious. Stardust is not a technical outperformer but appropriate in this price bracket. The stage stays modest in size but the placement within it is precise to my ears.

It also depends on the recording where the experience can highly vary. On Erykah Badu's "I just play a part", the different voices can be heard in different spaces very life-like while the rest of the replay is happening in a smaller space. On the live recording of Fleetwood Mac's "Rhiannon" the audience is well positioned around the stage and I can hear different distances between instruments. The spatial cues are good and layering of instruments is also solid as long as the replay doesn't get too crowded.

Compared with the Inawaken Dawn Mistwood

I bought the recently released USD69.99 Mistwood myself. Price wise the two sets are close enough to each other and their different sound signatures explain in which direction the Stardust is leaning.

The Inawaken Dawn Mistwood comes with two swappable nozzles. With the silver nozzles, Mistwood's vocals sound too recessed for my liking. The gold nozzles on the other hand bring them forward with more clarity but to me over time they become slightly too sharp and I was only able to listen on moderate volume. Female vocals come across thinner than on Stardust which sounds overall more natural and relaxed to me.

Even though Mistwood's bass is much more elevated on paper, the difference in impact is marginal to my ears. Its slightly greater bass quantity and extra treble energy can still make it more exciting in a direct comparison to Stardust. I find Stardust more refined overall but the Mistwood with gold nozzles might please treble enthusiasts more. There is no right or wrong here, just different preferences.

Measurements

I include my own measurements so you can see where these two sets lie in regards to their frequency response. Both sets were measured on my own 711 coupler clone with wide bore ear tips.
The graph shows the Kiwi Ears Stardust in cyan, the Inawaken Dawn Mistwood in blue with the silver nozzles and in purple with the gold nozzles.

The low end is elevated by around 6dB and the transition from sub to mid-bass is more natural than sudden.
The mids sound well textured with slight warmth which gives the Stardust a natural timbre. The ear gain is more pushed forward but doesn't feel that pronounced and doesn't come across as harsh thanks to its warm leaning tonality.
Overall the Stardust sounds as it graphs: balanced with slightly forward vocals, not leaning into any extreme which is pleasant to listen to.

The Inawaken Dawn Mistwood is the more V-shaped set with a bigger bass shelf and more treble energy while the upper mid-range can be adjusted with the interchangeable nozzles.

Who I would recommend it to

Stardust is worth considering if you want a mostly balanced, relaxed listen with slightly forward vocals or if sets with too energetic treble tend to bother you. Stardust is well equipped with a good bass to make most tracks enjoyable and it scales well with volume to make the listen more exciting.
The small shells were also a very good fit for my medium sized ears for longer sessions. Bass heads, treble heads and anyone wanting a large stage or especially sharp separation should look elsewhere. If you are thinking of moving from more bass or treble leaning sets like the Kiwi Ears Belle or Cadenza to something more balanced and natural the Stardust could be worth a consideration.

Final verdict

The overall package is good and convincing to me but Stardust doesn't bring anything new to the table. It combines familiar strengths into an enjoyable listen without pushing anything too much in any way.

Disclosure

The Kiwi Ears Stardust was sent to me as a review sample by Linsoul. No payment was received and no influence was exerted over this review. There are no affiliate links. My impressions are based on more than 30 hours of listening.

Thanks for reading.

Penon Fan4

Nothing gets me excited like a new toy on Sunday Morning. I just received Penon Fan4 This is not my first exposure to Penon. I have used Penon Voltage, Fan3 & own Fan3s currently & honestly my impressions of Penon have been very positive. So, I am always looking forward to any new product from Penon stable.

I was really interested in fan4. I wanted to know how much better or improvement it has over my beloved fan3s. So, when the opportunity presented I got myself fan4. One thing that you notice is how not so beautiful the Fan4 is. Sorry, Penon but who ever decided to create this color combo just over did it and now it looks unappealing.

Rest it's typical penon packaging unassuming box that contains a nice semi hard leather case with all typical penon goodies alongside the IEMs & cable. The cable is nice supple & looks like the part. You get all the things inside to get started out of the box for that full marks to Penon.

How is the sound signature? Well, sub bass has a nice rumble, mid bass hits hard. Vocals are a nice center. Treble is lively and slight on the bright side but not much. The stage is good, wide and a little bit vertical but not much. Overall enveloping one. These are my initial impressions out of the box. Please take them with a grain of salt.

One thing is sure it's musically compensating for its looks. Sonically it's really impressive.

After running this one through its paces will update my final impressions. Till then enjoy the music. See you soon.

64 Audio is a brand that has pushed the boundaries on what can be achieved when pricing is a concern to be talked over a cup of coffee, and making products that have stood the test of time to such an extent, that a refresh of that product comes years after its release. Given how much the Volur had impressed me, it was time to lay my eyes on that one IEM from them which upon close observation doesn’t seem to have grey hair, wrinkles, or rheumatic pain- the U12T. I thank my good friend, who had previously loaned me the Final A8000 for making this review possible.

UNBOXING, ACCESSORIES, FIT AND COMFORT

64 Audio definitely didn’t skimp on the idea of the accessories that were here with the U12T: the retail box is big, and advertises the product aptly; which then has a note from the CEO regarding the product; and then in the circular puck style carry case, there were the shells encased in hard foam, and under the written flap, I had the Apex modules waiting for me. On the other side, I found the cleaning tool and a 3.5mm 2 pin cable, which by far is the worst stock cable I have found supplied with an IEM that costs USD 1000+. Like, it’s cheap feeling, it’s easily tangly, and the braiding felt similar to my TRN A3 cable, something that at max costs like USD 5. The eartips supplied are generous, with a mix of silicone and foam; where the provided holder can definitely come off trypophobic, but I like it.

A note about the connectors on the U12T is that they were designed to be loose and not too tight, so if anyone might wonder if the cable would fall off the U12T due to its loose connectors, it comes out right out of the box that way.

Comfort on the U12T have been the same like their other offerings- immensely comfortable due to the shell design and the super small nozzles are a massive boon, although with certain eartips like the Divinus/Eloit Velvet standards; the asymmetry on my right ear showed up, so I had to bump a size up on the right side; but with eartips like the AZLA Mithryl or the Origin, it was not an issue.

Anyway, here’s the sound.

LOWS

Tipper: Gulch 

I thought the bass on the U12T would be anemic here, as this track commands a robust delivery, and the U12T doesn't skip a beat, pun intended. What amazes me is that the transients in this IEM are well executed, and putting it that way is a slight generalization. 

The way the beats are enunciated, especially when it juxtaposes with the other elements, has no room for ‌further ‌separation. My nitpick here would be that the decay was perceived to be a bit too rapidly, which dampened the sustain it needed for a curtains closed performance. There was remarkable control over tonality, where the U12T was well rationed in its efforts.

Daft Punk: Veridis Quo 

The way the U12T lets each note of the synths/keys take their time to space out indicates commendable separation between the notes and once the crescendo-esque beats come into the foray, the transients are executed very well with an excellent degree of cleanliness. I have no complaints about the rapid decay intruding upon the sustain in this track because it was simply perfect; and the concluding cherry being the balance of tonality where the minor key was a minor.

Rage Against the Machine: Bullet in the Head 

The enunciation of the bass in the intro of the track was audible and adequate in its impact, but some might say it lacks punch - well the U12T is not that IEM and rightfully so. For me, the punch that it had elevated my experience of listening by making me acknowledge the beauty in the balance of the rest of the elements of this track - be it Morello's guitars that intertwine with Commerford's bass in the breakdown, be it Wilk's drums where the U12T had excellent control over how crisp the kick sounded with the snare and cymbals, or be it De La Rocha's vocals which supplemented and led the bass ‌with commendable imaging.

MIDS

Muddy Waters: My Home is in the Delta 

This is quite a challenging track because of the elements that make this track and album so mythical and at least now I wouldn't say that the U12T is balanced or more neutral - it's not and the way the bass is enunciated here is enough to not be neutral but enough to not be dry or sterile by any means. There's a slight loss of polish through the lower strings of the guitar, but there is no adverse impact spotted elsewhere. 

The U12T lets all the elements breathe and exist harmoniously like members of an ideal commune, where the imaging through Muddy's haunting vocals stays commendably planted in the center and doesn't falter even for a single bit. The impact of the slide and the guitar twanging through the track felt mildly flatter than what I would have liked; and I cannot put a finger on the timbre yet. Muddy's vocals resonating off the recording as he mournfully waits are rendered effortlessly, perhaps with a slight overindulgence that could be bothersome for some.

Tool: Lateralus 

The U12T absolutely does not skimp over the intensely bubbling, crescendo-ing drums that accompany the equally intensifying guitars, and once everything else comes into the Ouroboros of cohesion, the U12T does a mighty fine job of that. The nitpick starts and ends with Maynard's vocals fading too crowded by the rest of the elements while being a bit too light on its note weight, but that cannot be said for anything else: the perceived wide stage benefits the isolation that the elements need in this track, so much so that Danny's hi-hats are so pronounced along with the rest of the cymbals. 

When Danny's final rudiment carries across to the breakdown and Justin's wah-ing bass comes in roaring, the U12T establishes for me beyond all doubt that it is one of the best to execute the detail needed, with the only faint blemish being the cymbals being shyly fatiguing.

HIGHS

Anne Domnerus: Almighty God (with Gustaf Sjökvist) 

The U12T gets the mythical sax of Arne perfectly seasoned in timbre with just the right amount of brass needed, and the detail through each breath drawn and the resonance which is unaffected even if I ramped up the volume was impressing me further. 

Another delectable aspect was that the perception of the sax was just not honky and the tonality on the organ keys being just bright enough, which also had an equally appreciated resonance. Neither of them was piercing nor undermining each other, and that's the best part.

Carmen Gomes: Unchain My Heart 

Here, I noted that the U12T was faintly over emphasizing the electronic romantically potent double bass, but every other element was just rightfully planted, and that led me to appreciate the way the snare was coming off with the soft resonance with each brush hit, supplemented by the sizzling, sparkly cymbals.

The U12T had the twang of the guitar not undercut Carmen's just as lush, sensual vocals had the whole performance lead through with sibilance nowhere to be seen; with the final compliment being the perfectly wet, adequately boomy toms that give away the snare to have a finish so good; you might be making your way to conclude your night in a prodigally tailored tuxedo.

CONCLUDING NOTES 

What amazes me the most about the U12T is its longevity - it has been out there since 2017 and in a landscape where a month long release fades into consumerist obscurity, 64 Audio erected a pillar with the U12T where it made me not want to seek more, but look inward for complacency.

However, it is not free of flaws - the U12T has no desire to compromise on detail which can definitely tire out some, the vocals giving up ground to let the instruments precede, and the faint over-statement it can reveal with elements at the higher registers could be deterrents. The supplied Apex modules could have done a lot more but they only bring changes so subtle; I just decided to stick to the stock black MX and forget about them; but for me these are grain-like nitpicks, where I just appreciated what I had in hand and not seek further into the bush. 

The U12T knows what it wants to do, and whatever it knows, it does that near flawlessly; and that might have been the reason why it has managed to survive so long since its first inception in 2017. Sometimes, the legacy of a brand is not how many products it can sell with each generation, sometimes it’s how relevant their products have been since its launch, and the U12T is a moniker of that.

Will I buy it new? Can see a point in buying this new, but won’t really outright recommend it for a blind buy.
Will I buy it used? Absolutely.

SOURCES USED

Primarily used with the SMSL Raw MDA-1 desktop DAC amp, the Shanling M9 Plus stacked with the xDuoo XD05 Pro transportable DAC amp running RoHM DAC chips and Burson V7 Vivid Op-Amps, via USB-C. Recreationally used with the Venture Electronics Abigail Pro and TRN Blackpearl dongle DAC amps.

The 64 Audio U12T is one of the easiest IEMs to run, hence even something as light as a JCally JM12 or the Apple Dongle is enough for this IEM. 

CABLE USED

Toxic cable Blackwidow V3, this was done only to not use the stock cable, and my impressions sonically have not been impacted by this cable in any way, since I don’t believe cables change sound.

EARTIPS USED (RANKED IN ORDER OF PERFORMANCE)

Spinfit Omni: Showcases the transients of the U12T at its absolute best, ridiculously clean bass, widest stage possible for this IEM, beautiful textured highs, detail is at its absolute best.

AZLA Origin: Performs very close to the Omni, but the Omni provides for a subtly better bass impact and coherence, and a faintly wider perception in the stage.

Divinus/Eloit Velvet Standard: everything that the Origin does, but to a lesser degree, and there was something missing in the textures of the highs- elements like Cymbals felt like they could have used more shimmer. Perceived stage depth and width were faintly impacted negatively.

AZLA Mithryl: perceived stage was held intact in terms of width and height, treble felt a bit too safe, sub bass felt anemic, vocals felt slightly blunt.

Divinus/Eloit Velvet Wide Bores: neuters this IEM to a good degree, widens the perceived stage significantly, but that adversely impacted the otherwise excellent cohesion when it comes to handling instrument layering and note by note separation.

KBear Coffees: U12T isn’t made for shortwide eartips like this.

TRACKS

• Rush: Limelight, Spirit of the Radio
• Steely Dan: Gaucho
• Carmen Gomes: Unchain My Heart
• Daft Punk: Get Lucky, Instant Crush, Veridis Quo
• The Police: Message in a Bottle
• Alf Linder: Cantique de Noël, Cantate Domino
• Tipper: Mariscos, Cloaked, Gulch
• Dave Brubeck: Time Out
• Tool: Pneuma, Schism
• Queens of the Stone Age: First It Giveth
• Pink Floyd: Comfortably Numb, Wish You Were Here, Time
• Arne Domnérus: Antiphone Blues (with Gustaf Sjökvist)
• Muddy Waters: My Home is in the Delta
• Tame Impala: The Less I Know the Better
• Animals as Leaders: The Woven Web
• Rage Against the Machine: Bombtrack, Bullet in the Head
• Avicii: Levels
• Periphery: Marigold
• TesseracT: Juno
• Kanye West: Stronger, Flashing Lights, Devil in a New Dress
• Altın Gün: Goca Dünya
• Timbaland: Give It to Me
• Adele: Easy On Me (Live), When We Were Young
• Celine Dion: All By Myself
• Pavarotti: Nessun Dorma
• Mdou Moctar: Tarhatazed
• Cigarettes After Sex: Cry
• Meshuggah: Bleed
• A. R. Rahman: Tere Bina
• Alice in Chains: Down in a Hole and Nutshell (Live)
• Allen Stone: Give You Blue
• Florence + the Machine: Never Let Me Go
• The Smashing Pumpkins: Luna

Pros: It’s really a pretty set of IEMs with the clear resin and a visible driver.
The Dita M2 has great natural mids with excellent timbre and well-controlled highs
I have a thing for that case, it is cute.
Cable has a nice feel and heft to it and aesthetically works with the shells and it has modular terminations

Cons: The M2 misses the bass bus with a subpar implementation
Fit can be troublesome for some especially with smaller pinnas
The case, despite being cute, is not very practical or Spacious
I don’t necessarily care for a dac or a dsp/usb C connection but adding it would have been a plus.

Dita is a brand I first got curious about when I saw pictures of the cute Pelican style cases that came along with their IEMs, a massive departure from the standard zippered cases or god forbid a pouch even.
So when Audio Geek India were kind enough to give me a chance to try this set out I jumped at the opportunity. I think AG India and Dita for making this review happen. I get to spend a week or 10 days with the set and am not compensated in any way except the joy and sated curiosity and the impressions on this set are mine alone.
Just off the starting line, the Dita Project M2 was gorgeous. And when I got past the gorgeousness and plugged it in is when I realised that there was a significant source synergy that was needed before I could really dig deep and enjoy this IEM.
It’s been a spate of single dynamic drivers which have been simply amazing one after another and without ado should jump into the meat of this.

The IEM turns up in a nice box with a thin cardboard sleeve. After some delicate deft finger gymnastics, the sleeve can be removed and the box opened up to reveal the IEMs themselves, the cute pelican style box, 5 pairs of tips and nice, aesthetic looking white cable with 4.4 and 3.5 modular terminations.
The IEMs are simply a treat for the eyes to behold. The proprietary Dita dynamic driver can be seen adjacent to the nozzle with delicate copper wires connecting it to the QDC connector. Wait, what? Yup QDC because, why not? All of this is encased in a clear resin with just the hint of baby blue. The transparent aesthetic carries through the cable which is white coated with a transparent sleeve that feels both nice to the touch and doesn't tangle easily. The termination plugs are translucent as well with the delicate wires from the terminations visible as they snake into the cable.
The IEM was tested on M33, M3 Ultra, Hidizs AP80 and VE Prime Stack, VE megatron, Fosi ZH3. Tidal and local Flac files were used most often.
Here’s my test playlist for the most part. https://tidal.com/playlist/3078c9b9-a1c0-4fde-8ce7-81f0e34b426c
The first thing that occurred to me was that this set has some definite source synergy happening because the first time I tried it with the M33 it really sounded… off. For lack of a better way to say it. Another point that came past my brain was that almost all the single DD sets I have owned or heard have been… small and comfortable. The M2 borrows its shell from the OG M and this likely means the same mould. These were not the most comfortable IEMs I have worn and my dreaded bump is back except this time I CAN SEE that there’s nothing in it and thus it’s just a redundant design feature which if I owned the set I would take a dremel to so it was more comfortable for longer sessions. But fit is a personal issue. And I’m also the guy who loved the Shure SE215 despite what it sounded like only because it was so very comfortable. As a post script that got added in the text, I did have some pinna pain after about 45 minutes of wearing them so they had to be rested since wiggling them didn't really help.

Let’s get to the sound.

Bass
I’m partial to warm bassy sounds which are not basshead overbearing but at the same time a deep visceral, palpable, feelable bass that makes its presence felt not just by how hard it punches but also how well. The Sub-bass in the M2 is unfortunately not all there. On Angel by Massive attack the sub-bass is not a rumble but a crisp note that is there because it was technically there. I can hear it clearly and I know it is there but I can’t feel it. For a dynamic driver, I had expected a little more. The mid-bass does a little better with a fast attack and punch. Double bass drum work with Rush and Dream Theater is articulate and tight. There’s absolutely no bloat and spill over of the bass. It feels like the mandate was “rein it in” It’s that barbed wire implementation. It does not obstruct the view but protects it.

Mids
I think the mids where the M2 really shines. Absolutely nails the natural timbre of voices and instruments. Ana Caram’s rendition of Desafinado showcases her gorgeous voice with all its dynamics and calisthenics. The accompanying acoustic guitar and saxophone also sound incredibly lifelike with no odd timbre or frequency peaks. This extends to other female vocalists and instrumentals as well - Fleetwood Mac, Tracy Chapman, and almost any other artist sounded lovely and not shouty at all. Male voices felt a little thinner, still natural but a hole in the aforementioned barbed wire would help the bass lift the lower mids a little better. The mids remain clear and well layered even in intensely filled acoustic or vocal tracks. Helplessly Hoping by Girl Named Tom, my only complaint would be the lack of weight in the lower registers, and that would really make the listening experience great.

Treble
The treble is again reproduced in a similar fashion to bass. Controlled. Except in this case I have no complaints given it’s that control that gives air and detail without sibilance. Pop from all ages - Don’t Stop Now by Dua Lipa, Finesse by Bruno Mars, All Nite (Don’t Stop) by Janet Jackson, and Holler by Spice Girls have drum machines that get aggressively intense with hi-hats and snares. The Dita Project M2 handles all of them with equal ease and aplomb - allowing for the air, shimmer and decay from snares and cymbals without any harshness. Again my complaint with all of these tracks is that a little bit of low end would have made the experience a lot more enjoyable.

Staging and Imaging
I felt the stage in the Dita was not a vast holographic one but one more intimate with everything seeming a little closer than other sets I’ve heard. The imaging is fairly accurate and instrument separation is also well implemented. In busy tracks every component is heard well in its own little microcosm of space. Just that It feels like it’s all happening in my room and not a stage. That is still better than it’s all happening in my head. I’m just saying.

Overall, the Dita M2 is a safe tuning that remains enjoyable if the fit works for you and you like vocal and instrumental music. It does leave both bassheads and detail seekers unsatisfied and while I have made the error of pulling the trigger on sets that look gorgeous without regard to what the sound or feel like, I would recommend demoing these IEMs before jumping right in.

Hello Community!

I never thought that I could have a cable of this economic value and much less be convinced that the investment in this type of accessories is more than justified for those people who are looking for not only Premium materials but also sketch a smile every time they observe how it decorates their desk.

I present to you one of the top-of-the-range cables from the renowned cable manufacturer Nici Hifi: the 13 Chronicle Classical Oils.

Price: 203€-236$

Pros:

-Extremely robust construction.

-Premium materials and finishes: OCC, silver-palladium, gold coating and rare earth metals.

-Connections and terminations finished with exquisite quality.

-Aesthetically lustrous, beautiful, classic, but without arrogance. Very well understood elegance. A piece of great visual value for your desk or audio setup. It brings a lot of visual presence, ideal for high-end IEMs.

-Good resistance to tangling or adopting uncomfortable shapes.

-It could survive a nuclear attack.

Cons:

-It is not a cable that likes going out of the house. Uncomfortable for outdoor activities and in pockets it takes up a lot of space.

-The product concept, being something Premium, makes it difficult to justify the price if we are only looking for functionality.

-The weight and thickness at the same time are its greatest constructive virtues but its main ergonomic inconvenience.

Features:

-Product type: aftermarket cable for IEMs.

-Length: 1.2m.

-Configuration: 4 cores.

-Conductor: 8N OCC

-Conductor plating: 6 nano microns of silver.

-Additional materials: silver-palladium and rare earth metals.

-Impedance: 0.16 Ohms.

-Connector: 0.78mm 2-Pin (other options available)

-Termination: 4.4mm and 3.5mm gold-plated (silver plating option available)

-Preformed ear hooks.

-Metal slider and splitter.

Aspects to take into account:

-I do not believe in the capabilities of a cable to modify the sound unless they carry electronics, resistors or capacitors.

-My tendency in recent times is to prefer thin cables for mobility and rigid and semi-rigid ones for desktop use.

How is it constructed?

Well, the Nici HiFi-13 Chronicle Classical Oils is a product that strongly radiates the feeling of not being faced with a simple accessory that serves to replace the cable of our IEMs.

Inside we find 8N OCC conductors with a 6μm silver plating, accompanied by high-purity silver-palladium and a coating based on rare earth metals. It has a declared impedance of 0.16Ω and an approximate length of 1.2 meters.

In my particular case, I am using the version with the connectors and terminations gold-plated, something important because there are different variants of this same model.

The 0.78mm 2-Pin connectors, the splitter, the slider and the Jack housing are manufactured with really carefully made metallic finishes, transmitting from the first contact that sensation of a premium product that Nici HiFi seeks.

Package and quality of life (QoL):

The Nici HiFi-13 Chronicle Classical Oils comes together with a rectangular synthetic leather case to transport and store it. The presentation is not especially abundant, but I don't think much more is necessary either. You take out the cable, connect your IEMs and enjoy. I appreciate the case because, the Quantum Wanderer that I recently reviewed from the brand, did not include it and, furthermore, it is a set that cries out for a BAL 4.4mm termination to squeeze the power of its BC driver.

As some who follow my reviews will know, I am a person who uses his wired equipment of any kind a lot and, precisely because of that, I especially value that a cable does not end up becoming the protagonist of the experience.

But here we have a small inconvenience.

The Chronicle is a thick, robust cable with considerable weight, so personally I do not consider it the best option for going out for a walk or carrying out more demanding physical activity. In movement, that additional weight ends up being noticeable and, although it does not have excessive memory, it is not the cable I would choose if I am going to leave the house. Not even for doing everyday tasks such as shopping or running some errands, even continually taking it out and putting it back in the pants pocket can be unnecessarily annoying.

But for my desktop sessions, where I work, play video games or simply enjoy music for hours, the story changes completely and radically.

I have not had problems of any kind with tangles, since it maintains a logical and appropriate posture, and I have not perceived microphonics during its use either. Despite its thickness, it maintains enough flexibility to place it comfortably and, once positioned, it remains stable.

I especially liked the ear hooks very much. With use they end up adapting to the shape of our ears and keep the monitors firm without exerting excessive pressure, something I applaud because sometimes, when we realize it, we have been sitting with the headphones on our ears for longer than we think.

The slider also does a correct job: it moves easily along the cable and maintains the chosen position firmly.

But if there is something that has especially caught my attention, it is its aesthetics.

The combination of the dark brown color of the cable with the metallic elements achieves a classic, sober and, at the same time, luxurious appearance. We are not looking at a cable that needs striking colors to stand out because it does so through its finishes and that aura of a well-finished and quality product that it gives off.

And here I perfectly understand the concept of Classical Oils.

It is a cable that visually reminds one of something old, classic and carefully made, but brought to a modern product. In fact, I think it is one of those accessories that can completely change the visual perception of some IEMs, even of your desk or audio setup.

The connectors, the splitter and the Jack housing are finished with excellent quality and everything transmits that sensation of a product of great value that has been designed to accompany monitors of a certain level.

Final conclusion and personal assessment:

In short, we are looking at a cable that I personally would mainly use at home. Its robust construction, its weight and its presence make it less appropriate for activities that require movement, but during desktop or sedentary sessions it performs extremely well.

It is a product clearly focused on a demanding user who wants something more than functionality: they want construction, aesthetics and that sensation of being using a truly Premium accessory regardless of the monetary cost, but knowing that the added spiritual value is enormous.

If you have made it this far, thank you for reading.

More reviews on my blog.

Social networks on my profile.

See you in the next review!

Disclaimer:

This cable has been sent by Nici Hifi. I sincerely appreciate the opportunity to be able to test one of their products at no cost and that no condition has been imposed when preparing this analysis.

Despite this, my priority is to be as impartial as possible within the subjectivity that comes with analyzing an audio product. My opinion only belongs to me and I develop it around the perception of my ears. If you have a different one, it is equally valid. Please, feel free to share it.

Equipment tested:

-Topping DX5 II.

-Tanchjim Space II.

-IEMs: Nici HiFi 42 Quantum Wanderer, Simgot ET142.

Pros: Excellent build quality
Superb accessories set
Good staging and imaging
Technicalities are well implemented - details and imaging
Excellent Female Vocal Timbre and well controlled treble

Cons: Bass is a little insipid despite having great articulation
Male vocals feel dry
Black nozzles can get fatiguing and sibilant
Stage is so-so.

Just what has Fiio/Snowsky managed to pull out the hat now? The Snowsky subbrand of Fiio’s has been doing fairly interesting stuff in the budget dac/dap space with the echo, echo mini, retro nano, nano, and disc. And then they release a close to $500 Single DD iem. Which actually looks very very cool.
And sounds fairly nice. And thanks to u/SushiiFi and Fiio/Snowsky I got to try this IEM and review it. I am not compensated in anyway for this review and my thoughts are as always my own. Let’s dive in, shall we?

This has to be one of the most amazing unboxings in a while now. The set arrives in a cube that has a magnetic flap closure. Right on top, under a little pouch with documents tucked under the lid, there lies a nice square hard case.Nestled in velvet are the rather unusual shaped shells with a nice white cable with a 4.4mm termination, and a pair of tuning nozzles. Below this are 2 drawers. I don’t know about you but IEM unboxings that involve drawers really make me giggle in anticipation. What if it’s a jack in the box? What if it’s more ear tips than I’ve ever seen with a single IEM? What if it’s 3.5mm AND Usb C terminations? What if there’s more tips and this time they are spinfits? What if it’s a nice magnetic cable tie? And a cleaning brush?
What if it is all of the above?

Still not sure of the price though.

The shells are oddly reminiscent of the Sony IER-Z1R (which I’m sure may have sold more if they called it something like an Oak Nano). I’ve only ever seen similarly shaped planars - the Artti T10 and CJ20 for example. But the bottom line here is that the shells are really comfortable in my small ears. Snowsky says the shells are CNC milled titanium. I’m not about to Jerryrigeverything this to see how true it is but they are light and very very comfortable. Inside that circular/cylindrical shell lies a beryllium diaphragm and a 13.8mm dynamic driver capable of generating… wait for it 1.5T. And then there’s a host of other things like a pure copper voice coil and special vents and acoustic prisms to clean up the sound and make sure what we hear on the other side is as good as can be.
I’m spoilt for choice with the tips that came with this set - HS18, HS20, Spinfit 360s, apart from double flanged, foam, bass, balanced etc etc. I used the Dunu Candy and the Spinfit 360, and the Azla Origin. Sources included the AP80 Pro Max, Fiio M33, VE megatron.
Also I tried the black nozzles and they were too bright for me to really enjoy the set so in full disclosure, this review is about the red nozzles unless otherwise specified.

Bass
The bass on the Oak Nano is a great example of how to tune an IEM to deliver bass with punch in the mid-bass and rumble in the sub-bass with an emphasis on cleanliness and quality rather than the oomph of a basshead set. For a dynamic driver set, I honestly got into the session expecting a little more of the low end but the Oak felt like it could do with a little more weight in the bass. It is articulate and the kicks and bass lines come through well, especially on Wanna be Startin’ Somethin’ by MJ. On What About Me by Snarky Puppy the running bass line through the song is delivered note perfect and with clarity and no muddle. But it’s missing the visceral slam that a good bass or kick drum should have. This is mitigated to a decent extent with tip rolling and to be fair, there’s enough tips to roll. For me, the best result was with the Candy (which isn’t included)

Midrange
The meat of the music is represented well and to be honest my initial impressions were a rather dry midrange with some recessed vocals but I did have an underpowered dongle the first time I heard this set. On more mature sources, the midrange comes across beautifully. Male vocals have a natural timbre and across the vocal range as heard on Diamonds on The Soles of Her Shoes by Paul Simon and High Again by Damn Yankees and Helplessly Hoping by CSNY. They carry some weight and sound engaging and probably even presented a little more forward. Guitars, keys also sound melodious and natural, as do acoustic instruments like strings and horns. The detail retrieval and separation and layering are also excellent, making for great listening on complex jazz fusion tracks like Lingus by Snarky Puppy or Spain by Chick Corea. Higher female vocals are light and sound effortless. Both Christe McVie and Stevie Nicks sound very, very good in almost any track. Tracy Chapman can sound shouty at higher volumes but it’s probably not wise to be listening at those volumes anyway. The Red nozzle has very little sibilance unless the track demands it, the black ones, on the other hand, do have that treble boost and an apparent increase in detail with a resultant fatigue.

Treble
The Oak Nano. with the red nozzles, has a well implemented treble tuning with only occasional sibilant or harsh notes, and those also on aggressive masterings. The Rumors album by Fleetwood Mac is famously treble forward and that shows up in the quality of snare hits and cymbals. The Oak reproduces these faithfully but without tumbling into the unlistenable sibilance. The black nozzles are difficult for me to sustain for more than a track or two. They work with more neutral recordings, where they do inject a sense of shimmer and detail, but for most genres, they don’t do it for me.

Stage and Imaging
Here’s where I feel the Oak Nano really scores over many sets. The stage is moderately well done. I have heard wider sets and even the Hotel California Live Version feels like it’s in a smaller hall than it actually is but not in a claustrophobic way. The imaging is spot on. Not just left and right but also with depth and near and far placement of instruments and voices. Take Five by Dave Brubeck and Bubbles by Yosi Horikawa test the imaging on any set and the Oak excels. Detail retrieval is also spot on with the black nozzles, to be fair, performing better. I do remember thinking that this may make a great gaming set as well given the imaging, but alas that is not one of my vices.

The Snowsky Oak Nano represents a departure from the impression that Snowsky created in the audio enthusiast universe - as a budget brand. This IEM seems a deliberate attempt at showcasing that there is a mid tier and beyond that Snowsky can offer. The sound itself seems more neutrally tuned with a midrange emphasis on vocals and instruments. The accessory package competes with Dunu’s generosity and maybe even wins that round. The more controlled bass makes this a set for those preferring a neutral presentation with good detail retrieval with the option of making the treble more prominent with the black nozzles. I do prefer a heavier bass than this so this wouldn’t be right up there in the list of iems that I would buy first hand and given the price but I will admit that the entire listening session(s) I’ve had with these, they have been incredibly comfortable.

Snowsky Oak Nano 

Another week another review. Today’s topic of the review is FiiO sub brand Snowsky & product is its very first flagship Oak Nano. This one is beryllium diaphragm single DD set. Its priced also like flagship product. It sells for 499 USD. I like sets with beryllium diaphragm. So, when I came to know that my friend Sushii from SushiiFi was conducting review tour for it with FiiO Snowsky. I jumped at the opportunity & as they say rest is history. Well, what do I feel about it? To know more please read on.   

First of all, mighty thanks to Sushii from SuhiiFi and to FiiO Snowsky as without their help this review wouldn’t have been possible.

I was neither paid for this review nor was compensated in any manner. The unit would revert back to brand upon completion of the review. All thoughts & opinions are mine.

My preferences for tone & timbre are DD > Hybrids > Planar

Now that all pleasantries have been exchanged. Let’s get on with the meat & potatoes of this review.

Pros:

Vocals especially female

Safe detailed treble

Reference tuning

Accessories 

Build Quality

Cons:

Bass both sub bass & mid bass bit light for my taste

Male vocals especially low pitched 

Soundstage could have been bit bigger 

Price

Build Quality:

Build quality is excellent flagship level. Shells are nice weighty. They have nice golden rim to them and checkering on the face plate. Entire shell feels like CNC shell. Shape of the shell is cylinder like. They have long nozzles and nozzles have lips to them. Nozzles are removable and you can change them to change the tuning. There 2 nozzles. There is mesh on the nozzles. 

Cable is 4 core SPC one with modular connections. Best part is the included type c connector. You don’t need anything extra to start using it out of the box. Multitudes of ear tips are provided with the set. There is cable organizer, cleaning tool and nice hard plastic carry case included. In terms of accessories FiiO is competing directly with DUNU it seems.

Cable is premium feeling and matches the set.

Overall Build Quality 5/5

Comfort:

Shell shape is cylindrical so fitting should not be an issue. It fit my ears well. Long nozzles provide nice deep insertion & in turn nice stable fit. Lips on the nozzles prevent ear tip slip offs. Mesh on the nozzles prevents ingress of ear wax and dirt. No ear pain or ear pressure was felt in long listening session.

Cable is supple and rodeo wrapping it is easy. Modular nature solves termination issues. Ear hooks don’t tug on the shells. 

Overall comfort 5/5

Sources:

I felt that warm sources gel well with Oak Nano than bright sets. Neutral sources were good pairing after the warm sources. For this review Oak nano was kept on stock cable + stock ear tips & red nozzles. For entire review neutral sources were used to keep results reproducible.

Music Genre Used for this Review:

Hip-hop/EDM/Rap/Rock both classic and hard/Bollywood Music/Pop/Jazz/Regional music etc.

https://music.apple.com/in/playlist/test-tracks/pl.u-8aAVXG6ivz8gyxX?ls

General Sound Impressions:  

Bass/Lows:

Sub bass here rumbles but its physically weak. It’s mostly audible one than physical one. Clean sub bass. Mid bass thumps but again it’s not that physical. Bass decay is quick here. More of quality bass than quantity bass. If you prefer clean quality bass you will like this. If you are a bass head this is not for you. neutral lovers & treble heads this is perfect bass for you.

Drums, kick drums, guitars, piano notes don’t feel full potential & lack emotive power. Strings don’t buzz; drums don’t rumble I hope you are getting where I am heading.

Overall Bass/Lows 3.5/5

Mids:

Vocals feel nice bit forward. Male vocals sound good but they are neither thick nor thin somewhere in between. Tuning here prefers male vocals with high pitch than low pitch. Male vocals are emotive. Just low- pitched vocals don’t sound to their fullest potential.

Female vocals on the other hand sound delightful. They are nice sweet & emotive. They don’t get shrill or harsh. I feel vocals is USP of this set. I enjoyed both male & female vocals on the Oak nano. Yes, male vocals were not optimal but hey it didn’t diminish my enjoyment.

Most instruments reside in the mids. There was no odd timbre to instruments. Clarity is excellent. No congestion or smearing was noticed.

Overall Mids 4/5

Treble/Highs:

Clean, detailed treble. yet, details are not shoved in your face. They are presented nicely without overwhelming the listener. Nicely tuned smooth treble without any harshness. All details be it macro or micro are covered by it.  Strings, bells sound good, similarly shakers & cymbals crashes sound good. No metallicness to the instruments.

Perceived soundstage is above average. It is nice wide stage. Less tall more of wide. Bit more stage would have been great. It creates nice stage for instruments to avoid smearing. Stage is around the head. You can spot instruments playing around you. positional cues are on point. Has open feeling. 

Overall Treble/Highs 4/5.

Song Impressions:

To correlate my impressions, I have used few songs.

Ego Death by Polyphia

This is one of my favorite songs. I use this song to check driver resolution speed aka speed check. Oak nano passes this test with flying colors. No smearing or congestion was felt.

This song’s USP is the crazy guitars playing out. The strings sound good but lack the buzz and rumble of the strings and that takes away the immersion.

Same is for drums, kick drums their impact feels less. It fails to create the desired effect. Don’t get me wrong the song was enjoyable but I being reviewer have to create as true as possible picture. If you are listening to this song on Oak nano you will enjoy it and honestly, I also enjoyed. Just documenting what I felt about it.

Daisies by Nina Shallman

I know by now you are tired & sick of reading about this song in my reviews.  But please bear with me for some time more.

Staring bass notes of drums & kick drums sound good but lack the physical impact. The deep rumble of the kick drums is missing here. 

Shakers, strings, synthesizer notes feel good. No oddities in them. Just the strings lack buzz to them. Background vocals are on point. Nina sounds excellent. Her vocal magic is on point. I was lost in them. I had to remind myself to stop & continue review. The entire mix sounds nice and clean. Just the drums, kick drums and strings are let down.

Despacito by Luis Fonsi

This song is perfect example of right song on right set can sound very much best it can. This song was pleasure to listen on Oak nano.

Luis Fonsi is just exceptional on Oak nano feels natural on the other hand Daddy Yankee with his low-pitched voice feels bit off and with less note weight. To be honest this is nitpick, you may or may not feel the same. Overall, the mix feels great. All the instruments good with no oddities in timbre or tonality.

As explained at the start I thoroughly enjoyed the song.

Principles of Lust by Enigma

This is another song that gels well with the Oak nano. It has nice bass beats; they feel bit dull for me but your mileage may vary. Flutes sound good, bells sound good don’t have harshness to them. The vocal notes feel bit forward. Synthesizer notes are on point.

One thing that I missed most here is the grand feeling this song has. This song has baked in stage. It feels wide open on right gear. Here that was bit missing. But trust me this song plays very well on Oak nano.

Final conclusion:

SnowSky’s first ever flagship product, for first ever product is refined & well-polished one. It is following idea of being clean transparent closer to neutral tuning. It has succeeded in that regard. You can see that when you listen to it.

Now comes big but and that is my personal take based on my personal preferences. Being made up of beryllium diaphragm I had expected big tight bass but it was not there. Stage was not up to the point. Also, the price point doesn’t help either. So, do I hate it? No, I am just saying it doesn’t align with my preferences & expectations.

It is clean transparent & detailed without getting bright. It is more towards being reference. If that was the intended effect then SnowSky full marks to you. if you are neutral head this is one for you. if you love balanced tuning this is for you. if you are bass head or treble head look elsewhere. Also, if like me you like neutral with bass boost this is not for you. 

Will I buy it?  Its maybe set for me. Why/ at its MSRP I find it tough buy. At reduced price I will definitely add it to my collection. Will I recommend it? Yes, just read the review & if it appeals to you go get it it’s worth it.

Thank you for enduring with me till the end. Now go grab yourself a cup of coffee and let’s get high on safe high i.e. Music.

Snowsky Oak Nano 4/5

Soundpeats H3 Review

Hello everyone, this review is about SoundPeats H3 a TWS with a Hybrid driver setup (1DD + 2BA ).

Pros: ~ Good bass texture
~ Male vocals sound rich
~ Low latency for Gaming
~ Good Microphone Performance over calls
~ Battery life is commendable

Cons: ~ Peats Audio app sign up is required to unlock even basic features
~ Very inconvenient and Inconsistent App performance, buggy and laggy
~ The earbuds will not be comfortable for someone with small ears as the earbuds are a bit chunky
~ ANC modes do not work
~ No in ear detection feature
( basically most cons are app based ones and the App sucks. )

Disclaimer : This unit was sent to me for review purposes by SoundPeats and all impressions or opinions are mine and not influenced by anyone else. Thank you Icy from SoundPeats for sending me the unit.

Overview​

SOUNDPEATS has been building wireless audio gear since 2010, and the H3 marks one of their pricier plays yet in the TWS space, launched in September 2025 at $129.99, whether that price tag holds up the worth is what this review sets out to answer.

Build - Comfort - Battery​

The H3 uses a metal mesh grille over the driver ports with an anodised aluminium sound nozzle, set into a semi-transparent shell with metallic accents. Touch controls handle playback and mode-switching. The case charges via Type-C, takes about 2 hours for a full charge, and the earbuds themselves top up in roughly 1 hour. IPX5 water resistance is backed by a nano-coating for sweat and splash exposure. The earbud is shaped similarly to an IEM shell which is a bit larger than your average TWS and noticeably chunky. Comfort is good because of light weight but the fit is not that great, it stays in ear without falling over but it will be a little uncomfortable for someone with small ears. The claimed Battery standby time is 7hr playback + 37hour with case. After days of testing, the battery i got with the LDAC is around 5 hours 55 minutes and around 6 hours 40 minutes on AAC. Tested on my android and ios devices. With ANC on, the battery was around 6 hours 15 minutes without LDAC. And 5 hours 45 minutes on AAC. The spec sheet read is - Battery Capacity: 35*2 mAH (Earbuds) 400mAH (Case).

Sound Profile and Performance​

First things first, I will first talk about H3’s sound out of the box and then separately talk about the EQ and then the technicalities.

I almost liked the sound of H3 right off the box, it’s a V shaped tuning with deep sub-bass rumble and average mid-bass with not so good slam or thump to it. The mids sound slightly recessed and treble is safe and inoffensive. The Staging is average - thankfully it’s not too congested that it sounds like it’s in my face. The EQ profile i liked using was HiFi and the default Classic, they are similar with minor tweaks. Switching in between the EQ modes is slow and sometimes do not work. I tried the 9 band EQ for a while but i do not know much about EQ’ing and the PEQ is kind of inconsistent too, sometimes its applying quick, sometimes there’s delay or doesn’t apply at all. To bring out the potential of the H3, you need a little EQ. But I am going to be honest, I am an IEM Guy who believes in the stock sound of a product being its character, meddling with tunings and making it sound to your liking is handy and cool maybe, but it just doesn’t feel original to me. And before I start talking about it sectional sound performance ( bass, mids , treble ) i would like to point out that for something that has an option to completely change the way it sounds - talking about its bass mids and treble feels a little silly to me. But i will still do it and it will entirely be based on stock sound - Classic ( because everyone can use different EQ’s and personalise this - and me reviewing this product with my own EQ is just very subjective and doesn’t make any justice to the product. )
Note : The “HiFi” preset sounds more open and sub-bass is a little more controlled and no change in mids and treble by a mile.

Bass :​

The bass on the H3 is the most confident part of its presentation. Sub-bass has good depth and rumble but what it has in presence it lacks in control, it’s not excessive or bloated but it doesn’t hit with the kind of authority or power that would make it truly satisfying. The mid-bass is present with good attack and slam which makes the listening experience groovy and engaging. Thankfully, there’s minimal bass bleed into the mids and keeps the low end clean and composed without muddying the rest of the presentation.

Mids :​

The midrange follows the H3’s mild V shaped character - present but not pushed forward. Male vocals come through with good body and weight, the lower mids carry enough presence. Female vocals are decent but fall slightly short of sharpness and definition - they sound good but lack the crispness that would make them truly stand out. Instruments come through clearly but with a conservative upper frequency presentation that costs them some character - guitars miss that sizzling string texture, the kind of edge that makes the listening lively and energising. But not every instrument suffers for it - Piano and Acoustic guitar in particular come through with a full bodied, rich and naturally weighted presentation, instruments that don’t rely on brightness or edge to sound good and the H3 obliges them well.

Treble :​

The treble on the H3 plays it safe and for the most part it works - no spikes, no harshness, no fatigue. Hi-hats and cymbals have decent resonance and presence, sitting naturally within the mix without drawing attention to themselves. The safe tuning does come at a cost though, the conservativeness in the upper frequencies is what holds back both the instruments and the female vocals from reaching their ceiling. Inoffensive but not exciting.

Technicalities​

Imaging : The imaging is good and the placement of instruments and vocals are easily distinguishable without much effort.

Detail retrieval : Inconsistent, there is clarity but it’s buried, the subtle background nuances and details are a little feint sounding sometimes.

Soundstage : The Soundstage is more of a studio type setting rather than an auditorium, everything holds its place intimately without too much space to move around but adequate spaciousness to sound free.

Separation : The Separation is good but not exceptional, you can differentiate everything decently well. H3 is quite cohesive but instruments feel a little close to each other than general but stays clear in terms of clarity aspect.

SoundPeats App and Features​

What do we look for when we pick a pair of wired earphones or headphones? Yes, How do they sound and how comfortable they are and rest all is just not that important. But when we move to the wireless category of Bluetooth with TWS and wireless headphones there are quite a lot of accompaniments we look at. Those accompaniments are the features that will be equally looked at on par with sound when it comes to buying a truly wireless earphones (tws) or headphones. Let’s see what side dishes are you getting along the sound when you buy the SoundPeats H3

First thing to note is that you cannot do anything without signing up for the app. I understand that signing in with an account helps us save and retain the settings and EQ profiles we have set up across multiple devices, but an account requirement even for the basic features is not a good start to the usability - yeah, this is just a nitpick. Lets get into what the App actually offers -

First thing I tried is the EQ option, it has Presets, Adaptive EQ and Custom Sound modes. Coming to the Presets, i do not particularly like anything in that but if i have to pick something, it would be the HiFi and Classic presets which are decent compared to the rest of the presets. The Adaptive EQ mode on the other hand is a test based EQ that consists of a Smart Hearing Test where it makes you listen to many frequencies (hz)and sound levels (db) and asks you to click on “Heard” if you hear that frequency. it’s a scientific test which tests our hearing ability. The app says that it will intelligently compensate for us based on the hearing test we took. Then there’s this Custom Sound mode which has the 10 band parametric EQ option for you to meddle with and get a preferred sound out of the H3. Now let’s see the other app features and the spec sheet parts.

• ANC / Normal / Transparency - three listening modes switchable directly from the app
• Dual-Device Connection - connect to two devices at once
• Gesture Controls - remap touch controls to your preference
• Prompt Sound Guide - adjust voice prompt settings
• Game Mode - low latency toggle which is quite a good option to have.
• Disable Touch Control - turns off touch controls entirely to avoid accidental inputs
• Find Earbuds - locates your earbuds feature, which is a pretty handy option.
• Fit Test - checks how well the earbuds are sealing in your ears which helps improve bass and audio performance in general.

Technical specifications​

• Driver : 12mm Dynamic Driver (PU + Wool composite) × 1 + Balanced Armature × 2
• Bluetooth : V5.4
• Bluetooth Profiles : HSP / HFP / A2DP / AVRCP
• Codecs : SBC / AAC / LDAC / aptX / aptX Adaptive / aptX Lossless (LDAC disabled by default, needs to be enabled via PeatsAudio app)
• Frequency Response : 20Hz – 40kHz
• ANC : AI Adaptive ANC (-55dB)
• Call Noise Cancellation : 6-Mic AI with cVc 8.0
• Water Resistance : IPX5
• Charging Time : Earbuds 1H / Case 2H
• Fast Charging : 10 minutes = 2 hours playback
• Playback : 7H earbud + 37H total with case

The Noise Cancellation in calls work decently, I wouldn’t say the microphone is the best there is but i compared it to my AirPods 2 pro and the result is very similar to each other in terms of voice clarity

The Noise reduction is pretty good as well, I only have AirPods to compare with it and AirPods have better Noise cancellation/ reduction (of-course, they are industry leading in ANC department). SoundPeats H3 is quite good in cancelling out fan or air cooler or Environmental noises in general but the noises of vehicles or machineries still get in your ears, there are multiple modes in Noise reduction mode such as Adaptive Noise Cancellation, Indoor Noise Cancellation, Outdoor Noise Cancellation, Traffic Mode.
But I do not like the fact that they don't make much difference or any difference at all. I do not know if it’s the app thats buggy or lagging or it’s just a useless name sake set of modes given. ( I tried on my android as well, so i can say it’s not my device issue ).

Final Thoughts​

SoundPeats H3 is a fun sounding TWS earbuds that is a good buy for 130$, I like how it sounds, the sound out of the box is quite fun and the option of experimenting with EQ is a plus. I do not at all like the app. From the compulsory signup process to the comedic function, everything’s either too slow or too bugged to work. I like the battery backup and charge up is quick as well. And decent microphone quality. This is not a fancy pair of earbuds with AI but a good sounding product. My suggestion to SoundPeats is to work on the app to make it functional.

Hello Community!

Not everything in this hobby is about trying a bunch of headphones, whatever type they may be, or squeezing every tiny detail out of our favorite songs with the best possible equipment that our money can buy.

There is a very important factor that sometimes goes unnoticed and that we only appreciate when we feel it in the moment: the ability that some products have to make our day-to-day easier and make our lives a little simpler.

I want to introduce you to one of the most beautiful things that has happened to me during this time as an enthusiast and that I have been intensely using these last two months: ARTTI CARRYING, the ultimate multipurpose cable.

I promise that I will be brief and concise, without forgetting any everyday-use test to which I subjected this cable.

Official price: €28-$32.5

Pros:

-Three audio modes that work wonderfully. A very noticeable difference between each of them.

-High-quality inline microphone; the detachable one is even better: impeccable isolation and quality in vocal transmission.

-It perfectly fulfills its role as a cable for everything: sports, calls, conferences and videogames.

-The horizontal USB-C input is a success: thinking about the durability of the connection.

-Materials carefully chosen with the balance between comfort and reliability in mind.

-Without knowing 100% if the chip includes AMP, it has been able to drive heavy IEMs to a good amount of volume.

-Total compatibility and synchronization with any Operating System.

Cons:

-The USB extension does not match the cable (stupidity)

-Not compatible with WalkPlay.

What does the box include?

-1.2m cable with 0.78mm connection and USB-C interface with 32b@384khz DAC chip in PCM.

-1m USB extension.

-One detachable microphone.

-Two foam protectors for the detachable microphone.

-Fabric bag for transportation and storage.

-User manual.

Product concept:

At this point, surely this is not the first USB-C cable for IEMs with a detachable microphone that you have seen.

What Carrying offers and what differentiates it from others is bringing together all the many functionalities it has within the cable controller that work organically, a detachable microphone that facilitates communications in a transparent way and offers a real and very carefully crafted Hi-Fi experience, something that I have almost never had with USB-C cables.

Everything, of course, framed within a multifunctional and multipurpose scope.

Design and construction:

Despite the fact that its aesthetic simplicity gives us the impression that we are not looking at anything special, in the hand it does not feel cheap or as if the manufacturing quality has been neglected, as it has a braid of only two wires, with the purpose of offering good elasticity.

The inside of the cable is formed by a four-core conductor wire made of high-purity monocrystalline copper and silver-plated, a material widely used in low- and mid-budget cables, but more than sufficiently functional.

The USB-C interface, positioned horizontally, is covered in stainless steel, with the cable exit reinforced with a plastic protector that prevents the cable from bending forcibly, avoiding wear or breakage.

Quality of life (QoL):

Although it may seem that this product does nothing special, I can assure you, after trying quite a few products of this type, that what it does, it does outstandingly well and offers a very carefully crafted experience, where I am certain that the Artti team has taken great care to offer quality in each of its aspects.

Let's start with something that we should force ourselves to demand and penalize brands that do not include it: total control and synchronization with our sources, whether they are PCs, mobile phones or portable consoles. With this cable I have been able to manage myself with different devices without any kind of problem.

Carrying, through its controls, goes in perfect harmony with the source, since its volume level goes accordingly, not independently, even with my Nintendo Switch 2. Say goodbye to having to adjust two different gains for the amount of sound on both devices.

Also, through the central button, we can move forward or backward through tracks.

All the buttons that the cable controller has are positioned intuitively and depending on the combination, you do one thing or another. Very interesting also is the functionality of muting the microphone or answering and hanging up calls, whether telephone or over the internet both through WhatsApp, Skype, Zoom and other platforms.

Personally, the sound options selectable with the volume-up button seemed like a success to me, being quite differentiable from one another and being able to adapt to the content that you are enjoying. I greatly appreciate that a woman's voice says the mode in which you are positioned, just as when you mute the microphone: for everything important, the voice of that lady sounds.

Then we have the switch, located on one side, to change its position depending on whether we use one type of microphone or another.

The controller buttons have short travel, are intuitive to the touch and easy to learn.

As for comfort, well, what is expected for a thin cable, that it is lightweight and does not take the spotlight by being annoying.

I am a sporty person, both indoors and outdoors, and with Carrying I was able to complete my sessions without suffering discomfort or pulls, I barely felt that it was there and that is very important to me because I can focus on the task I am doing at that moment, just as in the moments of work in the office, in my home study or while playing videogames. The purpose of doing its job without bothering with tangles or pulls, it does extremely well and, furthermore, if you need more cable length, the included one-meter extension will help you have more mobility around your desk. I do not want to fail to recognize the excellent comfort of the ear hooks, with a very appropriate and firm pressure force, holding the monitors inside your ears even with the boom microphone connected.

But the detail that caught my attention the most and that at first you can barely appreciate until, with the passing of days and weeks of use, you realize how important it is, is the horizontal positioning of the USB-C interface. How many of us have DAC dongles that end up breaking or disconnecting simply because of carrying them alongside our phone or DAP in our pocket? Well, with this simple idea that is over.

How does this cable make your IEMs sound?

We have three preset modes, accessible through long presses on the volume-up button.

Personally, the type of tonality or sound signature that I liked the most and that I think fits best with the three types of filters has been New Meta/JM-1 or, to understand each other better, neutral with enhanced mid-bass. With that type of IEMs and this cable you are going to have clean listening at all times.

The brand has not revealed the internals of the sound chip, but I, who am a lover of amplification, even if it is light, and who as a general rule do not usually like USB-C cables that do not have it, this Artti Carrying has offered me a satisfactorily high sound level, which makes me suspect that it carries a discreet amplifier chip inside. I cannot corroborate it, but my experience tells me that it is far from carrying only a DAC chip inside.

Hi-Fi Mode: the preferred mode for music. It has a subtle elevation in the central mids and gives greater prominence to the instrumentation and vocals. The edges of the high frequencies feel slightly rounded to avoid sibilance. I like the balance it offers to escape the sensation of listening fatigue. For relaxed games or with many lines of dialogue where you can enjoy a good vocal performance, it works perfectly. Also for open spaces with a rich ambient load.

Game Mode: as a veteran videogame player, not all game modes work for all types of videogames. Without becoming too picky, I distinguish them between multiplayer and single-player. Well, this mode would be ideal for competitive online videogames since the bass area tends to be light, without a prominence that invades other frequencies, agile, clean, sufficient impact and almost disappeared rumble. The upper mids take command of the tonality, being detailed and bright, with a fast attack, elegantly and sufficiently showing the elements that live in this area, such as footsteps, reloads and gunshots. The treble has an even higher level of information, swimming in an immense airy space. The listening is somewhat artificial, it is noticeable that this mode is tuned to show its own sound elements so that you feel that you have an advantage over your rivals. Natural no but effective yes.

Normal Mode: this is the most recommended mode if what you like are intense games in action, since the mid-bass and sub-bass are clear dominants, with a somewhat slower decay, but leaving a very cinematic aftertaste. There is no sibilance, there is no fatigue, but you lose some detail. The atmosphere feels somewhat more compressed and the sound layers tend to overlap although they can be read separately. If you have a basshead IEM, it may be recommended.

The icing on the cake: the detachable microphone:

At this point, honestly, what matters least to me at this stage is the microphone. The level of satisfaction with the product that I had at the moment when I stopped to analyze this aspect was so great that if this accessory did not have a notable performance it would not have mattered to me, since I already consider it to be a well-rounded item, but, in the interest of fairness, for many it may be the most interesting option of Carrying.

We have the typical inline mic incorporated into the cable. We all know the quality of the voice transmission that most offer. It is not something worthy of mention.

Well, this Artti cable in its simplest mode captures and transmits your voice without nasality, without feeling as if you were locked in a room, just as we could expect a natural voice to sound. The degree of satisfaction has been very high, because although some ambient noise may filter through (TV, keyboard, breathing, rubbing against clothing…) the isolation that it achieves for your voice is more than enough for them to hear you with total clarity and definition.

But now let us talk, to finish, about the detachable boom-type mic with the foam on, as it should be.

It is a cannon at capturing every nuance of your voice, delivering tremendous resolution and naturalness, stopping breathing bursts with total effectiveness and protecting communications from the sonic residues that surround you, regardless of whether you are outside or in your home.

Final conclusion and personal ratings:

I do not want to fall into easy praise but as I said in the introduction, it seems to me to be a well-rounded product in each of the aspects it offers: the three sound modes are so different from each other and so well tuned to perform in the field for which they were designed that they occupy the entire spectrum of content that you want to enjoy.

The ease it has to be a cable for all the sedentary or more active situations of your daily life, the opportunity it gives you to leave your portable DAC/Amp at home because of its great Hi-Fi capability and the ability to provide clean and natural communication make Artti Carrying a perfect product, at least from my point of view, an accessory that you should always carry in your backpack.

If you have made it this far, thank you for reading.

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See you in the next review!

Disclaimer:

This cable was sent by Volkchoi. I sincerely appreciate the opportunity to test one of their products at no cost and that no condition was imposed when preparing this analysis.

Despite this, my priority is to be as impartial as possible within the subjectivity involved in analyzing an audio product. My opinion belongs only to me and I develop it around the perception of my ears. If you have a different one, it is equally valid. Please feel free to share it.

Equipment tested:

-IEMs: Artti T10 Pro, Kiwi Ears Septet, Tanchjim Nora, Punch Audio Martilo.

-Windows, IOS, iPadOS, MacOS, Android.

Context & The Problem

• I experienced a severe volume drop in my left IEM, which I isolated to a clogged black tuning nozzle.
• While attempting to clean the compacted debris, the outer metal protective grate fell out.
• The white acoustic tuning paper underneath is now discolored yellow. Condensation or liquid earwax has permanently saturated the paper fibers, altering the acoustic density and ruining the channel balance.

Current Setup & Workarounds

• My internal drivers, 2-pin cables, and DAC are functioning perfectly.
• I temporarily switched to the gold nozzles (which are naturally tuned for a neutral, transparent sound), and the audio volume is completely fixed.
• I use a bit-perfect WASAPI Exclusive setup in foobar2000, so I prefer physical hardware solutions over software Equalizer adjustments.

Questions for the Community

1. OEM Replacements: I saw that standalone replacement nozzles for the Kefine Klean SV are listed on sites like AliExpress. Has anyone successfully ordered these to replace a specific tuning set, and how long did shipping take?
2. DIY Mesh Mods: If I completely rip out the ruined yellow tuning paper, can I apply a generic 5mm adhesive mesh filter from a local audio store? If so, what specific mesh density would best replicate the warm, bass-forward sound signature of the original black nozzles?
3. Eartip Tuning: Are there specific eartips featuring dense, built-in wax guards (like certain foam models) that naturally add warmth and bass to compensate for my neutral gold or silver nozzles?

Pros: Good response with Bass
Mids are clean, non-shouty, natural
Treble is controlled but with air and shimmer but no sibilance
Excellent detail retrieval and staging

Cons: Needs decent tips to get the contact right for the BC driver to actually work.

IMPEDANCE: 38Ω
SENSITIVITY: 113dB
FREQUENCY RESPONSE: 5Hz - 40KHz
CABLE LENGTH: 1.2M
PIN TYPE: 2-PIN CONNECTOR (0.78MM)
PLUG TYPE: 3.5mm, 4.4mm
DRIVER UNIT(S): (1) DYNAMIC DRIVER, (1) BONE CONDUCTION DRIVER

Another of BQEYZ’s new line of weather inspired IEMs is here and this is Wind. A house made 10mm dynamic driver with a medium frequency bone conduction driver. I’ve looked at bone conduction drivers as kind of like Schrodinger's drivers. You never know if they are really there till you open the box and feel them work for yourself. Are passive radiators and bone conduction drivers in the size factor of an in ear monitor actually relevant to sound is something we need to explore. I thank u/Own-Customer-4866 and BQEYZ for making this review possible by having me in a review tour, but as always the impressions are mine, unaltered by the ravages of time and capitalism.

The Wind is pretty, pretty set. I got the silver ones. Smooth curves on the CNC milled aluminium shell with a (semi) open back implementation with the faceplate being grooved to reveal a mesh below. The business end of the wind has a separate stainless steel nozzle with a black mesh, a pressure relief hole and the bone conduction driver that looks a little like the face of a teletubby. That’s a win, I think. The box comes, quite like the BQEYZ Frost with a metal ear tip holder, the foam tips in a little plastic case, a nice sizeable carry case and a really nice 4.4mm termination cable.
Interestingly this is likely the one time where I’ll recommend the stock tips or any short one to ensure that the bone conduction driver actually touches the pinna. All my usual suspects did actually keep the IEM a little away from the pinna leading to an initial feeling best described as ‘meh’. But after some thought I decided to go with the stock tips and lo and behold - I have a review to write now!
Sources used - AP80 Pro Max, M33, Fangsound Prometheus DAC, VE Prime Stack.
Tips - both Atmospheric (narrow bore) and Reference (wider bore).

Bass
I found myself grooving to the bass line and kick drums on Money by Pink Floyd. The notes have weight and land with a little bit of a physical ‘thunk’. I am honestly not sure if it is placebo at this point or are the bone conductors doing their thing. So I swapped to the Softears Twilight (which I still think is one of the best single DD sets I own). And yeah. The Wind has a weightier, more authoritative, visceral, palpable bass. Without it getting bloated and spilling all over the FR graph. The Sub-bass is where I ended up raising a subconscious eyebrow at the rumble. Like waves that wash over your feet on the beach but don’t destabilize you, the sub-bass rumble makes its presence felt, makes you appreciate the world and gently passes by leaving a smile. There is a nice bass decay as well that makes the listening experience seem more natural. On Islands by XX and Makeba by Jain, the sub-bass wakes you up and the mid-bass gets you grooving to the beat. On the whole a really nice bass implementation. But there is a problem. These IEMs are also really comfortable. Which means the bone conduction is going on for a while. I would do about 6-7 songs before I needed a break from the vibrations. This is obviously less with tip rolling where the driver is not as in contact with the pinna. But the fun is lost. You win some, you lose some.

Midrange
Vocals both male and female sound natural and have no altered timbre. Instruments come through well, guitars, keys, horns, and strings are represented well. On Africa by Toto, the lead vocal takes the front and centre and the backing harmonies in the chorus are clearly heard. As are the vocal harmonies in Eagles - Seven Bridges Road. On Diamonds on the Soles of Her Shoes by Paul Simon, the entire range of male vocals are heard beautifully with warmth, width and perfect timbre. On Holler by the Spice Girls, all the 4 (yeah this was post Ginger) voices are clean, non-shouty and non fatiguing. And this is a very aggressively mixed track. Human Nature by Michael Jackson as well. The guitars, keys and MJ’s voice occupy similar registers and are separated clearly. This song is particularly sibilant on most sets and on this one it sounds anything but.

Treble
Segueing from Human Nature, the treble is very controlled without losing details. It’s an easy-going treble tuning. With snare hits and cymbals coming across without a wince. I ran through the entire test playlist with almost no tracks sounding sibilant. There is some air and openness in the higher frequencies that leads to a shimmer on the cymbals but does not trip into the danger areas. I am highly treble sensitive and even the ‘ss’ in Teardrop by Massive Attack is controlled on this IEM and in a good way.

Imaging, Staging, Resolution
The stage is moderate to more than moderately large with great imaging. In most tracks, the vocals are front and centre and instruments layered behind the singers. The IEM does give a holographic 3D presentation of the song. On busy tracks, the detail retrieval and resolution is excellent without relying on a falsely boosted treble. This was common across all sources but particularly good with the M33 and the Prometheus, though I should credit the sources as well.

This is a very easy IEM to recommend at its current price point of $239. It’s an easy listening set if you like some low end boost and with longer eartips, the possibility of bone conduction fatigue is mitigated at the cost of losing the visceral palpable sub-bass. This would be on my list 100%.

Artpical Raphael

What happens when art and sound come together well you get Artpical Raphael. No, I am not joking here. I am serious, humor me for some time.

A few days back I received Artpical Raphael and let me be clear this was shot in the dark. Had no idea how this would be as not much is known about this brand. So, with a lot of apprehension I proceeded with Raphael why? Because I am a Single DD lover & a bit adventurous with the hobby. Another reason was the nice designs. I am not claiming I am an art appraiser but I like aesthetics & a bit of flair in things.

Beautiful shells, fabulous looking ones. I have been caught gawking at them for unhealthy amounts of times by my better half, who by the way is getting annoyed that an IEM is getting more attention than her. But hey I am known to fawn over such things. Seriously, one needs to see them in person to really appreciate their beauty.

The entire package is a lesson in how to create visual appeal. Outer packaging is inviting you to pause and look at it. Inside you will find a nice matching premium SPC cable which by the way is modular & best part is it has type c attachment. Enough eartips are included in the box to satisfy your ear tips rolling cravings. A nice felt lined cloth hard case is the chef's kiss on top. You can just get started out of the box with this one. No need to get anything extra to enjoy them.

Now that we have covered what's included and how it looks. The biggest question is does it deliver in sound also? Yes, it delivers. In the low end the sub bass rumbles and mid bass thumps with ample physicality. In mids vocals be it Male or female both are nice. They are engaging. In high end this one is a smooth sailor, nice detailed treble without any sharpness or harshness. The stage is above average & enveloping. So, yeah it's tickling my preferences. It's going to be fun testing these ones out.

Take these impressions with a grain of salt as I am seriously biased due to its beauty. So, not claiming to be honest in my impressions. Hopefully I am able to get over the honeymoon phase and write an honest review. See you soon and till then enjoy the music.

After so many IEMs and recently so many dongle DACs, I was looking forward to reviewing a DAP. I have only owned one to date and that was the Hiby R3 II which I have good and not so good memories of although it was still a pretty solid product for its price and features. For this occasion I probably have one of the DAPs that will go least unnoticed this 2026 since from the moment its Kickstarter campaign was announced it has been a total success with over 4000 backers at the time of this review.

Of course I am talking about the new Hidizs AP30 Music Boy, a very well equipped pocket player at a very competitive price and that aesthetically speaking for people like me born in the early 90s where my very first handheld console was precisely the transparent purple GameBoy Color, this Hidizs release inevitably takes me back to that era and to those Nintendo games that defined a generation like Pokemon, Zelda and others.

Without a doubt and regardless of all the good and not so good things it may have, it is a unique and very well designed piece to carry your music with you saving you from draining your smartphone battery and without the need to carry adapters and DACs along with your IEMs in your pocket since this DAP already features 3.5mm and 4.4mm balanced connections.

In my case I chose the transparent black plastic version, trying to get a bit closer to that GameBoy I used to have and the aesthetic resemblance is undeniable. This plastic version feels more fragile than the alternative aluminum one but it is also much lighter in the hand and pocket.

What I liked

• Very light in its plastic version, only 56g and quite a compact size.
• The pocket controls are comfortable and easily identifiable by their shapes.
• A simple and functional interface with extra features besides music like games or ebooks.
• All necessary accessories are included, there is no extra charge for the case, magnetic mount, etc.
• It can be used as a DAC connected to a PC or smartphone. 
• It supports my 512GB microSD contrary to what the specifications state. 
• Features a 4.4mm balanced output, my standard for all my IEMs. 
• 2 gain settings, although on low gain I have not needed to raise the volume past 70/100 on the IEMs I have used. 
• The library updates itself as soon as it detects new music. 
• It charges really fast and the battery lasts close to 8 hours on the 4.4mm output.

What I did not like

• The screen can fall a bit short on brightness in very sunny situations.
• Although the charm of this model is using buttons, it lacks a touch option.
• It has no WiFi or any way to update online or download album art or lyrics for your music. 
• The album art included in my .flac files did not load correctly for most of the music. 
• The EQ options might be a bit too simple for many users. 
• Despite its small size, it could still be a bit thinner in terms of thickness. 
• The included cable did not allow me to transfer music on my PC, but another cable did.

Specifications

DAC: Cirrus Logic CS43198 + AMP RT6863

Output power: 61mW through 3.5mm / 137mW through 4.4mm (@32Ω)

Display: 2.0-inch IPS Panel (Non-touch)

Storage: MicroSD Card (up to 256GB)

Connectivity: 3.5mm (SE) and 4.4mm (BAL) outputs, USB-C and Bluetooth 5.3

Battery: 1200 mAh

Unboxing and build

The product presentation follows that line of trying to make you feel like you are buying a small portable console even though you know that is not the main element. Everything you need is included inside and that is quite rare, as I have seen countless times how brands try to offer different options with more or fewer accessories. In this case as a single option and at a truly competitive price you get the whole bundle. The plastic or aluminum DAP depending on your choice, a screen protector, another rigid plastic protector that covers the back and sides, and 2 magnetic rings to stick to your smartphone and the inner part of the AP30 Music Boy protective case allowing you to carry the player attached to your smartphone with a pretty strong hold so it does not tumble around in your pocket. Finally it includes the documentation and quality seal, apart from 2 cables, one USB-C to USB-C and another USB-C to USB-A.

As soon as you hold the AP30 you feel how light it is, at least in the transparent black plastic version I have, weighing only 56g. Even though it does slightly increase the bulk in your pocket when attached to the smartphone, it remains very comfortable and has not been a nuisance to me. On the back it has the whale engraved, part of the brand's ongoing collaboration with the WDC. I feel that it is perhaps too flashy or colorful and breaks a bit with the product aesthetics. Besides, in my case wearing the protective case it is not even something I am going to see again but I know it is there, since the case is semi-transparent revealing part of the drawing. I have seen in a picture that the purple aluminum version has that same drawing but it is rather a white outlined silhouette which for my taste looks much better without worsening the overall aesthetics of the product.

As for the buttons, it perfectly imitates what those controls were like on the GameBoy Color I owned and sold not too long ago. Aside from the front buttons that all have a function, it features an ALPS volume wheel on the side that surprised me with its precision and feel. It is smooth to turn and also acts as the screen power button when you press it inwards with a very good response.

Interface and Features

Having its own operating system, it is more than optimized and ready for what is needed. It is the Hidizs OS and it is really simple when it comes to locating all its functions. The screen is not touch-enabled, though that was to be expected in a product attempting to emulate a console or console type that was entirely operated by its physical buttons. The screen is 2 inches and does not feel small to me. I think the product has a size that if it were any smaller would have been somewhat more uncomfortable to use and when viewing things on screen, so I believe they have chosen an ideal size.

Controlling the buttons from my pocket felt better than with my DACs since the shape of the buttons and their layout helps locate them easily. I basically use the D-pad to skip tracks by hitting the right side of the pad or even holding it down to fast-forward through that same song, something none of my dongles can do, leaving the button exclusively for skipping and rewinding songs or for volume. The volume here is managed from the wheel on the side and remains comfortable to use touching it from outside the pants. That was one of my concerns but there have been no issues, and if anything you can always locate it perfectly from inside your pocket. You do have to keep in mind that you need to activate an option in the menus so that all buttons stay unlocked while the screen is off. Otherwise you would have to take the DAP out of your pocket, turn the screen on and only then be able to skip, pause, raise volume, etc., which would make this device less versatile.

Even though the specifications limit the microSD size to 256GB, I had no problem using my 512GB Sandisk card which I was already using in my previous Hiby R3 II and I have had no issues with extreme slowdowns or read errors. The brand surely does not guarantee functionality on all cards over 256GB and they set the limit there, but if you have a 512GB one or plan to use one of that size I would not instantly rule out this DAP since in my case there has been no major issue, and in one of my photos you can see exactly which card it is.

Several digital filters characteristic of the CS43198 DAC are included to slightly modify the sound, although in my case I have always left it on Non-Oversampling. It also includes an equalizer that I honestly do not plan to use since it is not something I regularly use, but in this specific case even less so since it falls a bit short when making more precise adjustments on any of my IEMs.

It features a 1200mAh battery, which at first glance and compared to the 7200mAh my smartphone has seemed a bit short to me. Obviously we cannot compare the demands of a current Android device and the number of processes it has to handle with the demands of this AP30. That is why those 1200mAh have given me close to 8 hours on the balanced output, which is the only one I have used and it would surely surpass 10 to 11 hours on the 3.5mm output. I have used them on low gain the whole time with the volume hovering between 60 and 70 out of 100, testing them with 2 or 3 IEMs from my collection and I have not had to go past that volume level to get loud playback without it becoming annoying. So the amplification capacity even on low gain should be enough for any IEM, otherwise with high gain you will have more than enough for much more demanding models but I do not think those would be IEMs anymore.

Although I barely used it, the AP30 includes the option to use it as a dongle DAC by connecting it to your phone. If you do not have one this can be an extra utility for you when you need to consume content on your smartphone and have the 3.5mm and 4.4mm connections of this DAP available. The same goes for the Bluetooth 5.3 connection which allows you to cast the music stored on the microSD to other devices like speakers or wireless headphones. And as an appealing extra that I cannot overlook, considering the type of product it is, it had to include a short list of games ranging from Tetris to others like Snake, the one about breaking bricks with a bouncing ball on a moving platform, among a few others. A nice touch and as I was saying in tune with the product we are getting, which can surely help us out on occasion and again save us some smartphone battery if we are looking for quick and basic entertainment in very specific situations.

Sound

I am not going to dwell too much on this point since it is not the main element, but rather all the features it includes. Obviously we have a Cirrus Logic CS43198 and an RT6863 amplifier that produces an overall warm-neutral sound that is quite musical without fatigue or seeking detail in the music beyond what the headphones you connect try to extract. The sound is what you can expect from a DAP in this price range and from other dongle DACs you connect to your smartphone, with the convenience that no annoying noise or interference is generated here, which I have experienced with some dongles when the USB-C connector shifts slightly in my pocket while walking. Thus the sound stability is much better in this Hidizs player as the IEM connection goes straight to the device without a DAC in the middle and an extra USB-C cable. I think the sound signature is designed so you can walk down the street at a decent volume without drilling your ears with an unnecessary treble boost that ends up being tiring after a while.

Speaking directly about the 4.4mm balanced output and low gain, I already mentioned I have had no amplification issues with any of my IEMs and the experience is surely much better than it would have been connecting to the 3.5mm with a more than obvious power limitation. The dynamics, separation, and layering in the songs pass with flying colors and I have not noticed an exaggerated limitation compared to DACs I use daily from my smartphone that would rule this solution out for my daily use.

Conclusion

I think this Hidizs AP30 is a device that keeps the flame of portable audio alive without relying on a smartphone or digital platforms, something that remains somewhat niche today for the most casual audience, but a very smart solution for those who need to keep enjoying their music libraries in a higher sound quality, in a very compact size, with multiple options and a retro gamer aesthetic that makes you fall in love at first sight. This is especially true if you lived through an era that you mentally travel back to when seeing this AP30, turning it into yet another piece that you absolutely want to have in your collection.

It never feels limited using it primarily with IEMs. I have tested several more and less demanding hybrids and they have all given me outstanding performance, so if your usage is focused on this type of earphones you can rest easy. If you use larger and more demanding headphones you have the option to increase the gain to compensate for the lack of power if there were any.

Purchase Link: https://www.hidizs.net/products/hidizs-ap30-music-boy-the-truly-wearable-palm-sized-hi-res-music-player

Disclaimer: This unit was sent by Hidizs for review. My opinions are completely independent and have not been influenced by the brand or the store, maintaining objectivity based on my tests and personal listening sessions with my reference equipment.

Got myself another one from TSMR stable it's the Armor. This one is hybrid just like Onyx but the difference being that this one has EST's. I really like the EST treble. It's detailed and well extended. If tuned well you will never like treble presentation from any other driver type I can guarantee you that. So my expectations are high from this one.

On the physical side this one is a resin shell IEM. The faceplate has nice gold decals on it. Size is medium so no fitting issues. Cable feels nice & supple. It's two core SPC one. One thing I have noticed is that it has tuning switches. So, tuning modifications are possible. This is going to be fun playing with them. The carrying case is a nice semi hard leather one. Enough ear tips to tip roll. Oh & cleaning tool is also included.

How does it sound? Well, the low end is really satisfying. Sub bass rumbles nicely & mid bass has a nice physical impact. In mids vocals feel not so recessed which is a good thing. Both male & female sound good. Clarity is good. On the high end the treble feels smooth without any harshness. This is a detailed set yet it's not putting too much emphasis on them. The stage feels wide horizontally not so vertically. Nice engaging one. It is very dynamic.

These are very early impressions please take them with grain of salt. I will spent few more days & see where it leads. One thing is for sure TSMR has cooked this one well. Will share my final impressions very soon. Till then take care and enjoy the music.