The $139 TempoTec IM05 is a 4+1 iem with fabulous imaging qualities that may have a tad too much bass for some.

The TempoTec IM05 was kindly supplied by the manufacturer for my review – and I thank them for that. You can purchase it from TempoTec Official Store .

Introduction

TempoTec’s claim to small fame came with their budget dongle DACs that were unbeatable at their price. For example, their $40 Sonata HD Pro came with all accessories to even work with iPhone.

Recently, the company has expanded gear wise and simultaneously moved out of the budget realm. They now feature the excellent V6 dap, the great Serenade X desktop streamer, and the March III M3 desktop DAC/amp. One device per category, all mid-fi, and all surprisingly good.

With the IM05 (IM stands for “Impromptu”, 05 for the number of drivers), TempoTec enters yet another category: earphones. And TL;DR, they do another good job. No rookie mistakes, the IM05 is a mature product. It was actually designed to harmonize with the V6 DAP.

Specifications TempoTec IM05

Physical Things and Usability

In the box are the earpieces with plenty of silicone tips, a fancy cable, a very roomy storage case, and the paperwork. The earpieces are large but light, they are comfortable, fit me well, and they isolate well, too. The cable is gorgoeous both haptically and functionally (“pliable”).

Tonality and Technicalities

The TempoTec IM05 is warmish sounding with a good depth and headroom and a decent timbre (considering it has 4 BAs), but with a “broad” lower mid bass that smears into the lower midrange. It sounds nothing like the graph implies, paradoxically.

Yep, the bass is the polarizing feature, with its strong cat buckle (in the graph) that culminates at the transition mid-bass/sub-bass. This makes for a thick and somewhat punchy midbass, but with a rather subtle impact and intensity that does not torture my eardrums. The Azul Performer 5 does the opposite.

TempoTec offer this kind of bass lift also in their V6 DAP and March III M3 DAC/amp. It appears to be part of their house sound. In fact, the $4000 Fir Audio iems offer a similar bass impact.

Bass lines are generally on the rich side. Extension into the sub-bass is average but, paradoxically, the lowest frequencies are leaner than the mid bass. There is always a subtle but never annoying rumble down there.

The bass smears into the midrange which has the positive effect that it re-inforces male and female voices alike, but it also cuts into the midrange transparency. Strangely enough, vocals are not recessed but rather intimate, despite the mickey mouse ears in the upper midrange’s graph segment.

There is also no shoutiness. I can only explain this by the balance between elevated bass and upper midrange in combination with the recessed treble.

Somebody tuned these iems by ear and not by graph, obviously. And it works. Vocals are very well rendered and nicely layered, they have a 3D effect and are almost holographic. They are neither thick or thin but are nicely intimate and rather articulate.

Treble is subtle overall, the extension is..well..not well extended. The high notes are somewhat swept under the carpet. Older listeners like me won’t probably care that much.

That combination of modest treble and extension and bass lift make for a deep but not too wide (but wide enough) stage. Midrange resolution is excellent as long as there is no strong bass superimposed. Separation and layering are also very good, not to forget the outstanding imaging. When listening to concerts with interaction of musicians and audience, I always feel I am in the building or stadium.

In comparison, the $150 single DD Sennheiser IE 150 are more fluid with a more emphasized midrange, but they have flatter staging and less resolution. The LETSHUOER S12 is less holographic with lesser imaging but somewhat smoother (after micropore tape mod).

The IKKO OH10 on our Wall of Fame plays vocals leaner, sharper, and more recessed, at similar imaging qualities. The Dunu Talos has a wider stage but lacks depth in comparison, and the notes are leaner. The first model in my collection to beat the I M05 is the $650 LETSHUOER EJ07 in that its sonic presentation is somewhat smoother with better rounded notes, but the IM05 is still better imaging.

The discontinued $699 Dunu Zen is better resolving but has an upper midrange glare. I prefer the IM05 over the lesser imaging and resolving Moondrop KATO. In summary, the IM05 are also head and shoulders above most $150-200 ChiFi fare I have tested, at least in terms of imaging.

Concluding Remarks

The TempoTec IM05 is an enjoyable 4+1 iem with an agreeable sonic signature. I have auditioned way more than 500 iems, but never had exactly this listening experience, so it is somewhat mainstream with new features, particularly the bass (though it may be considered being too boosted by some).

Since it is the company’s first iem, many analysts may “laud a good initial effort” while tacitly recommending the reader to wait for the “Pro” version. This is not necessary for the IM05, TempoTec got it right on the first try, as is the case with their V6 dap, Serenade X streamer, and March III M3 DAC/amp.

It was a pleasure testing the IEM05, an outright inspiration following my bundle of 10 Chifi iems that landed on my desk just before Christmas. TempoTec keep surprising.

Until next time…keep on listening!

The post TempoTec IM05 Review – Uniquely Mainstream appeared first on Music For The Masses.

Sho DD differ from Sho at various levels, including the housing material (an AL-CU alloy in lieu of Titanium), the material chosen for the ceramic tweeter, the sophystication of the pentaconn connectors, etc, so I’m sure it’d be wrong to expect that Sho DD represent a “Sho replacement” at a much lower price, as it would after all be totally illogical on a commercial level of course.

I happen to have two different versions of Sho DD available: the standard one, regularly in production and purchaseable from the company’s website (here without a cable for the equivalent of less than 100€, or here with a cable, for the equivalent of less than 200€), and a special edition called Sho DD Halloween, externally recogniseable by their purple colored backside resin, currently out of production. One of the two is my own property, the other has been sent to me courtesy of the manufacturer.

The description here below refers to the currently shipping Sho DD version. I’ll add the differential notes regarding Sho DD Halloween in the Comparison section below.

At-a-glance Card

Full Device Card

Test setup and preliminary notes

Sources: Sony NW-A55 mrWalkman / Questyle QP1R, QP2R, M15, CMA-400i / Dragonfly Cobalt – JVC Spiraldot silicon tips – Dunu DUW-02S cable – lossless 16-24/44.1-192 FLAC and DSD64/128/256 tracks.

Signature analysis

Tonality

Sho DD presentation is a sort of V-shape, with vivid yet controlled high-mids. Their tonality is on the warm side of neutral, however much less than the muscular bass might threaten to make it at first hearing.

The timbre… that’s where it gets tricky. On Sho DD timbre depends quite heavily on how trebles come up, which in turn changes even dramatically depending on eartips selection and insertion depth.

More in detail: when “casually” worn, and with narrow bore tips, Sho DD may easily present a dual-timbre scenario with a solid, bodied, muscular bass standing in front of razor cutting, brilliant, finely detailed treble (and highmids, to some extent). Such “inconsistency” might even rather be taken as a “duality”, something in the ballpark of a 2 tweeters + 1 subwoofer nearfield setup, to give an idea of what I’m talking about.

By working on insertion position and eartips (wider bore) it’s however very possible to smoothen the highs a bit, taming their finest and leanest fringes, but most of all adding to their body thereby significantly closing the gap with bass notes. That’s where my recommendation rootens, to choose for JVC Spiraldots.

Even with that Sho DD will be living on a dynamic balance between diverse elements, much different from a seemless or near-seemless merge like you can get on other hybrid setups. Such situation is very thin ice to thread onto: when done right a good orchestration delivers extremely interesting composite results, and comes across nearly unhearable otherwise. Sho DD are an evident example of the former case.

Last but not least: of course tips choice and insertion positioning being totally subjective, it may well be the case that the virtuous scenario I just mentioned takes place in your case just on stock tips, or with totally different ones. You’ll have to try your own mileage.

Sub-Bass

Sho DD have a hefty, solid, physical sub-bass acting like a concrete basement, while staying separated from the rest for most if not at all times.

Mid Bass

Midbass is no doubt one of Sho DD’s strengths. It’s thick, visceral yet very well controlled, quite fast but not sharp and very well textured. Transients are calibrated on a totally commendable speed compromise point, to one of the best “thick-bass tunings” I ever came across.

Mids

Mids are obviously positionally recessed nonetheless they carry good definition. Their note body is also not lean, just “unlushy” in a sense, such as to make vocals, guitars and part of the piano stay more in the back in relation to drums, winds and drumplates which are made to take the lead by Sho DD.

I guess it’s fair to say of Sho DD that they represent an example of a situation where leaving some parts (like mids and vocals) on second-priority does not necessarily mean not curing them at all. Au contraire.

Male Vocals

As they are contributed to both by the VST and DD driver, male vocals are indeed more than pleasing on Sho DD. Certainly positioned in the back, they carry good texture and especially more than decent organicity and credibility.

Female Vocals

Taken in absolute terms female vocals are also relatively un-lushy and somewhat cold, yet can’t call them lean: they indeed carry more than a bit of texture. If I put them in a V shape sig perspective they are actually very good for the category.

Highs

If I had to elect my preferred value on all Intime IEMs I heard (a total of 8 different models till now) their unique highmids and treble rendering is very likely where my choice would land. Which is in the end consistent with the fact that their patented ceramic-based piezo tweeter is the owner’s competence specialty coming from his previous professional history, too.

Be as it may, Sho DD’s highs section is shiny, vivid, energetic and fundamentally always south of excessive.

Also, if after trying other piezo technology drivers you tend to expect a characteristic unwanted timbre to them well, forget it: Intime’s VST does not carry any “electric” sheen or aftertaste.

Technicalities

Soundstage

Sho DD offer a very sizeable horizontal stage, good height and above average depth.

Imaging

Macrodynamics are extremely good, mainly thanks to the solid but unbloating bass not covering the tweeter’s job. Mid’s recession may occasionally put some vocals or guitars a bit too much in the background.

Details

The combined effort of the two drivers grants very good detail retrieval from all segments of the spectrum. The lion’s part is surely taken by treble, especially in their higher part, which deliver

Instrument separation

Sho DD are extremely good at separation and layering, and that’s surprising after the first audition when you notice those lushy midbass and their buttery transients. The crux is that bass stays so well controlled, and the VST2 driver extends all the way down to the mids, the result being just gorgeous with the user being able to follow each voice singularly, even on crowded passages.

Curiously enough, bass comes across physically “above” (in the sense of soundstage’s vertical dimension) mid tones most of the times, unlike what I tend to here more often on other IEMs.

Driveability

Sho DD require “some” amping power due to their somewhat modest sensitivity (100dB/mW). The good news is their impedance is not ultra-low (22 ohm), which increases the population of sources able to deliver the required current at that load point.

Physicals

Build

Much like most of Intime’s other models, Sho DD’s housings are made of two parts: a Duralumin front, complemented by a resin back side. “DD” in the name stands in fact for “Duralumin Design”, and also somehow recalls the presence of a DD (Dynamic Driver) inside.

Fit

Bullet shapes (slim ones like those designed by Final or Akoustyx, or fat ones like Intime’s) are quite easy to fit for me, just a bit wobbly.

I always considered wobblyness as a sort of unavoidable drawback until I came across those Earlock fitters bundled with Akoustyx S6, which taught me that it is possible to stabilse bullet-shaped housings, and do that for good. Sadly, original Earlocks won’t fit Sho-DD due to their too small central bore, so I temporarly adopted “comma-shaped” rubber fitters. The result is better than nothing but not perfect yet, so I’m keeping my search for suitable Earlock-shaped alternatives – stay tuned…

Eartip selection is one of those particularly tricky cases here. Most of the silicones I tried make treble going too hot and somewhat metallic. At long last I concluded that the best 3 silicon options are Acoustune ET07 (that is – guess what – those bundled with the product), Intime’s own iSep01 tips, or JVC SpiralDots.

Nearly identical to ET07 in shape and size, Intime’s own iSep are not ideal for my particular case however due to their softer umbrella structure: that’s supposed to be more comfortable to wear, and bring the advantage of a somewhat tighter bass, but it also proves a bit “too soft” for my particular case, and it tends to collapse under my ear canal tightening, thereby losing the seal – which does not happen with their stiffer siblings, the original ET07.

SpiralDots are an even better bet in terms of treble rendering, but they come with a further note body incresase on the midbass, which some might find excessive, even if it’s not associated with any additional transient loosening / bloating.

A very good alternative to silicones are foamies, which I normally don’t like but in this particular case I got very good sonic results with Comply TSX-400, and with INAIR Air-2, both of which I can then dearly recommend.

Comfort

Very subjective. I personally find them quite comfortable like all bullet shaped housings, even better if complemented with suitable rubber fitters (see above).

Isolation

No concha shielding due to bullet shape, but their “fat” build contributes positively nonetheless.

Cable

Sho DD are offered in 3 alternative packages: just the housings with MMCX connectors and no cable, the housings with MMCX connectors and a silver plated OFC 3.5mm terminated cable (“Intime M drum” cable), and the housings with proprietary Intime Pentaconn connectors and the matching silver plated OFC cable, in a choice of 3.5, 2.5 or 4.4 termination (“Intime P Tsuzumi” cable).

While Intime’s silver plated OFC cable is technically good, Sho DD (like Miyabi) are very sensitive to cable variations and after quite a few swaps and rotations I found Dunu DUW-02S pair best on Sho DD, significantly improving layering, separation and airness.

Specifications (declared)

Key technologies

I already covered Intime’s key internal technologies within my previous articles regarding Intime IEMs, here and here. I’ll quickly go through the differences applying to Sho DD.

The Dynamic Driver has a Titanium coating, different from Miyabi and Sora 2 which carry a Graphene-coated membrane.

The housing’s front part is made of Duralumin, which is an alloy made of Aluminun, Copper and some other stuff. Its advantages are basically similar resistance as stainless steel, with a weight similar to aluminum instead.

The VST tweeter and the HDSS device are instead both 3rd generation version, the same adopted inside Miyabi.

Comparisons

Intime Sho DD Halloween (discontinued)

Externally different just insofar as they carry a purple-colored resin housing backside (vs. regular Sho DD’s clear/transparent one) internally they reportedly differ only for a slighty different internal wiring.

Sonically, Sho DD Halloween come with a bit dampened, “more polite” (“less energetic”) highmids and treble. Sho DD are “crisper” up there. Sho DD Halloween alre also somewhat slammier on the midbass, decay is a bit shorter. I think the mids being a bit more evident compared to Sho DD are a consequence of what precedes.

final E5000 (€ 249)

Given E5000’s strong oddity, this comparison can’t forget to mention powering requirements.

When both are paired to a high(er) system, featuring very strong current delivery on low impedance loads, e.g. CMA-400i, QP1R/QP2R, 9038SG3 etc, then Sho DD deliver more solid note body and slightly less controlled midbass compared to E5000. Mids and vocals are less recessed on E5000, which also makes them sound a bit more organic. Sho DD delivers all the highmids and treble power, air, and energy that E5000 lacks. And finally, E5000 is still a bit (yet not much) better at layering compared to Sho DD.

When instead both are paired to a weaker-current source (e.g Dragonfly Cobalt, Sony A55, etc etc) E5000’s bass overfills the place and the presentations stirs towards darker tones – while Sho DD suffers much less if at all of the situation, coming out simply better on all respects in that situation.

Ikko OH10 (€ 170)

OH10’s bass is way tighter, colder and slammier, therefore less visceral and textured. Sub bass is a bit deeper on OH10, most of all more hearable due to the leaner midbass. Mids are similarly recessed but Sho DD has a fatter note body and therefore a more organic timbre. Treble air is similar, Sho DD is more energetic and presence treble is superior in quantity and quality. On the flip side OH10 is (in comparison) more relaxing in a sense.

Considerations & conclusions

Really well exectured V-shape IEMs are very uncommon, and that’s an already good reason to recommend Sho DD to those looking for one.

Add near-perfectly harmonised heterogenous drivers offering meaty yet controlled bass, and sparkly, vivid, energetic, highmids and trebles free from excesses and sheens. Complete with spectactular technicalities and you’re close to unicity. Masterful, nothing short of it.

Our generic standard disclaimer.

The post Intime Sho DD Review (Two Different Ones) appeared first on Music For The Masses.

I recently spent quite some time reassessing from scratch all of my analog cables, aiming at spotting the most beneficial pairing for each, with particular regards to the IEM cables of my preferred drivers.

This article is the first of a (short) series on such topic. It covers Dunu’s DUW-02S IEM cable.

You can find it from multiple sources including Dunu’s own website of course. A reliable, and even economically convenient outlet is Hifigo, which lists them for $79,00 (and puts them on sale quite often, too).

At-a-glance Card

One-off introduction

These articles of mine about cables will be very short, much shorter than an average piece regarding a pair of IEMs or Headphones.

For this one first piece of the series, however, I reckon a general introduction is due. I will put it in this first article only. Boy scout word.

Let’s go.

I won’t begin to articulate on audio cables (analog and digital, by the way) making a difference or not. They do, period. If you believe the opposite you are welcome to consider me a moron. In such case do yourself a favor and quit this page immediately.

That said, cable effects can be quite varied.

Sometimes, especially in a low end configuration, the difference a cable makes is lost in the big ocean of noise and distortion, or is somehow made irrelevant by the other elements in the audio chain (from the track recording quality, to the transport, all the way to the transducers).

In some other cases, [some of] the virtuous differences cables introduce correspond to weak spots in some other component of the stack, and this results into a negative instead of a positive effect.

Thirdly, and perhaps most importantly when in conjunction with modest budget (let’s say <3000€ overall) chains, the most frequent difference a cable makes is a negative one, simply due to its bad quality – either in terms of conductive components, or even most frequently in construction quality, or both.

With all this in mind a first problem about cables is: where the heck do I get the information on which cable(s) I better avoid, and which I better get ?

Look around you: how many sources can you name whose opinions about audio gear historically lead you towards purchases which, once put on personal use, turned out to accurately match what you thought you would get based on what you had read?

Now, assuming the answer to the previous question is a number greather than 0 : how many of such sources cover the cables topic, even only occasionally ?

Good. Now you know why I had to go through almost naked hands on this, experimenting in first person, of course in small steps.

Very much expectedly I had to kiss quite a few frogs before even understanding how a frog looks like – let alone getting a princess up.

This piece is about the qualities of one particular IEM cable (more articles will follow about other models) so I won’t go into specific details about all the frogs I kissed the cables I bought (and binned).

It might however be quite interesting to recap the passages of the process I went through:

One: every single one of the <75$ IEM cables I tested (in total surely more than 150 different models, if I factor stock cables in) introduced some or a lot of distortion / negative coloration.

Two: Same can sadly be stated for quite a few more expensive ones, too :(.

Three: I identified an extremely short list (less than 5 models) of <75$ IEM cables offering at least “some” positive sonic benefit. Sadly, those come alongside other distortive side effects. Pairing such cables within an audio chain which is somehow not particularly sensitive to their particular negative effects does result in a moderate bottomline benefit. Joy.

And lastly, four: I identified an (for now) even shorter list of >75$ IEM cables offering way more obvious sonic benefits, and hardly any negative ones. Biiiiigger joy.

From all this I drew a couple of quite logical conclusions:

One: cheap cables come with statistically cheap quality. Unsurprising, isn’t it. Surely by searching a lot I might be lucky and find more gold straws in the haystack – but that’s simply not me: in Las Vegas I wouldn’t be a penny machine gambler. I am not going to spend one more euro researching “rarely decent, wonderfully inexpensive cables” – same as I won’t be looking for the next budget priced “giant killer” (??!?) IEM, or DAC, or DAP of course. I can’t be arsed, really, and that’s final.

Two: higher tier cables are a very risky but at least more rewarding gamble. There are uninspiring, and even downright crappy expensive cables, and that’s the damned risky bit. But, there are also very good ones, which do make a big difference when paired to the IEMs I love.

This article is about one of those, until now the least expensive one I found by the way.

Features and description

Physicals and their impacts

DUW-02S is an IEM cable, in the very common length of 1.2m.

Its conductors are high purity silver-plated OCC copper wires, arranged in Type-1 Litz configuration. Conductors are structured in 4 cores, each one protected inside a non-declared polymer sheath, brided together.

The overall result is very lightweight, soft, with great haptics. It’s also very smoothly flexibly, it doesn’t tend to “keep the shape”, and it’s almost impervious to tangling. Simply put: it’s very “pleasing” when in service.

On the IEM end DUW-02S features (fixed) terminations: either MMCX or (protruded) 0.78mm 2pin plug models are available. Either model must be selected apriori, IEM terminations can’t be swapped later.

The 0.78 2pin plug is long enough to perfectly fit Final Audio A-series connectors (known to be particularly recessed). On the flip side, when plugged onto un-recessed 2pin female connectors (e.g. those on Ikko OH10, or many other IEMs) the aesthetic effect is less than ideal, and the total connector length is on the edge of inconvenience, too.

Regarding MMCX connections, all Dunu cables I tried (3 different models, a dozen total different samples, and counting) always proved mechanically slick, convincingly firm and reliable when stuck onto the female MMCX sockets found on so many IEMs, diverse by brand and model.

A special mention deserve Intime MMCX IEMs : DUW-02S plugs into Miyabi, Miyabi-II, Yo, and Sho DD housings “better” than those drivers’ own stock cables (!). This does not happen with Intime IEMs only, indeed, but in Intime’s case it happens all the times.

One last note about the IEM end is about ear guides: I find their shape too “tight”. That’s totally subjective of course, and in facts it happens with many other cable brands/models in my case. YMMV.

On the host side, DUW-02S features Dunu’s proprietary, patented modular plug system named “Q-Lock PLUS”.

Unlike pretty much all of their lower priced competitors I assessed to date, Dunu’s Q-Lock system offers seriously firm, reliable connections, free from any risk for the cable to slip off the back of the end-plug in conjunction with an even modest pulling force.

If something, I very occasionally got the opposite: on the various Dunu cables I assessed some plugs required a little bit higher insertion force when applied to the cable, and/or the Q-Lock ring sliding felt not perfectly fluidly. In no occasion however such relative hardness turned into connection failure or impossibility, so I can’t fairly book any of this as a non-conformity.

DUW-02S comes commercially bundled with a 3.5mm TRS (single ended) Q-Lock plug. It is not possible to opt for a different standard plug when purchasing the cable.

It is indeed possible to buy extra plugs, first of all those with 2.5mm TRRS or 4.4mm TRRRS balanced analog terminations, the special 3.5mm TRRS balanced analog (fantastic option, to fully exploit Ifi’s S-Balanced architecture, e.g. on their GO link dongle), or the Digital special plug, which includes a mini DAC-AMP inside and is in its turn available either with a USB-C or a (genuine Apple certified) Lightning male plug.

Dunu’s Q-Lock modular plugs are a major benefit if I look at my preferred host gear collection. DUW-02S is the least expensive amongst Dunu cables featuring it.

Sonic impact

And finally after all this bla bla here we come to the main course. The sonic benefits brought along by DUW-02S are:

• Tighter and fuller midbass notes. Notes are better rounded, and slammier.
• Higher central mids resolution.
• Improved note and instrument separation, especially in the midrange
• Some improvement on stage depth.
• More vivid high mids.

Such benefits are in some cases just blatant, other times more modest, but they are always there pairing DUW-02S with my preferred drivers, namely

• Final B3 and E5000, vs stock final C106 cable
• Final E4000, vs stock final C112 cable
• Final A3000, A4000 vs stock final 2pin black sheathed cable
• Final A5000 vs stock final 2pin braided cable
• Intime Miyabi, Miyabi MK-II, Sho DD Halloween, Sho DD and Yo Electro, vs both Intime-M Sound and Intime-M Drum cables
• Tanchjim Oxygen vs stock 2pin cable (easy win : Oxy’s stock cable is horrible)
• Ikko OH10 vs Ikko stock 2pin cable

I feel it’s particularly worth to underline how DUW-02S makes final B3 and E5000 “sound better” on all counts in comparison with their original final C106 cables (same bundle on both models), retailing for twice the price of the DUW-02S. Ditto for A5000, in comparison with their newly designed, braided stock cable.

Even most importantly: out of all those I tried, to my experience DUW-02S is the least expensive cable bringing multiple, consistent sonic benefits to all those IEMs, systematically doing better than their relevant stock cables. All other more or even much more affordable cables I tried on those same drivers either don’t improve over stock cables, or they do, but very lightly and partially, and always introducing some (negative) side effect too.

For example: there are cheap cables improving on bass tightening, but overexciting highmids at the same time. Others nicely add on note body across the spectrm, but cut on microdynamics in the process. Etcetera.

Talking about limitations, DUW-02S tend to give high-mids some more beer while keeping a more than decent control on them. However when pairing with signatures already featuring important elevations on 3 – 4KHz they might get too hot. Intime Miyabi is an example of such a borderline situation: DUW-02S is still a good pair for me, probably won’t be for a more high-mids sensitive person. Akoustyx S6 + DUW-02S is instead beyond acceptable.

And lastly, I found one single case which I tend to consider an “absolute lack of synergy”, and that’s final F7200 + DUW-02S. Compared with stock final C071 cable pairing we have improved midbass but too hot high-mids and most central mides moved wwway too much forward. A no-no.

Considerations & conclusions

While IEM cables are not something to start bothering with until reaching a certain stability in one’s audio tastes and equipment fleet, they may indeed bring obvious sonic improvements once properly identified and paired with selected drivers.

The bad news, if you wish, is that inexpensive cables are in the overwhelming majority of the cases a pure waste of money – so much so that I tend to recommend everyone to totally disregard the topic until he/she feels ready to get involved with cables costing 75-100$ at the very least.

In hindsight, I would actually do the same if it weren’t for the (partial) need of swapping fixed-terminated 3.5mm stock cables with balanced terminated ones to enable pairing to some sources. Not that this can be considered vital: a 50$ driver will stay a 50$ driver even if better amped, or driven by a better DAC. Nevertheless, now that I identified some at-least-half-decent budget cables I basically crystallised them as my “safe cheap harbors”, and I use them when I need a “balanced swap” on a driver I’m reviewing or whatever I am not particularly committed to. A future article of this series will be dedicated to them.

The more expensive cables market does instead offer good, and very good options, if mixed and hidden amonst pure lemons. Same to what happens on any other market, after all…

Dunu’s DUW-02S is until now my least expensive find in terms of an IEM cable bringing evident sonic benefits to most of my preferred drivers, very few and occasional sonic caveats, reliable modular host termination technology, very high quality MMCX implementation, and convincing general construction quality.

At $79 plus the cost of extra modular plugs DUW-02S is not something I would recommend buying to pair with a sub-100$ driver. However, the improvement it brings to quite a few mid-tier IEMs (those I explicitly listed above and some more others…) makes for an obivous recommendation when in search of an effective way to improve on an already loved mid tier driver.

Hifigo offered me a modest “reviewer discount” on DUW-02S, as always without expectations strings attached in terms of my subsequent review contents, and I thank them for both things.

Our generic standard disclaimer.

The post DUW-02S Headphone Cable Review – Most Affordable Significant Upgrade appeared first on Music For The Masses.

OH5 can be bought from Ikko’s website for approx $495 before promos. There’s a nice giveaway promo going on right now, and I have been hinted that a xmas promo is also coming up so stay tuned on their website in the coming days

At-a-glance Card

Full Device Card

Test setup

Sources: Apogee Groove / Sony NW-A55 mrWalkman / Questyle QP1R / E1DA 9038SG3 / Questyle M15 – Radius Deepmount tips – Stock cable – lossless 16-24/44.1-192 FLAC tracks.

Signature analysis

Tonality

OH5’s tonality is warm-balanced, and the timbre is bodied and polished.

Sub-Bass

Sub bass is there but doesnt shine enough. Looking at the graph it does not seem too much rolled off but from actual audition you can check that rumble may use some help to be more evident, and this also impacts negatively on spatial drawing of course. Mid bass elevation tends to cover it, too.

Mid Bass

OH5 have an evidently enhanced mid bass which is key to their global tonality in a positive sense on one hand, but paired to somehow “dampened” transients it also contributes to limitating overall resolving power.

Mids

OH5 mids are very well positioned in terms or relative relation with bass and trebles – not forward, not recessed – to the general purpose of obtaining a globally balanced, horizontally-calibrated presentation (much more so than the graph seems to say). Their tonality is very well “centered”. Highmids ramp up quite rapidly and deliver quite some energy, thus sometimes (although rarely) resulting in some minor inconsistency with the mid and lower ones. Those overly sensitive to 3KHz might be a bit “touched” on some tracks (I’m not in that category, rather the other way around), yet I cound’t hear sibilance which is great of course.

Male Vocals

Vocals on OH5 are good, with particular regards to male vocals. While midbass sometimes gets too close (and does sometimes overlap baritones) they come across very organic, especially on tenor registers.

Female Vocals

Female vocals are also good. A clear preference has been given to energy vs smoothness here. Purists of flutey sopranos may not consider OH5 as top of the block – but apart from that this is another spot where a good job has been made on the OH5.

Highs

OH5’s treble is nice, somewhat airy, and most of all energetic, sparkly while also staying combed, smooth though, so they are in the end not offensive while still staying engaging. The 4.5KHz peak gets hot at times, and depending on eartips selection and/or personal preference/sensibility it may want to be tamed by surgical equing. Other then that, a nice job was done here.

Technicalities

Soundstage

OH5 draw an average sized stage, with a decent width, some height but very limited depth.

Imaging

Macro dynamics (imaging) is good, although primarily in the sense of stereo separation given their flat-ish spatial rendering capabilities. Central panned instruments and/or mono tracks, suffer from OH5’s limitation in terms of layering/separation.

Details

Detail retrieval, like instrument separation, is dramatically sub-average for this price class. It’s quite evident that the entire tuners’ effort has been concentrated on delivering tonal pleasantness and a specific musicality tone, sacrificing resolution and analithical skills.

Instrument separation

Layering and instrument separation are the other major Achille’s heels of OH5, together with detail retrieval as previously noted. There’s little chance to appreciate various voices’ / instruments’ nuances in their singular identities even on acoustic, well mastered, uncompressed tracks.

Driveability

It’s not difficult to drive OH5 as their sensitivity is relevant, and their impedance is on a level where many amps deliver their best current, or near that. A decent phone should be enough, and surely not particularly powerful sources will be.

Physicals

Build

Housings offer a convincing impression of solidity, and sport a very pleasing design style.

Fit

In my case OH5’s shape and size are the right shape and size to fit my concha without difficulty, filling it up almost completely. The nozzles are not very long so long stem tips are in order for me as pushing the housings in beyond a certain point is a no go. In the end I settled for Radius Deepmount.

Comfort

As long as I adopt long stemmed tips, OH5 are very comfy for me once fit. Their weight is also “right” (not too light to “disappear”, not to heavy). They’d become unbearable however if equipped with short stemmed tips, as their housings would hit my antitragus (this is a common issue I have with similar shaped housings e.g. Final A and B series, Tanchjim Oxygen, etc especially on my left ear)

Isolation

As housings do fill my conchas quite well, some level of passive isolation is achieved in my case.

Cable

I found stock cable is quite nice. In addition to good sonic behaviour and very nice haptics, it comes with a modular plug system and 3 termination plugs included in the package (3.5, 2.5 and 4.4). Modular plugs miss a lock-in mechanism but they seem quite firm in position anyway so all OK on that front too.

After further experience with cables etc I must amend as follows. Stock cable is OK from the construction quality standpoint. In terms of sonic pairing it clearly contributes to OH5’s general “more musical than technical” presentation. After rotating lowend and less-lowend cables, I can for example say that pairing a Dunu DUW-02S impacts quite evidently in terms of snappier transients, wider stage, better note contour and layering. 

Specifications (declared)

Considerations and hints

What positively hits you about OH5 is its musicality. Somehow the tuners managed to reach a particular tonal balance, adding a quite personal color to the music being played, and such color is indeed pleasing. The sound coming from OH5 is bodied, vibrant, warm and enveloping. It’s energetic but also rounded off, smooth – there’s no sharp edge, no rigid brick wall, and no floppy surface either.

You got to love OH5’s particular color to appreciate that, of course, which might not happen to you. If you do like its timbre, however, chances are you might develop a particular affection for OH5.

On the flip side, I find OH5 compromise quite dramatically on key technicalities, first of all layering and instrument separation. I am no EQ guru, so I couldn’t (and I wouldn’t) find out inhowmuch the situation is due to aposteriori tuning or to the driver’s specific nature. What I did is play with Roon’s PEQ and after some fiddling I could devine some touch-ups wich make the situation a bit better (for my tastes of course)

Low shelf    55Hz  4dB   0.71
Peak        150Hz -3dB   0.5
Peak        950Hz  1.3dB 1
Peak       4500Hz -2dB   2

The 150Hz demotion helps making midbass much more polite and somewhat faster. The low shelf adds some missing “rumble tail” to bass notes. The 950Hz (or thereabout) pushup also helps de-dampening midbass and lowmids and the 4.5K dip takes some hotness away from metal notes.

All those figures are not carved in stone, take them as ballpark values, but if you try you will hear instrument separation and clarity improving, a more detailed bass, and a quite evident opening on stage drawing especially in the depth direction. Play with values to learn how sensible each one is to the final result.

An alternative possible intervention is adopting TRI Clarion eartips. In such case the pushdown on 150Hz or thereabout is not needed anymore, however a more generous dampening intervention gets required on the highmids – I would add a -2dB or so to 3Khz for example, in that case.

Lastly: some care is in order about ideal source pairings. OH5 do not welcome bass-strong sources too much. Questyle M15 or QP1R, and E1DA 9038xx dongles all OK. Groove on the other hand excites OH5’s “artistic” midbass too much, yielding a too dark result, thus not even being able to help OH5 on adding space depth which is amongst Groove’s specialties in general.

Comparisons

Final E4000 ($149)

The epitome of IEMs featuring strong musical personality (color) which grew on me since the day I got them and won’t ever leave me, even now that I have technically better alternatives, are Final E4000. And guess what: E4000 and OH5’s personal “voicings” offer quote a few common points.

Both are warm, smooth, musically “pop” and deliver a very particular balance between smoothness and strenght, energy and pampering. Compared to OH5, E4000 are… more japanese: silkier, a bit (even) more elegant in a sense. OH5 feel more energetic – in a good sense.

OH5 are braver on the trebles compared to E4000, even at the cost of minorly overdoing sometimes. E4000 on the other hand are very good at layering and separation, where OH5 is dramatically lacking, especially on the mid and low segments.

E4000 are much more demanding in terms of source power, and they have the not secondary advantage of costing one third of what OH5 do.

Oriolus Isabellae ($500 street price)

Isabellae’s musical personality is evidently different from OH5’s insofar as they deliver a V shape presentation, with relatively recessed mids and important, enhanced sub bass and bass (for the connoisseurs: something more in the ballpark of Ikko’s other model, the OH10). This alone of course already imprints a big part of the comparison between the two products.

Beyond that, Isabellae’s high mids are smoother, and trebles are less energetic, yet airier compared to OH5. Mid bass is definitely more textured and detailed on Isabellae, while still staying on the relaxed and buttery side in general. Sub bass is OK out of the box on Isabellae while it requires some help on OH5. Most of all, layering, resolution and detail retrieval is obvisouly better on Isabellae, which are also equivalently undemanding in terms of source power as OH5 are.

Dunu ZEN ($699)

Zen’s bass is arguably as good as the industry gets at least until pulling Softears stuff to the comparison table: perfectly calibrated mix of punchyness and body, volume and texture. ZEN also has beyond outstandind microdynamics and layering capabilities – on both fronts, that’s very much unlike what happens on OH5. On the opposite end, trebles are marginally but perceivably airier on OH5, although highmid sensitives as previously noted my consider that segment on the limit or even a bit beyond their preference. Taken as a whole, OH5 have a stronger musical personality (love or hate, of course), ZEN are more “technical”, and 40%+ more expensive. I’m referring to original ZEN model, not the subsequent Pro version (which I find less nice then its sibling).

Conclusions

OH5 are a nicely and coherently colored set. As such, they can be target of “unquenchable hatred and indomitable love” – like that other well known invididual from some 200 years ago, you know – depending on one’s own ego. Simply put, if you are the uncurably curious audiophile addict you may want to check these, knowing chances are you might viscerally love them, or find them as being “not your cup of tea”. I hope my article did convey at least some hints to educate your guess before you actually carry that out.

In summary OH5 deliver a bodied, vibrant, warm and enveloping musical experience. They are energetic while also smoothed. An evident accurate job has been carried out behind the curtains here to get to such point.

Their major downside is on resolving power and layering proweness, which can be helped a bit albeit not solved – without revolutionising the entire presentation – by means of some surgical EQ as I also tried to hint you about, here above.

The OH5 sample covered in this article has been delivered to me courtesy of Ikko staff which I warmly thank once again for the opportunity.

Our generic standard disclaimer.

The post Ikko OH5 Asgard Review – Music Better Than The Rest appeared first on Music For The Masses.

Cons — Ikko ITB03 has no carrying case in the box
– Fingerprint-magnet front
– Single-ended output is essentially useless
– Decent but not great battery life
– Slightly lacking in dynamics compared to certain wired alternatives
– No companion app, convoluted firmware upgrade process

INTRODUCTION

IKKO Audio has been slowly, but steadily growing into the audiophile scene over the past few years. The IKKO OH10 managed to snag a place in our Wall of Excellence, and enjoy a cult-following amidst those preferring well-tuned V-shaped signature.

As such, IKKO is now transitioning into portable source market, and the ITB03 (codenamed: Heimdallr) is its debut BT DAC/Amp offering. The competition is fairly stiff in this space, with the likes of Quedelix, Fiio, Shanling, and Radsone leading the pack.

Can the IKKO ITB03 stand out with its features and sonic performance, or will the first attempt be a forgettable one? Let’s find out.

Note: the ratings given will be subjective to the price tier. iKKO was kind enough to send me the ITB03 for evaluation.

Sources used: Pixel 4 XL
Price, while reviewed: USD$150. Can be purchased from IKKO’s official website.

PHYSICAL THINGS AND USABILITY

PACKAGING AND ACCESSORIES

The IKKO ITB03 doesn’t have a lot of extras in terms of accessories. You get three different cables: type-C to type-C, type-C to lightning, and a type-C to type-A cable. That’s about it. No carrying case in the package which is a bummer.

BUILD QUALITY

General build quality is good, as the ITB03 goes for the usual glass-and-metal sandwich design. The glass front and back attracks loads of fingerpirnts and smudges, so keep a microfiber cloth handy.

The right side of the device holds all the buttons. The volume up/down buttons are flanked by the enter/function key. At the bottom, there is the power on/off and menu key combo. More on this later. The left side hosts the microphone that can be used for phone calls.

The top of the device has the 4.4mm balanced and 3.5mm single-ended outputs. The single-ended output also acts as an optical output. At the bottom, there is a type-C port. On the top of the device there is a 64*128 px OLED display that shows some basic information. The back of the device houses the NFC chip for easier pairing.

Overall, the build quality is robust, and the OLED display adds a bit of flair in an otherwise utiliatrian design.

CONNECTIVITY AND FEATURES

As I am lazy to type out the specs, here’s a screenshot from IKKO Audio’s product page regarding output power and chipset specifications.

While the BT version is not the latest 5.2, 5.0 is absolutely fine as the improvements are mostly in power management. The ITB03 supports LDAC/APTX/APTHD on the bluetooth codec side, and can decode DSD as well as PCM upto 384kHz (not sure who’s using such high sample rate files though).

The biggest omission here is a companion app, which could have considerably increased usability of the device. iKKO could then stash some of the filter options and other settings into the app itself, along with allowing the use of basic or parametric EQ.

The ITB03 allows you to tweak certain aspects of the device, especially the sound. There are 4 different filters, and each alter the sound subtly but noticeably. Filters 1 to 4 are respectively: Sharp, Short-delay Sharp, Slow, Short-delay Slow. For this review, I stuck with Filter 1 (Sharp) for the most part.

You can also choose if the device should charge when connected as a USB device. There is Car Mode (turns on when connected to a power source, off when disconnected), brightness control at 6 levels, and four different “sound profiles”.

These sound profile offer various colorations, and they can feel heavy-handed at times, especially the “Movie mode” which adds some excitement into the sound by boosting bass, widening the stage, etc. The Music mode is default for wireless operation, while Game Mode allows driverless installation of the device to use with PCs.

However, the HiFi mode is meant for wired use exclusively, and unlocks high sample rate and bit-depth options using UAC 2.0 mode. Lastly, you can select gain level (low/high) from the menus, and that concludes the list of functions in the menus.

The ITB03 also allows upgrading the firmware. As of writing this review, version 2.0 of the firmware is out (it just got out like a couple days ago). However, I found the upgrade process overly convoluted, and I am fairly certain that less tech-savvy people will find the whole process very confusing. Another task that rests on iKKO’s hands.

Note: I will update the article accordingly once I have finished the firmware upgrade and used the ITB03 for a while.

HANDLING AND OPERATION

Carrying around the ITB03 is straightforward: put it into your pocket and just go about your day. iKKO has told me that a carrying case is in development, and I wish they also consider throwing in a shirt-clip there.

General usability is a mixed bag. First up: pressing on the power button for two seconds takes you into the menu, and pressing for longer (about 5 seconds) turns the unit off. Meanwhile, double pressing the function key opens up Google Assistant/Siri/Bixby, but single-pressing doesn’t seem to do anything.

From an UX perspective, I would’ve preferred single-pressing the function key to get into the menu, long-pressing it to get out of menu, and allowing the user to choose if they’d like the double-pressing to trigger assistant option.

Another issue I have is the placement of the volume buttons, which are above and below the function button. They also serve double-duty as skip forward/backward buttons (long-pressing them does that). While navigating through menus, it’s annoying to shift the thumb up and down constantly while avoiding pressing the function button.

Lastly, I am not a fan of the tactile feedback the buttons provide. They are too stiff, which is good to avoid mistakenly pressing them, but adds up to the chore.

BATTERY LIFE

IKKO ITB03 has a 650 mAh battery inside with 8 hours of advertised battery life. In practice, it lasted me a bit more than 7 hours in LDAC mode. Note that battery life will vary depending on several factors (codec used, gain level, IEMs or hedphones used etc.).

Recharge time is fairly long at 1.5 hours. So with regular use, you have to charge once every 2-3 days, which is about average for a product of this class. I wish iKKO put in some fast-charging mode or a beefier battery to distinguish its product, but alas.

TECH INSIDE

iKKO opted for a pair of AKM AK4377 DAC chips in a dual-mono configuration. This chipset is frugal, and often used in portable DAC/Amps since they offer fairly good performance in a compact format.

As for the op-amp, Ricore RT6863 has been used, which is another power efficient solution, albeit sound quality is not the most impressive. i expected iKKO to use 2 or these op-amps, one per DAC channel, but it appears that only 1 is being used, so I suppose that the built-in amp section of the AKM chips are also being used in conjunction with the dedicated Ricore op-amp.

SOUND QUALITY (OBJECTIVE)

The ITB03 has a warm-neutral, inoffensive signature. it pairs well with all types of IEMs, though the lack of macrodynamic punch might be a negative for those who need great bass slam and proper dynamics.

The biggest negative is the anemic output from the single-ended out, so I’d highly recommend going balanced if you plan on using the ITB03 as your daily driver.

Staging and imaging is not spectacular, but not bad either. The issue is stage depth, which is lacking compared to certain higher-end DAC-dongles. Fortunately, there is no noise or hiss, so even sensitive IEMs fare well.

SELECT COMPARISONS

ITB03 sounds smoother than the Fiio BTR5 in BT mode, and in wired mode it’s a bit less energetic in the upper-mids and treble while having a denser bass response. Shanling UP4 is slightly more aggressive sounding than both of them, but in the end, overall technicalities and dynamics are similar.

It’s splitting hairs between these three, but I personally like the design of ITB03 the most. Fiio BTR5 has the most powerful output, and the companion app is handy. It also has the OLED display as ITB03. UP4 is my least favorite one in this comparison, as I find the volume wheel somewhat finicky at times, and a lack of display makes operation cumbersome.

Battery life is better on the UP4 in single-DAC mode, though then you are sort of only half-using it. Overall, with a companion app, ITB03 would probably give the BTR5 harder competition. As of now, if you find the BTR5 more energetic and want something smoother, the ITB03 is a good option. Just know that you are stuck with the on-board functions.

CONCLUDING REMARKS

It’s often difficult to transition from one kind of manufacturer to another. So, for an IEM maker to focus on sources, there is always some hurdles involved, along with the trials and tribulations of a first-gen product.

iKKO nailed the overall aesthetics of the ITB03, and manages to provide a sound that’s on par with the competition while offering a different flavor of things. Unfortunately, the lack of an app and the generally confusing UX and operation bares the unpolished nature of a debut product.

Nonetheless, the iKKO ITB03 performs within the margin of expectations, but doesn’t exceed them. It’s utilitarian without being exciting. That remains the next big challenge for iKKO – to come up with a source product that blows past the competition. Once it manages to do so – color me intrigued.

MY VERDICT

3.5/5
A good first attempt with some rough edges.

Contact us!

DISCLAIMER

Get it from iKKO Official Store

Our generic standard disclaimer.

PHOTOGRAPHY

You find an INDEX of our most relevant technical articles HERE.

The post iKKO ITB03 Heimdallr Review – A Good First Attempt appeared first on Music For The Masses.

A device gets attached to this Wall of Excellence when based on our private and of course subjective experience it performs so well within its technical and price category as to even discourage considering homologous alternatives.

If it ain’t here, WE don’t want it!

Please note that our WoE will not be limited to devices we actually published a review of. Nonetheless, all WoE devices have for long time been or still are part of our operative gear.

We start small and plan to expand our wall according to merit.

This Site is being consistently updated…please bookmark it and keep checking back!

LATEST ADDITIONS: Qudelix-5K, Questyle M15, E1DA 9038SG3.

In-Ear Monitors

Past excellences, now discontinued or superseded

Headphones

Digital Audio Players (“DAPs”)

Desktop Amplifiers

Desktop DACs

Desktop Integrated Headphone DAC/AMPs

Portable Headphone Amplifiers

Portable Integrated Headphone DAC/AMPs

Headphone DAC/AMP “Dongles”

Dongles are little DAC/amps without battery that are powered by their source device.

Past excellences, now discontinued or superseded

Accessories

The post Wall Of Excellence DRAFT appeared first on Music For The Masses.

この記事の時点では、Miyabiはメーカーサイトで21.450,00円で販売されています。

「Intime Acoustic “は、欧米では全く知られていないブランドです。というのも、このブランドは非常に小さな会社で、その事業範囲は日本に限られているからです。前回の記事では、この会社について、またその技術（開発され、時にはオーナーが特許を取得したもの）についての情報をいくつか紹介しました。読者の便宜を図るため、適宜更新しながら、ここにその情報を再掲する。

同社

Intime Acousticは、高崎市（JPN）に拠点を置く、かなり若い（2016年設立）株式会社オゼイドが所有するブランドです。その本業は、実は製造ではなく、コンサルティング。

オーナー兼主要開発者の渡辺義幸氏は、35年以上にわたって圧電材料を使ったデバイスやアプリケーションに携わってきた経験を持つ。

彼の会社名「ozeid」（あるいはウェブドメイン名「o2aid」）を180度回転させてみてください。どうでしょう？ 

とはいえ、渡辺さんは、その実力の一端をイヤホンという形で、若いユーザー（渡辺さんの子供のように若い）に伝え、「日本のいい音」を伝えたいと考えているようです。

キーテクノロジー

Miyabiは、Intimeの他のモデルと同様に、10mmダイナミックドライバーと、高音域/トップオクターブを担当する特殊なセラミックツイーターのデュアルドライバーシステムをベースにしています。

Sora 2に搭載されている技術については、非常に興味深い内容がいくつもありますが、その中から主なものをピックアップしてご紹介します。

1 – “縦型スーパーツィーター”

VSTは、最も一般的に採用されている酸化チタンではなく、ある種の特殊な積層セラミックスでできています。

基本的に、積層セラミックスは振動をよりコントロールしやすいとされています。

従来のスーパーツイーターは可聴域外の音を再生するため、いわゆる「スーパー・ツイーター」と呼ばれるものですが、このIntimeのバリエーションは、そのキャリブレーションに加えて、一般的ではない素材選択により、異なる挙動を示し、倍音を再生し、可聴域の最高域に効果的に貢献します。

Miyabiは、このようなトゥイーターの「第3世代VST2」を搭載しています。渡辺氏によると、デュアルセラミックスの採用により、音圧感度を維持したままヒステリシス特性を最小化することに成功したとのことだ。

例えば3rd VSTでは、ピアノの倍音が豊かになり、サックスの飛び跳ねるような音も鮮明になるという。前作のVST（Sora 2）をベースにしたモデルを所有している私が言うのもなんですが、本当にそうなんです。

2 – グラフェンコーティング

ダイナミックドライバーにはグラフェンコーティングが施されており、渡辺氏によれば、このグラフェンコーティングが中高音域をコントロールされたパワーと鮮明さで再生する理由の一つであるとのことです。

3 – 真鍮製ハウジング

Soraシリーズとは異なり、Miyabiのハウジングは真鍮製です。渡辺氏によると、この選択はMIYABIの特徴である柔らかく深いサスティーンと低音再生に寄与しているとのこと。因果関係が正しいかどうかは分からないが、結果は間違いなく良い。

4 – HDSS

Ti3、Sora、Sora2と同様、Miyabiにも採用されているもう一つの独自技術（特許取得済み）は、High Definition Sound Standardの略で「HDSS」と呼ばれるものです。

これは筐体内部の音の反射を抑え、よりクリーンな出力を実現するためのものです。

音波の中にはハウジング内部で乱反射し、ダイナミックドライバーの振動板に衝突して、本来の目的から外れてしまうものもあります。HDSSテクノロジーでは、ハウジング内部の音はより制御され、振動板をランダムに「攻撃」することはなく、ダイナミックドライバーは信号源に「のみ」反応し、本来の動きをすることができます。

これにより、音のリアルさが増し、疲労が軽減されるとインテイムは述べています。しかし、これにはマイナス面もあります。ダイナミックドライバーの振動から高域を除去しすぎる傾向があるのです。

そこで、セラミックVST2の解像度とグラフェンコートDDの中高域のチューニングを慎重に調整し、輪郭のしっかりした、調和のとれた中高域と広い空間表現力を持つ低音を実現することが、MIYAVIが実現した大きなポイントです。

一目でわかるカード

フルデバイスカード

テストセットアップ

ソースはこちら Sony NW-A55 mrWalkman / Questyle QP1R / Tempotec V1 + E1DA 9038D – 純正チップ、RHA Dual Density Siliconチップ、Radius Deepmountチップ – XINSH 8 Core 4N pure silver+6N single crystal copper cable – ロスレス 16-24/44.1-192 FLAC tracks.

シグネチャー解析

トーナル

Miyabiの音色はマイルドなV系で、中低音と高音に控えめな段差があり、中音は処理されていないが、すべてがうまく相互調整されていて、全体として非常に心地よい表現をしている。

最も重要なことは、MIYABIが極めて「自然な」（「有機的な」）音質を提供することです。アコースティック楽器は、パリで言うところの「生」「自然」であり、聴き手には、後処理で欠点を補う前の音が届いているような、独特の「演奏現場の臨場感」を与えてくれるのです。

私のように99％アコースティックジャズを聴いている人間にとって、このようなユニークで中毒性のある体験は、すぐに貴重な財産に変わります。

サブベース

サブベースは適度に伸び、スピード感があるが、ミッドベースと比べるとパワーがやや劣る。自立した低音を再生するには十分な性能だ。

中低音

Miyabiの中低音は、速くてスラミーでありながら、明瞭で質感のある音です。中音域を大切にしながらも、しっかりとしたボディを持った低音に仕上がっている。

たまに、男性ボーカルやギターが控えめに聴こえることがあるが、これは特定の音楽ジャンルやセレクトによるもの。

ミッド

Miyabiの中音域は有機的で、リアルで、非常によく変調され、質感があります。ピアノ、チェロ、ギターは非常に自然に表現される。

中高域はエネルギッシュで艶があるが、疲労感は少ない。少なくとも私の感覚では、中高域は個人差が大きい領域だ。

男性ヴォーカル

男性ボーカル（特にテナー）は、非常によく表現され、質感があり、有機的である。低音は、特に混み合った箇所、特に非楽器が絡む箇所では、中低音と部分的にぶつかることがある。

女性ボーカル

Miyabiの女性ボーカルは男性ボーカルよりもさらに素晴らしく、オーガニックでボディがあり、時にフルート的でさえあります。シビランスに悩まされることなく、ドライバーの優れた高音域のチューニングが活かされています。

トレブル

高音域は、間違いなくMIYABIが最高のものを提供する2つの領域のうちの1つです。他のピエゾトゥイーターもいくつか聴きましたが、渡辺氏のドライバーに匹敵するようなものはありませんでした。

しかし、ほとんどの場合、IntimeのVSTはエネルギッシュで、ダイナミックで、きらびやかで、空気感がよく、ディテールがはっきりしていて、特に中毒性のあるエネルギッシュな高音を提供します。

この「有機的でブラッシーな音色」の一部は、ハウジングが真鍮で作られていることにも起因していると思います。

技術的なこと

サウンドステージ

みやびのステージの投影は非常に良い。水平方向に非常によく伸び、格別の高さを示し、奥行きも非常によい。

イメージング

MIYABIの音像は、優れた楽器セパレーションも手伝って、端正で緻密、実にリアルなものです。

詳細

Miyabiは、スペクトルのすべてのセグメントから詳細な情報を取得します。低音はこの価格帯のドライバーとしては非常に優れていますが、中音、ボーカル、高音から出る特別な熟練度に直面すると、ほとんど見劣りします。

機器分離

高音域と並んでMIYABIが得意とするのが、楽器分離です。

すべての音色が見事に核融合され、まるでステージ上、あるいはステージの目の前にいるような臨場感で重なり合い、さまざまな演奏家、そのパフォーマンス、能力、そしてミス（！）が一緒に起こっているのがほとんど「見える」ような感覚に陥ります。

Miyabiが提供するものと同等以上のしっかりとしたノートボディと結びついた分離の明瞭さは、私の経験では、Dunu ZenのようなIEM（Miyabiの+4倍の予算）に関わるまで遭遇することはできないでしょう。

ドライバビリティ

Miyabiの感度は控えめなので、自明でないアンプが必要です。過度なものではありませんが、スマートフォンに頼るのは避けた方が良いでしょう。

しかし、インピーダンスはそれほど低くないので、MIYABIが必要とするパワーを供給できるソース、ダックアンプ、ドングルが豊富にあることは良いニュースです。

物理的側面

ビルド

ハウジングは無垢の真鍮製で、「真鍮のような」暖かく有機的なアコースティックな音色を実現することを意図しています。

バックエンドは亀甲色の樹脂で、「匠」と呼ばれる日本の技術で成形されています。そのため、色合いにばらつきがあり、同じものが2つとありません。この樹脂製のバックエンドと真鍮製のメインチャンバーが、非常にスタイリッシュなアンサンブルを生み出しています。雅 “とは、まさに “エレガント、スタイリッシュ “という意味です。

フィット感

Miyabiのような太い弾丸型は、私にとってとてもフィットしやすいものです。

純正チップは音質的には良いのですが、少し柔らかすぎるようで、ハウジングの重さや形状などと相まって、なぜか左耳のドライバーが左耳の中で密閉性を失いがちなのです。

数十の選択肢の中から「いつもの」長くて退屈なローテーションをした後、MiyabiのケースではRHAのデュアルデンシティ・シリコンチップが私にとって最も効果的であることを発見したのです。

快適性

非常に主観的です。個人的には、すべての弾丸型ハウジングと同じように、非常に快適だと思います。

アイソレーション

弾丸の形状からコンチャのシールドはありませんが、それでも彼らの「太った」体型はプラスに働きます。

ケーブル

渡辺さんも苦労されたのでしょうが、純正ケーブルでは感動がありませんでした。いろいろ試した結果、引き出しにあったXINSHの8芯ハイブリッド（4N純銀＋6N単結晶銅）に落ち着きました。

また、IEMハウジングのMMCXコネクターは、Intimeが自社開発したものであることも重要です。この選択は彼らが良かれと思ってしたことだと思いますが、私が試したサードパーティ製のケーブルはすべて同じようにクリックできるわけではなく、中には接続が不安定になるものさえありました（私が持っている他のすべてのMMCX IEMに同じケーブルを接続した場合とは異なります）。渡辺さんは、この点について調べたほうがいいかもしれませんね。

仕様

比較対象

Tanchjim Oxygen ($ 250)

Miyabiは全体的に暖かく、中低音にアクセントがあるのに対し、Oxygenは高音に柔らかいアクセントがあるものの、よりバランスよくニュートラルな印象です。Miyabiの生々しい音色や色付けはOxygenには全くなく、ほとんど透明である。

楽器の分離とマイクロダイナミクスは、混み合った中低域を除き、どこでもMiyabiが有利で、どちらも（理由は異なるが）業界最高レベルである。高音域の表現はMiyabiの方がより有機的で、特に金属楽器はOxygenの方が細部まできれいに再現されます。

Ikko OH1S ($ 159)

OH1SとMiyabiの比較でまず気づくのは、明らかにOH1Sの方が音の重みが薄いということです。OH1Sは、MIYABIのエネルギッシュで筋肉質で “Thetral “なサウンドと比べると、よりスリムで表現力が乏しく、色気もない。

OH1SのDDはMIYABIに比べると速いが解像度は高くないので、OH1Sの中低音は膨張しないが、質感や有機性は明らかに劣る。何よりも楽器の分離がMIYABIに軍配が上がる。OH1Sは高域の侵襲が強く、MIYABIのエネルギッシュで抑制の効いた高域に比べると、時折ショッパイ音に聞こえることがある。

Ikko OH10 ($ 199)

OH10はMIYABIに比べ、サブバスは盛り上がっていますが、ミッドバスは少なめです。そして何より、OH10はMIYABIに比べ低音のスピード感があり、ドライな印象があるため、すっきりしている反面、表現力や質感に乏しい印象があります。また、これだけ綺麗なのに、低音を含めた全帯域の分離はMIYABIの方がOH10より良い。

OH10は音の重さも無駄がなく、音色も生意気ではない。管楽器やハイハット、クラッシュの生々しさはMIYABIに比べるとかなり劣る。中音はかなり引っ込んでいて、ボーカルも比較にならない（意図的にそうしているのだろう）。

Dunu Zen ($700)

Zenの低音はMiyabiに比べてスピード感があり、よりコントロールされている。楽器の分離はMIYABIが優れているが、ZENの方が全帯域で優れている。Zenの音色は暖かみがあるが、音色は極めてニュートラルである。Miyabiは中低域がやや太いだけでなく、中高域の音像が重く、金管楽器のような音色を持つため、より暖かみがある。

中高域はZenの方がすっきりしているが、エネルギッシュで表情豊かな感じはない。上の方はMiyabiの方が断然空気感がある。細部の再現性はZenの方が優れているが、高価格帯の製品にありがちな差はない。

考察と結論

5～600ドル以下のIEMで、MIYABIのように高度に洗練された技術、有機的で生き生きとした音色、エネルギッシュな表現力を同等に心地よくミックスしてくれるものは、そう多くはないでしょう。そして、Miyabiの200ドル以下の価格では、さらに少ないでしょう。

私にとっては、これは素晴らしい素材だ。私は、Miyabiを優秀作品の壁に貼り付けることを検討するために、コブロガーたちの意見を集める作業を開始しました。

この記事で紹介したMIYABIのサンプルは、個人的に購入したもので、渡辺氏とは一切コンタクトがありません。

Our generic standard disclaimer.

The post Intime Miyabi 雅 アンティーム レビュ- 唯一無二の特別感 appeared first on Music For The Masses.

Al momento della pubblicazione di questo articolo le Miyabi sono in vendita sul sito del produttore, in Giappone, per 21.450,00 Yen, cioè circa 150 €. Ne servono altri 30 circa per farsi inoltrare il pacchetto da un servizio come Tenso, o simili.

“Intime Acoustic” è un marchio per nulla noto in Occidente, essendo di proprietà di un’azienda molto piccola, e che limita il proprio orizzonte commerciale al Giappone, dove ha sede. Nel mio articolo precedente ho dedicato qualche riga all’azienda, e alla sua tecnologia (sviluppata e in parte anche brevettata dal titolare). Riporto qui sotto molte di quelle informazioni, con gli aggiornamenti del caso.

Intime Acoustic, alias Ozeid Co., alias O2aid.com…

Intime Acoustic è un marchio di proprietà di Ozeid Co., Ltd., un’azienda relativamente giovane (fondata nel 2016) con sede a Takasaki City in Giappone. La sua attività principale non è la produzione, in realtà, ma la consulenza.

Il titolare, e direttore tecnico è il sig. Yoshiyuki Watanabe, forte di 35 e più anni di esperienza a proposito di macchine, sistemi e applicazioni che utilizzano materiali piezoelettrici.

Cosa si ottiene ribaltando di 180° il nome “ozeid” (e ancor meglio il nome “o2aid”) ?… 

Qualche anno fa Watanabe-san decise di applicare la sua competenza alla produzione di auricolari, con l’obbiettivo di compiacere utenti giovani – come i suoi figli – a cui trasferire “il bel suono del Giappone“.

Tecnologie principali

Analogamente ad altri modelli della gamma Intime, le Miyabi sono basate su sistema a doppio trasduttore: uno a membrana dinamica da 10mm dedicato alle basse e medie frequenze, più un tweeter alquanto speciale, in ceramica, responsabile della resa delle alte frequenze e dell’ultima ottava.

Sono disponibili un bel po’ di dettagli tecnici interessanti a proposito della tecnologia all’interno delle Miyabi, cerco di sintetizzarli.

1 – “Vertical Super Tweeter”

Il VST è realizzato da una qualche specie laminato ceramico, una scelta molto diversa rispetto all’ossido di titanio più comunemente utilizzato allo scopo.

In sintesi le lamine ceramiche offrono maggior possibilità di controllo delle vibrazioni.

I “super tweeters” convenzionali sono chiamati così perché riproducono suoni fuori della gamma udibile. Intime ne ha realizzato una variante che, grazie al diverso materiale e alle loro calibrazioni, ha un comportamento diverso e riproduce sfumature udibili, contribuendo così efficacemente alla resa della parte più alta dello spettro.

Sulle Miyabi sono installati tweeters “VST2 di terza generazione”. Secondo l’ing. Watanabe le migliorie in questa evoluzione del progetto consistono nell’adozione di doppia ceramica, che minimizza il comportamento isteretico a parità di sensibilità alla pressione sonora.

I tweeter VST di terza generazione offrono mogliori sfumature sulle note del pianoforte, e migliore nitidezza sui salti tonale di un sassofono. Possedendo io un modello basato su una precedente versione di VST (Sora 2) posso in effetti confermare l’esistenza delle migliorie.

2 – Rivestimento in grafene

Sulla membrana dinamica del trasduttore principale è applicato un rivestimento in grafene che – sempre secondo Watanabe – è tra i motivi che portano i suoi trasduttori dinamici a riprodurre le frequenze medie e medioalte con ottimo controllo e buona definizione.

3 – Struttura esterna in ottone

A differenza di quanto avviene per la linea Sora, la carrozzeria delle IEM Miyabi è realizzata in ottone. Secondo Watanabe l’ottone contribuisce ad ammorbidire il suono e ad approfondire la resa dei bassi e il sustain delle note. Non so certificare che la relazione causa-effetto sia quella, ma il risultato c’è, ed è buono.

4 – HDSS

Un’altra tecnologia originale (e brevettata, in realtà) adottata all’interno delle Miyabi, come anche all’interno di altri modelli Intime come Ti3, Sora, Sora2, è denominata “HDSS” come “High Definition Sound Standard”.

Il suo scopo è eliminare i suoni riflessi all’interno della struttura degli auricolari, producendo un suono più pulito.

All’interno della struttura dell’auricolare, normalmente alcune onde sonore vengono riflesse dalle pareti e rimbalzano sul diaframma del trasduttore, producendo dissonanza rispetto al risultato voluto. Grazie alla tecnologia HDSS la propagazione del suono all’interno della struttura viene tenuta sotto controllo, e si evita che questo “investa” il diaframma del trasduttore in modo incontrollato, il quale quindi si troverà a vibrare “solo” in conseguenza del segnale elettrico che riceve – esattamente come dovrebbe – senza “ulteriori” fonti spurie di energia.

L’accorgimento – secondo Intime – aumenta il realismo del suono e riduce l’affaticamento sull’impianto uditivo dell’utilizzatore. Ha tuttavia un contro: tende a “ripulire” un po’ troppo le vibrazioni del trasduttore dinamico, eliminando troppa parte delle alte frequenze.

E’ qui che viene in soccorso l’accurata calibrazione tra il tweeter ceramico VST2 e la parte di medie e medio-alte frequenze riprodotte dal trasduttore dinamico arricchito col grafene. Il risultato è un basso con profilo compatto e nitido, una gamma medio-alta armoniosa e una ampia riproduzione spaziale – tutte cose effettivamente presenti sulle Miyabi !

A colpo d’occhio

Scheda completa

Ambienti di prova

Fonti: Sony NW-A55 mrWalkman / Questyle QP1R / Tempotec V1 + E1DA 9038D – Terminali silicone Spinfit CP-145 – cavo Dunu DUW-02S – tracce audio 16-24/44.1-192 FLAC.

Analisi della caratteristica sonora

Tonalità

La caratteristica tonale delle Miyabi è una V morbida, con modeste accentuazioni sui bassi medi e sui medi alti, medie frequenze non incassate, il tutto ben reciprocamente calibrato tanto da offrire una presentazione complessivamente molto piacevole.

Più importante ancora, le Miyabi offrono un timbro in-cre-di-bil-men-te “bio” (“naturale”), tanto che possono a volte sembrare eccessivamente intransigenti, quasi “grezze”. Gli strumenti acustici vengono trasmessi con un suono percepito come originario, “nudo”, nature – offrendo la sensazione davvero realistica di “presenza sulla scena”, di ricezione del suono prima di qualsiasi elaborazione di pulizia e pettinatura delle imperfezioni.

Per chi come me ascolta per il 99% del suo tempo jazz acustico le Miyabi offrono un’esperienza originale che produce assuefazione e le rende rapidamente un elemento preziosissimo del proprio ambiente audio.

Sub-Basso

Il sub-basso delle Miyabi è moderatamente esteso, veloce, ed un pochino meno evidente rispetto al basso medio. Più che adeguato alla resa del contrabbasso acustico.

Basso medio

Il basso medio delle Miyabi è veloce e potente, eppure articulato e dotato di trama. E’ evidentemente accentuato rispetto alla neutralità, il che offre un ottimo corpo p.es. al contrabbasso riuscendo però a restare quasi sempre rispettoso dell’autonomia della gamma media .

Solo occasionalmente e/o in alcuni generi musicali può capitare di trovare le gamme medie, le voci umane e le chitarre un po’ soggiogate al basso medio.

Medi

Le medie frequenze trasmesse dalle Miyabi sono naturali, realistiche, ben modulate e offrono una ottima tramatura – tutto ciò senza essere eccessivamente avanti nella presentazione generale. Pianoforte, violoncello e chitarra sono tutti resi in modo eccezionalmente naturale.

Le frequenze medio-alte sono energiche e luminose, pur restando sempre non affaticanti – quanto meno per i miei gusti, YMMV (conosciamo la questione: i medio-alti sono una di quelle aree sonore dove la sensibilità personale gioca un ruolo importante nel gradimento).

Voci maschili

Le voci maschili, con particolare riguardo ai tenori, sono rese molto bene, realisticamente naturali e dotate di buona trama. Le voci baritonali e basse possono occasionalmente entrare in conflitto con i toni bassi medi in passaggi musicali particolarmente affollati, specialmente quando sono coinvolti strumenti non acustici.

Voci femminili

Le voci femminili sono rese dalle Miyabi ancor meglio di quelle maschili: naturali, corpose, a volte quasi flautate. Non scadono mai nel sibilante, sembrano proprio tra i migliori risultati dell’ottima calibrazione dei medio alti eseguita sui trasduttori.

Alti

Senza dubblio gli alti sono tra gli aspetti per i quali le Miyabi offrono il meglio. Ho ascoltato più di qualche altro auricolare con tweeter piezo, e nessuno è all’altezza di quanto l’ottimo ing Watanabe è in grado di spremere dalle sue creazioni.

C’è un leggeriiiiiissimo “timbro piezo” che spunta molto raramente qua e là, ma nella quasi totalità del tempo d’ascolto i VST Intime regalano alti energici, dinamici, scoppiettanti, alquanto ariosi, ben dettagliati e soprattutto godevolissimi.

Mi piace credere che parte del timbro “ottone naturale” delle Miyabi sia legato al fatto che la struttura della camera acustica sia in effetti… in ottone.

Tecnicità

Palcoscenico

La proiezione scenica delle Miyabi è ottima. Lo spazio è molto ampio orizzontalmente, eccezionalmente esteso verticalmente, ed offre una buona profondità.

Immagine sonora

Anche grazie all’eccezionale capacità di separazione strumentale, l’immagine sonora proiettata dalle Miyabi è pulita, precisa e molto realistica.

Dettagli

Le Miyabi trasmettono una miriade di dettagli sonori da tutti i segmenti dello spettro. La risoluzione sui bassi, seppure molto buona in termini assoluti per auricolari di questa classe di prezzo, quasi impallidisce poi rispetto al risultato offerto sulle medie frequenze, le voci, e gli alti.

Separazione strumentale

Unitamente alle alte frequenze, la separazione strumentale è l’altra area di eccellenza assoluta per le Miyabi, che in questo offrono risultati che possono essere ritrovati solo su alcuni (!) prodotti di classe e prezzo (!!) molto, molto superiori.

Tutti gli strumenti sono spettacolarmente enucleati gli uni dagli altri, e stratificati in modo che all’ascoltatore arrivi una sensazione molto realistica di presenza sulla scena, o immediamente di fronte ad essa. E’ quasi possibile “vedere” i vari suonatori, la loro performance, e i loro errori (!).

Per trovare un livello di pulizia nella separazione strumentale associata a ottima corposità delle note superiore a quanto ascolto sulle Miyabi devo, per mia esperienza, “scomodare” auricolari come le Dunu Zen – a circa 4 volte il costo di un paio di Miyabi.

Pilotabilità

Le Miyabi hanno una sensibilità alquanto modesta (100dB/mW) richiedono quindi un’amplificazione non banalissima. Nulla di eccessivo, ma è meglio evitare di fare affidamento sulle capacità interne di un normale smartphone.

Una buona notizia è che la loro impedenza non è ultra-bassa. C’è quindi quasi l’imbarazzo della scelta di fonti, dac/amp o dongle capaci di produrre la potenza d’uscita necessaria a fare cantare correttamente le Miyabi.

Aspetti fisici

Struttura

La carrozzeria e la camera acustica delle Miyabi sono in ottone, con il dichiarato intento di offrire un timbro acustico tiepido, naturale, simile appunto ad un ottone.

La parte posteriore è in resina color tartaruga, stampata con una tecnica giapponese chiamata Takumi. Il risultato è una colorazione casualmente variegata che rende ogni paio unico naturalmente. L’accoppiata tra il retro in resina e la camera acustica frontale in ottone ha uno stile estetico alquanto piacevole. Miyabi in giapponese vuole in effetti dire qualcosa di simile a “elegante”.

Indossabilità

Le IEM a forma di proiettile (grasso, in questo caso) sono molto comode per me.

I terminali in silicone forniti a corredo sono di buona qualità ma li trovo un pochino troppo morbidi, e se a questo aggiungo che gli auricolari non sono leggerissimi, mi succede che usando quelli l’auricolare sinistro tende a perdere aderenza dal canale uditivo (il mio sinistro è un po’ più ampio del destro).

Dopo la “solita” lunga e noiosa rotazione tra le 3 dozzine di terminali di vario tipo che ho a disposizione alla fine mi sono deciso per gli Spinfit CP-145.

Comfort

Molto soggettivo. Personalmente le trovo molto confortevoli, come mi capita per molti se non tutti gli auricolari a forma di proiettile.

Isolamento

La forma a proiettile non offre schermatura della conca naturalmente, anche se il calibro decisamente “grasso” un pochino aiuta.

Cavo

Nonostante lo sforzo che anche in questo l’ing Watanabe ha sicuramente profuso, il cavo fornito a corredo non mi ha impressionato per qualità. Dopo varie prove ho scelto un Dunu DUW-02S che effettivamente migliora sensibilmente le Miyabi in termini di apertura sonora, separazione e stratificazione.

Credo sia altresì importante notare come non tutti i cavi di terza parte che ho provato sulle mie Miyabi offrissero un “click” ugualmente convincente al momento della connessione alle prese MMCX, e in un paio di casi la connessione stessa si è dimostrata persino instabile (al contrario di quanto avviene quando gli stessi cavi sono connessi a un qualsiasi altro paio di IEM tra quelle che possiedo). Un punto di attenzione per l’ing. Watanabe.

In ultimo: ho notizia che da una certa data in avanti Ozeid ha iniziato ad offrire il proprio cavo top di gamma (“M Kanade”) a corredo delle Miyabi. Mi riservo di provarne uno per verificare una molto migliore sinergia rispetto all’ M Sound che ho ricevuto insieme alle mie Miyabi, di produzione precedente.

Specifiche (dichiarate dal costruttore)

Confronti

Tanchjim Oxygen (250 $)

Le Miyabi sono complessivamente più calde, con un evidente accento sui bassi medi. Le Oxygen sono più bilanciate-neutre, e se un accento mostrano sta piuttosto sui medi alti. Il timbro ottonale delle Miyabi è totalmente assente dalle Oxygen, che sono fondamentalmente trasparenti.

Separazione strumentale e microdinamica sono a favore delle Miyabi praticamente sempre, tranne in casi di passaggi particolarmente fitti di varie voci sui bassi medi – situazione nella quale né Miyabi né Oxygen, per diversi motivi, esprimono il meglio. La resa degli alti è più naturale sulle Miyabi, con particolare riguardo agli strumenti metallici – sulle Oxygen invece si presentano più puliti anche se un pochino meno dettagliati.

Ikko OH1S (159 $)

La prima cosa che si nota confrontando le OH1S con le Miyabi è l’evidente minor corpo nelle note delle prime. Le OH1S suonano più magre e quindi meno espressive, per contro meno colorate, a fronte delle Miyabi più energiche, muscolari e “teatrali”.

Il trasduttore dinamico delle OH1S è più veloce ma non ha maggiore risoluzione di quello sulle Miyabi. Perciò il basso delle OH1S è meno gonfio ma si presenta anche meno naturale e meno strutturato. Soprattutto: la separazione strumentale è totalmente a favore delle Miyabi. Le OH1S hanno medi alti più invasivi, che a volte possono presentarsi troppo squillanti, a fronte di quelli più energici, ma più controllati, delle Miyabi.

Ikko OH10 (199 $)

Sulle OH10 il sub basso è più elevato, ma il basso medio lo è meno rispetto alle Miyabi. Soprattutto, il basso delle OH10 è più veloce e asciutto e quindi suona più pulito da un lato, ma meno espressivo e strutturato dall’altro. Inoltre, anche nonostante questa maggior pulizia delle OH10, la separazione strumentale delle Miyabi su tutto lo spettro – inclusi i bassi – resta superiore.

Sulle OH10 le note hanno corpo più magro, e il timbro ottonale è assente. Gli strumenti a fiato e i piatti suonano meno vividi che sulle Miyabi. I medi sulle OH10 sono molto più indietro, e le voci umane non sono nemmeno confrontabili a quelle delle Miyabi (intenzionalmente, aggiungerei).

Dunu Zen (700$)

Il basso delle Zen è più veloce di quello delle Miyabi, e più controllato, ed offre migliore microdinamica. La separazione strumentale, seppure ottima sulle Miyabi, è ancor migliore sulle Zen, su tutto lo spettro. Le Zen hanno una tonalità tiepida, ma il loro timbro è naturale. Le Miyabi sono più calde, non solo a causa del basso medio più corposo ma soprattutto al maggior corpo delle note medie e medio alte, e al timbro ottonale.

I medi alti sono più puliti sulle Zen ma anche meno energici ed espressivi. Le Miyabi sono inoltre più ariose in alto. Le Zen offrono miglior dettaglio su tutto lo spettro, sebbene la differenza in questo rispetto alle Miyabi non corrisponda alla differenza tra i loro prezzi.

Considerazioni e conclusioni

Non conosco molte IEM che costino meno di 5-600$ e in grado di offrire un simile mix di tecnicità altamente raffinate e timbro naturale, vivo ed ergetico. Ed ancor meno ne conosco se cerco tra quelle che costano meno di 200$, come le Miyabi.

Per me questo è materiale eccellente. Ho avviato il processo di raccolta delle opinioni dei coblogger al fine dell’inserimento delle Miyabi sul Wall of Excellence.

Il campione Miyabi di cui parlo in questo articolo è un acquisto personale. Non sono incorsi contatti con il sig Watanabe.

La versione originale di questo, come per tutti gli altri miei articoli, è in lingua inglese.

Our generic standard disclaimer.

The post Recensione Di Intime Miyabi – Speciale Unicità appeared first on Music For The Masses.

At the time of this article, Miyabi sells on the manufacturer’s site for JPY 21.450,00 which is approximately $ 150. Add another $ 30 to have that reforwaded to EU / USA by a service like Tenso or equivalent.

“Intime Acoustic” is not a known brand at all in the west, as it comes from a very small company limiting its commercial horizon to Japan, where it’s based. In my previous article I spent some lines about the company, and about the technology (developed, and sometimes even patented by the company’s owner) involved. I’m echoing such information here below, with appropriate updates, for the reader’s convenience.

Intime Acoustic, a.k.a. Ozeid Co., a.k.a O2aid.com…

Intime Acoustic is a brand owned by Ozeid Co., Ltd., a quite young (2016-founded) Takasaki City (JPN) based company. Its main business is actually not manufacturing, but consulting.

The owner and key developer Mr Yoshiyuki Watanabe has 35+ years of experience on devices and applications that use piezoelectric materials.

Rotate his company name “ozeid” (or even better its web domain name “o2aid”) by 180°. What do you read ? 

That said, mr Watanabe also decided to deliver some of his competence in form of earphones, targeting young users – young like his children – aiming to convey (in his own words) “the good sound of Japan“.

Key technologies

Similarly to other models in Intime lineup, Miyabi is based on a dual-driver system including a 10mm dynamic driver, and a somewhat special ceramic tweeter taking care of the upper treble / top octave end.

A number of very interesting details are available regarding the technology inside Sora 2, let me summarise what the main claims are.

1 – “Vertical Super Tweeter”

VST is made of some sort of special laminated ceramics, instead of the most commonly adopted titanium oxide.

Fundamentally, laminated ceramics is supposed to offer more controllable vibrations.

Conventional “super tweeters” are so-called as they reproduce sounds outside the audible range, but this Intime’s variation, thanks to the uncommon material selection in addition to their calibrations, has a different behaviour and reproduces overtones, effectively contributing to the highest-end part of the audible spectrum.

The Miyabi feature “third-generation VST2” of such tweeters. According to mr Watanabe the improvement has to do with adopting dual ceramics, which ensures that the hysteresis characteristics are minimized, while sound pressure sensitivity is maintained.

For example, 3rd VST is supposed to offer richer overtones on piano notes, and crisper notes on a jumping saxophone. Owning a model based on a previous VST iteration (Sora 2) I can testify this is really the case.

2 – Graphene coating

A graphene coating has been applied to the Dynamic Driver unit, which – always according to mr Watanabe – is amongst the reasons why his drivers reproduce mid-high range frequencies with controlled power and good definition.

3 – Brass housings

Unlike what happens on the Sora line, Miyabi housings are made of brass. According to mr Watanabe, this choice contributes to delivery Miyabi’s signature soft, deep sustain and bass reproduction. I don’t know if the cause-effect liaison is right, but the result definitely is good.

4 – HDSS

Another unique (and patented, actually) technology adopted inside Miyabi, as much as inside Ti3, Sora, Sora2 too, is called “HDSS” as in High Definition Sound Standard.

Its purpose is to suppress sound reflections inside the housing, resulting in cleaner output.

Some sound waves are commonly uncontrolledly reflected inside the housing, impacting onto the dynamic driver diaphragm, causing dissonance from the intended purpose. With HDSS technology, the sound inside the housings is more controlled and does not “invest” the diaphragm randomly, allowing the dynamic driver to move “only” as a consequence to the signal source, as indeed it should.

This – according to Intime – increases sound realism and decreases fatigue. It has a down side though: it tends to purge too much of the high frequencies off the dynamic driver vibration.

This is where a careful calibration between the resolution of the ceramic VST2 and the mid-high range tuning of the graphene coated DD becomes vital, resulting in a bass with a solid outline, harmonious mid-high range and wide spatial expression – as in facts Miyabi does deliver, big time !

At-a-glance Card

Full Device Card

Test setup

Sources: Sony NW-A55 mrWalkman / Questyle QP1R / Tempotec V1 + E1DA 9038D – Spinfit CP-145 tips – Dunu DUW-02S cable – lossless 16-24/44.1-192 FLAC tracks.

Signature analysis

Tonality

Miyabi’s tonality is a mild V, with modest bumps in the midbass and highmids, and unrecessed mids, all well reciprocally calibrated to offer a very pleasant overall presentation.

Most importantly, Miyabi offer an in-cre-di-bly “natural” (“organic”) timbre, so much that some may find it excessively unforgiving, almost “crude”. Acoustic instruments come across sort of raw, unadultered, nature they’d say in Paris – which grants the auditioner a unique “presence on the performance scene” sensation, as if sound were delivered to them prior to any postprocessing combing imperfections or such.

For someone like me listening for 99% of his time to acoustic jazz this is a unique, addictive experience which quickly turns into an invaluable asset.

Sub-Bass

Sub bass is moderately extended, fast, but a bit subduded in power vs midbass. More then adequate to render standup bass.

Mid Bass

Miyabi’s midbass is fast and slammy, yet articulated and textured. It’s evidently bumped up, offering very solid body to standup bass while staying respectful of mids at virtually all times.

Only occasionally and/or on specific musical genres or selections male vocals or guitars may come accross a bit subdued.

Mids

Miyabi’s mids are organic, realistic, very well modulated and textured – this in spite of them not being particularly forward. Pianos, cellos and guitars are very naturally rendered.

High mids are energetic and shiny, but always south of fatiguing – at least in my books, YMMV (we know the drill: highmids are one of those areas where personal sensitivity varies a lot).

Male Vocals

Male vocals, with particular regards to tenors, are very well rendered, textured and credibly organic. Bass voices may occasionally partially conflict with midbass on particularly crowded passages, especially when non-acoustic instruments are involed.

Female Vocals

Miyabi’s female vocals are even better than male: organic, bodied, at times even flutey. Never scanting into sibilance, they take advantage of the driver’s superb highmids tuning.

Highs

Trebles are no doubt one of the two areas on which Miyabi offers their best. I did hear a few other piezo tweeters, but simply not one holds a candle to what mr Watanabe can make his drivers deliver.

There is a veeeery faint “piezo timbre” occasionally emerging, but for the vast majority of the cases Intime’s VST deliver energetic, dynamic, sparkly, quite airy, well detailed and most of all addictively energetic treble.

I like to assume that part of the “organically brassy timbre” result is also due to the housings being made of… brass, indeed.

Technicalities

Soundstage

Miyabi’s stage projection is very good. The room is very well extended horizontally, shows an exceptional height, and very good depth.

Imaging

Helped by outstanding instrument separation, Miyabi’s imaging is neat, precise and very realistic.

Details

Miyabi retrieve tons of detail from all segments of the spectrum. The bass part, while very good in absolute terms for a driver of this price category, almost pales when faced with the special proficiency coming out from mids, vocals and trebles.

Instrument separation

Together with treble, instrument separation is the other area on which Miyabi deliver a quality which can only be found on selected, much higher class (and price) competition.

All voices are spectacularly enucleated from one another, and layered in a way that the auditioner has a very realist sensation of being on the stage, or just in front of it, and can almost “see” the various players, their performance, abilities, and mistakes (!) happening together.

Separation clarity coupled to solid note body similar or better to what Miyabi offers cannot be encountered for my experience until engaging with IEMs the like of Dunu Zen – at +-4 times Miyabi’s budget.

Driveability

Miyabi’s sensitivity is modest so they do call for some non-trivial amping. Nothing excessive, don’t worry, but it’s best not to rely on a mere smartphone in their case.

A piece of good news is however that their impedance is not ultra-low, so there’s a thicker flock of sources, dac-amps and dongles which are able to deliver the power Miyabi requires.

Physicals

Build

Housings are made of solid brass, with the declared intention to deliver a “brass-like”, warm-ish, organic, acoustic timbre.

Their back end is in tortoise-color resin, moulded adopting a japanese tecnique called Takumi. The result is uneven in terms of colouring, resulting in no two units be identical. The resin back-end paired with the brass main chambers make for a quite stylish ensemble. Miyabi is indeed japanese for “elegant, stylish”.

Fit

Fat bullet shapes like Miyabi’s are very easy to fit for me.

Stock tips are good in terms of sound results but I found them a tad too soft, which paired with the housings’ weight, their shape etc, for whatever reason makes my left driver tend to lose its seal inside my left ear.

After the “usual” lenghty and boring rotation amongst a couple of dozen alternatives I settled on Spinfit CP-145.

Comfort

Very subjective. I personally find them extremely comfortable, like for most if not all bullet shaped housings.

Isolation

No concha shielding due to bullet shape, but their “fat” build contributes positively nonetheless.

Cable

In spite of the effort that I’m sure mr Watanabe put on it, too, I wasn’t impressed by the stock cable. After some trials, I settled onto a Dunu DUW-02S which is significantly upgrading the Miyabi in terms of spatial openness, layering and separation.

It’s also important to note that not all third party cables I tried onto my Miyabi clicked the same way, and a couple of them even resulted in unstable connectivity (unlike what happens when the same cable is connected to all other MMCX IEMs I have). Mr Watanabe may want to look into this.

Last but probably not least, I understand Ozeid is now bundling their high end cable (M Kanade) with Miyabi. Looking forward into getting one to check a very likely better pairing.

Specifications (declared)

Comparisons

Tanchjim Oxygen ($ 250)

Miyabi is overall warmer, with an evident accent on midbass compared to Oxygen which is more balanced-neutral, if something with a soft accent on highmids. Miyabi’s brassy timbre and coloration is totally absent on Oxygen, which is mostly transparent.

Instrument separation and microdynamics are in favour of Miyabi everywhere except on crowded midbass passages, where neither – for different causes – is at the industry’s best. Treble rendering is more organic on Miyabi, with special regards to metal instruments – Oxygen on the other hand comes across cleaner if a tad less detailed.

Ikko OH1S ($ 159)

The first thing one notices about OH1S vs Miyabi is the obviously thinner note weight delivered by the former. OH1S sounds leaner and therefore less expressive if also less colored compared with the more energetic, muscular and “thetral” Miyabi.

OH1S DD is faster but not better resolving compared to Miyabi’s so OH1S’s midbass is less inflated but also evidently less textured and organic. Most of all, instrument separation is all in favor of Miyabi. OH1S also has more invasive highmids which may occasionally sound shoutier compared to the energetic but controlled ones on Miyabi.

Ikko OH10 ($ 199)

OH10’s sub bass is more elevated but midbass is less compared to Miyabi. Most of all, OH10’s bass is faster and dryer compared to Miyabi’s so it sounds cleaner on one end, but less expressive and textured on the other. Also, even in spite of such higher cleanness, Miyabi’s separation all over the spectrum including the bass is better compared to OH10’s.

OH10’s note weight is also leaner and the timbre is not brassy. Wind instruments and hihats and crashes sound much less vivid compared to Miyabi. Mids are much more recessed and vocals are not even comparable (by design, I would say).

Dunu Zen ($700)

Zen’s bass is faster compared to Miyabi’s, and more controlled. Instrument separation, though superb on Miyabi, is better on Zen all along the spectrum. Zen’s tonality is warm, but its timbre is quite neutral. Miyabi is warmer, not only due to somewhat fatter midbass but mainly due to heavier note body on the mids and highmids, and its brass-metallic timbre.

High mids are cleaner on Zen but also less energetic and expressive. Miyabi is definitely airier up above. Zen has a better detail retrieval all over the spectrum, although not by the same margin as its higher price tag might suggest.

Considerations & conclusions

I can’t name many IEMs costing less than $5-600 and delivering an equivalently pleasant mix of highly refined technicalities, organic, lifelike timbre and energetic presentation like Miyabi do. And even less at Miyabi’s sub-200$ price.

To me this is excellent material. I initiated the process to collect cobloggers’ opinions to consider sticking Miyabi on our Wall of Excellence.

The Miyabi sample I reported about in this article is a personal purchase, no contact incurred with Mr Watanabe.

Our generic standard disclaimer.

The post Intime Miyabi 雅 アンティーム Review – Uniquely Special appeared first on Music For The Masses.

So what does this $59 dongle do that my <$15 Xumee or CXPro don’t? Well, for one thing it’ll blast the doors off your more sensitive IEMs—its modest (70mw/32oHm) power spec notwithstanding, this thing gets really loud. It will also bring the bass—it has a highly augmented subwoofer-type low end which adds impact even to flatter-tuned phones like the Etymotic ER2, while substantially tightening and deepening the normally slow, bloomy bass of my Koss KSC-75.

The Ikko Zerda ITM02’s bass emphasis does, however, lend it a slightly detached quality (your ears are drawn to that big bottom) which somewhat overshadows the mids  and veils the higher frequencies; cymbals, guitar strings and piano keys sound smoothed-over and missing some nuance and microdetail. The overall effect is to impart energy and to thicken note texture, which works well for techno and other heavier genres and less well for acoustic and orchestral fare. Tonality is wholly free of the shrillness or digital brightness of many cheaper units, but instruments are not well-separated.

The iKKO Zerda ITM02 remind me quite a bit of the iBasso DC-05, another brawny, bass heavy piece which favors dynamic slam over high-end detail. The DC-05 sounds a bit more seamless and coherent, however, with fewer audible dips and less rolloff. Both tend to work better with higher-impedance (>100 oHm) phones, while for easier loads the comparably priced Hidisz S3 is more refined, with much more high end transparency. 

iKKO has previously shown the tuning chops to become a major player, and with careful pairing  the ITM02 will have real appeal for fans of a bass-heavy signature. For me, however, it registers as inessential at this price point, with other cheaper, less-colored alternatives doing a better job at note definition. 

Disclaimer: got free review unit from iKKO, which will be passed to other reviewers.

Specifications Ikko Zerda ITM02

Contact us!

The post IKKO Zerda ITM02 Portable Headphone Amp Review – Talk About Mudflaps… appeared first on Music For The Masses.

Cons — Deserves a tad more upper midrange and treble extension for a wider stage and more sparkle; not the fastest driver; limited applicability of third-party eartips.

Executive Summary

Introduction

IKKO is a Chinese manufacturer that has initially delighted us with their very few however innovative <$200 earphones (and accessories). Their first iem, the IKKO OH1 stood out by its metallic, unconventional shells with a great haptic. The “masterfully jazzy” well-dosed V-shaped IKKO OH10 made it onto our Wall of Excellence. They excel by their superb imaging and staging – and offer a sniff into the premium segment at a mid-tier price.

The – in contrast to the OH10 – brighter tuned IKKO OH1S is a highly underrated marvel, possibly because many influencers had their listening experience guided by the frequency response graph. The OH2 is physically very similar to the OH2. It appears that IKKO wants to appease those customers with there OH2 who found the OH1S too spicy. Will it work?

IKKO are currently expanding their product range into dongles such as the IKKO Zerda ITM01, microphones (for YouTubers), small speakers, and other desktop accessories.

Specifications

:

Physical Things and Usability

In the box are the earpieces, the cable, a set of IKKO I-Planet foam tips, a set of oval silicone tips, a storage wallet, an IKKO pin, an MMCX tool for safely disconnecting cable and earpieces, and the paperwork.

Just like the OH1S, IKKO OH2’s shells are premium built with mostly aluminum alloy and some resin, and they feature one of the companyʼs trademarks: oval nozzles, which help forming any eartip into the cross-sectional shape of your ear canals.

The shells are rather small and light compared to the OH10, they look and feel great, sit firmly in my ears and are very comfortable. The small size of the earpieces is certainly a huge asset. Isolation is not the greatest for me.

I find the haptic and ergonomics premium: 10/10.

I really like the included cable (same as with OH1S): spindly, wiry, light. Coated with hard pvc, it has the right stiffness for me and is not rubbery at all. Great in the days where cables are increasingly becoming ropes pulling our ears down. Less is more, also in this case.

Tonality and Technicalities

IKKO have tuned the OH2 differently from their other popular models. It is not V-shaped like the OH10 – and it is not as treble extended as the OH1S, although both share the relatively flat frequency response up to 1.5 kHz. As in so many cases, the OH2’s frequency response graph is literally misleading as it leads speculations into the wrong direction.

From a helicopter perspective, the IKKO OH2 is somewhat dry and slightly warm sounding iem. For me, the included IKKO I-Planet foam tips worked best. But foams in combination with my ears always generate a rather dry bass.

And it is rather dry indeed. Sub-bass extension is good, there is plenty of rumble down there, and there is no boomy mid-bass peak. Nevertheless could the bass be tighter – and it probably is with a different tips/ears combination. I’d call the bass typical for mid-price single dynamic-driver iems, but nothing special. It is certainly not the fastest around and can be somewhat blunt in some recordings.

The vocals have very good weight and decent definition, they are not set back, which is an asset at this price tag. There is a small congestion from the hesitant upper midrange (pinna gain is <10 dB) which compresses male and female voices a bit. A tad more energy at around 2 kHz would make them wider and airier. Higher piano and violin notes lack sparkle.

The top rolloff starts already in the upper midrange but becomes dramatic at above 5 kHz. Treble extension is audibly lacking and compromises stage width and overall sparkle/air.

And whilst stage is narrow, it has a good height and depth. Imaging and spatial cues are good and resolution, separation, and layering are average. The OH2’s biggest sonic assets are its note weight and its very natural timbre.

IKKO OH2 Compared

The $79 Hidizs MM2 with their exchangeable out vents are more versatile and may have slightly better imaging and staging (more headroom), but I find the OH2 have a better organic reproduction , note weight, and cohesion. Instant wow effect vs. slowly growing likability! I also prefer the OH2’s smaller earpieces for their small design and premium haptic whereas the light yet bulky MM2 shells are reminiscent of the budget KZ fare. I’d say the OH2 appeal more to the older, mature crowd (like me) and the MM2 preferably to teenagers.

The $79 Moondrop Aria, viewed as the dynamic-driver standard below $100, is much faster, brighter, and leaner than the OH2. It is technically cleaner with a better defined low end, a better extended treble, and more width. But it also has an upper midrange glare that may be unpleasant for some. The OH2 is less analytical, warmer, deeper, but also thicker in its performance, it has more “soul” and is more engaging to me. The Moondrop may be the “better” earphone, but the OH2 is more enjoyable to me.

The main question may be how the OH2 compares to the $159 IKKO OH1S? Well the OH1S may be brighter but they benefit from their treble extension, which results in a wider stage and better imaging. They provide more headroom. They also have better note definition and resolution. I’d say the price difference is justified – and I, quite frankly, prefer the OH1S as they are the better iem.

Concluding Remarks

IKKO iems are totally underrated in the internet’s echo chambers that cultivate herd mentality pushing überhyped yet short-lived products to promote compulsive buying habits. IKKO iems have a long shelf live for a reason.

The IKKO OH2 are the mellow alternative to all these brightish <$100 earphones such as the Moondrop Aria. They impress by their haptic and accessories, which are essentially identical to the OH1S at twice the price. They further have a decent tonality with an intimate midrange and an organic timbre.

The OH2 will appeal to the more mature budget “audiophile”, who cares about substance rather than gimmicks.

To give you my personal perspective: I really like the OH2 a lot – and not only for their sound but also for their handling (the importance of which for daily use is typically undervalued in reviews). But then again, I could say the same about the OH1S and OH10.

Until next time…keep on listening!

The post IKKO OH2 Review – A Purist’s Daydream appeared first on Music For The Masses.

Cons — Relatively high impedance…benefits from amplification.

Executive Summary

Introduction

BQEYZ made themselves a name back in 2018 with one of the first neutrally tuned budget iems, the $30 2DD +2BA BQEYZ KC2, at a time when budget meant V-shaped. The KC2 is still available and has a dedicated following.

The company continued a class higher with the $139 1DD +1BA +1 EST BQEYZ Spring 1, which had wonderful vocals but a somewhat pillowy bass. The subsequent 1DD +1BA +1 EST $169 BQEYZ Spring 2 improved the bass somewhat. All of the above were metal built.

The subsequent $129 1DD +1BA +1EST BQEYZ Summer deviated with its translucent resin shells and finally featured the desired punchy bass.

We have collectively analyzed all of the above to the hilt, including Durwood’s study of the effect of nozzle mesh on the Spring 1’s frequency response.

The latest BQEYZ model is named “Autumn” after the third season of the year, hence “Tre Stagioni” (three seasons). With their BQEYZ Autumn, the company reverts to metal shells being essentially identical in shape to the Summer’s.

New is the driver configuration which is a single DD. BQEYZ also offer maximum sonic flexibility by including three sets of magnetic tuning vents at the font of the shells. Each of these pucks constitutes a different front vent with its very own bass response.

It is an interesting approach contrary to the JVC FDX1, the perceived bass response of which is dosed by screw-on nozzles containing different filters. Although these alter the JVC’s upper midrange response, the effect is only heard at the low end, as the human ear registers the whole frequency spectrum in context.

Specifications

Physical Things and Usability

In the box are the 2 earpieces, the cable, 3 pairs of tuning pucks in a holder, the magnetic tuner pole, 2 sets of eartips (S/M/L), a brush, and a carrying case. The three tuning pucks (“bass”, “normal”, “treble”) are actually the inner earphone vents (also called front vents). They come in different openings: the smaller the bassier. We describe the relevant physical principles in this article.

The metal pucks are inserted and removed with the included magnetic pole. This takes as long as a tire change during a Formula 1 race. The magnetic fit guarantees minimal wear and tear even when swapped frequently. Very handy.

The earpieces are made of CNC machined metal and are built very well. The overall haptic of shells and cable is great. BQEYZ have addressed the criticism of the BQEYZ Summer’s resin shells.

Fit and comfort are very good, isolation is rather poor for my ears. The cable has silver-coated copper and high-purity copper strands. It is loosely braided with minimal contact area between the strands for minimum interference. I find the cable rather pliable and light – it has no microphonics.

2 sets of eartips (S/M/L) are included, one wide bore and the other narrow bore. Note that the nozzle diameter exceeds the usual 4.5 mm so that many third-party eartips will not fit. You may try the SpinFit CP500 or any Azla SednaEarfit models if going for third-party tips.

Tonality and Technicalities

A universally valid assessment of the BQEYZ Autumn is difficult as tonality and technicalities depend on the interplay of several factors: magnetic tuning puck + eartips + source (in any combination). This versatility allows to you pretty much to create your own favourite sound.

Considering its 46 Ω impedance, the Autumn benefits from amplification, although it works surprisingly well with my iPhone SE (1st gen.). For example, the powerful Apogee Groove produces a much cleaner and better defined image than the weaker AudioQuest DragonFly Cobalt.

Using the JitterBug FMJ with the Apogee Groove makes quite a difference in that it ads definition to the image. The difference is actually considerable.

With the wide-bore stock tips, the “bass” vents generate more…yes…bass…which drowns the vocals out somewhat — and the “normal” vents bring voices more into the foreground without sacrificing bass impact. But this latter combination may be bassier than the combination of “bass” vents and JVC Spiral Dots.

I played with the stock eartips but got the best results with the JVC Spiral Dots that disperse some of the mid-bass and produce the tightest possible low end. Bass generally digs deep but the vocals move into the foreground with the JVCs. Signature becomes brighter but notes also cleaner and more articulate.

I also experimented with the vents, and the normal ones yielded the best result (in combination with the Spiral Dots). The bass vents “overthicken” the low end, move the vocals back and therefore remove intimacy and detail.

My favourite combination therefore is the normal vents with the JVC Spiral Dots.

So, how does the BQEYZ Autumn sound, actually (with “normal” puck and Spiral Dots)? It has the classic slightly warm single-dynamic driver sound with a rather crisp attack adding some edge.

The low end is on the tight side, it is well extended and remains focused to the lowest frequencies. There is no mid-bass hump as emphasis is on the lower frequencies, just above sub-bass. Drum kicks in the mid bass are not as pronounced as they could be but they are nevertheless hard as a rock – and dry.

Lower midrange is standalone without bass bleed. Male and female voices are somewhat recessed, of medium note weight, energetic, and natural. There is no shoutiness but we are getting there, although that 5 kHz peak is not irritating to my ears.

Midrange temperature is a bit cooler than in the bass region but still not quite neutral. Midrange resolution is very good, everything clean and clear there. Note definition is very good.

Lower treble rolls of substantially. Cymbals are a bit back and don’t have the best definition – but they are still ok. Resolution is better in the midrange than in the treble region.

Stage is average in width, height and depth. Spatial cues is very good. Attack is sharp and crisp without being aggressive. The dynamic driver is rather nimble. Stage positioning and separation are also good. Timbre is good.

I am a bit short in my sonic description as it mostly applies to this very particular setup.

BQEYZ Autumn compared

The dynamic-driver competition in the $200 region is tight. The Tanchjim Oxygen (which I don’t know) and the JVC HA-FDX1 are standard staples on our Wall of Excellence (also count the 1+1 IKKO OH10 in). The Moondrop KATO is arguably the company’s best dynamic-driver offer.

To disappoint you, it is impossible to tell which is the best of the lot as they are very close in terms of (sound) quality. But they differ quite a bit in ergonomics.

For example, the IKKO OH10 is very heavy in one’s ear, and so – but to a lesser extent – is the KATO. The Oxygen have short nozzles that may not fit everyone and the JVCs have a weird shape altogether that may not be the most comfortable for many either. In this respect, I prefer the Autumn’s compact shells.

But what I can say is that the Autumn sound more refined than the brighter $139 BQEYZ Summer, particularly in the midrange. The JVCs are not as crisp as the Autumn, they are smoother, dampened, with more rounded notes – but not as deep. The Autumn are rougher around the edges, more dynamic/energetic, and they have more midrange body and a much better sub-bass extension.

The Moondrop KATO are brighter than the Autumn (in my setup), with a wider but shallower stage. They have a smoother bass and vocals are not quite as intimate. They also have more sparkle with more air in the midrange. And they are more prone to shoutiness. How graphs can deceive us. Voices are a bit thicker and more rounded in the KATO. Treble resolution is similar between the two.

As I tend to say (well I stole it from Alberto): pick your poison!

Concluding Remarks

The BQEYZ Autumn are well built and good sounding single-dynamic driver earphones that fit their price category well – and that can prevail against their tough competition.

Whilst it is difficult to rank the large crowd of $200 single-dynamic drivers, the Autumn stick out in two aspects: comfort/fit and sonic versatility through the included tuning front vents. They are, in my opinion, the best offering in BQEYZ’s 3 season series.

Tre stagioni? Quattro stagioni! Now we are ready for “inverno”. No, that’s not what you think*…learn Italian…

Until next time…keep on listening!

*Italian: winter

The post BQEYZ Autumn Review (1) – Tre Stagioni appeared first on Music For The Masses.

Cons — V-shape; heavy earpieces, shoddy cable.

Executive Summary

Introduction

The OH10 “Obsidian” has been hanging on our Wall of Excellence for a while, mainly triggered by Alberto, who had written a glowing review. He characterizes the OH10 sensibly and exhaustively so that there is not much room for things to add.

I have tested the OH10 for 1/2 year with endless source combinations.

IKKO is a company that has excelled through excellent builds and a rather small quality rooster of iems (and lately other products), each of which has had a rather long shelf live. The company obviously designs sustainable quality, which is not easy to find in the Shenzhen environment.

The OKKO OH1, their first offering, may have been a bit bright for my taste, but it stuck out from the field because of its sturdy metal build and the unusual shape of their earpieces. It was recently superseded by the smaller OH1S, which is highly underrated because of anti-hype by the usual YouTube screamers. The OH10 was introduced between the two models. It has been on the market for a while, and it is still as relevant as on its first day.

Specifications

Physical Things and Usability

Please relieve me for once from describing the photo showing the content. Yes, the cable is crap and I use Final E tips.

The metal earpieces are super heavy and relatively big – and probably more suited for home use, but their haptic is great. The nozzles are long enough. Fit is good, comfort depends on how much I move, and isolation is average.

Tonality and Technicalities

I was for the longest time in the belief the OH10 featured a crisp single dynamic driver…but it is rather a 1+1 (dynamic driver and balanced armature driver) constellation…which speaks for its cohesion. Both drivers obviously harmonize well with each other.

To give you the helicopter perspective: the OH10 excels by its fantastic bass slam and its excellent imaging. The price paid is recessed vocals and treble extension.

OK, ’nuff said already. Now you know what Alberto and I think of the OH10.

Co-blogger Kazi gave his snappy account on Facebook:

• Unique shell design and very dense shell material. 
• Too heavy for some, myself included. I find them to weigh down on my ears after a while.
• Isolation is lacking.
• Sub-bass is excellent. Punchy, agile, with good amount of rumble.
• Mid-bass is slightly thinner than expected but got good texture. 
• Vocals are recessed. Not gonna set the world alight with midrange performance.
• Upper-midrange can feel peaky at times. I found them to be too up-front on some hard rock tracks. 
• Treble is inoffensive, decent amount of sparkle but lacks the extension and air of upper-tier stuff. 
• Good staging, not as wide or deep as E5000 but fairly balanced across all three axes. 
• Imaging is decent, did not stand out to be as much as, say, the Falcon Pro. 

IKKO OH10 Compared

People keep asking for comparisons with the IKKO OH1S “Gems”, which is redundant as both sound totally different. The OH1S is more forward and brighter, and one cannot replace the other. That’s why companies run different models simultaneously…duh!

More interesting appears to be a comparison between the OH10 and the Unique Melody 3DT with its three dynamic drivers. As you can see, both have largely overlapping frequency responses. But I have to disappoint you again as both iems sound completely different. The UM 3DT is much more analytical and less engaging than the OH10.

But what this tells us the limitations of frequency response graphs for characterizing the sound of iems.

Concluding Remarks

The IKKO OH10 gives $$$ conscious audio enthusiasts access to premium quality at a mid-tear price. With its excellent imaging, it plays in the league with the big, expensive boys…not on top, but well above the bottom.

What you sacrifice is comfort through the large and heavy earpieces and some vocals intimacy through the V-shape. But the OH10 does full justice to high-quality sources way above a phone.

It is for good reason a standard staple on our Wall of Excellence…and will remain there for a long time…and im my collection. Kudos to IKKO for demonstrating sustainability in the short-lived world of Shenzhen consumerism.

Until next time…keep on listening!

Contact us!

All Our 316 Earphone and Earbud Reviews (with Links)

Disclaimer

The Ikko Gems OH1S were provided by Ikko for my review and I thank them for that. I also thank Alberto and Kazi for discussion.

Get the Ikko Gems OH1s from ikkoaudio.com

Gallery

The post IKKO OH10 Review (2) – On Our Wall Of Excellence appeared first on Music For The Masses.

This is a visual intro to the IKKO OH2 Opal. IKKO have been a company offering a small but fine selection of iems. That has changed lately as they have expanded into electronics. We at audioreviews.org have followed their iems since their OH1. The $199 IKKO OH10 made it even onto our Wall of Excellence.

The OH10 have a very safe, likeable V-shaped tuning with no peaks or pierces and huge stage. They are a first taste of the premium segment at a mid-tier price…and therefore a rare example of justifying the otherwise hollow marketing term “entry level” (with respect to premium).

The smaller $159 IKKO OH1S shows a completely different tuning with a strictly linear bottom shelf and a rather “vivid” treble that caused some confusion with the reviewers. The rumour arose that the OH1S don’t have “enough” bass and to much spice in the upper registers. In fact, their bass response is just fine and the treble extension may be a matter of taste.

What was also unusual is their oval nozzles for which I had issues finding third-party tips suiting my ears. On the other hand, the included IKKO foams work well in that they provide a good seal and help with the bass.

IKKO responded to the criticism of the OH1S with the new IKKO OH2. They are a tad larger than the OH1S and have the same accessories – at a much lower price. The biggest difference is in the tuning: while the bass shelf was kept the same, upper OH2’s midrange was somewhat reduced, and much of that treble extension was shaved off. The result is a more generally appealing sound.

Specifications IKKO OH2

Images

Get these earphones from IKKO Audio.

The post PhotoGraphed: IKKO OH2 vs. IKKO OH1S appeared first on Music For The Masses.

Cons — Outdated Bluetooth 4.1; short battery life; no onboard storage for key files, no (more) radio; no case.

Executive Summary

The Hidizs AP80 Pro-X is a versatile and enjoyable dap with a proven SoC sound that probably offers excellent value at its $180 price tag.

Introduction

Hidizs is an up and coming company out of China that recently scored hits with their S9, S3 Pro and particularly their S9 Pro dongle DAC/amps. The latter is one of the most popular dongles in the overcrowded $100-150 class. My review made it into the upper third of our Top 20 most read reviews of 2021. Hidizs also focus on portable music players, bluetooth receivers, and earphones, such as the MS1 Rainbow. The AP80 Pro-X is their latest DAP.

Specifications

The ouput impedance is < 1 ohm…

Differences between Hidizs AP80 Pro and Pro-X

Compared with AP80 PRO using the final unfold (4X) of an MQA file, AP80 PRO X will use MQA technology for the final unfold (8X) of an MQA file.

The AP80 Pro-X is the update of the AP80 Pro. The main tech difference between the two is the chipset. The AP80 deploys two ESS ES9218P SoCs (introduced in late 2016; “System on Chip”), and the AP80 Pro-X features two ESS ES9219C SoCs (introduced in late 2019).

Both all-in-one DAC/amp chips have effectively the same specs, but the ES2919C features hardware-level MQA decoding and it has a lower battery consumption at standby/no load.

This results in essentially the same performance specifications between AP80 Pro and AP80 Pro-X with channel separation as apparent exemption. Hidizs lists a much improved channel separation for the AP80 Pro-X model. Upon further inspection, the AP80 Pro-X’s better value stems from a measurement at no load, whereas the AP80 Pro’s number was generated under load.

And since channel separation decreases with load, these two numbers cannot be compared. But even the AP80 Pro’s “worse number” is still very good. I speculate both models’ channel separation are identical.

Functional difference is a lack of radio and protective case, and a different shape in the AP80 Pro-X (the AP80 Pro’s case does not fit).

Not changed between models have operating system, buttons/potentiometer, and Samsung touchscreen.

In summary, although I have not auditioned the AP80 Pro, I do not expect any (significant) sonic differences between the two. In fact, there should not be any major difference between any model using these SoCs, as the engineer cannot manipulate the software (in contrast to a dedicated DAC chip). In other words, the sound is entirely made by ESS and not by Hidizs or whoever put their name on the dap.

Design, Build quality

Physical Things and Usability

IN THE BOX…

• Type-C cable
• Type-C to Type-C OTG cable
• User manual
• 2 Screen protectors
• Warranty card

The design is an aluminum chassis sandwiched between two sheets of glass. Not sure whether I did it right, but I used one of the screen protectors in the front, and the other in the back :). The square shape is a bit odd to get used to, and the small size is traded for battery size.

The Samsung screen is responsive and of good resolution. The buttons are precise and the Japanese ALPS potentiometer is suspended. The overall build is very good. The AP80 Pro-X does not come with a protective shell, and there is currently no after-market one available.

Functionality and Operation

What it does

• plays music through single-ended and balanced headphone circuits
• works as wired DAC with computer and cellphones
• features bi-directional Bluetooth 4.1
• offers unique sound adjustments through “MSEB”
• accepts micro SD card up to 512 mB
• updates its music library blistering fast
• lets you read ebooks
• counts your footsteps (pedometer)

What it does not

• play single-ended and balanced circuits simultaneously
• does not feature the latest Bluetooth standard
• have radio function anymore (lost with chip upgrade from AP80 Pro model)
• has no accessible onboard storage for key files
• have the greatest battery life between charges
• no case available (at the time of writing)

Handling, Software, operating system/user interface, sound settings, connection options and modes, internals, pairing/Bluetooth, updating the library…fast or slow…

Hidizs AP80 Pro-X Quickguide

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HiBy 3.0 OS

HiBy is a company that produces their own daps, but they started out as software designers. Their OS 3.0 is therefore a mature product that I learnt intuitively and quickly by trial and error. No manual needed.

Compared to other OS, the HIBy has a few special features, such as pedometer and ebook reader. Two-directional Bluetooth may be more common. It can also be used as DAC with your computer or phone/tablet.

Unique to HiBy OS is the MSEB, which stands for “Mage Sound 8-ball”. It is a parametric, very intuitive EQ. The OS also includes a standard EQ. Other remarkable features of the HiBy OS are low/high gain selection, crossfade, and antialiasing in the play settings.

Amplification and Battery Consumption

Hidizs states 6-8 hrs playtime balanced and 8-11 h single ended, with a 40-day standby. That’s not great considering the iPod Classic’s 36 h playtime and is a function of the AP80 Pro-X’s small form factor (which does not leave space for a larger battery). But you are compensated with a fast 1h recharging.

Most of my power-hungry headphones are single-ended and the AP80 Pro-X had plenty of juice left with the 150 ohm Sennheiser HD 25. The single-ended output also handles the demanding planar-magnetic KBEAR TRI3 Pro with ease so that the more powerful balanced circuit probably plays any iem you throw at it.

DAC Use with Computer

Using the AP80 Pro-X as a “dongle DAC” with my MacBook Air worked very well, too. Particularly, the balanced circuit provides lots of power. When connected, the AP80 Pro-X’s battery is charging during use. Sound quality wise, it corresponds to a $120-150 dongle such as the Hidizs S9 Pro (I actually prefer the AP80 Pro-X’s sound). I was pleasantly surprised overall.

As dac compared to Cobalt: Cobalt sounds more natural with more depth/more 3D….and bassier WITH BETTER SEPARATION…and dynamics…HIDIZS SOUNDS FLATTER, less separation…much less depth…much less 3D..not even with bigger headroom…but AP80 is more powerful…

Sound

Equipment used: Sennheiser HD 25, KBEAR TRI3 Pro, Final E3000, IKKO OH10.

The AP80 Pro-X has its sound dictated by its prefabricated SoC. It will sound very similar to other devices using the same all-in-one chip. The presentation is neutral without being analytical or edgy. Nothing is boosted, which results in great midrange clarity. Staging is wide with good depth resulting in a decent headroom even with the single-ended circuit. Dynamics is great, the image is vivid. It also has good intimacy.

The single-ended output is good, but the balanced circuit is the star providing superb clarity and headroom…and a truly impressive listening experience. The clarity is adherent to the lack of USB noise in a dap – compared to a phone full of non-audio components. I find the overall sound better than that of my iPhone SE (1st gen.) with the Hidizs S9 Pro dongle.

Amazing what you get for $180 compared to iems at this price.

Hidizs recommends headphones/earphones between 8 and 200 ohm to be used with the AP80 Pro-X. It harmonizes perfectly well with the 150 ohm Sennheiser HD 25 (single ended circuit, high gain) doing justice to the headphone’s punchiness and dynamics. Lots of headroom.

Stepping over the upper limit with the 300 ohm Sennheiser HD 600, the headphone lost is smoothness and richness and became edgy sounding, while still playing loud enough.

Hidizs AP80 Pro-X Compared

Two candidates for comparison are the $109 Shanling M0 and the $220 Sony NW-A55.

The Shanling M0 features the same SoC as the original Hidizs AP80 Pro and sounds very similar to the “single-ended” AP80 Pro-X, too (I don’t have MQA). The Pro-X has bigger staging and more intimacy. But its balanced circuit with its much bigger headroom and dynamics removed any doubt and puts the Shanling to shame.

The Sony NW-A55 only features a single-ended circuit and sounds somewhat smoother and richer in the midrange, in comparison to the more brittle AP Pro-X. And it has a far superior battery life of >>20h owing to its larger size/bigger battery. The Sony can also be customized with Mr. Walkman firmware tailor the sound to the user’s particular taste.

Concluding Remarks

The Hidizs AP80 Pro-X is a versatile and competent dap with proven technology that provides me with lots of pleasure. Particularly its balanced circuit is impressive. As a DAC, it probably beats most budget dongles imo – including the Hidizs S9 Pro. The AP 80 Pro-X sits well in its price category – you probably cannot do better below $200 – which is a sweet spot for many.

Until next time…keep on listening!

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Disclaimer

The Hidizs AP80 Pro-X was provided unsolicited by Hidizs. You can buy it here: Hidizs.net. This is not an affiliate link.

Coupon Codes
AUDIOREVIEWS5 5% off for AP80/AP80 Pro//AP80 Pro-X/(DH80s/80)/MS2/MS4/S9 Pro/MS1/H2 and bundles
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Our generic standard disclaimer.

You find an INDEX of our most relevant technical articles HERE.

Gallery

The post Hidizs AP80 Pro-X Review (1) – Back In the ESS R appeared first on Music For The Masses.

At-a-glance Card

Full Device Card

Test setup

Sources: Apogee Groove / Sony NW-A55 mrWalkman / Questyle QP1R / Ifi HipDac – foam tips – Stock cable cable – lossless 16-24/44.1-192 FLAC tracks.

Signature analysis

Technicalities

Physicals

Specifications (declared)

Selected comparisons

Vs Tin P1 ($169,00)

P1’s uber-neutral tonality sounds obviously sterile compared to Timeless, which at first impact come accross more engaging and vivid, especially due to the ostensibly more elevated bass line. That said, P1 are significantly better in terms of resolving power, midbass texturing (quite terrible on Timeless), instrument separation and organic timbre.

Both are quite underwhelming in regards to stage drawing, with Timeless a bit better in terms of width, and P1 easily better in terms of depth (easy win there). Both are tip-capricious, P1 more of the two. P1 require higher amping power.

Vs Ikko OH10 ($199,00)

This comparison seems particularly meaningful to me due to very close pricing, and very similar presentation tuning on the two products, based on totally different technologies: single planar for Timeless vs hybrid DD+BA for OH10.

OH10’s sub bass is more extended, more elevated, while still very clean. OH10’s midbass is waaaay better in terms of resolution and texturing, so much so as to not sound offensive let alone invasive in spite of its even higher elevation. OH10’s mids are more recessed – V shape for OH10, U shape for Timeless – yet male vocals in particular sound roughly on par vis-a-vis Timeless’ (relatively) leaner note body there.

OH10’s high-mids and presence trebles are fuller, sparklier, more organic and most of all way more refined than those coming out of the Timeless. Unlike Timeless’, OH10’s timbre never scants into artificial. In spite of their hybrid driver structure OH10 do not loose points in terms of horizontal coherence vs Timeless – if something it’s actually the other way around, due to Timeless midbass’ lack of refinement facing their often shouty, somewhat artificial timbred trebles.

OH10 are no soundstage size monsters, yet they still draw a bit bigger space than Timeless, definitely deeper, while they excel hands down in terms of imaging and most of all instrument separation. Neither IEM require huge amping power.

Considerations & conclusions

I remember when I was a young IT enthusiast playing with my Apple II, back in the 80ies. I was so in love with technology that I just “assumed” that pretty much everything was going to be automatically “better” for the very sole reason of being processed in such innovative ways.

Sadly – or not even sadly, actually – of course my assumption was wrong. There were very selected tasks for which my Apple II was unbelievably brilliant, while quite a few if not most of the other things I insisted on doing with it would arguably have been much better, easier, and faster done “the traditional way”. Woe to those who dared pointing this out to me though! I would promptly call them ignorant, obscurantists, or both. The more so if they had my mother’s face, of course

Technology is still enthrilling 40-something years later, more and more so indeed, and legions of people (not necessarily youngsters …) fall into the same pithole everyday that I was in back then. There’s a new piece of technology. There’s a couple of really brilliant products / application based on that. Ergo: all products based on such technology will be superior. No, it’s indeed a non sequitur.

I’ve yet to hear a really outstanding planar magnetic IEM below $500 which is worth its money. To clarify, by “worth its money” I mean “producing sensibly better results than similar priced products based on alternative technologies”.

7Hz Timeless IEMs are no exception.

Sure they deliver a vivid and engaging presentation, departing from other too algid same-tech competitors.

Yet, simply put they are technically lacking when compared with similarly priced non-planar alternatives: mid bass lacks texture, timbre has a slight but annoying artificial tint, and trebles are too often shouty and fatiguing. Good intent, lacking realization. Maybe we should long for a future iteration ?

In the meanwhile, it all comes down to the purpose of the game as always. Die-hard technology enthusiasts should give Timeless a spin, no doubt: depending on their tastes, their musical preferences, and their gear they will probably find it better, or even much better than other “inexpensive” planar alternatives. Music lovers looking for they highest quality IEMs in the $200-ish region, instead, should keep referring to our Wall of Excellence.

Our generic standard disclaimer.

The post 7Hz Timeless Review (1) – Nice Try But… appeared first on Music For The Masses.

Gear of the Year: 2021 marks the blog’s third year and the second with 8 contributors. We collectively published almost 200 articles, mainly product reviews, but also technical information. Apart from receiving review units from manufacturers and sellers, we also purchased a lot…and we borrowed from audiophile friends and colleagues.

We are a heterogeneous bunch not pressed into templates by commercialism. Each of us enjoys maximum freedom. None of us gets paid. And it is this variety that makes this blog interesting. Two of us, Baskingshark and Kazi, have been drafted to also write for Headphonesty, which gives them more exposure and also access to very interesting gear.

Our main focus has traditionally been on earphones – we have reviewed almost 300 – but particularly DACs and amps also caught our attention this year.

As at the end of the previous years, we list our our personal favourites of 2021 – the portable audio we personally enjoyed most. There are no rules, we just tell you what we like. After all, the gear we use most is our best. And we attached some of this gear to our newly created Wall of Excellence, which averages all our opinions.

Enjoy this read and we wish you a happy and successful 2023!

We thank

Most of our reviews would have not been possible without our 2021 cooperating partners. We thank:

ADV, Allo, Apos Audio, Astell & Kern, AudioQuest, Azla, Blon, BQEYZ, Burson Audio, Campfire Audio, Cayin, CCA, Dekoni, Dunu, ddHiFi, EarMen, Easy Earphones, Fiil, Helm Audio, Hidizs, HifiGo, ifi Audio, IKKO Audio, KBEAR/TRI Audio, Keephifi, Khadas, Knowledge Zenith, Meze, Moondrop, Musicteck, NiceHCK, OneOdio, Penon Official Store, Pergear, Sennheiser, Shanling, Shenzhenaudio, Smabat, Snake Oil Sound, SpinFit, Tempotec, Tin Hifi, TRN Official Store, Unique Melody, Venture Electronics, Whizzer Official Store, Yaotiger Hifi Audio Store. Don’tkillusifweforgotyoujustsendusanotandwefixit. 

For the companies: you can check for your products/yourself in the search field on the right-hand side.

We also thank the private sources that supplied us with loaners.

And here we go…that’s what we enjoyed in 2021…

Alberto Pittaluga…Bologna, ITALY

I’ve come accross quite a few interesting pieces of gear in 2021, mixed / hidden amongst piles of shameful crap. Nothing new, is it ? I’ll try to make a succint list of the most significant stuff I auditioned here. Most of these devices are also now part of my operative audio gear.

IEMS

Dunu ZEN (discountinued, was $ 699,00) : beyond spectacular microdynamics, resolution, layering and technicalities in general. A masterpiece.

iBasso IT07 ($899) : the sole real “direct upgrade” to Ikko OH10 I encountered as of yet. Same presentation, twice the refinement, at more than four times the price.

Oriolus Isabellae ($ 599) : somewhat “more V-shaped” alternative to Zen, delivering very similar technical prowess.

Ikko OH1S ($143) : a potential new join into the our World of Excellence roster as a sub-200$ allrounder

Headphones

Final Sonorous-II  (€ 300) : arguably by far the best neutral-tuned closebacks in their price category, staging and imaging easily compete with many lower tier openback alternatives.

Sennheiser HD600 (€ 310) : not a novelty for anybody but me, I’m sure. Quite simply: I got my first HD600 pair in 2021 and that’s why I’m listing it here. I presume no one needs a description. Do you?

Earbuds

Rose Mojito ($259) : superbly neutral-tuned high end earbuds with strong bilateral extention, beyond spectacular mids and vivid, refined highs in a fully holographic stage, with plenty of resolution and dynamics.

K’s Earphone Bell-LBS (€ 59,25) : mid centric buds delivering superbly organic vocals – both male and female – and very good trebles

K’s Earphone K300 (€ 28,59) : unreal sub-bass extension for an earbud, they deliver a very nice V shaped presentation while drawing an incredibly sizeable 3D stage. Presentation remembers a bit Ikko OH10, but in earbud form.

DAC/AMPs

Ifi Micro iDSD Signature (€ 749) : top sub-$1K mobile dac-amp. Very high quality DAC reconstruction paired with superbly transparent amping stage with power to spare for the most demanding planars and power deflation options to optimise low impedance IEM biasing. Truly a full step ahead of the competitors’ pack.

DAPs

Cowon Plenue 2 MK-I (€ 835) : hopped on this recently when I found a impossible to turndown openbox deal. Starting from my direct experience proving that there’s pretty much no game between proprietary-OS DAPs vs commercial-OS (read Android) DAPs, the former being in by far better position to achieve superior output sound quality, Plenue 2 represents a great companion to my QP1R offering a different / alternative optimal pairing opportunity for a few of my preferred IEM drivers.

DAC/AMP Dongles

This year’s experience proved to me that exclusively higher-tier (and price) dongles are able to deliver sound qualities worth the comparison with battery-equipped alternatives. Simply put: pretty much nothing until an Apogee Groove ($200) is really worth the price difference compared to the super-cheap Apple Dongle ($9), and even on the Groove some caveats apply (power needs, amp stage competibility).  That said, I really had pick one device “in the midfield” I’d pick the :

Questyle M12 ($139,99): while still not worth an inclusion on our Wall of Excellence, yet M12 runs circles around pretty much all similar or lower priced competitors I assessed in terms of extension, note weight, clarity and technicalities.

Biodegraded…Vancouver, CANADA

Doesn’t have anything to report this year.

Durwood…Chicago, USA

Shozy Form 1.4 has still been my go to earphone due to it’s warm inviting nature, great technical abilities and it feels great in my ears.

7Hz Timeless is another good buy late in the year for me, it’s a little more sub-bass plus analytical counterpart to the Shozy that has nudged the BQEYZ Spring 2 out of the way. A more detailed review is coming.

I rediscovered the Senfer UES for a quick throw around set, was hoping the Senfer DT9 was a slight improvement, but alas the Senfer UES sticks around instead. Sony MH755 is also perfect for quick on the go usage where I don’t need the universal fit in-ears.

Tempotec impressed me enough to consider the Sonata E35 for when good phone DAP’s are finally dead. Other than that, dongles are not my thing, and I have issues with some of Sony’s GUI decisions on the NW-A55 mainly related to playlist creation and long text support.

Lastly, the Questyle CMA Twelve would be an awesome DAC/amp combo to have, but my needs are more mobile. Perhaps when life slows down, but there are other bucket list items such as the Burson Playmate 2, RebelAmp, the Ruebert Neve RNHP, or RME ADI-2 that look interesting as well. Maybe someone will loan me one in 2022?

Jürgen Kraus…Calgary, CANADA

Earphones have traditionally been our main trade and there’s not many that stuck with me this year. First and foremost, I was impressed by the immersive and engaging sound of the single DD Dunu Zen that further excel in microdynamics. They are still very popular within our team.

Moondrop finally got it right with their tuning in the smooth and very pleasant sounding Moondrop KATO single dynamic driver. This model is generally well received. The JVC HA-FDX1 are still my standard iems for equipment testing, and an honourable mention goes to the Unique Melody 3DT for the clean implementation of 3 (!) dynamic drivers.

Another iem that fascinated me is the Japanese Final E5000. On the market since 2018, and very source demanding, this iem can produce a bass texture beyond belief. I have become a bit of a Final fanboy, as their products are unpretentious and natural sounding…and they fit my ears very well. I also purchased the Final E1000, E3000, and A3000…which get a lot of usage. No surprise that our Wall of Excellence is decorated like a Christmas tree by quite a few of these Japanese earphones and headphones.

Expanding my horizon into other devices, the Sony NW-A55 is a user-friendly digital audio player with great sonic characteristics and signature-altering 3rd party firmware options. But, most of all, it updates its music library within a minute or two. For the ultimate portable enjoyment, I discovered the Questyle QP1R dap...sounds simply amazing with the Final E5000. Found the dap on Canuck Audio Mart.

Dongles, battery-less headphone DAC/amps that turn any cheap phone into a decent music player, were big in 2021. Around since 2016, the market caught on to these devices. But out of the mass of dongles tested, the 2019 AudioQuest DragonFly Cobalt was the most musical to my ears. I also like the AudioQuest DragonFly Red and the EarMen Eagle (replacing the EarMen Sparrow which I sent to Biodegraded). For earphone testing (and bigger cans), I still use the excellent Earstudio HUD100.

For my full-sized headphone needs with my notebook, I discovered the powerful Apogee Groove, a current-hungry dongle DAC/amp that has been around since 2015. I am even portable around the house. As to headphones themselves, I am still happy with the Sennheiser HD 600 and HD 25, but also with the Koss Porta Pro.

For my desktop setup, I identified the EarMen Tradutto as being a fantastic DAC in combination with the Burson Funk amp. Currently testing the Tradutto with my big stereo system.

In summary, I learnt a lot in 2021…

My Take Home this Year

• The latest is barely the greatest…many old brooms get better into the corners
• Influencers are not always right (…to say it nicely)
• Measurements are overrated
• Timbre (degree of naturalness of sound) is underrated
• Source is super important and also underrated
• Group pressure through hype may become a sobering experience
• That groomed YouTube stuff is boring

Kazi Mahbub Mutakabbir…Munich, GERMANY

This year was very educational for me when it came to audiophilia. I got the chance to try out truly summit-fi setups and realized how good a system can sound. This also resulted in a sense of yearning where you keep comparing the gears you own with the ones you cannot own, at least not yet. Nonetheless, without further ado.

Headphones: The one headphone that has stuck with me throughout the year is the Hifiman Susvara. They won’t flatter anyone with the build quality but when paired with the right amp they sound astonishing. One of the most natural sounding headphones out there with exceptional timbre. A must listen.

Honorable mention goes to the Final D8000. Supreme bass that’s pretty much unmatched. On the budget side, I really liked the Final Sonorous-III. They are underrated and under-appreciated.

IEMs: When it comes to in-ear monitors, I have a hard time picking any single one of them as all of them fall short in one area or another. Nonetheless, the one IEM I’ve used the most throughout the year is the Dunu Zen. There is something truly addicting about their sound that makes me come back to them time and again.

However, the Zen is not the best IEM that I have heard throughout the year. That would probably be the Sony IER-Z1R or the 64Audio U12t. In the relatively budget realm, the 7Hz Timeless took me by surprise with their planar speed and excellent bass slam.

Source: Instead of going with separate sections for amps, DACs and such, I will just consolidate them into one.

Best desktop amp I’ve tried: Accuphase E380. One of those rare speaker amps that sound great with headphones.

Best portable amp I’ve tried: Cayin C9. It is the only review loaner in the past year that I have wanted to buy with my own money. I probably will, soon, budget permitting.

Best DAP: Lotoo PAW 6000, even though it can’t power difficult loads.

Best dongle: L&P W2. The only dongle that I found to be good enough to replace some DAPs.

Best DAC: Holo May L2. The price is extremely high but so is the sound quality. Exceptionally natural and neutral tuning. Another must listen.

And that’s a wrap. Have a great Christmas, and see you on the other side!

KopiOkaya…SINGAPORE

Too many lists…I focus on eartips…

Best EARTIPS of 2021

Most versatile eartips: SpinFit CP-100+
Best budget eartips: Audiosense S400
Best eartips for bass: FAudio “Instrument” Premium Silicone Earphone Tips
Best eartips for vocal: Azla SednaEarFit Crystal (Standard)
Best eartips for treble: BGVP S01
Best eartips for soundstage: Whizzer Easytips SS20
Most comfortable eartips: EarrBond New Hybrid Design

Loomis Johnson…Chicago, USA

Gear of the Year (and other Favorite Things)

SMSL SU-9 DAC/Preamp—one of those pieces that makes you seriously question why anyone would spend more. A seriously good DAC which is even better as digital preamp.

Hidisz S3 Pro DAC/Dongle—lacks the juice to power challenging loads, but has an uncanny knack for enlivening and improving more efficient phones. Very refined, with impeccable bass control.

Cambridge Melomania TWS—ancient by TWS standards, and its rivals have more features and tech, but this may still be the best-sounding TWS you can buy.

Shozy Rouge IEM—like a really hot girl you get smitten by the beauty before you even delve into the substance. Properly driven, however, these sound just as good as they look, with estimable staging and clarity.

The Beatles, “Get Back” Documentary—as probably the only person on earth who hasn’t seen Lord of the Rings I was gobsmacked by how brilliant this film looked and sounded. The real surprise for me, however, was how natural  a musician John was—unburdened by technique, but soulful and  exploratory.  Poor George invokes your pity—a good writer forced to compete with two great ones– while Ringo wins the award for Best Attitude.

Bob Dylan, “Desolation Row”—I always found the lyrics impenetrable and a bit sophomoric, but the Spanish-influenced lead guitar part is incredible, with scarcely a phrase repeated throughout the full 11 minutes. I’d always assumed it was Mike Bloomfield, but it’s actually the harmonica virtuoso Charlie McCoy, who also plays the trumpet part of “Rainy Day Women”.

Reds, Pinks and Purples, “Uncommon Weather” In hope of finding something genuinely fresh I dutifully listened to the most-touted 2021 releases before fixating on this one, which (predictably) sounds exactly like 80s Flying Nun and Sarah bands.

And This Was The Previous Year:

The post Gear Of The Year 2021 – Our Personal Favourites appeared first on Music For The Masses.

21-11-21 Jürgen

Our Facebook Group https://www.facebook.com/groups/audioreviews finally cleared 9,800 members. It was established on 1 Jan 2020 and its growth has been stalling lately. Will we have 10,000 members by Christmas?

21-11-19 Jürgen

More drama ahead? I published me take on the $5 VE Monk Pro earbud. They finally got the impedance down from 64 ohm to 32 ohm to present a truly “portable” earbud. I think my writeup is reasonably entertaining.

21-11-19 Jürgen

We have been playing with Google Adsense in order to try out whether Google prefers their clients in their listings. We put the settings on “autopilot”…after 203 days, this angry guys showed up. Sign of things to come? We’ll monitor this.

21-11-17 Jürgen

This “drama” over this Facebook post generated quite some outrage. What some people did not understand was that I don’t see a relationship between the hype and the quality of this iem. If you read between the lines, you’ll see my subtle criticism of peer pressure and compulsive buying triggered by pied pipers. 8000 views: goal achieved :).

21-11-17 Jürgen

Durwood posts his review of the $1500 Questyle CMA Twelve DAC/amp combo…endgame for many.

21-11-15 Jürgen

Loomis publishes his Sennheiser CX 400BT review.

21-11-13 Jürgen

Baskingshark’s IKKO Zerda ITM1 review now published. I see some KZ reviews being presently worked on. In the immediate line-up are a Sennheiser TWS and a premium Questyle amp.

21-11-13 Kazi

Received the Fearless Barcelona recently for review. It is the cheapest Fearless IEM till now and the design belies the price tag. I love how they’ve designed the face-plate here.

Sadly, they sound horrible. Not recommended at all. Too much bass, highly recessed mids, zero treble extension. Get something else this holiday.

21-11-12 Alberto

Yesterday I received my new/old Cowon Plenue 2 and of course the very first impression is imprinted over my experience with QP1R. At first listen the P2 on its balanced output is quite nice, nicely extended and with a very good note weight. While less clean / revealing / detailed compared to the QP1R (whose single ended output is a quite good proof of why balanced is more a marketing name for decent quality output than anything else) on the other hand it offers a huge host of sound finetuning options, commencing from selectable reconstruction filters, to a very good “tweakable” graphical EQ module (not a true PEQ but close) and some further DSPs. Connectivity options are null / nil / zero – like QP1R. There’s not even BT – and that’s perfectly fine

21-11-12 Jürgen

Singles day is over…as the name implies, I didn’t buy a single thing. Our blog stats are surprising: 70% of our traffic stems from Google searches, and only 15% from Facebook. It is therefore not worth posting across FB groups…which is uncool anyway.

21-11-11 Jürgen

Today is 11/11 Asian Singles day. Not many exciting deals as far as I can see…but our blog experiences lots of views. In the meantime we published reviews of the FIIL CC2 and Oneodio Pro C reviews.

21-11-07 Jürgen

Burson Funk review out now. A fantastic headphone amp it is.

21-11-04 Jürgen

Working on the Burson Funk amp to hit the weekend deadline. Fantastic, powerful amp that works for headphones and speakers alike.

21-11-03 Jürgen

Published the Tin Hifi T2 EVO review. Kazi and I ordered a Final A3000 as found on our Wall of Excellence.

21-11-02 Jürgen

Re-dressed the blog’s right sidebar and added useful information. Meet your 8 authors, Wall of Excellence etc. Just look to the right.

21-11-01 Jürgen

Alberto’s iBasso IT04 review published. 283 iem reviews altogether now. Solved a caching problem, which affected our Google indexing. Thanks to the support of rankmath.com SEO plugin.

21-10-31 Jürgen

Finally got the Shanling UA1 review published. It is currently in Biodegraded’s hands for a 2nd review. Will have to finish the NiceHCK T2 EVO next week, and work on the Astell & Kern PEE51 dongle.

21-10-30 Alberto

Got my Hip Dac 2 review loaner unit in yesterday. First thing I noticed it came equipped with firmware 7.3 installed. The odd part is that on IFI’s website the 7.3 firmware is not listed under Hip Dac 2’s eligible downloads. Which means I could not recupe any “release info” about what’s different in 7.3 vs 7.2

While I was there, I also checked under Micro iDSD Signature’s section, and apparently firmware version 7.x has been removed from there too. Odd, at least. I put a question into IFI to get more info.

21-10-29 Jürgen

Published my Venture Electronics BIE Pro review on the blog. Submitted link to VE Clan Facebook group, where it got stuck in censorship, but was eventually posted after approval. That was only intermittent, I think I was tacitly expelled from that group after mentioning censorship. Be prepared that VE Clan Facebook group is manipulative as it presents cherry-picked information.

On another note, Loomis Johnson submitted his review of the Sennheiser CX-400BT True Wireless Earphones for publication.

21-10-28 Kazi

Received KZ ZEX. Their naming convention is making me go bad. Graphed it and labeled the graph wrong because these names all sound similar (ZAX/ZEX/ZSX). Either way, not too impressed with the sound. Kinda peaky in the mid-treble. Graphs show that as well.

21-10-27 Jürgen

Behind with some reviews, e.g. Unique Melody 3DT and Tin Hifi T2 Evo.

21-10-26 Jürgen

Blog received a few more tweaks, including a new site map.

21-10-25 Jürgen’s 10 Day Roundup

In the last 2 weeks, we published reviews of 2 totally underrated Final Audio headphones (Sonorous II+III) including some update earpads.

We identified some good TWS iems for the office in the Elevoc Clear.

We further think the Moondrop Kato is a winner (but need a second set for our European crew).

And we had a couple of second opinions of the GeekWold GK10, Tforce Yuan Li, SeeAudio Bravery, and Tanchjim Tanya.

We currently offer 281 earphone reviews.

21-10-25 Kazi

Received the iFi Hip DAC2 today, and the copper colorway will surely steal some glances. The sound isn’t changed much from the original Hip DAC (if at all) but it didn’t need to since the OG was one of the best DAC/Amps out there under $200. Full review in the works.

21-10-25 Jürgen

Worked on search engine optimization “SEO” all weekend after some trouble with Google. Also subscribed to webmaster tools of Bing and Yandex search engines. You can analyze the SEO of your own site here: https://rankmath.com/tools/seo-analyzer/

21-10-24 Kazi

Slow weekend, nice weather. Went out mostly to enjoy the fall colors. Also did some random photoshoot for the upcoming reviews. Also received the VE Monk SM recently. Not a fan. Shrill, sharp sound and technicalities are middling even for the $20 price bracket. At least it looks and feels nice in hand.

In other news, A&K released the SR25 mk. 2. Not a fan of the design at all. The tilted makes no usability sense. Also it’s basically the original SR25 with just a 4.4mm jack added. Meh.

21-10-23 Jürgen

Our blog has currently problems with Google indexing. I re-created the sitemaps. It would help if you linked to it from your site. Thanks.

21-10-23 Jürgen

The ongoing power crisis in China has led to increased operating costs as well as to price hikes of raw materials. Expect delays and price increases for your Christmas shopping.

Have not heard of 11/11 deals this year…strange.

21-10-22 Jürgen

Coming next on the blog (tonight my time) is Baskingshark’s review of the SeeAudio Bravery. We have a few more ready ones such as a tech article on “System on Chip” (SoC), that is dac and amp on the same chip. Another tech post will be an elaboration on the 1/8 rule on the example of the Apogee Groove.

Alberto will be offering reviews of the iBasso IT04, the Kinera Leyding earphone cable, and the Tanchjim Tanya in the very near future. These are ready. He is still working on a couple of Fearless models among others.

Also almost ready to go are reviews of the Shanling UA1 dongle, the VE Bonus Pro iem, and the VE Monk Go.

21-10-21 Biodegraded

Behind in evaluating various dongles sent by Jürgen for second opinions: Helm Bolt, Shanling UA 1, Earmen Sparrow, Tempotec Sonata BHD. So far, I’m surprised by the contrast between the Bolt and UA 1 (both use the same ESS DAC/Amp chip but yes, they sound a lot different) and by the bal vs SE contrast from the Sparrow. Comparisons will be made to the Audioquest DragonFly Black and ifi nano iDSD Black Label.

I’m also considering a winter project building this Pass Labs class A solid-state headphone amp to complement my tube hybrid and little USB- or battery-powered desktop/portable things. Much swearing will no doubt ensue. Right now though, have to clean the scratchies from the volume pot of an integrated amp that needs to be moved on.

2021-10-21 Kazi

Have had quite a hectic October, so couldn’t manage to publish anything. However, look forward to the “Review Extravaganza” over the coming two weeks or so. At least four articles are in the works and shall be published withing quick succession including:

• FIIL CC2 (a pretty good TWS)
• Moondrop Quarks
• Campfire Audio Holocene
• Campfire Audio Honeydew
• Final A4000
• Shanling Q1
• Cayin Fantasy

And just to close out, one of the photos I shot today (I think it came out pretty good). See you on the other side.

2021-10-21 Jürgen

Sitting currently on review units of Burson Funk amp and two Allo power supplies that may take some time. Almost ready is a review of the Unique Melody 3DT iem whereas the IKKO OH10 still needs some work. Overdue are reviews of several VE Electronics items as well as some ddHiFi accessories.

That famous Hidizs S9 Pro Copper edition dongle (limited to 500 copies) has been on its way from Calgary to Bologna for a good week now. Let’s see how fast Air Mail is.

Currently looking for a second Moondrop Kato review unit for our European chapter. After all, a single opinion is not sufficient for an item to qualify for our Wall of Excellence.

2021-10-21 Jürgen

This page was established to report our progress (but also some observations and opinions) within audioreviews.org. All our authors with WordPress accounts have access.

2021-10-20 Jürgen

Android Brick alas audioreviews.news is using our good name to attract traffic to his fake reviews. This may be legally correct but it is not ethical. He was shamed and left our Facebook group.

Beware of imitations!

This is https://www.audioreviews.org/news/

No marketing!

No sugarcoating!

Just genuine analyses!

The post Our News appeared first on Music For The Masses.