Whizzer Kylin HE01 Review (1) – The Whizzard
Pros — Great midrange and technicalities; fluid, cohesive tonality; easy to drive; great ergonomics; complete accessories.
Cons — Bass could be more textured; optics not for everybody.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The Whizzer Kylin HE01 is a well designed, well accessorized, warm and fluid sounding single DD earphone with a fast driver that provides hard beats, and excellent midrange and treble articulation and definition. I treasure the Whizzer Kylin HE01’s fluid, cohesive presentation. A personal favourite.
INTRODUCTION
As a reviewer, you are are often frustrated when a whole batch of iems supplied for review are uninspiring. Then, there are these models which “are good for their price”, which still may not give one much inspiration in the long run, considering you have better iems in your collection or memory. But there is the rare iem that is appealing and enjoyable independent of price. The Shozy Form 1.4 was one of these rare examples for me, and the Whizzer Kylin HE01 is another one. Yes, the Whizzer Kylin is that …good. I used them in all combinations, be it just with a phone up to the Earmen Tr-amp.
SPECIFICATIONS
Drivers: high magnetic circuit metal composite moving coil
Impedance: 18 Ω
Sensitivity: 112 dB/mW…easy to drive
Frequency Range: 15 – 40,000 Hz
Cable/Connector: 5N OFC oxygen-free copper
Tested at: $80
Company Page: http://www.whizzer-tec.com
Product Page/Purchase Link: Whizzer Official Store
PHYSICAL THINGS AND USABILITY
The Whizzer Kylin HE01 is generously accessorized. The earpieces come in a padded metal box, two sets of silicone eartips (“reference” and “vocals”) are included as well as a cleaning tool and the “literature”. The 5N OFC oxygen-free copper cable is tightly braided, has metal connectors and a chin slider, and exhibits zero microphonic. High quality.
The earpieces are made of of metal and resin and appear sturdy. They are ergonomically very good with LONG nozzles that go deep enough into my teutonic ear canals. Fit and comfort are very good for me, isolation is ok, too, depending on eartips used.
The appearance is marketed as retro look…but I am not sure what era. My not-so-young wife (don’t tell her…) associates it with “little old ladies”. But, the shells are refreshingly different from the repetitive (and often oversized) standard designs – one has to fall in love with them for that reason alone – and I somewhat did (again, please don’t tell her…).
Yes, the Whizzer Kylin HE01 works fine out of the box. Bonus!
And it can be driven easily even by the weakest source.
TONALITY AND TECHNICALITIES
Follow these links for some background information:
My tonal preference and testing practice
Equipment used: iPhone SE (1st generation) with and without Earmen Sparrow/Audioquest Dragonfly Black; MacBook Air with EarMen Sparrow or EarMen TR-amp; stock cable, both sets of stock eartips.
To give you the “helicopter view” up front: the Whizzer Kylin HE01 is a warm and (mostly) clean sounding single (and nimble) dynamic-driver iem with a natural timbre. Its strong points are the midrange, upper treble, and technicalities.
That slightly elevated bass is very well extended but could be more layered and articulate. It is not wooly or thumpy, and it provides a good kick, but it also may be perceived as borderline boomy. You have heard this type of bass over and over before. I am sure, tip rolling may modify the low end, however I was testing with the stock tips. Nevertheless, while the bass i technically not the greatest, its slight boost can be fun and it provides a solid base for the midrange.
But where things become interesting is from the lower midrange up: vocals are very articulate for a DD, they are only marginally recessed with medium note weight, and are well sculptured with a good note definition. This results in good midrange clarity and transparency – and really good detail resolution and separation. The bass does not affect the midrange. Also, that pinna gain of 12 dB at 3 kHz is reasonable and provides the right energy to voices. No shoutiness. The midrange is not neutral as in Moondrop or Tin Hifi iems but a tinge warm, which makes it particularly appealing to me.
The drop-off starts in the upper midrange and continues through the lower treble, which explains the lack of shoutiness but it also removes a bit of sheen from the midrange/vocals and subdues high sustainers such as cymbals and string instruments. Treble resolution is also very good. The highest notes are hit with accuracy and minimal smearing.
That midrange clarity plays into a very wide soundstage with average depth. But the music really plays outside your head. As said before, technicalities are very good, delivering just the right punch/dynamics. I appreciate the fluidity of the sonic presentation. Needless to say that speech intelligibility is excellent, too.
As to the included “reference” and “vocals” silicone tips. Although the main difference, according to the graphs, lies in the upper midrange, my listening perception focuses on the low end: the reference tips increase the bass. This is not surprising as the human ear hears the frequency spectrum in its full context….and it had been demonstrated well with the three filters of the JVC HA-FDX1.
WHIZZER KYLIN HE01 COMPARED
Let me be subjective for once. I much prefer the Whizzer Kylin HE01 over the Moondrop Starfield and TinHifi T4. Both Starfield and T4 are less cohesive and fluid. In the midrange they are much thinner, sharper, and hollower than the Whizzer Kylin HE01. These two are classic cases of “earphones good for the price…” as they lack compared to more expensive iems. The Whizzer Kylin HE01 sounded enjoyable even when compared to the very good Moondrop Illumination…albeit not as good. My ears can’t read price tags and they really like the Whizzer Kylin HE01 a lot.
But let’s continue the “slaughter”. The KBEAR Diamond, in comparison, sound much thicker in the bass and thinner in the midrange…I wonder who helped tuning them :).
The Tin Hifi T2 also don’t match the liveliness of the Whizzer Kylin HE01 and can’t keep up with midrange and treble resolution.
The best of this rest is still the Blon Bl-05s, which have a somewhat glaring upper midrange but similar midrange articulation….and substandard accessories.
In summary, the Whizzer Kylin HE01 is the most cohesive, articulate, and engaging iem of the lot to me. My pick. And I would not have expected this, quite frankly. A pleasant surprise indeed. And – for once everything works just fine ootb…but I am repeating myself.
You find reviews of all of the iems mentioned above here.
CONCLUDING REMARKS
The Whizzer Kylin HE01 is an enjoyable, fluid sounding single DD earphone that strikes the balance between fun (“bass”) and audiophile (“midrange and treble”). And it is comfortable, all of which qualifies it as a daily driver. The company has implemented a few technical, ergonomic, and optical ideas that make this earphone distinct from its competition.
The biggest appeal/non-appeal and potential selling point may be the rose-gold optics. For those who like the Whizzer Kylin HE01’s appearance a lot, there is no reason to stop you from getting it – as this iem has not real weak points and holds up very well against its peers.
I have to admit (secretly), that I quite enjoy this earphone, mainly for its nice punch/dynamics and its comfort/fit. The Whizzer Kylin HE01 is a great find for me.
Until next time…keep on listening!
DISCLAIMER
The Whizzer Kylin HE01 was provided unsolicited from Whizzer and I thank them for that.
Get the Whizzer Kylin HE01 from Whizzer Official Store
Our generic standard disclaimer.
You find an INDEX of our most relevant technical articles HERE.
RAW DATA…
What is the difference between the HE-01 Rose-Gold and the HE-01 AM2, the latter considerably cheaper? And why does the linked listing make no reference (that i can see) to the name Kylin?
No idea!
AM2 is a bluetooth cable, HE01 is a two-pin, pluggable, with AM2 bluetooth cable is a hanging neck bluetooth headset
Well, Herr Keine Ahnung, i thought the least that you as reviewer could do is express something along the lines of a similar curiosity..?
I never had any dealers with Whizzer and was very skeptical when this one was offered to me.
Do you mean dealings with ? But i am genuinely confused, because the name Kylin – at Penon Audio and all Ali stores – corresponds to a more expensive set designated HE-03
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Whizzer HE01 or Hzaudio Mirror ?
Don’t know the Mirror but you cannot go wrong with the Whizzer. I give you some strange advice: get the one that looks better to you.
Do you think they are still competitive? They look like they have somehow a different sound signature from the 80$ usual suspects.
No. Superseded by the Moondrop Aria.