Great news from Hidizs for everyone who already prefers or only willing to try the might of planar-magnetic IEMs: Hidizs launches the new version of their well-respected masterpiece in this niche (which is MP145) – MP143, codename “Salt” (“in honor of famous humpback whale Salt – a whale that has a long-standing relationship with WDC” – quote from Hidizs website). Similar to it predecessor, MP143 IEMs are inspired and created to support WDC (Whales and marine ecosystem preservation) that is being resembled in product design, eco-friendly packaging materials and what is more important – by the donations to the respective programs since 2023. MP143 are the newest, more affordable planar-magnetic IEMs that is planned to be launched on Kickstarter on 8th of August, 2024 with the Super Early Bird Price of $79.

In my opinion, the declared Early Bird price is a bargain, considering the overall quality and success of MP145 predecessor. With this review I would like to compare both versions and provide my opinion as to the differences and similarities between the two.

Here is the link to the upcoming Kickstarter campaign: LINK

MP143 tech specs:

• 14.3mm 7+7 array N52 magnetic circuit Large Planar Driver
• Nano-level diaphragm
• CNC one-piece aluminum alloy cavity
• 20Hz – 40kHz response range
• Sensitivity 103dB
• Impedance 17Ohms
• Ultra low distortion <0,05%
• Hidizs Pneumatic Sound Tuning Filters
• Target H-2019 Curve & Hidizs Style Professional Tuning
• High-purity OFC twisted pair wire
• Customized Pouch for MP143
• 3.5mm or 4.4mm gold-plated cable plug
• 0.78mm 2-Pin Cable, gold plated connector and copper plating shell
• Hi-Res Certification

As obvious from the product name, the new MP143 IEMs utilizes 14.3mm planar driver instead of 14,5mm of its predecessor. Such change in size is not limited to diaphragm, but also applied to the overall dimensions. MP143 are 20% lighter, 5% thinner in width and 18% shorter in height addressing the claims of some end customers about higher fit comfortability. Yes, MP145 were on the larger side (although, I, personally, didn’t have any issues with that) but MP143 been made smaller, still built upon the large driver and suitable driver chamber. I would say that MP143 are still on the larger side but apparently smaller than MP145. And I would rather leave it as it is, not to sacrifice its sound quality.

The rest looks similar to MP145: H-2019 target curve, response range, HiRes certification, possibility to exchange sound filters, types of connectors and variants of SE and BL plugs.

Design:

Hidizs has developed the new, eco-friendly, plastic-free packaging for MP143. Stiff box with lots of product information, WDC logo and accurate inner arrangement of the components. And yes, the storing pouch with the special springy mechanism is also included. Here what you’d find in the box:

• IEMs
• Storing pouch
• User manual
• Warranty card
• 3,5 or 4.4 SE or BL cable
• 3 pairs of silicone ear tips (balanced)
• 3 pairs of silicone ear tips (treble-oriented)
• 3 pairs of Hidizs pneumatic filters (lows, balanced, treble)

If you’d opt for the limited edition, it would include the additional items: 3,5 and 4,4mm SE and BAL cables, global unique number, budget pin (Hidizs x WDC), postcard collection (Hidizs x WDC)

The design of IEM shells has slightly changed from resembling whale fin to “14 delicate lines resembling waves and baleen plates, with a whale-like contour breaching the water surface, creating a unique and identifiable appearance” – quote from Hidizs website. As already said, the overall dimensions became smaller, but the material is similar – aluminum. Sound nozzles are long enough for a comfortable fit, great choice of reliable 2pin 0,78mm cable connectors. The cable is equipped with ear hooks, built durable and declared to be good enough to disclose full IEM potential.

Fit:

Again, as mentioned, I didn’t experience any problems with MP145 IEMs despite those being on the larger and heavier side. Those are definitely not built for exercising (I wonder who want to exercise in planar IEMs that are built to enjoy the ultimate sound quality), thus, no problems in its intended use. MP143 are smaller and lighter, maintaining similar shape and length of nozzles which make the fit even better.

Sound quality:

Design, declared specs and other virtues are nothing if the sound quality can’t keep on par. Fortunately, this is not the case with Hidizs MP143 IEMs. MP145 were excellent in this respect, with decent sound stage, perfect separation and layering, great dynamics and resolution, thick and rich sound…, just hard to compete. Although, MP143 possess most of the virtues in sound as its more expensive sibling:

Lows:

This is where the most of the changes to MP145 are applied. MP143 IEMs have stronger and wider bass range which influences the rest of the sound more. Not bassy or muddy, but lows are obviously more accented, its presence shifts MP143 to clearly warmer / darker side. Great that despite it larger amount, bass is still well outlined and perfectly controlled. It doesn’t overwhelm, neither shadowing mids or treble. Countours are nicely defined which separates this portion from other ranges, making it distinguishable and precise. But the presence itself makes me perceive this bass as larger and stronger compared to MP145. More suitable for those, who likes tight and controlled lows. Consequently, mid bass has more bass influence but maintains similarly great dynamics and that pleasing tight hit that differs planar IEMs from slower-to-react dynamic diaphragms or thin-sounding armature drivers. Excellent.

Mids:

Slightly less presence and accent comparing to MP145 but similar richness, high amount of texturing and even warmer timbre. Another advantage of a warmer sound is that MP143 are less prone to sibilance even with the specific records that might become unbearable with BA drivers and show some sibilances with MP145 IEMs. Vocals sound natural and rich, although a bit more distant than lows or treble. Kind of U-shaped tuning but not a steep one. Can compare it to old tape rock/metal records when the additonal accents on lows and treble were added as classical tuning for such music genres. Other than that – similar to MP145: clear, accurate and thick sound in this range that makes this IEMs a perfect choice for many genres for long listening sessions.

Treble:

Depends. With some rock ballads or such type of music (Dire Straights, Pink Floyd, etc) – treble might feel very slightly distant or underpowered but as soon as I’ve switched to something like Jean Michel Jarre (Exynos 4, Oxygen 4) – it became clear that treble is perfectly enough. Moreover, it is excellent in terms of thickness, resolution, clarity and precision. Again, thanks to fast but large planar diaphragm that wins over BA in the body of each sound and in clarity over dynamic drivers. Moreover, it allows better separation/layering and creates great perception of each single sound it produces. Thus, all instruments are heard, placements are obvious, no muddiness or mixing/bleeding. If to compare to MP145 – MP143 treble is slightly less present but equally well cooked.

All of my impressions were acquired with balanced sound filters and ear tips. For those who would like more treble or lows – there are other sets included in the package that makes MP143 similarly flexible in the additional sound tuning as MP145.

Soundstage:

No changes in this aspect between the two. I would say that despite decent layering and separation, both IEMs build moderate scene width. The best what I’ve heard were either multi-driver IEMs or open-backs or the stage was artificially increased by the means of wide-sounding DAC/AMP. But with the similar Hidizs AP80Pro DAP – both IEMs are slightly congested.

The result:

Do I like MP143? Yes, indeed. Especially concerning the upcoming campaign, early bird prices and further MSRP decrease options. Several years ago planar IEMs were as rare as unicorns with the cost of a jet wing. Now, with the efforts and investments of Hidizs and other respected brands in this niche – we can finally choose between the various existing options. And MP143 are one of the most affordable IEMs, despite having much in common with its more pricy flagship predecessor, both build quality and sound wise. Would I prefer MP143 over 145? Yes, as long as the preference is towards warmer sound with more accent on lows or the price matters. Otherwise, the flagship stays on its pedestal. Finally, would possess both as great examples of once very rare planar-magnetic IEMs, brought to perfection and crafted with knowledge.

Link to the upcoming Kickstarter campaign: LINK

Hidizs MP143 official page: LINK

Not very common review today since it consists of two interesting units from the same brand – Hidizs. This brand has been quite active and brought intriguing and worthy stuff for the past couple of years. Their latest MP145 planar IEMs made some noise before the launch and early bidders have already started to receive their parcels and supply own very positive impressions.

Glad to see that the feedback on the sample items the reviewers have shared this summer finally turns into pleasing satisfaction of Hidizs customers and supporters and the campaign turned out a success in overall.

This time I’d share my experience and impressions of spending several weeks with Hidizs S9 Pro Plus USB DAC|AMP dongle and the latest SDD IEMs – MS1 Galaxy. And since the devices create a great pair, I’d review those together in one article, starting with the dongle.

First of all, S9 Pro Plus (codename “Martha”) is a successor of the previous versions of S9 lineup: S8 -> S9 -> S9 Pro -> S9 Pro Plus. Currently, Hidizs is pretty strong in such devices and has a long list of dongles: S8, S9 series (3 devices), XO, S3 Pro. Previous S9 dongles were widely reviewed and commonly placed on top among similar products of other brands and S3 Pro even has been mentioned in New York Times as the best budget pick. Back to S9 series…

Personally, I would say that S9 Pro Plus is a direct successor of S9 Pro whereas the original S9 is a standalone product. The main difference is that the original S9 is built on AKK DAC while S9 Pro and the newest Plus versions share similar ESS ES9038EQM DAC chip. Here we can see all the difference:

Despite that architecture of S9 and S9 Pro is different, their design and some features are more similar to each other than between S9 Pro and S9 Pro Plus. Plus version now offers 4.4mm BL & 3.5mm SE ports instead of 2.5 + 3.5 combination, it now features physical buttons, different design layout and additional switching filters. And on top of that there is more than 30% gain in power comparing to the original S9 version.

Full S9 Pro Plus specs:

• Dimensions: 55×25×11mm
• DAC Chip: ESS9038Q2M
• DSD: Native DSD64/128/256/512
• PCM: up to 32bit/768kHz
• Outputs: single-ended 3.5mm and balanced 4.4mm
• Sampling rate indicator: yes
• Shell material: CNC integrated aluminum alloy
• Function buttons: 2
• Switching filter: 7
• USB interface: Type-C
• OS compatibility: Android, Windows, Mac OS, iPad OS, Harmony OS (Please note: a Lightning to Type-C cable with OTG function has to be purchased separately to support iOS)
• Net weight: 17g
• Colors: Black, Sliver, Blue
• Packing list: Type-C to Type-C Cable×1, Type-C to USB-A adapter×1, User manual×1, Warranty card×1

Audio:

Under 32Ω load:

• Frequency Response: 20Hz-40kHz
• Distortion: PO (3.5): 0.0019%, BAL (4.4): 0.0008%
• Signal-to-noise ratio: PO (3.5): 123dB, BAL (4.4): 120dB
• Separation: PO (3.5): 75dB, BAL (4.4): 115dB
• Output power: 138mW+138mW SE 3.5mm, 180mW+180mW BL 4.5mm

What has also changed is the design of the box – it became significantly smaller and features hard case with soft insert now instead of cardboard in previous dongles. Comes with the device itself, one USB type C -> type C cable and the additional USB A -> type C adaptor for older PC or Mac that don’t have type-C on board.

S9 Pro Plus has the dimensions of 55x25x11mm, consists of the aluminum chassis with front and back glass panels. Design is resembling all Hidizs products with its sharp edges put under different angles.

Another heritage is Hidizs logo at front which also acts as RGB LED indicator for sampling rates and different sound filters. Looks beautifully when active but I wouldn’t call it informative. I would prefer slightly more expensive dongle with OLED screen and full information about rates, filters and track quality. Anyway, here is the list of LED colors and their meanings:

Sample rate indication:

• Yellow: DSD 64/128
• Purple: DSD 256/512
• Blue: PCM 176.4/192(kHz)
• Red: PCM 352.8/384(kHz)
• White: PCM 705.6/768(kHz)
• Green: PCM 44.1/48/88.2/96(kHz)

Filter selection (pressing 2 buttons simultaneously during playback):

On the right edge we have 2 physical buttons now that are responsible for 2 functions: Volume and Filter. Pressing one button increases or decreases the volume respectively, while pressing two at once would change filter mentioned above. Each press of 2 buttons scrolls to the next filter and there is a change in LED color to identify which filter is currently active. Changing volume with dongle buttons is quite discrete and sometimes it is better to control volume from a source in order to get some preferrable values in between.

Top edge of the device contains 2 ports: 4.4mm BL Pentaconn type and 3.5mm SE. Since the technical design of S9 Pro Plus claimed to be fully balanced – BL port provides the maximum potential in terms of output power and sound quality. 180mW/channel is pretty high figure that is not expected from such a tiny device. Just for example: the most advanced Hidizs AP80Pro X DAP has 70mW per channel on SE and 190mW per channel on BL outputs which is much lower on SE and only ~5% higher on BL in comparison to S9 Pro Plus dongle. This is despite the fact that AP80 DAP is much larger, has its own LiON battery as power buffer and much more space under the hood for its schematics.

Bottom edge contains type-C USB port which is compatible with PC, MAC, Android and current iPhones with type-C ports. There is also Lightning to type-C adaptor that can be purchased separately to connect to the older iPhone versions. For Windows, there is a dedicated ASIO driver available on Hidizs website. Having such driver on PC is crucial for the best audio experience as it bypasses system mixers, utilizes bit-perfect stream and opens sampling rates up to 32bits/386Khz under driver properties to avoid the additional resampling.

This type-C port also used to upgrade S9 firmware, although I don’t know whether it would be available for public. I have been provided with the firmware upgrade for my early sample that replaced track switch function with volume buttons when dongle is connected to PC to its direct function: volume change. I assume that all final version devices would already come updated. But if interesting: FW change requires PC connection, PID finding and adding to special FW update app plus the FW hex file to push it to the device. Takes about 5-10 seconds to finalize, restart and get back to music.

In respect of the sound I can state that S9 Pro Plus is a huge update to a regular audio output of general Android, iPhone, PC, Mac or tablet; some addition to the previous S9 Pro version and make some subtle difference when compared to AP80 Pro DAP. Any regular phone or PC sounds less powerful, has notably lower mid bass slap, less layering and instrument separation as well as less resolution. S9 Pro Plus adds the clarity and defines the stage better, provides better control throughout all frequency range and is able to drive IEMs and headphones to a better extent. In comparison to S9 Pro, the newer dongle adds slightly in gain, mostly notable at mid bass and can provide the additional preferences when switching between different filters. Filters do behave differently, adding / subtracting from the mid portion and making the sound less / more balanced. In case with AP80 Pro DAP found some difference in resolution (AP80 Pro sounds more crisp) but this is quite subtle. I would say that S9 Pro Plus and AP80 Pro sound on par if certain filters are chosen on S9.

To summarize: I am impressed with the performance of Hidizs S9 Pro Plus USB DAC|AMP in most possible ways. It is small, lightweight, universal for most of the devices, has unexpectedly huge power output and sounds close to AP80 Pro DAP. It is quite and addition to upgrade the sound source in our pockets and can even be used in the desktop setup if larger and more expensive stationary items are not an option. It might been lacking more informative screen or smoother controls but it definitely doesn’t suffer in audio quality.

If Hidizs S9 Pro Plus is interesting to you – here is the trick how to get it with the lowest price possible: the preorder for S9 Pro Plus in Hidizs official online store would start on November 16th, 2023 (9:30AM EST) and would end on Nov 30, 2023 (9:30AM EST). During this period first 100 units would be sold for 69,99USD and the rest for 79,99USD. You can also additionally apply our special 5% discount code: ZMCR5OFF (code would be available from Nov 15, 2023 12:00AM CST). Preorders would start shipping from Dec 5th, 2023.

Now, back to the newest least expensive Hidizs IEMs – MS1-Galaxy.

Similar to S9, MS1 Galaxy are not the first single DD budget-friendly IEMs by Hidizs. There were MS1 Rainbow and Seeds preceding Galaxy and I still honor Seeds as one of the best single DD IEMs with very accurate and delicate sound. Unfortunately, those have been discontinued and had one huge drawback – integrated audio cable. I even had 2 versions of Seeds at once – SE and balanced to switch between the sources. Therefore, Hidizs has the expertise to design and build good budget single DD IEMs.

MS1 Galaxy specs:

– High-Performance Dual Magnetic Circuit Dynamic Driver
– 10.2mm PU+PEEK Composite Diaphragm
– Optional Inline Control & Microphone
– High-Density German Makrolon Resin Shell
– Silver-Plated Oxygen-Free Copper Wire
– 0.78mm 2-Pin Plug
– Ergonomic Liquid Silicone Ear Tips
– Ergonomic Design with Comfortable Extended Wear
– Perfectly Aligned With The H-2019 Target Frequency Response Curve
– 3.5mm Gold-Plated Plug & Durable Metal Shell & Splitter
– Hi-Res Certification

FR Graph:

MS1 Galaxy comes in a small white box with the design and graphics resembling anime culture what makes them a desirable gift for younger generations. My 14 years old daughter spotted it on my shelf and tried to free me from this pair at day one after its arrival. I am not a fan of anime, but still the design is fresh and unique to my liking. Even my wife was starring at the box and IEM shells despite staying far from this hobby.

Box includes IEMs, 3 pairs of silicon tips, audio cable and some papers.

MS-1 Galaxy shells are made of transparent resin which already draws the attention. Front facing plates shine with different colors and remind of diamonds or stars. Cable ports and sound nozzles have golden finish and add to the entire aesthetics.

Chambers, cables and driver combination inside look accurate and neat. Sound output nozzles are covered with aluminum mesh for the additional dust/dirt protection.

Cable looks similarly gorgeous: silver braid in transparent isolator with aluminum housing on gold-plated jack and resin housing on 2pin IEM contacts. Additionally, it has ear guides formed of transparent heatsink material.

Nothing to be worried in terms of fit since the shape is the most universal for the majority of people, nozzles are quite long and ear guides secure IEMs and cable at place. Choice of ear tips is limiter to 3 sizes and only one material but the diameter is common and most of the aftermarket products would fit nicely if needed.

Now, the sound… I’ve tired MS-1 Galaxy with different sources: AP80 Pro DAP, tablet, PC, S9 Pro Plus DAC/AMP and my Android Xiaomi smartphone. In all cases the sound can be described as tending to warm with large bass presence, juicy mid bass, slightly recesses mids and fairly accented treble. Lows and mid bass are the strongest virtues of MS-1 Galaxy. Great presence, good texturing, good control and layering here. Mid bass has good dynamics. Mids are slightly less resolved and slightly pushed back. Male vocal sound pretty rich and natural whereas female vocals might suffer from hisses and sibilance with less capable sources (smartphone, for instance) and low quality tracks. The better the source is, the less this tendency to hiss is pronounced.

Treble, in its turn, is completely enough in presence but lacks in clarity and transparency. In overall, MS-1 Galaxy with its virtues and imperfections in sound still up ahead of many budget IEMs that passed through my hands and builds the impression of good musical IEMs. Perhaps, its warm signature creates this charm which goes smooth and easy on my ears. I would prefer such type of tonality over crisp and cold when it comes to everyday use. Furthermore, its signature fits ESS-based sources well, making the sound softer and more velvet-like while maxing out the resolution which the driver is capable of. But I wouldn’t use it with AKK-based sources or with tubes cause the sounds starts to feel a bit muddy.

In overall, Hidizs MS-1 Galaxy is a good budget IEMs, great for those who like bass and warm tonality and less interesting for analytical or precise listening. It wouldn’t irritate throughout the day, neither with its fit, nor with the harshness in sound. It feels warm, flowing and smooth, like lounge music that plays on background all day long, suitable and pleasing for everyone. Strong contender, with its pros and cons, excellent build quality, universal fit, relaxing sound, at very low price.

Hidizs MS-1 Galaxy already available at Hidizs official online store: LINK

The use of the magnetic planar technology in IEMs is still on the early stage of the development. Rare products, small lineup, weak fan base and lack of the mass market awareness. For now. Although, the technology itself has a lot of potential in addressing known issues with the most popular driver types in terms of the sound quality. Planar drivers are fast, use large-sized membrane, have even response across the whole active area and better controlled from both sides by the magnets. Sonically, it means more resolution, better transient response, better separation, layering and clarity. This is in theory, in comparison to dynamic drivers. Main advantages over armature drivers is its size which results in more body and bass potential of IEMs. Also in theory…

Time has come for Hidizs to stand inline among few other industry-leading brands in their attempt to prove planar driver advantages in overall, as well as their new product superiority. I am talking about MP145 – first planar-based IEMs by Hidizs.

Before we start, it is important to mention that MP145 design was inspired by and created in a partnership with Whale and Dolphin Conservation (WDC) (the leading global charity dedicated to the protection of whales, dolphins, and their ocean homes).

Hidizs MP145 technical specifications and features:

Let’s say that the most interesting part is that MP145 are based on 14.5mm planars + have 3 pairs of additional tuning filters. This seems familiar from hybrid IEM world, but something new for planar IEMs. The declared impedance and sensitivity combination tells us that, in case with MP145, high power output is not a mandatory requirement. Hope that Hidizs AP80 gen.1 would be capable of driving these with 3.5mm power output. Consequently, we have two options of cable to choose from while ordering: 3.5mm SE and 4.4mm BL. My version is 3.5mm SE since I would like to check upon the aforesaid statement about power and sensitivity. Pity that Hidizs is still haven’t incorporated a cable with the exchangeable type audio plug for its IEM products (2.5mm BL, 3.5mm SE and 4.4mm BL).

The packaging, set and design:

In contrary to the latest hybrid Hidizs products, MP145 box is pretty small and what is more interesting that it is made of plastic. There is a cardboard outer cover with prints and hard box made of recyclable materials and designed specially for those IEMs. Perhaps, new box is developed to differentiate this product and to show that is belongs to more expensive class? Anyway, the box does a great job of protecting the internals which consist of foam inserts holding IEMs, 9 pairs of silicone ear tips and one extra box with the cable, set of filters and some papers.

Glad that Hidizs seems accepted such a rich set of accessories common to their latest IEMs. Apart from IEMs you’d get:

• 9 pairs of silicone ear tips (3 pairs x 3 sizes for bass, same for balanced and for treble)
• 3 pairs of tuning filters (1 pair for bass (rose), 1 pair balanced (gold) and 1 pair for treble (silver))
• 3,5mm SE or 4,4mm BL audio cable with protective cap and velcro strap (cable version type chosen during the purchase)
• carrying pouch

Again, want to mention for Hidizs that it would be a great advantage if a cable with the exchangeable plugs would come as a standard in future for all of IEMs. People use different kind of equipment and it is kind of tough to choose which type of plug to order. The more universal it would be – the better is the impression of the product in overall and more frequent would be its usage in real life.

Tuning filters also come in separate tiny transparent plastic storage box and here is one tip: don’t try to pull it apart, you should turn upper or lower part to around 15 degrees first in order to open this box.

Carrying pouch has the new and more convenient type of retaining mechanism (first seen in MS3 IEMs) when you have to squeeze both ends with the fingers to open it. Good.

Now, about the design and materials of MP145 IEMs: first impression when you take it in hands that those are pretty big and heavy. Solid piece of CNC processed aluminum, resembling whale tail in the design of the facing plate, with some openings, compensation hole, 2pin cable connector and pretty long output nozzles. Nozzles are ending up with the thread for tuning filters. Looking inside the opening – there is no protective mesh but I could see some foamy material deep inside which I believe acts as dust protection and damper.

Aluminum mesh is a part of the tuning filter which cuts some frequencies and acts as the additional dust protector as well. The only reason to worry about wearing those during the workouts or under the rain is the opening on the faceplate that would let water inside. Build quality is excellent in overall, no gaps, solid feel.

For the first five minutes I thought that the fit is kind of compromised by the size and weight of MP145 IEMs. Fortunately, got used to them afterwards and lost any disturbing feel. I can’t say that those are the most universal IEMs in terms of fit and I wouldn’t try to have them on during the workouts but quite comfortable for regular walk and totally good for calm listening sessions.

Finally, the sound:

First to mention – it is unexpectedly huge bass for planar IEMs. Usually, planars suffer from underpowered lows due to technology limitations in combination with high demand on power but Hidizs has managed to solve both issues. Lows are well exposed, adding the base, body, thickness and warmth across the entire frequency range. To the extent that MP145 can be labelled tending to dark/warm sound signature. Besides, lows that we have here are perfectly layered to the additional sub-ranges, have quite notable texturing and pretty fast decay. Together it builds a feel of large but very accurate bass with outlined boundaries and no blurring. Mid bass sounds juicy, powerful, tight and fast. All of that on 3.5mm SE from Hidizs AP80 first gen DAP (set to HIGH gain) only capable of 70mW@32Ohm/channel + balanced tuning filters. This is a win, I assume. Prior planar IEMs I dealt with such as Dethonray Tender 1 and 7Hz Timeless, decent as well, were more hungry for power and required more advanced DAP or even tube amp to disclose their potential.

Consequently, the mids have this sweet thickness and body that makes the sound so smooth. Resolution is not overexposed comparing to high-quaity armature drivers since there is more influence of lows on mid section, but the timbre, presence, layering and separation are all excellent what puts MP145 above its armature rivals which sound thinner, colder and more artificial.

Treble have less weight of all the ranges, maintaining the balance and adding to detalization but it is not accented here. In fact, its performance and amount depends of the song, recording and quality but if we take some composition with normal levels, high dynamic range and high quality recording – treble is on the sweet spot between its clarity, amount and transparency, never getting shouty or piercing, nor feeling underpowered. Some further changes of adding\cutting off treble response can be applied using the additional tuning filters (silver – more treble, red – least treble). And yes, MP145 are a bit sibilant-tending but again, this only been observed on some treble-saturated, not-that-good quality records which already tend bright/cold timbre.

What also shines is the separation/layering across the entire range. Each sound has great clarity, each instrument is outlined. Planars definitely win in this respect over hybrids or dynamic drivers which tend to mix or blur the outlines more.

Conclusion:

Magnetic planar-based IEMs are still not that widely spread in comparison to dynamic or armature rivals, which is a fact. Perhaps, 27-40 products in overall offered by the most popular online audio equipment stores. Subtracting some evident crap from this number and we end up with a very small selection to choose from. But even those that are left, having decent sound quality, are known for its complexity in driving ability, required power and some limitations on the lower end. Hidizs MP145 planars are free from those limitations – easily driven over SE output and capable of large bass reproduction. Even if someone can find a minor flaw, MP145 provides the ability to tailor sound further using the additional filters or might be forgiven for stellar overall musical performance, smooth sound and sweet timbre.

Moreover, Hidizs has disclosed the early bird price for MP145 Kickstarter campaign that would launch soon – only $109. This is an absolute bargain since it is the lowest price on the market for planar IEMs with 14.5mm driver and additional tuning filters as innovation in the supplying set. Therefore, I highly recommend to track down the beginning of KS campaing and grabbing a pair on the early bird terms.

Link to MP145 Kickstarter campaign: LINK

Link to product page and subscription to KS campaign launch notification: LINK

It’s been a while since the last review posted on this blog due to extended logistics. Sending items for the review to Ukraine is quite cumbersome lately, thanks God it arrives undamaged. Hidizs has made quite an effort on assuring that their new MS3 IEMs would finally reach in here, even resending the package twice. Anyway, MS3 are with me now and I can acknowledge the audience of this blog with my own impressions.

Last pair of IEMs reviewed by me were quite peculiar and unusual – KZ ZEX with electrostatic driver in its schematics and Dethonray Tender 1 pure planar IEMs. I’ve had enough time to rest from dynamic/armature hybrid combination and Hidizs MS3 would be the first in series after this pause. Most of the time I am using pure 1 dynamic driver IEMs either from Hidizs/Tanchjim or HiBY since it is the most engaging sound for me, especially when driving IEMs with tube amp. Although, armature/dynamic hybrid IEMs have obvious advantages for some genres and in some aspects that build my interest to find out how technically good the new Hidizs product is.

Hidizs MS3 have been released just a month ago and already have generated a positive wave of impressions by the first owners and reviewers. Promising in the declared features, seems that MS3 really have the potential of becoming a great bargain in less expensive niche comparing to its highly ranked MS5 many-driver flagship predecessor. Good formula applied here by Hidizs – consider the buzz around the flagship product, borrow the most important virtues from it and project it on the less expensive product… Let’s see if the new star was born.

Hidizs MS3 IEMs on sale: Official Hidizs store

Hidizs MS3 IEMs on sale: Amazon

Hidizs MS3 IEMs on sale: AliExpress

Here is the declared specs:

Features:

– 10.2mm Dual Magnetic Circuit Dual Cavity Dynamic Driver
– Knowles SWFK-31736 Composite Balanced Armature Driver
– Aviation Aluminum Alloy Integral Molding Shell
– Three Hidizs Pneumatic Tuning Filters
– Oxygen-free Copper Multi-conductor Cable with 192 Ultra-small Wires
– Highly Approaching the H-2019 Target Curve, and HIDIZS Art Styles
– “Shark Fin” 0.78mm/2PIN Cable Plug
– Hidizs Customized Storage Bag
– Hi-Res Certification

Back to the shipping set and build impression before jumping to the sound experience:

As said before, thanks to quite stiff Hidizs box, this package arrived undamaged. Box carries full product information, product image and manufacturer info. Inner compartment consists of three inserts: foam holding IEMs, foam holding all filters and ear tips and the additional box with audio cable and some papers. Truthfully speaking, Hidizs MS3 are one of the best IEMs in terms of set of accessories. 9 pairs of ear tips, 3 pairs of filters, storage bag, cable – can’t imagine what else might have been included to make anyone totally satisfied… Perhaps, IEMs �� Fortunately, they are also included.

Build quality is great all around. IEMs look and feel perfect, great choice of materials, precise finishing and construction. No gaps between elements, no rattling. Design is quite complex and very neat and beautiful at the same time. Attracting combination of black body with gold edging. Similarly excellent quality of audio cable: unexpectedly thick, consisting of 4 twisted strands, ending with aluminum 3.5SE or 4.4BL plug housing at one side and transparent easy to pull “shark fin design” 0.78 2pin connectors on the other side. This is probably the thickest cable for IEMs I’ve encountered in my reviewing career. Feels durable and makes an impression of being able to last for ages.

Ear tips are all silicone-type but 9 pars divided to 3 sizes and 3 groups of vocal, low and high frequency oriented use. The changes might be subtle depending of its final fit but accompanied by Hidizs special tuning filters that would add more evident changes to the sound. Filters have different types of mesh to cross out / pass some frequencies that would end up in more lows, mіds or treble-tending tonality: silver – more treble, rose – balanced, red – more lows. Here is how Hidizs measured the changes produced by all 3 pairs:

My personal opinion about how effective those filters are: yes, there are audible changes in the sound, especially between red (low) filters + lows-oriented ear tips and silver/rose filters with the respective ear tips. The difference between rose/silver is less obvious due to highly pronounced armature nature in treble/upper mids segment.

The sound:

Consisting of 2 high-quality armature Knowles drivers + single but mighty dynamic driver, MS3 IEMs produce rich and engaging sound. The tonality feels bright which is an outcome of armature driver outstanding capabilities that goes far beyond human perception abilities on treble and some accent placed on upper mids as the consequence. V-shaped tuning is evident, although not distracting since the treble is quite expended, full of nuances and details. On the other side of the range single DD does a good job on mid bass dynamics and presence of lows. The extension of bass is limited but the amount on lows, speed and tightness of mid bass are perfectly enough. Sometimes lows might bleed in and desynchronize with treble and upper mids since it is slower on changes but mostly on such genres as energetic metal/punk rock and only if the quality of the recording/track file is low.

Apart from that, MS3 sound impressive, especially on layering and instrument separation. Every sound is laid out on its shelve, each instrument sounds exposed. Resolution grows with the frequency, treble is the most resolved, upper mids and vocals have great clarity and texturing, whereas the lows are well-exposed but slightly lagging behind in detalization. In overall, MS3 sound great technically. Especially for the slower genres, songs and with high-quality recordings. Musically, it is on the brighter side with excellent overall detalization, layering and mid bass performance but limited on the lowest bass register.

Fit:

MS3 are designed so that it would fit most without any problems. Such shape, pretty long nozzles, over-the-ear hooks and variety of ear tips would allow almost anyone to use it comfortably, even during the active workouts.

Conclusion:

Hidizs MS3 hybrid IEMs posses all the necessary qualities to become a bargain for many audio enthusiasts and even for some demanding audiophiles. Technically MS3 are sounding great – impressive overall resolution and treble extension, great layering and articulation, excellent and tight mid bass. Build quality, feel and especially the possibility of the additional tuning are all exceptional. Musically, MS3 would be great for those who love V-shaped tuning and brighter sound, bass heads would rather stick to some more bass-oriented options. Nevertheless, Hidizs MS3, considering its price, bundle and sound quality, set the bar pretty high for its rivals on the market. Definitely a great option to save some funds and be totally satisfied at the same time. Well done, Hidizs! Anxious to see would be the next product under this brand…

Hidizs MS3 IEMs on sale: Official Hidizs store

Hidizs MS3 IEMs on sale: Amazon

Hidizs MS3 IEMs on sale: AliExpress

Once upon a time, in a very far galaxy I’ve decided to try out the new for the time brand in IEMs – Knowledge Zenith. It happened around 3-4 years ago and the unit was KZ ED16. I was never willing to try anything from this brand since than. Why? KZ ED16 turned out too piercing for me on treble, with highly accented V-shaped signature, holding quite bad against its rivals those days.

Although, time goes by, KZ has grown significantly, right to the point that I can easily purchase most of its products in local audio store of my country (Ukraine). Furthermore, lots of talks about this brand, lots of users and fans, lots of reviews and posts. Heard many good things lately which has inspired me to accept the last call from KZ reps to review their recent product. I also cannot forget the fact that KZ was founded by an engineer that worked for Audio Technica and whose idea was to develop affordable high-quality IEMs for masses. Such initiatives are the main driving force for implementing various technologies that once were unattainable in personal applications and making those much cheaper.

All of that is the reason to give KZ another chance with their new IEMs – ZEX. Another reason for me personally – it would be the first hybrid model in my practice that uses dynamic driver for mids and lows together with electrostatic unit for treble. Tried everything – armature, dynamic, piezo, planar – but never had an opportunity to play with electrostatic drivers yet. Let’s see how it goes…

KZ ZEX specs:

• Model: ZEX
• Drivers: 10mm diaphragm, dual magnetic dynamic unit + 6.8mm low voltage electrostatic unit
• FR Range: 20Hz – 40KHz
• Impedance: 25Ohms
• Sensitivity: 103dB
• Passive noise reduction: 26dB
• Cable: detachable, 2-pin, 0.75mm
• Cable options: mic, no mic
• Plug: 3.5mm
• Materials: zinc alloy + resin
• Colors: rose gold, black, graphite

Note: electrostatic drivers are still quite rare in IEMs for its complexity, power draw and cost. In terms of sound, such drivers are more accurate, producing more details, have very fast transient speed, almost no distortions and inertia. In fact, KZ might be declared a pioneer in the field of mass hybrid IEMs with such type of driver involved.

KZ ZEX available at KZ official store on Amazon USA:LINK

KZ ZEX available at KZ official store on Amazon GERMANY:LINK

KZ ZEX available at KZ official store on Aliexpress:LINK

Packaging and design:

I admire how KZ packs its IEMs. Boxes are small, yet neat, rigid and cute at the same time. Whole packaging consists of outer wrap layer with product graphics, information and logos. Inner box has a transparent cover on the facing side for extra protection. IEMs rest in dedicated cutouts of soft foam layer, all accessories located underneath. This bundle includes:

• KZ ZEX IEMs
• audio cable with 3,5mm SE plug
• 4 pairs of silicone tips
• short user manual

KZ ZEX IEMs shells consist of zinc alloy facing plate cover, transparent resin middle insert and base with output nozzle. Those are the first IEMs ever in my hands which shells consist of three parts. My guess for such structure is the modular approach in KZ design to reach some degree of versality and save R&D cost by sharing same shell parts across different models.

Zinc alloy plates look gorgeous, feels like aluminum and contain machined KZ logo and folds as central design elements. This plate have different color options (rose gold, graphite, black) and mine is graphite. Middle resin insert is transparent with blue tint and holds 2-pin cable connector. My opinion, that having such protruding type of connector is more reliable rather than drowned one since it is more convenient to aim and the pins on the cable are protected by outer guiding housings.

Truthfully speaking, middle insert feels a bit odd in this shell compound (tint is a way off), as if it was deposited from another model. Nevertheless, it perfectly fits the shape and exposes the internals which are accurately accomplished. Soldering looks neat, cables moved apart, both drivers sit straight at their places. The only untidiness spotted are the signs of glue that keep shell parts together. It doesn’t worry me much since there is no influence on the sound. Resin base is transparent as well but has brown/gray tint with quite long protruding molded output nozzles which are covered with aluminum mesh. Found single compensational opening between the top zinc cover and middle insert.

KZ ZEX fit is quite comfortable and tight. Guess why the most of KZ IEMs are having similar “custom”-like design… I had around 100 pairs of IEMs by now and can tell you for sure that this shape in a combination with ear hooks is the most universal one. Nothing to worry about here.

Stock cable have two options: mic/no mic and considering the price of ZEX IEMs I would say that mic version is more reasonable – most of the people would use ZEX everyday and it would be more convenient to have the ability to answer calls. Anyway, cable seems to be built pretty well, connectors and plug has the necessary cable protection, claimed to be gold-plated and feels durable. Definitely, not a competitor to expensive thick twisted upgrade cables with lots of mixed silver/copper strands but interchangeable and seems good for this budget, at least.

In overall, the design, even though not having much unique details, didn’t disappoint either. Moreover, I would say that there are some much more expensive IEMs with less accurate crafting and cheaper feel. Therefore, I am giving it 10 out of 10. Shape is perfect, so is the fit, cable looks nice and durable, bundle is regular for any kind of budget and the packaging is one of the most logistics-friendly and optimal for this type of a product. Believe me, when you keep around 100 pairs of IEMs on the shelf – this parameter is vital indeed. I could have stored four times as much if all IEMs packaging were similar.

Sound:

Tested with: Hidizs AP80, HiBy R5, Dethonray Prelude DTR1+ DAPs, xDuoo MT602 tube amp.

Lows and midbass:

Deep bass is large with high amount of textures. Bass amount and presence are quite overwhelming and higly accentuated. Сontouring of midbass is very precise, good layering allows to distinguish different instruments performing in this range. Subbass reaches good depth and have quite good decay speed. Lows remind of full-sized closed-back headphones with slightly congested but powerful presentation. This range has the most weight in overall sound picture. Midbass section is adequately articulated, full-bodied, perfectly detailed and powerful. Drum sections sound pretty natural, creating a good feel of overall dynamics. 

Mids and vocals:

Mids are less upfront than lows. Male vocals sound a bit thin and more distant than female ones which adds more emphasis on clarity and emotional appeal. Resolution is  enough but there is feeling that it is achieved artificially but emphasizing lower-treble. Still voices, strings and blow instruments sound pretty impressive. There is no excessive harshness on upper mids which I didn’t like in KZ ED16, but the sound is still prone to sibilance, especially on female vocals. At the same time, such tuning adds the exceptional clarity to most of the instruments in this range which also brings good layering, instrument separation and stage depth.

Treble:

The most intriguing in ZEX is its treble performance. Twofold impression there. Good are the treble micro dynamics and resolution. Bad is the limited extension and slightly weak emphasis on this range in the entire mix. Treble sounds bright and crisp, but gets shaded by lows and mids in some tracks. The transparency and brightness is highly dependent of the record. The best results were achieved with the brighter source such as AP80 DAP in jazz, rap, blues compositions (low amount of instruments, large spacing). In overall, I can admit that I was expecting more of electrostatic treble driver.

Soundstage:

ZEX show moderate stage width and good stage depth. Instrument separation and layering are good but the lack of transparency on treble and limited extension on both ends makes the stage more congested.

Sound in overall:

KZ ZEX sounds pretty well detailed, with tendency towards lows and dark tonality, emotional and resolving on mids, with impressive mid bass range and crisp but less accented treble.

Compared to…:

Actually, I have nothing to compare ZEX with for now. Most of my IEMs are far more expensive and definitely have more strength in different aspects of the sound. Perhaps, only the Hidizs Seeds that were released quite ago with single dynamic driver and discounted down to the same budget now… Seeds have less comfortable fit, integrated cable and not as resolving and heavy on bass but those are more balanced, have more delicate tuning in overall, thicker mids and more extended and airy treble (even despite it is based on single DD unit).

Conclusion:

Have KZ evolved into more respected products with more mature sound – definitely yes. Do I like it more now than 3 years ago – definitely yes. Now I can state that KZ ZEX IEMs are pretty fine for my liking, although with some rough points that I would still like KZ to polish further. Sibilance effect, emphasized V-shaped tuning, better extensions… At the same time, ZEX are impressive and sound decent on rap, jazz, blues and any other genres with limited amount of instruments. Considering this, I would tell that it is good budget choice for everyday mobile use which is actually the target for this model. Therefore – great bargain. I would still vote for something better for long and calm listening but I would definitely won’t be afraid of having ZEX as main IEMs with fun and juicy sound on the go.

KZ ZEX available at KZ official store on Amazon USA:LINK

KZ ZEX available at KZ official store on Amazon GERMANY:LINK

KZ ZEX available at KZ official store on Aliexpress:LINK

Important notice: read only in case if you are bored of recent market trends and heavily V-shaped tuning IEMs with only slight deviations that have conquered the market, if you believe that you already have developed audio tastes & habits, if you strive for relaxed enjoyment of music instead of punchy bites of sounds on the go, if you grown up and want to listen, hear and discover the tiniest details and feel the deepest emotions in each favorite track… All that notions made us uncomfortable with the existing IEMs, forced to search further and finally brought us to the following product, technology and conclusions we have made about it in this review ��

Dethonray, what is this brand? Let us try to describe it with our own understanding and analysis after few years of observations. Year 2019 was the first time we’ve heard about it. We’ve been proposed to test Dethonray’s first DAP – DTR1 Prelude – the most remarkable player regarding sound quality in the corresponding price niche since than. It was simple, yet linear, very powerful and OVERLY detailed – very different and extraordinary good for its price tag and purpose. Our rank was high, so were the ranks of other reviewers and future owners which is much more important. Actually, this was one of the rare examples where opinions of all involved parties coincided. It immediately gave first Dethonray DAP a good push and deserved leading position among the rivals.

In the following 2 years Dethonray has presented HP-2 AMP, Honey H1 DAC/AMP, Listening T1 powerful tube desktop amp and has the roadmap for 2 more products: Prelude DTR1+ DAP and Tender 1 IEMs. The latter should become widely available this July whereas highly anticipated DTR1+ should arrive to shops on August. Therefore, we are right at the point of Tender 1 release and have our sample on hands. If to consider the amount of products released by the brand for the past 2 years – seems like not much…, but knowing the approach, attitude and will of the main person behind it to develop / produce only high-quality and remarkable products – it is logical that R&D, test and polishing take a lot of time. Currently, Dethonray would even pass their samples to focus testing group (not the reviewers) for quite a long time before the release to collect feedback, tune further and track all bugs. Product would come to the market only after that, even if the preliminary sales deadlines were violated. Almost forgotten and the only RIGHT “engineer” approach instead of “marketing is in command” that pisses us off with the iterations before the product gets really stable and our forced role in such bug-fixing groups.

Dethonray Tender 1 are the first IEMs by this brand, thoroughly researched, built and tested. But not only the long process from cradle to the final release announcement is uncommon and peculiar, but also the technology that has been chosen. Instead of jumping into the bucket full of dynamic/hybrid/armature vultures Dethonray guys decided to jump over and take a higher crossbar the name of which is planar magnetic. For those who are in a tank for the past forty years �� – planar magnetic (also referred as magneplanar, isodynamic, orthodynamic) technology is a golden middle between widely used, inexpensive and traditional dynamic approach in which diaphragm is controlled by a electricity flow through the coil attached to its center and a magnet and very expensive electrostatic technology in which coil and diaphragm are represented by thin membrane between negative and positive plates. In first case we get cheap, easy-to-reporoduce construction but the negatives are slow response and uneven force distribution over diaphragm, both leading to sufficient amount of distortions and resulting sound deviations. On the other extreme are the electrostatic drivers which are still very rare and expensive, require more space and not yet miniaturized. Planar magnetic, on its turn, takes the best from both worlds: cheaper magnets and coil principle from dynamic driver but much more complicated and advanced membrane composition.

Coil now is combined with a diaphragm, placed between the magnets and the entire diaphragm surface is moving to produce sound waves. What are the advantages over dynamic technology? – very fast response times, transient sound is almost non-existent and resistance to distortions, all of which result into more even (less distorted or certain range-oriented) and much more precise (much better clarity, layering and instrument separation) sound. Again, IEMs of this type are quite rare and more expensive in comparison to dynamic/hybrid/BA units but after spending enough time testing Tender 1 we can assure you that it really worth it.

Dethonray Tender 1 specs:

• 10mm planar diaphragm
• Impedance: 28Ohm
• Sensitivity: 98 +/- 3dB
• FRange: 20Hz – 20kHz
• Rated power: 5mW
• Max power: 10mW
• Max distortion: 1dB
• Interface: MMCX

Packaging and design:

Dethonray Tender 1 came packed in pretty large black box with shiny silver logo and names printed on the top cover and sticker with product specs at the bottom. Inner compartment consists of two layers: soft podium with special cutouts for IEMs on top and all accessories resting underneath. Box contents include:

• Tender 1 IEMs
• audio cable with 3.5mm SE jack
• 6 pairs of silicone ear tips
• 1 pair of memory foam ear tips
• leaflet/warranty

Considering the design – Tender 1 IEMs are a masterpiece with its combination of accurate detailing, ergonomic shaping, beauty of decorative elements and choice of shell color. We can say that that the photos which we’ve taken only partially resemble the glory of its real appearance.

Core design element is the silver plate with the logo, partially polished to shine and reflect the light, perfectly combined with the rough matt shell surface in deep cyan or blue depending of the angle of view.

Shells are made two piece of aluminum with unibody construction of output nozzles which are covered by aluminum filters. Two compensational openings per channel, side indicators and gold-plated MMCX ports – all a part of the construction, not only functional but also neatly crafted. For us, the choice of MMCX connectors is the only minor drawback of Tender 1 IEMs. Such connectors are easier to break in comparison to “2pin” type, especially in case of often cable change. On the other hand, MMCX turn around the center which means more freedom and comfort when it comes to its fit.

Fit is nothing to worry about, almost perfect, like with all other “custom-like” shaped IEMs. Ergonomics is great, different ear tips provided, fits comfortably and securely.

Stock cable deserve couple of words on its own:

• Material: 4N Solid Core Silver
• Cable Structure: Litz Type 4 with SZ Multi-Stranding
• Number of Cores: 35
• AWG (thickness): 27
• Cable Diameter: 1.3mm per cord
• Origin of Silver: China

Pretty intriguing that all of this data is provided about such accessory as audio cable. Anyway, what we can say for sure is that this cable looks pretty thick, equipped with flexible ear guides, aluminum jack/connector housings and channel indicators. Perhaps, in future, Dethonray would consider also including 2.5/4.4mm BL-type cable or universal cable with interchangeable audio jack which is the most recent and interesting innovation in this field. In our test we’ve used stock SE and BL cable by Penon which was actually forced matter since some of our sources had enough driving potential only on BL outputs.

Just to summarize before we jump to sound impressions: Tender 1 are the most beautiful and one of the most perfectly crafted IEMs for us so far. We have almost 100 of different popular models by different brands and only few that have such a good combination of material, shape, design and fit.

Sound impressions:

In contrary to the common structure of our reviews, Tender 1 IEMs require some additional description of the source gear used and required to carry out adequate tests. First of all, the nature of planar magnetic technology is power-hungry and requires more driving potential from a source than any dynamic or BA units. Moreover, it is hungry for high quality of the recordings as well and we would explain this a bit later. Concerning the sufficient amount of power, despite quite ordinary sensitivity/impedance figures, Tender 1 would be much better off with Hi-Res DAP & AMPs capable of AT LEAST 200mW@32Ohms on its output. The more power a source has, the better it discloses the potential of Tender 1 IEMs.

Second, whether you believe it or not, but in order to make Tender 1 sound the best it is very important to put it through running-in process for at least 10 hours. Just leave it playing on mid volume for this amount of time before the first use. We were skeptical about such approach before but Tender 1 really sounds better (wider and softer) after running-in period.

Finally, our testing gear was: Hidizs AP80 DAP + xDuoo XD05 Plus DAC/AMP (1W of power output, very large soundstage) / Hidizs DH80 DAC/AMP (210mW of power, neutral, requires GAIN set to MID/HIGH). Why this gear – simply because Hidizs DAPs and AMPs are popular and xDuoo AMP is the most capable of Tender 1 requirements.

Theory and the description of this technology states that planar magnetic drivers are less capable of deep bass than dynamic units. It might be true, but not for Tender 1 IEMs. Seems that Dethonray spent much time on this aspect to oppose such claim. The only thing that might remind of the technology chosen is susceptibility to clipping/producing distortions on lows earlier than on mids/treble at higher gain + high volume. Staying in acceptable volume levels would produce deep, very detailed, perfectly outlined bass with excellent separation and exposure. It turns tight and fast or rolling, slow and deep depending of the composition, not limited by the technology. Mid bass is similarly decent – fast, dynamic, powerful and tight, bright or warm as originally intended, but definitely not selfishly interpreted. Furthermore, such a good bass exposure and amount significantly enlarge the width of the soundstage, adding the feel of sufficient volume and space.

Mids are very smooth, delicate and warm, yet very detailed and natural. No signs of screaming or lisping on the upper portions, no sudden harsh peaks on female vocals of string instruments. Layering and separation here are excellent – everything is right on its place, not mixing, not shadowed. Vocals are rich, full-bodied and emotional but the main virtue is that male and female vocals sound evenly detailed and exposed, located on the same plane, not like in V-shaped IEMs with severe accent on upper mids and loss of details on the lower end. Very natural, tender, velvet and linear delivery.

Despite the prevailing warmth, treble is nowhere near of being deficient. Just imagine IEMs with the sweet elevation on lows, natural mids and reasonably vivid treble that reminds of BA performance and you would get the understanding about what Tender 1 are capable of. Treble is sparkling, with excellent extension and huge amount of details. Like with good BA units, you won’t feel that it’s being abruptly cut off like it happens with many dynamic IEMs. Plus, adding a bit of more body to each sound makes Tender 1 treble less cold and artificial, but at the same time more sterling and natural.

Narrowed soundstage could have been a postulate if Dethonray wouldn’t overcome this technology shortcoming by all possible means. As we have already mentioned, thorough tuning on lows, perfect layering and instrument separation dedicate much to make the stage moderately large. As a result, Tender 1 feels quite regular, neither revealing nor disappointing regarding this aspect. Furthermore, with specific sources like XDuoo XD05Plus that builds very large soundstage, Tender 1 definitely opens up and shifts the limits for planar magnetic technology.

Our additional notice would be about the track quality. Since this technology is far more revealing in terms of the amount of details – the better quality is fed, the better the results are. Dethonray IEMs would easily expose all discrepancies and imperfections of low quality tracks.

Comparison: nothing to compare with. Dynamic IEMs are mixing sounds and ranges, less capable of treble, not this linear and natural in mids. BA IEMs are more piercing and artificial, cannot propose anything on lows. Hybrid are the closest, but still missing such delicate and smooth mids and natural, extended treble.

Conclusion:

It feels like the endgame for us. Almost hundred of IEMs, dynamic, armature or combined, with few very good representatives of each technology but all fell short of opposing anything to Tender 1 planar magnetic model. It might have been only the soundstage that could have given a head start to any of its rivals, but even this aspect was polished out by Dethonray. Absolutely nothing to beat Tender 1 with – it is totally different world with much higher stakes. And since there are only few existing options – Tender 1 IEMs are doomed to succeed. In numbers, it would directly depend of how many audio fans have grown up and became audiophiles with the mature taste and calm enjoyment. We are right at this point… Dethonray Tender 1 is the appropriate gear to satisfy our expectations and perception of a perfect sound.

Dethonray Tender 1 IEMs available on Amazon: LINK

Official Dethonray website: LINK

Oh, how we like when the new companies step in with fresh look, full of motivation, creating lots of additional incentives to conquer and build its audience. First products are more likely to be revolutional while the following lineup growth regularly derives from the core or flagship products. It is quite common that any new brand starts with the aces since the public should be astounded with the virtues, superiority, experience or other model characteristics. Capturing the attention is vital for a good launch, much efforts are invested, a lot at stake, everything should be perfect – that is why we love to deal with such occasions.

The brand under our microscope today is Aiderlot with M5 IEMs. Here is a small quote from the company representative:

AIDERLOT is a company that provides better quality monitor headphones and headphone accessories for music-loving artists. The company was established in 2019 to provide high-quality products and services to customers around the world. The headsets sold by the company are guaranteed for one year. The company currently only sells on Amazon.

Not much of the information for now but the company is already listed on Amazon, Ebay and already has several reviews on Head-Fi. We are jumping into this train as well with this review of M5 – pure balanced armature IEMs based on 5 Knowles drivers which is already impressive.

AIDERLOT M5 specs:

• Type: 5BA IEMs (Knowles 22955 + 29689 + 30017 + 30095)
• Drivers: 1 Low +1 Mid + 2 High +1 UHF
• Shell material: Stainless steel + Resin
• Impedance: 26 Ω
• Rated power: 10mW
• Distortion: <1% (at 126 mV)
• Sensitivity: 110 dB ± 1 dB（at 1 kHz）
• Frequency range: 20Hz-40KHz
• Passive noise isolation: -25dB
• 4 crossovers, 4 separate sound tubes
• Cable: 4-strand 6N Oxygen-free copper silver-plated cable
• Cable connectors: MMCX

Packaging and design:

M5 has arrived in pretty large box that has outer cover containing lots of graphics and text (product picture, frequency response graph, specs, company information, etc).

Good that the graph describes the difference in the resulting sound with the variety of filters. Cover hides main leather-style cardboard box which retains closed with the help of several inbuilt magnets.

Under the hood, there are 3 layers of soft inserts: first one secures IEMs and has a decorative aluminum plate with the brand name and slogan, middle insert holds a lot of accessories, and finally – storage case and cables are stored at the lowest compartments.

Here is the full list of elements in this rich bundle:

• M5 IEMs with a pair of sound filters
• MMCX audio cable
• MMCX audio cable with remote and mic for a smartphone
• 3 extra pairs of sound filters
• 3 pairs of silicone ear tips
• 3 pairs of memory foam ear tips
• flight adapter
• storage case
• cable clip
• cleaning brush
• manual

Not bad at all. Such rich bundle is quite rare nowadays and this is definitely among the advantages of M5 IEMs. We also like how accurately all accessories are stored inside the box. Plus such elements as aluminum plate with threads and labels retaining and identifying additional sound filters. Nice!…

M5 shells have unibody construction, totally resin molded with two aluminum elements – brand logo and output nozzles. The whole shell is transparent which gives the possibility to see neat soldering of crossovers, accurate location of BA drivers and cable routing, as well as separate sound tubes from each driver to the output nozzles.

No compensational openings since there is no dynamic diaphragms that requires air and creates pressure. Output nozzles have a thread for sound filters that also protects IEMs from dust coming in. Although, even the manual states that you can try M5 with no filters attached to experience the full frequency range with no filter limitations.

Filters are provided in pairs, differ by the diameter and amount of holes and definitely impact the sound. They are easy to attach to IEMs but hard to place back on holder plate since the thread is tiny. We wouldn’t recommend keeping those without holder plate – too small and very easy to get lost.

Both stock cables are impressively good-built, both have stainless steel furniture all-around. Main audio cable is quite thick, made of OFC silver-plated copper wires, features channel indicators and carbon fiber elements. Second cable is equipped with the 3-button remote and mic and slightly thinner. Neither one has ear guides. Nevertheless, cables seem very durable, look decent and are build of high-quality materials.

As a summary to look and build quality – we would say that AIDERLOT M5 are perfectly crafted with quality of materials even excessing such of the famous respected brands. The only concern here is the choice of MMCX connectors over 2pin type which is more durable in a long-term perspective.

About the fit: as always with such custom-like shape and design – fit should be no problem for the most of the people, especially concerning the amount and types of ear tips in the bundle and long output nozzles.

Sound quality:

Testing setup: Hidizs AP80 DAP + xDuoo Xd05Plus DAC/AMP + AIRELOT M5

Lows:

Deep bass presence is moderate, with excellent texturing. As always, even the most capable armature driver would be able to deliver such deep bass in comparison to good dynamic drivers but at the same time would be much better on clarity and precise contouring. Good crossover in scheme aids a lot to keep it balanced to other ranges while delivering very smooth and delicate sound. The main difference to dynamic rivals is the amount of details M5 disclosing to a listener, rather than exposing the lowest registers. Midbass is perfectly articulated, rich, tight and powerful. It doesn’t tend to excessive crispness or brightness. Not much of difference to dynamic drivers except for the volumetric feel. Slight elevation in this range is inevitable due to the nature of BA unit but not causing any problems since it maintains good warmth.

Mids:

Mids resolve lots of details, making this region the most exposed and detailed. Slightly standing out, with rich vocal reproduction and slight emotional appeal in overall. Male and female vocals sound totally natural, rich, detailed and linear while having the appropriate warmth. Both have almost similar presence with only very small emphasis on upper portion. Mids do feel kind of mellow, velvet and smooth — very good character for this range. Resolution on string instruments and vocals is impressive and what is the most important – not sounding harsh, not producing any piercing and not tending to lisping. Very linear feel with large amount of details.

Treble:

Excellent resolution on treble and slight accent on this range. Very accurate and delicate approach on tuning would not let it influence the entire sound picture much. No huge and evident coloration to overall tonality. M5 treble, is, again, more about the resolution and extension with decent presence rather than excessively bright and crisp delivery. Feels transparent, relatively soft and shining with reasonable sparkles. Still impressive with its clarity but acts in smooth and weighted manner.

Soundtage:

Soundstage is moderate. M5 IEMs are capable of showing significant distance from the center to instrument distributed on stage in both vertical and horizontal planes only with good sound source. As a result, scene feels wider and taller and instruments don�t tend to mix

Sound filters:

3 pairs of filters provided with M5 really do the job (not subtle) in terms of change in treble performance. For us it was really better to use any of those filters rather than not having it attached at all, whereas the difference between them is more subtle. Anyway, the mot favorite pair was “bass” to increase its presence and volume in sound.

Sound signature:

AIDERLOT M5 sound can be described as balanced, highly detailed, neutral, with no evident coloration to the overall tonality. All frequency ranges are gently delivered and carefully tuned. Universal IEMs that would be suitable for any music genre except those that require large amount of deep bass presence.

Compared to LZ HIFI A5:

LZ HIFI A5 being hybrid type of IEMs have its advantages and disadvantages over M5. Advantages are that there is a dynamic driver which brings more extension and presence of lower bass and more width to the stage. Although, the tuning of BA unit is not that great and treble sounds less delicate, introducing sibilance, lisping and harsh notes. Sound if A5 is much brighter and crispy.

Compared to SHOZY & NEO BG:

Quite similar IEMs with neutral sound and very adequate tuning. We would say that the main advantages of M5 over more famous brand IEMs are slightly better presence of lows, possibility of using different filters and rich bundle. BG wins over M5 for the stock cable (very thick and durable) and slightly softer and delicate treble (but it is subtle).

Conclusion:

Just repeating ourselves: first products of the new brands do often become a bargain due to more efforts involved and additional incentives end customer gets after all. AIDERLOT with M5 is not an exception – rich bundle, great materials, perfect crafting, accurate sound tuning with filters for the further experiments and high quality set of Knowles BA drivers in its core. Just absolutely nothing to complain about as a result of a newcomer stepping into this market. It is better to grab such product while the offer is still here and hope that this brand would follow similar high standards in future.

AIDERLOT M5 available for purchase at Amazon: LINK

NF Audio – IEM brand that we’ve been eager to try out for a long time but never had a chance… Shenzhen Ningfan Acoustics (NF Audio) has one of the most expensive IEM models (JD24) with 2 electrostatic tweeters + Knowles 4 BA combination and price tag of USD1,800. Electrostatic drivers are still rare among IEMs and we hope to review some models of this type soon. Besides that, NF Audio offers a wide selection of other models for different budgets and we would start our journey with this brand from NM2+ single dynamic driver IEMs (USD169).

As found in the description, NM2+ are revised version of initial NM2 monitor dynamic IEMs. It is now based on MC2L-1OII dual magnetic circuit, dual-cavity dynamic driver, built from different materials, still maintaining comfortable fit. Higher resolution and wider frequency response range are stated among improvements as well. Anyway, we have not tested the predecessor, therefore, taking all improvements for granted and would be examining NM2+ solely, not referring to its previous iteration.

NF Audio NM2+ specs:

• Driver: MC2L-1OII, dual cavity, dual magnetic circuit, polymer composite dynamic driver
• Frequency range: 9 – 40kHz
• Impedance: 18 ohm
• Sensitivity: 108 dB
• Distortion: ﹤1%
• Max SPL: 125 dB
• Passive noise cancelling: 25 dB
• Cable: 5N silver-plated OFC
• Cable connectors: 2pin 0.78mm
• Plug: 3.5mm + 6.35mm adapter
• Net weight: 300g

NF Audio NM2+ IEMs are available at Aoshida Audio store: LINK

Packaging and design:

NM2+ has a unique packaging with some interesting design findings and much of attention paid to details. Grey square-shaped outer cover of the box contains plenty of company information, large silver names and product picture.

Counterfeit protection sticker is present and located at on of the edges. The box itself maintains similar grey appearance with logo imprints and made foldable – consists of two equal parts that opens like a book, retained by several integrated magnets. Left part has the special podium for user manual and compartment for storage case.

On the right – round cutout holds soft IEM podium with compact disc shape with round ear tips holder and cable stored in the compartment underneath. Even the user manual has a special aluminum clip in its binding to slide it out from the compartment. Tips are stored in pairs according to different sizes and types (bass oriented, neutral). Quite interesting design and clever layout. Full list of accessories is as following:

• NM2+ IEMs
• audio cable with 3.5mm plastic cap
• 3 pairs of neutral ear tips
• 3 pairs of bass ear tips
• storage case
• 3.5mm -> 6.35mm adapter
• user manual

NM2+ IEMs shells consist of two aluminum parts. Top cover is precisely aligned with the base, no gap or sharp edges and also features logo cutouts. Main design element – another logo cutout with blue paint is located at front edge near the output nozzle.

Back edge of the base has one more CNC element of design – its model name. Output nozzles are a part of the bases and end up with aluminum filters. Both IEMs have corresponding channel indicators, transparent plastic 2-pin cable connectors and compensational openings.

Despite the chosen material, MN2+ are lightweight and relatively small (we would say mid-sized) IEMs. Output nozzles are reasonably long and in combination with small weight, custom-like shape and flexible ear guides on the cable NM2+ would provide very comfortable fit for the most of the people.

This model also impressed with its stock audio cable. Not only it’s elements are perfectly crafted but also it is thicker than usually included by the competitors in the similar price segment. Another good feature of this cable – it is hard to tangle, thanks to such type of braid.

In overall, NM2+ design and build quality are close to perfect. Lots of elements, excellent crafting, precise alignment, natural shape, comfortable fit. We would prefer other more attractive colors to be available, but it’s definitely not a complain.

Sound quality:

Testing setup: Hidizs AP80 -> xDuoo XD05 Plus -> NF Audio NM2+

Lows:

First of all, NM2+ are definitely not bass-ordiented IEMs. This range doesn’t have any accent and feels linear with mids while both hang behind the treble. Some additional gain by EQ, MSEB or Bass Boost in our case (xDuoo XD05 Plus) would be necessary if you are a bass head. We personally prefer this type of sound more than having to get rid of extra influence of lows on other ranges. Besides, lows are evident, texturized and contoured in high quality tracks which exposure and presence is being perceived more as balanced, monitor-like sound rather than inadequate exposure. Not that we always like such linear performance but at least it gives you a good base for further tuning whenever needed. Mid bass is totally different story – dynamics, power, speed and articulation are all decent.

Mids:

NM2+ mids get the additional resolution, especially in the upper range. The nature of this resolution is virtual since single dynamic driver is not aided by any additional HF elements and this is the result of gain tuning. Excellent experience on bow and string instruments that show the most amount of micro details and great emotionality of female vocals. Surprisingly, male vocals and lower portion of instruments have managed to maintain adequate thickness and warmth despite the tendency towards emotional appeal. Although, NM2+ are susceptible to whistles and hisses due to its tuning with low quality tracks or cold audio sources. For example, for us, personally, old records (from 1960-70yy) were sounding much worse than most of the tracks from 90s and later. At the same time AP80 DAP own output was significantly worse than xDuoo XD05 Plus DAC/amp with its warmer and more developed sound. But in overall, feeding only high quality records, NM2+ are highly resolving, quite emotional and adequately thick on mids.

Treble:

Of course, with this type of tuning and capable driver unit NM2+ goes all the way up to become one of the best treble performing single dynamic IEMs. Clean, clear and transparent sound with evident accent, great extension and bright overall sound picture. Dynamic IEMs with such performance are quite rare, we can only point out several examples for past 4 years – Kanas Pro, Oxygen and SSP (although, SSPs are less delicate on treble). Here (together with tight and juicy mid bass) you get the full notion of modern fast moving lightweight diaphragm which is used in NM2+ structure.

Soundstage:

One of the most valuable virtues of NM2+ sound is the size of the virtual stage it builds, especially in width. Stereo panorama is very wide, perhaps the largest one that we’ve experienced with IEMs so far. Of course, partially it is a result of high-quality DAC/amp in or setup but even with the simple AP80 SE output NM2+ shows very good stage.

Sound summary:

If to summarize sound of NM2+, we would say that it has colder tonality which further gives the effect of high resolution on upper mids and treble. Treble is accented, clean and crisp while mids and lows are in good balance and retaining good thickness and texturing. Altogether this creates emotional and transparent sound with wide stage and plenty of details. Monitor-like performance on the lower half of the FR range is mostly achieved by the conservative presence of bass portion. Again, NM2+ are definitely track quality / source quality-hungry IEMs and best to be paired with some warmer sources.

Compared to Moondrop Kanas Pro:

Moondrop Kanas Pro also based in single dynamic driver but the tuning is quite different. It is evidently more V-shaped, with much accent added to lower end. Mids are slightly recessed. Soundstage is smaller and fit is not that perfect as with NM2+. But in overall, both models deserve good scores, just the preference in sound should be different. NM2+ more linear while Kanas Pro are obviously V-shaped. Perhaps, NM2+ are even closer to Tanchjim Oxygen but lacking some delicacy and transparency.

Compared to TFZ Secret Garden HD:

Quite similar IEMs in terms of performance on treble and mids, whereas Secret Garden HD have more gain on lows and more suitable for bass heads. Soundstage is not that wide, treble starts to show some minor artifacts at higher volume. Again, both models are close in the resulting sound and most of the difference lies in the amount of bass they produce.

Conclusion:

Our first encounter with NF Audio brand and NM2+ model as its representative went totally positive. “Monitor” label among the declared features is reasonable with the concern of its performance on lows and mids. However, treble portion, despite all of its virtues, is slightly out of this definition. It brings more juice and emotions than mostly inherent for monitor-like delivery. On the other hand, neither we treat it negative, since NM2+ IEMs are nowhere near being dry or anemic. Most of applause go towards its stellar mid bass and treble performance while mids and lows deserve good scores for its accuracy, texturing and resolution. Not less important is the wide soundstage NM2+ are capable of. Definitely a strong contender among single dynamic driver IEMs to play within its price segment and market niche.

NF Audio NM2+ IEMs are available at Aoshida Audio store: LINK

Never had a chance to play with product from TIN HIFI brand before. We’ve seen a lot of positive feedback about various IEMs of this brand on Facebook pages, in posts or comments which have raised our expectations preliminary to the arrival of the today’s topic sample. It is always kind of tricky that the information coming from net builds our perception of a product that we have never seen or touched in a real life. Sometimes such expectations crashing against the wall of reality and sometimes become a proof that masses don’t lie. Anyway, today we would either prove or object that TIN HIFI – quite young but already popular brand – is worth of our attention.

Just a note about the company: yes, TIN HIFI is from China (Zhongshan Dongting Electronics Technology Co. Ltd.) and as declared at official website this company was long involved into OEM/ODM manufacturing of HiFi products before they’ve started own brand in 2017. Product portfolio consist of 9 IEMs and what is the most interesting – couple of those are planar driver-based models with very competitive pricing. Hope that we would grab one of those somewhere in the near future as such offers and technology in IEMs are still rare on the market. But we would review the cheapest of their single beryllium dynamic driver models today – T1 Plus.

T1 Plus specs:

• Driver: 10mm beryllium diaphragm
• Sensitivity: 105dB/mW
• Impedance: 32ohms
• Frequency response: 10Hz – 20kHz
• Jack: 3.5mm
• Cable: 1.2m±3cm, silver-plated, detachable,
• Cable connectors: 2pin/0.78mm
• Weight: 6g (without cable）

Packaging and design:

TIN HIFI T1 Plus IEMs come in relatively small square-shaped white box free of any elements except brand and product name printed at the front and company information – at the back.

Inner box space is split into three compartments: soft insert holding IEMs, audio cable beneath it and separate box for the accessories. Entire set consists of T1 Plus IEMs, 6 pairs of silicone ear tips and audio cable.

IEM shells consist of two parts – base and top plate. The latter can have different color paint which is actually filled from inside, leaving the facing side glossy and the paint protected from scratches.

Base part is totally transparent with all of the construction exposed to the owner. Shell material is not disclosed by the manufacturer but seems to be some kind of mix of plastic and resin. Couple of compensational openings per channel on the base and barely visible brand and model name imprints on the edges.

Sound output nozzles are molded as a part of a shell while protected with very thin nylon sound filter. Very good and durable cable connectors – both protrude from shells to eliminate bending.

On the other hand – such design of cable connectors is not universal and the choice of the spare cables with the best fit would be limited to few.

Stock cable seems to be pretty nice – aluminum elements with gold-plated 3.5mm TRS plug, transparent resin 2pin connector housings, in-built ear guides and channel indicators. It is formed by 28-core 0.05mm silver-plated copper wire.

T1 Plus fit should be good for most of the people due to the combination of quite long nozzles, light weight, ear guides on the cable and small/thin natural profile. 4 people tried and have not faced any issues which makes us believe in T1 Plus versality.

In overall, we like how T1 Plus IEMs are designed and made. Transparent units always caught our attention showing the accuracy of manufacturing and assembling processes. You can even see tiny cables and soldering points from 2pin connectors to dynamic driver unit – everything looks very neat.

Sound quality:

Our testing equipment: Hidizs AP80 DAP + xDuoo XD05 Plus DAC/AMP

Lows:

Seems to be the most accented range in T1 Plus with all consequences it makes further on the sound. Bass is deep, extension is impressive. It is neither too fast or too slow and doesn’t sound detached from the whole sound picture. Although, the resolution and texturing might have been better. Sometimes lows are kind of diffused and might bleed and overshadow mids. The influence of lows on the overall tonality results into fairly warm and dark sound, rich of bass and thickness on mids.  

Midbass is decent — powerful and full-bodied. Great articulation and dynamics, drums do sound engaging. Warmth and thickness of lows result in interesting emphasis on volumetric parameters of soundstage.

Mids:

Instruments and voices in mids sound natural and rich. Appealing thick sound of tube-powered electric guitars rich with different harmonics that make those IEMs a good choice for rock, blues and other similar genres. Male vocals sound slightly more distant while upper mids are more elevated. Female vocals never sound harsh and don’t show any unwanted hisses. Mids are in fairly good balance with lows, enriched by its influence (thickness of notes) but sometimes struggle to stand out and loose the lead. This effect is not too harsh though and mids still make very good impression of warm and velvet timbre.

Treble:

T1 Plus treble range is slightly more powerful than mids, definitely leading in gain and somewhere close to the power of lows. Such slight V-shaped tuning helps T1 Plus sound to have enough air and transparency while not falling into very dark signature. Elevation is very reasonable, treble portion is clear and accurate but not excessive. Extension and resolution are moderate with the most of the potential revealed in music genres saturated with string or bow instruments. Although, treble might sound a bit indistinct and soft when it comes to bass-oriented tracks.

Soundstage:

Some controversial results here. Binaural recordings that are intended to create additional scene depth and width show moderate effect and distance with T1 Plus IEMs. Whereas some regular recordings sound more expanded to sides and show good instrument separation and larger stage.

Sound in overall:

We would say that TIN HIFI T1 Plus are closer to warm or dark signature IEMs with well-developed and accented lows that result in thick and vintage sound on mids. Midbass is decent, while treble might feel a bit soft. In overall, such IEMs are very good for slow vintage music and would suffer from feeding something from modern electronic genres. Also best to be used with high quality neutral or cold sources.

Compared to Hidizs Seeds:

Hidizs has lowered the price for Seeds down to $30 (from 70) which makes those one of the best IEMs in class. Seeds are more transparent and have much more developed treble range despite being based on single dynamic driver as well. Seeds sound more airy, precise and balanced but they are not so good in terms of fit and also don’t feature detachable audio cable.

Compared to Tanchjim Cora:

Core is another representative of single dynamic driver IEMs with bright and transparent sound with very good treble reproduction. Cora also wins over T1 Plus in this but lacks in terms of bass extension and midbass power. But the worst about Cora is very individual fit and non-detachable audio cable

Conclusion:

Budget IEMs with in $30 price range is kind of rare testing equipment for us. During this particular test we have came up with two main conclusions: even such low-priced IEMs as TIN HIFI T1 Plus might outperform more expensive models in some aspects of the sound and that T1 Plus is definitely providing one of the best price to performance ratio in its class. We did not expect such decent build quality in this budget, universal fit, detachable cable feature and what is the most important – sound that is almost on par with certain more expensive models. We are talking mostly about the performance of lows and midbass as well as about its pleasing influence on mids. Nowadays, T1 Plus warm signature with thick sound is encountered much less often than bright and cold V-shaped tuning. Interesting is that among all dark single dynamic driver IEMs T1Plus do sound the most engaging so far, despite being on a budget. Not saying the best since some lack of texturing and extension is evident, but definitely the most interesting – when the dark signature is obvious but the treble is still very adequate. Like!

TIN HIFI T1 Plus available at HiFiGO official store: LINK

Kinera DB005 Pro is not our first encounter with IEMs of this brand. Couple of years ago we were reviewing Seed and Idun models that have scored high in our ranking, although not without some nuances. Since than Kinera has released a number of IEMs, mostly hybrid type, but as we have noticed – done it selectively, less than a dozen, whereas each of the models was thoroughly tested prior to launch and given enough time to settle on the market afterwards. This can be seen from the posts by official Kinera Facebook page – how product information appear prior to the beginning of sales, than it launches and Kinera starts to collect customer feedback in direct and indirect communication and finally followed by the next product according to the current market expectations. The point is that, in contrary to some brands that stamp millions of IEMs, Kinera takes time to come up with another product and also takes user feedback and expectations into account.

BD005 Pro is not new to the market either. Its roots go back to 2017 when initial BD005 IEMs were released and became popular mostly in Asian region. Predecessor was also based on a combination of single DD and BA drivers but was less versatile by its fit. Pro version utilizes much more comfortable shape, retains the structure and replaces older model on sales.

Kinera BD005 Pro specs:

• Dynamic driver: 9.2mm beryllium diaphragm
• Balanced armature driver: 30095 series
• Sensitivity: 108±2dB
• Impedance: 26Ω
• Frequency response: 20Hz-20kHz
• Jack: 3.5mm
• Cable connectors: 2pin,0.78mm
• Cable: 4-wires with mic and inline remote
• Cable length: 1.2m

Packaging and design:

Kinera BD005 Pro comes in small pentagon-shaped box which is common across most of Kinera IEMs. Box is pretty small but carries all necessary information – product picture and specifications, brand name and logos, company information and even AFR graph. Box also shows all available color options and clearly states which one is inside.

Inner box compartment is occupied by special foam insert that holds storage case at place. IEMs and its accessories are all located inside this case. Good way to protect all items during transportation and save some space and cost on logistics.

The full set is as following:

• Kinera BD005 Pro IEMs
• Audio cable
• 3 pairs of silicone ear tips
• storage case
• warranty and manual papers

IEM shells look to be made of plastic with resin coating over it that adds a lot to overall look and soft compound feel. Beautiful top cover with Kinera name and particles in gold has also been covered with a layer of resin which would ensure the protection from scratches.

Despite that there is a cover and thanks to such coating – BD005 Pro construction feels unibody and rigid. Shells are semi-transaprent but with our color option (Murky Blue) we can barely see the insides.

Large compensational openings are located on the back edges and additionally protected by aluminum grills. 2pin connector bases are slightly recessed into the shells to add some anti-bending protection. Sound output nozzles are made of aluminum and covered with aluminum filters.

Stock cable has 3.5mm TRRS jack since it is also equipped with mic and one control button. Such cable is good for the everyday use with a smartphone but doesn’t seems to be a proper option when we talk about maximum sound quality and good source equipment. It is better to be replaced with 3.5mm high-quality cable or some balanced options. Although, since BD005 Pro are inexpensive IEMs – looks like Kinera positions it for everyday activities and general user, rather than audiophile listening…

Fit: excellent. We consider such “custom”-like shape to be the best and most universal among all mass production IEMs. DB005 Pro would be comfortable for most of the people and during different activities.

Sound quality:

Tested with: Hidizs AP80 DAP -> xDuoo XD05 Plus DAC/AMP

Lows:

Kinera BD005 Pro dynamic unit is capable of delivering deep bass and punchy midbass with good extension and more than average texturing on of lower end. Bass presence is full and well-contoured but the amount is not astonishing or excessive. Lows can go as deep to make you feel it instead of hearing in bass rich tracks. But we still wouldn’t call DB005 Pro as IEMs for “bassheads” – it is more about extension and slight accentuation rather than huge amount. Midbass in its turn is rich and punchy, recreates drums with excellent expression and articulation. Good overall speed and control and doesn’t sound too bright or harsh.

Mids:

Lower mids are a bit recessed whereas upper mids are slightly accented. Male vocals would sometimes sound thin and distant. Female vocals are brought to front, sound very natural, transparent and emotional. Resolution on mids is decent, amount of details is high. The tonality is on the brighter side as a result of BA unit influence at upper mids range. The result is lively and detailed performance but a bit prone to lisping on female vocals, consequently. Bright instruments would also have this effect, compensated by good level of separation and high clarity of each sound.

Treble:

DB005 Pro treble is sparky and accented. Full of micro details and articulation with airy and transparent feel to it which forms the bright essence of the tonality. It might become too much at highest volume but stays balanced by other ranges at normal or lower levels. This is probably why warm sources would be more suitable — amount and extension would stay high while the excess of brightness would be eliminated by the source. Anyway, BD005 Pro treble is decent and not so overly emphasized as in some other hybrid models.

Soundstage:

Special demo recordings with precise instrument locations show moderate distance from the center. Stage feels neither too tight, nor too wide. Slower music genres sound good, leaving enough space for each instrument. No revelations here – just a moderate performer.

Sound in overall:

Kinera BD005 Pro sound can be described as V-shaped, tend to brighter and colder side of the tonality, with extended and detailed lower and higher ends, powerful midbass and slightly recessed but emotional mids. Stage size os moderate. Suitable for most of the genres but best to be used with some warmer sources.

Compared to Moondrop SSP:

SSP and DB005 Pro are similarly V-shaped IEMs but the nature of sound derives from the structure… SSPs are dynamic driver-based and adds more body to mids but lack in treble clarity and extension. DB005 Pro, on its turn, handles treble much more delicately, adding much more details but might feel too emotional on mids.

Compared to Kinera Seed:

Seed by Kinera feel much more neutral in signature with no obvious accents or peaks. It is even hard to tell that Seed IEMs are based on BA + DD units. Feels more like linear and less appealing sound of single DD driver or pure BA drivers tuned for monitor use. Consequently, the perception of sharpness, amount of details and textures is also less impressive.

Conclusion:

Kinera BD005 Pro joins very limited squad of inexpensive V-shaped hybrid IEMs with engaging, fatigue-free sound as a result of accurate tuning during conscious development process. The fact that BD005 Pro is a successor to a popular initial model also helped a lot to achieve the maturity and round all edges. Sound is engaging, detailed and bright with all possible disturbing outcomes brought to the minimum. Gorgeous look, decent build quality and nearly perfect shape also add to BD005 Pro overall high score among the competitors. We highly recommend this model for BA signature fans and for those with warm HiRes audio sources who search for the extra clarity and expression on a budget.

Kinera BD005 Pro available at HiFiGO store: LINK