Binary Acoustics 1900, my humble review.
Binary Acoustics 1900 review. A 235$ hybrid.
Disclaimer: This iem was provided for review by good folks over at HiFiGo, yet just as always my thoughts and opinions are of my own. I value honesty and if I like something I’ll be positive about it and if not, then I simply won’t 
My music library consists mainly of vocal based songs, classic rock, pop from the 70’s 90’s, a bit of metal, acoustic, singer songwriter you name it. Bands like Scorpions, Dire Straits, Manowar, FFDP and many many more.
Binary Acoustics is a no stranger to making great iems, how did they fare this time? Well I’d like to invite you to go through a small journey and find out for yourself!
The iems come in a mysterious looking black box with a frequency graph shown to us on the back side. Inside upon sliding the main box out of the printed cardboard sleeve we are greeted with iems themselves, a box of tips ( many tips of the same type) a cable with either 3.5 mm or 4.4mm, a protective case and an instruction.
Speaking about that cable, I think it’s a missed opportunity here. I personally believe that iems in this price range should all come with a modular cable design. The connectors are also tailored towards iems with recessed inserts, and the 1900 has none, those little things do matter in the end and would point towards smart and purposeful solutions. I’d also prefer it to come either in black or grey sleeve to match the overall aesthetic. I’m an artist/illustrator myself,It matters to me okay? 
Alright let us talk about the design of these iems I find awesome! It’s an industrial look with an artsy faceplate that reminds me of the Mayan/Aztec era. The faceplate is made out of flat metal plate with the awesome patterns and a dark resin body that will be facing your ear.
The fit and comfort are great, the iem is ergonomic and sits nicely within your ear canal. the nozzles are on the smaller side despite housing multiple drivers. as this ladies and gentlemen is a hybrid that consists of 1Dynamic Driver for the low end 4Balanced Armatures for mids and highs and a passive radiator that Binary Acoustics keep implementing in their iems. Unfortunately these seem not branded Knowles or Sonion, but ultimately it’s sound that matters most.
So how does it sound you may ask?
This is a detail oriented set with well extended airy treble.Punchy yet well controlled and fast bass that hits fast, strikes deep and is of faster decay nature.
I’d say that it’s a slightly bright leaning dynamic presentation. That sounds very clean, precise and has good dynamics thanks to its punchy bass and overall contrasty yet polished sound.
Binary tuned it in a way that walks that very fine line of being very detailed and extended without sounding overly sharp nor sibilant ( of course poorly mastered tracks will give you just that, it won’t smooth anything over ).
For that reason I used tips that emphasise balance or tame the highs a bit, Penon LS were chosen. They are the perfect balance and ultimate comfort to me.
This iem grabs your attention with an engaging sound presentation that will allow you to catch fine details and nuances in your music. Chatter of the crowd on live performances, gentle guitar plucks, rings and bells in the background, that sort of company.
Vocals are positioned a bit closer to the listener and don’t feel shouty, they are rendered with texture and intricacies. I feel like 1900 favours female and higher pitched vocals more over the grunty low toned male ones. The former sounds sweet and very detailed, while the latter sounds good but a bit more dry than I’d like.
Hooverphonic - Mad About You ( Live at Koningin Elisabethzaal ) is a perfect example of what this iem does well. Great atmosphere, with wonderful vocals and live orchestra performance.
Mark Knopfler - Sailing to Philadelphia This song has an amazing bassline that is a staple for Knopfler and Dire Straits. The vocals here sound good but are pitched just slightly higher than I’m used to.
Through the Fire and Flames by Dragonforce- This iem does not get lost on busy passages and keeps everything separated well enough. Albeit this track is mastered slightly thin and bright and that’s how you’re going to hear it here as well.
Treble is once again very airy, well extended and micro details are rendered very well. That being said this may be a double edged sword. I listen to a lot of older music, and the masters back in the 70’s were being prepared for vintage gear, tube amps and celulose dome speakers. That means they feel sometimes overly dry on modern equipment. Overdose of details on sets like this can sometimes distract from simply enjoying your music and force you to focus on every tiny bit there is in a given track.
This leads us to recommendations and who is this iem for?
If you like air, and detail with a bass that does accompany well but is not overbearing. If you like brighter leaning tunings, if you like engagement, this iem is for you.
If you’re after warm, relaxed tunings to chill out or focus during a long work day or night, this is not an iem for you. I’d rather point you towards the Aful Explorer.
VS Ziigaat Odyssey 2
This is a direct competition with similar price, build and driver count. Odyssey uses 3 branded Knowles drivers. It is overall a smoother, safer tuning. with slightly more spacious sound and a bit more distant vocals thanks to that slower pinna gain rise.
Odysse 2 is truly a jack of all trades and master of none, well maybe the universal use case. It plays everything well and just works. That said I find it somewhat boring at times. It simply lacks character due to playing it safe. I prefer The OG Odyssey for it’s character, bite and more mid bass presence. Binary 1900 is more comfortable long term as well. Odyssey 2 starts to irritate my ear a bit after an hour or two.
I sometimes exhibit slight pressure buildup as well. None of that happens on 1900.
VS Letshuoer Cadenza 4
Cadenza 4 also features 3 brander armatures, this time from both Knowles and Sonion. And just like the other two uses a single DD for bass. If you look at the graph, you’ll immediately be struck by the similarities. They graph very much alike.
1900 has slightly more elevated bass starting from the low mids of 200 Hz.
They also reduced the 2,5 kHz region to lower the occasional shout of Cad 4 and the 5-6kHz region is scooped more, while offering more extension past 12kHz.
Cadenza is still superior when it comes to comfort, its semi custom shell and light weight made for one of the most comfortable classic shaped iems I ever tried.
Despite having less bass, I feel like Cad 4’s dynamic driver was producing a slightly more fun and elastic bass. But I appreciate the lowered “ shout “ region and slightly more extended treble of the 1900. If you have the Cad 4, there’s no point of switching to 1900 though, they feel similar enough that slight EQ will solve it for you.
You can purchase this iem here directly: Binary 1900 HiFiGo Binary 1900 Amazon.com
Last but not least, I let my fren’ use them for couple of days and form his own opinions. He likes bright tunings:
My ears shape seems specific, with some sets like 7Hz Zero or Kefine Delci not really fitting and having trouble with a good seal, others being unable to get any depth and another, like the Dunu BD3000 standing out weirdly. I had no such problems with 1900 - it sits comfortably, flat in the ear and is pretty small for the amount of drivers put inside.
I’m a weird kind that both loves high note extension and listening loudly. Treble seems to be stinging a tiny bit when instruments like electric guitar are close(IE: While my guitar gently weeps, the Beatles) but I’d say it’s far from unbearable, way better than aforementioned Dunu Braindance.
Vocals sound natural - way better than typical Harman target, there is a depth to them and they don’t feel mudded.
I really like the subbass boost, it seems like a smart thing to do in an iem - boosts the enjoyment while usually not interfering in different tones - it feels fuller than Nova or Galileo.
Due to the extended air section soundstage seems really good, particularly in David Bowie’s poetry(The man who sold the world, Space Oddity) or live recording(Nirvana - The Man Who Sold The World - I could finally pinpoint where person yelling in first half of the song were standing). Separation is fine for the price - I’ve seen better in cheaper sets, but it’s better than for example similarly priced, more Harman-faithful Truthear Nova. Sometimes multiple voices or instruments blend a little but it isn’t really noticeable while normally listening
Overall presentation seem pleasantly neutral with slight boosts at highest and lowest parts of the scale - you might want to have some treble resistance for enjoying them but otherwise it’s a really satisfying set with great build.”