Some fine tunes there sir…
1 Like
Fiio FH5S - Fiio Fail Great Idea horrible implementation.
I have had the IEM for quite a while. I purchased it previously ( I was going to say enjoyed but I don’t think that happened either ) used.
While you can pick this up for under $200 now. Don’t.
I decided to take some time and review the Fiio FH5s as I have one more IEM with tuning switches that I like quite a lot The Yanyin Canon.
I will be getting 2 more in the next week here so I thought in order to prepare for the Joyodio Shine and TRI StormRiver I would get this one out of the way and have a bit of a shoot-out at the end to compare the 4 IEM’s with tuning switches.
I HATE TUNING SWITCHES AS A REVIEWER THEY ARE EVIL!
Pros:
- Build Quality and shell design is beautiful
- Quality MMCX is a pleasure to use
- Switches do change the sound signature
Cons:
- Switches so change the sound signature in some good ways and bad
- Short Nozzles were hard to find good seal with the right tips
- Mid Switch “On” reduces the mids.; Kind of opposite of the other too switches but makes sense if you know what it does or what I think it dose.
Now let’s get into it: The Techy Stuff
This IEM uses two Dynamic Drivers both are Beryllium Coated.
The Bass driver is a 12mm rather large in the IEM world and the mids. use a 6mm
The highs and to a lesser extent uses the 2x 30017 Knowles Balanced Armature drivers.
Semi-Open back design for a better stage - Keep reading to see if this was accomplished. SPOILER NOPE! - But it looks cool so there is that.
More information can be found here and non-affiliated link: 2 Balanced Armatures 2 Dynamic Drivers In-Ear Monitors FH5S/FH5S PRO
Subjective Part of my Audio Review -
Hello Ladies & Gents: Thanks for reading my feedback.
I share my impressions as I hear them with my ears.
As all our ears are different shapes & size so what I hear as bright or bass heavy -you might hear as dull and Vise-Versa; just something to be mindful of.
What makes my ears happy as a sound signature is a slightly more aggressive L shape. I love my Bass Sub and Mid Bass love it all actually; and in large quantity. With the Bass, I prefer a faster decay the faster the better so as to not bleed into the mids., I am treble sensitive and prefer a slightly darker warmer replay with good treble extension.
I prefer the fast speedy bass of the Beryllium Coated Driver of my Xenns Mangird UP as my IEM reference and my desktop Adam Audio studio monitors. My Car sounds amazing with all Focal Drivers & MacIntosh amps and I can play with my DSP to figure out what makes me happy across the frequency spectrum.
My music Library is widely varied from; Metallica, Great White, Cowboy Junkies, Pink Floyd, Adelle, Melisa Ethridge, Fleetwood Mac, Five for Fighting, Manskin, Poncho Sanchez, Jimmy Smith, Chopin, The Crystal Method just to name a few. When not listening to my test tracks the majority is Jazz or Alternative Rock especially Female Rock. Lorde, Halsey, Alanis Morrisette, Evanescence. All depends on my mood.
Sources: E1DA SG3, Shanling UP5, Geshelli JNOG J2 with AKM4493 chip. Truthear SHIO (Dual Cirrus Logic 43198 DAC Chips)
DAP/TRASPORT: From Lenovo Laptop with Tidal, iBasso DX160 (Dual Cirrus Logic 43198 Dac Chips), Samsung S22 Ultra with DSD Files.
Amps: LoxjiP20 & XDUOO MT-604 tube hybrid amps and Topping A90D Amp 4.4 Pentagon Balanced Out - Unless stated
My Format has changed with community feedback. So now I will list the music tracks I used & why with my musical impressions of the playback using that track. I hope this will give you some context for my library and give you some contexts to compare using the same tracks.
(26 Tracks 2:03:03)
Let’s Begin: I normally write my comments on each song but because of the tuning switches 2:03:03 turned into 5+ hours and a pattern became self-evident and so I will just summarize my impression in the summary below. To give you a idea of the sound pattern after listening to this entire playlist 2:03:03 long 3 THREE TIMES with each switch Bass, Mids., Treble in the on position to get my sound impressions. 6HRS + that I will never get back!
Notes I transcribed from what I wrote on my notepad during my time with the FH5s on the first 10 tracks and the other 16 sounds like a broken record.
#1 “Beautiful Blue” by Holly McNarland
(I love Holly’s vocals should be crips clear vocals with the right edge to here vocals)
- Nice vocals on Holly (110) too thick on (100) on (100) was more natural sounding but still not right
#2 “Give Me One Reason” Tracy Chapman
(I love her voice and the way it is recorded listen for the strums on the guitar - I have seen Ms. Chapman live a few times; so In my mind, I try and remember how she sounds like 5ft from me as I was blessed to experience)
- See notes above - that’s what I wrote LOL
#3 “Paint It Black” by The Rolling Stones
(I use this track because I love hearing how well the IEM can give me a sense of stage and placement. At 28 Seconds you can hear Mic change his position and face towards the Mic on the left side with the overall stage outside of your head)
- Better male vocal on (100)
#4 “Rock Me” by Great White
(80’S Baby, Double Kick drums at the beginning of the first track I am listening to how fast it hits how solid is the bass and what’s the decay like. An ideal replay here would be fast, powerful bass with nice note weight to feel it in your chest so to speak if you were at a concert.) ( With “Rock Me” same thing but I am listening for the bass guitar drops on this track it should be quite low)
Lacked deep sub exertion and was just missing something
#5 “Wheat Kings - Remastered” by The Tragically Hip
(Sense of stage and Male vocals)
Whoa with (101) Not in a good way take my face off.
#6 “Chemical Mentalist” The Crystal Method
(Bass, more bass fast and lots of it - How does it do end of the story - Huge Smile or poo emoji?)
NOPE has bass but somehow no excitement drivers all sound veiled?
#7 “Its Time” by Labrinth, Sia, Diplo
(3 very different singers and their voices come together. I use this because it’s a cool track and at higher volumes lesser IEM’s get sibilant.)
Not bad on (100) - on second listen (110) not sure if that’s better something off
#8 “All My Friends Are Here” Joe Satriani
(In this track you can hear Joe playing dead Center with the busy and very separated L & R licks added in and then he brings you back to center with some crazy and very hard-to-play Descending A Major rifts! As Joe described this song as “A rock guitarist trying to control a wild beast”
FAIL guitars sound like Ukulele aghhhh
#9 “The Antidote Is In The Poison” GoGo Penguin
(Modern Jazz at its best. Powerful, Dynamic track full of emotion and snappy bass. Fantastic track to listen to how well Micro Dynamics are conveyed and get a good sense of the IEM’s ability to convey that to the listener.)
Ok on (110 ) but lacks dynamics and sounds veiled not a great listen
#10 “Angel” by Massive Attack
(Say it with me - massive textured bass drops )
Has Sub bass on (110) but not correct still x-overs and drivers messed up.
#11 “Bring Me Some Water” by Melissa Ethridge
(I like this track to hear Melissa’s voice and see if the transducers (speakers) reproduce her voice to how edgy I think it should be.)
#12 “A Whiter Shade Of Pale” Annie Lennox
(A Bach-inspired Hammond Organ M102, I seriously love it and its unique sound with Annie’s voice this is so cool)
#13 " So Cold " Holly McNarland
( Vocals on this track are further back in the track and L & R upfront good track for testing depth of stage and vocals - Sub Bass at the very beginning has a nice drop.)
#14 “Shape Of My Heart” Sting
(in this track I am listening to the sound of the guitar pulls and slides. How well does the IEM give an emotional presentation of the mix between the vocals and the bass.
#15 “Wishing You Would Stay” by The Tea Party with Holly McNarland
(Love this track. With this song and this band, it was the first time having a guest vocalist. Holly McNarland has a great voice and I have seen her live a few times front and center getting sweat on. Listening for Holly’s voice being forward in the mix and not sibilant.)
#16 “Avenue A” Tom Cochrane and Red Rider Live from the Symphony Sessions
(This track with more resolving IEM’S you can hear the guitar pulls and slides with a sense of open spaciousness and grandeur)
#17 “Eden” Hania Rani
( The way Hania has recorded this track with the mics on the strings in the body of the piano is incredibly unique and such a unique presentation you can hear the string’s tension at the beginning, Bass kicks in at 1:40 and goes low that’s what I am listening for )
#18 “Summertime” Louis Armstrong & Ella Fitzgerald
( This Track has both legendary artists Simply listening to Louis and Ella’s voices and of course, the Piano and trumpets how accurate and lifelike )
#19 “Blue Train” Poncho Sanchez
( Trumpets here are silky or should sound that way with good timbre, overall mix how does it present, and of course Poncho’s drums )
#20 “ My Girl “ Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
(Listening for instrument placement and stage and this track gives a good sense of dynamics and excitement with lots of dynamics in the mix)
#21 “Iconic” by Alanis Morrissette
(More edgy female vocals to give you the chills)
#22 “The Day That Never Comes” Metallica - Live with the SFO from S&M2
(Big open stage good depth of stage excellent recording with a excellent orchestral opening)
#23 “Tricycle” by Flim & BB’s
(Turn this one up and wait till 0:28 seconds- Have Fun Dynamics test)
#24 “Thriller” by Michael Jackson
(Great song to listen for stage and imaging)
#25 “Team” by Lorde
(Female vocals if your lover of those this is a great track)
#26 “ Wake Up “ Oliver Mtukudzi
(Oliver Mtukudzi is an African Musician and prolific guitarist and Vocalist. He sings with a mix of South African styles sometimes in English sometimes mixed like in this track and includes the traditional drumming styles of the Korekore. TUKU MUSIC at its finest – Listening for vocals, bass lines, and clarity – and because it is just fun! Right at the beginning you have some very cool snaps and instrumental)
SUMMARY & FINAL THOUGHTS FOR: Fiio FH5s
Fiio messed up this one. I could not find a happy place with any of the 8 Tuning options none of them resonated with me.
I guess the idea was the create a tunable IEM that you could hone with the switches and that’s were Fiio failed.
The overall systemic problem resides in the overall tuning of the crossover points and the overlap of frequencies each driver is responsible for.
I suspect since the 6mm Berry driver is responsible for in this case or what I can hear 100hz to 3kish I don’t honestly know exactly and herein lies the problem.
It sounds like Fiio crossed over the 12mm Driver too fast and should have let it play a bit higher giving the FH5s a bit more note weight, because it sounds like they let the 6mm play lower to get a faster speed out of the replay in the overall tuning.
That’s actually sounds ideal except the mid switch reduces the “Mid’s” but what in reality it does by tuning this switch on is increasing the overall driver resistance and lowering the overall volume of the 6mm driver. Now since this driver is responsible for lower mid-bass frequencies as well as upper mids. when you hit the switch the mid-bass is sorely lacking and the vocal presence for female vocals suffer a lot as the BA’s don’t seem to be crossed over low enough either to fill in the gap.
The 12mm bass driver should have been utilized more and the 6mm less. The 12mm should be playing 400 hz and below and the 6mm 400 to 3k, with the BA playing 3K and up. All with a gentle x-over slope of like 6db/Octave. ( A gentle slope lets the drivers bleed higher and lower from the x-over frequency. With X-over component you normally see 6/12/18/24 db. per octave slopes the higher the value the faster the cut off at the tuning frequency.)
I think Fiio used excellent drivers. But and a large one here- But Bottom line Fiio messed Up a mix of great drivers with the wrong implementation and tuning.
On setting 100 (Bass Boosted, Mids. not muted, Treble not boosted) This setting kills the stage , micro and macro dynamics suffer and female vocals sound a tad too thick.
On setting 110 (Bass Boosted, Mids. 6mm driver gets snipped in volume output, Treble Not Boosted) This setting caused much better female vocals but bass guitar and male vocals sound too thin. Not enough snap and weight on the bottom end of the frequencies.
On setting 101 exactly how you suspect Bass boosted , Treble Boosted brough back some of the air and female vocals but not enough and makes the BA’s have a certain metallic timbre that gets much more noticeable.
Bottom line is there is no good combination, either the weighted lower bass suffers or is lacking and or and or and or, just too many compromises and the incoherency between the three different drivers is the worst mix that I ever heard, solely caused by poor tuning.
Stage also suffers same as the rest following the same pattern from great width and air to very intimate and undynamic and boring.
A further note of the FH5s’s stage is it has great width but lacking any depth or height.
The tunings switches while versatile to change the overall tuning, compromise everything else and at no point with any setting was there a time through any of the test tracks that left me wishing for more or less of something. It was hard to just enjoy the music.
Final thoughts, Warmer sources helped with 110 to add back in some weight but not enough. More analytical dacs didn’t add enough air and sparkle to 100 to give it a better stage and vocal presence.
I just could not come up with a pairing with all the gear I have to be able to bring out the best in the Fiio FH5s.
Thanks so much, Cheers from the Tone Deaf Monk.
6 Likes
Aroma Audio Thunder
“Split Personalities”
Single DD - Aroma in house custom, size not specified.
10 BA - 1 Low, 4 Low/Mid, 4 Mid/High,
1 Ultra High.
4 way crossover.
17 ohm impedance.
108 dB/1mW.
10Hz-22kHZ frequency response.
Single tuning switch.
- Preamble:
Aroma Audio is a Hong Kong based company that focuses on high end universal and custom IEM’s, and other audio gear.
Probably best known for their ultra high end Aroma Jewel IEM, the Thunder slots into the mid range of their IEM line up.
I am admittedly “enthusiastic” that the opportunity to experience this IEM crossed my path.
Thunder has a single tuning switch on each ear piece that provides two different sound profiles.
Aroma calls them Harmony, and Focus, that’s the English translation at least, and although a bit ambiguous as to what to expect, simplified;
Focus - Bass tilt
Harmony - Mids/Vocals tilt
I found both profiles enjoyable.
After much back and forth I chose Harmony as my preferred profile as an overall all rounder. I concede however, that for my listening preference, I found Focus mode had better synergy with genres like EDM, Rap, Hip Hop, etc.
Harmony for Classic Rock, Blues, Jazz, Symphonic, Country, etc.
I will be doing this evaluation in Harmony mode, but I will footnote my thoughts on Focus mode where appropriate.
The stock cable is terminated 4.4mm and is a less than impressive offering.
I wasn’t able to confirm composition of the stock cable. Some quick cable rolling and I settled on the Eletech Prudence 8 core, a 4.4mm balance terminated, SPC cable.
For ear tips my choice was Sedna Xelastec wide bore.
Thunder is packing 11 drivers per side and is, understandably, a larger iem.
I have larger ears and I have room left over to fit the outer dimensions of the shell, but Thunder is thick and they stick out of my ears a fair ways.
The nozzles are long, the reach and angle work very well for me, but those with smaller and/or shallower ears could find fit challenging.
-
Equipment:
Aroma Thunder, Harmony Mode.
Shanling M9, 4.4 balanced out, low gain.
Eletech Prudent 8 core SPC terminated 4.4mm.
Sedna Xelastec wide bore ear tips. -
Bass:
Despite the name, Thunder is not a dedicated Bass head iem, it should however satisfy most bass lovers.
Quality bass is delivered in the quantity the recorded source dictates. It will lay low and slow, or step up with impact and rumble.
Sub bass has good extension and on bass heavy tracks is capable of sinking very low. It is well controlled and stays mostly in place, but, there is some sub bass bloat/bleed that encroaches on the entire head stage. It is not excessive, but does add an overall warm timbre to the sound signature.
Bass starts to roll off as it enters the mid bass region, it’s not an excessive decline so mid bass maintains a presence and has good definition and detail.
Bass is as polite, or as powerful, as the recorded source dictates. -
Focus mode:
Sub bass gains depth, rumble, and prominence in the head stage.
Instruments like Bassoon sound “throatier”. -
Mids:
Mids don’t rise much above the bass, but do present forward.
Thunder is capable of reproducing mids with excellent clarity and detail. They exhibit a very natural timbre and have an engaging presence.
However, depending on the track, mids clarity and detail can become somewhat subdued or overshadowed by the sub bass bleed. -
Focus mode:
Sub bass bleed impacts the mids reducing lower mids detail. However there is a peak around 3.5k in the upper mids that allows instruments like piano, violin, electric guitar, etc. to shine through and present nicely forward. -
Vocals:
Like the mids, vocals do not extend much above the bass but do present more forward than the mids.
They are clear, detailed, accurate, and have natural timbre for both male and female. -
Focus mode:
Vocals are less forward and just a touch warmer. They remain clear and accurate. -
Highs:
With 10 BA in the mix, it would have been easy for Thunder to have an over active and extremely energetic high frequency presentation.
This is not the reality.
The recorded source determines where things are going, and Thunder can take it to the top, but always in control and never harsh or sibilant.
The highs are crisp, clean, and clear with very good macro and micro detail retrieval.
Peaks in the 8k and 9.5k region don’t extend much above the sub bass shelf but cymbals, guitars and violins provide good air with reach stretching well into the upper limits of the head stage.
There is little or no hint of BA timbre. -
Focus mode:
The change is more in the upper mids lower highs, they become more subdued, and less forward. Which does negatively affect detail retrieval.
There is very little noticeable change in the upper highs, still good air and good presence high up in the head stage. -
Head Stage:
The head space is fully encompassed. Bass is present throughout, but warming, not overpowering.
Very wide left to right, the perception is slightly outside the head.
Highs have enough air to carry the height to the top of the skull, and sub bass can extend below the chin.
Front to rear depth perception is very good. Percussion and bass present toward the rear, with various other instruments and vocals sharing the remaining stage forward.
Despite the fullness of the head stage it manages to retain an open and spacious atmosphere. Imaging and layering are excellent allowing for precise and accurate placement of individual instruments on all three dimensions. -
Focus mode:
Head stage is where I notice the most significant difference between Harmony mode and Focus mode.
In Focus mode the head stage presents less forward and higher up in the head space.
It’s difficult to describe how I perceive it.
Like the stage is physically elevated and further back from the listener. The sound still comes forward, but it seems to be emanating from above and further away.
“Elevated and less intimate”
-
Technicals:
Dynamics, tonality, and timbre are excellent.
Listening to high quality solo recordings of various instruments and all sound natural and accurate.
Timbre can sway a bit between slightly warmer or brighter depending on source.
Thunder is very easy to drive.
On the Shanling M9 set to low gain, I was most often between 20-30% volume level, and never over 50%.
Rolling between the following sources, I made a few observations regarding source synergy;
Shanling M9 low gain, AK SP2000T, AK Kann Max mid gain, FiiO M11Plus ESS high gain, Hiby RS6 R2R high gain, Hidizs AP80x high gain, and iPhone 13 with these dongles, Colorfly CDA M1, AK HC2, FiiO BTR7 Bluetooth.
-
none required volume set above 40% to provide a good listening level.
-
The lower powered sources sounded thinner on note weight. So even though very little power is needed to achieve good volume, more powerful sources provided a fuller more satisfying note weight.
-
All provided a good listening experience, so Thunder doesn’t appear to be overly source sensitive, but there are differences that could affect individual enjoyment.
My personal preference leans toward a warmer source with enough power to provide a fuller note weight. Shanling M9, Hiby RS6 R2R, and FiiO M11Plus ESS met the criteria.
AK Kann Max, while being more resolving and brighter, provided the nice full note weight, and I found it favourable as well. -
Summary:
Pros: -
A nice balanced tuning with a slight sub bass boost.
-
The Thunder works very well with most genres (all that I tried). Some genre sound better in Focus mode. (Subjective)
-
Tuning switch
-
Fit well and comfortable for very extended listening sessions. (Subjective)
-
Good Dynamics, timbre, and tonality. (May be source dependent and subject to personal preference)
Cons: -
Stock cable is uninspiring.
-
Driver flex (not a concern for me)
-
price
-
Tuning switch (I don’t care to fiddle, just make it sound good)
A bit about me and the music types used for evaluation below.
If you give a cats meow about that stuff.
** note: I try to be objective, but I am biased somewhat by my personal preference for sound signature. I lean toward a more balanced sound with perhaps a slight mids forward bias, good bass, good mids, good treble.
I am somewhat treble sensitive in the 8-9K range.
I do NOT consider myself a professional/career reviewer as I have no formal training as a sound engineer or musician.
- i.e. the thoughts presented here are strictly personal opinion based on my hearing, your mileage may vary.
** My hearing taps out at around 12.5 kHz, I can hear 12.5 but it’s more a background sound. I think it is fair to note this.
“Air” is typically a reference to treble that is present above 12.5 kHz, it is therefore beyond my hearing capability. When I reference “air” in a sound evaluation I’m referring to where I perceive the positioning of the upper treble ranges, ie. where they present themselves within the sound stage/head stage.
*** I have large ear canals, and typically the stock tips included with most IEM don’t fit well for me. I have a selection of third party ear tips that fit well in most cases so I default to these. I will identify my tips of choice, but unfortunately, seldom can I comment on the stock offerings.
- Music:
varied selection of tracks from my playlists played from SD card. FLAC 44 through 192 and DSD 2.8 (64) through 22.4 (512)
My mainstay are Blues, Rock, Jazz, Country, Classical.
I also streamed Apple lossless for electronic, R&B, Death Metal, etc. to get a well rounded experience of how well this IEM handles a variety of genres.
3 Likes
5 Likes
TRI StarRiver - A Modern Vocal-Centric Wonder
Vid is up here:
Pros:
- Tuning switches change the pina gain and overall tuning with a unique presentation
- Build Quality and fit and finish top notch!
- German resin shells are beautifully polished and look very premium the Blue or Green is almost 3D
- Cable is ok but has 4.4 Pentagon option so there’s that.
- Comes with a nice little case that’s useable a nice touch at this price only reason I mention it.
- Vocals are OMG amazing especially female.
- Instrumental and orchestra are so nicely done.
- This IEM screams Made for modern music!
- Sub driver fast & punchy is nicely weighted and takes EQ like a champ.
- 6mm Driver is well chosen and does exactly what its intended tuning tried to achieve so bravo.
- Highs are very well done big energy without sibilance (10) Setting (01) not so much - Treble-heads rejoice!
Cons:
- Can be a bit fatiguing with longer listening sessions with the overall treble volume and shouty with 01 settings.
- Cable while decent probably not the best synergy.
- TRI Clarion tips wont work for most people with the shorter nozzle length. -
- Needs different tips that are not included.
- Needs power to get going not for listening at low volume levels.
- Nowhere in the packaging is there any mention, description or instructions for the tuning switches leaving you guessing what they do, how they will change the sound. A huge oversite and you should not be left having to research it.
Now let’s get into it: The Techy Stuff
The StarRiver is a dual dynamic IEM. A 10mm and a 6mm drivers. Both use a Beryllium coated diaphragm.
Thank you to KeepHiFi for providing me this IEM for review.
More information and purchase link can be found here: 【TRI Star River】Dual Dynamic Drivers 2Pin Wired Earphone with Tuning S
Subjective Part of my Audio Review -
I share my impressions as I hear them with my ears.
As all our ears are different shapes & size so what I hear as bright or bass heavy -you might hear as dull and Vise-Versa; just something to be mindful of.
What makes my ears happy as a sound signature is a slightly more aggressive L shape. I love my Bass Sub and Mid Bass love it all actually; and in large quantity. With the Bass, I prefer a faster decay the faster the better so as to not bleed into the mids., I am treble sensitive and prefer a slightly darker warmer replay with good treble extension.
My version of what my perfect balanced IEM is: Good Sub Bass, with a warmer tone weight but faster and a nice transition into lower bass that adds the correct note weight to male vocals without too much bleed to effect female vocals with too much added thickness. I want to hear guitar plucks sounding with good intensity and tone.
Male vocals should sound correct and female vocals not to thin or forward.
Highs need to good extension and no sign of sibilance.
Instruments need to have correct tonality and sound natural.
For reference my favorite IEM is the Xenns Mangird UP with it’s EST drivers that add sparkly enhancement only and not forced in a smooth natural way I prefer the fast speedy bass of the Beryllium Coated Driver.
My music Library is widely varied from; Metallica, Great White, Cowboy Junkies, Pink Floyd, Adelle, Melisa Ethridge, Fleetwood Mac, Five for Fighting, Manskin, Poncho Sanchez, Jimmy Smith, Chopin, The Crystal Method just to name a few. When not listening to my test tracks the majority is Jazz or Alternative Rock especially Female Rock. Lorde, Halsey, Alanis Morrisette, Evanescence. All depends on my mood.
Sources: E1DA SG3, Shanling UP5, Geshelli JNOG J2 with AKM4493 chip. Truthear SHIO (Dual Cirrus Logic 43198 DAC Chips)
DAP/TRASPORT: From Lenovo Laptop with Tidal, iBasso DX160 (Dual Cirrus Logic 43198 Dac Chips), Samsung S22 Ultra with DSD Files.
Amps: LoxjiP20 & XDUOO MT-604 tube hybrid amps and Topping A90D Amp 4.4 Pentagon Balanced Out - Unless stated
My Format has changed with community feedback. So now I will list the music tracks I used & why with my musical impressions of the playback using that track. I hope this will give you some context for my library and give you some contexts to compare using the same tracks.
(26 Tracks 2:03:03)
Let’s Begin: I transposed my listening notes on each track as I heard them.
For all these songs after determining that I prefer the tuning with first toggle switch Up or on and the second switch down or off.
This setting lowers the pina gain has a nice dip to not make it sibilant and extends the highs for vocal clarity.
#1 “Beautiful Blue” by Holly McNarland
(I love Holly’s vocals should be crips clear vocals with the right edge to here vocals)
“lovely Vocals”
#2 “Give Me One Reason” Tracy Chapman
(I love her voice and the way it is recorded listen for the strums on the guitar - I have seen Ms. Chapman live a few times; so In my mind, I try and remember how she sounds like 5ft from me as I was blessed to experience)
“Good Guitar strums in this track I like for forward Tracy’s voice was in the mix and was perfect. Backup singers were accented nicely and vocals were perfect.”
#3 “Paint It Black” by The Rolling Stones
(I use this track because I love hearing how well the IEM can give me a sense of stage and placement. At 28 Seconds you can hear Mic change his position and face towards the Mic on the left side with the overall stage outside of your head)
“Did the turn nicely nice wide stage was a good sense of depth of stage”
#4 “House Of Broken Love” & “Rock Me”
(80’S Baby, Double Kick drums at the beginning of the first track I am listening to how fast it hits how solid is the bass and what’s the decay like. An ideal replay here would be fast, powerful bass with nice note weight to feel it in your chest so to speak if you were at a concert.) ( With “Rock Me” same thing but I am listening for the bass guitar drops on this track it should be quite low)
“Guitar has the lower bass notes but not the most prominent. Had excellent speed & note weight. High hats were great and sounded natural and balanced.”
#5 “Wheat Kings - Remastered” by The Tragically Hip
(Sense of stage and Male vocals)
“Yes well done Great Male Vocals and nice balance of vocals and instruments”
#6 “Chemical Mentalist” The Crystal Method
(Bass, more bass fast and lots of it - How does it do end of the story - Huge Smile or poo emoji?)
“$hit YES” Good times but highs pushing my tolerance limit bass was slammin but the highs would not let me keep going on the volume wheel."
#7 “Its Time” by Labrinth, Sia, Diplo
(3 very different singers and their voices come together. I use this because it’s a cool track and at higher volumes lesser IEM’s get sibilant.)
“No sibilance this was the track I normally can pick it out, All vocals were spot on and the StarRiver did a excellent job of allowing me to hear when there was more than one singer in the mix”
#8 “All My Friends Are Here” Joe Satriani
(In this track you can hear Joe playing dead Center with the busy and very separated L & R licks added in and then he brings you back to center with some crazy and very hard-to-play Descending A Major rifts! As Joe described this song as “A rock guitarist trying to control a wild beast”
“Great Instrumental felt it needed a bit more sub note weight here and the stage was not the deepest I have heard and was looking for in this track. The descending A major was a bit disappointing.”
#9 “The Antidote Is In The Poison” GoGo Penguin
(Modern Jazz at its best. Powerful, Dynamic track full of emotion and snappy bass. Fantastic track to listen to how well Micro Dynamics are conveyed and get a good sense of the IEM’s ability to convey that to the listener.)
“Attack was very good piano in this track sounded natural”
#10 “Angel” by Massive Attack
(Say it with me - massive textured bass drops)
“Where the bass ? No just kidding it was there but not in the quantity that this track screams for. On the flip side you hear the vocal with excellent clarity. The StarRiver still made this track a good listen with the vocal clarity making up for the lack of lows”
#11 “Bring Me Some Water” by Melissa Ethridge
(I like this track to hear Melissa’s voice and see if the transducers (speakers) reproduce her voice to how edgy I think it should be.)
“I love Mellissa’s voice in this track. Guitar is nice and vocals are perfect.”
#12 “A Whiter Shade Of Pale” Annie Lennox
(A Bach-inspired Hammond Organ M102, I seriously love it and its unique sound with Annie’s voice this is so cool)
Good stage with a nice pan from L to R overall stage was smooth with excellent instrument separation but more intimate and vocals dead center. Lots of twinkles and Annie’s voice was perfect."
#13 " So Cold " Holly McNarland
( Vocals on this track are further back in the track and L & R upfront good track for testing depth of stage and vocals - Sub Bass at the very beginning has a nice drop.)
“Sub bass at the beginning was lean it was there but not as much as I would have preferred. Good Left & Right separation but I wish the depth of stage was deeper and left me a bit disappointed - only because I have heard it presented nicer.”
#14 “Shape Of My Heart” Sting
(in this track I am listening to the sound of the guitar pulls and slides. How well does the IEM give an emotional presentation of the mix between the vocals and the bass.
“Vocals from Sting were so well done it was a special replay. Here again with my preference I was wishing the guitar pulls had more weight on this track.”
#15 “Wishing You Would Stay” by The Tea Party with Holly McNarland
(Love this track. With this song and this band, it was the first time having a guest vocalist. Holly McNarland has a great voice and I have seen her live a few times front and center getting sweat on. Listening for Holly’s voice being forward in the mix and not sibilant.)
“Both vocals were beautifully done and this is a testimonial of how well the StarRiver balances the note weight of vocals over the whole frequency spectrum.”
#16 “Avenue A” Tom Cochrane and Red Rider Live from the Symphony Sessions
(This track with more resolving IEM’S you can hear the guitar pulls and slides with a sense of open spaciousness and grandeur)
" Tom Cochrane’s singing sounded very natural but I felt this track is missing some instrumental enery to give it more dynamics."
#17 “Eden” Hania Rani
( The way Hania has recorded this track with the mics on the strings in the body of the piano is incredibly unique and such a unique presentation you can hear the string’s tension at the beginning, Bass kicks in at 1:40 and goes low that’s what I am listening for.)
“Piano sounded natural and you could clearly hear the microphone effects inside the piano.
Not all roses as I felt in this track the piano needed more note weight.”
#18 “Summertime” Louis Armstrong & Ella Fitzgerald
( This Track has both legendary artists Simply listening to Louis and Ella’s voices and of course, the Piano and trumpets how accurate and lifelike)
“Trumpets were lovely and both vocals were liquid smooth; the vocal inflections were perfectly reproduced. Well done TRI.”
#19 “Blue Train” Poncho Sanchez
( Trumpets here are silky or should sound that way with good timbre, overall mix how does it present, and of course Poncho’s drums.)
" Drums were great as was overall presentation. With the instrument playback being so natural and the upper high frequency energy made this track and music like this lively and fun."
#20 “ My Girl “ Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
(Listening for instrument placement and stage and this track gives a good sense of dynamics and excitement with lots of dynamics in the mix)
“Great instrumental playback but would love to have heard more bass energy and attack on this track.”
#21 “Iconic” by Alanis Morrissette
(More edgy female vocals to give you the chills)
“Yup vocals will give you goosebumps.”
#22 “The Day That Never Comes” Metallica - Live with the SFO from S&M2
(Big open stage good depth of stage excellent recording with a excellent orchestral opening)
“Nice Kicks not the biggest stage.”
#23 “Tricycle” by Flim & BB’s
(Turn this one up and wait till 0:28 seconds- Have Fun Dynamics test)
“Stumbled on this track as it needs more low frequency energy to bring the dynamics”
#24 “Thriller” by Michael Jackson
(Great song to listen for stage and imaging)
" Average stage great Vocals"
#25 “Team” by Lorde
(Female vocals if your lover of those this is a great track)
“Was getting lost in this track with her voice - memorizing”
#26 “ Wake Up “ Oliver Mtukudzi
(Oliver Mtukudzi is an African Musician and prolific guitarist and Vocalist. He sings with a mix of South African styles sometimes in English sometimes mixed like in this track and includes the traditional drumming styles of the Korekore. TUKU MUSIC at its finest – Listening for vocals, bass lines, and clarity – and because it is just fun! Right at the beginning you have some very cool snaps and instrumental)
“Kind of funny this was the last track as it summarizes what the StarRiver does so well. Vocal-Centric with instrumental to back it up. You can listen to this music all day.”
SUMMARY & FINAL THOUGHTS
I am done with my conclusion and impressions of the TRI StarRiver here is my synapses look for my follow up with video.
With less Pina gain settings with switch position (10) 11 hours of in- ear and 72 hours of total burn in.
I felt I had enough information to conclude my thoughts, I came to for the newest TRI.
This one was really hard to review for me. On one end I really prefer bassier warmer sets but I love my vocals especially female.
I had to keep reminding myself not to bias to my personal preference for tuning and focus on how this IEM sounds.
Example of this polarization was my notes on listening to “Ironic” from Alanis Morissette - I wrote “Sometimes I wish the StarRiver had more sub-bass horsepower up to 120hz because the highs overpower the lows.”
Then I would check myself and realized that if there was any more bass it would pull you away from what the StarRiver excels at - INCREDIBLE VOCALS"
Stage is one area I was again wishing for bigger , wider, deeper, and higher - self check again. If the stage was more expansive it would pull you away from the Instrumental playback and again silky vocals."
As it is the TRI StarRiver has average stage more intimate and in your headspace and directly in front of you. In this case where I would wish for more I found the intimate nature makes you focus back on the well done vocal. You are sitting front row 10’ from the singer.
Dynamics the micro and macro (The nuances and volume changes to bring changes within a passage and overall track to bring effect or emotion) are not spectacular with the StarRiver. This just plays into its overall tuning and works in it’s favor. No big drops or extra attack to distract you.
The whole tuning of the StarRiver is Vocal-Centric meaning Vocals are
predominantly in the mix and bass energy is there, but not enough to distract you from the vocals or instruments playback.
The Newest TRI will not make Bass-Heads jump with excitement.
Treble heads will get excited with the energy especially with 01 settings, this was too much for me and take the top of your head off levels. At 10 settings the StarRiver has enough energy to do it’s special magic but not enough to get sibilant - even for people like me who are treble sensitive.
A quick look at the graph once you learn how to interpret one will show you that what I just takes about, and in most cases a graph gets you a good idea of what to expect.
In conclusion I believe the TRI StarRiver is very much tuned for modern music where vocals are front and center and here is where the StarRiver really shines. One listen to Matchbox 20, or Counting Crows the heavens open up and a beam of light shines down illuminating this IEM.
Ok that was a bit silly and dramatic but I wanted to get my point across.
Here is a excellent read on Vocal-Centric I was reading and it’s a good one.
The TRI StarRiver is a well tuned IEM FULL STOP.
The StarRiver really doesn’t do anything bad. Not a all-rounder but it’s really a special IEM if you were looking for a strictly vocal centric IEM, and love or listen to modern music, this one is definitely for you!
The TRI StarRiver really excels both with male and female at the expense of the lowest sub bass and extension and without piercing highs it just finds a middle ground in a most excellent way.
THE END.
Thanks so much, Cheers from the Tone Deaf Monk. TDM
5 Likes
Good review Monk.
1 Like
Eric with the Ghost
My Video is up for the Joyodio Shine
Here for you visual nerds:
And lots of words here:
Joyodio Shine
February 22, 2023
9:42 AM
Joyodio Shine - 1st. Attempt
Pros:
- Premium Look and feel
- Included case is great and useful
- Included tips actually work for this IEM
- Cable works and is tangle free
- 16 Different tunings
- Female vocals
- Big card to describe in part what the switches do
Cons:
- Male vocals a tad thin.
- Way too many tuning switches a bit confusing
- Not a excellent performer in technicalities
- Needs power to get the DD going with the higher impedance
Now let’s get into it: The Techy Stuff
1x 7mm DD and 2 BA
SHOUT OUT TO LINSOUL for providing me this review sample.
More information can be found here and non-affiliated link: JOYODIO SHINE 1DD+2BA Hybrid Driver In Ear Monitor – Linsoul Audio
Subjective Part of my Audio Review -
Truthear Hola - Paid for by my Dog Kilo who sacrificed his weekly toy so I could buy this IEM - Thanks Kilo!
Hello Ladies & Gents: Thanks for reading my feedback.
I share my impressions as I hear them with my ears.
As all our ears are different shapes & size so what I hear as bright or bass heavy -you might hear as dull and Vise-Versa; just something to be mindful of.
My version of what my perfect balanced IEM is: Good Sub Bass, with a warmer tone weight but faster and a nice transition into lower bass that adds the correct note weight to male vocals without too much bleed to effect female vocals with too much added thickness. I want to hear guitar plucks sounding with good intensity and tone.
Male vocals should sound correct and female vocals not to thin or forward.
Highs need to good extension and no sign of sibilance.
Instruments need to have correct tonality and sound natural.
For reference my favorite IEM is the Xenns Mangird UP with it’s EST drivers that add sparkly enhancement only and not forced in a smooth natural way I prefer the fast speedy bass of the Beryllium Coated Driver.
My music Library is widely varied from; Metallica, Great White, Cowboy Junkies, Pink Floyd, Adelle, Melisa Ethridge, Fleetwood Mac, Five for Fighting, Manskin, Poncho Sanchez, Jimmy Smith, Chopin, The Crystal Method just to name a few. When not listening to my test tracks the majority is Jazz or Alternative Rock especially Female Rock. Lorde, Halsey, Alanis Morrisette, Evanescence.
All depends on my mood. If I want to chill out I listen to artists like the, - The Who, Pink Floyd, Deep Purple, Dire Straits and Dead Can Dance just to name a few.
If I want to have a beer and just get lost then some Jazz , Miles Davis, Poncho Sanchez, Jimmy Smith, Ray Brown Trio.
If I want to rock out then some AC/DC, Bad Co, Great White, Led Zeppelin, Robert Plant, Metallica.
And Those Times I want to get into vocals then Lorde, Halsey, Biff Naked, Alanis Morrisette hit the spot.
I mention all this so you get a sense of my library and what I like when I make my audio impressions other than the playlist
Sources: E1DA SG3, Shanling UP5, Geshelli JNOG J2 with AKM4493 chip. Truthear SHIO (Dual Cirrus Logic 43198 DAC Chips)
DAP/TRASPORT: From Lenovo Laptop with Tidal, iBasso DX160 (Dual Cirrus Logic 43198 Dac Chips), Samsung S22 Ultra with DSD Files.
Amps: LoxjiP20 & XDUOO MT-604 tube hybrid amps and Topping A90D Amp 4.4 Pentagon Balanced Out - Unless stated
Tips Used for the Shine were the stock Large turbine looking ones that are wide bore.
My Format that I like to use is that I will list the music tracks I used & why with my musical impressions of the playback using that track with the notes I took during my time with the Joyodio Shine.
*My Notes are not meant to be full sentences just my thoughts written down at the time and transposed.
Remember these are critical listening notes write it as I hear it, not overall impressions
***Listening done with setting 1001 on the toggle switch R&B/Rock 4,4 balanced off of Topping A90D with iBasso DX160 as transport DAC.
Total Time 2:09:51 27 Tracks
#1 “Beautiful Blue” by Holly McNarland
(I love Holly’s vocals should be crips clear vocals with the right edge to here vocals)
“A bit recessed . BA timber can be heard here adds shine not terrible, Drivers don’t have perfect cohesion seems to not blend in well.”
#2 “Give Me One Reason” Tracy Chapman
(I love her voice and the way it is recorded listen for the strums on the guitar - I have seen Ms. Chapman live a few times; so In my mind, I try and remember how she sounds like 5ft from me as I was blessed to experience)
“Vocals were good. Instrumental a bit veiled, bass shy for my liking.”
#3 “Paradox” by M.E.B.
(Great female vocals listening for accurate piano at 0:11, bass hits at 0:28 and vocals at 2:00)
“Bottom end was there a bit tubby. Not bad for this track, Vocals forward in mix.”
#4 “House Of Broken Love” & “Rock Me”
(80’S Baby, Double Kick drums at the beginning of the first track I am listening to how fast it hits how solid is the bass and what’s the decay like. An ideal replay here would be fast, powerful bass with nice note weight to feel it in your chest so to speak if you were at a concert.) ( With “Rock Me” same thing but I am listening for the bass guitar drops on this track it should be quite low)
“Shouty at 2:30 turned it down, Bass tightened up at 2:30 switch to balanced cable, pillowy at low volumes”
#5 “Wheat Kings - Remastered” by The Tragically Hip
(Sense of stage and Male vocals)
“Stage height good, Vocals forward in mix , now getting a sense of the shine.”
#6 “Chemical Mentalist” The Crystal Method
(Bass, more bass fast and lots of it - How does it do end of the story - Huge Smile or poo emoji?)
“EDM good w power shouty without but not sibilant.”
#7 “Its Time” by Labrinth, Sia, Diplo
(3 very different singers and their voices come together. I use this because it’s a cool track and at higher volumes lesser IEM’s get sibilant. Piano doesn’t get washed out and Vocals at 2:30 should blow your little mind) “NOPE”
“Vocals ok but showing its weakness in technical chops.”
#8 “All My Friends Are Here” Joe Satriani
(In this track you can hear Joe playing dead Center with the busy and very separated L & R licks added in and then he brings you back to center with some crazy and very hard-to-play Descending A Major rifts! As Joe described this song as “A rock guitarist trying to control a wild beast”
“Very congested stage , excitement not there just a more mellow replay.”
#9 “The Antidote Is In The Poison” GoGo Penguin
(Modern Jazz at its best. Powerful, Dynamic track full of emotion and snappy bass. Fantastic track to listen to how well Micro Dynamics are conveyed and get a good sense of the IEM’s ability to convey that to the listener.)
“SEE ABOVE”
#10 “Angel” by Massive Attack
(Say it with me - massive textured bass drops )
“Soft replay bass not really”
#11 “Bring Me Some Water” by Melissa Ethridge
(I like this track to hear Melissa’s voice and see if the transducers (speakers) reproduce her voice to how edgy I think it should be.)
“Vocals are fine missing a bit of edge to her voice, guitar didn’t come through as it should.”
#12 “A Whiter Shade Of Pale” Annie Lennox
(A Bach-inspired Hammond Organ M102, I seriously love it and its unique sound with Annie’s voice this is so cool)
“Missing the sparkle but vocals ok.”
#13 " So Cold " Holly McNarland
( Vocals on this track are further back in the track and L & R upfront good track for testing depth of stage and vocals - Sub Bass at the very beginning has a nice drop.)
" Same as #12"
#14 “Shape Of My Heart” Sting
(in this track I am listening to the sound of the guitar pulls and slides. How well does the IEM give an emotional presentation of the mix between the vocals and the bass.
“Male vocals missing a bit of note weight pulls the same thing.”
#15 “Wishing You Would Stay” by The Tea Party with Holly McNarland
(Love this track. With this song and this band, it was the first time having a guest vocalist. Holly McNarland has a great voice and I have seen her live a few times front and center getting sweat on. Listening for Holly’s voice being forward in the mix and not sibilant.)
" Ok vocals overall good compromise."
#16 “Avenue A” Tom Cochrane and Red Rider Live from the Symphony Sessions
(This track with more resolving IEM’S you can hear the guitar pulls and slides with a sense of open spaciousness and grandeur)
“Narrow average stage.”
#17 “Eden” Hania Rani
( The way Hania has recorded this track with the mics on the strings in the body of the piano is incredibly unique and such a unique presentation you can hear the string’s tension at the beginning, Bass kicks in at 1:40 and goes low that’s what I am listening for.)
“Piano lacks note weight.”
#18 “Summertime” Louis Armstrong & Ella Fitzgerald
( This Track has both legendary artists Simply listening to Louis and Ella’s voices and of course, the Piano and trumpets how accurate and lifelike.)
“Trumpets lost there sharpness not correct here.”
#19 “Blue Train” Poncho Sanchez
( Trumpets here are silky or should sound that way with good timbre, overall mix how does it present, and of course Poncho’s drums )
#20 “ My Girl “ Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
(Listening for instrument placement and stage and this track gives a good sense of dynamics and excitement with lots of dynamics in the mix)
" Missing both ends bass treb."
#21 “Iconic” by Alanis Morissette
(More edgy female vocals to give you the chills)
#22 “The Day That Never Comes” Metallica - Live with the SFO from S&M2
(Big open stage good depth of stage excellent recording with a excellent orchestral opening)
“Stage sounds like playing in a GYM not huge venue.”
#23 “Tricycle” by Flim & BB’s
(Turn this one up and wait till 0:28 seconds- Have Fun Dynamics test)
“Gone Missing.”
#24 “Thriller” by Michael Jackson
(Great song to listen for stage and imaging)
“Thrillless.”
#25 “Team” by Lorde
(Female vocals if your lover of those this is a great track)
“Two thumbs up on vocals.”
#26 “ Wake Up “ Oliver Mtukudzi
(Oliver Mtukudzi is an African Musician and prolific guitarist and Vocalist. He sings with a mix of South African styles sometimes in English sometimes mixed like in this track and includes the traditional drumming styles of the Korekore. TUKU MUSIC at its finest – Listening for vocals, bass lines, and clarity – and because it is just fun! Right at the beginning you have some very cool snaps and instrumental)
“Missing the excitement.”
#27 “Brothers In Arms” by Dire Straits
(Intro and dynamics or distant thunder, and Iconic Mark Knopfler’s vocals Bass hits at 2:12)
“Intro soft bass , Mark’s voice needs more weight.”
SUMMARY & FINAL THOUGHTS FOR: Joyodio Shine
I think on Joyodio’ s first attempt into the congested IEM market they achieved their goal bringing a overall value package to the table with a nice presentation , case, Cord was tangle free, nice tips and a top of tuning options directly aimed at the novice person to this hobby. Overall I think they achieved their goal and for a first attempt great effort!
What puts a negative spin on this IEM is probably with the tuning switches it added a certain impedance load where the average person who wants to drive this off of their mobile device will be left disappointed. As is the Joyodio Shine is power hungry and its overall performance will depend on how much juice you can feed into the thing.
Overall I would have preferred a warmer replay but again that is my subjective preference for my music.
Louis Armstrong was a classic example of thinner vocal weight in the fact that he didn’t sound like Loui.
The Shine is not the most technical set nor did it try to be and certainly not at this price point should it be.
Stage was average but had some tracks that presented higher than average.
If you are just stating out and want a good overall package to get you going and help you figure out what your preferred sound signature you like then maybe you should take a look at the Shine.
Round #2 I would love to see a Bigger DD for more bottom end maybe a tad warmer for male vocals and get rid of the fancy packaging and a greater focus on tuning.
I think Joyodio tried to be a allrounder to beginners so on attempt #1 you have to give them some credit and provide feedback to help them improve for round #2
Thanks so much, Cheers from the Tone Deaf Monk.
More information can be found here and non-affiliated link: JOYODIO SHINE 1DD+2BA Hybrid Driver In Ear Monitor – Linsoul Audio
Video is up sorry a long but deserving one with detailed track analysis and comparison to OH10 and IE200.
SIMGOT EA500 - Full Metal Jacket
A crazy long impression. I added the Aune Jasper in comparisons as well.
Pros:
- Full Metal Jacket Shell so beautifully constructed premium looking.
- Great nozzle length for me and angle made it a great fit isolation was outstanding for me. ( Subjective )
- 2 Tuning nozzle’s with lots of extra o rings in both colors
- Tuning nozzle’s not a gimmick quick and easy to actuality change sound signature (Red - SIMGOT House Sound)
- Natural Vocals
Both Male and Female vocals produced naturally with correct tonality and weight no compromise for either.
- Organic balanced sound signature
Musical without added warmth or artifacts
- Extremely resolving in macro and micro details ( Has the ability to bring emotion into the passage or track to create the excitement of the recording or playback as artist or producer intended.)
- Not source dependant for quality playback.
- Plays all Genres I threw at it not bass intense like rap.
- Very technical resolving high quality Dynamic Driver being used.
- Stage is very 3D not huge kept within your headspace with good depth and width sounded very spacious not just L + C + R
- Mid Bass changes its texture and was noticeable on well recorded tracks with quality playback - sometimes thick sometimes fast with nice decay and varied not just one flavour of bass.
- Highs were well extended with nice extension and air.
- Non sibilant with RED nozzle. and a tad bit for me on poorly recorded tracks
- Very nice useable caring case & Tangle free cable.
Cons:
- Not for Bass heads
- Not for Treble heads
- Some sibilance with Black Nozzle for me on poorly recorded tracks
- Lack of Sub Bass extension evident with tracks with that very low frequency energy.
- Cable does not have balanced or modular option.
- Intimate stage some might find with using narrow bore tips.
- Maybe too resolving for some looking for a super casual listen.
- Might be too large for small ears.
SIMGOT EA500 SPECS:
4th Generation Single 10mm Custom DLC dual-magnetic-circuit & dual-cavity driver.
Full CNC Shell
High quality mirror plated finish
Dual Detachable Tuning Nozzle’s
Silver Plated OFC 3.5mm Cable
Semi Recessed 0.78 2 Pin receptacle.
Easy to drive 16 Ohm resistance
Very High 123-124 db/Vrms sensitivity needs very little power to get loud
Frequency response range is listed as 10Hz-50KHz
Useable Frequency response rage is listed as 10Hz-20KHz
SHOUT OUT TO SIMGOT for providing me this review sample.
More information can be found here and non-affiliated purchase link: https://amzn.to/3lTSPgl
YouTube Video Review can be found here: SIMGOT EA500 - Full Metal Jacket - YouTube
Subjective Part of my Audio Review -
I share my impressions as I hear them with my ears.
As all our ears are different shapes & size so what I hear as bright or bass heavy -you might hear as dull and Vise-Versa; just something to be mindful of.
My version of what my perfect balanced IEM is: Good Sub Bass, with a warmer tone weight but faster and a nice transition into lower bass that adds the correct note weight to male vocals without too much bleed to effect female vocals with too much added thickness. I want to hear guitar plucks sounding with good intensity and tone.
Male vocals should sound correct and female vocals not to thin or forward.
Highs need to good extension and no sign of sibilance.
Instruments need to have correct tonality and sound natural.
For reference my favorite IEM is the Xenns Mangird UP with it’s EST drivers that add sparkly enhancement only and not forced in a smooth natural way I prefer the fast speedy bass of the Beryllium Coated Driver.
My music Library is widely varied from; Metallica, Great White, Cowboy Junkies, Pink Floyd, Adelle, Melisa Ethridge, Fleetwood Mac, Five for Fighting, Manskin, Poncho Sanchez, Jimmy Smith, Chopin, The Crystal Method just to name a few. When not listening to my test tracks the majority is Jazz or Alternative Rock especially Female Rock. Lorde, Halsey, Alanis Morrisette, Evanescence.
All depends on my mood. If I want to chill out I listen to artists like the, - The Who, Pink Floyd, Deep Purple, Dire Straits and Dead Can Dance just to name a few.
If I want to have a beer and just get lost then some Jazz , Miles Davis, Poncho Sanchez, Jimmy Smith, Ray Brown Trio.
If I want to rock out then some AC/DC, Bad Co, Great White, Led Zeppelin, Robert Plant, Metallica.
And Those Times I want to get into vocals then Lorde, Halsey, Biff Naked, Alanis Morrisette hit the spot.
I mention all this so you get a sense of my library and what I like when I make my audio impressions other than the playlist
Sources: E1DA SG3, Shanling UP5, Geshelli JNOG J2 with AKM4493 chip. Truthear SHIO (Dual Cirrus Logic 43198 DAC Chips)
DAP/TRASPORT: From Lenovo Laptop with Tidal, iBasso DX160 (Dual Cirrus Logic 43198 Dac Chips), Samsung S22 Ultra with DSD Files.
Amps: LoxjiP20 & XDUOO MT-604 tube hybrid amps and Topping A90D Amp 4.4 Pentagon Balanced Out - Unless stated
Tips Used for the EA500 were the JVC FX09 Spiral Dots that are very wide bore.
Cable I used Stock and Hakugei Joyful voice Tri-Element 4.4 Balanced
My Format that I like to use is that I will list the music tracks I used & why with my musical impressions of the playback using that track with the notes I took during my time with the EA500
*My Notes are not meant to be full sentences just my thoughts written down at the time and transposed.
Remember these are critical listening notes write it as I hear it, not overall impressions
***Listening done with RED NOZZLE and 4,4 balanced off of Topping A90D, Geshelli AKM J2 Dac as source with iBasso DX160 as transport only 3.5mm to COAX Dig out.
Total Time 2:34:29 - 33 Tracks
#1 “Beautiful Blue” by Holly McNarland
(I love Holly’s vocals should be crips clear vocals with the right edge to here vocals)
“A bit thin on ESS and super clean dacs doesn’t need it already resolving enough, perfect voice”
#2 “Give Me One Reason” Tracy Chapman
(I love her voice and the way it is recorded listen for the strums on the guitar - I have seen Ms. Chapman live a few times; so In my mind, I try and remember how she sounds like 5ft from me as I was blessed to experience)
" Guitar was bang on tone and perfect vocals, tons of air and extension, backup singers were nicely presented in the mix"
#3 “Paradox” by M.E.B.
(Great female vocals listening for accurate piano at 0:11, bass hits at 0:28 and vocals at 2:00)
“Bass hits were nicely done fast with a surprisingly warm decay”
#4 “Rock Me” by Great White
(80’S Baby, Double Kick drums at the beginning of the first track I am listening to how fast it hits how solid is the bass and what’s the decay like. An ideal replay here would be fast, powerful bass with nice note weight to feel it in your chest so to speak if you were at a concert.) ( With “Rock Me” same thing but I am listening for the bass guitar drops on this track it should be quite low)
“Bass had some nice note weight on RED nozzle Not as much with Black one, Bass goes lower than graph would suggest. Intimate stage very open still and the bass hits were faster.”
#5 “Wheat Kings - Remastered” by The Tragically Hip
(Sense of stage and Male vocals)
Very 3D stage , nice extension in the highs lots of wicked vocals and guitar details."
#6 “Chemical Mentalist” The Crystal Method
(Bass, more bass fast and lots of it - How does it do end of the story - Huge Smile or poo emoji?)
“Love the hits , so sweet with this track, can be played very loud great for music like this.”
#7 “Its Time” by Labrinth, Sia, Diplo
(3 very different singers and their voices come together. I use this because it’s a cool track and at higher volumes lesser IEM’s get sibilant. Piano doesn’t get washed out and Vocals at 2:30 should blow your little mind)
“Good separation + Back up details , clear separation and tonality of all three vocals. You could tell when there was one singer or all in the mix. One of the best presentations of this track I have heard. Piano has the correct sound and could clearly be heard in the mix and did not get washed out”
#8 “All My Friends Are Here” Joe Satriani
(In this track you can hear Joe playing dead Center with the busy and very separated L & R licks added in and then he brings you back to center with some crazy and very hard-to-play Descending A Major rifts! As Joe described this song as “A rock guitarist trying to control a wild beast”
“Massive width + good depth you can hear L + R effects closer to the front and main track in center farther back. Descending A Major rift was perfect and clearly discernable!”
#9 “The Antidote Is In The Poison” GoGo Penguin
(Modern Jazz at its best. Powerful, Dynamic track full of emotion and snappy bass. Fantastic track to listen to how well Micro Dynamics are conveyed and get a good sense of the IEM’s ability to convey that to the listener.)
“Very 3D , plucks + air are nice bass was surprisingly present because the resolving power is fantastic of the dynamic driver brought it out effortlessly.”
#10 “Angel” by Massive Attack
(Say it with me - massive textured bass drops )
“The EA500 didn’t have the lowest extension this song deserves , but and a big one - the bass and droning , cascading hits were presented with very nice texture well done SIMGOT - Metal Cavity magic ?”
#11 “Bring Me Some Water” by Melissa Ethridge
(I like this track to hear Melissa’s voice and see if the transducers (speakers) reproduce her voice to how edgy I think it should be.)
“Guitar and bass at beginning was epic, OMG Vocals!”
#12 “A Whiter Shade Of Pale” Annie Lennox
(A Bach-inspired Hammond Organ M102, I seriously love it and its unique sound with Annie’s voice this is so cool)
“Amazing Extension and sparkle.”
#13 " So Cold " Holly McNarland
( Vocals on this track are further back in the track and L & R upfront good track for testing depth of stage and vocals - Sub Bass at the very beginning has a nice drop.)
“Very Well done”
#14 “Shape Of My Heart” Sting
(in this track I am listening to the sound of the guitar pulls and slides. How well does the IEM give an emotional presentation of the mix between the vocals and the bass.
“Perfect Pulls , as was Sting voice.”
#15 “Wishing You Would Stay” by The Tea Party with Holly McNarland
(Love this track. With this song and this band, it was the first time having a guest vocalist. Holly McNarland has a great voice and I have seen her live a few times front and center getting sweat on. Listening for Holly’s voice being forward in the mix and not sibilant.)
“Vocals were wicked but the dynamics and playback were outstanding in every song I get the felling the E500 presents with huge passion as long as it is instilled into the mix”
#16 “Avenue A” Tom Cochrane and Red Rider Live from the Symphony Sessions
(This track with more resolving IEM’S you can hear the guitar pulls and slides with a sense of open spaciousness and grandeur)
“Big stage so natural like you are in the middle of concert 100’ from stage . Tom’s voice was real. Strings at 1:30 so nice!”
#17 “Eden” Hania Rani
( The way Hania has recorded this track with the mics on the strings in the body of the piano is incredibly unique and such a unique presentation you can hear the string’s tension at the beginning, Bass kicks in at 1:40 and goes low that’s what I am listening for)
“Piano notes were perfect , the secondary mics were clearly noticeable with the special way Hania Rani records her music not a easy thing to pick up.”
#18 “Summertime” Louis Armstrong & Ella Fitzgerald
( This Track has both legendary artists Simply listening to Louis and Ella’s voices and of course, the Piano and trumpets how accurate and lifelike )
“Trumpets have perfect bite + tone , Ella + louis were perfect.”
#19 “Blue Train” Poncho Sanchez
( Trumpets here are silky or should sound that way with good timbre, overall mix how does it present, and of course Poncho’s drums )
“Macro-dynamics were huge Drums are so great.”
#20 “ My Girl “ Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
(Listening for instrument placement and stage and this track gives a good sense of dynamics and excitement with lots of dynamics in the mix)
“Xylophones were cool in the mix really came out at the beginning , Big stage and so smooth yet dynamic. What a great listen, volume keeps going up.”
#21 “Iconic” by Alanis Morissette
(More edgy female vocals to give you the chills)
“Oh yes , Amazing at 0:38 Alanis’s voice changes with the mic position. This so cool first time I heard this and not will be listening for it on everything.”
#22 “The Day That Never Comes” Metallica - Live with the SFO from S&M2
(Big open stage good depth of stage excellent recording with a excellent orchestral opening)
“Yeah huge stage 3D 0:56 Bass hits fast + nice weight.”
#23 “Tricycle” by Flim & BB’s
(Turn this one up and wait till 0:28 seconds- Have Fun Dynamics test)
" Not the best replay missing some authorities at high volume was very good almost there."
#24 “Thriller” by Michael Jackson
(Great song to listen for stage and imaging)
" Great 3D stage not sibilant on RED at beginning on Black YES."
#25 “Team” by Lorde
(Female vocals if your lover of those this is a great track)
“Very unique presentation SIMGOT House Sound coming to life.”
#26 “ Wake Up “ Oliver Mtukudzi
(Oliver Mtukudzi is an African Musician and prolific guitarist and Vocalist. He sings with a mix of South African styles sometimes in English sometimes mixed like in this track and includes the traditional drumming styles of the Korekore. TUKU MUSIC at its finest – Listening for vocals, bass lines, and clarity – and because it is just fun! Right at the beginning you have some very cool snaps and instrumental)
“Natural vocals at beginning + Oliver’s voice was perfect , good depth between singers front Back Up female vocals and Male Main.”
#27 “Brothers In Arms” by Dire Straits
(Intro and dynamics or distant thunder, and Iconic Mark Knopfler’s vocals Bass hits at 2:12)
“Thunder at beginning was well presented not droned out + Mark Knopfler was perfect again.”
#28 “Keith Don’t Go” - Live Version by Nils Loftgren
(Acoustical Guitar absolutely amazing recording - Tonality and male vocal clarity)
“You have to listen to this live recording , the Music that belted out of EA500 was breathtaking to listen to.”
#29 “Somebody I used To Know” by Goyte & Kimba
(A huge stage and Vocals listen for excellent separation and stage, Vocals at 1:38 and female 2:38 and micro-dynamics
" Just Wow love vocals the unique way it is replayed back on the EA500 just love the way it does the stage."
#30 " Flight Of The Cosmic Hippo" by Bélla Fleck & The Fleckstones
(Excellent recording and Bango bass should hit hard and low with nice mic of piano weight)
" The EA500 going to make me a banjo fan."
#31 " New Orleans Is Sinking " By The Tragically Hip."
Listening to Gord’s Voice without enough MB his voice will sound thin on this song.
" Great male vocals as well know Canadians rep so well! EH!."
#32 " T.V. Song" By The blue Man Group
The whip at beginning has to sound real, then the PVC B.M.G. stereo separation and then 10’ big ass drum hits at 1:26
" Not bad but showing the EA500 one weakness for sub bass big hits"
#33 “Electrified II” by Yello
How well does the playback just trip you out and pull you into the stage and presentation think Ferris Bueller’s` Day Off on LSD
“Yello oh hell YES!”
COMPARISIONS FOR REFERENCE:
Sennheiser IE200: $200
On the IE200 the stage is more L+R , more intimate yet the stage sounds closer to you and more like a studio recording rather than live. Whereas the EA500 changes its stage per song and is more true to the recording.
The IE200 plays lower in sub frequencies but not nearly as authoritive in its bass texture.
Vocals more recessed on the IE200 whereas the EA500 vocals are slightly forward in comparison to the two.
IKKO Obsidian OH10: $120-$150 now FEB 2023
The OH10 has a wider stage not nearly as 3D as the SIMGOT.
Both ends of the music spectrum Bass and certainly more high frequency energy you can expect from the OH10.
The OH10 has more bass and with greater speed.
The EA500 plays with a more neutral playback whereas the OH10 sounds more colored.
The EA500 beats the OH10 in detail retrieval and resolution.
AUNE Jasper: $299 Thanks Eric Lab “NymPHONOmaniac” for your loaner for this comparison.
The EA500 has a tad more bass , but with more texture.
Vocal clarity is just slightly more resolving and natural because of the added mid bass on the EA500 with a slightly more forward presentation both have outstanding vocals.
The Mids are slightly warmer on the Aune Jasper - my personal preference.
There sounds like a bit more air and extension in the highs of the Simgot EA500 making female vocals clearer.
The Jasper cant quite keep up with the 3D stage of the EA500 both are excellent but I give the nod to the SIMGOT here.
The shorter nozzle of the Aune Jasper makes it harder to get a good seal and more tip dependant.
The Jasper needs twice the power to get to the same volume level defiantly harder to drive.
SUMMARY & FINAL THOUGHTS FOR: SIMGOT EA500
I reached out to Simgot for this one in part because I saw it online , It looked so premium and well built and it peaked my curiosity so Simgot sent me one and I am sure glad they did and here we are 5 days later 16 Hours in ears and 100 hours burn in.
First thing I will say about the EA500 is that is not a Harman tuned typical sound , well it sort of is but throw in a bit of house SIMGOT sound tuned two alternate ways and you have this wonderful IEM being born.
I saw these IEM’s and what can I say there is a special place in my heart for full on metal shells, it certainly does something special for the IKKO Obsidian OH10 and the same exact thing can be said for the EA500!
There should not be as much bass with the weight it has looking at the graph curve.
The vocals both male and female on a warmer source is perfectly weighted and hits a very rare balance between weight and airiness.
At first listen I thought the EA500 sounded warm, after lots of hours they seemed to become more natural in a very neutral balanced way and my favorite tuning was the RED Nozzle’s sound signature.
I am treble sensitive and the EA500 hits the perfect mix for me of highs without and fatigue or sibilance.
Stage is very 3D and the EA500 presents it in a very Intimate in your head space with nice depth and width as well as good height if the tracks was meant to be played back like that.
Whatever the EA500 uses for its DD it’s a wonderfully resolving unit. Very rare from my observation to find such as driver and certainly not at this price point. If you can pick out the micro dynamics and emotion of the music with a neutral clean playback, true to its recording and without adding or changing the music - that’s special in my opinion.
Rock, Jazz, EDM, Orchestral, Vocal, all great on the EA500 , you noticed I left out some bass heavy genre for good reason its not for those and wont give you the correct playback.
Final takeaway: I has been a very long time when reviewing a IEM where I just zoned out because I was enjoying the music and forgot I have something in my ears. When listening to the EA500 that happened more than once. That’s a very powerful statement and the ultimate testimonial to how much I enjoy these IEM’s.
I can see a EA500 CULT being born and have a following like the OH10 a IEM that you wont ever sell.
Thanks so much, Cheers from the Tone Deaf Monk.
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Build quality does look nice but shame about the poor tuning 
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I am sure there are some who will think it’s the holy grail of planar I see some glowing reviews … And leave it at that.
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Great Video from No Borders Audiophile on the GS Audio SE12!
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I can send you the original. I have a set
