5 Stars 
Multi Genre King
Pros:
1, Authoritative Bass
2. Natural timbre
3. Smooth across the whole signature
4. cohesive sound signature
5. Build quality
6. High quality cable
8. Beautiful faceplates
9. Good accessories with nice case
Cons:
- Zero at this price
Sound Rhyme are a new company to me I have read about their more expensive hybrids the SR7 and DTE900 so I was very interested to see what they could bring to the budget sector. When opening the box you are greeted with a pair of tiny machined aluminium iems with shortish nozzles I worried about fit but turns out they fit like a dream. The cable is of a very high quality at this price range it has great handling and aesthetically suites the iems. You also get a metal plate with tuning nozzles and a couple of set of eartips that look very similar to the ones Penon supply with their iems. The case is a screw top puck that holds the iems, cable and nozzles with ease.
The Sound Rhyme SP01 is categorically the new king of the castle when it comes to budget single dynamic driver iems and what’s most pleasing its neither Harmon or V shaped in its sound signature but rather a wonderfully balanced W. The SP01 follows the trend of tunning nozzles with three on offer. I found the balanced nozzles(the ones in place on delivery)to be best with the other either thickening the sound signature or making the treble too forward. This is a case of hitting the perfect balance in tunning then offering options to spoil the cake with alternative options. I would have preferred not to have the choice, your opinion may differ so try them out for yourself.
In the current market there seems to be a new best iem released every week. Simgot EA500 and then the EA500LM the Kefine Delci to name a few notable recent holders of the title. The SP01 enters the fray and surpasses them with ease. Fantastic build quality, very nice cable available in 3.5mm or 4.4mm, quality case and most important brilliantly tuned quality driver.
The Title of this review is “Multi Genre king” why you may ask well when I heard how this iem presented my entire music catalogue I was able to just kick back and enjoy the music without any glaring defects the SP01 just took everything in its stride confidently. The sound presented is warm, robust in body but not veiled the treble is extended but not peaky. If I was to choose an iem to be a gift to anyone outside the hobby this would be it.
I’d just like to say upfront I believe we are all biased when giving our subjective thoughts about IEMs be it a particular type of signature that works with our music library or how an IEM looks and feels in our ears. On the subject of ears everyone’s ear anatomy is different and this effects fit and seal which in turn effects the perception of bass response so I recommend finding the right ear tips that suit your ears to get the best of any IEM.
My review star ratings are linked to the price range of the iem eg a 5 star review of a $100 iem is not equal to one of a $500 iem.
I’m and audio enthusiast with a collection of over 200 iems, 30 different sources with a music collection that numbers over 100,000 tracks and 15 flathead buds I share my impressions as a way to share my enthusiasm for the hobby I approach from the premise of music first technology 2nd, what does this mean? For me the technicalities are not of prime importance but does the music move with this particular iem.
I’m a connoisseur of many different sound signatures. The only prerequisite is musicality I’m not a fan of analytical cold playback. My scale of success when it comes to evaluating iems is; do I get goosebumps when they playback my favourite tunes. There are many good iems but do they give me goosebumps? Unfortunately I have a draw full of just good iems.
I want the iem that I reach for without thinking because I instinctively know it will bring the thrill I’m seeking from my music. The Sound Rhyme SP01 bass, mids and sprinkling of treble coming from the Dynamic Driver gave me goosebumps with my most loved genre of classic rock which I believe to be the last bastion of instrumental authenticity just bands playing together in the studio with a sound engineer capturing the magic on tape! The SP01’s analogue signature matches just as perfectly with these types of recordings as with any others in my varied collection. I must mention I don’t listen to classical music so cant say how this is suited.
I have always favoured Dynamic Drivers for the tactility and organic natural playback they produce. The SP01’s Dynamic Driver give good sub bass and great mid bass combining to give a really exciting bottom end that drives the music along. The mid bass doesn’t bleed much into the mids, just a hint of thickness to male vocals, they are silky smooth and are relatively neutral, with a nice sense of air and layering. There is detail and the timbre is just wonderfully natural with both male and female voices having a touch of added note weight presenting slightly forward. The treble is not prominent but it is there. The leading edge of cymbals are crisp and sound very natural. The upper range of the mids and lower treble do sound very effective especially when cutting through the warmth of the lower mids with singers in the higher registers. The whole sound being rendered with a balanced warmth that I was able to enjoy for 5 or 6 hours straight without any fatigue, these are supremely comfortable iems.
Now I know there are those who don’t believe in burn in of iems, all I’m going to say is, |I burn in all my iems to be honest I noticed little to no change in the SP01 so they are ready to go straight out of the box.
Disclaimer
Penon was kind enough me a sample of the Sound Rhyme SP01. I am not affiliated with Penon and of course was not asked for any copy checking before publishing, they are seeing this the same time as you. All pictures taken be me or sourced from the Penon website . ALL opinions shared in this review are my subjective thoughts.
Make sure to research any iem before you buy!
The Sound Rhyme SP01 available in red or blue retails at $89 which is extremely competitive and are available for purchase from the Penon website see the non affiliated link below
Sound Rhyme SP01 (penonaudio.com)
Details from the Penon website
Sound Rhyme SP01
Description
Specification
Sound Rhyme SP01 10mm Dual Magnetic Dynamic Driver 2Pin 0.78mm HiFi In-ear Earphones IEMs
Description
10mm dual magnetic dynamic drier,which is Carbon nanotube + DLC composite.
Designed based on human ear data 3D big data, the perspective of science in the ear.
Combining the advantages of mainstream earphones, taking advantage of their strengths, create a high-quality voice.
Low frequency with dynamic elasticity, continuous diving.
The sweet mid-frequency voice hits the heart directly.
High frequency clear and bright, silky and smooth.
8 strands 7N crystal copper silver-plated with 2pin 0.78mm connectors.
Configure 3 pairs of interchangeable nozzles: Clear/Warm/Balanced
Specification
Model: SP01
Driver: 1 dynamic (Carbon nanotube + DLC composite)
Shell:Metal
Sensitivity: 110Db
Frequency response: 10Hz-70kHz
Impedance: 16Ω
Plug: 3.5mm/4.4mm
Cable length: 1.25m
The frequency graph for those who like to see such things
What do they sound like?
The SP01 are more subbass than midbass in focus not to say there isn’t any midbass snap and attack its there just not dominant. The mids are at the forefront with a touch of warmth but still have some brightness without sounding thin the upper mids have enough bite to give guitars a pleasing aggressive presence. The treble is crisp but not sibilant or fatiguing, cymbals sound natural with a nice decay placed right where they should be not artificially forward. They manage to have a decently wide staging while being bassy enough to make drums and bass guitar meaty. The impressive thing is these little wonders have great depth allowing for a far more realistic layering experience than expected at this level.
I want to really enjoy my music. Something that releases the full scope of what the artist created in the studio. The SP01 does that with cohesion ensuring to there’s no jarring transitions between the frequency range. The SP01 is a slightly warm, lush signature, bass is textured, dynamic and layered. The mids are slightly warm and don’t colour the vocals there is a little extra body to males vocals, female are realistic and sweet with a natural timbre. The vocals are front and centre with instruments placed exactly where they should be showing depth to the stage with natural unforced width. The SP01 dynamic driver sounds very coherent no trace of uneven timbre just everything working together as one.
What do I mean by unforced width? Some IEMs give an impression of super wide stage which sounds unnatural throwing instrument placement off. With the SP01 the staging is reliant on the production of the music, if a song is intimate that’s how it is rendered if the song has wide deep and tall production values the SP01 presents it that way which at this price point is rare.
The mids are natural and organic, with just enough edge to add excitement to vocals and guitars causing me to be drawn into the music, Pianos and Guitars are given a really even treatment with extra note weight sounding exactly as you would expect if you were in a concert hall.
The Transition from upper mids to lower treble is boosted slightly but still sibilance free, even with songs that have sibilance bult into the recording. The little bump in this region just edges them into excitement in this area. To be totally honest the SP01 is very tip reliant I found with wide bore tips there was a much more pleasing treble and a more open sound in general with narrow bore tips the whole signature became a bit warm and thickened up. I settled on large TangzuTangSanCai wide bore tips these gave me the perfect balance of warmth and treble extension I tried the tri Clarion tips but they took away too much of the bass that makes the SP01 sound so special, On the subject of tips while Sound Rhyme give a generous selection of tips I couldn’t get a good seal with any of them, I have very big ear canals.
The timbre and tactility of drums, strings, guitars and brass instruments is very natural all instruments find their own place. Vocals both male and female are reproduced authentically with emotion, every inflection, intonation is apparent as a singer climbs the scale to the crescendo it is presented well cutting through, if a voice has gravel you feel it. The SP01 is quite forgiving of poorly produced music.
The sound signature as a whole is of natural slightly boosted bass with clear clean mids with a little edge in the treble, giving an overall satisfying feeling of immersion in the music
When I’m evaluating IEMs I have a play list of roughly 100 songs of mixed genres. With the SP01 again, I found myself listening to songs rather than
analysing the different frequency ranges listening to albums in their entirety just loosing myself in the music. I found they worked across all the genres in my library always smooth and velvety . I don’t listen to much EDM but the SP01 played the Lordes’s “Royals” well its real strength was with the subbass digging down deep and Lordes vocals cutting through with an expansive sense of space and layering.
a-ha - Take on me sounded wonderfully full and clean with the crisp drums and lush keyboards . Morten Harket’s soaring tenor vocals sounding full and sweet with no thinness the layering in this 80s classic synth-pop song was produced with expert precision a really enjoyable listen
Adele – Hello, this torch song classic with moody piano intro and breathy vocals reproduce with just enough warmth and weight to draw you in slowly building to the big glide up the vocal register to the masterful high notes Adele is famous for the SP01 mages to keep up without any distortion infact they present the nuances in the notes being sung so effectively I let out a little squeal in appreciation. The staging is also brilliantly reproduced increasing the atmospherics greatly.
Steely Dan’s – Black Cow, one of the best produced albums in my opinion was played with a breathtaking expertise at this price range, drums, keyboards, vocals , hi-hats and cymbals were natural with excellent decay space and staging with good height, depth and width enabling me to pick out instruments in the mix, there was a little warmth in this song but it still felt open and airy with the layering of the instruments in a class above its price bracket very enjoyable.
Steven Tyler- My own worst enemy this is one starts with a sparce acoustic guitar and tambourine with Tylers gritty vocals and slowly builds with new instruments being introduced as this slow ballad builds Tylers elastic vocals stays front and centre as the song becomes a multilayered wall of sound the SP01 manages to keep the huge production in control avoiding any congestion, impressive.
Led Zepplin – Since I’ve been loving you
The lead guitar intro is perfectly presented sweet and keening the drums with that slow heavy rhythm, then as the song builds, keyboards the cherry on the cake comes with Plants unmistakeable vocals reaching for the sky as the song builds in intensity to a cohesive whole with the wailing Plant cutting through like a hot knife in butter. The SP01 excels presenting Zepplin vocals they are the star of the show never overpowered by the drums and guitar.
Steve Earle and the Dukes- The Hard Way
Crisp drumming introduces the song with piano and acoustic guitars as Steve Earles unmistakable vocals the production is big and airy with a solid bass flooring in the style of many Bruce Springsteen albums this can sound a bit dry on other lesser iems, here it sounds rich and smooth and layered. The layering is just astounding at this price point with each instrument being given enough space to be able to pick them out and follow them.
The Hu – This Mogul (with William DVall) –
The dynamics of this track are huge with drums guitars and Mongolian instruments, the Horsehead fiddle, Tovashuur, Tumar Khuur, Tsuurare and Mongol throat singing with a special guest William DuVall of Alice in Chains. The power of this dense, complex and rhythmic masterpiece is reproduced with accuracy and weight the driving rhythms are dynamic and punchy, I didn’t hear any congestion in the instrumentation despite the density of this track. The vocals of William DuVall stood out against the wall of instruments and were on point and unveiled just good headbanging fun. The SP01 didn’t feel exposed with faster tracks with instruments in the same frequency range still being given space to be heard with little to no congestion.
The SP01 is an easy to drive iem I had no issues using them with my phone, Daps, Dongles in getting loud enough, the dynamics and open sound was present with all sources the texture and layering they are capable of was available for all to some degree.
They sounded good with neutral or warm sources. This is an iem that doesn’t need a powerful source but it does scale impressively.
I’m not a fan of analytical sounding IEMs that force details into your ears like a photograph with HDR and sharpening set at max a decidedly digital representation. I’m more Vinyl on a turntable, Leica manual focus, sumptuous colours on kodak colour gold film, kinda guy, where if you look really close all the details are there but it’s the whole image you appreciate rather than just how sharp it is.
Sources used:
IBasso dx170
Shanling H5
HiBy R6 111
HiBy R8
Sony ZX707
Sony nw-a55
Sony Xperia V
Penon tail dac /amp
Cayin N3 Ultra
Venture Electronics VE RunAbout RA 2B-FE 2BFE
FIIO M15
When using my different sources I didn’t favour the more powerful ones the extra dynamics and layering and technical presentation was apparent but the overall musical presentation was the same.
Comparison
Simgot EA500LM
For comparison it was obvious that the best choice would be the Simgot EA500LM both these iems are tuned with a similar target in mind while the EA500LM is warmer with more bass bleed into the lower mids giving a slightly warmer thicker mids the SP01 has more texture in the bass and cleaner mids that present further forward the upper mids while elevated are less intense than the Simgot meaning a smoother less fatiguing listen overall. Don’t think this smoothness means a lack of detail though the SP01 is more detailed and has better technicalities. Put simply in my opinion, for my tastes the SP01 is an upgrade to the Simgot across the whole range.
Kefine Delci
The Kefine Delci was my favourite under $100 single DD iem till the SP01. In comparison to the SP01 the Delci seem less dynamic, with softer more boomy bass, thinner mids, with a sharper more fatiguing upper mids and treble. Even with this seemingly elevated treble there’s less detail to be heard. Q,uite frankly the SP01 is a level above while the differences with the Simgot EA500LM could be a matter of taste, the Delci is just inferior.
Conclusion
The up to $100 range is full of great sounding iems with more released it seems on a weekly basis the SP01 more than competes it’s an exceptional iem that redefines what’s possible at this price and sets a new standard. It’s fun and exciting sound signature that lets your music flow effortlessly. The SP01 is a technically adept iem that I have not experienced in this price bracket before. A single Dynamic Driver that even plays on a level with the $200 price bracket. One of the most enjoyably musical budget buys you can get for $89 I would say you have to spend a lot more money to get better a DD with this kind of signature. This iem has become my everyday carry. I fully recommend you check out the Sound Rhyme SP01 its my choice for best under $100 budget single DD of 2024!