u/SaeSakura

Introduction
When I heard that Super Review had tuned this IEM, I was looking forward to listening to this as I find myself having similar interests with him in tuning preferences. It's his second collaboration with Juzear after the Harrier, and the Light Shuttle is tuned with Squiglink. 

Its a new meta derivative but with some significant changes, lets see how it fairs out in detail 

Test Gear
Tanchjim Space Pro
Zen Stack 
Usual Test Track Playlist

Build & Design
The Light Shuttle features a light weight resin shell with an overall ergonomic shape to it. This shape actually provides me a snug fit overall. 

If we look at the faceplate, we can see that Juzear has done something different. The recent releases featured a full resin faceplate but here the Light Shuttle goes for a combination of CNC Aluminium + Resin. It features an iridescent design that shifts color when the light hits it. This does almost remind me of the Odin for some reason, mostly because of the different colors.

The faceplate also features a small embedded border along the design with an embedded gemstone in the corner.  

Talking about the accessories -  Similar to the Nebula and Fiesta, we can see a similar accessory package - 

1. Modular Cable (3.5mm and 4.4mm) 
2. 7 Eartips 
3. Protective Carry Case
4. Cleaning Cloth 
5. Light Shuttle Acrylic Standee

The cable is of the same one which comes with the Nebula and like I mentioned in the Nebula Review, I am not particularly a fan of this cable mainly because it doesn’t behave that well. 

Talking about comfort - Since it has a relatively smaller shell size than the Fiesta, these fit me really well. But still, I would say people with smaller ears should definitely try this before purchasing. For eartips, I used the K bear Coffee Eartips as well as the Tri Clarion. 

Overall I really dig the design & overall package that the Light Shuttle offers. 

Specifications and Driveability
The Juzear Light Shuttle retails for around $190 or 19,000 INR and it features a 7 Driver Setup consisting of a single Dynamic Driver (DD), 4 Balanced Armatures (BA) and 2 Micro Planars.

Some Technical Specs

1. Sensitivity - 113dB
2. Impedance - 32 Ω

As for driveability, in my listening it definitely needed a little bit more power from what I would normally need. Any entry level dongle DAC can easily power these up. 

Sound
The Juzear Light Shuttle features a tuning which we are very familiar with at this point, its the New Meta Tuning. However, the light shuttle offers slight variations which I would describe as very tasteful and musical.

To sum it up I would say that the tuning is mostly neutral with a bass boost and some treble flair. I also wanted to mention that this was tuned using the Squiglink Community feedback and user data.

Let's go into the details starting with the low end. 

Bass
The Bass is being handled by the sole Dynamic Driver and I must say that it does the job really well. It has more of a sub bass presentation and it kind of deviates from the traditional New Meta tuned IEMs. Basically you get more BASS!

The bass is full of rumble, it feels full bodied and meaty. The midbass however lacks a bit of attack in some tracks but the sub bass delivers extensively with great texture and no significant amount of bass bleed. 

This kind of sub bass atleast from the graphs were seen in the Davinci or the Mega5est (close enough), but in listening the sub bass here sounds more authoritative and if you personally ask me, this amount of sub bass is a bit too much for me mostly because I feel overwhelmed.

Midrange
For me the midrange is very balanced and mostly neutral. The vocals & instruments feel natural to your ears and it has enough body. The lower midrange would appear a bit tucked in compared to other New Meta tunings but in listening sessions I didn’t feel them to be lacking when it comes to male vocal presentation. 

Upper mids aren’t shouty in any regards and female vocals feel natural as ever. The instrument separation here could have been better here but it's alright. 

Overall the 4 BA drivers handle the midrange pretty damn well 

Treble
The treble is here handled by the BA & Planar drivers and this is easily the best thing about the Light Shuttle for me is the Treble. It has great extension and perfectly balances out being exciting as well as not sibilant. 

It's definitely not the brightest but it has enough air and presence in the mid treble to provide you with nuances in your tracks.

For my preference I would have loved a bit more emphasis in the lower treble but that's just my subjective thought but for most people out there this treble would really satisfy. 

Technicalities
Overall the Resolution is excellent throughout the frequencies, and the detail retrieval is decent for the price. There are definitely better IEMs at this price range which give you more details but this is alright.

Soundstage is excellent with a pretty tall and wide characteristic to it, however the imaging is average/a bit above average.

Layering and Separation is good for the price as well but like i mentioned above i would have preferred the separation to be a bit more distinct in some tracks. 

Comparison
I would like to compare this to another New Meta IEM in this price range which is the Crinear Daybreak.

The build quality is just superior on the Light Shuttle. 

Bass
In terms of overall balance of bass, I love Daybreak more. But realistically it comes down to preference, where if you are a subbass enthusiast go for the Light Shuttle, if you like midbass more then go for the Daybreak. 

Midrange
Here it was closer than I imagined. The daybreak as well as the light shuttle have clean and clean vocals and even though the lower mids on the Light Shuttle tend to be a bit tucked in compared to Daybreak, in actual listening sessions the Light Shuttle had more of a heft in that region. 

Treble
I love the treble presentation on the Light shuttle more as like I mentioned above, it clearly establishes between safe and sparkly. On the Daybreak however it can seem a bit too much sometimes, and it comes down to your preference here. 

Technicalities
Not much difference to be honest

Overall, the biggest difference you're gonna feel is the bass presence and the treble. For me the biggest difference is definitely the low end.

For me the Daybreak is more of an all rounder as it has a more balanced low end compared to the Light Shuttle, but if you are someone who craves a bit more sub bass presence, Light Shuttle is definitely the one for you out of the two. 

Conclusion
To me the Juzear Light Shuttle has been one of my favorite derivations of the New meta tuning. Even though the sub bass is a bit too much for me, I appreciate the change among the see

Although I am surprised Mark went for this tuning as generally he loves more of a clinical and natural sound signature, but yes he also appreciates a tasty well done low end.

I would give the Juzear Light Shuttle a rating of 4/5 

I would like to thank HiFigo for providing this unit for review. If you liked this review, please consider liking and sharing and follow me for more reviews like this 🌸

Introduction 

Throughout my life I have constantly used earbuds, IEMs or headphones for that matter. This was my first experience of using a proper flathead. The Sivga M260 here is an interesting product to say the least and I was really eager to know how it sounds.

Lets find out how the Sivga M260 fairs in a practical scenario. 

Test Gear

Usual Test Track Playlist

Build & Design

If you have been following me for a while then you must know that I am a true sucker for retro products. The M260 definitely gives a feeling of a retro, classic aesthetic design. 

The build quality is really good on these, I expected them to cheap out on these but they are built mostly from metal. You can see they have put quite the attention to detail here with the build and design. The buds themselves have these silver and golden accents to them which have the Right and Left markings. 

Talking about the accessories - the accessory package is pretty simple, where it has the buds themselves, a hard zipper case and some donut shaped foam covers or foamies as some call them. 

The case is really nice and very spacious, and it has a good texture to it. They definitely hold the buds and eartips intact. 

Talking about the cable, it is detachable and it features a MMCX Connection and it comes in different variants 

1. 3.5mm with mic
2. 3.5mm without mic 
3. Type C with mic

I got the Type C version and it uses a Realtek ALC5686 DAC Chip and it gets sufficiently loud. The cable itself is thin but feels very nice to touch and the behaviour as well is good.

The Mic is really good, like really great. I didn't expect them to be this good as I even use them for my work calls etc. The mic module also holds the play/pause & volume controls. 

Talking about the comfort, for me these were really comfy, and I didn't face any problem at all. I know that these are really subjective and some people just can’t wear them but it is what it is.

For me, I didn't have any fatigue at all wearing this for long hours. Since it doesn't have isolation, it has that open back feeling to it. 

Overall the Unboxing experience was amazing and the build and design of these flatheads are remarkable.

Specifications and Driveability

The Sivga M260 retails for $45 or 4400 INR (Type C version) and it features a 14.2mm dynamic driver. 

Some Technical Specs

1. Sensitivity - 118dB/Vrms @ 1kHz 
2. Impedance - 16 Ω

Sound

These are tuned for those listeners who prefer a very technical yet clinical sound signature. Being a flathead design, it feels open, crisp and very spacious. 

But how does it sound in detail, let's find out. 

Bass

The bass on the M260 is clinical, clean and resolving. It doesn't have any physicality to it, or the heavy slam or rumble but whatever bass you feel will be really clean and crisp.

There is some certain sense of midbass depth but I guess most people wouldn't feel it that much due to the fit.

Overall these weren’t supposed to be bass focused set anyways - but whatever bass you can feel is well done and textured. 

Midrange

The midrange on the M260 is one of its highlights for sure. It sounds natural and detailed rather than giving a full bodied experience.

The lower midrange is a bit thin which can be a problem to some. Personally I do love a bit of warmth in the lower mids which give the male vocals and some instruments some body but here its a bit lacking.

Upper Mids due to this sounds a bit more dominating but not to the extent that it feels shouty or anything. Female vocals are a treat to listen to as well. But the upper mids sound a bit dry sometimes lacking some sparkle to it.

Overall the midrange similar to the low end sounds clean & clinical.

Treble

The treble is energetic with a snappy attack to the instruments. It is very airy and gives the overall mix a bit of sparkle. I like this kind of treble tuning a lot as it appears to be very detailed and exciting. The decay is a bit fast as well which I would have preferred a bit more slower.

I can see this type of treble to be piercing to some folks out there since the rest of the tuning is subdued but generally it doesn't sound that sharp. 

Then again it depends on the fit you are getting.

Technical Performance

The technicalities on the M260 is highly impressive for a flathead earbud.

The first thing that you instantly notice - is the Soundstage, because of its flat head design, the set gives you a feeling of a good amount of spaciousness.

Since it has an open back feeling to it you can get a feeling of the music just covering your head and even comparing it with some IEMs, it's just flat out better. However, the Imaging is average but this was also highly dependent on the fit mostly. 

Detail retrieval and Resolution is excellent as throughout the frequencies it delivers with giving you those small nuances. 

Layering and Separation on these are average at most, but for the price that they come in, I can’t even argue on that point. 

Conclusion

I would say that the Sivga M260 is an excellent flathead for the price it comes for. You get a clean and transparent listening experience coupled with a solid mic, which you can use in any scenario.

I would give the M260 a rating of 4/5 

I would like to thank Sivga for providing this unit for review. If you liked this review, please consider liking and sharing and follow me for more reviews like this.

Ali Express

Sivga Shop

Introduction 

Throughout my life I have constantly used earbuds, IEMs or headphones for that matter. This was my first experience of using a proper flathead. The Sivga M260 here is an interesting product to say the least and I was really eager to know how it sounds.

Lets find out how the Sivga M260 fairs in a practical scenario. 

Test Gear

Usual Test Track Playlist

Build & Design

If you have been following me for a while then you must know that I am a true sucker for retro products. The M260 definitely gives a feeling of a retro, classic aesthetic design. 

The build quality is really good on these, I expected them to cheap out on these but they are built mostly from metal. You can see they have put quite the attention to detail here with the build and design. The buds themselves have these silver and golden accents to them which have the Right and Left markings. 

Talking about the accessories - the accessory package is pretty simple, where it has the buds themselves, a hard zipper case and some donut shaped foam covers or foamies as some call them. 

The case is really nice and very spacious, and it has a good texture to it. They definitely hold the buds and eartips intact. 

Talking about the cable, it is detachable and it features a MMCX Connection and it comes in different variants 

1. 3.5mm with mic
2. 3.5mm without mic 
3. Type C with mic

I got the Type C version and it uses a Realtek ALC5686 DAC Chip and it gets sufficiently loud. The cable itself is thin but feels very nice to touch and the behaviour as well is good.

The Mic is really good, like really great. I didn't expect them to be this good as I even use them for my work calls etc. The mic module also holds the play/pause & volume controls. 

Talking about the comfort, for me these were really comfy, and I didn't face any problem at all. I know that these are really subjective and some people just can’t wear them but it is what it is.

For me, I didn't have any fatigue at all wearing this for long hours. Since it doesn't have isolation, it has that open back feeling to it. 

Overall the Unboxing experience was amazing and the build and design of these flatheads are remarkable.

Specifications and Driveability
The Sivga M260 retails for $45 or 4400 INR (Type C version) and it features a 14.2mm dynamic driver. 

Some Technical Specs

1. Sensitivity - 118dB/Vrms @ 1kHz 
2. Impedance - 16 Ω

Sound

These are tuned for those listeners who prefer a very technical yet clinical sound signature. Being a flathead design, it feels open, crisp and very spacious. 

But how does it sound in detail, let's find out. 

Bass

The bass on the M260 is clinical, clean and resolving. It doesn't have any physicality to it, or the heavy slam or rumble but whatever bass you feel will be really clean and crisp.

There is some certain sense of midbass depth but I guess most people wouldn't feel it that much due to the fit.

Overall these weren’t supposed to be bass focused set anyways - but whatever bass you can feel is well done and textured. 

Midrange

The midrange on the M260 is one of its highlights for sure. It sounds natural and detailed rather than giving a full bodied experience.

The lower midrange is a bit thin which can be a problem to some. Personally I do love a bit of warmth in the lower mids which give the male vocals and some instruments some body but here its a bit lacking.

Upper Mids due to this sounds a bit more dominating but not to the extent that it feels shouty or anything. Female vocals are a treat to listen to as well. But the upper mids sound a bit dry sometimes lacking some sparkle to it.

Overall the midrange similar to the low end sounds clean & clinical.

Treble

The treble is energetic with a snappy attack to the instruments. It is very airy and gives the overall mix a bit of sparkle. I like this kind of treble tuning a lot as it appears to be very detailed and exciting. The decay is a bit fast as well which I would have preferred a bit more slower.

I can see this type of treble to be piercing to some folks out there since the rest of the tuning is subdued but generally it doesn't sound that sharp. 

Then again it depends on the fit you are getting.

Technical Performance

The technicalities on the M260 is highly impressive for a flathead earbud.

The first thing that you instantly notice - is the Soundstage, because of its flat head design, the set gives you a feeling of a good amount of spaciousness.

Since it has an open back feeling to it you can get a feeling of the music just covering your head and even comparing it with some IEMs, it's just flat out better. However, the Imaging is average but this was also highly dependent on the fit mostly. 

Detail retrieval and Resolution is excellent as throughout the frequencies it delivers with giving you those small nuances. 

Layering and Separation on these are average at most, but for the price that they come in, I can’t even argue on that point. 

Conclusion

I would say that the Sivga M260 is an excellent flathead for the price it comes for. You get a clean and transparent listening experience coupled with a solid mic, which you can use in any scenario.

Of course getting the right fit will always be a concern but once you do on these, they are pretty awesome!

I would give the M260 a rating of 4/5 

I would like to thank Sivga for providing this unit for review. If you liked this review, please consider liking and sharing and follow me for more reviews like this🌸

Ali Express

Sivga Shop

Hey guys this is Sakura 🌸 here back with another giveaway, this time I'm giving away the Kefine Loric which is an entry level IEM.

Just like last time the winner be selected at random, all you gotta do is just follow the instructions.

Instructions

1. Follow my Reddit Account

2. Follow my X/Twitter Account

3. Comment under this post

(Disclaimer - The giveaway winner will be announced only after I finish completing the review)

As always keep it fair guys, and all the best to all of you 🌸

Introduction

Juzear has been on a roll with the recent releases with IEMs like the Defiant, Nimbus and the upcoming shuttle.

But the Nebula and Fiesta really caught my eyes mostly for the way they look. In this review I will be covering which Juzear suits your preferences and how it fairs against the overall market. 

Test Gear

Tanchjim Space Pro
Zen Stack 
Usual Test Track Playlist

Build & Design

The Fiesta is a collaboration between Juzear and Vivir Digital and it features a fiery red theme on the faceplate. The faceplate features these patterns on one earpiece and on the other it features the Vivir Digital Logo. (The initial batches did have a different design on the faceplate, they have changed as of now)

The shells are made of resin and also features a metal nozzle, the overall build of this is very robust.

The Nebula is a collaboration between Juzear and Koto and features a very striking faceplate which is just stunning to look at. It's one of those things that instantly catches your eyes. The faceplate has this glow which looks different depending on where the light hits it. 

The shells are made of resin and these feel quite robust in hand, and definitely not something cheap. These shells aren't heavy either.

Overall, I prefer the Nebula more since it's a total looker and is kinda unique. 

Talking about accessories
The Nebula Features - 

1. Modular cable with interchangeable plugs (3.5mm & 4.4mm)
2. 7 pairs of Eartips 
3. Soft Carrying Pouch

The Fiesta Features - 

1. 3.5mm Cable with an inline mic
2. 4.4mm Balanced Cable 
3. 7 Pairs of Eartips 
4. Hard Zipper Case

 

Overall the accessory package is amazing on both the sets but I prefer the one on the Fiesta more since it has two cable options as well a solid case in comparison to the Nebula especially it being more expensive out of the two.

Regarding the cable, both look very good at first but in terms of cable behaviour and roadie wrapping it's a bit off in my opinion. 

Talking about comfort - For both the Nebula and Fiesta, the shells are slightly on the larger side so it can be a problem for those who have smaller ears. For me as well, I would say I have medium to medium large ears and these fit well but after some time there was some fatigue.

For eartips - I went with the Kbear Coffee Eartips for both of them. 

Specifications and Driveability
The Nebula Retails for $130 while the Fiesta goes for around $120.

Some Technical Specs 

Nebula -

1. 1 Dynamic Driver, 3 Balanced Armature Drivers & 1 Micro Planar Driver
2. Sensitivity - 110dB/Vrms @ 1kHz 
3. Impedance - 32Ω

Fiesta - 

1. 1 Dynamic Driver, 3 Balanced Armature Drivers 
2. Sensitivity - 109dB/Vrms @ 1kHz 
3. Impedance - 32Ω

In terms of Driveability, both the IEMs were really easy to drive and I didn't have any problems with an entry level dongle. But the Nebula does sound more distinct when you give it more power. 

Sound

In overall sound they are very different and offer the audience a different flavour altogether.

The Nebula offers a neutral - warm sound signature with a detailed yet smooth treble.

On the other hand the Fiesta is a full on bassy set that aims at giving the listeners an engaging and fun experience. 

Lets talk about the sound in detail starting with the Bass.

Bass

Nebula - The bass on this set slightly leans more towards a sub bass presence. Then again I wouldn’t say the sub bass has a lot of impact in tracks. In tracks like All I ever wanted by Basshunter, you get the slight feeling that the bass is there but it doesn't give you that oomph.

Midbass on the other hand lacks physicality and attack to it and you can often feel as if the transients are very quick. 

The bass is of very good quality though, However, I did experience some bass bleed into the mids when I was listening to some Lana Del Rey and Atarayo.

Overall the bass on the Nebula is alright I would say and could have been a bit better to my liking.

Fiesta - The low end is the absolute star of the show here. The Fiesta has a heavily boosted bass presence leaning towards sub bass. Below 150hz you can see it in the graph how it's boosted and you can see it smoothing out beyond 200hz.

The bass on these offers massive rumble and physicality. Its almost giving it a sub woofer kind of feeling. It doesn't shy away in the mid bass performance as well providing you with immense slam and thump.

Angel by Massive Attack is a song you should listen to, definitely there is overcooking here but as I definitely don’t mind it one bit. It doesn’t bleed into the mids, or overpower the mix which is kinda surprising to me considering how much quantity was there.

This is definitely a bass heads paradise since it doesn’t lack on the quality as well. Personally, I stay away from such signatures as the bass is too much for me but occasionally I would want this type of bass to engulf me. Listening to Let it happen by Tame Impala was just magical on these

Midrange

Nebula - In the bass section i have mentioned that, the bass does bleed into the lower midrange a bit and it is lacking a bit body and this is the same case here when it comes to the lower midrange.

Male vocals especially often sound lacking heft in their voice. This was a bit of a problem to me as genres like rap and hip hop sound a bit lacking on these.

But the upper midrange was a treat to listen to, it definitely was really pleasant without being shouty. 

Fiesta -  I would say the overall midrange performance is really good on Fiesta.
Lower mids have a lot of body and depth to them, male vocals especially sound rich and hefty. It definitely is on the warmer side but it is to be expected on such sets.

Upper mids also sound engaging but aren’t clearly natural, especially the female vocals which sit a bit back in the mix. They definitely sound colored but nothing in a bad way. Personally I like my Midrange to be clean and natural especially with female vocals, and that isn't the case here. 

Treble

Nebula - This is honestly my favorite thing about the Nebula, the treble is very well extended, crisp and detailed. And it does this without being harsh at all.

The micro planar handles the highs here and sometimes its implementation can cause the sound to be quite rough around the edges but this isn't the case with the Nebula.

Cymbals, snares sound sparkly and have a lot of charm to it. Listening to Blank Space or Umbrella was a treat on these.

Fiesta - The treble presentation here is a very smoother and dark profile. It's much smoother than the Nebula. It doesn't have any sort of sibilance to it and gives the listeners a smoother experience.

This tuning makes sense on how the bass was tuned, giving the room for it to shine more, but of course I do miss a bit of attack in the notes here, but I am fine with that here but definitely not for a person who is looking for a little bit of sparkle and shimmer here.

Technical Performance

Detail Retrieval - On the Nebula the detail retrieval & resolution is really good for the price when we compare it to some competitors in its price range.
Whereas on the Fiesta, it does lack in bringing out the finest of details, but it's highly resolving.

Soundstage & Imaging - On the Nebula, it does have really good imaging but it does kinda lack out on the soundstage side of things, it's a bit narrow in my listening.
On the Fiesta, it has a certain sense of height to the stage but like i said before it does sound a bit closed in sometimes, as for imaging it is fairly accurate.  

Layering & Separation - On the Nebula, it often sounds congested to me and I honestly didnt expect it to be like that but it did. In Black seminole, everything was sounding stacked upto each other 
Whereas on the Fiesta, it was excellent to say the least and I was surprised here as well as a tuning like this can often sound very stacked up but Fiesta did a pretty good job here. 

Conclusion

So, which Juzear collab should you go for, I hope after reading up until now, you have come to a conclusion. If not, let me make it simpler for you.

If you need a safe yet a sparkly experience with your music, go for the Nebula

But, if you need a fun, energetic and party experience with your music go for the Fiesta.

Personally, I would choose the Fiesta over the Nebula as it's a bit cheaper option with much better accessory package and a signature that I would not get bored of even if it's not my preference. 

I would give the Juzear Nebula a rating of 3.5/5 & the Juzear Fiesta a rating of 4/5.

I would like to thank HIFIGO for providing these units for review. If you liked this review, please consider liking and sharing and follow me for more reviews like this. 

Juzear Fiesta

Juzear Nebula

Introduction

Juzear has been on a roll with the recent releases with IEMs like the Defiant, Nimbus and the upcoming shuttle.

But the Nebula and Fiesta really caught my eyes mostly for the way they look. In this review I will be covering which Juzear suits your preferences and how it fairs against the overall market. 

Test Gear

Tanchjim Space Pro
Zen Stack 
Usual Test Track Playlist

Build & Design

The Fiesta is a collaboration between Juzear and Vivir Digital and it features a fiery red theme on the faceplate. The faceplate features these patterns on one earpiece and on the other it features the Vivir Digital Logo. (The initial batches did have a different design on the faceplate, they have changed as of now)

The shells are made of resin and also features a metal nozzle, the overall build of this is very robust.

The Nebula is a collaboration between Juzear and Koto and features a very striking faceplate which is just stunning to look at. It's one of those things that instantly catches your eyes. The faceplate has this glow which looks different depending on where the light hits it. 

The shells are made of resin and these feel quite robust in hand, and definitely not something cheap. These shells aren't heavy either.

Overall, I prefer the Nebula more since it's a total looker and is kinda unique. 

Talking about accessories
The Nebula Features - 

1. Modular cable with interchangeable plugs (3.5mm & 4.4mm)
2. 7 pairs of Eartips 
3. Soft Carrying Pouch

The Fiesta Features - 

1. 3.5mm Cable with an inline mic
2. 4.4mm Balanced Cable 
3. 7 Pairs of Eartips 
4. Hard Zipper Case

 

Overall the accessory package is amazing on both the sets but I prefer the one on the Fiesta more since it has two cable options as well a solid case in comparison to the Nebula especially it being more expensive out of the two.

Regarding the cable, both look very good at first but in terms of cable behaviour and roadie wrapping it's a bit off in my opinion. 

Talking about comfort - For both the Nebula and Fiesta, the shells are slightly on the larger side so it can be a problem for those who have smaller ears. For me as well, I would say I have medium to medium large ears and these fit well but after some time there was some fatigue.

For eartips - I went with the Kbear Coffee Eartips for both of them. 

Specifications and Driveability
The Nebula Retails for $130 while the Fiesta goes for around $120.

Some Technical Specs 

Nebula -

1. 1 Dynamic Driver, 3 Balanced Armature Drivers & 1 Micro Planar Driver
2. Sensitivity - 110dB/Vrms @ 1kHz 
3. Impedance - 32Ω

Fiesta - 

1. 1 Dynamic Driver, 3 Balanced Armature Drivers 
2. Sensitivity - 109dB/Vrms @ 1kHz 
3. Impedance - 32Ω

In terms of Driveability, both the IEMs were really easy to drive and I didn't have any problems with an entry level dongle. But the Nebula does sound more distinct when you give it more power. 

Sound

In overall sound they are very different and offer the audience a different flavour altogether.

The Nebula offers a neutral - warm sound signature with a detailed yet smooth treble.

On the other hand the Fiesta is a full on bassy set that aims at giving the listeners an engaging and fun experience. 

Lets talk about the sound in detail starting with the Bass.

Bass

Nebula - The bass on this set slightly leans more towards a sub bass presence. Then again I wouldn’t say the sub bass has a lot of impact in tracks. In tracks like All I ever wanted by Basshunter, you get the slight feeling that the bass is there but it doesn't give you that oomph.

Midbass on the other hand lacks physicality and attack to it and you can often feel as if the transients are very quick. 

The bass is of very good quality though, However, I did experience some bass bleed into the mids when I was listening to some Lana Del Rey and Atarayo.

Overall the bass on the Nebula is alright I would say and could have been a bit better to my liking.

Fiesta - The low end is the absolute star of the show here. The Fiesta has a heavily boosted bass presence leaning towards sub bass. Below 150hz you can see it in the graph how it's boosted and you can see it smoothing out beyond 200hz.

The bass on these offers massive rumble and physicality. Its almost giving it a sub woofer kind of feeling. It doesn't shy away in the mid bass performance as well providing you with immense slam and thump.

Angel by Massive Attack is a song you should listen to, definitely there is overcooking here but as I definitely don’t mind it one bit. It doesn’t bleed into the mids, or overpower the mix which is kinda surprising to me considering how much quantity was there.

This is definitely a bass heads paradise since it doesn’t lack on the quality as well. Personally, I stay away from such signatures as the bass is too much for me but occasionally I would want this type of bass to engulf me. Listening to Let it happen by Tame Impala was just magical on these

Midrange

Nebula - In the bass section i have mentioned that, the bass does bleed into the lower midrange a bit and it is lacking a bit body and this is the same case here when it comes to the lower midrange.

Male vocals especially often sound lacking heft in their voice. This was a bit of a problem to me as genres like rap and hip hop sound a bit lacking on these.

But the upper midrange was a treat to listen to, it definitely was really pleasant without being shouty. 

Fiesta -  I would say the overall midrange performance is really good on Fiesta.
Lower mids have a lot of body and depth to them, male vocals especially sound rich and hefty. It definitely is on the warmer side but it is to be expected on such sets.

Upper mids also sound engaging but aren’t clearly natural, especially the female vocals which sit a bit back in the mix. They definitely sound colored but nothing in a bad way. Personally I like my Midrange to be clean and natural especially with female vocals, and that isn't the case here. 

Treble

Nebula - This is honestly my favorite thing about the Nebula, the treble is very well extended, crisp and detailed. And it does this without being harsh at all.

The micro planar handles the highs here and sometimes its implementation can cause the sound to be quite rough around the edges but this isn't the case with the Nebula.

Cymbals, snares sound sparkly and have a lot of charm to it. Listening to Blank Space or Umbrella was a treat on these.

Fiesta - The treble presentation here is a very smoother and dark profile. It's much smoother than the Nebula. It doesn't have any sort of sibilance to it and gives the listeners a smoother experience.

This tuning makes sense on how the bass was tuned, giving the room for it to shine more, but of course I do miss a bit of attack in the notes here, but I am fine with that here but definitely not for a person who is looking for a little bit of sparkle and shimmer here.

Technical Performance

Detail Retrieval - On the Nebula the detail retrieval & resolution is really good for the price when we compare it to some competitors in its price range.
Whereas on the Fiesta, it does lack in bringing out the finest of details, but it's highly resolving.

Soundstage & Imaging - On the Nebula, it does have really good imaging but it does kinda lack out on the soundstage side of things, it's a bit narrow in my listening.
On the Fiesta, it has a certain sense of height to the stage but like i said before it does sound a bit closed in sometimes, as for imaging it is fairly accurate.  

Layering & Separation - On the Nebula, it often sounds congested to me and I honestly didnt expect it to be like that but it did. In Black seminole, everything was sounding stacked upto each other 
Whereas on the Fiesta, it was excellent to say the least and I was surprised here as well as a tuning like this can often sound very stacked up but Fiesta did a pretty good job here. 

Conclusion

So, which Juzear collab should you go for, I hope after reading up until now, you have come to a conclusion. If not, let me make it simpler for you.

If you need a safe yet a sparkly experience with your music, go for the Nebula

But, if you need a fun, energetic and party experience with your music go for the Fiesta.

Personally, I would choose the Fiesta over the Nebula as it's a bit cheaper option with much better accessory package and a signature that I would not get bored of even if it's not my preference. 

I would give the Juzear Nebula a rating of 3.5/5 & the Juzear Fiesta a rating of 4/5.

I would like to thank HIFIGO for providing these units for review. If you liked this review, please consider liking and sharing and follow me for more reviews like this. 

Juzear Fiesta

Juzear Nebula

Thanks to Sivga for providing this unit for review. Really eager to try these out

Please follow to stay updated 🌸 Thank You

Introduction
I am someone who loves retro tech in general, the curiosity of using something which feels old but timeless is something I look forward to. When Hidizs sent me this unit, I was genuinely excited to use this and give a review on it.

Lets not waste any time and jump into the review.

(Disclaimer - I have recently updated the AP30 and its on the latest update)

Build & Design
First of all, this thing looks absolutely cute and very cool. The music boy has won my heart in terms of how cool and compact it looks. It literally fits inside my palm or even my shirt pocket and it is very much easy to carry around.

The AP30 is made of plastic and for the most part it doesn't feel like any cheap plastic. Since it's made of plastic, it's very lightweight as well.

For the accessories part - 

• Magnetic Protective Case
• Type C Charging Cable 
• Type C to C OTG data cable 
• 2 x Screen Protectors

Overall this retro game boy look is absolutely a looker and Hidizs have designed this thing really well. 

I/O
On this DAP, there are some interesting buttons, and the first thing you notice is the D pad

This D pad is responsible for the navigation throughout the UI. These buttons are clicky and they are very tactile. At first, I thought I would have problems with misclicks but these are reasonably big for that. 

Then you have buttons named “A” and “B”. Basically Button A is responsible for selecting menu throughout the UI and Button B is for going back from a menu. 

Then we have the play pause buttons, they have specific use cases particularly play/pause or selecting the more options in the now playing UI as well as made for playing the Tetris game which comes installed in this device.

The next thing which is striking is the volume wheel. I love that they went for a dedicated volume wheel as opposed to something which is integrated with other buttons which we see in snowsky echo mini for example.

The wheel is very tactile and smooth and we can adjust the volume to individual levels very easily. The wheel also acts as a power off and on button.

We also have both the headphone outputs in 3.5mm and 4.4mm.

Then we have the Type C port where we can use it to update the device, charge it etc.

Specifications & Features

1. 2 inch IPS Display
2. CS43198 DAC Chip
3. RT6863 AMP Chip
4. Bluetooth 5.3 (SBC)
5. Supports up to DSD 256
6. Unbalanced Output Power - 61mW @ 32Ohms
7. Balanced Output Power - 137mW @ 32Ohms
8. Supports External Storage up to 256GB
9. Battery Capacity - 1200 mAh

You can see some of the specs above and I will cover some of these features and my experience with it. 

First starting with the Chips, and I really like the implementation of CS43198, it's becoming more common to see budget DAC/DAPs get this chip.

Regarding the AMP chip, I wish it had a bit more power as I could feel this lacking on some songs or even my Meteor. 

Bluetooth connectivity works fine and well, i tried connecting it with TWS as well as my speaker and it worked flawlessly. My only problem is the lack of codecs.

Another Major feature of this DAP is the ability to use it as a DAC, and I can tell you that it worked amazingly as well, there were a couple of times, I needed to listen to a song and it wasnt there on my DAP and I used this as a DAC with my PC.

I know some of you might wonder whether we can use this with an External DAC, and that's not possible. I tried connecting the DACs I had with it and it wasn't possible.

Battery Life on the device is pretty awesome, I know its not an android DAP so we can expect good battery life and the AP30 has really good battery life, im yet to drain it fully with moderate usage. 
It also has some EQ Presets which are common with DACs and DAPs in this price range.

It also has some filters that we see in DACs - like Fast Roll Off, Slow Roll off etc.

It also has the option to go for High Gain and Low Gain, but I just set it to High Gain from the start since I needed it.

The one thing which I would have really liked is the AP30 only supports a max expandable storage of 256GB.

UI/UX
Overall I didn't have any trouble understanding the ways of the UI on the AP30, at first I did have some time around with the play pause buttons because they act differently in the Now playing UI.

Apart from that, UI navigation is okay. Like the snowsky echo mini, having physical buttons surely is cool but if you are coming from a touch screen it is hard to find music around your library.

Especially when your library is big and since you don't have a search option you can’t find music quickly. But of course, unlike the Echo mini, this one having a separate volume control wheel helped some pain off.

Another aspect I wanted to talk about is that I have my music setup in folders so I can use it as a playlist, so when I try to play music from my folders in the file manager, the player just adds everything and not just the folder. I think that was pretty annoying for me since echo mini and the R1 did this pretty smoothly. 

My biggest problem with the UI is that it randomly just stops working and restarts, when I'm navigating and selecting a song. I don't know if it's a processor thing or just this new OS isn't capable, anyhow this was a MAJOR PROBLEM. 

Sound
Sound wise i didnt have any problems, the songs sound a bit warm but apart from that it's alright. Power wise like I mentioned above, I could have used a bit more power but that's alright in a way. 

Comparisons & Conclusions 
This is where the value proposition drops for this product. In and around the $100 segment, non android DAPs have just stepped up the game. 

You have the likes of the Snowsky Disc, Hiby R1, and my favourite out of them all - Tempotec V1. These DAPs offer a touch screen, better UI, as well better features & functionality overall. 

I know it's not fair to play these cards against the AP30 as the product wasn't intended to be like that in the first place. Anyone who is going to buy should know the compromises they are going to make.

For my conclusion - as a retro device, the AP30 is a fantastic device which is easy to carry. Of course the short comings of the DAP is something that the end consumer should consider buying this.

Personally, when I am buying a non android DAP, I would like it to tick most of the boxes it can. Unfortunately the AP30 lacks in some areas but it is something I would like to have as a collectors purchase.

I would give the Hidizs AP30 a rating of 3.5/5

I thank Hidizs for sending this unit for review and the thoughts on this product have been solely mine and in no way has been influenced. 

If you liked this review, please consider liking and sharing and follow me for more reviews like this.

Introduction

The original Tanchjim Space has finally seen an upgrade with the coming off Space II, which is priced at around $90, it is placed in one of the most competitive segments. 

Lets see Space II is a definitive upgrade and how it fairs in the current market!

Build & Design

One of the main attractions of this dongle is its minimal and industrial design. To match the design, it has a matte texture that feels very premium. 

On one side it has a see-through panel where you can see the internals of the DAC and on the other side we can see the whole matte body with the Space II branding and on the sides we have the very clicky and tactile volume buttons. Normally I would expect some artwork from Tanchjim but that isn't the case here :)

It hosts a Aluminium Alloy shell which feels very sturdy yet and the amazing part is that the overall weight of the dongle is not that much (about 15 grams). It's not that big as well compared  to other DACs, I would say this is an okay size. 

Overall the build and design is A+ for me and I don't have any complaints at all.

Accessories

The unboxing experience of the Space II is fairly simple and minimal, it consists of - 

1. Type C to C cable
2. Type A Adapter

You don't get any pouch or anything with this compared to its bigger brother like the Space Pro but yeah thats priced higher ofcourse

Specifications & Driveability

1. Dual CS43131 Chipsets
2. 3.5mm and 4.4mm Outputs 
3. Max power output of 235mW @ 32ohms
4. Mic pass through via 3.5mm Jack
5. DNR: 132.2 dB
6. Supports up to 32-bit / 384 kHz PCM and Native DSD256
7. Gain: 2 Vrms (Unbalanced) in Low Gain & 4 Vrms (Balanced) in High Gain

These are some competent specs for the price point and in terms of driveability I didn't have any issues with IEMs at all and regarding headphones out there, I think you wouldn't have much trouble for the most part.

Connectivity and Features 

I have praised Tanchjim App in the past and this here is the same with the Space II as well. The app works flawlessly, no connectivity issues of any sort I faced during my sessions. 

Coming to the app - 

1. Volume Control 
2. Gain Settings 
3. Microphone Gain Settings 
4. DAC mode - Class AB & Class H
5. Wave Filters 
6. Channel Balance Option 
7. DAC DRE optimization 
8. Game EQ

All these features are amazing to say the least, and it's something we have seen in the past with Tanchjim DACs. (for more info about these features, you can check out my Space Pro review)

But of course the most exciting bit about this DAC is the Parametric Equalizer. 

PEQ

In custom sound you have the option to EQ the IEMs in any way possible. First of all, its a 10 Band PEQ, so you have to make as many adjustments as you would like.

Regarding the Gain settings - you can set it from a range between -10 ~ 10 which I feel is alright. 

Regarding the Q values - You have the option to set it between 0.10 ~ 5.00. 

One thing to notice here is that the filters here are all PK filters. 

If you find it hard manually EQing stuff on the app, you can easily push targets or other custom EQ profiles into the device using Squig Link’s Push to device feature 

Heating and Consumption

One thing I really like about the Space II is that I didn't face any kind of heating issues or any significant power usage whilst both on the phone or PC.

Sound

For sound, this DAC doesn't have any coloration of any sort, and is much similar to the Space Pro.

Space II is very resolving and clean and I didn't have any problems with it. For me personally, differences between DACs are very minimal but the features in a way matter more. 

Comparisons

I will be comparing the Space II to the Fiio KA13 and the Space Pro.

Design - I like the Space Pro the most just because it feels the most lightweight, it's slim in nature and of course the Waifu Artwork, followed by the Fiio KA13.

Feature - The Space Pro takes the crown here with providing amazing power combined with nifty features like EQ. Secondly I love the Space II, it has ample power output + EQ. Yes, the KA13 has more power than Space 2 and if you are someone who cares about that then sure go for it.

Coloration - Space Pro and Space II have no colorations at all, whereas KA13 is a bit warm.

Efficiency - Space II is the most efficient DAC here, whereas Space Pro does heat up a bit after some use but isn’t much power draining. KA13 is the worst here with a good amount of heating and power drain. 

Overall -  The choice between KA13 and Space II is fairly simple, if you really care about a powerful DAC in your chain that can potentially drive Headphones, KA13 is the pick here, but if you don't care that much about power and love features like EQ etc, Space II is really amazing. 

Is it worth the extra for the Space Pro? Personally yes, only because of the design factor and extra power or else Space II has everything that I need in a dongle DAC

Conclusion

The Space II definitely is a solid choice for a source under $100, with ample power, multiplatform PEQ support, meticulous design.

I can easily recommend this to anyone as his choice of DAC at this price range. 

I thank Tanchjim for sending this unit for review and the thoughts on this product have been solely mine and in no way has been influenced. 

If you like such reviews considering liking, sharing this post and follow me for more such content. 

Introduction

Kefine has a history of producing top quality sound at very reasonable budget and the Arnar, which is a planar offering from them aims to be nothing short of that.

The Arnar isn't your ordinary planar, it's aimed to be something different, something which stands out from the rest of the competition.

Let’s find out how it fairs out!

Test Gear
Tanchjim Space Pro
Zen Stack 
Usual Test Track Playlist

Build & Design

The Kefine Arnar is a solid IEM that is designed really well and as robust as it comes. The IEMs are made from aluminium alloy, which is lightweight while being very sturdy in hand.

The faceplate features a mesh like design that gives it an open back feel, and safe to say, the Arnar is a looker for this reason. I really love the Silver - Black color scheme that goes in the faceplate.

Talking about the accessories - It features a modular cable, with interchangeable plugs with 3.5mm & 4.4mm terminations.The Cable is really good in my opinion and it behaves really well and feels premium in hand. The arnar also features a handful of eartips, 12 pairs to be precise. 

Similar to its budget counterpart the Klean/Klean SV, the Arnar features three sets of tuning nozzles - Silver, Black and Gold.

It also features a leather carrying case which is ample to hold the IEM and a small DAC. 

Talking about the comfort - The size of the shells are moderate and have a good ergonomic shape to it. I didn’t have any trouble with the comfort. For eartips, I used the Triclarion eartips

Specifications and Driveability

The Kefine Arnar retails for around $200 and it features a hybrid configuration consisting of a 14.5mm Planar + Knowles BA driver.

Some Technical Specs

1. Sensitivity - 107dB/Vrms @ 1kHz 
2. Impedance - 13 Ω

As for driveability, I didn't have any trouble with driving these but these scale well at higher volumes so I would suggest a mid tier level dongle dac like KA13 etc.

Sound

I would describe the overall sound signature of the Kefine Arnar to be a slightly warmish, balanced dark set. I know that's a lot but stay with me here and I will explain the sound in detail.

Before that, since the Arnar comes with extra filters - I would like to explain how all these filters affect the sound.

The Arnar comes with Black, Silver and Gold Filter and truth be told, I didn't experience much difference in the low end or the highs. The main difference I experienced was in the upper midrange where the Gold has slightly more boosted upper mids and Black was recessed.

I went with the Silver Filter as it is a balance of both. 

Bass

The bass on the arnar is very fast, tight and controlled. It has more of a sub bass presence than mid bass and it goes to show in songs like Angel by Massive Attack.

The sub bass rumble you get here isn't anything substantial, you hear it, you feel it and that's about it. If you know me, I love the mid bass more but you don't get anything that will excite you here. This is mainly because the bass is primarily handled by the Planar Driver.

In all my listening sessions with the Arnar, whether it was listening to Kpop, or heavy metal, I always wanted more quantity, more depth in the low end, especially because the Arnar leans towards a tamer treble. 

Midrange

I would describe the midrange on the Arnar to be luscious and often leading towards warmer and a safe listen.

The lower mids on the Arnar has a bit of energy that adds warmth, and good heft to male vocals especially. Whereas the upper mids don't carry that sharpness and clarity especially from Instruments and female vocals. 

This is mostly due to the upper mids peaking around 2.25khz which is quite contrary to the usual 3khz.

Overall the mids on these are quite well balanced and also gives a bit of excitement.

Treble

The treble is very well extended on the arnar. Since the treble is handled by the BA drivers, it is tuned to be safe and smooth. Typically treble tunings on planar IEMs tend to be very aggressive and sharp but here its very uniquely tuned. 

There is a 8khz peak which should have given it more clarity and sparkle but to my ears it didn’t have much effect and still it sounded a bit dull in some tracks.

I would have loved a bit more sparkle up top, especially to instruments like cymbals and snares. This is what I particularly felt on tracks such as Black Seminole & Umbrella. 

Technicalities

One thing that planar’s are known for are their technical prowess and Arnar is a mixed bag here.

While the Resolution on these are really great, the Detail Retrieval is a bit above average to say the least.

This story continues to be the same where the Layering is average, but the Separation is excellent. 

Soundstage though is really really good and it really stands out when you throw live tracks at it and it has excellent enough Imaging to contribute to this factor. 

Overall if you are looking to buy this for technicalities i would suggest looking at other planars. 

Conclusion 

Kefine Arnar is a set I would recommend to someone who really loves a smooth relaxing listen, which is not offensive in any way, and wants a bit of planar magic.

It's definitely not for someone who wants spice up top and really good technicalities.

My biggest concerns with it was this

I would give the Kefine Arnar a rating of 3.5/5

I would like Kefine for providing this unit for review. If you liked this review, please consider liking and sharing and follow me for more reviews like this.

Introduction

The Tanchjim OLA was a beloved IEM among the audiophiles, offering a really good neutral sound profile at around $40.

Now we have a new version of it in the OLA II, lets see if it can hold its name and how it fairs in the new market amongst its competitors. 

Test Gear
Tanchjim Space Pro
Zen Stack 
Usual Test Track Playlist

Build & Design

The OLA II continues its small factor and this time it provides us with a backplate which is made of thin metal. The inner shell of the IEM is made of resin i believe and has a dome like structure to it. The inner shell has a translucent design to it. The faceplate is pretty simple with one earpiece having the OLA II branding and the other one having the Tanchjim branding. 

Overall these feel very lightweight and to an extent cheap, but that doesn't mean that it won’t hold up. I have slept with these and I woke up on it and it held up really well.

Talking about the comfort - Since the size of the shells are very small, these are amazing for people who have even the smallest of ears. These kinda reminded me of the old skull candy earbuds that I used to have. 

You can wear them for long hours and you won't have any trouble with them at all. Regarding eartips, the best fit I could get with them came with the Atmos Liquid Eartips & T500 Bass Eartips.

The T500 eartips were provided to me by Tanchjim and these rocked really good with the OLA II

Talking about the accessories - It comes in the usual tanchjim waifu packaging and the accessories include a carry cloth, narrow and wide bore eartips and the cable which comes in 3 options - 3.5mm, 4.4mm & DSP Type C. I have the Type C version with me. 

Mind you this is not a modular cable so you will have to choose which option you wanna go for. The USB C version has the DSP - Master Chip, which is as they say an upgrade to the usual DSP chip which comes in the likes of Bunny etc. I will talk about it in more detail in the sound section.
And yes, this cable does come with a built-in microphone which is okay for the price.

Specifications & Drivability

The Tanchjim OLA II retails for around ₹6000 depending upon what option you are choosing and it features a hybrid configuration consisting of a 10mm DMT5 Dynamic Driver + Pure HI BA Driver.

One thing to note here is that DMT5 is their latest technology and it's an upgrade to DMT4 tech that we see in the likes of bunny etc. Also, the BA driver we see in the likes of SODA which is like a much more expensive offering.

Some Technical Specs

1. Sensitivity - 121 dB/Vrms @ 1kHz 
2. Impedance - 30 Ω

Normally the Type C versions of IEMs that we get in the budget segment tend to be not that loud but on OLA II, they are loud.

Sound

So the overall sound profile of the OLA II leans towards a fun sounding/all rounder set. It has that U shape signature that gives it that thumping bass and exciting treble profile.

But of course this is just the overall tonality of the IEM, let's go into detail starting with the Bass.

One thing I wanna mention is that the DSP tuning of the OLA II is different to that of the Analog version where the DSP version has more midbass character to it, whereas the Analog version is more spicy up top.

Bass

The bass on these is definitely something that you will notice first hand when you listen to this.
OLA II has more of a midbass presence than sub bass, but that doesn't mean you don't get that slight rumble in your tracks. 

This is prominent when listening to something sub bass focused like Acid Rain by Lorn or All I ever wanted by Basshunter.

I am someone who enjoys more mid bass than sub bass and I was excited to know what this can offer but in conclusion I would say that the mid bass performance doesn't quite live up to my preferences. 

The midbass quite often sounds very boomy and a bit all over the place. It lacks the texture and the attack feels off from time to time. Moreover, the bass bleeds into the mids a bit and if you are listening to a busy track then the Midrange just sits quite back in the mix. 

In the song What is love? by Twice the kick drums just overpowers the female vocals and other instruments. 

Overall for me, the subbass was alright but the midbass performance didn't align with my preferences. 

Midrange

As I mentioned above, the bass does creep into the mids and that does hamper the vocals in being more distinct and clear. Vocals for the most part sound energetic but do often feel veiled or like I said earlier a bit back in the mix. 

I wouldn’t say it's a complete vocal centric set and that is evident when vocal clarity isn't up to the mark when we compare it to some other neutral focused sets.

Overall, I felt the midrange could have been a bit more forward and clean

Treble

The treble tuning of the OLA II is very good and its airy and well extended. It's not very forward when we compare it to some other bright offerings from the Tanchjim house of sound but it still offers the sparkle and detail that you wish for. 

There are some noticeable peaks when you look at the graph, one at 8K and another one at around 15K but in listening sessions i didnt feel them to be harsh and painful anyway. But I can see it being piercing for people who are very treble sensitive especially at those frequencies.

I also preferred a bit more attack to the instruments which I felt a bit lacking on the OLA II but overall, I was really content with the treble performance. 

Technicalities 

The technical performance on the OLA II for the most part is what we expect out of a set at this price point.

Resolution and detail retrieval is average even with the BA driver handling the mids and highs, this is mostly however due to the kind of tuning this has.

Layering and separation is also sub par as the set being warm and bassy throws off the other elements in a song. Soundstage does feel congested for most part, but imaging however is fairly precise. 

Overall the technical performance is average for the price. 

DSP Functionality

The DSP capabilities of the OLA II is a major + in my opinion, and that has been the case with Tanchjim in general. In my earlier reviews I have always emphasised how great their app is. 

With OLA II though, there are some differences majorly because you get a 8 Band PEQ option with the DSP. Generally on other models like Fola, Force etc have only 5 Band PEQ. You also get a maximum gain option of 10dB

There is also an option to adjust the gain of the mic through the app which is actually useful. 

There are some other official presets like Natural, Ambient, Pop mode etc and you can experiment with these. For me the Pop and Natural mode were good. 

Comparisons

So the under ₹5000 segment is one of the most competitive segments.

I will be comparing the OLA II with the Kefine Klean, which I have mentioned previously in my reviews that it is an all rounder at this price range. 

Bass - Here the OLA II definitely has more bass quantity particularly in the mid bass, but the Klean is just overall better in terms of maintaining a balance between providing that texture and thump and without hampering the mids. 

Mids -  The lower midrange on the Klean definitely sounds more cleaner and textured, but on the other hand the Uppermids sound more fun on the OLA II

Treble -  I liked the treble on the OLA II more as I'm more of a treble head but if you want a treble that is more controlled and refined, it would be the Klean. 

Techs - You can go with either one here, there isn't much of a parity here. 

Overall, If I had to choose an option purely for sound, I would go for the Klean, as it balances being fun without sacrificing much.

But the OLA II can be considered for someone who loves a bit of extra emphasis in his sound + the DSP functionality is a real deal.

Conclusion

So for me to conclude on this review, I was really excited about this release because when I saw the graph, Tanchjim was experimenting with a different sound signature that we haven't seen lately.

But as I have already mentioned in this review, the OLA II is for someone who likes a lot of midbass, and excitement up top. And like I have already mentioned, the DSP functionality is a major plus. That said, there are a few aspects that I find hard to compromise on 

I’ll give the Tanchjim OLA II a rating of 3.5/5 

I would like Tanchjim for providing this unit for review. If you liked this review, please consider liking and sharing and follow me for more reviews like this 🌸

Introduction

The Tanchjim OLA was a beloved IEM among the audiophiles, offering a really good neutral sound profile at around $40.

Now we have a new version of it in the OLA II, lets see if it can hold its name and how it fairs in the new market amongst its competitors. 

Test Gear
Tanchjim Space Pro
Zen Stack 
Usual Test Track Playlist

Build & Design

The OLA II continues its small factor and this time it provides us with a backplate which is made of thin metal. The inner shell of the IEM is made of resin i believe and has a dome like structure to it. The inner shell has a translucent design to it. The faceplate is pretty simple with one earpiece having the OLA II branding and the other one having the Tanchjim branding. 

Overall these feel very lightweight and to an extent cheap, but that doesn't mean that it won’t hold up. I have slept with these and I woke up on it and it held up really well.

Talking about the comfort - Since the size of the shells are very small, these are amazing for people who have even the smallest of ears. These kind of reminded me of the old skull candy earbuds that I used to have. 

You can wear them for long hours and you won't have any trouble with them at all. Regarding ear tips, the best fit I could get with them came with the Atmos Liquid Ear tips & T500 Bass Eartips.

The T500 ear tips were provided to me by Tanchjim and these rocked really good with the OLA II

Talking about the accessories - It comes in the usual Tanchjim Waifu packaging and the accessories include a carry cloth, narrow and wide bore ear tips and the cable which comes in 3 options - 3.5mm, 4.4mm & DSP Type C. I have the Type C version with me. 

Mind you this is not a modular cable so you will have to choose which option you wanna go for. The USB C version has the DSP - Master Chip, which is as they say an upgrade to the usual DSP chip which comes in the likes of Bunny etc. I will talk about it in more detail in the sound section.
And yes, this cable does come with a built-in microphone which is okay for the price.

Specifications & Drivability

The Tanchjim OLA II  retails for around $60 depending upon what option you are choosing and it features a hybrid configuration consisting of a 10mm DMT5 Dynamic Driver + Pure HI BA Driver.

One thing to note here is that DMT5 is their latest technology and it's an upgrade to DMT4 tech that we see in the likes of bunny etc. Also, the BA driver we see in the likes of SODA which is like a much more expensive offering.

Some Technical Specs

1. Sensitivity - 121 dB/Vrms @ 1kHz 
2. Impedance - 30 Ω

Normally the Type C versions of IEMs that we get in the budget segment tend to be not that loud but on OLA II, they are loud.

Sound

So the overall sound profile of the OLA II leans towards a fun sounding/all rounder set. It has that U shape signature that gives it that thumping bass and exciting treble profile.

But of course this is just the overall tonality of the IEM, let's go into detail starting with the Bass.

One thing I wanna mention is that the DSP tuning of the OLA II is different to that of the Analog version where the DSP version has more midbass character to it, whereas the Analog version is more spicy up top.

Bass

The bass on these is definitely something that you will notice first hand when you listen to this.
OLA II has more of a midbass presence than sub bass, but that doesn't mean you don't get that slight rumble in your tracks. 

This is prominent when listening to something sub bass focused like Acid Rain by Lorn or All I ever wanted by Basshunter.

I am someone who enjoys more mid bass than sub bass and I was excited to know what this can offer but in conclusion I would say that the mid bass performance doesn't quite live up to my preferences. 

The midbass quite often sounds very boomy and a bit all over the place. It lacks the texture and the attack feels off from time to time. Moreover, the bass bleeds into the mids a bit and if you are listening to a busy track then the Midrange just sits quite back in the mix. 

In the song What is love? by Twice the kick drums just overpowers the female vocals and other instruments. 

Overall for me, the subbass was alright but the midbass performance didn't align with my preferences. 

Midrange

As I mentioned above, the bass does creep into the mids and that does hamper the vocals in being more distinct and clear. Vocals for the most part sound energetic but do often feel veiled or like I said earlier a bit back in the mix. 

I wouldn’t say it's a complete vocal centric set and that is evident when vocal clarity isn't up to the mark when we compare it to some other neutral focused sets.

Overall, I felt the midrange could have been a bit more forward and clean

Treble

The treble tuning of the OLA II is very good and its airy and well extended. It's not very forward when we compare it to some other bright offerings from the Tanchjim house of sound but it still offers the sparkle and detail that you wish for. 

There are some noticeable peaks when you look at the graph, one at 8K and another one at around 15K but in listening sessions i didnt feel them to be harsh and painful anyway. But I can see it being piercing for people who are very treble sensitive especially at those frequencies.

I also preferred a bit more attack to the instruments which I felt a bit lacking on the OLA II but overall, I was really content with the treble performance. 

Technicalities 

The technical performance on the OLA II for the most part is what we expect out of a set at this price point.

Resolution and detail retrieval is average even with the BA driver handling the mids and highs, this is mostly however due to the kind of tuning this has.

Layering and separation is also sub par as the set being warm and bassy throws off the other elements in a song. Soundstage does feel congested for most part, but imaging however is fairly precise. 

Overall the technical performance is average for the price. 

DSP Functionality

The DSP capabilities of the OLA II is a major + in my opinion, and that has been the case with Tanchjim in general. In my earlier reviews I have always emphasised how great their app is. 

With OLA II though, there are some differences majorly because you get a 8 Band PEQ option with the DSP. Generally on other models like Fola, Force etc have only 5 Band PEQ. You also get a maximum gain option of 10dB

There is also an option to adjust the gain of the mic through the app which is actually useful. 

There are some other official presets like Natural, Ambient, Pop mode etc and you can experiment with these. For me the Pop and Natural mode were good. 

Comparisons

So the under $50 segment is one of the most competitive segments.

I will be comparing the OLA II with the Kefine Klean, which I have mentioned previously in my reviews that it is an all rounder at this price range. 

Bass - Here the OLA II definitely has more bass quantity particularly in the mid bass, but the Klean is just overall better in terms of maintaining a balance between providing that texture and thump and without hampering the mids. 

Mids -  The lower midrange on the Klean definitely sounds more cleaner and textured, but on the other hand the Uppermids sound more fun on the OLA II

Treble -  I liked the treble on the OLA II more as I'm more of a treble head but if you want a treble that is more controlled and refined, it would be the Klean. 

Techs - You can go with either one here, there isn't much of a parity here. 

Overall, If I had to choose an option purely for sound, I would go for the Klean, as it balances being fun without sacrificing much.

But the OLA II can be considered for someone who loves a bit of extra emphasis in his sound + the DSP functionality is a real deal.

Conclusion

So for me to conclude on this review, I was really excited about this release because when I saw the graph, Tanchjim was experimenting with a different sound signature that we haven't seen lately.

But as I have already mentioned in this review, the OLA II is for someone who likes a lot of midbass, and excitement up top. And like I have already mentioned, the DSP functionality is a major plus. That said, there are a few aspects that I find hard to compromise on 

I’ll give the Tanchjim OLA II a rating of 3.5/5 

I would like to thank Tanchjim for providing this unit for review. If you liked this review, please consider liking and sharing and follow me for more reviews like this 🌸

Thank you to Hidizs for sending this product!

This is an interesting product that i have with me, its retro, its cool and I'm really excited about reviewing this.

So follow for the full review! 🌸

Introduction

The under $250 or 20,000 INR is one of the most competitive price segments for Planar IEMs.
We have the OGs like the OG Timeless, or the S12 or the modern iteration of S12 Ultra.

One of the IEMs that made a significant impact in the planar world was the Hidizs MP145. It was known for being a very warm, smooth and technical listen.

Now we have the new iteration of it in the Hidizs MP145 Pro, let's see how it fairs in the current market. 

Test Gear

Tanchjim Space Pro
Zen Stack 
Usual Test Track Playlist

Build & Design

One thing that is very striking about this IEM is the immaculate build quality, I mean this thing is built like a tank.

The IEM shells are made from aluminium and feature a unique design which is quite reminiscent of the whale. This is particular because of Hidizs’s collaboration with Whale and Dolphin Conservation (WDC).

But BOY OH BOY, this thing is a chonker, I mean I think I spent about 15 mins or more just fiddling around with eartips to fit this in my ear. 

Talking about accessories, Hidizs have been very much generous with the accessory package here, and gives a lot of value at this price range. 

First of all the modular cable, it's a silver plated copper cable with 3.5mm and 4.4mm cable. I’m not particularly a fan of this cable as it doesn't behave that well and the overall feel isn't that great to my liking. 

It also includes three sets of Tuning Nozzles, which can be screwed on or off easily. I will talk about it more in the sound section. 

Talking about the eartips as well, they come with 12 pairs of eartips, which consists of 3 sets each of Bass, Vocal and Balanced eartips as well Anemone Eartips. In my experience, all these eartips were nice but to get the right fit with the MP145 Pro, it was difficult for me.

Talking about comfort, the shells are definitely on the chonkier side for sure, and after fiddling around a bit too much I finally get them to fit but after 30 mins continuous listening, I had pain in my ears, so my take here is if you get them to fit your ears then amazing.

To me the Coffee Eartips gave me the best fit along with the Stock Bass Eartips.

Specifications and Driveability

The Hidizs MP145 Pro retails for around $189 or 19000 INR and it features a 14.5mm Ultra-Precision Nano-Grade Planar driver.

Some Technical Specs

1. Sensitivity - 104dB/Vrms @ 1kHz 
2. Impedance - 30 Ω

As for driveability, I didn't have any trouble with driving these but these are enjoyable at higher volumes so I would suggest a mid tier level dongle dac like KA13 etc.

Sound
The overall sound characteristic of the set leans towards lean - bright set. Of course, these come with three different nozzles

• Silver - More treble focused
• Red - Bassy and smoother 
• Gold - Balanced

 

The silver nozzle was a big no-no for me as it sounded harsh and peaky and not done so well. The red one was the one I went for and all my listening impressions were on the red nozzle.

Bass

Being the bassiest filter, it definitely added more depth but generally it was more focused on mid bass rather than sub bass.

Sub bass wise, you can feel it but it's not quite enough to satisfy you in any way. On the other hand, the mid bass heavy tracks have a bit of character to them.

The bass is of course excellent at its transients, and it's well textured. 

Midrange

The midrange was a mixed bag when it came to the MP145 Pro. The lower mids are generally a bit on the thinner side but have some character to it.

The upper mids are generally sounding a bit forward even on the red nozzle. I generally found them to be sometimes a bit grainy or peaky. I didn’t particularly like listening to kpop or pop on this, they sounded a bit off to me.

Treble

The treble is bright and detailed, which offers that excitement and snap to many genres. One song that I really found exciting was “Umbrella by Rihanna”, the cymbals sounded crispy af. 

To me the upper treble sounded a bit off, where sometimes it produced adequate attack and excitement to instruments but on the other hand it gave an unpleasant experience.

When I say unpleasant, it means the treble wasn’t really controlled, and often had some sibilance on its own. That's me saying as a treble enjoyer.

Technicalities

One thing at which this IEM is really good at is its technicalities. The MP145 Pro is excellent at detail retrieval and clarity. 

The attack feels exceptionally snappy, thanks to the fast transient response provided by the planar drivers. 

The soundstage feels expansive, with great width to the space along with a good amount of height. One of the best stages I have heard of in an IEM in this price range. 

The Imaging feels pinpoint and is exceptional for the price. When listening to the Black Seminole by Yachty, or High Hopes by Pink Floyd, you can really see it shine. 

Due to the big stage and precise imaging characteristics, it's really good for Gaming as well. 

Layering and Separation as well is very good, it gives a spacious presentation which helps instruments being distinctive from each other. 

Overall, the technical performance of this IEM is for sure the strongest part about it. 

Conclusion

The Hidizs MP145 Pro is an IEM which has immaculate build quality and presentation as well as exceptional technical performance.

But the main issues with the IEM were about the overall sound presentation and the comfort. The overall sound gave me the feeling that it could deliver good but didn't appeal at the end. 

And my biggest complaint is comfort, I know it's a subjective matter but I couldn't listen to it for more than 15-30 minutes. 

I would give the MP145 Pro a rating of 3.5/5

If you liked this review, please consider liking and sharing and follow me for more reviews like this 🌸

Introduction

The under $250 or 20,000 INR is one of the most competitive price segments for Planar IEMs.
We have the OGs like the OG Timeless, or the S12 or the modern iteration of S12 Ultra.

One of the IEMs that made a significant impact in the planar world was the Hidizs MP145. It was known for being a very warm, smooth and technical listen.

Now we have the new iteration of it in the Hidizs MP145 Pro, let's see how it fairs in the current market. 

Test Gear

Tanchjim Space Pro
Zen Stack 
Usual Test Track Playlist

Build & Design

One thing that is very striking about this IEM is the immaculate build quality, I mean this thing is built like a tank.

The IEM shells are made from aluminium and feature a unique design which is quite reminiscent of the whale. This is particular because of Hidizs’s collaboration with Whale and Dolphin Conservation (WDC).

But BOY OH BOY, this thing is a chonker, I mean I think I spent about 15 mins or more just fiddling around with eartips to fit this in my ear. 

Talking about accessories, Hidizs have been very much generous with the accessory package here, and gives a lot of value at this price range. 

First of all the modular cable, it's a silver plated copper cable with 3.5mm and 4.4mm cable. I’m not particularly a fan of this cable as it doesn't behave that well and the overall feel isn't that great to my liking. 

It also includes three sets of Tuning Nozzles, which can be screwed on or off easily. I will talk about it more in the sound section. 

Talking about the eartips as well, they come with 12 pairs of eartips, which consists of 3 sets each of Bass, Vocal and Balanced eartips as well Anemone Eartips. In my experience, all these eartips were nice but to get the right fit with the MP145 Pro, it was difficult for me.

Talking about comfort, the shells are definitely on the chonkier side for sure, and after fiddling around a bit too much I finally get them to fit but after 30 mins continuous listening, I had pain in my ears, so my take here is if you get them to fit your ears then amazing.

To me the Coffee Eartips gave me the best fit along with the Stock Bass Eartips.

Specifications and Driveability

The Hidizs MP145 Pro retails for around $189 or 19000 INR and it features a 14.5mm Ultra-Precision Nano-Grade Planar driver.

Some Technical Specs

1. Sensitivity - 104dB/Vrms @ 1kHz 
2. Impedance - 30 Ω

As for driveability, I didn't have any trouble with driving these but these are enjoyable at higher volumes so I would suggest a mid tier level dongle dac like KA13 etc.

Sound

The overall sound characteristic of the set leans towards lean - bright set. Of course, these come with three different nozzles

• Silver - More treble focused
• Red - Bassy and smoother 
• Gold - Balanced

 

The silver nozzle was a big no-no for me as it sounded harsh and peaky and not done so well. The red one was the one I went for and all my listening impressions were on the red nozzle.

Bass

Being the bassiest filter, it definitely added more depth but generally it was more focused on mid bass rather than sub bass.

Sub bass wise, you can feel it but it's not quite enough to satisfy you in any way. On the other hand, the mid bass heavy tracks have a bit of character to them.

The bass is of course excellent at its transients, and it's well textured. 

Midrange

The midrange was a mixed bag when it came to the MP145 Pro. The lower mids are generally a bit on the thinner side but have some character to it.

The upper mids are generally sounding a bit forward even on the red nozzle. I generally found them to be sometimes a bit grainy or peaky. I didn’t particularly like listening to kpop or pop on this, they sounded a bit off to me.

Treble

The treble is bright and detailed, which offers that excitement and snap to many genres. One song that I really found exciting was “Umbrella by Rihanna”, the cymbals sounded crispy af. 

To me the upper treble sounded a bit off, where sometimes it produced adequate attack and excitement to instruments but on the other hand it gave an unpleasant experience.

When I say unpleasant, it means the treble wasn’t really controlled, and often had some sibilance on its own. That's me saying as a treble enjoyer.

Technicalities

One thing at which this IEM is really good at is its technicalities. The MP145 Pro is excellent at detail retrieval and clarity. 

The attack feels exceptionally snappy, thanks to the fast transient response provided by the planar drivers. 

The soundstage feels expansive, with great width to the space along with a good amount of height. One of the best stages I have heard of in an IEM in this price range. 

The Imaging feels pinpoint and is exceptional for the price. When listening to the Black Seminole by Yachty, or High Hopes by Pink Floyd, you can really see it shine. 

Due to the big stage and precise imaging characteristics, it's really good for Gaming as well. 

Layering and Separation as well is very good, it gives a spacious presentation which helps instruments being distinctive from each other. 

Overall, the technical performance of this IEM is for sure the strongest part about it. 

Conclusion

The Hidizs MP145 Pro is an IEM which has immaculate build quality and presentation as well as exceptional technical performance.

But the main issues with the IEM were about the overall sound presentation and the comfort. The overall sound gave me the feeling that it could deliver good but didn't appeal at the end. 

And my biggest complaint is comfort, I know it's a subjective matter but I couldn't listen to it for more than 15-30 minutes. 

I would give the MP145 Pro a rating of 3.5/5

If you liked this review, please consider liking and sharing and follow me for more reviews like this🌸

Introduction

Volume S grabbed the headlines at that time for being one of the best IEMs that they heard that year 

I remember my very first time listening to this IEM, it was very underwhelming to say the least. Maybe it had something to do with the impedance mode or just the unit being a faulty one

For me now, Volume S is something I will always remember, as it's that good!

Today we will see in this review why the Volume S is still one of the best IEMs in this segment and why it has something so unique that others crave to achieve.

Test Gear
Tanchjim Space Pro
Zen Stack 
Usual Test Track Playlist

Build and Design

The Softears Volume S features a black resin shell with a faceplate that is very sleek. The faceplate features a combination of silver and black finish. 

The black part has patterns much similar to what we see in some granite finishes. On one of the shells, it has the Softears Branding and on the other it has the Volume S branding. Overall this is very minimal and I really dig the design of it.

The faceplate also features a Impedance control mechanism where you can use a screw to alter the impedance.

Since, I only received just the IEM, I'm not gonna talk much about the accessories and whatnot but overall the accessory package is decent at this price point.

Talking about the comfort, the shells are a tad bit on the larger side but it shouldn't cause any trouble for most people out there. For Eartips I used the Triclarion. 

Specifications and Driveability

The Volume S retails for around $319 and it features a hybrid setup consisting of 2 Dynamic Drivers and 2 Balanced Armatures.

Some Technical Specs

1. Sensitivity - 114dB/Vrms @ 1kHz & 124dB/Vrms @ 1kHz
2. Impedance - 31.2 Ω & 9.8 Ω

Safe to say the Volume S is pretty easy to drive and a normal Dongle DAC would suffice but I did notice some changes particularly with the attack when using something like Space Pro or a Desk DAC.

Sound

I would describe the overall sound signature of the Volume S to be a U shape and it offers one of the most tasty derivations of the new meta tunings. For the most part the Volume S is a safe set but with a distinctive characteristic to it. Let's find out what's great about in detail.

Also, I want to mention that throughout the review I have used the Low Impedance mode as the High Impedance mode was straight up a big no no for me. 

Bass

The Bass on the Volume S is easily the most standout feature of this set. It is so so so fricking good I couldn’t resist it. 

If you check out the graph, you might not feel much but in actual listening sessions it satisfies you both in quality as well as quantity. Sure, it wouldn't really satisfy a “Basshead” but boy oh boy it is one tasty Bass. The overall characteristic of the bass here is thumpy and attacking.

In the song Angel by Massive Attack, you feel the rumble, you feel the hits as punchy as you would want them to be. Volume S had me listening to this song on repeat!

It's definitely more mid bass focused and that's very evident in songs like Washing Machine Heart by Mitski or even something like Billie Jean by Michael Jackson, you really feel the bass line coming alive. 

Midrange

The Midrange on the Volume S doesn’t disappoint in any way either. The mids on the set have a great deal of body and warmth.

More of this is due to the mid-bass emphasis that adds a bit of depth and weight to the vocals, especially the male vocals. The midrange does sound a bit too intimate to my liking but that's not necessarily a bad thing and yet it has great separation with instruments etc. 

Overall the midrange tonality is excellent, the timbre is fantastic, but my only spite with the midrange is the lack of openness and spaciousness.

Treble

The treble on the Volume S is fairly safe for the most part. All my listening sessions with Volume S have been smooth and relaxing.

Sure, it lacks some shimmer and sparkle at top, and from time to time I do miss that on this set, mostly because I love brightness but you don’t really feel that much from time to time. Another thing I noticed was cymbals and high hats lacked that attack and authority. 

But overall I don’t really have any complaints with the Treble of the Volume S. 

Technicalities

The Volume S doesn’t lack out on the resolution part, it has very good resolution even cutting above its pay grade. 

Detail Retrieval on the Vol S is good for the price but could have been a bit better up top. Dynamic range is exquisite. 

Soundstage on the Volume S is fairly average for the price, mostly due to its intimate nature, while the imaging has been quite good. 

Layering and Separation as well has been excellent, keeping most instruments distinct and recognizable. 

Overall the technical aspect of the IEM is good enough I would say, surely it doesn’t compete in detail retrieval when compared to the likes of Pilgrim, Blessing 3 or even Kiwi Ears Astral but it shines in resolution and dynamic range. 

Conclusion

I had a really great time listening to the Volume S, it's one of those sets that let me just focus on music.

Sure there were some minor shortcomings as per my preference but overall this is a set I am gonna add in my personal collection.

If you are someone who is looking at having a set with a fantastic & tasty bass, warm and natural midrange and a safe and smooth treble, Volume S is the IEM for you. 

I would give the Volume S a rating of 4.5/5 

If you liked this review, please consider liking and sharing and follow me for more reviews like this.

Introduction
Volume S grabbed the headlines at that time for being one of the best IEMs that they heard that year 

I remember my very first time listening to this IEM, it was very underwhelming to say the least. Maybe it had something to do with the impedance mode or just the unit being a faulty one

For me now, Volume S is something I will always remember, as it's that good!

Today we will see in this review why the Volume S is still one of the best IEMs in this segment and why it has something so unique that others crave to achieve.

Test Gear
Tanchjim Space Pro
Zen Stack 
Usual Test Track Playlist

Build and Design
The Softears Volume S features a black resin shell with a faceplate that is very sleek. The faceplate features a combination of silver and black finish. 

The black part has patterns much similar to what we see in some granite finishes. On one of the shells, it has the Softears Branding and on the other it has the Volume S branding. Overall this is very minimal and I really dig the design of it.

The faceplate also features a Impedance control mechanism where you can use a screw to alter the impedance.

Since, I only received just the IEM, I'm not gonna talk much about the accessories and whatnot but overall the accessory package is decent at this price point.

Talking about the comfort, the shells are a tad bit on the larger side but it shouldn't cause any trouble for most people out there. For Eartips I used the Triclarion. 

Specifications and Driveability
The Volume S retails for around 30,000 INR and it features a hybrid setup consisting of 2 Dynamic Drivers and 2 Balanced Armatures.

Some Technical Specs

1. Sensitivity - 114dB/Vrms @ 1kHz & 124dB/Vrms @ 1kHz
2. Impedance - 31.2 Ω & 9.8 Ω

Safe to say the Volume S is pretty easy to drive and a normal Dongle DAC would suffice but I did notice some changes particularly with the attack when using something like Space Pro or a Desk DAC.

Sound
I would describe the overall sound signature of the Volume S to be a U shape and it offers one of the most tasty derivations of the new meta tunings. For the most part the Volume S is a safe set but with a distinctive characteristic to it. Let's find out what's great about in detail.

Also, I want to mention that throughout the review I have used the Low Impedance mode as the High Impedance mode was straight up a big no no for me. 

Bass
The Bass on the Volume S is easily the most standout feature of this set. It is so so so fricking good I couldn’t resist it. 

If you check out the graph, you might not feel much but in actual listening sessions it satisfies you both in quality as well as quantity. Sure, it wouldn't really satisfy a “Basshead” but boy oh boy it is one tasty Bass. The overall characteristic of the bass here is thumpy and attacking.

In the song Angel by Massive Attack, you feel the rumble, you feel the hits as punchy as you would want them to be. Volume S had me listening to this song on repeat!

It's definitely more mid bass focused and that's very evident in songs like Washing Machine Heart by Mitski or even something like Billie Jean by Michael Jackson, you really feel the bass line coming alive. 

Midrange
The Midrange on the Volume S doesn’t disappoint in any way either. The mids on the set have a great deal of body and warmth.

More of this is due to the mid-bass emphasis that adds a bit of depth and weight to the vocals, especially the male vocals. The midrange does sound a bit too intimate to my liking but that's not necessarily a bad thing and yet it has great separation with instruments etc. 

Overall the midrange tonality is excellent, the timbre is fantastic, but my only spite with the midrange is the lack of openness and spaciousness.

Treble
The treble on the Volume S is fairly safe for the most part. All my listening sessions with Volume S have been smooth and relaxing.

Sure, it lacks some shimmer and sparkle at top, and from time to time I do miss that on this set, mostly because I love brightness but you don’t really feel that much from time to time. Another thing I noticed was cymbals and high hats lacked that attack and authority. 

But overall I don’t really have any complaints with the Treble of the Volume S. 

Technicalities
The Volume S doesn’t lack out on the resolution part, it has very good resolution even cutting above its pay grade. 

Detail Retrieval on the Vol S is good for the price but could have been a bit better up top. Dynamic range is exquisite. 

Soundstage on the Volume S is fairly average for the price, mostly due to its intimate nature, while the imaging has been quite good. 

Layering and Separation as well has been excellent, keeping most instruments distinct and recognizable. 

Overall the technical aspect of the IEM is good enough I would say, surely it doesn’t compete in detail retrieval when compared to the likes of Pilgrim, Blessing 3 or even Kiwi Ears Astral but it shines in resolution and dynamic range. 

Conclusion
I had a really great time listening to the Volume S, it's one of those sets that let me just focus on music.

Sure there were some minor shortcomings as per my preference but overall this is a set I am gonna add in my personal collection.

If you are someone who is looking at having a set with a fantastic & tasty bass, warm and natural midrange and a safe and smooth treble, Volume S is the IEM for you. 

I would give the Volume S a rating of 4.5/5 

If you liked this review, please consider liking and sharing and follow me for more reviews like this.

Introduction

Volume S grabbed the headlines at that time for being one of the best IEMs that they heard that year 

I remember my very first time listening to this IEM, it was very underwhelming to say the least. Maybe it had something to do with the impedance mode or just the unit being a faulty one

For me now, Volume S is something I will always remember, as it's that good!

Today we will see in this review why the Volume S is still one of the best IEMs in this segment and why it has something so unique that others crave to achieve.

Test Gear
Tanchjim Space Pro
Zen Stack 
Usual Test Track Playlist

Build and Design

The Softears Volume S features a black resin shell with a faceplate that is very sleek. The faceplate features a combination of silver and black finish. 

The black part has patterns much similar to what we see in some granite finishes. On one of the shells, it has the Softears Branding and on the other it has the Volume S branding. Overall this is very minimal and I really dig the design of it.

The faceplate also features a Impedance control mechanism where you can use a screw to alter the impedance.

Since, I only received just the IEM, I'm not gonna talk much about the accessories and whatnot but overall the accessory package is decent at this price point.

Talking about the comfort, the shells are a tad bit on the larger side but it shouldn't cause any trouble for most people out there. For Eartips I used the Triclarion. 

Specifications and Driveability

The Volume S retails for around $319 and it features a hybrid setup consisting of 2 Dynamic Drivers and 2 Balanced Armatures.

Some Technical Specs

1. Sensitivity - 114dB/Vrms @ 1kHz & 124dB/Vrms @ 1kHz
2. Impedance - 31.2 Ω & 9.8 Ω

Safe to say the Volume S is pretty easy to drive and a normal Dongle DAC would suffice but I did notice some changes particularly with the attack when using something like Space Pro or a Desk DAC.

Sound

I would describe the overall sound signature of the Volume S to be a U shape and it offers one of the most tasty derivations of the new meta tunings. For the most part the Volume S is a safe set but with a distinctive characteristic to it. Let's find out what's great about in detail.

Also, I want to mention that throughout the review I have used the Low Impedance mode as the High Impedance mode was straight up a big no no for me. 

Bass

The Bass on the Volume S is easily the most standout feature of this set. It is so so so fricking good I couldn’t resist it. 

If you check out the graph, you might not feel much but in actual listening sessions it satisfies you both in quality as well as quantity. Sure, it wouldn't really satisfy a “Basshead” but boy oh boy it is one tasty Bass. The overall characteristic of the bass here is thumpy and attacking.

In the song Angel by Massive Attack, you feel the rumble, you feel the hits as punchy as you would want them to be. Volume S had me listening to this song on repeat!

It's definitely more mid bass focused and that's very evident in songs like Washing Machine Heart by Mitski or even something like Billie Jean by Michael Jackson, you really feel the bass line coming alive. 

Midrange

The Midrange on the Volume S doesn’t disappoint in any way either. The mids on the set have a great deal of body and warmth.

More of this is due to the mid-bass emphasis that adds a bit of depth and weight to the vocals, especially the male vocals. The midrange does sound a bit too intimate to my liking but that's not necessarily a bad thing and yet it has great separation with instruments etc. 

Overall the midrange tonality is excellent, the timbre is fantastic, but my only spite with the midrange is the lack of openness and spaciousness.

Treble

The treble on the Volume S is fairly safe for the most part. All my listening sessions with Volume S have been smooth and relaxing.

Sure, it lacks some shimmer and sparkle at top, and from time to time I do miss that on this set, mostly because I love brightness but you don’t really feel that much from time to time. Another thing I noticed was cymbals and high hats lacked that attack and authority. 

But overall I don’t really have any complaints with the Treble of the Volume S. 

Technicalities

The Volume S doesn’t lack out on the resolution part, it has very good resolution even cutting above its pay grade. 

Detail Retrieval on the Vol S is good for the price but could have been a bit better up top. Dynamic range is exquisite. 

Soundstage on the Volume S is fairly average for the price, mostly due to its intimate nature, while the imaging has been quite good. 

Layering and Separation as well has been excellent, keeping most instruments distinct and recognizable. 

Overall the technical aspect of the IEM is good enough I would say, surely it doesn’t compete in detail retrieval when compared to the likes of Pilgrim, Blessing 3 or even Kiwi Ears Astral but it shines in resolution and dynamic range. 

Conclusion

I had a really great time listening to the Volume S, it's one of those sets that let me just focus on music.

Sure there were some minor shortcomings as per my preference but overall this is a set I am gonna add in my personal collection.

If you are someone who is looking at having a set with a fantastic & tasty bass, warm and natural midrange and a safe and smooth treble, Volume S is the IEM for you. 

I would give the Volume S a rating of 4.5/5 

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Introduction

Tanchjim has brought out an interesting product this time, and that too a collaboration with Effect Audio in Force. This time they differ from their signature single DD configuration to a Dual DD configuration.

In this review we will find out whether this product is truly a “Force” to be reckoned with or not. 

Test Gear
Tanchjim Space Pro
Zen Stack 
Usual Test Track Playlist

Build & Design

The force features a mix of resin and CNC Aluminium Shell for its housing. The faceplate has an interesting pixelated design resembling an Open Back. On one of the faceplates it features the Tanchjim branding and on the other it features the Force branding.

The bottom half of the shell features a transparent design which is really cool in my opinion, and of course we can see both the drivers through it.The shells are very lightweight and they share the similar form factor to the usual IEMs from Tanchjim like the Origin, Fola etc. 

Talking about the accessories, this is something that we have seen in the newer releases where it features - 

1. Leather Carrying Case 
2. 6 Pair of eartips consisting of both Wide and Narrow bore 
3. Modular Connectors (3.5mm, 4.4mm & DSP Connector)
4. Waifu Art Card
5. Replacement Filters

 

And last but not the least the Effect Audio Cable. 

Most people got hyped when they saw the Effect Audio Collaboration, since EA is known to make some expensive and good quality cables. For me the Cable is definitely an upgrade over the regular cable that comes with Tanchjim.

First of all It's a modular cable so you got a DSP, 3.5mm and 4.4mm connectors with it.

The cable itself is soft and lightweight but a bit thick, and I love that part about it. But if you ask me are these of the same quality as lets say Cadmus or Cadmus 2 for example, they aren’t. The regular EA Cables feel more robust and premium and overall just feel good in your hands. 

Talking about the overall comfort, the shells being so lightweight, the IEMs don't feel like they are inside my ears most of the time and they give me a really good snug fit, and I’m certain they would for the majority of users.
For eartips, I went with the Kbear Coffee Eartips as they gave me the best fit. A close second would be the Divinus Velvet.

Specifications and Driveability

The Force retails for around 27000 INR and it features a Dual DD configuration.

Some Technical Specs 

1. Sensitivity - 120dB/Vrms
2. Impedance - 17Ω
3. Driver Configuration - 8.2mm beryllium + 10mm titanium dynamic drivers

In listening sessions, the Force didn't need much power at all and even with something like the Kefine KA1 it was performing well. But for this test, I majorly used the Space Pro.

Sound

I would describe the overall sound signature of the force as a neutral bright set which offers overall a clean and mid centric presentation. It's aimed at being a very neutral set with resolving capabilities, but we will find out if that's the case or not. 

Bass

I would describe the bass presentation to be more quality than quantity. It's more midbass focused than subbass and that is evident in whatever tracks I throw at it.

In the song Angel by Massive Attack the rumble and kicks just felt very light overall and most of the time the bass presence is moderate at best. Especially the decay, I felt it was soft or muted.  

But despite the lower quantity which was to be expected out of such a tuning, the bass is very clean, well controlled and textured. I didn’t notice any type of Bass bleed as well. 

Midrange

The mids on the force are the highlight when it comes to the overall tuning. The mids are more or so thin overall, especially in the lower mids whereas male vocals or instruments can often seem tame in the mix. When listening to the Weekend you can find his voice lacking a bit of heft to it. If you are someone who loves a bit of body to the lower midrange then this might not be it for you.

I love the upper mids here more, which is very forward ofcourse especially the female vocals tend to be very sharp and resolving. I really want to say the Uppermids can be a bit shouty from time to time and some people can find this a bit annoying. 

But overall, the mids are clean and transparent. 

Treble

The treble on the Force is well extended and airy and for the most part not harsh. In my listening sessions it had enough sparkle to instruments such as cymbals, high hats etc.

Despite its energy, I would say the treble is controlled and doesn't peak too much to cause any pain or any harshness to the casual listener. The upper treble as well adds enough presence to keep the IEM to sound exciting.  

The treble is detailed, but despite this, I always felt that it doesn't match the qualities of treble focused sets in this price range, where when i was listening to Umbrella by Rihanna the cymbals feel like they are crashing down on you but here the attack feels a bit off to my liking.  

Technicalities

The force has a clean, resolving and detailed presentation.Due to its open and neutral nature, instruments come out as alive and not just resting in the background.

Soundstage and Imaging is really good though. The soundstage especially is wide and immersive, mostly due to that open feeling it carries out throughout the frequencies. Imaging as well is fairly accurate, not much complaints here.

Even for gaming it performed fairly well when i played fps games on it. 

Even though the set is technically sound, when compared to other sets in the price range the technical aspects aren’t that great.

DSP Functionality

I also want to touch on the DSP Capabilities of this IEM. As I mentioned above it comes with a DSP connector out of the box.

Similar to other DSP offerings from Tanchjim, it can be accessed through the Tanchjim App. I didn't have any trouble getting the device detected, on that front it was seamless. 

Once you plug it, it automatically detects Force and by default it comes with 6 EQ Presets

1. Default
2. Balance
3. Musical
4. Natural
5. Popular
6. B&K 5128 Diffusion Field MOD

My favorites were the Natural, Default and Popular Presets 

Other than that similar to the Fola, the Force comes with a 5 Band Parametric EQ which is amazing. (All the filters being PK)

Comparison

The sub $300 price range is one of the most competitive categories for IEMs, with constant releases, hype and value, one needs to stand out in their own way. 

I will be comparing the Force with Softears Volume S, Elysian Pilgrim and Letshouer Cadenza 4. 

When it comes to Bass, the Volume S is easily better than the competition here, and I think it offers one of the best bass in this segment.

Between the Pilgrim and Force it's a toss up and would be mostly based on your preference, but in terms of quality, the Pilgrim sounds more resolute. 

When it comes to the Mids, I love the take on the Force as well as Pilgrim, both are a bit colored in the upper midrange, but the Pilgrim doesn't sound that shouty. Whereas the Volume S, the vocals are front and center and more intimate. 

When it comes to the Treble, Pilgrim here is for me the best representation to my liking, as it's crisp, sweet and resolute. Between the Force and Volume S, if you want more of a smooth yet detailed approach go for the Vol S, or else you like exciting and detailed, go for the Force

Technically speaking, the Pilgrim here is a no brainer here followed by the Force and Volume S.
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You guys might be wondering why I am comparing this to the Cadenza 4 here (which is less expensive) but I feel like they both aim for the similar style of tuning and it seems more of a natural comparison. 

In the Bass, It was very track dependent on how each one sounded better to me, but the Force overall felt a bit more punchier and had a bit more rumble. 

In the Mids, I loved the take on the C4 overall, especially in the lower mids where I pointed out the Force having that lack of body, C4 does a great job of balancing both worlds.

In the upper mids as well, C4 felt more natural, and it's not that forward to the extent where the upper mids felt a bit shouty in the case of Force.

In the Treble, it's a choice here honestly whether you want something which is really bright and detailed in C4 or a bit more safer approach yet detailed in Force. 

Technically speaking, they both are very detailed in their own regard but C4 might seem more detailed to the many listeners because of the upper treble. 

Overall, the accessory package is a bit similar, the difference being the Force comes with a handy DSP connector but sound wise C4 offers a similar package at a cheaper price point. 

Conclusion

My concluding thoughts on the Tanchjim Force might be different from most of the reviews out there but yes, I felt like the Force “could have been” something really good.

Often at times I would feel it promised me something amazing and yet something was missing, as if it was unpolished.

With the price in mind, and the competition it has around it, the value it offers is not up to the benchmark. If you are looking for something in the Tanchjim house of sound, then Fola is an amazing choice as i have mentioned before its my favorite release from them.

With that, I give the Force a rating of 3.5/5

Thank you to Tanchjim for providing this unit for review but as always, the thoughts and opinions were fully mine. 

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