Beware The Mesmerizing Mermaid..........
EQUIPMENT
Topping a50s Headphone Amplifier
Xduoo MT-602 Hybrid Tube Headphone Amplifier (Sylvania 5654 Tubes)
SMSL Sanskrit 10th MK2 DAC
iFi Hip-Dac
Final Audio E (2020) Tips
Cable: Stock Cable & NiceHck 16Core HPC 4.4mm Balanced Cable
Sources: Flac Files From my Personal Collection / Tidal
SPECS
Hidizs Hybrid Dual Drivers HiFi Earphones Knowles RAD-33518-P183
10.2mm, Dual Voice Coils & Dual Voice Chambers
Frequency Response: 20Hz-40kHz
Sensitivity: 112db
Impedance: 18ohn
2pin 3.5mm High Purity Silver Wires×2 & OFC Wires×2 Cable
NOTES
The $89usd Hidizs Mermaid MS2 is an earphone using a hybrid driver technology with one dynamic and one balanced armature per side housed in a beautiful resin body. A number of different colours are also available. Tuning is more on the balanced side with slight bass emphasis and extended somewhat boosted treble. The focus with the Hidizs Mermaid MS2 from the packaging up to the sound of the earphone itself is of a well thought out and well presented product. For the price, no corners were cut and the sonic exhibition is something special indeed. Easy to drive, the MS2 will sound great on many DAP's or quality cellphones. While this is so, they do scale with more traditional and more capable amplification. I found tip rolling to be fairly easy given the MS2's signature which while balanced does stray into the Bright/Neutral range.
BUILD QUALITY & FIT
Build quality is very good and not just for the earphone but all it's included accessories as well. The look and feel of the MS2 is excellent with no apparent shortcuts being taken. The MS2 is medium in size and should fit most users without issues. They are very comfortable to wear for long listening sessions and fit quite securely when the proper tips were used. The included cable is of high quality and compares well with the stock cable included with the Whizzer HE01. 2 sets of eartips are included one being wide bore, and the other sporting a more narrow bore. There is also a beautiful and well constructed carrying case included that rounds out the accessory bundle.
:SOUND:
BASS
Bass is evenly presented overall but with a small emphasis on the mid-bass. This is not a Bass-Head's earphone but more so for the lover of quality over quantity. The sub-bass is definitely present with a light roll-off in the deepest range. The Hidizs Mermaid MS2 offers a bass that is detailed, fast and with palpable texture. Separation in this frequency range is very good. The MS2 manages to do something with the bass that many other earphones do not and that is allow to listener to hear the silence between notes as well as the note itself. This elevates the perception of impact, definition and clarity while being very dynamic. If anything, the bass can be characterized as somewhat dry with excellent technicalities and presence. It's always clearly present without having to slap you in the face to get attention. I often use "Angel" & "Inertia Creeps" by Massive Attack while focusing on detail and texture and the MS2 did exceptionally well. Tracks with pounding bass lines, such as found in some types of electronic music, was always reproduced with power and great control.
MIDS
Very mildly recessed with excellent clarity, definition and detail. The Hidizs MS2 successfully skirts that fine line between being warm and overly clinical which can also be said of its good timbre. I can't say that it has it's sonic footprint firmly in any of those camps but manages to juggle quite well. Detail retrieval is very good with the expressive emotions of the artist being easily heard while still bringing to light a great amount of micro details. Transients were realistic with great definition and note weight was just right. Both leading and trailing edges were natural without overemphasis as well. Listening to the MS2 on a variety of genres proved how versatile they are. Anita Bakers "Giving You The Best That I've Got" and Lalah Hathaway's "That Was Then" sounded very engaging and clean. Norman Brown's classic track "Just Between Us" had me hitting replay more than a few times. A Guy Called Geralds track "Stella" showcased the MS2's layer separation, clarity and control very well. Lesser earphones make a mess of this track with the Hidizs MS2 managing to handle it in style. Upper mids are reasonably elevated but the Hidizs MS2 manages to stay away from any harshness or being shouty at all. Handoff to the treble is pretty seamless with some other hybrids making this transition too obvious and uneven. Attention to detail, pun intended, is how I'd describe the midrange offered by the Hidizs Mermaid MS2. Very nice indeed.
TREBLE
The MS2 strikes a remarkable balance with offering a treble that is extended and detailed without harshness, grain or other strange behavior. Treble is airy without being splashy or indecisive and thankfully lacks the "over-embellishments" of lesser earphones. The amount of detail and definition is impressive while being unambiguous at the same time. Cymbal strikes have the proper weight and decay as do most other instruments. Separation is also very good, probably aided by the speed and coherence of not just the treble but the full frequency spectrum as well. natural, distinct and detailed is how I'd describe the Hidizs MS2's treble presentation. Very well done.
IMAGING & SOUNDSTAGE
The Hidizs Mermaid MS2 throws out a good soundstage with commendable lateral separation and good depth and height. Where the MS2 really excels though is the representation of space and air. Within the stage that it throws the sonic footprint is open sounding with great clarity and definition. Instruments and sounds within that open sounding space are solidly placed and defined. This characteristic made some earphones that I regard highly sound comparatively congested when compared directly with the Hidizs MS2 in particular when more complex music was auditioned.
VERSUS
- Whizzer HE01
Both earphones have an overall smooth, balanced presentation with good coherence and driver integration. Bass on the HE01 is a touch more pronounced and while being relatively fast and detailed, it is bested in in these two metrics as well as texture quality buy the MS2. The midrange on both is very good with the Hidizs MS2 just pulling that much more detail from each track. treble is closer than I expected but the MS2 pulls ahead once again with superior clarity, detail and information retrieval. Both are thankfully free of harshness and a joy to listen to.
- HZsound Heart-Mirror
The Heart-Mirror is the darling of the sub $75 segment and for good reason. The Heart-Mirror sounds great. Strangely if I were to break it down, the Hidizs MS2 has much in common with the Heart-Mirror. Both excel in clarity, detail and speed. If anything the MS2 sounds somewhat like a Heart-Mirror with more pronounced bass, a weightier midrange and even more precise treble. Spatial characteristics aside, in which the MS2 is clearly superior, the Heart-Mirror and Hidizs MS2 have more in common than not. The MS2 does better in absolute definition but they are closer to each other than apart.
- Kbear BElieve
This is where things get interesting.
Both iem's convey a coherent sonic presentation that is easy to listen to for a long period. There are though some marked differences. The BElive is sensitive to the source/cable/tips selection and order of magnitude more than the Hidizis MS2. Proper component selection will make them sing though. Bass on the BElive is more plentiful and of high quality, but the low end on the Hidizs MS2 wins this fight when it comes to definition, speed and texture. Regarding bass power, I never felt cheated out of bass by the MS2 even though it's quantity may have been less than the BElieve. Moving on to the midrange, the BElive is more forward and has an incredibly organic and warm presentation in the mids. This is in contrast to the MS2 which is just a tad more recessed and walks the fence between warm and clinical without having a foot firmly planted on either side. Detail retrieval goes to the MS2 while that mature organic feel goes to the BElieve. Both are natural in presentation and free of harshness or stridency. Pick your poison here. Treble is presented very differently though. Some have said that the BElieve is bright and I'd have to disagree. I find the treble on the BElieve is well controlled without missing anything. Detail and clarity are definitely there. I found the Hidizs MS2 to be brighter than the BElieve but equally without harshness or sibilance. Micro detail retrieval is superior on the MS2 which also is a little more extended on top but the BElieve fights back with an incredibly smooth engaging performance with great clarity as well. Layer separation really impressed me on the BElieve and it still does. The Hidizs MS2 is an eye opener as it does as well in this regard. Imaging is where the Hidizs enjoys a clear advantage over the BElieve. The spatial capabilities of the MS2 are more apparent when doing direct comparisons. The air around the soundstage is palpable with the MS2 vs the BElieve. This is more evident on complex tracks where the BElieve in direct comparison to the MS2 while not sounding outright congested, due to it's great layer separation & speed no doubt, just feels more constrained. The tuning on each of these excellent earphones is really well done. They are definitely not similar, except in the level of quality sound they bring to the ears. Like I said before, pick your poison. I will refrain from picking an outright winner as they are different enough and great enough that I'm convinced that would be a pointless exercise. I'll leave this comparison with this statement., I have and am keeping both!
CONCLUSION
While writing this review I had to force myself to temper my enthusiasm for the Hidizs Mermaid MS2 so as to stay on track. In this conclusion section I don't have to. The Hidizis MS2 presents sonics marked by excellent clarity, definition, texture and detail retrieval. Combine a sweet topping of impressive speed, layer separation and soundstage spatiality and you have more than just a winning mix. It is also a fun earphone to listen to. In my short but incredibly interesting earphone journey, there have only been a few times I have found the hours passing like the wind as I am listening to music, constantly looking forward to that next track. The KBear BElieve, BQEYZ KC2 and HZsound Heart-Mirror have done just that. Now the Hidizs Mermaid MS2 has joined this elite group. To say that I give the MS2 a recommendation is an understatement. Bravo Hidizs for producing such a wonderful sounding earphone at such a reasonable price. The Hidizs Mermaid MS2 is definitely Audio For The Rest Of Us. This one is a 100% Keeper.
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