Hidizs MS5 Hybrid Driver IEM Review 

Introduction:

Hidizs Technology Co. Ltd. was founded in 2009 and offers a wide variety of portable audiophile equipment’s such like Digital Audio Players (DAP), Digital to Analogue Converters (DAC), Amplifiers and In-Ear Monitors.

The Hidizs MS5 is the flagship Universal IEM of the company that features 4x Sonion Balanced Armature Drivers + 1x 10mm dia. Hidizs Custom Liquid Silicone Diagraph Dynamic Driver per earpiece, which are located inside a One-Piece Aluminum Alloy Monitor design. The MS5 is equipped with an 8-strand detachable cable made from Hybrid Wires (High Purity Silver Wires & OFC Wires).

Disclaimer:

I would like to thank Hidizs for providing the MS5 In-Ear Monitor as review sample for review purposes. I am not affiliated with Hidizs beyond this review and these words reflect my true, unaltered, opinions about the product.

Price & Availability:

The actual Pre-Sale price of the Hidizs MS5 In-Ear Monitor is 379.00 US$. More information can be found under the link below;

• Hidizs MS5 In-Ear Monitor

Package & Accessories:

The Hidizs MS5 comes inside a black box that that hast the illustration of the box and some product related brandings on the top, while the rear surface shows some information’s about the product.

The box of the Hidizs MS5 comes with the following contents;

• 1 x Hidizs MS5 In-Ear Monitor
• 1 x 8 Strand Silver + OFC Cable 2-Pin Connectors
• 9 x pairs of silicone ear tips
• 3 x pairs of Sound Tuning Filters
• 1 x Protective Case
• 1 x Print Material (User Manual & Warranty Card)

The MS5 comes with a premium looking storage box that is made of high-quality PU leather, which is carefully crafted by leather craftsmen. Environmentally friendly and durable, waterproof and tough, full of texture. The Inner surface has a soft padding in order to protect the Monitors from scratches.

Design & Build Quality:

The Hidizs MS5 is a Universal In-Ear Monitor with an eye-catching design and a very robust build quality. The monitors do show a combination of an Aluminum Alloy Cavity + Fancy looking Resin Hollow Faceplate.

The MS5 features a weight-saving one-piece aluminum alloy cavity design. The monitor has an anodized surface, an aluminum oxide film is formed on the surface of the panel, which effectively improves the hardness of the surface of the cavity, makes the panel smoother, and reduces the residue of fingerprint marks. And it can reduce the harmonic resonance inside the earphone cavity, reduce distortion, and make the audio signal output cleaner and more stable.

The faceplate is one of the main highlights of the Hidizs MS5 that is inspired by a “Dark Angle Sculpture” made from resin material in black color.

The faceplate has a fancy looking metal frame Rose Gold that completes the beautiful overall appearance.

The rear part of the MS5 monitor shell features the replaceable “Hidizs Pneumatic Sound Tuning Filters™”.

The MS5 comes with 3 pairs of these Sound tuning Filters, which are the Balanced (Rose Gold), High Frequency (Silver Color) and Low Frequency (Red Color) Tuning Filter. Each nozzle is made from aluminum alloy material with a circular metal mesh on the top that prevents the insertion of small particles, which can be cleaned with the cleaning tool included inside the box.

On the top of the monitor shell is 0.78mm diameter 2-Pin connector interface that offers a tight and secure connection with the detachable cable.

The rear surface of each monitor is equipped with pressure relief output, Left / Right indicators and the website (HIDIZS.COM) printed in white color.

The build quality of the Monitors top notch, which fulfils my expectation from an IEM at his price level.

Detachable 8-Strand Hybrid wire cable: 

The Hidizs MS5 comes with an 8 Stand Hybrid wire cable, which has a combination of 4x High Purity Silver wires & 4x OFC wires.

The cable has a nice braided design with a soft PVC outer insulation that shows a very low amount of microphonic effect.

The cable features 0.78mm diameter 2-Pin connectors that do fit pretty tight to the female connectors that are located on the top of the monitor shell. Each connector features a fancy looking transparent plastic housing and each side has a left & right color indicators. Near the connectors is a transparent heat-shrink ear guides that will offer higher comfort especially on the go.

The cable is equipped with a metal Y-splitter and Chin slider in gun metal color.

The 3.5mm TRS headphone jack has a strait profiled metal housing that shows a combination of gun metal and gold color. The housing sports the Hidizs branding and a transparent plastic strain relief for extra protection.

Fit & Isolation:

The Hidizs MS5 has a pretty comfortable monitor shape design that doesn’t hurt my average sized ear concha even after longer listening periods. The passive noise isolation is surprisingly successful that offers a decent performance in relatively noisy environments such like a bus, metro/train.

Paring & Drivability:

The Hidizs MS5 is an easy to drive In-Ear Monitor thanks to its pretty low impedance of 5.3Ω and sensitivity around 104dB, which makes it compatible for relative weak sources like a USD Dongle, Smartphone or Tablet.

Technical Specifications:

• Driver Configuration   : Hybrid Driver Configuration
• Driver Type                 : 4 Sonion BA Drivers + 1x 10mm Hidizs Custom Dynamic Driver
• Frequency Response : 20 Hz – 40 kHz
• Sensitivity                   : 104dB
• Impedance                  : 5.3Ω
• Cable Material            : Hybrid 8 Strand Wire Cable (2xHigh Purity Silver & 2xOFC Wires)
• Connector Type         : 0.78mm Diameter 2-Pin
• Cable Length              : 1.2m
• Plug                            : 3.5mm
• Weight                        : approx. 13.6g (exclusive detachable cable)

Equipment’s used for this review: 

• IEM’s              : Hidizs MS5
• DAP/DAC       : Hidizs AP80 Pro-X Copper Edition, Hidizs XO, FiiO M11 Plus ESS

Albums & tracks used for this review:

• Adele – My Little Love (Spotify)
• Randy Crawford – On Day I Will Fly Away (Flac 16bit/44.1kHz)
• Hayley Westenra – Odyssey Album (Dezzer HiFi)
• Dionne Warwick – Walk On By (Flac 16bit/44.1kHz)
• Sarah McLachlan – Angel (Flac 24bit/48kHz)
• Sertap Erener – Aşk (Flac 16bit/44.1kHz)
• Edith Piaf – Non Je Ne Regrette Rien (Flac 16bit/44.1kHz)
• Diana Krall – So Wonderful (DSF)
• Aretha Franklin – I Say A Little Payer (Flac 24bit/96kHz)
• Sonya Yoncheva – (Giuseppe Verdi) II Trovatore, ActI (Flac 24bit/96kHz)
• George Michael – Don’t Let the Sun Go Down on Me (Flac 24bit/192kHz)
• David Bowie – Heroes (Flac 24bit/192kHz)
• Elton John – Rocket Man ((Flac 24bit/96kHz)
• Barry White – Just The Way You Are (Flac 24bit/48kHz)
• Isaac Hayes – Walk On By (Flac 16bit/44.1kHz)
• Sting – Englishman in New York – (Flac 24bit/48kHz)
• Eric Clapton – Wonderful Tonight (Flac 24bit/96kHz)
• B. King – Riding With The King (Tidal Hi-Fi)
• Dave Gahan – Kingdom (Tidal Hi-Fi)
• U2 – Sunday Bloody Sunday (Flac 16bit/44.1kHz)
• Bro Safari, UFO! – Drama (Deezer HiFi)
• Armin Van Buuren – Vini Vici (Flac 16bit/44.1kHz)
• Daft Punk (feat. Panda Bear) – Doin’ it Right (Flac 24bit/96kHz)
• Jo Blankenburg – Meraki (Spotify)
• Lorde – Royals (Flac 24bit/48kHz)
• Massive Attack – Angel (Flac 24bit/48kHz)
• Toutant – Rebirth (Deezer HiFi)
• Gogo Penguin – Raven (Flac 24bit/192kHz)
• Gogo Penguin – Murmuration (Flac 24bit/192kHz)
• Photek – The Hidden Camera (Flac 24bit/96kHz)
• Portishead – It Could Be Sweet (Spotify)
• Max Richter – On the Nature of Daylight (Flac 24bit/96kHz)
• Charly Antolini – Duwadjuwandadu (Flac 24bit/192kHz)
• Abel Korzeniowski – Dance For Me Wallis (Deezer HiFi)
• Ferit Odman – Look, Stop & Listen (Flac 24bit/192kHz)
• Chopin – Nocturn No. 20 In C-Sharp Minor (Flac 16bit/44.1kHz)
• Fazıl Say – Nazım Oratoryosu (Live) (Flac 16bit/44.1kHz)
• Vivaldi – Le QuarttroStagioni “The Four Season” (Deezer HiFi)
• Otto Liebert & Luna Negra – The River (Flac 24bit/192kHz)
• Lunatic Soul – The Passage (Flac 16bit/44.1kHz)
• Deftones – My Own Summer (Shove it) (Flac 16bit/44.1kHz)
• Metallica – Sad but True (Flac 24bit/96kHz)
• Metallica – Master of Puppets (Flac 24bit/96kHz)
• Opeth – Windowpane (Flac 16bit/44.1kHz)
• Megadeth – Sweating Bullets (Tidal Hi-Fi)
• Muse – Hysteria (Flac 16bit/44.1kHz)
• Rush – Leave That Thing Alone (Flac 16bit/44.1kHz)
• Slayer – Angel of Death (Spotify)
• Liquid Tension Experiment 2 – Acid Rain (Spotify)
• Yosi Horikawa – Bubbles (Spotify)

The Sound:

The Hidizs MS5 shows a sound profile that combines both technicality with musicality thanks to its well-implemented Hybrid Driver configuration. It shows in general a smooth presentation from the lows to the highs, while it has a mildly warm tonality especially when switched to the BALANCED and BASS tuning filters. The bass sounds tight and fast without to show any audible midbass hump. The midrange is shown in general with a good sense of warmth, transparency and smoothness, while it sounds a slightly bit nasal that I couldn’t avoid with any Sound Tuning Filter. The treble range on the other hand is pretty pronounced, which has a good level of presence and brilliance without to sound sharp or metallic.

Hidizs Pneumatic Sound Tuning Filters™ Explained:

BALANCED Filter (Rose Gold Color):

The BALANCED filter can be classified as the reference tuning of the Hidzs MS5, which doesn’t shows any lift in both the lows and the highs. The lows and lower midrange is slightly less highlighted compared to the “BASS” tuning filter, while the Upper midrange and treble sounds pretty clean and airy while it has less energy and extension compared to the “TREBLE” tuning filter.

BASS Filter (Red Color):

The BASS Filter shows a more shows an audible boost in the lower frequency area that created a fun sounding V-Shaped tuning. Both the subbass and the midbass region gains more body and depth. The lows still pretty clean and controlled. The treble range sounds slightly less pronounced compared to the BALANCED, especially the TREBLE Filter.

TREBLE Filter (Silver Color):

The TREBLE filter offers an audible boost in terms of presence and brilliance in the upper midrange and treble area. The overall presentation is more airy and bright compared to the other BLANCED and BASS Filter styles, while I found it a bit more prone to sibilance and sharpness, and the tonality was a bit bright for my taste. This tuning offers the highest sense of soundstage depth and wideness.

My sound impression below are mainly based to my experiences with the Balanced Filter. I have used the stock cable and balanced silicone ear tips that are include inside the package, in combination with sources like the Hidizs XO (USB DAC/Amplifier) and Hidizs AP80 Pro-X Copper (DAP).

Bass / Midrange / Treble / Soundstage & Imaging:

The 10mm Hidizs Custom Dynamic Driver offers a petty fast and tight bass response with good sense of authority and technicality for an IEM at this price range. The subbass region shows an efficient level of depth and extension while the sense of rumble is on an adequate level. Songs like Massive Attack’s “Angle” and Lorde’s “Royals” are reproduced with an efficient grade of depth and intensity, especially when you listen to it with the BASS Tuning filter.

The midbass region is slightly more highlighted and entertaining compared to the subbass area, which offers a good sense of speed and control without to show any remarkable lags like a midbass hump or muddiness. This area is reproduced with a nice sense of warmth and fullness when I listen to instruments such like bass/electro guitars, pianos and snare drums.

The Hidizs MS5 has a mildly warm midrange tonality that shows a pretty smooth, fairly transparent and nicely detailed overall character. Instruments are reproduced in an open midrange atmosphere, while vocals do sound pretty lively and detailed. The only downside for me both male and female voices do sound a bit compressed and somewhat nasal in some songs for my taste. The lower midrange is produced with a moderate level of depth and fullness when I do listen to vocals and to instruments such like a viola, piano and acoustic guitar.

The upper midrange is shown with an excellent level of presence and resolution, without to have any major flaws like sibilance and over brightens. Female voices from Adel to Edith Piaf are a reproduced in a pretty lively and detailed manner. Instruments on the other hand are not too bold or relatively thin. Pianos, violins and cellos for example do sound mildly bright and vibrant, while the extension is on a sufficient level.

The lower treble range of the MS5 is slightly less highlighted compared to the upper midrange area. The transitions from the upper midrange towards the lower treble region are pretty smooth and controlled. This area shows a slightly peak, which creates a smooth yet fairly detailed presentation, with moderate grade of extension when I do listen to soprano voices or to instruments such like guitars, pianos and organs.

The upper treble range shows a sufficient grade of brilliance, while it is less pronounced and detailed compared to the upper midrange and lower treble area. Instruments like hi-hats in jazz and metal music do sound slightly recessed, while the hits still relative countable. Crash cymbals on the other hand are reproduced in a pretty controlled manner, while the extension is a bit limited.

The Hidizs MS5 is a quite successful In-Ear Monitor for its price when it comes to the overall soundstage performance and imaging. It offers a pretty airy and expansive soundstage atmosphere, especially when you listen to it with the TREBLE Tuning Filter. The soundstage is shown with a decent sense of depth and wideness that creates good conditions for a fairly precise separation and placement of instruments and vocals.

Conclusion:

The Hidizs MS5 is a premium looking In-Ear Monitor with its eye-catching faceplate design and robust One-Piece Aluminum alloy housing that offers a good passive noise isolation and quite comfortable fit, which comes with a stylish 8core Hybrid cable and a classy looing storage case. But the main highlight is its smooth, balanced and pretty detailed overall sound presentation that can be effectively fine-tuned with the Sound Tuning Filter.

Pros & Cons: 

• + Balanced Sound Signature
• + Technical Performance at this Price Level
• + 3 Different Sound Tuning Filter
• + Soundstage & Imaging
• + Premium Look and Feel
• + Rich Set of Accessories

• – Treble Filter is a bit prone to Sibilance & Sharpness
• – Vocals do sound a bit nasal and compressed
• – Some Distortion at Higher Volume Level

Thank you for the Read!