Whizzer HE03AL IEM Review

 

 

Introduction:

Whizzer is a Chinese brand that was founded in 2016 with the focus to design and create attractive portable audio products like In-Ear Monitors (Haydn A15 Pro, HE01, HE03), True Wireless Bluetooth Earphones (Whizzer TP1 & B7) Professional Cable Accessories.

 

• Whizzer Official:whizzer-tec.com

 

The Whizzer HE03AL that I will now review for you is the flagship In-Ear Monitor of the company that features a 1DD + 2BA Hybrid Driver configuration that are located in a stunning looking aviation-grade magnesium-aluminum alloy monitor shell that was designed by J.IDEA+ Studio. The HE03AL has a 2-Pin connector on the top and comes with a unique Multi Damping Balance System.

 

 

Disclaimer:

I would like to thank Whizzer for providing me the HE03AL IEM sample for review purposes. I am not affiliated with Whizzer beyond this review and these words reflect my true and unaltered opinions about the product.

 

 

 

Price & Availability:

The actual price for the Whizzer HE03AL is about $229,92 USD. More information’s can be found under the link below;

• Whizzer HE03AL

 

 

 

 

Package and Accessories:

The Whizzer HE03AL comes inside a premium looking box that was wrapped with a black cardboard sleeve that sports the product illustration and some product related brandings & logos.

 

Inside the box are the following items; 

• 1 pair x Whizzer HE03AL 1 In-Ear Monitor
• 1 piece x Detachable Cable with 0.78mm 2-Pin Connector
• 3 pairs x Silicone Soundstage Ear Tips
• 3 pairs x Silicone Reference Ear Tips
• 1 piece x Cleaning Tool/Brush
• 1 piece x Protective Leather Case
• 1 piece x Print Material

 

 

 

 

Design, Fit and Build Quality:

The Whizzer HE03AL is a very attractive looking In-Ear Monitor that features a 5axis CNC Machined Aviation-grade Magnesium Aluminum alloy shell with a nice polished surface in silver color. Inside the monitors are 2x Knowles TWFK-30017-000 Balanced Armature Drivers + 1x 5^th Gen 10.2mm Diameter Aluminum Series Custom Dynamic Driver with a Magnetic Flux up to 1.2 Tesla.

The size of the monitors is pretty small and do share a quite similar shape of the original HE03.

On the front of the monitor shells that we call faceplate are some brandings. The Left earpiece has the Whizzer Logo, while the Right earpiece has the AL13 branding on the top that looks pretty nice.

At the inner surface of the monitor shell is the slightly angled sound nozzle and a vent for the 5^th Gen. 10.2mm diameter Aluminum Series Custom Dynamic Driver unit.

Here are also Left and Right color indicators that are located near the 2-Pin female connector.

On the top of the nozzle is a fine woven metal mesh to prevent the insertion of strange particles such like dust or ear-wax.

The Sound Nozzle features Special Double-Clamp Stainless Steel Tubing.

At the rear side of each monitor is a second vent that is part of the patented Multiple Damping Balance System in short M.D.B.S.

On the top of the monitor shell are the 0.78mm diamater 2-Pin female connetors that do offer a pretty tight and secure fit.

The overall build quality of the Monitors is very robust, while the surface is a bit prone to scratches.

 

5N SPOFC Cable:

The Whizzer HE03AL comes with a high quality detachable cable that has 0.78mm diameter 2-Pin male connectors and a 3.5mm Single Ended Headphone Jack.

The connectors of the cable do have a transparent plastic housing, while the Right male connector sports a Red color indicator.

The cable is made of 5N purity Silver Plated OFC (Oxygen Free Copper) Copper Wire Material that has a pretty soft transparent plastic insulation.

This cable sports a stylish Y-Splitter and Chin slider made of metal material in the same silver color like the monitors itself. The y-splitter sports the HE03AL branding that is printed/engraved to the surface.

The 3.5mm Single Ended headphone plug that is made of metal material in silver color has a strait profile with a stylish grip surface. On the surface of the housing is the Kylin branding.

 

 

 

Fit and Isolation:

The Whizzer HE03AL has a pretty ergonomic monitor shape that doesn’t hurt my ear average sized ear concha’s even after longer listening periods.

When it comes to the passive noise isolation of this HE03AL, I can say that it is on an average level that is fairly enough for the use it in some noise environments such as a metro, bus or train.

 

 

 

Technical Specifications:

• Driver Type     : 5^th GEN 10.2mm Diameter Aluminum Dynamic Driver + 2x Knowles TWFK-30017-000 Balanced Armature Drivers
• Impedance      : 30Ω
• Freq. range     : 20 Hz – 40 kHz
• Max. SPL        : 113dB/mW
• Sensitivity       : 110dB/mW
• Connector       : 0.78mm 2-Pin
• Cable Specs   : Silver Plated OFC Copper Wire Cable
• Cable length   : 1.2m

 

 

 

 

Drivability:

The Whizzer HE03AL is a very easy to drive In-Ear Monitor thanks to its impedance of 30ohm and a sensitivity of approx 110db, which makes it to an ideal earphone for the use with relative sources such like Smartphone’s, Tablet’s or Digital Audio Player (DAP) with a weak amplification.

 

 

Equipment’s used for this review:

IEM’s              : Whizzer HE03AL, Final Audio B2, Meze Audio Rai Solo
DAP&DAC’s   : iBasso DX300, FiiO M11 Pro, Hidizs AP80 Pro, iPad Air2

 

 

 

Albums & tracks used for this review:

• 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)
• David Bowie – Heroes (Flac 24bit/192kHz)
• 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)
• U2 – Sunday Bloody Sunday (Flac 16bit/44.1kHz)
• Portishead – It Could Be Sweet (Spotify)
• Charly Antolini – Duwadjuwandadu (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)
• Bro Safari, UFO! – Drama “Party Favor Remix” (Deezer HiFi)
• Toutant – Rebirth (Deezer HiFi)
• Armin Van Buuren – Vini Vici (Deezer HiFi)
• Really Slow Motion – Deadwood (Deezer HiFi)
• Jo Blankenburg – Meraki (Spotify)
• Massive Attack – Angel (Flac 24bit/48kHz)
• Lorde – Royals (Flac 24bit/96kHz)
• 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)
• Opeth – Windowpane (Flac 16bit/44.1kHz)
• Megadeth – Sweating Bullets (Tidal Hi-Fi)
• Rush’s – Leave That Thing Alone (Flac 16bit/44.1kHz)
• Slayer – Angel of Death (Spotify)s
• Liquid Tension Experiment 2 – Acid Rain (Spotify)
• Yosi Horikawa – Bubbles (Spotify)

 

 

 

 

The Sound:

The Whizzer HE03AL is an In-Ear Monitor with a tad warmer than neutral tonality that offers an energetic upper midrange and treble presentation, mildly recessed but pretty transparent and detailed midrange tuning, along with a bass response that is pretty fast tight and controlled.

This review has been written after a burn-in period of approx 75 -80 Hours. I have used the Stock Reference Silicone ear tips that are included to the package and together with its stock 5N purity SPOFC cable.

 

Bass:

The Whizzer HE03AL shows a pretty good sense of subbass depth and rumble with a nicely soft tonality. It is maybe not on a basshead level but is able to produce a fairly impressive sense of intensity and rumble when I do listen to songs like Jo Blankenburg’s “Meraki” or Massive Attack’s “Angel”. The 10.2mm Dynamic Driver of the HE03AL offers a quite fast subbass decay, which was especially audible after some burn-in (50 hours).

The midbass region of the HE03AL sounds pretty fast and tight tanks to its nicely responsive Dynamic Driver that offers also a good sense of impact and slam effect, which should be efficient enough for most genres. The midbass region has a mildly warm tonality when I do listen to percussion instruments or guitars.

The bass of the HE03AL shows a good level of layering and the emphasis is in general quite good when I do listen to synthetic bass notes in Electronic music, Trance or EDM as well as instruments such like bass guitars, drums or a contrabass.

 

Midrange:

The Whizzer HE03AL has a mildly warm and fairly bright midrange tonality with a pretty transparent and lightly sharp character that increases the sense of detailed retrieval and liveliness in this area.

The lower midrange of the HE03AL shows an average level of depth and the fact that this region is not thin and to dry is an advantage for both male vocals and instruments such like acoustic guitars, violas or trumpets. Male vocals are reproduced with a mildly warm, moderately thick and nicely soft tonality.

The upper midrange of the Whizzer HE03AL is more highlighted, detailed and energetic compared to the lower midrange region. Female vocals do sound very crisp, lively and more detailed compared to male vocals. Female voices such like Hayley Westenra, Sertap Erener and Aretha Franklin do sound highly transparent, sweet and soulful. Only Soprano female vocals can do sound a little bit sibilant and harsh from time to time when I do listen to them in higher volume levels.

The Whizzer HE03AL offers a quite accurate separation and placement of instrument, without to show any negative conditions such like sharpness or muddiness and mixings. Pianos are a tad bright, while violins are soft and sweat in tonality without to show any remarkable harshness.

 

Treble:

The Whizzer HE03AL shows a pretty pronounced and energetic treble character with good sense of extension and brightness. The transitions from the upper midrange towards the lower treble area are in most situations pretty controlled, even when instruments such like electro guitars do play at higher level of distortion.

Instruments like hi-hats are pronounced and it is clearly to count the hits in pretty complex metal music tracks. Other instruments like crash and ride cymbals are quite controlled.

The detail level in the treble range is quite successful for a product at this price range. The HE03AL doesn’t show negative situations such like over-sharpness or mixings, for example in jazz music when the piano accelerates.

The lower treble range of the Whizzer HE03AL shows a good level of clarity and definition, while the upper treble area is able to produce a good sense of airiness and sparkle, when I do listen to soprano vocals, percussion instruments or pianos.

 

Soundstage & Imaging:

The Whizzer HE03AL offers a fairly expansive soundstage that shows good conditions for a precise separation and placement of instruments and vocals. The soundstage sounds in general pretty airy and wide, while the depth of the stage is on an average level.

 

 

 

 

Some Comparisons:

Whizzer HE03AL versus Meze Audio RAI Solo:

Both the Meze Audio RAI Solo and the Whizzer HE03AL are solid looking In-Ear Monitors with a beautiful metal housing a pretty comfortable fit.

The RAI Solo has a tad warmer tonality compared to the HE03AL that sounds a bit brighter and natural. The subbass region of the HE03AL shows a slightly better sense of authority, depth and extension, while the midbass are of the RAI Solo has more body, impact and intensity. The HE03AL has the slightly edge when it comes to the clarity and resolution in this area.

The Meze Audio RAI Solo shows a slightly warmer tonality and fuller midrange presentation due to the boost in the lower midrange is. However, the HE03AL offers a better sense of clarity, airiness and micro detail retrieval thanks to its upper midrange tuning that is more highlighted compared to those of the RAI Solo.

The treble range of the HE03AL is slightly more pronounced, energetic and offers also a better sense of extension especially in the upper treble area. The RAI Solo sounds more controlled and smooth in this area which makes it suitable for longer listening periods.

The soundstage of both the IEM’s is successful in terms of instrument/vocal placement and separation. The stage of the HE03AL offers a better sense airiness and wideness, while the depth RAI Solo has a slightly advantage when it comes to the depth of the stage.

 

 

Whizzer HE03AL versus Final Audio B2:

The Final Audio B2 shows a warmer, smoother and softer tonality than the Whizzer HE03AL. Both the subbass and the midbass area of the B2 sounds more linear compared to the HE03AL. The HE03AL offers more subbass depth and rumble, while the B2 has the slightly edge in terms of decay in this area. The midbass region of the HE03AL sounds tighter and fuller, while the resolution and control is pretty similar.

The midrange of the Final Audio B2 is slightly more upfront in tits presentation and shows also a tad warmer tonality compared to the Whizzer HE03AL that has a slightly brighter tonality and a better sense of clarity and airiness in this area.

The HE03AL is superior to the B2 in terms of midrange clarity detail retrieval, which is the main reason why it sounds more lively and natural compared to the B2 when I do listen to vocals and instruments.

The treble range of the Whizzer HE03AL shows a better level of clarity & extension. It sounds more airy and spacious compared to the Final Audio B2 that is also missing some airiness and sparkle.

The soundstage of the HE03AL offers a better sense of airiness and wideness, while the performance in terms of depth is pretty equal.

 

 

 

Conclusion:

I have listen to many In-Ear Monitors in this price range and the Whizzer HE03AL can be easily listed on the top of the most successful ones in this category, both in terms of optics and overall sound performance. The monitors and the accessories do have a very premium look and feel, while the nicely balanced tuning and the great sense of clarity and resolution will satisfy many audiophiles who are searching for an IEM with such a characteristics.

 

 

 

Pros & Cons:

• + Balanced Sound Signature
• + Overall Clarity and Detail Retrieval
• + Robust & Beautiful Looking Monitor Shell
• + Lots of HQ Accessories

 

• – Sounds a tad too energetic with some genres in the upper midrange & treble register
• – The beautiful metal housing looks a bit prone to scratches

 

Thank you for the Read!