“Our two cents on Shozy’s latest single-driver IEMs, the Shozy Hibiki Mk2”
You know what’s better than an audio product from a company with a stellar record in the industry? A collaboration between two reputed audio giants to bring about a pair of IEMs with excellent sonic capabilities and a stunning design. I am, of course, talking about the Shozy Hibiki Mk2, which has been developed by Shozy in a partnership with AAW. I was recently sent a pair to review and after spending some time with it, here’s what I make of it.
Table of Contents
Design and Comfort
The Shozy Hibiki Mk2 have an eye-catchy design and the second you unbox the IEMs, you’ll immediately take note of the carbon fibre plate on the earpieces. Now, it’s not the real thing and merely a texturised finish, but from a distance, the pattern looks pretty convincing. You’ll also notice the ‘AS’ logo etched on the plates, which looks cool and presumably comprises the initials of the collaborating brands.
The driver unit of the earphones is made out of plastic which in my opinion, is a double-edged sword. On one hand, the plastic finish helps keep the weight of the earpieces down, but the Hibiki Mk2 also lack the premium feel which is synonymous with IEMs crafted using metal. What’s more, the earpieces are quite chunky too and therefore, you might have a problem with the fit if you’ve got small ears. I for one have chimp ears and therefore, didn’t face any issues with the IEMs’ ginormous size.
Moving on, the Shozy Hibiki Mk2 ships with a detachable, braided cable which connects to the earphone via two-pin connectors. Consequently, you have the option to upgrade to a better cable down the line, but since the socket on the IEM is recessed, you’ll need to do your due diligence before pulling the trigger on your purchase. Coming back to the matter at hand, the bundled cable feels quite sturdy and even ships with an in-line remote which lets you control the music playback. On the flip side, I noticed that the right side of the cable didn’t conform to the shape of my ears and therefore, I had to constantly reposition it around my ears to keep the earpiece from slipping out.
Sound quality
The Shozy Hibiki Mk2 are backed by a pair of 10mm dynamic drivers positioned inside each earpiece. The earphones can operate across a frequency range of 20Hz-40KHz and carry an impedance of 18 ohms. Consequently, you will be able to drive the earphones with almost any smartphone or laptop.
As far as my impressions of the IEM’s sound signature are concerned, the Hibiki Mk2 sound fairly balanced to my ears. I wouldn’t go as far as to call the earphones neutral, as the sound does sway in the favour of the mids and the low-end ever so slightly. However, you should be able to enjoy almost every genre of music with the earphones.
Although the IEMs ship with a pair of dynamic drivers, it doesn’t offer a lot of rumble in the low-end. The beats definitely pack a kick, but if you’re a fan of skull-shattering bass, then the Hibiki Mk2 is not for you. That said, what the beats lack in quantity, they more than make up for in quality. The Shozy Hibiki Mk2 have a really good transient response and therefore, the IEMs quickly jump from one beat to the other. What’s more, the bass doesn’t eat into the mids and there’s no bass-bloat, even at higher volumes.
The mid-range is where I feel the Shozy Hibiki Mk2 truly shine. The vocals sound natural and uncoloured and you’ll be able to pick up on the minute details of your favourite songs like never before. The earphones do a fantastic job at reciprocating the entire vocal range of an artist too, so be it Jesse Reyez’s high-pitched voice in Nice Guy or Leonard Cohen’s rumbling in You Want It Darker, you’ll be able to hear it all. Lastly, thanks to the nature of the IEMs’ sound signature, the mids don’t sound sibilant either.
The Shozy Hibiki Mk2 make listening to rock songs a treat too. Now, the treble isn’t on the sparkly side, but you’ll still be able to enjoy songs like Mr. Brightside from Killers to the fullest on the IEM. I’ve no complaints with the earphones in the imaging department either and you will be able to tell one instrument from another in a chaotic soundtrack quite easily.
Verdict
Priced at ~Rs 5,000, the Shozy Hibiki Mk2 is a good-looking, good-sounding pair of IEMs which can faithfully reproduce most, if not all songs down to a tee. Now, as much as I’ve loved using the IEMs, I still don’t think that they’re on the same level as the Tin Audio T2 (review), which are cheaper and has been constructed using more premium materials. What’s more, the Tin Audio T2 sound more enjoyable and richer, owing to its better low-end output too.
That said, if you’re a sucker for balanced sound and can’t get behind the bright treble output of Knowledge Zenith or TinAudio’s offerings, then you will feel right at home with the Shozy Hibiki Mk2.
Editor’s rating: 3.5 / 5
Pros:
- Balanced sound
- Detachable cables with in-line remote control
- Eye-catchy design
Cons:
- Earpieces are chunky
- Low-end output could’ve been better
- Plasticky design leaves something to be desired
