Review on HIDIZS MS4 Hi-Fi Earphones Hi-Res Earbuds Detachable Cable Design Four Driver Hybrid(1 Dynamic 3 Knowles BA) In-Ear Monitor Headphones (Silver) by Adam Nelson

I backed the HIDIZS AP-80 media player on Kickstarter. The player came with headphones from HIDIZS Seeds which I would never have tried otherwise. I loved the AP-80 and thought the seeds were really good for their advertised price. When I saw the Mermaids MS-4 on Kickstarter I thought it was worth taking a chance and trying it out. I'm very glad I did. I took to heart my high school physics teacher's comment that by the time people can afford their dream stereo, people have usually deteriorated to a point where it doesn't matter plays more. So I've long been a fan of good hearing and good headphones as good headphones offer great sound for the money compared to speakers. My favorite headphones were an old pair of Sennheiser open-back headphones (HD-600) and a pair of Sony close-ear headphones (HD-950). The MS-4 outperformed both. They're ready to use right out of the box and have a solid construction - they look and feel like something valuable. The cables are interchangeable, preserving the value of your investment. The braided cables are made of oxygen-free copper with built-in ear loops, so the headphones won't be yanked out of your ears if the cable gets caught. They have a variety of ear tips, most of which I haven't tried - the ones installed on arrival work great for me. Fit matters. All earbuds require you to reach up to your head, pull your ear back, and then insert them. The case that comes with it is big enough for the MS-4 and my AP-80. Sound is where they shine. Most people don't listen to music critically and don't know what to listen to. NPR has a tone test to see how well you can hear the difference in sample rates, and the results with some fairly complex samples average no better than guesswork. The sample rate determines how much audio data is captured in a digital recording. The higher the resolution, the more data. This means the ability to hear overtones and the harshness of a sound. It's these subtleties that are lost in lower quality recordings, not just frequency response. Both MS-4 (and AP-80) models are Hi-Res Audio certified. The frequency response, like most good modern IEMs and headphones, is probably wider than your listening range. Dogs and bats can hear the higher frequencies they play. You don't have to worry about the high level. The low side is probably better than your listening range too, but you're never going to get a powerful subwoofer from an IEM, so don't expect it. But tune in to a song like "Sky Blue" by Peter Gabriel (Up) and you can feel it in your brain. To reproduce sound I usually need uncolored sound. You can use an equalizer or something to change the sound to your liking, but I don't want the speakers to decide for me how to play the music. The MS-4 seem pretty flat and accurate in sound reproduction, which is what I like to hear. The "soundstage" is good too - the sound is surround but not artificial. Play a song like Paul Simon's "Homeless" with Ladysmith Black Mambazo (Graceland). Exactly what you need. Where the MS-4s are enough to make your jaw drop is in their sensitivity and responsiveness - their ability to handle dynamics and subtleties. The sensitivity rating is 112dB, which is amazing. This is a logarithmic measurement, so small changes in the score can result in large differences in sound. Here you will hear the difference between crisp and clean and dirt. MS-4 twinkle. Listen to an excellent reference recording, e.g. B. James Newton Howard & Friends, a Sheffield Labs recording from 1983. Listen carefully to the drums (played by Jeff Porcaro of Toto). This is what a real drum kit sounds like. Hear the click of the stick hitting the eardrum. Hear the barrel kick. Then tune in to a song like "Nightingale" (Come Away With Me) by Norah Jones. You can't help but be impressed by the piano's dynamics. But also listen to the snare drum. Snare drums have small ball chains inside that beat against the drum's head, giving the drum a distinctive sound. With the MS4, you don't just hear "snare" but the beads hitting the skin of the drum. Play a song like "Soon You'll Go" by Howard Jones (Ordinary Heroes). Hear the strings in the background. Do you hear the bow strokes? Does the pair score change? I didn't do this before using my MS-4s. I could go on. But that's ultimately my point of view. With the MS-4, it's fun again to rummage through my music collection to hear what I used to miss. Yes, these IEMs can be used for casual music listening. But if you want to listen critically to hear the music the way it's supposed to sound, good recording quality, a good playback device (like the AP-80) and good "headphones" like the MS-4 Mermaids are a good choice . way to make your own music!