BQEYZ Summer

disclaimer:   I was sent the BQEYZ Summer for purposes of reviewing it by BQYEZ.  I have no financial interest in BQEYZ nor have I been provided with any remuneration beyond the earphone itself for this review.   If you have an interest in BQYEZ, I recommend you check out their facebook page, or to purchase BQEYZ products shop their Aliexpress store.

 

Unboxing / Packaging:

The Summer ships in a slipcover  with summer on the front and specifications in Chinese and English on the reverse.  Removing the slip-cover reveals a black book-fold box with BQEYZ in silver.  Opening the box reveals the earpieces in foam in the main compartment.  A cardstock flap covers the soft case which houses the cable as well but not the tips. You’d be forgiven for not thinking any were provided as there is no indicator that the foam the earpieces sits in has another layer under it that contains 6 sets of silcone tips.    Tips in 2 styles are provided with one listing as reference tuning and the other as a more bass-forward option.   Kit is pretty standard at this price point but the included items are good quality which I would rather see than more lesser quality stuff being thrown in just to say it has extras.

 

Build/Fit:

Unlike the previous seasons (spring 1 & 2) the shell of the summer is acrylic rather than aluminum but dimensions and shape are largely the same with the addition of a small spur to the rear of the inner shell.  The result is a slightly lighter medium sized shell with a more ornate face-plate as the previous models are smooth surfaced where the Summer has 3 stylized ripples in the outer surface.  Currently two colors are available which are listed as blue and black.  The model I received is listed as black but is actually a very dark shade of purple as can be seen in the better lit photos.  It looks black in average light, but shows a purple/blue color in bright light.   Shells are 3 part with an acrylic face and inner shell and aluminum nozzles.   Nozzles have a forward rake and a pronounced lip for tip retention.   Shells have a vent immediately behind the nozzle and another pair nearer the rear edge of the inner surface.   The bi-pin connectors have a slight recess rather than using a hooded connector.    I found the shells comfortable and had no problem with extended wear.   I also found the mid-sized stock black (reference tips) worked well so didn’t have to spend long getting tips sorted out like I sometimes do.

 

Internals:

All of the seasons so far have been tri-brid models with a 13mm dynamic driver, a single balanced armature, and a piezo electric element.   The summer is no different as it too uses a 13mm dynamic driver, a single armature, and a piezo, but all three elements have been updated since the Spring 2.   The dynamic driver is faster responding with a new PU+LCP diaphragm.  The balanced armature has been retuned for better linearity, and the piezo has been reduced from nine(9) layers in the spring 2 to five(5) in the Summer.   Impedance is listed as 32Ω with a nominal sensitivity of 107 dB/mW which puts the summer somewhere between Spring1 (43/108) and Spring2 (32/110).    I found the summer worked well from dongle dacs and while it needs a little power to do its best, it will work from a cell phone on high output mode (LG) or from one of the various dongles for phones and tablets without need for a dedicated amp.

Cable:

If people feel the shell is a step back from the Spring models, the cable certainly is not.  The cable provided with the Summer in an eight (8) strand braid of silver plated single crystal oxygen free copper up to the splitter and 4 strand braids above that.   the Jack, splitter, and connectors are all brushed aluminum with a pinched waist.  Even the chin slider is brushed aluminum with the same style.   Bi-pin connectors are 0.78mm type and fit into slight recesses in the shell rather than opting for a hooded type.   The cables do have pre-formed hooks without memory wire and the connectors have L/R clearly marked on the exterior.   The end user has the choice of 3.5mm single-ended, 2.5mm balanced or 4.4mm balanced at time of purchase or additional cables can be bought from the Aliexpress store.  I think the cable is a large step forward from the original BQEYZ models and applaud their progress.  I would purchase this as a replacement cable for some of my other bi-pin in-ears as it has little or no tendency to tangle and is pliable with little weight felt on the ear and almost no microphonics.

 

Tips:

The summer comes with two styles of tips, one a clear tip with a blue core (atmosphere) and the other a solid grey (reference).  I found the two tips do make a difference and prefer the reference for their more balanced presentation.  Those looking to get more bass out of the Summer may wish to try the atmosphere (blue-core) tips as they do increase the bass at the expense of a little clarity in the lows.    The one omission here is the Spring2 shipped with foams in addition to the two types of silicones while the summer does not ship with any foam tips in the kit.

Sound:

Bass:

The summer has the best bass of the seasons so far but that doesn’t mean it is going to please everyone.  Sub-bass has some thump when called upon but rolls off in the upper 20s so doesn’t have as much impact as it might with a bit more depth.  Overall, mid-bass seems more elevated in spite of what the FR chart would suggest with sub-bass being well controlled but not overly prominent.  Mid-bass is fast with good attack speed and natural decay giving a nice clean sound but at the same time I can’t help but feel the texture could be a little better.  At times, you hear elements that let you know the driver is capable of producing good texture but at others it feels restrained.    It may be that the tuning went a little too safe here and lost a little texture in favor of keeping the linearity and balance instead.      Overall, the bass is well matched to the rest of the signature, has good speed, and a natural tonality, so the knock on texture is probably nitpicking considering the price point.

 

Mids:

There is very slight mid-bass bleed and it contributes some warmth to the lower mids and a bit of weight.  Bass guitar and male vocals both have good note weight and timbre with lead guitar having slightly less weight than its brother.  Growl is good with sharp lead edge and good energy.   Mids have good clarity and detail and are improved over the Spring2 in the lower registers but about even with the spring2 as we move into the upper-mids.   Strings have good energy and tonality so that trend continues as well.  Female vocals are a bit forward of their male counterparts but not so much so as to be unnatural sounding, it is more that female vocals cut through the mix while male vocals stand between instruments.

 

Treble:

This was probably the most polarizing feature of the Spring models and quite frankly it will likely continue to be on the summer as well.  I felt the treble on the Springs was good for the most part but did occasionally cross into hot territory.  With a peak in the 9kHz range, the Summer is capable of that same behavior.   During most of my listening, I was not bothered at all, but then a particular passage would trigger that spike and I would find it piercing, then it was gone again as quickly as it came.   Lower treble has good energy and detail and gives snare rattle a nice realism, but hi-hat can be metallic and clicky (its right on that border).    I think this just shows that the peizo elements are still a work in progress and while the BQEYZ models are doing a good job harnessing them, there is still some work to be done to perfect it.

 

Soundstage / Imaging:

This is where the Summer steps out of the shadows of the Spring 1&2 and owns it.  The stage is improved over both of its predecessors by more than a little bit.   Stage is still a little wider than deep but depth is improved and height has as well with the Summer stopping just short of 3d.      Seating the orchestra is straight forward with no overlaps or gaps and seating feels natural without the absurd width you get with the original Spring1.   Instrument separation  and stereo separation are both quite good as well which helps the Summer as well.   Imaging is good as well  but not exceptional  as spatial cues show good movement but perhaps a bit less precision than it could have.   Layering was impressive as I expected to trip up the dynamic with some of the busier passages but found only very mild compression even with the worst tracks.

 

Comparisons:

I’ve pretty much covered the territory of comparing spring models to summer all the way through the review so will settle for posting the comparison graph here. I have included the three models Spring 1, Spring 2, and Summer FR below for comparison.

Thoughts / Conclusion:

I have thoroughly enjoyed the Spring models and find BQEYZ consistently one of the better values on the market today so I expected good things from the Summer.  Yes, its a step back in materials from the Spring, but about 75% of all in-ears are made from some form of acrylic so its hard to knock it for that and the price is lower as well so it isn’t like they lessened materials to make a bigger profit.     Inside, they have improved the dynamic driver with faster transients, redesigned the peizo element with fewer moving parts and better coherency, and improved the armature in between.    The tuning is very similar to the spring models from the lowest note up through the lower treble and then it departs a bit.   For me that departure is not necessarily a welcome change as there is more emphasis in the 8-9kHz range which some will find opens up the sound and it probably is responsible for some of the improvements in the stage dimensions, but others will find it can be harsh and will need some EQ in that area to prevent fatigue.   I do think the summer represents very good value as it has a lot of positive points, but we also have to remember not to expect miracles in the budget price range and that some trade offs like loss of a little bit of texture in the lows and an occasional harsh note in the treble can still be expected.