Hidizs MS2

disclaimer:   I was sent a kit of recent releases from Hidizs for review.  That kit included the Hidizs AP80 Pro X (review on Ecoustics.com soon),  the MS2 in ear (reviewed here), the S9 dongle dac, and the DH80S dac/amp that are still works in progress.   I own an AP200 as well that I purchased outright  as well as having reviewed the MS1, MS4, and Ap80 previously.    I have no financial interest in Hidizs or any of its partners or vendors and my review was not compensated other than the earphone itself.   If you have an interest in the MS2, more information can be found on Hidizs website.

 

Unboxing / Packaging:

The MS2 is the middle model in the line with a retail price of $89 but you wouldn’t necessarily know that to look at the packaging.     The box is a lift top design with a photo of the earpiece on the front and the specs on the reverse.  The Hidizs name and logo, the model name, and the knowles and Hi-res stickers on the front are all done in metallic reflective silver while the specs on the reverse are are in matte black.  Lifting the top reveals the earpieces in a foam surround with the glitter bomb face plates a nice contrast to the white box.   All of the other goodies are hiding underneath the foam tray.   Lifting out the tray reveals a leather(ish)  hard shell  case that is way better than the average at this price.   Inside the case we find the cable, and two styles of tips in SML for a total of 6 pairs.

 

Build/Fit:

The MS2 shares a good bit with the MS1 rainbow as it uses the polymer shell with an aluminum nozzle rather than the metal shell of the earlier MS1 and MS4 models.    The MS2 is available in green, red,  blue, purple, black, all with a transparent resin that shows the internals to varying degrees depending on the depth of color.  Regardless of which color you choose, the underside of the faceplate has a glitter bomb look that makes the face plates sparkle in bright light.   Nozzles exit the polymer shell at the lower point (semi-teardrop shape)  with a slight forward rake that is exaggerated by the shape of the shell.  Insertion depth is fairly good and isolation is aided by this.   Nozzles have a large lip for tip retention as well and take standard sized tips so tip rolling is easy for those that cant find a match in the provided set.   There is a single vent over the dynamic drivers on the underside of the shells that can be blocked while wearing so some adjusting to prevent blocking the vent may be needed.  I found comfort quite good as these are mid-sized shells and fairly light weight so all but the smallest ears shouldn’t have fit issues.

The case deserves some discussion as well as it is better than one should expect at this price.  Metal plates support the leather to prevent collapse and internal memory foam pads help keep the contents protected.   The top also has a mesh pocket for accessories to further keep things from rattling around and getting scratched up.

 

Internals:

The MS2 is a hybrid model with a 10.2mm dynamic driver with a titanium plated diaphragm and a Knowles 33518 balanced armature.   Hidizs lists the titanium plating as helping mid-bass and the 33518 adding to the top end for increased treble response and resolution.     The 33518 driver is very similar to the 30095 but has a lower price point so is a common site in budget models.   The dynamic driver handles the low end most of the mid-range with the balanced armature adding to the top end. The crossover is a fairly simple design with a couple of visible components directly on the rear face of the dynamic driver.      Nominal impedance for the MS2 is listed as 18Ω with a sensitivity of 112dB/mW which puts it in the very easy to drive class and I found it worked well using the S9 Pro dongle or AP80 Pro X DAP.  It does scale some with better sources but additional power is not needed and in some cases is actually counterproductive as with high potency sources the noise floor sometimes became evident.

 

Cable:

The provided cable uses rose gold accents to highlight the copper strands in the cable.  The jack is a gold plated 3.5mm with a straight housing in black and rose gold with a short strain relief.   The cable itself is 2 silver plated copper strands and 2 oxygen free copper strands in a clear casing.  The strands are in double twist from the jack up to the splitter.  Above the splitter and rose gold coin chin slider,  single wires per side run to the earhooks and 0.78mm bi-pin connector in a clear housing.  The right connector is marked with a red dot for indexing purposes.

 

Tips:

The Ms2 Ships with two styles of tips on cards for storage when not in use.  I really prefer this style of storage system as it makes it easy to mark which tips came with each model when storing several.    All the tips are gray translucent silicone with one set having a wide bore and a fairly shallow depth and the other having a narrower bore and a bit taller as well.   The shallow/wide version enhances bass while the tall/narrow version provides a bit more balanced signature.  I chose the taller/narrow bore tips for the bulk of my listening.

 

Sound:

Bass:

There is a moderate sub-bass emphasis with a center around 80Hz and a fairly slow taper to either side.  There is notable roll-off evident below about 35Hz but above that point the sub-bass presence makes itself known.  There is some rumble here but not enough to make the bass head crowd happy.   The sub-bass is not as well textured as I’d prefer but that improves as we move up and there is more texture and detail in the mid-bass. Mid-bass has good slam when called upon but remains a bit more present in the mix than neutral even when not the focus of the piece.  Mid-bass does have some mild bleed into the lower mids which adds a little warmth to the sound at the expense of a little detail in that area.

Mids:

Lower mids rest at the bottom of the W  and are recessed notably.  Male vocals have good weight and clarity if they are a step behind their higher counterparts.  Guitar has good growl with enough of a sharp edge to sound realistic.  Strings vary with some being quite energetic and others seeming a bit flat depending on the recording. Piano has good timbre as does acoustic guitar.   There is a considerable upper-mid push that brings female vocals to the front.  Be cautious of tracks that also emphasize female vocals as they can get a bit shouty and nasal if doubled up.

 

Treble:

The lower treble is on the same plane as the upper mids and does become the dominant feature of the Ms2 landscape.  Lower treble is  quite forward but the MS2 isn’t prone to sibilance at normal listening volumes.  At high volume there is some stridency and more of a tendency toward sibilance so these are not the in-ears for those who want to “crank it up.   There is some grain to the treble as it drops back in the 7-9kHz range which helps keep it polite.    Snare rattle is good, but cymbals carry a bit too much energy at times and can come off as slightly metallic sounding as a result.   There is good top end extension with final roll-off above 14kHz and enough air and sparkle to avoid feeling closed in.

 

Soundstage / Imaging:

The MS2 has good stage dimensions but is definitely wider than deep and seating the orchestra a bit odd as some instruments appear more side to side than front to back as a result.  Instrument separation is good, but not outstanding and layering follows that same pattern.   As tracks get faster, there is some evidence of compression although it takes a lot to really notice thickening of the lower registers.   Imaging is good with placements being easy to recognize and track,  and positions in space reasonably well defined.

 

Thoughts / Conclusion:

The Hidizs Ms2 is an affordable hybrid that delivers a W shaped signature that is good for EDM and popular genres.  It is best listened to at lower volumes as there is some tendency to become strident as volumes go up which may be a deal breaker for some users but for those worried about protecting their hearing its actually a good barometer of when you need to turn the volume down a notch.   The strong points of the MS2 are good mid-bass and treble detail with enough mids to not sound scooped out and a good driving low end to keep things going.   Sub-bass has good rumble but is not over-emphasized, and imaging is good as well.     They do lose a little on the stage as it is a bit shallow and on the lower mids where there is some bleed and recess as they are obviously not the star of this show.     For me, I’d pull the upper-mid/lower treble back slightly and add that same amount to the lower-mids.     The W tuning wont be for everyone but it is a fairly unique signature at this price point and will offer the listener something a little different than the standard big-V or harman target tuned in-ears that dominate this price bracket.