IEMs that are great value for money
Hidizs MS3 In-Ear monitors I have two mobile digital players, a FiiO M11 Pro and an Astell & Kern ACRO CA1000T (billed as portable, but possibly less than advertised!) I have, for some time, realised that I require something better than earbuds for mobile use and something smaller than over-ears for use in the study. Hence my search for IEMs. Many good reports led me to the Hidizs site which looked to give 5 IEM options. As this was going to be a trial, I decided upon the MS3 as being not too expensive, but also not entry level. Opening the box was a surprise. For IEMs that retailed south of £100, these were very well packaged, with 9 pairs of eartips and three sets of filters. Milled from aluminium, the main body is solid, well milled (no bad edges) and very light. The cables are well made with terminations that belie expectation at this price point. Now to the sound test… The filters do make subtle differences, thankfully they are easy to change, along with the eartips so many combinations can be tested. And yes, the three types of earbuds do also alter the sound signature too. With a hi res Qobuz stream via the FiiO, I am picking out detail I have never heard before on favourite tracks by artists such as David Bowie, The Blues Pills and Walter Trout. With CD rips (to flac) via the A&K the sound quality increase is not so great, but still there. And the IEMs are so much easier in the study than large headphones. And than I swapped over to the balanced 4.4mm cables. Channel separation increased and transients snapped quicker. I am sure I shall be enjoying these for quite a while.