Hidizs MP145 IEM Review

[InfiniteJester]

& @NielsMayer The AutoEQ profiles are to a bass-light version of Harman, it's the worst of all worlds. AutoEQ software is great and you can EQ to whatever target you like then, not just the one (rather weird) choice the author of AutoEQ made.

It is not about the target, it is about the measured FR. We are speculating about the possibility of a stealth revision who has a FR with much less treble, which makes all the EQ profiles overly dark.

 

[asrUser]

Are there any instructions how to use https://autoeq.app/? I tried an Oratory Target CSV, but the resulting EQ settings were horrible. Something must have gone wrong.

 

[InfiniteJester]

Are there any instructions how to use https://autoeq.app/? I tried an Oratory Target CSV, but the resulting EQ settings were horrible. Something must have gone wrong.

The issue is probably not with the target, but with the measurements of the IEMs. Until the alleged "v2" is measured, no target or instruction would help you.

The only thing I can recommend at this point is maybe to not to apply any EQ above 5KHz, but I don't assure this will work.

Luckily, the default tunning is just incredibly good, for my tastes, at least. So I just don't EQ them.

 

[Blorg]

It is not about the target, it is about the measured FR. We are speculating about the possibility of a stealth revision who has a FR with much less treble, which makes all the EQ profiles overly dark.

Yes, I get that, and that's what Michael Bruce shows in his video, I posted the graph.

You didn't say you thought the measurement were wrong, you said "All the EQ profiles out there are evidently wrong, in my opinion." And yes they are, because the target is wrong, and also because the AutoEQ *presets* are trying to EQ the high treble from measurements that are not accurate in the high treble. I wouldn't EQ the high stuff anyway. They did improve this recently introducing shelves for over 10kHz but it can still have a tendency to try to do too much in that region. I'd always suggest using Squig, autoeq.app or the actual software yourself and doing this manually. Starting from AutoEQ presets, it's basically always guaranteed to be wrong.

You may also have the new one, possibly. My one graphs pretty much the same as most of the other measurements, really extremely close other than small variances down to tips and insertion depth. So it's not that the measurements are "wrong", either, they show quite remarkable consistency, it's that they changed the tuning.

If you think you do have the new one, you could try digitizing Michael Bruce's V2 graph, upload it to a Squig and EQ based on that, although I would limit this to below 6kHz or so from a graph anyway.

Y

 

[InfiniteJester]

Yes, I get that, and that's what Michael Bruce shows in his video, I posted the graph.

You didn't say you thought the measurement were wrong, you said "All the EQ profiles out there are evidently wrong, in my opinion." And yes they are, because the target is wrong, and also because the AutoEQ *presets* are trying to EQ the high treble from measurements that are not accurate in the high treble. I wouldn't EQ the high stuff anyway. They did improve this recently introducing shelves for over 10kHz but it can still have a tendency to try to do too much in that region. I'd always suggest using Squig, autoeq.app or the actual software yourself and doing this manually. Starting from AutoEQ presets, it's basically always guaranteed to be wrong.

You may also have the new one, possibly. My one graphs pretty much the same as most of the other measurements, really extremely close other than small variances down to tips and insertion depth. So it's not that the measurements are "wrong", either, they show quite remarkable consistency, it's that they changed the tuning.

If you think you do have the new one, you could try digitizing Michael Bruce's V2 graph, upload it to a Squig and EQ based on that, although I would limit this to below 6kHz or so from a graph anyway.

View attachment 357055View attachment 357056
Y

Sorry. I expressed myself pretty poorly. English is not my first language. I subscribe everything you wrote.

I always use Squig, I have been experimenting with the ∆ 10dB target for IEMs and KEMAR KB50xx DF for headphones.

I have questionable tastes, I know.

 

[imnotarobot]

Maybe. It's unusual to get a lemon that matches left and right though, that is usually an indication that it's intentional. He also pulled it apart and noted construction differences. The other graphs are presumably just the "old" version. Would be interesting if someone else gets one and graphs similar.

The only thing I have to gain for this to be false is that I get to buy one lol. Until them, I'll look around. There's Artti T10, Shozy P20.

 

[Blorg]

The only thing I have to gain for this to be false is that I get to buy one lol. Until them, I'll look around. There's Artti T10, Shozy P20.

Artti T10 is good, it's basically the S12 Pro in a plastic shell for half the price. Artti is a Letshuoer sub-brand, the box says its made by them. S12 has a nicer build, other than that it's basically the same IEM. Just over $40 in the Ali sale that just started 30 minutes ago, which is ridiculous. You can collect the $5 coupon or if you don't see that use code AE5ZNAF or US05 if American ($5 off $39).

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005006060327064.html

 

[imnotarobot]

Artti T10 is good, it's basically the S12 Pro in a plastic shell for half the price. Artti is a Letshuoer sub-brand, the box says its made by them. S12 has a nicer build, other than that it's basically the same IEM. Just over $40 in the Ali sale that just started 30 minutes ago, which is ridiculous. You can collect the $5 coupon or if you don't see that use code AE5ZNAF or US05 if American ($5 off $39).

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005006060327064.html

View attachment 357265View attachment 357266

Bruh, thanks for these info. I'm definitely buying one now with the sale going on. I actually like that its look is so blah because it will be a beater/EDC gear.

Do you have any insights on the Shozy P20. It's the IEM that Shortbus revealed to be a planar when its packaging and product info was labeled as DD. I'm also looking into the Nicehck F1 (non-Pro); the one with tuning filters.

 

[InfiniteJester]

The Artti T10s costs 232€ in Spain. Almost double of what I paid for the MP145s.

I don't trust customs enough to buy them from outside the EU. I would like to use them for traveling, I don't like to take my exponsive IEMs outside.

 

[imnotarobot]

The Artti T10s costs 232€ in Spain. Almost double of what I paid for the MP145s.

I don't trust customs enough to buy them from outside the EU. I would like to use them for traveling, I don't like to take my exponsive IEMs outside.

That's a shame. It's on sale right now for $47 in Aliexpress.

 

[InfiniteJester]

That's a shame. It's on sale right now for $47 in Aliexpress.

Yes, but the last time I bought something from outside the EU I was charged with 100% taxes.

Proof that I'm not exaggerating about their price here:

 

[Blorg]

@InfiniteJester anyone can post something on Amazon for any price and more fool the person who buys it. It's sold by a UK seller that their whole business seems to be just listing stuff on Amazon that isn't otherwise there, at highly exaggerated prices. Maybe the odd thing, someone doesn't know and because they have the only listing, they just buy it.

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[Blorg]

Do you have any insights on the Shozy P20. It's the IEM that Shortbus revealed to be a planar when its packaging and product info was labeled as DD. I'm also looking into the Nicehck F1 (non-Pro); the one with tuning filters.

I haven't heard the Shozy P20, the graph looks decent though, more restrained pinna but then a lot of treble from 8kHz up, might be too much.

I have the NiceHCK F1. With the silver filter it has a little less pinna gain than the S12, closer to IEF neutral than Harman which is not necessarily a bad thing. This does mean it comes across as a bit more muted and less technical than the others though. The other two filter options are either much less (too much less) or it does a peak at 2kHz which isn't a positive. It's good too, it's not any better than the Artti T10 though and that's a lot cheaper, I think I'd put the T10 above it. To be honest a lot of these planars are the same driver with very small tweaks in terms of dampening. I do feel there's an extent too where the graphs don't fully capture what is going on with planars, I can tolerate more boost in the pinna region from planars than I seem to be able to with DDs. There does also seem to be some variance in how they graph relative to DDs on a 5128 vs a 711 coupler, possibly due to differences in the acoustic impedance of the coupler (with the 5128 supposedly being more accurate).

 

[imnotarobot]

I haven't heard the Shozy P20, the graph looks decent though, more restrained pinna but then a lot of treble from 8kHz up, might be too much.

I have the NiceHCK F1. With the silver filter it has a little less pinna gain than the S12, closer to IEF neutral than Harman which is not necessarily a bad thing. This does mean it comes across as a bit more muted and less technical than the others though. The other two filter options are either much less (too much less) or it does a peak at 2kHz which isn't a positive. It's good too, it's not any better than the Artti T10 though and that's a lot cheaper, I think I'd put the T10 above it. To be honest a lot of these planars are the same driver with very small tweaks in terms of dampening. I do feel there's an extent too where the graphs don't fully capture what is going on with planars, I can tolerate more boost in the pinna region from planars than I seem to be able to with DDs. There does also seem to be some variance in how they graph relative to DDs on a 5128 vs a 711 coupler, possibly due to differences in the acoustic impedance of the coupler (with the 5128 supposedly being more accurate).

View attachment 357470

In most cases, my heuristic is that if I didn't hear it, I'm not ruling it out. I want my ears to make the conclusion because I just haven't heard a lot of IEMs. You need enough time to burn in that to your brain too.

 

[Audiodidact]

This is a review, listening tests, EQ and detailed measurements of the Hidizs MP145. It was sent to me by the company and costs US $150.
View attachment 331068
The immediate impression of the shells is one of jewelry with its machined aluminum case. As you see, the included cable has 4.4mm balanced connection even though it doesn't need that (plenty sensitive to work fine with 3.5 mm unbalanced). Included in the case are three tip variants and nozzles (latter not shown):
View attachment 331069
As is typical, medium size tips match my GRAS 45CA measurement artificial ears best. But for listening, I have to go one size larger. I started with balanced tips but then tried to measure with the other tips. I found the process of swapping tips very difficult. The nozzle is large and the tips barely fit it. Good news is that once you get them on there, they going to stay. With some other IEMs I have had the tip get stuck in my ear while the IEM detaches! The measured difference with the three tips was very small. Given how hard it was to do this, I did not attempt to change the nozzles so the measurements you see are with the default ones.

The drivers in this IEM are planar magnetic which is a deviation from many others.

Hidizs MP145 IEM Measurement
Fitment on the headphone measurement system was quick and rather painless resulting in this frequency response:
View attachment 331070
As you see, compliance is very good except for some shortfall in treble region. Channel matching was excellent especially given the vagaries of getting IEMs to fit on the test fixture. Relative frequency response gives a chance for minor tweaking:
View attachment 331071

Distortion is exceedingly low:
View attachment 331072
It is basically non-existent at 94 dBSPL and hardly gets worse at higher levels. Here it is in absolute level:
View attachment 331073

Group delay is very clean but this is typical of many IEMs:
View attachment 331074

Being planar magnetic, impedance is flat and low:
View attachment 331075

Sensitivity is a bit low for an IEM but not the worst we have measured:
View attachment 331076

You should have no trouble driving it with many sources. Normal listening level on my RME ADI-2 Pro is around -45 dB.

Hidizs MP145 IEM Listening Test and Equalization
Initial impression was one of neutral present for the most part, lacking a bit of emphasis in highs. I could certainly live with this but why not apply some EQ to brighten things up:
View attachment 331077
I first created the right two filters. That gave the treble region more light but then the overall signature was too bright (even after I turned them down some). So I put in the shelving filter to bring up the deep bass. That nicely balanced things. To get rid of a tiny bit of bass bloat, I added the pink filter (2). Once there, the sound while not super different, was a lot more exciting for the lack of a better word. Sub-bass was impressive in its reproduction and how clean it was. Highs would sparkle and sometimes startle (for an IEM) the way they externalized. I sat there listening to track after track and could not stop. Eventually I did and took the pictures for the review, only to go back wearing them as I type this! The fidelity with this bit of EQ is just stunning.

Conclusions
The MP145 is a nicely made, good looking IME which comes very close to approximating our target (with its other nozzles, it may be closer). That makes it more than usable as is. A bit of EQ though, adds more flavor to the sound making it reference quality as far as I am concerned, putting a smile on my face on track after track. Yes, I have tested cheaper IEMs with similar experience but here you have another option made differently with some tuning at your disposal.

I am going to recommend the Hidizs MP145 IEM especially when used with a bit of EQ.

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As always, questions, comments, recommendations, etc. are welcome.

Any donations are much appreciated using: https://www.audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?threads/how-to-support-audio-science-review.8150/

I’m unclear on Amir’s recommended peq settings for this iem. Would someone please post the full set? I only see the setting for the second band. Unless I’m missing something.

 

[InfiniteJester]

I’m unclear on Amir’s recommended peq settings for this iem. Would someone please post the full set? I only see the setting for the second band. Unless I’m missing something.

They are basically the USound target.

I would ignore the peak above 13KHz.

You can tune them to HarmanIE2019v2 if you like. But I personally find USound more relaxed and satisfying.

 

[Jimbob54]

I’m unclear on Amir’s recommended peq setts for this iem. Would someone please post the full set? I only see the setting for the second band. Unless I’m missing something.

No he didn't post the right screen.

I'd follow these based on those measurements

Hidizs MP145 IEM Review

This is a review, listening tests, EQ and detailed measurements of the Hidizs MP145. It was sent to me by the company and costs US $150. The immediate impression of the shells is one of jewelry with its machined aluminum case. As you see, the included cable has 4.4mm balanced connection even...

www.audiosciencereview.com

 

[Blorg]

They are basically the USound target.

I would ignore the peak above 13KHz.

You can tune them to HarmanIE2019v2 if you like. But I personally find USound more relaxed and satisfying.

@Audiodidact You also don't want to EQ down the 8kHz peak which is insertion resonance. I don't think they really need EQ to be honest, you could tweak if you feel the need. Their whole selling point is they are more restrained in the upper mids than most planars, if you wanted Harman why did you buy these, there are other cheaper planars with upper mids closer to Harman.

Also you probably really want your own measuring rig if you are going to EQ these at all as otherwise you don't know whether you have the V1 or V2 versions which measure quite differently. I have the V1 but they changed the tuning and newer ones won't measure like this. So you need to measure them yourself to EQ from measurements, to see what your individual unit is doing. Helps if you line up your personal insertion resonance too, the 8kHz most measurebators standardise to isn't where most people actually hear the insertion resonance, most are between 6-7kHz. Mine is 7.5kHz.

Personally, I would just leave them alone, there is debate over the V2 tuning but I don't think it looks inherently bad either.

EQ from the wrong measurements and you only make it worse.

 

[ZolaIII]

There isn't a conclusive determination of what might add to perception of soundstage in IEMs. I definitely think it's much more subjective and varies a lot more from person to person, than with overears. With overears there is variation in perception too but there is a general tendency to agree stuff like the HD800S or oval Hifimans have very wide soundstage and the HD600/HD650 is very narrow.

IEMs there is a lot less agreement, even IEMs that are commonly touted as having good soundstage, you'll find people saying the reverse. There is far more variety of opinion. Possibly as they bypass the pinna and so how they sound to you vs the world is going to vary more depending on your specific anatomy. Insertion depth will also move the insertion resonance you see at 8kHz in graphs, most people that will be more like 6-7kHz. It's 7.5kHz for me, for most IEMs, but I can get it up to 9 or 10 with some IEMs with a deep insertion. So how you perceive the treble is going to vary on that too.

The one obvious difference between them is that the MP145 has more treble, the Zero2 is rolled off. 711 graphs are not accurate as to the details above the insertion resonance, but they can paint a broad picture, and I'd believe the Zero 2 is more rolled off. And there is a tendency there, I think, it's more common for IEMs with higher treble to be perceived as wider. One example of an IEM often consider to have good soundstage is the Final A4000, and it combines a bit of a recess around 2kHz (which is also in over-ears known for soundstage like the Hifimans or HD800S) with a huge boost immediately after it. It does sound wider to me, but it's still an IEM. It can also get a bit tch tch fatiguing although surprisingly not as much as you might think from the graph. Not an IEM for high volume listening.

Personally, I don't find the MP145 exceptionally wide. Not narrow either, but just normal. I don't find their soundstage particularly notable though.

I think Crinacle once said something along the lines of if speaker soundstage is 100, headphones are around 15 and IEMs you are arguing over whether it's 1 or 2, they all have poor soundstage and he doesn't really factor this in a lot. I'm not sure I'd go that far, I have IEMs I'd put over the worst open backs, like the HD600/650. But it is an indication that it's personal, and I think most people do perceive IEM soundstage to be pretty limited.

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You can't look at it like that. Closed enclosure headphones, especially IEM's will naturally have more narrow sound stage than open back over ear or even on ears and open earbuds. But open one's will have roll of in low bass and no sub bass because simply they are open. So Sennheiser HD6xx series all do not having much of soundstage for what they are have quite OK one in generally but when closed back one's have such that's very good one for such and so on. While trable boots in transition range for such we perceive as "wider soundstage" but can be troubling on the long run that really isn't a way to go. Simply if you want wider sound stage you add a bit of wet reverb and that usually work's better than spatial this and that. It's simply lack of refractions or room (space or box) influence if you wish. It's not time domain related tho you want fast decay times on pretty much anything.

 

[CedarX]

Closed enclosure headphones, especially IEM's will naturally have more narrow sound stage than open back over ear or even on ears and open earbuds.

I have read that multiple times, but why is that? The HP/IEM-ear canal is still a closed volume, whether the HP/IEM is closed or open back… Isn’t it one of these myths with no real science basis?