Last updated on February 15th, 2024 at 05:17 pm
HZ Sound is an earphone brand based out of China. The Heart Mirror is their latest and budget IEM which boats some clean and neat design in the market. The pricing is done right and is now surrounded by a hell lot of competition. Do they also sound as pristine like their design? And are they really in this budget competition? In this review let’s check out the in depth audio analysis.
| Category | Details |
|---|---|
| Brand | HZ Sound |
| Product | Heart Mirror |
| Origin | China |
| Design | Clean and elegant design with metallic silver finish |
| Build | Aluminum shell, glossy finish, sturdy cable with mic, L-shaped plug |
| Specifications | Driver unit: 10mm |
| Impedance: 32Ω (±15%) | |
| Sensitivity: 106±3dB | |
| Frequency range: 15Hz-40kHz | |
| Connector: 2Pin 0.78mm | |
| Plug Type: 3.5mm L type | |
| Cable: 1.2m, OFC silver plated | |
| Sound Signature | Neutral-bright, balanced with extra brightness for clarity and details |
| Low End | Accurate and precise, subtle sub-bass, clean mid-bass |
| Mid Range | Clean and detailed, lean lower midrange, energetic upper midrange |
| Treble | Detailed and sparkly, vibrant cymbal crashes, natural stringed instruments |
| Technicalities | Good soundstage, precise imaging, exceptional detail retrieval |
| Pros | Top tier detail retrieval, natural tonality, sparkly highs, technicalities |
| Cons | Bass quantity (especially sub bass), fit |
| Verdict | Fantastic package for budget audiophiles, unmatched sound quality, satisfying for detail enthusiasts |
The review is written by Kathiravan.C, a budding audiophile from Tamil Nadu, India, with a passion for reviewing audio products.
DISCLAIMER:
This unit has been provided to me as a part of a review tour conducted by Conceptkart and by no means have I been influenced by them or the brand to manipulate this review. The review is completely based on my observations with this product and this may vary from users to users depending on the source they use to test it. In case if you are interested in purchasing this unit its available in Conceptkart and thanks to the team for bringing this to India.
Table of Contents
SPECIFICATIONS:
Driver unit: 10mm driver unit
Impedance: 32Ω (±15%)
Speaker Sensitivity: 106±3dB
Microphone sensitivity: -42±3dB
Frequency range: 15Hz-40kHz
Connector: 2Pin 0.78mm
Plug Type: 3.5mm L type
Cable: 1.2m, OFC silver plated
DESIGN AND BUILD:
The design is clean and elegant as they sound. Has a clean metallic silver finish with no sort of branding which I love. They are shaped ergonomically and the nozzle is pretty lengthy. The 2 pin connector area is nicely recessed inside the body that doesn’t protrude. The faceplate and the rest of the body is seamlessly attached and no creaky joints are visible.
The whole body is made of aluminium shell and the finish is glossy. No scratches have been seen as of now. The fit is average in the sense the seal is good but the settling of the earpiece is middling. Since it’s not a custom shell shaped and the nozzles are pretty lengthy, the body mostly doesn’t sit in the ear canal and the sel depends on the ear tips alone. For most of the time it’s good but when you are walking or doing certain activities the body might dangle in your ears. The earpiece has nice heft overall giving that premium fell in the hand while holding them.
The cable is very good in quality, has that nice supple nature and is very premium enough in the hands. The good thing is that it has an inbuilt mic hence taking calls is possible with this IEM. The termination plug is L shaped and the provided strain relief is well built and sturdy. They have used the aluminium casings on the cable which looks very good and feels good too. The cable is a 4 core OFC SPC which is great in quality considering it’s a stock cable.
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SOUND:
The sound signature of the Heart Mirror is a neutral-bright. The overall sound is more or less balanced but with an extra hint of brightness for that added clarity and details. The sound even though they are brighter gives that sense of pleasing nature and it’s very addictive too especially if you are listening to instrumentals and classical. The amount of detail it captures and the overall tonality and timbre is very impressive for the price. It’s pretty natural and realistic. In this review let’s dive into the dissection of the sound of HZ.
LOW END:
The low end in the HZ is just about the accuracy and precision. Both the sub bass and the mid bass are linearly placed thus they don’t overtake each other and make the track look fuzzy.
SUB BASS: The sub bass rumble is very subtle and can be felt only when the track calls for it otherwise it’s very subtle to listen to. The rumble could have been improved a bit but this one is tuned to give that detail and the natural tonality as much as possible in that regard the sub bass is fine. In the track “VICTORIOUS – THE SCORE ”, from the start of the track the sub bass presence can be felt but lacks the weight and the rumble which is pretty expectable in the earphone which focuses mainly in the midrange and highs. The control and the separation is however very nice and even the texture is pretty good in the HZ.
In another track “ANIMAL – THE SIEGE”, at the 0.23 mark the sub bass attack appears but in the HZ they are very subtle to hear and the overall track appears very light and clean.
In another track “TAKE IT – THE SIEGE”, at the start of the track you can appreciate the impressive technicality of the HZ! Oh boy that layering is very impressive. Here the sub bass presence can be felt very nicely since the track calls for it. See the separation! It’s very impressive! The control, speed and the texture everything is just on point.
MID BASS: The mid bass is pretty impressive in the HZ and it’s better than the sub bass. Personally I like the light mid bass earphones and the HZ just tuned to it. The mid bass is not that heavy and thick, rather it’s very light and clean. This aspect helped the HZ to give that extra clean midrange and the crispy highs.
The mid bass just linearly moves into the mid range causing a very detailed listening experience. In the track “GET LUCKY – DAFT PUNK ”, the kick drums and the guitar strings are separated very well and man see the separation here again! It’s pretty impressive. The guitar strings in the center while the other instruments in the sides, kick drums in the background everything is portrayed out very well, this shows the impressive ability of layering. It’s exceptional. The kick drums and the guitar strings never interrupt the mid range and the vocals thus they sound as clean and detailed as possible.
In another track “RISE – HANS ZIMMER ”, at the start of the track the presence of bass can be seen very nicely, it’s not heavy, rather it’s not the lightest but it just touches the sweet spot. The impressive aspect is the separation and the detail it brings out! Now the high end details can be seen very clearly. The positioning of the instruments and the layering is very good. They sound as open and detailed as possible. This track usually sounds very congested and clumsy in most of the earphones but in this one this gave a very detailed experience. The amount of air it moves is impressive.
Overall the low end may feel lighter but believe me this thing gives that extra separation and details. The control and the texture is very impressive, the low end is faster in decay and those technicalities are impressive too. One thing I can say for an improvement is that the sub bass could have been increased a bit.
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MID RANGE:
The midrange in the HM is the star show here. It’s very clean and detailed. Most of the IEM’S at this price point would have that warm tonality due to that excessive mid bass presence but this one is an exception, it’s very good to hear a natural and clean sounding earphones at this budget price point after a long time.
The lower mid range is slightly leaner in nature due to that lack of body in the midrange but this leanness gives that extra touch for clean sound. Even though they are lean, the male vocals sound very much fuller. The detail retrieval in the lower mids is very impressive which is very difficult to find in this price range. The male vocal sounds very good with nice coherency, having a natural tonality. The vocals are not harsh at the same time they are not grainier. In the track “EVERY LITTLE THING – ERIC CLAPTON ” the vocal is rendered very beautifully, the placement is precise and the background female vocal is clearly separated out. The guitar strings are nicely portrayed and the level of separation is god tier level for this price range.
The upper midrange is very good too but due to its detail capture many will find this upper midrange to be very energetic but in my opinion this sounds great! This energetic nature in the upper mids gives this earphone a great sound. The female vocals especially don’t sound shriller rather it sounds fuller and deeper. There is no hint of sibilant in “S ” words or any other sort of words. The percussion instruments sound very natural and realistic. In the track “BETTY – TAYLOR SWIFT ”, Taylor’s voice is rendered very well with good execution. The separation is top notch and the guitar strings sound absolutely realistic and the picks can be heard clearly. The mouth horn and the guitar strings are beautifully portrayed out while the vcal nicely placed in the center which is not too forward or laid back instead at a very good centered position. The detail retrieval and the layering are very good.
Overall in the midrange the clarity, separation and the layering of the instruments are very well depicted. The tonality and the timbre are very realistic and natural. The transition from the lower mids to the upper mids are pretty smooth and no hint of harshness or extreme sharpness is observed. The vocal positioning is neither too forward nor laidback instead the listener sits at the centre row. The upper midrange details and the clarity are freaking good in this earphone.
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TREBLE:
The treble in the HZ is absolutely fantastic! I would easily pick this earphone anyday for detailed and sparkly treble. THIs just shines over the treble region where the technicalities are too good for the price. The cymbal crashes are vibrant and very addictive and the electric guitar strings and the stringed instruments sound absolutely natural and fantastic.
The track separation and the openness in the HZ is just mind blowing. In the track “JACK OF SPEED – STEELY DAN”, the trumpet sounds clean and vibrant and all those cymbal crashes sound dynamic. Even after this kind of brightness to the overall track they never sounded harsh or sibilant. The micro details are heard clearly too! Those background screeching sounds can be heard very clearly which I haven’t heard in most of the other gears I have.
In the other track “THE GIFT OF MUSIC – DREAM THEATRE”, those stringed instruments sound very neat and clean while the drums in the background are very well separated out from the rest of the instruments and vocals. That cymbal crash in the left corner is heard very clearly which is a very minute detail but the HZ never missed that out!
Overall the treble in the HZ has an enormous amount of air moving in between the instruments, the detail retrieval is far far above the price and the separation, layering are exceptional. The natural and neutral tonality makes it even more special.
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TECHNICALITIES:
SOUNDSTAGE: The soundstage in the HZ is very good and well spaced. It may not be the widest but not the most intimate one too. The instruments and the placements are not within the head and have some good amount of space making it well rounded. The depth is good too despite the lack of sub bass extension. The height is very good and better than the depth. The width and the height are really very good for the price giving the HZ the grand presentation.
IMAGING: It’s very precise and accurate. The instruments can be easily pointed out accurately even in the busy tracks and thanks to that reduced and linear bass response. The transition of the instruments from one channel to the other is smooth and non-stuttery.
The detail retrieval, resolution and the separation are whole another level in the HZ, the layering is exceptional so in terms of technicalities the HZ is non complainable!
Tracks Used:
- Hideaway – Jacob Collier
- Coloratura – Coldplay
- Crossing – Yosi Horikawa
PROS AND CONS:
Pros:
- Top tier Detail Retrieval
- Natural Tonality and Timbre
- Sparkly Highs
- Technicalities
Cons:
- Bass Quantity (especially sub bass)
- Fit
VERDICT:
Heart Mirror, the latest and the budget offering from the House of HZ SOUND is a fantastic package for those who are looking for some audiophile end game in the budget. The sound it delivers is unmatchable in this price range. The sound might not appeal to everyone in the market but this is a big boon for the beginners in audiophiles and a definite keeper IEM for most of the people. Even after the people who are accustomed to the usual V shaped or bassy earphones this will be a new experience to them.
The bright and analytical sound of the HZ is very addictive and it just grows slowly in you. After listening to a lot of instrumentals and classical, this earphone has grown on me very much. Bassheads? Just skip this or get this and get a new whole world of details that you have missed! The midrange is sweet with natural and neutral tonality, the highs are as sparkly as possible giving those extra minute details to breathe the air and the level of separation it provides is impeccable. The layering is another positive of this IEM.
Overall do you get what you paid for? Hell no! Because you get 10X the sound for what you have paid! I’m in love with this and even though I have the urge for that extra sub bass presence this Heart mirror wins my heart and satisfies my CRISPY hunger for details.
This Review is Written By KATHIRAVAN.C
Follow him on – Instagram | Facebook
I’m Kathiravan from Tamilnadu. A budding audiophile here with high love towards music and audio equipment. My first experience of enjoying the hifi audio came when I started to use budget chi-fi gears and now it came all along the way of reviewing the gears with high end stuffs. I love reviewing audio products.
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