Most of us have heard about 7hz. Hailing from the CCP, 7hz rose to fame with their Planar IEM Timeless, they have a couple other planar IEMs and a few budget IEMs too and took the budget IEM segment by storm with their Zero and Zero 2. 7hz mostly make high quality IEMs under $500. I haven’t worked on many of their IEMs but I did have the opportunity to work on their Timeless couple of years ago.
This time around, they have done something special. In the race of multi DD IEMs they have introduced an IEM that beats their competitors by a very good margin. Housing 5 DDs in each earpiece 7hz Five is comfortably cheaper than Binary Audio and Penon audio’s multi DD offerings. Priced at just $150 and comes in only one color scheme but one can opt for either 3.5mm or 4.4mm cables. I will compare this beauty with CCA Hydro and Oriveti LowMaster.
I will like to thank Linsoul for the unit.
Let’s get started!!
UNBOXING AND ACCESSORIES:
7hz five ships with a few interesting things. It comes with 4 pair of slightly wide bore tips and 3 pair of bucket type tips and I love these, they offer excellent traction and grip inside the ear. Another surprise is the carry case, made out of rubber giving a unique feel and experience, one can easily carry it while protecting it from dust.
Here is my unboxing video:
ERGONOMICS AND BUILD QUALITY:
There isn’t a lot of info about the build but they have used medical grade Resin shell of the front while the back plate feels like it’s made out of metal. I like its mildly transparent front shell and the purple shells with golden back plate looks nice. We get rounded edges which are comfortable inside the ear. It doesn’t have a semi custom shell yet provides very good grip, nice stability and traction inside the ear. Another thing that helps is the light weight. It barely has any heft to it. Ear guides exert little to no pressure on the ear and it’s longer than average stock ear tips helps with excellent stability. We have 3 small vents on the shell to let the DDs breathe. 7hz five looks big but surprisingly I barely have any issues with fit.
CABLE:
I love this cable. Not because it’s something special but it’s unique design. This cable barely has any weight to it and feels very supple and soft. This flat, 4 core SPC cable is a proper example of tangle resistant design. And the best thing is it’s neither bouncy nor memory prone. It aesthetics enhances the appeal of this slightly bland looking IEM.
Yes, the jack is a bit on the bigger side but the Y splitter and cable sliders are small. It’s cable guides are relaxed and doesn’t exert much pressure on the ears. Sonically too this is a decent cable, there are no obvious issues to complain about.
In their words:
“High-Purity Cable
The 7HZ FIVE feature a high-purity silver-plated oxygen-free copper cable with a four-strand design, enhancing signal transmission and reducing interference for pure, unadulterated sound.”
SOUND QUALITY:
Putting more drivers in an IEM is not an issue but tuning them nicely is the biggest challenge and it seems like 7hz has done justice to the drivers.
If you thought anything else but a bass power house from 5 DD IEM, you might be new to the audiophile scene. We usually get dual DD hybrids to enhance the bass and having 5 DDs and not able to deliver a bass head level lower end will be criminal but Five doesn’t commit any crimes. It’s a proper bass head IEM where bass takes over as the main driving force. The best thing is it’s not the monotonous or slow woolly type. We get much better definition and very good technical abilities across the spectrum. Five has a W signature with a bit of pop to the vocals. It has a bit of warmth yet it’s slightly bright too and is very close to neutral because of its precise finishing definition.
I am using stock red core tips and Hidizs S8 pro for this review.
Pairing With Sources:
7hz five is one of the most compliant multi driver IEMs I have used. It doesn’t whine about the source much and I paired it with Hidizs S8 pro and Shanling UA6 and the only different I was able to make out is the slight difference in note depth and emphasis. Yes, using a better source always results in bigger stage but nothing else changes substantially.
So, basically, use anything to drive this beautiful sounding IEM and it will perform indifferently in almost every scenario.
BASS:
Loving this and guess what, I am not even a bass head but loving a good, technically capable IEM comes naturally to me and even when Five has a lot of prowess, vim and good amount of vigor thanks to its 5 infinity stones, it exhibits high quality control and very good precision. Especially for the asking price it has very good dynamics too, it doesn’t go boom mindlessly or pour down a lot of unwanted softness. It manages to hit difficult frequencies and can control the rumbles and weight behind the notes, when needed with good control.
It has good sub-bass extension with nice rumbles. We get a bit more forward mid bass with bigger body, meaty and hefty notes. Area of impact is big and it moves very good amount of air as the notes move in and up. I like the way it renders the air movements. It has one of the best layered delivery and more intricate and finer texture, exhibiting technicalities. Decay is paced nicely with very good weight when needed but can be tight and precise when needed, exhibiting excellent dynamics, variation in note height and shape, superb versatility I must say. It can easily deliver clean upper bass notes without any softer endings. This is the kind of bass control and dynamics I was expecting from the Fiio FD15 and even the Celest Relentless.
MIDS:
An IEM with 5 dynamic drivers should not be bad at anything and this 7hz IEM doesn’t disappoint. Yes, the mid range isn’t forward but surprisingly I won’t say that it’s in a V. The best thing is it maintains high quality energy and clarity across the range. It doesn’t lack energy or have any compression issues either. Instruments enjoy excellent finihsing definition and very good resolution. It doesn’t lack details and macro details are excellent with accuracy and precision while micro details do lack a bit of transparency. There is no upper mid piercing to worry about.
What I love about this mid range is the way it maintains the consistency and uniformity in note height and body of both vocals are instruments. We get some of the best vocal clarity and note height from a bass friendly IEM. It has some of the best finishing definition with aptly fuller and meaty notes with right amount of throat emphasis with both male and female vocals. Notes have naturally wide bases with gradual gain of energy and offer very good texture while doing so. It’s the dynamics and ability to vary the sharpness according to the track is what sets this IEM apart. It doesn’t sound monotonous or boring.
HIGHS:
Being a slightly W shaped IEM, 7hz Five has very good highs and the best thing is it doesn’t try to be uncharacteristically sparkly or live. It has very good agility and transparency with right amount of finishing energy and overall clarity. Don’t ask for finer micro details and 7hz Five has no issues in delivering an enjoyable treble with nice extension. Yes, it lacks the energy with ultra highs but that’s okay. The type finishing this IEM has with lower and mid treble, if that was carried into the ultra highs, things might have been a bit unpleasant.
We are getting very good layering and separation with good air between instruments. The type of contrast of back and foreground instruments this IEM has is rare in this price. Don’t look for a lot of high quality cue placements and or grand expansion and 7hz Five has enough capabilities to make the experience enjoyable with very good consistency.
STAGE AND IMAGING:
7hz five has a well developed stereo image and doesn’t have a lot of instruments placed upfront but are wrap around the back which helps with the a less intrusive presentation and isn’t on the face. This stage has clean clear and transparent with impressive transient effects with very good air between instruments. We get a tall stage, it has very good height, some of the mid range instruments are cleanly layered above the vocals, width is decent but I would have liked a bit more width. Z-axis is well developed with nice back and foreground spacing. With all this, Five offers an impressive stereo effect. Most of the vocals generate inside the head and end out of it. Bass notes move in and upward, keeping clear of any unwanted interference. Some mid range and most of treble notes find themselves placed totally out of the head but it would have been nice if it had a bit bigger treble stage which would have helped with the sonics.
COMPARISON:
VS Oriveti LowMaster:
7hz Five has bigger area of impact, more rumble and slightly slower decay with more texture and layered delivery. Mid range is reasonably balanced with good sharpness and finishing definition with nice vocal clarity and height to the notes. Treble is where the Five is slightly less forward and lacks a bit of micro details and clarity. Even though five is larger, I find it’s fit to be a bit more comfortable and stable.
Even though LowMaster has the low in its name to my surprise this IEM has slightly smaller area of impact and better dynamics. Its mid bass isn’t as prominent and upper bass is much cleaner. Mid range is where this IEM concedes some points, even when it has the texture and clarity, more natural finishing definition, it lacks a bit of depth with vocals. It has better tonality and timber though. Treble is where this IEM reigns supreme with better extension, clarity, transparency, air between instruments and stage too. Its bigger stage makes the layering and contrast of back and foreground instruments sound more 3D.
Pick any, depending upon your preference.
VS KZ CCA Hydro:
CONCLUSION:
I will go on to say that this IEM can easily be the best all-round performing bass-head IEM. I don’t remember a cleaner and technically capable bass head IEM under $200. 7hz Five is a high quality IEM that wears the “bass head” label in style while delivering excellent definition and resolution. This kind of transparency wasn’t available with twice as expensive ISN Neo 5.
If you like a fun sounding IEM with very good details, nice mid range clarity, tall stage and finishing definition with slightly relaxed upper treble region, 7hz Five is the best IEM to get under $150.
