Shozy Hibiki Review – Vox Populi

Design –

Upon opening the box, the Hibiki instantly impresses with its high gloss authentic carbon fibre faceplates skirted by a flawless chrome rim. From this angle you could certainly mistake them for a much more expensive product; those plates really enhance the look of the earphones providing depth through the underlying texture that catches light in a fascinating manner.

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However, removing the earphones reveals that the bulk of the housings are constructed from plastic, which pretty standard for Shozy’s asking price. And though I do prefer the Hibiki’s rubberized texture over a matte or gloss finish, the plastic does look a bit cheap and easily picks up oil marks. That said, the earphones feel solid in the hand and the finish didn’t become tacky during my month of usage; Shozy vouch for the Hibiki’s hard-wearing properties, utilizing the same paint used by sports earphones.

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In the ear, the Hibiki is a large but well-shaped earphone that produces a mostly ergonomic experience. Due to their size, they mostly occupy the outer ear and their flatter inner surface does limit fit depth. A small vent is present on the inner face though it doesn’t overly affect isolation or sound leak during wear. As a result of their ear filling design, the Hibiki has great but not outstanding isolation that is clearly better than most rivals and perfectly sufficient for public transport though a slightly deeper fit may have facilitated better isolation yet.

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Furthermore, the Hibiki’s over-ear fit is quite stable, their large housings are light and really lock into the ear with the right ear tip. The Hibiki’s also sport a removable cable using a recessed 0.78mm 2-pin connector. This is a very rare feature around this price but one that is imperative for any long-term investment. It also enables users to swap in a 3rd party lightning or Bluetooth cable which should please modern smartphone users. The cable itself is also of excellent quality; designed in conjunction with AAW, it is supple, sturdy and of excellent thickness.

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It’s smooth, braided nature resists tangles far better than competitors and the connectors are all tight and well-relieved. Furthermore, the cable has a smart remote that functions on both IOS and Android. This is easily the best cable I’ve encountered around this price and well above it, a huge step up over the tacky unit on the Zero, the thin cable on the Final in-ears and the stiffer Fiio cable.

Next Page: Sound

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ABOUT AUTHOR

Ryan Soo

Ryan Soo

Avid writer, passionate photographer and sleep-deprived medical student, Ryan has an ongoing desire to bring quality products to the regular reader.

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3 Responses

  1. OMG finally someone who had the same exact dilemma as I do! What cans did you end up bought if you don’t mind I’m asking? With all these Chi-fi flooding the market it’s not easy to find a worthy replacement for my vsd3s ????

  2. Thanks Swaroop,

    Great to hear Joker’s review list helped you out, it is a monumental work! Unfortunately, I only have very brief experience with the VSD3S so I can’t provide direct comparison. I don’t feel the Hibiki provides the greatest balance, but if you’re comfortable stretching your budget close to $100, the TFZ King is a really nice choice. It is quite forward and a little bright, but quite balanced, engaging and very resolving. The build quality is great, just make sure you snag a newer batch unit with removable cable, the vendor should specify. I hope that helps you out, please let me know if you have any other questions!

    Cheers,
    Ryan.

  3. Hey Ryan,
    Great review. The last time I had thoroughly enjoyed a pair was when joker recommended me the vsd3s. It was my first pair of a proper “earphones” and felt like a revelation. Since I broke them last year, I have been trying to find a worthy replacement. I had tried the 1more triple driver. It was good but felt tame comparatively. The sound from the left side has stopped and I had to return it eventually. In short, I’m looking for a worthy/similar replacement/upgrade to the vsd3s in terms of sound and better build quality.
    I listen to all genres. Looking for a relatively balanced sound with slight v shape and colorlessness. I loved the extension and definition at the top end and the lower end in the vsonics. Looking forward to your valuable guidance. Thank you in advance.

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