Old, but Gold?
Hello everyone. Today I am reviewing Hidizs Seeds. I bought the IEM directly from the Hidizs Web Store during a sale at the end of 2022 for about 19 USD. There is a reason why I chose to write about this IEM. The IEM is in fact old at the time of writing. However, I could hardly find any frequency response graph or an ample number of reviews. In fact, I’m quite surprised to be not able to find much, because this one sounds great except for the cable it is equipped with. This is not the day and age for this kind of cable, and it hasn’t aged well. However, from a sound perspective, this IEM surely deserves praise, especially at this price point. And so, I thought why not write about it? I am not affiliated with Hidizs or Hiby in any way and these are my honest thoughts. Let’s continue, with some comparisons in the end…
The IEM has a neutral bright tonality with a bass boost, leaning towards the bright side. The shells are a kind of odd design but built like a tank. Nothing weird in terms of fit and I find them comfortable to wear for long listening sessions once I found the perfect ear tips to pair with them. Initially, I paired them with Azla Crystal as I found them to be more open sounding and provided the balanced sound that I look for in an IEM. Honestly, I never used stock tips. So cannot comment on them. With the arrival of Zeo’s Render tips, courtesy of Hifigo, the tips provided more comfort in terms of long wear, and they did something great with the bass in terms of texture and retaining that open sound of the Azla. Overall, Render tips are my preferred tips for this IEM. The box this came in with is of premium quality for a 19$ IEM. Had a good unboxing experience. A small pouch is included for carrying the IEMs. Good quality and a decent size. This is a 50-ohm version with a 2.5 mm balanced termination, and it surely requires some power to drive to its optimal performance.
Specifications:
- 0.2mm Graphene Moving Coil Unit
- CNC Machining Metal Earphone
- Quad-Core OFC Balanced Cables
- Ergonomic Aerodynamics Design
- Aluminum alloy body
- Impedance – 50 ohm (2.5mm)/ 25 ohm (3.5mm)
- Sensitivity – 110dB/mW
- Frequency response – 8 to 42000Hz
- Cable length – 1.2 m
Gears used for testing:
- OnePlus 8T with UAPP + Cayin RU7
- Windows PC with Cayin USB drivers + RU7
- Tempotec V6
- Tempotec V6 + RU7
Pros:
Overall balanced tuning
Bass has good depth, body, and speed.
Instrument’s tone and timbre
Great vocals
Good technicalities in terms of resolution, layering, and details.
Great packaging for the price.
Treble performance when paired with the right source.
Price to value performance
Comfortable fit when paired with the right tips.
Cons:
Not so great cable, tangling, and is non-removable.
Dependent on sources regarding the treble performance
The soundstage is rather flat.
Fuzzy imaging.
Fit is dependent on the right set of ear tips.
Sound Quality:
The IEM has an overall bright tonality with a very slight ‘V’ signature. Hidizs Seeds review will be in a V pov. Not warm sounding. Retains good details overall owing to this tonality. The tone and timbre are good, and natural, and appear accurate for a DD. Tonal balance is good although the emphasis is more on the treble side here. I don’t expect perfect tonal balance at this price point, but this IEM shines here. Technicalities are average to above average, but for the price they are good. Both the sources used for testing – RU7 and Tempotec V6 have a neutral tonality and are not warm sounding in general. However, I noticed that the Seeds has a better synergy with the Tempotec AKM chip than with the RU7. It sounds tonally more accurate with AKM in my opinion. There is more balance across the frequency spectrum and the emphasis on treble is on the lighter side due to the roll-off at the right point. IMO, the treble-sensitive listeners will be happy pairing with the AKM DAP. But I believe RU7 reveals the true character of the IEM here. Lately, I have noticed a very slight channel imbalance with my set, and it was not present when they arrived.
Bass:
Bass has quality over quantity. Sub-bass over the mid-bass. The sub-bass is well-textured and has good depth. Mid-bass has good punch and slams when called upon but in general, these are sub-bass focused. Although the emphasis is more on the treble, the bass notes have weightage, and bass-heavy tracks can sound great. Bass notes are played accurately with a good body and tone. The body slightly differs from the source I used. Tempotec V6 presents the bass much better compared to RU7 due to the tonal balance I mentioned above. They sound very slightly warmish and soothing to my ears with Tempotec. I prefer the V6 over the RU7 for this IEM. The bass is tightly controlled here with a good speed and there is no bass bleed noticed into the mids and the transition appears clean.
Mids:
Mids do not appear to be recessed although this IEM is slightly V sounding. The Piano and percussions sound great with a good body. Jazz, Acoustics, and Orchestral tracks are presented naturally and lively. The instruments are resolving enough, considering the competition in the price range. There is a good note of weight and density. The vocals sound great, especially the female vocals. They sound clean, lively, and emotive enough and do not appear to be recessed. The transition from upper mids to lower treble appears a bit unrefined as slight harshness is noticed with the RU7. There is no metallic timbre present. Overall, I am very impressed with the mids performance here considering the price point.
Treble:
Treble can be the star of the show or can be a disappointment for some. Nothing sibilant, ear piercing, or hot. For me, they are great for the price. Splashy, airy, and open sounding. A bit raw and unrefined at times. This IEM has more emphasis on treble and is source dependent when it comes to taming the treble. With AKM DAC, I find the treble is more refined and non-fatiguing without losing the subtle details. With RU7, it’s more like an acquired taste. You may get used to the treble the more you listen to it. I do like them on both but as I have mentioned above, for longer listening sessions, AKM is much better as there was no element of fatigue nor the loss of details.
Technicalities:
Resolution, detail retrieval, layering, and separation are great for the price. The soundstage appears flat in terms of height, width, and depth; and the imaging is average at best. It’s kind of fuzzy but can’t really complain at this price point. Honestly a nitpick. At this price point, I generally don’t consider average technicalities as a bad thing or a con. I have to say, they offer more than the price it’s being offered.
Comparisons
Tanchjim Zero:
Non-removable cables on both. The bass tone and timbre are better with good texture on the Seeds. Mids are a tad bit thin on the Zero. I prefer the Seeds for the Bass and Mids although the difference is very subtle regarding Mids. The Seeds has a slight upper hand in terms of body. Zero sounds a tad more natural compared to Seeds, and I believe this is because Zero is tuned better in terms of Tonal balance. Treble performance is better on both, although Zero exhibits occasional spikes and is hot in the treble-heavy tracks, which is not the case with Seeds when paired with V6. However, I don’t find both sibilant in general. Both are well-controlled. In terms of technicalities, Stage appears more accurate on Zero than Seeds. Imaging is better on Zero. Resolution, layering, and details are great on both. They offer more than the money you pay for. Finally, I prefer both and they do complement each other. Also, to note, Zero does not come with an option of balanced termination.
QKZ HBB:
QKZ is more mid-bass focused than the Sub-bass. Sub-bass quality is great with Seeds whereas the mid-bass sounds great with QKZ. Bass speed is better with Seeds. Bass quantity is more on the QKZ. QKZ is warm sounding in general and is terrific with EDM tracks. You can feel the thump with QKZ. For Jazz, orchestral, and Acoustic tracks I prefer the Seeds. There is more detail present with Seeds. Neither is bad in either case. One is better than the other in the respective genres. The mids are a bit recessed with QKZ. Treble is even smoother on QKZ and gives a very soothing and relaxed listening experience. Technicalities are in general average on both sets. Resolution appears better on Seeds due to the better bass control. Nothing wrong with both sets that intervene with the listening experience. They were just tuned differently for different sets of audiences and moods. Again, these two complement each other.
Hidizs Seeds Review Conclusion
There is nothing much to complain about here. In fact, they sound super solid for the price. The cable is non-removable, and the quality is not great, to be honest. Unfortunately, mine already had a small tear on the wire due to the natural wear and tear and in no way, I could replace it, which is sad. This is the only disappointment I have with this IEM. With the current trend of IEMs that are being launched with removable cables, this IEM will surely be ignored by many. However, when it comes to the sound quality and the price for which it is being offered, it is a very good buy IMHO. I do enjoy listening to these every now and then due to the overall balance sound that this IEM offers. If you are planning to buy, beware of the cable wear and tear though. That’s all for now. Thanks for reading through.