Xiaomi Piston Hybrid Earphones ($20 Balanced Armature+Dynamic Driver Killers!!!)

[DJ80]

Ok guys... got by pistons out of BA+Dynamic Driver curiosity. I am impressed.

Packaging was great, considering. Contained 1) Pair of Earphones, 2) Extra Buds.

Build is nice. Real nice. Metal built, nice, sleek and smart. The CNC milling has been done nice. Wires are rubber up until a connector, then sleeved/nylon. The connector is really, REALLY solid and 7exy.

Now the sound... Well I have come to a point where BAs or Dynamics don't sound too different to me. I heard a $1600 10BA Noble pair, and a couple of Westones. What used to be mind boggling to me at one point when I used to looked at UEs or similar custom BA offerings, is just normal to me now. And it's become the same for most planars vs. competing dynamic driver based phones too.

Anyhow, BA don't mean like, super stunning sound. No. Good dynamic phones and excellent thought-out acoustic designs may as well do the same for you. And this is what's happening here. Although I like these a lot, and for the money they hardly hurt (yeah, that's the primary selling factor here), my KZ ZN1s are a bit better. In every way. More clarity, more forward mids and highs, and even more bass. Maybe that is since they are dual driver too (with one dedicated to bass). Or maybe the Pistons have a bit more controlled everything, and low SPL and sensitivity. Still, it's a subjective thing. Much is based on people's preferences, and I may not be any less affected by this curse than anyone else.

Anyhow, not a bad purchase regardless. If someone tells me the Piston 3s are better (even though they'd have to compete a lot, LOT more, technically), that... may... be... possible. I still skipped those for these because I just wanted to get a damn BA based pair. So there.

Bass: Nice. Enough. Not super basshead bass, but good on all genres.
Highs: Very nice. Subtle. Not piercing AT ALL. That's a good thing.
Mids: Good. Balanced. Upfront. Not perfect or monitor like, but not bad either.

Overall the sound is warm.

-----------------XIAOMI Pistons Hybrid
Build: 8/10
Sound (in-ear to in-ear comparison): 7/10
Isolation: 7/10
Features (Packaging, Accessories): 6/10
Look & Feel: 8/10
Value for Money: 8

----------------KZ ZN1/ZN1 Mini @ $ 15
Build: 6/10
Sound (in-ear to in-ear comparison): 8/10
Features (Packaging, Accessories): 6/10
Isolation: 6/10
Look & Feel: 6/10
Value for Money: 9

----------------V Moda Metal Bass Freq @ $25
Build: 8/10
Sound (in-ear to in-ear comparison): 5/10
Features (Packaging, Accessories): 6/10
Isolation: 8/10
Look & Feel: 7/10
Value for Money: 7

----------------Razer Hammerhead Pros @ $22
Build: 9/10
Sound (in-ear to in-ear comparison): 6/10
Features (Packaging, Accessories): 8/10
Isolation: 8/10
Look & Feel: 8/10
Value for Money: 7

----------------Brainwavz M5 @ $25 via MassDrop.com
Build: 8/10
Sound (in-ear to in-ear comparison): 4/10
Features (Packaging, Accessories): 9/10
Isolation: 6/10
Look & Feel: 8/10
Value for Money: 5
PS: These just SUCK. Don't get em, unless you want a nice carry case, extra tips, clip and shit. For the sole purpose of SOUND, they just SUCK! Borrow the sibilan(ce) from ATH-M50, multiply that by 5, and take away half the BASS. If you want some flat shit with a lot of sibilan(ce), be my guest.

That's my summary.

Do I recommend these for the money? Hell F'in Yes!

 

[UzairAhmed]

Very nice BRO keep it up...i used to have one of their first gen pistons back in the days and there were good value for money I remember

 

[Nomad]

If someone tells me the Piston 3s are better (even though they'd have to compete a lot, LOT more, technically), that... may... be... possible.

If you want more neutral sound then Piston 3 are better than these Hybrids. In terms of sound only thing better in Hybrids is quantity of bass compared to Piston 3. If you want sound signature of Piston 3 for even less, then Piston 3 Youth Edition is also a good choice and is available for $5-$7. Cheap enough to buy just for comparison sake :wink2:

 

[mbk99]

[MENTION=11778]DJ80[/MENTION] (Even though i have read you above review) Still can you recommend me some earphones in 20-30$ category, i primarily want to use it with my Apple Ipod Nano for listening music, and the KZ brand seems very interesting to me, with Easy KZ ZS1 or KZ ZS1 Dual Driver earphones from them, but i have no prior or any sorts of knowledge about them.
Kindly recommend me some brand/model (specifically if possible).

 

[DJ80]

If you want more neutral sound then Piston 3 are better than these Hybrids. In terms of sound only thing better in Hybrids is quantity of bass compared to Piston 3. If you want sound signature of Piston 3 for even less, then Piston 3 Youth Edition is also a good choice and is available for $5-$7. Cheap enough to buy just for comparison sake :wink2:

Yeah I know. They may be better... but again, depends. Right now I think I've had my full of earphones, and these come in very nicely if I ranked all my gear and I'm pretty satisfied. I'm at peace with these, just as I am with my Takstars where I dropped all plans for any Sennheiser HD5XX or Philips Fidelios since any more improvement will only be marginal. Let's see if I get a chance to compare them. For now, I have a smirk across my face.

@DJ80 (Even though i have read you above review) Still can you recommend me some earphones in 20-30$ category, i primarily want to use it with my Apple Ipod Nano for listening music, and the KZ brand seems very interesting to me, with Easy KZ ZS1 or KZ ZS1 Dual Driver earphones from them, but i have no prior or any sorts of knowledge about them.
Kindly recommend me some brand/model (specifically if possible).

Well buddy you can't go wrong with these, or the Piston 3s, or even the Razer Hammerheads. You can look above and compare features and value for money. Personally, I'd still recommend these. Their build and look is better than KZs. Though, the KZs will cost less for even a bit better audio quality. Again, plenty of options now. There's a new LG pair of earphones that's been shipping with a few of their phones, even they are pretty damn good, so I've heard. But these have the best bling, and well, you get a hybrid and can see what a balanced armature sounds like. So, choose what works out the best for you.

 

[mac007]

@DJ80 Congratz
i m planning to get Monoprice 8320 @1.2k and Topping nx1 portable Amp

 

[DJ80]

Monoprice is good. But how much will you pay for it? I'd still go with the KZ ZN1 or ZS1... And look at Creative E1 as an amp first too.

 

[mac007]

Monoprice is good. But how much will you pay for it? I'd still go with the KZ ZN1 or ZS1... And look at Creative E1 as an amp first too.

1.2k for Monoprice for now as i m done with JVC marshmellow
KZ ZN1 or ZS1 are on list but u know it takes a lot of time to import stuff
i will see what creative E1 has to offer and price