Price: 270/330$ - 240/300€
Where to buy: https://aliexpi.com/RbLt
Specifications:
Driver configuration: 6 Knowles (SWFK-31376, ED-29689, CI-22955) and Sonion (33AP007) BAs in 4-way cross-over
8 core Furukawa OCC + silver-plated mixed braided cable
Impedance: 13Ω
Frequency range: 10Hz-40kHz
Sensitivity: 115dB/mW
Plug: MMCX
Waterproof and dustproof certification: IPX4
Many thanks to BGVP for providing this review sample.
Unboxing and first impressions
I’m a long-date fan of BGVP (back to when their name still was Sidy Studio). I got their super bassy Sidy DM3 as my first taste of this brand. I’ve gone through the DMG, which I really appreciated even though I was conscious about their flaws. I kind of fell in love with their DM6, but it was a bittersweet set. The DM7 are the successors of the successful DM6 (sorry for the word pun), the TOTL all-BA earphone of this brand. There is a better one, indeed, the ArtMagic V12; but it’s way more expensive and it’s not the argument of this review.
The DM7 come in an elegant black box which certificates the Hi-Res Audio standard. There are some specifications on the back of it, which tell us – among other things - that drivers come from Knowles and Sonion, the two most important BA producers in the world.
Inside, we find a lot of ear tips (even a pair of foam ones) as well as the buds, placed into a large cut piece of foam. There’s a cleaning tool too, nice to find. And a metal case, which comes separately.
There is a fantastic cable provided here: a copper unit (with silver covering some wires) which is way better than the silver cable provided with the DM6 – that’s too firm and unpleasant to the touch.
The buds are 3D-printed with a hypoallergenic resin (they claim to use a medical-grade PMMA acrylic fiber). They look very similar to the DM6, but they seem a little more consistent. I really like the look and the feel of these IEMs, and my pair doesn’t suffer at all of quality control issues – I heard the DM7 are vastly affected from it, but I had a perfect experience with them. Fit-wise, they are bigger than the DM6 and smaller than the AudioSense T800. For my small ears, the DM6 are the best among these three models, but I don’t find the other two uncomfortable, especially the DM7 which can be worn for long periods without too much fatigue for me.
Sound
My sources: FiiO M7 (standalone; to XDUOO XP-2 via Bluetooth; to XP-2 via line-out; to TOPPING NX4 via line-out), Dodocool DA106 (mainly to XDUOO XP-2 via line-out); Mi MIX 2 to XP-2 (via Bluetooth and USB) and NX4 (USB), to Zorloo ZuperDAC-S, to Audirect Whistle; MacBook Pro 2012 to Focusrite 2i2; MacBook Pro 2012 to iFi Zen DAC;
My music: Jon Hopkins, “Singularity”; Billie Eilish, “When do we fall asleep, where do we go?”; Coldplay, “Ghost stories”; Bon Iver (Discography); Jack Garratt, “Phase”; Jamie Cullum, “Taller”; Sia, “Colour the small one”; The Bloody Beetroots & Jet, “The great electronic swindle”; Jacob Collier, “In my room” and “Djesse (Vol.1)”; John Coltrane, “Giant steps”; Lauv, (Discography), Oh Wonder (Discography), Radiohead (Discography), a lot of Mozart, ecc..
My files: MP3, M4A, FLAC, ALAC, few DSDs (Pink Floyd), MQA (TIDAL).
Two main things are improved from the DM6: the bass is now more controlled and the soundstage is consistently wider. I had a fantastic experience with the DM7, which could be considered my favourite IEMs by now if it weren’t for an important factor: they are too sensitive, so you have to keep the volume knob of your devices on a really low side. This, however, didn’t ruin my listening sessions: my FiiO M7 is not the best source to power them, but the Topping NX4 and the iFi Zen DAC did a great job. Both their bass boost functions (“truebass” on the iFi) are really effective on these monitors, giving an important bump to the bass – the sub gains a lot of presence and the mid becomes even punchier. These boosters slightly change all the frequency response. My judgement on these IEMs will be comprehensive of both vanilla and EQed sessions. Justin Timberlake’s “Say Something” with truebass is ruined, due to an invasion of the midbass to the lower midrange. The whole album (Man of the woods) before that track sounds way more lively and emotional with that function activated. So, there’s not a magic formula which unlocks the best low-end here, not in an absolute way. If you need to monitor, they better have no equalization of any kind. When I’m on my listening sessions, sometimes I like to have a more fun signature, so – like on the Tin HiFi P1 and these DM7 – the bass boost could help a lot. With the bass boost function, the bass of the DM7 is at level with the one of the DM6, but it loses a touch of control, which never happens on the DM6 – because of a mature tuning. The bass-boosted DM7, after all, doesn’t reflect the tuning wanted by the brand, for a reason: it’s imperfect. In my opinion, the stock one is wonderful, so you don’t really to eq this particular model. The signature of the DM7 is balanced, close to neutrality with some kind of slight U out of the box. The range is really impressive both on the low and the high side. The midrange is not the main focus, but it is perfectly fine, with airy vocals and an always impressive instrumentation separation. Even with trafficked mixes, there’s always clarity in the reproduction and a fair expansion in the space – coming from the DM6. In fact, I’d like to have a wider headroom. This, however, is achievable by enhancing some treble frequencies, and being pretty sensitive to those, I take the compromise of a smaller stage. In fact, the high range here is tamed while not suffocated, I don’t have anything bad to say about it; I’d rather when the treble is pretty rolled off and not too shouty. This model is really well-tuned: not picky at all – like competitor models that I’ll mention later – and neither boring or undertone. Imaging is average, not spectacular, and the stage, as I’ve already said, is improvable. What’s really impressive here is the detail: you really don’t miss anything from the mix when wearing the DM7. I like being able to perceive all the nuances of the songs, which aren’t granted with every piece of gear. While being analytical, the DM7 don’t lack truthfulness – not bad for an all-BA set. “Light of mine” by Kyle punches really hard on these earphones, like just a few of my monitors can – without sacrificing any other aspect. For example, my BQEYZ Spring 1 sound airier and wider, but have a bloated bass which partially ruins my experience with bass-heavy tracks like the ones of the aforementioned album.
I may be biased by the marketing, but MQA tracks from TIDAL decoded by the iFi Zen DAC sound kind of incredible. I always listens to FLAC files, so I don’t expect a large difference. There is one main, instead: the noise floor is way lower, practically unhearable, on TIDAL Master rather than Audirvana with FLACs, no matter the sampling rate of the files. I don’t know why. Both set to “exclusive access” obviously. I have to try them even balanced from the same DAC to spot any difference from single-ended, too.
Comparisons
BGVP DM6: obvious comparison here. The DM6 have one BA less than the DM7, being a little smaller and more comfortable to the ear. They are kind of a milestone in the audio industry, being one of the first products to give power and credibility to the so-called Chi-fi. They are strong in the low range, with a believable tuning, which however is far from being reference. The DM7 come closer to that, with a more mature sound and some improvements on the room side. The cable is better, they come with a case, too; I think they are enough elements to justify the price bump. I’d take the DM7 over their predecessors, even if the fit is a little less comfortable for my ears.
AudioSense T800: 8 BAs here. My pair has an Ares Audio Kasai X first gen cable, which is way better than the stock one. Speaking about stock cables, the BGVP one is the winner, without any doubt. I don’t feel the need of a better one on the DM7. On paper, the T800 is superior (not just for the quantity of the drivers, but also for the quality). But there’s something unusual they did: there’s no crossover on the T800, it is managed differently – Knowles itself has been involved in the development of that model. In the end, they are pretty different sounding. The T800 are lighter on the bass and harder on treble, while the midrange is somehow buried in some situations, while in others it’s better. I believe that crossover choice has something to do with this. The DM7 are more reliable when it comes to know how they sound. T800 are more source dependant, I believe. The AudioSense model is also way harder to drive in comparison to the DM7 (not in an absolute way; in fact, I usually drive without any fatigue BA earphones). The fit on the DM7 is better for smaller ears. Sound-wise, I’m obliged to use foam tips on the T800 to avoid sibilance, while the DM7 have no trace of it and I can live more comfortably with silicon tips – even stock ones sound good. The T800 are more detailed and have a wider stage and a better imaging than the DM7. I can’t say there’s a clear winner here. Both are superior to the DM6, though. The new batches of T800 have a better cable and their case is also more spacious. The choice is yours. Mine is DM7, for now. I’d love to try some electrostatic IEMs from the same company to know if there are even more improvements.
Conclusions
In my opinion, the DM7 are a clear win. I can’t pretend quality control issues don’t exist, but I haven’t had so far – and I have the DMG and the DM3 too. I love the fit, the sound and the look of the DM7; I couldn’t but recommend them. I also find their price to be fair, they used quality materials and even the cable should have its cost. I believe they are customizable to your ear, if you ask them: I think it could be a nice chance to get your molded IEMs if you are an artist, because these DM7 surely are great monitors and not just for starters. But in their universal version, they already feel custom-like. And I love that feel. If you have the chance, audition the DM7: they’ll surprise you.
Pros
Materials and build quality
Cable
AccessoriesTuning
Response to EQ
Easiness to drive
Cons
Easiness to drive (even too much)
Soundstage could be improved
Average imaging