Price: 139$
Where to buy: https://bit.ly/3e4yFYV or https://aliexpi.com/zIee
Specifications:
Driver Configuration: 13mm Dynamic driver, 1 Balanced Armature, 1 Piezoelectric tweeter
Frequency Range: 7-40kHz
Impedance: 43 ohms
Sensitivity: 108dB
Connectors: 0.78mm 2-pin
Many thanks to BQEYZ for providing this review sample.
There are things you don’t understand. Like why KZ produces all those models, and opens sister brands which also produce hundreds of identical earphones which are average sounding – at best. And then there are things you understand. Like the strategy of BQEYZ (yet not their name), which releases very few models but with a deeply developed tuning and some smart and unusual driver configurations, that – unexpectedly – work pretty well. This tribrid (is it even a word?) is one of those. The Spring 1 is a triple hybrid with a dynamic driver, a balanced armature and a piezoelectric tweeter. It doesn’t sound fantastic on paper – my experience with piezoelectric drivers is stuck at the NiceHCK N3 which I didn’t even review because they were faulty.
Unboxing and first impressions
So, these are the first BQEYZ with a hard carrying case and a really good quality cable. I’ve reviewed the BQ3 – really good IEM, review here – which had a soft pouch and a really cheap cable. I’m glad they didn’t raise the price for nothing, but rewarding you with not just a fantastic looking and nicely built product, but also with high quality accessories. There are foam tips (one pair, but it’s something). The silicon tips are held in a metallic holder that tells which ones are for a certain fine tuning and which ones are for another (atmosphere and reference, which mean bass boosted and more neutral). Really useful act, which inspires seriousness. The hard carrying case is simply great. It has plenty of space for carrying all the tips and it’s even able to store a more huge cable than the stock one (like the Ares Audio Sakeishi, reviewed here, with its leather clip). The IEMs are completely made of metal, and have some useful vents for the drivers to properly work. Even the holes themselves are minutely designed. One of the buds have the brand name engraved on it, the other have the model name. Pretty sweet. The only thing I don’t love about the shape of them is the fit on my ears: they are too big, the nozzle is not so protruded, so with silicon tips they tend to fall – even with the stock cable – and with foam tips they hurt me. The chin slider is really useful here, for my experience.
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).
There’s nothing bad I have to say about the sound of the Spring 1. That’s a big claim. In fact, I just have to describe it because it has some features which may sound critical to you. First thing first: the bass. It is the only criticizable aspect about these IEMs, because it has a slow decay and its oomph is pretty consistent. That’s not a bad thing when you listen to acoustic or classical music, but it’s harder for the dedicated driver to manage faster lines of bass – electronic music ones, for instance. There’s a lot of air in the low range, but I generally like how the sound is represented here. I even enjoy a bass boost on my devices (TOPPING NX4 and iFi Zen DAC). The midrange is a peaceful zone here: it doesn’t shine like in a mid-focused earphone, but vocals are clear and crisp, the bass never falls onto these frequencies and there’s a great layering distinction between instruments. Treble is a pearl: the piezoelectric tweeter is tuned to shine and it really makes me change my mind about this kind of driver (which I didn’t love in the NiceHCK N3). No bad picks, no sibilance, great extension, and a natural feel: there’s air and no metallic sounds even for higher vocals. I’d say treble is one of the focuses of these earphones and one of the reasons you should consider to buy them. Soundstage is wider and deeper than average (wider than deep). Another focus and thing I love is the imaging: it is incredibly precise and for a triple hybrid it is crazy to believe how good is the crossover they developed here.
It’s pretty easy to understand I love how the Spring 1 sound. It’s not a fortuity they won our best sub-200$ award last year. But how do they compare to other similar priced earphones?
Comparisons
Tin HiFi P1: these are light years faster. So if you need not more organic, but faster, transients, the P1 could be better for you. They are midrange-focused magnetoplanar IEMs, way harder to drive, but still lovely. They suffer of the same fit issues of the Spring 1 for my ears, unfortunately. Their bass is way less present, however they are a little more detailed. I think the BQEYZ counterpart is an easier recommendation, even though they both are amazing earphones for the price.
IKKO OH1: these are classic hybrids, with a faster bass but a general less intriguing sound for me. It can reflect the needs of many, but sound-wise I believe the Spring 1 can do more and better, for extension, detail and presence; the sound is just more organic. I also believe the OH10 can achieve some more points to come closer to the BQEYZ model, but I haven’t try them so I can’t judge.
BGVP DM6: really different approach, with a multi-BA set. The bass is better. The detail is better. The fit is better. However, there’s no air, no stage and the naturalness of the sound is way inferior. The DM6 are better on stage, for sure, but for listening sessions I’d give it to the Spring 1.
Conclusions
Does that mean the Spring 1 are the perfect, unbeatable set? No. For certain, specific uses I’d rather put in my ears something else. But this is, for its price, the best all-arounder I have. When I want to listen to something, I know I’ll enjoy it through them. That’s the way to craft an earphone. The Spring 1 is one of a kind. The price is right. Go for them and you won’t be disappointed.
Pros
Accessories
Build quality and materials
Almost everything about the sound
Well priced
Cons
Fit
Bass is a bit too bloated