The Hidizs MS2 Mermaid: An Excellent Sub-$100 Offering in the Budget IEM Space
Disclaimer
Hidizs kindly reached out to me to offer the MS2 Mermaid (from here, referred to as the MS2) for review. While I am grateful to them for providing a review sample, I remain committed to providing an objective review. This review is based on my own experience and may differ from your own. Any comments or reflections from your end are most certainly welcomed and thanks for reading.
Hidizs has also kindly made available, an exclusive ChFiReview.com discount code, should you like to purchase their new line of products directly from their website.
Discount code: CHIFIREVIEW5
5% off for AP80/AP80 pro/(DH80s/80)/MS2/MS4/S9 pro/MS1/H2 and bundles
Discount code: CHIFIREVIEW3
3% off for S8/MS1 rainbow/Seeds/H1/BT01
Please use the discount code upon checkout. One use per customer.
Introduction
Hidizs is a Chinese audio company with a wide range of products, many of which are used and enjoyed by head-fi members today. Making everything from DAPs, DACs, amps, and most recently earphones, they have managed to expand their portfolio of products to create a blossoming audiophile ecosystem.
My first experience with one of their products was the Sonata HD amp/dac dongle. Overall I really enjoyed the portability, build quality, sound, and customisable firmware for such a simple product, and I still use it to this day with great effect.
The MS2 is the first earphone that I have tried from Hidizs, and it enters a challenging market, especially in the IEM space where Chi-Fi has established a powerful position in the value/performance arena over the last several years. As the name alludes to, these are set up with 2 drivers, one being the now-famous Knowles RAD-33518-P183, while the second driver is Hidizs’ very own proprietary 10.2mm dynamic driver made from a macromolecular compound. Both drivers are contained within two chambers. The MS2 capsules are built from german-made, eco-friendly resin.
Will the MS2 hold its own? Let’s crack open the packaging and find out!
Specifications
BA Driver: Knowles RAD-33518-P183
Dynamic Driver: 10.2mm, Dual Voice Coils & Dual Voice Chambers (Hidizs Newly Developed Macromolecule Composite Diaphragm V2.0)
Appearance: German Eco-friendly Resin Body, Phosphorescent Faceplate, Gold-plated Sound Nozzle
Frequency Response: 20Hz-40Khz
Sensitivity: 112dB
Impedance: 18Ω
Cabling: Mixed Braiding of Quad-Core Wires (2×High Purity Silver Wires & 2×OFC Wires), 1.2m in Length
Earphone Connector: Detachable 0.78mm 2pin Gold-Plated Socket
Plug: 3.5mm Gold-Plated Plug
Weight (a pair): Approx.10g (w/o cable)
MSRP Price: $89 USD
Retail Packaging & Accessories
The MS2 is stored in nice packaging, and I received my copy directly from Hidizs with some blemishes and dings due to the shipping process. Overall the packaging was sufficient to protect the earphone, and other contents within. On the front of the packaging is an image of the right IEM, with Knowles and Hi-Res AUDIO logos, along with the Hidizs logo brandished on the box. The box seems to be the same for whichever colour you decide to purchase, with a sticker found on the bottom denoting the colourway of the MS2 inside. I was sent the red version. Details on the product specifications were located on the back in both simplified Chinese and English.
Contents of the retail packaging are good, considering the price of the earphone. This includes documentation, a very nice storage box (I mean, really nice… actually surprisingly nice!), a reasonably good 4-wire cable with 2-pin connectors, terminated with a gold-plated 3.5mm stereo jack.
Also included are several silicone tips, and while the selection is good for most ear types, I would have liked to see a pair of foam tips for variety. Still the tip sets provided differ in terms of bore diameter, with the smaller aperture tips placing emphasis on the bass response, and the wider aperture tips providing a slightly more mid- and highs-centric sound signature. These differences are slight and I chose to use the medium-sized, narrow-bore tips for testing, as they fit better while providing a bit of emphasis on the low-end, which is my personal preference.
Zooming into the cable, while generic, is well-built, and I had no issues with the 3Ms of IEM cables: malleability, memory and microphonics. While there were the tiniest amounts of microphonics on the cable during insertion, that all went away once the cable was wrapped around my ears and the chin cinch was deployed. It’s obviously not made with 1k stand Vibranium from Wakanda but is a combination of silver and copper wires. As a stock cable for a sub-$100 USD earphone, it works well and I have no issues with it, other than the plastic-formed ear hooks (never was a fan in the first place, but you might like it). The chin sinch also works well and additionally included is a velcro tie to keep everything neat and coiled. As the MS2 is configured via 0.78mm 2-pin connectors, looking for replacement cables shouldn’t be an issue for the most diehard earphone cable collector. If you really want to connect your 1k palladium cables to what most would consider a budget earphone, you’re completely able to.
Overall the packaging and accessories included are well thought out, includes the usual fare, and comes with a great storage box to boot.
I decided not to tip-roll with other tips in my collection, in order to better describe the out-of-the-box experience. Funnily enough, I found that installing the tips onto the MS2 to be a bit of a challenge, which is probably a testament to the tolerances of the tip mounting diameter to the nozzle… either that or I just have clumsy fingers! It’s also worth noting that the firmness and density of the silicon mounting shaft on the narrow tips are harder than the silicon flange itself, providing a secure grip when mated to the MS2 nozzle.
Earphone Design, Materials, Construction & Fit
The MS2 are very similar to the MS1 Rainbow, sharing the shell design and materials from the previous model. The red version is probably not the first colourway I would personally go with for something that I would wear in public, however, I do have to admit that the reflective faceplates lying underneath the translucent shells are pretty. Lightweight aluminium nozzles are mated to the translucent, composite resin housing. Speaking of the nozzles, the portholes are protected by what looks to be a non-replaceable metal mesh. Tolerances in the construction are good, and while I do feel the slightest of seams around the nozzle and front housing, I have no concerns over build quality and finish.
Overall the material selection allows for a lightweight earphone that is comfortable for my ears and offers moderate isolation using the included tips. The driver selection and amount allow for a compact form factor and are noticeably smaller than some of the multi-driver offerings we are getting more used to. Par for the course, when compared to other plastic-based IEMs in its price category, and while probably not as robust as a full-metal-jacketed IEM (I wouldn’t want to sit on these accidentally if placed in my back pocket, or swimming at the bottom of a book bag), I have hopes that these will last from the wears and tears of EDC use, but only time will tell.
In terms of fit for my ears, I found them to sit a bit shallow in my ear canal, which is counter to my preference for deep insertion. Still, I found the MS2 to be comfortable for my ear shape. Once I found the right size tips, I had no issues securing these to my head and they remained mated to my ears even during mad dashes to catch the bus.
Testing Setup
I tested the MS2 with a variety of setups, in order to simulate the various use-cases I could imagine these earphones being used in. This included listening to them on my testbench, with various portable gear, in the library, on public transportation and even using them for Zoom meetings connected to my Macbook Air M1. The music used was all FLAC ripped from my personal CD collection and are listed below as a Spotify list for your convenience.
Testbench
Musician Audio Pegasus
Massdrop THX AAA 789
Portable
iBasso DX300
Hibry R3 w/ Chord Mojo
Work
Apple Macbook Air M1
Huawei P30 Lite
Tracks
For a list of the tracks I use for testing, please check out this Spotify Playlist.
Sound
Profile Summary
The Hidizs MS2 offers a balanced, maybe even pedestrian sound signature, which should appeal to a wide audience of users across all genres. The V-shaped signature offers decently punchy upper-mids, with pretty good treble extension without sounding sharp or sibilant. Bass has a slight emphasis with a nice presence and texture, without muddying the rest of the sound signature. The MS2 doesn't sound overly sparkly nor dark. Resolution is admirable for a sub-$100 earphone, with staging sounding more tall than wide from my personal experience.
Treble
I found the BA drivers in the MS2 to control sibilance to be good, with a natural timbre and quick decay. By no means splashy or overly bright, I found the treble to be well-controlled and with sufficient resolution, just shy of being sparkly. Overall the presentation is clear with noticeable precision and definition. When compared to the other budget IEM I have on deck, the TinAudio T2 pro, I found the MS2 to perform significantly better in terms of definition, separation and clarity. Notes were fast and clear, without any sharpness to my 40+ years. Overall treble is well controlled without any blatant high-pitched emphasis. On classical piano tracks, the air in notes was apparent and quite enjoyable. Listening to Blossom Dearie was also pleasant due to the clarity the MS2 offers in the upper-midrange registers. Those of you looking for good treble extension, resolution and speed, without being too sharp should like what the MS2 has to offer.
Mids
Upper mids seem to be controlled by the BA driver and here, we have much of the same performance as the treble section, with maybe a slight de-emphasis of the mids due to the V-shaped signature. Lower mids are possibly controlled by the proprietary dynamic driver and offer good decay and texture. To my ears, these are not overly warm in terms of timbre, but avoid any muddiness or darkness an overly emphasised mids signature may stumble into. And while these are not mid-centric IEMs, the MS2 does provide a decent presence when balanced with the treble and bass. They sound natural even with the mids taking a supporting role to the treble and bass. Vocals from Elderly Woman Behind the Counter in a Small Town by Pearl Jam sound good without taking over the entire track. Vocals from Brown Skin Lady by Black Star also sound good, with decent separation from the highly-textured instrumentals. Again and much like the treble, the mids play a great, collaborative role with the rest of the registers in the overall sound signature.
Bass
If there is anywhere for improvement, I think the bass is where the MS2 could use some slight tuning. Don’t get me wrong, the bass is well textured, fast, dry, and with a well-balanced amount, but the resolution and depth could use some improvement. With that being said, Hidzs should be commended as there is only so much one can do within the price target of the MS2 and the drivers used. Timbre was very natural and does not dominate, colour or muddy the rest of the sound frequency at all. The bass was smooth and might be a bit source dependent, as while it sounded slightly light on my iBasso DX300, on the Hibry R3/Chord Mojo combination, it sounded thicker. Where the bass excels is in the MS2s speed and recovery from bass notes. With just enough rumble in the mid-bass, although I do wish for more sub-bass. Still, in playing with the theme of the overall sound signature of the MS2, the bass is well balanced and plays well with the mids and treble. While these are not basshead earphones, the overall offering is very competent and should work well with all genres, yet may leave a bit to be desired in only the most demanding of songs.
Soundstage & Separation
For me, this is really where the MS2 shines as an overall offering. The soundstage is well proportioned and spherical, without any artificial sounding width, height or depth. The resolution, air, clarity and separation are excellent, with a perceivable three-dimensionality that is notable. Depth and width are equally represented and offer a natural staging that is quite good and is able to adapt to all of the tracks that I threw at them effortlessly. Details are well supported by the overall sound characteristics and do not sound surgical or analytical at all. If there is one reason to audition the MS2, it is for the qualities of its soundstage and separation characteristics.
Conclusion
Hidzs is obviously putting in a lot of good effort in providing competent audio gear and the MS2 represents an excellent yet incremental offering in their IEM line. The MS2 is a very good earphone that should play nice with all genres and a wide range of listeners. They are well designed, compact, light and comfortable, offer a reasonably decent set of accessories (did I mention that the included earphone storage box is great?), and best of all, sound excellent for their price range. The overall balance of the sound signature, without any strong emphasis on any aspects of the sound spectrum, all the while providing great staging and good resolution makes these a wonderful backup IEM for someone with a collection of earphones, or for people who want a one-and-done set that won't break the bank. And while there will always be areas to improve, the overall offering is highly competent for listeners of many genres. I would not hesitate to recommend an audition for anyone looking for a good yet budget-minded, multi-driver setup, and can’t wait to see what Hidizs can pull off with more complex configured driver earphones in the future if this is the in-house tuning they are going for.