Intro
BGVP, among the first brand names to come up when we’re discovering the wonderful world of ‘Chi-Fi’ and portable ‘Hi-Res’ audio. They’re no stranger to the scene and at one time, they’re the go-tos if you’re looking for a nicely built with an excellently tuned IEM. Now, after having reviewed their recent DN3, I was beginning to be skeptical about their direction. And now it makes me question that direction even more with the release of the DH5. It’s getting crowded and they better do something about it to stay afloat.
Packaging
The DH5 comes in a rectangular box, typical of what BGVP has been offering with their new products line up. Inside, there are the usual generous eartips selection, a cleaning tool and a very nice looking zippered carry case. The cable that came with the DH5 is excellent to say the least. It’s one if the better stock cable around if you ask me.
The shell is made with 3D-print technology and utilizes medical grade resin as their main material. The faceplate is made from woodgrain material in clear resin finish. To be honest, they look damn good. Solid, lightweight and should last a lifetime with proper care. The DH5 uses 3 sound tubes leading up to the nozzle for the different drivers acting as frequency divider.
Functions & Specifications
- Material: Medical Grade Resin
- Type: Universal Custom
- Transducer Type: 1x Beryllium coated DD, 2x RAF Knowles BA, 2x BGVP proprietary custom BA.
- Sensitivity: 119dB SPL/1mW @ 1kHz
- Impedance: 19ohms @ 1kHz
- Frequency Response: 10Hz-40kHz
What’s In The Box
- BGVP DH5
- Silicon Eartips (S, M, L) x2, Foam Eartips x1
- Carry Case
Retail Price & Where To Get
This unit was provided by BGVP and arranged by Bryan Liew for the Malaysian Tour.
Purchase Link : BGVP DH5 5-driver Hybrid HIFI In-Ear Monitors
Sound & Tonality
The DH5 by BGVP is tuned to have a balanced, mild U-shape sound signature which I’m glad to see. Why? Because there’s too much Harman-Neutral variations on the market right now and a classic IEM tuning wouldn’t hurt, right? Wrong. Not this time. Tonality is a bit off on the DH5 with the mids sounding too nasally. This also affects the timbre of the IEM where it sounds rather thin and off.
Source Used
Xduoo X2s > Xduoo XQ-10 > BGVP DH5
Stoner Acoustics UD130 > Xuanzu XU606 Pro > BGVP DH5
Songs Used
Bass
Sub-bass is somewhat rolled off and won’t give the much needed ridiculously low-end rumble despite coming from a DD. Mid-bass is punchy and smooth but sounds blunted. In a much simpler word – they’re slow. This makes me question their claim of using a “Beryllium” coated DD as they don’t sound anywhere near a good Beryllium coated DD. Apart from that, the quantity is sufficient enough to complement a wide array of genres to at least sound “complete”. Meanwhile the quality part could use some refinement. The slight bleed to the lower-mids provide enough warmth but manages to stay clean through.
Mids
Lower-mids are clean and thin. This causes the DH5 to sound somewhat nasally to say the least. Mids are well articulated and detail retrieval here is good, but affected by the already thin note weight which makes the overall experience a bit off. Well, most BAs will suffer from this to be honest but at least not for an IEM launched in 2021. Upper-mids however stays within the safe region to avoid being shouty. They’re quite smooth yet engaging from here onwards. But mind you, there’s a caveat to that otherwise a desirable smooth tune. This was heard by using my warmest source; the XDuoo X2s. Good luck listening to them with neutral sources.
Highs
Lower-treble do not suffer from any peaks nor sibilance. That’s great! I’d say they provide enough upper-end energy and sparkle which stays in check without ever going overboard. Treble possess enough detail and quite energetic with fast and snappy decay to boot. Sparkly? Yes. Detailed? A bit…yes. So what could go wrong? They’re rolled off quite a bit too early, and that’s not particularly good given the number of drivers inside. Upper-treble lacks nuance and air. Combining all of them together the DH5 sounds artificial. I’m sorry but it’s not fit for 2021 onwards.
Soundstage
The soundstage of the DH5 is intimate. At least in my book. They’re deeper than wide which makes them sound arguably narrow, which is in my opinion a bit different at any given price point. But one thing that I like is that they have a good sense of height in their soundstage which is quite hard to find in an IEM below the $300.00 range.
Imaging & Separation
The DH5 reminds me of the SeeAudio Yume in this regard where they can be a bit confusing at times. Imaging is arguably accurate and is well presented despite the sometimes confusing layering. By this I mean and I quote “sometimes cues are percepted to be nearer than it should be, and farther when it shouldn’t”. Apart from that the Yume had a much more refined tuning which compensates for the sub-par technical ability.
Driveability
These are easy to drive with just about any source. And they don’t scale with more powerful sources. What’s more important when deciding to purchase this particular IEM is the synergy.
Synergy
With that, I’d say they sing really well with warm sources. This is due to the thin timbre and somewhat off tonality that it possess. Any warm sources (by majority should be those entry level stuff) will compensate enough for that caveat to make it sound more musical and pleasant to the ears.
Comparison
Neo Audio EK5.
The EK5 is a 5BA set and was launched a few years back. Build feels more substantial and solid than the DH5 with the full-resin shell. On to the sound, the EK5 is more neutral and a brighter IEM in comparison to the DH5. Bass is leaner, more textured on the EK5 with much better transient speed (typical for BA bass) than the DH5. Mids are similarly detailed, slightly more neutral but sounds more natural than the DH5. Highs are livelier with slight peaks which can be edgy at times as compared to the smoother highs of the DH5.
Soundstage is wider, taller and deeper on the EK5 and more evenly spaced between any direction. This renders the EK5 to be somewhat holographic-ish. Imaging of the EK5 on the other hand just blows away the DH5 in comparison. Accurate and consistent. The EK5 can provide quite a psychedelic experience if you’re new to the hobby. Despite having similar 4BAs for the mids and highs, separation on the EK5 is more pronounced in comparison. Yes, this IEM was launched a few years back way before the market is flooded with new IEMs almost every week.
For Who?
Honestly, if there’s any fan it would be a very specific audience. Now I’m not saying that it’s a trash product, no. But the end product does not justify all the tech being put while designing this IEM. Still, it’s an enjoyable IEM if you can forego the weird tonality that was likable and possibly mind boggling a few years back.
Verdict & Stars
BGVP, please step up your game. Design-wise they’re solid and appealing but sound-wise they need a major rework. People are getting more accustomed to very good price:performance ratio products (regardless of driver configs). Being one of the bigger name in the industry, you should have the proper access and resources to actually show the others how it’s done.
