Introduction
BQEYZ might still be a niche audio company from China but they are well known in the audiophile community for their amazing products that are breaking the norms in their design and tuning. BQEYZ might be hard to pronounce but their products are easy to love especially with their seasonal themes products such as Spring and Summer that are very well received in the community for their amazing design that possess a bold sound tuning. The seasonal themes of their products are aimed for a mid-fi performance while the K series are more of a budget segment product and all their products have a great price performing like a champ in their price range. They recently have released a flagship product that is a follow up to their seasonal theme, the Autumn. They are one unique in-ears that offer a tunable sound via a one of a kind magnetic filter that is very well implemented and they are able to provide a wider range of sound profile for users to choose from. BQEYZ China has kindly provided us with a pair of Autumn in exchange for an honest review and we are thankful for the opportunity. How will they fare in their performance and will the tuning filters work? We shall find out.
Functions & Specifications
Before we start the review, here are the specifications of the BQEYZ Autumn;
- Driver: Large 13mm dynamic driver.
- Acoustic Structure: Dual-cavity acoustic structure.
- Replaceable tuning vents with a magnetic structure.
- Shell: 5-Axis CNC machined metallic ear cavities.
- High-quality silver-plated and copper hybrid cable.
- Impedance: 46Ω.
- Sensitivity: 110dB.
- Frequency response range: 7Hz-40kHz.
- Connectors: Standard 0.78mm 2-pin.
- Available in three different plug options: 2.5mm/4.4mm/3.5mm.
Retail Price & Where to Get
The BQEYZ Autumn can be purchased at Official BQEYZ’s Shopee Store
BQEYZ Autumn purchased link : https://invol.co/cl82axp
Packaging & Accessories
BQEYZ has packaged the Autumn quite average with a black regular sized box on the outside and once opened, the inner box is orange in colour going well with the ‘fall’ theme as they resemble a pumpkin colour. Inside we will find a small brush, 6 pairs of eartips, a leather box case, 3 pairs of tuning filters in a metal holder, a magnetic tool for filter replacement, a high quality 4 core cable and the Autumn in-ears all packed very neatly. For the price paid, the unboxing experience is rather too simple for the price paid but what really matters to me is their performance and the product design itself.
Design
The design of the Autumn is truly amazing in terms of their looks and the on hand feel. Even the tuning filters holder are very well made along with the tuning filters that they provide. They have a solid aluminium casing that has waves on the faceplate with a matte finish that looks premium and they fit very comfortably. The nozzle is metal made with a metal mesh to prevent dust from entering. They are very light in weight and feel very solidly built.
One of the main criteria of the Autumn is their tuning options. They came with 3 different types of tuning option that are colour coded with gold colour preinstalled on the in-ears for a balanced sound, silver colour for treble enhancements and dark grey for a bassier sound profile. The tuning filters are quite similar with the Smabat Proto 1.0 but they are more well implemented with their magnetic style filters that are very easy and satisfying to use with their magnetic tool that they provide.
Changing the filters will indeed change the sound profile of the in-ears and here is my assessment of them.
Silver/treble: Brighter tone, soundstage widened up, mids thinner, treble crisper and details are added.
Gold/normal : Balanced signature and in the middle of the other filters in terms of sound.
Grey/bass : Warmer tone, mids a little thicker, slightly closed soundstage, treble sparkle lessen and the details has a very slight decrease.
This review will be done with the normal gold filters and they are my favourite filters for the Autumn.
Cable included is 4 core cable that is a mixture of silver plated copper and a special type of high quality copper with a litz structure. They look very similar to TACable Obsidian but they have different types of plugs. They have a full metal construction and users can choose their favourite termination of 3.5mm, 2.5mm or 4.4mm. Overall, the cable is very well made and they sounded very balanced with great clarity even with my other gears.
Gears Used for Comparisons
- FiiO M11Plus LTD
- Questyle M12
- Hidizs S9 Pro
- Beyerdynamics Xelento
- JH Audio JH13V2 Pro
- Intime Kira
- Moondrop A8
- TinHifi T3Plus
- Tanchjim Oxygen
- KBear Aurora
Songs list
https://open.spotify.com/track/63VkT28zY4EPUcRUBKKZ8l?si=85cf0680772a4132
Tone and Presentation
The tone of the Autumn is a very well balanced in-ears with a slight focus on the bass and they have a wide extension on both ends of the spectrum while having an above average clarity. They are slightly warm in their presentation and have a mild colouration in their tuning making them a tasty sounding in-ears while still having the ability to sound accurate. The Autumn has a very organic and natural sound without any metallic highs or an overpowered bloated bass. For a single dynamic, their speed in their music reproduction is great without sounding sluggish and they are more of a fun in-ears for music enjoyment not really meant for a critical listening. They are indeed very well tuned dynamic driver in-ears that have great technicalities and sounded very fun as well.
Soundstage
Soundstage of the Autumn is above average for an in-ears and they punch above the asking price of these in-ears. They sounded very wide in their width with great placements of instruments and vocals. Height is great but they are wider than they are tall. The headroom that they are able to give out is a medium sized room with great air in their presentation. They also sounded very holographic with tones that sounded natural with a great 3D feel to it.
Separation and Timbre
The Autumn houses a single dynamic driver that is very well tuned and their separation is sublime with layerings very well presented without any congestion. With their great separation, they are able to sound great even with busy tracks such as metal or EDM.
Timbre is good by sounding right on all instruments and vocals without sounding too intense or too coloured. Imaging is average but they are still good for a single dynamic driver.
Drivability
Rated at 46 ohms, the Autumn needs a little juice to run on their full potential. Though they will have ample loudness through low powered sources such as smartphones or laptops, their dynamics might suffer a little. They are very scalable via a good DAC/amplifier and they sounded superb even with a decent dongle but they shine brighter on bigger sources like a dedicated DAP or a full sized DAC/amplifier combo. They are quite forgiving on poorly mastered tracks but sound way better on mastered tracks.
The Bass (Low)
This is where the Autumn gets interesting, their slightly boosted neutral bass. Bass that they are able to provide is big, meaty, juicy and tight. They have a decent resolution and clarity in their bass is amazing with a full range bass presentation without any bloat or bleed. Details are all intact and they sounded very well extended with a rather airy bass reproduction. The bass also has a pretty good texture with their bass sounding quite full without any hollowness. Sub-bass extends quite decently but not to the point of vibrating your brain level. Bass heads might love the Autumn especially on the bass filters as they are big in quantity without sacrificing quality. If users might find the Autumn to be too bassy, just swap the filters to the treble filters and you are good to go, it is that simple. Overall, I do find the bass department of Autumn to be sublime as they sounded big but still manage to keep their integrity in check and also not to mention their tuning capabilities making them an ace in bass.
The Mids
Midrange in the Autumn has a neutral balanced take to it and it has great clarity in their presentation. It has decent details but for the price paid, I do feel that micro detailing can be improved in this area. On the other hand, macro details are superb with great clarity and accuracy. They are slightly on the warm side in their midrange and have the right balance of being not too thin nor too thick, making the Autumn sound quite organic and natural. Vocals performance here is great and suitable for male or female vocals alike as they are a balanced midrange. Vocals sounded intimate and emotional and they have very good vocal placements in their presentation. Resolution wise, they are quite average for their asking price but they still managed to sound quite clear without any major congestion occuring and they are able to handle busy tracks with ease.
The Highs
The high range of the Autumn is another selling point of the Autumn. Unlike their sibling, Summer, their highs have been toned down a little but still possess a great amount in their details. They sounded rather neutral with a very slight boost in the middle region but they might sound a little hot and peaky on high volume. Shout is non-existent and they still manage to sound smooth in all of the tracks I tested it with. They sounded crisp and sparkly giving music a livelier feel to it, also, they are quite energetic on fast paced tracks like EDM or metal genres. They extend pretty well without any sibilance occuring making them sounds inoffensive in this region. To me, they sounded very lively and energetic and they did not incur any fatigue even when listening to them for the whole day. Treble sounded great as they are quite accurate in this area without any metallic high range and they are great for acoustical music as well. If users wanted more treble, the treble filters will indeed increase the amount and they still manage to sound great without harshness though the bass quantity is lessened by a small margin. Overall, a very good job in tuning the high range.
Comparisons
VS Tanchjim Oxygen
The Oxygen from Tanchjim is their ex-flagship in-ears that have already been touted as one of the best single dynamic in-ears in their price range. They are indeed a good set of in-ears with a slight boost in their low end with great clarity and they sounded very smooth overall. They are priced similarly but the Autumn has a tunable sound profile but they are slightly bigger in size.
The High region in the Autumn sounded more natural and accurate and has a slight edge in quantity. Treble sounded smoother on the Oxygen and has a slightly crisper treble. Extension is better in the Autumn.
Midrange of the Oxygen sounded a little thicker and has a more forward approach. Autumn midrange sounded a little clearer but the Oxygen has a better micro details presence.
Bass on both of the earphones has the same quantity but sub-bass presence on the Oxygen is better a tad bit. Clarity of the bass in the Autumn is better and they have a tighter bass response.
Soundstage on the Autumn sounded wider and slightly taller than the Oxygen.
VS Intime Kira
Kira by Intime Japan is one of my go-to in-ears for an ultimate treble performance as they have the best treble performance in an in-ear form in my opinion. They are priced quite similarly with the Kira priced slightly cheaper but the build on the Autumn is better and they are more comfy.
Highs on the Kira have the better quantity and quality but they are not very far apart in quality. Kira sounded crisper and airier than the Autumn but they sounded more natural in the Autumn. Extension in the treble on Kira is better.
Midrange in the Autumn sounded clearer and thicker by a small margin. Details on both are similar but the Autumn midrange sounded fuller. Female vocals on Kira sounded more intimate but for an all rounder vocal presentation, the Autumn is better.
Bass in the Autumn is tighter and has more presence on impact. Sub-bass in the Autumn has a slight edge in presence. Bass in the Kira is faster but lacks details unlike the bass in Autumn.
Soundstage of the Autumn is wider and taller.
VS Beyerdynamics Xelento
The flagship Tesla dynamic driver from Beyerdynamics Germany. They are priced nearly 3 times the asking price of Autumn. They possess a very fun slight V shaped sound that has an awesome bass and treble performance. They are way smaller than the Autumn in size but they do have some minor driver flex upon insertion.
Bass on the Xelento has the edge in being bigger and more impactful. Sub-bass presence on the Xelento is better and it goes deeper than the Autumn. Autumn bass sounded more natural and the Xelento sounded more fun. Details and clarity here are similar.
Midrange on both is rather similar with the same thickness and amount. Autumn has a slight edge in sounding more balanced but the Xelento midrange sounded more intimate and emotional. Micro details on the Xelento are better by a small margin. Vocals on both are great but Xelento sounded more intimate.
High range on the Xelento has a slightly more forward presence and they sparkled better. Xelento treble sounded a little smoother and crisper. Details on the high range on both is quite similar
Soundstage in the Xelento is taller but width is quite similar.
Synergy
FiiO M11Plus LTD
The now rare M11Plus LTD that is equipped with a pair of now discontinued AKM4497eq DAC chips and a pair of THX amplifier modules. They sounded clean and warm and pairing of this M11Plus with Autumn is sublime. With this pairing, I am impressed with the clean sound that they are able to put out in the Autumn and they have a very sweet and emotional sound partly due to the THX amplification. Bass is slightly tighter and has better sub-bass response in their presentation while sounding cleaner. Mid range has a thicker and higher resolution in their performance and they sounded great. Micro details have improved a tad bit but still a little lacking. Highs is less peaky and it sounded smoother with a better treble extension. Soundstage had a more holographic feel to it, making it sound wider. Overall, this pairing is awesome and even on low gain, they have ample power and synergy.
Questyle M12
The M12 from Questyle Korea is small in size but big on performance. They support most of the codecs out there including MQA and they sounded slightly bright with a balanced performance. Bass on the Autumn has a tighter response and they sounded cleaner with a boost in sub-bass presence. Mid range has a clearer and a more forward presentation making them a little more intimate to listen to. Vocals sounded sweeter and lusher as well. High range has increased in quantity and they sounded crisper and smoother. The highs on this pairing is really great for me as they sounded very fun and energetic. Soundstage wise mostly remained the same in width and height. Overall, they are my favourite ultra portable pairing as they sounded really fun without any fatigue setting in.
Who Is It For?
BQEYZ Autumn is for those who want slightly warm in-ears that have a balanced performance with a flagship sound experience that would not break the bank. The Autumn has the wideness, clarity and an emotional sound that is simply fun and natural to listen to. They are suitable for those who want a more flexible sound to suit their mood via the very well implemented tuning filters. For basshead to treble lovers alike, they are able to satisfy them due to the tuning filters. They might not suit users who wanted a critical listening or monitoring in-ears as they lack some micro detailing and an ultra high resolution sound.
Final words
BQEYZ has certainly created the best sounding in-ears in their line up with the Autumn. Though they are a little pricey, they are able to give out a very enjoyable sound that is accurate, natural and wide, worthy of a flagship status. Their tuning filters are one of the best in terms of design and implementation, certainly not a gimmick as they work very well in fine tuning the sound output to better suit your listening. The only problem that I found in the Autumn is their slight lack of micro details, resolution and their mild peak in the treble, apart from that, they are simply sublime. From their high quality big bass, to a clear balanced midrange and to their energetic highs, they are indeed very well tuned in-ears that can stand toe-to-toe with the big boys. Overall, I am impressed with how they sound and designed. A job well done BQEYZ.
I would rate this product a solid 4 and half stars over 5 stars.
