Intro
First and foremost, big thanks to BQEYZ for sending in the Summer to be reviewed. Personally it’s my first BQEYZ In Ear Monitor (IEM) at the moment and frankly speaking, this particular IEM is quite appealing. It’s getting crowded in this price segment and audio companies need to deliver something outstanding if not unique in order to capture the market. Truth be told, the Summer is one of those unique (in a good way) IEM that pop ups every once in a while.
Sporting a tribrid design (1 DD, 1 BA, 1 Piezo), the configuration alone is unique in the price segment. The build is solid for a plastic shell (they claimed it to be made of resin) but to be honest they could’ve been better. The Summer is a fairly light IEM hence there’s no issue regarding comfort. I can wear these all day long. So, will the unique configuration of the Summer complement its sound signature? Read on…
Packaging
The packaging is simple yet sufficient. Unboxing experience is somewhat disappointing due to the lack of accessories but putting that aside, it’s honestly complete to get you started. Besides, what are the odds that we actually use all of the accessories included with any IEM? There are a total of 6 pairs of eartips provided, 3 sets of wide-bore eartips and another 3 sets of narrow-bore eartips. The carry case however, is lit!!! With somewhat leathery finished that screams ‘exclusive’ and a very substantial feel to it.
Functions & Specifications
- Material: Ultra-light Resin
- Transducer Type: 1x 13mm PU+LCP diaphragm Dynamic Driver, 1x Balanced Armature, 1x 5 Layers Piezo Electric.
- Sensitivity: 107dB/Vrms @ 1kHz
- Impedance: 32ohms @ 1kHz
- Frequency Range: 7Hz – 40kHz
What’s In The Box
- BQEYZ Summer
- Silicon eartips (S, M, L) x 2 pairs each
- Carry case
Retail Price & Where To Get
You can get this BQEYZ Summer 2 for RM763.00.
Purchase Link :
Official Shopee BQEYZ : https://invol.co/cl4rssk
Sound & Tonality
The Summer carries a W-shaped sound signature with an overall fun and clean tonality. It is mostly balanced, slightly leaning towards bright sounding IEM with a very engaging high frequency response. Technical ability is somewhat mediocre at its best, but definitely a step up from the more budget segment IEMs.
Source Used
Sony WM1Z (Midnight FW, Balanced) > BQEYZ Summer
Songs Used
Bass
The sub-bass on the Summer is audibly rolled off. The rumble is present but really not that satisfying. Don’t get me wrong, it’s there but just not inspiring (at least for me). The mid-bass has good texture and engaging to listen to without ever, not even near being bloated. Upper-bass is clean and there’s no significant bleed towards the lower-mids. It’s just enough to provide slight warmth to the tonality. I would say that the Summer is a mid-bass focused IEM with a clean, fast and well textured bass presentation.
Mids
The lower-mids sounds natural but the transition from the lower end is somewhat incoherent. This is purely nit-picking as it is not that significant to be a deterrent for music enjoyment. The mids itself is presented in a textured, clear and well articulated with good detail retrieval. But the forward mids might sound hollow, depending on the tracks. Now, the upper-mids may get hot and can be perceived as slightly thin sounding at times. All in all, the mids on the Summer can be perceived as clean and arguably natural.
Treble
There’s a slight sibilance to be heard on the lower-treble, which can be fatiguing at times. The treble however is well done and sparkly with excellent detail retrieval. The only caveat for me is that it can sound metallic-ish. The upper-treble lacks air and rolled off on the extreme end. To be frank, the brilliance that it presents in this region is amazing and it would be perfect if it was toned down a tinny bit just to avoid from sounding metallic. But then again, the treble coming from the Piezo driver is what renders the Summer as unique.
Soundstage
To be honest despite the slightly bright sound signature, the soundstage is average at its best. They are indeed wider than deep and throughout my listening period there has never been a single moment that I felt them as being too closed in. The best part of the Summer is that it possess a perceptibly good height in its soundstage, which is excellent for the price. Layering on the Summer is good enough to complement the depth of the soundstage. It’s not stellar but definitely notable especially when coming from more budget oriented IEMs.
Imaging & Separation
The Summer showcases good separation throughout the frequency range. It was never crowded nor congested. The imaging that it presents is fairly precise. They’re not pinpoint accurate but enough to clearly distinguish every spatial cues. But both separation and imaging capabilities are limited to its height presentation. Despite having a perceptibly good height in its soundstage, it is also the limiting factor here. By that I mean they could be much better in this regard. They’re good but that’s just it.
Driveability
These are easily driven by any source and scales very, very well with more power. Control is the word here. Everything sounds more controlled and refined with more powerful sources. But do be careful since they’re quite picky when it comes to the source’s sound signature.
Synergy
It is safe to say that the Summer pairs very well with warm sources to add more weight & body to the overall tonality. Since I experienced some slight sibilance, eartips rolling might help to compensate the tiny sibilance issue. I end up with the JVC Spiraldots despite still having that periodically, tiny bit of annoying “Ss” and “Ts” but I just can’t forego their overall considerably fantastic treble presentation.
Comparison
Shozy x Neo CP
The CP is a 3-BA configurated IEM with a very well made resin shell. Despite having an all-BA drivers, the CP is warmer and more coherent. In comparison to the Summer, the bass is more extended with more natural decay throughout, with more rumble too. Yes, more rumble. Mids are slightly recessed but more transparent and fuller sounding as compared to the Summer. Treble is where the Summer outshines the CP, and by a very good margin. The Piezoelectric driver used in the Summer clearly delivers a more revealing, airier and more engaging treble experience.
On to technical performance, the soundstage is wider and deeper on the Summer, and slightly taller too. The CP has a more closed in soundstage but they’re much more holographic in comparison to the Summer which makes them the more immersive IEM to listen to. Imaging and layering is better defined on the Summer while separation can be considered similar despite things can sound a bit muddled up on the CP at times.
For Who?
I would say that those who seek to venture into more exotic driver configuration will most likely find the Summer a promising option. Despite the tribrid configuration, they’re just a slightly above average technical performer with some minor quirks in tonality and coherency. But trust me, this is just nit-picking. They’re absolutely worthy of the asking price considering what it offers.
Verdict & Stars
With exotic drivers being offered in the lower tier segment, it is interesting to see where Chi-Fi manufacturers would take us further into this never-ending rabbit hole. The effort to trickle down all the fancy tech for more pocket friendly price tag is massively appreciated. At the very least, it is something different from the others. For the asking price, it will surely lure in more users to experience the exotic drivers configuration, including (but not limited to) the higher tier ones. Good job, BQEYZ!
(4 / 5)
