The Melody Wings Venus 1DD 3 BA (169USD)

Quick Intro :

Melody Wings is another new brand mushrooming out from China and they are making some waves with their debut IEM, Venus. Hype is going strong with them being touted one of the best releases of the year with their single dynamic with 3 balanced armatures hybrid setup in a midrange pricing of 169USD. Melody Wings has now landed in Malaysia and their distributor has contacted us for a review tour and I have jumped on the wagon for a taste of the Venus, so a big shout-out to NexGears for this opportunity.

https://www.melodywings.cn

Packaging

The packaging here is rather simple and comes in with a professional looking box in red. Upon unboxing we will be greeted with the IEM head and the glorious amount of accessories especially with the inclusion of a USB C DSP head. Here are the list of the accessories;

• Leather case
• 6 pairs of eartips (2 types, 3 sizes)
• 4 core, 2 pin 0.78mm modular cable
• 3.5mm head, 4.4mm and a DSP USB C head
• Cleaning brush
• Polishing cloth
• User manual

Here is the listed specifications :

Cable Length:1.2m

Material: Wood Faceplate+ Resin Shell

Drivers:3 Balanced Armature + 10mm Dynamic Driver

Impedance: 32 ohm @IkHz

Sensitivity: 108dB/mW @1kHz

Frequency Response:20H7-20kHz

Cable:Silver Plated OCC

Connector:0.78mm 2pin

Plugs: Interchangeable 4.4mm, 3.5mm, USB-C

Build here is the usual resin molded shell in black with beautiful stabilized wood faceplates making them unique to each pair. The wood has a reddish colour that goes well with the black resin alongside the Venus printed onto it in gold. Finishing here is average as it does seem that it needs some more polishing to make it glossier.

Fit here is great for their standard CIEM ergonomics and they are rather small in size which fit most users’ ear conchas. Nozzle size is medium and they are made from aluminium alloy with metal mesh fitted for dust or moisture protection

There is a vent situated under the 0.78mm socket and there aren’t any vents for the front part but there isn’t any driver flex present which indicates a well vented design.

The 0.78mm sockets has a very mild recessed type of pin but will fit flush 0.78mm cables but it will not sit perfectly flush on the IEM.

Inside of the Venus is a typical hybrid setup of a single 10mm beryllium plated dynamic driver with 3 custom balanced armatures with a 32 ohms impedance and a 108db sensitivity. They are relatively easy to drive and sound great with their included DSP USB C head. They aren’t a sensitive IEM so are suited for smartphone use as transport and they don’t tend to pick up noise.

Gears used for comparison and matching

Tracks used (not limited to)

Sound Quality (tone, timbre, shape etc.)

True to their hybrid nature, Venus possesses a wide dynamic range that extends well in the lows and highs. The sound profile here is a L shaped that has boosted lows without any major recessiveness in their midrange and a smooth high range presence. The overall tone is warm to neutral that is slightly bright and they possess a velvety, inoffensive sound signature that is fatigue free. The upper mids here transition rather smoothly into the high range and while the brilliance is there, they might sound a little too smooth for users who preferentially want some bite in the upper mids. Timbre here is organic, breathy and rich that has a full sounding presentation with great immersion. The Venus tilts towards a fun, luscious tuning that has their technicalities intact but aren’t a studio type of sound signature.

Bass

A well balanced bass that has a decent dose of mid-bass lift but isn’t overpowering. The bass is fast yet meaty and will perform when called upon. They work really well across genres from EDM to jazz to metal but aren’t so suited for critical listening as the bass is slightly north of neutral. Staying true to a dynamic driver’s bass, the bass here has an immersive feel that has great texture and the sub-bass reaches deep with a good amount of rumble that blends well with the lifted mid-bass. Details here are great with bass notes well presented with an average clarity. No bass bleed is present and there isn’t any bloat of sorts in any way.

Vocals

Vocals here have great positioning that gives a rather spacious feel to them while still having some intimacy to them as they are warm, luscious and sweet sounding. The tuning here is actually quite balanced in depth for vocals to sound decent but I do prefer a stronger upper mids brilliance for them to sound livelier especially with female vocals.

Mids

Overall pretty flat response with no recessiveness that has a thick body that is full and rich sounding. The mids here are warm with a dash of colouration for a vivid sound that is highly enjoyable. Upper-mids have a mild lift that gives the overall tone a slightly brighter tone without being too dark or laid-back. Details in the midrange are great with good macros and micro details intact but more on the former. Instruments sound thick that work great for low notes instruments such as bass, drums and etcetera.

Technicalities

Dynamics are great for the price and they are good but there are a lot of stiff competitors in the market but the Venus might be appealing for those who are looking for a fun yet technical type of sound that focuses more towards a musical sounding pair of IEM. The tuning here is actually cohesive with the drivers all working in tandem without any major gaps or hollowness. Separation here is great with a wide dynamic range that possesses no crosstalk issues.

Soundstage

It is wide for what it is priced for with adequate reach and depth. Holographic and accurate but lacks immersion. Suitable for gaming and movies as well.

Final Thoughts :

For a debut product, the Melody Wings Venus is actually a great dive into the pool of Chi-Fi midrange and they are a competent IEM with their luscious overall sound that has great musicalities. Their overall detail retrieval is actually pretty good and having a thick, slightly coloured sound makes them an alluring type of IEM to listen to. They are a well balanced set of hybrids that doesn’t majorly emphasize on any frequencies making them suited for a vast range of genres. Competition these days is tough and with hybrids such as Kefine Quatio, Kiwi Ears Airoso, Ziigaat Lush and many others, they have big shoes to fill but I do feel that Venus is actually a competent IEM that has its merits. Can’t wait to see what’s in store for them next.

Solid 4 stars out of 5 stars rating

Pros

• Detailed, clean, inoffensive sound
• Forward, intimate positioning of vocals
• Luscious and sweet midrange
• Organic timbre
• Highly resolving with good transparency
• Smooth yet sparkly high range
• Clean, meaty bass with deep sub-bass
• Soundstage width
• Great accessories included
• Fit is great
• Solid build with stabilized wood faceplates
• Value

Cons

• IEM head finishing can be better(nit-pick)
• May need a little more energy on upper midrange
• High range can be crisper
• Slight coloration on the mids
• Isn’t for trebleheads nor bassheads
• Cable is all little thin(nit-pick)