Introduction
BQEYZ releases have been quite far apart but what’s important is that their products have been consistently great like the releases from their seasonal series like the Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter has been regarded as one of the best in their price range. They are indeed an innovative company that has an out of the box thinking implementation of quality drivers along with rarely used combinations of unique drivers such as bone conduction, piezoelectric and big dynamic drivers in their products. With the end of Winter, their final release in the seasonal series, they have been listening to users around the world and decided to start a new series of the elements, thus the all new BQEYZ Wind comes into the picture and they are equipped with a single dynamic driver with a bone conduction driver. Elle from BQEYZ has kindly sent us a pair of Wind for an honest review and we are truly grateful for the opportunity given. How will they fare in this highly contested mid-end segment? We will find out here.
Functions & Specifications
Before we start the review, here are the specifications of the BQEYZ Wind;
- Driver configuration: 10 mm LCP composite dual-cavity dynamic driver + 10 mm bone conduction driver
- Housing : Copper housing and high strength steel vibrating reed.
- Impedance: 38 Ω
- Frequency response: 5 Hz – 40 kHz
- Sensitivity: 113 dB
- Cable: 2-pin, 0.78 mm; single crystal copper silver-plated cable; choice of 2.5mm, 3.5 mm or 4.4 mm termination
- Colour: Ultramarine Blue or Metal silver
Retail Price & Where to Get
The BQEYZ Wind can be purchased from their store in various platforms;
Shopee
AliExpress
https://a.aliexpress.com/_mKien0M
Packaging & Accessories
Packaging here is basic like the other BQEYZ products as they put most of their focus on the performance and quality of the product itself which is a great thing. The box has a bluish theme with the word ‘feng’ or Wind which is simple but very nicely done. On the back is information in English, Chinese and surprisingly in Japanese as they are quite well received in the Japanese market. They came with all the necessities like 10 pairs of eartips, a practical 2 core twisted cable in 4.4mm or 3.5mm, a cleaning brush, a PU leather hard case and the IEM itself.
The eartips are divided into 3 pairs of atmosphere type which have a larger bore that increase the soundstage, 3 pairs of reference eartip with smaller bore, 3 pairs of generic eartips with yellow stem and 1 pair of foam eartips. The holder for the atmosphere and bass eartips is a solid metal plate which is quite nice and has some weight to it.
Design
The design is one of a kind and truly mesmerising with their open back faceplate vents that have been laser cut engraved in their chinese character of wind which is ‘feng’. They are a full CNC milled aluminium alloy based IEM and underwent a sandblasting and anodising process to give an even texture and smooth surface. Their design in my opinion is one of, if not the best original design I have ever encountered.
Inside the Wind we have a 10mm LCP dynamic driver with a 10mm bone conduction driver and the bone conduction driver is tuned to handle the lower region as opposed to the Winter where the bone conduction driver handles the higher range. The cavity base part area of the shell is where the bone conduction driver is situated to contact the concha part of our ear. The edge of the cavity is a little sharp on the edges and they are uncomfortable during insertion but they are fine after inserting.
The nozzle is a brass metal tube with a black metal mesh.
They come with a zipper PU leather hard case with BQEYZ imprinted on the front.
The Wind has a standard 0.78mm 2 pin type connectors and cable that comes with the Wind is a practical 2 core of silver plated OCC cable that is slightly thick but very pliable and soft which is suitable for a daily usage indoors or outdoors. The sound coming from the cable is actually quite good as they do provide improvements in all frequencies with a slightly brighter tone and produce a wider soundstage even when tested on my other IEMs.
Gears Used for Comparisons
Cayin N6ii Titanium
Questyle M15
Hiby FC6
FiiO BTR7
Intime Sho DD
Letshuoer DZ4
Kinera Idun Gold 2.0
Tangzu Heyday
BQEYZ Winter
Hidizs MD4
Moondrop A8
Unique Melody 3DT
Dunu EST112
Songs list
Tone and Presentation
The tone of the Wind is a neutral balanced tone with a slight emphasis on the bass region shape and they have a warm take on sound with a lean towards a thicker overall signature. They have a unique sound that is lush, organic and lively with an energetic high range. The Wind has a focus on the bass amount where the bass response is actually very wide partly due to the bone conduction driver implementation that sounds truly unique. The overall tuning of the Wind is balanced even though the bass emphasis and the other frequencies blend in well without any recession.
Soundstage
The Wind possesses an expansive soundstage that is wide and tall with an unique inwards sound as they do have the bone conduction flavour. Their soundstage is probably the widest of all the other BQEYZ products in my opinion and they possess accurate sound placements, suitable for gaming and for movies as well for their immersive sound. Headroom size is a medium sized room which is adequate and they do not sound boxy or whatsoever.
Separation and Timbre
Being a single driver and a bone conduction IEM, their separation is good with no crosstalk problems present and both of the drivers work very cohesive in tandem without any gaps in their overall presentation. Timbre is dynamically organic, thick and warm with a breathy signature that is airy and smooth to listen to without harshness. They have a fun sound that has great technicalities with an immersive sound that makes music sounds full to the brim.
Drivability
The wind is rated at 38 ohms at 113 dB sensitivity which means they aren’t as sensitive as most balanced armature sets out there and they do need some driving power to sound the best, especially their bone conduction driver. For loudness, a simple dongle will do justice but they do not perform to their best as I do feel that their bass is a little subdued and lack texture when it is underpowered. They scale very well with good, powerful sources bringing out the potential of the dynamic and bone conduction driver with a more potent, complete sound overall. A brighter source matching is suitable for the Wind as they do tend to sound too warm for warmer sources. The Wind are quite forgiving in nature as they do not show flaws in music played but a good mastered and high bitrates tracks will indeed bring some improvements.
The Bass (Low)
The bass here is special to say the least thanks to the bone conduction unit as they are a full sounding unit with a mild boost to their amount. The bass seems to have a wider than usual frequency that project sound inwards like and the effects are quite apparent if the earphones are fitted snugly into the ear concha for the bone conduction driver to work to the fullest. They have a decent amount of details and clarity in their bass with everything sounded clear within any muddiness, bloat or bleed present. The bass will not satisfy hardcore bassheads but will be sufficient for most bass lovers out there as they have a good slam that isn’t overpowering and very enjoyable. Bass extension is great with a dose of airiness to them but bass texture is mediocre for the price as they do lack a great layering capabilities which might struggle in fast hitting tracks. Sub-bass extension is superb and has a good presence with a deep rumble that is spot on for most genres out there. Overall, a unique, high quality and enjoyable experience in the bass region all thanks to the mixture of the dynamic and bone conduction driver.
The Mids
Midrange is a neutral balanced mids that has a thickness to them along with a warm tone that is intimate to listen to. Details are leaning more towards the macro details with an average micro detail retrieval and they have a great clarity without any veil. The midrange has a good transparency but an amazing resolution that makes music very vivid with amazing depth that makes music sounds immersive and delightful. They aren’t the most clinically accurate midrange, but they do provide a very likeable sound that suits a wide range of genres including gaming and movies. Vocals here are intimate accompanied by a decent amount of space that provides some air with a well balanced vocal profile that will suit male and female vocals alike with adequate amount of brilliance and depth. Vocals and instruments have a healthy amount of lushness to make music sound soulful and enticing.
The Highs
High range here is a neutral tone that has a mild lift in the 8 kHz region which gives the high range some bite and presence but they aren’t peaky nor shouty to begin with. Details and clarity here is superb with a decent amount of details and they do sound clean and clear. Sparkle is great with a lively decay and a slow roll off for a good extension along with added air in their high range. The high range has a great crisp sound that might be a little metallic but in a very minor way and only on certain music. They do not pose any risk of fatigue as they are still a smooth sounding high range that is not hissy or piercing and suitable for a long listening session. Treble here is leaning towards a more intense side which can be a tad bit strong for treble sensitive users but they are just fine for me as a treble head. Overall, the high range seems quite pleasing as they are strong, slightly intense with a great extension and air which gives music a lift in their energy.
Comparisons
VS BQEYZ Winter
The Winter is the previous release from BQEYZ and they have a similar setup of 1 bone conduction and 1 dynamic driver but the Winter bone conduction is in charge of smoothing out the high range and giving a more extended response. Both are priced quite similar but I do prefer the looks and design of the Wind more.
High range
Highs on the Winter has the edge in their amount and extension with a livelier feel along with a more evident sparkle. Treble on the Wind is safer for treble sensitive users but they are still quite lively. Details and clarity on the Winter is better but in a small margin.
Midrange
The Wind midrange sounded thicker here with a more spacious and lusher feel that is suited for vocals. Details and clarity are on par with each other. Transparency on Winter is better while resolution on the Wind is more vivid. The Wind mids are warmer while the Winter is brighter leaning towards the high range.
Bass
Bass is where the Wind takes over the Winter with a bigger presence along with a deeper extension. While details and clarity is better on the Winter, the Wind sounded fuller with a more soulful presentation that is airy, wide and deep. Sub-bass is also better on the Wind with a deeper, more evident rumble.
Soundstage
The soundstage on Wind is wider but height on both is similar. Headroom on the Wind is slightly bigger and they do sound airier.
VS Intime Sho DD
The Intime Sho DD is my current favourite dynamic based driver and they are from Japan with a single ceramic based driver that has been regarded as one of best dynamic tuned earphones. They are priced quite similar but the design and package of the Wind is more acceptable versus the simple packaging of the Sho DD
High region
The highs the Sho DD has a mild edge in their amount with a crisper and more sparkly presentation borderlining harsh highs but still very well controlled. The Wind high range is safer as they are smoother while still retaining a high degree of detail and clarity which is on par with the Sho DD. Extension on the Wind is slightly better while the Sho DD has a more pleasant decay.
Midrange
Midrange on the Wind is thicker and warmer versus the neutral bright mids of the Sho DD. The Wind sounded more organically intimate and lusher while the Sho DD has better transparency and resolution overall. Details and clarity on the Sho DD is slightly better.
Bass
The amount of bass on both has a similar amount of dynamic bass but the Sho Dd managed to sound tighter with a cleaner response. The Wind bass has a unique wider feel to them and they do have a deeper sub-bass. Details and clarity here is better on Sho DD but marginally. Both bass on these IEM are amazing and unique in their own way with the Sho DD a pure dynamic bass and the Wind a wide frequency of bass that is immersive.
Soundstage
Soundstage height and depth is better on the Wind but headroom size is quite similar and both have a good air in their presentation.
Synergy
Questyle M15
The Questyle M15 is my favourite portable DAC/amplifier as they are superb with Questyle’s signature direct current amplification. They are a neutral to bright sounding device suitable for a portable usage and they possess a great extension on both ends with none of the usual Sabre chip hump.
Bass sounded clearer and tighter with details and clarity increased. Their bass is more controlled and has a slightly better texture. Sub-bass depth remained mostly the same but they do sound cleaner overall.
Midrange is clearer with better transparency and more vivid than while retaining the warmth and thickness. Vocals sound clearer and more brilliance is enhanced with a more spacious feel.
High range has a better, sweeter sparkle and they are more extended along with a slightly crisper sound. Treble has slightly increased in amount but they are still very well controlled with a mild intensity gained. Highs also sound livelier and they have a cleaner presentation.
Soundstage has seen improved width and height but air remains the same.
Cayin N6ii Titanium
The limited edition Cayin DAP has a R2R module fitted into them and they are certainly a warm, organic sound that has great extension and a rather powerful sound for their size. They are a great companion for in-ears as they do pair pretty well with IEMs in general. They aren’t a technical performer but an intimate addition to most gears.
Bass in terms of their texture is better and they have a tighter bass slam. They have a deeper sub-bass extension with a slightly stronger rumble. Details and texture stayed mostly the same but they do sound airier with a more organic bass.
Midrange has a more intimate presentation along with a slightly better, clearer transparency. They can be a little too warm and might make music a little too thick for my taste but they do sound intimately lusher, more organic with vocals pulled closer to the ears. Micro details seem more evident marginally while macro details stayed the same.
Highs is a little more forward and has a better extension along with a clearer sparkle added. Details and clarity stayed the same but they sounded fuller with an airier presentation.
Soundstage height and width is better with a wider, airier sound overall.
Who Is It For?
The BQEYZ is an easily recommended product for those seeking something unique especially in their wide bass frequency that pushes sound inwards and still a technical performer. They are a very solid dynamic based IEM that faithfully reproduce sound in a good dynamic way. They aren’t for bass or treble heads but for those who want an organic performer that is strong everywhere. They aren’t really suited for monitoring as they do sound a little warm and thicker than usual but can suit users who want an intimate and fun presentation that is highly technical. They are great for gaming for their accuracy and perfect for movies for their immersive sound.
Final words
A salute for the team in BQEYZ as they do listen to the feedback of their users from the release of Winter and they make the adjustments to create this wonder of a product that is Wind. The design is originally innovative and the bass is truly unique with the perfect implementation of the bone conduction driver doing it’s job decently while the dynamic driver delivers a thick, intimate and a highly technical sound that just works harmoniously creating a very well tuned IEM. Though the bass might lack a little texture and they aren’t a clinical performer, they are a true dynamic IEM that has a high degree of technicalities that is worthy of their asking price. What an innovative company and a very well made product suited for their mantra, Best Quality Earphones For You.
I would rate this product 4 and half over 5 stars
- Superb dynamic performance
- Solid build with original design
- Comfortable fit
- Great quality practical cable
- Fully accessories
- Amazing implementation of bone conduction driver
- Good, natural timbre and tone
- Warm, organic and musical sound
- Amazing bass depth and response
- Amazing sub-bass quality
- Thick, warm midrange
- Great resolving capabilities
- Smooth but energetic, airy high range
- Well balanced treble
- Great overall technicalities
- Amazing soundstage width
- Average midrange transparency
- Bass need more texturing
- Needs bright and powerful source matching
- Not a clinical performer (subjective)
- Very competitive price range
- Packaging can be improved with a better case and presentation (nit-pick)
- Bone conduction area edge is sharp and might cause discomfort while inserting
