BQEYZ WINTER: The Last Of The Season Series

"Let us love winter, for it is the spring of genius."

--Pietro Aretino, Italian Renaissance Playwright and Satirist.

It's Winter season and during this period there are some festivities that are usually celebrated and Yuletide season is one of them. We know that Christmas spending on shopping has somehow become an integral part of this holiday consumerism and many audio companies are trying to release their product in this season that even makes the audio market even more crowded as ever.

It is also noted that one of my favourite audio brands out there, BQEYZ as they will release the last model of their Season series which is quite ironic in this season. What I have here in my hand is the BQEYZ Winter and I will do an extensive review about this product.

BQEYZ Winter is an IEM earphone with a hybrid driver set-up with a new type of transducer which is quite rare in this particular price range, a Bone Conduction driver. Its shell chassis is made of a solid  CNC-milled aluminium alloy that provides a very durable and classy look on its aesthetics preference with a blueish-green outline. Its shape and contour patterned after its predecessor models like the Springs, Summer and Autumn with slight modification as BQEYZ says that it takes an inspiration from skiing outlines and trajectory pattern Like all BQEYZ models, it uses a proven 0.78mm 2-pin connector for stability and ease of doing cable replacement.

 As I mentioned about its hybrid driver set-up, it consists of a newly-developed 12mm dual cavity dynamic driver with a PAR (polyarylate) diaphragm and 11.6mm Piezoelectric Bone Conduction. Polyarylate is a type of plastic which is usually known to have a transparent, sturdy and with excellent mechanical properties and flexibility that it will deliver that seamless fluidity with a very low harmonic distortion. Another notable IEM that uses this type of driver is the 7Hz I88. The Piezoelectric Bone Conduction driver is a self-developed driver by BQEYZ which is quite different to other Bone conduction drivers that I'm quite familiar with from Unique Melody, Empire Ears and Shokz.

Bone conduction was supposedly an old concept that dated back to the 18th century where Beethoven put a rod to his mouth and its opposite ends rested on the rim of the piano to tune its note via vibration. In a broader sense, bone conduction is a principle where sound waves travel towards the skull via subtle vibrations which is more conducive to people who have some auricular issue like hearing loss. But in this case, BQEYZ's bone conduction driver technology is quite unusual as it supports the dynamic driver to deliver the sound waves through means of air conduction. The BQEYZ's Bone Conduction handles the midrange to treble part of the overall frequency range spectrum and further improves the technical performance of the Winter.

When it comes to wearability, BQEYZ Winter seems to have a good fitting and rests well in my lug holes without any issues. This is BQEYZ's best IEM when it comes to fitting as I have some niggles in most of their products when it comes to suitable comfort for my lug holes . BQEYZ Winter provided a good noise isolation from the outside that blocked a substantial amount of external noises. Another reminder if you want to experience that distinctive BC reverb sensation is to find the proper ear tips to feel it. BQEYZ reference ear tips seems fine but there are other third party ear tips that provides even better like Symbio W Mandarin and JVC Spiral Dots.

As for product packaging and provided accessories, The packaging box is similar to previous BQEYZ season products and you will expect a considerable amount of quality inclusions coming out from a BQEYZ flagship model. 

Here are the included contents inside of BQEYZ Winter:

◆ a pair of BQEYZ Winter IEMs

◆ a four-core 0.78mm 2-pin Single crystal copper-plated silver cable with straight 3.5mm termination plug.

◆ an ear tips organiser plate.

◆ 3 pairs of "Atmosphere" ear tips of  different standard sizes.

◆ 3 pairs of "Reference" ear tips of different standard sizes.

◆ 3 pairs of new narrow-bored matte finish ear tips of different standard sizes.

◆ a pair of memory foam ear tips.

◆ Cleaning tool

◆ a hard bound zippered IEM case.

◆ a velcro cable organiser

◆ some paperwork like quality control card and instruction manual.

As for driveability and amplification, BQEYZ Winter seems to be an easy to drive set as it can be amplified enough through a decent power output from a mobile device. But plugging them to a better source with good quality DAC/amps will sound even more dynamic and better volume output.

To determine its tonal profile, BQEYZ Winter has a balanced-neutral sound signature as it has a quite linear sound with some emphasis on midrange and treble region that the overall sound quality more organic and at the same time melodious.

Here are some observations of its sound characteristic in the overall sound quality of BQEYZ Winter.

LOWS/BASS:

The bass quality of BQEYZ Winter is punchy, accurate, definite and  has a good depth on it. This is one of the cleanest that I've heard in under $300 price range on how the sub bass and mid bass are well-separated that I can clearly define it.

Sub-bass has an ample presence that I feel its reverberations and rumbling from sub bass-focus tracks from certain genres like Synth-pop and Hip-Hop. Drum machines, synthesisers and the lowest note of bass guitars are really precise on how I perceive them.

Mid bass seems to have an ample texture into it as it gives a decent amount of body especially on bass guitars, bass kicks and bass-baritones. Bass guitar has this resonant and sombre sound to add more grit and growl, Bass kick has this thudding and sufficient pounding on every kick and last but not the least, bass baritone vocal does have a rich and deeper sound whenever vocalist/singers in this particular vocal range that I've thrown with it.

MIDRANGE:

The midrange of this set is probably the strongest asset. I really like how it handles the vocals of both gender and instruments as if you are an avid reader of my review articles, I am very attentive and meticulous to the midrange quality as I'm a midcentric-neutral listener.  The midrange has this pristine, neutral and ample energy to give a good detail and clean.

Due to an enough warmth that BQEYZ Winter, it gives a sense of texture and note weight on male vocals that tenors and countertenors (either Pavarotti, Freddie Mercury, Prince, Robert Plant) have this strong, brassy and dazzling quality. Female vocals aren't behind either as due to Bone Conduction driver, it gives even more frontal, spacious and energetic even sopranos singers like Mariah Carey, Whitney Houston and Tarja Turunen sounds very captivating, passionate and emotive. Other female vocals I can describe from other types of vocal ranges are euphonic, luscious and sweet. This is the ideal midrange that I really want along with  Dunu SA6 which in my opinion has one of the midrange quality in the midrange segment.

Instruments sound very natural and cohesive that it is quite very versatile to all classes of instruments from percussion to brass ones. I'll start with the string ones. Guitars (acoustics) have this crisp and good presence to give articulation and expression, violins have this vibrant, brilliant and lustrous sound on every bow string movement. Brass like horns and trumpets have this intense, metallic and full sound while trombone (check out a track, A Message To You, Rudy by The Specials) has this brassy and overpowering sound that gives it more intensity. Woodwinds like flute and fife have this bright and penetrating sound, saxophone is quite versatile on this one as it can either be rich to reedy sound depending on sax player preference on their sax tone and timbre. As for percussives, like snares and marimba (th iPhone ringtone) bright, hard and penetrating sound. Piano has this vibrant and lively tone that is quite pleasing to my ears but there some particular listeners specifically treble sensitives might perceive as a bit intense and overpowering on their own liking.

TREBLE:

The treble of BQEYZ Winter seems to be elevated especially on upper mids that give a sufficient shimmer, crisp and detail with smoothness and airiness in presence to the brilliance treble region. With a tad boost on upper mids, it gives a vocals more expressive and well extended  across the frequency range and other instruments like glockenspiel and xylophone a silvery and glistening sound. There are no strident nor harshness but take note of possible borderline sibilance on a few vocal tracks but in most cases it is still well-controlled.

Cymbals have this shimmering and sizzling sound and Hi-hats have that distinctive shortened dry and metallic sound. Due to the Bone conduction driver it gives even more airy and definition that gives off some vibe of high fidelity sound and better harmonic range.

SOUNDSTAGE, IMAGING & OTHER TECHNICALITIES:

Like all BQEYZ products that I have tested before, BQEYZ Winter has retained its typical aspect in which BQEYZ products are known for. A very wide soundstage, good height reach and impressive distance in depth which has a good presentation from the front to back that gives a more spacious and immersive feel on the head stage. It has a very well-proportioned sound field in my opinion.

Imaging is quite accurate as I can able to pinpoint the placement of instruments and vocals with good spacing and gaps on one another. Another aspect that BQEYZ managed to rectify from their previous offerings was its layering aspect  as both dynamic and frequency layering has its distinctive placement and arrangement in the overall sonic canvas. Even with very complex multi-instrumental tracks like movie musical scores like the composition on Danny Elfman and Hans Zimmer and some orchestral classical tracks, BQEYZ Winter can handle effortlessly without any sense of veil or congestion.

With the homogenous sound between dynamic driver and bone conduction driver, the cohesiveness of sound is very outstanding given on how it handles the attack, decay and sustain on the drivers performance on amplitude level.

In resolution capability, it performs a superb mark on both macro-dynamics to have more solid note and micro-detail retrieval which can capture a lot of information from the tracks in which I have some qualms on how it will show some flaws like artefacts and clippings on a poorly-mixed tracks.

As for tonal colour, it has that natural timbre with a tad of shimmer on it that makes the BQEYZ Winter to have a very neutral and yet dynamic tonality.

PEER COMPARISONS:

EMPIRE EARS LEGEND EVO (US$ 3099, £ 2562)

■  As a TOTL IEM with Bone Conduction, Legend Evo has added more drivers like Balanced Armatures. Its bone conduction tech is rather a more full range but gives a more emphasis on bass quality to sound more tactile and authoritative.

■ As for tonality, Legend Evo is more of an L-shaped "neutral" sounding with more warmth and textured compared to more linear, neutral sounding BQEYZ Winter. But the treble region is a bit veiled and less airy compare to Winter's impressive treble quality with more fundamentals and airy.

■ As for technicalities, they are almost similar but imaging and layering is somehow a bit better on Legend Evo (that's what you paid for a better technical capable set) but surprisingly it has lesser soundstage width compared to Winter.

Unique Melody Mason Fusang (US$4588, £ 3,792)

■ Another TOTL IEM with the Bone Conduction on its internal. It has a total of 13 drivers with 12 balanced armature drivers and a bone conduction driver and it is encapsulated in a high quality egger resin shell.

■ When I'm doing some short A-B testing between the Fusang and Winter, I'm quite astounded by their similarities when it comes to tuning. They are both balanced-neutral signatures that have some added warmth and also some kind of that distinct BC reverberations on instruments and vocals which quite sounds life-like but Fusang has an edge on better details and clarity.

■ Even for technical aspects, they still have some similar performance, I still give Fusang a better mark on imaging, layering and separation but in soundstage width and height, BQEYZ Winter surprisingly fares better as there are some instances that Fusang's staging seems to be lacking and a bit intimate and congested in my liking.

Unique Melody Mest MK.II (US$1499, £1239)

■ Mest MK.II is hybrid driver set-up IEM consists of 1 dynamic driver, 4 balanced armature drivers, 2 Sonion electrostatic drivers and 1 BC PZT drivers on each side which has a very interesting implementation.

■ As for tonality, it has a mild U-shaped tuning with a more warmer and smoother sound. Bass seems to be more focus on sub bass rather than midbass, a texture and has tad recession on the midrange and a smoother treble but despite those ESTs, it has less airy treble compare to Winter.

■ Technical performance of Mest MK.II is rather average in its price range to be honest given my exposure to Midrangers to TOTL IEMs. It has a good imaging aspect though but the rest seems lacking, Soundstage width is a bit small in my liking that affects the separation and layering to sound a bit congested.

As I laid my verdict on BQEYZ Winter, how it fares in the current state of the audio market which is getting even more competitive and what will be its status given its newer driver implementation as its selling point. If you are an audio enthusiast who wants an almost Top of the line-level tonal and technical performance but at an affordable price, without batting an eyelid, I will certainly recommend the BQEYZ Winter.

BQEYZ Winter will deliver the very best hybrid driver IEM for its matured tuning and  superb technicalities without cutting corners at a very appealing price offering. The last of the BQEYZ's Season series deserves a proper and honourable closure as among the best IEMs within its price range.

BQEYZ WINTER is now available in both Aliexpress and Lazada in BQEYZ Official Store and it is procurable in 2 colour variants, black and silver white. You can check out the links below.

● LAZADA

● ALIEXPRESS

SPECIFICATION:

MODEL: BQEYZ WINTER

IMPEDANCE: 38Ω

SENSITIVITY: 113dB

FREQUENCY RESPONSE:  5Hz – 40KHz

CABLE LENGTH: 1.2M

PIN TYPE: 2-PIN CONNECTOR (0.78MM)

PLUG TYPE: 3.5mm, 4.4mm

DRIVER UNIT(S): (1) DYNAMIC DRIVER + (1) BONE CONDUCTION DRIVER

PROS:

● Solid-built CNC-milled aluminium alloy.

● Has a high quality stock cable.

● Probably the most affordable and cheapest IEM with a Bone Conduction driver.

● A well-done and cohesive balanced-neutral tuning.

● Impeccable technical capabilities.

● Has the best fitting to all the BQEYZ Season series.

● Precise and clean bass response.

● Clean and expansive midrange.

● Impressive and superb vocal performance.

● It has a definite BC reverb that makes the overall listening experience somewhat new and pleasurable.

● It has a generous amount of high quality inclusions.

● Very detailed and airy treble quality.

CONS:

▽ Not for listeners who wants a rather more coloured and fun sounding set.

▽ Some treble sensitives might have some unpleasant listening experience on upper mids boost.

▽ Needs some tip rolling to experience that BC reverberations.

Some Tracks Tested: ( * = 16-bit FLAC, ** = 24-bit FLAC, *'* = MQA, '*' = DSD, *'= .WAV)

Alison Krauss -When You Say Nothing At All *

Jade Wiedlin - Blue Kiss**

Led Zeppelin - When The Levee Breaks **

Mountain - Mississippi Queen *

Queen - Killer Queen **

Guns N' Roses - Patience *'*

Eric Clapton - Tears in Heaven '*'

Sergio Mendes- Never Gonna Let You Go '*'

Pearl Jam - Daughter **

Roselia - Hidamari Rhodonite *

Assassin - Fight (To Stop The Tyranny)*

Celtic Frost- Visual Aggression *

New Order - Blue Monday *

The Corrs- What Can I do (unplugged version) *

Jimi Hendrix Experience - Voodoo Child *

The Madness- Buggy Trousers *

Metallica - Motorbreath **

Mariah Carey- Always Be My Baby *

Destiny's Child - Say My Name *

Malice Mizer- Au Revoir *

Mozart - Lacrimosa *

New York Philharmonic Orchestra - Dvorak- Symphony 9 " From the New World." *

Eva Cassidy - Fields of Gold (Sting cover)*

Michael Jackson - Give In To Me *

Exciter - Violence and Force *

Diana Krall - Stop This World **

Debbie Gibson - Foolish Beat *'*

The Sisters of Mercy – Lucretia My Reflection**

Suzanne Vega – Luka **

Lauren Christy – Steep *

P.S.

I am not affiliated to BQEYZ nor receive monetary incentives and financial gains as they provide me a review unit for an exchange of factual and sincere feedback from yours truly. 

Once again, I would like to MS. ELLE ZHOU for providing this review unit. I truly appreciate her generosity towards me and other reviewers.