BINARY ACOUSTICS CHOPIN: Worthy Of Its Namesake
"Simplicity is the final achievement. After one has played a vast quantity of notes and more notes, it is simplicity that emerges as the crowning reward of art."
~~Frederic Francois Chopin, Polish composer and pianist during the Romantic Period.
Fryderyk Franciszek or Frederic François Chopin was Polish-French composer and pianist who was well-renowned in 19th-century Europe for his virtuosic talent on pianos and created some of the finest and timeless piano compositions during the Romantic Period like the nocturnes, polonaises and mazurkas. And what I have here is a product named after him from a recently established audio company in China, Binary Acoustics.
Binary Acoustics according to their company info was established around 2017 and they already stated that they will pursue an immersive audio experience on their products. The implementation of high quality parts and components that are available in the portable audio industry will ensure a well-rounded set that will deliver utilitarian, comfortability and well-thought ergonomics as always at their main priority on creating a product along with a well-done tuning that is quite suitable for portable audio enthusiasts.
This is Binary Acoustics Chopin, and it seems that this is their first product release for the international market. It also happens that this is a product collaboration project between them and Gizaudio, a YouTube channel whose content is to publish reviews of some of the latest portable audio products that are currently available on the audio market. Binary Acoustic Chopin is a hybrid driver set-up consisting of a dynamic driver made of cermet and 3 balanced armature drivers.
Cermets (ceramic and metal ) are composite materials which are usually used on electronic components like capacitors and resistors, medical application like dental fillings and implants for hip replacement. It is one of the most important material in the aerospace industry especially on thermal shielding on jet engines and turbine engines on a rocket due to its thermal resistance properties, and it has a high ductility and unsusceptible to corrosion.
It has a tear-drop shaped shell housing with a stainless steel faceplate and a 3D-printed acrylic resin cavity case with 3-way acoustic tubes for better crossover and somehow an improvement on separation of its frequencies. There are two vent holes on this one, the first one is situated at the off-centre at the back of the cavity base and the other one is at the side of the said part. The fitting and comfort on this one is quite comfortable despite its unique design that it sits well in my lugholes without any discomfort and I was able to have a good passive noise isolation from the outside. The Chopin utilises a 0.78mm 2-pin connector as its interlocking mechanism and I also noticed that its receptacle connector has a narrow square-shaped and the port is rather a recessed one. So doing a cable swapping on this one is somehow a bit of a challenge.
Its stock cable is a 4-core silver plated copper wirings and it was twisted to have some kind of resistance against entanglement and it has a 4.4mm balanced termination which you need a DAP or Dongle with this type of jack.
As I unbox this set, the product presentation of The Chopin is somehow unusual as it is quite utilitarian yet well-organised and the quantity of inclusions appears to be sufficient as it is able to have all of this set's basics. Aside from IEM transducers and cable, there are 3 pairs of balanced bore eartips of different standard sizes, one Pelican-like IEM container case, cleaning tool, a tiny pouch and some paperwork.
As for its amplification, The Chopin is quite power efficient as it can be driven with just about a low to medium-level of the device's volume control either from phone, DAP or USB DAC dongle. With its balanced output, it will surely have a complete and full range sound.
Sound quality-wise, The Chopin appears to have a mild U-shaped sound signature that is quite well-balanced and smooth sounding but is not all rainbows and sunshines as there will be some caveats that will hit certain tonal colours on vocals and instruments. This type of tuning actually reminds me of some sets from TANCHJIM or SOFTEARS on lows and some parts of its midrange.
LOWS/BASS:
Bass response on this one is rather punchy and quite rumbly as it focuses more on sub bass presence than mid bass part. Midbass appears to have fairly ample note weight as it gives a rasping sound on both bass guitar and double bass, a rumbling and menacing sound of bass kick drums. And then, I also noticed that some bass-baritone vocals are quite lacking in depth and texture to give a more guttural sound but it has clean bass after all.
MIDRANGE:
On this part of frequency range, midrange presentation has a balanced texture on its note weight, almost neutral and quite transparent, As it sound good on some female vocals like mezzo-sopranos to sopranos seems to have a sweet and pleasant voice quality but on coloratura and lyric type of sopranos, they lack of intensity and energy to execute a florid passage to project their vocal flexibility. On male vocals, baritones and tenors along with some female vocals like contraltos sounds a bit milder and lighter on their usual timbre which should have a lush, rich and deeper tone. Strings like guitars have rather balanced to "buttery" sounding as they sound less crisper and bright while violins have a rather lustrous and soft sounding. Some percussives and brass instruments somehow sound pretty balanced and on the natural side of tonality.
Since the namesake of this model is dedicated to Poland's greatest virtuoso pianist and composer during the Romantic period, Fryderyk Chopin, and to see if this set plays well on pianos. It appears that this set harmoniously sounds very even and well-balanced to give a clear and pleasant tone on some piano tracks that I've tested on this one
Tracks Tested:
● Nocturne Op.09 No.2
● Fantasie Improptu Op.66
● Mazurkas Op.68 No.4
HIGHS/TREBLE:
Treble response in this one has a smooth and balanced sound, that it is less susceptible to sibilance and harshness and while it has a sufficient sparkle but I also noticed that its treble air is rather modest in my opinion. It has soughing and undulating with less sizzle on its cymbals as my ideal cymbals timbre should sound at least shimmering and bright with a good amount of sizzle.
OVERALL TECHNICAL PERFORMANCE:
In terms of technical performance, it has an above average sound/speaker stage as it has well-proportioned sound field dimensions on both lateral and perpendicular axes. Imaging projection is more of a concave-like presentation with good separation and layering capabilities. Cohesion of its hybrid drivers is commendable as its cermet dynamic driver was able to deliver a fast transient speed while its BAs are able to deliver a good clarity without any unwarranted resonance and sounds less metallic. Resolution capability on this one is rather decent as it has good macro-dynamics and is capable enough to retrieve some details and nuances on its given note texture.
PEER COMPARISONS:
TANGZU FU DU VERSE 1
● Like The Chopin, this set is also of hybrid driver configuration and its shell chassis are also made of resin moulded via 3D-printing technology and metal alloy faceplate. The difference between them is that The FU DU has a better stock ear tips along with a premium Divinus Velvet Ear tips and better quality stock cable while The Chopin has more durable IEM container case and has a unique form factor of its shell chassis.
● On tonal quality, FU DU has a U-shaped, "balanced-warmish" sound profile that gives it more of an analogue-type of sound. It has a more punchy and authoritative bass response to point it's has borderline boomy response, a tad warmer but a tad recessed on its midrange but at least the majority of male vocals and some female vocals like the contralto have a more natural and more correct timbre but mezzo-sopranos and sopranos vocals, The Chopin will sound more better. As for treble quality, as both have pleasantly smooth and balanced responses but the FU DU is a bit darker compared to The Chopin as the latter have more shimmer and clarity.
● When it comes to technical performance, FU DU has a narrower sound/speaker stage, a two-dimensional stereo imaging and rather average layering as it struggles a bit on multi-instrumental test tracks that I usually listen to for sound checking. But at least, it has a more solid macro-dynamics.
CVJ MEI
● Another set that is also comparable to The Chopin as it also has a hybrid driver configuration. But the MEI has an all metal build construction, a Knowles BA driver and tuning switches that makes it more versatile and will offer more sound profile options. As for product packaging and quality of accessories, The Mei is way more inferior in this one compared to The Chopin.
● As for its tonality, due to the tuning switches, MEI offers 4 types of sound profiles, and all of them are aligned with V-shaped to U-shaped sound signatures. But I will do a comparison mostly in 1 DD + 1 Knowles BA setting as it is my preferred sound profile in which I consider as a mature tuning. Both have similar bass response as the MEI has a punchy and quite rumbly on sub-bass. The on the midrange, the MEI will fare better in all types of male vocals and female vocals like contraltos and mezzo-sopranos as they sound more organic with a right amount of texture but on sopranos, most percussives and woodwind instruments, The Chopin will win on this one as they have a tad more sparkle, crisper and proper energy to project those females vocals in a very natural and more open-sounding compare to the MEI.
● As for technical capabilities, it appears the MEI is quite competent in this regard as it has an average to above average of projecting its stereo imaging along with its perceived dimensions of its sound field, good cohesive performance of its drivers and fairly proficient on projecting resolution capabilities. But The Chopin was able to outclass it with better spatial imaging, more spacious sound/speaker size and better separation and layering capabilities.
To summarise my review on this set. The Binary Acoustics' first creation appears to deliver a product that possesses a well-balanced sound with good technical capabilities that an audio enthusiast should be aware of its entry to the even more competitive portable audio market. I have some optimism about this set that it will be the most appealing and competitive one if the price is right.
BINARY ACOUSTICS CHOPIN is exclusively available at HIFIGO, If you are interested in purchasing this set, you can check out the unaffiliated link later down below.
★★BINARY ACOUSTIC CHOPIN - HIFIGO★★
★★BINARY ACOUSTIC CHOPIN - ALIEXPRESS★★
★★BINARY ACOUSTIC CHOPIN - AMAZON★★
★★BINARY ACOUSTIC CHOPIN - AMAZON.JP★★
SPECIFICATION:
MODEL: BINARY AUDIO CHOPIN
IMPEDANCE: 12Ω
SENSITIVITY: 122dB
FREQUENCY RESPONSE: 5Hz – 20KHz
CABLE LENGTH: 1.2M
PIN TYPE: 2-PIN CONNECTOR (0.78MM)
PLUG TYPE: 4.4mm Balanced
DRIVER UNIT(S): (1) DYNAMIC DRIVER + (3) BALANCED ARMATURE DRIVER(S)
PROS:
△ A unique design of its composite shell chassis.
△ Surprisingly, It has an ergonomic design as its shell's contours rests well into my lug holes.
△ Perhaps a decent quality stock cable.
△ Unusual product packaging that presents a different unboxing experience.
△ Pelican-like IEM Case for better protection.
△ Easy to drive.
△ Well-done mild U-shaped tuning.
△ Smooth and balanced sounding.
△ Eloquently well-balanced bass response.
△ Appears to be versatile to the majority of vocals types particular on female ones.
△ Somehow it has clean midrange.
△ Regardless of its treble response, it has an even and smooth sound
△ Quite competent on its overall technical capabilities.
△ Less susceptible to stridency and sibilance.
△ Surely, a good recommendation for most treble-sensitive folk.
△ CONS:
▽ Somewhat less texture and depth on majority of male vocals and some instruments.
▽ A bit sterile and less vivid sounding in some tracks especially on lows to midrange frequency. (Just my nitpick)
▽ Some sopranos vocals seems to have a tad lethargic sound.
▽ Only 4.4mm termination plug available, if your audio sources is usually a smartphone then you need to spend another dosh on USB dongles with exact termination balanced port.
▽ Treble air is rather modest in which I consider it as inadequate.
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 *
Ottoman Mehter - Hucum Marsi *
Diana Damrau - Mozart: Die Zauberflöte*
Type O Negative - Black No.1 *
Felix Ayo - Vivaldi: Presto **
Three Tenors - Nessum Dorma *
Mercyful Fate - Witches' Dance *
P.S.
I am not affiliated to BINARY ACOUSTICS nor receive any monetary incentives and financial gains from them as they provide me a review unit for an exchange of factual and sincere feedback from yours truly.
Once again, I would like to send my gratitude to LVY YAN of HIFIGO TEAM for providing this review unit. I truly appreciate their generosity and trust towards me and other reviewers.
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