SHOZY P20: Rich, Luscious Sounding Set

As a long time audio enthusiast, SHOZY is a familiar audio brand to me as I'm acquainted with their previous collaboration with Advanced AcousticWerkes which is a Singaporean audio brand on their HIBIKI models. I actually like the HIBIKI Mk.II as it aligns with one of my tonal references which is midcentric tuning. That's why I'm excited to do a review on this product as this is my first review on a SHOZY product.

SHOZY is a Chinese audio brand which is also registered in Hong Kong which specialises mainly on IEMs but it also releases some TWS and DAC/Amps. What I have here right now is their latest model for this year.

This is SHOZY P20 and it has a single driver configuration. The driver that was implemented here is a 14.5mm planar magnetic driver which is known to deliver a clear, clean and crisp sound reproduction and excellent clarity in its resolution with strong technical performance at the expense of better power output just to have an optimal performance. Again as I explained about the simple mechanism on planar magnetic, it has a diaphragm that has wafer-like structure with a series of wirings running through it and it was placed and suspended between the layers of magnets which reacts via electromagnetic signal output which makes them more sensitive.

Then the planar magnetic driver is encased in quite solid aluminium alloy shell structure in it which underwent a sandblasting process to give that brushed metallic surface with a laser-etched geometric design on its faceplate. The shell chassis is large as it accommodates its large driver and its outline contours remind of a certain moon phase, Waxing Gibbous phase. It uses a proven 0.78mm 2-pin connector as its interlocking mechanism.

As for its stock cable, it has 2-core OFC silver plated copper wiring that are insulated with a clear PVC coating and then it was twisted and its overall build is quite lean and susceptible to entanglement. It has 3.5mm SE on its termination plug but you can choose a 4.4mm balanced as an option if you are planning to purchase this set in online vendors in your preferred e-commerce platform.

On how this one fits to my lugholes, it seems that despite its large size, it looks nifty and quite comfortable to wear for a long listening session. It offers some good passive noise isolation as it was able to block some unwanted external noises from the outside.

The product packaging and presentation of this set is quite minimalist on how it was packed in a rather compact-size box and its contents inside are quite meagre for its intended price range in my opinion.

Here are the following contents inside of its packaging box:

• Pair of SHOZY P20 IEM transducers
• Stock cable
• Rounded edge rectangular storage case.
• 3 pairs of black coloured balanced bore silicone ear tips in different standard sizes.
• 3 pairs of black coloured wide bore silicone ear tips in different standard sizes.

When it comes to power scaling and amplification, due to its planar magnetic configuration, we will usually assume that it is harder to drive compared to some sets with dynamic drivers or balanced armature drivers. But to my surprise, this set is one of the easiest to drive sets for a planar magnetic driver out there which reminds me of a set with similar less power output requirement. Although to have an optimal performance, you still need devices with good power output delivery as you will notice the sonic performance from a normal gain mode to a bit higher gain output.

As for tonality, it seems the SHOZY P20 has a mild U-shaped sound profile as it has quite a bit more emphasis on lows and in the ultra high frequency range while the midrange has some proper texture on it.

(Graph measurement was provided by [USER=516219]@baskingshark[/USER] , credits to his effort)

LOWS/BASS:

There are few exceptional planar magnetic sets in terms of the bass quantity and quality and this set is one of them. It has authority and slam on it with a good rumbling on its bass response. It appears that while it has good sub-bass presence that I felt rumble and reverberation that were generated from instruments like octabasses, low tone bass guitars, synthesisers and drum machines.

Evidently, the texturing of the mid-bass is the one who delivers a seemingly tactile bass response as it gives more note weight on bass-focus instruments and male vocals. Bass guitars have a weighty, dark and earthy sound om every pluck on its strings, bass kick drums have full, resonant and thunderous sound on every hit on its drumhead, and male vocals types like bass and bass-baritones have its fullness, depth and dark tone that give those gravelly, voluminous and wobbly sound on their voices. It is noticeable that there are some slight mid-bass bleeds that smudges a bit on the midrange.

MIDRANGE:

Due to some slight bass smearing, it gives a more warmth, lustre and a well-textured midrange presentation although it remains to sound more articulate that will be more beneficial on male vocals, brasses and some percussion instruments. To think that this one is a planar magnetic set, this one is one of the most natural sounding sets in terms of tonal colour but in some instances, it has that planar sheen with some tinniness and energetic timbre.

Male vocals appear to sound more life-like as it has a depth, texture and volume for all types. Baritones have lush, warm and smooth sound on them that light and lyric type of baritone has a delicate, sweet and mild sound on them while a deeper ones like kavalier baritones, verdi baritones and dramatic baritones have those cold, harsher and fuller sound respectively. Tenors have those brassy and ringing characteristics as I clearly notice it on lyric and spinto types as it gives a warm. heft and emotive sound. Countertenors have mild, tender and graceful vocals from them. When it comes to female vocals, contraltos are almost utterly depicted in the most realistic manner in terms of sheer tone and timbre as it has the rich, plush and smoky sound, contraltos seems to have tender, coppery and musky sound of their voices with their distinctive lush tone and strong emphasis on low to middle voices that makes them euphonic and insouciant to listen to. On sopranos, the way on how this set was tuned, it apparently favours more on sopranos with either lyric, spinto and dramatic voice types as it sounds a bit warm, rich and expressive vocals than soubrette and coloratura types which needs more energetic and bright tuning.

As for instruments, on strings ones, guitars have meaty, warmer and bloom sound on every pluck of its string notes while violins have a full, sweet and lustrous sound on every motion on its bow strings. Woodwinds like piccolos, concert flutes, clarinets and saxophones,  they sound a bit dull, hollow, rich and warm correspondingly on each order of instruments that are mentioned. On percussives, a warm, full-bodied and resonant sound in both tom-toms and field drums, a hard and somewhat precise snare drum strokes and a velvety and booming sound on kettledrums. Then on brass instruments, trumpets have substantial, sonorous and rounded on them while trombones have overpowering and full sound and then, horns have resounding and full sound that gives more a contrasting sound and tone to some woodwinds and string instruments on the orchestra ensemble. Pianos have that warm and full sound that reminds me of some antique European grand pianos.

HIGHS/TREBLE:

The treble response is quite well-balanced, smooth that gives a less brighter sound that some might perceive as a bit dark in their liking. There is a small degree of elevation on the upper mids and presence part of the treble region just to give a sustaining presence on female vocals and attack of instruments that doesn't overly boost that it might cause some piercingly sharp or bellowing female vocals. With this type of treble response, there are some slight repercussions on this one like sacrificing clarity and detail definition for the sake of a long listening session without suffering a listening fatigue.

There's a good presence of air as it extends well in the brilliance part of the treble region. Cymbals strikes have an undulating and lustrous sound while hi-hats have its typical short buzzing sound on them. Celestas have velvety and mellow sound and then glockenspiels have lustrous and bell-like sound on them either on keyboard-type or mallet-type ones.

SOUNDSTAGE, IMAGING AND OTHER TECHNICALITIES:

Among the planar sets that I've tested so far, this set is considered to have an above-average in terms of technical performance, it has an above average width on its sound field, a decent height ceiling and somehow a good depth reach. Overall, it gives me that less spacious but not too narrow head stage within my aural sphere as it projects a rather intimate listening experience.

On its stereo imaging, it has a quite concave-like presentation in which I can locate the placement of instruments and vocals in decently layered soundscape with good separation on them but I noticed that in some complex tracks, it does struggle a bit. As for driver coherency, it seems that due to how it was tuned, the transient speed of its performance is rather a bit sluggish compared to some planar magnetic drivers that I've tested so far but atleast, I don't encounter any distortion at all.

On resolution capabilities,it has a strong suit on macro-dynamics on how it shows a solidity of note weight on some instruments depending on the compression of certain tracks. And it seems that it has a less defined micro-detail retrieval as it barely extracts some fine details and nuances from an audio track.

PEER COMPARISONS:

KEFINE KLANAR

• KEFINE's first product release and it is also a planar magnetic dynamic driver with similar size with the P20's although it also has a solid aluminium shell chassis but it has a more compact design. It also has a better and thicker stock cable which makes this set even more compelling.
• As for tonality, the KLANAR has a more V-shaped sound signature as noticed with its more recessed midrange presentation when it compares to P20. It also has a punchy bass response, a slightly warm and yet energetic midrange quality and a smooth treble response but less in brilliance air extension.
• Regarding its technical aspects, the KLANAR's overall performance are quite similar with P20 from sound/speaker stage, stereo imaging and coherency. On resolving aspects, it has more refined and sharper micro-detail retrieval.

NICEHCK F1 PRO

• Another contender in the current planar magnetic IEM market. It also has an aluminium alloy shell in a teardrop design. In terms of the quantity of accessories, It offers more choices of ear tips and better quality stock cable..well NICEHCK, a well-known cable maker.
• Regarding its sound profile, F1 PRO has a V-shaped which has quite coloured tonality, it has more subbass presence and bit hollowed midbass, a noticeable recessed midrange presentation and bright treble response. Compared to P20, this set is somewhat susceptible to mild sibilance and a tad shrilly on some female vocals that might be an issue to treble-sensitive folk.
• As for technical performance, it is quite similar to the P20 in most aspects like sound/speaker stage size, stereo imaging and coherency, but it is more refined on layering and separation and has a sharper micro-detail definition. In terms of power out requirement, this set demands more power output than the P20.

LETSHUOER S12 PRO

• LETSHUOER's one of the most popular sets and like the P20, it has similar size planar magnetic and also encased in a medium-size metal shell. Compared to P20, this one is more accessorised as it has a better stock cable with modular features and more ear tips to choose from.
• S12 PRO has a U-shaped sound signature as it has more prominent subbass, a decent midbass texture enough to give a sufficient punchiness, a bright, crisp and energetic midrange and treble response. Unlike the P20, due to its energetic and gleaming nature, it is prone to slight sibilance.
• As for technicalities, it seems that S12 PRO has a bit wider sound/speaker stage, a concave-like stereo presentation, a tad better separation and layering, and also more resolving if it will be compared to P20.

HIDIZS MP145

• Currently, this set is considered as the “overlord” of the planar sets in under $200 as it received some accolades and respect to some audio enthusiasts alike. It uses a similar size of planar magnetic driver and it was encapsulated in a rather huge, whale-inspired solid metal structure. It also has a detachable nozzle system that makes the set more versatile to change some specific tuning and also, this set has more inclusions of accessories and better stock cable too.
• When it comes to its tonal aspect, MP145 has three sound profiles to offer as I mentioned its detachable nozzle system that makes this set more of an all-rounder. It offers from L-shaped sound up to a bright U-shaped sound signature. It has similar bass response, a comparable midrange and treble characteristics in some other tuning nozzle filters of this set if compared to P20 in case to case basis.
• As for technical performance, MP145 has a wider soundstage size in some tuning nozzle filter settings, similar stereo imaging, a bit better on layering and separation of instruments and vocals, and has a sharper micro-detail retrieval capability over the P20.

To put a conclusion on this product review, it seems that SHOZY is trying to differentiate from its competitors in terms of tuning as it tries to implement their usual in-house tuning on planar magnetic driver configuration ser which is a distinctively a balanced-warmish sound. For sure that there are some  noticeable changes due to the characteristics  itself it gives some “planar sheen” timbre on its overall tonality.

This is one of the few planar sets that I could certainly recommend if someone's looking for a musicality type of tuning that gives a more relaxed, casual and engaging listening experience for both casual and experienced audio enthusiast alike.

SHOZY P20 is now available at LINSOUL, check out the unaffiliated link below if you have an intent to purchase this set.

★★SHOZY P20 - LINSOUL★★

SPECIFICATION:

MODEL: SHOZY P20

IMPEDANCE: 30Ω

SENSITIVITY: 105dB

FREQUENCY RESPONSE: 5Hz – 40KHz

CABLE LENGTH: 1.2m

PIN TYPE: 2-PIN TYPE CONNECTOR

PLUG TYPE: 4.4mm

DRIVER UNIT(S):  (1) PLANAR DRIVER

PROS:

● Solid, high quality shell structure.

● Surprisingly, despite its size, it can give a good fitting to medium ear size.

● Somehow well-accessorised as it has good quality storage case and two types of ear tips to choose from.

● For a planar magnetic set, this is one of the easiest to drive among all planar sets available in the market.

● Warm and musical tonality

● Tactile, authoritative bass response for a planar set.

● Warm, lush and smooth midrange presentation.

● Appealing to listener who loves most type of male vocals and contraltos

● Smooth yet airy treble presentation.

● Solid macro-dynamics

● One of the few sets that have less “planar glint and energetic” timbre on its entirety of its tuning.

CONS:

● Non-competitive stock cable for its asking price.

● Well, planars…you still need a better power output on this to deliver that optimal sound quality.

● Not for neutral heads.

● With the existing of even more competitive pricing planar sets around, it will be a tough battle ahead for this set.

● Not the most technical sounding planar set that I've tested.

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 SHOZY  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 send my gratitude to MS. KAREENA TANG of LINSOUL for providing this review unit. I truly appreciate her generosity and trust towards me and other reviewers.