BINARY AUDIO DYNAQUATTRO: Formidable Quad Driver Cast

"For The Omnissiah!"

~~Adeptus Mechanicus creed

Binary Audio is one of the newly-established audio companies in China and the first model they released for the international market was a collaboration with Gizaudio, The Chopin. The Chopin is a hybrid driver IEM with unusual shell chassis design but it was  fully-packed with accessories.

And now what I have here is their latest unit model, the Dynaquattro. The Dynaquattro seems to be a portmanteau of dynamic or dynamic driver and quattro or four that corresponds with the driver technology and its quantity that were implemented inside. To make it more clear, this set has triple dynamic drivers with different diameter sizes like 10mm for bass, 8mm for midrange and 6.8mm for treble that each of the drivers assigned to a specific frequency section and the other driver type is a 6mm passive radiator which is used to trap some sound pressures generated by its three dynamic drivers to stimulate more resonance on low-pitched instrumental lines. All dynamic drivers have its own different material composition as the 10mm one has dual-chambered magnetic structure with a titanium coating on its silicone, the 8mm has a composite cermet diaphragm which is known for hardness, tensile strength and resistance to oxidation and the last one is 6mm which has high-grade aluminium diaphragm for enhancing treble extension.

All of the three drivers were connected into three-way passive crossover acoustic tubes for a more coherent, rich and well-separated sonic quality, and also, Binary Audio claims that it utilises the construction of the drivers aided with Klippel precision system for accurate vibration response. It was encapsulated in a UIEM-type composite shell chassis consisting of resin in the cavity base and CNC-milled aluminium alloy faceplate with cogs and gear motif on its design which reminds me of a certain faction in my favourite sci-fi lore, Warhammer 40k. This set uses a proven 0.78mm bi-pin connector as its interlocking mechanism for its detachable cable.

Its stock cable has a 4-core oxygen-free silver plated copper with PVC insulator coating on each strand as it has a modular feature on its termination plug in which we can interchange it with either 3.5mm single ended or 4.4mm balanced plugs. The cable is quite on the stiffer side but it has a good resistance against entanglement and not hint of microphonics.

While its shell size seems to be in a larger profile, to my surprise, it offers a good comfortable fitting and comfort into my lugholes with any discomfort. It also offers an excellent passive noise isolation that it manages to block some unwanted external noises from the outside.

The product packaging of this one is quite well-presented on its presentation with some gears and cogs theme to add some steampunk vibe on it.

The Dynaquattro is fully packed with assortment  and inclusions to be used for listening session either for casual or professional use, and here are the following contents:

● Pair of BINARY Dynaquattro IEM transducers

● Modular stock cable with a detachable 3.5mm single-ended termination plug.

● 4.4mm balanced termination plug.

● Pelican-like storage case

● Ear tips case

● Three (3) pairs of balanced bore long stem silicone ear tips in different standard sizes.

● Three (3) pairs of balanced bore shorter stem silicone ear tips in different standard sizes.

● User's manual

This set is actually relatively hard to drive. We really need a device that can deliver a medium or high gain on its power output like dongles, DAPs and even desktop DAC amplifiers. This is one of the sets that I've encountered that demands quite a lot of power for a dynamic driver set either in single or multiple configurations. (This one somehow reminds me with my experience on RHA CL1 from the last decade)

It appears that Dynaquattro has a U-shaped sound profile that all frequency parts are presented on its overall sound spectrum and also sounds pretty well-balanced as it has some proper emphasis of lows and high frequencies.

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

LOWS/BASS:

It seems that it has more sub bass presence on its overall bass response but its mid bass also has a satisfying texture to give a punchy and vividness on the note weight on bass-centric instruments and deep male vocals like bass and bass-baritones while maintaining a clean and well-controlled bass response.

Bass guitars have a resonant and raspy sound while bass kick drums have a sustaining and thudding sound on every stroke, and then on bass and bass-baritone vocals, while it might be lacking in terms of fullness but it has dark tone, ample volume and deep resonance as we will hear clearly its vibrato.

MIDRANGE:

The midrange is a bit recessed on its overall presentation but it has an ample warmth for vocals and instruments to sound more natural, articulate and detailed with a tad of energy for a lively and vibrant sound on female vocals, strings, woodwinds and some percussives.

This one is quite remarkable for its vocal flexibility that is able to give a nearly correct timbre and tonality for each vocal type. On male vocals, baritones have ample lush and smoothness on their voices while tenors have clear and a tad brassy on them, and countertenors have emotive and tender vocal characteristics. As for female vocals, contraltos have rich and sufficient plushiness from their distinctive chesty vocals, mezzo-sopranos have sweet and tender on their voices and lastly, the sopranos have a liveliness on their vocals as they sound shining and silky.

As for instruments, on string instruments, guitars have balanced with some crispness on its tone, violins have vibrant and eloquent sound on every motion on its bowstrings and cellos have that stately and lively sound on them. When it comes to woodwinds, piccolos have graceful and light sound, concert flutes have rich and silvery sound, clarinets have rich and melodic sound and saxophones have a velvety and sonorous sound on them. Brasses like trumpets, trombones and horns have a brassy, full and intense sound respectively. On percussion, tom-toms have ample warmth and resonant sound while snare drums have hard, clear and penetrating sound on hitting their drum heads. Tenor drums have the full and sonority of its sound profile and kettledrums have a deep and resonant sound. Pianos appears to have an balanced and even tone as it sounds well-balanced as it articulates its notation with a consistent rich, sweet and clear sound.

HIGHS/TREBLE:

In my opinion, this set is a bit on the brighter side of tuning but it doesn't sound aggressive that some treble-sensitives might frown upon. It has a crisp and some proper elevation on the upper mids and presence treble enough to give a note definition and clarity on vocals and attack of both rhythmic and percussive instruments while maintaining a good controlled on sibilance and shrill, and also it doesn't any unnecessary overboosting in the presence part of this frequency that might give some harshness.

For an all-DD set, it is able to convey a sufficient intensity of its sparkle and a moderate airy extension on its brilliance section. All treble-clef instruments will have a sufficient gleam, sheen and clear tone on their respective tonal colour like cymbals, hi-hats, glockenspiels and celestas.

OVERALL TECHNICAL ASPECTS:

This set is able to project an above-average sound field dimension with a moderate width on its lateral span, good height reach and seemingly an immersive depth. It somehow gives me a moderately spacious head stage with my aural perception.

Stereo imaging presents an atmospheric-like presentation with some good layers of dynamic and frequency tones from instruments and vocals on each section as it has good separation on each of them that I can locate its positioning at almost the pinpoint for an all dynamic driver set-up IEM. Playing complex multi-instrumental tracks will be easy-peasy on this one.

There's a remarkable cohesion of its three dynamic drivers and a passive radiator in terms of transducers performance as they deliver a quick transient response without any incoherences like uncontrollable resonance and distortion. And the passive radiator appears to add more depth and darker tone on low frequency. It has competent resolution capabilities as it has solid macro-dynamics and an acceptable micro-detail retrieval as it somehow extracts some nuances and subtleties of information from an audio track.

PEER COMPARISONS:

LETSHUOER DZ4

• It had a similar driver configuration with the Dynaquattro but it uses a smaller yet uniform dynamic driver.
• It offers more variety of ear tips to be used.
• A stock cable with modular features.
• Easier to drive.
• The tuning on this one is more neutral sounding
• Tighter and precise bass response
• Neutral, smooth and more transparent midrange.
• More smoother and a bit darker treble response compared to the Dynaquattro
• It has a similar technical performance although it has less resolving micro-detail capability than the Dynaquattro.

As I conclude my review on this set, this latest Binary Audio product really impresses me on how it delivers a well-balanced, dynamic, methodical and yet quite a musical sound that I really enjoy some of its proper colouration of its tuning. While its power output might be bothersome to some budget-conscious audio enthusiasts as they will invest more on better devices that can deliver an optimal performance on its sonics, but pairing it to a proper device will show the full capabilities of the tonal quality of this set as we will be fully-satisfied with its sound performance.

Binary Audio put some effort as it meticulously designed and crafted this IEM that will be acceptable to the discerning ears of the audio enthusiasts in the audio community and it appears that they are succeeding on their goals for this set.

Binary Dynaquattro is exclusively available on HIFIGO, you can visit their official site for more information about this product.

LINK: https://hifigo.com/products/binary-dynaquattro

Also check out my previous Binary Audio product review on Head-Fi, the Binary Audio Chopin.

SPECIFICATION:

MODEL: BINARY AUDIO DYNAQUATTRO

IMPEDANCE: 23Ω

SENSITIVITY: 111dB

FREQUENCY RESPONSE: 20Hz - 20kHz

CABLE LENGTH: 1.2m

PIN TYPE: 2-PIN CONNECTOR

PLUG TYPE: (MODULAR) 3.5mm, 4.4mm

DRIVER UNIT(S): 3 DYNAMIC DRIVER(S) + 1 PASSIVE RADIATOR

PROS:

● Solid and well-constructed composite shell structure.

●  Its composite shell's ergonomic design offers an excellent fitting

● Gears and cogs theme for steampunk genre lovers

● That passive diaphragm/radiator really adds some deep resonating basslines and darker tone.

● Fully-packed with inclusions.

● Sturdy Pelican-like storage case.

● Modular stock cable.

● A likeable tuning with some proper colouration.

● Quite versatile in almost type of vocals.

● Zestful yet balanced sounding bass response.

● Sufficiently textured midrange with an ample warmth while it had some energy and vividness.

● It has almost natural sound on its instruments’ timbre and tonality.

● Properly shimmery and bright treble response with good airy extension for an all-DD set.

● It has competent technical capabilities for an all dynamic driver set-up IEM.

CONS:

● Hard to drive as it needs a better device that can deliver a more power output.

● Not for bassheads as it does not have an authoritative and boomy bass response.

● Wishing for another variety of ear tips to choose from.

● Its faceplate design might be less appealing to some audio enthusiasts with minimalist taste.

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*

P.S.

I am not affiliated to BINARY AUDIO nor receive any 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 HIFIGO especially to MS. ALICE XIE and MS. YUMU SONG for providing this review unit. I truly appreciate their generosity and trust towards me and other reviewers.