7HZ FIVE: Penta Dynamic Driver Madness

7Hz just released a new IEM earphone that has some unusual driver set-up. This audio company put up some interesting products in the audio market for this year alone from ultra budget-level like the 7Hz AERO up to the midrange hybrid model, The 7Hz AURORA in which these sets have some strong assets that each of the model has an appealing factor to different strata of audio enthusiasts.

The product that will be featured here is a set with a penta-driver layout inside and will be priced at over US$100/£70. This is 7Hz FIVE, and as it was implied on its model name, it has 5 drivers implemented on its interior per side.

Interestingly, the drivers that were implemented are not of hybrid driver configuration but rather of the same driver technology which is a proven and tested one, dynamic driver. The dynamic driver technology that was implemented here are micro variant ones which have a smaller diameter of 6mm which are also found on other sets too that are usually used to handle on certain frequency sections. Each driver has its own acoustic tube inside and all of them were regulated by an electronic crossover made from imported electronic components to ensure better separation and exceptional clarity and a harmonious coherency of its overall frequency range.

Then, the drivers were encased in a composite shell chassis which is a modified UIEM-type format. The cavity base part is made of resin material while its faceplate panel is an aluminium alloy with diagonal patterns on its sand-blasted surface. Like almost all  IEMs, this one has an interchangeable feature for its detachable cable and it utilises a 0.78mm bi-pin connector as its interlocking mechanism.

The stock cable of this one is quite unique as it has a 4-core design arrayed in a flat parallel structure which is composed of oxygen-free silver plated copper that was insulated with PVC shielding. The cable itself is quite supple, flexible and has some resistance against entanglement and it doesn't produce any microphonic effects. On its termination plug, it uses a standard 3.5mm single end with some quirky design of its termination jacket which is made of metal alloy and PVC material.

Regarding its wearability, while the shell sizes are on the medium size, it still offers a comfortable fitting into my medium-sized Asian lugholes and pairing it to any stock ear tips that were included inside(custom 7Hz barrel ear tips have actually become one of my favourite ear tips). It offers a commendable sealing as it provides me with excellent passive noise isolation as it is able to block external noises from the outside.

The product packaging of this one looks neat of its overall presentation with its medium-sized packaging box with some pictures and basic information regarding this set and it is fairly well-accessorised with inclusions.

These are the following contents inside of its packaging box:

• Pair of 7Hz FIVE IEM transducers
• Stock cable
• Rounded square rubberised storage case.
• 3 pairs of 7Hz H07 silicone ear tips in different standard sizes.
• 3 pairs of 7Hz exclusive custom barrel-type ear tips in different standard sizes.
• 2 pairs of spare nozzle filters.
• 2 pairs of spare nozzle grills.
• User's manual

On power scaling, with five dynamic drivers, the 7Hz FIVE can be driven by typical modern portable devices like smartphones and tablets at barely optimal performance but pairing it with sources like headphone DAC/Amplifier dongles and DAPs will deliver a fuller and even more dynamic sound that truly shows its full sonic performance.

The 7Hz FIVE has a U to V-shaped sound profile (depends on choice of ear tips) which has a coloured and a warm tonality. It has more emphasis on low and high frequencies and a notched midrange presentation.

(FR graph was provided by [USER=516219]@baskingshark[/USER] , credits to him)

LOWS/BASS:

Overall, the bass response of this one is more focused on the mid-bass texture than sub-bass presence as it delivers a borderline boomy, slam and zest sound. This type of bass response will deliver an authoritative, depth and robustness on bass-clef instruments and male vocals.

Seemingly that sub-bass presence is fairly felt with rumbling and reverberation generated by some sub bass-centred instruments like synthesisers, drum machines and low tuned bass guitars and double basses. A well-textured mid bass conveys a good density on its note weight that affects the tonal colour of some instruments and also vocals, particularly on deep and low octave male vocals but there are some drawbacks as it tends to bleed towards the midrange frequency occasionally. Bass guitars have a broad and rasping sound while the double basses have these weighty and earthy sounds, and bass kick drums sound full and thunderous. On male vocals, basses have those deep resonating sounds with a dark tone and fullness on their voices while bass-baritones have some fullness, warm and dark timbre as they sound a bit woolly.

MIDRANGE:

The midrange of this one definitely has a recessed presentation but due to the mid bass smudge, it adds some warmth to add more weight and texture on male vocals while retaining an energetic sound which will add some vividness and lucidity on female vocals and some instruments.

On male vocals, baritones have some smooth and warm sound while tenors have brassy and a tad spiciness on their voices, countertenors seem to have emotive and at the same time, softness on their vocals. The female vocals like contraltos, mezzo-sopranos and sopranos, the contraltos have a sultry and chesty vocals as they sound rich and plush, mezzo-sopranos have a fiery and expressive sound on their vocals, and the last but not the least, sopranos have a shimmering and shining sound on their vocals in which somehow suits well with coloratura and lyric soprano-types.

And now for instruments, strings like guitars, cellos and violins, they sound growling, vibrant and lively respectively while on woodwinds, piccolos sound brilliant, concert flutes sound mellow, clarinets sound a bit warm and saxophones have a reedy sound on them. Regarding the brasses like trumpets, trombones and horns, correspondingly they sound full, sinister and robust with dark tonal colour on them. As for percussives, tom-toms have a warm and resonant sound, snare drums sound hard and penetrating, field drums have a tad booming sound and kettledrums have deep and booming sound.

Meanwhile, the pianos sound more balanced as they have a  rich, sweet and clear tone on them.

HIGHS/TREBLE:

The 7Hz FIVE treble response is evidently on the brighter side of tuning as it has a scintillating and lively sound on them. This will certainly heighten a sense of crisp, clarity and definition on vocals and attack of instruments while maintaining some control not to sound harsh, piercing and shrilly although I noticed some slight sibilance a bit but only if I played some sibilant-laden tracks at incremental volume level between moderate and high volume steps.

The brilliance section has a moderate airy extension which is quite impressive for a set fitted with a micro dynamic driver and it has an intense sparkle on it. Cymbals sound bright while hi-hats have a short buzzing sound, and then glockenspiels sound glistening and striking and celestas sound sweet and velvety.

SOUNDSTAGE, IMAGING AND OTHER TECHNICALITIES:

The perceived sound/speaker size of this one is moderately roomy enough as it has an above-average width on its lateral span, good height reach and a desirable depth. Its stereo imaging projects a concave-like presentation with a well-layered soundscape with a satisfactory separation on them that I could locate the position of certain instruments and vocals that listening to an orchestra or jazz tracks are pleasant enough in terms of playback.

The cohesion of its multi-dynamic driver is remarkable in that these drivers deliver a fast transient response without any distortion at all. This set is fairly resolving in regards to resolution capability as it has a solid macro-dynamics and a competent micro-detail retrieval that has a sharp definition to extract details, nuances and subtleties of information from audio tracks whether its vocal ends, notation attacks or reverb tails.

PEER COMPARISONS:

7Hz LEGATO

• FIVE's probably preceded model, it also has an all dynamic driver set-up but in less quantity.
• It has 2 dynamic drivers of different shapes and it was encased in a solid aluminium shell chassis.
• Like all 7Hz sets, this one is pretty well-accessorised with inclusions.
• A bit more sensitive therefore it is easier to drive.
• It has a V-shape sound profile, a more solid and boomy bass response, a more recessed and warmer midrange and a bright but a tad less airy treble response.
• In technical performance, compared to the FIVE, it only has an average sound/speaker stage size, a bog standard two-dimensional stereo imaging, less impressive layering but it has more solid macro-dynamics.

BINARY ACOUSTICS DYNAQUATTRO

• Probably this one is the closest rival to the FIVE as it has the same driver configuration but more pricey.
• This one has an interesting driver set-up as it has three (3) dynamic drivers of different sizes and a passive radiator driver that were also encased in a composite shell chassis.
• This one is also fully-packed with contents inside of its packaging box and it has a stock cable with a modular termination plug.
• This set is actually harder to drive as you really need a better source that has a power delivery output option on either medium gain or high gain mode.
• This one has a U-shaped sound profile as it has more sub bass rumble and a punchy bass response, a less recessed midrange presentation with ample warm, rich and energetic sound for vocals and instruments, and a mildly bright and sufficiently airy treble response.
• On its technicalities, compared to the FIVE, it has similar sound/speaker stage projection, a more holographic stereo imaging presentation with good layering and separation, and on its resolution capability, it is quite less resolving particularly on micro-dynamics.

As I conclude this product assessment, the designing of the 7Hz FIVE was indeed a bold approach one by 7Hz as this is definitely an unpretentious set that doesn't follow any sound profiles that are espousing towards audiophile-approved tuning or any tuning references to experience high fidelity listening session but simply a likeable sound profile which is coloured, engaging and fun tuning just to add more vibrancy and enjoyment on our listening experience. The implementation of all dynamic driver set-up also proves the point of 7Hz that micro dynamic drivers are capable enough to match some other driver types in terms of tonal performance and also dynamic drivers are still the de facto popular choice among the audio driver technologies around.

This set is truly a solid device that doesn't have that “boring” tonality but rather a simply joyful experience that both casual and experienced audio enthusiasts could relate upon and in that said, a plainly coloured tuning will suffice enough for listening leisure.

The 7Hz FIVE is now available at LINSOUL, you can check the non-affiliated link that I've provided below.

LINK: 7HZ FIVE - LINSOUL

For more 7Hz product reviews, check out the following links that I've provided:

■ 7HZ LEGATO

■ 7HZ ZERO II

■ 7HZ AURORA

■ 7HZ AERO

■ 7HZ TIMELESS

SPECIFICATION:

MODEL: 7HZ FIVE

IMPEDANCE: 12Ω

SENSITIVITY: 105dB

FREQUENCY RESPONSE: 5Hz – 40KHz

CABLE LENGTH: 1.2m

PIN TYPE: 0.78mm 2-PIN CONNECTOR

PLUG TYPE: 3.5mm

DRIVER UNIT(S):  (5) DYNAMIC DRIVER(S)

PROS:

● The composite shell structure is quite solid yet light.

● Utilitarian and minimalist design approach on its faceplate.

● Despite its size, it offers a comfortable fitting and also, it offers good passive noise isolation.

● A unique looking stock cable.

● Fairly well-accessorised with inclusions inside of its packaging box.

● A well-tuned coloured and fun sound profile.

● An authoritative and impactful bass response that some adherent bassheads will find pleasant and satisfying.

● Full sounding bass-clef instruments and deep male vocals

● Smooth, lush and energetic midrange.

● At least it has commendable correct timbre in most vocals and instruments.

● Bright and crisp treble response.

● Moderately roomy sound/speaker stage.

● Good layering and separation performance for an all-dynamic driver set-up IEM.

CONS:

● Absolutely not for neutral heads.

● Recessed midrange.

● Instances of slight sibilance on sibilant-laden tracks.

● Not for Harman-tuning lovers.

● Quite finicky on power output especially on pairing it with high gain mode setting as it might sound distorted while listening it on low volume level in a usual normal gain mode might sound too dull and less engaging.

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 7Hz  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 KAITLYN WU of LINSOUL for providing this review unit. I truly appreciate her generosity and trust towards me and other reviewers.