JUZEAR DEFIANT: Such A Glossy Sounding One

Defiant is an act of audacious disregard and stubbornness towards an opponent or to some extent, authority. Many historical events that became the turning point to some countries’ current political situation due to an individual or a group’s defiance that turn into either full blown rebellions, revolutions and other socio-political awakenings to achieve their goal of being independent.

JUZEAR is on the relentless progress mode in the audio market as they keep releasing some impressive sets since the introduction of their models, FLAME and 41T and then the release of the 61T Butterfly and 81T Dragonfly from few months ago are the ones that really put them on the spotlight as how these sets are excellent on their own right in terms of tonal quality. And now, they released their latest hybrid driver set and this time, this is a partnership project with Youtube’s one of the most popular audio reviewers, Zeos Pantera a.k.a Z Reviews. It is said that development of this IEM product takes some few months as JUZEAR painstakingly refined it until they are confident that it will deliver a satisfying sound quality that makes it an all-rounder one.

This is JUZEAR Defiant and like its predecessors, it has a hybrid driver configuration consisting of proven audio transducer technologies; dynamic driver and balanced armature drivers. And like all JUZEAR models, it was encapsulated in resin shell structure that makes it lighter to wear and its contours will give firm secure fitting in our lugholes that offers excellent passive noise isolation from the outside surroundings.

The drivers that were built on inside of its shell structure are comprising of a single  10mm dynamic driver in dual chambered neodymium magnet structure in which its diaphragm is made of carbon-based material coated with PU (Polyurethane) as it improves the depth of its bass response while the three supporting “custom” balanced armature drivers of varying types; the dual midrange BA which handles the midrange frequency for better resolving on the a life-like definition and an excellent resolution for a fuller, accurate and natural sound on both vocals and instruments, and the tweeter BA which solely responsible the quality of treble as it sounds very detailed with a finesse without any harshness. Then, the drivers were connected to a three damped acoustic tube that improves the sub bass depth and better sound wave transmission for clearer and organic tone on vocals and instruments. It also has a small PCB frequency crossover that will split the audio frequencies into three frequency sections for efficiency, better separation due to improved filtering as it has some proper attenuation on the frequency orders and also better impedance match as it regulates power transfers.

The internal parts are then encapsulated in a rather large resin shell chassis that was also moulded via 3D-printing as its contours is design to be versatile to be fit to all ear sizes and the quality of the resin material that was used here is a durable that it has a weather-resistance and at the same time, hypoallergenic thanks makes it more skin-friendly. The design of the faceplate reminds me of a nacre part of a mollusk which is quite iridescent and reflective in nature as it produces some shades of hues with some silver-coloured irregular curve patterns and a logo of the brand that were engraved on its surface. Like all JUZEAR IEMs, it still uses a 0.78mm 2-pin connector as its interlocking mechanism that was used for attaching/detaching.

The stock cable of this one is a two-core structured 6N hybrid of different types multi-strand silver-plated copper wirings composed of SPOCC and SCCW materials and each of them sheathed with PVC jacket, and overall, they are quite supple, flexible and offers a resistance against entanglement. This cable also features a modular termination plug in which you can detach its termination plug for a proper termination end for appropriate analogue output of a device that makes this one an all rounder one and it includes two types of termination plug adaptor; a 3.5mm single-ended and 4.4mm balanced.

As for its product packaging, the JUZEAR Defiant has a medium-size packaging box and it is relatively fully-packed with quality accessories just like all JUZEAR products that I have reviewed so far.

Here are the following contents that we can find inside of its packaging box:

• Pair of JUZEAR DEFIANT IEM transducer shell pieces.
• Stock cable with modular termination plug feature.
• 3.5mm termination plug adapter.
• 4.4mm termination plug adapter.
• Hardbound PU-leather carrying case.
• A pair of memory foam ear tips
• Three (3) pairs of white-coloured balanced bore silicone ear tips in different standard sizes.
• Three (3) pairs of black-coloured narrow-bored silicone ear tips in different standard sizes.
• Cleaning cloth
• Small PC standee for IEM.
• Paperwork like user manual and warranty card.

As for its power requirement and driveability, with an impedance rating of 32 ohms and a sensitivity of 109db, the DEFIANT is pretty sensitive that it can be amplified from the devices with a usual normal gain output but this set is also quite responsive on higher gain mode too without encountering  those clipping and noise floor signal issues. Even on a standard gain mode, it can deliver a full range sound with sufficient dynamics.

The sound signature on this one is definitely on a U-shaped tonal curve profile with a balanced-warmish tonality on it as it has an emphasis on the lows while having an accentuated highs to give that tonal balance on its overall frequency response.

LOWS/BASS:

The bass quality of this one has a right balance between the sub bass presence and a substantial texture on the mid bass, Overall, it has notable physicality on its bass response as its sound rumbly, impactful and punchy that makes more engaging but take note that it somehow smudges a bit on the midrange but not to the point that it sound too boomy.

I discerningly felt those deep and reverberating sub bass presence that were generated by some electric, percussive and string instruments like synthesisers, drum machines, bass guitars and double-basses. The mid bass texture has a significant amount of note weight for a full, rich and pronounced sound quality on bass-clef instruments like bass guitars, double-basses and bass kick drums, and also for low-octave male vocals.

Instruments along with its sound characteristics:

Bass guitars - weighty, resonant

Double-basses - broad, sombre

Bass kick drums - pounding, resonant

Male vocal types along with its sound characteristics:

Basses  - gravelly, dark timbre

Bass-baritones - dusky, woolly

MIDRANGE:

The midrange presentation of this one is quite a bit recessed  but due to some bass bleeding, it adds some warmth to sound more balanced with ample richness without sounding too lean and sterile. The midrange quality of this one has a good density, rich, lush and adequate energy to add some enough clarity although not the most crispy nor the most delineating one that I've ever heard for a hybrid driver while having that natural sound quality.

The warmth nature of its midrange tuning will gives more hefty and smoother sound on male vocals and some female vocals but it's less gleaming sound profile will somehow affect the sense of openness and expressiveness.

Different vocal types with its sound characteristics:

Baritones - lush, smooth

Tenors - brassy, juicy

Countertenors - tender, velvety

Contraltos - rich, dusky

Mezzo-sopranos - supple, mellow

Sopranos - slick, creamy (more ideal on dramatic type of sopranos, other types of sopranos will be more of a uncertainty in terms of vocal quality)

When it comes to instruments, almost all types of the instruments sound quite organic with a full, rich and pleasant quality on them.

List of instruments along with its respective sound characteristics:

Guitars - buttery, a bit meaty

Cellos - solemn, mellow

Violins - calm, wafting

Concert flutes - rich, mellow

Piccolos - light, a bit dull

Clarinets - gentle, pale

Saxophones - warm, sombre

Trumpets - full, substantial

Trombones - sombre, full

Horns - mellow, velvety

Snare drums - hard, a bit dark

Tom-toms - warm, resonant

Field drums - sonorous, full

Kettledrums - velvety, mellow

Pianos - round, rich, mellow

HIGHS/TREBLE:

The treble quality of this one presents an evened and balanced presentation  despite the accentuated high frequency as it sounds smooth and inoffensive but not to the point of being too dark sounding. There is a lift on the upper mids and presence enough to bring out the clarity and definition of vocal diction and attack on instruments. With this type of tuning, I can assure that there will be no sibilance, piercing and harshness on its overall sound quality.

Although on its brilliance section, the airy extension of this one is rather adequate but not an ideal one for treble heads when its comes to treble quality, The intensity of its sparkle seems   decent as it is able to give an enough sheen and lustre character on cymbals, glockenspiels and celestas but on hi-hats, its sounds a bit dull with its typical chick-y sound.

SOUNDSTAGE, IMAGING & OTHER TECHNICALITIES:

The perceived sound/speaker stage size of this one is fair-to-middling when it comes to overall proportions as it has a fairly decent width span in its lateral, good height reach and it has some significant depth that gives me that moderate head room. On its stereo imaging, it somehow exhibits a concave-like stereo presentation with a pretty solid layering and separation on its soundscape in which I was able to locate the placements of vocals and instruments decently.

The multi-driver configuration of this set has a remarkable cohesiveness on its overall performance on how the dynamic driver was able to execute a fast transient response while the rest of drivers is capable of a clear and detailed sound without any distortion nor out-of-phasing issues. As for its resolution capabilities, it's more a middling to be honest as it isn't the most resolving one that I have ever heard for a hybrid driver set-up. For sure that it has a solid macro-dynamics as it was able to highlight the varying degree of dynamic sections from quietest to the loudness on instrumental passages and chorale lines as it was convey the emotional depth and intensity but for its micro-dynamics, it has a bit blunted definition on capable of emphasise grains, nuances and subtleties from an audio track like notational attacks and reverb tails which makes it a tad delineated.

PEER COMPARISONS:

JUZEAR 61T BUTTERFLY

• More pricey than the DEFIANT.
• It also has a similar driver configuration but it has more quantity and it also includes a Knowles BA driver.
• It was also encased in a resin shell chassis.
• Pretty well–packed with quality accessories.
• This one has a warmish-neutral type of tonal profile as its overall sound quality has a  punchy but less impactful in almost the same frequency curve with midrange as it has that neutral presentation yet it has a bit of warmth to sound more balanced and a smoother and well-balanced treble response with a good amount of air on it.
• As for its technical capabilities, it has a wider sound/speaker stage, an atmospheric stereo imaging presentation with good layering and more resolving on its resolution capabilities.

EPZ AUDIO K5

• Pricier than the DEFIANT.
• It also has a similar driver configuration but it has a smaller dynamic driver and its BA drivers are of better quality as it was produced by Sonion.
• It was also encapsulated in a resin shell chassis albeit a bit more compact in terms of size.
• Also fully-packed with accessories with a tad leaner stock cable.
• This one has a more mild U-shaped type of sound profile as it has a more balanced bass response with an ample mid bass texture  and a rumbly sub bass presence albeit a bit tighter, a bit recessed but it has well-balanced and sufficiently textured midrange and tad brighter treble presentation with good airy extension.
• On its overall technical performance, it presents a moderately spacious head stage, a 3D-like stereo presentation and good resolving capabilities particularly on micro-detail retrieval.

KOTORI AUDIO ZEPHYR

• A bit more expensive than the DEFIANT.
• It has a comparable driver set up but the ZEPHYR only has one dynamic driver and one BA driver but it uses a Knowles one.
• It was encapsulated of a composite shell chassis which is quite more compact and it has that Bauhaus-inspired design.
• This one is also well-packed with accessories although its stock cable doesn't have a modular termination feature.
• Depending on the ear-tips that will be used on this one, it can sound more neutral on balanced and wide bore ones or in some narrow-bore ones, it sounds more of a U-shaped sound signature.
• As for its technical performance, it has an average size sound/speaker stage size, a linear two-dimensional stereo imaging presentation and a bit less resolving on its micro-dynamics.

To sum up my review here, once again that JUZEAR delivers a more affordable-priced IEM earphone that is also have some features of a midrange set like high quality stock cable with a modular termination plug, durable and ergonomically designed UIEM-style shell chassis with some eye-pleasing ergonomics on them and a very pleasant sound profile which is fun sounding yet pretty balanced. While is not all about rainbows and sunshines on this one as there are still drawbacks on this one like a bit coloured sounding for an adamant neutral head, a treble quality that treble heads might look somewhere else and not the most resolving set that I have tested for a hybrid driver IEM. But despite its shortcomings, its overall product presentation would be enough to dispel those concerns that its downright tonal quality and most of its technical performance are really good for its asking price if you are looking for a fun and engaging sound quality.

JUZEAR DEFIANT is now available at HIFIGO, you can check out the link that I have provided, guaranteed a non-affiliated one.

LINK:

 https://hifigo.com/products/juzear-x-z-reviews-defiant

More JUZEAR product reviews?

◼ JUZEAR 61T BUTTERFLY

◼ JUZEAR 81T DRAGONFLY  

SPECIFICATION:

MODEL: JUZEAR DEFIANT

IMPEDANCE: 32Ω

SENSITIVITY: 109dB

FREQUENCY RESPONSE: 20Hz – 20kHz

CABLE LENGTH: 1.2m

PIN TYPE: 0.78mm 2-PIN CONNECTOR

PLUG TYPE: MODULAR; 3.5mm and 4.4mm

DRIVER UNIT(S):  (1) DYNAMIC DRIVER + (3) BALANCED ARMATURE DRIVER(S)

PROS:

● Solidly built resin shell chassis.

● Offers an ergonomic fit with good passive noise isolation.

● Beautifully designed faceplate.

● Fully-packed with quality accessories.

● High quality stock cable with modular termination feature.

● A pleasant and engaging sound signature.

● Smooth and inoffensive tuning.

● Strikingly balanced bass response.

● Warm and smooth midrange presentation 

● Full and rich sounding on male vocals and also on female contralto vocals.

● Mild and almost natural sounding on some instruments.

● Smooth and inoffensive treble quality for treble-sensitive individuals.

● Good layering and separation.

● Reasonably priced as it is most affordable JUZEAR product.

CONS:

● Might coloured sounding for an adherent neutral head.

● It may sound too safe sounding.

● Probably, it will sound too smooth and dark sounding for a treble head.

● Definitely not the most resolving set that I've ever tested on a hybrid driver IEM.

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 JUZEAR 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 the HIFIGO REP or providing this review unit. I truly appreciate their generosity and trust towards me and other reviewers.