HIDIZS MK10 ARCSONICS: A Solid Option On Affordable Sonic Versatility
The HIDIZS just released their latest entry-level single driver IEM, The MK10 ARCSONICS. The model's name is somewhat inspired from a fictional fusion-type power source reactor that independently powered Iron Man's battlesuit, The ARC REACTOR. This one features a 10mm dynamic driver with a dual chambered architecture with a newer material type that was implemented on a diaphragm, a crystalline carborundum also known as silicon carbide that is a compound material known for its remarkable properties for its resistance on electro-chemical reactions, hardness and excellent on thermal conductivity which makes them an ideal material for golf drivers and also used as an industrial abrasive and semiconductor parts on the electric vehicles. As for its acoustic properties, this new generation of dynamic driver is capable of delivering a deep and impactful bass, vivid and detailed vocals and instruments, and then a clear and crisp treble.
The high performance transducer was then encased in CNC-milled Zinc Alloy chassis in a clean and minimalist design profile albeit the shells are on the chunkier size. Despite its large size, it was able to rest well into my lugholes due to its medium length nozzle. It secures well that I have a good passive noise isolation that blocks some unwanted external noises from the outside. Like all HIDIZS IEMs, it still employs a 0.78mm bi-pin connector as its interlocking mechanism for its detachable cable and also, it still has removable tuning nozzles as it is this audio company's staple feature.
The MK10 ARCSONICS utilises a stock cable in a 2-core strand structure made of high purity oxygen-free copper wiring conductors that were twisted to have a seamless lossless audio signal transmission and on its termination end, you can choose either 3.5mm single-ended and 4.4mm balanced output upon ordering.
As for its other included accessories inside of its packaging box, it includes two types of silicone ear tips and each of the pair has a different standard sizes, the usual HIDIZS PU-leather storage pouch, the Pneumatic Sound Filter nozzles with different tuning profiles and some paperwork like user manual HIDIZS is still serious on their recycling and sustainability initiative on their product packaging as they used biodegradable materials on it for recyclability.
The HIDIZS MK10 is fairly easy to drive and it doesn't need any portable amplifiers for better amplification as this set is capable of delivering a very dynamic and a full range sound from its sound output.
Since it has detachable tuning filter nozzles, this IEM offers a variety of tuning profiles that makes it more versatile to choose from according to your listening mood.
Tracks tested:
Maria by Blondie
RED NOZZLE:
This setting mode offers a more V-shaped sound profile as it has more pronounced lows and high frequencies. It delivers a more impactful and potent bass response as it has more mid bass-focus tuning to give more body and slam on bass guitar grooves to sound broader and earthy and bass kick drums sound full and pounding on every hit. Meanwhile, the midrange presentation is noticeably more recessed on this one but it has a warm and fullness in its note texture to sound smoother and rich to give the analogue-ish tonality on vocals and instruments alike to sound almost as realistic as possible. Debbie Harry's distinctive powerful mezzo-soprano vocals as it has a musky and emotional intensity that gives its captivating stage presence while Chris Stein's rhythm guitar works sound a bit buttery with a bit of punchiness on its melodic riff. The keyboard sections have that rich and full sound along with chimes that sound lustrous. The treble has ample brightness as it has more of a glossy presentation with a modest amount of airy extension, and there's not a hint of harshness nor sibilance on them, Clem Burke's drumming (rest on power on him as he died this year on my birthday) cymbals rides sound lustrous and undulating and with shortened sizzling sound on its hi-hats.
BLACK NOZZLE:
Unlike the RED NOZZLE, this one takes more of a U-shaped sound profile and also It appears that it has more sub bass presence on its overall bass quality. It has a rumbly, punchy and precise bass response as it will add more reverb depth on low octave male vocals and some bass-clef instruments as it has more resonant and clearer sound on bass guitars, and a rumbling and thudding sound from bass kick drums. The midrange presentation of this one is less recessed and sounds more balanced with an ample warmth and bit energetic as it has a bit pronounced upper mids section to give that golden and fiery sound on Debbie Harry's vocals, a crisp and sustaining melodic riffs from Chris Stein's guitars lines, and a crisp and rich sound from keyboard with a more bell-like sound from the chimes. The treble response of this one is a tad brighter with a bit more airy while it keeps under control any instances of sibilance and harshness. Clem's cymbal rides sound more glistening and hi-hats has a resonant tone on its chick-y sound.
WHITE NOZZLE:
This one has the brightest tonality among its tuning filter nozzles due to its accentuated upper mids and a certain section on its high frequency but it still has a U-shaped sound signature. It still retains that bass tuning of the BLACK NOZZLE mode as it still has punchy, precise and incisive bass response although the bass guitar grooves has an added sustaining sound. The midrange presentation while its a bit recessed but it has a bit lessened warmth on its note weight but it has a vibrant and energetic sound as it somehow affects Debbie Harry's vocals as it sounds quite more coppery while Chris Stein's guitar lines sound a bit bright and lingering, and the keyboard sounds more crisp and sweet along with the chimes that sounds has a metallic and vibrant sound. The treble response of this tuning setting is indeed bright and it has a more airy presentation although it produces some occasional tinny, metallic and shrill sound that might be bothersome to some treble-sensitive folk. The cymbals sound brighter and a bit piercing, and the hi-hat has a resonant and dry sound.
SOUNDSTAGE, IMAGING & OTHER TECHNICALITIES:
The MK10 ARCSONICS is capable of projecting an above-average size and a proportionate sound field as I was able to perceive it as a fairly roomy head stage where it has a sufficient lateral width span, good height reach ceiling and an immersive depth within its confined auditory scene. It presents a concave-like presentation on its stereo imaging with a sufficiently layered soundscape with a good separation on musical elements in which I was able to panned out its cues within its acoustic space, in which playing complex multi-instrumental tracks would be an easy task for this unit.
The new generation dynamic driver performs quite coherently as it was able to deliver a responsive, unified and a natural tonality as fast transient bass response due its capability on garnering some air pressure that was generated, and then a clarity and detailed sound from the rest of the frequency parts. On its resolution capabilities, it has a pretty solid macro-dynamics as it has highlighted the varying degree of loudness from chorale lines and instrumental passages, while on its micro-dynamics, it has fairly sharp definition on extracting details, nuances and grains from an audio track like reverb tails, note textures and vocal ends.
PEER COMPARISONS:
PULA AUDIO UNICROM
- PULA AUDIO’s latest entry-level set and like the MK10 ARCSONICS, it has a single driver set-up.
- It features a 10mm dynamic driver with a beryllium-coated diaphragm and it was encased in a compact composite shell structure made of resin and wood, and a metal-alloy nozzle.
- This one is well-packed with inclusions inside of its packaging box, and one of its contents is a high quality stock cable with a modular termination feature.
- It doesn't have a detachable tuning filter nozzle feature.
- It has a U-shaped with a warmish-balanced tonality in which is quite comparable to RED NOZZLE setting of the MK10 ARCSONICS and with this comparison, this set has a more rumbly but a bit more tighter rather than slam on its bass response, while it seems that it has a less recessed midrange presentation, it has less warmth that it didn't give that richer and lush sound on vocals and instruments, and then treble is a bit more glossy with a moderate airy extension.
- On its technical performance, it has moderately roomy head stage size with a fairly layered concave-like stereo imaging and a relatively detailed resolution aspect on both macro-dynamics and micro-dynamics.
SIVGA QUE UTG
- The second model of their Que series line-up and this one was recently released a few months ago, and it also has a single driver configuration.
- It uses a new generation dynamic driver that has ultra-thin glass diaphragm, and it was housed in a composite shell chassis consisting of metal alloy and wood.
- This one is also well-packed with accessories inside of its packaging box, and one of those contents is a high quality cable with a modular termination feature.
- It doesn't have any detachable tuning filter nozzles.
- This one has a mild U-shaped sound profile with a rather bright tonality as it has a rumbly and tighter bass response, a bit recessed but an energetic with ample warmth midrange quality that makes more of a specialist on female vocals, strings, woodwinds and some basses, and then, a bit brighter and even more airy treble response which is quite similar with the white nozzle mode.
- It has a perceivably roomy sound/speaker stage size in a concave-like stereo presentation, and a sharper definition on micro-details and other nuances from an audio track.
TANCHJIM 4U
- One of the TANCHJIMs previous model that offers a single driver configuration in under US$100/£80.
- It features a proprietary dynamic driver with an LCP diaphragm inside, and it was encased in a compact size, solid but lightweight zinc-alloy in a rounded trapezoid-shaped shell chassis.
- This one is also well-packed with accessories inside of its accessories just like the MK10 ARCSONICS, but it only includes a velvet cloth pouch as its storage case.
- It doesn't have detachable tuning filter nozzles but it has a tuning dial knob as it offers not three but four tuning profiles.
- This one has four distinctive tonal profiles – Pop (mild U-shaped), Atmosphere (bass-boosted U-shaped), Natural (balanced-neutral) and Monitor (neutral-ish bright). And on the Pop mode, compared to the MK10 ARCSONICS black nozzle, it is still punchy but impactful bass response, less recessed midrange as it has also has a warmth and energy for vocals and instruments as they also have a natural timbre on their sound quality, and then, a bit brighter and crisp treble response but sometimes, they sound a bit intense as it produces some slight piercing and tinny sound.
- It has pretty spacious head stage projection and a concave-like stereo imaging with a fairly layered soundscape, and a sharp definition on extracting micro-details and other nuances from a sonic background of a played audio track.
To sum up my review, it seems that HIDIZS MK10 ARCSONICS is an excellent set of its own right with a strong tonal performance with competent technical performance. This set is a good alternative for their MK12 Turris as a cheaper option as it also has some of its features from its more expensive sister, like metal shell, detachable tuning filter nozzles and more choices of eartips to choose from.
With its new generation of dynamic driver with an unusual material in the form of carborundum on its internal instruction, it shows the dedication and effort of HIDIZS’ R&D division as they continue to research on any potential material that leads into an innovative breakthrough on portable audio technology and the discovery of silica carbide is one of their achievements for now. Again, this IEM model is a pretty solid product that I will certainly recommend to other fellow audio enthusiasts looking for a set that matches the features with this set either on build quality, pricing and tonal performance.
The HIDIZS MK10 ARCSONICS is now available on HIDIZS’ official online store, just check out the link below that I have provided.
LINK:
https://www.hidizs.net/products/hidizs-mk10-arcsonics-10mm-scc-dynamic-driver-hifi-iems
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SPECIFICATION:
MODEL: HIDIZS MK10 ARCSONICS
IMPEDANCE: 32Ω
SENSITIVITY: 113dB
FREQUENCY RESPONSE: 20Hz – 40KHz
CABLE LENGTH: 1.2m
PIN TYPE: 0.78 2-PIN CONNECTOR
PLUG TYPE: 4.4mm, 3.5mm
DRIVER UNIT(S): (1) DYNAMIC DRIVER
MIC SUPPORT: NO
PROS:
● Quite affordable for its asking price.
● Solidly-built CNC-milled zinc alloy shell structure.
● Clean and minimalist design profile of its shell chassis.
● Offers a good passive noise isolation as it is able to block unwanted external noises.
● Quite power efficient as it is easy to drive.
● Somehow it has a sufficient amount of inclusions inside of its packaging box.
● Still faithful on their recycling and sustainability initiatives as it shows its product packaging's biodegradable materials.
● Like all HIDIZS sets since the introduction of the MS5, it has a detachable tuning nozzle system.
● Three distinctive tonal options that this offers.
● Easy to drive
● Quite a musical and a well-done coloured tonal profile. (black and white nozzles)
● Impactful and punchy bass response. (red nozzles)
● Precise, incisive and rumbly bass response. (black and white nozzles)
● Warm, rich and lush midrange (red nozzles)
● Clear, transparent and energetic midrange. (white nozzles)
● Most of the vocals and instruments seem to sound natural and almost life-like. (still depends on the tuning nozzles)
● Shimmering and spacious sounding female vocals. (black and white nozzles)
● Smooth and glossy treble response (red nozzles)
● Lustrous treble response. (black nozzles)
● Brilliant and airy treble quality (white nozzles)
● Overall solid technical capabilities.
● It has a delineating resolution capability.
● It shows the potential of its new generation of dynamic driver in terms of tonal performance.
CONS:
● For Pete's sake, HIDIZS, Please try to include at least a better stock cable and a new storage case but since this is an entry-level set, I can still tolerate the qualities of these inclusions. (Just considering these as my personal nitpicks.)
● Coloured sounding therefore not for neutral heads that they would prefer.
● A bit lean and recessed midrange presentation. (white nozzle)
● Shells are quite a bit weighty (some slight quibbles)
● Also, the surface of the shells are prone to scratches, fingerprint marks and nicks.
● Instances of mild piercing, tinny and shrill sound. (white nozzle)
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 HIDIZS 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. JESSIE CHEUNG of HIDIZS for providing this review unit. I truly appreciate her generosity and trust towards me and other reviewers.
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