So I was amused at the thought of reviewing a set of those, but instead, I got these nicely made single dynamic driver earphones which retail at $99 USD and come as a bullet-shaped earphone that is all metal with black and red trim. The cable is removable through mmcx connectors and it comes with a finely braided black cable with custom metal connectors and a y-split with the Cat Ear branding on it.
In addition to this, the product comes with a fake-leather button pouch with the Cat Ear branding and silhouette cat head logo branded into it. The red button is simple, yet very striking and matches elegantly with the earphones colorway. The package also comes with two sets of silicone tips in all sizes. The black set are very similar, if not the same as Sony silicone tips.
Sound Impressions
The Cat Ear Mia has a warm bass rise with a slightly recessed mid-range and a forward focused upper mid-range, and a relaxed and soft treble, while actually extending decently across the upper treble range. If I had to classify it as something, I'd struggle to, but perhaps a warm and punchy mid-range focused sound signature.
Normally, I am not a fan of this style of bullet-shaped earphones, but after tip rolling, I actually ended up with the black small tips that came with this set -- the same style/look of tips I use often on other IEMs, except in white.
I was somewhat expecting a V-shaped sound signature, as is common with a lot of IEMs these days, especially at the under $100 price point, and especially with the more traditional cable-down style, but these actually have a more pleasant and warm-bodied sound signature that doesn't have shrilling highs and thunderous muddy bass.
The bass is elevated, but I don't feel too much bloat in my listening sessions across all genres of music. The mid-range is present, but does focus more on the female vocals with the steeper upper mid-range focus, and does present the 1-2KHz range much more forward than the rest. Surprisingly though, I don't find these shouty.
The treble range is relaxed, mostly smooth, but actually extends nicely enough for something under $100. I found this presentation very warm and soothing, while still bringing out a decent amount of detail and quality for its price range, but may trail behind similarly priced Tin T4, Etymotic in-ears, and the Shozy Form 1.1.
Soundstage is just average at best or even a little intimate. It's not claustrophobic, but it won't wow you with great imaging or large soundscapes. It's just appropriate and that is okay.
I do find the Cat Ear Mia to go well with rock and pop genres, and even decent for jazz and classical, but it may be lacking some sub-bass and treble for electronic dance music and hip hop fans.
I'll be frank though, these aren't going to be taking down products double its price point, but I do find it is priced accordingly based on it's sound characteristics and packaging though may lack some resolution and technical abilities compared to some of its similarly priced competitors. The build quality is fantastic for the price range, and it has very catchy and quality looks to go with the build.
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The Cat Ear Mia can be found at HifiGo store here: https://hifigo.com/collections/new-arrival/products/catear-mia
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