Configuration: 1DD
Price: $200 MSRP
This unit was provided by Elle of BQEYZ for review. As always, what follows are my honest thoughts and opinions to the best of my ability.
I won't really be talking too much about the accessories or the build because you can read all the other reviews that've been published for that fun stuff :)
The most interesting aspect of the Autumn, though, is definitely its magnet-based filter system. The magnets are tiny, but they're highly magnetic so they usually snap right into the slots of the shells or the carrying tray from up to about an inch away. There's also a magnetic tool you can use to do this if you'd prefer to not use your hands. These filters are used, in turn, to adjust the sound signature of the Autumn.
Speaking of which: Sound-wise, the Autumn has three distinct signatures depending on the filter that one is utilizing. In each instance, it's really the level of bass that's being adjusted to create a new sound. Generally, I find bass on the Autumn to be alright. Decent amounts of decay, texture, the works. It's missing some slam, and it runs a tad drier than I'd like given the amount it's sporting with the Bass filter, but nothing too surprising. Moving away from the bass, the Autumn has a response that is characteristic of most single-DD IEMs. It has an upper-midrange tilt with 3-4kHz slightly forward, a lower-treble peak at 5kHz, and then what sounds like resonance at around 12kHz. Because of the forwardness up-top, I find that the Normal filter is already slightly harsh for my preferences; I most prefer the Bass filter to balance out this forwardness. With the bass filter, the Autumn becomes a decent V-shaped set.
In terms of technicalities, the Autumn is competent; if I were listening blind, I'd be inclined to place it around the ~$100 price bracket. The lower-treble peak lends to the perception that some detail is faked, but nothing that I would dock substantial points for. Probably around "B-" tier or so overall, there's a small gap versus the Moondrop KXXS in A/B for resolution, although that's certainly subjective.
The bottom line is that the Autumn is basically an "alright" IEM. In terms of sonic performance, it's not exactly competing at $200, but it doesn't sound bad either. The magnetic filters are an interesting novelty that make me keen to see what BQEYZ will do with such a system in the future, or if they have other innovations that they might implement in future products.
Comments
Post a Comment