Being able to get my hands on a lot of different IEMs, I get to see a lot of unique and interesting designs. Some are very cool with a lot detail work such as the Subtonic Storm, and some are very artistic but not very great for ear use like the MMR products.
The MP145 is a new IEM from Hidizs that takes a themed approach, inspired by the large majestic whales in the ocean as its artistic canvas. The all-aluminum, and quite sturdy and heavy shell of the product takes a top down view of a whale's tail and and intricately machines it into the aluminum hull. There are also wave-like lines that surround the tail design and this makes a very unique and interesting design choice for this $109 (initial pricing) product that'll debut on Kickstarter on September 6th (2023).
The Kickstarter link is: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/hidizs/hidizs-next-gen-ultra-large-planar-hifi-iems-9-sound-types?ref=mbhrq6
This pre-production unit was sent to me directly from Hidizs for review. The product will launch on Kickstarter and they will also be donating some of the proceeds to the Whale and Dolphin Conservation (WDC) Charity.
In addition, Hidizs will also be releasing a limited Titanium edition version of this IEM with custom Hidizs x WDC badge, both a 3.5mm and 4.4mm cable, and are individually serialized. This limited series will have 199 units.
The Hidizs MP145 comes with a standard set of accessories: various ear tips, a removable 2-pin cable, a travel pouch, and the earphones. The cable is very nicely made and attractive. It has a 4-wire gray-colored braid that is very soft and lightweight and the cable terminates in metal jacks and connectors. The unit I got came in a 4.4mm balanced jack, but a standard 3.5mm stereo option is also available.
The shell was already previously discussed, but I'd like to over some things I like and don't like about this whale-inspired design. First off, it looks very unique and kind of "cool." It's obviously very well made and I don't feel like it'll be damaged easily.
What I don't like about it is just that some of the edges are rather sharp, and not beveled or rounded off enough. There is a fear of stabbing myself or cutting myself with them, although, in practice, these sharper corners are not likely to contact your ears.
With the unique, almost triangular design, that is also very large, it does feel a bit awkward to fit in your ears at times. It really does remind me of an MMR-style IEM, which goes for the outwardly designs rather than the practical ones.
Filter System
The MP145 comes with 3 sets of filters that are attached by unscrewing the front nozzle on and off. The filters come in 3 colors -- Silver, Red, and Rose Gold. The Silver adds a little bit more treble, while the Red reduces the upper mids and treble quite a bit, and the Rose Gold filters are a balance of the two, although, it is quite close to the Silver set. I preferred the Rose Gold set the most with this IEM, although, each are fine on their own.
Sound Impressions
Hidizs chose to use a 14.5mm planar driver on this set. There's been a wave of planar driver IEMs in the past year or so, and it seems they keep improving every so slightly with each release. Does the MP145 continue this trend? Let's discuss.
Balanced with a little bit of a mid-bass focus is how I would describe the MP145. It has a U-Shape sound signature with a bass bump that does go into the mid-range, dips in the mids, and has a small rise in the treble range. Unlike traditional V-shaped IEMs, the treble is more relaxed and doesn't suffer from over-compensating with brightness. Although, this isn't my preferred sound signature, I do find it is perfectly acceptable from a tonal balance standpoint.
The planar driver does a good job of keeping everything controlled despite having a little bit of mid-bass rise where some IEMs may have a bit of bloat. The MP145 is incisive in this case, with good punchy drum kicks, and a forward sound that is clean and clear.
I spent quite a bit of time listening two particular albums heavily lately with the MP145 -- Lanterns on the Lake's "Versions of Us", an indie dreampop album, and the shoegazer "Everything is Alive", an all-new record from Slowdive.
Both of these records have an incredible amount of buzzing guitars, reverb, and layering of sound that the MP145 works surprisingly well presenting the music. There's enough physical impact and resolution that keeps the music focused and entertaining.
Hazel Wilde sings a lot on Laterns on the Lake's tracks, and she carries a lot of bravado and can raise her pitch quite a bit at times. With that said, I never found her voice too bright, harsh, or sibilant in any of the tracks. At times, her voice is perhaps a tad more forward than I would hear on my daily driver IEMs --- the Hidition Viento and the Subtonic Storm, but I don't find the MP145 too far forward that it bothers me in anyway. It actually has a good amount of separation and soundstage size for an IEM at comparable pricing.
Final Thoughts
Hidizs has done a good job with this uniquely designed MP145 product. The planar driver choice and tuning is very well done for an all-arounder that has a good warm and full sound. The quality of the design and accessories is very good as well and it is priced right.
While I am not a huge fan of the sharper corners, and the unique design looks intimidating to wear, it is still a comfortable IEM and, therefore, Hidizs hits the mark on this product with a solid recommendation.
Its "better" than Shuoer S12 pro?
ReplyDeleteHi - I would say that they are very similar technically, but the MP145 is more relaxed in upper-mids and treble so it could be more appealing to some people. I just uploaded the graphs of the MP145 to the IEM Graph Tool on the site, if you're interested in comparison. They may take a few minutes to appear. The filters on the MP145 do alter the sound, but even with the "brightest" filter, it is still more tame than the S12.
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