THE PLUS:
-bright neutral yet musical
-monitor like imaging
-quality bass (round punchy mid bass, well layered bass line presence)
-rich, texture and realist timbre
-clear forwards mids
-beautiful female vocal: fowards yet non shouty or harsh
-fast and controlled attack
-very refined treble (crisp and clean and snappy)
-versatile for anything but basshead music
-classical and acoustic instruments maestro
-speedy weight piano
-beautiful and energetic female vocal
-the passive driver is truly a game changer here
-good cable
-good sound value
THE MINUS: -slight sub bass roll off
-closed up soundstage
-not the most lively macro dynamic
-while clean as a whole, their not a lot of limpid silence around instruments
-just slight bit of warmth between kick (mid bass) and mids transition
-construction and design is rather uninspired and 2 pin connectors feel cheap
TONALITY: 8.2/10
TECHNICALITIES: 8.5/10
TIMBRE: 8.5/10
SOUNDSTAGE: 8/10
IMAGING: 8.8/10
MUSICALITY (subjective): 8/10
CONSTRUCTION: 8/10
ACCESSORIES: 8/10
SOUND VALUE: 8.5/10
Intro
BQEYZ might be hard to memorize as a brand name, but they have been around for nearly 10 years now and I’ve never forgotten about them. This is an experienced IEM (only) company from China that doesn’t do things like other and propose rarely more than 2 products a year, this is due to great R&D time they put in their IEM making, they patent their driver like the dual DD-piezo find in Spring serie, or even bone conduction tech used in Winter and the fabulous Wind (1DD+1BC) that is my favorite release from them yet.
Today I will review their last IEM which is one of a kind of an ‘’hybrid’’ because in fact their 2 drivers but only one that is active, main one is a 10mm LCP (liquid crystal polymer) other one being a passive 6.8mm diaphragm that act in tandem with other driver for controlling air-transmission and suppress excess of highs frequencies resonance and distortion to keep musicality sweet and clean as well as improving overall clarity perception and attack control sustain-release.
Priced 170$, the BQEYZ Cloud promise ‘’Specially tuning for the human voice. Bright treble without harshness, high frequency extension is wide, three frequencies are not obtrusive, exquisite feeling is good. Vocal separation is pure, clean, and intriguing. Low frequency volume sense is moderate and good control, loose and elastic.’’
Let’s see in this review if it fulfills its goal and delivers an enjoyable musicality as well as more than potent technical performance for its entry mid tier price.
CONSTRUCTION&DESIGN
The Cloud will not win prime extrovert beauty or originality contests, the construction is all metal and has a sober design, at least in black color while the cyan color is more unique and eye-catching.
Body is made of German 5-axis CNC aluminum alloy and has a smooth matte finish that doesn’t seem easy to scratch ( a plus for aesthetic durability)
On top of the 2 pin connector, my only perfectionist qualm is the slight gap around it. It would have been nice to make it 1mm more recessed and fully embedded in the metal body. Nonetheless, connection is secure, tight but not too hard to connect nor prompt to bent connector pin due to hard alignment, which is easy here.
The nozzle is made of metal, it’s short but not too short yet not really thinked for super deep fit, it’s angled and offers smooth comfort since IEM is not that heavy too, in other words, you can forget you were those after some time.
Like 99.9% IEMs today, these are thinked to be ear hook fit. Passive noise isolation is Ok, but if you listen at very low volume you’ll be able to ear roaring cars etc
.
Then the included cable is very nice quality, I’m not sure yet if it can be selected in another termination than 3.5mm single ended, which will be a bit of a bummer and in all honesty i’m sold for modular cable now, but that could raise the price a bit. (i verify, you can select 2.5mm, 4.4mm or 3.5mm plug, so it’s great!)
Here it’s a 2 cores cable that uses ‘’a coaxial mixed cable structure of 40pcs*0.06mm single crystal copper wire and 38pcs*0.06mm silver plated wire’’. Built is very good, with flexible wire and overall light weight, it feels soft in hand and looks quite elegant. Sound transmission wise, it keeps the current transmission clean, to the point I use this 3.5mm cable with other IEMs.
Then for packaging, it’s very minimalist and comes in a small box with a small ecological footprint. Amount of accessories is generous enough, we have 6 pairs of silicone ear tips (short and long wide bore) and one pair of memory foam eartips. A cleaning too. The nice cable and a basic but big enough carrying case. Nothing to complaint here.
SOUND IMPRESSIONS
The tonality of Cloud is all but cloudy, it’s clean and bright neutral with slight mid bass boost and upper treble boost that add air on top as well as attack sharpness to transient which is quite speedy too.
Musicality wise it lean toward monitor speaker rendering where every instrument has well carved presence, rich and detailed texture and a very focused imaging that permit good trackin of instrument even in complex arrangement.
Due to the fullness of the midrange that can render both low and high pitch instruments and vocals with enough fundamental and harmonic balance, the CLoud avoid sounding plain cold, thin or analytical and achieve a mature musicality that can be called reference too, for once, at an affordable price.
This isn’t basshead IEM at all, we have quality bass over quantity here since the low end is fast and dynamic but does not deliver immense slam nor boost rumble sustain, vibrancy and resonance. In fact, the passive driver pulls out unwanted resonance that mimics natural release and rumble of the sub bass line. So, we have a round and punchy kick should it be acoustic or electronic instrument, this is something I find often lacking with overly U shape tuning that veil kick drum tactile roundness and soften it’s punch immediacy which isn’t the case here.
Acoustic kick drum sounds very realist, while not hard hitting basshead way, it does have well articulate punch when needed which take part of a balanced macro dynamic where nothing really dominates the mix apart perhaps upper percussions if intensely energic in the recording.
The electric bass lines are excellent in layering and easy to track, they aren’t very dense nor popping in the mix in a very tactile and authoritative way. They have plenty of grunt and bite in attack but not a long note release which perhaps underline a slight bass roll off around 40hz. This will make pure tone under 50hz hard to perceive as well as cello feeling scooped in lush infra bass vibrancy mix.
Cello is the only instrument with pipe organ that I feel the Cloud can’t restitute as realistically as other due to slight sub bass roll off.
The mid range is bright and clean with forward yet smooth vocal and instrument presence, the timbre is rich in details, not very colored with warmth but enough filled with lower mids density to make it round and smooth and quite natural overall.
The atmosphere is both open and focused, intimate, not hall like since center stage isn’t distant here, you are close to it without mixed into it which again remind me of good monitor IEM, think of a smoother and less bassy Acoustune RS ONE, it was a technical beast i was very found off apart the edgy upper mids that where too shouty to me, the CLoud isn’t shouty nor sibilant and each word are perfectly articulated for proper intelligibility, with the Cloud i can focus on singer lyric quite easily.
The cloud can cover a very wide range of vocal range from tenor to soprano, none will sound plain thin nor unbalanced in harmonic, the presence of those vocals is centered in the middle of the stage and has its own layer that can cohabit with other instruments without mixing up.
From Gillian Welch to Charlotte Day Wilson to Arianna Savall to Kurt Elling i can’t fault the tone and timbre of the vocal restitution, when it should be thick and breathy it is, when it suppose to be sharp and thin it is, it’s not ruin with sudden spike in some harmonic range as it often happen with harman target IEM for ex.
So this mean the piano sound clean and natural with proper note weight, it’s not overly thicken or warmed, nor too intense in upper harmonic loudness, in Shostakovich piano trio (Janine Jansen, Mischa Maisky, Lucas Debarque) i can follow easily the pianist singularity, their no boosted resonance of it’s not attack that would blur cello or violin, the 3 musician can be tracked with as much presence focus even when playing fastly.
The violin don’t sound scratchy or plasticky at all, its spot on on timbre realist which is rich in texture, the attack as a thick abrasive sustain to it the avoid overly loud stroke and keep violin sound envelope round and clean with just a notch of air vibrancy cream.
Mid range is extremely focused, not stretched in an anamorphic way that will make instrument feel oversized, it’s neutral in that regard too, some might find it lacking in wideness presence which can make vocal full envelope stage and listener but it would ruin this excellent imagery readability which can be summarized as monitor goes musical.
The treble of Cloud is extremely refined in the sense it extends far but not in a spiky, splashy or harsh way. It’s clean and crisp and superbly controlled free of resonance blur after cymbals attack or guitar release.
Again, the passive driver sucks out the unwanted resonance that can induce shouty attack or splashing amplification when reflected to the acoustic cavity.
It’s a lean and edgy treble with effortless micro details that isn’t forced on the listener like with overly analytical or bright IEM, hardcore treble head will not be satisfy with this controlled energy in fact but I applause this since their not too much salt and pepper on top, it’s just the natural flavor fully restitute in high resolution.
With the Cloud, the treble ‘’wow effect’’ is on the long run, you’ll discover new details in your track but perhaps at second listen, it don’t force the listener to be critical yet when i want to find the percussions they are all there, fully restitute, thigh and round in attack and brilliant as they should but the sparkle don’t amplify with release, it get soften with inherent brilliance of metallic string or percussions instruments.
The attack lead isn’t hard and edgy, yet keep its sense of immediacy and note weight without the need of an edgy delimitation of presence, the attack sustain release is elastic and thicken and tight without a long decay, so the top is keeped clean free of resonance mix of mutual cymbals or high pitch instrument attack.
Those percussions stay well layered in the back, easily trackable whatever their speed, it add macro dynamic dimension as well as permit polyphonic ensemble with let say violin quartet playing together to stay well layered in their own singular transient without mixing harmonic peak together due to cleaned resonance.
The brilliance and sparkle is there but cut short in decay too, it’s a sharp and short brilliance that permit acoustic guitar complex play to be easily readable, fans of classical guitar and well classical i general will be delighted of how natural texture and very detailed are acoustic guitar fingerpicking as well as non distorted are the chord stroke of both electric and acoustic guitar.
The soundstage is round and closed around the listener like being in a studio or in front of 2 monitor speakers angled toward the listener direction at less than a meter than him. You’re very close to music with those Cloud without mixing up into it. It’s not very wide or tall but has a good sense of depth.
The imaging is a highlight of the Cloud even if it’s not in an overly analytical or aggressively bright way, the transparency of each sound layer is very good and while position isn’t the most spacious in lateral separation, it’s easy to pinpoint each instrument on the small stage.
COMPARISONS
VS MOONDROP KATO (1DD-190$)
The Kato is warmer and a notch more U shape in balance, it has thicker muddier sub bass, more mellow punch and less good bass and mids separation (more warmth).
The bass is sloppier and chunkier as a whole where both bassline and kick mix together to offer a mellow slam where Cloud is more thumpy, as both clearer kick and bass line presence, rounder and better controlled punch.
So the mids sound less clean but a bit thicker while Cloud mids are cleaner and crisper as well as more transparent. Attack speed from bass to mids to highs is notably faster, tighter and snappier with the CLoud that don’t have hazy note resonance that steals air around presence of instrument and percussions.
Mids of Cloud are brighter and have slightly more upper mids energy, yet it’s less noisy in timbre, less euphonic and colored for female vocals which are a bit lusher with Kato but overall mids is darker too and can deal with complex busy tracks as effortlessly as Cloud.
Treble is from another league with the Cloud … .Kato sure feels super cloudy on top! In fact,comparing some tracks I can clearly hear that some sound info disappears with Kato like half of the percussion feel erased, as well the attack is more sloppy so the percussion impact accent is lacking, making it hard to follow the rhythmic section properly. Then we have the upper treble roll off stealing air, snap and sparkle that the Cloud delivers way more.
Soundstage is a notch wider with the Kato, while taller and deeper and cleaner with the Cloud.
Imaging is from another league with the Cloud. I can track instruments and separate them in soundscape more easily due to higher resolution, better attack control and cleaner spatiality.
All in all, the Cloud is notably superior to Kato in term of technical performance from imaging to attack control and speed to resolution and treble extension, as for musicality, mids are a notch lusher and more laid back with warmer Kato while Cloud is more neutralish bright and vivid and ultimately more captivating to listen to.
VS SIMGOT EA1000 (1DD+1 passive radiator driver-220$)
The EA1K is brighter, more W shaped in balance and more analytical in the treble region which has more air and sparkle but more resonance and risk of splashing too.
It’s really a pumped up Cloud we get here, the bass hits harder and has more sub bass resonance and lower mids veil due to this, rumble is more vibrant and densified by this resonance where Cloud has better control but dryer bass line.
One would think more bass would equal more note weight for the mids but it isn’t the case here since mids are thinner and lighter with EA1K but piano will have longer decay as well as a bit more energy in harmonic intensity so attack lead don’t feel as well rounded as the more neutral Cloud which has more natural lower mids warmth.
Cloud upper mids are softer, vocal are lusher but not as wide and transparent in presence, they are less prompt to shouting and sibilance even if quite forwards. Mids are more edgy and detailed with the EA1K, it sounds more open and crisp but not as natural in timbre.
Then the treble is more energetic, vivid, airy, sparkly, snappy with the EA1K but a notch more splashy and exciting in dynamic as well as spiker, less smoothly balanced and rounded with the rest of the sound spectrum. Another proof that graphs don’t tell anything about true dynamic energy since both these IEM graphs are very similar but don’t sound the same at all. EA1K is notably more upfront and analytical in highs, percussions will dominate the mix more easily than the leaner macro dynamic of Cloud, acoustic guitar will sound louder with more emphasis on brilliance and longer decay too with EA1K.
The soundstage is notably wider and deeper with the EA1K.
The imaging of both is on par but due to more analytical tonality of the EA1K percussions and higher pitch instrument will be easier to track but not as clean and accurate in placement so for proper monitoring I will still use the Cloud.
All in all, EA1K is not as smooth and well balanced tonaly wise, it feel more spiky as well as harsher in upper mids and treble which can induce greater hearing fatigue at loud volume, then for technical performance, even if more excited in attack than more controlled Cloud, the treble extended further, resolution is slightly superior, we have more air flow too and deeper (yet boomier) bass. As always, female vocals which IEM i prefer and the Cloud deliver more natural and smoother vocals so i will choose this one.
CONCLUSION
The BQEYZ Cloud is probably the most refined and neutralish sounding IEM release by this talented (and underrated) IEM company.
Smoothly bright and near neutral, those IEM is a statement of clear balanced sound that polished any harshness peak with its secret cleaning tool: the passive air transmission driver, that is everything but gimmick here … .at least for fine capricious ears like mine.
These are barely not colored, yet the musical brush stroke is fluid and organic as a whole, clean but not cold sounding, with awakened enough bass but a mid centric twist as well as a treble response I’ve never heard before.
BQEYZ promise vocal specialist performance and they sure fulfill this whole mid range naturalness with forwards but full of substance male and female vocal that are highly intelligible and perfectly carved and forwarded in an intimate and holographic spatiality that i summarize as : monitor performance meeting musical enjoyment. As a female vocal lover, i feel at home with the Cloud and was happy to enjoy variety of vocal range too including some harder to present correctly like raspy vocal of Jessica Pratt, all this free of sibilance, treble resonance or splashing, bass mudd or shouty or trebly attack intensity.
Yes, the Cloud is gourmet for mature audiophiles that seek reference grade musicality at an affordable price with excellent resolution, nice bass line presence, fast round mid bass punch, open forwards mids and crisp and brilliant treble free of boosted intensity.
Only thing I would love more is a slightly bigger soundstage, perhaps a hint more sub bass density and well, even more sparkle cause I never have enough, nonetheless, this would make those a whole different IEM.
Fans of HZsound Mirror or BQEZ Winter seeking for smoother balance without sacrificing technical chops, I think the Cloud is worth your attention.
Highly Recommended.
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PS: I want to thanks BQEYZ for sending me this review sample without any fear about kind of Pros and Cons i can include since they truely care about audiophile feedback, as any serious audio company should. As always, i don’t have direct affiliation nor any $ compensation for hours put in this review. The Cloud will not take a pround part of my more than 100 IEMs collection.
You can pre-order the CLoud on Kickstarter here:
https://www.kickstarter.com/project…isted-vibration-tech-earphone-set/description
No Borders Audiophile 