SOUND: 8/10
CONSTRUCTION: 8/10
DESIGN: 8/10
VALUE: 8/10
INTRO :
SHOZY chinese audio company say that for years their team ‘’has been researching into acoustic design, circuitry design and material implementations, diligently striving for engineering excellence and accuracy in sound reproduction’’ and indeed they have proved at multiple time being able to achieve incredible result in multiple audio department such as DAP, earbuds and earphones. SHOZY are a ‘’touch everything’’ type of company, with talent and experience to share. They begin by lauching uniquely designed Digital Audio Player that stand appart from the crownd : the SHOZY ALIEN. Fastly follow their high end earbud call Cygnus, that again earn praise by audio enthusiast. In fact, everything that SHOZY engineer lauch earn serious recognition, and in the last year they begin working more on iem and uiem.
From the budget minded Shozy ZERO and Hibiki single Dynamic driver to multi BA’S uiem like the CP-3BA and BG-5BA to flagship Planar Hybrid earphones POLA, this little company seriously perfected their tuning talent like no other chinese company.
Lately, they lauch another budget earphones call the SHOZY V33, this time inspired by analogue audio era where listening to your high end turntable was the way to go for audiophile. Called V33 for the 33 1/3 tour par minutes of vinyl disc, it is tuned to achieve addictively lush musicality, opposite of analytical digital coldness. With a beautifull stailess steel housing and a back faceplate looking like a vinyl, the V33 are sure to please as much the analog nostalgic than the modern audio enthusiast. If you are accustomed to the house sound of analog gear, especially from listening turntable trough vintage amplifier, the warm and thick luscious soundsignature of V33 will certainly charm your ears.
Let’s see why in this review.
You can buy the Shozy V33 for 49$ at XTENIK store HERE.
Disclaimer: I wanna thanks SHOZY for sending me this review sample. I’m not affiliated with this audio company and choose to review this earphones because they sincerly intrigue me. As always, I will stay independant and full objective in my subjectivity.
SPECS:
Driver:10mm dynamic
Impedance: 16Ω
Sensitivity: 107 dB
Cable: sony 4n oxygen-free copper
ACCESSORIES, CONSTRUCTION & DESIGN :
UNBOXING is non existent here, as I receive a review sample without package and anything, so I cannot comment on this. But I know what the official package include: Protective case, 3 pairs of silicone eartips and the V33.
CONSTRUCTION is great for the price and reflect serious thinking into the compenents used. Housing is made of beautifull thick brushed metal, it feel very sturdy, the back plate is black alluminium and look like a vinyl disc. Attention to details is nice. The cable remind me the one used with Hifiman RE800, nothing fancy, but its a cable that is light and do not produce microphonic. After using them 2 weeks, I can see the housing is prompt to scratch, so you perhaps should be cautious about that.
DESIGN is very beautifull to look at, but the particular shape of housing with small nozzle will perhaps be problematic for some. I most admit I struggle to find a tigh fit with those, as when i push them inside my ears it tend to pop up easily due to rounded conical shape of a rather large housing. I try to wear it over ears and it help but the real fit savor for me is to use memory foam tips that cannot slide out of my ears, and the proof the fit is perfect is : it sound way better this way.
ISOLATION is above average, but nothing exceptional, sound leakage is very very minimal.
EARTIPS are quite important with the Shozy V33, i do not always write about eartips priority, but here the sound change (or improvment) is very noticable due to a rather touchy fit with this circular shaped housing that tend to pop up of ears. With silicone eartips the lower bass is more proeminent and less controled wich stole to mid bass and give a warmer overall sound, making the mid range more recessed than with FOAM TIPS . I rarely use foam tips, because it tend to tame the bass and stole too much air to soundstage, making bright earphones very agressive, but with warm earphones it can be a game changer as I discover with the V33, sound imaging improve and this time GAIN air and space due to lesser bass bleed, mid range gain in clarity and overall attack became faster and more snappy, as well, treble is a little more fowards giving richer timbre. Unfortunately, no foam tips included with the V33, but it really worth to buy a pair.
AMPING isn’t really needed with the V33, they are easy to drive and will perform well with any audio source, but to me it sound better with very clear, slightly analytical audio source like the Ibasso DX90 or Xduoo X20.
SOUND :
Cozy cozy sound, thick warm and spacious velvety cushy cushy sound.
Very first listen was a comforting audio cuddling one, I immediatly feel at home, near a crakling fireplace, but instead of my feet being warmed up, it was my ears.
U shape natural rich sound that tend to impress you more and more while you listen carefully to its smooth charisma.
The low bass is thick and relaxed, well rounded to let mid bass punch hit gently, then the mid range flow naturally, expending in wide rich soundstage, and highs sparkle with impressive crispness to finally let upper treble go down, yep, a comfy experience with just the right hint of crispness in treble for lively richness.
SOUNDSTAGE have a very circular around your head feel (like the housing suggest), and deepnest can go quite deep when the music is bass light, in this particular housing, the air flow naturally and offer an impressive spaciality. But what impress the most is the over average widness.
LOWER END have a very appealing thickness to it, that enrich timbre and definition without focusing that much on texture grain. Here its all about body and weight instead of texture and attack, its a little slow but so well rounded that it can be extasic with certain type of music, like jazz or classical, but as well trip-hop, rap or downbeat electronic. V33 is analogish and warm, in the good sens ot term.
MID BASS would have been perfect if just a little more definite so the punch separate more from sub bass and gain in attack and slam, but again, with the whole V33 sound presentation it make sens this way. Still, its imrpessively tigh and well controled, with thick punch when the sub bass isn’t invasive. I’m fast heavy metal would not benifit from this type of warm approach to the kick, wich lack teeth for more agressive music. V33 is quite mellow, hippies are more welcome than hillbilies.
MID RANGE is barely recessed when you listen to bass heavy music, and fully blossom with instrumental signer-songwriter, like indie, folk or jazz. But even with R&B or Rap, like in last SOLANGE album, it have spot on luscious presence and bass warm it gently giving extra thickness. Timbre is on the thick smooth side, delivering sirupy tonality that have good transparence but average grain and details, all is about weight here as well as extra definition due to some upper mids bump. When I listen to BJORK ‘’Vespertine’’ album, I was impress by the full voice presentation, it wasn’t sibilant even if sharp at they edge.
TREBLE is slightly roll off at the top, wich permit to have great energy and presence in lower and mid treble and give a richer lusher sound that without being super sparkly keep a satisfiing level of details. This affect more the imaging wich isn’t particularly airy and spacious. Highs are never spalshy, they have a crisp and natural presentation, little like analog sound that never sound artificial or metallic.
SUB: 8.5/10
MID BASS: 8/10
MID RANGE: 8.5/10
TREBLE: 8/10
ATTACK: 7.5/10
SOUNDSTAGE: 8.5/10
COMPARAISONS :
VS TINAUDIO T2 (50$) :
If you don’t heard about the T2, its because you never go on headfi or don’t do any googling about best budget earphones. Even if Tinaudio have lauch 2 other model, the T2 still keep its legend alive, so how do the new comer SHOZY V33 can compete with this superstar? Hum, it’s a hard one here.
SOUNDSTAGE of T2 is wider and airier, but feel more panoramic than around your head due to extra deepnest of V33.
BASS is more punchy-mid bass centric, have brighter more detailed timbre and faster tigher attack while the V33 have more lower end extension and emphasis as well as less well controled that tend to warm mid bass punch and smooth it.
MID RANGE is way more fowards with the T2, and have more upper mids emphasis as well wich make them brighter more detailed, fuller sounding but as well more prompt to slight sibilance (not extremely problematic), while the V33 have thicker warmer mid with less accurate imaging.
TREBLE is more emphased with the T2, diging more micro details and texture, it have more sparkling highs with longer decay. V33 have a more natural and thicker timbre treble, highs are tigher and less prompt to casual splashiness like T2.
All in all, were in the middle of duality here, as V33 are warm, natural and thick sounding while the T2 are bright, sligthtly dryish (in a good way, can’t explain) and analitycal. V33 sound more U shape while the T2 is into a W soundsignature.
VS FINAL AUDIO DESIGN E3000 (55$) :
These 2 do not just have the glossy metal housing in commun, they share a rather similar soundsignature as well, tending towards warm and thick musicality.
SOUNDSTAGE of the E3000 is wider while the V33 sound deeper and little more ‘’holographic’’.
BASS of the E3000 have a more fowards attack and tigher lower end, definition is aslo better due to realist timbre, its less rumbly, juicy and weighty than the V33 wich is warmer as well.
MID RANGE of E3000 is slightly more fowards and transparent than thicker midrange of V33 that have more lower mid emphasis. This give an overall more intimate vocal presentation to 3000 that benifit from extra clarity in mid range imaging.
TREBLE is quite smooth with both this earphones, as well, they benifit from lower treble emphasis. Again, the E3000 sound more balanced and accurate because the V33 can be slightly grainy sometime due to its very thick sound, level of harmonic distortion is lower with E3000 as well.
CONCLUSION:
At 50$, the SHOZY V33 are incredibly competitive earphones in term of lush musicality that is muscular sounding yet innoffensive at the same time. With a spacious soundstage, thick bass and rich sibilance free mid range, this well constructed earphones sure is a guilty pleasure.
It isn’t neither analytical or bright, wich would make me conclude it isn’t for serious audiophile that search earphones for critical listening, but if you just want to enjoy music with an analogue like warm musicality that still have talent in term of technicalities like timbre, attack and dynamic, I really think the V33 are an addictive twist of bassy iem.
THE PLUS:
- Lush, warm, thick and addictive sound
- Great Vocal
- Sturdy construction
- Price value
THE SO-SO:
- Imaging is average
- Treble roll off
- Fit can be problematic with ear tips included
- Housing even if solid is prompt to scratch
No Borders Audiophile 