THE PLUS:
-wide soundstage
-balanced bassy U to W shape musicality
-good technical performance for the price
-snappy treble
-good macro dynamic
-not bass shy
-crazy amount of good quality accessories
-nice built with eye appealing design
-tuning switch that work
THE MINUS:
-boomy bass with thin rumble
-not best bass quality
-upper mids can go too edgy or even sibilant
-BA timbre is too noticeable
-not pleasant vocal (rough texture, a bit thin)
-not most cohesive tuning
-dryish treble, lack sparkle and brilliance
-more cheap BAs isn’t beneficial for sound quality
TONALITY: 7.5/10
TECHNICALITIES: 8.2/10
TIMBRE: 7/10
SOUNDSTAGE: 8.5/10
IMAGING: 8/10
MUSICALITY (subjective): 7/10
CONSTRUCTION: 9/10
ACCESSORIES: 10/10
SOUND VALUE: 7.5/10
Intro
Hisenior is an experienced IEM company from China that specialize in monitor and on-stage custom IEMs for years then begin to widen their IEM catalog with universal custom in-ear (UIEM) like the now classic T2, which is dual knowles BA IEM that truely blow my mind in term of sound value (monitor way).
Today i will review their first release for the ”Wild nature” serie which is the 1DD+6BA hybrid IEM call Hisenior Okavango.
This ”Wild nature” serie is aimed for audiophile and audio enthusiast seeking non neutral nor monitor pupose musicality, and will cover different sound signature that are more experimental adn audacious than T or Mega serie which follow a more neutral balance, safer in balance too.
Hisenior describe their tuning goal as follow:
”
Okavango Design Inspirations
- Okavango HYBRID 7-DRIVERS IN-EAR MONITOR is the 1ST IEM in the newest and professional WILD-NATURE series, named after the world’s largest inland Desert Delta.
- We design, and we hope OKavango can be a SoundOasis for you where you can get clear, profound, dynamic, and relaxed music anywhere you need it. Just like the Okavango Delta, a life Oasis for creatures living there.
Sound
- Okavango Hybrid has 7-drivers on each side, and a 4-Ways integrated crossover tuned in-ear monitor.
- Okavango has a more dynamic and balanced natural sound and offers a softer presentation of a mix. Beautiful upper-highs imaging, superior highs extension up to 30Khz, realistically presenting instruments like guitars and piano as well as breathing life into saturated mid-bass mixes.”
Let see in this review if all this translate into a good sound performance and enjoable musicality.
CONSTRUCTION&ACCESSORIES
The construction of Okavango is excellent. It’s made of thick medical grade resin plastic and have an eye catching backplater that no other IEM have. The side has a solidly embeded switch with venting port under it that can’t be block unwantingly, a proof of well done desigh. The nozzle is made of metal and isn’t too thick which permit wide variety of eartips choice and fit, these can be both used deep or shallow fit way.
Sure, with such birght glossy green color and pattern, these aren’t low profile IEM so in term of aesthetic it’s an audacious move yet feedback i see everywhere are positive. I love the look quite alot.
The included cable is a big plus, it’s a very good quality modular cable with all 3.5, 2.5 and 4.4 detachable plugs. It’s a 4 coresOCC silver plated litz structure cable with a sturdy built, flexible and soft finit and not justifying urgent upgrade for quite a while due to it’s versatile nature. Very very nice cable.
Then the packaging come in a nice rectangular box so fullfill with goodies it’s near too much. Hisenior certainly goes all-in in term of accessories and this worth an applause yet perhaps inflict on final price too. Nonetheless, those aren’t accessories that will take dust or go to trash, the carrying case itself worht 30$ and is best carrying case ever, so even the price is a good deal and I suggest audiophile to give it a loo here: https://www.hisenior-iem.com/products/protect-pelican-case
Its a thick pelican case that is truely shock proof, it will survive upcoming third worldwar or apocalypse gloriously so next gen of martian can enjoy your Okavango too. I really love the inside puch too, so you can put accessories like eartips, tuning nozzle and modular plugs without risking of loosing them. I can’t rave enough about this carrying case built like a tank, i own different type of pelican case from Fiio, Oriolus and Shure and none of those come close to this one.
Yes those are all eartips you got with the Okavango. Again, extremely welcome since we never have enough and here it cover all type of shape and bore size, it even include the wide bore Tennmak Whirlwind, an eartips that can be very usefull for IEM with big nozzle. Officialy Hisenior product page show 8 pairs of silicone eartips and 2 pairs of memory foams eartips, but you might get more. Other accessories are cleaning clothes and tool. Cable clip of good quality. Febos sticker. Can we ask for more? Nope, I think we are more than spoil here.
SOUND IMPRESSIONS
The overall tonal balance of Okavango can go from warm and very bassy U shape with seismic wide slam (switch 1up 2down) to balanced bright W shape with mellow in impact but gently boosted sub bass and forwards crunchy upper highs (1D2UP).
Simply put the Okavango switch 1 hd sub bass boost while switch 2 add upper mids presence and treble edge (around 8khz) boost.
Whatever switch choice, those are bassy sounding but can go from gently punchy to plain boomy. Due to hybrid drivers configuration, even when resonant bass boom occurs we don’t enter macro muddyness territory but it will affect how clean is overal spatiality still.
The bass intensity of impact is situated in between sub and mid bass where the boom blossom in headroom, this add a sense of thin resonant rumble that can go rarely thick but when it happen it’s when sweet spot of this bass is hitted, it can happen with electric bass grunt as well as synth bass, never happen with acoustic instrument like double bass or cello which sound rather thin. It’s evident Hisenior struggle with proper bass response now that I’ve heard 4 of their IEMs, it either aims for too much transparency like with T2 or too warm thickness like with Mega5 and T4. Here it tries to go all in bassy a bit like with 7HZ Legato which get a thin vast slam that have plenty of impact but lack proper corpulency.
This is thunderous bass without the juice that should fuel it from inside. Ultimately, I can’t enjoy this kind of bass that feels detached and in competition with other drivers instead of being in harmony with them. This is why i don’t consider it warm nor lush, it’s mechanical, it’s there and boom. It’s textured in presence but colorless.
As well, kick drums sound light in impact when acoustic, so this bass shines with soul, R&B or anything not too speedy using digital kick that has a lower bass than acoustic instrument.
I can’t find anything to say about this low end apart from it slam wide and stretch spatial perception limit, for the better or the worst.
The mids could be great if it wasn’t for an upper mids presence spike that had a bit of sibilance as well as BA timbre that I can’t get used to. It’s brightish but not shouty mids, barely lush but not there due to a boosted sense of openness and transparency. So the resolution and layering is great but tone is off for a lot of instruments, especially trumpet and sax but male vocals are unbalanced in texture and feel overly bright and not embraced by proper natural lower mids warmth.
The piano has light not weight and a compressed timbre. Okavango aren’t mid centric at all so for those graph fanatics it will be a matter of debate I guess because when I choose to review them I think I would get lush warm well focused vocals but it’s more about presence boost here.
The attack is speedy and snappy and even with this bass resonance that decay alot, the bleed is so thin and transparent it doesn’t veil crispness of macro dynamic.
When you go 10 switch choose, mids get a notch lusher and smoother but this isn’t solving the texture edge and slight BA timbre.
The treble is the highlight of the Okavango, unless you’re into its bass flavor that is very dominant.
With all those balance armature for highs we have a very articulated macro clarity where percussions has their own space and are sharply rendered with plenty of crunch and even a hint of brilliance when needed, but this doesn’t mean these are sustain in sparkle and that it shine with acoustic guitar, the brilliance don’t blossom in they air and is inherent to BA timbre so metallic instrument will get a rough sparkle to it, not something i’m very found of.
Micro details amount is very generous and multi layered, they can cohabit together without mixing up.
With treble switch on, crash cymbals can go splashy and overly energetic, but it’s not that intense.
Like with most BA, attack as a slight euphonic edge, drum rolling will be affected by this, it will not have proper silence between speedy hits. But man, I’m nitpicking so hard here. The fact is that the treble is analytical without going plain trebly or unbalanced, it can make percussions dominate mids instrument and piano sound louder in higher than lower harmonic but we aren’t in plain disaster here.
We are into a mix of dry and energetic treble with a pinch of rough sparkle.
The snare sounds less loud than clap and metallic percussion which can affect sense of rhythm coherence.
Anyway, I expect better treble balance with Hisenior but we are into basshead meet treble head with those Okavango.
The soundstage is for me the main highlight of Okavango, it’s very wide and deep though depth can be get bass resonance fog. It’s holographic and out of your head. We have proper tallness too and the stage doesn’t feel compressed nor make the macro resolution.
The imaging isn’t bad at all, especially in layering. But these aren’t monitor IEM, bassist line aren’t easy to track in fast busy track and feel a bit muddy and ”one tone”. Percussions are well extracted and easy to follow apart cymbals crash that can affect fine readibility with not of splashyness bleed.
COMPARISONS
VS TSMR X (2DD+4BA+1PR-400$)
The X offers a warmer and darker W shape balance which feels smoother, more buttery and natural in balance.
The bass is chunkier and weightier, both mid and sub bass has more corpulency, attack is less boomy and more flexible. Slam has less resonance and lower mids are feed by warmth instead of getting veil by inner acoustic resonance that isn’t part of recording, bass line are juicer and more tactile with more natural tone and less presence boost that favor texture over substance more with the thinner boomier bass of Okavango which ultimately sound more out of place and more detached than more liquid, warmer tone of X.
The mids are lusher, warmer and thicker, more natural in timbre, less edgy and prompt to sibilance as well as slightly darker than dryer and thinner mids of Okavango. Oka is more transparent and open sounding in mids, it has more BA timbre grain and less cohesive transition in terms of lower mids which are less present. Mids attack has more bite and is overall crisper but more recessed too.
Treble is leaner and less crunchy with the X, the Okavango has more air around percussions as well as more accent in attack lead, level of micro details is superior too. It sounds thinner and more grainy too, it’s not as refined in both balance and timbre matching as the darker X.
The soundstage is similar in width, but taller and more holographic with the X, while it’s deeper and a notch airier with the Oka.
Imaging of both these IEMs isn’t their main highlight, but the Oka have a more edgy definition of instrument presence as well as more space between them, so I conclude it’s superior in this department.
All in all, both musicality and balance coherence goes to X hands down, while technical performance can be concluded as on par yet the bass quantity and quality is superior with X as well as its impact control is less resonant and sloppy. Balanced armature used are superior too in terms of distortion and timbre, but tuning isn’t as analytical on top, it’s not as spiky in treble region which dig out more percussions and micro details presence with the Okavango.
VS SOUNDRHYME SR7 (1DD+6 knowles BAs-350$)
Those 2 are quite similar leaning toward bassy W shape, but the SR7 is warmer and lusher, a notch more mid centric as well as less crisp and airy on top.
The bass packs more mid bass punch, it’s chunkier and warmer and better rounded but not as clean in layering. Oka has a bit more sub bass extension and focus, rumble and slam is wider in impact, not as hard kicking, making OKa feel more U shape in balance.The resonance is looser but stays in background and overall bass is more transparent and a bit thinner.
Mids are thinner and brighter with Oka, it’s more prompt to slight sibilance and male vocal sound less bodied and natural, more edgy and affected with cheaper BA timbre. This is where we know SR7 use superior knowles BA, their a plasticky presence abrasivity more evident with Oka, SR7 mids are lusher and both male and female vocal are less grainy in presence and more buttery in upper mids. It’s not as clear and detailed as a notch warmer-darker.
Treble is crunchier and thicker with SR7, again less affected with metallic BA timbre which tend to make Oka sound more snappy and edgy and brilliant with percussions which are more upfront and we have more air and sense of openness too. Micro details are slightly superior with Oka too but overall treble isn’t as organically cohesive, its spikier with Oka.
Soundstage goes to Oka without a doubt, its notably wider, taller and deeper, sense of openness is more airy but you’re not as invested in center stage as more mid centric SR7.
Imaging is near on par but Oka get upper hands in macro clarity, kick drum is more easy to track with SR7 while percussions are better separated and due to bigger soundstage instrument separation has wider space between them.
While technical performances are near on par, the tonal balance goes to SR7 due to more natural timbre and less edgy upper treble.
VS PENON DOME (1DD+3 knowles-sonion BAs-350$)
The Dome is warmer, lusher, smoother and more mid centric to balanced V shape. Here the Okavango sounds both boomier and more W shaped.
The bass is thicker and more vibrant in rumble, their more grunt and meat to bass line which sound more elastic and natural, less boomy than more resonant and dry bass of Oka.
Mids while warmer are fuller in tone, all instrument suddenly sound full bodied as well as denser and softer in timbre, this make trumpet and sax sound more boxy-shouty with Oka, male and female vocal are way more enjoyable and better rounded in smooth presence too with Dome. Oka offer brighter and cleaner mids, again thinner and edgier, more sibilant too.
For timbre lovers, the choice is easy here.
The treble is darker and leaner with the Dome, it doesn’t attract as much attention as spikier and edgier and well …splashier treble of Oka. Dome is more laid back and lush on top, not as speedy and snappy-spiky.
Soundstage goes again to Okavango, while wideness is similar and Dome can feel a bit taller due to more intimate proximity with center stage and mids, it’s not as airy and holographic nor as deep.
This means imaging is sharper again with Okavango, it’s more evident in busy tracks where the sound layering is less warmed and mushy in macro rendering.
All in all, bass quality is superior with Dome and tonal balance is way more musical, natural, mids are not as sibilant and thin too overall technical performance is inferior even if bass is more boomy and detached.
CONCLUSION
The Hisenior Okavango are both fun sounding and technicaly potent IEM that deliver bassy W shape musicality that doesn’t sound like anything else on the market. They choose a peculiar soundsig that will mostly appeal fans of pop, electronic, R&B and rap but i wouldn’t suggest those for classical or jazz as well as pure vocal or mid range lover, in that regard the Mega5 or T4 are better bet due to more natural and better rounded timbre.
The Okavango is refreshing both in look and sound and include incredible amount of good quality accessories.
Recommended.
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PS: I want to thanks Hisenior for sending me this review unit. As always, i have no affiliation nor any sens of gratitude ”ill scratch your back if you scratch mine” that can inflict with my sound impressions and opinions.
You can order the Okavango for 300$ here:
https://www.hisenior-iem.com/products/okavangouniversal
No Borders Audiophile 