HZSound Heart Mirror Review (1) – Mirror Mirror On The Wall, Who Is The Fairest Of Them All?

Pros

Beautiful shell. Light and comfortable. Good build.
Fast transients.
Good details, clarity, imaging, instrument separation for a budget single DD.
Neutral bright tuning with very few instances of hot upper mids/lower treble.
Very good timbre for vocals and acoustic instruments. Good for vocal lovers.
Good price to performance ratio.
Generous accessories.

Cons:

Shells are fingerprint magnets, can be scratched too.
Bass lite, lacks midbass punch (good news is that it takes to bass EQ well).
Average soundstage height/depth when not amped.
Will need amping to perform optimally.
Thin note weight.

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

The HZSound Heart Mirror is a well tuned neutralish bright set, with to die for vocals, excellent timbre and tonality. It boasts fasts transients and good technicalities for a budget single DD set. Despite the brighter tuning, there’s very rare instances of shoutiness that plague the usual upper mids boosted contenders at this price range. It’s as beautiful sounding as it looks, though soundstage, lack of midbass punch and thin note weight are my nitpicks in the tuning. The best compliment I can give a neutralish bright set like the HZSound Heart Mirror, is that a basshead like me thinks it is a keeper.

SPECIFICATIONS

• Driver type: 10mm Carbon Nanometer DD
• Frequency range: 15Hz-40kHz
• Impedance: 32Ω (±15%)
• Sensitivity: 106 ± 3dB
• Cable Connector: 2Pin 0.78mm
• Tested at $49 USD

ACCESSORIES

In addition to the IEM, it comes with a very generous assortment of accessories:

1) Silicone tips (S/M/L) x 2 variants (total of 6 pairs). The white tips are stiffer with a longer nozzle, whereas the black ones are flimsier with a shorter bore. Actually the black coloured ones look and feel suspiciously similar to Final Audio E black tips, except without the grooves on the stem, and indeed they function in a similar way in tightening the bass and taming the treble a tinge.

2) One pair of foam tips.

3) Shirt clip.

4) Cloth case.

5) Carabiner.

6) 4 core OFC Silver Plated Cable – The cable is very well braided and of good quality, no microphonics. As for sound, if you are a cable skeptic, please skip to the next section. Otherwise, personally I felt the HZSound Heart Mirror synergizes better with pure copper cables as this set is already neutralish bright and bass lite, and the copper cables perhaps thickens the sound and bass a tinge, YMMV.

BUILD/COMFORT

The HZSound Heart Mirror comes in a beautifully polished metal shell, sporting a similar look to the Moondrop KXXS and TRI I3. It isn’t as heavy or large as the TRI I3, and is very ergonomic and comfortable. I can wear it for hours without issues.

The shell lives up to the namesake of Heart Mirror, it is beautiful but unfortunately is a fingerprint magnet. HZSound does wrap protective stickers around the shell, but after unboxing them, one should be careful when bringing this set outside the house as the metal finish can be easily scratched.

I didn’t detect any driver flex on the HZSound Heart Mirror.

I liked that it came in a 2 pin config for cable housing, I had many bad experiences with MMCX connectors in general.

ISOLATION

Isolation on the HZSound Heart Mirror is slightly above average, as per most vented DD sets. It won’t beat pure BA unvented sets in this area, but should be sufficient for outdoor usage.

DRIVABILITY/SOURCE

I tried the HZSound Heart Mirror on a Samsung Note 5 phone, a Ziku HD X9 DAP, a Shanling Q1 DAP, a Khadas Tone Board -> Fiio A3 amp, a Sabre HIFI DAC (ESS ES9280C PRO) and Tempotec Sonata HD Pro. The HZSound Heart Mirror is drivable from lower powered sources, but scales a lot with amping in the areas of dynamics, details and soundstage. As such, I would recommend that one considers a more powerful source when using the HZSound Heart Mirror, so as to get it sounding its best.

The HZSound Heart Mirror is a neutralish bright set, so I generally preferred pairing it with a warmer source.

SOUND & TECHNICALITIES

As discussed, the HZSound Heart Mirror is a neutralish bright set, veering towards the analytical and colder side in tonality, with a neutralish bass and a boosted upper mids. This tuning is quite atypical in the sub $50 region in CHIFI, but this is a well done upper mids boost with minimal shoutiness. The HZSound Heart Mirror manages to balance a razor thin edge of getting vocals to be forward in the upper mids without sounding harsh, and I’m very sensitive to the 2 – 4 kHz regions in general. On rare occasions, such as in poorly recorded material, then the upper mids sounded shouty, but IMHO, the HZSound Heart Mirror’s upper mids are much smoother than the upper mids of the BLON BL-05 (non S) and Moondrop SSR.

Technicalities are good, with the driver really excelling at transients. Multi BA/hybrids at the same price point will still be better (in general) for technicalities, but the HZSound Heart Mirror has one of the better technicalities for a budget single DD set. Clarity, instrument separation and imaging and details are very good. I liked that it could keep up with complex music passages despite not possessing multiple drivers in the config.

Unfortunately, the HZSound Heart Mirror’s soundstage isn’t the best at this price bracket, with the soundstage being deep but about average in width/height when not amped. Thankfully, soundstage increases in width with amping, so do consider using an amp with this set to do the sound justice. Different aftermarket eartips may also help to some extent in the soundstage, so do try tiprolling to see what changes for you.

Timbre for vocals and acoustic instruments is excellent on the HZSound Heart Mirror, I daresay it has more authentic timbre than the famous BLON BL-03. In view of the foward upper mids, this set is very good for vocal lovers, with instruments being a bit in the background compared to vocals. Note weight is on the thinner side, would have preferred more meat on the bones.

Bass:

Bass on the HZSound Heart Mirror is neutralish in the midbass and subbass with quite good subbass extension. Subbass is perhaps a tinge emphasized in quantity over the midbass, but this is tip dependent to some extent too. Midbass lacks a punch in bass forward music, and borders on the anemic side quantity wise when there’s bass predominant movements in the music.

Bassheads will hence not like the bass quantity, but the bass quality is thankfully good. Bass is quite textured, fast, with no midbass bleed. Decay is below average. I liked that the driver on the HZSound Heart Mirror takes to bass EQ very well, so no biggie for bass boosting for our basshead brethen (unlike some other sets that distort with EQ).

Mids:

Lower mids are pretty neutral, with the upper mids having a boost to give vocals good clarity. Vocals are a treat on this set in terms of vocal nuances, details and timbre. Female vocals are slightly more forward than male vocals, with instruments being a bit in the backseat compared to vocals. There’s a slight 4 kHz dip to balance the upper mids and prevent it from going into shouty territory. As discussed, the upper mids are actually smooth, compared to some similarly boosted upper mids CHIFI sets at this price bracket.

On rare occasions, such as with poorly recorded material or with pumping up the volume a lot (Fletcher Munson Curve), then the upper mids were a bit shouty, but by and large, the upper mids balances a very fine line of being forward without being shouty/harsh, at moderate volumes.

Treble:

The HZSound Heart Mirror extends moderately well in treble. Sibiliance is mild. It has plenty of detail and clarity to suit trebleheads, but isn’t the most airy set. Personally, I felt the treble is managable compared to the garden variety TRNs/KZs. Cymbals and high hats are not splashy and quite well done.

COMPARISONS

As per comparing apples to apples, I left out multi BA/hybrids/exotic drivers from the comparisons, as the different transducers have their inherent strengths and weaknesses. Also, since the HZSound Heart Mirror is a neutralish bright set, I decided to pick some single DD types that were not too bass heavy but yet have a boosted upper mids for A/B comparison here.

BLON BL-03, which is midbass heavy, is not mentioned below as the tuning of the HZSound Heart Mirror is very different to the analoguish warm tuning of the BL-03 (and I feel both sets have a complimentary tuning). But I’m fairly certain someone will ask about comparing the Oppoty sooner or later. So suffice to say, the HZSound Heart Mirror beats the BLON BL-03 in aspects of timbre, fit, accessories, bass quality/speed and technicalities (maybe except soundstage and note weight). The BLON BL-03 is better for those wanting an analoguish warm bassy sound with thicker note weight. As for cost, the BL-03 may end up costing the same or thereabouts as the HZSound Heart Mirror due to most folks needing to get aftermarket tips/cables due to the poor fit on the BL-03.

Unfortunately, I don’t have the original Tin T2 with me now to do A/B, but the Tin T2 Plus will be discussed in the comparisons below.

So mirror mirror on the wall, who’s the fairest of them all?

Moondrop SSR

The Moondrop SSR is tuned somewhat diffuse-field neutral with an upper mids boost. Both sets have good technical performance for a single DD set, maybe the Moondrop SSR edges it slightly in clarity, details and imaging. Timbre for acoustic instruments is very good in both sets. The Moondrop SSR has quite bad sibilance and a thinner note weight compared to the HZSound Heart Mirror. Isolation is better on the HZSound Heart Mirror.

The Moondrop SSR actually sounds nice at low volumes, but by pumping up the volume a few dB, the 3 kHz area is shouty and is too much for me (Fletcher Munson Curve). The Moondrop SSR has very polarizing reviews, and I think this may be due to the different volumes all of us are using it at, and volume levels are typically not mentioned by reviewers or consumers. Not to mention the different sources, tips, hearing health we all have may affect our perception of upper mids/treble in the Moondrop SSR. After doing A/B testing using the same source, tips (and even cable), I’ll take the HZSound Heart Mirror any day over the Moondrop SSR, as the 3 kHz peak and the sibilance on the SSR is a deal breaker for me.

Different strokes for different folks though, I know a lot of our friends like the Moondrop SSR, especially those that use it at lower volumes. The Moondrop SSR actually has better technical performance than the HZSound Heart Mirror, but unfortunately it isn’t my cup of tea in terms of tonality.

BLON BL-05 (non S)

The BLON BL-05 (non S) is also shouty in the upper mids/lower treble compared to the HZSound Heart Mirror, with the latter being smoother and overall more refined. Timbre, tonality and technicalities are better on the HZSound Heart Mirror, maybe except for clarity.

Accessories are better on the HZSound Heart Mirror, though the BLON BL-05 (non S) has better isolation.

BLON BL-05S

The BLON BL-05S is an upgrade over the aforementioned BLON BL-05 (non S), with less shouty upper mids, and better timbre, tonality and technicalities than the BLON BL-05 (non S). Accessories are similar (unfortunately as bad) as the BLON BL-05 (non S).

Compared to the HZSound Heart Mirror, the BLON BL-05S has a bit more boosted midbass quantity and is more “fun sounding” and hence probably more versatile in the tuning, especially when bass foward music is involved. The HZSound Heart Mirror sounds a bit more analytical and colder. Timbre and technicalities are a tinge better on the HZSound Heart Mirror. Both sets have fast drivers for a single DD but the HZSound Heart Mirror wins in transient response speed. The BLON BL-05S has lesser upper mids boost than the HZSound Heart Mirror and is generally less fatiguing for longer sessions than the HZSound Heart Mirror. Isolation is better on the BLON BL-05S.

Both sets do better with amping, but the HZSound Heart Mirror scales much more with amping. Unfortunately, the BLON BL-05S driver distorts with higher volumes/EQ, so that’s an area of weakness when pumping up the volume compared to the HZSound Heart Mirror.

I would consider both sets sidegrades with complimentary tunings to suit different music genres/preferences.

Tin T2 Plus

The Tin T2 Plus is very well balanced and non fatiguing U shaped (or mild V shaped) set, and I can see why it is a big crowd favourite. It has a more boosted bass than the HZSound Heart Mirror, though it has slightly poorer timbre and technicalities than the HZSound Heart Mirror. HZSound Heart Mirror’s driver is faster too for transients, with the Tin T2 Plus having some lingering cymbal decay during splashes/hits. Upper mids aren’t as boosted as on the HZSound Heart Mirror, and coupled with the Tin T2 Plus being bassier, overall it gives a warmer and less cold tonality than the HZSound Heart Mirror. The Tin T2 Plus is hence more versatile in view of the tuning especially for bass forward music.

Likewise, I would consider both sets sidegrades with complimentary tunings to suit different music genres/preferences.

CONCLUSIONS

So, mirror mirror on the wall, who is the fairest of them all?

Well I’m glad to say the HZSound Heart Mirror is as beautiful sounding as it looks, though it is not perfect, with soundstage and a thin note weight and a lack of midbass punch being my nitpicks in the tuning. The HZSound Heart Mirror is otherwise a very well tuned neutralish bright set, with to die for vocals, excellent timbre and tonality. It boasts fasts transients and good technicalities for a budget single DD set. Despite the brighter tuning, there’s only rare instances of shoutiness that plague the usual upper mids boosted contenders at this price range, when used at moderate volumes.

The BLON BL-03 was my previous gold standard for instrumental timbre in the sub $50 USD region, but it has now been dethroned by the HZSound Heart Mirror in the area of timbre. My favourite aspect of the HZSound Heart Mirror is that it boasts a vocal forward tuning without veering on the shouty side, which is a very fine line to balance. Vocal lovers should give this set a try if the OPPOTY opportunity allows.

The best compliment I can give the HZSound Heart Mirror is that a basshead like me uses it in my weekly rotation (without bass EQ to boot).

MY VERDICT

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DISCLAIMER

I would like to thank Ann from KeepHIFI for providing this review unit.

It can be gotten here at $49 USD: KeepHifi

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