Whizzer Kylin HE01

Accessories and box of HE01B

Simply, it comes with a hard carrying case, vocal and referance eartips, cable and iem itself. pretty good for price.

How it sounds?

It sounds like a old KZ with good technicalities. Good, tight and controlled bass with harsh treble range and upper midrange. Sounstage is just ok... There's not much to say about it's sound. Just an another chi-fi sounding iem with ok-ish technicalities for me.

Still a good buy in 2024?

Answer is no for me. Because you have REALLY REALLY good options in this price range right now. Don't buy this and don't waste your money. New whizzers are better than that too.

02 / 08 / 2023 update;

I lowered the score from 4 / 5 to 3.5 / 5
It has a price of about $70, and it is impossible for it to compete in this price band in 2023. If we do not count the contents of the reference box, it does not have any features that can compete with the current models. I remember it was a 2020 or 2021 model, the industry has changed a lot.


I reduced the product score from 4 to 3.5. It has a price of 55-70, despite the reference box content, it has no claim in this price band anymore.


today I am here with whizzer kylin he01b in-ear monitors.



the whizzer sent me this iems in exchange for an honest review. As always it will be an honest review. I want to thank whizzer here.

before moving on to the iems, I would like to talk about the brand, which is not a very well-known brand, whizzer, as my personal opinion, I can say that the reason for this is that they do not release many models to the market. They put their minds on quality products and make it feel from the box to the earphones. Speaking of boxes, we can get there.

When you say the box is a classic whizzer, magnetic caps, etc., you can see the thoughtful things. There are even cutouts in the main box for the metal protection case of the earphone and the small cardboard box that contains the cable. Let's open the box;











The contents of the box are also quite good, so what does we expect?

- iem

- A cable of good quality, packed in a cardboard box,

- Different ear tips (silicone and 6 pairs in total) for different sound characters,

- Metal protection container (there is fabric inside and the part where the cover comes from is silicone),

- An envelope with warranty card and user's manual inside,

- Cleaning brush,


















Now let's talk about the structure of the headset and the cable:

Earphones;

- A single dynamic driver earphone made of quality plastic, they even added details on top of the chill driver. By the way, don't step on it, you break it. The result is a first-class workmanship and material quality, proof;











Cable;

- I wish they put the same cable on the he03s, no need to upgrade. Speaking of the cable, it says he01d and has a color match with the earphones. The reason why I say this is that there is a he01 as a different model of the same headset in the whizzer, and if I remember correctly, it is also different in color. In other words, there are different details even in different colors of the same model, there are very few companies that do this. Is it necessary? It's up to you, ultimately the cost.



Comfort:

- I did not feel any discomfort, they are not heavy either. I won't dwell too much on comfort as it is a personal thing.

Insulation:

- I found it weak, he03 had the same problem. I think it's not even mediocre, you can easily hear the sounds coming from outside. I definitely expected better.

sound quality;

Low frequencies: 8.3 / 10

- The basses are above average, the quality is quite good and they are fast. It's fine if you're not an extreme bass fan, meanwhile you might have to turn the volume up a little to hear deep bass.

Mid frequencies: 7.9 / 10

- They definitely differ from the he03s at this point, it was much more detailed and the he03s are far superior to the he01s in terms of instrument separations. I think the male vocals are more lively on he01, which is the only good thing that caught my eye compared to he03. Vocals are good but sometimes they get in front of the instruments. Did I say sometimes? Most of the time. In particular, instruments such as the clarinet were lagging behind in the songs I listened to.

Upper frequencies: 7.5 / 10

- He03 was a bit bright for me, especially since I have treble sensitivity, there is no such problem. The treble is generally average, but lacks sparkle and vibrancy. On top of that, when the instruments standing behind are added, they become a bit boring, I did not find it vergi entertaining.

Scene:

- Above average, sounds not as deep as in he03, they are more superficial. It's up to your taste, but he01 is more general, he03 was a little weirder. I also like the width quite a bit.


Instrument separation and detail:

- Even if the vocals are a bit overwhelming, instrument separation is also very successful.


Sound effects in games:

- Gun sounds are not very realistic, but footsteps contract very, very well. In this regard, the g332 mi slaps, even I think it can be better than most gaming headsets.

sound performance:

- I don't think you can choose a lot of sources because it is very easy to drive, if there was a little sparkle and liveliness in the treble, I would definitely give 8.4-8.5 for the higher frequencies. For example, I listen to taladro and I feel as if they are forcing me to say it. Ha, a successful headphone for pure-blooded vocals. If the timbre was a little better, it would be a very good choice for vocals. Although it is good in terms of bass, the headphone does not have a distinctive side.





Pros and cons;



Pluses:

- First-class build quality,

- Quality box,

- Quality cable,

- Easy to drive,

- comfortable,

- Bass is good quality,

- Good vocals,

- Different tips for different voice characters, which saves post-order cost,

- Nice look,

- Metal storage case,


Cons:

- Vocals that are too forward or instruments that are too far behind

- Sub-par sound insulation,

- Luminous highs,

- Mediocre technical details,

- Boring sound performance for some,


It can be found between 45-50 as the price currently on sale. If you buy it at a discounted price, there are better models in terms of sound quality on the market, but it should not be forgotten that this headset has been on the market for about two years. At the time, the competition was not so fierce, and for the price of that time, it was among the reviewer's favorite headphones. If you can find it in the 45-50 band, I suggest you take into account that a few of the negatives I have listed above are for the 75 band. Sometimes you can't find this kind of box even in 200 band because not every brand thinks about such subtleties. If you find it in the 45 - 50 band, I say don't miss it, if you come across the prices in the 71-75 band, maybe not in terms of the box, but you can find better models in terms of sound.

By the way, if the sound quality was a little better, I would give 9, if the box quality was a little worse, I would give 7. You'll hardly find anything better on the 45 band, there are a few models but most of them have quality control issues. If it were me, I'd give the serious price difference and buy he03, I still recommend it in the 45 band. You can buy the headset from the official store here. sorry for terrible english

https://a.aliexpress.com/_EwMPcfR

Disclaimer: I was sent the HE01 from Whizzer for the purpose of review. All opinions are my own. I have no affiliation with the brand or company.



The Whizzer HE01 arrive in a rather substantial packaging, priced at $80, there is a heft and a feeling of quality, maybe it's just the hi-res sticker. Venturing inside i find the earphones themselves, an envelope with papers/warranty, then there's a cylindrical aluminum case with a set of Easytips reference tips and a set of Easytips vocal tips inside. Lastly there's the 4-core "5N OFC" (oxygen free copper) cable.



let's talk a little about the HE01. The HE01 are made by Whizzer as part of their "Kylin" line of iem (HE03, and the newest HE03AL) and is designed by J.IDEA+ ("Junctions IDEA") Studio, which from my understanding is the design division of Whizzer, similar to how "Operafactory" is Whizzer's division dedicated to more budget audio gear. The HE01 have Hi-res certification and also HDSS (High Definition Sound Standard) which is another type of certification for audio products that include an HDSS "ETL" module, it's the little cylindrical metal thing seen next to the driver in the marketing materials. This module, called an ETL, (Embedded Transmission Line) can be thought of as an open tuna-can filled with acoustic foam, it is meant to increase sound quality by absorbing some of the backwaves made by the dynamic driver. By absorbing some of these backwaves, the pressure fluctuations inside the housing should be reduced, theoretically reducing distortion. I have never owned a product with HDSS technology, i first saw it mentioned in the Hiby Seeds iem and at the time i didn't understand what it was. They have a website, hdss.com, there you can find technical details about HDSS, datasheets, measurements. They even go as far as to say:

"We believe that ETL is the first significant development in audio reproduction theory since the 1925 invention of the Moving Coil Speaker patented by Bell Labs"

It sure talks the talk, but does it walk the walk?





Physically inspecting the iems, there's rose gold accenting on the faceplate, nozzle, driver, the connecters, even the cable itself is a kinda rosy tinted copper that follows the whole aesthetic theme. Theres a metal damping ring on front the driver with the word "BRIGHT" and the words: "WHIZZER 10.2mm 4th Gen BRIGHT J.IDEA TYPE KYLIN HIGH-FIDELITY DESIGNED BY JUNCTIONS IDEA." marked in a ring on the front of the dynamic driver. On the nozzle is written "4TH.GEN". Personally i really like little details like these. it feels like i am inspecting a fine swiss watchpiece.



Removing the faceplate reveals the HDSS ETL module inside:







Diving into the FR graph:





using my preferred tips:



At 18 ohms and a sensitivity of 107dB per mW, the HE01 should play loud and proud on even the wimpiest of sources.

All my listening is done using an lg v30+, Neutron Player, lossless FLACs downloaded from Deezer.

Starting with the bass, it is elevated, and it sounds absolutely fantastic. It's speedy, detailed, punchy. i find the bass very satisfying. i recently reviewed the more expensive BGVP NS9, i did not like the bass on those, it sounded soft, the decay was very long and for their price they were just plain upsetting, The HE01 are MILES better in bass performance, you can hear every reverberation. Good, fast bass. Excellent.

Going into the mids department, male vocals sound rich, and the midbass isn't intrusive on the vocals, Sinatra and Jobim is just a pleasure to listen to on my HE01, and I'm able to listen loud without any protest from my ears. The amount of midbass although elevated is not too too much like the KBEAR KS1 or the BGVP NS9 midbass. In the track "RETRIEVING THE CASE" by Ludwig Goransson, the intro is a rising, intensifying bass tone, on the NS9 the intro is absolutely headache inducingly boomy, on the HE01? the intro sequence sounds ..huge.. but alot more bearable.

I do not find myself having to jack up the volume to bring out vocals, something i find myself trying to do on a few other sets, the mids/vocals here just blend into the mix nice and beautifully from what i hear.

Bringing our attention to the treble, i think these perform very well. The HE01 treble sounds natural. It doesn't sound metallic, the treble does not sound "forward" like how some of my cheapo balanced armature iems sound, and most importantly the treble does not sound rolled off, i am still getting great clarity and treble extension all without dedicated tweeters and such.

The treble IS missing a bit of splashiness, which would've made drums sound more realistic.

Referring to the graph, there looks to be a dip at 7k to cut out sibilance, Then there's a dip at 10k, which i believe is to help mitigate harsh or "blinky" treble. (treble that makes you wince whenever there's a cymbal strike or clap). In most iems, there's usually a point after 10k where the frequency response completely dies, some don't make it to 16k, the HE01 treble response goes all the way up to 20k on my IEC711 compliant mic, so if you're listening to music made for dogs or bats, you can rest easy knowing you'll be getting every bit of the music.

Soundstage is good, it isn't huge and the imaging isn't remarkable, the lows sound as though they are located around my ears, treble sounds like it is coming from just above my ears, there isn't much action going on behind you (NS9 in comparison sounded as though stuff was happening behind you) vocals are located mostly in my head. imaging isn't all too realistic, drums don't sound very lifelike, probably has something to do with the dips and spikes. In the track "Bucket" by Alltta, there's a short intro sequence where some sets (Sony wi-1000x for example) sound very realistic, the HE01 don't sound as convincing as some really good hybrids.


COMPARISONS:




KZ EDX: This is an $8 single DD earphone that there's a good chance you've probably tried.

Mids don't sound nearly as pleasing on the EDX as they do on the HE01, male vocals sound laid back and fairly distant, male vocals sound unusually bright too. Bass sounds a little more sub bass focused on the EDX and not as speedy as the HE01. treble quality is actually fairly comparable between the two, EDX is more tactile and snappy than HE01, you may prefer how the EDX images over the HE01.



Moondrop Sparks: This earphone costs $90, single DD, and is a prime example of Moondrop's diffuse field tuning, which alot of people i know are a fan of. The bass sounds flatter, more neutral on the Sparks and also has excellent speed like the HE01, mids don't sound as flavorful as the HE01, i like my male vocals with a little more warmth, the Sparks are alot colder. Female vocals are detailed and very good though. When it comes to treble the HE01 are noticeably airier with bigger soundstage all around your head, the Sparks are much less airy and also cannot playback any frequencies above 16k due to it's bluetooth limitations. The Sparks also cannot play nearly as loud as the HE01.

CVJ Mirror: This is a $50 hybrid 1dd + 2ba and one of my favourites from the slew of chifi hybrids I've tried. These have punchy speedy bass quite like the HE01, only a touch more potent. The mids aren't quite as good as HE01, male vocals aren't as full sounding, and the bass can be boomy on some tracks on the Mirror. The Mirror has the advantage of 2 custom balanced armatures and the result is much more precise imaging than the HE01. The treble, more crispy and finely textured than HE01. The Mirror does have some pretty bad driver flex, and the cable and accessories, nowhere near Whizzer..



I have had the HE01 for many many weeks now, they have done nothing but grow on me. These are the first iems that I've tried that i think i can safely give 5 stars to, and it will have this rating until something around the same price is able to impress me more than the HE01 (maybe Aria?) i truly love this sound, i trust the HE01 to faithfully reproduce my whole library. I think these are an excellent all-genre earphone for musical enjoyment, not for studio work.