Hidiz has been challenging pricing conventions for quite a while, and with the MD4, it continues doing exactly that, promising outstanding sound quality for a comparatively affordable price. Coming in at $169, it features four balanced armatures and tuning switches to create a detailed and customizable sound. But does it offer the sound quality to compete with established all-BA IEMs like the See Audio Bravery?
Specifications
- Current Price: (Hidiz, Amazon)
Hidiz MD4 - What is it?
The MD4 is the latest set of in-ear monitors from Hidiz, a brand targeted at budget-conscious audiophiles and music lovers. This set utilized an all balanced armature configuration to deliver its sonics and includes a set of tuning switches on their rear to tweak the sound to your personal taste. The switches pair with three sets of ear tips that cater to balanced, vocal, or bass sound signatures. You could fairly say that the MD4 caters toward your preference more than most in its price range, but we have seen similar features on sets from Thieaudio (Legacy 2, Legacy 4).
You could also fairly say that Hidiz is aiming high with this set. The design is particularly elegant, featuring glossy faces and copper accents. The construction is entirely metal for added durability and a more premium build quality. The combination of the earbuds, cable, faux leather case, and presentation in the marketing materials creates a perception of a very high quality product, which is exactly what you would hope to see with a product that is at once fairly expensive ($169.99) but comparatively high value. You see this kind of presentation on earphones quite a bit more expensive, so Hidiz earns definite points for style and build quality.
Unlike the rest of Hidiz’ current line-up, the MD4 is the only set to use balanced armatures exclusively, totalling four drivers for each side. That’s an interesting choice and isn’t something we see very often. There are many sets that use this configuration, of course, but these days it’s much more common to see a mix of balanced armatures and dynamic drivers, allowing each driver type to focus on an set frequency range. That same principle is applied here, with one driver each dedicated to mids and highs, and another two dedicated to bass.
Around the back, two tuning switches allow you to select four slightly different sound profiles. Depending on which are flipped up or down, you can choose from Warm, Balanced, Bass, or Treble signatures. Out of the box, mine were set to the treble configuration — which is something I would recommend you change. The changes these switches bring to the listening experience are subtle but actually noticeable, which isn’t something I found quite as impactful on the Thieaudio sets.
Before moving on, the cable is worth remarking upon. The MD4 supports a two-pin connection, so the cable is detachable and upgradeable. It uses a 4-core design composed of silver and oxygen-free copper cables. The braiding is nice and the connections are quite nice with metal housings and gold plating. The cable is pretty flexible and the coloration matches the earbuds very well. It’s not the best cable I’ve seen for softness but is a major improvement over any cable you’ll find included with a U.S. brand purchased in-store.
Hidiz MD4 - Fit and Comfort
The MD4 utilizes a universal IEM (UIEM) shape which is designed to fit comfortably in most ear types. In the render above, you can see how it is intended to rest within the ear, supported by the concha and secured by the ear canal. Since the balanced armatures are compact, the housing is on the smaller side, so should fit comfortably in most ears.
Included in the package are three different sets of small, medium, and large silicone ear tips (nine altogether). These are designed for balanced, bass, and vocal centric sound signatures and so have different sized openings for the nozzles and slightly different feels to the material. I was able to find a comfortable fit using a combo of medium and small ear tips across all three types, so sizing between them is standard. Once properly sized, these earphones were easy to wear for multi-hour listening sessions with no outer or inner-ear soreness.
Hidiz MD4 - Sound Impressions
My listening for this review was conducted using a mix of the THX Onyx, the iFi Go Blu, and the iFi Gryphon DAC/amps. I found the MD4 to be particularly sensitive to source and benefited from the warmer delivery of the iFis. The THX Onyx was a short-lived but important source to test, however, as its very neutral, analytical presentation caused the MD4 to sound very sharp and rather unpleasant to my ears.
Because the sound can be tuned, your impressions may differ from my own. As I’ll explain next, I left my set on the bass tuning for the majority of my testing.
Bass: Bass is not the strong suit of the MD4. I found the sound to be rather thin and lacking in body until completely configured for bass using the associated tips and tuning switch settings. For rock music, electronica, hip-hop, and pop it is just too light without this configuration and remains diminished even still. Jonny Craig’s D.R.E.A.M. has a very strong bass line that carries the song. With the MD4, it feels like the sub-bass been chopped out of the song almost completely.
To really make these sound full, I had to use iFi’s XBass feature. With that, they definitely improved and became more enjoyable for a wider variety of music. Be prepared to EQ if you enjoy low-end.
Mids: What the MD4 lacks in bass, it makes up for with its mids. Female vocals in particular sound lush and detailed. Adele’s Easy On Me was full and detailed. Male vocals are more stepped back but still manage to sound great. Michael Buble’s Feeling Good was full of detail. The pianos on these tracks also sounded amazing on the MD4. Swapping to rock music, electric guitar sounds crisp and detailed. The Final Cut by Coheed and Cambria highlighted the micro details on the palm-muted electric guitars and didn’t let up when the track opened to multiple ringing notes swamped in reverb and wah effects.
Treble: Treble is another high point of the MD4. Percussion and cymbals pop forward in the mix, which makes rock and percussion come to life. Adrift by I The Mighty sparkled. Electric guitar lines that usually blend into the mix popped out and were discernible in a way I really enjoyed. On the bass switch setting, the highs were never sharp or fatiguing. However, on the default treble configuration, they sounded etched and were sharp enough that I had to swap switch settings after only a few songs. One more reason to set it and leave it on balanced or bass settings.
Soundstage/Imaging: Soundstage is good and competes well with the See Audio Bravery, another 4 BA set that’s roughly $100 more. Imaging is great, however, and clearly articulates where sounds are coming from. Stereo separation is excellent. Layering of sounds is also very good, so you won’t struggle to hear details in your favorite songs.
Final Thoughts and Overall Impressions
With testing complete, I find myself torn on these earbuds. They have a lot going for them. The mids and highs are well done and full of detail. The bass presence just wasn’t there for my music library. It is able to be brought back through EQ and bass enhancers on third-party DACs, but if you don’t have access to those, there’s a good chance this set will sound a bit thin unless, and maybe even if, you set it up with bass tips and switch settings.
With that in mind, I can’t help but compare it to the See Audio Bravery. The presentation of the buds would make them seem like a competitor to this more expensive set. Though I think the Bravery is the better choice, it’s possible to EQ the MD4 to a similar tuning. A Bravery for $100 less? Not quite, but in the ballpark, and that may be enough if you’ve had your eye on that set but can’t fit it into your budget.
The MD4 isn’t a set I’ll personally be sticking with, but if your library and preferences lean more toward detail than bass, it could still be a good choice.
The product described in this article was provided by the manufacturer for evaluation purposes. Some articles may contain affiliate links and purchases made through this will result in a small commission for the site. Commissions are not directed to the author or related to compensation in any way.
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