The Hidizs MP145 was kindly provided free of charge in exchange for an honest review. I didn’t receive monetary or any other kind of compensation and I don’t use affiliate links. The regular price of the Hidizs MP145 is $199 but it is now available for pre-order on Hidizs for $159.
Support WDC: Save the whales, save the world!
The journey of Hidizs MP145 began with a powerful vision in the heart of Hidizs’ CEO, Tamson. Witnessing numerous distressing news stories about the relentless hunting of whales, he felt a deep sense of responsibility to contribute something meaningful towards the protection of these majestic marine creatures. It was at this pivotal moment that fate led him to cross paths with the Whale and Dolphin Conservation (WDC).
WDC (Whale and Dolphin Conservation) is the leading global charity dedicated to the conservation and protection of whales and dolphins. Their unwavering dedication to ocean and whale conservation has inspired countless individuals worldwide to take action for a sustainable future.
As the design of the Hidizs MP145 was inspired by whales, they are proudly supporting WDC’s Green Whale work and helping to raise awareness about the vital role whales play in the health of our oceans, and ultimately our planet. Hidizs will maintain open communication with WDC and provide the necessary support to aid their work.
Hidizs MP145
The Hidizs MP145 features a customized “FAST” 14.5mm, ultra-large planar magnetic driver with a fully symmetrical magnetic circuit that has a precise arrangement of 7+7 N52H magnets that are able to produce lower harmonic distortion, enhanced magnetic circuit efficiency, and close to 1 Tesla magnetic flux. The Hidizs MP145’s thoughtful design features hidden ventilation ports to allow for a more natural bass response and for ear pressure relief.
Pneumatic tuning filters
The Hidizs MP145, just like the Hidizs MS3 and MS5, features interchangeable pneumatic sound tuning filters for tailoring audio experience to your liking. There are three filters that when combined with the specially designed ear tips for low/mid/high frequencies allow the user to effortlessly switch between 9 different music styles. The red filter is for enhancing the low frequencies, the silver for emphasizing the highs and the rose gold is the balanced one.
Appearance, fit and build quality
With WDC’s (Whale and Dolphin Conservation) assistance, Hidizs drew inspiration from whales’ biological features for Hidizs MP145 in-ear monitors. By seamlessly incorporating whale tail and rorqual pleat characteristics, they achieved a smooth, ergonomic shape that fits the human ear canal perfectly. Utilizing advanced molding and five-axis CNC carving, the earphone panel is divided into 3 parts with a twelve-layer milling pattern, resembling whale tail fins and pectoral flippers.
How does this translate into actual wearing experience? Well, the Hidizs MP145 is bulkier and heavier than other earphones like the MS3. The fit is quite comfortable but not the best, there is a gap between the ear and the ear-shells and you also can’t fail to notice the extra weight while the bulky ear-shells are slightly protruding outside the ear. The cable ear-hooks are a little loose around the ear but you can try to bend them in order to achieve a more stable fit. Additionally the “whale” inspired lines might add a unique appearance but they have sharp corners that are piercing when you try to adjust the earphones. Build quality and finish are really excellent while the Hidizs M145 is available in three colors.
Cable
The MP145 features a 2-pin detachable cable with high-purity single-crystal, oxygen-free, silver-plated copper wire and you have the option to order it with a 4.4mm or 3.5mm plug. The cable is well made with good handling, it looks durable, it is tangle resistant and free from microphonic noise. A really high quality cable and better than someone would expect.
Accessories
The Hidizs MP145 comes with a customized carrying pouch, the three tuning filters inside a small box and three types of silicone ear-tips in three sizes each nicely arranged in a dedicated trace. A carrying case instead of the pouch would add greater value to the overall package.
Power requirements and associated gear
The Hidizs MP145 has 30Ω impedance with 104dB of sensitivity so it is relatively easy to drive while it is not that sensitive to source noise. You can use it straight out from your phone’s 3.5mm jack but the MP145 scales pretty well and loves plenty of current so you better use a high quality dongle like the Hidizs S9 pro or even better a DAP like the FiiO M11S. As per usual practice the MP145 was burned about 100 hours before listening evaluation.
Listening impressions
Using the balanced filter with the balanced ear-tips, the Hidizs MP145 has a balanced (sic) sound profile with just a little of a bass / mid-bass emphasis, present mids and a smooth but still extended treble. The low-end has plenty of sub-bass extension that doesn’t get overwhelming while the bass has a touch of a tasteful prominence that gives plenty of low-end grunt to the Hidizs MP145 without sounding that out of tune and bleeding into the mids. Certain instruments, like double-bass or cello get more emphasized than they should but not that much to make the MP145 unsuitable for listening to classical music. This is a well realized tuning that matches various musical genres as it carefully balances between fun and reference, slightly leaning towards the first. The large planar driver produces bass that is powerful, dynamic, impactful and full bodied with great definition. The bass is fast and tight with excellent clarity and texture, it is mostly controlled but sometimes echo is a bit more than normal, nothing too serious though.
The mid range is superb, almost perfect, engaging, warm and organic with plenty of harmonic variety and a rare authenticity at this price point. The tuning is balanced without excessive upper mid-range emphasis, it blends well with the rest of the frequencies and exhibits a natural, realistic timbre. Instruments and voices are accurately reproduced with great clarity and definition, they sound textured, articulated and weighty while the MP145 is surprisingly resolving and refined for the category.
The treble, which is also very resolving and refined, is airy and extended but with a smooth and forgiving nature that is suitable for long listening sessions without causing fatigue. The MP145 doesn’t have the most energetic and luminous treble, not the deepest detail retrieval in the business but in exchange it offers an easy going sound character with a relaxed decay, accurate tonality and natural timbre without exhibiting any significant artificiality. Once again, the treble excellently blends with the rest of the frequencies making for an extremely cohesive sound. This frequency cohesiveness is maybe the strongest point of the Hidizs MP145.
The soundstage is moderately wide and extended with plenty of air and space around the performers to avoid congestion even when things start to get busy. Positioning accuracy is good on the horizontal axis but depth layering is quite limited while the overall image is mostly centered without much holographic expansion.
The tuning filters
The tuning filters are really effective and offer the chance to fine tune the Hidizs MP145 to closely match your preferences and make it more adaptable. If we consider the rose filter the reference point as described above, then the red filter adds some extra warmness and makes the bass to be perceived as fuller and more present by mildly subduing the upper mid-range. This trick gives the impression of an emphasized bass and if you add the included bass ear-tips then the MP145 becomes a bass monster at the expense of treble energy and definition. On the other hand, the silver filter works in the opposite direction by emphasizing this part of the upper mid-range thus adding some extra sparkle and crispiness to the sound without affecting the stock bass response. The overall sound signature is perceived as a little more neutral, energetic and analytical, making the Hidizs MP145 more suitable for critical listening. This filter with the vocal ear-tips was my preferred combination for listening to classical music. Mostly lighter stuff rather than symphonic works.
Compared to the LETSHUOER S12 Pro ($169)
The Letshuoer S12 Pro uses a custom 14.8mm planar magnetic driver, the same size as the one in the Hidizs MP145. The S12 Pro is a well made earphone that is more lightweight and compact than the MP145 with a fit that is more comfortable and it also isolates better. The S12 Pro is $30 less expensive than the MP145 but surprisingly it comes with a modular cable that includes three different plugs and a compact carrying case instead of the pouch thus making the whole package more attractive and a better value. On the other hand it doesn’t have the tuning system so you are stuck with the stock tuning.
Speaking of tuning, these two earphones follow the same target curve so their overall sound signature is quite similar but with a couple of notable differences. With the rose filter as a reference, the MP145 has just a hair more bass which additionally sounds fuller, cleaner, a bit more textured and slightly more dynamic and impactful. The mid-range is equally natural and organic in both sets but the MP145 is a notch more resolving, articulated and refined. The key difference in their tuning is that the S12 Pro is more accentuated in the upper mid-range (2kHz peak) and has more energy in the presence area so it sounds more luminous, energetic and airy, it is slightly more detailed and analytical but also a bit sibilant and bright with a bit of metallic artificiality in the treble. What you can’t do in the S12 Pro is to use the filters as you can in the MP145 to make it sound warmer or add some extra treble energy. Still even with the treble filter it can’t sound as energetic and forward as the S12 Pro. Both are great budget friendly, planar magnetic IEMs with two slightly different sound profiles.
In the end
The Hidizs MP145 is a great planar IEM with excellent technicalities for the category, great sound and a clever tuning system that makes it very adaptable and suitable for both fun and more critical listening. The size is a little worrying but build quality is excellent and the price is right, especially if you grab one during the Kickstarter discount.
Copyright – Petros Laskis 2023.
+ Balanced sound profile with a mild low-end emphasis + Good sub-bass extension + Impactful bass with great technicalities + Natural timbre + Superb mid-range and smooth treble + Excellent resolution for the category + Very cohesive sound + Effective fine-tuning system + Excellent build quality + High quality cable + Plenty of accessories + WDC awareness - Relatively large and heavy - Not the most comfortable fit - Loose ear-hooks - Pouch instead of a carrying case - Competition comes with modular cables
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