Hidizs MS2 Review
The Singing Mermaid
Pros: + Balanced and fun sounding tuning
+ A real all rounder
+ Clear and transparent
+ Bass with great technicalities
+ Natural timbre
+ Open sounding with accurate imaging
+ Good resolution for the price
+ Lightweight and comfortable
+ High quality detachable cable
+ Luxurious and premium carrying case
+ Two sets of ear tips
Cons: – Not the last word in bass/treble extension
– Soundstage is mostly flat
– A little lean, could use some extra body
– Not as premium looking as the competition
The review sample was kindly provided by Hidizs in exchange for my honest and subjective evaluation.
The price is $89 and you can buy it directly from Hidizs using the following, non affiliate link.
Mermaid MS2
The Hidizs Mermaid MS2 is a hybrid, dual drivers earphone with a budget-friendly price.
It features a custom developed 10.2mm large dynamic driver with dual voice coils and dual voice chambers to achieve a pretty strong impact, fairly good sufficient depth and extension as well as excellent transient responses.
The treble is reproduced by a Knowles 33518 balanced armature driver which is optimized for a clean, crisp, clear and rich treble reproduction.
The crossover is kept as simple as possible with professional circuit AVX Tantalum Capacitors to reduce noise at audio frequency, ensure noiseless clear filtering and high fidelity in the passing of audio signals.
Cable
The Mermaid MS2 comes with a detachable cable utilizing the 2-pin 0.78mm interface, ending in a 3.5mm plug.
The quad-core braided cable has 60 high-purity silver wires and 60 high-purity oxygen-free copper wires.
Silver wires are used for a brilliant and clean sound while copper wires add smooth and gentle performance.
The cable is actually of high quality, well made and beautiful looking.
It is soft to the touch, it doesn’t get tangled, it has low microphonic noise and it doesn’t smell.
Build quality, appearance and fit
The MS2 has a custom – like anatomically shaped body made from skin – friendly and odorless resin with a shiny phosphorescent faceplate presenting amber feelings, with beautiful rainbow shards and an elegant Hidizs logo inside.
The ear shells are semi-transparent so you can see the internals and the drivers inside.
The MS2 is available in 5 different colors to choose from and the appearance is quite modern and youthful especially if you choose the more vivid ones.
The ear shells are compact and very lightweight, offering a secure, stable and comfortable fit which proved stress – free even after extended use.
Passive noise attenuation is not perfect but certainly above average, making the MS2 commuting and travel friendly.
Accessories
The MS2 comes bundled with a premium and beautiful looking carrying case with a classy brown leatherette outer face and velvet covered inner for effective protection of the earphones.
You don’t often see such well made and luxurious carrying cases in the sub $100 category.
You also get two sets of eartips, one for balanced and the other for crispier sound, a total of six pairs nicely arranged in separate trays.
For a $89 earphone, the cable and the case are really amazing.
Listening impressions
With a rated impedance of 18Ω and pretty high sensitivity of 112dB, the MS2 is very easy to drive and your favorite USB DAC dongle will drive them with ease, just make sure that it is pretty decent and it doesn’t hiss.
I have mostly used the Hidizs own S3 PRO, iBasso DC05, FiiO KA1 and Hidizs AP80 PRO-X. (review on the works)
The MS2 overall sound signature is pretty balanced and musical sounding with a touch of warmth, slightly emphasized at both ends of the spectrum but without exaggerations.
It is a tuning that is suited for all kinds of music, making the MS2 a real all rounder, you can enjoy your favorite electronic beats and at the same time listen to classical music without sacrificing much in transparency and accuracy.
Bass is only a bit emphasized, offering good sub-bass extension and a slightly warm mid-bass response but without clouding the mid-range or shadowing the other frequencies.
Technicalities are impressive given the price point, the bass is tight and controlled, fast, with good layering and clarity, there is no audible masking and you can clearly distinguish every instrument dwelling at the bass line.
Pretty impressive are also the dynamics of the earphone, the MS2 is quite impactful and has enough rumbling effect to satisfy with electronic tunes while it can convincingly reproduce the contrasted power of the large symphony orchestra.
The overall timbre is quite natural and convincing, especially in the mid-range which sounds real and organic with great levels of musicality.
Voice integrity is pretty good, the tuning is balanced, just slightly recessed but not too much for the mid-range to lose in presence and intensity.
Instruments and voices appear engaging and well blended, with clear articulation and a multicolored texture.
Upper mid-range is controlled, female voices are smooth and they don’t become shouting as to cause listener fatigue.
As an example, the following album sounded really convincing with the Mermaid MS2.
The treble is satisfyingly extended for a budget IEM, the MS2 is resolving and detailed enough, crystal clear and sparkling without venturing into the sharpness territory while it can sustain higher sound volumes without becoming strident.
It cleverly avoids being too bright and piercing, it doesn’t exhibit the usual harshness of budget earphones, the tuning is controlled with a touch of luminosity that makes for an airy and spacious presentation.
Most budget earphones have the tendency to sound overly thin in the higher frequencies but thankfully this is not happening with the MS2 which sounds coherent enough throughout the whole frequency range with good thickness and natural decay.
The soundstage is presented in a spacious and wide manner with pretty accurate imaging.
Don’t expect anything too holographic or grand scale, nor the best depth layering but in the end you will be thoroughly satisfied with the overall presentation even with more dense and demanding material like when listening to Shostakovich’s Jazz and Variety orchestral suites.
Vs the TinHiFi T3 Plus ($69)
More lightweight and less bulky than the T3 Plus, the MS2 offers a more comfortable, discreet and stress free fit but the T3 Plus is more classy and luxurious looking.
Tuning is quite close, the T3 Plus is warmer and fuller sounding, also a little more visceral in the low end and not as lean as the MS2 but the latter has better bass technicalities, is slightly more dynamic, resolving and less bright.
The MS2 is a little recessed in the mids, the T3 Plus is more concentrated on the mids but it has the tendency to become a little sharp.
Soundstage is wider on the MS2 with better imaging but the T3 Plus sounds more holographic and layered.
Both come with good quality detachable cables and a comprehensive assortment of ear tips but with the MS2 you also get the classy carrying case instead of the cloth pouch but let’s not forget that it is $20 more expensive.
In the end
The Hidizs Mermaid MS2 is an excellent sounding sub $100 IEM without any serious sonic flaws, the tuning is reference – fun and enjoyable with most kinds of music.
This is a great step into high fidelity sound with a modest asking price that comes as a surprise considering the actual sound performance and the accessories pack, a real winner from Hidizs that deserves the highest praise.
Copyright – Petros Laskis 2022.