BQEYZ Summer Review (1) – Nice ‘N’ Easy Does It
Pros — Great vocals rendering; very pleasant dynamics; very light and comfortable earpieces; high-quality cable.
Cons — Bass could be tighter; non-descript looks and haptic.
In this Article
Executive Summary
The BQEYZ Summer is a marginally warm, nimble, mid-centric earphone with well-dosed dynamics across the frequency spectrum that results in an easily digestible, appealing sonic signature with a good sense of ease.
Introduction
BQEYZ had taken the Chi-Fi world back in 2018 with their $50 BQEYZ KC2, one of the few budget releases at the time with a near-neutral bass, which I described as “arid”. This model is still popular today.
The company stepped one up with with their $139 Spring model back in 2019. I remember “unboxing” it at Calgary airport on my way to Rio de Janeiro. It featured a fantastic midrange but my personal overall enjoyment was somewhat marred by a bass, that had transformed itself from “arid” to slow and “wooly”.
Some owners fiddled with the nozzle screens (they took them off, bluntly), which sent the upper midrange screaming while the bass remained the same…as documented by co-blogger Durwood in this article. This fix did not work.
BQEYZ followed up with the Spring 2, which I did not audition, however co-bloggers Loomis and Durwood analyzed both “Springs”, and they still reported a slow bass in the “2” [here].
Most recently, BQEYZ replaced their Spring line with the lower-priced $129 “Summer” model that still carries the Springs’ 3-driver tradition including a piezo tweeter. And – spoiler alert – the bass is now fixed, but the new PU+ LCP [“Liquid Crystal Polymer”] adds a completely different and very appealing sonic lightness to the Summer which somewhat corresponds to the actual season of this name.
I find the BQEYZ Summer a very pleasant listen that is hard to compare to anything in the $50 to $200 price range. In other words, it is somewhat sonically unique in as much as its appearance is rather generic. Yes, gone is the metal flavour of that Chi-Fi era, the current trend is resin.
Specifications
| 3 Drivers: 5-layer piezoelectric unit, Coaxial 13 mm dynamic driver with PU+LCP diaphragm, and new version balanced armature customized unit |
| Impedance: 32 Ω |
| Sensitivity: 107 dB/mW |
| Frequency Range: 7-40,000 Hz |
| Cable/Connector: 18 core silver-plated copper/0.78mm-2 Pin |
| Tested at: $129 |
| Product page: |
| Purchase Link: BQEYZ Official Store |
Physical Things and Usability
| In The Box: Summer earphone, cable, carrying case, brush, 2 sets of silicone ear tips (S/M/L). |
| Appearance, Haptic, Build Quality: The earpieces look somewhat nondescript, but they are very light and relatively small. The nozzles are long enough and have lips to hold the eartips in place. |
| Ergonomics: Good, but the earpieces stick a bit out of the ear. The tightly braided cable is pliable, features high-quality metal connectors, and has zero midrophonics. |
| Comfort, Fit: The light earpieces are fitting well and are very comfortable. |
| Isolation: Not the best. |
Tonality and Technicalities
Equipment used: MacBook Air + Earstudio HUD100 (bypass filter); iPhone SE (1st gen.) & AudioQuest DragonFly Red; black stock tips.
The BQEYZ Summer comes with two sets of tips, the blue “bassier” ones, and the black “neutral” ones. I prefer the black ones as they bring out the midrange better. But I could not get meaningful measurements with the black tips owing to their thin membrane. The graph shown here likely exaggerates that 9 kHz spike. I also added a measurement with my standard tips I use for all measurements for reasons of consistency.
In a nutshell: the Summer is a homogeneous sounding, slightly warm earphone with well-measured dynamics across the frequency spectrum and excellent vocals reproduction that lead to my listening enjoyment, despite a few technical shortcomings.
Yes, although the Summer does not have much in common with the BQEYZ Spring (don’t know the Spring 2), it preserves it excellent vocals reproduction. The money is clearly in the midrange, characterized by well sculptured, full, well composed, and natural voices. Great note definition. Not a hint of shoutiness, but this also means some lack of energy in some situations, the usual tradeoff. Very appealing, overall.
BQEYZ addressed the slow, wooly bass in their Spring models and sped it up a bit. It is well extended into the sub-bass, still not the tightest or best textured one, could have some more kick, but it is also not in the way of the vocals anymore and molds well around the midrange. Bass is not boomy and not too punchy in any way, and both low end and midrange receive a glaze of smoothness and pleasantry from the well-dosed (macro)dynamics and relatively realistic transients (of the BA drivers) that make for a very appealing, delightful and fatigue-free listening over longer periods. Great iems to “chill” with.
Nothing scratches or pierces…and this includes the treble despite the weird 8-10 kHz peak in the frequency response graphs. I don’t hear it (but it is not a coupler resonances either). The steep drop in the upper treble may explain the occasional lack of air and sheen in busy passages. The treble is a bit of a mixed bag, sonically. Cymbals are somewhat elegantly reserved and could be crisper, considering the piezo at work whereas the highest octaves, let’s say of a violin are well imaged, never grainy, but also not particularly smooth.
Timbre is ok for a hybrid, but other technicalities are only average: the stage can be crowded with many musicians and does not allow much space between them. Separation and layering are, however, pretty good with fewer musicians at work. Microdynamics (“the little things”), midrange resolution/clarity, and note definition are also average. Stage is wide and tall, not the deepest but spatial cues is good.
In summary, the value of the BQEYZ Summer is in its smoothness, homogeneity, and composition.
In comparison to the elegantly modest Summer, the BQEYZ Spring 1 was much thicker at the low end [as said, I don’t know the Spring 2]. The $80 single DD Whizzer Kylin HE01 is more fun and exuberant, and the $80 Moondrop Aria (which inherits the Spring’s metal shell type) is tighter in the bass and more articulate in the midrange but also a bit peakier in the treble and with a less expansive but deeper stage, and therefore not as smooth and easy as the Summer.
The BQEYZ was kindly provided by BQEYZ and I thank them for that. Get the Summer from BQEYZ Official Store. Here our generic standard disclaimer.
Concluding Remarks
After having tested so many earphones, the BQEYZ Summer is one of a kind, something new to my ears, one of the most “chilled” listens I have experienced [I credit Thomas Smallman for this attribute]. I am really enjoying these earphones for their lightness and pleasantries in every respect.
As Frank Sinatra sang back in 1960: “Nice ‘N’ Easy does it!”
Until next time…keep on listening!
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