BQEYZ Topaz Review – Piezo Promises
Pros — Good build and accessories
– Comfortable fit
– Good imaging and staging
– Textured bass
– Midrange sounds good despite the coloration
Cons — Needs above-average volume to sound best
– Treble has metallic timbre with hints of splashiness
– Upper-treble rolls off too early
– Over-dampened treble response
– Some bloat in upper-bass, bass decay could be faster
In this Article
INTRODUCTION TO TOPAZ
BQEYZ is one of the few manufacturers around (along with InTime) who has kept the piezo technology alive in IEMs, especially the budget ones. The likes of Unique Melody, FIR Audio, and Empire Ears also have similar tech inside their IEMs as part of bone-conduction drivers, but BQEYZ uses it for the treble.
Piezo treble definitely sounds unique and it’s more of a personal preference thing. I find it to be super-responsive and having a better sense of “rawness” than typical BA or dynamic driver treble, but then again, piezo drivers are prone to resonances that can be perceived as “splashiness” at times.
BQEYZ Topaz is a cut-down version of the Spring2 in a sense, and the reduced price tag should definitely appeal to those who have been willing to try Piezo on a budget. Do the Topaz scratch that particular itch, or is the novel driver setup inadequate to stand out in today’s hyper-competitive budget segment?
Please read on…
Note: the ratings given will be subjective to the price tier. BQEYZ was kind enough to send me the Topaz for evaluation.
Sources used: Lotoo PAW 6000, Questyle M15.
Price, while reviewed: $76. Can be bought from Linsoul.
PHYSICAL THINGS AND USABILITY
PACKAGING AND ACCESSORIES
You get 6 pairs of eartips (two different types), a round carrying case, the stock cable (can be terminated into balanced during purchase), and a small cleaning tool. I really like the option of customizing termination during purchase and I hope more brands follow this.
As for the accessories themselves, the stock 4-core OCC SPC cable is very good: flexible, supple, and complements the design of the IEMs well. The stock tips, however, might need changing. I opted for Spinfit CP-100+. Your mileage may vary. The rest of it is absolutely fine for the price tag.
BUILD QUALITY
The Topaz have a two-part design: the inner side is 3D-printed translucent resin, while the face-plate is CNC anodized aluminum. There are several vents throughout the shell: one on the inner side, right in front of the driver, a pair of small vents just on top of it, and one on the face-plate that acts as a back-vent. The 2-pin connectors are recessed, which is another plus.
General build is solid, even though it is a step down from the phenomenal build of the BQEYZ Autumn, for example.
COMFORT, ISOLATION, AND FIT
Comfort is top-notch as I felt no driver flex, and the general shape is fairly ergonomic. Isolation is below average due to the multiple vents.
SOURCE AND EARTIPS
BQEYZ Topaz can scale slightly with higher tier sources, but not so much that investing in one becomes a necessity. The stock eartips did not offer the best bass response for me so I went ahead with the Spinfit CP-100+.
DRIVER SETUP
The Topaz sport a dual driver setup with a 13mm LCP dynamic driver that handles the bass and mids, and a 9-layer piezoelectric ceramic driver on top of it that gets “excited” for the treble notes.
TONALITY AND TECHNICALITIES
BQEYZ Topaz have a warm, bass-focused tuning with rolled-off treble. That’s the summary, so let’s delve deeper.
The bass is definitely the star of the show here. It’s got physicality, texture, and the density of snare hits are especially satisfying. There is some bass bleed into upper-bass, however. This results in “thickened” male vocals, denser snare hits and pedals, and somewhat more fleshed out female vocals (whereas they should be thinner in tone).
The mids have no shout or shrillness, though I wish guitar riffs had more definition. Acoustic guitars and keyboards sound somewhat smoothed over, and this sensation of “over-dampening” carries over into the treble.
Now, the piezo treble is one of the key differentiators between the Topaz and the rest of the competition. BQEYZ probably wanted to not offend those who are adverse of Piezo-treble and decided to play it safe. I’d say, a bit too safe at times. The upper-treble extension is non-existent, which kills the extension that piezo drivers are known for. Despite this cautious approach, some splashiness in treble is evident, even though things sound dampened overall.
Soundstage is surprisingly wide and tall, though depth is middling. Imaging is mostly left and right, with ordinal orientations being less evident. However, there is no “gaps” during stereo pans, which is a positive. General resolution is hindered somewhat by the treble roll-off and bass-forwardness, while the dynamic driver can lag behind the piezo at times.
Overall though, these scenarios are rare and in most cases the Topaz sound warm, with a rich, dense bass. Just that the treble could be more… special. A missed opportunity indeed.
SELECT COMPARISONS
vs Dunu Kima
Dunu Kima are similarly warm-tilted in tone, though they have a more pronounced upper-mid presence. As a result, the Kima sounds slightly cleaner with better clarity. The treble is also not as rolled-off on the Kima, so you get better end-to-end extension. However, I prefer the bass on the Topaz more since the sense of physicality is more evident there. Imaging is better on the Kima, while staging is wider on Topaz.
As for the rest, both are built well, but the Kima are full-metal throughout. Accessories are also better on the Kima though the BQEYZ cable is superior IMO. Between these two, I think the Topaz will suit more to those who prefer a warmer, richer presentation, while the Kima is better suited for the “laid-back without losing all the clarity” crowd.
CONCLUDING REMARKS
BQEYZ Topaz are targeted towards a niche: those who want warm, dense sound while looking for something special in the treble, courtesy of that piezo driver. It’s just a small letdown that the driver is so hindered to make the sound inoffensive that it loses most of what makes it special.
I hope BQEYZ can add in some more upper-treble in the subsequent successor to the Topaz, while utilizing a slightly faster bass driver (or reducing the bass by a bit between 300 – 500 Hz. That should take care of all my qualms and turn the Topaz into something special.
For now, the Topaz are good, just that some small improvements can make them even better.
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