HZSound Heart-Mirror Review (2) – Reflection Of My Heartfelt Truth

[Estimated reading time: 3 minutes]

First Impressions of the HZSound Heart-Mirror… Woah! The  HZSound Heart-Mirror is really built-well… I have to say it is as good as any mid-tier Moondrop or Tanchjim! BLON move aside please! It is well-accessorised. Look… It has a proper nylon hard case and a welcoming set of eartips that fit well. Again, BLON please move aside. It even comes with 2 pairs of nozzle dust filters – just like Moondrop KXXS. Damn! ALL THESE FOR $50?! ! BLON, you REALLY have to step aside.

Next, timbre of the HZSound Heart-Mirror… I can tell you my ears are very, very happy with.the Heart-Mirror. It is near perfect. Well, almost! I was listening to Mario Suzuki’s Masterpiece Touching Folklore Music (Master Music, XRCD24-NT001, XRCD). This album has been my staple choice for evaluating timbre quality. I said almost perfect because certain parts of the guitar still sound a tad lean (to me!). Is the timbre better than both BLON BL-03 and BL-05s? Oh yes… definitely! BUT it is on a lean side, unlike the BLONs.

Overall tonality of the Heart-Mirror is neutral-cool… Nothing offensive or harsh on the top-end. If you enjoy a clean and clear presentation, you are in for a treat.

Soundstage is average. Just slightly narrower than BLON BL-03. Imaging and instrument separation are distinct with good amounts of space around and in-between. Vocal is upfront but “not in-your-face”.

Bass is not the fastest I have heard in a dynamic earphone but it isn’t the slowest either (KBEAR Diamond is faster). I did notice bass tightens and speeds up a bit when amp’ed. However, amping doesn’t help with the sub-bass, and I feel it is lacking some low-end rumble.

A LOT OF FOLKS want to know if they really need an amp with Heart-Mirror… My answer is “YES!”… If you want the best sound from this earphone. Is it hard to drive? No! It sounds pretty decent with Apple dongle BUT the overall sound is even leaner than playing with an amp. ONE THING FOR SURE… You HAVE TO match it with a warm source (a tube amp or tube buffer for example) to sound really soothing to the ears. If not, certain tracks with saxophone or trumpet can sound quite uncomfortable.

After spending close to 10 hours with the HZSound Heart-Mirror, I could, more or less, nail down its sound characteristics. If you already own the BLON BL-05s, Heart-Mirror isn’t an upgrade (but an upgrade in fit and accessories). It is definitely an upgrade in tonality and technicality over the BLON BL-03. HOWEVER, you lose the musicality, listenability and fun-factor that the BL-03 is known for. To me, HZSound Heart-Mirror lacks richness, note weight and dynamics. These are the elements that I consider essential for an enjoyable listening.

If you already own the HZSound Heart-Mirror and would like to add some mass to its bulimic sound, here are some “weight gaining” diet you could try:

– Replace stock silver-plated cable to OFC pure copper
– Replace stock eartips to Acoustune AET08 or Final Audio Type E (black)
– Use a tube amp or add a tube buffer
– Use a warm sound source

I find myself enjoying HZSound Heart-Mirror when matched with iFi Audio Hip-Dac (XBass enabled).

Fellow Singaporean, colleague and co-blogger, Baskingshark wrote a very thorough review on the HZSound Heart-Mirror. He compared it against the Moondrop SSR, Tin Hifi T2 Plus, BLON BL-05 and BL-05s. Those who are interested in the Heart-Mirror may want to checkout his full evaluation:

Equipment used:

• Topping E30 + L30 stack
• Redmi Note 9 Pro + Apple USB Type-C dongle
• Redmi Note 9 Pro + iFi Audio iDSD Nano BL / iFi Audio Hip-DAC
• Stock cable + Stock “Sony lookalike” siliconeeartips Kios

MY VERDICT

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Get the HZSound Heart-Mirror at $49 USD at KeepHifi

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