The HIFI WALKER A1 Review – A Purist’s Pleasure!
Pros — Wide soundstage and energetic, coherent, and clear “fun” sound with a great detail resolution right out of the box; easily and quickly “moddable” towards a smoother audiophile tuning to make it “punch above its price” (see body of text for details); great distribution: shipped by amazon and arriving within a few days.
Cons — Bass can be slightly boomy and the treble peak is borderline for sensitive ears (but both can be easily adjusted); accessories are meager for the price.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The HIFI WALKER A1 is a single-dynamic-driver [DD] earphone with the characteristic “V-shape” tuning, which was pleasant on my ears for extended periods of time. It is for two groups of listeners: one that likes the warm sound of a punchy bass, a wide soundstage enhanced by a well-extended treble, and a natural sounding but recessed midrange. The other group is audiophiles that prefer a more even sound with a more controlled bass, forward and detailed mids, and a smooth treble (achieved through easy modding as explained here), while preserving the natural, warm, and bright tonality of this DD.
HIFI WALKER sent me a pair of their A1 through amazon.ca upon request and did explicitly not object to any physical alterations “Please do whatever you need to fully test our earphone. Sincerely, HIFI WALKER”. It arrived in less than 48 hours. Thank you very much indeed.
A second, purchased sample, was modded by a friend, as described below. Both pairs were used for A/B-ing. We do not take credit for the mods. They are published elsewhere and you have to search the internet for it. We slightly modified the suggestions, though.
The rating of 4.5 stars refers to the modded version. Out of the box I would give four stars.
All measurements displayed here were done by my friend. The measuring coupler was two pieces of plastic tubing on the end of a Dayton iMM-6 microphone. No compensation was applied. These measurements should not be directly compared to other measurements except those done on the same device, for example the ones I have posted before.
INTRODUCTION
In the last two years or so, the low-priced Chifi has revolved around the rapid progress in the development of hybrid drivers and it is generally silently perceived/advertised to us that more drivers generate a better sound. The problem with many of these hybrids is either the lack of a crossover or simply poorly tuned low-quality drivers both of which lead to unsatisfying tonalities referred to as “work in progress” by reviewers and owners alike and may have lead to pile-ups in their drawers…and in mine, too. Sonic shortcomings are sometimes (but not always) disguised by looks, that is fancy cables and earpiece designs, the latter occasionally “lifted” from high-end earphones. Since cables have
become detachable in most models, buyers are also tempted into buying snazzy “upgrade” cables that ultimately serve as eyecandy only (and yes, I have some, too). Are we increasingly forced to listen with our eyes rather than our ears?
Some of the world’s most competent manufacturers such as Sennheiser, Etymotic, Focal, or B&W have so far stayed away from hybrids (and detachable cables) and still focus on single drivers and sound quality over optical and technical gimmicks – but at a higher cost for the consumer. Sennheiser recently upgraded their classic single DD ie800 to the ie800S, which retails for $999. The $350 Etymotic ER4XR that sports a single balanced armature [BA] driver is on the “wall of fame” at innerfidelity.com. On the Chifi side, the ibasso IT-01 is a widely appreciated single DD at around $100. DDs have the advantage of delivering a coherent and balanced sound that is largely source independent. Some experienced Head-Fiers are well aware of this and, for example, still treasure the early, cheap, and (still) good sounding Knowledge Zenith single DDs. Today, the >$350 JVC FD01 is hailed by some as the best single DD on the market. Like me, you have probably never heard of it.
It came to my ears (pun intended!) that the inexpensive and rather non-descript looking, single DD HIFI WALKER A1 earphone, when modded, challenges these JCV FD01 in terms of “bass dynamics, detail resolution, and treble extension”. If this was true, we would have found one example in our search for a low-priced earphone that sounds like a benchmark. In the following, I will briefly describe the mod (full details can be easily found by a web search). I will attempt to establish whether and inhowfar the quality of the sound will have improved (in my opinion).
SPECIFICATIONS
- Material: Aviation Aluminum-Alloy housing, custom oxidization colors
- Driver: Φ9.2mm, NdFeB dynamic + ø5 ETL
- Impedance: 16Ω±15%
- Sensitivity: 110±3dB@1KHz,1mW
- Frequency Response: 10 Hz – 70,000 Hz
- Rated Power: 2mW
- Cord: High-elastic stranded PU cord, 1.2m, black
- TRS: 24K gold-plated, Φ3.5mm, 3 poles, right-angled/straight
- Accessories: L/M/S silicone eartips, chin slider
- Price (at the time of this review): $48
- Company Website: https://goo.gl/7qJHXR
Amazon Purchase Links
US: https://www.amazon.com/HIFI-WALKER-Resolution-Headphones-Attenuation/dp/B077ZYP7H9
Canada: https://www.amazon.ca/Resolution-Headphones-Earphones-Attenuation- Microphone/dp/B077ZYP7H9
UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/HIFI-WALKER-A1-Resolution-Attenuation-metallic/dp/B0734JHX1N
France: https://www.amazon.fr/HIFI-WALKER-A1-intra-auriculaires-atténuation/dp/B0734JHX1N
Italia: https://www.amazon.it/HIFI-WALKER-intrauricolari-risoluzione-attenuazione/dp/B0734JHX1N
Deutschland: https://www.amazon.de/HIFI-WALKER-H…rer-Geräuschdämpfung- Metallisch/dp/B0734JHX1N
Nippon: https://www.amazon.co.jp/HIFI-WALKER-Resolution-Headphones- Attenuation/dp/B07CXLCKHJ
PACKAGING AND ACCESSORIES
The rather large, sturdy cardboard box is quite frankly a waste of space (and postage). It contains the earpieces, cable, and three pairs of rubber tips (S, M, L). There would have been room for a case…it is claimed that there should be a cable clip in the package but I could not find one (and neither could my friend).
PHYSICAL APPEARANCE, HAPTIC, AND BUILD QUALITY
The piston-shaped earpieces are made of an “aviation aluminum alloy” and are as robust as it gets.
Right (red) and left (blue) are colour coded. The shape is also used in the Accutone Pavo hybrid, and the double DD drivers Octone Dynamic Duo and Tinaudio T515.
The cable is not detachable and sturdy to the effect that some may call it springy (it is coated similar to the Soundmagic E10C), but it does not tangle up easily. And it features a practical chin slider – bonus. The three-button control works well on my iphone (I didn’t test it on an android phone but it should work there, too).
ERGONOMICS, COMFORT, ISOLATION, AND FIT
The HIFI WALKER A1 has the ergonomics, comfort, and fit comparable to the many other piston- shaped earphones in our collections. Works just fine for my ears. The same accounts for the isolation which depends heavily on the eartips used. The large included eartips sealed well and were comfortable for me. The sound sound did not noticeably change with the wide-bore “Tennmak Whirlwind” tips.
SOURCE AND EARTIPS
I used my iPhone 5S with and without the audioquest dragonfly black dac/amp. Even with the iPhone alone, the A1sounded good and was easy to drive.
TONALITY (OOTB )
As expected, this is a warm and bright sounding, V-shaped earphone with a particular emphasis on the low end. The bass is impactful, reasonably focused but it can be boomy – and it is well extended into the subbass. The mids are smooth and energetic with a natural timbre but could be a bit fuller bodied. There is no sibilance but a 3 kHz boost may add fatigue to some ears and cymbals can sound tinny. The treble is well extended with a 6–7 kHz peak that adds clarity. The overall sound is somewhat “analog” and coherent, and far from the harshness of some low-quality BA drivers. The soundstage is rather wide and not quite as deep. Resolution, instrument separation, and layering are all good. Nothing cool or cold here, sonically. In summary, the A1 is a safe bet, sound wise.
THE MOD
The goal of the mod is to re-tune the earphone towards neutral by opening the V-shaped frequency response graph towards a horizontal line. Here the original post. Also look at our superimposed frequency graphs for the results.
A Brief Description of the A1 Mod:
1. I poked a hole into the mesh inside the bass vent using a fine needle – which tamed the bass. No fear, you cannot destroy anything, close your eyes and just do it. It takes seconds.
2. I taped 3M transpore tape on the nozzle. That’s it: no holes, no poking…this one is easily reversible. The official mod requires a cross of two 2 mm wide strips of micropore tape instead. You can experiment with the tape as it takes no time.
3. If you feel that the bass is lacking after the poke, just tape over the bass vent with any tape and poke a fine hole in the tape. That’s what my friend did. Leaves you with a slightly stronger bass. THIS STEP 3 WAS DONE WITH THE SECOND PAIR THAT WAS USED FOR THE “MODDED” DESCRIPTION”.
I tested the resulting bass response with a channel-phasing test track to ensure equal bass on each side. You can also use an online tone generator.
TONALITY (MODDED)
The mod performed on the second A1 pair did not change the overall warmth/brightness or the soundstage but it reduced and tightened the bass, significantly decreased the 3 kHz spike and totally eliminated the 6–7 kHz peak. Most noticeably, this gives the vocals more presence, smoothens the treble considerably, and focuses the bass which is still not the dryest or fastest around (but impactful and quite pleasant sounding though not exactly audiophile). The sound has become more coherent, fluid, and natural. As another guy writes: “the overall tonal balance is (now) pretty even, with the mids being the highlight for me” [he prefers a “living-room neutral” balance]. Quite a smooth listening experience compared to the juvenile pair. And a really enjoyable one for me.
Is the modded A1as good as a >$350 earphone? I simply don’t know as there appears to be no rhyme or reason for current pricing. But I’d say it sounds like a more expensive earphone, at least up to $100. Or, in simpler terms, it sounds pretty darn good (especially with the satisfaction of this fool-proof modding experience).
SELECT COMPARISONS (OOTB A1…ALL SINGLE DDS)
Knowledge Zenith EDR2 (~$6): Sounds like the A1 with a huge veil and a limited and mushy soundstage. The A1 is much more refined and mature sounding and fans of the early KZ single DDs would certainly like it.
FR Graphs HIFI WALKER A1 vs. KZ EDR2
Sennheiser CX300 II (~ $40): The first brandname earphone that was promoted as beating the “buds that come with your smartphone”. Five years ago, it was still on a list of the 10 best earphones/headphones below $500 at headphone.com. Small and handy, V-shaped with rich, recessed mids (good for phone calls) and a natural timbre but a muddy and slow bass which is totally out of date. Vulgar sounding by today’s standards.
Sennheiser CX 5.00 (~$90): Better than the CX300-II but still with a less focused bass than the A1, and it also sports the Sennheiser veil. Has a smoother treble than the A1, but the sound is thicker, less energetic and less clear. This is a safe mainstream tuning with nothing being really offensive – and also nothing being really outstanding.
Fidue A65 (~$60): The A65 sounds darker and less energetic with a slightly more extended and firmer bass. Voices have more body and are softer. Treble is smoother. The soundstage is narrower and deeper. Resolution, separation, and layering of the A65, its biggest strengths, remain unrivalled. This one is ideal for classical music and jazz.
SELECT COMPARISONS (MODDED A1)
Etymotic HF5 (~$100): Uses the same BA driver as their most expensive model. Flatter signature than the A1, therefore more “audiophile” and less “fun”. Vocals are more in the foreground, the sleaker bass is more controlled and treble is a bit less pronounced. Don’t ask me which one has the better resolution but the A1 is pretty competitive in this respect.
Blitzwolf BW-ES1, modded (~$20): The very flat sound signature with a wide and shallow but very
accurate soundstage is only for hard-core audiophiles and can be painful for others. The modded A1 sounds simply livelier and more engaging. Google the BW-ES1 mod (which is much more difficult to perform than the A1 mod).
CONCLUDING REMARKS
Right out of the box, the HIFI WALKER A1 sounds like über-upgraded and much more refined and sonically more accurate early Knowledge Zenith single DDs such as the EDR1/2 and HDS3 with their classic V-shaped tuning. Its punchy, impactful bass, slightly recessed mids, well extended treble, wide soundstage, and detailed resolution and layering provided an enjoyable listening experience for hours to me. When listening analytically, the treble may become a bit overwhelming and the bass slightly boomy at times.
After a simple mod (everybody can do this one), the sound has become much more balanced with a wonderfully smooth treble, forward and detailed mids, and a more controlled bass, reminiscent of a room feeling.
The modded HIFI WALKER A1, just like the modded Blitzwolf BW-ES1, take a special place in my collection as they are unpretentious, really good/distinct/interesting sounding, and even the undiscounted price constitutes a decent value. It is an earphone for the purist who truly listens with their ears. A big thanks to the original modder, my friend, and to HIFI WALKER for trusting me unseen.
