Whizzer Kylin HE03D (Review 1) – Can Anybody Beat The Whiz!?

INTRO

Thanks to Whizzer for giving us a chance to check out the new Whizzer Kylin HE03D, they did not arrive in a whiz or a jif as expected, but got hung up in the delays our ongoing pandemic has created. Like the similar named Whizzer roller-coaster at the local Six Flags, they provided me with some form of entertainment watching the tracking and perusing their product page on Aliexpress.

The original HE03 was a 3 driver hybrid. Instead these are a $199 ($159 pre-order price) DLC (Diamond Like Coating) 12mm dynamic driver with premium styled packaging, nice “vegan” leather case and 3 different types of easy eartips promising to accentuate various aspects of the earphones. Satisfyingly, they did provide the enhancements they promised so off to a good start.

While I find no enjoyment removing things from boxes and rarely critique packaging, I can see they wanted the unboxing experience to feel premium, with magnetic flaps that satisfyingly snap shut including the manual nicely tucked behind another magnetic flap in an envelope labled “Work of Whiz”.

Upon opening it reveals a jewel like faceplate presentation. The Diamond Starburst is reflected by the 3D curved glass surface in a very beautiful artsy aesthetic. They are correct that different angles catch the luster of the Starburst design by J.IDEA+ Studio.

These attention grabbing solid construction flagship earphones focus on a tight boosted mid-bass reproduction with a neutral middle and an unassuming wobbly top end and an array of eartips for simple tuning. This has to be the longest intro I have ever written.

Disclaimer: Provided free from Whizzer with the only stipulation to review them by February 9^th, unfortunately shipping delays forced me to fail at the only request. I don’t blame others though so pretend this is February 9th as you read this.

GOOD TRAITS

• Feels premium, materials are all top notch
• Varying eartip designs that alter the sound in easily definable ways
• Tight controlled bass due the Helmholz resonator M.D.B.S Denisity System
• Relaxed sound signature non-fatiguing

NEEDS IMPROVEMENT

• Can sound a little dark with the reference eartips, sharp with the soundstage tips
• Resolution impacted by the wobbly treble
• Sounds crowded on a smart phone, amplification helps
• Bass hump higher in frequency impacting sub-bass reproduction

DESIGN

The Whizzer Kylin HE03D sports a full metal shell with tight fitting 6N OCC 2 pin cables marked only one side with a red dot that matches the red dot on the right shell, no other markings to indicate the channel.

Inside there a 5^th generation 12mm DLC dynamic controlled by a Multiple Damping Balance System (M.D.B.S) Density system aka Helmholz resonator to control the airflow in and out of the cavity, while taming offensive resonant frequencies of the cavity of the shell. This is said that in combination of the front cavity pressure damping, it better controls the overtones and noise.

Since this is more of a semi-open system rather than typical venting designs with smaller vents, the Whizzer Kylin HE03D isolation is below average. This is the fourth generation of the Kylin series so I guess maybe that is where the “D” comes from in the naming convention.

PACKAGE CONTENTS

Case

The Vegan leather case is fits the jeweled nature of look they were going for, although just as I found with the TinHifi T4 case, feels a bit too bulging in my pocket. It snaps closed via magnets, just like the rest of their packaging

Easy Eartips

Like Goldilocks, I set out to test the ear-tips, first the “Reference” tips with a large protrusion, they tend to darken them up too much for me, sucking the top end life out allowing the user to focus more on the warmth of the low to middle range. They went on the nozzle and fit well.

Next up was my typical large mouth “soundstage” marked tips I usually go for that included 4 pairs, while the other two kinds only had the typical 3 pair sizing. These caused sharpness and metallic timbre to jump out of the shadows. Again the diameter fit well with the nozzle sizing.

Surprisingly, I preferred the final narrow opening “vocal” tips as it balanced out the traits I picked up with the widebores. The diameter of the vocal tips are smaller, so it takes some finesse to attach. The rest of the review will be based on the vocal tips.

SOUND

Tested with LG V30, Sony NW-A55, Liquid Spark Dac + JDS Labs Atom

To quickly describe the sound, it is warm W absent of sub bass with an emphasis in midrange over upper treble. Right away it was clear the Whizzer Kylin HE03D focused a lot of energy on a tight controlled bass probably due to lows falling off a cliff, with warmth into the lower midrange to add fullness to female vocals.

Sort of similar to open back headphones with a quick fall off. The bass hump is so wide that the bleed is not noticeable, but the lack of sub-bass is disappointing for me.

Treble is subdued but avoids sounding dark unless you choose the reference tips. I liken it to using a fullrange driver to cover midrange and treble- it does a pretty good job at covering the range, but you loose some dynamics that a separate midrange tweeter combo achieves.

Electric guitars take front and center stage with this type of tuning, but I find cymbals to be lacking some shimmer due to the W roller coaster. There will be fans of this type of tuning, but others might find it a little dull and washed out sounding on some instruments.

TECHNICALITIES

I find the Whizzer Kylin HE03D narrow sounding even with the soundstaging tips, I blame it strictly on the lack of upper end extension. As a result of the narrow stage, instrument spacing takes a hit as well.

The resolution is there, clarity is good, but sparkle would aide to bring it up a notch. Phasing is good, but timbre sounds a little metallic.

COMPARISONS

Shozy Form 1.4 ($189)

The Shozy Form 1.4 and the Whizzer Kylin HE03D share a similar warm subdued treble tuning, the Whizzer has a tighter dead bass feel, more focus in the vocal department, the Shozy Form 1.4 sounds sharper due the tight peak in the treble along with a bit more sparkle and luscious more elevated bass. The Shozy Form also comes off as less congested, but it s also a 5 driver hybrid.

Moondrop Kato ($189)

The Moondrop Kato sounds thinner in the bass department given that the bass elevation resides in the sub-bass region compared to the midbass centric Whizzer Kylin HE03D. The Whizzer bass has some more overtones than the Moondrops, but transient speed is fairly close.

Given the Moondrop Kato includes sub bass the winner is the Kato. Hoping back and forth, the VSDF tuning on the Moondrop will sound edgier and more forward in the vocals compared to the Whizzer.

Those who like more focus on the midrange sound will prefer the Whizzer, but at the expense of clarity, vividness, and just the right amount of sparkle to make things interesting that the Moondrop brings to the table.

Tforce YuanLi ($119)

Originally I was going to compare to another Moondrop (Kanas Pro), but chose the Tforce Yuanli instead since it is also a DLC driver albeit a 10mm vs the 12mm of the Whizzer Kylin HE03D. The Whizzer bass is better articulated, but both carry a similar warmth.

The soundstage is less recessed on the Whizzer, whereas the Tforce has more manufactured depth as a result of the V tuning. The Tforce also exhibits a sharpness in the treble, but it messes with the timbre. So while it sparkles more, the boost is too narrow and the Whizzer sounds more balanced in that regard.

I would rather see a broad lift instead of the Tforce’s narrow treble peak. While the Tforce Yuanli is a more exciting tuning, I would prefer the mellow tuning of the Whizzer Kylin HE03D for longer listening sessions.

OUTRO

The build quality and look is a stunner for the Whizzer Kylin HE03D, the tuning is great for those who don’t want the emphasis to be on the treble or the sub bass. Fit is great, feels very smooth, but are also on the larger heavier side. Nice range of eartips and a fancy looking carrying case fit well in this price bracket.

Personally I would prefer more treble extension and a slight lift while pushing the bass peak lower to bring in sub-bass to round out the tuning and give it more pizzazz, but that might not have been the goal.

I cannot comment on how this fourth generation Kylin model compares with some of the earlier models, but from a design standpoint it is very gorgeous to ogle at. It has tough competition in this mid-tier price bracket, and it is not going to be a majority crowd pleaser, not that there is anything wrong with that.

SPECIFICATIONS

GRAPHS

• Left vs Right
• Eartip Plots
• Whizzer Kylin HE03D, Moondrop Kato, Tforce YuanLi Overlays

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DISCLAIMER

Get it from the official Aliexpress Store, or various distributors of your liking.

Our generic standard disclaimer.

About my measurements.