Pros:
- Can be used wired or wirelessly
- Long battery life
- Decent sounding compared to other TWS IEMs that usually have exaggerating lows
Cons:
- No cable included
- Indicator lights on the earphones are not easily visible
- Build quality of the charging case could be improved
Introduction:
BGVP is a company from China that produces portable audio gears including in-ear monitors and earbuds. They have released quite a lot of IEMs already with different driver configurations. Some time ago they released the Q2, which was their first attempt in the hybrid true wireless stereo setup with an MMCX port. And now we have the Q2S, which offers a lot of improvements over the Q2. The Q2S currently retails for 73 USD, and was provided to me at a discounted price by Yaoyaotiger HIFI Store from AliExpress in exchange for this review
International purchase link (send a message to the seller for a discount before ordering)
Specifications:
System on Chip: Qualcomm QCC3040
Bluetooth version: 5.2
Battery capacity: 50 mAh (earphones) + 350 mAh (case)
Driver unit: 1 6 mm dynamic + 1 Knowles balanced armature
Impedance: 21 ohms
Sensitivity: 106 dB
Frequency response range: 10 Hz - 40 kHz
Source:
Poco X3 paired with iBasso DC03, Shanling UA1, Tempotec Sonata E35 and Zishan U1
Test tracks:
Africano - Earth Wind and Fire
Dark Necessities - Red Hot Chili Peppers
Gurenge - Lisa
The Chain - Fleetwood Mac
Monsters - All Time Low
Ours - Taylor Swift
Stay - Mayday Parade
Snuff - Slipknot
Yesterday Once More - Carpenters
So Slow - Freestyle
Aurora Sunrise - Franco
Attention - Pentatonix
Blue Bird - Ikimono-gakari
You're Still The One - Shania Twain
Anyone Who Knows What Love Is(Will Understand) - Irma Thomas
Salamin - Slapshock
AOV - Slipknot
Hey Jude - The Beatles
The Way You Make Me Feel - Michael Jackson
...and a lot more.
Unboxing and Accessories:
The Q2S comes in a moderately sized sleeved white box. Removing the sleeve and lifting the lid up will reveal the earphones and the charging case resting on a dense foam. Underneath it are the accessories which include a drawstring pouch, 3 different sets of silicone eartips, instruction manual in both Chinese and English, and a short USB C charging cable. Now, it would have been a lot better if BGVP included even a basic MMCX cable.
Build:
The shells are made of 3D-printed resin. It is translucent and you can see both the dynamic and the balanced armature driver upon closer look. The faceplates sport the BGVP logo that also acts as the touch controls, with a single vent on the side. Below the female MMCX connectors, there are blue and red dots to indicate the left and right side respectively. At the rear part of the shell there are the charging contacts and the nozzle with 2 holes separating the sound from the 2 drivers.
There is an LED indicator at the upper portion of the faceplate. But with the unit I received, because of the paint, the lights are not at all visible on the front of the right earphone, while it is barely visible on the left.
The charging case has a matte finish and matches the color of the earphones. The build quality here feels mediocre. The hinge is a bit loose and the magnets used for the charging contacts are slightly weak. At the front there is a single LED light to indicate the battery remaining on the case, and at the back there is the female USB C port for charging.
Now let's get to the sound.
Lows:
The lows have a powerful presentation. Subbass is reproduced in an impactful manner and is the most dominant frequency in the Q2S's sound. The depth is above average with a well extended decay. Midbass is also emphasized, but has less impact when compared to the subbass.
Overall, like almost all true wireless IEM available right now, the Q2S has that lows bassheads know and love but provides sufficient control so as to not drown out the mids and the highs.
Mids:
The mids take a small step back in the stage. Vocals sound thick and slightly boxy resulting in a resolution that is partially below average. The thickness kind of improves the male vocals, but there is a dip in the upper midrange that somewhat holds back the female vocals, and also reduces the clarity of some instruments.
Overall, the mids have more than enough amount of body but lacks shimmer in the upper region, and it sounding nasal does not help at all. Use of widebore eartips is recommended to open up the mids.
Highs:
The highs are reproduced with great clarity without sounding sibilant. Treble reach is slightly above average, making guitars sound more upfront. There is an adequate amount of decay which results in cymbals staying fairly audible in the background even in busy tracks.
Overall, the highs of the Q2S are able to keep up with the powerful lows. It's a good thing that BGVP decided to put a balanced armature here because if not for it, the Q2S might have been just another all-bass TWS.
Soundstage and Imaging:
The stage has a slightly below average expansion. The depth and the height have an equal focus. Imaging is good, but slightly affected by the elevated thickness in the mids. Layering is also average, and instrument separation is good. The heightened treble definitely helps in this part, although there is a fair but tolerable amount of congestion in some tracks.
Conclusion:
We often see a wireless + wired usability in headphones, but this is uncommon in the in-ear realm. The BGVP Q2S is a hybrid in both use case and driver configuration. The MMCX port allows continuous usage even after the battery has died, but this makes it impossible to achieve waterproofing, so there is a bit of a tradeoff here. The idea behind the Q2S is good, but the execution, especially in the build quality, definitely has some room for improvements.
Tags:
True Wireless Stereo