Pros:
- Customizable design
- Fun sounding
- Good technicalities
Cons:
- None
Introduction:
LREY Portable Music is a brand from the Philippines that produces portable audio products, mostly earbuds but they are also on the move to produce in-ear monitors. LREY was known for incorporating brass in their products particularly in the shell and the splitter. The Xuijin MX is one of their more recently launched earbuds and currently retails for 29 USD. The Xuijin MX was provided to me for free by LREY in exchange for this review.
(This is their Facebook page. Just send them a message to place an order)
Specifications:
Driver unit: 15.4 mm dynamic
Impedance: 32 ohms
Sensitivity: 110 dB
Frequency response range: 20 Hz - 20 kHz
Source:
Poco X3 paired with FiiO KA3, 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 Xuijin MX doesn't come in a box, but instead it comes in a circular plastic case that contains the earbuds, five pairs of full foams, and a sticker with the logo of LREY Portable Audio. There are paper strips at the bottom that acts as cushion.
Build:
The shells and driver caps are made of plastic. This is your regular Sennheiser MX500 shells commonly used in DIY earbuds. There is a notch near the bottom portion of the shell that is colored red and blue to indicate the right and left side respectively.
The cable is a 4-core Hakugei single crystal copper that is slightly stiff, but lightweight. After the splitter, the cable is sleeved with a nylon paracord. The splitter is a handmade piece of knurled brass, while the 3.5 mm gold plated plug is made of metal.
Now let's get to the sound.
Lows:
The lows are punchy instead of rumbly. Subbass has a slightly below average depth and doesn't have much presence. It is on the relaxed side but can still provide some rumble on bass-centered tracks. It also rolls off quite fast. Midbass, on the other hand, has a lot more contribution. It is more forward and has an above average impact.
Overall, what the subbass lacks, the midbass makes up for it. It provides the muscle that the subbass can barely provide. That being said, it does not reach the point of being disruptive to the mids.
Mids:
The mids has a tiny hint of warmth in it with a very forward presentation. At times vocals may give that feeling of being "in your face" but in a non-irritating way.
Upper and lower mids are linear; sharing the same position and note weight while having a great level of clarity. Piano strikes and guitar strums sound crisp and articulate.
Overall, the mids may feel a little too close when you first listen to the Xuijin MX since this type of tuning is somewhat unique. But it grew on me over time and I got to appreciate this different flavor of presentation.
Highs:
The highs are partially forward and boosted, giving a good amount of air in the music. Treble reach is slightly above average and has an adequate length of decay. The elevation is more evident in the lower treble, giving lead guitars and cymbals somewhat reduced energy.
Overall, the Xuijin MX has that treble that is suited for longer listening sessions. Although the body of the lows will be affected, donut foams can be used to improve the upper treble sparkle.
Soundstage and Imaging:
The Xuijin MX has an average expansion. The height noticeably expands a lot more than the width. Imaging has great clarity and accuracy. Layering and instrument separation are great as well, resulting in minimal congestion even in complex tracks.
Conclusion:
There is always something special about things that are handmade, and since all of LREY's creation are made that way, the customization possibilities are endless. The LREY Xuijin MX has that strong midbass, intimate mids, and forward highs that all together brings a different kind of fun sound signature to the table. It has that kind of rare tuning that might surprise many during the first minutes of listening, but give it some time and it will surely delight your ears.
Tags:
Earbuds