Headphones xiaomi hybrid hd audio reviews. Xiaomi Hybrid Pro HD - three-driver headphones, the look of an ordinary user

It has long established itself as a one-stop manufacturer of everything from smartphones to water purifiers. Naturally, the company did not bypass the attention and headphones. Their first model - , thanks to its stylish design, good price and high-quality sound, has become a real bestseller. Xiaomi continues to develop the IEM theme by updating the Pistons (they now look completely different) and introducing a hybrid model, which I will talk about today.

For starters, why are these headphones generally called "hybrid". In earplugs, two types of emitters are most often used: dynamic and reinforcing (the correct name is “emitters with a balanced armature”). If you are interested in the details about their working principles, in which I described them in detail. To understand the novelty from Xiaomi, we just need to know the following features: dynamic radiators play better low frequencies, providing a tight and percussive bass, mid and high frequencies work well with reinforcing due to their detail and speed.

Hybrid headphones try to combine the best of both worlds by using two or more different types of drivers at the same time and a special crossover circuit that distributes the signal between them. "Dynama" plays bass, "armature" - everything else, it turns out a solution similar to that used in multi-band acoustic systems. Further, everything depends on the potential of the manufacturer, because the hybrid circuit of the headphones turns out to be quite complex, and the resulting sound depends on the accuracy of the settings of all components.

Xiaomi took their hit model Piston of the latest revision, changed its design and supplemented it with a small reinforcing emitter located right in the sound duct (according to the diagrams on the company's website). Since the company has been lately fond of dark sound with dominant lows (this is especially clearly demonstrated by their overhead model Mi Headphones), the hybrids were tuned in the same vein.

To this, Xiaomi added two of its branded "chips" - the highest level of performance and an affordable price. Typically, hybrid models start at around $100 (although cheaper Chinese models are now appearing). The cost of Xiaomi hybrids is not just less, it is several times lower. At the time of writing the review, you can buy Xiaomi Hybrid Earphones for a ridiculous amount of $ 17.40 (the promotional price may rise slightly later), which is incredibly pleasing against the backdrop of currency instability.

What will the buyer get for this money?

• Emitters: 1 × dynamic + 1 × armature
• Frequency range: 20 Hz - 20 kHz
• Impedance: 32Ω
• Sensitivity: 101 dB/mW
• Rated power: 5 mW
• Cable: 1.25 m, symmetrical, with a three-button headset
• Plug: 3.5mm TRRS
• Weight: 20 g

Packing and scope of delivery

The Xiaomi box is traditionally a success. They moved away from the "green" packaging of the Piston of the first revisions, now their headphones come in a compact white box, which, however, looks no less stylish. To open it, you need to tear off the paper tape on the back, so you can be sure that no one has opened the box before you. Also gone is the smell of chocolate, which was used to flavor the box of old Piston revisions. Inside the package, in white cardboard clips, there are the headphones themselves, and in a small box under them there are three pairs of interchangeable eartips of different sizes.

Of course, the delivery set is the simplest, but given the price and cool packaging, you don’t want to find fault with the headphones.

Design and wearing comfort

The case of this model is made mainly of metal and has a cylindrical shape. An extension was made in the front part of the case, in which a dynamic emitter is located, sound guides come out of it at an angle. In general, the earbuds sit very comfortably in the ears without causing any problems with the fit, although I do not quite understand why they need such long cases, because the emitters are located in the front of the earbuds. The back of the case protrudes from the ears, so lying on your side with these headphones in your ears is unlikely to work, but this is perhaps the only nitpick about the comfort of the hybrids.

In general, the design of the headphones captivates with thoughtfulness, the developers provided not only comfortable wearing, but also thought about durability. The cable exit points from the headphones are made with plastic “legs” that protect the wire from kinks and kinks, the lower part of the cable is made with cloth insulation, the plug is reliable, and the splitter unit, although made of plastic, inspires confidence.

The wire is very good for its price, it hardens in the cold, but does not become brittle and is not prone to tangling. Unfortunately, there is a slight but noticeable microphone effect (noise from the friction of the cable against clothing), and behind-the-ear fit of the headphones, which effectively solves this problem, is not provided. You can use a clothespin to fix the cable on clothes, but it was not included in the kit, you will have to look for it elsewhere.

A stylish three-button headset is placed on the cable of the right earpiece. By tradition, the volume buttons do not work with Apple devices (it is logical that Xiaomi sharpens its headphones for its own phones), but the central key works with all devices.

There are two ventilation holes on the case, in the back and front of the headphones, so the isolation is at an average level, in land transport and on the street everything will be fine, but in the subway or plane you will have to turn up the volume.

Sound

The following equipment was used for listening:

• NuPrime DAC-10H and Resonessence Labs Concero HP as DAC and Amplifier
• Apple MacBook Pro Retina 2013 as source
• Fidelia as player
• Fiio X5-2 and Cayin N6 as portable players
• VSonic Gr01, Dunu Titan 1 and Dunu DN-2000J as comparison headphones
• High resolution recordings in Lossless formats (Dr. Chesky The Ultimate Headphone Demonstration Disc and others)

Before listening, the headphones were warmed up for 48 hours, there were no changes in sound during warming up. Although some users report an improvement in sound with warming up for this model, measurements taken by HeadFi users refute this point of view. Thus, here we can only talk about getting used to the presentation of the model.

Unfortunately, with Hybrids, Xiaomi also followed the lead of the mass public and tuned the headphones towards a very dark sound with bass dominance, like in Mi Headphones. High frequencies were also deliberately muffled, which makes the pitch slightly wadded and deprives it of overtones, although it ensures the absence of the slightest hint of harshness.

First about the cons. I will try to forget about the price of these headphones and describe them on a par with more expensive models.

Bass is the main dominant sound of these headphones. There is a lot of it here, it is very deep, although not very fast, which gives it massiveness and heaviness. The headphones do not play complex bass parts, dumping everything into a monolithic wall of pressure, in which it is difficult to make out individual parts.

The mids suffer from the bass creeping into the midrange, which is traditional for dark headphones, and besides, they are unclear in themselves. I have a suspicion that a poorly calculated crossover is to blame, because of which the lower part of the midrange goes to the dynamic radiator. Because the upper half of the midrange is more or less good in places, as it should be with armatures.

The upper frequency range is carefully pressed down so as not to create any problems when listening. There is not a hint of sharpness or emphasis on the sibilant area. But the reduced high frequencies do not benefit the overall sound picture, the sound turns out to be clamped, the imaginary stage is narrow and not deep.

Now about the good. We remember the ridiculous price of these headphones, look at the top of any hit parade and understand what most ordinary users are listening to.

The bass is really powerful, it "pumps" and creates the pressure necessary for electronic music. Suppressed high frequencies exclude sharpness and fatigue from sound even on simple sources and low-quality recordings. That part of the midrange and high frequencies that the armature plays is quite enough for simple styles of music, and some "difficult" genres are also quite "listenable".

By the way, if you bury the holes in the front of the case with something, the headphones get even more deep bass, and they get just the same infernal darkness.

Compatibility

Hybrids were designed explicitly for mobile phones, and top-end players are not needed for them. They have an optimal impedance for smartphones of 32Ω, and normal sensitivity allows them to play loudly even with weak sources.

Genre headphones are suitable for those styles where low frequencies are important: pop music, rap, electronic styles. The headphones are not sensitive to the quality of the recording; on a 10-point scale, this parameter can be estimated at about 3.

The microphone is quite good, even in noisy conditions it copes well with voice transmission.

conclusions

As an almost audiophile, I'm a little sorry that Xiaomi didn't make headphones that could interest aesthetic connoisseurs like me. As with Mi Headphones, the developers stopped half a step from creating a “giant killer”. As a reasonable person, I understand that the headphones are designed for a wide audience who loves "more bass" and cost less than $ 20, which is also not very conducive to frills.

"Hybrids" were clearly designed for bass lovers, for connoisseurs of a more neutral pitch, there is a third revision of caps. If you like bass, listen to simple music and are looking for inexpensive and reliable headphones - Xiaomi Hybrids will be an excellent choice for you. Moreover, their humane price tag even allows you to buy them for the role of “second headphones” for those tracks in which bass dominance would be appropriate.

The company's first attempt to make hybrid headphones - Xiaomi Hybrid - was a success: the capabilities of the dynamic driver were expanded by the reinforcing one. At the end of 2016, Xiaomi released another product developed by the famous acoustic studio 1More.

The Pro HD model received an additional dynamic driver. This micro-audio system includes three emitters: two dynamic and one reinforcing. It turns out that this is not a copy of the 1More Triple Driver, as many would like to believe: the latter has two armature drivers and one dynamic.

Be careful: there is a Xiaomi Hybrid Pro version that has two drivers - dynamic and armature. Its other names, which appeared due to negligent sellers, are Xiaomi Pro, Xiaomi Hybrid, Xiaomi Piston Pro. It was her Lifehacker last time.

Characteristics

Equipment

Instead of the traditional cardboard box, Xiaomi Hybrid Pro HD received a festive set:

• plastic case-box;
• rubber holder;
• fabric bag;
• three pairs of ear pads.

The latter were both in conventional hybrids and in other solutions of the company. In Pro HD, the material has changed: now the ear cushions are slightly softer, but denser at the base.

A rubber holder may be suitable for storage, but it will not work with a bag, for example. The box is obviously unportable: scratches remain instantly. Yes, and the loop is made of very dense tape.

So in fact, the extended delivery set turns out to be a marketing ploy. But if you combine a bag and a box, you get excellent protection, albeit a very large one.

Appearance and ergonomics

The design of Xiaomi Hybrid Pro HD is different from its predecessors. Headphones have become larger and more impressive. The main feature that attracts attention is the spherical milling of the back surface of the earpiece. The previous model had a straight cut.

The metal cup of the headphones is no longer polished, but matte. This type of coating is less prone to scratches. On the sides are slot-like phase inverters - real, working ones. With sufficient volume of the music being played, a tangible air flow comes out of them.

There is a lot of plastic in the design. In fact, this is a good idea, which is easiest to appreciate in the cold: the ears are less cold.

Another change was the wire. It is now silicone, soft and flexible, does not stiffen in the cold, retaining all the necessary properties. The memory effect was not detected, and the knots are untangled without much difficulty.

Xiaomi Hybrid Pro HD received an updated control panel. Previously, it had three flat rectangular buttons that fit snugly together. Not very comfortable, especially on the run or in the cold. The new version received three large round buttons. It's almost impossible to miss.

Of course, there are several buts. The three buttons only work with Android. The upper and lower controls the volume, the middle one is multifunctional. When playing music, it plays the role of Play / Pause. When there is an incoming call, a single press starts a conversation, a long press hangs up, and a double press turns off the microphone.

On iOS devices, only the middle button works, and only when playing music. A single press starts or pauses the music, a double press starts the next track, a triple press the previous one.

Metal plug, straight, gold-plated. To some, this solution will seem less convenient than the usual L-shaped. My headphones with a straight plug last much longer.

sound

The main thing in headphones is their sound. Many stylish and popular models sin with disgusting sound. The sound of the Xiaomi Hybrid Pro HD is quite specific due to the armature driver, so I had to approach the testing meticulously. Two sources were used: a Little Dot MK II amplifier connected to a desktop PC, and Meizu Pro 5. So, let's see how the new Xiaomi Hybrid Pro HD cope with various tasks.

Metal(Therion, Voivod, Testament, Obituary, Meshuggah). Tracks with a pronounced middle sound very good. Voivod tracks sound the most advantageous in headphones: there are a lot of high notes, complex guitar parts are as detailed as possible, and low frequencies are represented by exceptionally high bass. With all this, hybrid headphones cope with a bang.

Hip-hop(Infectious Grooves, Rage Against The Machine, "Krovostok"). The second dynamic driver helps the Hybrid Pro HD handle sub-bass, which is noticeably more than any other cheap hybrid headphones. Although I would not recommend this model to bassheads. The beat sounds bright, precise, without drowning out the high frequencies. Here, the dip in the mid-range is imperceptible. On the contrary, the mids work really well, especially compared to the regular Hybrid.

Electro, D'n'B. By the time of listening to this part of the test compositions, the ears got used to the sound of the new Xaiomi. This allowed us to appreciate the depth of the scene: it is magnificent. Even when the software gadgets are completely turned off, there is a feeling of Dolby 3D or another kind of 3D sound implementation.

Jazz, psychobilly. With an eye on the cost, I definitely recommend Xiaomi Hybrid Pro HD to all fans of this genre. None of the versions of budget armatures or hybrids that I have tested reproduce the double bass when playing slap in such detail. The saxophone sounds great. Even in the most difficult moments, the compositions remain as legible as possible: here are the drums, here is the double bass - separately from the vocals and other instruments.

Classical music. The effect is about the same as when listening to extreme genres. The balanced fullness of all components of the orchestra is not overshadowed even by individual shortcomings of the brass section.

conclusions

Unlike the previous version of Xiaomi hybrid headphones, the new Hybrid Pro HD received a richer sound with excellent mids. The detail and scene loved by many fans is still there.

At the same time, it is worth noting the bright coloring of the sound. Xiaomi engineers are looking for their sound, and they succeed. However, it will be difficult to tune certain frequencies. Factory equalizing affects all reproducible ranges, and there is no need to talk about any smooth (monitor) sound. Everything is done in accordance with the psychoacoustic model of hearing: detailed lows, accurate upper bass, detailed vocals.

But what more could you want from a $30 mobile headset? I assure you, you will not find a brighter and more pleasant sound in the price range up to 50 to 70 dollars. Fans of extremely low sounds should pay attention to headphone models without fittings - these are the properties of this type of acoustics. But if you suddenly want something interesting, unusual, then Xiaomi Hybrid Pro HD will not disappoint.