Gizaudio x Binary Acoustics Chopin Review

Background Information

        The Gizaudio x Binary Acoustics Chopin is a 2nd collaboration project by Timmy, the guy who runs the Gizaudio Youtube channel priced at 199$. After his 1st collaboration project with Letshuoer to make the Galileo. He wanted to make something that sounds correct and at the same time very engaging. Hence it took him many months of making and failed samples to finally reach his standard. The Chopin will be sold exclusively to HifiGo as a part of the collab.

Box / Accessories

        The box is not small, and long but well designed and looks premium.

Behind of the box provides additional information and technical details about the Chopin.

After opening the cover, it is well packed with the protective case, accessories (SML size eartips, cleaning brush and cable) and user manual.

These are all the accessories that is provided, along with each side of IEM protective pouch which is a nice touch and adds extra protection to it. 

Design / Comfort / Build Quality

        The Chopin is small in size but it has a long weird shaped nozzle that is not small. The nozzle size is 6.2mm as shown in the HifiGo website which is quite large and for that, it might not fit to everyone's ears. The Chopin has a teardrop shape with unique design at the faceplate that is easily recognisable but whether the design is nice or not, this answer depends on you taste. For me, it looks very clean and simple and the design is iconic. 

        The long and thick nozzle doesn't make this an easy IEM to wear but it does not cause any discomfort nor sharp edges that will block any parts of the ear that will make it pain. So its quite a comfortable pair but not easy to wear due to its nozzle diameter.

        Not only that, the 2 pin socket is not flush and it has square sides to it which will limit the type of cables it can be put on. This makes it a bit difficult to find third party cables to fit if you don't have that types of small 2 pin connector. 

        The build quality of the Chopin is good. It gives a very solid feel without being too heavy and the stainless steel faceplates make it feels very tanky. The shell is 3D printed resin. It may not be easy to wear but once it is well fitted, you won't feel it is there. 

        The cable is not a thick cable but good quality. It has a little memory to it but it will not tangle and easy to straighten it back. The 4.4mm connector, splitter and chin slider feels high quality and good looking. 

Gears used for this review

• Moondrop Moonriver 2 dongle dac
• Dunu S&S tips 

Disclaimer

        Audio is a very subjective hobby which means not everyone will experience exactly the same experience I have based on different ear anatomy and different source is being fed however I believe the opinions will not be too different with mine. 

Sound Impression

First Impression:

• It has a very natural timbre
• Sounds very clean across all frequencies
• Bass boosted neutral sound signature
• Works well with almost all music genre

    The first thing I notice as soon as I start playing the first track for the first time is the soundstage is very wide and in-depth, imaging is spot on and can give a very 3D holographic type. The instrument's position, distance and height can be heard very easily. Other than that, it sounds very clean across all frequency. 

Bass:

• The bass can hit hard when its needed depending on the track.
• It has some rumble to it but I wish to have a little more to be well suited with EDM and hip hop music.
• Very well textured bass, well controlled and has a good attack speed
• Doesn't have any mid bass bleed
• Very impactful punch and slam bass
• Fun and engaging bass 

Mids:

• Mids are quite forward sounding but still have good balance between vocal and instruments
• Vocal sounds very clean and clear, very enjoyable when playing vocal focused tracks
• Male vocal sounds a bit thinner and lack of body compared to female vocals but its still sounds satisfying and not bad.
• Female vocal is where the Chopin shines bright, it sounds lively and it has good energy. More fuller compared to male vocals.

Treble:

• Treble is sparkly, light and airy. 
• Well extended treble and good treble energy but not spicy nor fatiguing even after long period of use.
• Can pick up a lot of details including micro details and macro details. Micro details can be heard easily.
• Crisp and clean treble which brings a lot of satisfaction.

Technicalities (Imaging and Soundstage):

• Soundstage is very wide and good sense of height. Very good depth as the music can be heard like it has echoes and the background. 
• Instrument distance also can be pinpointed easily.
• Imaging is spot on. Instruments can be pinpoint on everywhere, from the back of your head to the front, top to bottom, left to right. 
• Immersive surround sound experience. It gives a 3D feel to it. 
• Open sounding and not congested. 
• Perform very well too with busy tracks.

Conclusion

        Overall, the Chopin is a big improvement over Gizaudio's Timmy previous IEM (Gizaudio x Letshuoer Galileo). For it's competitive price at 199$, its well worth the price considering the performance but it all depends on what your music library is and what type of music you listen to most as it may not perform its best at some type of music. But overall it is an easy recommendation and competitive pair in its price range. 

*This is a review sample from HifiGo but I am not influenced by them in writing the review, huge thank you to HifiGo for providing the sample for me to write the review.