In the past few days, the headphone market in the entry-level segment has emerged with a new idol star, the Simgot EA500. Possessing a luxuriously plated metal housing like Kato and Yume 2, however, Simgot EA500 has a more accessible price and the ability to customize sound quality through changing the sound pipe.
Table of Contents
Packaging and accessories
Simgot EA500 is packaged in a cardboard box like many other headset models. However, the outer shell of the box has a quite simple design and is not too sophisticated. The front of the cover box is printed with only the brand logo, product name, Hires Audio certification stamp and a beautiful image of a sparkling starry sky. All technical specifications of the EA500 will be printed clearly on the back. Among them, the most notable is the sound chart when changing the sound pipe part of the EA500. Through this chart, users can easily realize that Simgot EA500 comes with 2 sets of sound pipes. More detailed information about these two sets of sound pipes will be mentioned below.
Inside the box, in addition to the pair of Simgot EA500 headphones, users will receive an additional set of accessories including:
- 1 cable
- 3 pairs of silicone eartips size S/M/L
- 1 pair of red sound pipes
- 1 pair of black sound pipes
- 1 oval zippered storage box
- Instructions for use
Design and wearing experience
Although located in the entry segment, Simgot EA500 has a level of perfection equivalent to expensive headphones. The housing part of the EA500 is made from aluminum alloy in monolithic form. Covering the outside of the housing is a shiny chrome plating layer. Embossed in the center of the glossy faceplate is a special symbol dedicated to the EA500. Arranged near the sound duct are small vents to help regulate the flow of air in and out of the sound cavity. The regulation process will reduce the pressure inside the ear while eliminating the phenomenon of standing waves that cause sound interference. The L/R symbol is also clearly noted to help users distinguish between the left and right ear positions.
The most interesting and unique feature of the Simgot EA500 lies in the sound pipe, which is designed in a modular form like the FiiO FD3/FD3 Pro and Dunu Falcon Pro. This design will make future duct replacement easier. Included with the headphones will be 2 sets of sound pipes and they will more or less change the sound quality of the EA500’s output.
- With black sound pipes: Sound quality is adjusted according to the sound graph developed by Simgot itself
- With red sound pipe: Sound quality is adjusted according to Harman 2016 sound chart
The cable attached to the Simgot EA500 uses a 0.78mm 2-pin connector and an L-shaped 3.5mm jack. The wire core inside the cable is made of silver-plated OFC copper and braiding them together will help increase sturdiness as well as signal transmission quality. The jack part is plated with gold to enhance anti-interference ability and limit oxidation over time.
Driver configuration and sound quality
EA500 is equipped by Simgot with a dynamic driver cluster with a diameter of 10mm. The driver’s diaphragm is DLC-shaped like on some higher-end headphone models. With the advantage of high stiffness and light weight, the DLC speaker membrane provides better response, wide bandwidth while minimizing the formation of signal distortion. This driver uses the N52 dual magnetic circuit system and is designed in a dual cavity design to control the amount of air pressure that builds up inside the cavity.
In terms of parameters, Simgot EA500 operates at an impedance of 16Ohm, has a frequency response range of 10Hz – 50kHz and a sensitivity of 123dB (when using red sound pipes) and 124dB (when using black sound pipes). It can be seen that the EA500 is an easy-to-use headset and is not picky about pairing devices. You can completely plug the headset into your phone, use it with instant dongles like Moondrop Click, Avani or high-end dongles like iBasso DC03 Pro, Shanling UA2, …
Although there is a slight difference in sound quality between the two types of pipes, in general, the Simgot EA500 has a slightly U-Shape tuned tone. Both pipes aim to provide a more balanced and smoother sound. There is a slight difference between the two sets of pipes and this difference comes from the sound in the upper mid and treble range.
Powerful, accurate and clean are the initial impressions of the EA500’s bass range. Using red pipes will help the subbass become more prominent, creating more resonance when enjoying synth-pop, classic hiphop, classic rock and some pop music. When switching to black pipes, the midbass will be added a bit to make the overall sound richer.
The EA500 has a slightly backward mid range and has a neutral, smooth, very slightly warm tone when using the red tube. When used with black pipes, the mid sound becomes clearer. The vocals and instruments also have slight differences between the two types of pipes.
With the red pipe, the male voice has a slightly cleaner texture. Lyrical baritone voices like Chris Cornell or David Bowie sound sweeter and smoother. Meanwhile, lyrical mezzo-sopranos like Annie Lennox or Andrea Corr have a smooth, gentle and warm timbre. As for the instruments, the acoustic guitar and violin sound mellow and have just the right amount of shine. The trombone sounded smoother and the drums were rounder but a bit heavy.
With black pipes, both male and female vocals have added warmth and richer texture. The lyrical baritone has better depth and more power, and the lyrical mezzo-soprano sounds warmer. The detail is increased a bit and makes the instrument sound sharper.
The black duct placing more emphasis on the upper mid will make the treble strip become brighter, more detailed and tinkling. Meanwhile, the red duct will make the treble range sound more mellow. However, by some miracle, the cymbals sound a bit harsh when using the red pipes.
Moving on to the technical part, the soundstage on the Simgot EA500 has average width and focuses more on height and depth. There was a large gap in the front space of the sound stage and this caused the vocals to move back. The EA500’s strongest point lies in its sharp sound when it can accurately locate the position of each instrument as well as the singer’s voice. The layering ability is also very respectable and few headphones in the same segment can compare.
Compare
Vs Dunu Kima
Both Kima and Simgot EA500 are beautiful headphones with housings made of metal. However, the housing of the EA500 has a glossy surface while the Kima has a rough surface. The rough surface on Kima will leave less scratches than the glossy surface. The wearing feeling of both headphones is extremely comfortable and fits well. Both have sturdy cables, but in terms of quality, Kima is better. The conductors inside Kima’s cables are made of silver-plated OCC copper, while the EA500 has a wire core made of silver-plated OFC copper.
Both headphones use dynamic drivers with new generation DLC speaker membranes. In addition to the same driver cluster, the EA500 and Kima have quite similar sound quality, meaning they are both tuned in the U-Shape direction. However, Kima has a tighter bass range, a cleaner mid range, and sounds clearer. The treble range on the Kima is tuned too safely so the amount of detail is not as good as the EA500. Moving on to the technical part, Kima has a soundstage that is evenly spread out in width, height and depth. The sound stage created by Kima is a bit more multi-dimensional.
Vs Moondrop Aria
Not only does it have a more beautiful design, Simgot EA500 also has better finishing than Aria. However, Moondrop headphones come with a more diverse set of accessories. While the EA500 uses a dynamic DLC driver, the Aria is equipped with a dynamic LCP driver. Both have U-Shape tones. The bass range on the Aria is focused more on the subbass, while on the EA500, good emphasis on both the subbass and midbass helps this headset have a more dynamic sound.
The upper mid on the Aria has more energy so it sounds brighter but is also more prone to sibilance. Both have a good amount of detail, however, the EA500 has a slightly softer treble range. Technical factors are handled better by the EA500, from the width of the soundstage to the ability to layer and position.
Although it has just been released, with many strengths in both sound quality and design, Simgot EA500 deserves to receive high praise.
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