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gyroknight
22
Aug 14, 2018
checkVerified Buyer
TL; DR: They're not the worst things you can spend $10 on, but you can certainly do better for about the same or even a bit less.
Build quality-wise, they're a mixed bag. The metal housing is a step up from other products in the same price range and from a distance, they look pretty good. The selection of eartips is pretty nice with a good range of sizes. However, up close, certain things fall apart. The cable, while flat to prevent excessive tangling, is coated in the cheapest feeling crappy plastic. You can pull the cable at the ends of the drivers and they move significantly in and out of the plastic sleeves they should probably be attached to, not lending a whole lot of confidence to their longevity. The glossy finish to the cable and plastic parts certainly don't help. The included in-line mic and controls are a nice little bonus though.
Audio-wise, they could be so much more, even at the price. Mids and upper bass are excessively emphasized, along with high trebles, creating a muddy sound signature that still manages to be slightly ear-grating to listen to whenever a high note hits. They just sound unnatural, especially when it comes to instrumentals, with too much bass and high treble drowning out everything else. If you're a fan of EDM or that bass-boosted sound, these might be a decent choice. They're better than the original Apple Earbuds, but sound significantly worse than the VE Monk Pluses (which only costs $7 with the mic added on) and even fall behind the Apple EarPods that came with my phone. While I didn't expect them to beat out my HD 6XXs, I also didn't expect them to be beaten by EarPods either. The noise isolation is pretty good however, as expected from IEMs.
I've never bought any other IEMs, nor have I used a HIFIMAN product before, so I don't have much experience in this space, but after this product, I'm reluctant to try anything else from HIFIMAN, despite the more positive feedback to their higher end stuff. If audio quality is what you're looking for, I'd recommend saving your money and buying something else, perhaps a good pair of earbuds like the Monk Plus instead.
UPDATE: After several hours of burn-in, I've noticed a significant improvement, especially in making the highs less fatiguing to listen to. I still think that the Monk Plus is a better buy, with better clarity and detail, but the Bolts slightly edge out the EarPods due to better defined bass. Just make sure you really jam them in your ears; these rely on a really good seal for decent sound and even the slightest variation from say, moving your jaw, can cause their audio quality to degrade significantly.
UPDATE 2: Forgot to mention, but I've also experienced the quieter right side issue like some other people have mentioned.
antdroid
371
Aug 15, 2018
gyroknightThese don't sound like anything I've listened to from Hifiman before. They sound quite bad imho. The other stuff I own or have listened to from Hifiman actually sound very good.
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