qdc Emperor Hybrid IEM - TDS REVIEW
qdc Emperor Hybrid Earbuds - TDS Reviews
TDS REVIEW and TDS Whisper are based on the TDS Studio scoring criteria and the content description V202402.
The model covered in this article in the context of the market at the time of the KT MARK:
qdc Emperor: IV (Recommend)
This is the fourth product of the qdc brand to officially appear in TDS Hearroom.
QDC's current flagship model is the Emperor who is the protagonist of this article, and it also has a custom-only version called Empress. Previously, we introduced the simple listening of two products in the audio news program, and it can basically be considered that the Empress is a more active and specialized Emperor, and the quality of the two is basically the same level. Compared to the Chameleon V14, the Emperor has a noticeable change in the low midrange. Excluding the limited models of various dragons and kings, Emperor is currently the qdc product with the highest positioning for public model users. This article is a relatively complete evaluation and sharing.
包装与配件 | Package & Accessories
Similar to the 8 Pro we have introduced in the past, as a high-end series of QDC, the Emperor natural packaging is also more luxurious. Although there is no wood or bamboo, instead of a flap that automatically supports the carton at a certain angle, the overall volume is about the same. Emperor's package includes a storage case, three interchangeable plugs, a cleaning brush, two pairs of six pairs of ear tips, and a 3.5mm to 6.35mm plug.
The shape of the storage box is still the round anti-pressure box that QDC is familiar with, but QDC will make certain adjustments to the design of the storage box for each mainstream model. The 8 Pro's case is finished in carbon fibre, Folk is braided, and Emperor is made of more refined leather with better edging. The metal plaque on the lid also features the Emperor's exclusive logo. The interior space has not changed, and it can still be tucked into the headphone body and a small tail of medium volume, retaining consistent compression resistance and internal flocking. However, the Emperor box has an additional central winding post compared to the 8 Pro's one, which can assist in fixing the headphones more effectively.
The configuration of the ear tips is the same as that of the mainstream QDC model, which is still two pairs of six pairs, fixed to a separate plastic plate. One is a single-section black silicone sleeve with moderate hardness and softness, with a moderate opening and a slightly smaller opening, without a special acoustic structure; The other is a slightly softer two-section sparkled silicone sleeve with a not too big opening. Considering that the headphone tube is moderately thick and short, you can also try to pair some ear tip types with slightly larger openings.
设计、佩戴表现与声学结构 | Design, Fit & Acoustic Structure
The default public version of Emperor has one and only one colorway, as shown in the image. In addition to that, you have the option to make customizations. Emperor's cavity is a gray color with glitter added to it by default. Actually, it looks a little bit blue. You can see the gradient brought by the glitter, similar to the galaxy with dense planets. Empress also had a brief experience at the previous CANJAM, and the color scheme of Empress is light pink, and the panel shows a yellow-green reflection under a certain angle of light, which is more like the feeling of mica sheet. This panel is called the "Humanities and Nature Color Panel" by QDC, and it looks like some kind of seashell on the Emperor. Depending on the angle of light, it appears in layers of blue, purple, green and gold.
The material of the cavity is naturally a common resin for custom male model headphones, as a high-end series of QDC products, the surface of the cavity of Emperor is quite smooth, and the degree of varnish uniformity is very high. It also does not have the problem of being easily stained with fingerprints, and it looks more refined. The panel has a circle of gold-plated corners, which is quite high to the touch, and there is no problem from the perspective of workmanship.
The volume of the cavity is on the large side, after all, there are a lot of units stuffed, and it is also more full than the 8 Pro. In some people with small ears, there may be a situation where the edge of the cavity pushes up to the pinna, and the cavity will appear to float on top of the earnail cavity structure. For medium-sized and above-sized pinna, the Emperor can be embedded in the pinna in a relatively secure state.
There is no need to worry about the fit degree of the inner side of the cavity, and it has a relatively strict adaptation for the earnail cavity, earnail boat and other parts. Among them, the structure of the earnail cavity will be slightly larger, and the feeling of pressure will be slightly more obvious. Other than that, the Emperor is obviously relatively comfortable in a cavity of this size. It should be pointed out that the cavity has a considerable thickness, so it is not recommended to wear it on its side.
The only opening on the surface of the cavity is located under the female pin socket, and the presence of the damping mesh can be seen. Considering the internal structure of the five tubes, its tubes are also of the thicker type, and combined with the low tube height of QDC headphones, you need to pay attention when matching earbud covers. There is no obvious air pressure balance problem in the cavity, but after all, it is large and has a high degree of closure, and some people with small ears may have a certain sense of negative pressure. The passive sound insulation of the cavity is not bad, with a nominal noise reduction depth of 26dB.
线材、扬声器配置与功率需求 | Cable, Driver & Power Demand
The cable that the Emperor is equipped with looks no different from the 8 Pro's to the naked eye. The material is labeled as copper-silver mixed weaving, which is a rare 2*4-strand weaving method, the single-strand wire is very thin, and the overall softness is very high in the 8-strand wire, and there is no self-winding phenomenon.
The changeover system is based on the 0.78mm 2PIN flat seat construction standard, which is the same definition as the new products such as Superior and Superior EX, and the pin housing is injection molded with a double layer. There is no sinking around the female seat, which is flush with the cavity, and is well compatible with all kinds of flat pins and convex pins. The standard cable is also suitable for all kinds of flat and male headphones. The connectors are highly tight, so you don't have to worry about loosening caused by long-term use.
The interchangeable plug system is based on a four-pin construction with a locking mechanism similar to that of XLR plugs, with a special elastic deadbolt. The pins have a high degree of contact tightness, and the three plugs included in the package are all elbowed and have foolproof slots, making it difficult to insert them incorrectly. Compared to the 8 Pro's threaded locking, Emperor's locking structure is also stronger and simplifies the appearance of the plug housing.
In terms of units, I was already surprised to see the unit configuration of the Chameleon V14, and you can understand that Emperor continued to add a dynamic coil to the V14, and then re-designed the frequency division according to this system. Emperor is equipped with a 15-unit five-way hybrid architecture unit with one moving coil, ten moving irons, and four electrostatics.
The technology of the moving coil is derived from the Dmagic series, and the qdc does not specify its diameter and diaphragm material, but it is presumably a specialized microdynamic that is responsible for very low frequencies. The independent acoustic conduit of the moving coil unit can also be seen in the exploded view, which has a relatively high degree of encapsulation. Ten moving irons can be understood as two groups of composite double moving irons responsible for low frequency, two large-size moving iron units responsible for intermediate frequency, and two groups of composite double moving irons responsible for high frequency, so that it is ten. Coupled with the second-generation electret electrostatic unit of the sound boom, combined with the crosstalk suppression and phase compensation of the adjacent frequency bands that have matured by QDC on the V14, as well as the optimization of the crossover circuit, this set of 15 units, 5 divisions, and 5 conduits is formed.
Compared to the impression of the V14, the Emperor basically inherits the smooth transition between the mid and high frequencies, and there are no particularly obvious phase issues and the feeling of improper band connection. The connection between the moving coil and the moving iron is at the appropriate level at this price, and there will be no obvious sense of separation. However, it should be pointed out that while the consistency of the tone is good among the three mixer earbuds, it is still different from the 8 Pro's "work" performance.
With an impedance of 15Ω and a sensitivity of 106dB/mW, the Emperor is actually a relatively easy earbud to drive. It can also easily achieve the appropriate loudness under the drive of various low- and medium-priced small tails. However, given the characteristics of the different units, as well as its sound characteristics, I would recommend that you invest appropriately in the front-end. The gap between its dynamic performance and the 10,000-yuan level should also be based on a certain front-end level. For now, I would recommend at least a HA-P90SD or CDA-M2 decoder amp as a base pairing.
The following sound description, based on the combination of the original line balance drive and the single-section silicone sleeve, has met the power required for the drive.
声音主观描述 | Sound Description
The low-end volume is a little bit more, the thickness and fullness are sufficient, the elasticity is good, and the diving ability is further than that of the 8 Pro and V14. The retraction speed is moderate, and the retraction is relatively clean. The ambience is not very high, with a slight sense of richness. Emperor's low frequency sounds ample and full, capable of the amount of detail and layering that should be expected at the super flagship level, and the relatively tight texture will help the shape expression of the instrument with a lower base tone. The shape of the instrument with the lower base plate is leaner and slightly forward-leaning.
In the midrange, the distance between the vocals is slightly closer, and the lip size is slightly larger than the standard, and the degree of refinement is higher. Emperor can basically take into account the texture and lines of the vocals, and the lines will not be too prominent. The tendency between male and female voices is not obvious, and the suitable voices are all types with a certain thickness but not too thick. It's smooth and grainy, so it's a bit unsavory when it comes to some of the heavier male vocals in Soul or RnB tracks. There is basically no problem with other modern vocal recordings, and they can all perform properly. The timbre rendering is not very heavy, with only slight marks at the ends, for the sake of pleasantness. The position of the laryngeal voice is basically correct, and the ratio of air to voice is a little more. The toothy tone is polished, and it is only perceived in the performance of some of the already toothy tracks during the recording phase. The vocal frequency band has a high degree of transparency and will not feel stuffy.
In terms of musical instruments, it is also able to take into account texture and lines. Among the stringed instruments, the violin, guitar, etc. have a higher degree of ear grip and proper thickness, and the viola is a little more solid than the 8 Pro. However, it's clear that timbre accuracy isn't as strict as in the 8 Pro Studio gear, with a moderate level of detail in the plucked strings. The cello is more full and cohesive. The brass tube has a strong sense of momentum, and the trumpet that needs to be bright has appropriate and sufficient brightness. The solidity of the woodwinds is not bad, but you will feel that the lines are a little hard, and the air will not be very sufficient. The instrument has a moderate sense of volume, and it sounds natural in a stopper with a similar architecture, but not as high as some particularly well-done single-unit dynamic coils. In terms of percussion, the presence of Kick is more obvious, and Snare is not fast or slow, and it is relatively solid. The irritation of cymbals is not obvious, and the metallic sensation does not overflow.
The brightness of the high frequencies is moderate, and it sounds like there are some energetic peaks, but it doesn't pull too high and cause overstimulation. The ability to extend at very high frequencies is in line with price point expectations, and the roll-off will not be too soon, but it will be relatively fast.
As hybrid multi-unit earbuds, we're still talking about spatial rather than soundstage. The space presented by Emperor is relatively spacious, without a sense of crampedness, but it is quite full, and it does not feel empty. The horizontal and longitudinal distances are approximate, and there is also a certain sense of height. The separation between vocals and instruments is as expected, and the overall feeling is acceptable. The parsing ability is the due level of the super flagship price, and there will be no obvious "parsing sense" overflow. Excellent dynamics with moderate transients.
总结评价与玩法建议 | Summary & Recommendation
Emperor, as a product in the super flagship price range, also has a relatively high breadth of adaptability to the track. It has good performance for regular pop tracks, and the compatibility of anisong categories is also good, and it will not have the high requirements for recording and mixing quality like the 8 Pro. The rock metal category is more suitable for some genres that focus on the sense of scene rather than transients, and the pan-electronic category is also well adaptable, but ambient will be a little unsuitable due to its high density. In the Acoustic category, the jazz adaptability is one of the best I've heard of with qdc earbuds, and it can also be tried by small and medium-sized audiences who are looking for pleasing rather than serious accuracy. Relatively speaking, its adaptability is still relatively "tall and comprehensive".
Relatively uniform high-density earbuds, this is my feeling for the Emperor who has entered the state. It's basically what a not-so-serious but sufficiently comprehensive super flagship should look like, and like some super flagships, in the case of not pushing well, it is similar to its own 10,000-yuan comprehensive performance, and it needs to work it. In the past, the super flagship was a field that I couldn't understand the degree of premium, but some super flagships in the past two years made me feel the difference with the 10,000 yuan level, maybe I still don't easily recommend super flagship earbuds to others, but listen to some well-done super flagships at the exhibition, now it will be a thing that I think is quite necessary, and Emperor obviously belongs to this range worth trying.
KingTsui, TDS Studio.
Sep 2024
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