Entering the market of a new company is always interesting, especially if the company is already known at home, as, for example, it happens in the case of the Korean company Ucotech, which decided to conquer Russian buyers with interesting models of headphones. Among them, among other things, include two versions of headphones-inserts, called Diva Sound and Grandioso.
The form factor of the "inserts" is a bit forgotten for the last time, since the intracannel models, often called "gags", are easier to tune, where the radiator operates in a closed (or almost closed) volume, and the sound is more or less predictable for any ears. Inserts, in turn, depend heavily on the shape of the auricle, which all people have different, and developers need to take this into account. In addition, the disadvantages of such models are very poor sound insulation, making the headphones unsuitable for use in noisy conditions.
In turn, such a form factor gives certain advantages. Firstly, it is an imaginary scene, speakers located at a slightly greater distance than in the IEM, and, in fact, open acoustic design allows such models to play "wider" than the intracameters. Secondly, it should be noted convenience, not all people comfortably feel themselves with foreign objects in the auditory canal, and then the liners come to the rescue. From this follows and the third advantage - these headphones are hygienic, ears are not so clogged with sulfur, there is no overheating, stagnation of sweat and other unpleasant problems. Finally, a larger body size allows the installation of a larger transmitter.
This is exactly what Ucotech did, installing patented emitters with dual coaxial membranes with a diameter of 14.8 mm in both models. To these drivers, the company added excellent metal casing, quality cable and received two very interesting models of headphones.
, its projected price is 6500 rubles, is planned for sale for 13 500 rubles. What does the company offer for this money?
Specifications
- Type of radiator: 14.8 mm, dynamic with two diaphragms
- Impedance: 16Ω ± 15% (Diva), 70Ω ± 15% (Grandioso)
- Sensitivity: 120 dB / mW (Diva), 115 dB / mW (Grandioso)
- Maximum input power: 20 mW
- Frequency range: 10 Hz ~ 40 kHz
- Cable: symmetrical, 1.2 m
- Plug: 3.5 mm, gold-plated
- Weight: 7 g, with cable 18 ± 2 g
Packing and delivery kit
Boxes at the headphones are quite standard: outer packing of thin cardboard with straps from the ribbon from the top, inside - a hard cardboard "pallet", storing headphones and accessories. The box of the older model is additionally reinforced with inserts of transparent plastic. Prints on the boxes are restrained-strong, in addition to photos of headphones, there are also TTX on the boxes. Inside the boxes of both models is the same contents: headphones, a good cover from a dense leatherette on a snake and a few pairs of foam nozzles with or without holes.
Design and comfortable wearing
The quality of the headphones is just excellent. Metal shells are made without the slightest flaws, a cable reinforced with a Kevlar thread, a good splitter and a reliable plug - all this inspires confidence. Heavy metal enclosures are felt very pleasantly and whole.
Both models are available in two colors, for the Diva it's silver and red, for Grandioso - blue-gray and gold. All four options are very, very good externally.
The sound insulation of the model is expected to be close to no, the form factor of the inserts in this plan is inferior to the in-channel models. But the comfort of wearing is very good, especially if you are used to earbuds.
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 a source
- Fidelia as a player
- Fiio X5-2 and Cayin N6 as portable players
- VSonic Gr01, Dunu Titan 1 and Dunu DN-2000J as headphones for comparison
- High Definition Records in Lossless-formats (Dr. Chesky The Ultimate Headphone Demonstration Disc and others)
Before listening, each headset was warmed for 72 hours.
First, let's talk about Diva.
The submission of this model has a slight emphasis on the upper MF, giving them a good effect of detail and transparency. These headphones are not worth listening to at a very low volume, they will sound cold and kolko, but already at the middle level of sound their feed is leveled.
The low frequencies of this model are surprisingly dependent on the source, if it is dark, the headphones will play massively and impressively, if the player is inclined to brightness, the bass will not be very much reminiscent of itself, especially at a low volume. In general, the LFs are good here, but they are not prohibitive, they are concentrated mainly in the midbass region, they do not go deep into the depths, but at the same time they do not get out on the middle frequencies. The resolution for LF is not bad, just like the texture, but the low-key feed takes place, although in our time it's more of a plus, finding headphones without a raised bass is sometimes not so easy.
The middle frequencies are very well designed for the price, they are slightly boosted, but this is due primarily to the desire to compensate for the lack of form factor. The resolution is again not prohibitive, but it does not cause any special complaints, the instruments are transmitted fairly reliably and retain their character well. The imaginary scene is wide (which is not surprising for liners), but in depth is slightly below average.
HF, as I wrote above, underlined (at the junction with the middle frequencies), on the one hand this gives the sound a pleasant effect of pseudo-detailing, and on the other - on poorly mixed tracks and bright sources can be a little tiresome. Fortunately, the amount of HF is sufficiently well corrected by the foam guns included in the kit.
In general, Diva headphones are good, just on a solid 4 on a five-point scale, sometimes passing in 5 with a minus, a massive sound without any disadvantages, but without the wild wow effect.
But their older brother Grandioso is completely from another test, it's realy ear-phones with a very interesting character.
First of all, it's worth mentioning the increased impedance of the 1103 model, a very reasonable step for headphones aimed at HiEnd players. Such devices usually have a sufficiently powerful amplifier, and a high impedance allows the Grandioso to respond better to the noise of the device, or rather not react to it at all.
The bass became deeper, it's tighter and collected, from all the earbud headphones that I heard (I, really, did not hear much of it), it's the best in the study of LF. They are also well-controlled and do not exceed the limits set by them.
The midrange frequencies are more neutral than the Diva, which makes it sound more natural, conveying emotions even better than the younger model. It also positively influences the elaboration of the imaginary scene, it is wider and uniquely deeper. Resolution of the midrange also exceeds Diva, although it is inferior to the reinforcing in-channel models.
The upper frequencies of this model are fed slightly abruptly, which made me use foam guns with them, which remove this problem. With the attachments you get good, slightly shaded HF, adding volume and air to records, but not climbing to the forefront, creating sharpness.
In general, Grandioso in many ways resembles Diva, but only improved in all respects.
Compatibility
I would not recommend any of these models for use with smartphones and tablets, they are clearly not optimized for simple sources. Diva emphasizes the shortcomings of the device, and Grandioso simply will not be able to fully reveal itself. In both cases, it is best to choose for them a quality player that matches your taste preferences. For Diva, I would advise models with an emphasis on bass, for Grandioso - more top-end and neutral devices.
To the quality of recordings, the headphones are not very sensitive, I would rate them by this parameter by 6 points out of 10, provided the nozzles are used. Genre Diva is better suited for pop, jazz, live recordings, Grandioso are more versatile and can play even complex material such as not the most extreme metal and orchestral classics.
Traditional tracks are examples.
Eric Clapton - Tears in Heaven. A fairly simple track, taking the soul first of all due to the skill of the performer. Both models cope well with the transfer of emotions embedded in the song when recording.
Jean-Michel Jarre - Magnetic Fields Part 2. Melody, familiar to almost everyone, is ideal for headphones of this form factor. Thanks to the construction of a wider scene, both models perfectly transfer all those stereo effects that this track carries in itself.
Godspeed You! Black Emperor - We Drift Like Worried Fire. Titans of the grim genre of post-rock have a surprisingly deep sound, full of unusual finds. The volume and MF-accent of the headphones are very suitable for them, although here, of course, Grandioso cope much better.
conclusions
A good sound, high-quality materials, a rare form factor - all this makes Ucotech liners very interesting headphones. The only, perhaps, negative factor for them is the price, which is much higher than the "average" for headphones-inserts, but quite interesting sound, perhaps, it justifies. I recommend if possible to listen to them, perhaps this is the sound that you were looking for.
The article is based on materials .
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