12mm of Pure Music – HIDIZS MK12 Turris IEMs
HIDIZS MK12 Turris is a $199 USD pair of IEMs with a 12mm dynamic driver at the core, and most of the technological advancements being at the driver level, just pure innovation for an audiophile pleasure. Today we will review the HIDIZS MK12 and see how it fits in the market, with a strong focus on its sonic performance given the popularity it has right now.
Introduction
HIDIZS is one of the popular companies in the Chifi world designing successful kickstarter campaigns, creating multiple popular earphones, DAC/AMPs and DAPs over the years. We reviewed most products they launched, and all of them have been interesting, usually the selling point being the exceptional price / performance HIDIZS products sell for.
As an Amazon Influencer, I earn from qualifying purchases, and using the purchase links in my reviews helps me maintain this website and Youtube Channel. Huge thanks to HIDIZS for providing us with the sample for this review.
Product Link
Amazon – https://amzn.to/4dU5wPs
Official Link – https://www.hidizs.net/products/hidizs-mk12-turris-12mm-large-91-magnesium-diaphragm-hifi-in-ear-monitors
Build Quality / Aesthetics
As with most newly launched products, or even unlaunched at the moment of me writing this review, the official information available about HIDIZS MK12 is more limited compared to that of their long-established products like the MP143 Salt. This being said, we know that HIDIZS MK12 Turris is designed around a new driver, with a 12mm size, dynamic driver concept, and with a strong 1.5T External Magnet.
A big part of the design is the 91% Pure Magnesium M Shaped Dome diaphragm. The shells you see are CNC machined, and we have a cable that made me go “wow, this is a nice cable”, although you have to choose a 3.5mm single ended or a 4.4mm balanced connector when ordering the MK12. The name of the Turris comes from the Immortal Turritopsis.
Inside the package there are 3 tuning filters, and 3 silicon types, a transport soft pouch, and the manuals. Turris has an impedance of 32 OHMs, SPL of 111 dB / mW, and THD of 0.3%, along with a weight of 19 grams without the cable.
Fit / Subjective Usage
HIDIZS MK12 Turris is a large, heavy pair of IEMS, and while I now realise that I usually don’t mention the fit style for most IEMs, that indicates most of them go for a medium fit, but MK12 Turris has more of a shallow fit by design, which I have not had in a long while.
Overall, HIDIZS MK12 Turris is large, shells are hard and heavy, cable is soft, flexible and high-quality. There is no driver flex, no void, ventilation is implemented nicely. Passive noise isolation is modest, between 10 and 15 dB of passive noise isolation, while leakage is minimal.
My subjective wearing experience is good despite the unusual shallow fit, HIDIZS implemented ergonomic inner shapes on the MK12 Turris. Passive noise isolation profile is actually unique, MK12 Turris isolates more thumping noise and bass noise than it does isolate midrange noise, which is new for me.
Sound Quality
Pairings – To test the new HIDIZS MK12, I have paired it with a selection of sources, including Rose Technics RT-5000, Dethonray Listening M1, Dethonray Clarinet, iBasso DX340, Lotoo PAW GT2. You can enjoy them with dongles too, including iBasso Nunchaku, or FiiO JM21. Turris will need quite a lot of power to get loud, it is not sensitive to source noise and hissing, but requires so much power to be driven well that on an iBasso DX340 it runs on high DAC gain, high AMP gain, and at 40/100 volume.
Overall Signature – Signature is also an absolute new for HIDIZS, and from the usual V-Shaped, bassy or warm signatures, HIDIZS MK12 Turris has a balanced – natural signature, it reveals information and details in the midrange fairly well, with a good balance between the bass, mids and treble, and it has a happy way of presenting voices and all instruments. Emphasis is similar between male and female voices, MK12 makes both very enjoyable, but it emphasizes much more with happy songs, major chords, and less with sad songs and songs with minor chords.
Bass – Starting from the bass, HIDIZS designed the bass of the Turris to be warm, enhanced a bit above the midrange, with a stronger presence in the mid bass than the sub bass, having warmth, body and substance, a bit of extra thickness and giving all music a happy / cheerful presentation. There’s less thump than there is a long, sweet decay to each musical note.
Midrange – Midrange is actually the focus of the MK12 Turris sound, as it seems to reveal more information, have more presence of voices and a more dynamic, more engaging sound in the mids. At first I wanted to call it mid centric, but the extra bit of bass actually balances it from being purely a mid centric IEM. All guitars, violins, pianos, every single instrument sounds happy, open and wide, it is the kind of signature that makes Lorna Shore sound musical and slightly atmospheric rather than raw and fatiguing.
Treble – Treble has a bit more energy in the lower treble than the upper treble, there is a strong tendency for MK12 Turris to sound open and revealing. Harshness and relaxation balance is right in the middle, it is a fairly honest IEM, does not sound dry or analytical, not does it sound fatiguing, but songs with more aggressive textures are rendered as such, projected with a good detail. Treble is generally less energetic, less evident, less forward than the midrange and the bass. MK12 Turris is a great IEM for listening to EDM, Pop, Dubstep and commercial music, it has a relaxed treble for rock, so not that much energy there, although it is not rolled-off too early either, it is just a bit more on the relaxed side of things in the treble.
PRaT / Textures / Dynamic – Textures are natural, MK12 Turris reveals information as it is, more aggressive and textured when it is textured, but also laid-back and relaxed when the song is smoother. Dynamics are ever so slightly compressed at higher volumes, but more dynamically available at lower volumes.
Loudness Saturation Gradient – MK12 sounds smoother, more relaxed and laid-back at lower volumes, and more dynamically compressed, raw, live and concert-like at higher volumes. This is not ideal as impressions between reviewers and buyers will change depending on what volume level they typically listen at. I find this signature to be most enjoyable at higher volumes, the dynamic compression effect results in more detail being perceived by the listener, and I listen to quite a bit of rock and metal, which works well with the signature loud, but at lower volumes it is a bit boomy, warm, laid-back and relaxed sounding pair of earphones. Sound is also lighter with less bass at quiet volume, which makes the Turris sound bassier, especially the sub-bass, more complete and more lush at higher volumes.
Soundstage – Regardless of the volume you’re listening at, HIDIZS MK12 Turris sounds big, wide, holographic, with a natural instrument separation. This means that instruments tend to blend together slightly, it is similar to what you’d hear naturally when listening to a good stereo in a good room.
Value and Conclusion
If you enjoy kickstarter and want to be part of the first wave of customers to own a HIDIZS MK12, I totally recommend going for their campaign, they usually deliver on time, and I feel like the official 199 USD price point is already a bargain for the performance of MK12, but getting to purchase one for a reduced 139 USD price is simply killer deal.
At the end of the day, if you’re looking for a really balanced, sweet sounding pair of IEMS, if you don’t mind the larger size, and if you want to experience comfort with a shallower fit, if you want to heart sweet voices and an euphonic presentation, HIDIZS MK12 Turris is a fully recommended purchase, and a pair of earphones you ought to check out today.
PROs
- High resolution and clarity
- Excellent build quality, no void, good ventilation, no driver flex
- Really good, flexible cable
- Not sensitive to source hiss and noise
- Balanced and sensibly tuned sound
Cons
- Quite large and heavy
Product Link
Amazon – https://amzn.to/4dU5wPs
Official Link – https://www.hidizs.net/products/hidizs-mk12-turris-12mm-large-91-magnesium-diaphragm-hifi-in-ear-monitors
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Full Playlist used for this review
We listened to more songs than those named in this playlist, but those are excellent for identifying a sonic signature. I recommend trying most of the songs from this playlist, especially if you’re searching for new music! The playlists are different for Spotify, Tidal and Youtube, and based on the songs I enjoy and are available on each!
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL_cjBXGmwSHSdGcwuc_bKbBDGHL4QvYBu
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5J3oloz8Riy9LxEGenOjQ0?si=979ba4f082414be7
https://tidal.com/browse/playlist/330fd544-8e5b-4839-bd35-676b2edbb3d5
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