7Hz x Crinacle Diablo IEMs Review – Diabolic Bass Delivery
7Hz x Crinacle Diablo is a $179 USD pair of IEMS built around a 14.5mm planar magnetic driver with a 12 dB bass boost promised for basshead music enjoyers. Today we will review the Diablo and see how it stands in the busy market of Chifi IEMs.
Introduction
At their core, 7Hz are a Chifi main company, which means that they managed to deliver a high number of high-performance IEMS with a low cost, and the Diablo we’re reviewing today is an entry-level performer with a good design, made in collaboration with a reviewer, Crinnacle. The most interesting characteristic of the Diablo IEMs is the huge uplift in the bass region, between 20 Hz and 100 Hz, of up to 12 dB above the midrange, which is quite significantly recessed relative to the treble too. Linsoul is implied tightly in the creation of this IEM and they have absolutely the lowest price on the market for it, so you can check them out on the Linsoul website, Amazon and Aliexpress.
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Product Link
Amazon – https://amzn.to/4a2DHE2
Aliexpress – https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_c3Q9LrDH
Build Quality And Design
7Hz Diablo is a high-quality pair of earphones developed by 7Hz in collaboration with Crinable, and they feature a 14.5mm planar magnetic driver at the core, with a heavy 12 dB Bass boost. With a diaphragm made of high-purity copper and dual N55 magnet arrays, Diablo also comes with a detachable cable with OFC copper conductors and a simple 3.5mm jack for connecting them to the source.
At the IEM side you can find a 0.78mm 2-Prin connector, and this pair of IEMs a rather low impedance of 18 OHMs, with a high SPL of 107 dB. With a THD lower than 1%, altough right now there are two separate sets of specs for Divine online. We will dig deeper and see how it behaves rather than what is quoted officially.
Subjective Usage
7Hz Diablo feels rather heavy due to the thick and chuggy cable, but they have no driver flex, no void and generally are comfortable to be worn for long periods of time. There’s something special about them, as they have a medium – shallow fit which will work well with most ears, and also they don’t have the largest shells out there.
This being said, I feel like having just a 3.5mm connector on the cable end is a bit disappointing, but should be absolutely fine for the price range. It does make the Diablo more sensitive to source quality and most sources don’t sound quite as good on the SE output as they do on the balanced output.
Sound Quality
Pairings – To get a good idea of how 7Hz Diablo sounds like, I paired them with a selection of sources, including FiiO K17, Audioengine HXL, Shanling Onix Beta XI2, Surfans F35 Music Player DAP, iBasso D17 Atheris, Burson Playmate 3, Rose Technics RT-5000, and Luxsin X9.
7Hz Diablo is both single ended based on the 3.5mm jack, and also sensitive to source noise. It is shows noise even with sources that typically don’t show any with other IEMS, like Luxsin X9 and FiiO K17. This makes Diablo one of the most sensitive IEMS I have reviewed, and it is not recommended if you’re sensitive to the hissing effect, which creates a bit of hiss that is audible at low levels and only when no music is playing. Diablo is also rather sensitive to source quality and will change sonic character with each source.
Overall Signature – 7Hz Diablo sounds quite dark, chuggy, lush and a bit veiled, it is a very warm, downright dark and punchy sounding pair of IEMs. Although the actual tuning is V-Shaped and there’s some extra treble to balance the ultra deep bass, the treble is not quite enough to make up for it. Soundstage size is natural-big, and there’s a lot of space between instruments with a fairly good separation and punchiness to the sound.
Bass – At their bottom end, Diablo delivers what I consider to be their essence. There’s so much power, depth and bloom to the sound, as the bass overtakes everything, veils everything, and gives music boom as well as darkness, lushness and body. Bass is not just a central element in the tuning of the Diablo, but also a leading element, it is present, it is slow, chuggy, and comes in waves delivering the type of impact that makes all music bombaclastic.
Voicing And Midrange – Vocals are a bit recessed on the Diablo, as you hear more boom and depth than you hear voices, but they are sufficient for most electronic, rap, EDM and even rock music. It is a colored, heavily dark presentation that gives priority to male voices, especially deep sounding male voices, and in a large sea of bright and aggressive sounding IEMS, Diablo is unique, different, exactly opposite, dark, smooth, lush and laid-back.
Treble – At the top, there is a n extra bit of sparkle and energy, but it does not suffice to counter the bass, so it ends up adding some air and extension, but it is a fairly chill treble that doesn’t push boundaries too much in terms of energy and presence. This being said, treble character is fast, detailed and crisp, so it does make the listening experience balanced for multiple music styles.
Dynamics And Textures – Diablo sounds chuggy, deep and heavy, slow and bloomy, which affects all textures, even voices, all instruments have a huge and bold body. Dynamics are free of compression, and it ends up sounding quite dynamic and vivid.
Loudness Saturation Gradient – Diablo becomes a bit more balanced and more enjoyable loud, and it is a bit warmer but also darker and more veiled when listened at low volumes. It saturates more than volume when loud, it gives music boldness, punch and kick. Distortion is at the limit, you can reach around 110 dB at max, but it can easily distort if the music is oversaturated on the bass side of things.
Soundstage – 7Hz Diablo sounds rather wide and holographic, it is not a compact or intimate sounding IEM and instead expands naturally in the lateral and vertical planes. I like how it layers music, it is enjoyable for EDM, Electronic, Pop and Rock music. Metal works too, but the tuning and signature isn’t exactly made for metal music.
Value and Conclusion
7Hz Diablo has a low price of 179 USD, and delivers a really good contrast, strong resolution and a true basshead experience, so they are fully worth the price, but having a colored tuning makes them less universal than alternatives with a more traditional tuning.
I like the Diablo IEMS, they satisfy my need for a basshead tuning, and don’t break the bank. While not quite as technical as more high-end basshead IEMs, they still make an excellent option for those seeking the most luscious, deepest bass, but for an affordable price.
PROs
- Excellent depth and bass strength
- Bloomy, dark and smooth sound
- Comfortable and comes with a reliable cable
- Airy and wide, not congested nor too intimate
- Excellent price performance ratio
- One of the best choices for an entry-level basshead pair of IEMS right now
Cons
- Single ended cable only
- Cable is quite heavy, reduces wearing comfort slightly
Product Link
Amazon – https://amzn.to/4a2DHE2
Aliexpress – https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_c3Q9LrDH
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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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