Definition Of Excitement – 7Hz Timeless II IEMs
7Hz Timeless II is a $220 USD hidden gem from Linsoul that’s been in development and refinement for a long time now, with one of the largest 14.5mm planar magnetic driver at the core, and a modular cable at the connection, coming to take on the world with an exciting, dynamic and punchy sound.
Introduction
7Hz and Linsoul have a long-term collaboration and Timeless II is one of their best results, a pair of earphones that has been in development for more than a year now, so I’ve seen the original prototype a year ago, today we visit the final result.
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Product Link
Amazon – https://amzn.to/44hHM4j
Aliexpress – https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_onTkpPk
Build Quality – Design
Coming with an upgraded 14.5mm planar magnetic driver, 7Hz Timeless II is the world’s first dual-sided coated diaphragm for a faster response and it also introduces a tunable nozzle system. Cable is a big highlight of the design, with a 4-Core ultra-pure 7N single-Crystal Copper Cable and a 0.78mm 2-Pin connector, offering versatility for your sources.
While those two earpieces are huge, they are not that heavy, at 5 grams being within what is considered lighweight. An impedance of 15.2 OHMs would indicate that Timeless II is rather sensitive to source noise, but it is actually not sensitive to hissing and source noise, and the high SPL of 108 dB would indicate it is easy to drive, but it is actually fairly hard to drive and can eat up a lot of power to get loud and to feel driven.
THD is quoted to be 0.2% at 1kHz, which is on the higher side of things, but as we will see, that is not an issue outside of what is likely THD introduced by a strong peaking point in the upper midrange which changes the signal compared to what is absolutely neutral.
Fit – Subjective Usage
MYou will see the 7Hz Timeless II and think to yourself, man that is one large pair of IEMs, but it is actually rather comfortable, having a small and ergonomic body, ergonomic shells on the inside, and altough those faceplatyes are likely the biggest, most odd ones I’ve seen in my entire life, you do not feel them. In fact, they have an added bonus, thanks to both the diamond-like surface and design, they isolate you really well from wind noise.
7Hz Timeless II comes with a fantastic cable, thick, modular, balanced, with no handling / microphonic noise, and with a sturdy metallic transport case that has the same finish as the faceplates. Fitting is medium-shallow but feels secure, you feel that you’re wearing them, and passive noise isolation is medium, around 15 dB on average. Leakage is a bit higher than with most IEMS, as Timeless II has a ton of ventilation, but
Sound Quality
Pairings – To test the 7Hz Timeless II, I have paired it with a selection of sources, including Rose Technics RT-5000, Dethonray Listening M1, Dethonray Clarinet, iBasso DX340, Lotoo PAW GT2, FiiO K17. They respond well to better sources, but can be enjoyed with a portable, affordable dongle DAC/AMP. Timeless II needs quite a bit of power to be driven well, has a fantastic extension in the bass and treble, and will show limitations of the source rather easily. Timeless II prefers medium gain, it can become quite aggressive with high gain and at higher volumes, sounding best at the middle both for volume, gain and everything else.
Overall Signature – Considered by both Linsoul and 7Hz an upgrade of the original Timeless, the new Timeless II (quite ironic the name, if the original was supposed to be timeless) has a rather natural sound, much better than the original, it reveals information that the original timeless did not, it feels far more natural in the midrange, has better treble extension with less harshness, a less hot peak in the lower treble / upper midrange and it is basically quite an ideal V-Shaped IEM. Soundstage size in particular is huge, thanks to the huge planar magnetic driver, and although those smaller planars are known to be quite sharp and bright, the tuning of the Timeless II is natural, wide, holographic and fun. It is closer to neutrality than the original and than most V-Shaped IEMs, but it does have V-Shaped tendencies, a slightly emphasized bass and emphasized treble.
Bass – More than anything, 7Hz Timeless II has extension and depth, despite also having a rather natural bass presentation. It is more than neutral, less than basshead, and with most music it feels really natural and clean, bass response is very fast, snappy and it does have a uniquely detailed bass presentation. This results in a fairly pleasing sound for rock, metal and technical music, but bass decay is quite fast for jazz and slower music.
Midrange – Timeless II has a uniquely detailed voicing, it reveals information much better than the original, and also emphasizez both male and female voices well, although it has a slight preference towards female voices and thinner sounding instruments, giving them more brilliance, presence and more life. Music has an ever so slightly nasal presentation, with a peaking point around 5.5 kHz, giving cymbals a slightly stronger metallic brilliance than what I consider to be true neutrality. This effect is much stronger at louder volumes, and at medium and lower volume, the presentation is far more natural, smoother and leaner.
Treble – 7Hz Timeless II has a sharp, brilliant treble extension, excellent resolution and clarity, and it reaches as high as 16 kHz with no issues. Peaking point is quite low at around 5.5 kHz, extending well up to 9-11 kHz, as a peaking range, after which it very slowly rolls-off in intensity. It is great for modern music, especially electronic, pop, and commercial music, although it can be quite aggressive for rock and especially metal. I like how it renders textures and details in certain pop songs, which are not apparent even with some flagship units. This in turn can make the sound slightly more fatiguing than it has to be.
PRaT / Textures / Dynamic – Timeless II is quite textured, it reveals every single texture, is rather dry in the presentation, and the large planar driver has an extremely fast and crisp impulse response, showing fatigue and harshness easily. It won’t sound harsh and fatiguing if the recording wasn’t, but it reveals it really easily, which makes music a bit hard on the ears, especially for aggressive and technical styles.
Volume Control – In general, Timeless II becomes aggressive, harsh, fatiguing at loud and very loud volumes, which is surprising because the original did not show this behavior as strongly. The large planar driver likes medium and lower volumes best, low and medium gain levels, and voltage / power curves that feed it more power and less voltage, quite different from what we see with large planar magnetic driver headphones. Distortion is very low even at extreme volumes, so the driver has headroom, but the signature itself is not enjoyable if you push it too much.
Soundstage – I am willing to call this one of the widest, most holographic sounding IEMS in the entry-level range. You really hear the advantage of the huge driver size, how it can reveal spatial cues, how it projects music precisely, with excellent instrument separation and definition, very little spread and outstanding imaging. It is so darn enjoyable that you pardon any of its shortcomings thanks to the staging and layering.
Value and Conclusion
Linsoul developed a truly amazing flagship earphone in the Timeless II, it has the resolution to beat some of the pricier IEMs in their own offering and from other companies too, while sounding more natural in the midrange, and at around 219 USD, it is a best buy if you want a wide soundstage, excellent details and the lively, engaging and exciting signature Timeless II has to offer.
At the end of the day, 7Hz and Linsoul are doing their best to bring us a new interesting earphone, with outstanding clarity, high resolution and an excellent package, so today I can totally recommend you to check out the 7Hz Timeless II if you enjoy a brighter, more engaging sound with a holographic soundstage and vivid imaging.
PROs
- Comfortable despite the huge shells
- High-quality cable that is modular
- Wide and holographic sound
- Exceptional resolution
- Fun and engaging
- Good price / performance ratio
- Solid transport case included in the package
- Natural midrange except for the upper midrange peaking point
Cons
- Becomes aggressive, harsh at high volumes
- Dry and analytical sound reveals issues in recordings really easily
- V-Shaped signature with more treble than bass feels a bit odd, having a specific peaking point
Product Link
Amazon – https://amzn.to/44hHM4j
Aliexpress – https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_onTkpPk
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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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