7Hz had quite a year in 2023. Last year alone, the brand released the basshead-focused IEM, 7Hz Legato with a dual dynamic driver setup, followed by the 7Hz Sonus, a 1DD+1BA IEM. 7Hz then released a strong sequel to the budget-friendly 7Hz Salnotes Zero, the 7Hz x Crinacle Zero:2, which I personally quite like for its excellent value proposition.

After a brief hiatus, 7Hz is back with not one, but several new offerings for 2024. There’s the single DD Aero; the five dynamic driver Five; the Aurora hybrid; and even a Bluetooth DAC, the Artemis39. What I am reviewing today is the 7Hz Five, which is the most interesting product of the bunch, in my opinion.

What It Is

7Hz claims that the Five is the industry’s first IEM with five dynamic drivers per side. Each one of the driver is 6mm in size, housed in its own separate chamber and visible from the outside of the shell. This review unit of the Five is provided by Linsoul, which is listing the IEM for $149; that comes up to about RM695.

In usual 7Hz fashion, the packaging of the Five is quite nice, though it is a bit of a departure compared to past releases. For one, the usual bulky, hard case is replaced with a soft, rubbery pouch that is, to 7Hz’s credit, rather interesting. That being said, the rubbery material does collect dirt and dust like a magnet.

The included flat, silver-plated cable of the Five is certainly unique with a plug that is semi-transparent. But while the cable resists tangling quite well, it’s a little prone to microphonics. Aside from the standard 3.5mm option, you can also opt for a 4.4mm termination if needed.

As for the Five earphones themselves, they look premium with a diamond-like faceted finish on the faceplate and a semi-translucent resin shell. This allows you a peek into the five drivers within each shell.

Two sets of ear tips (in three different sizes) are provided with the Five. One set is of the normal variety, while the other is a set of soft, barrel-style ear tips. The latter provides a more “V-shaped” sound signature with boomier bass and crisp, yet smooth highs. The classic silicone tips, in the other hand, bring the mids forward a tad bit, but they’re also much grainier than the barrel tips.

Using my own personal Final Audio Type E ear tips provide the most balanced sound of the two tips provided by 7Hz, but they also introduces a bit of grain in the treble region. I ended up sticking with 7Hz’s barrel-style ear tips as I prefer their sound quality and fit.

How Does It Sound?

Once I put on the 7Hz Five, the V-shaped tuning of the IEM is immediately evident with emphasised bass and treble regions. But what’s surprising is how balanced it sounds; the impactful low-end is most definitely the highlight here, but the highs are tastefully present enough to balance out the former.

Soundstage and detail retrieval of the Five are also above average. I have no issues discerning the direction of any instruments present in my test tracks, and there is also more width than there is depth, providing a more dynamic and engaging listening experience.

Bass

The five-driver setup of the Five truly shines in the low-end region. The bass of the IEM is incredibly full-sounding with an impactful sub-bass that’s not overly boomy. Of course, it doesn’t extend as deep as say, the 7Hz Legato. Mid-bass has great slam for genres like pop and R&B, and in my opinion, it sounds even more fun than what the Legato provided.

All in all, the overall low-end of the Five is surprisingly well-controlled without being overly boomy and thick as you might expect from the five dynamic drivers. There is ample separation from the mid-range without any bleeding, but you do get a sense of the bass eclipsing the mids a tad due to just how big-sounding the bass is.

Mids

As the 7Hz Five has a V-shaped sound signature, mids are slightly recessed, though not excessively so. As mentioned before, the bass doesn’t necessarily touch the mids, but there is an overlap of warmth that gives male vocals a velvety quality to them.

While this warmth doesn’t veil the midrange at all, I do find that female vocals sometimes sound a bit too thin for my liking. But it really depends on the song as some vocal-heavy ballads push vocals front enough to be intimate with a thicker note weight.

It’s worth noting that the thinner female vocals could also be attributed to the very energetic upper mids of the Five. This emphasis certainly helps to balance out the thicker low-end, but it’s still a different type of boost as what you might get from a Harman-tuned IEM’s boosted lower treble region.

Highs

Treble of the 7Hz Five is clear and crisp, though it lacks a bit of air. You hear breaths roll off rather quickly with a bit of sparkle missing. This does make the Five an overall smooth listen, but you might find some peaking if you raise the volume up too much.

As the Five has “only” five dynamic drivers, you won’t find any BA timbre in the treble. Instead, there is some semblance of a hybrid driver setup in how the mids and treble are tuned; it’s like a distinctive cross between a dynamic driver IEM and a hybrid one. This makes the Five stand out in a sea of Harman-tuned single DD and hybrid IEMs.

Now, given that the 7Hz Legato also promises big bass like the Five, I think it’s worth comparing the two. As I’ve mentioned in my review of the Legato, the IEM achieves its goal of sounding like an old school boombox with impactful sub-bass and grainy treble.

In comparison, the Five’s V-shaped tuning has more emphasis in the highs, allowing it to sound more balanced as well as more detailed. As for which is the better basshead IEM of the two, the Legato would be my pick for its tamer treble. However, the Five does fit my own preferences better with its clearer, less grainy tonality and more controlled bass.

Is It Worth It?

The highlight of the 7Hz Five is its five DD setup that lends to a hybrid-like sound signature despite…well, not packing a hybrid driver configuration. The neat accessories that come with the IEM – such as the flat cable and soft case – are nice bonuses too, though if you don’t like the fact that the Five pivots from the usual trend of a Harman tuning with emphasis on the upper mids, this IEM may not be for you.

Personally, I think the Five is a breath of fresh air, and I do think it is worth considering if you want something more novel. Of course, that’s assuming you can stomach the $149 price tag of the IEM through Linsoul.

Li Jin Soh contributed to this review.