@Ojisan and
@Sifo, have either of you heard the original Superior from QDC? Interested in this EX version but would be nice to know how it shapes up against the original.
https://av.watch.impress.co.jp/docs/topic/special/1588633.html
QDC standard earphones are an unexpected “FitEar collaboration”! Listen to “SUPERIOR EX”
May 13, 2024 08:00
Provided by:Ayut
Kentaro Yamazaki
SUPERIOR is in the back, SUPERIOR EX is in the front.
The QDC "SUPERIOR" (Superior/14,300 yen) has become a new standard model of wired earphones, offering not only good sound but also an affordable price. SUPERIOR, which is regularly ranked at the top of earphone specialty store rankings, will release the extra model "SUPERIOR EX" (33,000 yen) on May 11th, which is said to "provide an even more advanced music experience." It appeared on the day.
I was surprised to find out "What is an extra model?" and was also surprised to see the FitEar logo on the housing. FitEar also cooperated with the tuning, and it is said to be the ``first ever universal IEM collaboration between two major custom IEM brands.''
I'm really curious as to what kind of sound this is.
I immediately borrowed it and compared it with the existing SUPERIOR. In conclusion, I was able to experience surprising high-quality sound with a different aim from SUPERIOR.
What is the difference between SUPERIOR and SUPERIOR EX?
SUPERIOR
In the first place, SUPERIOR was created by QDC in response to Ayut's request, ``I want more people to experience the fitting, sound response speed, and sub-bass reproduction that are unique to QDC, a professional custom IEM brand.'' It was released.
FitEar, which sympathized with the project concept, participated in the development of the extra model "SUPERIOR EX". “As the first-ever collaboration between two major custom IEM brands that respect each other, we will provide users with the three meanings of EX, EXECUTIVE, EXTRA, and EXPERIENCE, for a wide range of applications ranging from music listening, monitoring, live stage, and gaming. It has been developed with the aim of "further upgrading the music experience you can get."
SUPERIOR EX
So, let's take a look at what is the difference between regular SUPERIOR and SUPERIOR EX.
The first major difference in appearance is the material of the housing. SUPERIOR is made of 3D-printed resin, but SUPERIOR EX uses aluminum, which has undergone multiple tests and has been found to have properties that match the concept of SUPERIOR EX, as a housing material that allows for better tuning.
By using aluminum, ``we succeeded in suppressing resonance, enhancing fine sound details, and producing just the right amount of bass resonance.'' Let's listen to the sound carefully later. When you hold the actual product in your hands, you can feel that it is made of aluminum, feels cool, and has a high level of rigidity. It gives the impression of a more luxurious feel.
The housing of SUPERIOR EX (right) is made of aluminum.
In addition, the included cables have also been changed in consideration of the total balance of the sound. After testing multiple cables, we chose the original silver-plated OFC conductor 4-core cable. A metal sleeve was used for the plug part. The included cable is a 3.5mm 3-pole unbalanced straight plug, but a balanced connection cable ``SUPERIOR EX Cable 4.4'' is also sold separately for 11,000 yen.
Cable can be attached and detached
SUPERIOR cable on top, SUPERIOR EX cable on bottom
Balanced connection cable “SUPERIOR EX Cable 4.4” sold separately
Tuning focused on “reproducing dynamics when the sound pressure is increased”
The installed unit is the same as SUPERIOR, 1 dynamic full range unit with a diameter of 10 mm. The diaphragm uses a composite film made using vacuum film-forming technology. It is characterized by high rigidity, high quality, and light weight while maintaining high uniformity.
nozzle part
The driver section uses a unique coaxial dual magnetic circuit and dual cavity structure. By using magnetic circuits to drive the diaphragm inside and outside the driver, the magnetic flux density is increased and drive with better transient characteristics has been achieved. The dual cavity has the effect of optimizing the internal air pressure in stages, which is effective in reducing distortion.
The highlight of SUPERIOR EX is its tuning. While taking advantage of the characteristics of SUPERIOR, the parts where peaks occur are suppressed so that they are less likely to collapse even when the playback sound pressure is increased. ``We focused on reproducing the vast dynamics that music originally has, and matched it with a wider range of songs.''
According to FitEar, in order to catch music from soft to loud sounds without missing anything, it is necessary to raise the volume to a certain extent, especially when playing music sources that are not compressed as much as possible, such as high-resolution sound sources. It is said to be essential.
Canal earphones, which use an earpiece to shield the ear canal, have the characteristic of lowering the noise floor and expanding the dynamics that the playback environment allows by preventing sound leakage.However, when trying to increase the playback sound pressure, When a large peak occurs, it becomes impossible to raise the sound pressure above the level corresponding to that peak.
"The frequency band around 3kHz to 7KHz is especially easy to hear, and is also the band where peaks tend to occur in canal types.Also, this last peak (high frequency range) affects the shoulder characteristics, and if the peak is large, the relative You may feel that the high frequencies are suddenly attenuated."
Therefore, SUPERIOR EX suppresses these peaks. ``We tuned it with the aim of removing the peak that was the ceiling when setting the sound pressure and creating conditions for raising the sound pressure even more.'' To summarize, SUPERIOR is designed for playback at low sound pressure, and SUPERIOR EX is designed for listening at high sound pressure. This difference is probably why both QDC and FitEar say, ``It is not positioned as a higher-end model of SUPERIOR, but as an extra model.''
SUPERIOR frequency characteristics
SUPERIOR EX frequency characteristics
Listen and compare SUPERIOR and SUPERIOR EX
Both are unbalanced connections, so let's listen to SUPERIOR again first.
It has a well-balanced sound from low to high frequencies, and in ``Diana Krall/Tsuki Moto Naku'', you can clearly hear everything from the low notes of the acoustic bass to the high notes of the piano and vocals.
In terms of power balance, the mid-low range is a little strong. There is a lot of resonance in the mid-low range, but it also has a tightness that makes the deepest notes of the bass sink in, making it a powerful bass.
In comparison, the mid-high range feels a little more mature, but clarity is maintained. There is no impression that the sound is muffled, and you can feel the high-pitched sounds flowing smoothly.
The overall impression is that these earphones are not monitor-like, but have a nice, thick mid-low range that is fun to listen to. Therefore, it is suitable not only for listening to music, but also for listening to games, movies, etc.
SUPERIOR EX
Now let's listen to SUPERIOR EX. Before I listened to it, I thought, ``Because it's an aluminum case and FitEar participates in the tuning, it probably doesn't have much bass, making it sound like a monitor that emphasizes resolution.'' However, when I listened to it, my expectations were betrayed in a good way.
First of all, perhaps due to the increased rigidity of the housing, the signal-to-noise ratio has improved overall, and the quiet parts where the "Tsuki Motoku Naku" sound is not heard feel quieter. The mid-low range has a tighter sound, and when you take your foot off the piano pedal, you can even hear the faint sound of the pedal returning. This is a feeling I couldn't get with SUPERIOR.
The bass of the acoustic bass not only sinks deeply, but you can also feel the solid hardness within it. Even in scenes where the bass sounds are abundant, you can clearly hear the trembling of the strings and the fine, sharp sounds that hit them.
In other words, SUPERIOR EX maintains SUPERIOR's ``delicious sound'' characteristics of ``you can enjoy plenty of powerful mid-low range'' and ``yet clear mid-high range'' while moving forward. It has the same "deliciousness" as SUPERIOR, but by increasing its high resolution and clear depiction, the result is a "delicious and pleasant" sound.
For example, when listening to "Kenshi Yonezu/KICK BACK", SUPERIOR is overwhelmed by the intense bass that seems to attack, and the strength of the sound pressure and the way the bass line is drawn out is just a pleasant feeling.
When it comes to SUPERIOR EX, you will be overwhelmed by the powerful sound pressure, and the sharpness of the bass line that cuts into it will increase, to the point where it goes beyond ``feeling good'' and feels ``a little scary.'' It's as if my eyesight has improved and I can now see the very tip of a solid sound image.
Both SUPERIOR and SUPERIOR EX are able to portray heavy low frequencies, but SUPERIOR EX is one step higher in weight and depth, and while portraying each bass in detail, it is also able to accurately describe each bass. I can feel the weight. When I turn up the volume, I feel like my spine is being shaken by the heavy bass.
What is noteworthy is that while the low range is powerful, it also clearly depicts the mid-to-high range such as vocals, chorus, and SE. As mentioned above, ``In order to catch sounds from small to large without missing anything, it is necessary to raise the sound pressure to a certain extent and playback.'' SUPERIOR EX is tuned to show its true value when the sound pressure is raised. It's a sound that makes sense.
Experience balanced connection
Also try using the separately sold balanced connection cable “SUPERIOR EX Cable 4.4”
I'm very satisfied so far, but if you replace it with a 4.4mm balanced connection cable (sold separately), even more possibilities await.
A simple song like "Aoi Teshima/Letter to Tomorrow" is easy to understand, but when you use a balanced connection, the sound field becomes larger, and the sound image of vocals, piano, etc. that is localized there becomes more three-dimensional. As a result, the sense of depth becomes deeper and the reality of the music increases.
As mentioned above, SUPERIOR EX achieves a sound that is both powerful and high resolution, but when connected in a balanced manner, you can enjoy these elements while also being able to enjoy how the sounds spread into the space behind you and the sound image. You will also become more conscious of things like the sense of distance between sound images. Conversely, it is precisely because of SUPERIOR EX's descriptive power that it is easier to experience the effects of balanced connections.
Should you get the cost performance of SUPERIOR or aim for the height of SUPERIOR EX?
What I was personally interested in was not that SUPERIOR EX sounded completely different from SUPERIOR, but that SUPERIOR EX took advantage of SUPERIOR's strengths and went even further. Therefore, for those who are already using SUPERIOR, it is perfect for stepping up in terms of experience in understanding the relationship between audio sound pressure and sound quality. I can recommend SUPERIOR EX without complaint to those who want a slightly more subdued resolution.
What is troubling is the price difference of 14,300 yen for SUPERIOR and 33,000 yen for SUPERIOR EX. To be honest, when I listen to SUPERIOR EX, I think it's a good deal because it has a quality that makes you think, "This is cheap for around 30,000 yen," and the texture of the casing has a luxurious feel, but when you compare it to SUPERIOR, It will be more than twice the price.
SUPERIOR EX will probably feel a bit expensive for entry-level wired earphone buyers who are thinking about buying SUPERIOR. In the first place, SUPERIOR's high cost performance is beyond common sense.
If you are considering purchasing, please come to a store and listen to and compare SUPERIOR and SUPERIOR EX. Since the sound is evolving in the same direction, it is easy to understand, ``I see, this is what the sound will be like when the class of earphones goes up.'' On top of that, if you feel like you're about to get sucked into the swamp of portable audio, it's a good idea to put in a little effort and get your hands on SUPERIOR EX all at once.
One of the important things when it comes to audio is "at what volume should you listen to it?" Whether it's a live performance or a classical performance, it shouldn't be too loud, but it is of course necessary to listen at a reasonable volume in order to balance the sound, and the music itself is created with this in mind. SUPERIOR EX's main concept is to ``create an environment that allows music to express its dynamics,'' and it once again reminds us of the importance of this. If you listen to SUPERIOR EX with the volume turned up higher than usual, you'll find new discoveries even in familiar sound sources.
Stereo recordings have existed since the 50s. And gigs were not amped at all or just the individual instruments, no PA. So no need for a stereo mix.
