How low can you go?
Contents
This year, we tested a number of personal audio products from Chinese brands. In-ear, wireless, an earring, and now an open-back classic headphone. None of the products tested this year exceeded £100. We have tried several times to arrange an interview with the people behind brands such as TOZO, Kiwi ears, KZ audio, and Soundpeats, but so far without success. We wonder how this is possible: so much quality for so little money. These brands must have years of experience as OEMs for other brands and then decided to launch their own brand. And they are doing well. We are also seeing more and more Chinese brands offering excellent quality at competitive prices in other audio products, such as digital sources (streamers, DACs) from Eversolo, Matrix and S.M.S.L.
A similar development can be seen in electric cars. Brands whose names many people cannot remember are conquering the European market. Reviewers are falling over themselves with enthusiasm. And traditional Western car brands are struggling, with Stellantis (including Citroën, Opel, Chrysler, Alfa Romeo) currently leading the way.
We cannot look into the crystal ball, but we do expect this development to be irreversible and that brands will only be able to distinguish themselves as independently operating niche players. As long as it is not venture capitalists but professionals who make major decisions about what they are going to develop and build, everything will be fine. And there will continue to be customers who want to buy these products. We mention brands such as Grimm and Weiss. Led by authorities in the field, privately owned, idiosyncratic.
Back to audio!
Our sincere apologies for straying a little off-topic here, but these thoughts came to mind while we were listening to these Altruvas and we were in a nice music bubble that only costs a few quid. Of course, the Yamaha YS-5000 sounds much more balanced and nuanced, but that’s to be expected. It’s difficult to find comparable models, especially for the price of the Altruva. The closest (open-back, dynamic) is our good old Sennheiser 410SL (the one with the yellow ear pads). Unfortunately, these are no longer manufactured. The Sennheisers sound much more neutral than the Altruva. In an A/B comparison, you can clearly hear how the Altruva’s tuning has been done.