Impressions: Xiaomi Quad-Driver Hybrid Earphones

I forget when Xiaomi put out these earphones. Launch price was 999, then all of a sudden I noticed they’d been cut in half to 499, and before long you could pick them up on eBay for 299…

From 999 down to 299. These things lose value fast. And this is supposedly a kickass “dual dynamic” + “dual balanced armature” setup.

Mine came from eBay, listed as brand new. What showed up was a plain box with the earphones, some spare silicone tips, and even a mysterious “Bluetooth adapter” of unknown provenance (turns out that was in the original package too, for phones without a headphone jack).

The stock silicone tips are genuinely badly sized — way too big. They leak sound, which is why I kept thinking something was wrong with the sound at first. Switched to one size smaller and the problem went away.

All-metal housings, heavy, and like those Moondrop ones there’s no clear left/right marking. I can only tell which is right by the “red.”

I’ve listened to these longer than anything else — still listening now, actually — so I can probably say a few things about the sound.

Short version: they sound weird in exactly the way you’d expect. I don’t know what’s gotten into domestic earphone makers, but it’s like they all have to prove how “transparent” they are by cranking the highs way up and gutting the lows. Sure, that sound is great for non-pop stuff — clear, airy, whatever — but on most pop tracks it’s miserable. You can’t hear the bass, the treble stabs at your ears, sibilance gets worse. And wouldn’t you know it, Xiaomi’s “quad-driver hybrid” goes exactly that direction.

Honestly I don’t hate these that much. The highs are piercing, but not like the old “K3003” or those DUNU models. Give it time, get used to that sky-high treble, and it’s probably fine. What matters is the midrange vocals feel just right. If you like 90s pop, these might do you well. The less “electronic” the track, the better these fit — except these days music without synths is rare. Idol groups everywhere, EDM flooding the charts. On that material these clearly lose to cheaper “pop” earphones, or even to bass-heavy ones. Come on — a pounding skull beats a stabbing ear.

If you mostly listen to music without much electronic stuff, these are worth considering. They used to be 999, now 299 gets you a pair plus a Bluetooth amp. Hard to argue with that.

Thanks Xiaomi. Lei Jun, Jin Fan.