HIDIZS MS2 Rainbow IEMs – Multitude Of Colorful Sounds
If you’re looking for beautiful IEMS, look no further, with Ms2 Rainbow being probably the most beautiful IEM you can get without spending a fortune. They cost about 90 USD at the moment of writing this review, and they are going to be compared with iBasso IT01X (120 USD), TRI Starsea (130 USD), and CCA CKX (70 USD).
Introduction
HIDIZS Has always been known for making some interesting devices, like entry-level DAPs, IEMs, and some DAC/AMPs, but they were never masters of one thing. Things are changing quickly, and they are becoming masters at the audio game, catching up with companies like FiiO, and although some older products did have some technical issues, newer products are actually quite good, and I still see someone roicking an older AP200 every now and then, so even older HIDIZS products survived a few years nicely. The most important aspect is how reliable a company is, and HIDIZS is now quite reliable, plus you can purchase their products from Amazon, Linsoul and good stores that offer an extra layer of warranty and protection, acting as an interface to smooth out the interaction with the company in case any issue is to arise.
It should be noted that I have absolutely no affiliation with HIDIZS, I am not receiving any incentive for this review or to sweeten things out. I’d like to thank HIDIZS for providing the sample for this review. Every opinion expressed is mine and I stand by it. The purpose of this review is to help those interested in HIDIZS Ms2 Rainbow find their next music companion.
Product Link
You can grab one from www.amazon.com here: https://amzn.to/3y6ZbcK
If you’re in the UK, you can grab one from www.amazon.co.uk here: https://amzn.to/3AXsD72
And if you’re from Europe, you can grab one from www.amazon.de here: https://amzn.to/3mgA0Ca
Packaging
First things first, let’s get the packaging out of the way:
We have one of the most rich packages with MS2 Rainbow, with two selection of tips, and probably the best carrying case at this price point, at least aesthetically.
There is also a high quality cable that’s part of MS2 Rainbow, and we also get all the manuals and the usual paperwork.
Build Quality/Aesthetics/Fit/Comfort
Looking at Ms2 Rainbow, they are a work of beauty, with my pair being the purple variant, and having a purple body, with aethereal 3D faceplates. I really love the aesthetics, and the cables look nice too, with a blend of copper and silver wires (at least this is how they look like), manual braiding, and a nice soft ear guide.
There’s no trace of microphonic noise, the cable is long enough to be practical, and the 3.5mm plug is gold plated, so it won’t corrode (like rhodium plugs do).
MS2 Rainbow is a dynamic driver IEM with a ventilation hole, so you never get driver flex, and the passive noise isolation is around 20 dB of passive noise isolation. This is probably the lightest IEM I ever tested, and is extremely comfortable with a really ergonomic shape.
All in all, they are easy to drive and not overly sensitive to hiss, so pairing with most sources should be a breeze. There are metallic grilles to protect the drivers and inner parts from dust and debris too.
Sound Quality
Overall, the sound of MS2 Rainbow is V-Shaped in a pretty traditional way and leaning towards balanced, with a stronger upper midrnage / lower treble, good overall detail / resolution and incredibly good dynamics for the price. Layering is excellent too, and we get a good sense of space from the sound, although the mids are a bit recessed.
The bass is full, natural towards slow in speed, with a thicker presentation and great overall impact. It is one of those bass that I wish most expensive IEMs had, full, thick and never disappointing. It can be a bit too thick at times, especially if you’re going for acoustic music, or really fast EDM, Technical death metal, but for most folks just wanting to enjoy some music, it is perfectly liveable. The quantity of the bass is not extremely high though, and MS2 Rainbow does not make it on my list of basshead IEMS, it stays in the list of tastefully bassy IEMs with a good overall signature.
The midrange is slightly recessed compared to the upper midrange, treble and the bass. It has a good amount of space, probably one of the best sound stages I’ve heard in the range. It has a good representation of layers, good detailing, but the recessed main mids can sound a bit distant at times. This being said, most Emo music has enough voices to be enjoyable, and a good tonality. Even Hawthorne Heights sounds incredibly good on MS2 Rainbow. MS2 Rainbow compliments both male and female voices, and all in all, I like the way it presents both tonality and voicing.
The treble is a bit uplifted in the upper midrange and lower treble, after which it rolls off gently. If you’re looking for a smooth treble character, Ms2 Rainbow doesn’t offer it well, and it offers a more harsh and detailed treble, which can be fatiguing if you’re tired or into smoother signatures, but for me it is right at the level where it is fun, and not where it is too harsh.
Comparisons
I picked a few recently reviewed IEMs to compare the Ms2 Rainbow to, and those include the IT01X, TRI Starsea, and CCA CKX, all of which are more or less within the same price as MS2 Rainbow.
Among those, only IT01X looks close in aesthetics to MS2 Rainbow, and it is the only one that gets close as far as comfort goes, but it is more expensive than MS2 Rainbow. As far as pairings go, I would consider getting something with good power and little noise, but since Ms2 Rainbow is not extremely hard to drive, you could happily go with the likes of FiiO BTR5, HIDIZS DH80 + HIDIZS AP80, and iBasso DX120. Even Shanling M3X would be a great option, as that’s a pretty underexplored DAP with excellent sonics and build quality, albeit not the highest power rating.
HIDIZS Ms2 Rainbow vs TRI Starsea (90 USD vs 130 USD) – TRI Starsea is actually a bit more natural than MS2 Rainbow, but the whole question here is whether you feel like spending 40 USD more for a more natural sound. The overall detail is similar for the most part, and so is the depth of sound, but Ms2 is more V-Shaped, with a thicker bass, where Starsea has a more natural midrange. I prefer the Starsea most of the days, but if you’re short on cash, Ms2 can be more fun, with more dynamics and a more punchy sound, albeit a bit less refined.
HIDIZS Ms2 Rainbow vs CCA CKX (90 USD vs 70 USD) – When comparing MS2 with something less expensive, I actually came to the conclusion that it is worth investing a bit more in it. CKX still has a really impressive sound with a good amount of detail, and a fun tuning, but MS2 Rainbow has a much better bass, more impact, a more fun tuning, and although the sound can be a bit more harsh at times, there’s a better sense of space, better instrument separation, and more overall detail.
HIDIZS Ms2 Rainbow vs iBasso It01X (90 USD vs 120 USD) – The question here is whether you should invest almost 30% more on IT01X, and the answer to that question is almost always that it depends. The best reason to go for IT01X is for the bass, as it is a basshead headphone. It has slightly more detail and resolution, but if you’re short on cash, and want something with a more neutral treble, then MS2 rainbow is an excellent option as well.
Value and Conclusion
You always get excellent value when going with HIDIZS, and MS2 Rainbow is no exception to that rule. They brought the best designer they had, and made a lightweight, fun, and reliable IEM with great sonics, so the value rating is excellent, and they are totally worth the 90 USD price tag.
In fact, MS2 Rainbow is one of the best IEMS you can get below 100 USD, as long as you were looking for a mildly V-Shaped sound, good overall dynamics, a punchy sound, deep and natural-slow bass, and with a nice tangle-free cable. No driver flex and the carrying case are both nice extras, and make me consider MS2 rainbow a true winner in most aspects.
At the end of today’s review, if you’re looking for a nice IEM with tons of life, dynamic and wide sound, good separating and imaging, and with a really fair price tag, HIDIZS MS2 Rainbow should make a really interesting choice.
Product Link
You can grab one from www.amazon.com here: https://amzn.to/3y6ZbcK
If you’re in the UK, you can grab one from www.amazon.co.uk here: https://amzn.to/3AXsD72
And if you’re from Europe, you can grab one from www.amazon.de here: https://amzn.to/3mgA0Ca
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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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Nice take!