Rose Technics Star City 5 PRO IEMs – ACG Tune, Comfy Fit
Rose Technics Star City 5 PRO is a $75 USD pair of IEMs or In-Ear Monitors, designed with MMCX cables, hybrid drivers, and with an almost semi-open design, which we will review today.
Introduction
Rose Technics is an upcoming company designing IEMS and Earphones, currently sold on all the Chifi available channels, including Linsoul and Amazon. As an Amazon Influencer, I earn from qualifying purchases, and using the purchase links in my reviews helps me maintain this website and Youtube Channel. Rose Technics has provided the sample for this review, in exchange for my honest opinion.
PROs – Excellent tuning and details for the price point, Airy and Open sound, Rich package, Comfortable cable, comfortable fitting, no driver flex and no microphonic noise, easy to drive and not overly sensitive to source noise and hissing, vivid and clean female voices, excellent extension in the bass and treble considering the price point, very helpful and supportive company making them.
Cons – Leaks a bit of noise, average passive noise isolation.
Product Link
You can grab one here – https://amzn.to/4eLiSgD
Build Quality/Aesthetics/Fit/Comfort
Despite this one being the first review we write about a Rose Technics product, they actually developed their own drivers for the Star City 5 PRO, with a hybrid design, and an effective 4-way damping air pressure circulation system. The drivers are actually customized, with the dynamic driver being a 10mm Japanese LCP Composite design, and with the balanced armature being quoted as Daniush balanced Armatures.
A bit on the unique side is the MMCX connectors, which made everyone raise an eyebrow, but Rose Technics Star City 5 PRO actually offers better ergonomics and comfort than most entry-level IEMs, on the account of the angle of this MMCX connector being easier to adjust to your ear shape and size, and also because the cable coil follows the ear shape more naturally.
The cable is designed for the best ergonomics, it is very light, doesn’t feel like the ultimate word in sturdiness, but it is very good. The textile sheathing should offer it structural integrity, and the whole build has one of the lowest microphonic noise conductions I’ve heard in an entry-level IEM, with the cable not being very tangle-phone either. The inner design is a 6N OCC monocrystalline copper, and they convinced me that there may be a future in MMCX cables.
The leakage is actually on the high side, as the design is semi-open, and the air circulation system makes sure the pressure on the eardrum is controlled, there is no driver flex, but the people in the same room will hear a buzzing sound if you’re listening loud, similar to someone quietly playing a kazoo. The passive noise isolation is actually ok, between 15 and 20 dB of passive noise isolation.
To drive the Star City 5 PRO, you don’t need a lot of power, and they even come with their own type-c adapter, which is of a fair quality. This being said, as my setup doesn’t have a type-c female port close to me, I have used a different list of sources to power them, including HIFIMAN Serenade, Hiby R4, iBasso DX260, and HIFI Walker H2 Touch PRO. It is important to keep in mind that the cable Star City 5 PRO can be ordered with is only 3.5mm single ended, but they have a standard MMCX connector. I did not detect a large source dependence, but the IEMs like a better source, can scale a bit, and they are not ultra sensitive to hissing and source noise.
Sound Quality
Overall Signature – Reading up on the Rose Technics website, the sound is tuned a lot of ACG, which means you can expect a bold and controlled bass, slightly recessed midrange, and a peaky, strong lower treble, with a vivid and colorful presentation. The resolution and detail level is very good, around what you typically expect from 150 USD IEMs, but the midrange is typically tuned to make female voices sweeter and more vivid, while sacrificing a bit of naturalness. To make up for that, the soundstage is expanded, airy and you don’t ever feel like you’re wearing IEMs, with Star City 5 PRO feeling more like open-back headphones or speakers in the presentation, boundless, bountiful and airy. There is a dip between 200 Hz and 600 Hz, which makes the sound less veiled and less thick / less lush, and which opens the midrange, treble, and which makes the sub bass more evident and easier to hear. The tune is made to make ACG music better, so anime soundtracks, dynamically compressed J-rock and J-pop, Vtuber songs, and stuff generally from Asia or gaming-related sounds best with the Star City 5 PRO.
Bass – We have exceptional extension in the bass, with the low-end reaching around 35 Hz, which is great for the price. The bass is controlled, punchy and natural in speed, with the upper bass being recessed, to avoid veiling or too much thickness in the sound, and to allow the midrange and treble to offer a good contrast in the sound.
Midrange – The midrange is where the magic happens with the Star City 5 PRO. Rose Technics developed a sound which is open, holographic even, and boundless. While at first it may seem a bit vague, it is actually well defined, instruments are not surgically cut from the mix, but rather presented as part of a mix, with the exception of solo guitars, female voices and bass, all of which stand with golden accents and highlights, sounding sweet, forward and super enjoyable. There is a bit of crushing of low pitched guitars, but it all works out perfectly fine for most music, except for highly compressed metal in particular. Pop, Rap, Electronic, EDM, everything sounds really enjoyable and punchy as presented by Rose Technics Star City 5 PRO.
Dynamics / PRaT / Textures – The texture is on the lean side, smooth and non-fatiguing, as square waves are damped and presented smoothly, even guitars sound leaner and thicker rather than sounding edgy. This effect seems to not happen with female voices and lead guitars in particular, both of which have a natural texture, but violins, harps, or synthetic effects all sound really smooth and fatigue-free. Dynamics are on the natural side of things, the sound is dynamic and enjoyable, thanks to the unique Frequency response, but the dynamic range itself is slightly compressed as background instruments and forward ones are presented at a similar loudness.
Volume Control – Lower volumes are better with the Star City 5 PRO, which can sound a bit more controlled, and has a lower distortion at lower volumes, plus a more natural, and more detailed sound. There is a compression effect happening at very high volumes, but as long as you’re listening reasonably, you shouldn’t run into any issues.
Treble – We have an airy treble with a smoother texture, as Star City 5 PRO presents music openly, with no bounds to the treble extension but the treble itself is not very powerful, rather it sits comfortably at 10 dB or more behind the midrange, creating a friendly company for voices, allowing you to pump the volume as much as you’d like without getting fatiguing.
Gaming
For gaming, the cable of the Rose Technics is a bit short, at 1.2 meters, but the comfort is excellent, especially as the IEM shells are light, ergonomic and the tips are of a good quality too. Star City 5 PRO is also fairly easy to drive, and at medium volumes, where you’re likely to keep them while gaming, they sound at their best.
The signature being made intentionally for ACG, works especially well for gaming, the wide soundstage and strong spatial separation, good stereo imaging help you identify quickly where a sound is coming from, and the IEMs are a good company for shooter games, and the beautiful presentation with boundless instruments is great for soundtracks in strategy and visual novel games. The sweeter female voicing is great for watching Vtubers too, so it is a great IEM for ACG in general, including watching anime.
Value and Conclusion
Given the price point of 75 USD, I didn’t get enough comparison options for Star City 5 PRO, but they are great value, with a good ergonomic, wide soundstage, and airy sound, plus a fairly good bass and treble extension. Add the mini Type-C cable included in the package, and the whole IEM has excellent value.
At the end of the day, if you’re looking to hear IEMs that sound open and provide a sound similar to an open-back headphone, good resolution and clarity, with excellent comfort, Rose Technics Star City 5 PRO has a long name, but is fully recommended for the sonic performance, build quality, and package too.
Product Link
You can grab one here – https://amzn.to/4eLiSgD
Technical Specifications
Drivers – 1 Dynamic + 2 Balanced Armatures
Distortion – 1% @ 1000Hz
Sensitivity – 104dB @ 1mW
Impedance – 24Ω
Frequency Response – 10-25000 Hz
Interface Type – 3.5mm
Weight – 1 oz. (28g)
Cable Length – 4′ (1.2m)
Connector Type – MMCX
--- Please remember to stay safe, and always have fun while listening to music!---
- If you have a dime to spare, please donate, and help us! It would make the day brighter for me and my wife-
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
--- Contact Us ---
