BQEYZ Spring 2 – Jack of all trades

If you're looking for a solid technical performer with a reference tuning at a reasonable price, boasting strong bass foundations, articulate and clear mids as well as energetic and well extended treble that provide both excellent resolution and imaging then the Spring 2 is a strong option in the lower price tier!

Product Page : https://penonaudio.com/bqeyz-spring-2.html
Price : 169$

Fit, Build & Isolation

The Spring 2 shells are made with 5-axis CNC machined anodized aluminum and the build is impeccable. The Spring 2 come either in black (my version) or a light green color. On the left ear you find the BQEYZ denomination and the right earpiece has the model name laser etched. The nozzle is made of golden plated metal. BQEYZ has added a touch of life to the black with an orange circling. On the green model the circling is silver which is less contrasting but still a nice touch.

The shells are shaped ergonomically and the – rather deep – fit is good for me. The earpiece are fairly light and you quickly forget them. Despite the deep fit I found the shell provided average isolation at least at my rather moderate listening levels in noisy environnements. Switching to foams did help but I always found aluminium shells are not the best at isolating.

I was happy that BQEYZ chose 2 pin over the more common MMCX in this price range as I have more cable options handy and I am weary of MMCX connection issues over time.

The stock cable is a 4 strand, 224 core single crystal copper with a nice braiding and is quite ergonomic being both light and supple. Note that you can choose a balanced 2.5mm or 4.4mm termination for no additional cost which is something I’d like to see more often : kudos to BQEYZ here.

Introduction

BQEYZ is not the easiest brand name to remember and I constantly checked I didn’t mistype it along this review… that is until I figured it meant “Best Quality Earphone for You”. It’s also a fairly new brand based in Dongguan and that started building IEMs in 2018. Their previous model the Spring 1 was well received and was the first best selling model in their lineup.

The Spring 2 is an upgrade of the Spring 1 that feature a 9 layers piezo electric driver instead of the 7 layers of the Spring 1 but otherwise a very similar setup with a 13mm dynamic, a customized balanced armature and the piezo electric driver. BQEYZ provides an exploded view of the Spring 2 that shows how the drivers are setup.

The brand doesn’t provide any hints at the Spring 2’s tuning and I have no reference point with the brand so let’s get started!

Sound

The Spring 2 first listen (after proper burn in) revealed a very balanced and clean tuning with excellent extension down low a clean snappy mid bass, a clean and articulate midrange with good bite and a nice energetic yet smooth treble with excellent extension. Resolution and stage are very good and imaging is precise. Overall a clear and engaging listen, with excellent technicalities for the price.

Let’s dive a bit deeper!

Bass

The Spring 2 bass is a textbook reference bass : it extends well down low with strong foundations and a physicality that makes it quite engaging on sub bass heavy tracks and Booka Shade “Paper Moon” was quite impressive between the powerful subs and the remarkable highs that the Spring 2 is able to provide as well see later. Marian Hill “Differently” clearly showed the Spring 2 ability to start and stop bass notes on a dime very cleanly and also provide a very engaging rhythm.

Mid bass has good slam although it’s rather a clean, quick decay type of bass that favors control over sheer slam power. It’s a spot on mid bass in my opinion, with a lot of detail but it lacks a bit of oomph to fall into the fun bass category. Rubèn González “La Lluvia” is a good test for this, as it features a really a fat mid bass that can go a bit overboard in terms of quantity depending on an IEM control and the Spring 2 managed to impress me there with a perfectly controlled presentation.

Mids

The Spring 2 mids follow up coherently with its bass : it’s a clean, articulate midrange with remarkably spot on accurate timbre and excellent separation as well as good bite delivered without any harshness. It does everything quite well being neither thing nor thick, neither warm nor cold and with a balanced vocal presentation that is neither forward nor recessed.

Again textbook reference mids and not the most common tuning in that price tier especially for a tribrid. The mids tuning is somewhat reminiscent of Dunu SA3 and it’s a good thing in my book as SA3 is a very strong reference IEM in the price tier.

Treble

This is where I was waiting around the corner for the Spring 2, piezo electric drivers are notably hard to keep smooth and I was on the lookout for any harshness. Luckily BQEYZ managed to pull off taking advantage of the piezo ceramic driver and with remarkable mastery.

The lower treble has excellent energy but is delivered smoothly with nice note weight and The Hot Sardines “Comes Love (l’amour s’en fout)” intro was extremely enjoyable and John Mayall guitar in the “The Devil Must be Laughing” as well as snares and hi hats were just as much fun.

The upper treble is really impressive as well especially at this price point, extension is excellent and the Spring 2 resolution was honestly unexpected. Laurie Anderson “Born, Never Asked” is a complex track that oozes of subtle nuances that I know by heart and have listened with flagship IEMs and the Spring 2 really does very very well there.

Verdict

It’s always interesting to keep reviewing lower tier IEMs although it can feel a bit mundane at times when you have the luxury of owning and reviewing flagships and top of the line IEMs. Every now and then, a lower tier IEM manages to remind you that there are some solid options for audiophiles that are on a budget like the Spring 2 and I am so happy about this especially when the market is taking somewhat of an unreasonable turn at least in the upper segment.

If you’re looking for a solid technical performer with a reference tuning at a reasonable price, boasting strong bass foundations, articulate and clear mids as well as energetic and well extended treble that provide both excellent resolution and imaging then the Spring 2 is a strong option in the lower price tier!

Listening notes
I spent approximately 40hours with the Spring 2, listening on iBasso DX160 using the stock cable. 

Special Thanks
Thanks to BQEYZ for providing a review unit of the Spring 2 . As usual, this review is my honest opinion. No incentive was given for a favorable review.