Binary Acoustics x Gizaudio – How Much Are These?! 

Disclaimer: Chopin was sent to me by Hifigo as part of the Canadian tour. I do not get to keep it but did not purchase it either. (Since writing this review I have purchased a personal unit)

Personal preferences in audio gear may vary. This review is based on my own subjective experience.

If you prefer to watch a video review you can watch mine here

Pros –

  • Big note weight but retains clarity
  • Highly resolving
  • Extremely Coherent 
  • Nice Rumble
  • Mids are full
  • No Issues Of Sibilance
  • Driver keeps up well and doesn’t get congested
  • Good Imaging
  • Couldn’t find a song that Chopin performed poorly on.

Cons –

  • Accessories are a bit lackluster

Gaming:

Pros –

  • Impactful bass makes for great immersion
  • Imaging punches above the price point and gives a great locational sense
  •  Good sense of depth 

Cons –

  • No notable cons

Build, Fit & Accessories:

Chopin has a fairly unique shell to it that I quite like aesthetically. Although in the hand it does feel a bit light and maybe not as premium as other offerings. Comfort wise being fairly lightweight I hardly notice them in my ears at times and I don’t experience any issues over longer listening sessions. These are 2 pin IEMs and look as though most aftermarket and cables from other brands will fit without issue.

The unboxing experience was quite nice but ultimately was a little bit of a let down with what is included inside. You get an alright cable, a small medium and large set of ear tips, a cleaning brush, the manual and lastly the hard case that includes the Chopin itself in little protective fabric bags. I would have liked to see a nicer cable and/or more ear tips included. The hard case does seem like it would be quite functional. I would also like to mention that I really like the included cleaning brush and I am happy to see that it has a small needle like pick on the end so in case earwax or something gets lodged into the nozzle you have the capability of removing it without having to search for another tool.

Equipment Used:

  • FiiO Q11 on Windows and Android
  • MusicBee on Windows 11 with FiiO ASIO drivers for local FLAC and DSD files
  • Amazon Music Streaming
  • CX31993 Dongle on Android

Test Tracks used:

Sound Quality:

Chopin uses an 8mm Ceramic Diaphragm Dynamic Driver.
Customized Mid-Range Balanced Armature Driver. 
Customized Composite Dual Balanced Armature Drivers for High-Frequency 

This four driver setup is fantastic. This is an incredibly well tuned IEM that packs a punch but has the clarity to back it up. These have a huge full sound. I never find them thin or lacking or overpowering in any aspect, it is very well balanced. From everything that I have tried so far these are the most resolving and high resolution sounding with the most impactful bass and note weight. I am very impressed and happy with these…at $199 for me this seems like a fantastic purchase and I feel it is punching above this price point. 

Bass:

Wow. These have some seriously well defined bass, I’m talking quantity and quality. It does bass nicely. It’s got rumble, it’s got slam but it remains cohesive and respects the rest of the frequencies. The mid bass has fantastic note weight and can pack a punch depending what you are listening to. I don’t ever find it overdone. I didn’t think of myself as a bass head before these but Chopin might just convert me.

Midrange:

Initially I was expecting to hear a recessed mid range with some male vocals being pulled back but that was not my experience. The mids are actually quite full and are expressed quite nicely for my taste. I am a very big fan of how it handles string instruments, guitars and violins. To me it sounds fantastic. This was a pleasant surprise as I first thought with the amount of bass I was hearing the mids would either be blunted or hollow but Chopin handles it well.

Vocals:

As stated above I didn’t notice male vocals being recessed, they are quite tastefully represented here but I find female vocals still steal the show and are a bit more well refined. Not shouty or honky at all. Overall well done with good timbre.

Treble:

I’m a big fan of the way these handle the treble region. They could possibly be too spicy for those who lean towards being more treble sensitive but they are a fair way away from being fatiguing for me. Treble on my tracks that are more prone to sibilance issues all do great and are well defined without any splashy cymbals or offensive tones. Treble stays remarkably clean sounding. This set has great clarity. The treble also has a great energy to it.

Technicalities:

Incredibly resolving, well defined and coherent with great clarity. No issues of congestion or bleed from the bass. These drivers are great. These also are very dynamic. The soundstage for me is intimate but not claustrophobic or anything. It seems more of an intimate set than a grand one with a large stage. The imaging for me is very good though, surprising me a few times with its ability to reveal some of the layers to a song and instrument placements. I feel like Chopin does nothing wrong here and does almost everything really well punching above its MSRP. 

Gaming Performance:

I am once again wowed. This is my favorite IEM so far for both Immersive and competitive games. They have incredibly good resolution and imaging especially at this price point. They have a very engaging bass impact that is well defined making immersive games incredibly immersive and impactful and because of the clarity, footsteps and small audio cues are extremely noticeable in FPS games where those small sounds can make a difference. Although at a more premium price I find it hard for anyone to be disappointed with this set for gaming making this an easy set to recommend for both music and games.

FPS Gaming:

I chose Escape From Tarkov as the FPS game of choice as and to be honest I was going into it expecting it to falter a little bit under the more intense situations solely because of the big bass impacts but just like with the music, the resolution is fantastic and the imaging remains extremely precise even during the intense gun fights making locating movements or small audio cues quite apparent even during chaos. Out of all the IEMs I have tried on Escape From Tarkov Chopin so far has given me the best locational sense for sounds. In the few matches I played there were 4 times where there was a fairly subtle noise and I was able to immediately snap into the direction of the sound almost bang on letting me be even more prepared for what was about to transpire. 

Immersive Gaming:

Elden Ring was my first choice of game for immersive gaming. A truly remarkable experience. As far as IEMs go Chopin has been my favorite so far in this game by quite a bit. Everything remains very nicely separated and feels intense and intimate during the epic moments and open during the calmer ones. Even small things like rolling into a barrel and having it break sounded impactful and intense, these are great for immersive situations that require some punch but remain crystal clear for everything else. Boss battles when the music swells are extremely intense and remain separated from the ongoing battle that stays impactful and genuinely immerses me in an intense way.

Next I played some Monster Hunter: Rise. Yet again I remained impressed with the performance on immersive games, every little sound and detail was apparent and well separated. Sounds that are usually pushed into the back were crystal clear and had better placement than most gear I have tried with this game. The battle music and impacts of the weapons was great, I almost wish I was using a greatsword or a hammer to really immerse myself with those big impacts but even with the sword and shield hopping around felt great.

Comparisons:

My current pick around this price range has been a used Audio Hekili that was picked up used for $170 with some help from AWSMDanny. Chopin offers more bass punch and overall note weight, better resolution and the treble is a tad less where Hekili sometimes hits a little bit of sibilance. I also find Chopin to have better vocals. Overall tone wise I’m very impressed with Chopin here especially considering the $100 difference in MSRPs. Where Hekili does take the edge though is in its imaging and stage and I do find it a bit more engaging with the treble energy. I would be happy with both at MSRP and I can say Chopin for me is a great choice and absolutely worth the asking price.

Conclusion:

Chopin has wowed me in both music and gaming, this is a solid all rounder that I really enjoyed. It’s extremely easy for me to recommend it if you like bass quantity and quality and listen to a variety of genres. There is nothing tuning wise to me that sticks out as wrong and the techs are above this price bracket. It’s quite comfortable for me and it is the most comfortable IEM that my wife has used. She liked the fit and sound so much that she bought one. 

The only thing that I’m looking at that I’m not wowed by are the accessories. I feel as though they are pretty minimal and the cable does get the job done but I wish It felt a bit more premium. At least it does ship with SoftEars UC tips so that is a welcome addition.

Thanks for reading this review! Feel free to ask any questions if you have any. Also feel free to share your experience if you have been able to try Chopin. 

If you are interested in Chopin it can be purchased at the links below.

Cheers!

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