Watch full review here: 

PRICE:

• $69 (Standard 3.5mm ver.)
• $79 (DSP ver.)

PROS:

• One of the most versatile and balanced tuning under $150
• Very refined sounding tribrid set-up
• Superb balance of musicality and technicalities
• Inoffensive yet well-detailed treble presentation
• Rich, deep-reaching and rumbly bass
• Good midrange note weight and nuance
• Effective tuning nozzles
• Option for DSP that cleans the lower mids and smoothens the treble
• Clean separation
• Precise imaging and layering
• L-Shaped jack for the DSP

CONS:

• Slight metallic timbre
• Scratch and fingerprint prone finish (on base ver)
• Chip-prone finish (DSP ver.)
• Not the most snug or best sealing fit
• DSP cable is memory prone and stiff
• Packaging is lackluster

WHO THIS SET IS FOR:

• People looking for the most versatile tuned set under $150
• People who want a good balance of musicality and technicalities
• People who want Simgot’s refined tuning
• People who want the option for a DSP cable and analogue cable
• People who like tuning nozzles that make a distinctive change

WHO THIS SET ISN’T FOR:

• People who don’t like fingerprint/scratch/chip prone finishes
• People who want a perfectly natural timbre
• People who want a traditionally bright Simgot set
• People who are finicky about fit
• People who want a generous package

RECOMMENDED GENRES:

• Most genres work with the EW300 and EW300 DSP

SHORT REVIEW:

Simgot continues to push the boundary of how good an IEM could sound without draining your wallet. Versatile, technically-capable and insanely refined perfectly defines what makes the EW300 a near perfect set for anyone looking for an IEM in 2024. Pair that with the option for a DSP cable and you have yourself the best sounding and most convenient IEM that you can just plug and play. Some might take issue with the finish on both sets, the lackluster inclusion and the slight timbre issue, but you cannot find anything better than what the EW300 does for under $100. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!

FULL REVIEW

A couple of reviews back, I said that consistency is one of the hardest things to achieve for a company in a market as fast as audio. You either succumb to trends or die off like many companies that were the flavor of the month only to fall into obscurity.

Then you have brands like Simgot that, for almost 2 years at this point, have been releasing bangers upon bangers with every release. While not every single release have been as revolutionary as something like their golden goose, the EA500, you can’t deny that they’ve kept it consistent with their releases. 

Except they didn’t stay consistent in every single way. On the contrary, they’ve evolved and adapted not only to market trends but also to their own identity. The one thing they kept consistent was the quality of their products.

Come 2024 and they’ve released the long awaited update to the EW200, the EW300. Plug in 2 more, different drivers and a detachable nozzle like their EA series, an option for a DSP cable and what have we got in our hands? A masterpiece? An abomination? Or a tribrid DSP revolution? 

DISCLAIMER: 

Thank you to Simgot and Linsoul for sending over the EW300 in exchange for my honest thoughts. Rest assured, all thoughts and opinions are my own and I was not compensated to say anything about the product.

AND THEN THERE WERE THREE

The EW200 was arguably the best value Simgot IEM that Simgot has ever released. $40 worth of nearly $100+ sound quality. The only thing it couldn’t do was provide you a complete package like it’s competitors. But when it sounds that good, how can you complain? 

The EA500, along with its successor the EA500LM, were both well-renowned for the same thing but also for popularizing the detachable nozzle trend that has taken the audio market by storm. So what happens when you combine these two amazing series and their recent love for multidriver systems and a DSP? You get the $69 – $79 EW300. Let’s starting with the unboxing.

UNBOXING:

Let’s be real; Simgot has never been the best at unboxings and inclusions. Not their budget EW sets nor their flagship EA sets. The EW300 is no different

Here’s a full list of the accessories: 

• Simgot EW300
• 6 pairs of eartips
• Detachable nozzles
• Nozzle foam
• O-Rings
• 3.5mm Cable (base)
• DSP Cable (DSP ver.)

Decent eartips, spacious case. If I were to go in depth with these again, I’d sound like a broken record and I’d break my head in. 

BUILD & FIT

One of the things I appreciate Simgot doing is keeping certain aspects of their existing sets and improving it to fit their modern standards. 

Their fantastic build is one of the few things that I commended Simgot for normalizing at a low budget with the likes of the EW200 and the EW300 proves that you can keep this form factor while improving the different aspects of the set.

Firstly, the EW300 is rocking a 3 driver set-up. A single dynamic driver, 1 planar driver and 1 piezoelectric driver. This is a first for Simgot in terms of drivers, but not their first doing multidriver set-ups.

But the fact that they were able to fit this in essentially the same shell as the EW200 is just insane. 

Pair that with the fact that they also gave the EW300 detachable nozzle makes this arguably the amalgamation of every Simgot set that has been released to date. Multi driver configuration? Check. Detachable nozzle? Check. Full metal build? Check. Shoddy fitting? Unfortunately, check.

While this is an improvement from the Simgot EW200 in terms of fitting, I still think that it suffers from the poor seal and stability that has plagued every single Simgot IEM I’ve tried to date. From their cheapest to the most expensive, you will experience one or two fit issues whether it’d be the seal of the external sounds which also affects the bass presentation or the stability which might cause your IEM to plop out your ear, the EW300 still has that to a degree. This at least guarantees that you won’t experience any driver flex or air pressure build up or even ear pressure, but that’s a tradeoff that you’ll want to think about if you’ve tried Simgot sets.

Another special thing they did was provide a very unique finish for their DSP version. Unlike the shiny and fingerprint magnet standard EW300, the DSP (and the HBB version) have a dark matte finish that make it more handsome but a little bit more terrifying to scratch as this kind of finish is the type to chip off if my experience from Moondrop sets have told me me anything. 

Cable wise, you get basically the same cable that Simgot has paired with their IEMs since the EW200. Soft, supple, good quality and generally usable. It’s becoming my favorite kind of stock cable with just how good my experience with it has been. 

The DSP version has a thinner, not as supple cable but is still good quality. The standout feature is that L-Plug Type C connector that I have not seen in any DSP IEMs and is arguably the best implementation of a DSP plug. It also comes with a mic for those who like to call in style. 

SOUND

NOTE: Because the EW300 has a detachable nozzle and a DSP option, I will be talking about the silver nozzle on 3.5mm and compare it to the pink nozzle later along with the DSP options. 

Sound Signature

The EW300 features a rather refreshing, warmer U-Shape sound signature that follows Simgot’s golden target first found in the EA1000. This is not your usual bright u-shaped Simgot as the low end is considerably warmer, richer and thicker while maintaining a very clean and open sounding midrange and the distinctly refined, crisp and energetic treble but toned down for a more generally versatile sounding set. Unfortunately, Simgot could not completely get rid of the somewhat metallic nature of the drivers used and can occasionally feature a metallic timbre on certain tracks. However, it is considerably more refined than its competitors in this regard.

Source Pairing

The EW300 is a surprisingly consistent set in the sources I plugged it on with one minor point: using a higher quality source can considerably improve the bass dynamics compared to lower quality sources. You get the usual improved stage and layering with a better source, but dynamics is where the EW300 takes a hit if you skimp out on the sources. Using my Fosi SK02 brings out the best in the EW300 while weaker, more portable sources like the Jcally AP10 lacked the low end punch to really make the EW300 sound alive. 

Volume Scaling

Thanks to its warmer tone, the EW300 can be cranked quite high up in terms of volume compared to its bretheren. It’s still no dark basshead IEM that you’d need to bring the volume to headringing levels to bring out the rest of the sound, but this is the highest volume Simgot IEM my ears can handle. Medium to high listening volumes is ideal with the EW300

Bass

One of my biggest issues with hybrid Simgot sets in the past is how they integrate their bass. It’s either sloppy or just straight up untextured despite having good quantity. Thankfully, the EW300 minimizes the issue as the dynamics are much closer to the likes of the EW200 with a more focused low end that likes to get a little punchy on certain tracks. Extension is pretty good and the tactility is decent. However, it still has to stretch its wings to compare with the EA series of IEMs, especially the EA1000 and EA2000 in terms of bass quality. Nonetheless, the quantity makes up for it and make the combination of the solid punchiness and extension make it a more versatile and better quality bass than those that came before, Still, EA500 cannot be beat in tactility. 

Mids

Never has Simgot midrange sounded this smooth and silky! While a certain level of thinness can be tolerated, the lushness of vocals in contrast to the overall sound signature is something to be adored by as Simgot seems to have finally found the perfect tonal balance to get open, nuanced midrange and a good note weight and engagement that doesn’t sound like the singers are congested. Granted, the EA500LM and the EW200 aren’t necessarily that bad in terms of their midrange presentation. However, I cannot deny that the EW300 is Simgot proving to everyone that they can do a non-shouty midrange while keeping the details. 

Treble

My tears shed for the fallen treblehead brethren who were expecting the EW300 to be another treble-centric Simgot because it really wasn’t. Granted, they did not skimp out on the quality of the treble and I believe this is the best quality treble that Simgot has released, barring the somewhat metallic tone. But what really got me falling in love with the treble of the EW300 is the fact that they were able to keep that Simgot magic of having such a refined treble presentation that is free from grain or roughness while keeping the insane level of details that you could really only find on more expensive hybrid sets. Granted, $69 is stretching the “budget” nature of the set, but it’s a far cry from other sets that do treble much worse at more expensive price points. 

Technicalities

While I believe the EW300 is a technically capable set, moreso than its competitors, I believe that it’s not far from the technical ability that the EA500LM has set almost a year prior. Do I think that the EW300 has a cleaner, more accurate layering and separation than the EA500LM? Yes, but not marginally. Where the EW300 really takes its technical ability down is the dynamics and transient ability being smoother than the usual Simgot sets that make those a technical wonder. This is further compounded when we talk about the DSP version.

PINK NOZZLE

Ever felt like the EW300 was just a little bit too vocal forward or lacked bass quantity? Well, the pink ring nozzle is there to save the day! It brings the bass quantity up quite noticeably and tones down the upper midrange to not only bring the emphasis lower but further the ear gain to a 3.5k peak. This opens up the midrange to be more linear rather than vocal focused while still maintaining a solid vocal presence when the track needs it. 

Granted, this does make the overall sound warmer and ever so slightly colors the midrange warmer, but I’d argue that it makes it more organic and natural sounding. Well, except for one aspect. 

I want to call this the Conch peak because the Conch is one of the worst offenders of this. A clean and warm low end to upper midrange that is halted with a peak in the mid treble and dips in the upper treble brings a somewhat sudden contrast from bright to dark that, in certain IEMs, sounds horrendous (see TRN Conch). The EW300 doesn’t sound as bad with this peak as it still has a rather consistent level of brightness even on the pink ring nozzle, but it’s audible in poorly mixed tracks where there’s a sudden spike of sharpness in the T and S sounds. Thankfully, it’s masked pretty well with the warmth and that later peak aids in making the transition smoother than other sets that have this quirk. 

DSP VERSION

I’ve made a post about comparing the DSP and Analogue versions and seeing whether there was a difference. You can check the post here, but in short, the IEMs are virtually the same and the DSP is what makes the difference. 

So what exactly does the DSP do? Take everything I said about the EW300 but lower the midbass, treble and smoothen the dynamics and transients further. I mentioned in the source pairing section that a higher quality source improves the dynamics of the EW300 and this is the perfect example. On my Fosi SK02, the EW300 sounds rich and dynamic on both pink and red nozzles. The DSP version takes that dynamic low end and smoothens it out while also smoothening the transients. This has the unfortunate effect of the IEM sound a bit more low res compared to the SK02 despite both listening to the same kind of file (both Spotify lossy and bitperfect FLAC).

This is perfect for those who still found the EW300 too edgy or sharp and wanted less midbass. Personally, I liked the EW300 in analogue mode in both sets, but I’d honestly get the DSP cable for the convenience and put in a 3.5mm or even 4.4mm cable of my own and enjoy a superbly dynamic and snappy EW300. 

COMPARISONS

vs Celest Phoenixcall

One of the few Tribrid’s that I’ve tried so far, the EW300 presents itself as the more “normal” sounding set out of the two, masking it’s “tribrid” nature with a smooth and natural tone with the technical improvements that you might expect from a tribrid. The Phoenixcall on the other hand is unapologetically tribrid sounding. A big, warm and boomy bass, followed by an unexpectedly crisp and clean midrange and a very snappy and sharp treble that is all levels of incoherent but technically impressive and detailed sounding set. The EW300 is not as technical as the Phoenixcall, but is more natural sounding thanks to a more refined overall sound from implementation to tuning. 

vs Simgot EW200

Compared to its predecessor, the EW200 is a more dynamic, consistent but less technically capable sounding set to the EW300’s warmer yet more refined, cleaner separated and wider sound. The EW200 is not to be retired, however, as the overall presentation being more consistent and dynamic still carries to this day as one of the best single DD IEMs under $50 or even $100 you can get. But you really can’t beat the improvements in technical ability you get from a tribrid for $30 more. 

vs Simgot EA500LM

Telling a similar story to the EW200, the EA500LM is a more consistent and dynamic sounding set but refines the overall sound further. I don’t think the EW300 exists to replace the EA500LM in the price range, but rather as an option for someone who wants a warmer, more versatile and smoother sounding set with arguably more options with the likes of a DSP cable and an arguably prettier looking finish. Nonetheless, the EA500LM is still a more dynamic, punchier and more tactile set with a sharper focus on details compared to the EW300

vs Simgot Supermix4

Compared to its slightly older multi driver hybrid sibling, the EW300 is a step down in terms of technical ability and refinement to the Supermix 4, but arguably a more versatile tuning thanks to the nozzles and the warmer overall tuning that makes songs sound a lot richer and more balanced compared to the pure Harman Supermix 4. Still, the Supermix 4 deserves to be called one of the most refined Simgot’s to be released in recent time as much as the EW300 does. 

CONCLUSION

Turns out, you can try new things and succeed as Simgot has proved with the EW300 amongst their other new releases. I genuinely think that the EW300 can confidently replace many of the sub $100 options with its very mature yet very technically capable tuning that gives you an option to either go for the usual Simgot vocal energetic sound or a warmer, almost HBB-like tuning. 

Do I think you’ll like the EW300? Probably. Is the EW300 a proper successor to the EW200? Unfortunately, not. The EW300 loses the  vibrant and energetic tone along with the punchy and dynamic sound that the EW200 had. However, it takes from what made Simgot popular and well-received and the trends of having warmer and more versatile tuning to make this insanity that is unlike anything that Simgot has released and one of the best to be released in 2024 by far. 

Thank you for reading my review on the Simgot EW300. If you’d like to order one, consider using the non-affiliated link below: 

Linsoul: https://www.linsoul.com/

SIMGOT EW300: https://www.linsoul.com/products/simgot-ew300

#Linsoul #Simgot