IEMs that sound like open-back headphones? And it's only for $30?
Yep, that's the best way I can describe the NiceHCK Yuandao Tears. With its vented shell design and lightweight fit, the Tears felt noticeably more open and less fatiguing than a lot of budget IEMs I've tried.
Disclaimer: I'm not an audiophile, and this review focuses on personal listening impressions rather than technical analysis.
This unit was provided by NiceHCK. All opinions are my own. Audio is subjective, so your experience may vary.
Pros and Cons
✔️ Lightweight and comfortable for long sessions
✔️ App support for EQ customization
✔️ Airy presentation
✔️ Great technicalities for this price
❌ Vocals can sound thin/recessed
❌ Build quality feels cheap
❌ Bass may lack impact for bassheads
❌ Treble may sound too safe for trebleheads
What's in the box
- The IEMs with cable and pleather cable organizer
- 5 × pairs of silicone eartips
- Pleather carry case
Shell Design
The Tears uses a lightweight shell design, with each earpiece weighing just 3.3g.
The shells have a matte white finish paired with subtle gold accents. There is also a black-red variant available for those who want a more neutral-looking colorway. The large vents on the sides of the shells are what gives the Tears its open and airy sound.
The nozzle is around 6.0mm wide with a ~6.2mm lip and 4.2mm length. Despite the measurements sounding a bit large on paper, I found the fit comfortable and pressure-free.
Stock Cable
The included USB-C DSP cable is also very light, weighing around 12.4g.
The cable comes with a black pleather cable organizer that has the NiceHCK logo debossed on it, which is a nice touch.
Carry Case
The included case is a plain black pleather pouch with the NiceHCK logo debossed on one side. It uses a spring-style clasp where you press the sides to open, and it snaps shut on its own. It's compact and easy to carry around, but don't expect it to give your gear much protection.
Stock Eartips
The stock eartips provided a good seal for me and were comfortable enough that I did not feel the need to swap them out.
App Support
NiceHCK also has an app available on their website that links to the Google Play Store, iOS App Store, and as an APK download. The USB-C version works with the app.
The app lets you customize EQ for your NiceHCK devices and has two "Special Equalizer" settings that appeared for the Tears.
Legendary Diffusion makes the tuning "brighter" giving female vocals, cymbals, and string instruments more clarity at the cost of possibly becoming sibilant depending on the track.
Game Mode slightly boosts the mid-bass and lower mids, but it's not very drastic.
EQ settings also appear to persist across devices, so the DSP profile is stored directly on the USB-C cable itself.
All sound impressions in this review are based on the stock sound, not EQ-ed.
General Usage Impressions
I barely noticed the Tears while wearing them, and I experienced no pressure buildup or fatigue even after hours of use.
Due to the vents on the Tears, there's an audible amount of sound leakage even at around 25% volume. You also won't be having a complete "seal" because of the vents, so you'll hear a bit of your surroundings when you're wearing them.
It is not an ultra-competitive FPS-focused IEM, but it performed well enough for casual and ranked gaming while remaining comfortable.
Being USB-C also made it very easy to use with phones and tablets without needing to carry a separate dongle DAC around.
Sound Impressions
Tested with my PC and Xiaomi 13T
Tuning: The Tears have a warm-neutral and safe-balanced tuning with an airy presentation. It's relaxing, enjoyable, and easy to listen to for long sessions.
Bass: Bass on the Tears is warm and controlled with decent texture. It has enough presence to sound satisfying, but it does not bleed noticeably into the mids. Although bassheads may find it lacking in quantity.
Mids: The mids sound a bit neutral-leaning with slight warmth. Male vocals sound a bit recessed, while female vocals and string instruments are cleaner, more forward, and natural sounding.
Treble: The treble on the Tears is smooth and airy without shoutiness, though trebleheads may find it lacking or too safe.
Technicalities: Soundstage feels wider than average for its price, and has good separation and imaging. Definitely a cut above many budget IEMs.
Gaming: The Tears performs well for casual gaming thanks to its decent imaging and soundstage. Positional cues like voicelines and footsteps are easy enough to track.
Microphone Quality
The mic quality on the DSP cable is usable. Voices come through well enough for calls and voice chat. Just don't expect noise cancellation or background filtering as it picks up background noise and other voices easily.
Optional: NiceHCK Fall Cable
NiceHCK also sent their Fall cable, which they describe as the "recommended upgrade pairing for the Tears".
Compared to the stock cable, the Fall is noticeably thicker and heavier. If you don't have a proper seal with the Tears, the added cable weight might pull the Tears slightly out of position during use.
Since the Fall cable is a 4.4mm analog cable, you also lose the DSP features and app EQ found on the USB-C version. You'll be using the default tuning of the Tears only, though thankfully the stock tuning is already pretty good on its own.
As for sound, the Tears + Fall combo, there is a slight but noticeable sound improvement, with bass rumble and impact. Soundstage seemed to have opened up a bit more as well, though midrange vocals still sounded recessed.
I will be writing a separate review of the HiceHCK Fall cable in the future.
Final Thoughts
The NiceHCK Yuandao Tears is a great starter IEM that's lightweight, comfortable, technically capable, and easy to use thanks to its USB-C DSP setup and app support.
The Tears focuses more on comfort and relaxed listening so it's definitely not going to appeal to bassheads and trebleheads. Still, I would recommend the Tears for its non-fatiguing tuning and plug-and-play convenience for casual everyday use.
#iems #audiogear #casualreview #NiceHCK #Yuandao