SIMGOT EM1 IEM
79.99
What We Dig
- Rich, Natural Sound
- Comfortable
- Great Build Quality
What To Think About
- Nothing at this price
A refined taste of high-end sound
SIMGOT has distinguished itself amongst headphone manufacturers by making beautiful products with refined sound and attention to detail. Their flagship EN700 IEM in all its variants epitomizes this with a solid aluminum build and striking grill design. It has garnered them much praise, and today I am excited to review their entry-level piece, the EM1. To the company’s credit, the EM1 shares some components with their TOTL earphone, most notably, the 10mm titanium-plated driver, which is remarkable since the EN700 usually sells for almost twice as much, at about $150 compared to $80 for the EM1. I’m a fan of companies that trickle down tech from their flagship products down to the entry level.
While $80 is not a lot of money when you are talking about a product precision crafted to meet the needs of demanding audiophiles, the EM1 is also competing in a market flooded with cut-rate IEMs, some selling for as low as $15 with detachable cables, and multiple drivers in each earpiece. The sound from some of them, if not world class, is entertaining, and I have written about them here on the blog. I recommend them for people just getting into IEMs, or people with low funds. I find them to be a great place to start in the earphone/headphone enthusiasts hobby.
But alas, most of us, after listening to an inexpensive set of headphones for a while, we soon want more. Then we start wondering, where do I go now for an better experience? Well, I say the EM1 is definitely a place to look if you have only heard earphones that cost less than $50.
Build/Features:
First of all, when I first looked at the earpieces, I was first struck by how small they were, then I was impressed at how well built they were. The rounded off triangles of glossy low-resonance plastic with chrome accents looked like jewels ensconced in their foam tray, and I was also impressed by the shiny nickel-plated brass tube used to seat the eartips. My set was blue and red, with the left side blue and the right red, but they also come in a black/red combo. You can also get pairs in a single color, with a choice of either black, red or blue.
The fit was very comfortable, with the curvature of the earpieces following the contour of my ears almost perfectly. The silicone tip was soft and didn’t irritate my ear, even during long listening sessions.
The included cable is 4 cores of braided 6N high purity OFC cable, with a thick black jacket that keeps the cable from tangling too much. The 2-Pin connectors that mate to each earpiece are covered in a protective sleeve which fits over a protected two pin receptacle on the earphone itself, keeping the fragile pins from being bent.
Next to the connector sleeves are soft plastic tubes pre-formed into a hook shape. These fall over the ear and help keep the IEMs in place. I found they worked well, creating just the right tension to hold the earphones steady. Down further on the cable, the Y-Split and 3.5mm plug are encased in frosted plastic, which not only looks good, at least to me, but also looks like it adds durability. Everything about the build quality speaks to the company’s attention to detail.
As far as accessories are concerned, you get a thick mesh drawstring bag for storage, two sets of ear tips, a warranty card, and an instruction manual.
The two sets of ear tips warrant further discussion because they are integral to the enjoyment of these earphones. Each set is made of silicone and come in small, medium, and large sizes, but they come in different depths, so when you change or roll the tips you change the sound signature.
The tips with the shallow depth basically put your inner ear closer to the driver, emphasizing the highs and mid-high frequencies for a flat, clear sound. The tips with greater depth move your inner ear further away from the driver, giving you a warmer sound playing up the bass presence region.
I personally found the shallow tips made the treble a little too aggressive for me, plus I enjoy a warmer sounding headphone, so I stuck with the deeper set of tips for the majority of my listening, and that is where the majority of my impressions come from.
That being said, while I didn’t like the one set of tips, if you get these, I recommend just as the manufacturer does in the manual, to definitely try both sets, and try the different sizes, because getting the fit right is very important when listening to any IEM, but even more important here since you get a choice of sound profiles. This is another way SIMGOT shows its dedication to audiophile sensibilities, and I liked having the option.
Sound:
My listening tests were done streaming from Tidal on either the LG V40 phone with the Sabre Quad-Dac engaged or the iFi nano iDSD DAC/Amp connected via USB to my HP Envy Laptop.
Overall, with both sets of tips, I would call the sound balanced, and as I said before, with the deeper tips, there is a slight emphasis in the bass presence region over the shallow tips. With the deeper tips there is also a slight attenuation of the highs. In either case, the difference is not massive, think of it as more of a tweak.
If I had to pick one word to describe the sound of these IEMs it would be natural. The highs are tad bit elevated, but without sibilance, instead, there is great treble detail that supplies a nice amount of air. The sweet midrange along with the excellent imaging and soundstage add up to a very natural sound with a lot of depth.
Listening to J.S. Sondara’s “American Dream” from his album Tales of America highlighted the great imaging and soundstage of these earphones. The sound really seemed to reach out beyond my ears, and the singer’s placement in the center along the with fiddle player off to the left and the background vocalist off to the right was rock solid.
The sweet midrange was really showcased by Freddy’s Cole’s “First Began” where the gravelly texture of his vocals was rendered with remarkable realism, especially for an IEM of this price point.
When comparing the sound to one of my favorite dynamic-driver earphones in the under $100 price range, the Final E3000, the EM1 trumped it in overall detail, soundstage, and naturalness of sound. The only place the E3000 bested the EM1 was in the bass department, where the Final had some extra depth. It also bested my other favorite in the below $100 price point, the 1 More Triple Driver, which also fell short in overall detail and soundstage, as well as separation of instruments. But the 1 More did have much deeper bass which gives it the edge when listening to Hip-Hop and the like.
Conclusion:
According to the SIMGOT website, the EM1 is the benchmark of Entry-Level Hi-Fi IEMs, and after taking a listen to them, I have a hard time arguing with that. I have a hard time finding another earphone under $100 that matches their overall cohesiveness of sound, detail retrieval, soundstage, and instrument separation. Their build quality is also top-notch, matching products that cost almost twice as much. They are not bass monsters, so if you are a basshead, you may want to audition them first. However, if you are looking for a refined taste of high-end sound, this is a great step up from the IEMs at the under $50 price point.
I’m an audio writer who started as a young audio salesman/consumer electronics professional back in the late 90s. That’s where I discovered the magic of 2-Channel sound. My thirst for great sound has led me on a delightful music quest that continues today.
Leave a Reply