Simgot ET142 Review - Refinement at its best
General/Packaging/Build/Comfort
Simgot is a brand that needs no introduction to the community. They have released several products that remain popular till today, namely the EA500 as well as the EW200, both which i have also reviewed and tested and like it a lot. The packaging of ET142 is similar in the sense of presentation and style to EM6L as well as EA500, within the box, it consists of a very high quality cable which is also sold separately, the LC7, it is modular, standard eartips as well as the tuning nozzles. The shell is all metal and the unit feels very solid, as with most mirror finish IEM, the ET142 is prone to fingerprints and micro scratches as well. The configuration is a 1 Planar+1PZT. In terms of comfort, I have no issues wearing the unit for long sessions (2-3 hours). The unit itself does feel very solid but when it is in your ears, you don’t feel heavy or uncomfortable at all
Gears used for this review
Earmen L-AMP
iFi Zen Dac 3
Hiby R4
ET142 with stock tips and Simgot LC7 cable 4.4
Foreword
My review is solely based on what I hear via my equipment and I never consider my reviews to be objective in any way rather a subjective approach. Do take into consideration that everyone’s ear anatomy is not the same, so the psychoacoustics perception might be different as well, but i believe it will not stray too far
Brief Sound Impression for the nozzles
Gold Plated (Yellow Ring) - Slightly thicker note weight compared to Blazed Titanium Nozzle, but the upper mids are more pronounced compared to the Blazed Titanium Nozzle, i am personally not overly sensitive in the upper mids region, but for those who are very sensitive to this range, it might be perceived as “bright” but it is actually not
Stainless Steel Red Ring - Slightly recessed upper mids giving it a tamer approach and less airy
Stainless Steel Black Ring - Slightly better treble extension compared to Stainless Steel Red Ring, bass and mids are more or less similar
Sound Impression (Blazed Titanium Nozzle with Simgot LC7 Cable )
The overall tuning is leaning towards better treble extension to my ears. Very airy and it doesn’t sound dry nor lean. Despite sporting a hybrid driver config of Planar+PZT, the planar timbre is very minimal and the PZT is non-existent to my ears. Pairing it with Earmen’s latest tube amp L-AMP gives it a slight bump on the mid bass and note weight, very good synergy. The blazed titanium nozzle is by far my favourite among the rest
Bass
Despite sporting Planar as the main driver, the sub bass is really impressive, it rumbles when the track calls for it, when paired with Earmen’s L-AMP with bass boost on, the sub and mid bass are meaty and very fun to listen to
Very good bass texture and also speed, to be honest, they sound really close to a dynamic driver
The amount of bass is good enough for my library and tip rolling can help to slightly boost the bass as well, or alternatively bass boost on the L-Amp or Xbass on the Zen Dac 3 does work as well
Mids
Timbre sounds correct to me and the midrange is actually quite lush but i would prefer it to have a slightly thicker note weight, just nitpicking here
Vocal doesn’t sound recessed, both male and female vocal has good texture to it,doesn’t sound thin at all
Bass doesn’t bleed into the mids
In general,i find that the mids are smooth from the lower mids and slowly transitioning to an energetic upper mids, this seems to be Simgot’s signature based on my observation
Treble
The treble has very good extension, it has enough energy but not to the point where it is harsh and sibilant
Detail retrieval is very good for its class, very detailed yet it doesn’t sound clinical and overly analytical
Good amount of air that contributes the expansive soundstage
Soundstage/Imaging
ET142 has very good and expansive soundstage, good width and height perception as well as the depth
Imaging is good whereby the instruments can be pinpointed easily
Driveability
ET142 is very easy to drive, but it does scale with amplification, in terms of bass control and dynamics, personally, i prefer pairing it with a neutral or slightly warm source for a balanced and musical presentation, my favourite being the Earmen L-AMP which i believe i had mentioned several times above
Comparison (Timeless II)
Timeless II is a single Planar with swappable nozzle, two of the nozzles are unique in the sense where the design looks like a bullet and also the sound
The overall tonality of Timeless II is slightly warmer due to a more relaxed treble presentation and less forward upper mids
Bass presentation on the Timeless II is speedy, it doesn’t have that kind of decay from ET142 which offers a little bit more fun
Nozzle on the Timeless II is slightly shorter which can be a problem for some, i personally don’t have issue with either one
In terms of technicalities, Timeless II leads in terms of resolution, but soundstage wise, ET142 has slightly bigger and out of your head kind of soundstage, detail retrieval both are more or less on par, same goes to imaging
Final Thoughts
Having tested several IEMs from the brand itself, namely the EA500, EM6l, EW200 as well as EW100P, they are all good in their own way and of course with some misses. The ET142 that I have reviewed today is no exception, a very unique driver combination and tuning is really very well done. Simgot even bundled the flagship cable LC7 with the ET142 to complete the package, and I think this is definitely a steal! All in all, ET142 is a very capable IEM that offers a good price performance ratio, you only need to take note if you are sensitive to the upper mids, but as always, do try it out if possible, trust your ears, till next time! Highly recommended!
*The ET142 are sent over by Simgot/Linsoul for the purpose of this review. I thank them for the support and opportunity as always
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