Hello everyone, Mars Chan here. This time, I got another exciting IEM to review, and it’s the new BQEYZ Winter2, which sells for $319 and was sent to me in exchange for my review. Still, please be assured that any opinions expressed here are my own, based on my personal experience.

Ever since I started reviewing, BQEYZ has consistently intrigued me with their hybrid sets, which incorporate bone conduction drivers at a mid-range price. I have reviewed or tried some BQEYZ IEMs in the past, including the BQEYZ Frost, Winter Ultra, BQ 10, and Cloud, but none of which excites me more than the Winter2.

I am very excited to listen to the Winter2 because I want to know how much it has improved upon the older Winter Ultra, which, unfortunately, I don’t have in hand to compare with, only through memory; that is why I will be comparing it to other brands’ IEMs instead.

How does Winter2 sound? Additionally, how does it compare to other sets, such as the QoA Martini and Kiwi Ears Astral? Find out in my review below.

Winter2 features a 12mm Custom Dual-Cavity Dynamic Driver for bass and midrange, and an 11.6mm Mid-to-High Frequency Bone Conduction Driver for midrange and treble. It has an impedance of 40 Ohms and a sensitivity of 113dB.

A feature not mentioned on their product page is the inclusion of a pressure relief system, which prevents pressure buildup in the ear canal that can cause headache and nausea.

Winter2 features a beautifully curved CNC-machined aluminum alloy shell with anodized finish. My sample came with green color, but Winter2 is also available in grey color. Although it is fully metal, it is very lightweight, weighing only 6.1grams each. It also has a metal nozzle with a diameter of 5.7mm, which is of an average size.

There is a small, round vent hole near the nozzle, as well as three additional small, round vent holes located further away near the edge. Additionally, a slot-shaped vent is positioned under the faceplate, near the 2-pin connector. I like that there are left and right indicators engraved in each shell

Winter2 includes a nice 2 Pin Swappable Plug Cable, which provides for both the 3.5mm and 4.4mm plugs. It’s a 4-core Single-Crystal Coaxial Copper Cable with 1.5mm thickness for each wire. I like that it appears black from a distance, but upon closer inspection, a green tint is visible. I also appreciate that it has all-metal parts.

I experience excellent comfort with the Winter2, thanks to its lightweight, medium size, and ergonomically shaped shell, as well as the inclusion of the aforementioned pressure relief system. I find it suitable for both long listening sessions and daily use.

Isolation is good; the moderate 5.7mm nozzle diameter and the stock ear tips provide a good seal and effective isolation from ambient sound. The overall sound isolation is comparable to most IEMs I’ve used.

I had a good unboxing experience. The packaging is both sophisticated and practical, as it is quite elaborately designed, yet it doesn’t waste too much material at the same time.

The package includes a pair of IEMs, a modular cable with 3.5mm and 4.5mm plugs, user manuals, a nice pair of ear tips, a leather storage case, and a cleaning tool.

My measurement reveals a good channel balance, indicating a good manufacturing quality (see photo). The graph suggests a neutral tuning with a mildly forward treble.

Please note that the peak at 8kHz is an unavoidable measurement artifact of my measuring rig; it changes in frequency depending on the insertion depth of the ear tips and is not that audible in actual listening.

Before seriously listening to the Klean, I spent more than 24 hours of burn-in time using a DAP playing music for about 8 hours per day for two days. I noticed a taming and a slight smoothening in the treble, as well as a tightening and an increase in punchiness of the midbass.

I used a wide variety of sources, including the iBasso DC Elite, TRN Black Pearl, paired with my OnePlus 13 phone, and Fiio M15s. The default sound settings were used without any sound enhancement or equalization, utilizing the Poweramp and UAPP music player apps.

Of the three types of ear tips included in the package, I used the 07 style ear tips, which are the white ones with a hard blue stem, as I prefer them over the other tips. That said, Winter2 provides me with a neutral and slightly treble-forward sound signature, featuring an open sound, low coloration, and good transparency.

One thing I noticed is that Winter2 has good detail retrieval and sound resolution from bass to treble. The bass is neutral in quantity, yet has a good presence, speed, impact, and punch; it is very detailed, tight, and articulate. I like that it doesn’t get muddy when playing loud and fast bassy tracks.

The midrange is flat and neutral, with only a slight forwardness in the upper midrange that adds vocal presence and instrument detail, yet remains clean and never fatiguing or shouty. I especially like that the note weight and body are also not thin nor too thick, they are neutrally rendered.

I like the way Winter2 renders the treble with a slight forwardness as it makes the treble sound detailed and clear, yet never goes beyond he threshold of sounding bright. BQEYZ seems to tune the Winter2 very well in this regard. I only wish the upper treble were a little more pronounced, though.

There is little sound coloration in Winter2, as it sounds transparent and naturally tuned. Aside from the mild forwardness in the treble, which is negligible, I also hear that the upper treble is subdued.

The soundstage size is not the largest nor the widest, but it is certainly above average. It sounds deeper than it is wider, but I still hear good lateral spread of the instruments as well as left-to-right panning.

Center images, such as main vocalists, have a fair amount of definition; they’re not the most defined, but they're never mixed up with the background instruments either, as I hear good separation as well as front-to-back layering of the images.

I find Winter2 to have good dynamics, as it is lively and energetic-sounding and never sounds boring or anaemic. It can draw a significant amount of power from the sources and can reach deafeningly loud volumes.

Winter2 pairs nicely with my iBasso DC Elite, TRN Black Pearl, and Fiio M15s. I find Winter2 to be not the most revealing IEM, but it is transparent enough that I can still discern the differences between these sources.

That said, I find the Winter2 to be easy to pair and very versatile when it comes to the source pairing; in other words, it is not choosy with the sources.

Comparisons

QoA Martini

Martini features a bass bone conduction driver, a 6mm dynamic driver, and four balanced armature drivers. It has an impedance of 14 ohms and a sensitivity of 105dB.

Martini utilizes an attractive, metal-flake-infused finishing and lightweight 3D-printed resin shells. It uses a 2-pin connection and includes a thick four-core cable.

The Martini is included in this comparison due to it also featuring a bone conduction driver, albeit a bass bone conduction driver, as opposed to Winter2’s mid-high BC driver. That said, Martini has a moderately V-shaped sound signature with more extended bass and upper treble. I notice that the added density in the midbass, provided by the BC driver, is absent in Winter2, which sounds more neutral.

The Martini has a larger soundstage, as well as better imaging, but the difference is slight; the primary distinction lies in their presentation, where the Martini is slightly laid-back, while the Winter2 is more forward. Regarding dynamics, I find both to be dynamic, lively, and never boring-sounding.

Astral is a hybrid set featuring a 10mm dynamic driver for the bass and six balanced armature drivers for midrange and treble. It has an impedance of 23 ohms and a sensitivity of 105dB.

Astral features a 3D-printed resin shell with an attractive faceplate that incorporates metal flake-infused finishing and a metallic Kiwi Ears logo. Astral features a nice, thick modular cable that accommodates both 3.5mm and 4.4mm plugs, which are included in the package.

Sound quality

Astral has a moderately U-shaped sound signature, with a more extended bass and upper treble presentation, compared to the more neutral-sounding Winter2, which features neutral bass, slightly elevated lower treble, and somewhat laid-back upper treble.

There is not much difference between the two in terms of soundstaging and imaging, though I find the Astral to be slightly ahead. The main difference lies in the presentation, where the Astral is a little laid back, while the Winter2 is slightly forward.

Regading dynamics, I find the Winter2 to be slightly more dynamic and lively, but both never sound boring nor anaemic.

Driver units: 12mm dynamic driver with PZT Bone Conduction
Dynamic Driver: 12mm
Bone Conduction Driver: 11.6mm
Impedance: 40 Ω
Sensitivity: 113 dB
Frequency: 5-40KHz
Cable Length: 1.2m
Pin Type: 0.78mm-2 Pin
Plug Type: (3.5mm & 4.4mm) or (3.5mm, 4.4mm & USB-C)
Weight: 6.1 each
Nozzle diameter: 5.7mm

Cons

Upper treble is somewhat laid-back.

To answer the question of how BQEYZ Winter2 compares to the competition, I must say that it compares very well, as I find it to be competitive in terms of the price-to-sound quality ratio.

I appreciate its curvy faceplate design and color, and I highly value its lightweight construction despite having a durable metal shell.

If I must nitpick the BQEYZ Winter2, it would be the somewhat laid-back upper treble. I wish it were more prominent, but as it is, it doesn’t lack air; it’s just that it is slightly relaxed, and my taste prefers more upper treble.

With all that said, I believe the BQEYZ Winter2 will make many audio enthusiasts and music lovers smile while enjoying its neutral and energetic sound.

Non-affiliated purchase link:

https://bqeyz.net/products/bqeyz-winter2-wired-earphones