Appearance Design
Opal, which means the opal whose main origin is Australia, is colorful and is the most beautiful gemstone in the world, commonly known as “opal”. It can be seen that IKKO has confidence in the new product. IKKO Opal OH2 comes in six colors: black/white/grey/green/gold/purple. I got it in violet, which is really pretty.
The product packaging is still in the anime style, with large color blocks + multi-patterns on the front, which has a bit of a pop art feel.
Open the box to reveal Opal OH2 earbuds and an IKKO badge on the top layer. This is also a unique feature of IKKO. They always design some interesting gadgets, such as refrigerator magnets, WeChat emoticons, badges, etc., which makes people feel young and good.
IKKO’s accessories are not only numerous, but also very tasteful, and this time is no exception. On the left side of the lower layer is a brown leather storage soft bag with fine workmanship and great feel. The middle white carton holds the headphone cable. On the right are 9 pairs of eartips. The left row is the i-Planet memory foam eartips, and the right is the black silicone eartips. Interestingly, silicone eartips are not the usual round shape, but oval. There are 6 sizes instead of the common S/L/M sizes.
Inside the storage bag: ①. A set of black filter. It may be that considering that the filter of Opal OH2 is special (oval), it is difficult to find similar products in the market to replace, so the manufacturer has equipped one more set. ②. Plastic wire disconnect clip.
IKKO Opal OH2 is still designed with interchangeable cables, MMCX interface, standard 28*127um single crystal copper silver-plated cable, the same model as IKKO OH1s, red and blue colors are mixed, and the hardness is moderate. The metal connectors are all gold-plated, and the workmanship is good.
The cavity is designed with a transparent design, which is not uncommon, but IKKO obviously put a lot of thought into it. For example, high-permeability polycarbonate is used for the exterior, which is transparent and has no cheap feeling. The internal circuit board adopts the common 24K immersion gold board on computer motherboards such as ASUS and Gigabyte. Not only can it improve the transmission rate, but the looming gold color at the edge of the transparent window can also add a sense of mystery to Opal OH2.
In the shape of earbuds, the biggest difference between IKKO Opal OH2 and similar products is the use of an oval filter. Visually, this black plastic piece doesn’t go well with the overall bright color. It is said that this design can better reduce the pressure on the ears, and there will be no soreness even if you wear it for a long time. Practical wearing, small size, light weight, fit the ear canal, level with the pinna, very comfortable. Better than OH1/OH10. It’s just that the wire of the earhook doesn’t fit the back of the ear naturally, and it needs to be adjusted for me who wears glasses.
IKKO OH1/OH10 is a combination of dynamic+armature driver. I thought that the new product would continue this structure, but IKKO Opal OH2 became a single dynamic driver.
Earphone parameters:
- Earbuds interface: MMCX
- Connectors: 3.5mm
- Sensitivity: 100dB
- Resistance: 32Ω
- Frequency response range: 20Hz~20kHz
- Unit: 10mm deposited carbon dynamic
- Material: Zinc-copper alloy + high-transparent polycarbonate material
Sound quality of Opal OH2
Headphones run in for more than 50 hours. The smallest silicone eartips, IHIFI 1969 tube player, low gain, 50~53% volume, very easy to drive. Even at high volume, it is not easy to distort.
The tuning of the IKKO Opal OH2 follows the style of the OH1/OH10. Although it is not a dynamic+armature structure, it still pays great attention to the clarity of sound reproduction. At the same time, the tuneful sound has been improved compared to the previous products, which is very rare in dynamic headphones of the same price.
High Frequency: Transparency I value most, works great. Listening to “I Love the Blue Sky of the Motherland”, the upper part is completely open, but it feels like it stretches on IHIFI 1969. The top is slightly depressed, so penetration is a little weaker than expected. The sibilance is eliminated very well, but it will leave a bit of the sharpest part, which does not affect the sense of hearing, but only increases the texture of high frequencies. At the same time, the resolution of the high frequency part is very good, not only rich in details, but also retains a good sense of music, not too much emphasis on lines, relatively warm.
Medium Frequency: relatively neutral and supple, the male voice is a little thin and a little tight. To my surprise, the separation of the sound is excellent, no matter how big or small the system or the human voice, it is well organized and the positioning is clear, which is also an important boost to its high-definition sound. The sound will be a little more airy, and there is a sense of presence when listening.
Because of this, on the other hand, it is easier to feel the gap between earbuds and speakers in terms of sound field. The sound field of the IKKO Opal OH2 is still only between the ears. It’s not big, the vocals are relatively close, but fortunately, it is relatively regular and has a certain depth. The overall presentation is more natural and open, and the dynamic effect is general.
Low Frequency: Under the promotion of IHIFI 1969, the low frequency of IKKO Opal OH2 is easy to be misjudged, the intensity is not heavy, the volume is low, and the performance is average. In fact, this is because the low frequency extension of Opal OH2 is extremely deep, and even headphones that are several times more expensive cannot reach this level.
Listening to “鼓诗”, you can find that the number of reverberations after the drumstick goes down is not much, but it is very deep and very tight (not loose at all). Even after a period of time, the slightest vibrato can still be detected. After taking the stage, it can be found that the low frequency of Opal OH2 is not weak at all, and it contains a lot of information. It is confirmed from the side that Opal OH2 does follow the 10mm deposited carbon nano-units on IKKO OH7 as officially claimed.
At IHIFI 1969, IKKO Opal OH2 gave me the feeling that the sound is clear and direct, sensitive to the feedback of the sound source, the female voice is better than the male voice, and the instrument is better than the human voice.
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