Shozy Form 1.1 Review
Tags: Review, Tech, Music, Headphones, Audio

The Shozy Form 1.1 comes in a rectangular black box. The Form 1.1 is pictured on the front of the box. The front panel of the box features a brief description of the Form 1.1’s key design elements. These features are also listed on the back of the box , along with the Form 1.1’s technical specifications. The box contains a large Shozy-branded semi-rigid carry case. The Form 1.1 and its accessories are found inside this case. The Form 1.1 comes with a single detachable .78mm 2-pin cable and a sizable assortment of foam (S, M, L), double flange silicone (S, M, L), and single flange silicone (XS, S, M) eartips.

BUILD QUALITY / DESIGN:

The Shozy Form 1.1’s teardrop-shaped shells are made of lightweight glossy black resin with glittery decorative faceplates. The faceplates, which also bear the Shozy logo in gold print, remind me of a star field. The shells are among the largest I’ve used. The shells have a single circular vent on the rear-facing side, which is recessed at the bottom of a tiny metal pot. The Form 1.1’s nozzles are also metal with metal mesh protective grills. The Form 1.1 uses flush-fitting 2–pin connectors.

The Form 1.1 comes with a pure copper 2-pin cable sheathed in braided black paracord. The connector plugs are red and clear plastic, with the red plastic plug indicating the right-side connector. The connector housings have a reflective metallic coating but do not feel like real metal. The braided cable has pre-formed ear-guides without memory wire. The cable is not tangle-prone but is one of the most microphonic IEM cables I’ve encountered in recent reviews. There is a clear plastic bead-like chin-adjustment choker. There is strain-relief above the straight 3.5mm jack but none at the Y-split.

COMFORT / FIT / ISOLATION:

The Shozy Form 1.1 is intended to be worn cable-up only. The size of the shells makes them slightly uncomfortable for me to wear for extended periods. The nozzles provide a deep enough insertion depth to facilitate a good seal with the pre-installed large single flange stock eartips. Secureness of fit is excellent. Isolation is above average.

SOUND:

The Form 1.1 has a U-shaped tuning with accentuated mid-bass and lower treble.

The Form 1.1 has below average sub-bass extension. There is a noticeable mid-bass hump with a fair amount of bleed into the lower midrange. Kick drums land with plenty of slam. The bass has above average speed, articulation, resolution, and texture.

Instruments in the lower midrange are presented with warmth and plenty of body. Male and female vocals are level with each other, with good intelligibility for both. Male vocals are a little too smooth and a tiny bit thin. Female vocals are slightly sibilant. There is a healthy amount of presence.

The treble presentation emphasizes sparkle. There is a strong lower treble emphasis that puts detail front and center. The sizzle on cymbal hits can be too much on some but not most tracks. Treble transients are quick and do not smear. There is very little air.

Soundstage is smaller than average. Imaging is adequate but in no way noteworthy. Instrument separation is above average. Timbre is realistic.

MEASUREMENTS:

My measurements were conducted with a Dayton iMM-6 microphone using a vinyl tubing coupler and a calibrated USB sound interface. The measurements use a compensation file derived from relating my raw measurements to published measurements from Crinacle and Antdroid. The measurements are presented with 1/24th smoothing. The magnitude of the valley around 7k is a coupler artifact. There is a resonant peak around 8k. Measurements above 10k are not reliable.

AMPLIFICATION REQUIREMENTS AND SOURCE PAIRING:

The Shozy Form 1.1 can easily be driven to comfortable listening volumes with a smartphone or dongle. They do hiss depending on the noise floor of the source.

COMPARISONS:

Shozy Form 1.1 vs Nicehck M6 (with aftermarket brass filter)

The Nicehck M6 is a 2DD/4BA hybrid with interchangeable nozzle filters. I find the M6 to have bloated, muddy bass with its stock filters, and use the M6 with an aftermarket brass filter which dramatically reduces the amount of bass.

In this configuration, the M6 has significantly worse sub-bass extension than the Shozy Form 1.1. The Form 1.1 also has more slam and heft to bass notes. The M6’s bass response sounds hollow in comparison. The Form 1.1 has a faster, more resolving, better articulated, and more textured bass response.

The M6 has less mid-bass bleed than the Form 1.1, which results in a colder but clearer lower midrange. The M6 has better vocal intelligibility. Male vocals sound thinner on the M6 but have more grit. Female vocals sound more vibrant on the M6. The M6 is less sibilant than the Form 1.1.

The M6’s treble is less prone to harshness than the Form 1.1’s but is equally detailed. The M6 has far more air than the Form 1.1. The M6 has a much larger soundstage. Both have realistic timbre and both are prone to hiss. Neither IEM is appreciably harder to drive than the other.

Both come with semi-rigid carry cases. The Form 1.1 comes with a more varied selection of eartips. The M6 uses MMCX connectors as opposed to 2-pin connectors.

CLOSING WORDS:

The Shozy Form 1.1 is a worthy upgrade from sub-$50 IEMs with an impactful and detailed sound signature.