Introduction

Binary Acoustics is an IEM brand based out of China that seemingly launched in 2017 and has primarily catered to the domestic market. I say seemingly because I had never heard of this brand until recently as it pertains to the product in this review and its website also looks to have been created recently. Indeed, it's a fairly generic website without any information about the brand and some placeholder text for everything except on this particular page. In Binary Acoustics' defense, that page is really why most people are on that website in the first place since today is all about the Gizaudio x Binary Acoustics Chopin—a newly released set of IEMs developed in collaboration with Timmy from Gizaudio, who also helped come out with the LETSHUOER Galileo we saw before.


If you do look at other Binary Acoustics releases, you would note the relatively unique shells of the Chopin do seem to be that brand's forte. The Chopin, clearly named after pianist/composer Frederic Chopin, goes for a clean and industrial design but aims to tug at your emotional strings with its tonality and sound presentation. This is a hybrid set of IEMs using a 1 DD/3 BA driver configuration and aims to "sound correct and complement different genres of music well." Thanks to HiFiGo for providing a review sample to TechPowerUp, as we begin our coverage with a look at the product specifications in the table below.

Packaging and Accessories

I do like the product box for the Chopin with its gift-box style appearance. On the front is the product name and the two brands involved along with an audio visualizer still evoking music even before you have opened the box. There is a factory provided frequency response curve on the back—nice to see this always, although some information about the coupler/measurement standard would have been nice—and products specs in a table alongside. Lift up the cover to see soft lining and foam for added protection of the contents which ship in three separate compartments. Two cardboard accessory boxes on the right have clear markings to indicate what is inside, including a quick start guide and a cleaning tool.


I will say here that perhaps Hifigo and others involved could have done a better job informing reviewers about the fact that the ear tips which come with retail orders of the Chopin are, thankfully, different from what we got. I have here three sets of generic silicone ear tips in sizes S/M/L which is meager in itself compared to what we see usually. Making it worse is the part where these are quite stiff but you can rest assured as the Chopin actually ships with far better, more expensive ear tips. Pre-orders, which I understand have already sold out, were provided DIVINUS Velvet tips in the same three sizes whereas everything thereafter ships with my personal favorite Softears Ultra Clears. The Chopin also goes for a practical carry/storage option with a hard case that has a branding sticker on the front and a sturdy locking latch. Inside is a soft foam lining to protect the contents and the IEMs themselves ship inside individual soft cloth pouches. I would encourage Binary Acoustics to tighten these pouches more though since one of the IEM shells was loose inside the case when I opened it. But overall I am more than happy with what the paying customer will receive.

Closer Look

The cable that ships with the Gizaudio x Binary Acoustics Chopin is.. fine. It looks nice with the silver-plated oxygen-free copper conductor braided in a Litz configuration and giving you four thick, tightly wound strands but doesn't shape up easily and retains some cable memory each time you unfurl it. Once it's opened up and in use, it's not going to bother you though so this isn't a deal breaker by any means. It begins with your choice of either 3.5 mm TRS single-ended or 4.4 mm TRRS balanced connector headed to your source on an aluminium housing that gets the two brands engraved on the native finish. The metal hardware continues throughout to maintain this silver aesthetic and the white strain relief is a nice touch too even if it does feel far too long. The splitter and cable cinch both work quite well and the other end has pre-formed ear hooks that terminate in two 0.78 mm 2-pin connectors that have translucent plastic housings with a very subtle L/R marking to indicate the left and right channels, respectively. This is the only place where I thought more metal housings with an easier-to-identify marking would have raised the accessories bar further. The various metal plugs are gold-plated for oxidation resistance.


If you were thought IEMs were getting too flashy then the Chopin might well be for you. It's a clean industrial look with monochrome colors courtesy the black 3D printed resin shells and the stainless steel face plate that wraps around the side before being glued in place. The use of a pseudo audio analyzer spectrum to contain the branding within is a neat touch and the IEMs themselves have an angled teardrop shape to them. The spout, if you will, is where you will see a cutout for the cable connectors with the rounded housing the front and back vents for the drivers. The body may look bulbous but it's still fairly ergonomic in the back where it goes in the concha courtesy a short curvature for the shells leading up to the nozzle which itself is angled conservatively inward and measures in at 6.25 mm in diameter at the end, 6.80 mm at the lip. There are two places that the ear tips could theoretically stop at although realistically you would push the ear tip bore all the way in. I don't have the actual stock ear tips for the Chopin here so you can just imagine how they would fit over this nozzle. The three driver sets each have acoustic tubing leading into the nozzle and thus we have three small holes here with the one accommodating a Knowles damper. Installing the cable is simple enough with the pre-molded ear hooks that go over the ears and L/R indicators helping identify what goes where. Push the 2-pin connectors into the IEM connectors as seen above until they fit in place via a friction fit. The other end then goes to the source of your choice—I went with the Questyle M15 and the Cayin RU7 for most of my testing.