Hisenior Okavango

TONALITY: 7.5/10
TECHNICALITIES: 8.2/10
TIMBRE: 7/10
SOUNDSTAGE: 8.5/10
IMAGING: 8/10
MUSICALITY (subjective): 7/10
CONSTRUCTION: 9/10
ACCESSORIES: 10/10
SOUND VALUE: 7.5/10

Intro

Hisenior is an experienced IEM company from China that specialize in monitor and on-stage custom IEMs for years then begin to widen their IEM catalog with universal custom in-ear (UIEM) like the now classic T2, which is dual knowles BA IEM that truely blow my mind in term of sound value (monitor way).

Today i will review their first release for the ''Wild nature'' serie which is the 1DD+6BA hybrid IEM call Hisenior Okavango.

This ''Wild nature'' serie is aimed for audiophile and audio enthusiast seeking non neutral nor monitor pupose musicality, and will cover different sound signature that are more experimental adn audacious than T or Mega serie which follow a more neutral balance, safer in balance too.

Hisenior describe their tuning goal as follow:

''

Okavango Design Inspirations​

• Okavango HYBRID 7-DRIVERS IN-EAR MONITOR is the 1ST IEM in the newest and professional WILD-NATURE series, named after the world's largest inland Desert Delta.
• We design, and we hope OKavango can be a SoundOasis for you where you can get clear, profound, dynamic, and relaxed music anywhere you need it. Just like the Okavango Delta, a life Oasis for creatures living there.

Sound​

• Okavango Hybrid has 7-drivers on each side, and a 4-Ways integrated crossover tuned in-ear monitor.
• Okavango has a more dynamic and balanced natural sound and offers a softer presentation of a mix. Beautiful upper-highs imaging, superior highs extension up to 30Khz, realistically presenting instruments like guitars and piano as well as breathing life into saturated mid-bass mixes.''

Let see in this review if all this translate into a good sound performance and enjoable musicality.

CONSTRUCTION&ACCESSORIES



The construction of Okavango is excellent. It's made of thick medical grade resin plastic and have an eye catching backplater that no other IEM have. The side has a solidly embeded switch with venting port under it that can't be block unwantingly, a proof of well done desigh. The nozzle is made of metal and isn't too thick which permit wide variety of eartips choice and fit, these can be both used deep or shallow fit way.
Sure, with such birght glossy green color and pattern, these aren't low profile IEM so in term of aesthetic it's an audacious move yet feedback i see everywhere are positive. I love the look quite alot.

The included cable is a big plus, it's a very good quality modular cable with all 3.5, 2.5 and 4.4 detachable plugs. It's a 4 coresOCC silver plated litz structure cable with a sturdy built, flexible and soft finit and not justifying urgent upgrade for quite a while due to it's versatile nature. Very very nice cable.



Then the packaging come in a nice rectangular box so fullfill with goodies it's near too much. Hisenior certainly goes all-in in term of accessories and this worth an applause yet perhaps inflict on final price too. Nonetheless, those aren't accessories that will take dust or go to trash, the carrying case itself worht 30$ and is best carrying case ever, so even the price is a good deal and I suggest audiophile to give it a loo here: https://www.hisenior-iem.com/products/protect-pelican-case

Its a thick pelican case that is truely shock proof, it will survive upcoming third worldwar or apocalypse gloriously so next gen of martian can enjoy your Okavango too. I really love the inside puch too, so you can put accessories like eartips, tuning nozzle and modular plugs without risking of loosing them. I can't rave enough about this carrying case built like a tank, i own different type of pelican case from Fiio, Oriolus and Shure and none of those come close to this one.







Yes those are all eartips you got with the Okavango. Again, extremely welcome since we never have enough and here it cover all type of shape and bore size, it even include the wide bore Tennmak Whirlwind, an eartips that can be very usefull for IEM with big nozzle. Officialy Hisenior product page show 8 pairs of silicone eartips and 2 pairs of memory foams eartips, but you might get more. Other accessories are cleaning clothes and tool. Cable clip of good quality. Febos sticker. Can we ask for more? Nope, I think we are more than spoil here.

SOUND IMPRESSIONS



The overall tonal balance of Okavango can go from warm and very bassy U shape with seismic wide slam (switch 1up 2down) to balanced bright W shape with mellow in impact but gently boosted sub bass and forwards crunchy upper highs (1D2UP).

Simply put the Okavango switch 1 hd sub bass boost while switch 2 add upper mids presence and treble edge (around 8khz) boost.

Whatever switch choice, those are bassy sounding but can go from gently punchy to plain boomy. Due to hybrid drivers configuration, even when resonant bass boom occurs we don’t enter macro muddyness territory but it will affect how clean is overal spatiality still.

The bass intensity of impact is situated in between sub and mid bass where the boom blossom in headroom, this add a sense of thin resonant rumble that can go rarely thick but when it happen it’s when sweet spot of this bass is hitted, it can happen with electric bass grunt as well as synth bass, never happen with acoustic instrument like double bass or cello which sound rather thin. It’s evident Hisenior struggle with proper bass response now that I've heard 4 of their IEMs, it either aims for too much transparency like with T2 or too warm thickness like with Mega5 and T4. Here it tries to go all in bassy a bit like with 7HZ Legato which get a thin vast slam that have plenty of impact but lack proper corpulency.
This is thunderous bass without the juice that should fuel it from inside. Ultimately, I can't enjoy this kind of bass that feels detached and in competition with other drivers instead of being in harmony with them. This is why i don’t consider it warm nor lush, it’s mechanical, it’s there and boom. It’s textured in presence but colorless.
As well, kick drums sound light in impact when acoustic, so this bass shines with soul, R&B or anything not too speedy using digital kick that has a lower bass than acoustic instrument.
I can’t find anything to say about this low end apart from it slam wide and stretch spatial perception limit, for the better or the worst.

The mids could be great if it wasn’t for an upper mids presence spike that had a bit of sibilance as well as BA timbre that I can’t get used to. It’s brightish but not shouty mids, barely lush but not there due to a boosted sense of openness and transparency. So the resolution and layering is great but tone is off for a lot of instruments, especially trumpet and sax but male vocals are unbalanced in texture and feel overly bright and not embraced by proper natural lower mids warmth.
The piano has light not weight and a compressed timbre. Okavango aren’t mid centric at all so for those graph fanatics it will be a matter of debate I guess because when I choose to review them I think I would get lush warm well focused vocals but it’s more about presence boost here.
The attack is speedy and snappy and even with this bass resonance that decay alot, the bleed is so thin and transparent it doesn't veil crispness of macro dynamic.
When you go 10 switch choose, mids get a notch lusher and smoother but this isn’t solving the texture edge and slight BA timbre.


The treble is the highlight of the Okavango, unless you're into its bass flavor that is very dominant.
With all those balance armature for highs we have a very articulated macro clarity where percussions has their own space and are sharply rendered with plenty of crunch and even a hint of brilliance when needed, but this doesn’t mean these are sustain in sparkle and that it shine with acoustic guitar, the brilliance don't blossom in they air and is inherent to BA timbre so metallic instrument will get a rough sparkle to it, not something i'm very found of.
Micro details amount is very generous and multi layered, they can cohabit together without mixing up.
With treble switch on, crash cymbals can go splashy and overly energetic, but it’s not that intense.
Like with most BA, attack as a slight euphonic edge, drum rolling will be affected by this, it will not have proper silence between speedy hits. But man, I'm nitpicking so hard here. The fact is that the treble is analytical without going plain trebly or unbalanced, it can make percussions dominate mids instrument and piano sound louder in higher than lower harmonic but we aren’t in plain disaster here.
We are into a mix of dry and energetic treble with a pinch of rough sparkle.
The snare sounds less loud than clap and metallic percussion which can affect sense of rhythm coherence.
Anyway, I expect better treble balance with Hisenior but we are into basshead meet treble head with those Okavango.

The soundstage is for me the main highlight of Okavango, it's very wide and deep though depth can be get bass resonance fog. It's holographic and out of your head. We have proper tallness too and the stage doesn't feel compressed nor make the macro resolution.

The imaging isn’t bad at all, especially in layering. But these aren't monitor IEM, bassist line aren't easy to track in fast busy track and feel a bit muddy and ''one tone''. Percussions are well extracted and easy to follow apart cymbals crash that can affect fine readibility with not of splashyness bleed.




COMPARISONS



VS TSMR X (2DD+4BA+1PR-400$)

The X offers a warmer and darker W shape balance which feels smoother, more buttery and natural in balance.

The bass is chunkier and weightier, both mid and sub bass has more corpulency, attack is less boomy and more flexible. Slam has less resonance and lower mids are feed by warmth instead of getting veil by inner acoustic resonance that isn’t part of recording, bass line are juicer and more tactile with more natural tone and less presence boost that favor texture over substance more with the thinner boomier bass of Okavango which ultimately sound more out of place and more detached than more liquid, warmer tone of X.

The mids are lusher, warmer and thicker, more natural in timbre, less edgy and prompt to sibilance as well as slightly darker than dryer and thinner mids of Okavango. Oka is more transparent and open sounding in mids, it has more BA timbre grain and less cohesive transition in terms of lower mids which are less present. Mids attack has more bite and is overall crisper but more recessed too.

Treble is leaner and less crunchy with the X, the Okavango has more air around percussions as well as more accent in attack lead, level of micro details is superior too. It sounds thinner and more grainy too, it’s not as refined in both balance and timbre matching as the darker X.

The soundstage is similar in width, but taller and more holographic with the X, while it’s deeper and a notch airier with the Oka.

Imaging of both these IEMs isn't their main highlight, but the Oka have a more edgy definition of instrument presence as well as more space between them, so I conclude it’s superior in this department.

All in all, both musicality and balance coherence goes to X hands down, while technical performance can be concluded as on par yet the bass quantity and quality is superior with X as well as its impact control is less resonant and sloppy. Balanced armature used are superior too in terms of distortion and timbre, but tuning isn’t as analytical on top, it’s not as spiky in treble region which dig out more percussions and micro details presence with the Okavango.

VS SOUNDRHYME SR7 (1DD+6 knowles BAs-350$)

Those 2 are quite similar leaning toward bassy W shape, but the SR7 is warmer and lusher, a notch more mid centric as well as less crisp and airy on top.

The bass packs more mid bass punch, it’s chunkier and warmer and better rounded but not as clean in layering. Oka has a bit more sub bass extension and focus, rumble and slam is wider in impact, not as hard kicking, making OKa feel more U shape in balance.The resonance is looser but stays in background and overall bass is more transparent and a bit thinner.

Mids are thinner and brighter with Oka, it's more prompt to slight sibilance and male vocal sound less bodied and natural, more edgy and affected with cheaper BA timbre. This is where we know SR7 use superior knowles BA, their a plasticky presence abrasivity more evident with Oka, SR7 mids are lusher and both male and female vocal are less grainy in presence and more buttery in upper mids. It’s not as clear and detailed as a notch warmer-darker.

Treble is crunchier and thicker with SR7, again less affected with metallic BA timbre which tend to make Oka sound more snappy and edgy and brilliant with percussions which are more upfront and we have more air and sense of openness too. Micro details are slightly superior with Oka too but overall treble isn't as organically cohesive, its spikier with Oka.

Soundstage goes to Oka without a doubt, its notably wider, taller and deeper, sense of openness is more airy but you're not as invested in center stage as more mid centric SR7.

Imaging is near on par but Oka get upper hands in macro clarity, kick drum is more easy to track with SR7 while percussions are better separated and due to bigger soundstage instrument separation has wider space between them.

While technical performances are near on par, the tonal balance goes to SR7 due to more natural timbre and less edgy upper treble.

VS PENON DOME (1DD+3 knowles-sonion BAs-350$)

The Dome is warmer, lusher, smoother and more mid centric to balanced V shape. Here the Okavango sounds both boomier and more W shaped.

The bass is thicker and more vibrant in rumble, their more grunt and meat to bass line which sound more elastic and natural, less boomy than more resonant and dry bass of Oka.

Mids while warmer are fuller in tone, all instrument suddenly sound full bodied as well as denser and softer in timbre, this make trumpet and sax sound more boxy-shouty with Oka, male and female vocal are way more enjoyable and better rounded in smooth presence too with Dome. Oka offer brighter and cleaner mids, again thinner and edgier, more sibilant too.
For timbre lovers, the choice is easy here.

The treble is darker and leaner with the Dome, it doesn't attract as much attention as spikier and edgier and well ...splashier treble of Oka. Dome is more laid back and lush on top, not as speedy and snappy-spiky.

Soundstage goes again to Okavango, while wideness is similar and Dome can feel a bit taller due to more intimate proximity with center stage and mids, it's not as airy and holographic nor as deep.

This means imaging is sharper again with Okavango, it's more evident in busy tracks where the sound layering is less warmed and mushy in macro rendering.

All in all, bass quality is superior with Dome and tonal balance is way more musical, natural, mids are not as sibilant and thin too overall technical performance is inferior even if bass is more boomy and detached.

CONCLUSION



The Hisenior Okavango are both fun sounding and technicaly potent IEM that deliver bassy W shape musicality that doesn't sound like anything else on the market. They choose a peculiar soundsig that will mostly appeal fans of pop, electronic, R&B and rap but i wouldn't suggest those for classical or jazz as well as pure vocal or mid range lover, in that regard the Mega5 or T4 are better bet due to more natural and better rounded timbre.

The Okavango is refreshing both in look and sound and include incredible amount of good quality accessories.

Recommended.

--------------------------------------------

PS: I want to thanks Hisenior for sending me this review unit. As always, i have no affiliation nor any sens of gratitude ''ill scratch your back if you scratch mine'' that can inflict with my sound impressions and opinions.

You can order the Okavango for 300$ here:
https://www.hisenior-iem.com/products/okavangouniversal

Hisenior Okavango review.

A white sand beach on a sparkling green sea comes to life inside my mind every time I listen to the Hisenior Okavango. The beautifully designed faceplate would surely win in a beauty contest, luckily the sound quality is on par with its beauty.

The packaging (see photo) is excellent and better than some much more expensive sets; the included modular cable is thick and feels high quality; it is also better than some more expensive sets; and there are a lot of eartips included. It incliudes a sturdy plastic storage case. This is remarkable. The in-ear monitors themselves feel very high in quality, and upon closer inspection, the finish is perfect and seems to be highly scratch-resistant. Nope, I didn't try to scratch them; it just feels that way due to the absence of any micro scratches. It is very comfortable to wear using the included tips.



Synergy and sources used:

The Hisenior Okavango, which retails for 299 US dollars, is quite sensitive to the quality of the sources being used; it can scale up in sound quality with higher quality sources and thus deserves the best source that you have. I tried my dongle DACs and headphone amplifiers with good results, but I found it to sound best with very detailed sources such as my Fiio M15s, which now have the new firmware number V1.06 that improved the sound noticeably from the previous firmware, so for this evaluation, I use the M15s the majority of the time with the 4.4mm balance connection.

Sensitivity, Power handling and distortion:

The Hisenior Okavango can take a lot of power without obviously distorting. The sensitivity is average, and all my dongle DACs have no problems driving it.

The switch settings:

There are four possible combinations of the switches; of the four, I only like two, which are the up, up, and down, down positions. I will do the evaluation with those two switch positions separately.



The up up switch positions:

It has a moderate V-shaped sound signature and is really enjoyable to listen to. It effortlessly put me in toe-tapping mode while listening to music at high volume with the Fiio M15s, regardless of the genre. It is quite engaging.

The bass has a slight energetic boost and sounds very tight and detailed, never becoming overbearing; it carries excellent punch and has quick decay, but not so quick that it loses the sub-bass drama; it is very easy to differentiate the textures of different bass guitars or bass instruments and bass drums used in different songs; it sounds almost like a monitoring IEM in the bass but with a little fun boost.

The midrange is a little recessed and sounds really clean; it is easy to hear the vocals and the texture of the singer's voice; the presentation of the vocals is neither too distant nor too close, just enough to sound clear without making you feel claustrophobic.

The treble has good extension and healthy energy and articulation, but it's not perfect. I can hear a little peak and dip in the treble frequency response, but it still sounds good overall. I'm just nitpicking.

The soundstage is big and out of the head, and the imaging performance is good; you can easily pinpoint where the instruments are coming from, but not as defined as some of the best I've heard in this regard. The image projection and holography are also good.

The down down switch positions:

The frequency response is quite neutral and flat, making it ideal for monitoring sound in a recording studio while being musical and vibrant at the same time, unlike some with this sort of tuning, which sound boring.

The bass is very punchy with a lot of details and a little more fucosed on the mid-bass than the sub-bass, but it is not devoid of sub-bass; the low bass extension is still very audible.

Unlike most IEMs or headphones that have monitoring tuning, the mids on the Okavango are free of coloration and nasality in the vocals. The midrange is lush and complete-sounding, and the vocals are very clear and detailed. This is one of the best-sounding neutral midranges I've heard.

The treble is pretty neutral with a little spice and somewhat lacking a little extension in the uppermost part. It sounds very clean, but you have to be careful with source matching as it can become a little dark when paired with dark or less airy sounding sources. It is perfectly matched with my Fiio M15s, which has an excellent and better than most extension in the upper treble.

The sound stage is big with good holography in the imaging. I find that the sound staging, imaging, and holography are better with this switch setting compared to the up up setting. If I had to choose only one setting, this would be the one I'd choose, as I find this more natural sounding.



Pros:

- Beautiful design
- excellent fit and finish
- excellent packaging
- excellent accessories
- great sound quality
- non-fatiguing sound
- soundstaging
- imaging

Cons:

- none for the price
- but if I were to nitpick, perhaps it could benefit from a smoother treble.


Conclusion:

Hisenior is a very underrated company and deserves much more attention and market share, in my opinion. When you see, touch, and listen to Hisenior Okavango, you'll understand why. I have nothing but praise for Hisenior for making such an amazing-looking and great-sounding IEM at a very reasonable price, and thus I highly recommend it.

Happy Listening! Cheers!

Disclamer​

The Hisenior Okavango is a loaned unit from Dream Audio Store here in Indonesia. They have no input on what I'm supposed to say about the HiSenior Products and the opinion is completely my own. However, as a token of gratitude, I will link them Here. I also want to thank Mr Gareth from HiSenior for giving me the contact of Dream Audio and making all of this possible. For ordering and more information of HiSenior Okavango, you can click here. Both links are NON affiliated links.

Design​

Named after a delta in Africa, the design does resemble pictures from the Internet. Green with a little bit of sandy brown. The green part is made of resin and the sandy brown is actually stabilized wood, a representing design for sure.

The Okavango's fitment design is a semi-custom ergonomic, a middle ground of universal fitment and custom fitments. This shape offers a sealing inside of you ears and theoretically should be more comfortable. While, the Okavango is actually comfortable to my ears, putting them on is another different story. I guess it's just the nature of Hybrid IEMs, the fittings can be a little awkward since they're usually larger than IEMs with single drivers or less drivers than the Okavango.

Sound​

The First Impression I got about them is that they sound off, they don't sound as clean as the PhoenixCall I reviewed a while ago. However, they are cleaner than my usual Zero:Red. Turns out, the issue was that the Okavango was in the Bass+ configuration. Bass+ configuration does not suit me very well due to it having a lot of midbass and not enough treble. But we will get back to the switches in the later section.

My second note I have about the Okavango is on the treble, while the treble is pretty good, there seems to be an absence of some frequencies in some of the mixes I listen to, notably in Barracuda by Heart, in some part of the song, there is an acoustic guitar strumming along in the background. While it is definitely not supposed to be prominent, playing it with the Okavango pushed it slightly backwards making the sound incredibly small and barely noticeable. Similar issue is also present in Babymetal's Karate, but instead of an acoustic guitar it is a tapping of electric guitars. Perhaps this is all a nitpick but, I think it is worth noting if you want to hear more details in your playlist(s).

The other nitpick that I have, is that the female vocals are a bit less forward and sparkly compared to something like the Blessing 3, PhoenixCall, or the Variations. Compared to the PhoenixCall, the treble performance also has slight less bite but at the same time, the Okavango sounds more natural compared to the PhoenixCall.

Personally, I don’t have any notes about the Mids, it sounded lush and good most of the time. Coming from something with a significant mid scoop. I find The Okavango is more versatile than the PhoenixCall. Okavango works really well for a lot of Metal and Rock tracks. Vocals got a lot of body to them, giving it a weighty feeling to the notes.

The bass performance of the Okavango is what you expect from a V-tuned IEM. Personally, I find the bass performance of the Okavango helps a lot creating a sense of wide soundstage while having a decent texturing . However, it’s not all sunshine and rainbows. As the sub-bass of the Okavango feel slightly lacking from what I prefer. The kickdrums in my opinion are not defined (punchy) enough to what I’m used to. However, this is probably another nitpick as I enjoy the versatility of the Okavango.

4K to 6K dip ?​

ToneDeafMonk's Okavango Frequency response graph here

This perhaps explains where the acoustic guitar strumming in Barracuda by Heart and electric guitar tapping in Karate are gone to when I talked about them earlier. Personally, this might be a double-edged sword as it causes the Okavango to be less fatiguing while sacrificing in some of that detail retrieval and some weight to cymbals.

My theory is that the Okavango is actually designed to be a stage IEM, where it is aimed to be extra comfortable and not fatiguing for long sessions. The 4k to 6k dip maybe an attempt by HiSenior to reduce the chance of treble fatigue in that scenario. Personally, I find the Okavango comfortable and enjoyable to wear for a long period of time.

Switches​

The Okavango has 2 switches on the back of the IEM, next to the vent holes on each sides. It is marked with the number '1' and '2', with 'On' for the point of reference if the switches are switched on. The Okavango is my first time reviewing an IEM with Switches and I think it delivers, as the tuning switches changes the sound and feel of the Okavango.




When I first got them, the Okavango is on the Bass+ Configuration. I personally find them not my kind of thing as I find the bass slightly overpowers the Treble and mids, giving a sense of too much bass for my preferences.

The Balanced works the best for me, as the Balance offers a more balanced presentation of both bass and treble without being overpowered in either ends. The Balanced Configuration is my go-to for most of my listening sessions.

To be completly honest, I didn't try the Vocal+ Configuration that much, however on some occasion where I feel like it could use a little more sparkle. The Vocal+ delivers a sparklier and livelier vocals.

The Soundstage+ works really well with movies, I watched Dune 2 and Episode 13 of Star Wars: The Bad Batch. The Soundstage+ works really well at giving a 3D space and feeling of a wide soundstage as if You are watching them in with a set of Home Theatre or speakers. Well, technically it would be better with speakers and in cinema but for a portable setup, the Soundstage+ is really good for movies.

TL;DR​

The Okavango is an IEM from HiSenior/Febos. It is a 7 drivers hybrid, consisting of 6 Balance Armature Drivers and a Single Dynamic Driver. While the fitting was rather awkward, it is worth noting that most Hybrids or multiple drivers IEM seems to always fit a bit weird. To be fair, the Okavango is actually very comfortable for prolonged listening session. The inclusion of switches are nice, offering a variety of options for the user. Overall, I’m satisfied with the Okavango, the Tonality are A- for me and B for technicalities. Technicalities in the form of detail retrieval could use a little bit of work. However, the imaging, soundstaging, and instrument separation are good enough to impress me.

Video Review​

Some of The Music I Enjoy with The Okavango​