Intro
I really enjoy when an audio company makes something that takes a unique or slightly different approach to things – I really do. A speaker with an inverted tweeter, passive radiators, multiple horns, or even a co-axial setup gets my audio juices going. Obviously, this also applies to in-ear monitors (IEMs) as well – oddball external designs, dynamic and balanced armature hybrids (before everyone was doing that), and all-together different ways to produce sound are music to my…well…ears.
“What does any of that have to do with the Shuoer Tape?” I hear you say?
Well, there’s only a few electrostatic driver IEMs out in the real world. Most of them take huge power to run, and this one doesn’t. The Tape can be powered even by your phone! That makes these somewhat rare and a little bit special.
Is it worth the money? Keep reading to find out!
Tech Specs
The astute of you will already be saying, “That’s not a real low voltage electrostatic driver!!” And you’re right. Technically, it’s a magnetostatic driver. What’s the difference? Who knows! I’m not an engineer and chances are, neither are you. All that matters is the sound, and it sounds so good.
Driver Configuration: Low-voltage Electrostatic Dynamic Driver
Sensitivity: 104dB/mW
Impedance: 18 ohm@ 1KHz
Frequency Response: 20Hz- 30KHz
Plug: 2.5mm Balanced Plug With a 2.5 to 3.5 Adapter
Connector: MMCX
What’s in the Box?
Coming back around to unique designs, the box it comes in is cylindrical and bright orange. It’s not exactly status quo with the packaging either!
The IEMs themselves are a full aluminium shell with a small vent. It’s very hard to tell if the vent is decorative or functional, but there is very minimal sound leakage. The shells are a little bit on the heavy side, especially when compared to plastic or resin shelled IEMs.
The Tape comes with a 2.5mm MMCX cable. I’m not sure why they chose to go with a 2.5mm cable instead of the standard 3.5mm, but it does come with a 2.5mm to 3.5mm adaptor. The adapter works great, although it does tend to make a mobile-friendly connection a bit bulky, especially with something like the FIIO BTR3. The cable is a bit stiff for my liking, it tends to catch on itself, and doesn’t hold its form very well.
The Tape also comes with a distinctive matte green metal carrying case. While it’s very nice to look at, you do have to wrap the cable pretty tight to get it all in there. Despite the smaller size, the case is too big to carry in your pockets. It’s definitely more for throwing into a bag.
Last, the Tape comes with two sets of identical silicon S, M, and L eartips. One set is black, the other is opaque white. The tips look and feel just like any set of generic ear tips that come with most cheaper IEMs.
Fit, Comfort, & Isolation
The stock fit with the provided eartips is pretty shallow. This combined with the weight of the shells make the Tape settle in my ears oddly until the rear of the shell rests on the backside of my ear. Honestly, in stock form, this was one of the most uncomfortable IEMs I have ever tried, even worse than the plus-sized KZ AS10.
However, finding some comfort was easy by switching to some longer tips from Cambridge Audio for the Melomania 1. These still aren’t going to win any comfort contests as I can’t wear them for more than an hour or two maximum, but this is still an improvement from the stock tips.
As mentioned earlier, the vent is difficult to tell if it’s real or decorative. However, isolation is fairly good. It’s not the best out there, but they’re better than wearing open back headphones.
Sound
Overall
The Shuoer Tape has a slight U-shaped sound. This means that the bass is elevated as well as the treble. If you look at Crinacle’s frequency response graph, it looks like an exaggerated V-shaped sound. Here is a good instance of the graph not telling the whole story. Both the bass and treble extend all the way to their respective ends (low and high). As seen in the graph, there is a very big 3.5kHz spike. Similar to the Shozy BGs, this can make the timbre seem…a little odd at first. After a few songs, my brain adjusts and it’s all good from there.
If you’re looking for a neutral-flat type of IEM, this isn’t it. The overall sound signature is very musical and fun, but it’s not reference flat – they remind me of listening to 90’s Klipsch speakers. In other words, the Tape has character over clinical flatness.
Speed, transparency, and detail are the Tape’s secret weapon. So far in my audio journey, I’ve never heard IEMs that have all three of these and do them so darned well. Honestly, the detail is exceptional for its price and would give the almost double-priced Shozy BG’s a really good run for the money – they are that good.
Bass
As previously stated, the bass is slightly elevated, but not overwhelming. We’re not talking basshead levels here. Although, it’s certainly there and not thin or veilled. It doesn’t muddy the mids at all and keeps away from them excellently. It extends all the way down, hitting even the deepest notes with ease. The bass is tight, fast, lightly textured, and just gives a hint at making things feel almost warm. In a way, the bass sounds like it’s coming from all the best parts of a really, really good dynamic driver – but slightly smoother and less punchy.
Mids
With a generic U or V shaped sound, mids can feel set way back or play second stage to the bass and treble. However, while the bass and treble are most definitely elevated with the Tape, it doesn’t necessarily mean the mids are recessed or hard to hear. Again, speed and detail are there, they’re just slightly less upfront than the others.
With the Cambridge Audio Melomania 1 tips on the Tape, the mids aren’t quite as pronounced as the bass and treble, but they’re not hiding either. They’re still quick and detailed, although not at the very forefront. Again, the Tape is not a strongly mid-forward design.
Treble
Wow…just wow! The treble definitely has that sparkle-factor to it. It’s not hot and fatiguing as elevated treble can be. That 3.5kHz spike does do some strange and good things to the treble. The timbre could be slightly better, as it can sound slightly thin or tinny. However, that treble spike also helps give an incredible sense of detail. In this case, I gladly welcome that spike and lean into the detail it provides.
Luckily, the 3.5kHz spike drops off quickly and the Tape never lands in sibilance territory, unlike the Fiio FH1S. I definitely tend to prefer this style of sound signature of treble – it reminds me of the Shozy BG. While most IEMs start to drop off, the Tape keeps the treble going. But, I wouldn’t call the Tape bright by any means. It finds the balance that keeps it from being muted or too bright. Shuoer really nailed it here.
Soundstage & Imaging
The Tape’s soundstage is very wide for an IEM, almost as wide as the Tin Hifi T2. Whereas the T2 starts to lose the center imaging because of its excessive width, the Tape retains a good center image. A truly impressive feat for an IEM! While the width is excellent, the height and depth seem average. This makes instruments feel like they’re all only a few feet away from each other, as if they’re on a small, semi-wide stage that’s just too small for the amount of instruments.
Synergy
Unlike most electrostatic drivers, there is absolutely no need for a huge powered amp to power these. A typical phone will deliver more than enough power for the Tape. However, if you plug the Tape into a DAC/Amp, they will beautifully scale up to the source.
When connected to the FiiO Q1, the Tape turns slightly warmer, smoother, and transparency increases. The soundstage gets wider and the left and right channel separation increases.
Plugging in the Tape to a Schiit Fulla speeds them up even more – something you wouldn’t expect to be possible, and turns up the detail another whole notch.
Conclusion
The Shuoer Tape truly is remarkable, especially for its price. Speed, transparency, and detail are remarkable and punch way above what the price would suggest. Even with a “U” shaped sound signature, it’s incredibly smooth and rewarding to listen to.
While I had fitment/comfort issues, some old-fashioned tip-rolling made most of that go away. If the Tape was more comfortable out of the box, this would be the number one IEM that I would recommend to almost anyone starting out on an audio journey.
The Tape is so musical, that it is addicting – everything sounds so good and incredibly smooth. While I have plenty of other IEMs that are technically better in most regards (and much more expensive), I keep coming back to these. Honestly, this is one of the best price-performance-ratios I have ever come across.