Today we’re reviewing the Shozy Elsa Custom IEM. It is selling for $749.
Disclaimer: The Shozy Elsa review sample was arranged directly with Shozy. The review reflects my sincere opinion, as always.
Shozy
If you have no information about Shozy, then you must have been away from the hobby for a long time. They’re making their names with price/performance products for a considerable amount of time. We have reviewed several Shozy products from different budget levels already. For the premium segment, Lieven reviewed their hybrid electrostatic offering, the Pola39 as below:
A lot of Shozy products have made it to our recommended list such as the Hibiki MK2, V33, Rouge, Pola39, and Form 1.4 Why? It’s simple. They offer great value for money. Shozy is quite sensitive about keeping the prices low. Even their premium Pola39 model is below the market average when you check out similar IEMs.
Also, I reviewed their latest unorthodox, open-back IEM project, the Shozy Black Hole, just below:
Based in Hong Kong, Shozy’s offerings stand out with distinctive design language. They offer very good build quality with their products at the same time. They also want to change and influence the market with very competitive price tags. However, this time we’re checking out an upper mid-fi class IEM in a custom form.
Shozy Elsa
The Shozy Elsa is a universal/custom IEM with a conventional 5BA internal design, consisting of Knowles drivers. Unlike the recent Shozy IEMs, they’re offering a custom option for the Elsa, and you have hundreds of possible design combinations.
Shozy also used a Japanese solder material, high purity OFC internal wires, Tantalum capacitors, and a medical-grade resin material for the shells. The driver distribution is 1 BA for bass and dual drivers for mids and treble.
You can have both custom and universal variants with the Elsa. For custom design options and faceplates, you can check the colours here and here.
Package Content
Shozy provides a grey and small carrying case which is the same as previous offerings. That’s it when it comes to content for this CIEM. You can have this IEM in universal form as well, so you’ll get at least 7-8 pairs of ear tips in that case.
The unboxing experience is quite boring for this kind of a CIEM though. At least the carrying case could’ve been different for the custom unit. Shozy also offered the same content for their Black Hole, which wasn’t enough for the asking price of 799$, to be honest, and it’s the same for Elsa. It’s quite underwhelming overall.
Design
Shozy handled the design part themselves so I didn’t have any say on the matter. Charles said it was going to be a surprise. And indeed, it is a surprise. The faceplate has an aluminium-metal like finish that looks like an aluminium foil. It reflects different colours depending on the light conditions. It’s mostly pink and purple though.
I would’ve liked clearer shells with a more transparent look, instead of smoky grey. But of course, this is a personal matter. It still looks very nice and authentic.
Build Quality
The build quality is very good for a CIEM of this calibre, and I couldn’t find any real flaws in it. This is my first experience with a Shozy CIEM, and I have to say that they did a great job overall. That clean and shiny surface impresses for sure.
There’s just one glue mark on the corner of the big bass driver for sticking it to the shell. And even that is a tiny mark, so this is very good and clean craftsmanship. The other parts of the CIEM are perfectly clean as well. One thing I liked about it is the nozzle design. Just like the brands like Vision Ears and Softears, the acoustic bores have a recessed design, making them clear of possible earwax build up.
I’ve been criticizing the stock cables of Shozy and seems not much has changed here. The cable that comes with the Elsa has a very boring brown colour. It doesn’t give you a “wow” feeling when you compare it to the shell design. I’m sure Shozy can come up with much better-looking cables with better feeling and touch. For this price level, an AliExpress type of cable doesn’t cut it.
Fit & Isolation
After experiencing many different CIEM manufacturers’ work over the years, I think Shozy offers one of the best custom-fit experiences in the market. This is one of the most comfortable CIEMs I’ve ever had, if not the most.
I think Shozy nailed the perfect balance between a snug, hence isolating fit and the comfortable, somewhat ”loose” fit. It’s just in the middle of those two opposites, achieving the optimum point. I have more isolating CIEMs for sure, but none of them is this comfortable.
I honestly did not expect this from Shozy, as it’s not a famous CIEM brand at all. Yet, they certainly showed their capability and talent here, at least in my case. Job done.
Page 2: Sound
Page 3: Comparisons, Conclusion
