Review: Cozoy Hera C103 – A Bit More

Fit

Once you find the right silicone tips, the Hera is fabulously comfortable for general usage, and I also found out that it blocks the outside noise pretty well. I usually rely on over-the-ear IEMs for isolation, but the Hera actually pulls of a very nice job in this department.

In addition, despite having a metal structure, the earpieces are nicely light so the comfort level is great. Overall this earphone was quite a surprise for me and it crushed my prejudice about straight worn earphones. So it’s a great piece of work.

It’s not something like an iBasso IT04 with a semi-custom design, but for this kind of an earphone it does a great job. It reminded me of the Etymotic series with that deep insertion and flush fit. Of course the Etymotics go through further, almost to the extent of touching your brain, but the Hera is very nice with that relatively deep insertion and comfort.

Sound

The Cozoy Hera is a warm IEM that sounds full in the bass area while giving nicely bodied mids, together with a thick treble presentation. Overall it has positives and negatives of course, so let me explain in more detail.

Cozoy Hera

Bass

There’s a definitive subbass which hits nicely and with good impact. Midbass is on an ideal level, there’s no hump and that’s a good point for cohesiveness. The acoustic design certainly paid off here, as lows have a very nice decay and resolution. The mid bass is balanced out very nicely and that helps to prevent a muddy presentation and spoiling the mids.

Overall I think the Hera is a very nice performer in this part. However the subbass area is quite upfront and strong to be honest, sometimes taking over the whole sound when bassy tracks are played, so be aware of that.

Mids

Mid have good tonality, however they lack some resolution so the overall mid presentation is a little veiled. Transparency is not great herewith. The positive thing here is the timbre which is soft, touching and smooth. Mids have good body as well, sounding full and a little meaty.

These mids aren’t much in your face but they’re at an ideal distance from you. The Hera gets good points for realism, timbre, fullness, and positioning, but the mids could’ve had a bit more openness and clarity overall, with better transparency.

Treble

The treble area is the area that I found the Hera a little bit problematic in. The highs sound thicker than neutral, and the extension is not very good in my opinion. They have a realistic and good position in the stage as a whole just like the mids, but the overall resolution and air which you usually want to hear is not very apparent.

As a result, you don’t get much detail and extension, even though the micro detail level is not bad. This particular presentation unfortunately leads the Hera to sound congested and claustrophobic at times.

Cozoy Hera

Technical Performance

The stage is very nice in terms of width with the Hera. The depth is also nice but I found the width to be better when compared. Overall resolution is very well in the bass department but it’s not very good for the rest of the spectrum.

The separation performance is good for the price this IEM goes for. Overall the layering is nice as well, apart from the treble which sounds somewhat basic and there’s not much depth, detail or extension here.

Stereo imaging is very good but again the treble performance makes the Hera to pay a price here. The whole sound is more congested because of the thick and dark treble with low extension.

Summary

The Cozoy Hera is a very nice earphone if you’re on a search to find a nice straight IEM. It’s a very comfortable and a nicely built earphone, and it could be one of the answers for many, with a durable build and elegant design.

The sound has its problems here and there, mainly because of the treble and lack of resolution overall. Of course I didn’t expect a mid-fi performance in any way whatsoever from an earphone that costs this little, but there are some areas that they can still focus on and improve in.

So in the end it leaves me with mixed feelings but I have to admit I’m pretty spoiled when it comes to better sounding, higher end gear. I am sure this IEM is perfect for someone’s taste.