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Sound
The sound of the Shozy Ceres is dark-ish with recessed mids and a warm approach. It’s a different tuning than what we had seen from Shozy, and it’s certainly not an all-rounder. But, it has some good qualities as well, especially for the price.
It’s a very resolving and detailed IEM with a warm and smooth signature. I can say it’s suitable for genres like Pop, Instrumental and Classic Rock. It’s definitely not the IEM for more vocal-oriented music and Jazz though. It also offers good technical qualities, however, but the tuning is not for everyone.
Bass
The new affordable Shozy has a punchy bass and the heavy focus is on mid-bass. That’s why the tuning is not suitable for Jazz because it becomes a bit muddy when the contrabass notes take action. However, this is very good for Pop and RnB music because the bass is warm, punchy and satisfying. So it makes you tap your feet when listening to the songs with good cadence.
If Shozy’s target is the general consumer with this model, I’m quite OK with the bass. It has good texture and resolution here. The sub-bass area has a presence but the mid-bass focus is the dominating one. The overall quality of the bass is not bad in terms of speed, decay and texture. But I found the overall mid-bass quantity a bit over the edge. I recommend a pairing with a neutral source.
It has a good resolution in the bass with good detail. The impact is very satisfying as well. If you’re an audiophile who likes neutral presentation though, you might find this signature overwhelming.
Mids
The mid-bass dominance shifts your attention from the instruments and vocals when listening to music. It is somewhat distracting. So I think a fairly good mid-presentation is a bit spoiled by the mid-bass hump. Another thing that makes you lose your focus is the recessed mid approach. This might suit well for Pop or Trance but not so for other genres. The timbre and tonality are very good but you can’t enjoy that quality with the dominating mid-bass and recessed mids.
Mids are not very energetic or bright as a whole either. So you don’t get much clarity and transparency here. They’re rather on the back of the stage with some distance. The instrument separation is good and the instruments and vocals have good positioning. But the recessed and distant approach pretty much kills off whatever has been left.
Treble
The treble is airy and transparent, as it’s perhaps the best thing in the Ceres. The definition of the treble is good as well as its resolution. Highs also have good attack and dynamism. Unlike the midsection, this area has much more freedom to shine. The extension and definition are very good in particular, and highs extend very well with great detail for the price.
There’s great control in this area as well. Treble is not too aggressive or too crispy here, it instead plays breathy with good enough shimmer. I liked this treble presentation because it’s very natural but lively at the same time with good energy without being too bright. Overall Ceres is a fairly good performer in this region.
Page 1: About Shozy and Ceres
Page 3: Comparisons, Conclusion
