Shozy Rouge Review

Technical Performance

Aside from its beautiful tonality, the IEM has good resolution, detail retrieval, and transparency. It has great coherency as well, all thanks to its well-balanced bass and treble reproduction combined with its realistic mids.

The overall control and separation are absolutely great for its price bracket as well. However, the best part about this IEM is its tonality & timbre in my opinion. I personally think that this aspect is passed over usually when evaluating gear, but it’s very very important in my book. So when an IEM like this -with a small price- performs this good in timbre, it automatically earns my respect. The instrument and vocal presentation of the Rouge are fabulous.

When it comes to sound-stage dimensions, the Rouge feels holographic with good depth and width. Those two are equally matched so the stage feels even and well rounded.

Comparisons

Etymotic ER2XR

The ER2XR might be the greatest IEM in the market today for what it can do for its price. And yes, I’m comparing it to the Shozy Rouge since I found the Rouge that good.

There’s not much to discuss in terms of build and fit. They’re extremely different IEMs in shape since the ER2XR’s unique design separates it from every other IEM out there. But I can say that they both fit very well and their isolation levels are great. The ER2XR is better though since it goes very deep.

Sound-wise the ER2XR is colorless and perfectly flat. The Rouge has a bit more mid-bass focus and more overall bass quantity. The ER2XR is somewhat analytical and reference sounding when compared to Rouge. Some may find it boring but it to me is a monster performer for the price.

The Rouge sounds a bit bigger and wider for the sound-stage.  They’re both very good in tonality but the ER2XR pulls away a little bit there. Overall; the ER2XR is technically stronger expect the sound-stage, but the Rouge is more musical and it has an eye-catching design. It’s not that behind the ER2XR for the sound as well.

Oriolus Finschi

The Finschi goes for the same price as the Rouge so it’s a direct competitor. Finschi has a V-Shaped sound with good attack and clarity. It has nice and punchy bass and boosted treble for some brightness. In mids, the Rouge simply outperforms it with its full-bodied approach and tonality though.

Overall the Rouge is also more coherent and its treble is more controlled despite having a similar kind of bite and cleanness. It has better layering, better sound-stage, and better positioning to me. So the Rouge is the winner here for me.

They both fit very well and they both have a good quality build. The design of the Rouge is something else of course.

Shozy BG

Whilst the BG lacks some bass quantity, the Rouge’s bass balance and quantity are certainly better than the BG.  The BG performs nicely with a flatter signature that suits genres like Classical, Vocal Jazz, Instrumental Music, and Classic Rock. The Rouge on the other hand performs impressively when it comes to these genres, but it also performs very well with popular mainstream music with its bass. So one can say that the Rouge is an all-rounder and the BG is not.

From a technical standpoint, the BG is still good except for its thin tonality, which is much better in Rouge in terms of body. So my advice would be that; choose depending on your favorite music. The BG is a good choice for classical for example, but if you’re into vocal Jazz, RnB or those kinds of music, the Rouge is a better choice, not to mention it is cheaper.

Conclusion

Shozy once again has put up an IEM that performs seriously good for the price. For me, it’s one of the few companies that didn’t jump on the bandwagon of releasing ridiculously priced IEMs one after another. So I think they deserve respect for what they do.

The Shozy Rouge is certainly recommended and you’ll not be disappointed. For 179$ you get a well-balanced presentation with very impressive clarity and resolution. The tonality is also great together with a definitive treble performance with great extension and articulation.

It rightfully enters to our Best Universal IEMs page, by removing the Oriolus Finschi from there for the same price. It simply doesn’t have any obvious weakness in its sound performance for the money. This makes it one of the best choices in the sub-$200 budget.

We will soon review the Form 1.4 model as well. Always check out Headfonia for more!

 

4.7/5 - (28 votes)
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A keen audiophile and hobby photographer, Berkhan is after absolute perfection. Whether it is a full-frame camera or a custom in-ear, his standpoint persists. He tries to keep his photography enthusiasm at the same level as audio. Sometimes photography wins, sometimes his love for music takes over and he puts that camera aside. Simplistic expressions of sound in his reviews are the way to go for him. He enjoys a fine single malt along with his favourite Jazz recordings.

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