Intro:
The Anew U1 is a single dynamic driver in-ear by a seemingly unknown Asian manufacturer. With a price just somewhat above the $100 mark, it’s facing some strong, well-known and established competition, such as the DUNU’s Titan series in-ears (that will however not sound “right” in all ears, depending how much their vent holes are covered), the popular Shure SE215 or the iBasso IT01.
I’m trying to keep this review rather short but precise to the point.
Stuff regarding the In-Ear:
The placement of the vent hole that most dynamic driver in-ears have (one counterexample is the Shure SE215 that has got closed, unvented shells) and that is used by in-ear manufacturers to control the bass levels (either the sub- or midbass, depending whether it is located if front of or behind the driver) is done cleverly as it is not in the front but instead on the side of the shells wherefore the likelihood that the vent is covered after inserting the shells into one’s ears, which would either increase (front cavity vent) or decrease (rear cavity vent) bass quantity, is reduced.
Ear tip selection is good, however quality control doesn’t seem to be Anew’s strongest skill since some of the included tips arrived already damaged…
Quite surprising is that no storage solution is supplied – like nothing at all, not even a basic pouch. This is clearly not appropriate for the price; for more than $100 I definitely expect to find a storage case or pouch included with an in-ear.
As sort of a compensation, the cable that is included is of really high quality, doesn’t lack a chin-slider and is almost as sexy as the IT01’s (in fact the U1’s 3.5 mm plug and y-splitter are even sexier).
The Anew U1 is a single dynamic driver in-ear by a seemingly unknown Asian manufacturer. With a price just somewhat above the $100 mark, it’s facing some strong, well-known and established competition, such as the DUNU’s Titan series in-ears (that will however not sound “right” in all ears, depending how much their vent holes are covered), the popular Shure SE215 or the iBasso IT01.
I’m trying to keep this review rather short but precise to the point.
Stuff regarding the In-Ear:
The placement of the vent hole that most dynamic driver in-ears have (one counterexample is the Shure SE215 that has got closed, unvented shells) and that is used by in-ear manufacturers to control the bass levels (either the sub- or midbass, depending whether it is located if front of or behind the driver) is done cleverly as it is not in the front but instead on the side of the shells wherefore the likelihood that the vent is covered after inserting the shells into one’s ears, which would either increase (front cavity vent) or decrease (rear cavity vent) bass quantity, is reduced.
Ear tip selection is good, however quality control doesn’t seem to be Anew’s strongest skill since some of the included tips arrived already damaged…
Quite surprising is that no storage solution is supplied – like nothing at all, not even a basic pouch. This is clearly not appropriate for the price; for more than $100 I definitely expect to find a storage case or pouch included with an in-ear.
As sort of a compensation, the cable that is included is of really high quality, doesn’t lack a chin-slider and is almost as sexy as the IT01’s (in fact the U1’s 3.5 mm plug and y-splitter are even sexier).
Sound:
Used ear tips: only largest included clear silicone tips.
Used driving gear: only low impedance DAPs, DACs and Amps.
Tonality:
One could probably describe the U1’s tonality as “W-shaped” as it’s got a bass emphasis (that mainly concentrates on the sub-bass and low midbass), prominent mids that are quite “in your face”, and a peak each at 5 and 10 kHz.
Let’s break it down:
The bass starts to rise around 500 Hz and reaches its climax way down in the sub-bass around 40 Hz with about 11 dB in quantity compared to an in-ear with a diffuse-field flat bass tuning (Etymotic ER4S and ER4SR), therefore avoiding any warm spillage into the midrange. Overpowering, strong upper bass punches are also avoided as a result and the lows are really rather sub-bass-centric.
When it comes to warmth, the SE215 has the most, followed by the IT01. Then comes the U1 that has the least amount of warmth
The midrange…. The midrange. The midrange is a double-edged sword. It’s clearly emphasised, to a degree where the sound in the central frequency range is noticeably “in your face” and midcentric. This can become exhausting after longer listening sessions, and this also leads to an unnatural presentation at times.
Sometimes that midrange emphasis with the present presence range works really well and highlights vocals, whereas sometimes it is totally out of place and makes voices sound nasal and way too present.
It doesn’t get all that much better above that.
While the 3 kHz dip is welcome as it makes the overly present midrange and what comes above that at least somewhat more acceptable and tolerable on tracks where the tuning doesn’t work well, the 5.3 kHz peak makes the highs sound plasticky and metallic when a note hits that frequency band. The upper of the peaks is not problematic though as it’s thankfully placed high and has a softer character to it (cymbals aren’t harsh but even tend to be on the softer side).
Super treble extension above 10 kHz is excellent.
- - -
Well, yes…
About half of the time the tuning works and feels vibrant and lively, and highlights several aspects of a song positively. The other half of the time it’s just out of place and plasticky; anyway it’s no natural or realistic tuning. That midrange emphasis and 5 kHz peak are mainly responsible for that.
It might be that the U1 will be one’s flavour of the month, but I rather doubt that it will stay as one’s everyday in-ears in the long term after the initial excitement has faded away.
From experience I can say that you can get several in-ears with a fun-oriented tuning for the price of the U1, but they won’t make these mistakes.
Nope, the Anew U1’s tuning isn’t executed well.
Resolution:
The dynamic driver utilised in the U1 is capable but clearly held back by the tuning.
Just a few sentences about the technical performance since writing much about the U1 isn’t really worth it – the plasticky, imbalanced tuning just ruins it.
The bass is nicely clean and tight for a dynamic driver in-ear and doesn’t showcase any real softness, sluggishness or slowness. Is it better than the Shure SE215’s though? Not really. The Shure is already an in-ear with lows that are pleasantly tight, fast and controlled for dynamic driver standards, and the U1 is about on the same level (attack is where the Shure even has a slight advantage, but decay, speed and control are similarly good; as the Shure is tuned warmer though, the U1 doesn’t suffer from the SE215’s slight masking effects wherefore the Anew’s bass and low midrange appear subjectively a smidgen more detailed).
Midrange and treble separation are where the Anew is a bit ahead of the Shure though, with slightly better separation with fast and more complex tracks. That advantage is less than half of a class though.
While the U1 is an in-ear that is worth its money (but only for the resolution/driver’s capabilities – it’s ultimately definitely no recommendation (at all!) due to the artificial tuning), it doesn’t fully reach the iBasso IT01’s level of performance. Especially with more complex and faster music material, the IT01 shows its superiority when it comes to tightness, separation and control. Overall I’d describe the IT01 as being one class above the Anew. The only area where both may be roughly even is midrange resolution.
Soundstage:
Not small, not large. Bigger than “average”. Not as wide as the Shure’s. Spatial depth is present and there’s even a bit of layering. Overall still spherical.
Separation and placement are quite precise.
Conclusion:
Back to the drawing board with the Anew U1. The only good aspects are the shell design, build quality and cable (and that the technical qualities of the dynamic driver are adequate to good for the price). The tuning on the other hand is nothing that any manufacturer should be proud of.
Back to the drawing board with the Anew U1. The only good aspects are the shell design, build quality and cable (and that the technical qualities of the dynamic driver are adequate to good for the price). The tuning on the other hand is nothing that any manufacturer should be proud of.