This and That:
Simple cardboard box that contains the Cygnus, a nice carrying case and one pair of foam covers with a hole in the centre. Even though the carrying case is really nice, the amount of accessories is rather disappointing at this price point.
The shell design is something that I really like, and the silky smooth white surface is also nice to touch.
The silver cable is definitely a highlight and super supple, and it also appears very premium; it appears to be (almost) identical to that of my Ultimate Ears Reference Monitors. It's even got a chin-slider.
Sound:
I'm using the Cygnus with low impedance sources.
Tonality:
With Foam Covers:
Foam covers with a hole in the centre have one big advantage over regular foam covers: they create a good seal but because of the hole in the centre, the sound waves are less blocked, wherefore the sound quality is better and the treble won't be attenuated as much.
The Cygnus’ sound is what I’d describe as full, gentle, smooth and dark.
Let’s talk sine sweeps: the lows’ emphasis starts around 650 Hz and rises towards 110 Hz where the climax is reached. It is kept upright down to 90 Hz and then starts to roll off; there is not too much going on below 60 Hz and although there is still a bit of audible rumble around 35 Hz, the lowest registers are clearly in the background and covered by the midbass and upper bass when listening to music instead of sine sweeps.
The sound is quite mature, seems more like out of an in-ear instead of earbuds; the lower fundamental range and upper bass between 100 and 200 Hz are on the fuller, punchy side, however without much spillage into the lower mids that are somewhat lifted but not really negatively coloured or unnaturally warm but only show gentle, natural warmth.
Compared to an in-ear with a diffuse-field bass response the Etymotic ER-4S, the bass is probably around 10 dB more present than neutral. It is not overwhelming but gives a good, impactful kick and compensates for low frequency masking when used outside (compared to the UERM, it would be around 7 dB north of neutral).
Voices are bit more on the darker and smoother side but not really coloured – they still sound very natural and pleasant.
Level past 1 kHz is in the background, giving the ‘buds that dark character, and is coming a bit back around 5 kHz but still stays below zero. After that, it is more in the background and shows an even roll-off above 12 kHz.
Overall tonality is natural, smooth and even. No annoying peaks, no steep dips. There is some impactful weight, warmth and body to low notes; the treble is never in the foreground but recessed.
Without Foam Covers:
The bass becomes less present (around 7 dB north of neutral compared to my ER-4S, around 4 dB compared to my UERM), the treble gains presence and is less in the background, but overall still very even, still smoothly in the background and almost flat, with two minor lifts around 6 and 10 kHz that are however just very slightly above zero. The mids are less dark, more neutral, but still on the smoother, slightly warmer side.
Personally, I definitely prefer the sound without the foam covers – the tuning is still nicely gentle and smooth, but the treble gains present wherefore it isn't as dark anymore, the mids are less dark as well, and the bass is less forward.
All in all, one can definitely say that the Cygnus is tuned exceptionally well.
Resolution:
With Foam Covers:
I’m quite positively surprised: I don’t really feel like I’m listening to earbuds but rather nicely open sounding in-ears. Very well done.
The bass attack is quite quick, with quite quick decay as well, so it isn't really soft but rather tight sounding for earbud standards, but has still got a nicely gentle, enjoyable body. Control is quite good as well, and for earbuds, the bass quality is really, really nice.
The midrange and treble resolve well as well, however voices could sound somewhat more intimate and the treble a bit better separated – it sounds a little diffuse.
Without Foam Covers:
Bass quality remains about identical, however the overall midrange and treble quality improve audibly. Without the foam covers, the Cygnus sounds really good and resolves very well, almost reaching the same performance as good in-ears in the $100 range, and lacks the diffuseness that is present when using it with the foam covers.
Soundstage:
With Foam Covers:
The oundstage is airy, with good depth and somewhat better than average width. Instrument placement is good for earbud levels. Instruments aren’t super sharply separated from each other but aren’t too blurry sounding either. The perception of space and depth is good; I don’t notice any congestion.
Without Foam Covers:
The soundstage becomes somewhat wider sounding and sounds a bit more even. Instrument separation improves somewhat as well, and the stage appears generally somewhat more precise and spacious.
Conclusion:
The Shozy Cygnus is a great product: smooth, natural and even sound, high resolution for earbud standards, very good cable, very good build quality.