Pros:
Clarity and resolution
Balanced mids
Deep and very well controlled bass
Imaging is excellent,
Staging is holographic
They look and feel great
Lovely braided modular cable
Great for all genres of music
Cons:
Supplied tips are of great quality but were a tiny bit harsh for my ears – would have liked to see a couple more sets
Nothing really else, especially at this price
Product links: https://store.hiby.com/products/project-ace-jp
Preamble:
The good man Steve at Hiby has kindly sent out the Project Ace Japan Special Edition iems for review with no expectations of a positive review – and that’s exactly what he’s getting.
The Project Ace Japanese Special Edition iems retail for $279 USD and employ a 12mm Dynamic driver, featuring a brand new Golden Ti Diaphragm with a 1.2T Dual Magnetic Core.
They have an impedance of 24 ohms and a sensitivity of 110 dB.
I like to add on all my reviews –
I’m listening with my dual-mono aural side-pancakes, not yours.
I’m listening with my gear, not yours.
I’m listening with my love of audio, and not yours. YMMV…..
Now let’s get our aural hands dirty!
Gear:
For the review, my portable gear consists of my Hiby R6 II Pro 2025 Dap (review VERY soon).
Unboxing and first impressions:
Flash box, looks premium. Black and gold. A large flashcard explains the inspiration behind them.
A user guide comes wrapped up nicely in card. Above that, 2 gorgeous black and gold hexagons adorn my peepers.
They’re, they’re elegant but not dainty, and they look great, with Hiby written on one and A written on the other and Cherry Blossoms represented as well. A particularly nice looking braided modular cable sits in a distinctive black leather case. The use L-connectors is a feature I like. There’s a free brush too but it’s gonna struggle to get through my luscious locks!!!! And it’s TINY!!!!!!
The tips are a special supplied set – 3 pairs of Waveguide Tube Liquid Silicone Ear Tips. I’m using large.
Ok then, let’s get cracking!
Playlist:
A tried and tested playlist this time around.
Stairway to Heaven (Remastered) – Led Zeppelin
Peacefield – Ghost
One – Metallica
Old Man - Beck
Don’t Start Now – Dua Lipa
Kings and Queens – Ava Max
Rebellion – R3HAB, Michael Patrick, Shaggy
Thorns – Jelly Roll
The Important Stuff:
I do love the look of the Project Aces. They’re simple but they look premium. The long nozzles help with ease of fit and the changing out of tips too. They sit nicely in my sonic side-flaps and I can easily get a good seal.
We’re starting off our aural journey mellow and serene. Mr Page is out left, clean and tight and there’s some subtle rustling before the recorder kicks in, from the right ear. Mr Plant comes in, right in the middle of my forehead, just beautifully positioned. I can hear the saliva on his lips. Ok, I’m listening loud but I can hear it.
Mr Page envelops my nut and Mr Jones comes in with keys behind me. Detail is excellent and separation is broad and well-placed.
Mr Page gets fired up and brings his buddy Mr Bonham in for a play. He comes in snappy and crisp but isn’t harsh. Mr Jones doesn’t want to be left behind so he revs up the lower regions too. Mr Plant starts showing off now, trying to get one over the band, but Mr Paige ain’t havin’ a bar of it. This is HIS song and he knows it……..
Mr Bonham fights hard to scratch some respect back and Mr Plant’s now screaming, clawing at the crowd for attention, but folks, Mr Page has finished first, claiming Best in Band for today’s number.
An overall very enjoyable listen, however Mr Bonham’s drums did get a tad crisp right at the end, after the 7:17 mark. It’s just the smack of the cymbals that left a slight hiss in my ears. Everything else was in check though – bass was decent and mids were full and forward but not in my face.
I will experiment with some tips.
I was recently recommended a number of different tips given the amount of iem reviews I do, so I bought a whole heap of different ones. First up – Prism Wide Bore – they look the same but a tiny piece of the crispness has been removed with them on now. Resolution has not been affected but that slight hiss has diminished. Bonzo’s cymbal cracks have mellowed.
Peacefield is next. Divine choral intro. Sounds like I’m in a church hall. Staging is out in front and behind. The cymbal taps are off left behind me and Mr Forge’s voice is in the middle but over my nose. Guitars and drums all around and off to the right as well. There’s good deep bass attack, it’s quite powerful. Tobias’ voice is very mighty and resonant but not overpowering. Treble clarity is excellent and the crispness has disappeared. Imaging is precise with sounds separated competently. Nothing is muddy or closed in. It’s tight, succinct.
Ol’ mate One for the staging test. And yes, they pass with flying colours. The helicopter starts off way left, flys right behind my ahead and keeps going far off right. It’s in the top 20% (roughly) of staging of recent reviews.
Mr Hetfield is clean, natural and tight. Mr Hammet sounds equally detailed and resolving. Mr Ulrich can sometime get a little crisp on some head-gear. Not on the Project Ace with the new tips. Very clean, punchy and exciting but not harsh or sibilant. Markedly detailed in fact. Mr Hetfiled sits right in the middle but forms an equal part of the band. No instrument takes over. It’s very cohesive.
The aural cacophony begins and The Aces hold their own well. Guitars and drums are battling it out on the sonic stage of War, all firing at once. Not on one occasion do the Aces get boomy, muddy, intertwined or squished. They separate everything with ease and I can listen loud (can’t often say this – it’s too frenetic). This is a very particularly exciting listen.
The Ace’s first cousin, once removed, the Hiby R6 Pro II 2025, is doing a fantastic job of controlling these young warriors. A fearsome Commander, a terrifying Yakuza Oyabun in charge………
Old Man is an acoustic number and it sounds natural, lifelike and rich on the Aces. The guitar strums have a depth to them, they don’t roll off early. I guess this is good note weight. Beck’s vocals are up front and strong but not overpowering. Imaging has sounds placed all around me, in front, behind and left and right. The lower guitar notes have a nice weight to them also and they don’t bleed. I can easily distinguish them separately from the higher notes, which are clean and detailed. This whole song has a wonderful naturalness to it but is so methodical and snappy.
The bass run on Don’t Start Now is one of my favourites and it does not disappoint on the Aces. These go very low with ease, they don’t seem to roll off at all in the nether regions. I can feel the sub bass. No bass canons but the quality and quantity they display is succinct, well controlled and has a strong presence in the mix.
Dua’s vocals are lush, full and well-positioned. Imaging again is excellent. There’s plenty of space around each instrument, no congestion at all.
Another dance number and clarity resolution from the treble is simply outstanding. There is not a hint of crispness or harshness and Ava’s vocals again are powerful, positioned beautifully in front of my face and around both my ears (harmonies). Bass is again deep and vibrant, supporting the song with ease. When the solo hits, the bass guitar opens up too, but pulls back when Ava comes back in. Vocals sound wonderful on the Aces, both female and male. There is a real cohesion and tightness to the Aces. They are technically very proficient.
Another cracker of a riff on Rebellion. The bass is sublime here. It’s deep, punchy, and really drives the track without overtaking. It’s tight with no bleed. I love Shaggy’s voice!!! He sounds in command, like he’s heading up a huge Rave and the whole place is on fire, lapping him up. Vocals here sound great, rich, punchy and sit just ahead of the bass synth which is exhilarating on the Aces. This is one of my favourite listens to this song. I really feel like I’m at the Shaggy Rave (not taking anything away from Michael Patrick Kelly though)…….
We wind it out with Mr Roll singing Thorns. Another natural acoustic number and guitars are clean, resolving and just natural. There’s a warmth and body to them too, a fullness. Mr Roll’s voice is raspy but so detailed and resolving.
The banjo in the background sits sweetly in the background but not overlooked. Jelly’s voice is right up with me but it’s not forward or pushy. It’s at my nose and the instruments all sit off to the sides and around me. It almost feels like I’m the singer and the band are all behind me, it feels weird but realistic.
A quick comparison:
I’m going to pit the Hiby X FAudio Project Ace against my recently reviewed Hidizs MP145 Pro. It’s a single Planar, a little cheaper ($209 USD) but I loved it so I thought it might be a titanic battle of the drivers.
Both pairs are equal on aesthetics and packaging.
The Project Ace might have done with some more options in tips, despite sending over one high quality pair. The supplied pair were just a tad crisp for me up top.
Soundwise, both iems have wonderful resolution and detail, there’s no splitting each. The Hidizs do have a richer and fuller midrange that’s hard to beat but the Hiby X FAudio have a strong, deep and powerful bass that’s hard to go past to be honest.
They have a similar tuning, despite one being DD and one Planar, and both play very well to their respective driver’s strengths.
It’s really a tough call to split here – I LOVE the mids on the Hidizs but the bass on the Hiby is so powerful and well controlled.
I think, with this in mind, the win goes to the Hibys, but only by a smidge, trust me.
Well done to both brands – producing excellent iems at very reasonable prices!!
